BlurayMMA.com

It was an historic night for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as they travelled to the land down under for the first time for UFC 110: Nogueira v Velasquez, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday on ESPN here in Britain, with Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began in the heavyweight division, with Mirko Cro Cop facing Anthony Perosh. As a massive Cro Cop fan I was really hoping that the Croatian could get back to top form, and thankfully he did in this one, dominating against a very game Australian. Perosh was on the back foot for the majority of the fight, with Cro Cop bloodying his nose in the first round. Perosh tried to take the fight downstairs a number of times, but Cro Cop showed some great defensive work. The second round continued in the same vein as Cro Cop continued to stalk his prey, and when the fight did go to the ground a vicious left elbow opened up a nasty gash on Perosh’s forehead. The doctor checked him over, and the Aussie, much to Cro Cop’s surprise, wanted to continue, but Cro Cop’s continued onslaught saw the doctor step in at the end of the round to call off the fight, giving Cro Cop the much needed win. It was an impressive performance from the Croatian, and while it was great to see him get a win under his belt, it may take a few more wins like this before we see the feared Cro Cop of old again.

It was down to light heavyweight for the next fight between Keith Jardine and Ryan Bader. The first fight of the broadcast to make it into the third round proved to be an entertaining back and forth affair with good performances from both men. While Bader controlled the first and Jardine the second with his stand up game, the pivotal moment came when Bader rocked Jardine with a right, following up with a flying knee, before sealing the deal with a left hook that knocked the Dean of Mean out, with the referee stopping the fight immediately, giving Bader the win as he maintained his unbeaten record.

Welterweight action followed as Chris Lytle faced Brian Foster. This filler material was fast paced and very enjoyable. Foster looked great early on, scoring with a big slam and some great shorts. But when they went down to the ground for the second time Lytle quickly moved into position so he could apply a knee bar which Foster quickly tapped out to, giving Lytle the submission win in one of those fights that could have gone either way.

It was down another division for the next fight as Joe Stevenson took on George Sotiropoulos in lightweight action. An excellent performance from Sotiropoulos here. Buoyed on by the Sydney fans, the Aussie put on a great display as he and Stevenson had a tremendous battle on the ground, with Sotiropoulos dominating for the most part, and Stevenson mounting a slight comeback in the third. But with the fight going the distance the judges were called in as they gave the unanimous decision to Sotiropoulos, and rightfully so after his excellent display.

So after that great fight it was on to the fight I was really looking forward to, middleweight action as Wanderlei Silva took on my fellow Brit Michael Bisping. It turned out to be a tremendous fight. In no way was Bisping overawed by the legend in front of him as he put on a good display against a Silva who looked back to his best, unfazed by the weight cut that seemed to take a lot out of him in his last fight. Bisping showed some good work with his striking and his take downs, but Silva just seemed a couple of steps ahead of him, especially as he ended each round in a dominant position. Once again the judges were called upon to render a decision, with Silva taking a very close unanimous decision, Could the Axe Murderer be back to his best now?

Then it was on to the main event as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira tackled Cain Velasquez in the heavyweight division. This one was certainly explosive. Both fighters got off some good shots, and about two and a half minutes in Velasquez scored with a right/left combination that sent Nogueira crashing to the ground. Velasquez quickly followed him down for some brief ground and pound before the referee stepped in, with Velasquez getting the great knockout victory.

The broadcast rounded out with more filler material as Stephan Bonnar faced Krzysztof Soszynski in the light heavyweight division. A very entertaining fight so both fighters put on a good display of striking, and the fight looked pretty close after the first two rounds, but early in the third an accidental clash of heads opened up a deep cut on Bonnar’s forehead, which was made worse by a left elbow from Soszynski. As the claret began to pour the doctor was called in, and he stopped the fight immediately, giving Soszynski the TKO win. A good fight, but I wouldn’t be surprised if these two go at it again given the way this fight ended.

In conclusion – the UFC’s Australia debut can only be termed a great success. I looked at this show as a legends versus up-and-comers affair, and while Nogueira went down to the heavy hitting Velasquez, Wanderlei Silva put on a vintage performance against Michael Bisping. It was also great to see Mirko Cro Cop back to winning ways as well. So in short, another great outing for Dana White’s crew. ‘Nuff said!

