It’s that time of the month again where the great and good of the Ultimate Fighting Championship gather for their latest pay-per-view offering, and this month two of the biggest names in the light heavyweight division are doing battle in UFC 96: Jackson v Jardine, shown live here in Britain on Setanta Sports.

The show begins with action from the lightweight division, with Gray Maynard taking on Jim Miller. From the beginning, this fight belonged to one man. Former Ultimate Fighter contestant Maynard controlled things from the outset. The superior wrestler showed tremendous boxing skills as he outfought Miller. Miller tried to take Maynard down in the first round, but, having grabbed hold of one leg, he found his opponent hopping around while delivering repeated blows to the head. From this moment on Miller looked like a beaten man, with blood pouring from his damaged nose and his left eye beginning to swell. By the end of the first round Miller looked like he’d fought for more than five minutes. Miller had some luck on the ground in the third round, but by then it was too little too late. All three judges gave the fight to Maynard, and rightfully so. A good performance from the bully to get the show started.

Then it was on to Matt Hamill against Mark Munoz in the light heavyweight division. The UFC’s other Hammer came out like a man possessed. Fighting in front of his home state fans, Hamill fought the perfect fight, defending the take downs well, and beating Munoz to the punch almost every time. Then, as the fight entered it’s fifth minute, a high right kick to the head sent Munoz crashing down to the mat. He was out before he even hit the ground, and Hamill got off a couple of punches before the referee jumped in. An excellent knock out performance from Hamill.

Pete Sell then took on Matt Brown in a welterweight contest. No feeling out process in this one, and not even a touch of the gloves to begin with. Brown took it to Sell from the beginning, and after knocking him down early on, there was a little confusion as the referee pulled them apart. But the fight wasn’t stopped, and as Brown continued to punch and kick away at Sell, Brown more or less pleaded with the referee to stop the fight. The referee soon saw it Brown’s way and stopped the fight, giving Brown the TKO victory. No technical nonsense here, this was just a brawl, and a damn entertaining one at that. Good stuff from Brown, and nice to see him showing some compassion for his opponent.

Filler material time, with Kendall Grove tackling Jason Day at middleweight. This one looked pretty even to begin with, with some good boxing exchanges between the two, but as is often the case with many MMA fights, this turned on an instant. A straight right hand from Grove sent Day down. Grove went for the ground and pound, but by then it was all over. The UFC’s other Spider was back, and it took him just over a minute as he looked great on his comeback fight.

Then it was time for the big boys to take centre stage, the heavyweights, with the man who more or less ended Mirko Cro Cop’s UFC career, Gabriel Gonzaga, facing Shane Carwin. Early on it looked like Gonzaga was going to control the fight, but as with the previous fight, it turned on an instant. After Gonzaga connected with a hard right, Carwin connected with an even harder right. The Brazilian slumped to the mat, and it was all over. Gonzaga didn’t know what hit him as Carwin announced himself as a heavyweight contender with one big punch.

More filler material, with Tamoan McCrory taking on Ryan Madigan at welterweight. The two rather lanky gentleman produced the first extended ground fighting period of the broadcast. Having had mainly knock outs so far, it was good to see some good grappling, with both men having their moments, and although Madigan controlled things early on, McCrory upped his game within moments, taking the full mount and unleashing the ground and pound, opening Madigan up, with the referee stepping in as Madigan tapped. Nice grappling here, more than welcome after having had so many stand up knock outs.

Main event time, top action from the light heavyweight division with “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine facing Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. This was just everything a UFC main event should be, and from the beginning it had that “big fight” feeling. It began with the rather unique stare down, to the back and forth stand up trades, and to the way that Jackson more or less just shrugged off Jardine’s inadvertent low kick, this was the kind of fight that made you glad to be a mixed martial arts fan. By the time the third and final round began this looked like a pretty even fight, and it continued to do so right until the final minute. It was then that Rampage began to really unloaded, staggering Jardine in the final thirty seconds, and knocking him down with a left hook as the fight came to an end. The judges decision - unanimous in favour of Jackson, giving him a title shot against Rashad Evans in May. A really enjoyable fight here, with two very good performances, although it was almost overshadowed by the eye-to-eye between Rampage and Rashad afterwards!

