UFC on Fox 18 results: Anthony Johnson finishes Ryan Bader in double quick time in New Jersey

Full results from UFC on Fox 18 as Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson defeated Ryan 'Darth' Bader in the light heavyweight main event

Anthony Johnson takes down Ryan Bader (Getty Images)

UFC on Fox 18 was held the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey and hosted a main event of Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson taking on Ryan 'Darth' Bader.

The card started out a little slowly, however, by the time the main card came round the fans in attendance in Newark and those watching all around the world were treated some highly exciting action and some big upsets.

Anthony Johnson vs Ryan Bader

For Barnett and Johnson, this was their big opportunity to stake their claim for a UFC light heavyweight title shot later on in the year and it was a fight billed as the raw KO power of Johnson taking on the outstanding technical wrestling of Bader.

Anthony Johnson celebrates his victory over Ryan Bader (Getty Images)

The fight lasted a total of 1 minute and 26 seconds but the writing was on the wall in the first 30 when Bader attempted an ill-advised takedown and had his back taken by Johnson. From there, Rumble flattened Bader out of his belly, pushed him up against the fence and then rained down blows with ferocious power to send his foe unconscious.

It was highly impressive display from Johnson though Bader will regret his lack of patience and trying to exert his wrestling pressure too early on. Speaking to Joe Rogan afterwards, Johnson put champion Daniel Cormier and expected next challenger Jon Jones on notice, saying that he was "waiting for whoever held the belt" to get the next shot at the gold.

Ryan Bader is treated by medics after being knocked out by Ryan Johnson (Getty Images)

Josh Barnett vs Ben Rothwell

With a combined 69 professional wins between them, Josh Barnett and Ben Rothwell were two highly experienced heavyweights looking to make one last run at the UFC heavyweight strap. The first round was contested solely on the feet and saw very few strikes landed with both fighters obviously very aware of the KO power that the other possessed.

The finish came after 3 minutes and 48 seconds of the second round when Ben Rothwell shocked the world and submitted Barnett for the first time in his MMA career. To the surprise of everyone watching, 'Big Ben' locked in a deep guillotine submission that Barnett simply couldn't get out. The 'Warmaster' had no choice but to submit and give Rothwell a massive win to further strengthen his claim that he is entitled to the next UFC heavyweight title shot.

Iuri Alcantara vs Jimmie Rivera

In bantamweight action, Iuri Alcantara and Jimmie Rivera met in a fast paced fight that had the crowd on its feet multiple times with some exciting exchanges. Despite the fight going three, five-minute rounds, the pace never slowed and both fighters had their moments in the back and forth action. After the full 15-minutes, it was Rivera who deservedly took the decision on the scorecards. The 26-year-old American landed more significant strikes and obviously caught the eye of the judges who all awarded him the fight 29-28.

Sage Northcutt vs Bryan Barberena

In the upset of the night, late replacement Bryan Barberena defeated highly fancied 'Super' Sage Northcutt to hand the 19-year-old his first defeat in the UFC. Northcutt, who was competing in the UFC's welterweight division for the first time, started well and won the first round with some accurate, quick striking. Barberena however, came on strong in the second round, taking Northcutt down and locking in an arm-triangle submission to get the tap after 3 minutes and 9 seconds. Most bookmakers had Barberena as the biggest underdog on the entire card before the evening started.

Preliminary Fights

The undercard mostly featured fights that went the distance but there were still some highly impressive performances from Alex Caceres, Wilson Reis and Randy Brown.

One of the few knockouts of the night came when Alexander Yakovlev defeated George Sullivan in the first round. After 3 minutes and 59 seconds, Yakolev landed a huge straight right onto the chin of the American who was sent straight to the canvas unconscious with no follow up required.

The main event on the preliminary card saw a returning Tarec Saffedience taking on Jake Ellenberger in what turned out to be disappointingly uneventful affair. Saffedience was returning to the Octagon for the first time after a 15-month layoff and the 'ring rust' was obvious as the former Strikeforce champion made a slow start and got caught with a stinging right hand in the first round. Luckily for the Belgian, he warmed to the task in the second and third round he did enough with his striking to take a unanimous decision 29-28 on the scorecards.

UFC on Fox 18 Full Results:

Main Card

Anthony Johnson def. Ryan Bader via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 1:26

Ben Rothwell def. Josh Barnett via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 3:48

Jimmie Rivera def. Iuri Alcantara unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Bryan Barberena def. Sage Northcutt via submission (arm-triangle choke) - Round 2, 3:06

Preliminary Card

Tarec Saffiedine def. Jake Ellenberger via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Diego Ferreira def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Rafael Natal def. Kevin Casey via TKO (punches) - Round 3, 3:37

Wilson Reis def. Dustin Ortiz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Alexander Yakovlev def. George Sullivan via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 3:59

Alex Caceres def. Masio Fullen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Early Prelims

Randy Brown def. Matt Dwyer via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Tony Martin def. Felipe Olivieri via technical submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 3:02

Damon Jackson vs. Levan Makashvili declared majority draw (29-27 Jackson, 28-28, 28-28)