Chris Weidman Finishes Vitor Belfort, Defends Middleweight Title, Heavyweight Fight Steals The Show

After months of trash talk and accusations of cheating, "The All-American" Chris Weidman backed up his promises, and finished off Vitor Belfort in the first round. Elsewhere, a heavyweight scrap stole the show with one of the craziest first rounds in MMA history

Weidman weathered an early storm from Belfort and landed a swift double leg takedown in round one. Wiedman moved to side control and then mount before putting on a ground and pound clinic on his way to a successful title defense. In a baffling move, BJJ black belt Vitor Belfort didn't buck, didn't shrimp, and didn't bridge from mount, instead opting to try to punch from the bottom. This move was ill-advised at best.

Weidman still got a fair share of boos from the crowd, something many didn't expect given his All-American gimmick. Weidman attributed it to people still getting used to him, and also showed Belfort respect after finishing him off.

The fight was forced to follow an all-time classic heavyweight fight between former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski and Travis Browne. Arlovski was a huge underdog, as Browne had only been beaten twice in his 20 fights and seemed poised to move in to title contention. An early flurry from Arlovski gave the grizzled veteran much needed confidence and set the tone for the rest of the fight.

Arlovski dropped Browne multiple times with a variety of punches, and even threw in a rare backhand punch to the face of Browne. The favor was returned and Arlovski hit the mat, quickly recovering and unloading on Browne until the referee stopped the fight on the feet. The bout was an instant classic, and already on the short list of Fight of the Year candidates. The UFC, who was ridiculed for re-signing Arlovski last year, now has a legit title contender.