3. Joe Silva is the best in the business.

With so many injuries and withdrawals, UFC 108 appeared to be marked for disaster. Joe Silva was struggling to fill a card with replacements and fans were not expecting the event to deliver a show worthy of PPV. After January 2nd, critics were silenced when only three of the ten bouts went to the judges’ scorecards and nearly every fight was high-paced and exciting to watch. The last UFC card to have fewer than three decisions was UFC 95 nearly a year ago.

Despite all of the drama and injuries surrounding UFC 108, to recreate the card and fully deliver with this level of action shows exactly why Joe Silva and the UFC roster are a perfect match, and why Silva is the best matchmaker in the business.

2. Junior dos Santos is on the brink of Heavyweight title contention.

Junior dos Santos is an interesting prospect in the UFC heavyweight division. He debuted with a shocking knockout of former title contender Fabricio Werdum with a single punch, then followed that up with a TKO of 6’11” Stefan Struve. Facing a tough test in feared striker Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 103, dos Santos thoroughly dismantled the former PRIDE star in an affair more lopsided than James Thompson’s ears. At UFC 108, dos Santos faced another devastating striker in MMA bad boy Gilbert Yvel. The Brazilian proceeded to notch his fourth straight stoppage win in the UFC.

Dos Santos has yet to face anyone who has given him any considerable trouble, as his power has proven to be too much for all four of his UFC opponents. It seems to be a forgotten side note that dos Santos holds a black belt in jiu-jitsu under BJJ ace Demian Maia. UFC fans have not yet seen the grappling side to Cigano, but it is obviously there.

Dos Santos seems to be the complete package; he spars with the likes of Anderson Silva and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, grapples with Demian Maia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and manages to put everything together in the cage. He has shown that he possesses considerable skill and I believe that it is time to see if he can hang with the marquee fighters in the UFC heavyweight division.

1. The UFC’s welterweight division is the most stacked division in MMA.

The UFC is considered to be the best MMA promotion in the world. After UFC 108, its welterweight division must be considered as the premier division in the sport. Not only does it contain world-class fighters such as Georges St. Pierre, Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves, but it now seems as if more and more names are being added to the list after every card. The best part? Many of these new fighters should freshen up the division and present a plethora of intriguing and thrilling matchups.

Paul Daley entered the UFC as a heralded prospect and he has shown that he has the skills to last at 170. A fight between him and Thiago Alves could be one of the most explosive striking battles seen in MMA in recent years. Martin Kampmann was a small middleweight who managed to survive in that division with technical ability. Now at his more natural weight of 170, he has that same technical ability but has increased power and speed. Even though he suffered a loss to Daley, Kampmann has a trio of solid wins at welterweight and could pose a threat to many in the division.

Last but not least, Jake Ellenberger showed at UFC 108 that he is yet another welterweight who should have a bright future in the UFC. After his hard-fought Split Decision loss to Carlos Condit at UFC Fight Night 19, Ellenberger rebounded with an impressive and decisive victory over another veteran of the sport, Mike Pyle.

All of these fighters are excellent in their own accord. Conversely, with a single loss, many can just as easily be lost in the ranks of the extremely competitive UFC welterweight division.

Mike Miller will return with another Top 5 after UFC 109 on February 6th.