Author: By James Slattery

NOTTINGHAM, September 29 – British knockout artist Jimi Manuwa showed off his power often against Octagon vet Kyle Kingsbury in the former’s UFC debut Saturday, closing the Californian’s eye and forcing a doctor’s stoppage just before the third round began in UFC on FUEL TV prelim action at the Capital FM Arena. 

Manuwa swung too hard and overbalanced early, which led to his being stuck under the very heavy Kingsbury for precisely half the opening round. He was not a happy man when he regained his feet, and he let Kingsbury know it with a huge knee to the body followed by some heavy, heavy punches. The sound of them landing was clearly audible around the arena – and they landed by the dozen.

The battering that Manuwa subjected Kingsbury to for the last half of the first round is one of the hardest beatings that any fighter in UFC history has sustained while remaining standing. Flying knees, left hooks, head kicks and punishing body blows had Kingsbury looking lost, hurt and hesitant. He also had his left eye closed by the end of the first and had lumps on his head the size of eggs.

Manuwa’s ridiculously hard left hook had Kingsbury ducking every time the London man feinted it. That played right into Manuwa’s hands, as he threw massive knees into Kingsbury’s jaw every time he did so. He also proved very resistant to Kingsbury’s increasingly desperate takedown attempts. In the interval after the first round, it looked doubtful whether Kingsbury would even emerge for the second.

But he did emerge and he came out hard, his corner having told him to get busy and try to get Manuwa moving backwards. He couldn’t keep it up for long though – when Manuwa started landing bombs, Kingsbury was again looking for takedown attempts. In between them, he was wandering backwards looking like a man with no ideas.

Manuwa hugely endeared himself to the crowd by demanding Kingsbury return to his feet every time he had been knocked down. It wasn’t until late in the second that Kingsbury was able to hit a takedown of his own and keep Manuwa on his back. He passed to side control with relative ease, but couldn’t get any submission efforts together.

When the second round ended, Kingsbury’s left eye was literally sealed shut. He was up on his feet ready to go at the start of the third but when the referee looked at the eye, it was clear that Kingsbury was unable to see. He waved the fight off and while Kingsbury protested a little, there was more than a little relief there as well.

AKIRA CORASSANI VS ANDY OGLE

Akira Corassani once spent a training camp at Kaobon, the Liverpool, UK gym which Andy Ogle represents, but that didn’t benefit the Brit in any noticeable way except perhaps to make him aware in advance of Corassani’s accurate striking ability. Ogle is no slouch either though, and with the striking pedigree of Kaobon behind him he and Corassani made the first round into a demonstration of technical standup.

Corassani proved to be a very tricky customer, with lots of feinting and changing of angles and levels. Ogle scored an early knockdown via a right-hand counter, but on the whole it was he who found himself being countered when he attempted to press forward. Corassani landed some powerful shots on the young Brit, cutting his scalp and rattling him to the extent that he looked – unsuccessfully – to get Corassani down.

Corassani had a cut over his left eye at the end of the first round, but was clearly feeling confident going into the second. Ogle looked for the takedown more than once, and at times was backpedalling frantically as Corassani walked him down and cut off his angles. Such was Corassani’s level of comfort that he tried a spinning heel-kick. It didn’t land, but it did get an ‘oooh’ from the crowd.

With two minutes left in the second round, Ogle did manage to score a takedown by catching a low kick and turning it into a single leg, but Corassani butt-scooted backwards and put his back on the cage, attempting to wall-walk up it. Ogle managed to stop him doing so, looking for a guillotine in the process, but Corassani broke free with thirty seconds to go. Ogle battered him as he did so, but the buzzer sounded to end the round. Literally at the same time, Corassani threw a right hand and knocked Ogle down. The British fighter landed heavily on his backside but instantly jumped up and returned to his corner while Corassani got heavily booed by the crowd.

Ogle tried to hit a takedown early in the third and nearly got kicked in the face for his troubles. He avoided that by diving backwards, but that meant Corassani was able to get top position on him. Ogle reversed him and the two entered a scramble that persisted for the duration of the round, interspersed with stalemates as the two held position on each other and contemplated their next move in the full-contact chess game.

With Corassani on all fours looking for a single leg, Ogle was able to chip away with his elbows and rattle his fellow TUF veteran, as well as draw some blood from him. He also fished for submission chokes but couldn’t quite get anything locked up. Corassani held on gamely but couldn’t finish the single leg and Ogle took the third round on two of the judges’ cards. A split decision resulted, with Corassani going 29-28 on two cards. The third judge – inexplicably – gave the fight to Ogle 30-27.

Go behind Corassani’s win

BRAD TAVARES VS TOM WATSON

Tom Watson, making his UFC debut on this card, is notorious for getting into wars, and Brad Tavares is the kind of man who will duly oblige him. The result was a three-round battle which tested the heart, chins and fitness of both participants. They started trading heavy leather early and didn’t stop until the final bell, giving the fans three rounds of action which they lapped up.

