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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 was the third time of asking as Gray Maynard challenged Frankie Edgar for the lightweight title in the main event of UFC 136, shown live in the early hours of this this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began in the lightweight division as Melvin Guillard took on Joe Lauzon.

Time to break out that old line again. The blink and you’ll miss it affair of the show saw both guys begin quickly, but when Lauzon staggered Guillard with a left it was all over. As soon as Guillard went to the ground Lauzon went for a guillotine before taking his man’s back and synching in a rear naked choke for the extremely impressive submission win.

Then it was down to the featherweight division as Leonard Garcia faced Nam Phan.

These two took up where they’d left off last December. It was an awesome back and forth striking battle pitting Garcia’s brawling style with Phan’s more tactical approach.

It was a joy to watch as Garcia took control  in the first round, with Phan upping his game in the second with some excellent tactical punching. We saw some brief forays to the ground in the third in between some more excellent back and forth action.

In the end though neither man could put the other away, despite the knockdowns and the hard body punches, so in the end it went to the judges again, with Phan taking the close unanimous decision, and this time around you can’t argue with that decision.

Middleweight action followed as Chael Sonnen went up against Brian Stann.

It was as if he’d never been away. Sonnen dominated from the opening bell, first in a clinch against the cage and then when he took Stann to the ground. Once there he unleashed with the ground and pound and was able to transition at will.

It was the same in the second round. Stann just didn’t have any answers as Sonnen imposed his will on the fight, getting the submission win with an arm triangle as the round entered it’s final minute. It was awesome, and that’s not an understatement.

The first title fight of the evening saw Kenny Florian challenging Jose Aldo for the Featherweight title.

Although this wasn’t an overly spectacular fight this was a very intriguing back and forth affair. Both men put in good performances with some nice striking, particularly Aldo’s stinging kicks.

The clinches against the cage looked pretty even, and when the fight went to the ground in the third Aldo worked well on top while Florian put in some great defensive work.

It looked to be an extremely close battle, so close that neither man could get the finish, bringing the judges into the equation again as Aldo took the unanimous decision.

One couldn’t help but feel sorry for Florian though as one of the most likeable guys in the UFC lost his third title fight, and I bet I was the only one who wanted him to win.

The main event saw Gray Maynard challenging Frankie Edgar for the Lightweight title.

This was one of those fights you couldn’t take your eyes off. Maynard dominated the first round, going for the kill after he rocked Edgar with a big right uppercut. Maynard went in for the kill, opening up a cut above Edgar’s left eye and bloodying his nose. But no matter what he threw Maynard just couldn’t put his man away, the champion doing just enough to survive the first round.

Edgar began to make his way back into the fight from the second round onwards. Slowly but surely he began to out punch Maynard. His striking looked top notch, and his in and out tactics often left Maynard punching air with his attempted counters.

As the fourth round neared it’s final minute Edgar connected with a big uppercut of his own. Maynard was rocked, and the champion went in for the kill, following the challenger to the ground as the referee stepped in to give Edgar the highly impressive TKO win.

The show rounded out with some filler material, beginning with Joey Beltran against Stipe Miocic in the heavyweight division.

Part technical, part slobber knocker, this was a great back and forth battle. The debuting Miocic looked great in the first round and the early stages of the second, but it wasn’t long before Beltran turned it into his sort of battle in the ensuing brawl.

Both men looked exhausted as the third round began, and this time it was Miocic’s turn to stage a comeback, taking the fight to the ground and taking Beltran’s back late on, but like so many before him he was unable to finish him off.

So with neither man unable to get the finish it was down to the judges to decide as Miocic took the unanimous decision.

Then it was down to the middleweight division as Steve Cantwell faced Mike Massenzio.

This was a great way to end the broadcast. The first round clearly belonged to Cantwell and his excellent display of technical striking, but from the second round onwards Massenzio really upped his game and turned this onto a brawl on more than once occasion, bloodying Cantwell’s nose in the process.

We also saw some brief trips to the ground, but they didn’t really amount to anything as both fighters preferred the striking game.

With the fight going the distance it was over the judges again as Massenzio took the unanimous decision.

