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.

It’s that time of the month again where the good and the great of the Ultimate Fighting Championship show their wares on pay-per-view, with “The Iceman” Chuck Liddell making his comeback against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and Anderson “Spider” Silva defending the Middleweight title against Thales Leites in Montreal at UFC 97: Redemption, shown in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on Setanta Sports here in Britain. As usual, commentary duties are handled by Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan.

The show begins with action from the light heavyweight division as Steve Cantwell faces Luiz Cane. This proved to be a very good bout to start the show. Both men preferred the stand-up game here, with only one take down attempt early in the first round. While Cane showed some great boxing skills in the first round, Cantwell did well to come back and take the second round in reply. The third round looked pretty even, with both fighters looking to gain the advantage. But in the end the judges gave the unanimous decision to Cane. Although this was a well deserved decision, it was a little strange that only one judge gave a round to Cantwell.

Then it’s up to the heavyweight division, with Cheick Kongo taking on Antoni Hardonk. This all European affair showed just how much Kongo’s ground-based game continues to improve. While the majority of the first round was fought upright, with Kongo scoring with a take down late on, the fight went downstairs early on in the second, with Kongo in control. Hardonk tried to fight back, but eventually Kongo’s improving ground and pound proved to be too much for Hardonk, with the referee stepping in to stop the punishment, giving Kongo the TKO win. A good effort from Kongo here, but I’m left wondering what will be in store for him next, given that the big names in the division are all tied up with big fights planned.

Then it’s back down to the light heavyweight division, with Krzysztof Soszynski taking on Brian Stann. A very impressive performance from Soszynski here saw him score the first take down with authority, reminding this pro wrestling fan of Bill Goldberg’s spear as he almost put Stann through the cage. Stann managed to get back up to his feet, but Soszynski took him straight back down again, and moments later, the former Ultimate Fighter contestant had the first round win after applying a kimura. Great stuff from Soszynski.

More light heavyweight action followed, comeback time with the Iceman himself, Chuck Liddell, squaring off against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. This was the kind of fight you wait ages for, between two of the biggest stars in the division. Both men had their moments, with Shogun scoring with some good leg kicks, and getting the first take down of the fight. But the former champion soon managed to get back to his feet, and moments later scored with a take down of his own. Then it happened. A left from Shogun sent Liddell crashing to the ground. Shogun followed up with the ground and pound, and with Liddell offering no defence, the referee stepped in and called a halt to the proceedings, giving Rua the TKO win. An impressive performance from Rua, but could this be the last time we see the legendary Iceman in action?

Lightweight action followed with Sam Stout tackling Matt Wiman. The great fight action continued with this back and forth battle. While both men had a good first round, the turning point of the second came when Stout connected with a hard left to Wiman’s body that doubled him over and sent him down to the ground. Stout, however, was unable to capitalise on this, even though Wiman clearly looked stunned for the rest of the round. So when everyone thought Stout would win the fight in the third, Wiman came back strongly with his take downs, first, taking Stout’s back before the Canadian was able to reverse things, and secondly taking him down again, and doing enough to get himself back into the fight. So with the fight going the three round distance, it went to the judges decision, and all three gave it to Stout. A very good fight, but I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed for Wiman, who I thought did just enough to get more of the score.

Main event time, the battle of the Brazilians, with Thales Leites challenging Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight title. Sadly, given the pedigree of the fighters involved here, this won’t go down as one of the best title fights in UFC history. It seemed that Leites went into this one determined to play the role of spoiler, unwilling to engage with the champion, and going to his back hoping that Silva would follow him down whenever he could. It didn’t make for a good fight, and although Silva tried his best, in particular when he focused on Leites’ lead leg with a series of front kicks, it just didn’t make for a good fight. In fact, things were so bad at times that the fans were chanting for local hero Georges St-Pierre - twice. So after five rounds of what could only be described as less than inspiring contest, the decision went in favour of Silva. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for Silva, going up against an opponent who seemed unwilling to fight, although Silva wasn’t entirely blameless here.

In conclusion - sorry to my loyal readers, but this show isn’t going to get one of those reviews where I say that everything is wonderful. The undercard was good, with four solid fights, but the main event just didn’t live up to it’s billing. There’s really not too much more that I can say about the fight, but let’s hope that the next time Anderson Silva defends his title, his opponent will be more willing to fight.

And so the marathon continues. Having reviewed the first four shows of the Ultimate Combat Legacy Volume 1 box set, we now move onto the fifth show, Ultimate Combat 5: Maximum Power, and with the shows getting better as I go along, I’ve got high hopes for this one.