Tavares’ boxing looked exceptional early on, with crisp 1-2 combinations and his hands returning directly to a guard position. Watson was looking for the body kick underneath them but was forced to retreat and cover as the straight shots kept coming. When he was backed onto the fence, Tavares hit a successful takedown and looked like he might be on track to get an early finish from superior position.

But Watson is made of stern stuff and, with a very partisan crowd behind him, was soon back to his feet and into a firefight. Jumping kicks came from both sides and Watson began looking for knees to the body in order to take some wind out of Tavares, who thought that to be a good tactic and adopted it himself. At one point both threw knees at each other and Watson’s went astray – right into Tavares’ groin. He shrugged that one off and the two shook hands, but he was not happy later in the round when a Watson inside-low went a touch too high and clipped his groin box. That earned Watson a warning from British referee Leon Roberts.

Two rounds of intense action followed. Tavares’ workrate and accuracy were higher than Watson’s and as he poured on the pressure he edged ahead on the scorecards. Successful takedown efforts racked up points for him but he was never able to keep Watson down for long. The British middleweight continually returned to his feet to throw shots with bad intentions but it looked like the wrestling was sapping his strength as the fight went on.

Nonetheless it was a close one and while most fans were sure it was a unanimous decision for Tavares, the judges weren’t so sure. One had the fight for Watson 29-28, the other two for Tavares 30-27 and 29-28, handing the American fighter a split-decision win after a performance which put them in the running for Fight of the Night.

Watch Tavares’ post-fight interview

GUNNAR NELSON VS DAMARQUES JOHNSON

An Icelandic folk song accompanied 24-year-old BJJ black belt Gunnar Nelson to the Octagon for one of the most anticipated debuts in some time. Nelson is a grappling prodigy and has a huge reputation in the jiu-jitsu world. He had been a UFC target for some time but had elected to continue honing his skills before accepting a call-up.

His route to this fight was tumultuous. Original opponent Pascal Krauss pulled out and so did replacement Rich Attonito, leaving Johnson in on one week’s notice. Johnson had a hard weight cut but a lot more experience than Nelson, who brought an undefeated 9-0-1 record in with him.

It was an intriguing affair from the off; Nelson took a stance that immediately marked him out as a karate man and indeed he was the karate champion of Iceland three years running. But it was the jiu-jitsu that the fans wanted to see and so after some unorthodox kicking, he was able to get Johnson against the cage in a clinch. From there he took Johnson down with relative ease and took the fight right into his element.

Watching Nelson at work on the mat is to watch mastery; unflappable calm and a sense of someone solving a puzzle rather than engaging in combat. Johnson managed to lock up a very tight omaplata but Nelson regarded the threat with merely a quizzical air, casually turning this way and that until he managed to slide over to Johnson’s other side and negate the pass.

From there he smothered Johnson with the inexorable crushing style of an ice-age setting in. His zen-like facial expression did not change as he moved from side-control to mount, from there to rear-mount and from there to a body triangle which squeezed the fight out of the gutsy Johnson. Time ticked on and the crush got tighter as Nelson slid an arm around Johnson’s neck. The crowd exhaled as they waited for the inevitable, then erupted in a roar as Johnson tapped at 3:34 of the opening round.

The submission win was predicted by many but the demeanour was not; to face your UFC debut with the same expression one might wear when deciding between which shirt to put on is truly remarkable, and highlights Nelson as a unique talent and someone to keep a close eye on.

Hear what Nelson had to say following his big win

ROBBIE PERALTA VS JASON YOUNG

Jason Young’s decision to stand and trade with Robbie Peralta backfired spectacularly. Peralta jabbed Young backwards at the start of the fight and had him near the fence when Young elected to stand his ground and let his hands go. Peralta had been loading up what looked like an obvious right hand but he launched it just as Young let his own hands go. The result was that a huge overhand right sailed into Young’s jaw and the British fighter hit the floor hard. Peralta was on him instantly with further shots but the referee stepped in and stopped the bout 23 seconds in to save the semi-conscious Young from unnecessary damage.

Watch Peralta’s post-fight interview

NOTTINGHAM, September 29 – Nobody thought Saturday’s UFC on FUEL TV main event at the Capital FM Arena between heavyweights Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic was going to go the distance – and they were right. It ended in the second round with a referee’s stoppage in favor of Struve, but it was a rollercoaster affair up to that point. Struve hails from Holland, home of the world’s best kickboxers, and has an enormous reach. Miocic is shorter – as everyone is next to the 7-0 tall Struve – but has a solid boxing pedigree that includes the winning of Golden Gloves titles as an amateur.

The fight got going early on but was largely in Miocic’s favor for the first frame. Struve wasn’t using his reach well and Miocic was having no trouble getting inside his range and working high-low combinations to the head and body. More than once it looked like he might be within a few punches of putting Struve down, but the tall Dutchman was always able to extricate himself and stay in the fight.

