MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Thread: UFC/Strikeforce

Status
Not open for further replies.
Cormier didn't want to even TOUCH Monson on the ground, so if the fight hits the floor AT ALL (even if he is on top), chunky is going to get tapped quickly.
 
I'd imagine his submission defense is ok but I would think thats the biggest reason he didn't wanna go down with Monson since he was enjoying the stand up so much and annihilating Monson in it.Barnett should at least provide a better challenge there but I don't think enough to match or win the fight.Going into this fight I'd imagine its the same strategy as with Monson with just not going to the ground at all and picking Barnett apart in the stand up since style wise theres where Barnett's biggest shot at winning is at.Seems fair though to question Cormier's submission defense.Haven't seen too many chances to view it but I would imagine its at least decent.With Cormier's wrestling though I expect we won't even see it go there unless he wants to it.Barnett's wrestling tends to be a tad overrated in all honestly and Cormier happens to be one of the top of the heap of wrestlers into MMA.Its mma though,anything could happen :p.
 
I don't understand, quite frankly, why everyone hypes Cormier up so heavily. His striking isn't outstanding, his conditioning is untested, his BJJ skills are untested, his chin is untested. He has pretty solid wrestling I'll give him that but as far as him being a super striker who all of a sudden has a shot to hang with Barnett on the ground is just crazy. He beat up Monson, who has no striking skills on the feet and knocked out the weak chinned Bigfoot Silva (although it was a nice KO).

Cormier could be something in Strikeforce and he probably does have the striking advantage over Barnett, but if the fight hits the floor he WILL GET TAPPED. Also, Barnett is godly within the clinch and his Catch Wrestling skills are some of the best in the world and certainly the best catch wrestler in MMA...if he gets his hands on Cormier then Daniel is going for a ride and getting put on his back.
 
Hes not that godly in the clinch.Old man Couture was controlling him throughout the entire fight and winning until he froze up looking like his gas tank just ran out on empty and just sat there on his knees while Josh threw a punch and then took his back.And that was one of the bouts Barnett was on roids for.

Cormier's striking isn't top notch by any means but it should do the job here and take care of Barnnet.His chin seems to be fine although it hasn't been tested against great strikers but I don't think it'll get tested here too much either.Cormier's wrestling looks to be just too great for Barnett unless Barnett seems to stun him first.If Barnett wins I'd lean more towards a heel hook

Cormier via Barnett testing positive!
 
I think Cormier's wrestling is top notch too, but I am surprised that so many people think he will beat Barnett. I have to give it to Barnett just on experience and he is pretty damn impressive fighter. I don't think Josh will be UFC champ anytime soon but he will/would make a hell of a gatekeeper.
 
[quote name='icp_00_111']I think Cormier's wrestling is top notch too, but I am surprised that so many people think he will beat Barnett. I have to give it to Barnett just on experience and he is pretty damn impressive fighter. I don't think Josh will be UFC champ anytime soon but he will/would make a hell of a gatekeeper.[/QUOTE]

I agree, I think the same people that said bigfoot was going to win have now flopped and are picking him.

I think barnett could beat any ufc heavyweight, not that he will but hes right there imo. Id like to see him fight mir actually.
 
I picked Cormier to win that fight :p.Although via decision.Didn't think he'd tear apart Bigfoot so easily.

I'd like to see Barnett in the UFC.He'd make a pretty good gatekeeper of sorts and a fight with Mir would be real interesting to see.Striking wise I'd give to Mir but positioning wise on the ground game I'd probably have to give it to Barnett on that one.It would be in a way a bit of a dream match of sorts.
 
[quote name='Magiblaze']Hes not that godly in the clinch.Old man Couture was controlling him throughout the entire fight and winning until he froze up looking like his gas tank just ran out on empty and just sat there on his knees while Josh threw a punch and then took his back.And that was one of the bouts Barnett was on roids for.

