Ufc

[LuDiNaToR]

well brock lesnar is out now seems his illness is back so were now seeing carwin vs JDS, excited more about seeing this fight as i think carwin will be the next champ.

[Brodinski]

This is some bullsh!t. I read that he felt the first symptoms as early as 3 months ago. Why couldn't he take time off to heal then? Because he needed to be on TUF for Dana so he could draw in the viewers, so they could get to know JDS, who is supposed to be one of the UFC HW with bag drawing power for the PPVs in the future.

They knew all along he was never going to be able to compete with JDS. I doubt if we'll ever see Brock in the cage again. Guy is scared to get punched. He backs away in a straight line when hit with a flush **** and turtles up like a bitch when he's on the ground.

And Carwin will get slaughtered by JDS, Lud. He's too much of a wild slugger. He loops his shots, which isn't smart against JDS. I don't think too much of Santos myself, but he's a technically more proficient striker than Carwin. + Carwin will be rusty. This is JDS' fight to lose.

[LuDiNaToR]

brock said he couldnt train his full 100 % and that his illness will never go away, what happens when this happens again monthes down the line. The ufc needs to sort its Shi* out, two cards in a straight row now have had there main events changed.

[DexterRiley]

This is some bullsh!t. I read that he felt the first symptoms as early as 3 months ago. Why couldn't he take time off to heal then? Because he needed to be on TUF for Dana so he could draw in the viewers, so they could get to know JDS, who is supposed to be one of the UFC HW with bag drawing power for the PPVs in the future.

They knew all along he was never going to be able to compete with JDS. I doubt if we'll ever see Brock in the cage again. Guy is scared to get punched. He backs away in a straight line when hit with a flush **** and turtles up like a bitch when he's on the ground.

And Carwin will get slaughtered by JDS, Lud. He's too much of a wild slugger. He loops his shots, which isn't smart against JDS. I don't think too much of Santos myself, but he's a technically more proficient striker than Carwin. + Carwin will be rusty. This is JDS' fight to lose.


i disagree regarding Carwin. Dos Santos couldnt put away Roy Nelson, there is no way he can stand and bang with Carwin imo.

As to brock, the guy has medical issues. whatcha gonna do. I've never seen a guy take as much crap as he does.

[LuDiNaToR]

As to brock, the guy has medical issues. whatcha gonna do. I've never seen a guy take as much crap as he does.

no ime a fan of brock now, i think what he has done in such a small amount of time is great, its the ufc that need's to sorts its shi* out, i mean 3 monthes ago his illness comes back and they still went ahead with ultimate fighter.

[DexterRiley]

Ludes, TUF isnt a live show. It started filming in January.

[LuDiNaToR]

i know its not, it started filming around the end of january and brock's illness was back as early as 3 month's ago, ime saying the Santos fight hasn't been on the cards for a while and the ufc knew that.

[LuDiNaToR]

ufc 130

what did you guys think??. Bad event in my opinion main event was boring and i knew Matt Hamill wouldnt stand a chance. Still tho Rampage didn't look all that impressive, ok he's saying he had a broken hand but his last four fights have gone the distance now and they wern't exciting fights anyway, so should he get the next title shot??. Frank Mir looked impressive but looked a little slow and i think the big names in the devision would still crush him still. Rashad Evans Won his number one contenders match for his title shot over a year and a half now and it looks like could be waiting another 6 monthe's, 2 years of waitng for his title shot is a joke he's gonna crush phil davis it won't even be close. I think he will beat Jon Jones aswell and i think Jones is ducking him, if rampge gets the title shot next i don't know whats going on.

[DexterRiley]

Rashad isnt walking through Phil Davis.

As to UFC 130, i missed it, recovering from an epic patron induced hangover, was in bed pretty much all day saturday.

:D

[Brodinski]

I enjoyed watching Mir smash Nelson. Knowing how little I think of Mir, Nelson is just *****. I read some Sherdog editor wrote in his preview of the match that Nelson is a cardio machine and that we shouldn't be fooled by the belly.

Roy Nelson was gassed midway round 1 and completely exhausted by the start of round 3, even more than Mir whose cardio is ***** as well. With the amounts of shots that Nelson takes to the head, it's a matter of time before he ends up punch-drunk and - if possible - even more of a fat useless slob.

[The Prestige]

I thought that Big Country would put up a better fight than he did tbh. But Mir was game and did well. Roy took some hard shots though, so it's safe to say that he's got a great great chin. Still don't see him beating the likes of Dos Santos of Velasquez though, so I guess he is stuck in Mr Gatekeeper elite role.


Rashad isnt walking through Phil Davis.
DexterRileyRashad isnt walking through Phil Davis.



I agree. That said, I can only see Rashad winning via decision. Davis a great prospect, and is gonna be scary in 2-3 years time should he continue to evolve, but Rashad's on another level as far as being a well rounded MMA fighter goes. He's got more experience on Phil too and is just as athletic. Rashad will get the win by unanimous decision after a hard fought battle where their wrestling cancels each others out. If Rashad DOES cruise through Davis, I feel sorry for Jones because Davis makes a great prelude to that fight.

[LuDiNaToR]

Rashad isnt walking through Phil Davis.

As to UFC 130, i missed it, recovering from an epic patron induced hangover, was in bed pretty much all day saturday.

:D

i think Evans will take the win from Davis easily. I think Evans is best in LH devision.

[LuDiNaToR]

Nick Diaz vs GSP UFC 137 ANNOUNCED

[The Prestige]

Man, I like the Diaz brothers, but GSP appears to just own the WW division right now. Nicky D has weak takedown defence too and as good as his ground game is, GSP's top game, sheer physical strength and explosive power will just humilate him come fight night. Nick's best chance is to stand and bang with GSP, and even that's not exactly an overwhelming advantage to him.

I hope i'm wrong and that Diaz somehow beats GSP, but I just can't see him causing the WW champ too much trouble.

[DexterRiley]

Nick diaz is gonna get destroyed.

[Brodinski]

Carwin got massacred as I expected. He's gonna need plastic surgery after this. To be honest, that fight should've been stopped in the first, because Carwin was doing absolutely nothing. He just sat there, didn't try to pull guard and was blocking punches with this face. I've been saying for years that the UFC HW division is way overrated. There is one world-class fighter in there with excellent conditioning, good wrestling, good fight IQ and a natural talent for finishing fights: Cain Velasquez. JDS is better than I gave him credit for. Kid has decent boxing fundamentals and solid takedown defense.

The others are - in varying degrees - sh!te. Brock turns into a scared girl when he gets punched and Carwin has no technique. Let's not bring up Mir or any other underconditioned, ill-technical big slobs.

Anyway, it's JDS vs Cain now. The way I see it, Cain is the future of the HW division. JDS will be a tough nut to crack, but Cain has excellent conditioning and wrestling. His job is clear: take down JDS and grind him down. JDS is tough because he has ok boxing fundamentals, especially a solid, quick jab to both head and body, and nice takedown defense.

And well done by my boy Florian. He's probably up next against Aldo. That'll be a good fight.

[DexterRiley]

Missed the event, actually forgot it was this weekend tbph, not that i'd stay in the city and choose a ufc live viewing over a couple of hot days at the lake.

:D

however having just watched the replays online, a few thoughts :

The Maia/Munoz fight looked like a draw to me. I know there is a really negative connation with that result, however i didn't see the part where Munoz earned the victory.

Florian looked really sharp at featherweight, while nunez asserted himself quite well considering this was his UFC debut. We'll be seeing him again for sure. Was a lottle surprised kenny wasn't warned for elbows to the back of the head, as the ref didn't hesitate to chastise the kid for grabben the fence.

good tilt.

Carwin looked really rusty, though i don't think it would have mattered, as JDS looked like a man on a mission.

Cain/Dos Santos should be a whole pile of fun (my early thought is Cain, but again, he hasn't fought in a long while either)

Sam Stout's KO was just about the best technically sound strike I've seen. Truly hit Yves on the sweet spot.

overall looked like another decent card.

oh, and Florian has to retire ken-flo as a nic. It was silly to begin with, now its beyond ridiculous.

:D

[LuDiNaToR]

hey guys what do you lot think about steroids in the sport of MMA. i was reading a article on the internet that was saying there is a real problem in the MMA world of there fighters using steroids. I was always under the impression there wasn't, GSP, Brock lesnar, overeem where a few names mentioned as fighters who they thort were using.

[DexterRiley]

performance enhancing supplements are a fact of life. they will always exist, because there will always be a market for those looking for an edge.

Personally my opinion is they shouldn't be illegal in any sport. as it is now, you gotta be pretty dumb to get caught, so why the charade.

but thats just my opinion.