Having taken the worst of it in the first round, Struve was fired up for the second. He really started letting his hands go and paying Miocic back in full for the previous round’s punishment, with immediately effective results. Struve was letting hands and elbows fly and at one point was literally running after Miocic, who was sprinting backwards in a circle to avoid what would very probably be a fight-ending blow.

As his head cleared, Miocic re-entered the fray and the final minute of the fight saw the two exchanging heavy blows, Struve targeting the head and Miocic the body. Struve’s approach paid dividends, driving Miocic into the fence and holding him there while he let rip. Had Miocic been in the center of the Octagon he would have fallen down, but as it was he had nowhere to go and Struve’s blows were actually keeping him up. Only when referee Herb Dean intervened at the 3:50 mark was Miocic able to stagger away.

Before the fight, UFC president Dana White said that the winner would be the “top five or six heavyweight in the world” and on his way to bigger things. That honor falls to Struve and, at just 24 years old and on a four-fight win streak, the future looks bright for the Skyscraper.

Watch the event recap with Jon and Kenny

NOTTINGHAM, September 29 – Dan Hardy’s trademark Mohawk hairstyle bears more than a little resemblance to a shark’s fin. And it’s an apt comparison, because when Hardy smells blood he goes in for the kill. It wasn’t until late in his UFC on FUEL TV co-main event meeting with Amir Sadollah at the Capital FM Arena Saturday that he got the red stuff flowing freely, but once he did, he was relentless in looking for a finish.

He wasn’t quite able to get it, with Sadollah gritting it out, but one glance at his opponent’s face after the last round was enough to tell you which way the decision was going to go, and that was in Hardy’s favor by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice. The first round had gone Sadollah’s way largely thanks to a higher work rate and a lot of success with inside and outside leg kicks, but by the end of the third he was on his back eating elbows.

Hardy was fighting in his home city for the UFC’s first ever visit there and there was tremendous pressure on him not only to win but to perform well. And so he seemed restrained in the first half of the fight, taking a while to loosen up and start letting his shots go. But once he did he was able to edge ahead and gradually take control of the fight.

He also showed some new skills, hitting takedowns and working away from top position. Hardy is widely considered to be a kickboxing stylist and so the addition of new threats to his arsenal will give future opponents more to worry about. He did have a close call with a triangle attempt Sadollah was relentless in working for, which might be something for him to look at in between now and his next outing.

YVES JABOUIN VS BRAD PICKETT

UFC president Dana White says it over and over but it’s worth repeating – if you aren’t watching the lighter weight categories, you are missing out on some of the most explosive action that the UFC has to offer. This fight between Jabouin and Pickett pitted two of the organization’s most technical strikers against each other and it made for a thrilling battle.

Pickett likes to box and his hands are his favorite weapon. Crisp combinations, lots of body work and a killer left hook are the order of the day. Jabouin is more of a kickboxer, and he uses roundhouses and push kicks very well, combining superb timing with a precise sense of distance. The exchanges between the two were lightning-fast but power-packed – they might be bantamweights, but both of them have venom in their shots.

The textbook counter to a kick is to step in with a straight punch immediately and Pickett was scoring well with this. Both protagonists were racking points up but as Pickett was finding his range and rhythm he was beginning to edge ahead. He was doing particularly well with drawing fire from Jabouin and then countering heavily, and that was how the finish came around.

Backing Jabouin up, he moved into a range where the Canadian would let his hands go. As the attack came, Pickett countered with a huge uppercut that absolutely flattened the Montreal man. He dived in for a follow-up shot but the referee was in at the same time to stop the bout. The ecstatic Pickett jumped to his feet and started dancing.

Hear what “One Punch” had to say after his win

MATT WIMAN VS PAUL SASS

There was a lot of pressure on Matt Wiman coming into this fight with the undefeated submission specialist Paul Sass, who holds the world record for consecutive triangle victories in professional mixed martial arts. Obviously the ground is Sass’ home and so it was surprising that Wiman, with a defiant and almost cocky look on his face, opened the fight with a rather obvious kick.

Sass took hold of it and used it to hit a takedown, putting Wiman on his back. A roar from the crowd went up as they anticipated a win for the British lightweight. Instead they got a technical jiu-jitsu battle which brought to mind the recent fight between Alan Belcher and Rousimar Palhares. Like Sass, Palhares was the notorious submission fighter and he was the heavy favorite to score another win with his favored techniques.

Instead, it was Palhares who wound up being finished and so it was tonight. Sass found himself dealing with Wiman’s aggressive guard and was soon defending a triangle attempt. He worked his way out of that one and set to work pounding away at Wiman, only to find himself caught in an armbar effort. Ordinarily he would probably be able to escape this exact position but he didn’t have much room to maneuver, as he was trapped against the fence.

Wiman was duly able to lock out the arm and force the tap. The crowd’s shock was profound – Sass has never lost a round, much less been submitted. If you had put ten dollars on Wiman to win by submission you would probably now be collecting enough money to buy a decent-size boat, and with change left over. It was that unthinkable.

