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It was a show of main event changes as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faced Matt “The Hammer” Hamill in the main event of UFC 130, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

No review of the preliminaries this month as ESPN had technical problems (again), so it’s on to the main show, beginning with middleweight action as Brian Stann faced Jorge Santiago.

The All-American is really starting to come into his own. After a somewhat cagey start from both men Stann connected with a left that sent Santiago down. Stann followed him down for the ground and pound but couldn’t quite get the job done.

Stann continued his great work in the second, and a big right to the temple sent Santiago down again. A brief period of ground and pound followed before the referee stepped in to give Stann the impressive TKO win.

It was down to welterweight for the next fight as Thiago Alves faced Rick Story.

This was a very good encounter. Story put on a great display of grappling for the first two rounds, neutralizing Alves’ superior striking ability. Alves got in some good strikes, but Story was able to respond in kind.

We saw more striking from Alves in the third, as well as some exciting exchanges, with Alves rocking his man a number of times, the fight ending with both men swinging for the fences.

So with the fight going the distance it went down to the judges, with Story getting the unanimous decision.

The big boys of the heavyweight division were up next as Stefan Struve faced Travis Browne.

This battle of the big men began with both fighters connecting with a series of kicks. A clinch against the cage was followed by a brief foray to the ground before they returned to the striking game.

Seconds later and it was all over. Browne connected with a Superman punch that sent Struve crashing, the referee quickly stepping in to give Browne the great knockout win.

The heavyweight action continued as Frank Mir went up against Roy Nelson.

This battle of home town boys proved to be a highly entertaining affair. We also got a lesson about conditioning.

Mir dominated the majority of the fight, putting on a performance that was far superior than his effort against Mirko Cro Cop.

Big Country had his moments, but as time went on Nelson’s lack of physical conditioning showed, and as he sat on his stool between the second and third rounds he had the look of a beaten and exhausted man, with Mir once again dominating with his grapping and his ground and pound.

No surprise with the judges decision as all three gave the fight to Mir. A great performance from the former champion, and an example of how Nelson really needs to go back to the drawing board.

The main event saw Quinton Jackson taking on Matt Hamill in the light heavyweight division.

Rampage seemed to have Hamill worked out from the start. Whenever Hamill went for a take down Jackson was able to defend easily. It was the same whenever Hamill went for a clinch.

As for the striking Rampage had that department covered as well, out striking his opponent and connecting with some hard knees and shots to the body.

So with another fight going the distance it went to the judges again, with all three giving the fight to Rampage. It may not have been pretty but it was effective.

The show rounded out with filler material in the form of the lightweight encounter between Gleison Tibau and Rafaello Oliveira.

This all Brazilian affair was a nice way to end the show. Things looked pretty even in the first as both men got off some crisp strikes and showed some good work during the brief trip to the ground.

It was pretty much the same in the second until Tibau connected with a big left that sent Oliveira down. Moments later Tibau took his man’s back and synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

In conclusion – they’ve done it again.

Even though this was devoid of a title fight after both Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar pulled out injured it was still a very good show, and although a couple of the performances were a little disappointing that didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment . So in all UFC 130 gets the thumbs up from me.

Let’s hope ESPN don’t screw up any more shows though!

It was a battle of Brazilian greats as Vitor Belfort challenged Anderson Silva for the Middleweight title in the main event of UFC 126, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began with the preliminaries, starting with Chad Mendes against Michihiro Omigawa in the featherweight division.

This division is really starting to come into it’s own in such a short space of time, and this was a perfect example of that.

We had two good performances here. Mendes’ striking was crisp, especially when he connected with a big right in the stand-up and on the ground with a right elbow that opened up a nasty cut just above Omigawa’s left eye.

Omigawa, for his part, looked good on the ground at times as he was able to get in a couple of submission attempts.

With the fight going the distance the judges came into play as Mendes earned the unanimous decision.

It was up to light heavyweight for the next fight as Kyle Kingsbury faced Ricardo Romero.

The blink and you’ll miss it affair. Kingsbury began with a couple of knees to the bread basket in the clinch, as well as a couple of right hands. As the fighters broke Kingsbury connected with a left that sent Romero falling, with the referee stepping in to give Kingsbury the impressive TKO win.

Then it was down to the lightweight division as Donald Cerrone went up against Paul Kelly.

