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Post by mr. excellent on Nov 12, 2016 17:45:51 GMT -5
UFC 205 is tonight. It's the biggest fight card in the history of the sport, which is incredible because I feel that the UFC keeps outdoing themselves. First it was UFC 200, then 202 came in and did even bigger numbers, now we have UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden (first time ever for a mixed martial arts event) and they broke their own records again. It's not just hyperbole. They've managed to put some really exciting fights together. Today the reigning 145 pound champion Conor McGregor looks to be the first to hold the belt in 2 weight classes simultaneously as he competes against the reigning 155 pound champ Eddie Alvarez. I think either fighter could knock the other out, but I think Conor has the edge due to his style. Eddie is a better role model I feel, but it's a competition of skill and toughness, so we'll see what happens.
Then we have Tyrone Woodley, who KO'd Robbie Lawler inside of round 1 to become the current welter weight (170 pound) champ going up against Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson. Thompson is a pretty interesting fighter because he's bringing karate into the mix. Back in the days of Bruce Lee movies and all that stuff, people used to believe in kung fu and karate. Then with MMA getting super popular, unfortunately, the old school karate and kung fu styles have been a little exposed as not so effective. In comes Stephen Thompson, who brings some of that karate style back with some spectacular and unconventional knock out kicks, and it makes me a little nostalgic for the old days. I'm going for Woodley, but this will be exciting.
The undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov (23 and 0) is fighting Michael Johnson tonight. Johnson has a mixed record, but is considered one of the best strikers at the 155 pound division. He knocked his most recent opponent out in spectacular fashion, and is looking to get the win tonight. I'm going for Khabib, but anything can happen. When I look at his style, it's explosive and powerful. He ragdolled Rafael dos Anjos 2 years ago, and then we saw dos Anjos destroy his next 5 opponents to become champion, and then lose the belt to Eddie Alvarez. I think Nurmagomedov is a special fighter, but his stand up isn't the cleanest I've ever seen. There's just something about his grappling that has been unconquerable. Once he gets guys on the ground, he uses his fists and elbows to beat them into oblivion, and I do mean into oblivion. He's a world champion in sambo grappling. He lives up in the mountains in Russia or somewhere back East and lifts boulders and sprints up hills. There's actual footage of him wrestling bears, it's hilarious. Obviously an angry bear would make a meal out of anyone, but the guy is fearless. He's an animal. So long as his chin can hold up and he's not too careless, he may be able to dispose of Johnson handily once he gets him on the ground. We shall see.
On another note, my home town MMA fighter Joe Soto got a quick win in last week by doing some sort of foot hook or something. He won via submission by cranking the other guys foot. It was pretty awesome. Once he grabbed the guy's leg, it was an instant tap out. It happened so fast, I didn't even see the other guy tap.
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Post by mr. excellent on Nov 13, 2016 14:05:26 GMT -5
What a night of fights! Announcer Bruce Buffer pulls a Steve Harvey and calls the results wrong for the Tyrone Woodley and Stephen Thompson fight. The decision was a majority draw, with 1 judge giving the victory to Woodley. Woodley retains the belt, but neither fighter is given the victory. Polish fighters Joanna jedrzejczyk and Karolina kowalkiewicz put on a great show. Jedrzejczyk defeated Kowalkiewicz, but at one point was in danger of being finished. I didn't see the whole fight, but the highlight reel is one of the most action packed I've seen for any fight card in a long time. Frankie Edgar defeated Jeremy Stephens in a David vs. Goliath match up. That was another fight I didn't see, but I saw a lot of different highlight reels put together. It was really impressive how he pulled all these different skills together to defeat a very dangerous looking opponent. It felt like one misplaced move or step and Stephens would've knocked his head off. Fortunately, Edgar's experience and skill got him the win. This leads me into a short tangent on Jose Aldo. Edgar had a hard time landing on Aldo all night, as Jose evaded everything that was thrown at him. Last night, Edgar just about did the same thing to Stephens. If Frankie has gone through everyone accept Aldo, I think that says a lot about Jose Aldo. Jose deserves his rematch against McGregor. But before talk about McGregor, I did want to reiterate that Edgar did a great job, and he deserves the best match ups.
Now, speaking of Conor... 2 weight world champion after a stunning victory over Eddie Alvarez. Going into the fight, many fighters had Alvarez over McGregor. For whatever reason, Vegas odds had McGregor as the favorite, but participants in the game had Eddie winning the fight. That said, it just wasn't mean to be. Alvarez put McGregor down on 1 knee after a well placed leg kick early on, but shortly after McGregor followed up with 3 clean knock downs inside of round 1 alone. The left hand kept landing as Conor set up counter shots. During the second round, Conor scored another early knock down, which lead to a little show boating with Conor holding both hands behind his back waiting for Eddie to strike. Shortly after, he landed a devastating, clean, 4 punch combination which dropped Alvarez. McGregor pounced on him while grounded and landed 1 or 2 shots on the ground before referee Big John McCarthy rushed forward to stop the bout. That said, for me, my favorite fight of the night was between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Michael Johnson.
