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

Belfort has a good shot to win it but I wouldn't count out Sonnen completely. Being laid on and roughed up is a draining experience and Belfort has never been known for his conditioning anyway. He'll have one, maybe one and a half rounds before Sonnen starts to run away with the fight. Likely main event (5 round!) quality too, which heavily favors Chael.

As far as Brown, he's got a lot with a little. Simple as that. He's made a better career than most people with his skillset could.

 
This Whittaker kid is good. Good TDD and good elbows/hands. He's just a little too two-dimensional in his standup. Just throwing elbows and punches isn't going to cut it in the UFC, especially if he doesn't have crazy power. I thought he beat McGee, but that was a close fight. He landed elbows that would have weakened a weaker fighter. McGee is a tough out for most. Whittaker has a lot of submission wins on his record. Haven't watched those fights, but I wonder why he seemingly changed up his gameplan to a Chuck-Liddell-type pure striking style.
 
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Fights last night were pretty good.  I like Kelvin Gastelum, so I was happy to see him win.  No surprise that Cerrone lost, I think he's just a little past his prime.  Henderson/Pettis this weekend, biggest fight of the year for me.

 
tylerh1701 said:
Fights last night were pretty good. I like Kelvin Gastelum, so I was happy to see him win. No surprise that Cerrone lost, I think he's just a little past his prime. Henderson/Pettis this weekend, biggest fight of the year for me.
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Gastelum is such a wildcard. At only 5'9" he's one of the smaller fighters at a 170 where the fighters are getting bigger/fighters are cutting a lot of weight to make the division. Welterweight is an interesting division. You have these bigger fighters like Rory MacDonald, Demian Maia, Dong Hyun Kim, and John Hathaway cutting a lot of weight to make the division while the top of the division is lead by smaller fighters like Johny Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger, Tarec Saffiedine, and Georges St-Pierre himself.

Bendo-Pettis 2 is gonna be fun. I like Bendo, and he is an amazing fighter, but I have a strange feeling that Pettis puts him to sleep or actually rocks him in one of the championship rounds. However, I am hoping that Bendo finishes Pettis.

Just for fun, the lineal WEC lightweight title goes from Pettis (after he decisioned Henderson) to Guida and back to Henderson. I think Joe Silva did that on purpose.
 
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Figured you guys would be interested to hear some new thoughts, this thread is a bit too slow for my liking. Click mah twitter, got picks up for a few of the fights.

 
Predictable end to Bendo's title reign. I think Pettis has enough talent to finish Aldo, especially at 145 where the weight cut has become truly detrimental to Aldo's health. If Jung's freak injury didn't happen, Aldo was in bad shape, and I think Jung would have won.

Before Pettis-Aldo, I would like to see Pettis-Grant. That would be an interesting fight. Before Grant had to pull out of his fight with Bendo, I thought Grant would be the one to end Bendo's reign doing something similar to what Pettis did: Take Henderson out of his comfort zone.

I think Henderson-Maynard sounds good as a rebound fight for both of them. Fits Zuffa's recent trend of not giving fighters tune-up fights between losses. I'd also support Melendez-Maynard. Just because.
 
Pettis destroys Grant via striking, does the same to Aldo via striking. Would destroy Melendez if he could keep it on the feet, but I would be a little worried about him being LNP'd. Still, Pettis' grappling continues to come along and his wrestling will get there too with him training with Askren all the time.

 
He's also out for 2 months.  Joy.  Honestly probably won't have a huge affect on how long it takes for him to fight again, but he's fairly prone to injuries and hopefully doesn't suffer too many as the champ.  I hate when divisions get bottlenecked because of injury.

