UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama - FREE on Spike!

[Turd Ferguson]

[YOUTUBE]6EZ5WuwSCB8[/YOUTUBE]

MAIN CARD

• Middleweight bout: Michael Bisping vs Yoshihiro Akiyama
• Welterweight bout: Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit
• Welterweight bout: John Hathaway vs. Mike Pyle
• Heavyweight bout: Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne
• Welterweight bout: James Wilks vs. Claude Patrick

Preliminary Card (Non-televised)

• Light Heavyweight bout: Cyrille Diabate vs. Alexander Gustafsson
• Light Heavyweight bout: James McSweeney vs. Fabio Maldanado
• Light Heavyweight bout: Steve Cantwell vs. Stanislav Nedkov
• Heavyweight bout: Rob Broughton vs. Vinicius Queiroz
• Lightweight bout: Paul Sass vs. Mark Holst
• Lightweight bout: Spencer Fisher vs. Kurt Warburton

For a card that really isn't that great on paper, the UFC nailed it with the promo and the cool looking poster for this card. You really can't complain about this card though. We're getting it for free and there are some really interesting fights on this card.

The main event between Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama would make a great co-main event on any card. It's a fight that I see Akiyama taking as well. There's no doubt that Akiyama is one of the best middleweights in the world. Don't let the Chris Leben loss fool you. Leben's looking better than he ever has and he only had two weeks to prepare for him. He's had a full training camp for Bisping, who, in my opinion, is a slower version of Leben. Akiyama is a superior grappler. He's a better all-around fighter, and he's too quick for Bisping, which creates a recipe for disaster for him. Akiyama also has a very solid chin, which has taken bombs from Alan Belcher and Chris Leben. He's not getting KO'ed in this fight, especially where Bisping has a tendency to gas out. I'm thinking Akiyama's going to take this via decision in what should be a very good fight.

The co-main event is going to be an absolute war and a fight of the year candidate. Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit is going to be so much fun. I've gained a lot of respect for Dan Hardy with how he handled himself in the GSP fight earlier this year. He never gave up when GSP damn-near ripped his shoulder out of his socket twice, and he handled himself with a lot of class after the fight. Plus, I LOVE watching Bruce Buffer introduce him inside the octagon because he plays it up so much. The battle on the ground should be incredibly interesting, as Condit likes going for submissions, and we all know how good Hardy's submission defense is. I don't see this going to the ground though. I see this being a standup war for pretty much the entire fight. I would think that Hardy would take it via decision, but we all know how much Carlos Condit somehow always finds a way to win. This fight is just way too close to call. Condit was getting destroyed by Rory MacDonald until MacDonald shut down in the third round. I don't think Hardy will shut down like MacDonald did. This is going to be so close to call, and I think Hardy will find a way to take the decision in what should be an incredibly close fight.

I'm becoming a huge John Hathaway fan. I think he's loaded with potential and I think that at this stage, especially after looking so dominant against Diego Sanchez, that Mike Pyle is a huge step down for him. I see this fight going exactly like the Hathaway/Sanchez fight with Hathaway dominating the entire way through, looking impressive and easily working his way to a decision.

 

[INDYjon22]

Fucking A! The promo is awesome. Especially for a card I had little interest in. Now, because of the video, I am actually looking forward to the three main fights. They all have the potential to be fun and hopefully they are. I almost feel like this card should be titled UK vs. The World or something to that extent.

Bisping/Akiyama could be very exciting. Both men like to punch and this has the makings for another Akiyama barn burner. I see this fight being a balls to the wall slugfest and whoever can connect more will win. However, my money will be on Akiyama. He has looked awesome in both of his UFC fights so far and was dominating Leben before Leben finally got an opening. I don't think Akiyama will make that mistake against Bisping. I expect something similar to the Sexyama/Belcher fight.

Hardy/Condit should be a very good fight. Both men like to exchange and I could see someone getting knocked the fuck out, meaning Carlos Condit because I don't see Hardy getting knocked out. However, I think this fight will got the same route as my prediction for the Bisping/Akiyama fight. Both men will probably slug it out and the fight will probably never see the mat, though if it does I give the edge to Condit. I expect another decision in favor of Hardy. However, I will be pulling for Condit.

