It’s time to step into the Octagon for the first time this year as we take a look at the UFC’s latest show on FX, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain. The broadcast began in the lightweight divi…
It’s time to step into the Octagon for the first time this year as we take a look at the UFC’s latest show on FX, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.
The broadcast began in the lightweight division as ThiagoTavares faced KhabibNurmagomedov.
This one began without any exchanges as Tavares sought to cut off the cage and back his man towards the fence. When they did finally connect, it was Nurmagomedov who scored first.
It then looked like we were going to get a lengthy, feeling out period until the Russian connected with a left uppercut that sent Tavares crashing.
Nurmagomedov followed his man down for a series of elbows before the referee stepped in to stop the action, giving Nurmagomedov the knockout win.
Heavyweight action followed as former title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga took on Ben Rothwell.
The first round saw Gonzaga attempting to take the fight to the ground a number of times. He succeeded more often than not, only for Rothwell to get back to his feet. Gonzaga did, however, have more success in the striking department, rocking his man with a big right.
He had even more success with his right hand in the second, and it wasn’t long before he locked in a standing guillotine. He then pulled guard and took the fight to the ground as Rothwell tapped out just 61 seconds into the round to give Gonzaga the submission win.
The next two fights featured middleweight action, beginning with Daniel Sarafian and C.B. Dollaway.
The only fight of the broadcast to go the distance proved to be a very interesting affair. Sarafian put on a great, early striking display, which gave Dollaway no end of trouble. It wasn’t all one way traffic, though, as Dollaway got in his fair share of decent blows as well.
Sarafian’s striking continued into the second round, but just when it looked like the Brazilian’s dominance was going to continue into the third, Dollaway scored with a takedown. Sarafian looked almost defenceless as Dollaway went to work, but as the old saying goes, he was saved by the bell.
With both fighters looking fatigued, round three saw them moving away from the striking as both men put on a good display of ground fighting. Dollaway was the first to have some success there, but it wasn’t long before Sarafian took control as he took Dollaway’s back and looked for a rear naked choke. Dollaway survived this scare, though, and soon reversed the positions.
But with neither man able to get the finish, the judges were called into action for the only time as Dollaway took the split decision.
The second middleweight fight came in the main event as VitorBelfort faced Michael Bisping.
We had a lengthy feeling out period at the beginning of this one, as both fighters tested the waters, but as the round went on, Bisping seemed to grow in confidence as he began to work behind his jab.
But a high leg kick from Belfort troubled the count, and the Brit would probably have been in even more trouble had the round not ended.
By the time the second round started, Bisping took control again. That control didn’t last too long, though, when Belfort connected with another kick that sent Bisping crashing to the ground. Belfort followed him down for a spot of ground and pound before the referee stopped the action to give Belfort the TKO win.
The show rounded out with filler material in the form of the lightweight encounter between EdsonBarboza and Lucas Martins.
To say that Barboza was quick would be something of an understatement. He began his shift with a series of quick kicks, one of which inadvertently found a target south of the equator.
After a brief rest period Barboza went straight back to work, and his speed frustrated Martins so much that he tried to trade with his man.
This left him wide open for a Barboza left that sent him down. Barboza quickly followed, and his onslaught was such that Martins soon tapped out to give Barboza the deserved win.
In conclusion—while the UFC’s first show of 2013 may not go down as one of the most spectacular shows of the year, it certainly had it’s fair share of highlight moments.
The striking displays from the likes of Nurmagomedov and Belfort delivered big time, while the three round affair between Dollaway and Sarafian looked like the decision could go either way, and one couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Brazilian.
So while it was a bit of a mixed night for the home country fighters, I think it’s safe to say that this show ticked almost all of the boxes as far as entertainment value is concerned.
As for my fight of the night, this time the no-prize goes to VitorBelfort and Michael Bisping, even though my fellow Brit didn’t get the job done. Oh well, there’s always next time.
So with all of that out of the way it’s time to wrap this thing up by giving the UFC’s latest offering the thumbs up.
Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. It’s been online in one form or another for nearly 13 years now!
British MMA is on the agenda for the first time this year, and this time we’re going to take a trip to Dublin and Cage Warriors 51, held on New Year’s Eve and shown this past Wednesday night on Sky Sports here in Britain. The broadcast bega…
British MMA is on the agenda for the first time this year, and this time we’re going to take a trip to Dublin and Cage Warriors 51, held on New Year’s Eve and shown this past Wednesday night on Sky Sports here in Britain.