Johnson landed some good hard shots when they were standing. One or 2 actually looked like they hurt Nurmagomedov. True to form though, when Nurmagomedov is hurt, he explodes forward, skillfully, and brings his opponents to the ground. Most fighters' take downs in the UFC aren't that exciting to watch. They'll grind their opponent against the fence and wear them down or try to get a trip, but only a couple match up with what Khabib brings to the table. His take downs are fast and powerful. Even when he telegraphs a take down, his opponents are unable to stop him. He'll even lift guys up off the floor and set them back down to get a better position on them. His strength is incredible. Anyway, Nurmagomedov pretty much mauled Johnson for 3 straight rounds before ending the fight via submission by cranking his opponents arm back. There's a lot of talk about Conor's victory speech, which I'll post below, but Khabib just officially cemented himself as my favorite fighter. Jose Aldo deserves the rematch, but if he loses, I think McGregor needs to defend his belt against Khabib.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Octagon Interview
Conor McGregor Octagon Interview
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Post by mr. excellent on Dec 11, 2016 1:17:40 GMT -5
UFC 206 report: Donald Cerrone defeats Matt Brown with a KO via kick to the head! This is his 3rd fight since June fighting at 170, all 3 fights have ended in knock out. I'm so excited for whatever is coming next.
Max Holloway defeats Anthony Pettis via KO to win the interim belt for the 145 lb division. I forget which round, might have been 2. Pettis may have broken his hand in round 1, not sure. Either way, Holloway looks to fight Jose Aldo next to unify the belt. This whole situation has been somewhat controversial, as McGregor was stripped of the actual belt as a result of fight promotion politics. UFC 206's original main event was Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Rumble Johnson; that is, until Cormier backed out due to physical injury he sustained during training. Following that, the main event became Max Holloway vs. Anthony Pettis. Though both are exciting and popular fighters, neither had the pull of a DC or Anthony Johnson, so the UFC created an 'interim championship belt' as a way to promote the fight. I guess they figured making the fight a 'championship fight' would garner more interest, even though neither one of them is the current champ. The real belt is still sitting on Conor McGregor's shelf. McGregor won the belt from Jose Aldo a year ago on Dec. 15 by KO within the first 13 seconds of the fight. Prior to being stripped, he had yet to defend his title, due to his fights in higher weight divisions. An interim belt was created in June of this year as a way to open up the division, where Aldo reclaimed his title in a bout against then number 2 contender Frankie Edgar. I guess Aldo dropped to number 1 contender after his loss to McGregor, but since McGregor was busy fighting elsewhere, they created an interim belt to tide the division over until his return. At the end of the day, Aldo is the one who technically holds the interim belt. Ever since they created interim belt number 2, Aldo was bumped to official undisputed champ, and McGregor now only holds the 155 pound belt. So, if Jose Aldo successfully and spectacularly defends his belt against Holloway there's a chance that he'll finally get an opportunity to defend his loss against McGregor if McGregor is interested in returning to the lower weight class. Confusing s###, for sure.
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Post by mr. excellent on Dec 31, 2016 20:19:25 GMT -5
UFC 207
Cruz vs. Garbrandt Garbrandt made a new fan of me last night. Dominic Cruz sat at the top of the pound for pound best fighter list before the fight yesterday. He's been undefeated for close to 10 years, come back from a string of injuries and defeated 3 very tough fighters to reach last night's title defense. The story coming from this fight is that Dominic Cruz has defeated a string of fighters from Urijah Faber's fight camp Team Alpha Male for over a decade, including Faber himself. In comes Faber's latest protege, Garbrandt, this knock out artist with the hands and speed to match Cruz's ghostly illusiveness, and we have another contender to carry the torch on the rivalry. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is known for his all time great defensive wizardry. The man is nearly untouchable in the boxing ring. Cruz carries a similar mystique in the UFC. He has remained at the top of the bantam weight division for years due to his ability to create angles, dodge punches and kicks, be creative in all forms of striking, take a punch, and step on the gas for all 5 rounds. While I was rooting for Cruz, I have to give credit where it's due. Garbrandt's performance yesterday was masterful. He made Cruz look silly, took a few very hard shots that did land, landed even harder shots of his own that floored the former champ 4 times between the 3rd and 4th rounds. Garbrandt is among the fastest in the division in terms of hand speed, has outstanding foot work, and very solid wrestling. If this was any indication, I don't see anyone taking his belt from him any time soon. There is the business of TJ Dillashaw to attend to, however. While some feel that an immediate rematch is called for, a story can be made from a Dillashaw Garbrandt title defense. Dillashaw infamously left Team Alpha Male to further his career elsewhere. They very much helped him get to the point where he could make a run for the title and win, which he did. He was there when Garbrandt arrived and helped the new champ get to where he is. So there's a little bit of the big brother gone rogue thing going on. Dillashaw says there's no bad blood there, clearly there's something. It's a very interesting rivalry, and it'll be interesting to see how a Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt fight would go down, followed by a rematch with Cruz whenever Cruz feels ready. Last thing I'll say on this is that Cruz handled his loss like a true champion. He was all class throughout his entire interview, and he makes you believe that he'll be back and ready for whatever may come his way when he returns. This important, because the fight that followed was between current champ Amanda Nunes and former champion Ronda Rousey.