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com

It’s the first time two Hall of Famers have faced each other, as Randy Couture went up against Mark Coleman in the main event of UFC 109: Relentless, 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 started with the preliminary fights, beginning with Melvin Guillard and Ronys Torres in the lightweight division. This three rounder proved to be a very entertaining encounter with the debuting Torres putting in some good work on the ground, and Guillard countered with some good defensive work. Torres looked like he would get the submission win in the second with a kimura, and Guillard would probably have got the ground and pound win in the third had the time limit not expired. The judges were called on to make a decision, and all three gave it to Guillard. A good decision, but it must have been a hard one to reach.

The lightweight action continued with Mac Danzig facing Justin Bucholz. This fight gave us some good examples of both the aspects of MMA fighting. The first round was a stand-up battle with Bucholz rocking Danzig with a big right. Round two was fought on the ground, with both guys going for submissions. Round three saw a mixture of the two, with Danzig really upping his game and going for a rear naked choke as the fight came to an end. Danzig’s superior work rate earned him the unanimous decision, ending his losing streak.

The main show began with Matt Serra taking on Frank Trigg at welterweight. The first stoppage for the television audience saw Serra coming forward from the outset. Trigg seemed to be fighting very defensively here, and looked ripe for the picking as Serra connected with a big right hand that sent Trigg crashing down. The referee stepped in as Serra went for the ground and pound. This was a very good performance from Serra, but I can’t help but wonder what’s left for Trigg after this latest setback in his UFC comeback.

It was up to middleweight for the next fight, with Damian Maia and Dan Miller. This wasn’t the most enthralling fight I’ve seen. The talking point of the first round was Maia’s inadvertent low knee, and as the fight went into the second things seemed to come to a standstill at times. The third round was slightly better, with Maia showing some good work on the ground, but that was it, as Maia’s performance earned him the unanimous decision. Well, he tried his best, but Miller was very disappointing.

The elves at ESPN flicked their switches a little too late as the commercial break came back just as the Brian Stann versus Phil Davis heavyweight clash started, meaning that we didn’t see the introductions. This filler material was certainly more enthralling than the previous fight. Davis, making his UFC debut, controlled everything on the ground, and looked awesome in doing so. Stann seemed powerless and bewildered as Davis was able to transition at will, going for an arm bar as the fight came to an end. It was no surprise when Davis got the unanimous decision. This was a great performance from the newcomer, and he looks like he’s got a bright future ahead of him.

The regular action returned with the welterweight bout between Mike Swick and Paulo Thiago. After an interesting first round which saw some good kicks and combinations from both men, a counter left hook from Thiago sent Swick to the ground. Thiago quickly went in for the kill, locking in a d’arce choke. Swick had no chance, and was unconscious in a matter of seconds, giving the Brazilian the impressive submission win.

Then it was back up to middleweight for the next fight, as Nate Marquardt faced off against Chael Sonnen, with the winner getting a shot at the title. To say that this was an outstanding fight would be an understatement. Sonnen put in the best performance of his UFC career as he dominated Marquardt on the ground for the first two rounds, and even a big Marquardt elbow that opened up a nasty cut on his forehead could not stop him. Round three began in the same way, but Marquardt began to fight back in the last minute, looking like he’d get the win with a guillotine. But Sonnen managed to escape, and by then it was too little too late for Marquardt. Sonnen’s earlier domination earned him the unanimous decision, and a shot at whoever wins the upcoming Anderson Silva/Vitor Belfort fight. Outstanding, just outstanding.

The main event was next, the battle of the legends as Randy Couture took on Mark Coleman, a fight that was originally meant to take place way back at UFC 17. Once again Couture proved that he’s still a tremendous fighter. The Natural controlled the action in the first with his superior striking and against the cage with his dirty boxing. Couture began the second with a take down, and it wasn’t long before he took Coleman’s back and synched in the rear naked choke. Coleman was soon unconscious, and Couture had the submission win with an outstanding performance. As for Coleman, he just wasn’t in the game.

The broadcast finished with more filler material as Rolles Gracie faced Joey Beltran at heavyweight. Now when you see the name Gracie in an MMA fight you expect a lot. Sadly, this Gracie failed to live up to those expectations. Gracie had some good moments early on in the first, but he tired very quickly, and this gave Beltran the chance to really up his game. Bu the time the second round came around Gracie was waddling around like a duck, and it wasn’t surprising when the referee stopped the fight, with Gracie flat on his front, trying to survive Beltran’s ground and pound. You really can’t fault Beltran for his performance here, but Gracie was extremely disappointing in a Kalib Starnes kind of way.

