MMA (UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Invicta, etc.) Discussion Thread -- Version II

Anyone catch the Ultimate Fighter finale? I'll spoiler it just in case...

I was surprised but happy to see Kelvin beat Samman. Uriah beating Dylan wasn't a surprise, I don't think I've seen someone fight as conservatively as Dylan did in the first.

Three exciting weekends of fights coming up. I'm most excited for my favorite fighter Benson versus Gil Melendez!
 
[quote name='tylerh1701']Anyone catch the Ultimate Fighter finale? I'll spoiler it just in case...[/QUOTE]


Speaking of TUF, a colleague wrote a solid piece about TUF winners.

http://themma-analysis.com/2013/04/10/success-of-ultimate-fighter-winners/

'Twould be wild if Gastelum (+280) upsets Hall (-370). Ideally, for Gastelum, he grounds Hall and tries to grind a decision or sneak in a submission. But, a.) I think he's a bit over his head, and b.) he's no Chris Weidman.

If Hall wins, I would love to see a rematch against Philippou if Philippou beats Souza. They would probably squeeze in another fight for Hall prior, and if both dudes win, their rematch could be a title eliminator for a shot at middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

Hopefully/Por favor/Please save 185, Weidman/et cetera.
 
Great fights so far tonight. The women's fight was really good and Hall/Gastelum was entertaining as well. I went in cheering for Uriah but by the end of the fight I was glad Gastelum won.
 
Playing catch-up with yesterday's card.

Hall pulled a Guillard and fought too cocky. However, having done complete research for the TUF 17 Finale, and as I posted earlier in this thread, Gastelum had to ground Hall to pull off the win, which he did. One could dismiss getting grounded and beat-up by Weidman because he's going to be the man to beat Anderson Silva. But, getting grounded by a 21-year-old kid says a lot about Hall and his potential.

And I think the first person to beat Rousey will do so with knees. Just an observation. Combine McMann and Cyborg. That fighter beats Rousey.
 
[quote name='Chase']Playing catch-up with yesterday's card.

Hall pulled a Guillard and fought too cocky. However, having done complete research for the TUF 17 Finale, and as I posted earlier in this thread, Gastelum had to ground Hall to pull off the win, which he did. One could dismiss getting grounded and beat-up by Weidman because he's going to be the man to beat Anderson Silva. But, getting grounded by a 21-year-old kid says a lot about Hall and his potential.

And I think the first person to beat Rousey will do so with knees. Just an observation. Combine McMann and Cyborg. That fighter beats Rousey.[/QUOTE]

Totally agree about Hall. I don't know that I'd say it speaks for his potential, but it does speak for his mindset. It felt like he bought into his own hype and totally underestimated Gastelum. It looked like he was doing a weak Anderson Silva impression at times, dancing around, leaving his hands down, and being content to counter punch. When you have an almost 10 inch reach advantage against a guy you KNOW is looking to take you down, how do you not just jab him into oblivion? Gastelum got way too comfortable being able to just dive in whenever he wanted with basically no consequences. I think Hall easily has enough skill to be a contender, but he's gotta get his head out of his ass and recognize that his opponent is in the UFC for a reason too. That was his worst fight of the tournament...at the worst time for it.

As for Ronda fighting Cat, I thought Miesha handled Cat fairly easily in the first round. I expected Zingano's wrestling to be better. Ronda is much more methodical and controlled with her takedowns than Tate. When she gets Zingano down, she's likely to keep her there. Tate wasted too much energy scrambling in the first two rounds. With Ronda being bigger and stronger, I don't see the same thing happening.
 
So long as Hall takes things more serious, and stays away from the Blackzilians, he'll have something of a career in the UFC. He's still unproven, tho. No joke: His best win is Bubba McDaniel on TUF.

If Zuffa wants a.) to feed Hall's highlight reel, they should feed him Jared Hamman, b.) fireworks, pair him with Nedkov, c.) test his wrestling in a winnable fight, match him with Ed Herman. Of course, if they want to bury him, middleweight has a bunch of solid grapplers who could possibly trouble Hall with their wrestling. For example, Ring and Vemola, and Lombard to a lesser extent, are all coming off losses.

Dunno about the timing of things, but I actually want to see them pair him with Court McGee. Good chin, good enough striking, and good enough wrestling. Just a solid test for any up-and-coming 185 fighter. 'Twould say a lot if Hall beats him. Honestly.

As for Ronda, I think you're right, Nate. Zingano is in trouble. Dunno how much of her mediocre R1 was due to UFC jitters, tho. R2 and R3 were better rounds for her.
 
