The best of the UFC met the best of Pride Fighting last night at UFC 75 as Quentin "Rampage" Jackson defeated Dan Henderson in a very competitive main event. The event was held in London, and free on tape delay on Spike TV, a nice surprise for MMA fans. My cousin Spoon recaps the full UFC card for us, as well as the Dan Bobish Classic downtown, which he was ringside for.
Two great fight cards in one night make for a fantastic evening. Yesterday was a real treat for fight fans. The NAAFS put on yet another fantastic show and UFC 75 was just as impressive.
I have said many times in the past that nothing is better than getting to see a live mixed martial arts event. The fights that took place in downtown Cleveland just reaffirmed my thoughts on that. Almost all of the fights were fast paced and action packed. The main event was something to see.
"Smoking" Joe Heiland lived up to the hype once again as he improved on his perfect record. He is now 2-0 as a pro after being 7-0 as an amateur. This 25 year old from Shelby, Ohio is something special. I knew from seeing him fight in the past he was tough as hell but his heart and will really came through last night. Heiland defeated John Meyers by split decision in what was a back and forth action packed slugfest. Both fighters landed solid shots to go along with takedowns. The ground game of both guys was very impressive. Heiland was able to land the crisper harder shots giving him the win. He has a bright future in the sport and I look forward to seeing him fight again soon.
Sean Salmon was able to get back in the win column as he dominated Jason "Wreckin" Ball Jones. Salmon earned a first round TKO is an easy way. He is another fighter I really like watching. The former Buckeye looks to get back to the big shows here soon.
Another fighter who has looked impressive his last few fights is 155 pounder Torrance "The Tyrant" Taylor. He made quick work of Mike Bogner with a first round TKO. After the win, Taylor called out UFC vet and NAAFS fighter Jason Dent. Be careful what you wish for.
UFC 75 was billed as "Champion vs Champion". Two of the top fighters in the world of mixed martials arts throwing down in the octagon. UFC Light Heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson stepped in with Pride title holder Dan Henderson.
What a great fight these two world class athletes put on. Rampage walked away with a unanimous decision after five tough fought rounds. Dan Henderson is probably the best true wrestler in the sport. Last night, he was outwrestled by Jackson and that was the difference in the fight. Both champions landed solid shots and made for an even fight on their feet. Henderson looked to have the edge in early rounds but then was simply outclassed in the later rounds. Rampage looked awesome holding Henderson down and landing enough on the ground to secure the victory.
The question in years past surrounding Rampage Jackson was his training and conditioning. If last night was an indication, all those questions should be gone. He looked to be in phenomenal shape and held nothing back. This guy might not give up his belt for quite sometime.
Another featured fight had Ultimate Fighter Season 3 contestants squaring off. The winner of Season 3 was Michael Bisping. Matt Hamill was injured during the show and had to be withdrawn. If it wasn't for a concussion to Hamill, this fight would have taken place in the finale.
Bisping got the victory in a split decison which easily could have gone the other way. Hamill was dominating in round one with excellent hands and ground and pound. Bisping landed some good shots to get back into the fight but I think he might have gotten the hometown benefit. Bisping boxed much better in the second and third rounds but it probably wasn't enough to win. Hamill looked much improved with his striking and his wrestling skills are awesome. A rematch should be in order and this was too close to call.
We have a new contender in the heavyweight division and it isn't Mirko Cro Cop. Cheick Kongo dominated the much hyped former Pride champ on his way to an easy unanimous decision. Cro Cop drops to 1-2 in the UFC while Kongo improved to 4-1 fighting in the octagon.
Kongo landed the cleaner harder shots and used body kicks to to pick apart Cro Cop. The ground game of Kongo which has always been his downfall looked much improved and helped him seal the impressive victory.
Dan Bobish Classic full results:
"Smokin" Joe Heiland 9-0 (Strong Style Fight Team) over Jon Meyer 6-2 (Walker Submission) by Split Decision
Sean Salmon 12-4 (Team Jorge Gurgel) over Jason "Wreckin Ball" Jones 9-3 (Team Bloody Buddy) by TKO @ 1:30 of Rd 1
155 lbs - Torrance "The Tyrant" Taylor 5-3 (Rising Dragon MMA) over Mike Bogner 5-5-1 (Team Predator) by TKO @ :19 of Rd 1
160 lbs - Jon "Macho Midget" Bailey 1-1 (Baileys MMA & Boxing) over Leo "Mad Dog" Fowler 2-3 (Team Predator) by TKO @ 2:31 of Rd 1
265 lbs - Stepe Miocic 2-0 (StrongStyle Fight Team) over "Big Sexi" Seth Cole 2-2 (Wreckroom Athletics) by TKO @ :56 of Rd 1
205 lbs - Dominique Vanest 4-0 (Instigator Fight Team) over Todd "TNT" Morgan 3-2 (Independent) by TKO @ :20 of Rd 1
185 lbs - Steve Zornes 2-0 (Team JAD) over Milan Wesley 3-2 (StrongStyle Fight Team) by Uanimous Decision
175 lbs -Jeremy Matheny 1-0 (Pain Headquarters) over Chris Bradley 1-1 (Indpendent) by Guillotine Choke @ 2:19 of Rd 2
265 lbs - "The Rampage" Jason Raugh 2-0 (Vander Fighting Systems) vs Scott Dennamen 0-1 (Strong Style) by TKO @ :26 of Rd 3
155 lbs - Joey Holt 1-1 (Baileys MMA & Boxing) over Aaron Dugan 1-2 (North Eastern Pummeling Den) by TKO @ :23 of Rd 2
155 lbs - Charles Cooper 2-0 (Team Predator) over Jon "The Kobra" Rohn 4-2 (Team Challenge) by TKO @ 1:29 of Rd 3
185 lbs - Dustin Bloom 4-4 (Team AirGadFly) over Silas Maynard 2-1 (StrongStyle Fight Team) by Split Decision
170 lbs - Josh McBride 4-3 (N. Eastern Pummeling Den) over Ryan Metcalf 0-2 (Vander Fighting Systems) by RNC @ 2:29 of Rd 2
185 lbs - Ray Zellar 2-0 (Team Challenge) over Matt Wemple 1-1 (White Lakes Combat Club) by Triangle Choke @ 2:48 of Rd 2
UFC 75 full results:
Jess Liaudin defeated Anthony Torres by TKO at 4:10 of RD 1
Dennis Siver defeated Naoyuki Kotani by KO at 2:04 of RD 2
Thiago Silva defeated Tomasz Drwal by TKO at 4:23 of RD 2
Gleison Tibau defeated Terry Etim by Unanimous Decision
Houston Alexander defeated Alessio Sakara by TKO at 1:01 of RD 1
Marcus Davis defeated Paul Taylor by Arm Bar at 4:14 of RD 1
Cheick Kongo defeated Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic by Unanimous Decision
Michael Bisping defeated Matt Hamill by Split Decision
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson defeated Dan Henderson by Unanimous Decision
Wow, what a night of fights. The sport of mixed martial arts just continues to grow and the competition is unreal. I enjoy watching the local up and comers just as much as the giants of the UFC. It is by far the greatest sport in the world.