# 2012 in UFC

The year 2012 was the 20th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. 2012 started with UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes and ended with UFC 155: dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2. The year saw the successful UFC Featherweight title defense by José Aldo, the crowning of Carlos Condit as the Interim Welterweight Champion, a new Lightweight Champion in Benson Henderson, a tournament to crown the first UFC Flyweight Champion as well as the finales of The Ultimate Fighter 15 and The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.

## 2012 UFC.com awards

2012 UFC.COM Awards :
| No | Best Fighter | The Upsets | The Submissions | The Newcomers | The Knockouts | The Fights |
| 1 | Benson Henderson | Tim Boetsch defeats Héctor Lombard UFC 149 | The Korean Zombie defeats Dustin Poirier UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier | Glover Teixeira | Edson Barboza defeats Terry Etim UFC 142 | Jim Miller defeats Joe Lauzon 1 UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller |
| 2 | Jon Jones | Ryan Bader defeats Quinton Jackson UFC 144 | Matt Wiman defeats Paul Sass UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic | Erik Pérez | Cung Le defeats Rich Franklin 2 UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le | The Korean Zombie defeats Dustin Poirier UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier |
| 3 | Demetrious Johnson | Jamie Varner defeats Edson Barboza UFC 146 | Charles Oliveira defeats Eric Wisely UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis | Max Holloway | Anthony Pettis defeats Joe Lauzon UFC 144 | Eddie Yagin defeats Mark Hominick UFC 145 |
| 4 | Matt Brown | Matt Wiman defeats Paul Sass UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic | Nate Diaz defeats Jim Miller UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller | Héctor Lombard | Siyar Bahadurzada defeats Paulo Thiago UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva | Benson Henderson defeats Frankie Edgar 1 UFC 144 |
| 5 | Cain Velasquez | Ricardo Lamas defeats Hatsu Hioki UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida | TJ Waldburger defeats Nick Catone The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale | Siyar Bahadurzada | Pat Barry defeats Shane del Rosario The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale | Georges St-Pierre defeats Carlos Condit UFC 154 |
| 6 | Stefan Struve | C. B. Dollaway defeats Jason Miller UFC 146 | Antônio Rogério Nogueira defeats Dave Herman UFC 153 | John Moraga | Ryan Jimmo defeats Anthony Perosh UFC 149 | Jon Fitch defeats Erick Silva UFC 153 |
| 7 | Cub Swanson | Tim Boetsch defeats Yushin Okami UFC 144 | Ivan Menjivar defeats John Albert UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger | Myles Jury | Donald Cerrone defeats Melvin Guillard UFC 150 | Demetrious Johnson defeats Joseph Benavidez UFC 152 |
| 8 | Mike Pyle | Matt Brown defeats Mike Swick UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz | Martin Kampmann defeats Thiago Alves UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann | Gunnar Nelson | Stephen Thompson defeats Dan Stittgen UFC 143 | Anderson Silva defeats Chael Sonnen 2 UFC 148 |
| 9 | Anderson Silva | Reza Madadi defeats Michael Johnson UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi | Demian Maia defeats Rick Story UFC 153 | Ryan Jimmo | Mike Pyle defeats Josh Neer UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall 2 | James Te Huna defeats Joey Beltran UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller |
| 10 | Costas Philippou | James Head defeats Brian Ebersole UFC 149 | Rousimar Palhares defeats Mike Massenzio UFC 142 | Rustam Khabilov | Rustam Khabilov defeats Vinc Pichel The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale | Louis Gaudinot defeats John Lineker UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller |
| Ref | | | | | | |

