Mixed Martial Arts Thread (UFC and others)

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Now I just somehow need Condit vs Diaz.

Kinda shocked that Dana gave Nick another chance, especially considering his stupid YouTube post.

How crazy would it be for Condit and Diaz to pull off the improbable, pick up wins and you to get your wish? Wonder what the odds on that would be? And how long is Dana going to keep screwing Fitch? I know he is scared to death of putting he and GSP together for 5 rounds of grab n sprawl again. But what else does he have to do?

[moriarty]

I think Diaz will cause BJ problems with his reach. I don't see anything but a GSP decision vs Condit though.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Kinda shocked that Dana gave Nick another chance, especially considering his stupid YouTube post.

How crazy would it be for Condit and Diaz to pull off the improbable, pick up wins and you to get your wish? Wonder what the odds on that would be? And how long is Dana going to keep screwing Fitch? I know he is scared to death of putting he and GSP together for 5 rounds of grab n sprawl again. But what else does he have to do?

Fitch allegedly still isn't cleared to fight. I would love Fitch vs Shields just to see Shields tap Fitch (or so I would hope).

Diaz vs Condit style wise is perhaps the most exciting non HW fight that UFC has at its disposal. Making it for a title would make it that much more insane.

[moriarty]

Fitch tweeted that he was cleared to fight BJ , so that's a non issue. I think BJ really wanted Diaz and Dana felt bad about pulling Condit out so close to the event.

[PilotMan]

Jacare/Rockhold was damn near fight of the year. Great action.

I was watching the fights tonight and I had a thought. What if Barnett had fought Fedor way back before Affliction folded, and had just destroyed him. Fedor takes a hard loss, and we don't wait for his big SF meltdown. Barnett never gets suspended and instead goes on to bigger and better things. Clearly he is talented. Just a thought.

Dan Cormier and Luke Rockhold both have very bright MMA futures.

[DeToxRox]

Big Foot got exposed tonight. I think Reem would have rolled over him too. That said, Cormier is a beast and even if Reem was in this, had Cormier been in from the start I still think he'd have won.

[DeToxRox]

Hendo vs Shogun at 139.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Hendo vs Shogun at 139.

And any semblance of worth that the Strikeforce name had left, just went out the window. King Mo's right when he said that titles there won't matter. Those guys will just fight out their current contracts then either move over or not.

[Suicane75]

Yeah but it's not like that wasn't what we all knew would happen from day 1.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

I don't know who Dakota Cochrane is, but he just beat Jamie Varner's ass pretty easily. The HDNet lineup for MMA is actually quite good and both Titan Fighting Championships and Maximum Fighting Championships look to be excellent feeder groups.

Don't forget Shark Fights too. Varner's career has been in free fall for a number of years. It's almost hard to believe that he was a champion at one point.

[Carman Bulldog]

First episode of this season of TUF looked good. I love the featherweights and bantamweights, so it should lead to some pretty good talent and some pretty good fights. A much needed refresher for the show, IMO.

[PilotMan]

Everything pretty much went as expected tonight. Glad I didn't buy it though. Just not a deep enough card to warrant it.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Jones is just amazing. He's going to run over Rashad as well. I don't see a light heavy remotely close to him in the near future.

As long as he keeps his wits about him and stays hungry, I agree.

[Havok]

Jones and Silva needs to happen. Maybe at a 195 catch weight or something. Watching 2 freakish athletes like them destroy each other would amazing!

[thesloppy]

I wouldn't put any money on Rashad or anything, but I like him a hell of a lot more than Rampage, against Jones. He at least has that unconventional movement, and changes levels, whereas I dunno that anybody really thought Rampage had anything more than the tiniest sliver of a puncher's chance.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by Havok

Jones and Silva needs to happen. Maybe at a 195 catch weight or something. Watching 2 freakish athletes like them destroy each other would amazing!

It sounds interesting but I am just not a fan of cross weight fights just for the sake of fighting. If one were to switch weight classes, that's one thing...but to lose a fight like that, they always just say..."Oh he had to cut too much weight...or...the extra weight really slowed him down." Meh...

