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| It's Over: Gustaffson is the first man to ever defeat Jimi Manuwa. IMAGE COURTESY: UFC.com |
In the main event of the evening, Alexander Gustafsson prevailed with a second round stoppage of London hard-hitter Jimi Manuwa. Throughout the whole night, but especially in the main event, an enthusiastic army of Swedes situated in bunches around the arena provided a strong force behind the Mauler. Meanwhile, Jimi Manuwa wasn't short of support either - with fans extremely loud on the arrival of Manuwa, along with spurts of encouragement in the duration of the fight.
Things were much different in the co-main event, with the most notable of those differences being the crowd. Initially, fight fans in London were intriguingly expecting a hard-hitting fight between Melvin Guillard and Michael Johnson - a fight that proved far off the initial expectations. Michael Johnson got the win via Decision, but it seemed that Guillard was at fault. Speaking to the cameras at the weigh-ins the night prior, Melvin Guillard said "don't blink tomorrow" in his fight, hinting a quick finish. We could have slept through the whole thing unfortunately. At times Michael Johnson was also with the crowd as he urged his opponent to go forward and strike, while also venting his frustrations in the post-fight interview with Dan Hardy, who was on commentary for the night.
Although he was unable to finish Irishman Neil Seery, Brad Pickett marked his first Flyweight bout with a win. With London fully behind Brad Pickett, while also acknowledging Neil Seery, Irish UFC newcomer, many eye-opening exchanges put some on the edge of their seat. "One Punch" would take some shots of his own too, but his chin held up enough to get the decision win.
Merely twenty-four seconds into the first fight of the main card, and the fight was over. Gunnar Nelson finished Omari Akhmedov in the very first round. After only becoming aware of that stat after the fight, it seemed to take much longer, in a good way. Good opening strikes between the two, but a great submission win to open the main card.
It was a successful outing for the Swedish team. Not only did Alexander Gustafsson prevail in a main event finish, but his teammate Ilir Latifi would also win, with a first round submission, ultimately retiring his opponent Cyrille Diabate as he announced his retirement from UFC following the bout.
In the very first fight of the night, Louis Gaudinot was steadfast in his goal to defeat Phil Harris. The Green-haired American managed a guillotine choke which flipped Phil Harris over into a position where he had no other option but to tap out.
The other finish in the preliminary bouts saw Luke Barnatt get his third UFC win in as many fights with a rattling head kick followed up by strikes to cause the stoppage to Mats Nilsson.
Two Unanimous Decisions came to the misfortune of UK fighters, as Igor Araju saw off Danny Mitchell and Claudio Silva was the victor of a scrap with Brad Scott.
Davey Grant was scratched off the card just a few hours before the fight night, but Nisar Khan got to speak to the Northern-England fighter during the night.
Analysis, Going Forward And View From The Crowd
As the UFC continues it's global expansion, London's action is a great way to kick of the fight-night series going around the Globe.
The fans were wild, Swedish fans were everywhere. There were incredible chants around the arena with many in yellow loud as ever to support Alexander Gustafsson and other European fighters.
Alexander Gustafsson wasn't kidding when he said that it would be like fighting in Sweden, with fans 13pt in numbers at The O2 Arena.
In the main event, Alexander Gustafsson further secured his rematch with Jon Jones in the ideal manner. Putting away a dangerous opponent like Jimi Manuwa, in a dangerous way, speaks volumes of his deserving title shot. A rematch with Jon Jones could be on the cards now, or maybe with Glover Teixeira, as Gustafsson is in line to face the winner of UFC 172's Light Heavyweight Championship fight.
As for Jimi Manuwa, he did have his glimpses, like when he fought up from the ground, but Gustafsson was too skilled. Manuwa can learn from this though, and you never know, we could see these two go at it again in a few years, but this time for the title.
The co-main event was a real disappointment. A lot of criticism is directed towards Melvin Guillard for his seemingly reluctance to engage in the fight. Booing was all around the arena, knowing its not a good sign, especially from the co-main event.
The other fight that wasn't really good was Claudio Silva vs. Brad Scott. Really a sloppy fight, with a weird exchange of hammerfists, weak ones so to speak, on the ground.
Neil Seery's performance against a tough, established opponent in the form of Brad Pickett may work wonders from his first UFC fight. He had Pickett hurt at times, in a decent showing with plenty of exposure.
Ilir Latifi finally got to shine in his fight. His loss over Mousasi in Sweden last April was coming off a short fight camp but this time he got to showcase his skills and did so with a tough opponent like Cyrille Diabate.
As for going forward, Gustafsson can get title shot, Manuwa may be lined up with a Top 10 LHW and Johnson could get higher in the Lightweight rankings. Meanwhile Melvin Guillard's road of inconsistency continues as he tries to find the right pattern to Gold. Brad Pickett said after the fight that he wants a title shot, a bit premature, but considering Demetrius Johnson's dominance in the division, it could be on. All in all, another great outing for the UFC in London - and on a primetime spot on UK television, it will only further aid UFC's expansion as the fastest growing sport in the World.
Exclusives From The Event
We had photos and videos from the night of action from Nisar Khan.
