LAS VEGAS - There was revenge, drama and more than a bit of spite at UFC 92.

The big winners Saturday night were Rashad Evans, Frank Mir and Quinton (Rampage) Jackson. Evans stopped Forrest Griffin to win the light-heavyweight title, Mir upset Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to claim the interim heavyweight crown and Jackson brutally knocked out light-heavyweight rival Wanderlei (The Axe Murderer) Silva to earn a measure of revenge after two losses to the former Pride champion.

The unbeaten Evans started slowly against the bigger Griffin but showed his finishing power with some vicious ground and pound in the third round. Jackson delivered a repeat of the counter-punching power that won him the title over Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell at UFC 71 in May 2007. And Mir, fighting like his life depended on it, showed surprising standup skills to dominate 4-1 favourite Nogueira, stopping the Brazilian for the first time in his career via second-round TKO.

Jackson punctuated his win with a few extras. He laid Silva out with a crunching left hook in the first round and, while Montreal referee Yves Lavigne attempted unsuccessfully to hold him back to protect the unconscious Brazilian, delivered two more blows for good measure before 14,103 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

It all made for yet another changing of the guard in the UFC's rock star 205-pound division. Jackson, who lost his title last time out to Griffin, moves back up the light-heavyweight ladder while Griffin takes two steps back.

Jackson shifted his training camp to England for the Silva fight, seeking a new path after a breakdown following his title loss that resulted in a bizarre highway chase with California police. A court date in January is pending.

"A lot of times I fight I always have problems, I just try to keep it on the down-low," Jackson explained. "And this one, everybody just happened to know about it. ... I go back home and deal with that now."

Some had thought Silva had Jackson's number. Jackson (29-7) proved that wasn't the case.

"I'm from the streets. I don't get scared," said Jackson, who hails from Memphis. "So what if the guy beat me (before), he didn't kill me. I'm still here. I'm ready to fight him a couple more times."

Silva (32-9-1 with one no contest), a Brazilian who now makes Las Vegas home, boasted at the pre-fight news conference that he would get the knockout of the night bonus. Instead, he got headache of the night and Jackson picked up the reward.

The 32-year-old Silva, who was cleared by doctors after the fight, joins the 39-year-old Liddell as veterans who remain marketable despite question marks over their chin, the amount of punishment they have taken over the years and the fact they have lost a combined five of their last seven fights.

Standing in the 205-pound wings are the unbeaten Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva, who square off at UFC 94 on Jan. 31.

UFC president Dana White said Liddell could figure in the mix for UFC 96 in March in Columbus, Ohio.

Evans (18-0-1) joins welterweight title-holder Georges St. Pierre of Montreal as mixed martial arts champions who are part of trainer Greg Jackson's camp in Albuquerque, N.M. Both men have benefited from Jackson's smarts and the strength and conditioning know-how of Montreal coach Jon Chaimberg.

Like GSP, Evans keeps evolving as a fighter. The former Michigan State wrestler boasts knockout power in both fists and feet and, as he did in winning Season 2 of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality TV series as a heavyweight, showed he can handle bigger opponents like the 6-3 Griffin.

Evans, however, says he is far from the finished product.

"I was changing in the back room and I was thinking `Man, I want to go and train.' Because there's a lot I need to do and there's a lot that I want to do to make sure I hold onto this belt," said Evans.

Griffin, a loser in his first title defence, skipped the post-fight news conference to go to hospital with a suspected broken hand. Having won the first two rounds on the judges' scorecards, he will rue the sudden change of fortunes in the third round.

As in his UFC 66 loss to Keith (The Dean of Mean) Jardine two years ago, Griffin (16-5) was unable to survive on the ground after being hurt. Both Evans and Jardine broke through his guard and finished him off savagely.

Mir's win over Nogueira means a rematch with Brock Lesnar in the spring, with the real heavyweight title on the line. Mir submitted Lesnar in his UFC debut at UFC 81, but Lesnar bounced back by stopping Randy Couture at UFC 91 to claim the heavyweight crown.

Mir (12-3) won the title in 2004 but had to give it up after a serious motorcycle crash in September 2004 forced him to give it up while he recovered.

"I've almost sold my soul to be back where I'm at now," said Mir. "No one had any faith in me."

It's back to the drawing board for Nogueira, who looked as if his 32 years and 37 fights had finally caught up with him.

An aggressive Mir knocked Nogueira down twice and took the 4-1 favourite down once in a dominant first-round performance in the matchup of rival coaches from Season 8 of "The Ultimate Fighter." Judge Jeff Mullen scored the round 10-8 for Mir.

In the second, Mir drove Nogueira (31-5-1 with one no contest) back with a left and then sent him to the canvas with another, finishing him off with a flurry of blows before the fight was stopped at 1:54.

Asked if he had considered betting on himself, Mir said it had crossed his mind.

"I think if anyone saw me at the sportsbook, they'd figure I was betting on Nogueira," he joked.

Mir joins Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson and Josh Barnett as the only men to beat Nogueira. Emelianenko did it twice.

French heavyweight Cheick Kongo, who trained with Jackson in England prior to the mixed martial arts card, showed his mean streak en route to knocking out UFC newcomer Mostapha al Turk. The big Brit kneed Kongo (23-4-1) in the groin early on and the six-foot-four Frenchman, his face a mask of fury, returned the favour soon after, doubling al Turk over.

Then al Turk (6-4) seemed to get poked in the eye. He pawed at his face and Kongo nailed him several times, sending al Turk to the canvas. Kongo carved the former pharmaceutical rep open with repeated elbows and punches until referee Steve Mazzagatti finally moved in.

An unsteady Al Turk struggled to his feet, leaking blood from the face.

The card drew a live gate of US$3.47 million.

Evans made $190,000, including a $65,000 win bonus and $60,000 for fight of the night, while Griffin earned $160,000 including the fight bonus, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Jackson made $385,000, including a $100,000 win bonus and $60,000 for knockout of the night, while Silva collected $200,000, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Mir picked up $90,000, including a $45,000 win bonus. Nogueira got $250,000, missing out on a $150,000 win bonus.

Those figures do not tell the whole financial story since the UFC does not disclose other bonuses and payments that may be in a fighter's contract. The organization's marquee fighters also may earn a slice of the lucrative pay-per-view take.

NOTES -- UFC president Dana White confirmed that lightweights Diego Sanchez and Joe Stevenson will headline UFC 95 in London, England, in February. As for Montreal and UFC 97 in April, White said the main event will "probably" be middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Thales Leites. ... Nogueira said he would love to fight Randy (The Natural) Couture next.