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Two Sheds Review: Overeem Sends Lesnar into Retirement at UFC 141

It was the last big event of 2011 as Brock Lesnar faced Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 141, shown live in the early hours of New Year’s Eve on ESPN here in Britain. The broadcast began with featherweight action as Nam Phan went up agai…

It was the last big event of 2011 as Brock Lesnar faced Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 141, shown live in the early hours of New Year’s Eve on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began with featherweight action as Nam Phan went up against Jimy Hettes.

To say that I was impressed with Hettes would not be an overstatement. As soon as he scored with his first takedown early in the first round he imposed his will on the fight, doing an excellent job of controlling Phan on the ground.

It really was a stellar performance from Hettes as he went for a number of submissions throughout the fight. Unfortunately he couldn’t get the finish, but his inability to make Phan tap didn’t phase him, especially when he was using Phan’s face for punching practice.

Phan’s good moments were few and far between, and despite the urgings of his corner he just couldn’t cope with his opponent’s onslaught.

With the fight going the distance, the judges were called into action. No surprise here as Hettes took the unanimous decision, and by some distance.

An all-European light heavyweight encounter followed as Vladimir Matyushenko took on Alexander Gustafsson.

This one began with an extensive feeling out period with both fighters testing the waters a little, and Matyushenko almost falling on his face with a big swing and miss.

It wasn’t until about two minutes or so in that the fight came to life. A left jab from Gustafsson sent Vlad crashing, with the Swede following him down for the ground and pound until the referee stepped in to give Gustafsson the TKO win.

Then it was down to the welterweight division as Jon Fitch went up against Johny Hendricks.

Blink and you’ll miss it, the affair of the show. Just as Mike Goldberg was done hyping Gina Carano’s new film, Hendricks connected with a big left. Fitch went down like the proverbial sack of spuds, and that was it. The referee stepped in after just 12 seconds to give Hendricks the knockout win.

More welterweight action followed in a fight from earlier in the evening as Dong Hyun Kim took on Sean Pierson.

This proved to be an entertaining affair. Kim did a good job of controlling the striking part of the game, keeping his man at bay with some crisp striking, making it difficult for Pierson to close the distance.

Pierson had a couple of good moments on the ground, especially in the first when he rolled with Kim’s judo throw.

Things almost came to an end towards the end of the second round when Kim connected with a jumping front kick that staggered the Canadian. As the old saying goes, Pierson was saved by the bell, and it didn’t look like he’d make it to the final round as he walked on wobbly legs back to his corner.

Pierson did indeed make it to the third round but found himself on the receiving end of Kim’s ground game. Once again he had a couple of good moments, but they just weren’t enough to overcome the South Korean.

No surprise from the judges as Kim took the unanimous decision.

The co-main event saw Nate Diaz facing Donald Cerrone in the lightweight division.

Now this was a fight. For three rounds our protagonists gave us a thrilling back and forth striking battle.

They began early, before the bell, when Cerrone saluted Diaz, before beginning their excellent striking battle.

Diaz looked in great form as he took the fight to the Cowboy, particularly in the first round. Cerrone looked down on the pace as he moved around the cage with his bloodied mouth as Diaz beat him to the punch with numerous combinations, some of them five or six punches in length.

Cerrone came back a little in the second, achieving some degree of success with some leg sweeps and a head kick which saw Diaz go down after a delayed reaction. But Diaz easily stayed in the game, and by the time the third round started, Diaz began to showboat, once again taking control with his excellent striking.

But despite all of this he couldn’t get the job done, so the decision went to the judges, with all three giving the fight to Diaz, and rightfully so.

The main event featured heavyweight action as Brock Lesnar faced Alistair Overeem.

This one certainly had that big fight feel about it. Lesnar tested the waters early on with a couple of kicks, but it wasn’t long before Overeem was centering his attack on Lesnar’s body.

Time and time again the Dutchman delivered knees and kicks and a right kick to the liver. A delayed reaction sent Lesnar down as Overeem went in for the kill, Lesnar covering up as Overeem went for the ground and pound. It wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to give Overeem the TKO win, sending Lesnar into retirement.