Cormier's striking isn't top notch by any means but it should do the job here and take care of Barnnet.His chin seems to be fine although it hasn't been tested against great strikers but I don't think it'll get tested here too much either.Cormier's wrestling looks to be just too great for Barnett unless Barnett seems to stun him first.If Barnett wins I'd lean more towards a heel hook

Cormier via Barnett testing positive![/QUOTE]

First of all, Couture was pretty much in his prime back then and he too was very good in the clinch. He was also beating Lesnar before getting KO'd.

Also, Barnett IS that godly in the clinch and is a demolisher on the ground. How many fighters avoid his takedown attempts? Cro Cop...how many fighters can survive the ground game with him? Nogueira...(Rizzo was a fluke loss the first time).
 
Couture although age wise you would think he had peaked it wasn't quite his prime back then and even hes said it that hes felt like he was finally reaching his prime years later and it shows as he was more of a wrestler back then and improved a good bit since then.

Secondly Couture was losing to Lesnar before getting KO'd.

Barnett hasn't been as tested by and current top heavyweights entering the sport and with mma evolving like it has.Secondly if you look at Barnett's record he hasn't been really facing too many ground fighters worth noting.Theres Nogueira and with Couture which he was being bullied by while even on the juice for the fight but yes Couture lost that one and Randy is GREAT in the clinch himself.

Really though when was the last fight where he wasn't expected to roll over his opponent was back in 2006 against Nogueira with the exception of Monson.Even in the Strikeforce HW Tournament it seem made for him to reach the finals even from the start with Rogers having very little to offer in the ground area and Sergei only threating a on the ground game with some submissions but when you look at Barnett's grappling and position it was an easy win.When Barnett faces Cormier he'll be facing the best wrestler hes ever been in there with.Although I suppose thats not saying much since the only real top notch wrestler hes been in there with has been Couture and he was bullied around there until the very end.
 
[quote name='Magiblaze']Couture although age wise you would think he had peaked it wasn't quite his prime back then and even hes said it that hes felt like he was finally reaching his prime years later and it shows as he was more of a wrestler back then and improved a good bit since then.

Secondly Couture was losing to Lesnar before getting KO'd.

Barnett hasn't been as tested by and current top heavyweights entering the sport and with mma evolving like it has.Secondly if you look at Barnett's record he hasn't been really facing too many ground fighters worth noting.Theres Nogueira and with Couture which he was being bullied by while even on the juice for the fight but yes Couture lost that one and Randy is GREAT in the clinch himself.

Really though when was the last fight where he wasn't expected to roll over his opponent was back in 2006 against Nogueira with the exception of Monson.Even in the Strikeforce HW Tournament it seem made for him to reach the finals even from the start with Rogers having very little to offer in the ground area and Sergei only threating a on the ground game with some submissions but when you look at Barnett's grappling and position it was an easy win.When Barnett faces Cormier he'll be facing the best wrestler hes ever been in there with.Although I suppose thats not saying much since the only real top notch wrestler hes been in there with has been Couture and he was bullied around there until the very end.[/QUOTE]

Firstly, Couture was doing very well against Lesnar up until the stoppage. Undoubtedly the best test of his career before losing to Carwin and Velasquez.

Secondly, I don't understand why you are discounting Barnett's abilties? I'm not a big fan of the guy, but the fact is he is a beast. His clinch takedowns are second to none and from top position he can destroy practically anyone (certainly Daniel Cormier).

He also fights surprisingly well off his back. If Cormier dares let the fight hit the floor, he is getting tapped/swept quickly. I can agree with you that Cormier is a very good wrestler, which he is, but he cannot hold a candle to Barnett in the clinch or anywhere on the ground. Only place Cormier wins (probably, not even a guarantee) is with quicker hands on the feet.

Still, Barnett is a master of avoiding a shot or two and jumping in for a clinch or diving after a takedown and forcing his opponent to the cage.
 
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']Firstly, Couture was doing very well against Lesnar up until the stoppage. Undoubtedly the best test of his career before losing to Carwin and Velasquez.

Secondly, I don't understand why you are discounting Barnett's abilties? I'm not a big fan of the guy, but the fact is he is a beast. His clinch takedowns are second to none and from top position he can destroy practically anyone (certainly Daniel Cormier).

