So who is the best light heavyweight in the UFC at the moment? That’s what I’m attempting to find out as I take a look at UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida, shown live on Setanta Sports here in Britain in the early hours of this past Sunday morning. As always, Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg are handling commentary duties.

The broadcast begins with action from the lightweight division, with Sean Sherk taking on Frank Edgar. An impressive performance from Edgar saw him befuddle the Muscle Shark with his kickboxing technique. Sherk looked like a one trick pony, using the same tactic over and over again. When Sherk tried to take the fight downstairs, Edgar quickly got back to his feet, and although he preferred the stand-up game throughout, Edgar almost got the submission win in the dying seconds with a guillotine. With the fight going the three round distance it came as no surprise when Edgar got the majority decision, and rightfully so.

Then it was up to the middleweight division, as Chael Sonnen faced Dan Miller. If you ever wanted to see a dominating performance in an MMA fight, then just look at Sonnen’s performance here. Only twice, at the beginning of the first and second rounds, did Miller put in any significant offence, when he attempted two guillotines, which Sonnen easily escaped from. From there, Sonnen controlled everything on the ground, beating down Miller at will. Miller just seemed completely helpless, and although many in the crowd didn’t like some of the action, this writer certainly did. So with another fight going the distance, Sonnen got the unanimous decision, and again, rightfully so.

The middleweight action continued with Drew McFedries and Xavier Foupa-Pokam. After two fights that went the distance, we got the blink and you’ll miss it affair. Things began quite slowly, until McFedries sprang into action, rocking Xavier with a left, and knocking him down with a right. McFedries went for the ground and pound, and Xavier got to his feet, still unsteady. A second later he was back on the ground, and as McFedries went in for the kill the referee pulled him away and stopped the fight, giving McFedries the win in just thirty-seven seconds. Impressive stuff from McFedries here.

Filler material followed, with Krzysztof Soszynski facing Andre Gusmao in the light heavyweight division. Both fighters got off some good combinations in this one, and both men began to look impressive when a combination from Soszynski sent Gusmao down to the ground, with the referee stepping in immediately to stop the fight, giving Soszynski the win in a good performance.

Then it was time for the big grudge match, the battle of the former champions with Matt Hughes taking on Matt Serra in the welterweight division. This was a tremendous fight, but it almost finished early. An accidental clash of heads rocked Hughes, and Serra tried to end the fight there and then with a barrage of blows. Hughes was nearly out of it, but managed to come back well, taking the fight to the ground and controlling Serra for the remainder of the first and all of the second. Both fighters had their moments in the third, and towards the end Serra finally scored his first take down, but by then it was too little too late, because with the fight going the three round distance the judges gave the unanimous decision to Hughes. Great to see the former champion get back to winning ways.

Main event time, with Lyoto Machida challenging Rashad Evans for the UFC Light Heavyweight title. This one took a while to get going, but when it did, the action was certainly explosive. The first round contained a lot of feeling out, until Machida scored with a combination that sent Evans down. It was the same in the second, until Machida turned on the gas and went after Evans like a house afire, unloading with a barrage of blows on the champion that rocked him and sent him stumbling all over the cage. Finally, a left hand sent Evans down, knocking him out, with the referee stopping the fight immediately, giving Evans the Light-Heavyweight title. A very good performance from the Brazilian here, a deserving winner.

More filler material followed, with Brock Larson facing Mike Pyle in the welterweight division. A fast-paced fight saw both men going at it, with Larson soon gaining the upper hand, locking in an arm triangle for the submission victory.

The final fight of the show saw more filler material, with Pat Barry taking on Tim Hague in the heavyweight division. The proverbial back and forth encounter saw Barry rock Hague with a kick to the head. Barry went in for the kill, but Hague was able to counter by taking the fight to the ground. Barry tried to escape, but Hague soon locked in a guillotine. Barry tried to fight it, but it wasn’t long before Barry was tapping, giving Hague the submission victory with his great comeback performance.