[Brodinski]

Like Dex says, it's very easy to get away with in fight sports, whether it be boxing, kickboxing or MMA. There is no random drug testing whatsoever. So, in order for a fighter to be caught (Barnett, Sonnen), you literally have to be dumb as ****. I'm no expert on the matter, but you best believe a LOT of guys in MMA and boxing do it.

And your boy Carwin got his face mauled, Lud :cool:

[The Prestige]

Knew Carwin would get beaten. He seems like a decent bloke and all but Cigano is just WAY too good for him. That was a technical beating. Definitely think Cigano vs Cain will be a fight of the night candidate. That said, I think I changed my mind about Cigano beating Cain. Watched some of Cain's fighters earlier and he is without a doubt a gifted fighter. I don't think Dos Santos can stop his takedowns and I think Cain won't be completely dominated if they are striking each other. Should be a damn good fight still.

[Brodinski]

If everything plays out like I think it will (it might not of course), then the UFC now has some dominant champions in every single weight class. I've already spoken about Cain. I really think that if he gets past JDS, that he'll be the champ for a long, long time.

Same goes for Jon Jones. I personally didn't think he was ready for Shogun, but he proved me wrong in utterly dominant fashion. The one threat for him - I think - is Machida, because he can dash in and out quickly and has good movement. The problem is that Jones is such an athletic freak that as soon as he figures out that Machida has to do 3 steps to catch him, he'll start timing him (if he's smart) and catch him on the way in with a punch or a takedown.

Anderson and GSP have been dominant for years now. If Anderson gets past Okami, there's no one there for him. There's some up-and-comers in the welterweight division, although I don't really see any of them threatening GSP or even Fitch or Koscheck. These guys are Rick Story (an accident waiting to happen if you ask me), Johnson, Condit and Ellenberger.

At LW, there's of course Edgar who I think will win his third match against Maynard. If he does, who's out there for him unless of course they bring in Gilbert Melendez.

My boy Aldo has what it takes to be dominant champ for a long time. Some of the best reflexes and timing in the business accompanied by solid boxing, good kicks and a sound ground game.

Cruz is the one I am least sold on, but if he gets by Faber, I can see him reigning for a couple of years too.

What do you guys think? Am I way off the mark here or have dominant champs finally arrived in all weight classes?

[DexterRiley]

I think ya nailed it pretty well.

At the same time, things can shake up in a hurry.

It wasn't all that long ago that Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin were spoken of in those same sorta breaths.

Thats what i love so much about the sport in general and the UFC in particular.

[The Prestige]

I think that you are somewhat right. I think most of the weight classes will have dominant champs...except the Light Heavyweight Division. Jon Jones has some MAJOR skills, no doubt. He's very athletic and seems to learn at an alarming rate. But there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered: Does he have heart? What's going to happen when Bones won't always have his way in a fight? Does he have a credible chin? Can he fight off his back? These are questions he has yet to answer and I think a fight between the likes of Machida and Evans will force him to answer.

I know he destroyed Shogun but lets be honest, how prepared was Shogun? I mean, Shogun had a long layoff and was coming back off some serious injuries. Besides Jon Jones is genuinely a bad match up for Shogun. A diverse wrestler with ridiculous skills in the clinch and great speed? Shogun's achilles heel, imo.

Machida has a chance for reasons' you have stated, but imo I think if anybody is going to beat Jones, it's going to be Evans. In fact, I think i'd give Evans the edge in a major upset. Evans is incredibly underrated and has the ability to do things to Jones that others can't. Plus he trained with him for like well over a year and people from the camp have reported that whenever they sparred on the ground, Rashad always got the better and that Jones couldn't even get to his feet and had to basically ask Rashad to let him up.

This can also be a psychological factor in their inevitable fight. Also add in Rashad's experience and the fact that he is just as athletic as Jones is then you have a tough tough fight. I think Rashad has the better striking too. Jones striking is a bit overrated for me..his top game is deadly and his takedowns leave me in awe, but his spinning back elbows and kicks or whatever have people confusing exciting moves with good striking. He leaves himself well exposed and his hands are often low. Wheres his jab? His teep? I think Rashad's disciplined boxing and handspeed will give Jones problems, 10 inch reach advantage or not. Also Rashad's heart and ability to absorb pain has been tested and his turn to test's Jones.

[DexterRiley]

What is this heart you refer to regarding Rashad?

when has it been on display?

Rashad has nothing Jones can't handle i dont think, save the always possible punchers chance that goes hand in hand with the sport.

[LuDiNaToR]

i'd agree only person i can see beating Jones is Evans, Jones is just ducking him now if you ask me. Other than that you nailed it with the other fighters.

[The Prestige]

What is this heart you refer to regarding Rashad?

when has it been on display?

Rashad has nothing Jones can't handle i dont think, save the always possible punchers chance that goes hand in hand with the sport.


When Rashad was on TUF 2 he was one of the last competitors to be picked and was basically a way out of shape small LHW/MW posing as a HW. He was a limited yet game competitor who beat guys who were clearly much more experienced and talented than him, and he did it through toughness and heart. At that point in his career guys like Mike Whitehead and Keith Jardine were massive prospect, and he ended up beating the former convincingly and the latter through guts and determination despite briefly being knocked out for half a second in the 2nd round when he ate a Jardine bomb.

Also, check out his heart on full display in what is imo one of the most underrated fights in the UFC - Evans vs Imes. Ok, so Imes isn't exactly flourishing right now...but the man is like 6,8 and about 260lbs. He had EVERY advantage going into the fight against Rashad and it was a genuine David vs Goliath match. But Rashad somehow managed to beat him and almost completely KO'd a couple of times. In that fight Rashad ate some hard knees to the face and got punched everywhere. Plus he gassed after the first round so you know he was fighting with every last bit of breath he had.

I also felt he displayed a lot of heart against Machida. I think he knew he wasn't going to get much done by the 2nd round but he kept on coming. A lot of people mistake stalling for heart. Just surviving a round and trying not to be hit even though you are clearly outclassed isn't heart imo. Rashad was able to get back to his feet after being rocked the 3rd time and had Machida's (A proven BJJ black belt) weight on him. He literally kept swinging until his legs literally gave out and he was finally KO'd. If that's not heart then I honestly don't know what is.

I'm not taking anything away from Jones. He did afterall smash Shogun. But Rashad presents different problems for him. Problems he'll no choice but to answer.

Jones hasn't even defended the belt yet, but people talk about him as if he has been on top for a decade. Rashad will test the boy's chin and his heart as well as his TDD (which looks to be solid already) and his defense off his back. Can Jones take punishment? Hell, even his cardio is suspect. These are things that need to be answered before I am convinced that he is the future of the LHW division.

[LuDiNaToR]

bad main event with overeem and werdum, how do think overeem would cope in the ufc.

[Brodinski]

Well, I don't think you can assume too much about Overeem from this fight. Werdum fell to the ground about 10 times every round. Overeem toyed with him in the first and hurt him once if I recall correctly. The second was clearly for Overeem, but I didn't like him in the third. He was visibly gassed and Werdum landed more clean strikes and caught him in a sub at the end. I had it 29-28 for Overeem.

To be honest, I don't know what people expected of him. To blast through Werdum round 1? I never saw that happening. Werdum is a consensus top 5 HW. Once you start fighting that level of competition, it's mostly always going to be a tough fight (unless your name is St-Pierre). I'm excited about the upcoming bout vs. Antonio Silva. He will be more willing to engage than Werdum and unlike Werdum, I think he has the strength to take Overeem down and keep him down. I expect Overeem to punish him with leg kicks and knees to the body mixed with varied striking to secure a hard fought unanimous decision victory. But it'll be a close fight.

I'm liking this HW grand prix a lot. UFC ought to set up stuff like this. Featherweight would of been a very an excellent division to do that. Aldo, Nunes, Mendes, Florian, Gamburyan, Hominick, Poirier, Koch. Those are some exciting fights that could be made.

[DexterRiley]

Nate Marquardt cut from the UFC (http://www.tout.com/m/nsphwl) after failing his medicals.

In a shocking twist to an already surprising day, UFC president Dana White has released longtime veteran Nate Marquardt after the fighter was ruled out of Sunday's UFC on Versus main event.

The company president made the announcement through social media on the new video website Tout.com.

"Not only is he out of this fight and out of the main event on Versus, he will no longer be with the UFC," White said.

"I was looking forward to my welterweight debut. I'm sorry I let everyone down," Marquardt said in a short statement released to MMA Fighting.

Marquardt was to make his welterweight debut after 14 fights in the promotion as a middleweight. He arrived to the weigh-in venue on Saturday intent on making the 170-pound limit, but Pennsylvania athletic commission officials refused to grant him clearance to fight.

Representatives from the commission were not immediately available to explain the decision.

A source in Marquardt's camp said the fighter believed he could make weight before commission members ruled him out.

Charlie Brenneman replaced Marquardt and will face Rick Story on the card.

