I always watch the Prelims of every UFC because it's great to keep an eye out for future talent breaking through. I also honestly think that some of the best fights are often on the under card. I do sometimes get frustrated by those that come into the UFC and immediately attempt to protect their record, fight very safe, and try their best to win the rounds with last minute takedowns before the bell. I know that in this context the fights represent their future, but you only have to look at the hate that Fitch receives to see that the fight business heavily relies on the fights being entertaining. I like Fitch, but the casual or uneducated fan will immediately make snoring noises when he is mentioned, such is the nature or pursuing unanimous decisions using a grinding - but ultimately not exciting - fighting style.

In this case, the prelim fighter who pursued a win like this was Bocek. Bocek is unquestionably one of the best ground fighters in the UFC (he trains with Marcelo Garcia) and he showcased his ability to completely nullify an opponent in his systematic domination of Nick Lentz. Lentz did a great job of regaining butterfly guard and creating some distance in which to stand, but he was slightly deluded in his celebrations at the end of the fight as Bocek clearly dominated him and controlled the fight from very early on. Also on the undercard was John Cholish, who beat Clarke in a very impressive UFC debut. Cholish is on an 8 fight win streak and fights out of the notable Renzo Gracie camp. Keep your eyes out for him! Hecht also beat Attonito via some nasty elbows when he was pressed against the fence.

On the televised under card, there were wins for Jabouiñ, Philippou, Pokrajac and Hallman. Hallman had to make amends after the 'speedo' incident last time he fought, and he brought a fast submission to the cage in the form of an RNC on Makdessi. Philippou and Pokrajac both looked like incredibly strong strikers and finished their fights in the first round without really being tested. Jabouin took a split decision victory in a forward and back battle against Watson.

There were some great fights tabled for the main card. There were some old guard legends fighting in the form of the Noguera bros., Tito Ortiz, Frank Mir, The Korean Zombie, Hominick, and the final bout between Jones and Machida. The card kicked off with the bout between Hominick and Jung. I wouldn't blame you if you were expecting Hominick to clinically destroy Jung, because I was. Hominick came out looking really, really hyped, and I think he underestimated Jung because as soon as he touched gloves he went straight into seek and destroy. Jung's reactions kicked in and he stepped off and straight up KO'd Hominick with a straight right! It was a srunning KO and Jung did a great job. The hype train then got behind the Zombie and people on the interwebz started talking about a title challenge for Jung. I think this would be very premature and kill off one of the Division's brightest prospects. He needs a few years training at a top camp to fully realise his potential and present a realistic challenge to Aldo.

Tito brought the fight to Little Nog but his stand up was wanting and he lost in the first round to some top notch boxing. This was another win for the body shot crowd who immediately clamour about how important the body shots are in MMA. I'm not disagreeing with them! Big Nog Vs. Mir was another story though as Mir broke his arm via kimura. This sets the record straight, as the last time they met, Mir took the interim championship from Big Nog. Nog claimed afterwards that he was ill and hadn't fought his best, and this seemed to be playing out early in the fight as he had Mir almost out with a volley of excellent boxing. When Mir was seriously wobbly, he then made the strangest of decisions and went for a guillotine finish instead of finishing him with his obviously effective striking. He said afterwards he wanted a submission from the fight. This provided Mir with the opportunity to take a brilliant set of transitions into a vicious kimura that Mir refused to tap to. Snap.

The finale was the much anticipated bout between Jones and Machida. I felt, as many did, that if one person in the division had the tools to beat the seemingly unbeatable Jones, it was Machida. This prophecy played out for the first round, and despite the judges giving the round to Jones, Machida looked impressive. He judged Jones's distance well, and was using the small openings he left to counter punch with fantastic power and accuracy. He actually hit Jones with a good straight right for the first time in his career, but Jones took it as a champion and certainly didn't crumble as some of his critics said he would. In the second round the win happened for Jones in the form of a standing Cody McKenzie guillotine. It came after a heavy GnP elbow that cut Machida, and Machida again refused to tap out and went limp in Jones's arms against the cage. There was the usual controversy on the forums as Jones was pulled away by big John, causing Machida to crumple in an unceremonious heap. Haters will hate, it's a fight, get over it. It was a great victory for Jones, and after a few more defences I would love to see him consider moving up in weight. Only time will tell.