Proof of just how much pressure Wiman was under was amply provided in the fearful, feral scream he let rip at the ringside reporters, almost all of whom had predicted him to lose. And in his post-fight speech, when he cracked with the emotion of it all and had to fight through tears, the British crowd warmed to him and gave him a rousing cheer. Their applause was no consolation for Sass though; he looked devastated as he made the long walk backstage and contemplated the first mark in his L-column.

Watch Wiman’s emotional post-fight interview

JOHN MAGUIRE VS JOHN HATHAWAY

Unusually for British fighters, both John Hathaway and John Maguire are considered to be grapplers primarily. Hathaway in particular enjoys a reputation as perhaps the UK’s foremost wrestling-based fighter, while Maguire has his patented Gypsy Jiu-Jitsu submission grappling, in which he has awarded himself a pink belt.

Humor was the last thing on Maguire’s mind in the first round though. He was unusually hesitant and was almost tentative as Hathaway constantly pressed forward with a much-improved standup game. It wasn’t wild by any means, but Hathaway’s striking was much more varied than we have seen previously and he seems to have used his long layoff to good effect, rounding out his skillset.

There were takedown efforts in the first round but none of them came off. Hathaway came close with a very nice ankle-pick but he charged into it with such force that as Maguire hit the floor he flicked Hathaway right over him. The two scrambled to their feet and Hathaway resumed his stalking with a big smile on his face.

It wasn’t until the second round that the fight hit the floor and Hathaway could employ his grinding top game. By taking ankle grips and pressing his hips in he was able to negate Maguire’s offensive guard while at the same time dropping shots of his own and looking to pass guard. Maguire proved a tricky customer, reclaiming guard constantly, but he was two rounds down going into the third and he knew it.

Maguire fans in the stands were screaming for their man to go for broke but the third round played out the same as the preceding two frames. Not until two minutes to go did Maguire start to move forward and put Hathaway on the back foot. He had some success but he also took some counters and overall it was too little too late. A takedown just over a minute left provided his best opportunity; Maguire needed a submission but Hathaway gritted it out then reclaimed half-guard. Maguire popped back up to his feet but even there Hathaway was managing to land on him with upkicks. Moments after the final bell sounded, the judges returned a 30-27 unanimous decision in favor of the London Shootfighters man Hathaway.

Watch a highlight of Hathaway’s performance

DUANE LUDWIG VS CHE MILLS

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but Che Mills doesn’t believe that. At the relatively mature age (by professional fighter standards) of 30, Mills is still adding new things to his game. The judo trip he used to put Duane Ludwig on his back was something new from him and he managed to hit it more than once.

Ludwig has an excellent Muay Thai pedigree and so on his back was exactly where Mills wanted him. But the veteran was able to return to his feet and lock up into the kind of clinch his Thai Boxing background has well equipped him for. There was a tussle and suddenly he fell backwards with Mills on top of him. Ludwig cried out in pain and clutched the knee of his left leg, which had been tangled up in Mills’, possibly looking for a trip of his own.

Whatever it was – presumably ligament damage – the injury was a bad one and the referee was in to stop the fight right away. Ludwig couldn’t put any weight on the leg when he was helped to stand up and so he was stretchered from the Octagon. It isn’t likely to be a career-threatening injury but it will set him back for a good while. In the meantime, Mills gets his second UFC win and adds a big name to his resume.

Hear what Mills had to say about getting back in the win column

STOCKHOLM, April 14 – After losing his first two UFC fights, British featherweight Jason Young was under a lot of pressure going into his UFC on FUEL TV prelim bout against Eric Wisely at Ericsson Globe Arena Saturday. Not only would he likely lose his UFC contract if he was defeated, he would also have failed to demonstrate in the UFC the talent that got him signed in the first place.

A lot on the line, but Young did not fold under the pressure. Rather, it seems to have refocused him and made him determined not to fail. His game was extremely tight and methodical, picking Wisely apart and restraining himself at moments when he could maybe have started letting go more, but risked creating openings for Wisely in the process.

Wisely was also under pressure coming into the fight, having lost his previous bout, but he was soon seemingly out of ideas. Over the course of three rounds, Young had his way with takedowns, kicks and hard right hands to steadily rack up the points. Wisely started very strong in the third round after a ticking off from his corner team, but Young was quickly able to slow him and then get back into controlling the distance game.

Knowing the fight was in the bag, Young let rip with some big shots for the last minute or so, but Wisely held on. Young won a unanimous decision via scores of 30-28 and 29-28 twice, but he will be equally happy with the fact that he demonstrated considerable skill and composure in what was a crucial fight for his career. Watch “Shotgun’s” post-fight interview

THORESEN vs. YOUSEF

This fight had a local derby element to it as Besam Yousef hails from Sweden while Simeon Thoresen is from neighbouring Norway. On paper, Thoresen was going to cruise to a win over his fellow UFC debutant, as he is an experienced international competitor while Yousef is a relatively novice pro with a 6-0 record from fighting in Sweden.