Yet more filler material, beginning with more action from the light heavyweight division as Brandon Vera faced Mike Patt. This was probably the best performance I’ve seen from Vera. The Truth rattled off kick after kick after kick, to the point where, just over a minute into the second round, the repeated kicks to Patt’s left leg became too much, and having been knocked down for the second time in the round, the referee called a halt to the proceedings. Impressive stuff from Vera, who seems to have finally found his niche in the light heavyweight division.

The filler material continued with yet more light heavyweight action, this time between Tim Boetsch and Jason Brilz. If ever you needed an example of the proverbial game of two halves, then this fight would be a good example of that. Boetsch clearly won the first round with his superior striking, gaining the upper hand early on to the point where, between rounds, Brilz’s corner reminded him that he wasn’t a boxer. Brilz took heed of their advice, and quickly took his opponent down in the second round, controlling the fight with some great grappling. It was the same story in the third, and although Boetsch was clearly superior in the boxing game, Brilz was superior on the ground, almost synching in a choke or two, and opening up a cut near Boetsch’s left eye with his ground and pound. But with the fight going the distance, it went down to the judges, who gave the fight two rounds to one to Brilz. In a show that was somewhat lacking in ground work, this fight was a welcome addition to the card, even though it was only meant to be a preliminary fight. A good performance from Brilz, and hopefully we’ll see some more of him in the future.

In conclusion - having recently watched an MMA show that was woefully lacking in certain production standards, it was good to get back to normal service as it were with the UFC. Good fights throughout, especially the main event between Rampage and Jardine, although I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t much ground work on show here. But then again you can’t have everything, and this was still a very good show. So in short, good show, and if you haven’t watched it yet then do so soon.

So the good people at MMA Universe have set me a task. They’ve asked me to review Ultimate Combat Legacy Volume 1, a six disc collection featuring the first six shows from British MMA promotion Ultimate Combat. Six Events. Sixteen hours. Seventy-eight fights. So instead of reviewing all of these shows in one big whopping review, I thought it would be best to do review each show individually, one at a time, over the next few weeks or so, or however long it takes me to get through them. So what better place to start than at the first show, aptly titled Ultimate Combat.

The show begins with a British Middleweight title eliminator, with Shain Tovell facing Richard Stopgate. No feeling out period for these boys as they went at it straight away. It wasn’t long before the fight went down to the mat, where both men showed good technique. They soon got back to their feet, but not to duke it out, as Tovell synched in a standing guillotine to get the submission victory in the first round.

Then it was down to the lightweight division, as Rob Hannis took on Leighton Hill. This was another one that began quickly, as the action went back and forth, with both men having their moments, until the referee stopped the fight in favour of Hill.

The debuting Greg Stockwell was next, taking on Nick Jones. Not much in this one. Jones soon managed to get a take down, then applied a choke hold, making Stockwell tap after just forty one seconds.

More debutants followed, with Darryl Jackson facing Alex Owen in the lightweight division. Owen, harking back to the early days of Royce Gracie in the UFC, fought  in a gi in what was a dominating performance. Jackson had a couple of good moments, but it was all Owen as he went for submission after submission after submission, before finally applying a triangle choke which Jackson just couldn’t escape from.

The next fight saw John Jones tackle Sandy Geddes in the second British Middleweight title eliminator. This one was fought at a much slower pace, for a few seconds that is, until, having pulled guard, Jones applied an armbar which saw Geddes tapping immediately.

Then it was back to the lightweight division, with Paul Sutherland against Dave McLaughlin. Now unlike the previous fighters these two didn’t go straight at each other, instead fighting a more technical game which was great to watch. Sutherland went for an armbar, but McLaughlin was able to work his way back into the fight, soon taking Sutherland’s back and synching in a rear naked choke.

Up next, Brian Blewitt against Ross Mackenzie in welterweight action. A one round fight, this was a somewhat scrappy affair in which both men had their moments, but neither was really able to get the advantage for any length of time. The judges decision went to Ross Mackenzie.



