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

I'd be surprised if Mendes is going with the skin cream angle. Once he came back positive that one or two months ago he pretty much seemed to accept it. If it is actually due to a skin cream for somesort of skin condition - I'd think he'd be able to negotiate down a lower suspension. Something like 6 months or what not. He is coming of two ko's though - so not sure how much he has left in him.

UFC is in a pickle when it comes to stars. They have the most talented fighters they've ever had, but don't can't seem to get the new guys to that star level of the days of Chuck, Tito, Hughes, BJ, GSP, Silva, etc. Add in Jones, Silva, Brock and Ronda losing (or busted for steroids, or both) and that only leaves Connor. If Connor loses again then his star power is crushed.

I thought they might've been able to with Rumble - but Cormier shut him down. I'm hoping Rumble beats Glover and gets a 2nd shot and maybe wins this time. His fights have been super exciting.

Cormier could've become a star if he beat Jones, but that is off the table. His ultra-boring fight with Silva actually knocked him down a few pegs. Even his fight with Rumble was only exciting because Rumble nearly removed his head from his shoulders 10 seconds into the fight. Cormier than wore him down. Cormier is great - but he just seems to lack something. When he was running through people in Strikeforce people were calling him the 2nd coming of Fedor with the knockout of bigfoot and all his awesome throws. I actually wish he went back to HW - he seemed much more exciting there.

I like Eddie Alvarez - but I'm afraid Khabib is going to ragdoll him to a boring victory. It's been forever since I watched Khabib, but I think we will just see a wrestling clinic/blanket.

I love Robbie Lawler. What he lacks he makes up for with grit and coming on like a monster in 4th and 5th rounds, but he just isn't the unbelievable talent that was GSP.

Werdum staying as champ would've been good for UFC. He was looking awesome against Nelson, Hunt, and Cain. He also had ended the Fedor streak. He could've been built up if he got a few more wins, but instead he had a horrible brain fart against Stipe. Werdum has some excellent striking and one of the top jiu-jitsu guys in the world.

This lack of marketable stars is why Hendo is getting a titleshot against Bisping. Get a rematch from UFC 100, a legend fighting, and a chance to get a very well liked guy with the belt. I cheered when he head kicked and elbowed Lombard. Sucks for Romero and Jacare though. Those two are the guys who should have the title shot.

 
Matt Young said:
That's pretty much the most perfect assessment of her I've ever seen.
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Her staredowns are freaky and hideous. When she does it she looks like an actual literal troll.

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I watched the whole season of TUF and Joanna was just incredibly off-putting in both appearance and personality. Claudia Gadelha on the other hand... she may have gotten handled when the 2 ladies fought, but I still want to marry her.
 
She also has that odd Eastern European thing where things that make sense to her don't make sense to many other people. It was kind of cute and endearing at first...and now that people have realized it never stops, it's slowly become more and more terrifying.

 
Watching UFC tonight, and it made me realize the only good thing to come out of UFC 200 is the new Reebok trunks with the country colors. Hopefully they keep expanding the design options because the boring ass black/white, white/black designs were horrible.

Also, they just showed CM Punk at the event...and as he's on camera, the arena started playing Cult of Personality. That's pretty damn hilarious, lol.

 
Wooooo!!! Eat shit, Holly Holm!!! :lol:

lol...I mean, I can't stand her, obviously. But she got completely outclassed tonight. Outside of the Ronda fight, she's been really unremarkable. She just looks slow, and most of her shots have no intent behind them. She honestly looks like she's in a kickboxing class and is concerned more with her form than actually landing the shot.

I get that feints are important, but it was starting to look like she was pulling her punches. Just, so uncomfortable and sloooooooow. I really wonder what her corner told her before that 5th round because she was obviously losing and should have been swinging for the fences. She coasted to that loss.

 
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Yeah the Ronda upset looks like a complete fluke now. That division is a mess.

I like the country colors, they really need to expand it further and just let fighters pick their colors. Colors are good and pleasing to the eyes. black and white in every fight was stupid.

Also still so asinine to me that fighters can't have ads on their fight trunks, but then they fight in that ugly fucking octogan that's plastered with ads.

 
I'd be happy to see Chael have a few more matches. The ongoing drama that will be his prefight hype and questions on regarding he can pass all the drug tests will be fun. Also his bad mouthing of jiu-jitsu is fun when he's had a few good submissions over the years himself. Hard to believe he finished Shogun is the first round.