He also fights surprisingly well off his back. If Cormier dares let the fight hit the floor, he is getting tapped/swept quickly. I can agree with you that Cormier is a very good wrestler, which he is, but he cannot hold a candle to Barnett in the clinch or anywhere on the ground. Only place Cormier wins (probably, not even a guarantee) is with quicker hands on the feet.

Still, Barnett is a master of avoiding a shot or two and jumping in for a clinch or diving after a takedown and forcing his opponent to the cage.[/QUOTE]

I thought Couture would have won the fight if Brock wouldn't have grab the cage a couple of times.
 
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']Firstly, Couture was doing very well against Lesnar up until the stoppage. Undoubtedly the best test of his career before losing to Carwin and Velasquez.

Secondly, I don't understand why you are discounting Barnett's abilties? I'm not a big fan of the guy, but the fact is he is a beast. His clinch takedowns are second to none and from top position he can destroy practically anyone (certainly Daniel Cormier).

He also fights surprisingly well off his back. If Cormier dares let the fight hit the floor, he is getting tapped/swept quickly. I can agree with you that Cormier is a very good wrestler, which he is, but he cannot hold a candle to Barnett in the clinch or anywhere on the ground. Only place Cormier wins (probably, not even a guarantee) is with quicker hands on the feet.

Still, Barnett is a master of avoiding a shot or two and jumping in for a clinch or diving after a takedown and forcing his opponent to the cage.[/QUOTE]
He was doing very well I suppose by not losing by too largely till the ending but he was still losing in that fight.

Barnett is a good/great fighter, and he is good from the clinch but the wrestling between him and Cormier isn't that close to the point if he gets in the clinch then hes going for a ride.4th place in the 2004 Olympics and team captain of the 2008 Olympics,Gold medalist in the Pan American games,NCAA Division I all American yada yada yada.If he does get a takedown I wouldn't see lasting for too long but I don't even see that so much.Its one thing to go for a takedown against a guy like Mighty Mo or Brett Rogers with seemingly zero wrestling skills and its another thing to actually do it against one of the best wrestlers in MMA.One of the best things about that wrestling background is its much easier to choose where you want the fight to go and I agree with you. I don't think Cormier will want to go to the ground and risk Barnett possibly pulling of a submission so he'll keep it standing seemingly infected with boxeritz.I don't agree fully with the assessment that he'll be tapped the moment it goes there if it does though but I think its certainly a question mark but I would think he would be able to control him on the ground if he chooses to for a while with just lnp and not letting Josh advance his position.Overall I imagine he'd prefer to keep it standing.

We'll just have to agree to disagree I suppose :).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Great tko debut from Walel Watson

Nice submission win from Sass. That guy is a beast on the ground and has some nice Aoki slides to get underneath people.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I thought Evans stood a better chance than Machida. Jones will be just as fast as Lyoto, with a longer reach, and a takedown threat that will neutralize most of his kicks. Evans at least had the wrestling. I expect Jones to maul him the same way he did Shogun.
 
That makes sense, and it doesnt hurt to have trained with somebody that unorthodox either, he might know his tells, hopefully Evans didn't give his whole bag of tricks to the kid during their training. I def. see your point the only reason I think Machida has a chance is his counter-striking.
 
If true, I think Evans is getting screwed on that one. Jones will easily beat Machida, but Evans has been in line for the title shot for a while. Now, I think Evans would get stopped with ease but he should get the shot IMO.

I thought Machida was supposed to be out until 2012 anyway based off his twitter page?
 
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']If true, I think Evans is getting screwed on that one. Jones will easily beat Machida, but Evans has been in line for the title shot for a while. Now, I think Evans would get stopped with ease but he should get the shot IMO.

I thought Machida was supposed to be out until 2012 anyway based off his twitter page?[/QUOTE]

evans had pins or something put in his hand/thumb. I think dwhite confirmed jones/machida on his twitter.
 
I wanted to see Evans vs. Jones more but out of everyone I think Machida had the best shot.Range tends to be his thing and Jones has more physical range then anyone but should be interesting.Machida's takedown defense is underrated and style wise with Machida use to getting in and out before someone unloads it just seems like he might have a slightly better shot then most.

