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As many of you will know, The Two Sheds Review has been in circulation on the world wide web since it’s debut in 2000. Since then it has appeared on over fifty websites and newsletters over the year.

Early on a fellow writer by the name of SamJerry told me that I should get my work out to as many sites as possible, so it can be seen by a wider audience. Back in the day that was really easy, because all I had to do was to e-mail it a bunch of people at the same time.

But over the years most of the sites I write for have taken advantage of the various posting systems that are now available, meaning that writers could by-pass the website editors and post the content themselves, and while this is a good system when you currently do this for twenty websites it can be somewhat time consuming.

Which is why I’ve made the following decision. From now The Two Sheds Review will only be seen on a select number of websites. This is simply because it’s now taking too much time to post it on numerous websites.

The sites where my reviews and columns will be seen are:

The Bleacher Report – http://www.bleacherreport.com
BluRay MMA – http://www.bluraymma.com
MMA Universe – http://www.mmauniverse.com
TBL Wrestling – http://www.tblwrestling.com
Wrestling Edge – http://www.wrestling-edge.com

The reason I have chosen these particular sites is based on the time I have posted my columns there and the number of hits my work gets. Obviously my own website, http://www.twoshedsreview.com will remain unaffected.

So to those websites who have taken a chance on me over the years I would like to say a big thank you for your support. The Two Sheds Review would never have been as popular without you.

And to those who continue to read my work, thank you for your continued and future support.

A new player entered the MMA arena this past weekend as Powerhouse World Promotions presented their first pay-per-view, War On The Mainland, shown live on Primetime here in Britain, and featuring Tim Sylva and Paul Buentello battling it out for the vacant Heavyweight title.

The show began with lightweight action as Jens Pulver faced Diego Garijo.

This one lasted just over a minute, and began at a frantic pace with both guys swinging for the fences until Garijo dropped Pulver with a big left. Garijo quickly followed him down and locked in a guillotine for the impressive submission win.

The lightweight action continued as Erin Beech faced Joel Silva.

This wasn’t exactly the most exciting fight I’ve ever seen. Silva’s attack was completely one dimensional. His only tactic seemed to be take down attempts. The only problem was that Beech’s take down defence was very sound.

It was also obvious that Silva couldn’t take any form of pain. Whenever Beech connected Silva visibly recoiled. But credit to Beech for imposing his will on the fight with some good striking.

All three judges scored in favour of Beech, a decision that wasn’t entirely surprising.

Then it was on to Thales Leites taking on Matt Horwich for the vacant Middleweight title.

Given the credentials of these two it was obvious how it was going to play out. It was a solid ground battle with both men putting on good performances.

The first submission attempt of note came in the third round when Leites synched in a side choke, which lasted for ages until Horwich was able to escape.

The end came early on in the fourth when Horwich took Leites’ back and locked in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

The championship action continued as Jason Lambert faced Tony Lopez, a late replacement for Alan Goes, for the vacant Light Heavyweight title.

A somewhat scrappy affair with neither man able to gain any sort of advantage until early in the second round when Lambert got the better of a body lock in the corner.

But then things turned in an instant after Lambert slipped and a Lopez left knee dropped him. One shot later and the referee stepped in, giving Lambert the knockout win. Quite impressive, considering that Lopez had to lose twenty-six pounds in a week so he could make the weight.

Then it was on to Jorge Ortiz against Terry Martin in the welterweight division.

A mainly stand-up battle saw Martin put in a solid performance, with Ortiz visibly tiring as he entered the second round.

Things changed in the third after Ortiz connected with an inadvertent low kick. The rest period seemed to galvanise Ortiz while it had the opposite effect on Martin.

The judges were split in their decision as Martin took home the victory.

The main event saw Tim Sylvia facing Paul Buentello for the vacant Heavyweight title.

Sylvia put in a very effective performance here, doing a good job of neutralising Buentello’s striking game with a series of clinches in the corners, all of which ultimate led to referee separations.

The end came in the dying seconds of the second round. Having softened his man with a series of knees and kicks Sylvia dropped Buentello in the corner, with the referee stopping the fight seconds later, giving Sylvia the knockout win.