Actually Chael's record is quite impressive - beating Stann, Bisping, Miller, Marquadt, Shogun and Okami. Aside from Silva, his big losses are to Rashad and Jon Jones at a weight class he doesn't belong in.

I also saw the report that WWE won't punish Lesnar. They said since he is only part time he doesn't have to follow the rules, because they don't test part-timers. Meaning that the big stars who only show up for big events can be roided out of their mind.

I laugh at myself for being kind of impressed with Bork before and after the fight. With the pre-fight interviews, his win (even though it was super boring), and his post-fight interviews I really thought he might've been serious at giving it another go. Obvioulsy I would've been pissed if he jumped over Overeem, Cain, and all the rest but at least it looked like he was serious. Then he fails both out of competition and the pre-fight test. He obviously didn't care if he showed up to the event still on his post-cycle therapy. At least we won't have to see him again and he goes out on a suspension and heavily tarnishing his legacy (at least among real fans. I'm sure alot of the fair weather casual fans don't even know he tested positive).

 
Yeah, I'm actually pretty happy that this solidified Brock as a freakshow too. It made me a little sick to my stomach that after everything that happened, Lesnar had a chance at making the UFC hall of fame and being regarded as one of the best heavyweights of all time.

I know that sounds silly, but he beat Randy Couture in "just his 4th pro fight", and he headlined/starred on two of the biggest PPV cards in company history. Had he not been caught as a legitimate cheater (ha, now that's amusing), people would actually be holding him up as a serious example of MMA...and I'm sorry, but that makes me want to puke.

 
Lesnar has a decent enough run - but his biggest win was the 2nd fight against Frank. Frank landed that jumping knee to Lesnar (which had Lesnar rocked) but ended up taken down because of it and that was the end of it.

Couture is a good win - but Couture was at the very end of his career. After that he lost all his fights and the ones he won were freakshows/completely irrelevant (Coleman and James Toney). Couture only came out of retirement to save the UFC HW division because of how weak it looked and they needed a body to fight Big Tim.

Carwin win sounds good on paper, but it was a complete one side beatdown until Carwin exhausted himself to the point where he couldn't stand up. He pretty much just fell over and Lesnar submitted him. I also find it interested that Carwin recently admitted PED usage on reddit like last week.

Then Lesnar went on to be smashed by Cain and Overeem and now roided out of his mind for Hunt.

Can't wait for Rumble vs Glover next month. I like Glover, but I hope Rumble gets the win and gets a rematch against Cormier. I just hope and pray he has worked on his jiu jitsu. His jitsu  off his back was some of the worst I've ever seen when he had Cormier on him.

 
TheN8torious said:
Wow...this article. I'm not sure how, but I both 100% don't want this and 100% want this at the same time. The internal struggle is real.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/7/27/12306462/lingerie-fighting-championships-angling-to-sign-ronda-rousey-if-she-retires-from-ufc-mma-news

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=72&v=2B9z4erMXF8[/youtube]
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To be perfectly honest, this would be a lot more entertaining if they dropped the fake acting and had the girls just grapple for real. I got no problem watching hot girls do low level wrestling.

 
bobo2k4 said:
To be perfectly honest, this would be a lot more entertaining if they dropped the fake acting and had the girls just grapple for real. I got no problem watching hot girls do low level wrestling.
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Yeah, I agree. I enjoy the antics when they come naturally from people who are good at them (McGregor, Sonnen, etc). But when it feels forced because you HAVE to do it, it's really stupid. But yeah, lingerie MMA...it's not the worst idea ever...lol.

In other news, it appears that Joe Rogan signed a new contract with the UFC. Just one year though and Dana White basically had to beg him to stay. He schedule will also be scaled back quite a bit.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/joe-rogans-deal-ufc-tells-170607281.html

 
TheN8torious said:
Wow...this article. I'm not sure how, but I both 100% don't want this and 100% want this at the same time. The internal struggle is real.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/7/27/12306462/lingerie-fighting-championships-angling-to-sign-ronda-rousey-if-she-retires-from-ufc-mma-news

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=72&v=2B9z4erMXF8[/youtube]
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I don't understand - is this all scripted or pseudo real fights? The "jam packed arena" makes it feel extra sad. There's probably like 25 people in the stands.