Nunes vs. Rousey Leading into this fight, Rousey had been in seclusion. With the exception of a couple choice interviews, she stayed out of the public eye. Typically, I'd say this was a good thing. Ronda's stand up game was badly exposed in her devastating loss to Holly Holm, and she had a lot of work to do to fill in the gaps. Perhaps she was taking the time to get out of the lime light and celebrity s*** and focus on the thing that got her all of that fame to begin with. At this point, no one can tell if she did evolve her game. Nunes never gave her a chance to show it. The moment Nunes landed her first punch, it was clear that Rousey was in trouble. Forty eight seconds later, referee Herb Dean called an end to the contest. Rousey hung her head in defeat, this loss even more devastating than the last. Ronda left the Octagon quickly after the judge's decision was announced and failed to address the media following the fight. Questions linger over whether or not she will continue to compete. Nunes unceremoniously announced Rousey's retirement for her in her post fight Octagon interview, which Rousey hasn't addressed.
For my money, I'm incredibly disappointed in what Ronda turned out to be as champion. Before she ever lost to Holly Holm, she proved to be a bad sport and a sore winner by refusing to touch gloves with multiple opponents before her fights. Fighters like Miesha Tate, Paige Van Zant, and Holly Holm have all experienced the way Ronda treats her fellow competitors. Rather than critique their skills, she attacked their person, even when it didn't matter for the promotion. Yet, after the fight with Holly people patted Ronda on the back, felt empathetic, and practically begged her to come back. They treated her as tho she was this humble person who deserved their sympathies. A champion should be confident, but also be able to come back from a loss. It's one thing to say something in the heat of the moment, but she had plenty of time to compose herself and come back with a fighter's spirit. Instead, she let everyone around her puff her up, tell her it was okay to be say the things she said and just disappear. She allowed herself to just get mad at anyone honest enough to tell her the truth about herself. She went on shows like Ellen, saying how she didn't lose because she didn't accept the loss. What she should have said was: "I lost, but I'm not a loser. I'm going to take some time off and regroup, but I'll be back." Something like that, but Nooo...
Before the fight I thought she would probably lose, but I had hoped that she would have at least shown some growth. I thought maybe if she loses she'll accept the loss but promise to learn from it, come back and fight again. We got none of that from her. She came back in, didn't try any take downs or clinching, and tried going toe to toe with another true striker. She made the exact same mistake she did last time, showing absolutely no growth, even if she did make adjustments in her training. Cruz handled his loss like a real champion. I think I'm most disappointed because don't want Ronda to be done. Unfortunately tho, she has a lot of work to do both in and out of the ring. If she retires, best of luck to her in life. She's a millionaire, so she's set. If she doesn't retire, hopefully she learns more from this loss than she did the last one.
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Post by mr. excellent on Feb 27, 2017 3:48:01 GMT -5
I'm super excited for UFC 209. I'm going for Khabib Nurmagomedov for the 155 pound interim title and Stephen Thompson for 170 pounds. That said, both of them could very well lose. I feel that Nurmagomedov's opponent, Tony Ferguson, in particular will be very hard to beat. Ferguson is the most intense fighter I've seen at that weight class. The guy has me believing that he's going to be put to sleep before he taps, or that he'll have his arm broken and still not tap. In his fights, he has finesse, but he also marches forward even when a kick to the face lands. He's like a terminator. I honestly think Khabib is going to have to knock him out, or cause a referee stoppage to win; I just don't see Ferguson quitting. It's going to be pretty darn inspiring.
Thompson put on a similar display of heart the first time he fought Tyrone Woodley when he refused to tap out in round 4 after nearly being TKO'd. Saturday's going to be one hell of a night for fights.
