Are We Brits Really Being Short Changed at UFC 120?

It seems after trawling through various internet forums, that the general consensus amongst UK MMA fans is that we are being short changed by the UFC. Many fans have been voicing their discontent at the quality of protagonists on show at UFC 120.

My initial reaction was to jump on the bandwagon and join in the aforementioned UFC/Dana white bating. After all the Uk has become a hot bed in recent years for MMA, and the sport is growing rapidly on our shores. Therefore the British MMA fan perhaps feels their loyalty should be rewarded with a fight card such as UFC 117. And in the main i agree, a card of such stature would be an enthralling event and would go some way to repaying the loyalty shown to the growing UK fan base. However, when the buzzer goes to signal proceedings it's ultimately the action in the cage that will define the success of the event. I for one believe that this card has the potential for some mouth watering action, and here's why.....

The main event see's our very own Michael 'The Count Bisping' face off against UFC new comer Yoshihiro Akiyama. The man heralding from his adopted Japan has made a significant impact in the worlds premier mixed martial arts organisation since his winning fight of the night performance against the impressive Alan Belcher, a fight i personally thought he lost. his next outing in the octagon was against 'The Crippler' Chris Leban. In a battle of epic proportions in which the action ebbed and flowed  between the two fighters, with Akiyama eventually submitting to a triangle choke. However, his performance was rewarded with with fight of the night honours once again. So that's two fights and two fight of the night honours!

The man in the opposing corner will need no introduction. Michael Bisping is the face of UK MMA and has enjoyed some high profile duals inside the octogon both at light heavyweight and more recently at middleweight. It would seem that the Wolfslair fighter's popularity has been fading since his highlight reel knockout loss to Dan Henderson. My view was that Bisping looked weight drained leading in to that fight and this may have contributed to his downfall, that and the fact he kept circling into range of Henderson's destructive right hand! Bisping though is a talented fighter with great technical striking ability and a healthy desire to win. Hopefully he will now have excorcised the demons of the Henderson fight and throw caution to the wind. He has gone some way to doing that already with his previous two bouts, but there has to be more to come from the 'The Count' if he wants to progress up the middleweight ladder. Bisping is a much better fighter when he shows aggression. If this is the case the fight will probably remain standing as Akiyama is not afraid to mix it on the feet in spite of his superior grappling skills, and i believe this has the makings of a good contest.

The co main event pits Dan 'The Outlaw' Hardy against the dangerous and versatile Carlos 'The Natural Born Killer' Condit. Dan Hardy is well known for his striking ability and the Nottingham welterweight carries dynamite in his fist's giving him the ability to put most of his weight class to sleep, coupled with immense heart shown in his decision loss to welterweight king pin Georges St Pierre, and his ever improving BJJ skills under Eddie Bravo. Dan Hardy is a difficult proposition for any welterweight and is rarely in a dull fight.

Taking up the challenge is former WEC champion Carlos Condit who is coming off a fight of the night victory against young up and comer Rory McDonald. In a fight that he was losing he eventually pulled out all the stops to take a TKO victory with only seconds remaining.'The Natural Born Killer' has only had one decision win in his career with the majority being by submission. However, there are KO victories on his resume so his power is not to be underestimated. This should be an intriguing fight for both the seasoned MMA fan and the casual observer.

The third bout confirmed for UFC 120 see's John 'Hitman' Hathaway compete in his fifth bout for the UFC against experienced grappler Mike 'Quicksand' Pyle. This could prove to be a difficult challenge for the former rugby player from Bath as Pyle is an accomplished grappler with some high profile scalps on his record, including a submission victory over top contender John Fitch. Having said that Hathaway's last octogon victory was a dominant performance against Diego Sanchez where he showed excellent stand up ability and nullified the wrestling capabilities of the aggresive Sanchez. Remember it wasn't long ago that Sanchez was challenging for the lightweight title following what was probably one of the best fights ever seen in the UFC versus Clay Guida.

Of course it would be fantastic to see the likes of BJ Penn, Anderson Silva and co fight in the UK, but these fights are relevant to the bigger picture in the UFC. Two of the three bouts feature recent fight of the night winners, and the other has experience and a young hungry fighter looking to impose himself in a talent rich division. Couple that with the re emerging Michael Bisping who has to win well to progress his career, and i believe we have the makings of an exciting evening at UFC 120.

Having top names on show gives us no guarantee that we will see heart stopping action. As fans of MMA we all know that when the buzzer sounds anything can happen!