Then it was on to Mike Penwarden against Suley Mahmoud at middleweight. Mahmoud dominated this one from the opening bell, taking Penwarden down quickly, and then working so he could apply the armbar, with Penwarden tapping almost immediately.

Frenchman Damien Riccio was next up, taking on Jake Seal in the light-heavyweight division. Billed as a European super fight, this was another quick fight, with both guys going at it full pelt, but with the Frenchman coming out on top, synching in a choke which saw Seal tapping quickly.

The third British Middleweight title eliminator followed, with Guy Stainthorpe and Paul Jenkins. Unlike the previous fights, this one actually had a feeling out period, and it actually went into the second and deciding round. The fight was a little scrappy at times, but both Stainthorpe and Jenkins gave a good account of themselves, with Jenkins getting the unanimous decision.

The final British Middleweight title eliminator was next, as Simon Bloom faced Gareth Roberts. A little scrappy to begin with, it soon settled down to an interesting battle on the ground, with Roberts coming out on top with an armbar.

Another European super fight followed, this one in the heavyweight division, with Frenchman Matthias Riccio taking on England’s Tom Blackledge. This was fought at a truly hectic pace, with both men almost getting the submission win, before Riccio applied the armbar to get the submission victory himself. Although I must say that Blackledge looked more like a middleweight than a heavyweight.

The final fight of the show was an England v Ireland lightweight super fight, as John Kavanagh took on Leigh Remedios. This one proved to be a very interesting fight between two evenly matched competitors, so even in fact that, unlike the majority of other fighters on this show, they couldn’t settle it in the first or second rounds, so it went into overtime, with Remedios eventually getting the judge’s decision.

In conclusion - the first show of this six show release is definitely a mixed bag.

Let’s start with the fighter’s performances. I can’t fault them. Every fighter gave their all, and every fighter gave a good account of themselves, be they winner or loser.

But this DVD is let down by a number of things.

Firstly, when the show began, a large amount of confetti came down into the ring before the first fight - and was left there. Now surely someone in the building had a broom and could have swept the ring before the action began. The confetti was on the mat right up until the final fight.

Then there’s the production side of things. Let’s begin with the commentary, or rather lack thereof. They could afford to fly Bruce Buffer in as the ring announcer, but couldn’t afford any commentators, which meant that there wasn’t anyone who could give us any background details on the fighters. I knew who a few of them were, but as for the rest, they may have well called themselves Joe Public as far as I was concerned.

Then there’s the camera work. Long-time readers will know that when I review an MMA show or DVD release I normally give a blow-by-blow account of what happened in the fights. I just couldn’t do that with this release. To be blunt, the camera work was awful. There was no hard camera so you couldn’t get a wide view of the ring, and those holding the ringside cameras looked like they got their training by watching a few episodes of You’ve Been Framed. No, wait. I’ll take that back. The stuff on You’ve Been Framed looked far more professional.

So in short - fights good, everything else bad, and I hope that when I get around to viewing Ultimate Combat 2, things will be a little bit better.

Ultimate Combat is part of a six event set, Ultimate Combat Legacy Volume 1, and is available to buy online at www.mmauniverse.com.

They’re back! Having visited this side of the pond during their trip to Dublin last month, the Ultimate Fighting Championship have returned to London, with lightweights topping the bill at the O2 Arena in London at UFC 95: Sanchez v Stevenson, shown live here in Britain on Setanta Sports.

The show begins with action from the welterweight division, with Josh Koscheck taking on Paulo Thiago. The fight began with the usual feeling out process, broken when both went for rights. In the early parts of the round Koscheck seemed the more confident with the strikes, although Thiago got off a couple of good kicks. An overhand right from Koscheck rocked the Brazilian a little as he looked to cement of dominance in the stand-up game. But just as Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan were heavily criticising Thiago’s striking abilities, a right uppercut sent Koscheck crashing to the ground, with the referee stepping in immediately as the former Ultimate Fighter contestant lay dazed. Koscheck came round seconds later, and complained about the decision, but you couldn’t take away Thiago’s great shot, even though to many it probably looked like a lucky punch.