In conclusion – well, the UFC delivered again with another great show, topped off nicely with another age defying performance from Randy Couture, and an outstanding outing by Chael Sonnen. Sure, there were a couple of disappointing performances, but they didn’t detract from the rest of the show, as we now look forward to the UFC’s debut down under in a couple of weeks.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ http://www.twoshedsreview.com

It was the first UFC show of the year, but it wasn’t the main event we wanted. With no Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans faced off against Thiago Silva in the main event of UFC 108 Evans v Silva, shown live here in Britain in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN, with Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began with the much travelled Gilbert Yvel making his UFC debut against the hard hitting Junior Dos Santos. It was another impressive outing for the Brazilian, who after some good exchanges dropped Yvel with a big left, with the referee stopping the fight after some quick ground and pound, giving Dos Santos the TKO win. This was another great outing from Dos Santos, who must surely be close to a title eliminator now.

Then it was down to the lightweight division, with Jim Miller and Duane Ludwig. This proved to be another good fight, with both men getting in some good combinations before a right from Miller knocked Ludwig down. Miller followed him down to the ground, quickly getting the mount. Ludwig tried to escape, but soon found himself in an arm bar with no choice but to tap. Both guys looked good in this one, but Miller was just that bit better, adding his name to the somewhat crowded list of contenders.

The first filler material saw more lightweight action, with Cole Miller and Dan Lauzon. This was an explosive back and forth affair, with both men rocking the other before the action went down to the ground. Miller then showed some impressive skills before getting the submission win with a kimura/inverted triangle combination. That’s three good fights in a row, with Miller continuing to impress this particular writer.

It was big brother’s turn next, with Joe Lauzon taking on Sam Stout. Lauzon looked like he was going to get the early win here, after busting Stout open with an elbow and going for a kimura. But after Stout escaped he put on a hell of a performance, defending Lauzon’s take down attempts and putting on a great kickboxing display. Indeed, it wasn’t until the third round that Lauzon briefly came back into the fight, getting his much sought after take down, before moving onto a guillotine attempt that Stout managed to escape from. But it was too little too late as Stout’s performance earned him the unanimous judges decision. It was a tremendous performance from the Canadian, meaning that that list just got a little more crowded.

Welterweight action followed, with Martin Kampmann facing Jacob Volkmann. Another great one round encounter saw Kampmann back on track with a good performance as he outclassed Volkmann, eventually knocking his opponent down, before getting the win with a unique looking guillotine, which looked like a reverse rear naked choke. Good work from Kampmann here though.

More welterweight action followed, with Dustin Hazelett facing my fellow Brit Paul Daley. Daley actually came in just over the welterweight limit. Lots of feeling out at the beginning of this one, which was followed by Daley’s explosive left hook, which sent Hazelett crashing to the ground. Brief ground and pound followed, before the referee stoppage gave Daley his second UFC win. Another great performance from Daley. This guy has impressed me from the first day I saw him, and I’d love to see him get a crack at the welterweight title.

Then it was back to more filler material, middleweight action with Mark Munoz and Ryan Jensen. A good start from both men, before the action went down to the mat, with Munoz delivering a sustained period of ground and pound. Jensen had no choice but to tap, although the referee missed this at first. Nice performance from Munoz, who looked far more comfortable at middleweight than he did at light heavyweight.

The main event saw Rashad Evans facing Thiago Silva in the light heavyweight division. This fight was definitely worthy of it’s spot on the card. Evans looked great in the first two rounds as he was seemingly able to take Silva down at will. By the time the third round came by it was obvious that Evans was winning. Then Silva began to showboat, urging Evans to fight, before rocking him with a big right. Evans was there for the taking, but instead of going for the kill, Silva began showboating again as he tried to preserve his energy. It cost him dearly. Evans had done enough in the first two rounds to earn the unanimous decision, and rightfully so. He then threw out the challenge to Rampage Jackson. Hopefully we’ll see this fight sometime soon.

The final filler material saw Mike Pyle taking on Jake Ellenberger at welterweight. The first round saw some great groundwork, particularly from Pyle, as he frustrated Ellenberger with some great defensive work. But it was at the end of the first round that Pyle suffered a rib injury, which clearly hampered him going into the second, as Ellenberger unloaded with a big right that dropped Pyle, earning him the deserved TKO win.