In conclusion - another outstanding show from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Both Hughes/Serra and Evans/Machida delivered with two great fights, well supported by a tremendous undercard, the highlight being Frank Edgar’s performance against Sean Sherk. This show definitely gets the two thumbs up treatment, and one I’ll watch again in the future.

This past Saturday night Britain’s Extreme Sports Channel once again delved into the Cage Rage archive, going back to March 2005 and the Wembley Conference Centre, as current UFC great Anderson Silva defended his World Middleweight title against Curtis Stout at Cage Rage 14: The Punishment.

Hour one began with action from the middleweight division, with Daijiro Matsui taking on Alex Reid. The announcers described this one perfectly - trench warfare. This was an outstanding fight that was fought at a frantic pace throughout. By the end of the first round both men looked like they’d been in a war, with Reid suffering from two cuts to the face and Matsui’s right eye closed completely. Matsui seemed to be the most aggressive in the first two rounds, with Reid coming on strongly in the latter half of the third, getting off some good shots after the referee stood both men up, and even though the man from Japan seemed to be the superior fighter, the judges saw it differently, scoring it as a majority draw, meaning that one judge gave the fight to one of the fighters. Matsui didn’t look to happy with the decision.

Then it was up to the light heavyweight division, with Brian Adams facing Mark Epstein. A blink and you’ll miss it affair. Both men started by trading kicks, then just nineteen seconds in both men went down to the mat, with a left from Epstein knocking Adams out. The referee stepped in immediately, giving Epstein the knockout win. Explosive stuff from Epstein.

Down to welterweight for the next fight, with Darren Guisha and Ross “The Boss” Mason. A good performance from Mason saw him control the majority of the first round, looking like he was going to get the win with the ground and pound, only for the bell to save Guisha. It was the same in the second round, with Mason dominating again, and the referee stepping in as the Boss went to work with the ground and pound again. Guisha was simply outclassed by the superior fighter.

The big guys of the heavyweight division were next, with Marc Goddard and Robert “Buzz” Berry. Slightly more than a blink and you’ll miss it affair here, with Berry locking in the guillotine choke after just sixty seconds, even though the announcers didn’t think he’d be able to get it from a standing position. Just goes to show that they don’t know everything, doesn’t it!

Hour two began in the middleweight division, with Antonio Schembri going up against Matt Lindland. This was a very technically sound fight. Lindland showed some tremendous ground work, with Schembri on the defensive almost throughout. The Brazilian’s defence finally let him down in the third round as Lindland unleashed with the ground and pound, with the referee wisely calling a halt to proceedings. Terrific stuff from Lindland here, very enjoyable to watch.

The middleweight action continued with Xavier Foupa-Pokam facing Sol Gilbert. A fast paced and somewhat controversial fight. Both men looked good as they racked off the blows, but with Gilbert on all fours Xavier unleashed with a kick to the head, earning himself an immediate disqualification. A pity this one ended in this way, because this fight had promise.

Then it was down to the welterweight division for the next bout, with Nigel Whitear and Dean Bray. A fast start saw both men trading earlier, before it quickly went to the ground. Some excellent work from both men followed, with reversal following reversal, with Whitear locking in an armbar for the submission victory. If only all fights were as good as this!

The hour concluded with a Pride Bushido lightweight challenge match, pitting Michihiro Omigawa against Gesias Cavalcanti. Both fighters looked in good shape at the beginning, only for Cavalcanti to unload with a big right hand that rocked Omigawa. As the Japanese star wilted, Cavalcanti went in for the kill, with the referee stepping in, giving Cavalcanti the knockout and impressive win.

Hour three began with heavyweight action, and Alan Murdock tackling Dave Legeno. A fast start saw Legeno unloading with the heavy stuff early on, and the announcers predicting that this would end with a knockout. Murdock kept coming back, despite Legeno’s onslaught. Legeno’s pace soon caught up with him as he visibly tired. The fight soon went to the ground as Murdock fell to one of Legeno’s powerful shots, and the referee soon stopped the action as Murdock applied an armbar, and Legeno refused to tapped. A very enjoyable fight, although Legeno’s lack of experience clearly showed at the end.

