In the conclusion to a grudge match stemming from a previous bout, Jason MacDonald defeated fellow Canadian Joe Doerksen with a second-round TKO.

Doerksen controlled the first round and nearly ended the fight with a kimura that had MacDonald's arm bent back at a horrible-looking angle. MacDonald was able to withstand the pain and eventually escape the position. With a second chance, he came out on fire in the second round, getting an early takedown and landed precision elbows that put a quick stop to the action.

"He got me in that kimura. I though he was going to rip my arm off," MacDonald said. "With patience I was able to hang on and finish the first round strong. Between rounds my corner said he was gassed so I came out strong in the next round and was able to finish."

Debuting heavyweight Cain Velasquez made a first impression to remember, finishing Brad Morris with a first-round TKO.

Velasquez was a two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State and transitioned into MMA after graduating with a degree in education. He came in with the reputation of a grade-A wrestler with huge power in his fists, and showed it from the get-go, rocking Morris with one of his first strikes and completely dominating the bout.

In a lightweight match, Rich Clementi earned a close split-decision win over Sam Stout. Clementi, primarily known as a submission fighter, did well in several standup exchanges and put Stout in several difficult positions. Stout always found a way out, but the Ontario native couldn't land the deciding blow with his "Hands of Stone."

Demian Maia earned a $75,000 award for Submission of the Night when he finished Ed Herman with a triangle choke. Maia is considered to be one of the best jiu-jitsu players in MMA, and looked for takedowns early and often. Herman did a good job staying upright in the first round, but even when the fight went to the ground, he usually managed to be on top where he could be more offensive. In the second, he actually took Maia down, and that was the pivotal moment, as Maia managed the triangle off his back. Herman tried to roll out but Maia ended up on top, with the triangle locked in and in position to throw punches. Herman's body went limp as the referee stopped the bout.

Middleweight newcomer Jason Day overwhelmed Alan Belcher en route to a first-round TKO. Belcher came in as the bigger name, but he never found his rhythm, as Day worked offense from an active guard before overpowering Belcher in the clinch. Ultimately, Day backed Belcher against the cage and unloaded combinations as referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to end the action.

News and notes
White said that Jon Fitch will likely be GSP's first challenger.

After his last win in Columbus, Fitch voiced a belief that St. Pierre changed his game to a more wrestling-based approach because he was afraid to be hit.

St. Pierre was asked about the possible matchup.

"Fitch is not Serra, so I will have a different strategy," he said. "It's hard to become champion but it's even harder to stay there. This time it will be a different story."

Another possibility, but likely further down the line, is moving up in weight to challenge Anderson Silva. Many MMA reporters and fans consider Silva and St. Pierre the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world and would salivate at the superfight.

"If Georges wants us to corner him when he fights Satan or martians, if he wants to fight an army of zombies, we're there for him," trainer Greg Jackson said.

White said such a fight is a possibility but that Fitch would likely get the first crack at the new champ.

"Jon is an amazing fighter," Jackson said. "He has one of the biggest win streaks in the UFC. All I see is problems, not fighters. It's like a math problem, and there's a solution for it."

Asked if he believes GSP is the best fighter in the world, Jackson did not hesitate before answering yes.

Hughes possibly next for Serra
The two sworn enemies were supposed to fight in December, before Serra injured his back and GSP replaced him in the match that made him interim champ.

With both Matts coming off losses to GSP, it makes sense to match them up and give resolution to a storyline fans have expected to see.

"Hughes is due to fight again, so it's definitely a fight to make," White said. "It should've happened already, so we should make it."

"It's definitely something I'll look forward to," Serra said. It's something I'm up for."

Bisping-Franklin next?
The possibility was brought up in the postfight press conference, and Dana White didn't dismiss it. Both men are primarily standup fighters, and it will show if Bisping has the chops to hang with the top dogs in the middleweight class.

"We'll see what the UFC wants, but it would be a great fight for the fans," Bisping said.

Starnes booed out of arena
As a Canadian, Kalib Starnes had the homefield advanatge against Nate Quarry, but he lost the crowd support within a round when he spent most of the first five minutes backpedaling. Things only got worse for him from there as he continued to simply backpedal and sidestep any confrontation as Quarry continued to come forward at him.

In fact, it got so bad that Starnes was likely the first man in MMA history to earn three straight 10-8 rounds despite not being knocked down, as one judge scored the fight 30-24 for Quarry.

"It takes two guys to fight, but Nate was the only one to show up to fight out there," Dana White said. "In my own country like that, I'd rather get knocked out than run around in circles for 15 minutes. I don't know what [Starnes] was thinking."

Event awards
$75,000 awards were given out to the night's standouts.

Jonathan Goulet and Kuniyoshi Hironaka received the Fight of the Night award. Jason MacDonald got the Knockout of the Night award and Demian Maia had the evening's top submission with a triangle win over Ed Herman.

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