The MMA/UFC Thread

[King Pietersen]

Noticed there's a thread for Pro Wrestling, so there needs to be one for a proper sport, Mixed Martial Arts. I'm a huge MMA fan and have been for quite a while, and love nothing more than watching a good fight, so UFC 100 was a really enjoyable event for me.

Bisping got KTFO. His gameplan was off, he was circling towards Hendo's big right, and was asking to get knocked out. Loved the Henderson exclamation mark as well just to knock Mike out even more.

Lesnar is a ****, but dominated the fight. He controlled Frank on the ground, neutralised his stand-up and deserved the win. It wasn't a pretty victory, but a well deserved domination. Shame for Frank as he clearly looked in good shape and had worked seriously hard. Dana's promised Lesnar vs Fedor as well, so that's something to really look forward to. Hopefully Frank'll come back and get another shot though, I respect the guy alot, he's gone through some horrible stuff in his life, most notably that Motorbike accident and the awful performances against Vera and Cruz, alongside the drug and alcohol problems he was having at the time. To come back from that adversity and get into the shape he's gotten himself into, and to beat Nogueira was massive for him, and I was really cheering him on. Shame he lost, he'll be back though.

GSP is a god, and the best P4P fighter in the world. His stand-up was as good as Thiagos, his wrestling is incredible, his Jiu-jitsu was superb and he has excellent heart. To think he fought 2 rounds with a torn groin, and still dominated them is testament to his skill level. Time to move up I think, the WW division's stocks are looking low.

Belcher deserved a win over ***yama. I scored it 29/28 in favour of Belcher, so how one of the judges scored it 30/27 I don't know.

Fitch was pretty impressive, deserved his win and surprisingly dominated a BJJ Black belt on the ground, very good performance. As for the Prelim fights, Bonnar lost to old man Coleman, which I believe could spell the end for Bonnar in the UFC, and if it's not he'll only get 1 more fight. He's been beaten by Jones and now by a guy well over the hill. He's still living off that Forrest fight a few years back, and actually appears to not have improved. Jon Jones also continued his run, he looks a serious talent, and I look forward to catching his prelim win later today and CB Dollaway got his ass handed to him as well which is lovely to see.

Overall an event that well and truely lived up to the hype, awesome event made by GSP's domination of Alves. Look forward to UFC 101 for Penn-Florian and Forrest-Silva. Should be another solid card.

There are my thoughts on UFC 100, was a seriously good event. I'm really looking forward to Forrest Griffin vs Anderson Silva now. Silva will win, but Forrest is easily my favourite fighter. He's funny as hell and never takes himself seriously in any interview. Here's my favourite Forrest Inteview, such a funny dude: YouTube - Forrest Griffin: "I Would Drink Lyoto Machida's Urine" What a guy.

I'm hoping that the UFC manage to sign Fedor after he finishes up with Affliction after his next fight against Josh Barnett. Fedor vs Lesnar would be one hell of a fight. Fedor would almost certainly win, but if Lesnar continues to improve then he could cause a massive upset. They just need to agree to let Fedor do his Sambo events and he'll sign I would imagine. That was the only reason he didn't sign for them before, the UFC offered more money than Affliction did.

Talking of Affliction. I enjoyed seeing Tim Sylvia thrown off the Affliction Trilogy card after getting KTFO by Ray Mercer. He stupidly agreed to a boxing match with Mercer, and rightly got his ass handed to him. The man is such a douche.

BISPINGGGG.......(look away now if you've not read the spoiler)

 

[S Chanderpaul]

Gutted for Bisping, but he did himself no favours in there. Waking into every punch Henderson threw and what a **** Hendo is, he seen Bisping was clean out yet still hit him! Glad Lesnar won aswell, I know most people hate him but I think he's great.

 

[King Pietersen]

TBF, Bisping had it coming to him. If I had someone talking that much crap about me and how I'd not take them down, and how I'd not be able to knock them out, then I'd have wanted to add that exclamation point. I see nothing wrong with it personally, Bisping may have, but he had it coming.

