UFC 175: What happened when Ronda Rousey and Chris Weidman defended their titles in a blockbuster double main event?

UFC 175 had a mouthwatering pair of headline bouts
UFC 175 had a mouthwatering pair of headline bouts

UFC 175 only had four fights on the main card due to Stefan Struve feeling severely faint backstage as the show was in progress. As a result, his bout with Matt Mitrione was cancelled.

The co-main event saw Ronda Rousey defend her Bantamweight Championship once more. This time against Alexis Davis, who like Rousey was a veteran of Affliction and was undefeated in her three UFC fights.

However, Davis was no match for Rousey. It took the champion just 16 seconds to dispatch of her challenger with a right hand, hip throw and unanswered punches. When you watch performances like this from Rousey, you struggle to see how she could ever have been beaten. Obviously she was, but until that Holm fight, she was an incredible force of nature.

Ronda Rousey takes Alexis Davis down at UFC 175
Ronda Rousey takes Alexis Davis down at UFC 175

Uriah Hall defeated Thiago Santos via Unanimous Decision in a hugely gutsy performance considering he sustained a horrific toe injury in the first round. Somehow the doctor allowed him to continue despite the fact his bone was exposed.

Somehow Hall continued on, despite understandably favouring one leg over the other and kept punching away. He was the aggressor throughout and the judges agreed. What a courageous victory.

Russell Doane beat Marcus Brimage on a nonsense Split Decision. Brimage was the clear victor, probably over all three rounds with some brilliant leg kicks and submission attempts. How the judges scored Doane over Brimage will remain a mystery, likely forever.

The main event saw the undefeated Chris Weidman clash with MMA legend, Lyoto Machida with the Middleweight Championship on the line.

Chris Weidman dominates Lyoto Machida in the headliner
Chris Weidman dominates Lyoto Machida in the headliner

In the longest fight of his career, Weidman weathered some heavy, heavy blows from the legendary fists of "The Dragon" and pressured Machida towards the fence to limit the distance he had available to truly unleash his incredible combinations.

A beautiful performance by the champion and it is viewed bittersweetly today, knowing how his career has dipped, pretty much ever since.

This Weidman does not exist anymore. But when he did, he was one of the best MMA fighters in the world.

The event thrilled and was hugely successful on pay per view, attracting a mammoth 545,000 orders.

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