In conclusion – Primetime’s third foray into the world of mixed martial arts was a solid and enjoyable event, even if the action was a little unspectacular at times.

Production-wise it was okay, although definitely not up to the standards of the UFC or Strikeforce, especially early on as the picture broke up a number of times.

As for the commentary, play-by-play man Benny Ricardo, a guy with one of worst haircuts I’ve seen this side of 1978 seemed a bit flustered at times, and there were moments when his performance dragged down the normally reliable Bas Rutten.

So in all a good show, but as teachers all around the world would say, could do better.

Calling MMA gamers and would be writers out there! Fancy being a guest reviewer by submitting a review of UFC Undisputed 2010?

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duane@bluraymma.com

British mixed martial arts is on the agenda again as Dave O’Donnell’s Ultimate Challenge presented their latest show Invincible, shown on a four day delay on Sky Sports here in Britain this past Wednesday night.

The show began with heavyweight action as Ian Hawkins went up against Mark Potter.

A controversial fight saw Potter cut his taller and heavier opponent down to size with some great body shots. But Potter went too far and kicked Hawkins in the head as he slumped to the ground.

The referee quickly stepped in and disqualified Potter straight away. Potter would surely have won but for that moment of madness.

It was down to the middleweight division for the next fight as Earl Brown faced Jake Bostwick.

Sadly we only got highlights from the first round, and there wasn’t much from the second because Bostwick connected with a big right that knocked Brown out cold, giving Bostwick the KO win. You have to wonder if the near twenty year age difference was too much for Brown to overcome.

After a highlights package from some of the other fights it was on to featherweight action as Tom Dixon took on John Kelly.

A fast paced fight saw both men going all out from the start. Kelly looked like he was going to overwhelm his teenage opponent early on, especially after a big slam, but Dixon came back well, opening up a cut on the bridge of Kelly’s nose.

Round two didn’t last long. A big left from Kelly sent Dixon crashing out before he hit the ground, taking home the knockout win.

Then it was up to lightweight as Brad Wheeler faced Francis Heagney.

A nice technical ground battle saw Heagney get the early take down after a four shot combination, and from there he all but dominated. Wheeler went for a couple of submission attempts but Heagney escaped easily, and with his ground and pound going unanswered towards the end of the round the referee wisely stepped in and gave Heagney the TKO win.

Welterweight action followed as Edgelson Lua took on Jamaine Facey.

This proved to be another great ground battle. Lua put in some good work in the first round, but the extraordinary moment when he took Facey’s back and synched in a rear naked choke, keeping the choke on for what seemed like an eternity. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Facey managed to escape.

They continued with the ground work in the second round with more transitions and reversals before Facey took Lua’s back and unleashed with the ground and pound. Lua failed to respond and it wasn’t long before the referee stepped in and saved him from further punishment, giving Facey the impressive TKO win.

The main event saw Valentino Petrescu challenge Jimi Manuwa for the Light Heavyweight title.

A great striking battle began with both fighters testing the waters early on, but as the fight progressed Manuwa had great success with some knees from the clinch, which set him up for the quick combinations that sent Petrescu crashing to the ground, giving the Poster Boy the title retaining KO win.

In conclusion – on the same night that a certain middleweight fight was happening Dave O’Donnell and his crew once again proved something that we’ve known for some time – that Ultimate Challenge is the best MMA promotion in Britain right now.

All the fights here were highly enjoyable, and I was pleased that we didn’t see any of the UK1 kickboxing fights that drag the show down a little.

So in all another good show, and here’s looking forward to their next outing in September.

12: one prize... 12 fighters... only one will survive...!

9 times out of 10 when asked to review a DVD, I’m not blessed with a shop retail release version. On this occasion I’ve been spoilt, having in my hands Twelve in all it’s glossy covered goodness.

Past the glossy cover, Twelve is all about grittiness. A British martial arts action flick, pitting 12 fighters of different fighting skills and backgrounds, in bouts organised by high-rollers. £500,000 is up for the taking, it’s a submission or knock-out to win each bout, other than that it’s no-holds-barred.

