UFC on Fuel TV 8: Silva vs. Stann review and full fight card

 

The spirit of Bushido is alive and well in Japan as UFC on Fuel TV 8 made its way back to the Land of the Rising Sun. The Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan played host to the return of the Octagon. It was a great night of fight filled with action and two fighters paid tribute to their days back in Pride with brutal TKO victories. Both fighters were awarded "Knock out of the Night" awards. 

The night started off with an opening fight featuring Dong Hyun Kim vs. Siyar Bahadurzada. This was a technically sound fight for Kim who managed to control the entire fight with Bahadurzada from start to finish. In the end Kim took home the victory with a unanimous decision and exposed Bahadurzada's need for more training if he is to compete inside the UFC.

Rani Yahya took home the win over Mizuto Hirota with a solid unanimous decision. Yushin Okami took home one of the biggest victories of his career with a split decision win over Hector Lombard. The two men exchanged heavy blow throughout the fight with Okami almost getting put out multiple times. It was not enough though as Okami got the nod and left Lombard wondering what is next.

"The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi put on a show with the much larger Diego Sanchez as the two fighters went to war. Okami looked like the old Okami from back during his days of dominance in Pride. Gomi looked to control the fight with crisp combinations and brilliant footwork. The judges saw it differently though as they gave the win to Sanchez in a razor close split decision victory.

The co-main event promised to pick up the pace as two heavyweights entered the cage with one thing on their mind. Former Pride favorite and K-1 champion Mark Hunt took on UFC veteran Stefan Struve that proved to be one of the best fights of the night. Struve and Hunt went toe to toe for most of the fight with Struve getting the big man to the canvas and mounting him on more than one occasion. Hunt never gave up and in the second round he found the chin of Struve with a massive over hand right that floored Struve. Hunt walked away as soon as the blow was landed, as he knew the fight was over. Hunt will now focus on his upcoming fight that will most likely pit him against a UFC heavyweight champion.

The main event was spectacular and loaded with firepower. Former Pride middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva stepped to the line against former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann. The fight was an all-out battle with both men swinging for the fences. This fight was not fought in a technical manner. No, this fight was fought with reckless abandon. When the dust finally settled it was "The Axe Murderer" who was left standing. It was a match that Silva can look back on and smile because he caused havoc unlike anything since his Pride days. Stann has to be disappointed as he was sucked into Silva's game and paid the ultimate price.

This was a great card especially since it was free. Hunt and Wand took home "Knockout of the Night" honors. Silva and Stann walked away with "Fight of the Night" honors. The fights keep getting better and better and do not seem to be letting up anytime soon. Make sure you catch up with us here for our next event, as we will present a preview and review of the event.

 

 

 UFC on Fuel TV 8 Full Fight Card:

 

Main Card (FUEL TV)

• Wanderlei Silva def. Brian Stann via KO (punches) at 4:08 of Round 2
• Mark Hunt def. Stefan Struve via TKO (punch) at 1:44 of Round 3
• Diego Sanchez def. Takanori Gomi by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Yushin Okami def. Hector Lombard via split decision (29-28,28-29,29-28)
• Rani Yahya def. Mizuto Hirota via unanimous decision (29-28,29-28,29-28)
• Dong Hyun Kim def. Siyar Bahadurzada via unanimous decision (30-27,30-27,30-27)

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

• Brad Tavares def. Riki Fukuda via unanimous decision (29-28,29-28,30-27)
• Takeya Mizugaki def. Bryan Caraway by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Kazuki Tokudome def. Cristiano Marcello via unanimous decision (30-27,30-27,30-27)
• Alex Caceres def. Kyung Ho Kang via split decision (29-28,28-29,29-28)
• Hyun Gyu Lim def. Marcelo Guimaraes via KO (knee and punches) at 4:00 of Round 2