On Saturday, he just confirmed it once again.

The UFC Featherweight Champion and top 5 pound-for-pound fighter in the world put another highlight reel KO on his resume at UFC 142, finishing Chad Mendes with 1 second left in the first round thanks to a knee to the head.

Aldo (21-1) had control of the fight from the start, as he landed a number of leg kicks that seemed to bother Mendes. The contender attempted a number of takedowns, but Aldo managed to escape them all. As the opening round winded down, Aldo landed a big knee during the exchange and followed up with two big right hands on the ground that put Mendes out cold.

Following the win, the champion sprinted into the raucous Brazilian crowd, nearly causing a riot. But, disaster was averted.

Now, the big question for Aldo is what is next, as he has wiped out the 145-pound division and left no legit contenders.

In the co-main event, another local hero, Vitor Belfort, scored a first round win over Anthony Johnson by rear-naked choke.

Johnson came in 12 pounds overweight on Friday, but it didn’t seem to hurt Belfort and only left Johnson fatigued late in the first round.

With Johnson worn down, Belfort found his striking range and sent Johnson to the ground before taking his back and securing a choke late in the opening round.

The other highlight of the night had Edson Barboza putting his stamp on the lightweight division by delivering a wheel kick KO against Terry Etim.

The two had a very competitive first two rounds, but with two minute to go in the final round, Barboza unleashed a picture-perfect wheel kick that knocked Etim out cold on contact.

Barboza has now thrust himself into the top 10 of the division and looks to be a real threat in the 155-pound weight class.

For full results for UFC 142, check out the jump.

UFC 142 Results (Via MMAMania.com)

HSBC Arena – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Jose Aldo def. Chad Mendes via knockout at 4:59 of round one

Vitor Belfort def. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:49 of round one

Rousimar Palhares def. Mike Massenzio via submission (heel hook) at 1:02 of round one

Carlo Prater def. Erick Silva via disqualification

Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim via knockout at 2:02 of round three

Thiago Tavares def Sam Stout via unanimous decision

Gabriel Gonzaga def Ednaldo Oliveira via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:22 of round one

Yuri Alcantara def Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision

Mike Pyle def Ricardo Funch via TKO (strikes) at 1:22 of round one

Felipe Arantes def. Antonio Carvalho via unanimous decision

But perhaps even more frustrating for the UFC light heavyweight contenders, Jones didn’t cower in the face of adversity as many though he may.

After taking his first significant damage in a UFC fight in the result of a collection of straight punches from Lyoto Machida in the main event of UFC 140 on Saturday, Jones rallied and finished off another opponent in the second round to retain his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

Jones looked a little unsure of himself in the first round against Machida, as the challenger landed some nice counter punches that staggered the champion. Machida looked confident and won the first round in my book.

However, in the second round, Jones closed the distance between the two and used his wrestling to take Machida to the ground. From there, he landed a devastating elbow that opened up a big gash on Machida. Moments later, the two simultaneously threw left hooks, but Jones’ landed first. Machida crashed to the ground and Jones got a hold of his neck and finished him with a modified standing guillotine that choked him out cold.

Jones looks to be the real deal, as he overcame a slow start to still put on a dominant finish. Rashad Evans has to be the only man in the division to possibly stand a threat to Jones’ title, and even that seems doubtful.

In the co-main event, Frank Mir earned something even more rare than a UFC title, he submitted Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

After being the first man to finish him by TKO back at UFC 92, this time Mir broke the arm of the legendary jiu-jitsu master. Big Nog seemed to be on the verge of knocking out Mir as he landed a series of big punches, but Mir managed to keep his senses and eventually locked in a kimura. Nogueira tried to roll out of it, but Mir held on. When Big Nog refused to tap, Mir had to break the arm and force the stoppage from the ref.

For the full results for UFC 140, check out the jump.

