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A relatively new MMA debut made their television debut on Sky Sports here in Britain this past Wednesday night as Knuckle Up presented their Origin show, hosted by Lisa Nash and Dane Bowers.

The show began with amateur middleweight action between Matt Holmes and Aston Kehoe. An enjoyable encounter between two debuting fighters with both putting on a good show in the first round. Holmes sustained a nasty cut above his right eye at the beginning of the second, and after some brief ground work Kehoe connected with a left hook that sent Holmes crashing to the ground, with the referee stopping the fight as Kehoe earned the KO win with a very good performance.

Then it was down to the lightweight division as Daniel Thomas faced Stuart Davies. Fought mainly on the ground, Thomas dominated as soon as he got the take down, controlling Davies throughout. There just didn’t seem anything that Davies could do, and his one escape attempt was easily foiled. Thomas kept up his attack, and with Davies unable to withstand the ground and pound the referee stepped in with just ten seconds left in the first round. It may not have been flashy, but it was a good solid performance from Thomas here.

After brief highlights of some of the other fights on the show, welterweight action followed as Simon Phillips faced Danny Mitchell. A nice back and forth encounter saw Mitchell drop Phillips early on, but as the round progressed Phillips began to assert his authority on the ground. The action continued in the same vein in the second, with both fighters having their moments, but it was early in the third where Mitchell hurt the M-1 veteran with some knees in the muay thai clinch, and as Phillips slumped to the ground Mitchell quickly took his back to deliver some ground and pound, and with Phillips failing to defend himself, the referee stopped the fight, giving Mitchell the TKO win in a fight where both guys put in impressive performances.

The first title fight of the night followed, with Kevin Reed challenging Jake Blyth for the British Welterweight title. This proved to be a very interesting encounter. An unfortunate slip early on saw Reed take the guard, but a lack of action saw the referee stand the fighters up. Blyth then scored with a take down of his own, and put in some good work on the ground. Round two saw some nice back and forth action, until Blyth got Reed up against the cage and locked in a side choke for the submission win. Some nice action throughout here, and two good performances.

The man event saw John Phillips facing Matt Thorpe for the vacant British Middleweight title. This one lasted less than a minute. Both guys were swinging for the trees early on, and after Thorpe failed with his take down attempt, Phillips’ ground and pound hurt him quickly, and it wasn’t long before the referee called a halt to the proceedings giving Phillips the win and the title with a very good effort.

In conclusion – my first experience of the Knuckle Up promotion was a good one, as this proved to be a very entertaining show. The five fights that were shown in full certainly delivered. Production-wise things were very good. Messrs Bowers and Nash proved to be amiable hosts, although Nash was lacking in her MMA knowledge a little, as was evident in her interview. I was a slightly disappointed that we weren’t introduced to the commentators. They could have been two blokes who just walked in off the street for all we knew! But in all a very enjoyable show, and kudos to Sky Sports for giving us more MMA action.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com

MMA action returned to Bravo’s screens here in Britain this past Sunday night with the latest Strikeforce Challengers show, headlined by Sarah Kaufman against Takayo Hashi, and with Mauro Ranallo, Stephen Quadros and Pat Miletich handling commentary duties.

The show began with James Terry facing Tarec Saffiedine in the welterweight division. This mainly stand up battle proved to be a great opener, with Saffiedine controlling the pace throughout with his crisp striking and kicking, and whenever Terry got the take down the Belgian quickly escaped. Terry’s take down attempt in the final seconds summed up his night as Saffiedine immediately reversed into the mount. No surprise here as Saffiedine took the unanimous decision from the judges with this highly impressive performance.

Then it was on the middleweight division as Luke Rockhold faced Paul Bradley. An exciting fight saw Rockhold using his height and reach advantage to good effect, knocking Bradley on his backside a few times. Rockhold went for a guillotine, but a final flurry was ended when a knee winded Bradley, with the referee stepping in as Bradley fell to the ground, giving Rockhold the TKO win. Another impressive performance here.

The middleweight action continued with Trevor Prangley and Karl Amoussou. A fight that showed a lot of promise will be remembered for Prangley’s inadvertent eye poke towards the end of the first round. With Amoussou claiming that he couldn’t see out of his right eye the referee, on the advice of the doctor, stopped the fight and ruled it a technical draw. This upset Amoussou, who thought he was going to get five minutes to rest so he could recover, but he didn’t realise that rule only applied to low blows. An unfortunate end to what was shaping up to be a good fight.

The main event saw Sarah Kaufman taking on Takayo Hashi for the vacant Women’s Welterweight title. This five rounder was a pretty one-side affair. Kaufman out boxed Hashi throughout, and whenever the Japanese fighter went for a take down Kaufman was easily able to defend. And that was about it. Hashi was kind of disappointing as she seemed unable to change her tactics, even though she was clearly losing, while Kaufman seemed intent on doing just enough to get the win. No surprise here as Kaufman got the unanimous decision. It was an okay fight, but not the most inspiring action I’ve seen on a Strikeforce show.

