''UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama'' was a
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
event held by the
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
on October 16, 2010, at the
O2 Arena in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
The card featured six televised MMA bouts, as well as four un-aired preliminary bouts.
The main event featured ''
The Ultimate Fighter 3
''The Ultimate Fighter 3'' was the third season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It premiered on April 6, 2006, immediately after the conclusion of '' Ultimate Fight Night 4''. The season featured sixte ...
'' winner
Michael Bisping
Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English actor, sports analyst, commentator and retired mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor ...
and the Japanese judoka
Yoshihiro Akiyama
, also known as and by his nickname Sexyama, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka who won the gold medal at the 2001 Asian Championships for South Korea and for Japan at the 2002 Asian Games. A fourth-generation Japanese of ...
. After three rounds, the fight went to a judges decision, where Bisping was victorious with scores of 30–27 being given by all three ringside judges. The co-main event of the evening featured
Dan Hardy
Daniel Mark Hardyhttp://boxing.nv.gov/2012%20Results%20Web/05-26-12%20MMA.pdf (born 17 May 1982) is an English former mixed martial artist who fought in the welterweight division. During his professional MMA career, which began in 2004, Hardy ...
(who entered the contest having become the first Englishman to compete in a UFC Championship bout, albeit unsuccessfully) and
Carlos Condit
Carlos Joseph Condit (born April 26, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the former Interim UFC Welterweight ...
, the former
World Extreme Cagefighting Welterweight champion. Condit was able to
knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
Hardy in the opening round; consigning Hardy to his first ever knockout loss.
The first ever UK
UFC
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
Fan Expo coincided with this event and was held at the
Earls Court Exhibition Centre
Earls Court Exhibition Centre was a major international exhibition and events venue just west of central London. At its peak it is said to have generated a £2 billion turnover for the economy. It replaced exhibition and entertainment grounds, ...
on Friday October 15 and Saturday October 16. Aside from the live broadcast in Britain and Canada, this event aired on the same day, via
tape delay, on
Spike TV
Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles.
The channel was o ...
in the U.S.
The event was the fourth the UFC has hosted at the
O2 Arena in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
U.K.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and the first since
UFC 95
''UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on February 21, 2009 at The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom.
Background
The event was broadcast live for viewers in Europe and ...
. It was also the ninth event held in United Kingdom and the first since
UFC 105
''UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 14, 2009 in Manchester, United Kingdom at the Manchester Evening News Arena. This event aired on the same day, via tape de ...
. UFC 120 was also notable for becoming, at that time, the ninth highest attended event in UFC history.
Background
Main event
The main event featured ''
The Ultimate Fighter 3
''The Ultimate Fighter 3'' was the third season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It premiered on April 6, 2006, immediately after the conclusion of '' Ultimate Fight Night 4''. The season featured sixte ...
'' tournament winner
Michael Bisping
Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English actor, sports analyst, commentator and retired mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor ...
facing off against the Japanese judoka practitioner
Yoshihiro Akiyama
, also known as and by his nickname Sexyama, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka who won the gold medal at the 2001 Asian Championships for South Korea and for Japan at the 2002 Asian Games. A fourth-generation Japanese of ...
in a fight contested at the UFC middleweight limit of 185 pounds (84 kg). Michael Bisping sought to defeat Akiyama in his home country in the hope of moving closer to the
UFC Middleweight Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.
Historical notes
At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
picture.
Additionally, Bisping looked to maintain his perfect record in Europe, having only ever been defeated in the United States and Australia.
Bisping came into the fight with an MMA record of 19 wins and 3 losses, of which 9 wins and 3 losses were within the
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
.
Bisping had had early success in the promotion, following his win in ''
The Ultimate Fighter 3
''The Ultimate Fighter 3'' was the third season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It premiered on April 6, 2006, immediately after the conclusion of '' Ultimate Fight Night 4''. The season featured sixte ...
'' – a reality television show produced by the UFC, which consisted of an 8-man tournament, in which Bisping was victorious in the
light heavyweight division.