Hathway is one of my favorite up and comers and I don't really see his hype train ending here. Mike Pyle is a good fighter but is a big step down from fighting Diego Sanchez. If Hathaway man handled Diego I can only imagine what he can and will do to Pyle. Hathaway by decision.

Kongo/Browne will be interesting but I would put my money on Kongo. I just think he will be to big for Browne and his striking is to crisp. However, if the fight goes to the ground then it will be anyone's game.

James Wilks should pick up another win with relative ease.

I have zero interest in the undercard outside of Spencer Fisher's fight.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Not a bad card at all, especially for a free card on Spike. I just have to remember to stay away from MMA websites Saturday afternoon so I don't see any of the results.

Bisping vs. Sexyama should be an entertaining fight. I don't think Bisping has looked that good since Hendo put him to sleep. He better be ready to fight because Sexyama is gonna bring the fight to him. I have to agree with Guy and Indy on this fight not going to the ground, but there is that chance as Akiyama joined Jackson's gym so you never know.

I'm more excited for the co-main event Hardy vs. Condit. Definitely should be a war between these two. Both have very strong chins so I don't think anyone is getting put away by strikes. Hardy showed us in the GSP fight that he doesn't tap either, just looking at his stats and he hasn't lost to a sub since 05. Funny since Condit up to the UFC he hasn't had a sub win. Hardy fighting in front of his home crowd too, so I think he has the advantage and should win by a decision.

Happy to also see John Hathaway back in action. I became a fan of his after watching him pick apart my boy Diego Sanchez. Mike Pyle is definitely a step down from Diego, but will be no walk in the park for Hathaway. John still should get the win, but I think Pyle will put up a fight. A win here and Hathaway needs a top WW contender.

Browne/Kongo really doesn't interest me at all. Browne should put on a more entertaining fight against Kongo than Buentello did. Kongo is just one of those fighters that gets big fights but doesn't win in them, except for the Cro Cop fight.

Wilks vs. Patrick another fight I could give two shits about, as I'm not a fan of Wilks. Sometimes though when your're not expecting anything, these fights end up being good.

Glad to see James McSweeney dropping down to Light Heavyweight, as I said at the end of TUF he would be a better fit for that division, since he is a smaller Heavyweight.

Hopefully Spencer Fisher will get a win, as he lost 2 in a row.

 

[Window Licker 101]

On intial viewing I thought this card looked horrible...then I saw the UFC 122 card.

Bisping vs Akiyama should be a war. You are always guaranteed entertainment whenever Sexyama enters the octagon. From his entrance to his slugfests, Akiyama is one cool ass dude. Bisping will be looking to collect another W to add to his record in his (I hate to say it but I'm a fan of his) manufactured run at the Middleweight title. A win for Bisping means one more fight until a title shot. A loss for Akiyama plunges him into some seriously hot water. I wanna see Bisping pull off a win but since Akiyama is now training with Greg Jackson, nothing is for sure. A predict a Bisping decision and a possible fight of the night candidate.

Hardy vs Condit is another exciting fight which could really change the Welterweight title picture. Since arriving in the UFC, Carlos Condit must have won every fight of the night award for each card he has competed on! His war with Kampmann, the comeback agaisnt Ellenberger and the victory over McDonald. Whenever I look at Hardy I can never identify his strengths other than his never say die attitude and reselience. Hardy, although dominated by GSP, put in a heroic performance, refusing to tap out to two submission attempts...both which looked exceedingly tight! I want Hardy to win so he can bounce back after the GSP loss. This fight will be an all out brawl for sure.

Other than Jonny "Bones" Jones, Hathaway is the brightest young prospect in the UFC at this moment in time IMO. I was in shock the way he dominated Diego Sanchez for not one or two rounds but for the WHOLE fight even managing to rock Diego with a solid knee. Pyle, a less skilled yet equally dangerous opponent should provide a tough test for Hathaway.

Kongo vs Browne is a heavyweight match I don't care about. All I wanna see is Kongo pick up the win and a knockout of the night bonus, potentially lining up a fight between him and Carwin.

I don't like James Wilks at all so I don't care whether or not he wins or loses.

