UFC on FOX 15: Rockhold runs through Machida; Jacare submits Camozzi

Luke Rockhold relished his opportunity to face one of the greatest UFC fighters of all-time and made sure his presence was felt in the middleweight division Saturday in Newark, N.J.

Rockhold handily defeated Lyoto Machida in under two rounds in the main event while No. 1 middleweight contender Jacare Souza submitted Chris Camozzi in the first round of their rematch in the co-main event.

Featherweight Max Holloway picked up a massive submission victory over Cub Swanson while budding women's strawweight star Paige VanZant dominated Felice Herrig to earn her second win inside the Octagon.

Fight Bonuses

Performance of the Night: Rockhold, Holloway
Fight of the Night: Anderson vs. Villante

Luke Rockhold def. Lyoto Machida via second-round rear-naked choke

Luke Rockhold put a stamp on his call for a UFC middleweight title shot with a huge win over Lyoto Machida at UFC on FOX 15 in Newark, N.J., on Saturday.

Rockhold dominated the fight from start to finish and came out with crisp, precise striking and superb grappling in the first round to overwhelm Machida early on. Outworking his opponent in every aspect of the fight, Rockhold held his opponent down at the end of the round and unleashed a flurry of shots to wobble Machida.

In the second round, Rockhold continued to take care of business and rocked Machida several times before getting him down to the ground again and finally finishing him with a rear-naked choke.

Rockhold becomes the third fighter to ever finish Machida and will likely be the next opponent for the winner of the upcoming middleweight title bout between champion Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort at UFC 187.

Jacare Souza def. Chris Camozzi via first-round armbar

It was deja vu for Chris Camozzi at UFC on FOX 15.

Jacare Souza put on a Brazilian jiu-jitsu clinic to finish Camozzi in their second meeting inside the Octagon on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark. 

Jacare needed just over two minutes to get Camozzi down to the ground and catch him with an armbar before his opponent was forced to verbally submit.

Camozzi took the fight on short notice to replace Jacare's original opponent, Yoel Romero, who dropped out of the fight with a knee injury. Jacare fought Camozzi in his UFC debut in May 2013 and submitted him in just over three minutes via arm-triangle choke.

The win moves the 35-year-old to 5-0 as a member of the UFC.

Max Holloway def. Cub Swanson via third-round guillotine choke

Max Holloway left no shred of doubt that he belongs among the UFC featherweight division's elite.

Dominating Cub Swanson is no small task, but the 23-year-old Hawaiian was able to come into the Octagon, utilize his long range and varied striking to put a beating on one the best fighters at 145 pounds.

Holloway made terrific use of movement and space to isolate Swanson over three rounds before ultimately dropping him and then swarming him on the ground and finding a top-side guillotine choke that he squeezed in for the victory.

The win is Holloway's sixth in a row and fifth finish in as many fights.

Paige VanZant def. Felice Herrig via unanimous decision

Paige VanZant battered and bullied a very game Felice Herrig to earn her second Octagon victory.

After a close first round where Herrig displayed her strong grappling skills and experience, VanZant powered her way out of danger and proceeded to earn top control and break down her veteran opponent throughout the latter rounds of the fight.

By the third round, a clearly tired Herrig wasn't able to keep up with the relentless cardio of VanZant who continued to push the pace and dominate her opponent with flurries of strikes on the ground.

The judges gave VanZant the clear unanimous decision with two 30-26 scorecards and a 30-27 nod. With the win, the 21-year-old improves to 5-1 in her young MMA career.  

Beneil Dariush def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision

A high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu war on every level, Beneil Dariush was able to get the better of his UFC veteran opponent Jim Miller on short notice in a very technical three-round battle that played out mostly on the mat.

Dariush was able to impose his will against a premier grappler in Miller, who had some great submission attempts in the first round that were stuffed. The 25-year-old native of Iran remained more active throughout the second and third rounds and was able to catch Miller in a lot of bad positions from top control.

The judges ultimately scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Dariush as he cruised to his fourth win inside the Octagon in what was easily the biggest fight of his career to date.

