BlurayMMA.com

The day before Rampage faced the Dragon Vitor Ribeiro and Justin Wilcox went at it in the main event of the latest Strikeforce Challengers show, shown this past Monday night on Bravo 2 here in Britain.

The broadcast began with lightweight action as Caros Fodor went up against Derek Getzel.

A nice technical battle began with both men swinging before an extensive clinch against the cage. From there the fight went to the ground, and as the round neared it’s final seconds Fodor locked in a d’arce choke for the submission win.

It was up to the welterweight division for the next fight as Marius Zaromskis took on Waachiim Spirit Wolf.

A non-fight that began with Zaromskis flying across the cage. Unfortunately he caught Spirit Wolf with a stray finger to the eye, and after a lengthy rest period and a couple of checks from the doctors the fight was ruled a no contest. The time of the fight – just six seconds.

Normal action resumed as Ovince Saint Preux went up against Antwain Britt in the light heavyweight division.

At first it looked like we were in for another no contest when Saint Preux accidentally poked Britt in the eye just thirty seconds in.

Thankfully Britt recovered, and from there the fight progressed nicely, with Saint Preux controlling the first round with some nice strikes and some good ground work, going for a foot lock towards the end.

Britt came back strongly in the second with some ground work of his own, but OSP re-asserted his control in the third, beginning with a hard liver kick, following up with take downs and ground control.

No surprise with the decision as the judges scored in favour of Saint Preux.

The main event saw Vitor Ribeiro facing Justin Wilcox in the lightweight division.

A very interesting fight saw Wilcox outbox Ribeiro throughout. The Brazilian went for a few take downs but Wilcox easily avoided these. He also refused Ribeiro’s invitations to join him on the ground.

Once again there was no surprise with the decision, with Wilcox taking home the unanimous decision.

In conclusion – three good fights and one unfortunate no contest made for a very entertaining show, and given the performances of some of the guys here I wouldn’t be surprised to see them plying their trade in the main shows soon.

I was a little disappointed that the women’s fight between Jan Finney and Liz Carmouche was cut from the British edit though, mainly because the women’s fights are quite often the highlight of the show. I only knew about this particular encounter because it was left on the highlights package at the end.

But apart from that, good stuff, and I hope that the powers that be at Sky, who recently purchased the Living Group of channels, which includes Bravo 2, don’t dump Strikeforce when they close down the channel in the new year. These shows would make a welcome addition to the Sky Sports schedules.

Being a pro wrestling to mixed martial arts convert this UFC showcase of submissions is right up my street. When the Ultimate Fighting Championships first caught my attention the submissions and grappling element is what drew me in.

The submission and ground game are key elements of a mixed martial artist’s skill set. Boxing is known as the “sweet science”, however Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a scientific chess-game in it’s own right. Within octagon competition the key to victory is to knock-out your opponent by kicking or punching your opponent or to force him to tap-out in submission. UFC Ultimate Submissions DVD is loaded with masters of the tap-out.

Let’s see what you get: Highlights here include many stars of the octagon, you’ll see submission master BJ Penn winning Lightweight gold from Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson via rear-naked-choke at UFC 80, Newcastle.

TUF generation bad-ass Nate Diaz versus Kurt Pellegrino. Caesar Gracie trained Diaz is a human highlight reel of tap-out victories. Witness Pellegrino tap, constricted by a world class triangle-choke, complete with a Diaz biscep flex, adding insult to injury, accompanied by a double display of the middle finger, I told you he’s a bad-ass!

Former UFC World Heavyweight champ Frank Mir, possibly THE best heavyweight submission artist shows us how to break a giant’s arm, bringing the pain to Tim Sylvia via Armbar.

So what else do you want? Damian Maia? Yes, he’s here too, putting Ed Herman to sleep in a nasty Triangle Choke.

Anderson ‘Spider’ Silva – Middleweight champ and arguably THE best pound for pound fighter on the planet shows you just why he’s called that, making 2 tap-out career highlights.