I wouldn't say I like Brock, but I don't dislike him as much as alot of MMA fans. He's done what was asked of him by alot of them, he's gone away and learnt some skills. He neutralised Mir's stand up and controlled him on the ground. Controlling Mir on the ground is impressive stuff, Mir's guard is very dangerous, so for Lesnar to dominate him that much shows how much he's learnt. He'd get beaten by Fedor, but not beaten as badly as he would have done a year ago.

What did you think to the ***yama-Belcher decision? I had it scored 29/28 in favour of Belcher.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Haha holy **** at that haymaker.

 

[duffer]

Thanks KP for starting this thread.

I think they need to play the Fedor card carefully to get the most out of the event, because it has the potential to be the biggest thing to happen to the sport.Brock's progression has been very good and his fight preparation has been very calculated and efficient. As his trainer Greg Nelson said, it's about learning to fight in MMA and not about doing jujitsu for jujitsu's sake.

What impresed me most in his most recent outings was how well he execucted. He now looks like a guy who had a plan and could remain focussed on making it happen no matter what. I think there are other guys in the division who can test him in different ways without really challenging him.

Guys like Carwin, Velasquez and Werdum all offer him something different and would be good guys to feed him over the next few months while he gets more experience under his belt before they finally do bring Fedor over. I see more harm potential in exposing him too early to Fedor. Good to see him calm down and apologise in the pot match presser for some of his antics too. He didn't have to and Dana couldn't have made him do it if he didn't want to.

As for Frank Mir I think he let the Nog fight get to his head and some of the stuff he spouted pre match was ridiculously disrespectful to Lesnar and am not shocked that Brock responded in kind afterwards. Re his previous fight, Nog had a horrific staph infection right before that fight, and he's also sharply declining...those guys who have iron chins who have been in all of those wars in PRIDE and whatnot end up waking up one day as a shot fighter. I should clarify - I don't know if Nog is "shot" per se, but he's not what he was and I don't think Mir knocking him out (in a weakened state because of the infection to boot) made him legitimate in any way, shape or form. Think he'll fade away pretty quickly imo.

Nothing more needs to be said about GSP imo, guy owns the division and along with King Lyoto is the most loveable character in the sport for mine. Fair play to Thiago for showing the heart he did, didn't expect his ground game to hold up against Georges. If GSP moves up a division he'll need a lot of time, I mean a year's worth of time to seriously be ready for a guy like the Spider. Stylistically he has all the tools to test him though, it's about getting the size and all that it entails before jumping in. Can't wait to see more Demain Maia in the future, slowly becoming one of my favourites, I truly believe this guys is legit.

I actually gave the first round to Belcher and the last two to Akiyama. Thought his takedowns and the one somewhat of a knockdown were the most significant moments of the last two rounds, thought he was the one showing more intent to try and move forward to win the rounds and some of his counter punches were brutal to boot. Hitting the leg kicks wasn't enough for me to give Belcher a second round, although the Superman punch off the cage was awesome. Thought Rogan and Goldie's homerific protestations were dire tbbh. Would like to sit next to them with the fight on and see one explain to me how in the world that was anywhere near a robbery. Could've gone either way based on what criteria you use to score a round and I would've been fine with either. Yoshi looked a tiny 185 though, wondering whether he can be more suited to the Welters down the line.

Think Steph Bonnar is done as well, saw the Bones destruction too and the guy is always improving. He has a lot of tricks but I think that he needs to tighten up a lot if he wants to be a contender, especially in that division. Still, he has so much time on his side. Most top guys would've been nowhere near where he was at that age. Is a great talent.

Heh @ Bisping, chuffed for Hendo. Don't think much more needs to be said. Wonderful event, one which garnered huge mainstream attention in the states and it delivered on every criteria.

 

[S Chanderpaul]

TBF, Bisping had it coming to him. If I had someone talking that much crap about me and how I'd not take them down, and how I'd not be able to knock them out, then I'd have wanted to add that exclamation point. I see nothing wrong with it personally, Bisping may have, but he had it coming.