The show rounded out with more filler material in the form of the featherweight encounter between Manny Gamburyan and Diego Nunes.

The story of this one was Nunes’ solid kicks as he centred his attack on Gamburyan’s lead leg. Gamburyan just didn’t seem able to find his range as Nunes attacked his limb, adding shots to the body and head for good measure.

Gamburyan’s best moments came in the second round, connecting with an overhand right that had Nunes in some trouble, as well as a brief stint of ground and pound. But by the time the third round began Nunes returned to his tactic of choice, switching his stance and attacking Gamburyan’s leg and body.

Once again the judges were called into action as Nunes took the unanimous decision.

In conclusion—Dana White and his team certainly ended their year in style.

Although us Brits who like to watch TV the old fashioned way were once again denied the chance to see the Spike prelims we were treated to another quality show. The Phan/Hettes encounter would have been the fight of the night for me, had it not been for the Diaz/Cerrone fight, and while some have criticised Alistair Overeem’s demolition of Brock Lesnar, I thought it was a great way of sending out a clear message to the rest of the heavyweight division.

So in all, UFC 141 gets the big thumbs up from this writer.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com, as well as my Facebook page at Facebook.com/twoshedsreview.

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Two Sheds Review: Looking Back at the Last Three Strikeforce Shows of 2011

With 2012 almost upon us I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the last three Strikeforce shows of 2011, a year that many are saying could be their last full year. We begin on Sept. 23, and the Larkin vs. Rossborough Challengers show, whi…

With 2012 almost upon us I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the last three Strikeforce shows of 2011, a year that many are saying could be their last full year.

We begin on Sept. 23, and the Larkin vs. Rossborough Challengers show, which kicked off with welterweight action as Brian Melancon faced Felipe Portela.

This proved to be a very intriguing three rounder. Melancon put on a great display of striking throughout, able to beat the promotional debutant to the punch on more than one occasion, and knocking him down with a big left towards the end of the second round.

He also showed some good work on the ground as well, scoring with a number of take downs, particularly his big crotch slam in the first, as well as some sound defence when Portela tried to take the fight to the ground.

Portela had his moments, but these seemed few and far between, and he wasn’t helped by his inadvertent low blow in the first and the glancing knee strike to Melancon’s head while he was grounded.

So with the fight going the distance it went down to the judges, with Melancon taking the unanimous decision.

The welterweight action continued with Jason High taking on Todd Moore.

High put in a dominating performance in this one, taking control when he used a great combination to set up for the first big take down of many in the first round. From there he looked for a few submissions, using punches to keep his man on the ground.

Moore had one good moment when he managed to reverse the positions, but it wasn’t too long before High regained control.

And that was how the fight played out throughout the three rounds, with high dominating on the ground but unable to find that elusive finish.

No surprise with the judges decision in this one, as all three gave everything to High.

It was down to lightweight for the next fight as Maka Watson took on Ryan Couture.

This was a very interesting and enjoyable fight. The first two rounds followed the same formula where Couture would score with the take down, taking control on the ground and going for a variety of choke submissions.

Watson would then take control late on, unleashing with the ground and pound and causing some damage, particularly in the first when an elbow opened up a nasty cut on Couture’s forehead.

The roles were then reversed in the third as Watson scored with the take down and putting in some good ground work before Couture reversed the positions and dominated on the ground, grinding his opponent down.

But once again neither fighter could get to the finish, so the judges were called into action, with one scoring it as a draw and two giving it to Couture.

It was all the way up to heavyweight next as Lavar Johnson went up against Shawn Jordan.

The only fight on the broadcast not to go the distance saw Jordan unloading with the heavy leather early on, connecting with a big left that swelled Johnson’s right eye, although Johnson complained that he’d been the victim of a poke.

From there both guys enjoyed some good moments on the ground before moving on to the second where Johnson unloaded with some big shots of his own before Jordan took the fight to the ground, where he worked into a position so he could apply a key lock for the submission win.

The main event saw light heavyweight action as Lorenz Larkin faced Nick Rossborough.

