UFC 110 – The Review

With UFC making its debut down under the first fight of the main card saw the classic underdog taking on the illustrious veteran. Anthony Perosh of Sydney, Australia stepping in to replace Ben Rothwell with just two days notice was always going to be up against it fighting the veteran former Pride champion, Croat Mirko Cro Cop.

Right from the start Cro Cop was the aggressor landing several punches and keeping Perosh on the back foot. Any attempts by Perosh to take the fight to the mat were fruitless. With Perosh looking out of his depth Cro Cop kept the fight up right and dominated throughout. In the second round it was more of the same with the veteran Croatian landing several blows to Perosh. The only surprise was the fact the kick boxing expert Cro Cop didn’t launch many of his feared big left kicks. It was on the mat however where the fight was ultimately decided. With Perosh on his back Cro Cop landed a vicious left elbow to the forehead of his opponent which opened a huge gash and caused Perosh to blood profusely. Although the Australian managed to finish the round the doctor called the fight to a halt and Cro Cop won by TKO. It’s hard to judge Cro Cop on this fight and whether he’s on his way back as he was up against a clearly inferior opponent with no preparation time but the Croat did look fresh and assertive. Mirko Crop Cop’s next fight will tell us a lot more as to whether he has much left to give in the UFC.

Next up on the card was last chance saloon for ‘The Dean of Mean’ Keith Jardine against up and coming former Ultimate fighter winner, the unbeaten Ryan Bader. Jardine had earlier disregarded his younger opponents record due to the fact Bader ‘hadn’t fought anyone’ so the veteran from New Mexico had to back up his words in the octagon. The first round looked like Jardine couldn’t follow up his words as Bader was more active, quicker and better to the strike. Taking his opponent down and controlling the round it was a nice start for Bader. The second round however Jardine was much more involved. Showing excellent take down defence coupled with solid leg kicks Jardine was much more present and was able to frustrate the Bader. Going into the third and it seemed it was all square. In the final round two minutes in, the fight had its spectacular conclusion. Following a solid punch that rocked Jardine coming forward, Bader followed up with a strong flying knee to the mid section and after missing one punch cleaned Jardine out with a brilliant swinging left. The punch knocked the veteran New Mexican straight down and the referee called it there and then. It was a brilliant finish and evidence of Bader’s talent and punching power. Following this fight Bader seems to have numerous options open to him while Jardine’s time as a relevant fighter in the UFC may be at an end. Immediately following the fight Jardine seemed annoyed at the stoppage but at the time the referee was right to end it as Jardine was dazed and unable to defend himself against Bader who was ready to follow up. As Joe Rogan said… ‘BA-BOOM!’ The impressive win moves Bader to 12-0.

Another fight saw Australian and crowd favourite George Sotiropoulos taking on Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson. There was only going to be one favourite for the crowd in this one and upon entering the arena Sotiropoulos was greeted by huge applause and cheers. With a 4-0 UFC record (11-2 overall) entering the fight the Greek-Australian was looking for a win to enter title discussions in the lightweight division. The first round saw Sotiropoulos start quickly looking for the take down and getting it inside a minute. The fight stayed on the mat for a good portion of the round with Sotiropoulos controlling Stevenson in tight. With the Greek-Aussie striking Stevenson once he got back up Stevenson from the mat caught Sotiropoulos with a big up kick to the head. The Greek however was straight back on top following the hit - staying active. The Sydney crowd were fully involved by now. The hometown boy dominated the first and looked active and aggressive doing it.

The second round began more hesitantly though with Stevenson looking to get active but failing to connect meaningfully. Sotiropoulos was the only fighter connecting until Stevenson finally took his opponent down to the mat however even when Stevenson was pro active the Australian managed to counter. ‘Daddy’ was unable to get sustained pressure on his opponent and the second round was very even. The third round was all about gaining control and grappling which, following the first round played right into the hands of the awkward Sotiropoulos. Following the conclusion of third the crowd were on their feet in appreciation of their hometown boy. There was only one winner and following the decision, a deserved unanimous victory for Sotiropoulos, the crowd went wild in celebration and after this fight Sotiropoulos may now be in line for a title fight. Stevenson now seems in no mans land i nterms of big fights.