Then it was up a division to the middleweights, with Demian Maia and Chael Sonnen. Things began quickly in this one. Maia was soon on his back following a kick from Sonnen, but he was soon back on his feet trading with his opponent. Maia soon went for the shoot, and after Sonnen sprawled to defend, Maia pulled guard. The battle on the mat soon began, with both men jockeying for position. Moments later they were back on their feet, and after trading more blows, Maia scored with an excellent takedown, and seconds later he synched in a triangle choke that Sonnen had no hope of escaping from, tapping almost immediately. You know, although this didn’t last long, this was a great little fight, an example of grappling at it’s best, with Maia putting in a dominating performance. Nice stuff.

Time for filler material from the heavyweight division, with Junior Dos Santos facing Stefan Struve. Not really much to say about this one, with Junior dominating the near seven footer with strikes and combinations, with the referee stopping this one less than a minute into the fight.

Normal service was resumed with Nate Marquardt taking on Wilson Gouveia in the middleweight division. Round one saw both fighters begin cautiously, testing the waters with kicks and combinations. This was how the fight played out for the first couple of minutes or so, with both men having their moments. As the round progressed Gouveia seemed to get the upper hand with his kicks and strikes, with Marquardt almost constantly on the back foot. Then, with a minute to go, Marquardt went for the take down, which Gouveia countered with a one-armed guillotine, eventually clasping his hand together. This didn’t stop Marquardt escaping though, and the round ended with Marquardt going for the ground and pound from top position.

Round two, and things began in the same way as the previous round. As before, both fighters had their moments, until Marquardt managed to connect with a couple of knees to the head before getting a body lock up against the cage. This didn’t last long as the fighters returned to the middle of the ring, where Gouveia rocked Marquardt a little, only for Marquardt to take his back while standing, applying a rear naked choke. This went nowhere, and both men ended up on the mat, with Marquardt in the guard position. Gouveia kept a hold of Marquardt’s right arm, but that didn’t stop the American from delivering blows with his left, as well as a few well-aimed shoulders. As the round entered it’s final minute, both fighters got to their feet, and Marquardt attempted a standing guillotine, which he soon let go of when he realised it wouldn’t get him anywhere. In the final thirty seconds of the round both men began trading, with Marquardt getting the upper hand with a couple of knees to the head which wobbled Gouveia, who clearly looked stunned as the round came to an end.

Round three, and Gouveia was the first to connect, with Marquardt coming back with a couple of good kicks. Gouveia was soon on the front foot as he sent Marquardt backwards with a couple of good shots. After a few more exchanges, Marquardt was able to get a body lock on Gouveia from behind, soon moving to the front, and then the side. Seconds later they were back in the middle of the cage, and while Gouveia began to look visibly tired, Marquardt connected with a flying knee that opened Gouveia up. As the blood poured and Gouveia slumped down against the cage, Marquardt went in for the kill, with the referee stepping in to stop the fight, Marquardt getting the TKO victory. A very good performance from Marquardt here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets another shot at Anderson Silva sometime in the future.

More filler material, with fellow Brit Terry Etim facing Brian Cobb in the lightweight division. Round one saw the usual feeling out process, with Etim easily defending Cobb’s shoot attempts. It wasn’t long before Etim connected with a stinging kick to Cobb’s leg. Etim left himself open a little with a further kick, which Cobb caught and used it to go to the ground. Once there both men began to grapple for position, with Cobb in the guard, and Etim trapping his arm. But with little else happening the referee stood the fighters up, and Etim began to get the upper hand in the stand-up game, especially with the kicks. Cobb’s defence was to take Etim down again, with Etim trapping his left arm again, and Cobb delivering blow after blow to Etim’s ribs. But with not much else happening, the referee stood them up again, where Etim once again showed his superior stand-up game. After rocking Cobb with a few kicks, Etim scored with a take down of his own, but couldn’t achieve much as it was near to the end of the round.

