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Post by mr. excellent on Aug 31, 2014 13:42:54 GMT -5
Come here to talk about anything MMA related. I don't know a lot about this, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a thread about it, so here we go.
UFC 177: TJ Dillashaw vs. Joe Soto Soto took on the fight within a couple days' notice. This being his UFC debut, he was supposed to do a 3 round fight before the main event. Through some turn of events, Soto was asked to come in and take the title fight after the original challenger backed out. So, seizing the opportunity, Joe went to the gym, worked out until he'd lost enough weight to make the bantam weight requirement, and showed up to the weigh in a viable contender. Dillashaw end up winning the fight by knock out in the 5th round, but Joe showed a lot of heart and made his city proud.
Joe Soto grew up in Porterville CA, where he wrestled in high school under the coaching tutelage of Tim Vanni (1988 U.S. Olympian wrestler) Soto went on to win the CA state championship at the 130 lb weight division (I might be off on the weight division, but not by much), took 8th in nationals, and has had some success in the junior college wrestling circuit. I myself, being a fellow Portervillian, remember following his success in the local paper. Back in 2005, he got into some trouble for breaking a guy's jaw in 3 different places at a party. At the time, I remember thinking that he should pay whatever penalty is issued to him for his mistake. That being said, we're 9 years past that, he has worked his ass off to lead a mostly successful career in MMA fighting, and I'm proud to say I come from the same place as him. Funny side note, Joe married my (former) neighbor. Small town stuff, huh?
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Post by mr. excellent on Jun 6, 2015 3:35:11 GMT -5
So, Joe fights again tomorrow. I don't know if I'll be able to catch the fight on television as there are usually 8-10 fights on the cards, and only 3 or 4 fights make television. What determines which fights get shown when it's all happening live, I don't know. This time, Joe will be fighting the guy he was originally scheduled to fight when he went against Dillashaw (see post above). We'll see how it all goes down.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jun 7, 2015 3:44:00 GMT -5
Well, Joe was KO'd in the first round. Kind of surprising, considering how well he fared against the reigning champ last time. Sometimes styles really do make the fight. Tonight was a night of knockouts though. There was a TKO by this guy Brian Ortega that was especially interesting. The guy is a really unorthodox fighter who seemed to be getting dominated most of the fight. It really looked like he was going to lose, but every now and then he'd pull out some crazy move that you don't usually see in these matches. The attack would stun his opponent and then he'd go back to getting smashed on. After 5 or 6 of these devastating attacks that he peppered throughout the bout though, his opponents body finally gave way. When the aggressor finally went down, Ortega pounced on him to unleash a flurry of blows, causing the referee to call the fight. This was definitely the longest fight of the evening, as well as the bloodiest. The guy who lost, Thiago Tavares was bleeding like a faucet, even though he controlled his opponent most of the time time. It was just a bizarre fight.
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Post by mr. excellent on Aug 4, 2015 3:35:23 GMT -5
So, a lot of attention for Ms. Rousey. She won her last fight in 34 seconds. I've slowly become a fan. Initially I was hesitant because she does talk a lot of trash, which I feel is unnecessary. I really don't like that trash talk BS (though I admit to enjoying some of the classic stuff from Muhammad Ali). In interviews however, she seems like a really hard working, down to earth person who has overcome a lot of adversity. Her skill speaks for itself.
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Post by mr. excellent on Nov 15, 2015 14:41:07 GMT -5
So Ronda lost her first UFC fight to become 12-1. The loss came by way of knockout. It's hard seeing someone undefeated go down, but I have to give it to the other fighter. She she worked hard and refrained from talking trash building up to the fight, and her humility seems to have gotten to Ronda. Ronda came in striking against a world class striker, when her real specialties are submissions and throws. I doubt that was her game plan. Whether Holms was trying to get Rousy off her game plan with psychological warfare building up to the fight, I don't know. It does seem though, that when it comes to these invincible fighters, the ones that give them the hardest time are those who can keep their cool and not be moved by that "unbeatable aura" everyone else buys into. Sounds like Holly to me.
