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With ESPN unwilling to cough up a few extra quid to show UFC shows outside of their regular contract it was Premier Sports who stepped in so British fans could watch Chris Lytle’s final fight against Dan Hardy in the early hours of this past Monday morning.

The broadcast began in the welterweight division as Amir Sadollah faced Duane Ludwig.

This proved to be an intriguing three round encounter. Ludwig did a great job in the striking department in the first two rounds, his big left hook rocking Sadollah a number of times, and when Sadollah went for the take down Ludwig was able to escape quite easily.

Although Sadollah upped his game a little in the third he still looked a step behind Ludwig. He scored with a couple of good kicks but his punches looked slow and sluggish, the fight ending with Ludwig scoring with a take down.

So with the fight going the distance it was over to the judges, with all three giving the fight to Ludwig. Awesome performance.

It was down to the lightweight division for the next fight as Charles Oliveira took on Donald Cerrone.

A short feeling out period at the beginning of this one saw both men testing the waters with punches and kicks. There was a brief pause following Cerrone’s inadvertent kick south of the border, but when the action began the striking just got better and better.

The end came when Cerrone scored with a hook to the body. Oliveira went down, and Cerrone went in for the kill with the ground and pound, the referee stepping in to give Cerrone the impressive TKO win.

The lightweight action continued with Jim Miller against Ben Henderson.

Henderson put in a tremendous performance here. For the first two rounds Miller went for a variety of submission attempts, from chokes to leg locks to arm locks, but Henderson managed to escape each and every time, coming back with some wicked looking ground and pound, busting Miller open with an elbow in the second round.

Miller dropped his man in the third, but Henderson and looked even better than he had in the first two rounds, controlling the fight on the ground and almost getting the win with a rear naked choke, as well as unleashing with more awesome strikes.

Once again the judges were called into action, with all three giving the fight to Henderson. Surely the former WEC champion is ready for a UFC title shot now!

The main event featured welterweight action as Dan Hardy faced Chris Lytle in Lytle’s last ever fight.

This proved to be a great main event. For nearly fifteen minutes Hardy and Lytle engaged in a tremendous striking battle. Hardy tried a kick early on, but when Lytle caught his leg Hardy never threw another kick again, preferring to box with Lytle instead.

Both guys had their moments throughout the fight, but the fact that Lytle was getting Hardy to fight his kind of fight said a lot about his tactics, and just when it looked like Hardy was upping his game in the final moments of the fight Lytle went for a guillotine on the ground. The Brit tried to fight back but it wasn’t long before he tapped out in the final minute of the fight to give Lytle the submission win. A fitting ending to one of the UFC’s best fighters.

In conclusion – for a while it looked like Brits would have to sit in front of their computers or look for a download site to see this show until Premier Sports came in at the last minute, offering this show for free, and I’m glad they did, because this was a great show.

The four fights featured here certainly delivered, but I can’t decide if Miller/Henderson or Hardy/Lytle was the better fight.

As for Premier Sports coverage, kudos to this subscription channel for giving British fans the chance to see this for free, even if they did suffer from the ESPN problem of coming back late from commercial breaks a couple of times.

But who knows, maybe this will be the proverbial kick up the backside ESPN needs, because I know a lot of people only subscribe to the channel to see the UFC, and if they thought that Premier Sports (or Sky Sports for that matter) might bid for the rights when ESPN’s contract is up they may consider sticking their hands in their pockets and buying the rights to the shows that weren’t in their original contract.

So in all the UFC’s fifth foray onto America’s Versus channel gets the thumbs up from me for it’s all round quality.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

After a stellar pay-per-view it was time for the Ultimate Fighting Championship to return to free to air television with their 24th Ultimate Fight Night, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began with featherweight action as Leonard Garcia went up against Chan Sung Jung.

A strong show opener saw both men testing the waters with strikes and kicks, with Garcia looking the stronger of the two.

But when the fight went to the ground Jung was the stronger, especially in the second round, setting Garcia up with some nice ground and pound. Moments later he took Garcia’s back, switching over so he could apply a twister for the submission win, the first time that particular hold had been seen in the UFC.

It was up to welterweight for fight as Amir Sadollah faced Demarques Johnson.

This battle of former Ultimate Fight alumni proved to be a highly entertaining affair.

There was no feeling out period in this one as the exchanges began straight away, with both guys getting some good shots in.