I wouldn't say I like Brock, but I don't dislike him as much as alot of MMA fans. He's done what was asked of him by alot of them, he's gone away and learnt some skills. He neutralised Mir's stand up and controlled him on the ground. Controlling Mir on the ground is impressive stuff, Mir's guard is very dangerous, so for Lesnar to dominate him that much shows how much he's learnt. He'd get beaten by Fedor, but not beaten as badly as he would have done a year ago.

What did you think to the ***yama-Belcher decision? I had it scored 29/28 in favour of Belcher.

Pretty much agree with your score tbh. First round was clearly Aki's imo, and I thought he won the second as well. Would give the third to Belcher.

God knows why Rogen and Goldberg seem to think Belcher was robbed. Yeah, it was a close fight, but in no way was Belcher robbed!

I doubt Aki will get anywhere in this weight division though. He needs to drop down.

 

[duffer]

What criteria are you using to give the third round to Belcher? Thought his striking was fine but Akiyama's counters were good enough to neutralise them and the takedown at the end, despite not being hugely damaging could've swayed a judge or two(as it seems to have done)

EDIT: Fwiw I think that Akiyama won most of the standup in round 1 but Belchers "knock down" would've swung the round his way.

 

[King Pietersen]

Thanks KP for starting this thread.

I think they need to play the Fedor card carefully to get the most out of the event, because it has the potential to be the biggest thing to happen to the sport.Brock's progression has been very good and his fight preparation has been very calculated and efficient. As his trainer Greg Nelson said, it's about learning to fight in MMA and not about doing jujitsu for jujitsu's sake.

What impresed me most in his most recent outings was how well he execucted. He now looks like a guy who had a plan and could remain focussed on making it happen no matter what. I think there are other guys in the division who can test him in different ways without really challenging him.

Guys like Carwin, Velasquez and Werdum all offer him something different and would be good guys to feed him over the next few months while he gets more experience under his belt before they finally do bring Fedor over. I see more harm potential in exposing him too early to Fedor. Good to see him calm down and apologise in the pot match presser for some of his antics too. He didn't have to and Dana couldn't have made him do it if he didn't want to.

Totally agree. Shane Carwin should get a shot soon, I reckon he'd give Brock a really run for his money. Not convinced about Cain, he wouldn't be able to take Brock down and dominate him with his weak GnP, and if he stood with Lesnar he'd get knocked out. The winner of Cain and Carwin will get a shot down the line, but they surely won't get the next shot. Who's next in line would you say? Winner of Couture-Nog? =/

Agree with Fedor being too much for Brock atm. It wouldn't be as dominant as it would have been 12 months ago, but Brock's still too green for Fedor and could do with a few more fights. If anyone's going to give Fedor a real run for his money then I can see it being Brock. Well, and Kimbo Slice of course...........

As for Frank Mir I think he let the Nog fight get to his head and some of the stuff he spouted pre match was ridiculously disrespectful to Lesnar and am not shocked that Brock responded in kind afterwards. Re his previous fight, Nog had a horrific staph infection right before that fight, and he's also sharply declining...those guys who have iron chins who have been in all of those wars in PRIDE and whatnot end up waking up one day as a shot fighter. I should clarify - I don't know if Nog is "shot" per se, but he's not what he was and I don't think Mir knocking him out (in a weakened state because of the infection to boot) made him legitimate in any way, shape or form. Think he'll fade away pretty quickly imo.

Nog is definitely coming to the end of his career. He's had so many battles and could have taken 1 too many beatings. I do still respect Mir immensely though, even with the over the top trash talk before the Lesnar fight. He's a very intelligent fighter, excellent on the ground and I massively respect him for the way he's gone from his horrific motorbike accident to Interim Champ. No-one saw that when he was being dominated by Brandon Vera. Mir actually looked in shape as well which was a surprise, first time I've ever seen him with a six pack at that weigh in.

Nothing more needs to be said about GSP imo, guy owns the division and along with King Lyoto is the most loveable character in the sport for mine. Fair play to Thiago for showing the heart he did, didn't expect his ground game to hold up against Georges. If GSP moves up a division he'll need a lot of time, I mean a year's worth of time to seriously be ready for a guy like the Spider. Stylistically he has all the tools to test him though, it's about getting the size and all that it entails before jumping in. Can't wait to see more Demain Maia in the future, slowly becoming one of my favourites, I truly believe this guys is legit.

