Coming into UFC 169, almost every contest positively crackled with potential energy. No one would have guessed beforehand that it would break the UFC record for the most decisions in a single fight card.
But that’s what it did. Last June, UFC 161 set the mark with nine decisions, and UFC 169, which went down Saturday from Newark, N.J., met it scorecard for scorecard and then some. Twelve fights on the full card. Ten fights went to the judges.
It goes to demonstrate the foolhardiness inherent in predicting anything in MMA. All throughout fight week, insiders and hardcores gushed over the card and its litany of tasty matchups, from Fight Pass to finale. The action didn’t unfold that way.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the whole thing was a clunker. How did it actually shake out on Super Bowl Eve? Despite the decisions, did the card’s results manage to outstrip its buzz, which never went past a low hum in the larger sporting world?
Would fan-favorite Urijah Faber achieve revenge and the ultimate prize in his rematch with seemingly unbeatable bantamweight champ Renan Barao? Would featherweight champ Jose Aldo destroy another challenger, or did Ricardo Lamas bull his way to a victory? Which man avoided the executioner’s axe in a “loser-leaves-town” heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir?
Sure, you can look up the final stat lines. But those only tell you so much. Here are the real winners and losers from UFC 169.