Court McGee entered his UFC Fight Night 25 co-main event against Dongi Yang last night (September 17, 2011) after not having stepped into the Octagon in 11 months due to repeated training injuries.

For the first two rounds of that bout, he looked like it had been 11 years.

Both men were showered with boos in what was primarily a lackluster stand-up battle until three minutes left in the final round when things got interesting.

McGee got clipped, Yang threatened to finish and from then on it was an all out scramble to the finish line.

So how did McGee pull it off, and where do both competitors go from here?

For the first two rounds, McGee kept his distance, occasionally throwing slow strikes that kept his South Korean opponent at bay. McGee would occasionally mix in kicks as well to keep Yang honest.

As the crowd became agitated, Yang finally found his moment, knocking McGee off balance with a leg kick before connecting solidly with a short left hook that sent him stumbling across the canvas.

Yang seemed almost surprised that he'd hurt The Ultimate Fighter season 11 winner, hesitating briefly and giving McGee just enough time to regain a bit of his senses before Yang came charging in with a flying knee. 

This failure to pounce on his stunned foe absolutely cost Yang an opportunity to finish the fight.

Yang would only compound his mistake.

Instead of waiting for another opportunity to land that big hook again, Yang charged in, attempting to swarm his already recovering opponent (who is significantly more skilled on the ground than him.)

McGee regained his composure, came out the backdoor and then began throwing punches considerably more aggressively, connecting solidly with Yang's face and bloodying up his nose.

McGee would go on to win the fight via unanimous decision.

In fact, McGee bounced back from adversity so strongly that Yang was only awarded the third round by one of the three cageside judges. 

For Dongi Yang, this was more of a blown opportunity than anything. He had McGee on the ropes and he couldn't put him away. He needs to continue to evolve his striking and hopefully will continue to add leg kicks to his arsenal because they allowed him the big opening to land his powerful left hook. 

If he doesn't get his walking papers, Yang will likely face a lower tier middleweight also coming off a loss in a "loser leaves town" match. A bout against Dan Miller, Alessio Sakara or C.B. Dollaway would make a lot of sense right now.

For McGee, he proved last night that he's a very tough fighter, but still flawed. He doesn't possess much punching power or speed, he's not a great athlete and he's an average to above average wrestler. His biggest strength is on the ground but it's not going to be easy for him to take fights there. He should really focus on improving hand speed and his head movement and he could be a "Forrest Griffin-esque" talent in the middleweight division.

With his victory, he'll likely get a step up in competition. The UFC might match him up with someone like Constantinos Philippou, Jared Hamman or even the resurgent Ed Herman. 

So what did you think Maniacs?

Did the final three minutes make up for the lack of action in the first two rounds? How far do you think Court McGee can go in the middleweight division?

Speak up!

All gifs by Zombie Prophet via IronForgesIron.com