There was a little bit of controversy at the beginning of this one. As Cerrone went to touch gloves Kelly went for a big right before they quickly moved to the ground.

From there we saw Kelly putting Cerrone off his stride with some nice striking before the fight went to the ground again as Cerrone opened up a cut above Kelly’s left eye.

The ending came in the second round. After Kelly continued with his striking tactics he pulled guard and took the fight to the ground. That proved to be the beginning of the end as Cerrone took Kelly’s back and synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

The main show began in the bantamweight division as Miguel Angel Torres took on Antonio Banuelos.

This certainly wasn’t the best UFC fight I’ve ever seen. From the beginning Torres used his 13 inch reach advantage to good effect, keeping Banuelos at bay with a succession of left jabs mixed in with the occasional kick.

Banuelos for his part just couldn’t close the distance, and that’s how the fight played out for all three rounds. It wasn’t flashy but it was effective as all three judges scored in Torres’ favour.

Welterweight action followed as Jake Ellenberger faced Carlos Eduardo Rocha.

Now this was more like it. After a quick start Rocha controlled the first round with some excellent ground work as he transitioned at will, going for a number of submission attempts.

Ellenberger seemed to come back a little from the second round onwards as they engaged in a striking battle, although Rocha was able to get off some good strikes himself as well as going for an arm bar at the end of the second.

Once again the judges were called into action as  Ellenberger earned the split decision, although I thought that Rocha just edged it.

It was back to the light heavyweight division for the next fight as Jon Jones took on Ryan Bader.

The first marquee fight of the show saw Jones putting on a dominating performance. His ground work in the first round was excellent, especially when he went for a north/south guillotine.

Jones continued the performance into the second as he kept Bader at bay in the stand up before the fight went to the ground where Jones secured the submission win with a guillotine. A great performance from Bones here as he earned his shot at the light heavyweight title.

The light heavyweight action continued with the battle of two people you can’t help but like as Rich Franklin faced Forrest Griffin.

Although this fight didn’t feature any big knockdowns or flashy submission moves it did feature two very solid performances from two of the best in the world.

Griffin put in some great work on the ground in the first round, although Franklin’s defensive work was just as sound.

Griffin also showed some excellent striking skills, putting together some good combinations, rocking Franklin with a big left at one point.

Franklin’s best moments came towards the end of the fight as he finally got the take down. But by then it was too little too late as all three judges scored in favour of Griffin, a great performance after over a year out of action.

The main event saw Vitor Belfort challenging Anderson Silva for the Middleweight title.

When these two spent the first few minutes circling each other and hardly doing anything I thought that we were going to get a re-run of the Maia fight.

But then it suddenly sprang into life when Belfort went for a couple of big shots. Seconds later Silva connected with a front kick to the Belfort’s jaw. The challenger was out of it before he hit the ground as the referee quickly stepped in to give Silva the knockout win. Who would have thought it? An Anderson Silva fight ending in the first round!

Then it was on to the filler material, beginning with Paul Taylor against Gabe Ruediger in the lightweight division.

Taylor put on a very good display of striking here. Throughout the fight he caught Ruediger with a number of combinations which left him exposed and vulnerable, and when Ruediger tried to counter with a take down Taylor’s defensive work was top notch.

The end came in the second when Ruediger was again on the receiving end of a torrent of blows from Taylor. A left head kick later and it was all over as Taylor secured the deserved knockout win.

The show rounded out with another showing of the Cerrone/Kelly fight.

In conclusion – if you forget about the uninspiring Torres/Banuelos fight then UFC 126 will go down as a pretty good show.

Once again the one hour prelim show served as a great appetiser for what was to come, and after great performances from the likes of Jon Jones and Forrest Griffin it only seemed right that the main event should end with Anderson Silva knocking Vitor out, although I still can’t quite believe it.

So in all UFC 126 gets the big thumbs up from this particular writer as I now look forward to my next slice of good old British MMA action this coming Wednesday night.

It was one of the most anticipated fights of the year as Cain Velasquez challenged Brock Lesnar for the Heavyweight title at UFC 121, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began with the preliminary fights as Patrick Cote faced Tom Lawlor in the middleweight division.

