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UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

The Ultimate Fighter 11 coaches: Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.

Rumours were circulating of The Ultimate Fighter season 11 to feature Georges “Rush” St Pierre and Brit welterweight challenger Dan “Outlaw” Hardy as coaches. Recently it has now been confirmed Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Tito Ortiz are booked in as TUF 11 coaches.

Channel 5 once again pick up the deal to the host the series on UK TV, scheduled to air spring 2010.

Previously free-view channel Virgin 1 aired the UK vs US season of the Ultimate Fighter. Following TUF 9, the MMA reality show was picked up by Sky owned Channel 5, airing the recent Heavyweights season every Saturday night on their free-view channel FIVE USA.

Channel 5 had this to say:

“We have acquired the rights to Series 11 but no broadcast dates are scheduled at the moment”.

“We currently only have an agreement to broadcast five UFC Main Event programmes and are planning to transmit UFC 105 on Sunday 3rd January.”

TUF: 11 premieres in March and sees former UFC light-heavyweight champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz renew hostilities as they coach 16 middleweights en route to a third meeting in the Octagon.

The Iceman, 40, was a coach on the first season in 2005, either side of TKO victories over Ortiz in 2004 and 2006.

This is why I enjoy the UFC so much, the booking. More often than not there is a question to be answered, where we receive the answer inside the octagon. Will it be like before? Has he still got it. Is he back on form? It works well to have that element of intrigue and draw on their old rivalry.

Perhaps if they chose GSP and Dan Hardy as the fight to build up on weekly TV it wouldn’t have quite the same intrigue? Sure Hardy has knockout power but is he worthy of that elite bracket as St Pierre? Most UFC experts would say no, although that is not taking anything away from the worthiness of Hardy as challenger to the gold.

The Ultimate Fighter season 11 is a long way off, the light-heavyweight scrap between octagon legends Liddell and Ortiz is even further off but I’m looking forward to it already, can’t wait! Ortiz is sure as ever to be great for TV.

Merry Christmas to all BluRayMMA.com website visitors, from myself and the rest of the team. Be sure to browse the site after  Christmas to read new DVD reviews, which may help you choose what to spend your Christmas money on.

Have a safe and happy Christmas!

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

Even though the year is over for the Ultimate Fighting Championship it doesn’t mean the end of mixed martial arts on British television, as Ultimate Challenge presented their latest show, Fighting for Heroes, on Sky Sports this past Wednesday night, hosted, as always, by Dave O’Donnell and O.J. Borg, with Rob Nutley and Pierre Guillet handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began with Luke Smith facing Wesley Johnson for the Grand Prix Lightweight title. This was a great fight, the perfect way to start the show, with the striker Smith against the grappler Johnson. Smith looked like he was going to get the early win after a decent combination, but Johnson recovered quickly when he took the fight to the ground. A couple of submission attempts followed, before an untimely slip by Johnson gave Smith the opening he was looking for, with the referee stopping the action when Johnson had no reply to Smith’s ground and pound, ending what was a highly enjoyable fight.

Kickboxing action followed, with Jason Barrett and Scott Jansen fighting it out over the UK1 Welterweight title. This proved to be a nice variation to the MMA action, with a pretty even looking first round, before Jansen turned things up a notch in the second and third rounds. No knockouts here, so the judges were called on to render a decision, unanimous in favour of Jansen. Good decision there.

The title action continued with Wayne Weaver facing Ben Smith for the Grand Prix Heavyweight title. Sadly, we only got highlights for this one, with the first round cut completely, and only brief highlights from the second, which saw Smith take the win with a rear naked choke. A shame we didn’t see all of this fight, because what we did see looked pretty good.

Then it was on the Interim Lightweight title fight between Mark Glover and Michael Pastou. This was another highlights only deal. From what we saw it looked like a pretty good back and forth technical battle, with Pastou getting the unanimous decision. Just a shame that this was the second fight in a row where large chunks were missing.

More Grand Prix title action followed, with Tam Khan and Jamie Hearn in the middleweight division. Finally, we got to see a full fight again, mainly because it didn’t actually last that long. After some feeling out from both fighters, Hearn, a late replacement who took the fight at a day’s notice, connected with a big right that sent Khan crashing to the mat. An amazing performance from Hearn, considering how much time he had to prepare.

The last fight of the evening saw Jimi Manuwa defending his Light Heavyweight title against Shaun Lomas. After some early exchanges Manuwa scored with a big take down, and after a brief period of ground and pound Lomas reversed the positions. This didn’t stop Manuwa though, and Lomas looked like he was going to tap to Manuwa’s arm bar, but a return to the mount saw more ground and pound, and although Lomas was defending himself he wasn’t fighting back, so it wasn’t long before the referee stepped in and stopped the fight, giving Manuwa the title retaining win, ending a very entertaining fight.

