I tried getting a boxing thread going last year and only one other person posted, so I'm gonna try and get one going again.
I love boxing and MMA...absolutely love 'em. Anyone else out there like 'em too? Discuss, please.
Posted by LovelyLadies (Member # 5079) on :
Oh me me! Boxing is my life MMA, bleh!
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Are you gonna buy Cotto/Margarito in two weeks? Who've you got, 'cause I actually have a sneaky suspicion that Margarito is gonna take it.
If you have to know how huge a boxing nut I am, I actually made plans to watch the Chavez, Jr.-headlined card last night for the IBF Jr. Flyweight (108 lbs.) title fight on the undercard. I love the little guys.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
What did you think of the Klitchsko fight Mic? Barely made it out of that one...his sparring partner too! Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
It was better than his fight with Ibragimov, but considering how bad that was, this one was bound to be better. Thompson fought well when he had gas in his tank, but remember, the dude is 36 and facing his first truly world-class boxer. Considering that, he did good. There's no shame in getting knocked out by Klitschko unless he caught you while he was on queer street himself.
I'm waiting on Cotto/Margarito. I'm tellin' you boys, that is THE fight to watch in boxing. Action guaranteed.
Posted by Mikey P (Member # 1922) on :
i used to like boxing but mma has made it seem like two guys pillow fighting
it needs some more heavyweights
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Random thing I saw on the tv last night was a sport/tradition in Nigeria that they are trying to get recogznized as a sport. Basically two guys square off with their right hands wrapped up with what looks like 5 pounds of some kind of hard looking material and try and knock the shit outta the other one first. Apparently people die from skull fractures all the time not to mention brain damage...if I find the link I'll post it...but THAT is a contact sport Posted by LovelyLadies (Member # 5079) on :
Oh hell yeah I'm watching Cotto-Margarito! Dream fights don't often get made. It'll be a fight for the ages! I got Cotto all the way baby! No way my boy will lose. Also saw the Klit fight. Was alright, but the heavies are boring these days. My favorite fighter is Pacquiao. All the action is below 150lbs.
Posted by Foot-Clan Ninja (Member # 25128) on :
Muay Thai - the most brutal sport ever.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I'm a huge fan of combat sports. Not just watching but also doing. I've been into martial arts since I was 12, which is when I started taekwondo and have been doing it for the past 18 years. I used to be a huge boxing fan, but have fallen off a bit, but still watch what I can. The last boxing match I watched was Bernard Hopkins when he lost a decision to Calzaghe in April. The Cotto/Margarito fight really has my attention.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Speakin' of Hopkins, it looks like he's gonna fight Kelly Pavlik in October. This was literally the last fight Pavlik could have made, he tried getting fights with Calzaghe, Winky Wright, Paul Williams, among others before Hopkins ended up as the only one left.
This will be the toughest fight of Pavlik's career. He's never fought anyone like Hopkins before, who has the sort of ring experience and caginess. Pavlik's just gonna have to put his head down, outwork the old man, and make him feel every bit of his 44 years.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I believe I used to work with Pavliks younger brother in the Navy. There was a kid who's last name was Pavlik in my squadron and everybody said he was a badass boxer and that his brother was going professional. They said he, the younger brother, was in Key West for a 2 week detachment and some local approached him. The guy was drunk and was starting trouble. So Pavlik just threw two shots and dropped the guy. I just thought its pretty cool the kind of people you can meet who seem like any normal person, yet are far from it.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
It is here. Cotto/Margarito has finally arrived, and I will watch it gleefully. I'll post in here later to give you my take on the fight.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Wow! What a fight! That was one of the best fights I've ever seen, both guys were really going for it in different ways. Margarito won a really close fight by 11th round TKO, but he had to overcome Cotto's sharp counterpunching and handspeed to do so and took a tremendous amount of punishment. However, Margarito's chin is something else, because he never so much as blinked at Cotto's considerable poewr and just put the pressure on Cotto whenever he could and it wore the smaller man down.
If you guys get the chance, track down this fight somehow, because it was one of the best fights of the year, and without doubt the best welterweight fight of the decade for me, Shane Mosley/Oscar de la Hoya I notwithstanding. I don't know if it's better than Vazquez/Marquez III though, but in most other years, it would run away as the Fight of the Year.
Posted by -cfg- (Member # 13863) on :
Can't believe I didn't find this thread before now. Mic, I'm a huge boxing fan and train mma as a hobby. I doubt I'll ever fight competitively or anything. I do it just trying to get into the incredible shape fighters are in.
Posted by LovelyLadies (Member # 5079) on :
Yeah I saw the Cotto-Marg fight. Man it was tough to watch. It started out good with my boy Cotto giving it to Margarito real well. Then he just lost everything in like the 6th or 7th round. Margarito took over and it was game over Oh well, was awesome fight. Next up, Pacquiao-Oscar in December. Can't wait! I hope my man Pacquiao can teach Oscar a lesson for picking on the little man. Pacquiao can go down as one of the ATGs if he beats him and without a doubt one of the best fighters of this era.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Yeah, though to be honest, I myself am not that excited about the fight. Sure, it's a payday, but it just seems like a real circus sideshow act to me. Oh well. Pacquiao's mentioned to the Filipino media that he'd like to retire after next year, he wants two more fights in '09, most likely against Hatton and hopefully, a meaningful lightweight fight against any one of the winners of Campbell/Guzman, Casamayor/Marquez, or Diaz/Katsidis.
Oh yeah, Morales and Barrera are both planning to come out of retirement and fight at lightweight as well. If Marquez can't get a third fight with Pacquiao, pending a win over Casamayor, I would lay money on seeing Morales/Marquez fight sometime soon. Barrera is signing with Don King, so we could see him against the Campbell/Guzman winner, of which Campbell is promoted by King as well. Don't be surprised to see Barrera/Morales IV. If one of them ends up with a title, you can bet that the other's gonna want to get it. Both are trying to become the first Mexican fighters to win titles in 4 divisions.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Yeah, though to be honest, I myself am not that excited about the fight. Sure, it's a payday, but it just seems like a real circus sideshow act to me. Oh well. Pacquiao's mentioned to the Filipino media that he'd like to retire after next year, he wants two more fights in '09, most likely against Hatton and hopefully, a meaningful lightweight fight against any one of the winners of Campbell/Guzman, Casamayor/Marquez, or Diaz/Katsidis.
Oh yeah, Morales and Barrera are both planning to come out of retirement and fight at lightweight as well. If Marquez can't get a third fight with Pacquiao, pending a win over Casamayor, I would lay money on seeing Morales/Marquez fight sometime soon. Barrera is signing with Don King, so we could see him against the Campbell/Guzman winner, of which Campbell is promoted by King as well. Don't be surprised to see Barrera/Morales IV. If one of them ends up with a title, you can bet that the other's gonna want to get it. Both are trying to become the first Mexican fighters to win titles in 4 divisions.
Posted by imation_pc (Member # 1480) on :
Anybody looking forward to the Shamrock/Kimbo fight tomorrow?
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Well.....so much for Kimbo.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Holy shit I never even noticed there was a ports forum here till just now when "combat sports" sorta jumped out at me as the headlining post on the main page. I'm a big MMA, Boxing, Wrestling, Hockey and Football fan, so I'm looking forward to shooting the shit about sports with my foot fetish brothers here at Wus.
As for last nights Elite XC, "So Much for Kimbo" is Exactly right Mic and it's Long overdue. Mauro Renallo was right when he said post fight that Kimbo didn't look in the right mind frame for this fight, but it had nothing to do with the lack of notice, it was because he was in there with a real mixed martial artist for a change.
For the first time in his career he was fighting a young guy in his prime who had an oppertunity to make a name for himself and advance his career at Kimbo's expense instead of the typical washed up has been or never was, who would show up to collect a payday and feed into this facade that Elite XC has been milking for all that it's worth.
What Renallo was wrong about is his statement that Kimbo "deserves a mulligan". The fact that it didn't even take a real top 20 heavyweight to stop the Kimbo Slice Hype machine should be all it takes to stop the nonsense as it's gone too far. He didn't just lose, he was dismantled in 14 seconds by a light heavyweight journeyman in a fashion that exposed him as a bigger fraud than I could have possibly had him pegged for.
I figured him to be around Wes Simms level at this point in his career. I was hoping that after Shammrock got his payday for taking a quick knockout in the fight originally scheduled Kimbo would have to start fighting some decent heavyweights, not good ones, but decent ones, and that he'd eventually lose to a guy like Nelson or maybe Justin Eliers or someone, and if he fought those guys and beat them it would mean he was proving he had reached a level of some kind of heavyweight respectability.
I never could have imagined he was truely this horrible. You could see in his eyes and the fact that he didn't touch gloves after the staredown that he was scared shitless. Terrified at the fact that he found himself in there with a real opponent who wasn't in on the whole charade and actually had aspirations of winning the fight that was about to take place.
Sign me up to the Seth Petruzelli fan club. He seems like a good kid who spent the better part of the last decade in the trenches, learning MMA, trying to catch a break and falling short more often than not. Until last night he just never could get over that hump, but he's a gamer, he doesn't backdown, he doesn't give up and last night he was rewarded.
Petruzelli's a former cast member of The Ultimate Fighter who was eliminated by Brad Imes. Seth was 2-2 in his last four fights going into this one & he's 0-2 in the UFC with losses at lightheavyweight to Wilson Gouveia and Matt Hamill. He's a guy that any legit top heavyweight should not be apprehensive about fighting and should not have much trouble defeating. Kimbo couldn't even last 15 seconds with him. How fucking funny is that?
I thought the show wss great, really couldn't have possibly been better. I mean, the main event which was supposed to be a bad joke aimed at making MMA fans look stupid turned out to be a halarious joke on Kimbo Slice & Elite XC.
All the other fights were good. Shields took care of Daley by being patient and waiting for his oppertunity, he won, but at the same time it was quite apparent he's not on GSP's level or anywhere close at this stage of the game.
Arlovski looked real good again with wide open, pin-point striking. Nelson caught him at one point with a nice shot that rocked him and he was able to get a nice reversal into side control to make the fight competitive, but other than that it was pretty much Arlovski's fight from start to finish and the Pitbull was too much and scored an impressive knockout victory.
Speaking of knockout, I love Gina Carano. Her fight was great and she's great. The women always have exciting fights in MMA and Carano didn't disspoint. I would love to go a few rounds with her and take a beating of a lifetime. Gina controlled the entire fight but she suffered a few foot stomps that were hard to watch, I would be glad to kiss her lovely tootsies better right about now. Gina Carano alone is worth the price of admission.
Then you have the Ninja Rua fight with Benji Radach which was an absolute war and the fight of the night with a double knockout thrown into the mix in the first round that both fighters managed to survive before Benji was able to put Marilo away in the second. Hopefully Bas will give up on his exposed sideshow now and focus on helping Radach realize his full potential in the middleweight division because he's awesome.
With fights like these I hope Elite XC doesn't go out of business cause they got a good thing going over there with some excellent fighters but as a company they chose not to focus on the true talent and instead give a WWF like "push" to Kimbo Slice and alot of people seem to think now that the jig is up on Kimbo that Elite XC will end up folding. Aside from being poorly run based on the decison to put so many eggs in the Slice basket, they have some legit contenders at every weight class. It's an insult to fans who actually follow the sport and the athletes who compete in it for a card featuring the likes of Andre Arlovski, Jake Shields, Benji Radach, Ninja Rua and Gina Carano to be headlined by Kimbo Slice, but hopefully after the way things turned out that will never happen again.
Overall I thought it was a fantastic show with some great fights by some great fighters and in the end a great service was done for the sport of MMA by one Seth Petruzelli with a 6 inch jab that turned out to be the punchline on the joke known as Kimbo Slice. For a free show, you can't ask for much more than that. Way To Go Seth!
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Big night for fights last night. Bernard Hopkins Schools Kelly Pavlik in what I thought was a major upset. I figured Pavlik would really bring it to the older Hopkins and perhaps even by the first guy to ever stop him. Boy was I wrong. Pavilk looked slower than I've ever seen him as if adding the extra weight hurt his conditioning while still making him appear to small to hurt Hopkins. He wasn't in the fight at all, it was like he appeared to leave all his power back at 160 while slowing his pace to the point where Hopkins was the quicker of the two and the Ghost really had nothing for Hopkins at all.
The crafty vet lived up to his nickname of the Executioner and Executed a solid game plan on route to a convincing victory and a possible fight with the winner of Jones/Calzaghe.
Meanwhile the UFC put on a pretty damn good show over in England with a card full of pretty entertaining fights from top to bottom. Bisbing with the decision over Leben in an entertaining fight. Leben labeled him with a few big shots and showed that iron jaw of his, often times dropping his hands and daring Bisbing to take a shot at him, but he wasn't able to land the big left he needed and Bisbing did enough to win all three rounds picking him apart with superior speed, technique and accuracy in his striking.
Keith Jardine got a split decision victory over Brandon Vera in another close one that definatly could have gone either way. I thought Vera won the fight, but it was so close I can't really say it was a bad decision. The fight was close the whole way through which made it pretty entertaining.
Those were the two big fights, but the undercard was even better. This Huge Brazilian dude Luis Cane scored what would have to be considered an upset with a devistating knockout of Sokoudjou. The always entertaining Marcus Davis won a decision over Kelly who's always a gamer and Lytle and Taylor lit 'er up in a phenominal war that was easily the best fight of the night. Lytle came out with the judges decision, but the fans were the true winners in that one.
Couple of good tilts in the NHL too. With Edmonton down 2-0 in the Battle of Alberta Steve MacIntyre crushes Boyd with a HUGE body check which prompts Prust to try and come to his aid, but when the gloves came off Big Mac proceeded to put a pretty good beating onto Prust as well. The fight seemed to spark the Oilers who came back with 3 goals in just under 4 minutes and won the game.
Montreal who's only weakness last season was that they were a little soft showed the kind of grit they've been missing when shortly after Kostitsyn got kocked out with a devistating but clean hit by Kurt Sauer, Tom Kostopolous took him to task for it. Kostopolous challenged the bigger Sauer and landed some good punches early before Sauer set himself and took over the fight. Even though Sauer won the fight the fact that the Habs were reacting physically and going after the guy who hurt their smaller player was a good sign that they're not going to roll over for anyone this season. Later in the game former Coyote Georges Laraque easily man handled Todd Fedoruk to put an exclamation point on 4-1 Habs victory.
The Flyers tough guy Riley Cote also went toe to toe with Sharks Heavyweight Jody Shelley in a very even fight that I think you'd have to call a draw, similarly he game ended up pretty even as well as it was 4-4 at the end of regulation until Boyle scored a powerplay goal in overtime to record the win for San Jose.
Three fights in the Dallas-Colorado game but all of them were fairly uneventful as the Avs scored a 5-4 victory. There were a pair of fights in the Nashville-Columbus game as the Preds doubled up the Jackets 6-3, Coincidently, both of the fights were won by the Nashville players. Greg DeVries beat Derek Dorsett and Jordan Tootoo got the better of Olle Tollefsen. Atlanta's Chris Thorburn put a one sided beating on Buffalo super pest Patrick Kaleta as the Thrashers defeated Buffalo 3-2. All in all it was a great night for fights in the world of sports.
Posted by sofatater (Member # 4209) on :
Found something on Ebaum's world today. "Extreme arm wrestling". I would have posted a link, but I don't know how. Maybe some one else can link to it for y'all. Looks pretty violent. Competitors are linked together as if in a regular arm wrestling match, but they're linked to the table with a length of chain, and use their free hand to beat each other senseless. www.ebaumsworld.com Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Haha! Hockey Fighters would do well in that X arm wrestling. I'd never heard of it until you just mentioned sofa, and as stupid as the concept may be it's pretty fucken entertaining.
quote:Originally posted by Drunk_24-7: Haha! Hockey Fighters would do well in that X arm wrestling. I'd never heard of it until you just mentioned sofa, and as stupid as the concept may be it's pretty fucken entertaining.
I agree, some of the best fights I've seen have been on the ice!!!
p.s. Thanks for putting up the link.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
I love how they took such special care to make sure the grip was done fairly and then what ensued had nothing to do with arm wrestling whatsoever.
Apparently they're trying to make a sport out of it, and it's not just punches like in this initial clip, elbows, knees, even kick, the whole 9 yards. It may be stupid as hell, but it's pretty fucking funny to watch.
I've been reading on a few forums and hearing on TV recently alot of people ragging on MMA since Elite XC went under and the investigation was launched as to wether they may have "tampered" with fights and stuff. Then alot of people were quick to pile on when the main event of the last UFC ended due to Patrick Cote tearing his ACL in the third round causing the fight to be stopped prematurely and end inconclusively. I've been hearing for three days, MMA is fucked...Elite just went out of business and the UFC is falling apart. To that, I say Bullshit!
I thought UFC 90 was a great show. Obviously the main event was extremely disapointing with Cote going down by way of a freak injury that had nothing to do with the fight itself but aside from that it was a great show.
Cote was doing very well for himself, he was stalking Silva like a Predator and the couple of times he got smoked with huge shots, he took them well and kept comming. You almost thought for a moment here and there that he wasn't going to be denied on that night, but then Silva would land another beautiful combination and skip away elusively to a counter attempt as if he was just toying with Cote and that he would eventually put him away or pick him apart methodically on route to a unanamious decision. Silva is so good, it's really a treat to watch him in there and it's unfortanate that the fight came to such a disapointing conclusion.
The fight kind of reminded me of the first Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith had where Smith hung in there and made a great fight of it, but he was getting tagged with some big shots where you felt like he could get stopped at any moment, but the heart and determination he was showing was enough to make you think, "he just won't go away, it could be his night" and then boom fight over with an unintentional poke to the eye. This fight reminded me of that fight in alot of ways, except it wasn't as much of a slugfest, and much like was the case with Smith and Lawler except to an even greater degree, now that it's over, I get the feeling like Cote probably would have lost, but he just might have found a way to pull it off, however even if there is a rematch he will never come that close again.
Maynard and Clamentti wasn't the most exciting fight in the world but I was pretty impressed by how easily Maynard seemed to make it look controlling the fight from start to finish.
Leites got rocked early and was in serious trouble against McFedries and then came back in impressive fashion to sink in the rear naked choke and score the submission.
Those three fights were the worst on the card, and they weren't that bad. The other three were fucking awesome! How about Junior dos Santos?? I wasn't expecting him to be very competitive with Werdum considering I'd never heard of him before, but when I saw Big Nog comming to the Octogon in his corner my interest grew, and then when the fight started this kid turned out to be awesome and just devistated Werdum with a vicious highlight reel uppercut for the spectacular knockout.
Then Koscheck and Alves went to war in a fight that was all that I'd hoped it would be. As much as I hate Kos I did gain some respect for him in this fight with the heart he showed recovering from some of the brutal shots Alves hammered him with. He hung in there, and he was swinging for the fences himself. Alves is the most powerful striker in the Welterweight division and Koscheck got after it and didn't resort to the defensive lay and pray hide and seek type of game that I thought would be the only way he would last 3 rounds. As much as he impressed me, I still don't like the guy, so his ability to recover and prolong the beating that Alves continued to put on him made for a fight that I could watch over and over again. The fight was exciting, Alves looked awesome and put a pretty good beating on Koscheck for a full three rounds which was exactly what I was hoping for. A knockout at the end would have been perfect, but I thought it was a great fight regardless. Alves will be a dangerous opponent for GSP with his punching power, but I think St. Pierre is just on a level that only Fedor, Anderson Silva and maybe BJ Penn can relate too with such a solid game in all aspects of MMA. I think GSP will be too quick in the standup, and be able to stay on the outside and pick Alves apart, and I also think dispite the fact that Hughes and Koscheck couldn't take him down, GSP will be the guy that's able too, and once he gets him there he'll be able to ground and pound him or tap him out with relative ease. That being said Alves standup and knockout power makes it a fight you want to see happen.
Then there was Sean Sherk and Tyson Griffin which I thought was a leading fight of the year candidate! That was an absolute war those two guys waged and that fight alone was more than worth the price of admission. Both guys just laid it all on the line, back and fourth, toe to toe, from start to finish. Sherk did a bit better and deserved the win, but neither guy was a loser here as that fight stole the show and was one for the ages in my opinion. Even with the disappointment of the way the main event ended, there's no way I could criticise this card because the Sherk/Griffin fight alone made it a great show, and watching Koscheck get beat up for 3 rounds was the icing on the cake.