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Post by mr. excellent on Mar 6, 2016 18:34:31 GMT -5
UFC 196: Miesha Tate emerges victorious against Holly Holms. Who saw that one coming? Apparently, people who really follow the sport. There's this belief that grapplers beat strikers, which I think is true when the grappler doesn't try to go toe-to-toe to prove something (looking at you Ronda). This was an especially impressive fight for various reasons. Holms was winning the fight, with the exception of round 2. In round 2, you saw the experienced grappler show how dangerous she could be when the fight goes to the ground. You also saw, however, how freaking strong Holms is. She pried herself free from Miesha's choke hold, which she had sunk in very deep, using brute strength. She made it clear how much physically stronger she was. She peppered Miesha with some very hard shots and even kicks to the face. Even in the final round when Miesha sunk another choke hold in, she was able to rise to her feet against all odds and slam Miesha on the ground. Miesha wanted it so badly though that she hung on for dear life, and ultimately rendered the champion unconscious. Just as impressive, Holly was so determined not to tap out that she passed out before tapping. Rarely do you see both fighters want the victory so badly. So the question is, will Miesha beat Rousey this time around? I think so, but time will tell.
McGregor vs. Diaz In this fight, you saw a bloodied up Diaz submit the current featherweight champion. It's hard to say who had the swifter, more accurate hands in this bout. Diaz came into the fight on 10 days notice with no training camp. He was smacked around good in round 1 and half of the second. McGregor claims to have expended too much energy trying to KO the bigger man early on. In post fight interviews, Diaz confidently proclaimed that no one is faster than he is in the later rounds, but that he usually takes time to get warmed up. He chalked his slow start up to the lack of a training camp, but prior to fighting claimed that he's always in shape. Watching the fight though, it was clear that McGregor let his confidence get the best of him. McGregor dropped his hands well before Diaz stunned him with punches half way through the second. There were multiple times when he could have tried to poor it on Diaz, whose vision was suffering due to the massive amounts of blood coming from his right eye. Conor would land a massive blow, which Diaz would swallow but not return while Conor would just stand and taunt the man. Could McGregor have scored a knockout? I don't think so, but he could've earned a TKO stoppage from the referee. Having seen several of Diaz's fights where he overcomes a battered face to defeat his opponent, I'm sure Conor couldn't have been that ignorant. He said in post fight interviews that he's used to his opponents crumbling under his left hook but now understands that it takes more than 1, 2, or even 3 devastating blows to down a larger man. I just don't know. Maybe he did believe in his own hype. To me, it's obvious that if you go up 2 weight divisions and fight a much larger man, the punches that worked on 145 pound fighters wouldn't have the same effect on someone at 170. Especially someone known for his ability to take a beating and still win. I digress though.
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Post by Webber3000 on Mar 7, 2016 18:50:45 GMT -5
What happened to... I don't know a lot about this ? Your posts sound like the post-fight analyses by so-called specialists.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jun 11, 2016 21:53:51 GMT -5
Every so often I'm reminded of how dishonest fight promotions can be. I shouldn't be surprised, but I get so into the sport and I let the hype engine overwhelm my senses that I end up buying into BS. Today is not one of those days. So where's this going?