The broadcast began with a women’s catchweight fight, made at 120 pounds, between KatjaKankaanpaa and local favourite Aisling Daly.
Daly began her night’s work by coming forward as soon as the fight began, but it wasn’t long before her Finnish opponent took the upper hand with a takedown.
Once on the ground, Kankaanpaa dominated the action. Daly tried her best defensively until Kankaanpaa managed to transition into a position where she could apply a brabo choke. When Daly managed to get back to her feet, Kankaanpaa kept the hold in place and connected with a series of knees before Daly managed to break away.
Round 2 was pretty much the same as Round 1, with Kankaanpaa controlling the action on the ground. Daly managed to up her game a little in the third with some nice striking, but the Finn always looked one step ahead.
With no finish in sight, the judges were called into action for the first time during the broadcast as Kankaanpaa took the unanimous decision.
Welterweight action followed as Jack Mason took on FlorentBetorangal.
This one began with quite a lengthy feeling-out period. At one point it looked as if neither man was willing to engage, until Mason scored with the takedown.
From there he went on to control the action on the ground. Although Betorangal was always looking for either the guillotine or the escape, Mason managed to keep him grounded.
Round 2 began in the same way, and played out the same way as well, with Mason scoring with the takedowns and controlling the action on the ground after a long feeling-out period.
Round 3 saw Betorangal almost dancing in front of Mason, but the Frenchman soon found that his attempted mind games didn’t work when Mason took him down again.
A few moments later the referee took a point off Mason after a head butt. After the referee gave him a few seconds of rest, Betorangal came across the cage as if he’d been shot out of a cannon as he went for a flying knee, but as he flipped over Mason the action soon returned to the ground with the Stone taking control again.
But once again, with no finish in sight, the judges came into the equation as Mason took the unanimous decision.
The co-main event saw Jesse Taylor challenging Chris Fields for the World Middleweight title.
This was good. As is his custom, Fields began his shift with a front kick, but he soon found himself on the end of a Taylor takedown.
The American soon took control as he took Fields’ back. Although the champion put on some good defensive work at times, Taylor’s grappling was top-notch, with Fields’ only offensive move of note being a kimura attempt.
The end came in Round 2. Fields began with a few kicks but Taylor quickly took the fight to the ground. Seconds later he took Fields’ back and locked in a rear-naked choke for the title-winning submission.
The main event saw Ivan Buchinger taking on World Featherweight Champion ConorMcGregor for the vacant World Lightweight title.
No feeling-out period in this one. As soon as the fight began, McGregor came forward. With his hometown fans cheering him on, he began to take Buchinger apart.
After a few attempted kicks, McGregor scored with the takedown. Buchinger managed to get back to his feet a few moments later for a clinch against the cage, but after that it was an all-striking affair.
Buchinger was on the back foot throughout as McGregor kept coming forward. Every punch McGregor threw looked like it had a tremendous amount of force. When McGregor connected with a big left hook, Buchinger crashed to the canvas. The referee quickly stepped in to give McGregor the knockout win, making him a double champion.
In conclusion…although this show had its good and bad points, overall I’d have to say that Cage Warriors’ final event of 2012 was pretty enjoyable.
While the Mason/Betorangal encounter didn’t exactly set the world alight, the other three fights delivered, especially ConorMcGregor’s one-round demolition of Ivan Buchinger— which gets my vote and the no-prize for the fight of the night.
So with all of that out of the way, let’s wrap this thing up by giving Cage Warriors 51 the thumbs up.
Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. It’s been online in one form or another for nearly 13 years now!
A few months ago, after I reviewed the UFC’s fifth show on FX, a fan who goes by the name of Ace James posted a very interesting reply to my piece. To cut a long story short, he said it would be great if the UFC held weekly shows, so fans would g…
A few months ago, after I reviewed the UFC’s fifth show on FX, a fan who goes by the name of Ace James posted a very interesting reply to my piece.
To cut a long story short, he said it would be great if the UFC held weekly shows, so fans would get to see UFC action on a more regular basis.
While this idea is all well and good it got me thinking. If people want to see regular MMA action, then why not look outside of the UFC?
Now while I can’t speak for other countries here in merry old England (and the rest of the United Kingdom) if you sift through the various digital television guides you’ll be able to find MMA action at least once a week.
