Rising star Cain Velasquez defeated the legendary Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in dominating fashion in the main event of UFC 110 on Saturday to secure a spot as a top contender for the UFC heavyweight title.

Velasquez v. Nogueira

The two ground specialists exchanged in a brief standup battle in the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.  Velasquez landed a combo, which sent Nogueira to the canvas and he quickly followed up with vicious ground and pound that left Nogueria unconscious.  Referee Herb Dean called for a knockout stoppage, putting an end to the contest at 2:20 in the first round.

“We’ll see what happens with Mir and Carwin – see who wins that – and if the guys come out unscathed, they’ll fight for the title,” said UFC president Dana White at the post-fight press conference.  ”If not, then Cain Velasquez will get that spot.”

Velasquez’s performance earned him “Knockout of the Night” honors along with a $50,000 bonus.

The co-main event featured another legendary brazilian fighter and Pride FC champion in Wanderlei Silva, who squared off against Michael Bisping.  The contest saw both fighters standing and exchanging for the majority of the fight.

Bisping took Silva down several times in the first and second rounds, but was unable to keep him down once on the ground.  Silva caught him in a tight arm-in guillotine off of a Bisping takedown attempt with about 15 seconds left in the second round, but was unable to force a tap.

Silva v. Bisping

Bisping landed two fouls which briefly stopped the action in the middle of the third round: first a kick to the cup of Silva and then a finger to the eye.  Silva took the offensive, coming out swinging for the fences in the last two minutes of the fight.  Silva rushed Bisping and landed a right hook to drop him just before the final bell.

Silva was awarded a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the contest 29-28 in his favor.

Bisping disagreed with the official decision. “It’s a close fight, but personally, I thought I won rounds one and two,” he said during the post-fight conference.  He also stated that he would love a rematch with Silva in the future.

Australian native George Sotiropoulos defeated Joe Stevenson by unanimous decision in a thrilling and extremely technical match.  Sotiropoulos controlled the fight on the feet, dropping Stevenson in the second and put him in several dangerous situations on the ground utilizing his superior submission game.

All three judges scored the contest 30-27 in a dominant victory for Sotiropoulos.  The match was named the “Fight of the Night” and earned both fighters a $50,000 bonus.

The Ultimate Fighter season eight winner Ryan Bader took down and controlled Keith Jardine on the ground in the first round of the second main-card fight.  Jardine controlled the second round with strong punches and leg kicks and was able to stuff the takedown attempts of Bader.

Bader landed a right hand that hurt Jardine in the third and quickly followed up with a flying knee to the body and a left hook, which dropped Jardine to the canvas.  Referee Josh Rosenthal called for a knockout stoppage, putting an end to the fight at 2:10 of the third round.

Cro Cop v. Perosh

In the first main card fight Croatian legend and Pride FC champion Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic faced overmatched Australian native Anthony Perosh.  Cro Cop was originally scheduled to face former IFL champion Ben Rothwell who was forced to withdraw just days before the event due to illness.  Perosh took the fight on two days notice.

Cro Cop controlled the fight, landing devastating strikes in the standup and denying Perosh’s numerous takedown attempts.  Perosh continually went for the takedown only to end up in Cro Cops sprawl and to receive brutal ground and pound.

Cro Cop landed a powerful elbow from inside the guard, opening up a cut above Perosh’s eye with about a minute left in the second round.  Cro Cop was awarded a TKO (cut) victory at the end of the second round after a dominant performance.

The “Submission of the Night” along with a $50,000 bonus was awarded to Chris Lytle who countered a takedown from Brian Foster to lock in a kneebar, putting an end to the preliminary card bout at 1:41 of the first round.

UFC 110 marked the organizations first trip to Australia and proved extremely successful for the UFC.  The event saw the second-fastest ticket sell-out in the 16-year history of the UFC.  Dana White announced his intentions to return, to Melbourne, Australia for an event in 2011, during the post-fight press conference.

UFC 110 – FULL

Some called him The Croatian Sensation. Most knew him as a UFC regular. Still others know him as…a trainer?? AND he’s trained fighting greats such as former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia and former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver?! Who is this guy?

Pat Miletich was born in Davenport, Iowa. He grew up wrestling (greatness scouted him early: he shared the high school wrestling mat with future MMA phenom Mark Kerr) and playing football. After a few years, Miletich began MMA training at age 26. He brought his knowledge of wrestling with him, but took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Miletich won his first 15 fights as an MMA fighter, then in 1998 lit his UFC torch and, with a handful of TKOs and submissions, introduced the world to “The Croatian Sensation.”

Miletich ended his career in the UFC with a loss, and after two comebacks (a 2006 loss and a 2008 win, bringing his record to 29-7-2), he decided to indefinitley hang up his gloves. Miletich was far from being on the outskirs of MMA Land, however; he had a little idea back in 1997 that had grown into one of the most successful training programs in the world by the time he was done fighting.

Miletich Fighting Systems had grown from an idea to a wildly popular training organization that Miletich founded around the time he began his UFC career. The training is specialized from person to person, and there are ten locations scattered all over North America. So, it seems our dear friend Pat is still very much involved in the world of mixed-martial arts and intends to be for a while. He is known anywhere there is an MMA fight as either a brilliant fighter or a brilliant coach. Training an almost endless list of fighters with MFS who have gone on to become champions is certainly something to be proud of.

Miletich went from being a great fighter to a great cornerman who created a world-renowned training org.  And about his future in the UFC? Will there will be another comeback? Well, you’ll just have to watch the video below to see.