UFC 140 Results

Air Canada Center – Toronto

Jon Jones defeats Lyoto Machida via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:26 of Round 2

Frank Mir defeats Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via Submission (Kimura) at 3:38 of Round 1

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeats Tito Ortiz via TKO (Strikes) at 3:15 of Round 1

Brian Ebersole defeats Claude Patrick via Split Decision

Chan Sung Jung defeats Mark Hominick via TKO (Strikes) at 0:07 of Round 1

Igor Pokrajac def Krzysztof Soszynski via KO (punches) at 0:35 of round one

Constantinos Philippou def Jared Hamman via TKO (strikes) at 3:11 of round one

Dennis Hallman def John Makdessi via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:58 of round one

Yves Jabouin def Walel Watson via split decision

Mark Bocek def Nik Lentz via unanimous decision

Jake Hecht def Rich Attonito via TKO (strikes) at 1:10 of round two

John Cholish def Mitch Clarke via TKO (strikes) at 4:36 of round two

The two competed in the first five-round non-title fight since the UFC added the new five-round rule to any main event, and in the end, Henderson managed to narrowly out-point Rua for a unanimous decision.

It appeared that Henderson would end the fight early as he landed some big right hands on Rua, but the former UFC champion survived and pushed the fight into the later rounds where Henderson became exhausted. The final seven minutes were all Rua, but it was too little, too late, as Henderson had done enough to win 48-47 on all three judges’ scorecards.

The win pushes Henderson into the top 5 of the UFC light heavyweight division, but an immediate rematch with Rua may be in order due to the reaction from the fans and UFC brass on the fight itself.

In the co-main event, Wanderlei Silva proved he is still dangerous as he beat Cung Le by TKO in the second round in a middleweight contest.

Early in the fight it looked as if Silva may not get out of the first round, as he took a number of big kicks and punches from Le, but he survived and then came out aggressive in the second round. Silva caught Le with a big right hand and then followed up with some devastating knees in the clinch that led to the stoppage.

While Silva still has a long way to go to be near the title picture, he still remains a relevant fighter in the UFC.

In bantamweight action, Urijah Faber defeated Brian Bowles by guillotine choke in the second round to earn another title shot at Dominick Cruz. Faber controlled the fight from the start, as his hand speed and diverse striking were too much for Bowles to deal with.

For complete UFC 139 results (courtesy of MMAMania.com), check out the jump.

UFC 139 Results

Saturday, Nov. 19

HP Pavilion, San Jose, California

205 lbs.: Dan Henderson defeats Mauricio Rua via Unanimous Decision

185 lbs.: Wanderlei Silva defeats Cung Le via TKO (Strikes) Round 2

135 lbs.: Urijah Faber defeats Brian Bowles via Submission (Guillotine Choke) Round 2

205 lbs.: Stephan Bonnar defeats Kyle Kingsbury via Unanimous Decision

170 lbs.: Martin Kampmann defeats Rick Story via Split Decision

205 lbs.: Ryan Bader defeats Jason Brilz via TKO (Strikes) Round 1

135 lbs.: Michael McDonald defeats Alex Soto via TKO (Strikes) Round 1

185 lbs.: Chris Weidman def Tom Lawlor via submission (d’arce choke) at 2:07 of round one

155 lbs.: Gleison Tibau def Rafael Dos Anjos via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

135 lbs.: Miguel Torres def Nick Pace via unanimous decision (30-27 by all three judges)

170 lbs.: Seth Baczynski def Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:42 of round two

155 lbs.: Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey via TKO (strikes) at 4:52 of round one

Junior dos Santos won the UFC Heavyweight Championship in a little over a minute as he knocked out the champion, Cain Velasquez from the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Dos Santos came into the fight as the betting underdog, but a devastating right hand early in the first round caught the champion in the ear and sent him crashing.

With Velasquez’ equilibrium admittedly thrown off, dos Santos was able to finish the fight with a series of ground-and-pound strikes that left Velasquez face down in the octagon.

The Brazilian exploded with joy as he becomes the third Brazilian to hold a UFC title, joining middleweight champ Anderson Silva and featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo.