If it is the end, it's an unceremonious ending to the UFC career of a fighter who was largely considered a consummate professional. Marquardt was 10-4 in the promotion since signing in the fall of 2005. In July 2007, he became the No. 1 middleweight contender and faced Anderson Silva for the championship, but SIlva defeated him via first-round TKO.

Though he continued on in the division and was considered a contender thereafter, he decided to try a drop to welterweight after his last fight, a unanimous decision win over Dan Miller at UFC 128. Unless White changes his mind, it will be the last time Marquardt fights in the octagon.

Sounds like he used some hinky supplements to aid in the cutting of the weight.

[Brodinski]

Seriously, if they cut Marquardt, why not Sonnen? **** UFC. This is why I have no love for that organization or Dana White.

[DexterRiley]

love em or not, you are still gonna watch, so really whats the difference brods.

[Brodinski]

No real difference, but they should at least give an impression they are handling such matters in a uniform and objective matter. I have no love for Marquardt and he's been caught on the juice before so I don't mind him being cut...

[DexterRiley]

Kongo knocken out Barry was the craziest thing i've seen in awhile.

[LuDiNaToR]

yeah great knockout that.

[DexterRiley]

http://cdn2.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/202063/2.gif

[LuDiNaToR]

i know this isnt mma but who you guys going for in the boxing saturday night.

[Brodinski]

You mean Klitschko-Haye? I think Klitschko will take it easily. Haye might be fooling the general public, but hardly any real boxing fans I know of think Haye has much of a chance. This is because Haye has a poor jab, limited movement, a suspect gas tank and a lack of combo's. What Haye actually needs to do is something I don't think he's capable of doing: push the pace round after round and get close to Klitschko to rough him up and throw punches in bunches. Wlad has a very solid defense and Haye is a pot-shotter. He's quick, but a pot-shotter nonetheless and Klitschko will dodge or catch his hail mary shots on his guard.

I think Haye will be very cautious and throw few shots whereas Wlad will be cautious as well and work from behind his jab, which is one of the best in boxing and that devastating right hand will tag Haye no matter how much he runs. Klitschko should take this via late KO or wide decision.

If Haye wins it'll be due to one well-aimed shot that'll really hurt Wlad and then Haye should swarm him and close the show. I don't believe he's capable of doing that against someone with the skill, power and technical prowess of Wladimir Klitschko.

[DexterRiley]

Missed another in real-time PPV. they gotta somehow hold these events on days that it rains, otherwise the lake is gonna win everytime

:laugh:

however.. Suffice it to say..Wandy is done

http://imgboot.com/images/ttest/fc132clebkowsil.gif


And even though i think Liddel is done...man o man i still wanna see him face tito one last time. And with this impressive finish, hopefully Ortiz will work the Apollo Creed Rocky 2 style taunt to make it happen.

http://imgboot.com/images/ttest/fc132tortsubmitrbad.gif

Condit looked crisp. Gsp has an opponent in waiting after he disposes of Diaz looks like.

http://imgboot.com/images/ttest/fc132ccontkodkim.gif

[DexterRiley]

Seriously, if they cut Marquardt, why not Sonnen? **** UFC. This is why I have no love for that organization or Dana White.

Sonnen returns for middleweight contender match

A middleweight bout between Chael Sonnen and Brian Stann has been agreed to for UFC 136 in October.

HeavyMMA confirmed the news with sources close to the bout on Wednesday afternoon.

The bout is slated to be the co-main event of the pay per view in Houston. The event will take place at the Toyota Center.

Sonnen has been out of action since last August, when he lost to a last-second triangle in a title fight with Anderson Silva. Sonnen tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs after the bout and was suspended for twelve months. His suspension was reduced to six months after a hearing with the California State Athletic Commission, but was later turned into an indefinite suspension after the committee expressed dissatisfaction with Sonnen's answers from the previous hearing. Sonnen's issue with the commissions in Nevada and California will likely not factor into the fight in Texas, which has a notoriously lax commission.

Stann is riding a three-fight win streak over Mike Massenzio, Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago, and is quickly becoming one of the top contenders in the middleweight division. A victory over Sonnen would put him near a title shot with Silva in early 2012.

http://www.heavy.com/mma/ufc/2011/07/chael-sonnen-returns-against-brian-stann-at-ufc-136/

[Brodinski]

Disgraceful.

[Brodinski]

Any thoughts on the biggest contenders for the current champs?

HEAVYWEIGHT:

Junior Dos Santos

Decent fundamental boxing skills and he knows how to pace himself to last the distance. The question is whether he can stuff Cain's takedowns and get back to his feet once Cain's on top of him.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT:

Lyoto Machida

Even though I don't see any opponent I'd bet on to beat Jon Jones and actually believe I'd win a handy sum, I reckon Lyoto has the best chance. He can dash in and out quickly and he's handy around the cage, so he can keep moving and pick his spots. The problem is that once Jones figures out that he only has to move one step to tag Lyoto and Lyoto himself has to move at least 2 to get in range to hit Jones, he's in big trouble I think.

MIDDLEWEIGHT:

Ehh... no one. It would be cool to see Anderson vs. Jacaré, but I think that would end in a brutal finish.

WELTERWEIGHT:

No one in sight.

LIGHTWEIGHT:

Jim Miller

People will be quick to say it's Maynard, but I think Edgar will win a wide decision the third time around. Too quick, too solid in his boxing and too much cardio for Maynard. Miller is extremely solid in nearly all departments. He's ok in his striking, has decent footwork, good submissions and an excellent ground game. He will be the one to push Edgar to his limit.

FEATHERWEIGHT:

Chad Mendes

I really wanted to put Florian here, but I think Aldo will tool him. Realistically, I don't think Aldo will be having much trouble with Mendes either. I put money on the one guy I thought could take him out and he damn nearly did and that guy was Hominick.

BANTAMWEIGHT:

And no one again.

[The Prestige]

HEAVYWEIGHT:

Junior Dos Santos. About the only one in the division with a decent chance at beating Cain. He MIGHT do it, it all depends on his TDD and ground game.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT:

Rashad Evans. I waited until after 133 to post this one in particular. Rashad gets better and better. He annhilated Tito Ortiz. He looks stronger, sharper, as fast as explosive and as skilled as he has ever been. He's still relatively young and can cause Bones a lot more problems than people think. Hell, i'd even bet on him. Machida is another one, but Rashad has a lightly better chance because of the wrestling base and the fact that he owned Jones on the ground when they sparred.

MIDDLEWEIGHT:

CB Dollaway. No, i'm not joking. Man, I think Dollaway is a future star, but he needs to get his **** together. In a year I expect him to be in contention for a title shot should he fight more frequently. His got ace wrestling skills (Silva's weakness) a good chin (his previous fight stopped waay too soon) and some really strong offensive ju jitsu. His kicks are slick too but he needs much more improvement in his hands and then he can threaten Silva

WELTERWEIGHT:

No one.

LIGHTWEIGHT:

Jim Miller for reasons you have said, Brods.

FEATHERWEIGHT:

Nobody. It's going to take a LW fighter to beat Aldo, and it ain't gonna be Florian.

BANTAMWEIGHT:

I don't know the division well enough.

[LuDiNaToR]

I think Evans will beat Jon Jones aswell.

[LuDiNaToR]

Ufc 134 was a good card. I was a little of with my predictions, but i got 1 out of the three top fights.

Silva 2nd round tKo

then i had Schaub with a first round ko... wrong and i had Griffin with a decision which i was well out with.

Who is next for Silva tho, is there anyone ?

[Brodinski]

Probably a Sonnen rematch, if he can make it past Stann. With his recent performances, I do believe Anderson was hampered by that rib injury he claimed to have post-fight. What Sonnen did do very effectively is close the gap to shoot for the takedown and not be afraid to take damage whilst closing that gap. He fought Silva in a fearless manner, unlike Belfort and Okami did. I'd say it's 70/30 Silva for that rematch.

Other than that, there's no one. I would love to see him move up to 205 to take on Machida, Shogun, Rampage, Evans as a # 1 contender elimination match and then take on Jon Jones. I think Silva beats all of those guys (except maybe Evans), but Jones would be a tough nut to crack.

And right on, Nog! You go, old guy.

[The Prestige]

I think Sonnen makes it past, Stann. Sonnen's a huge Middleweight with great wrestling and Stann has already showed a weakness for the grappling game. Sonnen has been out awhile though so I dunno if he'll be affected by ring rust. His performance against Silva was (almost) exceptional though, you're right. Really took it to him. Everyone else just seems to get hypnotised by Silva's Jedi mind tricks. I was surprised when Okami couldn't get him down though. Okami's a legit contender with an amazing powerful long physique and strong wrestling. Silva's a genius. Not even a fan but that's a one of a kind champion right there.

