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What an amazing show. There was alot of bad blood in the air tonight. The Hendo Knockout was beautiful, and then he threw that unnecessary but devistating haymaker and certianly made no apologies for it. Not that he should have, the fight goes until the ref pulls you off, but I was a little surprised Hendo who normally never talks shit said it was a "shut him up" shot about 5 minutes after the fact with Bisping still not back up to his feet. Henderson's such a class act though you gotta love it. He didn't talk shit before the fight and said he'd do his talking in the octagon, and he did it. So there's no reason for him to make apologies for it afterwards.
Same deal with Brock. What a professional and flawless performance by the big guy. He showed great patience and disapline this time around. He knew he could take Mir down at will but he didn't get careless when he got him there. Instead he used tremendous positioning to close any space for Mir to work his legs to create a submission, then he controlled his arms and methodically bashed his fucking head in. I have no problem with his post fight antics either. Mir trash talked the shit out of him going into the fight, Lesnar said he had the first fight and blew it by making a rookie mistake and tonight he made no mistakes and dominated a great, great fighter just like he said he was going to do. I've got no problem with him playing the "I told you so" card after all the shit Mir had said about him going into the fight. Lesnar is a bad fuckin' dude and he just keeps getting better.
I was rooting for Brock in this fight, but figured it could go either way, if someone asked me this morning how he'd do against Fedor, I would say he would get embarrassed, schooled and ultimately beaten. I would give him a 0 in 100 chance of winning that fight. Now I'm not so sure. He came in with a perfect game plan, used his unparalled wrestling skills to negate a world class submission artist and establish position. Then he used his unparalled power to obliterate that man with some of the most vicious ground and pound I've ever seen. Whoever said he throws little rabitt punches needs to give their head a shake. He finished Couture off with short hammerfists, which still hurt when a guy Brocks size throw em, but when he got Mir's head tilted and his arm tied up and started to work his ground and pound, he was firing haymakers tonight. I mean it looked like he was trying to start a lawnmower and Mir's face looked like it just came out of a meat grinder at the end of the fight. After Lesnar's performance tonight I wouldn't rule him out against anyone in the world, including Fedor.
Fedor is obviously the better fighter, he's far more skilled than Lesnar, or anyone else in the world for that matter so he should be the favorite going into that fight should it happen. He's also got an amazing chin, a phenominally quick recovery time when he's in trouble, he's a good wrestler in his own right, and with his Sambo backround it's not just straight wrestling but a dangerous blend of wrestling, submissions and striking. Fedor's a world class submission artist with awesome ground and pound and technically he has better standup than Brock as well. He's undeniably the greatest fighter in th history of Mixed Martial Arts, and I think he'd find a way to either submit Brock, or reverse a takedown, put Lesnar on his back, a place where he may be in trouble and then pound him out. I would still bet on Fedor to win, but after watching this fight, I definatly now believe Lesnar may be the one guy in the world who could beat him. He doesn't need to have equal skills to his opponents, all he has to do is make work the fight in the direction of the two things he's really good at which is wrestling and hitting people really fucking hard while not making any stupid mistakes. If he does that his insane stregth and size could be too much even for Fedor to deal with. I don't think anyone can hurt him from standup with that block he's got for a head. I don't think anyone can choke him out because he has no neck, and I think he'd be very difficult to pull an arm submission on because he's so strong he should be able to pull out of just about anything. That pretty much leaves only lower body submissions, and a series of probably 10 or 20 unanswered punches as the only way to stop the guy. With his size, strength and wrestling base, it's going to be very very difficult for anyone, including Fedor to get him in a postion to do either one of those things. I think he'll crush Carwin and or Velasquez, same with Cro Cop, Kongo, Gonzaga or anyone that may come out of the heavyweight reality show. He could prove to be the greatest and most dominant champion in the history of the UFC. However if they can sign Fedor I do believe he would find away to beat him, but I don't think it'd be an absolute gaurentee anymore, even for Fedor.
