# Official UFC/General MMA Discussion v3.0 - Part 1



## Reznor (Jul 6, 2014)

This is a continuation thread, the old thread is *Here*


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## Ippy (Jul 6, 2014)

*Official UFC/General MMA Discussion v3.0*





UFC 159 tonight.


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## Azzuri (Jul 6, 2014)

And this is where he shines...


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## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 6, 2014)

Why Bj                ?


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## Azzuri (Jul 6, 2014)

A replay of the 2nd fight...

I don't know what I was expecting from this fight.


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## eHav (Jul 6, 2014)

lol at bj. what a sad performace


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## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 6, 2014)

It's not funny


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## Azzuri (Jul 6, 2014)




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## Lurko (Jul 6, 2014)

Bj should have retired.


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## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 6, 2014)

Who remember these good ole days?


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## Lurko (Jul 6, 2014)

I do! Lesnar use to be such a big fighter.


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## Azzuri (Jul 7, 2014)

I just got news that Aldo is only out for 45 days and he can fight Mendes.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 7, 2014)

Edgar was pretty much as dominant as I thought he'd be and Penn looked like he never practiced fighting at the stance he was using. Looks like he went to Nova Uniao for the wrong plan, just tried to change too much, direction looked lost and he just wasn't himself. He needs to just hang it up already, not sure what he thought he had for a guy who's a bad match-up for him and is likely a Top-10 p4p fighter. Sucks to see Edgar waste pretty much a year of his prime but he got that skrilla. 

Scoggins-Ortiz was a fun fight, could have went either way really but a good learning experience for him.


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## Kuya (Jul 7, 2014)

BJ 

That was hard to watch 

Everyone's mood in the bar was fucking killed, like it was really hard for everyone to watch.


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## Stringer (Jul 7, 2014)

he was graceful in defeat


I was happy to see Uriah Hall gained the mental toughness to fight through that nasty toe injury and get the double u, he's been struggling for a while, hopefully he stays on this stride

also, september can't come soon enough, I'm really tempted to get tickets for ufc 178. Gus vs Jones II is easily my most anticipated fight of the year


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## Azzuri (Jul 8, 2014)

"When life knocks you down, calmly get back up, smile, and very politly say, you hit like a bitch."

That's some inspirational.shit.

*UFC 175 Medical Suspensions:*

Chris Weidman: Must have left jaw, right elbow, right ribs and right ankle x-rayed. If positive, then that injury must cleared by orthopedic doctor, or no contest until Jan. 2. Minimum suspension until Aug. 20 with no contact until Aug. 5.

Lyoto Machida: Suspended until Sept. 4 with no contact until Aug. 20 due to facial laceration.

Ronda Rousey: Must have right hand x-rayed and, if positive, cleared by orthopedic doctor, or no contest until Jan. 2.

Alexis Davis: Suspended until July 27 with no contact until July 20.

Matt Mitrione: Must have follow-up chest CT scan in six months, due Dec. 16.

Stefan Struve: Must be medically cleared before next contest and must see a cardiologist every six months, due Nov. 7.

Uriah Hall: Must have right second toe cleared by orthopedic doctor, or no contest until Jan. 2. Minimum suspension until Sept. 4 with no contact until Aug. 20.

Russell Doane: Must have right thumb x-rayed and cleared by orthopedic doctor, or no contest until Jan. 2. Minimum suspension until July 27 with no contact until July 20.

Urijah Faber: Must have left rib x-ray series and, if positive, needs clearance from doctor, or no contest until Jan. 2.

Kenny Robertson: Must have right elbow cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until Jan. 2.

Bruno Santos: Must have possible nasal fracture cleared by doctor or no contest until Jan. 2. Minimum suspension until July 27 with no contact until July 20.

George Roop: Suspended until Aug. 20 with no contact until Aug. 5.

Luke Zachrich: Must have left hand x-rayed. If positive, then needs orthopedic doctor clearance or no contest until Jan. 2. Minimum suspension until Aug. 20 with no contact until Aug. 5 for right eye laceration.

Kevin Casey: Must have left elbow cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until Jan. 2.

Bubba Bush: Suspended until Sept. 4 with no contact until Aug. 20.


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## Azzuri (Jul 8, 2014)

Romero and Kennedy will duke it out at UFC  178.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 9, 2014)

That's a great match-up. As corny as Kennedy is he's definitely more disciplined than Romero. I'd favour Romero if he fights like he did against Tavares, transitions with his world class wrestling and striking (also from that Cuban boxing stance he uses at times) well, uses those feints and his speed/explosiveness to cut off Kennedy and set up strikes at the cage. Kennedy is no joke on the ground though and Romero could be in trouble if Kennedy gets on top as his top game is special, but I am not sure if he can get Romero into that position. Both are really strong guys but Romero's one of the most athletic guys on the roster.

Not sure if you guys are into Muay Thai (used to be a couple guys here) but there have been some great fights recently (most consistent combat sport for that):

[YOUTUBE]4sqNJG7E2pk[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]zTW_Yluil1E[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]azAkvhHw_9k[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]aCnGek57nMc[/YOUTUBE]


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## Lurko (Jul 9, 2014)

Holy shit that first fight, damn those guys are fast.


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## Stringer (Jul 9, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Not sure if you guys are into Muay Thai (used to be a couple guys here) but there have been some great fights recently (most consistent combat sport for that)


I love Muay Thai and kick oriented fighters in general, part of the reason why I enjoy watching fights from prime Mirko krokoff, Aldo, Uriah Hall and Edson Barboza so much (wish the latter had a better chin, but whatevs)

admittedly I don't watch as much thai boxing matches as I should, something I gotta fix

those fights were nice


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 9, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Holy shit that first fight, damn those guys are fast.



Pornsanae really pushes the pace, guy isn't the smartest fighter but he's super aggressive and makes exchanges and fights like that happen. He has more aspects of a Dutch style, makes more mistakes than usual Thai fighters, doesn't move off-line after strikes (a lot Thais don't use movement that well but they're most are really defensively sound unlike him), and he doesn't seem to be very knowledgeable about countering. MT fighters are definitely the best strikers on average out of all the styles in the world, just very technical, the best at the clinch because of how much they work at it, and really experienced since such a young age. It's a pretty brutal sport though, used to train in it quite often, still do but not as much and there are a lot of phony or mediocre MT gyms in the West (pretty much due to the lack of Thai nak muays). It's easy to tell from the training if you know enough about it.



Stringer said:


> I love Muay Thai and kick oriented fighters in general, part of the reason why I enjoy watching fights from prime Mirko krokoff, Aldo, Uriah Hall and Edson Barboza so much (wish the latter had a better chin, but whatevs)
> 
> admittedly I don't watch as much thai boxing matches as I should, something I gotta fix
> 
> those fights were nice



Matt Brown likely has the best pure MT in MMA, not close to the level of those guys but his style is the closest, maybe that I've ever seen in MMA outside of Thai fighters who transition to MMA. His clinch game is so ahead of almost everyone I've seen in MMA. Cosmo Alexandre is another example of someone in MMA who is successful with a very Thai style, and he's one of the few MMA strikers you could say that about. Neither a pure Thai style or a pure TKD style are ideal for MMA though, you have to make it work with your overall game. Duane Ludwig had a MT style and he has really helped improve Dillashaw's striking as well. 

Outside of some of Aldo's low kicks I'd say those guys' kicking games are more kickboxing or TKD based than MT on a technical level (although for a guy like Barboza it depends on who he's fighting). As for Barboza his biggest problem is defence. He gets really predictable, backs straight up with zero head movement, barely moves off-line after he throws, and fighters like Varner or Cerrone were just easily able to find out the space his head always was and get him. He's a great spin-kicker though; his timing and how he applies them are some of the best in MMA

As for kickers, the guys I like watching the most now are Machida and Pettis. Others are: Wonderboy, Marlon Moraes, Saffiedine, Robbie Lawler, Swanson, Douglas Lima, Cruickshank, Aldo, and Cerrone.


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## Azzuri (Jul 9, 2014)

Overeem and Rothwell will fight at UFC Fight Night Connecticut.


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## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 9, 2014)

That Connecticut is stacked


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## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 9, 2014)

And it got even more stacked

I just realized this card is on the same night as the Bellator card. Poor Bellator


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## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 10, 2014)

The Hype Holly Holm has signed with the ufc!



Cyborg may fight at 135 her next fight



And Cat Zigano fights Amanda Nunrs at ufc 178

Lawrence Vigouroux has also joined Liverpool

Great times for wmma right now


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## Lurko (Jul 10, 2014)

Ronda needs to fight Cyborg.


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## Matariki (Jul 11, 2014)

[YOUTUBE]3C1poZIF6dk[/YOUTUBE]

Calderwood


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## Kuya (Jul 13, 2014)

Frankie Edgar has what it takes to take the belt from Dillashaw or Aldo.

Frankie should be Interim Champ.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 13, 2014)

Aldo is the greatest FW ever, the best/most complete fighter on the planet, and is the longest reigning champion of the UFC/WEC. It would make the UFC look very bad if they made an interim champ (when he's going to be out for what, 45 days?) considering how long Cruz was inactive before they made Barao the interim champ (what was it, like 2 years?), Velasquez has been out way longer, and same with Pettis who will have been out of action for 18 months (pulled out of a couple fights) and hasn't defended the belt once. 

As much as I like Edgar (who I think is till Top-10 p4p and he does provide problems for Aldo in a potential rematch - he has no interest in going to BW which is why the Faber fight never happened), he doesn't deserve an interim title fight. He's a fight or two away from that, beating the confused Nova Uniao copy ghost of BJ Penn doesn't put him there. The fight with Oliveira was the only one win since his drop to FW with the power to tell us anything about his standing in the division, and all that fight told us is that Edgar is still capable of repeatedly letting his outmatched opponents into the fight. Swanson had a much more impressive performance on his streak and it wasn't competitive either, and Oliveira wasn't even a Top-3 win for him during this streak.

If enough time passes that they believe they need an interim champ, there should be no other option than Mendes vs Swanson. Putting Edgar there makes no sense considering what he's down at FW so far, but it wouldn't be surprising considering past decisions by the UFC.


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## Azzuri (Jul 13, 2014)

Edgar said he'd be down to fight Faber at 140.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 14, 2014)

Some solid UFC fights to look forward to this week. Cerrone-Miller is a fight I've wanted to see for a long time and I think this is a great time to have it. McCall-Pickett, Dunham-Barboza, Lineker-Ozkilic, McGregor-Brandao (I think Brandao gets starched though since his reckless style is what McGregor really capitalizes on), Gunni-Cummings, Martins-White.

A couple interesting guys to look out for as well with Kotani, Seery (was impressed with how he looked against Pickett), and Sterling (no "octagon jitters" this time). I was looking forward to Latifi-Lawlor, too bad he had to pull out. Story-Howard could have been a good one too.


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## Kuya (Jul 14, 2014)

Cowboy vs. Miller has Fight of the Year potential


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## TasteTheDifference (Jul 16, 2014)

John lineker is a beast


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## Lurko (Jul 16, 2014)

I agree, both fights so far have been great!


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## Deleted member 375 (Jul 16, 2014)

Pretty good main card so far. Didn't think I would enjoy any of the other fights but I'm surprised.


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## Lurko (Jul 16, 2014)

Yikes you have almost been here ten years!


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## Deleted member 375 (Jul 16, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Yikes you have almost been here ten years!



it's a tragedy. at least i haven't been nearly active at all for these ten years.

i'm hoping this main event ends in exciting fashion


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## Lurko (Jul 17, 2014)

Lol Cowboy fucked him up twice.


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## Stringer (Jul 17, 2014)

Damn, missed most of the earlier fights. I'll have to go back and watch them..

Barboza's fight ended much quicker than I actually wanted it too. Would have liked to see more of the adjustments and improvements he brought to his game after that disappointing loss to Cerrone. But I'm glad he got the win over Dunham, to think that kick didn't even fully connect, lmao.

And smart fight by Cerrone, loved his use of front kicks.


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## Kuya (Jul 17, 2014)

Nice finish by Barboza. I would like to see him against a top 10 next, even though he'll probably choke.

Cowboy looked great offensively. 4 wins in 8 months. He's got to be the most active fighter on the roster. I'm hoping he's getting a top contender next.


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## Kuya (Jul 18, 2014)




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## Gaja (Jul 18, 2014)

Nate Diaz calling out Cowboy, that's what's up.

Cowboy looked fantastic imo, as did Barboza. Hope both get back in quickly.

EDIT: Also Takeya-san.... that needs to be made in to a meme..... O_O


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 18, 2014)

Very pumped for Saturday's card, feels like a PPV card to me. McGregor, Gunni, McCall, and Pickett are some of the funnest fighters to watch in the UFC. Prelims look really, really solid as well, some intriguing match-ups and guys to look out for (Kotani and Latifi mostly, for me). Harris-Seery rematch should be interesting and I'm really looking forward to the opening fight, Holohan-Sampo. A lot of people I know have been talking about McGregor recently, his hype is really high. I made a post on another board about him:

Imo, McGregor's arguably already a Top-3 striker and boxer in the FW division (Aldo and Swanson being the only 2 I'd comfortably place above him for the time being). The most impressive thing about him is that he can fight moving forward or back and transition effortlessly between offence and defence. He has great posture, a solid stance, and very sound positioning. He can lead and play the pressure fighter role or if the guy is coming forward to him like Brimage, especially recklessly (and I think Brandao will), he has great counters to lure you into punches and elbows. That's very rare in MMA. He's already one of the most fundamentally sound strikers in MMA. I don't like all the kicks he's throwing now though, especially against Holloway.

His grappling is very much a work in progress but he's been improving; he out-grappled Holloway handily with a torn ACL. From his pre-UFC fights he has a tendency to take more risks on the ground to finish a fight that puts him in bad positions (almost night and day from his striking in a fight or two, but he really fights out of those positions and is strong in scramble situations). He doesn't have a tight or any sort of threatening top game and sometimes he still tries to work from there which I think he just shouldn't (like against Brandao if he gets him on his back). 

I think at this point he'd lose to guys like Mendes and Edgar rather clearly. He would have trouble with guys who have grappling offence on that level and he has a tendency for his TDD (outside his great footwork and control of distance) to let guys establish grips for a single, which would be bad against guys like that. For his rather diverse striking style he could do a better job at grabbing underhooks early and pivoting away before the other guy gets their hips deep/low enough to force him to sprawl, or he could learn to (before the guy gets deep enough on a single) to turn away and scramble as he scoots his leg away diagonally. It's not easy to do at all and it's yet to be seen if he has the core and wrestling talent/knowledge to be able to defend like that.

Aggressive grapplers like Oliveira, Lamas, Swanson, or CSJ could very well submit him if the fight gets taken to the ground as well but those guys would still have to face his striking and work very hard to get him into those positions. We haven't seen enough of McGregor on his back yet to know how good his guard is now, who knows how much he's improved there. He has been working a lot with guys like Gunni after all. I'd imagine that he's worked on creating enough space to scramble out if he threatens with various techniques off his back. But yeah, he could end up losing on the ground to Brandao if he shows similar openings and mistakes from the past, but I'd have to think he's grown quite a bit since then and expect him to starch him in a similar performance to the Brimage one.


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## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 18, 2014)

Cowboy vs Khabib was targeted for UFC 178



20 minutes after announcing the fight Khabib blows outs his knee 

(


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## Azzuri (Jul 18, 2014)

@Lucy: Do you train?


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## Lurko (Jul 18, 2014)

Speaking of that anyone here ever do any type of fighting? Boxing,  Karate, Wrestling,  etc.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 19, 2014)

Neighborhood Sniper said:


> @Lucy: Do you train?





Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Speaking of that anyone here ever do any type of fighting? Boxing,  Karate, Wrestling,  etc.



Of course. I have backgrounds in Kyokushin and Shotokan karate. Did both of them as a kid and have a black belt in both now. I wanted to do boxing early on (early teens) but my mom was against it, lol. I've been doing MMA since I turned 19 (I'm 24 now), but it's been on and off as of late (and a lot earlier on due to an ACL injury a few summers ago) due to work and fiancee/fam. I love training and sparring though, but never really wanted to compete aside from some karate things. I've actually gotten some private lessons from my trainer and good friend who has worked with Firas Zahabi and some people from Tristar since years ago (he's a coach there). I've talked to guys like GSP, Florian, Menjivar, and Kang in the past while they were training for fights. Met other UFC guys or guys from smaller orgs came down sometimes too. 

I don't really have a single gym I go to. My trainer (Eric O'Keefe) recommended me to some various gyms pretty close to my place (Toronto) for different aspects, but I've mostly been doing MT (although a high level Thai nakmuay who I was getting training from left the country due to some family issues, and I'm not a fan of the North American nakmuay teachings), boxing, wrestling, and BJJ as of late. He has his own thing where he trains a few guys and that's where I usually went for the whole package. He is really good at integrating different stand-ups into a style and I've been working to kind of make it my own, but it's tough. He lives in Montreal and I live in Toronto so we don't meet up a lot, but I'm in contact with him whenever I need it. He's a really cool guy.


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## Stringer (Jul 19, 2014)

I'm watching fight night 46 right now, the ireland crowd is so hype. Love it.

I can only imagine how loud they'll get when McGregor comes out.


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## Lurko (Jul 19, 2014)

That's cool I use to do Kenpo Karate when I was younger for five years.


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## Azzuri (Jul 19, 2014)




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## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 19, 2014)

Hope Diego wins would be hilarious


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## Azzuri (Jul 19, 2014)

He pretty much quit, lulz.


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## Stringer (Jul 19, 2014)

And so the McGregor hype lives on. 

This was an amazing card from start to finish, fantastic crowd too.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 19, 2014)

McGregor-Brandao went how I thought it would, more or less. McGregor's cage-work/ringcraft looked very solid against Brandao, continues to improve in his grappling as well but his wrestling still isn't there, just not very good at grabbing underhooks early or pivoting away, ate a couple knees against the cage and lost the battle of control there before the reversal. His top game is still not very good, doubt it will improve a whole lot and he should probably look to just get it back in the stand-up. He put away Brandao on the feet as easily as expected though, just completely different classes there, still don't like a couple of the kicks he throws.

It was a solid week of fights overall. Holohan got a massive win, Seery looked solid although Harris isn't really a very good fighter. Latifi is starting to really make noise in the division. I'm not sure how Gunni will do against some of the top guys with the size they have in the division but his grappling is so good, although his stand-up worries me a bit, definitely don't like the high-flying chin from his karate background. My favourite fight this week was by far Lineker-Ozkilic, one of the best boxing matches I've seen in MMA. Ozkilic's defence and movement against Lineker's more varied offence and durability, going to need to rewatch it when I get the time. Plenty of skills on display there with the jabbing, footwork, head movement, combination punching, countering, and adaptability by both guys.


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## Stringer (Jul 19, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> still don't like a couple of the kicks he throws.


 The spinning high kicks especially, given that he doesn't often lend them and almost got him trouble once in this fight. He needs to adjust his range and set them up a little better. 

There were also a few holes in his striking that Barao couldn't take advantage of because Connor's stand up game is just that much superior to his. Guy's improving fast too, who would you like to see him face next in the division?


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 19, 2014)

Swanson-McGregor is one of the best fights to make in MMA, imo, but McGregor doesn't deserve that fight yet. I think good tests I'd like to see him fight right now are Siver, Lentz-Oliveira winner, or the Poirier fight that's been circulating recently. Winner of Bermudez-Guida next week could be interesting too, btw how stacked is that card? Still bummed out Michael Johnson got injured but that card looks so good.


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## Stringer (Jul 19, 2014)

Word. The card looks rad, we've been getting spoiled lately. Apart from  the obvious ones to look forward to I'm curious to see how Patrick  Cummins will do in his second fight, this time with an opponent closer to his level. He  really didn't get a chance to show his skills against Cormier.


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## Azzuri (Jul 21, 2014)

Pettis will fight Melendez on December 6 in Vegas. That was said on MMA Hour.


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## Lurko (Jul 22, 2014)

You know one person that has a lot more potential if he improves on his sloppiness and uses his size better is Travis Brown,  so much potential but so sloppy imo.


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## Azzuri (Jul 22, 2014)

Da GOAT and Poirier will duke it out at UFC 178.


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## Stringer (Jul 22, 2014)

Holy shit, I like that. As if the re-match between Gus and Jones wasn't hype enough (as well as Yoel Romero vs Kennedy).

That card is going to be flippin' awesome.


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## Azzuri (Jul 22, 2014)

Stringer said:


> Holy shit, I like that. As if the re-match between Gus and Jones wasn't hype enough (as well as Yoel Romero vs Kennedy).
> 
> That card is going to be flippin' awesome.



It's a shame Khabib had to pull out.


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## Stringer (Jul 22, 2014)

Indeed, him and Cerrone were an interesting matchup. Seeing how frequently Cerrone fights these days they might very well keep in the card and just book him another opponent. But I do hope to see that matchup happen again at some point in their career.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 22, 2014)

Stacked card (too bad it got changed from Toronto to Vegas) and Wonderboy is fighting again! I would have preferred to see him against a guy who can test his wrestling (like Mike Pyle or Pierce) to see how much he's gotten better at it and his overall grappling, but whatevs. His performance against Whittaker was really impressive; the way he made adjustments mid-fight and took away Whittaker's jab (which is one of the better ones in MMA), figuring out his defence early on and taking initiative, getting in range, parrying/countering, and forcing/manipulating Whittaker's body positioning and defensive stance to land that straight right which wasn't landing earlier, was all high level stuff. He is already easily one of the best strikers at WW (out-struck Matt Brown, hurt him so bad that Brown said he thought he got KO'd twice afterwards) and there are a lot of good fights for him in the division. I am slightly worried about his age and injury issues but it'll be fun to see how far he goes, think he has a good chance at stopping Cote. 

As for Cerrone-Nurmagomedov, made a post on Sherdog about it before:



> Nurmagomedov's level changes are going to really mess up Cerrone, I think, both offensively and defensively. The feints with them will allow him to land some clean shots and difficult to see punches, as well as load them without Cerrone realizing it. I like Cerrone and he's very crafty, but he has some really poor boxing and a tendency to back straight up, squared, and open, and doesn't really retreat at different angles which will make Nurmagomedov's job easier. He's very, very hittable and gets hit clean in almost every fight. We saw how RDA was able to stifle him and Nurmagomedov is way better at that game than RDA (and especially Miller who helplessly tried for some stuff which were really easy to read).
> 
> Nurmagomedov has been very effective once he pins people against the cage as well (assuming Cerrone can avoid the TDs). He'll let go, throw a few punches then duck back under and start grappling again. Guys are often caught off guard and usually eat the punches. Nurmagomedov has solid pivots at that position, good at keeping guys off-balance (was very impressed with his work against RDA) and heavily limiting their offence. He's great at using strikes in and out of clinch range (especially near the cage) with his transitions as well as striking off breaks where Cerrone is often very vulnerable (like in the Diaz fight when he got cut off or taken to the cage).
> 
> It should be a good one, but I'd favour Nurmagomedov.


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## Stringer (Jul 22, 2014)

I was leaning toward him taking that bout against Cerrone too. Khabib's upper body power and wrestling skills are ridiculous, let alone his MMA record.




Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Stacked card (too bad it got changed from Toronto to Vegas)




Don't remind me man, I would have got myself a ticket in a heartbeat.


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## Lurko (Jul 22, 2014)

I just can't wait for ufc 178.


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## Azzuri (Jul 23, 2014)

Rumor: Davis/Texiera will fight at UFC 178.


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## Lurko (Jul 23, 2014)

I doubt that but hey it's possible.


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## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 23, 2014)

Commission meeting for Vitor and Chael going in right now.


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## Azzuri (Jul 23, 2014)

Belfort and Weidman will fight at UFC 181.


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## Lurko (Jul 23, 2014)

Weidman going to fuck him up.


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## Azzuri (Jul 23, 2014)

Tl;dr: 

1) He doesn't fight until December 2014. His first fight can ONLY be in Nevada

2) He will be randomly drug tested HEAVILY (blood and urine) for the rest of his career, no matter where he fights at his expense


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## Azzuri (Jul 23, 2014)

Gus is injured and DC will face Jones.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 23, 2014)

Really hope the LCL and ACL issues aren't a problem for Cormier, said he almost pulled out of the Hendo fight. His grappling looked great in it, even though he didn't stand as much in that one, and I think Hendo even avoided some of his hands. Jones has the speed, reach to control the distance, and kicks going for him, not sure who to pick. There might be a chance this fight doesn't happen if Cormier's injury gets serious in training camp, and then the winner of Nogueira-Rumble will likely get the title shot.

I think Cormier's a Top-5 p4p fighter and has been for a while (better fighter than Velasquez imo), but his biggest problem is kick defence. He has the wresting/overall grappling and boxing (clearly the 2nd best in the division imo, and I favour it over Velasquez's boxing for a comparison; he has a versatile jab and very solid infighting, really good at cutting off and if he gets you against the cage, you’re either going down or getting punched, kneed, and elbowed) to give Jones trouble, and he can even high kick someone with the height of Jones. The problem is that he doesn't generally react well to kicks. Not that he gets lit up by them (although he's never fought a kicker close to Jones), but kicks tend to back him up and force him to reset. Like in the Mir fight, he threw tons of kicks and Cormier didn't punish him for any of them. He just jumped away and he's going to need a much better answer against Jones. 

He needs to be able to hold his ground sometimes to catch or counter them to be threatening and not just elusive for the kicks. He can move again after but if his main defence to kicks involves moving his feet or resetting/readjusting his position, he isn't going be able to return fire consistently enough to keep a guy like Jones from feeling threatened to throw his kicks (it's what Gus failed to do in the 1st fight and what ultimately cost him it), and it's why Rampage and Evans couldn't get inside or work the grappling (in Evans' case). Cormier's better at striking into the clinch than both of them though (much better jab to pressure Jones) but Evans is really good at level changing/transitions and it didn't affect the fight much, although Cormier has a bigger grappling threat and works better off it. He doesn't have the foot-speed and lateral movement of Gustafsson which was a key part in him closing the distance. I think Cormier has the tools to do so and beat Jones up inside, but it's going to be tough to get there.


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## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 23, 2014)

He didn't want to take Mir down after a kick because (I guess) he was scared of Mirs guard. I don't think the same will be for Jones. Jones doesn't have the power to threaten to much on the feet and if he gets to crazy he runs the Risk of getting caught then Rag dolled or caught with a pinch DC has vicious KO power. 

I really don't see this fight being a foty Canditate but it's still very interesting. DC wrestling is beautiful to watch and it's the main deciding weapon in this fight.

DC is pretty boring tbh, can someone link me gifs or tell me of his Transitions from striking to wrestling?


----------



## Lurko (Jul 23, 2014)

Neighborhood Sniper said:


> Gus is injured and DC will face Jones.



Fucking bullshit!  Fuck I wanted that fight,  I think Cormier is going to beat him.


----------



## Raff (Jul 23, 2014)

Two former American wrestlers going at it. Jones should win this his kicks and reach. It's a foot difference. Cormier is not going to be 100% with his bad knee. Damn that Cormier hype tho.

I read Gus tore his meniscus.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 24, 2014)

Naruto Uzumaki said:


> DC is pretty boring tbh, can someone link me gifs or tell me of his Transitions from striking to wrestling?



I love watching him fight. Pretty much in every combat sport I love guys who can fight inside and his work there and against the cage is phenomenal. Dude is so smart, knows when to strike and when to grapple, has really good awareness of positioning, footwork, fundamental boxing, really varied jab, great wrestling and grappling in general, transitions, level changes/feints, uses angles similarly in his striking as he did in his wrestling career, works the body well and sees openings better than most guys, underrated BJJ (the way he defended that leg lock by Barnett who's a specialist at it, and almost tapped prime Nogueira with a kinda similar set-up was great), etc. He even has some nice kicks as well. I’m really liking how some grapplers are getting really good at beating people up in the clinch against the cage. Cormier's one of the biggest examples of it, and If he gets you against the cage, he has so many options and he knows it (and he's good at adept at cutting off). The sport is definitely evolving. Things like that are very good signs for the future of striking in MMA, much more so than seeing one guy use fancy kicks or something, imo. 

The only sorta boring stuff I've found from his fights was a bit of the inactivity in the Mir fight (not Cormier's fault Mir can't do anything in the clinch), most of the last round and some of the 4th against Barnett (both guys got their hands injured, Barnett earlier on and Cormier was coasting at that point), and that's pretty much it. Didn't find any of his other fights boring at all, also loved how he bodied Hendo and choked him out. He looked great against Nelson, who barely touched him. 

As for the gifs, a guy on Sherdog recently created this (good stuff):


----------



## Kuya (Jul 24, 2014)

Even with bad knees, I think Cormier will put Jones on his ass.

Damn sucks about the Gus injury, but i'm highly intrigued with the DC fight. Cormier definitely has what it takes to be UFC champ. Him and Cain beat the hell out of eachother every day.


----------



## Lurko (Jul 24, 2014)

I like Cormier's style.


----------



## Kuya (Jul 24, 2014)

I like Cormier's style too. I've said before I think he would beat Junior Dos Santos if they ever fought.

Cormier can bully himself past Jones' reach like Rashad never could. He can match Jones in the clinch like no fighter has ever been able to. 

Cormier has a great shot at this, I think i'll bet on this fight too and if the odds are good enough i'll probably drop $100 on DC.


----------



## Lurko (Jul 24, 2014)

Well I'm pulling Dc, I'm not crazy about Jones and personally I think he lost to Guff.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 24, 2014)

Nick is back


----------



## Kuya (Jul 24, 2014)

he'll be back early 2015 which is around the time Anderson wants to come back.

Diaz vs. Silva please


----------



## Kuya (Jul 25, 2014)

Diaz is a draw, he'd be gifted a title shot, or even better he'll be gifted Anderson Silva.

Dana would happily allow that fight.


----------



## Raff (Jul 25, 2014)

Diaz is going to attract a lot of money and Dana will be smart to match him with Silva to get the most out of his comeback as possible but it would be bull to give him a title shot after just one fight.


----------



## Kuya (Jul 25, 2014)

If by some chance he beats Anderson Silva, even at a catchweight, that's enough to earn you a title shot. Even though Diaz hasn't scored a victory since 2011.

He's a draw, one of the top villains in the sport.

Also, i can't believe Lawler vs. Brown is tomorrow. I feel like they both fought not too long ago. That is another potential fight of the year candidate.


----------



## Kuya (Jul 25, 2014)

and please let Joe Rogan be commentary for the Robbie vs. Brown fight!

it's a shame Rogan wasn't there for the Hunt vs. Bigfoot classic

edit: Brown missed weight by 1 and a half pounds. He won't be fined and won't be forced to lose the weight even though he offered. Dana said that won't affect the importance of this being a #1 contender fight. 

Solid fight card tomorrow


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 25, 2014)

Vitor is still big as shit


----------



## Lurko (Jul 26, 2014)

Vitor looks a lot less defined, he better do some extra prayers.


----------



## Azzuri (Jul 26, 2014)

Well, it looks like Teixeira/Davis is confirmed for UFC 179.


----------



## Lurko (Jul 26, 2014)

That seems like a boring fight.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jul 26, 2014)

Robbie Lawler < *Matt Brown * 
*Anthony Johnson* > Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 				
Clay Guida < *Dennis Bermudez * 
Josh Thomson < *Bobby Green * 

Jorge Masvidal < *Daron Cruickshank * 
*Kyle Kingsbury* > Patrick Cummins 				
Hernani Perpetuo < *Tim Means * 
*Michael De La Torre* > Brian Ortega 				

Akbarh Arreola < *Tiago dos Santos 	* 
*Steven Siler* > Noad Lahat 				
Andreas Stahl < *Gilbert Burns* 
Juliana Lima < *Joanna Jedrzejczyk*

who you got?  :WOW


----------



## Stringer (Jul 26, 2014)

I got Lawler, Rumble, Bermudez, Bobby Green, Superstar and Patrick Cummins.

The others I don't really care for.


----------



## Stringer (Jul 26, 2014)

lol at Guida running laps around the octagon after losing, he's so fucking hyperactive.

Good finish by Bermudez.

It's now time for Rumble Johnson to step in and do his thing.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 26, 2014)

Rumble is scary right now


----------



## Stringer (Jul 26, 2014)

Man he absolutely destroyed him.. it's insane.


Edit: They should just give him a title shot after Cormier, I'm sure nobody else in the LHW division wants to step in against this guy in the octagon right now.


----------



## Azzuri (Jul 26, 2014)

Rumble put tips all over that boy.

Who should he get next?


----------



## Azzuri (Jul 26, 2014)

That was a good scrap. Obviously, Brown did better than what most were expecting.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jul 26, 2014)

Brown needed the takedown.  Unfortunately for him, that's the sharpest Lawler has ever looked.  Great fight.  Very impressed by both.

Little Nog is like 38.  Not sure how much he has left in him.  Might be time to hang em' up.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 26, 2014)

Yeah, no idea why so many were writing Brown off. He's not easy work for anyone in the division. I scored it 49-46 Lawler but Brown did a good job of staying out of the pocket a lot of the times and not giving Lawler a lot of openings to lead (took him a while to establish a jab, which was on and off), but he started mixing his kicks around the middle of the fight. He also stepped off-line after rushes and strikes in a lot of different angles, made it tougher for Lawler to readjust and initiate offence. Lawler used his feet well to not get trapped or cut off against the cage too, where Brown does his best work. He usually had Brown's back against the cage. I was surprised with how frequently Lawler clinched with Brown, said it before but Brown has the best clinch striking in the sport, imo. Great fight, easily one of the best of the year. 

Happy to see him and Masvidal get the Ws. I'd like to see Masvidal fight Cerrone next. I also thought Green-Thomson was a draw, but I'm even more convinced that Michael Johnson would have beaten Thomson. Oh well.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 26, 2014)

Aldo vs Mendes UFC 179 Brazil

Curitiba I think


----------



## Stringer (Jul 27, 2014)

Neighborhood Sniper said:


> Rumble put tips all over that boy.
> 
> Who should he get next?


Rumble is really an interesting case, he's a wild card in that division. Right now I don't see any opponent out of the top five pull out a win against this guy. The thing that's so impressive about him is that he doesn't only have amazing striking and firepower, but also has excellent takedown defense. Which makes it a bitch to face him because he basically forces you to stand up with him and eat those nasty punches & kicks.

For his next fight I see him getting either Ryan Bader or Ovince Saint Preux. 

Bums me that he isn't in a hurry to get a title shot tho.


----------



## Kuya (Jul 27, 2014)

Lawler vs. Brown was great, i would like to see a rematch sometime in the future. Rumble is DANGEROUS. I think we're gonna see Rumble vs. Gustaffson either end of the year or early 2015.


----------



## Azzuri (Jul 29, 2014)

Silva and Diaz will square off on January 31 in Vegas.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 29, 2014)

Anderson silva vs nick diaz January 31st


----------



## Sanity Check (Jul 30, 2014)

Too bad Aldo vs Mendes got scrapped.

Its 16 days to the next UFC event.

World Series of Fighting 12 is august 9th.  

Next Bellator is in september.


----------



## Azzuri (Jul 31, 2014)

Donald Cerrone vs Eddie Alvarez @ UFC 178.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jul 31, 2014)

Sick fucking card


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 4, 2014)

Okamoto @bokamotoESPN
Brawl. DC shoved Jones. Jones went after him, got on top threw punches. DC tried to kick him. Serious punches.







Video:


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Aug 4, 2014)

Wow is Jones fucking that guy in the ass?


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Aug 4, 2014)

Here's video



Better footage here Kurt Angle hates "the black people" and wants to cripple Jesus.

Update: jones talking shit


----------



## Lurko (Aug 4, 2014)

Lol Jones chill out.


----------



## Perverted King (Aug 4, 2014)

Cormier fell off the stage. Got sucker punched and threw a shoe. Lmao!


----------



## Lurko (Aug 4, 2014)

Jones would have got his ass kicked if he tried that with Guff.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Aug 5, 2014)

Perverted King said:


> Cormier fell off the stage. Got sucker punched and threw a shoe. Lmao!



If you're talking about the left hand Jones threw as the sucker punch, it missed by quite a bit. Jones didn't take Cormier down either, not sure why he seemed to imply that he did.

I think he punched him on the ground though ... And apparently DC tweeted this after but I don't see it on his feed so he probably deleted it.



Jones standing on the podium at the end and screaming like he just won a big competition or something was really strange and quite amusing. He seems like a pretty weird dude.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 5, 2014)

Cormier fell off the stage,  the fact that Jones think he legit took him down is a fucking joke.  Jones is very immature and I have a feeling Cormier is goona beat his ass.


----------



## Kuya (Aug 5, 2014)

that was fucking awesome and it fuels the rise of this sport even more


----------



## Kuya (Aug 5, 2014)

Jones initiated contact with the forehead push, then DC retaliated by pushing Jones off him, then Jones throws the first punch and jumps on DC after Cormier fell off the stage. Pushing and shoving are custom at weigh-ins and promos, but actually throwing a punch is taking it too far and unprofessional. 

It's fucking great for the sport, but Jones is one of the most immature champions i can remember


----------



## Legend (Aug 5, 2014)

DC gonna get dropped


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 5, 2014)

Cormier did a "throat punch." People should do being babies.

False alarm.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 5, 2014)

Legend said:


> DC gonna get dropped



Hahaha!  Cormier is a ten times better wrestler and he trains with Cain, doubt it.


----------



## Stringer (Aug 5, 2014)

Saw the espn interview they gave after that altercation. Jones can be pretty cringeworthy whenever he opens that mouth of his, I'm looking forward to see DC take away that LHW belt from him.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 5, 2014)

Am I the only one that see's Cormier as the black version of Fedor?


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Aug 5, 2014)

Link removed


----------



## Lurko (Aug 5, 2014)

Couldn't see shit.


----------



## Kuya (Aug 6, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Am I the only one that see's Cormier as the black version of Fedor?



Well Cain is similar to Fedor, and DC is similar to Cain, so yeah i can see lots of similarities.

i'm a big believer in Cormier


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 7, 2014)

People say their behavior is unprofessional.

I don't know if it is.  It looks to me like they're both extremely competitive in ways normal people wouldn't understand.  And they can't wait to fight one another & see what is what.

I like it.


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 7, 2014)

Shit is hilarious. Jones was on Kimmel tonight and he killed it.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 7, 2014)

Jones is so immature,  can't wait to see him lose.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 7, 2014)

Alot of people care, everyone knows Weidman will take care of Belfort.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Aug 7, 2014)

Never really saw the stylistic similarities between Cormier/Velasquez and Emelianenko; they have very different games (stand-up, clinch, positioning/posture/balance, g&p and their ground games in general like how they work in someone's guard or when they have them on their back, how they establish threats, their TD games, counters, how they initiate offence, etc). I think it's mostly their relative speed difference compared to the rest of the division (when DC was at HW) and their body types. There are some similarities like chaining some of their striking to TDs, or with how varied Cormier and Emelianenko's jabs can be (or some similar combos they use that Velasquez and a lot of wrestlers love with the overhand to double leg), but they operate very differently overall. 

There are definitely similarities between Cormier and Velasquez though, but I don't think they're that pronounced. I mean you can tell they've both come up under the same striking coaches. They both use their jabs to cut off guys at the cage (basically how they walk guys down, trap them, and go to work on the inside, and they're two of the best in MMA at that), although Cormier is more varied in his approach and their clinch games are different (both overwhelm guys but with different methods), Cormier more crafty, Velasquez more of a workhorse. They have their similarities like with how they place their heads on the opponent while having an underhook, although they elect to place it in different spots like Velasquez underneath JDS' neck, but that's depending on match-ups and things like elevation too. The way they position their feet is different as well, especially with how Velasquez has his rear positioned at times for circling, and how his feet are generally in a more bladed stance than Cormier's (Velasquez uses more side kicks when he has guys against the cage, generates better power from his rear hand because of the body mechanics, but the weight and positioning they place on both feet is usually different and important in how they operate). Their kicking games are different too (although technically there are similarities) and Velasquez has shown a better usage of ringcraft.

Using boxers as examples, I liken Velasquez's inside game more to a Henry Armstrong, with how they work the body and go upstairs, the pace, bobbing and weaving, uncompromising work-rate, and really physical style. Cormier, some similar elements to a Dwight Qawi (both shorter than pretty much everyone they face), great at working the body near the cage, more crafty to set and open things up, more educated head movement and moving it off-line or out of position, uses his hips better, is generally better balanced (being crouched more for his elevation is a part of this as well as his superior defence there), and transitions/works underhooks as well as overhooks and positions himself better for things like knees, and better defensive craft and counters on the inside (moving in and out of the clinch), etc. I think he's more disciplined in prolonged sequences as well, makes less mistakes. Their boxing games are different as well but how they use some techniques are similar. Velasquez's boxing is more workmanlike but definitely effective and Cormier is more skilled in that department, imo. One thing I've noticed is that both guys are a little too quick to grapple when they have their opponents hurt at times. They'll land some nice shots with their opponents against the cage and in no position to attack, then both fail to capitalize on the damage they were doing by ducking into the clinch or a TD attempt and giving the opponent the ability to hold on and recover.

But yeah overall they're three very different fighters. With the techniques Cormier and Velasquez have more in common but if you really look at the nuances of their games, the contrasting styles are very clear.


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 7, 2014)

What do people think of how Chris Weidman's cut off the cage in his fights with Anderson Silva and Machida?  The way Weidman sat on both of them and gave them zero space to set up?

It looked to me like Jorge Masvidal borrowed that from Weidman's book in his last fight with Daron Cruickshank.  There was a noticeable difference in the way Gamebred let himself get picked at from long range by Chiesa and later Khabilov.  I thought for sure Cruickshank would do the same thing.  But then Masivdal completely changed up his usual game, sat on The Detroit Superstar and it was fkn awesome.  

...

Anyone excited for Metamoris 4 on saturday?

Its got 2 ex UFC guys and 1 current UFC.

Chael Sonnen vs Andre Galvao
Josh Barnett vs Dean Lister
Vinny Magalhaes vs Keenan (not sure what his full name is)


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Aug 7, 2014)

1. Weidman's one of the best fighters in MMA at cutting guys off with his intelligent pressure. His footwork is exceptional and he makes very, very few errors from a positional sense, very sound (like moving in fast and the right angles, foot positioning). It gets ignored by a lot of people because it isn't flashy or exciting, but he was able to consistently back Machida against the fence while staying in position to land hard shots, and he did it without the piston jab of Mousasi (who was able to cut Machida off himself, but didn't punish him like Weidman did). Neither Silva nor Machida had success with their counters for similar reasons (Weidman's excellent footwork, broken rhythm, grappling threat) and there isn't a lot that would have changed that. You have to be very skilled to cut off someone like Machida without running into his attacks (excellent defensive footwork), which is what happened to most of his early opponents. Anyone who wants to know about cutting off the cage in MMA should just look at the first three rounds of Weidman-Machida, which was just a clinic in it.

Weidman also attempted to counter all of Machida's favorite techniques, and had success several times (slipping and countering the straight - one time even with a right uppercut - taking him down off the knee, shooting off the body kicks, etc). Weidman has a front foot heavy stance, uses that with his wrestling and his really stiff jab (he has a strong left one, great for cutting off, snaps guys' heads back, or uses it to set-up a lot of things, his hooks, level changes, TDs, etc.). He can just put guys into perfect positions to be taken down with how he executes it (with his knees and body) skyward to get right in the other guy's grill and he uses the jab to disguise a lot of leads and follow-ups. That's how he cut off Silva in the 2nd fight before he took him down. He changed levels to get Silva thinking about the TD, threw a long left hook that missed, moved forward and came in low, level changed against behind a long, threw a stiff jab that Silva pulled back from, came forward again changing levels and took a big infiltrating step with his lead leg, and Silva was near the cage at this point and waiting for a jab and follow-up, but Weidman went for a single and took him down. 

For the Silva fight he took a ton of angles (moved diagonally to intercept the angles Silva was trying to take). That's why there were no real counters coming his way, as he was positioning himself well. You could say that he controlled the range, but he did that by cutting off Silva's angles so he could hit him. His left hand is a very important aspect for his transition game and his left hook especially is money, but it didn't look as threatening in the Machida fight because of the torn ligaments he had in his hand that bothered him a couple weeks leading up to the fight. Longo said they had to centre the game-plan more on his right hand leading up to the fight (he tried using his left on a focus mitt days before the weigh-in and was wincing in pain from it) which he used very well and he still uses his left hook well for the most part, and he showed an addition of low kicks/rear leg front snap kicks/couple side kicks to get Machida pressed against the cage. The running low kicks and front snap kicks were something I suggested he should add to his game a while ago (considering his height/length, stance, and weight placement on his feet, plus his great boxing + wrestling and the front snap forces guys to stand tall which makes it easier for him to set up TDs and the low kicks force guys to back up when he moves forward since most aren't going to look to take him down, plus MW had a lot of southpaws so it's more useful to pass guys' guard especially to the body when he forces them to square up, has a good understanding of the centre-line), really good to see him improving. 

It's clear at this point that he's a nightmare match-up for counter strikers, just shut down the counter games of likely the two greatest counter strikers in MMA history. You aren't going to beat him by relying mostly on countering unless you can out point him from the outside and get him desperate or frustrated. But that doesn't seem likely with how composed he is, how much he keeps adding to his game fight by fight, and just the general improvements and intelligence/adapting/strategy he's shown.

2. I'll be catching Metamoris. I'd be surprised if Sonnen doesn't get schooled badly by Galvao, and Barnett-Lister is intriguing to me, interesting stylistic match-up. Lister is a wizard though and even though Barnett is fairly the sizable underdog, I wouldn't rule out an upset if he can force something crazy to happen, and a leg lock battle could be great. The guy's name is Keenan Cornelius btw, one of my favourite current grapplers and one of the best in the world. Magalaghaes is really tough to tap though, could be the most interesting match of the card. Garry Tonon is also on it who's another favourite of mine, very exciting and doesn't look to score or coast (costs him matches here or there but he doesn't care). Not that interested in Ribeiro-Medeiros and there's a secret match I don't think will be known until the event happens.

3. Edit: Btw 1mmortal 1tachi, still think Weidman has average striking? Application, fundamentals, and intangibles matter a lot - especially things like positioning and balance which are fairly lacking in MMA striking - in the stand-up game (not just in MMA). A lot about Weidman's striking doesn't look particularly great or pretty, which is where the real deception always existed with people saying he had bad or mediocre striking. You can have the prettiest technique in the world but it doesn't matter if you can't hit/damage the other guy harder/more (not taking damage is great ofc). I actually think Silva threw the sloppier strikes of the two. Weidman was pretty tight with most of his and Silva can tend to get a little wild, because he knows he can get away with it. Overall he's a Top-5 striker in the MW division, imo (Machida, Mousasi, Silva, and probably Belfort being above considering his recent technical improvements - even though he out-struck two of those guys, can't overlook the TD threat but if you count that within MMA striking he's arguably the best tbh) and he has some of the better boxing in MMA, arguably the best in the division. He has very effective and controlled boxing. Straight punches, hooks off the jab (he has great hooks and stiff jabs), solid counters (especially in the pocket), head movement, leverage, posture/balance, positioning (hand/body), knows how to generate power into his strikes, good understanding of how to approach various styles/offences/defences, and stances (both his and his opponents), etc. His defensive style shows aggression too which is good to see as it's rare in MMA (even positions where you're hittable can be good/advantageous positions if you're able to hit the other guy harder). 

I remember you said something about the Maia fight before but he looked sharp given his inexperience and poor conditioning (cutting 32 pounds in 10 days + his uncle passed away right at that time; fell down the stairs face first, and Weidman had to clean his blood and wasn't able to train that well, even missed the funeral but went to the wake the next two days), especially before he gassed. He was very willing to slip and counter and even throw back after getting hit, something most novice mixed martial artists can't do at all. There are a couple things he does that I don't like: sometimes bending his back when he slips rather than his knees and hips, leaving his mouth open at times [it's why a lot of guys thought he was gassed in the Silva fight and he can get his jaw broken that way if he's not careful], ducking his head on defence and shelling up, not retreating at different angles. But the impressive thing is how much he's improved on those aspects every fight especially the ducking and retreating, showing a more varied defence. He's very polished for a relatively inexperienced fighter with no striking background and the best part is how much he keeps improving every fight, don't think he's close to his ceiling yet and imo he's already the most well-rounded MW in history, arguably the highest peak.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Aug 9, 2014)

The Tachi Palace Fights 20 card was awesome, consistently entertaining cards and really the original WEC in terms of consistent quality. The Williams-Boen fight was especially great. Not sure how many people here catch their events but they're definitely not something to miss. Sherdog usually has streams for the event and you can find past cards online. Their next card is on November 6th.

Soto won his fight with a north-south choke:



He pulled off a slick gogo a while ago too:



Hopefully the UFC signs him. Guy is more exciting and better than most of the mid to low tier BWs (and potentially even a couple higher level ones) in the UFC even though it's unlikely he'll ever be a top guy. His striking game especially since the injury hasn't been that good, but he has a decent jab and slips/high guard defensively, pretty good know how on positioning himself, some nice pivots defensively to get superior striking positions and creating openings to counter-punch.

Edit: Metamoris was solid. 

Barnett looked very dominant, his top game is clearly world class.  I picked him to win but wasn't expecting a masterclass like that, tapping Lister (with a head-and-arm scarf hold) is big time:



No other surprises outside of how dominant Barnett looked.

Tonon schooled Dale as expected, and a rematch with Kron would be very interesting and his style is very well suited for Metamoris, won't be able to lose by being out-pointed like last time after he lost when he was comfortably in a good position to win, because of how he grapples. Tonon's my boy but I don't know about the MMA thing ...



The secret match was fun and Glover's an other guy who's style is very well suited for Metamoris. Comprido-Saulo was a bit more exciting that I thought it'd be too.

Cornelius dominated most of the match aside from that one heel hook attempt he had to scramble out of. As expected Magalhaes is just one of the toughest guys to tap, especially to get an armbar on him is nigh-impossible.



Sonnen basically couldn't do anything against Galvao which was no shocker.

Just caught the main event for WSOF 12. That was a solid finish by Baboon but I'm reading that the rest of the card wasn't very good.


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 10, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> 3. Edit: Btw 1mmortal 1tachi, still think Weidman has average striking? Application, fundamentals, and intangibles matter a lot - especially things like positioning and balance which are fairly lacking in MMA striking - in the stand-up game (not just in MMA). A lot about Weidman's striking doesn't look particularly great or pretty, which is where the real deception always existed with people saying he had bad or mediocre striking. You can have the prettiest technique in the world but it doesn't matter if you can't hit/damage the other guy harder/more (not taking damage is great ofc). I actually think Silva threw the sloppier strikes of the two. Weidman was pretty tight with most of his and Silva can tend to get a little wild, because he knows he can get away with it. Overall he's a Top-5 striker in the MW division, imo (Machida, Mousasi, Silva, and probably Belfort being above considering his recent technical improvements - even though he out-struck two of those guys, can't overlook the TD threat but if you count that within MMA striking he's arguably the best tbh) and he has some of the better boxing in MMA, arguably the best in the division. He has very effective and controlled boxing. Straight punches, hooks off the jab (he has great hooks and stiff jabs), solid counters (especially in the pocket), head movement, leverage, posture/balance, positioning (hand/body), knows how to generate power into his strikes, good understanding of how to approach various styles/offences/defences, and stances (both his and his opponents), etc. His defensive style shows aggression too which is good to see as it's rare in MMA (even positions where you're hittable can be good/advantageous positions if you're able to hit the other guy harder).
> 
> I remember you said something about the Maia fight before but he looked sharp given his inexperience and poor conditioning (cutting 32 pounds in 10 days + his uncle passed away right at that time; fell down the stairs face first, and Weidman had to clean his blood and wasn't able to train that well, even missed the funeral but went to the wake the next two days), especially before he gassed. He was very willing to slip and counter and even throw back after getting hit, something most novice mixed martial artists can't do at all. There are a couple things he does that I don't like: sometimes bending his back when he slips rather than his knees and hips, leaving his mouth open at times [it's why a lot of guys thought he was gassed in the Silva fight and he can get his jaw broken that way if he's not careful], ducking his head on defence and shelling up, not retreating at different angles. But the impressive thing is how much he's improved on those aspects every fight especially the ducking and retreating, showing a more varied defence. He's very polished for a relatively inexperienced fighter with no striking background and the best part is how much he keeps improving every fight, don't think he's close to his ceiling yet and imo he's already the most well-rounded MW in history, arguably the highest peak.



.

I thought Weidman's striking was average in his first fight with Silva.  Inbetween the first and second fights, Weidman improved a lot.  But.  Yeah.  Still average.

People tend to forget Chael staggered Silva with a left hand, similar to how Weidman ended their 1st fight with his left.



The main difference is, Silva's chin was somewhat tucked when Chael landed his left hand.  Silva's chin was up in the air when Weidman connected.  Almost as if Silva was handing Weidman his chin on a silver platter.

I'm not going to claim Chael is a genius prodigy of kickboxing because he landed a solid left to the champ and dropped him.  I see no reason to make an exception for Weidman, he didn't do anything Chael didn't do first.  Nothing Weidman did was really special or out of the ordinary.  Silva's reflexes have slowed, he's deteriorated and wrestlers seem able to hit him almost at will.

Chael's success standing is mainly a result of his wrestling.  A lot of Weidman, GSP and Cain's success standing are due to people being afraid of being taken down by them.

When Machida fought Weidman, I thought Machida looked a bit defeated mentally before he even stepped in the cage.  Machida might have choked in that fight.  Maybe old age is catching up to him?  That was the slowest, least explosive, and most hesitant Machida there has ever been & he still might have kicked the crap out of Weidman in 1-2 of those 5 rounds.  Machida didn't look prepared for Weidman's smothering distance anymore than Cruickshank was prepared for Masvidal to abandon the way he's always fought since his streetfighting days with Kimbo.  Where Masvidal would always sit back, give people plenty of distance and try to counter.

I agree Weidman's progress has been impressive.  But, Weidman hasn't really progressed in terms of his jits or his striking.  The main reason he's doing well I think is his mental strength, confidence, and the fact that he's smart and seems to instinctively make the right decisions without having to consciously think about what he's doing.

In a pure striking match, Anderson Silva, Machida and elite strikers will knock Weidman out.

In a pure grappling match, Galvao and elite jits guys will defeat Weidman even if they're at a size disadvantage and giving up 40+ pounds.

Wrestling is the only thing Weidman really excels at.  The threat of being taken down elevates Weidman's striking and jits game higher than it would otherwise be.  Weidman's wrestling makes his average striking look godly, and Weidman's at times medicore jits, look great.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 10, 2014)

Lol Weidman's  striking has always been great.


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 10, 2014)

In comparison to the average couch potato, Weidman's striking is great.

In comparison to people who are great at striking, Weidman is average at best.

I'm sure at some point Weidman will face someone who is good at striking and I'll smile when he gets exposed.  I'll try to remember the people who overrated Weidman's stand up when it happens.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Aug 10, 2014)

1mmortal 1tachi said:


> .
> 
> I thought Weidman's striking was average in his first fight with Silva.  Inbetween the first and second fights, Weidman improved a lot.  But.  Yeah.  Still average.
> 
> ...



I disagree with almost all of this especially the Sonnen comparison and Machida part which are just really misinformed, and about Weidman's BJJ, but it doesn't seem like your opinion will change ...


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 10, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> I disagree with almost all of this especially the Sonnen comparison and Machida part which are just really misinformed, and about Weidman's BJJ, but it doesn't seem like your opinion will change ...



Well, life would be boring if people agreed all the time.  Luckily for us, this is one of those topics where things can somewhat be put to the test and some degree of closure might be found.  

Too bad Weidman won't have the chance to face TRT Vitor.  We might have had an opportunity to see how Weidman does against someone I might consider to be a great striker.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 10, 2014)

Weidman would beat Trt Belfort as well.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 10, 2014)

1mmortal 1tachi said:


> In comparison to the average couch potato, Weidman's striking is great.
> 
> In comparison to people who are great at striking, Weidman is average at best.
> 
> I'm sure at some point Weidman will face someone who is good at striking and I'll smile when he gets exposed.  I'll try to remember the people who overrated Weidman's stand up when it happens.



Oh really?  He looked great against Silva and Machida. ..


----------



## Lurko (Aug 11, 2014)

So who do you all think will win the Jones Cormier fight? I want opinions.


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 11, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Weidman would beat Trt Belfort as well.



"Vitor is 37 and should retire.  Vitor used kicks to finish Bisping and Rockhold because his hands are so broken.  Vitor's body no longer produces testosterone naturally, he's coming off TRT."

Even if Weidman wins.  It won't be the clean & decisive win Weidman needs.  It'll be a controversial win where people will continue to ask 'what if' this and 'what if' that.



Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Oh really?  He looked great against Silva and Machida. ..



Chael looked better than Weidman did against Silva.  In both fights.

The Weidman fight was winnable for Machida had he gotten in his groove earlier and not waited till the last 2 rounds to make his move.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 11, 2014)

1mmortal 1tachi said:


> "Vitor is 37 and should retire.  Vitor used kicks to finish Bisping and Rockhold because his hands are so broken.  Vitor's body no longer produces testosterone naturally, he's coming off TRT."
> 
> Even if Weidman wins.  It won't be the clean & decisive win Weidman needs.  It'll be a controversial win where people will continue to ask 'what if' this and 'what if' that.
> 
> ...



Dude you look like the biggest Weidman downplayer ever, Weidman is ten times than Chael at striking. I'm going to wait until Weidman fights Vitor before I get into that conversation .


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Aug 11, 2014)

1mmortal 1tachi said:


> Chael looked better than Weidman did against Silva.  In both fights.





Are you trolling, lol? Weidman beat Silva standing and on the ground in both fights, and was never close to trouble. The only advantage Silva had was the low kicks in the first fight, but Weidman made the defensive adjustments for the rematch and Silva couldn't really do anything. Just to compare one situation they both had (not the exact same): when Silva got close enough to Sonnen against the cage when he was unsuccessful with a couple TD attempts in the second fight, he had no idea what to do, started flailing, and eventually got dropped and stopped. Silva's Thai clinch failed him badly against Weidman. He showed way more poise than Sonnen whenever Silva initiated offence. 

Silva got a tight overhook on him so he didn't have much leverage to change levels and put Weidman off balance + got a collar tie early. Weidman exchanged a few knees with him and was always looking to improve his position. He shook his left arm, got it under Silva's chin and used his forearm to create space between the two to free his arm, forcing Silva to lose the overhook and go for a double collar tie. But Weidman hand was free and he punched him to the body and went upstairs with a hook that dropped him right when Silva attempted a knee. He used his wrestling, and strong, secure stance to beat Silva's more Thai approach in that position. He took advantage of Silva squaring up to make it near impossible for Silva to drag him into a clinch or get significant offence going inside. 

Sonnen had more volume than Weidman on the ground in the 1st fight but Weidman is far more calculated/patient and actually hurt Silva pretty bad in both fights with his g&p (eyes rolled back in both), while he was content in using his stalling guard game since Sonnen couldn't hurt him or threaten him with submissions on the level of Weidman (who tried a leg lock, kneebar, and ezekiel choke). Silva's guard wasn't a problem at all for Weidman and he had no problem giving up that position in the first fight when he could have just kept him on his back for the rest of the round like Sonnen was trying to do. 



> The Weidman fight was winnable for Machida had he gotten in his groove earlier and not waited till the last 2 rounds to make his move.



There's a reason for that ... Weidman's footwork, pressure, and cage cutting. He was able to consistently back Machida against the fence in the first 3 rounds, but a game-plan like that against a guy with the defensive footwork of Machida takes a lot of work. He could only do it as effectively in a couple sequences in the last 2 rounds, not as consistently. It would have been easier for Weidman to find his TDs and land his punches if Machida was more aggressive earlier on. 

Machida exchanged a couple times in the earlier rounds and he always got hit then (and countered quite a bit), and in the last two rounds as well. Machida was also getting tired towards the end too (just wasn't as noticeable as Weidman's tiring). If he was more aggressive early, he likely wouldn't have had that clear cardio edge in the last two rounds (Weidman still won the 5th, btw). For the record I think he did an amazing job turning it up when Weidman was slowing down and probably had his best offensive showing of his career so far. His developing right hand and sense of when to take the initiative would have won him the Davis fight in the judges' eyes (I felt he won but they clearly thought he was too inactive). 

Machida did a perfect job turning it up when Weidman started running out of steam. He had the same problems Silva had in that Weidman didn't give him openings for counters but Machida did a better job than Silva at creating his own, even on the back-foot where Weidman had him a lot in the first 3 rounds. Weidman got backed up a little (and he's too tough to be discouraged like when his response to Longo asking if there was anything in that counter left Machida hit him with), but kept the pressure on and was able to land good shots even in the last two rounds. He almost got Machida with a left high kick that he set-up pretty well. 

No offence man, but I'm not sure what fights you're watching.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 11, 2014)

I'm sure he watches, I just think he dosen't like Weidman so he tries to downplay him.


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 11, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Dude you look like the biggest Weidman downplayer ever, Weidman is ten times than Chael at striking. I'm going to wait until Weidman fights Vitor before I get into that conversation .



I can live with that.

Weidman's striking is conservative & methodical.  Chael's striking style is calculated brawling.  Its hard to compare the two, they're polar opposites.



Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Are you trolling, lol? Weidman beat Silva standing and on the ground in both fights, and was never close to trouble. The only advantage Silva had was the low kicks in the first fight, but Weidman made the defensive adjustments for the rematch and Silva couldn't really do anything. Just to compare one situation they both had (not the exact same): when Silva got close enough to Sonnen against the cage when he was unsuccessful with a couple TD attempts in the second fight, he had no idea what to do, started flailing, and eventually got dropped and stopped. Silva's Thai clinch failed him badly against Weidman. He showed way more poise than Sonnen whenever Silva initiated offence.
> 
> Silva got a tight overhook on him so he didn't have much leverage to change levels and put Weidman off balance + got a collar tie early. Weidman exchanged a few knees with him and was always looking to improve his position. He shook his left arm, got it under Silva's chin and used his forearm to create space between the two to free his arm, forcing Silva to lose the overhook and go for a double collar tie. But Weidman hand was free and he punched him to the body and went upstairs with a hook that dropped him right when Silva attempted a knee. He used his wrestling, and strong, secure stance to beat Silva's more Thai approach in that position. He took advantage of Silva squaring up to make it near impossible for Silva to drag him into a clinch or get significant offence going inside.
> 
> Sonnen had more volume than Weidman on the ground in the 1st fight but Weidman is far more calculated/patient and actually hurt Silva pretty bad in both fights with his g&p (eyes rolled back in both), while he was content in using his stalling guard game since Sonnen couldn't hurt him or threaten him with submissions on the level of Weidman (who tried a leg lock, kneebar, and ezekiel choke). Silva's guard wasn't a problem at all for Weidman and he had no problem giving up that position in the first fight when he could have just kept him on his back for the rest of the round like Sonnen was trying to do.



I'm not trolling.

I just don't buy into Jack Slack's point of view where fights are deterministic events where time, space & free will don't apply much.

Have you been watching a lot of tape and taking notes?  

I still stand by everything I said.  If Weidman did go for a leglock and choke against Anderson Silva, he looked kind of like a bum doing it with his half hearted and lame attempts.  The same with Weidman's ADCC match with Andre Galvao.  Some of Weidman's darce attempts looked sad.

I think if it was a straight kickboxing match and Weidman had no wrestling the parts of the fight where Silva tried a thai clinch would look different.  Silva would be more successful not having to contend with the takedown.

Weidman is an extremely smart fighter.  He makes the right decisions and does the right things.  It doesn't mean he's skillful, though, imo.

Weidman is a psychology major.  I think that's where his advantages lie.  His mental preparation and cerebral approach to the game.  



Lucifer Morningstar said:


> There's a reason for that ... Weidman's footwork, pressure, and cage cutting. He was able to consistently back Machida against the fence in the first 3 rounds, but a game-plan like that against a guy with the defensive footwork of Machida takes a lot of work. He could only do it as effectively in a couple sequences in the last 2 rounds, not as consistently. It would have been easier for Weidman to find his TDs and land his punches if Machida was more aggressive earlier on.
> 
> Machida exchanged a couple times in the earlier rounds and he always got hit then (and countered quite a bit), and in the last two rounds as well. Machida was also getting tired towards the end too (just wasn't as noticeable as Weidman's tiring). If he was more aggressive early, he likely wouldn't have had that clear cardio edge in the last two rounds (Weidman still won the 5th, btw). For the record I think he did an amazing job turning it up when Weidman was slowing down and probably had his best offensive showing of his career so far. His developing right hand and sense of when to take the initiative would have won him the Davis fight in the judges' eyes (I felt he won but they clearly thought he was too inactive).
> 
> ...



I'll need to rewatch the fight.

From what I remember (vaguely) Machida's mouth was wide open in his fight with Mousasi after the 1st or 2nd round.  There wasn't much grappling or wrestling in either round.  Machida was just...  inexplicably tired.  I don't think Machida's cutting and dieting down to 185 is healthy and Machida doesn't have much faith or confidence in his cardio at that weight.  Or maybe its the american food and the move to the states from brazil that are negatively affecting him?

Machida has been a slow starter and notoriously conservative ever since Shogun KO'ed him.  I would consider Machida's fight with Rampage to be similar to Machida's fight with Weidman.  Both were winnable fights for Machida he just didn't get in the game early enough & was too passive.  

Weidman did a good job of backing Machida into the cage.  But, I think, the reason Machida didn't move off the cage or avoid being cornered had more to do with Machida worrying about his cardio and trying to conserve energy.

From memory, I remember thinking that was the most flat footed and slow I've ever seen Machida.  Machida's mobility was twice as fast in the Jon Jones fight than it was in the Weidman fight.  Apples and oranges to compare the two.  For whatever reason, I remember Machida looking extremely slow and stiff.  

In Machida's first fight at 185 against Munoz, he might've been fast and explosive.  Maybe he was a little slower in his fight with Mousasi.  And, in his 3rd fight at 185 against Weidman he looked much worse.

But, who knows.  I'll try and rewatch the fight and maybe my opinion will change.



Former Obd Lurker. said:


> I'm sure he watches, I just think he dosen't like Weidman so he tries to downplay him.



I like Weidman.  I am impressed by him & some of the things he does.

Just not overly impressed by him standing or on the mat & think his hype train could be derailed.  Weidman is overrated, imo.  Maybe the most overrated MMA fighter in the sport.  At least in terms of skill.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 11, 2014)

Weidman>>>> Chael's boxing,  I really don't get it but hey your entitled to your personal opinion.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Aug 11, 2014)

Big rumor and some sites are announcing that Gina Carano has signed with Bellator. Also Marlos as well and they will fight.

I think it's false but I don't know some major sites are saying confirmed and Bellator has a huge announcement tomorrow

Dana's face right now


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 12, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Weidman>>>> Chael's boxing,  I really don't get it but hey your entitled to your personal opinion.



Chael is a golden gloves amateur boxing champion.  Don't underestimate the man.  



Naruto Uzumaki said:


> Big rumor and some sites are announcing that Gina Carano has signed with Bellator. Also Marlos as well and they will fight.
> 
> I think it's false but I don't know some major sites are saying confirmed and Bellator has a huge announcement tomorrow



The rumors are probably true.

Awhle ago Marloes Coenen posted a picture of her paycheck and proved Dana White wrong about something.  I can't remember what it was, I doubt she'll ever fight in the UFC.

Ronda said she would fight Carano at 145 in a non title fight because she appreciates what Carano has done for women's MMA.  

I doubt Carano will fight Ronda.  Losing a fight to Rousey could diminish her marketability as a movie star, etc.  Bellator is the smart move for her.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 12, 2014)

Golden gloves is nothing in the ufc, Rashad exposed Channel's boxing.  I've had friends with golden gloves, dosen't mean they can box with Weidman.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Aug 12, 2014)

Jon jones is out of the fight with an ankle injury fight postponed until jan 3



Mighty Mouse vs Cariso is new ME



Ufc 178 went from 500k+ buys to 100k-


----------



## Lurko (Aug 12, 2014)

Wtf! Put in Rumble,  I'm sick of injuries.  There's been alot this year.


----------



## Legend (Aug 12, 2014)

why dont they just put a interim title on the line?


----------



## Lurko (Aug 12, 2014)

I have no idea,  Guff vs Rumble would be good.


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 13, 2014)

All dat hype


----------



## Lurko (Aug 13, 2014)

Gsp come back and fight Hendricks,  I need something or Weidman vs Gsp.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Aug 13, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> I need something or Weidman vs Gsp.



You must really dislike GSP ... Weidman should be able to stop him rather easily.

They've trained together and the word there was that Weidman schooled him (GSP himself admitted as much) and when Weidman was asked about it, he pretty much said that GSP is too small for him. His size would be a big advantage at a catchweight. Weidman has always said he would never call out a smaller guy either, and they're both Renzo Gracie students, training partners, and coached by Danaher, who won't allow them to fight each other.

Also, the UFC signs Joe Soto! He's going to fight Birchak at 177, should be a good one. Not a lot of great match-ups on that card but a few interesting ones.


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 13, 2014)

> According to Jackson, the injury occurred while Jones was defending a takedown from UFC heavyweight talent Alistair Overeem during wrestling practice.
> 
> “It’s part of the game, it wasn’t like ... somebody went for a flying kick and dislocated [something]. Somebody went for a takedown, [Jones] stepped the wrong way, twisted the wrong way and down he went. He was fighting it, and he just twisted it. And then it just popped,” Jackson said.
> 
> Alistair’s maybe 240, Jon’s 220. It’s not like he was working with a giant moose. It was just one of those things."


----------



## Lurko (Aug 13, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> You must really dislike GSP ... Weidman should be able to stop him rather easily.
> 
> They've trained together and the word there was that Weidman schooled him (GSP himself admitted as much) and when Weidman was asked about it, he pretty much said that GSP is too small for him. His size would be a big advantage at a catchweight. Weidman has always said he would never call out a smaller guy either, and they're both Renzo Gracie students, training partners, and coached by Danaher, who won't allow them to fight each other.
> 
> Also, the UFC signs Joe Soto! He's going to fight Birchak at 177, should be a good one. Not a lot of great match-ups on that card but a few interesting ones.



No offense but I can't really see that happening... Gsp is arguably the Goat, proof for what you posted?


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 14, 2014)

> "Gustafsson will probably fight again. We'll probably do another fight for him," White said. "He'll probably fight again to stay active, stay top of mind and the guy has to make money."
> 
> Next up for Gustafsson could be the dangerous rising 205-pound star Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. White confirmed that Gustafsson vs. Johnson would probably be the fight that would make the most sense





Green will fight Cerrone and Masvidal will Kause.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 14, 2014)

Yes! Now that fight is goona be good!


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 14, 2014)

I figured it was only a matter of time.


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 16, 2014)

Bader vs Saint Preux tonight!

Who you got?

Ryan Bader < *Ovince St. Preux * 
*Ross Pearson* > Gray Maynard				
Tim Boetsch < *Brad Tavares * 
*Seth Baczynski* > Alan Jouban 					
*Shawn Jordan* > Jack May 				
Thiago Tavares < *Robbie Peralta * 

*Jussier Formiga* > Zach Makovsky 				
*Sara McMann* > Lauren Murphy 					
*Tom Watson* > Sam Alvey
Nolan Ticman < *Frankie Saenz*

.

I think Maynard trained at Power MMA instead of AKA for this fight.

Seth Baczynski trained at Alliance MMA instead of Power MMA.

Ross Pearson trained in the UK instead of Alliance MMA.

Thiago Tavares trained at his own gym instead of Brazilian Top Team.

Bader might have trained at Alpha Male instead of his normal spot for his last fight, and maybe this one, not sure on that.

Its like musical chairs.

Will be interesting to see what difference it makes if any.


----------



## Nihonjin (Aug 19, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> No offense but I can't really see that happening.. Gsp is arguably the Goat, proof for what you posted?




Is it really that hard to believe? Weidman already beat a GOAT contender in Silva.. Twice.. And he was in his weight class and height. GSP won't be humping him for 5 rounds either since Weidman's a wrestler himself..

He won't win standing. He won't win wrestling. I don't see how this is getting passed the 3rd round to be honest..

Besides, being the GOAT doesn't automatically translate into being able to beat every single fighter..

Mighty Mouse could be the goat, but he'd still get wrecked by a shitty Heavy weight if they ever fought..  Granted, the difference between GSP and Weidman isn't as extreme, but big enough to be the deciding factor.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 19, 2014)

I think Gsp could stand with Weidman at catchweight and Gsp has wrestled and I'm pretty sure not completely sure out wrestled Rashad Evans so no Weidman wouldn't dominate him, beat him probably.


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 20, 2014)

Alvarez has just joined the UFC and will fight Cerrone. We don't know who Green will face.

In other news, Lombard changed his nickname to "Showeather."


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Aug 20, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> I think Gsp could stand with Weidman at catchweight and Gsp has wrestled and I'm pretty sure not completely sure out wrestled Rashad Evans so no Weidman wouldn't dominate him, beat him probably.



Maybe at a catchweight things would be different, but I still see Weidman dominating GSP either way. And I don't see GSP doing that great standing with Weidman.

But really no point in talking about it as it's more than likely never going to happen.

EDIT: Glad Alvarez signed. Looking forward to him facing Cerrone. Honestly, haven't seen too many fights from him so I really don't now what to expect. However, seeing all the hype around him I've heard I can't help but be excited and wish he could take the division by storm.


----------



## Lurko (Aug 20, 2014)

Gsp is well out if his prime so no it won't,  two big time injuries.  Gsp just needs to retire.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Aug 20, 2014)

Unfortunately, that's true


----------



## Lurko (Aug 20, 2014)

The fact that Gsp was able to beat Hendricks while not in his prime says a lot, I feel Rory will take the crown soon.


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 20, 2014)

Its difficult to say how good Eddie Alvarez is.

Michael Chandler gave him some tough fights.  I used to think Chandler was top ranked.  But then Will Brooks came along and did a convincing job of tooling Chandler.  It'll suck if Alvarez doesn't live up to the expectations as so many have before him.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Aug 20, 2014)

Yeah, that's exactly what I think of him. I can only hope he succeeds - even if it's at the expense of Cowboy. And I like Cowboy too.

Will at least make the division a lot more interesting if he puts in some work.


----------



## Niabingi (Aug 20, 2014)

UFC 178 is shaping up to be a great card. I love watching Mighty Mouse fight but am not at all excited by the calibre of opponent he is facing this time around. However, Cerrone - Alvarez is a fantastic addition. Let's not forget that we will finally get to see Cruz back in the Octagon. Really hope to see him take on TJ soon, that'd be a fun fight.

UFC 177 on the other hand is shaping up to be the worst PPV card there ever was.


----------



## Perverted King (Aug 20, 2014)

UFC tonight said they are discussing Rockhold vs. Machida


----------



## Lurko (Aug 20, 2014)

Nooo I need Rockhold vs Weidman after he beats Belfort,  Machida vs Weidman would just be a fight I've seen before.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Aug 20, 2014)

Perverted King said:


> UFC tonight said they are discussing Rockhold vs. Machida



I guess I can get behind that.

And fuck, forgot to watch. Always miss UFC Tonight.


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 21, 2014)

Titan Fighting Championships has a card tomorrow with ex Bellator, ex Strikeforce and ex UFC names.

Mike Ricci vs George Sotiropoulos
Dustin Jacoby vs Lucas Lopes
Mike Bronzoulis vs Keith Johnson
Mike Bruno vs D'Juan Owens
Bristol Marunde vs Micah Miller
Kurt Holobaugh vs Lloyd Woodard


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Aug 21, 2014)

>Mike Ricci

didn't know he got cut lmao


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Aug 21, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> No offense but I can't really see that happening... Gsp is arguably the Goat, proof for what you posted?



Silva is arguably the GOAT, and look what happened to him. Granted Weidman was obviously an extremely tough match-up for Silva but GSP gives up a lot of size and power to him. I scored the fight a draw (most thought Hendricks won) but we saw what happened against Hendricks when GSP couldn't control the pace of the fight with his wrestling. Even though I don't think GSP was at his best post-ACL, Hendricks would have still been a very tough match-up for him in his prime.

I believe it was in a Q&A in Toronto and an interview a couple years ago, can't remember from what site. You should be able to find it if you google it.



Former Obd Lurker. said:


> I think Gsp could stand with Weidman at catchweight and Gsp has wrestled and I'm pretty sure not completely sure out wrestled Rashad Evans so no Weidman wouldn't dominate him, beat him probably.



I remember Evans saying GSP was one his best training partners and that he could take him down, but I'm not sure about the out-wrestled part and I doubt the structure of the sparring was the same as an MMA fight. GSP has great footwork for his wrestling game but not for his boxing. His stance and footwork doesn't set up his right hand (he barely uses it because he's usually in very poor positions to throw them). 

His weight often too far forward and his feet too wide, so he can only throw the right hand with the power generated by his back and arms, instead of his hips and legs. It's a similar pattern I've seen with other Tristar fighters. The threat of his jab (by far the best in MMA when he was active, and it's Gustafsson now) does all the work in the stand-up and Weidman has a very good jab himself, can harass GSP from range with hand trapping and he has much more tools in his boxing game. 

I'd say Weidman has superior footwork in a positional sense when it comes to striking. He doesn't leave nearly as many openings as GSP, and he does quite a few things better like his counter-striking footwork for one, which he showed against Machida (who has much superior defensive footwork) when he countered all of his favourite techniques at some point. GSP's defensive footwork is good like exiting on angles but he can be caught as he resets quite often (when he tends to move straight back with his hands down or leaps into strikes), when he isn't planning to shoot, while Weidman has improved considerably fight by fight in terms of his defensive footwork, mistakes that were there in the fight before are either shored up or very rarely appear.

GSP's footwork always causes him to end up square and open to strikes when he wants to throw his right hand and he's not going to beat Weidman with just his jab and left hand, despite it being near flawless to set up his wrestling and good at setting up jabs. He simply doesn't have the footwork to put himself into position to land powerful shots against Weidman and he won't be discouraged or limited like many of the guys GSP beat who couldn't handle his jab and wrestling. I think it's fair to say that Weidman wouldn't be so worried about his great jab (the feints, superman jabs, level changes, and lead left hooks mixed in) and his footwork issues would be much more problematic.

GSP has decent high kicks but he doesn't set them up much, and solid low kicks but Weidman's defence for this looked great in the 2nd Silva and Machida fights. The body kicks could be a problem but Machida has far better set-ups and power for his than GSP and he couldn't hurt Weidman with them. I know you were talking about the stand-up, but a lot of the footwork GSP uses to set up his take downs are actually similarly used by strikers to set up knockouts.

He frequently baits opponents into coming forward with strikes by either hopping back or backpedaling, then using their forward momentum to help him close the distance faster and collide with greater impact to disrupt their balance. It's a counter-striking strategy used by many great strikers. But instead of running people into strikes, GSP runs them into takedowns. Koscheck and Hendricks were two guys that didn't really work against as well though and Weidman has stellar balance and posture (has only ever been taken down once in his MMA career by Araujo briefly), even in transitions. Even if GSP got Weidman down he wouldn't be able to control him or land significant g&p (and his submission offence isn't anywhere close to threatening enough to worry Weidman) and Weidman is a better overall grappler anyway.

I like GSP and he's one of my favourite fighters (I've trained at Tristar btw, and have met him more than once) but whether they're standing or on the ground, I don't see GSP doing that well. I really can't see him making it 5 rounds either and he more than likely would get stopped brutally.


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 23, 2014)

Reminder: UFC Macau starts at 9:00 AM EST/6:00 AM PST.


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 23, 2014)

Neighborhood Sniper said:


> Reminder: UFC Macau starts at 9:00 AM EST/6:00 AM PST.



That's only about an hour from now.

Can't believe Cung Le is 42.

Wonder how he'd fare vs Hendo.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Aug 23, 2014)

That's on fight pass right?

Either way I completely forgot about that being today.


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 23, 2014)

That was the main card, I believe. My mistake.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Aug 24, 2014)

Well Dos Anjos did good just now. Henderson already looks upset but good sport.

Don't know about the stoppage...I personally think he put him down good enough.


----------



## Perverted King (Aug 24, 2014)

I don't think Henderson would have recovered but we'll never know.