Round two only lasted ten seconds. Etim attacked with a low kick that staggered Cobb, and finished him off with a high kick to the head that sent him down. Etim went in for the kill, but the referee spared Cobb more damage but calling a halt to the fight as Etim went for the ground and pound. This was a very good and dominating performance from the Brit.

Back to regular programming with welterweight action, and another Brit, Dan Hardy against Rory Markham. A quick one here. Hardy connected first with a kick, with Markham coming back with a quick combination. Just a minute into the fight though, and Markham was already bleeding from the nose, and seconds later, a left hand from Hardy sent Markham crashing down. The referee quickly stepped in, awarding the knockout win to Hardy. Explosive stuff, and, of course, another good display from another fellow Brit.

More filler material, with Sweden’s Per Eklund taking on Evan Dunham in the lightweight division. The beginning of the fight saw Dunham move quickly, a left hand staggering Eklund, with Dunham following up with a guillotine attempt on the ground. Eklund was soon able to escape, and after some excellent grappling, the Swede went on the offensive, powering Dunham back down to the mat, and going for an arm bar before both fighters got back up. Both men began to trade blows and kicks, and it wasn’t long before Dunham connected with a hard left that sent Eklund down. A few ground and pound shots later, and the referee stepped in, giving Dunham the quick and impressive TKO victory. A short, but very enjoyable fight. Nice stuff.

Main event time, more action from the lightweight division with Joe Stevenson taking on Diego Sanchez. Round one began with the usual feeling out process, until Sanchez failed with a take down attempt, and Stevenson countered with a couple of good shots. Sanchez came back with a knee followed by a quick combination, with Stevenson coming back with some more good shots, and this was how things played out for the next few moments, with each fighter having their moments of success. It was a pattern that was followed for the remainder of the round, and it made for good viewing.

Round two began where round one had left off. Sanchez soon rocked Stevenson, and it wasn’t long before they were down on the mat, with Sanchez rolling off a couple of submission attempts before Stevenson scrambled to his feet. Then it was back to the original plan, but this time Sanchez looked as if he was getting the upper hand, with Sanchez using different strikes while Stevenson preferred boxing. Seconds later Stevenson attempted a standing guillotine against the cage, which Sanchez countered by slamming him down to the ground. Both men soon returned to the stand-up game, and their original plans. Once again it looked as if Sanchez was on top, able to beat Stevenson to the punch. It wasn’t all Sanchez though, with Stevenson showing some good boxing skills as he began to counter Sanchez later on in the round, which ended with Sanchez reasserting his authority.

Round three saw Sanchez begin with a quick combination. Once again Stevenson seemed to prefer the pure boxing tactic, not using any kicks, and not going for any take downs, a plan that seemed to play right into Sanchez’s hands. Stevenson’s attack seemed very one dimensional against Sanchez’s eight point attack. Some showboating from Stevenson half way through the round got the desired cheers from the crowd, but it didn’t change his game plan as Sanchez maintained his dominance. In the final minute Sanchez went for a take down, and Stevenson took his back briefly, but they soon returned to the stand-up game, and once again Sanchez looked to be the more successful striker, with both men trading blows as the round came to an end.

So with the fight going the three round distance, it went down to the judges. Their decision - unanimous in the favour of Sanchez, and rightfully so. Stevenson was just too one dimensional in his attack, with Sanchez more versatile in his attack.

Filler material for the rest of the broadcast, beginning with Britain’s own Paul Kelly against Troy Mandaloniz in the welterweight division. Round one saw both men trading quickly. Kelly was knocked down briefly, but soon got back up, only to be taken down immediately by Mandaloniz. They didn’t stay down long as they engaged in a clinching battle, before going back to trading blows for a few seconds, before going back to the clinch. Nothing much happened there, so the referee broke them up, and after a blow from Mandaloniz they engaged in another clinch. They soon began trading again at a very quick pace, with Kelly connecting with a body shot that clearly winded Mandaloniz. Kelly soon has his opponent on the back foot and up against the cage before taking him down with a single leg sweep, taking the guard position. Kelly went to work with the ground and pound, and it wasn’t long before Kelly’s elbows opened up a cut above Mandaloniz’s eye. Mandaloniz tried for a submission briefly, but the rest of the round was all Kelly.