In conclusion – 2010 certainly got off to a good start for the UFC. Evans and Silva put on a great showing in the main event, ably supported by a strong undercard. So as you can probably tell I really enjoyed this show, and I’m really looking forward to the upcoming year.

Review courtesy www.twoshedsreview.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The prodigal son has returned, with Tito Ortiz making his long awaited comeback to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, facing his old rival Forrest Griffin in the main event of UFC 106: Ortiz v Griffin 2, shown live here in Britain in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN, with Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began with the preliminary fights, beginning with a middleweight encounter between Kendall Grove and Jake Rosholt. This proved to be a very good opener. Rosholt got a couple of big slams in, and looked good in the early part of the fight, but as is often the case the momentum changed in an instant, with Grove synching in an arm triangle for the submission win. Nice work from both fighters here.

Then it was the turn of the Australian lightweight, George Sotiropoulos, as he went up against Jason Dent. Although Dent managed to put in some good work here, the Aussie was just that much better in all departments, and as the fight progressed into the second round it came as no surprise when he got the submission win courtesy of an arm bar. Sotiropoulos really impressed me here, and I’m looking forward to seeing what sort of reception he’ll get when the UFC ventures down under for the first time next year. I’m also looking forward to George’s next fight as well.

Welterweight action followed, with the always watchable Marcus Davis facing Ben Saunders. Well, I say always watchable, but the Irish Hand Grenade had an off night here. Davis looked good early on, but it wasn’t long before Saunders upped his game with some great looking knees in the clinch, and it was a right knee that saw of Davis as Saunders secured the knockout win, capping off an impressive performance.

The final fight of the preliminary show saw more welterweight action, with Brock Larson and Brian Foster. With the UFC’s other famous Brock recovering at home after surgery, this Brock proved to be just as controversial with two rule infringements in the first round. The first came when he connected with an up-kick to Foster’s head while Foster was still on the ground. Moments later he connected with a knee to Foster’s head while his hand was down on the mat, which meant that he ended the round with two less points. Foster did well to recover in the second round though, and after a couple of periods of ground and pound he secured the TKO win. Larson had clearly been put off by what had happened in the first round, but as the old saying goes, rules are rules, and kudos to Foster for recovering in the way he did.

The first fight on the main show continued the welterweight action with Amir Sadollah facing the returning Phil Baroni. The former Ultimate Fighter obviously didn’t read the script here. Although the New York Bad Ass put in a good performance, Sadollah always seemed one step ahead as Baroni began to look tired in the second round. Sadollah’s kicks looked awesome, as did his clinch work, and it was enough to earn the unanimous decision from the judges, proving that these UFC judges can get things right from time to time.

Debut time next, with the other Nogueira, Antonio Rogerio, who for some reason is also known as Minotaur, facing Luiz Cane in light heavyweight action. Little Nog put in an impressive performance here, getting the first round win after knocking Cane down with a big left, before going in for the ground and pound. The referee quickly stepped in, giving Nogueira the TKO win.

After a replay of the Marcus Davis/Ben Saunders fight, more welterweight action followed, with Paulo Thiago taking on Jacob Volkman. This was an enjoyable back and forth encounter, and another one of those fights were both men looked good, but one man was just a tad better than the other. Both fighters put in some good work, but on the night Thiago was the top man as the fight went the three round distance, getting the unanimous nod from the judges.

Even more welterweight action followed the replay of the Kendall Grove/Jake Rosholt fight, with Josh Koscheck and Anthony Johnson. As with the Larson/Foster fight, this one will be remembered for it’s controversy. In the first round Johnson hit Koscheck with a knee to the head while he was down, losing a point in the process, but this particular blow left the commentators and those of us watching at home rather confused. Johnson’s blow connected with Koscheck’s right eye, but afterwards he complained of blurry vision in his left eye. It certainly left me scratching my head a little. Despite this apparent injury Koscheck came back well in the second, busting Johnson open with his ground and pound before getting the submission with a rear naked choke. Good work from Koscheck here. Sadly though we didn’t get the low down on his right/left eye injury during the post-fight interview, as Koscheck seemed more intent on telling everyone that he, and not Dan Hardy, should get a shot at the welterweight title next.

