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2 Gorillas locked in a cage: Brock Lesnar versus Shane Carwin.

UFC 116, when Heavyweight champ Lesnar made the long awaited return to pay per view TV, following a nasty intestine illness, which the majority of us can’t pronounce, let alone spell correctly. Seeing as Lesnar was unable to defend the belt, Carwin fought Frank Mir to decide the Interim Heavyweight Champion, hence both fighters carrying gold straps over their shoulders on the front of the DVD.

Carwin was clearly the most formidable opponent yet for the former WWE superstar Brock. See the Countdown Show for all the low-down on the then unbeaten Carwin. It’s a great build-up, telling Lesnar’s story battling illness, getting back into champion condition ready to face his rival. The feature also showcases the training and ability of both competitors.

The “clash of the titans” epic main event bout alone is without a doubt worthy reason to purchase this double DVD release. Let’s take a closer look at this epic showdown:

In the pro-wrestling world Lesnar came from, the best wrestlers tell a story in the ring as opposed to just doing flashy moves. The plot here is of the then champ being pummelled by challenger Carwin in round 1, appearing to be down and out. Come round 2 we see Lesnar make the comeback overcoming adversity, thus earning the hearts of many fans in the process, who previously hated on the “heel” from the WWE.

Lesnar’s performance in the second stanza truly impresses, for the heart he shows coupled with pulling out a sidechoke submission win, for the first time, adding a new weapon to the ‘Next Big Things’ arsenal. Epic.

Another further value to UFC 116 is the world class middleweight clash between the always dangerous Ultimate Fighter alumini – Chris ‘The Crippler’ Leben and Japanese superstar Yoshihiro Akiyama. This global showdown will be remembered as a classic encounter, truly an adrenaline-fuelled fight, packed with thrills ‘n’ spills.

Leben v Sexyama (as he’s affectionately called by many fans) is a great example of what an MMA bout can be for the spectator, at it’s very best. A display of hearts and skills by both combatants that draws you in.

Leben’s triangle-choke in the latter half of round 3 is awesome. Following the win Chris calls out Pride legend Wanderlei Silva, the fighter originally penned in to face Akiyama. Leben has got to feature high in a top ten of exciting fighters, no doubt.

As you’d expect from FightDVD, UFC 116 comes complete with the full card of fights from the live event plus you are spoiled with stacks of extra footage, enjoy!

UFC 116 Lesnar vs Carwin is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

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

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

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

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

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

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

The middleweight action continued as Court McGee faced Ryan Jensen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s a video of particular interest to fans of both UFC and WWE. Ariel Helwani interviewing WWE pro wrestler Undertaker cage-side for UFC 121, just as defeated Brock Lesnar leaves the octagon.

Looks like these guys have some heat.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

Watch the 10 minute preview video, loaded with all the pre fight event hype.

See UFC 121 live 3am Sunday, ESPN.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

This coming Saturday – October 23, reigning UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar once again defends his title. Stepping up to the plate will be Mexican fan favourite Cain Velasquez.

Like Shane Carwin before him, Cain is a worthy contender for Lesnar. The Mexican has all the tools to beat the ‘Vanilla Gorilla’. Cain’s got the size, wrestling and boxing ability to get the job done.

My pick is Lesnar, Brock just gets better and better. He showed that versus Carwin, not only does he boast the best wrestling skills, size, strength and speed, now he possesses submissions.

No doubt Cain will be a tough challenge but the dedication of Lesnar plus having the right people around him he can overcome whatever’s put in front of him.

Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann: New comer to the UFC Shields, finally arrives in the octagon this Saturday at UFC 121. The former Strikeforce Middleweight champion enters as a top welterweight contender for St Pierre’s thrown. His relentless ground game could be the undoing of GSP a little further down the line.

Despite Shields being a huge name in MMA, thanks to his exposure on CBS in the States and Bravo in the UK via Strikeforce, he’s still relatively unknown to a lot of UFC fanatics who don’t follow other leagues. Leading up to the bout with Kampmann, the UFC are treating us to a video blog (see UFC youtube channel), following the welterweight contender prepare for the fight on Saturday. A great opportunity to delve into the world of the Zuffa brand signee.

Despite being an unbeaten champion, Shields wasn’t on great terms with Scott Coker’s Strikeforce. Following a win over UFC cast-off Dan Henderson, a brawl ensued, when Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller made an unscheduled appearance in the cage. He was a shoved by Jake’s team mate Gilbert Melendez, then hell broke loose as fellow members of the Caesar Gracie camp including Nick and Nate Diaz waded in.

Aside from the controversy Shields boasts some fantastic grappling skills. He’s a great BJJ guy, who is a threat in all positions not just with guard work, he can dominate just as well on top.

Kampmann is going to want to keep the fight standing, where he has the advantage. Jake is sure to drag the fight to the deck and keep it there, where his BJJ will be too much for Kampmann.

Another interesting match-up booked for UFC 121 is the original Huntington Beach Badboy himself – Tito Ortiz facing Matt ‘The Hammer’ Hammill. These guys were friends on Season 3 of The Ulitmate Fighter. Fellow wrestler Ortiz gave Hammill preferential treatment in training, riling up Brit Mike Bisping.