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 24, 2014)




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## Sanity Check (Aug 24, 2014)

The .gif doesn't show the part where Bendo grabs the refs leg for a single & doesn't seem to know where he is.

I think Bendo was knocked senseless and out for a second.  Hitting the ground woke him up.


----------



## Perverted King (Aug 24, 2014)

Bendo admitted it looked bad in the press conference. Glad Dos Anjos won as it opens the division more.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Aug 24, 2014)

It was a justifiable stoppage and the context matters too (like in the Barnett-Mir and Arlovski-Nelson stoppages). Good to see RDA perform as well as he did. I favoured him to win but not so easily. He is a risk taker (would be able to put Henderson on the back-foot more where he struggles) and guys are often too hesitant against Henderson with how physically imposing his style can be (pocket and especially how he gets guys into the clinch). RDA is a very confident guy and more technical which can make weaknesses of Henderson's style (mainly the defensive holes) a lot more evident. I thought it would be very tough for Henderson to employ his usual cage/clinch game against him since (which would have been tough for RDA to deal with) he wouldn't be able to close that gap so effectively which also allows him to use that wrestling game of his. RDA's wrestling looked pretty great against Nurmagomedov though. Sure, he was out-wrestled but look at who he fought. I was confident he could stuff Henderson's TDs. Plus RDA obviously has way better hands, nice low kicks he uses to set up his hands, has gotten a lot better at using feints as well as his southpaw jab (to keep Henderson reacting and after he established it he started setting up some nice power shots) and kickboxing in general, used his foot/heel positioning very well to pressure, managed his initiative consistently, didn't let Henderson establish his rhythm with the varied attack he threw at him while getting him to react and move around the cage, misdirections and being unpredictable/tricking Henderson, and like I thought Henderson wasn't able to close that gap so effectively which also allows him to use that wrestling game of his. is likely a Top-10 boxer in the division. 

Cordeiro's one of the best trainers in MMA. There has been significant fundamental improvements in the fighters he's been training recently (even a guy like Machida who was already one of the very best strikers in MMA). He has really come a long way as a trainer, adapted excellently, is still learning new things, adjusted aspects like combinations with that in mind to the strengths/skill-sets of each guy on offence, and improved his craft through all the experience. He still has teachings from his old style there (like Werdum's improved clinch game looking like prime Wand's) but the key is that he's incorporating new things he's learned over the years.

UFC 177 looks terrible. I have some plans that night so I'm definitely not going to catch it live, gotta avoid spoilers though. Soto's debut, Jorgensen-Cejudo, Jackson's debut, and the title fight are the only things worth watching this card for.

Also, first omoplata finish in UFC history by Ben Saunders (Bravo's reaction was amusing and the set-up was great):


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 24, 2014)

Did anyone see the Cung Le vs Bisping fight?

Bisping is breaking his "pillow hands" mold.

*edit* - I love Eddie Bravo's reaction to that omoplata.  I'm expecting big things from Tony Ferguson, Jessamyn Duke and all the other Eddie Bravo trained people.  

*edit x2* - I've been KO'ed similar to Bendo was KO'ed in that gif, twice.  The first time eating a baseball / softball to the head off a bat swing while pitching.  Second time, fell on my head stage diving at a concert.  Its not bad at all.  Not even painful.  You just wake up wondering what happened and realize you have some seconds of time you can't account for, I guess.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Aug 24, 2014)

I didn't see the Bisping fight but he really fucked Cung Le up. That pic is all I need to see of it.


----------



## Perverted King (Aug 25, 2014)

Team Velasquez vs. Team Werdum is on Fight Pass but is cool we get to watch 115lbs women fight instead.


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## Sanity Check (Aug 25, 2014)

Perverted King said:


> Team Velasquez vs. Team Werdum is on Fight Pass but is cool we get to watch 115lbs women fight instead.



This strawweight KO was pretty good.

[YOUTUBE]gSUaOh_QJAQ[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]RS8Ipa1-bzk[/YOUTUBE]

.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Aug 26, 2014)

Best ufc poster ever

Intense stare down


----------



## Perverted King (Aug 27, 2014)

Bonnar joins Bellator.

In before Forrest Griffin lol


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 28, 2014)

Bonnar signs with Bellator once he's fairly sure Rampage is retired.

[YOUTUBE]-cEjfD6MmyU[/YOUTUBE]

Not that I blame him.  I guess a lot of people wouldn't want to fight Rampage...

*edit* - is Scott Jorgensen's call of duty streaming really that out of control?  He's a pretty big underdog to Henry Cejudo who only turned pro a year or two ago.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Aug 29, 2014)

*Jorgensen vs. Cejudo Scrapped From UFC 177*


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Aug 29, 2014)

So Renan is also out


Worst card ever cancel this shit


----------



## Perverted King (Aug 29, 2014)

Barao out of 177.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Aug 29, 2014)

Joe Soto will face T.J for the title


----------



## Perverted King (Aug 29, 2014)

Supposedly Renan passed out during weigh ins


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Aug 29, 2014)

Card doesn't get over 100k buys


----------



## Niabingi (Aug 29, 2014)

This has gone from terrible card to totally pathetic. Congratulations to Joe Soto for having the stones to step up to the fight but this card is a mess.


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 30, 2014)

Prelims begin in 10 hrs?  

Picks.

T.J. Dillashaw > Joe Soto 				
Tony Ferguson > Danny Castillo 				
Bethe Correia < Shayna Baszler 				
Ramsey Nijem > Carlos Diego Ferreira 				
Yancy Medeiros > Damon Jackson 				

Lorenz Larkin < Derek Brunson 				
Ruan Potts < Anthony Hamilton 				
Chris Wade > Cain Carrizosa

A lot of people might hate this card I for one am excited to see it.

I think Derek Brunson could become a future prospect if he gets past Larkin.  I'm excited to see what Baszler's sub game looks like.  She was mentored by Josh Barnett iirc and spent the last year rolling with Ronda.  It would be cool if she came off the layoff a monster & started subbing people.

Ramsey Nijem moved to train with the Skrap Pack full time & has looked much improved since.  Maybe another future prospect.  Yancy Medeiros is another one with potential.

Dillashaw said Barao is "afraid" to fight him, which was a bit uncool even if it is true.

I won't mind if Soto ends him.


----------



## Azzuri (Aug 30, 2014)

"On UFC 177 Refunds, per CA SAC Director Andy Foster: Anyone who wants a refund will be granted one by exchanging the ticket for a refund"



"First of all, you've got enough money to get a real nutritionist in there to see what you're eating. Guy's got to start doing this the right way to make weight or move to 145 and have (Jose) Aldo move up to 155, because both of them don't cut weight that great. [Barao] won't get a title fight after this."


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Aug 30, 2014)

Dillashaw has become to cocky. Guess ge forgot he got ktfo by a 125 pounder on a tv show.

Cruz gets his belt back early next year.


----------



## Legend (Aug 30, 2014)

What was the original card supposed to be again?


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 31, 2014)

Legend said:


> What was the original card supposed to be again?



Something like...

Jon Jones (c) vs. Daniel Cormier
T.J. Dillashaw (c) vs. Renan Bar?o 	
Demetrious Johnson (c) vs. Chris Cariaso			
Tony Ferguson vs. Danny Castillo 				
Bethe Correia vs. Shayna Baszler 				
Ramsey Nijem vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira 				

Lorenz Larkin vs. Derek Brunson 		
Ruslan Magomedov vs Richard Odoms		
Scott Jorgensen vs. Henry Cejudo 				
Ruan Potts vs. Anthony Hamilton 				
Joe Soto vs. Anthony Birchak 				

Yancy Medeiros vs. Justin Edwards
Chris Wade vs. Cain Carrizosa


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Aug 31, 2014)

Naruto Uzumaki said:


> Dillashaw has become to cocky. Guess ge forgot he got ktfo by a 125 pounder on a tv show.
> 
> Cruz gets his belt back early next year.



i agree and can only hope Cruz gets his belt back.

Dillashaw won his fight right? i completely forgot about the PPV being tonight. idk, the card didn't even really excite me too much originally before Renan got replaced anyway so that's probably why.


----------



## Sanity Check (Aug 31, 2014)

Dillashaw won via 5th round stoppage.  He nailed Soto with a right high kick to the head, Soto wobbled and fell.  TJ went to jump on Soto with punches and the ref stopped it.  Soto landed good counter punches in the first two rounds, busted up TJ's face some.

I see a lot of people saying TJ looked good.  I thought TJ looked sloppy.  

Shayna Baszler looked terrible despite having Josh Barnett in her corner and having spent the last year recovering from injuries & training with Ronda.  Her transitions are non-existent.  She either fights as a boxer and throws punches.  Or, she's pursuing the takedown and not throwing strikes.  Baszler looked like she had a death grip on Bethe in the grappling parts.  Like she was just holding on and afraid to move or transition to something else.  Could be ring rust, but Baszler is getting up there in age at 34.  She may not have much time left and needs to move fast if she's going to make a mark in her div.

Danny Castillo didn't do much in his fight with Tony Ferguson.  Castillo was on top a lot of the time, but he was just lying on Ferguson and holding onto him.  The whole time Ferguson was lighting Castillo up with elbows, going for submissions & working back to his feet.  Castillo threw a lot of punches standing and showed much improved footwork and angles.  But, a lot of Castillo's punches were deflected off the arms and elbows.  Ferguson did well with his lead left kicks in the beginning of the fight & might have hurt Castillo with a knee.  At some point, Ferguson might have hurt Castillo with something, Castillo didn't want to stand with him, anymore.  I thought it was a clear win for Ferguson, but it was a split decision with one judge having Castillo ahead 29-28.ve 

Castillo still seems to have a habit of holding his breath when he's fighting.  Either that or his cardio is just poor.  He fades noticeably in the 2nd or 3rd rounds if he's pushing a decent pace.

Ferguson probably should have finished Castillo with a darce in the 1st.  But, instead of sprawling on Castillo and going belly down, for some strange reason Ferguson pulled guard instead and couldn't finish the choke from that position.

Still haven't watched the other fights.  

.

Jacare vs Mousasi in 5 days.

I have it something like this.

Jacar? Souza > Gegard Mousasi 				
Alistair Overeem > Ben Rothwell 				
Matt Mitrione > Derrick Lewis 				
Joe Lauzon < Michael Chiesa 				
Nik Lentz < Charles Oliveira 				
John Moraga > Justin Scoggins 				

Al Iaquinta > Rodrigo Damm 				
Rafael Natal < Chris Camozzi 				
Tateki Matsuda < Chris Beal 				
Sean Soriano < Chas Skelly


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Aug 31, 2014)

I'm really interested in seeing Lauzon vs Chiesa

just because I'm a big fan of Joe's

of course the main event looks good but I don't really care who wins.


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 1, 2014)

"I have fought both worse and better opponents. Had that (Johnson) fight taken me somewhere, I would have been the first to accept. Since his return to the UFC after being kicked out, he has beaten Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who passed his expiration date a long time ago, and Phil Davis. He needs at least a couple wins more. We are not in the playground anymore, it's not about who is the toughest, it's about my career. I want to have a long and successful career. You have to think tactically and you can't just go in and swing against the first best opponent." - Gus


----------



## Perverted King (Sep 1, 2014)

Gus has become a whiny little bitch.


----------



## Random Stranger (Sep 3, 2014)

Any of you guys watch One FC?

It seem that their rule-system is more based on Pride (soccer kicks to the heads of downed opponents are allowed). I always liked that.

Are there any fights you guys would recommend to watch? Or is the quality of the fights in One FC too low?


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 4, 2014)

Ariel Helwani's Twitter:

"RT @Jason_Floyd: On @UFCTonight, @arielhelwani reports that he is hearing Shogun/Manuwa for November 8th card in Brazil is being discussed"

"UFC president Dana White has expressed interest in booking "Rumble" Johnson and Gustafsson -- and Johnson himself has lobbied for it on Twitter -- but until now Gustafsson has been reluctant.

According to a report on UFC Tonight, though, Gustafsson might be warming up to the idea.

Gustafsson's manager Manos Terzitaine told Ariel Helwani that it no longer matters to them if he waits for the winner of Jones-Cormier or fights again beforehand. When presented with that information, Johnson's manager Glenn Robinson said that's the fight they really want. With both sides willing, and White in favor of that matchmaking, it would appear that Gustafsson-Johnson is being looked at.

Robinson said that though they've made it known that they'd accept a bout with Gustafsson that no offer has been officially made."


----------



## Sanity Check (Sep 4, 2014)

Bellator has a card tomorrow.

The airing times will be stagged so that the UFC's main event will air after Bellator's main event.

Pat Curran (c) 	vs. 	Patricio Freire 				
Cheick Kongo 	vs. 	Lavar Johnson 				
Muhammed Lawal 	vs. 	Dustin Jacoby 				
Bobby Lashley 	vs. 	Josh Burns

Its been said Pat Curran was going through depression when he lost the title in 2013.  He's said he's on anti-depressants and everything is good now.  



Random Stranger said:


> Any of you guys watch One FC?
> 
> It seem that their rule-system is more based on Pride (soccer kicks to the heads of downed opponents are allowed). I always liked that.
> 
> Are there any fights you guys would recommend to watch? Or is the quality of the fights in One FC too low?



Yeah.  James McSweeney and Roger Huerta had some brutal finishes via soccer kicks & knees to downed opponents.  Even Ben Askren is finishing people.  

It is kind of cool, but a lot of their fights seem like complete mismatches.  Its like they find the weakest talent they can to fight James McSweeney to make James McSweeney look like a top prospect.  I think if any of the One FC names fought decent talent, their fights would look a lot different.


----------



## eHav (Sep 4, 2014)

acording to gus facebook page he will be fighting rumble. sounds good


----------



## Random Stranger (Sep 5, 2014)

1mmortal 1tachi said:


> Yeah.  James McSweeney and Roger Huerta had some brutal finishes via soccer kicks & knees to downed opponents.  Even Ben Askren is finishing people.
> 
> It is kind of cool, but a lot of their fights seem like complete mismatches.  Its like they find the weakest talent they can to fight James McSweeney to make James McSweeney look like a top prospect.  I think if any of the One FC names fought decent talent, their fights would look a lot different.


Thanks for those names, I’ll look up some of their fights if I can though I have noticed that finding One FC fights is very difficult 

Yeah, the talentpool/skill level is lower but I just like seeing how people’s fighting styles and tactics change under different/more realistic rules. Have you for example seen some Vale Tudo fights? Bare knuckle fighting changes the striking game dramatically.

As of now I haven’t found any organizations that allow for hard floor fighting (so no mats/springy floors) and since that sound like a recipe for disaster I doubt they are out there. I would imagine that hard floors would diminish BJJ effectiveness significantly and exponentially improve the damage output of takedowns.



eHav said:


> acording to gus facebook page he will be fighting rumble. sounds good


Noice.

Though I gotta admit my opinion of both Rumble and Gus has lowered in this past week. Gus for his sense of entitlement and Rumble for his bitchy behaviour against Overeem.


----------



## Random Stranger (Sep 5, 2014)

In other news while surfing the internet I just came upon these gems.

Shinya Aoki(lightweight) vs Fedor(Heavyweight) exhibition match


*Spoiler*: __ 



[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6arf1LA4fY&t=2m50s[/youtube]




Fedor(HW) vs Korean Zombie(LW)



It is comical how lopsided these matches are.

Just goes to show you that size is like 90% of a factor in a fight

If anyone of you know of more of these different weight classes exhibition matches feel free to share.


PS: Bonus video in lue of Gegards oncoming fight

Gegard Mousasi(in his LHW days) vs Fedor exhibition match.


*Spoiler*: __ 



[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awTo0kNMoYY[/youtube]






EDIT: not sure why the youtube videos don't show, I guess you will just have to copy the links if you want to watch them.


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 5, 2014)




----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Sep 5, 2014)

Shogun vs Jimi headlines Brazil card nov 8th

Bisping vs Rockhold headlines aussy event same day


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 5, 2014)

Thiago Silva is back in the UFC and is expected to fight in January.☻


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Sep 5, 2014)

Wow Reem.      .


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 5, 2014)

Damnit, 'Reem.


----------



## eHav (Sep 5, 2014)

hahaha he really has no chin left.. it was like rothwell didnt even care that he was facing overeem, he just walked up to him, with his hand already prepared and simply hit him. overeem cant fight people with any power or hes going out


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 5, 2014)

Once he's rocked, it's sleep time.


----------



## eHav (Sep 5, 2014)

i hope jacare gets weidman now. kinda bored of vitor


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Sep 6, 2014)

I don't know what the fuck is wrong with Mousasi. No sense of urgency no combos barely moving. Stuffed the first takedown effortlessly then just stop giving a fuck. Hands down for what?

Jacare beats Weidman Vitor beats Jacare


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 6, 2014)

Dana says that Souza will fight again before getting a shot.


----------



## Sanity Check (Sep 6, 2014)

I think the two main reasons for carrying your hands low are... 

A.  Its easier to defend takedowns sometimes with your hands low near your waist where its easier to get underhooks to lift them high enough to where they can't lock their hands, etc.  

B.  Sometimes, if your hands are low enough, your opponent won't see your punches as well as they're coming from beneath their field of vision.

But, yeah.  I agree.  Mousasi might've been fighting beneath his ability and showed none of the confidence he showed when he fought Munoz, etc.

Jacare irritates me with his crocodile dance.    But damn, is he a bad dude.



Neighborhood Sniper said:


> Dana says that Souza will fight again before getting a shot.



I think Mousasi is Jacare's 7th or 8th win in a row.

I almost think Dana is protecting Weidman from Jacare at this point.


----------



## Matariki (Sep 6, 2014)

1mmortal 1tachi said:


> Mousasi might've been fighting beneath his ability and showed none of the confidence he showed when he fought Munoz, etc.



'cause Munoz is no good


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Sep 6, 2014)

Impressive performance by Jacare. I thought the fight was 50/50 but I underestimated his pressure game and athleticism a bit. I would have rather seen Mousasi win (I like both guys though) but at least this sets up a trilogy down the line and Jacare is probably the biggest threat to Weidman after that performance (though I think Machida and Rockhold are still right there, with Romero on the top of his game not far behind). Mousasi couldn't get his pressure going because Jacare refused to be pressured. His stance looked great; it gave him the ability to control distance and see Mousasi's jabs. Mousasi probably has the best pressuring jab in the sport, but Souza was parrying it, standing just out of range of it and slipping it both ways. So no matter what, Mousasi wasn't making contact with his jab and Jacare was always in a position to fire back. That meant Mousasi couldn't come forward without being afraid of getting hit back by the much harder puncher, and if he came forward he'd be easier to take down. So Jacare took his jab away and was able to back him up because of that. When Mousasi tried to jab to keep him off, Jacare was slipping as he came forward and then coming underneath when he shot. That's how he got Mousasi against the cage at first. 

In the second and third rounds, Jacare was getting comfortable so he started countering off his slips and also leading with big punches of his own, including a very nice left hook off feinted jabs (his jabs also looked technical even if they weren't used as intelligent as they could have been). This got Mousasi moving back even more despite the fact that Jacare wasn't really landing clean for the most part. This let him consistently pressure Mousasi, get him down and put a clinic on the ground. 

Before this fight, I would have said Weidman had a significant edge on the feet. But now I'm sure Jacare would be quite competitive on the feet with Weidman though I still favour Weidman there. It would be an extremely interesting match between two pressure fighters. I'd like to see which one gives up on the pressure and decides to box first. Both guys are outstanding grapplers, hard hitters, and very tough. Jacare's top game is world class obviously. He does a great job of using submission attempts to keep guys down. It is significantly less tiring than wrestling guys down like Weidman does more often. If I had to guess I'd say Weidman is a bit easier to force back than Jacare (he has superior defensive footwork), so Jacare might be leading more. Weidman can fight on the counter a bit though and he is really developing his kicks which may allow him to land some shots at range. I kind of doubt that fight would involve a lot of grappling. I see Jacare clinching against the cage a couple times and maybe getting Weidman down but overall it would likely be a very interesting striking battle.

The thing that made me hesitant to pick Jacare against Mousasi is that he looks very uncomfortable when he's being pressured and he hadn't fought a relentless pressure fighter anywhere close to Mousasi (although he doesn't seem as good pressuring in a cage compared to a ring). He looks pretty slick coming forward though and his boxing has improved quite a bit. He always had power in his right hand but the way he was walking through Okami's jab (which is all he has in the stand-up outside of the clinch), slipping it, and landing counters/body shots. He has noticeably more balance when he comes in but when he's put on the defensive he often looks very stiff/tense (Lawler, Rockhold, Carmont). For instance in the Carmont fight, he was getting hit with the right hand, sometimes with consecutive succession, and Jacare couldn't really adapt to it in the stand-up; I recall the 3rd round being very even before Jacare got the TD, might have even had Carmont slightly ahead. Jacare doesn't change his rhythm much, just isn't versatile or adaptive in his stand-up game so outside of using the threat of his wrestling, I didn't see him providing any real challenge for Mousasi in the stand-up. 

Every fighter has their defensive tendencies which can be exploited and for Jacare he puts his hands up and pulls his head back into the right side towards his right leg. It puts him right in the path of the right hand because you're not supposed to slip to the inside of a right hand (jab is different because of straight the punch relatively is, and Jacare often comes back with a hook in those situations), but when he moves to the side of a right hand it's going to more often that not, arc over his shoulder and land on his chin. It was just uneducated head movement and poor fundamentals on his part even though he moves his head quite a bit. 

It just kept happening where Carmont was landing some pretty sharp and long 1-2s, but he didn't commit to them much because of how explosive Jacare's wrestling is, and how powerful his TDs can be (I thought Mousasi would have similar problems in committing but not to the same degree because of how much better he is fighting from the bottom, just don't see him leaving such clear openings alone, outside of some counter opportunities). Jacare is arguably the best in MMA at immediately transitioning into a dominant or advantageous position off a TD (side control, mount, back, etc.). I would think that was definitely Jacare's best shot at winning, working some feints and his wrestling in phase-shifts to get the TDs. He is physically very strong has used his athleticism (maybe the 2nd most athletic guy in the division behind Romero) very well within a strong skill-set. He has a very skilled grappling game, great wrestling and TDs, a great positional top game and for submissions (sliced through Camozzi's guard and slept him with that tight choke very quickly), etc.

Iaquinta also looked fantastic. I have been saying the guy has some of the best boxing in the division for a long time. I really his "technical until I smell blood" approach, as he puts himself in some compromising positions almost every fight. He's got good technique, solid head movement, leverage, aggressive defence, posture, a good approach (getting low, jabbing, mixing in kicks), and he's also got a knack for winning in brawls as he is very good at countering in the pocket, very aware hand, body, and foot positioning there. He is a dark horse and will climb up the ladder.


----------



## Sanity Check (Sep 7, 2014)

Tito and Stephan Bonnar are fueding.

[YOUTUBE]eDIrhndo1gc[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Sep 7, 2014)

I didn't see all of the Bellator fights but there was a lot of combat sports action on Friday (including Lion Fight 18 which was decent overall). Camozzi-Natal was the worst fight of the night, I think. Beal-Matsuda was pretty bad as well aside from some of the set-ups Matsuda was trying (but Beal just has bad striking and won due to his athleticism/wrestling and Matsuda's stupid mistakes). I expected both of those fights to be the weakest of the card and they were, sucks that Lentz-Oliveira got scrapped. Moraga-Scoggins was weird/underwhelming. Bessette-Cleave was pretty bad (Cleave has passable technique and Bessette just didn't look as sharp as he did against a more wild striker in Nunes) but the other prelim fights I saw (Garcia-Moy, Diekmann-Wessel, and Disciullo-Maldonado) were better than the UFC's - only really enjoyable part of the UFC prelims for me was some of Skelly-Soriano, but mostly seeing Iaquinta work + Weidman cage-side. Bellator's main card was more entertaining and it had some decent finishes as well (despite more one-sided match-ups on paper). Lauzon-Chiesa was the best fight of the UFC card (but had an anticlimactic ending) and the highlight performances for me were by Iaquinta and Jacare. I would have to say Bellator's card was more entertaining overall though, was looking forward to Barn Cat's return ... And he completely wrecked Ward, hope to see him back in the UFC. Curran-Freire delivered as expected (and sets up what might become the best trilogy in MMA), was one of the best fights of the year and one of the best FW fights I have seen.


----------



## Random Stranger (Sep 7, 2014)

1mmortal 1tachi said:


> Tito and Stephan Bonnar are fueding.
> 
> [YOUTUBE]eDIrhndo1gc[/YOUTUBE]


It seems that they followed Lesnar and signed with the WWE.


Much cringe. Especially Tito.


----------



## Kuya (Sep 8, 2014)

Jacare is basically Baraka from Mortal Kombat.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Sep 9, 2014)

A lot of fights coming up this weekend ... Mayweather-Maidana, UFC FN 51, ONE FC, Cage Warriors 72, Bellator 124, RFA, BAMMA 16. Not a ton of quality though. The UFC card is pretty bleh on paper (could turn out decent). I want to get into the main event, but Arlovski and Bigfoot's first fight was fairly mediocre and Arlovski's performance against Schaub was terrible. Moraes-Ponzinibbio and Alcantara-Doane are the only interesting match-ups for me, and maybe Santos fighting again. I am just gonna watch Mayweather-Maidana with some buds, really thought the first one was close and fun, lot of dirty tactics (which I like) by both guys and someone who just didn't show Mayweather any respect in a long time. I might watch whatever card ends up being good out of the MMA ones later on in the week when I get time. 

And I am feelin a bit cynical honestly, might drop a small sum on Maidana by KO, which I see as the second most likely outcome after Mayweather by decision (at +850).


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 10, 2014)

Gustafsson said that he wants to fight on January 31. This was on UFC Tonight.


----------



## Sanity Check (Sep 10, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> A lot of fights coming up this weekend ... Mayweather-Maidana, UFC FN 51, ONE FC, Cage Warriors 72, Bellator 124, RFA, BAMMA 16. Not a ton of quality though. The UFC card is pretty bleh on paper (could turn out decent). I want to get into the main event, but Arlovski and Bigfoot's first fight was fairly mediocre and Arlovski's performance against Schaub was terrible. Moraes-Ponzinibbio and Alcantara-Doane are the only interesting match-ups for me, and maybe Santos fighting again. I am just gonna watch Mayweather-Maidana with some buds, really thought the first one was close and fun, lot of dirty tactics (which I like) by both guys and someone who just didn't show Mayweather any respect in a long time. I might watch whatever card ends up being good out of the MMA ones later on in the week when I get time.
> 
> And I am feelin a bit cynical honestly, might drop a small sum on Maidana by KO, which I see as the second most likely outcome after Mayweather by decision (at +850).



On the plus side, Bigfoot's fight with Mark Hunt was awesome (even if Bigfoot tested positive for PED's afterward) & Arlovski's fight with Anthony Johnson was also great.  If I remember right, Anthony Johnson actually pursued a takedown against Arlovski at some points to avoid standing with him.  And, he couldn't get Arlovski down.  Arlovski could be a lot better than he showed in his first fight against Schaub.  Arlovski claims he got nervous or something like that which prevented him from performing?..

.



Neighborhood Sniper said:


> Gustafsson said that he wants to fight on January 31. This was on UFC Tonight.



Is he fighting Anthony Johnson?


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 10, 2014)

1mmortal 1tachi said:


> Is he fighting Anthony Johnson?



He just said he wants to fight. Also, according to Dana, Overeem will get another fight.


----------



## Stringer (Sep 12, 2014)

Not at all excited for tomorrow's card, I'll probably skip this one and watch some of the highlights, got a packed day anyway.

I saw the first episode of TUF 20 earlier today, it was pretty good. I predict a final between Joanne Calderwwod and Carla Esparaza, I'll be rooting for jojo all the way.


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 12, 2014)

> UFC fighter and former Tokay High School student Nick Diaz was arrested in Lodi at 2:20 a.m. Sept. 6 on suspicion of DUI, obstructing a police officer, destruction of evidence and driving with a suspended license, according to Sgt. Mike Kermgard of the Lodi Police Department.
> 
> Diaz was arrested by Cpl. Eric Bradley while driving down the 600 block of East Pine Street, Kermgard said. The arraignment for Diaz should be 21 days after his arrest.
> 
> Diaz is scheduled to fight Anderson Silva, former UFC middleweight champion, on Jan. 31, 2015.




Link removed


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Sep 13, 2014)

FUCK YES ANDREI


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 13, 2014)

Boom! He still has dynamite in his hands.


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 13, 2014)




----------



## eHav (Sep 13, 2014)

nice, wasnt expecting that finish


----------



## Sanity Check (Sep 14, 2014)

I had a feeling Arlovski was better than he showed in his debut.

For a guy 6'4 and 250 pounds he is fast as fk.


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 15, 2014)

Jorge Guimaraes: "Would you like to fight against Jacare."

Lyoto: "For sure, Jacare would be a great opponent, I have all the respect for him but I would like a lot to have the opportunity of facing him someday. I'm waiting the UFC to call me. If they ask me, I would accept at any time."



Not sure if anyone caught this, lol.

Link removed


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 17, 2014)

Machida/Dolloway will fight on December 20.

Browne/Schaub will fight on UFC 181.

JDS/Miocic will most likely fight on UFC on Fox 13.

Overeem/Struve will fight on December 13.


----------



## Sanity Check (Sep 18, 2014)

Weigh ins for Mark Hunt vs Roy Nelson tomorrow could get interesting.

Some are saying Mark Hunt is 18 pounds over the 265 limit and three months ago he weighed 340 lbs.

Jacare verbally consented to fight Lyoto Machida.  Not sure if that'll go down.  Easy win for Jacare.  Machida lost his power cutting down to 185.

Ultimate Fighter 20's debut ep received the lowest ratings of any TUF debut in history.


----------



## Sanity Check (Sep 19, 2014)

I didn't realize Hunt vs Nelson prelims begin about 11 hours from now.

Today is friday??!!..  shows how screwed up my sense of time is, I thought it was thursday.


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 19, 2014)

Matt Mitrione vs. Gabriel Gonzaga set for UFC on FOX 13 in Phoenix.


----------



## TheGreatOne (Sep 19, 2014)

Dammit Rumble 




Thiago Silva has been rerelease from the UFC in the face of new evidence, and Rumble is about to catch a case


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 19, 2014)

TheGreatOne said:


> Dammit Rumble
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Rumble has been suspended.


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 19, 2014)

Link removed

Wandy retires.


----------



## eHav (Sep 20, 2014)

YESSSSS! worth getting up early to watch Hunt ko Roy


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 20, 2014)

Hunt/Nelson KO gif:


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Sep 20, 2014)

Great fucking card
Miesha and sexayama looked on point 
Jury made me a fan and Gomi should retire
Hunt and Roy was great while it lasted but the walk off Ko was epic


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Sep 20, 2014)

Prelims were fantastic. Main card was meh, expected Gomi to lose so wasn't really bummed.

Good to see Hunt sleep Nelson, no idea why so many thought the fight would be competitive or that Nelson was going to knock out Hunt. Dude has crap striking and only sets up one thing that guys with bad defence get pressured by and get hit with. Hunt is the most technical striker in the division, he wasn't going to fall for that novelty overhand.


----------



## TheGreatOne (Sep 21, 2014)

Myles Jury is the future of the Lightweight division. Give him a top 5 guy next and if he wins he should get his shot at Pettis. Btw when is Pettis' next fight?
I think regarding HW it should go like this: Arlovski vs Hunt winner could face Cain, but if the UFC wants to set up a tournament of sorts, make it Stipe-Dos Santos winner vs Arlovski Hunt winner for number one contender. I actually have high hopes for Stipe in his fight but I know he's going in as an underdog. He could turn some heads in that fight. 
Also, UFC 178 IS STACKED!  can't wait to steam it


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 22, 2014)

Ariel Helwani ‏@arielhelwani

Dana White just confirmed to me that Chris Weidman had to pull out of UFC 181 and the Belfort-Weidman fight has now been moved to Feb


----------



## Niabingi (Sep 23, 2014)

So excited for UFC 178!!

I'm trying my best not to get my hopes up too much as 2014 has been a bad year for injuries and if 177 taught us anything it's that things can chance even at the last second! But, damn if I'm not dying to see Cruz back in action; I'm just really hoping he is in great condition and wins out against Mizugaki!

Fights I'm most looking forward to in order of excitement: Cerrone - Alvarez, Cruz - Mizugaki, Poirier - McGregor, MM - Cariaso.

I'd usually have Mighty Mouse at the top of my list as I love to see him fight; but this is just a total mismatch in my eyes. It's too one sided for me to get excited about it, I don't think Cariaso has anything to bring to the table.


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 23, 2014)

DC gets community service (20 hours) and 10% fine.

Jon Jones fined 50 grand USD and must do 40 hours comm. service before he can fight. He also lost his Nike contract and another sponsor, but didn't say who. 

Wandy gets a lifetime ban, lol.


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 23, 2014)

Nate Diaz will fight RDA on UFC on Fox 13.

Rashad is willing to fight Gustafsson and he's eying a February return (Link removed).


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Sep 24, 2014)

Step down for RDA. He has improved so much; I was warning people about the Henderson fight with so many thinking he would run through him ... Shouldn't be much trouble for him, tbh. Diaz has that effective 1-2, uses his reach well, likes to use hand trapping when he extend his guard, as well as some taunting tactics to bait and confuse the opponents, good game off his back, and decent pressure. 

His entire style is built around that upward jab and that downward left hand, and a sneaky right hook to throw the opponent off or keep them shelled up. He does a good of not telegraphing his punches. He can land a jab or straight left on most opponents before they realize a punch is incoming at all, since he throws right from his chin, shoulder relaxed, straight to the target. 

But I see RDA outworking him in every way on the feet, mixing and setting up his strikes easily, being smart, patient and calm enough to outmaneuver him with footwork. He can counter well off the back foot too which gave Diaz a lot of trouble with Thomson. With the Diaz brothers, it is their ability to make fights heated scraps by playing with emotions. But when they run into guys who aren't afraid of their grappling, aren't willing to brawl, or when they lose their speed advantage, then they're gonna start looking very beatable very quickly. 

RDA has really solid wrestling too, moves his head, much better defence which he can make very active, really good hands, nice low kicks he uses to set up his hands (and Diaz struggles with kickers; that bladed stance really leaves him open for the outside kick), has gotten a lot better at using feints as well as his southpaw jab and kickboxing in general. I think he will keep Diaz reacting with that and use his foot positioning very well to pressure, managed his initiative consistently, and not let Diaz establish his pace with the varied attack he will throw at him.

The Gus-Evans fight is interesting, imo. I could see Evans posing similar problems with his right hand counters as the shorter fighter (which Gus tends to struggle to implement his boxing against, compared to fighters his size), that Shogun was able to in the 1st and 2nd rounds before he gassed. Evans is a better wrestler as well so I am not sure if Gus will be able to establish that threat early on like he did with Manuwa.

Metamoris 5 card:



> Renzo Gracie vs Kazushi Sakuraba
> 
> Rory MacDonald vs J.T. Torres
> 
> ...



[YOUTUBE]kpxdmohwNtE[/YOUTUBE]

All of their events have been worth watching so far. War Saku and Tonon.

Alvarez-Cerrone: 





> Alvarez is a very slow starter despite how solid he is at adapting and arguably having the best cage generalship in the division. In his first fight with Chandler (who has decent boxing but it's definitely not among the top of the division) Alvarez had more tools than him, but he was rarely in good enough of positions to use them. When he was in some terrible positions, Chandler's superior posture gave him so many openings and various angles to attack him with. It's why he was able to him cleanly so many times (and why other fighters are able to really hurt him, especially at the start of fights (Kawajiri, Kikuno, Freire, etc.). He did a better job of disguising those holes in the rematch but they're still there.
> 
> Cerrone's been troubled by lots of things in his career like big boxing and defensive weaknesses. The biggest one is the fact that if he can't get into his game-plan (mostly the kicks) early, he rarely gets into it at all, with the Guillard, Martins, and Miller fights being exceptions. If Alvarez comes out measuring him and sticks that hand in his face, or works his body with punches kicks, he's got a chance to stop him early.
> 
> ...


----------



## Niabingi (Sep 24, 2014)

I can't even read your post man. So much text!! How about breaking it into a few paragraphs?

So who has everybody got for Saturday?


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 24, 2014)

Edgar and Swanson will main event UFC Fight Night 57.

Barboza and Green will co-main event UFC Fight Night 57.


----------



## Random Stranger (Sep 25, 2014)

Yo Lucifer, you seem like a decent fight analyzer.

What are your thoughts on Myles Jury? 

I first noticed him in the Diego Sanchez fight so I looked up and watch all of his fights even those pre-UFC.

From what I have seen, his fighting style seems very counter-oriented. He doesn't take risks and is a very calm and tactical fighter. He'll just throw jabs and kicks to bait/annoy his opponent  to engage him. When his opponent is the one putting the pressure and coming towards him aggresively, that's when he is dangerous and can throw that right counter that cut open diego sanchez, and knocked out both Gomi and Nijem. After throwing the counter he'll either use his excellent footwork to get away so that he doesn't get into a brawl (or get backed up to fence) or he will try to take him down and wrestlefuck him. Rinse and repeat.

If the opponent doesn't bite and engage him with enough pressure so that he is forced to come toward his opponent himself to engage his striking is less effective since he doesn't seem to want to commit himself too much and risk getting hurt. So he'll try to set up his striking so that he can transition into a takedown and/or try to win by points. Rinse and repeat. If the opponent has too good a takedown defense and he cant take him down and wrestlefuck him, you will end with a boring a la Mike Ricci fight.

What I am really trying to say is that I think he is a legit top 10er, but not really a title contender unless he ups his gameplan and aggression.

Agree/disagree?


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Sep 26, 2014)

Avi bet on

Dustin vs Connor

I'm taking Dustin he will choke out Connor 

Connor has never fought a guy like Dustin
Dustin fought a guy like Connor in josh grispi 

1st or 2nd rd


----------



## Sanity Check (Sep 26, 2014)

I have it like this.

Lots of unanswered questions and uncertainties.

*Demetrious Johnson* (c) > Chris Cariaso 				
*Donald Cerrone* > Eddie Alvarez 				
Dustin Poirier < *Conor McGregor* 
Tim Kennedy < *Yoel Romero* 
*Cat Zingano* > Amanda Nunes		

*Dominick Cruz* > Takeya Mizugaki 				
*Jorge Masvidal* > James Krause 				
Patrick C?t? < *Stephen Thompson* 
*John Howard* > Brian Ebersole 				

*Jon Tuck* > Kevin Lee 				
Manvel Gamburyan < *Cody Gibson*

.

Demetrious Johnson will dominate if he fights how he did against Ali Bagautinov.

Looking at his record, Alvarez fought once in 2013.  He fought twice in 2012.  He's had 3 fights in the last 2-3 years.  I can't remember if Alvarez has been plagued by injuries or what the reason was for his inactivity.  But it is usually a bad sign.  Not only because of injuries, but also because if they're not fighting, they're not being paid.  It sometimes means they can't financially afford to train the way they need to train to win fights.

In terms of fighting ability, I seem to remember Alvarez being hit with a lot of right hands from Michael Chandler he probably should have avoided.  Maybe Alvarez was too busy looking for the takedown to see the punch coming.  If Alvarez' striking defense is poor, that's something Cerrone may be able to capitalize on.  The way Cerrone shut down Jim Miller everywhere in his last fight was impressive.  And there are a lot of question marks as to how good Alvarez is, and whether Michael Chandler is even a top guy anymore since his loss to Will Brooks.

I missed Poirier's last fight with Akira Corassani.  Poirier seems to have improved his striking significantly since he fought Cub Swanson.  To a point where Poirier is consistently finishing people with strikes.  

I think McGregor is the better striker.  McGregor doesn't rely solely on his hands like Poirier does.  In the past, McGregor has shown he can use his kicks and angles to pick people apart.  I've only seen Poirier fight moving forwards, I don't think Poirier can fight going backwards and I don't think he's ready for the kind of angles, movement and kicks McGregor has.  

I missed Tim Kennedy's last fight with Bisping.  I don't think Kennedy can wrestle with Yoel.  On the flip side, Yoel is getting up there in age at 36.  I still think Yoel has an advantage over Kennedy both in wrestling and striking.

Cat Zingano has been out on an injury, and her husband committed suicide either in 2013 or 2014.  I hope she wins but am clueless as to how things will play out.

Dominick Cruz returns after a 2 year layoff.  

Masvidal should finish Krauss.

Patrick Cote's not been the best at moving his feet in the past.  Cote used to bounce like a foot in the air, sometimes.  And, used to raise his feet really high and have extremely questionable footwork.  That's the type of thing a solid technical kickboxer like Stephen Thompson should be able to exploit, at least on paper.

Brian Ebersole's only chance for a win is to out wrestle Howard.  Howard hits hard and is explosive with his striking.  Ebersole's had near to 70 pro fights.  I think his body may be too beat up and have too much wear and tear on it to compete.  Maybe he will prove me wrong on that.

Cody Gibson has one of the best right hands I've seen in MMA.  He throws it so fast and crisp.  I think if, or when he lands, it'll be lights out for Manny.  

I don't remember Kevin Lee's fight with Al Iaquinta.  But, looking at sherdog some of the live result play-by-play judges awarded the second round 10-8 to Kevin Lee in that fight.  Either Kevin Lee is a great wrestler or Al Iaquinta likes to lie on his back.  Either way, I think Jon Tuck should win.  Tuck's main problem has been his cardio and fading in the mid to late portions of the fight.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Sep 27, 2014)

Let's go Dom my favorite bantamweight


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Sep 27, 2014)

HE IS BACK! THE UNCROWNED CHAMPION


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Sep 27, 2014)

Good for Cruz. That stoppage was late as fuck tho.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Sep 27, 2014)

Happy for Cruz. He looked good.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Sep 27, 2014)

"I can't wait to beat up more Alpha Fails." Hahaha I think Cruz just became one of my faves.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Sep 27, 2014)

welcome Back cat

Doing she can beat Ronda but interesting match up I'll be rooting for Cat


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Sep 27, 2014)

Was just now trying to find something to watch on TV when I stumbled on Spike TV airing an Eddie Alvarez special right now.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Sep 27, 2014)

So happy for Cat, she has to be the most likable fighter in the UFC. I don't know how she'll fare against Rousey but I hope she gives her hell.

I don't like Rogan but I respect him for calling out bullshit when he sees it. Romero and his camp deserve to be fined for that shit.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Sep 27, 2014)

Lets go Dustin


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Sep 27, 2014)

Naruto Uzumaki said:


> Lets go Dustin



McGoater solo's the FW division, neg diff. 

I'm glad he won solely because of those obnoxious USA chants.


----------



## Sanity Check (Sep 27, 2014)

Conor McGregor.  Damn.  That was impressive.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Sep 27, 2014)

Conor did good. I was expecting him to win, but not in the first round like that or anything.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Sep 27, 2014)

The card is living up to its hype


----------



## Niabingi (Sep 27, 2014)

I just want him to fight one guy, just one guy that doesn't suit his style. That's all I ask really. I wanted Poirier to win but didn't think he would simply because of how often he gets caught even when he's winning fights.

So happy for Cruz, but also for us as MMA fans because with that dominating performance we will now definitely see Cruz vs Dillashaw and it'll be one hell of a fight!

Zingano too! I doubt she'll be able to challenge Rousey but she deserves the title shot  and after the year she has I really want her to get it.

Not at all sure how I feel about the Romero - Kennedy fight. I was pulling for Romero and he started out the better of the two. I think he was winning on points but the way he gassed out and got caught at the end of the second had him in trouble. His corner's tactics were BS total BS but I don't think it should be a NC.

I'm expecting this to be FOTN!


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Sep 28, 2014)

Demetrious Johnson winning as I expected him to.


----------



## Niabingi (Sep 28, 2014)

Well that was a shocker, Cariaso was outclassed start to finished and looked like he did not belong inside the same Octagon as the champ. Who would've guessed it... 

Seriously, I love MM but that was such a mismatch!!

Alvarez had a great first round but then Cerrone really turned up the heat. With his reach advantage it was very difficult for Alvarez to close the distance and check the kicks.

Honestly, Alvarez looked tiny next to Cerrone. Made me wonder if he'll drop down a weight class.


----------



## Sanity Check (Sep 28, 2014)

Great card from start to finish.

Dana White says Dominick Cruz is next in line to fight TJ Dilashaw.

.


----------



## eHav (Sep 28, 2014)

McGoat hype is all real.

also, Cruz is a pleasure to listen to. one of the few guys who really has a head above his shoulders. hope he gets the belt and that barao gets to fight him for it


----------



## Niabingi (Sep 28, 2014)

eHav said:


> McGoat hype is all real.
> 
> also, Cruz is a pleasure to listen to. one of the few guys who really has a head above his shoulders. hope he gets the belt and that barao gets to fight him for it



Not that interested in Cruz - Barao. See it being a very one sided affair.


----------



## eHav (Sep 28, 2014)

when barao was on top, a lot of people didnt think cruz had a chance due to having been out for so long. cruz doesnt seem phased by the time out so i think it would be nice.


----------



## Niabingi (Sep 28, 2014)

eHav said:


> when barao was on top, a lot of people didnt think cruz had a chance due to having been out for so long. cruz doesnt seem phased by the time out so i think it would be nice.



Three years is a long time, so people were worried about the very real issue of ring rust. However, as he's shown that isn't an issue at all I don't see it ending any other way except for a win to Cruz.


----------



## TheGreatOne (Sep 28, 2014)

I dont think that's legal lol. He's like holding his glove
But anyway for the controversial decision in this fight, I don't think it's yoels fault at first I did bu looking back on it the guy put too much Vaseline on his face. So they had to take more of it off. Bad call by big John I think a point deduction would have been in order at the least since it was not Romero himself causing the delay in fight time.


Overall great card! Not too many surprised tbh, except Mcgregor he proved he can hang with the big dogs that night


----------



## Azzuri (Sep 30, 2014)

"UFC middleweight Cung Le tested positive for an excess level of Human Growth Hormone in his system following his fight at UFC Fight Night in Macao, China on August 23. Le will serve a nine-month suspension and, at its conclusion, will need to pass a drug test before competing in the UFC again."


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Oct 1, 2014)

Ronda vs cat on the jones dc card


----------



## Kuya (Oct 2, 2014)

Ronda via first round armbar.

Cat starts off fights slow, Ronda is looking to finish you in the first round.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Oct 2, 2014)

Conor said on Twitter he is fighting Diego Sanchez in Mexico


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Oct 2, 2014)

Naruto Uzumaki said:


> Conor said on Twitter he is fighting Diego Sanchez in Mexico



Okay I was giving the UFC brass the benefit of the doubt before but now I'm convinced they're giving Conor favorable but marketable matchups. I want to see Conor face someone in the top 10 (preferably top 5) who can test his takedown defense. They're milking him for all he's worth and shielding him at the same time.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Oct 3, 2014)

Naruto Uzumaki said:


> Conor said on Twitter he is fighting Diego Sanchez in Mexico



I just saw on some MMA site (I forget which one since I found the link on Facebook lol) but Dana pretty much said Conor is the #1 contender for the title now. He said that if you look at the top ten, every one has lost to Aldo except for Conor. Which, I don't think says much since he just got into the top ten after his victory before he fought Dustin...I think, I could be wrong haha. 

He also said they told Conor no to the Diego fight but he went on twitter anyway. Lmao, I just see it as Dana trying to cash in on him when he's red hot before he loses. I like Conor and I would actually like him to be champ in the division just because no one else interests me and of course he's quite entertaining.....but fucking let the dude fight in the top ten at least one more time.


----------



## Azzuri (Oct 4, 2014)

“If we can’t resolve our differences, we’ll have three 5-minute rounds of sport jujitsu,” Lorenzo says. “It’s on a point system, so whoever gets the most points gets to vote the other guy’s share. Dana White would be the referee.”

So far, they haven’t come to blows. “Lorenzo got the best of me on that one,” Frank says of the deal. “The older I get, the better his chances.”


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Oct 5, 2014)

Rory vs Robbie II 

soon


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Oct 5, 2014)

Rory looked great tonight.


----------



## Azzuri (Oct 5, 2014)

I think Rory will be the champ.


----------



## Sanity Check (Oct 8, 2014)

16 days till the next UFC event.

.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Oct 9, 2014)

ugh. that's sad.


----------



## Kuya (Oct 9, 2014)

UFC is eventually gonna be an every weekend thing


----------



## Sanity Check (Oct 17, 2014)

Bellator's main card tonite.

Josh Neer 	> Paul Bradley 				
Houston Alexander ? Virgil Zwicker 				
James Terry ? Andr? Santos 				
Joe Vedepo < Davin Clark

I was looking at James Terry's record.  Live play by play commentators thought Terry won his fights with Bobby Green, Nah Shon Burrell, and Rick Reeves.  Judges might really hate Terry for some reason.


----------



## Random Stranger (Oct 17, 2014)

From the posts I can see that some of you actually watch the matches live. How? Do you guys actually pay for the fights or just livestream them? If it's the latter, what sites do you use? PM them to me please. I swear I dont work for Dana.


----------



## Azzuri (Oct 20, 2014)

"Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is working on a light heavyweight showdown that would send Alexander Gustafsson into a headlining battle against Rashad Evans on Jan. 24, 2015, in Stockholm, Sweden, according to a source with knowledge of the situation."


----------



## Azzuri (Oct 21, 2014)




----------



## Azzuri (Oct 21, 2014)

Cain is injured, and Hunt/Werdum will fight for the interim belt.☻


----------



## Kuya (Oct 21, 2014)

Le's reputation took a big hit, UFC should be issuing a formal apology soon after their fuck up.


----------



## zoro_santoryu (Oct 23, 2014)

Neighborhood Sniper said:


> Cain is injured, and Hunt/Werdum will fight for the interim belt.☻



So pumped for this. Huge Mark hunt fan. His story is truly inspiring. Losing 6 straight fights in pride then after merging into the ufc, they try to pay him off the contract sum to not fight in the ufc. Hunts like fk that, i wanna fight. Then wins 4 straight in the ufc and a record of 6w2L (i consider Hunt vs Bigfoots "draw" result a win for hunt cause big foot was on ped's). Hunts coming for the gold now!!

War HUNT.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Oct 24, 2014)

Aldo vs McGregor needs to happen next in vegas. Brazil will be there Ireland will be there it will be chaos and an epic fight while Conor chin holds up.


[youtube]sBfknA9nZro[/youtube]
The brazilian crowd tried to rip Conor a new asshole.

To bad Conor is fighting Siver, maybe we can get this fight around April or May.


----------



## Sanity Check (Oct 25, 2014)

Dennis Siver looked terrible in his last fight.  Charles Rosa fought Siver on something like 2 weeks notice & came close to winning.

I won't be surprised if Siver retires.


----------



## Lurko (Oct 25, 2014)

Conor is going to destroy him, bad match up.


----------



## Kuya (Oct 25, 2014)

The SIvir fight wiil only help McGregor's name grow. Conor will finish Sivir in a stunning fashion.

Dude is on the verge of becoming a superstar, they need to protect him as much as possible until he is TRULY ready to take the crown.


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## Louis-954 (Oct 25, 2014)

Lets go Mendes!


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## Violent by Design (Oct 26, 2014)

holy shit jose aldo exploded on mendes.

really dirty punch at the end of the first round though.


----------



## eHav (Oct 26, 2014)

hahaha would be fun if he had koed him after the buzzer


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Oct 26, 2014)

Good fucking fight

The crowd is so loud I doubt Aldo heard it the ref should of got in between them once the bell rang


----------



## TasteTheDifference (Oct 26, 2014)

guessing that aldo is up given that he's that champ and at home


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## eHav (Oct 26, 2014)

most likely 3-1 to aldo so far


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## eHav (Oct 26, 2014)

algo got this, but his face is messed up


----------



## Violent by Design (Oct 26, 2014)

I got Aldo winning. Awesome fight.


----------



## Azzuri (Oct 26, 2014)

One hell of a fight.


----------



## eHav (Oct 26, 2014)

aldo calling the goat a joker


----------



## Niabingi (Oct 26, 2014)

Great fight. I'm madly impressed by Mendes' ability to recover. Every time he got dropped I thought it was over for him but he just shook it off and got back up.

It was a good fight, close enough but still a clear win for Aldo. A 49-46 for me.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Oct 26, 2014)

Clear win for Aldo but Mendes was nothing short of amazing.


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## Niabingi (Oct 26, 2014)

Watatsumi said:


> Clear win for Aldo but Mendes was nothing short of amazing.



Agreed.

It was brilliant seeing Mendes step up like that. He was good but just Aldo had a bit more to offer. I actually think this is the hardest fight both guys will have in their career, nobody will be able to nullify and stuff Mendes' take downs to the extent that Aldo did. Nobody will be able to threaten Aldo with powerful take downs and good stand up the way that Mendes did. 

In his next fight Aldo will be up against someone with no real wrestling prowess, either Swanson or McGregor. Both of whom he'll be able to focus far more on his stand up game.

I think Mendes can easily take down every other fighter in the division and in his next fight he'll mix it up well and dominate with a mix of striking and wrestling.


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## zoro_santoryu (Oct 27, 2014)

Aldo is true p4p and Jon Jones is 2nd imo


----------



## Kuya (Oct 27, 2014)

dumbfuck Phil Davis awkwardly calling out Anderson Silva after he layed and prayed on Texiera.

Anderson restructuring his 7-fight deal to extend it to a 15-fight deal


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## Lurko (Oct 27, 2014)

Anderson should just retire, he might not be the same after that leg injury.


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## Niabingi (Oct 27, 2014)

zoro_santoryu said:


> Aldo is true p4p and Jon Jones is 2nd imo



Yeah, I'm with you but don't feel that much separates the two. I'm willing to admit that my choice is a lot to do with personal preference.

I think that fight really put the rest of the FW division on notice and now they realise just what it's going to take to make it to the top. I don't think there is anyone in the top 10 who is currently at the level they need to be to defeat Chad never mind the champion.

Rest of the card was as boring as I expected it to be and possibly even a little worse.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Oct 28, 2014)

Incredible fight, doesn't get much better than that, the techniques, tactics, heart, will to win ... I expected this version of Mendes to be the toughest fight of Aldo's UFC career and he fought a great fight. It is my favourite Aldo fight now and it showed how tactically brilliant he is. He is as good as adapting as anyone in the sport.  Mendes doesn't have the kicking technique of Dillashaw or Benavidez, but he has shown quick/powerful low kicks even in the first Aldo fight. During his recent streak I think he got every guy he fought off-balance with them, keeping active on the outside with the low kicks, and switching it up with the threat of his rights hands to get guys to think about getting into range for his counters or back up. I expected him to use it to try to take away Aldo's lateral movements and his very functional pivots (where he is great off the back-foot). 

What I thought before the fight:



> Mendes' control of distance has really improved and he has looked very good as a counter-fighter, both with his striking and wrestling, and he obviously has improved a lot as a puncher. He lets the other guy use jabs to help measure the distance for him, stalks, uses very aggressive feints, catching and parrying, and his best punch is his cross counter. But Aldo is much more sound fundamentally and from a position standpoint to guys like Meza and Guida who have poor jabs, lean too far ahead, out of balance, unlike Aldo who just won't be asking to be countered so easily, is a very smart jabber who doesn't compromise his distance, and times and places them excellently.
> 
> Mendes might have the best double leg in MMA but Aldo's TDD is the best in MMA, very fundamental and his positioning is stellar. He does it by having great adjustments, subtly pivots/footwork (would be interesting if Mendes uses low kicks to stifle that) coordinately with his head movement, great control of his weight/balance, dictates angles/distance, great job at keeping his rear leg out of reach and moves his hips off-line, sends momentum in the wrong direction not allowing guys to get control/grips of his legs (especially nullifying doubles) which he usually circles and breaks their positioning, uses his forearm very well to create space and push guys' head (usually using his left hand to stuff the head), feeds singles and limp legs out (kicks his knee out), intelligent lateral movement, blends strikes and due to the mix with his great stance and positioning is in the right place for hard pivots when opponents ducks or slip his leads, etc.
> 
> ...



Mendes did his best work when he was moving, but not with that stance switching, hyper-mobile kind of footwork. But the problem was that no matter what he did, Aldo punished him for it. If he blocked high, Aldo hit the body; if he extended his hands, Aldo hooked around them; if he tried to push forward, he got jabbed in the face and chest; if he tried to kick, he got checked or countered with punches. Aldo had an answer for everything. That is why it is so tough to beat Aldo; he is the most complete striker in MMA, and his adapting is phenomenal. When you come up with a plan that should let you beat him, he won’t let you pull it off. He takes away the pieces that make it work.

Mendes' feints gave him the best success, especially when he was able to stand in the pocket, move his head and counter. The problem is that Aldo is one of the Top-3 best boxers in the sport (arguably the best), much more technical, with a much better jab, positioning, and footwork. He has better defensive footwork, upper body movement, and punches than just about anybody in the division. Plus he is constantly improving, right hand looks more sharp with every outing, timing on his jab just keeps getting better, and he is developing a great left hook to end his combinations. When Mendes was leading he was having very little success, which is a fairly common trend against Aldo. Both times he hurt Aldo, the big left in round one and the uppercut in round three, it was after feinting and anticipating Aldo’s reaction. The left came after Aldo threw an uppercut to the body, which was forced by a Mendes feint. 

When Aldo threw the same punch later in the round, he did it on his own initiative, and Mendes didn't have an answer. The uppercut in round three landed when Mendes feinted a TD and got Aldo to drop his chin straight into the punch. Mendes is a very good counter fighter, but only when he creates the opportunities himself. Moving backward, he struggles to make those counters work.  Mendes' footwork didn't look good to me, kept crossing his feet, squaring up, bringing his feet together right underneath him, and several times got knocked off balance by even just a jab only because his feet were out of position. The best thing you could say for when he was dancing around is Aldo was less active then, because Aldo doesn't chase after guys.

Both guys looked fantastic from start to finish. That fight was exciting as it was technical. Aldo proved in that fight that he is on the very short list of the best strikers the sport has ever seen. His footwork was near flawless when not tired, jab on point, work off his jab great, defence slick, and integrated with his offence; wrestling and scrambling on another level, pace way beyond what almost anyone believed he could sustain for 5 rounds and he did it all against a very dangerous Mendes, who had the best performance of his career. I don't think Aldo fought with too much of a strategy beyond beat Mendes at everything he tries to do, and Mendes often got reckless when he felt he couldn't let the fight slip away after moments of success.

Aldo is a tactician. That was on full display, as Aldo won by far the majority of exchanges (even the gutsy, but fairly ugly sequences in the 5th) and Mendes pretty much never had success with the same thing twice. Mendes started off landing good leg kicks, but Aldo was checking them and punishing them almost immediately. Mendes landed a great counter hook that dropped Aldo, then Aldo spent the rest of the fight expertly ducking that hook (even dropped Mendes with a similar counter hook like 30 seconds later). Mendes slipped a jab and timed a hard counter right uppercut (though not technically sound) by threatening a TD, and Aldo had already started to use his usual defence, moving down, establish his base, using the pivot to both take his rear leg out of danger/duck under or pivot away from certain punches, but he was a bit overextended and that defence was nicely broken through by an uppercut he didn't see at all. But then Mendes whiffed on a bunch more (he tried the same one later feinting a TD by tapping the leg and it didn't come close). When Mendes landed a big right hand, Aldo started slipping or rolling all the ones that came his way.  I mean I barely saw Mendes land anything clean. Especially when not listening to the commentators, you realize Aldo barely got touched. His defence is easily the best in the sport, as is his footwork. His defence is very subtle so you have to look close; when he slips punches, they are still within inches of his face; when he picks them off it looks they might have landed; sometimes when he moves his feet and rolls with the punch it looks like he got hit hard, but he's really just moving on his own and the shots are grazing him, was slipping calmly, pivoting off, counter jabbing, parrying/picking off shots, rolling with ones that came too close, etc. 

When Mendes landed some left kicks, Aldo started pivoting and countering with his jab or left hook. He was winning in almost every moment (if Mendes did more moving around on the outside he would have landed weaker punches; if he pressured more he would have walked into more of Aldo's counters; if he tried to pick up the volume Aldo would too, and Aldo beat him up there), adapting well and forcing Mendes to try to keep up, refusing to get hit by the same thing twice. Mendes ideally would have been staying in range with Aldo, looking to land more counters while pushing Aldo back, working the body, etc. By rd 2 Aldo wasn't throwing the uppercut to the body, given how exposed it left him in the 1st. He switched to the right straight, and Mendes was unable to counter with his left because he doesn't have the footwork to go with his powerful punches. He had trouble following through and finishing strong without putting himself at risk. On the back-foot he has trouble making his counters work. He showed some pretty good boxing and an educated left hand in the 4th (very clear round for him) which Aldo was using more to rest, but he got out-boxed there.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Oct 28, 2014)

Aldo showed perfect placement with his jab in the 2nd round to keep Mendes from closing the distance or setting up counters, kept him hesitant with straight punches and low kicks as well. The jab was timed very well when Mendes would try to walk forward and he was put off-balance quite a bit. Aldo was also doing great in the exchanges even though Mendes hits harder. And Aldo's footwork looked as good as ever, some of the best you will ever see in MMA - tight, clean pivots in both directions, pivoting on the back foot when Mendes circled around him, small steps back when Mendes tried to come in. Aldo was so superior there that Mendes ended up dancing around on the outside way more than he should have, trying to pot shot ineffectively. And that's not to take away from Mendes, he was doing really well considering who he was up against and the fight was competitive, though I think Aldo won it convincingly. I thought at least one judge and more people would have gave Mendes 2 rounds though. First time Aldo was really hurt like that and dropped in his prime, but he was defending well, at least from late in round 2 onward.



zoro_santoryu said:


> Aldo is true p4p and Jon Jones is 2nd imo





Niabingi said:


> Yeah, I'm with you but don't feel that much separates the two. I'm willing to admit that my choice is a lot to do with personal preference.
> 
> I think that fight really put the rest of the FW division on notice and now they realise just what it's going to take to make it to the top. I don't think there is anyone in the top 10 who is currently at the level they need to be to defeat Chad never mind the champion.



It is subjective but peak-wise Aldo is arguably the best, most skilled/technical fighter in MMA history (is easily Top-5 all-time; the greatest Brazilian for my money, and the separation between him and 2nd place all-time at FW [Faber] is larger than any other division), and he is certainly the current best by a significant margin, I think. The fluidity, technique, skills, and completeness of his overall game is just on another level. I have had him at #1 ever since the Edgar fight, but thought skill-wise he was the best for years now. One of the most significant aspects that separate him between Jones and DJ is that both of those guys aren't very astute defensively. They rarely get hit because of their physical attributes (but the defensive holes really get exposed when a couple guys have matched them there, and there have been very, very close and even controversial decisions involving both of them – size/length for Jones, speed for DJ). Technically neither of them responds well to real threats like Aldo.

Striking, I think he is on another level. He is a violent and methodical technician that pretty much always uses committed strikes. He shuts down and makes some of the best fighters in one the most stacked divisions in MMA look amateur, with his fairly simple tools - against Lamas, pretty much his much improved jab, a cross here and there, some hooks and body shots, but mainly his right low kick. You could say he won it off the threat and usage of just his right low kick. He set that up offensively and defensively (like checking Lamas' kicks then firing his own back immediately) expertly and had Lamas flustered in the stand-up. 

His most damaging and deadly techniques guys game-plan for are his low kicks, right uppercuts, right straights, and counter knees, but they're are almost always getting hit by them continuously (especially the low kicks) because of how masterful he is in setting up those strikes and applying them through various means on offence and defence. He beats guys with simple, fundamental weapons which he has pretty much perfected over the years through a lot of discipline and top tier application, superb offence and defence. He rarely makes mistakes and is one of the few fighters who's almost never too patient or overaggressive. He is about as pure a tactician as you can get in MMA. He is all about how things are done, and as a result he tends to do things really properly. So even in a camp of effective but sometimes suspect technique (Barao, Dantas, etc.), his is some of the cleanest striking, wrestling, and BJJ in the game. Aldo seems to have the mindset that if he is going to do it, he is going to do it right.

DJ is more strategic in his approach than he is tactical. He is less concerned about specific mechanics of how something is done compared to doing them for the right reasons. While DJ excels in certain areas technically (wrestling and clinch-fighting mostly) he is not too concerned with sharpening things up in other areas, like his footwork, striking defence, etc. He doesn't do everything as perfect as Aldo, but his best strength is doing everything at the perfect time. DJ is probably the most complete fighter out there, but technically speaking Aldo is as close to perfect as it gets in this sport. I think DJ is better than Jones as well. I think Jones has lost the transitional elements of his game, the phase-shifting. His boxing, kicking, elbowing, and wrestling all seem to be separate phases of his attack. He doesn't fluidly combine all his techniques really. He will pot shot with kicks, then he will pump his jab; he might take a telegraphed shot, then he will start hand fighting and trying to land elbows. It is all very broken up for the most part. 

I considered Mendes a fringe Top-10 p4p guy with his recent improvements, but I am going to put him in there now. More hip movement would be help his game. As it stands, he uses his feet and hands for defence almost exclusively. He also kept backing up tall and getting caught over and over, just not enough level changes in his striking, offensively and defensively. He had his best success fighting behind his jab (which was at its best ever in this fight) and using his counter left hook in the pocket, really basic boxing stuff. He needs to learn how to move his lead foot as he punches and change levels to evade and counter. His inability to do those things kept him from catching up to Aldo when he was adapting. Cruz looked improved in his last outing too. During the last sequence when he had Mizugaki at the cage with the way he mixed his striking and grappling threats. It really wasn't commonplace for him to threaten with a front headlock and use that threat to set up and get into an advantageous position to strike. He has never been much of a finisher, but he has never lacked killer instinct, or was never shy to jump all over his opponents when he sensed weakness. Without that new wrinkle to his game he wouldn't have finished Mizugaki, imo. So I do think he might be more skilled than ever but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt with his conditioning/physical abilities following the injuries. This is the quick list I posted on Sherdog a while ago, with a few adjustments right now:

1. Aldo 

2. DJ
3. Jones
4. Weidman

5. Machida (was Top-3 at LHW before he dropped down, arguably 2nd, and he is the 2nd best MW, imo – he is at the highest level he has ever been skill-wise and especially offensively, recently)
6. Cruz
7. Pettis
8. Cormier (Velasquez is a better HW, but Cormier was a Top-3 HW and is a Top-3 LHW, just like his skill-set a bit more)

9. Mendes
10. Velasquez
11. Benavidez
12. Dillashaw
13. Hendricks
14. Assuncao

15. Edgar
16. Barao
17. Faber

18. Jacare
19. Swanson
20. Gustafsson
21. Lawler
22. MacDonald

23. Melendez
24. JDS (felt he has been regressing since he lost the belt tbh, could move higher if he shows improvements with the changes he has made, Nova Uniao, etc.)
25. Belfort
26. A. Silva
27. Nurmagomedov
28. Werdum
29. Rockhold
30. Rumble
31. RDA
32. Mousasi
33. Lombard
34. Patricio

35. J. Thomson
36. Dodson
37. Chandler
38. Cerrone
39. B. Henderson
40. W. Brooks

41. Maia
42. Hunt
43. Evans
44. Curran
45. Straus
46. Alvarez
47. Shields
48. P. Davis
49. Askren
50. McGregor (could be a lot higher, would like to see the Siver fight which I thought, along with the Lentz-Oliveira winner at the time, would have been a better test than Poirier)
51. B. Fernandes
52. Miocic

Tougher to order the 2nd half ...

---

Also, there have been such great title fights in MMA recently:

Aldo-Mendes II
Lawler-Hendricks
Gustafsson-Jones
Curran-Freire II
Weidman-Machida
Alvarez-Chandler II
GSP-Hendricks
Aldo-Lamas
Curran-Straus III

Dillashaw-Barao
Glenn-Karakhanyan
Carl-Burkman

Even fights like DJ-Bagautinov, Jones-Teixeira, Curran-Straus II, Narantungalag-Oishi, etc. varied from decent to good; there were some dominant/significant wins as well (Weidman-Silva I, II, Pettis-Henderson II, DJ-Benavidez II, etc.). There have been great finishes in some of the lower level organizations too. This is the best stretch ever in MMA, in terms of high level title fights.


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## zoro_santoryu (Oct 28, 2014)

^Yea. The reason why i believe Aldo is p4p is because he is a true mixed martial artist. He is probably the most well rounded fighter who excels in ALL disciplines. He has ruthless lightning fast punches, kicks, can throw insane combinations, insane takedown defense, wrestling and Bjj skills. Usually fighters lack one or more but not Aldo. He has no weakness and embodies the spirit of a ideal MM artist

Jon Jones should be ranked 3 or 4 imo. Dont get me wrong., he is phenominal but i believe his reach advantage is a huge factor for his success. Someone with similar reach and similar size can neutralise his wrestling (which he dominates with) and strike with him toe to toe like Gus..


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## Naruto Uzumaki (Oct 29, 2014)

Jimi is hurt, OSP Is fighting Shogun 

Anderson and Shogun will coach TUF Brazil 4

Edit: thank god they won't fight. 2 of my top 5 favorite fighters ever.


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## Azzuri (Oct 29, 2014)

Benson Henderson vs. Eddie Alvarez Co-Main UFC Boston.


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## Lurko (Oct 29, 2014)

I want shogun vs anderson!


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Oct 30, 2014)

A lot of match-ups announced ... I don't get Masvidal-Parke though, guess guys like Lauzon, Tibau, and Miller aren't available for Gamebred. 

Was thinking about the 10 best featherweights in the world with all the great match-ups (still to come) and fights (classic ones and performances) there have been this year. Been my favourite division for a while, and the level of the Top-10 (although 10 is a fairly arbitrary criteria) has never been better:

1. Jose Aldo
2. Chad Mendes
3. Frankie Edgar
4. Cub Swanson
5. Patricio Freire
6. Pat Curran
7. Daniel Straus
8. Ricardo Lamas
9. Conor McGregor
10. 

Curran and Straus are on the same level now and I was thinking of putting them both above Edgar (depends how the Swanson fight goes), but I am giving his skills the benefit of the doubt. Curran seems to have lost some of the refinement in his game, like straight-punching, but his jab looked a lot better against Freire than Straus. He seems to be prone to some strange mental lapses as of late too. Freire has really improved, more technical and tight with his kickboxing, decisively beat Curran in one of the best fights of the year. Straus blends his striking with his grappling as well as anyone in the division (him and Edgar are the best in the division at it, imo), had two great performances against Curran, and another recently against a pretty good Wilcox.

I have been sold on Stephens at FW but I am not quite sure about Top-10. With the training from Eric Del Fierro, he has things he didn't have before; set-ups for his strikes and TDs. Given his recent improvements in set-ups (feints and footwork especially), combinations and counters, distance control, and his overall pressure game, I believe he is a dangerous fight for a lot of guys in the division right now. 

Lentz, Siver, Poirier, Holloway, Oliveira, Weichel, and Bermudez on that next level.

Other guys that don't have arguments for Top-10 or against most of those guys, but are on that next tier: Glenn, C. Miller, Guida, Karakhanyan, Kawajiri, Elkins, Tavares, Buchinger, Gafurov, and Narantungalag.


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## Sanity Check (Nov 2, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Curran seems to have lost some of the refinement in his game, like straight-punching, but his jab looked a lot better against Freire than Straus. He seems to be prone to some strange mental lapses as of late too.



.

Its been said Curran struggles with depression and went on anti depressants after his first fight with Daniel Strauss.


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## Azzuri (Nov 6, 2014)

"Civil Case against Anthony Johnson is dismissed- Cleared to Resume Competition."

Via Dana White's Twitter.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 7, 2014)

Bisping vs Rockhold prelims begin in something like 12 and a half hours.

Dan Hardy might be commentating.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Nov 7, 2014)

Won't be able to see it live, but really looking forward to Iaquinta-Pearson, one of my most anticipated MMA fights of the year. Two of the most technical boxers in the most boxing rich division in MMA, gonna likely be a lot of pocket work where both guys excel and use things most guys in MMA don't effectively (counters, head movement, slips, etc.). Iaquinta has a nasty boxing game, solid footwork, hits hard as hell without overextending himself, and you can tell Longo teaches his guys balance, something which is lacking in a lot of MMA striking. I really his "technical until I smell blood" approach, as he puts himself in some compromising positions almost every fight. 

He has good technique, solid head movement, leverage, posture, a good approach (getting low, jabbing, mixing in kicks), and he's also got a knack for winning in brawls as he is very good at those things plus countering in the pocket, very aware hand, body, and foot positioning there. Longo really prioritizes aggression and even their defensive styles show aggression which is uncommon in the sport. I really liked Maynard-Pearson, and as far as striking has come in MMA, it's still rare to see two fighters comfortable and capable enough on the feet to consistently employ head movement, throw combinations of punches, and intelligently set up their strikes (Maynard looked as sharp and technical as ever, just seems to have lost belief in his ability to recover). I think Pearson is the rightful favourite but Iaquinta is one of my favourite dark horses in MMA. 

I have a hard time seeing Bisping have a legit chance at beating Rockhold, tbh. They have a few similarities like both guys are among the best in the sport at getting back to their feet, but I don't think there will be a lot of grappling in this one (and Rockhold is obviously a better positional/submission grappler). Rockhold is one of the better guys in MMA at cutting off the cage and Bisping's boxing really isn't that good, despite some of the credit it gets. I would say it is on par with Rockhold's, but Rockhold clearly has more power. I don't think Bisping can take advantage of Rockhold's always-move-backwards tendency to get him against the cage either. 

The Le fight showed that Bisping still has the same defensive problems he always had. He looked solid offensively; he did a good job of punching when Le kicked to keep him off balance and threatened, had some nice counters (even the jab that messed up Le's eyes), wore him down, and swarmed him for that nice finish. But the guy is still so prone to getting countered and his posture/body positioning is so bad that he gets visibly stunned by almost every power shot that hits him. I don't know how he is going to deal with Rockhold's physical advantages or his kicking game either, especially the left kick to the body. He has some pretty good set-ups with them too. 

Rockhold has a pretty solid and improved right hook from southpaw, especially on the back-foot to control the distance (dropped Philippou with it), that I think will find its mark eventually and hurt Bisping badly. I think Rockhold is just on another level, and Bisping often seems confused with range control and where to strike from. I would still like to see Rockhold add a nice jab to his game, think it would really improve his overall striking (like keeping guys at range for his kicks, if he can't cut them off).


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## Azzuri (Nov 7, 2014)

All finishes so far.


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## Azzuri (Nov 7, 2014)

Nice. Also, someone threw a potato in the octagon earlier, lol.


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## Matariki (Nov 7, 2014)

Nice finish by Rockhold


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## Azzuri (Nov 8, 2014)




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## Lucifer Morningstar (Nov 8, 2014)

Conrad said:


> Iaquinta



He looked fantastic. The fight went more or less like how I thought it would. Dude showed great tactics, adaptive abilities, and especially composure in this one. There has been a tendency in previous fights (even against Damm) where he was winning easily, but when he smelled blood he didn't fight as technical or smart, compromised his positioning, and got hurt (stopped against Clarke).

I have been hyping this guy up for a long time now (before he got into the UFC), and have thought he was a dark horse with a dangerous skill-set ever since the Couture fight. I have thought the dude had some of the best boxing in the division for a while, and over the past year, arguably has the 2nd best boxing in the division imo(behind Michael Johnson), although guys like Pettis, Alvarez, Melendez, RDA, Pearson, and Makdessi have great boxing application into their overall games. 

I would like to see him fight Lauzon, Jim Miller, or Tibau next.



Neighborhood Sniper said:


> All finishes so far.



I only caught the main and co-main but it seems like it was a great card overall. Bisping was easy work for Rockhold as expected. The Tachi Palace card was exciting as usual, and it seems like the One FC card was too, great week for MMA.

Btw, Lineker-McCall isn't happening ... That was easily the most promising fight on the card imo. Rest of the card looks pretty bad on paper, a lot of one-sided match-ups. Excited to see Thomas Almeida's debut though, another guy with some of the best pocket work in MMA (along with Lineker and Iaquinta). He is fighting a wrestler so it should be interested to see how he did as that hasn't been a problem for him so far (though he hasn't fought exceptional wrestling talent).


----------



## Violent by Design (Nov 8, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> He looked fantastic. The fight went more or less like how I thought it would. Dude showed great tactics, adaptive abilities, and especially composure in this one. There has been a tendency in previous fights (even against Damm) where he was winning easily, but when he smelled blood he didn't fight as technical or smart, compromised his positioning, and got hurt (stopped against Clarke).
> 
> I have been hyping this guy up for a long time now (before he got into the UFC), and have thought he was a dark horse with a dangerous skill-set ever since the Couture fight. I have thought the dude had some of the best boxing in the division for a while, and over the past year, arguably has the 2nd best boxing in the division imo(behind Michael Johnson), although guys like Pettis, Alvarez, Melendez, RDA, Pearson, and Makdessi have great boxing application into their overall games.
> 
> ...



You mirin Al? Me and Al went to the same MMA gym before Ray Longo's by coincidence, he used to fight for a Pat Militich franchise. I remember thinking he was the truth then.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Nov 8, 2014)

Violent By Design said:


> You mirin Al? Me and Al went to the same MMA gym before Ray Longo's by coincidence, he used to fight for a Pat Militich franchise. I remember thinking he was the truth then.



Yeah man, had an eye on him for a minute from when I used to watch Ring of Combat (for some reason it's tougher to find streams now, or maybe I just don't look hard enough), started circa-2007 or 2008 (can't remember exactly, but it was a little while after PRIDE got bought, was just looking for other orgs/prospects to watch). Some great talent have relations to that NJ organization (especially Weidman, Serra, and Edgar). He is a very good fighter, was really surprised at how good his boxing was for MMA, definitely think Longo is the biggest part of that though. Is that Miletich franchise MFS? That was the camp back in the day, but I think my boy Robbie Lawler and also Jeremy Horn are the only guys from there that are still competing. It's cool that his roots trace that far back.


----------



## Violent by Design (Nov 8, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Yeah man, had an eye on him for a minute from when I used to watch Ring of Combat (for some reason it's tougher to find streams now, or maybe I just don't look hard enough), started circa-2007 or 2008 (can't remember exactly, but it was a little while after PRIDE got bought, was just looking for other orgs/prospects to watch). Some great talent have relations to that NJ organization (especially Weidman, Serra, and Edgar). He is a very good fighter, was really surprised at how good his boxing was for MMA, definitely think Longo is the biggest part of that though. Is that Miletich franchise MFS? That was the camp back in the day, but I think my boy Robbie Lawler and also Jeremy Horn are the only guys from there that are still competing. It's cool that his roots trace that far back.



His boxing was always excellent, he coached boxing at both gyms I went too.

Yeah, the Miletich gym was MFS. MFS was a franchise like McDonalds though, our gym was really a Muay Thai gym that turned into MMA - there was no direct relation to guys like Lawler, Sylvia and them folk.


----------



## Violent by Design (Nov 8, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> I see, very interesting. Is that what you started with, MT and MMA?


I started at the Miletich gym, but at the time it had already became an MMA school. 

At Ray Longo's I focused more on kick boxing, though I did practice both.



> Also, have you been to Longo and Weidman's new gym (LAW MMA)?



Nah, I go to a UFC gym now.


----------



## Lurko (Nov 8, 2014)

Anyone watch Glory kick boxing the othe night?


----------



## Azzuri (Nov 9, 2014)

It may be time to call it quits...


----------



## Lurko (Nov 9, 2014)

Nothing worse than losing to Osp in first round by ko, Shogun is going out like the Ice Man.


----------



## Lurko (Nov 9, 2014)

Fedor is the true Goat of mma.


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 9, 2014)

Why do Brazilian fighters have such shit cardio?

The Silva and Alves fights were cringeworthy/embarrassing.

I didnt have high hopes for the Shogun fight, he's been on the decline for quite a while now but dammmmn I didn't think expect him to lose in such a fast and humiliating way. Listen to your family and retire, Shogun. you had a great run but you're done now, stop holding on to the past and let it go :elsa.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 10, 2014)

OSP defeated Shogun one of the all time greats.

OSP is the next Chris Weidman.

:trololol

.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Nov 12, 2014)

Gustafsson-Rumble set for UFC on Fox 14 (January 24th) in Sweden, heck of a fight! Didn't think it would happen with all of Rumble's issues but glad that is done for now ...