In conclusion – another strong encounter from Dave O’Donnell and his crew here. There were some really strong outings here, although I was very disappointed that a couple of the fights were heavily clipped. Hopefully this won’t be the case when the next Ultimate Challenge show is broadcast on Sky Sports next February.

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com
Blog: www.myspace.com/twosheds316
Facebook: www.facebook.com/twosheds316 – add me as your friend!
Online Store: www.lulu.com/twosheds316 – download Anglo-Force & The Valkyrie Chronicles for FREE!

It was the final show of the year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as B.J. Penn aimed to cement his place as the top lightweight in the world against his latest challenger, Diego Sanchez in UFC 107: Penn v Sanchez, shown live here in Britain in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN, with Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began with Paul Buentello facing Stefan Struve. This heavyweight encounter proved to be an entertaining opener. Struve used his nine inch height advantage to good effect in the first as it looked like he was going to get a submission with a body triangle. But that was the end of the ground fighting as the remainder of the fight saw both men duke it out. Buentello unleashed with a hell of a right in the second, connecting just as Struve came in with an attempted flying knee. Struve didn’t let this stop him though as he targeted Buentello’s leg throughout the third, and it was this that saw the Dutchman through, earning him the unanimous decision from the judges. A good enough fight, but I couldn’t help but feel for Buentello a little. His second round shot will definitely go down as one of the moments of the year.

Then it was on to lightweight action, with Kenny Florian facing Clay Guida. This was one of the fights that I was really looking forward to. Guida came out at the start of the first like a little ball of energy, and Florian was more than able to keep up with him. Florian’s elbows soon caused damage to Guida’s head, with the referee stopping the fight momentarily so the doctor could check the deep cut. The decisive moment came in the second. Florian dropped Guida with a big right, and seconds later the fight was over, Guida tapping to Florian’s rear naked choke. This certainly didn’t disappoint, and it was great to see Florian back to winning ways again.

Welterweight action followed, with Jon Fitch taking on Mike Pierce. Although a technically sound battle at times, this one won’t go down in history as a heart stopping classic. This one saw Fitch getting a few take downs, and going for Pierce’s back, with some good combinations later on from both men. So with the fight going the three round distance the judges were called on as they gave the fight to Fitch. Okay I suppose, but not exactly enthralling.

Then it was time for the big boys to play as Frank Mir faced Cheick Kongo in the heavyweight division in the proverbial blink and you’ll miss it affair of the show. The two big men squared up to each other early and it wasn’t long before Mir’s big left sent the Frenchman crashing down to the mat. Mir quickly followed up with a deep guillotine, and as Kongo faded in unconsciousness the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. To say that this was an impressive performance by Mir would be an understatement. The former champion was awesome, and is back in the title mix.

Catchweight action, pitting Alan Belcher against Wilson Gouveia, followed. This filler material was almost spoiled by ESPN, who cut to a commercial as soon as the fight started, which meant we missed the first minute or so. But what we did see was a good boxing performance from Belcher as he took the stoppage win. Then ESPN cut away to another break just as the decision was being announced. Just when we Brits thought that this was a thing of the past!

The main event saw B.J. Penn defending the UFC Lightweight title against Diego Sanchez. If you ever wanted an example of how a champion is light years above all of his contenders then you saw it here. From the moment he rocked Sanchez in the opening moments of the first round, Penn put on a master class, proving once again that he’s the best he is at what he does. It was a joy to behold as Penn dominated, and as the fight went into the final round it was only a matter of time. A big right kick opened up a nasty cut on Sanchez’s forehead, and that was it. The doctor checked him over, and the referee stopped the fight. A truly awesome performance by Penn.

The final filler material saw Demarques Johnson facing Edgar Garcia at welterweight. This was a good way to end the show, and featured some nice back and forth action. Both men looked like they could get the win, until Johnson, from out of nowhere, locked in a triangle choke for the submission victory.

In conclusion – the Fitch/Pierce fight aside, UFC 107 proved to be a very good show. B.J. Penn’s performance was awesome, and Frank Mir wasn’t that far behind him. But I’m left to wonder just who will challenge Penn next?

So in short a very good show, a perfect way for the UFC to end what was another great year. Nice work all round.

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com
Blog: www.myspace.com/twosheds316
Facebook: www.facebook.com/twosheds316 – add me as your friend!
Online Store: www.lulu.com/twosheds316 – download Anglo-Force & The Valkyrie Chronicles for FREE!

The Ultimate Fighter 9: United States vs United Kingdom

Season 10 of the Ultimate Fighter is fresh in our minds, it is fair to say since watching TUF 9 on DVD format, I am reminded how much more successful that season was. Sure TUF 10 ratings at times were fantastic down to the drawing power of internet sensation Kimbo Slice but overall US vs UK was superior viewing.