I don't think the UFC is losing momentum at all. I for one and more excited about where things are at than I've been since Fedor/CroCop. It's wide open out there. I can't wait to see Lesnar and Couture get at it in UFC 91. That's going to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest draws in the history of MMA, and then you move forward to a triple main event card featuring the light heavyweight title being contested between Forrest and Evans, what would have been a Heavyweight title fight between Mir and Big Nog, and two Huge names stepping into the Cage to complete an epic Trilogy and likely crown the next Light Heavyweight number 1 contender in Rampage and Wanderli Silva all on the same show.
You've got a champion vs. champion tilt in GSP and Penn around the corner, and if GSP wins that he's got the Dangerous Alves in his path, and I've even heard rumblings of a GSP/Anderson Silva battle around UFC 100 if both guys keep winning. You've got Elite XC out of business which may mean some of their best fighters could turn up in the UFC. Nick Diaz would make a good opponent for BJ Penn in the lightweight division which is already stacked with talent within the UFC. Robbie Lawler could provide an interesting and creadable opponent for Silva at Middleweight, Bisping continues to impress at 185 and Dan Henderson looked awesome in his last outing. There's also the possibility of Anderson fighting a couple more light heavyweight fights. Speaking of light heavyweight you've got Shogun on the comeback trail, Rampage and Silva poised to establish the next number 1 contender, Machida continuing his rise, Franklin injecting himself into the division, Liddell still looking to rebound, along with the enigma's that are Keith Jardine and Brandon Vera in the mix.
With Elite XC toast and tea and Affliction in trouble, they'll probably gather enough now unemployed Elite competitors to mix with their own guys to make one more big show where we'll hopefully get to see Fedor tear apart Arlovski, they may be able to get the Gina Carano and Cyborg fight done as well in what would probably be a full card and most likely their final card before going under. If it is, it should create some interesting fights and just enough time for the UFC to allow the winners of Brock/Couture and Noguira/Mir to faceoff to figure out who their heavyweight champion is. That'd bring us to about time for UFC 100 and if by that time Affliction has fallen, that could allow for the UFC to perhaps persue Fedor one more time. The possibilites are endess and awesome in my opinion and I think this sport is going to continue to grow in popularity, public interest and overall awesomeness. Anyone who says MMA is in trouble is out of their mind, it's stronger now than it's ever been and it's potential is unlimited.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Co-sizzle Drunk. Great post.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
He did it! Just as I expected, Brock Lesnar proved to be just too big & too strong. Couture did better than I thought he would but he didn't have the power to hurt Brock with his shots, and all it takes is one big one that Lesnar throws to find the mark and it's game over. If anyone can withstand a haymaker or two from Brock it's Big Nog, the warrior who's been hit by all the hardest hitters in the game and can usually weather the storm to lock in a submission and secure a victory. Unlike the matchup with Couture, Big Nog is a very bad matchup for Lesnar because his increadable chin is a possible counter to Lesnar's unparalled power, and his flawless ju-jitsu and ability to fight from his back could very well be the krytonite required to overcome the still fairly inexperienced champion.
That being said, nobody is going to have a walk in the park against Brock Lesnar. Brock can knock out or physically dominate anyone in the world, dare I say even Fedor. He's the one guy I think might hit hard enough to knock out Big Nog, or Fedor. I would be betting on Fedor and Big Nog if they were to face Brock right now, but until Lesnar, I didn't really see anyone having any possible chance of ever having a chance of beating Fedor. Lesnar with his strength and power would have a chance, but would more than likely end up getting submitted. I would put my money on Lesnar if he fights Mir again, as he had Mir the first time out but Frank got the lucky second chance when the ref took the point, and then Brock got overanxious, made a mistake and got caught. Ever since he has been much more relaxed, composed, patient, effective and ultimately dominant. I don't think Mir could ever beat Brock Lesnar again.
Regarless, hopefully the time will come where we get to witness and enjoy how that all unfolds. Right now, I just want to give some props to Randy Couture for standing in there, avoiding the early takedowns, getting back up when he was taken down, opening up Lesnar, and fighting his fight, and hanging in well against a guy who was a really bad matchup for him, after more than a years layoff, until the inevitable happened. I'd also like to congratulate Brock Lesnar on becoming the UFC Heavyweight champion of the world by defeating a legend in a good fight that will hopefully put an end to any of the doubters saying he's nothing more than a WWF gimmick. The guy is a world class wrestler, a physical freak of nature, and a hard working athlete who becomes a better mixed martial artist day by day.
Posted by imation_pc (Member # 1480) on :
I seriously think, that if Couture hadnt gotten caught by that mis-punch, he really had a chance of winning. Not trying to take anything away from Lesnar, that guy is scary big, and has alot of power, and is probably one of the best wrestlers in MMA today. I think if it hadnt been for that shot, Couture could have won, mainly because he was doing everything he did in his previous fights w/ Gonzaga and Sylvia. Controlling the clinch up against the cage, avoiding takedowns, and when he was taken down, quickly scrambling up before taking serious damage. Couture landed some good shots, but I guess it was just Lesnars night. Now, before you say I am hating on Lesnar, I am not. I was a fan of his in his WWE days, and I continue to be a fan today. I think for the next 2 months, he needs to work on nothing but his ground game. Well, not literally nothing, but you guys know what I mean. His next opponent is either going to be Mir or Nog, and those guys are THE Jiu-Jitsu guys for the HW Division in the UFC. There are of course others, but Mir/Nog are widely known for their ground work. Lesnars striking/standup isnt very tactical/technical right now, but I think that will all come in time. His punching has gotten better though I think. His size/strength, and his wrestling ability really come into play and help where he lacks on his striking skills, as we saw in the Mir fight, and the Couture fight. HE was able to control Mir on the ground and just pound away at his face. I think he would have won that fight had that stupid ref atleast given him a warning at first. So if he can continue to do that, he should still be OK until his hands get better. If he can do that on his next few fights, and keep away from the back of the head, most if his fights will probably be stopped soon after his huge sledgehammer for fists start going. His kicking, still needs alot of work, and I'm not too sure if kicking will be a focal point in his training, mainly because right now it seems that until he has it down better, he probably shouldnt be doing any of that in his fights. Knees in the clinch on the other hand seem to be coming along nicely. Anyway, to end my rant, I am happy that he won, and hopefully, he can defend the belt against Mir/Nog, but I am really not too sure about that. I honestly dont know who I would want to win between the upcoming Mir/Nog fight. I do have a feeling that Nogueira might take it though.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
What's everyone's pick for 92?? I got my boy Griffin by submission in the 2nd! Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Rashad matches up well with Griffin, even on the ground. He's by far the best wrestler Forrest has faced in the UFC. Rashad also has the power to badly hurt him in there, and probably is the faster and more explosive of the two on the feet. We'll see what happens, but the winner should fight Machida next. He's deserved a title shot for the longest time.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Whoever wins the fight Machida will just overpower them in every sense. He has consistently proven that in the octagon.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
For 92 my money's on Forrest to win a unanmous decision over Rashad. I don't think he'll knock Evans out, but I think he matches up well, and should be able to control the fight and win every round. Being taller, lankier with a better reach, I think he'll be more effective in the standup than Evans. Liddell is purely a devistating counter puncher who got frustrated and walked right into a bomb when he started chasing Evans. Griffen has a far better chin than Chuck, and if Rampage couldn't knock him out, I don't think Evans will be able to. Rashad's a good wrestler, but Forrest should be able to use his size advantage for leverage to negate Rashad's wrestling and even if he can't, Forrest will be the better fighter on the ground when it gets there. Ususally Evans is the superiour athlete in his fights and can ware guys down, but I don't think that will happen against Forrest. Griffen comes into 5 round fights ready to go 15 rounds if necessary, and I think he'll just bring the noise for 25 minutes and beat Evans in all aspects of the game to take a pretty decisive decision.
Is Big Nog/Mir 3 rounds or 5 now that the title Nogueira holds is only "inturm"? If it's 5 rounds Nogueira will stop Mir by either submission or GnP to a reff's stopage in the 3rd or 4th. If it's only a 3 rounder, Mir has a chance, he'll probably win the first round as Nog's a natoriously slow starter, the second round'll be up for grabs, but come the 3rd round when the fight becomes a war, Big Nog becomes a warrior and really turns it on. He'll be in better shape to go the distance than Mir, and either stop him or likely have done enough in the 2nd and 3rd to win the decision in a 3 rounder, if it's 5 he'll dominate the last 3 rounds to an easy decision if he doesn't finish Mir first.
The fight I'm most looking forward to is Silva-Rampage III. Their first two battles in Pride were epic. I think the UFC rules really favor Rampage and his wrestling ability as oppose to Silva and his wild striking, including stomps, football kicks, knees to downed opponents etc. all things that aren't allowed in the UFC. I think Rampage will be able to use his size to press Wandy up against the fence and impose his will this time around. He has all the motivation in the world comming off a somewhat controversial decision loss to end his title reign, and looking to put his leagal issue behind him, he's getting an oppertunity to get right back into the title picture against his greatest nemisis in an enviroment that caters to his skillset much better than the Pride ring did.
That being said, Rampage is a bit of a headcase, he may not be able to put the leagal problems behind him, and Wanderli may be in his head after a pair of destructive knockout victories that really stopped Rampage in his tracks when he was on the brink of light heavyweight greatness earlier in his career. I think it's going to depend on what Rampage shows up. If Rampage is able to focus properly I think he'll win this fight and it will be a barn burner just like the first two were. However, if his head is not in the right place, locking himself in a cage with the Axemurderer is not a safe thing to do because Wandy won't hesistate to knock the head right off him for a third time. I'm really looking forward to this one. It could go either way, I'm guessing Rampage will win, but more importantly I'm banking on another memorable battle that will likely steal the show.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
I havent seen ANYTHING from Wand to suggest the title "Axe Murderer" since he came into the UFC. He loses this he should consider going back to PRIDE. Rampage will own him though...he has too much on the line to not...legal issues...title shot...you name it and it's on his mind, which could also work against him like you said Drunk.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
You realize that PRIDE has been defunct for nearly two years, right?
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
My point exactly Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
You must have missed his last fight in the UFC against Keith Jardine Blue...It was a brutal knockout that looked a whole lot like the kind of hurt a prime Axe Murderer put on everyone, (including Rampage, twice) in his path during his prime. Jardine's no chump, he just beat Brandon Vera, and has wins over both Chuck and Forrest, but Wandi wasted no time in turning his lights out...
I like Jackson this time around as long as he comes in focused, I think the cage and the UFC rules will favor Rampage and he'll be able to take Silva down and ground and pound him, and give him the chance to press him against the fence to slow an onslaught if Wandi gets going. Being younger and stronger will all the reason in the world to put on the fight of his life to get back to the top of the mountian should be incentive enough for Quinton to form an effective gameplan and finally overcome his greatest nemisis.
Still though, you definatly can't count Silva out, which is why I'm so pumped for the fight because even though I'm picking Rampage, it's one of those fights that can easily go either way and has excitement written all over it.
Silva is in the same position as Liddell at this point. As a gaurenteed first ballot hall of famer, Silva was so dominant for so long and now people have figured out an effective game plan for him. However he still remains one of the most dangerous light heavyweights in the world and one of the most vicious strikers MMA's ever seen. The way to beat him is exactly the opposite of the way you beat Liddell who thrives on counter punching. Silva thrives on just overwhelming people and that's exactly what he did to Rampage in their first two fights.
You have to either beat him to the punch, which was a near impossible task in his prime. Vitor Belfort did it prior to his prime, and now that he's been on the recieving end of some big knockouts and he's been in so many wars, his hand speed may be slowing slightly, however he's only 32 years old, it's just that he's been in so many epic fights already that it seems like he should be older. For anyone to give themselves their best chance of beating him they have to be very, very, cautious in weathering the storm he's going to throw at you and effectively counter punch with pinpoint accuracy as his wild swinging reckless offence will leave him open to a great counter puncher. That's how he lost the Pride belt to Dan Henderson (he beat Henderson before though) and that's how Liddell beat him, but still that fight was a total war.
CroCop nearly killed him in the openweight grand prix with the big head kick, but in that fight CroCop was in his prime and it was a fight between a top 3 in the world heavyweight against a top 2 in the world lightheavyweight so Mirko had a slight advantage as the bigger fighter. Silva fought Cro Cop to a draw awhile back as well in a catch weight fight, and he got robbed in a decision against another heavyweight when Mark Hunt got the nod in a fight I thought Wanderli clearly won.
He had the shitty performance against Arona but he avenged it promptly. Aside from that, he's been pretty much a flawless recking machine since he left the UFC after losing to a prime Tito about 60 or 70 UFC's ago with a hat trick of wins over Sakuraba, a pair of wins over Yoshida, brutal knockouts over Kondo, Nakamura and Fujita (who's a heavyweight) plus of course the two unbelievable knockouts over Rampage.
Jackson won't have a walk in the park by any stretch, I don't even know if he'll be the favorite, but I think this is his golden oppertunity and he has to cease it. I have to think Rampage is gonna want it more, and I think he's gonna pull it off, but it ain't gonna be no picnic. I'm going for him, and I think he can take Silva this time around, but he could very easily get knocked out again, and even if he wins, I'll gaurentee you Silva is gonna let him know he was in a fight. I can't wait to see how this one unfolds.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
You do make a case for Silva...I just didn't buy into all the hype that was surrounding Silva when he came back into the UFC. I was never a fan of Rampage though..too much showboating for my liking.
Who do you guys have for the Machida fight?? Silva or Rampage?
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Machida's fighting Theigo Silva Next and he's going to frustrate the fuck out of him and win a unanimous decision.
Alot of people think Machida's going to be the next light heavyweight champion, and there's definatly a good possibility of that. He's so unorthadox it's hard to come up with an effective game plan to deal with him, he's like some kinda ninja or something. I don't think Rashad, Jardine, Vera, Franklin, Henderson or Chuck would be able to beat him. Wandy or more likely Shogun might be able to overwhelm him if they can get back to the form they were in when Shogun won the pride light heavyweight grand prix, and Wandi dominated that division for years, but again, the UFC's rules don't favor their ruthless striking style the way the pride rules did, so I think Machida would beat them too.
I think Forrest and Rampage match up the best with him. Rampage because he's so strong, he may be able to get him against the fence and smother him in the stand up, force him to the matt and pound on him, and Forrest is so relentless and in such great condition in a 5 round fight he may be able to figure him out and find a way to win it. Machida could very well beat either one of those guys too, it's really hard to picture a Machida fight before it happens because of his crazy style. He doesn't really even put his hands up, because he's always just out of range of his opponents haymaker and ready to pounce on the counter attack.
Where Forrest doesn't really posses that knockout bomb, that could actually work to his favor against Machida because it might make him more willing to exchange, and give Griffen the chance to either outstrike him or land enough on his feet to get it to the ground where he could cautiously work his ground and pound, but he'd have to watch out for Machida's submissions.
I like Forrest over Evans, Rampage over Wanderli Silva, Machida over Theigo Silva, Shogun over Coleman in the upcomming scheduled light heavyweight matchups.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Did anyone get to see Pacquiao beat the holy hell out of de la Hoya? I didn't...I had to work, but I wish I had, even in the undercard sucked complete ass.
Pacquiao/Hatton is rumored to be on tap next year during the spring or summer.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
I didn't see it either, I haven't got the dish hooked up since moving in with the fiancee, luckly the next UFC happens over Christmas, and I'll prolly be at mom or dads who both have dishes so I can order it. I was really looking forward to it, in hopes Pacman would make a fight out of it, and somehow pull it out. Instead he aparently dominated from start to finish and handed Oscar the worst beating of his career. I wouldda been in sheer amazement watching that live, so I really regret missing it. Now that I've heard how bad the beating was, it may not seem so shocking watching a replay, but hopefully I'll catch it at some point. Pacman/Hatton would be good too, and if Manny can win that one, you'd have to think the money would be there to make a fight with Mayweather go down. I thought Pacman'd be just too small for these guys, but Oscar was very close to upsetting Floyd, if Pac kicked the ever living shit out of him the way I've been hearing he did, whose to say he couldn't take down Mayweather as well...Here's Hoping! Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Man, it hurt seeing Wanderlei get ko'd like that. I actually lost interest in the rest of the UFC card. Joe Rogan said Wanderlei may be done, but I disagree. Mir looked awesome striking, but I was a little disappointed in the fight. I wanted to see these two grapple. I believe Nogueria would have gotten the submission but it would have been exciting watching two of the best go at it.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Looking forward to Shoguns return and watching hi destroy Mark Coleman. Should be very entertaining. Also hoping Rich Franklin wins. I've always been a fan of his. He's very capable of getting a title shot and winning. This Saturday is going to be good.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
I have a feeling Franklin will win, its his time. As for Mir saying he will beat Lesnar with little to no problem...bullshit. He beat him the first time because Lesnar had hardly any MMA experience,but Lesnar was beating him around the octagon like a little bitch. So it will be interesting to see what this fight will be like with Lesnar now trained in MMA(well,better then he was at the time of his first fight )
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Yeah, I believe Lesnar would have gotten a first round win over Mir if it weren't for the ref. I'm not a fan of Lesnar but he was wrongfully stopped in that fight. Pulling for Mir in the rematch. His best chance is submitting him again.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
That's Mir's best and only chance at beating Lesnar. But as much as people rag on Lesnar for being in the WWE and being just a wrestler...same thing could be said about Liddell or other toe-to-toe stand up guys who never really stray away from the one aspect of their strategy. Basically, what I'm getting at is Lesnar came into the UFC as a wrestler but is now becoming a well rounded,multi-faceted machine. Lesnar whether you like it or not is going to be damn near impossible to dethrone.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I hate to admit it but you are right. Lesnar is going to be hard to beat. But I don't think his striking has been tested yet. I can't remember his name, but he's the black french guy that beat Crocop and lost to Herring and just won in this previous UFC event. His ground game still needs a lot of work but his striking is great. I believe if he could avoid getting taken down by Lesnar, he can outstrike him and pull off a decision. Thats just a possible fight I'd like to see after Mir faces Lesnar. Anyone plan on watching the Fedor fight? I believe its on the 24th. The rest of the fight card looks exciting.
Posted by Second Timer (Member # 21660) on :
No mention of the upcoming BJ Penn vs. GSP fight on January 31st. This could be one of the best fights in a long time considering their fight in '05 went three rounds and ended in a controversial decision for GSP.
I'm goin with BJ Penn, knockout in two
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Hard fight to call but I'm going with GSP via 5 round decision. This is a month filled with great fights. Shogun/Coleman, Franklin/Henderson, Fedor/Arlovski, GSP/Penn. I'm picking: Shogun Franklin Fedor GSP
Posted by Second Timer (Member # 21660) on :
Kinda new to this sport but it friggin ROCKS!!
How bout UFC 93? Ya 'all like Franklin over Henderson? I don't know...I remember watching Franklin get destoyed, twice, by Anderson Silva. Goddamm that dude is badass. Has Silva ever lost a fight?
From what I've read this Payperview event is on at 3:00pm EST cuz it's in Dublin, Ireland? Is that right?
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Depends on where your at Second. I'm on the East Coast of Canada and it starts here at 10pm EST as per usual.
As for the GSP vs Penn fight I got my boy GSP in the 3rd with a knockout. Penn doesn't have the endurance to match GSP let alone the striking power. Although he does have the agility to match GSP as well as take down defense...but may God help him if GSP gets him down. If GSP hadn't lost when he did then yes I could see BJ upsetting him due to GSP getting a big head but now that GSP had that taken care of you will not see a controversial decision in this bout. Either way it goes it will be one of the top billing pay per views of 2009!
