UFC London Results: Michael Johnson Earns Decision Over Melvin Gulliard

UFC London Results: Michael Johnson Earns Decision Over Melvin Guillard
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

UFC.com

Michael Johnson earned a unanimous decision victory over former Blackzilian team-mate Melvin Gulliard on Saturday, in a bout that left fans who expected a firefight disappointed.

The lightweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 37 co-main event at O2 Arena in London. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass, BT Sports, and Channel 5 in The UK.

The opening round started fast with Guillard landed a big knee on Johnson but slowed from there with little action over the next minute until Guillard was hit with a low blow. When the round continued Johnson caught Guillard with a nice combo with Guillard offering little in terms of offense. As the boo's from the crowed started to ring out, Johnson who was controlling to octagon at this point and was the only man offering little action, began to taunt Guillard in attempt to bring him into the fight. The round ended with Johnson attempting a takedown only to be caught with a big right hand from Guillard.

Round 2 began with Johnson starting where he left off, pushing the action and controlling the octagon. At this stage the pace of the fight was starting to slow, and the fans in attendance again showed their displeasure with how the fight was progressing. Both men traded wild combos but again Guillard was showing unwillingness to trade. Johnson unleashed an excellent flurry towards the end of the round, catching Guillard with some hard punches and a big knee causing him to wobble.

The third round was all Johnson with the Blackzilian again pushing the pace with an early takedown. Guillard got back to his feet and missed with a big spinning back kick. Johnson returned with a solid punch and a follow up knee. Guillard signaled for an eye poke but the referee never stopped the action, allowing Johnson to catch Guillard with elbows against the cage to secure unanimous decision victory - 30-27 x2, and 29-28.

After the fight, Johnson, who has now won three straight bouts against top-tier opponents, expressed his disappointment with the bout, but said he is ready for a top 10 opponent: 

"I came to fight so tonight was obviously very frustrating. I don’t know if he was scared or what. The fans had a right to boo, I would’ve booed too. Im not happy at all but a win is a win. I want a top guy next, maybe a Nate Diaz, Josh Thomson or the winner of the Cowboy Cerrone fight.”

UFC Fight Night London Predictions

Kingdom MMA predictions for UFC Fight Night London

by Ben Heather @benheather, Tommy Strong @Strong_tea and Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

This week we will be predicting the fights for UFC Fight Night 38, as the UFC returns to London for its first EMEA show of 2014. For this event we will give a write up for the main card fights card and then we will be picking our winners for the rest of the card. Let us know if you agree with our picks.

Gustafsson vs Manuwa

Jack: Although Gus can handle himself on the feet he has a massive advantage on the ground here. Manuwa is a poor grappler and Gus is excellent. I expect this to go to the ground early and for the frustrations of the Jon Jones loss to be taken out on Manuwa. I don't think this fight will see past he halfway point of round 1.

Prediction: Gustafsson by Submission Round 1

Ben: I was shocked when this fight was announced, I thought Gustafsson should have been matched up with another top ranked fighter such as Phil Davis with Jimi on the main card against a top 10 guy.... just not the number 2 guy.

That being said, Alex has everything to lose in this fight. Jimi will be going in to this fight as a big underdog and it may be the first time that has happened in his career. I would love to see the upset, however we have never seen Jimi tested and he will be on Saturday night. I can't see it happening but I would love it for Jimi and UK MMA as well.

Prediction: Gustafsson by Submission Round 4

Tommy: I still can't figure out why and how Jimi has got this fight except for selling tickets! Jimi hasn't fought anyone on the level of Alexander Gustafsson before, this is a huge step up for him and one I think he's really going to struggle with. With so much on the line for Gustafsson he really has everything to lose and nothing to gain by beating Jimi. Its Manuwa that could be in touching distance of a title fight if he was to pull of a huge upset here.

I expect Gustafsson to play it safe here against a dangerous striker and keep the fight either at length or force Jimi onto the ground for much of the fight.

Prediction: Gustafsson by TKO Round 2.

