Looking Back At UFC London

Returning to London at the O2 Arena it was an exciting night for MMA fans. Electricity filled the air as the UFC unleashed a great Fight Night card for the rabid English fan base. Neither the UFC nor the fans disappointed as the fights were top level talents bringing the pulse pounding sights and sounds of battle and the fans were cranking up the volume to ten.

UFC London kicked it off with the prelims which rose to the occasion with some exciting action. Foreshadowing what was yet to come the fans were loud and proud and the fighters responded with some solid fights.

Nad Narimani vs Mike Grundy kicked off the action with a solid fight from both fighters. Grundy came away with a TKO with just seconds left in the second round.

Priscila Cachoeira faced off against Molly “Meatball” McCann in what was probably match of the night in the prelim card. Both Women went to war throwing a barrage of punches and kicks throughout the fight. Molly came away with the win via decision in an exciting and fast paced fight that had the fans in a frenzy.

Danny Henry and Dan Ige had a tough act to follow but Ige did his part scoring a beautiful submission and getting the win with just over a minute gone in the first round.

Saparbek Safarov vs Nicolae Negumereanu was a light heavyweight war a long time in the making. Safarov had a issue holding the fence and that actually played a part in the fight. But outside of that he dominated his opponent to earn a decision victory.

Marc Diakiese and Joe Duffy clashed in a highly anticipated lightweight showdown. An entertaining fight both showed heart and the will to win. Diakiese walked away with a decision victory in a fight I would like to see them run back at some point.

Jordan Rinaldi and Arnold Allen brought the action in the main event. Allen showed some great boxing and has no trouble finding his range and landing shots. Allen took great angles in his attack and Rinaldi simply had no answer for him. Fast paced and lots of shots fired it capped off a solid night for the prelim card. Allen won via unanimous decision.

Main card kicked off with middleweight madness as John Phillips battles Jack Marshman. Both fighters were throwing bombs but accuracy was an issue for both fighters. They beat the hell outta the air for most of the night but both men did land some solid shots. Marshman came away with the decision win which I highly question the judges decision on that one.

Claudio Silva and Danny Roberts hit the cage for a welterweight war of their own. Solid fight and Roberts showed he was better in a stand up battle than Claudio. Silva is known for his ground game and tried relentlessly to submit Roberts who showed much improved take down defense and defensive wrestling than most expected. Silva finally secured an arm bar in the third round when the ref stopped the fight via verbal submission. Roberts was slipping out of the hold when the ref called it and said he never quit. It was odd sequence of events to be sure and added some drama to an already great fight.

José Alberto Quiñónez looked to take down Nathaniel Wood in a bantamweight battle. Wood was simply too much for Jose and scored a beautiful submission in round two to secure the win. Wood appeared ready for better competition and should face a stronger opponent in his next fight.

Dominick Reyes battled the Swiss superman Volkan Oezdemir in a light heavyweight bout that had MMA fans buzzing. Both men looking to make a statement and both men looking to take a step towards a title shot. Three round war was what we got and a fun fight as they went three rounds and left it to the judges.Reyes scored the win and helped set the tone that the UFC was ready to fight all night in London.

Gunnar Nelson vs Leon Edwards was another solid fight. Edwards showed a much better ground game and take down defense than fight fans expected against Gunnar. Edwards showed some crisp striking and found his range against Nelson. They fought valiantly and gave the fans a good fight, Edwards walked away with the decision win.

Main event featured Darren “The Gorilla” Till against Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal in what fight fans were predicting to be an all out war. They were not wrong. Till exploded in round one catching Masvidal with a straight that dropped the veteran fighter. Till was unable to capitalize and finish Jorge. After a great first round they went into round two looking to finish the fight, one man did. Masvidal and Till traded punches and landed some great shots but Jorge hit Till on the button and put his lights out. Masvidal won with a fantastic and dramatic knockout.

Post fight interviews were underway and Masvidal was talking about his victory when Leon Edwards walked by. Edwards apparently said get your ass kicked in July. Masvidal took offense and approached Edwards asking the man to tell him that to his face not in passing. Next thing ya know hands and feet were flying and the fighters had to be separated. Later last night was Masvidal was asked about the incident at stated “I gave him a three piece and a soda” This could set up for a marquee match up between these two welterweights.

Great night great fights and a great crowd in London made this must see TV. Looking forward to what happens next with Edwards and Masvidal and who Ben Askren gets in his next fight.

Follow me on Twitter at
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@DamonSmith34

Check out one of my previous articles

http://marylandsportsblog.com/ufc-london-preview-and-predictions/

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Damon Smith

I am the new writer for combat sports such as UFC, Bellator, Boxing and WWE here with MSB. I have been involved in pro wrestling on the Indie circuit for over 20 years as Devin Storm. Owner of Rampage All-Star Wrestling and talent manager and announcer for a few other promotions. An avid sports fan born and raised in Texas. I am married to my beautiful wife Jodi and have two sons Dustin and Dalton. Life long passion for Pro Wrestling and love MMA so getting this gig was amazing for me. You can expect not only WWE and UFC news but also some gems from other promotions in these two sports. So buckle up buttercup it's gonna be a wild ride. Follow me on twitter at @damonsmith34 and @MSBFightClub

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