UFC 70, held in jolly old England, showcased its biggest international stars, such as the recently signed MMA superstar Mirko Crop Cop. Other international fighters on the card were former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski and the Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 3 winner, England’s own, Michael Bisping. Due to the time difference in England, this international pay-per-view event was free for us Yanks and featured more countries than George Bush’s coalition. Fighters on the card represented Belarus, Brazil, Australia, France, Croatia, Spain, England, and the United States.

MIRKO CRO COP vs. GABRIEL GONZAGA

Another unbelievable upset in the main event! Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, in only his second UFC fight, tastes the bitter sting of defeat, as upstart Gabriel Gonzaga knocks him out cold in the first round with a devastating leg kick to the head.

The UFC 70 main event featured former PRIDE and K1 kickboxing superstar Mirko Cro Cop’s lethal leg kicks against tough Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter, Gabriel Gonzaga. Many suspected Mirko of being a one-dimensional standup fighter, though only one of his four losses came by way of submission. They wondered if Gonzaga could get underneath those kicks for a takedown and submit Cro Cop?  As it happens, it was Gonzaga’s leg kicks that turned out to be lethal.

A minute and a half into the round, Gonzaga absorbed a leg kick from Cro Cop, grabbed his leg and took him to the ground. Gonzaga then opened up a cut on Mirko’s hairline with a couple of elbows. After three minutes of wrestling action, Referee Herb Dean stood them up. With just 11 seconds left in round one, it was Gonzaga that landed a wicked head kick right on the button that knocked Crop Cop cold. Mirko was unconscious before he hit the canvas, his right leg twisted abnormally underneath his body. Game over. Good-bye highly marketable Cro Cop UFC championship. Hello embarrassing highlight reels.

Beating Cro Cop is exactly the sort of feather in the cap that Gonzaga needed to make a name for himself in the UFC. Gonzaga will most likely get a crack at Randy Couture’s heavyweight belt.

The biggest loser, though, was the UFC, who probably lost about 70,000 pay-per-view purchases with a Gonzaga vs. Couture matchup instead of the much-anticipated Cro Cop vs. Couture matchup.

ANDREI ARLOVSKI vs. FABRICIO WERDUM

Former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski, once regarded as “unbeatable” before he lost his belt and the rematch to Tim Sylvia, looked to regain some creditability with a victory as he embarked on the second fight on his way back to the top. While it’s true that his opponent was making his Octagon debut, Fabricio Werdum is a PRIDE veteran as well as Mirko Cro Cop’s jiu-jitsu teacher. Werdum brings with him a wealth of MMA experience and once beat Emelianenko. No, not the PRIDE champion, the champ’s brother, but still an impressive accomplishment.

Round one was all Arlovski as he landed a right uppercut that put Werdum on his back. Arlovski ignored Werdum’s taunts to join him on the ground. Referee Herb Dean stood them up and Werdum came back with 4 shots that backed Arlovski up against the fence. But Arlovski landed a few scattered hard shots and multiple leg kicks to win the round. Round two was a little devoid of action and garnered a few boos from the crowd but Arlovski continued to control the pace and land repeated leg kicks. Props to Referee Herb Dean who started the third round by threatening to take a point from the first fighter who retreats. The threat fell on deaf ears though as the round featured more feinting, bobbing, running and not much scoring.

It was a very tentative Arlovski that won a decision in such an unconvincing fashion. He just doesn’t look like the same fighter that used to come out like a “pitbull”. One has to wonder if he has any heart left to become champion again. During the post fight comments, the crowd started to boo. Arlovski, sporting more corporate logos on his shirt than a NASCAR driver, just smiled and then apologized to the fans for the lackluster performance. I guess we’re all just not used to seeing an Arlovski fight come to a decision.

MICHAEL BISPING vs. ELVIS SINOSIC

Michael Bisping, TUF 3 winner and England’s biggest export since Simon Cowell, put his undefeated record on the line to take on Australia’s Elvis Sinosic. Bisping’s disarming British wit fit well with the American fighters on the TUF 3 show and made him a fan favorite in the U.S. So far, Bisping has faced a pretty easy ride in the UFC. Bisping won the TUF 3 competition pretty handily and faced little threat in the final match from Josh Haynes. Bisping then ran over Eric Schafer pretty handily in UFC 66.