## Debut UFC fighters

The following fighters fought their first UFC fight in 2012:
* Abel Trujillo
* Akira Corassani
* Al Iaquinta
* Andrew Craig
* Andy Ogle
* Anistavio Medeiros
* Anton Kuivanen
* Antonio Carvalho
* Antônio Silva
* Azamat Gashimov
* Ben Alloway
* Bernardo Magalhaes
* Besam Yousef
* Brad Scott
* Brendan Loughnane
* Brock Jardine
* Buddy Roberts
* C.J. Keith
* Caio Magalhaes
* Carlo Prater
* Cezar Ferreira
* Chad Griggs
* Chico Camus
* Chris Clements
* Chris Saunders
* Chris Tickle
* Cody Donovan
* Colin Fletcher
* Colton Smith
* Cristiano Marcello
* Dan Stittgen
* Daniel Pineda
* Daron Cruickshank
* Delson Heleno
* Derek Brunson
* Ednaldo Oliveira
* Eiji Mitsuoka
* Eric Wisely
* Erik Perez
* Francisco Trinaldo
* Glover Teixeira
* Godofredo Pepey
* Gunnar Nelson
* Hacran Dias
* Héctor Lombard
* Henry Martinez
* Hugo Viana
* Ian McCall
* Issei Tamura
* Jared Papazian
* Jeremy Larsen
* Jimi Manuwa
* Joe Proctor
* Joey Gambino
* John Cofer
* John Lineker
* John Moraga
* John Teixeira
* John-Olav Einemo
* Jon Tuck
* Jussier Formiga
* Justin Lawrence
* Justin Salas
* Khabib Nurmagomedov
* Lavar Johnson
* Leonardo Mafra
* Magnus Cedenblad
* Manuel Rodriguez
* Marcelo Guimarães
* Marcos Vinicius
* Marcus LeVesseur
* Max Holloway
* Maximo Blanco
* Michael Chiesa
* Michael Kuiper
* Mike Ricci
* Mike Rio
* Mike Wilkinson
* Milton Vieira
* Mitch Gagnon
* Motonobu Tezuka
* Myles Jury
* Nick Denis
* Nick Penner
* Norman Parke
* Oli Thompson
* Pat Schilling
* Phil Harris
* Renee Forte
* Reza Madadi
* Robert Whittaker
* Rodrigo Damm
* Rony Mariano Bezerra
* Rustam Khabilov
* Ryan Jimmo
* Sam Sicilia
* Sergio Moraes
* Shane del Rosario
* Shawn Jordan
* Simeon Thoresen
* Siyar Bahadurzada
* Stephen Thompson
* Thiago Perpétuo
* Tim Elliott
* Tim Means
* Tom DeBlass
* Tom Watson
* Tommy Hayden
* Ulysses Gomez
* Vinc Pichel
* Wagner Campos
* Wagner Prado
* Yaotzin Meza
* Yasuhiro Urushitani
* Yoislandy Izquierdo

## The Ultimate Fighter

| Season | Finale | Division | Winner | Runner-up |
| TUF 15: Live | Jun 1, 2012 | Lightweight | Michael Chiesa | Al Iaquinta |
| TUF: Brazil | Jun 23, 2012 | Featherweight | Rony Mariano Bezerra | Godofredo Pepey |
| TUF: Brazil | Jun 23, 2012 | Middleweight | Cezar Ferreira | Sergio Moraes |
| TUF 16: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson | Dec 15, 2012 | Welterweight | Colton Smith | Mike Ricci |
| TUF: The Smashes | Dec 15, 2012 | Lightweight | Norman Parke | Colin Fletcher |
| TUF: The Smashes | Dec 15, 2012 | Welterweight | Robert Whittaker | Brad Scott |

## Title fights

* ↑ For the UFC Featherweight Championship.
* ↑ For the interim UFC Welterweight Championship.
* ↑ For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
* ↑ For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
* ↑ For the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
* ↑ For the UFC Middleweight Championship.
* ↑ For the interim UFC Bantamweight Championship.
* ↑ For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
* ↑ For the inaugural UFC Flyweight Championship.
* ↑ For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
* ↑ For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
* ↑ For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
* ↑ For the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