The show begins with action from the welterweight division, with Neil Barber taking on Dave Waters. For those of you who know of my past life, this isn’t former pro wrestler Dave Waters. Besides, there’s no way the fat git would make the weight limit! Anyway, back to the matter at hand. This was a very good fight to kick things off with. Most of the action took place on the ground. In the first round both fighters had their fair share of submission attempts, with Barber’s knee bar looking the most likely to end the fight. The end didn’t come until the next round though, where Waters took Barber down, moved into the mount, and unleashed with the ground and pound. With Barber failing to answer any of Waters’ shots, the referee stepped in to stop the fight. It may not have been the best technical fight I’ve seen, but it was still fun to watch.

Next, down to the lightweight division, with Gary Howe facing Steven “Widge” Milward. Howe looked really nervous standing in his corner before the fight, and it showed when the fight began. Widge soon took him down to the mat, and it wasn’t long before he took his back and synched in a rear naked choke for the submission victory against a fighter who just looked like he didn’t really want to be there.

Then it’s on to action from the middleweight division, with Robert Mitchell going up against John Nicholson. An interesting fight this. When the fighters were exchanging blows Nicholson looked the far superior fighter, but as soon as the fight went down to the mat it was Mitchell who looked better, and this proved to be the case when the fight went downstairs in the second round. Nicholson showed literally no defence as he almost submitted to Mitchell’s kimura, before finally tapping out to an armbar. If you ever wanted an example of a fighter who needed more ground training, then watch this fight.

The next fight saw Brian Sugden against Aaron Chatfield at lightweight. These guys certainly didn’t waste any time. Both guys began to swing for the trees early, before quickly going to the ground, where Sugden went to work with the ground and pound. Chatfield was helpless, and the referee stopped the onslaught just seconds later. The time - nineteen seconds. A nice and explosive fight.

The first international fight followed, light heavyweight action with Spain’s Julian Gonzalez and England’s Tom Blackledge. This promised to be an explosive fight, and it certainly was at times. Both fighters gave a good account of themselves while trading blows, but when it got to the ground it did look a little tepid at times, and the end was a little unexpected. With Gonzalez on top near the ropes, he delivered blow after blow after blow to Blackledge’s head, before pushing him away, saying that he couldn’t take any more, and that was it, with the Spaniard getting the win in a fight that could only really be described as having it’s ups and downs.

The international action continued in the lightweight division, with American Brian Davis and England’s Pat Carr. This was another of those fights that was technically sound if somewhat unspectacular. Davis spent the early part of the fight tying Carr up on the mat, but when the referee stood the fighters up because of inactivity, Carr took his chance. When the fight went back down to the mat, Carr took the upper hand, outmanoeuvring Davis, delivering some good ground and pound shots, before locking in an armbar for the submission win. Good stuff.

The next fight went up a division to welterweight, and saw Daniel Rogerson and Matt Thorpe. Much like the previous fight, this was a technically sound battle, with some good work shown on the mat by both fighters, with Rogerson getting the two minute submission with an armbar.

Then it was back to the international action, this time in the middleweight division, with Spain’s Antonio Navarro taking on Scotland’s Sandy Geddes. A very quick fight saw both men go to the mat early, before Navarro took up a north/south position and synched in choke for the submission win, making it two wins for the Spanish contingent.

More international action followed, this time in the heavyweight division, with Denmark’s Pauli Nielsen facing England’s Ryan Robinson. This one saw lots of quick transitions from both men, before keeping up the tradition of quick finishes when Robinson took the Dane’s back and locked in the rear naked choke for the submission win. A little messy at times, but good action throughout.

Back down to the lightweight division for the next fight, between Dave McLaughlin and Lee Bowers. This one went to the mat quickly, and Bowers looked like he was going to get the quick win with a guillotine, which, after much struggle, McLaughlin managed to escape, applying a keylock just seconds later to get the submission one in a nice, quick, reversal of fortune.

Then it was a quick return to international action, a welterweight fight featuring Spain’s Javier Garcia facing England’s Paul Ramsdale. Once again we had an impressive showing from a Spanish fighter. Garcia did a good job of tying Ramsdale up early on, but the Englishman mounted a small comeback, before Garcia reasserted his authority and locked in a triangle choke for the submission win, making in 3-0 for the visitors.

Championship action followed, with the British Middleweight title on the line, and David Webb and Paul “Hands of Stone” Jenkins going for the big prize. Now this one came as something of a surprise, because it actually went into the second round, and the first round featured very little ground work, although we did get a bit of comedy as Jenkins inadvertently began to climb the ropes while holding on to a guillotine choke. It was Webb’s turn to try for a standing guillotine in the second round, but Jenkins quickly reversed things with a take down, before living up to his nickname by unleashing the ground and pound. Webb offered no defence, so the referee stepped in to stop the fight, giving Jenkins the win and the title in what was the best fight on the show so far.