When the fight went to the ground in the first round Johnson looked great as he put in some solid work.

Sadollah worked his way back at the start of the second, and as Johnson began to tire Sadollah took control on the ground.

Johnson had no answer to Sadollah’s ground and pound, and just when it looked like the referee was about to step in Johnson tapped out, ending a great performance from Sadollah.

The welterweight action continued as Dan Hardy went up against Anthony Johnson.

While this may not go down as the most spectacular fight in UFC history it featured some solid technical action throughout, although this didn’t sit well with some of those in attendance.

When Johnson decked Hardy with a high left kick early in the first round it became obvious that he’d use his size and reach advantage to good effect, especially on the ground.

Johnson was able to take Hardy down whenever he wanted, dominating the fight on the ground. Hardy went for a couple of kimura but just didn’t have the power or the leverage to see the hold through.

Although he dominated Johnson’s best submission attempts came in the final round with side choke and neck crank attempts. Hardy survived these but by then it was too late.

The judges were called into action for the first time during the broadcast, and all three gave every round to Johnson, a just reward for his solid efforts.

The main event saw Light heavyweight action as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira took on Phil Davis.

Another interesting three round saw little Nog frustrate Davis early on as he soundly defended Mr. Wonderful’s take down attempts.

But from the second round onwards Davis changed his tactics, switching from double leg to single leg take downs, something that the Brazilian just didn’t seem to have any defence against.

Once he’d taken his man down Davis was able to take control with his ground and pound, controlling the remainder of the fight.

Once again the judges came into play, with all three giving Davis the biggest win of his career.

In conclusion – after a great pay-per-view the UFC have done it again with a great free to air show.

I know I’ve said this before about other shows but there wasn’t one bad fight here, and the fact that this one featured the likes of Hardy and Nogueira just shows how deep the UFC talent pool is at the moment. It’s also an example of how fighters who come in as replacements always seem to be up for the challenge.

So in all this show gets the big thumbs up, even though the Brit didn’t get the win!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The welterweight action continued as Dan Hardy faced Carlos Condit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

UFC: Best of 2009 DVD.

Along with putting all the UFC pay per view events on DVD for you to own, fortunately for us FightDVD also release all the best of collectors discs. One such recent offering is UFC Best of 2009.

Originally aired on ESPN, this unique DVD has the function of choosing extra bouts in their entirety as you view the main feature or you can pick to see the fights separately from the menu.

2009 without a doubt was an exciting year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, seeing new champions crowned, emerging top contenders plus returning cage warriors returning to better form. If you weren’t able to catch all the UFC’s output last year then this DVD for you.

Highlights include the epic battle of champions, Georges ‘Rush’ St Pierre (Welterweight champ), challenged by the then reigning lightweight title holder BJ ‘The Prodigy’ Penn.

Another pivotal title fight was the crowning of new light-heavyweight king Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida, who devastated ‘Suga’ Rashad Evans.

One of the biggest moments of them all had to be at the monumental pay per view – UFC 100. That huge moment there on July 11 being former WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar beating Frank Mir. Yes, ‘the next big thing’ stamped his moniker on Mir and the heavyweight division, thus avenging his only MMA lost.

Along with dominant champions, 2009 saw a huge return for octagon icon Chuck Liddell. The KO loss to Shogun Rua reminded us the best is behind the UFC Hall of Famer. Former PRIDE FC legend Rua of course went on to greater glory, putting in a great performance versus Machida, earning a return title fight in 2010.

Still in the LHW bracket, 2009 was the year a UFC great – Tito Ortiz made his return to active MMA competition and the ranks of the UFC. A new arrival making an impact Brazilian Little Nog.

The newer emerging talent featured on the 2 disc set that get a shout are Brits Dan ‘Outlaw’ Hardy, who had a fantastic year, plus Scouser Terry Etim, another rising star from our fair isles. Can’t forget the success of the UK contingent on season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter. Lightweight winner Ross Pearson in particular is a fighter to watch the progress of.

A fight aired at part of TUF 9 finale making the compilation here is Diego ‘Nightmare’ Sanchez facing Clay ‘The Carpenter’ Guida, in possibly the best slug-fest of ’09.

TUF 10: The Heavyweights receives a mention but here too, but not enough time here given to winner Roy Nelson, a fighter Dana White didn’t seem to appreciate.

