The 3 stars of ‘UFC Fight Night 82: Hendricks vs. Thompson' in Las Vegas

The UFC plans to stage more than 40 events in 2016, and during that time, hundreds of fighters will enter and exit the octagon.

While pre-fight hype is an enjoyable aspect of the sport, it’s ultimately the in-cage performances that speak most to fans. For the majority of fighters, the opportunity to present their skills to the world only comes along a few times per year.

A total of 24 fighters got the chance on Saturday as part of UFC Fight Night 82 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. Now that the FOX Sports 1-televised event is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

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Third star: Mickey Gall

Mickey Gall and Mike Jackson

While several UFC Fight Night 82 card had more relevant wins against ranked opponents, Mickey Gall (2-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was the one who got most of the headlines thanks to his 45-second submission win over welterweight Mike Jackson (0-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), which set up the jackpot opportunity to fight former WWE star Phil “CM Punk” Brooks (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) later this year.

Gall knew the stakes heading into the bout. He lived up to his side of the bargain when he steamrolled his opponent and then went face-to-face with Punk inside the octagon.

Between being discovered on Dana White’s “Lookin’ for a Fight” Web series and receiving heavy promotion ahead of his UFC debut, Gall has already been given more exposure and opportunity than some fighters will get in an entire career. Now it’s up to him to make the most of it.

Second star: Diego Rivas

Noah Lahat and Diego Rivas

There have been fewer than 20 flying-knee knockout in all of UFC history. Diego Rivas (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) recorded one that arguably belongs at the top of that short list when he blasted Noad Lahat (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) with the perfect strike for a second-round finish.

After losing the first round very decisively, Rivas needed to find an answer to slow Lahat’s offense. It didn’t take him long to figure out what that should be; less than 30 seconds into the round, the featherweight went airborne and launched a perfectly placed flying knee that connected clean to Lahat’s jaw.

Lahat was stretched on the canvas for several minutes after the referee waved off the fight, but thankfully he was cleared of any major medical issues, according to UFC officials. Rivas, on the other hand, celebrated with a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus.

First star: Stephen Thompson

Johny Hendricks and Stephen Thompson

Stephen Thompson (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) used a main-event platform to deliver the most scintillating performance of his career. He handed former UFC welterweight champ Johny Hendricks (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) his first knockout loss when his diverse and unpredictable striking led to the opening-round finish.

“Wonderboy” extended his winning streak to six fights when he unleashed attack after attack to put Hendricks on his heels and set him up for the fight-ending sequence. Thompson now holds the longest active streak of wins in the 170-pound division and has carved out a strong argument for a title shot.

Hendricks has shared the octagon with the likes of UFC champ Robbie Lawler (twice), former longtime champ Georges St-Pierre, Carlos Condit and Matt Brown. None of those fighters was able to put him away, let alone do it in the first round.

Questions still remain about how Thompson would handle an opponent who can find consistent success wit takedowns. If Thompson can keep his fights standing, though, it would be difficult to pick anyone to defeat him.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 82, check out the UFC Events section of the site.