 
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tylerh1701 said:
He's also out for 2 months. Joy. Honestly probably won't have a huge affect on how long it takes for him to fight again, but he's fairly prone to injuries and hopefully doesn't suffer too many as the champ. I hate when divisions get bottlenecked because of injury.
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Ahem...135. Barao and Faber should really have been showcasing that division at this point. It's insane how long Cruz has been out when you think he was supposed to fight Faber after TUF. I understand that people get injured, but when it makes your division irrelevant, it makes more sense to give up the belt and prove that you're still the best when you come back. I think if you can't fight once in a year, you should be stripped. If the champ can't defend once every 6 months, create an interim, and if it gets to one year, strip him. Nothing personal. Just a policy to keep the belt active.

In related news, I finally got a chance to watch the TUF premiere. I heard it pulled shitty ratings (as expected), but it was one of the most enjoyable premieres I've seen in awhile. Some really good fights, and the rivalry between Ronda and Miesha is going to be great. I just hope the obscurity of Fox Sports 1 doesn't cause people to talk shit about women's MMA, because I still think they go harder than the guys a lot of times.
 
Id imagine the ratings are more indicative of how limited the fs1 audience is than the pull or quality of the show. 

 
n8rockerasu said:
Ahem...135. Barao and Faber should really have been showcasing that division at this point. It's insane how long Cruz has been out when you think he was supposed to fight Faber after TUF. I understand that people get injured, but when it makes your division irrelevant, it makes more sense to give up the belt and prove that you're still the best when you come back. I think if you can't fight once in a year, you should be stripped. If the champ can't defend once every 6 months, create an interim, and if it gets to one year, strip him. Nothing personal. Just a policy to keep the belt active.

In related news, I finally got a chance to watch the TUF premiere. I heard it pulled shitty ratings (as expected), but it was one of the most enjoyable premieres I've seen in awhile. Some really good fights, and the rivalry between Ronda and Miesha is going to be great. I just hope the obscurity of Fox Sports 1 doesn't cause people to talk shit about women's MMA, because I still think they go harder than the guys a lot of times.
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135 is the weight class that popped into my mind when I typed that. I 100% agree with both of your policy changes. While we're at it, I'd like a firm policy in place that says nobody can hold titles in 2 weight classes. If you are a champ in one weight class, and want to challenge the champ in another weight class for their belt, then you have to abdicate yours. Can you imagine if either Pettis or Aldo were champs in 2 weight classes? Both those weight classes would be at a standstill, those guys barely fight enough to defend one belt regularly.

 
tylerh1701 said:
135 is the weight class that popped into my mind when I typed that. I 100% agree with both of your policy changes. While we're at it, I'd like a firm policy in place that says nobody can hold titles in 2 weight classes. If you are a champ in one weight class, and want to challenge the champ in another weight class for their belt, then you have to abdicate yours. Can you imagine if either Pettis or Aldo were champs in 2 weight classes? Both those weight classes would be at a standstill, those guys barely fight enough to defend one belt regularly.
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That's some great points that you and n8rockerasu make. I totally forgot about Cruz and the 135 division because of the long layoff from a championship fight happening in that division. I also thought it would be awesome for a fighter to hold two belts in two weight division, now I know why that it wouldn't be so awesome to both the fighters and audience, one title defense a year.

On a side note anyone going to watch the Mayweather and Canelo fight tonight?

 
Mayweather is aging and old is all I heard coming to this fight. The man might be 36 years old and some people might say he is passed his prime, but a 36 year old Mayweather "passed his prime" is still a better boxer than anyone out there in the sport right now. He has beat everyone there is to beat and some people say Canelo was his biggest competition yet. I simply disagree and say Cotto was the only guy to actually give Mayweather a minor challenge. Not knocking Canelo or anything. The kid is 23 years old and was given his first loss by the absolute best there is. He's got a big future ahead of him.

 
bigpimpin24 said:
Mayweather is aging and old is all I heard coming to this fight. The man might be 36 years old and some people might say he is passed his prime, but a 36 year old Mayweather "passed his prime" is still a better boxer than anyone out there in the sport right now. He has beat everyone there is to beat and some people say Canelo was his biggest competition yet. I simply disagree and say Cotto was the only guy to actually give Mayweather a minor challenge. Not knocking Canelo or anything. The kid is 23 years old and was given his first loss by the absolute best there is. He's got a big future ahead of him.
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De La Hoya fared far better than Cotto. If DLH was younger and kept to the game plan, it would've been Mayweather's best fight and a close one. Watching Cotto throw combinations is cool and all, but he just looked silly with Mayweather dodging almost every punch. Any talk of Mayweather slowing down is pure bullshit and will be for his last 2 years/4 fights. This is a guy that stays in shape all year round, which I think plays a huge part in his performance in the ring.

