The three stars of ‘UFC Fight Night 50: Jacare vs. Mousasi 2’

The UFC will stage more than 40 events in 2014 with hundreds of fighters going in and out of the octagon. There’s only a brief window of opportunity to make a lasting impression on fans, and some do it better than others.

UFC Fight Night 50 took place Saturday at Ledyard, Conn.’’s Foxwoods Casino Resort, and of the 18 competitors to compete on the organization’s 32nd event of the year, three turned in performances that stood out from the rest.

Now that UFC Fight Night 50 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

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Third star: Ben Rothwell

Ben Rothwell (34-9 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was supposed to be a sacrificial lamb for the “new” version of Alistair Overeem (37-14 MMA, 2-3 UFC). The Dutchman moved training camps to Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA and was finally going to hit his stride and become the force viewers anticipated when he crossed over from Strikeforce.

The odds placed Rothwell as a nearly 4-1 betting underdog, but someone forgot to tell “Big Ben” he was supposed to lose in devastating fashion.

Rothwell blew the doors off “The Reem” for a first-round knockout in a little more than two minutes, and he’s now a name to watch for in the UFC heavyweight division.

He doesn’t do anything particularly flashy or tricky, but Rothwell is extremely good at one thing: separating his opponents from consciousness, and doing it quickly.

Rothwell has now won two fights in a row, a feat he hasn’t accomplished since he began a 13-fight winning streak back in 2005. During his nearly five-year UFC stint, the 32-year-old has suffered losses, run into a drug-testing issue, battled injuries and faced other issues.

With all those issues behind him, Rothwell is back on top and ready to make a run at the championship. If he continues to rack up victories like he did against Overeem, he’ll be there in no time.

Second star: Chas Skelly

Whether he scored a five-second knockout or earned the most underwhelming, controversial decision in UFC history, Chas Skelly (13-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) earned a star by simply showing up and getting his hand raised.

The fact Skelly was even in the octagon at UFC Fight Night 50 was nothing short of a remarkable feat considering he fought and won under the UFC banner just 13 days prior at UFC Fight Night 49.

Outside of the one-night tournament era, no one has fought two UFC bouts in such close proximity, let alone emerge victorious in both. Skelly picked up a unanimous-decision win over Sean Soriano (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in a fight that wasn’t exactly pretty, but was captivating to watch simply due to the context.

It remains to be seen how Skelly’s UFC career will pan out, but even if he’s cut tomorrow and never fights again, he’ll forever be known as the man who won two UFC fights in 13 days. And there’s a good chance no one will break that record for a long, long time.

First Star: Ronaldo Souza

Watching Gegard Mousasi (35-5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) dominated in MMA competition is a sight to behold, and Ronaldo Souza (21-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) did it for more than 10 minutes before he finally locked up a guillotine choke and ended the UFC Fight Night 50 main event with a third-round submission.

“Jacare” didn’t mess around when locked in the octagon with Mousasi. He put the fight on the ground as quickly and often as possible and worked his magic from there. Mousasi defended well for as long as he could, but he eventually fell into Souza’s web and was caught in the submission.

The loss put Mousasi’s name on the growing list of fighters Souza has torched since coming to the UFC, and there’s no denying the Brazilian is a strong presence in a loaded UFC middleweight division.

The former Strikeforce champion is 4-0 since he joined the UFC roster and has barely been forced to break a sweat in any of those contests. He’s deserving of a championship fight in the near future, and he’s done everything possible to assure he’s the next contender.

Some fighters freeze when placed under the spotlight, but in his first-ever UFC main event, Souza showcased his full ability and dominated his opponent. Moreover, he got a submission finish and let fans know he’s the real deal. It’s hard to ask for much more than that, especially against someone of Mousasi’s caliber. That’s exactly why “Jacare” was the top star of the night.

For more on UFC Fight Night 50, check out the UFC Events section of the site.