Series 9 pitted the Brits going head to head against the Yanks, with established fighters Dan Henderson and Mike Bisping as coaches, built up to an awesome showdown at UFC 100. Not only did it build up tension for the middleweight clash it worked as a platform to create fresh and exciting new young stars for the Zuffa brand, most notably Ross Pearson, James Wilks, Andre Winner of the UK and American Demarques Johnson. Giving the show the added international rivalry made the MMA reality TV programme compelling viewing each and every week.

The only downside for us Brits was seeing our boy Bisping brutally beaten by Hendo following TUF 9 at UFC 100. However the series gave Yanks and Brits a reason to watch that fight featured on the mammoth pay per view card.

Whilst viewing disc 1 I realised this was Alex Reid’s first reality TV show he missed featuring in, failing to beat Dean Amasinger for a place in the ultimate fighter house. The second of course for Katie Price’s ex-boyfriend was hit ITV series I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, where he planned to swing into the jungle, Tarzan style and propose to then girlfriend glamour girl Jordan, live on national television.

Relive the whole series once more when you buy this 5 disc DVD set. The finale show on disc 4 features a contending MMA fight of the year, between lightweight battlers  Clay “The Carpenter” Guida and Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez.

On the fifth DVD you will be treated to all the extras not included on the Virgin 1 aired TV series. The UFC take you behind the scenes of the series, a feature on the finale fighters plus UK and US bonus scene. Do yourself a favour by watching the UK bonus scenes alone for Lawson and Faulkner’s pro wrestling exhibition bout. Bournemouth based fighter Jeff Lawson is pure comedy gold.

The Ultimate Fighter season 9: US vs UK is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk, HMV and all good retailers.

Keep visiting BluRayMMA.com for more reviews of brand new UFC and related combat sports and martial arts DVD releases.

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

It took us twelve weeks, but we finally made it. Sixteen heavyweight fighters were whittled down to just two as the Ultimate Fighting Championship presented The Ultimate Finale, shown live here in Britain in the early hours of December 6th on ESPN, and only just seen by me because of a case of the dreaded swine flu!

The show began with the heavyweight encounter between Marcus Jones and Matt Mitrione. Now I’m probably not the only one annoyed by Mitrione’s escapes during the series, so I was kind of eager to see him square off against his rival big baby. Old meathead impressed the hell out of me here, as he was able to overcome Jones’ ground game before making the fight his own with a big right early in the second. Jones went down like the proverbial sack of spuds, and that was all she wrote. A good performance from Mitrione here, and although Jones showed some good ground work he clearly needs to work on his stand-up game.

Then it was on to Frankie Edgar against Matt Veach at lightweight in another back and forth affair. Veach looked unstoppable with his massive slams in the first round, and it looked like he’d carry this power advantage into the second, until a big right by Edgar dropped him to the ground. Afterwards Edgar followed up with some nice ground work, before synching in a rear naked choke for the impressive submission win. Nice stuff.

The lightweight action continued with Mark Bocek facing Joe Brammer. Brammer looked good at the start here, but as soon as Bocek took the fight to the ground it was just a matter of time. It wasn’t long before he took Brammer’s back. Bocek then showed some great patience, and kept his position as Brammer managed to get to his feet. With his back up against the cage Bock locked in a rear naked choke, and soon got the submission win, capping off a very good performance.

The fight that we were all waiting for was next, as Kimbo Slice took on Houston Alexander in catch weight action. Everyone thought that this was going to be the blink and you’ll miss it affair of the show. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Alexander’s tactics were apparent for all to see from the outset as he targeted Kimbo’s bad knee. While the first round didn’t make for riveting viewing, things for more exciting in the second when, to the amazement of many, Kimbo unleashed his ground game, and looked good in doing so. Apart from a damaging leg kick from Alexander in the third, Kimbo’s newfound skills were enough to carry him to victory as he earned the unanimous judges decision. And you know what? The old brawler didn’t look that bad!

Then it was down to the light heavyweight division, with Matt Hammill and Jon Jones. This fight will be remembered for one moment of inadvertent madness from Jones. After he got the only take down of the fight Jones went for some vicious ground and pound, including using what the announcers called the 12-to-6 elbow. The referee quickly stepped in to stop the onslaught as the blood poured down Hammill’s face. As we went to a break everyone thought that Jones won the fight due to referee stoppage. Instead the referee disqualified Jones, giving Hammill the win. Jones looked great here, but his one rule infraction will always count against him.