In the night’s co-main event, Ben Henderson earned a lightweight title shot against Frankie Edgar with his unanimous decision win over Clay Guida.

The contest was very competitive and neither man seemed to have an obvious superiority over the other, but Henderson was able to gain more dominant positions than Guida and he also exhibited more control during the fight.

For complete UFC on FOX 1 results, check out the jump.

UFC on FOX 1 Results

Honda Center – Anaheim, California

Saturday, Nov. 12, 2012

Junior dos Santos defeats Cain Velasquez via TKO (Strikes) Round 1

Ben Henderson def. Clay Guida via unanimous decision

Dustin Poirier def. Pablo Garza via submission (D’Aarce choke) at 1:32 of Round 2

Ricardo Lamas def. Cub Swanson via submission (arm triangle choke) at 2:16 of Round 2

DaMarques Johnson def. Clay Harvison via TKO at 1:34 of round 1

Darren Uyenoyama def. Norifumi Yamamoto via unanimous decision

Robert Peralta def. Mackens Semerzier via TKO at 1:54 of round 3

Alex Caceres def. Cole Escovedo via unanimous decision

Mike Pierce def. Paul Bradley via split decision

Aaron Rosa def. Matt Lucas via majority decision

Penn is a former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion while Nick Diaz was the Strikeforce welterweight champion prior to leaving the organization for greener pastures.

Penn (16-7-2) comes into this three-round contest as the favorite over Diaz (26-7-1), as Penn has odds of -125 to top Diaz, who has a money line of -105. Both fighters have similar styles as each relies on boxing and jiu-jitsu to win fights. Penn may have the edge in regards to wrestling, but Diaz will have a big size edge in terms of mass and reach. Both fighters will be sure to leave everything in the octagon, which makes this fight very interesting.

The co-main event also has a very competitive contest as heavyweights Cheick Kongo (26-6-2) and Matt Mitrione (5-0) face off with the winner emerging as a top-10 contender in the division.

Mitrione is the slight favorite, with a money line of -140 while Kongo has odds of +110 to win. Both fighters are primarily strikers, but Mitrione packs the harder punch and is more mobile while Kongo has a slightly better ground game. Mitrione will look to keep the fight standing and stick-and-move while Kongo will look to utilize leg kicks and takedowns to finish the fight with ground-and-pound.

For complete UFC 137 betting odds, check out the jump.

UFC 137 Betting Odds & Fight Card

Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011

Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV

Welterweight Bout -Nick Diaz (-105) vs. BJ Penn (-125)

Heavyweight Bout- Cheick Kongo (+110) vs. Matt Mitrione (-140)

Heavyweight Bout- Mirko CroCop (+220) vs. Roy Nelson (-280)

Featherweight Bout – George Roop (+265) vs. Hatsu Hioki (-325)

Lightweight Bout – Dennis Siver (+190) vs. Donald Cerrone (-240)

Featherweight Bout – Bart Palaszewski (+240) vs. Tyson Griffin (-300)

Bantamweight Bout- Jeff Curran (+300) vs. Scott Jorgensen (-400)

Light Heavyweight Bout – Brandon Vera (-500) vs. Eliot Marshall (+350)

Lightweight Bout – Danny Downes (+170) vs. Ramsey Nijem (-210)

Middleweight Bout – Francis Carmont (+100) vs. Chris Camozzi (-130)

Middleweight Bout – Clifford Starks (+100) vs. Dustin Jacoby (-130)

On Saturday night, despite all the signs pointing that he would be unable to do so, Edgar did just that, knocking out the challenger in the fourth round to retain his UFC Lightweight Championship in the main event of UFC 136.

After fighting to a 5-round draw back at UFC 125 last January, Saturday’s bout had almost an identical start. Maynard caught Edgar with a big uppercut in the middle of the first round and pummeled the champion to a near stoppage.

However, Edgar managed to stay conscious and mobile, and survived the round despite losing it 10-8 on most cards.

