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

DarkTower80 said:
Nate Diaz posted on twitter that he isn't buying Jones testing positive and called it a UFC publicity stunt, yeah sure Nate.
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God damn, man. Does he even think before he says things? What would the UFC stand to gain from making their highest paid fighter look like a junkie? If they wanted the publicity, they could have just run with the "greatest of all time" angle after the win over Cormier. I seriously can't wait until the Diaz boys get cut from the UFC. I'm sure Bellator is ready for them.

squishface said:
From what I've seen and heard about athletes failing drug tests for substances like cocaine is that the organizations don't have as performance enhancing ? They don't appear to have the same fine / punishment if it were steroids or weed . Imo I think it's more of a hard core drug and should have a stronger penalty. It doesn't seem like it does because I always see the famous athletes back in their sport and on tv asap.
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Yeah...it doesn't violate any fair competition policies (though some think it should still matter). Not to defend Jones's actions, but honestly, Hollywood actors get away with much worse and society largely doesn't care. I do hope Jones takes this as a serious wake up call and cleans himself up though.

 
What freaks me out the most about Jones being linked to cocaine is how it may play into him making weight. He did even talk about how his weight cut is "easy" now and how he has no trouble at all making 205. That's one hell of a potential appetite suppressent.

 
A famous popular cyclist Tom Boonen got busted a few years back for the same failed drug test as jones . I saw him back on tv within 2 months. Unless it's a huge fine, I don't think the athletes will really cry foul. Well how can they after get caught with illegal drugs lol
 
Since I couldn't edit this on my tablet, I could also add several other famous athletes and celebrities that don't seem to be punished severely for this hard of a drug.
Maybe once more people hear about Jones ... Ufc might have a new champ ?
 
squishface said:
Since I couldn't edit this on my tablet, I could also add several other famous athletes and celebrities that don't seem to be punished severely for this hard of a drug.
Maybe once more people hear about Jones ... Ufc might have a new champ ?
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No way that happens. As much as Dana White speaks his mind and tells people when they're being stupid, he'll go to bat for Jones and say all the politically correct bullshit that you'd expect to hear from corporate America on this one. Jones and Ronda Rousey are the UFCs biggest PPV draws at the moment. The company will bend over backward for either one of them.

It bothers me, but moreso because Dana had to play the bullshit "what you're supposed to say" game when things like this happen in the public eye. "We're behind Jon 100% and applaud him for seeking help", blah blah *tear*. That's not how Dana talks. Any other time, we'd hear "How fucking stupid can you be? You're the biggest star in the sport and say you want to be the greatest of all time, and you're dicking around with drugs like you're Tony fucking Montana. Grow the fuck up and act like you give a shit about your career."

I do a pretty good Dana White, don't I? lol :lol:

 
An interesting tidbit is that the testing for cocaine was a mistake. The NSAC wasn't supposed to test for cocaine, but it did by mistake.

The test was December 4th. So he was technically "out of competition", so that is why he was allowed to continue with the fight. That early they are only supposed to be looking for PEDs.

If the NSAC didn't make the mistake on the test then we would've never known.

Jones seems to be a little like one of those cases of giving too much money to someone who can't handle it. The Bentley, DUI, "hacked phone" and now the cocaine. There have also been multiple rumors of Jones doing coke that last few years but I pretty much just blew them off because there was no proof, but now it looks like they were probably accurate.

 
I agree. He was the UFC champ at 23 years old...and all of a sudden he had resources available to him that most of us will never know. Let's just hope for his sake it was only something he dabbled with occasionally and that he's not a full blown addict already.

 
Jones being in rehab for only one day does make me think the cocaine was some weird "science experiment" for either losing weight or training purposes, and not something he was doing recreationally. Hopefully it was a new, one off thing he was trying, and getting caught will scrap whatever the hell that plan was immediately.