Bisping compiled a record of 4 wins and 1 loss as a light heavyweight, before he dropped to the middleweight division.
From there, Bisping won 3 straight fights
and was selected to be a head coach on the ninth season of ''The Ultimate Fighter'' (
The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom) alongside former
PRIDE Fighting Championships
PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...
champion
Dan Henderson
Daniel Jeffery Henderson (born August 24, 1970) is an American retired mixed martial artist and Olympic wrestler, who last competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champi ...
.
His subsequent fight with Henderson began a slightly unsuccessful 2–2 streak for Bisping, as Henderson was able to defeat Bisping via knockout at
UFC 100
''UFC 100'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 11, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This event was the most bought UFC pay-per-view of all time with a buyrate of 1.6million, until UFC 202 brok ...
. Bisping followed this up with a comeback win over
Denis Kang
Denis Kang (, born September 17, 1977) is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 1998, Kang has formerly competed for the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Impact F ...
at
UFC 105
''UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 14, 2009 in Manchester, United Kingdom at the Manchester Evening News Arena. This event aired on the same day, via tape de ...
(the last English-based UFC event until UFC 120), having survived an early knockdown to eventually win via TKO. Bisping would next face
Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei César da Silva ( , , ; born 3 July 1976) is a Brazilian-American former mixed martial artist who competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the American-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He holds the record for the ...
at
UFC 110
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
, where Bisping suffered a unanimous decision loss,
but he came back at
UFC 114
''UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 29, 2010 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC Fan Expo took place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
Backg ...
against
Dan Miller to claim a convincing decision victory of his own,
meaning that Bisping was 2–2 in the last 12 months. Bisping then took the opportunity to improve his coaching staff prior to the bout.
Akiyama came into the bout with an MMA record of 13 wins, 2 losses and 2 no-contests, of which one win and one loss took place within the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Akiyama was an incredibly popular personality in his home nations of South Korea and Japan and whilst his signing wasn't particularly celebrated in the United States or England,
it was big news in the far east,
where Akiyama is known not only for his fighting career, but also for his singing career and his status as a mild fashion icon, which led to the forming of his nickname "Sexyama".
Despite his popularity in the far east, Akiyama had not yet headlined a UFC event prior to UFC 120, having only competed twice in the United States.
His U.S. debut came at
UFC 100
''UFC 100'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 11, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This event was the most bought UFC pay-per-view of all time with a buyrate of 1.6million, until UFC 202 brok ...
, in the opening bout on the
UFC 100
''UFC 100'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 11, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This event was the most bought UFC pay-per-view of all time with a buyrate of 1.6million, until UFC 202 brok ...
pay-per-view event against
Alan Belcher
Alan Belcher (born April 24, 1984) is an American bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist. A professional from 2004 until 2015, he is perhaps best known for his 15-fight tenure with the UFC.
Background
Belcher was born in Jonesboro ...
, where Akiyama won via a disputed split decision (30–27, 28–29, 29–28). Many pundits were vocal in their disagreement with Akiyama winning the bout, with even UFC president
Dana White
Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...
stating "I wasn't 100 percent sure of the decision, you know what I mean, but I think it was a tough fight to score, too". Akiyama's second UFC appearance (and final appearance prior to UFC 120) was the co-main event of
UFC 116
''UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 3, 2010, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was voted as the Best Major Show in the 2010 Wrestling Observe ...
against
Chris Leben
Christian Cyrus Leben (born July 21, 1980) is an American former mixed martial artist, referee, and bare knuckle boxer. A professional MMA competitor from 2002 until 2013, he most notably competed in the UFC in the Middleweight division, compiling ...
. Unlike the Belcher fight, Akiyama was regarded as the aggressor throughout the bout and was most likely en route to another decision victory.
However, with seconds left in the final round, Leben was able to secure a
triangle choke submission to force Akiyama to tap-out.
