After nine months since the UFC last came to England, the British fans were left with a fight night that they will never forget. Randy Couture and Brandon Vera headlined the show with a bout that despite being the main event turned out to be probably the least entertaining of the televised card.
Although this fight was not a Machida-Shogun scorecard disaster, "The Natural" must have been as surprised as anyone to hear the words Unanimous Decision before his name.
It was close with a round a piece and I had leaned towards Brandon Vera overall. Randy Couture pressed Vera against the cage a lot and dominated in patches, but Vera did the more actual damage, hurting Randy a few times with body kicks. When it's close like this, it can go either way and, although Randy took the decision, all three had it close.
This result will by no means harm the career of Brandon Vera and it prevented Couture from taking his most recent UFC run to 0-3. It was great to see two such huge names at the top of this card and is hopefully sign of what's to come at future UK events.
MAKING MMA HISTORY
On a significant evening for UK MMA, Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy won his fourth straight fight since joining the UFC. On every single occasion that this man has graced the Octagon he has raised his game to a new level. He has defeated Akihiro Gono, Rory Markham, Marcus Davis, and now can add veteran and top contender Mike "Quick" Swick to his list of victims.
Although this one went to the cards, it was the performance of Hardy's career. After being caught with the first punch thrown in round one, Swick was rocked again by a left hook which saw him buckle barley twenty seconds into round two. Hardy pressed forward stalking Swick while smiling. Again in the third round the left hook connected and the fight looked close at the end.
Hardy also showed he has a chin that seems to be made from granite, as he and Swick swung wildly at one another in spells. Swick caught Hardy with some nice shots but never looked to have him in trouble and a half hearted attempt of the "Swickatine" was shrugged off. Hardy landed elbows to the head leaving Swick cut as the clock ran down to a Unanimous Decision in favour of the Brit.
This was a huge step up in class for Hardy and a test he passed with flying colours. I would have liked to have seen Hardy fight Josh Koscheck or John Fitch next to give him further experience of opposition at that level.
It was announced that the winner would be facing GSP for the Welterweight Title and the Champ entered the Octagon to congratulate Hardy on his victory. Hardy just smiled as St. Pierre entered the cage. GSP told Joe Rogan that Hardy deserves his shot at the belt, that he is a threat to his title, and that he looks forward to the challenge.
It was surreal to see the two shaking hands on such an announcement but after this performance who can say he doesn't deserve the shot.
There you have it, Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy has made MMA history, he will be the first ever British fighter to compete for a UFC World Title.
THE ROAD BACK BEGINS
If ever a script was written for redemption, it was last Saturday night. Michael "The Count" Bisping was about to fight in his home city of Manchester, England. If there could possibly be a bigger occasion for Bisping than 100, then this was it.
The Count walked to the Octagon more pumped than I have ever seen a fighter before. Clearly charged by the crowd and determined to rebound straight back onto the glory trail, Bisping was a vast contrast from the man on the opposite side of the cage. Joe Rogan summed the difference very well. While he described Bisping as looking like a psychopath he summed up that Kang simply "looks like he's walking his dog."
Kang was looking to turn the dream into a nightmare and approximately one minute into the fight 21,000 fans thought he had. Hearts were in mouths as Bisping was caught on the temple from the right of Kang and dropped to the canvas. I don't care what anyone says, Bisping must have been having flashbacks and the courage he showed for the remainder of this round deserves maximum praise.
Bisping instantly pulled guard and showed great movement from the bottom, repeatedly stuffing Kang's attempts to better his position. Kang held top position for the remainder and defiantly took the first. As the horn sounded for the end of the round, Bisping walked to his corner apologizing to the crowd. He then shook his fist as if to say, "Okay, now let's start the fight."
The second round began and Bisping came straight out with a head kick. Kang landed a few jabs before Bisping shot and took Kang down and assaulted from the top. As the fight worked its way back to the feet Kang was bleeding and looking tired. After a second take down, Bisping landed some nice elbows as he pounded from the top. Kang scrambled and just about got to his feet but the third and most impressive take down followed. Bisping relentlessly pounded Kang until the referee stopped the fight at 4:24 of the second round.
This was most definitely a career-defining moment for Michael Bisping. Knocked out cold in his last fight and to come back and deliver the performance of his life, after being dropped early, was incredible to watch. Kang looked exhausted and was still lying flat out when Rogan came in to interview the winner. What made me smile the most was that, in the build up, Kang gave Bisping no credit. He said he wasn't great in any area. The only thing he did say was that Bisping had a great cardio. While I think Kang should have given him more respect on that front, he was clearly right on the one danger area of Bisping's game he did acknowledge.
One thing I don't think Kang and a lot of people appreciate, when judging Bisping, is that it was Dan Henderson, not some young kid with a half decent right hand, who caught him. A well-rounded future Hall of Famer with one of, if not the best, right hands in the division.
Bisping and Kang were awarded "Fight Of The Night" honours for their efforts in this bout and next I really want to see the fight that nearly happened on this card. Michael Bisping vs. Wanderlei Silva
THE ROUGH GET READY
Last weekend saw a clean sweep for all the fighters from Team Rough House. As well as Dan Hardy gaining his Welterweight Title shot, stable mates Ross Pearson, Andre Winner, and Nick Osipczak all won their respective bouts in style.
The expression often used is "Iron sharpens iron" and that was apparent last Saturday. With fellow teammates Paul Daley, Jimmy Wallhead, and Dean Amasinger to also call on on a daily basis, this crop of Brits can now really go on to achieve great things in this sport.
