UFC’s first event televised on the Versus network took place in Broomfield, Colorado – the home state of the first UFC event held back in 1993.  Zuffa – UFC’s parent company – has been frequently using the Versus network to broadcast WEC events.  For a period of time, a dispute between DirecTV and Comcast (the owners of Versus) kept the network off the screens of DirecTV subscribers.  The dispute was resolved just in time for this event, allowing the first UFC on Versus to be broadcast to a wider audience.

Besides the network change, the other notable theme of this event was a reunion of the previous class of UFC’s heavyweights:  Gabriel Gonzaga, Cheik Kongo, and the presently light-heavyweight Brandon Vera.  All three fighters began their UFC careers within a year of each other, and all have received a varying degree of hype early in their careers, but consistently underachieved.  All three had a pivotal matchup lined up for them on this card.

Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin (185 lbs)

Round 1: Sakara is the aggressor early on, interchanging punch combinations with leg kicks.  Irvin is tentative, defending and firing off an occasional leg kick.  Sakara trips and falls while throwing a leg kick but gets up before Irvin has a chance to capitalize.  Sakara lands a left hook and Irvin collapses, clutching his eye.  Referee Josh Rosenthal pulls Sakara off before any more damage is done.  Irvin complains about an eye poke but replay shows it was a clean punch that landed to the eye.  After some hesitation, Rosenthal declares the bout a TKO victory for Sakara – the right call.

Aftermath: Alessio Sakara earns three consecutive wins for the first time in his UFC career.  He should next take on the winner of the upcoming bout between Patrick Cote and Alan Belcher, or Vitor Belfort if he returns to action soon.

James Irvin looked completely flat in his first fight after a long layoff.  Whether the cause was ring rust, a difficult cut for his first fight at 185 lbs, being gun-shy after his destruction at the hands of Anderson Silva, or a combination of all these factors, Irvin’s UFC career may be in jeopardy.  Post-fight, the UFC President Dana White mentioned that if Irvin gets another chance, it will not be in the middleweight division.

Fight Grade: 2/5

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WEC 47 ‘Bowles vs. Cruz’ was the organization’s debut in Columbus, Ohio, and featured several important matchups in the bantamweight division: Champion Brian Bowles was set to defend his title against Dominick Cruz, former champion Miguel Torres took on Joseph Benavidez in a #1 contender bout, and a rising prospect Scott Jorgensen looked to break into the title picture.  As usual, the card was rounded out by a smattering of lightweight and featherweight bouts.

Bart Palaszewski vs. Karen Darabedyan (155 lbs)

Round 1: The fighters circle each other tentatively.  Karen lands the first significant punch.  Bart answers with leg kicks.  Karen advances with a flurry, backing Bart into the cage, then goes for a takedown.  Palaszewski grabs on to a guillotine but gets slammed as Darabedyan breaks free and lands elbows to the head.  Bart tries for an omoplata and uses it to regain guard.  Bart attempts and armbar and a triangle but Karen evades danger and finds openings for elbows and punches.  Karen stands over Bart and eats an upkick then dives back into Palaszewski’s guard.  Palaszewski keeps looking for an armbar and finally secures one, straightening out Karen’s arm.  Darabedyan tries to roll out of it but he is trapped and forced to tap out.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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In the UFC’s continued quest for world dominance, UFC 110 took place in Sydney, Australia – another new location for the promotion.   The unofficial theme of the night was a reunion of some of Pride FC’s biggest stars – Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic, Wanderlei Silva, and Antonio ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira, all three fighting to maintain relevancy in the twighlight of their careers.

Mirko Filipovic vs. Anthony Perosh (HW)

Round 1: Mirko leads with a punch and misses with a head kick.  Perosh shoots for a takedown and Mirko sprawls, punching the side of Anthony’s head.  This sets the pace for the entire round, with Perosh’s takedown attempts repeatedly stuffed.  Mirko punishes Perosh on the feet with uppercuts and straight punches.  Perosh is persistent but unsuccessful with his shots, bleeding from the nose by the end of the round.  Round 10-9 Filipovic

Round 2: Perosh throws hands briefly, eats an uppercut and shoots for another takedown.  Mirko sprawls.  Perosh is still not having any success with his takedowns.  Mirko hurts Perosh with a body kick.  Perosh throws a couple of leg kicks and shoots again; Mirko stuffs the shot and punches the head of Perosh.  Perosh pulls guard and Mirko blasts him with an elbow from the top.  The elbow opens a huge, gushing cut on Anthony’s forehead.  The fight is stopped to check the cut and somehow allowed to continue.  Perosh attempts a few more failed takedowns and absorbs more punishment until the round finally ends.

The fight is stopped between rounds because of the severity of the cut, giving Mirko Filipovic the TKO victory.

Aftermath: This was a major mismatch, with the local fighter Perosh stepping in as a last-minute replacement for the ill Ben Rothwell who was originally scheduled to fight Filipovic.  Perosh never stood a chance in this matchup, and remains winless in the UFC.  Despite his willingness to fight on short notice, it’s unlikely he will get another UFC bout, unless perhaps they hold another event in Australia soon.

‘Cro Cop’ gets a much needed win, looking workmanlike against a outmatched opponent.  It looks like he will still take on Rothwell next – this should be a better indicator of just how far the mighty Cop has fallen.

Fight Grade: 2/5

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