Despite the loss, the bout was regarded as highly entertaining and both Leben and Akiyama took away the "Fight of the Night" bonus, worth $75,000.
The fight was Akiyama's first loss in over five years
and it led to Akiyama moving his training camp to
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
, under the tutelage of
Greg Jackson,
the World MMA Awards "Trainer of the Year" in 2010 and 2011.
Prior to the main event, both fighters seemed confident due to their new trainers. Akiyama was quoted as saying "I felt like he didn't have enough time to prepare for my opponent
eben Eben is a name of Hebrew origin. It is sometimes short for Ebenezer.
The name can refer to:
People Given name
* Eben Alexander (educator) (1851–1910), American educator
* Eben Alexander (author) (born 1953), American author and neurosurgeon
* ...
/nowiki> and so during the fight I wasn't able to come up with a strategy that is specifically for Chris Leben." Akiyama also mentioned "I was able to learn the intricate skills of the takedowns, as well as better striking for MMA. I feel like have/nowiki> a better takedown than Bisping does." Bisping responded by stating: "With respect, I couldn't care less who he trains with. He can train with anyone. What I'm focusing on these days is what I do, focusing on my training. And he can worry about what I'm bringing to the table. My training's going fantastic. I feel in great shape. I've improved all my areas. Regardless of who he's training with, I think I'll be too much for him. Now everything's coming together. Mario Sukata, he's always been my MMA coach. But I've been working with some new striking coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, new boxing coaches, a new wrestling coach."
Co-main event
The co-main event featured recent UFC Welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy
Daniel Mark Hardyhttp://boxing.nv.gov/2012%20Results%20Web/05-26-12%20MMA.pdf (born 17 May 1982) is an English former mixed martial artist who fought in the welterweight division. During his professional MMA career, which began in 2004, Hardy ...
facing off against the former World Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...
welterweight champion Carlos Condit
Carlos Joseph Condit (born April 26, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the former Interim UFC Welterweight ...
in a fight contested at the UFC welterweight limit of 170 pounds (77.5 kg). Dan Hardy was looking to return to winning ways having been defeated in his title fight back at UFC 111
''UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on March 27, 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States.
Background
The ''UFC Primetime'' series returned t ...
, whereas Condit looked to improve after a difficult start to life in the UFC.
Hardy entered the fight with an MMA record of 23 wins, 7 losses with 1 no contest, of which 4 wins and 1 loss came in fights within the UFC. Hardy had joined the UFC in late 2008, after compiling a record of 19–6, predominantly in the English MMA circuit. He quickly made a name for himself defeating MMA veteran Akihiro Gono
(born October 7, 1974) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1994, he is best known for his clever and deceptive fighting style, and for his flashy ring entrances. Gon ...
via split decision at UFC 89
''UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on October 18, 2008, at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Background
The event was headlined by a middleweight b ...
and Rory Markham
Rory is a given name of Gaelic origin. It is an anglicisation of the ga, Ruairí/''Ruaidhrí'' and gd, Ruairidh and is common to the Irish, Highland Scots and their diasporas. for the given name "Rory". The meaning of the name is "red king", ...
via KO at UFC 95
''UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on February 21, 2009 at The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom.
Background
The event was broadcast live for viewers in Europe and ...
; both taking place in England. Hardy then began to gain recognition as he openly baited Marcus Davis
Marcus Paul Davis (born August 24, 1973), is an American professional mixed martial artist and former professional boxer who is perhaps best known for competing in the UFC. A professional MMA competitor from 2003 until 2014, Davis also compete ...
into a fight at UFC 99
''UFC 99: The Comeback'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on June 13, 2009 in Cologne, Germany.