> A major light heavyweight bout will take place on network television when Alexander Gustafsson (16-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) fights in his home country and meets Anthony Johnson (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at UFC on FOX 14.
> 
> UFC officials today announced the bout and said it’ll serve as a title eliminator.
> 
> ...





Gus has a better stance, the best/most versatile jab in MMA, sharper hands overall, but he leaves openings (especially when throwing his right uppercut) and can be predictable with head movement (only slips right). He has good footwork even though it can get excessive/inefficient, can use his kicks very well strategically, as well as punches into the clinch where he grabs and knees pretty well. His real strength is the versatility of his jab which controls the fight and creates openings for his right hand, right uppercut, and left hook.

Rumble stands very square, but he defends jabs by parrying them comfortably, so it isn't that easy to press his centre unless you are an educated jabber, at least more so than most MMA fighters (and Gus fits that profile). He has big power, especially in his hooks (as you might expect due to his foot position). He is very practiced at slipping right hands and countering them as was seen over and over against Davis. He has a pretty stiff jab of his own but isn't all that creative with it. He does have good strike selection though. His use of uppercuts against Davis ducking was well executed for example, and his use of his left hand to cover Nogueira's right while swarming before throwing a brutal left hook to the temple with that hand was also executed nicely. 

Both guys are really good, but I am obviously rooting for Gus here. Should be interesting to see how it goes. I am more inclined to pick Gus because of his jab, superior boxing, and size. Rumble has power though and is always nice and relaxed in there. Gus has to watch out for the left high kicks as he is open to them and Rumble has a pretty good one. I still don't think he'll be able to land them cleanly, since even Jones only really landed 1 of his high kicks solidly. Jones has better set-ups, more reach, better technique, a bit better technique, and probably more speed. Rumble has the power edge, but I expect him to have a harder time connecting. I see Gus out-boxing him for a decision unless Rumble lands something significant enough to take over. Gus could stop him with a submission or TKO the longer it goes though. I also wouldn't rule out him out-wrestling Rumble for sequences, although it is fairly unlikely.

In the fight against Davis, Rumble actually struggled a lot to find his range. He was consistently coming up short throughout the fight. He only really landed well when Davis ducked in. Gus really just needs to maintain distance to avoid Rumble's power. It comes down to Gus' use of the jab, I think. If he throws multiple jabs and mixes them up to the head and body, hooks off them, etc., then I think he got it. Rumble doesn't counter well moving forward, so as long as Gus doesn't fall into his range (which he does have trouble with) I don't think Rumble will be very effective. I also think there is a specific opening for Gus to hook off his jab. Rumble likes to lean back and extend his hands when he is being jabbed at. If Gus gets his jab going, then feints it and hooks around that guard I think he can catch Rumble. Another opening I see is that Rumble slips right hands over his left shoulder consistently, but when he does it he'll often square up and straighten his legs. If Gus can feint the right hand, get him to slip then throw his left hook, I think he can find Rumble's temple that way. 

Lateral movement could also be a problem for Johnson. Davis was able to avoid a ton of shots just by pivoting, and Gus is able to move laterally just as well as Davis--plus he can attack while doing so. Rumble has never had to deal with someone with the combined size, reach, jab, and footwork of Gus. This is also a step up in competition for him. But Gus has been tested by powerful, explosive guys (admittedly not as good as Rumble) and he has come out on top. His uppercut is a liability. It could get him hurt, but I doubt stopped. Rumble doesn't finish against the big names he fights, knocks out guys who he was a huge physical advantage over or who are just lower level. I don't think it will be an easy fight, and in fact I expect Gus to make it harder than it should be. Rumble loves level changing and getting low to throw punches over the top and sides. Gus generally boxes a lot better against guys his own size (Hamman, Diabate, Jones) and has trouble with inconsistency implementing that game against shorter fighters, since he has to work harder on the levels and shows more defensive holes, but I think he out-strikes.


----------



## Azzuri (Nov 12, 2014)

Dan Henderson vs. Gegard Mousasi: UFC Fight Night Stockholm.


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 12, 2014)

Wow, nice card.

I am rooting for Rumble becuase 1) I dont find Gustaffson's fighting style all that appealing and 2) I think Jones vs Rumble will be a more interesting fight than Gustaffson 2, I think Jones learned a lot from their first fight and will make the rematch look easy.


----------



## Lurko (Nov 12, 2014)

Didn't Rumble beat up a lady or something? If so then how is he fighting?


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 13, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Didn't Rumble beat up a lady or something? If so then how is he fighting?



Anthony Johnson's ex dropped the charges.


----------



## Azzuri (Nov 13, 2014)

Dana said that Cain could be stripped of the belt by March if he isn't ready to fight.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 14, 2014)

I'm wondering to what degree Gustafsson losing to Jones affected him mentally.  After a big loss people either break mentally and lose their nerve/confidence.  Or, they come back stronger and improved.

If I remember right, Gustafsson didn't look that good in his last fight with Jimi Manuwa.  It might be said Manuwa was winning that fight up until Gustafsson landed what might be called a lucky knee.  Gustafsson didn't look as if he came back improved and determined after his loss to Jon Jones which makes me think he might have broken mentally to a degree, lost his confidence and that it'll take him time to recover.

I think Anthony Johnson wins.  

People praise Gustafsson's boxing, but I don't think his striking was ever really that great.  The high point of Gustaf's boxing was when he trained with the Klitschko brothers prior to his title fight with Jon Jones.  

I think Johnson's striking is better.  Johnson might have finished Shogun, Thiago Silva and the others Gustafsson fought to decision wins.  The reason people give Gustafsson so much credit is because he did the best against Jon Jones, a title formerly owned by Rampage that Gustafsson inherited from Rashad.

BTW, didn't Werdum almost die from carbon monoxide inhalation from a gas powered generator or something?  I wonder if that will affect his performance on saturday.



.


----------



## Rampage (Nov 15, 2014)

Hunts bout to fuck shiii uppp hopefullyy


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Nov 15, 2014)

MY FUCKING EYES! Who else saw that shit?


----------



## IchLiebe (Nov 15, 2014)

The ear? That was pretty boss.


----------



## Lurko (Nov 15, 2014)

What happen?


----------



## eHav (Nov 15, 2014)

they booked the worst ever translator. i dont think she translated a a single sentence right


----------



## Azzuri (Nov 15, 2014)

Damn, Hunt just got TKO'd by Werdum.


----------



## Legend (Nov 15, 2014)

Did i miss anything good on the earlier matches, i tuned in just before the KO


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Nov 15, 2014)

Neighborhood Sniper said:


> Damn, Hunt just got TKO'd by Werdum.



I'm more surprised that Hunt survived in Wedum's guard for so long. 

Great fight. 



Legend said:


> Did i miss anything good on the earlier matches, i tuned in just before the KO



One of the female fighters got her ear punched off. You should probably be glad you missed that.


----------



## Azzuri (Nov 15, 2014)




----------



## LordPerucho (Nov 16, 2014)

Poor Leslie Smith.


----------



## Rampage (Nov 16, 2014)

Lol dat shiiit looked nastyy


----------



## Violent by Design (Nov 16, 2014)

In the UFC gym they have a giant screen, like a movie theater screen on the wall - where they play UFC events,and the reaction to seeing that chick get her ear punched off was priceless. (it's a giant gym that is the size of a supermarket, so a lot of people were watching)


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 16, 2014)

Herb Dean stops main events way too quickly, sometimes.

Bad stoppage.  If not as bad as when Urijah Faber gave him a thumbs up and he still called it.


----------



## Nihonjin (Nov 16, 2014)

Hunt ate 18 unanswered bombs to the head in a span of 8 seconds. That's not a bad stoppage at all. I would sooner call it a late stoppage than an early one if anything.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 16, 2014)

Nihonjin said:


> Hunt ate 18 unanswered bombs to the head in a span of 8 seconds. That's not a bad stoppage at all. I would sooner call it a late stoppage than an early one if anything.



.

Anderson Silva ate 300 unanswered blows to the head when he fought Chael the first time.

Herb Dean has been dropping the ball, lately.  When Urijah Faber fought Renan Barao the last time, Renan Barao threw a lot of punches but all of them hit Faber's arm.  None of the did real damage.  Herb Dean still stopped the fight even though Faber gave him a thumbs up.

Mark Hunt did take a few shots but he was still alert and conscious.  Werdum wasn't hitting him that hard or really connecting with anything.  Herb Dean should've let it go on a little longer or given Hunt a warning.

In the gif you can see Hunt hit the canvas with his hand in fustration after Herb Dean stops it.  Hunt was perfectly fine.


----------



## Gunners (Nov 16, 2014)

He was fine because the referee stopped it in time. You need to show the referee that you can defend yourself which he, evidently, wasn't doing.

I wonder if people want to see an individual get beaten to death. "Duh, he could have gone on," always follows the referee protecting an individual's ability to wipe his own ass.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 16, 2014)

Gunners said:


> He was fine because the referee stopped it in time. You need to show the referee that you can defend yourself which he, evidently, wasn't doing.
> 
> I wonder if people want to see an individual get beaten to death. "Duh, he could have gone on," always follows the referee protecting an individual's ability to wipe his own ass.



.

That's the silliest thing I've ever seen posted in this thread.

The referee is there to protect someone when they're unconscious or unable to defend themselves.  Mark Hunt was fully conscious.  He didn't go limp or have a flash knockout.

Hunt was doing an 'ok' job defending himself.  Truth be told there isn't much anyone can do in that position when they're 5 foot 11 and they have someone 6 foot 4 standing over them.  

Werdum wasn't landing anything really big, his shots were glancing and didn't connect fully.  Werdum wasn't putting a lot of power in his shots to pace himself.

Hunt was fine.  It could've gone on a bit longer.


----------



## Gunners (Nov 16, 2014)

Sanity Check said:


> .
> 
> That's the silliest thing I've ever seen posted in this thread.
> 
> ...


He was doing an okay job defending himself; truth be told there isn't much anyone can do in that position when they're 5 foot 11 and they have someone 6 foot 4 standing over them. 

Cool story.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 16, 2014)

Gunners said:


> He was doing an okay job defending himself; truth be told there isn't much anyone can do in that position when they're 5 foot 11 and they have someone 6 foot 4 standing over them.
> 
> Cool story.



.

Should Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard have been stopped in the 1st round?

There have been plenty of fights where someone was in more trouble than Hunt was, that weren't stopped.  Its only recent that Herb Dean has begun to stop fights prematurely.


----------



## Gunners (Nov 16, 2014)

Sanity Check said:


> .
> 
> Should Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard have been stopped in the 1st round?
> 
> There have been plenty of fights where someone was in more trouble than Hunt was, that weren't stopped.  Its only recent that Herb Dean has begun to stop fights prematurely.



In my opinion, yes. In hindsight people can say, "Edgar survived and came on strong in the next round," but he was dead on his feet and getting clipped cleanly. I view sports as sports; not an event where you put someone's health in serious jeopardy so that the people at home can have a spectacular night to remember. 

That being said, their situations were different. Edgar managed to avoid getting completely mounted so he could actually get to his feet and position himself to block punches. 

Anyway, boxing is the sport I primarily follow. I remember when people were getting high off the Gatti vs Ward fights, after some documentary was aired, and then two heavyweights fought shortly afterwards. The fighter took a lot of punishment but the referee allowed it to go the distance. 
[YOUTUBE]Qh13vaZHpnk[/YOUTUBE]

That is his life now. 

If a referee wants to err on the side of caution, I will not have a problem. I'd rather two fighters rematch one another down the line as opposed to one fighter being crippled because the fans want more blood and guts.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 16, 2014)

Gunners said:


> In my opinion, yes. In hindsight people can say, "Edgar survived and came on strong in the next round," but he was dead on his feet and getting clipped cleanly. I view sports as sports; not an event where you put someone's health in serious jeopardy so that the people at home can have a spectacular night to remember.
> 
> That being said, their situations were different. Edgar managed to avoid getting completely mounted so he could actually get to his feet and position himself to block punches.
> 
> ...



.

Its a title fight, for the belt.

Both Werdum and Hunt invested years of their life to get to a point where they could get this fight.

Hunt didn't go down in the 1st round when they both were fresh.  He got dropped in the second after the both had wrestled and grappled a decent amount of the time.  You may not realize this but grappling and wrestling takesaway from their punching power.  It isn't like boxing where someone's punches can be as fresh in the 7th round as they were in the 1st.  In MMA if they're wrestling and grappling the power of their shots is declining.

Mark Hunt was stunned by that knee and maybe he didn't know where he was for a second.  But by the time the fight was stopped, it looked like he had completely recovered.

Herb Dean could've let it go on a few seconds longer.  Its a title fight.  It literally took both Mark Hunt and Werdum 2-5 years to get to a point where they cold fight for the belt.  A few more seconds would've been in order.

.


----------



## Lurko (Nov 17, 2014)

Werdum has a shot at Cain, Werdum is Beast.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Nov 19, 2014)

Hunt wasn't out of it but he wasn't intelligently defending himself or looking to improve his position. He has one of the best chins in combat sports history (even if it has noticeably deteriorated over the past few years) and almost any fighter that felt the impact of that knee would have been out cold, but the stoppage was legit. Hunt knew the deal and didn't complain about the stoppage for a reason. I really wanted him to win as he is one of my favourite fighters ever and his resurgence has been awesome too. I still think he can work his way back up to another title fight with how weak the division is. I thought he would be able to beat Werdum if he had a full training camp and he did surprisingly well in Werdum's guard. 

I don't think there is a heavyweight right now that would completely shut out and dominate Hunt with a full training camp (Velasquez being the most likely to have that kind of performance). I still think he is capable of beating JDS in a rematch. He was much more competitive before he broke his toe falling to that first wild right hand (seems JDS caused the toe to break when he knocked Hunt down, so fair enough), and he had no kicks or movement after that. That was still a great fight, one of the best heavyweight fights I have seen in MMA, and he did better/more damage against JDS than anyone besides Velasquez. Looking at the other top guys, I think I would favour him over Miocic, Arlovski, Rothwell, Browne, Overeem, Bigfoot in a rematch, Mitrione, etc.

Barnett, Velasquez, JDS, and Werdum are his toughest fights, I think (and Velasquez would be the biggest favourite over him). He hasn't looked as quick/explosive with the top-end forward momentum since the JDS fight but he is still the most technical striker in the division, athletically gifted with speed for his size and arguably the physically strongest guy on the entire roster, improved grappling defence (seems like the work at ATT), and is a pretty strong wrestler with tremendous, natural balance, a low centre of gravity, and scrambling ability (always had a great base and quick, strong hips). With the tecnical wrestling knowledge he has gotten he is very difficult to take down, kind of like a sprawl and brawl fighter that doesn't need to sprawl much. And he is very adept at getting back to his feet too because of his strength, explosiveness, and the low pared down way he fights. His TDD also gets enhanced when he moves under a strike rather than standing up tall and backing away.

Hunt isn't the kick-fighter he used to be but he's made his striking work better in his UFC run with his improved counter game and grappling (the vast difference in strength of schedule he had in Japan compared to the UFC is not something to overlook). He doesn't have the output he used to (used to throw flying knees when guys were cornered in a ring, used to throw a lot of kicks and he had great body kicks, especially the left switch kick and he landed them with great success, even against Cro Cop in MMA, even though Cro Cop had a foot injury in that fight), He used to throw lots of combinations but now he's more of a patient stalker, throws occasional jabs, feints a lot, fade-away left hooks, and versatile directional right hands, slowly adapts to what you are trying to do, very adaptive and tactical at taking things away (like how he took away Nelson's only strike, the overhand right, but also a new left hook he showed when Hunt was moving his head side-to-side). Nelson almost always throws and feints his jab as he walks his opponents down until he can finally trap them near the cage and land his overhand. But Hunt like I predicted was too nuanced, skilled, and defensively sound for him. Nelson's trick didn't work on guys who knew what they were doing and how to avoid almost the only thing he does in every fight, like JDS, Mir, Miocic, Werdum, and Cormier, who all battered him when they were able to avoid it (and Nelson is fairly poor at adapting and making adjustments, especially compared to Hunt). Hunt arguably had the best performance out of anyone who beat Nelson. 

He has some of the best boxing in MMA and he kind of reminds me of wrestle-boxers like Robbie Lawler which is weird considering he is not a wrestler, but just the way his MMA game is. He slips, parries, and counter jabs very well, has some tricky footwork to set traps for opponents (also is sound with his foot positioning, can stifle guys's lateral movement and circling well enough for them to collide into his strikes). He knows how to bait guys into his range and draw punches to counter (he has a great counter left hook and cross) and can attack while moving backwards or forwards. He has an underrated defensive game too, really efficient to compliment his sudden, explosive offence, has a nice guard with his forearms and makes subtle adjustments on the inside, good upper body movement (slips, dips, although not very well to his left, rolls from his hips, and makes his head hard to find, using horizontal and simultaneous movement ), etc. He does have a bad habit of taking his eyes off his opponent and ducking his head straight down, which Werdum timed and capitalized on very well.

---

Bellator has announced some great match-ups, btw:

Freire-Straus II
Lima-Daley
McGeary-Newton

I really believe Freire and Straus are Top-10 featherweights in the world, especially Freire who is Top-5, imo. Lima is arguably on the lower end of the Top-15 for welterweights, and Daley is a nice match-up. I think Newton might be a Top-10 light heavyweight but  McGeary looks to be the goods, really like watching him fight.

Sokoudjou-Vassell and Warren-Galvao are decent match-ups too. Brooks looked good against Chandler, knocked him out on the feet. Everyone knew he was talented but he has just entered his prime, could be a Top-10 lightweight.

As for the UFC, a lot of match-ups announced but Brown-Saffiedine and Thatch-Wonderboy stand out for me. Those are four of my favourite welterweights. I don’t think Saffiedine has enough power to dissuade Brown's pressure. I was disappointed with his performance against MacDonald, thought he was going to win that one. He was too hesitant to follow his jab, and I doubt he will be slick enough to protect his chin for five rounds. Brown is great at cutting guys off and I am not sure how beneficial Saffiedine's stances-switches to get away from the cage will be. Brown could overwhelm anyone in the division in the clinch, has the purest MT entries/long-range grappling/hand traps, fighting/in-fighting/clinch game (no one in the UFC has ever used it like him).

Thatch-Wonderboy is bittersweet for me. It is an outstanding match-up between two of the top strikers in the division and a contender will emerge from that one ... But I like both guys a lot and they are pretty young in the game. Sucks that one of them has to lose and halt their momentum.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 19, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Hunt wasn't out of it but he wasn't intelligently defending himself or looking to improve his position.



.

Alrite.  Thx for disagreeing.  If you can find time to respond to this, tell me.  What did Hunt need to do to intelligently defend himself?

The only way Hunt could have scrambled from that position was by turning and giving up his back.  Werdum chokes people out without trying.  Hunt giving Werdum his back probably would have been a bad move.

Werdum is too tall and too long to get wrist control.  Hunt couldn't have grabbed a hold of Werdum's wrists from that position & Werdum was making a conscious effort to keep his punches long maybe for that very reason.  There's no way a 265 lb dude built like Hunt could have shrimped his way out from under Werdum.

I think Antonio Silva vs Cain showed once heavyweights are on their backs, they're pretty much stuck there.  There's too much weight and body mass involved for them to get back up.  The only thing they can do is turn and give up their back. 

Hunt was holding his arms up to try and get wrist control or deflect Werdum's punches.  But, Werdum was just punching around Hunt's arms.

I think...  heavyweights have less options than other weight classes when they're on the bottom.  They're more limited in terms of mobility & there's less they can do to "intelligently defend themselves".

Anywayz, that said, I doubt anyone will disagree Herb Dean stopping the last Renan Barao vs Urijah Faber fight where all of Barao's punches hit Faber's arm was a good stoppage.  And, if I bothered to check Herb Dean might have had a few other stoppages that were also questionable.

I think Mark Hunt was defending himself about as well as any heavyweight could from that position.  I wish Herb Dean had given him a few seconds more to work.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Nov 19, 2014)

Mark looked numb on the ground, conscious but unable to move. It was a fair stoppage. He had enough time to recover but just kept taking damage. Herb's been on point since he had that series of fuck ups a while back.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 19, 2014)

It might've been a good stoppage.

But, if Hunt recovered fully just as Herb Dean stopped the fight.  Would it still be a good stoppage?  When Hunt is lying there stunned getting punched in the face Herb Dean lets the fight continue.  The second Hunt recovers and tries to throw back, Herb Dean stops the fight?

What the fuck.

I don't know what it is.  Something about the stoppage really depressed me.

I can't remember every time Herb Dean made a bad call.  But I'm getting a feeling a lot of fights that were shaping up to be epic, Herb Dean ruined on a bad call.  He might've been the best ref at one point in time.  Now he's the worst.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Nov 19, 2014)

I thought the Pat Barry Kongo fight should have been stopped even though we know what ended up happening there. Fighters can sometimes recover after being concussed or getting rocked, but after taking enough unanswered shots like that the refs have to do their jobs.

It was kind of depressing. I don't imagine Hunt fighting for a title again before his career his over.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 19, 2014)

Hunt was clearly winning until that flying knee that Hunt didn't see. He wasn't unconscious, he was just in an awkward position to defend himself. It all happened so fast, but you did see he threw a hammer punch as Herb was making the stoppage.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 22, 2014)

Cub Swanson vs Frankie Edgar prelims begin in approximately 15 hrs.

I have it.

Frankie Edgar < Cub Swanson 				
Bobby Green > Edson Barboza 				
Brad Pickett < Chico Camus 				
Jared Rosholt > Oleksiy Oliynyk 				
Joseph Benavidez < Dustin Ortiz 				
Matt Wiman < Isaac Vallie-Flagg 				

Ruslan Magomedov > Josh Copeland 				
Luke Barnatt > Roger Narvaez 				
James Vick > Nick Hein 				
Yves Edwards < Akbarh Arreola 				

Paige VanZant < Kailin Curran 				
Juan Manuel Puig > Doo Ho Choi

ALL of my calls have been terribad of late.  

I'll be lucky if 40% of those are right.


----------



## Azzuri (Nov 23, 2014)

Damn, Swanson was mauled.


----------



## Lurko (Nov 23, 2014)

Damn Swanson got his cocky ass smashed around.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 23, 2014)

lol..  Didn't expect that. 

Maybe this is why Swanson has been talking about pursuing pro boxing?


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 23, 2014)

Sweet.

Bermudez and Cub are out and Edgar is too recent.

So this means that we'll most likely get a McGregor vs Aldo title fight mid 2015.

Now all Conor has to do is beat Siver.


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 23, 2014)

I wouldn't mind getting wrestlefucked like that for 5 rounds by some of the UFC and TUF 20 ladies.

Preferably in the nude.

They can keep the gloves on though. Part reason fetish, part reason protection.


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 23, 2014)

To commemorate Edgar's performance today we should all go to xvideos and mastrubate to "ultimate surrender" videos.

Who's with me?


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 23, 2014)

Nobody?

No biggie, I guess I'll just have to mastrubate enough for all of us (Former Obd Lurker, Neighborhood Sniper, Sanity Check, Introvert, Kuya, Lucifer Morningstar and myself....so seven times).

It will be hard, sweaty and messy work, but I am confident I am can pull it off since I have nothing planned for today.

Wish me luck guys.


----------



## Azzuri (Nov 23, 2014)

Random Stranger said:


> To commemorate Edgar's performance today we should all go to xvideos and mastrubate to "ultimate surrender" videos.
> 
> Who's with me?



I'm good


----------



## Detective (Nov 23, 2014)




----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 23, 2014)

Detective said:


>


Hahaha now compare that to UFC fighter Cody Gibson getting owned in a bar fight by some random dude.  

Or  Don Frye (former UFC fighter) getting whooped by Sonny Westbrook (boxing coach).

Now am I sure that if both of the above fights had not been interrupted the mma fighters could have taken their opponents down and submitted or put some vicious ground and pound on them. Thing is though, fights often get broken up quickly and so whoever put the most damage on his opponent in that short amount of time "won" the fight in the eye of the public. Also double legging someone who has a friend with him doesnt sound like a good idea. The friend can soccer kick you etc.


I guess what I am trying to say is that from all the street fight video's I have seen, boxing seems to be most useful especially against randoms with no real fight experience. 
 Bonus vid 1.
 Bonus vid 2.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 23, 2014)

Random Stranger said:


> Hahaha now compare that to UFC fighter Cody Gibson getting owned in a bar fight by some random dude.
> 
> Or  Don Frye (former UFC fighter) getting whooped by Sonny Westbrook (boxing coach).
> 
> ...



.

I doubt Cody Gibson was trying to hurt anyone, there.  I think he was just playing around.  Or maybe he was just too drunk to fight.

I've never seen that clip of Don Frye before.  It looks like the guy in a white wifebeater is holding Frye while the other dude punches him.  

There are people who train in MMA, boxing, muay thai who get owned in street fights from people with no formal training.


----------



## Lurko (Nov 23, 2014)

Random Stranger said:


> Nobody?
> 
> No biggie, I guess I'll just have to mastrubate enough for all of us (Former Obd Lurker, Neighborhood Sniper, Sanity Check, Introvert, Kuya, Lucifer Morningstar and myself....so seven times).
> 
> ...



You sound mad, oh I wonder why.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 24, 2014)

Haven't seen clips like this turn up in a long time.

[YOUTUBE]2IX3M6ZjAmw[/YOUTUBE]

Police shot him.  It had no effect.

I think we would need a guy like that ^ to test how effective boxing, MMA and other forms of martial arts are.  Its tough to tell if boxing is effective, or is it just that the people the boxer is fighting are complete scrubs.


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 26, 2014)

Do any of you train martial arts?

Since a few months ago I have been training at a Kickboxing/MMA gym.

For the moment I am more focusing on wrestling and BJJ than striking, since those are my relatively weak points. I had already previously trained in taekwondo and then boxing during my high school years so I have the striking basics down.


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 26, 2014)

And what about lifting weights?

Do you even lift bros?

Before I started training martial arts again I lifted semi-regularly and focused more on strength and power. Now that I am training martial arts I am lifting less and less and doing more bodyweight exercises (conditioning) since it leaves me less sore.

I also run usually 2/3 times a week. I dont like running long distances, so I'll stretch, then warmup by jogging around a km and then immediately after I pick up the pace of my run and sprint/fast jog a km, Rest a few minutes. Sprint 400 meters. Rest a few minutes. Sprint 100 meters. Rest a few minutes then jog the remaing 1.5 km back home.


----------



## Azzuri (Nov 28, 2014)

Davis/Bader will fight for UFC on FOX 14 in Sweden.


----------



## Lurko (Nov 29, 2014)

Random Stranger said:


> Do any of you train martial arts?
> 
> Since a few months ago I have been training at a Kickboxing/MMA gym.
> 
> For the moment I am more focusing on wrestling and BJJ than striking, since those are my relatively weak points. I had already previously trained in taekwondo and then boxing during my high school years so I have the striking basics down.



I did Kempo Karate for five years and got trained in wrestling, bring the fade brah nah wait you don't won't it.


----------



## Sanity Check (Nov 30, 2014)

Random Stranger said:


> Do any of you train martial arts?



.

I used to train and spar with some of the people who lived in my neighborhood.  We had one guy who was a somewhat decorated kickboxer, another guy who was wrestling in high school, another guy who was a long distance runner.  

I don't know if you can call what I do now, training.  If say I decide I want to train kicks.  I'll do 200-500+ kicks with my left leg.  Then 200-500+ with the right.  In sets.  And try to work on my foot & hip pivot, having my body weight centered in the right place, having good form, without moving my head or arms so that I can transit all of the energy in the motion through my leg into my shin, or whichever body part I want to make contact with. 

I'll practice blending it in with some footwork.  Practice giving angles & throwing a kick.  Moving back throwing a kick, then moving back again.  Mixing in kicks with combinations, elbows, punches, knees, etc.  Mix in some defensive moves & practice throwing a kick, blocking a punch or kick, then giving an angle & countering.

Some days I'll work on kicks.  Other days elbows or punches, etc.  I only focus on striking for the most part.  I like to think my base is decently strong being that I used to lay flooring and labor type work 7 days a week, 12+ hours a day, etc.  And that maybe I wouldn't be totally owned in the wrestling area even though a strawweight in woman's MMA would probably like destroy me.  

Just basic stuff.  I don't put much effort or time into trying to train these days.  I'm pretty weak and out of shape as things go.

.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 1, 2014)

Can't wait till Dos Santos takes Werdum's interim belt away from him Superbowl weekend


----------



## Kuya (Dec 6, 2014)

holy shit CM Punk sighting, he's fighting in 2015 and wants to fight at Middleweight


----------



## Lurko (Dec 6, 2014)

Cm Punk is a fake wrestler..... Wtf is he goona do in the ufc?


----------



## Legend (Dec 6, 2014)

He does MMA, he's done it longer than Brock amd look at what Brock did


----------



## Lurko (Dec 6, 2014)

Legend said:


> He does MMA, he's done it longer than Brock amd look at what Brock did



Brock did good early in his career then terrible later.


----------



## Legend (Dec 6, 2014)

Damn that was a beatdown


----------



## Kuya (Dec 6, 2014)

Hawaii is proud of Hapa! The bar is going apeshit right now


----------



## Kuya (Dec 6, 2014)

Pettis is incredible, he's a true superstar. Dana must be happy because this guy is very marketable.


----------



## eHav (Dec 6, 2014)

been a nice ppv so far. except that faber rear naked eyepoke


----------



## Kuya (Dec 6, 2014)

Faber would have finished him eventually :


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Dec 6, 2014)

Dana White really is a cunt. I'd love to see him justify not signing Ben Askren without making an ass of himself for once. I don't mind the occasional sideshow (I was all for the Rogan-Wesley Snipes fight that was meant to go down) but shit like this just drives home the fact that they don't prioritize having the best talent like they claim to.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 7, 2014)

Lawler coming out with vicious knees, he probably already broke one of Johnny's ribs


----------



## Kuya (Dec 7, 2014)

Hendricks is really good at getting late round takedowns, very smart


----------



## Legend (Dec 7, 2014)

Hindricks is schooling lawler


----------



## Legend (Dec 7, 2014)

hmm seems like the onslaught was too late


----------



## Legend (Dec 7, 2014)

I would have kept it on hendricks


----------



## TasteTheDifference (Dec 7, 2014)

ohhh didnt see that coming, this is more interesting though


----------



## Kuya (Dec 7, 2014)

what a great story!!! 

they will fight again soon in 2015 for sure

glad he got it, but i like both guys a ton


----------



## Kuya (Dec 7, 2014)

so is Rory next? Lawler beat him recently though.

probably a part 3 rematch next considering how close this fight was


----------



## eHav (Dec 7, 2014)

hahahaha wasnt expecting this decision but loved it even more. third fight will surely happen


----------



## Azzuri (Dec 7, 2014)

I thought Hendricks won (and wanted him to win), but I'm not even mad. Rory is coming for that belt though.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 7, 2014)

i had Hendricks winning this one too.

it was just by a hair though, similar to the first one.

if that round lasted 30 more seconds, Lawler probably would have finished Johnny.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 7, 2014)

Hell yeah! Hell friggin yeah! I am emotional, man .

Lawler is one of the guys who got me into the sport, always have and always will support this amazing fighter (his MW career is underrated considering how undersized he was). His resurgence has been incredible, easily my favourite sports moment of the year .

I scored it 48-47 Lawler, btw (1, 4, and 5). Will have to rewatch it with less bias but it comes to the 4th round, I think. I actually scored the 1st fight a draw, gave Hendricks rounds 1, 2, and 5, but scored 3 or 4 10-8 for Lawler, can't remember which one. 

Lawler for FOTY, dude needs a break though. He has fought so much recently, needa rest up.

Pettis-Melendez was fun too. Current Pettis is the best LW I have ever seen, with peak Gomi and Penn tied for 2nd. Really thought Melendez would be able to make it to the late rounds, but Pettis showed again that he has some of the best and most under-appreciated boxing in the sport. It was definitely the toughest fight Pettis has had in this new form he has been in, as I thought it would be. Melendez was the best boxer Pettis has been up against by far, which was an issue because Pettis relies on his superior boxing to keep guys off him and set his kicks up with his feints. Melendez is tough too, isn't gonna get taken out by the first kick you throw at him, and has the potential to make him pay for anything crazy he tries that isn't executed well.

I think Michael Johnson and Iaquinta have the best boxing at 155, but I might take Pettis 3rd. He mostly uses them to set up his kicks, so it goes under the radar but he has some solid, fundamental craft.

I wonder if the UFC will do Nurmagomedov-Pettis next ...


----------



## Zhen Chan (Dec 7, 2014)

Hendricks was robbed he clearly won 2-4. But as a member of american top team I am honor bound to celebrate this win with my brothers


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Dec 7, 2014)

[YOUTUBE]eCViiT9-7DY[/YOUTUBE]

I don't really like either of these guys but Joe should have Punk on his podcast.


----------



## Lurko (Dec 7, 2014)

Gsp is the best middleweight period Hendricks hahaha.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 7, 2014)

You mean welterweight? 

Current Lawler puts a beating on post-ACL GSP, likely knocks him out even.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Dec 7, 2014)

Hopefully we get to see a GSP/Hendricks rematch before another Hendricks/Lawler rematch.


----------



## Lurko (Dec 7, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> You mean welterweight?
> 
> Current Lawler puts a beating on post-ACL GSP, likely knocks him out even.



Gsp would put his ass on the floor, Prime Gsp isn't needed.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 7, 2014)

Disorder said:


> Hopefully we get to see a GSP/Hendricks rematch before another Hendricks/Lawler rematch.



I think Hendricks gets an immediate rematch since it'll be the rubber match.

Rory loses to both.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 7, 2014)

ya lol at Vince blocking Punk from walking out with Chael to the Octagon


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Dec 7, 2014)

Disorder said:


> [YOUTUBE]eCViiT9-7DY[/YOUTUBE]
> 
> I don't really like either of these guys but Joe should have Punk on his podcast.



LOOK IN MY EYEEEEEEES, WHAT DO YOU SEE?

A VANILLA MIDGET LAID OUT IN ROUND 3


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 7, 2014)

I thought Lawler took the 1st, 4th and 5th rds.  Hendricks was pinned beneath Lawler at the end of the 4th & Lawler unloaded on him.  Most significant damage done in the round, thought that round was Lawler's.

Hendricks "resting" with his head between Lawler's legs cost him the fight.  

Pettis is impressive.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Dec 7, 2014)

Lawler went berserk in the 5th. I hope Diaz works his way up to another title shot. A rematch between those two would be fucking crazy.


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 7, 2014)

Just need Anthony Johnson and Nick Diaz to win for my accumulator bets to pan out.

[sp][/sp]



Disorder said:


> Lawler went berserk in the 5th. I hope Diaz works his way up to another title shot. A rematch between those two would be fucking crazy.



Really!


----------



## Nihonjin (Dec 9, 2014)

I thought Hendricks definitely won 1 2 and 3, I even thought he won 4 since Lawler literally froze and didn't do aaaaanything for the majority of the round while repeatedly eating leg kicks, but since he ended strong there's somewhat of a case to be made..

I'll have to see the fight again, but I thought Hendricks got robbed.. Again..


----------



## Kuya (Dec 10, 2014)

Lawler vs. Pettis superfight at catchweight.... who you got?


----------



## Nihonjin (Dec 10, 2014)

At this point it's pretty difficult to bet against Pettis..


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 10, 2014)

Kuya said:


> Lawler vs. Pettis superfight at catchweight.... who you got?


Pettis/Aldo makes more sense IMO.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 10, 2014)

Nihonjin said:


> I thought Hendricks definitely won 1 2 and 3, I even thought he won 4 since Lawler literally froze and didn't do aaaaanything for the majority of the round while repeatedly eating leg kicks, but since he ended strong there's somewhat of a case to be made..
> 
> I'll have to see the fight again, but I thought Hendricks got robbed.. Again..



You should rewatch it, don't see a case for Hendricks winning the 1st. I thought that was a clear round for Lawler. His body work in the ~first minute was by far the biggest factor of that round and it paid dividends later in the fight, just beat him up in the clinch. Hendricks did fairly well at range but not close enough to outweigh Lawler's clinch work, who showed great defensive grappling and some punishes (landed a hard knee to the face). It was neutral when Hendricks had Lawler against the cage and they were both exchanging knees (Hendricks really only to the thighs, while Lawler hit multiple to the body and even the head - think Hendricks landed one to the head), but around the 3 minute mark Hendricks' knees and offence faltered while Lawler landed bigger shots (with no, or very weak response) with his back against the fence. 

Hendricks is the stronger clinch wrestler so he stopped some of Lawler's onslaught early but he was still getting beat up when he tried to take him down. Hendricks won the last minute or so but it wasn't enough to outweigh Lawler's more sustained, dynamic, and damaging offence. Hendricks got him down after like 4 failed attempts, but he only landed a couple shots before the round ended. Hendricks has never known for his offence on the ground (Lawler beat him badly there throughout the fight), doesn't have a good g&p or great top game. 

Hendricks did good work in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, was hooking off his jabs, and he was jabbing off his hooks to set up his left hand from an angle. The kicks to Lawler's lead leg really set up his punches and kept Lawler from driving forward with his offence, couldn't put his weight forward on that leg to counter. Hendricks was punching with his feet under him, transitioning into heavy kicks, defending decently, and out-working Lawler, with his right hook giving him noticeable problems. When Hendricks threw a combination, Lawler blocked or moved away from the left hand (follow-ups didn't usually land, but his volume was way more than Lawler's) but that right hook had a good angle for where it hit Lawler clean. But Hendricks was going to his wrestling more in the 1st, and there wasn't a significant amount of time spent in striking range, even if Hendricks got a bit better of the exchanges. 

The round in question is the 4th, could have been scored for either or a 10-10. It was too close to call a robbery, MMA fans throw that word around too much.


----------



## Lurko (Dec 10, 2014)

I've only seen one true robbery in the Ufc, Jones Guff.


----------



## Nihonjin (Dec 11, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> The round in question is the 4th, could have been scored for either or a 10-10. It was too close to call a robbery, MMA fans throw that word around too much.



Like I said, I have to watch the fight again. 

I was just really _really_ surprised when Buffer started announcing a split decision, even more so when Lawler got his hand raised. Didn't see it coming at all, hence why I feel he might have gotten robbed again.. 

I'll let you know what I think the 2nd time around..


----------



## Kuya (Dec 11, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> I've only seen one true robbery in the Ufc, Jones Guff.



Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hammill
GSP vs. Hendricks
Machida vs. Shogun 1


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 12, 2014)

Disorder said:


> [YOUTUBE]eCViiT9-7DY[/YOUTUBE]
> 
> I don't really like either of these guys but Joe should have Punk on his podcast.



.

I like CM Punk's "luck is for losers" mentality.

I hope he isn't hurt too badly if / when he loses.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 13, 2014)

RDA-Diaz went just how I thought it would, wonder if the people who complained about the Henderson stoppage will reevaluate the fight to see what RDA was doing before the stoppage and give him his credit. Pettis-RDA would be such a great match-up, and is the clear fight to make assuming Nurmagomedov's injury keeps him away for a while. RDA has not only gotten better technically under Cordeiro, dude has shown relentlessness that he hasn't in the past. What is really impressive though, is that RDA showed solid wrestling defence and a fairly comprehensive game-plan against Nurmagomedov, but he still got beaten handily.


----------



## Lurko (Dec 13, 2014)

This fight is really good so far.


----------



## Zhen Chan (Dec 13, 2014)

Nate got murked like a botch

Jds has regressed in skill, i dont think he trained seriously for think fight. Hes looking bad


----------



## eHav (Dec 13, 2014)

jds has been looking bad.. everytime he walks back he gets hit, its like he has no defence standing just relying on his chin..he will be speaking gibberish in some years


----------



## Zhen Chan (Dec 13, 2014)

Stipe is gassed

STRIKE NOW JDS!


----------



## Lurko (Dec 13, 2014)

Jds was pure takedown defense , boxing and one takedown pretty much. Regression much??


----------



## Azzuri (Dec 13, 2014)

Stipe did better than I thought he would. Palhares submitted Fitch quickly.


----------



## Lurko (Dec 13, 2014)

Jds better get better because after this fight it's hard to see him beating any elite level fighters like Travis Brown, Werdum  and Cain.


----------



## Azzuri (Dec 13, 2014)

Dana said that RDA/Pettis is next, since Khabib isn't healthy.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 14, 2014)

Another excellent fight card. Stipe Miocic is for real.


----------



## Lurko (Dec 14, 2014)

Stipe wasn't aggressive enough and  needs to on that cardio though.. But yeah he rearranged Jds's  face.


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 15, 2014)

From Chael's book.



> *Wrestling*
> 
> Who knows how long wrestling has been around. In prehistoric times, all the real men were out wrestling sabertooth tigers, and all
> the liberal-arts majors failed to survive childbirth. It wasn’t until we began coddling and subsidizing the liberal-arts wieners that
> ...



..............................


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 15, 2014)

> *Capoeira*
> 
> Perhaps the most logical thing to do then is create a martial art with the sole intent of hurting your opponent as little as possible. It
> seems that the Brazilians, in their infinite wisdom, have managed to do this with the creation of capoeira. Capoeira was a martial art
> ...





.........................


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Dec 17, 2014)

Thorin said:


> fucking sign Ben Askren already



This. Dana is letting his ego keep Askren out of the UFC. Nobody can use the "boring" excuse anymore either because he's been finishing his opponents lately. It's ludicrous that a twitter beef has been so detrimental to his career. Dana is a petulant man-child.


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 18, 2014)

Ben Askren offered to fight in the UFC for free awhile ago.  No one took him up on it.

The UFC only wants stand up fighters.  At least that's the impression I get with them cutting Jacob Volkmann, Jon Fitch, Yushin Okami and others who lay and pray consistently.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Dec 18, 2014)

With Ben Askren there's also personal animosity between himself and Dana that's keeping him from coming to terms with the UFC. But yeah, if you're not an exciting fighter or a draw you'll definitely be put on the chopping block quicker than most, especially if you have a lucrative contract that they don't wanna oblige anymore. For a company that prides itself on having the best fighters they sure do cut a lot of their credible talent.


----------



## Azzuri (Dec 18, 2014)

Rashad Evans vs. Glover Teixeira verbally agreed to main event UFC Porta Alegre, Braz.


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 18, 2014)

[YOUTUBE]dtqxNSnSX8s[/YOUTUBE]

CM Punk responds.


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 19, 2014)

Is it my imagination.  Or has CM Punk's hairline receded and his face aged a little since he announced fighting in the UFC?


----------



## TasteTheDifference (Dec 21, 2014)

well that was easy


----------



## Azzuri (Dec 21, 2014)

Macheetah indeed. That was fast.


----------



## Lurko (Dec 21, 2014)

Damn Machida fucked that soft trash talker up!


----------



## zoro_santoryu (Dec 21, 2014)

Man... the sound of the liver/rib shot Machida landed was brutal


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 21, 2014)

Easy work as expected. Dollaway's defence to kicks is pretty bad; he has never shown the ability to threaten when he gets kicked. He ate body kicks, low kicks, and a high kick against Carmont and failed to make him pay for a single one. You can't do that against Machida; a large part of the reason Weidman won is because he was scooping and shooting off almost every kick Machida threw from the start. Dollaway hasn't shown that, and Machida was going to create opportunities with his feints easily to land those body kicks. He has hurt everyone at MW that he fought with them, surprised Dollaway went out so fast though.

In a match-up against Machida, the only people who give him tough fights are the ones who can cut off the cage against him. If you wanna beat him, you need to pressure him but you need to do it intelligently. Dollaway has terrible footwork for cutting off the cage, has never shown the ability to do that from what I have seen. He throws a lot of kicks, and they get countered constantly; Sarafian and Boetsch even knocked him down and/or put him on his back several times. Machida is incredible at timing kicks with his left straight, and Dollaway isn't good enough to draw and counter that how Jones did, because even Jones had to back him up to the cage to pull that off. He wasn't gonna out-strike Machida, and he was definitely not getting him down and holding him there enough to win. 

Even his money punch, his left hook, was highly unlikely to land. Weidman barely landed his, and his left hook is one of the best in MMA and works better with his jab and TDs. Machida did a great job ducking that hook in exchanges and was very unlikely to get hit clean by Dollaway's, especially since he throws it palm in and often slaps with it accidentally.

I saw almost no chance that Dollaway beats Machida, even more so against the absolute best version of Machida I have ever seen (especially offensively), who is easily a Top-10 p4p fighter. He constantly stands up too tall, and he gets hit very hard against every single guy he fights. Sarafian, Boetsch, Carmont, and even Mutante all landed some bombs on him when he was very poorly positioned. His coach constantly yells at him to stay low but he only listens at times, and gets hurt for his lack of discipline. But when he gets hurt he starts posturing and talking, so people either back off or get lulled into the brawl and get hurt that way. 

It was only a matter of time. Dollaway doesn't really set his offence up well off his jab. His offence is generally pretty bad. It is varied but largely ineffective. He is only truly dangerous as a counter fighter, unless his opponent has bad defence. His biggest strength is luring guys into exchanges where his tight, well-timed punches get him the win. He presented some problems for him in the pocket which is Machida's biggest defensive weakness; Dollaway has the tools to keep his feet still and take advantage of Machida's lack of head movement there. Beyond that, he needs to out-wrestle guys because he doesn't convincingly out-strike anyone. He needed his wrestling to beat Sarafian, Miller, Carmont, and even to stay competitive with Boetsch in a fight he lost on the cards. Granted, he shouldn't be underestimated, but he only really hurts guys when they sacrifice their defence or are poorly positioned themselves.


----------



## Azzuri (Dec 21, 2014)




----------



## Kuya (Dec 21, 2014)

I really wish Anderson and Machida weren't friends. That's such a dream matchup. Machida vs. Belfort or Souza too would be amazing.

I think he gets Rockhold next.


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 21, 2014)

I thought Dollaway had that.

Machida landed a lot of clean kicks on Weidman and Mousasi & his kicks didn't seem to have much effect.  I was thinking Machida might have lost his KO power and explosiveness cutting down to 185.

Machida excels at finishing wrestlers who don't have much stand up like Ryan Bader, Randy Couture, Mark Munoz and CB Dollaway.  Maybe, I should've known better.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 21, 2014)

Machida looked like a skeleton against Weidman, i'd love a rematch


----------



## Kuya (Dec 21, 2014)

He'll probably get Rockhold next.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 21, 2014)

Sanity Check said:


> I thought Dollaway had that.
> 
> Machida landed a lot of clean kicks on Weidman and Mousasi & his kicks didn't seem to have much effect.  I was thinking Machida might have lost his KO power and explosiveness cutting down to 185.




*Spoiler*: __ 









Mousasi has an iron beard, one of the best in the sport. He took bombs from Hector Lombard, who is one of the most powerful guys in MMA, and didn't go down. Machida has hurt everyone he fought at MW with his body kicks, just the impact wasn't as great as the Dollaway one and a guy like Weidman is as tough as they come:



I missed a lot of the card but it is a joke that Barao got a POTN. Dude is regressing like JDS (but dos Santos might have a new wrinkles to his game if the last two rounds were an indication, just not sure where they were early to get away from the cage 0 maybe it was Miocic's timing) and isn't a top p4p fighter anymore, imo. Gagnon almost won 2 rounds (if it wasn't for the knockdown in the 1st, he clearly wins that one) and showed some good strategy early before he got tired. He has the same problems he always did that people would ignore since he got some finishes, like he still struggles to control distance and his defensive footwork still sucks. 

I thought it was pretty clear that a fighter who can move around and behind his jab like Wineland showed but make constant use his foot positioning to get into superior striking positions and threaten his centre would be a tough test for Barao, and he looked lost. When someone forces Barao to circle left (as opposed to his right where he's far more comfortable in), he squares up very badly and is unable to do anything effectively on offence (see the 1st round against Wineland), and he makes more mistakes + it's easier to find openings. On the occasions when he wasn't in the best position to land those spinning kicks, Dillashaw was easily able to avoid and get into a good position to counter or attack him out of position. 

Barao is at his best when he's able to start picking his opponent apart at range or when they're really missing punches so he can counter. If you stand in his kicking range you're in trouble and likely going to get stopped (Faber, Wineland, and Pickett) because of how he makes you react and capitalizes (Faber's check, Wineland's slip, Pickett's duck). If you can compete with him there or press him back hard enough that he isn't comfortable kicking (like Dillashaw would be capable of with the skill-set he showed leading up to the fight), his work rate decreases, he leaves more openings and he simply looks worse. I favoured Wineland, Dillashaw, and Assuncao (even though it didn't happen) to beat Barao, and I still would favour those guys. Same with Cruz, and p4p I think those guys besides Wineland are clearly better fighters at this point.

I think the real story was Gagnon though, who is likely Top-10 after that performance. And my boy Magomedov got robbed for POTN, that was a solid, technical fight. It was easily the best match-up on paper for that card and it delivered. He has good kicks and pretty good hands too, which is a rarity in MMA, showed some nice Russian hooks too. He has some Aldo-esque tendencies tactically, where he is comfortable with letting the other guy decide the pace but he can adjust and beat him in pretty much every exchange. With his positioning and out-working Silverio after he let him lead or establish a rhythm, really broke it the later the fight got. The tighter his game gets and continues to evolve, he could be a legit top tier contender.  


*Spoiler*: __ 











He had a close and great fight against Tony Martin where he had one of the best escapes of the year too:


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 22, 2014)

His kicking technique is superb these days (have noticed it since like the Hendo fight), great combination of his hip extension and snap at the knee. I think his training with Manhoef or something contributed to it. He has gotten a better, more varied offence with Cordeiro but Cordeiro fighters usually have poor to mediocre technique (Shogun, Wand, Werdum, Ellenberger, etc.). Machida and RDA are the only ones I can think of who maintain very good technique. Cordeiro prioritizes less on correct technique than he does on application (front-foot aggression, high out-put/variety, pressure, etc.). 

RDA due to his additional training with Evolve MMA, for example the Thai-style kicks he used he definitely learned it from their training staff; you really don't see MMA fighters use them like that outside of a couple ONE FC guys who came from MT, or like Cosmo Alexandre or something. The technique of his kicks, the repeated kicks in a single sequence, the way he was kicking at the trailing leg in that Diaz fight, so he couldn't switch stances effectively or apply his front-foot pressure, and his offence got shut down, were all very Thai.

I see people bringing up Cordeiro a lot for Machida now but the specific mechanics of how something is done is less important to most of his fighters than doing it for the correct reasons. More strategy involved while guys like Machida and RDA have the mindset that if they are going to do it, they are going to do it properly, sharpen up areas that most guys don't focus on, while employing the strategic knowledge with their more tactician mind-set.

I feel bad for Dollaway, the fight had almost no chance of being competitive. Just watching that gif, Dollaway was pawing, Machida gets the timing and feints a left straight exactly as Dollaway paws. Dollaway lifts up his right elbow as he slightly extends his right hand to parry, but then he realizes a kick is coming but it is already under the elbow. Also, Dollaway is pivoting as he paws trying to get his foot outside, so Machida steps and turns his right foot out to the side to keep Dollaway in the power arc of the kick even though he is trying to move away from that side. Dollaway's right hand was forward with the palm turned out to parry, but Machida realized how exposed it left his side and he created a big enough gap to send his leg through. It was a simple set-up and Machida is one of the best at feinting in MMA, and that the mechanics of that kick was kind of like a feint was built into it.





Kuya said:


> I really wish Anderson and Machida weren't friends. That's such a dream matchup. Machida vs. Belfort or Souza too would be amazing.
> 
> I think he gets Rockhold next.



I have always thought Machida was a bit better than Silva over the years, and would have gone through Silva's schedule with better results in terms of wins/losses, but I don't think Silva would have had the same success with Machida's. Silva tends to leave himself very open when he does get frustrated enough to go forward and attack. Machida also has his excellent takedown/clinch game to fall back on, whereas Silva almost always relies on his striking or at worst, his stalling guard game. 

Head movement and inside boxing are about the most glaring technique that Silva posses which Machida didn't at an equal or greater measure. And Machida compensates for the lack of head movement (especially in the pocket where Silva is clearly better) with superior footwork and positioning, and Silva doesn't really have the tools to cut Machida off or bait him to in-fighting either. Other things Silva has advantages in are more physical attributes like power. At this point in their careers I don't even think it would be a competitive fight. I think Machida is at his peak now, definitely the best offensively he has ever been. 

I think Machida beats any MW in the world besides Weidman, but a Jacare fight I am the least confident in. Rockhold is a pressure fighter like Jacare, one of the best in MMA at cutting off the cage, but one who can be forced back himself. And Machida doesn't move back as much as he used to. He is willing to initiate now, be more active on the front foot. But not to the point where he is likely to run into that hook of Rockhold's; he only charges forward when the opponent has been opened up. Besides that counter works much better against orthodox fighters, and against a fellow southpaw it is not the same. Rockhold is a pretty good kicker, but I doubt he can actually consistently push Machda back and set up his kicks. Rockhold has better submission grappling but I have a hard time seeing him successfully take Machida down.

Machida hasn't fought a southpaw recently, but his jab and lead hand in general have been looking great. He could very well out-box Rockhold, who's hands really aren't that good beyond the counter right hook. It is a good match-up for sure, but a real step up for Rockhold.


----------



## Azzuri (Dec 22, 2014)

Cruz is out with an ACL injury. It's the right knee this time.

Source via Cruz's Twitter.

Edit:" I am devastated 2 inform that my title shot hopes will be even further delayed due 2 broken ankle suffered in training
I am sorry once again" 

Via Assuncao's Twitter.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 22, 2014)

Assuncao injured too, what is goin on. He deserves it way more than Barao in a rematch, hasn't lost at BW, beat Dillashaw already despite the controversy (really can't see how you score that 3rd round for Dillashaw, 10-10 at best for him and I have watched that fight many times, one of my fave BW fights), and should be regarded as a Top-15 p4p fighter, imo (better fighter than Barao). He was one of the best FWs before dropping down, had some great wins and should have gotten the decisions over Curran and Nunes - had a very competitive fight with Faber, was even going into the 3rd. His striking has gotten a lot better since, and he is one of the most technical strikers in MMA.


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Dec 22, 2014)

Cruz


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 22, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Mousasi has an iron beard, one of the best in the sport. He took bombs from Hector Lombard, who is one of the most powerful guys in MMA, and didn't go down. Machida has hurt everyone he fought at MW with his body kicks, just the impact wasn't as great as the Dollaway one and a guy like Weidman is as tough as they come:
> 
> I missed a lot of the card but it is a joke that Barao got a POTN.



.

Jacare's punches had much more of an effect on Mousasi than Machida's head kicks did.  "Iron chin" could be as over-used a term as "he was robbed" in MMA.  I think its more likely, a lot of MMA fighters don't know how to throw punches correctly which leads to fights where they punch someone 50-100 times without inflicting real damage.  Like how people thought Jared Hamman had an "iron chin" up until he fought someone like Costa Philippou who knows how to deliver a punch.  And how people thought Mike Russow had an "iron chin" due to him absorbing a ton of punches from Todd Duffee.  It wasn't so much his chin was iron as it was moreso Todd Duffee's punching technique left something to be desired.  Once Duffee improved his punching technique he began finishing people in the 1st round.

Machida seems more like a karate point fighter in that he doesn't fully commit to his strikes.  He throws them without fully comitting so he's in a better position to avoid counters and move his feet.  He might hit people with head kicks and body kicks, but his strikes normally don't have full power behind them.  That's why Mousasi can eat Machida's head kicks, and appear to have an "iron chin" but Mousai can't eat Jacare's punches due to his strikes having full commitment / full power behind them with good technique.  

The body kick Machida landed on Dollaway looked like it might've had full commitment behind it, though.  Even if the punches Machida threw after that trying to finish Dollaway looked like they might have been..  girl punches with not much behind them.

Machida might have been injured for the Dollaway fight, I saw him wince a few times taking off his shirt.  Once, before he climbed into the cage.  And the second time during the open workouts or one of the other press conferences.

I hate Dollaway, Randy Couture, Mark Munoz, Ryan Bader and the other wrestlers Machida finished.  They all tried to fight Machida on the outside and outsmart and out-technique someone who is a lot smarter who has a lot better technique than they do.  That exercise in futility.  Weidman and Phil Davis are the only smart wrestlers Machida has fought with good fight IQ.

I agree Magomedov looked much sharper and more impressive than Barao did.  I think Barao got the bonus for putting on an "entertaining fight" whereas Magomedov fought more conservatively.

Renan Baro and Urijah Faber might be done.  They both have a ton of fights and it could be time to hang em up.

*edit* -

I thought TJ Dillashaw won his fight with Raphael Assuncao for some reason.  Not sure why, I don't even remember what happened in that fight.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 23, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> I have always thought Machida was a bit better than Silva over the years, and would have gone through Silva's schedule with better results in terms of wins/losses, but I don't think Silva would have had the same success with Machida's. Silva tends to leave himself very open when he does get frustrated enough to go forward and attack. Machida also has his excellent takedown/clinch game to fall back on, whereas Silva almost always relies on his striking or at worst, his stalling guard game.
> 
> Head movement and inside boxing are about the most glaring technique that Silva posses which Machida didn't at an equal or greater measure. And Machida compensates for the lack of head movement (especially in the pocket where Silva is clearly better) with superior footwork and positioning, and Silva doesn't really have the tools to cut Machida off or bait him to in-fighting either. Other things Silva has advantages in are more physical attributes like power. At this point in their careers I don't even think it would be a competitive fight. I think Machida is at his peak now, definitely the best offensively he has ever been.
> 
> ...



i agree Machida is the better overall fighter, but Anderson's ability to control the pace and master his rhythm is what I think would dictate the outcome of  fight. i agree though Machida beats everyone in the MW except he CAN beat Weidman


----------



## Lurko (Dec 23, 2014)

I can't see Machida beating Weidman, Weidman knows even more about Machida from his fight from him.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 23, 2014)

Sanity Check said:


> .Jacare's punches had much more of an effect on Mousasi than Machida's head kicks did.
> 
> Machida seems more like a karate point fighter in that he doesn't fully commit to his strikes.  He throws them without fully comitting so he's in a better position to avoid counters and move his feet.  He might hit people with head kicks and body kicks, but his strikes normally don't have full power behind them.  That's why Mousasi can eat Machida's head kicks, and appear to have an "iron chin" but Mousai can't eat Jacare's punches due to his strikes having full commitment / full power behind them with good technique.



Not really, a left hook at 3:37 of the 3rd round was the only punch that you could say stunned Mousasi. And saying Jacare had good technique on a lot of those punches is a stretch.

Mousasi has this weird ability to look ugly throwing his strikes but he does a great job at actually landing them. He'll duck his head and do some of those awkward defensive tricks but his feet end up in the correct positions to put power behind his strikes, when he's winging some wide punches even when it seems like he's not looking at his opponent, so that might give the impression that he has been hurt at times. He couldn't get his pressure going because Jacare refused to be pressured and kept Mousasi on the back-foot a lot. 

In the second and third rounds, Jacare was getting comfortable so he started countering off his slips and also leading with big punches of his own, including a nice left hook off feinted jabs (his jabs also looked technical even if they weren't used as intelligently as they could have been). It got Mousasi moving back even more but Jacare wasn't really landing clean for the most part in those exchanges, just really pressured and had Mousasi back-peddling. 

But it was a big part in letting him consistently pressure Mousasi, which was the most impressive part of his stand-up. His pressure game is elite, stance looked great, and it gave him the ability to control distance and see Mousasi's jabs. Mousasi couldn't come forward without being afraid of getting hit back by the much harder puncher, and if he came forward he'd be easier to take down. So Jacare took his jab away and was able to back him up against the cage because of that. So yeah, it was his elite pressure game (only Weidman has a pressure game on his level at MW) that had Mousasi looking like that, not any actual punches he landed for the most part.





> I hate Dollaway, Randy Couture, Mark Munoz, Ryan Bader and the other wrestlers Machida finished.  They all tried to fight Machida on the outside and outsmart and out-technique someone who is a lot smarter who has a lot better technique than they do.  That exercise in futility.  Weidman and Phil Davis are the only smart wrestlers Machida has fought with good fight IQ.



Munoz, Bader, and Couture all tried to close the distance on Machida but failed. He was able to draw attacks and force the reactions he wanted from all of them (including Davis and Weidman) fairly consistently, whether they were on the outside or tried to come in. Couture for example was drawn in by that pawing jab, and he tried to take Machida down off a feinted left straight but Machida landed that counter-knee he does on almost everyone (including Davis). Couture even tried to initiate a clinch and get Machida to the cage, but Machida broke it. Couture tried to counter Machida coming forward but found almost no success and Machida showed some new boxing skills in that fight (showed new elbows against Bader, new combination punching and use of kicks against Mousasi, etc. It is not the same thing against everyone, he is constantly improving and one of the best game-planners in MMA). It is not like he was only trying to fight him from the outside.



Not sure why you brought up Davis either, who fought Machida on the outside for significant portions of that fight. I don't see why you consider him smarter than wrestlers like Hendo (who is very crafty, despite trying to throw some bombs from range like Bader [Hendo, when he rushes in it is because he sees an opening, not because he is getting frustrated], tried other things in that fight both with his striking and grappling and knows how to game-plan, but fell to Machida's strategy and adjustments) or Evans (who tried to out-counter Machida with his speed when he came in). The most significant thing he did standing was circle to Machida's power side (but he didn't land anything any more meaningful than Bader or Couture, just a couple low kicks from what I remember, which were getting countered later) and Machida's lack of a consistent right hand at the time (which he has developed significantly since - would win a lot easier in a rematch) made him more tentative, but he still initiated more than Davis in that fight and out-struck him easily. Despite the TDs and official decision Davis clearly lost that fight.



He was just able to set up his shots a bit better, but even by the 3rd round (and a couple sequences in the 2nd) he couldn't get him down, and for example when Davis managed to get his right arm partially around Machida's waist, Machida was whizzering his arm and pivoting to his right, using that grip to whip Davis around and divert his forward momentum, shaking him off. It is something others have tried too (including Weidman), happens even though Machida is stepping forward to strike as they time the shot. 



Had he decided to sprawl, it is highly possible that the control on his waist would have allowed Davis to continue his wrestling assault and the timing might have allowed him to get decently deep on the hips. But Machida shut that down in the 3rd like he has to many others, the method that relies mainly on tight footwork greatly shortens the length and complexity of the grappling exchange. It also gave Machida the opportunity to land some solid knees or elbows (especially near the clinch) as he manipulates the highly committed momentum and balance.


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 23, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Not really, a left hook at 3:37 of the 3rd round was the only punch that you could say stunned Mousasi. And saying Jacare had good technique on a lot of those punches is a stretch.
> 
> Mousasi has this weird ability to look ugly throwing his strikes but he does a great job at actually landing them. He'll duck his head and do some of those awkward defensive tricks but his feet end up in the correct positions to put power behind his strikes, when he's winging some wide punches even when it seems like he's not looking at his opponent, so that might give the impression that he has been hurt at times. He couldn't get his pressure going because Jacare refused to be pressured and kept Mousasi on the back-foot a lot.
> 
> ...



.

I only watched the fight once.  I seem to remember Mousasi wilting with every punch Jacare hit him with but I could be wrong on that.  Jacare threw a lot of punches full power with all of his body weight behind them.  Some might say that's bad technique due to punches thrown that way causing someone to tire faster than they would if they threw their punches loose.  Like say how Diego Brandao throws every punch with what looks like the intent to murder people and it causes him to gas in the 1st or 2nd.

I think its good technique in Jacare's case due to him making a conscious effort to pace himself.

I never noticed it before, but Weidman must have great reflexes to sit on Silva and Machida the way he does where he gives them no space to breath or set anything up.  Jacare might have done something similar to Mousasi where he gave him zero space and pressured him into folding into a defensive shell.



Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Munoz, Bader, and Couture all tried to close the distance on Machida but failed. He was able to draw attacks and force the reactions he wanted from all of them (including Davis and Weidman) fairly consistently, whether they were on the outside or tried to come in. Couture for example was drawn in by that pawing jab, and he tried to take Machida down off a feinted left straight but Machida landed that counter-knee he does on almost everyone (including Davis). Couture even tried to initiate a clinch and get Machida to the cage, but Machida broke it. Couture tried to counter Machida coming forward but found almost no success and Machida showed some new boxing skills in that fight (showed new elbows against Bader, new combination punching and use of kicks against Mousasi, etc. It is not the same thing against everyone, he is constantly improving and one of the best game-planners in MMA). It is not like he was only trying to fight him from the outside.
> 
> Not sure why you brought up Davis either, who fought Machida on the outside for significant portions of that fight. I don't see why you consider him smarter than wrestlers like Hendo (who is very crafty, despite trying to throw some bombs from range like Bader [Hendo, when he rushes in it is because he sees an opening, not because he is getting frustrated], tried other things in that fight both with his striking and grappling and knows how to game-plan, but fell to Machida's strategy and adjustments) or Evans (who tried to out-counter Machida with his speed when he came in). The most significant thing he did standing was circle to Machida's power side (but he didn't land anything any more meaningful than Bader or Couture, just a couple low kicks from what I remember, which were getting countered later) and Machida's lack of a consistent right hand at the time (which he has developed significantly since - would win a lot easier in a rematch) made him more tentative, but he still initiated more than Davis in that fight and out-struck him easily. Despite the TDs and official decision Davis clearly lost that fight.
> 
> ...



.

I don't remember much about what happened when Bader and Couture fought Machida.  If I remember right Dollaway, Munoz and Phil Davis circled to their left.  Basic boxing circle to the left to make it tougher for Machida to land his straight left.  

Circling in that direction is the conventional wisdom for punches in boxing.  I'm not certain how effective it is against Machida's left kick.  I think Machida would have a tougher time landing the left kick if they circled to their right.  If they circle to their left, it may only mean Machida has to pivot his foot a little farther than normal.  The left kick might not suffer from the same drawbacks the left punch does.

Varying footwork in terms of not only circling but moving straight back or forward at times could also be a smart move.  I think Munoz and Dollaway might have only circled in the same direction which made them too predictable and easy to set up.  Phil Davis might not have won the fight, but he did do better than others by varying his feet.

Given how often Machida goes to his body kicks, it might be good for anyone fighting Machida to make a habit of keeping their right elbow tucked in tight to help protect their side / liver.  That could be the mistake Dollaway made.  His right arm was far enough from his side that Machida was able to land that body kick high up almost near his armpit.   

Machida only throws straight punches.  He doesn't seem to have hooks or uppercuts in his arsenal.  That could mean moving the head off center and keeping a guard to block only straight punches and left kicks is something that might have success.  The overhand right a lot of people throw while moving their head off center could be the way to go.

Machida doesn't throw many leg kicks.  Anytime he looks at the leg like he's going to kick it, its probably a high kick.  When Machida lands he often gives an angle, moves or isn't there for a counter.

I think circling to the right against Machida could also be a good move.  Circle to the right and throw the right kick.  It might open up Machida's left hand, but he might not be able to counter with his left kick without resetting his feet (?) & someone might beat him on range.

It just seems like there are a lot of extremely basic, no brainer things, someone fighting Machida could do that a lot of the top guys aren't doing.  Maybe they aren't making enough money to hire decent trainers?


----------



## Violent by Design (Dec 23, 2014)

Cruz with another major injury...=\


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 24, 2014)

Poor guy can't catch a break. There are so many match-ups with some of the best fighters in the sport I wanna see him in: Dillashaw, Aldo, Assuncao, Barao, Edgar, Faber III, Mendes ...

On a lighter note, have a Merry Christmas fellas!

[YOUTUBE]bfZ2rtp10nM[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 25, 2014)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Poor guy can't catch a break. There are so many match-ups with some of the best fighters in the sport I wanna see him in: Dillashaw, Aldo, Assuncao, Barao, Edgar, Faber III, Mendes ...
> 
> On a lighter note, have a Merry Christmas fellas!
> 
> [YOUTUBE]bfZ2rtp10nM[/YOUTUBE]





> Not sure if Machida is naming all the reindeers or the Gracie brothers





> This video would've been 10000000000000? better with nick diaz
> 
> 
> > "On dancer, on prancer.. not George though, george is scared, you know. WHERE YOU AT GEORGE?! Anyways... on vixen.."


The youtube comments are gold.


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 25, 2014)

[YOUTUBE]B1r7Vok6JN0[/YOUTUBE]

A lot of pro's pick DC as the winner. Not only the pro's in this video but I remember seeiing in other media that many of them lean towards Daniel as well when the question gets asked. He is also only like a +100 something underdog in the vegas odds IIRC.

Is that the general consensus in this thread as well? Because I think that Bones will defeat him and will make it look easy.


----------



## Lurko (Dec 25, 2014)

I disagree I got Dc.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 26, 2014)

Bellator is in the mix


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 27, 2014)

Thorin said:


>



.

Brock could be pretending to have options to negotiate a better WWE contract.

I'm bummed Lesnar never made an attempt to participate in metamoris, adcc or jiu jitsu competitions.  

Kurt Angle would've been another hot prospect had he been cleared to compete on TUF Heavyweights with Kimbo Slice, Roy Nelson, Matt Mitrione, and Brendan Schaub.


----------



## Gilgamesh (Dec 28, 2014)

I hope all of his opponents aim for his intestines.


----------



## Violent by Design (Dec 28, 2014)

Sanity Check said:


> .
> 
> Brock could be pretending to have options to negotiate a better WWE contract.
> 
> ...



Angle was like 39 and had broken his neck a million times by the time TUF 9 came around, he wouldn't have been much of a prospect at all. Prospect somewhat infers he would have improved a lot over time, when he realistically what he did at TUF Hw would have been close to his peak.

Not to mention, Angle is really small for a HW.


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 28, 2014)

Violent By Design said:


> Angle was like 39 and had broken his neck a million times by the time TUF 9 came around, he wouldn't have been much of a prospect at all. Prospect somewhat infers he would have improved a lot over time, when he realistically what he did at TUF Hw would have been close to his peak.
> 
> Not to mention, Angle is really small for a HW.



.

For Angle's size, its been said he used to dominate Brock Lesnar on the mat.  He might've had a significant amount of athletic talent that is rarely seen.  I think Angle also claimed a "60 pill per day" painkiller addiction which could be the reason he wasn't cleared to compete on TUF.

Angle definitely would have been old and his body would've been abused by his injuries and drug use, I still would've liked to see it.


----------



## Violent by Design (Dec 28, 2014)

Sanity Check said:


> .
> 
> For Angle's size, its been said he used to dominate Brock Lesnar on the mat



Dominant is a bit of an exaggeration, and Angle was a man with Olympic experience going against someone still in the NCAA.



> .  He might've had a significant amount of athletic talent that is rarely seen.  I think Angle also claimed a "60 pill per day" painkiller addiction which could be the reason he wasn't cleared to compete on TUF.
> 
> Angle definitely would have been old and his body would've been abused by his injuries and drug use, I still would've liked to see it.



It would have just been lay and pray anyway (assuming he wouldn't get tapped out, which I think he most likely would), and we see Olympians go into MMA all the time, it's nothing we wouldn't have seen before. If he was younger it would have been good, but he was done by 2009.

Roy Nelson would have beat Kurt Angle for sure if they had fought on TUF. Angle might have gotten marginally better at MMA after with 1 or 2 more fights in the UFC, but that would be pretty much it for him.


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 28, 2014)

Violent By Design said:


> Dominant is a bit of an exaggeration, and Angle was a man with Olympic experience going against someone still in the NCAA.
> 
> It would have just been lay and pray anyway (assuming he wouldn't get tapped out, which I think he most likely would), and we see Olympians go into MMA all the time, it's nothing we wouldn't have seen before. If he was younger it would have been good, but he was done by 2009.
> 
> Roy Nelson would have beat Kurt Angle for sure if they had fought on TUF. Angle might have gotten marginally better at MMA after with 1 or 2 more fights in the UFC, but that would be pretty much it for him.



.

If Kurt Angle was in decent health, I wouldn't be surprised if he went on to become a top guy like Ronda, Cormier, Hendo, Cejudo (I'm calling it).  The heavyweight division isn't that deep.  Tito had similar injuries to the ones Kurt Angle has and he's still winning his fights.  

Some of the TUF heavyweight contenders didn't do anything other than sit on their couch for the 1-2 months leading up to the show which is why some of them had bad cardio.

I think Angle definitely would have had a decent chance.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 29, 2014)

Brock isn't dealing with Divirticulitis anymore, he'd be a top 7 UFC Heavyweight for sure.


----------



## Lurko (Dec 29, 2014)

Brocks so old now though, out of prime.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 29, 2014)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Brocks so old now though, out of prime.


Hunt is 3yrs his senior and still able to break the top 5 and even dominated Werdum until he got caught with that knee.


----------



## Lurko (Dec 29, 2014)

I don't know Hunt didn't have ever any serious health problems like Brock.


----------



## Sanity Check (Dec 31, 2014)

[YOUTUBE]CsT_cJCJi-0[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]XqRO2sTpBUY[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Lurko (Dec 31, 2014)

Jones is goona lose, calling it now.


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 31, 2014)

Not sure if you guys know this but an hour or so after every ufc event you can find articles on the internet that are a collection of the twitter reactions of pro fighters (ufc and other) to the fights.

Just google "pros react to ufc 181" for example and you'll be able to come across the articles about the Hendricks vs Lawler and Pettis vs Melendez fight.

I read them because I like to know the opinions of professionals about the fights.


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 31, 2014)

Anyone interested in pos/neg rep or sig bets for the coming fight?


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 1, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> Anyone interested in pos/neg rep or sig bets for the coming fight?



I have it something like this.

Jon Jones (c) < *Daniel Cormier* 
Donald Cerrone < *Myles Jury * 
*Brad Tavares* > Nate Marquardt 				
Kyoji Horiguchi < *Louis Gaudinot * 
*Hector Lombard* > Josh Burkman 				

*Danny Castillo* > Paul Felder 				
Marcus Brimage < *Cody Garbrandt* 
*Shawn Jordan* > Jared Cannonier 				
*Evan Dunham* > Rodrigo Damm 				

*Omari Akhmedov* > Mats Nilsson 				
*Alexis Dufresne* > Marion Reneau 

.

Louis Gaudinot is something like a 5 to 1 underdog.  He could be injured, bookies could be aware of some reason he isn't likely to win his fight, unknown to the general public.  

I wouldn't be surprised if I was wrong on that pick & a lot of others.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 3, 2015)

DC > Jon Jones
Myles Jury > Cowboy
Tavares > Marquardt
Horiguchi > Gaudinot
Lombard > Burkman
Felder > Castillo
Brimage > Gabrandt
Reneau > Dufresne

Anyone want to place some sig/rep bets?


----------



## Zhen Chan (Jan 3, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> DC > Jon Jones
> Myles Jury > Cowboy


Ill take these two bets

What are your terms


----------



## Lurko (Jan 3, 2015)

Dc goona win, Cowboy too.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 3, 2015)

i can't wait


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 3, 2015)

Zhen Chan said:


> Ill take these two bets
> 
> What are your terms


If either of us sweeps both fights the winner gets to choose the losers sig/avi for 2 weeks? Winner of Jury/Cerrone chooses the losers avi; winner of DC/Jones chooses sig?


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 3, 2015)

Wiziwig is down?!

It was the best one of all the sites you guys PMed me.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 3, 2015)

Hey pussy, are you still there? 



Sanity Check said:


> Jon Jones (c) < *Daniel Cormier*
> Kyoji Horiguchi < *Louis Gaudinot *
> *Danny Castillo* > Paul Felder
> Marcus Brimage < *Cody Garbrandt*


I only disagree with these ones and will take bets on them. If you dare.


----------



## Sengoku (Jan 3, 2015)

Yeah. I used to use it too but it got shutdown on the 1st.


----------



## Cromer (Jan 3, 2015)

TaimaTV's stream is working pretty well so far...


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 3, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> Hey pussy, are you still there?
> 
> 
> I only disagree with these ones and will take bets on them. If you dare.



.

Castillo vs Felder, then.

*edit* - Ava bet.

*edit x2* - If anyone wants an ava bet, I have their ava picked out:


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 3, 2015)

Just make sure you us adblock and x out all of the pop-ups.

Link removed


----------



## Kuya (Jan 3, 2015)

^^^^Thanks


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 3, 2015)

That was weird.

Is Shawn Jordan a right handed southpaw?


----------



## Cromer (Jan 3, 2015)

Damn, that's a lot of weight to put into a backflip; fuckng hell


----------



## Cromer (Jan 3, 2015)

Sanity Check said:


> That was weird.
> 
> Is Shawn Jordan a right handed southpaw?


Oxymoron; southpaw is defined as a left handed boxer/fighter stance. Maybe he's ambidextrous. He did get him behind the temple, even though it wasn't very hard.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 3, 2015)

Cromer said:


> Oxymoron; southpaw is defined as a left handed boxer/fighter stance. Maybe he's ambidextrous. He did get him behind the temple, even though it wasn't very hard.



.

Some guys stand with their power hand forward.


----------



## Zhen Chan (Jan 3, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> If either of us sweeps both fights the winner gets to choose the losers sig/avi for 2 weeks? Winner of Jury/Cerrone chooses the losers avi; winner of DC/Jones chooses sig?



Acceptable terms


----------



## Sengoku (Jan 3, 2015)

Spin to win!


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Jan 3, 2015)

Tim Sylvia's fight cancelled due to him being too fat.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 3, 2015)

Sanity Check said:


> .
> 
> Castillo vs Felder, then.
> 
> ...


You even have an ava already prepared and everything.

Perfect.

Another round?


----------



## Kuya (Jan 3, 2015)

Ghost_of_Gashir said:


> Tim Sylvia's fight cancelled due to him being too fat.



he's always been a fatass, at least he won't shit his pants again today


----------



## Kuya (Jan 3, 2015)

Burkman about to get knocked the fuck out


----------



## Lurko (Jan 3, 2015)

Sanity Check said:


> .
> 
> Castillo vs Felder, then.
> 
> ...



I went to middle school with his son, funny.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 3, 2015)

Bukman with a hell of a chin


----------



## Zhen Chan (Jan 3, 2015)

Lombard lost his kiler instinct

And these flyweights are too fucking fast for my strem qaulity


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

Jury is getting schooled


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

He's getting put through broke back mountain?


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

lol at betting on Jury over Cowboy

Cowboy is damn entertaining, loved him since WEC


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

Don't fuck with Cowboys, there crazy.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

CORMIER VS. JONES HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

I'm fucking hyped!!


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 4, 2015)

Aw shit.

10char


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

all the streams are lagging badly


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

anybody have a good stream? the stream2watch and the taniatv is almost unwatchable!


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

This match is all body shots


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

Stream2watch #3 is best


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

jones with another eyepoke


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

Lol War is going on right now.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Link removed

HD stream! channel 1, 2 or 5


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

Was that a takedown?


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

INCREDIBLE

THEY ARE EQUALS


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Legend said:


> Was that a takedown?



nah i think it'll count as just Bones trying to pull guard


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Jones' leverage is a huge advantage, Cormier with strong pressure and octagon control though


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

DC getting gassed


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Jones gonna take this in a very close decision


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

rematch incoming after Jones vs. Gus 2


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

Jon clowned DC at the end


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

gonna be exremely close


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Jones not being humble again


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

ugghhh, dat no class is what made me jump off Jones' wagon, what an awful human being


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

Man for all that wrestling trash talking Guff made Jones his bitch not Cormier.


----------



## eHav (Jan 4, 2015)

fuck yeah bones. fuck the haters. unstoppable. cant wait for the excuses and how the next chalenger will be next great thing


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Man for all that wrestling trash talking Guff made Jones his bitch not Cormier.



Jones doesn't have a leverage advantage over Guss... can't wait for Alex to get the rematch


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

Kuya said:


> Jones doesn't have a leverage advantage over Guss... can't wait for Alex to get the rematch



I can't wait either, Jones didn't even win that first fight. Jones is a bitch, he should move up to heavy weight.