Ovince Saint Preux def. Patrick Cummins by first-round KO

Ovince Saint Preux moved up the UFC light heavyweight ladder in a big way at UFC on FOX 15 in Newark.

The 32-year-old Miami native faced a tough test in seasoned NCAA wrestler Patrick Cummins, who was riding a three-fight winning streak heading into the fight. Utilizing his long range and jabs, Saint Preux was also able to defend his opponent's takedowns and got up quickly whenever he hit the mat.

Near the end of the first round, Saint Preux caught Cummins with a hard left uppercut while moving backwards to drop him and then swarmed him on the ground to earn his fifth finish inside the Octagon.

Gian Villante def. Corey Anderson via third-round TKO

Gian Villante's UFC career didn't get off to the greatest start, but he's certainly making up for it now.

After plastering Corey Anderson with a flood of leg kicks throughout a competitive back-and-forth fight, Villante was able to break his opponent down and caught The Ultimate Fighter 19 light heavyweight winner with a big right hand to wobble him before finishing him up against the fence in the third round.

The win marks Villante's second in his last three fights and the first loss of Anderson's MMA career.

Aljamain Sterling def. Takeya Mizugaki via third-round arm triangle

Bantamweights beware, Aljamain Sterling is here.

The rising 135-pound star earned his stripes in a big way with a submission win over No. 6 UFC bantamweight Takeya Mizugaki to kick off the UFC on FOX 15 prelims.

Using his superior wrestling and grappling, Sterling controlled most of the fight and was downright dominant when the fight hit the ground. That translated into the third round when Sterling was able to catch Mizugaki with a rare arm triangle from his back to put a stamp on his spectacular performance while moving to 11-0 in his MMA career. 

Tim Means def. George Sullivan via third-round arm triangle

You'd never guess Tim Means took this fight on short notice.

Putting on a strong technical performance over three rounds, Means was able to secure a late third-round submission to earn his fourth straight win since dropping his return to the UFC in May 2014.

After edging out Sullivan with precision striking on the feet, "The Dirty Bird" was able to get his tired out opponent down in the third to dominate the grappling battle before putting him away with an impressive arm triangle on the ground.

Diego Brandao def. Jimy Hettes via first-round TKO (doctor's stoppage)

It wasn't the best win on Diego Brandao's résumé but, alas, a win is a win.

After both fighters got off to a strong start with some nice grappling exchanges in the first round, Jimy Hettes received a gash on his left ear and the doctor stepped in to call off the fight before the second round could get underway.

While Brandao will certainly take the victory to get back on the winning track, a potential rematch with Hettes would make a lot of sense as well.

Chris Dempsey def. Eddie Gordon via split decision

Things have gone from bad to worse for Eddie Gordon.

The Ultimate Fighter 19 middleweight winner dropped a close split decision to former light heavyweight Chris Dempsey at UFC on FOX 15.

After coming out with a stiff striking performance in the first round, Gordon was still able to out-strike Dempsey 34-18. The second round swayed more in favor of Dempsey as the big middleweight was able to land some shots and earn a takedown at the end of the round.

The third round, while closely contested again, saw Dempsey as the fresher fighter, as he utilized his strong wrestling to outwork a clearly gassed Gordon who tired as the fight drew closer to an end. The judges' score came down to two 29-28 scorecards for Dempsey in his middleweight debut.

Main Card

Lyoto Machida (185) vs. Luke Rockhold (185)
Chris Camozzi (185) vs. Ronaldo Souza (186)
Max Holloway (146) vs. Cub Swanson (145)
Felice Herrig (115) vs. Paige VanZant (115)

Prelim Card

Beneil Dariush (155) vs. Jim Miller (156)
Patrick Cummins (205) vs. Ovince St. Preux (205)
Corey Anderson (205) vs. Gian Villante (206)
Aljamain Sterling (136) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (136)

Fight Pass Prelims

Tim Means (170) vs. George Sullivan (171)
Diego Brandao (145) vs. Jimy Hettes (146)
Chris Dempsey (186) vs. Eddie Gordon (186)