Johnson vs Guillard

Tommy: With Ross Pearson having to pull out due to an injury, this is a very good replacement in Johnson. Both fighters can blow hot or cold on any given night, so lets hope its piping hot as we could be in for real treat here. With Guillard's knockout power and Johnson's ground game this is a coin toss to predict, I'm still not sure who to pick in this, if I was a betting man I would leave this fight well alone.

Prediction: Johnson by Unanimous Decision

Jack: This fight is as close to a pick em as you'll see. Both extraordinarily talented fighters and both frustratingly inconsistent. If we are to assume both guys turn up on point(which history tells us they won't) then I like Johnson. Tibau and Lauzon are tough tough guys and he handled both with ease. Guillard has lost every significant fight he's been in over the last couple of years only winning 2 of the past 7.

Prediction: Johnson by KO Round 2

Ben: Johnson is on a tear, he has to be in the best form of his career. First he picked apart Joe Lauzon in a fight not many people gave him a chance, then he knocked out Tibau and I think he will do the same this weekend against Guillard. That being said, Guillard has proved that he can finish anyone on a good night but his form is not consistent. I see Johnson keeping his run going and next time out facing off against a top 10 ranked fighter.

Prediction: Johnson by TKO Round 2

Pickett vs Seery

Tommy: Pickett making his flyweight debut was something I was really looking forward to. Though with the withdrawal of Ian McCall I feel a little let down now. A win against a top ranked McCall would really of put Pickett into the top 5 of the flyweight division. The UFC have done a good job in finding a late replacement in Seery but the fight lacks a little something for me.

I think Pickett's experience in the octagon and Seery making his UFC debut this could be a lop sided fight!

Prediction: Pickett by TKO Round 1

Ben: I feel for Pickett in this fight, when I spoke to him just before Christmas he mentioned challenges and pushing towards a title shot. I feel a big win against McCall could have been enough to give him a shot against Mighty Mouse and his case is helped by the fact that he is one of only two men to beat him. However, now he is set to fight Neil Seery there isn't much to gain here for Pickett. It's now a fight that he is expected to win and by winning doesn't get much reward for doing so. He certainly won't be facing the champ next time out.

As for the fight itself I can't see anything else other than a Pickett stoppage victory, I can't decide whether that will be a knockout or submission but it won't be a good night for Seery.

Prediction: Pickett by TKO Round 2

Jack: Styles may clash here, late notice for Seery who no doubt is in shape but wasn't preparing to face Pickett. Pickett was preparing for a different style all together but class should show here.

Prediction: Pickett by Unanimous Decision

Nelson vs Akhmedov

Jack: My sleeper for fight of the night. Really looking forward to this one as soon as it was announced. Akhmedov's debut lasted about 3.5 minutes and he managed to win fight of the night and come from behind to win by KO. The fight despite being so short had everything and it really showed off all the Russians skill set. Nelson has not fought since the last time the Octagon landed in London back in February of 2013. No real explanation of the extended break and that would be of concern for me. Once a real hot prospect in the sport it's difficult to pick him here though.

Prediction: Akhmedov by Decision

Tommy: It will be good to see Gunnar Nelson back inside the octagon after a year out since he last fought in London 2013. Though this could be a real tough test for Nelson. Akhmedov unbeaten in 11 fights, won fight of the night honours in his debut against Thiago Perpetuo in November. Both fighters are very well rounded here with Gunnar having the slight edge on the ground, though if Akmedov can keep it standing he has a very good chance here.

I've made the mistake to many times backing against Russian fighters in the UFC so this time I'm going for the upset here.

Prediction: Akhmedov by TKO Round 2

Ben: Unlike the others I see Gunnar Nelson returning to the Octagon and picking up where he left off last year in London. Yes Akhmedov could be his toughest opponent to date but I feel it will be a submission victory which will come and Nelson will not let it go until he gets the W.

Prediction: Nelson by Submission Round 2.

