The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its return to the O2 Arena in London, England today for UFC 120: “Bisping vs Akiyama.” The event was headlined by a middleweight matchup between British standout Michael “The Count” Bisping and former DREAM star Yoshihiro Akiyama.
Also on the card, welterweight contenders Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy and “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit squared off, while unbeaten prospect John “The Hitman” Hathaway faced submission specialist Mike “Quicksand” Pyle. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for all fights on the card.
Michael “The Count” Bisping vs Yoshihiro Akiyama
Round 1:
Akiyama rocked Bisping with a right hand early in the fight, but Bisping recovered. Another right landed for Akiyama and Bisping began to throw kicks. Akiyama backed Bisping up with a left hook to the eye and Bisping seemed to struggle to find his range. He rushed in and tried for a takedown, then threw an uppercut. Bisping managed to get Akiyama down for one second, then landed a glancing head kick as Akiyama stood.
The fighters traded punches in an exchange and both landed kicks that strayed low, but the fight continued and Akiyama landed an overhand right. Bisping countered with a quick one-two and briefly tried for a takedown. The fighters exchanged leg kicks and Akiyama missed with a spinning backfist. An uppercut also failed to connect and Bisping flashed out more kicks. Bisping tried for a takedown and ate a right hand. He scored with a flying knee before the bell. Very close round. 10-9 Akiyama, barely.
Round 2:
A one-two landed for Akiyama early in the second round and Bisping missed with a left. Akiyama caught a kick and landed more punches. He ducked under counter shots from Bisping and scored with a right hook. Time was called briefly after an inadvertent eye poke to Bisping’s right eye. The fight continued and Bisping landed a nice right hand. He missed with follow-up strikes, but landed a one-two soon after. Akiyama stuffed a takedown and Bisping landed a stinging right hook. Akiyama was unfazed and fired back with two right hooks of his own.
Akiyama tried unsuccessfully for a trip takedown and Bisping landed a pair of right hands. Akiyama countered with a jab-kick-hook combo and Bisping landed a one-two. Bisping missed with a spinning backfist, but landed leg kicks and a right hook. A body kick also landed for Bisping, but he ate a left hand counter. Akiyama scored with a hard right hand. And another. Bisping replied with one of his own. Two punches landed for Bisping, but Akiyama staggered him with a right. More punches landed for Akiyama before the bell, but Bisping stayed on his feet. 10-9 Bisping.
Round 3:
Akiyama missed with a wild right hook in the opening seconds of the final round and the fighters traded short punches. Akiyama swarmed with a flurry of punches, but Bisping countered with a head kick and a right cross. More big punches landed for both and Bisping hurt Akiyama with a right. Bisping jabbed, but time was called after a hard kick to the groin. Akiyama dropped to the mat in obvious pain. He was eventually able to continue and Bisping landed kicks to the body. Akiyama caught one and landed a kick of his own, then punches in succession.
Bisping circled out and the fighters exchanged punches. Bisping landed a knee from a Thai clinch. Akiyama narrowly missed with a right hook and Bisping put together a nice combination. Bisping followed with a right and began to land at will. Right hands landed for both fighters and Akiyama threw two lead lefts. Another combination and stiff jabs scored for Bisping and he avoided two right hands. Bisping landed a knee and a flurry and survived an onslaught of punches from Akiyama in the final five seconds. 10-9 Bisping.
Winner: Michael Bisping by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 20-3-0.
“The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit vs Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy
Round 1:
Leg kicks were exchanged in the opening 45 seconds and Hardy landed two jabs. He followed with a hard leg kick and a left hand. Another kick-punch combo landed for Hardy and both fighters scored with more leg kicks. Condit landed a counter combination and followed with a body kick. Condit just missed with a spinning back elbow and Hardy replied with a left hook. More kicks were exchanged and Hardy glanced one off of Condit’s chin.
A nice combination landed for Condit, but Hardy shook it off and threw kicks to the body. Hardy landed a hard left hook as Condit threw a kick and that set off a punching exchange. Condit put together a combination of punches and kicks that briefly backed Hardy up. Condit landed a devastating left hook that floored Hardy just as Hardy threw a left of his own. As Hardy struggled to remain conscious, Condit finished him off with two more punches on the ground. Huge win for Condit.
