The UFC returned to the UK on Saturday, with the Phones 4U Arena in Manchester hosting UFC Fight Night 30. The card was stacked with British talent but was topped by Lyoto Machida making his debut at middleweight against Mark Munoz.
Lyoto Machida defeats Mark Munoz via knockout (head kick) at 3:10 into Round One
Machida’s first fight at middleweight could not of gone any better. A perennial challenger at 205 since losing the title, Machida dropped to 185lbs and filled in for the injured Michael Bisping.
Machida finished in Machida fashion, a head kick knocked Munoz down and out without much need for any follow up strikes. ‘The Dragon’ didn’t even try and throw the follow up blow, just circling friend Munoz until the referee jumped in and stopped the fight.
For Machida, he rockets into the middleweight title picture but there’s still the case of Weidmann v Silva 2 and possibly even 3 to come, so he’ll need another opponent in the mean time and the UFC president Dana White feels that Vitor Belfort fits the bill for a top contender’s bout.
For Munoz, the fight was a harsh realisation that he’ll likely never be a UFC champion. However, that doesn’t mean he’s done in the UFC, a clash with former Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold would be good fights for the ‘Filipino Wrecking Machine’.
Ross Pearson vs Melvin Guillard ends in a No Contest – accidental knees to the head of a downed opponent.
The co-main event of the night was a disappointing result after Ross Pearson was busted open following a pair of Guillard knee strikes against the cage with at least one being deemed illegal.
Chants of “bulls**t” rang out from the crowd and the rematch has already been made for the London card next year in March.
Jimi Manuwa defeats Ryan Jimmo via TKO (Injury) at 4:41 into Round Two
Jimi Manuwa maintained his undefeated record and moved to 3-0 in the UFC as he beat Ryan Jimmo to start his climb up the rankings towards a title shot.
The ‘Poster Boy’ has never had a fight go the distance in his 14 fight career and although it was his second fight in a row won via injury, Manuwa wasn’t struggling in either fight and likely had the win secured.
He’ll look for a higher ranked fighter for his next fight, and Thiago Silva is one opponent with an established reputation who doesn’t fear a tear up.
Jimmo is now 2-2 in the UFC and his next fight could be his last if he under-performs. More was expected from the Canadian in the fight, furthermore the extent of damage to his ankle is unknown so he could be on the shelf for a while or ready to go next month.
Norman Parke defeats Jon Tuck via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
Parke had a convincing win over Tuck and established himself as one of the best up-and-coming prospects in the UFC. As like Manuwa, he also moved to 3-0 in the UFC.
At just 26-years-old, Parke has plenty of development and taking a step up in competition to the likes of Jamie Varner, Pat Healy or Joe Lauzon would be a huge leap but one that would reap a lot of rewards if Parke is able to make the most it.
As for his opponent, the fight was competitive and Tuck’s talent was obvious but with how big the lightweight division is, Tuck could be fighting for his contract in his next fight against one of the lower ranked guys like Mitch Clarke or Ramsey Nijem.
Nicholas Musoke defeats Alessio Sakara via verbal submission (Armbar) at 3:07 into round one
With a crushing defeat of Alession Sakara, Nico Musoke announced his arrival into the UFC, yet it’s unknown if he’ll stay in the middleweight division.
A natural welterweight, Musoke made the jump to middleweight for the fight and looked impressive upon his debut. In a back and forth fight with Sakara, the Swede looked down and out but rallied back shortly after.
Musoke’s strength on the ground was momentarily questionable as Sakara was able to power himself from guard to a mounted position. It was there where Musoke was able to land the armbar to end Sakara but it may give him questions about staying in the middleweight division.
If he does, the entertaining Tom Lawler would be an interesting opponent for him. If he drops to welterweight again, Adlan Amagov or Dan Miller could be potential foes.
As for Sakara, he slips to a 4-fight losing streak. In a deep division, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Itlian cut from the roster.
John Lineker defeats Phil Harris via TKO (Punches) at 2:51 into Round One
It was a disappointing UFC return for Portsmouth’s Phil Harris as he was defeated by John Lineker, who once again struggled to make weight before the fight.
The match was shifted from flyweight to catchweight after Lineker came in three pounds overweight, the third such case for Lineker during his time in the UFC but it’s clear to most that Lineker is the ‘best of the rest’ in the UFC’s flyweight division and should now look to climb into the top five.
Lineker dominated the short fight with body blow after body blow and after one particular exchange, the pain was too much for Harris who went to ground and the fight was called.
It was Lineker’s fourth successive win and he’ll get a shot at one of the top five contenders, more likely ‘Uncle Creepy’ Ian McCall or the big hitting John Dodson. Despite his repeated weigh-in issues, the Brazilian doesn’t seem to be in any hot water and will most likely seek the help of Mike Dolce for a more successful weight cut, a move that was supported also by Dana White.
With how light the Flyweight division is, Harris isn’t in a terrible position but his next fight could be against the likes of Darrell Montague or Ilaride Santos.
Brad Taylor