Back down to the welterweight division for the next fight, with Joey Van Wanrooij and Paul “Semtex” Daley. This is the kind of fight that makes you realise just how great it is to be a mixed martial arts fan, a back and forth encounter with two good performances, and a little controversy when Van Wanrooij went for an illegal kick while Daley was on the ground, the kick being illegal because the referee hadn’t called for an open guard. However, unlike Xavier Foupa-Pokam earlier on, Van Wanrooij wasn’t disqualified because it didn’t look like he connected. Instead he got a stern warning from the referee. Apart from that little incident, this was a great contest, and with the fight going the distance, it went down to the judges, who gave the unanimous decision to Daley. A shame that the Dutchman didn’t get much from the judges though.

Main event time, with Curtis Stout challenging Anderson Silva for the Cage Rage Middleweight title. This was the one I was really looking forward to. A fight that began quickly with some blows from both men soon went down to the ground, where Silva showed some good work before Stout was able to get back to his feet. It wasn’t long before they went back down, and Silva showed the skills that have made him a world class fighter. A short time later, Silva went to work with the ground and pound. Stout failed to reply, and it wasn’t long before the referee stopped the fight, giving Silva the knockout win. A very impressive performance from the Brazilian here, really enjoyable.

In conclusion - I only really began to pay attention to Cage Rage with their sixteenth show, so when I found that Extreme Sports were showing their fourteenth show in one go, I just knew I had to see it. It was great to take a look back at the history of this sadly now-defunct promotion, and there were some great fights throughout this broadcast, topped off with just a little bit of controversy.

However, I am slightly disappointed that a few of the fights were cut from the broadcast, most notably the British Featherweight title fight between Robbie Oliver and Chris Freeborn, and the wins for Vitor Belfort and Mark Weir. But in all, a very good show, and I look forward to dipping into the Cage Rage archive again in the future.

This past Saturday night, Britain’s Extreme Sports channel once again ventured into MMA territory with a showing of Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives. Originally held in November 2007 in San Jose, California, the show has been on a regular rotation through the schedules for a while now, but this is the first time I actually remembered it was on. Like all of their MMA shows it was shown in three one hour blocks.

This event actually held two distinctions - it was the first show to hold a single elimination tournament sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission, and the first Strikeforce heavyweight champion was crowned in a fight pitting Paul Buentello against Alistair Overeem.

The tournament itself was a middleweight single elimination tournament, featuring Jorge Santiago, Sean Salmon, Trevor Prangley and Falaniko Vitale.

So on to part one of the show, which began with middleweight action as Jeremiah Metcalf faced Dennis Hallman. A quick fight to start things with saw Hallman try for a guillotine early on. But it wasn’t long before he got the win, locking in a heel hook, which Metcalf partially tapped to first, before tapping out properly.

Then it was down to featherweight, with Chris Drumm taking on Evan Esquerra. A somewhat controversial fight saw some tremendous action from both men throughout the first and the majority of the second, until Esquerra hit Drumm in the back of the head. Esquerra was docked a point, and Drumm was given the mandatory five minute rest period. But after he was checked over by the doctor, it was ruled that he could no longer continue, and because two rounds hadn’t been completed, the fight was ruled as a technical draw.

The first middleweight tournament semi-final followed, with Sean Salmon and Jorge Santiago. This was a blink and you’ll miss it kind of fight. It began with both fighters exchanging blows, until Santiago suddenly came to life with a flying knee to the side of the head. Salmon fell to the ground like the proverbial sack of spuds, and the referee stepped in immediately to stop the fight. The time - just twenty-four seconds.

The second semi-final saw Falaniko Vitale take on Trevor Prangley. Another great fight saw Vitale and Prangley go toe-to-toe, each hurting the other at times, although Prangley kept getting the upper hand in the exchanges. However, another somewhat controversial finish saw Prangley inadvertently poke Vitale in the eye. With the Hawaiian unable to continue, the match was called as a draw, but under tournament rules, the referee had to choose the winner. His choice - Prangley. A good decision.

