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DVD Review: UFC Best Of 2009

June 23rd, 2010 Duane No comments

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.

BAMMA VS ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

March 3rd, 2010 Duane No comments

BAMMA is back, bigger, bolder and on Bravo. Recently the Brit MMA organisation returned to the scene, promoting a night of mixed martial arts action at the Roundhouse in London. BAMMA’s production is looking slick, but which do you the ultimate fighting fan prefer, the established promotion Ultimate Challenge (formerly Cage Rage) or new contender BAMMA?

In comparison Dave O’Donnell’s Ultimate Challenge already is an established brand, complete with recognised theme music plus fighters own entrance songs. Resurrection their most recent offering aired on Sky Sports amongst others match-ups showed a brilliant bout featuring former TUF 9 entrant Dean Amasinger in a gruelling contest. Both promoters book some excellent established fighters alongside upcoming MMA talent but ultimately I feel it’s important how the TV product is presented to sell the fights to the punters. BAMMA may just have the edge in this department, judging by their most recent output BAMMA 2, shown on Bravo.

If I’m honest I don’t follow Brit MMA as closely as the UFC, the reason being the excellent job the Zuffa brand do at putting over the cage competitors to us. We know who the present champions are and who their challengers are in good time to get hyped for the octagon showdowns.

Currently there is one Brit MMA championship bout I know of and when it takes place, Mr Katie Price himself Alex Reid versus Tom ‘Kong’ Watson in May at BAMMA 3. That fight promo video interviewing the middleweight mixed martial artists is the way forward for the sport in this country. The style of presentation is very professional, the Celebrity Big Brother 7 winner Reid comes across so natural, rather than hamming up.

Having 2 top Brit MMA fight promotions on TV is great news, meaning there is a choice for us viewers and choice where the fighters can compete, but most importantly we’ll see healthy competition between the companies fighting over the ultimate fighting pound, thus upping their game.

Over to you, who is your pick of the UK fight promotions? Comment here or feel free to air your views over on the BluRayMMA.com Facebook group.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com

UFC 100: MAKING HISTORY DVD REVIEW

February 8th, 2010 Duane No comments
UFC 100

UFC 100 - now available on DVD

Back on July 11th 2009 took place the Zuffa brand’s monumental hundredth numbered event. I remember the weekend well having timed my Sky + installation so I had no fear of missing this epic card. The biggest bonus of all the UFC treated those with Sky to the PPV card for free, on an obscure horse racing channel, despite all the Setanta debacle plus hours of extra UFC viewing thrown to boot.

UFC 100 was truly something special, drawing in the punters via a hat-trick of marquee match-ups. Making up that trifecta were all highly anticipated fights 2 of which were contesting over championship title ownership.

Team USA coach Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson versus rival TUF 9 rival, our very own Mike ‘The Count’ Bisping was a fight the fans on both sides of the pond were eager to see, having followed the middleweight contenders coach their nation’s team each week on the MMA reality TV show – The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK. The outcome of their middleweight showdown was not what I and most British fans hoped for, Bisping was not the best man on the night. Despite the loss for Bisping the bigger disappointment was the way Henderson dived in fist first when his opponent was clearly out of it. It was a brutal move, not good for the sport of MMA, neither was his reaction post fight. If Brit Bisping acted in the same manner smirking, acting all cocky the American crowd would have reacted in a far different way but hey, Mike is the British villain.

The second reason for buying this collectors DVD is Georges ‘Rush’ St Pierre successfully defending his welterweight crown versus Thiago Alves, in gruelling 5 round battle of wills.

The hugest history making moment, making up the third part of the triple main event at the top of the card was the most highly anticipated heavyweight title clash between former pro wrestler Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. Lesnar solidified his thrown, sitting at the top of the UFC heavyweight division, dominating Mir in brutal style, thus avenging his only MMA loss. In the process he shut up Mir and all the doubters.