In conclusion – I think you can tell how I’m going to end this review, can’t you?

This was another quality outing from the UFC and one of their best shows this year. We were treated to some classy undercard fights, the return of the best talker in the business and two great title fights, as well as some entertaining filler material at the end.

In fact the only thing wrong with this show is ESPN’s continued refusal to put their hands in their pockets for the Spike preliminary fights.

But apart from that grip UFC 136 gets the big thumbs up.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com, even if it’s only to make a guy in the final days of his 30’s happy!

With the Ultimate Fighting Championship continuing their busy schedule it’s time to look at their latest offering as Demetrious Johnson challenged Dominick Cruz for the Bantamweight title in the main event of UFC Live, shown in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on Premier Sports here in Britain.

The broadcast began in the lightweight division as Matt Wiman faced Mac Danzig.

This proved to be a highly entertaining three round affair, fought at a frantic pace throughout. But fighters put in great performances in all departments. The many striking exchanges were a joy to watch.

The best submission attempts came in the second round. Wiman put in some good work off his back, going for an arm bar and a kimura, with Danzig showing some good defensive work.

The best striking came in the third, and their certainly showed the scars of battle as the round went on, with Danzig going for a kimura as the fight came to an end.

So with the fight going the distance the judges came into play with Wiman taking the unanimous decision.

After an interview with Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard it was on welterweight action as Anthony Johnson faced Charlie Brenneman.

A dominating performance from Johnson saw him dominate the fight as soon as Brenneman went for a take down. Rumble used his power to hold his man to the mat, face down, as he unloaded with a torrent of blows.

Brenneman was struggling, although he soon managed to turn over, putting Johnson into his half guard.

Moments later Johnson caused Brenneman further difficulties with a series of punches and kicks, and after a head kick sent Brenneman crashing down to the mat the referee had seen enough, stepping in and giving Johnson the impressive TKO win.

It was up to heavyweight for the next fight, a battle of the kick boxers as Pat Barry went up against Stefan Struve.

Being a big fan of Pat Barry after having seen him in his WCL days I was eager to see this fight, and even though it was a little slow to begin with it had a spectacular ending.

The first round was a very cagey affair as both men tried to find their range, but when the second round began Barry upped his game and seemed to get the better of the exchanges.

But when the fight went to the ground the giant Struve took control, and it wasn’t long before he smoothly locked in a leg triangle. Barry tried to slam his way out but it didn’t help his cause, forcing him to tap out seconds later.

The main event saw Demetrious Johnson challenging Dominick Cruz for the Bantamweight title.

I thought Wiman and Danzig had fought at a frantic pace. It was nothing compared to these guys.

Throughout the fight Johnson scooted around the ring like a happy terrier as he attempted to stick and move, looking for that one punch or kick that would put the champion away.

But as good as this was to watch it was often stopped when Cruz took him down, particularly in the second when he picked Johnson up and took him down with a back suplex.

Sadly there were no Kurt Angle-like follow ups as Cruz took Johnson’s back and flattened him out as he went for a variety of chokes and submissions which were ultimately unsuccessful.

This was the story of the fight, Cruz getting big take downs and Johnson showing incredible foot speed, and with the fight going the distance the judges came into play again, with Cruz taking the unanimous decision.

In conclusion – do I really need to tell you how much I enjoyed this show?

On a night when Premier Sports screwed up big time by showing a Cage Warriors show encrypted when it was meant to be free to air they once again picked up ESPN’s slack with this free to air offering.

And what an offering it was. All four fights delivered, with the Cruz/Johnson title battle the fight of the night for me, and possibly the title fight of the year.

So it’s for these reasons that the UFC’s latest foray into free television gets the big thumbs up, and let’s hope that Premier Sports continues to give British fans the UFC coverage they deserve, because it looks like ESPN won’t be putting their hands in their pockets to pay for these shows anytime soon.

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

What first got you into martial arts? How long have been training?

Which martial arts taken part in before doing Jui Jitsu Grappling?

Shotokan Karate and Tae kwon Do!

What or who inspired you to train in the art of Jui Jitsu?