How Good was GSP? That guy is fucking penominal. What a clinic he put on, dominated all 5 rounds, two of em with a pulled groin, he just continues to amaze me with how athletic and skilled he is. Jackson's "Don't worry about he groin...this is where champions are born...hit him with your groin" comment was classic. What a wonderful performance by GSP. He was the only one who was nice in his post fight interview, comparing Alves to him when he was younger and lost to Hughes and encouraging him going forward. Alves earned those positive comments though as he knew he'd been schooled and raised GSP's hand at the end of the 5th round. I like when guys show that kind of class under those circumstances, but in fighting it's not always necessary to like the guy when the fights over, so I have no problem with Hendo or Lesnar's post fight comments. Brock's Coors light Comment and Bud diss, and reference to getting on top of his wife was pretty fucken cool I thought. He's a monster, he did what he said he was going to do, which earns him the right to say what he wants and be as arrogant as he wants because as long as he's the champion there's nothing anybody can do about it. It's like that Kid Rock song Cocky...It ain't braggin' motherfucker if you back it up. Brock backed it up bigtime tonight and if there was any doubt that this guy is for real when it comes to mixed martial arts going into the fight, I think he squashed it completely with that performance.
What an awesome show for the 100th UFC. The only thing negitive I could say about it is that I think Alan Belcher got robbed by a horrible decision in his fight with Akiyama. It was fairly close in the first two rounds, so I could see him maybe losing the decision if it was 29-28 across the board or even split. I personally thought Belcher won the second and third rounds, I would have given the first round to Akiyama, but it was pretty close too because Belcher dropped him at one point with a nice shot. Second Round was close and Akiyama may have done enough to get the nod there too, I would have given it to Belcher, but if Akiyama stole that round then even though Belcher dominated the third round, Akiyama would win the fight. If that's how it was scored I wouldn't really have a problem with it, but one judge scored it 30-27 for Akiyama. That really pissed me off because there's no fucking way he was even close in the third round. Even though it was a close fight, that judge's scoring distgusted me to the point that I feel like that decision was highway robbery.
The other thing I'm disappointed about was I saw TJ Grant lost by decision as well, and I was really hoping he'd win as he's a local boy and the first ever Nova Scotia trained fighter to make it to the UFC. Jason MacDonald's from New Glasgow but he did all his training out of Alberta, TJ however still lives here, trains here and really his the hometown hero as far as MMA goes so I would have liked to have seen him win. Now perhaps he was soundly beaten, the fight wasn't aired, I'll look for it online tomorrow, but to see he lost the decision, without seeing the fight I'm pissed just because I don't trust those judges due to the Belcher fight.
Fitch looked pretty good, and scored another nice victory in what wasn't a very exciting fight, perhaps especially because it followed the Lesnar-Mir fiasco, it was harder to get into a technical ground fight, but got out of some tough spots to avoid being submitted and did enough good things to secure the victory. He's not in GSP's league though and I don't think Swick or Kampman are either so now might be the time for GSP to test himself against Anderson Silva in the superfight that everyone's dying to see. Overall though it was a great show, I was 3 for 3 on my picks and my favorites in the big three with Hendo, GSP and Lesnar all comming out on top, and what made it so enjoyable to watch was that all three fights went the way I hoped and expected, yet exceeded my wildest expectations of how well they went in that direction. Henderson didn't just knock Bisping out, he knocked him out with one of the most vicious KO's in UFC history. GSP didn't just win a decision, he dominated Alves for 5 flawless rounds, put on a mixed martial arts clinic and won in emphatically. Lesnar didn't just get Mir down and pound him out, he got him down, used his wrestling skills to negate Mir's BJJ skills, then executed of the most brutal ground and pound beatings in UFC history to successfully defend the title by not only avenging his only loss, but by dominating a very skilled opponent and making a statement that he is ready to dish out a beating to anyone who crosses his path...perhaps one day even the unbeatable Fedor Emelianenko.
posted
Very well put. GSP is pure class. I love fedor too. think he is the greatest ever and extremely humble. However I saw Brock today and realized that right now noone can beat him. (fedor is just too small) I hate to say it but his strength is just too amazing. Honestly. Did you see how he controlled Mirs arms. I really wanted to see him lose. I wanted to see technique and martial arts prevail over brute force and wrestling but he is too strong for anyone in the ufc and fedor. There is one person the former wwe wrestler lashely I think. He can come close. But that's it. The ufc is at a stand still 265- no one can beat Brock 205- no one can beat machida 185-no one can beat silva 170-noone can beat Gsp 155-noone can beat bj penn it's crazy such dominance.
