Griffin upsets Jackson for UFC title

LAS VEGAS – Saturday's match-by-match results from the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

UFC light heavyweight championship: Forrest Griffin def. Quinton Jackon, unanimous decision, to win title
Judges scores: Adalaide Byrd 48-46, Nelson Hamilton 48-46, Roy Silbert 49-46
Y! Sports scores: Kevin Iole scores it 48-46 Griffin; Dave Meltzer and Dave Doyle score it a 47-47 draw.

Round 1: Crowd is deafening and very much pro-Griffin as the fight begins. Griffin starts with a few low kicks. Jackson misses a right uppercut. Griffin's punches are coming up short as crowd roars his name. Griffin lands a right to the head. Griffin lands a right inside. Griffin connects with a low kick. Griffin is setting the pace. Left to the chin by Jackson backs up Griffin. It probably didn't land fully. Left and a right by Jackson. Griffin kicking a lot, mostly at Jackson's legs. Hard combination by Jackson wobbles Griffin. Griffin backs up Jackson with a combination and a kick. They clinch on the cage. Jackson's having trouble moving from the kicks. Left leg seems to be bothering him. Right uppercut from Jackson knocks Griffin down. Jackson lands several hard shots as Griffin is working his way up. Griffin lands two good knees to the midsection. Crowd is roaring as the round ends. Jackson's round, 10-9

Round 2: Kick to leg really hurts Jackson. He may not be able to last. Griffin lands a few knees and takes Jackson down. Jackson is in big trouble because he can't move on his left leg. Griffin is in half guard and firing a couple of elbows. Jackson is doing nothing as Griffin moves to side control. Griffin is going for an arm bar, but Jackson gets out. Griffin is still in a dominant position. Griffin throws a few rights to the head. Many in the crowd are standing. Griffin gets mount. Jackson could be in deep trouble. Griffin throwing more elbows as the crowd roars its encouragement. Griffin's round, 10-8

Round 3: Jackson is walking a little better than he was earlier. They trade inside, but Griffin dances away from trouble. One good kick to the leg and Jackson will likely be in big trouble and in danger of being stopped. Griffin kicking at the leg. Jackson blocks a high kick with his forearm. Combination by Jackson connects. Left by Jackson backs up Griffin. Griffin lands a kick to Jackson's bad left leg, but it doesn't seem to do much damage. The pace has slowed greatly. Griffin misses a kick to the head. Griffin lands a pair of lefts. Jackson lands a right, but Griffin ducks away from the rest of the bombs. Griffin's round, 10-9

Round 4: Jackson lands a combination, including a hard right. Jackson lands two right uppercuts. They go down and Jackson is in Griffin's guard. Griffin appears to be cut on the right eyebrow. The crowd is chanting for Jackson. Griffin slaps on a triangle, but Jackson slams him to break it. Jackson again in the guard with Griffin looking to find a submission. Jackson lands a few punches to the head. Griffin nearly puts Jackson in an armbar. Jackson escapes and lands a combination of punches. They're back on their feet in the middle of the ring. Griffin lands a left. Jackson lands a right that pushes Griffin back. Jackson is doing a good job of avoiding the low kicks. Big left and then a right by Jackson. Another good left to the head by Jackson. Jackson lands a left-right combination. Hard combination to the body by Jackson. Jackson's round, 10-9

Round 5: Griffin is circling as the round opens and flips a jab. Jackson misses a wild right. Griffin is short on a combination. Griffin lands a kick to the injured left leg of the reigning champion. Right by Griffin. Knee in the clinch by Griffin. Left-right by Jackson. Right to the body by Jackson. Right to the chin by Griffin. Jackson's title reign seems to be slipping away. He needs to make something happen. Griffin is fighting a smart fight. Jackson connects with a right inside. Jackson lands a hard combination. There is a minute left and the crowd is roaring. Jackson lands a left. Griffin lands a low kick. Griffin is dancing away as Jackson charges in. They clinch as the bell sounds. Griffin's round, 10-9 – Kevin Iole

Middleweights: Patrick Cote (14-4) def. Ricardo Almeida (9-3)
How: Split decision
Judges scores: 29-28, 28-29, 29-28
Yahoo! Sports score: 29-28 Cote
Key moment: A close fight with Cote winning rounds two and three as Almeida seemed to tire after the first round. The difference in the third round was low kicks thrown by Cote and a punching edge. Little happened in the second round which Cote won with a knockdown with seconds left.
Analysis: This match did nothing positive for either man's career and was easily the worst match of the show. Dana White had talked of the winner getting a shot at Anderson Silva's title, but after this match it's going to take a great job of promotion to garner even the slightest bit of interest in Silva vs. Cote. – Dave Meltzer