But whether it was innate aggression or the fact he was fighting in Stockholm, Yousef came out of the gates hard. He looked to stamp his authority on the match early with hard left and right hands which forced the clinically calm Thoresen to wake up several notches from his usually ice-cold demeanour.

Thoresen paced and prodded, his experience meaning that Yousef’s attempts to draw him into a phone-booth war were rebuffed. When he finally saw his opening he stepped in and took a single-leg, placing Yousef on his back ready to be worked on. Except Yousef wasn’t ready to be worked on and incredibly, he outstruck Thoresen while holding him in full guard.

Yousef’s performance roused the crowd into making some serious noise, but the second round brought them back to earth. Thoresen maintained his policy of picking Yousef off from a distance, although there was a brief clinch which saw the Swede land some great elbow shots. Breaking from that clinch, Thoresen dropped the pursuing Yousef and was on him instantly with a D’arce choke effort.

That wasn’t successful, but it was a sign of things to come; Thoresen has a deserved reputation as one of the better grapplers on the Euro MMA circuit. No sooner had the D’arce been shrugged off than he was into a guillotine. He used that to turn Yousef over, then took his opponent’s back and sank in a rear naked choke to get the tap at 2:36 of round two. Hear what Thoresen had to say after his big win.

MADADI vs. IZQUIERDO

A Swedish wrestling champion against a Cuban karate champion – this fight was never going to go the distance. The arena erupted when Reza Madadi made his entrance, the entire crowd standing and clapping along with the local anthem which he used as his entrance music.

When he got Yoislandy Izquierdo to the floor before the one minute mark, it looked like it was going to be a short night for the Cuban. But he had other ideas – his first response on escaping back to his feet was to force Madadi backwards with a flurry of straight punches, then launch a flying knee that narrowly missed.

Things turned in Izquierdo’s favour for a while – his darting style and precision kicking game will inevitably draw comparison with fellow karate master Lyoto Machida. He did not seem concerned at the prospect of Madadi catching his leg, almost daring him to try as he threw head kicks and push kicks with venom.

Madadi was wary and that allowed Izquierdo to let his hands go, which created some tense moments for the Madadi fans as he was covering up against the cage for what felt like a long time, before dropping for a single-leg that put Izquierdo on his back and returned control of the round to him.

Izquierdo was aggressive at the start of the second but Madadi was ready for him. He put Izquierdo on his back with a double-leg, landing in side-control, and then went round to North-South looking for the choke. Izquierdo rolled to his knees looking to escape, and here he was able to single-leg Madadi and put the Swede on his back for the first time in the fight.

But just as Izquierdo got his hopes up, disaster – Madadi rolled him over and sank in a guillotine choke that was so tight Izquierdo had to tap almost as soon as it was in place, finishing the botu at the 1:28 mark of round two. An impressive debut from both men and both will probably get a call for their next UFC fights in the near future. Watch Madadi’s post-fight interview

CARMONT vs. CEDENBLAD

Hulking middleweight Francis Carmont looks to be a different weight class to his Swedish opponent. With more experience as well, plus his own UFC debut under his belt, it was a tall order for “Jycken” Cedenblad.

Carmont opened the scoring with a double-leg, which made it look like Cedenblad was in for a short night. But then the Swede’s jiu-jitsu pedigree came into play – when Carmont stood in his guard, Cedenblad looked for the tripod sweep then used the leg-hook to get to his knees and hit a takedown of his own.

The rest of the round was high drama – Cedenblad took Carmont’s back and looked for the rear-naked choke while the Frenchman had to fight like crazy to prevent being tapped. A technical jiu-jitsu battle ensued and had the crowd enthralled before Carmont was able to get out and serve up some revenge by taking Cedenblad’s back and looking for a choke of his own. Cedenblad escaped as the round ended, but his good fortune didn’t carry over into the next one, as Carmont came out with a fire underneath him.

He put Cedenblad on his back fast and then hammered him with right hands as Cedenblad looked for an armbar. Cedenblad turned turtle to escape the damage and then Carmont took his back. A brief battle ensued, as Cedenblad tried to escape, but the only route out put him under full mount. Carmont battered him until he turned over again and that allowed the French middleweight to get a rear-naked choke locked up. The Swedish crowd went very, very quiet as Cedenblad tapped 1:42 into the second stanza. Hear Carmont’s thoughts on the exciting win

DIABATE vs. DeBLASS

Cyrille Diabate was originally set to fight a kickboxing stylist in Jorgen Kruth, but injury meant that DeBlass got his UFC call-up to step in on 11 days’ notice. A jiu-jitsu player, DeBlass wanted the fight on the floor and got it there quickly. Diabate is not noted for his own jiu-jitsu skills and so DeBlass was having the best of it on the ground, but was strangely passive.