I doubt he'll move up to 205. It's too risky there for him. I would like to see a Shogun fight though, that would be very exciting. Kind of feel stupid for saying how Dollaway could beat him after the beating he took against Hamman the other night.. :/

[LuDiNaToR]

What do you guys think about the Ufc signing Overeem. Brock Lesnar vs Overeem is a huge match for ufc 141, but i think Overeem will take the win.

[LuDiNaToR]

Just came across this video. Dana White is such an a**.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHSWP6WPotI

[DexterRiley]

Dana is a company man.

[LuDiNaToR]

What did you guys think of ufc 136. Dana called Franky number 2 pound 4 pound in mma, does anyone agree.

few great cards coming up over the next few month's, ime looking forward to 140 and 141.

[Brodinski]

Good event, probably the best I've seen all year.The prelims were bloody good and all of the main card fights were good - great, except Aldo-Florian. I made some money off Lauzon. Had him winning via sub and it paid off big time.

No, I wouldn't call Edgar the # 2 fighter in the world. Maybe he has the biggest heart in all of MMA. He put on a good show. He's like a little pocket dynamo, dashing in and out with quick strikes and kicks, mixed in with the occassional takedown attempt to keep his opponent guessing. Very impressed that he took out Maynard. Still, there's a murderer's row of challengers waiting for him. Henderson (if he gets by Guida), Melendez and Cerrone. If he beats all of those guys, then I'd consider putting him in the # 2 slot.

Right now, I've got:

# 1: Anderson
# 2: GSP (like him or not, he's the dominant champ in the second deepest weight class in UFC)
# 3: Aldo
# 4: Cruz
# 5: Edgar
# 6: Jones
# 7: Alvarez
# 8: McCall (the smallest guys are often overlooked)
# 9: Fitch
# 10: Condit (no joke)

[The Prestige]

I thought that it was a great event too. Edgar vs Maynard 3 was as good as their second encounter. Quite weird how the fight almost mirrored the second, aswell; Edgar takes a vicious beating in the 1st round and then shows unparalleled fighting spirit by coming back to win rounds. Edgar really is the answer and his performance was simply incredible. Very well rounded, physical tough and brave. Probably the most inspiring performance of the year.

Would anybody be up for seeing an Edgar vs Aldo match? Edgar walk around at his weight class, so he'd only have to cut a measly 10lbs of water weight to fight Edgar. If he successfully defends his title against the winner of Bendo/Guida then I would like to see him and Aldo go at it.

[The Prestige]

Well Penn and Nick just about saved what was a pretty lackluster card.

[LuDiNaToR]

What do you guys think of the upcoming ufc events. Some great main events coming up over the next few month's, how do you think they will turn out?.


ufc 138 Leben Vs Munoz

I think Munoz will pick up the win here easy. I think Munoz will out wrestle Leben for the five rounds and pick up the win by decision. Pretty bad this event, bad card, and a main event that isnt strong at all, its more like a fight night card.

Winner: Munoz


Ufc on Fox Cain vs JDS

Great fight this, i can see it going either way. Cain against Kongo showed Kongo knocking Cain down on a few occasions, so if Jds hits him he's going out for sure. Then we Have Cain's Wrestling, is it going to be just another Dominating performance by Cain and take it to the decision. For me ime going with Jds just because i think he's the best Heavy Weight around at the moment, plus Cain has been out for over a year.

Winner: Jds


Ufc 139 Dan Henderson vs Shogun

The is simple Shogun will win.

Winner: Shogun


Ufc 140 Jones vs Machida

Ime going with Jones here, i think jones will put more of a beating on machida than he did to Rampage and even shogun. Machida is good at keep people at distance and i just can't see that happening in this fight. I think Jones is the best Light Heavyweight ever and i can't see anyone beating him.

Winner: Jones


UFC 141. Overeem Vs Lesnar

This is the most exciting fight of the year for me. Overeem is a beast and i can't wait for him to show all these ufc fans that there is other talent outside of the ufc. All i keep hearing is Lesnar will win easy but i really don''t think thats whats going to heppen. I think Overeem will take this fight, i dont think Brock will be able to take his striking and as soon as he cowers, which he will overeem will just unleash on him.

Winner: Overeeem

[downthesun]

UFC 138: Munoz by 3rd round TKO

UFC on FOX: JDS by decision

UFC 139: Shogun by 1st round TKO

UFC 140: Jones by decision

UFC 141: Overeem by 2nd round KO

[downthesun]

Chris Cariaso vs. Vaughan Lee

Chris Cope vs. Che Mills

Rob Broughton vs. Philip De Fries

Michihiro Omigawa vs. Jason Young

John Maguire vs. Justin Edwards

Cyrille Diabaté vs. Anthony Perosh

Terry Etim vs. Eddie Faaloloto

Thiago Alves vs. Papy Abedi

Brad Pickett vs. Renan Barão

Chris Leben vs. Mark Muñoz

[TheUsualSuspect]

For those interested. (http://www.joblo.com/blu-rays-dvds/news/contest-win-ufc-ultimate-fight-collection-2011-edition-02)

[downthesun]

Interested not eligible though, outside the States!

[Brodinski]

Hmm, I don't think most of these are as close cut as you guys make them out to be.

Munoz will wrestlefvck Leben. That's an easy one.

JDS vs Velasquez is already a tough one. JDS' boxing fundamentals are superior to Cain's. But Cain can take a shot. He took some big shots from Kongo and recovered pretty fast. Cain's wrestling and pace is probably what's going to make the difference. He can keep going for 5 rounds and maybe JDS can stuff his takedowns early, but that's gonna be a problem once he starts gassing a bit (like he did against Nelson). So I think JDS will have some early success, but Cain will start taking over and come on strong to win a hard-earned decision.

Shogun should win, but Hendo only has to land that right once and it's lights out. I hope Hendo pulls it off.

I was impressed with Overeem until the Werdum fight. People knock on Werdum for that performance, but he made Overeem's stand-up look ordinary. Overeem got tagged quite a lot and was gassing in the third. He should've really pushed the pace and got Werdum out of there once it was clear that Fabricio couldn't take him down. So, you have to wonder what will happen when Lesnar takes him down. I don't know how good Overeem's sprawl is, but I doubt it's as good as Cain's. And Lesnar is a big man, he can do serious damage on the ground, ask Randy and Mir. The question here is whether Overeem can hurt Lesnar standing before Brock can take him down. This is a pick'em fight.


And GSP is going to tax Diaz' ass.

[DexterRiley]

pretty much agree. if the fight lasts into the Championship rounds, Cain wins, though i do think JDS will win by TKO in round 2. huge layoff for Cain is a factor.

Lesnar takes him down inside of the 1st minute and hammer fists his way to victory

Diaz is way out of his league. GSP dominates.

We part on Munoz and Leben though. Wrestlers dont much like being on their back, and thats whats gonna happen.

[The Prestige]

I do think that GSP is going to handle Nick, but I hope it doesn't happen. Nick is a man's man when it comes to fighting. Even though GSP will have him on his back for most of the fight, I expect Nick to frustrate him with a very active guard. Everytime the fight is standing, Nick will go for the kill, though. And it may not look like it, but his 'Stockton slap' is a slow acting poison that can wear any man down after a certain left of time. Smart money is on GSP, but I give Nick a small chance just due to his toughness and striking.

[DexterRiley]

Nick is retard.

what do you mean by the mans man thing?

[downthesun]

I do think that GSP is going to handle Nick, but I hope it doesn't happen. Nick is a man's man when it comes to fighting. Even though GSP will have him on his back for most of the fight, I expect Nick to frustrate him with a very active guard. Everytime the fight is standing, Nick will go for the kill, though. And it may not look like it, but his 'Stockton slap' is a slow acting poison that can wear any man down after a certain left of time. Smart money is on GSP, but I give Nick a small chance just due to his toughness and striking.
Agree with your entire post. A lot of people counted out Diaz against BJ and he gave Baby J the beating of his life and punched him into retirement. Diaz poses multiple threats both on the ground and on the feet. Without a doubt GSP is the odds on favourite but Diaz certainly is in with a shout.

His boxing is now one of the best in the division, GSP won't be able to just jab his way to a win like he did against Koscheck. More than likely he'll look to ground Diaz for 5 rounds and grind out another boring GSP decision, if this is the case I think Nick will be very active in the guard and constantly look for submissions.

Also there's a few talented fighters waiting in the wings for the winner of GSP-Diaz, Condit, Ellenberger and Rory Macdonald all have the potential to be future Welterweight champions

[LuDiNaToR]

I do think that GSP is going to handle Nick, but I hope it doesn't happen. Nick is a man's man when it comes to fighting. Even though GSP will have him on his back for most of the fight, I expect Nick to frustrate him with a very active guard. Everytime the fight is standing, Nick will go for the kill, though. And it may not look like it, but his 'Stockton slap' is a slow acting poison that can wear any man down after a certain left of time. Smart money is on GSP, but I give Nick a small chance just due to his toughness and striking.