Like Dave said I wanna see Spencer Fisher win because I'm a big fan of the guy and I think a loss agaisnt Curt could see the pink slip being issued. I hope not but anything is possible in MMA

 

[jmt225]

Not too excited for this card, but I'm always down for some free UFC, so I'll definitely be tuning in.

Anyways, I'm a big fan of Sexyama, but I have a feeling Bisping will skip his way to victory. Sexyama just doesn't have the handspeed or power Wandy had to catch him whenever he's jabbing and running. Damn... I hate fighters like Bisping. What a terrible main event I foresee with this card. Hopefully, HOPEFULLY, Sexyama can somehow put the Brit down and make the fight somewhat exciting.

Dan Hardy's the most overrated fighter currently in the sport. Condit will take him down and control him for all three rounds, maybe even tapping him out. If Hardy can keep that from happening, then he'll finally earn some of my respect. However, I think the UFC has protected him up to this point, and Condit will finally be the one to expose how mediocre of a fighter Dan Hardy truly is.

John Hathaway in my opinion is currently the best UK Fighter in the sport. I completely expect him to dominate Mike Pyle.

Cheick Kongo has been exposed in his last couple of fights; Browne, who seems like a very good up and coming fighter, should end up knocking his ass out.

And fuck James Wilks. Can't stand him. Hopefully Claude Patrick locks in a Guillotine on him like he has his last three opponents and puts him away with that.

 

[INDYjon22]

This card sucked for the most part. It didn't help that the Condit/Hardy fight got ruined for me thanks to Sherdog. Oh well, UFC 121 is next week and that should be much better.

Browne vs. Kongo was boring. I can't believe I used to like Kongo. His blatant cheating tonight annoyed the hell out of me. Also, the fact that he still thinks he is hot shit. Glad to see Browne take it to Kongo, however the fight sucked overall. I don't care for either guy.

John Hathaway was a massive disappointment tonight. I have been hyping him up for a while now, and he just didn't deliver at all. Mike Pyle beat Hathaway up and really exposed Hathaway's lack of experience. Back to the drawing boards.

Condit vs. Hardy was a fun little slugfest. As I said, the results were already ruined for me but the fight was worth it. Watching Hardy get knocked the fuck out was a thing of beauty. I am very interested to see where both men go from here, but I am more interested in where Condit goes. He obviously isn't going to be ahead of Fitch or Shields but a fight with Hughes, Lytle, or Alves would all be nice for his resume and his push for a title fight.

Bisping vs. Akiyama didn't interest me all that much. I like Akiyama a lot but he just did not have the right gameplan for Bisping. That said, he still caught Bisping several times and had he pushed the action I am positive he would have defeated Bisping. I don't like Bisping at all and now he will probably never shut up about this win. God have mercy on our souls.

The highlight of the night was seeing Robert Downey Jr., Guy Ritchie and Jude Law at ringside. I had no idea any of them were fans of MMA. Very cool.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Just a quick rundown...

Bisping vs. Akiyama is a fight that infuriated me because I like Akiyama and dislike Bisping... and it was a very winnable fight for Akiyama. He's so damn good at Judo, so why didn't he utilize Judo takedowns? If he dictated the fight with his Judo, and kept throwing those hard rights that rattled Bisping's chin, he would have won that fight. To me, Bisping has a VERY suspect jaw. I'm not just saying that because of the Hendo fight, but because of how Denis Kang dropped him, how Wanderlei destroyed him, and how Akiyama definitely had him rattled. He really wants a shot at Anderson Silva? I honestly feel that Silva vs. Bisping would be like Silva vs. Leben.

What happens next with Bisping? Hard to say. Dana really wants to push him as a contender. However, Silva and Belfort are tied up, Okami and Marquardt are tied up, Maia's tied up with apparently working his way back up, and Sonnen's tied up with the Government. Wanderlei is still hurt. I think Sonnen would be the best possible outcome for him, and if he somehow wins his appeal in the liberal Kangaroo Court of California, that will be the likely scenario. Even if Sonnen doesn't win his appeal, I'm certain he'll only get a six month suspension.

Last night, Carlos Condit impressed in a big way once again, and I think you absolutely have to throw him in the top 10 for Welterweights now. He's now won 11 of his last 12, and the only loss he had, which was a split decision loss to Martin Kampmann was very questionable. I think Condit should get the loser of Shields/Kampmann (or perhaps Hughes/Penn), and from there, if he wins, he should be one fight from a title shot by that point. Carlos Condit is absolutely for real and it's time that people start taking notice.