In conclusion – two good fights, an unfortunate accident which, and a slightly uninspiring and one-sided main event meant that my first Strikeforce Challengers show was a mixed bag, mainly because the Kaufman/Hashi fight promised much but really didn’t deliver. But with Strikeforce now firmly entrenched in their new British television home, I’m really looking forward to seeing a lot more of them in the coming months, where they’ll hopefully become a viable alternative to the UFC.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com

We here at BlurayMMA like to think of ourselves as a diverse bunch. While we enjoy mixed martial arts, we’re also big fans of professional wrestling, which is why we’re taking a look at this rather ironic release from World Wrestling Entertainment. It’s ironic because as Hulk Hogan made his first appearances for TNA, WWE decided to release yet another DVD compilation dedicated to the man, featuring rare and unreleased matches, entitled Hulk Hogan’s Unreleased Collector’s Series. So what is this three disc set like then? Well, that’s what I’m hoping to find out.

DISC 1
November 13, 1979: Hogan faces Harry Valdez, accompanied by his manager “Classy” Freddie Blassie. It’s basically a squash match against an unknown jobber on the WWF’s Championship Wrestling programme. Hogan throws him around for a few minutes before getting the submission win with an over the shoulder back breaker. Vince McMahon interviews Hogan and Blassie after the match as they go into basic promo mode. A good way of getting the newcomer over.

April 12, 1980: Hogan challenges Bob Backlund for the WWF title in Philadelphia. This is a perfect example of the style of wrestling back then. In no way could anyone get away with applying a side headlock for ten minutes these days. It’s a good old fashioned back and forth encounter lasting about thirty minutes, with Backlund frustrating Hogan early on by using his amateur wrestling skills to counter Hogan’s strength advantage. Hogan’s power came into play later. An exchange of airplane spins would see both men tumble out of the ring. Backlund then went for another spin at ringside, pushing Hogan back into the ring before falling to the ground because of dizziness. This proved costly for the champion as Hogan gained the count out win, but not the title. If matches were like this today the internet marks would pull their hair our. Me, I thought it was great.

September 10, 1980: Hogan takes on Steve King and Angelo Gomez on an episode of All Star Wrestling. It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book here, putting your monster heel against two jobbers to get him over. It’s the same as the previous squash match, with Hogan beating the hell out of the jobbers before pinning them both at the same time after taking them both down with back breakers.

September 22, 1980: Hogan tackles Andre the Giant at Madison Square Garden, with Gorilla Monsoon as special referee. Of course, this was some years before Andre’s health problems took their toll, and in many ways this match is far superior to their Wrestlemania III encounter. It’s essentially a test of power and strength between the two big men, with Hogan proving to be Andre’s most difficult opponent at that point in his career. Andrew came out on top here. Having body slammed the Giant once, Hogan went to the well again, but the second body slam attempt failed as the Giant came crashing down on him, with Monsoon making the fast three count. Another good match.

May 2, 1981: Hogan takes on AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkle and his manager Bobby Heenan in a handicap match. Hogan went to the AWA after Vince McMahon Senior fired him for wanting to appear in Rocky III, although, naturally, our voice over man doesn’t mention this. Hogan by now is a beloved fan favourite, while Bockwinkle and Heenan are great in their roles as cowardly heels who try everything in the book to take the Hulkster down, including choking him with foreign objects and removing turnbuckle pads. Hogan manages to overcome the odds and eventually pins Bockwinkle after the big boot/leg drop combination. Another good match, and it’s also interesting to see how different the AWA style was compared to that of the WWF.

April 26, 1986: Forward five years, and Hogan is back in WWF territory, facing a man who would become a perennial foe and ally – “Macho Man” Randy Savage, two years before the formation of the Mega-Powers and three years before their classic at Wrestlemania V. These two always had great chemistry in the ring, and never more so than in this match. Savage was at his villainous best here, using every trick he could get away with, including using his manager Elizabeth as a human shield. It wasn’t Savage’s night though. Hogan kicked out of the pin after Savage’s top rope elbow, and sent the Macho Man running for cover after the big boot. Savage went for a second big elbow, but Hogan raised his foot and caught Savage in the jaw. Hogan got the title retaining pin, but Savage was done, attacking Hogan after the bell and running off with the title belt, with the Hulkster regaining his prize moments later.

May 4, 1986: Hogan teams with the Junkyard Dog to take on King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The first tag match of the collection is an entertaining affair with an absolutely white hot crowd. Hogan does what Bobby Heenan says is impossible by body slamming the two big men, costing Heenan a few thousand dollars in the process. The Dog does his part for the team, as Heenan gets his man disqualified just as Hogan is about to pin Studd after the big leg drop. Heenan’s night wasn’t over there, as he was accidentally on the receiving end of a Bundy avalanche.

June 26, 1987: Hogan takes on another monster as he defends his WWF title against the Ugandan giant, Kamala, in Houston. Kamala was one of the hottest stars in the WWF at the time, so it seemed natural to put him in the ring with Hogan. It’s a relatively short match, but still entertaining as Kamala controlled most of the action before Hogan kicked out of the pin after the big splash, getting his own pin after the body slam/leg drop combination. More action followed as Kamala’s handler Kim Chee and manager Mr. Fuji were sent running for cover after a failed post-match attack.