Also...Bellator didn't get Brock Lesnar (yet), but they did get Kimbo Slice!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2331943-kimbo-slice-reportedly-signs-with-bellator-latest-details-comments-reaction

Dude went 7-0 in his boxing stint, fighting absolute cans. But he's now 40 years old and hasn't had an MMA fight in 5 years. I actually really grew to like the guy on TUF because you could tell he was a decent guy who just wanted to make a good living for his kids. And I respect him for keeping at it...but it's just too bad he didn't get started earlier.

Conversely, another fighter I used to like keeps getting himself into more shit.

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/dfNPX

Dammit, Mayhem. Why are you so fucking stupid?

 
Jones was only going into rehab because he got caught. Do I think he is a cokehead? No, but he is a recreational user since cocaine is a notorious party drug. He's young, with lots of money, out in the clubs partying hard and takes a bump. Its not the smartest idea, but it happens. Probably 85% of Hollywood does coke.

With Bellator signing Kimbo they are just showing they are only interested in getting eyes on the product. Kimbo had no cardio and shot knees 6 years ago. He is going to have nothing going forward. This is tame though when compared to the Tito vs. Bonner freakshow that went on for months.

No hate for Kimbo. If some executive big wigs walked into the gym today, tossed me a sack of money and said we are going to make you a star I'd say hell yeah. I'm sure Kimbo knew that he was no world beater, but he went with the flow and made some nice money. Hopefully he isn't still fighting because he pissed it all away though.

 
Kimbo is so injury prone though, I don't know why he's having another go at MMA. Think he would be better in boxing, where his knees won't get kicked out. Or even pro wrestling, but he may have passed up that window of hype for a big push.

 
The judges do know they aren't in Ireland right?  What a travesty of a decision in the Pendred - Spencer fight.  All three of the Sherdog judges had it 30-27 Spencer and Pendred wins by unanimous decision with 2 judges scoring 30-27 for him.  The look on Rogan's face when they went to him and Dana after they announced it was amazing.

 
Looks like the stage is set for McGregor vs Aldo. Not gonna lie I'm pretty excited to see it. Aldo is right in that McGregor hasn't faced the caliber of fighters he has but it makes for an exciting matchup. McGregor with his advancing and confidence in striking can either be good or bad in this fight
 
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I'm really surprised the judges gave Cerrone that fight. I thought Henderson's style of making fighters sluggish was going to help him ride to victory again. Not sure where the striking totals ended up at, but Henderson just kept throwing that same bullshit front side kick to the thigh just as a means of scoring points and keeping Cerrone away. I thought he was going to use it to set Cerrone up for something, but that didn't happen until the 3rd round when he threw the high kick.

I was skeptical of Cerrone winning, and I was honestly going to chalk it up to lack of prep time. He legitimately looked confused by Henderson at times...and that caused him to be timid with his striking. I really wanted to see him just let loose on Henderson, because to me, Cerrone honestly does look like the better fighter at this point. Glad the fight didn't screw up Cowboy's run at the title (since he actually did talk about wanting the belt and beating everybody along the way in the pre-fight package). But I think he could have stopped Henderson had he actually studied film of Henderson's recent fights and had time to train for it.

And also...Conor McGregor is a beast. Granted Dennis Siver is "beneath him", but he still dominated that fight. I explained to my wife that McGregor is basically the new GSP. He brings in an incredible audience on an international level. I hate to say that the UFC would be "better off" with him as champion than Aldo, but I'm sorry...having belt holders who refuse to learn English is bad for business. It just is. Even Anderson Silva started giving some English soundbytes to endear himself to the public a little more. Aldo, Barao, etc. could make so much more money if they could communicate in addition to having elite skill sets.

 
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This gave me a good laugh. Joe Rogan was doing his podcast as the Jon Jones failed drug test story broke. They analyze it and basically figure out exactly how it happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axUZfGIOMu8

(5:45 is where it all starts to come together, haha)

Joe also laughs at Dana White's BS politically correct statement.

 
I disagree with the Henderson/Cerrone decision, but not even the biggest Benson fan can't complain.  He came out on the right side of a lot of decisions in far more important fights in the past.