Predictions for the remainder of the Card

Diabate vs Latifi

Jack: Diabate         Ben: Diabate     Tommy: Diabate

Barnatt vs Nilsson

Jack: Barnatt         Ben: Barnatt       Tommy: Barnatt

Scott vs da Silva

Jack: Scott            Ben: Scott          Tommy: Scott

Grant vs Delorme

Jack: Grant           Ben: Delorme     Tommy: Delorme

Araujo vs Mitchell

Jack: Araujo         Ben: Mitchell      Tommy: Araujo

Harris vs Gaudinot

Jack: Gaudinot      Ben: Gaudinot    Tommy: Gaudinot

UFC London tickets now on sale

Tickets for UFC Fight Night London: Gustafsson vs Manuwa now on sale

Tickets for UFC Fight Night London: Gustafsson vs Manuwa now on sale and they are selling fast. This is in part due to the biggest ever pre sale to date for a March event.

The UFC returns to London on Saturday 8th March, where it will take over the O2 Arena, headlined by an explosive fight between Londoner Jimi “Posterboy” Manuwa and the world no.2 light heavyweight Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson.

A victory for the powerful Manuwa, who is undefeated in his professional career (14-0), could see him handed a title shot later this year.  Alexander Gustafsson will prove the toughest test of the Croydon-based fighter’s career, after the Swede’s narrow defeat to champion Jon Jones in what many MMA fans called the best fight of 2013.  Manuwa called for the fight and believes that by knocking the No.1 ranked challenger out, he can get right in the title hunt.

The event, which is the first of six UFC events across Europe and the Middle East this year, are priced at £40, £50, £75, £100, £125, £150, £450 and £850 for the VVIP experience, and are available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.theo2.co.uk. That being said, I would order any tickets quickly if you plan on going to see the live event as a lot of the pricing categories were selling out quickly on the first day of going on sale.

UFC is reporting it’s biggest ever pre-sale for a UK event, which is the fifth to be held at the iconic O2 Arena. 

Michael “The Menace” Johnson, ranked no. 13 in the lightweight division, will meet Melvin “The Young Assasin” Guillard in the co-main event.  Johnson has racked up two impressive wins in the second half of 2013 to see him climb the rankings.  Guillard holds the record for most TKO / KO victories in the lightweight division and will be looking to finish the fight in blistering style.

London’s Brad “One Punch” Pickett, who is one of the UFC’s most exciting fighters, will fight in his hometown under the UFC banner for the first time in his career.  Brad, who has a remarkable four Fight of the Night titles to his name, will make his flyweight debut against no.3 ranked Ian McCall, in one of the most intriguing battles on the card.

UK fans will also get a chance to see The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) runner-up Davey “Dangerous” Grant in the Octagon for the first time, as he takes on Canadian Roland Delorme.  

Jimi Manuwa, said: “The fight’s only five weeks away now and I can’t wait to get into the Octagon, in my home town, and put on a show for the fans.

“This is definitely my biggest fight yet but I’m not afraid of Alex.  I’ve beaten every single fighter I’ve faced within two rounds and I don’t plan for this fight to be any different.  I want to be World Champion, remembered as unbeaten and a knockout specialist.

“I’ve never trained as hard as I’m training for this fight and I promise a fans a fight they won’t forget – lions eat first!”

Alexander Gustafsson, who was recently chosen in a global fan vote to be on the cover of a the new EA Sport UFC game, said: “I am really looking forward to this fight, I think it’s a great match up.  Jimi is a tough guy but I’m ready for him.

“I am preparing for five rounds, but it won’t last that long!

“I’ve fought in London before and it always has big, loud crowds.  But I know a lot of fans are travelling over from Sweden to get behind me on the night.”