The main event saw the return of former light heavyweight king Tito Ortiz, as he went up against Forrest Griffin for a second time. A lot was expected of this one after their previous encounter, and this fight certainly delivered. Ortiz looked great in the early stages, showing absolutely no signs of ring rust, although Griffin was able to keep up with him. As the fight went on Griffin began to get into his stride, with his kicks in particular looking particularly devastating. Ortiz continued to look good as well, but whenever he took Griffin down and went for the ground and pound Griffin showed some great defensive work. But when the third and final round started, Ortiz looked like a completely different person, on the back foot for the majority of the round as Griffin was able to strike at will. So with the fight going the three round distance, the judges were called into action, and they gave the split decision to Griffin, a fair decision, because Ortiz was wilting badly in that final round, which was unusual for him considering his normally top notch conditioning. As for Griffin, it was a tremendous performance, especially considering the loss he’d suffered at the hands of Anderson Silva in his previous fight. The judges did okay too!

A replay of the George Sotiropoulos/Jason Dent fight rounded off the show.

In conclusion – well, I think it’s pretty obvious what I’m going to say here, isn’t it? This was another strong effort from the UFC here. The action was so good throughout that you kind of forgot that Brock Lesnar was meant to be defending his Heavyweight title against Shane Carwin on this show. The Koscheck/Johnson and Larson/Foster fights were a little disappointing because of the rule infringements, but overall it was a strong show with some strong action, so kudos to Dana White and the boys for this one.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com

It’s time to step into the world of mixed martial arts again, with two Brazilian greats in the former of Lyoto “Dragon” Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua battling out for the UFC Light Heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 104: Machida v Shogun, shown live here in Britain on ESPN, and featuring Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan on commentary.

As is the custom, ESPN joined Spike in America for the free preliminary bouts, beginning with a heavyweight battle between Antoni Hardonk and Pat Barry. This proved to be a good way of beginning the evening’s proceedings. Barry got accidentally poked in the eye in the first round, which somewhat worried him a little as the round went on, although these worries seemed to have been put aside as the fight progressed. By the end of the first he was on top, and in the second he looked great, knocking Hardonk down with a right. The referee stepped in when Barry went for the ground and pound, giving him the TKO win. Nice work by Barry, although Hardonk must take some credit for his bright start. But then again, perhaps Barry’s inadvertent eye injury worried him a little as well.

ESPN, in their infinite wisdom, came back from the first commercial break late, missing the beginning of the Stefan Struve/Chase Gormley fight, so the next full fight they showed was Ryan Bader versus Red Schafer at light heavyweight. This developed into a nice back and forth battle, with both fighters putting in a good performance, and the second eye poke of the evening when Bader took one in the face. This didn’t inhibit Bader in any way though, although Shafer also had his share of punishment, sustaining a cut over his eye after an accidental clash of heads while on the ground. This didn’t stop them from putting on a good fight, with Bader winning the unanimous decision, and rightfully so, although the judges’ decision making abilities would be questioned later in the evening.

On to the main show, with Anthony Johnson taking on Yoshiyuki Yoshida in the welterweight division. Well, it was meant to be at welterweight, but Johnson had problems making the weight. He still put in a hell of a performance, showing fast hand speed, putting Yoshida on the back foot, and knocking him down with a big right. Thankfully the referee quickly stepped in to save Yoshida from further punishment. This was a good outing from Johnson, and when our esteemed commentators said that Johnson’s walking around weight was normally around 220, I began to think that middleweight would be a better division for him.

Joe “Daddy” Stevenson against Spencer “King” Fisher at lightweight was up next. Both fighters started well here, although it wasn’t long before Fisher sustained a cut over his right eye. Both men looked good in all aspects, until that critical moment in the second round when Stevenson took side control on the ground and trapped both of Fisher’s arms. From there he was able to deliver a sustained ground and pound attack, and with Fisher unable to defend himself, he soon tapped out. A very good performance from Stevenson here. If he keeps this up he’ll soon get a shot at the lightweight title.

Then it was up to the middleweight division, with Yushin Okami facing Chael Sonnen. The second fight of the evening to go the three round distance found Sonnen in dominating form, outfighting the Japanese star in almost every aspect. Sonnen looked tremendous here, although Okami did manage a kimura attempt in the third, although he soon released that particular hold when Sonnen let loose with a series of punches to the body. It really came as no surprise when Sonnen got the unanimous decision, concluding a nice evening’s work for the middleweight contender.