So here now is my guide for those wanting more regular MMA action.
You will probably begin your search through the schedules with the crown jewel of television sporting action, Sky Sports (Sky 401-404). They’ve shown quite a few MMA promotions over the years, including the UFC, and these days British promotions Ultimate Challenge MMA and Cage Warriors currently call the channel home.
Ultimate Challenge emerged from the ashes of the highly-praised Cage Rage in 2008, following the demise of their parent company, Elite XC.
Fronted Dave O’Donnell, UCMMA (and Cage Rage before them) have promoted fights featuring some of the biggest names in MMA today. Anderson Silva is a former Middleweight champion, while the likes of current UFC alumni Michael Bisping, Paul Daley, Tom Watson and John Maguire have plied their trade under the O’Donnell banner.
Some people may not like O’Donnell’s style, but those who have seen him have to admit that he is perhaps the most charismatic man in British MMA. He’s also a jack of all trades. He’s a shareholder, a trainer, the host of their weekly Cage Fighter TV show and the host of their live events. He’s the ultimate showman, and has an infectious quality about him that makes you want to watch his shows.
The fights he promotes aren’t too bad either!
Compared to UCMMA, Cage Warriors may seem a little reserved in comparison. That doesn’t mean they’re not as good though. They’re one of Europe’s longest running MMA promotions, and having appeared on a number of channels over the years, they were a more than welcome addition to the Sky Sports schedules. It’s an example of how the MMA world is quite unlike the other world I regularly cover. You’d never see WWE sharing a British television channel with TNA, would you?
Like UCMMA/Cage Rage many UFC alumni have competed under their banner, most notably the aforementioned Bisping and Daley.
If you go a bit higher up on the Sky Digi-Guide and keep an eye on Premier Sports (Sky 428) you might get to see some Cage Contender action.
Based in Belfast, Cage Contender recently revived the one night tournament format with the first of their Fight Stars series. It was refreshing to see MMA go back to its roots as it were, although this particular tournament had more in common with boxing’s Prizefighter and Bigger’s Better series.
One word of warning though. Although Cage Contender shows are usually broadcast free-to-air on this subscription channel, you’ll probably only get one chance to see them as repeat showings are normally encrypted.
Another promotion you might want to look out for is the Jersey-based Rumble on the Rock promotion. I must admit that I know very little about this particular company, although I did record a couple of their one hour highlight shows.
If you’re still interested in seeing a national MMA promotion here in Britain you’d probably be interested in the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. Having bounced around various television channels, BAMMA recently made history when they were shown live on Channel 5 (Sky 5), the first time a British MMA promotion has been shown live on one of the major channels here.
BAMMA has its good and bad points. They seem to have been a kind of stop-start promotion since their inception in 2009, and while their earlier television shows on Bravo, Extreme Sports and SyFy were well presented, their move to mainstream television have left a few people, including this writer, scratching their heads a little. Hopefully the Channel 5 executives will realise how to handle MMA coverage in the future.
If you look a bit deeper you’ll find some of the lesser known MMA promotions on some of the lesser known channels.
Extreme Sports (Sky 419) have shown countless promotions over the past few years, including Strikeforce, King of the Cage, Gladiator Challenge, WEC, the aforementioned BAMMA as well as a few other British companies as well. They recently added Africa’s Extreme Fighting Championship to their schedules, and most of these shows are regularly rotated on their schedules.
And if you like a spot of kickboxing they also show Chuck Norris’ hybrid World Combat League as well.
If, like me, you’re something of a couch potato you may have skipped past The Active Channel (Sky 281).
Alongside programmes where bodybuilders tell you how to build up your muscles and reduce your fat and The Cheeky Girls teaching you how to dance, you’ll find numerous British MMA promotions on there.
Like Extreme Sports, these shows seem to be on a regular rotation. The likes of Shock ‘N’ Awe, Knuckle Up (fronted by former boy band member Dane Bowers), World Fighting Championship, Universal Cage Fighters and my local promotion East Coast Fight Factory (I really must go to one of their shows one day) have made appearances there recently. You can also catch a bit of kickboxing action with the Fight Force promotion as well.
I think I’ve covered everything here, although I get the feeling that I may have forgotten a couple of promotions. Hopefully you’ll be inspired to seek out non-UFC action. If you do I must give you this piece of advice.
