According to a Feb. 3 report from Yahoo! Sports, UFC 156 opened Super Bowl weekend with a bang.
Jose Aldo retained the featherweight title with a unanimous decision over Edgar, and Antonio Silva shocked the world with a gorgeous knockout of Alistair Overeem.
"After I knocked him out I was yelling at him, 'Let's go! I want more. Come fight!'" Silva said of Overeem. "It really bothered me that he hasn't respected me in interviews leading up to the fight. He talked a lot of trash and I told him that I'd make him respect me tonight."
In other UFC 156 main card action, Demian Maia ravaged Jon Fitch with a dazzling display of grappling.
"The game plan was to control him," Maia said at the UFC 156 post-fight presser. "I thought that when I got his back I was going to be able to submit him, but he has very good defense. I think when I went for the takedown he was surprised. I kept him off his game and that’s what won me that fight."
Also on the main card, Joseph Benavidez earned a close victory over Ian McCall in a key flyweight bout.
"I knew he was a tough guy," Benavidez said. "He's got a big head that was meant to take a shot. Finishing a guy in the first doesn't necessarily teach you a lot. You learn way more going the distance with a guy like Ian McCall. My corners didn't sugarcoat it. They told me very clearly that I had to get the third round.
"It was one to one going into the final five minutes and I had to go out there and take it. You always want a title shot because that's what we're all working for. I had an impressive win over a top guy, but I want to continue to grow and be ready when the time comes to take that shot again."
In the co-headlining slot, Rashad Evans lost to "Minotauro" Nogueira.
UFC 156 was a success on all fronts, as it opened Super Bowl weekend with a bang. Super Bowl XLVII features the San Francisco 49ers against the Baltimore Ravens, two of the toughest teams in the NFL.
UFC 156 results:
Main card
- Jose Aldo def. Frankie Edgar via unanimous decision
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Rashad Evans via unanimous decision
- Antonio Silva def. Alistair Overeem via third-round TKO
- Demian Maia def. Jon Fitch via unanimous decision
- Joseph Benavidez def. Ian McCall via unanimous decision
Preliminary Card
- Evan Dunham def. Gleison Tibau (split decision)
- Tyron Woodley def. Jay Hieron (KO, round one)
- Bobby Green def. Jacob Volkmann (rear-naked choke, round three)
- Isaac Vallie-Flagg def. Yves Edwards (split decision)
- Dustin Kimura def. Chico Camus (rear-naked choke, round three)
- Francisco Rivera def. Edwin Figueroa (TKO, round two)
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