There was no feeling out period for these two here as Rossborough, who took the fight at one week’s notice, unloaded with the big guns early on until Larkin came back with a few shots of his own, including an attempted high jumping kick.

As well as some crisp striking exchanges the two engaged in a war of attrition against the cage as they tried to grind each other down.

The fight looked a pretty even affair until the third round when Larkin connected with a knee to the body that sent Rossborough falling backwards. Larkin dominated from that point onward and went on to deliver a sustained period of ground and pound, with a series of elbows opening Rossborough up.

The judges were called into action again one last time, with Larkin taking the unanimous decision.

Show conclusion—we may not have seen any flashy finishes in this show but it was very entertaining, with some good solid performances from the likes of Ryan Couture and Jason High, with the Rossborough/Larkin encounter the fight of the night for me.

Forward to Nov. 18, and the final ever Challengers show, Britt vs. Sayers, which began with middleweight action as Derek Brunson faced Nate James.

The only fight of the broadcast to go the distance saw Brunson put in a dominating performance on the ground for the first two rounds. James just didn’t seem to have any take down defence, especially when Brunson took him down with a belly to back suplex that wouldn’t have looked out of place in pro wrestling rings.

With two rounds seemingly in the bag Brunson began to showboat a little at the beginning of the third. James failed to capitalize on this, and soon found himself on his backside after a big left. Brunson then upped his game and went back to the tactics that suited him well in the first ten minutes.

So with the fight going the distance the judges came into play Brunson took the unanimous decision.

Then it was on to the light heavyweight division as T.J. Cook went up against Trevor Smith.

This one began with both men swinging and kicking before it settled down a little as Smith took control on the ground. From there he went for a number of submission attempts, a guillotine, a toe hold and a reverse arm bar, before he finally made his man tap out with a second guillotine attempt to get the first round submission win.

What was meant to be a middleweight bout but was later changed to a catchweight fight at 188 pounds followed as Adlan Amagov took on Anthony Smith.

After a brief exchange at the beginning Amagov scored with the take down, having held onto Smith’s leg like a dog with a bone. The Russian tried to work from the closed guard until Smith tied him up, leading to a stand up.

Seconds later it was all over. A combination finished with an overhand right sent Smith crashing down. Amagov followed him to the ground until the referee stepped in to give the Russian the TKO win.

Then it was on to the women’s featherweight division as Ronda Rousey stepped in against Julia Budd.

This one didn’t last long. Rousey went forward immediately, getting the take down into the mount. Seconds later she applied the arm bar, with Budd tapping out after just 39 seconds. And before you ask, yes, I did wince when I saw Budd’s elbow bent in a direction it just shouldn’t be bent in.

The main event featured further middleweight action as Antwain Britt went up against Lumumba Sayers.

This one was even shorter. After a very brief feeling out period it looked like they were about to engage in a clinch against the cage. Then Sayers unloaded with the heavy leather, a big right finishing the job as Britt slumped against the fence, the referee quickly stepping in to give Sayers the knockout win after just 28 seconds.

Show conclusion—they saved the flashy finishes for this show. With only one fight going the distance we got to see some explosive endings here, with my joint fight of the night honours going to Rousey/Budd and Britt/Sayers. That arm bar was just brutal, definitely in Frank Mir territory.

Forward to Dec. 17 and Melendez vs. Masvidal, which began with the lightweight encounter between K.J. Noons and Billy Evangelista.

This was a good way to open the show. Noons began with a take down, but it wasn’t long before Evangelista took control, rolling off some crisp strikes that put his man on the defensive.

But from the second round onwards Noons upped his game with some great striking of his own. Evangelista went for a couple of take downs but nothing came of these.

Evangelista looked like he had a chance when he went for a standing d’arce choke, but Noons managed to escape so he continue with his striking game.

With the fight going the distance the judges were called into action, with Noons taking the unanimous decision.

Then it was up to the light heavyweight division as Gegard Mousasi took on Ovince Saint Preux.

