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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.

It was meant to be one of the biggest fights of the year, but Tito Ortiz did an Alex Reid and pulled out of the big one, leaving Rich Franklin to replace him against Chuck Liddell in the main event of UFC 115, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain, with Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began with the preliminary fights, as Mac Danzig faced Matt Wiman in the lightweight division. Nothing like a controversial incident to start the evening. Wiman had applied a guillotine choke, but the left side of Danzig’s neck was clearly open. However, the referee stopped the fight, giving Wiman the submission win, despite the fact that Danzig wasn’t actually unconscious. Now while I can’t really comment on the fight, I can comment on the referee, and he made a massive mistake here.

The action continued in the welterweight division, as Ricardo Funch took on Claude Patrick. Some nice grappling in this one, and another strange decision, when the referee warned Funch for an up kick which never actually happened. Afterwards Patrick opened up a nasty cut under Funch’s eye with his vicious ground and pound, before getting the submission win in the second round with a guillotine, ending an impressive debut.

It was back to the lightweight division for the next fight as Tyson Griffin faced Evan Dunham. This proved to be a very good fight, with Dunham putting on a great performance, using his height and reach advantage to good effect as he controlled Griffin for the majority of the fight, taking his back three times. It was only Griffin’s defensive work that stopped Dunham getting the submission win. There was a slight surprise with the decision as one judge scored in favour of Griffin as Dunham secured the split decision.

The main show began with welterweight action as Carlos Condit went up against Rory MacDonald. The proverbial game of two halves here. MacDonald, buoyed on by his rabid Canadian fans, controlled the first tow rounds both in the striking and the grappling. But a between rounds rollicking spurred Condit into action in the third as he went to work with the ground and pound, turning the youngster’s face into a bloody mess, and with just ten seconds left in the fight, and with Condit’s assault going unanswered, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight, giving Condit the TKO win. A very good third round performance by Condit, but MacDonald is definitely one for the future.

The big boys were up next as Ben Rothwell faced Gilbert Yvel in the heavyweight division. This proved to be a very intriguing battle. The first round was fought at a frantic pace with Rothwell looking good with his ground work. Although fought at a slower pace the second began in the same vein, although Yvel was able to reverse the positions on the ground for a sustained ground and pound, which looked like it could get him the win. Both fighters looked exhausted in the final round as Rothwell simply overwhelmed Yvel on the ground. It wasn’t spectacular but it was effective, and it was enough to get him the unanimous decision.

Then it was down to the welterweight division for Paulo Thiago against Martin Kampmann. Another of those intriguing encounters saw Kampmann, known mainly for his striking, putting on a good display of grappling throughout this fight. Thiago had his moments, but they were few and far between as Kampmann quickly re-established his control, with the fight ending as Kampmann went for an arm triangle. No surprises here as Kampmann secured the unanimous decision from the judges in what was his finest UFC performance.

It was back up to the heavyweight division for the next fight, the battle of the kick boxers as Mirko Cro Cop faced Pat Barry. You know, having watched MMA for a number of years now I’ve never seen a fight fought with such great respect and sportsmanship, but that didn’t stop these two from putting on a great fight. Barry’s big right put Cro Cop on his backside twice in the first round, swelling the left side of his face in the process. The Croatian really upped his game from the second round onwards, scoring with a take down and showing how underrated he is on the ground. Cro Cop continued his assault in the third, a strong combination knocking Barry down, following it up with some ground and pound, and sealing the deal with a rear naked choke. This was a vintage performance from Cro Cop, and I’d love to see him get a shot at the title.

The main event saw Chuck Liddell taking on Rich Franklin, a battle of the legends, in the light heavyweight division. This was one of those dream matches you wait years for, a highly entertaining battle that really could have gone either way. Both men put on great performances, and it looked like it could go some distance. But with just five seconds of the first round left, a Franklin right hand to the jaw sent Liddell crashing down to the mat, spark out. Franking had achieved a great knockout win, which was even more impressive considering he’d broken his left arm blocking one of Liddell’s kicks. As for the Iceman, if this is the end, then he should be proud of what he’s achieved. He truly is a legend.

Welterweight action followed in the form of Mike Pyle against Jesse Lennox. Another of those highly entertaining back and forth encounters. Lots of feeling out at the beginning was followed by good displays of striking and ground fighting. Both men had their moments in another fight that could have gone either way. It looked like it was going the distance until Lennox rocked Pyle with just seconds to go. But Pyle quickly countered when the fight went to the ground with a leg triangle choke. Pyle added a few elbows for good measure, getting the win when he told the referee that Lennox was out for the count.

