UFC 115 is over and the event turned out to be one of the most satisfying pay-per-views this year. It was filled with cuts, submissions, ground and pound, stand-up exchanges, grappling, and knockouts. With the exciting event came the end of (hopefully) Chuck Liddell's amazing MMA career.

Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin

The fight opened up with both men meeting in the middle of the octagon. The interesting thing to see was that Chuck Liddell was mixing up his game a little bit more than usual. He even managed to break one of Rich's arms with a blocked body kick. He got one take down, but hardly did anything with it. Franklin got back to his feet easily, and they continued trading. Throughout the course of the fight, Rich kept landing the same overhand right on Chuck. Showing that the Iceman's reflexes were still not there, despite coming in phenomenal shape. It's notable to mention that Liddell was controlling the pace of the fight for the majority of it. Towards the end, when he thought Rich was hurt, he started attacking relentlessly (and all of the punches from the flurry missed). That resulted in leaving himself open and Rich landing the punch that put him down and out.

Hopefully, this is the end of Chuck Liddell's career. He can't keep fighting and taking this type of abuse. In his prime he was one of the most exciting and talented (and still is talented) fighters the octagon has ever seen. He has an amazing resume and some of the most memorable fights in the game. It would be absolutely devastating to see him continuing to get put out like he did last night because he doesn't want to hang up the gloves. MMA has past him by, it's time for him to retire and live the rest of his life knowing he's one of the reasons MMA is where it is today. Nobody wants to remember Chuck Liddell as the man who was the victim of many highlight reel KO's.

Mirko CroCop vs. Pat Barry

Who would have thought that a fight billed as a striking war would end on the ground? As a matter of fact, who would have guessed Mirko CroCop would get submission of the night? CroCop and Pat Barry went out and immediately started exchanging strikes. In the first round Barry dropped CroCop with a right, then did it AGAIN later that round. Admittedly, I counted CroCop out after he got dropped, as he had shown in his last few fights that once he gets hurt he starts to back pedal. However, as Mirko was said he was going to do, he shut the critics up. In the second round, CroCop came out guns blazing. He started unloading on Barry, even throwing out some flashy side kicks and an axe kick. All of the momentum went to be on his side and he even managed to secure a take down on Barry. Barry seemed to have ran out of gas by the middle of the second round, and in the third round the effects of it were apparent when the fight hit the ground. CroCop took his back, sunk in the choke, and got the submission.

There's talks of CroCop retiring, which would be a shame since he looked spectacular against a promising up-and-comer. Hopefully he decides to fight at least one more time and comes out looking like this. I'd be interested in a rematch with Cheick Kongo. Those two could make another war like the first time.

Martin Kampmann vs. Paulo Thiago

Kampmann did an incredible job controlling the stand up of the fight. It was clear he was a better, more technical striker. His punches were sharp and crisp, where as Thiago was looking to Brawl. He did land a few haymakers here and there, but overall, Kampmann lit him up for three rounds. The skill-level in the stand up was distinctly imbalanced, but even the grappling Kampmann was winning. Which was surprising to me, I thought Thiago's BJJ would have gotten him a slick sub or at least be able to steal a round with a sweep and maintaining top position. However, Kampmann also neutralized Thiago's BJJ, kept top control and pretty much shut down any attempts of submissions. He won by unanimous decision in what was a pretty good fight.

Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel

Rothwell came in with a different game plan, one that got him the win. Instead of brawling as he usually does, he came in to take Yvel down and ground and pound him. Yvel came in to brawl, but was holding his own for 2 rounds on the ground. There was a significant size and weight advantage for Rothwell, but even so, Yvel was able to sweep him. He worked some ground and pound and when the fight was standing Gilbert was pressing the action. Both seemed to wind down in the third, and Rothwell stuffed a take down from Yvel and managed to remain on top and pass the guard. He also got a unanimous decision. The fight was really good with two warriors leaving it all in the cage.

Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald

A second controversial stoppage of the night. Rory MacDonald was pressing Condit for most of the fight, scoring take downs and beating him up in the stand up. However, Condit was also stealing some moments from Rory, pushing him off when he was on his back, landing a few good punches here and there.

The third round was a different story. Most of the round Carlos Condit spent on top of MacDonald, raining down with elbows and punches. It was essentially 5 minutes of him just pounding on MacDonald's face. He was taking some nasty elbows and just getting brutally beat down. The referee stopped it with 10 seconds on the clock. Many people disagree with the stoppage, but some argue that the stoppage was just because Condit would have lost a decision due to MMA scoring. Some feel like he would have been robbed the decision, and after a dominating round like the one he had, the fight shouldn't have gone to Rory MacDonald. The fight was a war of will, it was fast paced with tons of action happening. They got rewarded the fight of the night bonus.

All in all, UFC 115 was one of the most pleasing MMA events of the years. Lots of good fights, plenty of surprises and upsets, some exciting ground work, and the works. The rest of this week is stacked with tons of MMA events. MMA fans will be in for a treat if these coming up events live up to this Saturday's card.