Georges ‘Rush’ St Pierre the other best pound for pounder, exhibits superb submission skills, submitting world class wrestler Matt Hughes in their  third encounter.

The finale of the main feature sees Frank Mir make another appearance, highlighting his leg-lock submission win over the debuting Brock Lesnar. A perfect example of technique overcoming power.

As well as the icons of the octagon, look out for Rousimar Palhares, Evan Dunham, Cole Miller and Dan Miller – true grappling wizards.

Bonus features: Along with the current fighters showcased, this special collector’s DVD boasts 10 classic submissions from the Zuffa vaults, featuring legends of the cage.

A must-see is Japanese MMA icon Kazushi Sakuraba, a submission wrestler and king of the Kimura, submits Brazilian Marcus Silveira at Ultimate Japan 1.

Going way back to UFC 1, pioneering BJJ master Royce Gracie shows us all how it’s supposed to be done, tapping-out ‘The Baddest Man On The Planet’ Ken Shamrock, himself a submission specialist.

Other legends featured are Marcus Ruas, Tank Abbott, Marc Coleman and ‘The Natural’ Randy Couture.

10 more bonus classic submissions are also included from the likes of Hughes, Penn, Mir and GSP.

Third added extra is a highlight reel of combatants such as our very on Dan Hardy – who just won’t tap!

It’s got to be said this collection is further enhanced by the commentating of Joe Rogan, a BJJ practitioner who’s knowledge comes to the fore explaining the holds and positions to the uninitiated. It’s too easy to take Joe’s knowledge for granted.

Make space for UFC Ultimate Submissions on your DVD shelf, a must have for all MMA fanatics.

UFC Ultimate Submissions is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

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

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

Following their trip to Germany the Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to American soil for the battle between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida in the main event of UFC 123, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began with the preliminaries as Aaron Simpson faced Mark Munoz in the middleweight division.

This battle between two good friends proved to be a very intriguing affair. Munoz’s striking looked top notch throughout, especially as the fight progressed.

He also showed some good defensive work on the ground, always managing to get back to his feet after Simpson took him down.

However, there were a few controversial moments, low kicks from both fighters, and an accidental clash of heads which opened Munoz up, as well as a Simpson eye poke complaint, even though replays showed that it was a Munoz knuckle from a punch that caused the damage.

With the fight going the distance it was down to the judges, with all three giving the fight to Munoz.

It was down to welterweight for the next fight as Matt Brown took on Brian Foster.

This one saw a nice display of ground work from both men in the first round, with some nice submission attempts.

Foster got caught with an inadvertent low kick early in the second, and even though he decided to fight on he was clearly in pain when he delivered some kicks.

It wasn’t long before the fight ended though. After Foster slammed Brown down he went to work with the ground and pound. Seconds later he synched in a guillotine for the impressive submission win.

The hour rounded out with filler material, and more welterweight action between Karo Parisyan and Dennis Hallman.

A quick fight saw Hallman take control after a clinch against the cage. After the referee separated them Hallman dropped Parisyan with a big right, with the referee stopping the fight after Hallman’s unanswered ground a pound, a decision that didn’t sit too well with Parisyan.

The main show began with George Sotiropoulos taking on Joe Lauzon in the lightweight division.

Lauzon came out at the beginning with all guns blazing, connecting with some very good strikes. The good display continued on the ground, especially when Sotiropoulos went for an arm bar and Lauzon escaped into the guard.

But tat was about it from Lauzon. He was obviously shattered after his first round exertions as the Aussie took control from the beginning of the second. It was only a matter of time before he got the win, with Lauzon tapping out to a kimura. Another good victory for the Aussie, even though it pains me to say that just a few days before The Ashes begins.

Then it was up to the light heavyweight division as Phil Davis faced Tim Boetsch.

Davis put in an excellent performance here, controlling every aspect of the fight, from the crisp striking to the dominating ground control.

