UFC on Fuel TV 8 Results Recap: Wanderlei Silva makes triumphant return to Japan with KO of Brian Stann

UFC on Fuel TV 8 is in the books from Japan and while it may have started out slow with a litany of decisions, it ended with some absolute fireworks to finish the last two bouts. In the main event, Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann fought a toe-to-toe war from the start, rocking each other time and again throughout the bloody first round. They appeared much more tentative to start the second, but as the round wound down, Silva rocked Stann with a vicious right hook-left hook combo. He followed up on the ground with some shots to seal the deal. A great win for Silva in his return to Japan.

In the co-main, Mark Hunt fought Stefan Struve in a brutal back-and-forth war. Not surprisingly, Hunt looked to utilize his heavy hands while Struve attempted several submissions and ground sweeps after pulling guard. Struve repeatedly hit Hunt with a ton of ground-and-pound, but in the third round Hunt took over as both fighters appeared very tired. The Pride veteran landed some heavy-handed blows to floor Struve and earn the stoppage from Herb Dean.

In other action, Diego Sanchez fought native hero Takanori Gomi in a fight that displayed both of their offensive arrays. Sanchez earned the decision on the strength of some early takedowns. Yushin Okami controlled Hector Lombard just enough to win after getting tagged early and often in the last round. Rani Yahya took the decision over Mizuto Hirota after almost submitting with an arm triangle choke. Dong Hyun Kim used his patented smothering top game to dominate Siyar Bahadurzada on the ground for a unanimous decision.

UFC on Fuel TV 8 Full Results:

Main Card:

Wanderlei Silva def. Brian Stann via KO (punches)

Mark Hunt def. Stefan Struve via TKO (punches)

Diego Sanchez def. Takanori Gomi via Split Decision

Yushin Okami def. Hector Lombard via Split Decision

Rani Yahya def. Mizuto Hirota via Unanimous Decision

Dong Hyun Kim def. Siyar Bahadurzada via Unanimous Decision 

Preliminary Card:

Brad Tavares def. Riki Fukuda via Unanimous Decision

Takeya Mizugaki def. Brian Caraway via Split Decision

Kazuki Tokudome def. Cristiano Marcello via Unanimous Decision

Alex Caceres def. Kyung Ho Kang via Split Decision

Hyun Gyu Lim def. Marcelo Guimaraes via KO (knee)

LowKick Fight Night Awards:

Performance of the Night:

None other than Wanderlei Silva could win the award here, as Silva quieted the critics, including myself, who thought he was on the cusp of being done. He fought and won a war and beat a very game fighter in the form of Brian Stann.

Finish of the Night:

Wanderlei Silva again earns the nod for his emphatic KO of Brian Stann in the place that made him an MMA legend, the Saitama Super Arena.

Upset of the Night:

Mark Hunt was the underdog going into his bout against Stefan Struve but fought hard until the end, although visibly gassed. A huge bout could be coming for his next fight.