Earlier today I saw an article that said Las Vegas odds have Nate Diaz as the underdog in his rematch against Conor McGregor. Diaz, who won their last fight with only 10 days to train for it. Diaz, who has accumulated a vast amount more experience than McGregor, and whose fights haven't worn down the durability of his chin. Diaz, whose stand up and ground game are better than Conor McGregor's. I went into the McGregor vs. Diaz fight pulling for Conor. A couple months and one media circus later, I no longer feel the same way about the "Notorious One" as I did back in February. So with that, I'm calling bull****. In an hour long interview with reporter Ariel Helwani, Nate Diaz shared in great detail his accounts as a participant in the fight business. The conversation went beyond training regiments and previous fights, as he also discussed the role the media and promotions play into building fighters. Of particular note is his belief that the rumored bout between McGregor and Mayweather is nothing more than a publicity stunt; a ridiculous prospect being used to pressure him into accepting the rematch on the UFC's original terms (prior to Conor dropping out of the fight). It certainly does appear suspect that Conor effectively had himself "removed" from UFC 200's fight card by failing to fulfill his media obligations, only to have a rematch gifted to him at a later date. The obvious reason for this is that McGregor needs more time to up his game, and because he is currently the biggest draw the organization has, the UFC doesn't want him to lose again. What other fighter gets this sort of special treatment when they fail to fulfill all of their contractual duties? He's their golden boy. Nate also pointed out that McGregor has had a lot of push from the UFC to get his name out there, when a close examination of his record has him squaring off against only a small number of world class contenders, all of them much smaller opponents. Conor is a big guy who has to cut a lot of weight to fight at 145: weakened or not, he is still the much larger opponent, and it does make a difference when everyone's fighting at an elite level. Further, when you look at the people they've fought, it's clear that Diaz has fought and defeated a larger number of more highly skilled opponents of larger size. Even when the losses are taken into account, an actual viewing of those fights shows that Diaz is rarely dominated. The majority of his losses are close; the man can be counted on to give his opponent hell.
Here's the bottom line: For this guy, fighting isn't merely a passion(sounds silly, I know), it's life. While chatting with Helwani, Nate discussed how his brother Nick took him under his wing and trained him to be a fighter when he (Nate) was just 14 years old. While Conor may hold the nickname "Notorious One", it's Diaz's notoriety that has made him one of the sports most well known bad boys. No stranger to brawls both outside and inside of the ring, fighting is in his blood. Like his brother Nick, his opportunities in a fight are less a matter of if and more a matter of having enough time. He's only been TKO'd one time in his professional career, which was the result of a solid kick to the head followed by a devastating barrage of punches. Blood and cuts mean little to this man in a fight, and when it comes to stamina, there's no beating him. The Diaz brothers are known for their insane cardio, doing triathlons and marathons. Anyway, this is a tough fight for Conor. Conor is a talented, determined and quite possibly an obsessed fighter. All these things make him good, but I realize now that he's going to have to give quite a few more elite level opponents a run for their money before he can truly be called great.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jun 28, 2016 17:08:19 GMT -5
Anyone excited for UFC 200? Brock Lesnar's coming back, which is pretty huge. I don't know if any of you WWE fans care to watch his competitive fights. There's also Jose Aldo's first fight with Frankie Edgar, coming off of Aldo's loss to Conor McGregor. I hope Aldo wins in spectacular fashion, but if he doesn't then I think Edgar should get a chance to fight McGregor. Actually, I think either winner of Aldo vs. Edgar should fight Conor. Aldo was undefeated for 10 years, he should get an opportunity to avenge his loss. People say that he's too small for McGregor, but then again, why should McGregor be allowed to fight Diaz after losing in the fashion he did? Even if Conor beats Diaz (who's actually a 155 pound fighter), I think the 170 pound division is too fierce for him to be as dominant, and he should go down in weight again to where he might be more effective. Robbie Lawler, Stephen Thompson, Rory MacDonald are some tough guys.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jul 5, 2016 20:47:20 GMT -5
I thought I'd make some predictions:
Aldo vs. Edgar: Edgar wins, but I want Aldo to win. If Edgar wins, I won't be too disappointed though. I love his style and think he'll be a champion that endures at this weight level. Lesnar vs. Hunt: Hunt wins, but I want Lesnar to win. Cormier vs. Jones: Jones wins, but I want Cormier to win. Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes: ? ? ? I want Tate to win so that when Rhonda comes back she's defended the belt at least once. However, I really like this Nunes lady. She seems so sweet... in a way that can kick ass with no mercy... yeah.
This next one, isn't on UFC 200, but
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Eddie Alvarez: dos Anjos. This isn't based on anything, I just think RDA is a savage. He's won his last 5 straight fights against other savages too, very legit fighters. Dos Anjos is one of the few fighters who I like watching purely for his ability.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jul 8, 2016 3:06:56 GMT -5
So in a crazy turn of events, Eddie Alvarez TKO'd Rafael dos Anjos in the first round! Daaaammn.