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Post by mr. excellent on Mar 12, 2017 15:12:53 GMT -5
So, yesterday hometown fighter Joe Soto won his 3rd straight fight, making his UFC career 3 and 3. He was cautious to pull the trigger and finish the fight when he could have, but he won in convincing fashion. Another local fighter, Marion Reneau also competed. The fight was called as a majority draw, but it was pretty clear she won. Some might say I'm biased because she's a local, but if you watch the fight, you can judge see for yourselves: Correia vs. Reneau. Find it on YouTube if you like. It was a decisive victory IMO.
So in other news, unfortunately, UFC 209 didn't go down as originally scheduled on March 4th. My favorite fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov was hospitalized the day before the fight due to a bad weight cut. When this stuff happens, it's really crushing. Not just disappointing, but actually crushing. You wait for your fighter to get in there for 3 months. That's how long the training camp usually is. You wait 3 months, then this happens. If they lose or get injured, sometimes you wait a whole year. It's not like Football where if your team loses you get to see them again the next week or the week after that. There's no alternates for your fighter, it's just them. So, it was really a bummer. As for Thompson vs. Woodley 2, their 2nd meeting ending up being something of a dud. Respect to both of them and their abilities, but not a lot happened.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jun 4, 2017 16:55:12 GMT -5
UFC 212:
Jose Aldo vs. Max Holloway
Unfortunately, the fighter I was going for lost. Prior to his devastating 13 second loss to Conor McGregor via KO, he had been undefeated for nearly 10 years. After losing to Conor, he came back and defeated Frankie Edgar, who has lost to no one other than Aldo (going the distance both times) the last couple of years. In short, Aldo looked as good as ever going into this fight, even if he wasn't getting KO's like he was at the beginning of his career. He was a champion wanting to clean the blemish of his 2015 loss by defeating another one of the most dangerous men in the game. Holloway on the other hand came into the contest on a 10 fight win streak against some very formidable opponents. I had a feeling that he'd be the one to get the win, but was hoping Aldo would emerge victorious. The recipe was there and he had the tools to do it, but when you have 2 super athletes who both have high fight IQ's, it comes down to strategy. Holloway is a dynamic striker, disguised as a brawler, but technical as the most brilliant tacticians currently in the game. He basically forced Aldo into a dog fight, his specialty, and by the 3rd round, Aldo just couldn't keep up the volume. Aldo showed a warriors spirit though, taking a sound beating for 2 minutes in round 3, refusing to tap out or yield. He even gave the referee a thumbs up when he was getting smashed up side the head in a crouching position. The referee's (John McCarthy in this case) job is to save the fighter from themself however, and since 45 seconds remained and Aldo was unable to defend himself beyond trying to survive until the bell, McCarthy called an end to the competition. Sometimes I wish the referees would let the fight continue, but in this case it was clear that Aldo had used all the gas in his tank and simply ran out of energy. It's not a fight if one of the opponents is doing nothing but trying to stay conscious. Aldo is only 30, which isn't quite young in the fight game, but not too old either. The problem is, he's been a pro for so long already, put a lot of mileage on his body. So far, no word on whether he will retire. We shall see.
So, I paid $60 for this event and ended up watching only 4 of the fights on the main card due to some issues I had to work out with my Mac. You all know, I'm not a natural when it comes to basic software. How many years have I been posting and I still can't post emoticons or remember how to mess with the fonts and color of the text? Thing is, when you want to get something done on a computer, you sit there and try different things until something works. Eventually, I figured it out. I actually watched the fight with my dad (who's 59) and his friend (mid 60s). The difference between our generation and theirs is that we seem unafraid to try stuff, which eventually leads to finding solutions. Both of them seem to be terrified to push buttons and navigate menus. As a middle school teacher, I've observed that my kids think anyone old enough to be in authority over them is over the hill, but it was kind of funny being treated like a 'pesky millenial' over this whole trouble shooting issue, haha.
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Post by Webber3000 on Jun 4, 2017 23:16:20 GMT -5
That's a pretty funny anecdote. Gotta love technical difficulties!
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Post by mr. excellent on Oct 8, 2017 11:14:10 GMT -5
UFC 216: Ferguson vs. Lee
My wife and I really enjoyed watching this event at home. There were 5 fights on the main card, all of them ended in spectacular fashion. The first fight ended a draw, with the two warriors trying to take each other out. What impressed me the most is how local (Vegas) fighter Evan Dunham survived an early storm and near KO to power through and take charge the 2nd and 3rd rounds. His opponent Beneil Dariush impressed as well. Dariush nearly floored Dunham with every punch and kick landed. The second fight on the main card featured two women, Mara Romero Barella and Kalindra Faria. Barella, the UFC's first Italian female fighter took the fight to the ground and submitted Faria within 2 minutes (might've been one minute actually) of combat. I have to say, their names are very pretty. The third fight was a consolation more than anything because Fabricio Werdum's opponent, Derrick Lewis, had to withdraw from the contest due to a back injury. Fellow heavy weight competitor Walt Harris valiently stepped up from the prelims to save the fight, but was finished in 60 seconds due to rear naked choke. As they say, there are 'levels' to this game. It's not just 'human cock fighting'.
