Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to FOX Sports 1 last night (Sat., Oct. 1, 2016) as UFC Fight Night 96 went down inside Moda Center in Portland, Oregon in a night of fights that included plenty of big time upsets.
In the main event of the evening, John Lineker edged out John Dodson in a highly-entertaining five-round fight via split decision to earn his sixth straight win (video highlights here).
Also, Alex Oliveira picked up the biggest win of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career by taking out ex-Bellator MMA Lightweight champion via strikes in the third and final round (see it again here).
Biggest Winner: Brandon Moreno
Moreno was brought in to face longtime Octagon veteran Louis Smolka on a few days notice after Sergio Pettis was forced out of the event with a "minor injury." And just like that, Moreno -- who was eliminated from The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 24 in the very first fight of the season -- put himself on the map by choking out Smolka in the very first round via guillotine (recap here).
Even he couldn't believe it, hugging referee Dan Miragliotta in elation and looking around as if he had just won the lottery. That, folks, is why you answer the door when opportunity knocks. From getting the 16th seed on TUF 24, to losing his first fight to upsetting Smolka, and Moreno is definitely living a roller-coaster MMA ride thus far.
Runner (s) Up: Alex Oliveira and Zak Ottow
He may have pissed off Will Brooks by not making weight -- coughing up 20-percent of his fight purse in the process -- but Oliveira got the last laugh, as he finished the former Bellator MMA Lightweight champion in the third round via strikes. The win was easily the biggest of his career, though it didn't come under the best circumstance given his scale fail the day before. That said, a win is a win and Oliveira can add it to the top of his resume.
His post-fight antics toward his fallen and injured for, though, didn't exactly do him any favors with the fans, or Brooks, for that matter. It was a tough choice to put Alex one of the biggest winners, given John Lineker's impressive and wildly-entertaining win over John Dodson, but what gave "Cowboy" the edge is that not many expected him to defeat Brooks, much less finish him.
Ottow stepped in as a late replacement to face the longtime veteran after Bobby Green was forced out of the fight for undisclosed reasons. And in a grueling back-and-forth fight, Ottow made the most of his Octagon debut by taking out "The People's Warrior" via razor-thin split decision, maybe sending him packing from the promotion in the process. It was the theme of the night, as Moreno -- who was mentioned above -- also made the most of his late opportunity in his official Octagon debut.
Biggest Loser: Will Brooks
After signing with UFC, Brooks had his sights set on adding another title to his mantle to go alongside his Bellator 155-pound title. He started off okay by defeating Ross Pearson in his Octagon debut, but after coming up short against Oliviera, and Brooks will have to re-start his engine if he hopes to make a run at the title. Granted, an injury he suffered during the bout aided Oliveira, but, that's the hurt business.
For complete UFC Fight Night 96 "Lineker vs. Dodson" results, including play-by-play updates, click here.