Boetsch’s only offence of note came with a brief guillotine attempt in the second round. Moments later Davis tied his man in knots, securing a win with a modified kimura which we must now refer to as Mr. Wonderful.

ESPN were then up to their old tricks, coming back late from a commercial break and missing the first 50 seconds or so of the next fight, the lightweight filler material featuring Paul Kelly and T.J. O’Brien.

O’Brien used his extensive reach to good effect in the first round, but the Brit upped his game in the second, dropping O’Brien with a left hook.

Then, after shaking O’Brien off his back, Kelly tied him up with a crucifix before delivering a barrage of elbows and punches. O’Brien tried to escape, but it wasn’t long before the referee stepped in, giving Kelly the TKO win.

Middleweight action in the form of Gerald Harris and Maiquel Falcao followed.

There were times in this fight where it looked like Falcao had been reading from the Audley Harrison Book Of Tactics. There were long periods when he did absolutely nothing. But when he did do something it was highly effective.

Falcao would surely have got the win in the first when he sprang into life and dominated Harris on the ground, synching in a rear naked choke. Harris looked like he was about to tap when the horn sounded.

Falcao dominated the second round, but did absolutely nothing in the third, secure in the knowledge that his previous work had got the job done.

The judges agreed with him, giving him the unanimous decision, although the fans weren’t too happy with the manner of his victory.

The co-main event saw Matt Hughes taking on B.J. Penn in the welterweight division.

The blink and you’ll miss it affair of the evening. Penn came out swinging, a right hand sending Hughes crashing. Penn followed him down, with the referee quickly stepping in, giving Penn the highly impressive knockout win after just 21 seconds. An awesome performance.

After a second showing of the Parisyan/Hallman fight it was on to the main event as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faced Lyoto Machida in the light heavyweight division.

While this may not have been the most explosive main event in history it was certainly an interesting contrast in styles.

Rampage’s tactics seemed to be to try and outbox Machida with a distinct lack of leg kicks. Machida was more than a match for this, although he found himself on his back a couple of times.

The best moments came in the third round. After a quick exchange Machida took the fight to the ground, where the Dragon controlled the action, going for an arm bar towards the end.

Once again the judges were into action as Rampage earned the split decision, a decision which clearly surprised him.

More filler material rounded out the show as Mike Lullo faced Edison Barboza in the lightweight division.

Barboza’s tactics were spot on here. Although Lullo put in some good work on the ground Barboza’s attack on Lullo’s left leg was relentless. Lullo just didn’t have an answer to this onslaught, and as he limped into the third round it was only a matter of time before the referee put an end to the punishment, ending an impressive debut for Barboza.

In conclusion – the UFC’s second show in two weeks was another highly enjoyable affair with some great performances from top to bottom, topped off nicely by B.J. Penn’s demolition of Matt Hughes and the close fight between Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida. I wouldn’t be surprised of those two were match up again very soon.

The only downside was Maiquel Falcao’s somewhat lacklustre performance, but then again you can’t have outstanding performances all the time.

So in all another enjoyable experience, although I have no doubt that someone will leave a message somewhere saying that I must have been watching a different show.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Germany this past Saturday night as Nate Marquardt faced Yushin Okami in the main event of UFC 122, shown live on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began with welterweight action as Duane Ludwig faced Nick Osipczak.

For the most part this was an entertaining opener. Ludwig got in some good blows but as soon as the fight went to the ground Osipczak took control, opening up some nasty cuts above Ludwig’s eyes.

That was how the fight played out until the beginning of the third. After Ludwig connected with a big right the Brit went into defensive mode, hardly offering anything in reply to Ludwig’s offence.

The judges were then called into action as they gave the split decision to Ludwig. If only my fellow Brit hadn’t tired so much in the third round.

It was up to light heavyweight for the next fight as Krzysztof Soszynski went up against Goran Reljic.

This was another good fight. Soszynski looked great early on and his big left set up by a right was a thing of beauty.

The first two rounds looked pretty even, but it was in the third round where Soszynski imposed his will, always looking for the kimura, and delivering some big ground and pound bombs.