Disc 2 includes 6 preliminary fights, including UFC hall of famer Mark ‘The Hammer’ Coleman in action against The Ultimate Fighter 1 light-heavyweight finalist Stephan Bonnar. 44 year old Coleman proves he can still do it versus a man 12 years his junior in this bonus bout.  Further bonus material includes Countdown to UFC 100 plus UFC 100: Behind The Scenes.

UFC 100: Making History is a must have DVD, however it is just a shame they chose to edit some of the post fight interviews and octagon entrances from the live recording. Plus a hall of fame induction ceremony, announcing the new inductees would have completed the package. In the world of pro wrestling the WWE make a huge deal of their Hall of Fame inductions annually at the weekend of Wrestlemania, the UFC would do well to do similar, I’m sure the fight fans would love it.

UFC 100: Making History is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk, HMV and all good retailers.
Keep visiting BluRayMMA.com for more reviews of brand new UFC, related combat sports and martial arts DVD releases.
UFC DVD review by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: US vs UK UFC DVD REVIEW

December 14th, 2009 Duane No comments
The Ultimate Fighter 9: United States vs United Kingdom

The Ultimate Fighter 9: United States vs United Kingdom

Season 10 of the Ultimate Fighter is fresh in our minds, it is fair to say since watching TUF 9 on DVD format, I am reminded how much more successful that season was. Sure TUF 10 ratings at times were fantastic down to the drawing power of internet sensation Kimbo Slice but overall US vs UK was superior viewing.

Series 9 pitted the Brits going head to head against the Yanks, with established fighters Dan Henderson and Mike Bisping as coaches, built up to an awesome showdown at UFC 100. Not only did it build up tension for the middleweight clash it worked as a platform to create fresh and exciting new young stars for the Zuffa brand, most notably Ross Pearson, James Wilks, Andre Winner of the UK and American Demarques Johnson. Giving the show the added international rivalry made the MMA reality TV programme compelling viewing each and every week.

The only downside for us Brits was seeing our boy Bisping brutally beaten by Hendo following TUF 9 at UFC 100. However the series gave Yanks and Brits a reason to watch that fight featured on the mammoth pay per view card.

Whilst viewing disc 1 I realised this was Alex Reid’s first reality TV show he missed featuring in, failing to beat Dean Amasinger for a place in the ultimate fighter house. The second of course for Katie Price’s ex-boyfriend was hit ITV series I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, where he planned to swing into the jungle, Tarzan style and propose to then girlfriend glamour girl Jordan, live on national television.

Relive the whole series once more when you buy this 5 disc DVD set. The finale show on disc 4 features a contending MMA fight of the year, between lightweight battlers  Clay “The Carpenter” Guida and Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez.

On the fifth DVD you will be treated to all the extras not included on the Virgin 1 aired TV series. The UFC take you behind the scenes of the series, a feature on the finale fighters plus UK and US bonus scene. Do yourself a favour by watching the UK bonus scenes alone for Lawson and Faulkner’s pro wrestling exhibition bout. Bournemouth based fighter Jeff Lawson is pure comedy gold.

The Ultimate Fighter season 9: US vs UK is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk, HMV 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

UFC 105 PREVIEW – RANDY COUTURE VS BRANDON VERA

November 13th, 2009 Duane No comments
UFC 105 - live from Manchester, England.

UFC 105 - live from Manchester, England.

Saturday 14th November, Manchester.

This UK card is free for fight fans in the US, who see it live on Spike TV.

Once again another stacked card from the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Get ready for a big one as the UFC makes a highly anticipated return to our fair isle with more world class octagon action. We are in for a rare treat, as the legendary UFC Hall of Famer Randy ‘The Natural Couture’ lands on British soil plus there will tons of hopeful Brits battling it out in the big league from the Manchester MEN Arena.

Here is a peek at the top of the of the UK card.

Randy Couture vs Brandon Vera

Randy Couture and Brandon Vera collide in a light-heavyweight showdown. This is Randy Couture’s first matchup back in the light-heavyweight division since stepping down a weight bracket following 2 losses in a row. One he got pounded on by the powerful champ, The Vanilla Gorilla – Brock Lesnar and the second a close contest against tougher than leather Brazilian veteran Minotauro Nogueira. It is fair to say Randy fought the best and put up a damn good spirited fight in both octagon outings but he knew the time had come to step down a division.

