The Soundtrack to UFC 155

The UFC’s year end show produced a lot of excitement while a new heavyweight champion was crowned in Cain Velasquez and likely the best fight of 2012 with Jim Miller defeating Joe Lauzon.

As far as the walkout music for UFC 155 goes, there were some old favorites as many of the fighters on the main card stick to the same song for every fight. In other match-ups, the choices were new and fresh for fighters looking for a fresh start.

Check out the soundtrack to UFC 155 with the walkout songs that ran the theme of the final UFC show for 2012:

Cain Velasquez – “Los Mandados” by Vicente Fernandez

Velasquez shows off his Mexican heritage with this tune originally recorded in 1965 by Vicente Fernandez. According to a book written by Catherine Ragland titled “Musica Nortena: Mexican Americans creation a Nation Between Nations”, the song is a way for family members to share in the migrant experience.

Junior Dos Santos – “Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky) by Bill Conti

A popular choice amongst many fighters for obvious reasons, but this has been Dos Santos’ walkout track for a while now. Timeless tune and along with Star Wars and a few other scores, maybe one of the most recognizable pieces of instrumental music in American film history.

Jim Miller – “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Miller is faithful to his walkout song because he’s been using CCR for a long time. Fantastic song written by lead singer John Fogerty and in 2011 the song was listed at No. 364 by Rolling Stone in a list of their 500 greatest songs of all time.

Joe Lauzon – “Move” by Thousand Foot Krutch

Like his opponent, Joe Lauzon has been using the same track for his walkout for years. Thousand Foot Krutch is a popular rock outfit on Tooth and Nail records, and they have won several awards in the Christian rock circuit. It also peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard charts.

Costa Philippou – “I Wanna Rock” by Twisted Sister

Maybe this is my youth showing through, but this song definitely won the walkout song of the night at UFC 155. The track from the Twisted Sister album “Stay Hungry” features a video with an appearance from Mark Metcalf, who also appeared the band’s most popular tune “We’re Not Gonna Take It”. Metcalf also played The Master on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Maestro on the popular show Seinfeld and of course as Neidermeyer in the classic film “Animal House”.

Tim Boetsch – “American Bad Ass” by Kid Rock

Kid Rock debuted this track in 2000 where he sampled the track “Sad But True” by Metallica. Interesting side note, the track also served as the walkout song for WWE wrestler The Undertaker for a while when he was doing a biker gimmick in the ring.

Alan Belcher – “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix

Another classic rock tune for Belcher’s selection at UFC 155. The song has been covered by dozens of artists over the years including Pearl Jam and The Allman Brothers Band. In 1967, Hendrix was quoted as saying the track was one of his two favorites from the entire Axis: Bold as Love record.

Yushin Okami – “Rising” by the Yoshida Brothers

A popular duo from Japan, the Yoshida Brothers incorporate a traditional “Tsugaru-jamisen” style into their music. Tracks from the band have appeared in commercials for the Nintendo Wii as well as the remix soundtrack to the popular film “The Nightmare Before Christmas”

Derek Brunson – “Headlines” by Drake

For his UFC debut, Derek Brunson chose the track “Headlines” by Drake for his walkout tune. Drake is a Canadian hip-hop artist who is actually a big UFC fan who attended UFC 129 in his hometown of Toronto, Canada as well when Georges St-Pierre took on Jake Shields.

Chris Leben – “Love Rollercoaster” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers

A remake by the Red Hot Chili Peppers originally recorded by funk and R&B group The Ohio Players in the 1970's. The song by the Chili Peppers was featured on the soundtrack to “Beavis and Butt-Head Do America” and singer Anthony Kiedas was actually in attendance for UFC 155 on Saturday night when the track played.

Here are the remainder of the available walkout songs for UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez -

Eddie Wineland – “I Am a Real American (Hulk Hogan theme song)” by Rick Derringer
Brad Pickett – “Gertcha” by Chas and Dave
Erik Perez – “El Hijo Del Pueblo” by Vicente Fernández
Byron Bloodworth – “It’s Bigger than Hip-Hop” by Dead Prez
Jamie Varner – “Let Me See Dat” by Vawn
Melvin Guillard – “Ready or Not” by The Fugees
Myles Jury – “Shine” by Lesson 7
Michael Johnson – “I’m Not a Star” by Rick Ross
Todd Duffee – “Notorious Thugs” by Notorious BIG and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Phil DeFries – “Reptilia” by The Strokes
Max Holloway – “The Second Coming” by Juelz Santana
Leonard Garcia – “The Man Comes Around” by Johnny Cash
Chris Cariaso – “Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer by Jay-Z and Linkin Park.