UFC 110: Cain Velasquez Knocks Out Nogueira in Sydney
The UFC’s first event in Australia gave the home audience a breakthrough lightweight win and the heavyweight division a decisive statement. UFC 110 took place at Sydney’s Acer Arena on February 21, 2010, local time, with its North American broadcast on February 20. Cain Velasquez knocked out Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva defeated Michael Bisping, and George Sotiropoulos beat Joe Stevenson. Nine completed bouts made this a landmark international card.
Video: UFC’s contemporary extended preview for its first Australian event.
Velasquez’s hands settle the heavyweight headliner
Nogueira had rebounded with an impressive decision over Randy Couture at UFC 102. Velasquez had stopped Ben Rothwell at UFC 104. Their matchup put an accomplished veteran with a reputation for durability and submissions opposite an unbeaten heavyweight known for wrestling, pace and developing striking.
Velasquez did not need to make this a long wrestling contest. He established his striking rhythm and landed a sharp combination that dropped Nogueira. Follow-up punches brought the stoppage at 2:20 of round one. The result was a knockout victory, not a championship win: no UFC belt was at stake in the main event.
Its importance was still substantial. Beating Nogueira so quickly gave Velasquez a stronger argument that his skills could translate against the division’s most experienced names. The performance broadened the way he could be understood as a contender. His wrestling remained an asset, but accurate combinations could settle a major fight before that part of his game became the central issue.
Silva’s late attacks make the difference against Bisping
Wanderlei Silva was making his UFC middleweight debut after losing to Rich Franklin at a catchweight at UFC 99. Bisping had recovered from his defeat at UFC 100 by stopping Denis Kang at UFC 105. Their fight was competitive, with Bisping finding takedowns and Silva looking for consequential bursts of offense.
Silva nearly finished the contest with a guillotine at the end of round two. Late in the third, he dropped Bisping with punches, adding another emphatic moment before the bell. All three judges scored the fight 29–28 for Silva. The close unanimous decision gave the veteran a needed win while showing how attacks near a round’s end could shape a closely contested bout.
Sotiropoulos rewards the Australian crowd
Sotiropoulos defeated Stevenson by unanimous decision, delivering a substantial win for the local audience against a former lightweight title challenger. His ground work was especially important, allowing him to compete confidently in the area where Stevenson had built much of his reputation. The result was a statement of technical ability over the full distance.
The atmosphere supplied one kind of pressure; the opponent supplied another. Sotiropoulos answered both by producing a composed performance rather than relying on crowd energy alone. On an event built to introduce the UFC to a new live market, his success gave Australian fans a result tied directly to one of their leading fighters.
Bader and Cro Cop finish their main-card assignments
Ryan Bader stopped Keith Jardine at 2:10 of the third round. After a difficult contest to read, the unbeaten wrestler found the decisive opening with strikes. Mirko Cro Cop defeated Anthony Perosh through a doctor’s stoppage after round two. Perosh had accepted the heavyweight matchup on short notice, making his willingness to compete part of the story even though Cro Cop won clearly.
The preliminaries include a disputed cut stoppage
Krzysztof Soszynski’s bout with Stephan Bonnar ended when a cut forced a doctor’s stoppage in round three. The cut came from an accidental clash of heads, but the referee treated it as damage from a legal strike. The official result remained a TKO victory for Soszynski; describing that ruling also requires explaining why Bonnar disputed it.
Chris Lytle submitted Brian Foster with a first-round kneebar, showing a different finishing route from the stand-up battles associated with his nickname. CB Dollaway defeated Goran Reljic by unanimous decision. James Te Huna stopped Igor Pokrajac in the third round of the opener, giving the Australia-based New Zealander a successful UFC debut and the crowd an early reason to celebrate.
Complete UFC 110 results
Main card
- Cain Velasquez def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira — KO (punches), round 1, 2:20.
- Wanderlei Silva def. Michael Bisping — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00 (29–28 on all three cards).
- George Sotiropoulos def. Joe Stevenson — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
- Ryan Bader def. Keith Jardine — KO (punch), round 3, 2:10.
- Mirko Cro Cop def. Anthony Perosh — TKO (doctor’s stoppage), round 2, 5:00.
Preliminary card
- Krzysztof Soszynski def. Stephan Bonnar — TKO (doctor’s stoppage), round 3, 1:04.
- Chris Lytle def. Brian Foster — submission (kneebar), round 1, 1:41.
- CB Dollaway def. Goran Reljic — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
- James Te Huna def. Igor Pokrajac — TKO (punches), round 3, 3:26.
Sources
Article Tags
UFC 110, Cain Velasquez, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Australia, UFC Results
