It would be near blasphemy to complain about or criticize the type of MMA on display last night.  First of all, I sat on my ass and watched nothing but competitive MMA fights from nine o'clock to past midnight.  There is no such thing as a better Saturday night.  Secondly, each of the main card matches delivered in full with satisfying finishes.  The UFC matchmakers and fighters deserve esteemed accolades for this exhilarating product. It was more than one full decade ago that a baby-faced Vitor Belfort earned the nickname "The Phenom" and set the standard for punching prowess in MMA by exploding into a blur of cascading lefts and rights, leaving a trail of unconscious bodies in his wake.  Last night, we were treated to the same awe-inspiring display as Belfort waited patiently for an opening to appear before discharging a hypersonic combination that ended Franklin in the 1st. In the fight that had the most impact for me personally, Paul "Semtex" Daley personified domination against one of the two top contenders at 170 pounds in a fight he took on short notice for his first UFC appearance.  Semtex had his left hook carefully sharpened and perfectly sighted-in, and set it up beautifully in fluid combinations that wobbled Kampmann early and established Daley as the superior striker and the one who would do the stalking.  Kampmann attempted one single leg takedown that was greeted by a sharp uppercut from the well-balanced Daley, and faked another to disguise a right hand that didn't connect.  Semtex maintained pressure and kept hurling a synthesis of rocket-fueled punches that caused the referee to intervene halfway through the 1st. Josh Koscheck showed no respect for his elders by trampling veteran Frank Trigg.  Using his somewhat primitive but obviously effective style of looping overhands and wide hooks, he pushed the pace on Trigg and clubbed punches through his guard without any fear of counter-strikes, forcing him into a corner until a big right hand slipped through and caught Trigg square.  The victory was vicious, convincing, and authoritative, while also demonstrating Koscheck's stabilization as a top WW despite his setbacks. Tyson Griffin always comes out of the gate strong and owns the pace of the fight with highly-technical kickboxing, refusing to let his opponent gather his wits or catch his breath for even a moment without digesting a volley of strikes.  Hermes also stuck to his usual gameplan of lethargic movement in every aspect- feet, hands, head, body- but paid dearly for it by dropping his hands for a split-second and allowing an oddly-timed, rifle right hand sail through.  Tyson Griffin earns a much needed TKO stoppage in the 2nd round after going to decisions in his last seven fights. What's that you say?  I'm forgetting someone?  Unfortunately, I wish I could.  Mirko CroCop turned in another deeply disappointing performance against Junior dos Santos.  It is fully beyond my grasp how a top K-1 kickboxer with adroit footwork and a toolbox stocked with masterful striking skills can be reduced to defending by shuffling straight-back with his arms extended forward, and only mounting offense in the form of single strike attacks (either straight left, or left high kick).  Junior dos Santos took the center of the octagon and marched CroCop into corners with sequential barrages of furious punches, occasionally blocking a wayward attempt from the Croatian, before thrice finding success with knees when closing range and then ending CroCop's night with another short jackhammer that caused CroCop to wave the white flag to the referee.  When searching my extensive vocabulary for an eloquent and thought provoking description, I can only come up with:  "I don't get it." Full results after the jump. Vitor Belfort defeated Rich Franklin by KO, R1. Junior dos Santos defeated Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic by verbal submission, R3. Paul Daley defeated Martin Kampmann by TKO, R1. Josh Koscheck defeated Frank Trigg by TKO, R1. Tyson Griffin defeated Hermes Franca by TKO, R2. Efrain Escudero defeated Cole Miller by KO, R1. Tomasz Drwal defeated Drew McFedries by submission, R2 Jim Miller defeated Steve Lopez by TKO, R2. Nik Lentz defeated Rafaello Oliveira by unanimous decision Rick Story defeated Brian Foster by submission, R2 Eliot Marshall defeated Jason Brilz by split decision Vladimir Matyushenko defeated Igor Pokrajac by unanimous decision Rafael Dos Anjos defeated Robert Emerson by unanimous decision

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