Lightweights: Joe Stevenson (34-8) def. Gleison Tibau (27-5)
How: Guillotine choke at 2:57 of the second round
Key moment: Stevenson went for the guillotine as Tibau shot in for a takedown. He had Tibau's arm locked in and the submission came quickly.
Analysis: Stevenson was dominated by B.J. Penn in his last bout in a fight for the UFC lightweight title. He wants another crack at the belt and needs to string together a series of victories over high-level opponents. The American Top Team's Tibau was a tough match and gave him several scary moments, but Stevenson put his signature on the win with the guillotine. – Kevin Iole

Welterweights: Josh Koscheck (13-2) def. Chris Lytle (35-16-4)
How: Unanimous decision
Judges scores: 30-26, 29-27, 30-28
Yahoo! Sports score: 30-26
Key moment: Not really a "moment," but Koscheck's wrestling proved to be the difference. In all three rounds he was able to take Lytle down and used elbows from the top to do major damage. Lytle's face was the proverbial crimson mask, with cuts over both eyes, but the right side was bleeding to the point that as Koscheck moved him around the mat, there was a thick blood streak charting where Lytle had been. Lytle hung in and started connecting with serious punches as the third round ended.
Analysis: Koscheck's wrestling remained hard to stop, as with the exception of last year's loss to Georges St. Pierre, he remains unstoppable at welterweight. He also remains one of the most disliked fighters in the organization from fans, who after three years, still haven't forgotten his antics on The Ultimate Fighter season one. – Dave Meltzer

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and girlfriend Jenna Jameson made it a point to stroll cageside and down through the crowd toward the exit between the first and second rounds of the Josh Koscheck-Chris Lytle fight. The pair didn't get nearly the level of crowd response they were likely anticipating.

Lightweights: Tyson Griffin (12-1) def. Marcus Aurelio (16-6)
How: Unanimous decision
Judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 30-27
Yahoo! Sports score: 30-27 Griffin
Key moment: In what has become a pattern, Griffin paced his way to a methodical win in which he wasn't really threatened nor came close to finishing his foe.
Analysis: The win marked the fourth consecutive decision victory for Griffin since he was manhandled by Frank Edgar at UFC 67. The Extreme Couture fighter has put together a string of patient, safe performances against several similar level foes and has reached the point where the UFC should test him against higher-caliber competition. Aurelio, who came over from PRIDE with a big reputation, simply hasn't been able to get untracked in the UFC. – Dave Doyle

Heavyweights: Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3) def. Justin McCulley (8-4-2).
How: Submission via Kimura at 1:57 of the first round.
Key moment: The key blow was a sweeping low kick by Gonzaga that took McCulley off his feet. From that point it was classic jiu-jitsu as Gonzaga moved to a full mount and got the submission with an expertly applied Kimura.
Analysis: Gonzaga came in with something to prove coming off consecutive losses to Randy Couture and Fabricio Werdum. McCulley never got untracked and his UFC future at this point would be a question. – Dave Meltzer

Lightweights: Cole Miller (14-3) def. Jorge Gurgel (16-4)
How: Triangle choke at 4:44 of the third round
Key moment: Gurgel was in Miller's guard and let his arm hang free. Miller took advantage and slapped on the triangle choke to record the most significant win of his career.
Analysis: An American Top Team purple belt, Miller advanced his career significantly by submitting a highly regarded Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt. A former competitor on The Ultimate Fighter, Miller's win over the perennial gatekeeper at 155 pounds should move him nearer top competition in the division. – Kevin Iole

Lightweights: Melvin Guillard (40-8-3) def. Dennis Siver (11-6)
How: TKO at 0:36 of the first round
Key moment: Right from the start, Guillard decked and floored the German import. When both were back standing a few seconds later, Guillard got Siver coming in with a right cross that put him down hard. After a few hard punches on the ground, a couple of which bounced Siver's head off the mat, ref Herb Dean stopped it.
Analysis: Guillard got back into the win column after a tough 2007 in which he was suspended for cocaine use and then lost a heated grudge match to Rich Clementi in his return. Guillard connected with two hard punches that both put Siver on the deck. Siver was done after the second punch standing. Guillard is the early leader for KO of the night bonus. – Dave Meltzer

Lightweights: Justin Buchholz (9-2) def. Corey Hill (2-1)
How: Rear naked choke at 3:57 of the second round
Key moment: Buccholz had been taking a lot of punishment but landed a kick to the jaw that knocked Hill down early in the second round.
Analysis: A protégé of WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber, Buccholz had difficulty getting inside on the 6-foot-4 Hill, but he began to use his kicks in the second round that opened Hill up for the fight-finishing choke. – Kevin Iole

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir is sitting ringside at UFC 86 with his wife, sporting a new hairdo. Mir, who is known for his curly locks, has shaved his head and is wearing a five o'clock shadow on top.

Mir is one of the coaches on Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter and speculation has begun that Mir's hairdo is a result of something that occurred on the show.

Filming concluded last week and the season will begin airing on Spike TV in September.