Ronda would never do this. I am by no means a Ronda fan, but I'm sure she wouldn't do it. She would have to be hard up for cash and supporting a crazy drug addiction to destroy her legacy like that.

 
Dokstarr said:
I don't understand - is this all scripted or pseudo real fights? The "jam packed arena" makes it feel extra sad. There's probably like 25 people in the stands.

Ronda would never do this. I am by no means a Ronda fan, but I'm sure she wouldn't do it. She would have to be hard up for cash and supporting a crazy drug addiction to destroy her legacy like that.
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Yeah, I agree. It's extremely wishful thinking...and I can't even imagine the sequence of events that would need to take place to make it even a slight possibility. Even if legit MMA and Hollywood just completely shunned Ronda, she could probably make more money streaming video games on Twitch than doing this. I'd imagine most of these girls are doing this to BECOME a name. Ronda already has that.

That said, I would watch it. It's no worse than Gracie - Shamrock III :lol:

 
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moojuice said:
Huh, never realized Dana was this jacked

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/759456685349965825
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Dana and Lorenzo love the TRT, HGH, and any other gear that multi-millionaires can get their hands on.

Must be from curling those wallets all the time. Those billions ain't light!

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Jesus, went 0-5 for my picks on the main card. Good thing I didn't bet any money. 

Some amazing fights though and congrats to T-Wood, he was able to get Robbie early and not have to worry about gassing in the later rounds. 

 
Happy to see Burger get the KO. Brown is a dick half the time and has always had a glass liver hah.

Sad to see Lawler go that way since T-Wood has never impressed me. He lost to Shields and Rory (looked pretty crappy against Rory) then lost a close split decision to Kevin Gastelum. His big win over Condit that he talks about was only due to Condit blowing out his knee. He was so excited that he won you would've though he knocked out Condit instead of Condit landing wrong and blowing out his knee.

Also don't like T-Wood since he said he won't / doesn't want to fight Wonderboy Thompson or Demian Maia if he beats Condit next month. He only wants a big money fight like against Diaz (3 fight losing streak and last won a fight in 2011 against BJ Penn) or GSP (who is still retired). For someone with only now one big win he is throwing out a lot of demands. I hope they toss him in the cage with Wonderboy and he kicks his head off.

The McGregor effect is going to ruin champs. They are all going to go out there looking for big money fights (like how McGregor wanted little Diaz) instead of the correct fights. Add that with the crazy Bisping vs Hendo matchup and things are getting crazier than usual.

 
Dokstarr said:
Also don't like T-Wood since he said he won't / doesn't want to fight Wonderboy Thompson or Demian Maia if he beats Condit next month. He only wants a big money fight like against Diaz (3 fight losing streak and last won a fight in 2011 against BJ Penn) or GSP (who is still retired). For someone with only now one big win he is throwing out a lot of demands. I hope they toss him in the cage with Wonderboy and he kicks his head off.

The McGregor effect is going to ruin champs. They are all going to go out there looking for big money fights (like how McGregor wanted little Diaz) instead of the correct fights. Add that with the crazy Bisping vs Hendo matchup and things are getting crazier than usual.
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Yeah, I wasn't a huge fan of that either. Though, the solution is finding a way to ensure that the deserving challengers ARE the big money fights. If the UFC would ever learn how to properly promote its iop 5 in each division, they wouldn't have this problem. The fact that people have to pull out names from 4-5 years ago shows how poorly the newer talent has been promoted.

But I also can't blame fighters who are one losing streak away from being fired or one concussion away from retirement for wanting to make as much money as they can while they can. This most definitely isn't the right way for things to be going, but I feel like that's a UFC management issue more than anything.

Maybe we'll see if WME-IMG has a better way of handling it.

 
So Rizin tweeted out an image a few days ago advertising Fedor Vs CroCop 2.  I know it so far out of prime, but man that fight still excites me. I will always support both those guys, it's just tough to see them get old.

I see McGregor was on twitter trolling the pro-wrestlers. Trying to get some publicity before his fight with Diaz. I wonder if he is angling for a contract if he decides to bow out of MMA. I did read some of the responses which were funny. Iron Sheik is always good for a laugh when he threatens to murder someone.

For Roy Nelson vs Bigfoot - I hope they both lose and disappear. Bigfoot because he has been 1st round KO'd like 5/6 fights in a row now or something, and Nelson because he is a waste of talent he has lost 4/5.

