UFC New Jersey Quick Results: Rumble and Rothwell Win Big

The UFC's latest offering, UFC on Fox 18, saw the organization return to Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center for the seventh time. The card, which was headlined by a light heavyweight contender bout between Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and Ryan Bader, featured action in all of the UFC's male divisions, while no women's bouts appeared on the lineup.

When all was said and done, the UFC's return to Newark delivered as a fun one. Highlighted by some fantastic finishes, some big surprises, and some impressive performances by top-ranked contenders, it was a card we won't soon forget.

Here's a recap of the action for those who missed it!

The Main Card:

Rumble Smokes Bader in One

The UFC's return to Newark was topped by a light heavyweight contender bout between the ever-improving Ryan Bader and the absurdly powerful Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. Unlike the highly competitive main events of the UFC's two most recent shows, this one was a downright blowout.

The action began with Bader shooting for a takedown. Having absolutely none of it, Rumble sprawled, before fighting off a kimura attempt and climbing into back mount. From there, it was just a matter of time before the talented Blackzilians rep removed his opponent's batteries with his octagon-shaking power. The end came at 1:26 of round one.

With the knockout win, Rumble stakes his claim as the obvious opponent for the winner of Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier's highly-anticipated light heavyweight title showdown. The 31-year-old is now 21-5 overall, 9-1 as a light heavyweight, and 5-1 since returning to the UFC in early 2014.

Bader, meanwhile, has a 5-fight streak derailed by the loss, coming up short for the first time since a 2013 loss to Glover Teixeira. The Power MMA Rep is now 20-5 overall and 13-5 in the UFC.

Rothwell Shocks with Submission of Barnett

The co-main event of the evening paired heavyweight veterans Josh Barnett and Ben Rothwell in a bout that would thrust the winner into the thick of title contention.

In advance of the bout, both men's strengths were clear: Barnett had his fantastic grappling, and Rothwell had his fight-ending power and ridiculous durability. In an outcome nobody could have predicted, however, Rothwell would win the fight by submission—becoming the first man ever to submit Barnett in the process.

The submission victory—which Rothwell identified as a gogo choke post-fight—moves the massive heavyweight onto a 4-fight streak and cements his status as one of the game's very best heavyweights. He's now 36-9 overall and 6-3 in 9 UFC bouts.

Barnett, on the other hand, returns to the loss column after a September pummeling of Roy Nelson. He's now 34-8 overall and 2-2 since returning to the UFC in August of 2013.

Rivera Outduels Alcantara for Home Turf Win

The second bout of the main card came courtesy of the bantamweight division, as New Jersey's own Jimmie "El Terror" Rivera got his first top-15 test in Brazil's Iuri Alcantara. The 26-year-old prospect did not let the opportunity go to waste.

Over the course of the three-round encounter, Rivera was able to outland his opponent by a 67-45 margin, and emphasized this success with a trio of big takedowns. His efforts were rewarded with a unanimous decision win.

With the victory, the New Jersey native moves to a fantastic 19-1 overall and to 3-0 in the UFC. Having not lost since his second pro bout in November 2008, he's now riding an 18-fight win streak. Alcantara, on the other hand, returns to the loss column after an August defeat of Leandro Issa. The 35-year-old Brazilian is now 32-7 overall, and has likely surrendered his spot in the bantamweight top-15.

Barberena Derails Northcutt Hype Train with Arm-Triangle Choke

In advance of his main card bout with Bryan Barberena, Sage Northcutt stood out as the most hyped prospect in the UFC. Unfortunately, the 19-year-old's standing took a bit of a hit in Newark.

Though the first round of this fight saw the teenage Texan, who was making his welterweight debut, land some big punches and open up a cut about Barberena's left eye, things would go south in the second. Just beyond the half-way point of the bout, Barberena rallied to lock up an arm-triangle choke from half guard, forcing his opponent to tap at the 3:06 mark of round two.

With the upset win, Barberena rebounds from a recent decision loss to Chad Laprise. The MMA Lab rep is now 11-3 overall and 2-1 inside the Octagon. Northcutt, meanwhile, tastes defeat for the first time as a pro fighter, and now owns a 7-1 overall record. That said, the young talent has all the time in the world to bounce back. It probably won't be long before he's back to his winning ways.

The Prelims:

Saffiedine Out-Strikes Ellenberger to Unanimous Win

After being scheduled to no avail on two previous locations, Jake Ellenberger and Tarec Saffiedine finally got at it in Newark. The bout marked Ellenberger's opportunity to rebound from a knockout loss to Stephen Thompson, and Saffiedine's first appearance since a 2014 loss to Rory MacDonald—a man he now trains alongside at Tristar.

In the end, this one turned out to be Saffiedine's fight. Though The Belgian fighter was wobbled by a punch in the first and surrendered a takedown in the second, he was the far sharper man on the feet, ripping into Ellenberger's legs and forearms with snapping kicks throughout, and confusing him frequent stance switches. By the time the third round ended, there could be no other outcome than a Saffiedine decision triumph.

The decision win—which is the 10th on his record— marks Saffiedine's first taste of victory since he defeated Hyun Gyu Lim more than two years ago. He's now 15-4 overall, and 2-1 in the UFC. Ellenberger, meanwhile, is now 30-11 overall. More worryingly, he's now 1-5 in his last 6—a strong indicator that it may be time to hang 'em up.