I can see GSP having 1 more fight at WW before moving up to Middleweight. He'll take on the winner of Swick and Kampmann and you'd expect him to win that fight before moving up to MW. Should be a good test for GSP. He's got the skills to give Anderson a real fight, but as you said he needs to get the size and everything else required to move up. I'd love to see Anderson Silva vs GSP. Silva's running out of MW fights, hence Leites and Cote getting a go, so a match against GSP would be a good test. You reckon we could see Anderson Silva vs GSP after Silva takes on Griffin and Henderson (who I presume is next in line?), and after GSP takes on Swick or Kampmann?

I actually gave the first round to Belcher and the last two to Akiyama. Thought his takedowns and the one somewhat of a knockdown were the most significant moments of the last two rounds, thought he was the one showing more intent to try and move forward to win the rounds and some of his counter punches were brutal to boot. Hitting the leg kicks wasn't enough for me to give Belcher a second round, although the Superman punch off the cage was awesome. Thought Rogan and Goldie's homerific protestations were dire tbbh. Would like to sit next to them with the fight on and see one explain to me how in the world that was anywhere near a robbery. Could've gone either way based on what criteria you use to score a round and I would've been fine with either. Yoshi looked a tiny 185 though, wondering whether he can be more suited to the Welters down the line.

It certainly wasn't robbery like Rogan and Goldberg were suggesting, but whilst watching I did give the fight to Belcher. I'll have to watch the fight back before I try and defend that decision though, it was pretty early when I was watching that

Think Steph Bonnar is done as well, saw the Bones destruction too and the guy is always improving. He has a lot of tricks but I think that he needs to tighten up a lot if he wants to be a contender, especially in that division. Still, he has so much time on his side. Most top guys would've been nowhere near where he was at that age. Is a great talent.

Definitely. Jones has some serious talent, especially in his throws. He's ridiculously young considering his talent, and will definitely be a top contender in a couple of years. Have high hopes for him.

You reckon Bonnar will get many more fights in the UFC? Getting beaten by a guy as old as Coleman can't be good for his career. I can see him getting 1 more fight and if he loses that he'll be out.

 

[Majin]

I can see it now, UFC 140, Lesnar vs Lashley for the UFC Heavyweight title and purists everywhere would be committing mass suicide.

But yeah I thought last night was pretty awesome. Akiyama was a little badman with a face made of titanium but it was a close fight. I was leaning towards Belcher as winner but Akiyama was a tough dude so I was pretty happy for him. Hell he deserved to win just for getting up from that sack shot imho.
Was disappointed he didn't use more of his Judo though.


Bisping vs Henderson was funny as well. All that talk came down to pretty much what most people I knew were expecting to happen, but god damn I think that may well have been one of the most savage if not the most savage KO punch I've ever seen, he god damn killed him. And then followed it up with that monsterous dropping elbow for a laugh, awesome. I like the Count and all but he is a bit of a prick sometimes.

GSP vs Alves was a bit disappointing really, GSP never really let Alves get going at all, although it was pretty much an awesome display by him and understandable that he wasn't going all out considering the injury. GSP going up to middleweight would be pretty interesting, but who knows how it's going to go.

Brock vs Mir was awesome. Truely a win/win situation in my eyes. Brock Lesnar is a prick, Frank Mir is a prick and honestly I would have been happy whatever happened in this fight, if Lesnar got subbed in the first round again I would have loved it, and if Frank Mir got that ****-eating grin smashed off his face I would have loved it as well. And I did. and then Brock's post match Heel promo was amazing, I agree with Duff in the WWE thread that he would have been the biggest Heel ever if he'd done that back in the day. Cracked me up anyway. Performed well I thought, made the most of all of his physical advantages and turned Mir's face into a grotesque collection of swollen flesh and cuts. And then Trash talked him to his face. It was awesome. But yeah Fedor would have Brock pretty damn badly and it would be great. Dana and Zuffa need to stop being fannies and just let him fight in his Sambo competitions