And as a Benson fan, I'm sick of watching him try to out-point his opponents.  Clearly that's what he was doing with a lot of those kicks in the fight with Cerrone.  In his 5 WEC victories he had 4 finishes.  In his 9 UFC victories, only 1 finish.  He was way more interesting when he fought more aggressively.

 
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tylerh1701 said:
I disagree with the Henderson/Cerrone decision, but not even the biggest Benson fan can't complain. He came out on the right side of a lot of decisions in far more important fights in the past.

And as a Benson fan, I'm sick of watching him try to out-point his opponents. Clearly that's what he was doing with a lot of those kicks in the fight with Cerrone. In his 5 WEC victories he had 4 finishes. In his 9 UFC victories, only 1 finish. He was way more interesting when he fought more aggressively.
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Yeah, that's how I thought about it too. There might be an argument that Henderson got screwed...but now he knows how Frankie Edgar, Gilbert Melendez, and Josh Thomson felt...and they all had split decisions with Henderson.

In a way, it almost felt like an extension of the Hendricks/Lawlor II judging...where if you're not actively trying to finish the fight and you're doing anything to take the "easy" road to victory, the judges aren't going to reward it. I think there was one point where Henderson threw that kick to the thigh 6 times in a row. And leading with a kick is generally thought to be bad form anyway...so that's kind of all he was doing. It's kind of like we've seen the "lay & pray" of both the dirty boxing and standup world now.

I will say, when Cerrone WAS throwing, his strikes just looked like they had bad intentions all over them. The body kicks were vicious. And a few of the shots, it was like...if that lands, it's over. I remember...I think in the first fight with Edgar, Henderson threw some vicious leg kicks. He needs to get back to that. It'll be interesting to see where his desire goes from here though.

 
Good Lord, the Cyborg thing is still happening, apparently...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2337945-ufc-parent-company-pursuing-deal-with-cris-cyborg-justino

I honestly just wish they'd make a featherweight women's division at this point. The best way to ensure that PPVs aren't perceived as "weak" is having as many champions as possible (especially when you have people getting hurt all the time). If they think Cyborg is a legitimate draw, then make a division for her.

Yes, it probably would have made more sense to not skip Flyweight, but if there's really nobody at 125 who is worth it, then give Cyborg a division, and let her have a "rivalry" with Ronda even if they never fight (ala GSP/Silva, Jones/Velasquez, etc). If they're that worried about Bellator getting "names" to the point that they have to sign CM Punk and bring Mirko Cro Cop out of the retirement home, at least strengthen the brand by adding another champion.

 
Rumble makes quick work of Mauler. Puts Rumble on a 9 fight win streak. Dude has some serious power behind those hands. Should be interesting to see him in there against Bones
 
I'll say it again, Rumble looks like prime Rampage Jackson. He is a monster right now, and seriously gives zero fucks about the name or reputation of the guy standing in front of him. That's freaking scary. He smashed Little Nog and Gustafsson like they were nobodies. If he fights Jones the same way, it could be the biggest test Jones has ever had. It will basically force Jones to do something to earn Rumble's respect, rather than guys coming in being timid because of what Jones has done in the past.

Jones will have to use his reach advantage and launch some of those kicks right up the middle to keep Johnson off of him. Or take him down and use those elbows. But he better not try to just stand and bang with him like he did with Glover and Cormier. 

 
Happy for Rumble - he looked great in that fight. I do think stylistically Gustaf matches up better to Jones though. Jones uses his reach much better (when he wants to) then Gustaf does. I think Jones vs. Rumble will look an awful lot like Rampage vs. Jones.

Kind of sad to here Crocop is coming back. He is one of my favorites, but I don't want to see him destroyed by the current HWs. He should stay over in Japan where he has been doing well. I will say though, that whenever Crocop does lose it is usually spectacular knock out fashion. The knee from Mir, the obvious kick from Gonzaga, and the punch from Schaub. He always goes down hard like a ton of bricks.