I agree that Canelo has a great future though.

Pacquiao Vs Rios should be interesting. Rios is a great fighter with a serious chin and I don't see this fight going to the cards considering how they're both brawlers.

 
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Boxing is such a joke.

Days before CJ Ross's scorecard, money had moved on the "Mayweather-Alvarez ends in a draw" prop. Numerous articles for respected local publications (California, Nevada) wrote articles detailing the money movement.

When I heard Jimmy Lennon Jr. announce a "majority decision," I cracked the widest smile. Boxing is predictable like that. Apparently, the majority decision prop sat around +1500. I wouldn't be surprised if Ross bet that line knowing her fellow judges would give the fight to Mayweather (who obviously wasn't going to lose).

I have seen some people compare poor boxing judging to poor MMA judging. Such a stupid comparison. Have we ever seen numerous news outlets discuss and publish articles about a possible fix within any MMA fight within any MMA event? No. Corruption within boxing seems to go straight to the bone.

This reminds me of when I put money on Timothy Bradley to upset Manny Pacquiao. A day before the fight, a poster of Pacquiao-Bradley 2 leaked onto the Internet. Considering how corrupt boxing is, I put money on Bradley at around +300 (which is a moderate underdog). When they announced a split decision, I laughed my ass off because I knew I had won. That's boxing in the nutshell.

 
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That poster wasn't leaked. In the contract was the future date of a rematch if Bradley won. So Bradley had that mock up poster made and used it while promoting the fight.

But yeah, boxing is hella corrupt. It's a shame people pretend to care about boxing one bout or or two a year.
 
I'm surprised nobody has talked about this yet but T.J. Grant is out yet again. Instead Pettis is scheduled to fight Josh Thomson in December on UFC on FOX 9.

 
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PimpLimp said:
I'm surprised nobody has talked about this yet but T.J. Grant is out yet again. Insted Pettis is scheduled to fight Josh Thomson in December on UFC on FOX 9.
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thomson should have one more win imo, but i like the fight itself. I think pettis will bully thomson.

 
paz9x said:
thomson should have one more win imo, but i like the fight itself. I think pettis will bully thomson.
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I agree that Thomson probably doesn't deserve a shot yet, but short of giving Bendo an instant rematch (which isn't happening) there's really nobody left to give the title shot to. Melendez is booked, dos Anjos just fought, Jose Aldo is hurt, and Gray Maynard probably doesn't deserve it following a loss.

 
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The Great Muta said:
Boxing is such a joke.

Days before CJ Ross's scorecard, money had moved on the "Mayweather-Alvarez ends in a draw" prop. Numerous articles for respected local publications (California, Nevada) wrote articles detailing the money movement.

When I heard Jimmy Lennon Jr. announce a "majority decision," I cracked the widest smile. Boxing is predictable like that. Apparently, the majority decision prop sat around +1500. I wouldn't be surprised if Ross bet that line knowing her fellow judges would give the fight to Mayweather (who obviously wasn't going to lose).

I have seen some people compare poor boxing judging to poor MMA judging. Such a stupid comparison. Have we ever seen numerous news outlets discuss and publish articles about a possible fix within any MMA fight within any MMA event? No. Corruption within boxing seems to go straight to the bone.

