UFC 149 saw a new champion crowned, an interim champ that is.

Renan Barao pushed his winning streak to 29 fights by beating Urijah Faber via unanimous decision to win the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship on Saturday night.

Barao made not have gotten the finish, but he decisively beat Faber thanks to his reach and his kicks. Each round he managed to out-point Faber and stay out of danger, leaving “The California Kid” puzzled throughout.

Barao certainly beat Faber in easier fashion than the actual champ, Dominick Cruz. It will be interesting to see if Cruz can find a way to stop the runaway train that is Barao. Barao may very well be the best 135-pounder in the world.

Faber has now lost his last five championship bouts, dating back to his time as a featherweight in the WEC. Though he is still highly competitive, he will likely not get another title fight anytime soon.

In the co-main event, Hector Lombard had a very unimpressive UFC debut.

The man considered to be a potential threat to Anderson Silva proved to be more of a threat to himself, as he was very tentative against Tim Boetsch. Neither man did much to impress, but two of the three judges believed that Boetsch did a little bit more, which earned him a split decision.

The poor showing from both men may open the door for Chris Weidman to earn the next middleweight title shot following his brutal KO win over Mark Munoz last week.

For complete results from UFC 149, check out the jump.

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UFC 144 marked the organization’s long-awaited return to Japan, and it didn’t disappoint.

The main event featured a very competitive bout for the lightweight championship where Ben Henderson defeated Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision to claim the 155-pound strap.

Henderson, who looked noticeably bigger than Edgar, was able to dictate the fight with his leg and body kicks while also using his size and strength to stay off his back for frequent periods of time.

While each of the five rounds was razor thin, the overall impact of the fight clearly took more of a toll on Edgar, who was battered an bruised, than Henderson, who looked fresh throughout.

In the co-main event, Ryan Bader earned the biggest win of his career, picking up a hard-fought decision win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Bader showed some good striking and head movement to earn the nod on the feet and then managed to score three takedowns against Jackson, who has been notoriously hard to take down. Jackson, who missed weight by six pounds, looked sluggish as the fight prolonged. Bader had clearly won the fight when the final horn sounded.

The main card started off with a bang as lightweight Anthony Pettis knocked out Joe Lauzon with a vicious head kick. Pettis dominated the fight, taking little to no damage while working nice jab combinations and kicks. Pettis ended the fight with a head kick to Lauzon and then a few punches on the ground for good measure. The KO was much-needed for Pettis, who failed to have a signature win since joining the UFC. He is now right up there as a top-5 contender in the 155-pound division.

Another big highlight on the card was an incredible comeback TKO win for middleweight Tim Boetsch, who stopped Yushin Okami in the third round. Okami dominated the first two rounds with sharp striking and nearly finished Boetsch on two occasions. However, in the third round, Boetsch had the mindset of kill or be killed, and he was the one that did the killing. He attacked from the opening second of the round and used a series of uppetcuts in the clinch to fold Okami up like an accordion and earn the win, by far the biggest of his career.

For complete UFC 144 results, check out the jump.

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Nate Lawson of HeavyMMA.com writes that UFC 123 will feature 11 bouts on its fight card.

“UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida” is complete with the addition of nine bouts to the now 11-fight card.

The promotion announced the remainder of the card earlier today.

The event, which is set for Auburn Hills, Michigan, on November 20, features a light heavyweight tilt between former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida, along with a welterweight contest between Matt Hughes and B.J. Penn.

Making up the remainder of the five-fight main card, Joe Lauzon and George Sotiropoulos face off in a battle of two of the sport’s top grapplers, while light heavyweight prospect Phil Davis faces off against Tim Boetsch. The final main card contest announced today will feature Maiquel Falcao and Gerald Harris.

In addition to the pay-per-view broadcast, the promotion has also announced a preliminary special on Spike TV, which will feature a middleweight bout between Mark Munoz and Aaron Simpson and a welterweight fight between Matt Brown and Brian Foster.

For the undercard portion of the event, UFC veterans Karo Parisyan and Dennis Hallman and top-level wrestlers Tyson Griffin and Nik Lentz face off, while Darren Elkins vs. Edson Barboza and T.J. O’Brien vs. Paul Kelly round out the remainder of the card.

Check out additional information and coverage for the “UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida“.

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