Instead of looking for a finish aggressively he was playing a stalemating, holding game which allowed Diabate both to avoid damage and to get his stamina together. That was DeBlass’ undoing because in the second and third rounds, Diabate was able to reverse him on the floor and this time there was no lack of aggression – DeBlass ate some serious shots from Diabate as his own energy ebbed away. He was exhausted by the end of the fight and was barely holding Diabete off. DeBlass lost a majority via scores of 29-28 twice and 28-28, and he will go back to New Jersey with a list of things to work on for his next outing.  Watch Diabate’s post-fight interview

ABEDI vs. HEAD

Papy Abedi gets the hometown cheer and duly opens the scoring with a right hand and a solid knee to the body from the clinch. Surprisingly, it is Abedi that goes looking for the takedown – possibly to negate the height difference – which he gets by running the pipe on a single leg against the cage. But James Head does a good job of keeping Abedi’s posture broken down so the Swede can’t get any decent offense off.

Abedi passing to half guard allows Head to get back to his feet and suddenly he is in the driving seat, forcing Abedi across the cage with hard straight shots followed by a solid knee to the midriff and then a really nice overhand-elbow that stuns Abedi. Three hard right hands follow as Head goes for the kill.

Abedi backpedaled frantically and offered nothing as Head closed the distance again, hit him and takes him down. The fight looks completely gone from Abedi; Head mounts him and lets his hands go, forcing Abedi to turn and look for escape. That allows Head to take his back and sink the rear-naked choke in; Abedi taps quickly at 4:33 of the opening round. 

STOCKHOLM, April 14 – By his own admission, Brian Stann “lost big” the last time he was in the Octagon. That was against Chael Sonnen, the middleweight division’s lead contender, and so no shame there. But Stann wants to occupy that top slot himself – and he took a big step towards it Saturday night in the UFC on FUEL TV main event against Alessio Sakara at Ericsson Globe Arena.

Sakara never really got into the fight. Coming off a long layoff, it took only a few quick exchanges for Stann to rock him. Sensing a quick finish, Stann piled it on and demonstrated some newly improved Muay Thai in the process, landing a clean knee to the head from the clinch. Sakara went to the floor shortly afterwards and Stann followed him down.

The Italian was able to regain his senses enough to stop the fight being halted there and then, but it wasn’t long before Stann worked free of Sakara’s grip and let his left hand go. Two short hooks were enough to knock Sakara out and Stann saw it before referee Marc Goddard did, ceasing his attack before the fight was officially stopped at 2:26 of the first round in a gesture of the kind of sportsmanship that the martial arts is renowned for. Watch Stann’s emotional post-fight interview

BAHADURZADA vs. THIAGO

If it wasn’t for the extended period of circling at the start of the fight, Siyar Bahadurzada would probably be the new holder of the UFC’s fastest knockout record. He brought a serious striking pedigree into his fight with Paulo Thiago, who clearly respected his power as they circled and moved for a long time at the start of the round without wanting to be the first to open up.

Thiago made the first move, lunging forward with an overhand right when he thought Siyar was open. Next thing he was face down. Siyar had hit him with a left hook as he moved in and a short right on the way down, then stepped aside to let the Brazilian fall to the floor where he lay unconscious as the bout was immediately stopped at the 42 second mark.

It’s an auspicious debut for Siyar, who was born in Afghanistan but moved to the Netherlands with his family as a teenager. Having spent half his life training with some of the best kickboxers in the world, he has brought some serious firepower into the UFC with him.

Ironically, Paulo Thiago also made his UFC debut with a shock first round knockout over a more established favourite when he stopped Josh Koscheck in London, England at UFC 95. The MMA game works in mysterious ways sometimes.

SIVER vs. NUNES

When Dennis Siver dropped to featherweight, a match with Diego Nunes was something many fans wanted to see. The two have very similar styles, playing a rangy kickboxing game with a healthy smattering of unorthodox but effective techniques.

Siver is of course famed for his spinning back kick, but in this event he only got one off, and an unsuccessful effort at that. By contrast, Nunes was pulling them out of the bag with regularity; he threw a spinning heel kick to the head at least five times over the three rounds.

Nunes also employed the spinning backfist on more than one occasion but all it did, like the kicks, was show just how fast Siver is at featherweight. He ducked under them almost the second Nunes even thought about throwing them, which was very impressive considering the speed Nunes was throwing them.

It was clear early on that Siver wanted Nunes on the floor, but he wasn’t able to effect any takedowns, even when he had a solid bodylock in place. Nunes was able to shrug him off and stay in the striking game, where he was causing problems for the German.

It was when Nunes stayed in the pocket for more than a few seconds that he got in trouble himself, as Siver was able to land heavy counter shots. One left hand clearly rocked Nunes badly, but the Brazilian laughed it off and backpedaled until his head cleared.