September 12, 1987: Hogan faces Killer Khan at the Boston Gardens. This is actually the first time I’ve seen Khan in action, and this guy looked pretty impressive. Khan took the referee out early on with the dreaded green mist, and his replacement was pretty lenient when he let Hogan clobber Khan with a chair. The Killer, with repeated interference from his manager Mr. Fuji, came close to getting the win, until Hogan kicked out after Khan’s knee drop to get the winning pin after his patented leg drop.

DISC 2
December 5, 1987: Another match from Philadelphia as Hogan squares off against the One Man Gang. For me the Gang was one of the best big men of that era, sadly later saddled with the awful African Dream gimmick. This is a nice example of the Gang’s work here as he works over the Hulkster’s back, before Hogan made the inevitable comeback, sealing the win after body slamming the big man and finishing him off with the leg drop, getting in a few licks on the Gang’s manager Slick for good measure. There’s also a brief appearance from Andre the Giant as he stares at Hogan from ringside.

January 9, 1988: A return to the Boston Gardens sees Hogan defending the WWF title against one of the unsung greats of wrestling, “Ravishing” Rick Rude. Before the match begins Rude and his manager Bobby Heenan challenged Hogan to an arm wrestling match, which Hogan promptly wins a few minutes in. From there Rude more or less dominates, even clobbering the Hulkster with a wooden chair while the Brain distracted the referee. Hogan then makes his comeback, kicking out of a pin after a top rope fist drop, before finishing Rude off with the leg drop. If there was one thing that Rick Rude was good at it was making his opponents look great, and her certainly did that job here.

March 12, 1988: Maple Leaf Wrestling action as Hogan teams with Bam Bam Bigelow against “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase and Virgil, who have Andre the Giant in their corner. Of course, Hogan isn’t the WWF Champion here, having “lost” the belt to the Giant in the controversial double referee angle. Bigelow and Dibiase were at their best in this one, putting in great performances. Even Virgil didn’t look too bad as he got his licks in. The bodyguard took the fall here, and this time it was Bigelow who got the pin after his big splash, although Hogan did get in his leg drop for good measure. The Giant got a few head butts in after the match as well.

October 16, 1988: Hogan’s in Los Angeles, and he’s then to take on royalty in the form of King Haku. Like his stable mate Rick Rude, Haku was great at making his opponents look great, and it’s the case with this match. Haku was in the best shape of his career as he really took it to the Hulkster. The King nearly got the count out win, but he stopped the referee’s count. The Hulkster mounted his comeback and got the pin after the leg drop. He also sent Bobby Heenan packing for good measure.

December 17, 1988: Another trip to L.A. sees Hogan square off against the Big Boss Man. This one started off on the arena floor, because the Boss Man kept threatening Hogan with his nightstick whenever he tried to get into the ring. When the action eventually got to the ring Slick tried to interfere, which resulted in the Doctor of Style getting handcuffed to the ring, until his charge managed to release him. The Boss Man really took it to our hero, with Hogan hulking up after kicking out of the Boss Man’s pin. However, he soon found himself handcuffed after another ringside brawl. Hogan would later break the cuffs, before getting the pin on the Boss Man after the trademark leg drop. I really enjoyed this one, mainly because it followed a slightly different formula.

June 3, 1989: Hogan once again takes on Randy Savage, but this time it’s after the explosion of the Mega-Powers team, and Savage is now managed by Sensational Sherri. It’s another example of the great chemistry Hogan and Savage had, with Sherri adding the kind of variety that Miss Elizabeth never had. These two go through their usual routine, but vary it at the end, with a brawl at ringside that sees Savage getting back in the ring just in time to beat the count. Savage and Sherri then grab the title belt, but are sent packing by the Hulkster. Out of all the matches I’ve seen between these two over the years this is one of the best.

April 30, 1990: Having lost the WWF title to the Ultimate Warrior, Hogan moves on to his next foe at Madison Square Garden, the massive Earthquake. I presume that this was before the angle on the Brother Love Show where Earthquake took out Hogan and put him on the shelf until that year’s Summerslam (or so he could go off and make one of those bloody awful films.) It’s actually a relatively short match, and quite early in Earthquake’s WWF career, with Hogan kicking out of the sit down splash, and getting the disqualification win when Jimmy Hart broke up Hogan’s pin attempt. A good match, but it lacked the drama and atmosphere of their Summerslam encounter.

April 24, 1991: In one of the most controversial angles of WWE history, Hogan defends the WWF title against Sgt. Slaughter in London. It was controversial because Slaughter declared allegiance to Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War. Now say what you want about the angle, but these two had some really heated matches. The action was crisp, with some of Slaughter’s corner bumps looking brutal. Slaughter, with the aid of his commanding officer General Adnan, tried all the dirty tricks in the book, including using a chair while the referee was taking a snooze. The official woke up just after Adnan accidentally threw powder into Slaughter’s eyes, giving Hogan the chance to get the pin after the trusty old leg drop. This one may have been better than their Wrestlemania VII encounter.

