UFC 75: Champion vs Champion

UFC 75 was easily one of the top UFC events of the year, with exciting fights from the undercard to the main card. Here's a brief breakdown of the fights: Anthony Torres vs. Jess Liaudin - Great way to kick off the night with some punishing standup exchanges, although it is relatively one-sided. Dennis Siver vs. Naoyuki Kotani - Solid fight with action on the feet and the ground. What looked to be a wrestling match ended in a brutal knockout. Thiago Silva vs. Tomasz Drwal - If you like brawls, this is one you've got to check out! Both Tomasz and Thiago are heavy sluggers that primarily throw only power shots. In fact, both throw so much leather they gas out at points, but the great exchanges and eventual knockout make this one a must see! Terry Etim vs. Gleison Tibau - Gleison is the wrestling/bjj fighter whereas Etim prefers to keep things standing. Both try their best to work their game in a decent fight, with one fighter's style being too much for the other. Houston Alexander vs. Alessio Sakara - This is Houston's 2nd fight in the Octogan against UFC vet Sakara. Another standup fight that is entertaining for the short time it lasts. Paul Taylor vs. Marcus Davis - Fantastic fight! Both guys come out swinging and each fighter coming close to a knockout or tko stoppage. A beautiful submission ends this one early and should not be missed. Cheick Kongo vs. Mirko Cro Cop - This match was hyped as a potential striker's dream, with Cro Cop dominating the heavyweight division with his deadly kicks and punching combinations, and Kongo showing great combinations and knees. Unfortunately, the fight isn't the standup war that most expected, but is competitive nonetheless. Probably the least inspired fight of the night. Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill - Both TUF 3 alums, this fight has been in the making since the show. What was expected to be a relatively easy fight for Bisping and his good striking and submissions turned into a real struggle with Matt Hamill's much improved strking game and his always dominant wrestling giving Bisping plenty of trouble. Extremely close fight with a very controversial decision. Dan Henderson vs. Quinton Jackson - Finally, the UFC and Pride 205 lb. belts would be united in a fantastic championship fight. Each fighter had their moments in a close, back and forth fight that showcased both of their strengths; Henderson's dominant wrestling and Quinton's crisp striking. Much of the bout was fighting for the takedown, resulting in a technical but entertaining affair. In a night of competitive fights, this one will be remembered as one of the best, as two of the very top light heavyweights battled for the titles. All in all, this is a must buy event for MMA fans, featuring plenty of exciting fights from beginning to end. Highlights for me were the Silva/Drwal brawl, Davis/Taylor's battle, and of course Rampage and Henderson giving their all in a memorable title fight. If you've already seen the live broadcast on Spike, I'd still recommend picking this one up for the great undercard fights.

the disk was great, not a single scratch on the disk. but there was something like wax on the box. just taking my finger nail it popped right off.

Was pleased with item, thank you

So, who is this Dan Henderson dude exactly? Just another chump for "Rampage" to beat the tar out of? Not exactly. Just ask Pride fans about "Dangerous" Dan Henderson. Or better yet, just ask Wanderlei Silva about Dan Henderson. Ask Murilo "Ninja" Rua, what he thinks about Dan Henderson. Ask "Babalu" Sobral, ask Vitor Belfort, Murilo Bustamante, Renzo Gracie. All those names aren't exactly wimps, and Dan Henderson beat all of 'em at one point and time! Dan Henderson was a Pride Champion for a reason. So he's really no joke. And he's trained with Randy Couture. His last UFC was UFC 17 where he beat Carlos Newton and Allen Goes both by unanimous decisions. So maybe he does have it in him to take on Quinton "Rampage" Jackson for a UFC unified title shot. They happen to be pretty good friends, but business is business. You also have a fight that never happened at TUF #3. Michael Bisping, TUF #3 winner, never got the chance to fight Matt Hamill in the TUF #3 Finale. Hamill won a decision against Mike Nickels during TUF #3, but could not continue due to injury. They've been waiting to square off, Hamill's been calling out Bisping, ready to throw down, ready to square off and settle a score! Bisping is more than ready to take on the deaf kid from Utica, New York, and he can't wait to fight him on HIS home turf!! London, England, is Michael Bisping's territory. Is Matt Hamill going to mark it? There are some great fights on this one, 9 total. I'll list them below. Jess Liaudin vs. Anthony Torres: A slugger from France ready to see what a man like Torres can take and dish out. With less than a minute to go in round 1, the fight ends. Dennis Siver vs. Naoyuki Kotani: Both of these guys came out to bring it, and it gets interesting. This is a sweet ending in the 2nd round! Thiago Silva vs. Tomasz Drwal: Hey, these two light heavyweights ain't going to the ground! These guys are here to brawl! They both get gassed, but only one gets finished in the 2nd round! Good scrap, better conditioning would've made it better. Gleison Tibau vs. Terry Etim: Etim is a hometown favorite, while Tibau wants to add another win to his UFC record. Great grappling, pretty interesting fight the whole way. Goes to a unanimous decision. Houston Alexander vs. Alessio Sakara: So, did Alexander simply get lucky against Keith Jardine, or is he going to show an Italian boxer a thing or two about MMA?! 1:01 in the first round is all the time it takes to find out! Freaking crazy! Marcus Davis vs. Paul Taylor: This is another crazy fight! All I'm going to say is that it also ends in the first round. WOW! Mirko Cro Cop vs. Cheick Kongo: I'm going to put it this way; As far as decisions go, this was probably my favorite fight of the night. The term, "Beware of what you wish for," rings loud and true during the whole fight! I was happy. Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill: Matt Hamill waltzed out to the octagon while Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" played boldly in London, England!! HA!! Both of these guys came to show the other one up, and they didn't disappoint. The split decision that should've been clearly unanimous, was somewhat of a disappointment. My take? If either of these guys would've finished, you could've forgotten the judges altogether. But it was a split decision, and nobody has to like it! Sometimes you just don't know. Still a great fight, still a grudge match to watch time and time again. Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson: Well, is Dan Henderson up to the challenge? This fight goes all five rounds, and it is pretty interesting. But only one man can be champion, and even though the fight was great, it was obvious who the winner was. Both of these men wanted the belt, and it showed! This was good. Ok, I thought it was great altogether! Some pretty good scraps, and you don't want to miss a single one of 'em!!

Paul Taylor vs Marcus Davis was even more exciting than the three featured bouts;which all were excellent to watch!