This reminds me of when I put money on Timothy Bradley to upset Manny Pacquiao. A day before the fight, a poster of Pacquiao-Bradley 2 leaked onto the Internet. Considering how corrupt boxing is, I put money on Bradley at around +300 (which is a moderate underdog). When they announced a split decision, I laughed my ass off because I knew I had won. That's boxing in the nutshell.
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Very few people bet on majority decision, and "fight ends in a draw" I don't think would have won, since the fight wasn't a draw.

 
tylerh1701 said:
I agree that Thomson probably doesn't deserve a shot yet, but short of giving Bendo an instant rematch (which isn't happening) there's really nobody left to give the title shot to. Melendez is booked, dos Anjos just fought, Jose Aldo is hurt, and Gray Maynard probably doesn't deserve it following a loss.
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Yeah, they've got somebody lined up for Pettis already I believe, based off reading between the lines of TJ Grant's tweets. But I don't know who it is, though. I don't care how struggling the division is for available challengers, it better not be Maynard.

 
Thekrakrabbit said:
Yeah, they've got somebody lined up for Pettis already I believe, based off reading between the lines of TJ Grant's tweets. But I don't know who it is, though. I don't care how struggling the division is for available challengers, it better not be Maynard.
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Have you not heard? It's confirmed to be Josh Thompson.

 
tylerh1701 said:
Have you not heard? It's confirmed to be Josh Thompson.
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Ah, at the moment of posting I hadn't. A decent challenger, albeit one that has little chance to beat Pettis. Better grappler, better striker, Thomson will probably get outpointed if not submitted. He deserves it though, considering the state the division is in right now though and will pose to be decent enough until Grant gets his shot and probably Melendez after that.

 
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Thekrakrabbit said:
Ah, at the moment of posting I hadn't. A decent challenger, albeit one that has little chance to beat Pettis. Better grappler, better striker, Thomson will probably get outpointed if not submitted. He deserves it though, considering the state the division is in right now though and will pose to be decent enough until Grant gets his shot and probably Melendez after that.
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I don't think he'll win either, but it should be a good fight. I would really like to see Pettis/Melendez. I got to think Grant has lost his shot at this point, he'll have to earn it again. I think he even sort of acknowledged that possibility on Twitter.

 
Not a robbery, sorry buddy. Jones won 4 (via stealing with the elbow), 5, and won one of the first 3 rounds as well. Gustafsson did a bit more damage, looked phenomenal in all aspects except conditioning, but he didn't win the fight. Just put up a great effort worthy of a rematch.

 
Excellent fight, one of the best of the year.  Both the guys were totally gassed at the end.

Exactly what krakrabbit said, Jones definitely won 4 and 5.  He definitely won at least one of the rounds between 1-3, and even possibly 2. I can understand the 49-46 scorecard, even though I probably would have scored it 48-47 Jones.

Rest of the main card was pretty good.  Sweet kick by Barao.  I'm surprised Kabib won so handily, I'm curious to see who he'll fight next.

 
Wow the outrage over the Jones/Gustafson scorecards is a lot bigger than I thought it would be, especially about the 49-46 scorecard.  I think a lot of that is just fueled by the hate for Jones.  Man, people really don't like that guy.  He's started to grow on me a little bit.

 
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Jones' biggest test to date. I really felt Alex won 1 and 2 and 3 was a toss up. Jones definitely won 4 and 5. Honestly fight of the year for me. Really close and Alex did a lot better than I actually expected. Jones' flashy style and spinning maneuvers weren't as dominant as in other fights. They helped him win the fight and I really thought he was going to finish in the 4th. That spinning elbow followed by the knee and combinations was absolutely beautiful. Props to Mauler for surviving. I don't know if Glover will do that good. You gotta figure Jones is gonna go back and work even more now that he actually was challenged. Excellent fight and definitely my fight of the year!

