UFC 179 results recap: 'Prelims' produce finishes galore, Neil Magny bags fifth win of 2014

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to pay-per-view (PPV) on Saturday night (Oct. 25, 2014) after a three-week hiatus with the UFC 179: "Aldo vs. Mendes 2" offering live from Ginasio do Maracanazinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Prior to the PPV main card, the event was kicked off with an enthralling start on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and UFC Fight Pass.

Full results and play-by-play here.

The undercard featured a wealth of exciting bouts and finishes, including Neil Magny's attempt at going 5-0 in 2014.

In the "Prelims" main event, Magny became only the second man in UFC history to win five fights in one year, and he did so by finishing William Macario in the third round via brutal ground and pound. Magny's resurgence after losing two fights at the end of 2013 has been simply amazing.

Check out the prelims recap below:

William Macario vs. Neil Magny

It didn't take long for these two to start connecting as Magny utilized his reach to keep Macario at distance. In order to close the distance, Macario pushed Magny up to the fence, but couldn't do anything with it. The rest of the round was contested on the feet, with Magny employing a picturesque jab and stiff right hand that landed over and over. Macario continued to move backwards with his chin up attempting to evade the shots, but Magny was unable to make the Brazilian pay for his recklessness.

The second round provided much of the same action, with Magny continuing to hurt Macario from the outside. The Brazilian was unquestionably getting frustrated by Magny's reach, and began winging looping hooks. His aggressiveness actually paid off, as he cut off the cage and landed a few hard shots on Magny. The taunting began from both men as the pace quickened midway through the round. Macario had Magny in a bad spot on the mat momentarily, but Magny worked to his feet and got an impressive takedown right into full mount. Magny landed some big shots on top, but the round ended before he could end the fight.

The final round was all Magny as he continued to work his distance and light up Macario on the feet. After landing an impressive combination, Magny threw Macario to the mat and began brutalizing him with ground and pound. After the ref told Macario to "protect himself" about seven times, he finally stopped the hellacious beating. Magny won his fifth fight of the year in quite impressive fashion.

Yan Cabral vs. Naoyuki Kotani

Both men used the first minute to find their distance and timing. A failed takedown attempt from Cabral landed Kotani in half guard, but the Japanese native was unable to do much as Cabral fought impressively off his back. When Kotani slipped on a leg kick, Cabral jumped right into half guard and finished the round on top.

Early on in the second round Cabral was able to get back control on Kotani standing, but after a short stalemate, Kotani shrugged Cabral off. After a poor striking exchange on the feet, Cabral was able to take Kotani down and secure back mount. Moments later, Cabral sunk in a deep rear-naked choke and forced Kotani to tap.

Scott Jorgensen vs. Wilson Reis

Scott Jorgensen got off quickly in this bout, nearly knocking Wilson Reis out in under a minute. Reis quickly recovered, but he was badly hurt. After not being able to land a shot for the entire first half of the round, Reis landed a brutal body kick that completely knocked the wind -- and fight -- out of Jorgensen. Reis pounced on his wounded foe, landing several brutal shots before transitioning into the fight ending arm triangle choke.

Felipe Arantes vs. Andre Fili

The "fight of the night" may have occurred in the evening's third bout.

These two featherweights came out swinging, with both men connecting on some big shots early on. Andre Fili soon secured a takedown, and began working his impressive ground and pound. Felipe Arantes got to his feet, getting a takedown of his own directly into full mount. After some brutal elbows, Fili reversed the position and ended up in side control before working for a guillotine as Arantes attempted to get to his feet. Fili was unable to secure the guillotine, but when the fight got back to the feet, Fili opened up big time on a tiring Arantes as the round came to a close.

Fili's pace didn't slow heading into round two, as he continued his offensive onslaught before getting taken down by Arantes. Just moments later, Fili once again reversed the position to end up in half guard. Arantes ate a few shots, but utilized a leg lock to reverse the position and land back on top. The two men continued to exchange back-and-forth reversals and punches in wildly exciting round.

Round three began with a slight scare for Fili, as Arantes sunk in a guillotine, but Fili was able to escape and land on top. The chess match continued with more reversals and sweeps from both men. While Arantes certainly looked gassed, his defense held strong against the aggressive Fili. Arantes dug deep and was able to secure a late takedown on Fili, but with just 20 seconds left Fili got back to his feet and relentlessly tackled Arantes to the mat to finish the fight. In the end, the judges gave the 29-28 unanimous decision nod to Fili. If you missed this fight, make sure you watch it.

Gilbert Burns vs. Christos Giagos

Christos Giagos' UFC debut did not exactly go to plan for the former RFA champion. After an early groin shot, Gilbert Burns was able to secure an impressive double leg takedown, and from then on completely dominated Giagos. After a short scramble, Burns secured full mount on Giagos and quickly transitioned to back mount while landing several brutal elbows. As Burns pursued the rear-naked choke, Giagos attempted to escape, and the Brazilian transitioned into a sensational armbar that finished the fight with just 13 seconds left in the round.

Fabrício Camões vs. Tony Martin

The first "Prelims" fight of the evening saw Tony Martin submit Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Fabricio Camoes in the first round with a beautiful kimura.

The fight was mostly contested on the mat as Martin got an early takedown on Camoes. The two men then engaged in a back and forth battle for kimuras, but when Martin transitioned into side control, it was only a matter of time before Camoes could no longer fight through the pain, and was forced to tap.

Check out the full UFC 178 "Prelims" quick results below:

Neil Magny def. William Macario via TKO (ground & pound) at 2:40 of Rd 3
Yan Cabral def. Naoyuki Kotani via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:06 of Rd. 2
Wilson Reis def. Scott Jorgensen via submission (arm triangle) at 3:28 of Rd. 1
Andre Fili def. Felipe Arantes via decision (unanimous) 29-28 x3
Gilbert Burns def. Christos Giagos via submission (armbar) at 4:57 of Rd. 1
Tony Martin def. Fabricio Camoes via submission (Kimura) at 4:16 of Rd. 1

For main card results and play-by-play click here.