There were more weight problems in the next fight between Josh Neer and Gleison Tibau. This one should have been contested at lightweight, but with both fighters failing to make the weight, they decided to go ahead with it anyway. This fight followed a particular pattern – Tibau would score with a big take down, and, more often than not, Neer would get straight back up. It certainly looked spectacular to begin with, but after a while it began to look a bit repetitive. But in the end these take downs earned Tibau the unanimous judges decision. The fight may have been over a little sooner though had Tibau done a bit more work on the ground.

The co-main event saw heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez taking on fancied contender Ben Rothwell. Well, he was a fancied contender going into this fight. Cain put in a devastating and dominating performance, and no matter what Rothwell did, he just didn’t seem to have any answer for the new rising star of the heavyweight division, so it came as no surprise that Cain got the win here, although the manner in which he got it was a little controversial. As Cain unloaded with a barrage of blows against the fence, Rothwell began to get to his feet. It was then that the referee stepped in, putting a stop to the fight and giving Cain the TKO win. Rothwell was none too happy, and although he had a point about the timing of the stoppage, it was pretty obvious that Cain had the beating of him.

Then it was on to the main event, with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua challenging Lyoto Machida for the UFC Light Heavyweight title. To say that this fight was a tad controversial would be a slight understatement. Shogun put in a tremendous performance here, working over Machida time and time again with a series of leg kicks, bruising up his ribs and both of his legs, and although Machida himself got in some good kicks, it looked like Shogun had the beating of him. It was a hard fought, five round battle, and by the end Machida had the look of a beaten champion. However, the judges saw it differently, as they gave Machida the unanimous decision. Needless to say that I wasn’t the only one who wondered just what fight the judges had been watching. Shogun looked unbeatable in this fight, and Machida looked the shadow of his usual self.

The show finished with the aforementioned heavyweight battle between Stefan Struve and Chase Gormley. This proved to be a nice little battle that looked like it could go either way, until Struve applied an arm triangle for the submission win. At least we fans here in Britain got to see this one in full!

In conclusion – while UFC 104 will go down as another excellent show, it will always be remembered for the controversial decision in the main event. Shogun proved that he was back to his best after his recent injury problems, and he clearly should have won the fight and the UFC Light Heavyweight title. Kudos to Dana White though, for ordering an immediate re-match. Let’s just hope that they get some judges who actually watch the fight next time!

Review by Julian Radbourne, courtesy http://www.twoshedsreview.com.

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com
Blog: www.myspace.com/twosheds316
Facebook: www.facebook.com/twosheds316 – add me as your friend!
Online Store: www.lulu.com/twosheds316 – buy my books!

It’s dream match-up time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Following Couture v Nogueira, Rich Franklin takes on the returning Vitor Belfort, headlining a strong show at UFC 103: Franklin versus Belfort, shown live in the early hours of this past Saturday morning on ESPN in Britain, with Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handling commentary duties.

The broadcast actually began with a first, with four preliminary fights that were being shown for free on Spike across the pond (although we Brits still had to pay for them!). They began with a middleweight fight between Drew McFedries and Tomasz Drwal. This certainly proved to be an interesting fight. While Drwal looked great, at the opposite end of the scale, McFedries looked very disappointing, almost straining to unleash any blow, so it really came as no surprise when Drwal got the win in the second round, rocking McFedries early on before taking him down, quickly taking his back and synching in a rear naked choke, with McFedries tapping soon afterwards. A good performance by Drwal here.

Then it was down to welterweight for Rick Story against Brian Foster. This proved to be a great contest, with some good action from both men in the first round which continued into the second. When the fight went to the ground, Story went for an arm triangle choke from within the guard, something which hasn’t really been seen before. The referee checked if Foster was okay, but it wasn’t long before he tapped out. This was a very good fight, with Story winning the submission of the night award for his efforts.

Efrain Escudero against Cole Miller at lightweight was up next. This one started slowly, with Escudero scoring with a take down and letting Miller back up, before knocking him back down to the ground with a hard right, following up with the ground and pound before the referee stepped in, giving Escudero the TKO win. Nice stuff.

The final fight of the prelim show saw more lightweight action, this time between Jim Miller and Steve Lopez. Miller was clearly on top in the first round, with a couple of blows that sent Lopez down. Lopez looked a bit lethargic, although he was able to escape from Miller’s guillotine attempt. He looked a bit better in the second round, but unfortunately he injured his shoulder while throwing a left, and immediately pulled out of the fight, giving Miller the TKO win. With the way that he was starting to come back you couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed for Miller here. Maybe these two will hook up once again when Lopez is fit and ready to go.

