ANAHEIM – New Mexico's Keith Jardine knocked down and upset former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell (20-5) by split-decision in a slugfest on Saturday at the Honda Center.

Jardine (13-4-1) won 29-28 on two scorecards while one judge scored it 29-28 for Liddell. Liddell was knocked down by a right hand in the second round of a three-round bout.

The crowd of more than 12,000 people booed the decision but it was clearly Jardine's night. Liddell opened up the fight by landing left hooks that caused a large, cherry-sized bump on Jardine and he also bloodied his forehead and nose.

But Jardine survived Liddell's attack.

The two light heavyweights were both returning to the Octagon from knockout losses and fought with fists flying for all three rounds. A well-timed right hand counter by Jardine dropped Liddell in the second round but he jumped right back up to return fire.

Despite blood flowing from Jardine's ear, nose and forehead, and a bump alongside his right eye, Jardine continually landed right kicks and left hands on Liddell during the third round.

In the night's biggest upset, Forrest Griffin (15-4) out-hustled Brazilian star Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (16-3) over three rounds and ended the fight in dramatic fashion with a choke with 15 seconds left in the light heavyweight fight.

“It was nothing fancy, just a choke,” said the underdog Griffin. “I'm sure that's not the way he wanted to start his UFC career.”

Jon Fitch escaped two well-placed chokeholds and edged Diego Sanchez (19-2) by split-decision in a three-round welterweight bout. The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28 for Fitch and 29-28 for Sanchez. Fitch's record is now 20-2 with one no contest.

Lyoto Machida dominated Japan's popular Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7) in a three-round light heavyweight bout. Machida proved faster on the ground and with his punching and won by unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three cards. Machida's record is now 10-0.

Tyson Griffin out-scrapped Brazil's Thiago Tavares (16-1) in a three-round lightweight fight that ended in a unanimous decision for Griffin, 29-28 on two cards and 30-27 on the other. Griffin is now 10-1.