Having recently reviewed American made MMA-movies, the raw, rough, grittiness of this British made fight-flick is very refreshing. 12 doesn’t boast a huge line-up of UFC names, accompanied by a big budget, however the smaller budget works as an advantage, picturing a realistic rawness, leaving the required impact on the viewer.

Fight venues the 12 tournament contestants battle it out in include warehouses, nightclubs, scrap yard and even the back of a lorry, whilst being filmed on CCTV, viewed by the room of high-rollers, betting on the outcome, each backing a chosen fighter.

Brutal, blood-thirsty fantastically choreographed kick-ass scenes aplenty here, throughout the 88 minutes.

The story is told via a narrator, although we are introduced to the competitors individually, being made aware of their backgrounds and martial skills there isn’t one lead hero focussed on, unlike a traditional Kung-Fu flick with Bruce Lee or Jet Li. Twelve presents a unique style,  it’s very much a 21st century post-modern British picture.  What we get here is a grittier, grimey film, which feels very realistic.

Brit-MMA fans will recognise the Cage Warriors logo, when the final showdown happens in a cage. This final scene is Brit UFC competitor Ross Pearson’s  favourite fight of the entire film by the way. Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping comments his favourite fight scene is The Triad vs The Soldier.

Left to right - Martial Arts Legend Joe Lewis, Chee Keong Cheung, Mark Strange. Photo copyright www.fightshop.com

Look out for some recognisable faces in Twelve, including Danny John Jules AKA The Cat in Red Dwarf, amazing record breaking female martial arts expert Zara Pythian, Gary Webster from Minder plus see Eastenders Dr Legg actor playing one of the fighter money-backers.

Director Chee Keong Cheung has done a brilliant job conjuring up a very realistic scene-scape of an underground no-holds-barred illegal fight world.

Seni 2010: Chee & Mark signing at the 12 stand. Photo copyright www.fightshop.com

The DVD comes with many special features, including biogs of the actors, a look behind the scenes plus an exclusive fight between Leon Walters vs Guy  Golden from Pain & Glory kick-boxing event.

My home-town  Bournemouth & local ultimate fighting gym – Bulldog is featured in a mini documentary, following Twelve actor and fighter Mark Strange prepare for a special cross-promotion bout on a Pain & Glory card. The special features round off the package brilliantly.

Twelve is out now on DVD, available from all good retailers.

Visit www.intenseproductions.co.uk and the official Twelve DVD website www.12dvd.co.uk for further information.

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

DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

ESPN Classic continued their journey through the UFC’s archives this past weekend as they reached the final of the sixth series of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes v Team Serra, featuring Mac Danzig against Tommy Spear in the final and Clay Guida against Roger Huerta in the main event.

It was welterweight action for the majority of the show, beginning with Dan Barrera against Ben Saunders.

This was a good three round ground battle. Barrera tried to seize the initiative by going for the take down, but each time he took the guard Saunders nullified his attack.

The third round saw Saunders on the attack throughout as he took Barrera’s back and went for a rear naked choke. He also scored with a couple of powerful kicks, but in the end he couldn’t put his man away.

The judges gave Saunders the unanimous decision, proving that you don’t have to be on top to attack effectively.

George Sotiropoulos against Billy Miles was next.

Miles began this one with all guns blazing, but it wasn’t long before the Aussie established control, taking Miles’ back, flattening him out and locking in the rear naked choke for the very impressive submission win.

Richie Hightower against Troy Mandaloniz followed.

These two were meant to be best buddies, but that didn’t show in this one. Hightower looked on top for the majority of the fight, but Mandaloniz stayed in contention with some good blows, and he ending up taking the win after one of the simplest of punches – a left jab – dropped Hightower. The referee soon stepped in, giving Mandaloniz the TKO win.

Then it was on to Jon Koppenhaver against Jared Rollins.

From a battle of best friends we went on to a fight between two guys who apparently didn’t like each other very much.

It was an outstanding balls to the wall battle, with neither man holding anything back. Both men were bloodied up at the end of the first, but that didn’t stop them, and even though both were exhausted in the third Rollins dropped Koppenhaver with a big knee. However, War Machine was able to reverse the positions, and soon he took home the win with a relentless ground and pound attack, giving him the TKO win.