Now the former heavyweight and light-heavyweight title holder is intent on another crack at UFC gold, this time he wants the light-heavyweight strap once more. To work back up the ladder first he must defeat heavy hitting young gun Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera.

So here we have the story of age versus experience, can the youthful Vera beat the canny dirty-boxing Couture? Vera is a dangerous Muay Thai Kick-boxer, both guys can utilise the clinch work here, striking at close quarters. I see Couture relying heavily on his strong wrestling background and gaining the advantage on the canvas. The fight may well go the distance in favour of the Hall of Famer – Couture. Randy is an inspiration, who seems to magnificently defy Father Time, coming back following defeat, still competing at the elite level. Has he still got it? That question will be answered Saturday night.

Mike ‘Quick’ Swick vs Dan Hardy

It’s interesting to note despite Bisping’s pulling power Dan Hardy is receiving higher billing on the UK card. Mike Bisping is one of the most recognised fighters who made a name for himself via season 3 of the Ultimate Fighter, then went on to further success with the ranks of the Zuffa owned league. Hardy however is the new kid on the block now making a name for himself getting noticed due to impressive performances inside the cage.

Much like fellow Brit Bisping, Dan knows how to sell a fight bringing his own heat doing all the smack talk when required. Previously we’ve seen Hardy talk the talk and back it all up when it came down to the crunch in octagon action paired up with Marcus ‘Irish Hand Grenade’ Davis. Hardy riled up Davis pre fight, then beat the Irish American, Hardy showed what a true sport he was but sore loser Davis did not display the same qualities afterwards. With Hardy it is all business, the guy wants to entertain and get noticed.

Dan’s opponent will be Mike Swick, who most recently beat Ultimate Fighter alumini Ben Saunders. It will be interesting to see how Hardy fares as he steps up against Swick. Let’s hope his momentum continues.

Michael Bisping vs Denis Kang

The pressure in on for Mike Bisping, on the rebound from the devasting knockout loss at the hands of Dan Henderson back on July 11th at UFC 100. Bisping is embarrassed at his loss handed to him by Henderson but the Brit has nothing to be ashamed of, Henderson is one of the all time greats from Pride FC. Canadian Kang also another tough veteran of the Pride squared-circle. Kang is a man hoping to capitalise on the pressure. Bisping is ever confident, having none of it, intending to prove the doubters wrong. Here’s hoping our countryman Mike Bisping has taken enough time to recover from the devastating KO he received from Hendo at UFC 100 and will be returning to form on his north-western home turf in Manchester.

Also featured on the card will be TUF 9 Team UK winners James Wilks and Ross Pearson.

MAIN CARD

Randy Couture vs Brandon Vera

Mike Swick vs Dan Hardy

Michael Bisping vs Denis Kang

James Wilks vs Matt Brown

Ross Pearson vs Aaron Riley

PRELIMINARY CARD

Terry Etim vs Shannon Gugerty

Paul Taylor vs John Hathaway

Nick Osipczak vs Matthew Riddle

Paul Kelly vs Dennis Siver

Alexander Gustafsson vs Jared Hamman

Andre Winner vs Rolando Delgado

UFC 105 Countdown starts at 7pm on ESPN and ESPN HD, then watch UFC 105 live at 8pm in the UK .

UK EXCLUSIVE – Two of England’s own battle it out before the live broadcast of UFC 105 – see Paul Taylor and John Hathaway go head-to-head free on UFC.com at 7:30pm.

You can also view this huge MMA event live world wide at UFClive.com

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

VIDEO: DEAN AMASINGER SUBMITS SCOTT JANSEN

October 30th, 2009 Duane No comments

TUF 9 competitor Dean Amasinger looking on top form beating Scott Jansen by tapout.  This fight took place for Ultimate Challenge and aired on Sky Sports 2.