Round two, and the cut above Mandaloniz’s left eye was a nasty one. This didn’t stop him beginning the round with a couple of good shots, before Kelly took the fight to the ground, opening up a cut under Mandaloniz’s right eye with the ground and pound. Kelly didn’t look impressed when the referee stood the fighters up, but he soon continued his attack, until Mandaloniz used a single leg sweep to take Kelly down and move into the guard, soon taking the full mount before taking Kelly’s back. He soon went for the rear naked choke, but Kelly was able to move around and take the guard so he could deliver the ground and pound once again, the elbows his preferred choice of weapon most of the time. But when it looked like Mandaloniz was out of it, he went for an arm bar, only for Kelly to slip out and take the guard again, going back to the ground and pound. Mandaloniz looked exhausted as Kelly went to work, but he managed to survive to the end of the round.

Round three, and Mandaloniz’s face looked a mess, while Kelly looked as fresh as a daisy. Things went at a slower pace here, but Kelly continued to gain the advantage in the exchanges, with Mandaloniz sustaining another cut on his nose. Moments later, after blocking Kelly’s take down, Mandaloniz scored with a take down of his own, and went for an arm bar which lasted for only a few seconds. This gave Kelly the chance to get back into the guard, and once again he went for the elbows that had caused so much damage in the previous rounds. As the fight entered it’s final minute, the referee stood the fighters up, and Mandaloniz showed another burst of energy as he took Kelly down again. But with the fight in it’s final seconds, there wasn’t really much he could do as the round and the fight came to an end.

The judge’s decision - unanimous in favour of Kelly, and given the nature of his display, it was pretty obvious that he was going to get the victory, and a definite improvement over his last fight.

The final fight of the show saw heavyweight action, with another Brit, Neil Grove, taking on Mike Ciesnolevicz. This was another quick one. It soon went down to the ground, with Grove taking half guard. Grove began to move out, and went for a ankle lock. Mike countered with a heel hook, and as someone who is currently suffering from a sore knee, I winced when Grove’s knee popped and he tapped immediately. All I can say about this one is ouch!

In conclusion - well, there may not have been any major title fights on this card, but once again the UFC gave the British fans a good show. Once again there wasn’t a disappointing fight here, with the fight of the night definitely going to the Sanchez/Stevenson combination. It certainly will be interesting to see how far Sanchez, the original Ultimate Fighter, can go in the lightweight division.

And now we’ve got a big fight to look forward to - Jackson v Jardine on March 7th. Should be a belter!

Back in October 2007 I reviewed my first ever mixed martial arts book, Clyde Gentry’s No Holds Barred. The book really opened my eyes up to the history of this great sport, and how it had developed since that November night in 1993 when the UFC held their first ever show. I gave the book a rave review, the proverbial thumbs up if you will.

But the thing is, fourteen months later, I’ve found a book that’s even better.

Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting is the latest offering from former lawyer and soldier Jonathan Snowden, and like Clyde Gentry before him, Snowden tells the story of the history of mixed martial arts from the beginning.

But here’s where Snowden veers away from Gentry as it were. While Gentry told a tremendous story in his 2002 release as he delved into the sport, Snowden delved a hell of a lot deeper. The amount of detail that this book goes into is absolutely incredible. It’s as if Snowden wanted his readers to know just how mixed martial arts began, how the early companies such as Pancrase came out, how the original UFC came into being, and much, much more.

This book does really tell the story of mixed martial arts, and then some, and I know that this may sound clichéd, but it really does make for compelling reading. As well as stories of how promotions came and went, there’s tons of material about the feuds that developed along the way, most notably the feud between Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz.

Hand on heart, I really can’t speak too highly of this book. Snowden has done a great job in documenting what is the fastest growing sport in the world today, and it’s a great read. In fact, I have to admit that I felt a little sad when I finished reading it.

