UFC 120: Bisping Beats Akiyama as Condit Knocks Out Hardy

UFC 120 took place on October 16, 2010, at the O2 Arena in London, England. Michael Bisping defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama by unanimous decision in the middleweight main event, while Carlos Condit knocked out Dan Hardy in the first round of their welterweight co-main event. Mike Pyle, Claude Patrick and five preliminary winners completed a card that also featured a heavyweight draw between Cheick Kongo and Travis Browne.

Video: Fight Network’s verified-channel preview of UFC 120, published before the London event. It is a contemporary discussion of the matchups, not full-fight footage.

Bisping earns the decision against Akiyama

Akiyama landed a heavy right hand early, but Bisping recovered and built his offense around movement and combinations. All three judges scored the fifteen-minute main event 30–27 for Bisping. The victory gave the English middleweight a clear result in front of his home crowd, even though Akiyama’s durability prevented a stoppage.

The matchup followed Akiyama’s submission loss to Chris Leben at UFC 116. London again required him to withstand an opponent’s sustained work, and he stayed competitive enough to make Bisping earn the full distance. For Bisping, the result added another win to his middleweight campaign. This was a three-round, non-title main event rather than a championship defense.

The scorecards provide the clearest description of its outcome: each judge awarded Bisping all three rounds. Akiyama’s early connection mattered as a threat, but it did not turn into the finish or sustained advantage needed to reverse the result. Bisping’s task was to respond to that moment and continue scoring, and the unanimous verdict reflected his success.

Condit wins the exchange with Hardy

The co-main event ended much sooner. Condit and Hardy exchanged left hooks, and Condit’s punch reached its target with decisive effect. The knockout came at 4:27 of round one. Hardy’s London appearance therefore ended before he could build a second-round response, while Condit secured one of his most memorable UFC striking finishes.

Condit had rallied to stop Rory MacDonald at UFC 115. The Hardy fight demanded a different kind of timing: rather than rescuing a late contest, he ended an exchange in the opening round. Those consecutive victories strengthened his position in the welterweight division. Hardy, who had challenged Georges St-Pierre at UFC 111, faced another setback in his effort to return to contention.

Pyle defeats Hathaway; Kongo and Browne draw

Mike Pyle handed John Hathaway his first professional defeat by unanimous decision. Pyle’s grappling and experience allowed him to control important stretches against a prospect who entered with an unbeaten record. Surviving those positions kept Hathaway in the fight, but it did not overcome Pyle’s advantage over the full three rounds.

Cheick Kongo and Travis Browne finished with a unanimous draw. Kongo lost a point for holding Browne’s shorts, and every judge ultimately returned a 28–28 score. That deduction was central to the recorded outcome. Neither heavyweight received a victory, and the bout should be retained as a draw in the event’s results rather than assigned to either man.

Claude Patrick defeated James Wilks by unanimous decision in the remaining main-card welterweight bout. Patrick had won his UFC debut at UFC 115; London gave him another victory, this time over the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 9’s welterweight competition. The main card consequently produced three decision wins, one knockout and one draw.

Five preliminary bouts

Alexander Gustafsson submitted Cyrille Diabate with a rear-naked choke in round two. Rob Broughton used the same method to defeat Vinicius Queiroz in the third, and Paul Sass caught Mark Holst in a first-round triangle. Spencer Fisher earned a decision over Curt Warburton, while Fabio Maldonado stopped James McSweeney with punches in round three. The ten-bout card therefore combined quick and late finishes with several contests that needed the judges.

Complete UFC 120 results

Main card

• Michael Bisping def. Yoshihiro Akiyama — unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27), round 3, 5:00.
• Carlos Condit def. Dan Hardy — KO (punch), round 1, 4:27.
• Mike Pyle def. John Hathaway — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
• Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne — unanimous draw (28–28, 28–28, 28–28), round 3, 5:00.
• Claude Patrick def. James Wilks — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.

Preliminary card

• Alexander Gustafsson def. Cyrille Diabate — submission (rear-naked choke), round 2, 2:41.
• Rob Broughton def. Vinicius Queiroz — submission (rear-naked choke), round 3, 1:43.
• Paul Sass def. Mark Holst — submission (triangle choke), round 1, 4:45.
• Spencer Fisher def. Curt Warburton — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
• Fabio Maldonado def. James McSweeney — TKO (punches), round 3, 0:48.

Sources

• UFC: the main-card recap and scorecards.
• UFC: date, venue and complete lineup.
• UFC: contemporary matchup background.
• Sherdog: all ten fight results.

Article Tags

UFC 120, Michael Bisping, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Carlos Condit, Dan Hardy