I have to agree with all this and more. I am going for Diaz, tho its a long shot what he was able to do with BJ penn amazed me. All i heard was Diaz has no chance against Penn, all the ufc fighters where picking Penn, MMA torch collumist's where all going for penn and what happened.... Diaz fuc*** penn up like no one ever has. Gsp won't be able to wrestle **** Diaz like he has done to some many other people, Diaz always pushes the pace weather on his feet or on the ground and this is something GSp doesn't really have to deal with in many other fights.

[Brodinski]

Nah, Diaz had nothing for Penn when BJ was on top of him. He defended a rear naked choke attempt from BJ and because BJ couldn't get any danger done, he stood back up. GSP isn't like that. He doesn't care whether he can do serious damage on the ground or go for subs. He's just content to lay in your ground, improve his position a little, work a little ground and pound, all in a calculated manner so he doesn't get caught in submissions.

It is true that GSP has never faced a guy with a good stand-up game (still not convinced it's 'world-class'), iron chin, cardio for days and unbreakable will. But Diaz has never faced a guy with the wrestling chops of GSP, with the excellent jab of GSP, with the athleticism of GSP. The breaking point for me is that GSP's strengths directly nullify Diaz' strengths. I can't say that of Diaz' strong points.

I don't get why no one is able to take advantage of Diaz' stand-up. It looks so sloppy with those pitty-patty punches. Penn had plenty of success in tagging Diaz before he gassed in round 2. Can hardly believe Diaz was serious about doing a bout in boxing. He would get whipped by a guy with a negative record, that's how bad his stand-up is from a boxing perspective. But it seems to work very well in MMA. I can't wrap my head around why it's so effective. I think it's because I look at it from a boxing stance.

Also, UFC 138: good night of fights. Conclusive winners, exciting stoppages and no crappy judging.

[LuDiNaToR]

yeah his stance isn't a typical boxing stance but he does work some good combo's to the body and the head. I agree i dont think he would of done well in boxing but his stand up is on another level in that welterweight devision. Bj took some hard shots to the body and with diaz pushing the pace BJ gassed. I really wouldn't count Diaz out the gsp fight because he has alot better of a chance than anyone else in that devision.

[DexterRiley]

Well i was totally wrong about the munoz/leben tilt.

anyways look for this manoever to be perfected by the time they meet.

(i think i may have posted this b4)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3N5Rnx37O0

[Brodinski]

Aye, you have. He used it a couple of times in the Shields fight if memory serves. I remember being surprised Rogan didn't start sucking his nuts in commentary for that.

I would love for GSP to KO Diaz like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mYsqS-yD4o

[The Prestige]

I don't get why no one is able to take advantage of Diaz' stand-up. It looks so sloppy with those pitty-patty punches. Penn had plenty of success in tagging Diaz before he gassed in round 2. Can hardly believe Diaz was serious about doing a bout in boxing. He would get whipped by a guy with a negative record, that's how bad his stand-up is from a boxing perspective. But it seems to work very well in MMA. I can't wrap my head around why it's so effective. I think it's because I look at it from a boxing stance.


I kinda see where you are coming from in regards to his stand up, but in pro boxing fight I suspect he would adapt his stance a bit more. Not saying he'd do great in boxing, but the adjustments to the stand up game he makes in MMA may not reflect what he'd be able to do in boxing.

Nick's always been a slow starter too and needs to do a Forrest (take punishment and then work from there) in order to progress in a fight. BJ did work him in that first round, but as soon as Nick got comfortable and stopped respecting BJ's striking, it was downhill for Penn. Like Ludz said, those vicious body shots contributed heavily to Penn's gassing, Penn was too hurt to even circle away when Diaz backed him up against the cage.

GSP will reign on Diaz parade, but I expect Diaz to at least hurt him.

[LuDiNaToR]

I just hope Diaz gets lucky and lands a big punch and takes the win. Gsp is the most broing and annoying fighter in the ufc. Okay he's good at what he does but it is so boring to watch.

[Brodinski]

I know this is the MMA thread, but figure this is where fight fans of the MoFo lurk. Joe Frazier passed away yesterday from liver cancer. May he rest in peace. Champions don't come any purer than him.

http://gifsoup.com/imager.php?id=159589&t=o (http://gifsoup.com/view/159589/frazier-left-hook.html)

http://gifsoup.com/imager.php?id=1498216&t=o (http://gifsoup.com/view/1498216/joe-frazier-bobbing-2.html)

[downthesun]

Just got round to watching UFC 138, solid main card, exciting fights despite the lack of huge name stars on the card. Nice to see some stoppages after UFC 137 which wasn't the best card I've ever seen.

After a long absence it was good to see Terry Etim back in the cage, I watched him when he came out to Abu Dhabi and for a while now I've thought he's one of the most talented prospects at LW. If you ask me, the fight against Faaloloto was just one for the UK fans to see one of the countrymen win and Etim did what was expected.

Alves showed why he's still a force to be reckoned with at welterweight, he'd lost some steam with the loss to Rick Story but bounced back well with a nice tidy finish against a highly touted newcomer. Pretty brutal of Joe Silva and the UFC to put Abedi in against such tough competition in his octagon debut.

I was gutted to see Brad Pickett lose but Renan Barao is a legit force in the division, Sherdog picked him out as the top Brazilian prospect for 2011 and he's living up to the hype.

Leben and Munoz went full pelt for the entire 2 rounds that the fight lasted, would have been interesting to see how it would have gone had the fight been allowed to continue, I'd have thought Leben would gas in the 3rd and 4th and Munoz would have taken the TKO anyway.

[Brodinski]

I'm not completely sold on Barao yet. He has some good skills, but is still quite unpolished. His stand-up could do with some improvements, especially in the defensive department. Pickett tagged him with some heavy shots and while that does show that Barao has a good beard, he's going to get into a spot of bother when he meets a big puncher. I know there aren't any guys with real concussive power in the UFC BW division, so that works in his advantage.

And yeah, Thiago Alves' win was good, but I don't think he'll ever be anything more than a gatekeeper. The division is stacked and Alves doesn't have the all-around skills to compete with the best anymore.

[DexterRiley]

I just hope Diaz gets lucky and lands a big punch and takes the win. Gsp is the most broing and annoying fighter in the ufc. Okay he's good at what he does but it is so boring to watch.

i read that alot online. I dont get it. George isnt boring.

[downthesun]

I'm not completely sold on Barao yet. He has some good skills, but is still quite unpolished. His stand-up could do with some improvements, especially in the defensive department. Pickett tagged him with some heavy shots and while that does show that Barao has a good beard, he's going to get into a spot of bother when he meets a big puncher. I know there aren't any guys with real concussive power in the UFC BW division, so that works in his advantage.

And yeah, Thiago Alves' win was good, but I don't think he'll ever be anything more than a gatekeeper. The division is stacked and Alves doesn't have the all-around skills to compete with the best anymore.

Agreed, Picket was his first real big test and he passed it, although it wasn't with flying colours. He's certainly a top prospect and training with the likes of Aldo will really help him. He'll need a few more top class opponents before we can judge just how good he is.

I think Alves has it in him to make one more title run but he'll never be champ, GSP showed the last time just what a gap in class there is between the two of them. If the trains properly and makes weight for his next few fights I can see him back in the top 5 WWs in the world.

[Sir Toose]

Old news to some, I'm sure, but I was pretty shocked to learn that Cain vs JDS is a free fight this weekend... and it's a title fight to boot.

I'm sure it has to do with this new deal with Fox, and granted the undercard is skimpy ... but still, it's a huge fight and one that I've waited a long time to see.

I predict JDS vs Overeem sometime next Spring/Summer.

[Brodinski]

i read that alot online. I dont get it. George isnt boring.

I concur. GSP expertly uses his athleticism and skill set to offset his opponents' strengths and punish them for their weaknesses. And to consistently do that at the highest level in MMA, where long win streaks (10+ fights) are a rarity, deserves high praise. I do however fear for him when he ages. He relies a little TOO much on him being the more athletic fighter, on him having the better reflexes and speed. Once those assets erode, he's going to have to make up for them somehow and I'm not sure he can do that.

[downthesun]

I concur. GSP expertly uses his athleticism and skill set to offset his opponents' strengths and punish them for their weaknesses. And to consistently do that at the highest level in MMA, where long win streaks (10+ fights) are a rarity, deserves high praise. I do however fear for him when he ages. He relies a little TOO much on him being the more athletic fighter, on him having the better reflexes and speed. Once those assets erode, he's going to have to make up for them somehow and I'm not sure he can do that.

Without a doubt GSP is the undisputed king of the welterweight division, noone can argue that. I just think in his last few fights he's adopted a very conservative approach and doesn't go for the kill when he can. He's happy to ride out fights in top position, moving around just enough not to be stood up and going for the occasional submission.