Other British talent on the card includes Luke “The Bigslow” Barnatt who will be looking to hold on to his undefeated record against Mats Nilsson who will be making his UFC debut in London.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT LONDON: GUSTAFSSON VS MANUWA full card is:   
MAIN CARD
Alexander Gustafsson #1 vs Jimi Manuwa #11                (light heavyweight)
Michael Johnson #13 vs Melvin Guillard                          (lightweight)
Brad Pickett vs Ian McCall #3                                        (flyweight)
Gunnar Nelson vs Omari Akhmedov                               (welterweight)

PRELIMS
Cyrille Diabate vs Ilir Latifi                                              (light heavyweight)
Luke Barnatt vs Mats Nilsson                                         (middleweight)
Bradley Scott vs Claudio Henrique da Silva                    (middleweight)
David Grant vs Roland Delorme                                     (bantamweight)
Igor Araujo vs Danny Mitchell                                        (welterweight)
Phil Harris vs Louis Gaudinot #11                                   (flyweight)
 
All bouts are live and subject to change.

UFC Fight Night 37 fight card Official - Main Card

UFC announce the finalised line up for UFC Fight Night 37 - Kingdom MMA review the Main Card

by Ben Heather @benheather

With the tickets for UFC Fight Night 37 now on sale to fight club members and those who have signed up to the UFC Newsletter it has been announced that the line up for the event has been finalised.

UFC Fight Night 37 marks the return to the UK of the UFC and its first show in Europe of 2014. The fight card has been set at 10 fights and will consist of a 4 fight main card and 6 prelim fights.

Currently the event is not due to be scheduled on BT Sports in the UK as this event is a UFC Fight Pass Event and so not on TV in the US. So today Kingdom MMA spoke to Simon Head (@simonhead), Digital Producer of UFC for BT sports to see what the latest news was regarding the event being shown on tv and he had the following to say.

"At the moment all we can confirm are the events on our schedule page here. If and when other events are added, they'll be added to this page. If UFC London is one of them, obviously we'll make an announcement."

In my opinion BT Sports have already proved to be a great success for the UFC in the UK and I believe they will do anything they possibly can to show this event live on BT Sports on March 8th. If you think back the first event which was shown exclusively on Fight Pass was UFC Singapore and BT Sport were able to find a resolution and show the event on tape delay in the UK. In all honesty it was never going to be shown live at the time due to the content at 11am so this was a great result for the UK fans.

Kingdom MMA will now take a look at the main card and discuss what is on the line in each match up.

Omari Akhmedov vs Gunnar Nelson

Akhmedov (12-1 MMA 1-0 UFC) debuted for the UFC last year in Brazil putting on a real show for the fans and won by knocking out Thiago Perpetuo in the first round to pick up the bonus for the fight of the night. Not a bad way to start your career in the UFC but now he will be facing the toughest opponent of his career in Icelandic fighter Gunnar Nelson (11-0-1 MMA 2-0 UFC).

Nelson will come in to the fight as the crowd favourite having fought 10 out of the 12 fights in his career in either the UK or Ireland. I predict Nelson will attempt to get the fight to ground as soon as possible and showcase his BJJ skills en route to a submission victory. My only concern with Nelson is the fact it will be over a year since his last fight when he walks in to the Octagon in March so we will have to see if he can pick up where he left off and keep his undefeated record.

Ian McCall vs Brad Pickett

Pickett (23-8 MMA 3-3 UFC) has to be one of the best MMA fighters to watch. He comes in to fights, stands his ground and is happy to put it all on the line and trade blows in the centre of the Octagon. Yes his UFC record isn't the best but look at who he has fought. His losses have come against the now champion of the bantamweight division Renan Barao and former title contenders Eddie Wineland and Michael McDonald. It's not like he has lost to chumps, these guys are the best of the elite fighters at bantamweight which led Pickett to drop down to flyweight where he will meet Ian McCall (12-4-1 MMA 1-2-1 UFC) in London for his flyweight debut.

Ian McCall has always been a flyweight contender ever since the UFC introduced the division in March 2012. He took Demetrious Johnson to a draw when they first fought in the division and in the final round of that fight looked like he might be able to stop Johnson however couldn't and lost the rematch. Now he is looking forard to welcoming Pickett to the division. It will be an explosive fight and a real test to see where Pickett ranks in the division. After all Brad Pickett is one of only two men to have a win over the champ Demetrious Johnson so a win against McCall could push him all the way to finally getting that UFC title shot he craves so bad.