If you’ve only ever watched the UFC’s brand of MMA action you may be a bit disappointed by the quality of some of the fights shown on these channels. If you are, then please stick with these shows. Not every fight you see will be a five-star classic. There is, however, the possibility that you might see a star of the future on one of these shows, someone who, one day, will challenge for a UFC title. And if they do you can sit back and fondly remember watching them in the formative years of their careers.
I’m going to end my guide for British viewers with a few website links for those who don’t want to spend hours browsing through their Sky Digi-Guide. Keep an eye on their TV schedules for upcoming MMA action.
It was the final show of 2012, with Junior Dos Santos facing Cain Velasquez for the second time in the main event of UFC 155, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.This five-hour marathon started with the pre…
It was the final show of 2012, with Junior Dos Santos facing Cain Velasquez for the second time in the main event of UFC 155, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.
This five-hour marathon started with the preliminary fights, beginning with two fights from the lightweight division as Michael Johnson went up against Myles Jury.
This could be one of the most one-sided fights I’ve seen in 2012. For three rounds, Jury dominated the action on the ground, overwhelming Johnson with his mixture of strikes, submission attempts and transitions.
It was a great display of grounding fighting from Jury, with Johnson’s only meaningful piece of work coming at the beginning of the third round, when he began to swing for the fences after getting a right rollicking from his corner.
But it was a tactic that meant nothing because Jury quickly took the fight back to the ground and reasserted his control.
With no finish in sight, the decision was put in the hands of the judges, as they gave everything to Jury.
Then it was on to the fight between Melvin Guillard and Jamie Varner.
We had quite an extensive feeling-out period at the beginning of this one, but while this went on, Guillard connected with a series of unchecked kicks to Varner’s lead leg.
The traffic wasn’t all one way, though, and Varner managed to get off some good-looking combinations, including one that rocked Guillard late in the first before he went for a guillotine.
Both guys had their moments in the second with some crisp striking, but the best action came in the third, particularly on the ground. It became a nice back-and-forth battle as the fighters exchanged positions, the best moments coming when Guillard connected with a knee to the liver and Varner slammed his man to the mat after Guillard had climbed onto his back.
Fifteen minutes of tough action meant more work for the judges, as Varner took the split decision, with one judge giving everything to Guillard. As is often said to me, I wonder what fight he was watching.
The final two preliminary fights featured bantamweight action, beginning with Erik Perez against Byron Bloodworth (got to love that name!).
No feeling-out period in this one; these two began to swing as soon as the fight began. It wasn’t long before they engaged in a clinch against the cage, and when Perez connected with a right knee to the body, Bloodworth fell to the mat.
Bloodworth tried to tie his man up as best he could, but it wasn’t enough, as Perez connected with numerous strikes to the head and body, and as the first round neared its last minute, these were just too much for Bloodworth. It wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to give Perez the TKO win.
The final preliminary fight saw Brad Pickett taking on Eddie Wineland.
This proved to be an intriguing three-round affair. With no ground work to speak off, these two engaged in a very entertaining striking affair, with both men putting in good performances.
The action was very enjoyable, with Wineland looking the busier of the two for the majority of the fight, especially when he rocked Pickett a number of times in the first round.
Pickett had his fair share of good luck as well, his combinations troubling his opponent at times. Wineland kept coming back, though, to assert his authority.
But with no finish, the judges came into the equation again, as Wineland took the split decision.
Three middleweight fights kicked off the main show, beginning with Chris Leben against Derek Brunson.
This was a Jekyll and Hyde kind of fight. The first round featured loads of great action, and when Brunson scored with the early takedown, he put on a good display of ground fighting, and although Leben countered with some sound defensive work, Brunson did a good job of controlling the action.
But the Brunson that came out for the second round was a completely different animal. He looked a shadow of his first-round self, tired, sluggish, unable to get in any good combinations and unable to complete a takedown, and although Leben looked a little better, he wasn’t far behind Brunson in that respect.
It was pretty much the same in the third round, although Brunson managed to score with a couple of takedowns and strikes, with Leben looking like he was suffering from a severe case of octagon rust.
Once again, the judges were called into action, as Brunson took the unanimous decision.
Then it was on to the bout between YushinOkami and Alan Belcher.
Remember what I said earlier about one-sided fights? Well, this was another of those kind of outings.