 

[duffer]

Totally agree. Shane Carwin should get a shot soon, I reckon he'd give Brock a really run for his money. Not convinced about Cain, he wouldn't be able to take Brock down and dominate him with his weak GnP, and if he stood with Lesnar he'd get knocked out. The winner of Cain and Carwin will get a shot down the line, but they surely won't get the next shot. Who's next in line would you say? Winner of Couture-Nog? =/

I'm completely a non believer wrt to Vesquez (incredible chin and uppr body strength, but couldn't finish a fight to save his life) but think he's the type of guy with the streak he has going for him who can be marketed as a potential threat to casual fans and act as a stop gap guy for Brock to pound before Fedor comes to town. Same deal with Carwin, he's a lumbering big who doesnt have striking to make Lesnar want to go to the ground imo.

It's probably the weakest division we have right now which is a shame but they could get some other guys in apart from Fedor. I've read that Aleksandr Emilianenko, Overeem have registered interest in joining the UFC if the price is right and would love them to come over, the heavyweights should be a blue ribbon competition but as it stands it isn't.

Nog is definitely coming to the end of his career. He's had so many battles and could have taken 1 too many beatings. I do still respect Mir immensely though, even with the over the top trash talk before the Lesnar fight. He's a very intelligent fighter, excellent on the ground and I massively respect him for the way he's gone from his horrific motorbike accident to Interim Champ. No-one saw that when he was being dominated by Brandon Vera. Mir actually looked in shape as well which was a surprise, first time I've ever seen him with a six pack at that weigh in.

It's funny in that for the amount of criticism Brock got for lifting weights it looked as though Frank spent a whole heap of time trying to muscle up with him in prep for this fight.

You have to admire how he came back from his crash but the way you react to being succesful tells you a lot about a person and I just didn't like the constant lording it over Lesnar he had been showing despite the fact that he had his face pounded in the first time they fought and got the benefit of a terrible bailout from Mazzagotti who didn't even warn Brock about the back of the head shot which completely changed the momentum of the fight. He didn't seem to have the humility to admit he almost got finished and the win over a shell of Nogueira just solidified the arrogance, I thought he had it coming to him, he'd have been a terrible champion.

I can see GSP having 1 more fight at WW before moving up to Middleweight. He'll take on the winner of Swick and Kampmann and you'd expect him to win that fight before moving up to MW. Should be a good test for GSP. He's got the skills to give Anderson a real fight, but as you said he needs to get the size and everything else required to move up. I'd love to see Anderson Silva vs GSP. Silva's running out of MW fights, hence Leites and Cote getting a go, so a match against GSP would be a good test. You reckon we could see Anderson Silva vs GSP after Silva takes on Griffin and Henderson (who I presume is next in line?), and after GSP takes on Swick or Kampmann?

Well it depends, as it stand he's the poster boy for the organisation in a lot of people's minds and he'd have to take a lot of time off to get ready for a move of that magnitude. Would Dana want to push him off the PPV scene for a whole year in the hope of one bumper bout down the line or would he not mind having him on 2-3 times a year and pounding whoever he has in front of him? It's allup to what GSP wants to do, I believe he's the type of guy who'll go for the challenge and will eventually make the move up. Not sure what happens to the WW division in the mean time though.

You reckon Bonnar will get many more fights in the UFC? Getting beaten by a guy as old as Coleman can't be good for his career. I can see him getting 1 more fight and if he loses that he'll be out.

There'll be a market for him but I wouldn't have him anywhere near PPV. His name alone should be enough for them to use him as a stepping stone for any young guy they don't want to expose to too high level a fighter just yet.

Thinking about Coleman, I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that the Rua who looked ghastly last time out is now the number 1 contender for the LHW title. I know Rampage is pencilled in for a grudge match with Rashad but thought that after Rua's last outing that guys like Cane, Franklin, Forrest should have been his next port of call before a title shot.

