by Andy Jefferson on 3 March 2010 There was realistically no way that this show could top the spectacle that was UFC 100, however the 08/08/2009 show from a packed Wachovia Center did exceed some expectations and proved to be a memorable debut for the group in Philadelphia. Most importantly coming out of the show it was firmly established that Anderson Silva and B.J. Penn are legitimate PPV draws as well as undeniable killers in their respective divisions...

by Andy Jefferson on 13 February 2010 The country vs. country concept provided a shot in the arm for The Ultimate Fighter in many respects. The inherent rivalry in presenting the show in such a way added an increased sense of importance over which team would come out on top. This was greatly assisted by the underlying conflict that would develop between the coaches which at times played off a classic pro-wrestling style dynamic with the cocky heel, Michael Bisping and the All American good guy, Dan Henderson...

by Andy Jefferson on 4 February 2010 The tagline was ‘making history’ and that is exactly what UFC 100 did. The June 11th 2009 show drew a rabid 10,871 to the Mandalay Bay events centre and has gone down in the record books as the most successful UFC event in the promotions history. The show itself was littered with highlights and memorable scenes, such as the absolute dominance of George St. Pierre, the stunning knockout of Michael Bisping and the downright terrifying mauling Frank Mir received at the hands of former WWE champ Brock Lesnar...

by Draven Cage on 22 January 2010 The movie opens with pre-credits scene showing a gang of prisoners, led by the genuinely scary Kimbo Slice (with genuinely scary bushy beard), heading to the prison shower room to take out our hero (after paying off an unseen guard). Now, unless you haven't seen a movie before in your life, you don't need me to tell you that the eight-strong team of hardened cons aren't successful, otherwise we'd have a short movie on our hands...

by Andy Jefferson on 14 January 2010 The promotions first foray into mainland Europe in June 2009 featured a stacked card that on paper promised much and for the most part delivered. The show drew an enthusiastic 12,854 to the Lanxess arena and had created somewhat of a local buzz mostly on the back of the last minute addition to the card of Mirko Cro Cop...

by Stew Boyd on 7 June 2009 I questioned in my review of "The Second Coming" where this bad boy had gotten to... in an erratic style reminiscent of the sadly passed PRIDE Fighting Championships during its existence, FightDVD has indeed released DSE's initial Las Vegas soiree some months after giving their second a DVD berth. In the coming weeks, I shall be sewing up the final weeks and months of PRIDE...

by Stew Boyd on 31 May 2009 "Breakthrough" was to prove a prophetic title for the UFC's first ever visit to the state of Georgia on 6 September 2008. Whilst conventional wisdom had primary wrestler Rashad Evans as ideal fodder for Chuck Liddell's sprawl and counterpunch game, thus putting the former 205lb champion on the fasttrack to a rematch for the strap, "Sugar" Rashad's seemingly intangible inability to actually lose fights up to this point, which coupled with the presence of strategic demi-god Greg Jackson in his corner (who had previously mapped out Keith Jardine's route to victory over "The Iceman"), meant a metaphoric breakthrough for the TUF 2 Heavyweight champion on this night was far from out of the question...

by Stew Boyd on 23 May 2009 Much like the imminent UFC 98, there was a tangible air of gypsy curse surrounding the UFC's July 2008 stop-off in London. The originally scheduled main event pit Chuck Liddell against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, before injury forced the Brazillian to withdraw. Rashad Evans was subsequently drafted in as a replacement, but a graphic thigh injury suffered by Liddell sent that proposal the way of Global Hypercolour too. Furthermore, the planned co-headliner of Michael Bisping vs Chris Leben would wind up atop UFC 89 in Birmingham after a brush with the stateside constabulary put paid to "The Crippler's" short term visa prospects...

by Stew Boyd on 18 March 2009 Eh? Where's "The Real Deal" gotten to then? No big drama, though, as PRIDE's second foray into the live Western market, from Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Centre on 24 Feb 2007, left their Nevada debut eating it's dust, likely snaring the crown for focal point in an annum that was roundly heralded as the year of the upset in MMA. Indeed, anyone who stuck an accumulator on this event probably wound up owing the bookies money...

by Stew Boyd on 17 January 2009 "The winner of this fight will get $5000.00, courtesy of Burger King." Corporate sponsorship has hijacked the TUF juggernaut, and thrown the audience a curveball when it comes to Uncle Dana's pre-fight, crow-along intros. Seven seasons in, and I can't believe no-one's brought this up yet..... who in the hell uses the term "sudden victory" to describe a tie-break, anyway?