September 8^th 2007

O2 Arena, London

London hadn’t seen a fight show of this magnitude since the mid-nineties back when boxing was still a major draw, and this event blew out any cobwebs that may have formed in the interim. An historic meeting of champions, a crowd of close to 17,000 were present for this particular chapter of MMA history, and the closest thing the MMA world has to a true World Champion was crowned. 

Dan Henderson vs. Quinton Jackson

Putting two fighters together to fight for a title is easy enough. Anyone with a cage, a phone book full of contact numbers and a spare title belt can do it. But just because someone has a belt, it doesn’t make them a champion. 

The UFC put their stamp on another slice of UFC history by bringing together two bona-fide champions and letting them fight for the privilege of being the world’s top light heavyweight. Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, the street-tough dude with the heavy hands and iron-will, would meet Dan Henderson, the Greco-Roman Olympic silver medallist with a killer right hand and one of the biggest set of cojones in MMA. 

Their five-round war was unexpectedly technical, at times tense, but more than anything, it was entertaining. Jackson’s wrestling was more than a match for Henderson, who didn’t seem at all bothered by the size difference (he makes middleweight with little struggle, while Jackson is on the larger end of light heavy). Jackson’s hands weren’t given much opportunity to work but when he had the space (usually on the break from the clinch, of which there was plenty) he let go flurries that would make any boxer proud. 

Henderson’s ground game surpassed expectations, and he did an excellent job of controlling and even threatening Rampage with submissions. While it may not have been quite as dynamic a fight as some might have hoped, it was a meeting of two of the sport’s top fighters. 

In Jackson’s favour, the decision was a close yet fair one. Stronger in the final rounds, he did just enough to secure precious points and pip Henderson to the post. When asked who he would fight next, he replied: “Anyone who has whupped on me.”   Two recent acquisitions to the UFC light heavyweight roster, ‘Shogun’ Rua and Wanderlei Silva are the two that fit the description, but both have crucial encounters to get through before even dreaming of a shot at the strap. 

Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill

As fights go, this will rank as one of the most controversial and talked about for some time. The furore that came after the decision was announced in Bisping’s favour was unexpected to say the least, with massive amount of discussion within industry figures as to whether the MMA judging system is flawed, yet the reaction from Bisping in the post fight press conference was matched only by the histrionics coming from the media, who latched onto his comments and published them worldwide. 

Matt Hamill, the deaf wrestler who impressed everyone yet failed to make his mark when on the TV series The Ultimate Fighter, wanted to come out from under Bisping’s shadow by beating him in front of his home crowd. Dejected, disappointed and maybe even a little depressed after being denied the victory by a close split decision, during the fight he looked a different fighter to the one we saw in previous performances. 

Though the victor, Bisping’s stock took a sharp tumble once he left the cage. His performance was gutsy and impressive in it’s own right, yet his comments in his post-fight interview and later in the press conference created a backlash from fans and pundits alike. Taking offence to a couple of reporter’s questioning styles, Bisping embarked on an expletive-led defence of his performance and managed to lose the support of half the world’s media at the same time. Mitigating factors came to light in the days after the event, with Bisping posting on his website he was highly strung due to an alleged attack on his father outside the venue shortly after the fight. 

Whatever the reasons, the damage was done, and a veritable can of worms has been opened up. Is the UFC’s judging system unsuitable and does it suffer because it is based on that of boxing?  Will Bisping regain the support of his fans? Time will tell, and a rematch seems inevitable, but we’ll have to wait and see exactly how far the fallout has spread. 

Mirko Cro Cop vs Cheick Kongo

Cro Cop’s career looks to be on it’s last legs, if you listen to some. The Croatian kickboxer, returning for the first time since that knockout loss to Gabriel Gonzaga, looked tentative and even gun-shy in his fight with French Muay Thai specialist Cheick Kongo. 

Literally flinching away every time the lanky Kongo’s roundhouse kick came up high, Cro Cop struggled to get his timing right in the stand up exchanges, relying too much on single shots and doing little to set his feared left high kick up. Kongo scored well in the clinch with knees, yet the most intriguing moments of the fight came as they grappled. 

Cro Cop mounted Kongo in the and even dropped off for an unexpected armbar at the close of the first, and Kongo shot in and took down Mirko in the second. When two skilled kickboxers grapple in such away, it often leaves a lot to be desired, but both men looked reasonably comfortable on the mat, if a little wooden. 

Kongo grew in confidence as the fight went on, stalking Cro Cop and firing in kicks and punches at will. He was warned for a vicious yet unintentional low blow that seemed to further take the wind from Cro Cop’s sails, but he cruised to a decision win that left many questions hanging over Mirko’s future. 

Round Up

In a battle of two vaunted strikers, one a former kickboxing champion, the other an ex-boxer, Englishman Paul Taylor knocked down the southpaw Marcus Davis with a huge kick to the head. “I haven’t been kicked in the head in the last five years, no one has even come close to landing a kick on me, I didn’t even see it coming,” the American said. Davis recovered under some heavy assault, and though stunned he fought his way out and took a tight armbar for the submission of the night. 

Houston Alexander hits like a truck, that much is clear. He landed two big knees on the Alessio Sakara – the first let the Italian know he meant business, and the second put him flat on his back. Some follow up ground and pound had Sakara’s head bouncing off the canvas and the referee stopping the fight. 

Grappling stand-out Gleison Tibau predictably wanted none of Terry Etim’s sharp stand up, and the jiu-jitsu champ frustrated the fighter from Liverpool throughout the fight by repeatedly taking the action to the floor. Etim avoided all submissions and only incurred some ground and pound damage late in the third when Tibau moved to mount. Etim impressed with his durability and heart but ultimately failed to make his mark on the fight, which was a unanimous decision for the Brazilian. 

Tomasz Drwal and Thiago Silva both gassed midway through the second round of their slugfest, and it was a last ditch effort from Silva that sealed the fight. A straight right slipped through Drwals’ non-existent guard and a follow-up combo dropped the Pole face down and to his knees at 4.23 of the second. 

Jess Liaudin, fresh from training with Team Quest in California, was firmly in control throughout his fight with Anthony Torres. The Hawaiian was game but had no answer to Liaudin in any range. Torres was dropped twice with some big right hands and a massive barrage of punches from the Frenchman prompted the stoppage four minutes into the fight. 

Russian powerhouse Denis Siver had his hands full in the first round in his fight with Naoyuki Kotani of Japan, only just slipping out of a tight triangle after a full two minutes inside the choke. Once out, he landed a number of elbows that cut the Japanese fighter. Siver landed a thunderous left hook in the second round that spun Kotani around and dropped him to the canvas.