Winner: Carlos Condit by KO (Punches) at 4:27 of round one. He improves to 26-5-0.
Mike “Quicksand” Pyle vs John “The Hitman” Hathaway
Round 1:
Pyle threw quick leg kicks and a one-two early in the opening round as Hathaway looked to close the distance. Pyle scored a takedown, but Hathaway used the cage to work back to a knee. Hathaway stood and Pyle tried to trip him again. Hathaway bounced his hand off of the cage and wound up on top. Pyle escaped and the fight returned to the feet. Pyle landed a glancing knee and missed with a second one. He connected with a lead left hook.
Hathaway just missed with a combination and Pyle clipped him with a right hand to the temple. He backed up and Pyle landed another right hand. Punches were exchanged and it was Hathaway who looked for a takedown, but Pyle scored with right and left hand counters. Hathaway jabbed and Pyle targeted the head and body with a variety of punches. Pyle clinched and landed a vicious knee to the body, then tripped Hathaway to the mat. 10-9 Pyle.
Round 2:
The fighters exchanged jabs and body kicks to open round two and Pyle nearly ducked right into an uppercut. He landed a right hook and Hathaway quickly answered with a one-two. Hathaway stuffed a takedown, but ate a pair of punches. Pyle continued to throw right hooks and followed with knees in close. Hathaway landed a counter left hook and Pyle scored with more knees. Hathaway landed two of his best punches of the fight, but was promptly tagged by two right hands.
Pyle used an impressive takedown to get the fight to the mat and landed in side-control. He landed a devastating elbow from the top, but Hathaway was unfazed. Pyle then secured an inverted triangle choke from a top-side crucifix position and punched with his right hand. Hathaway tried to power out, but Pyle added in elbows as well. He continued to throw punches and elbows and isolated Hathaway’s right arm. Somehow, Hathaway survived until the bell. 10-8 Pyle.
Round 3:
Hathaway landed a nice body kick in the final round, but failed miserably in an attempt to take the fight to the mat. He connected with a hard right hook to the temple, however, and clinched against the cage. Pyle reversed and took Hathaway down against the cage. Hathaway managed to get back to his feet and Pyle threw knees. He took Hathaway down again and worked from the top in Hathaway’s guard.
Hathaway attempted a triangle choke and Pyle seamlessly used the opportunity to pass straight to side-control. Hathaway regained half-guard and then full guard, but Pyle struck from the top and prevented him from standing up. Pyle moved back to half-guard and landed short punches and elbows. A cut opened above Hathaway’s right eye and Pyle moved to North-South position. He stayed on top until the bell. Very impressive performance. 10-9 Pyle.
Winner: Mike Pyle by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 20-7-1.
Cheick Kongo vs Travis “Hapa” Browne
Round 1:
Browne missed with two wild punches early on. With his hands at his waist, he danced around Kongo until Kongo threw a trio of leg kicks. Browne missed with another lunging hook and rushed forward with a body kick. He failed to connect with a head kick and the fans began to rally behind Kongo. The fighters exchanged leg kicks and Browne followed with two more kicks to Kongo’s lead leg. Kongo became the aggressor, but was stunned by a counter left hook.
Kongo recovered and Browne wobbled him again with another hook and a follow-up combination. Kongo appeared to be unsteady on his feet and the fighters traded knees to the body in a brief clinch. A one-two backed Kongo up and Browne targeted the body. Kongo fired back with a body kick. Browne missed with a pair of looping hooks and Kongo clinched. He landed two knees and Browne circled away. Browne threw a Superman Punch and Kongo answered with two right hands before the bell. 10-9 Browne.
Round 2:
Leg kicks landed for both fighters in the opening 30 seconds of the second round and Kongo landed two hard right hands. He clinched and, as often happens in Kongo’s fights, he landed a knee to the groin. Time was called and Browne recovered. Both fighters landed punches in close and Kongo followed with a knee. He clinched and Browne shoved him so hard that he fell down. Kongo backed Browne up with punches and kneed at Browne’s thigh. More knees landed for Kongo.