Background
This event was the first UFC event held in Germany, as well as the first in mainland Europe ...
by mocking Davis' Irish heritage by stating: "He's had a couple of fights in the UK, and he's kind of building himself a fan base, but he's not English; he's not Irish. I was born here, and I've been bred here. I don't mind taking on that challenge and showing him this is my home and not his." Hardy went on to defeat Davis and was placed in a title contender fight against Mike Swick
Michael Timothy Swick (born June 19, 1979) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist, who spent most of his career competing for the UFC's middleweight division. Swick, who trains at American Kickboxing Academy alongside fellow welt ...
at UFC 105
''UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 14, 2009 in Manchester, United Kingdom at the Manchester Evening News Arena. This event aired on the same day, via tape de ...
, in Manchester, England. After defeating Swick, Hardy faced the champion Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre (; born May 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor and former professional mixed martial artist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. St-Pierre was a two-division champion in the Ult ...
at UFC 111
''UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on March 27, 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States.
Background
The ''UFC Primetime'' series returned t ...
. This was Hardy's last fight before UFC 120 and he was thoroughly dominated by St-Pierre's wrestling and top control resulting in a loss via unanimous decision (50–43, 50–44, 50–45).
Condit entered the fight with an MMA record of 25 wins and 5 losses, of which 2 wins and 1 loss were in the UFC. Condit moved to the UFC in April 2009, having been the final World Extreme Cagefighting Welterweight Champion. Condit had arguably struggled since his move to the UFC, however, as he began with a split decision loss to Martin Kampmann
Martin Kampmann Frederiksen (born April 17, 1982) is a retired Danish professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former Cage Warriors World Middleweight Champion.
Background
Originally from Aar ...
at UFC Fight Night 18
''UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 18'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on April 1, 2009.
Background
The event was broadcast on Spike TV and served as a lea ...
and then followed it up with a split decision victory over Jake Ellenberger
Jacob Steven "Jake" Ellenberger (born March 28, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former United States Marine who was known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor from 2005–2018, ...
at UFC Fight Night 19
''UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 19'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on September 16, 2009 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Background
A previously announced bou ...
, which was disputed by some pundits and the live crowd in attendance. Condit's final fight before UFC 120 was against the youngster Rory MacDonald. Condit was taken down 3 times in the opening round and largely controlled. Condit came back with a more aggressive attitude in the final round and finished MacDonald with a combination of elbows and punches. After the fight, the judges scorecards were revealed and showed that had MacDonald not been finished in the last seven seconds, then he would have picked up a split decision victory. Though Condit was 2–1 in the UFC, each fight had been close, which was in contrast to Hardy's largely successful start in the promotion.
Pre-fight hype for the co-main event focused on Hardy's well-documented desire to fight someone who could put on an entertaining fight. Hardy was vocal in his criticism of Nik Lentz
Nik Lentz (born August 13, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He most notably fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in the lightweight division.
Background
Lentz was born in El Paso, Texas but grew up in Twin ...
after Lentz defeated Hardy's teammate, Andre Winner
Andre Badi Winner (born 9 November 1981) is a Grenadian-born English mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's '' The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom'', reaching the final. Winner is also a member of Team Roug ...
in a fight marred by a perceived lack of action. Before his fight with Condit, Hardy said "Rather than saying "oh, these guys can't wrestle", I think the problem is there's beginning to be too much wrestling in the UFC Octagon, not too little of it in the gym. There are a lot of people out there calling themselves "UFC fighters" who are nothing of the kind. In the UFC, you should go for finishes." The comments drew criticism by fighters and pundits who believed he was referring to his fight against Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre (; born May 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor and former professional mixed martial artist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. St-Pierre was a two-division champion in the Ult ...
, which Hardy later denied, stating: "People are assuming I'm making these comments because of that fight and I'm not. t-Pierre/nowiki> had his submissions attempts, and he played the game the right way. I was under pressure in the fight – there was no point where he was just holding me down. But there are some fighters who think, 'I've got a takedown, I can rest a bit here now.' There just isn't the intention to damage the opponent or submit them." When Hardy was paired up with Condit (ironically a teammate of St-Pierre's), Hardy seemed happy with the match-up, saying "When Joe Silva he UFC matchmaker
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
called me up and said 'How about Condit?' I said to myself, 'That's an awesome fight.' I know he's going to come to have a fight, there's no doubt about it, he'll do everything he can to win. That's what I'm interested in."