I saw the UFC in 1995 and was obsessed from that moment, so like sooo many people Royce Gracie really!

As a no-Gi-Grappler do you still have belts for grading?

No I’ve done the belt thing before and to be honest it’s no guarantee of quality!

Did you previously learn wearing a Gi?

Yes I loved donning the white armour and may well indulge again someday, especially if a student of mine wants to compete in gi competitions, but for now it’s no-gi all the way!

Do you think there is a difference between combat sports and self defence on the streets? As a coach do you teach both?

Hell yeah anything that you see banned in competition you should use to defend yourself in the street, as they’re banned because of the amount of damage they can cause, of course you have to weigh up the situation yourself and be responsible for whatever you do to the person your facing, if it’s a situation where you could walk away but you fight then I think you’re probably going to pay for it somehow and not in a good way!

I have done and I make sure my students understand that sport MMA isn’t total street defence but can be useful in it!

Can you tell us about your club – Savage Garage and how it came about? Cool name and logo by the way Paul.

Why thank you sir:-)  Lol it’s fairly simple in that it originated in a garage and savage rhymed and fit nicely, to be honest it’s an ever so slightly tongue in cheek name, we’re of the Kazushi Sakuraba attitude where we take it seriously but with an element of humour, there’s sooo much macho B.S that goes on in the martial arts and I try to stay away from it as best I can however let me reiterate we train seriously and we do our best to win anything we compete in!

I hear your club is a hosting a Ryan Hall BJJ Seminar. What can the seminar attendees expect on the day?

Oh yeah I am soooo jazzed up for this seminar, the guy is phenomenal both in teaching and competing (and a great guy as well!!) expect your understanding of even basic techniques to be boosted to higher levels, there are very rare guys out there who know things the average guy doesn’t and can communicate them, Ryan Hall is one of those guys, we’re very lucky to have him here in the South of England!   Still spaces left …email or phone me for details: nicholl_paul25@hotmail.com  - 07906 151411

Are you a fan of the UFC and do you have a favourite fighter?

I love the UFC, my fave old time fighter is Marco Ruas, he was the first complete guy I think, he is also the only guy to make me wet myself….he choked me unconscious at a seminar back in 1997. I was in my don’t tap whatever phase back then and my bladder paid the price lol!

Nowadays I love GSP, Carlos Condit, Lyoto Machida, Maurilo Rua!

What other interests do you have outside of martial arts?

Helping my kids grow up with any vital info about life I think I missed out on when I was a kid! Studying Scientology, it’s been an incredible help to me in EVERY area of my life!

What’s your current favourite song?

Not sure about any current one’s I’m a classic rock fan, you can’t go wrong with AC/DC!!

Do you have any websites you would like to share?

No, it’s a disgrace I know but currently apart from my Facebook page we don’t have a website yet!!  Feel free to friend up!

- Savage Garage Fight Team host Ryan Hall Submission Grappling Seminar, Wednesday October 12, 19.30-22.00, St Mary’s Sports Hall, Southampton, Hampshire.

It was a battle of the Jakes as Shields faced Ellenberger in the main event of the UFC’s latest Ultimate Fight Night, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The show began with middleweight action as Alan Belcher faced Jason MacDonald.

We saw a slow start before Belcher defended against MacDonald’s take down, engaging in a clinch against the cage. But MacDonald really wanted that take down, and pulled guard so he could take the fight to the ground.

Big mistake. Belcher immediately went on the offensive with the ground and pound. MacDonald managed to counter the first onslaught with a kimura attempt but it wasn’t long before Belcher escaped and went back to work.

It wasn’t long before it was all over, with MacDonald verbally tapping to give Belcher the impressive comeback win.

Then it was down to the featherweight division as Jonathan Brookins faced Erik Koch.

This was one of those interesting three round affairs. While Koch was hoping to make this a striking battle Brookins did a good job of turning this into a clinch war in the first two rounds, trying for the take downs and going for clinches against the cage so he could unload with the knees and the dirty boxing.

Koch had his moments, but it wasn’t really until the third round where he was able to impose his will with some nice combinations before Brookins managed to regain control with more take down attempts and clinches against the cage.