 
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Dokstarr said:
So Rizin tweeted out an image a few days ago advertising Fedor Vs CroCop 2. I know it so far out of prime, but man that fight still excites me. I will always support both those guys, it's just tough to see them get old.
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I mean, it should at least be better than Gracie/Shamrock 3, right? Right...? At least they won't have to worry about pesky drug testing.

Dokstarr said:
I see McGregor was on twitter trolling the pro-wrestlers. Trying to get some publicity before his fight with Diaz. I wonder if he is angling for a contract if he decides to bow out of MMA. I did read some of the responses which were funny. Iron Sheik is always good for a laugh when he threatens to murder someone.
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I've seen a few places mention this, and it just doesn't make sense to me. I mean, obviously, if Conor loses again, he's gotta figure out what the hell he's doing. This fight is like a Donald Trump "double down", and he's going to look like a damned jackass if he gets stomped again.

He accepted the first loss as graciously as anybody could. I think if he had just admitted that guys fighting at 170 are too big for his natural size, he could have moved on with it barely being a blip on his career. But if he loses again, it's just going to look like he ran from defending his title and wasted a year of everyone's time. I'm just waiting for some really stupid shit to happen like McGregor pissing hot, and just royally fucking up everything.

As for bowing out of MMA/running to WWE, again, it seems weird. He's hardly had any of the side options that Ronda had when she lost. Though, honestly, Ronda has done basically nothing for almost a year now. All this time and none of those movies have even started yet. Her IMDB page just has Road House as "announced" and that's it. She might be closer to lingerie fighting than we think...Conor too, lol. :lol:

Dokstarr said:
For Roy Nelson vs Bigfoot - I hope they both lose and disappear. Bigfoot because he has been 1st round KO'd like 5/6 fights in a row now or something, and Nelson because he is a waste of talent he has lost 4/5.
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I hope they both get popped for KFC and USADA suspends them for 3 years. :lol:

 
TheN8torious said:
He accepted the first loss as graciously as anybody could. I think if he had just admitted that guys fighting at 170 are too big for his natural size, he could have moved on with it barely being a blip on his career. But if he loses again, it's just going to look like he ran from defending his title and wasted a year of everyone's time. I'm just waiting for some really stupid shit to happen like McGregor pissing hot, and just royally fucking up everything.
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Nate isn't a 170'er though. He is a 155 fighter and has mostly fought at 155 except for his first few fights in UFC where he was extremely undersized and got muscled around. This whole welterweight thing came about because it seems both of them just didn't want to have to cute or make weight at all. The last fight Connor was 167 and Diaz was 168. Neither one of them is a 170'er since those guys are really about 190 or so. Hendricks is 200.

Connor just cuts a massive amount of weight to make featherweight. That is why he has dwarfed every single guy he has fought so far. There has been tons of talk about how the cut is extremely hard on him and he wants to go up to lightweight. They are pretty much the same size, just Nate is lankier (granted Connor did probably add 10lbs or so of muscle).

The bigger question I think will be if Connor can go back down to featherweight. He cold barely make the weight before, now its been about a year of him bulked up and not worrying about weight. That is going to be tough.

For this actual fight he needs to play it smart. Don't go out there and try to trade big shots with a Diaz. Connor might land 5 shots to 1 from Diaz but Diaz is still making out on that. Diaz's may lack wrestling, kicks, and some other aspects but they have a chin. Whenever they suck someone into a war in the pocket they usually come out on top. I think Connor should spend some time following the blueprints RDA had against Diaz. He chopped the hell out of Diaz's leg to the point where Diaz could barely stand. Do that for a few rounds until Diaz is limping and then maybe open up some more. Diaz never checks a leg kick and just eats every single one until his leg is shredded. Diaz's wrestling is also weak so Connor I think would be able to avoid takedowns (as long as it isn't something like pulling guard in a clinch).

The UFC hype machine worked and I'm interested in seeing the fight more than I should since it has very little effect on the welterweight or even lightweight standings.

 
Well, the point has been raised that Nate could NEVER make 145...so, he was legitimately the bigger fighter. But like you said, with the extra muscle Conor's put on...he might not be able to make 145 anymore either. How much of a true disparity is left, who knows...but you could make an argument for Conor being bigger than his "natural size" and Nate being smaller than his "natural size". I agree with most everything else you said though.