As for Lesnar...now one to match his striking power? Your god damn right there is no one to match his striking power!! Did you see his workout video?? Have fun matching that power.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Second Timer, you are right. A derson Silva is badass. But he has lost fights before. A couple of years ago there was an organization called Pride Fighting Championship. Anderson Silva fought there and had some losses before joining UFC and dominating the 185lbs division. Its also where Wanderlei Silva fought and dominated the 205lbs division for years. Even beat several heavyweights in their open weight gran prix. As for Rich Franklin, he is an awesome fighter and he dominated the UFC's 185lbs division for a while until Anderson Silva showed up.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
GSP vs. Penn II should be phenominal. My money's on GSP. The only thing that cost Penn the first fight was his conditioning, and he appears to have taken care of that issue, as he's looked to be in great shape in each of his lightweight contests and continues to prove time and time again that he's an amazing fighter and a truely gifted athlete. That being said, GSP is a hell of alot better now than he was when they fought the first time as well. He was just comming into his own at the time of the first fight, and defeating BJ was his first really Huge win.
Since then he's dominated Matt Hughes on a couple of occasions. He had the shocking loss to Matt Sara, but as Blue mentioned, I think that only helped him because he realizes he can be beaten, and that he can't take anything for granted in this game no matter how good he is. He ahnialated Sara in the rematch, beat Josh Koscheck thought by many to be the best wrestler in the welterweight division by outwrestling him, totally dominated John Finch who was on a great streak going into their fight. He's looked like a man on another level compared to his opponents it's not even fit. Penn has to move up to make the weight so GSP's going to have the edge in size and strength and reach. I'd say he's just as quick as BJ, and has clearly has better wrestling, ground and pound & cardio and a slight edge in the standup. Penn is pretty close to him in the standup and has the better ju-jitsu and the better chin. However it's gonna be damn near impossible to submit GSP from your back, and that's likely where you're going to end up because George's wrestling has become so effective. Also being a natural lightweight, it's going to be tough for BJ to knock George out. I think Penn's an excellent striker for points, but he's not really a knockout artist. Anything can happen and I would never say Penn has no chance in a fight against anyone, but I think GSP is going to be too much.
St. Pierre is a brutal striker and he could win by knockout but Because BJ has that Hawaiian chin along with very elusive head movement, he may be able to avoid the knockout, so I'm predicting GSP by unanimous decision.
If George wins, he'll likely defend the title against Theigo Alves, but beyond that there's not too much left for him at 170. I wonder would he up to challenge Anderson Silva at 185? I don't know if he could take the Spider. It'd be very similar to to this superfight except St. Pierre would be assuming the role of underdog and giving up size, strength and reach to Silva, but with his wrestling ability he might be able to pull it off. I'd be rooting for GSP if that fight were to happen, and probably be more pumped for it than any fight ever, even though I'm not so sure he could win it. If he somehow managed too, then I'd put my money on him to keep going in the gauntlet run and take out Evans at 205.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Great fights Saturday night. Shogun won, but did not look good. Figured he would be well conditioned, especially since Pride had 10 minute first rounds. But Shogun was gassed way too early. Would have loved to see the Marcus Davis fight go one more round. Decision could have gone either way, but it was very exciting. Both choosing to keep it standing and trading strikes.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
This Saturday's Affliction card looks awesome. It's always a special event everytime Fedor steps into battle to tear someone's head off. Arlovski is about to become the latest victim.
I really wanna see Belfort vs. Lindland. Vitor looked like the old Vitor in his last fight but it'll be a huge test for him to go up against "the Law". That fight could definatly go either way, and it should make for a very interesting battle. I have no idea who's going to win, but I'm rooting for Belfort.
Affliction picked up Sokoudjou from the UFC and he's fighting Babalu Sobral which should be explosive. Babalu should tire him out and then knock him out, but being as crazy as he is he might exchange right from the opening bell which is dangerous as Sokoudjou is a great striker until he gases. I'm picking Babalu, but expecting this fight to be awesome as well.
Chris Horodecki is still being advertised to be fighting Dan Lauzon which would be awesome as well, but I've heard that he failed his phyisical due to a buldging disk restricting movement in his right arm and the athletic commission is refusing to licence him. That's a shame because Horodecki is one of the most explosive little fuckers you'll ever see in action. Plus Josh Barrnett is on the card. He gets to beat up Gilbert Yvel, which should set up a Fedor-Barrnett main even if Affliction is able to stage another show...if they can't, hopefully both will head to the UFC.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I don't think Barnett will ever fight in the UFC. I read either on the internet or an mma magazine that there is bad tension between Barnett and the UFC. I really want to see the Affliction fight card, but I want to see GSP/Penn II. Three pay per views in one month is an expensive cable bill.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
I used to have respect for Penn that is until he started beaking off about GSP. In my eyes fighters who shoot off before the fight usually know what the outcome will be(not in their favor!) and try to get into their opponents head. Can't wait to see GSP bounce his bald little head off the mat! Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
I'd like GSP to win, but I have a feeling that Penn's gonna take it. Normally, I don't care about BJ's shit talking, but it generally bothers me when that sort of shit talking is directed at class, respectful guy like GSP who seems to genuinely like all of his opponents, or at least respect them.
Anyway, at least if BJ wins, we'll see a rubber match, so there's that. On the other hand, it's not fair that Florian and Alves have to wait for their title shots.
Changing subjects, is anyone gonna watch Margarito/Mosley this Saturday. I understand it's on the same day as Fedor's beheading of Arlovski, but it's one of the best fights made, even though Mosley's lost a step since his fight with Cotto. I think Margarito wins a decisive 8-4 decision.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
GSP/Penn II is going to be a 5 round war with GSP getting the decision. His gameplan last year was great. Outstrike his opponents and takedown them and completely controlling every round. Although BJ knows GSP is awesome standing and on the ground, he'll be expecting GSP to strike the entire time. Thats when GSP will take him down and edge out every round. GSP all the way.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Penn could only dream of lasting 5 rounds with anyone...let alone GSP! I hear people saying all the time that Penn's conditioning has improved greatly but from what I can tell he still seems to get gassed pretty quickly against opponents. GSP on the other hand is a machine one who will use the trash talking as motivation.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Anyone watch Affliction last night? I really wanted to but couldn't. I want to know how Arlovski did. Doubt he won but hope he lasted longer than Tim Silvia.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Didn't get to watch it but it covers all the fights on the card...
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
WEC tonight. Rematch between Pulver/Faber only lasted one round. Faber caught him with a vicious left to the body. I really wanted Pulver to win. He was very aggressive and looked good attacking Faber, but got caught. Good fights tonight.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Tonights the night fella's!! GSP is gonna shut BJ up...for now..he'll probably start shooting off soon about losing to GSP though...AGAIN! Not going to be a decision though that's for sure...any predictions?
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Woohoo! GSP just destroyed BJ. That was a good rumor Joe Rogans partner may have started. GSP vs Anderson Silva. That would solidify whos the best, pound for pound. Machida vs Evans. Sounds like it might be next.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
I fucking told ya's how it would work out! GSP will most definetly go up against Silva... I mean there is no one left to challenge him but Silva. As for Machida I had a feeling that he would win, he's such a technical,well rounded MMA.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Man, BJ did not look good. He came into the ring focused and looked determined, but once the fight started, it was like he barely knew what to do. Just didn't look like BJ. OMG, how wicked was that KO by Machida with 1 second left in the round? And how about the new guy, Jon Jones? Dude is awesome. Looking forward to seeing him again. That spinning elbow was crazy and dropped Bonner flat on his face.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
What a beating GSP put on Penn. An Absolute Clinic by St. Pierre. It truely was a joy to watch that fight.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Diego Sanchez dropped down to lightweight. I really wanted to see him move up in the 170lbs division. Oh well, hopefully he'll get back to his winning streak and take on Florian and then BJ. This Saturday against Stevenson should be spectacular.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Koscheck got knocked the f$@k out. I don't know why but I don't like him. Glad to see him lose. Diego Sanchez beat Stevenson, which I'm glad. I think Sanchez can dominate the 155lbs division.
I don't know why the crowd always boo Diego. He is an exciting fighter. Only bad fight he had was against Koscheck.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
My buddy really likes Koscheck so he wasn't pleased with that result. As for the Sanzchez fight...man...Sanchez is garbage, not to mention a douche! Did you see him coming into the octagon? YES! YES! YES! over and over? Cum dripping out of his mouth! Stevenson has heart...but lacks the stamina/skill to survive in the UFC.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
So long as BJ Penn is at 155, no one else will come close to winning the title there. With that said, I can't wait until Penn/Florian. Sanchez/Guida, though, would be a hell of a fight to determine a #1 contender, as would Sanchez/Griffin.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Aww, man! How can you call Sanchez garbage? Have you seen any of his fights other than the Stevenson fight? His performances against Karo Parisyan, Nick Diaz, Joe Riggs, Florian, etc are great examples of how good he is and the potential to take over the 155lbs division. His performance last week was ok and the second fight with Koscheck, he just blew that opportunity away. I know he can seem a little corny with his zen and pump up antics. But as a fighter, he is awesome. Bluetoelover, check out those fights I mentioned if you haven't seen them and tell me he's garbage.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Yooooo........ I heard Nog and Couture are gonna fight in August. WAR both badasses!!! I can't pick a side, they're two of my all-time favorites. It might very well be their last hurrah.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
That would be an awesome fight. I've been more of a fan of Nogueria so I going for him. No way can this be their final fights, at least not for Nogueria. Didn't couture already have a scheduled fight with Fedor planned for this year around summertime? All they were waiting for was Couture to finish his contract with UFC which I believe was the Lesnar fight.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Shogun baby. Who watched Liddell get ko'd in the first round by Shogun?
Machida/Evans next month. Oh, man! Can't wait to see that. Got to go with Machida.
Wanderlei/Franklin in June. Damn, that is going to be better.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
The Silva fight was disgusting. That he was unwilling to even try and take out a scared shitless punching bag like that and then tried to justify why afterwards just doesn't sit well with me. He's starting to turn into the MMA version of Roy Jones, Jr.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Lietes should have his purse withheld for that ridiculous display of non fighting. Chuck-Shogun was awesome. That loss could spell the end for Liddell but at the same time be just the shot in the arm of confidence Shogun needs to take a run at the title.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Liddell isn't done fighting. Maybe for the UFC but he'll get signed with Affliction. Maybe take some time off and realize he's not done. Looks as if Shogun might be fully recovered from his injuries. Hopefully he can get back to being the top ranked LHW like he once was or close to it.
Posted by mafeet (Member # 32220) on :
Lidell said in the post fight conference that it was likely his last fight. But we all know how it goes with atheletes and retirement (especially in mma/boxing).
Shogun looked great. I'd argue even better than his Pride days. His strikes had a snap like I've never seen. His wresteling was much improved as he was able to get Chuck down. But I think the key was his gameplan. Rather than playing to Liddells forte by landing a punch then chasing, he'd land a couple punches and back up or follow it with a kick, thus disrupting Liddell's rythm.
As for Anderson, he needs to fight Okami. Okami is far more deserving than Leites, has a bit of a history with Anderson as that was Andersons last loss (albeit via illegal upkick) and most important he will actually FIGHT! The inclusion of Wanderlei into the 185 division also sets up a promising/entertaining fight!
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I'm more disappointed with Lietes than with Silva. This was his title shot and he didn't want it. What the hell are you fighting for?
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
I know most guys here are MMA fans, and this has turned into a de jure MMA thread, but please tell me someone saw the Pacquiao/Hatton fight on Saturday. Manny Pacquiao is GOD. It was a vicious fight.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Pacman was increadable. His training and scouting was impecable, surpassed only by his execution. He just killed Ricky Hatton who is an awesome fighter and made it look easy. Fuck I hope they're able to put together a fight with Mayweather because Pacman is the man that will stop him.
Floyd is talking about comming back to fight Juan Manuel Marquez in the middle of the summer. Marquez had the two epics with Pacman where he got a draw in their first fight and lost a split decision in their second. Both fights were close and could have gone either way. They're planning on doing it at 145 which should give Mayweather the advantage he needs to win that fight which I hope he does so that it would set the stage for potentially the biggest fight of my lifetime so far if Mayweather and Pacman hook em up. Nothing would put boxing back to prominance like that fight, and nothing would get me back into it quicker than watching Manny tear apart Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
As a matter of fact, Mayweather/Marquez is official. July 18th, and the catch weight is 143. Don't count Marquez out though, he might be the one guy in the world who's as technically superb as Mayweather is. He's a considerable underdog though, Mayweather is bigger, faster, younger, and as intelligent.
Right now, I think Pacquiao's got the tools to beat Mayweather though. He can match the speed, hits much harder, and is a stamina machine. Mayweather can't expect to sit back and pot shot like he usually does. Pacquiao's gonna make him fight his ass off, and it's on Mayweather to keep up.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Exactly. Marquez gave Pacman trouble with his technical ability but Pacquiao just kept comming and comming for two fights and that aggressiveness lead to knockdowns which proved to be the difference in gaining a draw out of a sure defeat in the first fight and scoring the win in the second fight for Manny.
Floyd is perhaps the only one who is as, or more technically perfect than Marquez. This fight between Marquez and Mayweather is a boxing purist's dream come true. I don't know how good a fight it'll end up being because both guys are so technical and so good defensively that it may be bit of a boring fight with Mayweather using the size he'll have to bully Marquez enough on the inside while landing the harder and more damaging power shots from the outside to take a unanamous decision.
Against Pacquiao I don't think he can do that. No matter what weight they fight at Pacman will not be bullied by Mayweather. Manny will be more than happy to slug with him as his combination of hand speed and power is going to be at a level Mayweather's never had to deal with. Pacquiao's hands are just as quick or quicker than Floyd's and dispite being the smaller man Manny hits much harder than Mayweather does. When it comes to footwork and head movement Mayweather will have an advantage there but being the smaller man will give Pac the added bit of quickness he'll need to make up for what he lacks in head movement and footwork. Pacquiao is also the only guy on the planet I think that can match Floyd's increadable conditioning. Maybe he can't completely match it as some of the things Floyd does in training is almost in human, but Pacquiao is the one guy who's cardio is good enough to push the pace for a 15 round fight against Floyd Mayweather in a bout that will only be scheduled for 12 which will be sufficiant.
The other factor is how much both guys pride themselves on their legacy and how bad they'll wanna silence their doubters and become the undisputed pound for pound king of their generation while simultaniously grabbing a spot in the top 1-5 in all of history in that same catagory. That's where I think Manny will have an edge.
While Mayweather's built his undeafeated record with a number of impressive performances, he's never faced anyone as good as Manny. At super featherweight his destruction of Manfredy put him on the map but he got what was in my opinion a gift decision in the first Castillo fight and the second one was alot closer than the judges had it. After those two classics he pretty much decided to stop taking chances and begin doing a better job of stating his his case as the best pound for pound fighter ever with his mouth than with his fists. I would go as far as to say he's padded his record by beating up the over rated Zab Judah and Carlos Baldomir and taking on big names when past their prime. Arturo Gatti's as game as anyone whose ever stepped into a ring but he was way past his prime and nowhere near at the skill level of a Floyd Mayweather when the pretty boy put on a clinic against him. Oscar was also past his prime but still managed to push Floyd the distance and almost score the upset.
He had a great and impressive performance against Hatton in his last fight so I can't take anything away from him on that one other than to mention that it only took Pacman 8 rounds to dominate Oscar like he'd never been dominated before and only 2 rounds to do to Hatton what it took Floyd 10 rounds to accomplish in what was probably Mayweather's best performance ever. Marquez definatly has a chance of beating Mayweather but I think his chances would be alot better if the fight were at 135 instead of 145. In typical Mayweather fashion he's got Marquez moving out of his comfort zone and into a situation where Mayweather will have an advantage. I hope he does capitalize on that advantage and win that fight as long as he goes on to fight Pacquiao and doesn't jump back into retirement. I want Manny to be the guy that shuts Mayweather up and knocks him the fuck out.
While Mayweather's been telling the world how great he is, Manny's been in the trenches winning a series of wars over fellow warriors Barrera, Morales & Márquez in a much more competitive Super Featherweight division than Floyd was fighting in before making the jump to lightweight where he crushed David Diaz and then went to welterweight where he dominated De La Hoya and Hatton in his best two performances yet. The culmination and reward for all those early wars and the payoff and prestige for all the hard work that went into being as awesome as he was in his last three fights would all finally reach it's apex if he was able to be the man that beats Floyd Mayweather and ends any dispute as to who is the greatest fighter of this generation.
Floyd will want it just as bad, there's no doubt he'll train harder than he's ever trained before and I think he'll come into the fight ready to be at the best he's ever been, but I don't think that he's the warrior that Manny Pacquiao is and that'll hopefully be the difference if this dream fight ever goes down. I think Floyd'll be right in the fight if not winning it for the first half to three quarters of the battle but when the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th rounds roll around and Pacquiao hasn't gone away, slowed down, or stopped hitting him harder and more often than he's used to being hit, Mayweather will fold under the Pacmans pressure and end up getting knocked down a couple of times late, hopefully even knocked out. If Mayweather beats Marquez looks good doing it and Pacquiao can get Mayweather to lay it on the line and accept a fight with him, I simply think Manny will refuse to be denied the glory that would come with winning that dream fight.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
I'm telling you right now, if Mayweather tries to run, potshot, and generally try to stink the fight out, he's going to lose. Part of the reason Morales and Marquez had success against Pacquiao is because they stayed in the pocket and counter punched effectively, then went on the offensive themselves, in effect, being willing to go to war with Pacquiao. I don't know if Mayweather's willing to do that with someone who's as dangerous a puncher as Manny is.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Machida knocked Evans the fuck out last night in one of the most technically sound and perfectly executed beatings of all time. It'll be intresting to see how he matches up with Rampage. I don't think Rampage will be able to hit him standing up, Machida's too elusive. Jackson may be able to smother him against the cage and get him down from the clinch. That'll be his only chance to get him down and look for ground and pound. In the standup Machida would make him look silly and pick him apart. Outside of Rampage I can't see anyone else having much of a chance at all against him, and I think he'll probably beat Jackson too. Last night's performance by Machida was amazing to witness and I think it ended the game of pass the title that was taking place at 205 as Machida looks like the guy that could hang on to that belt for quite some time and establish a serious 205 pound presance in the best pound 4 pound catagory where Fedor, Silva and St. Pierre get most of the attention. Machida's karate skills, elusive ninja like speed and style combined with his new found power looks like big trouble for anyone who crosses his path. What a performance by Loyoto Machida.
Comeon Rashad, Get up and dance!
Knockout couldn't have happened to a nicer guy either. I dispised Rashad Evans from day one and couldn't wait to see someone finally flatten him. I figured Machida'd win the fight but by decision. I thought Rampage would be the one to knock him out but Machida delivered big time and you could not have asked for a more devistating or awesome knockout than the one Machida put on Evans!
Hughes got the decision in his grudge match with Serra but it was a hell of alot closer than I thought it would be. The judges had it 29-28 across the board for Hughes but prior to the decision I thought Serra may have done enough to steal the third round with a late takedown and agressive attempt to finish to the end of the fight. Serra won the first round, Hughes won the second and was controlling most of the third but Serra turned it on toward the end to make it very close. I can't really argue with the decision as it was extremely close, Hughes probably did enough to earn the win but I gotta give Serra credit for his effort as I thought he was going to get murdered and he hung tough and really had Hughes rocked in the first round although alot of it may have been due to an accidental headbutt he landed as he hit Hughes with a great body shot. That fight was a way better than I expected.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I think Serra should have one that fight. When Hughes was on top, he did nothing. Serra did nothing also when Hughes was on top in the 2nd, but in the 3rd, when Serra was on the bottom, he had a couple sub attemps, and got the take down in the end.
But, Machida. I love this guy. I like Rashad, but I think I love Machida because he's a traditional martial artist. I love his Karate style, which nobody uses in mma anymore. When I see him fight, I see the same techniques we use in taekwondo which shows how effective it is against fighters.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
What happened with Pat Barry? Whooped ass until he went to the ground. Dude is one of the best K-1 fighters and I want to see him move up in the UFC. Guess he'll spend the majority of his off time working on his ground game.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Machida's made that top 3 into a top 4. I don't see too many guys at 205 who can beat him. Rampage is up next, but his best shot to beat Machida is to take the fight to the ground, and Machida's a BJJ black belt. You're gonna need someone who's willing to swarm Machida, neutralize his speed, and outmuscle him. An in-fight really, because Machida will beat anyone on the outside. He's too elusive.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I'm not sure if Rampage will be able to take him to the ground, if Rampage is next against Machida.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Big night this Saturday. Anyone picking Lesnar? I'm going for Mir. His boxing was beautiful against Nogueria, which may be his best chance against Lesnar. Couture whooped Lesnars ass with his striking til he got caught. I don't think Lesnar is going to fall for another ankle lock.