December 29, 1991: The dream match that fans around the world had waited years for, as Hogan faced Ric Flair at Madison Square Harden. No titles on the line in this one, as the WWF title had been held up after the controversial Hogan/Undertaker match a few weeks earlier. Hogan more or less dominates this one, even using the figure four leg lock at one point. Flair managed to get in a few shots, but it’s Hogan who gets the win via count out after one of the many ringside exchanges. It was okay I suppose, but I was surprised at how little offence Flair got in.

DISC 3
May 21, 1995: It’s on to WCW territory next, as Hogan teams with Randy Savage against Ric Flair and Vader at Slamboree. I always thought that WCW handled the Hogan/Flair feud a lot better than their WWF counterparts. This is actually a very good match, with both teams putting in great performances. I kind of forgot how good Vader was, my memories of him having been tarnished a little by his last WWE appearance. Mention must also be made of the ringside brawl between Arn Anderson and fake Ultimate Warrior Renegade. Hogan got the pin for his team in this one, taking care of Flair with the leg drop after Anderson’s attempted interference backfired. There was also an interesting cameo here, as the man who would later become the Big Show made his first WCW appearance, observing part of the match from the entrance.

July 16, 1995: Once again Hogan faces Vader, this time in a steel cage, and with the WCW title on the line at the open air Bash at the Beach. No technical Masterclass here, it’s basically two big guys beating the hell out of each other, throwing each other into the cage whenever they can. Once again Vader puts on a good show, and Hogan manages to Bodyslam him at the third attempt, and with Dennis Rodman stopping Kevin Sullivan and the man with a thousand gimmicks Ed “Zodiac” Leslie from entering the cage, Hogan retained the title by knocking Vader off the top rope and climbing over the cage to the floor. A good enough match, but bumping on a mat constantly exposed to blazing sunshine must have been a right pain in the you know where.

November 20, 1995: On an edition of Monday Nitro, Hogan teases a heel turn, wearing black and taking on Sting for the first time. Yep, WCW gave away a massive match like this for free. It’s a kind of pre-cursor to what happened the following year, and it’s a far superior match to their much hyped Starrcade encounter two years later. It’s a great back and forth affair, with Hogan missing the leg drop, and Sting locking in the Scorpion Death lock before the Dungeon of Doom stormed the ring and the Giant cleaned house, before he was sent packing by a chair shot from Hogan and Sting. An example of the Monday night wars at their finest.

January 25, 1997: Now in full heel mode as the leader of the New World Order, Hogan defends the WCW title against the Giant at the NWO’s only pay-per-view, Souled Out. The heel version of Hogan is a far more aggressive beast, and he bends and breaks any rule he can. As for the Giant, it’s a good performance from the big man, but he’s a hell of a lot more agile in this match than he is today, as was evident with his top rope elbow attempt. Now, if you’ve been used to Hogan kicking out of finishers, you’ll find it odd to see the Giant kicking out after the big leg drop, taking Hogan out with a choke slam. The Giant didn’t get the title winning pin though, as referee Nick Patrick kept stopping his count. The big guy went ballistic, choke slamming several NWO members until Hogan clobbered him with a guitar that Eric Bischoff had given him. A chair shot took the Giant out completely, with Hogan finishing the job with his trusty can of spray paint, ending a nice piece of action.

September 28, 1988: In another match that should have been on pay-per-view, Hogan faced Bret “Hitman” Hart for the first time ever. Now this is a strange and somewhat disappointing one. Hogan begins the match matching the Hitman hold for hold, but when Hogan centres his attack on Hart’s already injured knee, NWO Wolfpac members Sting, Lex Luger and Konnan stop Hart from continuing, with Sting replacing Hart while the Hitman is carried away on a stretcher by Luger and Konnan. So while Sting is facing Hogan, NWO Black & White members Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell attack Luger and Konnan backstage, and sent Hart back to the ring, and just as Sting has Hogan in the Death lock, Hart takes him out with a DDT, turning heel as Sting is taken out. This match could have been so much more if it wasn’t for the overbooked angle, and it’s a shame that fans didn’t get what they really wanted.

May 13, 2002: Back in WWE territory, and back in the red and yellow, Hogan defends the WWE title against his old rival and then-owner Ric Flair on an edition of Raw. Quite a short match here, and despite the advancing years of those involved, as well as a couple of dodgy moments, it’s still quite an entertaining encounter, with Hogan using the figure four against the Nature Boy again, before we get a brawl involving NWO members X-Pac and the Big Show against Bradshaw. The ending saw none other than Steve Austin taking Flair out with a Stunner, and Hogan getting the pin after the big leg drop.

