The Top Five MMA Events of 2012

<strong>5. UFC on Fox 5: Henderson vs. Diaz</strong> <br> Easily one of the most stacked cards of 2012, UFC on FOX 5 may have not been the most action-packed event of the year, but it certainly had a lot of meaning. The event marked a passing of the guard between the old generation and the new one, featuring Rory MacDonald's dominant victory over <strong>BJ Penn</strong> and Alexander Gustafsson's effortless win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Then, in the main event, lightweight champ <strong>Benson Henderson</strong> easily out-pointed <strong>Nate Diaz</strong> to retain his title. Again, while the action might not have been through the roof, the ramifications of these matches will certainly shape much of 2013.

<strong>4. UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson</strong> <br> Last February the UFC returned to Japan with UFC 144, and the Saitama Super Arena was packed for a night of action. And card certainly didn't disappoint with five knockouts and one submission to go along with several back-and-forth brawls. Following highlights such as Anthony Pettis' head kick KO against Joe Lauzon and Mark Hunt's technical knockout win over Cheick Kongo, lightweight champion <strong>Frankie Edgar</strong> went to war against <strong>Benson Henderson</strong> in a five round battle. Henderson would go on to earn the 155 lb. title in one of the year's best bouts.

<strong>3. UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes</strong> <br> The preliminary card of UFC 142 was nothing to write home about, but the Brazilian fans got what they paid for with a main card featuring five fights which ended via stoppage. Kicking off the pay-per-view portion of the event, <strong>Edson Barboza</strong> earned a knockout win against Terry Etim, which most consider the "Knockout of the Year," while Rousimar Palhares landed his signature heel hook later in the evening. To cap off the evening, Brazilian <strong>Jose Aldo</strong> defended his title against <strong>Chad Mendes</strong>, earning a vicious knockout in the final seconds of round one before leaping out of the cage and into the stands to celebrate with his fans.

<strong>2. UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir</strong> <br> Featuring an exclusively heavyweight main card, UFC 146 packed a punch, to say the very least, as all five fights ended via stoppage, including Cain Velasquez's brutal TKO win over Strikeforce import Antonio Silva. In the main event of the evening, champion <strong>Junior dos Santos</strong> easily put away <strong>Frank Mir</strong> with a second round technical knockout of his own, setting up a rematch with the aforementioned Velasquez. After an event such as this one, fans probably wouldn't mind another all-heavyweight main card at some point in 2013.

<strong>1. UFC on Fox 4: Shogun vs. Vera</strong> <br> Seven finishes in 10 fights? That's a good way to sum up UFC on FOX 4, which took place at the Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers, in August. The card featured a light heavyweight main event between <strong>Mauricio "Shogun" Rua</strong> and <strong>Brandon Vera</strong>, which many believed would be a lopsided affair. Instead, the fans received just under four rounds of incredible action before Rua finished the fight with strikes. The card also included knockouts from Mike Swick, Lyoto Machida, and John Moraga, as well as the "Fight of the Year" candidate between Jamie Varner and Joe Lauzon.