The tournament final followed straight away (I’m guessing they weren’t showing the fights in the original order here!), with Santiago facing Prangley. Once again Santiago looked impressive, and at least Prangley lasted longer than Salmon. The Brazilian rocked the South African a few times, before a knee to Prangley’s body did the damage, with the referee stopping the fight giving Santiago the TKO win.

Part two began with action from the lightweight division, and Clint Coronel taking on Alex Crispin. Although this fight had it’s moments, it won’t go down as one of the best at lightweight. Both fighters were busy in the first round, but by the time of the second round Crispin looked tired, and it was only in the final stages of the third round that things really came to life as both fighters exchanged hard blows. The fight went the distance, with the judges giving the unanimous decision to Crispin.

Then it was down to the bantamweight division for the next fight, with Peter Sabala facing Anthony Figueroa. This fight was everything that the previous one wasn’t. A back and forth encounter in which both fighters went full tilt. While Figueroa would often rock his opponent with blows, and looked like he would get the win with unanswered ground and pound, Sabala would always find a way of coming back, slamming his opponent down hard to the mat and going for the submission. It really was great to watch, even though the fatigue factor began to kick in at the end of the third round. The split decision went in favour of Figueroa, although it could really have gone either way.

Next up, welterweight action with Bryson Kamaka and Luke Stewart. Another blink and you’ll miss it affair. Kamaka went to work early with the lefts and rights, with Stewart coming back quickly with a knee to the chin from a muay thai clinch. Kamaka fell immediately, with the referee stepping in immediately to end another explosive fight. The time - just nineteen seconds.

Part three kicked off with a light heavyweight bout, Anthony Ruiz taking on Bobby Southworth. While round one was a kind of hit and miss affair, the beginning of round two was different. Ruiz threw a series of wild punches that rocked Southworth and opened up a nasty cut. With the blood pouring down his face, the referee called a halt to the contest on the doctor’s advice, with Ruiz getting the TKO win.

Then it was time to crown the first ever Strikeforce World Heavyweight Champion, with Alistair Overeem and Paul Buentello. To say that Overeem dominated this fight would be an understatement. The first round belonged to the Dutchman completely. No matter what Buentello tried, Overeem matched him and controlled him, and while it wasn’t as intense in the second round, Overeem retained control, and after a couple of knees to the midsection Buentello had had enough and tapped out. A great performance from Overeem, and a deserved win.

Main event time, action from the middleweight division, with Sam Morgan taking on Cung Le. Another impressive performance from the man from Vietnam saw him dominate Morgan. Before the fight Morgan promised to stand toe-to-toe with Le, but when he did most of his wild punches missed their target by the proverbial mile. He didn’t have much more success on the ground either, with Le controlling every aspect of the fight there as well. The end came in the third round. A left kick to the Morgan’s body sent him crumbling to the mat, with the referee stop the fight straight away, clinching another great win for Le.

In conclusion - this is only the second Strikeforce show I’ve seen, and now I think I’m hooked. With only one so-so fight in this broadcast, this was a very good show, topped off by the great displays from Alistair Overeem and Cung Le, and with the promotion seemingly growing bigger by the day, maybe we’ll get to see some more up to date action on British television soon.

Don’t worry if missed this show though. The way that the Extreme Sports Channel rotates their shows, this will probably be on again soon!

We’re heading off to Japan for our latest review, with another look at K-1’s mixed martial arts wing, and a look at the 2007 Middleweight World Championship tournament with the DVD release of Hero’s 2007 Volume Three: The Final Battle. Commentary duties here are handled by the most impressive fighter from the Ultimate Combat series of shows, Pierre Guillet, and Dale Adams.