Ross "Real Deal" Pearson dominated 40 fight veteran Aaron Riley for the entire first round. I had predicted a first round TKO and thought it was about to come true. The TKO did come, in round two, after Pearson had opened up Riley's nose. Referee Mark Goddard called time out for a doctor check and subsequently the fight was called to a halt giving Pearson a dominating dream debut. This was a very impressive win and gives Pearson the perfect start to his official UFC career.
I can't help but feel a certain pride in this fella's achievements so far. We were brought up in neighbouring cities roughly 15 miles apart. To see a local win The Ultimate Fighter was fantastic, but to see him explode onto the main stage like he did was something else.
Dan Hardy recently stated that Andre Winner was the fastest fighter he knows. Winner backed up the praise of his training partner by destroying Roli Delgado inside three and a half minutes of the very first round. Winner held his hands low showing no respect of Delgado's striking ability. Barely 45 seconds into the fight Winner dropped his opponent with an overhand right. Delgado recovered and the fight got back to its feet. Winner continued to hold his hands low and attacked with lightning strikes and brutal leg kicks. Winner then connected perfectly with an overhand right knocking Delgado out cold.
The referee dragged Winner off as he landed a couple of unneeded shots, but these were no Henderson-like extras. A hugely impressive win for Winner who afterwards claimed he has nightmares about the TUF Final and is happy to be on the winning track. First fight in the UFC and his highlight reel is starting to be edited together already.
"Slick" Nick Osipczak was the fourth member of Team Rough house to win on this card. Matthew Riddle didn't make it easy for Osipczak. The pair went to war for almost the full three rounds with Osipczak gaining full mount position and pounding his opponent out with just over a minute of the fight remaining. "Slick" deserves more attention than he gets as he almost knocked Demarques Johnson out during their TUF stint and personally I would like to see that rematch on the next UK card.
THE BEST OF THE REST
The battle of Britain between John Hathaway and Paul Taylor did not go the way many thought it would. I for one believed Taylor would have too much pressure and experience for his younger opponent. Hathaway, however, like he said he would, took the fight to the ground and dominated the entire three rounds leaving Taylor a bloodied mess. Hathaway won a very lopsided decision and now moves to 2-0 in his UFC career.
It wasn't such a good night for Paul "Tellys" Kelly who was making his second appearance at 155. Dennis Siver delivered a spinning back kick to the liver that left Kelly writhing in agony. The kick, which came just over halfway through the fight, won Siver "Knockout Of The Night." It also saw Kelly stretchered out of the Arena with broken ribs and a broken cheekbone that could see him out for up to eight months.
Terry Etim once again showed why he is one of the UK's brightest young stars with his "Submission Of The Night" victory over Shannon Gugerty. Etim locked a tight guillotine which had Gugerty hanging on but eventually left him tapping with his entire body.
James Wilks was defeated by Matt Brown after two and a half gruelling rounds. Wilks edged the first round, while Brown got the better of the second. Wilks was then caught with a knee to the face which was the first sign that the end could be near. The referee eventually stopped the fight after Wilks gave up his back and was pounded out. I expected Brown to win this fight but didn't expect as much heart from Wilks as he showed and I really warmed to him during this fight. The knee was defiantly the blow that signalled the beginning of the end and he did very well to hang on as long as he did.
I have had mixed feeling towards Wilks since he was on The Ultimate Fighter. I think the main reason is that I never really believed he was a proud Englishman the way Pearson and Winner portrayed themselves. He fought Demarques Johnson in the UK vs. USA final, yet he hailed from California? This really bothered me, but that may not have been his decision.
On Saturday I could see the pride on his face and I want to go further into this topic at a later date, so when I start my fighter profile series I shall begin with Wilks.
OTHER NEWS IN BRIEF
-George St Pierre and Dan Hardy are rumoured to be under consideration for coaching roles on The Ultimate Fighter. If it comes to fruition the pair would coach opposing teams then face off against each other for the Welterweight Title.
-The UFC plans to make at least two trips to the UK next year. The London O2 is the most likely for the first show with Nottingham (the home of The Outlaw and Semtex) being considered for the second. The New Year trip to Dublin has been post-poned with no new date set as of yet.
-As part of the new "Signature Series" the new Tapout: Wolf's lair shirt was launched in Fighters Only magazine. The shirt showed the wolf blazed into the Union Jack and was worn in the poster by Wolf's Lair fighters Cheick Kongo and Rampage Jackson.
-Michael Bisping had apparently looked at boxer Amir Kahn for inspiration in his bit to bounce back from defeat. Kahn was knocked out inside a minute last year but has since fought his way back to become a world champion.
-Thanks for joining me and I hope you enjoyed this past weekend's show as much as I did. I will be starting my fighter profile series soon to give more of a look into the careers of our new rising stars (starting with Wilks, as said above) as well as fighters such as Jimmy Wallhead whose time will very shortly come.
It was like a change in the old guard as Paul Kelly and Paul Taylor suffered defeats, I will never forget the opening of their first round at UFC 80. If you have never seen it, you need to. On the same night they were both defeated Ross Pearson and Andre Winner in particular shone as they exploded onto the mainstream scene and could have great careers at 155.
Thanks again for tuning in and meet me here again next week. Please email any comments to me at ukmmascene@yahoo.co.uk ciao!
[Dan Hardy art credit Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]
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