Another entertaining three rounder saw Mousasi putting in a great performance, dominating OSP on the ground for two rounds and looking like he was going to get the submission win at one point, bringing back memories of Frank Mir when he went for a kimura, with OSP rolling out to escape the hold.

Saint Preux had his moments, and looked good in doing so, but these moments were few and far between, although the final moments of the site saw OSP going for a choke, but by then it was far too late.

Once again the judges were called into action, with Mousasi taking the unanimous decision.

The first title fight of the night saw Hiroko Yamanaka challenging Cris Cyborg for the Women’s Featherweight title.

The only fight of the show not to go the distance, and the blink and you’ll miss it affair of the evening. Cyborg came out swinging, and it wasn’t long before Yamanaka was on the ground after a big right hand.

The challenger soon got back to her feet, but it wasn’t long before she went back down again under the onslaught, with the referee stepping in after just 16 seconds to give Cyborg the title retaining knockout win.

The main event saw Jorge Masvidal challenge Gilbert Melendez for the Lightweight title.

This proved to be an intriguing five round affair. There wasn’t much ground work to speak off in this one as the two protagonists engaged in an entertaining striking battle.

Melendez was on top throughout, content to keep his challenger at bay with some nice striking, beating his man to the punch and keeping him on the back foot on more than one occasion.

Masvidal just seemed to lack that certain spark and the intensity that he needed to put on a credible challenge. His strikes did cause some damage to Melendez’s right eye, but he was far too one dimensional, and his attack was too easy for the champion to handle.

No finish in this one, so the judges were called into action once more as Melendez took the unanimous decision.

Show conclusion – there were some good fights here, and while the main event saw Melendez putting on a textbook striking display his performance was clearing overshadowed by Cris Cyborg’s demolition job on Hiroko Yamanaka, which leaves me wondering if there is any female fighter out there who could give this woman a run for her money.

So that’s your lot for my Strikeforce reviews for this year. It certainly has been an interesting year for Scott Coker and his crew, and while their cohorts in the UFC continue to strip mine the company of it’s best fighters it will be interesting to see what happens in the next few months.

Many are predicting that it’s only a matter of time before the promotion closes. Personally I’d like to see them take on the role of a development territory, similar to the system used by the big two in professional wrestling, where they groom up and comers for bigger things as well as giving veterans the chance to re-establish their careers. It could happen you know!

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com, as well as my Facebook page at Facebook.com/twoshedsreview.

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Two Sheds Review: Humble Working Class Brit Truimphs at UFC’s Ultimate Finale

After several weeks of eliminations, we were at the final stage, and once again my dislike of reality television meant that I hadn’t watched any of it. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy a few good scraps for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 14th Ultimate Fighter Finale, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday on the FX channel here in Britain.

The show began with bantamweight action as Louis Gaudinot, a guy with awful green hair, went up against Johnny Bedford.

Bedford came into this fight with a huge height and reach advantage, and he used this to great effect, dominating the action throughout.

From the moment the fight started, Bedford took control. It seemed as if Gaudinot just didn’t know what to do as Bedford overwhelmed him, taking him down at will and going to work with the ground and pound.

But try as Bedford might, Gaudinot just wouldn’t give up. As the fight entered its final round, Bedford went in for the kill, connecting with numerous combinations to the body before going for the ground-and-pound, with the referee wisely stepping in when Gaudinot failed to defend himself, giving Bedford the impressive TKO win.

Then, it was up to the lightweight division as Tony Ferguson took on Yves Edwards.

This battle between the veteran and the former Ultimate Fighter proved to be an exciting back and forth affair. Although there were brief trips to the ground, these two engaged in a great striking battle.

Both men gave their all, and both had their moments as they put together some crisp combinations, with both men in trouble a number of times.

By the time the third round began, both fighters looked as fresh as daisies as they kept up their fast pace. As they couldn’t put each other away, it went to the judge’s decision, with Ferguson taking the unanimous decision.

The final of the bantamweight tournament followed as T.J. Dillashaw went up against John Dodson.

This one didn’t make it out of the first round. They began with a couple of exchanges before a big right sent Dillashaw back a few steps.

