UFC 105 walk-in music: Couture remains classic; British pump up crowd

By Allison Duck

Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 | midnight

Though no belts were on the line at UFC 105, national pride served to elevate the atmosphere in the Manchester Evening News Arena to a fever pitch. The matchups between the Brits and Americans were especially intense as the fight took place across the pond. The heated emotions spread outside the Octagon to the airwaves as fighters chose songs to rile up their respective countrymen.

To no surprise, Michael Bisping went with his old standby, Blur’s “Song 2.” While it’s not “God Save the Queen,” the Blur hit could be considered the British national anthem, as least to rowdy sports fans. It was the logical choice as it has become his recognizable trademark song and it’s likely even the Americans in attendance were singing along with the frequent “whoo hoos” in the song.

Dan Hardy clearly sought to get his fellow Englishmen to their feet with the Cock Sparrer song “England Belongs to Me.” This chant-along bar song features decisive lyrics like, “We'll show the world that the boys are back to stay.” Hardy’s choice echoed the result of his fight when he earned the unanimous decision over American Mike Swick. This victory garnered him a title shot against welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre.

Nick Osipczak also played up the home court advantage with the song “Jus’ a Rascal” by London rapper Dizzee Rascal. The rather vulgar rap commands, “Yo London, stand up tall.” Lewis Harrison, a fan in attendance at the fight, reported Osipczak said prior to his fight, "I'm representing London and coming out to Dizzee." He repped them well as he earned a TKO victory against American Matt Riddle.

In the ultimate show of simultaneous acceptance and defiance, Riddle marched in to Rick Derringer’s song “American Hero,” better known as pro wrestler Hulk Hogan’s theme song. Being the guest in the English arena, Riddle knew he would automatically be walking in to a chorus of boos. Like Tom Lawlor’s use of “Who Let the Dogs Out” at UFC 100, Riddle’s humorous selection forced the crowd to loosen up and have a little fun, likely rekindling emotions of the Hulkamaniacs in attendance as boos turned to cheers.

The amusingly appropriate song of the night had to go to Shannon Gugerty for his choice of The Cold War Kids’ “Something is Not Right With Me.” Though it’s a rapidly growing sport, mixed martial arts has its critics. Some “non-believers” feel something is simply not right with athletes who desire to enter a cage with the intention of beating an opponent to a pulp.

Gugerty’s song choice pointed out this observation about the sport and simultaneously laughed at it because the overall mood of the song indicates the subject of the tune doesn’t really care if he’s perceived as a little off his rocker. He’s aware but doesn’t necessarily believe it’s his problem, or even a problem at all. Gugerty likely chose this song for its upbeat tempo and peppy vibe, but managed to imply some entertaining broader commentary in the process. Despite his loss to Terry Eitm, Gugerty’s confidant choice of song both entertained and enlightened.

Several fighters opted for radio-friendly crowd pleasers instead of more personal choices. Ross Pearson, lightweight winner of “The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom,” picked the Black Eyed Peas’ club anthem “I Got a Feeling.” He probably had a feeling he would win, but not via a medical stoppage.

Paul Kelly took a similar approach with “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon. The popular track seems an odd fit for a UFC fight as it is more bedroom appropriate. Though Kelly might have appealed to the masses with his song choice, he couldn’t swing the fight outcome in his favor as Dennis Siver got the TKO victory in the second.

Like Bisping, Brandon Vera chose to stick with his customary music, “Bebot” by Black Eyed Peas. The Filipino call to arms once again seemed fitting, especially since many of the British fighters really played up their patriotism with British songs.

In the same vein as his AC/DC walk out tune at 102, Randy Couture stuck to the classics and this time opted for Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” With its famous staccato orchestral opening and well-known lyrics, this was a solid choice for the UFC veteran. Maintaining Octagon control was another solid choice as this likely was the deciding factor in the judges’ eyes as they had to call a close fight and did so in favor of Couture.

Lewis Harrison contributed to this post.