In conclusion – apart from the extremely poor referee’s decision early on, the Ultimate Fighting Championship again delivered with a card stacked full of great fights, with the victories for Franklin and Cro Cop the highlights of the night for me. Dana White and his crew really are going from strength to strength, and at a time when certain professional wrestling companies just don’t cut the mustard for me at the moment it’s nice to have a more viable alternative.

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne – now in it’s 10th year!
E-mail: juli316uk@yahoo.co.uk
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com
Sponsored by Intimidation Clothing, makers of high quality, affordable MMA apparel and T-shirts. Visit their website at www.intimidationclothing.com.

It felt like we’d been waiting an age for it, but this past weekend they finally got it on in the main event of UFC 114: Rampage v Evans, 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 broadcast began with the preliminary bouts, beginning with Efrain Escudero and Dan Lauzon in the lightweight division. Two distinct performances in this one. Escudero put on a great display of striking here, out-gunning his opponent at every turn, the only down point in his performance being the points deduction for several low kicks. Lauzon, on the other hand, was quite disappointing, and he looked exhausted from the second round onwards. No surprise here when Escudero was given the unanimous decision. You have to wonder though how much the public falling out with his coach and his brother took out of Lauzon.

Then it was on to the light heavyweight division as Luiz Cane faced Cyrille Diabate. A good, quick back and forth encounter saw Cane drop his man early on with a big left. Diabate quickly reversed the positions when the fight went to the ground. Diabate took the TKO win after knocking Cane down with a good combination, the referee stepping in as Diabate applied the finishing touches.

It was down to the welterweight division for the next fight as Amir Sadollah took on Dong Hyun Kim. ESPN almost missed the introductions for this one, but thankfully they didn’t miss any of the fight, otherwise I would have missed Kim’s great performance. The Korean put on an excellent display of ground work and controlled Sadollah for most of the fight. The former Ultimate Fighter seemed powerless against him, and only seemed to do any sort of damage with a couple of good shots towards the end of the third round. All three judges gave the decision to Kim, a decision that you can’t really argue with.

The welterweight action continued with the first fight of the main show between Diego Sanchez and John Hathaway. Another somewhat one-sided affair saw Hathaway putting on a good performance in his American debut, controlling the fight after sending Sanchez down with a knee as he went for the take down in the first round. Sanchez just seemed a couple of steps behind the Brit as Hathaway won the unanimous decision.

It was back up to light heavyweight for the next fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira going up against Jason Brilz. The most even fight of the show so far saw Brilz exceed all expectations as he took the fight to his far more experienced opponent, frustrating Little Nog throughout. It was a highly entertaining back and forth affair, and their exchange of choke holds in the second round made for great viewing. Brilz also rocked Nogueira in that same round with some wild brawling. The split decision went in favour of Nogueira, which didn’t sit too well with some of the crowd.

The big boys were up next as Todd Duffee faced Mike Russow in the heavyweight division. No ground work to speak of in this one. Duffee controlled the majority of the fight with some crisp striking early on, although he was visibly tiring as time went on. Then, halfway through the third round, Russow, who hadn’t really done anything of note, connected with a big right. Duffee fell to the ground like the proverbial sack of spuds, and from out of nowhere Russow snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Lightweight action followed as Melvin Guillard went up against Waylon Lowe, and once again ESPN screwed up by cutting to a commercial just as the fight began, which meant that we didn’t get to see the first minute or so. Thankfully we saw enough of Guillard’s good performance as he defended well against Lowe’s take down attempts, with a knee to the mid-section as Lowe went for another take down ending the fighting, giving Guillard the good looking TKO win.

The penultimate fight of the show saw Michael Bisping taking on Dan Miller. Bisping’s pain began before the fight even started when the cut man accidentally poked him in the eye while applying Vaseline before he went into the cage. The Count had recovered by the time the fight began as he put on a great striking display. Miller had his moments, but his take down in the third round may have been too little too late as Bisping easily escaped. Once again the judges were called upon to render a decision, with Bisping getting all of the votes.