After that great fight, it was back to lightweight with Ozzy Haluk taking on John Waite. Haluk looked great in this fight, controlling things from the beginning, putting Waite on the back foot with his stand up game, before controlling the fight on the ground, taking Waite out with the ground and pound, forcing the referee to stop the fight. A great showing from Haluk here.

The international action returned next, with light heavyweight action, as Spain’s Ruben Vazquez went up against American Pierre Guillet. This one promised much, especially given the Spanish record on this show, and Guillet’s impressive performances in past Ultimate Combat shows. It certainly delivered. Good stand up exchanges complimented the ground work perfectly, with both fighters looking great in the process. Things were so close at the end of the second round that the two minute overtime round was called for, but that wasn’t actually needed. Before the round had even started, Vazquez’s corner threw the towel in, giving the victory to Guillet, and the Spanish contingent their first loss on the show. This was a great fight, taking over from the Webb/Jenkins bout as the best fight on the show.

The final fight is the second fight of the show, a British Lightweight title fight which sees Mark Chen take on Paul Sutherland. The only fight on the card to go the distance, this was a pretty even affair, and was also pretty unspectacular. The only real action of any note came in the first round when both fighters went for submissions, but after that they seemed content to play out time on the mat, delivering the occasional blow. This was also the case in the two minute overtime round. In the end the decision and the title belt went in favour of Sutherland, who just edged things as far as work rate goes.

In conclusion - these Ultimate Combat shows are really starting to grow on me. Overall this was probably the best show of the set so far. The Spanish contingent really impressed me, and I must admit that I’m fast becoming a fan of Pierre Guillet after another great performance, these two things made the show for me.

So, five shows down and one to go, and Ultimate Combat 6 sees a slight change in direction for the company. If you want to find out what that change is, you’ll have to wait until the next review.

Ultimate Combat 5: Maximum Power is part of the six show Ultimate Combat Legacy Volume 1 box set, and is available to buy online at www.mmauniverse.com.

And so the marathon continues. Having reviewed the first three shows of the Ultimate Combat Legacy Volume 1 box set, I’ve now made it to the fourth show, and this one has an added attraction for me, because it features one of my all-time favourite MMA fighters and professional wrestlers, Dan “The Beast” Severn, in Ultimate Combat 4: Eyes of the Beast.

The show begins with the first semi-final in the British Welterweight Title tournament, as David Webb faced Brian Blewitt. In a largely uninspiring contest, Webb was lucky in the first round when he kneed Blewitt in the head while he was on the mat. The referee didn’t even give him a warning. This was the only real thing of note that happened, and after the fight went the two round distance, the judges gave the decision in favour of Webb. You have to wonder if he’d won the fight if the referee had seen that knee to the head.

Then it’s up to the light-heavyweight division, with Matt Sperring taking on Alex Cook. Now this was more like it, a back and forth encounter between two fighters who gave their all both on their feet and on the ground. Both fighters tried their hand at submissions, but it was in the stand-up war that the fight ended when Cook knocked Sperring down in the second. With blood pouring from Sperring’s nose, courtesy of a first round injury, the referee stepped in, giving Cook the TKO win. It may not have been technically sound, but it was fun to watch.

The light-heavyweight action continued with international action as England’s Adam Woolmer faced Denmark’s Pauli Nielsen. This was little more than a slugfest. Both men began to swing from the trees from the outset, and both had some success, but when Woolmer rocked Nielson just forty seconds into the fight, the referee called a halt to the action, although the Dane complained bitterly. I could see his point, because two seconds after he took that shot, he was in full control of his senses. This fight had potential, but was stopped by an over anxious referee.

Down to the lightweight division next, with Jon Waite going up against Lee Shone. A very interesting fight saw both fighters go all out in the first round, each trying to get the submission win. But by the time they got to the second and final round both men were getting visibly tired. Shone tried to get an armbar for what seemed like an eternity, even when Waite picked him up and slammed him down twice. But as the fight came to an end, Waite scored with a couple of good shots, but as both men went down to the mat the time limit expired, with the judges giving the fight to Waite. Nice little fight this.

There was more lightweight action next, with Paul Sutherland facing Gavin Bradley. This one was fought at quite a frantic pace at times, especially during the stand-up exchanges. On the mat Bradley looked like he was going to get the submission win with an armbar, and showed some other good techniques while down there. In the second Sutherland looked good on his feet and on the mat, and staggered Bradley a little with a couple of knees from a muay thai clinch. There were a couple of stoppages to deal with the blood coming from Bradley’s nose, but this didn’t detract from the action in the slightest, with the fight going the distance. The judges decision - unanimous in favour of Sutherland. A very good fight, but a shame that Bradley, despite the effort he put in, couldn’t get the win on his professional debut.

