Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held UFC 168: "Weidman vs. Silva 2" at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and despite the increased pay-per-view (PPV) fee, it was worth every penny.
The night ended terribly for one of the greatest fighters who ever lived, if not the greatest in UFC history.
Chris Weidman was able to defeat Anderson Silva once again for the second time in one year. And despite the naysayers' constant lack of respect thrown Weidman's way, he was able to defeat "The Spider" after Silva snapped his leg in the second round.
Not the prettiest of victories, but Weidman still won.
Weidman did prove that he was able to stand with Silva after taking him down in the first round and dropping him immediately after with a right hand that had the former champion on the brink of survival. He ate shots from Weidman in the guard, and defended well by splitting Weidman open, but could not escape.
The second round is where the main event was cut short, with Silva throwing a leg kick that Weidman checked and broke his leg in the process. Replays showed the leg completely bending in half, and as soon as it happened, Silva fell back immediately, screaming in agony.
Until that moment, Weidman was dominating Silva, demonstrating that he was more than ready to stand with one of the most versatile and deadliest striker in the sport. Weidman was able to get the best of Silva in the rematch until the leg break, and that marks two victories for Weidman over the most accomplished fighter in UFC history.
Weidman will have the work cut out for him in a packed middleweight division, with Vitor Belfort up next to challenge his perfect (11-0) record and steal the gold.
The good news for Silva is that he went into surgery immediately following the event and is expected to make a quick recovery.
The co-main event featured the highly anticipated women's Bantamweight championship rematch between Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, and the fight was a lot more competitive than most thought it would be.
Rousey was able to submit Tate in the third round with her patented armbar, boasting eight victories and winning them all with the same maneuver.
Rousey and Tate started to throw bombs early in the first round, and surprisingly, Rousey's striking looked the best we have ever seen it. Her judo throws were also incredible, as Tate looked to initiate grappling exchanges and had no luck (except for one occasion).
To Tate's credit, she escaped an armbar and got back to her feet, trying to inflict damage, but in the third round, the result was a familiar one for Rousey.
After securing the tap, Tate stood up to congratulate her opponent and extended her hand, to which Rousey was having none of it and walked away.
In her post-fight interview, she spoke about Tate being a great fighter and how she had the utmost respect for her, but she could not shake the hand of someone that disrespected her family.
Rousey banked $150,000, splitting "Fight of the Night" with Tate and secured "Submission of the Night," too.
In a Heavyweight affair with title implications, Travis Browne viciously knocked out Josh Barnett with elbows -- almost the exact same way he knocked out Gabriel Gonzaga -- to earn the post-fight knockout bonus for his performance.
Barnett was working for the takedown and Browne was not giving it to him. When Barnett shot again, he ate a vicious knee that made him drop to his own knees, and then took a number of sharp elbows to the temple. Barnett was out and cut open, losing his chance to contend for the division title.
Browne -- who has only lost once in his 18-fight career -- is now slated to meet Fabricio Werdum.
In earlier PPV action, Jim Miller submitted a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in Fabricio Camoes, and did it off of his back with a beautiful arm bar of his own.
Miller's striking looked great, and Camoes was eager to trade with him. Once the fight went to the ground, Camoes had reversed Miller and off of his back, the gritty lightweight was able to transition into an armbar, locking up the limb and patiently waiting for the tap.
The PPV main card kicked off with Dustin Poirier and Diego Brandao, who had a heated weigh in the day before. Apparently, Poirier mentioned at the post-fight press conference that Brandao said he would cut his neck, and that is why "The Diamond" was so pissed off.
Brandao did come in overweight for this fight, but in the opening moments of the round he was looking good. He dropped Poirier and definitely showcased his power. However the Brazilian started to tire, and that is when Poirier made sure of the finish.
In the dying seconds of the first round, Poirier dropped Brandao and kept on him, throwing bombs to a grounded Brandao who suffered his fifth TKO loss in his career.
The "Prelims" main event was a battle of former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) contestants, as Uriah Hall hurt Leben so badly at the end of the firs round that "The Crippler" could not continue.
Right off the bat, Hall clocked Leben with a flying knee the moment round one commenced; however, replays showed that Hall hit Leben in the chest more so than the head.
For the majority of the round, Hall backed away and counterstruck beautifully, as "The Crippler" threw wild bombs as only he knows how. In the dying seconds of the first round, Hall dropped Leben and continued to wail on him, with the referee keeping a close eye until the horn sounded. A wobbly Leben stood up, asked his corner if he had gotten knocked out, and then declared himself as "done" on the stool.
It was surprising to see someone with such ferocity as Leben quit in the corner and call it a wise decision.
Michael Johnson looks nothing like the fighter who lost in the finals at TUF 12, improving drastically and proving to be one of the most dangerous lightweights on the roster.
Gleison Tibau has always been a powerful force in the division, however the Brazilian was countered by a bomb thrown by Johnson in the second round, and went out like a light after the American made sure the fight was going to be finished.
Johnson's head movement, footwork, and most of all his power, looks the best we have ever seen it inside the Octagon. He is not in dire need of a step up in competition, but after defeating Joe Lauzon and now Tibau, it is time for a Top 10-ranked opponent.
Two stocky featherweights in Dennis Siver and Manny Gamburyan competed on the "Prelims," and it was Siver who returned to winning ways, edging "The Anvil" via unanimous decision.
Siver was not incredibly flashy with his kicks, as we have seen before, yet he did utilize them and kept his distance from the slugger, who was looking to throw heavy leather. He dropped Gamburyan in the second round, and dominated him on the ground in the third round.
John Howard was able to continue his uprising while back in the UFC, defeating Siyar Bahadurzada by unanimous decision. Howard and Bahadurzada both possessed power that each opponent should have been worried about, which turned out to be in this case more of a grappling contest for Howard.
With a huge adrenaline dump in the third round, Bahadurzada was clinging on while Howard tried to finish the fight by submission -- although the Bostonian decided to play it safe and simply dominate en route to a victory.
Nobody can underestimate the heart of Bobby Voelker, and his ability to keep moving forward when most would find a reason to not continue to engage. William Macario looked incredibly improved since his time on TUF: "Brazil 2," and he literally picked apart Voelker for three rounds.
The former Strikeforce veteran's face was a complete mess, with blood spewing all over his own chest and Macario's hair as well. "Patolino" had bright moments with Voelker against the cage, elbowing him and patiently waiting for openings before blasting Voelker with some scary strikes. Somehow, Voelker hung in there, taking shots to the head and the body.
And did not once think about quitting when the doctor stepped in to check on him. Despite Voelker's winless (0-3) stint in the UFC, Dana White declared that he is not going anywhere, and that they do not cut guys like that.
Kicking off the action on Facebook was a bout that featured Estevan Payan and Robbie Peralta, where the latter knocked out Payan seconds into the third round.
The fight was more or less even going into the third, with Peralta's corner informing him that he needed the knockout to win the fight. He could have won one round out of two, however Payan was the better grappler, utilizing his skills on the ground.
The moment they were summoned to fight in the third round, Peralta blasted Payan and followed up with punches until Payan fell backwards, unable to defend himself from the blows.
For extensive coverage of UFC 168: "Weidman vs. Silva 2," check out our story stream here.