The main event was the fight that everyone wanted to see, the light heavyweight clash between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “Sugar” Rashad Evans. This fight certainly lived up to all the hype. Just seconds into the first round Evans rocked Rampage with a big right, and this momentum helped Evans take the first two rounds with his take downs and superior speed. Rampage’s moment of glory came early in the third when he rocked Evans with a great combination, followed by a brief period of ground and pound. Evans managed to recover, mainly because Jackson allowed him to, failing to go in for the kill after Evans managed to get back to his feet. He soon reasserted control, scoring with two impressive take downs. The judges were called upon for the final time as they gave the unanimous decision to Evans, and rightfully so, because apart from a few fleeting moments this fight clearly belonged to Evans.

In conclusion – once again the UFC delivered. This was a night full of decisions for the main fights, showing that we don’t have to have a night full of quick submissions or explosive knockouts to have an enjoyable show. As for Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson, I pity the fool who says we won’t see these two against each other again.

Now if we can just get ESPN to sort out this problem with the commercials!

So what do you get when you put a two-time former UFC Heavyweight Champion against a five-time World’s Strongest Man? You get the main event of Moosin: Sylvia v Pudzianowski, shown live on Primetime in the early hours of this past Friday morning here in Britain, with Bas Rutten, Tom Megalis and Jeff Gorman handling commentary duties.

The show began with welterweight action as Ralph Johnson went up against Forrest Petz. This proved to be a very interesting if not overly spectacular encounter. Johnson used his height and reach advantage to very good effect, his jab opening up a cut on Petz’s nose. It also served him well whenever Petz went for a take down. Apart from that it was mainly a striking battle which went the distance, with Petz getting the unanimous decision, which didn’t sit too well with Johnson’s hometown fans.

It was up to the light heavyweight division for the next fight as Lukasz Jurkowski went up against Ho Jin Kim. A very good fight saw some good take downs and reversals from both men. But when everyone thought that this was going to be a take down war, Jurkowski connected with a knee in the clinch that shook Kim, with the Pole following up with two big rights which sent Kim slumping to the ground, with the referee stepping in when Jurkowski went for the kill, earning the impressive knockout win.

The women were up next, as Roxie Modafferri took on Tara LaRosa in a catchweight bout made at 130 pounds. Once again two female fighters impressed the hell out of me. Modafferri and LaRosa put on a hell of a fight here, excelling in all aspects of the game. It was a more than entertaining affair with plenty of back and forth action, especially in the third round. LaRosa caught Modafferri with a big right that sent her crashing down, but when LaRosa went in for the kill Modafferri countered with a triangle attempt. It was hard to tell just who was going to get the decision, with Modafferri getting the split decision.

Action from the lightweight division followed as Mike Campbell took on Yves Edwards. The best fight of the night so far. Both Campbell and Edwards put on a tremendous performance, and that’s what made this fight so enthralling. Campbell’s striking was great, while Edwards’ ground work was just as good, and his slams would have made a professional wrestler jealous. Once again we had a fight that went the distance, with all three judges scoring in favour of Campbell.

Then it was up to the middleweight division as Rafael Natal faced Travis Lutter. A bit of feeling out at the beginning of this one, with Natal testing the waters with a couple of well placed kicks. Lutter then went for a couple of take downs, and Natal showed some good defensive work as he resisted these attempts. Then, as the fighters separated Natal scored with some more kicks, before a right/left combination sent the exhausted looking Lutter down. The Brazilian followed him down for some good ground and pound, but Lutter was out by then, with the referee quickly stopping the fight as Natal earned the knockout win with a very good performance.

Next up we saw Travis Wiuff against Josh Barnes in a heavyweight clash. Barnes took this fight at two days notice, and his lack of preparation time showed. After a quick exchange Wiuff rocked Barnes, and followed up with some quick combinations that sent Barnes crashing down, with the referee quickly stepping in and giving Wiuff the knockout win. The time – just thirty-four seconds.

The heavyweight action continued in the main event as five-time World’s Strongest Man Maruisz Pudzianowski faced up to former UFC Heavyweight king Tim Sylvia. If you ever wanted to see a good example of a fish out of water then take a look at this fight. Apart from a single take down and a sloppy looking arm bar attempt. Sylvia dominated/ Pudzianowski went for a second take down, but as Sylvia defended Pudzianowski used so much energy that he looked absolutely exhausted as Sylvia picked him off, and it was a surprise that he made it into the second round. Pudzianowski didn’t last much longer though, and as Sylvia continued his striking attacking, Pudzianowski just flopped down to the mat. Sylvia followed him down after a couple of kicks, delivering some more ground and pound before Pudzianowski tapped out. I have to say that as good as Sylvia was, Pudzianowski was extremely disappointing, and he clearly needs to work on every single aspect of his game.