Then it was on to the main show, beginning with Tyson Griffin against Hermes Franca. Franca came into this one with a crazy blue rinse hairstyle, but his main problem here was that he didn’t actually make the lightweight limit. Whether this played on his mind, I don’t know, because he certainly put in a disappointing performance, looking very sluggish throughout the first round. The second saw Griffin knock Franca down with a big right, before knocking him out with the ground and pound. A top performance from Griffin here, but I’m left to wonder what was wrong with Franca her.

Then we saw the first big return of the night, with Frank Trigg taking on Josh Koscheck in the welterweight division. This one took a while to get going, but when it did it was explosive, with Koscheck connecting with a big right that sent Trigg down to the ground. Koscheck went for the ground and pound, and the referee quickly stepped in and called a halt to proceedings. Trigg complained about an early stoppage, but replays showed that he’d made the right call. A very good performance from Koscheck here over the former champions.

More welterweight action followed, with Martin Kampmann facing my fellow Brit Paul Daley, so I think you can guess who I was rooting for here. A tremendous performance from Daley in his UFC debut saw him rock the Dane with a relentless torrent of blows, with the referee stepping in when he saw that Kampmann was out on his feet. Daley looked great here, and hopefully he’ll go on to big things in the UFC.

Filler material was next, with Robert Emerson facing Rafael Dos Anjos at lightweight. This was a very enjoyable three round encounter, with Dos Anjos putting in a very good performance. The way he was centring his attack on Emerson’s right leg was brutal at times. I hadn’t seen that much bruising since a wrestler punched me in the right arm and I had bruising from my shoulder to my elbow! In all though it was great stuff from Dos Anjos, who controlled Emerson in almost every aspect here, earning himself the unanimous decision.

The co-main event was up next, with Mirko Cro Cop taking on Junior Dos Santos in the heavyweight division. I was expecting big things from the Croatian here. Needless to say that I was a little disappointed. Although Cro Cop looked good in the first round, Dos Santos took over from the second, showing much better striking as the fight went on. All Cro Cop seemed able to do at times was push the Brazilian off him. The end came in the third round. After Dos Santos had scored with a series of knees to the head and body, he connected with a big right to Cro Cop’s left eye. Cro Cop immediately complained that he couldn’t see, and verbally submitted, giving Dos Santos the biggest win of his short career, and leaving many to wonder if there’s anything left for Cro Cop to give.

The main event saw Rich Franklin going up against the returning Vitor Belfort in a catch weight contest, made at 195 pounds. This one started very slowly, with a long feeling out process, before Belfort suddenly sprang into action, knocking Franklin off his feet with a left, and then knocking him out with a series of lefts on the ground, getting the KO win. Well, this was slow to start, but at least we all got to see the Belfort who had impressed everyone all those years ago.

With plenty of time to spare, two more preliminary fights were shown. The show ended with a second showing of the Rick Story/Brian Foster fight, but before that we got a three round battle between Nik Lentz and Rafaello Oliveira at lightweight. This was a very enjoyable contest. Oliveira looked good in the first round, as did Lentz, whose favourite submission hold seemed to be the guillotine choke. I actually lost count of the number of times he went for that hold in the first round. As the fight went on Oliveira began to visibly tire, while Lentz just got better, taking more control over the fight, and getting the judge’s unanimous decision.

In conclusion – once again the UFC impressed. Once again there were no bad fights here, and the addition of the preliminary fights before the main show was a nice touch, reminding this old wrestling fan of the Free For All shows that WWE used to put on before their pay-per-views. Let’s hope they continue with this.

As for the performances, I agree with Rick Story getting submission of the night, and Belfort getting knockout of the night. Our esteemed commentators began to wonder if Belfort could now challenge Anderson Silva for the middleweight crown. That would certainly be a mouth watering prospect.

As for Cro Cop, I’ve been a big fan of the guy ever since I saw him KO Bob Sapp in a K-1 fight years ago, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been disappointed by his tenure in the UFC. Has he lost it? Should he retire? If he doesn’t call it a day, then maybe Dana White and his band of merry men should give us the fight that Gabriel Gonzaga took away from us a couple of years ago – Mirko Cro Cop versus Randy Couture.