Amasinger is the fighter who beat Alex Reid on season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter, fighting for a place on the show. Could we see a rematch now they compete in the same league?

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

UK MMA JULY AND AUGUST TV NEWS

July 22nd, 2009 Duane No comments

The monumental UFC 100 has not long passed us that took place on Saturday 11th July on The Racing channel. A bit of a strange choice of TV channel for the Ultimate Fighting Championship historic event but wasn’t it great to see the 3 hour event live without any ad break interuptions? It appears as the UFC 100 got closer a deal could not be agreed in time so something was worked
out to include the mammoth fight card on Seatanta Ireland and The Racing Channel owned by the Irish channel. Not only did we get the whole event free but on top of that the UFC treated us to a very nice bonus of several extra hours of UFC TV programming including the top 100 of UFC fights.

Post July 11th we are still left not knowing the new home for the UFC on British airwaves. With the Disney owned ESPN looking to expand in the UK by buying premiership football games available since the demise of Setanta Sports it appears the forthcoming ESPN subscription channel will be the likely UK television home for the UFC, although at this point has not been confirmed.

Since July 11th I have been fortunate to have the use of Sky + including Sky Sports and Bravo. Not many days after on Wed 15th July Cage Rage successor Ultimate Challenge aired Sky Sports 3. After seeing UFC 100 so this British MMA offering was not likely to compare but to be fair the show was pretty good including 2 UK1 kickboxing bouts, one of which featuring top name on the circuit Aldershot’s own Alex Reid. Reid is top class showman as well as one tough competitor. TUF 9 entrant totally outclassed his opponent.

Next next month on the small screen will hopefully be the return of Affliction to Bravo for their 3rd event titled Affliction M1 Global Trilogy taking place August 1st in Anaheim, Claifornia. The fight card will boast awesome heavyweight title bout main event of Fedor Emelianko taking on challenger Josh Barnett. As yet there are no adverts for the event on Bravo but fingers crossed Bravo won’t let us down.

The following week it’s UFC 101 on August 8th. Anderson Silva vs Forrest Griffin fighting at lightheavyweight is the scheduled headliner. Again though we are still presently in the dark regarding what channel, but have faith I’m Dana and co will not let us down.

Hopping back over to Bravo we have the 2nd BAMMA event airing August 16th from London.

If you are lucky you might just be able to catch another showing of the fantastic programme from The Biography Channel – How Bruce Lee Changed The World. I highly recommend viewing this 2 hour covering ways Bruce Lee was such massive influence on our modern cultural including being the Father of Mixed Martial Arts. Hear what Dana White, The RZA, Jackie Chan and many others have to say about this iconic figure of the 20th century who long after his death continues to be a huge inspiration on into the new millenium.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

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THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 9 EPISODE 12 RECAP – VIRGIN 1 TV REVIEW

June 30th, 2009 Duane No comments
The Ultimate Fighter - Team UK versus Team USA

The Ultimate Fighter - Team UK versus Team USA

Thanks to a friendly neighbour and their Sky Plus box and some useful websites I’ve now caught up on episode 12 along with the awesome finale show. So here’s a brief recap of the final episode from Virgin 1 with the finale review to follow shortly.

Episode 12 focuses on the final fight between American Frank Lester and Brit James Wilks to decide who will go head to head with Team USA welter weight hopeful DeMarques Johnson. Wilks has the advantage since beating Lester once already plus he is the fresher fighter.

It’s interesting to see Wilks and Lester are good buddies despite competing against each other inside the octagon.

Curry night for Team UK courtesy of Dean Amarasinghe. Michael Bisping tells of how chuffed he is to have put British MMA on the map with this series of  The Ultimate Fighter.

Fun and games ensue, as the team mates knock each other in the pool! It truly is fantastic how well Team UK have all bonded so well.

Jame Wilks vs Frank Lester 

Round 1) A tough fought first round, featuring lots of standup action and clinching defending against takedowns. Very close, infact both coaches believe their fighter won the round.

