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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s time to step into the MMA world again as I take my regular look at the now much changed Strikeforce promotion, with a look at their three most recent events.

Feijao vs. Henderson, the last show under the old ownership,] began with lightweight action as Jorge Masvidal faced Billy Evangelista.

We saw a dominating performance from Masvidal here, using his reach advantage to good effect in the striking department.

Evangelista just didn’t have any answers as Masvidal picked him apart. But even though Masvidal was beating his man to the punch almost every time he didn’t put the pedal to the medal, content that what he was doing was getting the job done.

So with the fight going the distance the judges came into play, with all three giving the fight to Masvidal for his solid if unspectacular performance.

It was up to the middleweight division for the next fight as Tim Kennedy went up against Melvin Manhoef.

This was your typical wrestler versus striker battle. Manhoef did well early on, easily defending Kennedy’s take down attempts and causing some damage to his man’s lead leg with some stinging taps.

It was long before Kennedy finally got the take down he was looking for, quickly taking the Dutchman’s back and synching in a rear naked choke for the submission win. A good performance by Kennedy, but another example of how Manhoef needs to work extensively on his ground game.

The first title fight of the show saw Liz Carmouche challenging Marloes Coenen for the Women’s Welterweight title.

Once again the women put on a great fight. For the first three rounds Carmouche took it to the champion, dominating in rounds two and three with some vicious ground and pound.

But as Coenen looked out of it at the beginning of the fourth she suddenly came back into the fight. After a series of reversals on the ground Coenen locked in a triangle choke. Carmouche tried to fight it for as long as she could until she eventually tapped out. A very impressive outing for Carmouche, valiant in defeat.

The main event saw Dan Henderson challenging Rafael Feijao for the Light Heavyweight title.

After a lengthy feeling out period at the beginning Feijao suddenly sprang into life as a big right sent Henderson down. However, Henderson came back immediately with a take down.

From there Henderson slowly took control with his superior grappling. Feijao just didn’t seem to have any answer to this.

But in the end it was Henderson’s punching power that came into play. Early in the third he connected with a big right that sent the Brazilian crashing. Henderson followed him down but it wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to give Henderson the knockout win.

Show conclusion – A very good show. The women’s fight delivered big time, while Dan Henderson once again proved that life begins at forty with an incredible win, adding another title to his trophy cabinet.

Strikeforce Challengers 15, the first show under the Zuffa banner, began with welterweight action as Damion Douglas faced Wayne Phillips.

This proved to be a very interesting fight. They took the action to the ground early on, with Douglas going for a couple of rear naked choke attempts.

But as the round progressed Douglas began to visibly tire, giving Phillips the chance to lock in a rear naked choke of his own, with Douglas looking like he was about to pass out as the round ended.

Douglas came out for the second round looking like he’d been cast in a George Romero film, although he did attempt a guillotine early on, which only served to tire him out even more, giving Phillips the chance to work his way back into the fight.

As the third round began Phillips looked like he’d joined Douglas in the Romero flick. Both men looked exhausted and seemed content to exchange brief combinations without any feints.

Douglas seemed to get the better of these exchanges, and seemed to get stronger as the round went on, even showboating a little as the fight came to an end.

So in the end it was in the hands of the judges as they gave their majority decision to Douglas, a decision which didn’t exactly please many of those in attendance.

A catchweight bout, made at 165, between James Terry and Josh Thornburg followed.

This was a great striking battle. Terry came forward early with some nice combinations and had Thornburg on the back foot early.

Thornburg managed to get off a few good shots himself, but as the first round entered it’s final minute Terry connected with a straight right that sent Thornburg crashing. The referee stepped in immediately, giving Terry the impressive knockout win.

It was up to light heavyweight for the next fight as Lorenz Larkin went up against Scott Lighty.

This encounter between an undefeated amateur boxer and a K-1 fighter proved to be an exciting affair.

Larkin put in an excellent performance, moving around the cage with great speed and rolling off blow after blow.

Lighty had his moments, but these were few and far between, and when the fight entered the second round Larkin’s assault continued, and it wasn’t long before a right uppercut rocked Lighty, with a left uppercut sending him down. The referee quickly called a halt to the proceedings as Larkin took the very impressive knockout win.

Lightweight action followed as David Douglas took on Caros Fodor.

Fodor put in an excellent performance here. Douglas had his moments but from the second round onwards Fodor took control, dominating on the ground.

Fodor’s dominance continued against the cage as the third round began. While Douglas seemed intent on holding onto his opponent’s wrist Fodor unloaded with a series of strikes, and with Douglas offering nothing in reply the referee stepped in, giving Fodor the great TKO win.