Okami put in a dominating performance for the majority of the fight. Whether it was up against the cage or down on the ground he smothered Belcher and controlled the action extremely well.
Belcher had his moments, but there weren’t very many of them. There were a couple of guillotine attempts and a couple of right hands that rocked the Japanese star, but that was about it, mainly because Okami’s tactics were basically wearing Belcher out.
So once again, we had a good fight with no finish, which meant more work for the judges as Okami took the unanimous decision.
The final middleweight fight saw Tim Boetsch going up against Costa Philippou.
This proverbial game of two halves proved to be a very interesting encounter, and an example of how a fight can turn after an injury.
Boetsch had a very good first round. He did a good job of shutting Philippou down against the cage, and even though he ate a great right uppercut, it looked as if he was going to remain on top.
But then we found out between rounds that he’d suffered an injury, and it was downhill from there. An accidental clash of heads opened up a nasty cut on his forehead, and moments later, further cuts and an inadvertent poke to his left eye made matters worse.
Philippou began to dominate the action, and when the third round began, Boetsch looked like a beaten man as the crimson mask began to form again. It wasn’t long before Philippou went to work with the ground and pound, with the referee wisely stepping in to stop the fight as Philippou took the TKO win.
The co-main event featured lightweight action as Jim Miller faced Joe Lauzon.
This was one of those fights that had you in the palm of its hand from the start. Miller began his night’s work by rolling off some great combinations that put Lauzon on the back foot early. Miller was like a punching machine, and he soon turned his man’s face into a bloody mess, opening up cuts on his right eyebrow and on the top of his head.
Miller continued in the same vein as the second round began, but just when it looked like Lauzon was a beaten man, he managed to reverse the positions on the ground so he could go for a couple of leg submissions.
With another bad cut to add to his collection, Lauzon came out for the third round, which did surprise me a little. By now, fatigue was becoming a major factor for both men, and even though they both looked like they were moving in slow motion, they were still intent on getting the finish, with Lauzon going for some more submissions. Both guys finished the fight looking like extras from a George Romero film.
So after three tremendous rounds, the decision went to the judges once again, with Miller taking the unanimous decision.
The main event saw Cain Velasquez challenging Junior dos Santos for the Heavyweight title.
At least this lasted longer than their previous fight, about 24 minutes longer by my reckoning.
Velasquez took control as soon as the fight started, quickly putting JDS on the back foot with some tremendous striking and sound takedowns. TO say that he was making the challenger look ordinary would be an understatement, and when the round ended, JDS staggered back to his corner like a professional wrestler staggering out of a nightclub.
Dos Santos looked like a beaten man when the second round began as Velasquez’s domination continued. It just seemed like that there wasn’t anything JDS could do to stop the onslaught, and even though he managed to connect with the occasional blow and occasionally defended against the takedowns, he looked like he was running on fumes.
You couldn’t help but feel both admiration and fear for Dos Santos. If this had been a boxing fight, the referee would have stepped in a lot earlier. But the champion showed a great deal of heart as he came out for round after round, even though as the fight went on, everyone could see that he wasn’t going to win.
As for Velasquez, he looked as fresh as a daisy when the final round began, and the only thing missing from his performance was the finish. But with his opponent starting to look like the Elephant Man when the 25 minutes was up, he knew he’d done enough.
The judges saw it that way too, as they gave Velasquez their overwhelming title winning unanimous decision.
In conclusion, Zuffa’s band of merry men certainly ended their year on a high.
UFC 155 proved to be another enjoyable show, and while some of the early fights on the card were firmly planted in the “not bad” category, things got a lot better as we moved to the co-main event and title fight.
The fight between Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon was a veritable war of attrition and a great advertisement for the sport and the courage of its fighters.
And that’s something you could say about the main event as well. I really enjoyed Cain Velasquez’s performance, but you couldn’t help but feel for the deposed champion, Junior dos Santos. Will we see chapter three of this rivalry? Perhaps, but only if JDS can work his way back into contention.
As for my fight of the night, while the popular consensus has gone with Miller and Lauzon, I’m going to plump for Velasquez and Dos Santos. If it had been a professional wrestling match, I would probably have described it as a great piece of storytelling.
So with all of that out of the way, it’s time to wrap this thing up by giving UFC 155 the thumbs up.
Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. It’s been online in one form or another for nearly 13 years now!