----------



## eHav (Jan 4, 2015)

Kuya said:


> Jones doesn't have a leverage advantage over Guss... can't wait for Alex to get the rematch



gus took jones down because jones wasnt expecting it one bit. after that it didnt happen again.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

i wanted jones or cormier to finish the fight

it was a clinch battle mainly


----------



## eHav (Jan 4, 2015)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> I can't wait either, Jones didn't even win that first fight. Jones is a bitch, he should move up to heavy weight.



if serious


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

Cormier is a beast but Jone is just to lengthy and diverse.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

eHav said:


> gus took jones down because jones wasnt expecting it one bit. after that it didnt happen again.



well yeah because Alex is a boxer and was tagging Jones


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

I want Jones vs Rumble


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

fans and fighters are pretty split evenly on who they thought won the Alex/Jones fight

i'm in the Guss camp though


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 4, 2015)

"The king stay the king."


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

Jones admitted to being classless because he hates DC, he said everything but Fuck DC. I dont blame him


----------



## Zhen Chan (Jan 4, 2015)

Two for two Louis

Ill look up a set for you tomorrow


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Legend said:


> I want Jones vs Rumble



there's potential there, but DC > Rumble

if DC can't beat Jones, then only Alex has the real chance

other than round 4 though and the elbows throughout the fight, Jones and DC were fairly even, just clinch clinch clinch


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Legend said:


> Jones admitted to being classless because he hates DC, he said everything but Fuck DC. I dont blame him



he's sorta classless all the time which is why he breeds haters


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

eHav said:


> if serious



No I'm not Guff got robbed and sent Jones straight to hospital lol, Jones should put on weight he's a lot bigger than most fighters in his division. Jones don't want no Cain, Santos, Werdum.


----------



## eHav (Jan 4, 2015)

Kuya said:


> well yeah because Alex is a boxer and was tagging Jones



so yeah its not because jones cant defend a td from gus, he simply wasnt even trying. its like being surprised when dc tags you with a punch after faking a td. still, jones should win the next gus fight by a bigger margin. hes been working on his clinch game. destroyed glover there, beat cormier there. will probably use it vs gus in the rematch


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

I think Jones would eat Werdum alive


----------



## eHav (Jan 4, 2015)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> No I'm not Guff got robbed and sent Jones straight to hospital lol, Jones should put on weight he's a lot bigger than most fighters in his division. Jones don't want no Cain, Santos, Werdum.



just like gus then i guess? move them both to heavyweight then


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

eHav said:


> so yeah its not because jones cant defend a td from gus, he simply wasnt even trying. its like being surprised when dc tags you with a punch after faking a td. still, jones should win the next gus fight by a bigger margin. hes been working on his clinch game. destroyed glover there, beat cormier there. will probably use it vs gus in the rematch



Yeah if i was a betting man, i'd push my chips in on Jones beating Alex in their rematch for sure. I'm gonna root for Alex though because he's fun to watch and extremely likable.


----------



## eHav (Jan 4, 2015)

gus is a likable guy. also hes european, we need more of them at the top. but jones.. jones doesnt seem beatable by any current lhws.


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

Has DC fought Rumble? Id like to see that


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 4, 2015)

DC tried to fight the same gameplan Cain used against JDS.

But didn't have the cardio to pull it off.

I'm very happy with the outcome of all of the fights.

BTW - Jones vs Gus is premature, he still has to get past Anthony Johnson.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 4, 2015)




----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

Rumble isnt gonna roll over that fight

Jones negated DC's wrestling


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Cormier looked like a middleweight next to Jones


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

btw, i don't know if it's been mentioned before, but Greg Jackson is a genius for choosing the very raw Jon Jones over the then elite Rashad Evans when they were in the same camp back in the day

Jones is arguably the GOAT


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

Oh yeah when they say Rampage was coming back


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

Kuya said:


> btw, i don't know if it's been mentioned before, but Greg Jackson is a genius for choosing the very raw Jon Jones over the then elite Rashad Evans when they were in the same camp back in the day
> 
> Jones is arguably the GOAT



Too early man way too early especially with guys like Weidman Cain, and Aldo out there. Don't forget about Gsp, Fedor and Silva.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

eHav said:


> just like gus then i guess? move them both to heavyweight then



Guff should move to Heavyweight too.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Too early man way too early especially with guys like Weidman Cain, and Aldo out there. Don't forget about Gsp, Fedor and Silva.



as of now, i see Jones as the GOAT considering all of the champions he's taken down


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

rewatching the card in HD....

i've come to conclude that this card was pretty average at best and the Jones vs. Cormier fight was quite underwhelming considering the build up. not as underwhelming as the Rampage vs. Evans fight after their similar intense buildup.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Jan 4, 2015)

the only one I can see beating Jon now is McGOAT

Just kidding, but this was a very average ppv. Went to the bar and watched. Had fun just doing that so I can't really complain.

I'd really like to see Rumble vs Jones next I guess since I have Jon winning against Alex in the rematch. And I'm a Rumble fan.

Gotta watch the presser in the morning...


----------



## zoro_santoryu (Jan 4, 2015)

The fight i wanna see more badly than ever is Jones vs Velasquez now

Who do you guys think would take that one?


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

Good luck with that happening


----------



## Nihonjin (Jan 4, 2015)

zoro_santoryu said:


> The fight i wanna see more badly than ever is Jones vs Velasquez now
> 
> Who do you guys think would take that one?



Honestly, I think Cain would run into the exact same problem as Cormier. He has better cardio but that's not enough to help him win..

Since DC can't do it, I doubt Cain can take Jones down let alone keep him there. I don't see Cain knocking him out or submitting him either. And given the ridiculous range advantage Jon has, I don't see Cain outpointing him either.

Convincing UD or finish for Jones.

Too bad it's probably never going to happen..


----------



## eHav (Jan 4, 2015)




----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

Nihonjin said:


> Honestly, I think Cain would run into the exact same problem as Cormier. He has better cardio but that's not enough to help him win..
> 
> Since DC can't do it, I doubt Cain can take Jones down let alone keep him there. I don't see Cain knocking him out or submitting him either. And given the ridiculous range advantage Jon has, I don't see Cain outpointing him either.
> 
> ...



Cain is a lot bigger and has more cardio than Dc, Dc started gassing out in the fourth.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

Kuya said:


> as of now, i see Jones as the GOAT considering all of the champions he's taken down



You really need to look up into Fedor, man was Dc size but owned heavyweight division. Aldo goes without question, Weidman and Cain look like there on the way especially Weidman.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> You really need to look up into Fedor, man was Dc size but owned heavyweight division. Aldo goes without question, Weidman and Cain look like there on the way especially Weidman.



Fedor is the one that got most of us into the sport. I still  think Silva and GSP  have better resumes than him.

If you look at caliber of opponents though, Jones resume is arguably the best.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

Gsp and Silva don't have better resumes than Fedor lol, especially Silva maybe Gsp with his two loses but no just no.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Fedor was the GOAT maybe 5 years ago, then Silva and GSP slightly surpassed him


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

Hell no man, atleast that's what I think. Silva is a joke, he's lucky he never fought Gsp.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 4, 2015)

The post fight press conference was good.

[YOUTUBE]55MWWfPfZN8[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Legend (Jan 4, 2015)

Did anyone notice Steven Segal in the crowd?, and was i the only one laughing at DC crying?


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Jan 4, 2015)

Jones definite candidate for GOAT easily if he continues doing what he's doing. Dude's just 27 for fuck's sake.

I don't want Cain vs Jones simply because Cain needs to fight more and get away from injuries.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jan 4, 2015)

I missed the card, was out partying, but I heard it was pretty bad overall. I just about caught up to the fights that were worth watching (which was 4). Horiguchi had another good performance, striking looked solid; he manipulates rhythm to a crazy degree and can lead with any strike he wants because of it. Gaudinot got out-classed but he didn't look bad, just unprepared strategically. Besides Machida, Horiguchi might have the most technical karate in MMA (and he has better head movement than Machida). The way he timed that kizami zuki which he landed quite a few times was like a piston, plus the kizami/gyaku tsuki combo was on point as well.

With the way people are talking I thought Jones dominated Cormier, and that wasn't close to the reality. That was easily one of the two toughest fights of his career. 49-46 was a poor scorecard to me. I gave Cormier at least 2 and 3, and I scored the 5th 10-10 (neither did much of anything there). At Jones' best, he hit a couple takedowns with little control and not much else. Both guys ran out of gas late, both had success in spots, both absorbed what the other guy gave them, adjusted and fought back. 

In my opinion the clear-cut rounds are 2, 4, and 5. Cormier won 2, Jones won 4, 5 was a draw. So that leaves 1 and 3 to determine it. Cormier did his best at the end of both those rounds which complicates scoring. I thought he did enough to get the third, but just fell a bit short in the first but was very close to a 10-10. That leaves me with 49-47 for Jones at best (if you give him both 1 and 3), but I scored it 48-48, could see 49-48 DC, 48-47 Jones, 49-47 either way, not sure who the better fighter is, tbh. In any case I don't see a clear winner. It was very competitive. Jones, I still have ranked #3 p4p, and Cormier still comfortably in the Top-10 (behind Aldo, DJ, Jones, Weidman, Machida, and Pettis - then Mendes, Cormier, Edgar, Cruz, Dillashaw, Velasquez, Assuncao).

Both guys performed well, but Cormier won the in-fighting overall through the first 3 rounds, and landed his punches. Jones still looks very uncomfortable boxing, but his clinch game was better than expected. I thought it was a great fight outside of the last round though. Jones has never been walked down like that. He has always had terrible footwork, especially defensively, but guys usually struggle to get through his first line of defence (being his reach and range control). 

Jones, like most tall fighters in combat sports, makes more and more mistakes when you get through that, and outside of a couple new counters, his work off the back-foot is still very poor. Like in the Gus fight, he looked like an amateur fighter, flinching and looking away, crossing his feet and extending both hands away from his head. He failed to see strikes coming, and opened himself in his desperate attempts to guard himself. He has never been forced to fight off the back-foot like that, never been hit so much on the inside. He has never had someone go head to head with his wrestling and hang there with him (with the exception of one round). 

Cormier was slipping his still very hilariously poor jab (has improved since the Gus fight though, more accurate/consistent) when he tried to throw it. It can't be just a jab, there has to be something he can put behind his jab if he wants to keep guys out of the pocket without clinching them. But his clinch game is very good he doesn't have to worry too much about it.

That is what makes Gus his biggest challenge. Gus doesn't have to work so hard to get inside, plus he can slip Jones' jab and set his punches up off his own jab very well. Gus is strong enough to hang with Jones in the clinch, but he doesn't have to get close enough where he will be forced to spend most of the fight there like Cormier and Teixeira were. If he works on his kick defence, I really think he beats Jones, easier than people would expect. He got hit by too many left kicks to the body and those are what cost him the fight, even before the elbow. He can also emphasize not relying primarily on his right hip for defence, because that's how Jones was able to land both the head kicks and the spinning elbow.

Jones' kicks and reach aren't insurmountable obstacles, so long as you can hang in the pocket or the clinch you can win. The problem being he is really tough to beat in the clinch throughout 5 rounds. His hand-fighting looked really good. Besides Barnett in a couple spots (who struggled after breaking his hand early) no one has ever broke Cormier's underhooks like that before. I thought Cormier's best chance was to win in the clinch, and to some extent he did, but that's also where Jones was most dominant in the fourth and also where he did a lot of damage with his knees which paid dividends later. Cormier did a nice job walking him down, but still made plenty of mistakes with his lateral movement and kick defence. Jones has never been pressured like that before though. I find it strange that people are calling it a dominant win for Jones, but there were a lot of casual fans watching this one. 

I don't see how Jones looked like his usual self either. At times he was looking at the floor and trying to swing while DC was hitting him. He looked uncomfortable, tired, beat up, but he kept fighting. You can't deny his grit and determination as a fighter. Both guys were pushed hard, both were worn down and hurt. Both faded late. It is not like Jones actually won the 5th, did nothing pretty much (judges in MMA don't give 10-10s when it is clearly the right score). Cormier may not have won, but the scorecards do not reflect what I saw happen.

I think the "Cormier broke" narrative is dumb as well. I think what he said after the fight needs to be taken with a grain of salt. He never gave up, he never stopped trying to fight through it. It was an endurance problem more than a mental one, and even then it is not like he got dominated in the last two rounds like people are saying. He got controlled a lot and taken down (but not held down) in the fourth, then was controlled some but also had control and hit a big lift in the 5th. There wasn't any quit in DC. 

And of course after the fight he felt dejected. He was exhausted, just put a ton of effort into something and failed. Plus he didn't have success where he thought he would. But he fought a great fight, pushed to the end, showed championship heart, skill, determination, and discipline. I believe in a rematch if he put a little more work into hitting Jones to the body, kicking his legs, etc. then he could have a great shot at winning. Jones was tired too, just not as tired. Also Cormier now knows how Jones works in the clinch with all that hand-fighting. What really lost Cormier the fight on the cards and to most people watching was getting positioned against the cage. That is when Jones pulled ahead in round 4 and convinced the judges to give him round 5. 

Better cage awareness, less head-hunting, sharpening of his hand fighting skills, and Cormier could win. He will be back for sure, is still young in the sport. 35 isn't young, but he has only been fighting since 2009. He actually started more than a year after Jones. He is still learning, especially when it comes to striking. It isn't impossible for him to show new tricks and he should definitely get better if he stays injury-free. It really is a shame he came in so late. Cormier's obviously on his level and able to hang with him, just isn't as young and that makes a rivalry favor Jones (especially since endurance is one of the first things to go as you get older). Hopefully Cormier learns from the experience and comes back stronger.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 4, 2015)

Legend said:


> Did anyone notice Steven Segal in the crowd?, and was i the only one laughing at DC crying?



Seagal is supposed to have taught DC some of his deadly moves.

I actually like that DC seemed broken up over his loss.  

I think it shows DC really thought he was going to win the fight & prepared as well as he could.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jan 4, 2015)

I thought Jones surpassed Silva a while ago ability/skill-wise, but Silva had success at 3 weight classes (well only one real notable thing at 205, being the Griffin fight) and great longevity too. P4P I still have Fedor, GSP, Aldo, and Sakuraba ahead of Jones for sure, probably a couple others I can't think of right now. Peak-wise I think a guy like DJ, and possibly current Weidman, Cruz, Mendes, Edgar, Pettis, etc. (they just don't have the resume yet) are better than any version of Jones. You have guys with crazy longevity too who get downplayed by newer era fans, like Hughes, Big Nog, Hendo, etc. They weren't as good as Jones, but they were elite for a long time. 

I also think Aldo's resume gets underrated these days. He has 4 legit p4p guys he beat, being Mendes the 2nd time, Edgar (who many thought was the LW champ), Brown, and Faber. Lamas, Florian, and Gamburyan were all near the top of their weight class when Aldo beat them as well. Then you got Mendes the 1st time, who was still a great fighter despite not being close to the guy he was in the rematch, then Swanson, Hominick, and KZ who were bottom to fringe Top-10 guys. Even when you match up their skills, ability, tactics, and strategy, I don't see an argument for Jones over Aldo. I honestly think peak-wise Aldo is the best fighter MMA has seen so far, and I don't think anyone is close to him right now.

I think there are a few of the lighter guys who could beat Jones, P4P in a match-up. I said this a while ago, but a LHW equivalent of Frankie Edgar would be the worst match-up for Jones and would be the favourite in a match-up, imo. Someone who:

- catches a lot of kicks and can counter off them
- has active movement, quick side-steps to aid in octagon control
- outside of Cruz, he is arguably the best transition fighter in MMA, and his phase-shifting would provide problems
- tricky set-ups, disguising his striking and takedowns, and a nice feinting game he can use to keep Jones on the back-foot where he fights like an amateur (showed a couple new counters in the Cormier fight though)
- understands how to counter underneath a punch and over the top of it to keep you hesitant
- goes to the body and his body shots and left hook flow perfectly into his knee tap
- has spent a lot of time developing his kicks and he won't concede the kicking game and will trade (although his impact wasn't the same, him out-landing Aldo in low kicks was an important part in how he was able to be competitive with him in the later rounds), so that he doesn't just stand there at range, plus despite Edgar's flaws in his defensive footwork Jones doesn't have the jab that Penn or Aldo did, or the powerful low kicks of Edgar, to really expose it
- is one of the best in MMA at getting back to his feet (very crafty with how he uses his shins as a block, finding the angles to push off for returns, prevents passes and posturing up opportunities by hand positioning from his thigh and getting knee to hip in order to position his other arm and open up overhooks/head control, etc.) and can defend against the clinch TDs/body-locks Jones likes well, very adept as using things like wrist lock grips to free his arms to base for instance
- can wrestle and work for takedowns/control from various positions and techniques/styles, along with shifting to his striking fluidly (punching into TDs or using his wrestling to put guys off-balance and hit them)
- has a developed top game and improved g&p if he were to get Jones down (and Edgar gets down pretty much everyone, even Aldo who has the best TDD in MMA)
- is super tough, can absorb almost everything you throw at him (and Jones isn't the most powerful guy), won't be dissuaded, and won't run out of gas
- similarly to Jones, adapts very well and can out-think guys even when he is badly hurt, just one of those fighters who gets better/more comfortable even, the more he gets hurt 

There are a bunch of other things, but I think you get the point. Edgar wouldn't stomp him but he has answers for almost everything, and I would be very confident betting on him. He would have some rough moments, but I don't think Jones has the tools against someone like Edgar to keep it in-fighting or keep him at the cage (Edgar's cage generalship is a bit underrated, imo). 

Jones' balance, speed, and strength are standout athletic traits he possesses relative to most other guys in MMA, but Edgar has dealt with guys who have similar advantages there (balance with Penn and Henderson, speed with Swanson, strength with Sherk or Maynard), though the combination of those three things would be a problem for certain positions. Of course, there isn't anybody like that among the heavier guys, and that overall skill-set has Edgar still as one of the 10 best p4p fighters (well he should be considered that), but Gustafsson is probably the closest to it. I still think him and Cormier have solid shots at beating Jones.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

While still pretty raw, Jones dominated champion Shogun, prime Machida, beat prime Rashad, and Rampage. That's 4 former champs.  Then you add studs Vitor, Chael (ehh)l, Gus and DC. Not sure if I Glover is a highlight for him, but Jones did beat Glovers streak.

He's definitely in the GOAT coversation. I mean look at the guys he beat. I'm not even a Jones fan, but he has me covinced.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jan 4, 2015)

I think Machida is in his prime now. He was at the time frame of the Jones fight technically in his prime, but he lost on the judge's cards (thought it was a draw) to a well past prime version of Rampage (who Jones beat) and got the title shot by knocking out a guy in his retirement fight. It was still a great win for Jones, same with the others, although Shogun hasn't looked the same since the series with Machida after blowing out his appendix and having his 3rd ACL surgery + the layoff. Evans was a solid win but I always thought he was overrated. He was close to losing to a past prime Ortiz if the referee doesn't make a call that is rarely made, and then he got shut out by a past prime Lil Nog. He also almost lost to Thiago Silva, and got hurt badly in that fight. I think the Teixeira win was clearly better than the Rampage, Sonnen, Shogun, or Belfort wins. 

Sonnen was always a very mediocre LHW, not buying that as a top win. Same with Belfort, the best win he had at LHW was winning the title from Couture off a fluke cut (and he got dominated the other times they fought). He usually got beat by any good LHW he fought back when he was at that weight, Couture, Ortiz, Hendo, Overeem, Liddell, etc. Even Sakuraba embarrassed him, and he was a few weight classes lighter. Belfort does look better now with the improvements under Hooft and Diaz, striking looks much more technical than ever. I don't even remember him setting up high kicks before. Jones is great, the GOAT LHW, but I evaluate guys on their skill-set/ability mostly, resumes are important and should be factored in, but I don't see him as a GOAT candidate. I am just not as high on him as most, think there is a big gap between Fedor, GSP, Aldo, (maybe Saku) and then the rest.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

Jones skill set and ability is definitely in league with GSP, Aldo and Fedor.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jan 4, 2015)

I don't see it, personally. But he is still young and improving (though his footwork, defensive fundamentals, and boxing might always be glaring weaknesses), so who knows. I don't think some of the smaller guys get the credit for their skills, like I don't buy Jones as much better than guys like DJ, Edgar, Cruz, Pettis, Mendes, etc. He should definitely be rated higher for his resume and being more proven against different styles, but just as an MMA fighter I don't buy the Jones GOAT kool-aid. It is crazy to me how people don't consider a guy like Raphael Assuncao a top p4p fighter (easily Top-20), but put guys like Gustafsson and Belfort above him. I think popularity has a lot to do with it.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

You know more than than me on the sport, but to me he passes the eye test to be in league with someone like GSP and I'm saying this as someone who dislikes Jones.

I agree the smaller weight classes get no.love, because DJ is ridiculous and so is Dodson.

TJ is a bit overrated in my eyes.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 4, 2015)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> I think Machida is in his prime now. He was at the time frame of the Jones fight technically in his prime, but he lost on the judge's cards (thought it was a draw) to a well past prime version of Rampage (who Jones beat) and got the title shot by knocking out a guy in his retirement fight. It was still a great win for Jones, same with the others, although Shogun hasn't looked the same since the series with Machida after blowing out his appendix and having his 3rd ACL surgery + the layoff. Evans was a solid win but I always thought he was overrated. He was close to losing to a past prime Ortiz if the referee doesn't make a call that is rarely made, and then he got shut out by a past prime Lil Nog. He also almost lost to Thiago Silva, and got hurt badly in that fight. I think the Teixeira win was clearly better than the Rampage, Sonnen, Shogun, or Belfort wins.
> 
> Sonnen was always a very mediocre LHW, not buying that as a top win. Same with Belfort, the best win he had at LHW was winning the title from Couture off a fluke cut (and he got dominated the other times they fought). He usually got beat by any good LHW he fought back when he was at that weight, Couture, Ortiz, Hendo, Overeem, Liddell, etc. Even Sakuraba embarrassed him, and he was a few weight classes lighter. Belfort does look better now with the improvements under Hooft and Diaz, striking looks much more technical than ever. I don't even remember him setting up high kicks before. Jones is great, the GOAT LHW, but I evaluate guys on their skill-set/ability mostly, resumes are important and should be factored in, but I don't see him as a GOAT candidate. I am just not as high on him as most, think there is a big gap between Fedor, GSP, Aldo, (maybe Saku) and then the rest.



Do yo think Fedor in his prime was the best? Because I do, the dude was Dc size and clowned pride Heavyweights and personally I'd love to see Prime Fedor vs Cain via time machine. Cain doesn't get enough credit.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 4, 2015)

I don't mind anyone claiming that Peak Fedor is the greatest. Because a part of me believes that.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 5, 2015)

I just wish Cruz could stay healthy so he'd could take what should have been his for a while.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Jan 5, 2015)

Cowboy stepping in against Benson 1/18. 

Dude's a badass.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 5, 2015)

The Dirty Bubble said:


> Cowboy stepping in against Benson 1/18.
> 
> Dude's a badass.



HOLY SHIT.

what an incredible workhorse. he deserves a raise.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Jan 5, 2015)

Hell yeah. 

I'm rooting for him. I don't see how anyone could root against him seeing how he's all about fighting.

WAR COWBOY

(Still don't think he gets past Pettis)


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jan 6, 2015)

Jon jones tested positive for cocain guys



I'm in disbelief right now lmao


----------



## Lurko (Jan 6, 2015)

Does that have anything to do with making him a better fighter ?


----------



## Zhen Chan (Jan 6, 2015)

Nate diaz smokes weed and gets his win stripped

Jones snorts coke and get 500,000


Dafuq bro


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 6, 2015)

Masterpiece said:


> They should ban him and strip him of his title





Zhen Chan said:


> Nate diaz smokes weed and gets his win stripped
> 
> *Jones snorts coke and get 500,000*
> 
> ...


Cocaine isn't a banned (lol) substance. Nothing the UFC or NSAC can do about it. If they stripped him of his title they would be in breach of contract and likely sued for millions of dollars. It's fucking ridiculous, and I'm sure the guidelines will soon be amended, but you can't penalize a fighter for not breaking any rules.


----------



## eHav (Jan 6, 2015)

lol jones broke no rules. had he been busted in his post fight test, he would be, but he wasnt. ppl busted for weed were busted in post fight tests


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## Kuya (Jan 6, 2015)

omg wtf? the guy is on top of the world, and he does coke???????

can't it give you extra stamina?

also, marijuana is a banned substance but cocaine isn't? WTF KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THAT???


----------



## Kuya (Jan 6, 2015)

he's in love with the COCO 

it's bullshit that they knew this before the fight and didn't say anything. they just wanted everyone to make their money. also cocaine doesn't stay very long in ur system like marijuana. bullshit once again.

i wonder if he was on coke during the fight.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 6, 2015)

Kuya said:


> omg wtf? the guy is on top of the world, and he does coke???????
> 
> * can't it give you extra stamina?*
> 
> also, marijuana is a banned substance but cocaine isn't? WTF KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THAT???


If he took a line of coke before a fight? Yeah, that shit gets you hyped, but a second drug test was conducted on him in late December a week or two out from the fight and he was clean. He was also clean in the pre and post fight drug tests, so no, it didn't give him any sort of competitive edge over DC.



Kuya said:


> he's in love with the COCO
> 
> *it's bullshit that they knew this before the fight and didn't say anything.* they just wanted everyone to make their money. also cocaine doesn't stay very long in ur system like marijuana. bullshit once again.
> 
> *i wonder if he was on coke during the fight.*


As I said before, he was clean in the follow-up test and clean in the pre and post fight drug tests. If it showed up in any of the *UFC's* tests he would have been stripped of his title nd probably let go, but it showed up in an out of competition test where it isn't a banned substance, so they can't do anything about it.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 6, 2015)

*the results of the blood and urine tests from the fight week aren't out yet*

i now think Jones is truly an addict and he wouldn't have checked into rehab if he hadn't gotten caught

it's an unfair advantage if he gets to train for his fights while on cocaine, he basically gets to be superman while training with unlimited stamina pushing his body to the absolute limit

fuck Jon Jones. Cormier was classy as fuck in his statement too.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 6, 2015)

Kuya said:


> *the results of the blood and urine tests from the fight week aren't out yet*
> 
> i now think Jones is truly an addict and he wouldn't have checked into rehab if he hadn't gotten caught
> 
> ...


He was clean in the follow-up test though and while the fight week test results aren't "out" yet, I assure you the UFC top brass already knows the results. Jones knows he failed the test on Dec. 4th and he knew he passed the follow-up test later that month, knowing that, do you really think he'd be stupid enough to snort a few lines of coke while Cowboy was kicking Jury's ass? C'mon man.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 6, 2015)

You never know, how bizarre is it that Jon Jones is a cocaine addict?

He was coked up while training for the fight guaranteed.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 6, 2015)

Kuya said:


> You never know, how bizarre is it that Jon Jones is a cocaine addict?
> 
> He was coked up while training for the fight guaranteed.


I think it's too early to say that the dudes an addict or that he was coked up while training for DC, he might have just partied a little too hard one night. That said, I'm  not trying to excuse his actions because this is NOT okay and I do agree that he should be punished in some way, shape or form. I'm gonna wait for more info before I crucify Jones.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 6, 2015)

he's a dad and one of the faces of UFC, he should be crucified for this.

if he's in rehab, he's an addict.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 6, 2015)

Kuya said:


> he's a dad and one of the faces of UFC, he should be crucified for this.
> 
> *if he's in rehab, he's an addict.*


Not necessarily; if he didn't go to rehab and just told everyone to deal with it this whole thing would look that much worse on him. He probably went to rehab to try and salvage what little amount of face he has left. In a very loose sense, this is kind of similar to that time Greg Jackson told him to "Go check on Lyoto to make some more fans." It's an image thing.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 6, 2015)

This classless, ungrateful punk isn't getting the benefit of doubt from me that's for sure.


----------



## eHav (Jan 7, 2015)

Kuya said:


> he's a dad and one of the faces of UFC, he should be crucified for this.
> 
> if he's in rehab, he's an addict.



yeah... no. a coke addict cannot be on top of the world in MMA. its not beneficial to you, on the contrary. hes going to rehab to save face and because it "looks good" for the UFC, pretending they are doing something about it.

what jones did was party hard a month away from his fight. hes not even 30 yet let him have some fun. and as a father hes giving his family the life himself didnt get by making millions..


----------



## Kuya (Jan 7, 2015)

defending Jones


----------



## Legend (Jan 7, 2015)

It'll be fine, he's not getting stripped of the title, he won the fight. He entered rehab to get clean, no one forced him to. He knows he had a problem and is dealing with it. Now DC whiners and apologists are gonna come out the woodwork.

Haters gonna Hate


----------



## Kuya (Jan 7, 2015)

i acknowledged Jones publically as the GOAT yesterday, today I acknowledge him as a fucking shithead 

he went to rehab because he got caught. if he didn't get caught he sure as hell wouldn't go to rehab.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 7, 2015)

Legend said:


> It'll be fine, he's not getting stripped of the title, he won the fight. He entered rehab to get clean, no one forced him to. He knows he had a problem and is dealing with it. Now DC whiners and apologists are gonna come out the woodwork.
> 
> Haters gonna Hate



I think the problem that most people have is him the weed thing (which happened a long time ago) but turns around and does coke. Me? I don't really care either way.

In other news, Nelson will fight Overeem at UFC 185.


----------



## Legend (Jan 7, 2015)

He obviously knew he was gonna get caught tho, you dont do drugs and expect to take a drug test and get a clean result. Perhaps that was the reason he said he was going to train inbetween his fights to not bullshit for once


----------



## Legend (Jan 7, 2015)

oh and Cowboy is fighting again in a few weeks


----------



## Kuya (Jan 7, 2015)

He didn't think he was gonna get caught, otherwise he wouldn't have done it. Not worth the risk. Cocaine leaves your system pretty quickly compared to Marijuana which is why he thought he could get away with it. It was his decision to snort cocaine up his nose, nobody forced him to.

Either way, you are arguably the face of UFC and you have a little daughter. He gets no pass for this and I'm shocked he's being defended by you guys.

He's the least humble and most classless champion and this just adds to how much of a shithead he is.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 7, 2015)

Why Jon Jones was allowed to fight after positive drug test, and what comes next



> The unanswerable question at this stage is why a test was conducted for street drugs. No one at the commission can answer that and it appears that the test was done erroneously.
> 
> One person familiar with the procedures involved in anti-doping said a test for recreational drugs, or so-called drugs of abuse, would not be following the WADA Code and thus shouldn't have been done.




----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> "That was a bit of an anomaly that will be addressed [at the next NAC hearing on] Jan. 12. It was not a report requested by the NAC. It appears to have been an administrative oversight."
> 
> Jones was actually tested twice on Dec. 4 because, according to Bennett, his first urine sample was a bit "watery." Both tests were positive for cocaine metabolites.
> 
> ...





If he wanted to, Jon could sue, since he didn't do anything wrong.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 7, 2015)

In Competition vs. Out Of Competition And Why NSAC Won't Suspend Jones

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what is prohibited when, and what time periods "in-competition" and "out-of-competition" cover.

WADA maintains 2 main lists. One list has substances that are banned at all times. This includes anabolic steroids, growth hormones, masking agents, etc:

/wooo/

The other is for substances that are only banned in competition. Cocaine and THC are on this list.

/wooo/

There are other lists for individual sports (alcohol is banned in archery, for example), but that's not relevant to Jones. 

Jones was tested on December 4th, a full month before his fight. The definitions for "in-competition" and "out-of-competition" are in the WADA code:

Here's a tutorial

Jones' failed test was out of competition. You can compare this to people busted for THC, like Nick Diaz, Matt Riddle, and others, who failed tests administered immediately before or after their fights. You could also compare it to someone like Sonnen, who tested positive while out of competition, but for substances that were on the "at all times" list, rather than the "in competition" list. Unless the NAC has wording in their regulations that redefines the competition period to cover training camps, or that recategorizes cocaine as a substance that is banned at all times, they don't really have cause to suspend Jones for a failed test. That wasn't the case with Diaz, Riddle, Healy, and others. It isn't that cocaine is considered less serious, it's that the test he failed wasn't immediately before or after the fight, it was a month away from it.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 7, 2015)

How quick does coke leave your system?


----------



## Gunners (Jan 7, 2015)

Neighborhood Sniper said:


> Why Jon Jones was allowed to fight after positive drug test, and what comes next
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How do you know he has done nothing wrong? Have you taken a look at the contracts he has signed?


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 7, 2015)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> How quick does coke leave your system?


3-4 days. Realistically speaking he could have snorted a few lines of blow on New Years eve and still come back clean on the pre-fight drug test. Unlike THC (marijuana) Cocaine isn't fat soluble so it exits your system pretty quickly.


Gunners said:


> *How do you know he has done nothing wrong?* Have you taken a look at the contracts he has signed?


Have *you?* Cocaine isn't banned out of competition. It's fucked up and I disagree with it, but it is what it is. Technically speaking he did nothing wrong. If it showed up on the UFC's pre or post fights tests *that* would have been a  breach of contract.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 7, 2015)

Gunners said:


> How do you know he has done nothing wrong? Have you taken a look at the contracts he has signed?



Did you read what I posted?


----------



## Kuya (Jan 7, 2015)

Cocaine could be out of your system as soon as 36 hours

With a world-class athlete like Jones, maybe even sooner.


----------



## Cromer (Jan 7, 2015)

So basically, he got a pre fight test and came out clean for all controlled substances, but was tagged for a time-based controlled substance out of compo? Was he tested for recreational drugs pre-fight?


----------



## Kuya (Jan 7, 2015)

What I wonder is if the increased stamina from cocainehelps out his training and makes him push harder.  Because that is what some PEDS do.


----------



## Cromer (Jan 7, 2015)

It would certainly help with cutting weight, if nothing else (appetite suppressant)


----------



## Kuya (Jan 7, 2015)

what a scumbag


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 7, 2015)

Thorin said:


> Wow...how is that not a red flag


Yeah that's indicative of trying to mask TRT usage. He was was probably just cycling off of it.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jan 8, 2015)

Things we going to get worse for Jones before they get better

Here's a thread on sherdog about his t ratios


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

can you dumb down the testosterone business for me please since i'm not well versed on that

does this mean he was trying to mask his PED usage?


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

"Cocaine is a Performance Enhancing Narcotic. It can speed the heart which can make a person train out of their mind. Any stimulant can increase levels of oxygen throughout the body. Stimulants related to cocaine can reduce the sensation of pain. A person can use cocaine and be fully functional. In the 80's Wall Street traders were high as kites. Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry both were upped on coke during games and were absolute beasts."

*He more likely than not had an unfair advantage in his training. Who knows if he used the same method for previous fights considering how easy it is for it to leave your system.*



Cromer said:


> It would certainly help with cutting weight, if nothing else (appetite suppressant)



The funny thing is, Jones said at the weigh-ins that the weight cuts are getting easier and easier. It's all the coco he's been snorting during his training camps.

I can't believe I called this guy the GOAT a few days ago. Scumbag.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jan 8, 2015)

Another great take on Jones


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

lol roids


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Jan 8, 2015)

I've never had any strong feelings on Jon Jones either way. I just enjoy the shitstorms that he tends to create.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

where did everyone in this thread go that was defending him while i was blasting him


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Jan 8, 2015)

You scared them off mate. They told me themselves.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 8, 2015)

Kuya said:


> where did everyone in this thread go that was defending him while i was blasting him


I never "defended" Jones, only tried to explain to you why won't be punished for the cocaine use. The testosterone stuff though definitely warrants further investigation as it's indicative of PED usage, which* is *banned in both in and out of competition testing.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 8, 2015)

Nevada Athletic Commission head: Jon Jones' testosterone clean prior to UFC 182, CIR test conducted


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jan 8, 2015)

Jones t was good and the Cir test was done. So I guess he was "clean".

Makes no sense for an athlete to have such low t though something is fishy as fuck though. DC T was low as well. But he's 35 maybe that's why.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 8, 2015)

I think that was pre-test. Does it detect masking agents?


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jan 8, 2015)

The high E could mean maskers. That was actually the main red flag.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

Jon Jones is an elite PPV draw which is why he is getting protected


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jan 8, 2015)

Yeah everyone knows nsac is dirty as fuck. Of course his t would be clean if he's using masking agents which would explain the high e.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

I expect a very long layoff. Maybe even a year long.

There's a potential chance for there to be an interim champ.

Gus vs. Rumble for the belt. Cormier faces winner.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jan 8, 2015)

I'm sure he will do anything to duck Gus


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

Jones gonna take extra bumps of coco during training camp to match Gus in the rematch


----------



## Lurko (Jan 8, 2015)

Kuya said:


> Jones gonna take extra bumps of coco during training camp to match Gus in the rematch



Idk now that Jones got caught with Coke maybe not, it's incredibly to think Cormier put up such a fight on cheating Jon Jones. In other news Rumble or Guff Finnish him!


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

the Jones vs. Cormier fight was fairly even for the most part. nobody was that superior besides Jones takedowns. it was a hugging match.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 8, 2015)

Exactly my point but take away his sweet Coco and he would have probably lost.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

i feel bad for Cormier. Jones got scared from all the Cormier hype that he had to cheat to ensure a bigger chance of victory.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 8, 2015)

Jones has probably been on coke for a while.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

i been thinking it's been his "x-factor" trick to use in training camps to give him that extra umph to push his body harder.

it can be dangerous as it increases your heart rate, but he has professionals surrounding him that could be monitoring his cocaine intake 

what a scumbag. his career and legacy is forever tainted.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

eHav said:


> yeah... no. a coke addict cannot be on top of the world in MMA. its not beneficial to you, on the contrary. hes going to rehab to save face and because it "looks good" for the UFC, pretending they are doing something about it.
> 
> what jones did was party hard a month away from his fight. hes not even 30 yet let him have some fun. and as a father hes giving his family the life himself didnt get by making millions..



let Jones have some fun?
he gets a pass because his family has a nice house?


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)




----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 8, 2015)

Kuya said:


> i been thinking it's been his "x-factor" trick to use in training camps to give him that extra umph to push his body harder.
> 
> it can be dangerous as it increases your heart rate, but* he has professionals surrounding him that could be monitoring his cocaine intake *
> 
> what a scumbag. his career and legacy is forever tainted.


Get real, dude. You really think guys like Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn would risk their careers and reputations by supplying and allowing Jon do cocaine? 

Cocaine only takes 2-3 days to pass through your system, he probably did a line or two off a strippers ass while he partying in Brazil that couple of days before the test. *Highly *doubt the dude has been coking it up for the past 5-6 years to help prep for fights. Do you even know the long-term side effects of frequent (which is what you're suggesting) cocaine usage are? Here's a few:



*Liver, kidney and lung damage.*
*High blood pressure,* leading to heart attacks, strokes, and death.
Severe tooth decay
Sexual problems, reproductive damage and infertility (he has 3 kids)
*Auditory and tactile hallucinations*
*Disorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion*
*Delirium or psychosis*
*Severe depression*
*Malnutrition, weight loss*
The bold are particularly important to note. It's* impossible* to perform at the level Jon performs at with frequent use of cocaine.


----------



## Legend (Jan 8, 2015)

Well this is interesting


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Get real, dude. You really think guys like Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn would risk their careers and reputations by supplying and allowing Jon do cocaine?
> 
> Cocaine only takes 2-3 days to pass through your system, he probably did a line or two off a strippers ass while he partying in Brazil that couple of days before the test. *Highly *doubt the dude has been coking it up for the past 5-6 years to help prep for fights. Do you even know the long-term side effects of frequent (which is what you're suggesting) cocaine usage are? Here's a few:
> 
> ...



Who said it was Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn monitoring his cocaine intake? Those aren't the only guys surrounding him. If anything, they were kept in the dark.

Jones is not getting the benefit of the doubt from me. To me he did coke not only for the rush, but to help him train.

It's funny you also copy and pasted the part about weight loss. At this past weigh-ins, he said the weight cuts are getting easier and easier.

Keep defending scumbag Jones though.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2015)

dangerous or not, this wouldn't be the first time an athlete uses cocaine to gain an edge in training/sports


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 9, 2015)

Kuya said:


> Who said it was Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn monitoring his cocaine intake? Those aren't the only guys surrounding him. If anything, they were kept in the dark.
> 
> *Jones is not getting the benefit of the doubt from me. To me he did coke not only for the rush, but to help him train.*
> 
> ...


- So you really believe that Jones has been doing coke 365 days a year for the past half decade? If that's truly the case then why isn't he exhibiting any of the aforementioned side effects that *would negatively* impact training and performance?

- Correlation =/= Causation. Guess that means every fighter who doesn't have a hard time cutting weight is on the coco. If correlation = causation then half the roster must all be coked up.

Who is defending him?* I agree* that it was a stupid  move on his part  that warrants some type of disciplinary beyond 'get well soon, champ!' action and that the NSAC has a lot of revising to do to ensure this doesn't happen again with Jones or any other fighter. The difference between you and I is that I'm not blowing it out of proportion and refusing to see logic. You act like this is Jone's first random drug test since he's been competing in the UFC, it's not. If he's been doing blow as long as and frequently as you seem to believe he not only wouldn't be able to perform at this level, but he would have been caught a long time ago for it as well.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 9, 2015)

365 days a year? no of course not.

is there a strong chance he's doing coke to gain a competitive edge, yes i believe so.

the easier weight cuts, just make it all the more suspicious.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 9, 2015)

Jones isn't doing it all the time but I bet you he did it enough.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 9, 2015)

he's a scumbag cheater


----------



## Kuya (Jan 10, 2015)

Lombard vs. Macdonald is set, who you guys got?


----------



## Lurko (Jan 10, 2015)

I got Rory, he's getting older and him and his body are evolving as a fighter. When is the fight?


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Jan 11, 2015)

I think it's set for UFC 186...Whenever that is.

I got Rory. Would rather see him in the title fight, but I guess Lawler can keep the belt warm a little while longer.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 12, 2015)

Its Rory's fight to lose.



Former Obd Lurker. said:


> How quick does coke leave your system?



22 days is the latest timeframe it can be detected, that I've seen.

Cocaine is universally banned in both professional and amateur sports primarily to protect the health of the athlete and the reputation of the sport. Regardless of the route of administration, most of the cocaine is metabolized to benzoylecgonine, which is readily detected in the urine. "Using a sophisticated technique called GC/MS, cocaine use can be detected up to five days after its use," according to Wadler. *"With long-term cocaine use, particularly in those who smoke large quantities of crack, the metabolite can be detected for as long as 22 days after the last cocaine use*."
​
7 days could be the minimum.

I think Melvin Guillard claimed he did cocaine once 6-7 days before being tested & he still tested positive after his fight with Joe Stevenson back in 2007.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 15, 2015)

Conor Mcgregor's fighting style is so unique however not sure how good his wrestling defense is but if it's good watch out Aldo.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 15, 2015)

Jacare/Romero is off because Souza has pneumonia.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 16, 2015)

The future FW champ hitting pads.

[YOUTUBE]ykFVH_pfzFY[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 16, 2015)

> The Ultimate Fighting Championship has released the details of their new Uniform policy, which goes into effect this July.
> 
> Check it: (Via The Bleacher Report)
> 
> ...



10charlimit


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 16, 2015)

Kuya said:


> Lombard vs. Macdonald is set, who you guys got?



Rory.

10char


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 17, 2015)

World Series of Fighting 17, Jake Shields vs Brian Foster is tonight.

Conor McGregor vs Dennis Siver tomorrow night.

.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 17, 2015)

Nothing against Sivir, but i hope McGregor wins and in emphatic fashion.

McGregor's got such a unique and exciting style and he's got the X Factor and great charisma.

UFC really does need another star and face of the company.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jan 18, 2015)

I could see MacDonald-Lombard going like the Ellenberger fight, but slower paced. Lombard fights in spots at best. He is dangerous when he explodes, but that is only a couple times a round for the most part. Plus he is a headhunter, completely ignored Burkman's body when it was there all night. The chances of him landing anything significant on MacDonald aren't very high, I don't think. However, MacDonald doesn't typically look good against southpaws and he is always more cautious against guys who have power or who he feels can take him down. 

Lombard is very careful about range, very patient, and has strong timing. In his fight with Shields (even though he is a bad striker) you will see all of that. He is very good at timing his left hand when his opponent tries to walk straight in on him, with kicks or punches. He was able to stand at the perfect range to have almost all of Shields' jabs miss by a few inches, meaning Shields was always close enough to be countered but never close enough to have confidence working off the jab. All he had to do was wait for his openings then unload. His style is perfectly suited to his strengths, but obviously MacDonald has a much better jab and striking in general than Shields. He is a great athlete with crazy punching power. He waits until he gets his opponents off balance, then goes for the kill, and either enters the clinch or eases off when they start recovering their positioning. He picks his shots well, is more accurate than you'd expect and his clinch work is very good. His defence is better than many would think too. 

He is not the best striker in the division or anything but he is dangerous and there is a lot more going on than just speed and power. His striking is based off that, but there is technique and strategy to what he does. Lombard isn't that different from Woodley in that he is very explosive but only at times. He is very patient and careful about when he explodes and initiates (sometimes too patient, like against Okami and Boetsch), so I could see MacDonald pulling ahead just by not over-committing and giving Lombard his openings. It should be a tense fight to watch though, and I'd be more interested in the grappling exchanges. Lombard has really good trips and throws, but he doesn't have the best set-ups and isn't as dangerous once he is on the ground as he is when he is punching or tossing guys. 

I think it likely will be a pretty uneventful fight honestly, don't really like watching either guy for the most part (Lawler, Maia, Wonderboy, Thatch, Story, Condit, Brown, Gunni, Saffiedine are the WWs I like the most and deliver fairly consistently, imo, although to varying degrees for some). MacDonald will likely outpoint him at range and he might walk him down if Lombard gasses bad, but other than that I am not getting my hopes up. He has improved his punching mechanics and showed a better understanding of generating power from his hips/stance if the Saffiedine fight is an indication, but consistency hasn't been tested yet.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 18, 2015)

I could see McGregor defeating Aldo.  Then moving up to 155 and beating Pettis.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jan 18, 2015)

Stylistically, I think Aldo-McGregor is a compelling fight. One thing McGregor has going for him against Aldo's low kicks is that he is a southpaw, and the inside low kicks should be easier to defend for him. Also McGregor can fight effectively on the front-foot, can pressure guys (likely to a better degree than anyone Aldo has fought) while he does love his aggressive counter-striking. People don't typically walk Aldo down, usually can't get past his jab so they end up circling around him, but McGregor walks down everyone he fights unless they are diving into his fists like Brimage or Buchinger. Aldo likes to kick when guys move away from him, not when they move towards him. That entire dynamic makes it an interesting fight. 

I'm not saying Aldo won't be able to work his low kicks, just that McGregor will likely have an easier time defending than he would if he were orthodox. But I don't think it's about whether or not he poses a threat on the ground for him to be able to pressure. Throughout his career, pretty much everyone but Brimage has been pushed back and beaten up by McGregor. And that is only because Brimage just kept rushing him so he was fine countering. Every fight, McGregor goes out there and pressures. Aldo's opponents don't usually do that, even the guys who theoretically should pose a threat on the ground. 

Edgar, Lamas, and Mendes all spent most of their fights circling around Aldo, not walking him down (CSJ had brief success with it and got through a couple layers of Aldo's defence with some combinations, backing Aldo up). That might be the biggest difference McGregor brings and a big factor in that fight is whether Aldo can keep McGregor off him and stay in the centre, or if Aldo will get pushed back and be the one moving around the outside. I could see McGregor getting outmaneuvered and eating some low kicks for sure (has taken quite a bit in his last couple fights), as his stance is wide (can't pivot as effectively, or in/out if he hops back when threatened. I think him and Aldo both have skills that could prove troublesome for the other which makes it interesting. McGregor has the means to win if he utilizes constant pressure, controls the octagon and exhibits superior cagecraft, and correctly catches and counters in a lot of the exchanges (especially when Aldo adapts as he as pure a tactician as there is in MMA). His pressure, size/athleticism, defence, and striking skills would be a challenge.

McGregor has a pretty good soft cross where his head will come from centre to the right, and use that movement of throwing that punch to get his head and lead foot outside of his opponent, and come around to an outside angle. He likes to follow with that right uppercut, staying over that right hip. The punch is useful for transferring weight from the back-foot to the front-foot, for taking angles, and is a really interesting technique to watch out for in the orthodox/southpaw match-up. How Aldo reacts to the strikes will be interesting to see as McGregor is good at allowing telegraphs to be feints. It could be any number of strikes coming at him if he sees the left side of his body moving, a left knee, uppercut, wide left, straight left, left high kick, etc. 

Aldo's last fight with a southpaw was one of his best boxing performances though, arguably the best. It was Florian who had pretty good boxing by that time, and is only one of two fighters I can think of that looked good and dominated Guida with boxing (the other being Mendes). His footwork and upper body movement was sublime in that fight. Some of the best footwork Aldo has shown, great pivots and angle changes to set up punches, as well as defensively after punching. He showed significant improvements from the Hominick fight, and was just taking angles and landed heaters against Florian, constantly taking the outside angle. Florian's game-plan revolved on establishing the inside foot position, using his jab and feinted teeps to get in range to land more authoritative strikes and TDs, but Aldo was just so sound with his footwork, defensively and being in the right positions. He set up some great low kicks and Florian had trained in Thailand with the GOAT MT trainer. His top game was also great there, passing was on point and Florian is an underrated grappler who was game throughout.

---

I think Siver is a decent all-around test tbh, especially if his durability holds up (wanted to see this or the Lentz-Oliveira winner match-up over Poirier), with the combination of his quick/high output kicking (from orthodox a light test to show how he would handle some aspects of Aldo's kicking game, even though Siver doesn't have anywhere near the power, though he does throw more variety and is more dynamic with his kicks), wrestling (no Mendes, Lentz, or Edgar at that aspect though), and top game. I expect McGregor to win pretty easily but not without some issues from Siver, like a good solid left hook if McGregor isn't careful throwing those left straights. He throws a lot of them but very rarely puts anything behind them. Half the time he ends up with straight legs, leaning forward, and reaching looking very vulnerable for a second. 

He is a very fundamental striker for MMA standards, good posture and positioning, but that is sometimes a real hole. The way he throws them is specifically designed to make them harder to see, but they aren't impossible to avoid. And I think Siver is more capable of being that counter-puncher than Poirier was. McGregor has the pressure game to pay off against Siver, which he needs constantly to establish his presence early. It should be interesting to see how he deals with them, how he defends against them, going to have to be versatile with his defence.

Siver is fundamentally solid with his grappling, has a nice little knee tap, and runs down the line well when he grabs a leg for a single. I am not sure if McGregor is great at getting back to his feet, or how good his counter-wrestling game is, but he is really good at controlling distance which will be very tough for Siver to deal with. His grappling looked pretty good but not great against Brandao; his TDD and grappling continue to improve but I am not sure to what degree. I think he could get controlled and beaten up if he is not careful. Siver's top game is among the best in the division and definitely the best McGregor will face so far, just really good at that pinning style and he is obviously very strong (incredibly heavy on top). Even Swanson (who likely is much better off his back than McGregor) struggled to get Siver off him. It took some work for him to even get from side control to half guard; then from there it still took several different attacks and finally the threat of a guillotine for Swanson to get his hips out and stand up. 

McGregor likes probing with different things to test reactions and adapt/vary his strike selection accordingly. Against shorter guys like Siver who like to duck down in the pocket, react to the probing with takedown attempts as he looks to get inside and will likely look to wrestle him, McGregor will probably use his left uppercuts and bolo punches, things that exploit level changes, jumping knees, stepping counter knees, etc. I think McGregor's lead hand, if he can get the jab working vs Siver's lead kick is the fundamental striking battle here. Both guys have more of a TKD-style of kicks, linear kicks and both value speed over power for them. Both don't rely on landing their kicks, a lot of the times it works to set-up things like Siver diving on the hips as he fakes the kick as a feint, and uses them to get guys' hands up and work his TDs.

Another thing that has potential to be a takedown deterrent is his left high kick. From the Buchinger and Hill fights, along with a lot of his earlier fights in his career, you could see it, kind of verticalish similar to how Jon Jones throws his high kicks. It almost comes up in a straight line like an uppercut but just much longer range and at an angle to loop over and catch somebody on the head. Siver has had trouble with similar kicks like that in the past, most notably against Cerrone`s switch kick. The trajectory was interesting because Siver tried to answer it with a reaction of ducking his head, lowering his level, and pulling his head back over his right leg. I think that is a built in response for him (almost every fighter has their own same tendencies when they aren't sure what's coming) and that left high kick is a perfect counter for it (and because of his flexibility he can use it at pretty close distances), especially with how McGregor works it in with his pressuring and triple threat of his left straight and hook to test reactions, head movement, and choose an option. 

If this fight lasts long enough I think it will tell a lot about McGregor and holes in his game that I don't think were plain to see recently. He is getting less efficient, where in his past couple fights there was too much flash, just him missing with a bunch of fancy kicks. Then his boxing (and wrestling later into the Hollaway fight) carries him through like always. He might be an example of a great athlete who learned the techniques fast, but doesn't have the application down on a consistent basis. Against Poirier he didn't know how to answer his low kicks effectively. He invited him to throw a punch, talked trash, dropped his hands, and he just covered up. He might be falling in love with the power in his hands, as he rarely measures his opponents with his lead hand anymore, doesn't use some of those subtle manipulations of distance or setting up traps, seems to frequently avoid using his head movement and footwork, ignores set-ups and feints to punch in longer succession, etc.


----------



## Cromer (Jan 18, 2015)

Love to see Dana's face if Siver fluked a KO in the first round.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 18, 2015)

Have it something like..

Conor McGregor > Dennis Siver 				
Benson Henderson < Donald Cerrone				
Uriah Hall >  Ron Stallings				
Norman Parke > Gleison Tibau 				

Cathal Pendred < Sean Spencer 				
John Howard > Lorenz Larkin 				
Zhang Lipeng < Chris Wade 				
Patrick Holohan > Shane Howell 				
Johnny Case > Francisco Trevino				
Charles Rosa > Sean Soriano 				

Matt Van Buren < Sean O'Connell 				
Tateki Matsuda > Joby Sanchez 	

.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 18, 2015)

Cromer said:


> Love to see Dana's face if Siver fluked a KO in the first round.


----------



## Legend (Jan 18, 2015)

That was underwhelming


----------



## Lurko (Jan 18, 2015)

That fight though.


----------



## TasteTheDifference (Jan 18, 2015)

oh fuck.... im loving this decision 

war cerrone


----------



## Lurko (Jan 18, 2015)

Benson trashy just like the Seahawks.


----------



## Legend (Jan 18, 2015)

Cowboy is on a mission


----------



## eHav (Jan 19, 2015)

pretty salty that benson didnt get the win.. 

McGoat now


----------



## eHav (Jan 19, 2015)

well hes dominating easily


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Jan 19, 2015)

Siver getting the shit kicked out of him.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 19, 2015)

Mcgregor is fucking Sivor up!


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Jan 19, 2015)

Ready to pay for Aldo vs McGregor already.


----------



## eHav (Jan 19, 2015)

that aldo face off  awsome


----------



## Lurko (Jan 19, 2015)

Mcgregor I fucking love you!


----------



## Legend (Jan 19, 2015)

Siver got trashed


----------



## Lurko (Jan 19, 2015)

Mcgregor vs Aldo is going to be great!!


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jan 19, 2015)

Aldo gave no fucks

Aldo via destruction


----------



## Kuya (Jan 19, 2015)

That was awesome


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 19, 2015)

Made aloooooot of money on tonights card. Good stuff.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 19, 2015)

The athletic commission might fine Conor for flipping Siver off.  Tito did the same thing to Stephan Bonnar in Bellator & got fined $2,500.

Other than that, as expected of Conor McGregor.

.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jan 20, 2015)

McGregor was technical and dominant, great performance, but with every fight he disregards defence more. Siver was never gonna be a tough fight, but was and did test him in a couple areas. I thought McGregor missed a lot of opportunities to throw his left to the body, and he was so reluctant to use his right hook, and kept throwing kicks that Siver was moving away from. But his control of distance was good as always, his punches were crisp, and he did what he was supposed to. 

Aldo is the best fighter alive though. He has a proven ability to actually slip the left hand and counter unlike all of McGregor's previous opponents. He has an amazing jab, likely the best footwork in the sport, much better head movement than anyone McGregor has fought, and I think the mentality to deal with McGregor's pressure. Aldo continues to grow and improve technically as well. He doesn't have the same explosive athleticism that he did in his younger days, but that doesn't make him worse, and he is definitely better all-around.

His boxing has improved by leaps and bounds. He has one of the best jabs in MMA now, and his combination punching is better than ever before. His footwork as well. He can pivot and side-step like few others in MMA, and his cagecraft is great. He used to back himself into the cage all the time, but that happens less and less with each fight. He is also a very capable counter puncher, both going forward and retreating on the back-foot, and that makes him dangerous no matter where the fight goes. 

As I said before McGregor is pretty vulnerable after his left straight/cross. It's a great punch for him, but he has never fought anyone who could slip it consistently. A lot of his ability to land it is him throwing it when his opponents are moving away and think they're safe, or when they're running into it. Aldo will be the first to have a way of defending it that isn't just back up, or move forward fast and hope it doesn't hit him. It is McGregor's most dangerous weapon, but it is also might be the best chance to hurt him imo (maybe the spinning stuff). Outside of his left high kicks it is the only thing he has been consistent with. He will land a decent right uppercut occasionally, maybe one of his spinning kicks will land, he'll throw a good side kick to the body once in awhile, but without the left straight he is much less intimidating. He leans his head forward and very rarely follows it up with anything. I really think Aldo can slip it, then counter it with like a straight right or right uppercut and hurt McGregor.

I don't think it is such a sure thing that McGregor wins a boxing match either. Aldo's not likely to just let McGregor shut down his lead hand, and he's definitely not gonna swing from too far away and run into counters. He will actually challenge McGregor for control of distance. I think Aldo is the superior boxer tbh, though he doesn't hit as hard. He has better footwork, a better jab, and he can punch with both hands, whereas McGregor is mostly left-side dependent. Aldo is also incredibly diverse, and loves to pressure as well. I don't doubt that McGregor will try to pressure him early, but it remains to be seen how he will react when he gets caught by a few Aldo counters. Essentially, Aldo used to be how McGregor is now: a dynamic powerhouse who loved to knock people out. Meanwhile, McGregor used to be a lesser version of what Aldo is now: an aggressive counter striker who excels at pressuring an opponent, drawing his lead, and then punishing him. Personally, I will take the technically superior veteran over the young dynamo.

There is also the grappling to consider, and I think Pederneiras will be telling Aldo to take McGregor down, while Aldo himself will be looking to embarrass him on the feet. Aldo could very likely set-up a TD in the first round, then slowly fall into a pattern of exchanging with McGregor until getting into some trouble on the feet, at which point Dede will have him shooting TDs again later in the fight. I think both guys have things that will trouble the other, and both will be pushed.

Some people think the majority of his recent fights being close with Aldo not that impressive, but I think that has to do with his nature as a fighter. He loves beating people in their element, and opponents are so afraid of attacking him that he never feels pressured to push the pace. When Mendes brought the war to him, we saw a level that Aldo hasn't shown in years because he hasn't had to. It is a sort of weakness in itself, but the fact that Aldo is a tactician doesn't mean that he is regressing. He has shown that he fights harder the harder he is pushed. He was all over Mendes after being dropped in the first round, and dropped him twice in that round. When Mendes hit him with that hard level-changed uppercut, Aldo knocked him down with a left hook moments later. Aldo's pride is his strength, whereas McGregor's pride might be his greatest weakness. Aldo refuses to be beaten in any exchange, while all I have seen from McGregor suggests that he refuses to believe that he can be beaten.

I can't wait for the match-up, but war Aldo. He had a G reaction to McGregor running at him, lol. He was seeing the money.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 20, 2015)

Mcgregor vs Aldo will be a war or just a knockout.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 20, 2015)

I still need to see Aldo vs Mendes.  I don't know if Mendes was a real test for Aldo.  Mendes is a great athlete but there are times he has looked average at best.  His fight with Clay Guida wasn't the greatest.  It is possible McGregor would finish Mendes in the 1st.

McGregor has shown he can fight moving backward or forward.  In most of his fights he's walking forward, pressuring people, walking them down.  Smashing them.  He's also shown decent defense in past fights.  A lot of Diego Brandao and Poirier's punches were blocked or missed when they were pressuring Conor heavily.  Conor absorbing those punches from Dennis Siver was uncharacteristic of him and if Conor fights smart, something he won't make a habit of.

Jose Aldo is usually moving backward in most of his fights.  He makes people come to him, fires a combo, then moves out of range before they can fire back.  He rinses and repeats those basics ad infinitum.  It causes him to look technically sound and invincible at times.  Whether its because Aldo has no holes in his game, or whether its moreso a result of everyone Aldo fought not knowing how to exploit his weaknesses is questioinable.  Aldo doesn't initiate as often as Conor does & tends to fight much more conservatively.

It'll come down to whether Conor is better at initiating than Aldo is at countering or defending.  Who lands first & who lands the more damaging shots.  I think Conor hits a lot harder than Aldo does and has an advantage in terms of power and 4 inches of reach.  He could literally finish Aldo with 1 punch, whereas I doubt Aldo could finish Conor with a single strike.  

Like a lot of people have said, Conor being a southpaw could negate Aldo's heavy leg kick.  I'm not sure how much Aldo telegraphs that move.  I always thought Aldo telegraphed it because he whips his left arm over to his left side before he throws it.  Conor seems to have extremely fast reflexes.  It is possible he could pick up Aldo telegraphing it.  Its hard to say, it seems obvious and it seems like Aldo is telegraphing it watching his fights.  But standing in the cage across from Aldo it could be a different story.

Korean Zombie is about the same size and height as Conor and he had some success in his fight with Aldo up until his shoulder dislocated.  Conor is about the same size as Korean Zombie with better striking.  If anyone's equipped to defeat Aldo, Conor could be the man.

I have a feeling if Aldo and Conor were both at 100%.  Conor would win.  But Conor has also been showing what might be called signs of mental instability of late.  I think the press conferences and long training sessions might be taking a toll on him.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 20, 2015)

Ghost_of_Gashir said:


> Ready to pay for Aldo vs McGregor already.



This is how you know McGregor is a superstar. You can't get enough of the guy and want to see him.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 20, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Made aloooooot of money on tonights card. Good stuff.



Virgil Zwicker over Houston Alexander and Conor McGregor via finish under 1.5 rounds near to tripled my cash.  I wish I had played the WSOF card almost all of my calls would have been correct.

What were your plays?



Kuya said:


> This is how you know McGregor is a superstar. You can't get enough of the guy and want to see him.



Floyd Mayweather has done $10 million dollar gates at his fights in the past.  Conor vs Siver sold out in Boston & did a $1.34 million gate.  Ronda Rousey did a $4.4 million gate at UFC 175.

There's no doubt Conor is a freak of nature & it'll be interesting to see how he and Aldo rate in Vegas.

It would be cool if someone in MMA was a big star on the level of a Pacquiao or Mayweather.  Unfortunately it hasn't happened yet.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 20, 2015)

Sanity Check said:


> Virgil Zwicker over Houston Alexander and Conor McGregor via finish under 1.5 rounds near to tripled my cash.  I wish I had played the WSOF card almost all of my calls would have been correct.
> 
> What were your plays?


Well I got totally fucked on the Houston Alexander/Zwicker fight... last time I trust my money with a  40+yr old man. I had a Pitbull, Shields, Hall, McGregor parlay and outside of the parlay I went 9/9 the Boston card! I can't believe that the judges saw Pendred and Cerrone my way, but I'm not complaining.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 20, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Well I got totally fucked on the Houston Alexander/Zwicker fight... last time I trust my money with a  40+yr old man. I had a Pitbull, Shields, Hall, McGregor parlay and outside of the parlay I went 9/9 the Boston card! I can't believe that the judges saw Pendred and Cerrone my way, but I'm not complaining.



Nice.

I had a good run, too.  Messed up choosing Howard over Larkin.  Costed me 2 wins on kountermove since Howard only scored 5 points.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jan 22, 2015)

Assuncao-Faber II is going to main event FN 62, Mendes-Lamas for FN 63. Honestly I have a hard time seeing anyone besides Aldo beat this current version of Mendes. He is comfortably in my Top-10 p4p right now, guy has just grown a lot technically, and with his set-ups. 

Lamas is a very legit FW even though the Dias win (a tough style to deal with) wasn't too convincing. He has a tendency to look meh until he suddenly ends your night, just not the most cohesive MMA game. One of the best opportunists in the sport, but a deceptively cerebral fighter. He is not a specialist, but is well-rounded, crafty, fearless, and likely owns the best, most complete top game in the division. I just don't see him having many, if any, opportunities to use that against Mendes. If Mendes compromises his positioning badly enough or gives Lamas an easy opening, he could get hurt and Lamas is one of the best finishers in the division. But overall, I can't see him winning it, and despite how tough he is, he likely gets stopped.

I got Assuncao by decision. I think he breaks the streak (Faber has never lost a non-title fight, 21-0). Their first fight was very good and competitive, but Assuncao has improved a lot more than Faber since then, especially with his striking. He is one of the most complete technicians in MMA and his unique striking may be the most under-appreciated in the sport. His striking is arguably the most technical in the BW division (Dillashaw, maybe Moraes and Thominhas but they are less tested). He is in some ways like the Machida of BW (not stylistically per se, although both have great counter-striking) since he is so complete that he has a way to match up well with any other BW, including the top tier guys. 

He was a great FW before he dropped down, should have got the decisions over Jeff Curran (who is one of the best FWs we have seen in MMA) and Nunes, for a 25-2 record. The only losses being to the 2nd greatest FW ever (competitive right up to the finish, with it being 1-1 going to the 3rd - even though Faber was clearly winning it late, and Assuncao took a big risk and compromised his positioning and got choked). He is a legit Top-15 p4p guy, imo. I think this will be the fight to really showcase it, and the biggest worry I think will be his conditioning following the ankle injury (hopefully nothing serious), considering he doesn't have much experience with 5-rounders.

I think Faber will struggle with his counter game and pivots, and even though Assuncao has a lot of trouble finding his range when he is the one moving forward, I don't think Faber has the right skill-set to really threaten pulling away on the cards on the feet. But when Assuncao uses his jab (like in the 3rd round against Munhoz) he can be very effective on the front-foot and we might see more of that depending on how Faber approaches this. Rivera was giving Faber all sorts of problems with his counter-punching and Assuncao is the best at that in the division. Couple that in with a solid game utilizing his kicks and knees, which have troubled Faber over his career, and I see him having a bad time on the feet.

Assuncao's grappling has improved too. When Dillashaw took him down in the first he got up with a nice arm drag and elevation from butterfly guard, then pummeled for the underhook and drove Dillashaw off him. Dillashaw isn't the overall grappler Faber is, but he does some things and set-ups with his wrestling at not a totally different level. Assuncao is one of the best counter-wrestlers out of the lighter weight guys, and he might even be better than Faber in scrambles these days. His mat game is cold, the escapes from the bottom are very technical and crafty, his guard passing is still some of the best in the division if he gets to that position (against Lee he had that s-mount transition into the armbar), and he has a nasty and practical guard game, which is actually fairly rare in MMA today with how well-rounded fighters have gotten. 

Assuncao shouldn't get frustrated if Faber tries to control the distance like he did against McDonald with the pot-shooting, and force him to create openings in other ways. I think he has shown that he won't be set-up so easily by foot traps like the Dillashaw fight showed, so Faber will likely need to show something new. Assuncao will need to have the right game-plan for Faber's right hand, especially the cross counter which along with his understanding of angles, he has gotten better at setting up over the past couple years. Still, despite Faber's technical improvements he still relies on athleticism quite a bit, and I don't see that being enough for the top guys in the division (Cruz, Dillashaw, Assuncao, Barao).

Even outside of the bigger name guys, lot of match-ups to look forward to: Wonderboy-Thatch, Johnson-Barboza, Khabilov-Martins, Hollaway-Cole Miller, Curran-Weicehel, Felder-Jim Miller, Makovsky-Elliott. Iaquinta-Lauzon, Masvidal-Green, McGeary-Newton, Lima-Daley, Hettes-Brandao, Borg-Kelades, Pearson-Stout, etc.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 22, 2015)

I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but Jones passed his post fight tests too.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 23, 2015)

I have Mendes near my top p4p, he's such a complete fighter


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Jan 23, 2015)

Normally I don't judge a fighter too much for what they say or do outside of the octagon, but Gustafsson should really shut his own mouth. Preaching to Jones about how they're "meant to be role models" really rubbed me the wrong way. Fighters shouldn't be expected to be role models and none of Jones's personal fuckups compare to Gustafsson's degenerate past. He's lucky that no one brings it up more often because another UFC fighter lost his job last year for domestic violence that occurred around the same age that Gustafsson was still getting into similar trouble. 

He might be completely reformed these days but he should keep that holier than thou horseshit in check.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 23, 2015)

Jones and DC blood tests come back clean.


----------



## Legend (Jan 24, 2015)

Dat KO


----------



## Legend (Jan 24, 2015)

Hendo needs to retire


----------



## Lurko (Jan 24, 2015)

Legend said:


> Hendo needs to retire



Yeah he does but stoppage was kinda early.


----------



## Legend (Jan 24, 2015)

He was gonna get trashed as he was against the wall


----------



## Lurko (Jan 24, 2015)

Real fight is next, knockout is coming. I'm just feeling it.


----------



## Legend (Jan 24, 2015)

Daaaaaaaamn Rumble vs Jones is gonna be great

Both Swedes got KOed


----------



## TasteTheDifference (Jan 24, 2015)

well shit...... looks like jones has this fight now


----------



## Lurko (Jan 24, 2015)

Holy fucking shit Jones must be shitting his pants real shit.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 24, 2015)

Holy fuck... Johnson...


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Jan 24, 2015)

Joe Rogan with the same hack questions after every single fight.


----------



## Lurko (Jan 24, 2015)

Rumble is the Mike Tyson of the Ufc, just pure power.


----------



## eHav (Jan 24, 2015)

RUMBLED HAHAHAHAHA

but shit tho, i hope he doesnt beat jones :\


----------



## eHav (Jan 24, 2015)

Former Obd Lurker. said:


> Yeah he does but stoppage was kinda early.



nah, the other angle shows hendo dragging his face along the canvas completely out of it


----------



## Legend (Jan 24, 2015)

I called Rumble winning this fight weeks ago


----------



## eHav (Jan 24, 2015)

Masterpiece said:


> Gustafsson lost?



eyepokes rumble, break, recover, goes to touch gloves and imediatly throws a kick, gets decked in the face,gets rumbled for a while, gg


----------



## Lurko (Jan 24, 2015)

Rumble caught him off guard after that eye poke hopefully Jones gets the same treatment when he eye pokes him.


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 24, 2015)

Legend said:


> I called Rumble winning this fight weeks ago



Weeks?

I had Rumble winning months ago.

I bet $$$ on it.

Middle bet in image below is something like a +5000 win.  



Sanity Check said:


> Just need Anthony Johnson and Nick Diaz to win for my accumulator bets to pan out.
> 
> [sp][/sp]


----------



## Legend (Jan 24, 2015)

Rumble was like a beast after that eye poke Alex had no idea what happened to him


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 24, 2015)

Alexander Gustafsson says 'Rumble' Johnson is 'a one-dimensional fighter'. Jones said he wasn't impressed with Gus and deleted the tweet,


----------



## Legend (Jan 24, 2015)

when was this?


----------



## Lurko (Jan 24, 2015)

Neighborhood Sniper said:


> Alexander Gustafsson says 'Rumble' Johnson is 'a one-dimensional fighter'. Jones said he wasn't impressed with Gus and deleted the tweet,



Why are ufc fighters so dumb some times? Gus and Jones both need to shut up.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Jan 24, 2015)

Oh man Anthony is truly scary.


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Jan 24, 2015)

Gustafsson


----------



## Sanity Check (Jan 24, 2015)

Sanity Check said:


> I think Anthony Johnson wins.
> 
> People praise Gustafsson's boxing, but I don't think his striking was ever really that great.  I think Johnson's striking is better.  Johnson might have finished Shogun, Thiago Silva and the others Gustafsson fought to decision wins.  The reason people give Gustafsson so much credit is because he did the best against Jon Jones, a title formerly owned by Rampage that Gustafsson inherited from Rashad.



.

Called it 2 months ^ ago.

I think I'm going to stop posting in this thread and on MMA forums.

People are beginning to tail my calls, when they would have hugged Gustafsson's balls had I not said anything.  They're better off hugging the balls.


----------



## eHav (Jan 25, 2015)

Anthony "Humble" Johnson in the post fight press conf. 

i still want jones to win, but i like rumble more than any other contender since rashad


----------



## Kuya (Jan 25, 2015)

Last year, the Rock predicted Rumble would be champion in 2015.

He may be right.


----------



## Zhen Chan (Jan 25, 2015)

Sanity Check said:


> Weeks?
> 
> I had Rumble winning months ago.
> 
> ...



Diaz over silva? Really bro?


----------



## Stringer (Jan 25, 2015)

Fuck, hated to see my boy Gustafsson lose in that fashion, on home soil no less.

Will feel much better soon as Rumble takes away Jones' LHW belt by the end of this year.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 29, 2015)

Team Silva or Team Diaz?

Me? I am with Diaz. 3rd or 4th round TKO. 

And him winning is more interesting, since it could set up a potential Lawler-Diaz rematch if Lawler beats the next contender.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 29, 2015)

Also there seems to be almost no hype/marketing for Silva/Diaz.

All the Jones/Cormier and McGregor hype earlier this month stole their thunder. It is too much too soon. They should have better spaced out these big fights.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Jan 29, 2015)

I'm just happy to have a month of big exciting fights. I wish there were less events in general though.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Jan 29, 2015)

I'm rooting for Diaz. I don't really care who wins, but I'm a bigger Diaz fan so there's that.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Jan 29, 2015)

Same here. I just don't want Diaz to lose badly and retire. If we never get to see a Diaz/Lawler rematch I'll be crushed.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Jan 29, 2015)

I hope he shows up ready to fight. A part of me is expecting to see him half ass the fight just so he can get a pay day. 

Lawler/Diaz would be be amazing to see. Hell, even if Diaz loses I still wouldn't mind seeing the rematch with Lawler some time down the line when Robbie is no longer champ (I.e. whenever he faces Rory)


----------



## Lurko (Jan 29, 2015)

I hope Diaz wins so Silva will just retire, I don't want him going out like Chuck did.


----------



## Azzuri (Jan 30, 2015)

Weidman is injured and Cat/Rousey will headline UFC 184.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 30, 2015)

The fuck?

How many times has Vitor/Weidman have to be rescheduled?


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 30, 2015)

They should make the upcoming Machida/Rockhold fight an interim title fight. Or have Vitor fight one of them for the interim title.

When Weidman recovers he can go and try to unificate the belts.

Keep the belt in rotation. The division is already stacked as it is.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 30, 2015)

- Weidman injured again 
- Father Time is creeping up on Vitor


----------



## Lurko (Jan 30, 2015)

Weidman is a beast but it means nothing if he keeps getting hurt.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Jan 31, 2015)

Make Diaz vs Silva an interim title fight.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 31, 2015)

I'm pumped for Silva vs. Diaz


----------



## Cromer (Jan 31, 2015)

Why is Weidman always injured?


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Jan 31, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]sz5gCKKG6Ws[/YOUTUBE]

Stockton bitch!


----------



## Kuya (Jan 31, 2015)

Prelims start now!


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Jan 31, 2015)

It's sad that even when there's a big MMA event on and no WWE shows the wrestling thread still gets way more activity. I enjoy watching both but I wish MMA wasn't such a fringe sport.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 31, 2015)

This card is super stacked too


----------



## Legend (Jan 31, 2015)

These fights have been entertaining so far


----------



## Legend (Jan 31, 2015)

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn


----------



## Kuya (Jan 31, 2015)

Nice finish


----------



## Zhen Chan (Jan 31, 2015)

McMahon is throwing hands like a fucking G


----------



## Zhen Chan (Jan 31, 2015)

Earned that win


----------



## Kuya (Jan 31, 2015)

i thought McMann was gonna win, i overestimated her


----------



## Legend (Jan 31, 2015)

Tate is a cute bruiser


----------



## Legend (Jan 31, 2015)

Damn this round

Mien is throwing bombs


----------



## Legend (Jan 31, 2015)

Alvez kicked the life out of Mien


----------



## Legend (Jan 31, 2015)

The pain from it was delayed


----------



## eHav (Jan 31, 2015)

happy for Alves


----------



## Kuya (Jan 31, 2015)

Crazy how just a couple years ago Boetsch looked like a darkhorse contender


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 31, 2015)

Did anyone else hear the female screams (probably Joe Lauzon's wife) during his beatdown?

Heartwrenching stuff to hear man.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 31, 2015)

Also all brazilians on this event have won so far.

Let us hope the trend doesn't continue.

War Diaz.


----------



## Legend (Jan 31, 2015)

No I didnt catch the screams, dude has heart


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 31, 2015)

Vegas crowd is p4p worst crowd in the world.


----------



## Legend (Jan 31, 2015)

This fight is on the boring side due to lack of exchange


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 31, 2015)

Shit fight. I dont like Tyron Woodley's fighting style at all.

Too tentative. 

You wouldn't expect that of someone as physically imposing as him.


----------



## Legend (Jan 31, 2015)

He gave a bullshit excuse he didnt wanna KO him. Dude If you can KO a guy, you do it, you never leave a guy hanging around.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 31, 2015)

Cool that he decided to return the 30% purse penalty to Gastelum though.


----------



## Legend (Jan 31, 2015)

Yeah I generally like him, the fight was just BS.

Lets go silvaaaa


----------



## Kuya (Feb 1, 2015)

i knew this fight would be awesome


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Feb 1, 2015)

Diaz doing some stupid shit.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Feb 1, 2015)

WAR DIAZ!!!!


----------



## Kuya (Feb 1, 2015)

Diaz and his elbow stance of doom


----------



## Legend (Feb 1, 2015)

Diaz just trollin


----------



## Random Stranger (Feb 1, 2015)

Most entertaining fight in UFC history, Joe!


----------



## Legend (Feb 1, 2015)

Not sure about round 3 but 1 and 2 are silva's imo


----------



## Legend (Feb 1, 2015)

Silva won outright


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Feb 1, 2015)

Silva's crying


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Feb 1, 2015)

I had Diaz round 3. I'm taking that as a moral victory.


----------



## eHav (Feb 1, 2015)

well people were saying he wouldnt fight again and all that so i'd guess hes pretty emotional


----------



## Legend (Feb 1, 2015)

This might be the end though


----------



## eHav (Feb 1, 2015)




----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Feb 1, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]9v6CZMKDUHc[/YOUTUBE]

Post fight press conference if anyone is interested.

EDIT: Diaz's eye is fucked up so he's getting that taken care of. Not even worth watching.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 1, 2015)

i wanna see Diaz vs. Rory and Anderson vs. Machida


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Feb 1, 2015)

eHav said:


>



Everyone at the bar I was watching at died when he did that.


----------



## Azzuri (Feb 1, 2015)

Masterpiece said:


> What did he do?


----------



## LordPerucho (Feb 1, 2015)

Masterpiece said:


> What did he do?



Reminded Silva when Weidman KOd him.

Speaking of Silva, basing on his performance vs Diaz, I think Punk would have a fair shot in beating him.


----------



## Violent by Design (Feb 1, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> Did anyone else hear the female screams (probably Joe Lauzon's wife) during his beatdown?
> 
> Heartwrenching stuff to hear man.



It was like she was witnessing a murder, the woman screaming was most likely his wife or girlfriend.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 1, 2015)

LordPerucho said:


> Speaking of Silva, basing on his perforamnce vs Diaz, I think Punk would have a fair shot in beating them.



Punk would get knocked the f*ck out likely in the first round.


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Feb 1, 2015)

Did that shithead just say Punk would be able to beat Anderson Silva?


----------



## Kuya (Feb 1, 2015)

Silva loses via Punk delivering his 3rd GTS in the 4th round.

I can't wait till Punk comes out to "Cult of Personality" as he walks to the Octagon 

I don't understand why Brock never used his WWE theme, it's intimidating as fuck 

[YOUTUBE]YSSHJtkndIg[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## LordPerucho (Feb 1, 2015)

Ghost, you also think Silva was holding back vs Diaz?


----------



## Legend (Feb 1, 2015)

Silva was feeling himself out


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Feb 1, 2015)

Silva had to work off the ring rust and had to test out that leg. Diaz isn't exactly a scrub either.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Feb 1, 2015)

LordPerucho said:


> Ghost, you also think Silva was holding back vs Diaz?



