Massive celebrations preceded the landmark 100th event of The Ultimate Fighting Championships. The promotion has come a long way since its inception and is now truly a powerhouse on the worlds sporting stage.

Another powerhouse – in the form of Brock Lesnar, was in the main event, alongside Frank Mir and there were several other top UFC warriors slated to battle it out at The Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Yoshihiro Akiyama Vs. Alan Belcher
Muay Thai stylist Belcher wasn’t rolling out the red carpet for UFC newcomer and Japanese Judoka, not to mention rock, movie and all around superstar “Sexyama”. In what was later given fight of the night honors, Alan and Yoshihiro put on a great stand up display trading punches and kicks throughout the entire fight. Both men showed great resolve and chins of iron as they exchange many well timed shots. Most pundits thought that Belcher should have been given the nod by the judges (myself included) – mainly due to some punishing leg kicks, octagon control and marginally more effective striking. However the judges saw otherwise handing Akiyama an impressive debut victory, via a very controversial split decision, over a battle hardened (and bitterly disappointed) opponent.

Dan Henderson Vs. Michael Bisping
Season nine TUF coaches Henderson and Bisping finally got to settle their differences inside the octagon. Bisping did a lot of talking leading up to the fight and “Hendo” obviously did a lot of training, as he looked reinvigorated from the opening bell. The former Pride star controlled proceedings and was looking to land his heavy hands on “The Count”. Michaels’ plan was to stick and move, which he was doing fairly well but with little impact damage wise. Dan on the other hand was moving well and found his timing quickly and settled into the fight a lot easier than Bisping.

The first round went the way of Henderson, thanks to some strong clinch work and he also got the better of the exchanges at one stage stunning the Englishman with one of his flurries. The second round was going much the same way, with Henderson controlling the center of the octagon and Bisping trying to get in and out and circle away. Michael circled away one too many times towards Dans’ right hand and paid the dearest price. Henderson cold knocking the Brit with just under two minutes remaining in round two. He then flew in with another slamming right hand just to make sure that the job was done. A stiffened Bisping lay frozen on the canvas as Henderson rejoiced in the highlight reel KO. This could very well signal the resurgence of an MMA veteran.

Jon Fitch Vs. Paulo Thiago
Thiago wanted to prove that his KO victory over Josh Koscheck wasn’t just a fluke, while “The Terminator” Jon Fitch wanted a victory of his own. In a three round struggle, where Paulo had a couple of solid chances at snaring the win via submissions, it was Fitch who pulled ahead on the scorecards and went some way to erasing the memory of defeat against GSP. Jon got the win via a unanimous decision.

Georges St-Pierre Vs. Thiago Alves
On paper “The Pitbull” was St Pierre’s toughest test to date. In reality this didn’t seem to matter as GSP schooled the Brazilian for the full five rounds. He dominated Alves in every aspect of the fight, right from the outset. The champion set the pace as he out punched, out kicked, and easily out wrestled Thiago. It was a truly dominant performance by (in my opinion) the blue print for MMA, GSP.

If you were to try and explain the sport to some one from another planet, you would just give them a DVD of the French Canadian and say that’s what MMA is! And he did it all despite suffering a groin injury mid way through the fight.

Brock Lesnar Vs. Frank Mir
The long awaited rematch between these two heavyweights had its fair share of controversy. Not during the fight itself but afterwards.

Mir looked in great shape as he entered the octagon, as did Lesnar and it was clear from the start who the crowd wanted to win. Unfortunately for Mir, the Las Vegas native and crowd favorite, it wasn’t his night as Brock took him down and punished him in the first round. Frank got up with a smile as the bell sounded, although it was a bloody smile.

Round two started with much more promise for Frank as he caught Lesnar and stunned him with his improved striking skills. Frank drove forward and pushed Brock to the fence. He leapt in with a knee and got caught up by Lesnar who drove him to the mat again. From there on in it was all Lesnar as he positioned himself nicely on top of Mir and methodically went about bashing his face in. The referee could only take so much and called a halt to proceedings a little under two minutes into the second round.

That’s when Lesnar rose to his feet and unleashed a tirade on all in attendance. He flipped off the crowd and then gave Mir another serve and then went on to trash a beer sponsor. Apart from that it was a great performance from Lesnar who has established himself as a true champion of his division in a very, very short amount of time. Can he keep getting better, or will he stall at some stage, we can only wait and see. One thing is for sure he has definitely taken over the mantle of the UFC’s most “unloved” champion from former holder Tim Sylvia.

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