Honestly, Conor's blueprint for winning should be exactly what Valentina Shevchenko did to Holly Holm. It's the same type of matchup. Holly was much taller and had a reach advantage, and she couldn't touch Valentina because her footwork and speed murdered Holly. If Conor isn't faster and better with his footwork (on top of fighting smart), he probably has no chance.

He's just not going to go out there and treat Nate Diaz like Dennis Siver...and he has to stop thinking like that. He has to see everything Nate is throwing at him and know how to react to it. Shevchenko put on an absolute clinic against Holm. And if Conor wants his reputation back, he has to be on that level.

With all that said, if I were Nate Diaz, I'd take a long hard look at throwing this fight, lol. The $$$$$$ for the trilogy would probably be off the charts. Falling down and getting choked out wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for him. ;)

 
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I went to the card in Salt Lake City this weekend. Actual lineup was far from good, but last time they scheduled something in SLC it got canceled, so me and my friends wanted to mare sure to get tickets and check it out, since it may never come back.

The Facebook and prelim fights were real good, but there were 3 real snoozers on the main card. 

Overall it was a lot of fun though, would definitely go again if they ever come back.

 
Just to further the Diaz/McGregor size difference talk, this is Nate's weigh in picture from the Michael Johnson fight.

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He weighed in at 156. No way does that guy have 11 more pounds to spare to make what Conor was making. Now, has McGregor put himself in that same situation by adding all the mass he added? Possibly. But it easily could be something he shouldn't have done and something that screws up his career too. He was big for 145...but he wasn't THAT big.

I could also see it being possible that McGregor could beat Diaz at 155, but not be able to beat him at 170. Going back to the speed thing, if bulking up that much slows Conor's strikes and reflexes down, that's going to work to Diaz's favor. But bravado makes people do stupid things.

 
McGregor is probably the biggest top level 145'er I think I've ever seen. He is by the far the biggest guy in the division now. He is much bigger than Edgar and Pettis and they are both former LW champions.

The GSP returns news is heating up. Maybe fight against Woodley or a rematch against Diaz.  I kind of wish GSP stayed retired it. It was nice seeing the champion go out on top and not have all the people doubt if they were ever that good in the first place. Any time a champ overstays it leads to talk about how they were lucky and never that good in the first place. Do go out the champ with an extremely dominant streak was the way to go - especially sine it seemed like he was never the same after the knee surgery.

Hopefully Rumble wins against Glover. Even though I like both guys - Rumble is just so damn exciting for the first two rounds.

With everything else going on it is hard to believe that the CM Punk debut is one month away. I almost can't believe it is really happening hah

 
Uuuugh - the prefight conference with Diaz and Connor had them screaming at eachother and throwing stuff. Connor showing up like 30 minutes into it. Telling everyone to fuck off and throwing shit at eachother.

I really hope that other people don't start all trying to do the pro-wrestling crap. It will just become a bunch of idiots acting like morons.

Glover was just sitting there staring at Connor and Diaz with disgust. There he is a top 3 fighter and making probably 20% of Connor and like 50% what Diaz is. All because of their big mouths and Diaz isn't even a top 10 fighter. If Connor loses this, then I think there is a very big chance Aldo will smash him and then he will pretty much be done.

 
Jones is coming out with the penis pill defense. It didn't work for Anderson Silva, so I don't think it will work for Jones.

At least I HOPE it doesn't work for Jones. I still don't see how Cialis would make you test positive for estrogen inhibitors. Looking at the cialis ingredients and side effects it doesn't seem to pan out for me. Even if Jones does beat most of the rap, he is still a cheater and everyone knows it.

At least Brock kept his mouth shut after getting busted (for the same post steroid cycle therapy drugs). Maybe Brock should also say it was penis pills. It's crazy how all these super human looking athletes have sex problems and testosterone deficiencies. Maybe their is something in the octagon canvas that they are leeching through their skin. We need to investigate this!

 
Somewhere, TJ Dillashaw is thinking "God dammit..." lol.

Amazing showing from Garbrandt. He ran through Mizugaki just as easily as Cruz did. As much as TJ deserves another shot at Cruz, Garbrandt's exciting finishes could easily let him slide in next. I would like to see TJ get a chance to avenge his loss to John Dodson though. So, that wouldn't be a terrible consolation.

Dodson fights Lineker in October though...so, I guess if they really want to keep Garbrandt simmering, they could give him the winner of that fight and give Dillashaw the next crack at Cruz. I really wouldn't have a problem either way. All some really great fighters at 135.