 
I think jones won 4 and 5 I guess 3 could have gone either way but 49-46? what

Would jones have the 4th if not for the last 20 seconds? Whatever when does anderson silva fight again that's all I care about anyways all my favorite pride fighters are retired or fighting on some unheard of japanese mma event

 
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Yeah alex thought it would be a good idea to start blocking elbows with his face and it obviously carried over to the 5th

 
RogueSplinterCell said:
Found this randomly while searching youtube

http://youtu.be/R3SX-EWMMt4?t=2m30s
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Clearly, he was getting ahead of himself. Hopefully this "near scare" is enough to make Jones hungry again. Complacency can ruin any great athlete. Jones really needed to have that feeling of getting beat up and that he actually could lose. If that's what it takes to push him to the next level, and become the greatest MMA fighter of all time, then God bless Alexander Gustafsson for giving him that kind of fight. I'm a Jon Jones fan...but that fight made me a Gustafsson fan as well.

 
Sooo...what exactly did Junior learn from the 2nd fight? Because that might as well have been an instant replay. As pitiful as the heavyweight division is, (not sure why Rogan keeps talking about how strong it is considering Cormier and Nelson are leaving, Lesnar and Carwin retired, and Overeem and Mir are now a joke. Sure, you've got Barnett as a legitimate contender...but who else is there? Maybe Miocic...Travis Brown? Gabriel Gonzaga? lol) I really don't want to see Cain and JDS fight again. They just don't match up well at all and their fights are terrible.

It seemed like Junior's fight plan was to be patient and wait on Cain to slow down...which actually seemed like it was working, as Junior was getting separation easier in the 2nd and 3rd round. But then he just totally underestimates Cain's striking, leaves his hands down, and gets clocked...again. And then, yep...all the conditioning in the world goes out the window because suddenly you're a walking corpse. Then, what really pissed me off is it seemed like Cain went into "ride it out" mode again. He threw big shots to get Junior on the brink of being KO'd...and then he lays on him and throws knees to the thigh.

If you felt good enough about your boxing against his when he was still fresh, why are you going to be all hesitant when he's so scrambled he thinks you're a big fluffy bunny standing in front of him? Sure, Cain got the stoppage, but I feel like that was gifted to him at that point. Just like in the 2nd fight, he should have ended it way before that. Once again, the heavies disappoint. I'll watch a John Dodson fight any day over that crap (which is saying a lot because Dodson annoyed the shit out of me on TUF...but I love his work ethic and his approach to fighting).

 
n8rockerasu said:
It seemed like Junior's fight plan was to be patient and wait on Cain to slow down...which actually seemed like it was working, as Junior was getting separation easier in the 2nd and 3rd round. But then he just totally underestimates Cain's striking, leaves his hands down, and gets clocked...again. And then, yep...all the conditioning in the world goes out the window because suddenly you're a walking corpse. Then, what really pissed me off is it seemed like Cain went into "ride it out" mode again. He threw big shots to get Junior on the brink of being KO'd...and then he lays on him and throws knees to the thigh.

If you felt good enough about your boxing against his when he was still fresh, why are you going to be all hesitant when he's so scrambled he thinks you're a big fluffy bunny standing in front of him? Sure, Cain got the stoppage, but I feel like that was gifted to him at that point. Just like in the 2nd fight, he should have ended it way before that. Once again, the heavies disappoint. I'll watch a John Dodson fight any day over that crap (which is saying a lot because Dodson annoyed the shit out of me on TUF...but I love his work ethic and his approach to fighting).
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Took the words right out of my mouth. I was trying to explain this to a friend via text last night but it didn't come out nearly as well. But yeah, it was absolutely just a replay of the 2nd fight, which is pretty much what I expected because JDS proved that he had nothing to counter against Cain's talents. It's a terrible matchup for him, and despite the complete lack of talent in the division, I really hope they don't fight again.

And Cain absolutely went into "ride it out" mode. I understand JDS is crazy powerful but I think Cain could have easily finished much earlier if he would have stayed separated from JDS and landed punches.

I don't think the fight was terrible, but JDS beating Cain the first time was basically a fluke and I hope everyone can see that now.

As for the Gil fight that I was most excited to see......I missed it because some of my stupid friends said it was on at the bar and it wasn't. Apparently it was an amazing fight, too. I got home just in time to see the post fight interviews. fuck I was pissed!

 
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