So with the fight going the distance it was in the hands of the judges with all three giving the fight to Koch. Somewhat surprising in my humble opinion, as I thought Brookins put in the higher work rate.

After an interview with Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson it was on to the next fight, another middleweight encounter, this time between Court McGee and Dongi Yang.

For two rounds these two fought an intriguing striking battle, and even though it was largely uneventful both guys looked solid with their blows. McGee also went for a couple of take downs which Yang easily defended against.

The fight suddenly sprang into life in the third round when Yang connected with a flying knee, and although he connected with a few good punches McGee really upped his game, finally scoring with the take downs he was looking for, getting the big one towards the end of the round and going for a guillotine just as the fight came to an end.

Once again the judges were called into action, with McGee taking the unanimous decision. Well, at least they got this one right!

The main event saw Jake Shields taking on Jake Ellenberger in the welterweight division.

The blink and you’ll miss it affair of the evening saw both men testing the waters with jabs and uppercuts. Ellenberger then threw Shields to the ground, with the former Strikeforce champion immediately getting to his feet.

Seconds later Ellenberger connected with two knees, one to the body and one to the knee. Shields slumped to the ground, with Ellenberger following him down for a brief period of ground and pound before the referee stepped him to give Ellenberger the highly impressive TKO win.

In conclusion – on the night that a certain Mr. Mayweather was bringing disgrace to the world of boxing the UFC showed us how things should be done with another great show, and while some of the fights may not have been that spectacular they certainly delivered, with the battle of the Jakes the fight of the night for me.

So in all the latest Ultimate Fight Night gets the big thumbs up as a perfect appetiser for what is to come next weekend.

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

It was December 16th, 1995. Over a two year period the Ultimate Fighting Championship had held seven events, events featuring some of the most brutal and the most impressive performances in the fledgling sport of mixed martial arts.

Then they wanted to find out who was the best by putting together former champions and runners-up in a one night tournament for the first Ultimate Ultimate.

The show began with the quarter-finals, with Tank Abbott taking on UFC 3 Champion Steve Jennum.

Abbott scored the early take down in this one, and showed some good skill by moving Jennum up against the fence. Jennum managed to get the big guy out of his guard, but it wasn’t long before Abbott was soon back in.

Seconds later, and with his neck looking cranked against the cage Jennum, his head squeezed up against the fence and realising there was nothing he could do, tapped out, giving Abbott the victory.

Quarter-final #2 saw Paul Varelans facing UFC 5 Champion Dan Severn.

Like Abbott before him Severn took his man early, dominating the fight by tying Varelans up like a pretzel before locking in an arm choke for the submission win.

Quarter-final #3 saw Dave Beneteau taking on UFC 6 Champion Oleg Taktarov.

Another fight that barely lasted past the minute mark saw both men grappling for position early on, but when Beneteau looked like he was getting the upper hand Taktarov countered by taking the Canadian’s leg and taking the fight to the ground, synching in an Achilles lock for the submission win.

Quarter-final #4 saw Keith Hackney going up against UFC 7 Champion Marco Ruas.

The longest fight of the round saw a lengthy feeling out period at the beginning, with both men testing the waters with kicks, but when Ruas took the fight to the ground it was all over bar the shouting. Ruas quickly took Hackney’s back and flattened him out before synching in the rear naked choke for the submission win.

Semi-final #1 saw Tank Abbott taking on Dan Severn.

Abbott began by defending Severn’s take down attempt, but from that moment on it was all Severn as the Beast dominated the fight on the ground. Severn overwhelmed Abbott on the ground, taking his back and delivering forearms, elbows, knees and punches while looking for that elusive finishing move.

With Abbott all but failing to defend himself this fight would have been stopped early under today’s unified rules, but with Severn failing to get that finisher and Abbott’s only other great moment being when he managed to get to his feet late on the fight went to the 18 minute time limit.

Which meant that for the first time in UFC history the newly-installed judges came into play, with all three giving the fight to Severn.

Semi-final #2 saw Oleg Taktarov facing Marco Ruas.

This looked a mouth watering prospect on paper, and was certainly a more even fight than the first semi-final.