He's gone to 5 decisions in his last 6 fights which have all been 5 rounders. Granted his opponents have been tough but if you really want to be called the P4P top fighter in the world you need to start finishing guys off. The gap in class between GSP and Dan Hardy is huge, he should have ended that fight within 3 rounds. If Condit and Lytyle can finish Hardy, I have no doubt GSP could, if he really wanted to.

[Brodinski]

Yeah, that's one thing you can knock him for. His safety first approach doesn't bother me too much, but I catch myself thinking at times that he could go for the finish more.

*****, there are some good fights this weekend with Pacquiao - JMM, JDS - Velasquez, Tim Bradley, Guida - Henderson, but I don't care at all. Those fights seem to be unimportant in the light of the sad news of Monday. I've been rewatching Frazier's fights in the past couple of days. It hit me harder than I thought it would. I knew he wasn't well and expected him to die, but still... Frazier was everything I looked for in a boxer. The ultimate hard worker who came out to fight and knock people out every single time he set foot into that ring as a prizefighter. No bullsh!t, no hyping, no running his mouth, just get right to smokin' his opponents in that ring.

Champions don't come more true.

[The Prestige]

What did I tell you's lot a year ago? JDS is a man made weapon and I had a funny feeling it would be his night tonight. Pretty much walked through Cain. Cain will be back though. He had a hefty layoff and I believe was struggling with a lot of injuries.

But yeah, Cigano is the heavyweight champ. Best striker in the Heavyweight division and a tough nut to crack.

[Sir Toose]

^ Me too... called it a few posts up.

Cain should've tried harder for the shot... he almost had it with Jr's early kick.

Ah well, every champ needs a loss.

[The Prestige]

Yeah, it was the most commited shot ever, and I guess he was just biding his time, but his flawed guard defense got exposed. You'd think he'd have learned from the Kongo fight to up his guard and not leave his chin so exposed, but he didn't. Your right though, he'll come back and I feel sorry for whoever he faces next.

[downthesun]

I need to find the fights somehow, didn't catch to catch the event but glad to see Jnr as the new champ, I've said for a while he'd be a future HW Champion, hopefully will be champ for a while as well, love his style and technique.

I was sad to see Guida lost as he's been on the cusp of title contention for a very long time, guess he'll need to put together another strong set of wins again. Benderson has stepped up to the big leagues nicely, him vs Edgar has all the components neccesary to be a classic bout.

Gotta give a shoutout to Bruce Leeroy as well, here I was thinking he was nothing more than an interesting character with no real skills and then he goes and takes out an ex WEC champ.

http://mmatorturehouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/bruce-leeroy.jpg

[LuDiNaToR]

he will probabley get the loser of lesnar and overeem.

Jds vs Overeem

lesnar vs Cain II Is what we will probs get.

Cain showed a big weakness in the kongo fight getting dropped in every round, so i knew if jds hit him it was lights out. Some big haters on youtube saying the fight got stopped to early, me i think it got stopped at the right time.

[LuDiNaToR]

here you go.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIwwzc1PCYs

[Brodinski]

**** this *****. Did anyone catch the JMM - Pacquiao fight? Absolute robbery that one.

[LuDiNaToR]

Dana was questioning Cains performence, asking why he didnt shoot for the take down, why he didnt push the pace, why he didnt fet Jds against the cage, is Dane for Real?. The fight lasted 1 minute, Cain tryed for a takedown and failed what did Dana expect Cain to do in 1 minute, dana pisses me off.

[DexterRiley]

I concur. GSP expertly uses his athleticism and skill set to offset his opponents' strengths and punish them for their weaknesses. And to consistently do that at the highest level in MMA, where long win streaks (10+ fights) are a rarity, deserves high praise. I do however fear for him when he ages. He relies a little TOO much on him being the more athletic fighter, on him having the better reflexes and speed. Once those assets erode, he's going to have to make up for them somehow and I'm not sure he can do that.

The great news for St. Pierre is, he was fortunate to hit his prime as MMA was somewhat lucrative so when his skills begin to fade, he can responsibly look to retire. The other thing is, relative to the commen perception of the lifestyle of the professional athlete, Georges is remarklably low key. I caught clips of the documentary on him and Loiseau awhile back, and the coolest thing was the footage of George paying off every debt his parents had, and setting up an accoount to pay for any future bills.

His Dad calling him in Brazil to give him ***** for doing so was classic.

Anyways you won't see St Pierre doing the Mark Coleman routine in his fortiesm fighten for a paycheque on undercards.

[Brodinski]

Ha, this is getting good.



The very-early ratings are in for Saturday's UFC on FOX event, and the one-hour special drew an estimated 4.64 million viewers, according to tvbythenumbers.com.

More complete and accurate ratings information will be available on Monday.

But based on initial estimates, the UFC on FOX broadcast (and Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos title fight) scored similar ratings as "EliteXC: Primetime," a 2008 CBS-televised event with a Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson vs. James Thompson headliner that scored 4.3 million viewers and a peak of 6.5 million.

The peak number for the UFC on FOX title fight, which took place at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., isn't immediately available.

According to the estimates, the FOX broadcast ranked third in its timeslot among the major networks. ABC's airing of college football (7.21 million viewers) and CBS' "NCIS" episode (5.5 million) both scored better. Additionally, FOX's preceding program, an episode of "Cops," scored 4.81 million viewers.

Again, though, more accurate Nielsen numbers won't be available until tomorrow. (EliteXC's estimated numbers, for example, rose once the official numbers came in.)

The Velasquez vs. Dos Santos fight lasted a mere 64 seconds. Dos Santos connected with an overhand right and forced a TKO stoppage with follow-up punches to take the belt from Velasquez.

In the lead-up to Saturday's event, which was a "teaser" of a seven-year deal that officially kicks off in 2012, UFC and FOX officials refused to predict ratings for the show.

A "UFC Primetime" special that aired on Oct. 30 (at various times depending on the market) averaged two million viewers.

If the numbers don't rise drastically, UFC on FOX probably won't be the highest-rated fight in UFC history. Spike TV actually set that record in 2009 when episode No. 3 of "The Ultimate Fighter 10: Heavyweights" (which featured a pre-taped fight between "Kimbo" and Roy Nelson) drew 5.3 million viewers and a peak of 6.1 million. The previous high was set in 2007 when 5.9 million viewers tuned in for Spike TV's Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Dan Henderson UFC 75 main-event bout.


Kimbo > UFC.

It's almost impossible to build a really huge MMA star, because they just can't get win streaks going. There's GSP and Anderson, but not being American probably hurts them. They also don't have real crossover power to reach the casual fans. It's a bit sad to see that the UFC's biggest star is a former WWE wrestler who is about as private about his personal life as you can get. They won't ever breed stars like Pacquiao or Mayweather. The only one who could potentially be huge is Jon Jones, because he could transition to the heavyweights. This isn't to spark a boxing vs MMA debate, but it's just the reality.

I'm going through a little 'meh' phase when it comes to MMA.

[DexterRiley]

I personally dont care whether it does awesome ratings or not. part of me secretly hopes it doesnt tbph.

[The Prestige]

I concur. GSP expertly uses his athleticism and skill set to offset his opponents' strengths and punish them for their weaknesses. And to consistently do that at the highest level in MMA, where long win streaks (10+ fights) are a rarity, deserves high praise. I do however fear for him when he ages. He relies a little TOO much on him being the more athletic fighter, on him having the better reflexes and speed. Once those assets erode, he's going to have to make up for them somehow and I'm not sure he can do that.

I think St Pierre will dominate until his late 30's, assuming he stays in the game that long. His safety first approach is allowing him to have a long and tidy career. He rarely takes damage and I although his speed with decline a bit, it won't be enough that it dramatically reduces his ability to the the fight to the ground, which is where his strengths are at his current level.

Still haven't seen the Pacman fight, but I heard he got a nice gift wrapped decision.

[The Prestige]

Kimbo > UFC.

It's almost impossible to build a really huge MMA star, because they just can't get win streaks going. There's GSP and Anderson, but not being American probably hurts them. They also don't have real crossover power to reach the casual fans. It's a bit sad to see that the UFC's biggest star is a former WWE wrestler who is about as private about his personal life as you can get. They won't ever breed stars like Pacquiao or Mayweather. The only one who could potentially be huge is Jon Jones, because he could transition to the heavyweights. This isn't to spark a boxing vs MMA debate, but it's just the reality.

I'm going through a little 'meh' phase when it comes to MMA.