UFC 141 was a gigantic event, not the least of reasons being the size of the headliners!

I was looking forward to this card because of the holiday period. I was off work and really wanted to stay up and watch the headline bout live. I did manage to make it, and without caffeine too! I must say that the main event was a complete anti climax, but I shall discuss that shortly...

The Facebook Prelims saw Nunes take a UD against Gamburyan, Stun Gun take a UD against Pierson, and Volkmann take a UD against Escudero. None of these fights could have been called exciting and the most notable event took place after Volkmann eked a stifled decision and was put in the capable hands of a post fight Joe Rogan. Volkmann proceeded to discuss a 'Glassectomy' for Obama (where you put glass in your belly button and look to the world through whist your head is up your backside). It was hilarious.... Rogan commented on his comedic ability before ending the post fight interview abruptly. Volkmann needs to look into some PR. He will not be doing himself any good in Joe Silva's or Dana's eyes and he needs to wise up before he is visited, not by the secret service, but by the postman, carrying his letter of release from the UFC.

The televised Prelims featured another two decision wins for Castillo and Pearson, who defeated Njokuani and Assuncao respectively. The Castillo Vs. Njokuani fight was a strange one because Castillo did what he needed to and nullified the enigmatic style of Njokuani, grinding out the decision with his wrestling. He was booed pretty decisively at the decision, and obviously felt slightly put out. The performance wasn't pretty, but I think it was necessary and Castillo has earnt himself the needed W despite the haters. I thought Pearson was impressive in his first fight at 145Lbs. Assuncao tried to showcase good movement and counter fighting ala Machida, but instead appeared to run backwards far to much, giving Pearson some good octagon control points in the eyes of the judges. In Pearson's words, he found the fight difficult because Assuncao seemed to want not to fight... I agree. A great win for Pearson.

The main card started with -for me- the fight of the night. Nam Phan Vs. Jimmi Hettes was a battle for Phan, who really struggled against a ridiculously impressive Hettes. Hettes fights out of the Renzo Gracie fight team under the tutelage of Ricardo Almeida and he is a brown belt in judo and a purple in BJJ. Phan is a black belt in BJJ and was expected to have the edge on the ground accordingly. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Hettes donated the clinch, takedowns, and ground game with a very exciting display of MMA grappling, nullifying Phan completely and showcasing some impressive submission and GnP throughout. There was some talk about standards of grading in BJJ during and after the fight, as Rogan and others discussed the ability of Hettes as a purple. To be fair, he may have performed to a higher level than Phan, but there are plenty of non competitive BJJ black belts with a wealth of knowledge and experience who would be destroyed in the UFC. I found the discussion quite insulting for Phan, who met a simply gifted fighter on his ascension through the ranks. I have absolutely no doubt that Hettes is part of a new breed of MMA fighter who has trained in MMA from an early age and would put him forward as an incredibly solid prospect for the future.

The next bout saw Gustaffson dispatch Matyushenko early on via TKO, and dare I say it, at the ripe age of 40 it may now be time for him to hang up his janitorial gloves. Gustaffson is another prospect to watch out for as his streak continues. This was followed by Fitch Vs. Hendricks, which enjoyed a chorus of snores and announcements of tea breaks on Twitter prior to starting. I hope that many were just in jest, as Hendricks simply KO'd Fitch with a left cross straight off the bat. Fitch has never been finished in the UFC and this was a certifiable win for Hendricks and will surely catapult him into the mix at the top of the division. Forums around the world hummed with joy at the Fitch KO, and it will be very interesting to see how Fitch deals with this loss. I enjoy his fights as they always gritty and technical, but I too would enjoy seeing him come out of the stocks looking for a finish.