Very let down by John Hathaway last night. I don't know if he started believing in his own hype and underestimated Mike Pyle. It could be possible that we all overrated him after the Diego fight and perhaps Diego just wasn't on his game that night. I really hope that Hathaway just had a bad night. He's a great contrast to the obnoxiousness of Bisping and Hardy, and he's always seemed like he was good up until last night.

The only thing interesting about the Kongo fight was how the ref was fixated on his cheating. An awful fight all around.

Gustafsson looked good against Cyrile Diabate, but he's got a long way to go.

Glad to see that James McSweeney got KO'ed out of the UFC too, and that Spencer Fisher lives to fight another day... always been a fan of his.

It wasn't bad considering most British cards are god-awful, but I'm glad 121 is next week. Besides, this card has to be better than the completely shitty 122 card next month.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Yeah last night's card was crap. Only good thing for the UFC is it broke the the record for attendance in the UK. The fights were a tad bit boring for the most part. If it were in the States the boo-birds would have been loud as ever.

Akiyama vs. Bisping was decent. Good if your're a Bisping fan I guess. Akiyama could've won the fight like Guy said, if he would've utilized his Judo and took the fight to the ground. Bisping was throwing some sloppy leg kicks that Akiyama easily could've caught then took him down. I will Bisping a little credit, as he definitely had some decent punches landed, but they seemed to do little to no damage. For the most part, to take a saying from GSP, "I was not impressed by your performance". I think that Wandi will be next for Bisping, as Bisping has campaigned for the rematch. With Wandi set to return early in 2011, I could see this happening, although watching Sonnen beat the shit out of him for three rounds would be a little better, I'd settle for either fight.

Condit vs. Hardy was a surprise. I didn't expect it to end in the first at all, especially with Condit knocking Hardy out. Condit is climbing the Welterweight ladder quite fast now. Gonna be interesting to see who Condit fights next, theres a few possibilities out there for him, the winner out of Alves/Thiago, Jon Fitch, loser out of Kampmann/Shields, or if Hughes if he beats Penn.

Hathaway vs. Pyle was another surprising fight. It was the complete opposite for Hathaway from his last fight, as he was the one dominated the whole fight. I don't think nobody had Pyle winning this fight. I knew Pyle would be a tough challenge for him, but didn't expect it to be so lopsided as it was. I will give Hathaway some props for withstanding that painful looking leg choke that Pyle had him in the second round for over 2 minutes. Hathaway is still really young so he can easily bounce back from this fight. Maybe have Pyle/Hardy next.

Kongo vs. Browne was crap after the first round. Browne showed us he is useless after the first round as he did nothing but get a takedown at the end of each of rounds two and three other than that he just stayed in the clinch with Kongo. Kongo showed us that he hasn't improved at all, probably is in a real threat of losing his job if he puts on another fight like that.

The only reason why I'm pissed that McSweeney got released, is that he moved down to Light Heayweight, so I was hoping that we would see him versus Rampage. Going back from them almost going at it a few times during TUF.

 

[jmt225]

Meh, I never expected anything from this card outside of the two main events, and the two main events delivered, so overall the show was a success, in my opinion.

Michael Bisping looked the best he's ever had, no doubt about it. I agree with Guy that Sexyama should have gone for the takedown a lot more, but I'm not positive how many times he would have gotten it anyway. Bisping's takedown defense has always been terrific. Last night though... Bisping's stand-up looked better than ever. After getting caught early on, Bisping recovered and completely picked apart Sexyama on the feet. And what impressed me most was that Bisping remained in the pocket nearly the entire fight, instead of constantly circling away like a cunt. His punches were crisp and accurate, and he was putting pressure on Sexyama the entire fight. Great, great, GREAT performance by Bisping. However, when Chael Sonnen returns... Bisping will get a severe ass beating if they do end up fighting each other. No doubt. As far as Sexyama... I think he needs to make the cut to 170. The 185 guys in the UFC are just too big for him.

Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit... glorious. Awesome performance from Carlos Condit. I knew he was good on the feet, but not THAT good. Very, very impressive. Like Buffalo Dave suggested in the LD.... I really hope Carlos Condit vs. Jon Fitch is set-up to face the winner of Shields vs. GSP/Koscheck (assuming Shields defeats Kampmann like he should). Carlos is undoubtedly in the title picture now, and he deserves a big fight. Let's see what he could do against someone like Fitch. As far as Dan Hardy... he showed a lot of class after the fight, but regardless.. I still don't think much of him, especially as a fighter. He'll just wonder around the rest of his career, much like Chris Leben has.

I was very disappointed in the John Hathaway vs. Mike Pyle fight. I mean, it was a good fight, but I was rooting heavily for Hathaway. I cannot stand Mike Pyle, but he did what he needed to do yesterday to get the win. I still don't think he's worth a shit at 170, but regardless... it was a good win for him. Perhaps will end up being the biggest win of his career. Hopefully Hathaway can rebound in his next fight.

And Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne was absolutely garbage. How Browne didn't win this... I don't know. But whatever respect I had for Kongo is now long gone. Not only does he blatantly cheat, but he's just not a good fighter. His stand-up is terrible, and he has no wrestling or ground game to speak of. Sucky, sucky fight.

 

[Via Armbar]

Good thing that was a free card or else I'd expect VERY low buy rates.

Not to say that the entire card was awful, just a very generic card. You had some good finishes but some weren't even televised. The big question is now is are they going to be able to keep Bisping winning and relevant to UK fans? He's very clearly their biggest asset in gaining ground over there and for Bisping to become the UFC's first British champion would be huge for them and that market. Then you remember that Bisping isn't all that great against top competition and things may not look so bright if they pit him against the top 5 in the division.

His fight with Akiyama was what I expected it to be. I like Akiyama and badly wanted a new force in the middleweight division, but alas his game planning and condition got the better of him. Bisping is a bouncy fighter: he's going to come in hot, work angles and pepper you with offense until yo are thrown off your game. His plan of attack is very predictable. Akiyama could have neutralized all that noise with his judo but instead kept head hunting and swinging with that big right. It would have ended like the fight with Hendo for The Count if Akiyama had a bigger frame and longer reach. It's odd that for training with the Jackson team, known for their game planning, he really fell flat in that area. I predict a matchup with the winner of Maia/Grover for sometime in the fall for Bisping and drop down in weight for Akiyama.

Condit/Hardy sure was surprising. Even other fighters were predicting a decision here. I was expecting Condit to grapple-rape Hardy en route to a unanimous decision, but he proved that he's one of the most underrated fighters in the game right now. Hardy, though he has good striking, has been terribly overrated for a while now. He's never had huge power in his hands and since he has little to no ground game to speak of that's a huge problem. He's relied on finding tight openings and capitalizing. The problem here though was that Condit is VERY tight in his offense and all around game. He may not have the single best asset like bjj or huge knockout power, but he is incredibly fluid and spry. It's a shame that it almost ended up being a double ko but didn't. That would have been sweet. The knockout reminded me of the Evans/Liddell shot where it was just a split second advantage for one man. Condit should move on to the loser of Kampmann/Shields. My heart tells me they might match him up with Fitch though, despite training together.

There's many questions surrounding the utter drubbing of John Hathaway. Was it just hype? Is it that Pyle is underrated? Is it the lack of experience. In my mind all of those are true. He looked great against Diego, but not because it was a hard fought war but because Sanchez looked like garbage. The reasoning behind why we may never know but a second fight between the two could be very different. Pyle will never be a champion, let's just get that out of the way. A real journeyman of the sport, he has a fight IQ that you can only gain from real time experience. He knew what to do, when to do it and Hathaway had no answer. Pyle will get a sideways step in competition and Hathaway will be sent back to the land of the prelims on a bigger card, a fight in which he'll probably look better.

And to end, fuck Cheick Kongo. Seriously. He's been overrated as hell for years and fight to not lose rather than to win. Not to mention the disgusting and blatant cheating. If he loses two in a row, he'll be cut but not after one loss. He's a name unfortunately and the heavyweight division needs gatekeeper depth to it. Browne...eh not much to say. A fight with Russow maybe? Kongo should be fighting Carwin instead of Big Country.