UFC On Versus 5 Results And Reactions: With A Host Of Fantastic Fights, This Series Has Become The New Standard-Bearer

The UFC recently put its fifth “UFC On Versus” special into the history books, and like all the specials before it, this was an event on free TV that measured just below a Pay-Per-View. We saw some great action early in the preliminary fights on Facebook, with the very first free fight being an entertaining, dramatic stoppage. We saw a fantastic three-round war of attrition between Ben Henderson and Jim Miller. And in the main event, Chris Lytle ended his MMA career on a high note, submitting Dan Hardy after three rounds of all-out brawling. Here are the full results as well as some commentary on “UFC on Versus 5”.

Chris Lytle defeats Dan Hardy by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:16 of Round 3. Ben Henderson defeats Jim Miller by Unanimous Decision. Donald Cerrone defeats Charles Oliveira by TKO (Strikes) at 3:01 of Round 1. Duane Ludwig defeats Amir Sadollah by Unanimous Decision. Jared Hamman defeats C.B. Dollaway by TKO (Strikes) at 3:38 of Round 2. Joseph Benavidez defeats Eddie Wineland by Unanimous Decision. Ed Herman defeats Kyle Noke by Submission (Heel Hook) at 4:15 of Round 1. Ronny Markes defeats Karlos Vemola. Jimy Hettes defeats Alex Caceres by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:12 of Round 2. Cole Miller defeats TJ O’Brien by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:38 of Round 2. Jacob Volkmann defeats Danny Castillo by Unanimous Decision. Edwin Figueroa defeats Jason Reinhardt by TKO (Strikes) at :50 of Round 2

I knew Edwin Figueroa had a dominant win in him, and seeing him win for the first time in the first fight of “UFC on Versus 5” was a real highlight for me. I’m going to keep my eye on Figueroa from now on, he’s very entertaining, has a tremendous heart, and is quite the fighter.

Even though he did have an entertaining fight, “Bruce Leroy” Alex Caceres basically proved that he’s just not at a UFC level right now. I definitely expect him to get released in the days to come.

It seems I stuck my foot in my mouth when I counted out both Ed Herman and Duane Ludwig, I’ll get to Ludwig a little later. For Herman, I’ll say that he’s looked very impressive and this just might be the start of an interesting comeback.

Finally, I was very impressed by both Joseph Benavidez and Jared Hamman. Benavidez once again proved that he’s at the top of his division, while Hamman’s toughness and big power really caught me off-guard.

I’ll give credit where credit is due: Duane Ludwig proved me dead wrong tonight. With his past history, I just didn’t see him beating Amir Sadollah. But not only did he beat him, he even dominated him at times. It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for the always-crafty veteran.

I was disappointed to see Charles Oliveira lose again, he virtually has no hype surrounding him now and I could see it being a long, slow climb back to the main card for him. But I am glad that Donald Cerrone continues to impress in the UFC, and I think Cerrone definitely proved that he deserves a Top 10 fighter for his next fight.

Speaking of next fights: Benson Henderson deserves to be the next challenger for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Either that or he faces Melvin Guillard in a “contender eliminator” fight. Clay Guida can complain all about it if he wants, he lost both my fandom and my vote as a top contender after “laying and praying” on Anthony Pettis for three rounds. Clay Guida wishes he had the kind of Ground and Pound Henderson displayed at “UFC on Versus 5”.

And finally, my original “dark horse favorite” rode off into the sunset with his head held high. Chris Lytle exits the Octagon with no regrets: he took Dan Hardy’s best shots for three rounds, and when Hardy tried to take the fight to the ground, Lytle reminded us all one last time that those who sleep on his ground game get put to sleep by his ground game. I’ll give my farewell to Lytle its own separate article, but in the here and now I’ll say this: I’m going to miss that man and his entertaining performances very much.

Overall, this was one of the best “free TV” events of the year, and I can’t wait for another “UFC on Versus” event. The first four laid the foundation, but this event firmly planted the flag: this series is the new standard-bearer for UFC events on free TV.