It was a record setting debut for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Sydney, Australia, as UFC 110 sold 17,831 tickets for a $2.5 million gate, the highest in 10 years for the Acer Arena. The record sellout was the second fastest in UFC history, while the company broke the arena’s merchandising record originally set by Iron Maiden.
The show’s success paved the way for future events down under as UFC President Dana White stated at the post-fight press conference that the company plans on returning on an annual basis, with the next show likely in Melbourne (pending successful legalization efforts).
The UFC 110 bonuses were handed out to Cain Velasquez for knockout of the night, Chris Lytle for submission of the night, while George Sotiropoulos and Joe Stevenson earned the Fight of the Night honour. Each one of these fighters earned an extra fifty thousand dollars for their stellar performances.
Sotiropoulo’s dominant victory over Joe Daddy sent a clear message to the UFC lightweight division that he is for real, and is a serious contender in the division. While he’s not in title contention just yet, he is well on his way to some real wars with some of the division’s best.
Cain Velasquez’s utter destruction of living legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira served notice to Brock Lesnar, as well as Shane Carwin and Frank Mir. The Cain Train is for real and any doubters of his skill set will now fall on deaf ears.
In the co-main event, Wanderlei Silva’s victory over Michael Bisping was a bout that had many fight fans on the edge of their seats. I, for one, felt like I held my breath for the first four minutes of the bout and had to force myself to exhale. It was one of those epic bouts that I just knew that, at any given point, an explosion was about to occur. Silva may have come out with a well deserved victory, but Bisping should keep his head up high for going the distance with “The Axe Murderer”. With the victory, Silva is now expected to take on Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama
If there’s one thing Bisping may look back on and wished he had done differently in the fight, it’s likely a change in aggression. Today, I wonder if he is likely regretting not being more aggressive and abandoning his counter punching style going into round three. Either way, “The Count” will likely show this type of style in his next bout, as that is the one that usually grants him the most success.
Cro Cop’s victory over Anthony Perosh (who took the bout on forty eight hours notice) was expected; but I still want to see how he fares with his original opponent, “Big” Ben Rothwell. Having been a die-hard Cro Cop fan for years, I’m not sure he is still has that killer instinct and devastating power anymore. Rothwell would have been a great test, so, until that fight happens, I’m still on the shelf with the Pride superstar.
As for the rest of the bouts, Ryan Bader proved he is on the right track with his training. Defeating Keith Jardine was expected (in my books), so now it’s time for another stiff test for the undefeated wrestler.
Canadian Krzysztof Soszynski may have had his hand raised in victory after his war with Stephan Bonnar, but at the UFC 11o post-fight press conference, both “The Polish Experiment” and “The American Psycho” agreed that there is unfinished business here. With the bout ending on an accidental headbutt that split Bonnar open, look for the UFC matchmaking team to pit these two light heavyweights together sometime in the summer.
Who could have predicted Chris Lytle, the stand-up warrior, pulling off a submission? I certainly didn’t see it coming, so kudos to him for the excellent rolling knee bar set-up, and sticking with the attempt until he was able to lock Brian Foster’s leg in position, forcing him to tap.
The full UFC 110 results are:
MAIN CARD
- Cain Velasquez def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via KO (punches) at 2:20 of round one
- Wanderlei Silva def. Michael Bisping via unanimous decision (29-28 on all judges scorecards)
- George Sotiropoulos def. Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision (30-27 on all judges scorecards)
- Ryan Bader def. Keith Jardine via KO (punch) at 2:10 of round three
- Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic def. Anthony Perosh via TKO (cut) at 5:00 of round three.
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Krzysztof Soszynski def. Stephan Bonnar via TKO (cut) at 1:04 of round three.
- Chris Lytle def. Brian Foster via submission (knee-bar) at 1:41 of round one.
- C.B. Dollaway def. Goran Reljic via unanimous decision (29-28 on all judges scorecards)
- James Te Huna def. Igor Pokrajac via TKO (strikes) at 3:26 of round three.
-Showdown Joe Ferraro
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