Main card
The third main card bout featured English fighter John Hathaway
John Lawrence Hathaway (born 1 July 1987) is an English mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division.
Mixed martial arts career
Background and early career
Formerly an open-side flanker for local rugby team Hove RFC, Hatha ...
facing MMA veteran Mike Pyle in the welterweight division. Hathaway was coming off an upset victory over ''The Ultimate Fighter 1
The debut season of The Ultimate Fighter (later designated ''The Ultimate Fighter 1'') premiered on January 17, 2005. Sixteen mixed martial arts fighters (eight light heavyweights weighing from 186 to 205 lb and eight middleweights weighing from ...
'' winner, Diego Sanchez Hathaway was regarded as England's top prospect due to his takedown defence being higher than most fighters in the country. Hathaway was also undefeated, holding an MMA record of 14 wins and 0 defeats, with 4 of those wins coming in UFC events. Pyle was an experienced veteran, holding a professional MMA record of 20 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw and a UFC record of 2–2. His most recent fight prior to UFC 120 was a win over Jesse Lennox at UFC 115
''UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 12, 2010 at General Motors Place (now Rogers Arena) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Background
This was the fourth UFC ev ...
via triangle choke submission. Before the fight, Pyle sought to downplay the achievement of Hathaway defeating Diego Sanchez, stating: "Diego's a small, somewhat average-(sized) 55-pound fighter" Hathaway responded by stating "I definitely think he's yle
Yleisradio Oy ( Finnish, literally "General Radio Ltd." or "General Broadcast Ltd."; abbr. Yle ; sv, Rundradion Ab, italics=no), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, found ...
/nowiki> a step up. yle is/nowiki> incredibly experienced and very dangerous. I think he finishes like 80 to 90 percent of his fights by submission, so he's definitely a dangerous opponent."
Also on the main card was a heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
(206–265 pounds) fight between French fighter and UFC veteran Cheick Kongo
Cheick Kongo is a French heavyweight Mixed Martial artist and former Kickboxer who fights in Bellator MMA. A professional MMA competitor since 2001, he has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of May 10, 2022, he is #4 in the ...
and the relative newcomer Travis Browne
Travis Kuualiialoha Browne (born July 17, 1982) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed as a heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Background
Browne was born in H ...
. Kongo held an MMA record of 15 wins, 6 losses and 1 draw, with a UFC record of 8–4. Browne, on the other hand was undefeated going into the fight and won in his UFC debut which took place 4 months prior to UFC 120. For Kongo, this bout was a chance for redemption. Kongo had lost two fights in mid/late 2009 and whilst he was victorious in his final bout prior to UFC 120, he had been accused of unsportsmanlike conduct by many fans, after being deducted a point (on the judges' scorecards) against Paul Buentello
Paul Anthony Buentello (born January 16, 1974) is an American former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1997, Buentello competed in the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, Affliction, King of the Cage, Shark Fights, ACB, Legacy ...
at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones. For Browne, it was a chance to build on his successful UFC debut, where he defeated James McSweeney
James Adam McSweeney (born 24 October 1980) is a British kickboxer and retired mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, McSweeney is well known for being a cast member of Spike TV's '' The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights'' ...
via TKO in the opening round of their bout. Browne held a professional record of 10–0 coming into the fight and of his 10 victories, he had finished the fight in the first round due to KO or TKO in 7 of them.
The opening fight on the main card was a welterweight contest between Claude Patrick
Claude Patrick (born June 14, 1980) is a Canadians, Canadian retired mixed martial artist. Patrick most recently competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), fighting in their welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division.
Early life
Claude ...
and the winner of '' The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom'', James Wilks
James Brett Wilks (born 5 April 1978) is an English film producer, vegan activist, a combatives expert and instructor, and former professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 2003 until 2012, he competed for the UFC, King of the Ca ...