The main event saw Justin Wilcox facing Rodrigo Damm in the lightweight division.

This one began with a farcical situation because the athletics commission medics weren’t in position, so it seemed like an age before the fight actually began. As the announcers said it was completely unprofessional.

When the fight finally began Wilcox was all over Damm like a cheap suit. The Brazilian was constantly on the back foot until a Wilcox right sent him down.

From there Wilcox went to work with the ground and pound, a right elbow opening up a nasty cut above Damm’s left eye. Wilcox’s attack was relentless, and Damm was lucky to survive until the end of the round.

But that was it as far as the doctor was concerned. After examining Damm’s cut he called off the fight, giving Wilcox the well earned win.

Show conclusion – The Zuffa ownership and slight rule changes, most notably the allowing of elbow strikes to a grounded opponent came into play immediately, with some of the fighters, especially Justin Wilcox, using their newfound freedom to good effect.

As for the show it was another great event from Strikeforce’s undercard fighters, with all four fights delivering.

Diaz vs. Daley began with lightweight action as Shinya Aoki faced Lyle Beerbohm.

A quick start to the evening saw the fight go to the ground early on. Aoki soon took Beerbohm’s back, taking the submission win seconds later thanks to a neck crank.

It was up to the light heavyweight division for the next fight as Gegard Mousasi faced the debuting Keith Jardine.

The Dean of Mean was looking to get back into winning ways, but sadly, having taken the fight at less than two week’s notice it was too much to ask.

Although Jardine scored with a number of take downs he didn’t follow up with any work on the ground.

Mousasi, however, put in a great performance, especially with his striking as he turned Jardine’s face into a bloody mess, although he did earn a point deduction in the firs round for connecting with an up kick while Jardine was still grounded.

So with the fights going the distance the judges came into play with one judge scoring for Mousasi and the other two scoring it as a draw. A disappointing decision, although I thought that Mousasi was a clear winner.

The first title fight saw Tatsuya Kawajiri challenging Gilbert Melendez for the Lightweight title.

Melendez came out with all guns blazing, out boxing and rocking his Japanese challenger from the outset.

There was a brief lull as Melendez took Kawajiri’s back, but it was soon back to the striking game.

The end came as Melendez continued his onslaught on the ground, with the referee stepping in to give Melendez the first round TKO win.

The main event saw Paul Daley challenging Nick Diaz for the Welterweight title.

This was as slugfest, plain and simple. Both men went all out as soon as the bell sounded, coming forward with the big bombs.

It was an enthralling back and forth fight, fought at a frantic pace, with each man rocking the other.

But it was as the first round ended it’s final sages that Diaz took control, rocking his challenger as Daley pushed him away.

Daley was out of it and crashed to the ground. Diaz quickly followed him down, with the referee quickly stepping in to give Diaz the TKO win.

Show conclusion – This was a tremendous show, once of the best I’ve seen this yearn, with the performances of both Melendez and Diaz highly impressive.

In conclusion – Watching these shows you can see why Zuffa were interested in buying Strikeforce. These shows were certainly up there with some of the UFC’s most recent efforts.

But I must admit it did feel a little strange in the last show seeing Dana White wearing a Strikeforce T-shirt, as well as Strikeforce regulars fighting on a mat advertising the next UFC show.

So overall these show get the big thumbs up, and as far as the possible super-fights are concerned I’m not going to make any bold predictions. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Nick Diaz of Strikeforce with Paul Heyman on THE HEYMAN HUSTLE.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

In the words of Joe Rogan: Batista joins a bunch of savages

Now this picture is something that grabs my attention as a pro wrestling to MMA convert.

Pictured above is former WWE pro wrestling superstar Dave Batista, alongside the Caesar Gracie camp. Rumour has it muscle-bound freak Batista, who trained in BJJ and Muay Thai before leaving the sports entertainment world, is in talks with Scott Coker’s California based Strikeforce outfit.

A future possibility would be the match-up of Batista versus another former WWE heavyweight and current Strikeforce contracted fighter – Bobby Lashley. First impressions are of sceptisism, featuring 2 former WWE guys in a freak show fight. However after watching this video and seeing who he’s training with, it’s clear he’s focussed and taking the MMA switch seriously.

From Sherdog.com:

Scott Coker had stated that he would be interested to see the 41 year old matched up against former WWE star, and Army wrestler Bobby Lashley claiming that it would be a fun fight for the fans. Only time will tell how interested Batista is in competing in MMA at age 41 it is a little late to pick up the sport.  It is yet to be seen if Batista will be able to handle all the hard work involved in becoming an MMA fighter.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com