Also have to pick GSP. I think is is the best mma fighter behind Fedor.
I'm not impressed with Bisping, so I'm picking Henderson.
Posted by National (Member # 8568) on :
This Saturday IS a big night. I'm picking Lesnar, although I get very nervous when I see him fight. So far (at least from what I've seen) is that Lesnar does not do much until he grounds someone and just pounds on his head until the ref gets him off of his opponent. He seems like he gets tired very easily. I think the guy on the opposing corner is too intimidated by his physique and aura. The fact that he's such a huge attraction can certainly play into someone's mind when facing him. I always liked him, even when he was in WWE. I hope he wins.
St. Pierre is always a good pick.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I don't think Mir is intimidated by Lesnars size. He already has a win over Lesnar with an ankle lock that nobody gets submitted by any more. Mir probably knows he has the advantage standing up and the skill to submit him. He justs needs to avoid getting hit. Lesnars punching power might be more powerful than Crocops left head kick.
Contemplating whether or not I should spend $40 to go to the UFC fan expo Saturday when all I'm going to get is a "whats up" and maybe a photo.
Posted by National (Member # 8568) on :
You're right about Mir making Lesnar submit. I have to keep up with the UFC more if I want to make more sense in what I'm talking about. I was a HUGE fan of it when that thing FIRST came out in 1994 or 5. Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Tank Abbott were quite prominent then. What happened was that Time Warner Cable (where I live in NYC) thought that shit was too violent and decided not to air anymore of its events. It's been back on my pay-per-view provider for a long time after that hiatus. But I've been very slow into getting to know who the fighters are and all that.
I should watch that event this weekend and it's going to be quite nerve-wrecking!
But with Lesnar having a few fights under his belt, he should know how to avoid Mir's attack methods.
As far as going to that expo, I would think most of the others there will get a "what's up" and a photo. Give it a shot! I would look for a fight if I were you. That way, you get the full experience of what fan expo is about.
...Just joking with the last sentence. But flip a coin. Heads, you go; tails, you stay.
--National
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
I can't wait for this event. I can't believe it's finally only 2 days away. I've been watching the UFC top 100 show on spike all week counting down the 100 best fights as we head toward UFC 100.
Also the Countdown show that promotes the pay per view really got me even more hyped as if that was necessary with Brock and Mir's comments and views on their first fight and on eachother. Like National, I'm real nervous about the fight. I think Lesnar will win, I hope Lesnar wins but Mir is such a good technican all it takes is one mistake by Brock and Mir will submit him again. I think his only chance is to win by submission, I disagree with Ftlcker that Mir has the advantage standing up. I think Mir's a much more technically sound striker and a far better boxer than Brock but I don't think that it matters one bit because Brock is such a monster that I don't think he can be rocked or dropped or hurt badly in an exchange with anyone. He can take two or three shots from Mir in order to land 1 of his own and if he lands that one, it's game over, lights out, good night irene. Nobody has ever hit as hard or as viciously as Lesnar does, it's almost freakish the strength that man has. I think if the fight is standing up, Mir will pick him apart for a little while, but it's just a matter of time before Lesnar catches him and knocks him out. What I fear is that the same holds true but in favor of Mir on the ground. Lesnar is the superior wrestler and can take Mir down at will but the question becomes, "what's he gonna do when he gets him there?" Hopefully he can ground and pound him and defend the title, I'm sure he'll be must more patient and calculated this time around, as he got overzealous in the first fight and made a rookie mistake, but will an improved display of patience and a more strict attention to positioning & submission defence first, administering ground and pound second prove too much for Mir and provide Brock an oppertunity later in the fight to finish him off with the ground and pound or win a decision, or will it simply mean a longer fight, a more involved chess match, where Mir will simply defend the ground and pound, continue to look for submission oppertunities until one presents itself...In a 5 round fight which is only Lesnar's 5th professional fight overall, if he wants to take the fight to the ground but favors patience and poise over a quick finish, he'll have to go 25 minutes without making a single mistake against a BJJ whiz. That's a tall order and I don't know if he can do it. What I do like though is that the anklelock and kneebar are probably the two main things he has to watch out for and he's such a good wrestler he should be able to control the positions and keep his lower extremities out of trouble. I don't know if Mir can pull off upperbody submissions on Brock because he's so freakin' big. How do you choke a guy with no neck? Instead of a neck, Lesnar simply has a second set of shoulders. How to armbar that guy? You latch onto his arm for the kimoura and Lesnar would just start doing curls with your entire body. Brock should be able to overcome, he has too much power for Mir to exchange with him in the standup, and his wrestling ability is such that it should allow him to get top position on the ground so that as long as he's patient and worries about his positioning and submission defence first, then once he's sure he's in a position to defend any kind of submission hold and only then he looks to patiently ground and pound when oppertunity allows, he'll eventually win the fight either by decision or at such a point when the damage done will cause a stoppage or daze Mir enough for Brock to finish him. The thing is, I can easily see Lesnar falling victim to a sweep and being totally lost if he finds himself on his back on the bottom, or if he thinks he has Mir hurt and looks to finish recklessly he could get himself caught in another submission like last time. As long as he's patient and sticks to a solid game plan he should be able to win but it's going to be an electric fight and I can't fucking wait to see it go down. I'm picking Lesnar by knockout in the second round to defend and become the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion.
I'm also a little nervous about the GSP fight as well. St. Pierre is my favorite fighter, and in my opinion he's on another level to Alves and can outstrike him standing by proving too elusive for the much stronger and harder hitting Alves to lay a hand on. He's also such a great wrestler, he's got phenominal ground and pound, great submissions and ju jitsu and he may be the most athetic guy in all of MMA he really is the total package and he should be fine, but that Alves hits like a truck, and with all the Hype surrounding the Lesnar-Mir fight, and people talking about GSP moving up to fight Anderson Silva in a superfight, I just hope he's fully prepared because Alves is definatly for real. I don't like the way this fight seems to be flying under the radar, that could be dangerous for GSP... Remember the last time everyone took a dominating GSP performance resulting in an easy win for granted against a guy without alot of hype behind him? Matt Serra shocked the world...hopefully GSP will never let that happen again and he'll be motivated, ready and up to the very tough challenge Alves will present. I'm picking GSP by stoppage due to ground and pound in the 4th to defend the Welterweight Championship of the World.
Henderson and Bisping should be explosive as well. Not only are they the coaches from last seasons TUF show clashing in an international confrentation, the winner should likely become the number 1 contender for Anderson Silva's middleweight title. Bisping's looked great at 185 and he's a good striker, and exciting striker, which paired with Henderson should make for a hell of a fight. I think Hendo's a much more well rounded and better overall fighter than Bisping though and that will prove to be the difference. I think Henderson's got the better chin so if they keep it standing I think Dan will knock him out. Bisping might have an advantage in conditioning being much younger, but Hendo's a tremendous wrestler which should allow him to control the takedowns and ground work if he needs to conserve energy, plus he's a former champion whose proven he can go 5 rounds if need be, so even against a younger guy with tremendous cardio, 3 should still be a piece of cake for Henderson. I think Dan will either win a decision or knock Bisping out in the third round in a very exciting tussel.
The storylines, the contrasts in styles, the magnitiude of the matchups, the milestone 100th event, the card is remarkable and history is going to be made. I can't wait to see this show Saturday night.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Did the Carano/Cyborg fight already happen. I really want to see that but don't know when it is. I'm staying with my mother-in-law until I get my place and almost all the channels are Spanish and I'm browsing the web with my phone.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
The Carano vs. Cyborg fight is on the next Strikeforce card August 15th. It will also feature Nick Diaz vs. Joe Riggs II and possibly Alistair Overeem vs Brett Rogers as well. It'll cap off a phenominal 3 week run for MMA. The previous weekend is UFC 101 featuring Penn vs. Florian and Silva vs. Forrest on August 8th. The week before that on August 1st Affliction 3 goes down and features Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett, Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Jorge Santiago vs. Vitor Belfort, Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Yvel and Dan Lauzon vs. Chris Horodecki in an increadably stacked card.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Damn! The Affliction card looks better than the UFC card.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Fedor vs. Barnett @ Affliction Trilogy is Off. Fucking Barnett tested positive for steroids and cannot be licensed. What a clown.
What a dumb, dumb fucking dummy Josh Barnett is. I'm pretty liberal in my view of steroids in sports. I had given Josh not so much the benefit of the doubt on his UFC steroid deal, but I really didn't care, I looked at it as a young guy who was doing everything he could possibly do to get to the number 1 spot in his sport, he took a calculated risk and got caught. It happens. I always thought he was a cool guy and a great character and just like pouge, I too have been looking forward to this fight for years. Now at this stage of his career under these circumstances I just think he's a selfish prick, a born loser and a total asshole for not only blowing the biggest oppertunity of his career, but for also quite possibly taking an entire company down with him thanks to his own selfishness and inability to stay clean.
I guess he realized he couldn't beat Emelianenko on his own, so he tried to gain an extra advantage to give himself a chance even though he of all people should have learned from his first incident that it's very difficult to be on the roids near fight time in the US and get away with it. Now he's disgraced himself for life. Even if he lost the fight, a good performance would have gaurenteed him work in other promotions going forward, it would have possibly opened the door to a UFC return or made him likely the number 1 guy in Affliction if Fedor goes to the UFC now that his obligations with Affliction will be met following his fight next Saturday. If Barnett won the fight, it would make him either the instant face of Affliction or if they went under it would possibly force Dana to put their past behind him and resign Barnett to the UFC for a huge fight with Lesnar.
...Not to mention it was an oppertunity to face the greatest MMA fighter in history in a huge fight scheduled to headline a card that was designed to try and keep an entire organization above water. Barnett threw it all away and let a hell of alot of people down. He'll never see the inside of the UFC octogon again after this and it wouldn't surprise me if he were to end up blacklisted from any promotion in North America. Who's going to want to take a chance on building an event around a guy who may or may not be allowed to compete come fight night?
I don't think Barnett was going to beat Fedor but for a long time I've been of the opinion that he posed the biggest threat to him since the Cro-Crop fight. I figured Barnett was the last real challenge left for Fedor outside of the UFC and I was looking forward to this fight at being a great test to gage Fedor heading into a potential matchup with Lesnar. This wasn't a gaurenteed victory by any means, in fact yesterday I would've ranked Barnett as the number 2 heavyweight in the world behind only Fedor and just ahead of Brock Lesnar. Now he ranks nowhere and will fade into obscurity like a nobody with nobody to blame but himself. What a shitty, shitty deal.
I wonder if Affliction and Barnett knew when the testing was going to be done. You'd think there would have been some sort of heads up as most fighters don't get caught until post fight random tests. For a professional fighter to fail a pre fight test is about the most careless, inexcusable and stupid fucking thing that he could possibly let happen. Barnett had a chance in this fight, not a great one, but probably a better chance than anyone else in the world except for maybe Brock Lesnar. He had a chance at greatness and he selfishly fucking blew it. Fuck him.
As for the replacements, whoever is asked should jump at the oppertunity. They're not likely to win but anything can happen in a fight and to get in there with the best in the world at your profession is a chance that doesn't come along everyday. Vitor Belfort is a phenominal fighter but he's jumping 3 weight classes to face Emelianenko. He's too small to beat him. He's got great power for his size and is capable of knocking out a heavyweight but probably not the best heavyweight in the entire world. I think Fedor will shut him down, take him down and take him out. I know Vitor is eyeing a UFC showdown with Anderson Silva so he may not want to take a beating right now, but to face Fedor, I don't think he can pass up that oppertunity. Losing to the greatest fighter in the history of the sport in a fight you jumped 3 weight classes to take on 10 days notice is nothing to be ashamed of and does nothing to deminish your reseme no matter the outcome.
Plus you never friggin know what could happen, Vitor will be the fastest man Fedor ever fought, he's explosive and dangerous and everything about his style is basically the exact opposite of Josh Barnett who Fedor's been training for. Matt Lindland was doing pretty well with Fedor for awhile before it was curtins so you never know. I suppose there's the crazy and insane possiblity that Vitor could pull off the miracle and what would that do? He'd be a free agent comming off a win against the universally recignized greatest fighter in the world. He could then go to the UFC and fight Anderson Silva tops amoung many pound 4 pound lists, and if successful he could potentially fight GSP at 185, and Machida at 205 and if he beat Fedor, he could probably fucken try Lesnar at some kinda catch weight as well. He's in a position to try and run the gauntlet of most people's entire MMA best pound for pound list. Why not take a shot, even if you lose, you're in the main event and going back down 3 weight classes for your next fight. If it's against Silva in the UFC, you're in there against possibly the greatest fighter of all time in that class which is a gaurenteed chance to redeem yourself. Vitor's gotta take the fight if it's offered. He'll likely get smoked, but he's gotta go for it anyways.
Bobby Lashley would be a great fit as well, and would likely attract lot of viewers based on his WWE backround. He'd probably get smoked but nothings a total given in a fight. Lashley's a strong dude that could rock anyone if he catches them, he's got great wrestling and he's looked awesome so far in his MMA career. That being said, he's not ready for Fedor just yet. He's similar in style to what Barnett would bring to the table, and I think Fedor would submit him rather quickly and rather easily due to Lashley's inexperience but still it would make for an intriguing matchup that I'd like to see, and it'd be a tremendous oppertunity for Lashley. You can't even begin to prepare for fighting Fedor Emelianenko on 10 days notice, but a loss wouldn't be a big deal for Lashley. Lesnar lost his first fight to Frank Mir and is now the champion and the most dominant fighter in the UFC. Fedor is the champion and most dominant fighter in the world, so if you have a chance to fight him, you've gotta take it no matter the circumstances. I'd rather see Lashley in there than Vitor because Vitor's just too small to have as much of a chance as Lashley, although both guys chances would be so slim it's probably not worth trying to work out. I'd give Lashley about a 3 in a million chance as oppose to the 1 in a million odds I'd give Vitor. Still, Lashley vs. Fedor is an interesting matchup and a pretty fan friendly way to make the most of a bad situation at the last minute. Plus by having Lashly fill the spot you don't needa cancel Belfort's scheduled fight at 185. Apparently Lashley just signed a deal with TNA wrestling that will let him continue to persue MMA but they don't know if he'd be allowed to take the fight on such short notice. If there's any chance of him getting this fight he should do everything in his power to fill the spot left open by that douchebag Barnett.
Brett Rogers would also be a good fill in. He just knocked out Arlovski and is probably the next best Heavyweight in Affliction besides Barnett so I wouldn't mind seeing them give him a shot. He'd have a punchers chance, nothing more. Fedor would likely take him down and tap him out in short order as well.
I dunno, I just can't believe this happened right now, 10 days away from the event. I can't see Affliction surviving beyond this show, but a Fedor-Lashley main event would be a fun and entertaining last hurrah. It would likely be a clinic by Fedor and a good learning experience for Lashley, but you never know what could happen. I'd still buy the ppv if they manage to pull that fight off. If it's Vitor, I'll probably watch it online, because I was looking forward to seeing both Vitor and Fedor fight in seperate fights and kick ass. If they fight eachother it'll likely be easy pickins for Fedor and as a Belfort fan I don't wanna see him get obliterated in a fight he doesn't have much of a chance in to being with.
Fuck Josh Barnett!
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Man, that is a shame. I too thought Barnett would be Fedors biggest challenge. Call me crazy but I felt Barnett would be a tougher challenge than Lesnar. Whoever faces Fedor now, doesn't have much of a chance. Who is going to be 100% ready to fight. I know they constantly train, but when you're preparing for a certain fight, that training intensifies and you have a gameplan.
I wonder how Dana will attack once the Affliction card is done and Fedor is free from his contract? Dana said Fedor will be in the UFC once his fight with Barnett is done. I have a feeling Fedor will resign with Affliction.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Just read on yahoo sports, Affliction signed to promote WITH UFC.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Just read on yahoo sports, Affliction signed to promote WITH UFC.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Apparently it's going to be Vitor that replaces Barnett which is the worst scenario for the fans because it ruins two good fights and replaces them with one fight that shouldn't be much more of a challenge than a sparring session for Fedor.
Belfort is a great middleweight who was supposed to fight at 185 on the card against Jorge Santiago, which was also his last contracted fight with Affliction. He was then expected to sign with the UFC and challenge Anderson Silva. Now that his middleweight fight is off, and he's going to be in the main event, it's a great oppertunity for him and a must see for his die hard fans in case he were to pull off the miracle, but instead of adding an explosive knockout to the card which he probably would have done if he fought Santiago, that fight is off, and instead he will likely lose to Emelianenko in a fight far less competitive than Fedor vs. Barnett would have been.
Lashley was on last nights TNA wrestling program at the end of the show and they were talking about him being there next week, so he probably couldn't have taken the fight due to commitments with them. However Affliction should have given the fight to Brett Rogers, the next best heavyweight under contract with them. Fedor said that he wanted Rogers to fill in, and although that probably wouldn't be a great fight either, and an easy submission win for Emelianenko it would be the best, fairest, and most logical thing to do for the fans who got sucked in buying tickets or ordering the ppv advanced expecting to see Fedor vs. Barnett. It would be the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World Fedor Emelianenko facing the next best available heavyweight in Affliction, a guy comming off a huge knockout win over Arlovski and guy with devistating one shot knockout power in Rogers...plus you'd have one of the top 5 middleweights in the world in Vitor Belfort fighting in the undercard. Instead they've traded two exciting fights for in for one mismatch that few people will have any interest in. Nobody's going to care about Fedor beating Belfort, he's supposed to beat any middleweight in the world, and nobody's going to care about Vitor losing to Emelianenko, as he has no business being in there in the first place.
I think Fedor's had it with Affliction after this. Had the Barnett fight happened, he may have resigned with them, defended against Rogers, maybe Werdum or Overeem down the line in cross promotional fights with Strikeforce, but if the best they can line up for him is a man not in his weight class, not in the next weight class, but in the one below that, I think he's gotta realize that the promotion is a joke and finally move on to the UFC to challenge Lesnar. Fedor vs. Lesnar is where the money's at right now in MMA.
I heard today talk that the entire show may be cancelled though, I'm flipping around on the internet right now trying to get confirmation or find out if it's just a rumor. I wonder what cancelling the event does...would Fedor still owe them a fight or would Affliction have give up their rights to him for breaching his contract by cancelling his scheduled fight...I'll post more if I can get some clarification on what the hell is going on with this talk that the whole event is off.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Yup it's official, the whole show is canceled and the company has folded. Fuck Josh Barnett.
It's still not clear on what the deal is with Fedor's contract because he was signed with M-1 Global in conjunction with Affliction, and Affliction is now history but M-1 Global is still afloat. Their next show is scheduled for August 28th. I wonder if Fedor'll fight someone there or if he's free to go to the UFC right now or what the deal is.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
As much as I want to see Fedor/Lesnar, I'm sad that Affliction, Pride, and Elite are no more. I think its good that there are more than 1 mma organization. So many good fighters out there, yet Dana won't sign them all and not everyone likes fighting in a cage.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
That's too bad, I was really looking forward to that fight too. Hell, the whole card was pretty stacked, and one dumbass move kills an entire promotion. Fucking Barnett....
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Jesus, Diaz-Riggs is off now too. Apparently Riggs had a bad reaction to a perscription or something and ended up in the hostpial.
First Overeem drops out of his title defence with Werdum. Kimo dies and comes back to life...Barnett test positive to steriods and blows the biggest oppertunity of his life. Then the whole Affliction show is canceled killing the highly anticipated Mousasi vs. Soberal fight and Vitor's middleweight battle with Jorge Santiago. So Affliction is off, done, folded and history. Strikeforce has lost 2 out of it's 3 main events now with Overeem out with the injured hand and now Riggs out against Diaz. The way things are going Carano probably won't make weight or something to fuck the whole card and put them out of business too.