 
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Well, I was just about to say how impressed I was with Cowboy...and then he asks for a title shot at 155...which he hasn't fought at since his last title shot against RDA. I love Cowboy, but you can't go to another weight class until somebody that you think you can beat has the belt...and then hop back in the pool. What about Khabib, Ferguson, or Barboza? Come on, Cowboy. Leave 155 in the rear view and keep moving up the ladder at 170.

 
Well, Conor looks amazing through one round. But we'll see if he gets stupid. He can't keep dropping his hands and get pulled into a brawl with Diaz. Nate might be the better boxer, but it's pretty apparent that McGregor is the better MMA fighter. He just has to remember that that's what he's doing.

Wow...they're saying 1-1? Um...well, Conor dropped Nate twice in that round. Even with the flurry at the end, that's still Conor's round. HOWEVER, if he doesn't have the stamina at 170, then this shit is stupid to begin with. Too much bulk.

That Diaz cardio...God damn. That's more impressive than anything. No matter how this ends, McGregor has to get his cardio right. He can't be a Kimbo Slice out there.

Interesting 4th round. Can't tell if Diaz is playing possum or if he blew his wad trying to finish in the 3rd. I thought Conor was more effective in that round though. I've got 1, 2, and 4 for Conor. Will be interesting if it goes the distance.

Wow....so close. I'm calling split decision win for McGregor. 48-47, 47-48, 48-47.

Wooooo!!!! NOTORIOUS! :)

 
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blueweltall said:
Conor is done, Nate got this.
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Nah, you just can't listen to dumb ass Mike Goldberg while watching the fight. He seriously tried to suggest that it was tied 1-1 after the second round just because Nate "rocked" Conor toward the end of the round...completely forgetting that Conor dropped him twice earlier in the round. For all the new rules and talk about 10-8 rounds...you shouldn't be able to overcome two knockdowns with a late round flurry. Makes no damn sense.

 
I said that when Conor gassed and was running around like Mayweather. Thought it was going to be like the last fight. Conor won but he didn't look good at all in doing so in the later round. Still an amazing fight though.
 
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blueweltall said:
I said that when Conor gassed and was running around like Mayweather. Thought it was going to be like the last fight. Conor won but he didn't look good at all in doing so in the later round.
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Ah, yeah, Conor's cardio did seem to just disappear in the 3rd round. It seemed like it just happened out of nowhere. Fortunately, he managed to defend smartly enough and Diaz's gas tank seemed to catch up.

 
I had it 48-47 Conor, and said to my friend I could see it being a draw with a 10-8 3rd for Nate.

Good fight, good judging. Was really pulling for Nate to finish in the 3rd. Seems to have gassed after that point,plus that cut over his eye was causing major problems.

 
1st off Rumble is a scary man. He flatlined Glover. Right befoe Joe said it, I asked my friend how did Cormier survive that bomb that hit him like 20 seconds into the fight. Even though Cormier won the first rightt, I'd still be scared of Rumble. If Cormier wins it will be submission, grinding it out with maybe a TKO. Whereas Rumble just bulldozes people.

Cerrone looks good, but better stay where he is. You can't call out title shots from the division above and then decide to cut weight to go back down leap frogging the guys ahead of him down there.

Connor impressed me by changing his game up. I told everyone I could that Diaz better just copy RDA and the other guys who beat Diaz by just leg kicking the hell out of him (since he barely checks them and has really crappy wrestling). He did it pretty well during the fight. He started to get a little too comfortable the end of the 2nd and really paid for it getting smashed there and throughout the third. He picked it back up in the 4th and then was running on fumes the 5th round.

If Diaz got one of those earlier takedowns or had 30 more seconds he would've finished Connor - of that I'm 100% certain. But it didn't happen and Connor survived. I didn't think is ego would let him fight smart, but he did for the most part. Also his corner screaming for leg kicks most of the fight probably helped. Every time he started to get overly loose and flashy I would here his corner screaming at him.

Also he was smart not to go after Diaz on the ground for the finish, since that would also be the end of him.

I still think Connor will get beaten by the better wrestlers or more dynamic fighters. Guys like Bendon Henderson, RDA, Alvarez, Gilbert, etc. Even Frankie Edgar. Even though Frankie lost to Aldo, I think Frankie has the better shot of beating him then Aldo does in the rematch.