Both men put in some good work on the ground, especially Taktarov, who went for a guillotine choke and had the hold on for what seemed like an age, with Ruas content just to stay in position.

But when referee John McCarthy stood the fighters up for inactivity the action kind of stalled as they spent the remainder of the fight circling each other and delivering the odd blow. It didn’t make for exciting viewing as both men seemed unwilling to commit to anything, and as the clock ran down to the 18 minute time limit the crowd began to chant “fight, fight”.

So the judges came into play again, with Taktarov taking the unanimous decision.

Then it was on to the final between Dan Severn and Oleg Taktarov.

This proved to be an intriguing battle. Severn began by slapping Taktarov’s forehead, hoping to open up the cuts and scar tissue before the fight went to the ground, and when it got there the Beast did a good job of controlling the fight in the guard, using the head butt to good effect and opening Taktarov up and swelling his forehead and cheek bones.

But it wasn’t all Severn here. Taktarov did a good job in the defensive department, holding onto Severn and stopping him from going for any sort of finishing move.

The only problem that both fighters had though was that they were both exhausted, and this came into play big time, with neither man able to put the other away before the 27 minute time limit or in the 3 minute overtime period.

So once again the judges came into play as all three gave their decision to Severn, and rightfully so, crowning him the first Ultimate Ultimate Champion.

In conclusion – this was a really enjoyable show. All the fights were pretty good, and it was interesting to watch the drama unfold as the show went on as the better fighters basically negated each other.

However, although this was a good tournament I couldn’t help but wonder how things would have played out if the UFC’s best tournament champion, Royce Gracie, had been a part of this event. But then again that’s something we as armchair fans can only speculate on.

So in all the first Ultimate Ultimate tournament gets the thumbs up from me as another interesting slice of mixed martial arts history.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The lightweight action continued with Jim Miller against Ben Henderson.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just a few hours after a tabloid darling went at it with the star of a mobile phone recycling commercial in London light heavyweight greats Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans went at it for the second time in the main event of UFC 133, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

No preliminary action for us Brits this time around, so it was on to the main show beginning with Rory MacDonald against Mike Pyle in the welterweight division.

This was a great way to start the broadcast. MacDonald dropped Pyle early on with a big right, although it was hard to tell if Pyle went down because of the blow or if he slipped.

Pyle did a good job of escaping from MacDonald’s guillotine attempt, but it wasn’t long before MacDonald went to work with the strikes again. Pyle could do nothing as MacDonald went for the ground and pound after a left hook to the jaw while in the guard, with the referee wisely stepping in to give MacDonald the tremendous TKO win.

It was up to the middleweight division for the next fight as Jorge Rivera went up against Costa Philippou.

I really enjoyed this three round encounter. Philippou did well early on after scoring with the take down, moving Rivera up against the fence, although he seemed to lose his way a little after the referee separated them for lack of action during a clinch against the cage. Rivera came back strongly with some nice combinations.

The second round began in the same manner, with Philippou beginning strongly, looking like he was going to get the win when Rivera didn’t respond to his ground and pound. The veteran soon managed to escape, but later on found himself in Philippou’s alma plata attempt. The only problem was that he didn’t seem to know how to finish the hold.

By the time the third round started both fighters began to look tired, and although they continued to go for the win they were clearly running out of gas.

So with the fight going the distance the judges came into play as they gave Philippou the split decision and his first win in the octagon.

It was back down to welterweight for the next fight as Dennis Hallman took on Brian Ebersole.

A great back and forth encounter saw Hallman almost running forward, looking for the quick submission win as he took Ebersole’s back. But the man with the arrow shaved into his chest put in some great defensive work, eventually escaping from Hallman’s clutches and taking the guard.

From there Ebersole went to work with the ground and pound, connecting with numerous vicious shots that busted Hallman open and reddened his face, and when Hallman went limp the referee stepped in and stopped the fight to give Ebersole the TKO win.

By the way, what was with Hallman’s budgie smugglers? (If you don’t know what that means find a friendly Australian.)

More middleweight action followed as Vitor Belfort faced Yoshihiro Akiyama.