The thing for Hall is, I feel like he has to utilize his speed. He looked so slow against Gastelum. His foot work and head movement was terrible. Watch his fight against Dylan Andrews and then watch the fight against Gastelum. He looked like two different fighters. Sure, part of that comes from being worried about the takedown. But he let Gastelum dictate where that fight went. Hall had his back to the cage dirty boxing for a good portion of the fight. With a 9.5" reach advantage and a clear speed advantage, that just shouldn't happen. Personally, I think Hall should go train with Jon Jones and Greg Jackson. I'd say he should train with Anderson Silva...but considering that's who he's gunning for, that wouldn't make a lot of sense.

Concerning Cat Zingano, I could see her having a bit of UFC jitters. But she still seemed to have fairly weak takedown defense. Granted, there's plenty of time for her to continue improving...but I had Tate winning both the 1st and 2nd round (Zingano really didn't start putting it together until the final minute of the 2nd...not enough to steal it for me). Part of me thinks if Tate hadn't gassed, she would have won it. As long as Ronda doesn't take her lightly and keeps her skills sharp, I see another 1st round armbar coming.

Also, does anybody else think it's batshit crazy to have men and women under the same roof for this next season of TUF? I'm not even worried about the "hooking up" aspect of it. But can you imagine being a male fighter trying to prepare for your 2nd fight in 9 days and having to coexist with a bunch of women...sharing bathroom space, living space, etc? The guys already get pissed at each other when their sleep/food/clothes/etc. get screwed with. I'm not even trying to sound sexist here because you could easily argue the reverse as well...being a female fighter trying to find a place in the UFC and having to deal with a bunch of guys and their issues. This just seems like a terrible idea. I had hoped for an all female season, but I'm guessing the UFC isn't confident enough that all female fighters could pull in viewers the same way.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']Also, does anybody else think it's batshit crazy to have men and women under the same roof for this next season of TUF? I'm not even worried about the "hooking up" aspect of it. But can you imagine being a male fighter trying to prepare for your 2nd fight in 9 days and having to coexist with a bunch of women...sharing bathroom space, living space, etc? The guys already get pissed at each other when their sleep/food/clothes/etc. get screwed with. I'm not even trying to sound sexist here because you could easily argue the reverse as well...being a female fighter trying to find a place in the UFC and having to deal with a bunch of guys and their issues. This just seems like a terrible idea. I had hoped for an all female season, but I'm guessing the UFC isn't confident enough that all female fighters could pull in viewers the same way.[/QUOTE]

I think it's a bad idea. I'm hoping it's a one-off thing, I'll give it a chance when the new season starts but I don't anticipate it being all that great of a season.
 
[quote name='tylerh1701']I think it's a bad idea. I'm hoping it's a one-off thing, I'll give it a chance when the new season starts but I don't anticipate it being all that great of a season.[/QUOTE]

As pathetic and marking out as it sounds, they could have plastic bags fighting next season and I'd still watch. I'll be tuning in for Ronda. TUF rarely puts out worthwhile fighters anyway. So, I will be shamelessly watching one of my favorite MMA personalities (and yes...bodies, lol) coach.

That was actually something I was thinking about last night. I feel like the UFC is going to want to give Ronda as much camera time as possible...which is a little counterproductive for showcasing new fighters (though, really...Ronda is a new fighter to many UFC viewers). Maybe they should have the coaches live in the house too, lol.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']Also, does anybody else think it's batshit crazy to have men and women under the same roof for this next season of TUF?[/QUOTE]


I think the craziest aspect of the next season of TUF is that they're moving from FX to Fox Sports 1.

That's like TNA Wrestling moving from Spike TV back to, well, Fox Sports Net. Just a massive downgrade. Ratings will tank and I expect WMMA to eat part of the blame because MMA journalism.
 
Brown-Maia. Winner fights winner of Hendricks-GSP. I have had money on Brown for his last four fights/wins. Riding with him to the end. He will be my MMA version of Garbine Muguruza.
 
Wooooooo!!! Another loss for the Diaz boys. Pretty pathetic that the corner threw in the towel though. Back to back losses for both Nick and Nate. I guess this means Nate is retired now too? hahaha
 
So...Frank Mir went to train with Greg Jackson and Jon Jones...to throw head kicks...

SMFH

Jesus, Mir didn't have much offense, but Cormier didn't do shit in that fight. He just laid on Mir on the cage over and over. He didn't even have a legit takedown or anything. Horrible fight. People who think heavyweights are exciting are idiots. The women's division is better than that shit.
 
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Watching diaz get finished, especially by josh was glorious.

Howd you guys score henderson/gil?
I had the 1st round gil and 3-4 benson thought 2 and 5 were toss ups were 2 went to benson and 5 to gil.
 
I don't know what it is, but I feel like Henderson is developing a reputation for not winning his fights convincingly. I don't know if you could say he's "deceptively dominant" or what. But to me, this fight resembled the Edgar fights a bit, where it looked like his opponent got the better of him on several occasions. But yet, when they pull up the striking stats, you go "hmm...I guess he did better than I thought." It just doesn't seem like he's had many clear cut wins (outside of the Diaz fight).
 