So if you are a true MMA fan, then, if you can, go out and buy this book as soon as is humanly possible.

Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting by Jonathan Snowden is published by ECW Press, and is available to buy online and wherever books are sold.

It’s time to step into the world of the Ultimate Fighting Championship again as we take a look at their seventeenth Ultimate Fight Night show, shown live on Setanta Sports in the early hours of this past Sunday morning, and headlined by Joe Lauzon facing Jeremy Stephens. As usual, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are handling the commentary duties.

The show begins with action from the welterweight division, with Luigi Fioravanti taking on Anthony Johnson. The fight began with the usual feeling out process, with both fighters trying their hand at unleashing blows. Johnson soon connected with a stinging inside leg kick. In truth, not much happened for the next minute or so until Johnson rolled off a couple of kicks, one to the head, one to the inside of Luigi’s leg. He then used his reach advantage to good effect with a good left jab. Fioravanti tried a few leg kicks and blows of his own, but seemed very weary of Johnson’s reach advantage, which is why he went for a single leg take down. The attempt failed miserably, and ended up with a clinch against the cage, which saw Fioravanti connect with an inadvertent low blow. The fight was soon re-started, with Johnson once again using his reach advantage again with the kicks and the punches. As the round entered it’s final thirty seconds, Johnson sent Luigi down with a big right hand, and as he went to finish him off, another right sent Luigi down for a second time. Johnson went down for the ground and pound, and the referee saw enough to call a halt to proceedings, giving the TKO win to Johnson in what could only be described as a very polished performance.

Action from the lightweight division followed, with Mac Danzig face Josh Neer. Round one saw Neer moving forward, and as Danzig went high with a kick, Neer pounced, getting off a good combination before the fighters separated. Seconds later they engaged in a clinch against the cage, but it wasn’t long before they were apart again, and this time it was Danzig who scored with the good shots that staggered Neer. The second clinch of the fight against the cage followed, with Neer getting a knee in from a muay thai clinch. He was also able to get in a few right hands before Danzig broke away again. Neer continued to move forward, instigating another brief clinch. Moments later Neer went for a high knee which didn’t quite connect, and as he went down to the mat, Danzig quickly took the guard. But Neer was the one who went for the submission, going for an arm triangle. Danzig quickly spun out, and Neer followed him up to rock him with some more combinations. The former Ultimate Fighter looked in trouble, with Neer able to strike at will as the round came to an end.

Round two saw both fighters teeing off early. Danzig went in for the shot, and Neer was soon in his guard, looking to finish the fight with the ground and pound. Neer stood up for a moment, before going back into the guard and transitioning to side control. Danzig soon gave his back up, but soon fought his way back into Neer’s guard. The only problem here though was that while Neer was aggressive in the guard, Neer was able to control Danzig in his guard, defending well against Danzig’s attack. It wasn’t long before Neer went for a triangle choke. Danzig tried to fight his way out, but to no avail, and it wasn’t long before he tapped, giving Neer the submission victory. Although Danzig looked okay in this fight, he was just no match for Neer, who put in an outstanding performance.

Time for the big boys next, with Cain Velasquez facing Denis Stojnic. Round one began with both fighters exchanging jabs, making it obvious that they wanted to trade early. A brief clinch followed, before they separated end engaged in another clinch against the cage, with Cain rolling off a series of knees Stojnic’s knees before they broke up. Some more exchanges followed, before Cain tried for a take down and followed up with a muay thai clinch, doing to damage with a series of knees. It was becoming obvious that Stojnic, the striker, was being out-struck. Cain was doing well with the combinations and the knees from the muay thai clinch. It looked as if Stojnic just couldn’t work Cain out, and as the round entered it’s final minute, Stojnic was rocked by Cain’s right hand. Stojnic tried for a couple of blows, but they missed their target.

