FACEBOOK TWITTER RSS APP PODCAST Opinion & Analysis : The Specialists : UK Scene - Park UK SCENE: UFC 116 thoughts, Dan Hardy comments on a number of items, UFC 120 beginning to shape up and more

Jul 6, 2010 - 9:45:09 AM

By: Chris Park, MMATorch UK Specialist

Saturday July 3, 2010 will go down as one of the most memorable dates in MMA history, as UFC 116 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena showcased one of the best nights of fights ever seen.

ESPN UK did all they could to provide the biggest build up for this event by pretty much dedicating every evening, from Thursday onwards, to lead up to UFC 116. New shows such as “Best of British” and “Fights of the Night” were particularly good additions, with the potential fight of the decade between Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung getting its first ever airing in the UK.

This was all of course just the opening act for UFC 116 with the gigantic main event between Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar for the undisputed UFC heavyweight title. After surviving a brutal early onslaught, Lesnar managed to regain his composure in between rounds. He submitted Carwin with an arm triangle in round two. The victory saw Lesnar retain his title as well as claim the "Submission of the Night" bonus and a new set of fans as he showed the heart and chin of a true champion.

On the undercard of Saturday night’s show, Lesnar’s training partner Jon Madsen was victorious against UFC new comer Karlos Vemola. After defeating British heavyweight Mustapha Al Turk and sending him out of the UFC in April, Madsen dispatched of Al Turk’s London Shootfighter teammate via unanimous decision.

Czech fighter Vemola, who fights out of London, came in to this fight with an MMA record of 7-0, with all seven victories coming by first round stoppage. His UFC stint has now begun with his first career loss.

With the UFC making its long awaited return to England in October, a battle of Britain between Vemola and James McSweeny could be an intriguing edition to the UFC 120 card in London.


UFC 120: LONDON, ENGLAND

Speaking of UFC 120, Dan “the Outlaw” Hardy has this week stated that his fight with Carlos Condit is not quite a done deal yet.

In an interview with “Fight Magazine” Hardy said, “That’s a rumour. I’ve not signed anything yet. Still waiting on that one.” After this admission Hardy was told that Martin Kampmann very much wanted the spot opposite “the Outlaw” in London, and Hardy replied, “Either fight’s fine by me. You know, both guys come to win and that’s all I’m interested in. I respect both of them as fighters and I think both would be a good test for me... And a good win.”

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With Yoshihiro Akiyama losing to Chris Leben at UFC 116, the hunt for Michael Bisping’s next opponent took another twist. Initially a re-match with Wanderlei Silva looked like the perfect fight for the top of the London card, but with the “Axe Murderer” reportedly out for six months with broken ribs, Akiyama seemed the prime candidate - assuming he defeated Leben at UFC 116.

After Leben caught Akiyama in a triangle, finishing him a mere thirty seconds from the end of the fight, all bets were off as to whom “the Count” will face next. With an existing win over Leben on his record there would be no chance, or point for that matter, in making that fight happen.

One rumour that began to circulate last Friday, and has continued to gather momentum, is the option of a Michael Bisping vs. Vitor Belfort clash in London. Belfort is possibly one of the most vicious strikers in the division, and was scheduled to challenge Anderson Silva last April before withdrawing due to injury.

While Belfort would be a huge threat to Bisping; at the same time a victory over the #2 contender would see the Brit’s stock rocket in the middleweight division. For that reason, and the magnitude of the occasion, I think the fearless Bisping would jump at the chance to face the Brazilian for his UFC middleweight division.

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Another British fighter reported to be on the same card is rising star John “the Hitman” Hathaway. Fresh from his career-highlight victory over Diego Sanchez, Hathaway will put his perfect record on the line against the impressive Dong Hyun Kim.

Kim was due to face Dan Hardy at UFC 105 last November, but after suffering an injury was replaced by Mike “Quick” Swick. Kim lost his undefeated record when he was on the wrong side of a split decision to Karo Parisyan. Parisyan later tested positive for the illegal use of pain-killers, and as a result of this, the loss was scratched and ruled a no-contest - meaning Kim still technically holds an undefeated MMA record.

Kim was last in action at UFC 114, where he defeated Amir Sadollah in an impressive display of control. He will now look to do similar when he faces Hathaway.

Hathaway, however, will have other ideas after making his main card debut in impressive fashion. Not only was this Hathaway’s first stint on a televised UFC card, but it was his first fight ever on American soil. The bright lights of Vegas had no affect on Hathaway as he dominated the returning Sanchez to stretch his undefeated record to 13-0.


OTHER NEWS IN BRIEF

Wolfslair heavyweight Cheick Kongo also looks set to make his return in London. Kongo has reportedly agreed to face undefeated Travis Browne at UFC 120. Browne was last in action at The Ultimate Fighter finale where he defeated Brit James McSweeny via TKO.

While Browne will look to face Kongo next he will have to wait and see if his victory over McSweeny will stand. The Brit’s management appealed the result of their TUF 11 bout, stating the use of illegal elbows which opened a gash and lumps on the back of McSweeny’s head.

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Dan Hardy has revealed that he is backing Georges St. Pierre to see off Josh Koscheck once the next series of The Ultimate Fighter is over and done. While acknowledging the ability of Koscheck, and the responsibility he will have to sell the fight, Hardy wants the Canadian to take the win as he has his own re-match in his sights once he has established his standing in the welterweight division.

Speaking to “Fight Magazine” Hardy said, “It’ll only be after a couple of fights that I know where I’ll stand in the rankings and when I’m ready for a run at the title again. But I’m looking forward to the opportunity. It’s gonna be coming soon and I plan on 3 good wins and another title shot. That’s my goal.”

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UFC newcomers and Wolfslair products Rob Broughton, Tom Blackledge and Kurt Warburton all look close getting opponents set for their UFC 120 debuts.

Heavyweight Broughton looks set to square off against chute box heavyweight Vinicius Kappke de Quieroz, while Blackledge will tackle tough Australian James Te Huna.

The pick of the three will be promising welterweight Kurt Warburton who, with a win over Ross Pearson, looks set to face welterweight gate-keeper Spencer “The King” Fisher. With such a high profile opponent, Warburton could see his debut sneak onto the main card once the order of fights is decided.

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UFC 116 was spectacular and ESPN UK deserve full credit for the coverage they put on. UFC 120 is really beginning to pick up momentum with more and more fights being put on the table as well.

Vitor Belfort presents a very dangerous obstacle, but if that fight does happen and Bisping can pick up the win he will be right in the mix at the top of the middleweight division.

Join me next week for another round up of The UK Scene.

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Chris Park is the MMATorch UK Specialist and guest columnist at ESPN.co.uk. Please email any comments or questions to Chris at; mmatorchuk@gmail.com or look us up at http://www.facebook.com/mmatorchuk2 our new MMATorch Facebook home for UK Fans!

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