Things were much different in the co-main event, with the most notable of those differences being the crowd. Initially, fight fans in London were intriguingly expecting a hard-hitting fight between Melvin Guillard and Michael Johnson - a fight that proved far off the initial expectations. Michael Johnson got the win via Decision, but it seemed that Guillard was at fault. Speaking to the cameras at the weigh-ins the night prior, Melvin Guillard said "don't blink tomorrow" in his fight, hinting a quick finish. We could have slept through the whole thing unfortunately. At times Michael Johnson was also with the crowd as he urged his opponent to go forward and strike, while also venting his frustrations in the post-fight interview with Dan Hardy, who was on commentary for the night.
Although he was unable to finish Irishman Neil Seery, Brad Pickett marked his first Flyweight bout with a win. With London fully behind Brad Pickett, while also acknowledging Neil Seery, Irish UFC newcomer, many eye-opening exchanges put some on the edge of their seat. "One Punch" would take some shots of his own too, but his chin held up enough to get the decision win.
Merely twenty-four seconds into the first fight of the main card, and the fight was over. Gunnar Nelson finished Omari Akhmedov in the very first round. After only becoming aware of that stat after the fight, it seemed to take much longer, in a good way. Good opening strikes between the two, but a great submission win to open the main card.
It was a successful outing for the Swedish team. Not only did Alexander Gustafsson prevail in a main event finish, but his teammate Ilir Latifi would also win, with a first round submission, ultimately retiring his opponent Cyrille Diabate as he announced his retirement from UFC following the bout.
In the very first fight of the night, Louis Gaudinot was steadfast in his goal to defeat Phil Harris. The Green-haired American managed a guillotine choke which flipped Phil Harris over into a position where he had no other option but to tap out.
The other finish in the preliminary bouts saw Luke Barnatt get his third UFC win in as many fights with a rattling head kick followed up by strikes to cause the stoppage to Mats Nilsson.
Two Unanimous Decisions came to the misfortune of UK fighters, as Igor Araju saw off Danny Mitchell and Claudio Silva was the victor of a scrap with Brad Scott.
Davey Grant was scratched off the card just a few hours before the fight night, but Nisar Khan got to speak to the Northern-England fighter during the night.
Analysis, Going Forward And View From The Crowd
As the UFC continues it's global expansion, London's action is a great way to kick of the fight-night series going around the Globe.
The fans were wild, Swedish fans were everywhere. There were incredible chants around the arena with many in yellow loud as ever to support Alexander Gustafsson and other European fighters.
Alexander Gustafsson wasn't kidding when he said that it would be like fighting in Sweden, with fans 13pt in numbers at The O2 Arena.
In the main event, Alexander Gustafsson further secured his rematch with Jon Jones in the ideal manner. Putting away a dangerous opponent like Jimi Manuwa, in a dangerous way, speaks volumes of his deserving title shot. A rematch with Jon Jones could be on the cards now, or maybe with Glover Teixeira, as Gustafsson is in line to face the winner of UFC 172's Light Heavyweight Championship fight.
As for Jimi Manuwa, he did have his glimpses, like when he fought up from the ground, but Gustafsson was too skilled. Manuwa can learn from this though, and you never know, we could see these two go at it again in a few years, but this time for the title.
The co-main event was a real disappointment. A lot of criticism is directed towards Melvin Guillard for his seemingly reluctance to engage in the fight. Booing was all around the arena, knowing its not a good sign, especially from the co-main event.
The other fight that wasn't really good was Claudio Silva vs. Brad Scott. Really a sloppy fight, with a weird exchange of hammerfists, weak ones so to speak, on the ground.
Neil Seery's performance against a tough, established opponent in the form of Brad Pickett may work wonders from his first UFC fight. He had Pickett hurt at times, in a decent showing with plenty of exposure.
Ilir Latifi finally got to shine in his fight. His loss over Mousasi in Sweden last April was coming off a short fight camp but this time he got to showcase his skills and did so with a tough opponent like Cyrille Diabate.
As for going forward, Gustafsson can get title shot, Manuwa may be lined up with a Top 10 LHW and Johnson could get higher in the Lightweight rankings. Meanwhile Melvin Guillard's road of inconsistency continues as he tries to find the right pattern to Gold. Brad Pickett said after the fight that he wants a title shot, a bit premature, but considering Demetrius Johnson's dominance in the division, it could be on. All in all, another great outing for the UFC in London - and on a primetime spot on UK television, it will only further aid UFC's expansion as the fastest growing sport in the World.
Exclusives From The Event
We had photos and videos from the night of action from Nisar Khan.
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| The stadium slowly fills prior to preliminary action. NISAR KHAN |
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| The Octagon took center stage in London for nine fights. NISAR KHAN |
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| Claudio Silva defeated Englishman Brad Scott. NISAR KHAN |
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| UFC President Dana White sits Octagon-side with other stars for Fight Night London. NISAR KHAN |
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| Swedes prominent in support for Alex Gustafsson. NISAR KHAN |
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| Post-fight from the main event, Gustafsson celebrates. NISAR KHAN |
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| One last look at the Octagon before its global journey. NISAR KHAN |
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| Till Next Time. NISAR KHAN |
That's all from London's UFC card for this year. Alex Gustafsson has put himself back in contention for the Light Heavyweight strap. UFC has once again put on a great night of fights in England's capital.
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