Ortiz admits Hammill is the better wrestling, whereas Ortiz the former Light-Heavyweight division king enters the octagon with clear experience edge. I’m picking Hammill by decision. I feel Ortiz is on his way out of MMA, being past his prime, however this is his opportunity to prove the pundits wrong, can he do it?

Complete advertised card:

Heavyweight Championship bout: Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez

Welterweight bout: Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann

Welterweight bout: Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago

Light Heavyweight bout: Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill

Heavyweight bout: Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Prelims:

Middleweight bout: Court McGee vs. Ryan Jensen

Middleweight bout: Patrick Côté vs. Tom Lawlor

Welterweight bout: Mike Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts

Lightweight bout: Sam Stout vs. Paul Taylor

Middleweight bout: Chris Camozzi vs. Dong Yi Yang

If you are betting on any of the fights, I recommend Paddy Power, offering a good choice of outcomes. Click the link on bluraymma.com to join Quidco cashback website, where can then click through for Paddy Power. Do this to earn cashback for placing your bet, plus you’ll be supporting bluraymma.com in the process.

Watch UFC 121 live on ESPN, 3am Sunday morning.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

Once again thanks to the amazing networking tool  - Facebook, bluraymma.com is treating you to another interview with a top UK MMA fighter.

If you saw BAMMA 4: Alex Reid vs Tom ‘Kong’ Watson (who didn’t?), you would have seen the announcement of promoters BAMMA flying in combat sports legend Bob ‘The Beast’ Sapp, for BAMMA 5 in December. The fighter booked to fight Sapp is non other than Stav ‘The Crazy Bear’ Economou, known as an Ultimate Challenge heavyweight competitor, via the exposure on Sky Sports.

What’s your current favourite song?

Hmm…I’ve got  couple at the moment. I’ve been listening to ‘Warrior’ B Disturbed and ‘Overthrow’ by Man of Kin, the latter will be my entrance music for my next fight.

How do you relax between training?

Nothing spectacular or anything, I might play on my XBox or just surf the net although recently watching Jersey Shore has taken over alot of my free time!

I noticed you are a fan of pro wrestling, who is your favourite wrestler?

C.M Punk

Who’s your favourite TNA Knockout or WWE Diva?

Too be honest womens wrestling really bores me (unless its Japanese womens wrestling) but I never skip the channel if the beautiful people are on!

How did you decide to become a mixed martial artist? How did you get started?

Well being a huge wrestling fan I first heard of the UFC from when guys like Ken Shamrock (and later Dan Severn)were wrestling. So when I heard about him going back to the UFC to fight Tito Ortiz at UFC 40 I waited till it came out on DVD, bought it and I was absolutely hooked.

You are an exciting figter to watch. Who are your favourite mixed martial artists, who inspires you?

I love watching fighters like Alistair Overeem, Brock Lesnar, Wanderlei Silva and Fedor.

This weekend you are fighting a K1 bout for UWC Garons Park, Southend On Sea. Are you primarily a standup fighter? Who is your opponent?

I’m primarily an MMA fighter so where ever the fight goes, on the ground or on my feet, im happy to be honest. I’m fighting a guy called Jason Dutton who recently fought for the ISKA Super-heavyweight title.

You are booked in to fight Bob Sapp at BAMMA 5 in December. Sapp is a huge name in the world of combat sports, how do you feel about stepping into the cage with someone of that status?

Well he could of fought almost anyone, anywhere and he was happy to fight me at BAMMA. I’m not sure if you could call that an honor but it’s certainly exciting!

Who will you be training with leading up to the December fight?

Well I’ve been training for my fight this Saturday so going into the fight with Bob Sapp my training will just continue.

Are there any specific areas you will train in preparation for ‘The Beast’?

Just going to make sure that my cardio and condition is the best that it can be.

Do you have a strategy for the fight?

My strategy is more or less to not lose.

Where do you see yourself ranking currently internationally?

I’ll let you know December 5th.

Bisping or Akiyama?

I like Akiyama and would like him to win but Bisping’s awesome cardio is going to win him the fight for sure.

Valesquez or Lesnar?

Brock Lesnar.

Do you have any websites you can recommend the fans visit?

UKMMA1.co.uk Check out and join the ‘Stav Crazy Bear Economou’ Facebook fanclub and bluraymma.com of course!

Interview by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

A departure from the norm, the voice of the UFC Joe Rogan & best buddy Jiu Jitsu genius Eddie Bravo guest on controversial The Alex Jones Show. Recorded in Austin, Texas ahead of UFC Ultimate Fight Night 22.

Subjects covered inlcude Brock Lesnar’s dietary requirements and illness, the nature of reality, chem-trails, swarms of bees talking to each other, oh and gay bombs!

Fascinating stuff. And who said MMA guys were all meat-heads?

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

More from Brock’s best buddy Paul Heyman.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

Here’s another interview video by Ariel Helwani. Following Brock Lesnar’s win over Shane Carwin at UFC 116, Ariel interviews Brock former WWE buddies -- ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, Bill Goldberg, Jim Ross and best friend Paul Heyman.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

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.