After a break between rounds, Edgar seemed to get his stamina back and began working his game. He used his quickness to out-box Maynard and avoid another big punch, while Maynard looked flat on his feet and simply looking for the one-punch victory.

Come the fourth round, Edgar landed a big cross that dropped Maynard. The challenger got to his feet but ate a series of punches that eventually left him face flat in the canvas.

The win solidifies Edgar as a true star in the sport and he can finally cross Maynard off his list of opponents.

In the co-main event, Jose Aldo retained his UFC Featherweight Championship over Kenny Florian in a lackluster bout.

Neither man did anything too exciting, but Aldo landed the big kicks and avoided a number of Florian’s takedown attempts to do enough in the eyes of the judges.

In another big fight, Chael Sonnen made his return to the UFC after over a year off and submitted Brian Stann in the second round with an arm triangle.

Sonnen was his usual self, using his relentless wrestling to control the fight from the opening bell.

Following the fight, Sonnen took the microphone and challenged UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva, to a fight on Super Bowl weekend, adding that if he lost, he would retire. But, if he won, Silva had to leave the middleweight division.

That should spice things up.

Complete UFC 136 results are spelled out below.

UFC 136 Results

Toyota Center – Houston

Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011

Frankie Edgar defeats Gray Maynard via TKO (Strikes) Round 4

Jose Aldo defeats Kenny Florian via Unanimous Decision

Chael Sonnen defeats Brian Stann via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) Round 2

Joe Lauzon defeats Melvin Guillard via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 1

Nam Phan defeats Leonard Garcia via Unanimous Decision

Anthony Pettis defeats Jeremy Stephens via Split Decision

Demian Maia defeats Jorge Santiago via Unanimous Decision

Stipe Miocic def. Joey Beltran via unanimous decision

Darren Elkins def. Zhang Tie Quan via unanimous decision

Aaron Simpson def. Eric Schafer via unanimous decision

Mike Massenzio def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision

UFC 126 takes place tonight from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and this card is stacked from top to bottom with intriguing and exciting bouts. Here are my picks for tonight’s main card.

UFC Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (27-4) vs. Vitor Belfort (19-8) – This is the first time Silva will be facing a striker that may have equal or greater hand speed than him, so this could be his toughest test to date. However, Silva is much more of a complete fighter, as he mixes in kicks, knees, elbows, and has a black belt in jiu-jitsu. While Belfort has one-punch KO power, I think Silva finds a way to get past him and puts on another impressive performance.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Forrest Griffin (17-6) vs. Rich Franklin (28-5) – Both of these guys are former champions in the UFC and both are trying to stay relevant within the organization. This should be a good scrap as both fighters always bring the fight. Franklin should have the edge in striking with his awkward style and angles, but Griffin has a big size advantage and I expect him to use that to smother Franklin and score takedowns, which will earn him a decision victory.UFC Light Heavyweight Bout: Jon Jones (11-1) vs. Ryan Bader (12-0) – This is a fight of the top two young up-and-comers in the division and the winner will be thrust into the top 5 of the division. Jones is such a unique fighter in terms of style and length while Bader is a great wrestler with good power in his hands. I think Jones has more ways to win this fight and will be able to stay off his back against Bader. I see Jones landing a big knee when Bader comes in for a shot, which sets up a TKO finish in round two.

UFC Bantamweight Bout: Miguel Torres (37-3) vs. Antonio Banuelos (19-6): Torres is one of the top bantamweights in the world and he has changed up his training in hopes to becoming a more complete and patient fighter. I see him picking apart Banuelos, who will look to grapple. I see Torres landing a nice combination in the second round before dropping Banuelos and jumping on him to secure a choke for a submission victory.

UFC Welterweight Bout: Jake Ellenberger (23-5) vs. Carlos Rocha (9-0) – Rocha is a very dangerous and slick submission fighter, but I see him struggling with Ellenberger’s wrestling. I look for Ellenberger to land takedowns and ground strikes while avoiding submission attempts to earn a decision victory over Rocha and continue to move up the welterweight ranks.