June 6, 2002: Having lost the title to the Undertaker, Hogan faces Triple H for the number one contenders spot on an episode of Smackdown. An entertaining affair, with some ringside brawling, the use of the old Savage sleeper spot, and the countering of finishers until the Game got the winning pin after finally taking Hogan down with the Pedigree. Hogan then sealed the deal by calling Triple H back into the ring and shaking his hand, before the inevitable pose down.

July 11, 2002: Hogan teams with lifelong fan Edge to defend their newly won WWE Tag Team titles against former champions Billy and Chuck, once again on Smackdown. The quickest match of the collection sees the former champions, ably assisted by their stylist Rico, use Edge as a punching bag before Hogan comes in and cleans house, getting the title retaining pin on Billy with the big leg drop. Entertaining, but I would have chosen the match these teams had the week before.

August 1, 2002: The final match of the collection also comes from Smackdown, as Hogan faces Olympic hero Kurt Angle. Angle is one of those guys who can draw a good match out of anyone, and his encounters with Hogan were probably the best matches the Hulkster had during his WWE return. It’s the best match of the collection between two unique storytellers, with both men pulling out all of their signature moves, combined with referee bump and failed interference from Brock Lesnar, with Hogan getting the disqualification win after Angle clobbered him with a chair just as the referee recovered. The fight between Hogan and Angle continued after the bell, with Hogan getting the upper hand until Lesnar got back into the ring and took the Hulkster down with the F5.

Disc 3 is where you’ll find the special features, various promos from throughout the Hulkster’s career in WWE and WCW.

In conclusion – it took me three nights, but I finally got through this massive collection. While some of the matches, in particular those from the mid-to-late 80’s, follow the same formulaic script, all of the matches chosen for this collection are a fitting tribute to arguably the greatest star the wrestling business has ever seen, and it’s definitely worth adding to your collection. But now that I’ve watched this thing in it’s entirety, it now seems even more ironic that WWE are paying tribute to one of the men now at the helm of their biggest rival. What are they going to do next? A collection paying tribute to other wrestlers who have recently jumped ship?

Oh wait…Jeff Hardy…..

Hulk Hogan’s Unreleased Collectors Series is available to buy online at www.silvervision.co.uk.

It took a while, and there were apparently a few hiccups along the way, but the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts returned for their second show, broadcast on Bravo this past Sunday, with Christian O’Connell, Bret Freeman and Graham Little handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began with lightweight action as A.J. Wenn faced Ali McClean. An interesting fight to begin the show with, with the majority of the action on the ground. McClean showed some good ground work here, although he came up short with his submission attempts. Wenn did okay, but with the fight going the distance the judges rendered a decision, and they couldn’t separate them, scoring it as a draw. A slightly surprising decision. I thought McClean just edged it with his better work rate.

It was up to the middleweight division for the next fight as Mike Ling took on Russell Smith. This fight grabbed my attention straight away, mainly because I’ve never seen a six-foot-seven middleweight before! Ling had a massive eight inch height advantage, but that didn’t stop Smith from coming forward from the outset, rocking Ling with a series of blows. From there we got an outstanding back and forth battle with Ling synching in a rear naked choke for the submission win just as the first round was coming to an end. Ling is definitely a fighter I’ll be looking out for in the future, and given his size it won’t be hard to miss him!

More lightweight action followed, with Peter Duncan and Xandinho. A very technical battle saw the Brazilian start strongly, with the purple haired Irishman always mounting a comeback after Xandinho’s submission attempts. By the time the third round started Xandinho looked shattered, and Duncan controlled the majority of the round. It was enough to earn him the decision. A very enjoyable fight here.

Then it was on to the first title fight of the evening as Rob Sinclair faced Nathan Beer for the vacant Lightweight title. Scheduled for five rounds, this didn’t make it past the first as both men put on a good striking display until Sinclair caught Beer with a right that sent him staggering back towards the cage. A big left dropped Beer, and it wasn’t long before the referee stopped the fight, giving the impressive Sinclair the title winning knockout.

It was up to the welterweight division for the next fight, as Sam Elsdon went up against Gunnar Nelson. The Icelander came into this one with a big reputation, and he lived up to that reputation with some excellent ground work, scoring with a big take down before transitioning to Elsdon’s back, where he could apply a rear naked choke for the submission win. I have to admit that I’d never heard of Nelson before this fight, but this kid has a bright future ahead of him.

The main event saw Alan Omer take on Paul Reed for the vacant Featherweight title. This was a fight definitely worthy of it’s place on the card. The first three rounds saw Reed put on a tremendous performance on the ground as he dominated the German. Omer was only able to connect with a few shots. Then, as the fight entered the fourth round things changed dramatically as Omer went to work on the ground, and it wasn’t long before he synched in a triangle choke for the submission win in what was definitely the fight of the night.