 
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With how Nate's fight went, I wonder how seriously Nick will take this fight. Is he going to just show up out of shape, miss weight, and just dick around during the fight so he gets an easy payday? Or has he taken the fight seriously, and worked hard to not be affected by his long layoff? Honestly, the later would actually be the surprise for me.
 
Honestly, the biggest argument I could see for him taking the fight seriously is because it's Anderson Silva. If that doesn't mean anything to him, then I would question if he ever cared about the sport. If he screws this one up and taints Silva's comeback in any way, the UFC should just cut him immediately. It's fun and games when the Diaz boys are bringing in dollars. But I think most everybody is tired of them at this point.

 
I think this will look different than Nate's fight because Silva will want to stand. Nick's aggressive walk forward style *should* lend itself very nicely to Silva's laser guide counter punching.

I say should because I do wonder how Silva will look after his year away,

Even if Diaz is completely unprepared and out of shape, he is still known for heaving a tough chin and being aggressive which should at least make it entertaining.

 
Curious to see how Gastelum will do against some higher level competition. Other than that the card is fairly weak. Still don't really know how Diaz was decided upon for Silva. Dana is already saying Silva can get a title shot if he wins. I still want to see Machida vs Silva personally,
 
I believe at one point he did say he would not fight Machida or Jacare but they said they would fight Silva if it involved the title. He was disappointed with that and in turn said he would fight them as well. He has also said he does not like fighting other Brazilians but sure did not look that way when he fought Maia
 
Jesus 9 pounds?  What the fuck.  No easier way for a rising star to shoot himself in the foot.  Maybe he was super sick or something and couldn't do the weight cut.  But that is way fucking off.

Chris Weidman got hurt again, his title fight with Vitor is off.  If I was Dana I would strip him completely, I think that should be policy after 12 months out or 2 missed title defenses due to injury.  Give him a #1 contender or title fight when he gets better.  I get so sick of seeing the belts sitting on the shelf.

 
Only caught the co main event and main event and both were rather lackluster. Silva looked pretty good on his feet and the leg injury didn't seem to effect him too much. I'm sure Dana was shaking his head after the opening round and regretting signing Diaz LOL.

*edit* had a brain fart I actually saw the Boesch fight and Lauzon as well those were definitely better than the last two fights on the card. Lauzon is a tough SOB and props to Al for picking his shots and not gassing out
 
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Kinda glad Silva won and beat Diaz. So he has lost at least the last 3 fights and has a 7-7 record from what I saw. Why hasn't he been cut yet?
He doesn't seem to want to be there anyway.
 
Glad Silva won, but he didn't show that he was ready for taking on the likes of Machida, Jacare, and Rockhold. Maybe it is time for him to step away and go out on a win.

I liked during the post fight when he kept mentioning his son crying and begging him to stop (even in the back after the fight - I'm guessing by telephone or maybe he was there with him) one of the media asked him how old his son was. Silva said 17. I thought that was kind of funny.

The highlight of the night was the last 30 seconds of the post fight. Everyone else was gone aside from Silva (including Dana it seemed). Silva then asked the media if anyone had any questions for Black Dana (himself). After nobody said anything he pretended he was Dana and said something like "The next title fight will be... umm... ahh.. I don't know. Thank you and goodbye" and left.

 
Why is there speculation about Anderson Silva retiring when he allegedly signed a new 15 fight contract in October? I'm sure the UFC has some type of post-retirement job idea for him. But why in the hell bother with a 15 fight contract? The other area of question is if the Reebok deal has anything to do with it because Anderson has openly spoke out against it and said he won't wear Reebok. Just a really weird situation.

I also enjoyed Joe Rogan attempting to give Nick Diaz the "retirement interview".

Diaz: "I'll get em next time I guess..."

Rogan: "So, is this the last time we'll see you in the Octagon?"

Diaz: "I don't...I don't know..."

 
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