The TUF welterweight final saw Mac Danzig taking on Tommy Speer.

The all-Team Hughes battle saw Speer going for the take down early on, only Danzig to take control seconds later, moving from the guard to take Speer’s back so he could synch in a rear naked choke for the great submission win.

John Kolosei against Matt Arroyo followed.

This fight between two Team Serra members proved to be a very entertaining affair, Arroyo went for a couple of arm bar attempts, but Kolosei was able to escape.

However, it was third time lucky for Arroyo as he finally managed to lock in the arm bar for the submission in the final seconds of the third round.

The main event was the only bout fought outside the welterweight division as Roger Huerta took on Clay Guida.

This was an outstanding fight with two different stories. For the first two rounds Guida was able to take Huerta down at will, and he did a great job controlling the fight on the ground and with the striking.

But things changed dramatically at the beginning of the third when Huerta rocked Guida with a knee. Moments later he took Guida’s back and synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

In conclusion – while I’m not really a fan of the reality show part of The Ultimate Fighter the finales always deliver, and this was the case with the sixth instalment, and the two main events, especially the Guida/Huerta battle were outstanding contests.

So overall this gets the thumbs up for me. But don’t expect any more TUF Finale retro-type reviews. I’ve already done them all from season seven onwards and it will probably be a while before ESPN Classic get back to seasons one through four again!

It was one of the most hyped fights of the year, the most controversial fighter in mixed martial arts against the brash, trash-talking challenger in the main event of UFC 117: Silva v Sonnen, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The big boys began the show as Roy Nelson faced Junior Dos Santos in the heavyweight division.

There was a part of me that wanted Nelson to win, but deep down I knew that Dos Santos would be too much for him. The Brazilian had a tremendous first round, rocking Big Country a number of times. But as the fight progressed and as Dos Santos continued to tee off he just couldn’t put Nelson away. Nelson had his moments, but they were few and far between.

No surprise with the decision here, Dos Santos all the way with a dominating performance.

It was down to the welterweight division for the next fight as Matt Hughes took on Ricardo Almeida.

The latest inductee into the Hall of Fame put on a vintage performance. After both men tested the waters Hughes sent Almeida down with a big left hook. Hughes followed him to the ground and immediately went for a guillotine. Almeida was out of it seconds later, giving Hughes and outstanding submission win, and also giving his doubters a lesson. Write him off at your peril.

The lightweights were up next as Clay Guida faced Rafael Dos Anjos.

This proved to be another enjoyable encounter. There were some nice exchanges early in the first, with both guys getting in some good shots. From there we had some good ground work in round two.

The ending came in the third round. After Guida scored with a big take down he took control of Dos Anjos’ head and arms. That was enough for the Brazilian. His jaw broken, he just couldn’t take any more and tapped out. Another great encounter, and a good performance from Guida.

The only filler material of the evening saw Stefan Struve going up against Christian Morecraft.

The proverbial back and forth affair saw Morecraft dominating in the first round with his ground and pound, to the point where the doctor considered pulling Struve out because of his cut and badly swollen bottom lip.

This just seemed to fire up the big guy as both men began the second round swinging, with a big right from Struve knocking Morecraft down, with the referee stopping the fight after a few seconds of ground and pound. A remarkable comeback from the big guy.

It was back to the welterweight division for the next fight as Jon Fitch took on Thiago Alves.

A bit of controversy before this fight even began saw Alves failing to make the weight limit by just half a pound, forfeiting twenty per cent of his purse.

A re-match four years in the making saw some good ground and pound work from Fitch as he dominated the grappling side of things. It was as if he was able to take Alves down at will. Alves managed to get in a couple of good shots in the striking game, but in the end the weight cut seemed to take too much out of him.

In the end all three judges scored in favour of Fitch, the only decision there could be really.

The main event saw Chael Sonnen challenging Anderson Silva for the Middleweight title.

Now this is what a championship fight should be about. For over four rounds Sonnen took it to Silva, and did something that nobody else has managed to do in the UFC – he made Silva look human.