Speaking of levels, the co-main event fight was something special for those who enjoy the technical aspects of the sport. In this contest we had Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson defend his title for the 11th consecutive, record breaking time against Ray 'the Tazmexican devil' Borg. Borg was a game opponent, despite being outclassed the entire fight gave it his all the entire 25 minutes. Johnson constantly changed the game up, transitioning flawlessly from strikes to grappling, standing position to ground game. He shocked everyone in round 5 when he literally suplexed Borg to the ground straight into an arm bar. It looked like something straight out of a video game. Borg showed a lot of heart by refusing to tap for a short while, but it became clear that it was either tap or suffer a broken arm. Demetrious Johnson now holds the record for most title defenses in UFC history, and advances onto 13 consecutive victories. That's the longest win streak in the entire UFC at the moment, with Max Holloway in 2nd place at 11 straight victories (no title defenses yet for the newly crowned champion), and Tony Ferguson (also newly crowned) pulling in 3rd with 10 straight victories.
Speaking of Ferguson, he too walked away with the 'w' last night. He survived an early storm in the first round that had me tipping my hat to Kevin Lee. Lee, a young fighter in the game, demonstrated quick hands and feet and showed that he has what it takes to be in title contention these next few years. He's definitely champion material. The tide of the fight started changing in round 2 as Tony began to loosen up. Still though, Lee's power and speed, as well as his firm grasp on fundamentals kept Tony from employing his vast array of cartweel and sommersault attacks (I kid you not, Tony is a video game brought to life when he fights). Round 3 saw Ferguson deliver a nasty elbow to the face of Lee, only for Lee to bring the fight to the ground twice. It was Ferguson's Jiu Jitsu that won the night though, as Ferguson was able to tie Lee up once to back Lee off of him, and twice to land an arm bar from which Lee escaped (amazingly, I might add). Ferguson employed a flurry of elbows from back position however to secure a triangle choke, and from there, Lee was forced to either quit or 'go to sleep'. In all honesty, I feel sorry for the kid. He wanted it so bad, and despite his trash talk, he clearly has trained hard and with dedication to have the skills he so awesomely displayed last night. Tony literally breakdances on other fighters (including former champions who are still very dangerous) because that's his special kind of funk, yet yesterday, he had to stick to the fundamentals to secure the victory. Lee is a special talent, and with the fight game being what it is, he will have to continue talking a good game to promote himself. I hope he can do it in a way that doesn't lose him fans, because in this game you kind of have to talk. We'll see how he turns out, but I have hope for him. Congrats to 'El Cucuy' (Ferguson) though. Next up: Conor McGregor!
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Post by mr. excellent on Jul 16, 2018 2:20:31 GMT -5
So apparently Manny Pacquiao fought two days ago and scored his first TKO victory since 2009. I was rooting for him, but I have to admit to carrying the believe that he should retire. He was having shoulder problems for a couple fights in a row (over the span of 1.5 to 2 years) that really affected his performance. His shoulder may be better now, but the older you get, these problems seem to come back with a vengeance. I just want to see him retire while he's still doing good, and not end up like many fighters to continue to compete, tarnish their legacy and put their health in jeopardy. I don't know if anyone has ever heard of the great Bernard Hopkins, but he actually got knocked out of the ring in his last fight. The guy who did it in all likelihood wouldn't have been able to secure a victory had he fought Hopkins in his prime. Unfortunately, sometimes fighters are too tough for their own good.
In other news, Chad "Money" Mendes returned to the Octagon on Saturday and secured a TKO stoppage victory in round 1. Mendes is one of the most famous feather weight MMA fighters on the planet, and he has been for the past 6 years, in spite of taking a 2 year hiatus from competing in the sport. He actually lost to Conor McGregor back in 2015, but prior to getting KO'd he dominated the first part of round 1 and the majority of round 2. Them's the breaks I guess. Fun Fact, when I was a kid wrestling (age 6 to 7) out of Porterville CA, Mendes was 8 and wrestling out of Hanford California. He was supposed to be the baddest kid in our area. I was in the same weight class as him, so if I had continued wrestling I would've faced Mendes eventually (and been destroyed, :S).