That's not even the craziest thing to happen tonight though. On Wednesday night after 9pm, an impromptu press conference was called to announce that the number one ranked pound for pound fighter in the world, Jon Jones, was pulled from UFC 200 for a possible anti doping violation. Jones was set to headline as THE main event against Cormier. Jones has the option to appeal, but if found guilty after the USADA completes their testing process he will face a 2 year suspension. An emotional Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones addressed the fans yesterday about their disappointment, and in Jones's case, his regret even though he maintains his innocence. The whole thing was pretty surreal, as Jones broke down and cried in front of the media, had to be excused, and then cried again upon his return to the conference room. It gets crazier though. UFC President Dana White reported late Thursday that they would be finding a replacement for Cormier to fight, and then an hour or so ago announced it would be none other than Anderson Silva, the former number one pound for pound fighter in the world. Silva, ironically, has also been slammed with a suspension in recent times for the same charges. What a wacky, crazy world we're living in.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jul 10, 2016 2:18:20 GMT -5
Silva vs. Cormier went the distance! Who'd of thought? Cormier won a unanimous decision, but still. Silva's definitely one of the greatest ever. Nunes destroyed Miesha Tate, once again turning women's UFC upside down. Since Ronda's loss, no female champion at that weight has successfully defended their title. Brock Lesnar DEFEATS Mark Hunt in a huge upset. Coming straight off the WWE bench, he was very dominant against a man many predicted would knock him out in round 1 or 2. My favorite fight of the night (that I didn't even get to see!) is the Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar fight. Aldo came back determined to win, proving that he still has the heart of a champion. He won via unanimous decision. While he was respectful to Edgar in victory, he made it clear that he's only got one fight on his mind: Conor McGregor. After the fight he turned to McGregor in the audience and called him out. I love it. McGregor looks game as ever. I'd like Conor to win against Diaz in the rematch so they can have a proper trilogy, but win or lose I definitely want him to come back and face Aldo.
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Post by mr. excellent on Aug 21, 2016 16:31:31 GMT -5
Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2 (UFC 202) What an exciting fight! McGregor spent 6 figures on his training camp to prepare for his revenge against Diaz. Money went toward flying in fighters from around the world to mimick Diaz's style in order to get Conor ready for their rematch. McGregor's legacy has been in question for many after his stunning (for some) loss to Diaz in March. As the months have gone by, McGregor and Diaz have shocked the MMA world with the former's abrupt retirement via social media and Diaz's refusal to fight anyone else, and then power play to renegotiate for a higher pay once McGregor was back in the game. As the fight inched closer, McGregor witnessed a slow motion descent from dominance. Fellow fighters all but counted him out while the Vegas odds saw him enter the fight at an even split. In their prior match up, McGregor was a heavy favorite, and going into this fight he clearly had a lot to prove. The biggest questions remained: would McGregor's stand up game match up with Diaz's boxing with both coming in on a full training camp? Would Diaz's lack of adjustments prove his downfall? Would 5 months be enough to enable McGregor to improve his cardio enough to last a full 5 rounds at Diaz's pace?
Round 1 saw a much more calculated McGregor utilize leg kicks to set up his left hand. The strategy worked, allowing him to drop Diaz, but opt not to storm him on the ground and risk a submission via Diaz's Jiu Jitsu. Round 2 saw McGregor drop Diaz twice more, only to have Conor begin to fade yet again (similar to fight 1) and see Diaz pour on a high volume of shots to close the round. Round 3 saw Diaz dominate McGregor, and at a few points had fans questioning if the fight would be ended via TKO victory for Nate. Conor whethered the storm though, surviving long enough to continue the competition. Round 4 saw McGregor find his second wind, finding opportunities to land significant shots to Diaz in clinches and even land a hard elbow when pressed against the fence. Diaz returned McGregor's fire with his own, and tho he seemed to regain his composure before the bell, McGregor pulled ahead in points by winning the round. Round 5 saw Diaz find himself yet again, as McGregor emptied his reserves to finish the fight. In the final seconds Diaz was able to bring Conor down for the first time in the contest, but at that point it was too late. While Diaz was the aggressor in the last 3 rounds, it was Conor's 3 successful knockdowns in the first 2 rounds, second life in round 4, and his consistent takedown defense that won him the bout. An argument could be made that Diaz won the fight, as he certainly did appear to be the more dangerous man the final 3 rounds, but there's a lot of respect going around between both fighters. Both are calling for a 3rd fight to create a trilogy, and with current hype going on right now, it's likely to go back to the PPV numbers.