Then it was time for the second semi-final in the British Welterweight title tournament, with Paul Jenkins going up against Paul Williamson. This one took a while to get going. Both men spent the majority of the first round dancing around each other, occasionally deciding to go on the attack, and it wasn’t until near the end of the first that there was some real action, when a heavy blow from Jenkins rocked Williamson. The second round wasn’t much better. Williamson looked almost terrified whenever Jenkins came forward, holding his closed fists either right under his chin or palm out in front of him. However, he did manage to try a couple of guillotine attempts, but they had little to no effect on Jenkins because he failed to take them to the ground. This just wasn’t an easy fight to watch, and the judges gave the decision to Jenkins.

Back up to the light heavyweights next, international action with England’s Andy Foreman facing America’s Pierre Guillet. This was certainly better than the last fight. After both men swung for the proverbial trees, Foreman quickly took the fight to the mat. However, Guillet was soon able to stamp his authority onto the fight, almost synching in a rear naked choke, before changing tactic and applying a key lock to get the submission win. A very good performance from the American here, who has really impressed me in the matches I’ve seen in this collection.

Then, another semi-final, this time in the British Lightweight title tournament, with Mark Chen and Dave McLaughlin. A mixed bag of a fight here. Chen began the fight quickly, pulling guard and taking the fight to the ground, but a lack of activity saw the referee stand the fighters up. More good work from Chen followed, and just when it looked like the fight was going to go into the second round, a hard right from Chen sent McLaughlin crashing to the mat, with the referee stepping in immediately to stop the fight, awarding the KO victory to Chen. A good performance by Chen here.

The lightweight action continued with a European super fight, with France’s Joe “Speedy” Gonzales tackling England’s Patt Carr. The first round was somewhat hectic at times. When the fighters stayed on their feet, they swung wildly. It wasn’t technically that good or pretty to watch, but it was certainly better than when they went to the ground, where virtually nothing happened. The ground work in round two was a lot better, especially from Carr, who controlled things as soon as the fight went down, and after controlling from the mount, he managed to take Gonzales’ back, applying a rear naked choke to get the submission victory. The proverbial game of two halves here as they would say in football terms.

The European super fights continued with a fight in the middleweight division, with England’s Sol Gilbert and Denmark’s Lars Besand. Gilbert, who scored a twenty-four second knockout victory in his debut, was made to work much harder in this bout. Besand proved to be a much more difficult proposition, especially on the ground, although Gilbert was able to redden the Dane’s left thigh with a couple of stinging right kicks, one of which staggered Besand a little. Gilbert proved to be a good spoiler, but just didn’t seem to have the skills to overcome Besand. However, Gilbert looked more confident on his feet, but by that time the fight was in it’s last thirty seconds, and a stray kick landed south of the border. With the judge’s scores being so close, a two minute overtime round was called for. Both fighters looked exhausted, and once again Gilbert caught Besand with a low kick, this one sending him crumpling to the mat. Besand was able to continue, but Gilbert was given a strong warning from the referee. This was the only real thing of note that happened in the extra round, which saw both men exchanging a few kicks and nothing more. So with the fight going the distance and into overtime, it was down to the judges decision again, and they could separate them, each of them scoring it even, so the fight was declared a draw. A very good fight here, even though it was spoiled somewhat by Gilbert’s low blows.

Main event time, international heavyweight action featuring Mike “Buster” Ward taking on UFC legend Dan “The Beast” Severn. Fought over three rounds rather than the Ultimate Combat norm of two, this was a technically sound if somewhat unspectacular contest which followed the same pattern throughout the rounds. Ward would throw a few shots, Severn would counter with a take down in which Ward tried for a guillotine, before Severn got out of the move and simply smothered him, mainly from side control and sometimes from half guard, delivering knees and punches to the ribs, and occasionally looking for a submission. Essentially, Ward was being outwrestled, but that didn’t stop the judges scoring the fight even and calling for the overtime round, which again followed the same pattern, until Ward tapped out in the final seconds of the fight after Severn with what looked to be a forearm choke, although it was difficult to tell from the camera angle. Not overly spectacular, but interesting to watch nonetheless.

In conclusion - for the most part, Ultimate Combat 4 was a very enjoyable show to watch. Sure, there were a couple of duff fights in there, but the good fights more than made up for these disappointments. It was also nice to see that none of the fighters were wearing kick pads, as many of them had done in the previous shows. It always seemed to me to give the fighter wearing them a bit of an advantage against a fighter who wasn’t wearing them.

So, show - good. Production values - good. New ring girl - hot! Still no commentary though, but I suppose that doesn’t matter since the camera work got a lot better. So in closing, this show comes recommended as a good example of British mixed martial arts.

Ultimate Combat 4: Eyes of the Beast, is part of the six event Ultimate Combat Legacy Volume 1 box set, and is available to buy online at www.mmauniverse.com.