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It was another show with a much changed main event as B.J. Penn faced Nick Diaz at UFC 137, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began with action from the featherweight division as Hatsu Hioki went up against George Roop.

This was one of those very intriguing back and forth battles. It wasn’t overly spectacular but it was great to watch.

Roop put on a good striking display early on, rocking Hioki with a big right and looking good in the clinches against the cage. One thing he couldn’t stop though was Hioki’s take downs in the first two rounds.

But while Hioki’s take downs were great he didn’t actually do much when he got into position, it was as if he didn’t know what to do. Roop managed to get him on the back foot after one of these periods with a up kick straight to the face.

Roop upped his game in the third, immediately scoring with the early take down and getting another take down late on. His work rate on the ground seemed to be that much more than Hioki’s, but like his opponent he couldn’t find a finish.

So with the fight going the distance the judges were called in as Hioki earning the split decision, something which didn’t sit too well with those in attendance.

Then it was down to bantamweight as Scott Jorgensen took on Jeff Curran.

Once again the company’s smaller fighters put on a great exhibition. It was another of those intriguing encounters in which both men put in a great night’s work.

It began quickly as they moved around the ring looking to get the first strike in, but when Jorgensen scored with the take downs Curran put on a great display of defensive fighting as Jorgensen attempted to weave his magic during the first two rounds, going for a guillotine at one point which Jorgensen easily escaped from.

The final round was a mainly striking affair, and by that time the fatigue factor was beginning to set in, and Curran looked like he’d hurt his hand at one point. The fight finished on the ground as Jorgensen defended Curran’s shot before taking side control.

Once again the judges were called into action Jorgensen took the close unanimous decision.

It was up to the heavyweight division for the next fight as Roy Nelson faced Mirko Cro Cop.

This was the fight I was really looking forward to, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

The first two rounds saw Nelson putting in an excellent display as he rocked his Croatian opponent a number of times. Cro Cop had his moments, but at times he looked a little one dimensional.

Cro Cop’s best moment came in the second. After Nelson connected with a big right Cro Cop came back with a barrage of blows to the body. Nelson managed to survive this onslaught, and after getting his win back he moved up a gear.

Nelson took Cro Cop down towards the end of the round, taking side control and putting his man in the crucifix position before unloading with a succession of lefts to the head.

The end came in the third round. When Cro Cop slipped Nelson took control, taking his man’s back and going to work with the ground and pound. It wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to give Nelson the impressive TKO win.

After the fight Cro Cop, disappointed with his performance, announced his retirement. A part of me would like to see him fight again, but a part of me thinks he’s made the right decision.

The heavyweight action continued with Cheick Kongo taking on Matt Mitrione.

This was one of those fights that was both infuriating and good to watch at the same time.

The feeling out period lasted for the better part of the first round, the only real action being a clinch against the cage that the referee eventually brought a halt to.

The second round featured a bit more action as they engaged in a striking battle. Kongo had some success with his leg kicks, while Mitrione rocked his man with some stinging shots.

The third round was the most action packed. Kongo soon scored with a take down, his ground and pound opening up a cut around Mitrione’s left eye. A second take down saw the Frenchman dominating the remainder of the round with his ground and pound, a tactic that Mitrione didn’t seem to have any answer to.

So once again the judges were called into action as Kongo took the unanimous decision.

The main event saw B.J. Penn taking on Nick Diaz in the welterweight division.

After all the changes to the main event this show needed a quality fight to end the evening, and it certainly got it with this fight.

This was an excellent outing from Diaz, and while Penn enjoyed some early success on the ground and bloodied his man’s face with some nice shots from the second round onwards Diaz took control.

As the old saying goes Diaz was beating Penn up. His striking was top notch as he used the Prodigy for target practice, turning his face in a bloody and puffed up mess. Penn tried to fight back but Diaz was at the top of his game, and it seemed as if there wasn’t anything Penn could do to stop the onslaught.

The judges were called into action yet again, and it came as no surprise that Diaz earned the unanimous decision for this top drawer performance.

The show rounded out with filler material as Dennis Siver faced Donald Cerrone in the lightweight division.

Cerrone began this one like a greyhound out of the traps, beginning an exchange of quick blows. It wasn’t long before a left kick staggered Siver, who grabbed the leg to save himself from further punishment.

But further punishment wasn’t far away as Cerrone took control, another left kick staggering Siver again. This time the Cowboy took Siver’s back and locked in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

In conclusion – with all the changes to the main event the UFC had to deliver a quality show. But who were we to doubt them?

Although there were some uninspiring moments from top to bottom UFC 137 achieved what it set out to do, with the performances of Roy Nelson and Nick Diaz the highlights of the night for me, and while I don’t think Nelson is quite ready for a title shot at the moment it’s obvious that Diaz is.

So in all UFC 137 gets the thumbs up from this particular writer. They really are the best they are at what they do.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com, as well as my Facebook group at www.facebook.com/twoshedsreview. Click the like button and show your support as I enter the dark and foreboding forties!