From there they went back to testing the waters with kicks and combinations, but when Dodson caught his man with a big left, Dillashaw staggered again. Dodson went in for the kill, and a few seconds later the referee stepped in to give Dodson the TKO win and TUF Season 14 bantamweight crown.

The featherweight final saw Diego Brandao taking on Dennis Bermudez.

No testing of the waters for these two. They went all out as soon as the fight began.

Both fighters went all out with their striking and rocked the other early on, and as they traded blows it reminded me of the first ever TUF final.

As the first round entered its final minute, Bermudez connected with a short right that sent Brandao crashing to the mat. Bermudez followed him down, looking for the ground-and-pound finish, and it looked as if the referee could stop the fight at any time as Bermudez continued the assault.

Then it happened. From out of nowhere Brandao went for an arm bar, locked it in and quickly secured the submission win in a matter of seconds, just when he looked as if he was about to go down. An impressive win for the new Ultimate Fight featherweight king.

Filler material in the form of the bantamweight bout between Dustin Pague and John Albert followed.

This quick affair saw both men exchanging blows at the beginning before Albert dropped his man with a big right. Albert followed him to the ground, and after gift wrapping Pague’s right arm he went to work with the ground-and-pound. It wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to give Albert the TKO win.

The main event saw the battle of the coaches as Michael Bisping took on Jason Miller in the middleweight division.

Mayhem looked good early on, coming forward with the first kick and taking the fight to the ground, tying Bisping’s legs up with a leg triangle. But the move to the mount gave Bisping the chance to escape back to his feet.

From there, “The Count” took control with a tremendous display of striking. Miller looked exhausted from the second round onwards and had very little to offer as Bisping teed off on him, bloodying his nose and generally messing up his face.

The end came in the third round. Once again, Bisping took control, and when he went for the ground and pound Miller had no answer to the onslaught, and it wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to give Bisping the TKO win.

In conclusion, if you, like me, don’t like reality television, but you like watching MMA fights you can still enjoy The Ultimate Finale.

The six fights here certainly delivered, and while the two finals made for a great spectacle, the main event was the fight of the night for me as Michael Bisping moved ever closer to a shot at the middleweight title.

So, in all, The Ultimate Finale gets the big thumbs up from this particular writer.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com, as well as my Facebook page at Facebook.com/twoshedsreview.

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Two Sheds Review: Could UFC 139 Be the Best Show This Year?

It was a night that featured three battles between former champions as Dan Henderson faced Shogun Rua in the main event of UFC 139, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain. The broadcast began in the light heav…

The broadcast began in the light heavyweight division, as Stephan Bonnar took on Kyle Kingsbury.

Bonnar is one of those balls-to-the-walls kind of fighters you can’t help but like. His never-say-die attitude has won over countless fans when he trades heavy blows with his opponents.

The Bonnar we saw here was a completely different animal. Although he managed to bloody Kingsbury’s nose and stagger him with a few good shots, it was on the ground that Bonnar dominated.

The American Psycho seemed able to take his opponent down at will, and once they were down there Kingsbury seemed unable to do anything against his man.

Bonnar worked extremely well as he transitioned from position to position, looking for various submission attempts. Sadly those attempts just weren’t viable, but he was able to make Kingsbury look quite ordinary.

So with the fight going the distance, it was down to the judges, and no surprises there as Bonnar took the unanimous decision. It was just a shame that those in attendance didn’t realise just how good his work was.

It was down to welterweight for the next fight as Martin Kampmann went up against Rick Story.

The second three-rounder of the show proved to be an entertaining affair. Both men began by swinging for the proverbial fences, both sustaining cuts over their right eyes.

As the action progressed, Kampmann began to impose his will on the fight, his more technical striking game causing problems with Story before the Dane took the fight to the ground.

This was more or less how the rest of the fight played out. There were some more brief stand-up battles, but when the fight went back down to the ground, Kampmann took control again, going for a rear naked choke as the fight came to an end.

So once again the judges came into play, and surprisingly they only gave the fight to Kampmann by split decision.