## Events list

| # | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Attendance |
| 224 | UFC 155: dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2 | Dec 29, 2012 | MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 13,561 |
| 223 | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Finale | Dec 15, 2012 | Hard Rock Hotel and Casino | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 2,500 |
| 222 | UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson | Dec 15, 2012 | Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre | Gold Coast, Australia | 5,133 |
| 221 | UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz | Dec 8, 2012 | KeyArena | Seattle, Washington, U.S. | 14,387 |
| 220 | UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit | Nov 17, 2012 | Bell Centre | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 17,249 |
| 219 | UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le | Nov 10, 2012 | CotaiArena | Macau, SAR, China | 8,415 |
| 218 | UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar | Oct 13, 2012 | HSBC Arena | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 16,844 |
| 217 | UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot | Oct 5, 2012 | Target Center | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | 7,049 |
| 216 | UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic | Sep 29, 2012 | Capital FM Arena | Nottingham, England, U.K. | 7,241 |
| 215 | UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort | Sep 22, 2012 | Air Canada Centre | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 16,800 |
| – | UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson | Sep 1, 2012 | Mandalay Bay Events Center | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Cancelled |
| 214 | UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II | Aug 11, 2012 | Pepsi Center | Denver, Colorado, U.S. | 13,027 |
| 213 | UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera | Aug 4, 2012 | Staples Center | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | 16,080 |
| 212 | UFC 149: Faber vs. Barão | Jul 21, 2012 | Scotiabank Saddledome | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | 16,089 |
| 211 | UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman | Jul 11, 2012 | HP Pavilion | San Jose, California, U.S. | 4,250 |
| 210 | UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II | Jul 7, 2012 | MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 15,104 |
| 209 | UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin II | Jun 23, 2012 | Mineirinho Arena | Belo Horizonte, Brazil | 16,643 |
| 208 | UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida | Jun 22, 2012 | Revel Casino Hotel | Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | 4,652 |
| 207 | UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall | Jun 8, 2012 | BankAtlantic Center | Sunrise, Florida, U.S. | 6,635 |
| 206 | The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale | Jun 1, 2012 | Palms Casino Resort | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 1,628 |
| 205 | UFC 146: dos Santos vs. Mir | May 26, 2012 | MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 14,674 |
| 204 | UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier | May 15, 2012 | Patriot Center | Fairfax, Virginia, U.S. | 6,668 |
| 203 | UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller | May 5, 2012 | IZOD Center | East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. | 10,788 |
| 202 | UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans | Apr 21, 2012 | Philips Arena | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | 15,545 |
| 201 | UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva | Apr 14, 2012 | Ericsson Globe Arena | Stockholm, Sweden | 15,428 |
| 200 | UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann | Mar 3, 2012 | Allphones Arena | Sydney, Australia | 14,537 |
| 199 | UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson | Feb 26, 2012 | Saitama Super Arena | Saitama, Japan | 21,000 |
| 198 | UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger | Feb 15, 2012 | Omaha Civic Auditorium | Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | 7,120 |
| 197 | UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit | Feb 4, 2012 | Mandalay Bay Events Center | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 9,015 |
| 196 | UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis | Jan 28, 2012 | United Center | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | 16,963 |
| 195 | UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller | Jan 20, 2012 | Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | 7,728 |
| 194 | UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes | Jan 14, 2012 | HSBC Arena | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 10,605 |

## UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis

UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis (also known as UFC on Fox 2) was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 28, 2012, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

### Background

The event was the first to be broadcast on Fox as part of a seven-year agreement between the UFC and the network and the second to air live on Fox after the inaugural UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos.
A bout between Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Wineland was originally slated for this event. However, Johnson was pulled from the bout to be a participant in the UFC's Flyweight tournament set to begin in March. Wineland was then expected to face Johnny Bedford at this event. However, Wineland himself was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Mitch Gagnon. Then just days before the event, the bout was cancelled due to an alleged visa issue for Gagnon.
Paul Sass was expected to face Evan Dunham, but was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by Nik Lentz.
Cody McKenzie was expected to face Michael Johnson at the event, but was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by Shane Roller.
Mark Muñoz was expected to face Chael Sonnen in a #1 contender's bout for a middleweight title shot, but Munoz was forced out of the bout with an injury. Michael Bisping, who was pulled from a scheduled fight with Demian Maia, replaced Munoz to face Sonnen in the #1 contender's bout. Chris Weidman would step in on 11 days notice to face Maia as Bisping's replacement.
The preliminary bout between Chris Camozzi and Dustin Jacoby was not aired on television or Facebook, making it the first bout on a UFC card to go unaired on the event's live broadcast since UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis in March 2011.
The event averaged 4.7 million viewers with a ratings peak of 6 million viewers for the main event.

### Results

* ↑ UFC Middleweight Championship title eliminator.
* ↑ Originally incorrectly announced as a split decision.

### Bonus awards

Fighters were awarded $65,000 bonuses.
* Fight of the Night: Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz
* Knockout of the Night: Lavar Johnson
* Submission of the Night: Charles Oliveira

## UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger

UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger (also known as UFC on Fuel TV 1), was the first UFC event to air exclusively on Fuel TV. It was held on February 15, 2012, at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska. At the time, the event was the most watched show ever aired on Fuel TV with 217,000 viewers tuning in.