What could be a silver linging in all of this is that Dana White and the UFC should be scooping up all these free agents, as GSP and Silva have sort of distanced themselves from the pack in their respective divisions, and although Lesnar has only one defence under his belt and some competition in the UFC in Carwin, Vasquez, Cro Cop, Gonzaga, Kongo and Big Nog, without a doubt his biggest challenge and the fight everyone wants to see would come in the form of Fedor. It's the perfect time for them to have an influx of free agents at their disposal.
I was always in favor of competeing organizations but since Pride went under these other organizations aren't true competition, they're a joke who end up writing checks they ultimately can't cash and making promises they ultimately can't deliver on. Fedor should say enough is enough and go to the UFC. The time is right. In Pride that organization was an equal rival, and arguably a better product than the UFC so being the champion there was creadable and it gave the organization creadability. Affliction was paved with good intentions but they simply cannot survive in a world where their main events self distruct 10 days before fight night and if it gets the few exceptional fighters absent from the UFC to go there and fight the fights everyone wants to see, it may be the best case scenario afterall.
Fedor's obviously the best possible challenge for Lesnar, as he'd probably beat him and remain undisputed champion, finally silencing all of his critics by defeating the UFC champion and taking over the heavyweight division in the only market he's basically left untapped up to this point.
At light heavyweight, the UFC is still stacked and Machida has a scheduled fight with Rua and then the winner of Rampage-Evans would likely be next in line. Forrest is lurking around and depending on the outcome of his fight with Silva you may see more of him, or more of Anderson at 205. Chuck Liddell is still lurking around as well, and Franklin, Wanderli Silva and Dan Henderson can all appear at 205 if they want to. However I think Machida will beat all of those guys realitively easily with the exception of Rampage, I think he'd beat Jackson too, but I wouldn't be so quick to put money down on that one and I think Jackson's wrestling ability and strength could pose problems for Machida. In a 5 round fight though I think Machida would eventually find a way to win, leg kicks early could pay dividends late and I think Loyto would beat Rampage as well as anyone else the UFC has at 205 in the process of establishing himself the next dominant champion at light heavyweight and etching his name into most pound 4 pound lists.
That being said, if the UFC could add Gegard Mousasi at 205 that would be huge. He's a very exciting fighter and already mentioned as one of the best in the business pound for pound. He'd be an instant contender in the light heavyweight division and a super exciting dude to watch try and earn a title shot. I think he would cut his way through some of the best at 205 to earn a title shot and ultimately end up posing the biggest threat to Machida's title reign in the most compelling of all the awesome fights that could be made at 205 pounds these days.
Vitor Belfort would provide the most exciting and explosive challenge for Anderson Silva that's out there. That's a fight I'd love to see. My money would be on Silva but I'd be cheering for Belfort and I think he'd have a very good chance of winning that fight.
With his highly anticipated Rematch with Joe Riggs, the second of Strikeforces triple main event July 15th show now off, I would love to see Nick Diaz come into the UFC and challenge George St. Pierre at 170. I think he's the biggest, and perhaps the only challenge left for GSP at 170. He's on a 5 fight winning streak and looked tremendous in his wins over Scott Smith and Frank Shammrock who are both middleweights, but Nick's a natural Welterweight, or even a possible lightweight. I think GSP would beat him, but I definatly think Diaz would give him a tougher challenge than anyone else out there at 170, and the fight would be one of the most exciting and entertaining bouts ever because Diaz simply does not have boring fights. Diaz is probably the only person in the world who can match, perhaps even exceed GSP's level of conditioning and cardio. He also has great BJJ skills which would make him dangerous from the bottom even if St. Peirre gets the takedown and his standup has looked ever improving and more powerful than ever in his last couple of fights. GSP is the more powerful and explosive striker, but Diaz chin is legendary and he is the kind of fighter that would take GSP's best shots, withstand his best takedowns and keep pushing him till the final bell. In a 5 round fight between these two amazing athletes it would be a war of attrition. Diaz would probably lose in a simlar fashion to Jon Fitch, by surviving like a game warrior but taking a tremendous beating in the process, but you just don't know. He's a fair bit quicker than Fitch and he has such an unorthodox style that it could cross up GSP and give him problems. I would love to see this fight take place. Right now, I think it's the only fight for GSP I could get excited about at 170.
Diaz could actually make 155 if he wanted to and take on Penn there. I don't think he wants to be in the lightweight division and welter is the most comfortable fit for him but for a superfight with Penn he could take a shot. I think he could beat Penn in a 5 rounder, depending on how smoothly he's able to make the weight cut. In a 3 rounder it'd be very close and could go either way but I'd be leaning towards Penn. However if BJ's the champion it would be 5 rounds and another great matchup.
So as much as it sucks that these cards and these fights are being cancelled, if these fighters end up in the UFC it makes for some very interesting possibilites. I would have loved to see Fedor vs. Barnett but I'm also dying to see Fedor vs. Lesnar. I was really looking forward to Mousasi vs. Babalu but I can't deny that the thought of a possible Mousasi-Machida fight is something pretty freakin' awesome. I'm a huge Vitor fan and was looking forward to seeing him unleash the violence again at 185 next weekend, then when he was going to have to jump in to face Fedor, I was a little worried for him, but slightly curious as to how he could fare...however to see him in the UFC at 185 challenging Anderson Silva is something I'd be far more excited about. I couldn't wait to see Diaz Riggs II as it would have been a very exciting fight, and I think this time around Nick would've take Riggs apart. As great a fight as that was sure to be, it wouldn't be have as awesome as the throught of a Diaz vs. GSP showdown in the Welterweight division, or even Diaz Penn at Lightweight. If the UFC can capitalize on some of these free agents there's a possiblity to create a better fight in every division than their current roster would allow for so as much as it sucks for MMA fans this August as fights are falling through left, right and center, in the long run all of these shenanigans might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
What are you guys picks for tomorrow? Mine: Penn Almeida Neer Griffin/Silva: I don't know. Just for the hell of it, I'll pick Griffin. But Silva is more than likely going to pick Griffin apart.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Penn is going to destroy Florian. Alot of people are giving Kenny a good chance here because of the way Penn was dominated by GSP and how awesome Florian's looked in his last few fights. I am not one of those people. I've been impressed by Florian's improvement, but at 155 nobody is going to touch Penn. He's going to be highly motivated to get back on track, and I think he'll turn in one of the best performances of his career and really hammer Florian. I fucking hate Penn, so I'd love to see Florian pull it off but I just don't see any way for Kenny to win this fight. Florian's been consistantly improving and becomming more well rounded as a mixed martial artist but BJ is still better than him in every area. His only chance is to survive a terrible beating and hope Penn gases in the 4th or 5th round, but I honestly can't see KenFlo making it that far.
Silva will probably knock Griffin out, although I'll be cheering for Forrest, and I think he might have a shance to win a decision if he comes in with a solid gameplan, looks to take the fight to the ground and contain and control Silva, scoring some points along the way. The worse the fight is, the better chance Forrest has. Anderson could win by knockout, submission or decision. I think Forrest will be right in it after 1, but there'll come a point in the second where an exchange breaks out and Forrest will get rocked, try to stay up and keep going on heart, but then Silva will get him in the clinch and three or four knees later it's game over.
In other action, I think Sadollah will take Hendricks. Almeida will beat that goffy bastard Grove and hopefully put him out of the UFC for good. Neer vs. Pellegrino should be good. I'm going with Neer. Hopefully Sakara will knock out Leites but that one could go either way.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Oh man! I really feel bad for Forrest Griffin. That was just a horrible and embarrassing way to lose. He couldn't even stay in the ring in the end.
As for Anderson Silva. Who is this guy? Is he a mutant or something? That was just the best display of striking and head movement. Maybe he should just stay at 205 and run through that division.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Holy Fuck! Anderson Silva is a freakin' machine! If there was any doubt after his last couple of fights if he still had any passion for fighting, he squashed that big time with one of the most dominant performances I've ever seen. The knockout did look bad as it was a back peddeling jab, but the only reason Forrest had a chance to lose in that embarassing fashion was because he got up for a couple of prior knockdowns where most other men would have stayed down. Griffin was definatly out on his feet when he got tagged with that last one. You can tell because he was loading up a punch when he walked into the jab, but that punch was poised to be aiming about 2 and a half feet to the left of where Silva actually was. What a clinic Anderson put on. His accuracy is that of a sniper and his handspeed appears to multiply his power a great deal because guys with great chins just crumple often times from a single shot or a combination where they were hit with two or 3 more strikes before they'd even have the chance to complete their fall from their feet to the mat after the first one. This performance by Anderson makes me think that as awesome the hype would be, GSP wouldn't be able to handle a matchup with him. Vitor & Hendo, Maia and Marquart aren't going to pose much of a threat against him either I don't think. Vitor can match his handspeed and he's got knockout power but if he doesn't catch him in the initial exchange, an exchange Silva monitors with caution, he'll be in trouble. Same with Henderson, Hendo would have to get him down and wrestle and hope for a decision. He won't be able to knock him out because he'll never land that big looping right hand. Silva gets in there for the exchange and doesn't even want to throw, he just uses head movement and watches you from a distance where he can avoid your inital flurry as well as take note of how you threw it at him. Then your done because he's just going to hit you extremely hard with such percision and accuracy there's basically no way to defend against it.
The way he measures you up in the first 30 seconds or so it's almost like he's loading your data into a machine programmed to quickly process it and then execute your assassination. I've reserved the "He's not even Human, the guy's a machine" comments for Fedor and Fedor only up to this point but Silva was like a machine tonight. He could definatly win the title at 205 and what a dream fight it would be to see him take on Machida who's perhaps the only guy elusive enough not to get caught with those strikes, but I can't see it, in a 5 round fight, I think Anderson would get to him eventually. Apparently they're real close and don't want to fight one another but Silva's at the point where he's basically too good for the Middleweight division. Rampage might have a chance at getting him to the ground, but if it stays standing, Anderson would beat him the exact same way Wanderli Silva did. Other than those two, I think he'd run through everyone else at 205 and I think he'd probably beat both of those guys as well. Forrest didn't stand a chance. Wow.
BJ and Florian went pretty much as I expected. A solid effort from Kenny, he was good, he is good, but Penn's just a little bit better than him in all aspects of MMA and it showed as BJ won each round and then finally tapped him out pulling the rear naked choke out of the slighest little opening when Kenny let go of his hand for not even a second, he sinched it in there. It was a gallon effort by Florian but like Silva at 185 and GSP at 170, BJ Penn is simply on another level at 155 pounds. Nobody is going to touch him at lightweight as long as he wants to be there and remains motivated by being the Lightweight Champion. I hate Penn and was rooting for Florian but I knew he didn't have much of a chance. The good thing for me is that next up for him will be Deigo Sanchez who I hate even more than BJ, so when that one goes down I'll not only get to appreciate BJ's ability but enjoy it as he'll kick the shit out of Sanchez in a similar fashion, but the fact that it'll be Deigo Sanchez getting beat up will make it that much more fun to watch.
Almeda looked pretty good against Grove. I hate Grove so it was nice to see him take a beating. I thought he won that third round though, but the Judges gave it to Almeda 30-27. I won't argue it though because Grove's a goofy bastard that I like to see lose.
Sadollah got a raw deal with the quick stoppage by Dan Mergliota. He got rocked with a nice shot but he was trying to get up and definatly wasn't knocked out, he might have gotten caught again trying to get up and lost anyway, but he also could have cleared the cobwebs and comeback to win the fight. He showed great resilance on the show when he won TUF, but we'll never know if he had another comeback in him against Hendricks because the ref pulled the plug on it early.
Neer vs. Pellegrino wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be because almost the entire fight was on the ground without all that much happening. Neer was actually doing more work from the bottom than Pellegrino was doing from the top but the top position usually tells the judges you're controlling the fight, Pellegrino controlled most of the fight and did enough to win a decent battle that wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. Aaron Riley dominated Nelson and Sotiropoulos dominated Emerson in the other fights. It was a decent show overall but not as good as some of the more recent UFC's as a whole, however what the overall card lacked was made up for by the mind boggling perfection of Anderson Silva in his pure destruction of Forrest Griffin. The Spider has got some serious, serious skills and he is one bad motherfucker. I'm not so sure how great the GSP superfight is anymore and I'm not so sure about how legitimate a chance Vitor or Henderson have of getting the strap off him at Middleweight. I think perhaps Anderson should be kept at 205 because he's proved he's a realistic contender there that could likely beat most guys in the division and could very well win the championship there if he would agree to fight Machida.
WOW!
Posted by timothy99 (Member # 28289) on :
one problem is his good friend machida. He has too much respect to fight him and does not want to fight him. I believe there is no one who can touch silva simply amazing is his striking ability. bruce lee once said if you get me to the ground you have a chance but good luck getting me to the ground. Good luck for anyone trying to get silva to the ground because his striking just wont let it happen.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Hendo managed to do it. We'll see, tonight was definitely impressive. If he beats Henderson, he might as well just take big fights against whoever at 205, because there is no one else at 185 who can beat him.
Same goes for Penn, but at least at 155, there's a good list of guys he hasn't gotten to fight yet. There's no point going to 170, because BJ only cares about titles, and he'll never beat GSP.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I wish I could see what happened once Forrest got back in the dressing room. See what he was going through. Just so embarrassing and disheartening to go out like that. I really feel bad for him. He's such a good guy that you have to feel bad for him.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
I heard Forrest's jaw was broken which is why they rushed him to the dressing room right after the fight. Even if that is the case, I'm sure the embarressment had something to do with it because he did the exact same thing when Jardine knocked him out that time as well.
[ August 10, 2009, 09:12 PM: Message edited by: Drunk_24-7 ]
Posted by -cfg- (Member # 13863) on :
quote:Originally posted by FtLckr26: I wish I could see what happened once Forrest got back in the dressing room. See what he was going through. Just so embarrassing and disheartening to go out like that. I really feel bad for him. He's such a good guy that you have to feel bad for him.
Me too. That jab was so sick. As soon as I saw Silva drop his hands and start his Roy Jones Jr. routine I knew it was over for Forrest. It was like Silva just got a huge surge of confidence and Forrest had that "fear" look in his eyes. Like the look guys used have before they fought Tyson.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Carano/Cyborg tonight.
Going for Carano. I know Cyborg is everyones pick as she is devastating in the cage, but I think and hope Carano will pick her apart and get a ref stoppage.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
No responses on the Carano fight, huh? Well, I thought it was a good ass fight. One that I've been anticipating for a while. Sucks that Carano lost and now that there is a womens title she won't be holding it. The ref stopped the fight right as the bell rang. I hope we don't have to wait long before a rematch.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
I watched it. Was too depressed to post as Carano is just so awesome, it really sucked to see her lose. It also sucked the way the ref stopped it at the last second. She was so close to surviving the round which was a key to her strategy, she had the advantage in terms of cardio and needed to survive the first two rounds, get through the third and looked to take over and win in the 4th and 5th. She almost made it out of the first round but she couldn't quite do it. Credit Cyborg for doing what she had to do. She brought a frantic pace that Gina's never had to deal with before and earned the victory completely. Just really sucks for Carano an Women's MMA as a whole. Fans aren't going to pay to watch Cyborg fight because there's nobody out there who can compete at her level and nobody wants to see a beautiful woman like Carano get beaten up by an amazon looking psycho. If Carano had have won she would have inspired more women all over north america to take up MMA and kept male viewers tuning in and loving every minute of it. Tough loss, but she did her best and was beaten by a better fighter.
How about Gegard Mousasi just tearing through Babalu!!! I'd love to see him fight Machida or Anderson Silva at 205.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I don't think he's ready for Machida or Silva. Babalu is awesome and one of my favorites but beating Babalu, in my opinion, doesn't mean he's ready for them. That would mean Mousai is a top 5 fighter.
I am actually looking forward to seeing Cyborg fight whomever, cause she's so exciting to watch. Of course I prefer to see Gina fight. She's so sexy and exciting to watch as well. I was wondering how she would do against Cyborg on the ground as Cyborg is I believe a blackbelt in BJJ. Gina did great. But trying to weather the storm of the first 2 rounds was how I thought she would win, since Cyborg trains at Chute Boxe. Thats where Wanderlei Silva, Shogun and Ninja used to train and the training there is intense.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
I don't know that he's ready for Machida and Silva either but it's definatly a possibility. He didn't just beat Babalu, he destroyed him in like 2 minutes and made it look easy. Before that he beat Mark Hunt, Manhoef, Dennis Kang and Cyborg's husband, the male Cyborg Santos. Plus he just turned 24 this month and trains with Fedor which is going to make him keep getting better with every fight. I'd say he's probably top 5 at 205 right now. I would rank him behind Machida, Silva, Rampage and in the number 4 slot ahead of Rua and Evans. However even though I'd rank him behind those three guys right now, I definatly think he'd have a realistic chance to beating them and they're all fights I'd love to see. His next fight is scheduled to be against Sokoudjou in October over in Dream. I think he'll likely make short work of him as well.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
In my opinion, Moussassi is the best middleweight around who's name isn't Anderson Silva. I'd love to see him come to the UFC. Silva can't fuck around with Moussassi.
Even though most of the other guys in here are MMA fans, are there any boxing fans who're looking forward to the tripleheader this weekend on HBO? Juan Diaz takes on Paulie Malignaggi, Robert Guerrero challenges the South African Malcolm Klassen for the IBF Jr. Lightweight title, and young prospect Danny Jacobs takes a big step up against a quality, experienced fighter in Ishe Smith. I myself am picking Diaz by UD, Guerrero by late stoppage, and Jacobs by UD.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I get less and less interested in boxing as time goes on, which sucks cause I used to be a huge boxing fan.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Any picks for this weekend?
Jardine Nogueria It was hard for me to pick between Couture and Nog, but I've been a huge fan of Nogueria since his Pride days, longer than I've been a fan of Couture. Plus Randy already got his chance at Lesnar. Nog will do better on the ground against Lesnar than anyone else in the UFC.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
UFC 102 August 29th, 2009 from the Garden Center in Portland, Oregon.
MAIN CARD Heavyweight Bout: Randy Couture v. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Main Event
Light-Heavyweight Bout: Keith Jardine v. Thiago Silva
Middleweight Bout: Chris Leben v. Jake Rosholt
Middleweight Bout: Nate Marquardt v. Demian Maia
Light-Heavyweight Bout: Brandon Vera v. Krzysztof Soszynski
PRELIMINARY CARD Heavyweight Bout: Gabriel Gonzaga v. Chris Tuchscherer
Middleweight Bout: Wilson Gouveia v. James Irvin
Middleweight Bout: Nick Catone v. Mark Munoz
Lightweight Bout: Matt Veach v. Evan Dunham
Heavyweight Bout: Justin McCully v. Mike Russo
Heavyweight Bout: Tim Hague v. Todd Duffee
I'm having a hard time getting excited for this one. I may look for an online link for it and not even order this one as 103 is stacked, 104 and 105 not so much and then 106 will be awesome with the announcement that Lesnar will defend the title again Shane Carwin. Saturday's UFC could be a very good show, but with all that's been going on in MMA lately and the huge headliners in action the past couple of shows, this card sort of seems irrelevant in my opinion. That being said there are some interesting matchups with the potential to provide some great fights.
Couture vs. Nogueira is an awesome matchup between two of the greatest heavyweights of all time, but it's outdated by a couple of years at this point as both guys looked to have left their primes behind based on their last efforts. Especially Nogueira. 1-5 years ago I would have picked Nogueira in this fight, but after the beating he took against Mir, I think all the wars he's been in may have finally caught up with him. I think Couture will keep this fight standing as best he can, and if it goes to the ground Randy will likely end up on top. Big Nog will be active from the bottom, but Randy's pretty good at avoiding submissions. In a 3 rounder I think he'll avoid the submissions and get the better of the standup to win the fight by decision. It's still a great matchup to see Couture and Big Nog go at it, but even the winner will probably only sneak into the top 5 of the depth chart behind Brock, Carwin & Vasquez into a position somewhere around Mir/CroCop. A couple of years ago this would have been one of the biggest fights that could be put together in MMA and in a 5 rounder for the title at that time I would have picked Nogeuira by a 4th or 5th round submission. Now it's not nearly as big a deal as it would have been a year or two ago and in this weekend's three round battle of the legends I'm picking Couture by decision.
Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva could be an explosive fight and feature a great knockout but I hate both fighters, especially Jardine, so I really don't care about the fight. Hopefully Silva will knock him out, but again, even the winner of the fight isn't going anywhere in the light heavyweight division with Machida, Anderson Silva, Rampage, Shogun, Rashad, with possibly even Jon Jones and returning Tito Ortiz more likely to get a title shot ahead of the winner of the co main event on the card, rendering the fight almost meaningless in my opinion.
Maia vs. Maquardt is probably the most meaningful fight on the card and it should be a great battle in a classic clash of styles. I'll be pulling for Nate, but I have a feeling Maia will find a way to submit him. Even this fight is not as big as it was only a few weeks ago when the winner was supposed to get the next shot against Anderson Silva at 185. Now Dan Henderson is getting that shot, which is the best move the UFC could make in sorting out that title picture but it doesn't do this ppv any favors by knocking down the significance of the most significant fight on the card. I want to see this fight, but I want to see Hendo vs. Silva and Vitor vs. Silva and W.Silva vs. Silva or any combination of those fighters against each other more than the winner of this fight take on Anderson.
Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt could steal the show. Leben's fights are always explosive and entertaining. Great undercard fight, but once again, a meaningless fight as neither guy is going anywhere. They should put on a good show none the less. Hopefully Leben will knock him out.
Brandon Vera v. Krzysztof Soszynski doesn't interest me. Vera's last half a dozen fights or so have been horrible and I really have no interest in seeing him fight anymore. He does have alot of potential but it seems to be passing him by, maybe he'll have a great performance, score a nice victory and get his shit together but if his past few fights are any indication, the fight will probably suck and Vera will end up losing in a disappointing fight.
Wilson Gouveia v. James Irvin has the makings of a great fight, in my opinion that should be on the main card instead of Vera. I'd like to see this fight, but it's quite possible I could buy the ppv and not get to see it which is shitty. I'd think I'd rather see Gabriel Gonzaga v. Chris Tuchscherer on the main card than Vera's fight as well, hell I'd rather see Justin McCully v. Mike Russo than Vera. Lots of potentially excellent fights, but they really don't mean all that much. I might get the ppv but I might settle for a stream of this one. The card is really not that bad in terms of the quality of the matchups but the significance of those matchups is what is sorely lacking.
In other MMA news, Strikeforce has announced Fedor's first fight will be against Brett Rogers, likely in Novemeber. That's probably the toughest opponent outside of Barnett and the UFC that's out there because Rogers has the punchers chance against anyone. I'm surprised they didn't fast track Fedor to a title shot against Overeem and then feed him Rogers in what would be a fairly legit title defence. I'm excited to see this fight because it's always a treat to watch Fedor fight and Rogers has insane punching power so Emelianenko will have to be careful and make sure he doesn't get caught. I expect he'll take him down and tap him out rather quickly in the first round but anytime Fedor steps into the ring it's an event in itself so I'm looking forward to that.
Mic- I didn't see any of the boxing matches last weekend, but I've been reading that Paulie was robbed. I talked to a couple of people who said it was a great fight and a very close fight and that Diaz probably earned a very tight decision like 115-113 type close and it seems like a bigger robbery because one of the judges scored it a Diaz landslide which was way off the mark. Alot of the articles I read on it though seem to think Malignaggi won the fight. What did you think of the outcome? I see you predicted a Diaz Unamious decision which is what happened, but do you think it was the right call?
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Malignaggi didn't get robbed, but it was definitely a fight that could have gone both ways. Most people do believe Paulie won though, but robbed? Nah. The problem was with the other two judges that scored it. 116-112 was bad, there is no way Juan more than 7 rounds (all close too), but the biggest travesty was the Texas judge who scored it 118-110 for Diaz. Absolutely unacceptable, and the guy deserves to have his judging license pulled for something so ridiculous.
I myself prefer aggression and harder punching than perhaps more punches landed, particularly when Paulie is mostly landing insignificant stuff that Juan was walking through. To me, it looked like Juan was dictating the pace of the fight, but I had it very close, a draw actually.
They ought to rematch in a neutral venue, but Juan is a big ticket-seller down in Texas, so I really don't expect a rematch if there are bigger money fights to make. This wasn't even a lightweight fight. He wants to rematch Marquez, but I don't think Marquez will fight him in Texas again.
Anyway, Fedor/Rogers is a good fight. Rogers has all the tools to give Fedor a very tough fight, but in the end, Fedor's fought bigger, more experienced, and more skilled fighters before. It's a letdown from that Barnett fight, but it's still a very good fight. If Fedor wins, he'll beat Overeem much easier than he did Rogers.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
What a great event UFC 102 turned out to be. Big knockouts all around, a great submission of the night and an epic heavyweight main event.
Beauty of a shot from Thiago Silva to turn out Jardine's lights and Maquardt knocked out Maia with basically one shot in what was a shocker. I thought that'd be the best and most competitive fight on the card and it was over with the first punch Marquardt threw. It was a hell of a shot though and a great win for Nate to put him back into number 1 contender discussions for a fight with Anderson Silva. If Hendo gets the shot, which I think he should and Vitor Belfort beats Franklin, Marquardt vs. Vitor for the next number 1 contender would be a great fight.
Speaking of quick knockouts, Todd Duffee a new guy I'd never seen fight before exploded onto the scene and set a UFC record for the fastest knockout ever by ending Tim Hauge's night in 7 seconds.
Chris Leben's getting worse. When he first came into the UFC off the show he was not only an exciting knockout artist, he was a pretty solid fighter. Good wrestler, good takedown defence, increadable chin, solid power. He trained with Quest but didn't get any better. His standup is a mess and gets wilder with each fight. He's still got knockout power and he's still got a great chin but his punches are wilder and more unpolished with every outing. This Jake Rosholt kid took him down with ease, avoided any trouble in the standup and tapped him out like nobody's business with an awesome choke that Leben refused to tap to. Instead he went to sleep and did the funky chicken as Rosholt picked up a big win.
Brandon Vera beat Soszynski quite easily. Wasn't a bad fight really, but it was the least exciting one on the card. Vera didn't do anything spectacular but he did win each round and controlled from start to finish to pick up the unanimous decision.
The Wilson Gouveia-James Irvin was off because Irvin had to pull out, so it was replaced with Aaron Simpson who beat Ed Herman by TKO in the second round. Simpson had a great first round and was controlling the fight, he scored a takedown right at the end of the first round and Herman blew his knee out. He came out for the second round like a gamer, but he was done, he tried to throw a kick but his bad knee couldn't support it. Simpson caught his leg and tagged him with a shot as Herman crumpled to the canvas in pain and the ref mercifully called the contest.
Evan Dunham beat Marcus Aurelio by split decision in a great fight that could have gone either way but I believe Dunham deserved the decision he was awarded. That was a great fight. Gabriel Gonzaga apparently knocked out Chris Tuchscherer after catching him with a boot in the nuts, Tuchscherer decided to continue and shortly after the fight resumbed Gonzaga got him with a head kick and then pounded him out till the ref stopped it. I didn't see that fight but apprently it was pretty violent.
As for the main event, Big Nog and Couture; What a fucking war they waged!!! Those two guys turned back the clock and put on a hell of a display. The only thing that could have made that fight better is if it had have been a 5 rounder. Nog probably won all 3 rounds but Randy was right in all of em, especially the first two and they were very close rounds. The difference was that Big Nog looked like his old self in terms of his chin and indestructability when Randy was able to hit him with some big shots so he was never really in trouble at any point while Couture was in series danger several times from submission attempts, the darth in the first, the arm triangle in the second and when Minotaro had his back in the third. He was also rocked and knocked down a couple of times from punches both in the first and third rounds but like the amazing warrior he is he battled through everything Nig Nog threw at him and finished each round strongly and in control, unfortanatly for him it just wasn't enough. That was a classic fight between two of the classiest and most awesome and honorable warriors to ever compete in mixed martial arts.
It wasn't at all a case of two washed up warriors engaging in a battle that only showed shadows of their former selves as I feared it might have been. Instead it was a highly competitive and extremely exciting MMA clinic between two of the best heavyweights in the UFC. I picked Couture going into the fight, but mentioned I would have picked Big Nog in a couple of years ago when I thought it would have been more of a prime vs. prime scenario...well Nog looked to have reclaimed his prime last night as he was tagged with some big shots and they didn't even faze him, which allowed for him to do the most telling damage in the standup as well as get the fight to the ground and use his submissions effectively to seize control, score points and very nearly end the fight. Against most guys not named Randy Couture he probably would have won that fight by submission in the first round. Great fight between two awesome fighters, and two awesome guys. Props to Couture for a hell of an effort and congrats to Nogueira on a hard fought, well earned victory in a performance that makes me believe he's back, relevant and perhaps the biggest threat in the UFC's heavyweight division to Brock Lesnar.
First though I'd like to see him fight Frank Mir again. I was shocked, saddened and really just friggin shocked the way Mir beat Nog in their fight and after seeing it I thought, "Oh no, those wars have finally caught up to him, he's done" But if it was a staff infection all along, then he may not have lost anything at all. Even still, in there against Lesnar he doesn't necessairly have to have lost anything to be beaten. Lesnar is an even bigger, stronger and while not necessairly more talented or more technical a striker, he's certianly a more vicious and powerful striker than even the best guys Nogueira's faced. Big Nog survived wars against Fedor and beat alot of hard hitters and great fighters like Barnett, Cro-Cop, Herring, Silvia, Hendo, Kharitonov, Goodridge, Ricco Rodriguez, Bob Sapp and Sammy Schilt so there's no reason to believe he can't survive against Lesnar, and with Brock's seemingly only weakness the submission game, in a 5 round fight there's pleanty of time for Nogueira to find a submission and pull it off. It'll be tough because Lesnar's probably hits even harder than anyone on that impressive list and he's such a good wrestler and so big and strong he may be able to control and resist any kind of submission attempts and just ground and pound Nogueira either into a stoppage or a unanimous decision. Brock's never been in a guard like Nogueira's though and if Mir tapped him out, so too could Nogueira.
What makes it a unique and interesting matchup and gives Big Nog a good chance is that it's a clash of styles that presents problems for Brock. Against Carwin and Vasquez, even though these guys are big, strong, awesome and explosive, I think Lesnar will have the advantage because he's bigger, stronger, more explosive and more awesome. He does the things they do well better than them, and although they'll push him, if he brings his A game he should be able to beat them. Against Nogueira it's two polor opposite styles clashing. If Brock can control him like he was able to control Mir he'll be able to pound on him, probably stop him, but if not win the decision without much difficulty. Big Nog at his best though can take a beating better than Mir, will probably be in better condition than Mir, bring just as good or better a submissions than Mir and perhaps most importantly, have a bigger heart than Mir which could allow him to survive until an opening presents itself and he can score a submission. The fight will be won by whoever is able to impose their will, I think I'd still be leaning towards Lesnar but after last night's performance I am back on the Nogueira bandwagon and think he has a very good chance of beating Brock. First though I'd like to see him rematch Mir and prove that what happened to him in the last fight was a one off, bad night.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Nogueria left his prime years ago? I don't think so. I knew Mir didn't beat the Nogueria I've loved for so many years and the recent injury and sickness explained it. I was very surprised he didn't finish Couture when he had those submissions in. He's got to be the #1 in submissions yet I was glad Couture was able to keep from getting submitted. Glad the fight ended in a decision cause I didn't want to see Couture knocked out again or submitted for the first time in the UFC.
Overall, I thought this event was well worth watching. How about that K.O. by Marquart? Beautiful! I'm guessing his next fight will be a rematch with Silva. Who else does he have to beat to get a rematch? Henderson?
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
I think Hendo's getting Anderson Silva. If Vitor Belfort beats Franklin at 103, Nate'll probably have to fight Belfort and the winner will get the winner of Henderson-Silva II.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Figured that would be kind of early for a title shot, if Belfort wins, which I hope he does. I still feel sad about what happened to his sister. I think Franklin might be a gatekeeper, kind of like Liddell was. You beat Liddell, you get a title shot.
Posted by JZ Wand (Member # 36398) on :
Love boxing and MMA. Fought MMA back in 07. Fun stuff!
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Vitor returns to the UFC tonight. Very excited to watch him go up against Franklin. I love both fighters but have to pick Franklin by decision.
Really hope Koscheck gets KTFO. Really don't like him. Going to pick Trigg to win by decision.
Crocop. Another favorite of mine. I want to see that left head kick destroy the heavyweight division like it used to.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
I'm pumped for the return of the Phenom as well. Franklin could win a decision as Belfort will often blow his load in the first couple of rounds. If Franklin can make it go the distance he could win the fight by decision but I think Belfort will knock him out in the first or early in the second round.
I'm a big CroCop fan as well so I'm picking him and rooting for him. Alot of people are saying he's done and that this Junior dos Santos kid is the real deal and that he's going to knock CroCop out. I think Junior's actually the favorite on the vagas odds. I think if CropCop's focused and in shape he can land the big head kick and get back on track with a big win. I dunno if it'll happen but I sure hope it does. I'm picking CroCop by knockout.
I do think Trigg is pretty much done at this point in his career. I hate Koscheck too and wouldn't mind seeing Trigg win a decision but I think Koscheck will outwrestle him, out cardio him and control most of the fight to win a decision.
Kampmann should beat Daley because he's more well rounded and just as good a striker, but this could be a shocker because Daley's got a solid chin and hits very, very hard. Kampmann would be wise to take him down and tap him out, but I don't think he will, he's an explosive striker himself and more technically sound in his striking than Daley so he should be able to beat him in a standup war but in doing that he'll run the risk of getting tagged. I think Kampmann will win by stoppage but Daley's definatly not a bad upset pick.
Tyson Griffin's fighting Hermes Franca in another bout that should be a barn burner. This one'll probably go the distance and be exciting from start to finish and could go either way. I'm going to pick Griffin by decision.
The prelims are supposed to be live on Spike too so we'll get to see em. I'd pick Cole Miller over Efrain Escudero, Jim Miller over Steve Lopez, Rob Emerson vs. Rafael dos Anjos and Drew McFedries over Tomasz Drwal as in those fights, I've seen the guys I've picked and never heard of their opponents. Also scheduled is Rafello Oliveria vs. Nik Lentz, Brian Foster vs. Rick Story, Jason Brilz vs. Elliot Marshall & Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Igor Pokrajac none of whom I've ever heard of.
Some great fights Wednesday night on Fight Night Live, and then the first episode of the show was pretty good as well. Rampage is a hoot and I can't wait to see Kimbo in action. None of the guys look all that great so he might have a chance of winning the show or at least getting a couple of wins before being sent packing. Roy Nelson and Wes Sims are really the only two guys I would rate higher than him at this point and I'd never put money on Wes Sims over anyone. That Madsen kid hammered Wagner who had no takedown defence whatsoever and ended up with a nasty ass gash for his efforts. Madsen wasn't even any good at ground and pound or that fight never would have made it out of the first round, it's just that Wagner was completely lost on his back. I think Kimbo would have smashed either one of those guys. I think Rampage will try and match him up with a football player with little to no experience which should allow Kimbo to score a highlight reel knockout but once he has to fight an established guy like say Nelson, he could be in serious trouble and will probably get knocked out. I'd love to see him put a beating on Sims before all is said and done. I wasn't a Kimbo fan prior to him arriving in the UFC but he seems like a very humble, quite, and decent dude just doing his best to earn a place on the big show. I hope he does ok for himself. I also think we're in for some huge entertainment with the banter between Rashad and Jackson.
There's no question Rashad is the smarter of the two, he's got the better coaching staff and I think he's a far better coach himself than Jackson is. However Rampage is a halarious fucking guy and I think he's a better fighter than Evans which should make for some great TV. Rampage is all about the buzz and exposure of the show. That's why he picked Kimbo right off the bat. That clip of him tearing down the door next week and getting in people's faces is another example of how he's in it for himself moreso than the guys on his team, but I'm fine with that. It's going to be funny to see Rashad out coach him and rub it in his face because it'll make Rampage lose his mind and do some wild, funny and crazy things and feed into the rage and focus he'll need to tear Rashad apart when they fight. I can't wait to see Jackson kick the ever living shit out of Evans when they finally get to do battle. Like Rampage said, There's definatly gonna be some Black on Black Crime!
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Free UFC 103 Undercard starts live on Spike right now. Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez is tonight as well. I think Floyd will win via decision but it'd be so aweosme if Marquez managed to beat him somehow.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Fuck Floyd, that's all I've got to say.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Dana was surprised that Mayweathers PPV pulled in more views than the Franklin/Belfort fight.
You guys watching TUF? Despite losing, he looked good against the former IFL champion.
And Rampage is a horrible coach.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Shogun vs Machida. I'm excited to see this. I am a fan of both. Loved Shogun since he was in Pride so I've been watching him longer than Machida. But I love Machida's karate style. I won't be disappointed in whoever wins, but I think Machida will. Shogun isn't the same as he was in PrideFC. He doesn't seem to have the stamina he used to have.
My other picks:
Rothwell Fisher Barry Johnson Okami
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
I think Machida will beat Shogun but it could go either way. Shogun is talented and vicious but the UFC rules don't suit him that well as he was good with the stomps and knees to downed opponents. His cardio hasn't looked at the same level it was in pride since he was in the UFC either as you mentioned, so I'm going with Machida, and I think Machida is awesome and a pleasure to watch fight, but it should be a good one, because Rua when he's on can beat anyone in the world at 205. That's really the only good fight on the card though, so I think I'm gonna skip this one, I'll prolly watch the fights online tomorrow or something but I can't justify 60 bucks just for one interesting fight. The next one is on Spike for free, then the Lesnar Carwin one. I'll be all over that one on PPV. I think Valasquez will hammer Rothwell and become the number 1 contender to the winner of Lesnar-Carwin, which I expect to be Brock. Fedor's fighting Brett Rogers live on CBS November 7th. That should be good as well. The thread kinda died off the past month but November is going to be a busy month with a pair of UFC's and Fedor making his Strikeforce debut.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
SHOGUN WAS ROBBED.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Theres going to be an immediate rematch between Shogun and Machida sometime early 2010. Everyone except the judges thought Shogun won. From Machida's facial expression, it looked as if he thought Shogun won also. Other UFC fighters who watched thought Shogun won. Oh well, thats why you can't leave it in the judges hands. But it looks like the Shogun I loved in Pride is 100% now.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
dunno what all the controversy is about other than the fact Goldberg is an annoying idiot who dispite calling the action for years still doesn't understand fighting and outside over over used cliches and stating, restating, and stating the obvious again and again decided to paint Shogun as the winner. Shogun threw some good leg kicks and a nice body shot in the first round as Rogan pointed out and Golberg just repeated and repeated it and repeated over and over without even noticing that Machida was picking Shogun apart with some nice shots and then getting out of the way quickly as not to be countered. Rogan knew it was very close and didn't go as far as to say Shogun won the fight. Goldberg created an unnecessary and much overblown controversy with his idiot commentary in my opinion. It was a close fight for sure, but I would have given Machida rounds 1, 3 and 4 for sure, probably rounds 1,2,3 and 4. The only round I thought Shogun clearly won was the 5th.
All Shogun did in the first three rounds was throw leg kicks. He had no other offence while Machida picked him apart with some well placed shots. I thought Machida won round 1 easily while Shogun commited to the investing in the leg kicks in hopes they'd pay dividends late in the fight.
After reading the comments that Shogun was robbed I was really looking for Shogun to be doing something to win these rounds but he did nothing but leg kick. Round 2 was pretty close, not because Shogun did a whole lot more, but Machida didn't do much of anything either. Shogun kept plugging away with the leg kicks but I thought Machida landed the better head strikes once again to take round two. It's possible Shogun did land a couple of good body shots to make it a close round but it was pretty much just leg kicks while Machida was able to mix up some nice body and head shots.
Round 3 was more of the same. Nothing but leg kicks from Shogun. Machida with some good body and head shots a nice flurry at the end to secure the round. Shogun landed a good right in that exchange but intead of going with the flurry and looking to knock Machida out he backed off and went back to the leg kicks. Machida won round 3 easily.