Both guys would kill Punk. I thought you were trolling at first.


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Feb 3, 2015)

Anderson and Diaz both failed drug tests


Anderson for roids and Diaz for weed

I'm heart broken


----------



## eHav (Feb 3, 2015)

Silva i did not expect, but Diaz and weed? is normal


----------



## Lurko (Feb 3, 2015)

Silva just retire man please...


----------



## Gibbs (Feb 3, 2015)

Has there been any news about CM Punk's debut?


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Feb 3, 2015)

There were more drugs involved in the Silva/Diaz match than the entire run of Breaking Bad.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Feb 3, 2015)

Drug tests surprised me after originally seeing them.

Well, Silva's results did. Can't say Nick Diaz failing for weed is a shocker.


----------



## Legend (Feb 3, 2015)

and people where talking shit about Jon Jones

Its a shame tho


----------



## Kuya (Feb 4, 2015)

Legend said:


> and people where talking shit about Jon Jones
> 
> Its a shame tho



Steroids are common, cocaine is just extreme and foolish. Why wouldn't you talk shit about Jones being a cokehead? 

Seriously, if Anderson isn't clean, i don't trust anybody in the UFC to be clean. Females included.


----------



## Lurko (Feb 4, 2015)

I think Silva took roids because he needed the boost after what happen to his leg and confidence. I don't expect every ufc fighter on roids not even close.


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 4, 2015)

Kuya said:


> *Steroids are common, cocaine is just extreme and foolish.* Why wouldn't you talk shit about Jones being a cokehead?
> 
> Seriously, if Anderson isn't clean, i don't trust anybody in the UFC to be clean. Females included.


Cocaine is self-destructive; roids on the other hand are equivalent to bringing a weapon into the octagon with you. It's clear which one should be shunned worse than the other.



Former Obd Lurker. said:


> I think Silva took roids because he  needed the boost after what happen to his leg and confidence. I don't  expect every ufc fighter on roids not even close.


It's probably the reason Anderson healed so quickly. A 13 month turnaround after an injury like that to a man in his late-30ies is fucking astonishing in hindsight.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Feb 4, 2015)

Nick would have TKO'd a non-PED using Silva. I don't know how anyone can compare weed & coke to anabolic steroids.


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 4, 2015)

Jericho said:


> Nick would have TKO'd a non-PED using Silva. I don't know how anyone can compare weed & coke to anabolic steroids.


Weed is a natural pain killer and also helps manage anxiety which is why it's a banned substance in competition (though, like coke, it isn't banned out of competition). It grants a competitive edge for sure, but not nearly to the degree that roids do.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 4, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Cocaine is self-destructive; roids on the other hand are equivalent to bringing a weapon into the octagon with you. It's clear which one should be shunned worse than the other.



obviously, the shock factor goes to cocaine though. hence why talking shit about jones was warranted. bashing Silva for failing the drug is also acceptable.


----------



## Lurko (Feb 4, 2015)

Weed sometimes gives me anxiety so not sure about that plus he's not high when he's fighting. Weed is terrible in boosting someone's fighting performance.


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 4, 2015)

Kuya said:


> obviously, the shock factor goes to cocaine though.


Personally, I don't care what guys do out of competition as long as it isn't detrimental to the health of another human being. Does anyone here *really *care if Jon Jones dropped dead of a cocaine OD? I care more about a clean fighter getting laid out by a PED user and risking brain damage as a result, and to a lesser extent their career being set back because of it (Like Bisping (multiple times) and Rockhold).


----------



## TasteTheDifference (Feb 4, 2015)

Here's an interesting take on silva testing positive form someone who used to make/deal steroids

[YOUTUBE]a5R875R_wKU[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Cromer (Feb 8, 2015)

Welp, at least we know Cormier's drug of choice


----------



## Legend (Feb 8, 2015)

Dun Geddit.


----------



## Cromer (Feb 8, 2015)

Legend said:


> Dun Geddit.


[YOUTUBE]M0CfNA12aFw[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Legend (Feb 8, 2015)

.........................What the FUUUUUUUUUCK


----------



## Kuya (Feb 8, 2015)

CORMIER DA GOAT


----------



## Kuya (Feb 9, 2015)

Bae


----------



## Legend (Feb 9, 2015)

She has a surprisingly nice rack


also Bae means shit


----------



## Kuya (Feb 9, 2015)




----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Feb 10, 2015)

Lombard popped for steroids.


----------



## Lurko (Feb 10, 2015)

Not surprised to read that.


----------



## Cromer (Feb 10, 2015)

Everybody getting popped for their cycle


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 10, 2015)

Jericho said:


> Lombard popped for steroids.


Does this really surprise anyone? Hahahahaha..


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 10, 2015)

Condit vs MacDonald II makes sense


----------



## Legend (Feb 11, 2015)

I wonder why people are getting caught so frequently now


----------



## Lurko (Feb 11, 2015)

I have a feeling Hendricks and Rumble use roids, hope I'm wrong.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 11, 2015)

John Fitch got caught 


I don't trust any fighter now


----------



## Lurko (Feb 11, 2015)

No wonder Gsp doesn't want to come back.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 11, 2015)

Mighty Mouse and Cain being dirty would be awful


----------



## Kuya (Feb 11, 2015)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Edgar-Faber finally happening, been a superfight for a long time. War Edgar ... East Coast > West Coast, Biggie > Pac.



Thank God! I've been waiting for this for a very very long time. I'm a HUGE fan of both. I think Frankie has slight advantage.


----------



## Legend (Feb 12, 2015)

Herb Dean gonna get caught next


----------



## Suzuku (Feb 14, 2015)

Ray Borg


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Feb 15, 2015)

Benson made me a fan tonight. 5 inch height disadvantage and 10+ weight disadvantage and won.

Beautiful performance.


----------



## eHav (Feb 15, 2015)

benson is a boss, beats thatch, calls out rory mac 

hes so underated because of the decisions


----------



## eHav (Feb 15, 2015)

the toothpick tho 

*Spoiler*: __


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Feb 15, 2015)

Bendo is a G. 

[YOUTUBE]Ozn9wdI1ikI[/YOUTUBE]

Post fight press conference if anyone is interested.


----------



## Lurko (Feb 15, 2015)

Thatch got exposed.


----------



## Ceasar Drake (Feb 18, 2015)

thatch was lighting hendo up shame brandon ain't got no ground game


----------



## Matariki (Feb 19, 2015)

> Rory MacDonald will fight Lawler in July for the UFC welterweight title.


----------



## Cromer (Feb 19, 2015)

Thorin said:


>


Uh, what? Glurgh.


----------



## Legend (Feb 19, 2015)

UFC 187 will be epic if no one pulls out


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 19, 2015)

Rory is going to be keeping that belt for a long time


----------



## Legend (Feb 21, 2015)

Anyone have a link?


----------



## Legend (Feb 21, 2015)

oh its tomorrow


----------



## Matariki (Feb 22, 2015)

Legend said:


> oh its tomorrow



looks terrible, the main event says it all


----------



## Random Stranger (Feb 22, 2015)

Thorin said:


> looks terrible, the main event says it all


Yeah, main event is a shit.

The co-main of Barboza vs. Johnson is  pretty sweet though.

It is the only fight I am actually looking forward to on this card.


----------



## Legend (Feb 22, 2015)

That bantamweight match was good in the preshow


----------



## Kuya (Feb 23, 2015)

Mark Hunt demolished Bigfoot's chin


----------



## LordPerucho (Feb 23, 2015)

Big Foot looked pathetic last night, and Mir isnt "back", just Big Foot was that bad even Lesnar wouldve beat him..


----------



## Kuya (Feb 23, 2015)

Mirs' boxing took a noticeable leap


----------



## Legend (Feb 23, 2015)

at least it'll give him some momentum


----------



## Kuya (Feb 24, 2015)

Mir is an excellent gatekeeper. 

Heavyweights are ALWAYS fun to watch for 99% of fans which is why I don't mind Mir sticking around fighting goes in the top 12. 

Would love to see Mark Hunt knock him out. I think Miocic beats Mir handidly, but that's also a possible opponent. Lesnar vs. Mir 3, i dunno, but I'd obviously watch. 

I rather Lesnar vs. Roy Nelson or someone that's borderline beatable for him. I think if Rampage fought at HW, that him and Lesnar would be a pretty big fight.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 24, 2015)

shit if Boxing is having one of the biggest fights of all time in Mayweather vs. Pac. Dana should open up his wallet and try and pull a Lesnar vs. Fedor superfight. That would big the biggest MMA PPV draw EVER and it wouldn't even be close.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 28, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]mG4tfdYytEk[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Legend (Feb 28, 2015)

Trolled the fuck out of Dana

What time does the main card start?


----------



## Kuya (Feb 28, 2015)

holy fuck the refs have been pretty awful so far


----------



## Kuya (Feb 28, 2015)

i think Koscheck is gonna retire


----------



## Legend (Feb 28, 2015)

Dude was foaming at the mouth


----------



## Kuya (Feb 28, 2015)

Koscheck cant withstand haki


----------



## Kuya (Feb 28, 2015)




----------



## Kuya (Mar 1, 2015)

HOLY FUCK SHE'S FINISHED HER LAST 3 OPPONENTS IN UNDER A COMBINED 90 SECONDS


----------



## Legend (Mar 1, 2015)

That shit is unreal


----------



## LordPerucho (Mar 1, 2015)

Wow Cat, you really disappointed big me, but Ronda is trully a monster.

Bring Cyborg already, Holms was unimpressive in her debut, if thats what really do even Miesha could take her down.


----------



## Suzuku (Mar 1, 2015)

They should just let Ronda fight the guys. She's clearly too OP for the women's division.


----------



## Kuya (Mar 1, 2015)

[/IMG]


----------



## Kuya (Mar 1, 2015)

she's the #1 pound for pound fighter for me. she is THAT superior to any other woman on the planet including Cyborg.


----------



## Legend (Mar 1, 2015)

Ronda has a cute sister


----------



## LordPerucho (Mar 1, 2015)

Kuya said:


> she's the #1 pound for pound fighter for me. she is THAT superior to any other woman on the planet including Cyborg.



If I see Valentina Shevchenko passing by my house again, gonna ask her if she plans to join to UFC to earn a title shot vs Ronda.


----------



## Kuya (Mar 1, 2015)

LordPerucho said:


> If I see Valentina Shevchenko passing by my house again, gonna ask her if she plans to join to UFC to earn a title shot vs Ronda.



in before Ronda destroys her in 5 moves or less


----------



## Kuya (Mar 1, 2015)

Legend said:


> Ronda has a cute sister



she's like 16


----------



## Legend (Mar 1, 2015)

I said cute, nothing more nothing less


----------



## Zhen Chan (Mar 1, 2015)

Kuya said:


> she's the #1 pound for pound fighter for me. she is THAT superior to any other woman on the planet including Cyborg.



P4p woman yes. P4p period? You must be fucking high


----------



## Kuya (Mar 1, 2015)

Zhen Chan said:


> P4p woman yes. P4p period? You must be fucking high



i'm always high, but she has a STRONG ARGUMENT for it.

she's undefeated, has beaten 7 out of her 11 opponents in the first round. she's beaten her last 3 opponents in a combined 90 seconds.

JONES AIN'T DOING THAT, GSP AIN'T DOING THAT, SILVA NEVER DID THAT, CAIN CAN'T DO THAT, WEIDMAN CAN'T DO THAT, ALDO CAN'T DO THAT, DJ CAN'T DO THAT

she is THAT superior to everyone in her division. Jones, Pettis and Weidman all have credible threats to their titles.


----------



## Zhen Chan (Mar 1, 2015)

Kuya said:


> i'm always high, but she has a STRONG ARGUMENT for it.
> 
> she's undefeated, has beaten 7 out of her 11 opponents in the first round. she's beaten her last 3 opponents in a combined 90 seconds.
> 
> ...



Ronda is the only complete fighter in a division of unpolished one dimensional women. I could name 10 dudes in  lighter divisions that could run a rampage through everyone ronda has fought. Right now wmma is in its infancy, they dont have the depth of talent nor breath of experience to put out a real world class p4p fighter. Give it 10-15 year and we will be having a real conversation about an up and coming phenom taking out bona fide fighters with polished high level skill sets, but as it stands until she fights real competition she cant be on the world p4p list


----------



## Legend (Mar 1, 2015)

Ronda has no real competition which is sad


----------



## Kuya (Mar 1, 2015)

women's division is like it's own weight class.

ronda definitely belongs on the p4p list and is arguably the top p4p fighter.

also lol at the women being unpolished and one dimensional. all of the recognizable ones are complete fighters.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Mar 1, 2015)

Didn't see the card since it was crap on paper, but saw a gif of the fight and wasn't surprised. Zingano's best work Rousey is just better at in general, and she makes too many mistakes with her positioning which is why she has had to comeback to win her last two fights after losing fairly wide early. I think Rousey's improvements with her clinch game and entries (reminds me of Velasquez in many ways with their relentlessness and transitions, kind of like pick your poison and chaining to open up opportunities, although neither are perfect technicians) are cool. Now that she has added some dangerous clinch striking, she is very difficult to stop when she gets a hold of these girls. They are in trouble if she gets an underhook in the clinch but it's even worse if she gets head control with her grips since a lot of her throws are set-up from that and it's her best position. 

I don't know if there is a woman out there who can match her skill once she has them tied up. They are gonna get kneed, elbowed, tripped and tossed. It is a combination of her being very skilled/athletic and her competition being very weak. One of the developments was the jab from the Tate fight which she used to close range and her shoulder to block counter punches. If her jab missed it still gave her an opportunity to grab an overhook, whizzer, or get head control and work towards a throw. Now she is working these short punches and knees so when she gets to the clinch, she has further avenues to punish people, all of which feed into her takedown game, but it has taken her MMA game to another level.

That said, everyone knows keeping distance is the best chance against her. But none of the women I know in the division are even competent at that (the WBW division is the worst in MMA by a decent amount), though she honestly hasn't fought any decent counter strikers. The ideal combination against Rousey is to slip her jab, throw a right uppercut under it then put a left hook behind it. If you can make her worry about that uppercut, then she's not gonna be able to use her jab as effectively to close distance. That will create openings to jab her and to hook off it. Anytime she tries to come in low, I think her opponents should either change levels and jab from underneath her or threaten that uppercut. If they do this chances are she starts trying her own right hand. Then you have to be able to slip that, and counter with a left hook or preferably uppercut. I'm curious to see how she does against a southpaw. A southpaw's straight left could be tough for her to deal with, so could the kicks and the jab if done well. But I wouldn't bet on a competent one out there. 

As far as rankings they should keep the males and females separate like they do in boxing, MT, or singles tennis. The talent gap and dynamics of their fights are too different.


----------



## LordPerucho (Mar 1, 2015)

Kuya said:


> in before Ronda destroys her in 5 moves or less



[YOUTUBE]fdJMQYpydiU[/YOUTUBE]

This is her last fight(2 days ago).

She hits harder than Holm.


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Mar 1, 2015)

Kuya dumb. Jones would destroy the women's division.


----------



## Cromer (Mar 1, 2015)

Kuya is high as fuck.


----------



## zoro_santoryu (Mar 2, 2015)

Ronda is on another level right now. Only person that can beat her is Cyborg but that fight may never happen


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Mar 3, 2015)

I'm a little late with this but...


*Spoiler*: __ 





War Mir!


----------



## Cromer (Mar 5, 2015)

Topkek


----------



## Kuya (Mar 14, 2015)

Tomorrow's Card is STACKED


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 14, 2015)

Let's see if Joseph Duffy's, "The last man to defeat Conor McGregor", can live up to the hype.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 14, 2015)

Ohhhhhhhh shit!

The hype is real.


EDIT: It seems that Duffy is dropping to 145 for his next fight.

The notorious Conor Mcgregor vs Duffy 2 coming to theaters near you soon


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 14, 2015)

Just rewatched McGregor vs Duffy.

For being a presumbly striker and a great boxer, Duffy turned into a grappler pretty soon after feeling the power of McGregor in their first fight


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Mar 14, 2015)

What a piece of shit.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 14, 2015)

I was fearing this would happen after seeing him trading bombs in the pocket.

Sergio, unlike his brother, gets easily hurt/rocked I noticed from watching his previous fights.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Mar 14, 2015)

I hope Benoit doesn't get off with just a slap on the wrist for that shit. Some retards on Sherdog are trying to downplay what he did because the kick wasn't that hard. It's the action itself and the malintent behind the kick that matters more so than the force behind it. I'm not necessarily saying he should be fired but he deserves some kind of punishment in my opinion.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 14, 2015)

Flyweight is a paper thin division as is already, so I doubt the UFC will fire him for that.

Fined and/or some other disciplinary action should definitely be taken though, shit like that can't fly.

Or maybe some parking lot justice from Sergio's big bro


----------



## Legend (Mar 14, 2015)

This Fight


----------



## Zhen Chan (Mar 14, 2015)

Embarrassing fight


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 15, 2015)

Powerful Joanna!

I see this ending in a TKO.

EDIT: called it.


----------



## Nihonjin (Mar 15, 2015)

What did Benoit do? Missed the fight..


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 15, 2015)

Masterrace said:


> >Calling it mid match




Joanna was taken down and controlled by Claudelha (sp?) multiple times but Carla wasn't able to do shit. Carla also looked a weight class smaller tbh.

Joanna's TDD tonight was on point.



Nihonjin said:


> What did Benoit do? Missed the fight..



Kicked Sergio in the butt after the referee stopped the fight.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 15, 2015)

Pettis is getting lit up!

Bad night for the Pettis bros.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 15, 2015)

If Dos Anjos defeats Pettis, he will have run through alll the WEC elite (Pettis, Cerrone and Henderson).


----------



## Legend (Mar 15, 2015)

Pettis is getting rocked


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 15, 2015)

Khabib real champ.


----------



## Legend (Mar 15, 2015)

That was a beatdown


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 15, 2015)

Paper champ.

The eagle is coming.


Pettis looked bad striking and Pettis looked bad grappling with Dos Anjos, he got outclassed everywhere.

With that said Dos Anjos is most likely on multiple kind of roids though.


----------



## Azzuri (Mar 15, 2015)

Wow, Pettis got shitted on.


----------



## Zhen Chan (Mar 15, 2015)

Dos anjos should be renamed the tiger killer


----------



## Azzuri (Mar 15, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> Paper champ.
> 
> The eagle is coming.
> 
> ...



Right...


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Mar 15, 2015)

Pettis vs Nate next?!


----------



## Kuya (Mar 15, 2015)

This division is too deep. I don't know if there's gonna be a dominant champ with a long run in the near future. Kabib might have a shot at it, but doubt it.


----------



## Zhen Chan (Mar 15, 2015)

Kebib is a fraud

Too one dimensional


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Mar 16, 2015)

Benoit didn't even get a slap on the wrist from Dana. I hate how he acts like the moral arbiter of MMA only to end up looking like an ass when he showcases his own hypocrisy and inconsistency with how he treats his fighters. Again I'm not one of those people calling for his job but hopefully the athletic commission give Benoit some kind of punishment. If there's one thing they're half competent at it's reprimanding fighters.


----------



## Louis-954 (Mar 16, 2015)

Jericho said:


> Benoit didn't even get a slap on the wrist from Dana. I hate how he acts like the moral arbiter of MMA only to end up looking like an ass when he showcases his own hypocrisy and inconsistency with how he treats his fighters. Again I'm not one of those people calling for his job but hopefully the athletic commission give Benoit some kind of punishment. If there's one thing they're half competent at it's reprimanding fighters.


The guy apologized and Sergio accepted. It ain't that big a deal. Joanna did the same thing in her last fight and nobody here complained, lol.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Mar 17, 2015)

It is a big deal because it sets a horrible precedent. Kicking an opponent you just knocked the fuck out after the ref already stopped the fight? Heat of the moment or not doing something like that shouldn't go unpunished. Especially because Dana has severely punished fighters for doing far less in the past. I think I missed Joanna's incident but if it was intentional then I would have reacted the same way. 

Just speaking hypothetically here but what if Sergio actually was bothered by what he did but he didn't want to make a big deal over it after already being humiliated in the fight? Sergio's reaction shouldn't affect the way Dana handles a case like this anyway. I thought Anderson should have been punished too when he struck Chael with his shoulder at their weigh in. Of course Dana picks and chooses when to reprimand his fighters depending on how much money or value they are worth to him.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 18, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> The guy apologized and Sergio accepted. It ain't that big a deal. Joanna did the same thing in her last fight and nobody here complained, lol.


It wasn't Joanna who did it, but her opponent Glaudelha or whatever her name was.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 22, 2015)

[youtube]A0UFUhsSsXU[/youtube]


UFC 189 Aldo vs McGregor world tour - embedded.

Dat staredown


----------



## Kuya (Mar 23, 2015)

McGregor the ultimate troll. Regardless if he beats Aldo or not, he's a star and main event fighter for the future. He can easily headline pay-per-views on his own.


----------



## Cromer (Mar 23, 2015)

Agreed, Conor Mac might be the single most entertaining dude in the UFC right now, and he's a good enough fighter that he should be at the top for years to come. 


Still not beating Aldo, mind


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Mar 26, 2015)

I hope she mauls Rousey.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Mar 28, 2015)

I hope he mauls Rousey.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Mar 29, 2015)

Some great fight action from Bellator and especially WSOF (one of their best shows in a minute). Gaethje-Baboon and Tokoro-Davis are two of the top candidates for FOTY so far.


----------



## Sanity Check (Mar 29, 2015)

.







I cut those^.

What's a good place to get source images for mma?  I'll make a few more before I move on to other projects.


----------



## Stringer (Mar 30, 2015)

Machida training his body against the forthcoming trauma of eating Luke Rockhold's devastating body kicks.

[YOUTUBE]l8ECNE-Slq4[/YOUTUBE]


So hyped for this bout. Both are complete martial artists, Rockhold is my favorite to win going into the fight though. I believe if he's the likeliest candidate to truly challenge Weidman's reign in the middleweight division. That whole card is splintered with interesting match-ups.


----------



## Stringer (Mar 30, 2015)

Alexander Gustafsson is facing Glover Teixeira on June 20th in Berlin.




I like it, a win over Teixeira will allow Gus to regain confidence in his abilities. We didn't actually get to see him showcase his improvements post-Jones and Manuwa given that Rumble ended that fight so abruptly.


----------



## Pyriz (Mar 31, 2015)

Dennis Bermudez vs Jeremy Stephens was added to the UFC 189 card. Really excited to see Bermudez make a comeback; I've always had high hopes for him.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 31, 2015)

Anyone seen the Dublin press conference?

It was embarrassingly awesome.


----------



## Stringer (Mar 31, 2015)

These irish crowds are crazy, the whole lot of 'em reek of alcohol lel

The one moment I thought was actually great from the press conference was the kid that told Dana he'd one day strap the gold around his waist when he becomes a UFC champion. That was pretty cool.

But man, stylistically Aldo and McGregor are such an intriguing matchup. Will keep my eyes wide open july 11th.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 31, 2015)

UFC 189 is a high stakes game man. More than usual I feel.

If Conor loses after all this trash talk he will become another Adrien Broner. The fans will never let him live it down.

If Jose loses, I wonder if he'll ever recover from that, he will have been verbally/mentally and physically beat.

Conor definitely has more to lose though.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 31, 2015)

If Conor wins:



If Conor loses:


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 31, 2015)

Either way he will be getting paid. Though if he wins, he will undoubtly become a major star and his future profit will increase exponentially.


----------



## Niabingi (Apr 1, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> If Jose loses, I wonder if he'll ever recover from that, he will have been verbally/mentally and physically beat.



...really? Physically yes if he loses the fight then he has been physically beaten. The rest of it is a very big stretch though. Where did you get verbally/mentally from?


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 1, 2015)

Niabingi said:


> ...really? Physically yes if he loses the fight then he has been physically beaten. The rest of it is a very big stretch though. Where did you get verbally/mentally from?


From watching the embedded I got that feeling. He is obvously bothered by Conor's antics, he phoned his coach multiple times during the tour with his coach telling him "dont worry I warned Dana about Conor not touching you" etc.

When Conor eventually touched him, he talked to his boxing coach about how McGregor touched him and he seemed worried about that Conor would tell it during the press conference and make him look like a puss. So he made the excuse of "he didn't touch me, he grabbed my hoodie" but now there is video evidence that makes him look like a liar.

Saying how Conor holding the belt means nothing when he took it the first time, but then trying to get it and looking impotent in the process when Conor snatched it right from in front of his face during the Dublin press conference. He apparently was so bothered by the belt grab, that he made a Facebook video about it afterwards. It also kinda sad that Aldo tried to trash talk in Dublin (he had even prepared some good lines). he even tried to emulate Conor with putting his feet on the desk, didnt go the way he wanted/envisioned I'd say.

Etc.

Say what you will but throughout the tour Aldo got bullied by Conor and fans alike.


----------



## Niabingi (Apr 1, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> From watching the embedded I got that feeling. He is obvously bothered by Conor's antics, he phoned his coach multiple times during the tour with his coach telling him "dont worry I warned Dana about Conor not touching you" etc.
> 
> When Conor eventually touched him, he talked to his boxing coach about how McGregor touched him and he seemed worried about that Conor would tell it during the press conference and make him look like a puss. So he made the excuse of "he didn't touch me, he grabbed my hoodie" but now there is video evidence that makes him look like a liar.
> 
> ...



If you think Aldo was doing anything but calculating just how much money he'll make on the PPV points from this fight I would say you are very wrong. This reminds me of something I read from Chael Sonnen the other day, where he basically said that the line "So and so has gotten into someone's head" is something that they as analysts say when they have nothing else to talk about.

Aldo has never and will never be a talker, let's also not forget his English is not very good at all so much of what's said goes over his head and he can't banter back as quickly. Still, I'm sure he is exceedingly happy to finally have a cash cow to fight and knows enough to react to any jabs dished out. 

In the rest of the embedded series when he's not around McGregor he seems fully chilled and just his usual likeable self. It also seems that public opinion took a shift with Conor's antics during the tour; a lot of people went into it liking Conor and wanting him to win and found his antics too WWE like and admired Aldo's handling of it all. I'd say from what most major MMA forums/sites seem to be saying Aldo has gained a good chunk of new fans from the tour.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 1, 2015)

I think you misunderstood me. I am not saying Conor is in Aldo's head and that's why he is going to win or it will increase his chances of winning or it will affect the fight in anyway.

What I meant is that losing is one thing, but losing to someone who bullied and disrespected you to that extent is a considerably more bitter pill to swallow.

For example, Dustin Poirier has lost before, but his loss to McGregor crushed him. And the stakes and disrespect/bullying McGregor did to him were but a fraction of what is happening in Aldo vs McGregor.


----------



## Niabingi (Apr 1, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> I think you misunderstood me. I am not saying Conor is in Aldo's head and that's why he is going to win or it will increase his chances of winning or it will affect the fight in anyway.
> 
> What I meant is that losing is one thing, but losing to someone who bullied and disrespected you to that extent is a considerably more bitter pill to swallow.
> 
> For example, Dustin Poirier has lost before, but his loss to McGregor crushed him. And the stakes and disrespect/bullying McGregor did to him were but a fraction of what is happening in Aldo vs McGregor.



I don't think that Aldo has ever been bullied in his life... 

Conor's gonna Conor he's always loud and disrespectful it's part of his shtick and works well for him gets him more hype and more money. I'd never stretch it to calling him a bully though. Besides apart from physically hit him I don't think Aldo could've handled things any differently and he gave a good accounting of himself. I mean ideally he'd have played up to it even more and boosted those buys but it's not really in his nature or his English ability.

If Aldo loses I don't think he'll give one damn about what Conor said in the build up. He's not as weak minded as Poirier he's not trying to prove a point. As he's said many times his goal is far bigger than beating Conor it's about his legacy and that's what'll cut him up. 

Basically, I don't see the disrespect as anything except more PPV buys. I doubt Conor or Aldo do, doubt that it's said with the intention of being personal or it's being taken personal. It's definitely not bullying and should Aldo lose I think Conor's words will be the least of his concerns.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 1, 2015)

I hope you are right.


----------



## Niabingi (Apr 1, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> I hope you are right.



It's just sadly where the sport is right now. Fighters don't make enough money and Conor is doing what needs to be done to make sure that the pay day is a big one. I don't like that this is where the sport's at but if it means talented guys getting their due I'll take it. Hell I wish that Flyweight could get a Conor/Chael persona so that Mighty Mouse can get a bit of momentum and a bigger check.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 2, 2015)

You guys seen this:

[youtube]WOPtx83VEhc[/youtube]

"Niammh Longback Lynch"

"The laddds! Gewan the laddds"



And those laughs or I guess cackles is more appropriate.

Funny stuff.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Apr 3, 2015)




----------



## Pyriz (Apr 3, 2015)

Beautiful foreshadowing.


----------



## Cromer (Apr 3, 2015)

If I were a betting man, I'd put a ton on Aldo retaining.


----------



## Sanity Check (Apr 4, 2015)

Mendes vs Lamas prelims begin in 3 hrs & 40 minutes.

.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Apr 4, 2015)

Mendes is just a special talent. Lamas had a perfect uppercut at one point and looked sharper than ever, and all it took was one clean counter. I have had him and Machida as the best non-champions for a while now (along with Cruz after he looked better than ever against Muzigaki), but man. Mendes is probably better than both, the physical tools he has gives him the edge, imo. I would say it goes like:

Aldo

DJ
Jones
Weidman
Mendes

Machida
Cruz
Edgar

Velasquez
Cormier
RDA
Pettis
Dillashaw
Assuncao
Benavidez
Nurmagomedov

Jacare
Rumble
Hendricks
Lawler
MacDonald
Rockhold

etc. etc..

Iaquinta-Masvidal was a very close fight, fan of both guys. I think the outrage for the decision is a bit much. As a whole Masvidal definitely looked like the better man and he had the biggest round by far with the flurry at the end of the 1st, but just another example for why the 10-pt system doesn't belong in MMA.


----------



## Sanity Check (Apr 6, 2015)

Moar cutouts.

[sp][/sp]

[sp][/sp]

.

zZ zz Zz zZ

[sp][/sp]


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 8, 2015)

Nate Diaz vs Matt Brown set for UFC 189.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 8, 2015)

There are also talks for Hendricks vs Woodley for UFC 189.

Welterweight 	Robbie Lawler (c) 	vs. 	Rory MacDonald
Welterweight 	Gunnar Nelson 	vs. 	John Hathaway
Welterweight 	Johnny Hendricks 	vs. 	Tyron Woodley (?) 				
Welterweight 	Brandon Thatch 	vs. 	John Howard 				
Welterweight 	Mike Swick 	vs. 	Alex Garcia 				
Welterweight 	Matt Brown 	vs. 	Nate Diaz

Good night for the Welterweights.


----------



## Kuya (Apr 10, 2015)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Mendes is just a special talent. Lamas had a perfect uppercut at one point and looked sharper than ever, and all it took was one clean counter. I have had him and Machida as the best non-champions for a while now (along with Cruz after he looked better than ever against Muzigaki), but man. Mendes is probably better than both, the physical tools he has gives him the edge, imo. I would say it goes like:
> 
> Aldo
> 
> ...



very solid tier list


----------



## Violent by Design (Apr 10, 2015)

Hendrick vs Woodley gonna be haymaker central


----------



## Sanity Check (Apr 10, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]Cgdxs5VwL4M[/YOUTUBE]

20:40, Chris Weidman has some poop stories.

.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 10, 2015)

Anyone watching the Bellator fights today?

Joe Schilling is fighting in the co-main. In case some of you dont know him, he is the training partner of Nick Diaz and the number 2 ranked Glory middleweight kickboxer. He always brings it, it should be a good fight.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 10, 2015)

Ohhh...Phoenix Jones, you know that black dude that dresses like a superhero and fights crime, will also be fighting today in WSOF I think.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 10, 2015)

Am I the only in here that routinely reverse google image searches Kuya's sigs to get the girls name every time I notice he has changed his sig?


----------



## Cromer (Apr 11, 2015)

Phoenix Jones is a pro MMA fighter? Colour me surprised. 

Regarding Kuya's sigs...


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Apr 11, 2015)

*Spoiler*: __ 



PRIDE NEVER DIE!!!





I would like to see Cro Cop retire, but since he will likely fight again, a retirement rematch against Nogueira would be nice for both, imo.



Sanity Check said:


> [YOUTUBE]Cgdxs5VwL4M[/YOUTUBE]
> 
> 20:40, Chris Weidman has some poop stories.
> 
> .



Lol, saw that a couple days ago. He had another one on the MMA Hour a couple years back. Refreshing to see a champ who is so personable and open, has been that way since interviews I have seen back in ROC.


----------



## Violent by Design (Apr 11, 2015)

wtf, crocop came back?! i thought he hung those gloves up years ago


----------



## Violent by Design (Apr 11, 2015)

against gonzaga LOL?!

holy shit, im dloading this at the speed of light.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Apr 11, 2015)

Naw, lol. He just had his 1st fight back in the UFC earlier today. He had a few MMA fights before too, mostly in Japan. Before this Gonzaga fight he knocked out Ishii (who is one of the better HWs outside the UFC) wit a high kick and punches. He competed in kickboxing for a couple fights after winning the GP a 2 years back as well, but just wasn't the same Cro Cop, way more clinching and just not exciting fights.

I heard this card one of the worst in a while though, just caught a bit of the co-main and the main event. 


*Spoiler*: __ 



Gonzaga got messed up in that 3rd round, one of the nastier cuts I have seen in a minute. He was white girl wasted after the stoppage too, leakin and fallin over tryna get up.


----------



## Sanity Check (Apr 12, 2015)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Lol, saw that a couple days ago. He had another one on the MMA Hour a couple years back. Refreshing to see a champ who is so personable and open, has been that way since interviews I have seen back in ROC.



.

Was that the one where he said he crapped himself helping Gian Villante prepare for a fight and kept sparring without bothering to clean himself up?

That was hilarious.


----------



## Kuya (Apr 12, 2015)

Cro Cop should take on Big Foot now


----------



## Sanity Check (Apr 12, 2015)

Big Foot hasn't been the same since the TRT ban.  He might need TRT to train and fight properly given the condition he was born with.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Apr 13, 2015)

I don't think TRT strengthened his chin. His last two fights ended similarly to his fight with Cormier. I'd like to see Bigfoot vs Schaub but he's going down to 205 from what I hear. 

Why would they make Matt Brown vs Nate Diaz instead of the Pettis matchup? Dumb as fuck matchmaking right there.


----------



## Cromer (Apr 13, 2015)

Maybe Pettis is the reason why that isn't happening? Justsaiyan...


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 14, 2015)

Conor's new tattoo:



WOW.

He legit dun fucked up his body now.

The two styles (realistic looking tiger and gorilla on shrooms) and the color schemes just dont mesh with eachother. At all.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 14, 2015)

Anyone know why like 99% of MMA fighters, both male and female, are all tatted up anyway?

I cant be the only one who has noticed the huge prevalence of tattoes in MMA.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 14, 2015)

Watching the embedded videos I was having my doubts but now after seeing this, I am convinced he is a legit crazy and it's not all just an act.

Now I know why his girlfriend Dee followed him everywhere. To protect him from himself.


----------



## Sanity Check (Apr 16, 2015)

Disorder said:


> I don't think TRT strengthened his chin. His last two fights ended similarly to his fight with Cormier. I'd like to see Bigfoot vs Schaub but he's going down to 205 from what I hear.
> 
> Why would they make Matt Brown vs Nate Diaz instead of the Pettis matchup? Dumb as fuck matchmaking right there.



.

There's also this.



> After undergoing shoulder surgery earlier in the year, Antonio Silva will once again go under the knife, this time to remove a pituitary gland tumour. Acromegaly is a disease that Silva has battled with in the past, and this is not the first time he has had this sort of surgery.
> 
> "I will have to do the surgery again after my next fight, and then I will be cleared to train again in four or six weeks," Silva told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. "I will have to do the surgery again since I can't take testosterone (replacement therapy)."
> 
> ...





.

Bigfoot wasn't on TRT when he fought Cormier, iirc.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 18, 2015)

Not gonna lie, once again when watching female strawweights fight I am completely underwhelmed by their power. They are too weak, like watching two children fight. 

Cub Swanson vs Max Holloway was very surprising though. Thought Cub was overrated and Max would win, but didn't think he would make it look that easy.


----------



## Nihonjin (Apr 18, 2015)

Lyoto still looking badly hurt going into the second round.. No way he's making it to the end of this fight..


----------



## Louis-954 (Apr 18, 2015)

Nihonjin said:


> Lyoto still looking badly hurt going into the second round.. No way he's making it to the end of this fight..


You could see his spirit was broken when he came out for round 2. He wanted no part of Rockhold. Spectacular performance, Luke!


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 18, 2015)

This just shows that even between two BJJ black belts, there can be a great gap in skill. Rockhold son'd him on the mat.

Machida also looked slower (Rockhold thought so too). He also looked less ripped. I guess it's partly due to age, partly due to random drug testing working. His camp, Black House, where Anderson Silva is also from, have gotten quite the reputation as being roiders lately due to a considerable number of their athletes failing drug tests.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 18, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> You could see his spirit was broken when he came out for round 2. He wanted no part of Rockhold. Spectacular performance, Luke!


Dat sig 

Did you lose a bet or are you trolling?


----------



## Louis-954 (Apr 18, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> Dat sig
> 
> *Did you lose a bet *or are you trolling?


Yeah, back in January. I don't have to use it anymore but I'm too lazy to really give a shit.


----------



## LordPerucho (Apr 18, 2015)

That elbow at the end of the first round really fucked up Mashima, U could tell someone was wrong with him in the 2nd round, he was fighting like he was drunk.


----------



## Legend (Apr 19, 2015)

Lyoto needs to take a break, he was dominated


----------



## Kuya (Apr 19, 2015)

Lol Machida


----------



## Stringer (Apr 20, 2015)

Before this bout against Machida I was certain Rockhold was the most legitimate threat to Weidman in that division, and that's something he proved in devastating fashion. That fight was over the very moment it hit the mat. There aren't many people in mma that can scramble as good as Rockhold, it's just crazy how good his ground control is. His overall awareness and positioning are on another level.

So excited to see him square off against Weidman, wil be a fun match regardless of the outcome. 

And I loved that uppercut Ovince St-Preux caught Cummins with on his way in, so beautifully placed. The whole card was great really.


----------



## Nihonjin (Apr 20, 2015)

I feel bad for Jacare.. Logically he deserves the title shot but it seems that everyone wants to see Rockhold go at it first so he'll likely get screwed over..


----------



## Louis-954 (Apr 24, 2015)

Anyone have an Invicta FC 12 stream?? Thanks in advance.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 26, 2015)

Kyoji lost and even got submitted at the last second but I still thought he had a pretty good showing. I see great potential in him. I think he can and will learn a lot of this loss. I also hope that losing like he did will motivate him to actually spend more than just a few days at AKA to train his wrestling. 

Also Bisping vs Dolloway was a pretty good fight I think. Should have gotten Fight Of the Night bonus. Also I sometimes spar with a guy that has a lazy eye (he can barely see from that eye) and he seems to be susceptible to left hooks counters and other strikes that target/cross his blind spot. I am guessing it is the same with Bisping and his bad eye that is why Dollaway was catching Bisping with those counter left hooks.


----------



## Niabingi (Apr 26, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> Kyoji lost and even got submitted at the last second but I still thought he had a pretty good showing. I see great potential in him. I think he can and will learn a lot of this loss. I also hope that losing like he did will motivate him to actually spend more than just a few days at AKA to train his wrestling.



He was just given this fight far too early. He even said himself that he still wanted another fight or two before this one. MM is a hell of a champion to face when you're so green. I think may one day have the skills to be champion! He put in a good showing today, but Mighty Mouse knew exactly what he needed to do. As soon as he found his range for the takedowns in the second round the fight was all him.

Now MM has set a record that nobody will ever beat! I am such a big fan of his ability, his athleticism but also the relationship he has with his team. Matt Hume is one of the only really technical coaches in this game, he gives proper technical instructions between rounds instead of saying generic nonsense like "this is where you show your heart" "finish this fight".  Even more impressive than his good advice is the way that MM actually listens to it constantly even in this fight it was the same in Mighty Mouse's own words "Matt called armbar and I said aw fuck and went for it"


----------



## Sanity Check (Apr 26, 2015)

Good card.

Almost every fight was good from top to bottom.

A lot of these relative unknowns could be future prospects.

Horiguchi vs Johnson was an awesome fight.


----------



## Niabingi (Apr 26, 2015)

Wow, so the buzz on twitter is that Jon Jones is out of UFC 187 not due to injury but due to some form of legal action.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Apr 26, 2015)

I'm done defending him. Jones is a piece of shit!


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 26, 2015)

HAHAHA OH WOW.

If the rumors are true, Jones will be away for some time either due to suspension and/or jail time.

In that case, DC vs Rumble for interim title please


----------



## Legend (Apr 27, 2015)

I wanna hear the full story before I make a judgement


----------



## Stringer (Apr 27, 2015)

lel Jones being a complete goof, nothing new here. 

It appears he'd do anything not to stand across the cage from Rumble.


----------



## Legend (Apr 27, 2015)

..............I have no words.


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 28, 2015)

During Jones first court appearance today, Jones's lawyer asked the DA that no travel restriction be placed on Jones,his request was granted. Coupled with the fact that the DA can take 60 days to decide whether to indict, Jones vs Rumble could still be on 

That is of course assuming the UFC dont go all moralfag and pull the plug though.


----------



## Stringer (Apr 28, 2015)

Despite the fact that I've been waiting to see him stripped of the LHW title for a while now because of his antics, this time I actually won't mind seeing Dana sweep this under the rug with a slap on the wrists just to see Jones get his comeuppance may 23rd against Rumble. 

Let Rumble give him an ass beating, then cut him off.


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Apr 28, 2015)

Jones via guillotine in 30 seconds.


----------



## Cromer (Apr 28, 2015)

>implying Rumble has a chance


----------



## Stringer (Apr 28, 2015)

Not sure if serious


----------



## Naruto Uzumaki (Apr 28, 2015)

Jones suspended and stripped

DC VS AJ for title


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 28, 2015)

OHHH SHIT!

Hahaha It takes Jon Jones to beat Jon Jones. The only two set backs in his otherwise extraordinary career career, the DQ "loss" to Hamill and now the loss of his belt, have been due to his own stupid mistakes (not familiarizing himself with the elbow rules especially since he has a very elbow centric striking style) and poor life choices. He is the posterboy for the saying: "The man in the mirror is the one that you have fear the most".


----------



## Random Stranger (Apr 28, 2015)

So who do you guys got? 

DC or Rumble?


----------



## Vegeta (Apr 29, 2015)

Rumble will win hopefully.


----------



## Kuya (Apr 29, 2015)

The only man that can beat Jon Jones... is Jon Jones.


----------



## Cromer (Apr 29, 2015)

Damn, Jones got that work? 

As for Rumble/DC, I'm leaning Rumble but don't quote me on that.


----------



## Legend (Apr 30, 2015)

Rumble gonna win, I wonder how long JJ is suspended


----------



## Kuya (Apr 30, 2015)

Legend said:


> Rumble gonna win, I wonder how long JJ is suspended



He'll be on the special end of the year card.


----------



## Niabingi (Apr 30, 2015)

I hope that Rumble wins, I really do. I'm not interested in a "champion" that just lost a championship fight to JJ.


----------



## Cromer (Apr 30, 2015)

Meh, I gave it some thought. I think Cormier gonna take it.


----------



## Matariki (May 2, 2015)

> Bader: I deserve next title fight





this tomato can


----------



## Louis-954 (May 2, 2015)

Thorin said:


> yep if they want a new champ just give the belt to Rumble
> 
> and DC should have to fight Gus first


The championship should be* earned*, not given.

Jon is suspended; Rumble just destroyed Gus (who is now injured anyway so DC couldn't fight him if he wanted to.); Rashad is injured and Bader is, like you said, a tomato can. So who does that leave? DC makes the most sense out of anyone else in the top 5 since he lost a *competitive* fight with the champion unlike Gus who was recently annihilated by the #1 contender.


----------



## Matariki (May 2, 2015)

well yeah. It just doesn't feel right because Jones humiliated him.


----------



## Kuya (May 2, 2015)

Rumble is UFC's Mike Tyson, but my brain says go with the wrestler. I think Cormier wins via decision. Cormier still has the ability to retain against Jones too.


----------



## Louis-954 (May 2, 2015)

Thorin said:


> well yeah. It just doesn't feel right because Jones* humiliated him.*


It was a competitive fight for the first 3 rounds and all they did in the 5th was hug each other. How exactly is that humiliating?


----------



## Nihonjin (May 2, 2015)

Thorin said:


> well yeah. It just doesn't feel right because Jones humiliated him.



Any fight Jon Jones was in is irrelevant at this point he's out indefinitely.  The top 3 guys in the Light Heavyweight division are DC, Johnson and Gustaffson. 

Gustaffson got wrecked by Johnson so that only leaves DC vs Johnson as a title fight. There is no one else.


----------



## Louis-954 (May 3, 2015)

Thorin said:


> because Jones clearly beat him at his own game, and for the last two rounds or so DC did nothing but try to get one pitfiul takedown


There's nothing humiliating about being taken down a couple of times by the P4P king, lol.


----------



## Kuya (May 3, 2015)

MMA >>>>>> Boxing

I love that in MMA, a fighter that applies pressure, initiates the fight and controls the ring/octagon gets awarded.

MMA is just a far more entertaining and superior combat sport compared to the outdated and old-fashioned sport of boxing. Sadly though, after last night's shitfest, the sport of boxing is going to die even more and become even less popular.


----------



## Cromer (May 3, 2015)

That's a 'sad' thing?


----------



## Niabingi (May 6, 2015)

Well details of the sponsorship money fighters will be getting from the UFC Reebok deal have been announced and it is truly pitiable sums of money. The payout structure and amounts seem to guarantee that every single fighter will be earning far less than they did in the past. From the top all the way down to the very bottom.

1 - 5 bouts - $2,500

6 - 10 bouts - $5,000

11 - 15 bouts - $10,000

16 - 20 bouts - $15,000

21+ bouts - $20,000

Title Challenger - $30,000

Champion - $40,000

A lot of fighters are already saying how much of a massive drop in revenue it will be for them. This does make Phil Davis signing for Bellator seem like a very fortunate move on his part, he'll be able to make a lot more money there than he would in the UFC. You've got to wonder if a lot of other fighters will make the same choice.


----------



## Kuya (May 11, 2015)

Dana shouldn't put Hunt against wrestlers anymore for fans sake as Hunt will always be a fan favorite

Hunt has maybe 3 or 4 more fights in him and I hope the rest of them are stand up battles.


----------



## Niabingi (May 12, 2015)

Sam Alvey made a fan out of me! I'm looking forward to seeing if he will accomplish his goal of beating all other Middleweight TUF fighters. I also enjoyed his spray tan sponsor!

James Vick and Jake Matthers was a big fight to watch for me. Both of the guys have a lot of potential and could make waves in the LW division. Matthews needed this loss, I just hope it pushes him to leave Australia and find a proper training camp somewhere. His dad is his trainer, his younger brother his main sparring partner and up until this fight they were backyard training. They have recently built a gym but still I think he needs to train somewhere he'll really grow and test himself.

So far it seems that even after an event over the weekend the focus of most MMA related talk is still the Reebok deal and how it generally shafts fighters hard! Wondering if we'll lose any more UFC talent to Bellator. 

 about it and mentioned how his phone has been ringing a lot since the announcement. 

Plus Matt Mitrione, Tim Kennedy, Ryan Jimmo, Al Iaqinta and a few others have gone on twitter rampages slamming the deal. Not to mention all of the fighters talking about it's negative impact in interviews and the like. Even bottom ends guys are losing thousands of dollars, many mid tier guys are losing tens of thousands and champions like Mighty Mouse and Aldo are going to go from very lucrative personal sponsorships (with Xbox and TNT respectively) to $40,000 from Reebok. Hopefully, the companies will still keep them on to promote the brand outside of fights and fight week.

This could be the straw that breaks the camel's back, I'm interested to see how it'll all turn out and I hope that the UFC decides to fairly compensate athletes before they jump ship. I think Benson Henderson is the next big name to have his contract up for renewal; he's on a bit of a tear at the moment in terms of stepping up and has jumped up a weight class to save the UFC's skin in fights. I think that Bellator will be willing to offer him a lot to cross over, that coupled with the money he'll likely lose on sponsors could motivate him to make the switch. I do think he's more likely to stay due to wanting to be champion again; but it'll be interesting to see if I'm right or not. I'm confident that Bellator will try and shoot for him though.


----------



## Cromer (May 12, 2015)

Watched Miocic-Hunt last night with a bunch on MMA newbies, and all they kept commenting about was Hunto's moobs. What could I say? It was painful to watch, reminded of Dufresne-Reneau from UFC 182. 


Also, Robert Whittaker, holy shit. I was mouthing how Tavares' technical ability would have him in circles...BOOM, left hook, pressure, TKO. This is only the second time I've seen him fight; changing weight classes must have been good for him.


----------



## Random Stranger (May 22, 2015)

*Spoiler*: __ 



[YOUTUBE]V0nIfzeu-hY[/YOUTUBE]





*Spoiler*: __ 



[YOUTUBE]8LcGA3xsNyE[/YOUTUBE]





Not gonna lie. Weidman looks scared of Vitor. He has been very adamant and demanding more test for Vitor for over a year now. And now this out of character behaviour during weigh ins when he found out that he had relatively high testosterone levels during camp. He for sure doesnt want to face a TRT Vitor.


----------



## eHav (May 23, 2015)

can't wait for tonights fights. best card in a long time


----------



## Stringer (May 23, 2015)

Stocked as hell for this card. Giving the lineup another look this very instant, main card aside you have some very interesting matchups down at prelims. 

I'll have my eyes set on Uriah Hall in particular, been watching his growth for a very long time and I got this feeling he'll have a breakout performance tonight against Natal. It's been great seeing all the progress he's made mentally, seems like the dude finally got his mind on the right track. Would like to see him make his way into the top 15 after this bout and start facing tougher competition at middleweight.

As for my prediction for the main event, I see Rumble ending the contest within the first three rounds. I see far too much emphasis on Rumble's punching power, most people fail to realize how much of a complete martial artist this guy has become since his return to the UFC. What makes his striking so dangerous is his ability to keep the fight standing with razor-sharp takedown defense, footwork and balance. I am very interested to see Cormier's approach on the challenge tbh, best case scenario for him would be to bring the fight to the mat and attempt a submission.


----------



## Random Stranger (May 23, 2015)

Good performance by Islam. His striking could use some more polishing but his clinch striking (in particular those upercuts) looked good and reminded me of DC. I was also surprised by his grappling. These Dagestani dudes usually have good grappling and are good on top but either dont like or arent that good in taking their opponents back, Islam is different in that regard it seems.

With that said, I hope he doesnt get a lot of shit because of his name. He looks like a nice enough dude.


----------



## Cromer (May 23, 2015)

Commentators just talking about Hall throughout...


----------



## Random Stranger (May 23, 2015)

Never understood all the hype behind Uriah tbh.

He is also a very weird dude.

Nice chocolate skin tone and physique though.


----------



## Stringer (May 23, 2015)

Cromer said:


> Commentators just talking about Hall throughout...


Because he's awesome. Pretty sloppy tonight though, I'm disappointed. The guy was too emotionally invested into this fight, the technical aspect of his style didn't come through.


----------



## Random Stranger (May 23, 2015)

He never shows up when it matters.


----------



## Stringer (May 23, 2015)

Nah he's doing fine, he's one of those fighters that take a longer time to fully come into their own.


----------



## eHav (May 23, 2015)

arlovski vs browne


----------



## Random Stranger (May 23, 2015)

Greatest first round fight since Diaz vs Daley.


----------



## Random Stranger (May 23, 2015)

Makdessi had no business being in there with Ceronne.


----------



## Random Stranger (May 23, 2015)

I have a feeling Belfort takes this.


----------



## eHav (May 23, 2015)

dont jinx it


----------



## Random Stranger (May 23, 2015)

DAMMMMMMMNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!


----------



## eHav (May 23, 2015)

fuck yeah weidman


----------



## Kagekatsu (May 23, 2015)

Belfort had a few good shots in, but it was over once Weidman got the takedown.


----------



## Zeus. (May 23, 2015)

Shit I can't follow this one. Is Weidman vs Belfort up now?


----------



## eHav (May 23, 2015)

yeap all over now. just rumble vs dc left now


----------



## Zeus. (May 23, 2015)

Weidman won? How'd he do it?


----------



## Random Stranger (May 23, 2015)

Zeus. said:


> Weidman won? How'd he do it?


Belfort was destroying him on the feet. He had Chris hurt. Chris managed to recover and take him down and from there he mounted Vitor and ground and pounded him until the ref stopped it.


----------



## eHav (May 23, 2015)

mount and gnp round 1

chris wasnt hurt


----------



## Zeus. (May 24, 2015)

All in round 1? That's it? Damn. Silva 2x, Machida, now this. This guy's a goddamn maniac.


----------



## Random Stranger (May 24, 2015)

This fight showed us that he's slow and his standup isnt quite there. Best pure wrestling (i.e. without using the cage) takedown in the game though.

Jon Jones destroyed a better (more juiced) version of Vitor and he did it without getting outclassed on the feet and almost getting TKO'ed.


----------



## eHav (May 24, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> This fight showed us that he's slow and his standup isnt quite there. Best pure wrestling (i.e. without using the cage) takedown in the game though.
> 
> Jon Jones destroyed a better (more juiced) version of Vitor and he did it without getting outclassed on the feet and almost getting TKO'ed.



yeah but jones almost got subbed so..


----------



## eHav (May 24, 2015)

so rumble or dc now? hoping for a rumble ko, but it might be a dc grind against the cage


----------



## Random Stranger (May 24, 2015)

I am keeping my mouth shut. Not gonna jinx this one as well


----------



## eHav (May 24, 2015)

already bored with cormier


----------



## Random Stranger (May 24, 2015)

DAT STRENGTH AND POWER!!!

And to think he was fighting at welterweight


----------



## Random Stranger (May 24, 2015)

RUMBLE is SCARY on the feet. DC is getting lit up.

DC going for the takedown as if his life depends on it...

....which is probably not that far off from the truth.


----------



## Random Stranger (May 24, 2015)

These Blackzilians man.

Scary beasts on the feet like no other, but once it hits the mat they are hopeless.

It looks like Vitor and Rumble will have the same swansong.


----------



## Kagekatsu (May 24, 2015)

Johnson's already gassed


----------



## eHav (May 24, 2015)

rumble fucked up with the kicks


----------



## Random Stranger (May 24, 2015)

Kagekatsu said:


> Johnson's already gassed


A Rumble with 5 rnd cardio would be too hax bro.

You gotta surrender some power and explosivenss if you want to gain more conditioning. Equivalent exchange :FMA


----------



## Random Stranger (May 24, 2015)

My bloodlust is satisfied.

Tonight was a good night


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (May 24, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> This fight showed us that he's slow and his standup isnt quite there. Best pure wrestling (i.e. without using the cage) takedown in the game though.
> 
> Jon Jones destroyed a better (more juiced) version of Vitor and he did it without getting outclassed on the feet and almost getting TKO'ed.



Lol, what.. Weidman wasn't close to getting stopped. It's just the appearance of his defence to the untrained eye when he gets pressured, plus him and his team was banking on Belfort tiring. His defensive footwork was on point, positioned his hands well (a lot of Belfort's punches hit his elbow or just flat-out missed) as well as head movement (though Belfort showed good preparation for that, cutting off angles and going to the body(, he has one of the best stances in the UFC (lead and rear foot were stable even at the fence, kept a low stance with knees bent to absorb shock [as opposed to straight] of whatever shots Belfort landed), and Belfort's offence was nearly gone after Weidman pivoted and grabbed that collar tie (lot of Belfort's combinations/bursts are in straight lines). Dummies thought Machida almost stopped him too and in the replay he was blocking most of the shots in that last flurry. Weidman is a hardass though, has a great chin and heart (not surprising considering all the shit he has fought through outside the cage, same with Cormier). He took some shots obviously, but pay attention to those things in that exchange vs Cormier when Rumble was tagging him.

Weidman needs to improve his initial defence to pressure though (especially against a guy like Jacare), especially considering he barely counters off the back-foot. Pulling his head straight back and taking repeated back-steps has been a flaw for a while, he doesn't have layered or intricate retreats. I'd like to see him stay low as he retreats instead of standing straight up and letting himself get pushed back. Jacare is one of the best pressure fighters in the sport and can take advantage of that, even Rockhold can to an extent.

And Weidman beat Belfort worse than Jones did. Belfort was in closed guard for most of the fight against Jones, who had to work so hard, and yet only got to half-guard once through 3 rounds. That was easy work for Weidman, and he transitioned into a mount seamlessly. Weidman's g&p also hurt Belfort badly, his eyes rolled back like this more than once:



Jones' elbows did what they usually do, and drew blood, but Belfort was never hurt enough to give up his back like he did against Weidman. Then like eHav said, Weidman never got his arm snapped. Jones was much closer to getting stopped (from the armbar) in that fight than Weidman was. No one has beaten Belfort on the ground that badly, not even close: Saku, Couture, Hendo, Overeem, Ortiz, etc. That was a quicker stoppage than Silva-Belfort btw, could have been stopped a bit earlier too.


----------



## Random Stranger (May 24, 2015)

Nah man, he blocked a good number of shots but he still ate a lot of them. You for sure are downplaying Vitors attack. Vitor also clipped him with a counter right hook before the blitz as well. His face was all kinds of busted up, he was still bleeding during his in cage post fight interview and in his fox sports 1 interview his wounds opened up and started bleeding again as well. 

This fight showed that Chris's striking isn't good enough. He couldnt stand with Vitor. Jon Jones could. Jon Jones dominated him on the feet and on the ground. And Jon Jones did it to a younger Vitor that was juiced to the tits.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (May 24, 2015)

He out-struck Silva twice, dropped him in both fights, and out-struck Machida as well. I would say his striking is good enough. Weidman's face was busted up after the 2nd Silva fight as well, yet he dominated him everywhere, arguably had a 10-8 first round. It's a combat sport, blood leaks. Also, it's worth mentioning Goldberg commentated on how Weidman was bleeding after that scramble when Weidman ran at Belfort, which is probably how he got that cut over his eye (that was before Belfort's flurry). Otherwise just nosebleed, lol.

Jones beat Belfort on the feet but I don't remember it being dominant, and iirc Belfort got his ribs injured from a kick in like the 2nd round, and Jones still needed to go the championship rounds. Weidman was far more dominant on the ground than Jones was overall. Belfort was up repeatedly against Jones, gave him closed guard numerous times.. He got taken down once by Weidman and was finished.


----------



## Random Stranger (May 24, 2015)

Yeah Weidman has good top control and underrated BJJ. Would like to see him against Jacare.


----------



## Parallax (May 24, 2015)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Jones beat Belfort on the feet but I don't remember it being dominant, and iirc Belfort got his ribs injured from a kick in like the 2nd round, and Jones still needed to go the championship rounds. Weidman was far more dominant on the ground than Jones was overall. Belfort was up repeatedly against Jones, gave him closed guard numerous times.. He got taken down once by Weidman and was finished.



yeah

but there's nearly a three year differential, it doesn't make sense to compare them in a similar manner.

Great card good fights, Weidman looks great and the division is laid to waste, I don't see him losing for years to come. It helps that all the people he's fought are past their prime


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (May 24, 2015)

Belfort was on the best winning streak of his career heading into this fight, never looked better technically after the training with Hooft and Diaz. Plus he was never a great LHW despite winning the title against Couture in a flukey way, always at home at MW (which his 2 fights were before Jones). 

Division is far from done. Jacare, Machida, and Rockhold have been Weidman's biggest threats for a while for the people who have been paying attention. Silva was always a favourable match-up for him, and I said a long time ago that Belfort would likely be his quickest title defence (barring some bad injury replacement or someone who just didn't deserve to be there). There are guys like Romero, and nice up and coming talent as well.


----------



## Niabingi (May 25, 2015)

I love Jacare's BJJ it is just a real sight to behold! I would prefer both him or Rockhold as champion, Weidman rubs me the wrong way.

Edit: Also Cormier is a paper champion and not much more. Can't wait to see Jones beat him again.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (May 25, 2015)

Yeah, Jacare's one of the grapplers ever and one of my favourite fighters (BJJ and MMA), but I don't really like Rockhold. Great and slick grappler, but I think people get caught up with his flash on the feet, not the best fundamentals (outside of his improved stance over the years), and his boxing sucks (doesn't have much outside of that southpaw counter hook off the back-foot, granted it is one of the best in MMA, and his footwork is still mediocre - Belfort gave him a lesson). He is still a tough match-up for Weidman, make no mistake, just don't think as much as Jacare is.

Cormier brought back Crumble, lol. Funny after seeing so many people trash him after what he said about him folding in fights, and he was right. Perseverance was a big part of that fight, and I don't know who I would pick in a rematch with Jones. Round for round, that fight was as close as the Gustafsson one in some ways, just not as much damage inflicted by either guy. Cormier had a fantastic start, was up after 3 imo, and flagged in the later rounds. Just like Gustafsson, and the Jones' strongest round against Cormier is what people tend to remember (4th), even though neither guy did much of anything in the last (Jones won through attrition and experience in that one, but it was mostly just positional stuff on the feet).

You could say Lawler and Dillashaw are paper champions too, since GSP and Cruz never officially lost.


----------



## Niabingi (May 25, 2015)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Yeah, Jacare's one of the grapplers ever and one of my favourite fighters (BJJ and MMA), but I don't really like Rockhold. Great and slick grappler, but I think people get caught up with his flash on the feet, not the best fundamentals (outside of his improved stance over the years), and his boxing sucks (doesn't have much outside of that southpaw counter hook off the back-foot, granted it is one of the best in MMA, and his footwork is still mediocre - Belfort gave him a lesson). He is still a tough match-up for Weidman, make no mistake, just don't think as much as Jacare is.



I don't really enjoy watching Rockhold fight I would just prefer him to have the title over Weidman as I find him much less annoying as a persona.



> Cormier brought back Crumble, lol. Funny after seeing so many people trash him after what he said about him folding in fights, and he was right. Perseverance was a big part of that fight, and I don't know who I would pick in a rematch with Jones. Round for round, that fight was as close as the Gustafsson one in some ways, just not as much damage inflicted by either guy. Cormier had a fantastic start, was up after 3 imo, and flagged in the later rounds. Just like Gustafsson, and the Jones' strongest round against Cormier is what people tend to remember (4th), even though neither guy did much of anything in the last (Jones won through attrition and experience in that one, but it was mostly just positional stuff on the feet).
> 
> You could say Lawler and Dillashaw are paper champions too, since GSP and Cruz never officially lost.



DC straight up lost to Jones! Straight up. It was not a fun or a close fight and there was no argument for DC getting the nod over Jones. Everyone knew that Jones had won the belt before it was announced unlike in the Gustafsson fight where I felt Jones had won but it was tight enough to go either way. DC didn't even look good enough to earn himself another crack at Jones for at least a good 3 or 4 fights.


----------



## Cromer (May 25, 2015)

Just rewatching Cormier-Johnson. Why was Rumble striking from the bottom to try and escape? Rookie mistake at this level shouldn't be allowed.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (May 26, 2015)

Rumble has never been known for his BJJ or game off his back, got too hungry for the finish and made some bad decisions like trying to shoot on Cormier--whose success as a wrestler largely came countering TDs--once he was tired. Cormier capitalized on pretty much all of his mistakes and made it his fight. In a potential rematch Rumble needs to be less aggressive and fight more on the counter to create opportunities, instead of trying to force openings. It would put him in better positions to defend TDs with different and more efficient methods as well, like pivots and whizzers.


----------



## Stringer (May 26, 2015)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Rumble has never been known for his BJJ or game off his back, got too hungry for the finish and made some bad decisions like trying to shoot on Cormier--whose success as a wrestler largely came countering TDs--once he was tired. Cormier capitalized on pretty much all of his mistakes and made it his fight. In a potential rematch Rumble needs to be less aggressive and fight more on the counter to create opportunities, instead of trying to force openings. It would put him in better positions to defend TDs with different and more efficient methods as well, like pivots and whizzers.


BJJ is definitely an aspect of the game he's going to have to work on going forward, as it currently stands I cannot imagine any of his future opponent not try to capitalize on that weakness. You'd think he'd have allocate more time to it as 3 of his 4 previous losses all came by submission, but guess not.

After that loss to Vitor I think Henri Hooft and Rumble made it a big part of his development to build on his takedown and striking game to keep the fight on the feet where Rumble excels, and by so doing  neglected to account for the prospect of him actually wounding up on his back again. His TD before this fight was pretty crisp, just never faced a wrestler as good as cormier. If he takes all the right lessons from this loss then he's gonna be an even scarier dude to face I think.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (May 30, 2015)

Very impressive performance by Bektic, been high on his potential for a long time now (he's been a super prospect for a minute, considered like Top-5 in the world by a lot of fans even the most potential by some like me, and probably the highest FW prospect of the past year+). Definitely one of my fave fighters, becoming such a perfect mix of physicality and technique. He showed good work in the pocket, good range control, and a fairly cultured jab, more varied usage than in the past, nice feints and pivots as well. His g&p continues to look great, dude has some of the most technical ground striking in the sport, very multifaceted. He wanted to get Martins out of there in the 2nd after the KD, and he went a little crazy in the 1st where he could have probably finished if he was more composed. He rarely wastes space/energy, he picks his strikes intelligently, is precise and powerful, secures position, is patient, maintains his balance, gains good position of leverage in top position (posturing or getting to his knees like against Pearson, or standing like against Martins, in order to free his hands to strike), mixes/transitions his strikes and grappling very well (like he uses threats of submission, great guard passer, and positional changes to create openings for strikes, doesn't always try to get into a pure wrestling exchange if he has a situation that can call for it against someone, embraces the other arts), etc. Against Martins in the finishing sequence he was able to stand, giving his strikes much more distance to build momentum, and Martins was incapable of defending himself once he lose control of his hands. Martins was never going to survive having Bektic stack his guard and allow him free use of his hands, especially after getting hurt and the beating he took in the 1st.

He does his best work when he uses his foot-speed and striking to force guys to the cage, and he's pretty good at cutting it off. where he can then duck under for the takedown. He has a very diverse tool-kit for takedowns, strikes lead to a double-leg blast, upper-body throws, trip, etc. Great timing on his shots, and transitions and chains very smoothly if his initial gets stuffed. Lawal and Barzini have really helped sharpen his wrestling technique, level changes and balance when he drives forward on his doubles have improved, runs the pipe very well on singles, and his footwork has improved on trips and throws. And he has the strength to just keep guys on the mat if he wants. I think his clinch game has a lot of room to improve and hopefully he can develop into a great in-fighter, strength and positional technique in the clinch, foundation is already there.. Just needs to take advantage of the opportunities he creates. 

Dalby-EZDS was some surprising quality in terms of boxing from both guys, nice control of range and distance, footwork, feints, and counters. I was impressed by dos Santos' counter-punching and knees, also got a nice sweep to top position from a kimura attempt late in the 3rd. Close fight, thought it could have went either way. Both guys should be in the UFC for a while if that was any indication.. Pretty good card so far. Formiga looks much improved from a couple years ago, more rounded and skilled guy. He did better against Makovsky than Dodson, I think. Fight had fun scrambles and technical grappling, he showed that knee tap -> right hand that most MMA fighters need now (Edgar is known most famously for), and a Machida-esque block to throw. He was finding the home with that right hand, but was having a bit of trouble with Reis' level changing, getting put into the clinch (where there was inactivity from both guys), took some knees and kicks, and bit a couple feints early getting clipped with a couple hooks.


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## Random Stranger (May 30, 2015)

Was a shit fight but thought it was a clear 29-28 win for Parke.

Those Brazilian judges, huh?


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## Lucifer Morningstar (May 30, 2015)

I missed it, lol. Parke had been getting worse, was a decent watch when he fought like an in-fighter since he had a skill-set going for him there, but he hasn't been fighting that way. I figured the Parke-Trinaldo and Jimmo fight would be terrible, not sure why they were on the main card over a couple of the prelim fights.

Till looked gud, knockout by elbows in guard doesn't get old. Amusing post-fight interview too, guy has a lot of confidence in himself, and says what he feels. And a Brit speaking fluent Portuguese got the crowd cheering for him, lol.


----------



## Random Stranger (May 31, 2015)

Beautiful 2nd round 


EDIT: Holy blue balls batman, why???


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (May 31, 2015)

Welp     .


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (May 31, 2015)

So glad NBK Los is back.. Just wasn't the same without him. It was a great card, but I missed the Jimmo, Parke, and women's fights which seem to have been terrible as expected (not sure about the women's one). All the FN cards Condit has been in his career have delivered. Bektic should have got a POTN, had the best all-around performance of the card, imo. Both Condit and Alves looked as sharp as ever, imo (at least before getting dropped by the elbow for Alves). Solid defence and low kicks by him, especially his overall counters. Good volume from Condit, and as expected his dynamism got him the win. Good moments from both guys (sub attempts too, and Condit did pretty good work on the ground, nice transitions - got mount, side control, passes), various sub/positional threats to land strikes at different angles, thought his ground striking could have been better, but Alves isn't a slouch on the ground and I don't think Condit's ground striking is super technical like a Bektic or Matt Brown, not as nuanced like he doesn't leverage or position himself, like his legs optimally for one, but he's just very aggressive/unrelenting (like off his back). Condit has never had the most technical or efficient offence anyway.. 

I like Condit's entries for the elbows, the nice set-up for that elbow from Condit to draw Alves' right forearm guard away with the jab, as well as the hand-fighting near the cage to controlling Alves' wrists to land more elbows. He also landed a nice spinning elbow off a feinted elbow from how Alves started constantly using his right hip and ducking his head to the right  a lot for his defence, after a couple lead elbows. Condit's boxing defence is still as bad as ever though, which sucks. He has one of the best chins in the sport's history, consistently gets hit in terrible positions by strikers with big power, and almost never goes down (only by Ellenberger), just absorbs them. Overhand rights from Ellenberger, left hooks from Hendricks and Hardy, straight rights from Woodley, etc. Condit generally has bad posture, stands up too tall, and yet eats bricks thrown at him, but how long can that last ... It was interesting to see him use those clinch TDs, first time he has taken down someone since the Ellenberger and first Kampmann fights, 5-6 years ago.

I wanted to see more.. Alves showed a lot of heart and determination fighting though that onslaught. His defence was getting worse after he got dropped though, and that was a nasty injury that Condit was targeting more. Better safe than sorry.


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## Kuya (May 31, 2015)

Condit beats Lawler and Roy

Sick combinations as usual tonight


----------



## Random Stranger (Jun 2, 2015)

Have any of you seen this video?


*Spoiler*: __ 



[youtube]db4T5u72JGk[/youtube]




He break down the rory vs woodley fight (with footage) pretty well and how good gameplanning can earn you a victory. Give it a look if you havent. The channel also has other fight break down, but most of it is BJJ match break down, which may not be that interesting for everyone.


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## Random Stranger (Jun 3, 2015)

Also does anyone else watch Luke Thomas's "Monday Morning Analyst"? 

I think he is one of the if not the best MMA journalist/analyst there is that also consistently provides content. 

Feel free to correct and/or refer me to someone else if I am wrong.


----------



## Kuya (Jun 3, 2015)

Masterrace said:


> [YOUTUBE]QCNP8dvZVDo[/YOUTUBE]
> 
> Dat justice



this video makes the sheds all the light and shows the situation is even worse than the articles that came out.

unfuckingbelievable. fuck this guy.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jun 4, 2015)

Rockhard vs Weedman and DC vs Gus declared as the next MW and LHW title fights.

Not sure how I feel about DC vs Gus. On the one hand I think it's a better fight than vs Bader, on the other hand Gus is coming off a TKO loss and not really deserving off a titleshot over Bader. But whatever.


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## Cromer (Jun 4, 2015)

It's just the usual shonky UFC match making. DC-Gus should have been for the right to face Rumble for the title shot, and Bader really should be the one getting a title shot right now. 

Of course, Cormier-Bader is a total mismatch, whereas Gus actually has a decent chance of winning somehow.


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## Random Stranger (Jun 5, 2015)

Anyone else watching Glory 22?


----------



## Random Stranger (Jun 5, 2015)

Good fights so far. You guys should tune if you like you some high lvl striking.


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## Cromer (Jun 5, 2015)

What channel is it on? Or more to the point, stream links?


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## Random Stranger (Jun 5, 2015)

Just ended, were great fights all around.


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## Random Stranger (Jun 6, 2015)

HAHAHA THAT HOOK KICK!!!


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## Random Stranger (Jun 6, 2015)

My man Mitrione, why you had to go and do that?

Should have kept it standing. First time I have ever seen him go for a takedown, he had to go and try to prove he does have a ground game. Like he said in the MMA hour, he is sometimes an example of when keeping it real goes wrong.


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## Random Stranger (Jun 7, 2015)

Like I said a few weeks back.

These Blackzillians man. They most def show up and go above and beyond on the striking and strength & conditioning days, but they skip or half-ass grappling days.


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## Random Stranger (Jun 7, 2015)

Best right hand in the game.


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## Cromer (Jun 7, 2015)

Blackzillians training turns even excellent wrestlers to purely stand-up fighters. Look at Rumble. 


(Which is why it continues to be weird to me that Lesnar tried to go into stand-up with 'Reem)


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jun 8, 2015)

Glory was good. Sittichai has been one of my favourite strikers for a long time now, his game is very well suited for the Western kick-boxing rules compared to a lot of other Thais. A big reason why many predicted he would be very successful there. 

That was one of the best cards of the year even though there weren't really any relevant fights. Can't ask for much more from a FN card.. Few fighters who matter yet (or anymore), but action out of the veterans, and promise from a couple prospects. Ortega-Tavares was a barn-burner, some interesting wrinkles in both fighters' games that said a lot about the current landscape of ground striking in MMA.


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## Kuya (Jun 9, 2015)

What a badass card. Finish after finish after finish after finish!

Rothwell's evil laugh was the highlight of the night though


----------



## Random Stranger (Jun 13, 2015)

Second fight I have seen of Yair Rodriguez so far and he's a very exciting fighter. 

He has some glaring holes in his games but at only 23 years old he has more than enough time to improve.

I am expecting great things from him.

With all these promising young and up and coming guys like Yair, Holloway, Oliveira etc, the featherweights divisions future is looking good.


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## Legend (Jun 13, 2015)

Why does this guy need a translator?


----------



## Random Stranger (Jun 13, 2015)

Am I the only one that has noticed that in the last few months, fighters have started to quit/throw in the towel far more often than usual? 

Makdessi, Arrowhead-chest-hair-guy (forgot his name), Nate Marquart,...


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## Legend (Jun 14, 2015)

I think Alvarez won


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## Random Stranger (Jun 14, 2015)

Yeah, using the current rules, he did.

A pyrrhic victory it was at best though.


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## Random Stranger (Jun 14, 2015)

Good first round.


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## Kagekatsu (Jun 14, 2015)

Jesus, Werdum's just feeding Cain those right hands


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## Random Stranger (Jun 14, 2015)

WHAT A DOG FIGHT!


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## Legend (Jun 14, 2015)

Cain is getting rocked but asking for more


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## Random Stranger (Jun 14, 2015)

HOLLLYYYYYYY SHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTT!!!!!!


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## Stringer (Jun 14, 2015)

Werdum contantly landing those stiff jabs, looking pretty damn good.


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## Stringer (Jun 14, 2015)

lmao Werdum actually did it.


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## eHav (Jun 14, 2015)

WERDUM TIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE


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## Random Stranger (Jun 14, 2015)

Werdum vs JDS Rematch seems like the next fight to make.

This opens up the division to a lot of interesting fights assumming Werdum doesnt get injured/start holding the belt hostage like Cain.


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## Legend (Jun 14, 2015)

Brock is like yeah im glad im staying away


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## eHav (Jun 14, 2015)

i can already imagine the spark in jds's eye atm. he can get the belt now


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jun 14, 2015)

Legend said:


> Brock is like yeah im glad im staying away



Werdum got played way back in the day in his first UFC stint. He was promised a title shot after beating Gonzaga, then got skipped over for Lesnar of all people in that mini-tournament with Nogueira, Mir, and Couture to determine the champion. He was the #1 contender after stopping Vera, and had to take a high risk, low reward fight with JDS. The UFC cut him after that because of some financial bs, but their intentions towards him was pathetic. He is likely the worst possible match-up for Lesnar, and was back then too and the UFC knew it. White also took shots at him numerous times, even said "Fedor was losing to guys that aren't that good" and it rubbed Werdum the wrong way. This has been a culmination of a lot of things for him

I have always said Velasquez as a technician was overrated. Plenty of people including myself have been saying Werdum was a bad match-up for him for a while now. It honestly felt like the UFC was avoiding it with how many times it had to be rearranged. He had some great answers for Velasquez's in-fighting and head positioning (really the strongest aspect of his game outside g&p, where Werdum didn't worry about it much; with his back to the cage with his height he would have had to fight really hard in terms of leverage, lowering his base and driving off the cage against the leaning Velasquez. So Werdum chose to stand tall, move with his head pressure, slide his head, keeping Velasquez's head between himself and Velasquez's free arm, which took away Velasquez's arm punches. When Velasquez tried to work knees, Werdum off-balanced, and took control when Velasquez was looking for grips/openings. Werdum really outmaneuvered Velasquez in the clinch by relying on the Thai clinch that favoured his height advantage [Velasquez relies on being able to beat people upright against the cage, taking the use of their hips away from them, and it was easy for Werdum to negate that by staying tall and slipping in his elbows for the double collar tie, and using his footwork to circle out], instead of like a boxer or wrestler, kind of like DJ against Bagautinov), exposed the technical holes Velasquez's striking has when he enters, in the pocket when his work-rate/cardio can't see him through (out-jabbed him badly, Werdum's timing was really great, and he used his jab to figure out Velasquez's defence, almost always slipping to the right. If he found more strikes coming his way, he would sway his head back to the left, and pivot out, used his simple combinations after that he set up to get opportunities , started getting creative, and the whole package, selections of knees, kicks, punches, have Velasquez problems, controlled the pace with his jab and even seized the initiative many times with it even off the back-foot, the shifts, always putting his rear hand or leg in position to attack, negated Velasquez's pressure by keeping him off-balance with his lead hand, and was always in reach for those collar ties [would follow up combinations with them, dropped him with a knee after slipping a jab and grabbing a collar tie, taking a strong angle to Velasquez's centre-line], and measuring the distance, timing, and establishing his rhythm, especially key to all that was how he applied his tricky jab and push kicks to reestablish range), and his jiu-jitsu threat made Velasquez's level changing, getting low he couldn't use the leverage for punches with Werdum's defence and TDs he wasn't going for, with Werdum's height and defence to the head pressure he wasn't blinded to what Velasquez was doing and always aware of what was coming unlike JDS (and from the beginning Werdum set the tone that he wasn't going to be bullied and pushed back/controlled, made Velasquez work a lot more by standing his ground unlike JDS who made it easier for Velasquez to back him up, even if he avoided more shots than Werdum earlier on; it gave Velasquez more confidence going forward, dissuade him from taking that space even if Werdum isn't very skilled in the pocket he is pretty much an out-fighter and did good work moving forward and taking away the space Velasquez needed), and chaining fairly obsolete (as well as his g&p which some seemed to have think he would just smash Werdum on the ground, lol.. 