So could B.J. Penn continue to cut it in the welterweight division? That was what I was hoping to find out by watching UFC 127, their second foray into Australia, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began with the preliminaries as Nick Ring faced Riki Fukuda in the middleweight division.

A good three rounder to open the show. The debuting Japanese star made a great first impression with some nice take downs, particularly in the third round, and some good work on the ground.

Ring, although he showed some good defensive skills just had the look of a beaten man as the fight went on.

But the judges were the only ones who didn’t see it that way as all three gave the fight to Ring. It makes you wonder if they were actually watching what was happening.

It was up to light heavyweight for the next fight as James Te Huna faced Alexander Gustafsson.

An exciting one round affair saw Te Huna take control early on with some excellent ground work, and although he dominated it wasn’t long before Gustafsson escaped.

Moments later the Swede scored with an impressive take down, transitioning well until he took the Aussie’s back, locking in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

The first Brit fighter of the evening, Ross Pearson, then faced Spencer Fisher in the lightweight division.

This proved to be a highly entertaining and even looking fight. A mainly striking battle, both men rolled off a series of great combinations and kicks.

The main forays to the ground came at the end of the third round when Pearson scored with a couple of take downs.

The judges came into play again here as all three gave the fight to Pearson.

The main show began with middleweight action as Kyle Noke took on Chris Camozzi.

This one began with a nice exchange of blows, but when Noke scored with the take down it was the beginning of the end. Noke quickly took Camozzi’s back and synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

It was down to welterweight for the next fight as Chris Lytle went up against Bryan Ebersole.

A highly entertaining three rounder saw Ebersole attempt a cartwheel kick as soon as the fight started. It was a sign of things to come as Ebersole put on a slightly eccentric performance.

But all of that changed when a knee to the jaw in the second round saw Lytle slump against the cage.

The great action continued into the third as both fighters looked for various submission attempts, and showing great submission defensive work.

Once again it went down to the judges, with all three scoring in favour of Ebersole.

ESPN then continued their tradition of missing the beginning of a fight when coming back from a commercial break. If they’d come back any later we’d have missed Tiequan Zhang taking out Jason Reinhardt with a quick submission win. When will they learn?

So after that technical cock-up it was back to the action as George Sotiropoulos went up against Dennis Siver in the lightweight division.

Another great striking battle. Siver put in an excellent performance, rocking Sotiropoulos before knocking him down twice with left hooks in the first round.

Although the Aussie seemed to take a step behind he upped his game in the second and third rounds. The only problem was that Siver upped his game even more.

With the fight going the distance the judges were put to work again, all three giving the fight to Siver.

The co-main event saw Michael Bisping taking on Jorge Rivera in the middleweight division.

This certainly was a highly charged affair. Bisping looked great early on, scoring with a couple of take downs, but he earned himself a point deduction after connecting with a knee to the head while Rivera was still grounded.

Rivera recovered enough to continue, but Bisping’s striking was top notch in the second. A flurry of blows had Rivera in trouble up against the cage, a big right knocking him down. It wasn’t long before the referee stopped the fight, giving Bisping the TKO win. Afterwards the two of them still wanted to go at it.

The main event saw Jon Fitch going up against B.J. Penn in the welterweight division.

A really enjoyable fight saw Penn going for a take down straight away, making it obvious we weren’t in for a stand-up striking battle.

The fighters exchanged clinch positions before going to the ground, where they each enjoyed a measure of success.

But while the first two rounds looked close the third round belong to Fitch. After getting the take down he worked throughout with the ground and pound, and although Penn didn’t have an answer to this Fitch couldn’t finish him off.

So it was left in the hands of the judges, and while one scored in favour of Fitch the other two couldn’t separate them. The decision, a majority draw.

The show rounded out with more filler material, beginning with the heavyweight clash between Mark Hunt and Chris Tuchscherer.

A great slugfest saw both men unloading with the big stuff early on, but when Hunt’s onslaught opened up a nasty cut above Tuchscherer’s left eye the doctors almost called the fight.

Tuchscherer changed tactics and took the fight to the ground, almost getting the win with a kimura.

But when the second round began it was back to the slugfest, and when Hunt connected with an uppercut that dropped Tuchscherer it was all over as Hunt took the knockout win in what could be described as an ugly but highly effective way.

A second showing of the Te Huna/Gustafsson fight completed the action.

In conclusion – apart from a couple of potty decisions the UFC delivered once again. Every fight shown had it’s strong points, and it’s hard to decided on my fight of the night because they were all as good as each other.

Special mention must be made of the Australian fans. They were up for everything, and also proved just how much they knew about the sport, which, sadly, is something I can’t say about some British fans, especially those at the BAMMA show who complained when a clinch against the cage lasted more than five seconds!

So in all UFC 127 gets the big thumbs up this time around. Well done to all.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is going to be one of those strange events for me, as I’ve been asked to review a DVD release of a pay-per-view I’d already reviewed. The release in question is the two disc UFC 107, headlined by B.J. Penn defending his Lightweight title against Diego Sanchez.

