UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and former champions Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz took home post-fight awards for their performances at UFC 148.
Silva received the “Knockout of the Night” award with Griffin and Ortiz receiving the “Fight of the Night” award. There was no “Submission of the Night” award. UFC President Dana White made the announcement at the post-fight press conference.
Anderson Silva gave the first round to challenger Chael Sonnen only to come back with a vengeance in the the second round to finish his nemesis via TKO. Silva ducked under a wild spinning back fist and pounced on the challenger with a knee to the chest after Sonnen stumbled to the ground while being off balanced. Sonnen turtled up and absorbed glancing punches but offered no return fire causing the referee to bring a stop to the bout.
The co-main event picked up where the first two fights between Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz stopped. The first round saw Ortiz enjoy some success with a takedown and a couple of strong elbows only to fade as the fight went on, allowing Griffin to land potshots at will. Ortiz made one last stand in the final round as he dropped Griffin with a punch and got another takedown. However, it wasn’t enough as Griffin took the fight 29-28 on the judges scorecards to win a unanimous decision and take the rubber match between the two fighters. This was the final fight for Tito Ortiz who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame earlier in the day.