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Post by mr. excellent on Jul 31, 2018 0:39:52 GMT -5
Just realized I posted about the Manny Pacquiao fight in the wrong thread, haha. Whoops. UFC Fight Night Calgary Recap: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Tecia Torres Joanna Jedrzejczyk put herself back in the win column with a victory over 5th ranked straw weight Tecia Torres. Tecia fought valiently, but Joanna's take down defense, aggression against the fence in the clench, and striking precision earned her a unanimous decision from the judges. I like that Joanna sees herself as the greatest ever based on the legacy she's carved out for herself, but I worry that she hasn't accepted the two defeats at the hands of current champion Rose Namajunas. Champions must have self belief, but a true champion must be able to embrace defeat when it happens in order to learn from it. I'm not sure she is allowing herself to do that. I definitely would like to see her hold UFC gold again in this division before moving on. Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens Jeremy Stephens saw an end to his 4 fight winning streak and the momentum he built up in making a case for a title shot in the featherweight division. With the current champion sidelined due to unresolved medical complications, it remains unclear what the future may hold for this weight class's top competitors. This fight injected a little more life into this divisions top 5 match ups however, as it showed an old dog still has plenty more fight left in him. Though Aldo ran into some trouble along the fence from a very hard hitting Stephens, Aldo recovered to land 2 devastating body shots to the liver that crumbled his opponent. This lead to the finishing sequence where Jose ground and pounded his opponent to a KO victory. This victory was especially satisfying and emotional for he and his camp, as it's his first victory by stoppage since 2013. Jose Aldo's legacy was, sadly, left in question by many fans of the sport after his current string of losses. After suffering his first loss in 10 years to to Conor McGregor at UFC 189, Aldo bounced back to defeat then #1 contender Frankie Edgar in an impressive unanimous decision victory. His following 2 performances saw him lose his newly reclaimed title to current champion Max Holloway, each loss more decisive than the last. Though Aldo reigned supreme for over a decade, fan memory of his abilities as a top competitor only extended back to his recent bouts. As it stands now, he has two fights left on his contract, will likely retire when the fights are up, and has put himself back into title contention for one last time. What a great time to be a fan this is! Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier www.bloodyelbow.com/2018/7/29/17626402/ufc-calgary-video-recap-dustin-poirier-eddie-alvarez-mma-newsThis fight was exciting because it saw two fighters run back a controversial No Contest ruling from back in 2016. The last time these contenders saw each other, the fight ended after Alvarez landed a series of illegal knees to Poirier. While knees aren't illegal in MMA, they cannot be thrown while an opponent is grounded (when one hand and/or knee is on the canvas). While both fighters had their moments, it was Poirier who proved the better man of the evening. Incredibly, the fight was playing out somewhat similarly to the first time the fighters met. Alvarez managed to gain a dominant position before throwing illegal 12 - 6 elbows, grabbing the fence, and grabbing hold of his opponents ear. He was subsequently penalized by referee Marc Goddard, who stood both fighters back up. This allowed Poirier to land a knee to the body as Alvarez charged in, which lead to an ASTOUNDING 20 punch/kick/elbow/knee combination to put Eddie away for good. It was a crazy epic finish. UFC 227 Preview: (the 2 fights I'm most looking forward to) Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo 2 In this battle for the belt of the UFC's flyweight (125 lbs) division, we see Olympic Gold Medalist wrestling PHENOM Henry Cejudo rematch the pound for pound greatest fighter on the planet Demetrious Mighty Mouse Johnson. Johnson has defended his title a record setting 11 times, which in this sport just doesn't happen. You'd be considered a successful champion if you defended your belt once successfully. Henry Cejudo has only lost to one other man besides Demetrious Johnson, but has since grown tremendously as a well rounded mixed martial artist. He's now ready to test his newly sharpened skills and experience against arguably the best fighter to walk the planet. Is this hyperbole? Maybe so, but there's no questioning that these 2 are certified ass whoopers. Need I say more? I'm pumped!! TJ Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt 2 Like the fight above, this is a rematch for the ages. Here we see TJ Dillashaw, who is arguably the greatest bantam weight to ever do it, defend his title against former teammate and former bantam weight champion Cody Garbrandt. Dillashaw and Garbrandt were teammates during TJ's tenure as champion, but had a falling out when TJ switched gyms to train with his current head coach Duane Ludwig. Dillashaw went on to lose the belt in a razor sharp split decision against former champion and "greatest bantam weight ever" contender Dominic Cruz, who then lost his strap to Cody Garbrandt. Garbrandt then lost his title to Dillashaw, who in order to earn a shot at getting his belt back, went on a tear by obliterating the divisions top prospects / talent. Oh what a tangled web we weave! If the drama behind this rivalry of former friends doesn't excite you, then maybe their skills and fighting styles will. Dillashaw imposes a variety of flashy footwork in competition against his opponents. Known as matrix style, Dillashaw switches stances at will, sometimes with every step which befuddles his opponents, allowing him to land videogame looking, Van Damme-esque kicks to the head and body while following up with elbows, knees and punches. His lightning fast speed is only exceeded in the division by Cody Garbrandt. If you don't believe me when I say that Cody Garbrandt is incredibly fast, just watch this clip (believe it or not, this isn't the fastest he's shown to be, but I can't seem to find the video I was looking for)
