The UFC 160 card went down last night in Las Vegas to solid reviews. Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez made short work of his opponent, Antonio Silva, though anyone who had money on Silva and Silva himself thought it was a bit of a quick stop. Silva was as much as an 8 to 1 underdog, and Cain’s blitz let us know why right away. Velasquez will face another rematch in his next outing, as he takes on Junior dos Santos again after dos Santos dispatched rugged Mark Hunt in the fight of the night at UFC 160. Hunt proved his chin until the end, when dos Santos landed a stunning spinning wheel kick that dropped the big Samoan. Dos Santos took some shots as well, but overall he used good movement and a sound strategy to frustrate Hunt, even while fighting to Hunt’s strength. Though dos Santos looked good and deserves credit for stopping Hunt, the lines will probably have Velasquez as a solid favorite. Look for the Velasquez-dos Santos 3 match to close out the year at the final December event. Two minor underdogs did come in at UFC 160, as TJ Grant exploded all over perennial contender Gray Maynard, finishing him off in roughly 2 minutes and Mike Pyle gutted out a close fight over Rick Story that could have gone either way. Grant earns a shot at Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson with his win, while Mike Pyle dropped the once promising Story to 2-4 in his last 6 fights, putting Story at real risk of getting the axe. Also at risk of getting the axe after his loss is Strikeforce transplant KJ Noons, who lost a decision to Donald Cerrone. Noons is 0-1 in the UFC and 1-5 in his last six fights, so for him, the axeman likely cometh. Cerrone got back on track with this win, though without his typical brand of fireworks. Look for Cerrone to meet one of the other Strikeforce transplants in his next match, as matches with Jorge Masvidal, Josh Thomson or even Gilbert Melendez are interesting. Too bad Pat Healy isn’t available. Light Heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira showed his strategic side, as he came in and took hard hitting James Te Huna to the ground and got the guillotine submission as the fighters transitioned. Teixeira is on the cusp of a title shot, and may face other top contender Alexander Gustafsson in a title eliminator match. This match becomes more and more likely as Champion Jon Jones’ recovery from his broken toe continues to extend itself.
The undercard featured a breakthrough for George Roop and another setback for Brian Bowles in their match, as Roop took out the former WEC 135 lb title holder with punches. For Roop it was a solid win as he adjusts to a new weight class where he is by far the tallest competitor, earning him some respect. Bowles had not fought in eighteen months, and he won the 1st round before he succumbed in round 2, showing that he still has some solid ability. Bowles states he is healthy after a year and a half off, so if Bowles is able, he would benefit from a quick return to the octagon, but in a division where the title holder and an interim title holder are on the shelf, Bowles is going to need some wins if he is going to crash the party at the top of the division. Overall it was a solid card, with several contenders continuing to hold their positions (Cerrone, Teixeira) and two title shots settled for future cards. This time last year, could you have pictured a world where TJ Grant could be UFC Lightweight Champion before the end of 2013? Because it just might happen…