UFC 143 results: Ed Herman submits Clifford Starks in the second round

The UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" pay-per-view main card, going down tonight (Sat., Feb. 4, 2012) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, kicked off with a middleweight mash-up pitting Ed Herman against Clifford Starks.

After suffering a horrific knee injury and taking almost a full two years off, Herman made his way back to the Octagon and ripped off a pair of wins. Starks, meanwhile, came in undefeated in the UFC (1-0) and in his career as a whole (8-0).

Undefeated no more.

That's because Herman proved to be the better man with a second round rear-naked choke submission victory after a back-and-forth battle. It appeared as though this one would go the distance being well-rounded will take you places in the fight game. Like next to the referee getting your hand raised.

The two started by wasting little time meeting in the center of the cage and letting their fists fly. Both men landed solid shots, enough so that a clinch was initiated to slow things down.

They reset eventually and went back to doing the damn thing, unloading uppercuts and overhands, jabs and hooks. All of these punches were thrown with the deadliest of intentions, I assure you.

Herman hooked a "late takedown FTW" strategy to close the opening frame but Starks reversed and ended up on top raining down blows.

The second round saw much of the same, until Herman snagged a takedown and immediately took the back and locked in a rear-naked choke. It took some work but it paid off in the end.

That's three in a row, folks.

Don't forget to check out our complete results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the main card action, which currently rolling right along on pay-per-view. Click here for all the coverage you need of the UFC 143 event.