I think part of the problem is over exposure. I love the idea that Dan White and the Ferittas are driving an aggressive engine, but at the same time, it does feel like the MMA scene is being shoved down peoples throats a bit. I mean, THREE PPVs in the space of a month? Seriously? Personally, I don't mind as i'm a big fan and there is always 2 or 3 match ups that i'm interested in, but I think it's obvious that MMA seems a little TOO desperate to be mainstream, a little too desperate to become a global phenomenon, so I think that you and others may be feeling the withdrawal symptoms from that.

The star thing is complicated. Like you said, it's very hard for most fighters to hold a 8-10 fight winning streak, and the ones with high winning streaks don't have that much of a 'fan friendly' style, like Fitch for example. That guy has a terrific record with his one loss coming to the 2nd p4p fighter in the world. But he is a so-called 'lay and prayer' and Dana doesn't like him so he doesn't get marketed highly.

My problem is that with growing fame and a wider audience comes more non-fight pressures on the fighters and more politics than ever before. Carlos Conduit being made to sit and wait for a title shot that was handed to him after the Penn/Nick fight; Rashad Evans having his title shot cancelled AGAIN all because Dana wants JBJ on the Toronto card. I think they need to slow down a little and understand that most true fans don't feel the need to watch a wild Bonnar/Griffin style brawl for 3-5 rounds.

[Brodinski]

Still haven't seen the Pacman fight, but I heard he got a nice gift wrapped decision.

It was disgusting. Me and some friends stayed up all night to watch it, they ALL said Pacquiao was going to smash Marquez, arguing he was too old, too slow, didn't have enough power at welter, didn't train properly (Kellerman claimed that) and that Pacquiao was more complete defensively now. I just said: Styles make fights and nothing I have seen from Pac from 2008-2011 has made me reconsider my thinking process s to how a fight between JMM and Pac would pan out. They said I was crazy. Heck, every boxing 'expert' and writer thought JMM had little to no chance.

They were wrong. I had Marquez winning 116-112. When it was over, everyone in the room was quiet and bewildered, because they're big Pacquiao fans. They thought for sure he had lost. And when Buffer read that score 115-113, one of them said "damn, they gave Pac too much rounds, he didn't win 5". And then Buffer read "and still WBO welterweight champion"... No one in that room thought Manny won. It's a paper victory.

This is the kind of stuff that will breed contempt and bitterness for an entire lifetime. JMM could go down the same path as Marvin Hagler. He's talked about retiring and I wouldn't blame him.

[DexterRiley]

I think St Pierre will dominate until his late 30's, assuming he stays in the game that long. His safety first approach is allowing him to have a long and tidy career. He rarely takes damage and I although his speed with decline a bit, it won't be enough that it dramatically reduces his ability to the the fight to the ground, which is where his strengths are at his current level.

Still haven't seen the Pacman fight, but I heard he got a nice gift wrapped decision.

its not safety first, its successfully defend the belt and remain champion first.

[The Prestige]

Well lets be honest, he still uses the safest possible strategy in order to remain champion. I have no problem with this unlike most people, he is a dominant fighter and for my money one of the greatest of all time, but he takes little to no risks and that's one of the reasons why he is successful.

[DexterRiley]

by safest possible strategy, do you mean he imposes his will on his opponent, takes him down at will and grounds and pounds, all the while sustaining no damage?

I fail to see the criticism in that.

Matt Hughes did the same thing, i dont recall him getting tagged with the boring label.

i dont get it.

[The Prestige]

Like I said before, I don't see a problem with that myself. Sure, it makes him predictable and because of how strong his game is, it makes some title fights less appealing, but I wouldn't say he is boring either, but most people do. It doesn't really matter though, does it? He's a winner and he'll go down as one of the greats.

[The Prestige]

Wow, didn't think I would see a fight to rival Edgar vs Maynard 2 and 3 but I think I just saw it with Hendo vs Shogun. Incredible fight. Must see for anyone, and Brods, I don't think you'll be in a meh stage with MMA after watching it!

[LuDiNaToR]

Wow from me aswel, Great card, one of the best cards ever. I was so pumped watching this event and Henderson and Shogun wow. Ime going to say this tho.. it was a great fight, but Both guys didn't look that impressive if you ask me. Both Hendo and shogun gassed pretty early on and both looked abit sloppy, Jones would run through either, but still great to watch.

[Brodinski]

I'm with Lud. That wasn't a great fight by any measure. Hendo dominated Shogun (who already started gassing mid round 2) for 3 rounds. I thought Rua was going to have a heart-attack at the end of the third round, he looked incredibly spent when he was leaning on Hendo against the cage. Then, Hendo gassed even worse than Shogun. Both guys were running on fumes since round 4, Shogun's just simmered longer than Hendo's, who was dead tired in round 5. I scored it a draw.

Wanna see a really great fight? Watch Alvarez - Chandler, also from Saturday night. That's my candidate for fight of the year.

[The Prestige]

I'm with Lud. That wasn't a great fight by any measure. Hendo dominated Shogun (who already started gassing mid round 2) for 3 rounds. I thought Rua was going to have a heart-attack at the end of the third round, he looked incredibly spent when he was leaning on Hendo against the cage. Then, Hendo gassed even worse than Shogun. Both guys were running on fumes since round 4, Shogun's just simmered longer than Hendo's, who was dead tired in round 5. I scored it a draw.


Rua doesn't have the best conditioning, true. And I was surprised at Hendo's lack of gas tank after the 3rd round, but Shogun dug pretty damn deep and wasn't too far from finishing the fight during the 5th round. Like you said, he looked like he was going to drop dead, but somehow he fought back hard. The guy has a lot more heart than I thought he did. Perhaps it's part of his maturity as a fighter, he has turned 30 after all. I scored it for Hendo as round 3 was a 10-8 in my opinion.


Wanna see a really great fight? Watch Alvarez - Chandler, also from Saturday night. That's my candidate for fight of the year.


Still need to watch that fight. Heard great things. I missed most of the prelims.

[LuDiNaToR]

I'm with Lud. That wasn't a great fight by any measure. Hendo dominated Shogun (who already started gassing mid round 2) for 3 rounds. I thought Rua was going to have a heart-attack at the end of the third round, he looked incredibly spent when he was leaning on Hendo against the cage. Then, Hendo gassed even worse than Shogun. Both guys were running on fumes since round 4, Shogun's just simmered longer than Hendo's, who was dead tired in round 5. I scored it a draw.

Wanna see a really great fight? Watch Alvarez - Chandler, also from Saturday night. That's my candidate for fight of the year.

Yeah not sh**** on ufc's event but Alvarez vs chandler was on another level. Alvarez and Chandler made rua and Dan Henderson match seem like nothing.

Here you go Prestige check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HziG9DBfJf0

[LuDiNaToR]

Well if Jones gets past machida which i think he will then the path looks clear for Dan Henderson. Looks like Rashad vs Davis could be on the cards again. What do you guys think of Davis and would you like to see Jones Vs Davis?.

[Brodinski]

Rashad should just get his shot. The guy is legit. But I hope my boy Machida drags Jones into deep waters with his elusive hit & run style.

[LuDiNaToR]

Rashad should just get his shot. The guy is legit. But I hope my boy Machida drags Jones into deep waters with his elusive hit & run style.

I think Jones is gonna have an easy time with machida yanno Brod's. I dont think that the in and out approach will work with jones, and machida isn't going to be able to keep that distance.

[LuDiNaToR]

Hey Brod why dont you get that MMA prediction thing going again.

[The Prestige]

I know you can't stand the Nick 'n' Nate, Brods, but that was a fun fight from Nate against Cerrone, wasn't it?

[Brodinski]

Yeah, Cerrone got schooled. No defense... He's essentially just a go-forward fighter and neglects the boxing fundamentals of being able to create an offense with defense in mind.

And Brock wanted out. There was no fight left in him. He came to pick up a paycheck.

[earlsmoviepicks]

Here's my take on the Lesnar fight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G90q5slRCa8

[Masterman]

Ufc ON FOX 2

Well another late night up waiting for for The Ufc fox 2 card, a card i have been looking forward to for a while now with 3 great fights that on paper should of been great.... what did we get, a terrible 3 fight main card.
I think last nights ufc fox card was a big dissapointment for the ufc and tho it set up 2 big title fights for them in the future i think the way these fights played out left alot of viewers bored.

Rashad Vs Davis was the main event of the night and a fight that i have been looking forward to since last year (when there first meeting was cancelled). I picked Davis for the win in this fight aswell... plz why. I thought Davis may have been the next big thing for the ufc and i thought maybe he would out wrestle Rahad and put him in a spot he's never been, But Rashad was never in any trouble, and that wasnt even the best rashad we have seen. I think Jon Jones will take Rashad out pretty easy now, i had doubt's at first but i think Dan Henderson could even present a bigger threat.

Sonnen vs bisping was another fight i was looking forward to... Now my pick was right for this i had sonnen, but after the fight i had Bisping winning round 1 and 2 and sonnen's after the match interview shows how stupid this guy is, he thinks he's in the WWE but its good to watch and he is pretty funny.