This was a great way to open the show. Lawlor dominated as soon as the fight went to the ground in the first. Cote just didn’t seem to have any answer to Lawlor’s ground game, and he would probably have succumbed to Lawlor’s arm triangle had he not used the cage to escape.

All three judges gave everything to Lawlor, just reward for his outstanding efforts.

The middleweight action continued as Court McGee faced Ryan Jensen.

The proverbial game of two halves saw Jensen take control early on with some crisp striking, but as the fight progressed McGee took control, first in the striking department and then on the ground from the end of the second.

The end came in the third round. After McGee took the visibly tiring Jensen down he unleashed with the ground and pound before locking in an arm triangle for the impressive submission win.

Filler material in the form of the welterweight clash between Mike Guymon and Daniel Roberts followed.

Lasting just over a minute, Roberts went for a standing guillotine after a flurry of punches. He quickly modified the hold into an anaconda choke, with Guymon having no choice but to tap.

The main show began with heavyweight action as Brendan Schaub took on Gabriel Gonzaga.

Gonzaga looked the shadow of the man who took Cro Cop out a few years ago. Schaub had the beating of him early on with his superior striking, and the Brazilian just didn’t seem to have the answer to Schaub’s game plan.

All three judges gave the fight to Schaub. No surprises there, although you have to wonder what’s left for Gonzaga.

Then it was down to the light heavyweight division as Tito Ortiz went up against Matt Hammill.

Ortiz came into this fight needing to make a big statement after his loss to Forest Griffin and his recent health issues, and even though he came forward with punches and kicks early it wasn’t long before Hammill took control.

It was an impressive display from Hammill as he beat Ortiz in the striking department and on the ground, the fight ending with Hammill unleashing with the ground and pound as the horn sounded.

Once again the judges were called into action, with Hammill getting the unanimous decision. An excellent display, but I find myself asking that question again. What’s left for Ortiz?

Welterweight action in the form of Diego Sanchez against Paulo Thiago followed.

Sanchez was another fighter looking to make a big statement. He succeeded.

Thiago looked good early on as he went for a d’arce choke in the first round. But the big moment came in the second when Sanchez lifted Thiago into the air and roared as loud as he could when he slammed him to the mat.

From there it was all Sanchez as he put on a great display of ground work. Thiago went for another d’arce choke, but by that time he was exhausted, and easy prey to Sanchez’s ground and pound as the fight came to an end.

Yet more work for the judges, who once again gave a unanimous decision, this time in favour of the highly impressive Sanchez.

Yet more welterweight action followed as the debuting Jake Shields faced off against Martin Kampmann.

Everyone thought that the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion would have an easy time here. Kampmann obviously hadn’t read the script.

Shields put in some excellent ground work in the early stages, and although he looked on top Kampmann was able to keep up with him.

But as the third round began Shields looked spent, with Kampmann taking control, until Shields managed to reassert himself as the fight came to an end.

There was even more work for the judges as Shields took the split decision. His performance may have been enough to get him the win but he may be in the wrong weight division here.

The main event saw Brock Lesnar defending the Heavyweight title against Cain Velasquez.

This definitely lived up to all the hype, and then some. Lesnar took Velasquez down a couple of times, but the challenger was able to easily get to his feet. It was then that Velasquez took control, and when he managed to take Lesnar’s back it was the beginning of the end.

Velasquez’s striking was top notch, and as Lesnar’s energy levels went down to zero Velasquez unleashed with a torrent of blows which the champion had no answer to, and as the first round entered it’s final minute the referee wisely stepped in to give Velasquez the title winning TKO win.

With some time to kill more filler material followed, beginning with more heavyweight action between Jon Madsen and Gilbert Yvel.

A lengthy feeling out period at the beginning of this one before Madsen suddenly exploded into action with a massive take down. Seconds later he had the win, with Yvel unable to respond to his ground and pound.

The broadcast rounded out with another showing of the Guymon/Roberts fight.

In conclusion – having been slightly disappointed with last week’s effort, UFC 121 more than made up for that.

Every fight delivered, especially the main event, although I’m left to wonder what’s left in the career of a couple of the fighters, especially Tito Ortiz. The man is a true legend, and a definite Hall of Fame candidate, but the MMA world seems to be passing him by.

As for Jake Shields, I have to admit I was surprised that he was fighting in the welterweight division. He may have earned a shot at either Josh Koscheck or Georges St-Pierre, but he may be in the wrong weight class.