Posts: 235 | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
It was a good show. Hendo definitely delivered the goods though, and he's now supposed to fight the winner of the Maia/Marquardt fight to get the next shot at Silva. By the way, don't count out Kenny Florian next month. After BJ Penn, Florian's been the only other dominant guy at lightweight the last few years, especially after he lost to Sherk. He's been on a tear, he's going to make Penn fight, and other than GSP, might be Penn's toughest challenge in years.
I don't think anyone's gonna beat Brock who's with the UFC already. The winner of the Fedor/Barnett fight next month would be the guy people want to see against him, especially Fedor. Fedor/Brock could be the biggest fight in MMA history, and it would be the ideal fight to have at Madison Square Garden if and when New York State legalizes MMA, which they're currently deliberating.
Posts: 2681 | Registered: Mar 2006
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I agree. There isn't a heavyweight in the UFC that can beat Brock. Even though Couture is a lot smaller, he was taking Lesnar apart striking until getting caught, so if someone can keep Lesnar from taking them down, they can pick Lesnar apart and maybe get a k.o. If somehow we were blessed with the chance to see Fedor/Lesnar I would still go with Fedor. There are a lot of great heavyweights out there, unfortunately a lot of them aren't in the UFC.
GSP whooped Thiago's ass. To me, GSP should be considered the p4p best mma fighter and not Anderson Silva.
Bisping deserved to get ktfo like that. Everyone knows how dangerous Hendersons right hand is yet he kept circling towards it. Plus I don't like Bisping.
Posts: 3359 | Registered: Apr 2006
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I think Kongo would be able to hurt Lesnar and possibly beat him. Kongo might be the UFC's best heavyweight striker, problem is his takedown defense. It sucks. Getting better but overall just plain sucks. If he were to get in the ring with Lesnar and avoid getting taken down, he'd win and that is a fight I'd love to see, Kongo/Lesnar.
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Kongo would get brutalized unless he's somehow able to keep the fight standing the entire time. Still, it would be about the most muscular fight in MMA history. Brock, of course, is just massive, and Kongo is probably the most ripped dude in the UFC.
Posts: 2681 | Registered: Mar 2006
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It would take Lesnar all about about 10 seconds to get Kongo on his back, and then it'd be a ruthless beating until the reff pulled him off. Kongo would have no chance against Lesnar because he has no takedown defence and Brock has the best takedown in the heavyweight division in the entire world.
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Maybe maybe Fedor was born to come to the ufc and beat Goliath at Madison square garden and retire the greatest the sport has ever seen. Or maybe he loses his next fight to Barnett. That's what makes this a great sport. Noone really knows. Maybe Lesnar gets beat by Carwin. Maybe Silva retires to boxing and never fights Gsp.