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Post by mr. excellent on Sept 9, 2018 17:03:23 GMT -5
UFC 228: Woodley vs. Till So I bought another PPV, UFC 228. While the PPV portion only covers the 5 fights on the Main Card, this entire event was sensational. Every single fight (which includes 15 total) with the exception of 2 ended in a submission victory or KO. We had a one punch KO in the women's straw weight division (straw weight!), two ankle bars, a TKO via vicious ground and pound, a D'Arce choke, several KO's in the traditional upright "you just got KTFO" position (including one that happened 45 seconds into an action packed 1st round), and several others I can't even call to mind. While I only saw 4 of the fights, I did see an extra fight that was tacked onto the PPV because the night ended so early. I wasn't complaining though. The UFC (and probably other fight organizations too) offer certain bonuses for these events, such as Performance of the Night (POTN), or Fight of the Night when two fighters engage in an epic contest that exceeds the excitement of the other contests that evening and are equally deserving of the bonus. Last night, two fighters earned POTN honors, which were Jessica Andrade and Tyron Woodley. Andrade is the female straw weight who scored the one punch KO against a very durable and technical striker, Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Andrade hurt Karolina early on, but Kowalkiewicz battled on impressively until Andrade sent her into orbit with a massive right hand (or left, one or the other ) I was going for Karolina, but I had a feeling Andrade would win in that fashion. Karolina is a true straw weight I feel, but there are a few women in that division's top 5 who cut a lot of weight to fight there. She really is at a disadvantage when competing against foes who are vastly stronger than she is. This is the dilemma in all divisions in the UFC, but I feel Kowalkiewicz's skills are higher/better than some of the women she has lost to. Sometimes, size does matter, you know? Especially when both fighters are highly skilled. My favorite fight of the night would be the Woodley vs. Till fight tho. Till was undefeated in his MMA career, with 1 draw from a while back. Nicknamed the Gorilla, this Liverpudlian Muay Thai specialist lives up to his name. He brutally KO's just about all of his opponents, and he seems to have no fear whatsoever. A picture of composure, patience, technical skill and power, many had it as a foregone conclusion that Till would emerge the new welterweight champion. That said, I love Tyron Woodley and in spite of some nerves (being a fan and all), predicted he would win either by points in a long drawn out fight or KO early on. I never would have expected him to put all of his skills together to finish the fight in round 2 with a D'Arce Choke. It was pretty spectacular. Regarded by many as the best athlete in the UFC, Woodley charged out the gate by pushing forward with punches. From there, he engaged Till in a clinch and attempted to secure a few take downs. Though unsuccessful in taking Till down, he showed dynamism by continuing his assault with knees, foot stomps, and body locks. Within moments of starting round 2, Woodley floored Till with a signature right hand and unleashed a vicious barrage of ground and pound. Till endured tho, with a head of steel, smiling off elbows and punches thrown so ferociously, it was as if Woodley's intention was to reach dirt beneath the cage. Tyron is an experienced champion tho, and while he continued to assert his dominance with ground strikes, he was careful not to empty the tank on an opponent whose lights refused to go out. So carefully and without much warning, he switched tactics and secured a D'Arce choke to put Till away. This fight was so satisfying to watch. One, I thought Till needed to be humbled a bit. Two, Woodley wasn't getting the respect he deserved, in spite of his accolades and being regarded for his athleticism. Three, is just as a fan of Tyron Woodley. A week or two ago, Woodley said in an interview that he hadn't reached his peak yet. Tho 34 years of age (quite seasoned for a UFC fighter), he said he still hasn't put all of his skills together in one fight. I find these comments admirable. He's not looking just to go out there and win the fight in a one dimensional way. Tho he has been criticized for coasting to victories before, he actually still wants to go out there and prove to himself and the world that he is one of the greatest of all time. He said when he could put his wrestling skills, his jiu jitsu, and his boxing and striking skills together in a single fight, then that would be his ideal fight. If last night's fight doesn't do that, I don't know what will.
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Post by mr. excellent on Apr 14, 2019 1:00:15 GMT -5
UFC 236: Gastelum vs. Adesanya What a war between these two. Back and forth throughout. The technician vs. a grinder with hidden skills. In the end, the victory went to Israel, "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya, but he had to show championship heart to get there. Many don't like fighters who display too many theatrics, but this guy is the real deal. He also loves anime and does some classic kung fu shit before, during, and after his fights. He's going to be a super star in the next year or so. He really exploded onto the scene last year, and this year he has been phenomenal as well.