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Dutch

It sounds interesting but I am just not a fan of cross weight fights just for the sake of fighting. If one were to switch weight classes, that's one thing...but to lose a fight like that, they always just say..."Oh he had to cut too much weight...or...the extra weight really slowed him down." Meh...

The original UFC's did not have weight classes and you saw some seriously strange fights (I think I remember a kenpo guy take out a sumo wrestler).

I get UFC has evolved and become much more commercialized but I miss those fights. I like different styles going after each other. Everything now seems to have gotten down to a new MA style "MMA".

Don't get me wrong, MMA is clearly superior to the other MA's (at least in a legal street fight e.g. MMA vs escrima) but I miss those different styles trying to prove they are the best.

[Dutch]

Yeah, I've got UFC 1-7 or something around here somewhere. It was definately fascinating to go back and watch those but I think you're right, it's evolved to the point where you can't go back. You could see the evolution to the current styles happening quickly. The reason was simply awareness of what worked and what didn't work. For insance, in the first 2 or 3 UFC's nobody even knew you could go into full guard and half guard to protect yourself from brawlers. But by UFC 7, everybody knew to do that (after watching Gracie do it).

[PilotMan]

I said it after the last Ultimate Fighter, and I'll say it again. Tony Ferguson is going to be a top contender sooner or later. He was pretty cut at 170 and now, dropping down to 155 he is really cut.

His standup is very polished, and the fact that he is training at Death Clutch with Brock and his crew makes him so much more dangerous. His submission game is nothing to shake a stick at either. He is just a very dangerous all-arounder with a pretty strong upside.

I think that's the cool thing about the last season of TUF, and that is that when Brock knew he wouldn't be able to train for the JDS fight, he invited this guy in, from his team, who needed a mentor in a bad way, and has just filled him with the confidence and skills to compete in the UFC.

The TUF win was just the start, and his win tonight could mean some big things in a short time. The biggest drawback that I see is that 155 is just so stacked, and it takes a long time to rise up from the bottom.

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

I said it after the last Ultimate Fighter, and I'll say it again. Tony Ferguson is going to be a top contender sooner or later. He was pretty cut at 170 and now, dropping down to 155 he is really cut.

His standup is very polished, and the fact that he is training at Death Clutch with Brock and his crew makes him so much more dangerous. His submission game is nothing to shake a stick at either. He is just a very dangerous all-arounder with a pretty strong upside.

I think that's the cool thing about the last season of TUF, and that is that when Brock knew he wouldn't be able to train for the JDS fight, he invited this guy in, from his team, who needed a mentor in a bad way, and has just filled him with the confidence and skills to compete in the UFC.

The TUF win was just the start, and his win tonight could mean some big things in a short time. The biggest drawback that I see is that 155 is just so stacked, and it takes a long time to rise up from the bottom.

Agree with everything said here. Ferguson looked excellent. There are some good matchups I'd like to see down the line with him such as Denis Siver, Melvin Guillard and especially Nate Diaz, who looked very good himself.

They probably won't rush him along that fast, but I would love to see a fight against someone like Sam Stout (or even Jeremy Stephens).

[PilotMan]

Aside

Spoiler

from letting Oliveria take about 20 unanswered shots

, I thought he was doing pretty good tonight. His brother on the other hand. He really messed up the Roller/Grant fight earlier in the night. Of course, I haven't seen any of the VS fights yet so....

[EagleFan]

Spoiler

Stuve with an impressive triangle choke. The transition to it and then holding it while he was picked up and slammed.

Just in case.

[EagleFan]

Gotta like a fighter that walks out to Hells Bells.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

It'll be interesting to see how Demetrius Johnson does with what is rightfully Miguel Angel Torres' title shot.

How do you figure when Johnson beat Torres in May? Torres is 2-3 in his last 5 fights. Not exactly the run to the title that you want.