It will certainly be a great fight for the fans so don't blink because as always I expect Brad Pickett to try and finish this fight as early as possible.

Melvin Guillard vs #13 Michael Johnson

This fight was originally meant to be the rematch between Melvin Guillard (31-12-2-2 MMA 12-8-1 UFC) and Ross Pearson following the no contest ruling to there fight back in October. However last week Ross Pearson had to be pulled out of this fight due to a knee injury. This came as a big disappointment to the fans. However, I for one am very happy about the match up we will now see as the co main event of UFC Fight Night 37.

Michael Johnson (14-8 MMA 6-4 UFC) has stepped in to replace the injured Pearson and I can't think of a better replacement (that realistically) could have taken this fight. Johnson has been on a tear of late defeating Joe Lauzon in his hometown and then following that up at UFC 168 by knocking out Gleison Tibau. Johnson is similar to Pearson is some respect in that he loves to keep the fight on its feet and will happily stand and bang with Guillard who is also known for this in his fights.

I expect this fight to be up there in the fight of the night category once all is said and done. It will be either this fight or the previous McCall vs Pickett fight that takes home the bonus money but these fighters will certainly put on a show for the fans.

Main Event: #1 Alexander Gustafsson vs #11 Jimi Manuwa

This has all the attributes of a great fight, both guys have proven knock out power and will be coming to make a statement. This is without doubt the biggest fight in Jimi's life. Lets face it though, I can't think of a better way to do it. Manuwa (14-0 MMA 3-0 UFC) will be headlining his first UFC event in his hometown of London in front of a packed crowd, trying to keep his undefeated record intact against the guy who many say deserves to be the champ now. If dreams come true, this has to be up there with the best dream Manuwa could have predicted. It will certainly be a step up in competition for him but a win will propell him to the very elite level of the division and not far from a title shot.

For Gustafsson (15-2 MMA 7-2 UFC), he will be coming in to this fight with everything to lose against a very strong opponent but the prize for risking it is that rematch he desires so badly with Jon Jones. Although he is a european fan favourite he will be walking in to the Manuwa's home town and will not have the fans on his side for this fight.

If the fight stays standing then I predict somebody will be getting knocked out, however Alexander Gustafsson just became the first man to take down Jon Jones and I see him having a lot easier job of getting Manuwa down. If he does, he will certainly have the advantage in the fight. However, it was rumoured that Manuwa may be training with Daniel Cormier for part of this fight camp so we will have to wait and see what happens on fight night.

The full card is as follows

Main Card
Alexander Gustafsson vs Jimi Manuwa
Melvin Guillard vs Michael Johnson
Ian McCall vs Brad Pickett
Omari Akhmedov vs Gunnar Nelson

Prelims
Cyrille Diabate vs Ilir Latifi
Luke Barnatt vs Mats Nilsson
Brad Scott vs Claudio Henrique da Silva
Roland Delorme vs Davey Grant
Igor Araujo vs Danny Mitchell
Louis Gaudinot vs Phil Harris

That marks the end of my preview of the main card for UFC Fight Night 37. Do you agree with my comments? Please comment below with your thoughts.

Tickets are on sale now for this event at www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Introducing Cage Warriors new recruits

Cage Warriors signs up four more fighters

by Ben Heather @benheather

Cage Warriors have signed four more fighters to exclusive contracts, which will commit each of them to fight for Cage Warriors for at least the next 18 months. Jack Hermansson, Doni Miller, Julien Boussuge and Mike Johnson are the latest fighters to be snapped up by Cage Warriors and each have put pen to paper on five fight contracts.

Jack Hermansson (5-2) who has already fought twice under the Cage Warriors banner picking up wins over Ali Arish and Mike Ling back in 2011. After this he was signed by Bellator but unfortunately went 0-2 and now returns to Cage Warriors looking to return to the form he was in before leaving the promotion.

With four KO's out of his five wins you know you will see an exciting fight when Hermansson returns to the Cage in 2014 and this is what he had to say about the return to Cage Warriors.