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Drunk, i think you couldnt be more wrong. the UFC and MMA are finally become more legitimized in the eyes of the public who has always seen it a bunch of thugs participating in a blood sport. the one thing that drew me to the sport a couple of years ago was that it was more about strategy than just pummeling each other. i watched in back in the 90's when tank abbott was supposed to be one of their stars and, other than an occasional distraction, i never watched it. for the most part, there wasnt much to it. henderson and brock both fought great fights and dominated their opponents tremendously, but it meant nothing to me when henderson showing his stupid caveman mentality by talking about he shut him up with that smash. lesnar was even worse! his stupendously sophmoric comments made him sound like the lame WWE wrestler he used to be. all the showmanship he neede was already performed in the ring when he shut mir down completely. GSP, the one guy i honestly dont like because of his arrogance even if i do utterly respect his skills, came out looking smelling like a rose. he acted EXACTLY how an ambassador of the sport SHOULD act. you want to see more MMA? you want to see it accepted and become more popular and see more great matches and athletes? prove to the world that it is a legitimate sport and not a street brawl blood sport. how did brock and henderson do saturday night? in the ring: henderson got an A-, lesnar got an A. out of the ring: henderson gets an F and lesnar an F-. cocky is one thing, a lack of class is another. in that regards, GSP does it very well. i think he is very arrogant and cocky, but he is also VERY classy about it too. pre-fight trash talking is part of the sport.. just like any other sport. it means nothing. how many times have you seen them shoot their mouth off before a fight and then embrace and congradulate each other after? thats class and thats exactly why this sport is starting to become more accepted and more popular.
think i am off on any of this? MMA has grow by leaps and bounds from a fringe sport liscensed in 2 states to getting an SI cover in the last 5 years and a person who is hugely responsible for that is dana white. what was his reaction these antics? he was thoroughly pissed off and took each into a private meeting to talk to them about their actions. funny thing, huh?
as for everythign else.. amazing night! although i was really disappointed in fitch. he looked really flat.
i agree with timothy for the most part. brock is going to be amazingly difficult to stop especially how much he grows after every fight. the only chance i see is he starts believing the hype that he is unstoppable and doesnt take an opponent seriously. machida has yet to prove himself. he doesnt have that many fights under his belt with really tough opponents. silva has looked really unimpressive the last 2 fights. we'll see how he does against forrest. GSP looks totally unbeatable. no doubt. penn is one of my favorite fighters, but i think he is far from unbeatable.
posted
The UFC shouldn't have caught a sissy fit with Lesnar's antics after the fight. I love the arrogance and showoff Lesnar or anyone like him displayed. I always liked Lesnar from his WWE days and he brings an animation to the sport that needs some flavor to get it further into the map of significance for the general public. So what if it was childish. The UFC is a sport for barbarians, not gentlemen. Let them talk all the trash they want. They talk so much trash BEFORE the fight when they show highlights leading up to the match. No one says a word about that. But now that Lesnar spoke out loud because he was in the heat of the moment after showing Mir a thing or two people are going to question the integrity of the sport?
Let him talk. That way he can get more people to hate him. That creates more interest to the sport because there will be people who would want nothing than to have his mouth shut. Everything Lesanr said after the match was made for the Kodak Moment. If you're an animal like Lesnar, and you're fighting in a cage like lions in the Roman Colosseum, all the rage and hormones and the killer instincts kick in. Let them mouth off. I love it!
--National
[ July 13, 2009, 10:50 PM: Message edited by: National ]
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wow.. thats exactly the wrong attitude to have about MMA. the whole point is if its going to be viewed as a sport like boxing or greco-roman wrestling then they do need to have more class than you feel is neccessary. most of the guys i have seen interviewed are gentlemen. this isnt the UFC of the 90's where everything goes.
sure lesnar was entertaining in the WWE, but this isnt the WWE. the entertainment value of the sport is about action, not the histrionics of the fighters. the last thing real fans want is the same stupid crap you can see on monday night raw or whatever shows they have. talking shit is part of any sport and when childish retaliation occurs during the match, the athletes are always called out on it and, many times, fined or suspended so why should MMA have a different policy? this isnt like the roman colosseum and lesnar isnt an animal and we arent barbarians.
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Drunk, thats why I said the only way Kongo could beat Lesnar is if he was somehow able to keep the fight standing. I feel his striking is the best in the ufc hw division but he can't defend the takedown to save his life. He's getting better but still sucks.
Can't wait to find out who Lesnars next opponent will be.
Posts: 3359 | Registered: Apr 2006
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Hey! Did you guys read on yahoo sports that Dana White said Fedor WILL be in the UFC after his fight with Barnett? I just read an article that asked who can beat Lesnar. Fedor, Overeem, Carwin were all mentioned and under Fedors name there was a quote from Dana. Said he wants Fedor and he will be in the UFC and will face Lesnar.