Ferreira Dominates Aubin-Mercier

The second last bout of the prelims paired TUF: Nations runner-up Olivier Aubin Mercier with Brazil's Diego Ferreira in an interesting clash of lightweight grapplers.

This one was all Ferreira, who proved to be the more dangerous man on the feet and on the mat. Over the course of the bout, the Brazilian out-landed his young opponent by a 138-51 margin, reversed several of his takedowns, and threatened with a rear-naked choke attempt in the second—all of which combined for a sound, unanimous decision triumph.

The victory separates Ferreira from a pair of losses to ranked contenders Beneil Dariush and Dustin Poirier. He's now 12-2 overall, and 3-2 in the Octagon. Aubin-Mercier, meanwhile, has a three-fight streak snapped by the defeat, and loses for the first time since he came up short in the TUF: Nations finals. He's now 7-2 overall.

Natal Smashes Casey for TKO Triumph

After an accidental eye-poke ended his last bout in just 11 seconds, TUF 17 veteran Kevin Casey was undoubtedly hungry for a win in Newark. Unfortunately for him, Rafael Natal had other plans.

In the closing seconds of the first round, Natal floored his opponent with a crippling left hook. And though Casey would be saved by the bell, it was all down hill for him form there. Rounds two and three saw Natal control the fight with his grappling, before sealing the deal with an onslaught of ground-and-pound in the third.

With the TKO win, Natal extends his win-streak to 4 and elevates his overall record to 21-6. Casey, in contrast, loses for the first time since April 2013. He's now 9-4 overall and 4-2 since joining the UFC.

Reis Out-Grapples Ortiz For Upset Win

In advance of his undercard bout with Dustin Ortiz, flyweight grappler Wilson Reis was pegged as a sizable underdog. When it came time for action, however, the Brazilian would betray that underdog status in a big way.

Reis steamrolled his opponent for the duration of the bout, landing 9 of the whopping 26 takedowns he attempted and amassing more than 6 minutes of control time as a result. Needless to say, he'd more than earned himself the judges' favor by the time the action came to a close.

With the unanimous decision triumph, the Brazilian rebounds from a loss to Jussier da Silva in his last bout. He's now 20-6 overall and 3-1 since dropping to flyweight. Ortiz, on the other hand, returns to the loss column after an August defeat of Willie Gates. He's now 15-5 overall, and 4-3 on the sport's biggest stage.

Yakovlev Right Hook Floors Sullivan

After a one-fight stint in the lightweight division, part-time rapper Alexander Yakovlev returned to the welterweight division to take on New Jersey's own George Sullivan.

Yakovlev's welterweight return couldn't have gone any better. Just 1:02 into the first round, the Russian crumpled his opponent with a thudding right hook to the chin, silencing the New Jersey crowd as he did.

The knockout win—which is the 9th on his record—moves Yakovlev to 23-6 overall, and 2-2 across 4 UFC bouts. Sullivan, meanwhile, falls to 17-5 in total and 3-2 in the UFC.

Caceres Out-Strikes Fullen to Unanimous Decision

The first televised bout of the night saw TUF 12 veteran Alex Caceres take on TUF: Latin America contestant Masio Fullen in an interesting bantamweight pairing. Caceres looked to rebound from an ugly, three-fight skid, while Fullen looked to distance himself from a June loss to Makwan Amirkhani.

After three fun rounds, it was Caceres who was successful on his mission. As the markedly more successful man on the feet throughout, he'd done more than enough to earn the judges' favor by the time the final horn sounded.

The win, which is his first since he tapped Sergio Pettis more than two years ago, moves Caceres to 11-8 overall. He now owns a UFC record of 6-6 with one no contest—a record that's likely to improve now that he's sharpening his tools at the MMA Lab. Fullen, on the other hand, falls onto a 2-fight skid. He's now 10-6 overall and 1-2 in the UFC.

Brown Outguns Dwyer for Successful UFC Debut

The final bout of the Fight Pass Prelims saw Lookin' For a Fight product Randy Brown make his UFC debut against Canada's Matt Dwyer in an intriguing welterweight showdown.

In the end, Brown would emerge the winner by unanimous decision. And though the bout would mark his first trip to the judges' scorecards, the 25-year-old used the three-round encounter to showcase a well-rounded game, landing more than 60 strikes, securing a pair of takedowns, and threatening with a second-round submission attempt.

The win keeps Brown's pro record perfect at 7-0. Dwyer, meanwhile, falls onto a 2-fight skid. He's now 8-4 overall.

Makashvili and Jackson Fight to Majority Draw

The lone featherweight bout of the night paired 27-year-old Georgian-American Levan Makashvili with Oklahoma native Damon Jackson. Both looked to return to the win column after recent losses.

Unfortunately, neither fighter would leave Newark with a win, as a third-round point deduction for Makashvili would result in a majority draw verdict. With this disappointing outcome, Makashvili now sits at 7-2-1 overall and 1-1-1 in the UFC. Jackson, meanwhile, is now 9-1-1 overall. With a loss, a no contest, and a draw in his first three UFC bouts, the rangy featherweight will surely be desperate for a win in his next outing.

Martin Taps Olivieri in the Third

The action began in the lightweight division as Nova União export Felipe Olivieri made his UFC debut against Tony Martin, who was making his fifth UFC appearance.

Though Olivieri found some success with his leg kicks in round one, Martin stole the momentum down the stretch and finished things off with a third-round rear-naked choke. With the win, the 26-year-old moves to 2-3 in the UFC and 10-3 overall, while Olivieri falls to 14-5 overall.