“I’m really glad to be back with the best organisation in Europe,” said 25-year-old Hermansson. “This is the place for me right now and I’m looking forward to showing who the best European middleweight is.”

Doni Miller (5-2) who was last in action at Cage Warriors 61 losing to rising star Arnold Allen at featherweight plans to move to the bantamweight division in 2014. Miller who fights out of Scotland’s Dinky Ninjas camp with renowned stars Joanne Calderwood, Robert Whiteford and Stevie Ray to name a few.

Before his fight with Arnold Allen last month Miller was on a run of four straight victories. Even though Miller lost at Cage Warriors 61 he certainly impressed taking the fight as a late-notice replacement and putting up a good fight and even testing Allen on a couple of occasions in the first round.

Miller had the following to say about signing for Cage Warriors:

“I’m absolutely ecstatic about signing with one of the biggest organisations in the world and I’m really looking forward to being involved in some exciting scraps against the best of the CWFC bantamweight division.”

Julien Boussuge (10-3) also fought at Cage Warriors 61, defeating the Australian fighter Damien Brown by decision to secure his tenth professional victory and his third on the trot. The 32 year old French lightweight, who fights out of Paris is looking to test himself as he makes his Cage Warriors debut in 2014.

“It’s a real honour for me to have signed with Cage Warriors,” Boussuge said. “I’ll be looking to challenge CWFC’s best lightweights in order to get to the very top of the division.”

The last of the four new recruits is Mike Johnson (9-6). Johnson is a top 25 ranked English welterweight who is only looking to improve on his place in the rankings and knows that if he puts on a show in his Cage Warriors debut his place in the rankings will only go one way.

Johnson unfortunately lost his last fight at the hands of Wayne Murrie, in a BAMMA Lonsdale British Welterweight title fight which ended the run of four consecutive victories.
Johnson said:

“I want to thank Cage Warriors and my management for giving me this opportunity. I can’t wait to get in there and showcase my skills for the CWFC fans around the world.”

All four of these fighters will be looking to kick off 2014 with a bang, keep tuned to Kingdom MMA for more news on Cage Warriors as well as updates on when the four new recruits will be fighting. I am sure it won't be long before we see them all in action.

Ross Pearson Out, Melvin Guillard Now Meets Michael Johnson

Ross Pearson Out, Melvin Guillard Now Meets Michael Johnson
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Ross Pearson has been forced to withdraw from his highly anticipated rematch with Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 37 with a knee injury which requires surgery. The UFC confirmed earlier today that Melvin Guillard now meets Ultimate Fighter Finalist Michael Johnson in London:

“With Ross Pearson unable to compete due to injury, No 13 ranked lightweight Michael ‘The Menace’ Johnson will face Melvin ‘The Young Assassin’ Guillard in the co-main event March 8 in London."

 UFC Fight Night 37 takes place March 8 at London’s O2 Arena, and will stream on the UFC's new online subscription service, Fight Pass. Ticket go on general sale on Friday the 31st of January, with UFC newsletter subscribers able to purchase on the 30th, and UFC Fight Club members able to purchase on the 29th.

On some-what of a resurgence Michael Johnson has ratted off impressive back-to-back victories over Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau, to earn his place in the top 15 of the UFC's lightweight rankings. The 10 fight UFC veteran holds a professional record of 14-8, with 9 of his 14 victories coming inside the distance.

Interestingly Gulliard and Johnson are former training partners during Guillard's 5 fight with the Blackzillians.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Fight Night 37

Fighter vs Writer: Cage Warriors Champion Cathal Pendred predicts UFC Fight Night 26 (THE RESULTS)

Fighter vs Writer: Cage Warriors Cathal Pendred predicts UFC Fight Night 26 (The Results)

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night Cage Warriors Welterweight champion Cathal Pendred stepped in to the hot seat to challenge Kingdom MMA in the latest Fighter vs Writer feature.

This week we put forward the big man himself, the man who started it all, our Editer and Co Owner Chris Houten. Not to put any more pressure on Chris than he already had facing a very talented competitor but we hoped he could do better than he did last time out against another Cage Warriors Champion in Jim Alers. In Chris' previous appearance on Fighter vs Writer he lost in what is still Kingdom MMA's only defeat.
Below you will be able to see the results as the fights happened. It was a closely contested battle and Cathal certainly proved to be a respectable opponent for Chris.