It was back up to heavyweight for the next fight as Darrill Schoonover took on James McSweeney. I couldn’t help but root for McSweeney during the show, and his battle against fellow Team Rashad member Schoonover proved to be an interesting one. It was a little sloppy at times, although both men showed some great skill. But as the fight progressed McSweeney began to assert his authority a lot more. A flying knee began Schoonover’s slide in the third round, and after an explosive combination from McSweeney Schoonover crashed to the ground. The referee stepped in, and McSweeney was given the win. Hopefully we’ll see McSweeney back in the UFC soon, even though this wasn’t exactly his best performance.

The heavyweight action continued into the main event, with Team Rashad members Brendan Schaub and Roy Nelson fighting it out to see who was the latest Ultimate Fighter. I have to admit that Nelson kind of bored the hell out of me during the show, and he didn’t exactly impress me during his fights. But this performance was a whole lot better. Schaub showed some good stand-up work early on, but as soon as Nelson got the take down it looked like he was going for his trademark win. But that plan went to pot when Schaub escaped. A big right from Nelson soon sent Schaub crashing to the ground, and that was it, Roy Nelson had become the latest Ultimate Fight in his best fight in the series.

In conclusion – the latest Ultimate Fighter finale proved to be an entertaining if not outstanding affair, with some of the best fighters from the series getting their chance to shine on the bigger stage. Roy Nelson may not have been the most explosive fighter on the show, but he was certainly the most effective, and I wouldn’t be surprised if his first proper UFC fight was a re-match with Kimbo Slice.

As far as the actual Ultimate Fighter series goes, it was certainly far more entertaining that an entire series of The X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing. Rashad Evans proved what a great coach he was, while his opposite number, Rampage Jackson, showed that he was a bully and a sore loser, and it’s sad that Rampage’s last opponent on a UFC show will probably be a flimsy-looking door.

So in all three months of tremendous entertainment, topped off with an entertaining live show. Here’s looking to the next series, and here’s hoping that perhaps, one day, we’ll finally see Rampage and Rashad go one-on-one.

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com
Blog: www.myspace.com/twosheds316
Facebook: www.facebook.com/twosheds316 – add me as your friend!
Online Store: www.lulu.com/twosheds316 – download Anglo-Force & The Valkyrie Chronicles for FREE!

Another fine video blog from the face of the UFC Mr Dana White. Enjoy.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

UFC 107 - Penn vs Sanchez

December 12th 2009, FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tenn.

Here is a brief preview of the event broadcasting live tonight on ESPN and ESPN HD on the Sky and Virgin Media platforms.

B.J. “The Prodigy” Penn vs. Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez

So who is your money on in this lightweight title contest? The odds on favourite in the UFC 107 main event is veteran Penn but in the world of MMA anything can happen. If I was a betting man Penn would be the fighter I would choose to place a bet on. The Hawaii native is the man with the tools needed for the job, knock-out boxing, awesome Ju Jitsu skills packaged up with experience.

As has been discussed frequently on the internet forums in recent times the UFC fighters wearing the belts around their waists look to remain dominant for some time, although questions look to be answered with light-heavyweight champ since his controversial points win over Shogun Rua. However I don’t see BJ leaving the octagon minus the strap.

Sanchez is an overwhelming force inside the octagon but versus veteran title holder BJ Penn he could well make a mistake rushing in, giving Penn the opening to take advantage of in the heat of cage combat. A question to be answered in this championship showdown is whether The Nightmare has the conditioning required to go the full 5 rounds as the challenger. Tonight we shall find out.

Cheick Kongo vs. Frank Mir

Both heavyweight fighters are on the comeback trail, hoping to avenge their summertime losses. Mir lost to Lesnar at UFC 100 and Kongo to Velasquez at UFC 99. The humble Kongo intends to end the reign of the big mouthed American.  A contrast in characters here I feel. Taking on big Brock many UFC fans booed Lesnar and cheered Mir, partly because of arrogance displayed by the former WWE star and partly due to him being a former pro wrestler. In this match-up it’s clear Mir is the one with all the swagger. Despite Mir not endearing himself, I’m picking him to beat Kongo via tap-out within the 2nd round.

The full fight line up:

B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez – lightweight title clash

Cheick Kongo vs. Frank Mir

Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce

Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida

Paul Buentello vs. Stefan Struve

Unaired prelims:

Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia

Shane Nelson vs. Matt Wiman

Ricardo Funch vs. Johny Hendricks

Lucio Linhares vs. Rousimar Palhares

Edgar Garcia vs. DaMarques Johnson

Kevin Burns vs. T.J. Grant

UK viewers can see UFC 107 live as it happens on ESPN and ESPN HD in the early hours of Sunday morning at 3am. As a subscriber you can see the prelims and more from 11:30pm onwards:

11:30pm-UFC Unleashed

12:30am-MMA Live

1am-Countdown to UFC 107

2am-UFC 107 Prelims Live

3am-UFC 107:Penn vs Sanchez Live

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com