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quote:Originally posted by FtLckr26: Hey! Did you guys read on yahoo sports that Dana White said Fedor WILL be in the UFC after his fight with Barnett? I just read an article that asked who can beat Lesnar. Fedor, Overeem, Carwin were all mentioned and under Fedors name there was a quote from Dana. Said he wants Fedor and he will be in the UFC and will face Lesnar.
That will be a hell of a fight. How to do you guys think Brett Rogers would do against Brock?He got some heavy hands.
Posts: 240 | Registered: Jul 2009
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quote:Originally posted by nusuth: wow.. thats exactly the wrong attitude to have about MMA. the whole point is if its going to be viewed as a sport like boxing or greco-roman wrestling then they do need to have more class than you feel is neccessary. most of the guys i have seen interviewed are gentlemen. this isnt the UFC of the 90's where everything goes.
sure lesnar was entertaining in the WWE, but this isnt the WWE. the entertainment value of the sport is about action, not the histrionics of the fighters. the last thing real fans want is the same stupid crap you can see on monday night raw or whatever shows they have. talking shit is part of any sport and when childish retaliation occurs during the match, the athletes are always called out on it and, many times, fined or suspended so why should MMA have a different policy? this isnt like the roman colosseum and lesnar isnt an animal and we arent barbarians.
Sure. I agree with a lot of what you said. If more than a fair share of fighters are putting on the theatrics after the match, then it does look cartoonish. I'm pretty sure these guys are gentlemen ... outside of the octagon. They could be law-abiding citizens, contributors to the community, are well behaved around the opposite sex. However, I am going to stand by the things I said. Inside the octagon, these people are anything but gentlemen. They are out to "out barbaric" the other. These guys are modern day gladiators, just like those who fought in the Roman Colosseum not too long after the dinosaurs became extinct. The difference is that today's fighters do not come out riding horses, wearing armored suits, brandishing swords, but you get the idea. Speaking of colosseums, today's warriors fight in front of a lot of people. Over 20,000, in fact. Not as much as the Colosseum can draw, but the similarities are there.
What does the UFC promote? Violence. I don't know about you but that, in itself, seems pretty barbaric to me, especially when you remember that barbarians *are* violent. Seeing guys like Lesnar take a sledgehammer and smashing it on top of some tire, trying to puncture it, seems like a barbaric way to practice for a fight the whole world knows he is going to take in few seconds.
The main objective of the sport is to literally dislodge a jaw, for starters. Breaking bones, bruising ribs, blackening eyes, and making your opponent externally and internally bleed is their typical day at the office. They do this for a living. How is any of this not barbaric? These are things the typical gentleman does not do.
And we, the people who watch this, cheer them on! That does not make us barbarians, but it does mean we applaud this behavior.
What I was trying to say before was that even though things would be better off by having these guys *not* talk like 14 year-old bullies after the fight, the sport does need to live a little. Throw some caution into the wind. The only thing Lesnar shouldn't have said was the he was going to drink Coors Light, even though I found that hiarious. I can understand why the president of the UFC would get pissed off about that. But everything else Lesnar said was, in my taste, classy. Others call it disrespectful, tasteless. I, on the other hand, like it. Sticking up the middle fingers after the match, classy. Talking smack about Mir after the fight, classy. Saying he was going to get on top of his wife, priceless. Let's not forget how Brock just walked away from Mir after the ref explained the rules to the fight, leaving Mir to just stand there. Classy.
C'était magnifique!
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Let the sports police their antics by issuing fines or whatever else. I just hope it does not turn into the No Fun League by issuing penalties for excessive celebrating. They should be loose and let the guy talk all he wants.
Again, there's nothing wrong with sportsman-like gratitude. Minding your own business and letting all the talk come from the fists is the norm to what is appropriate for how one should conduct himself. But let's have a little disorder once in a while just to keep people on their toes (no pun intended!).
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