UFC 236: Holloway vs. Poirier In the end, the fight went to Poirier, but what a display between these two. Max was the taller fighter, but Poirier overall the bigger guy. Holloway looked damn near invincible in his destruction of his last opponent Brian Ortega. However, Poirier's precision and distinct power difference was the deciding factor this evening. Congrats to both guys. One will remain champion at the lower weight class he rose up from, the other the new champion in his current weight class. The reason they fought is because the lightweight champion (which is the weight class they were fighting in tonight) and next 2 top contenders are either suspended or out on medical suspension. Again though, good show by both men.
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Post by mr. excellent on May 12, 2019 0:53:17 GMT -5
UFC 237: I really won't even talk about the contests. The card was somewhat lackluster for me, though at no fault of the fighters I would say. The problem was the UFCs new system under which you have to use to purchase pay per views (ppv). There's 2 freakin paywalls. The first of which is ESPN+, which is a sh** site. I may not be the most software savvy individual out there, but believe you me I can figure it out. Their website sucks and is a pain in the ass to use. The second freakin paywall is purchasing the ppv itself, which always takes way too long to process, several rounds of logging in and out, and today's latest wrinkle: having to log in and make the purchase on a separate device before logging back in on the device that can mirror to the tv. It's such a pain in the ass. I mean, if you don't have a freakin Google chromecast or Apple TV, you have to have a device that can be connected to an HDMI cable to the tv and it's a whole freakin mess. The UFC is a multi billion dollar company and they honestly don't give a sh**. This is the 4th time I've had issues accessing their ppv s, which started (the technical difficulties) when they made ESPN+ the only channel/means to legally purchase the event. Customer service was basic AF and couldn't answer any questions. I kept getting transferred and hung up on. The anger I'm exuding here was not what I showed them on the phone. I freakin lost it after this happened, (gonna loosely quote myself here): "Ma'am, with all due respect, if you could do me one favor and pass this message along to whoever is the highest authority in your department: it's not you guys on the phones, it's the website itself. Until someone fixes it, more and more people are just going to pirate the show because it's not worth fighting the website. People like me want to give ESPN our money. Can you please ask them to make it easier for people like me to give ESPN our money. Thank you." What I said was almost that to a T, and I know this because this is my 4th rodeo with this garbage website and that's pretty much the conversation I've had with myself every time. Today I actually said it out loud, and now I'm venting about it here where potentially 3 people will read it, maybe ) After all of that fighting with the damn website, we finally got through though. We missed 2 out of the 5 fights we had to pay for, but we did it. There were winners tonight, and there were losers, but the biggest losers were fans like myself. Okay, I take that back. Some people got KTFO, that's a lot worse for someone who isn't really getting paid what they're worth by the company to put their health on the line like that, but still, if you're a fan of the UFC and you paid to watch this, most likely you lost tonight because the site made you fight with it for well over 30 minutes. I know I'm not alone in this.
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Post by mr. excellent on Nov 11, 2020 14:11:40 GMT -5
Father's Plan:
Earlier this year Abdumanap Nurmagomedov passed away due to COVID complications involving his heart. Nurmagomedov is considered the father of MMA in Dagestan. Internationally, he is known as the father, mentor and coach of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Their story is beautiful and it honestly inspires me as I look toward fatherhood. No, I won't be having my son wrestle bears or training him to become the most dominant combat athlete of all time. I do want to raise my son with a champion mindset tho, to be successful in whatever avenue he chooses.
Now obviously, that short was a commercial (in the same way that Japan does soup commercials I might add), but for those curious, Nurmagomedov finished that opponent in the second round of their contest in what was probably the finest performance of his career. He did things we'd never seen him do, and that night, he looked invincible. For the record, his opponent has lost before, but in MMA everyone (except Khabib) loses at some point. Everybody. Except. Khabib. What makes his dominance of Justin Gaethje look so impressive is that Gaethje turned a new leaf after losing to contender Dustin Poirier in 2018 and destroyed his next 4 opponents, the last of which was Tony Ferguson who had not lost since 2012 against top competition. Beating this version of Gaethje in the fashion he did was stunning, quite frankly. Nurmagomedov's emotional retirement in the octagon felt historic. Whether he stays retired, 29-0, or returns to fulfill his father's dream for him to be 30-0, there's no doubt in my mind that he is the greatest to ever do it if we measure greatness by dominance. I'll tell you all, I couldn't stop talking about it for a week after it happened. I told my students, I played the video for them, we talked about setting goals and becoming champions in life. I'm a math teacher ya'll! Math! Oh my goodness. I love you guys, this is crazy.
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