In all this was a good show, which means that Dana White and his crew have regained the full thumbs up from this particular writer.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to British shores this past Saturday night for UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama, shown live on ESPN.

The broadcast began with action from the welterweight division as James Wilks squared off against Claude Patrick.

From the opening moments it became obvious how this fight was going to play out. Patrick did an excellent job on the ground, neutralising the transplanted Brit so he was unable to get in an y meaningful offence. It may not have been pretty but it was certainly effective.

There was no surprise with the decision as all three judges gave every round to Patrick.

Then it was on to the big boys as Cheick Kongo faced Travis Browne in the heavyweight division.

After a three round ground battle we were given a three round striking battle with only one trip to the ground and numerous clinches against the cage.

Browne rocked Kongo in the first round with a left hook, and rocked him again moments later.

But as the fight went on things slowed down a little, although Kongo had some success with knees to Browne’s right leg in the clinch.

The big moment came in the third when the referee took a point off Kongo for grabbing Browne’s shorts. It was a rule that the Frenchman would continue to break throughout the round, and in the end it would cost him dearly as all three judges scored the fight as a draw. Some good action, but ultimately this fight was uneventful and uninspiring.

It was back down to the welterweight division for the next fight as John Hathaway faced Mike Pyle.

This was a much better fight. Pyle put in a great display with his crisp striking and his excellent ground work, especially in the second round when he tied Hathaway up like a pretzel, locking in a mounted leg triangle and raining down a barrage of blows that raised a knot on Hathaway’s forehead.

Once again the judges were called in action as all three gave the fight to Pyle, and rightfully so.

The welterweight action continued as Dan Hardy faced Carlos Condit.

The first fight of the broadcast that didn’t make it out of the first round saw both fighters connecting with some good shots.

Then, in the final minute of the round, Condit sent Hardy crashing to the ground with a left hook to the chin. Hardy looked out of it before he hit the deck, and the referee quickly stepped in, giving Condit the impressive knockout win.

The main event saw middleweight action as Michael Bisping faced Yoshihiro Akiyama.

This was a lot better than the main event on the last show, mainly because both of these men looked like they actually wanted to fight.

Akiyama tagged Bisping early on, but it wasn’t long before the Englishman got into his stride, asserting his authority with some crisp striking.

And this was how things played out for the remainder of the fight. There was a slight disruption in the third when Bisping caught Akiyama with an inadvertent low kick. The Japanese fighter took full advantage of his rest period, but it didn’t help him as the Count took control again.

Once again there wasn’t a surprise with the judges decision as all three scored in favour of Bisping, rewarding him for another great performance in front of his home fans.

Filler material rounded out the show as Paul Sass faced Mark Holst in the lightweight division.

Although he looked somewhat awkward in the stand-up department Sass looked extremely capable on the ground, pulling guard a number of times and almost getting the win with a heel hook, before finally securing the victory towards the end of the first with a leg triangle.

In conclusion – a largely disappointing evening for the British and European fighters on the main card, although Michael Bisping saved the day at the end.

Overall this was a mixed bag, with two disappointing opening fights followed by three good fights and some entertaining filler material at the end.

So for the second time in a row a UFC show sort of gets the thumbs up, with only four of the six fights featured really delivering. Let’s hope things get better next weekend.

It was considered a dream match-up, but did it live up to expectations? That was what I was hoping to find out by watching UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The show began with the preliminary fights as Matt Mitrione faced Joey Beltran in the heavyweight division.

This was a really enjoyable encounter. Mitrione got off a few good shots at the start until Beltran tagged him with a right before he took the fight to the ground.

From there both men gave us a good back and forth striking battle, with Mitrione showing how much he’s improved since his time on The Ultimate Fighter.

Meathead came out on top here as he took the unanimous judges decision.

It was down to middleweight for the next fight as C.B. Dalloway faced Joe Doerksen.

After a great striking display in the previous fight we saw a good display of ground work, with Dalloway going for an in-arm guillotine as soon as they went down. Doerksen didn’t panic though as he chose to relax to see how things would play out.

When nothing came of that Dalloway released the hold and went for a normal guillotine, and after they rolled on the mat a few times Dalloway synched in the hold completely, with Doerksen tapping out to give C.B. the submission win.