Round 4 was really close. The leg kicks began paying dividends as Machida started to look gassed and was clearly trying to protect the leg but Shogun wasn't very agressive and didn't really look to capitilize on Machida's weakened state. Shogun landed a couple of decent right hands and a knee to the body but Machida landed probably an equal number of good strikes. I could see Machida winning that round as well because it was basically an even round which usually are scored for the champion in title fights.
Round 5 belonged to Shogun as he landed the better stikes, bloodied Machida up a little bit and hit him with some stiff shots but he showed no sense of urgancy and didn't look to finish. He had Machida tired, his mobility was limited by the accumlitive leg kicks while Rua looked fresh and had some bounce to his step. He might have scored a knockout in that round had he gone for it, but he just played it safe and was still throwing leg kicks in fight I thought he was likely trailing in.
Goldberg is an idiot, don't let his ridiculous commentary fool you. A guy's got to do more than just throw leg kicks to win the Light Heavyweight Championship of the World and Shogun didn't do anything more. Might have been bad advice from the corner telling him he was winning or whatever but he didn't do enough to win that fight. He had a good game plan by commiting to the leg kicks through the first three rounds, he may have even stole a round in there but more importantly he softened Machida up for the final two rounds and could have potentially knocked him out but when those rounds came, he didn't go for it at all. It wasn't even a good fight as Machida didn't take any chances either and did just enough to win each round up until the 5th. Unlike his awesome victories over Rashad and Theigo Silva he was content to be elusive, pick his shots and win the decision. Not a bad stratagey against as dangerous a striker as Shogun is. Shogun was in the fight and made each round close with the leg kicks and they definatly wore the Dragon down for the by the time the last two rounds arrived but Rua didn't look to put Machida away in the 4th and 5th when he had the chance and has nobody to blame but himself for the loss. I think Machida rightfully won the decision and the main source of the controversy was Goldberg's uninformed call. Machida didn't do anything overwhelmingly impressive in rounds 1,2,3, or 4 but he was the champion, he landed the best head shots, avoided any powerful strikes that could have ended the fight, and did just enough to win all of those rounds which is what his style often times does. It's not always flashy or exciting but it gets the job done. All Shogun was really able to land was leg kicks, a couple of good kicks and knees to the body and a couple of punches in the 5th round and he seemed totally content with that and didn't look to pressure Machida and land the big fight changing shot at any point, even in the 5th. It was close, but I think you gotta beat the champion to win the title and I think the judges got this one right. I thought Rampage should have won the close fight Forrest got the decision on as well. Anyone who thinks that was the right decision, I can see why they think Shogun should have gotten this decision, but I scored it in favor of Machida and thought it was a close fight, not a very good fight, but the right call.
What a clinic Velasquez put on. I expected him to win, but that was complete and total domination. He's gotta be next in line to take on the winner of Lesnar-Carwin. I suppose Big Nog could make an argument for a title shot as well, but that wasn't just a win by Cain, that was a fucking statement. Cain Velasquez is ready for a title shot.
Should be a hell of a month for MMA with StrikeForce's Fedor vs. Rogers a week from Saturday, then UFC 105 Free on Spike featuring Coture and Vera. 106 was going to be a Stellar card but apparently Lesnar had to drop out of his title defence with Carwin. He's got the Swine Flu or something so the fights off. That really sucks, and Rampage has apparently retired to pursue acting so his fight with Rashad is off which also sucks. Still though, alot going on in the world of MMA in November.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I disagree. I felt Shogun landed more attacks, was the aggressor throughout most of the fight and won at least 3 of the rounds. I know most of the hits Shogun landed were leg kicks, but those still count. Its kind of hard to go in for the kill and try to finish the fight when Machida is backing away, waiting to counter. I know thats what Machida does best is counter, but he was very uneffective in the fight.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
DAAAAAMN! Fedor is the shit.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Dana White cracks me up. Airing UFC the same time as Strikeforce.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Guess I'm the only one keeping this thread going. This previous UFC was OK. One of the only few I wasn't really looking forward to and am glad it was free. Couture vs Vera was boring, yet I agree that Couture won. He controlled 85% of the fight, up against the cage. Vera had the knock down on Couture but that was it. Hoped Swick and Hardy would bang a little more as they both have great K.O. power. Swick got hurt a couple of times so of course he would have to back off and recover. I don't think Hardy has a chance against GSP. Was also disappointed with Kang. He had Bisping hurt in the first round but must have ran out of energy into the second cause he was a different fighter in the second round.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Didn't watch UFC on Saturday because I was watching the Pacquiao fight. He is Filipino Bruce Lee. Guys, there is no other fighter on the planet more deserving of your hard earned PPV money than him.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
UFC was free, thats why I didn't order the boxing fight. Wasn't Bruce Lee undefeated while Pacquiao has 3 losses? I'm going to have to watch the Bruce Lee documentary again, not the movie "Dragon" but the 2 hour documentary that aired several months ago. I believe its also on the "Enter The Dragon special edition" DVD.
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
I did just the opposite as Salvy and the same as FtLckr and went the UFC because entertainment wise I figured things were pretty much equal, the boxing main event a bit more intreiguing than anything on the UFC card but the UFC had 4 good fights and most importantly it was free.
Pacman is something else though. I hope he can get the Mayweather fight done and put the beating on Floyd I've been hoping to see someone put on him for years.
Posted by joebond (Member # 11049) on :
quote:Originally posted by Drunk_24-7: I did just the opposite as Salvy and the same as FtLckr and went the UFC because entertainment wise I figured things were pretty much equal, the boxing main event a bit more intreiguing than anything on the UFC card but the UFC had 4 good fights and most importantly it was free.
Pacman is something else though. I hope he can get the Mayweather fight done and put the beating on Floyd I've been hoping to see someone put on him for years.
Great minds think alike..I've been waiting for that cocky SOB to get jacked up for years..
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
Wow! Amyone watch the two hour season finale of the Ultimate fighter? They made up for an underwhelming season with one hell of a season finale for the show portion. All four of the last fights were impressive. Mittrione as much of a douchbag as his is, is like that big tough jock that a good fighter can beat but could also get knocked out by. You can smash him and he just blinks at you like a dummy and hits you back harder. He rocked McSweeney but then when McSweeney didn't go down and he ended up in a war, it became evidant he didn't have the heart of a fighter or the will of a warrior. As soon as he got in trouble and McSweeny put the gillotine on him he was tapping before McSweeny even had it fully cinched in. He's got no heart whatsoever and I hope Jones pummels him in the finale but it's very possible he could knock Marcus out in an early exchange from the standup. If Jones is focused and cautious of Mittrionne's power, he should be fine. Take him down and either pound him out or tap him out. He'd probably be better off looking for the submission because Mittrionne an take a punch and take a beating because he's got a big block head that's hard to hurt but as soon as a ligimant or muscle turns the wrong way as a submission is applied he'll throw in the towel and call it a day. He'll come out looking to score the early knockout and he has the power in his hands to do it but hopefully Jones will destroy him. McSweeny really had to work for that win and if Mittrionne had any heart he probably could have gotten out of that choke. It didn't look tight at all. He may have lost anyways, but he was looking to trade shots and hope McSweeney dropped first, once he sensed trouble, he just quit. Hopefully Jones will make him quit in a more painful fashion because the guys a total dick and Jones seems like a hell of a good guy.
He looked awesome in his win over Titties. Complete and total dominatation. Huge power comming at you when he starts grounding and pounding, look the fuck out. Very nice win by him over Titties.
Then in the Semi's McSweeny was doing great against Nelson. He was picking his shots, avoiding the takedown and doing a great job until he started doing the Rashad like showboating and it cost him which was nice to see. Once he got over confident and started smiling and sticking his chin out it didn't take a veteran like Nelson long to whipe the smile off his face with a big haymaker that rocked him. Next thing he knew he was on his back and in the same Crucifix Nelson used on Kimbo, except he didn't take it so easy on McSweeney and finished him effectively with some solid ground and pound for the finish in another good fight.
Then Jones and Brendan was a war. Brendan reminds me of a buddy of mine Steve, who could also fight like hell and often kicked the shit out of people a way bigger than him in street fights and stuff. Actually, he even tried to fight Link Gaetz when we were all partying one time, but he was loaded and could barely standup but he still wanted to fight him because of the respect everyone was giving Link and the way he was being treated like the toughest guy in the room. If there was someone in the room that thought they were tougher than Steve, Steve would have to fight them and win lose or draw, then they could be friends. Link dropped him with a body shot and ended their fight before it really even got going but anways, the point is that Brendan guy looks alot like him so as he squared off with the giant Marcus to me it almost looked like a routine fight against a bigger dude that I've often seen my buddy Steve win and Brendan pulled it off exactly the same way Steve often did.
It was a great fight. Marcus had the takedown right off the hop but Brendan was really active from the bottom bucking for his life and making Marcus work really hard to keep him down. Marcus had to work so hard to keep him down he didn't really have a chance to do any ground and pound or any damage because Brendan was constantly moving making Marcus constantly work to maintain control and expend alot of energy. Then when he managed to get up, Even though he took a big knee on the way up, he gutted it out and Marcus was gased just enough to give Brendan the opening he needed to land one on the button and drop him and then pounce on him for the finish. I'm all for giving a guy a chance to recover and am more apt to argue against an early stoppage than to critizise a late one but the ref let Jones take two or three or even four more shots than necessary there as he was out. Can't blame Brendan, his job is to pound away until the ref tells him to stop but in any case it was an excellent fight that Jones was in position to win but Brendan gutted it out and worked his ass off to survive some dangerous situations and then jump all over the first oppertunity that arose an work it to the finish. He looked like a UFC fighter the way he won that fight and he was extremely, extremely impressive.
So Brendan Schaub against Roy Nelson. You gotta figure Nelson is the odds on favorite with his experience and size advantage but what I like about Brendan is his tenacity and determination. I think he's probably a better striker than Nelson but because Roy can take a shot so well it's hard to knock him out or drop him from the stand up and it'll be difficult to stay off the ground for three rounds but even if Roy is able to take him down, he may not be as easy to keep there as Roy thinks he'll be if that Jones fight is any indication. Nelson's gotta be the favorite and I think he'll probably win but I'd like to see t he underdog pull it off and will be rooting for Brendan. I'll be rooting for Jones to hammer Mittrionne. I think "Bones" Jones will prove to be too quick and too explosive for Hammill and end up knocking him out in a fight I'm looking forward too. Frankie Edgar will school Veach but it should make for an entertaining bout. McSweeny should beat Titties and I think Wren will beat Madsen. I don't think Simms is fighting. They should have thrown him in there against that Zak Jensen guy he was fucking with the whole season. That wouldda been a good one for the fans and Simms might actually win. The guy's a total clown but he's a riot. I used to hate him because he was a goof but now I think I like him because he's such a goofy but fun loving fucker. While there's no question he's a shit disturber, he seems like an alright guy. I'd like to see him give that Jensen guy a beating but I don't think either one of them are fighting on the finale.
Then there's Kimbo and Alexander. That should be a Total War! It should be Exciting! It Should be Awesome...but it shouldn't last very long. Someone will get knocked out in the first round, probably in the first two minutes or less. I think Alexander will knock Kimbo out, but I'd like to see Slice pull it off. Although I like Alexander too. I really don't care who wins, as I like both guys, same thing with Nelson and Brendan, I like 'em both. I think the smart money's on Houston Alexander and Roy Nelson, but I'm going to pick Houston over Kimbo with the odds, but I'm picking Brendan Schaub to upset Nelson to become the Next Ultimate Fighter. Should make for another Great Saturday Night of Free MMA that's for sure!
Man I just wish Rashad and Rampage were fighting at the Next PPV. What a letdown is. They gotta find a way to make that fight happen at some point. Hopefully when Rampage finishes up filming the A team, he'll realize the demand, money and importance of this fight to his fans, unless he's a complete and total bullshitter it should mean alot to himself as well. Hopefully he'll man up and deliver and the Rampage-Rashad fight will happen at some point. As much respect as I gained for Rashad during this show and as awesome a coach I think he is, and as much of a dummy Rampage came off as and as aweful a coach as he proved to be, if the fight happens I'll still be rooting for Rampage to tear Evans apart and I think if it ever does happen, Rampage will do exactly that.
Great final two episodes to make up for what was a disappointing season up until the end but came back big time with four excellent fights and a great two hour episode to lead us into the weekend!
Posted by Drunk_24-7 (Member # 21781) on :
That was a pretty good show. I didn't think Kimbo-Alexander would last 3 minutes, let alone three rounds but it was a great effort by Kimbo. The first round was horrible as ImissPJ described but that was simply because Alexander was riding the merry go round and didn't want to engage for whatever reason. The second round was awesome and Kimbo showed some phenominal slams, some great ground work along with solid standup. Alexander showed a great chin and alot of heart. Kimbo could have finished him in the second round but credit Houston for surviving it. The third round was sloppy as both guys were pretty tired but they were at least trying. Kimbo landed some good shots, Alexander landed some nice shots of his own as I think Kimbo's power was decreasing due to fatigue so Alexander felt less threatened by the power and was more willing to engage. He had Kimbo in serious trouble with the leg kick/sweep that knocked him down but Kimbo showed great heart by not giving up and folding. Instead he got up and pulled off a very impressive slam/takedown which allowed him to do some ground work and give the leg a chance to get the blood circulating again. Then they had a sloppy and exhausted exchange to the finish, but instead of frustration, I give them alot of credit. They left it all in the ring. The first round was a joke, but the next two rounds were a war and Kimbo deserves alot of credit for winning it.
Jones got tagged just as I was scared he might. Mitrione looked alot better in his ability to get up from the takedown Jones had on him in the first round. I figured Marcus would finish him when he got him down early, but just as I feared, after working hard in that first round to maintain position and control he gased himself out a bit and with not much in the way of standup defence to begin with, you add a little fatigue to that against a guy who hits as hard as Mitrione and it spells disaster and Mitrione put the big guy to sleep. I'd like to see Kimbo fucking hammer Mitrione in his next fight.
Speaking of Jones, Jon Jones got fucking robbed! McSweeney hit Titties with a north south elbow to the back of the head after the bell in his fight and didn't get so much as a warning. Then in the next round he went on to finish Titties in impressive fashion.
In the Jones fight he was hitting Hamill with clean elbows and punches and the ref wasn't stopping it because Hamill was trying to defend and cover up. He was mounting no offence and had no answer but was protecting himself fairly effectively. The ref could have stopped it and gave it to Jones about 30 seconds before the illegal elbow and given it to Jones, but since Hamill was still trying to defend himself, then Jones was just trying to sneak one through his defence. Hamill was flailing his arms and an elbow happened to come through at an illegal angle as Jones worked to get inside his defence. If it was illegal, it was the first offence and a warning would have sufficed, if you're a dumb fucken idiot ref like Mazzagatti is, going by the rule book letter of the law without taking into consideration there's two guys fighting in there trying their best to stay within the rules but sometimes accidents happen, fine take the point away. It was a two point round for Jones if you go to the cards, so even with the point deduction he still wins 9-8 on my card, or it's a 9-9 decision but Hamill couldn't continue, so he forfited in my opinion. The DQ was BS. The fight could have been stopped prior two the illegal elbow ever even happening and Jones would have won fair and square and then he didn't even get a warning, or a simple point deduction but a total DQ. Fucking bullshit call there big time.
Edgar looked awesome as always and he should get the next title shot at 155 after Penn smashes Sanchez. He won't win either, but he's been on a hell of a run and I'd like to see him get a shot. Although if Guida can manage to beat Florian he'd have a pretty legit case for the next shot as well, and I wouldn't mind seeing that one either because I think Guida actually has the best chance of any lightweight to beat Penn because of his relentless pace, granite chin and superior cardio. Sanchez is more skilled than him and has great cardio and a frantic pace, but the problem is that he's not as skilled as Penn so he'll get beat up when their skills collide and probably gut knocked out or submitted in the third or fourth round. Guida on the other hand will get the shit kicked out of him for two or three rounds, but could possibly be squirmy and/or strong enough to avoid each submission and the chin to take every shot and then potentially exploit a gassed Penn in the 4th and 5th and somehow win a decision or get a stoppage of some sort. I can't see him having much of a chance either but I just think he's the only guy who has really any chance against BJ at 155. I'd give Sanchez about a 2% chance out of 100%. Edgar probably the same, and Guida maybe a 5% chance out of 100 of beating him so ya know, I'm not saying he would beat him by any means, and he may get tapped by Florian but I think he poses the biggest challenge to Penn in the division.
Nelson and Schaub was awesome. Great fight, Schaub was doing very well, managed to land some great shots in the standup but Nelson's chin was solid as always. He also managed to get up after a takedown which is no easy tast against Nelson, but then Nelson clipped him behind the ear and knocked him the fuck out in probably the most impressive and awesomely devistating victory of his career on the biggest stage he's ever been on. That was a highlight reel knockout and a huge win for Nelson. Great to see a guy who looks like he's in worse shape than me win The Ultimate Fighter. Schaub has alot of potential if he keeps training and progressing, he just got caught here and Nelson deserves this oppertunity and made the most of it so congratulations to him on an awesome victory. All in all I thought it was a pretty damn good show.
Kimbo-Mitrione would be a standup war and should be Kimbo's next fight. Kimbo probably actually has a better ground game than Mirione and they can both hit very hard. I think Kimbo's a better striker, but Mitrione has a great chin and knockout power so it could certianly go either way and alot of people hate Mitrone from the show and like Kimbo alot more than they did before it and would love to see Kimbo turn Mitrione's lights out. Count me as one of those people. If Kimbo can knock Mitrione out and continue to work his overall game, his first big test at heavyweight should be Kongo or CroCop who'll fight him Standup and probably take his head off but he's got a win under his belt, showed some great improvement. See if he can take out Mirtione, and maybe another can or two and if he handles them well, breaking him in against serious standup contenders where even if he gets steam rolled, excitement will be a sure thing.
I'd like to see Nelson jump right into the mix as a contender with Nog, Carwin and Lesnar all hurt. He should take on someone like Hardonk or Kongo next and if he gets by them, maybe Santos or Mir or Big Nog and then if he can get by them he'd have earned a title shot.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Dan Henderson is no longer with the UFC. I don't blame him. How does Vitor Belfort just get to jump in front of him and Nate Marquart?
Saturday, can't wait. Looking to see BJ Penn get tested more from Diego Sanchez than his previous 3 opponents. I can definately see Sanchez pulling off a win. I will be happy for either fighter that wins, I am a big fan of both. Seems like people don't like Sanchez but he is an exciting fighter always giving his best effort.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
I actually like Sanchez, and I'm sort of rooting for him to pull the upset. Not hard to cheer for a an all-action fighter with very good skills and a ton of determination. Sadly, I don't think it's enough to really get it done against Penn. At 155, he's proven he's on an entirely whole other level.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I notice just about every time Sanchez fights, after he wins and he speaks people boo him. I don't understand why. I like the old Sanchez, when he was fighting at 170lbs. He would take people to the ground and just destroy them. Now he likes to keep it standing. But either way, he is vicious and will be Penns toughest test at 155. With his pace, I think he has a very good chance of winning by decision.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
He has this weird subtle cockiness that comes off as being extremely smug after a win. Still, he's a good guy and brings nothing but action and violence into the octagon. When he takes his beating like a man against BJ, people will come around.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Florian is going to get the workout of his life tonight when he goes against Guida. Guida just does not stop. And I hope Kongo has either been spending numerous hours on his ground game or Mir decides he wants to see if he can outstrike Kongo. Cause if it does go to the ground, its over for Kongo. His only chance is if Mir wants to stand.