Round 2) Wilks receives a low blow pausing the action straight away but they are soon back to it. Another close tough round with no clear winner.

Round 3) James keeps his composure, eventually winning via knee strikes.

Lester did well, he was one tough cookie, you can’t take that away from him.  Wilks’ win earns him the spot for the Ultimate Finale for the welter weight TUF 9 prize taking on DeMarques Johnson.

Team UK doing so well spurs Dan Henderson on for his confrontation with Team UK coach Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping at UFC 100 on July 11th.

The Ultimate Fighter as shown on Virgin 1 Sunday nights at 11pm
in the UK on Freeview TV, Sky or Virgin Media.
UFC & MMA blog by Dynamite Duane

 

duane@bluraymma.com

http://twitter.com/BluRayMMA
www.myspace.com/dynamite_duane

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 9 EPISODE 10 RECAP – VIRGIN 1 TV REVIEW

June 14th, 2009 Duane No comments
TUF 9 - Team UK vs Team USA

TUF 9 - Team UK vs Team USA

Time for the semi final fights to kick off as we draw closer to see which 2 fighters will be crowned Ultimate Fighter in their respective welterweight and lightweight fight brackets . So who will move one step closer to the finale show?

The show starts as Dana White picks the matchups. Dana is tempted to mix it up with teams mate fighting each other but between him, Dan Henderson, Mike Bisping and the TUF 9 contestants they settle on keeping the competition as USA versus UK. Here are the pairings:

Nick Osipczak vs DeMarques Johnson

Andre Winner vs Cameron Dollar

Ross Pearson vs Jason Dent

James Wilks vs Frank Lester 

First of the 4 bouts is between welterweights Nick and Demarques. In the USA camp Jason Pierce the contestant unable to fight is receiving a hard time from his fellow team mates. Richie Whitson is not keen on Pierce being friendly with Brit Dave Faulkner and Team UK in general.

During Johnson’s training session Hendo tells us Johnson is the one he picks as the welterweight winner of the show. Only time will tell if he has backed the right fighter. Usually in Johnson’s bouts he is the combatant boasting a height advantage but this time Nick has a slight edge over the American.

Leading up to the fight the rumour circulates that Pierce is giving away Team USA’s training secrets to the Brits. Henderson challenges Pierce on the matter but is eager to deny. It turns out Nick was behind asking Dave Faulkner to infiltrate Team USA via Jason Pierce.

Pre fight  Bisping is shown pushing Nick hard in training. Mean while DeMarques prays for victory kneeling inside the UFC octagon. In paper it would be fair to say the more experienced mixed martial artist Johnson is the odds on favourite with 13 wins under his belt but the less expierenced Londoner Nick is undefeated at 3 and 0

Round 1) Demarques lands a hard blow on Nick. Nick gets taken down by the strong American wrestler but defends well soon regaining the upright position how Bisping taught him. As round progresses Johnson imposes his will on Nick in the ground game. Right at the end of the 1st round the Brit fighter fights back on to his feet laying into the American nearly finishing him. That what was one heck of an exciting round.

Round 2) Nick takes down DeMarques but unfortunately for the Brit he turns it around snatching top position. Johnson continues to dominate on top throughout the round. At one point during the onslaught Bisping from the Team UK corner protests at what appears to be back of the head stikes aimed at Nick. He covers up, defending just enough to see the fight through to a 3rd and final round!

Round 3) In the standup exchanges Johnson lands a huge knee to the head of Londoner Nick. Aiming a kick at Johnson, Nick is taken down once more. Demarques is strong on the canvas, eventually Nick turns it around taking top position. The fight goes the distance, Johnson won on the score card but it was one hell of a scrap.  The first MMA loss for Nick Osipczak but I’m sure we’ll see more this talented young Brit mixed martial artist.  

Demarques Johnson secures his seat in the final versus the winner of James Wilks and Frank Lester. Next episode on tonight at 11pm on Virgin1 tonight will see the 4 light weights square off in episode 11. The following week showing in US on June 20th will be finale show.  

