Press Release
LONDON – One man craved a stoppage, the other craved a victory. In the end, Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping had to rely on the judges’ scorecards to determine his fate, as he schooled Yoshihiro Akiyama in a stand-up war in the UFC 120 main event at the O2 Arena Saturday night. The heroic Englishman, buoyed by a rapturous home crowd, put together a kickboxing clinic to claim victory by scores of 30-27 across the board.
Bisping vs. Akiyama
Widnes warrior Bisping was desperate for a stoppage victory – having traveled the full-route twice in recent fights – but he couldn’t be faulted for settling for it this time round. He did everything within his power to halt Akiyama, but was prevented from doing so by a granite jaw and unbreakable will. Even in defeat – his second in succession – Akiyama comes out with much credit, having made a fight of it for every second of the three rounds.
Indeed, Akiyama started the bout the quicker and more explosive, jumping on a shell-shocked Bisping immediately. He landed a heavy right swing in the opening seconds, a shot which spurred Bisping into life, rather than shook him.
From there, the Clitheroe favourite took over and began to reap the benefits of his quicker hands, better technique and use of lateral movement. While Akiyama appeared content to steam forward in straight lines, bowling over an occasional right hand, it was Bisping who showed variation and thought behind his work. The Englishman chopped away with niggling kicks and straight, stringing right hands, most of which landed flush on Akiyama’s head.
Bisping’s dominance only heightened in the second round, as he switched up punches and takedown attempts to trick and confuse Akiyama. By scrambling and rushing the composed Japanese star, Bisping was able to take Akiyama out of his game and dominate the rounds. Then, as the pace dropped and both fighters settled, Bisping was able to time Akiyama’s rushes with stinging jabs and right hands.
Occasionally, Akiyama’s agricultural right swings, thrown when in the pocket, would land on Bisping and shake the Brit hope up. The ensuing rush to finish momentarily hushed the home crowd, but Bisping remained upright and pitching shots back of his own.
There was a sense of desperation on everything Akiyama threw in the final round, as his face was now marked up and swollen and his work-rate had dropped significantly. Comparatively fresh, Bisping bounced on his toes, fired well-picked jabs and right hands and continued to chop down on a static Akiyama.
An unfortunate low blow in the final round sent Akiyama to the deck in round three, where the Japan star remained for a couple of minutes. Utilising every second of the allotted five-minute recovery time, Akiyama kept everyone, including Bisping, waiting for the anticipated finale.
Once the pair restarted, the action was every bit as intense as advertised. Bisping picked, prodded and poked with painful right hands and left hooks, while Akiyama stumbled forward with arching right hands. The trade-offs were ferocious, but both men were too tough to render them decisive. Akiyama remained upright and Bisping’s arm was lifted. He’s never looked better.
Hardy vs. Condit
Split-second timing separated victory and defeat and Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy from his senses in tonight’s co-main event, as Carlos Condit landed his left hook before his opponent and walked away with a first round knockout victory. The American visitor, booed heavily going into the Octagon, knocked out Hardy with a left hook, and two follow up shots, at 4:23 of the opening session.
The two welterweights put on a striking exhibition in the early going, trading punches and kicks with startling speed and accuracy. Hardy began the bout on the front foot, spearing Condit with heavy leg-kicks and attempted head-kicks. Condit appeared wary of Hardy’s noted power and seemed content to size up his English foe before launching a response of his own.
That response arrived midway through the round, as Condit grew in confidence and began taking the fight to Hardy. Now operating more on his front foot, Condit stepped to Hardy and traded punches. While both enjoyed success in the trade-off, it was Condit who exited the cleaner and crisper the first time they bit down. ‘The Outlaw’ found success with counter left hooks as Condit marched forward, but both men were, for the most part, competing on an even playing field.
There would be no warning sign for what lied ahead, however. As both fiery welterweights stepped to one another and unloaded, Hardy and Condit cocked parallel left-hooks and hit the trigger. Condit’s landed first and Hardy hit the ground, administering a hush from the stunned home crowd. With his opponent stricken and hurt, Condit, now 26-5, wasted no time in sealing the deal with further blows, laying Hardy flat out and the bout over. With the victory, and, more importantly, nature of it, Condit now becomes a major player in the shake-up at 170-pounds.
To read the rest of the main card recap visit UFC.com and to check out the preliminary card recap click HERE.