The first battle of former champions saw Urijah Faber taking on Brian Bowles in the bantamweight division.

This one promised much and delivered in spades.

Both guys looked good early on as they engaged in a striking battle, but when Faber scored with the takedown he took control, delivering some heavy blows while Bowles countered with a big up kick.

The end came in the second round. Faber staggered Bowles with an uppercut, and from there it was all over bar the shouting. Faber went to work with the ground and pound, and it wasn’t long before he locked in a guillotine for the impressive submission win.

The second battle of former champions saw Wanderlei Silva taking on the debuting Cung Le in the middleweight division.

This was the fight I was looking forward to the most. The opening round saw Le bring out the full array of kicks, looking like the action-move star he is, and although some of them connected it was actually a spinning left back fist that staggered Silva.

Silva soon began to get his distance, though, and as the fight moved into the second round he began to judge his punches more, causing more trouble for Le.

As the round neared its final minute Silva connected with a series of knees in the muay thai clinch that rocked Le. Silva went in for the kill as Le began to stagger, following him down and going for the ground and pound, with the referee stepping in to give Silva the TKO win.

The main event, the third and final battle of former champions, saw Shogun Rua facing Dan Henderson in the light heavyweight division.

When Dana White announced that certain non-title fights would be contested over five rounds, I have to admit that I didn’t think it was a good idea. This fight changed that decision.

For five rounds, two of the best in the world put on a tremendous back-and-forth battle, a war of attrition in which both men gave it their all.

Henderson looked great early on with his striking, putting Shogun on the back foot on more than one occasion and looking like he could take the win at any moment.

As time went on, Shogun’s face turned into a mess, and Henderson looked in top form, even though he just couldn’t put the Brazilian away.

As the old saying goes, they really were leaving everything in the cage, with both men looking exhausted as they came out for the final round, but with Shogun finding the energy to take Henderson down so he could control him on the ground.

After all of that, they still couldn’t finish the fight, as they left the decision up to the judges, with Henderson taking the close unanimous decision.

In conclusion: Long-time readers will know that I spend quite a few column inches telling you how enjoyable these UFC shows are. It’s not hyperbole, it’s the truth.

Well, UFC 139 may turn out to be the best show they’ve put on this year. From top to bottom, every fight delivered, with the final three fights going that extra step to make this show that much more special, and they left the best for last.

For me, the battle between Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua was not just the fight of the night but perhaps the fight of the year. It didn’t matter that there wasn’t a title on the line, and the UFC’s decision to put on non-title five rounders has now been justified.

So in all, UFC 139 gets the big thumbs up from this particular writer, and that’s all I can really say about that.

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Two Sheds Review: Velasquez & Dos Santos Go Crazy Like a Fox for the UFC

It was an historic night for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as they presented their first ever show on the Fox network in the States as Junior Dos Santos challenged Cain Velasquez for the Heavyweight title, a fight that was shown live in the early …

The broadcast began with lightweight action as Clay Guida faced Benson Henderson.

This proved to be a great way to start the show, a tremendous back-and-forth encounter fought at a frantic place for the entire 15 minutes.

Henderson had some success early when he rocked Guida, but a takedown attempt gave Guida time to recover.

From there, the fight seemed to go into overdrive, with both fighters going for submissions and Henderson putting in a great performance, especially with his takedown defence.

Towards the end of the fight, Guida took Henderson down and immediately went for a guillotine. Once again Henderson put on some great defensive work, eventually escaping and delivering a few shots as the fight came to an end.

Then it was down to the judges to decide, and the unanimous decision went in favour of Henderson, who surely secured a title shot against Frankie Edgar with this performance.

The main event saw Junior Dos Santos challenging Cain Velasquez for the Heavyweight title.

Both men began by testing the waters with kicks and strikes, but as the fight neared the one minute mark Dos Santos connected with a big overhand right.

Velasquez went down like the proverbial sack of spuds, with JDS following him down for some ground and pound. Seconds later it was all over, with the referee stepping in to give Dos Santos the TKO win, crowning a new champion.