. Prior to the fight, Wilks had an MMA record of 7 wins and 3 losses, with 2 wins and a loss coming within the UFC. Patrick, who had an MMA record of 12 wins and 1 loss, was making his second UFC appearance, having won in his debut via guillotine choke
The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...
just a few months earlier.
Injuries and replacements
Dan Hardy
Daniel Mark Hardyhttp://boxing.nv.gov/2012%20Results%20Web/05-26-12%20MMA.pdf (born 17 May 1982) is an English former mixed martial artist who fought in the welterweight division. During his professional MMA career, which began in 2004, Hardy ...
was originally scheduled to fight Dustin Hazelett
Dustin Tyler Hazelett (born April 29, 1986) is a retired American mixed martial artist who had fought as a Welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Background
Hazelett was born in Louisa, Kentucky, USA.
Hazelett began training in mar ...
at this event before Hazelett pulled out because of his wedding in September. Carlos Condit
Carlos Joseph Condit (born April 26, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the former Interim UFC Welterweight ...
replaced Hazelett as Dan Hardy's opponent. John Hathaway
John Lawrence Hathaway (born 1 July 1987) is an English mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division.
Mixed martial arts career
Background and early career
Formerly an open-side flanker for local rugby team Hove RFC, Hatha ...
was also expected to fight the then-undefeated Dong Hyun Kim
Kim Dong-hyun ( ko, 김동현, 金東炫; born November 17, 1981), anglicized as Dong Hyun Kim, is a retired South Korean mixed martial artist who most notably fought in the UFC's welterweight division. He was signed by the UFC after fighting ...
. However, Kim was forced off the card with an elbow injury sustained during training and was replaced by Mike Pyle.
Tom Blackledge, an assistant coach for Team Rampage on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights'' was originally set to fight James Te-Huna
James Te Huna (born 29 September 1981) is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship who has been called a pioneer of New Zealand mixed martial artists. He was the first Australian-based fighter to win a UFC fight on Australi ...
. However, Te-Huna withdrew after an injury in training. Blackledge was then scheduled to fight TUF 10 semi-finalist, James McSweeney
James Adam McSweeney (born 24 October 1980) is a British kickboxer and retired mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, McSweeney is well known for being a cast member of Spike TV's '' The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights'' ...
. However, on September 28, 2010, Tom Blackledge withdrew from the matchup with James McSweeney for unknown reasons and was replaced by Fabio Maldonado Fabio is a given name descended from Latin '' Fabius'' and very popular in Italy and Latin America (due to Italian migration). Its English equivalent is Fabian.
The name is written without an accent in Italian and Spanish, but is usually accented ...
.
Steve Cantwell
Steven Francis Cantwell (born August 12, 1986) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2012, he competed for the UFC and for the UFC's sister organization, World Extreme Cagefighting. There, Cantwell ...
was scheduled to fight Stanislav Nedkov
Stanislav Nedkov ( bg, Станислав Недков, born December 9, 1981) is a Bulgarian professional mixed martial artist who last competed in 2015. A professional since 2006, he has formerly competed for the UFC, World Victory Road, and ...
, however the fight was cancelled less than 48 hours prior to the event, after Cantwell suffered a knee injury in training.
Card criticism
UFC 120 had drawn criticism before it had even taken place. The most common theme was that pundits and fans felt that the UFC events held in England were too focused on English fighters, rather than the "big name", world recognised fighters that audiences in the United States were used to. Past UFC events held in England featured title fights, such as UFC 80
''UFC 80: Rapid Fire'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), that took place on January 19, 2008, at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, United Kingdom.
Background
The main event was originally sch ...
(held in Newcastle, England), which had a UFC Lightweight Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.
Historical notes
At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
bout; the last time a UFC championship fight took place in England. Other main events held in England featured well known former champions, such as Randy Couture
Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former United States Army, U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman ...
and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović, though UFC 120 was perceived to have less star power. The complaints by English fans were slightly exacerbated due to the length of time between when events were held in the country. UFC had only held one event in England in 2010 (UFC 120), which was down from two events in 2009 and three in 2008.