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com
Blog: www.myspace.com/twosheds316
Facebook: www.facebook.com/twosheds316 – add me as a friend!
Online Store: www.lulu.com/twosheds316 – buy my books!

It’s the stuff dreams are made of, two of the top heavyweight MMA fighters in the history of the sport finally facing off against each other, and it finally happened when “The Natural” Randy Couture squared off against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102, 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 Brandon Vera taking on Kryzysztof Soszynski in a light heavyweight contest. Vera has done really well since stepping down a division, and this was another great example of that. The Polish Experiment tried to stay up with Vera, but as the fight progressed Vera proved to be both technically and tactically better than Soszynski, so when the fight went the three round limit it came as no surprise when Vera got the unanimous decision, and rightfully so.

Middleweight action, with Chris Leben facing former WEC star Jake Rosholt, followed. Leben was the home town hero in this one, and was looking for a convincing win. Sadly, things didn’t go to plan. Leben showed some good skill, particularly on the ground, but I guess someone didn’t send Rosholt a copy of the script as, in the third round, he locked in an arm triangle. Leben tapped, but for some reason the referee didn’t see this, and he only stopped the fight when Leben slipped into unconsciousness. This tapped off a very impressive display from Rosholt, who looks like he could go far in the division.

The big boys came out to play next with Tim Hague and Todd Duffee in the heavyweight division. This was a quick one. A Duffee left sent Hague crashing down to the mat. Duffee went in for the kill, and the referee quickly stepped in when Hague was knocked out. The official time – just seven seconds, a new UFC knockout record.

The feature light heavyweight clash followed, with Keith Jardine facing Thiago Silva. This was another one that was relatively quick. Both guys got in their shots before Silva sent Jardine down with a left hook. The Brazilian went in for the ground and pound, with the referee quickly calling a halt to proceedings, giving Silva the victory. I’m now left to wonder just where Jardine will got in the UFC’s marquee division.

Filler material in the form of Ed Herman taking on Aaron Simpson at middleweight followed. This was another great match up that had a rather unfortunate ending. Both men put in a great account of themselves, in particular Simpson, who definitely looks like a star in the making. However, when Simpson scored with a takedown late in the first round, Herman suffered a knee injury, and even though the doctors checked him over between rounds, Herman insisted on going on with the fight. He lasted just a few seconds of the next round. After Simpson caught his right kick attempt, Herman crumpled to the ground clutching his knee, and the referee stopped the fight immediately, giving Simpson the win. It’s a shame that the fight had to end this way, but who knows, when Herman’s back up and running we might see these two go at it again.

Then it was on to the main event, the dream match, pitting Randy Couture against Antonio Nogueira. This is the kind of fight that makes you feel great about being an MMA fan. It looked like it was going to end early, with Nogueira locked in an arm choke, but releasing the hold when he realised he wasn’t going to get the submission. It was a statement of intent for the rest of the fight, a truly wonderful encounter with the Brazilian once again proving just why he’s one of the best heavyweights in the history of MMA, and even though you knew he was winning, you couldn’t help but hope that Couture would somehow come out on top, finding that one big punch or move that would give him victory. But sadly, the sentimental favourite just didn’t do enough for the judges, who gave the unanimous decision to Nogueira. It’s a shame that this wasn’t fought over five rounds. Perhaps the Natural would have been able to fight his way back then.

The final fight of the show saw more filler material, a lightweight battle between Marcus Aurelio and Evan Dunham. This was the proverbial game of two halves as it were. Dunham looked great in the stand-up game early on, and his defence against Aurelio’s take downs was top notch. With both men having their moments in the second, the third proved vital for Aurelio, who finally asserted his ground game, with the fight ending with both men exchanging blows. In the end the judges gave the split decision to Aurelio, a decision you can’t really argue with, although it really could have gone either way.

In conclusion – a very good show from the Ultimate Fighting Championship here. Of course, everyone will be talking about the Couture/Nogueira fight, but from top to bottom this was a very strong card, another example of just why the UFC are the best they are at what they do.

ESPN’s handling of the event was a vast improvement on last month’s outing. We still had commercial breaks, but instead of putting them in between the rounds, they saw sense and put them in between the fights. Goldberg and Rogan were still cut off in mid-sentence at times, but this time we were able to see what was happening in the corners between the rounds.

So in all, well done UFC, and to ESPN. Let’s hope that Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort can continue the good work in a few weeks.