Make sure you tune into Virgin 1 every Sunday at 11pm in the UK
on Freeview TV, Sky or Virgin Media. Setanta Sports subscribers can
catch The Ultimate Fighter second showing every Wednesday.
Over in the States the programme is aired on Spike TV a few days earlier.

Fight fans can now follow BluRayMMA(me!) and BluRayUFC on Twitter.

UFC & MMA blog by Dynamite Duane

duane@bluraymma.com

http://twitter.com/BluRayMMA
www.myspace.com/dynamite_duane

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER EPISODE 7 – VIRGIN 1 TV REVIEW

May 22nd, 2009 Duane No comments

Team UK coach - Mike 'The Count' BisingMichael ‘The Count’ Bisping is pleased to be in the lead once again but will
Team UK maintain their lead over their American counterparts – Team USA?

The next pair of Welter Weights to compete on TUF 9 will be Brit and Wolfslair graduate David Faulkner taking on the American Jason Pierce. A bit of an odd matchup in the sense that these 2 have bonded well and become good mates. All of that will have to be left behind when they enter the UFC octagon.

Ginger haired Richie Whitson has the contagious skin condition Impetigo,
fellow American Jason Pierce is paranoid about catching it, hoping to prevent the spread to him and everyone else he sprays a can of disinfectant all over the TUF house.

Pierce has an ankle injury giving him bother in trainin, which doesn’t bode well going into his fight versus Faulkner.

Mike Bisping employs the use of a slegde hammer and a massive 6 foot wide tractor tyre for Team UK fighters which doesn’t go smoothly to say the least!  One wack of the hammer misses the tyre denting the floor while someone else breaks the mat!

Back over in the American camp Pierce grumbles about the way he is being pushed physcially. Dripping in sweat Pierce quits the sparring session inside the cage. Some of his team mates get the impression Pierce does not want to fight Faulkner. We have the same old story of Team USA not sticking together as a unit.

You remember the sledge hammer incidents? Well there was one more, Faulkner accidently hit his own leg causing himself an injury resulted in the need for antibiotics due to infection. Pre fight it doesn’t look for positive for either welter weight fighter.

Time for some fun games as this week is the Coaches Challenge. UFC main man Dana White chooses tennis of all things. The money on the table is $1500 each for the winning team. Dan Henderson turns out to the better man on the court and there is a lot barracking from the USA team mates. Bisping wins some games but ultimately gets thrashed by Hendo to the pleasure of the American TUF 9 contestants. Bisping was peeed off at the jibes aimed at his pale legs.

The programme makers keep us in suspense as to wether the welter weight matchup will happen as a lightweight clash is announced for between American Richie Whitson and Brit battler Ross Pearson from Sunderland. Dan Henderson has high hopes for Whitson one of his proteges. Before their fight Richie celebrates his birthday with a surprise cake complete with candles courtesy of the UFC.

Both Whitson and Pearson make the required 155 lbs weight bracket at the weigh-ins. Pearson looks to be a real force to be contended with for Whitson.

Round 1)
The fight is a real rough and tough brawl. Whitson receives a slamming from the aggressive Pearson. During Whitson’s takedown attempt on Pearson the Brit strikes the American straight in the face kneeing him. Due to Whitson’s position the blow was illegal, consequently he Ross Pearson loses one point and Whitson is allowed a timeout. The timeout does ginger haired Whitson no favours as Pearson snatches a the tapout victory via Armbar submission. A win for Pearson and Bisping’s Team UK extend their lead over their American opposition.

UK 4-2 USA.

The action and excitement gets better each week. Next we’ll finally see what transpires between David Faulkner and Jason Pierce.

Make sure you tune into Virgin 1 every Sunday at 11pm in the UK on Freeview TV, Sky or Virgin Media. Setanta Sports subscribers can catch The Ultimate Fighter second showing every Wednesday. Over in the States the programme is aired on Spike TV a few days earlier.

MMA blog by Dynamite Duane

duane@bluraymma.com

www.myspace.com/dynamite_duane