I think the thing with being out till 2012 had something to do with the incident about a rematch with Evans and to take it on short notice he wanted "Anderson Silva" money so to sort of punish him they were going to make him sit out the rest of the year.
 
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']If true, I think Evans is getting screwed on that one. Jones will easily beat Machida, but Evans has been in line for the title shot for a while. Now, I think Evans would get stopped with ease but he should get the shot IMO.

I thought Machida was supposed to be out until 2012 anyway based off his twitter page?[/QUOTE]

Yeah, Evans is hurt. He backed out because he wouldn't be "100 percent" in time for the fight. It's just kind of amusing to me because we hear about guys all the time fighting with injuries, but it seems like everyone is being so cautious with Jones. They won't go near him if they even have a blister. Shows you everybody knows just how good he is.

[quote name='Magiblaze']I wanted to see Evans vs. Jones more but out of everyone I think Machida had the best shot.Range tends to be his thing and Jones has more physical range then anyone but should be interesting.Machida's takedown defense is underrated and style wise with Machida use to getting in and out before someone unloads it just seems like he might have a slightly better shot then most.[/QUOTE]

All fair points, but I will counter with Jones's speed. Machida HAS to be faster to have any chance of winning this fight. I just don't know if it's possible considering the difference in reach. Machida's gotta get inside before Jones tags him first, hit him before he gets taken down, and get back out before Jones latches on to him. All I gotta say is thank God it's not me, lol. :)
 
I know Evans is hurt but Jones JUST got out of the fight with Rampage and I think they could have had him wait a little while for Evans to get ready (unless the UFC knew it would take too long to heal, then the Machida fight makes sense).

As for the fight, I think Jones will kill him. Machida has that range and in and out style but Jones has massive reach and his wrestling will beat Machida's "underrated" takedown defense. Machida is no king of takedown defense as much as Rampage and Jones even wore him down and took him down.
 
I'm not arguing with Jones winning or anything of the sorts.I believe he will myself,just out of the LHW contenders I think Machida has the best shot at beating Jones.

Jones has the better wrestling,better power,better range.Even with his "underrated takedown" defense as I put it which I believe people don't notice quite as much,still its Jon Jones here.Right now Jon Jones is on a whole another level then the rest of the LHWs.Rampage managed to stop most of the takedowns from Jones and Machida is close to that level I'd say for takedown defense.Machida has a better chance of hitting that Chin of Jones and giving it a test.Just style wise if anyone is going to get in,seems like Machida would be the guy to do it with his karate background.Although easier said then done especially when facing a guy with Jones reach.
 
Machida is close to the level of Rampage's TDD? Hmmm, I CERTAINLY would not say that (Ortiz had a little success wrestling, albeit not much) but we'll have to see. If/when Jones throws Machida down and batters him from top position, I think we'll know how Machida's TDD and grappling measures up to other fighters that Jones has bested.
 
If you look at it.Hes stuffed all of Ortiz and Couture's takedown attempts.Evans didn't really try any takedowns though so can't judge from that point but still pretty good to stuff all takedown attempts from those two.Also with his style and with as quick as he is he doesn't tend to stay too close for takedowns to be initiated.Machida has shown some great sweeps before and with his jit jutsu tends to have a good ground game as well even though its not seen as much as his striking.In the Rampage fight he even managed to take Jackson down and then managed to mount him.His takedown defense/wrestling just tends to be a bit underrated.Machida even managed to rock Rampage in that bout.That said I'm still be picking Jones in this fight and expect him to win.
 
LOL rocking Rampage is not something so noteworthy anymore IMO. Even weak power Rashad rocked him hard in that first round. But nonetheless I would agree that Jones is going to win and Machida's grappling is underrated (although I think he will get ragdolled in that fight).
 
Cant believe Edgar came back after that first round. Thought for sure he was done.

And lol at Sonnen calling out Silva and putting his UFC career on the line, its like something out of WWE.
 