In conclusion – well, we had to wait nearly ten months, but BAMMA certainly delivered with their second show. The quality of the fights was good, with performances ranging from good to outstanding. Production-wise it had a different feel to their counterparts over at Ultimate Challenge. While Dave O’Donnell is often seen getting very excited during his shows, BAMMA could really be described as having a decidedly understated British feel about it, and that’s a good thing, because the MMA scene here in Britain would look dull if everyone tried to copy each other. Let’s hope that they don’t go too over the top for their next show in May, which sees Tom “Kong” Watson taking on the over-publicised Mr. Katie Price himself, Alex Reid. My money’s on Watson for that one.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.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

In the ten years since I began this column (or blog as some people now call it) I’ve had e-mails from rather unexpected sources. Only last week I received an e-mail from a couple of Russian mixed martial art fighters asking me if I could help them find work here in Britain. A few weeks before that I received an e-mail from the people handling PR for Geoff Thompson. The first thing I asked myself was “who?”

Geoff Thompson is a man who wears many hats – motivational speaker, former night club bouncer, BAFTA award winning writer, and martial arts instructor.

The six DVD set of Geoff Thompson’s Masterclass covers his six month course in what he calls “reality martial arts”. Each disc is about an hour long, where Thompson teaches his combined philosophy of physical, psychological, physiological and spiritual training. The course normally costs £1,000, and this particular course was sold out in just forty-eight hours.

Thompson begins each session with a brief talk, telling his students about his life experiences, and what made him the man he is today. He then moves onto the more physical aspects of the training, such as striking, grappling and other forms of self defence, and, more often than not, his sessions end with more words of wisdom.

Thompson himself comes across very well. A well spoken, slightly-built man, you’d never think that he’d once made a living in the hurly burly business of night club bouncing. He speaks a lot of sense about a wide variety of subjects, and it’s easy to see why he’s achieved success as a writer and a trainer around the world.

As a trainer his techniques are sound, and he definitely knows what he’s talking about. Mind you, he’s been training in various martial arts for nearly forty years, so he should do!

Production-wise this release can’t really be faulted, although I do have one gripe – it was often difficult to hear what his students were saying, mainly because Thompson was the only one wearing a microphone. A boom microphone would certainly have come in handy here.

However, while watching this there was one thing that kept nagging me in the back of my mind, and it finally hit me while watching the fourth disc. Thompson missed a great opportunity here by not allowing his students some air time. It would have been nice if there had been a few talking head segments from the students along the way, so we could see how they felt they’ve progressed. But then again maybe I’ve just given him an idea if he decides to pitch the idea of a series based on his training sessions to television companies. Just send the royalty cheque to the usual address!

In conclusion – while Geoff Thompson’s Masterclass is extremely well made, I’m not sure if it’s the thing for me. Maybe it’s because I got the wrong end of the stick as I was expecting it to be more about combat sports training, like the Vitor Belfort and Chuck Lidell sets I’ve reviewed in the past. But as I’ve learned since then, Geoff Thompson is all about combining the physical with the metaphysical, and I have no doubt that his style of training will help countless people around the world.

Geoff Thompson’s Masterclass can be purchased online via http://www.geoffthompson.com.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com

British mixed martial arts is on the agenda again as we take a look back at Ultimate Challenge’s first show of 2010, Resurrection, shown on Sky Sports this past Wednesday here in Britain, and hosted by O.J. Borg and Dave O’Donnell, with Rob Nutley, Pierre Guillet and Malcolm Martin handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began with lightweight action as Azran Quasid took on Scott Jansen. This certainly proved to be an interesting and explosive battle. The early parts of this fight will be remembered for it’s rule infringements. Jansen was poked in the eye, Quasid was hit in the ground, and Jansen then elbowed Quasid right in the spine. Then we got the stand up battle. Quasid bloodied Jansen’s nose, before a vicious elbow opened up a nasty cut on Quasid’s head. Then, when we all thought we’d get a knockout, Jansen got the submission win with a textbook kimura, and all of  this in the first round! An explosive start to the show, and a great fight as well.

The big boys were up next, as Peter Yendell faced Karlos Vemola at heavyweight. This one was quick. Vemola came out straight away with a barrage of blows before getting a big take down. A few seconds later a series of big rights did for Yendell with the referee quickly stepping in, giving Vemola the knockout victory with a very impressive performance.

The heavyweight action continued with Shola Adeniran and Stav Economu. This one began with some wild shots from both men, before Economu got the big take down. The big man quickly moved to the full mount for some ground and pound. Seconds alter he took Adeniran’s back, and with his opponent flat out on the ground, Economu synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win. You know, if you look at Economu you’d think he’s just a big fat guy, but this guy has some impressive skills.

Kickboxing action was up next, with Mark Weir facing Mark Epstein for the vacant UK1 Middleweight title, a title recently held by a certain Alex Reid. Fought over three two minute rounds, it saw mixed fortunes for these MMA standouts. While Weir seemed to get more and more comfortable as the fight went on, Epstein seemed to struggle somewhat as he was put on his backside twice, taking two eight counts. The fight went the distance, with Weir getting the unanimous decision. While Weir’s performance was okay, Epstein was very disappointing.