Those of you who have read my ramblings for a while will know that I’m not really a fan of reality TV. Out of all of The Ultimate Fighter series, I’ve only watched three all the way through, and one of them was because I’d been asked …
Those of you who have read my ramblings for a while will know that I’m not really a fan of reality TV. Out of all of The Ultimate Fighter series, I’ve only watched three all the way through, and one of them was because I’d been asked to review the DVD release.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t like a good scrap, which is why I always try to watch the finals, and this past weekend we were treated to two finals shows, beginning with the Brits taking on the Aussies in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, shown in the early hours of this past Saturday morning on ESPN here in Britain.
The broadcast began in the middleweight division as Hector Lombard faced RousimarPalhares.
This one I liked. It began with an exchange of leg kicks before they began moving around the cage looking for an opening. As the round went on Lombard began to take control with his lead right, putting Palhares on his backside.
Although he got back to his feet it was a position that Lombard put him back in a few moments later. Lombard followed him down but Palhares tired him up, letting him up after a few seconds.
It may have been wiser for Palhares to keep him on the ground. Lombard continued to stalk Palhares around the cage, and a left hand rocked Palhares as he slumped to the canvas. Lombard followed him down for a spot of ground and pound before the referee stepped in to give Lombard the TKO win.
Then it was on to the lightweight final, the all-British affair between Colin Fletcher and Norman Parke.
Even though I don’t watch the series I do find it interesting when you see two team mates going up against each other, which was the case with these close friends.
Both fighters went into this one eager to put on a keenly contested encounter, and Parke put on a nice display of ground fighting early on. Although Fletcher managed to get back to his feet after the initial trip to the ground it wasn’t long before Parke took control.
Fletcher had slightly more success in the second round, but for a man who had a natural height and reach advantage over his opponent he didn’t seem very intent on using those assets, and as the fight progressed it was Parke who fought as if he was the bigger of the two.
But with no finish in sight the judges were called into action for the first time during the broadcast as Parke took the unanimous decision.
The welterweight final followed as Robert Whittaker took on Bradley Scott.
Now this was a fight, and a damn good one at that. For three rounds the Aussie and the Brit put on a truly riveting contest.
Both fighters had some really big moments in this one. Whittaker’s striking looked top notch in the first round, his “blitz,” as the commentator called it, caused Scott no end of trouble. It looked like he was going to get the win then and there.
Scott’s best moments came with some nice ground fighting in the second. At one point he managed to take Whittaker’s back, and although he did a good job of controlling the action he just couldn’t find that rear naked choke he was looking for.
Whittaker came back strongly in the third, and his striking looked even better as he added a few elbows into the mix, opening up a nasty cut on the Brit’s hairline.
But with no finish the judges were called upon once again as Whittaker took the unanimous decision.
The main event featured lightweight action, the battle of the coaches as George Sotiropoulos took on Ross Pearson.
This one featured plenty of great action and it looked like it was going to end quickly when Pearson rocked Sotiropoulos early on. The Aussie managed to weather the storm though, and his rubber legs soon stiffened enough so he could made a comeback which culminated in a rear naked choke attempt at the end of the round.
As the second round began, Pearson began to have more and more success in the striking department. An outside leg kick sent Sotiropoulos crashing, and he was on the ground a few moments later when Pearson rocked him again. Sotiropoulos had his moments, but Pearson was getting better and better as the fight went on.
This was more than evident in the third. Pearson rocked his man in the opening few seconds, and although Sotiropoulos went into survival mode he soon found himself on the ground and on the receiving end of a barrage of blows, with the referee stepping in to give Pearson the TKO win.
In conclusion—the first of my UFC double bill proved to be a highly entertaining affair, and it showed once again that you don’t have to watch an entire Ultimate Fighter series to enjoy the finale.
All of the fights were very good, and the performances of those who made the finals showed that both Britain and Australia have some very talented fighters coming through their respective ranks. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if those who didn’t get the big contracts found themselves on future UFC cars.
As for my fight of the night once again I was spoiled for choice. I did consider giving it to the Pearson/Sotiropoulos main event, but this time around the no-prize goes to the welterweight final between Robert Whittaker and Bradley Scott, although it does pain me a little to give it to a fight where an Aussie beat a Brit!
But with that being said this was a great show, which is why I’m going to give it the big thumbs up.
Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. It’s been online in one form or another for over 12 years now!