Browne could not escape the clinch and Kongo scored with knee after knee to Browne’s thighs. The fighters were separated and Browne, now noticeably slower, missed with punches. Another clinch followed and Kongo resumed his assault with knees. Kongo almost exclusively targeted Browne’s right leg, forcing Browne to lift up his leg to defend the knees. Again, the fighters were separated and Browne just missed with a right hook. Browne scored a takedown right at the bell. 10-9 Kongo.
Round 3:
Browne clinched right away in the final round and attempted a takedown, but Kongo stuffed it. Browne kneed at Kongo’s legs and Kongo was deducted one point for holding onto Browne’s shorts. Kongo clinched and returned to his game plan from the second round. He continued to target Browne’s leg with knees and was warned again for grabbing Browne’s shorts. Kongo landed leg and body kicks and clinched once more.
Kongo threw knees until the fighters were separated. Kongo landed a leg kick and ducked under a hard right hand from Browne. He backed Browne up with a combination and Browne answered with a counter one-two. Browne missed with a lunging left, but connected with a right cross that prompted Kongo to clinch. Browne managed to take Kongo down with an unorthodox throw at the bell. 9-9 due to the point deduction.
Result: Unanimous Draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28) after three rounds. Kongo moves to 15-6-2, while Browne is now 10-0-1.
Claude “The Prince” Patrick vs James “Lightning” Wilks
Round 1:
The fight began with an exchange of kicks as Wilks kept Patrick at bay with front kicks to the body. Patrick clinched and backed Wilks up to the cage. He took Wilks down with a trip and landed in half-guard. Wilks quickly regained full guard and tried for an omoplata. Patrick stood and Wilks drilled him with an upkick. Patrick settled back into Wilks’s guard and landed elbows and a short left hand. He stood and kicked at Wilks’s legs.
Patrick dove into side-control and then moved to full mount. Wilks managed to scramble and partially escaped as Patrick moved from side-control to North-South. He looked to set up a North-South Choke, but let it go and threw a hard elbow from side-control instead. Patrick stood and blasted Wilks with a huge punch that opened a cut under Wilks’s right eye. Patrick went back to half-guard and landed elbows, then teed off with punches from mount in the final seconds. 10-9 Patrick. Could be a 10-8.
Round 2:
Wilks opened round two with a leg kick and a lead left hook, and Patrick quickly answered with a stiff leg kick of his own. The fighters clinched and Patrick pressed Wilks against the cage. Wilks reversed and threw occasional knees. Patrick broke free of the clinch with a quick one-two, then backed Wilks up with a hook and a combination. He took Wilks down and fought off a weak triangle attempt. Wilks held onto Patrick’s right arm to prevent him from striking.
Patrick threw elbows and short left hands, then stood over Wilks and kicked at his legs. He returned to Wilks’s guard, but Wilks tied up his arms again. Wilks tried to scramble to his feet, but Patrick had none of it and moved to half-guard against the cage. He looked to isolate Wilks’s right arm for a Kimura, but Wilks defended and the fighters remained tied up against the fence until the bell. 10-9 Patrick.
Round 3:
The fighters clinched early in the final round and exchanged knees in close near the cage. Patrick used a trip takedown to get the fight back down to the ground and he punched from the top. Wilks attempted to employ rubber guard from his back, but Patrick easily escaped and continued to strike to the body. Patrick stood and fought off a heel hook attempt. He returned to Wilks’s half-guard and eventually passed to side-control.
Patrick moved to North-South and tried for a choke as he did in the first round, but let it go and Wilks scrambled back to butterfly guard. He tried to sweep and Patrick defended. Patrick threw short elbows from Wilks’s guard as the crowd grew restless. Another series of punches landed for Patrick and Wilks began to bleed from below the right eye again. Patrick defended an omoplata attempt with an elbow. 10-9 Patrick. Dominant performance.
Winner: Claude Patrick by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 13-1-0.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)