The Co main event was Nate Diaz Vs Cerrone. Judging by Cerrone's brilliant Kickboxing and MMA records and Nate's last fight with Gomi, this was going to be a back and forth war. I was looking forward to this fight the most, but for me it didn't deliver that war that I wanted. Diaz was dominant throughout the enter bout and showed superb boxing skills very much reminiscent of his brother Nick. He literally peppered Cerrone with huge volumes of punches, hitting from range and in close with equal proliferation. Cerrone appeared completely lost, with no head movement, no lateral movement, and no spring in his step. His only answer to the salvo was a rear leg kick which swept Nate several times, putting him on his back. Cerrone -perhaps wisely- chose not to engage Nate on the floor and allowed him to get back up numerous times. The real question after this bout, is will Nate be able to deal with hish kryptonite of a strong wrestler now his skills appear so much more improved. I'm calling it and saying no, but we shall see!

Finally we come to the epically proportioned Lesnar Vs Overeem. The hype going into this fight was massive, with Lesnar being billed as being back to 100% and the truly dangerous Overeem looking to prove himself in the UFC. In reality the first round was a wash out, with Lesnar half heartedly attempting a take down, and then deciding to stand and trade with the heavyweight king of K1. Inevitably, Lesnar was soundly destroyed with heavy knees and kicks to the mid section. He continually turned away from strikes and made no attempt to close distance resulting in the ref stepping in and calling the TKO as Overeem unloaded on Lesnar against he cage. I felt cheated as this was not a 100% Lesnar, or anywhere near. He was not even close to the Lesnar of UFC100. Some people have mooted that Overeem made him look bad, maybe after the big knee went in I may have that, but before that, I don't think so. It will be very interesting to see Dos Santos Vs Overeem as you have two very accomplished strikers battling for that title, and they both hit very, very hard.

Other MMA News

The last BAMMA card in Birmingham saw some great performances from 'Judo' Jimmy Wallhead and 'Posterboy' Manuwa, who beat Villasenor and Rea respectively. Wallhead again set his stall out nice and clearly with a left hook KO inside the first minute. Coming off his win against Trigg this can only raise his profile further. He may look like he has had a difficult paper round, ( ;-) ) but he is still relatively young and has a very bright future if the streak continues. Posterboy out struck Rea with relative ease, again proving that he should be fighting in the UFC. He has rejected them twice, but is the time coming from him to consider himself ready... Elsewhere on the card, Marshman took a decision win to defend his title against the very game Leeroy Barnes. Barnes surprised many critics and proved he belonged at that level, and he has a further two fights on his contract so I'm looking forward to seeing him see it out over the coming year.

Strikeforce held one event in mid December which saw Melendez defend his title against Masvidal. Melendez again proved that he was a cut above and took the fight easily. he is certainly a UFC prospect and I would like to see him in the mix as soon as possible. He is however one of the more notable fighters who is carrying the brand at the moment so they may keep him there to hold up the brand whilst it is well and truly plundered by Zuffa. Santos, Mousasi and Noons also took away victories, performing impressively. With the disbanding of the Heavyweight bracket to pad the UFC roster, the recent news concerning Cyborg's Cyborg's steroid use that will kill the 145lb division, and the gradual erosion of the other Divisions too, it seems like Strikeforce's time is numbered. The WEC went out with a bang, so let's hope for a brilliant finale evening wth some great fights later this year.

Coming up...

UFC 142 is going to be amazing. It's held in Rio and the passion for MMA in Brazil is simply unrivalled. Expected on the card is the title fight of Aldo Vs Mendes, Belfort Vs Rumble Johnson, Palhares Vs Massenzio, our very own Etim Vs Barboza, and some other promising bouts including the return of Napao (Gonzaga). It's going to be a great card and I am, really looking forward to it. Also coming up on the 20th is UFC on FX headlining Guillard Vs Miller. This card also has Ludwig, Barry and Vemola fighting so expect a solid evening's entertainment with muchos war. The final event to note is the second UFC on FOX headlining Rashad Evans Vs. Phil Davis, Sonnen Vs. Munoz, and Bisping Vs. Maia. all three of those bouts are mouthwatering! A great month ahead!

To sign off, don't forget that Condit Vs Diaz is coming up, along with Rousey Vs. Tate, and Bendo Vs Edgar. What a year ahead! Watch out for the next MMA Wrap Up at the end of January :-)

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