Cage Warriors stepped up to the plate and took their 50th show to Glasgow a week after three of our major promotions held shows on the same night. The event was shown Dec. 8 on Sky Sports. The broadcast began in the middleweight division as Denniston S…
Cage Warriors stepped up to the plate and took their 50th show to Glasgow a week after three of our major promotions held shows on the same night. The event was shown Dec. 8 on Sky Sports.
The broadcast began in the middleweight division as Denniston Sutherland faced Scott Askham.
This was a great way to begin the night’s action. They didn’t wait to get started, but when Askham rocked his man early on, his domination began. Sutherland tried for a takedown but Askham easily countered and he soon went to work on the ground.
Eventually Sutherland managed to wall walk back to his feet, but this didn’t do him much good when he ate a few knees from Askham’s Thai clinch.
Sutherland looked like a beaten man when the second round began. His legs looked like they were made of jelly, and his best moment of the fight came when he ended up in the top position after Askham executed a judo throw.
However, it wasn’t long before Askham regained control, and Askham‘s dominance continued into Round 3.
The only blot on his copybook was the that Sutherland was there for the taking, but Askham just couldn’t put him away. The judges were called into action as Askham took the unanimous decision.
It was down to featherweight for the next contest as Nathan Beer went up against Graham Turner.
This proved to be an exciting affair. Turner scored with a takedown within the first few seconds, but it wasn’t long before Beer managed to get to his feet. For the next few minutes the two fighters engaged in a back and forth grappling battle around the cage.
Turner took the fight to the ground in the final minute of Round 1 and began to rain down a torrent of right hands from side control. Beer managed to stand up, but the barrage continued and the referee soon stepped in to give Turner the TKO win.
Welterweight action followed as Aaron Wilkinson took on Alan Johnston.
This was one for the technical purists. It began with Wilkinson taking the fight to the ground, and continued for three rounds of great ground fighting.
For the first two rounds Wilkinson was the submission hunter. He was always looking to put his man away in one form or another, no matter what position he was in. It wasn’t all one way traffic though, and Johnston had his fair share of success as well, particularly from the top position in the second and in the third as well, although Wilkinson ended the fight with a kimura attempt.
The judges had to be called upon again as Johnston took the unanimous decision. You couldn’t help feel sorry for Wilkinson though after his stellar performance.
It was down to bantamweight for the next fight as Wilson Reis faced Owen Roddy.
This one was fought at a frantic pace throughout. It was a joy to watch as they exchanged blow after blow, and when the action went to the ground it was just as frantic.
Both guys put in good performances. The striking exchanges were top notch, the ground work was just as good and after two rounds of great action it looked as if the fight could go either way, especially as neither man seemed to slow down.
The end came early in the third round. Reis connected with a big right that sent Roddy crashing, and it wasn’t long before Reis applied an arm triangle before he took his man’s back and synched in a rear naked choke. The referee stepped in when Roddy passed out to give Reis the submission win.
The main event saw Brandon Hempleman taking on Paul McVeigh in a catchweight bout made at 130 pounds.
This proved to be an intriguing three round affair, and while we didn’t have any ground work to speak of, the striking was well worth watching.
Both fighters kept up a good work rate throughout the 15 minutes, with McVeigh getting the better of the exchanges early on and drawing first blood when he opened up a cut above Hempleman’s left eye.
It wasn’t all one way traffic though. As the fight progressed Hempleman seemed to be getting the better of the exchanges, and his work rate got even better in the third as his one-shot-at-a-time tactic looked as if it was having a great deal of success.
Neither man was able to get in that one big blow, which meant a final assignment for the judges as Hempleman took the unanimous decision.
In conclusion, Cage Warriors 50 proved to be a quality show. All of the five fights shown over the two hour broadcast delivered big time, and the performances of those involved was top notch and another example of the dearth of talent we have on these shores at the moment.
As for my fight of the night, all five of them were in with a strong chance this time around, but I eventually went for the Aaron Wilkinson/Alan Johnston encounter, a great exhibition of ground fighting if ever there was one.
So with all of that out of the way it’s time to wrap this thing up by giving Cage Warriors’ penultimate show of 2012 the big thumbs up.
Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. It’s been online in one form or another for over 12 years now!
It’s time to step into the Octagon for the first time this year as we take a look at the UFC’s latest show on FX, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.