Wow! So much for that "Edgar has no power" argument that gets thrown around the internet. He put "The Bully" out cold! Face flat on the canvas unconscious. That was enjoyable as hell to watch! I don't know why Edgar always comes out so flat in the 1st round, but I'm ready to see him fight new opponents after fighting Penn/Maynard for four straight fights.

Speaking of which...damn you Melvin Guillard. You could have easily beaten Joe Lauzon if you would have just been more patient and picked him apart. I have to question Guillard's chin though, because that punch he walked into didn't look flush and it stunned the shit out of him. I guess this opens the door for Clay Guida/Anthony Pettis/etc.

I really enjoyed the Sonnen/Stann fight though. Despite Sonnen's problems, I think he's a good fighter, and poses the biggest legitimate threat to Silva's reign. I'm also a fan of Brian Stann, so I just wanted good performances from both here. Sonnen flat out DOMINATED him (a strategy of "whatever position I'm in, I"ll hit him there!" is pretty stupid though). There's no reason he can't beat Silva. He's just gotta stay discliplined for 25 minutes and stay the course. There aren't many fighters who can handle that level of wrestling. The promo thing at the end I question. Sonnen already talked retirement after his suspension, so if he loses to Anderson again, it kinda becomes a "what's the point?" situation. And Silva really should move up to 205 win or lose, so I almost wonder if Dana told him to say that.

Also, I hate to say it, as he's one of my favorite fighters, but Kenny Florian, I think you're done. There's no reason you can't continue to compete, but at this stage in your career, you're not going to win a belt, so what's the point? How can any fighter be that good at submissions and that bad at takedowns? The only thing I thought Kenny could have worked more were elbows when he had Aldo against the cage. Other than that, he did all he could...he's just not good enough. Unless he can quickly learn a lifetime of wrestling from Chael Sonnen, he probably shouldn't fight anymore.

Great card overall though! One of my favorite of the year.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='TheRock88']Cant believe Edgar came back after that first round. Thought for sure he was done.

And lol at Sonnen calling out Silva and putting his UFC career on the line, its like something out of WWE.[/QUOTE]

Not only that but Edgar hurted him with a uppercut and stopped him. Sonnen :lol:.
 
Maynard had Edgar on queer street again in round one but made the same mistake of not committing and just going for it. He the proceeded to lose all the rest of the rounds until he got stopped in the 4th because he was running out of gas and wasn't defending well. I don't get why he didn't just go for it, as the whole thing was playing out like a bad nightmare of Edgar-Maynard 2.

Does Sonnen deserve another rematch already?
 
[quote name='JoshTX']Does Sonnen deserve another rematch already?[/QUOTE]

Well, considering he just beat (quite handedly) one of the top guys vying for a shot, I'd say yeah. It only feels like "already" because it was Sonnen's last fight before this one. But Silva has beaten Belfort and Okami since then. The only other "option" is Mark Munoz, and he's fighting Chris Leben next month. Despite his problems, Sonnen is still the #1 contender.
 
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']LOL rocking Rampage is not something so noteworthy anymore IMO. Even weak power Rashad rocked him hard in that first round. But nonetheless I would agree that Jones is going to win and Machida's grappling is underrated (although I think he will get ragdolled in that fight).[/QUOTE]
Its noteworthy and yes we can all agree that Jones will likely beat up Machida even with his underrated takedown defense/grappling.

I'd say Sonnen deserves the next rematch already.Hype/Money wise its the biggest fight out there for Anderson Silva.He easily did better then anyone else against Anderson Silva and the only other person in the running is Mark Munoz but hes a teammate of Anderson Silva at times and the blackhouse guys so he might not even be willing to fight Anderson.Right now I would just go with Silva/Sonnen since has more hype everything and then if Munoz decides he would do the fight with Silva then that route afterwards assuming he beats Leben.
 
Edgar is awesome. He doesn't need to be in 145 if he can take hits from Maynard. Since I was always the small person growing up, he made me damn proud.