^You're definitely right about his title fights. I didn't think this was as close as Edgar II, but I thought it was closer than Edgar I. But I wasn't disappointed with how he fought tonight, Gil has crazy length and and was far stronger than I expected him to be.

With Aldo or Pettis in the near future, Bens fights are going to continue to be extremely close. (I really hope Melendez doesn't get a rematch, 155 has had enough tematches already).
 
[quote name='tylerh1701']Winner of TJ Grant/Gray Maynard gets the next shot at Benson.

Also, any thoughts on the potential judging conflict of interest?[/QUOTE]

I have no issue with his score, it was a very close fight. The guy should not have been judging the fight, no way.

How about the lorenz larkin bs decision, id expect those judges to have tristar affiliations
 
[quote name='paz9x']How about the lorenz larkin bs decision, id expect those judges to have tristar affiliations[/QUOTE]


I have said this before and I'll say it again: I have never thought highly of Carmont. He also stole a decision from Lawlor. Carmont is physically impressive but a shit fighter. I look forward to fading him if the opportunity is there. Larkin and Carmont became pick 'ems near fight day. Larkin opened as the underdog.

Imma be betting Grant over Maynard—tho that fight should be close. I think Grant is a more interesting title fight. I'm pretty sure I know how Bendo will fight Maynard. Leg kicks and evasion. Maynard will chase Bendo for the knockout, to start, and then shoot for takedowns and try to Maynard a decision. Scary part is that Maynard could actually win a decision because Bendo's takedown defense isn't too hot against capable wrestlers. With Grant, it'll be a more exciting fight. Grant has a granite chin and solid grappling. If he escapes/prevents Bendo's takedown attempts, I think Grant could steal a decision.

I am a fan of Bendo, but we'll see how long he can remain the king of close decisions.

And my favorite part about Thomson knocking out Nate Diaz is the look on his fans' faces. Their horror fuels my laughter.
 
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[quote name='Chase']And my favorite part about Thomson knocking out Nate Diaz is the look on his fans' faces. Their horror fuels my laughter.[/QUOTE]

My favorite part is still his corner having to throw in the towel. All I can picture is Nick screaming "Stop hurting my brother!!!!" and tossing the towel in. In my mind, that's how it went down, lol. :lol:
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']My favorite part is still his corner having to throw in the towel. All I can picture is Nick screaming "Stop hurting my brother!!!!" and tossing the towel in. In my mind, that's how it went down, lol. :lol:[/QUOTE]


Hehehe... ;)

I bet Cesar was like "Oh god no please don't hurt my cash cow!"

Supposedly, Nate made only $15,000 base for last night's fight. His payday before that was $50,000 for a losing effort against Bendo. Explains why he got a new manager. Now if only he would get a new camp.
 
I think Jones lets Sonnen survive into R2. The fight definitely does not go the distance, tho, and probably concludes before R4 begins. He's most likely not gonna toy with him like he did with Jackson. And, unlike with Evans, there isn't some sort of lengthy former friendship that lets him spare Sonnen from the ax.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFUt5pJaRXE

Interesting interview. Interesting insight from Hall. Almost get the feeling like he pulled a Russian and threw the fight.
 
:lol:

jones was toying with jackson? that's the first i've heard of it. i guess that's why it took him 4 rounds to win.
 
Well, I'm not Jon Jones, so I don't know if that's actually true. ;) But, having studied Jones, and Jackson, he looked to have been a lion just toying with a mouse.
 
[quote name='Chase']Well, I'm not Jon Jones, so I don't know if that's actually true. ;) But, having studied Jones, and Jackson, he looked to have been a lion just toying with a mouse.[/QUOTE]

I don't remember everything from the Rampage fight, but I definitely thought Jones was toying with Machida before he prison choked him. That was the first fight Jones really got touched in and it seemed like he just wanted to get hit in the face to see how he'd respond.

Now, as for who actually has put up the best fight against him and was at least a threat at some point, I thought Belfort was the only one. Despite being undersized, I thought Vitor was the most well-rounded fighter Jones has faced. Sadly, Chael doesn't fit into this category, and Jones will probably just stuff the takedown and jab/elbow him to death.
 
This was my face and a physical representation of my Twitter timeline when Belfort locked up Jones in the armbar

3f9870b2da028cc9e39c69ac4f2c533e_original.gif

Sonnen is doomed. After dominating R1, he gave up in R2 after embarrassing himself with that insane spinning back elbow. My reaction to seeing Sonnen throw that was pretty much that same GIF I just posted.
 