Anthony Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira (UFC 202) This fight lasted all of 13 seconds. Both fighters are knockout artists, with Teixeira earning his last 12 out of 13 victories via knockout, and Johnson winning 15 of his 21 victories in the same fashion. Going into the fight Johnson was the number 1 contender while Teixeira was the number 2. At 37 years of age, Teixeira reportedly hadn't been KO'd since he was in high school. However, Johnson's power proved to be too much as he down'd Teixeira with a power shot to the jaw, and then finished the job with a hammer fist on the ground. Teixeira was knocked out so profusely, he tried to grab onto the ref, not realizing the fight had been ended. After the fight, Johnson immediately called for a rematch against the current champion, Daniel Cormier, who very gamely accepted, standing ringside to witness the bout. This knockout makes the next fight on my list even more impressive.
Daniel 'DC' Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson (UFC 187) I'll be honest, I need a break from typing, so I'll keep this short. Johnson, known for his unbelievable power, rocked Cormier very early in the first round. Cormier got up quickly though, taking charge with his wrestling. Cormier, a 2 time Olympic wrestler, had his hands full with Johnson's uncanny physical strength. Wrestlers are as strong as they come, but Johnson just proved to be very powerful, landing hard shots to Cormier's face even when he (Johnson) was off balance. Eventually, Johnson gassed out due to Cormier's consistent and vicious assaults on the ground, which lead to a submission victory for DC.
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Post by mr. excellent on Aug 27, 2016 13:08:06 GMT -5
Fight wishlist: in no particular order 1) Donald Cerrone vs Conor McGregor 2) Donald Cerrone vs. Nick Diaz 3) Nick Diaz vs. GSP 2 4) GSP vs. Conor McGregor 5) Anthony Johnson vs. Daniel Cormier 2 6) Michael Bisping vs. GSP 7) Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor 2 8 ) Conor McGregor vs. Frankie Edgar 9) Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez 10) Robbie Lawler vs. Nick Diaz 2 11) Tyron Woodley vs. Donald Cerrone 12) Donald Cerrone vs. Robbie Lawler 13) Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz 2
I have no idea which fight I'd like to see the most out of all these. Lawler vs. Diaz 2 would've been number 1 if Lawler hadn't just gotten KO'd by Woodley. Woodley vs. Cerrone would be interesting, but I think Woodley would KO Cerrone so quickly it wouldn't be worth the build up. No disrespect to Cerrone, but Woodley is a big 170 pounder and though Cerrone looks good at that weight, Woodley did just KO the guy who has been KO'ing everyone else. Conor McGregor shows up a lot on that list because he's such a charismatic fighter. I want to see him rematch Jose Aldo before I want to see him fight anyone else though. Then after that, I think the big fight is between him and Cerrone. Offer them both a good pay day and watch the fireworks fly.
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Post by mr. excellent on Sept 10, 2016 14:53:53 GMT -5
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Eddie Alvarez
For me, this is one of the most shocking fights of the last couple years. Eddie Alvarez has been a champion in every fight league he's competed in, but none have the volume of elite level pro fighters like UFC. For Rafael dos Anjos to successfully defend his belt in the UFC's 155 division is nothing short of amazing. Another consideration going into the fight included the fact that Dos Anjos destroyed Donald Cerrone, who gave Alvarez a beating in Alvarez's debut fight in the UFC. Cerrone is a man who can give any fighter a run for their money on a good day. Enter this fight, both of them look sharp and quick as ever. While Alvarez won the fight by TKO, I do think the fight could go either way if they ever meet again. Dos Anjos showed a lot of spirit, managing to stay on his feet in spite of a barrage of punches and an insane(!) flying knee (and I do mean flying). It really does make me wonder what would have happened had Conor McGregor faced him instead of Nate Diaz at 170.
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