Velasquez's game outside the cage has always been way less threatening, his height/length disadvantage got much more obvious (a lot of his punches were missing by a bit in the middle, his TDs aren't as good, etc.) and he couldn't stay chest-to-chest with Werdum because there was a strong likelihood he would get on the ground due to Werdum's vastly superior grappling, and he was controlling Velasquez's arm well, used his hips well after getting double collar ties to get away from the cage whenever he got cut off, Velasquez couldn't create his angles with his head positioning like against JDS, etc.). Velasquez really went full bobble-head. He literally uses his head for head movement and not his hips, lol. Even when it's going side to side it's still upright and he's in bad positions. Werdum was able to get his elbows in against Velasquez, and get the double collar tie, which he used to spin him around and get away from the cage. That collar tie worked for Werdum since Velasquez didn’t want to engage with him on the ground at all, even when he did take Werdum down. That was a key reason for my reasoning on why I thought Werdum was a bad match-up for him. If most guys try that on Velasquez, they get taken down and g&ped. Velasquez was still landing strikes in the clinch. He used his overhand right as sort of a cross face escape to hit Werdum and break free at the same time, and keep in mind that nobody at HW really has a clinch on that level. To make it work against him, you’d have to also keep your back off the cage and be skilled enough to not let him get his hips close to you, all while maintaining control and avoiding his punches. The optimal defence against Velasquez is learning how to pivot, then applying whatever skill-set you have while cutting hard, tight angles in response to his pressure. Werdum showed that at a consistent level. You have to have a plan for when Velasuez gets you against the cage, but it’s not unrealistic to never end up there in the first place against him. His strategy has never been all that refined. His entry into the position is always the same, leaves defensive holes coming in, and can be prevented. Once there you can tie up his free arm so he can’t hit you like Werdum did, try to dig for an underhook so you can turn out, threaten with knees and elbows if he creates space, etc. But someone with good pivots wouldn’t have much trouble outmaneuvering Cain, but of course the only guy at HW who pivots consistently well against varied opponents is Miocic, and even he does that more on offence and defence.

Aldo is a guy who effortlessly does them to everyone he fights. He is the only MMA fighter I know who effectively pivots in both directions defensively, because he might be the only one who does it right. He doesn’t stand straight up and move back then circle around. He steps sharply off to the side, keeps his base solid and turns to face his opponent. If you can’t get pivots to work, you’re either too upright, failing to control distance, or executing the footwork incorrectly. It is a big reason why I have thought he has the best footwork in MMA for a while now, and why a little while back I found the comparisons to Barao hilarious because that guy has terrible footwork defensively.

Of course Cordeiro fighters still have defensive holes, just that their offence more than makes up for it. Werdum needed to stay in his posture and stance, was taking quite a few low kicks, which he started countering later. He didn't fall for Velasquez's set-ups for his punches off them though, which was important. Cordeiro deserves a lot of credit, for instilling confidence in his fighters and giving them the right options not over-emphasizing obvious things to avoid in match-ups, application even though their fighters aren't great technicians when it comes to striking (always a strategic purpose to what they do), focuses the skills fighters have very well, the flexibility of his coaching (Werdum was adjusting for range and angle with his aggressive combinations, making Velasquez feel very unsafe and he reacted poorly since Werdum was just positioning himself in relation to Velasquez much more effectively landing the more meaningful strikes in the vast majority of the exchanges. Velasquez showed a lot of problems with the technique in his striking game, and the strategy from Cordeiro (especially with how Werdum's game has been built to adapt to situations in the moment), offence/aggression; the way Werdum was able to control pace/conserve energy until an opening was found or he created one, varied strikes stringed together, usually starting with the hands, consistency/efficiency, etc. was all put together in a clinic, one of the best HW performances I have seen. Werdum's footwork was the highlight for me, will explain later.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jun 14, 2015)

Werdum is very hittable and JDS can put down anyone.

Him winning the title again is very likely.


----------



## Legend (Jun 14, 2015)

I love the Aldo McGregor Promo


----------



## Random Stranger (Jun 14, 2015)

Legend said:


> I love the Aldo McGregor Promo


Which one?

The new one or the one that has the Kanye/Jay-z track?


----------



## Stringer (Jun 14, 2015)

I lol'ed when Cain tried to escape Werdum's standup and got his neck welcomed by top tier BJJ. 

Werdum's accuracy in this fight was really beautiful.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jun 14, 2015)

GOAT HWs:

1. Fedor
2. Nogueira
3. Werdum
4. Barnett
5. Velasquez/JDS/ Cro Cop
6. JDS/Velasquez/Cro Cop
7. Cro Cop/Velasquez/JDS
8. Couture
9. Arlovski
10. Mir or Sylvia


----------



## Legend (Jun 14, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> Which one?
> 
> The new one or the one that has the Kanye/Jay-z track?



Old one with Frank Ocean and Jay-Z


----------



## Stringer (Jun 14, 2015)

Legend said:


> I love the Aldo McGregor Promo


That and the new Ronda Rousey promo for UFC 190. They're two of the very best promos they've done.


----------



## Legend (Jun 14, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]g4xewIFm8go[/YOUTUBE]

everything about it is perfect

This one is one of my faves:

[YOUTUBE]BCJfr1B-dwg[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Stringer (Jun 14, 2015)

I remember how insane the buildup to the bout between DC and Jones was,  the challenge itself didn't fully live up to the hype but the drama  beforehand was all kinds of juicy.


----------



## Legend (Jun 14, 2015)

Yeah, im gonna wonder how it'll turn out when and if Jones returns


----------



## Niabingi (Jun 14, 2015)

I'm happy that Werdum won it makes the division much more exciting. I really don't like inactive champions and I just prefer watching Werdum fight.

Cain was handily beaten tonight! 

Next up is Aldo and McGregor. I don't think it'll be a fight that lives up the hype, although unlike with DC and Jones I don't think these two truly dislike each other. Just building the hype for the dollar.


----------



## Cromer (Jun 14, 2015)

Masterrace said:


> Aww
> 
> Feel bad for Velasquez



I don't. 


When your biggest advantage over everybody else in the division is your welterweight-like cardio and your ability to force people to fight at high pace, and you neutralize it yourself by not training at altitude for long enough to adapt, it's all you.


----------



## Kuya (Jun 14, 2015)

what an idiotic decision by their team not to train in Mexico City

that didn't look like the Cain we're used to seeing. he was gassed in round 1, wtf?


----------



## Kuya (Jun 14, 2015)

JDS will beat Werdum. Then Cain will beat JDS.

Then we'll see Cain vs. Werdum 2 in Vegas in 2016.

Werdum has been impressive, but I don't think he beats "Cardio Cain"


----------



## Matariki (Jun 14, 2015)

And let's not blame Cain's loss on his training 

Werdum was the better fighter period


----------



## Niabingi (Jun 14, 2015)

Kuya said:


> what an idiotic decision by their team not to train in Mexico City
> 
> that didn't look like the Cain we're used to seeing. he was gassed in round 1, wtf?



That was purely Cain's decision, Javier Mendez had to beg him to get to Mexico early. He didn't want to train there at all. That's why they only arrived two weeks early. That coupled with ring rust played a big part in draining Cain's cardio.

However, I do think that Werdum was just the better man full stop.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jun 15, 2015)

Werdum's footwork was the highlight of the fight, imo. Just look at Velasquez's fights with JDS, dude showed awful footwork, very predictable, kept backing up in straight lines, and he can't fight off the back-foot, wasn't using angles for retreats and kept using so many steps. Werdum's footwork was much more functional and efficient, wasn't tiring himself overreacting to Velasquez, who was using excessive steps (taking multiple big steps unnecessarily while Werdum was taking sometimes none, usually one, or two because that was all he needed). Werdum just had to use slight pivots and angular footwork to keep up, turn his feet slightly in and out, nuanced retreats that weren't backed up in straight lines like JDS, side-steps and attacking on an angle and exiting on another, barely had to use his legs much, was properly positioned and centred, and adjusted to Velasquez's movements with how functional it is. 

He showed good posture and stance that Velasquez was trying to break with the low kicks, but Werdum wasn't falling for the set-ups that came from them. Velasquez wasn't able to feint and slip as well as against JDS and Bigfoot due to his footwork, positioning, grappling threats like the collar ties (made his transitions and level changes ineffective, etc).. Werdum's feet were very well balanced compared to Velasquez who kept getting wobbled/off-balanced, because of how perfectly they were usually spaced apart from each other, weight centred or moving from one foot to the other, while Velasquez was flailing past his feet with his weight moving too far outside either feet. Werdum was finding angles that Velasquez wasn't without going out of his preferred range.. Velasquez doesn't react well to getting pressed and not having a fighter on the defensive for so long. Most pressure fighters like Velasquez really rely on building momentum, and acting without thinking. To be forced to think and have your momentum and rhythm constantly disrupted is a nightmare, especially with how Werdum took control of the pace and initiative with his varied jab. That’s why defence is an integral part of a pressure fighting skill-set, and Velasquez was looking very mediocre in that aspect. Also, not saying the altitude didn't play a part, but it's much easier to maintain your cardio when you're beating somebody up with very little resistance, as opposed to getting pieced up, have your rhythm constantly broken, the pace constantly changed,  and hit to the head and body as much as Velasquez was. Werdum gave him a beating.. dude couldn't even drink water from his bottle properly when he went to his corner.



JDS is a tougher match-up for him than Velasquez like I have been saying for a long time. I think he can beat him in a rematch though, but Werdum and Cordeiro fighters in general have defensive liabilities that certain fighters can take advantage of. But Werdum has better footwork, a more aggressive offence, much more variety and transitions, shifts in his strikes, grabbing collar ties to initiate a clinch or ending combinations with knees, kicks, etc. He measures the distance, timing, and establishes his rhythm very well, has a tricky jab that he really uses to bring it all together. He is much better in the clinch and fighting on the inside. Plus he is a way better grappler.. JDS outside of his TDD, TDs, and trips isn't really bringing much to the grappling department (and what is he going to do to Werdum if he gets him down, lol). He constantly lost the underhook battle against Velasquez, just did a poor job fighting for them, which is part of why he struggled so badly on the inside, even had his troubles against Miocic there. That doesn't bode well for him in a fight with Werdum, who wasn't having it with Velasquez and was countering his head pressure a lot. Cordeiro is a great strategist, both and Velasquez and Miocic have already shown the blueprint in beating him.

Werdum would be aggressive, press him, move him back, and be unafraid of being hit (his mentality is a lot different, this isn't the Werdum from the Overeem II and Kharitonov fights). He would be able to get into the pocket behind combinations of strikes and press JDS up against the cage. Without space, he can't use his jab well, and his pot-shots become useless against a guy who could take advantage of his leaps into range by just sticking to him as he tried to exit. Even though Werdum has underwhelming and inconsistent head movement (could be problematic against a puncher like JDS), dos Santos almost has none, relies on his feet to keep him out of range. He has mediocre footwork, bad defensively, and fighting on the outside he has a bad habit of retreating back in straight lines, standing up tall. Even against Miocic, JDS was rarely standing in the pocket countering him. Just kept moving away most of the time, instead of moving forward, where he could make guys miss and pay with not just single shots, but counters like his left hook. Werdum wouldn't be centred and positioned in the pocket for prolonged exchanges like he was against Velasquez last night either, would be a much different game-plan.


----------



## Kuya (Jun 15, 2015)

Cordeiro trained RDA to beat Pettis too.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jun 15, 2015)

Yeah, I called that upset too. RDA's pressure game will always be trouble for Pettis, dude right now might be the most well-rounded LW I have seen in MMA. Dariush is another guy trained by Cordeiro that has been rising the ranks, and he had a similar game-plan as RDA against Pettis at UFC 185. And funny enough Dariush-Cruickshank was like a much lower-level version of RDA-Pettis, stylistically.


----------



## Niabingi (Jun 15, 2015)

I don't think that Werdum winning or RDA winning were really upsets. Hell I didn't think that Dillashaw beating Barao was an upset.

Fans of this sport are so reactionary when it comes to champions. Really those fighters were never greats and will likely never be greats. If I could cut the top P4P list off at 3 I'd do it. To me only Jon Jones, Jose Aldo and DJ have reached that great level. 

People will argue with me on DJ but I think the dude constantly improves he seems to always have tightened up a new skill in each fight, he's a great student and listens to his coach, he fought as a very undersized guy in the BW division where he was very competitive even worked his way to a title shot, he's very well rounded and a linchpin of the 125 division that is being built up, don't see him winning in a long time.

Jones and Aldo go without saying. But the rest of current fighters just aren't really at that same level. If The Chris beats Rockhold and Jacare then he'd be #4.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jun 15, 2015)

Any of you watch BAMMA? I have a Fight Network channel that shows fights from there, RDA, Legacy, etc. One of the best prospects I have seen in a long time is fighting again.. Name is Tom Duquesnoy, guy will be big in the UFC when he gets there. FW is already so great, but in a couple year it's going to look ridiculous with the talent that's coming in and developing. He is fighting Loughnane, which is an interesting test for him. That guy actually fought in the UFC before and I thought he won his fight against Wilkinson.


----------



## Cromer (Jun 18, 2015)

Arlovski as a HW contender in 2015...


----------



## Ghost_of_Gashir (Jun 19, 2015)

Kimbo Slice more legit than Weidman.


----------



## Shadow Replication 1480 (Jun 20, 2015)

Man, that was a hilarious trainwreck.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jun 20, 2015)

Clinic by Jedrzejczyk, must easily the best female striker in MMA? (I don't really follow the females), likely Top-10 overall, imo. Her muay thai is great (can't think of many people who use elbows as well off retreats, or use teeps as well; though overall it's still more a European style MT, than authentic like Matt Brown), footwork so essential and functional to her striking (the adjustment steps, catching people right at the snappy part of her punches; her weight is almost always centred, not throwing herself off-balance; it's how she generates power and can put together those long combinations) and TDD (changes angles to take away drives, where she gets her hips out and turns wrestling situations into striking ones, much more favourable for her + she uses some very similar angles for her clinch fighting where she hurts people and dissuades TDs in favour of range striking) -- technical head positioning she uses to get favourable angles in close when people tie her up near the cage (she does a good job keeping her hips underneath her and working for grips) to prevent them from keeping her there, prevented plenty of trip attempts with her back against the cage when Penne had a tight clinch by keeping her base low, hips away, legs free, and maintaining a strong whizzer. She has some of the best hand-speed and commitment to the body in MMA (works high and low and uses punches to set up the coming punches very well), and decently varied boxing game (her left hook is her best punch for sure).

She really showed more of her kicking game yesterday (honestly she looks like a clearly better kicker than puncher, in terms of technique/mechanics) that she will likely be more comfortable using going forward as she gets more comfortable with her TDD and grappling (really just MMA as a whole; she has only been fighting in it professionally for 3 years). She flowed from her kicks to her punches really well, alternated between standing up tall to kick and lowering her level to box, getting good reactions and kept Penne very defensive (though she isn't much of a striker). She has some nice feints she piles on well due to her subtle/controlled movements, dangerous when she leads (sharp jab) but she does some great work on the counter as well (really more of a boxer-puncher, not a pure pressure fighter or counter-striker, just hasn't fought someone yet that could challenge her on the feet). Her footwork there is really good too, she could have created.maintained distance by moving back the same amount as Penne when she closed the distance/threw her weight forward, but she typically did was take a quick step back with her left foot, then move her right foot out to the side and create space on an angle (kind of perpendicular to Penne). So as her right foot touched the floor from that angle, she threw her weight back to her left and threw that right hand. Very efficient and helped conserve her energy, moving only as much as she needed.

She showed she could adjust mid-fight as well after Penne kept getting her into a clinch from ducking her punches. She led with a straight right and lowered her left hand and kept her elbow back to position herself for an underhook, which along with a slight pivot, allowed her to completely neutralize the entry and she dropped her with a much tighter straight right after Penne was standing straight with her knees locked, forced to recover her stance after having her entry stopped. Even though this was more or less a showcase against a fighter she was a nightmare match-up for, the vast majority of fighters in MMA don't have her technical skills.


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## Random Stranger (Jun 23, 2015)

Aldo injured, fractured rib, most likely out of UFC 189...


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## Cromer (Jun 23, 2015)

You're kidding...

*checks news*

Damn it. 

Well Conor Mac gets more artillery for trash talk, I guess.


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## Ghost_of_Gashir (Jun 23, 2015)

Aldo


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## Niabingi (Jun 23, 2015)

Dana is going to pressure Aldo into fighting even though he won't be fit enough to fight. Then if he loses he will sell the rematch even more than this fight by using the McGregor vs Healthy/100% Aldo line. 

I fully believe that Dana would push Aldo into the Octagon in a wheelchair to ensure this fight goes on. Really what they should do is make Lawler vs Rory the main event and have McGregor fight a replacement in the co-main. Ideally Frankie Edgar.


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## Matariki (Jun 24, 2015)

Shlemenko suspended 3 years by CSAC, fined $10,000, win overturned


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## Random Stranger (Jun 24, 2015)

Good news guys.

Aldo-Mac is still on.

It turns out that Aldo only bruised his rib, not fractured it,

UFC still got a plan B though in case Aldo pulls out again: Mac vs Mendes for the interim belt.


Source:


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## Niabingi (Jun 25, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> Good news guys.
> 
> Aldo-Mac is still on.
> 
> ...


He didn't pull out in the first place. Someone from his training camp leaked the story to the press. If the fight doesn't go on it'll be because the NSAC doctors deem him unable to fight. Any rib injury is painful as hell and I'm pretty sure had this been any other fight he would postpone, however this fight is worth $4M to Aldo just for showing up. That's why I believe he'll do everything possible to step into the Octagon regardless of his condition. Wouldn't even be surprised if his rib is actually broken and his camp are lying about it.

The fact that Mendes - McGregor would be for an interim belt is a joke. Especially when you look at Cruz and Velasquez, the injury Aldo has will set him back a few weeks. They can't go creating interim belts for 4 week layoffs.

The thought of Aldo - Mendes 3 so soon after the second fight isn't very appealing. I think it's also very dangerous for Mendes, if he loses to Aldo again so soon the only way he gets a title shot is if Aldo moves up.


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## Matariki (Jun 25, 2015)

Anderson still fought with a rib injury


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## Niabingi (Jun 25, 2015)

Bannai said:


> Anderson still fought with a rib injury



With the advantage of nobody knowing about it. If you're McGregor now that the story has been leaked why would you not deliberately and determinedly target it?


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## Mashiba Ryō (Jun 26, 2015)

Do you guys think Conor will still shit talk Aldo during the week of the fight or give him the respect he deserves for defending his title with a serious injury?


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## Sea Scorpion (Jun 26, 2015)

Disorder said:


> Do you guys think Conor will still shit talk Aldo during the week of the fight or give him the respect he deserves for defending his title with a serious injury?



How about giving him the respect he deserves for saying he's strong enough to defend his title?

I hope the shit-talk continues.


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## Cromer (Jun 26, 2015)

>Implying Conor Mac can turn the shit talk gene off


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## Matariki (Jun 27, 2015)

Joe Schilling was KO'd


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## eHav (Jun 28, 2015)

hahahahah romero destroys machida, and says hes going to speak in english and all that, everyone expects him to call out weidman or something but he goes on a gay bashing rant.. hahahaha


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## Niabingi (Jun 28, 2015)

eHav said:


> hahahahah romero destroys machida, and says hes going to speak in english and all that, everyone expects him to call out weidman or something but he goes on a gay bashing rant.. hahahaha



Yeah that was embarrassing and has now overshadowed the biggest win of his career. I'm not sure I buy his explanation about how he was referencing the American dream and not gay marriage.


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## Matariki (Jun 28, 2015)

eHav said:


> hahahahah romero destroys machida, and says hes going to speak in english and all that, everyone expects him to call out weidman or something but he goes on a gay bashing rant.. hahahaha



i'm officially a fan


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## Niabingi (Jun 28, 2015)

Bannai said:


> i'm officially a fan



Of the win or the Homophobia?


----------



## Stringer (Jun 28, 2015)

Romero actually said _'no forget jesus'_ if you listen carefully, as in don't forget jesus. Poorly articulated words is all that is, his english obviously isn't the best around. 

He clarified what he wanted to say post-fight, so yeah, he's not an homophobe:

[youtube]4MKlTUGomRs[/youtube]


One thing I do find irksome however is how he, as well as other fighters in the roster, strongly talk about god and their personal beliefs post-fight, that's something I've never been a fan of.

Anyway, yesterday I tuned in only for the main and co-main. Very well-executed gameplan by Romero, wasn't too aggressive with his takedown attempts and just explosive enough to keep Machida on his toes until a TK opportunity presented itself. Loved that superman punch he threw off the cage at the end of round 2.


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## Basilikos (Jun 29, 2015)

Sucks for Machida.  Getting another title shot sometime soon is becoming increasingly unlikely.  The fact that he's not getting any younger doesn't help.


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## Niabingi (Jun 29, 2015)

Stringer said:


> Romero actually said _'no forget jesus'_ if you listen carefully, as in don't forget jesus. Poorly articulated words is all that is, his english obviously isn't the best around.
> 
> He clarified what he wanted to say post-fight, so yeah, he's not an homophobe



Oh yeah I saw the clarification already, I just sight believe it as I felt it made no sense in relation to what he said. But maybe I need to not expect him and his broken English to be very coherent.



> Anyway, yesterday I tuned in only for the main and co-main. Very well-executed gameplan by Romero, wasn't too aggressive with his takedown attempts and just explosive enough to keep Machida on his toes until a TK opportunity presented itself. Loved that superman punch he threw off the cage at the end of round 2.



I'm more and more impressed with Romero each fight. It's a shame that the Jacare fight didn't happen as it would've been a good one. But I can now see the UFC making them avoid one another in order to keep two title contenders at MW. I think that one of them will likely face Belfort next, which is a very dangerous fight for either.


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## Stringer (Jun 29, 2015)

Niabingi said:


> I'm more and more impressed with Romero each fight. It's a shame that the Jacare fight didn't happen as it would've been a good one. But I can now see the UFC making them avoid one another in order to keep two title contenders at MW. I think that one of them will likely face Belfort next, which is a very dangerous fight for either.


Yeah every time he steps into the octagon he shows noticeable improvements, every time it makes you wonder how good he'd actually be if he started mma at a younger age, dude's a physical beast. After this fight I also don't wanna see him and Jacare square off just yet for that same reason, although it would be a pretty interesting matchup. 

And I'd especially hate to see Jacare lose a fight between them (though I do think he'd win), he should have faced Weidman already.


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## Random Stranger (Jun 30, 2015)

Aldo officially pulled out, Mac vs Mendes for the interim will headline UFC 189.

Man, it is hard to be an Aldo fan. He has already pulled out of 5 of 7 title fights. Also lets be honest, the suspicious drug tests drama a couple weeks back coupled with how both Chad Mendes and others back in 2014 and recently Mac have called him out on ducking fights in the US due to increased drugtesting in the recent years makes the probability of him being on PEDs very high.

I am giving up on this dude. He is too unreliable and most likely a cheat.


----------



## Basilikos (Jul 1, 2015)

Ever since the regular occurrence of canceled and postponed events from last year, I have never let myself get hyped up for big UFC events anymore.  Somebody almost always gets injured.  So as disappointing as this news is, I can't say I'm surprised.

Oh well, Mendes VS McGregor should still be a good fight.


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## Kuya (Jul 1, 2015)

Mendes vs. McGregor is still hype as fuck


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## Niabingi (Jul 1, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> Aldo officially pulled out, Mac vs Mendes for the interim will headline UFC 189.
> 
> Man, it is hard to be an Aldo fan. He has already pulled out of 5 of 7 title fights. Also lets be honest, the suspicious drug tests drama a couple weeks back coupled with how both Chad Mendes and others back in 2014 and recently Mac have called him out on ducking fights in the US due to increased drugtesting in the recent years makes the probability of him being on PEDs very high.
> 
> I am giving up on this dude. He is too unreliable and most likely a cheat.



Not really hard at all he is an incredible fighter and always money to watch.The drug test drama is a narrative pushed by McGregors camp and had nothing to do with Aldo he pissed in the cup both times and went about his business. The pee collector should have done his job properly. 

He's only once gone more than a year without fighting compare that to Pettis who got the belt and then didn't defend it for a year and a half, or Cain or Cruz. Of his 7 UFC title defences three were in Brazil, three in the US and one in Canada...

I'm gutted that the fight is cancelled but I think it's for the best. Mendes vs McGregor is a great fight and will truly help us to see how legit McGregor is. I wouldn't want an Aldo - McGregor fight where Aldo has an injury that's public knowledge, if Aldo wins then McGregor would be so far away from another title shot, if McGregor won everyone would say it's from the injury and the hype for the immediate rematch would be even harder to stomach than the hype on this fight. 

If Mendes beats McGregor it means that Aldo misses out on a big pay check. If I were him instead of fighting Mendes for a third time I'd use the opportunity to move up to LW and test the waters over there for a while.


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## Basilikos (Jul 1, 2015)

Niabingi said:


> If Mendes beats McGregor it means that Aldo misses out on a big pay check. If I were him instead of fighting Mendes for a third time I'd use the opportunity to move up to LW and test the waters over there for a while.


For the sake of his health, Aldo really should move up to 155 soon.  As he gets older cutting to 145 is going to become increasingly risky and difficult, especially for a guy who walks around at about 170.  Conor is likely to make the move to 155 soon as well, since he also has to make a painful cut to reach 145.


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## Legend (Jul 1, 2015)

Imma give the win to Mac in a good fight.


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## Niabingi (Jul 2, 2015)

So, Aldo's rib is definitely broken. Quite disappointed in Dana for talking s**t and trying to throw Aldo under the bus, I can understand him being upset about the fight being off and his training but there was no need to disparage his injury or claim that he could still have fought.

Dana has a real issue with professionalism. 

Also,Reebok fight kit looks like as horrible as I thought it would and the deal for the fighters is as bad as suspected. Who on earth is going to pay $95 for an ugly Giblert Melendez shirt? 
Never mind the fighters lower down on the roster...


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 2, 2015)

White has felt some type of way against Aldo for a long time, numerous instances over the years of him maligning the dude, and not promoting him properly. Most likely because Aldo isn't a company man, says whatever he wants, and his don't give a shit attitude.

I get why they made this an interim title fight because of all the promotion they did for this fight, and it's the best way to promote Mendes after the money they will lose out on again because of Aldo.. But they were talking about the possibility of one after Aldo pulled out the Mendes fight. White had no problem waiting well over a year for Cruz, Velasquez, Pettis, etc. to get back, but an interim title for the longest reigning champion/best fighter in the sport (maybe ever), for a month or two..


----------



## Niabingi (Jul 2, 2015)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> White has felt some type of way against Aldo for a long time, numerous instances over the years of him maligning the dude, and not promoting him properly. Most likely because Aldo isn't a company man, says whatever he wants, and his don't give a shit attitude.



Yeah, especially as after the Reebok deal was announced Aldo was the only champion to openly criticise it and point out how unfair it was. He also spoke about fighters needing a union and we all know how the UFC feels about Unions.



> I get why they made this an interim title fight because of all the promotion they did for this fight, and it's the best way to promote Mendes after the money they will lose out on again because of Aldo.. But they were talking about the possibility of one after Aldo pulled out the Mendes fight. White had no problem waiting well over a year for Cruz, Velasquez, Pettis, etc. to get back, but an interim title for the longest reigning champion/best fighter in the sport (maybe ever), for a month or two..



I do understand fully why they made this an interim fight, financially in order to still bring in a good amount and also to give the fight more relevance and hype. I just think the way Dana has handled it and spoken about Aldo has been disrespectful, revisionary and plainly untrue. 

Well, I've got Mendes for this one.


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## Cromer (Jul 2, 2015)

I've got McGregor. He's just gonna keep him at range and keep tapping aaway at him. With the massive reach advantage and the ability to strike from damn near any angle, Mendes is gonna be pushing for those takedowns from a less than ideal distance. 

Of course, if he manages to get him to the ground then we're in new territory.


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## Violent by Design (Jul 10, 2015)

An Interim title seems like a bit much, but this fight finna be hyped anyway.


----------



## Cromer (Jul 10, 2015)

Any sig bets going?


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Jul 10, 2015)

Mendes, MacDonald, Bermudez, Thatch, Almeida, & Brown


----------



## Louis-954 (Jul 11, 2015)

Anyone want to hang out on Skype for the event? We has streams. PM/VM me.


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## Mashiba Ryō (Jul 11, 2015)

^ I don't have skype but I would appreciate stream links regardless if you'd be so kind. My usual stream is unreliable and I'd like a few backup sites just in case lol.

I see Dana's being his typical cunt self. I'm glad more people see through his shit these days but it's still obnoxious to see him trying to tarnish the reputation of fighters, especially the ones who work for him and make him money. I can see why he'd be frustrated too but taking passive aggressive shots at one of your champions isn't the way to go about it.


----------



## Kuya (Jul 11, 2015)

McGregor and Faber just got into a little shoving match backstage


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## Basilikos (Jul 11, 2015)

Rooting for Mendes to win via KO/TKO.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Jul 11, 2015)

Kuya said:


> McGregor and Faber just got into a little shoving match backstage



Did anyone record it?


----------



## Cromer (Jul 11, 2015)

Disorder said:


> Did anyone record it?





Apparently. Not entirely certain of its provenance.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 11, 2015)

Even with Aldo's injury this is top to bottom likely the most stacked card of the year on paper, so many pick-em fights. I want to see Lawler, Almeida, and Brown do well. As for the main event, two of the hardest punchers in the sport so a knockout either way won't surprise me. This is one of the best match-ups MMA has had in terms of gifted punchers.. Others were Lawler-Manhoef, Rumble-Arlovski, Vovchanchyn-Rampage, Smith-Radach, Smith-Daley, Aleks-Sergei, Gomi-Pulver, Davis-Stephens, Hendo-Belfort, JDS-Carwin, Hunt-a bunch of people, Wand-a bunch of people, etc. Almost all ended in knockouts. Really the only result that would surprise me is McGregor tapping Mendes. Still, I have thought Mendes was one of the best fighters in the world for a couple years now, he is the clear #2 behind the best fighter in the world and he is a better fighter than most of the champions as well.. McGregor is legit, and his grappling has been improving over the years, but he hasn't fought anyone close to as good as Mendes. The short notice could be a factor, honestly a lot of questions, but I haven't seen any FW (and pretty much every fighter from the below weight classes and most LWs) in the past few years besides Aldo that could beat this guy. Even when/if the Edgar fight happens, I think he will be the first guy to stop him, just a nightmare match-up, I think. 

McGregor will be tested for sure. The threat of the TD will be real, level changes, feints, and Mendes has shown an increasing aptitude for strikes from the clinch. It's not just the threat of the takedown that enables him to strike, but the takedown attempt itself; he throws good knees and short punches inside. Mendes also has some fast and powerful low kicks, buckled the legs of pretty much every guy he fought since the first loss to Aldo (including the champion in the rematch), often using the technique as a way of staying busy from the outside while guys consider whether to jump into his right hand or back away and wait for it to land anyway. It is the perfect counter to lateral movement, but it will be interesting to see how Mendes deal with the southpaw style of McGregor on short notice. He has a pretty solid stance and defensive posture when not throwing, so when he does get hit (like he did against Brimage) he is able to absorb the shot rather well. His body and feet are usually in correct positions, his shoulders being very relaxed, his back fairly straight, lead and rear foot nice and stable, neck braced by his body, etc. I don't think Mendes will be switching between right hands upstairs and right kicks downstairs like against Aldo. 

Both guys are really good at timing in different ways. One of the glaring flaws of McGregor's game for a while have been how he sacrifices some defence for his punching mechanics. It's a flaw in a lot of MMA strikers though. Like with those left straights; he throws a lot of them but very rarely puts anything behind them. Half the time he ends up with straight legs, leaning forward, and reaching looking very vulnerable for a second. It's big power behind it, but he doesn't bring his feet with him or get them to the proper position before throwing another strike, with his jaw right there for a counter. An off-balanced, head-forward cross is defensively way worse than a traditional one. When McGregor throws this way, he puts himself in danger, and Mendes is one of the best counter-punchers and counter-fighters in the sport, and for his style of counter-punching no one in the sport does it better, imo:



He is one of the maybe 5 best athletes in the sport, is certainly more explosive, and those counter doubles could be a big problem with how McGregor brings his rear foot forward for his punching mechanics (Siver got a couple like that but McGregor's quick hips and good wrestling instincts kept him from being put on his back completely, and Siver is no Mendes when it comes to wrestling, physically or technically). Even with his combination punching, he moves his weight forward and his head near the other guy, and he needs to work to get it back. Siver was able to land counters on him and he is nowhere near Mendes on the counter. Still McGregor's timing for his punches when they connect can be very bad for guys even if they have glaring defensive holes. Even with his hand-first, body-second punching style, it has pretty much no telegraph and t's not easy to read them either, and McGregor's small angles when he pressures adds to that problem. So it has its strengths and weaknesses, remains to be seen if Mendes will capitalize on them, and he definitely has the skill-set to do so.

Like the best counter-fighters in any combat sport, Mendes has a deadly feinting game, hard feints that he sells really well and rapidly closes distance with.  Mendes doesn't hang back and let the opponent throw volume at him. He moves and uses various defensive techniques, and he's very busy with his feints despite throwing few committed punches. He hangs back, but he's always watching and creating openings. When guys pressure him he does a really good job measuring the distance by using their strikes, kind of like using his opponent's strikes as his own jab. He is one of the best at using very small twitches, flicks, and steps to convince guys of strikes, so he is able to keep guys on the back-foot (where McGregor is very capable of fighting from, hopefully for Mendes he isn't underestimating that) and against the cage, where they usually try to throw a strike to escape and get countered devastatingly with shorter and straighter strikes from Mendes. Just in his last fight Lamas bit the feinted jab, went for an overhand right, and got clobbered by a right hand. His timing on the counters is very good too, usually when guys are throwing off a feint, they carelessly put their weight right into Mendes' counter making it more powerful and turning it into a knockout. Mendes can lead very well if the other guy doesn't (showed good fighting off the back-foot against Guida) and pressure in his own right where guys attempt to time a counter for what they think will be a strike and mostly fail.

The high kicks will be interesting. Despite how inefficiently he uses them, a spinning kick covers a much larger area, and it’s relatively easy to just fling yourself into one with no real regard for specific targets. You just cover the space, and then keep moving forward. There’s a lot more finesse to the use of a lead hook to control the opponent, and I don't think McGregor want to be inside with Mendes. There isn't really a simple, straightforward counter to wheel kicks as McGregor throws them either. Guys have to cover a large amount of distance just to reach him, much less hit him hard enough to make it count. The risk of getting killed with a single counter to a bad wheel kick is obviously there, but there's a consistent risk of always being that much closer to your opponent, and the attendant risk of relying on a more consistent stream of lead-hand strikes, each of which presents an opportunity for the opponent to counter. I also think he has landed at least one spinning back kick in each of his last four fights, and he has landed the wheel kick, it'll be interesting to see how Mendes approaches that with how McGregor messes with his rhythm and speed on them.  McGregor pretty much always sticks to his style, but he might manage the distance more carefully and highlight Mendes’ reach disadvantage, but Mendes will definitely have an array of distance-closing tricks prepared. If Mendes gives up the fight for initiative he might give McGregor the momentum he needs to run away with it. He was willing in the past to adjust his tactics to the opponent in front of him, and McGregor just has a confidence and mentality in him that is championship-calibre. When Aldo turned it on in the 1st round of the Mendes rematch, responded to him by just raising his level notches above on some 'from the favelas' shit. Mendes couldn't really match it consistently, and he was less able to fight the style he did in the opening minutes. Technically, I definitely think he has all the tools to beat McGregor though, and to do it decisively.. Just has more clear paths to victory to me, but there are a lot factors in this fight.


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## Louis-954 (Jul 11, 2015)

Link removed

There are seven streams. 2 works best for me, but you can change the last digit of the url 1-7 to find what works best for you.


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## Random Stranger (Jul 11, 2015)

These prelim fights 


Come on, save us Matt Brown!

Please.


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## Random Stranger (Jul 11, 2015)

FUCK YEAH!

You can always count on The Immortal!


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## Random Stranger (Jul 11, 2015)

DAMN WHAT A FIGHT!!!


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## Random Stranger (Jul 11, 2015)

Wow who would have thunk that it would be Nelson knocking down Tatch.


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## Random Stranger (Jul 11, 2015)

That knee was a piece of art.


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## Violent by Design (Jul 11, 2015)

MacDonald vs Lawler is violent as hell.


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## Random Stranger (Jul 11, 2015)

HAHAHA WOW!!!


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## Violent by Design (Jul 11, 2015)

Anyone got a good stream?


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## Random Stranger (Jul 11, 2015)

check your user cp


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## Parallax (Jul 12, 2015)

Man, that fight 

That last punch


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## Random Stranger (Jul 12, 2015)

WOW WHAT A WAR!!!

Robbie showed a real champions heart getting back from that headkick and flurries during the end of the 3rd and the beginning of the 4th round.


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## Mashiba Ryō (Jul 12, 2015)

My god Lawler shouldn't be talking right now with that nasty ass cut.


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## Violent by Design (Jul 12, 2015)

who's the favorite in Mendes vs McGregor? Wonder if Vegas is underestimating Mendes.


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## Random Stranger (Jul 12, 2015)

McGregor is by a decent margin.


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## Violent by Design (Jul 12, 2015)

These rural entrances are shit....


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## Bungee Gum (Jul 12, 2015)

Connor looking not good, too much cut? Oh well, hoping for the hype to continue


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## Parallax (Jul 12, 2015)

Omg fuck these entrances


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## eHav (Jul 12, 2015)

fuck me what a night


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## Mashiba Ryō (Jul 12, 2015)

CRAZY ASS SHIT!


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## eHav (Jul 12, 2015)

MCGOATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAS


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## Mashiba Ryō (Jul 12, 2015)

Damn! Shit! Fuck!


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## Violent by Design (Jul 12, 2015)

at the last second D:


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## TasteTheDifference (Jul 12, 2015)

lol he won


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## eHav (Jul 12, 2015)

fuck me i could barely handle this fight i cant even imagine vs aldo


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## Harard (Jul 12, 2015)

Mendes just missed.....just missed!

I would have favored him him in the later rounds had the fight continued.


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## Kagekatsu (Jul 12, 2015)

Mendes had a good game plan to keep Conor on the floor but got gassed midway through the 2nd and McGregor just went to work in those last 30 seconds.


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## Harard (Jul 12, 2015)

You could tell McGregor was starting to get tired, but Chad was gassed out of his fucking mind, lol


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## eHav (Jul 12, 2015)

i think conor might have hurt chad in the body early it was really strange how he began to move.


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## Niabingi (Jul 12, 2015)

Robbie vs Rory was insane and fight of the night!

Mendes was GASSED. I think he did well and exposed what most people feared about McGregor's wrestling and ground game, it's crap! McGregor looked most average tonight and was tired too, just that Mendes was exhausted.

If this McGregor shows up to fight Aldo he loses, no wrestling, no ground game, tiring by the end of round 2? Nah.  I hope watching the fight back motivates McGregor to plug his weaknesses. But, now even more so I really want Aldo to beat him last thing I want is a champion with no TDD I hate hearing the line "typical striker vs wrestler match up" and don't think a champion should have such a glaring weakness.


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## Roronoa Zoro (Jul 12, 2015)

Yeah, Aldo's not going to win.


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## Niabingi (Jul 12, 2015)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> Yeah, Aldo's not going to win.



Mendes with a significant reach disadvantage landed on McGregor more than I expected. Took him down and held him there, had he not passed guard but kept up with GnP would've gone to a third (Mendes was gassed so he would still have lost though), McGregor looked damn tired too... Just as losing in a great fight can still raise your stock. You can still have a lot of weaknesses exposed in a fight that you win.

On the plus side though we now know that McGregor's chin is solid.


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## Cromer (Jul 12, 2015)

Played out exactly like I feared.


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## Bungee Gum (Jul 12, 2015)

Damn, I loved the sportsmanship displayed by both fighters. Some thought Chad's speech was rehearsed but honestly he just seems like a good guy. He had 2 weeks to prepare from a mental standpoint, I'm sure he kept in shape just in case either fighter got injured, but only 2 weeks to prepare for a fight mentally, means you probably weren't too invested in it. Everybody wants to win but he knows no one is going to count this against him because in the end Connor is for real and he did it on 2 weeks notice. 

The real question is if Aldo will try to fight Connor now. I thought for sure Connor was about to lose when he was getting guillotined by Chad, but he squirreled away just barely. Connor needs to work on his TDD or else he will stand a significant chance of losing to Aldo or Edgar. But boy oh boy, no one, i mean NO ONE, can stand up with Connor in my opinion. He proved himself tonight on that alone he is the best imo. He looks like an anime character out there on his feet, like his power doesn't match his body. Very exciting to see him standup with Aldo, and anyone in a higher weight division


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## jNdee~ (Jul 12, 2015)

Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk.


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## Roronoa Zoro (Jul 12, 2015)

edit: Link removed

^ post-fight conference is starting up


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## Niabingi (Jul 12, 2015)

No comments on Lawler - MacDonald? I know that Mendes - McGregor was the fight that got the most hype and people tuned in for but damn that fight was insane!! Rory was winning and came back from getting his nose busted up to really rock Robbie, who came back to win it after managing to land a punch that hammered the nail in the coffin for Rory's nose. Fan-flipping-tastic fight!

Not to mention Stephen's and Almeida's wonderful flying knees. Gunnar's brilliant bounce back after his loss and Cathal Pendred finally getting a loss in the Octagon! All in all it's been a great card and one that will create a lot of new fans for MMA.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 12, 2015)

Niabingi said:


> No comments on Lawler - MacDonald? I know that Mendes - McGregor was the fight that got the most hype and people tuned in for but damn that fight was insane!! Rory was winning and came back from getting his nose busted up to really rock Robbie, who came back to win it after managing to land a punch that hammered the nail in the coffin for Rory's nose. Fan-flipping-tastic fight!
> 
> Not to mention Stephen's and Almeida's wonderful flying knees. Gunnar's brilliant bounce back after his loss and Cathal Pendred finally getting a loss in the Octagon! All in all it's been a great card and one that will create a lot of new fans for MMA.





Two of the craziest fighters in the sport.. Seems like they have no conscience at times, but you see Lawler laughing hysterically when Hendricks is punching him in the face, or when Ellenberger takes him down, lol.



He stared down Hendricks like that too after their rematch and that flurry, just a savage..  Have called him the Orion of MMA for a long time, lol. MacDonald's nose needs remodeling and Lawler's lip was split.. Lawler has been one of my faves for over a decade, but man, all these wars. Dude has so much heart, but I am worried about his future. His post-fight interview was awesome, so much emotion with how prideful he was for delivering savagery like that, and yelling "STILL!" repeatedly. He knew so many people were doubting him still. That finish was very similar to the knockdown from the first fight in terms of who's controlling pace and distance, and who's reacting to the other guy. Lawler was landing that counter left all night, knew exactly what angle to throw it in at, letting MacDonald show him the distance with his jab, measuring it, breaking the rhythm to land his shots, and MacDonald was already wearing the damage from it from the 1st round (and neither landed many shots in the opening frame). 

Lawler fought at a slower, more consistent pace. I was expecting him to pick it up and for MacDonald to have to deal with those moments, but Lawler's slower, steadier pressure was much more effective in the long run (even though he historically does like taking his time to figure his opponent out, the range, trust his defence to get him in a position to be more deadly in the clutch/key moments). Lawler has shown that he can't go hard for 5 rounds though. He's shown that he can fight in bursts over 5 rounds with a lot of coasting, sometimes taking entire rounds off, and just trusts his defence, kind of like Aldo in some fights. I was expecting Lawler to be circling to his left, just like he did in the first fight. He is a crafty veteran and he likes the inside angle when he's circling, as do many southpaws. MacDonald was likely going to circle to his left but would need to worry about the lead hook which made it tough to circle that way. Lawler didn't really use outside low kicks like the first fight though, probably because of the improvement MacDonald showed in defending, scooping, and countering them against Saffiedine.

It's worrying against future opponents that will commit to the body more and more as they know his game-plan. I thought MacDonald's lack of straight rights to the body was a terrible decision (only recall a couple); that was arguably his best shot in the first fight, was surprised he didn't use them: Knowing that this fight is 5 rounds, you can expect Lawler to be even more conservative, especially in the middle rounds like I thought he would be after the 2nd Hendricks fight. He's probably going to start strong, try to coast through the middle then turn it up in the last round. That means he's probably going to give up rounds just like he did to Hendricks and MacDonald, and will have to do something really big to take the fight, and count on the accumulation/strategy from earlier to carry on. But he showed how effective he can be controlling the pace before MacDonald found his first line of defence favouring his hip to set-up that high kick, manipulating his hand positioning with that straight right. When MacDonald tried to punch into TDs, Lawler stuffed him easily; he had such a vicious sprawl on that one TD attempt, sprawled like Wand circa 2002, lol. That was very impressive and he has shown some of the best TDD, get-ups, that butterfly guard, reversals, punishes, work from the bottom, etc. in recent years out of the guys mostly known for their striking (Aldo is still the best, but he this version of Lawler might be better than the next crop of guys). MacDonald was also a lot more willing to exchange in the pocket this time, especially as the fight dragged on, which was bound to get him hurt. He took a lot of damage from there that will take years off his life being hit that much to the face by one of the hardest punchers ever. He didn't know what year it was, but I don't know if he was on morphine or something. I can't imagine the amount of pain he was in is something that is easy to get over. MacDonald was fighting more tentative after the Condit loss, would suck to see him fighting like that again but I think he has found a steady game he is building on now.

MacDonald was doing fine until Lawler dragged him into the pocket (who is one of the best in MMA in there) after getting hurt that he made himself more vulnerable. His biggest issue was Lawler beating him to the angle he needed to start establishing his jab, and Lawler showed the tools guys in the past didn't to prevent him from angling to the other side, like circling inside his lead foot. He didn't get to the right positions to step, wasn't able to double it up, has problems measuring distance with it, don't think he hooked off it, or used it to setup much of anything, especially his uppercuts. He was doing a decent job with gauging the distance until he tried to land the jab, and was getting countered with how Lawler was getting in on his posture with how MacDonald's stance was (he still has problems fighting southpaws like I thought, though he showed adjustments/improvements like with his right hand, drawing Lawler's hook, and different responses/strategy against Lawler's hand-fighting/checking of his lead hand which made him look very limited in the first fight after it took away his jab). Good southpaws like Lawler in any combat sport will let people try to establish that outside foot position, only to turn to a better angle and blast them, circling inside for various reasons and MacDonald still showed difficulty in fighting it.

His best moments came from either cutting off Lawler's lead foot and firing off his own rear or his rear kick after trapping Lawler's lead foot (front snaps to the body, and right high kicks being his two best). As well as Lawler almost exclusively relying on his left hip defensively; he only goes over the left one to feint, bait and set up offence. MacDonald had to watch out for the counter right hook, but exploited that movement with kicks when Lawler slipped or blocked, punches to the body, elbows, and then punches to the head set up from his lead hand. It was similar to Jones finding new life against Gus after hurting him after timing that elbow from how Gus was always favouring his right hip for defence. There weren't many things MacDonald did better overall though, and even being successful with his kicks at range, he still never adapted to Lawler's defence. He needs to integrate some defensive boxing, imo. GSP never had head movement either, and Lawler is one of the best at MMA at it. If MacDonald wasn't relying completely on his feet to avoid punishment, he could be an even better combination puncher, and he's already pretty good. Needs to use those hips more to throw power punches (which he showed flashes of against Saffiedine). His weight distribution, foot placement, and overall stance, especially after his jab, hinders his ability to throw better punches a lot of the time. His punch selection looks good when he is fighting a guy who tries to pick stuff off like Woodley. But it's not enough for someone who throws as hard as Lawler and walks through his stuff. One of MacDonald's biggest weaknesses is that he is pretty poor/very limited on the counter. He moves back in straight lines when his opponents press forward, then resets. You'll almost never see him move back then counter, or fight competently on the back-foot (though most in MMA can't). He uses those wing blocks to deflect punches while he retreats, but for counters his real success with that was off elbows (Lawler figured the angle/response out late with his head movement and positioning). Both guys were well prepared for the best version of the other guy; ATT has put out some of the best game-plans for their fighters recently, and Tristar's game-planning is well known. I think Lawler will always have a mental advantage over him though, just consistently makes better decisions, and is more clutch. He is a thinking man's demon. 

Maybe the greatest main card the UFC has ever had, along with Brown-Means delivering like we expected. Brown is such a G, captures everything that's right and flawed about MMA. Almeida defensively still has a lot of issues, even in the pocket which is his wheelhouse. He should have been better prepared for Pickett who is known for his boxing in the pocket, but it is interesting he caught him with a knee like Barao did before the stoppage. Almeida even if he doesn't improve defensively and live up to his potential, will still be one of the greatest action fighters. I thought Gunni could easily tap Thatch if he got it to the ground, as his transitions and submissions are elite but it isn't easy to get Thatch down from the clinch where he mostly likes getting his TDs from. Him dropping with a 3-2 was a nice surprise. He showed great timing on Thatch's stance switching, where he stepped back, switched stance, and circled to Gunni's left, after stepping forward to reset. Thatch circled right to that lead left hook stepping his left foot forward. He closed distance so quick and back to his stance. The hook hit him just as his feet were planted, and without them set he could only lean back and take most of the blow since Gunni got his lead foot deep into his stance. It left Thatch in a terrible position and right in the path for that right hand. Thatch's hands were down because he didn't expect Gunni to pounce in like that and Thatch was trying to feint himself. Very promising stuff, but his defence wasn't challenged and not a lot of fighters switch stances as much as Thatch. Gunni's low volume is worrying, and defensively his footwork when being pressured and head movement in general are big concerns. He gets too upright when being pushed back and Story handled him pretty easily. Gunni needs to show more in his fighting at close range (especially defensively), when he can't pot shot he looks completely lost and defends by leaning away from strikes and not punishing them or getting in a position to set up some offence of his own. He doesn't cover many options with his movement, gets too predictable. His grappling against the bigger and better wrestlers of the division are still a question. I still don't know if WW is the right weight class for him; I mean he got hit a lot and was nearly stopped in the Santiago fight, but barely anyone has noticed it because he throws fast lead right hands and usually submits guys in spectacular fashion. I thought Pendred was going to get another SD, lol @ his lead uppercuts. Stephens-Bermudez was great, satisfying technically and for the drama/pure violence.



Niabingi said:


> Robbie vs Rory was insane and fight of the night!
> 
> Mendes was GASSED. I think he did well and exposed what most people feared about McGregor's wrestling and ground game, it's crap! McGregor looked most average tonight and was tired too, just that Mendes was exhausted.
> 
> If this McGregor shows up to fight Aldo he loses, no wrestling, no ground game, tiring by the end of round 2? Nah.  I hope watching the fight back motivates McGregor to plug his weaknesses. But, now even more so I really want Aldo to beat him last thing I want is a champion with no TDD I hate hearing the line "typical striker vs wrestler match up" and don't think a champion should have such a glaring weakness.



I'm not sure if Aldo-McGregor will happen with the IV ban taking place in October. McGregor is one of the biggest weight-cutters in the entire sport, looked 2 weight classes apart from Mendes, and him, his team, and White have been kind of dismissing Aldo recently. It isn't an easy weight-cut for Aldo either and after how successful this card was for the UFC, I wouldn't be surprised to see McGregor at LW soon, maybe even as early as his next fight.

This fight showed that McGregor is vulnerable exactly where he was expected to be, and that he is good at exactly what he was expected to be. Aldo has the best footwork in the entire sport, and is one of the greatest defensive fighters; I would still pick Aldo to win the fight if it happened. At several points Mendes hit him with whole combinations of counters, everything landing clean on the chin. McGregor's chin and confidence held up, he has a strong mental intent, because Mendes would have stopped a lot of the rest of the division in that first round alone. It wasn’t until the second round that McGregor really started to take over on the feet, when Mendes seemed to tire. It isn't going to be an easy time keeping him off them while that lasts, along with his power, and his cardio looks to be good while Aldo's has been shaky at times. That being said, the fact that McGregor walked into so many counters, and didn't adjust at all (other than to keep coming) shows how flawed his punching mechanics are like I said. Mendes couldn't get away with his usual low level of activity though, because McGregor wouldn't back off. He had to keep countering (and he proved he is one of the best counter-punchers) and throwing with power constantly and it had little effect.


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## Kuya (Jul 12, 2015)

awesome card, i fucking love the UFC.


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## Niabingi (Jul 12, 2015)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> Two of the craziest fighters in the sport.. Seems like they have no conscience at times, but you see Lawler laughing hysterically when Hendricks is punching him in the face, or when Ellenberger takes him down, lol.
> 
> 
> He stared down Hendricks like that too after their rematch and that flurry, just a savage..  Have called him the Orion of MMA for a long time, lol. MacDonald's nose needs remodeling and Lawler's lip was split.. Lawler has been one of my faves for a decade now, but man, all these wars. Dude has so much heart, but I am worried about his future. His post-fight interview was awesome, so much emotion. He knew so many people were doubting him still. I wonder why Lawler didn't turn up the pressure like he did in the third round. When MacDonald tried to punch into TDs, Lawler stuffed him easily. That was very impressive. MacDonald was also a lot more willing to exchange in the pocket this time, especially as the fight dragged on, which was bound to get him hurt. He took a lot of damage from there that will take years off his life being hit that much to the face by one of the hardest punchers ever. He didn't know what year it was, but I don't know if he was on morphine or something. Lawler will always have a mental advantage over him, just consistently makes better decisions. He is a thinking man's demon.
> ...



God damn it! I had a whole long reply to this all typed out and then my net died when I tried to post it.

Bah, basically I agree about the IV thing. I think Lawler was great but had MacDonald winning the fight before the stoppage. I think Aldo's cardio is better and more proven than McGregor's (who also looked damn tired at the end of that round). Lastly Mendes landed a LOT more than I expected and well above his own career average, the fight metrics are actually surprising.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 12, 2015)

It wasn't a matter of McGregor being more technical or anything, but his chin was making Mendes lose confidence (chin, confidence, and cardio are interconnected, imo). He was landing powerful counters, being patient, but not phasing McGregor much. I thought Mendes did a great job except for failing to do anything about the body kicks, which was eventually his downfall. All it takes is a few clean ones, especially when you aren't expecting them. When you combine McGregor's pace with body commitment like that, with him walking forward and eating hard shots, guys are bound to start losing confidence and fade. Mendes' wrestling looked great but McGregor was able to use his instincts to notice the moments in the scramble where he could hip out and get back to his feet. 

McGregor fought his fight. Not only did he establish his body shots earlier, he set the pace immediately. From the first spinning back kick he made it known that he would be the one moving forward, he would be the one deciding when the exchanges took place and he would be the one leading the dance, and Mendes would be reacting to him and on the back-foot. Mendes reacted well, was able to close distance on the counter several times and either crack McGregor on the jaw or take him down. In addition, the few times he decided to push forward explosively he had some success. But the more McGregor starting kicking, the more Mendes stood straight up and bounced around. The more Mendes stood up, the easier he was able to push back with feints and punches. Then whenever Mendes planted his feet, McGregor would kick again. Mendes' inability to close distance off the kicks is really what lost him the fight. He ended up stuck at the end of McGregor's range getting beat up. The strategic execution of pressure by McGregor was good.

Aldo has considerably better footwork than Mendes, especially off the back-foot where he is far better than anyone McGregor has fought, and is one of the best in MMA at. More importantly, he's much better at defending kicks. Mendes actually caught a good amount of those front kicks from McGregor, but then he held onto them like he wasn't really sure what to do with them. If Aldo grabs them like that, McGregor's gonna have some hard kicks coming back at him. If Aldo catches them like that I expect him to either throw McGregor's leg across his body and outside kick the left leg, or drop the leg and throw his right kick to the body or head. He might throw the inside low kick, but it depends on how much weight McGregor keeps on the support foot when Aldo lets go of the kicking leg. I don't think Aldo will be as easy to push back as Mendes, and not just because of the footwork. He should be able to react better to all of McGregor's attacks, and not abandon his positioning to bounce away. 

More than anything Mendes showed what I was saying for a long time that McGregor's left straight can be countered very effectively (since the beginning of his career he has had that flaw).  Mendes was able to slip inside it then throw his right hand over the top or parry it then land his right, and landed a big left hook early after McGregor missed with his left. Mendes was also able to duck under the left to hit his double, and get McGregor down multiple times. He had one really nice takedown where he went for a knee tap, spun McGregor around then changed directions and lifted him with a big double. Siver almost got that double too. I think Aldo is clearly a better wrestler than Siver, and easily has better head movement. In a similar situation he could get into a better position to finish and control than Siver did. Mendes landed some big shots from inside the guard and definitely showed that McGregor can be held down, controlled, and roughed up. McGregor did a good job escaping when the opportunities presented themselves, but did a relatively poor job creating them.. I think what lost Mendes the fight is a combination of the body kicks, the short notice, and the emotion/mentality. He was hyped at weigh-ins, but then the first thing that happens is him taking a big back kick to the gut. Aldo will be looking at countering the kicks and countering the left straight. He should be very capable of doing both those things. How McGregor took those punches is worrying though, and it will likely take something serious to hurt him at FW after that. Aldo will need to do something to control pace; he has to disrupt McGregor's momentum and not let him just walk forward. I think he has the tools to do that technically, but if his shots don't make an impression on McGregor it's going to be tough.

I'll have to rewatch it but McGregor didn't look that tired to me, but yeah Aldo does have a larger sample size against different styles. I wasn't surprised by the shots Mendes was landing, but McGregor eating them all and maintaining his composure was impressive. He showed that his striking is exactly as deadly against elite fighters as it is against guys like Siver and Brandao, yet he is vulnerable exactly where I thought he was expected to be (when he throws his left hand). I feel like we learned a lot about both fighters and I'm looking forward to the future match-ups. 

The low kicks will certainly help, but I think Aldo should be looking to kick to the body and left arm whenever McGregor steps back. I also think Aldo's boxing is crazy underrated (has developed into the best boxer in MMA, imo, maybe ever), as it's what really wins him most of his fights, especially these days. He can definitely slip or parry and counter that left straight, and turn up the pressure more than Mendes. It's a great match-up with plenty of interesting factors. Aldo also has way better kick defence and longer reach. Aldo kicks much better than Mendes (obviously), allowing him to compete at long range. He doesn't have to get inside like most of the other guys, but if he does he has strong combinations, great wrestling, and fast hands.

McGregor is looking dangerous though. He has the one style of fighting, and despite neglecting his defence quite a bit, offensively he is one of the most dangerous, confident, and relentless in his approach. He could beat Aldo. He knows how to set the right pace, get into his rhythm, establish his distance, string combinations, and beat people up. Aldo will have to work hard for that, but he also has better combinations than Mendes, has way better head movement, and better pivots (none really anyone in MMA that is more functional and efficient in that than him). I think footwork, something Aldo uses better than anyone in the sport imo, will be very important like it is in pretty much all of Aldo's fights. I don't put too much stock in the notion that being internally rotated like McGregor opens him up to effortless low kicks. But the bigger risk is the fact that by turning his lead foot away from the opponent, he gives guys a clear path to the outside angle. Somebody with a good jab (and Aldo arguably has the best jab in the entire sport right now) could exacerbate this problem and simply step to McGregor's right with a license, like he did to southpaw, Florian (and his jab has improved a lot since then, but that Florian fight was arguably his finest overall boxing performance), or Ward did to Dawson in boxing. Just look at the footwork of Aldo in that Florian fight, great pivots and angle changes to set up punches, as well as defensively after punching. He was just taking angles and landed heaters against Florian, constantly able to position himself for the outside angle. 

Another thing I noticed is that McGregor due to that internal rotation nearly always moves left, movement in that direction is just natural to him. Aldo, who is a clever fighter, with the most functional and efficient pivots in the game could throw McGregor off by forcing him to circle to his right. As the fact that it allows McGregor's kicks to cover his movement to the outside of that lead foot and get the dominant angle without much risk of walking into a right-hand counter. The damage isn't as big a deal as what consistently throwing that strike can do to open up the rest of one's arsenal and dictate the range. It would definitely help Aldo slow down and control the pace of the fight. After that Mendes fight it is very unlikely that Aldo stops McGregor standing, and he might not even hurt him there.

Even though Aldo has worse wrestling than Mendes (though he has beaten Mendes in pure wrestling situations, his counter-wrestling might be the best ever in MMA, but I could see him taking McGregor down from timing one of his spin kicks), he has significantly better passing and overall BJJ (some of the best in the division; dude has one of the best top games in MMA, people forget how he sliced through Faber's guard, how easily got to side control and nearly stopped him from the crucifix, or how seamless his passing game was against Florian, what he did to Lamas from the top, Hominick, etc. and he has mounted almost everyone he fought). I think he could definitely stop McGregor if he got him to the ground and it is his best chance of getting a stoppage, I think. I'm not impressed by McGregor's bottom game, where he seems to play an old school MMA hold on, work off your back bottom game compared to the new meta-game of where the second the guy postures up for a strike, kick off, create space, and get back to your feet. As great a fighter as Mendes is, he has never been a controlling or really known for his top position grappling, definitely not on Aldo's level. And he was able to control McGregor without any real problem for most of the minutes the fight took place.

Aldo doesn't punch as hard as Mendes who was landing some hard shots and clean counters that didn't phase McGregor much at all, but he is faster with his strikes, like his counters for example, which is important. A lot of FWs would have went down to those shots, and I'm not sure what it'll take from a FW to seriously hurt him on the feet. Mendes also couldn't out-power Aldo in the grappling like he did to McGregor. Aldo can definitely counter the kicks and especially that left straight, which has a bunch of defensive flaws with its mechanics (I think he will work on his set-ups a bit after this fight, and be more careful with the timing, but he will continue throwing it that way) like I went into a couple pages back before the fight (Mendes countered with them too, and while Mendes technically might have the best double in MMA, Aldo is no slouch and has other paths and positions he can go to like in the clinch):





Mendes was able to pressure McGregor at times, take the initiative, move forward with fast punches, and when McGregor tried to kick, he catches it and throws an overhand that misses, but continued to push McGregor back. He circled off to the side, then as soon as McGregor stepped back in front of him Mendes shot for a knee tap. McGregor tried to pull his lead foot back and start sprawling, which would have been enough to stop a standard single or double, but Mendes reached the right knee with his left hand, and started driving McGregor back and attempted to turn the corner to his right. McGregor has really good balance and was able to stay on one leg, but then Mendes changed direactions and ripped McGregor's lefs out from under him. It was great chain wrestling and we know how adept Aldo can be at that. 

There was a point when McGregor stepped in to throw his left straight, and Mendes timed it very well. Instead of slipping the left to the outside and hitting a double with his head on McGregor's left hip (how Siver very nearly doubled McGregor, and how I expected Mendes to), Mendes chose to slip inside, using his right arm again to the back of McGregor's knee, wrapping his left arm around the waist. Mendes used his arm around the waist to push as he turned the corner and took McGregor off his feet. He easily stepped over when McGregor tried to shrimp then slid his knee into a crucifix.  McGregor got taken down the same way again, with the inside slip, left hand to the right knee, and he didn't even need to circle to drive McGregor down. After watching how fast Mendes' knee cut through McGregor's guard, it's hard to imagine Aldo taking more than a few seconds to mount him. He has cut through everyone's guard like butter, and again he is a considerably better passer than Mendes. If he gets on top of McGregor, I expect him to do a lot more damage than Mendes did and a finish is very possible.

Those are bad signs for McGregor. He got taken down by the exact same thing twice, and those knee taps are Edgar's specialty should that match-up happen.  The longer and wider McGregor stands, the more he puts that lead knee in danger of getting tapped, which may be enough to get him down on its own or may be enough to create openings for another finish (and Edgar's top game and g&p have improved quite a bit recently). It's gonna be very hard for him to deal with those because as he's retracting from his left hand, he's turning the opposite way he needs to in order to defend the knee tap. And if he stops turning that way, he's gonna be hanging out in the path of counter right hands, which he ate plenty of. Aldo doesn't knee tap like Edgar, but he can definitely slip the left and get TDs in other ways. McGregor takes risks too that Aldo can capitalize on. One example is he was thinking about discouraging the shot early and dissuaded Mendes' level changing which got him beat up standing, with that flying knee he threw where he probably expected Mendes to duck, but Mendes pulled back and tossed him to the ground with a single. He couldn't control him, but Aldo is well capable (although the situations/responses here are a bit different):





The real key for Aldo is making McGregor respect him. You have to control pace against McGregor. If you let him build momentum he will overwhelm you with pressure. His combinations are good, he picks his shots well, he feints, and he doesn't care if he has to take one to land one because of his chin/confidence. You have to make him care, question himself, and slow down the pace/reduce his output. You have to be able to do something that can stop him in his tracks.  McGregor has done a good job taking punches so far, but I'm definitely curious to see what happens if one hurts him. If he gets hit by something he doesn't see and isn't in position for, and it wobbles him, we'll see what happens. Some guys shake it off, some guys get the gears going and fight even better, but some absolutely fall apart when you introduce doubt. We don't know for sure which kind of guy McGregor is yet. He's going to stay aggressive until someone forces him to slow down, imo. Mendes could do that in spots, especially with his wrestling, but he couldn't keep it up. He faded and doesn't have the mental intent, extra confidence, and will to win of Aldo. Both guys are mentally two of the strongest guys in the sport. I don't see the same thing happening to Aldo. I mean look what happens when you try to put pressure on Aldo. Everyone who's ever done that has gotten hurt and intimidated, but McGregor won't, certainly not easily. He's gonna get in Aldo's face and make Aldo fight. Think about the Aldo that Mendes brought out, then imagine what McGregor could bring out of him. After seeing the shots Mendes landed on McGregor we know for sure Aldo will be able to land, considering he has better head movement, reach, and positioning than Mendes. The question is whether or not he can do it consistently and slow down the tempo of the fight. I thought it was clear for a while that McGregor basically wins by doing what he always does, and the way I see it the other guys have to find a way to stop him from doing that. In other words McGregor is going to come out and immediately try to establish the initiative, and if he does that he wins, so I outlined how I think Aldo can prevent that (I think Edgar can too). The fight really comes down to the fundamentals, who controls everything and who is reacting to who. The striking on that fight might be the best striking match-up we've ever seen in MMA. Aldo definitely has the tools, and hopefully Aldo isn't shot physically from age and injuries, I favour him to win a decision or maybe by submission.


----------



## jNdee~ (Jul 12, 2015)

Conor was winning in stand ups, K.O wasn't surprising.

The biggest shock to me here was how in hell did McGregor took all those heavy shots by Mendes. Chad landed big swings and nasty elbows but Conor's chin looked tough as fuck


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## Cromer (Jul 12, 2015)

I think we can clearly say that McGregor is the best stand-up fighter in his weight class, and probably at lightweight as well, where he's surely headed no matter what happens in October. That chin must be made of titanium. 


That said, his wrestling is even worse than I thought it would be. And Aldo has form for taking fights to the ground handily when he's being rocked on the feet.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 13, 2015)

Glad to see Wonderboy and Masvidal put in work. Hopeful for Gamebred's future at WW, don't want to see another fight where I think he could have done more.



The work with Weidman and his team is paying off. Wonderboy's wrestling has looked so much better recently, as well as his scrambling, had a nice reversal, showed threatening g&p from top in the far one-on-one turtle ride position (very encouraging), subtle controlling of his head as he was getting up after he tried looking for a guillotine, and even clinch grappling. The best part is that he hasn't sacrificed the effectiveness of his striking, and is developing his MMA game the right way. He showed that he can maintain his composure, adjust, and execute even after taking some punches from one of the hardest punchers in the division. Ellenberger after the flash knockdown and some clinch work got completely destroyed, good stuff with the manipulating distance and timing to get into range for those kicks. No one has ever hurt Ellenberger that badly, especially in succession, got hurt at least 5 times on wobbly legs (dropped twice from spinning kicks). And Ellenberger has fought Condit, Lawler, MacDonald, Gastelum, Story, Kampmann, etc. Really Lawler, Kampmann, and Howard are the only guys that have really hurt him in the past 5 years, and it was much more of a process for them.

His win against Whittaker was underrated at the time and really impressive, but it's clear how impressive it is now to more people with how Whittaker has looked. The way he made adjustments mid-fight and took away Whittaker's jab (which is one of the better ones in MMA), figuring out his defence early on and taking initiative, getting in range, parrying/countering, and forcing/manipulating Whittaker's body positioning and defensive stance to land that straight right which wasn't landing earlier, was all high level stuff. A green Wonderboy out-struck and hurt Brown so badly he thought he was knocked out more than once. Anyone in the division that stands for a prolonged amount of time with this guy outside of the clinch is going to have a very difficult time with his dexterity (great depth perception of where he is relative to the opponent, changing and adjusting arcs on his kicks mid-kick like opening his hips a little more to get that little more range on it, or shrimp it to tighten the arc, just stuff that I'm not sure how you teach and there very, very few MMA fighters who can do those things with kicks, usually going full out on their kicks, just don't have his dexterity), placement (from his TMA background, a lot of the wacky kicks guys try he actually does very well), set-ups from his footwork (close, far, off to the side.. usually without the opponent noticing, and before they know it they back up right into the kick he set up; he has purpose in those bounce steps unlike most other fighters - it's like guys don't notice he's moving or where because he is always using it, but it does have some limitations with his stance).


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## Niabingi (Jul 13, 2015)

Bannai said:


> Yes, Mendes only lost because he was gassed. It had nothing to do with Conor punishing him to the body. And sure, finishing the best wrestler in the division when he prepared for a different opponent can only be described as average.



No need for Hyperbole. I wasn't implying that Mendes didn't lose or lost the fight for himself as opposed to being beaten by Conor. Mendes did lose because he gassed and didn't have the energy to move away or keep his hands up. However, Conor's kicks played a big part in speeding up the process of making Mendes gas out, that much is undeniable. Sure, the large occasion and lack of full training camp as well as the aggressive wrestling would've played their part but without those body kicks he would've lasted at least another round.

That performance was average. You're kidding yourself if you don't think that both Aldo and Edgar (whom I wanted him to fight and feel is the best wrestler at FW) are now probably 10 times more confident of their chances to win after watching it. The UFC deliberately fed Conor fighters that would play perfectly to his style and make him look superhuman, which is an agenda Conor pushed with his smack talk. His being caught a LOT by an opponent with a significant reach disadvantage, him being taken down easily and not being good of his back are all a big deal and helped shatter that illusion, now that fear some of his opponents seemed to have will likely not be there.

That is why I talked about him looking average. Not to put him down because it's significant to his perception and the mental games he plays. Side point but there is nobody at 145 who is going to fight the current Mendes and come out looking amazing. Mendes is really very good!


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## Stringer (Jul 14, 2015)

Lord, Mcgregor's win opens up some very interesting matchups in the FW division, and that is without counting fighters he's assured to face in the coming months, like Edgar and Aldo. Namely Charles Oliveira, a rematch with the new and improved Max Holloway, but especially Yair Rodriguez when he gets ready to be pitted in that level of competition.  I'd very much love to see him face all of those names before going up to Lightweight.

Concerning McGregor's poor display on the ground, there was reports even before fight day stating that he went into the bout with a torn MCL. Hence his post-fight comment about having worse injuries than Aldo and still stepping up to fight. He tried to play it down in the press conference and didn't want to make excuses, but if those reports are correct the guy's one hell of a stud for taking on an opponent of Mendes' caliber and wrestling credentials under those conditions. I'd definitely like to see a rematch with both at 100% and full training camp.


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## Basilikos (Jul 15, 2015)

Stringer said:


> Lord, Mcgregor's win opens up some very interesting matchups in the FW division, and that is without counting fighters he's assured to face in the coming months, like Edgar and Aldo. Namely Charles Oliveira, a rematch with the new and improved Max Holloway, but especially Yair Rodriguez when he gets ready to be pitted in that level of competition.  I'd very much love to see him face all of those names before going up to Lightweight.


I'd love to see McGregor against any (or better yet, all) of those guys.  All of them present different challenges.  Oliveira has got beastly BJJ, Holloway looks well rounded and sharp in all areas, Edgar has a lot of heart, amazing footwork, superb boxing, and elite wrestling.  And Aldo is of course one of the very best P4P fighters ever in MMA.


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## Memitim (Jul 15, 2015)

Mir/Duffee is tonight, who you guys got? My heart says Mir but my mind says Duffee.

After looking at the card, I'm actually pretty hyped for it. Thompson vs Ferguson has the potential to be excellent. Return of Holly Holm, hopefully she can pull off a better performance than in her last fight. Jorgensen/Gamburyan gives me WEC Flashbacks, and I'm glad Jorgensen is back at 135. Also Lyman Good debut, should be interesting to see how that plays out.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 15, 2015)

Stringer said:


> Lord, Mcgregor's win opens up some very interesting matchups in the FW division, and that is without counting fighters he's assured to face in the coming months, like Edgar and Aldo. Namely Charles Oliveira, a rematch with the new and improved Max Holloway, but especially Yair Rodriguez when he gets ready to be pitted in that level of competition.  I'd very much love to see him face all of those names before going up to Lightweight.



Plenty of promising FWs on the come-up, but don't forget about my guy, Bektic (been one of the best prospects I've seen in MMA, scouted him for a couple years now). Would not be surprised to see him as champ within his next 3-5 fights:


*Spoiler*: __ 





















Memitim said:


> Mir/Duffee is tonight, who you guys got? My heart says Mir but my mind says Duffee.
> 
> After looking at the card, I'm actually pretty hyped for it. Thompson vs Ferguson has the potential to be excellent. Return of Holly Holm, hopefully she can pull off a better performance than in her last fight. Jorgensen/Gamburyan gives me WEC Flashbacks, and I'm glad Jorgensen is back at 135. Also Lyman Good debut, should be interesting to see how that plays out.



Duffee is the favourite, younger, way more athletic/explosive, and maybe the fastest HW on the roster. Mir's boxing looked way better than ever against Bigfoot though, even if the latter has looked shot and so physically poor since the TRT ban. He was hooking off his jab to score a knockout.. Who could have predicted that from the guy after all these years? Just rewatched the fight actually, and he threw that punch pretty well with a nearly straight arm. With technique, subtle weight transfer, and placement like that it's gonna hurt, especially if they don't see it (which is kind of the point of that combo). And Bigfoot reached far to parry, blocked his own vision of the left. Mir drops it down, arcs it over, and Bigfoot doesn't see it until the last second, which is why he reached his arm straight even further. He tried stepping his lead foot back into southpaw to create extra distance, but he only had one foot on the ground and both feet in bad position while he was standing straight up at the time of impact. He had no ability to absorb that shot or brace himself against it, so I think it goes a bit more than Bigfoot's chin being shot.

Even though he was moving forward, his head pulled back in his stance as he threw the hook. He shifted it forward to jab, then transferred it over his rear leg and sat down as he hooked. That got his bodyweight behind the arm. His delivery was solid, the alignment of his fist when it landed. He turned the knuckles over so that they hit flush, instead of slapping with the palm or bottom knuckles like he did during a lot of his career. He landed accurately and with his body weight getting transferred through that arm, instead of the power breaking down at the weak points as it would if he didn't line everything up that well

Don't know much about Angelo Reyes, but if he taught Mir to hook like that he deserves a lot of credit. With that said even if this technique is commonplace for Mir now, fight wasn't long enough to see if he made improvements defensively. Duffee really likes the 1-2, 1-1-2 and counter right hands, and with his speed, placement against the guard, pace, and aggressiveness it could be tough for Mir to deal with, but Duffee has pretty poor technique and defensive craft. His fights usually end quickly that there isn't a big enough sample to gauge his overall game from (especially grappling grappling). It would be interesting if Mir could close the distance with his jab, get him to the cage/clinch (where Duffee has struggled, but Mir has too, lol) to work his trips/throws. Duffee has shown he can use the cage for balance and to wall-walk back to his feet, but he gives up his back quite a bit sometimes when getting up. If Mir gets on top Duffee could be in serious trouble, but Mir's wrestling isn't very good, and Duffee uses his athleticism for TDD. If Mir's technical boxing from the Bigfoot fight carries over, he could surprise and I favour Mir personally though many don't consider it smart money (just getting a Hendo-Boetsch vibe), and preparing for a 5-rounder is different (even though most HWs gas), so maybe Duffee approaches it differently and we could see more holes in his game if it doesn't end early.

I am interested in Thomson-Ferguson and Jouban-Dwyer (this one the most actually, would be surprised if it isn't at least a solid action fight). Lee could put on a performance. Jorgensen-Gamburyan could be entertaining (would have been more interested years ago, kind of like Kawajiri-Siver), WEC boys usually bring it, but neither has looked good, even in wins (Gamburyan more consistent with game-plans) over the past years. Even the phases where Jorgensen used to excel in and make his fights entertaining (the scrambles) hasn't looked good, but he is more prone to getting hurt these days, and with the pace, his volume, Gamburyan's relentlessness/power, and some level of skill in most areas (as well as mixing, like his strikes to his shots and clinch entries), it could have its moments.


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## Niabingi (Jul 16, 2015)

Mir vs Duffee was such a heavyweight fight. Really highlighted why it's my least favourite division and everything that I dislike about it. Can't hate too much though as I'm glad Mir got the W.

So we have Demetrious Johnson vs John Dodson 2. I'll always watch a mighty mouse fight without question so I'm tuning in but Dodson really didn't look too impressive on his return from injury. I'd have preferred him to have one more fight before getting another crack at MM.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 16, 2015)

Jouban-Dwyer delivered as expected. Jouban is so entertaining to watch, been one of my favourite young guns to watch for a minute, very reliable for action fights. He should be undefeated in the UFC too, that Alves decision was terrible. And he is one of those guys like Edgar and Masvidal that start slow, and get those gears turning after getting hurt. That might have been the cleanest cartwheel kick I have seen landed in the UFC.. Guys like Swanson and Pettis have attempted it, but not close to that placement:



I like that he shouted out Saenchai.. As an avid watcher and practitioner of MT, I am not a fan of the guy but I respect him a lot. He has been by a margin imo, the best stand-up fighter in any combat sport of the past 15 or so years. Also, Cisco-Lineker got booked, wanted to see it ever since Lineker went up in weight. That is such a great stylistically. I wanted to see Rumble fight Manuwa.. Not that interested in DJ-Dodson II anymore, but it should be good. I thought Makovsky beat Dodson actually (it was close though), but haven't rewatched it.


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## Cromer (Jul 16, 2015)

Pity I missed last night's fights.


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## Lucifer Morningstar (Jul 17, 2015)

I only saw the main card because the prelims looked bad to me on paper, and apparently they were. Just make sure you watch Jouban-Dwyer online, easily the best fight of the night and one of the best of the week. Ferguson had a really solid performance as well and Mir-Duffee is worth checking out. 

Interested in Duffy fighting again tomorrow, one of those talented, rising LW contenders.  He has looked really good recently with Tristar, mainly the improvements in his already capable boxing game into a pretty dangerous one, really gotten better at using his hands to set up kicks and knees. Seems like a showcase for him against Jorge, who will look to grind it to his pace, get into the clinch for tie-ups/wrestling with his body-locks/trips, smothering top-game with his size/strength, but it hasn't been proven against top competition. Duffy has a nice TDD game, some crafty trips and throws. Wouldn't be surprised if he can have some success with his mat game, the passes, powerful ground striking, and submission set-ups (he choked McGregor years ago ago in the regional European circuit). But he has such a big advantage on the feet, could really be one of the best strikers in the division at some point. His jab is pretty sharp and Jorge is very hittable, very poor defence on the feet, doesn't have good clinch entries, rushes into poor pot-shots from range, mixes but doesn't set-up punches and kicks well, and he will likely be hurt by a counter at some point. Duffy isn't easy to hit cleanly either, maintains an efficient pace, slips his head off the centre a fair bit, mixes to the body and head well from the openings he creates.

The card top to bottom looks better than the Mir-Duffee one, but probably won't reach a high like Jouban-Dwyer. Bisping-Leites and Pearson-Dunham are solid match-ups. Ray-Mafra projects to be a good action fight. Whiteford-Redmond has potential, and Holohan-Lee could be fun too, they usually are in them with their decently well-rounded games, pace, and create some exciting moments from their positional and fundamental problems with their games. Lee is a pretty inconsistent fighter though, but the dynamism, the scrambles and grappling is what I want to see.


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## Basilikos (Jul 21, 2015)

ae said:


> Can't wait till Wonderboy get that title


I think it's a question of *if* Wonderoby gets the belt.  Welterweight is a division of killers, almost as scary as the Lightweight division.

I see him having trouble against opponents like Rory, Lawler, Condit, Brown, and Hendricks.

Rory is too technical and game plan oriented to just stand flat footed on the outside in front of Wonderboy.  He'll likely look to clinch fight and wrestle with Wonderboy, while looking for a submission if he gets him to the ground.

The other guys simply aren't afraid to put the pressure on and get in Wonderboy's face to make it an ultra-violent dog fight.