Disc one is where you’ll find the fights. First up are the preliminary bouts, beginning with Kevin Burns against T.J. Grant in the welterweight division. An interesting back and forth battle saw Burns drop Grant early on. But Grant came back well with some good ground work.

An inadvertent low blow from Grant gave Burns a brief rest period, but it didn’t do him much good when Grant connected with a big right that sent him down. Grant followed him, with the referee stepping in to give Grant the TKO win.

The welterweight action continued with Demarques Johnson and Edgar Garcia. Another great back and forth affair with Garcia looking like he was going to get the submission early on with a Peruvian neck tie, which Johnson was able to escape from.

But despite being rocked Johnson came back strongly, hitting Garcia with an up kick which set up the triangle choke for the submission win.

It was up to the middleweight division next as Rousimar Palhares faced Lucio Linhares.

So what do you get when you put two BJJ black belts against each other. A great ground fight.

Palhares put on a great offensive display in the first round, with Linhares countering with a great defensive display.

Palhares looked a little gassed in the second round but he did enough to once again show his mastery of leg locks by getting the submission win with a heel hook.

It was back down to welterweight for the next fight as Johny Hendricks took on Ricardo Funch.

The first fight on the show to go the distance was a very cagey fight to begin with, but as the fight progressed Hendricks began to dominate more and more. Everything he did was impressive, and it came as no surprise when he got the unanimous decision.

Matt Wiman against Shane Nelson in the lightweight division was next.

This was a scrappy affair to begin with, with Wiman complaining about an eye poke early on. But as the fight went on it became a very entertaining affair, with Wiman looking the stronger throughout.

There was another unfortunate incident early in the third when Wiman caught Nelson with an accidental low kick. He ended the fight strongly though, and it was enough to earn him the unanimous decision.

The final preliminary saw Alan Belcher face Wilson Gouveia in a catchweight bout, made at 195.

Nothing but striking in this one, no ground work to speak of as both men basically tried to beat each other up, with Belcher connecting with a right to the body and following up with an uppercut. It wasn’t long before the referee stepped in and gave Belcher the impressive TKO win.

The main show began with heavyweight action as Paul Buentello took on Stefan Struve.

I really enjoyed this fight first time round, and it was just as good second time round. The highlight for me was when Buentello cut the giant Dutchman down in the second, dropping him with a big right as he telegraphed his flying knee.

As well as that we saw some great ground work in the first and great kicks in the third from Struve, which was enough to earn him the majority decision.

The lightweight fight between ESPN’s best MMA analyst Kenny Florian and Clay Guida was up next.

These two put in a great effort, and both were bloodied up by the end of the first, with Guida the worse of the two.

The end came in the second when a big Florian right to the jaw sent Guida crashing. A rear naked choke later and Florian had the submission win.

By the way, am I the only one who thinks that Guida needs a haircut?

The welterweight clash between Jon Fitch and Mike Pierce followed.

Now considering that Fitch’s five previous fights had all gone the distance it was pretty obvious how this one was going to play out.

It was a workmanlike performance from Fitch, solid and not overly spectacular, controlling the fight for the most part until the final few moments, when Pierce rocked him with a left hook and finished the fight with a flurry.

No surprise from the judges as Fitch took the unanimous decision.

Brock Lesnar’s best buddy Frank Mire took on French kickboxer Cheick Kongo in the heavyweight division next.

The blink and you’ll miss it affair of the show. After a brief feeling out period Mir connected with a big left that sent Kongo down, and after a guillotine choke Kongo was out of it, giving Mir the very impressive submission win.

Then it was on to the main event as Diego Sanchez challenged B.J. Penn for the Lightweight Championship.

Mike Goldberg said it best when he said that Penn is great at making good fighters look ordinary, and that was certainly the case here.

From the very beginning of the fight, when Penn knocked Sanchez down you knew that he wasn’t going down easily. His striking was superior, his take down defence was superb, and Sanchez just couldn’t handle him.

Penn looked as fresh as a daisy when the fifth round started, while Sanchez’s face looked a mess, and it was in this particular round that Penn finally finished his man off. The doctor was called in after Penn opened up a cut above Sanchez’s left eye, and he quickly stopped the fight. This was Penn at his best, and it was a joy to behold.

Disc two is where you’ll find the special features, pre and post fight stuff. You know what I mean.

In conclusion – this is the first UFC DVD release I’ve reviewed since UFC 78, and my opinion of them hasn’t really changed.

While the fight action is great, there are little things that missing here, and while I can understand that the fighters entrances are, for the most part, left out so they don’t have to pay royalties for the music they use, there are other things that could easily have been included.

For instance, we don’t see the initial introductions from Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan. Most of Bruce Buffer’s ring introductions are also cut, except for the two feature fights. That’s a shame because he really is the best in the world at what he does.

So in all, good fights, but missing those little touches that make UFC shows so special.

UFC 107: Penn v Sanchez can be purchased online at www.fightdvd.co.uk.