This was vintage action from the Phenom. After  lengthy feeling out period Belfort went to work with the strikes, dropping Akiyama with a left to the temple. Belfort was all over him like the proverbial cheap suit, and after a barrage of blows on the ground Sexy-Yama was out like a light as the referee stopped the action and gave Belfort the knockout win. Awesome stuff.

The main event saw Tito Ortiz facing Rashad Evans in the light heavyweight division.

No draw this time around. Ortiz looked good to begin with but it wasn’t long before Evans took control with a big slam, going to work with the ground and pound, although Ortiz was able to defend himself.

When the second round started Ortiz looked spent, but he had enough fuel to go for a guillotine attempt. It didn’t get the job done though because of Evans’ position, and from there Evans took control again with the ground and pound, and while Ortiz sat on the mat with his back against the cage Evans connected with a big knee to the body. The bad boy slumped to the mat as Evans went to work with the ground and pound, with the referee stepping in to give Sugar the highly impressive TKO win.

With lots of time to kill it was on to filler material, beginning with the welterweight encounter between Johny Hendricks and Mike Pierce.

This battle between grapplers proved to be a mainly striking encounter. Both men looked good with their exchanges throughout the first two rounds, allying this with a number of take down attempts that never came to anything.

The only real ground work came in the final few minutes, but after Hendricks was warned for an up kick that connected to Pierce’s chin while he was still grounded it was back to the striking game as the fight came to an end.

Which meant that they’d left things in the hands of the judges as Hendricks took the split decision.

It was down to bantamweight for the next fight as Ivan Menjivar went up against Nick Pace.

An intriguing show closer saw good performances from both fighters. Menjivar put on a Masterclass with his punches and kicks, and there were times when Pace had no answer to his onslaught.

Pace put in some good grappling work, going for a rear naked choke in the first round as Menjivar was standing, and looking good when he scored with a take down late in the second.

Menjivar’s great striking continued in the third, but when Pace connected with a knee to Menjivar’s left eye the tide turned immediately. Menjivar was having trouble seeing out of his let eye as Pace upped his game, but in the end time was against him.

So it was down to the judges once again as Menjivar took the close unanimous decision.

In conclusion – well, what can I say? Dana White and his crew certainly delivered once again. There wasn’t a bad fight shown here, with the second meeting between Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans the highlight of a stacked show, with the only downside for me being Dennis Hallman’s fight wear. (Have you found out what budgie smugglers are yet?)

So in all UFC 133 gets the big thumbs up from this particular writer. Great stuff all round.

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

On the night that David Haye was complaining about his little toe Urijah Faber was attempting to take the Bantamweight title from Dominick Cruz in the main event of UFC 132, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

No prelims for British viewers this time so it was straight on to the main show as Carlos Condit faced Dong Hyun Kim in the welterweight division.

This certainly was an explosive way to start the evening. After a testing of the waters early on Kim scored with the take down, only for Condit to reverse the positions almost immediately.

They quickly returned to their feet, but when Condit connected with a flying knee it was all over bar the shouting. Condit followed Kim down for some ground and pound, with the referee stopping the fight seconds later.

It was up to light heavyweight for the next fight as Tito Ortiz went up against Ryan Bader.

Ortiz needed to make a big statement in this one, and he did. Both fighters tried to find their range early on, but when Ortiz connected with a big right Bader went crashing down.

Ortiz went in for the kill as he followed Bader to the ground, pulling guard and synching in a guillotine choke for the submission win.

Lightweight action followed as Dennis Siver took on Matt Wiman.

The first fight of the broadcast to make it out of the first round proved to be a very entertaining affair.

Siver did a good job of defending against Wiman’s take down attempts, but the handsome one had great success with his chosen tactic in the second round, cutting Siver open with his ground and pound.

Wiman had more success with his take downs in the third, and although Siver had his moments it looked to be a sure fire win for Wiman.

Except that the judges didn’t see it that way, with all three giving the fight to Siver. Wiman was none too happy with the decision, throwing his cap across the cage and storming away.

ESPN then returned to their old ways, coming back late from a commercial break, which meant that we missed the start of the lightweight filler material encounter between Melvin Guillard and Shane Roller.