 

[duffer]

Oh and no UFC thread is complete without some Nightmare:

Wag

 

[Goughy]

I like Bisping but he has the power of a 12 year old. It was a bad match-up for him. Hendo is the better wrestler but he is there to hit. Bisping (sensibly) couldnt take it to the ground but didnt have the power to stop Henderson stalking him and loading up.

Hendeson is there to hit but Bisping wasnt/isnt capable of taking advantage of that.

GSP was amazing. Maybe he should have finished the fight but he dominated a quality fighter in a way Ive seldom seen. A comlete masterclass.

Lesnar did what I think we all knew he would. Too big and too athletic. Mir was a paper champion. Hyped for his skills and a great speaker but he isnt top class. Lesnar is essential for UFC as the heavyweights division is paper thin and Lesnar distracts from the fct that Fedor fights elsewhere and that the Worlds two top heavyweights clash at the end of the month for another org. The Lesnar circus keeps viewers despite the weak standard in the division.

All told, I thought it was a great card. Very entertaining but Im more excited by Fedor/Barnett on Aug 1st

 

[masterblaster]

I'm not a big fan of the UFC and I don't follow it regularly, but Brock Lesnar is such an incredible fighter. Whether UFC fans like him or not, he is a big time draw and he will draw in casual fans because of his name and reputation.

 

[Goughy]

I'm not a big fan of the UFC and I don't follow it regularly, but Brock Lesnar is such an incredible fighter. Whether UFC fans like him or not, he is a big time draw and he will draw in casual fans because of his name and reputation.

He will and the UFC is a business. He is a real attraction and I love watching him but it doesnt mean he is the #1 Heavyweight in the world though.

 

[duffer]

The Lightweight division is where it's at for mine. Apart from Aoki and arguably Eddie Alvarez and Kitaoka they've got all the big guns in the UFC. BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar, Kenny Florian, Gray Maynard, Nightmare Sanchez, Sean Sherk, Tyson Griffin.

A bunch of rock solid second tier guys like Joe Stevenson, Jim Miller, Clay Guida, Roger Huerta. Miguel Torres is also looking to make the move up too. Seriously stacked division, the exact opposite of the HW's right now. Love every LW fight they put on any card these days.

 

[King Pietersen]

I do really like the LW division as well, Guida vs Sanchez was an incredible fight, and I'm sure BJ vs K'Flo will be another epic battle. But my favourite division is the LHW division. You've got Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva, Shogun Rua, Keith Jardine, Thiago Silva, Chuck Liddell (if he returns of course), and the possible return of Vitor Belfort. That's one hell of a stacked division right there. My 3 favourite fighters are all in this division, in the form of Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson. So I'm biased

 

[S Chanderpaul]

I do really like the LW division as well, Guida vs Sanchez was an incredible fight, and I'm sure BJ vs K'Flo will be another epic battle. But my favourite division is the LHW division. You've got Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva, Shogun Rua, Keith Jardine, Thiago Silva, Chuck Liddell (if he returns of course), and the possible return of Vitor Belfort. That's one hell of a stacked division right there. My 3 favourite fighters are all in this division, in the form of Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson. So I'm biased

Easily the best fight in recent times imo.

Any fight that starts like that is guaranteed to be great.

 

[Majin]

I wanted the bastard child of Rafa Nadal and Carlos Tevez to win was a sick fight though

 

[BoyBrumby]

Don't pretend to be a big fan, but you're never to old to enjoy a good fight.

The main problem I have, and this might make me sound old and wussy, is the twatting of a defenceless bloke on the ground. In the clip KP posted in the first post the guy is clearly sparko before he hits the canvass, yet the other fighter still gets another punch in on the prone fighter.

Mabe it's weak refereeing or maybe it's because I've been raised on boxing, but that doesn't sit well with me.

 

[King Pietersen]

It is weak reffing. The ref's position was very poor, but it happens quite frequently in MMA fights. Personally I don't like watching a guy get knocked down and then have to listen to a ref count and wait for him to get up. I find boxing quite one dimensional and dull since I got into MMA. The big fights are worth watching, but if I had to choose, then I'd go for watching a guy get ground and pounded out over the conventional 10 count anyday.