In conclusion – Primetime’s first foray into the world of mixed martial arts was an extremely entertaining affair filled with some very good fights.

Although there was one thing that annoyed me – several times throughout the show there were errors with the on-screen graphics. For instance, the commentators made a big point about Josh Barnes’ apparent forty pound weight advantage when looking at the graphic, even though, in truth, his opponent Travis Wiuff was only seven pounds lighter than him, a fact which our cage announcer made public moments later. It was as if the announcers hadn’t actually done any research on some of the fighters, which did seem a little unprofessional.

But apart from that, Moosin and Primetime did very well with their coverage, and hopefully Primetime will have secured enough buys to make them dip into the MMA market once again.

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne – now in it’s 10th year!
E-mail: juli316uk@yahoo.co.uk
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com
Sponsored by Intimidation Clothing, makers of high quality, affordable MMA apparel and T-shirts. Visit their website at www.intimidationclothing.com.

It was one of the most controversial fights of 2009, and Dana White ordered an immediate re-match, which brought us to UFC 113: Machida v Shogun 2, 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 middleweight action, as Patrick Cote faced Alan Belcher. This was a tremendous way to start the show. The first round saw Belcher connect with some hard kicks to Cote’s mid-section, but when Cote caught one of those kicks he scored with the take down, and almost got the submission with an arm bar. The action was just as intense, and back and forth, in the second, and Belcher really upped his game, lifting Cote as a professional wrestler would and dropping him on his face, quickly taking his back and synching in a rear naked choke for the impressive submission win.

The heavyweight fight that everyone wanted to see followed, as Kimbo Slice faced Matt Mitrione. This was a dominating performance from old meathead. Although Kimbo scored with some good looking take downs early in the first, he looked lost as soon as he went to ground, with Mitrione able to escape easily. As the fight progressed Mitrione’s dominance continued, and his brutal leg kicks began to tell as Kimbo began to limp around the cage. Then, when the fight went to the ground again, Slice just laid there, and as Mitrione went to work with the ground and pound, the referee stepped in, giving Mitrione the outstanding TKO win. As for Kimbo, this was another example of how limited a fighter he is, and it came as no surprise when Dana White announced later that this was his last UFC fight.

The action continued with Sam Stout taking on Jeremy Stephens in the lightweight division. The first fight of the broadcast to go the distance was an entertaining back and forth affair which saw both fighters put on good displays of both striking and kicking, with brief moments on the ground. It was difficult to see who would get the decision, and the judges were split as they gave the fight in favour of Stephens. A very good fight here.

Filler material followed in the form of Joe Doerksen against Tom Lawlor at middleweight. ESPN kept up their tradition here by coming back late from a commercial break and missing the beginning of a fight, and even though we missed the first thirty seconds we still saw what a good fight this was. Lawlor looked like he could get the win in the first round when a series of combinations rocked Doerksen. Doerksen was able to recover though, and the great striking continued into the second, although Lawlor was clearly tiring. It came as a surprise though that, after all that striking, the win came with a submission. A caught kick saw the fight go to the ground, where Doerksen took Lawlor’s back and synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

The big welterweight battle followed, as Josh Koscheck took on my fellow Brit Paul Daley, with two big prizes on the line – a title shot against Georges St-Pierre, and the chance to coach against GSP on the next series of The Ultimate Fighter. This fight will be remembered for two controversial moments. The first came in the first round, when Koscheck claimed that he was hit by a Daley knee while he was still grounded, even though the replays showed that no contact was made. The second came after the fight ended, when Daley punched Koscheck after the final bell. In between these incidents was a dominant performance from Koscheck, taking Daley down at will and controlling him completely. It was no surprised when Koscheck got the unanimous decision, and while he got a future encounter with the best pound for pound fighter on the planet, Daley got himself fired.

The main event saw Mauricio Rua challenging Lyoto Machida for the UFC Light Heavyweight title, a rematch of their controversial fight at UFC 104. No controversial judges decision this time. Both fighters had their moments early on, Machida scoring with a couple of take downs while Rua once again looked to attack his opponent’s legs. Then, with about ninety seconds left in the first round, Rua connected with a big right that sent Machida down. Shogun followed him for some ground and pound, where he scored with the knockout punch that gave him the title win. A very impressive fight, and finally Shogun got his hands on the Light Heavyweight title belt.