The Scoring

If you predict the correct winner of the fight you will get one point and if you predict the correct method of victory you will get an extra point. However, if the fight ends in a stoppage and you predict the round as well the method you could earn a third bonus point. If the fight goes the distance you can only earn a maximum of two points.

UFC Fight Night 26 Results

Conor McGregor Def. Max Holloway by Decision

• Cathal Pendred: McGregor by TKO Rd 1 - Score 1
• Chris Houten: McGregor by TKO Rd 1 - Score 1

Score after the 1st fight: Cathal Pendred - 1 Chris Houten - 1

Michael McDonald Def. Brad Pickett by Sub RD2

• Cathal Pendred: Pickett by Decision - Score 0
• Chris Houten: Pickett by Decision - Score 0

Score after the 2nd fight: Cathal Pendred - 1 Chris Houten - 1

Michael Johnson Def. Joe Lauzon by Decision

• Cathal Pendred: Lauzon by Sub Rd 1 - Score 0
• Chris Houten: Lauzon by Sub Rd 1 - Score 0

Score after the 3rd fight: Cathal Pendred - 1 Chris Houten - 1

John Howard Def. Uriah Hall by Decision

• Cathal Pendred: Hall by TKO Rd 2 - Score 0
• Chris Houten: Howard by Unanimous Decision - Score 2

Score after the 4th fight: Cathal Pendred - 1 Chris Houten - 3

Matt Brown Def. Mike Pyle by TKO RD1

• Cathal Pendred: Pyle by Sub Rd 2 - Score 0
• Chris Houten: Pyle by Unanimous Decision - Score 0

Score after the 5th fight: Cathal Pendred - 1 Chris Houten - 3

Urijah Faber Def. Yuri Alcantara by Decision

• Cathal Pendred: Faber by Unanimous Decision - Score 2
• Chris Houten: Faber by Sub - Score 1

Score after the 6th fight: Cathal Pendred - 3 Chris Houten - 4

Travis Browne Def. Alistair Overeem by TKO RD1

• Cathal Pendred: Overeem by TKO Rd 1 - Score 0
• Chris Houten: Browne by Unanimous Decision - Score 1

Score after the 7th fight: Cathal Pendred - 3 Chris Houten - 5

Chael Sonnen Def. Shogun Rua by Sub RD1

• Cathal Pendred: Sonnen by Unanimous Decision - Score 1
• Chris Houten: Sonnen by Unanimous Decision - Score 1

Score after the 8th fight: Cathal Pendred - 4 Chris Houten - 6

FINAL SCORE CATHAL PENDRED - 4 CHRIS HOUTEN - 6

Kingdom MMA would like to thank Cathal Pendred once again for his participation in Fighter vs Writer and would all like to wish him good luck at trying to get in to the house for the next series of TUF. For more on Cathal Pendred, check out and follow Cathal on Twitter - @PendredMMA

Mixed Fortunes For Boston Pair at UFC Fight Night 26

Surprise Loss for Lauzon, Whilst Howard schools Hall

by Tommy Strong @strong_tea



Saturday night UFC Fight Night 26 saw mixed fortunes for Boston's Joe Lauzon and John Howard.

Lauzon (22-9) renowned for his exciting style of fighting that has earned himself 12 bonuses of the night awards, equal with the legend Anderson Silva.

Lauzon came into the fight on the back of a unanimous decision loss to Jim Miller at UFC 155 on the 29th December 2012. Not only did the pair pick up fight of the night bonus, they were also awarded fight of the year 2012! Though it was Michael Johnson that had everyone on the edge of their seats. Being a 2-1 underdog going into the fight, not many had backed Johnson to pull of a win against the submission artist in Lauzon.

