Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort (19-8) is back in more ways than one. The Brazilian striker recorded a first-round technical knockout victory over former middleweight champion Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin (25-5) at the UFC 103: Belfort vs. Franklin main event in Dallas, Texas.

That marked Belfort’s first victory with the UFC in over five years, when he won the light heavyweight title over Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture due to a cut. The 32-year-old had dropped his last two fights inside the octagon before moving onto other organizations. Belfort has now won his last five fights, and creates an interesting opponent to current middleweight champion Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva.

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Belfort entered the arena as a $1.25 underdog (bet $100 to win $125), but prevailed after clipping Franklin with a left that dropped him to his knees. The Rio de Janeiro native then pounced on his downed opponent, connecting with heavy punches until referee Yves Lavigne ended the contest at 3:02 of the first round.

Franklin started the night as the $1.55 favorite (bet $155 to win $100), but has now dropped two of his last three fights. This matchup was fought at a 195-pound catch weight, but Franklin’s future rests in the light heavyweight division. Franklin was the UFC’s middleweight champion in 2005 and 2006, but look for him to try to make some noise in the 205-pound division.

While one mixed martial arts legend returned to center stage, another one may be on his way out. Veteran heavyweight Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic (25-7-2) lost to Junior dos Santos (9-1) due to verbal submission in the third round.

‘Cro Cop’ has struggled fighting in the UFC after an impressive run in Japan’s Pride. The Croatian is now just 2-3 inside the octagon, and his run at the organization’s heavyweight title appears over for the 35-year-old.

Filipovic told referee Dan Miragliotta that he was unable to continue following a punch to his eye socket that impaired his sight. Despite the victory, dos Santos took his fair share of punishment. The Brazilian had a noticeable bruise under his left eye from the first round, but prevailed by working his opponents’ body. Dos Santos connected on numerous punches and knees to the midsection that softened up Filipovic.

The end came at 3:00 of the third round, with dos Santos cashing tickets as the $1.35 ‘chalk.’

UFC 103: Belfort vs. Franklin also saw some interesting developments in the welterweight division. Josh Koscheck (13-4) moved near the top of this weight class after steamrolling veteran Frank ‘Twinkle Toes’ Trigg (19-7) in just 85 seconds.

Koscheck, a member of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, dominated the fight as a $4.00 ‘chalk.’ The end came quickly after Koscheck landed a big right hand that knocked Trigg down, before landing a couple of more shots until referee Leon Roberts stopped the barrage.

Koscheck called out former champion Matt Hughes after the fight. That would be a good matchup for the UFC brass to make considering current champion Georges ‘Rush’ St. Pierre remains sidelined with an injury.