The Best of 2009 may not be personally all what you might pick for the DVD but it’s clearly a value for money addition to your MMA DVD collection, boasting 345 minutes worth of ultimate-fighting action in total, including bonus material, peeking behind the scenes of memorable 2009 cage-clashes.

UFC Best Of 2009 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 releases.

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz.

Wait no longer, The Ultimate Fighter season 11 kicks off tonight, see it on FIVE USA, 11pm. The highly anticipated MMA reality TV series is back. Personally I can’t wait to see season 11 coaches Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell back on our screens, they are icons of the octagon.

Not only are the UFC giving us MMA fanatics TUF 11 on free-view but they are also chucking in a brand new programme full of classic moments from the 8-sided cage – UFC Wired, following straight after The Ultimate Fighter premier episode.

So you don’t have ESPN and missed UFC 111? Have no fear your favourite free-view channel FIVE is too the rescue! Catch Dan Hardy in action against Georges St Pierre on  Sunday, April 11th at 11.55pm. The Interim Heavyweight bout between Shane Carwin and Frank Mir gets another airing in the same slot.

More good news for UK UFC viewers, UFC 112 will air at the socialable time of 6pm. Even if you are a non ESPN subscriber you should be able watch the Abu Dabai event live at a bar.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

There’s been quite a few Brits who have plied their trade in the octagon, guys like Ian Freeman, Mark Weir, Paul Daley, Ross Pearson and, of course, Michael Bisping. Dan Hardy has eclipsed them all, the first Brit to earn a shot at a UFC title, taking on Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre in the main event of UFC 111, shown live here in Britain on ESPN in the early hours of this past Sunday morning, with Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handling commentary duties.

The show began with the prelims, as Ricardo Almeida faced Matt Brown in the welterweight division. This proved to be a very good fight. Both guys put on some good work against the cage in the first, Almeida on the offensive, Brown on the defensive. Almeida really upped his game in the second, showing some great jiu-jitsu as he worked into position to apply the rear naked choke for the submission win. A very good performance by Almeida in his welterweight debut.

It was up to the middleweight division for the next fight, as Rory Markham took on Nate Diaz. This was actually meant to be a welterweight fight, but was moved up to middleweight when Markham couldn’t make 170. Markham, at 177, looked a whole weight division more than Diaz, but the extra weight didn’t do much for him as Diaz dominated the fight, eventually getting the fight to the ground so he could lock in a body triangle for some ground and pound. Markham had no answer to the attack, with the referee stepping in to call time, giving Diaz the first round TKO win with a tremendous performance.

Filler material followed, and more middleweight action as Rousimar Palhares faced Tomasz Drwal. The blink and you’ll miss it affair of the evening. Drwal slipped, and Palhares pounced immediately, locking in a heel hook for the quick tap out. A little controversy followed though as Palhares kept the hold on after Drwal tapped. The time – just forty five second. Nice work by Palhares, but a slightly tainted win in my opinion.

On to the main show, which began with lightweight action as Jim Miller went up against Mark Bocek. This was the kind of fight that makes you proud to be an MMA fan, a great back and forth encounter with some excellent ground work by both men. Bocek controlled things early in the first, until Miller reversed and almost got the submission win with a kimura. Bocek controlled the second, using a body triangle to completely control Miller until Miller managed to escape. The third round looked far more even, and in a fight that could have gone either way Miller took the unanimous decision. Two really impressive performances here, an outstanding fight.

Then it was up to the welterweight division as Jon Fitch took on Ben Saunders. To say that Fitch dominated this fight would be an understatement. Fitch controlled every aspect of this three rounder, and even though those in attendance didn’t appreciate the effort or style it clearly worked for Fitch. Saunders only moment of note came with a kimura attempt which Fitch easily escaped from. In the end it really wasn’t a surprise when Fitch got the unanimous decision.

More lightweight action followed, with Kurt Pellegrino and Fabricio Camoes. This one was fought at a frantic pace. Camoes looked like he was going to get the win in the first with a standing rear naked choke, until Pellegrino escaped by slamming him down on his head. Pellegrino controlled the action from there, before he took Camoes’ back and got the submission win with a rear naked choke of his own. A really good fight here, and a great win for Pellegrino.

Then it was on to the big boys as Frank Mir faced Shane Carwin for the Interim Heavyweight title. The longest fight of Carwin’s career was also his best. After negating Mir in a clinch against the cage, a succession of lefts saw Mir drop to his knees. Carwin was all over him with the ground and pound, and it wasn’t long before the referee stopped the fight, giving Carwin the title and the knockout win. An awesome performance from Carwin here, and I guess that Mir’s Brock Lesnar obsession will have to go on a bit longer.