Lauzon/Guillard went the same way I envisioned it. Guillard is mentally weak in grinding out of submissions. Any type of blood choke seems to be his weakness since he's been defeated by so many of them. If I was Greg Jackson I would choke him every day until he gets used to it. It's a shame he hasn't put his whole game together despite his crazy physique/explosiveness.

I have no idea where Florian goes from here. Especially after three title fights.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']Wow! So much for that "Edgar has no power" argument that gets thrown around the internet. He put "The Bully" out cold! Face flat on the canvas unconscious. That was enjoyable as hell to watch! I don't know why Edgar always comes out so flat in the 1st round, but I'm ready to see him fight new opponents after fighting Penn/Maynard for four straight fights.

Speaking of which...damn you Melvin Guillard. You could have easily beaten Joe Lauzon if you would have just been more patient and picked him apart. I have to question Guillard's chin though, because that punch he walked into didn't look flush and it stunned the shit out of him. I guess this opens the door for Clay Guida/Anthony Pettis/etc.

I really enjoyed the Sonnen/Stann fight though. Despite Sonnen's problems, I think he's a good fighter, and poses the biggest legitimate threat to Silva's reign. I'm also a fan of Brian Stann, so I just wanted good performances from both here. Sonnen flat out DOMINATED him (a strategy of "whatever position I'm in, I"ll hit him there!" is pretty stupid though). There's no reason he can't beat Silva. He's just gotta stay discliplined for 25 minutes and stay the course. There aren't many fighters who can handle that level of wrestling. The promo thing at the end I question. Sonnen already talked retirement after his suspension, so if he loses to Anderson again, it kinda becomes a "what's the point?" situation. And Silva really should move up to 205 win or lose, so I almost wonder if Dana told him to say that.

Also, I hate to say it, as he's one of my favorite fighters, but Kenny Florian, I think you're done. There's no reason you can't continue to compete, but at this stage in your career, you're not going to win a belt, so what's the point? How can any fighter be that good at submissions and that bad at takedowns? The only thing I thought Kenny could have worked more were elbows when he had Aldo against the cage. Other than that, he did all he could...he's just not good enough. Unless he can quickly learn a lifetime of wrestling from Chael Sonnen, he probably shouldn't fight anymore.

Great card overall though! One of my favorite of the year.[/QUOTE]


This card was being discussed heavily over at Fightjunkie and I think their discussions were about right. Its not a big forum but they are real hardcore and knowledgeable (they bet money on the fights, so...) so I like it over there. Its sign-up only to see the forum, but well worth it IMO.

As for this post, Guillard just got caught jumping in wild with a punch that he didn't see coming, and Lauzon has underrated power (albeit he doesn't have much). Guillard was stunned badly and obviously got tooled on the ground but I don't think his chin is too questionable right now...he just got caught with a fairly clean shot jumping in.

Edgar is a beast, super tough and has underrated power as well. What won him the fight though was him outlasting Maynard and destroying him on the feet with ease while Maynard was dead gassed. Edgar will beat 90% of the LWs in the UFC, I think his biggest challenge is outside the UFC in Gil Melendez.

Florian is a good fighter but I understand why he sucks at wrestling. Well, he doesn't "suck" at wrestling completely (Aldo's TDD is sick) but he fights a bit too much like a typical BJJ player on the ground. Great from top but unable to put anything together on his back. Plus, he's slow on the feet and basically only has a jab for offense.

Phan/Garcia was a good fight, Garcia looked very bad as per the norm these days and I thought he took a beating aside from the third round, which was closer. IMO he should just retire with his money and build his restaurant business with Cerrone.
 
[quote name='Renzokuken']Edgar is awesome. He doesn't need to be in 145 if he can take hits from Maynard. Since I was always the small person growing up, he made me damn proud.

Lauzon/Guillard went the same way I envisioned it. Guillard is mentally weak in grinding out of submissions. Any type of blood choke seems to be his weakness since he's been defeated by so many of them. If I was Greg Jackson I would choke him every day until he gets used to it. It's a shame he hasn't put his whole game together despite his crazy physique/explosiveness.

I have no idea where Florian goes from here. Especially after three title fights.[/QUOTE]

Florian should move back up to 155 I think and be a gatekeeper/fringe contender there. He is too weak at this weight and doesn't have that strength advantage he would like.