The main event saw former Ultimate Fighter contestant Dean Amasinger challenge Alberto Mina for the Welterweight title. This was definitely the best fight on the show. Both fighters paced themselves brilliantly throughout, and showed some tremendous skills as well. Mina looked very comfortable on the ground with his submission attempts, with Amasinger showing great defensive work as he made his escapes. Both men looked fresh as the third round began, and halfway through Mina scored with a take down, getting the mount and taking Amasinger’s back moments later. Amasinger was flat out and offering no defence as Mina unleashed with the ground and pound, with the referee eventually stepping in and giving Mina the title retaining TKO victory. It’s a good job that this fight ended with a stoppage as the judges would have had a hard time separating these two, it was that close.

In conclusion – Ultimate Challenge’s first show of the year certainly delivered. While I wasn’t exactly impressed with the Weir/Epstein kickboxing fight, the four MMA fights were certainly worth watching, with the Amasinger/Mina main event worth the price of admission alone. Dave O’Donnell and his crew once again proved that they are the top MMA promotion in Britain at the moment, although I do wish Sky would give them a longer time slot, as they did in the old Cage Rage days.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ http://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

So what do you get when you put a wrestling superstar, the top female fighter in the world, and an ageing former NFL star together in the same building? You get Strikeforce’s latest show in Miami, Florida, shown on a one day delay on Bravo here in Britain, with Mauro Ranallo, Frank Shamrock and Stephen Quadros handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began with current TNA star Bobby Lashley facing Wes Sims in a heavyweight clash. As a wrestling fan I was eager to see this one. It certainly was an impressive performance from Lashley. Sims tried to psyche him out at the beginning but Lashley was having none of it, taking Sims down and going for the ground and pound. Seconds later Lashley took Sims’ back, and he went flat as Lashley continued with the onslaught. That was enough for the referee as he stepped in to stop the fight, giving Lashley the TKO win and keeping his undefeated streak going with a very good performance.

Then it was down to the middleweight division, with Robbie Lawler facing hard hitting Dutchman Melvin Manhoef. We had a rather unexpected ending in this one. After a somewhat slow start, Manhoef went to work, unloading with some good combinations and some devastating kicks. Every kick to Lawler’s lead leg sent it high into the air. The Dutchman’s attacks were so good it looked like Lawler was about to lose. Then it happened. Lawler connected with a big right, and Manhoef wobbled before falling to the canvas, and that was that. The tables were turned in a truly remarkable fight.

The big boys were up next as NFL legend Herschel Walker made his MMA debut against Greg Nagy. For a 47 year old with limited training, and in his first fight, Walker did pretty well, showing some good takedown defence, and controlling the fight when it went to the ground. It looked like Nagy didn’t really know what to do, and in the third round, with Nagy lying flat on his front and Walker delivering countless blows, the referee called time, giving Walker the TKO win. Well, he may have looked a little rough around the edges, but Walker put in a good performance here, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him again in the future.

The first title fight of the evening followed, with Cris Cyborg defending her Women’s Lightweight title against Marloes Coenen. I’d heard a lot about Cyborg over the past few months, and she impressed the hell out of me, controlling every aspect of the fight. Coenen tried her best, but it was simply not enough against someone with the skill of Cyborg. The end came in the third round when Cyborg’s relentless ground and pound was too much for the Dutch fighter, with the referee stopping the fight, giving Cyborg the TKO win. This is one lady who is certainly going to make waves for some time to come.

The main event saw Nick Diaz take on Marius Zaromskis for the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight title. This was one of those hard hitting back and forth affairs you couldn’t take your eyes off. Both fighters began by swinging for the trees before a clinch against the cage where Diaz worked over Zaromskis’ right leg. The brawling began soon afterwards, and after Zaromskis had Diaz on the mat, Diaz came back well and rocked Zaromskis with some good combinations, with a right hook sending him down. And that was it, as Diaz became the first Welterweight champion with a great performance.

In conclusion – five good fights made Strikeforce’s latest show a very enjoyable one. Every fight delivered, especially the Diaz/Zaromskis slugfest and the Cyborg/Coenen battle. Bravo have done well in getting more Strikeforce action for it’s British viewers, and with the channel also showing the second season of the M-1 Challenge and BAMMA they could soon rival ESPN’s coverage over here.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com

It’s time to enter the world of British mixed martial arts as once again I dip into the pile of A1 Productions DVDs. This time we’re heading back to Hartlepool and March 2008 for the Closed Combat Arena “Put Up of Shut Up” show.

The first four fights were kickboxing affairs, begi9nning with Kristina Pook against Jen Walsh. This was a nice little exhibition bout, with Walsh clearly the better fighter. The referee declared the fight a draw afterwards.

The action continued with Brett Ramshaw against Matt Fidler. With the rounds lasting only ninety seconds, the pace of this one was quite frantic, except when Fidler’s ill-fitting head guard kept falling off. Fidler dispersed with the guard for the remainder of the fight, and it helped him no end, as Ramshaw was on the canvas twice, with the referee giving the fight to Fidler.

The kickers continued with Karl Pugh and Nick Clougher. No head guards to worry about in this one, and it was a far more entertaining fight because of it. Pugh put on a good performance, putting Clougher on his backside in the first, and twice more in the second. After the first knockdown in the second Clougher looked like he’d had enough, so it wasn’t a surprise when the ref stepped in, giving Pugh the deserved TKO win.