The show rounded out with welterweight action as Damarques Johnson took on Clay Harvison.

Another brief encounter saw more testing of the waters, with a Harvison kick straying into unwanted territory.

As both men looked to gain the upper hand, Johnson connected with a big left that sent Harvison crashing. He then celebrated his punch before delivering some ground and pound, the referee stepping in to give Johnson the TKO win.

In conclusion, I think you can say that the UFC’s debut on American network television was a success.

It needed a great fight to begin the show, to draw in those who had either never seen or had only a passing interest in MMA. Guida and Henderson certainly gave us that, while the Dos Santos and Johnson TKO wins were also great examples of an MMA fighter’s punching power.

But I find myself asking the following question: Why were they only given an hour? Hopefully next time Fox will give the UFC a little more time to show what they can do.

Apart from that somewhat minor gripe, this show gets the big thumbs up, as does Premier Sports for once again stepping in to give British fans their slice of regular UFC action when ESPN are reluctant to do so.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com, as well as my Facebook group at www.facebook.com/twoshedsreview.

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Two Sheds Review: Ultimate Challenge MMA and the Hands of War

It’s time to step into the world of British mixed martial arts once again as we take a look at the 24th Ultimate Challenge show, Hands of War, shown this past Wednesday night on Sky Sports here in Britain. The broadcast began with action from the…

The broadcast began with action from the welterweight division as Andy Cona went up against Luke Newman.

This was a dominating performance from Newman. He took control as soon as the fight went to the ground, taking the mount and working into position so he could take Cona’s back and apply a rear naked choke for the very impressive submission win.

Then it was down to the lightweight division as Tom Maguire faced Joe Holder.

We saw an excellent display of ground fighting from Maguire in this one. As soon as the fight went down he dominated. Holder was on the defensive throughout as Maguire went to work, going for a couple of rear naked chokes, one of which Holder looked lucky to survive, before finally getting the submission in the second round with a kimura.

It was back to welterweight for the next fight as Lee Doski took on Bola Omoyele.

After two excellent ground displays, it was the striking game that saw the end of this one. After Doski tried for a takedown, we saw a clinch up against the cage. From there Omoyele connected with a knee to the temple. Doski went down, and the referee quickly stepped in to give Omoyele the TKO win.

More lightweight action followed as Dominic Plumb faced Michael Pastou.

The only fight on the broadcast to last the three round limit was an intriguing affair. Pastou dominated the first two rounds with some excellent ground work, opening up a cut under Plumb’s left eye with his impressive ground-and-pound. Plumb just didn’t seem to have an answer to his attack.

Until the second round that was when it was Plumb’s turn to score with the early takedown. However, he didn’t have things all his own way as Pastou put in some great work off his back, going for a couple of kimura attempts before getting to his feet and finishing the fight with a clinch against the cage.

No surprise with the judges’ decision in the end, as Pastou earned the unanimous decision.

The big boys of the heavyweight division were up next as Tomasz Czerwinski went up against Ian Hawkins.

I wasn’t expecting a technical classic here. This was a brawl, plain and simple, with big Czerwinski unloading with a barrage of haymakers that soon had Hawkins on the back foot.

Hawkins refused to go down though as the big man continued his onslaught, and he looked out on his feet as the referee saved him from further punishment to give Czerwinski the TKO win.

The main event saw Nick Chapman challenging Jimi Manuwa for the Light Heavyweight title.

Chapman went for the early take down here, but after Manuwa defended they engaged in a clinch up against the cage.

It wasn’t long before Manuwa got into a position where he could deliver a series of left knees to Chapman, moving from head to body to leg, opening up a big cut on Chapman’s forehead, with the referee stepping in as the blood poured down the challenger’s face, giving Manuwa the title retaining TKO win.

In conclusion, the 24th show under the Ultimate Challenge proved to be a highly entertaining affair that gave us great displays of the two main aspects of MMA, with some excellent ground work and nice striking.

It was another example of British mixed martial arts at it’s finest, and it’s for these reasons that Dave O’Donnell and his crew are getting the big thumbs up from this particular writer.

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