Hell, even Magny and Gastelum would, at the very least, give Wonderboy a tough time IMO.


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## Kuya (Jul 23, 2015)

Lawler vs.Condit


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## Cromer (Jul 23, 2015)

Spoiler that, Kuya. Shit isn't official yet.


*Spoiler*: __ 



I would have thought we'd get Condit-Brown while Lawler recovered a bit more.


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## Kuya (Jul 27, 2015)

Dillashaw too fast, too elusive and too much stamina for Barao.

Dom Cruz would beat Barao imo too.


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## Niabingi (Jul 27, 2015)

Cruz will easily beat Barao. He is too stuck in his ways and has so many exploitable flaws to improve enough to put a candle to either Cruz or Dillashaw. I honestly expected nothing less from this fight I don't think Barao took anything away from his last beat down and he really didn't seem to improve much. 

It might help if he left Nova Unaio. I've always been of the opinion that Aldo's success drove their reputation but a lot of his success is just down to him being a beast and an intelligent/adaptive fighter. Less to do with the standard of teaching there.


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## raizen28 (Jul 28, 2015)

The level of Striking Volume Dillashaw pressures his opponents with  matched by his conditioning  is just what a Champion needs to maintain a belt


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## eHav (Jul 28, 2015)

raizen28 said:


> The level of Striking Volume Dillashaw pressures his opponents with  matched by his conditioning  is just what a Champion needs to maintain a belt



lol he was already gassed in the second barao fight.. and barao looked like he was in slow motion. quite a change from his fights before his first TJ fight. its like some part of his brain that deals with being quick got messed up


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## Kagekatsu (Aug 2, 2015)

Rousey claims another soul

:35 KO


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## Suzuku (Aug 2, 2015)

Another one lol


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## Donquixote Doflamingo (Aug 2, 2015)

RONDA BEAT DAT ASS.


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## Dr. White (Aug 2, 2015)

Damn son, glad I streamed that shit, Ronda gave that bitch the hands. That's all that can really be said.


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## Cromer (Aug 2, 2015)

Watched WSOF and went to sleep because I missed Struve/Big Nog. Can someone give me the gif of Rousey's fight?


----------



## Wan (Aug 3, 2015)

Rousey vs Correia: How To Make Someone Your Bitch In Under 35 Seconds


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## Cromer (Aug 4, 2015)

So WSOF stripped Palhares of their welterweight title...


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## heavy_rasengan (Aug 4, 2015)

lol why are people on Sherdog so salty about Ronda's victory? I haven't been keeping up with MMA as much anymore, is it "in" now or "cool" to dislike Ronda?


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## Vespy89 (Sep 7, 2015)

so apparently Werdum does not want to face Cain again until March of next year and i honestly think that is a crock of shit.


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## Matariki (Sep 9, 2015)

Vespy89 said:


> so apparently Werdum does not want to face Cain again until March of next year and i honestly think that is a crock of shit.



This is entirely the UFC's fault. The rematch should not be happening in the first place, as Cain was beaten handily on top of being a very inactive champion. 

HW division is at a standstill because of shit matchmaking and favoritism


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## Cromer (Sep 9, 2015)

Bannai said:


> This is entirely the UFC's fault. The rematch should not be happening in the first place, as Cain was beaten handily on top of being a very inactive champion.
> 
> HW division is at a standstill because of shit matchmaking and favoritism



Agreed entirely. Cain fought 3 people in 3 years? And for once there are so many fresh matchups.


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## Pyriz (Sep 11, 2015)

So Dillashaw vs Cruz is official for January 17th on FS1..

I think Dillashaw takes it.


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## Hibari Kyoya (Sep 11, 2015)

Yeah TJ all day long.

Werdum vs Cain again is just stupid.


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## Pyriz (Sep 11, 2015)

Well, the heavyweight division is shallow as hell. Most guys in the HW division are old and washed up. 

I imagine this is generally because if an athlete is that big they'll just go play a different, better paying sport professionally and come to MMA after that.


----------



## Cromer (Sep 11, 2015)

Nah, it's more that heavyweight style MMA features a lot more knockouts, and thus less accumulated damage in fights. Add to that speed not being as important in HW, and you find heavyweights having much longer careers than lighter fighters. 


By the way, where's our resident Jack Slack, Lucifer Morningstar?


----------



## Pyriz (Sep 11, 2015)

I think it's more the fact that heavyweights always possess such tremendous knockout power because of their size that allows many of them to stay relevant for prolonged periods of time. Despite the fact that general athleticism and technical skill may fall off with age, their weight and size will still allow them to retain the ability to separate just about any man from his consciousness if they connect. 

So heavyweights who aren't quite as athletic or technically sound as some of their peers still have a very real chance to win simply by landing that KO blow which is always present.

As for what I said before, it is pretty common for former NFL players or WWE wrestlers to move over to MMA after their old athletic careers go south, which is how I reached the conclusion. There are a lot of options for larger athletes and the UFC is notorious for underpaying their athletes, so it's often times an afterthought.


----------



## Vespy89 (Sep 11, 2015)

Give me Dillashaw also gonna be a good fight though


----------



## Cromer (Sep 11, 2015)

SmokeCrackMusic said:


> I think it's more the fact that heavyweights always possess such tremendous knockout power because of their size that allows many of them to stay relevant for prolonged periods of time. Despite the fact that general athleticism and technical skill may fall off with age, their weight and size will still allow them to retain the ability to separate just about any man from his consciousness if they connect.
> 
> So heavyweights who aren't quite as athletic or technically sound as some of their peers still have a very real chance to win simply by landing that KO blow which is always present.
> 
> As for what I said before, it is pretty common for former NFL players or *WWE wrestlers* to move over to MMA after their old athletic careers go south, which is how I reached the conclusion. There are a lot of options for larger athletes and the UFC is notorious for underpaying their athletes, so it's often times an afterthought.


What WWE wrestlers? The only WWE guy that could count for would be Batista, who had one fight on a regional toruney, apparently to knock off a bucket list item. Brock only went into MMA because of problems with management, Punk as well. Alberto el Patron did MMA *before* going into pro wrestling (got headkicked into retirement by Cro Cop).


----------



## Pyriz (Sep 12, 2015)

Well, aside from the names you mentioned, there's also Bobby Lashley and Ken Shamrock, who decided to go to the WWE during his prime years instead of doing MMA. I'm sure there are more out there as well if you look it up.


----------



## Cromer (Sep 12, 2015)

Ken Shamrock (and Dan Severn as well) also count as people who retired in pro graps from MMA though. Lashley does count as someone who did (and is still doing!) Pro wrestling first, MMA later. 


Hell, branching into Japan, Sakuraba and Suzuki made their names in shootfighting first. Shinsuke Nakamura is one of a number of fighters who came into MMA off Antonio Inoki's insistence that his wrestlers prove themselves against legit fighters. Yuji Nagata took years off his career because of that Inokism shit. 

So yeah.


----------



## Cromer (Sep 12, 2015)

Lashley, Josh Barnett, those are the guys you could say did pro wrestling=> MMA, rather than the reverse, and both of em are still competing in a cage.


----------



## Pyriz (Sep 12, 2015)

Well, honestly the original claim remains true even if they did MMA first and moved on to pro wrestling during the prime years of their athletic career. Once they reach their athletic peak, they realize they can make more money elsewhere and put MMA on the sidelines.

Barnett and Lashley are both still competing in MMA, but they're also both old now.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Sep 14, 2015)

#freeNickDiaz


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Sep 21, 2015)

5 years is a total joke.


----------



## Cromer (Sep 21, 2015)

I absolutely do not like the Diaz bros, but that process was an absolute joke, and the length of suspension a travesty.


----------



## Mashiba Ryō (Sep 21, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]sz5gCKKG6Ws[/YOUTUBE]

There will never be another Nick Diaz. One of the most entertaining fighters and interesting people in MMA period. I'll miss his fights, shenanigans and interviews. 209 friend!


----------



## Cromer (Oct 2, 2015)

Hendricks got rushed to hospital...


----------



## Nihonjin (Oct 3, 2015)

Anyone have a stream? Pm maybe? =D


----------



## Cromer (Oct 3, 2015)

I got you covered, I think?


----------



## Stringer (Oct 3, 2015)

Damn pretty good card so far, 'tis a beautiful thing to see Yair Rodriguez's continuous growth each time he steps into that cage. The kid is such a promising prospect, I like how comfortable he is in there: Controlled aggression, creativity, good fundamentals and movement.

I missed some of the earlier fights though, I must see how Sage Northcutt performed.


----------



## Stringer (Oct 4, 2015)

Fuck yeah son, the main event's finally here. Rooting for Gus all the way.

This gon' be good


----------



## Legend (Oct 4, 2015)

Gus is too tentative


----------



## Stringer (Oct 4, 2015)

Yeah especially in the first and early moments of the third round, he needs to give it his all in the last minute or he'll lose. 

But man this is one hell of a fight. 

Edit: fight over, fantastic performance by both contestants.


----------



## Legend (Oct 4, 2015)

they were both drained at the end, they both gave their best shots and the other wouldnt fall


----------



## Louis-954 (Oct 4, 2015)

Incredible grit and determination by DC and Gus.


----------



## eHav (Oct 4, 2015)

cant wait for jones to come back and put DC in his place again, and then defend against rumble


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Oct 4, 2015)

Great fight, surprised with DC's conditioning it was much better than I gave credit for.


Them showing the stats at the end where Gus moved like over 1000 ft more defo took a toll on Alex .


----------



## Kuya (Oct 4, 2015)

Surprised one judge scored it 49 to 46 (Cormier)

Excellent fight


----------



## Stringer (Oct 4, 2015)

Hibari Kyoya said:


> Them showing the stats at the end where Gus moved like over 1000 ft more defo took a toll on Alex .


That eats away at his gas tank no doubt, he's going to have to calibrate his energy usage a little better. That's a waste of energy that causes him to fade away in the last round.

Watched the tape a second time, nobody knows how to light dudes up more than Gustafsson. DC's face never been that wrecked after a contest. It's a damn shame Alex was so gun-shy most of the fight, didn't let that right hand go as much as I would have liked. The threat of the takedown by DC kept him way too honest, part of the reason why DC was able to stand and trade with him so effectively. The right hook and uppercut are the most devastating tool in Alex's arsenal, next to the knee. But most of the damage he inflicted throughout that fight actually came from his left alone, which is a testament of how good his hands are.

And on Cormier's end, while the highlight of his performance was that takedown in the first round, I was actually more impressed by those nasty uppercuts he repeatedly landed in the clinch, those were brutal.


----------



## Stringer (Oct 5, 2015)

Now that I think about it the amount of good fights we've had this year alone is pretty incredible. A couple of my favorites so far:


*Spoiler*: __ 



— Yoel Romero vs Lyoto Machida
— Robby Lawler vs Rory MacDonald
— Cormier vs Gustafsson
— Edson Barboza vs Paul Felder 
— Anderson Silva vs Nick Diaz
— Max Holloway vs  Cub Swanson 
— Gunnar Nelson vs Brandon Thatch
— Luke Rockhold vs Lyoto Machida
— Charles Oliveira vs Nik Lentz
— Demetrious Johnson vs Kyoji Horiguchi 
— Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs Carla Esparza
— Charles Oliveira vs Nik Lentz 
— Andrei Arlovski vs Travis Browne 
— Conor McGregor vs Chad Mendes
— Stipe Miocic vs. Mark Hunt
— Uriah Hall vs Gegard Mousasi
— OSP vs Patrick Cummins
— Patrick C?t? vs Joe Riggs 
— Rafael Dos Anjos vs Anthony Pettis
— Joseph Duffy vs Jake Lindsey 
— Ronda Rousey vs Cat Zingano
— Carlos Condit vs Thiago Alvez



The year's not even over yet, those cards in December are _stacked_ as fuck.


----------



## Cromer (Oct 5, 2015)

I wonder if we're gonna get all those cards intact


----------



## Stringer (Oct 5, 2015)

Probably not, but honestly the only two fights that really matter out those cards in December are _''Rockhold vs Weidman''_ and _''Aldo vs McGregor''_. Any of them falling apart would be absolutely criminal, they will each heavily impact the overall landscape regardless of the outcome.

Albeit a freak accident I'm pretty sure Weidman and Luke will both do everything in their power to make sure that bout happens because they're a rare bread of studs, but Aldo is just fucking unreliable. You can't count on that guy, just gotta keep them fingers crossed.


----------



## Kuya (Oct 5, 2015)

Sage VanZant


----------



## Cromer (Oct 6, 2015)

I'm guessing that's a Youtube video? I'm filtered here; can't see it. 



Stringer said:


> Probably not, but honestly the only two fights that really matter out those cards in December are _''Rockhold vs Weidman''_ and _''Aldo vs McGregor''_. Any of them falling apart would be absolutely criminal, they will each heavily impact the overall landscape regardless of the outcome.
> 
> Albeit a freak accident I'm pretty sure Weidman and Luke will both do everything in their power to make sure that bout happens because they're a rare bread of studs, but Aldo is just fucking unreliable. You can't count on that guy, just gotta keep them fingers crossed.



I think the whole "Aldo misses dates" thing is hugely overstated, but meh.


----------



## VitaminTHC (Oct 7, 2015)

I joined this awesome Forum yesterday and already I see a dedicated thread to all things MMA?  Hell yeah, count me in!

I am an absolute MMA fanatic.  I watch pretty much every PPV and Fight Night event broadcast and have been following MMA for a few years now.  I don't personally have any MMA experience but I did wrestle 2 years in high school and have taken a few jiu-jitsu classes at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu here in Los Angeles.

Are any of you going to watch UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Duffy on October 24th?  I'm excited to see just how good Joseph Duffy is when he fights a top ranked fighter like Dustin Poirier.  Personally, I foresee Duffy hurting Poirier with punches and latching on a submission late in the fight for the win.


----------



## Stringer (Oct 7, 2015)

For sure, I've been looking forward to that one, it's a good matchup. I see it going either way to be honest, particularly if Poirier's able to avoid grappling exchanges because Duffy has a definitive advantage in that department. The bout also sets up a rematch against McGregor for the victor down the line, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

And welcome aboard.


----------



## Cromer (Oct 7, 2015)

VitaminTHC said:


> I joined this awesome Forum yesterday and already I see a dedicated thread to all things MMA?  Hell yeah, count me in!
> 
> I am an absolute MMA fanatic.  I watch pretty much every PPV and Fight Night event broadcast and have been following MMA for a few years now.  I don't personally have any MMA experience but I did wrestle 2 years in high school and have taken a few jiu-jitsu classes at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu here in Los Angeles.
> 
> Are any of you going to watch UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Duffy on October 24th?  I'm excited to see just how good Joseph Duffy is when he fights a top ranked fighter like Dustin Poirier.  Personally, I foresee Duffy hurting Poirier with punches and latching on a submission late in the fight for the win.



Welcome man, 10th Planet, for real? That's awesome dude.


Yeah, I've got plans to watch the main event, as well as the Miocic fight, see what he has to offer now. And Poirier is my pick for the main event.


----------



## VitaminTHC (Oct 8, 2015)

Stringer said:


> For sure, I've been looking forward to that one, it's a good matchup. I see it going either way to be honest, particularly if Poirier's able to avoid grappling exchanges because Duffy has a definitive advantage in that department. The bout also sets up a rematch against McGregor for the victor down the line, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
> 
> And welcome aboard.




Agreed - I can't wait to see the fireworks when they meet in the octagon.  Thanks for the welcome, too!




Cromer said:


> Welcome man, 10th Planet, for real? That's awesome dude.
> 
> Yeah, I've got plans to watch the main event, as well as the Miocic fight, see what he has to offer now. And Poirier is my pick for the main event.




Yeah, 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu is a pretty cool establishment the instructors there are really laid back and knowledgeable.  I never met Eddie Bravo, unfortunately, but I learned some interesting techniques while I was there.

As for the co-main event, someone is going down before the final bell is rang when Stipe Miocic and Ben Rothwell get in there.  I'm rotting for Stipe Miocic and foresee him hurting Ben Rothwell late for the win.


----------



## Kuya (Oct 8, 2015)




----------



## VitaminTHC (Oct 8, 2015)

Mmhhmm!  No denying Paige VanZant has a rockin' little body.  But, I prefer Gina Carano in her prime..


----------



## Kuya (Oct 8, 2015)

VitaminTHC said:


> Mmhhmm!  No denying Paige VanZant has a rockin' little body.  But, I prefer Gina Carano in her prime..



oh yeah, Caranao is the GOAT MMA hottie


----------



## Parallax (Oct 8, 2015)

Cromer said:


> I think the whole "Aldo misses dates" thing is hugely overstated, but meh.



it's really not if it keeps happening.


----------



## Kuya (Oct 10, 2015)

Faber gonna take the belt from Dillashaw in 2016


----------



## Cromer (Oct 10, 2015)

Faber ain't beating this new and improved Killashaw.


And it doesn't even matter anyway, since Cruz is gonna be champ by then


----------



## Kuya (Oct 13, 2015)

well... at least a Hawaiian is hitting that


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Nov 7, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]-dTcc27QZGk[/YOUTUBE]

Soon


----------



## LordPerucho (Nov 9, 2015)

> Miesha Tate may have been overlooked for a title shot and her potential third fight with longtime rival Ronda Rousey, but she's not taking it lying down. Tate appeared on The MMA Hour this week and said she may end up retiring.
> 
> "They have a job to do. They want to promote, they want to make fights that sell. I get it. "But this is also my life and I'm not a robot, I'm not a puppet, and I'm not going to stand for something that I don't feel right about, that I don't agree with," Tate told Ariel Helwani Monday.
> 
> ...



She already had 2 title fights, what would be fair if let her have a rematch with Cat and if she gets to beat her then she would deserve to challenge Ronda again IMO.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 10, 2015)

Dan Henderson please retire, or just relegate urself to gatekeeper and put over the younger guys.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 14, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]2jSKMoXTvaQ[/YOUTUBE]

WOW WHAT A PROMO


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 14, 2015)

Both Valerie and Holly are over 10 to 1 underdogs, with Valerie being even the bigger dog (wtf lol).

I could see why for Holly, but I really think that Valerie could be competitive and potentially beat Joanna. She is big, tough,  has good striking and is a BJJ purple belt.

If I was a betting man, I would for sure put some money on Valerie, crazy odds.


----------



## Louis-954 (Nov 14, 2015)

Kuya said:


> [youtube]2jSKMoXTvaQ[/youtube]
> 
> WOW WHAT A PROMO


oneandahalfmonthsago.com


----------



## Kuya (Nov 14, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> oneandahalfmonthsago.com


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 15, 2015)

Told ya it would be competitive.


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 15, 2015)

Hoping for a Holm upset...

...but just cant see it happen.


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 15, 2015)

HAHHAHA HOLY SHIT!!!


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 15, 2015)

WTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 15, 2015)

BIGGEST UPSET IN UF HISTORY!!!!!!


----------



## Cromer (Nov 15, 2015)

Straight outta the Jack Slack manual for beating Ronda...


----------



## Iskandar (Nov 15, 2015)

I can't believe Ronda lost.
The match was awesome.


----------



## Gunners (Nov 15, 2015)

Well done Holly Holm. She did boxing proud.


----------



## Scud (Nov 15, 2015)

Fucking finally.


----------



## Nihonjin (Nov 15, 2015)

Holy shit Holm! Christ man..


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 15, 2015)

At last, we will never hear her talk about Floyd again.


----------



## TasteTheDifference (Nov 15, 2015)

Duymmm **


----------



## Parallax (Nov 15, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> At last, we will never hear her talk about Floyd again.



What does that have to do with this O.o


----------



## Stein (Nov 15, 2015)

Welp.... Well done Holly.


----------



## eHav (Nov 15, 2015)

shit i could go around high fiving everyone i see from happiness ahahahaha


----------



## Gunners (Nov 15, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> At last, we will never hear her talk about Floyd again.


----------



## The Basturd (Nov 15, 2015)

Ronda Rousey is a fool. She played to her opponents strengths, not hers. What a moron.


----------



## Kyuubi Naruto (Nov 15, 2015)

The Streak is broken.


----------



## ghstwrld (Nov 15, 2015)




----------



## Iskandar (Nov 15, 2015)




----------



## Kyuubi Naruto (Nov 15, 2015)

ghstwrld said:


>



What...the...fuck...was...she...doing...


----------



## Huey Freeman (Nov 15, 2015)

I almost got knocked the fuck out a minute ago from fans jumping off the bandwagon


----------



## Legend (Nov 15, 2015)

I think Ronda believed her own hype too much over her own skill and overlooked Holly.


----------



## Legend (Nov 15, 2015)

Ronda will refocus and train harder for the rematch, which is scary.


----------



## Big Bοss (Nov 15, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> At last, we will never hear her talk about Floyd again.



The guy is going to have a field day in the future with this.


----------



## Sansa (Nov 15, 2015)

Someone finally shut her stupid ass up


----------



## Kyuubi Naruto (Nov 15, 2015)

According to twitter, Ronda's been transported to the local hospital.


----------



## Huey Freeman (Nov 15, 2015)

Rousey was a product fighter, eventually a thorough bred would have put her on her ass.


----------



## Huey Freeman (Nov 15, 2015)

Legend said:


> Ronda will refocus and train harder for the rematch, which is scary.



Which she'll still lose


----------



## Nihonjin (Nov 15, 2015)

The Basturd said:


> Ronda Rousey is a fool. She played to her opponents strengths, not hers. What a moron.



Overconfident. Probably stubbornly  tried to prove a point about standing with Holm and failed spectacularly.. Or worse, that was her gameplan?

Either way that's part of her coach's responsibility.. You cannot let her stand-up with a multi time world champion level striker and definitely not aggressively. 

Oh well, hope she bounces back..


----------



## TasteTheDifference (Nov 15, 2015)

If you rewatch the first round it's unbelievable how wide it was, goes to show that trying to outbox a former world champion isn't the best strategy


----------



## Sansa (Nov 15, 2015)

Just wait until Floyd sees this, oh goodness.


----------



## Cromer (Nov 15, 2015)

Female Cro Cop...


----------



## Stringer (Nov 15, 2015)

Kyuubi Naruto said:


> What...the...fuck...was...she...doing...out...there...


It was mind boggling to see her continuously walk into those counter strikes when it was blatantly obvious Holly was baiting her in. Too damn hasty.


----------



## Stringer (Nov 15, 2015)

Damn wish I had bet a couple of hundreds on Holm.

My savings account would be so much fatter right now.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 15, 2015)

I should have bet on the fight! I was contemplating betting on those odds, I'm so mad at myself.


----------



## Huey Freeman (Nov 15, 2015)

Ronda can be nimble, and Ronda can be quick, but Ronda can't dodge a Holly Holms roundhouse kick.


----------



## teddy (Nov 15, 2015)

here


oh my god!


----------



## Hyperion1O1 (Nov 15, 2015)

That was fucking brutal.


----------



## Kagekatsu (Nov 15, 2015)

Don't know what the hell Ronda was thinking trying to outbox Holm in her element, should have kept the ground game and go for the legs.

Congrats to Holly, rematch is probably going to break buyrate records.


----------



## Sansa (Nov 15, 2015)

Know someone who bet 10k on Holly for that fight


----------



## Legend (Nov 15, 2015)

I would bet 50 at least on Holly


----------



## Kagekatsu (Nov 15, 2015)

Jesus, Dana looks like his wife got shot or something.

Wonder how Miesha Tate must be feeling considering Holm stole her chance at revenge.


----------



## Vice (Nov 15, 2015)

Well of course Dana's upset, he wants the belt back on this as soon as possible:

Link removed


----------



## Kagekatsu (Nov 15, 2015)

Vice said:


> Well of course Dana's upset, he wants the belt back on this as soon as possible:
> 
> Link removed



Obviously. Though after that performance, he might be convincing Ronda to take a sabbatical, fire whoever she picked for her training camp and work on her striking. Meantime I see her feeding Tate to Holm to keep her satiated.


----------



## Huey Freeman (Nov 15, 2015)

Ronda should have taken a page out of Mayweather playbook and fought Holms when she's not in her prime


----------



## Kuya (Nov 15, 2015)

Greg Jackson and Winklejohn are far superior coaches and gameplanners than Edmund.

Excellent work by Holm over the overconfident Rosey. 

I'm so mad i didn't bet on Holm. But i'll bet on Rousey for the rematch.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 15, 2015)

Rousey should go to real MMA gym now though. All Glendale has is her and Jake Ellenberger who is not the Ellenberger we all knew.

She's being held back in my opinion despite her dominance. She clearly didn't gameplan for Holly, she just worked on her individual skills. Edmond is a bad coach and got lucky he landed Ronda.

Holm winning is so good for UFC though.

also, Mark Hunt 

now we got Aldo vs. McGregor next


----------



## teddy (Nov 15, 2015)

Kuya said:


> Rousey should go to real MMA gym now though. All Glendale has is her and Jake Ellenberger who is not the Ellenberger we all knew.
> 
> *She's being held back in my opinion despite her dominance. She clearly didn't gameplan for Holly, she just worked on her individual skills. Edmond is a bad coach and got lucky he landed Ronda.*
> 
> ...



Literally what her mom said a month ago


----------



## Kuya (Nov 15, 2015)

ted. said:


> Literally what her mom said a month ago



Great minds think alike?! Actually, not sure if i wanna take that as a compliment as her mom looks crazy 

Imagine Ronda in Greg Jackson's camp (won't happen) or AKA, American Top Team, or Alliance... jeez

lol at Glendale Fighting Club. I don't even know if they are a top 15 mma camp.

Shit, Ronda is light enough to join Team Alpha Male if she wanted. Paige VanBae is there.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 15, 2015)

Holm is in the best MMA camp in the world in my opinion. Although AKA is a really close 2nd.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Nov 15, 2015)

Kuya said:


> now we got Aldo vs. McGregor next



As excited as I am for that.. 

[YOUTUBE]LN5JIeqeWQw[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]SI5w9PFAZKk[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]GcqHIPa-h1I[/YOUTUBE]

Weidman-Rockhold, in terms of complete, well-rounded skill-sets, is the best match-up I can remember in MMA's short history. Both are far better overall fighters than McGregor, who has a considerable disadvantage in every area of grappling against Aldo.

Jacare-Romero too just as a style match-up might be better..

[YOUTUBE]jtDyZuc0Vas[/YOUTUBE]

that mini 4-man tournament that night is arguably the most talented the sport has ever had, can only think of a couple back in PRIDE that can compare.. That card is great from top to bottom.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 15, 2015)

i'm excited for that fight too, and i really like Rockhold's chances against the dominant champion.


----------



## Gilgamesh (Nov 15, 2015)

Dana and casual fans in absolute ruins 

Assuming Holly's still champ by then you would assume this is a sure thing for UFC 200



> BIGGEST UPSET IN UF HISTORY!!!!!!



nah Serra beating GSP is still bigger imo, Holly completely owned Ronda from start to finish.


----------



## Jake CENA (Nov 15, 2015)

Rhonda got schooled lol. Bad decision making lead to her downfall. Dunno what she was thinking trying to fist fight Holm. 

This is good though since Rousey might be a two time champ


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Nov 15, 2015)

Kuya said:


> i'm excited for that fight too, and i really like Rockhold's chances against the dominant champion.



As a Weidman guy Rockhold is one of 4 fighters I was worried about his chances against for the years I have been watching him. I always thought he matched up well against Silva who I picked him against and Belfort, but I thought Jacare, Rockhold, Machida, and Romero were his toughest fights in the division. His conditioning (probably the best in the division), grappling ability (particularly his scrambling ability, TDD, and various techniques from his back - Jacare and Kennedy, two of the best top games in MMA couldn't hold him down), kicking game, and considerably improved striking defence are real issues for Weidman. You really cannot ask for a better match-up in MMA; I think the fight will truly show how far this sport has evolved and the best it has to offer. 

Rousey's striking is so bad outside of the clinch, lol. Glad people can stop pretending she is some once in a lifetime MMA talent. There have always been, are, and will be hundreds of guys that are better overall fighters than her and whoever the best women at this sport is. It is not even like she is some good role model either, seems to have some serious mental and emotional problems, as well as an an inflated sense of how good a fighter she is; every fighter needs that confidence to be successful but her and a lot of her fans were just delusional.



Vice said:


> Well of course Dana's upset, he wants the belt back on this as soon as possible:
> 
> Link removed




Lol, remember White after Velasquez destroyed Lesnar?



The gif doesn't even do his reaction/response justice on that day, haha.


----------



## Jake CENA (Nov 15, 2015)

Kuya said:


> [YOUTUBE]2jSKMoXTvaQ[/YOUTUBE]
> 
> WOW WHAT A PROMO





Every revolution.... Starts with Naruto Storm 

Anyway when Rousey got knocked out you could almost see a nipslip or is it just me though?


----------



## Louis-954 (Nov 15, 2015)

What an incredible night... Rousey dethroned. Just wow.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 15, 2015)

I think once Ronda is healed, a lot of the top MMA gyms will contact her and try and recruit her from that beat up gym she's at now.

This loss was so good for the sport.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 15, 2015)

holy shit, Mark Hunt is a Vegan now?


----------



## Louis-954 (Nov 15, 2015)

Kuya said:


> I think once Ronda is healed, a lot of the top MMA gyms will contact her and try and recruit her from that beat up gym she's at now.
> 
> This loss was so good for the sport.


Holly exposed her big-time. Edmond is a joke of a boxing coach. Ronda should ditch him ASAP!


----------



## Kuya (Nov 15, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Holly exposed her big-time. Edmond is a joke of a boxing coach. Ronda should ditch him ASAP!



He's a joke of a coach period. That's why there are no talented fighters outside of Ronda there. And their gym looks like shit and outdated compared to the top mma gyms in the world.


----------



## ghstwrld (Nov 15, 2015)




----------



## ghstwrld (Nov 15, 2015)




----------



## Darc (Nov 15, 2015)

She got the EA Curse. Never put your face on an EA game title


----------



## Stringer (Nov 15, 2015)

Lucifer Morningstar said:


> As a Weidman guy Rockhold is one of 4 fighters I was worried about his chances against for the years I have been watching him. I always thought he matched up well against Silva who I picked him against and Belfort, but I thought Jacare, Rockhold, Machida, and Romero were his toughest fights in the division. His conditioning (probably the best in the division), grappling ability (particularly his scrambling ability, TDD, and various techniques from his back - Jacare and Kennedy, two of the best top games in MMA couldn't hold him down), kicking game, and considerably improved striking defence are real issues for Weidman. You really cannot ask for a better match-up in MMA; *I think the fight will truly show how far this sport has evolved and the best it has to offer.*


Indeed. Also, people were dangerously sleeping on Rockhold until recently, particularly because of the KO lost he suffered at hands of TRT Vitor in his ufc debut. That kind of derailed the hype train he had coming in as the Strike Force champion. But I always maintained the belief that he was going to be Weidman's toughest challenge in that division post-Silva Era. 

That fight's gonna be so damn violent.. and at the very same time a showcase of technical brilliance. So pumped for it.


----------



## Stringer (Nov 15, 2015)

Kuya said:


> He's a joke of a coach period. That's why there are no talented fighters outside of Ronda there. And their gym looks like shit and outdated compared to the top mma gyms in the world.


Looking back at it, it's embarrassing how little progress she's made in her striking game considering how long she's been working with the guy. Some boxing coach he is, smh.


----------



## LordPerucho (Nov 15, 2015)

Mad props to Greg Jackson, came out with the perfect strategy to render Ronda useless, she knew Holm just had to keep away from Ronda going for the clinch, exposing her as 1 dimensional.

The moment I saw Holm land a hit to Rondas nose I believed she had a shot in winning the fight, but that beatdown was sure unexpected.

Well dserved win for Holm, and makes sense now why Ronda didnt want to fight Cyborg .


----------



## Kyuubi Naruto (Nov 15, 2015)

Looks like one of those character reels in a fighting game if you don't press start. You know, a video that shows a character stunting on another character when the controller's idle.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 15, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]8ESbkF_0A0g[/YOUTUBE]

wow, didn't see this till now. her mom was SPOT on.

chasing a taller fighter and not countering a stick and move strat from a boxer is just


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Nov 15, 2015)

Insane result 

I'm rooting for Rockhold.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 15, 2015)

too bad Holm is already 34

Still want to see her fight Cat, Meisha and McMann after the Rousey rematch(es)


----------



## Louis-954 (Nov 15, 2015)

Kuya said:


> too bad Holm is already 34
> 
> Still want to see her fight Cat, Meisha and McMann after the Rousey rematch(es)


Holly should comfortably beat Cat and McMann.


----------



## Tiger (Nov 15, 2015)

Gilgamesh said:


> Dana and casual fans in absolute ruins
> 
> nah Serra beating GSP is still bigger imo, Holly completely owned Ronda from start to finish.



I have no issue with Rousey, in fact I like her-- but I was pretty thrilled to see her dominated last night. Holm was in control from start to spectacular finish.

What were the Vegas odds on Serra beating GSP back then? And will this KO, like that one, cause Rousey to improve her dominant style-- while simultaneously becoming a somewhat more boring fighter to watch? Ever since that fight, GSP practically refused to let anyone near his chin...and unlike some people, I have no problem with him focusing on what he's good at, and winning that way-- but undoubtedly, his fighting style was less "fun to watch" after that fight. I remember his early days of spinning back fists and back kicks, and hopping around the ring with electricity. Rousey might come back from this, take her belt back, and then never take a dumb chance again for the rest of a successful but boring career.



Kyuubi Naruto said:


> Looks like one of those character reels in a fighting game if you don't press start. You know, a video that shows a character stunting on another character when the controller's idle.



Hilarious gif and commentary, thanks. My jaw dropped when I saw that, and the few times Rousey tried to stop boxing and go for what she's good at, it was just too late because Holm was ready for it, and stuffed it instantly. She even took Rousey down, that was an all around impressive fight for Holm. No controversy, it wasn't even close. Pure dominance in her field of expertise.

It might require more than one rematch before Rousey gets her belt back, folks.


----------



## LordPerucho (Nov 15, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Holly should comfortably beat Cat and McMann.



Cat has better durability than Ronda(She can take punches unlike Ronda who after 1 hit she was getting dizzy).

Cat just needs to act smart and not rush like a fool(it was a bit mistake doing it vs Ronda).

Holly was pretty much acting calm, and counterattacking Rondas boxing(She took a page out of Floyds book but without over relying on it).


----------



## Louis-954 (Nov 15, 2015)

LordPerucho said:


> Cat has better durability than Ronda(She can take punches unlike Ronda who after 1 hot she was getting dizzy).


She can take punches but her technique is sloppy as fuck. Holm would pick her apart at distance.


----------



## Huey Freeman (Nov 15, 2015)

Ronda wasn't going to take down Holmes, she has incredible take down defense and her speed was faster than Ronda.  If Ronda loses the rematch she'll probably retire


----------



## Jake CENA (Nov 15, 2015)

Look at them jimmies easily flipping the switch and hating on Rousey now on the other forums 

well nothing to be ashamed of being knocked out by a top world class fighter


----------



## Matariki (Nov 16, 2015)

TerminaTHOR said:


> Look at them jimmies easily flipping the switch and hating on Rousey now on the other forums
> 
> well nothing to be ashamed of being knocked out by a top world class fighter



Huh? She has been unpopular for ages, only casual fans were fooled

Holly Holm and Joanna Champion are 100x more respectful and mature


----------



## Kuya (Nov 16, 2015)

Rousey's shit coach Edmund issued a statement today that included "Holm wasn't better at striking during their match."


----------



## ghstwrld (Nov 16, 2015)




----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Nov 16, 2015)

Ronda should switch to the Tristar gym tbh.


----------



## Kuya (Nov 18, 2015)

Hibari Kyoya said:


> Ronda should switch to the Tristar gym tbh.



That would actually work well


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 20, 2015)

A professional and recreational woman beater





Holly is big time now. Appearing on multiple respectable talk shows (like for example Larry King) and hanging out with celebs like Jamie Foxx*** and Money Mayweather. That headkick granted Holly not only Ronda's belt but also her celeb status it seems. Ronda is getting netorared big time. Holly's husband is probably next though if she keeps hanging out with rich, famous and handsome black gentlemen  





*Spoiler*: _***_ 



[youtube]jze7mZB0k8M[/youtube]


----------



## Random Stranger (Nov 20, 2015)

Oh before I forget,  I encourage everyone to subscribe to the youtubechannel of mmadigest for all your relevant MMA updates needs.


----------



## Stringer (Nov 22, 2015)

Damn, was hoping to see a better performance from Cejudo. As it stands right now he poses no threat to Mighty Mouse, he’s just not ready. While his awesome wrestling pedigree gives him a fighting chance, his standup game's lacking, there's a ton of holes Demitrious would exploit here. He needs to manage range better and work on reaction speed, he got clipped by a number of strikes that a more seasoned striker would aptly keep away from. 

It would also help to implement some more combinations in there to deceive his opponent, a bit too straightforward in his approach.

Way I see it, Dana should scrap that division and merge it with 135. Make a superfight between Mighty Mouse and TJ Dillishaw, everybody wins.


----------



## Louis-954 (Nov 22, 2015)

Stringer said:


> Damn, was hoping to see a better performance from Cejudo. As it stands right now he poses no threat to Mighty Mouse, he?s just not ready. While his awesome wrestling pedigree gives him a fighting chance, his standup game's lacking, there's a ton of holes Demitrious would exploit here. He needs to manage range better and work on reaction speed, he got clipped by a number of strikes that a more seasoned striker would aptly keep away from.
> 
> It would also help to implement some more combinations in there to deceive his opponent, a bit too straightforward in his approach.
> 
> Way I see it, Dana should scrap that division and merge it with 135. Make a superfight between Mighty Mouse and TJ Dillishaw, everybody wins.


I thought Cejudo has a solid performance tonight, definitely wasn't a split decision. I think he's about as ready as anyone will ever be for DJ. He just beat the #3 guy in the world, 4 fight win streak, Dodson is gone, all other top contenders have lost already, some twice... so really, what other fight are they supposed to make?


----------



## Stringer (Nov 22, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> I thought Cejudo has a solid performance tonight, definitely wasn't a split decision. I think he's about as ready as anyone will ever be for DJ. He just beat the #3 guy in the world, 4 fight win streak, Dodson is gone, all other top contenders have lost already, some twice... so really, what other fight are they supposed to make?


That was an okay performance for the level of competition he was facing, Demetrious is on a tier of his own. And I mean, he will absolutely light him up, too technically sound for what Cejudo currently has to offer on his feet.

The marketing team will do their best to sell the fight, but truthfully, Cejudo doesn't stand a realistic chance. Hence why for the long term it's best to merge those two divisions and make that superfight happen. Especially when you consider the fact that both champs have expressed the desire to face each other, that'll substantially help alleviate some of the struggles these lower weight classes have been experiencing.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 4, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]B-_-Mmmzvs0[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]CGFLoYGTrNE[/YOUTUBE]

soon


----------



## Vivo Diez (Dec 4, 2015)

Starting to get into MMA after this fight

[YOUTUBE]RHRaUqAs9C4[/YOUTUBE]

Douchey legend get's beaten down for being too cocky.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 4, 2015)

im thinking of betting on Rockhold


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 4, 2015)

Vivo Diez said:


> Starting to get into MMA after this fight
> 
> [youtube]RHRaUqAs9C4[/youtube]
> 
> Douchey legend get's beaten down for being too cocky.


What a casual thing to say. Anderson Silva anything but a douche.

Anderson fought *every* fight like that. It just happened to cost him in this case. He is nothing but humble both before and after fights, and he was no different after his loss to Weidman.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 4, 2015)

Kuya said:


> im thinking of betting on Rockhold


I'm parlaying, Namajunas, Mendes and Rockhold next week. I think it has a high chance of hitting. What do you think?


----------



## Kuya (Dec 4, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> I'm parlaying, Namajunas, Mendes and Rockhold next week. I think it has a high chance of hitting. What do you think?



All except Mendes


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 4, 2015)

Kuya said:


> All except Mendes


Nani?? Franky is basically an older, weaker version of Chad.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 4, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Nani?? Franky is basically an older, weaker version of Chad.



I understand that and why most people would pick Chad. I just think Frankie has better footwork and can stalemate him in wrestling. 

If it's a 5 rounder i'm going Frankie for sure, if it's a 3 rounder more even. 

Either way, Frankie by unanimous decision and him clearly winning the later rounds.

I'm fan of both, but a HUGE fan of Frankie.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 4, 2015)

Kuya said:


> I understand that and why most people would pick Chad. I just think Frankie has better footwork and can stalemate him in wrestling.
> 
> If it's a 5 rounder i'm going Frankie for sure, if it's a 3 rounder more even.
> 
> ...


He certainly has better footwork, but I just can't envision him eating the same bombs that Conor and Aldo ate. His chin will be tested and I don't see it holding for five. I think Chad will put him away in the second.


----------



## Cromer (Dec 5, 2015)

Gonna have to agree with Kuya there. If I were a betting man I would have a parlay on PvZ, Edgar and Rockgrab, myself (although the Chris is just a ridiculously high IQ fighter)


----------



## Kuya (Dec 5, 2015)

one thing for sure, both Vanzant and Namajunas would be invited to my bed


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 6, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]PKsUuywT1F4[/YOUTUBE]

Jonas 

Also


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Dec 7, 2015)

Kuya said:


> I understand that and why most people would pick Chad. I just think Frankie has better footwork and can stalemate him in wrestling.
> 
> If it's a 5 rounder i'm going Frankie for sure, if it's a 3 rounder more even.
> 
> ...



You really think it's a stalemate wrestling? I personally think Chad has the upper hand, or at least a slight advantage.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 7, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]UUlQ7qS5ClU[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Kuya (Dec 8, 2015)

Hibari Kyoya said:


> You really think it's a stalemate wrestling? I personally think Chad has the upper hand, or at least a slight advantage.



Absolutely. If anyone gets the advantage i'd give it to Edgar, but it's more stalemate to me.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 8, 2015)

I don't see this fight hitting the ground at all. Mendes couldn't even take Faber down in their fight back in April. Chad is a much more powerful wrestler than Faber.


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Dec 8, 2015)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> [YOUTUBE]UUlQ7qS5ClU[/YOUTUBE]



Zahabi is so damn good.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 9, 2015)

*My picks.*

*Rose Namajunas* vs. Paige VanZant

Frankie Edgar vs. *Chad Mendes*

*Max Holloway* vs. Jeremy Stephens			
Demian Maia vs.	 *Gunnar Nelson* 
*Ronaldo Souza*	vs. Yoel Romero	
Chris Weidman	vs. *Luke Rockhold* 
*Jos? Aldo*	 vs. Conor McGregor

Not certain on some of them, but that's what I'm going with


----------



## Kuya (Dec 10, 2015)

What an epic UFC weekend


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 10, 2015)

Anyone who would like to join my Skype group to watch these events this weekend, feel free to add me on Skype! louisrogue89

We link streams for convenience.


----------



## Gilgamesh (Dec 10, 2015)

Dana should be put on suicide watch when McGregor loses.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 10, 2015)

Gilgamesh said:


> Dana should be put on suicide watch when McGregor loses.


The McGoat is going to steamroll Aldo though.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 10, 2015)

Jose had two camps to spar with the perfect McGregor emulator.

(southpaw, TKD based, taller at 5'11, and he taunted like McGregor throughout the camps)

Meanwhile McGregor has been frolicking around with a younger version of Segal


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 10, 2015)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> Jose had two camps to spar with the perfect McGregor emulator.
> 
> (southpaw, TKD based, taller at 5'11, and he taunted like McGregor throughout the camps)
> 
> Meanwhile McGregor has been frolicking around with a younger version of Segal


"Perfect McGregor Emulator"  you mean that joker that accidentally broke Aldo's rib with a sloppy spin kick?


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 10, 2015)

shit happens


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 10, 2015)

good stream: Link removed

edit: over

1-0 in my picks so far 

Edgar is falling tomorrow


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 11, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> "Perfect McGregor Emulator"  you mean that joker that accidentally broke Aldo's rib with a sloppy spin kick?



[YOUTUBE]5ksuJN_BVgg[/YOUTUBE]

I knew it wasn't him


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Dec 11, 2015)

TUF finale hype .


----------



## Pyriz (Dec 11, 2015)

Edgar vs Mendes is going to be fun. I got Mendes winning. It's going to be interesting to see how he deals with Edgars pacing and angles though. Mendes doesn't pivot nearly as good as Aldo.

Pivot and jab is the key to victory against Edgar.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 11, 2015)

Pyriz said:


> Edgar vs Mendes is going to be fun. I got Mendes winning. It's going to be interesting to see how he deals with Edgars pacing and angles though. Mendes doesn't pivot nearly as good as Aldo.
> 
> Pivot and jab is the key to victory against Edgar.


I'm curious to see how the smaller cage is going to effect Edgar's movement more than anything else. I think it will allow Chad to cut him off mor


----------



## Stringer (Dec 11, 2015)

Yeah the smaller cage will be a big factor in a couple of matchups tonight. Might be a short night for Frankie if the limited canvas hinders his footwork too much. You eat a clean shot from one of Mendes' bombs and it's _night-night_ for u, especially that overhand right. Frankie doesn't have McGregor's chin, so he can't afford to eat many of those. But given how smart he is I wouldn't put it past him to solve that equation. This is one hell of a toss up.. can't wait to see who comes out on top.

That said Tony Ferguson vs Edson Barboza is probably the fight I'm most excited about in the card. I won't blink throughout the fight.


----------



## Pyriz (Dec 11, 2015)

I want to say Ferguson wins but I can't bring myself to pick against Barboza just because of how proven he is.

I don't think the smaller cage will make too much of an impact. Generally Franky cuts side to side and rarely retreats in a straight line.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 11, 2015)

Pyriz said:


> *I want to say Ferguson wins *but I can't bring myself to pick against Barboza just because of how proven he is.
> 
> I don't think the smaller cage will make too much of an impact. Generally Franky cuts side to side and rarely retreats in a straight line.


Ferguson is almost impossible to finish.


----------



## eHav (Dec 11, 2015)

so happy for Rose, expected her to win and she delivered. the hype about PVZ just took a smack in the face, but she showed that she has a ton of heart and knows how to be gracefull in defeat and aknowledge her flaws. unlike a certain someone who got destroyed recently .

tonight either edgar gets a decision win or mendes gets a tko, and tomorow i dont even know too much awsomeness in one card. the bad thing is that i will be going to bed at 6 am 3 days in a row


----------



## Pyriz (Dec 11, 2015)

If anyone can find a way to finish him it's Barboza. 

I'm excited for tonight. I can see Edgar getting caught tbh. Doesn't move his head too much on the inside and a lot of his striking is set up by a takedown threat similar to Cruz. Psychologically I don't think Mendes is going to fear the takedown. I don't think the smaller cage will make a huge impact, but generally a smaller cage means less space wich means less movement which means higher output which means more counter opportunities for Mendes. 

In a "size of the cage" conversation the biggest question is always "how an the other guy make the cage small for his opponent". Though Mendes isn't exactly a pressure machine, so I can see Edgar cutting angles to stay off the cage and control the pace and engagements.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 12, 2015)

Artem  

Tom Egan, Artem Lobov, and Cathal Pendred are all crap. Meanwhile Aldo is training with Brazil's best 

I wonder how McGregor's morale would be affected if Nelson also lost. Though I don't see that happening.


----------



## eHav (Dec 12, 2015)

that was unexpected


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 12, 2015)

Chad you son of a....


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 12, 2015)

Chad's chin is done

He took too much damage from the Aldo and McGregor fights.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 12, 2015)

I think the UFC is going to continue to do whatever they can to make sure Edgar-McGregor doesn't happen. I wouldn't be surprised to see an instant rematch and Edgar have to fight Holloway, assuming he wins..

Outside of Nurmagomedov and RDA, I have thought Edgar was the worst match-up for him from 135 - 155lbs. 

Mendes was looking very good offensively. He was really chopping Edgar down with those low kicks and stopping TDs. Mendes has never been taken down and he looks like a man among boys whenever someone tries to. You won't see a more picture perfect and technical left hook in MMA.  Even though Edgar is one of my all-time faves I always thought his boxing was overrated and that he truly excelled in transitions (him and Cruz are maybe the 2 best I have ever seen in MMA when it comes to transitions; current DJ is up there too). I thought he would need the TD threat to land punches consistently against Mendes, but he has seriously improved his boxing. Who would have thought that in the 1st round Edgar would melt Mendes in the pocket with a combination like that?

What's interesting is Weidman has been working with Mark Henry (Edgar's boxing coach) for this camp, on footwork, hand-speed, and especially counter-punching (which Weidman hasn't shown much of, and isn't great off the back-foot).

TAM could be in some trouble right now. Mendes has been regressing since the 2nd Aldo fight, imo. He isn't the same guy without Ludwig.. His triggers, volume, set-ups, and especially defence isn't as good. Even when he stopped Lamas, he didn't look as sharp. PVZ got destroyed, Dillashaw dipped, Benavidez is in somewhat of a limbo, who knows when Holdsworth is coming back, etc. I don't think Garbrandt is as good or the prospect that some make him out to be either; Palmer is the superior prospect from that camp, imo. Also, don't be surprised if Faber loses to Saenz, who is a really technical and up and coming BW.


----------



## Pyriz (Dec 12, 2015)

I've got butterflies in my stomach thinking about tonight. I've been waiting so long for this.

Also, Ferguson vs Barboza stole the show last night. Phenomenal fight.


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Dec 12, 2015)

Yeah was an amazing fight, that TUF finale fight was a load of wank though.

So disappointed, wish they picked someone else other than Hall to replace Saul tbh, made it boring but it was the Dana White American agenda...


----------



## Pyriz (Dec 12, 2015)

I didn't think that fight was boring at all. Hall is freaking fantastic with transitions and positioning. I called Hall winning at the beginning of the season so I'm happy as fuck.


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 12, 2015)

The two female golden children have already fallen, Sage survived for now but showed vulnerability, lets see if Mr McGregor can keep this train rolling.


My heart wants a red panty night but my brain thinks it is more likely to be a brown panty night...


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 12, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> The two female golden children have already fallen, Sage survived for now but showed vulnerability, lets see if Mr McGregor can keep this train rolling.
> 
> 
> My heart wants a red panty night but my brain thinks it is more likely to be a brown panty night...


I wouldn't call Sage a golden child yet. He's still very green and acknowledges it publicly in interviews. I don't get the vibe from him that he believes he's something he isn't.


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 12, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> I wouldn't call Sage a golden child yet. He's still very green and acknowledges it publicly in interviews. I don't get the vibe from him that he believes he's something he isn't.


Hope his shady dad stops helicopter parenting him and allows him to continue training at Tri Star in the future. He has a lot of things to work on if he want to be succesful in one of the most competitive divisions in the UFC. They cant keep feeding him fodder for long, there arent that many of them in the LW division.


----------



## Legend (Dec 12, 2015)

any links?


----------



## Stringer (Dec 12, 2015)

Man... I'm absolutely loving the grappling exchanges between Damian Maia and Gunnar Nelson. What a beautiful fight.


----------



## Stringer (Dec 12, 2015)

Legend said:


> any links?


I'm watching it here:

Link removed


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 12, 2015)

looks like another loss for the McGregor camp is coming up


----------



## Legend (Dec 12, 2015)

Thanks Mang.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 12, 2015)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> I wonder how McGregor's morale would be affected if Nelson also lost. Though I don't see that happening.



I bet Conor isn't in his zen state anymore


----------



## Stringer (Dec 12, 2015)

My man Yoel Romero going to work. 

that was a sneaky backfist


----------



## eHav (Dec 12, 2015)

jacare recovered well, he almost wasnt able to start the second round. tho i think jacare should have won


----------



## eHav (Dec 12, 2015)

and lol i cant hate on yoel "no for gay jesus" romero he gives the funniest interviews


----------



## Stringer (Dec 12, 2015)

I remember the heat he got after that interview 

Shit was funny.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

Rockhold's body work


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

and leg work


----------



## Furinji Saiga (Dec 13, 2015)

Holy shit!

How was that not stopped


----------



## Kagekatsu (Dec 13, 2015)

Weidman's done


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

bad call   .


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

THE MASTER OF BEATING DEFLATED BRAZILIANS IS DONE


----------



## Pyriz (Dec 13, 2015)

That sucks.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> *Rose Namajunas* vs. Paige VanZant
> 
> Frankie Edgar vs. *Chad Mendes*
> 
> ...




3-3


----------



## eHav (Dec 13, 2015)

weidman so stupid 

[YOUTUBE]Adq0FXGCG08[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

You may have the belt but I still have mah family


----------



## Stringer (Dec 13, 2015)

this is what we've all been waiting for

OMG OMG OMG


----------



## Kagekatsu (Dec 13, 2015)

Aldo takes this in 3

...


----------



## Stringer (Dec 13, 2015)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

wait what

my stream is lagging


----------



## Furinji Saiga (Dec 13, 2015)

OMG

LOL LOL 

One punch


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

wow 

goddamn


----------



## Kyuubi Naruto (Dec 13, 2015)

What happened?


----------



## Kagekatsu (Dec 13, 2015)

Eat your heart out Saitama


----------



## Stringer (Dec 13, 2015)

ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to the era of CONOR MCGOAT


----------



## eHav (Dec 13, 2015)

CONOR MCGREGOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT A BOSS


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

onepunch man


----------



## TasteTheDifference (Dec 13, 2015)

Never seen that before


----------



## Stringer (Dec 13, 2015)




----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

edgar the new hope


----------



## eHav (Dec 13, 2015)




----------



## Stringer (Dec 13, 2015)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> edgar the new hope


just give up, join the team


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

Stringer said:


> just give up, join the team



n-

okay


----------



## eHav (Dec 13, 2015)

im just so happy, god damn. "Not here to take part, we're here to take over"


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

Well, it's still 1-2 for Ireland 

Artem and Nelson were schooled


----------



## SternRitter (Dec 13, 2015)

Are you fucking kidding me. 

I stayed up till 6am for a saitama special.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

McGregor fans on YT will never shut up now

IS THIS WHAT YOU GUYS WANTED?

Shiiit, I have delete to some my comments before the hoards of notifications come in


----------



## Stringer (Dec 13, 2015)

such beautiful placement

McGregor's left hand is now the most feared weapon in mma history


----------



## Arishem (Dec 13, 2015)

​


----------



## raizen28 (Dec 13, 2015)

Holy Jim Fuckin Ross!


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Dec 13, 2015)

I DUN BELIEVE IT 

Crazy crazy game this sport.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

Starting in 10 mins 

retweeted


----------



## Lord Trollbias (Dec 13, 2015)

I stayed up for that and McGregor ends it in 13 seconds. What a LAD.


----------



## eHav (Dec 13, 2015)

lol

aldo's locker room cam, kinda depressing. i like aldo but conor is conor. he came and took over the division


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Dec 13, 2015)

I feel so robbed  hopefully this post conference is good


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

Give the man some privacy 

Notice how the video is unlisted. Somebody from the UFC should't be doing this


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Dec 13, 2015)

Cba staying up for this press conference.... But feel so robbed it ended so early


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

^ If anybody wants to rewatch anything, this site usually has it up


----------



## Dr. White (Dec 13, 2015)

Ayye my boy Rockhold beat Weidman and decisively.


----------



## Hoshigaki (Dec 13, 2015)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> Well, it's still 1-2 for Ireland
> 
> Artem and Nelson were schooled



Nelson's not from Ireland


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 13, 2015)

Luke Bless.
Conor Bless.


----------



## Arishem (Dec 13, 2015)

getting starched by the guy who subjects you to a year of this 
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY7r-DwtjD8[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Dec 13, 2015)

I sadly missed the fights, I was outside and didn't want to pay 17 euros just to try to watch it on a mobile phone with unreliable internet. In the morning I watched the interviews and shit, and I couldn't believe the way Mcgregor vs Aldo fight went down. I wanted Mcgregor to win but I expected this to be a close fight going back and forth at least a couple of rounds. No matter who you root for, it is always sad to see a champion to go down like that. Aldo deserved better.

I am also happy for Luke, he is an amazing athelete. I am actually more upset about missing that fight than Mcgregor and Aldo.

Did anyone see the Mendes fight ?


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 13, 2015)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> Did anyone see the Mendes fight ?


Yeah.

Mendes did well early with leg kicks but got caught,

His chin could be shot. Aldo and McGregor did a number on it. 

Should have taken a longer layoff after the McGregor (T)KO.


----------



## Jake CENA (Dec 13, 2015)

ONE PUNCHHHHHHHHHH!!! )))))) 

Atleast McGregor could walk the talk lol


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Dec 13, 2015)

Still in disbelief, I really want the rematch however Frankie deserves his shot at the title.


----------



## Legend (Dec 13, 2015)

Saitama McGregor


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Dec 13, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]jrquU3RgrX4[/YOUTUBE]

Obligatory


----------



## Cronos (Dec 13, 2015)

holy shit that happened

aldo looked so scared from the begining


----------



## Cronos (Dec 13, 2015)

you guys need to watch conor's press conference, the man is beautiful


[YOUTUBE]JjXHai7M7oU[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## LordPerucho (Dec 13, 2015)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> [YOUTUBE]jrquU3RgrX4[/YOUTUBE]
> 
> Obligatory





.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 13, 2015)

*UFC 200*

McGregor vs Edgar
Holm vs Rousey
Aldo vs Holloway


----------



## GIORNO (Dec 13, 2015)

So this was the first event I've seen.

I watched Romero, Rockhold, then McGregor ofc, damn that shit was great.


----------



## Harard (Dec 13, 2015)

Aldo definitely deserves a rematch, but this is definitely Edgar's time now for a title shot. I love Frankie's chances vs McGregor tho.


----------



## GIORNO (Dec 13, 2015)

Well McGregor said its up to Aldo if they rematch or not so I guess if in 6 months or whatever he's ready for round 2 it'll happen.

I'm just getting into the UFC so idk who those guys are.


----------



## GIORNO (Dec 13, 2015)

Thanks.


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 13, 2015)

Did you guys see this?





or




Wow, look at how he is imitating Aldo's flat footed styles and practicing the left hook counter.

Most of his (even the more outlandish) prediction have come true. 

He is literally turning his imagination into reality. If you made his life into a movie people would think it is unrealistic.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 13, 2015)

GIORNO said:


> Well McGregor said its up to Aldo if they rematch or not so I guess if in 6 months or whatever he's ready for round 2 it'll happen.
> 
> I'm just getting into the UFC so idk who those guys are.


Welcome to the sport. Aldo probably won't get a rematch due to the way he lost. Conor has a lot of other options on the table right now.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Dec 13, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Welcome to the sport. Aldo probably won't get a rematch due to the way he lost. Conor has a lot of other options on the table right now.



Aldo will probably need to fight someone else before he can fight Mcregor again.



Random Stranger said:


> Did you guys see this?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Haven't seen that one. Very interesting.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 13, 2015)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> Aldo will probably need to fight someone else before he can fight Mcregor again.


Yeah, there's no way he gets another crack at him so soon.

He should fight Max Holloway or something for a #1 contender spot. That kid is also on fire right now.


----------



## eHav (Dec 14, 2015)

the only reason aldo isnt getting a rematch right away is the fact he wasnt a company man. he complained about rebook, iv bans, fighter pay, etc etc. ofc he gets shafted now.


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Dec 14, 2015)

Harard said:


> Aldo definitely deserves a rematch, but this is definitely Edgar's time now for a title shot. I love Frankie's chances vs McGregor tho.



You would imagine it is Frankie next, Dana did mention Aldo vs Frankie if Conor moves up to 155 though.


----------



## LordPerucho (Dec 14, 2015)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> *UFC 200*
> 
> McGregor vs Edgar
> Holm vs Rousey
> Aldo vs Holloway



Ronda said she isnt gonna change coaches so I expect her to get BTFO again.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 14, 2015)

Hibari Kyoya said:


> You would imagine it is Frankie next, Dana did mention Aldo vs Frankie if Conor moves up to 155 though.


Conor said he's not vacating the belt if he moves up.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 14, 2015)

Aldo crying backstage after the fight.

retweeted


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Dec 14, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Aldo crying backstage after the fight.
> 
> retweeted



I don't blame him man. Anyone would cry if they lost the fight the way he did.
Prepares this fight for a whole year, while Connor trashtalks all the way. One little mistake in the fight and he loses it in 1 hit. A years work down the drain in 13 seconds. Tough way to go.


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Dec 14, 2015)

All my friends in one gif . Damn ... Why when I bet in people winning against Brazil it's always a rape ? First I bet Germany winning the WC, they do the 7x1 . Then McGregor winning it in second round, tough fight, Aldo can't use his legs and McGregor beating him with his superior reach . What happens ? One Punch McGregor . 

Shieeeeeeet  I won't bet in people owning Brazil anymore, cause when they go down, they go reallllllly down . 

(I was betting in Anderson Silva the both times he lost tho) .


----------



## Zeus. (Dec 14, 2015)

Looks like I've come across the Conor McGOAT fanbase. I'm outnumbered....


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 14, 2015)

Zeus. said:


> Looks like I've come across the Conor McGOAT fanbase. I'm outnumbered....


He's not the McGOAT  as long as Jon Jones exists.


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Dec 15, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Conor said he's not vacating the belt if he moves up.



Yeah let's see how well that conversation goes .

I'd like to see a dual champ but not sure if that's going to happen.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Dec 15, 2015)

I don't think Conor will be as successful @ 155.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 15, 2015)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> I don't think Conor will be as successful @ 155.


Rafael Dos Anjos or Khabib Nurmagomedov would be terrible matchups for him, but someone like Cowboy or Pettis I think he could KO flat.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 15, 2015)

i love Conor McGregor's impact on the sport. I'm taking Frankie Edgar though on that fight. Frankie isn't flat footed like the guys McGregor has beat.

also i think McGregor would be very successful at 155. I see him beating basically everyone.


----------



## Zeus. (Dec 15, 2015)

Conor could probably do well in lightweight too. He's too fast for even featherweights. He likely normally walks around at lightweight anyway.


Louis-954 said:


> He's not the McGOAT  as long as Jon Jones exists.


JJ is taking back what's rightfully his, the true P4P king. Not even McGregor would speak ill of him. But I was pleasantly surprised that he ended a 10 year reigning champ so easily.


----------



## Gunners (Dec 15, 2015)

It was his own fault for fighting like an idiot to be honest. Don't lunge in and keep your hands up. A KO that could have been avoided by applying the basics of boxing.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 15, 2015)

Gunners said:


> It was his own fault for fighting like an idiot to be honest. Don't lunge in and keep your hands up. A KO that could have been avoided by applying the basics of boxing.


Aldo is not a boxer. He's a muay thai specialist. 
If you understand (I mean truly understand) striking in mma, you can see how great Conor truly is. Aldo did just about every right and still got caught by Conor. Conor surrendered dominant foot position to Aldo and then Aldo faked his fight and came in with his left (a standard combo) and he was still caught. Instead of looking down on Jose who did everything right, you should instead praise Conor who was able to still land the OHKO from a less than favorable position. 

Fedor used the same technique to great effect for years. If there's one thing you could criticize Aldo about, it's that he didn't sell the fake right well enough to keep Conor's left hand up by his head. Conor read the fake and timed his left to counter the right bluff. It was no fluke.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Dec 15, 2015)

Conor's style works well when he has height and reach advantage. He extends his arms and keeps his opponents constantly in check and tries to land counter hits.
Most guys in lightweight are just as tall or taller than him. Thats the reason why I think he wouldn't do so well. He may prove me wrong. I hope he does, I enjoy watching his fights.


----------



## Gunners (Dec 15, 2015)

No, Aldo didn't do just about everything right, which is why he got knocked the fuck out. I didn't say what happened to him was a fluke: approaching someone like an idiot is not bad luck, it is a poor decision. 

Him specialising in muay thai doesn't matter. He was in a mma fight, no? You'd expect him to grasp what happens when lunging towards an opponent, who is using their lead hand to create range, and failing to cover up properly. He put himself in a position where his movement was clear to the opponent because in order to land he had to step forward. 

I commend Conor for doing what he did. Not everyone has the ability and skill to capitalise on their opponent's mistake. However, my respect for what he did is not going to get in the way of me looking and Aldo and thinking _that was pretty idiotic_.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 15, 2015)

Gunners said:


> *No, Aldo didn't do just about everything right, which is why he got knocked the fuck out.* I didn't say what happened to him was a fluke: approaching someone like an idiot is not bad luck, it is a poor decision.
> 
> *Him specialising in muay thai doesn't matter. He was in a mma fight, no? You'd expect him to grasp what happens when lunging towards an opponent,* who is using their lead hand to create range, and failing to cover up properly. He put himself in a position where his movement was clear to the opponent because in order to land he had to step forward.
> 
> I commend Conor for doing what he did. Not everyone has the ability and skill to capitalise on their opponent's mistake. However, my respect for what he did is not going to get in the way of me looking and Aldo and thinking _that was pretty idiotic_.


> You can get knocked the fuck out doing everything right. Happens all of the time.

> Of course it matters. It's like asking why Ronda didn't shoot double leg takedowns or use leg kicks against Holly when it was the obvious thing to do to stop Holly from butchering her face. It just wasn't in her skill set. When you're taught from a very young age "this is how you're supposed to strike."; "this is how you engage.", it's very difficult not fall back on those tendencies, especially when they've worked out great for you for the past decade. That's why you saw *zero* adjustments from Renan Barao when he rematched TJ Dillashaw.

If Conor didn't catch him with that left hand, I guarantee you he still would have starched Aldo in the first round. He had him totally figured out.


----------



## Gunners (Dec 15, 2015)

> > You can get knocked the fuck out doing everything right. Happens all of the time.


No, you can't get knocked the fuck out doing everything right. If someone gets knocked the fuck out, they would be able to look at the tape and ascertain what they should have done differently or why they would be unable to change the result. In the case of Aldo, he should be able to reach the conclusion that he shouldn't have rushed in and that he should have kept his hands up. 



> > Of course it matters. It's like asking why Ronda didn't shoot double leg takedowns or use leg kicks against Holly when it was the obvious thing to do to stop Holly from butchering her face. It just wasn't in her skill set. When you're taught from a very young age "this is how you're supposed to strike."; "this is how you engage.", it's very difficult not fall back on those tendencies, especially when they've worked out great for you for the past decade. That's why you saw zero adjustments from Renan Barao when he rematched TJ Dillashaw.



No, it isn't like asking why Ronda didn't shoot the double leg take down. That would be asking a fighter to be proactive with a set of skills they do not have. Asking a fighter to be cautious and to not lunge in with their hands down, is asking them to refine existing techniques and their implementation of said techniques. 

It's not unreasonable to expect a fighter to bring their hands back up after throwing a punch or feinting, and to not charge in a straight line. The consequences of not doing so is elementary. 



> If Conor didn't catch him with that left hand, I guarantee you he still would have starched Aldo in the first round. He had him totally figured out.


Moot point. I'm not concerned with what would have happened, I'm discussing what happened which was a result of Aldo's recklessness.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Dec 16, 2015)

Aldo was nervous and probably reckless because of that. But the thing is, Connor was prepared for Aldo's striking. He stood there calmly and waited for Aldo to make his big move. The dude knew he would be able to capitalize on it with his left hook and he did. 

I think Connor predicted that all his taunting and the mind games he played on Aldo would take their toll on him, and that Aldo would get reckless in the fight and he would be able to turn that against him with his intelligence and timing.

If Aldo and Connor fought numerous times under similar circumstances, Connor would always win.

But if Aldo gets in the octagon calm and relaxed, stripped out of his emotions, then obviously it would turn out to be completely different.


----------



## Zeus. (Dec 16, 2015)

Aldo was indeed reckless, he underestimated the power of Conor's strikes, and his left hand in particular. However, it is Aldo's style to be aggressive, so it was to expected that Aldo would have blindly charged in(He even got a hit or two on Conor). Conor wanted to throw Aldo off and get in his head, that's exactly what happened here. Not enough to deserve a rematch unfortunately, even with the credentials that Aldo has. I think Frankie Edgar deserves a shot at the Featherweight title now. He's long overdue.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Dec 16, 2015)

After a loss like this no one wants to see Aldo vs Conor anymore. 

I think Aldo needs one or two clean wins to have a shot @ Conor again. Only then Dana can build anticipation(look, Aldo is just as good as ever, he will make a comeback) and sell the fight.

Although there are lots of speculations roaming, that Aldo wants to retire and Dana doesn't want him to retire with the belt. And he won't get a title shot because Conor having the belt is better for business etc.


----------



## Sasuke (Dec 17, 2015)

had no idea Reem vs JDS was creeping up so soon, 2 days?

was a fight I was definitely interested in a few years ago, lost its allure since but it should still be a good fight

expecting JDS by KO in the first tho I'm hoping for a Reem win on the low


----------



## Kuya (Dec 17, 2015)

Condit finally gonna be the true champion


----------



## Stringer (Dec 17, 2015)

That fight's gonna be bananas man.

And I'm so looking forward to the return of Michael McDonald in that card too, can't believe it's more than 2 years since we last saw him step into that cage. The bantamweight division's gonna be very exciting next year when you add this to the return of Dominick Cruz. And with prospects like Thomas Almeida and Aljamain Sterling looking like absolute killers.




eHav said:


> the only reason aldo isnt getting a rematch right away is the fact he wasnt a company man. he complained about rebook, iv bans, fighter pay, etc etc. ofc he gets shafted now.


That's something I'll always give him respect for. Truth be told the vast majority of fighters within the UFC roster are criminally underpaid when you consider the amount of revenue the company's making, the reebok deal sure didn't help. Aldo was the only champ who had the balls to speak up for other fighters.

Now the good thing is, Conor actually has enough leverage to make things better from the inside. He's made a couple of them rich already just by beating their ass up. 

We'll see how Aldo recovers from this, but I truly wish him well.



Grimmjowsensei said:


> Conor's style works well when he has height and reach advantage. He extends his arms and keeps his opponents constantly in check and tries to land counter hits.
> Most guys in lightweight are just as tall or taller than him. Thats the reason why I think he wouldn't do so well. He may prove me wrong. I hope he does, I enjoy watching his fights.


That's not really an issue, McGregor was a lightweight champion in his previous promotion so he's accustomed to not having all the advantages he's granted amongst featherweights.

In fact he fights better at lightweight as he is forced to not rely so much on his chin. Instead you see him emphasize on footwork, cuts unorthodox angles and is much more evasive in his approach. You actually see his true talent shine in that weight class. His first UFC fight against Marcus Brimage gives a glimpse of what he is truly capable of in terms of footwork, dude's a brilliant defensive striker.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Dec 19, 2015)

Holy fucking shit, Cowboy got annihilated.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 19, 2015)

McGregor must be having second thoughts


----------



## Stringer (Dec 19, 2015)

lol RDA wants a Red Panty Night too 

I can't wait to ear Conor's verbal abuse throughout the build up to their fight


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 19, 2015)

Cowboy is always gonna stay the bridesman.

He is very good but just one shade away from being championship material (Pettis, RDA, Benson). 

So close but yet so far away.


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 19, 2015)

What would do you guys rather see?

RDA/McGregor or McGregor/Edgar?


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 19, 2015)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> McGregor must be having second thoughts


I doubt it. When you're at the top level of the game like Conor is you fear no man.



Random Stranger said:


> What would do you guys rather see?
> 
> RDA/McGregor or McGregor/Edgar?


I'd rather see RDA/McGregor, for sure.


----------



## Stringer (Dec 19, 2015)

RDA is a tougher matchup for McGregor than Edgar is, so I'd like to see him fight the former so he can shut his doubters up once and for all

then come back down as a dual weight champion to defend the featherweight belt against Edgar

I tell you what, next year is gonna be crazy fun


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 19, 2015)

I want to see the RDA figh as well. They are both pressure fighters albeit in different ways, would love to see how that fight plays out.

Favour RDA in that fight but Conor would gain legendary status if he won, especially after how good RDA has looked in his past 3 fights (Diaz, Pettis, Cerrone).


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 19, 2015)

Also on the card with RDA/McGregor should be Diaz vs Sage Northcut (if he wins in january) as co-main lol.

Would love to see Diaz/Sage interactions. Diaz would bully/scare him real bad I feel.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 19, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> Also on the card with RDA/McGregor should be *Diaz vs Sage Northcut* (if he wins in january) as co-main lol.
> 
> Would love to see Diaz/Sage interactions. Diaz would bully/scare him real bad I feel.


Do you want Sage to get murdered or something? It's waaaaaaay too soon for him to be fighting top 5 guys.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Dec 19, 2015)

Random Stranger said:


> What would do you guys rather see?
> 
> RDA/McGregor or McGregor/Edgar?



RDA vs McGregor definitely.

And how shitty Overeem vs JDS fight was...


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 19, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Do you want Sage to get murdered or something? It's waaaaaaay too soon for him to be fighting top 5 guys.


I know but is funny to imagine such match-ups. Just want to see how someone like Sage interacts with Diaz and see if/when he breaks.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 20, 2015)

Diaz 

Cowboy 

Reem and JDS fucking suck


----------



## Cromer (Dec 20, 2015)

Econoreem getting that free agent money tho...


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 20, 2015)

Cromer said:


> Econoreem getting that free agent money tho...


Haha Econoreem, that is a good way of describing him after getting of the horsemeat and now fighting like Mayweather under Greg Jackson. 

About the free agent stuff, I am not so sure he is gonna get a big pay raise.

There used to be Pride, Strikeforce which had decent HW divisions besides the UFC. How many are there now outside the UFC? Not many, that is why they have a nobody fighting Fedor in Japan.

The options are a lot more limited for a HW.

Benson Henderson is the more likely one of getting that free agent money...


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 23, 2015)

McGregor going to 155-lbs and getting an immediate title shot was probably thrown out because they thought Cerrone (who is a favourable match-up for McGregor) would win, or RDA would be a different fighter with the new testing. RDA has been, for my money, the best pressure fighter in MMA and was a nightmare match-up for Cerrone. He is a bad fight for anyone in the division, likely any LW in history except maybe Nurmy. 

He beat the snot out of Cerrone and that probably changed things. Now McGregor will stay at 145-lbs for another fight or two, or he goes to 155-lbs and gets a gimme against Nate Diaz. There is no way he is fighting RDA next, that would be a bad move by the UFC and they would see a ton of backlash from the media and fighters (especially at 145 and 155) for a guy who never defended the belt getting an immediate title shot in a weight class he hasn't fought in the UFC. 

Edgar-McGregor is likely next, will be nice to see one of my all-time faves with two titles and making his way to GOAT status.. He is already up there (he already should be in everyone's Top-10 all-time, imo), crazy how Mendes looked a weight class bigger than him; dude could make BW if he cut weight like almost everyone else. He has underrated power too considering how big he actually is and the sample of fights/fighters he has hurt, stopped, or dropped who are much bigger than him. McGregor would be the biggest or 2nd biggest (Henderson) guy he has ever fought though, and has big advantages in length, size, reach, and power. McGregor can move up and work his way up the ladder after, which was what he initially planned on doing anyway. It will be incredibly impressive if McGregor manages to beat Edgar and RDA, but he loses both of those fights, imo. He is still very legit though, and his striking for MMA is as good as anyone's.. But he has some very clear holes in his game.


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 24, 2015)

@Lucifer Morningstar

I disagree, I think RDA is next because:

1) Conor wants a break from those huge cuts.

2) If he loses to RDA they can still do the Edgar fight, so that are 2 big PPVs guaranteed. And if he wins his fame and hype will multiply exponentially. Win, win.


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 24, 2015)

Nice. This way Bisping will have faced all of the big name Middleweight druggies (Sonnen, Hendo, Vitor and Anderson). But at least this time he will face one on an a more equal plaing field.


----------



## Random Stranger (Dec 24, 2015)

Surprised they put Anderson on a fight pass card though.

Recent controversy aside, he is still one of the biggest draw in the UFC.

Should have put him as a co-main to a PPV card to beef up the PPV sales.


----------



## Cromer (Dec 24, 2015)

Anderson Silva...vs REMOVE STEROID FREAKS Bisping?


----------



## Kuya (Dec 26, 2015)

If Anderson beats Bisping handedly, i can see him fighting for the title against Rockhold (or Vitor) for December 2016.

And I see him winning


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Dec 28, 2015)

> I'm betting Silva will lose, 1st round knockout for Bisping, Spider has too much on his mind and it will probably affect his game, Silva should just retire and keep his respect as of right now .

> Now this is good news: Jon BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONES JONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES IS FUCKING BACK BITCHES(Outdated as fuck but still):

THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME IN UFC AND MMA IS NOW BACK ! PLAYTIME IS OVER, HE MUST FIGHT CORMIER FOR THE BELT, TO TAKE WHAT IS HIS BY RIGHT .



Louis-954 said:


> *Aldo is not a boxer. He's a muay thai specialist. *
> If you understand (I mean truly understand) striking in mma, you can see how great Conor truly is. Aldo did just about every right and still got caught by Conor. Conor surrendered dominant foot position to Aldo and then Aldo faked his fight and came in with his left (a standard combo) and he was still caught. Instead of looking down on Jose who did everything right, you should instead praise Conor who was able to still land the OHKO from a less than favorable position.
> 
> Fedor used the same technique to great effect for years. If there's one thing you could criticize Aldo about, it's that he didn't sell the fake right well enough to keep Conor's left hand up by his head. Conor read the fake and timed his left to counter the right bluff. It was no fluke.



You just answered the reason why Aldo wasn't " totally right " . McGregor's boxing and reach would give him the advantage in the ... I don't know how to say this in english, well, the "punching"(In portuguese we call it " troca??o" ... Maybe exchanging in english ? IDK) ... Aldo should've gone for the three strongs of his: ground or legs, or clinch(1st one would render McGregor's punches useless, 2nd one is his most powerful KO weapon and 3rd one would turn McGregor's reach useless while creating a openning for Aldo's legs and knees most importantly) . But what he did ? He went to exchange blows with a better boxer with a longer reach . Oh my, sooooo right and sooooo inteligent right ? I was talking to a friend of mine and he was all like " Aldo's gonna rampage on him " and I said this exact thing minutes before the fight " McGregor will win with reach and boxing " . Of course I didn't bet in McGregor's victory like it was(13 seconds), but I was ultimately right .


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 28, 2015)

Kuya said:


> If Anderson beats Bisping handedly, i can see him fighting for the title against Rockhold (or Vitor) for December 2016.
> 
> And I see him winning


Anderson beating Rockhold.


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Dec 28, 2015)

Louis-954 said:


> Anderson beating Rockhold *right now*.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 28, 2015)

I mean ever*

Anderson has never fought anyone of Rockholds caliber. Go look at Andersons resume. Smashing Patrick Cote, Forrest Griffin and Stephen Bonnar isn't anywhere near as impressive as Luke beating Weidman. Weidman beats all 3 of those guys on the same night and Luke still smashed Weidman while he was taking antibiotics for a staph infection.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 28, 2015)

Luke Rockhold doesn't want to stand up with Anderson Prime, that's for sure.


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 28, 2015)

Kuya said:


> Luke Rockhold doesn't want to stand up with Anderson Prime, that's for sure.


I don't see anyone on Anderson's record, prime or not that is anywhere close to Rockhold's level.


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Dec 28, 2015)

You're the only one, until someone knocks Rockhold out cold and you'll jump to the next guy's bandwagon . But while we are at it, Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and Forrest Griffin _*are*_ in Rockhold's league, if not higher . Well I'll admit Forrest wasn't all that when he fought Anderson, still, he is on Rockhold's level . Stop masturbating to the guy .


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 28, 2015)

Mr. Black Leg said:


> You're the only one, until someone knocks Rockhold out cold and you'll jump to the next guy's bandwagon . But while we are at it, *Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and Forrest Griffin are* in Rockhold's league, *if not higher* . Well I'll admit Forrest wasn't all that when he fought Anderson, still, *he is on Rockhold's level* . Stop masturbating to the guy .


    

Pretending Griffin, Sonnen (LOL) and Belf*roid* without roids are on Rockhold's level. Okay. We're done here.

Griffin decisioned fucking Tito Ortiz in his last fight and Sonnen couldn't even finish Bisping, something Rockhold did *casually*. Pull your head out of your ass. Funny how* everyone* on your list is a roidhead and they are still inferior to Rockhold even with them.