Reljic looked absolutely exhausted, and the referee would probably have stopped the fight during Soszynski’s final onslaught had the horn not sounded.

Once again the judges were called into action, with all three giving the fight to the Polish Experiment.

Then it was back down to the welterweight division as Amir Sadollah faced Peter Sobotta.

Even though he was fighting in front of his home country fans Sobotta always looked a couple of steps behind Sadollah. The Ultimate Fighter winner put on an excellent display of kickboxing, targeting the German’s right leg.

No surprise with the decision. All three judges scored in favour of Sadollah’s great performance.

Action from the lightweight division followed as Denis Siver faced Andre Winner.

The first fight of the broadcast that didn’t go the distance began with some fast combinations from both men, but when Siver dropped his man with a counter left it was only a matter of time before the transplanted German took the win, Winner tapping out to a rear naked choke. An awesome performance from Siver here.

The main event saw Nate Marquardt taking on Yushin Okami, with a shot at the middleweight title on the line.

A nice back and forth affair, and the closest fight of the night. Both men had their moments in this three round encounter. Marquardt went for a couple of guillotines in the first, and Okami showed some excellent stand up skills, but despite these good displays neither man could put the other away.

Which brought the judges into the equation again, with all three scoring in favour of Okami.

The rest of the broadcast featured filler material, beginning with Seth Petruzelli and Karlos Vemola in the light heavyweight division.

These two fought at a frantic pace throughout, and when Vemola scored with a couple of big slams it was obvious his power advantage was going to see him through, and although Petruzelli went for a couple of arm bars it was Vemola’s ground and pound which secured the TKO win.

Then it was down to welterweight as Kris McCray took on Carlos Eduardo Rocha.

Another fight that saw both men swinging early before they went to the ground. McCray took his man’s back a couple of times, but it was on the second occasion when McCray left himself open. Rocha quickly synched in a knee bar for the submission win.

It was back up to light heavyweight next as Vladimir Matyushenko took on Alexandre Ferreira.

The final fight of the broadcast was somewhat sloppy at times, although it featured some good back and forth action on the ground before Matyushenko’s ground and pound went unanswered, with the referee stepping in and giving him the TKO win.

In conclusion – the UFC’s latest incursion into the European mainland was a very entertaining affair with some very good performances.

The European fighters acquitted themselves very well, and the Marquardt/Okami main event was definitely worth the price of admission. But that being saw it would be nice to see some of the championships defended on this side of the pond to give the cards that little extra “oomph”.

But in all a very good show, which definitely gets the proverbial thumbs up from this particular writer.

part 2: second part of WHOA!TV all access series following Karlos Vemola prepare for the Seth Petruzelli bout.

Hear from UFC veteran Jeremy Horn, brought in to train with Vemola on the ground.

part 3: Karlos talks muscle! Learn what goes into maintaining vemola’s muscled physique.

Video courtesy of WHOA! TV.

See UFC 122 this Saturday -- November 13, exclusively live on ESPN.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

WHOA!TV goes all access with Karlos Vemola ahead of UFC 122 this Saturday, when the UK based Czech fighter collides with veteran Seth Petruzelli in Germany.

See UFC 122 live on ESPN, Saturday 13 November at the sociable time of 8pm.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

Thanks to our friends at Cine Asia – the fine purveyors of Oriental action fight-flicks, we bring to you our first review of their many Blu-ray martial arts master-pieces: Jackie Chan – LITTLE BIG SOLDIER.

The film stars a true legend of Kung-Fu movies – Jackie Chan, known for starring in many hugely popular films including Rush Hour, Forbidden Kingdom, most recently The Karate Kid (summer 2010).

Chan – a true master of comedic choreographed fight scenes, Little Big Soldier as you’d expect from his latest offering features this trademark.

In the aftermath of a massive battle between warring kingdoms, 2 men survive. Peasant soldier – Chan, who shamelessly avoids responsibilities in battle to save his own neck, the other a brave warrior prince wounded in combat, played by Wang Leehom.

