UFC 156 Results Recap: Jose Aldo retains Featherweight title in close match with Frankie Edgar
UFC 156 is in the books and the event delivered in many diverse ways for MMA fans worldwide. Featherweight champion Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar fought in a back-and-forth war which ultimately saw Aldo retain his title. It appeared that Edgar may have held the edge in Octagon control and wrestling, however Aldo was the fighter who landed the most powerful shots. His trademark leg kicks found home with ruthless power and accuracy. He showed little to no damage on his face at the end of the bout, while Edgar had his usual black eye and bloodied face to show for his efforts. It was a surprise to some that two judges scored the bout 49-46, but nonetheless, Aldo retains his title while Edgar must once again return to the drawing board.
In the co-main, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira won a decision over the heavily favored Rashad Evans. No one gave Nogueira much of a chance, but he utilized crisp boxing technique to keep the wrestling of Rashad Evans at bay. Evans did not seem to be himself tonight, and looked sluggish and inactive for him. A great win for Lil Nog, who silences his critics and may suddenly be a player in the Light Heavyweight division.
Alistair Overeem and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva went into their Heavyweight bout with much bad blood between them after a heated exchange at the staredowns. The heavily favored Overeem, returning from a steroids suspension, appeared cocky early on by leaving his hands completely down by his sides. None of the fighters did much during the first rounds, but in the third the underdog Silva found a home for his heavy hands. Scoring a series of brutal and well-placed shots, he continued to batter Overeem until the former Strikeforce champ was obviously knocked out, slumping to the cage floor. It’s tough to say what will be next for each fighter, but the loss is absolutely devastating to the title hopes of Overeem.
Demain Maia made a loud statement at Welterweight as he absolutely dominated Jon Fitch on the ground. Known for his excellent BJJ defense, Fitch was able to fend off many choke attempts. But he was never able to pull off one of his trademark reversals, and never got his ground-and-pound going effectively. Maia, who stayed quite active by taking Fitch’s back early and often, was never in any degree of danger and looks to rise to the top of the ultra-stacked Welterweight division.
At Flyweight, Joseph Benavidez was able to take home a close decision victory over Ian McCall. The bout saw both fighters land a ton of shots but ultimately the Team Alpha Male product was the victor.
UFC 156 Full Results:
Main Card:
Jose Aldo def. Frankie Edgar via Unanimous Decision
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Rahad Evans via Unanimous Decision
Antonio Silva def. Alistair Overeem via R3 KO (Punches)
Demian Maia def. Jon Fitch via Unanimous Decision
Joseph Benavidez def. Ian McCall via Unanimous Decision
Preliminary Card:
Evan Dunham def. Gleison Tiba via Unanimous Decision
Tyron Woodley def. Jay Hieron via R1 KO (Punches)
Bobby Green def. Jacob Volkmann via R3 Submission (Rear naked Choke)
Isaac Vallie-Flagg def. Yves Edwards via Split Decision
Francisco Rivera def. Edwin Figueroa via R2 TKO (Strikes)
Dustin Kimura def. Chico Camus via R3 Submission (Rear naked Choke)
LowKick MMA Fight Night Awards:
Performance of the Night: It’s tough to deny Jose Aldo the nod here, as he bested former Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in a very close match. Aldo showed a ton of grit and excellent Muay Thai to pepper the always game Edgar. Demain Maia gets a close second for his ground clinic on the ultra-tough Jon Fitch.
Finish of the Night: This award can go to none other than Bigfoot Silva, who beat a highly favored Alistair Overeem with an absolutely brutal series of punches in the third. Overeem had no respect for Bigfoot’s hands, and paid the ultimate price.
Upset of the Night: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira gets the nod, as he beat a fighter in Rashad Evans that many ranked as the number two Light Heavyweight in the world. He stifled all aspects of Evans’ gameplan and got one of the biggest wins of his career.