So with some time to kill we saw some more filler material as Marcus Davis faced Jonathan Goulet in a welterweight encounter. An entertaining back and forth affair saw Davis go for a guillotine in the first which Goulet managed to escape from after several tense moments, while Goulet controlled the rest of the action on the ground. Round two was all Davis though, rocking Goulet early in the round with a right/left combination, knocking him down and securing the TKO win.

In conclusion – well, apart from the controversial moments, UFC 113 was full of outstanding fights and outstanding performances, topped off by Shogun finally defeating Machida for the Light Heavyweight title after being robbed last year. So as the old saying goes this definitely gets the thumbs up, and leaves this writer looking forward to finally seeing Rampage and Rashad going at it at the end of the month.

Don’t forget to check out my other articles and reviews @ www.twoshedsreview.com.

It was an historic night for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as they travelled to Abu Dhabi for their first ever outdoor show, headlined by two massive title fights at UFC 112: Invincible, shown live on ESPN this past Saturday night here in Britain, with Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began with middleweight action as Kendall Grove faced Mark Munoz. This was the proverbial game of two halves. The first round clearly belonged to Grove, able to defend Munoz’s take down attempts, and almost getting the submission with a couple of power guillotines. Munoz made his comeback in the second as soon as he got into Grove’s guard, unleashing a ground and pound that Grove had no answer to, with the referee stepping in to stop the fight, giving Munoz the TKO win in a truly enthralling contest.

Then it was down to the lightweight division as Terry Etim went up against Rafael Dos Anjos. The second great fight in a row had a somewhat controversial moment in the first round when Dos Anjos was warned for kneeing Etim in the spine, although the Brazilian claimed he was kneeing him in the side. Dos Anjos really upped his game in the second, putting on an excellent display of ground work before locking in an arm bar for the submission win.

The only filler material of the evening came in the form of a light heavyweight encounter between Alexander Gustafsson and Phil Davis. We actually missed the first few seconds of this fight because ESPN came back late from a commercial (again). Thankfully we didn’t miss much of this entertaining battle, with the Swede showing some great defensive skills until Davis was finally able to take him down and get the submission win with an anaconda choke in the dying seconds of the first round. Nice stuff.

The fight I was really looking forward to was next, as Matt Hughes took on Renzo Gracie in the welterweight division. An interesting fight, with Hughes working over Gracie’s left leg with a series of kicks over the first two rounds. But the fight didn’t really get going until the middle of the third when Gracie’s leg began to turn to jelly. Hughes knocked him down a few times, but never followed him to the ground, instead finishing him with twenty seconds to go with a barrage of blows that earned him the TKO win. Well, it really didn’t get going until the last couple of minutes, but it was okay.

Main event time #1, Frankie Edgar challenging B.J. Penn for the Lightweight title. This one was pretty even. Both fighters put good performances in this mainly stand up battle, which saw Edgar achieve the impossible twice when he took Penn down, although the Prodigy quickly got back up to his feet. Edgar got the unanimous decision, and given his performances here you couldn’t really call this an upset.

Main event time #2, Demian Maia challenged Anderson Silva for the Middleweight title. This fight was so one-sided at times it was scary, and that’s not because Maia is a bad fighter. For the first three rounds Silva treated his opponent with contempt, out striking and out moving Maia at every turn, even taunting him in the style of a professional wrestling at times. But by the end of the third round Silva changed his game. It was as if he was a spoiled rich kid who grew tired of his new plaything. It got to the point where Maia caught him with a few good shots in the fifth. But by then it was too late, and with his left eye closed and nose broken, Maia had no chance of getting the win, even though Silva’s lethargic performance earned him a stern warning from the referee. It was no surprise that Silva got the unanimous decision, but you can come to two obvious conclusions after this performance – that Anderson Silva is still the best fighter in the world, but he needs the challenge of a top class fighter to keep him at the top of his game.

In conclusion – despite certain happenings, UFC’s venture into the Middle East can be termed a success. I really loved the atmosphere of their first outdoor show, but then again I’ve always had a soft spot for outdoor shows of this kind, be they professional wrestling, boxing, or MMA. However, as good as the show was, the main event both intrigued and infuriated at the same time. Anderson Silva really is the best fighter on the planet, but he needs a challenger who isn’t scared of him, someone that could take him to the limit and beyond, and while Chael Sonnen or Vitor Belfort may not be that man, Georges St-Pierre very well could be, and whether it’s at welterweight or middleweight, it’s a fight that we all want and that we all need.

Don’t forget to check out my other reviews @ www.twoshedsreview.com