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Dec 28, 2015)

Belfort was one of the toughest fighters to Jon Jones, won against Bisping, won against Rockhold(The treatment is fucking medical advised, regulated and allowed by UFC, if it was actually steroids it wouldn't, also Mir and Dan Handerson use it too)  wasn't bad against Silva .  Sonnen won against Shogun, fought to the last moment against Silva in the first time(Steroids), was countering Silva quite well actually the second time(the first round would've gone to him if it was a decision), and the most important thing of all is that Sonnen when well trained(For months and months) is nothing to play with, lost against Rashad because Rashad is fucking Rashad . Let's wait for your precious Rockhold to fight against someone while defending the belt . It's waaaaay harder, because people who own the belt are analyzed every fucking second of every fucking fight, and no one was paying that much on Rockhold before that .

Also, I wanna make a correction: the first tier after Prime Silva is Prime Rashad .

edit: If you answer to this, it will be the last time of this argument, I just want to make sure that you know that I respect a lot your opinion, you're one of the best posters here(You and Stringer) and really knows the game, I will admit it I'm not as knowledgeable as I was a few years ago, but yeah, I'm tired of this discussion . Also, I'd like to point out that I'm rooting for Rockhold too, I seriously like the guy, just don't agree with all that you're saying about him, at least not right now .


----------



## Kuya (Dec 28, 2015)

i already know Dana wants to cash in on a Anderson vs. Rockhold fight. It's going to happen in 2016 if Anderson beats Bisping, decision or KO.


----------



## Kuya (Dec 28, 2015)

UFC 200:
McGregor vs. Dos Anjos - Champion vs. Champion
Holm vs. Rousey 2 for Women's Bantamweight Championship
Overeem vs. Cain for Heavyweight Championship
Rockhold vs. Weidman 2 fo Middleweight Championship
Jones vs. Gus 2 for Light Heavyweight Championship
Condit vs. Lawler 2 for Welterweight Championship


----------



## Louis-954 (Dec 28, 2015)

Anyone else watching the inaugural Rizin FF event tonight?


----------



## Cromer (Dec 29, 2015)

I certainly am.

EDIT: Well shit, apparently I missed it.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Dec 29, 2015)

[YOUTUBE]BLPFT9ptvi4[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]NtgHO9oTQlk[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]qWBn8qYhwTs[/YOUTUBE]

Plenty of good match-ups on this card.. Love Condit, but it's always Lawler. I think there's a good chance we finally see Condit's vitriol infused chin finally cracked. Boxing defence is still a big problem for him, and Lawler is about the best boxer in the division, has more technical striking, and is one of the hardest hitters p4p ever in MMA. Condit's unorthodox attack, dynamism, output, and conditioning will give Lawler problems though, but I don't see many grappling exchanges unless Lawler wants it; his TDD is just on another level these days. Tumenov-Larkin is a crazy WW match-up too too, hope Einstein can continue his streak.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Dec 29, 2015)

I've seen a lot of people questioning Lawler's chin (on YT). 

You guys think he has taken too much damage over the years, especially in the last fight?


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Dec 30, 2015)

Kuya said:


> UFC 200:
> McGregor vs. Dos Anjos - Champion vs. Champion
> Holm vs. Rousey 2 for Women's Bantamweight Championship
> Overeem vs. Cain for Heavyweight Championship
> ...



Is this real ? Aldo's not getting a rematch ? Shieeeet man . I was waiting to see a rematch cause I'd like to see if Aldo can understand that keeping the distance and using legs + clinch + trying to go to the ground is the way against McGregor's superior reach and superior(Put superior in this) boxing, and this time I'd be rooting for Aldo . 

But oh, well, Dos Anjos have some similar characteristics with McGregor, should be fun to watch .


----------



## Cromer (Dec 30, 2015)

Kuya said:


> UFC 200:
> McGregor vs. Dos Anjos - Champion vs. Champion
> Holm vs. Rousey 2 for Women's Bantamweight Championship
> *Overeem vs. Cain for Heavyweight Championship*
> ...



*Bolded*: You think Cain and Jones will regain the titles AND be ready for UFC 200? 

_Italicized_: You think there's gonna be an immediate title rematch in the welterweight division, where title contenders are a dime a dozen?


----------



## Kuya (Dec 30, 2015)

Cromer said:


> *Bolded*: You think Cain and Jones will regain the titles AND be ready for UFC 200?
> 
> _Italicized_: You think there's gonna be an immediate title rematch in the welterweight division, where title contenders are a dime a dozen?



*Bolded*: Yes 

_Italicized_: Yes, after Lawler and Condit have a fight of the decade type fight this Saturday


----------



## TasteTheDifference (Jan 3, 2016)

Condit is ridiculously tough damn


----------



## Stringer (Jan 3, 2016)

both these guys have an amazing chin

great night of fights


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Jan 3, 2016)

I had Condit up with Rounds 1, 3, & 4

48-47


----------



## eHav (Jan 3, 2016)

fucking judges screwing condit over im mad as hell


----------



## eHav (Jan 3, 2016)

Kuya said:


> Yes, after Lawler and Condit have a fight of the decade type fight this Saturday



close enough


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Jan 3, 2016)

Robbie the Ruthless Robber retains

Lawl that robbery by Robbie


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 3, 2016)

Absolute *ROBBERY!
*


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Jan 3, 2016)

I didn't think he won his second fight with Hendricks either 

fuck judges


----------



## Kuya (Jan 3, 2016)

WHAT THE FUCK? CONDIT CLEARLY WON!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Cromer (Jan 3, 2016)

I could see how Lawler-Hendricks fell out the way it did. I could understand how Jones walked away with the win against Gustafsson. But this?

I was rooting for Robbie before the fight and I still don't get it. Cleary the idiot strikes again.


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Jan 3, 2016)

Absolute robbery, no way did Lawler win this fight.

Amazing 5th round, which is kinda ruined due to the decision.

Disgraceful.


----------



## Lucifer Morningstar (Jan 3, 2016)

Love it when a fight lives up to its potential. I was going crazy at my boy's place watching that 5th round, man. Both guys are absolute warrior kings. 

As far as the decision, I don't think it was the robbery people are making it out to be. The entire fight came down to round 3, imo. I think you could make a case for either guy winning it, but the best score might have been 10-10 for a draw. I still haven't heard or read a strong argument for either guy clearly winning that round.

Condit's chin is insane, arguably the best ever in MMA. Just ridiculous the type of shots he takes in terrible positions from some of the most powerful strikers in the division, from Hardy and Hendricks left hooks, to Woodley straight rights, to Ellenberger overhands, to Lawler's shots last nights. As well as Condit performed, a lot of those shots didn't land clean so the stats are pretty misleading. His defence is very subtle and underrated, dude is like the Roberto Duran of MMA. Lawler seemed to have some trouble figuring out Condit's dynamic and weird style. He has always been a little too willing to wait. 

And Lawler is the most exciting fighter I have ever seen in MMA. This guy has 3 straight FOTY contenders now (Hendricks I, MacDonald II, Condit) in addition to his plethora of good to great fights: 

Riley, Lytle, Brown, Manhoef, MacDonald I, Jacare, Ninja, Smith I, Babalu ... Plus all the savage knockouts, probably my favourite fighter ever.

Poirier-Duffy and Tumenov-Larkin delivered as expected as well. Felt bad for Arlovski but I was having trouble seeing how he was going to win that one, dude hasn't changed as much as people thought. His defence and almost exclusively throwing his right hand got figured out again, and he suffered another knockout. I still can't believe the UFC is putting on Werdum-Velasquez II, talk about shit match-making.


----------



## Stringer (Jan 3, 2016)

Gotta say, I was very impressed by Poirier's ground control last night. While Duffy has shown better BBJ skills in the past, Poirier's superior offensive wrestling was able to secure him a decisive win. That was an elbow buffet, Duffy's face at the end looked like the Hunchback's, my goodness.


Hey, @Lucifer Morningstar

What did you think of McDonald's return to the octagon


----------



## Gibbs (Jan 6, 2016)




----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 6, 2016)

Gibbs said:


>


That for sure isnt her. Or they edited/photoshopped it to hell.

I have seen recent pictures of her and she doesnt look that great. She gained quite a few pounds and doesnt even look remotely like an athlete. She now looks more like your average (slightly) overweight middle aged mom. 



Also, this is how her ass looks when she is in her best shape. 




Ronda (and her ass) only look good when she's completely dehydrated during weigh ins.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 7, 2016)

So I have heard multiple reliable birdies report that UFC 197 in march 5 will be RDA/McGregor main and Holm/Tate co-main.

FAP FAP FAP!


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 7, 2016)

Lucifer Morningstar, as our resident analyst, how do you see the fight between RDA/Mac going?

I feel like there's a huge probability King Mac is gonna get Pettis'd. 

Whatever else, you gotta admit that the man has green balls of steel though. Most thought he would bail on the 155 fight after Cerrone got obliterated in record time.


----------



## Vespy89 (Jan 7, 2016)

if that fight does happen on march 5th that'll be a hell of a card.


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Jan 7, 2016)

I'm not gonna comment on robbery . But it was robbery .




Cromer said:


> I could see how Lawler-Hendricks fell out the way it did. I could understand how Jones walked away with the win against Gustafsson. But this?



Please don't tell me you think Gustafsson won that fight . Jones bent Gustafsson over and when he took some serious hits(He took it, I'm not gonna say he didn't) it was because he was so fucking tired of beting Gustafsson(It's an hyperbole, but yeah, Jones won that fight fair and square) . Best fight I've seen that ended with no K.O/TKO/Submission .



Seeko said:


> What you saw was the rematch. Aldo lost the first fight by not showing up



Seriously ? Oh shit, sorry then .



Random Stranger said:


> That for sure isnt her. Or they edited/photoshopped it to hell.
> 
> I have seen recent pictures of her and she doesnt look that great. She gained quite a few pounds and doesnt even look remotely like an athlete. She now looks more like your average (slightly) overweight middle aged mom.
> 
> ...



I *KNEW* IT ! IMO is hard to find white american girls with good asses . Sad but true .

RDA/McGregor ? OH YEAH, THE HYPE IS REAL !

T.J Dillashaw's fight gonna be awesome, I love him . I'm also wanting to see something from Demetrious . He's awesome . 

AND WHEN ARE YOU GETTING BACK JON BONES FUCKING JONES ?


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 8, 2016)

I came.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 8, 2016)

Random Stranger said:


> That for sure isnt her. Or they edited/photoshopped it to hell.
> 
> I have seen recent pictures of her and she doesnt look that great. She gained quite a few pounds and doesnt even look remotely like an athlete. She now looks more like your average (slightly) overweight middle aged mom.
> 
> ...



she's not in training mode and u found really bad pics of her. Most of the time in the spotlight, she looks pretty stunning. Ronda can be pretty damn sexy at times.

And yes this is her ass, because that is her tattoo on her outer wrist.


----------



## Legend (Jan 8, 2016)

UFC 197's main events sound good if true


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Jan 8, 2016)

RDA vs McGregor is the best thing in 2016 until now .


----------



## Legend (Jan 8, 2016)

I would have saved it for 200 tho.


----------



## Stringer (Jan 8, 2016)

if I were to guess I'd say the ufc brass is banking on Conor to successfully win the LW strap in March, then defend his featherweight belt against Frankie at 200 

that's a wild gamble

but if Conor pulls that off, they're gonna make an insane amount of revenue


----------



## Legend (Jan 8, 2016)

Could CM Punk Debut at 200?

and Jon Jones return?


----------



## Stringer (Jan 8, 2016)

I think so, Jones vs Cormier is definitely gonna be there

they'll probably have CM Punk face a random newcomer

there are persistent rumors of GSP stepping back into the cage for one last fight 

if that happens at 200 the card will be insane


----------



## Legend (Jan 8, 2016)

Hopefully no one gets hurt and pulls out


----------



## Stringer (Jan 8, 2016)

let's all pray to the mma gods


----------



## Cromer (Jan 8, 2016)

Mr. Black Leg said:


> Please don't tell me you think Gustafsson won that fight . Jones bent Gustafsson over and when he took some serious hits(He took it, I'm not gonna say he didn't) it was because he was so fucking tired of beting Gustafsson(It's an hyperbole, but yeah, Jones won that fight fair and square) . Best fight I've seen that ended with no K.O/TKO/Submission .


That fight is one of my go to fights when I'm ranting about the lack of draws and 10-10 rounds in the UFC. No, I don't think Gus won that fight, but neither did Jones.


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Jan 8, 2016)

Cromer said:


> That fight is one of my go to fights when I'm ranting about the lack of draws and 10-10 rounds in the UFC. No, I don't think Gus won that fight, but neither did Jones.



Nah man, you look at that fight Jones dominated the center, had more hit ins, more critical hits and of course took some spanking when Gus went mad, but I'm certain that Jones won that . It is one of my three favorite Jon Jones fights, actually(Top Five: Belfort, Machida, Gustafsson, Sonnen and Shogun) . 

So, guys with all the hype involving McGregor and his style to play mind tricks with his opponents, I'd like to ask : Do you like this style as the best one because you feel the hype is real or do you prefer any other ? Personally, I like a lot a guy who has self confidence and all like McGregor, who makes the battle blazing hot just in weigh ins and interviews HOWEVER, I like more when a fighter respects his opponents and doesn't go out dissing them and I don't like when the fighter stays in between dissing and respecting(Like some times Jones does and Silva too) . Like, for me, the best weigh ins/events are these three, for totally different reasons : 

[YOUTUBE]mG4tfdYytEk[/YOUTUBE]

This one not only is funny but shows some sportsmanship, something it's hard to have when your objective is to punch the face of the guy in your front in .

[YOUTUBE]5D_C0eh8Bjc[/YOUTUBE]

Some hell of respect, nothing more to say .

and 

[YOUTUBE]rf_WWMTR9LU[/YOUTUBE]

Heated as fuck, hype as fuck . 

My favorite's gotta be weigh in for Machida and Jones but what about you guys which style do you prefer ?


----------



## Legend (Jan 8, 2016)

What is your fave UFC promo?


----------



## Legend (Jan 8, 2016)

[YOUTUBE]BCJfr1B-dwg[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Jan 8, 2016)

[YOUTUBE]S2lJmFhanCs[/YOUTUBE]

I've lost count how many times I watched it .


----------



## Cromer (Jan 9, 2016)

Legend said:


> What is your fave UFC promo?


That TV promo for Jones-Cormier I, with 'Hate Me Now' playing in the background. I've searched fruitlessly for it on the internets ever since.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Jan 9, 2016)

^ This one?
[YOUTUBE]9Yarr_kKLLE[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Cromer (Jan 9, 2016)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> ^ This one?
> [youtube]9Yarr_kKLLE[/youtube]


Almost. It was kind of an extended version of this one.


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Jan 9, 2016)

I remember one of Jones and Rashad that was beast too . I'm not sure if it was a promo promo tho, it might've been a very well edited clip on YouTube, maybe that's why I can't find it ...


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 9, 2016)

Legend said:


> [YOUTUBE]BCJfr1B-dwg[/YOUTUBE]




 I am not sure why UFC sometimes takes down some of their promo's and other content like this one.

If the UFC india affiliate didnt still have this one uploaded still, it would have been lost to the ages.


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Jan 11, 2016)

Can't wait for RDA to submit Conor


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Jan 11, 2016)

[YOUTUBE]HNp3NmM9180[/YOUTUBE]

P1: lol


----------



## Cromer (Jan 11, 2016)

Hibari Kyoya said:


> Can't wait for RDA to submit Conor


This is the firs time since Poirier that I've actually had doubts as to whether Conor would win.


----------



## Stringer (Jan 12, 2016)

McGregor issued a statement on facebook today to accompany the official fight announcement:



			
				Conor McGregor on facebook said:
			
		

> OFFICIAL FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT:
> 
> This McGregor Inc. executive business decision is brought to you by the King himself in association with EA Sports. *'McGregor is the Game.'*
> 
> ...





my god, McGregor is the ultimate troll


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Jan 12, 2016)

> Mr. McGregor has said that Rafael is a traitor to his people and vows to "behead the 'American Gringo' Rafael Dos Anjos, in the name of La Brasilia!"
> Viva la Brasil!



Not sure if Las Vegas reference or if he thinks Brasil speaks spanish .


----------



## Stringer (Jan 12, 2016)

he's actually aware brazilians speak portuguese, but he chooses to say spanish words on purpose to set them off

did the same thing during the world tour with Aldo

all those little things play a part in his mind games


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 12, 2016)

BREAKING NEWS:

Yoel Romero gets popped by USADA!



ATT is on a hot streak with Lombard, Tibau and now Romero.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 12, 2016)

Also Ariel Helwani just said that shit is gonna hit the fan now and to be prepared for more news like this will be coming. The USADA-UFC program apparently went into full effect for the 1st time this month. It’s going to ramp up big time now.


----------



## Cromer (Jan 12, 2016)

Well, after Cro Cop's tests came out negative I was beginning to wonder if there was any difference with the old testing regimen. 

So, I guess Rockhold-Weidman 2? Or Vitor gets another title shot?


----------



## Stringer (Jan 12, 2016)

probably the former, but honestly weidman should do the smart thing and take some proper time to heal before he goes in to face Rockhold again, he took one hell of pounding in that last fight

so for his sake I'm hoping they go for Vitor

rushing in would only deteriorate his chin




Random Stranger said:


> BREAKING NEWS:
> 
> Yoel Romero gets popped by USADA!
> 
> ...


lol Romero, apparently jesus loves steroids too

way to waste his shot at a title fight, at his age he won't be able to get many of those

I like the guy but he's pulled a lot of shady stunts his last couple of fights


----------



## Kuya (Jan 13, 2016)

Uriah Faber and Vitor Belfort are going to be champs in 2016


----------



## Stringer (Jan 13, 2016)

lol no, that would be one hell of a plot twist my friend 

give me some of that hawaiin weed


----------



## Kuya (Jan 13, 2016)

Stringer said:


> lol no, that would be one hell of a plot twist my friend
> 
> give me some of that hawaiin weed



Hey braddah, there's a chance


----------



## Cromer (Jan 13, 2016)

0.0000001% chance, you mean? :ho


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Jan 17, 2016)

Cyborg hits hard man. Fuck I wouldn't want to fight her.

Anyone excited for Dom vs TJ ?


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Jan 17, 2016)

Let's see if those knees will hold up.

War Cruz!


----------



## Cromer (Jan 17, 2016)

two rounds of dancing around each other, not committing, before Dillashaw loses his composure and wades in?


----------



## Seeko (Jan 17, 2016)

lel Kenny Florian


----------



## Seeko (Jan 17, 2016)




----------



## Stringer (Jan 18, 2016)

man, Cruz is so elusive... 

pretty amazing fight so far


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Jan 18, 2016)

1 was very close

Cruz won 2 & 3 for sure

TJ won 4

Not sure about 5

Edit: okay 1 for Cruz and 5 for TJ

That's what I'm going with


----------



## Stringer (Jan 18, 2016)

Cruz won the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds

the first round was mostly a draw slightly tilting in Cruz's favor as he dictated the pace of the fight throughout that feeling out process

TJ only started to get his groove on by the end of the 4th round and landed his most significant strikes in the 5th

all in all Cruz deserved that win


----------



## Stringer (Jan 18, 2016)

frankly I couldn't be any happier for cruz right now

the guy went through a lot of set backs to step into the cage tonight, and despite all those challenges he still  managed to get the W

mad props to him


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 18, 2016)

2 title fights, 2 split decision.

Great start to 2016


----------



## Stringer (Jan 18, 2016)

lmao, I guess it's a testament to how close in skills they all were .

let's give them a pass because they were both awesome fights, it's often better for the winner to end the fight with an exclamation point, but in this case in particular I really enjoyed the next level display of footwork, by cruz mostly


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 18, 2016)

Kaitlin Curran...damn such a cutie...

But that chest tattoo is on the level of Conor' tiger tattoo in how they detract from their attractiveness imo.

I bet it must look even more ridiculous topless.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 18, 2016)

Obligatory would still smash follow up post but you get the idea.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 18, 2016)

Glad Browne won. Go Hawaii!
Pettis delivered more damage, Alvarez hugged more and won.
Cruz looked great, i think he clearly won the decision.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 18, 2016)

Kuya said:


> Glad Browne won. Go Hawaii!
> Pettis delivered more damage, Alvarez hugged more and won.
> Cruz looked great, i think he clearly won the decision.


Pettis looked like shit in that fight.


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Jan 18, 2016)

WHY EVERYONE I ROOT FOR LOSES ?


----------



## Kuya (Jan 18, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> Pettis looked like shit in that fight.



they both looked like shit. Pettis disappointing.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 18, 2016)

Kuya said:


> they both looked like shit. Pettis disappointing.


The blueprint on Pettis is out. Everyone is going to do this to him now.


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Jan 19, 2016)

Yeah well Eddie is quite strong too, which probably didn't help.

Either the UFC match him up with a striker or he needs to try cut down to 145, which I can't see happening tbh.

Glad Cruz won over Dillasnake.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 19, 2016)

Hibari Kyoya said:


> Yeah well Eddie is quite strong too, which probably didn't help.
> 
> Either the UFC match him up with a striker or he needs to try cut down to 145, which I can't see happening tbh.
> 
> Glad Cruz won over Dillasnake.


I suppose they could match him up with Ferguson, Diaz or Barboza, either one of those fights would be fireworks,  but after what I'd seen from him in his last two fights, I believe Ferguson and Diaz would eat him alive. I hope they feed him to Khabib out of spite and he fucks off to Bellator or something.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Jan 20, 2016)

Did you guys watch the UFC 197 press conference ? 

Holy motherfucking shit that was a bloodbath.

I pity RDA. I really do.


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 20, 2016)

Yeah, I watched the Conor "El Chapo" McGregor press conference 


When McGregor is not cutting weight he gives gold press conference (see the GO BIG press conference for another good laugh).


Same as the GO BIG, he was all fidgety and chugging that monster energy drink like there is no tomorrow though. I hope he hasnt developed the same habit as Jon Jones and it is just because he is excited or something.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Jan 20, 2016)

It feels like most of these MMA guys are too dense to see through Conor's strategy. They go too emotional and tense when they are confronted by Conor. 

I'm 100% sure he came to the press conference slightly late on purpose too. Just to say "I don't respect you RDA."
A nasty tactic the legendary Miyamoto Musashi used to employ back in his day.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Jan 20, 2016)

Everything he or anyone says doesn't matter if the fight is lost

RDA will submit him within 3

Soon


----------



## Kuya (Jan 23, 2016)

just watched the press conference. McGregor is a fucking superstar.

also, i'd totally bang Meisha, just wouldn't concentrate on staring at that nose while i'm doing it


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Jan 23, 2016)

I'd bang Meisha too


----------



## Kuya (Jan 24, 2016)

Cain 

Stipe's time is now. He's gonna beat Verdum. Cain gonna beat Stipe. Then Cain retains against Verdum.


----------



## Cromer (Jan 24, 2016)

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Fucking yes, my favorite heavyweight gets his shot; time to make a combined Thug Rose/Stipe set.


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Jan 24, 2016)

What did McGregor do ?


----------



## Zeus. (Jan 24, 2016)

Who wouldn't bang Miesha? lol

And McGregor talkin like he can dominate welterweight wow.


----------



## Cromer (Jan 25, 2016)

UFC 196 Status: Rekt


----------



## Sasuke (Jan 25, 2016)

Reem has some insane luck tho

because with his contract up and the division being as shallow as it is he's about to get paid 

even more so if they want him to fight Stipe, I don't think he takes that fight on 2 weeks notice though

maybe Rothwell steps in and they give Barnett JDS in a couple months  and a promise of a title shot if he wins that


----------



## Cromer (Jan 25, 2016)

Sasuke said:


> Reem has some insane luck tho
> 
> because with his contract up and the division being as shallow as it is he's about to get paid
> 
> ...



I've heard that 'Jackson fighters don't take fights on short notice' before, and to that I say: Donald Cerrone.

That said, Overeem could get paid massive bucks to take on an interim title shot now, plus he's never won a UFC belt. win-win.

Barnett-JDS...that's a good idea...


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 25, 2016)

Imo Miocic vs. Rothwell for interim.


----------



## Cromer (Jan 25, 2016)

That might be the only way out, since Reem isn't signed yet, I suppose.


----------



## Kuya (Jan 25, 2016)

Fedor vs. Reem for Interim


----------



## Random Stranger (Jan 25, 2016)

Cain is never headlining another PPV again. Thats for sure. This is his second PPV card in a years time that is now ruined and will bomb (UFC 180 was the previous one he was supposed to headline).

FS1 and UFCONFOX  are most likely his next platform.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Jan 30, 2016)

There goes Dana's golden prince


----------



## Cromer (Jan 30, 2016)

It had to happen some time...


----------



## eHav (Jan 30, 2016)

god damn Bader 

he couldnt have bent over any harder for Rumble to destroy him


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Jan 30, 2016)

Shiet. Sage's fight was very anticlimactic. Sad to see him lose to an inferior fighter.

Lol'd @ Johnson / Bader fight. Ryan got destroyed.


----------



## Louis-954 (Jan 30, 2016)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> Shiet. Sage's fight was very anticlimactic. *Sad to see him lose to an inferior fighter.*
> 
> Lol'd @ Johnson / Bader fight. Ryan got destroyed.


   

He lost because Barbernera is better.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Jan 30, 2016)

damn


----------



## Kuya (Jan 31, 2016)

Sage tapped out to a triangle while in half guard 

Rothwell has been impressive

lol Bader with that fail takedown attempt that led to his demise


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Jan 31, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> He lost because Barbernera is better.



Not really.


----------



## Sasuke (Jan 31, 2016)




----------



## Cromer (Jan 31, 2016)

Trollbarena 

This is pretty much the highlight of his career.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Jan 31, 2016)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> damn



now in video format

[YOUTUBE]OLGQNhthYyc[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Jan 31, 2016)

Sasuke said:


>





That cracked me up.


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Feb 5, 2016)

Sasuke said:


>



Amazing


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 7, 2016)

[YOUTUBE]inwA25YBcKI[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 7, 2016)

OMG x10


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 7, 2016)

Lawler is a dead man


----------



## eHav (Feb 7, 2016)

that win was beautiful


----------



## Stringer (Feb 7, 2016)

yea wonder boy's striking is legit as fuck

next welterweight champ right there


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 7, 2016)

Lawler has been through too many wars. His chin won't be able to handle Wonderboy.

Done within 1

I predict deez tings


----------



## Ae (Feb 7, 2016)

Basilikos said:


> I think it's a question of *if* Wonderoby gets the belt.  Welterweight is a division of killers, almost as scary as the Lightweight division.
> 
> *I see him having trouble against opponents like *Rory, Lawler, Condit, Brown, and *Hendricks*.
> 
> ...



What was that?



Roronoa Zoro said:


> Lawler has been through too many wars. His chin won't be able to handle Wonderboy.
> 
> Done within 1
> 
> I predict deez tings



I did too. 

6 months ago.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 7, 2016)

Choi Doo-ho, Wonderboy and McGregor are the most precise strikers in the game

similar styles as well

these guys find the softest parts of your facial structure from any angle


----------



## Stringer (Feb 7, 2016)

tell you what, Conor should reconsider getting that welterweight title 

he's my homeboy but jesus, that's a tough one


----------



## Kuya (Feb 7, 2016)

Wow Wonderboy. Would love to see him against Condit and Rory. This guy has got what it takes to be champ. He defeated Hendricks with ease, which is crazy.


----------



## Random Stranger (Feb 8, 2016)

Just saw the fight.

Damnnn, Hendricks had nothing for Wonderboy.

It reminded me a lot of Rousey-Holm. 

Holly, Scoggins (he was on the prelims), Wonderboy, McGregor all dictate distance very well and are good at in and out fighting/movement. They all have excellent timing as well.

It seems that the current era/shift in MMA is to karate/distance management and movement. I like it.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 8, 2016)

Random Stranger said:


> Just saw the fight.
> 
> Damnnn, Hendricks had nothing for Wonderboy.
> 
> ...



They're all basically Machida fanboys


----------



## Mr. Black Leg (Feb 11, 2016)

Just stopped by to remember you guys that Jon Jones is the best fighter in the world and did this:

Link removed

(Skip to 14:15) .


----------



## eHav (Feb 11, 2016)

Kevin Randleman passed away today, at 44 years old. Heart failure due to a pneumonia. :\


----------



## Legend (Feb 12, 2016)

Horrible way to go.


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 12, 2016)

Never forget: lol

RIP Kevin Randleman.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 12, 2016)

damn, so young


----------



## Jon Moxley (Feb 16, 2016)

Ronda Rousey talking about suicide over one loss


----------



## Stringer (Feb 18, 2016)

Pettis vs Barboza booked for UFC 197

brb, getting a box of kleenex ready for that kickboxing porn  





Dean Ambrose said:


> Ronda Rousey talking about suicide over one loss


whatever, most of those overreacting about it lack perspective

the main problem here is how candidly she goes about sharing her darkest thoughts, she needs to surround herself with better advisers


----------



## eHav (Feb 19, 2016)

duno if anyone is watching bellator 149 for the giggles but kimbo vs dadda is the worst mma fight ever


----------



## eHav (Feb 19, 2016)

like, it should be scored a 0-0 and just DQ both of them


----------



## eHav (Feb 19, 2016)

they prob had to give dada CPR after the fight


----------



## Jon Moxley (Feb 19, 2016)

Stringer said:


> P
> 
> whatever, most of those overreacting about it lack perspective
> 
> the main problem here is how candidly she goes about sharing her darkest thoughts, she needs to surround herself with better advisers




If she was going through issues, the first thing she would have done is seek help. She didn't, so either she caught her loss at a bad time or she's using it for a publicity stunt.


----------



## eHav (Feb 20, 2016)

and shamrock vs royce ends with a tko knee to the balls by royce, one which ken reacts to about 2 seconds after it lands


----------



## Kuya (Feb 20, 2016)

Bellator


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kimbo vs Dada 5000 was the greatest thing I've ever seen.


----------



## Cromer (Feb 20, 2016)

eHav said:


> they prob had to give dada CPR after the fight


That actually happened? Holy shit!


----------



## Stringer (Feb 20, 2016)

my goodness that was a circus act  

KO'ed by exhaustion, jesus

coker must be real thankful that he was able to sign Benson Henderson



Dean Ambrose said:


> If she was going through issues, the first thing she would have done is seek help. She didn't, so either she caught her loss at a bad time or she's using it for a publicity stunt.


thing is, any piece of news that comes out is overanalyzed and blown out of proportion, the mass media and those that consume it likes to kick people when they're down, that being said she played a part in that herself

but none of that really matters to core mma fans, hence why you're not seeing it discussed in this thread


----------



## Cromer (Feb 20, 2016)

Guys, apparently Dada 5000 nearly died last night.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 20, 2016)

yea, according to an article at sherdog he cut 40 pounds to make the weight limit

the fact that their fight was even greenlit is ridiculous to be honest

Bellator has been desperately trying to increase their viewership, but after this they should probably grow more wary of putting fights like this together, both of them didn't even receive proper training prior to that fight from the looks of it


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 20, 2016)

Dada's heart stopped after the fight and he had renal (kidney) failure.


----------



## Jon Moxley (Feb 20, 2016)

Stringer said:


> thing is, any piece of news that comes out is overanalyzed and blown out of proportion, the mass media and those that consume it likes to kick people when they're down, that being said she played a part in that herself
> 
> but none of that really matters to core mma fans, hence why you're not seeing it discussed in this thread



I guess I understand.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 22, 2016)

as long as it's not a championship fight, Cerrone is a monster. Sort of like Uriah Faber.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 22, 2016)

he's gradually turned himself into a gatekeeper, would have liked to see him wear UFC gold after his fight with Dos Anjos, he deserved it with the career he's had

the back and forth between him and Conor would have been pretty fun too

although, after seeing _'El Chapo'_ () I gotta say I'm quite pleased with how things turned out


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 23, 2016)

fffffff, RDA pulled out because of a broken foot


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 23, 2016)

I'm thinking Edgar is the answer 

or maybe Diaz


----------



## Cronos (Feb 23, 2016)

FUUUUUUUUUUCK


----------



## Sasuke (Feb 23, 2016)

sigh

i'd like to see conor vs pettis then 


seems like the most likely replacements are nate or cerrone tho


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

damn what a pussy, the pressure got to him just like it did Aldo and he found a way out

Conor's _El Chapo_ really fucked with him

should have saved that for the week leading to the fight


----------



## Random Stranger (Feb 23, 2016)

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU 


Brazilians gonna Brazilian.


----------



## Random Stranger (Feb 23, 2016)

Shit, I was really looking forward to this fight too.

I guess they will try to keep McGregor on the card and make McGregor vs either Diaz or Cerrone.


----------



## Sasuke (Feb 23, 2016)

would  loved to have seen that


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 23, 2016)

Edgar is injured as well

Pettis and Cerrone both want it

But since Pettis is the fresher guy and is ranked higher he should get it

Plus that fight would be more exciting


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> Edgar is injured as well
> 
> Pettis and Cerrone both want it
> 
> ...





Sasuke said:


> sigh
> 
> *i'd like to see conor vs pettis then *
> 
> ...



Pettis is a pussy and on a 2-fight losing streak, he should not get it after his horrible performance against Alvarez a few weeks ago. Why would anyone want to see that?

The only man who deserves the fight now if Alvarez doesn't want it is Tony Ferguson. He's on a *7 fight* win streak at lightweight. Khabib has been out two years and Cerrone/Pettis are coming off losses in their most recent lightweight bouts.



Stringer said:


> damn *what a pussy*, the pressure got to him just like it did Aldo and he found a way out


Fuck off dude. The guy broke his foot. It had nothing to do "da pressure".


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> Pettis is a pussy and on a 2-fight losing streak, he should not get it after his horrible performance against Alvarez a few weeks ago. Why would anyone want to see that?
> 
> The only man who deserves the fight now if Alvarez doesn't want it is Tony Ferguson. He's on a *7 fight* win streak at lightweight. Khabib has been out two years and Cerrone/Pettis are coming off losses in their most recent lightweight bouts.
> 
> ...


lmao you obnoxious and overzealous prick, who pissed in your cereal

the idiot actually negged me too


----------



## Kuya (Feb 23, 2016)

It will probably Diaz, which is still an awesome fight and sells itself. I'd love to see McGregor vs. Cowboy and Pettis too.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

also, 

you're a complete fool if you think either Ferguson or Alvarez will get that fight


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

Kuya said:


> It will probably Diaz, which is still an awesome fight and sells itself. I'd love to see McGregor vs. Cowboy and Pettis too.


yeah they'll go with either Diaz or Cowboy


----------



## Kuya (Feb 23, 2016)

I surprisingly see Diaz giving Conor problems.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

that's actually not farfetched,

he has a good reach and can box well on the outside

so he can probably fair better than most

although Conor has a lot more tools in the pocket I'd say


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Stringer said:


> lmao you obnoxious and overzealous prick, who pissed in your cereal
> 
> the idiot actually negged me too





Stringer said:


> also,
> 
> you're a complete fool if you think either Ferguson or Alvarez will get that fight


Because only an absolute retard or McGregor sack-hanger would interpret a man pulling out because of a *broken foot* as "being a pussy" and "looking for an out". Just how far down your throat is McGregor's cock lodged, exactly? 

Yeah, I'm a fool for stating the obvious. It makes muuuuuuch more sense to match Conor with a guy coming off two losses  with two terrible performances than it does to match him with the #1 contender *who just beat that guy *or a guy with a 7 fight win-streak in the UFC's toughest division.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

here's what I recommend you: 

take a walk, speak with some friends (if you have any at all), breath some fresh air away from that computer and take that stick out your ass, you will feel much better

guaranteed


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Stringer said:


> here's what I recommend you:
> 
> take a walk, speak with some friends (if you have any at all), breath some fresh air away from that computer and take that stick out your ass, you will feel much better
> 
> guaranteed


Concession accepted. I'm glad I was able to make you acknowledge reason even if you're too stubborn to publicly admit it. 

 reason for the break.


----------



## Cromer (Feb 23, 2016)

Stringer said:


> here's what I recommend you:
> 
> take a walk, speak with some friends (if you have any at all), breath some fresh air away from that computer and take that stick out your ass, you will feel much better
> 
> guaranteed



Ad hominems...holy shit dawg, just take that L.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> Concession accepted. I'm glad I was able to make you acknowledge reason even if you're too stubborn to publicly admit it.
> 
> reason for the break.




of course you interpret that as a concession, dumbass


----------



## Cromer (Feb 23, 2016)

Ignoring this drama shit going on above me, does this mean Holm headlines? Or are we looking at another 189 situation with McGregor fighting for interim title just so he can headline?


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Stringer said:


> of course you interpret that as a concession, dumbass


What else was I supposed to interpret it as? You didn't address the substance (because you can't) of my post and opted instead to insult me. 

You* know* it's silly to give Pettis the McGregor fight over Alvarez who just whooped his ass or Ferguson who is on a massive win streak. It's impossible to logically defend that position which is why you insult me instead. That's a concession.



Cromer said:


> Ignoring this drama shit going on above me, does  this mean Holm headlines? Or are we looking at another 189 situation  with McGregor fighting for interim title just so he can  headline?


Dana said they are keeping Conor on the card because he wants to fight. It's going to be an interim bout.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> Because only an absolute retard or McGregor sack-hanger would interpret a man pulling out because of a *broken foot* as "being a pussy" and "looking for an out". Just how far down your throat is McGregor's cock lodged, exactly?
> 
> Yeah, I'm a fool for stating the obvious. It makes muuuuuuch more sense to match Conor with a guy coming off two losses  with two terrible performances than it does to match him with the #1 contender *who just beat that guy *or a guy with a 7 fight win-streak in the UFC's toughest division.


alright let me down your stupid line of thought,

neither Alvares or Ferguson will take that fight with McGregor if the belt is not on the line, let alone on short notice, their careers are on the line here

thinking otherwise is ludicrous

Also, Pettis is obviously not a viable replacement, but your suggestions were equally as stupid


Edit: and cromer, somehow I'm not surprised


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Stringer said:


> alright let break down your stupid line of thought,
> 
> *neither Alvares or Ferguson will take that fight *with McGregor if the belt is not on the line, especially on short on notice, their careers are on the line here
> 
> ...


The fuck are you talking about? They already asked for the fight.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> The fuck are you talking about? They already asked for the fight.


well then that's on them, that's a career misstep

they might get a few more bucks but ultimately get knocked further down the ladder of contenders for the actual belt

and jesus fucking christ calm your tits


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Stringer said:


> *well then that's on them, that's a career misstep*
> 
> they might get a few more bucks but ultimately get knocked further down the ladder of contenders for the actual belt
> 
> and jesus fucking christ calm your tits


A career misstep would be taking the most important fight of your career with a *broken foot*. 

But nah, that guy is a pussy. The pressure got to his foot. 

#StringerLogic


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

yea, you're pretty much an uptight fool 

nobody in this thread said Dos Anjos should fight with a broken foot


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Stringer said:


> yea, you're pretty much an uptight fool
> 
> nobody in this thread said Dos Anjos should fight with a broken foot


What were you saying then? 



Stringer said:


> *damn what a pussy*,* the pressure got to him* just like it did Aldo and *he found a way out*
> 
> *Conor's El Chapo really fucked with him*


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> What were you saying then?


you need to improve your reading comprehension, it's seriously lacking, but better yet, get some fresh air

I'll let elaborate it for you, the more pressure you're under the more you overtrain and are prone to injury, he shouldn't be doing heavy sparring rounds at all a week and a half before a fight, particularly considering he fought only two months ago, that is a clear indication that pressure to perform got to him

at this stage you should mostly shadow box, footwork and drill positions on the ground

this injury makes it convenient for him to pull out of the fight as he gets to more months to cover the gaping holes in his striking


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Feb 23, 2016)

Jesus, why don't both of you get in a ring or a cage 

They need to catchweight this fight if it's either Nate or Cowboy, 10 days to drop over 20 pounds? Nah sack that.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

haha he's not ready for me man 

I would choke his ass out


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Stringer said:


> you need to improve your reading comprehension, it's seriously lacking, but better yet, get some fresh air
> 
> *I'll let elaborate it for you, the more pressure you're under the more you overtrain and are prone to injury*, he shouldn't be doing heavy sparring rounds at all a week and a half before a fight, particularly considering he fought only two months ago,* that is a clear indication that pressure to perform got to him*
> 
> ...


No, it really isn't. People get injured all the time, it's just a part of the sport. His kick got checked on a dudes knee. That could very well break your foot whether or not you're going hard.

Just as I thought- conjecture backed up with nothing.  You're bummed he had to pull out, I get it, so am I since I wanted to potentially witness history be made, but pulling out because of a broken foot does not make a man a "pussy".



Stringer said:


> haha he's not ready for me man
> 
> I would choke his ass out


Unless you have a few years of high school wrestling under your belt and are at least a purple belt in jiujitsu I highly doubt it.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Feb 23, 2016)

I could care less who Conor fights now.

I just hope he wins simply so we can actually still see him against RDA as planned.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> No, it really isn't. People get injured all the time, it's just a part of the sport. His kick got checked on a dudes knee. That could very well break your foot whether or not you're going hard.
> 
> Just as I thought- conjecture backed up with nothing.  You're bummed he had to pull out, I get it, so am I since I wanted to potentially witness history be made, but pulling out because of a broken foot does not make a man a "pussy".


no, that's actually a lot less common among people that *train smart* and aren't overwhelmed by pressure, especially not 12 days before a fight



> Unless you have a few years of high school wrestling under your belt and are at least a purple belt in jiujitsu I highly doubt it.


funny thing is, in my line of work I deal with people that think they can fight all the time, but getting into a dick measurement contest over the internet only serves to take down to your level

also, the fact you took that post seriously is another blatant example of how far you got that stick up your ass


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Feb 23, 2016)

Apparently the opponent is going to be announced on sportscenter tonight.


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Stringer said:


> no, that's actually a lot less common among people that *train smart* and aren't overwhelmed by pressure, especially not 12 days before a fight


So anyone who gets injured in sports was just "overwhelmed by the pressure". Gotcha.




Stringer said:


> funny thing is, in my line of work I deal with people that think they can fight all the time, *but getting into a dick measurement contest over the internet only serves to take down to your level*


Then you shouldn't have whipped yours out.  Then again, common sense appears to be lost on you.


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Watatsumi said:


> Apparently the opponent is going to be announced on sportscenter tonight.


Hoping it's Ferg but it will probably be Nate due to more casual fan interest. =/


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> So *anyone who gets injured in sports was just "overwhelmed by the pressure"*. Gotcha.


either that post completely went over your head or you're purposely misinterpreting what you read, either way it's clear that you are wasting my time now



> Then you shouldn't have whipped yours out.  Then again, common sense appears to be lost on you.


+1 for idiocy, that was playful, cracked a joke at him

everything will get better once you realize life is not that serious


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> Hoping it's Ferg but it will probably be Nate due to more casual fan interest. =/


It won't be Ferguson, better flush down those hopes of yours


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Feb 23, 2016)

And it is official:

Diaz vs McGregor


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Stringer said:


> It won't be Ferguson, better flush down those hopes of yours


I'm already prepared for the worst case. This sports matchmaking is driven by casuals, so it will for sure be either Nate or Cowboy over the truly deserving guys.



Watatsumi said:


> And it is official:
> 
> Diaz vs McGregor


Source? I thought it wasn't supposed to be announced for another 2 hours yet.


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Rafa's x-ray. Ouch..


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Feb 23, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> I'm already prepared for the worst case. This sports matchmaking is driven by casuals, so it will for sure be either Nate or Cowboy over the truly deserving guys.
> 
> 
> Source? I thought it wasn't supposed to be announced for another 2 hours yet.



I'm seeing it all over Facebook right now. 

Shouldn't have said "official" since UFC hasn't announced it but it seems like it's going to happen. Still going to tune into Sports center tho.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

BJ Penn broke the news on twitter

I imagine the official channels will follow suit shortly

man, the back and forth between Diaz and Conor will be absolutely insane


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Stringer said:


> BJ Penn broke the news on twitter
> 
> I imagine the official channels will follow suit shortly
> 
> man, the back and forth between Diaz and Conor will be absolutely insane


Meh, Penn. Not exactly a reliable source.



Watatsumi said:


> I'm seeing it all over Facebook right now.
> 
> Shouldn't have said "official" since UFC hasn't announced it but it  seems like it's going to happen. Still going to tune into Sports center  tho.


Yeah, Ariel is touting it as well. All signs seem to point to Diaz, but I'm gonna wait until 11 before roundhouse kicking my monitor just in case.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 23, 2016)

as far as I'm concerned it is 

anyways, 

can't wait to see these two in a press conference


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

Here's the stream guys: retweeted

Dana should be on soon.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Feb 23, 2016)

Diaz it is.


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 23, 2016)

*roundhouse kicks monitor*

At least the trashtalk will be glorious.

EDIT: Not only is it Nate Diaz, it's a 170lb welterweight fight.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Feb 23, 2016)

At 170 pounds. Damn.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 23, 2016)

I'm hyped for this. Diaz vs. McGregor is an excellent stylistic matchup.


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Feb 23, 2016)

I wonder if this means Conor is going to go for WW gold first instead of LW if he wins.

Should be a fun, but short, buildup.


----------



## Legend (Feb 24, 2016)

Connor goes for all 3 cements history as a GOAT


----------



## Kuya (Feb 24, 2016)

Conor needs to get past Diaz first.

I honestly think this is a great matchup for Diaz's chances. I'm gonna take long look at the Vegas odds on this one.


----------



## Cronos (Feb 24, 2016)

this is bad for conor fighting at 170 because he wasn't prepared for it


----------



## eHav (Feb 24, 2016)

Cronos said:


> this is bad for conor fighting at 170 because he wasn't prepared for it



it probably just means he wont have to go through a tough weightcut at all, nate was going for catch at 165 but connor said 170 as fine, hes probably around that weight right now. Nate is always in decent shape so lets see if connor can handle possibly 5 rounds at 170


----------



## Hibari Kyoya (Feb 24, 2016)

170 is fine for both tbh, but Diaz doesn't have the full camp which sucks.

Still I hope he gets paid big bucks and wins.


----------



## Cromer (Feb 24, 2016)

So what should have been McGregor's first fight at 155 in the UFC ended up being his first fight at 170 anywhere? Fucking glorious.


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 24, 2016)

Cronos said:


> this is bad for conor fighting at 170 because he wasn't prepared for it


Conor is the one who asked for 170.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 24, 2016)

Diaz and Conor's livestream press conference is starting in a couple of minutes

*Youtube Link*


time to sit back and enjoy the fireworks, this is gonna be fun


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 24, 2016)

120k watching 

damn


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 24, 2016)

All this Anderson advertising


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 24, 2016)

Omg start already.


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 24, 2016)

Press reportedly delayed due to fight backstage.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 24, 2016)

HERE WE GO!!!


----------



## Cronos (Feb 24, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> Conor is the one who asked for 170.



cause conor is conor, doesn't mean it's the best fight match-up wise


----------



## Stringer (Feb 24, 2016)

Conor spitting mad fire right now


----------



## Stringer (Feb 24, 2016)

_''they all have sore vaginas''_


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 24, 2016)

Cronos said:


> cause conor is conor, doesn't mean it's the best fight match-up wise


I think this will be an easy fight for Conor. Nate is out of shape.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 24, 2016)

good stuff, although Nate was tamer than expected

to his credit he wasn't timid like most tend to be when Conor starts trash talking

March 5th can't come soon enough


----------



## Cronos (Feb 24, 2016)

throwing gang signs with your left and making baloon animals with the other, holy shit


----------



## Cronos (Feb 24, 2016)

Throwing gang signs and riding bikes with the elderly


----------



## Cronos (Feb 24, 2016)

maaan that presser was sick!


----------



## Stringer (Feb 24, 2016)

I can only imagine how it's gonna be like mid-fight


----------



## Cronos (Feb 24, 2016)

mics need to be everywhere


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 24, 2016)

I'm soo frustrated. Dos Anjos is really a beast, I really thought he'd give Conor a good fight but pussy out like this ? Can't believe someone would go such lengths.

Nate has a personality but he he doesn't match Conor in the octagon. He will get destroyed.


----------



## Cronos (Feb 25, 2016)

all jokes aside, dos anjos actually broke his foot


----------



## SoulTaker (Feb 25, 2016)

Not sure what the general feelings on Conor are in here but holy shit that presser was phenomenal. Like I get how this dude rubs people the wrong way but he's gotta be one the greatest shit talkers in the history of sports. If you make a top 50 he's gotta be on there.

And I'm still learning MMA or at least the finer points of it but why would RDA duck Conor when he beat the fuck out of Pettis? Like I know it's not the transitive property because match ups and such but how different are Pettis and Conor? They use BJJ but Pettis seems like the better athlete. I could be completely off here so I defer to people who know the sport better than I do.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 25, 2016)

He's not ducking McGregor. RDA legitimately broke his foot and there are X-rays to verify his injury.

The fight is just postponed until UFC 200 unless if McGregor decides to go for WW belt instead. 

Ideally, I want Lawler vs Condit II and RDA vs McGregor for UFC 200.

Rogan also hinted at McDonald and Thompson is in the works. Maybe that will take place at 199.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 25, 2016)

SoulTaker said:


> Not sure what the general feelings on Conor are in here but holy shit that presser was phenomenal. Like I get how this dude rubs people the wrong way but he's gotta be one the greatest shit talkers in the history of sports. If you make a top 50 he's gotta be on there.
> 
> And I'm still learning MMA or at least the finer points of it but why would RDA duck Conor when he beat the fuck out of Pettis? Like I know it's not the transitive property because match ups and such but how different are Pettis and Conor? They use BJJ but Pettis seems like the better athlete. I could be completely off here so I defer to people who know the sport better than I do.


The ducking part is fans having fun with the drama, he has an actual injury.

On paper RDA is no doubt the worst matchup for McGregor both among Lightweights and Featherweights because of his grappling skills, high level wrestling game and relentless pressure, which is what made the matchup so exciting. On the other hand what Conor brings to the table is an incredible understanding of distance and the precision of his striking. That makes him a dangerous opponent for anyone who tries to standup with him. The million dollar question becomes "_can Conor crack his chin before RDA takes it to the ground_". Seeing it playout would have been fun, but we'll probably see them go at it later this year.

On Pettis/McGrefor, while Pettis has more leg dexterity and a refined leg kick game due to his Taekwendo background, he his outshined in terms of boxing skills and distance management. Overall I'd say Pettis has more potential, but unfortunately overtime he got comfortable and bought his own hype, that impeded his development.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 25, 2016)

Cronos said:


> all jokes aside, dos anjos actually broke his foot





Roronoa Zoro said:


> He's not ducking McGregor. RDA legitimately broke his foot and there are X-rays to verify his injury.





His foot is broken alright. Why it is broken is the question though. 

Did he break it on purpose so he could pull out because he wasn't mentaly prepared ? Could be anything TBH. It becomes extremely fishy when this happens 2 weeks before the fight.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 25, 2016)

and yea, as far as trash talkers are concerned McGregor is there among the best in the game

pure savagery


----------



## Random Stranger (Feb 26, 2016)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> His foot is broken alright. Why it is broken is the question though.
> 
> Did he break it on purpose so he could pull out because he wasn't mentaly prepared ? Could be anything TBH. It becomes extremely fishy when this happens 2 weeks before the fight.


This happens often to McGregor. 4 of his 8 UFC opponents pulled out of a fight with him

I think that he makes his opponents so mad/emotional that they train too hard and injure themselves.

It could also be due to fear (but I doubt it in the case of RDA at least). Some of his pre-UFC opponents have admitted though that they were intimidated and started doubting themselves due to his demeanor and trash talk.

McGregor is one of the best of all time when it comes to mental warfare.


----------



## Random Stranger (Feb 26, 2016)

Anyway I hope McGregor isnt underestimating Diaz.

He is very dangerous, especially on the ground. He even gave RDA, a high level black belt himself, some frights from his back.

His awkward boxing style and reach has been difficult for other good strikers to deal with as well. Hardly anyone comes off looking good fighting a Diaz brother.


Also it will be interesting to see how McGregor will react to getting taunted and stockton slapped lol


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

I have no idea why but there is some unease regarding Mcgregor Diaz fight. Guy goes from 145 to 170 lbs, he isn't going to as fast as before. And Diaz isn't phased by his mental warfare one bit. 

With that said, anyone hyped for Silva vs Bisbing ? Prelims are on now.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 27, 2016)

I'm interested in it, I'm also tuning in for Amirkhani vs Mike Wilkinson

Amirkhani's an exciting featherweight, curious to see his overall growth since the last time he stepped into the cage



Random Stranger said:


> He is very dangerous, especially on the ground. He even gave RDA, a high level black belt himself, some frights from his back.


yea he's really good off his back, I think everyone should be on the edge of their seat if the fight goes to the mat


----------



## Deleted member 375 (Feb 27, 2016)

Anyone watching the Silva vs Bisping card? I forgot all about it tbh. Wish it wasn't on fight pass.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

I am watching it right now. But the stream got stuck. Hope it will be fixed before the Silva fight


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

Its on!

Silva KO 2nd round is my fantasy pick

edit : 

Silva isn't the same as before man. He is slower, definitely.


----------



## Gilgamesh (Feb 27, 2016)

lol Silva still cocky as ever


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

Holy shit he almost got knocked out the same way he was against Chris Weidman. 

Jesus that was close.


----------



## Sasuke (Feb 27, 2016)

jfc silva looks terrible now


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 27, 2016)

Anderson's chin is def not what it used to be


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

He is too slow with his offense.


----------



## Gilgamesh (Feb 27, 2016)

oh shit what a flying knee!

the fuck? this fight should be over


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

HOLY FUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


THE controversy


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 27, 2016)

lmfaooooooo


----------



## Sasuke (Feb 27, 2016)

well this is bizarre


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 27, 2016)

Anderson has the most legendary fights


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

What a memorable fight man.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 27, 2016)

Bsiping wins this if Anderson doesn't finish


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

Most likely.


----------



## Cronos (Feb 27, 2016)

.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

Bisbing is a tank though, like Weidman.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 27, 2016)

Silva should stop walking/standing around and finish the fight


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

Well I don't see Bisbing winning now. Anderson definitely got 4 and 5. 3rd can go eitherway.


----------



## Sasuke (Feb 27, 2016)

i think silva won the last 3 rounds


----------



## Cronos (Feb 27, 2016)

lol silva was done with that fight the moment he thought he won haha


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

Anderson was tense in the first 2. He became the old Anderson after he flying knee'd Bisbing.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

WHAAAAT THE FUUUUCK


----------



## Sasuke (Feb 27, 2016)

dat hometown bias tho


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Feb 27, 2016)

Bisping: 1, 2

Anderson: 3, 5

Not sure on 4

But whoever faces Rockhold will be done within 2


----------



## Stringer (Feb 27, 2016)

lol what?


----------



## Sasuke (Feb 27, 2016)

bisping finally has a win over an 'elite' opponent


----------



## Cronos (Feb 27, 2016)

suits him right for taking a nap and toying with his opponent


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

Bisbing 1-2
Silva 4-5

3rd was up in the air, but seeing how the fight ended, I think Anderson deserved the win. I mean, Bisbing's shit was fucked up.


----------



## Stringer (Feb 27, 2016)

this 'victory' gives Bisping a pretty weak claim to a title shot

he didn't look good in the last rounds of that fight


----------



## Matariki (Feb 27, 2016)

what a strange fight


----------



## Stringer (Feb 27, 2016)

not that it matters anyway, they would both get flatlined by Rockhold


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

Stringer said:


> this 'victory' gives Bisping a pretty weak claim to a title shot
> 
> he didn't look good in the last rounds of that fight



Although you could say that he was doing pretty good until he took that flying knee, which was kinda controversial.

edit :




Stringer said:


> not that it matters anyway, they would both get flatlined by Rockhold



Rockhold annihilates them.


----------



## eHav (Feb 27, 2016)

silva is an idiot. could have just pushed forward and finished bisping in a couple rounds but no, he has this urge to clown even after rocking bisping hard 2 times, he did nothing with it. he has himself and only himself to blame for the loss


----------



## Cromer (Feb 27, 2016)

It was quite clear that by points Bisping was winning

He was more active, controlled the cage for longer etc

PRIDE rules, Anderson would have totally had that in the bag.


(Also, sherdog is down, lol)


----------



## Stringer (Feb 27, 2016)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> Although you could say that he was doing pretty good until he took that flying knee, which was kinda controversial.


yep, the third round was a crucial turnaround in the fight

though to be fair a lot of the confusion was created by Bisping himself

he was looking for the referee to pause the fight to pick up his mouthpiece when he should be keeping his eyes on his opponent and let the referee find an opportunity to give him the mouthpiece


----------



## Matariki (Feb 27, 2016)

why did Herb Dean let Silva celebrate for so long


----------



## eHav (Feb 27, 2016)

just herb dean things, he was the ref in the palhares fight aswell


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

Stringer said:


> though to be fair a lot of the confusion was created by Bisping himself
> 
> he was looking for the referee to pause the fight to pick up his mouthpiece when he should be keeping his eyes on his opponent and let the referee find an opportunity to give him the mouthpiece



Thats true, a big mistake by Bisbing. Why would you take your eyes off such a dangerous opponent like Silva even for a sec. Let the refree do his own job lmao.


----------



## Ae (Feb 27, 2016)

>All the people that thought Silva was going to destroy Bisping.


----------



## eHav (Feb 27, 2016)

Ae said:


> >All the people that thought Silva was going to destroy Bisping.



he did tho, bisping barely had a 30% accuracy, hitting air doesnt do much


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 27, 2016)

So happy for Michael.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

It felt like Michael was awarded the win because he was able to last 5 rounds against Silva.


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 27, 2016)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> It felt like Michael was awarded the win because he was able to last 5 rounds against Silva.


What?

He clearly won rounds 1, 2 and 4. Was winning round 3 as well until Herb forgot how to do his job. 3 & 5 were decisively Silva's, but you can't give him the nod off two rounds.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Feb 27, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> What?
> 
> He clearly won rounds 1, 2 and 4. Was winning round 3 as well until Herb forgot how to do his job. 3 & 5 were decisively Silva's, but you can't give him the nod off two rounds.



He clearly didn't win round 4. Wasn't even close.

3 was up in the air up until the last 10 seconds, then it was all Silva.

Silva had 2 rounds in the bag, Bisbing had 2 as well. The difference was, Silva beat the shit out Bisbing in the last 10.5 minutes. Bisbing was never that dominant in the first 2, except for those 15-20 seconds where he knocked Silva down and applied some pressure.


----------



## Kuya (Feb 28, 2016)

Silva won that


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 28, 2016)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> He clearly didn't win round 4. Wasn't even close.
> 
> 3 was up in the air up until the last 10 seconds, then it was all Silva.
> 
> Silva had 2 rounds in the bag, Bisbing had 2 as well. The difference was, Silva beat the shit out Bisbing in the last 10.5 minutes. Bisbing was never that dominant in the first 2, except for those 15-20 seconds where he knocked Silva down and applied some pressure.


Anderson didn't do anything in the 4th round. He spent the majority of it playing games with with his back against the the cage.


----------



## Masai (Feb 28, 2016)

The problem of having your gym by the balls. Any self resecting trainer would've got up on that cage and slapped the piss out of Anderson after that third round. Any self respecting trainer would've been disgusted by his Pacquiao post fight interview. 

But no one will say a thing to him because he's Anderson Silva, so he'll pull the exact same bullshit on his next fight and he'll lose again. His reflexes and chin are slightly worse than they were, but this guy is still far and away the best Muay Thai fighter in MMA, his skills haven't eroded to the point where anybody in this division have caught up to him in this regard, but he takes nothing seriously anymore and it's gonna be hard for him to do anything useful if he keeps being in this superfight state of mind. I don't give a damn who had more points in this fight, as a bonafide Spider nuthugger i'm glad he lost.

And for the love of god, either learn english or find a better translator, the guy's been misquoting Silva his entire career, it's jarring.


----------



## Cronos (Feb 28, 2016)

nobody can tell him shit

true og status


----------



## Matariki (Feb 28, 2016)

Dana thinks Anderson won 

*Youtube Link*


----------



## Louis-954 (Feb 28, 2016)

Bannai said:


> Dana thinks Anderson won
> 
> *Youtube Link*


Most people believe Bisping won.


and the stats reflect it as well.
Link removed
$95 for an ugly Giblert Melendez shirt? 

Silva was outworked in every round except the 5th.


----------



## Rukia (Feb 29, 2016)

I hope Diaz silences that McGregor asshole.  I'm tired of his bullshit.

I would also love to see Tate pull off the upset.


----------



## Stringer (Mar 1, 2016)

> I hope Diaz silences that McGregor asshole.  *I'm tired of his bullshit.*


[YOUTUBE]SyhAsgJUJgE[/YOUTUBE]

^ that would be pretty much his reaction tbh


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Mar 1, 2016)

What happens if McGregor does lose? There's a lot of speculation going around that he can't make 145 anymore.


----------



## Stringer (Mar 1, 2016)

it's interesting, if he loses the bout with Diaz he'd also have to forget his early claim to a title fight at Lightweight for some time, especially because RDA defeated Nate Diaz handily in the past

frankly I see him being forced to go defend his Featherweight belt, build himself back up a bit and then see where he goes from there


----------



## Kuya (Mar 1, 2016)

betting on Diaz with those odds is too tempting

i really wanted to bet on BIsping over Silva


----------



## Cronos (Mar 2, 2016)

conor's not gonna lose, that simple


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Mar 3, 2016)

Nate looks pretty good on paper against Conor, match up-wise but I don't see him beating Conor. Conor's level of athletisim is on a different level. He is also way more unpredictable. Nate really needs some miraculous shit to win this. As much as I like Nate and my heart tends to lean towards the underdog, I am still gonna stick to Conor on this one.

As for Holm vs Tate... Its a fucking joke. Ronda is like Tate on steroids and look how it ended up. 
Holly Holm is bigger, stronger, is a fuckloads better striker and has pretty good take down defense, even Ronda couldn't take her down. Miesha will get dismantled within the first round. TKO within the 2-3 minute mark.



Roronoa Zoro said:


> What happens if McGregor does lose? There's a lot of speculation going around that he can't make 145 anymore.



He loses his title shot @ 155, probably won't be able to get a high ranked fight @ 170, so he will be left with the option of defending his 145 belt against Frankie or Aldo. And yes, going back to 145 will be fucking hell.
So he better not lose this.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 3, 2016)

There is a presser for UFC 196 again with Conor, Diaz, Holm and Tate.

But Conor is late again...

[youtube]5Qq6mMVR1ng[/youtube]


----------



## Cronos (Mar 3, 2016)

yeah i'm watching it


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 3, 2016)

I think this presser is going to be more heated than the last one.

This is Conor's last chance to get Nate emotional and of course also to boost PPV sales.

And Nate should already be quite annoyed for having been kept waiting for nearly an hour. Again. lol.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 3, 2016)

Diaz is too timid and not willing ti engage too much, so I retract my previous prediction of this becoming more heated.

The staredown should be interesting though.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Mar 3, 2016)

"who do you train with ? you got that goofy little friend with you"



Nate is gold man.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 3, 2016)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> "who do you train with ? you got that goofy little friend with you"
> 
> 
> 
> Nate is gold man.


They should have let Nate smoke pot, man. We would get a lot more gold.

The Diaz bros have social anxiety, probably ADHD as well. Smoking pot helps them deal with it but they can't do it so close to the fight so they are more timid around this time.


----------



## Cronos (Mar 3, 2016)

good presser, especially the staredown haha i was craving a brawl


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 3, 2016)

Did you so quick the Diaz entourage stepped in?

Lol. They are pros and have been involved in many brawls (KJ noons, Mayhem Miller, Khabib, Joe Riggs etc).


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 3, 2016)

Weigh ins will be VERY interesting.


----------



## Cronos (Mar 3, 2016)

yeah haha they dumb as fuck


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 3, 2016)

Did that McGregor/Diaz scuffle help to sell you guys wolf tickets?

I have to admit that it did to me. I am now more pumped.


----------



## Louis-954 (Mar 3, 2016)

I will be purchasing the PPV this weekend and streaming it on 

If you're interested in joining the room on Saturday just shoot me a PM or comment here and register a username on over at 

Anyone who wants to contribute *any* amount towards helping me purchase the PPV  this weekend, I would appreciate it greatly, but it is *not required *to join in the watchalong festivities! I will be purchasing the event for all to enjoy regardless.


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Mar 4, 2016)

No Firas breakdown meh
[YOUTUBE]pQjXinvLXIs[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]ymUNUJMwFlo[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]Jm13N3gS8KQ[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Louis-954 (Mar 4, 2016)

Link removed Press conference.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Mar 4, 2016)

Anyone watching the unstoppable press conference ? 

My boy Luke Rockhold lookin sharp.

Aaannnnddd

Thompson vs Mcdonald. Holy fuuck.


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Mar 4, 2016)

Dem Irish fans tho


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Mar 4, 2016)

They feed MacDonald to Wonderboy after the war he went through

jesus


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Mar 4, 2016)

What a glorious press conference. Allstars trash talking non fucking stop.


----------



## Louis-954 (Mar 4, 2016)

Nate is so out of shape for this fight. -_-


----------



## Grimmjowsensei (Mar 4, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> Nate is so out of shape for this fight. -_-



I think thats just his build. He always seemed like a tall lanky skinny fat dude.


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 4, 2016)

While it's understandable that McGregor would flinch/react at Nate since there is a very real possibilty that Nate was trying to get him back for yesterday.

Holy flinch, Batman! That must have been the biggest flinch in UFC history, right?


----------



## Random Stranger (Mar 4, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> Nate is so out of shape for this fight. -_-


Look at it from the positive side. He looked far better than he did in the RDA fight. In the RDA fight he had a full on beer belly on him.


*Spoiler*: __


----------



## Louis-954 (Mar 4, 2016)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> I think thats just his build. He always seemed like a tall lanky skinny fat dude.


Did you not see him against Michael Johnson back in January?


----------



## Ae (Mar 5, 2016)

Roronoa Zoro said:


> They feed MacDonald to Wonderboy after the war he went through
> 
> jesus



It will be almost a year since his last fight, he should be fine.

UFC 196-199 is insane, they're leaving nothing for UFC 200.

I heard GSP is there tonight, I hope it's GSP vs McGregor at 200.


----------



## Louis-954 (Mar 5, 2016)

This is the room, you guys. Trying to set the stream up but for some reason rabb.it is giving me problems at the moment.


----------



## Louis-954 (Mar 5, 2016)

k, i have it working. either join my room or leave your username here for me to add you. 

Lots of fun KO's tonight on the undercard!


----------



## Kuya (Mar 5, 2016)

Jeez the main card has been shit so far


----------



## Kuya (Mar 6, 2016)

Holy, Miesha almost got her in the 2nd


----------



## LordPerucho (Mar 6, 2016)

HOLY SHIT, MIESHA WON .

Practically pulled that one out of the ass.


----------



## Gilgamesh (Mar 6, 2016)

DANA ON SUICIDE WATCH

All that's left is for Connor to lose and he'll have a rage induced stroke

Too bad Tate's just gonna get arm barred when Ronda comes back


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Mar 6, 2016)

Night of upsets 

Lets go

Tate winning just means Ronda will become champion again

And then she will retire instead of rematching with Holm


----------



## Gilgamesh (Mar 6, 2016)

Dana didn't even try and hide his disappointment at Holly losing


----------



## Stringer (Mar 6, 2016)

holy shit...


----------



## Gilgamesh (Mar 6, 2016)

YES YES YES YES 
THERE IS A GOD


----------



## Sasuke (Mar 6, 2016)

3 day camp Nate made it look easy


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Mar 6, 2016)

Forget the 170 belt


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Mar 6, 2016)

Stick to midget land


----------



## Roronoa Zoro (Mar 6, 2016)

RDA would have murdered him to


----------



## Hyperion1O1 (Mar 6, 2016)

What the fuck


----------



## Sasuke (Mar 6, 2016)

fucking yes


----------



## Kuya (Mar 6, 2016)

Nah, McGregor takes RDA. 

And thank Diaz and Tate for winning me $$$


----------



## Hyperion1O1 (Mar 6, 2016)




----------



## Sasuke (Mar 6, 2016)

Nate isn't known for his KO power and he had Conor wobbled so bad he shot for a TD 

i'm pleased this hype train got derailed

back to FW for a rematch with Aldo you go


----------



## Zeus. (Mar 6, 2016)

Aaaand there goes the Conor hype train. Derailed.


----------



## Zeus. (Mar 6, 2016)

It was too obvious that Conor's achilles heel is the ground game. His last two losses were literally two submissions. Two weight classes above is too much.


----------



## Stringer (Mar 6, 2016)

I don't even know how to feel

someone pls hold me


----------



## Hyperion1O1 (Mar 6, 2016)

[youtube]e3uOMCfopR8[/youtube]


----------



## eHav (Mar 6, 2016)

come on dont blame the ground game, when conor got there he was already more tkoed than he was awake.

still, best ppv in a while


----------



## Sasuke (Mar 6, 2016)

Zeus. said:


> It was too obvious that Conor's achilles heel is the ground game. His last two losses were literally two submissions. Two weight classes above is too much.



diaz wobbled the hell out of him with shots before the sub tho

he was heading to get knocked out standing


----------



## Kyuubi Naruto (Mar 6, 2016)

What a glorious event. 

Oh yeah, 



The Drizzy Curse is still real. Jus kno.


----------



## Detective (Mar 6, 2016)

Kyuubi Naruto said:


> What a glorious event.
> 
> Oh yeah,
> 
> ...



This one is too


----------



## Detective (Mar 6, 2016)

Rukia said:


> I hope Diaz silences that McGregor asshole.  I'm tired of his bullshit.
> 
> I would also love to see Tate pull off the upset.



RUKIA


----------



## Kyuubi Naruto (Mar 6, 2016)

Detective said:


> This one is too



People aren't stopping.


----------



## Detective (Mar 6, 2016)

EA is the new Madden curse confirmed


----------



## Zeus. (Mar 6, 2016)

And in come the MJ memes


----------



## Detective (Mar 6, 2016)

Official UFC/General MMA Discussion: McGregor's Reign At Top Shorter Than Leprechauns


----------



## Detective (Mar 6, 2016)




----------



## Zeus. (Mar 6, 2016)

Detective said:


> Official UFC/General MMA Discussion: McGregor's Reign At Top Shorter Than Leprechauns


lmao please let this be the title. McnoGoat. Rip in peace Ireland.


----------



## Utopia Realm (Mar 6, 2016)

This night was pretty incredible. And I discovered a newfound power as well. All in all, a good night was had.


----------



## Stringer (Mar 6, 2016)

@Kuya

imagine if you followed your instincts and made that bet on Diaz


----------



## Kuya (Mar 6, 2016)

Stringer said:


> @Kuya
> 
> imagine if you followed your instincts and made that bet on Diaz



i did bro. and i bet on Meisha too. Meisha only loses to Rousey, i had her with a strong chance of upsetting Holm. Nate has a chin and won't get caught up in mind games, so i had him with a strong chance of upsetting with Conor who moved up in weight.

At first i couldn't bet because my bank wouldn't allow me, so i had to buy a visa check card to bet on BOVADA.


----------



## Kuya (Mar 6, 2016)

and you can see Lorenzo's faceless reaction as soon as Meisha jumped on Holm's back. He knew they were gonna lose a lot of money at that very second. Holm could have been a superstar.


----------



## Stringer (Mar 6, 2016)

Kuya said:


> i did bro. and i bet on Meisha too. Meisha only loses to Rousey, i had her with a strong chance of upsetting Holm. Nate has a chin and won't get caught up in mind games, so i had him with a strong chance of upsetting with Conor who moved up in weight.
> 
> At first i couldn't bet because my bank wouldn't allow me, so i had to buy a visa check card to bet on BOVADA.


nice going man, how much profit were you able to make total?

yea McGregor underestimated the toll fighting at 170 would have on his cardio and overall performance, to his credit I like that he didn't make excuses and took the loss like a G

I'm sure a lot of plans the UFC brass had for _ufc 200_ in july hinged on the outcome of this fight lmao


----------



## Kuya (Mar 6, 2016)

Stringer said:


> nice going man, how much profit were you able to make total?
> 
> yea McGregor underestimated the toll fighting at 170 would have on his cardio and overall performance, but I like that he didn't make excuses and took the loss like a G
> 
> I'm sure a lot of plans the UFC brass had for _ufc 200_ in july hinged on the outcome of this fight lmao



Miesha got me $570 and Diaz got me $760. $200 bets on both.

I don't bet very often, but if i do it's for looking at upsets.

Not betting on Holm (vs. Rousey) still haunts me. I had a huge gut feeling when i saw Ronda at the weigh-ins.


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## Stringer (Mar 6, 2016)

I must watch that post-fight press conference


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## Roronoa Zoro (Mar 6, 2016)

Here's the link Link removed


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## Gilgamesh (Mar 6, 2016)

UFC 200 is kinda fucked now isn't it?


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## Stringer (Mar 6, 2016)

Kuya said:


> Miesha got me $570 and Diaz got me $760. $200 bets on both.
> 
> I don't bet very often, but if i do it's for looking at upsets.
> 
> Not betting on Holm (vs. Rousey) still haunts me. I had a huge gut feeling when i saw Ronda at the weigh-ins.


that's good money, don't spend all of it on weed 

I think I might jump in on the fun next time, will be a first



Roronoa Zoro said:


> Here's the link Link removed


thank you


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## Roronoa Zoro (Mar 6, 2016)




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## eHav (Mar 6, 2016)

last sentence of the presser 

"Yo! Yo, yo! Jon Anik better get a 209 tattoo or Imma whoop his little ass!" Nate is awsome

Also, Conor handled the loss like a champ, unlike a certain someone who doesnt want to answer questions about fighting


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## God Movement (Mar 6, 2016)

i'm a casual so where do we think mcgregor went wrong


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## Louis-954 (Mar 6, 2016)

God Movement said:


> i'm a casual so where do we think mcgregor went wrong


Nate rocked him with some hard jabs and crosses, forcing Conor to shoot a desperate take down to stop the shots. Nate is a Gracie Jiujitsu blackbelt, so that's the last place he wanted the fight contested and you saw why. Dude is an anaconda on the ground.


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## God Movement (Mar 6, 2016)

i see. well, that's the nature of the sport. he has to bounce back.


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## Grimmjowsensei (Mar 6, 2016)

People attribute that victory to Jiujitsu but imo it had nothing to do with it. 
Conor got rocked and hurt and already wobbly before the fight went to the ground. He got outboxed and destroyed. And it went to the ground only because Conor wanted to get submitted so that he wouldn't have a KO/TKO loss in his record. Conor willingly gave his back so Nate would get the rear naked choke. It was the smartest thing he did in that fight and everything leading up to that fight.

What we've learned from this experience :

1 - Conor's fight IQ isn't as high as we thought it was. 
2 - Not preparing for a specific opponent was actually a mistake.
3 - You can't out box a guy who has a significant reach advantage. 

Can Conor come back from this ? Possibly, but not likely.


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## Louis-954 (Mar 6, 2016)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> *People attribute that victory to Jiujitsu but imo it had nothing to do with it. *
> Conor got rocked and hurt and already wobbly before the fight went to the ground. He got outboxed and destroyed. And it went to the ground only because Conor wanted to get submitted so that he wouldn't have a KO/TKO loss in his record. Conor willingly gave his back so Nate would get the rear naked choke. It was the smartest thing he did in that fight and everything leading up to that fight.
> 
> What we've learned from this experience :
> ...


Jiujitsu isn't what won the fight, but it sure as hell is what finished it. I disagree that Conor willingly gave his back up. He was mounted and eating shots, so he did what any desperate person with no other alternative would do in that scenario- he rolled over and that's when Nate snatched his neck. I don't think he shot the takedown because he wanted to get submitted, he was in desperation mode because he was seconds from being KO'd.

DC outboxed Gustaffson!


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## Gilgamesh (Mar 6, 2016)

Jose already called out McGregor for 200


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## Grimmjowsensei (Mar 6, 2016)

Louis-954 said:


> Jiujitsu isn't what won the fight, but it sure as hell is what finished it. I disagree that Conor willingly gave his back up. He was mounted and eating shots, so he did what any desperate person with no other alternative would do in that scenario- he rolled over and that's when Nate snatched his neck. I don't think he shot the takedown because he wanted to get submitted, he was in desperation mode because he was seconds from being KO'd.
> 
> DC outboxed Gustaffson!



What do you think would have happened if Conor didn't decide to go to the ground or didn't give up his back ? 

If he tried to stand, he surely would get KO'd. If he didn't give his back, he would get TKO'd.

Conor took the option that he thought would minimize the damage done. Because he likes to taunt his opponents about getting KO'D or TKO'D, remember the words he used against RDA in the press conference. "You tasted the darkness of getting KO'd stiff" or something along those lines.

edit : 



Gilgamesh said:


> Jose already called out McGregor for 200



I don't think we'll see conor @ 200. Like he said himself, once your head bounces off the canvas, you gotta take some time off. Like a year off.


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## Roronoa Zoro (Mar 6, 2016)

I actually think Aldo can pull it off if he plays it smart


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## Cromer (Mar 6, 2016)

Was surprised...and I shouldn't have been.


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## Kuya (Mar 6, 2016)

I'm fan of both McGregor and Diaz. They are so great for the sport. They SELL fights, both of them. I respect everything Conor said post-conference. 

I expect Conor to stick around at 145 for a while. I see him fighting Edgar next, then Aldo, then Faber or Cruz (whoever is champ).

Edgar is a tough fight for Conor.

Diaz making a lot of money. Him and his brother should be excited about their futures.


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## Cronos (Mar 6, 2016)

what a night


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## Hyperion1O1 (Mar 6, 2016)

Grimmjowsensei said:


> And it went to the ground only because Conor wanted to get submitted so that he wouldn't have a KO/TKO loss in his record. Conor willingly gave his back so Nate would get the rear naked choke. It was the smartest thing he did in that fight and everything leading up to that fight.



Casual here.

Can you tell me why KO/TKOs are worse when compared to being submitted? Imo, both are considered as finishes.


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## Grimmjowsensei (Mar 6, 2016)

So, Holly lost, Conor lost.

Its time for Jon to lose as well. Year of the upsets people, I'm calling it :ignoramus




Hyperion1O1 said:


> Casual here.
> 
> Can you tell me why KO/TKOs are worse when compared to being submitted? Imo, both are considered as finishes.



From my point of view, KO/TKO mean that you got your ass whooped. Submission doesn't exactly mean that. Although this is a personal take.

As for Conor, I think it is a similar thing. He sees getting KO'd as a more diminishing thing loss than submission. He hasn't been KO'd before, that is why he can freely use it to taunt the opponents he faces.


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## Mr. Black Leg (Mar 6, 2016)

Who was surprised, here ? I forgot to comment while I was watching (I was almost asleep tho, I'm taking some medicines for infection and all) but yeah, we all know McGregor's groundfight is like a worm against any decent guy's anaconda's _but_ he also got outboxed, so where's the " precision beats strength" now McGregor ? Where is it ? Cause I only saw strength and reach beating the shit out of precision . 

Muh precision only works with people who have comparable or less reach than me .



Grimmjowsensei said:


> So, Holly lost, Conor lost.
> 
> *Its time for Jon to lose as well*. Year of the upsets people, I'm calling it :ignoramus
> 
> ...



DON'T YOU DARE !


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## Sauce (Mar 6, 2016)

Conor talked so much shit..and then he lost.  The cover of UFC 2 is so trash now.


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## Stringer (Mar 6, 2016)

Hyperion1O1 said:


> Casual here.
> 
> Can you tell me why KO/TKOs are worse when compared to being submitted? Imo, both are considered as finishes.


being KO'ed weakens your chin and your ability to taken punishment, your chin makes gradual decline throughout your fighting career but being KO'ed and getting in wars often will make that decline even faster

so given the choice it's much better to get choked out


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## Mr. Black Leg (Mar 6, 2016)

GOAT Bones is .


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## Stringer (Mar 6, 2016)

I will drink your delicious tears when it happens


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## Mr. Black Leg (Mar 6, 2016)

From where is your profile image ?

Also, it reached 100 pages, another thread will be made ?


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## Stringer (Mar 6, 2016)

after this post, yes


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## Reznor (Mar 6, 2016)

This thread is now closed it has a continuation thread *Here*


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