Johnson wasted no time in silencing the hometown crowd that were cheering on local boy Lauzon with jabs and leg kicks to keep Lauzon at range and stuffing any take downs he attempted. Over the 3 rounds Lauzon had no answer for Johnson's speed, landing at will with little or nothing coming back.

By the third round Johnson had broken Lauzon, leaving him clueless on what to do next! Johnson produced one of, if not his best performance within the UFC to take a one sided victory on the judges score cards, so much so one judge scored the fight (30-25).

Lauzon offered no excuses after the fight , saying he was 100% fit and healthy, had a great training camp and everything went to plan. It just wasn't his night. Handing every credit to to the winner Johnson. I'm sure this is just a blip in Lauzons career and he will be back in the style we have all come accustomed too.

On the flip side we saw Boston's John Howard returning to the UFC for the first time since 2011 having left a Welterweight, now returning inside the octagon as a Middleweight to face TUF 17 runner up Uriah Hall.

In truth the fight was a stinker! Which had Dana White commenting on twitter:

'HORRIBLE!!!!!!! The high 5 of the night WTF"

With so many eagerly anticipating the Hall that we saw in the TUF series knocking fighters out in style, hoping his loss in the TUF final to Kelvin Gastelum was just a one off. Though sadly it was much of the same.

Hall come out from the bell using his reach advantage to keep Howard at range, though going into round two Howard found his rhythm and showed better striking and wrestling skills to take the advantage over Hall who offered very little in return. The fight didn't get any better in rounds 2 or 3 where the crowd were getting restless and venting their frustrations with chorus of boo's.

Everyone was grateful to hear the final bell and see the fight come to an end. The fight went to the judges scorecards which saw John Howard take a split decision win (30-27-28-29 -29-28)

Uriah Hall is now (0-2) with the UFC and with his back really up against the wall if he wants to stay within the UFC.

Dana White wasted no time giving his opinions on Uriah Hall:

"I love Uriah Hall. I have a great relationship with this kid. He's one of the nicest human beings you can ever meet. He's not a fighter, man. If I could take Brad Pickett's brain and heart and put it inside Uriah Hall's body, holy shit there would be some damage done, because Uriah has all the physical attributes to be amazing. He's got speed, he's got power, he's unbelievable. He doesn't have what it mentally takes to fight here. You know what I mean? He was this killer on TUF, and then he comes into the big show where it really matter and this is going to make your livelihood and everything else, and he turns into a different person. This super nice guy. He was telling me after the Kelvin fight "I really like him, he's a really nice guy. Ok, well that really nice guy just took every fucking thing you ever wanted"

Is this the last we have seen from Uriah Hall?! What do you all think??

Joe Lauzon Meets Michael Johnson in Boston

Lauzon v Johnson added to UFC on Fox Sports 1

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

Joe Lauzon has got a fight on the card he wanted. The man from East Bridgewater, Boston, desperately wanted to fight in front of his hometown fans again. He has his wish as he will face Michael Johnson at UFC on Fox Sports 1 on Aug 17.

The last time the UFC was in Boston, Lauzon was lucky enough to be on the card. In 2010 he destroyed Gabe Reudiger in the 1st round picking up submission of the night honours for his troubles.

He will be hoping for a similar return this time round after a difficult recent run. He is 2-2 in his last 4 fights but losses have come to top contender Anthony Pettis and a fight of the year contender to Jim Miller. Lauzon is in exciting fight win or lose and expect nothing else here. The man doesn't know how to fight boring.

Michael Johnson is on a difficult run of his own of late despite starting his UFC run very strongly. He's coming of a big loss to hometown favourite Reza Madadi in Sweden. He did have Madadi in heaps of trouble with a head kick but could not close the fight out and went on to lose in dominant fashion. Previously to that he had lost a decision to Miles Jury at UFC 155 snapping a 3 fight win streak in the UFC. With the lightweight division constantly evolving this could be a vital fight for Johnson if he has hopes of staying around for much longer.

This is a solid addition to a card expected to be fully announced shortly. Conor McGregor is expected to be added to this card with his opponent as yet unknown although Akira Corrasani is doing his utmost to talk his way into the fight.