Ten UK fighters found themselves on the card for this event, including a number of newcomers from TUF 9 like season winners Ross Pearson and James Wilks, up and comers working their way up the ranks like Terry Etim and John Hathaway, and established stars like Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy.

One thing they all had in common on the night was tough fights.  In fact many had written of the chances of many of the Brits, suggesting that they were somehow inferior to their largely U.S counterparts.  That wasn’t to be the case however and seven  of the ten UK fighters emerged victorious.

The UK scene has emerged from the event stronger than ever and in Dan Hardy they now have their first title contender after he was confirmed as the next challenger for Georges St. Pierre’s welterweight title.  Michael Bisping also regained some respect with his impressive showing against Denis Kang that earned him the ‘Fight of The Night’ award, and Ross Pearson showed that he will be no pushover in the competitive lightweight division with a dominating win over Aaron Riley.

Six of the UK fighters found themselves out of the spotlight in the prelims, but they still shone on the night with many critics stating that the undercard produced the best fights of the card.  Andre Winner opened the show in some style and was unlucky not to win ‘knockout Of The Night’ for his overhand right that left Roli Delgado slumped in a heap.  Terry Etim also continued to impress, gaining the third ‘Submission Of The Night’ award of his career.

Nick Osipczak showed that he should not be underestimated after breaking Matthew Riddle’s three fight win streak with a 3rd round TKO, while in a battle of the Brits, John Hathaway claimed victory against Paul Taylor to go 12-0.

Even the fighters who lost showed great heart in defeat.  In the prelims Paul Kelly received a devestating spinning back kick to his midsection in the second round against Denis Siver, but despite later discovering that he had suffered broken ribs from the blow he tried to get back to his feet before finally succumbing to further strikes (it was also reported by Fighters Only that he was also diagnosed with a fractured cheekbone after the fight).

James Wilks meanwhile managed to survive a flying knee from Matt Brown, and despite clearly hurt fought on and was unlucky not to finish a kimura attempt in the third round before finally being defeated.

The British fans also played their part as the attendance of  16,693 at the MEN arena in Manchester set a new European record for the UFC.

Overall UFC 105 will have done much to solidify the reputation and credibility of mixed martial arts in the UK, and the UFC will be hoping for similar success as they look to further expand the promotion into new territories in 2010.

Picture courtesy of sherdog.com

“I haven’t done anything in the world of mixed martial arts yet, to be honest with you,” Pearson admitted to MMAjunkie.com. “‘The Ultimate Fighter’ was a learning curve. It was a testing ground to see how I would cope. I think now, this is where my official career starts.”

With a 9-3 record to date he’s no newcomer to the sport,  but there is some truth to what Pearson says. His career up until the TUF reality show had been spent fighting solely for small UK based promotions, while working during the day as a bricklayer.

The difference between fighting in small venues around the country, and now a year later stepping into the UFC’s octagon at the MEN arena in front of millions of people worldwide hasn’t escaped the  25 year old’s attention.

“I’m super excited, but I’m thinking, ‘[Expletive], man, there’s 20,000 people in there.’ It’s a crazy mixed feeling, but I think I’ll be fine.”

Meanwhile, despite only being three years older than Pearson, his opponent Aaron Riley is worlds apart in terms of experience.

With 40 fights under his belt for a string of well known promotions he is heading into the fight in a more relaxed frame of mind, but he understands how Pearson will be feeling.

“It’s easier for me,he told mmaweekly.  “I’ve been in his position before, and you definitely feel added pressure, but the trick is to turn that around and use that as a positive, so we’ll see how he adjusts to that.”

Nerves or not, one thing both fighters seem sure of is that a win would be a significant boost to their respective careers.

“It’s a great opponent for me and for my career,” Pearson said. “You’re testing yourself. For my career, it’s just going to boost me up where I want to be and going in the right direction.

Riley also sees the benefits of a win. “It would be good, because he’s definitely got a lot of attention on him for winning the show,” he says.

“Hopefully, with that win, it would put me in a position where they would think maybe we can give him a couple of fights against a top ten fighter, and then if I can get those match-ups, we’ll see what happens.