Next was Andy Hanlon against Danny Thompson. This was another of those frantic fast paced battles, with both guys swinging from the trees from the opening bell, and both scoring with some good shots, with Hanlon getting the decision.

The MMA action began with Michael Lund facing Simon Ng. This was a pretty even fight. Ng controlled the action in the first after a take down, going for a guillotine as the round ended. Lund came back strongly in the second with a big slam and kimura attempt, before taking Ng’s back after a second take down. So with both men winning a round, the referee declared the fight a draw, although I got the feeling that Lund would have take it if the rounds had been longer.

Then it was on to James Fleet, taking on Alfas Miah. Fleet came forward early here, only to find himself in a couple of clinches against the cage, before Miah took the fight to the ground. However, as he landed Fleet took Miah’s back, and quickly transitioned to the guard. It was long though before Miah locked in an arm bar, with Fleet tapping mere seconds later, ending a very enjoyable fight.

Action from Adam Mossap against Kristian Warham followed. The second two rounder to go the distance was another even affair, with both men getting their share of take downs and submission attempts. Once again the referee couldn’t separate the fighters as he declared it a draw, although I thought that Warham had just nicked it.

Mark Pendlington against Henry Jack was next. There was really no doubt who was going to win this one. From the moment the fight started Pendlington controlled almost every aspect, especially on the ground, as Jack looked like the proverbial fish out of water. The only thing that Pendlington was missing was a finishing move, but what he did was enough to earn the decision.

Then it was on to Christopher O’Keefe, taking on Amir Azam. Unlike the other fights that went the distance this was a more one-sided affair as Azam controlled the action on the ground in the first. O’Keefe had his moments in the second, but his failure to obey his corner’s orders during his brief moments of superiority cost him as Azam took the decision with a very good performance.

On to Matt Fleet against Andy Treen. A good performance by Treen as he controlled the fight whenever it went to the ground. Fleet got a couple of take downs, but Treen reversed immediately, and soon transitioned into his desired position after the second take down so he could apply an arm bar. Nice work here.

Next up, Damian Rounding versus Chris Douglas. This was another of those good back and forth affairs. An inadvertent low blow by Douglas seemed to spur Rounding on as he controlled the remainder of the first round. Douglas came back well in the second and showed some great ground work, but another inadvertent blow, this time to the throat, halted any momentum he had built up, which probably cost him the decision as well as Rounding came back strongly in the final few seconds.

Kalum Lodge versus Elliot McGlade was next on the agenda. The blink and you’ll miss it affair. Both men threw some wild kicks at the beginning, before McGlade applied a standing guillotine, quickly pulling guard, with Lodge tapping seconds later. A really good performance by McGlade here.

Malcolm Maize against Keith Kennedy followed that rather quick affair. Slugfest is probably the best way to describe this one. A big left from Maize sent Kennedy down early on, and although he looked like he was going to win the fight there and then, Kennedy came back strongly. Maize’s mistake was that he kept looking for another big left, and this one dimensional approach played right into Kennedy’s hands as his combinations saw him getting the TKO victory.

Then it was on to Thomas Izzett against Oobie Rahman. Another nice back and forth affair saw Rahman throwing some good kicks in the first, only for Izzett to take him down, dominating whenever the fight went down to the mat. The roles were reversed in the second though as Rahman was able to get the take down early in the second, quickly moving to side control so he could apply an arm bar for submission victory.

Michael Young was next, taking on Shaun Crawford. This one went to the ground immediately, as we got an entertaining exchange of submission attempts, before Young went for his second guillotine attempt. Crawford fought it at first with a few fists to the ribs before the inevitable tap out. If only all ground work was like this!

The penultimate fight saw Peter Biggins going up against Rob Hughes. This fight went downstairs quickly when Hughes pulled guard after a clinch against the cage. He then went straight for an arm bar, and although Biggins tried to slam his way out three times, Hughes managed to synch the hold in fully for the submission win, another fight with some very good ground work.

The final fight of the show saw Ian Cooper tackling Gary Firby. Another quick fight saw Cooper knocked on his backside early on, but he soon took the guard after Firby followed him to the ground. Cooper quickly established control, with the referee quickly stepping in after Cooper’s relentless ground and pound, a good fight to round off the show with.

The only extras come in the form of a musical photo montage.

In conclusion – a very enjoyable release from A1 Productions here, a good blend of kickboxing and MMA action. There was some really good talent on display here, some to keep an eye out for in the future. However, I do feel somewhat disappointed again by the lack of on-screen graphics when the fighters entered the cage, so unless you’ve got a print out telling you the results for review purposes, those watching this may get a little confused.

But then again, this is the only downside of this release, and I’m once again able to recommend a slice of British MMA action.

With thanks to Tom Tailford for supplying a copy of this release. To purchase a copy of Closed Combat Arena: Put Up or Shut Up, contact Tom via www.fight-factory.co.uk.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com