Written by Scott Swerbinsky

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The mixed martial arts fans of Ireland got to the see the UFC live for the very first time yesterday. They were witnesses to a solid fight card and a good show despite a bizzare main event. My cousin Scott recaps the latest UFC pay per view event for us. The mixed martial arts fans of Ireland got to the see the UFC live for the very first time yesterday. They were witnesses to a solid fight card and a good show.

The main event might have been the only fight that had the crowd scratching their heads. Two Middleweight contenders collided in what had all the making of fight of the year. Fomer champ Rich Franklin stepped into the octagon with Yushin Okami.

Franklin came away with the victory via unanimous decision. The first two rounds were pretty much the same. Rich was landing a few shots mixed in with a leg kick or two. Okami looked to counter and pretty much did nothing for the first ten minutes. Once the third round started, Franklin cleary had the fight in the bag unless Okami decided to fight.

Okami's corner must have told him he was in a fight prior to the third and final round. He came out like the fighter we have seen the last few fights in the UFC. He was able to get Franklin to the ground, pound on him and nearly got the win with an armbar. Franklin somehow got out from under Okami and avoided the loss. If Okami just would have fought the first two rounds like he did in the third, it would made for an awesome fight.

Franklin is now in line for a rematch with Anderson Silva to regain the Middleweight title. Silva still has to defeat Nathan Marquardt at UFC 73 on July 1st.

The Irish fans got to see one of their own get back on the winning track. Forrest Griffin defeated Hector Ramirez by unanimous decision and the crowd simply loved every minute of it.

Griffin dominated the entire match and Ramirez had no answer for anything he did. We actually saw a different Forrest than we normally do. He avoided the big flurries and landed leg kick after leg kick that visibly hurt Hector. If Griffin fights like that on a regular basis, he will be tough to beat in the future.

The fight of the night easily was the Clay Guida vs Tyson Griffin match. These two guys put on a mixed martial arts clinic. It might have been one of the most entertaining fights I have ever seen. Griffin was able to pull off a split decision which easily could have gone the other way.

From the opening bell to the end of the third round, these two warriors were non-stop. The standup game was great but the submission attempts and the wrestling were just off the charts. One guy just couldn't finish the other and it was great to see them go at it. Both of these fighters have great futures in the UFC.

Ed Herman returned to his winning ways and looked like a new fighter as he dominated a tough Scott Smith. He ended the fight with a choke in the second round.

Full results:

MW: Rich Franklin defeats Yushin Okami via unanimous decision
LH: Forrest Griffin defeats Hector Ramirez via unanimous decision
MW: Jason MacDonald defeats Rory Singer via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 3:18
LW: Tyson Griffin defeats Clay Guida via split decision.
MW: Ed Herman defeats Scott Smith via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 2, 2:25
WW: Marcus Davis defeats Jason Tan via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:15
HW: Eddie Sanchez def. Colin Robinson via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 0:29
WW: Dustin Hazelett def. Steve Lynch via submission (D’Arce choke) — Round 1, 2:50

Once again I came away impressed with the fight card and the show the UFC put on. Only six more days until the Ultimate Fighter Season 5 Finale. I'll be waiting.