Then it was on to the UFC debut of K-1 legend Mark Hunt as he went up against Sean McCorkle in a heavyweight encounter.

The blink and you’ll miss it affair saw Hunt take the guard when the fight went to the ground, only for McCorkle to attack his arm and take him out with an evil looking arm bar. I have to admit I winced a little when I saw Hunt’s arm go as he tapped out.

Action from the lightweight division followed as Thiago Tavares faced Pat Audinwood.

Audinwood looked like he was in a whole different weight division because of his size advantage, but it didn’t help him when Tavares took him down with a couple of big slams.

Tavares then controlled the fight on the ground and took home the impressive submission win when Audinwood tapped out to a standing in-arm guillotine.

The main show began with more lightweight action as Melvin Guillard took on Jeremy Stephens.

This looked like it was going to be an explosive encounter, especially when Stephens put Guillard on his backside in the first few seconds.

But after Guillard got back to his feet immediately it became obvious what sort of battle we were going to get, and although both fighters connected with some good blows, especially Stephens’ liver shot in the third, this fight will probably be remembered for the two low kicks in the second round.

Guillard took home the split decision in a fight that could have gone either way.

The lightweight action continued as former champion Sean Sherk went up against Evan Dunham.

This proved to be a very intriguing encounter. Dunham looked like he was going to get the win a couple of times in the first with a guillotine, but the Muscle Shark managed to escape both times and opened up a nasty cut above Dunham’s right eye with a left elbow from the ground.

The back and forth action continued as the fight progressed with Dunham going for more guillotines, and as the fight entered it’s final few moments Dunham began to tee off at will, rocking Sherk a number of times.

Once again the judges were called into action as they gave Sherk the split decision, a decision that clearly didn’t sit too well with those in attendance.

It was up to the welterweight division for the next fight as Matt Serra faced Chris Lytle.

No ground work to speak of here, and hardly any kicks as well as these two began to swing for the fences as soon as the fight began, and that was how the fight played out for the entire three rounds, with each rocking the other with big shots, and Lytle’s repeated rights busting Serra open above his left eye.

There was more work for the judges and all three scored the fight in favour of Lytle.

The co-main event saw Antonio Rogerio Nogueira taking on Ryan Bader in the light heavyweight division.

An interesting battle saw some great action early on as Bader went to work with the ground and pound, with one vicious right bouncing Little Nog’s head off the canvas.

The rest of the fight was mainly a striking battle with occasional visits to the ground. Both men had their moments, with the fight ending with Bader looking for some more ground and pound.

The judges were certainly earning their pay as they gave Bader the unanimous decision, probably edging it with his ground and pound work.

The main event saw Frank Mir taking on Mirko Cro Cop in the heavyweight division.

Let’s be honest here. This was the worst main event I’ve seen since the Anderson Silva debacle in Dubai.

For fourteen minutes we had a fight between two men who just didn’t want to commit to anything. It felt more like a sparring session, and given the pedigree of these two that was inexcusable.

Then Mir connected with a big right knee that sent Cro Cop crashing. The referee quickly stepped in, giving Mir the barely deserved knockout win.

In conclusion – for once I’m not going to say that everything about a UFC show was great.

Don’t get me wrong, there were some good performances here, but there were also some lacklustre ones as well, and the main event was shockingly poor. It was as if Frank Mir and Mirko Cro Cop just couldn’t be bothered.

So in all an okay show, let down considerably by the two world class fighters in the main event.

So was it a freak show or the perfect MMA fight? And did it overshadow what looked like a cracking match? That’s what I was hoping to find out as I watched UFC 118: Edgar v Penn 2, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The show began with the preliminary bouts, and Andre Winner facing Nik Lentz in the lightweight division.

The best way to describe this fight would be a dogged battle of wills. For the first two rounds Lentz went to great pains to try and take Winner to the ground, but when he succeeded the Brit got right back up again.

Lentz succeeded with his chosen tactic in the third, showing some nice transitions. It was pretty but it was effective.

All three judges scored in favour of Lentz. Well, the style may not have been to the fans’ liking, but it got the job done.

It was also good to see that Bruce Buffer has finally learned how to pronounce Leicester properly!

The lightweight action continued as Joe Lauzon faced Gabe Ruediger. Nice to see that old Gabe was able to make weight on a UFC show.