### Background

The main event consisted of Diego Sanchez facing Jake Ellenberger. Ellenberger came into the match on a five fight win streak, four of which ended by stoppage, including one against Jake Shields. The fight against Ellenberger would become Sanchez's eighteenth fight with the UFC going back to April 2005 when he won The Ultimate Fighter 1. Ellenberger continued his win streak defeating Sanchez by unanimous decision.
Rani Yahya was expected to face Jonathan Brookins at the event. However, Yahya was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Vagner Rocha.
Promotional newcomers Yoislandy Izquierdo and Bernardo Magalhaes were expected to face each other at the event. However, Izquierdo was not allowed to compete due to a contractual dispute with another organization and was replaced by Tim Means.
A bout between Buddy Roberts and Sean Loeffler was scheduled for the preliminary card. However, the pairing was scrapped on the day of the event as Loeffler injured his ankle during a pre-fight warm up. With the loss of the Roberts/Loeffler bout, the event took place with only nine fights, making it the smallest fight card for the promotion since UFC 110 in 2010.

### Results

* ↑ This bout aired on the broadcast following the Markes vs Simpson bout.

### Bonus awards

Fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses.
* Fight of the Night: Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger
* Knockout of the Night: Stipe Miocic
* Submission of the Night: Ivan Menjivar

## UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier

UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier (also known as UFC on Fuel TV 3) was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 15, 2012, at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Initially, this event was referred to as UFC on FX 3, but was since clarified to be a Fuel TV event.

### Background

Brandon Vera was briefly scheduled to face Thiago Silva in a rematch of their January 2011 bout. However, Vera was forced out of the bout with an injury. Igor Pokrajac stepped in to fight Silva. Silva was subsequently pulled from the bout to replace an injured Antônio Rogério Nogueira against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva. Pokrajac will now face Fabio Maldonado.
Yves Edwards was expected to face Donald Cerrone at the event, but Edwards was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Jeremy Stephens.
Mike Easton was expected to face Yves Jabouin at the event, but Easton was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Jeff Hougland who was previously expected to face Renan Barão at UFC 148.
Aaron Riley was expected to face Cody McKenzie at the event, but Riley was pulled from the event and replaced by promotional newcomer Marcus LeVesseur.
Azamat Gashimov was expected to make his promotional debut against Alex Soto. However, Gashimov was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by returning veteran Francisco Rivera.
The main event featured Chan Sung Jung facing Dustin Poirier. The winner of this bout was linked to a potential bout with José Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship, but that fight did not materialize until 15 months later at UFC 163.

### Bonus awards

Fighters were awarded $40,000 bonuses.
* Fight of the Night: Dustin Poirier vs. Chan-Sung Jung
* Knockout of the Night: Tom Lawlor
* Submission of the Night: Chan-Sung Jung

### Reported payout

The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.
* Chan Sung Jung: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus) def. Dustin Poirier: $14,000
* Amir Sadollah: $48,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus) def. Jorge Lopez: $6,000
* Donald Cerrone: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Jeremy Stephens: $24,000
* Yves Jabouin: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Jeff Hougland: $8,000
* Igor Pokrajac: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus) def. Fabio Maldonado: $11,000
* Tom Lawlor: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Jason MacDonald: $19,000
* Brad Tavares: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Dongi Yang: $12,000
* Cody McKenzie: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Marcus LeVesseur: $6,000
* T. J. Grant: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Carlo Prater: $10,000
* Rafael dos Anjos: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus) def. Kamal Shalorus: $11,000
* Johnny Eduardo: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Jeff Curran: $8,000
* Francisco Rivera: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Alex Soto: $6,000

## UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall 2

UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall (also known as UFC on FX 3) was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 8, 2012, at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.

### Background

Because of a scoring error at UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann, a majority draw between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall was mistakenly announced as a victory for Johnson. Dana White announced the error following the conclusion of the event and that Johnson and McCall would have a rematch. The rematch was initially reported to happen at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale, but instead was moved to the main card of this event, UFC on FX 3. Since then, it was announced by the UFC that the fight would be the main event of UFC on FX 3.
This was the first event that the UFC hosted in South Florida since UFC Fight Night 10 in 2007. This also was the first UFC event to be headlined by a flyweight bout.

### Results

* ↑ Flyweight tournament semifinal bout.
* ↑ This bout aired on the broadcast following the Silva vs Brenneman bout.

