Articles in the Martin Smith Category
Columnists, MMA News, Martin Smith, UFC »
Columnists, DVD & Book Reviews, Featured, MMA News, Martin Smith, UFC, UFC Titles »
Columnists, DVD & Book Reviews, Featured, MMA News, Martin Smith, UFC, UFC Titles »
Columnists, DVD & Book Reviews, MMA News, Martin Smith, UFC »
Columnists, MMA News, Martin Smith, PPV Coverage, UFC, UFC 99 »
Columnists, Headline, MMA News, Martin Smith, UFC, UFC 99 »
Cheick Kongo against Cain Velasquez has all the ingredients to be the fight of the night, and with both men looking at securing the number one contender spot in the UFC heavyweight division, it is sure to be a hard hitting battle.
Kongo looked superb in his last fight against Antoni Hardonk and seems to have turned a corner since his defeat against Heath Herring at UFC 82. His cardio looks great, his muay thai looks better and his kicks look deadly.
In fact, for the first time in his UFC career, Kongo looks like a world beater and a man who could rule the heavyweight division…
Columnists, Headline, MMA News, Martin Smith, PPV Coverage, UFC, UFC 99 »
Wanderlei Silva will be heading into UFC 99 knowing that he must win if he is to dampen speculation that he is past it as a top-tier MMA fighter in the UFC. However, the task in front of him is one hell of a big one.
For me, Rich Franklin is the best middleweight in the world – with the exception of Anderson Silva. Problem is, Franklin is no longer regarded as a middleweight – he’s a light heavyweight – and Silva has struggled at 205lbs since his switch over from PRIDE. Here, Silva goes into the bout at a catchweight of 195lbs desperate for a win streak that will once again establish him as one of the deadliest fighters in the UFC. It’s a massive…
Columnists, MMA News, Martin Smith, UFC, UFC 99 »
Columnists, DVD & Book Reviews, Featured, MMA News, Martin Smith, UFC, UFC Titles »
Columnists, DVD & Book Reviews, Headline, MMA News, Martin Smith, UFC, UFC Titles »
A DVD that features the most popular fighter from the UK is always going to get a thumbs up on this side of the pond.
Here, Michael Bisping takes on Chris Leben in a fight that was originally scheduled to take place at UFC 85. On that occasion, Leben couldn’t make the fight having been forced to spend thirty five days behind bars. However, at UFC 89 the two were to collide in a highly anticipated bout.
The problem with this DVD isn’t so much the quality that the UFC puts into it, it’s simply a case of the card being let down by some weak fighters and poor fights. The preliminary fights on this…
Columnists, Headline, MMA News, Martin Smith, PPV Coverage, UFC, UFC 97 »
When Chuck Liddell enters the cage at UFC 97, the rumours surrounding a possible retirement will fall on his 205lb shoulders. Liddell, with three defeats in his past four fights, will be taking on former PRIDE superstar Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in a highly anticipated battle.
The fight has all the hallmarks of a good fight, with both struggling to reach the sort of form that made them one of the best fighters on the planet. Liddell, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, has become somewhat of a shadow of his former glory, with his last performance against Rashad Evans widely regarded as his poorest fight to date.
Columnists, Featured, MMA News, Martin Smith, UFC »
Columnists, DVD & Book Reviews, Headline, MMA News, Martin Smith, UFC, UFC Titles »
UFC 88 will be remembered as the PPV that separated Rashad Evans from an ordinary fighter in the light heavyweight division to a future star. Before the fight, Evans was lost in the shuffle in a division that is regarded as one of the most stacked in the whole of MMA. One knockout punch later and Evans became a star.
Of course, to see it all unfold you have to watch the DVD. Rashad Evans versus Chuck Liddell was originally scheduled for UFC 85, but an injury to Liddell forced the fight to be put back a number of months. It will never go down as a classic, but this is a fight that really shocked me. Liddell was coming off the back of a huge win over…