This was an awesome performance from Lauzon in front of his hometown fans. He absolutely demolished Ruediger, taking him down to the mat, transitioning well and getting the submission with an arm bar just two minutes into the fight. I bet Ruediger wasn’t screaming “put me back in” after that display!

It was up to middleweight for the next fight as Dan Miller went up against John Salter.

A nice back and forth battle saw Salter score with a couple of good take downs in the first round, with Miller able to escape, getting off a few good blows of his own.

The end came early in the second. As Salter went for a take down Miller countered with an anaconda choke that secured the impressive submission win.

The main show began with welterweight action as Nate Diaz faced Marcus Davis.

When Diaz began by taunting Davis you know what kind of fight you were going to get. It was an excellent display of striking, with a combination from Lauzon opening up a nasty cut above Davis’ right eye early on.

As the fight progressed Davis’ eye got worse, but this didn’t stop the great action, even when the Irish Hand Grenade began to resemble Quasimodo at the beginning of the third.

Diaz secured the win in the final minute, taking the fight to the ground and locking in a guillotine. Davis refused to tap, with the referee stopping the fight has he passed out. Boy was this good!

It was back down to the lightweight division for the next fight as Kenny Florian took on Gray Maynard.

An extended feeling out period began this fight, with both fighters testing the waters before Maynard finally scored with the take down.

This was how the rest of the fight played out, with Maynard scoring with take downs and dominating Florian on the ground. Florian sustained a nasty cut above his left eye that clearly bothered him as the fight went on.

Maynard took home the unanimous decision and a shot at the lightweight title. One couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Florian though, one of the most likeable fighters in MMA at the moment.

Action from the middleweight division followed as Demian Maia went up against Mario Miranda.

This was the Demian Maia we weren’t allowed to see during the Anderson Silva fight, a great ground fighter who for the most part dominated Miranda.

Miranda had couple of good moments, but they were scarce as all three judges gave the fight to Maia.

And the ironic thing about this fight was the presence of one A. Silva in Miranda’s corner.

Then it was on to the big heavyweight encounter, as Hall of Famer Randy Couture faced the challenge of boxing legend James Toney.

This was a complete miss-match. Couture got the early take down, and as Toney floundered around like a beached whale Couture unleashed with the ground and pound before going for an arm triangle. It was soon lights out for Toney as he tapped out, giving Couture the submission win.

You know, it’s hard to rate Couture’s performance. Let’s be honest here, this was nothing more than a freak show.

The main event saw B.J. Penn attempting to reclaim the Lightweight title from Frankie Edgar.

Edgar came into this fight full of confidence, and it showed in his performance as he did something I never thought anyone could do.

Edgar dominated Penn in every aspect, from the striking to the ground game to the defensive work. He was also able to take Penn down numerous times.

The former champion was very disappointing, and even though he scored with a couple of take downs he just seemed to be going through the motions, content just to survive. It must be said as well that the advice Penn was getting from his corner did absolutely nothing for him. When they should have been giving him severe tongue lashings they were basically telling him to keep up the good work. The only thing was that the work wasn’t that good.

All three judges gave every round to Edgar, and rightfully so. This was Edgar’s best performance in the UFC, the complete opposite to Penn’s disappointing showing.

A second showing of the Lauzon/Ruediger fight rounded out the show.

In conclusion – apart from the freak show that was Couture/Toney, UFC 118 was a great show filled with great performances, and once again the main event stole the show as Edgar dominated a man we never thought could be dominated in that way.

So overall, great stuff. Just don’t put any more professional boxers in there Dana!

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.

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.

A first for The Two Sheds Review as I take my first look at an Australia MMA show with Impact FC’s second show, The Uprising, shown live on Primetime in the early hours of this past Sunday morning here in Britain.

The show began with action from the middleweight division as Murilo Bustamante faced Jesse Taylor.

This proved to be a good show opener. Round one was a great and forth battle with Bustamante pulling off a couple of good submission attempts before Taylor reversed the positions.

Taylor kept that momentum going into the second, scoring with a take down and getting in some good ground and pound shots.

The end came after referee John McCarthy stood the fighters up. Bustamante looked unsteady on his feet and soon went to the ground, verbally submitting, unable to carry on because of a dizzy spell, giving Taylor the win with a very unfortunate ending.