The criticism resulted in members of the UFC – both management and fighters – defending the event. The UK president of the UFC, Marshall Zelaznik stated: "Obviously, championship fights for the most part are elevated to the pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
cards. The pay-per-view cards over here, because of the time change, make it a bit of a challenge in the U.S. to see the impact you're hoping to see from the championship fights." In an effort to appease the dissatisfied fans, he also added: "It's a bit of a business decision, but that's not to say we'll never have a pay-per-view here or we'll never have a championship fight here."
John Hathaway
John Lawrence Hathaway (born 1 July 1987) is an English mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division.
Mixed martial arts career
Background and early career
Formerly an open-side flanker for local rugby team Hove RFC, Hatha ...
, who was competing on the main card at UFC 120 said: "I think it's a good card. It's great to see so many British fighters fighting international opponents. I'm more than happy with the card, I'm happy to compete, and I'm always keen to put a good performance on for the fans."
Dana White
Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...
, the UFC president also defended the event, stating: "You cannot say a card sucks until it's over. It's like when we are sitting down and debating over who is going to win a fight. The cards get criticised and those are the events that normally end up being the most exciting, with great fights on them. At the end of the day you are paying to see good fights as a fan. I guarantee the card we are bringing to England will be great."
UFC Fan Expo
The UFC also held their first ever international Fan Expo, having held their first ever expo at UFC 100
''UFC 100'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 11, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This event was the most bought UFC pay-per-view of all time with a buyrate of 1.6million, until UFC 202 brok ...
. It was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre
Earls Court Exhibition Centre was a major international exhibition and events venue just west of central London. At its peak it is said to have generated a £2 billion turnover for the economy. It replaced exhibition and entertainment grounds, ...
on October 15 and 16 and it allowed fans to visit over 100 MMA-related vendors and also get autographs from several UFC fighters who attended the expo. Around two dozen fighters were announced for the event to sign autographs and interact with fans, with other fighters, such as Randy Couture and Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei César da Silva ( , , ; born 3 July 1976) is a Brazilian-American former mixed martial artist who competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the American-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He holds the record for the ...
holding their own seminars.
Attendance and gate figures
Despite the negative reaction to the event and its participants, Marshall Zelaznik announced that UFC 120 was expected to break the European attendance and gate receipts records, having sold out the original seating plan. The gate record prior was 16,693, set by UFC 105
''UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 14, 2009 in Manchester, United Kingdom at the Manchester Evening News Arena. This event aired on the same day, via tape de ...
, with the record gate receipts coming in at $2.7m at UFC 75
''UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event was held September 8, 2007, at The O2 in London, United Kingdom.
Background
The event was the fourth event held by the UFC in ...
. This later proved partially correct, as the event set a new European attendance record of 17,133, but fell just short of the gate receipts figure with $2.56m. With over 17,000 spectators, the event became, at that time, the ninth most attended event in UFC history.
Despite the record attendance, the viewing figures on Spike TV were reduced from the last event to take place in England. UFC 120 averaged 1.9 million viewers, whereas UFC 105, in November 2009 had averaged 2.9 million.
Results
Bonus awards
Fighters were awarded $60,000 bonuses.
*Fight of the Night: Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
*Knockout of the Night: Carlos Condit
*Submission of the Night: Paul Sass
See also
* Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
* List of UFC champions
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.
Historical notes
At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
* List of UFC events
* 2010 in UFC
The year 2010 is the 18th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 2010 the UFC held 24 events beginning with, ''UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva''.
Title fights
...
References
External links
Official UFC past events page
UFC events results at Sherdog.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ufc 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama
Ultimate Fighting Championship events
2010 in mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts in the United Kingdom
Sport in the Royal Borough of Greenwich
2010 sports events in London
October 2010 sports events in the United Kingdom