### Flyweight Championship bracket

| Semifinals UFC on FX 2 / UFC on FX 3 | Semifinals UFC on FX 2 / UFC on FX 3 | Semifinals UFC on FX 2 / UFC on FX 3 | Finals UFC 152 | Finals UFC 152 | Finals UFC 152 |
| Joseph Benavidez | Joseph Benavidez | TKO | | | |
| Yasuhiro Urushitani | Yasuhiro Urushitani | 2 | | | |
| Yasuhiro Urushitani | Yasuhiro Urushitani | 2 | Joseph Benavidez | Joseph Benavidez | 5 |
| | | | Demetrious Johnson | Demetrious Johnson | SD |
| Demetrious Johnson$^1$ | Demetrious Johnson$^1$ | UD | Demetrious Johnson | Demetrious Johnson | SD |
| Ian McCall | Ian McCall | 3 | | | |
$^1$ The initial semifinal bout between Johnson and McCall at UFC on FX 2 ended in a draw. Johnson defeated McCall in a rematch at UFC on FX 3

### Bonus awards

Fighters were awarded $40,000.
* Fight of the Night: Eddie Wineland vs. Scott Jorgensen
* Knockout of the Night: Mike Pyle
* Submission of the Night: Erick Silva

### Reported payout

The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Florida State Boxing Commission. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.
* Demetrious Johnson: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Ian McCall: $9,000
* Erick Silva: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Charlie Brenneman: $18,000
* Mike Pyle: $66,000 (includes $33,000 win bonus) def. Josh Neer: $14,000
* Eddie Wineland: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Scott Jorgensen: $20,500
* Mike Pierce: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Carlos Eduardo Rocha: $8,000
* Seth Baczynski: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Lance Benoist: $8,000
* Matt Grice: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Leonard Garcia: $20,000
* Dustin Pague: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Jared Papazian: $6,000
* Tim Means: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Justin Salas: $8,000
* Buddy Roberts: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Caio Magalhaes: $8,000
* Henry Martinez: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Bernardo Magalhaes: $8,000
* Sean Pierson: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Jake Hecht: $8,000

## UFC 149: Faber vs. Barão

UFC 149: Faber vs. Barão was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 21, 2012, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. It was the first event that the UFC has held in the Canadian province of Alberta.

### Background

On April 24, due to a conflict with the UN Conference, the UFC Middleweight Championship bout between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, which was originally scheduled to main event UFC 147 was moved to UFC 148 to serve as the new main event. Plans were then being made for José Aldo, who at the time was scheduled to defend his title at this event against an undetermined opponent, to headline UFC 147. However it was reported on April 28, 2012, that Aldo would remain on this card and defend his title against Erik Koch.
The bout between Michael Bisping and Tim Boetsch, originally scheduled for UFC 148, was moved to this event to help bolster this (the UFC 149) fight card. However, Bisping was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Hector Lombard.
Yoshihiro Akiyama was expected to face Thiago Alves at this event, but was forced to pull out of the fight due to injury and replaced by Siyar Bahadurzada. Then on June 1, Alves pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Chris Clements. However, Bahadurzada was also forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Matthew Riddle.
Thiago Silva was expected to face Maurício Rua at the event. However, Silva was forced out of the bout with an injury and Rua was pulled from the event entirely, and would face Brandon Vera at UFC on Fox 4.
On June 4, 2012, it was announced that the UFC signed former DREAM champion Bibiano Fernandes. He was expected to compete against Roland Delorme. However, a week later it was announced that Fernandes was removed from the event due to injury but was later announced that Fernandes had not signed with the UFC. Francisco Rivera filled in to fight Delorme.
On June 9, 2012, it was announced that UFC featherweight champion, José Aldo was removed from the event due to injury. No replacement has yet been named for his scheduled opponent, Erik Koch. As a result, the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship fight between Urijah Faber and Renan Barão was rescheduled as the main event of the fight.
George Roop was scheduled to fight Antonio Carvalho, but on June 26, Roop was forced out of the fight and replaced by Daniel Pineda.
Former Pride and Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira was expected to face Cheick Kongo at the event. However, Nogueira pulled out of the bout, citing that an arm injury sustained in his last bout had not healed enough to resume the proper training and was replaced by Shawn Jordan.
Claude Patrick was expected to face James Head at the event. However, Patrick was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by Brian Ebersole.

### Results

* ↑ For the interim UFC Bantamweight Championship.
* ↑ Originally ruled a Submission (arm-triangle choke) victory for Riddle, result was overturned due to testing positive for marijuana.
* ↑ Originally ruled a KO victory for Rivera, result was overturned due to testing positive for a banned substance.

### Bonus awards

Fighters were awarded $65,000 bonuses.
* Fight of the Night: Bryan Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon
* Knockout of the Night: Ryan Jimmo
* Submission of the Night: Matthew Riddle