Action from the first IFC show followed as Josh Barnett took on Geronimo Dos Santos in the heavyweight division.

A good performance from Barnett saw the former UFC Champion get the early take down, and although they soon returned to their feet the fight quickly went back down, with the referee stepping in when Dos Santos failed to respond to Barnett’s ground and pound.

The regular action resumed as Murilo Rua went up against Jeremy May in another middleweight encounter.

What a fast paced battle this was. Ninja was giving up a lot of height and reach to May, who used that advantage to good effect early on when a left/right combination sent Rua crashing.

But instead of going for the ground and pound May looked for an arm bar, and that proved to be his undoing. Ninja was able to recover, and it wasn’t long before he pulled guard and took the submission win with an in-arm guillotine. A very good fight, very enjoyable.

Yet more middleweight action followed as Denis Kang took on Paulo Filho.

The first fight of the show to go the distance had a somewhat cagey start until Filho invited Kang to join him on the ground.

From there we had a great back and forth ground battle, with both men putting on good performances, each having their moments with various submission attempts.

So with the fight going the distance the judges were called into action. One scored for Kang, one for Filho, with the third scoring it even, and the fight declared a draw. A pretty fair result. I couldn’t separate them, and I wouldn’t be surprised if these two were matched together again sometime in the future.

More action from the first show followed as Carlos Newton faced Brian Ebersole in the welterweight division.

This battle of the wrestlers saw both men going against type as they engaged in a highly entertaining striking battle.

Both men had their chances to shine in what looked a pretty even contest, and when they attempted to take the fight to the ground the take downs were easily defended.

So we went to another decision, with Ebersole getting the unanimous verdict from the judges.

The big boys of the super heavyweight division were up next as Brad Morris went up against Soa Palelei.

This all Australian affair was a hard hitting fight, with Palelei dominating from the start, rocking Morris with some big knees in the clinch.

When the fight went to the ground it wasn’t long before Palelei locked in a kimura for an impressive submission win.

It was back down to the welterweight division for the next fight as Paul Daley, fresh off his cheap shot against Josh Koscheck, took on Daniel Acacio.

Semtex looked back to his best here after his recent problems as he put on a great striking display. Acacio had a few good moments on the ground with a couple of submission attempts in the second round.

The end came in the third. Daley delivered a big elbow on the ground that opened up a nasty cut above Acacio’s eye, and that was it was the Brazilian verbally tapped to give Daley the well deserved win.

The main event saw UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock taking on Pedro Rizzo on a heavyweight clash.

Rizzo had a massive thirty-plus pound weight advantage in this one, and he used his size and power advantage to good effect with some crisp striking and hard right kicks to Shamrock’s left leg.

Eventually the kicks began to take their toll, with the final kick buckling Shamrock’s left as he slumped to the ground. That was it for Shamrock as the referee stepped in and stopped the right, giving Rizzo the impressive looking win. As for Shamrock, he was once again disappointing.

With the main event finishing early, filler material from earlier in the show followed in the form of a heavyweight encounter between Jim York and Peter Graham.

A very intriguing fight saw York dominate the former K-1 Oceania Champion on the ground, going for a guillotine early on before getting the submission win a couple of minutes later with a rear naked choke.

In conclusion – Primetime’s second excursion into the world of mixed martial arts proved to be a highly entertaining affair.

From the opening Bustamante/Taylor fight right through to the main event every fight delivered, even though, as I said before, Ken Shamrock’s performance was very disappointing as he looked every one of his forty-six years.

So kudos once again to Primetime for giving British MMA fans the chance to see shows we wouldn’t normally see. Well done all round.

It was a year since we saw UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar in the octagon. But now he’s back, and he finally tackled the pretender to his throne, Shane Carwin, in the main event of UFC 116, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain, with Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handling commentary duties.

The show began with the preliminaries, and a light heavyweight bout between Seth Petruzelli and Ricardo Romero. A very entertaining battle here. Petruzelli began the fight with some great striking, and when the fight went to the ground Romero looked like he was about to get the win after a few submission attempts.

It was pretty much the same in the second, although Romero’s ground work was a lot better, and as he tied the Kimbo killer up, trapping his left arm, Romero went for an arm bar on the right arm. Petruzelli tried to move his position while Romero held on to the hold, but it didn’t do him any good. In fact it made things worse, and he tapped out immediately, giving Romero the impressive debut win.