[quote name='Chase']This was my face and a physical representation of my Twitter timeline when Belfort locked up Jones in the armbar

3f9870b2da028cc9e39c69ac4f2c533e_original.gif

Sonnen is doomed. After dominating R1, he gave up in R2 after embarrassing himself with that insane spinning back elbow. My reaction to seeing Sonnen throw that was pretty much that same GIF I just posted.[/QUOTE]

Pretty spot on to mine. I don't think anybody was expecting Vitor to almost get a lock like that on Jones only to have Bones power out like that. It was pretty unreal.

As for the Chael Fael:
John-Krasinski-no.gif
 
I was jumping out of my seat with joy when Chael lost to Anderson. Funny, cuz now I love the dude. He's good at what he does (talking).
 
I think Chael is great. I do think he goes a little overboard with the promo sometimes (his Dwayne Johnson "People's Champion", "People's Octagon" speech was pretty terrible), but I also think it's because in general, he's kind of a nerd.

Once you figure that out, it's easy to understand where he's coming from. He's just trying to hype his fights and make people have a good time. It should be fairly obvious to anybody who watched this past season of TUF that's Chael is a really nice guy...and a damn good coach. He spent most of the season complimenting Jones and being totally respectful. The guy really deserves more credit than he gets.
 
[quote name='ced']Pretty spot on to mine. I don't think anybody was expecting Vitor to almost get a lock like that on Jones only to have Bones power out like that. It was pretty unreal.[/QUOTE]


Belfort said he eased up after hearing Jones' arm pop. Imagine if Belfort had a stronger killer instinct. Bones said he has some nerve damage to his bicep. Belfort would have done a service to future Jones opponents if he had broken that arm.

[quote name='n8rockerasu']I think Chael is great. I do think he goes a little overboard with the promo sometimes (his Dwayne Johnson "People's Champion", "People's Octagon" speech was pretty terrible), but I also think it's because in general, he's kind of a nerd.

Once you figure that out, it's easy to understand where he's coming from. He's just trying to hype his fights and make people have a good time. It should be fairly obvious to anybody who watched this past season of TUF that's Chael is a really nice guy...and a damn good coach. He spent most of the season complimenting Jones and being totally respectful. The guy really deserves more credit than he gets.[/QUOTE]


Yessir. Hype Man Sonnen is the personality some people dislike. Real Person Sonnen seems like a nice dude I'd love to get a drink with and chat. And I don't drink, but I would just to chat with the guy.

Sorta similar to Nick Diaz. Media Personality Diaz seems like an angry autistic kid who didn't get his midday snack. Real Person Diaz seems like a nice guy. I have seen footage of him taking time out of his day to chat and take pictures with fans.
 
Well, at least the Jones-Sonnen fight went as expected (except for the broken toe). Chael pretty much said exactly why he HAD to hype his way into this title shot though. This was his last chance. I think after he lost to Silva for the second time, he knew at his age, he probably wasn't going to have time to work his way back up the ladder again. This was basically the last ditch effort of a desperate man to be a UFC champion. Whether he deserved the shot or not, I can't blame him for trying.
 
Probably the strangest night in UFC history. Demon voices, eye pokes, Mulhall hijinx, and other crazy shit.

I won Healy ITD +1375, so I can't complain, but it's just baffling to see the amount of bad mojo that went down tonight.
 
Does Rogan know exactly what glove style to use in MMA to cut down on eyepokes? He's always calling for new gloves but just goes on to say "there has to be a glove that will still allow you to grapple."
 
Wow, what a weird night of fights.

The video of Jones breaking is toe is tough to watch. I was probably most impressed with Phil Davis, although Magalhaes didn't really look like he wanted to be in that fight.
 
Holy crap. That's insane that he did not feel that. Even with sky high adrenaline I feel like my brain would say 'hey buddy, you're toe just snapped...'
 
It's like seeing a rat inst-killed in a spring trap. Goddamn. Still had the adrenaline to smash Sonnen into oblivion. That's why he's in the ring and we're all mouth breathers on the interwebs.
 
UFC released 9 fighters from their contracts today.

Leonard Garcia
Antonio Carvalho
Reuben Duran
Pablo Garza
Kurt Holobaugh
Justin Lawrence
Bart Palaszewsli
Sam Sicilia
Issei Tamura

Can't say I'm surprised because all of them had pretty lackluster records. A little surprised it took 5 consecutive losses before they pulled the plug on Garcia.
 
Rousey is quite attractive for a fighter.

-

Hate to say it but about damn time Garcia got the axe. Shitty judging pads his record. Garza is interesting. The man I bet as a sizable underdog to beat Hominick because I thought Hominick had been at the edge of a career slide. Like with Neer, I will never forget the money Garza made me. My best to his remaining MMA career.
 
He can thank the exciting fighter argument for extending his stay longer than most fighters would probably get. 6 FotN on 17 fights is nothing to scoff at, but with that many consecutive losses, you can't really expect to keep that fight gig forever.
 
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