Round two began with Stojnic swinging wildly, while Cain continued to target the body with his kicks, following up with more combinations and muay thai knees. Then Stojnic went on the offensive for a few seconds, looking for a guillotine that Cain easily escaped from. Cain then took side control and delivered a series of elbows and punches to Stojnic’s head. Soon, Cain took Stojnic’s back, and went for the ground and pound, continuing the attack as he went back to side control, and then back to Stojnic’s back. All Stojnic seemed able to was cover up, and as that was all he was doing, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. Stojnic was pretty poor in this one, the polar opposite of Cain, whose dominating performance was great to watch.

More lightweight action followed, with Matt Grice taking on Matt Veach. This one saw Veach connect with some leg kicks straight away, following up with a quick take down attempt which eventually saw him take Grice’s guard. Both men worked well on the mat, before Grice slowly worked back to his feet, The fighters began exchanging blows again, returning to the mat quickly where Grice attempted an anaconda choke. When that failed they went back to the stand-up game. Grice’s uppercut sent Veach down to the mat, following him down for the ground and pound. Veach tried to get back to his feet, but Grice stopped him, going to an arm triangle before settling on the half guard position before moving to the mount, and then the half guard as Veach tried to roll out. Each time Veach tried to work his way out, Grice was on top of him, and eventually went for a guillotine attempt, which ended with Veach taking the half guard position. As the round entered it’s final minute both men rose to their feet, and Grice got off a left hook combination coming out of a clinch. But then Veach got off a combination of his own, and Grice fell to the ground like the proverbial sack of spuds. Veach went for the ground and pound as the referee quickly stepped in to stop the fight, much to the annoyance of Grice, who claimed he was still able to fight. This may have only lasted for a round but it was still a very good and enjoyable fight.

Main event time, and the lightweight action continued with Joe Lauzon facing Jeremy Stephens. Round one saw Stephens throw the first punch, before they quickly went down to the mat, with Stephens in the guard. They didn’t stay on the ground for long as Lauzon kept the body lock on, before both fighters engaged in the clinch against the cage. Seconds later Lauzon dropped down to the mat attempting for a leg lock, When that didn’t work they got back up to their feet, where Lauzon took Stephens down again, taking side control. He soon moved to the full guard, but Stephens didn’t just sit there, working all the time as he attempted to get out. Lauzon was soon able to take the full mount, and soon attempted an armbar, but Stephens was able to get his arm out, and was now in Lauzon’s guard. Stephens soon postured up and came down with some heavy blows before going back down. Lauzon was soon able to get to his feet, but Stephens slammed him back down to the mat, only for Lauzon to attempt a guillotine which went nowhere.

Round two saw Stephens begin with an attempted leg kick, and it wasn’t long before both men were swinging for the trees. Lauzon then dropped down and took Stephens with him using a fireman’s carry, taking half guard soon afterwards, before moving to side control, seemingly able to transition at will before he eventually got the full mount where he unleashed with the ground and pound. Stephens moved over, allowing Lauzon to take his back, but seconds later he lost control as Stephens rolled over and took the guard so he could deliver his own brand of ground and pound. He then took Lauzon’s back for a few seconds, before Lauzon reversed things, took side control, transitioned to the mount, moved to the full guard, and went for the arm bar. Seconds later Stephens was tapping, giving Lauzon the submission victory in what was an outstanding performance. Kudos to Stephens as well for his performance in this one as well.

Filler material next, with Dan Miller facing Jake Rosholt in the middleweight division. A quick one here, with Rosholt getting a quick take down, posturing up for some ground and pound. But Miller was soon able to roll out, and seconds later he managed to apply a guillotine, with Rosholt quickly tapping. I’m not really sure what to make of this one to be honest with you.

In conclusion - unable to watch or record the show when it aired live (because I wanted to watch the boxing as well), I nearly missed this repeat showing the following night because of Setanta’s extended golf coverage. Thankfully, this show aired eventually, albeit an hour later, and it was well worth the wait. Once again there were some excellent performances here, topped off by Joe Lauzon’s master class against Jeremy Stephens, a fight that I will probably watch again in the future. Ultimate Fight Night 17 proved to be a very enjoyable show, a good taster for the UFC’s return to London shortly.

I just wish that Setanta would remember that they had a dedicated golf channel the next time they decide to delay a UFC show!