Disc one begins with the always impressive parade of fighters, and then it’s down to the action, with Harvey Harra facing Kazuyuki Miyata in a reserve tournament fight. The entrances lasted longer than the actual fight, with Miyata taking it to the ground almost immediately, and transitioning well so he could get the quick armbar submission. A pity my fellow Brit didn’t well, but Miyata was very impressive here.

Then it was on to the first tournament semi-final, with Andre Dida facing Caol Uno. This certainly was an explosive fight. Fought over two rounds, the first clearly belonged to Dida, who caught Uno with a right knee to the jaw, which clearly hampered him for the remainder of the fight. Uno looked the superior fighter in the second, controlling everything on the ground. But unfortunately for Japan’s only fighter in the tournament it wasn’t enough, as the judges decision went in favour of the Brazilian.

The second semi-final saw Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro take on J.Z. Calvan. This was another case of an entrance lasting longer than the fight. After Calvan took an absolute age to get to the ring, he made short work of his fellow Brazilian. A trip led to an onslaught that Shaolin simply had no answer to, and although he was able to defend himself, the referee stepped in, booking Calvan’s place in the final, and rounding off what was a very good semi-final round.

The first of the super fights was next, with Kevin Casey and Minowaman. This fight had a lot to live up to, Casey because he had the legendary Rickson Gracie in his corner, and Minowaman because of his entrance. The ten minute first round, fought mainly on the ground, saw Casey in control, but the second round was an entirely different story. Casey kept to the same game plan, and after a minute or so Minowaman suddenly exploded with a barrage of blows that knocked Casey off his feet. The barrage continued, Casey didn’t reply, and the referee stepped in. Proof that the tide can turn very quickly in an MMA fight.

Next up was Dong Sik Yoon against Zelg “Benkei” Galesic. Despite only having one victory out of five fights, Dong put in a nice little performance in this one, quickly getting the leg trip, working well on the ground, and securing the arm bar submission to get the win.

So after that quick victory, it was on to Melvin Manhoef against Fabio Silva. Silva came into this fight with all the mannerisms of his namesake Wanderlei. A shame he didn’t fight like him though. A knee below the equator early on didn’t endear himself to the Dutchman, and after a brief rest period, a hard right cross caught Silva square on the chin, knocking him off his feet. A short ground and pound later, and the referee stepped in giving Manhoef the win. Another good display from the Dutchman, but not much of one from Silva.

Then it’s on to one of the fights I was looking forward to, with Alistair Overeem facing Sergei Kharitonov. A re-match from their previous encounter in Pride was a back and forth match. Both men had their fair share of good shots, but it was the big Russian who had the most success, staggering the Dutchman on a number of occasions. Overeem had his successes as well, although the ending did look to be a little dodgy, as the punch that Kharitonov threw to knock Overeem down for the final time looked like it caught him in the back of the head. A very interesting fight, although I’m left wondering about the ending.

Japan’s most popular fighter was up next, as Kazushi Sakuraba took on Katsuyori Shibata. Shibata almost cost himself dearly during his entrance, tripping up as he came running down the ramp to the ring. Once again it was a joy to watch the legend at work, although he didn’t have it all his own way. As soon as he took Shibata down to the mat, Shibata unloaded with a torrent of unanswered blows from his back. But Sakuraba quickly shook these blows off, transitioning to side control, and showed who the boss was by actually slapping Shibata. He then moved into position so he could execute an arm bar, with Shibata quickly tapping, giving the great man another impressive victory.

The next fight featured Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto taking on Bibiano Fernandes. This was an excellent fight, but was almost ruined in the first round - by the referee. When both fighters were on the ground grappling, their movements took them into the ropes. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, but on this occasion there was a great deal of confusion as the referee tried to put them back in their original positions in the middle of the ring. Things didn’t sit well with either man, and it got to a point where four referees eventually decided that the fight should be re-started from the stand-up position. Aside from this, there was a ton of great action in this one, with Fernandes, going into this one as something of an unknown quantity, more than a match with the favourite Yamamoto. However, as the fight went the three round distance, the judges gave their unanimous decision to Yamamoto, which surprised me a little. But then again, maybe a little hometown bias came into play here.

