Issue 061
April 2010
With so many events taking place around the world it’s impossible to feature them all, but here is our selection of outstanding moments from recent action.
Bloodiest Fighter
Stephan Bonnar
It was a close call as to who was bloodier out of Bonnar and Perosh – Perosh’s cut was bigger, but Bonnar’s leaked blood everywhere. His face was a crimson mask and his opponent’s torso was equally drenched. Not pretty.
Toughest break
Keith Jardine
Poor old Keith Jardine. For a start, the guy never gets given an easy fight. From back-to-back fights with Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva to facing off with one of the 205lb division’s most promising youngsters, life can’t be easy when you’re the ‘Dean of Mean’.
Most exciting grappling match
George Sotiropoulos vs Joe Stevenson
The average MMA fan prefers a knock-down, drag-out brawl to a good grappling match, but when Sotiropoulos and Stevenson engaged in 15 minutes of non-stop technical submission wrestling, the Aussie crowd went wild – but was it because Sotiropoulos came out on top, or was it due to the high level of skill throughout?
Quickest KO
Cain Velasquez
In a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moment, one of the sport’s most explosive young heavyweights dropped one of the toughest old veterans. The speed and power in Velasquez’ hands is frightening.
Most popular fighter
Wanderlei Silva
From the weigh-ins, through every minute of the fight and even during his trip back to the dressing room, the amount of support Wanderlei received from the fans was simply incredible.
Biggest barn-burner
Stephan Bonnar vs Krzysztof Soszynski
It’s like Bonnar is programed to only engage in entertaining fights. What a shame then that this rip-roaring slugfest was ended prematurely by a cut to the head of the ‘American Psycho’. Even worse was that the cut was caused by an accidental headbutt midway through the third round. An immediate rematch is in the works.
Biggest heart
Anthony Perosh
Getting the call to fight ‘Cro Cop’ on only two days notice, Aussie fighter Anthony Perosh had a tough task in taking on one of the best kickboxers in MMA. Cro Cop might not be the force he once was, but he’s still a dangerous striker with power in his feet and fists. Perosh hung in there as long as he could, which was a very surprising ten minutes, but there was a feeling of inevitability as Cro Cop stalked his prey.
Most promising up-and-comer
Brian Foster
A protégé of Matt Hughes, Brian Foster is no one-trick pony like his mentor. He certainly has picked up Hughes’ ‘slam ‘em’ strategy, but with his spinning kicks and explosive striking, he’s one to watch. He needs time to develop though, as he fell victim to a vicious kneebar from cagey veteran Chris Lytle.