The clinch provided highlights, as Nunes’ knee strikes were answered with wild hooks from Siver. It’s hard to say who won these exchanges, as Nunes’ blows were harder but much less in number than Siver’s hands. That extends to the fight as a whole – Siver won a unanimous 29-28 decision but there is a sizeable number of fans who think it should have gone Nunes’ way.

MAGUIRE vs. JOHNSON

Sometimes the crowd doesn’t appreciate the ground game, preferring a standing war to the intricacies of the jiu-jitsu game. But sometimes the ground fight can be just as exhilarating, particularly when it involves one or both fighters relentlessly hunting submissions and dominant positions.

This was one of those fights. John Maguire wanted the fight on the floor, where he is most comfortable, but DaMarques Johnson has a good ground game of his own, and so when Maguire hit a takedown early in the first, the fight was on.

Maguire quickly found himself caught in a very deep omoplata; as he worked to avoid the submission, Johnson turned it into a sweep attempt, looking to take top position. Caught in a double bind, Maguire had to work very carefully to avoid being submitted or forced into a bad position from which Johnson would find it easier to win the fight.

Eventually, Maguire broke free and then came a time for the jiu-jitsu connoisseurs as Maguire attempted to pass Johnson’s guard while Johnson employed all his technique to prevent him. The pass came inch by inch, from full guard to half guard and then to side control. Johnson fought it off every step of the way. When Maguire did pass, Johnson tried rolling to his knees so he could stand up, but Maguire was ready for that and he took Johnson’s back as the round ended.

Round two saw Maguire end up on his back early. He tried to triangle Johnson but nearly got his guard passed, so he returned to his feet. Johnson showed why Maguire preferred the fight on the floor by landing a solid head kick which Maguire purported to laugh off but clearly felt. Maguire worked hard to get hold of Johnson and get him back to the floor, but it nearly backfired – Johnson caught hold of a kimura.

It was a tricky situation but Magura not only escaped it, he turned it to his advantage. Johnson only had him in half-guard and so he was able to step one leg out, over Johnson’s head, and turn Johnson’s kimura effort into an armbar against him. Taken by surprise, Johnson had no choice but to tap at 4:40 of round two, marking a second UFC victory for gypsy jiu-jitsu. Watch Maguire’s post-fight interview

PAGE vs. PICKETT

The huge right hand that Damacio Page threw at the start of his fight with Brad Pickett was a marker of just how intense it was going to be. For its full duration, the bout was a total war with no quarter asked or given, and all at the kind of ferocious pace that only bantamweights can provide.

Page’s big right didn’t land – Pickett ducked it and hit a takedown. But Page was quickly back to his feet and then he went all-out on Pickett, unleashing a fierce assault that mixed hands, shins and knees. Pickett was backed up – and sometimes lit up – but he was able to get back into the fight via a sneaky left uppercut that he scored with over and over. His left hook was also working well for him and they became key as he used them to counter Page’s offensive efforts, or open up his own.

The tremendous pace of the first round was always going to be difficult to maintain and it was Page who broke first. When Pickett came out, lifted him and slammed him at the start of the second, it seemed to take all the wind out of his sails. He got back to his feet but then got dropped with a hard right hand and Pickett came in for the finish. He was able to get Page’s back after a tussle on the floor, sinking his hooks in and then snaking an arm around Page’s neck for the fight-finishing rear naked choke at the 4:05 mark. In a marked contrast to Page’s obvious fatigue, Pickett ran across the cage then did a mid-air backflip. Watch Pickett’s post-fight interview

WELTERWEIGHT – JOHN MAGUIRE VS. JUSTIN EDWARDS

John Maguire’s UFC debut got off to a shaky start as he took a groin shot not long into the first round and had to have a timeout. But from the restart it was all action. Justin Edwards came forward, timed Maguire’s jab and landed a huge spinning back-kick underneath it, square on the liver. He followed that with a right hand to the jaw that dropped Maguire hard. See post-fight interview

Maguire’s fans got a scare but all it did was light a fire under him.

From that point on he was all over Edwards with clinches, takedowns and jiu-jitsu. Maguire classes himself a wrestler and wants to prove that the British can grapple as well as anyone. Smooth single-leg efforts and transitions between submission efforts suggest he can back his point up.

The third round was superb, featuring two spinning heel kicks from Edwards (one to the liver, one to the head) and a leglock fight on the floor that had the crowd on their edge of their seats. Ultimately though, Maguire’s wrestling and jiu-jitsu was too much and he was able to spend much of the final round on Edwards’ back with a body triangle locked in. The submission finish eluded him but Maguire’s conditioning was excellent and at the end of the fight he looked as if he could have gone one or even two more rounds at the same pace.