IMO a rematch with Nunes would be good at some point (because Nunes only lost due to the cuts on the back of his head and it tiring him out), but its probably not going to happen.
 
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']Florian should move back up to 155 I think and be a gatekeeper/fringe contender there. He is too weak at this weight and doesn't have that strength advantage he would like.

IMO a rematch with Nunes would be good at some point (because Nunes only lost due to the cuts on the back of his head and it tiring him out), but its probably not going to happen.[/QUOTE]

I agree, I think the cut doesnt suit him, he seemed much quicker at 155, not that he was especially quick there either.
 
Florian is just getting too old. I really can't see him making another run at a title, but he's a pretty intelligent guy who could still make a presence in the business. He should probably finish out his contract, grab another couple wins if he can, and try to get Dana to give him a position somewhere in the office. He seems to enjoy commentating, and could fit in well on ESPN or maybe even UFC's new format with Fox.
 
I don't have too much of an opinion on Florian except that was pretty much his last title shot and he'll never be champion likely.Featherweight or Lightweight doesn't seem to matter too much.At Featherweight he'll be able to help make some bigger stars in the division with his name value and at Lightweight there might be some interesting match ups there and he could be a gatekeeper of sorts for the top 5.Money wise probably best doing a Diego Sanchez and just going back to your main division after losing in a title fight.Speaking of Diego I kinda wish those two had a rematch at Lightweight while Diego was still there but oh well.
 
IMO KenFlo should be fighting at LW where he doesn't have to cut off a leg to make the weight. He won't be champion in either division and since he fights the same at FW as he does at LW he might as well be more comfortable. He's still a good fighter and would make a tough gatekeeper like J-Lau, but not elite level ever...
 
Thought UFC 136 was an overall very good card.

Really excited that Pettis was able to pick up the win over Stephens. If Pettis would have lost who knows what would be next for him.

I knew Maia was going to dominate Santiago and he did just that.

Melvin, what happend bro? I predicted you would pick apart J-Lo and you just got schooled. Props to Lauzon he pulled off that submission so fast I couldn't believe it. Maybe you do Jim Miller Vs. Guillard.

Nam/Garcia = Fight of the Night and rightfully so. I loved every minute of that fight. Many people say that Garcia should be cut, but why? He brings it everytime and is always entertaining. Even Dana said its not always about winning its about entertaining and that is what Garcia does. Glad Nam won he was my favorite guy on his season TUF. Glad he got redemption.

Chael/Stann = I picked Chael to win, but I thought it would be much closer than it actually was. Chael just used his superior wrestling to dominate Stann. I love Chael, I find him very entertaining and him calling out Silva was great. He already sold Sonnen Vs. Silva II IMO.

Aldo/Florian = Florian just proved he can't beat the top guys in the division. He can take out contenders, but thats about it. I actually hate Kenny, but I admit he is a very good fighter. He just wont ever be elite. If Edgar moves down to FW like what Dana White wants him to do, I'd love Aldo Vs. Edgar. If not you have to give Chad Mendes his deserved title shot against Aldo.

Maynard/Edgar = Really surprised on how this fight ended. After the first round I thought Edgar was done, but he showed a ton of heart and showed why he is the champion. I was rooting for Maynard though. I really want to see Ben Henderson Vs. Frankie Edgar if Bendo gets passed Guida.
 
I am split on the whole "Garcia should be cut" situation. The guy can barely put together any wins that aren't controversial, looks like he is going to die due to fatigue in there, has no defense and no accuracy but is fun to watch and always lures people into exciting fights.

I guess if Hardy is staying, Garcia should have a job for life in the UFC.
 
[quote name='Metal Militia']Glad Nam won he was my favorite guy on his season TUF. Glad he got redemption.
[/QUOTE]
Its sort of odd to look back on all of these TUF guys becoming their own as fighters and being remembered more for their fights in the UFC later on rather then their TUF personality and what happened there.Like Nam Phan if I remember right was the guy caught masturbating in the shower, and you have a guy like Ryan Bader who ate fruit covered in piss etc.

