Michael "The Count" Bisping is really making a name for himself in the UK. He now boasts a 5-0 record in professional MMA, with every victory coming by stoppage, and four of those from knockout or TKO. Mark "The Beast" Epstein is an intensely scary individual. He has been described as having a "face like a murderer," as well as a "cast iron jaw." The latter is, if anything, an underestimate. Every fan I spoke to had this down as the fight of the night.
Towards the end of the round, Bisping landed the sort of punch that would leave any normal person in hospital. This actually made Epstein blink and fall to one knee, but Bisping followed it up with an even harder punch that put Epstein flat on his back. Amidst roars from the crowd, Bisping pounced, mounting Epstein and raining down shots. Inexplicably, Epstein took everything that Bisping threw at him, and the Count changed tactics, attempting an armbar that Epstein defended, leaving Bisping on his back and Epstein in his guard. The round ended before either fighter could do much from their positions.
The fight was never to go to the ground again as Bisping pursued Epstein in the second round, continuing to dominate the stand-up exchanges. Despite the power and the dominance, Bisping just could not find that finishing shot, as Epstein, his face showing the effects of his opponent's onslaught, continued to look for the overhand right for which he is feared.
The third round saw the excitement mount further, the tide almost turning as Epstein hurt his opponent with a low kick to Bisping's left leg. Bisping winced in pain, while Epstein's corner screamed for him to finish the job. Unfortunately for Epstein, it was not to be, as Bisping finally found the shot he needed, landing flush to Epstein's face. Not even the tough Londoner could get up after that one.
Bisping retains the Cage Rage light-heavyweight title with a knockout 4:41 of the third round.
Renato "Babalu" Sobral continued his return to the top of the world light-heavyweight rankings with a dominating performance against Frenchman Cyrille Diabate. Diabate, a tall, lanky Muay Thai specialist, was given no room in which to strike as the Brazilian immediately shot for a takedown, bringing his opponent to the canvas.
From here it was all Babalu, as he worked his way methodically from Diabate's half guard, striking and moving until he took the mount and then the guillotine. Diabate attempted to resist, pushing Babalu onto his back, but the Brazilian rolled with the momentum, flipping both fighters back around, so that Babalu was once again on top, still holding onto the guillotine amidst appreciative cheers from the crowd. Diabate was powerless to resist, and succumbed after 3:38 of the first round.
Jean Silva versus Sammy Schiavo was a rematch that carried with it a grudge. The last fight between these two, at Cage Warriors 2, is considered a UK MMA classic. Schiavo took the fight on two weeks notice, and lost the closely contested battle by submission. Silva was looking to redeem himself after a lackluster performance at Cage Rage 7, and a good performance against his old nemesis was just what the doctor ordered. Schiavo, for his part, was out for revenge.
Silva, always a showman, opened up with an acrobatic Capoeira kick, but he didn't land and the pace of the fight slowed as the two fighters clinched, pushing each other around the cage as both men tried to work their knees. The fight was stopped twice due to low blows from Schiavo, but on resuming battle Silva powered Schiavo into the fence, putting him on his back. The advantage was momentary, as Schiavo worked his way out and into Silva's guard, trying to find space from which to strike. The Brazilian remained active from the bottom, transitioning from submission to submission before Schiavo finally tapped to a triangle choke after 4:40 of the first round.
Both Sol Gilbert and Ridas Vaivada came out strong, with an exchange of punches leading to a clinch and a big slam by Gilbert. On landing, Gilbert moved into a mounted position, although his head was caught in an attempted guillotine. The Englishman was patient -- the arm around his neck looked painful, but he maintained his position and slowly worked his head free, landing hard shots to the left side of Vaivada's body as he did so, leaving a big red bruise.
As soon as Gilbert's head was free, he started to tee off with the punches, and Vaivada turned his back to protect himself. Gilbert worked fast, trying for a rear-naked choke, and then, when that was defended, transitioning into an attempted armbar. This was also unsuccessful, with Vaivada rolling him off and getting to his feet, inviting Gilbert to join him. This was to be Vaivada's critical mistake, as in the ensuing exchange, Gilbert floored him with a hard right hand for the knockout, after 3:42 of the first round.