I didn't know Diego Sanchez was a former King of the Cage champion.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Well. Mir did stand with Kongo and knocked his ass out. And Sanchez just looked like crap compared to Penn. Not how I expected those fights to go.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Isn't today the last day that a negotiation can be made in order to make the March date for a Mayweather/Pacquiao fight? I hope all of this drug testing was just to help hype the fight up even more and they can come to some kind of agreement and have the fight. It would end up being the biggest boxing event ever, and the first PPV boxing event I will order in many years.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Nope, Pacquiao's gonna face Joshua Clottey, who is actually a damn good fighter and lost to Cotto in a fight that really could have gone either way. Also gave Margarito one of the toughest fights of his career. It should be interesting, Clottey will by far be the largest opponent of his career, guy routinely walks into the ring weighing 170lbs. And if Pac wins, that'll mean he's beaten two more top-flight welterweights than Mayweather has actually fought.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I can't believe they couldn't come to an agreement. All because of drug testing. Maybe later in the year, I hope.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Probably, there's way too much money to be made for the fight not to be made, and later in the year will give everyone involved the time to really promote the hell out of the fight.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
I used to be a big fan of boxing, but now its plain to see its all about politics/money. At least Dana White doesn't bull shit anybody when he promotes fights. The reason Belfort jumped ahead of Hendo is due to Belfort having a huge following that wants to see "his comeback" so to speak, Hendo didn't like that and now he gets to fight in SF...good luck with that!
I mean hell, UFC is having an OPEN AIR event in Abu Dhabi! SF won't be able to compete with UFC for long, they have their cards spread out too much, while people say that the UFC has too many cards!? More fights the better!
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
It's not always about politics and money, boxing. It seems like that with the biggest names, but you have to dig a little deeper within the sport in order to find what's truly enjoyable about boxing, which usually tends to be two honest guys in the ring battling it out. As of right now, the smaller weight classes are where it's at. About the only interesting division north of 147 is 168.
And the only reason Belfort is "jumping" ahead of Hendo is because Hendo already lost to Silva. Silva/Belfort is a fresh matchup. I think before long, Hendo will be back, especially if he cleans out the middleweights in Strikeforce. He's really just there to fight Moussassi, one of the top underrated fighters in the world.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Mousasi will school Hendo. Mousasi is at camp with GSP, some people are thinking that GSP might be leaning on Mousasi to head on over to the UFC...
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Moussasi/Silva would be greatness on so many levels. He's the one man in the world that has a chance of beating him at middleweight.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
A lot of people don't give GSP a chance against Silva at MW...but the guys that have fought Silva already don't have the speed that GSP has, I think that could be the determining factor...and lets face it, Silva is due for a loss. Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
But that would be about all GSP has going for him against a larger, probably stronger fighter who has enough speed to keep up, and is the much better striker. I don't think GSP can take Silva down easily, and if he can't, he's not gonna be able to find the range to strike effectively with him. Not ruling him out, but GSP facing Silva at 185 is a bit like Penn facing GSP at 170. When the skill and talent is fairly even, the bigger guy will almost always win.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Well GSP is walking around at about 205 now, then he's gonna cut to make the Hardy fight. But rumor has it he wants to move up to MW, have a couple of fights to show everyone he's ready at MW level and THEN take on Silva. Silva doesn't want it, he says he does but I can just see the look on Silva's face when he sees GSP move up...
Go to www.mmalinker.com to get all the latest in the MMA world, you don't have to register, you can just lurk. I find its better that way, I see "noobs" go on there and post a legitimate thread or response to someone's post and get flamed. But aside from that its a great site...sure as hell beats Sherdog Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
I can't stand Sherdog's forums, nothing but flamers, noobs, and nerdragers all around. I used to post at a real good MMA forum, but they moved to a different thing and a lot of Sherdog's rejects started coming around over there.
Anyway, I love GSP, but I don't think he can beat Silva. As big a welterweight as GSP is, Silva is a comparably large middleweight and has only ever been taken down by guys his size and much stronger, like Henderson. And even then, it's difficult. I see the fight staying on the feet mostly, where Silva is longer, better, and hits harder than anyone GSP's ever faced in his life. And I think that's the major difference. I simply don't think GSP can take a true middleweight's punch, and Silva hits as hard as a heavyweight. It's gonna look like a more competitive version of Penn/Sherk.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
It's not so much that Silva hits hard but accurate,precise shots. I as many other MMA fans(noobs alike ) think that this single fight would be the biggest in MMA history, unless BJ Penn hit a growth spurt and jumped up to fight him
These 3 guys have a stranglehold on each of their respective divisions, let's face it, in the UFC no one is really pushing for the title save for a lucky punch. Penn proved that by disposing of Sanchez with ease, GSP tore his adductor muscle in the 3RD FUCKIN' round and still dominated the fight for 2 more rounds over Alves( who was touted as the hardest striker to face GSP yet), Silva made a laughing stock out of Griffin who a lot of people thought he posed the greatest threat to Silva because of his heart...
BJ proved he can't hack it in the WW division as long as GSP is the title holder, GSP will more then likely move up provided he doesn't falter with Hardy, Silva wants to retire by 2 years time, so that gives him about 3 or 4 more fights tops... So Silva can either move up to HW( ) or just keep dominating the people that are dumped in front of him...he even said there is no one left worthy to fight him( exception of Cote that is).
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Yeah, Penn, GSP, and Silva cleaned out their divisions in a way I've never seen anyone do. Only Penn has some guys who can give him legit challenges, problem is, none of the are in the UFC (Aoki, Hansen). And other than Moussassi, there's really not another middleweight that can prove a real threat to Silva. Jake Shields is probably the best welterweight in the world to have not suffered an epic beatdown at the hands of GSP.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
GSP vs Silva would be the biggest fight right now and I seriously hope it happens. I think GSP would be the best opponent to have a chance at beating Silva, except for Marquardt. I think Marquardt deserves a second shot at Silva. Hopefully if Silva beats Belfort, then he'll get it. Belfort, Marquardt, then GSP is what I hope is in line for Silva.
Gomi is in the UFC now, so I look for him to give Penn trouble. Gomi has been one of my favorites for a long time and I was so excited to hear he's in the UFC.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Gomi's gonna get destroyed if he fights Penn. Penn already kicked his ass when Gomi was close to his own peak, he's declined a lot since then. He has a puncher's chance, and that's really about it.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Unless Gomi and his team has him change his gameplan drastically I don't forsee a win for him either...but...its MMA, anything can happen.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Thats right, I forgot Gomi and Penn fought before. Oh well, its good to see him get back fighting again.
Maybe well see Ricardo Arona in the UFC soon. That would be awesome.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
I'm not even a big Penn fan, and I was actually cheering both Florian and Sanchez over him, but man, he's on that Fedor/GSP/Silva level of domination. The best lightweights who can challenge him, guys like Aoki, Hansen, or Alvarez, all fight in other orgs, but over his career, Penn has faced just about everyone and beaten everyone save GSP and Machida (!).
Penn vs. Genki Sudo would be one of my all-time dream match-ups.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
At this point nobody can be put on the same level as Fedor. Call me a Fedor nuthugger if you will but facts are facts. People say cans have been put in front of him, but there has been so many fights where it looks like he is done for and BAM he finds a way to win.
The Rogers fight was on my bday and it was on tv for free, best fuckin bday present EVER! Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I have to agree. Fedor, to me should be considered the pound for pound greatest mma fighter, not Anderson Silva.
You guys watch UFC 109? Coleman just looked old and slow. Melvin Guillard looked good. At just 26 years old, he has more wins than the majority of fighters have fights. He's going to improve so much more now that he's training with Greg Jackson. Possible shot at Penn? Maybe, but he isn't good enough to stand 5 rounds with Penn. But I hope he continues on a winning streak. His knockout win with a punch to the stomach stays in my mind.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
See: Guillard vs. Diaz...
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Penn would snap Guillard in half. You can't be a headcase and expect to even compete with BJ, you just can't.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
UFC 110 was pretty good last night. Wanderlei Silva looks completely different after having reconstructive surgery to his face to allow him to breath. He looks like Josh Burkman. But he got a nice win against Bisping. 5 more seconds at the end of the 3rd and it would have been a k.o. Wanderlei had to stop himself from throwing the soccer kick at the end. Glad to see my favorite fighter win again.
Man, I was hurt to see Nogueria get k.o.'d by Velasquez. I knew Velasquez was very good standing up, but when Nogueria got knocked down, I wasn't shocked. I was expecting to see him grab a leg and hold on and recover, like he always does. But when he just laid there and took a pounding and then see the ref stop it, I was in shock. Oh, well!
I've never seen George Sotiropoulos fight before last night, and his ground game is very impressive. Just tore Joe Stevenson apart. I can't wait to see more of him.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
How bout Cro Cop! He fought a can in Perosh but still, even if it was "Big" Ben Rothwell the way he was moving, constantly stalking, even Rothwell would have been in trouble! I like how he put a pussy on Perosh's forehead Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Crocop looked good. I would have rather seen him fight Rothwell, but maybe that can be his next opponent. Next UFC is going to be awesome.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Me and some people I met on Twitter are coordinating a trip to Vegas for UFC 114! Tix go from between $100-600...no real bad seats either due to it being a small venue so to speak(11,000ish capacity).
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Hell yeah! I live in Vegas but have yet to go to a UFC. I just watch them broadcast in the casinos. Maybe one day I will get to go to one. Who's going to be on the fightcard for UFC 114?
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Holy fucking shit did anyone see the UFC Primetime: GSP Vs. Hardy part 1? Did you see the training that GSP is doing? He put on like 10lbs of muscle! God I hope GSP stands with Hardy and knocks him the fuck out!
Everyone is ragging on how GSP's chin is "suspect"...bullshit, Serra barely finished him, and he hit him behind the ear, fucking up his equilibrium. Rained down punches while GSP was still rocked...yet Hardy has yet to KO anyone. So why is it that Hardy is considered a "dangerous" striker??
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Don't forget that Serra has tremendous punching power. If he threw straight shots, the guy would've been knocking out dudes left and right. I don't think Hardy can do much with GSP. Rush gets this in 3 by GnP stoppage.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
GSP is going to stand and shut everyone up that rags on him for being a "boring" fighter by knocking Hardy out with either a superman punch or a spinning back fist...in no particular order
Hardy is going to train with Serra...he must have forget to see the 2nd fight between GSP and Serra.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Well, Pacquiao with a workman-like near shutout win over Clottey. Fight went about how I thought it would go, but I thought it'd be a bit closer. There really wasn't much else to be done, Pacquiao nailed with him with everything he had, Clottey kept covering up and wouldn't throw as much as he needed to, so therefore, not one of Manny's more scintillating wins.
Clottey is what he is, a no-nonsense, tough, hard to hit, counterpuncher. It's simply not a fan-friendly style and it seems like the moment got to him. If anyone could have made him brawl, it would have been Pacquiao. He won't deserve it, but Clottey's gonna have a hard time getting big fights after this. Sure, he didn't go nowhere, but he's still a dangerous, unentertaining fighter that no promoter is going to want to put their guy in against if there are bigger names around. He'll get the Quintanas, the Collazos, possibly Berto, but he'll never get a premier name again. He's just not on that level.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
quote:Originally posted by bluetoelover: GSP is going to stand and shut everyone up that rags on him for being a "boring" fighter by knocking Hardy out with either a superman punch or a spinning back fist...in no particular order
Hardy is going to train with Serra...he must have forget to see the 2nd fight between GSP and Serra.
Hmm. I've never heard anyone say GSP is a boring fighter. He wrestles more now in his fights but its far from being boring.
I thought that was interesting how Hardy decided to train with Serra. I know Serras great in BJJ but Serra got dominated in the second fight and his BJJ wasn't a factor. Maybe Hardy should have tried to train with Anderson Silva cause theres nobody at 170 that has really beaten GSP other than Hughes and Serra and GSP came back stronger on both those losses.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
Yeah, same here, boring is about the last thing I've ever heard associated with GSP. He's just dominant, so I must've missed the memo when pounding someone's face in non-stop for 25 minutes is considered boring. He's just happened to face some incredibly tough dudes in his recent fights.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
I lurk at www.mmalinker.com forums and the forum is filled with very knowledgeable members(some even are MMA fighters!). And I have seen it pop up in some threads that all GSP does is "lay and pray" which is just complete bullshit because not only does he take people down at will he is constantly working on the top grounding and pounding away or ALWAYS looking for the sub.
The more the buildup to this fight increases the more I catch myself going, fuck, Hardy MIGHT have a chance at beating GSP...then I go on mmalinker and I am set straight
But in all seriousness, the only reason why Hardy is getting a shot at GSP is due to the fact he is from Britain, and we all see what's happening to their poster boy Bisping...Dana is trying to fall back on a Brit to sell it in the UK. Him and Daley which I think is a half decent fighter, albeit over rated in his KO power same as Hardy is. Out of all his fights and experience that keeps on bragging about he only has 3 KO's, I mean not to take away from the fact he has 3 KO's but if your going to be hyped as a KO artist then you should have more then 3 KO's if you have over 30 fights no?
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Now Alves had to drop out due to a brain problem that popped up in the prefight CAT scan. They replaced him with Ben "Killa Bee" Saunders. Should be a great fight and props to Saunders for taking the fight on such short notice, win or lose he's got a set of brass ones.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
WAR GSP!!!!!! Props to Hardy for lasting 5 rounds...barely. But Karma came and kicked Hardy's ass for saying he was going to knock out GSP. For that, he was dominated!!!! Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Eat a dick BJ Penn! That friends is what is called KARMA. I'm still waiting to hear him rag on about how Edgar greased...you know its coming!
Dana is PISSED off hardcore about Silva! Here's a vid!
BJ to me is still the best LW fighter and always one of my favorites. He'll be back and will take the title back.
I saw the video Dana White said that Anderson Silva doesn't deserve a shot against GSP. Yes he does. No matter how disappointing that fight with Maia was, if Anderson Silva wants to drop down to 170 to fight GSP, you have to let him. Its the fight every fan wants and GSP is the guy that will give Silva a hard time. And thats what Dana White said he does, is make the fights that the fans want to see.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
But don't forget, Silva lost a buttfuckload of fans during the Maia fight. Belfort just called out Silva too...so it will be a while before we see GSP vs Silva. I'd rather see GSP move up to MW and have a couple of fights and get used to the extra weight/muscle and used to training with that weight and THEN fight Silva...or at the very least have a catchweight fight of say 177/178 that way neither fighter has to drop too much or gain too much...something to consider
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Silva might have his hands full when he fights Chael Sonnen in a few months. If Sonnen is able to take Silva down, Silva will have a hard time, probably his toughest fight in the UFC. But I'd rather see Silva fight someone more well rounded, like GSP who is great in stand up and takedowns, than Sonnen who is great on the ground but not so great striking.
The next mma fights are going to be good. Faber vs Aldo on Sunday. Machida vs Shogun 2 in a few weeks. Rampage/ Evans next month. Liddell vs Franklin and Crocop vs Pat Barry in June. I think Fedor fights in June or July.
Posted by Salvy_Mic (Member # 13384) on :
The Machida/Shogun rematch is gonna be another war. Can't wait for that one. Rampage hates leg kicks, but Evans doesn't use too many of them, so that one should be pretty entertaining too. Liddell needs to retire before he gets seriously hurt.
Posted by bluetoelover (Member # 14736) on :
Liddell hit the gym BIG TIME, no more gut Won't see Liddell KTFO any more. I give him Franklin and maybe one more fight after that and he'll probably call it quits.
Did you guys hear that Couture and Toney are lined up for 118! That should be interesting...Couture's "dirty boxing" vs Toney's "Knock you the fuck out" boxing Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
WOW! Machida K.O'd in the first round. As much as I hated seeing Machida lose, especially by K.O., I'm so glad Shogun won and is a champion. I hope he defends for a while.
Kimbo lost and got cut from the UFC and so was Daly. What an idiot Daly is. He deserved to get cut after doing such a bitch move at the end.
Was hoping Sam Stout would win, but it was still a great fight. Stout has got a heck of a chin.
Great night of fights.
Posted by -cfg- (Member # 13863) on :
Predictions on Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson? I'm really on the fence about this one.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
I was going for Rampage, but he lost. He blew his chance. Hit Rashad and Rashads leg gave out. All Rampage had to do was dig deep inside and find that last bit of energy and he would have finished Rashad, but he let Rashad recover and is regretting it.
I was glad Diego Sanchez moved back up to welterweight, yet he got his ass kicked. I was very disappointed.
Todd Duffey, what the hell? Completely dominated the entire fight until finally getting hit and getting k.o.'d in the 3rd.
Next UFC, I think Franklin will pull off the win. I'm even more excited to see Crocop vs. Pat Barry. Picking Pat Barry.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Man, what happened to the MMA discussion? Past couple of events have been great. The most dramatic and unexpected fight had to be Fedor losing to Werdum. Nobody, other than a random few, gave Werdum a chance and he comes off with a 1st round submission. I still se Fedor as the greatest heavyweight and MMA fighter in the world. He finally got a loss, so what? Look who he has been in wars with and still managed to win.
Brock almost got K.O.'d in the 1st round against Carwin. I think if Carwin wouldn't have gassed himself out trying to finish Brock, he would have been able to get out of the choke Brock applied, or may not have gotten in that position in the first place. Cain Velasquez gets the next shot at Brock. Cains cardio will be enough to last 5 rounds, I'm just worried if he can avoid getting hit by Brocks huge hands and avoid having Brock lay on top of him. If he can do that, he should be able to pull off the win. I'm not much of a fan of Brock Lesnar,so I'm hoping Cain wins.
Next month, Anderson Silva will fight Chael Sonnen. I've been a fan of Anderson Silve since he was fighting in PrideFC, and I've been a fan of Sonnen and was disappointed of him getting robbed of winning the title in the WEC because Paulo Filho came in overweight. I kind of want Sonnen to win just so GSP can attain the title of #1 ranked MMA fighter, but won't be disappointed if either fighter wins because I'm a fan of both. I just hope its not a one sided domination that has been Anderson Silvas past several fights.
Posted by imation_pc (Member # 1480) on :
Maybe we can bring it back. Velasquez has much better striking, but his chin is kinda suspect to me. Brock is the better wrestler, and is much stronger. Brock's striking has improved but I don't think its "UFC Quality." Obviously up to this point that has not mattered because hes just steamrolling people and pounding them till the end. I was surprised though, at how the Carwin fight ended, never would have expected a submission, let alone a Head and Arm Choke/Arm Triangle. Anyway, I think Velasquez needs to keep it standing, to win. His standup is much better, but as we saw in the Kongo fight, he may not be able to take good clean shots. Not that many people can take em from Kongo whos a monster standing up, but usually people show better responses to his hits. Especially early in the fight. It'll be good, but I think I'm picking Brock again for this one.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Velasquez has a great chance of winning if he keeps it standing and can avoid one of Lesnar's punches since his stand-up os waaaaayyyy better than Lesnars. But if it goes to the ground its over for Velasquez. I want Velasquez to win, but if I were to pick, I'd pick Brock. I was standing up when Carwin was on top of Brock and it looked like Brock was finished. Then the 2nd round came and Carwin just had no energy and got taken down so easy, my enthusiasm dropped and disappointment started to set in and Carwin was submitted.
Jake Shields makes his debut against Kampmann. Good luck Shields, he will has his hands full. I don't know who to pick, but I'm a bigger fan of Shields than I am of Kampmann so I'm picking Shields. He may be slow or boring at times, but he is really good.
Posted by imation_pc (Member # 1480) on :
I'm going for Shields, because Kampmann beat Condit, and Condit is my boy! lol
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Plus, Shields has been overlooked because of being in an organization other than the UFC. I think this is a great opportunity for him to get recognized. If he stays at 170 and manages to get a title shot, he'll get destroyed by GSP. If he decides to move up to 185, Silva will destroy him. So, at least he'll get the competition he deserves, but he has no chance of becoming the champion. I think if he beats Kampmann, he'll probably get the next title shot, after Koscheck.
Posted by FtLckr26 (Member # 13998) on :
Strikeforce is this weekend. Nick Diaz vs KJ Noons 2 is the main event. This should be really good. Nick Diaz lost their first fight due to doctor stoppage from bleeding. I'm a huge Nick Diaz fan and really dislike KJ Noons so I'm looking for Nick Diaz to pick Noons apart. Also, there is a womens title fight. I'm not familiar with any of the women other than Gina Carano and Chris "Cyborg"
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MMA, bleh!
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Oh well, was awesome fight. Next up, Pacquiao-Oscar in December. Can't wait! I hope my man Pacquiao can teach Oscar a lesson for picking on the little man. Pacquiao can go down as one of the ATGs if he beats him and without a doubt one of the best fighters of this era.
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Won't see Liddell KTFO any more. I give him Franklin and maybe one more fight after that and he'll probably call it quits.