Originally Posted by MMAJunkie.com

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008" lived up to every bit of the pre-event hype on Saturday night, and former reality TV star Rashad Evans and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir emerged from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas as the unquestioned stars of the show.

Evans (13-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) kept his undefeated record unblemished en route to claiming the UFC light-heavyweight belt from fellow "TUF" veteran Forrest Griffin (16-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC). But his path was not an easy one.

Griffin used his sizable reach advantage to tag Evans with repeated kicks and jabs on the outside. Evans looked to utilize his speed to dart in and out of Griffin's range, but the task proved quite difficult for the first two rounds. When opportunity presented itself in the third, Evans capitalized emphatically.

Evans caught a low kick and forced his opponent to the mat. Griffin worked hard to maintain guard while on his back, but Evans powered a stunning right hand through the defense. Griffin was rocked, and Evans was relentless. Rapid-fire punches followed from the top, and the bout was halted at 2:46 of the third round.

The new champion admitted he had his hands full in the opening minutes of the fight.

"It was a great fight," Evans said to ringside announcer Joe Rogan. "Forrest gave me everything I could handle those first two rounds. It took a while for me to get warmed up, but I got there."

In defeat, Griffin showed the class that has become one of his hallmarks.

"I'm fine," Griffin said. "I'll be back. I don't know who I'll be fighting. Congratulations to Rashad."

Evans' first title defense will most likely be against the winner of the Jan. 31 bout between undefeated contenders Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva, while Griffin vs. Jackson II could provide an entertaining No. 1 contender bout should the UFC elect to arrange that rematch.

In the evening's co-main event, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Mir (12-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) met with the UFC interim heavyweight championship -- and a shot at current heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar -- hanging in the balance.

Despite both fighters being lauded for their world-class jiu-jitsu, it was Mir's boxing skills that proved the difference in the fight.

Mir dropped Nogueira with crisp punches up the middle three times in the first round. Each time the former UFC heavyweight champion refused to engage his Brazilian opponent on the floor. Certainly a different look from Mir, but a strategy that would prove its worth again in the second frame.

Two stiff left hands dropped Nogueira in the second, and Mir had stopped the legendary "Minotauro" for the first time in his storied 37-fight career at 1:54 of the round. Mir immediately looked for Lesnar at ringside, and the stage was set for an immensely marketable rematch of their UFC 81 encounter.

An emotional Mir was uncharacteristically humble following the win.

"I faced such demons after my wreck," Mir said. "To come back and fight the best heavyweight to ever fight in the UFC, and get a win over him after what I've gone through, it just shows man -- everybody right now look at your life. They say you can't do [expletive]. I proved you can do things.

"I didn't even think I could beat Nogueira. Come on. If I was a betting man, I wasn't on Mir's side tonight. I came through this because of the love of my family, my children, my wife."

The win was Mir's third straight, and earned him the interim heavyweight title. A title unification bout with Lesnar is expected in early 2009.

Mir joins Josh Barnett, Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson as the only men ever to defeat Nogueira.

Former collegiate wrestling opponents C.B. Dollaway (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Mike Massenzio (11-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) renewed their rivalry in exciting fashion.

Massenzio appeared an easy mark when he entered the cage with a heavily taped left leg, but it was his right hand that nearly led to a quick finish. A straight right dazed Dollaway, and Massenzio took advantage of the opportunity to sink in a guillotine choke. The hold was tight, but Dollaway escaped and immediately reversed the final course of the fight.

Dollaway begin to rain down punches from top position before securing mount. Massenzio rolled to his belly and offered little defense as Dollaway issued ample offense in the form of left and right hands. The bout was stopped at 3:01 of the opening period.

Following the bout, Dollaway told Rogan he didn't actually remember his slick choke escape.

"I don't remember it," Dollaway said. "Maybe it was close, but I didn't feel it. I got out, did what I needed to do and pounded him out."

Dolloway earned his second straight stoppage win, while Massenzio dropped to 1-1 in the UFC.

In a bout that with five years of history and no lack of emotion, light-heavyweights Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (29-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and Wanderlei Silva (32-9-1 MMA, 2-4 UFC) played to an electric crowd.

After refusing to touch gloves, both fighters started cautiously while picking their shots. Shouts of "Silva, Silva" soon erupted in the arena. Despite the support, it was Jackson that would land the first shot of consequence.

Displaying an elusive quickness, and the same knack for finding openings witnessed in his 2007 bout with Chuck Liddell, Jackson scored with a powerful left hook that immediately left Silva unconscious on the mat. A few shots would follow before Jackson could be pulled off of his vanquished opponent, but they were hardly necessary to ensure the bout's outcome.

Following the bout, Jackson appeared elated to put months of controversy -- and constant questioning -- behind him.

"This is really sweet," Jackson said. "I had to let you guys know that the last time I fought him, it wasn't right. I came to England with the Wolfslair, got my wolf on, now it's right. Rampage is back, baby. I ain't going nowhere."

Jackson also laid to rest any concerns that he wasn't receiving sufficient training in the U.K.

"[Training with the Wolfslair] was the best thing I've ever done," Jackson said. "My new team took good care of me."

Jackson erased the sting of his July loss to Griffin and has now won seven of his past eight fights. Silva falls to 1-2 in his return to the UFC and has won just one of his past five contests.

The opening bout of the broadcast featured a potential brawl between European based sluggers Cheick Kongo (13-4-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Mostapha Al-Turk (6-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC). The heavyweights did not disappoint in their efforts to start the broadcast off with a bang.

After trading what may or may not have been inadvertent low knees early in the fight, Kongo unleashed a right hand that dropped Al-Turk. What followed was nothing short of stunningly brutal, as Kongo pounced on his downed opponent with punches, elbows and hammerfists. Referee Steve Mazzagatti had no choice but to save a bloodied Al-Turk with 23 seconds left in the opening round.

Following the bout, Kongo thanked his new Wolfslair training partners and laid his claim to a future shot at the heavyweight crown.