UFC 168 was the final event of 2013 and they could not have scripted a more memorable night of fights to round out the year. We watched as a champion secured her legacy, and the greatest fighter in the history of the UFC leave on a stretcher.
The main card of the evening started out with a war between Dustin Poirier and Diego Brandao. Despite the fact that the match didn’t even make it out of the first round, it was still a great fight. These two pounded the hell out of each other for the full first round with Poirier definitely landing the lion’s share of the damaging shots with less than left in the round, Poirier landed a huge left hook that rocked Brandao. He continued the barrage until the referee put an end to it with four seconds to spare.
Winner via TKO: Dustin Poirier
Not a bad way to start the night. At this point, we moved on to the lightweight division to watch two submission experts in Jim Miller and Fabricio Camoes. This fight was a perfect match for Miller as he showcased why he is a force to be reckoned with in the lightweight division. He picked apart the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt and just when you thought Miller was in danger, he pulled a standing armbar straight out of his ass to put an end to it.
Winner via submission (armbar): Jim Miller
There’s not a whole lot to say about the heavyweight matchup between Travis Browne and Josh Barnett. Travis Browne did what he does best – knock people out. He made ridiculously short work of the former UFC champ landing vicious elbows to the side of Barnett’s head, until he was rendered unconscious, and all in less than one minute.
Winner via KO: Travis Browne
The co-main event of the evening between Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate was a great showcase for both fighters. We got to see how tough Miesha Tate really is, as we got to see just exactly why Ronda Rousey is the Women’s Champ. Tate became for the first fighter to make it past the first round against Rousey and showed tremendous heart, as she tried to push the pace of the fight. In the first two rounds, Rousey was dominant took Tate down at will, outstriking the contender and maintaining dominant position every time they went to the ground. Anyone who has ever watched a Ronda Rousey fight knows how this ends. That’s right, about a minute into the third round Ronda Rousey slapped on an armbar and the fight was over. Eight fights, eight wins, eight armbars.
Winner via submission (armbar): Ronda Rousey
Now, we move on to the main event of the evening. Anderson Silva attempts to regain the Middleweight Championship from Chris Weidman. Silva has made virtually every highlight reel possible, and this fight was to be no exception, although it is probably not in the way he intended. Weidman dominated the entire first round, just picking apart the former champ. He took him down early in the first round and had him almost out on his feet late in the round, but Silva was able to make it out of the first round. At about a minute into the second round, Silva was trying to wear down Weidman with leg kicks, and it all came crashing down on him. Silva threw a hard leg kick at the champ, and as it made contact, Silva’s leg snapped in half. It’s truly a hard thing to describe and even more gross to watch. The fight was over immediately as the greatest fighter in the history of the UFC buckled to the ground in agony. It was mortifying to watch, knowing that this will probably end his career. It truly is the end of an era.
Winner via I don’t know what: Chris Weidman
Preliminary Fight Card Results:
Uriah Hall def. Chris Leben via TKO (corner stoppage)
Michael Johnson def. Gleison Tibau via KO
Dennis Siver def. Manvel Gamburyan via unanimous decision
John Howard def. Siyar Bahadurzada via unanimous decision
William Macario def. Bobby Voelker via unanimous decision
Robbie Peralta def. Estevan Payan via KO
Post Fight Honors:
Fight of the Night: Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate
KO of the Night: Travis Browne
Submission of the Night: Ronda Rousey
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