Bisping has been instrumental in Dana White’s plans to take the UFC international, but first he has to take out Elvis Sinosic. While Sinosic is a tough, experienced veteran, he is not the class of fighter that could seriously test Bisping. Elvis has submitted Jeremy Horn, but unsuccessfully mixed it up with the likes of Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz.

Bisping immediately took the fight to the floor and landed one serious blow after another, eventually opening a cut that left Sinosic’s face bloody. In the second, Elvis caught Bisping with a knee and Bisping stumbled to the canvas. Elvis jumped on him and eventually got and lost a kamura. Elvis got Bisping’s back but couldn’t get both hooks in for a rear naked choke. Bisping reversed positions and once on top, again threw down some uncontested, serious blows. It was then that Steve Mazzagatti stepped in to stop the fight.

In his post fight comments, the likable Bisping joked about his surprise getting caught with the knee. Though Bisping kept his record perfect at 14-0, here’s hoping the UFC will match Bisping up with a fighter of caliber such as a Tito Ortiz or a Forrest Griffin. Only then will we know if Bisping is really as unstoppable as he seems.

DANA WHITE SPEAKS

President Dana White had another exiting announcement during the festivities. He reported there would be an Ultimate Fighter #6 on Spike TV. The coaches will be Matt Serra and Matt Hughes, who will then fight each other at season’s end. Serra was already like a player/coach during season 4, working the corner for all his teammates’ fights and shouting instructions. Serra’s quick wit made him a popular character on the show and kept his teammates in stitches. Serra didn’t appreciate then coach/trainer Matt Hughes during season 4. Serra felt Hughes was an all-around dick and very disrespectful to fellow coach/trainer Georges St. Pierre. TUF 6 should be a great season but who are they going to get to fight that hasn’t been on the show already? We’ll find out.

MATT GRICE vs. TERRY ETIM
BATTLE OF THE UNDEFEATED

This lightweight battle of the undefeated featured two young fighters both making their UFC debut. Twenty-five year old Matt Grice is a decorated four-time Oklahoma State Champion wrestler turned MMA fighter. All but two of his nine fights have ended in the first round. Grice has his work cut out for him as his opponent, 21-year-old Terry Etim, from Liverpool England, hates decisions and ended all nine of his fights by knockout or submission.

It was the American Grice who looked stronger, dominating on the ground and just overpowering the smaller Etim. Grice looked like a little Matt Hughes, effortlessly picking up his opponent, slamming him to the ground and dishing out some brutal blows to the head. Unfortunately, once Etim got loose and stood up, he delivered some punishment of his own and caught Grice in standing Guillotine choke. Grice eventually escaped but was very woozy from the pressure. Once on the ground, Etim slapped another Guillotine choke on him and this time Grice passed out before he could tap. Etim, who proved to be the real deal, is a perfect 10-0 and ends another fight early with a first round submission… Lousy limey beating up a strong American… oh snap, is this mic still on? Just kidding! We love our English cousins, who in this troubled world, are always by our side.

ASSUERIO SILVA vs. CHEICK KONGO

This was not one of the most exiting fights. Silva was able to take down Kongo at will but was unable to do any damage because Kongo would immediately stranglehold Silva with his long arms. Referee Yamasaki had to stand then up twice and only then was Kongo able to land any scoring shots. In the last minute of the final round, Kongo was able to pull guard and opened up a cut on Silva’s forehead with an elbow. That alone may have been what gave Kongo the decision win in a low-scoring fight.

Silva has now lost all three of his UFC fights, having been stopped by Brandon Vera (UFC 60) and Tim Sylvia (Fight Night 3). Silva had picked up a couple of wins on the junior MMA circuit before tangling with the Kongo. The Frenchman, Cheick Kongo had made an impressive UFC debut with first round defeats of Aldana in UFC 61 and Sobral in UFC 62, but got derailed in UFC 64 by Carmelo Marrero. Beating Silva, albeit in an unexciting fashion, will further the UFC career of Cheick Kongo. As for Assuerio Silva, he’ll have a tough road to hoe. Not many 0-3 UFC fighters get asked to come back.