"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why we call it the present."

Oogway in Kung Fu Panda

Wise words indeed.

This weekend, it's Cage Gladiators giving us a treat. With Cage Rage apparently on the ropes- the other UK MMA brands are flexing their muscles. Hot on the heels of the Cage Warriors mega card- the Liverpool promotion step up to the plate with their latest show.

Two title bouts, a host of other well balanced contests, Britain's best venue and a Saturday night in Liverpool after. Looks good to me.

One of the saddest sights of the year was Colin Robinson after he was stopped early by Antoni Hardonk UFC 80. Big C's face in extreme close up on the mega screens at the Metro Arena- a picture of desolation. The game was up and he knew it.

You don't get rid of the big man that easy. Robinson told anyone who'd listen he was determined to fight his way back to the big time. A false start against the 70s porn star Dan Severn has raised the stakes even further.

Robinson will leave Liverpool with either a shiny new belt or a three fight losing streak. Standing in his way: the imposing Stefan "The Skyscraper" Struve. Last time out, he stunned the Olympia by slapping a triangle on local fave Tom Blackledge. A similar result on Saturday would push the dream of a UFC return even further away from Robinson.

The contest may well be decided in the clinch, where both men are capable of bringing the pain.

A truly meaningful fight.

The British Featherweight title is also up for grabs. Steve "Taz" McCombe moves up a weight after his unsuccessful crack at Paul McVeigh for the Cage Warriors Bantamweight strap. Out of the frying pan- into the fire. McCombe was a huge bantam and looked good with his hands, but he was taken apart on the deck. Ronnie Mann has a rock solid Muay Thai background and a tidy sub game. Taz has guts to spare, but it's hard to see him pulling off the upset.

There are attractive match ups down the card. Rob Sinclair has impressed in all departments and is unbeaten as a pro. He faces his toughest test yet in the shape of Greg Loughran. The wiry Irishman uses every ounce of his experience to win fights. He tends to outsmart his opponents and is particularly dangerous when working for subs off his back.

Mick Sinclair was DQ'd on his last visit to the Olympia after he delivered a kick to the grounded Aidan Marron. Before that, he dished out plenty of legal punishment to earn the nod from the judges after a three round war with Ian "The Mongoose" Jones. His opponent, AJ Wenn, toughed it out for three rounds against the highly rated Andre Winner last year. Neither will be expecting an easy night.

"Sass by triangle" is quickly becoming a Cage Gladiators catchphrase and the man himself will be going for his seventh sub in a row on Saturday. Martin Stapleton had been marching through the opposition, until he was pushed all the way by the ultra-game David Johnson in his last outing. In that fight, Stapleton showcased some mean takedowns- repeatedly slamming Johnson onto his back. If he does that to Paul Sass- he'd better watch out for those legs creeping up his back.

Lurking down the card is a gem. Unbelievably, Kam Atakuru and Lucasz Les both have losing records. Lucasz Les clocked up his 0s years ago in Poland. In his UK debut, he handed Lee Livingstone his only loss to take the honours in the LL derby fight. Les exploded backwards to sub the Rough House jiu jitsu coach via Achilles lock. Atakuru has hung with classy company from the beginning. Seek out film of his epic round against Jason Ball as an example of why people love MMA. Performances like that showed Kam's ability- and earmarked him as a man to dodge. The winner's record will come out of the red. The loser will become President of the "one to be avoided" club.

There are another nine fights, making this a solid offering- but the fights are only half the story with Cage Gladiators. The Olympia is a unique venue in UK MMA: carved elephant heads, ace sound system, bang up for it crowd, flashing cage and built on a proper street in a proper area instead of some leisure park. What more could you want? Not only that- the fights are on a Saturday- opening up the special delights of Liverpool nightlife.

As we learn in Kung Fu Panda- there are no secret ingredients. Whether it's martial arts or noodle soup: what you see is what you get.

Cage Gladiators 8 looks pretty tasty to me.

for more info on Cage Gladiators, visit:

www.cagegladiators.tv

www.hurtbusiness.com

despatches from the frontline of UK MMA