The final bout of the show was the Middleweight World Championship tournament final, featuring Andre Dida against J.Z. Calvan. A great fight to close the show with. Dida caught Calvan a couple of times, but when it went to the mat it was all Calvan, who transitioned well, went for a side choke, before finally locking in an arm bar for the submission win. A well deserved tournament win for the Brazilian.

Disc two is where you’ll find the special features, and they are many and plentiful, with two bonus fights, training sessions with Sakuraba, Uno, Minowaman and Kharitonov, as well as an interview with the legendary Rickson Gracie.

In conclusion - once again Hero’s delivers. There’s not one bad fight here, and what more can you say about that? Production wise, you can’t fault the Japanese for their production values here. The glitz and glamour they add to their MMA shows is outstanding, and a joy to watch. Commentary wise, messrs Adams and Guillet did a great job of calling the action. Old Pierre is as good as commentating as he is at fighting.

So if you’re looking for an alternative to the UFC, then this, or any of the Hero’s DVD releases, comes highly recommended.

With thanks to MMA Universe for supplying a copy of this release. Hero’s 2007 Volume Three: The Final Battle is available to buy online at www.mmauniverse.com.

My journey is about to come to an end. Having reviewed the first five shows of the Ultimate Combat Legacy Volume 1 DVD set, I’m now going to take a look at the final show in the collection, which sees the promotion moving away from the ring and into the cage with Ultimate Combat 6: Battle In The Cage.

The show begins with lightweight action, as Aaron Chatfield faces Aaron Blackwell. A very interesting fight saw the debuting Blackwell start quickly, but when it went to the ground Chatfield tied the youngster up immediately with a triangle around his beck, trapping his arm. Blackwell tried to fight out, and got out of the triangle for a few seconds, only to find himself straight back in it. A short time later Blackwell was tapping out. A good effort by the Blackwell, but his inexperience played right into Chatfield’s hands.

Then it’s on to heavyweight action, with Marc Goddard tackling James Thompson. This may have been one of the best all British fights I’ve ever seen. The first few minutes were fought at a frantic pace, with both men going all out and trying for submissions. But as the round progressed things began to slow down as the fatigue factor began to kick in. The second round was fought at a somewhat slower pace, but was just as action packed, and after Goddard’s arm bar attempt failed, Thompson got the win after a brief ground and pound, with Goddard apparently unconscious. Nice stuff here.

Down to the welterweight division for the next fight, with Sami Berik and Terry Thompson. When I saw that this fight involved someone making their pro debut and someone who was stepping in at the last minute my heart sank a little, thinking that this could be a bit of a stinker. Happily, I was wrong. This was a cracking little battle. Berik looked like he’d been fighting professionally for years, while Thompson didn’t look like he was under prepared in any way. Fought mainly on the ground, it was a great back and forth battle, with each man giving a good account of themselves, and Berik picking up the win with a rear naked choke in the last minute of the fight.

Up a division to middleweight next, with Chris Powell taking on Andrew Dartmouth. Two fighters making their professional debuts here, and from the beginning both men seemed eager to make a good impression. Round one saw a leg lock/heel hook stalemate, before Powell unleashed with the ground and pound, bloodying Dartmouth’s right cheek. The quick pace though took it’s toll as both fighters slowed down as the round came to an end. Round two ended quickly, with Powell getting the submission win with an armbar in the first minute to end what was a very good fight, although I do think the fan’s chants of “who are they” was a tad unfair.

International heavyweight action follows, with England’s Adam Woolmer facing Spain’s Aaron Marsa. Once again a Spanish fighter impressed me. At times this fight was little more than a slug fest, with both guys swinging for the trees. The pace was fast to begin with, but as the first round progressed both fighters slowed down significantly, although they continued to unload with the heavy stuff. The energy levels were still way down as the second round began, and once again both men unloaded with the heavy stuff. Then Marsa connected with the first series of kicks in the fight, and seconds letter Woolmer, clutching his right leg, pulled out, unable to continue, ending what was a very intriguing brawl. Although I had to wonder if the fight would have lasted as long if Marsa had used kicks earlier.

