The three stars of ‘UFC 169: Barao vs. Faber’ in New Jersey

While UFC events typically produce a handful of moments that make you jump out of your seat, those high points were few and far between on Saturday night at UFC 168.

In what was supposed to be one of the UFC’s blowout events of the year on the eve of the Super Bowl, UFC 169 at Newark, N.J.’s Prudential Center was mostly a dud with a record number of fights going to a decision.

The one upside of a dull event is that it sharpens focus on the performers who excelled, and for three men on the pay-per-view card, their efforts are deserving of some added praise.

Now that the UFC’s 14th trip to the state of New Jersey is a thing of the past, here are our three stars from UFC 169.

Third Star: Alistair Overeem

Alistair Overeem (37-13 MMA, 2-2 UFC) could have been at the unemployment office right now. Instead, he’s right back in the thick of the conversation when it comes to meaningful heavyweight fights.

“The Reem” didn’t score the violent knockout over Frank Mir (16-9 MMA, 14-9 UFC) that many people anticipated. However, he did beat the pulp out of the former heavyweight champion for 15 minutes and was never in danger of losing the fight, even when on the ground with the submission specialist (watch the Overeem vs. Mir video highlights).

While UFC President Dana White called Overeem’s performance “crappy” on the FOX Sports 1 post-fight show, the criticism seems a little harsh, especially when Mir landed just five strikes – a remarkably low figure – on the Dutchman over the course of the three-round bout.

Overeem arguably had more pressure to perform than anyone on the card. And though Mir clearly isn’t the same fighter he once was, he’s still one of the most accomplished heavyweights in UFC history, which means it was a signature win for Overeem.

Second Star: Renan Barao

Say what you will about Herb Dean’s stoppage in the UFC 169 main event, but it’s a shame the controversy has taken attention away from what was another phenomenal performance from Renan Barao (32-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC).

The reigning UFC bantamweight champion cannot be blamed for Dean’s decision to stop the fight when he did, and up to that point, Barao was doing everything he needed to in order to defeat Urijah Faber (30-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) for a second time (watch the Barao vs. Faber video highlights).

Just one day after his 27th birthday, the Brazilian turned in a nearly flawless effort for his 33rd fight in a row without suffering a loss, which includes nine consecutive wins under the Zuffa banner.

At this point, Barao is wiping out the UFC bantamweight division in a hurry. With his confidence and skills flourishing every time he steps in the cage, it’s hard to see who, if anyone, will give the 135-pound titleholder a run for his money.

First Star: Abel Trujillo

While seemingly every fight on the card had some sort of issue with judging, refereeing or a flat-out lack of action, there was absolutely nothing to complain about when it came to Abel Trujillo’s (12-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) knockout of Jamie Varner (21-9-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC).

After a dreadful preliminary card in which all seven fights went to a decision, “Killa” refused to let his fight be decided by the judges. As a result, he opted to trade leather with Varner until he sent “The Worm” crashing face-first into mat and rendering him unconscious (watch the Trujillo vs. Varner video highlights).

Even though the lightweight slugfest didn’t have any real title stakes, Trujillo and Varner stole the show.

Just when it appeared Trujillo was on the verge of defeat, he landed the crushing knockout blow (the first of Varner’s career) and capped off a winning performance worthy of not one, but two, fight-night bonuses.

The 30-year-old walked out of the event at least $125,000 richer. And with two knockout victories under the UFC banner in a 49-day span, it’s safe to say all the cards are turning up in Trujillo’s favor of late.

For complete coverage of UFC 169, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.