Garcia is pretty lucky if you look at it.He should be 1-9 in his last ten fights but the judges seem to really love that wild brawling style even though he doesn't seem to have that much knock out power.Looks really impressive to the judges.I'd say give Garcia a nobody and if he wins great gets to keep his job for a while longer, if he loses its time to fire him.

I'm on the side of hoping they don't do another Nam Phan vs. Garcia.Sure they were entertaining but Phan has legit beat Garcia twice now being the clear winner and even though the first officially counted as a win for Garcia we all still know who won.Seems predictable who wins the 3rd bout.Unless Garcia somehow gets an unlikely massive insurgence it seems like the end of their feud.

Was disappointed in Pettis vs. Stephens.Was expecting more of a hard hitting striking battle but turned out to be more about the takedowns.I don't blame Pettis that much for it though.Stephens seemed more of the one for doing it in the first round and seemed like Pettis just decided to try to do the same thing before Stephens would do it back to him.

For Lauzon I wouldn't mind seeing him face Evan Dunham next.
 
Lauzon has a lot of options to go from here because he is still a mid-level guy but may be able to make a claim for a higher tier opponent like a Dunham or Bocek next.

As for Garcia/Phan, I wouldn't say he should be 1-9 in his last ten fights but I agree about a clear winner of the third fight. Phan is the better fighter and although he struggled the first time (it was a close fight, don't act like it was a shutout for Phan) he dominated the 2nd fight with ease aside from getting hurt for a few seconds.
 
It was a shut out for Phan winning in their first fight and a fairly big one at that.Unless you happened to be a judges during that bout.Garcia has a bad history of winning fights he lost when they go to the judges.Judges just seem to really love his style of throwing wild punches even if they don't seem to be effective or landing.In the first fight it was probably the biggest robbery of the year.

Lauzon has some good options on who to face next.I like Dunham the best but a bout with Pettis doesn't sound too terrible.Speaking of real interesting bouts Lauzon vs. Charles Oliveria would be a great bout too.
 
[quote name='Magiblaze']It was a shut out for Phan winning in their first fight and a fairly big one at that.Unless you happened to be a judges during that bout.Garcia has a bad history of winning fights he lost when they go to the judges.Judges just seem to really love his style of throwing wild punches even if they don't seem to be effective or landing.In the first fight it was probably the biggest robbery of the year.

Lauzon has some good options on who to face next.I like Dunham the best but a bout with Pettis doesn't sound too terrible.Speaking of real interesting bouts Lauzon vs. Charles Oliveria would be a great bout too.[/QUOTE]
lauzon/cerrone? or pettis cerrone? wheres cerrone standing in the division?
 
Cerrone is fighting Siver on the GSP/Condit card, so if he beats him he will beat near the top of the division. Cerrone/Pettis or Cerrone/(Jim) Miller or something of the like for a top contender status could be real possible.
 
I'd prefer Pettis/Cerrone over Lauzon/Cerrone just since it seems like both guys would wanna stand with each other and trade and would look like FOTN worthiness there and overall seems more competitive.I think Cerrone ranks right up there in the top ten albeit near the end or at the end but most people would probably agree hes hovering it at least.Cerrone vs. Siver,I'll surely be taking Cerrone in that fight.More ways to win and would look to be physically stronger and the striking seems to be the closest area between the two and even there I feel like it would favor Cerrone but I would take Cerrone by submission by probably taking his back and locking in a rear naked choke.Siver is up there somewhere on the low side of the mix for title contention so a win over him should bring him maybe two more wins away from a title shot assuming he does beat Siver and that he keeps facing top guys along with how the lightweight title jam goes.Theres Clay Guida and Ben Henderson and that fight seems likely to determine the next contender but theres also Gilbert Melendez who might get a title shot straight away coming over so thats about another year's worth of the Lightweight title being tied up.Assuming those guys don't have to fight anyone else Cerrone could possibly be up there by then for a title shot with two more wins.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Status
Not open for further replies.
bread's done
Back
Top