Maguire wins a unanimous decision 30-27

HEAVYWEIGHT – ROB BROUGHTON VS. PHIL DEFRIES

Phil DeFries looked to be a bundle of nerves before his UFC debut against the more experienced Rob Broughton, while Broughton was unusually placid. Perhaps that explains why it took three minutes for anything of consequence to happen. DeFries had been searching for a takedown, finally scored it, and briefly had Broughton on his back. See post-fight interview

Broughton managed to roll through to his knees and at that point he could have attacked DeFries’ legs – he wasn’t sprawling out – but instead he stayed put as DeFries casually wandered around him to take his back. That prompted Broughton to roll back into bottom side control, DeFries to return to top-side control. Broughton would then roll back to his knees and DeFries would wander round to take his back again before the pattern repeated itself.

That was essentially the story of the fight as a whole – this happened multiple times in each round, and for protracted periods – apart from a period in the second round where Broughton had top position and was able to spend half a round looking for a straight armlock while in top-crucifix. Other than that it was not a good performance from Broughton and DeFries’ win owed as much to Broughton’s passivity as to his own efforts.

DeFries earned a unanimous decision win 29-28

FEATHERWEIGHT – MICHIHIRO OMIGAWA VS. JASON YOUNG

Coming off a highly controversial loss in his last outing against Darren Elkins, Michihiro Omigawa was probably by no means sure of a win as he waited for the judge’s decision following three rounds against Jason Young, despite having solidly dominated almost the entire 15 minutes. See post-fight interview

His first punch of the fight was a massive left hook with extremely bad intentions, but Young met that force with force of his own. The striking was a decoy though – Omigawa wanted to be in the clinch and had no intention of standing with Young any longer than absolutely necessary. When they did strike it out, Young had some success – particularly with head kicks and jump knees – but Omigawa was straight into the clinch every time an opportunity presented itself.

As soon as that happened, it was mere moments before Young was off-balance and on his way to the floor. Omigawa calls it ‘new judo’ and Young had no answer for it. Tiny effortless foot-sweeps robbed him of equilibrium, which was followed by Omigawa’s fluid top game, resembling a bag of water in the way it flows from position to position and defies attempts to be caught hold of.

Omigawa was on the receiving end of boos as he worked methodically from the top, and while he was not hitting a lot from there, he did enough to put a mouse over Young’s eye that caused the doctor to take a look at it. At the start of round three, Young knew he needed the knockout and he launched a barrage at Omigawa again, with his right uppercut finding a home several times.

But Omigawa was canny enough to sit off and bide his time for the right opening – which again came by way of a footsweep into a trip. A heel-hook effort came close but did not succeed, so Omigawa had to content himself with riding out the rest of the round in top position before earning a 29-28 unanimous decision win and snapping a two-fight losing streak. Young is now 0-2 in the Octagon, but looked good standing; the UFC should give him a stand-up war with someone next. He could be a featherweight Pat Barry.

WELTERWEIGHT – CHRIS COPE VS. CHE MILLS

Che Mills has waited a long time to debut for the UFC. He tried out for season nine of The Ultimate Fighter and was expected to breeze into the house with no problems – only to lose the tryout match and return to the regional leagues. See post-fight interview

But all things happen for a reason, some say, and Mills will surely be wondering about that now after dispatching Chris Cope in just 40 seconds. Cope tried to play the striking game with Mills to start with but his aggression was matched and returned with interest. Mills’ precision striking sailed past Cope’s loose defence and a left hook / right hand combination staggered him.

That was followed by a thunderous knee to the jaw that dropped Cope flat. Referee Marc Goddard was taking a close look but he allowed the action to continue as Cope was struggling to his feet. He had not shifted Mills’ hand from the back of his head though and he took another huge knee to the jaw as he rose up, causing him to fall face-first to the canvas, unconscious at the 40 second mark. He drops to 6-2 while Mills rises to 14-4. Mills also received a $70,000 bonus after the event for Knockout of the Night.

BANTAMWEIGHT – CHRIS CARIASO VS. VAUGHAN LEE

Chris Cariaso took a round to warm up in the opening fight of the evening. He spent most of the first round pressed against the cage or on his back as hometown hero Vaughan Lee got busy with his clinch game. Lee used a ‘trapdoor’ takedown twice in the first to put Cariaso on his back, but was unable to capitalise or do much with the position. See post-fight interview

Carisao looked frustrated at the end of the round, but he had been given some cause for optimism by Lee’s lack of head movement. He started the second round aggressively and was not finding Lee hard to hit. After tagging him repeatedly he was able to get a takedown, pass to mount and secure the position for the remainder of the round.

Even on the scorecards at this point, round three was everything to play for. Again, Lee’s double-cover, straight line movement and lack of head movement meant that Cariaso was able to dig big uppercuts in with little resistance. Lee countered with a single-leg effort but was reversed and ended up being single-legged himself. Cariaso spent the rest of the round alternately landing elbows and looking for the RNC when Lee would briefly give up his back.

He finished the round in the RNC position and was literally sinking in the choke as the fight ended. The judges gave him a split-decision win, 29-28 on two cards. The other judge had it 29-28 for Lee, which was unusual in light of the preceding two rounds.