The international action continues at light heavyweight, with Spain’s Julian Gonzalez facing England’s Alex Cook. Another impressive outing from Gonzalez, coupled with a similarly impressive performance from Cook made for a great fight. It looked pretty even throughout as the action went back and forth, although Gonzalez started to bleed from the nose towards the end of the second round. By this time though both fighters were visibly tiring, and with neither man having gained any sort of advantage, the overtime round was needed, which was also evenly fought. So with the fight having gone to the limit, it was down to the judges to decide, with the decision going to Gonzalez.

More light heavyweight, this time at domestic level, followed, with Wayne Cook and Alec Davenport. This lasted a matter of seconds. Cook came in swinging, and Davenport fell to the ground almost immediately. The referee quickly stepped in and stopped the fight. The time - four seconds. Kind of hard to give an accurate assessment of a fight this quick!

A first for Ultimate Combat in the next fight, their first ever women’s contest, with England’s Kelli Salone going up against American Danielle “Batgirl” West, a semi-professional bout fought over one round. Another quick fight saw Salone totally overwhelm West, who at one point turned her back on her opponent, the worst thing you could do in any combat sport. Seconds later her corner threw the towel in. This one did look a bit messy to be honest.

An all European fight next, with Spain’s Enrique Anton going up against Denmark’s Lars Besand in the middleweight division. For the first time in this series, I was disappointed with a Spanish fighter. Anton spent much of the fight in a body lock with Besand, with the Dane getting off the occasional stomp or knee. When they eventually went to the mat, Besand took control, went for the ground and pound, took Anton’s back, and locked in the rear naked choke. To be honest, apart from the final few seconds, this fight was a bit of a duffer. Anton looked like he didn’t want to fight at all.

The international action continued at lightweight, with Denmark’s Kim Hovgaard facing England’s Pat Carr. After three somewhat disappointing fights, this was just what the doctor ordered. Both fighters put on an excellent display of ground work in the first two rounds, and in the second Carr’s theatrics almost led to his downfall. But once again the groundwork of both fighters made for compelling viewing, and with the fight dead level at the end of the second round, the fight went into overtime. The great ground work continued, and they still couldn’t be separated. So it went down to the judges decision, with Hovgaard getting the win by just a single point, it was that close. A really, really good fight here.

Back up to light heavyweight for the next fight, with Holland’s Evert Fyett and America’s Pierre Guillet. Another display of great ground work here, with Guillet once again giving a tremendous performance, with Fyett proving to me a match for him, until Guillet managed to lock in a toe hold, with Fyett tapping seconds later. A very good and very enjoyable fight.

The final fight, in the middleweight division, was for the European Champions Cup, with Germany’s Patrick Suhl tackling England’s Sol Gilbert. To say that the fans were solidly behind Gilbert would be an understatement. They went absolutely wild for the guy, and he gave them the performance they wanted, controlling the fight from the outset, apart from one moment when Suhl went for a guillotine. But in the end Gilbert was just too much for the German, and the referee stepped in to stop the fight when Gilbert’s ground and pound went unanswered. Great performance from Gilbert here.

In conclusion - this was by far the best of the six shows in this box set. The move from a traditional ring to a cage greatly improved the flow of the fights, as the referee didn’t have to stand the fighters up constantly whenever they got too close to the ring ropes. As for the fights themselves, well, there were three poor fights in the middle of the show, but overall the quality was very good.

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed taking a look back at the first six shows of the Ultimate Combat promotion, seeing how they began and how they evolved from both the in-ring/cage aspect and on the production side of things as well. It’s a good way to see how the promotion evolved.

So in closing, thanks to the good people at MMA Universe for supplying a copy of this release and for their continuing support.

Ultimate Combat 6: Battle In The Cage is a part of the Ultimate Combat Legacy Volume 1 six event set, and is available to buy online at www.mmauniverse.com.