Those Diaz boys, for being bad-ass mother fuckers they make a ton of excuses. I always forget how much they annoy me with their crap. Nate is too real for the sport, that is why he didn't win. He didn't want to make excuses, but he is injured and didn't train at all. Anytime he loses it is an excuse. Thompson was a lucky bitch who landed that headkick, and ref stopped it early (even though his team threw a towel in too). Benson just leg kicks and wrestles him - what a bitch. etc. etc. Just like big brother Nick making excuses when GSP beat him.

 
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tylerh1701 said:
I had it 48-47 Conor, and said to my friend I could see it being a draw with a 10-8 3rd for Nate.

Good fight, good judging. Was really pulling for Nate to finish in the 3rd. Seems to have gassed after that point,plus that cut over his eye was causing major problems.
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I don't know how you give Nate a 10-8 in the 3rd, but not give Conor a 10-8 in the 1st or 2nd. He knocked Nate down once in the 1st and twice in the 2nd. In boxing, one knockdown gets you a 10-8.


Dokstarr said:
Those Diaz boys, for being bad-ass mother fuckers they make a ton of excuses. I always forget how much they annoy me with their crap. Nate is too real for the sport, that is why he didn't win. He didn't want to make excuses, but he is injured and didn't train at all. Anytime he loses it is an excuse. Thompson was a lucky bitch who landed that headkick, and ref stopped it early (even though his team threw a towel in too). Benson just leg kicks and wrestles him - what a bitch. etc. etc. Just like big brother Nick making excuses when GSP beat him.
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Hahaha, yes. I was telling people "Diaz basically said everything you could say to not take responsibility for a loss in the span of 10 seconds. At least when Conor lost to him, he owned it. And like I said...financially speaking, Diaz losing was the best thing that could have ever happened to him. If he beat Conor again, there would be no need for a 3rd fight, and he'd lose a huge payday.



I do always get the impression from the Diaz brothers that they think anybody who fights smart is a "bitch" though. Like when RDA took Nate down and beat the living shit out of him, Nate was talking shit while eating elbows on his back. As much credit as they get for their technique, they're really just brawlers with good boxing who know jiu-jitsu but don't ever try to use it.

McGregor has to work on his cardio though. I think he sort of acknowledged that by saying he feels "fat" at 170. Not to mention he did hurt his shin, so maybe that took a lot out of him too. His clinch game was much better than anybody probably expected though, and if it hadn't been, he probably would have lost. The better gameplan is to keep controlling the fight and remember what got you there in the first place (ie. leg kicks and countering). For that first round and a half, he was totally Shevchenko'ing Diaz though.

 
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One other thing about McGregor's performance which I haven't seen brought up anywhere...love him or hate him, you can't deny that his heart after a fight like that. With Diaz being constantly praised for never stopping, being relentless, gritty, etc. McGregor just matched him stride for stride for 25 minutes.

There are many, many things he still needs to work on, but this might have been a Jones/Gustafsson moment for him. His limits were really tested. I also think he proved he's a better striker than Diaz. For all the boxing ability that Nate has...he is very hittable, gets busted up a lot, and eats a ton of leg kicks. He's tough as shit, but those are gaping holes in his MMA game.

 
Connor is definitely the better striker. The first match showed that. The Diaz's are good at brawling, jiu jitsu, and taking beatings while still moving forward. Their striking is pure up close boxing and they have no wrestling.

I was impressed with Connor. He managed to stick to a gameplan and win. When he started to stray form the plan in the 2nd he got smashed for it and in the third round. He's never had to strike with someone who is as big as him with the same reach as him so Diaz posed problems he wasn't use to.

I think this shows that Connor will have trouble at lightweight. Guys like Benson (if he was here), RDA, Alvarez, Khabib, Gilbert, will rag doll him and smash him. Strikers like Pettis would be interesting though. Diaz is not a top 5 or really a top 10 lightweight fighter. He is pretty much a 50% fighter when he fights high level competition and his only relevant win in the last 4 or 5 years (before Connor) was Michael Johnson.

Connor has only faced one guy with good wrestling, which is Mendes and he took Connor down at will and punished him with one weeks notice before just running out of gas. That is why I think Edgar has a better chance of beating Connor than Aldo, even though Aldo beats Edgar. It's like a little rock-paper-scissor thing there.

 
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