Frank Mir: +6 (Was 13, now 7) (heavyweight)
Can you be a loser and still win? Mir came as close as you can, turning in a lackluster 14-minute performance before an out-of-nowhere finish. Win or lose, Mir is usually an exciting fighter, so this could be an aberration, but the fact that Dana White refused to give him a Knockout of the Night bonus goes to show that Mir will need to come through in spades in his next bout.
Mirko 'Cro Cop': -11 (Was 4, now 15) (heavyweight)
Tentative. Uninterested. Boring. These are not the words that should be used to describe a legend like 'Cro Cop,' and yet he was all those things on Saturday. If the head kick specialist decides he wants to fight again (and all indications say he does) he has been relegated to gatekeeper status.
Ryan Bader +1 (Was 2, now 1) (light heavyweght)
It wasn't a statement win, but Bader used his superior wrestling to best Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The "Ultimate Fighter" winner remains unbeaten at 12-0, including a 5-0 mark in the Octagon. A collision course with fellow rising star Jon Jones seems inevitable.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: -15 (Was 7, now 22) (light heavyweight)
Any time 'Little Nog' started to find his rhythm on the feet, Bader was able to stifle with a takedown. Hailed as a potential contender when he entered the UFC, Nogueira could very well be 1-2 in the UFC had his decision victory over Jason Brilz swung the other way (which many people think it should have).
Chris Lytle: +5 (Was 7, now 2) (welterweight)
It was redemption of sorts for Lytle, who defeated Serra in a rematch of their "Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale" bout. Lytle battered Serra on every exchange, and has now won four in a row in the UFC.
Matt Serra: -11 (15, now 26) (welterweight)
Rather than work to get the fight to the mat, where he held a distinct advantage, Serra elected to fight in a boxing match he lost from bell to bell. It's one thing to try and be exciting, it's another to do so at the complete expense of winning.
Sean Sherk: +9 (Was 21, now 12) (lightweight)
Let's be clear; Sherk lost this fight. That doesn't mean, however, that he deserved to be booed after the fact. Sherk went back to the wrestling base that made him a killer earlier in his career, and opened up a nasty cut on Evan Dunham's face in the first round. "The Muscle Shark" might have one more title run left in him after all.
Evan Dunham: -21 (Was 4, now 25) (lightweight)
Dunham did everything in this fight that you want to see a young prospect do except win. Rather than wilt after sustaining a massive cut, Dunham came out energized for the second round, battering Sherk on the feet and threatening with guillotine attempts that would have tapped most lightweights. Even after being robbed by the judges, Dunham was humble and gracious. This is a kid to take notice of going forward.
Melvin Guillard: +1 (Was 5, now 4) (lightweight)
Fans of Guillard's swing-for-the-fences style are bemoaning his UFC 119 performance, as he was content to stick and move against Jeremy Stephens. He got the job done, though (with a little help from the judges), and Guillard is starting to creep into the title hunt.
Jeremy Stephens: -15 (Was 9, now 24) (lightweight)
Stephens seemed to land the harder punches, but the judges saw it differently (heard that one before?). Now he will begin the long climb back up the lightweight ladder.
CB Dollaway: +3 (Was 7, now 4) (middleweight)
Since his time on the "Ultimate Fighter," Dollaway has started to mature in the Octagon. Instead of gassing himself out with a futile guillotine attempt, Dollaway stayed calm, created a scramble, and eventually snagged a choke that almost popped Doerksen's head off. Dollaway has quietly gone 5-1 in the UFC since losing the TUF 7 finale to Amir Sadollah, and is on a three-fight win streak.
Joe Doerksen: -12 (Was 19, now 32) (middleweight)
Who would have predicted that submission specialist Doerksen would be the one tapping out? This loss should spell an end to the journeyman's most recent UFC stint.
Matt Mitrione: +3 (Was 7, now 4) (heavyweight)
He always has a grin on his face, and he hits like he has cement in his gloves. Mitrione bounced back from losing the first round to pound Joey Beltran en route to a unanimous decision. 'Meat' is fast becoming a heavyweight prospect to watch, but will his age (32) and NFL wear-and-tear be his biggest obstacles?
Joey Beltran: -12 (Was 6, now 18) (heavyweigt)
Beltran dominated the first round, but had no answer for Mitrione's reach after that. You can't question Beltran's toughness, but he desperately needed to get the fight back to the mat, and he never did.
Preliminary bouts and full snapshots after the jump...