It was up to the heavyweight division for the next fight as Brendon Schaub faced Chris Tuchscherer. A bit of feeling out at the beginning of this one before it suddenly sparked into life when Schaub connected with a big right to Tuchscherer’s temple. Schaub followed him down for some ground and pound before the referee stepped in to give Schaub the TKI win in just over a minute. Schaub looked great in this one.

Filler material followed in the form of Gerald Harris against Dave Branch in the middleweight division. This was a very cagey fight, and although there were a few good moments it didn’t really come to life until the third round, with the most explosive moment at the end. Branch tried to pull guard, but Harris defended and slammed him down to the ground, knocking him out in the process. A great ending to a somewhat lacklustre affair.

The main show began with lightweight action as George Sotiropoulos faced Kurt Pellegrino. A very good fight saw the Aussie put in another impressive performance, controlling the fight when it went to the ground in the first two rounds, as well as out striking his man as well.

Pellegrino’s best work came after he scored with a take down in the third, although Sotiropoulos put on some good defensive work. Then, in the dying seconds, Pellegrino connected with a knee and a punch that rocked Sotiropoulos and sent him down. But then the fight ended so Pellegrino couldn’t capitalise.

So with the fight going the distance the judges were called into action as they have Sotiropoulos the unanimous decision, although the actual scoring came as something of a surprise, as none of the judges gave anything to Pellegrino, despite his good work in the third round.

Then it was on to Krzysztof Soszynski against Stephan Bonnar in the light heavyweight division. This was the kind of fight that Bonnar thrives on, a wild brawl with a bit of ground work thrown in for good measure.

We had some great striking from both men in the first round, which continued into the second. It was great to watch, with Bonnar dropping Soszynski with a knee in a muay thai clinch, following up with a torrent of blows on the ground before the referee finally stepped in. You couldn’t help but admire Bonnar for this performance, especially after his post fight interview.

Welterweight action followed as Chris Lytle faced Matt Brown. A great ground battle saw each men putting in some good work. Brown’s best moment came in the first when he applied a d’arce choke for what seemed like an eternity.

Lytle was able to escape this submission attempt, and took control in the second, tying Brown up with a head triangle from the mount before getting the submission win with an evil looking arm bar. A very exciting battle, and a good display of ground fighting.

It was on to the middleweight division for the next fight as Chris Leben, just two weeks after his last fight, faced Japanese star Yoshihiro Akiyama. Now this was a fight, the kind that makes you proud to be an MMA fan.

It was an exciting fight from start to finish, with Akiyama controlling the pace in the first round with some excellent ground work. Round two saw an energy sapping brawl that could have cost either man the fight.

The excitement continued right through the third, and with just twenty seconds left, Leben locked in a triangle choke, with Akiyama having no choice but to tap, ending an outstanding contest, a candidate for fight of the year.

The main event was the fight that we’d all been waiting for, as Shane Carwin went up against Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight title. It was great to see Lesnar walk out to Metallica’s Enter Sandman. I was half expecting him to crack open a few beers along the way.

This certainly lived up to all the hype, and the tremendous action began early in the first round when Carwin rocked Lesnar. It looked like he was going to get the win with his extended period of ground and pound, but Lesnar was able to survive, although he looked badly hurt.

Lesnar took control in the second, unfamiliar territory for Carwin, as he scored with the take down, moving into position so he could apply an arm triangle for the submission win. What a fight!

With plenty of time left it was on to more filler material as Kendall Grove faced Goran Reljic in the middleweight division. This fight suffered from one major problem – it was shown right after the Lesnar/Carwin fight.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a very good fight, with both guys putting in good showings, but it suffered because of it’s unfortunate placing on the broadcast. It kind of felt like an anti-climax.

It was an entertaining battle, with Grove making good use of the up kick in the first round. The action looked pretty even throughout, and with the fight going the distance the judges gave Grove the split decision.

In conclusion – another very strong outing for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, once again proving that they’re the best they are at what they do. Each and every fight delivered, most of them big time, with the battles between Leben and Akiyama and the big fight between Lesnar and Carwin delivering in spades.

So in all, well, I’ve already said it, and I don’t want to end up repeating myself.