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STEVE SUTCLIFFE, MMATORCH COLUMMIST (8.0)
UFC's first foray into the land down under was a smashing success, featuring a legitimately great match between George Sotiropoulus and Joe Stevenson with the hometown hero getting the upset victory and an evenly matched and mostly exciting contest pitting fan favorite Wanderlei Silva against the hated Michael Bisping.
It was fun to see Mirko Cro Cop return to somewhat dominant form even if we all know he can no longer hang with the top heavyweights. His competition was practically non-existent, yet he still looked a bit slow.
Ryan Bader takes a step up on the ladder after knocking off Keith Jardine in an arguable come from behind victory.
And did anyone in their right mind think that Cain Velasquez would absolutely school Big Nog standing up before the halfway point of the first round? Cain needed a win to cement his status as a legitimate contender and his victory certainly fits the bill. It's funny, because the guy next to me in the bar said, and I quote, "You are about to witness the greatest heavyweight match of all-time" and literally two minutes later, had to eat his words. Still exciting to watch.
The only negative I thought for the entire event was the pay-per-view ending with that awful call in the Bonnar-Sozynski fight, which left a bad taste in some people's mouths. Not UFC's decisions in terms of the officiating because the state of New South Wales does not allow instant replays in MMA fights, but still an odd choice to end the night on, even though the fight itself was exciting.
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ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR (7.0)
The story of this event was the emergence of Cain Velasquez, George Sotiropoulus, and Ryan Bader. Of the three of them, Velasquez is the only one with a big enough name and the credentials to be in immediate title contention. However, Sotiropoulus and Bader are now borderline Top 10 in their weight classes and certainly among the top contenders in the UFC. I'd like to see Sotiropoulus fight either Kenny Florian or Gray Maynard. Bader could take on Forrest Griffin or "Minotoro" Nogueira.
The other story was that Mirko Cro Cop and Wanderlei Silva are not shot. Of course, they haven't drank any magic elixirs of youth, either. Cro Cop looked the best he has in years, even if it was against subpar competition. Silva outfought Mike Bisping at all ranges of fighting. That said, I still don't like Cro Cop's chances if the UFC re-books him against Ben Rothwell. Part of the reason he could be so aggressive against Perosh was because Perosh had nothing to offer him standing; not so versus the larger, stronger Rothwell. And if the UFC does what I expect them to do and schedules Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, then Silva may find his UFC career bookended by highlight-reel knock out loses to Belfort. (If Belfort jumbles Silva's brains again, Silva can take solace in the likelihood that he would have killed "The Phenom" when he was Pride's 205 pound champ and Belfort fought like a passive sport grappler.)
While this was an interesting and entertaining show, I couldn't score it higher than a 7.0 because there were no great fights and only one match with consequences for the elite of the division (Velasquez vs. "Minotauro" Nogueira). I am tempted to give it an extra half point just for Chris Lytle's kneebar - one of the only kneebar submissions in modern UFC history, and a sick one to boot.
ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST (7.0)
Overall UFC 110 was a very good event. It had a slew of stoppages, three-round wars, and upsets. Mirko Cro Cop looked to be in better shape than in his prior fights in his return to the UFC. He looked well in a win over Anthony Perosh (even though Perosh took the fight on two days notice).
Ryan Bader looked to be the next rising star in the Light-Heavyweight Division with his stoppage win over Keith Jardine. This fight was really the lowest point of the card as it did nothing really noteworthy until the third round stoppage occurred. Bader should be looking near the top for his next opponent, and well, Jardine, only Dana White knows what's going to happen.
Chris Lytle was able to finish off Brian Foster with a knee-bar, and that was a great fight in seeing how Lytle was able to roll into that knee bar and crank it for the win. Also on the undercard was the fight between Stephan Bonnar and Krysztof Soszynski that ended in controversy when Bonnar was cut following an accidental headbutt from Soszynski that got the "Polish Experiment" the win. A great fight marred by a terrible ending.
Fight of the night was easily George Sotiropolous and Joe Stevenson. Sotiropolous easily dominated that fight and showed his great ground game and overall improvements as a fighter to take on a tough test such as Stevenson. This fight is really that good. Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva didn't disappoint as both fighters came out looking for the win, but Silva was able to manage the most of the opportunity and be able to beat Bisping via decision. Hopefully this will put Silva back in the hunt down the line, and for Bisping, another lesson learned and hopefully he can put all the pieces together to get things in order.
The main event was an eye opener for people looking to see what Cain Velasquez could do against Nogueira but he put the former champ down and out in the first, and all without even using his wrestling. Velasquez has easily poised himself to be a top contender and, by years end, should be fighting for the title. A great show with lots of action.
TOBEN SHELBY, MMATORCH AUDIO COHOST (8.0)
I had mixed feelings about UFC 110 heading into it. I was excited to see what many of the fights would lead to, but on paper I wasn’t necessarily eager for any particular fight except Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Fortunately, though, the fights delivered and many of their outcomes have interesting implications.
Velasquez made his strongest case yet for being considered a top Heavyweight in the UFC. Having already shown his wrestling acumen, Velasquez had yet to really prove himself on his feet against an elite fighter. Well, that’s done, but what’s next? Wait for loser of Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin or the winner of Dos Santos versus Gabriel Gonzaga? Whatever the case may be, Velasquez is clearly ready for the next big thing – I’d be fine with him fighting Lesnar next. As for Nogueira, I don’t think he’s done, but his time near the top likely is over. The only fight he hasn’t looked old in recently was his victory over Randy Couture... and he looked the same age as Randy in that fight.
Wanderlei Silva’s victory over Michael Bisping was solid, but not amazing. A win’s a win, though, and he showed flashes of that patented aggressiveness toward the end of each round. Of course, that aggressive nature seems to have gotten him into as much trouble as it has wins recently, so who knows how far the "new" Silva will go. Bisping didn’t look horrible, but he did show that opponents are likely to get through if they swarm him as he just didn’t seem to handle himself well under pressure.
Fighters seemed to have figured out Jardine’s style – the answer seems to be punching him in the face when he drops his hands. Certainly a solid gatekeeper at 205 though. Bader looked good; I’m interested to see how he handles himself against stiffer competition.
Surprise of the night was easily George Sotiropoulos's star-making turn. Clearly the hometown pop helped, but Sotiropoulos controlled Joe Stevenson nearly the entire fight, even while on bottom, showing that’s he’s ready to swim in deeper end of the lightweight division.
Mirko Cro Cop’s fight didn’t really prove much to me other than he’s still a capable fighter. I'd like to see the Ben Rothwell fight eventually, but Cro Cop just seems detached when he’s in the cage. I don’t think “classic Cro Cop” will ever return at this point.
Nice to see Chris Lytle do something other than take punches to the face better than his opponent. Underneath those gunslinger-punches, Lytle gave a nice reminder that he’s more than just a Fight of the Night contender.
Finally, the Stephan Bonnar and Soszynski fight needs a redo or a revision, considering that a headbutt ended the fight.
The card is definitely worth a view just to witness the emergence of Velasquez and Sotiropoulos.
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