After a second showing of the Palhares/Drwal fight it was on to the main event, as my fellow Brit Dan Hardy challenged Georges St-Pierre for the Welterweight title. Sadly, the Outlaw couldn’t get the job done. GSP dominated from start to finish, outclassing Hardy in every aspect, able to take his man down at will, and dominating him on the ground, almost getting the submission win with an arm bar in the first and a kimura in the fourth. GSP was world class here, and no surprises here as every judge gave him every round. I have to wonder though just what’s left for him in this division.

So following that great fight it was on to light heavyweight action as Rodney Wallace took on Jared Hamman. This certainly proved to be an interesting encounter. Wallace came out all guns blazing at the start of the fight, and rocked Hamman with some good shots, but he looked absolutely exhausted by the end of the first. As the fight progressed Wallace kept trying, but he just didn’t seem to have the energy as Hamman began to assert control. Hamman emerged as the winner, with all three judges giving him the decision. While Wallace may look like a million dollars he clearly has a conditioning problem.

In conclusion – an exceptional show from Dana White and his crew here. Each fight delivered, with Georges St-Pierre’s performance the highlight of the night for me. So with two good shows in the space of a few days we’re now looking forward to Wednesday’s potential classic between Kenny Florian and Takanori Gori.

If you missed the Countdown, don’t worry here is part of the episode. A little Mir, Carwin, Fitch, and Alves all rolled into one.

This is the first episode, can’t wait to see more.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

UFC 99 - The Comeback: Franklin vs Silva

It is just a matter of weeks since the last UFC event our side of the Atlantic took place, when the UFC landed down in Manchester, England for UFC 105. UFC 99 was the last time back on June 13th, 2009 we didn’t have to watch a live UFC card at stupid o’clock. Now is your chance to add this fightdvd release to your collection, complete with all the preliminary bouts, countdown show, the weigh-ins plus a special look behind the scenes of this mammoth MMA event from Lanxess Arena, Cologne, Germany.

The marquee match-up featured Pride FC veteran Wanderlei ‘The Axe Murderer’ Silva facing off against UFC babyface Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin. Both competitors are enormously popular, Franklin being a likable fan favourite American hero, then we have Wanderlei the Brazilian rugged old school Pride campaigner. Surprisingly despite appearances there is little age difference between the pairing but Wanderlei has seen more wear and tear.

Both fighters were looking to climb back to the top having lost on their previous outings in the octagon, hence the comeback title. The contest was billed as a catch-weight bout at 195lbs, since Franklin was heading up to light-heavyweight and Silva down to the middle-weight division. A division dominated by another Silva and former Chute Boxe training partner Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva. Added to the fight build-up was Anderson choosing to train with Franklin, a fighter the middle-weight champ had beaten and wanted to help beat Wanderlei.  Incidently this headline showdown is the first time I placed a bet on a UFC fight and I lost it. Don’t always bet on the meanest looking dude is my advice!

Just below the top spot on the card is a brutal gruelling contest between heavyweight contenders, Latino wrestler Cain Valesquez taking on French-African striker Cheick Kongo. Cain is hotly tipped as a possible challenger to Brock Lesnar’s heavyweight thrown in the near future.

Another heavyweight bout features the return of the Croatian K1 kick-boxing sensation Mirko Cro Cop facing off against British based cage combatant Mostupha Al-Turk.

For us Brits the top fight featured here on this 2 disc DVD release has to be the welterweight grudge match of Marcus ‘The Irish Hand Grenade’ versus Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy. Davis is a fighter who made a name for himself fighting this side of the Atlantic beating home-grown talent, fitting Hardy put an end to his streak. A new star was created in The Outlaw due to this showdown in Germany, cementing Hardy’s place in the top tier of the UFC welterweight division and the hearts of Brit MMA fans. That’s hope he gained more admirers in the USA and worldwide following his display of sportsmanship post fight, Davis did himself no favours leaving the octagon so swiftly. Look out for the UFC match-makers to announce a date for Dan Hardy to challenge Georges St Pierre in 2010 for the welterweight gold.

You can also view my original review of the live event by visiting our sister site BluRayUFC.com

UFC 99 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 and related combat sports and martial arts DVD releases.

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com