Peasant Chan overpowers the disadvantaged prince, hoping to collect a bounty. This unlikely duo are soon forced to forge an unlikely alliance, as the tale follows their journey stretching across China, trying to survive attacks by nomadic and rogue forces lead by the princes disenchanted brother.

Little Big Soldier is an action packed, thrilling adventure, with a few laughs thrown in, sure to be lapped up by connoisseurs of eastern movie magic.

As ever Jackie’s performance delivers with style, giving viewers fantastic fight scenes and stunts coupled with his very own unique humour. Overall an enjoyable story, with a surprise emotive ending.

Special features included here are audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan, trailer and interview galleries plus a look behind the scenes.

Jackie Chan – Little Big Soldier is available on 2 disc Blu-ray & DVD, from Monday 8th November 2010, at all good retailers.

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

Blu-ray review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

British MMA returned to television screens this past Wednesday night as Ultimate Challenge presented their most recent offering. Unbelievable, on Sky Sports.

The broadcast began with Tommy Kelly facing Khalid Ismail in the welterweight division.

Two fights separated these two experience-wise, and both of those were defeats for Kelly, and if I’m to be completely honest he put in a very disappointing performance against the debuting Ismail.

Ismail rocked Kelly within seconds of the start, and it wasn’t long before he knocked him down again, securing the win seconds later when the referee stepped in during a sustained period of ground and pound.

The action continued in the bantamweight division as Cory Tait went up against Dino Gambatesa.

This title eliminator proved to be an exciting contest. Both men came out swinging and kicking at the start, but it wasn’t long before they went to the ground with both fighters jockeying for position.

The end came in the first few seconds of the second round. Tait unloaded with a crescent kick that sent Gambatesa crashing down to the mat, giving Tait the knockout win.

UK1 kickboxing followed as David Zetolofsky faced Jake Bostwick for the Light Heavyweight title.

An entertaining three round affair, although it was a little messy in the first round when it seemed as if they’d forgotten they weren’t fighting under MMA rules.

Zetolofsky’s lack of preparation time told at times when Bostwick rocked him with some good combinations, although he was able to work his way back into the fight, knocking Bostwick down in the third.

With the fight going the distance, the judges were called into action. One judge scored in favour of Bostwick, one in favour of Zetolofsky, while the third scored it even, resulting in the fight being declared a draw, which means they’ll probably have to do it all over again in the future.

The kickboxing action continued as Luke Sines challenged Mark Weir for the UK1 Middleweight title.

This was more patient and technical than the previous fight. Weir seemed very comfortable fighting on the counter. He was also comfortable with the fact that he couldn’t be taken down. Sines looked okay, but his best just wasn’t good enough.

No surprise with the decision as all three judges gave the fight to Weir.

The main event saw former Ultimate Fighter contestant Dean Amasinger going up against Jamaine Facey in a welterweight title eliminator.

They save the best for last with this show. The first round was fought at a frantic pace, and although Amasinger controlled the action early on Facey soon took control, taking Amasinger’s back as he looked for the win with a rear naked choke.

Facey visibly tired from the second round onwards, and Amasinger upped his game as the third round began, although it was obvious what his plan was, to control Facey on the ground with just enough effort to see him through to the end of the fight. It didn’t quite work though as Facey eventually escaped and took Amasinger’s back again.

But it was too little too late as far as the judges were concerned, as all three gave the fight to Amasinger. You have to wonder though what would have happened if Facey’s energy levels hadn’t dropped so drastically after his exertions in the first round.

In conclusion – another great five fight TV show from Dave O’Donnell and his crew as they once again proved they’re Britain’s best MMA promotion at the moment.

All the fights delivered, and I’m even starting to come round to the UK1 kickboxing action, although I wish they’d go back to using traditional boxing gloves for these fights rather than the fingerless MMA ones.

So in all top notch stuff, and another thumbs up for this slice of British MMA action.