But then, with just two minutes of the fight left, and with Sonnen looking like he was going to win, it turned. Silva synched in a triangle choke, and seconds later Sonnen tapped. It was all over. The greatest fight I’ve seen this year was done, and Silva was still the UFC Middleweight Champion.

In conclusion – I know I say this almost every time, but this was a great show. The five undercard fights delivered big time, while the main event, well, what more can I say?

It was an outstanding fight, with the sort of drama you only get to see in Hollywood blockbusters, and if Chael Sonnen doesn’t get a re-match with Anderson Silva after that performance then there really is no justice in this world.

So I’m looking through the Sky EPG this past Tuesday night, looking for something to watch, and it was by chance that I noticed that Irish channel Premier Sports were showing MMA, and just two days before they became a subscription channel! The show in question was Cage Contender 5, held in Dublin on July 24th.

The show began with action from the bantamweight division as Paul Cowzer faced Keith Coady.

The fight featured some frantic striking exchanges in the first round. Cowzer was on top for the majority of the round, and he looked like he was going to get the win after he staggered Coady.

The second round began at a slower pace, but speeded up when Cowzer dropped Coady again, this time with a left, Seconds later and Cowzer had the mount, with the referee stepping in to save Coady from his relentless ground and pound assault.

The bantamweight action continued as Paddy Holohan faced Milan Kovac.

After a great striking battle we went to the other end of the spectrum. Holohan scored with the take down early on, and after Kovac tried to get to his feet Holohan took him down again.

It wasn’t long before Holohan took Kovac’s back and synched in a rear naked choke, and with just one second left of the first round Kovac tapped, giving Holohan the win with a dominating performance.

It was up to the lightweight division for the next fight as Norman Parke went up against Tom Maguire.

Another enjoyable fight with some good ground work. Parke pulled off some good take downs in the first round, be he couldn’t really capitalise on his good work.

It was Maguire who scored with the take down at the beginning of the second, but he went right into Parke’s guillotine. Seconds later and he was tapping, giving Parke the submission win.

Then it was on to the title fights, beginning with Liam Shannon facing Cathal Pendred for the vacant Welterweight title.

This one looked like it would be over in the first few seconds as Shannon got the early take down, quickly taking Pendrad’s back and synching in a rear naked choke. However, Pendred was able to escape.

From there we got an exciting back and forth three rounder. Both fighters had their moments, especially on the ground, but in the end the fatigue factor came into play, with neither man able to get the stoppage.

So in the end the judges were called into action, and all three gave the fight and the vacant title to Pendred in a fight that really could have gone either way.

The next championship battle saw Myles Price challenging Martin Begley for the Lightweight title.

A very good fight saw Begley score with an early take down, but it wasn’t long before Price took control on the ground, dominating the rest of the round.

The extraordinary finish came early in the second. After some more work on the ground Price leapt onto Begley’s back as they got to their feet. A rear naked choke later and Price had the title winning submission.

The main event saw Paul McVeigh facing Artemij Sitenkov for the vacant Bantamweight title.

A very good performance from McVeigh here, dominating on the ground for the most part. Sitenkov had his moments, but McVeigh was always one step ahead of him, and it really came as no surprise when McVeigh got the win and the title when Sitenkov tapped out to a leg triangle and arm bar.

In conclusion – well, I may have found out about this show by accident, but that made it all the more enjoyable. All six fights delivered, with the McVeigh/Sitenkov the best of the lot.

So as far as this little slice of Irish MMA action goes it was great, although it’s a shame that Premier Sports has now become a subscription channel, especially as I don’t want to pay a monthly fee in the hope that they might show more MMA action in the future.

Besides, I’ve never really been a fan of Gaelic football or hurling anyway!

UCMMA 14: Invincible

UCMMA.com

Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com interviews Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson, ahead of his cage-clash with Junior Dos Santos, Saturday August 7, at UFC 117.

Roy is not looking for the fight of the night bonus, being a sensible fella is more concerned about winning whilst receiving least damage physically. Ironically Nelson versus Dos Santos could well be the surprise fight of the night.

Chubby Roy Nelson is not the bookies favourite, do not be deceived by the TUF 10 winners physique, he’s got the tools to get the job done. Betting on Roy could make you a winner.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com