[thesloppy]

That was a fun card tonight. Suplexes, hematomas, head kicks, little tiny dudes and big tall circus freaks!

[DeToxRox]

Bones vs Machida at 140. If Machida doesn't knock off Bones, no one is.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Bones vs Machida at 140. If Machida doesn't knock off Bones, no one is.

I'll take any Bones fight I can get, but it annoys me they go with Machida instead of trying to set up the Evans fight again. Screw their past history, they hate each other now anyway.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

I'll take any Bones fight I can get, but it annoys me they go with Machida instead of trying to set up the Evans fight again. Screw their past history, they hate each other now anyway.

Evans isn't medically cleared to fight and 140 needs a Main Event badly.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Evans isn't medically cleared to fight and 140 needs a Main Event badly.

I wasn't sure how long he had to go. I just hope a fight at 140 doesn't delay that fight from eventually hapening.

[Travis]

With a challenge like that, if Sonnen ends up having to leave the UFC is he pre-auditioning for a spot in the WWE or will he end up trying to make it a ladder match with Silva?

[DeToxRox]

Gray Maynard should never fight for a title again. Absolute choke job tonight. Again, he destroys Frankie in the first round, but this time he conserves himself for the rest of the fight. So what does he do? He doesn't press the action AT ALL, loses the next two rounds on points then gets TKO'd in the 4th. Frankie is a warrior and looked great after the first, but Maynard should be ashamed of that performance.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Gray Maynard should never fight for a title again. Absolute choke job tonight. Again, he destroys Frankie in the first round, but this time he conserves himself for the rest of the fight. So what does he do? He doesn't press the action AT ALL, loses the next two rounds on points then gets TKO'd in the 4th. Frankie is a warrior and looked great after the first, but Maynard should be ashamed of that performance.

Maybe Frankie is just a slow starter. I think it is pretty well established in boxing that some guys just don't hit their stride until the second or third round. I don't think it is out of the realm of possibility to say that maybe Frankie doesn't really hit his full game until the second round.

[DeToxRox]

UFC is moving PPVs back to 10 PM EST starts.

[Flasch186]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

UFC is moving PPVs back to 10 PM EST starts.

DAMN!!!! Oh wait... nevermind.

[DeToxRox]

GSP pulled out of the Condit fight with an injury. Diaz vs Penn is the new ME.

[PilotMan]

This news has really put a massive bite into my PPV party plans. Ugh.

[thesloppy]

Yeah, suddenly that card kinda bloooooows. Mitrione cs. Kongo is neat and all, but hardly co-headliner material. And everything worked out for Diaz in the end and he's back headlining. Booooo all over.

[PilotMan]

Viacom just bought Bellator. I've been a big Bellator supporter, and I'm all for more fighting, but I am incredibly leery of them fucking this up. Bellator has found a really nice niche. They aren't challenging UFC anytime soon, nor should they, but the product they put out is really good and it's built up enough history that they can start to really push their own guys.

Viacom buys Bellator, plans 2013 start on Spike

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

This news has really put a massive bite into my PPV party plans. Ugh.

Agreed, glad this card is at a buddys house....Think we may need to turn it into a Buffalo Wild Wings trip.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Viacom just bought Bellator. I've been a big Bellator supporter, and I'm all for more fighting, but I am incredibly leery of them fucking this up. Bellator has found a really nice niche. They aren't challenging UFC anytime soon, nor should they, but the product they put out is really good and it's built up enough history that they can start to really push their own guys.

Viacom buys Bellator, plans 2013 start on Spike

So is Spike going to get their UFC stuff yanked?

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

So is Spike going to get their UFC stuff yanked?

Spike's deal with the UFC expires this year for shows, and they have rights to vault stuff for another year. All that is a result of the deal they struck with Fox.

So Bellator stays on MTV2 for another year, after all the UFC obligations expire then they switch to Spike.

[k0ruptr]

if anyone is in town for UFC137, lemme know. I'll be at the press conference today, and will be throwin a few back the next few days.