Next up was the co main event of UFC 110. The fight saw Brazilian fighting legend ‘Axe Murderer’ Wanderlei Silva taking on Britain’s very own Michael ‘the Count’ Bisping. Silva was coming into this fight looking to revive his career debuting at the middleweight division and was reportedly upset with Bisping’s pre fight comments so there was a lot of emotion and anger in this fight. With Silva being a very aggressive fighter anyway no further anger was even needed. Bisping on the other hand (with a record of 19-2) was looking for a win to vault himself back into title consideration. The 30 year old Bisping, known for his tenacity came to the ring full of confidence and pumped up. With ‘Rampage’ Jackson in his corner Michael Bisping may have had a pre fight advantage in terms of knowledge as Jackson had fought the Brazilian Silva three times previously.

The first round saw Bisping start positively landing with several kicks and then taking down his veteran opponent twice early on. Connecting with several big punches, more connected than Silva’s, Bisping seemed to edge the round were it not for a late flurry by the Brazilian which may have taken the gloss of the round for Bisping slightly. Bisping was fighting slightly differently than previously; very much on the front foot and was moving a lot more side to side than before. The second round started well for Silva with a nice leg kick followed by an excellent take down as a counter to a Bisping kick. The round was then full of solid jabs from Bisping countered by lots of forward motion from Silva but what seemed to have the round in Bisping’s favour was the repeated take downs that he was able to muster. However right at the end of the round, off one of the UK fighter’s take downs Silva was able to lock into a guillotine and almost end the fight. The look of relief at the bell on Bisping’s face said it all. The third and final round started with Silva, who was looking a different fighter to previous fights (the lighter weight seemingly favouring him) landing with several low kicks on Bisping. The round continued at a steady pace with neither fighter able to gain any significant advantage with both landing punches and kicks but right at the death as with the previous two rounds Silva charged at Bisping and connected with a big right punch that took the Englishman down at the very end. A huge finish from the ‘Axe murderer’.

The judges then had the decision to make. With a 29-28 unanimous decision the winner was the ‘Axe Murderer’ Wanderlei Silva. No doubt whatsoever that the huge finish in the third influenced the win. Bisping throughout the fight never seemed to connect with many big shots and wasn’t as pro active or aggressive as perhaps could have been expected. The decision drops Bisping to 19-3 and is a set back to his title hopes but one has to admit Silva did edge the fight, especially the third. Consider Silva’s career officially revived.

The final fight of the evening was the hugely anticipated matchup between former (interim) heavyweight champion, Brazilian legend Minotauro Nogueira and up and coming superstar, Mexican American Cain Velasquez. With Velasquez (7-0 in UFC) never having been taken down in his UFC career taking on the submission skills and fight savvy of Nogueira the fight promised to be a contrast of styles. With impressive wins over Cheick Kongo and Ben Rothwell the All American wrestling back ground and aggressive style of Velasquez led many of the media to tip Velasquez pre fight.  

Thanks to the spectacular introductions from Bruce Buffer the crowd were really into the fight between the ‘young lion’ Velasquez and the Rio, Brazil native, Nogueira. The first round saw a good start from the Californian Velasquez with several good, technically perfect kicks and an excellent one-two punch that caught the veteran Brazilian. As the round progressed it continued to be a strong one for Velasquez with more strong kicks and punches landing on ‘Big Nog’. Then came something that has happened almost never in UFC. Continuing to be the aggressor, Velasquez suddenly caught the Brazilian with a huge right counter punch to the jaw that floored Nogueira and Velasquez immediately followed up. Landing several more solid blows to the head of his prone veteran opponent the referee intervened and stopped the fight. It was a huge finish in the first by Velasquez and a win for the American in absolutely sensational style. This was only the second time Nogueira had ever been stopped (first, against Frank Mir) and the first was after a serious staff infection. This was a very impressive performance by the young American who at 8-0 and with a big scalp must seriously be in line for a title shot.

The huge finish to that fight concluded an excellent card at UFC 110 which may have offered a hint at the direction of several careers. Keith Jardine may be coming to an end, Wanderlei Silva may have revived his career but Cain Velasquez served notice to the rest of the heavyweight division that there may be a new dominant force emerging.