Thankfully we didn’t miss that much. After accidentally poking Roller in the eye Guillard sent him crashing after a lightning fast combination.

Roller was able to get back to his feet, but it wasn’t long before Guillard sent him back down, with the referee stopping the fight after a brief moment of ground and pound.

Then it was on to the big middleweight encounter between Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben.

The blink and you’ll miss it affair of the evening saw Silva coming forward with a couple of combinations early on, only for Leben to counter with a left that staggered the Brazilian.

A series of huge left uppercuts sent the Axe Murdered to the ground. Leben followed him down before the referee quickly stepped in to give Leben the knockout win.

The main event saw Urijah Faber challenging Dominick Cruz for the Bantamweight title.

The first Bantamweight title fight in UFC history proved to be an outstanding advertisement for the division.

For five rounds two of the best entertained us with some excellent exchanges, mixed in with some nice take downs and scrambles, with both fighters giving their all, neither able to put the other away. It was a terrific fight that had so many great moments.

This was one of those fights where I didn’t envy the judges. All three of them gave the fight to Cruz, one by quite a huge margin, which came as something of a surprise to me.

The show rounded out with more filler material as Donny Walker faced Jeff Houghland in the bantamweight division.

This was a very enjoyable three rounder. We saw some good striking exchanges here allied with some excellent grappling.

Houghland put in a sound performance, going for a few chokes and a couple of arm bars. Walker managed to escape from one of these by slamming his way out.

So with the fight going the distance it was up to the judges, with all three giving their decisions to Houghland.

In conclusion – after a disappointing performance from Britain’s big boxing superstar this was just what the doctor ordered.

This was another great show from the UFC, and even though some of the decisions had me scratching my head a little every fight delivered, especially the outstanding main event.

So with that being said UFC 132 gets the big thumbs up. While the boxing world is somewhat floundering at the moment the MMA world is flourishing and delivering quality shows.

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

It was another night of main event changes as the Ultimate Fighting Championship presented their fourth show on Versus, shown live in the early hours of this past Monday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began in the heavyweight division as Matt Mitrione faced Christian Morecraft.

Old Meat Head put in another great performance in his blossoming MMA career. From the outset his striking looked top notch as he rocked Morecraft a couple of times with big lefts.

Morecraft had some success in the second with his take downs, but when the referee stood the fighters up because of inactivity Mitrione went to work with the combinations, sending Morecraft crashing with a three punch combo. Mitrione didn’t follow him down, the referee stopping the fight to give him the knockout win.

Then it was down to the welterweight division as John Howard took on Matt Brown.

This was a pretty even three round affair. Both fighters put in some good work at times, with Howard’s leg kicks and his take downs in the first round looking particularly effective.

Brown was more than able to keep up with him, with some good take down defence and ground work of his own.

All three judges scored in favour of Brown.

The welterweight action continued with Ricky Story taking on Charlie Brenneman.

The fight that was meant to be the main event (you should know the story by now) saw Brenneman putting on a good display of ground fighting in the first two rounds, continually frustrating Story with his superior work rate.

Story’s best moments came in the third, where he finally managed to take control on the ground with a leg triangle. But Brenneman regained control towards the end of the fight.

It was too little too late for Story though, with all three judges giving the fight to Brenneman.

The new main event saw Cheick Kongo taking on Pat Barry in the heavyweight division.

This battle of the kick boxers proved to be an explosive affair. Both fighters tested the waters early on with a series of kicks. But when Barry connected with a big right it looked all over.

Barry went in for the kill, and at one point it looked like the referee was going to stop the fight, but when he saw that Kongo was trying for a take down he let the action continue.

Seconds later it was over. Kongo got to his feet and connected with a right uppercut that sent Barry crashing. A brief moment of ground and pound followed before the referee stopped the fight to give Kongo the incredible knockout win.

In conclusion – despite all of the changes this proved to be a top notch show with four good fights, from the excellent ground fighting display of Charlie Brenneman and Rick Story to the explosive striking of Pat Barry and Cheick Kongo.

So in all this show gets the thumbs up, a perfect appetiser for this weekend’s big event.

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