Not even going into the other fight, both guys gassed early on and Wieldman i can understand taking the fight on such short notice but its bad for the ufc when things like this happen and its bad to watch.

[The Prestige]

Think Carlos Conduit laid out the blue print to beat Nick Diaz. Completely outsmarted him and was as elusive as I have ever seen him. Slick technical striking.

Still think GSP wins via whatever he wants though.

Rashad vs Davis wasn't the most exciting fight, but it showed why Rashad's the number one contender. I've noticed people who were initially on the Davis bandwagon now retract and are saying that he's a green one dimensional wrestler and blah blah blah. Davis a VERY GOOD wrestler. Great even, but so is Rashad, and Rashad's also the better grappler and striker. Fact is, Rashad was too well rounded and too strong and experienced for a guy like Davis. Davis showed toughness imo, most fighters would have quit but he took the beatings are survived 5 rounds with a motivated Rashad Evans. There is a lot to be said for that.

People think that just because Rashad didn't finish Davis, Jones is going to finish him within one round or KO him or whatever. Fools. Rashad matches up well with Jones. He presents problems to the kid that no one else has ever done. I think it's going to be a great fight and I wouldn't be surprised to see Rashad get the upset.

[cinemaafficionado]

I would like to see Liddell-Franklin, I think that one will be good. I also am rooting for Mac Danzig-- I always liked that guy, but he seemed stuck in the middle somewhere.

...:p

Where have you been? Rich Franklin knocked out Chuck Lidell in the first round On June 12, 2010.

[cinemaafficionado]

Think Carlos Conduit laid out the blue print to beat Nick Diaz. Completely outsmarted him and was as elusive as I have ever seen him. Slick technical striking.

Still think GSP wins via whatever he wants though.



People think that just because Rashad didn't finish Davis, Jones is going to finish him within one round or KO him or whatever. Fools. Rashad matches up well with Jones. He presents problems to the kid that no one else has ever done. I think it's going to be a great fight and I wouldn't be surprised to see Rashad get the upset.

Rashad will be about a 3 to 1 dog against Jones so he will be a good bet at that.

[cinemaafficionado]

Think Carlos Conduit laid out the blue print to beat Nick Diaz. Completely outsmarted him and was as elusive as I have ever seen him. Slick technical striking.

Still think GSP wins via whatever he wants though.

Rashad vs Davis wasn't the most exciting fight, but it showed why Rashad's the number one contender. I've noticed people who were initially on the Davis bandwagon now retract and are saying that he's a green one dimensional wrestler and blah blah blah. Davis a VERY GOOD wrestler. Great even, but so is Rashad, and Rashad's also the better grappler and striker. Fact is, Rashad was too well rounded and too strong and experienced for a guy like Davis. Davis showed toughness imo, most fighters would have quit but he took the beatings are survived 5 rounds with a motivated Rashad Evans. There is a lot to be said for that.

.

That's a good point about Phil Davis's chin. The guy can take a punch.
Same thing with Roy Nelson. It was funny how Joe Rogan started questioning Dosantos's power. Roy Nelson got kicked in the head by Crocop and still didn't go down. There are some guys that can't be knocked out.
Rashad actually out-wrestled Davis. A lot of people are underesimating Rashad. Rashad and Jones have trained together and stylisticaly this is a good match-up for Rashad. Jones's chin has yet to be tested by someone that posseses one pounch KO power. If Jones survives this one, ouside of Hendo, I see no one having a chance to take him down.

[Masterman]

wow, what were you guys watching? Rashad's performance was terrible against Davis. If Rashad comes into the fight against Jones with a performance like that Jones will finish the fight, and finish it pretty easy.

[cinemaafficionado]

wow, what were you guys watching? Rashad's performance was terrible against Davis. If Rashad comes into the fight against Jones with a performance like that Jones will finish the fight, and finish it pretty easy.
Rashad was fighting an undefeated fighter and an excellent wrestler in Davis and Rashad controlled the fight. What exactly was so terrible about his performance?

[Masterman]

Rashad was fighting an undefeated fighter and an excellent wrestler in Davis and Rashad controlled the fight. What exactly was so terrible about his performance?

Rashad looked very sloppy and had a few moments were he could of easily finished the fight and couldn't do so. Phil Davis was undefeated you right but lets be honest he haasn't really had a hard path up the ladder has he ?

[Brodinski]

There are some guys that can't be knocked out..

Everyone can be knocked out. You just have to hit 'em with a punch they don't see coming. See Martinez - Williams II.

As for Condit - Diaz. Great stuff from Carlos. Diaz' footwork is so poor, guy couldn't trap him against the cage. Unleashed a few shots at Condit, then he would duck under and get out of there. A deserved win, yet we might have to see that fight again as UFC is desperate to put on Diaz-GSP. GSP-Condit might actually be competitive. I've always said that GSP's style isn't one that would age well and now with him being out so long... Condit can be elusive and keep the distance well. He might just have a shot at the upset.

Rashad has a good shot at Jones, because he has put everyone he ever fought on their back, except Machida and that's when Rashad started thinking he was the second coming of Ali. And we don't know how Jones will react to being put on his back. There was already some panic on him after the first round vs Lyoto, so what happens when he has to deal with real adversity? If I get decent odds at this, I'll swing a fiver on Evans.

[cinemaafficionado]

Everyone can be knocked out. You just have to hit 'em with a punch they don't see coming. See Martinez - Williams II.

As for Condit - Diaz. Great stuff from Carlos. Diaz' footwork is so poor, guy couldn't trap him against the cage. Unleashed a few shots at Condit, then he would duck under and get out of there. A deserved win, yet we might have to see that fight again as UFC is desperate to put on Diaz-GSP. GSP-Condit might actually be competitive. I've always said that GSP's style isn't one that would age well and now with him being out so long... Condit can be elusive and keep the distance well. He might just have a shot at the upset.

Rashad has a good shot at Jones, because he has put everyone he ever fought on their back, except Machida and that's when Rashad started thinking he was the second coming of Ali. And we don't know how Jones will react to being put on his back. There was already some panic on him after the first round vs Lyoto, so what happens when he has to deal with real adversity? If I get decent odds at this, I'll swing a fiver on Evans.

There are guys that can't be knocked out: Mark Hunt, Ray Sefo, Roy Nelson to name a few. These guys all took shots that put other guys to sleep and they still haven't been KO'd. What happens though is some guys keep on fighting way past normal fighting age and the accumulation of hard hits eventualy gets to them as per example, Randy Couture, who had an excellent chin, but also fought till he was 42.

You are spot on about Condit- Diaz.
Rashad will be 2 1/2 to 1 or 3 to 1 dog and an excellent bet at that. I bet MMA and I've done pretty good the last few years. I got Condit at 2 1/2 to 1 at $500 so I made $1250.00 on that fight. A few of my friends went the other way and lost their ass. They were just blinded by all the Diaz-GSP hype and didn't see Diaz losing. What they didn't understand is that those judges were in nobody's pocket. Diaz didn't do much in that fight except move forward and use his head as a pinata.

[cinemaafficionado]

Everyone can be knocked out. You just have to hit 'em with a punch they don't see coming. See Martinez - Williams II.

As for Condit - Diaz. Great stuff from Carlos. Diaz' footwork is so poor, guy couldn't trap him against the cage. Unleashed a few shots at Condit, then he would duck under and get out of there. A deserved win, yet we might have to see that fight again as UFC is desperate to put on Diaz-GSP. GSP-Condit might actually be competitive. I've always said that GSP's style isn't one that would age well and now with him being out so long... Condit can be elusive and keep the distance well. He might just have a shot at the upset.

Rashad has a good shot at Jones, because he has put everyone he ever fought on their back, except Machida and that's when Rashad started thinking he was the second coming of Ali. And we don't know how Jones will react to being put on his back. There was already some panic on him after the first round vs Lyoto, so what happens when he has to deal with real adversity? If I get decent odds at this, I'll swing a fiver on Evans.

Did you see the Hendo - Shogun fight? Shogun survived shots that would have oblitirated most other guys and he just kept on coming. The one thing that can make a big difference is a knee straight up out of a Thai clinch. Even guys with great chins go down from that as per example Rampage against Wanderlei in Pride.

[Brodinski]

There are guys that can't be knocked out: Mark Hunt, Ray Sefo, Roy Nelson to name a few. These guys all took shots that put other guys to sleep and they still haven't been KO'd. What happens though is some guys keep on fighting way past normal fighting age and the accumulation of hard hits eventualy gets to them as per example, Randy Couture, who had an excellent chin, but also fought till he was 42.

Yes, age definitely factors in. Everybody eventually gets KO'd no matter how hard their chin. If you take too many, your punch resistance will go down and you'll get KO'd eventually. Look at Baldomir. The way to not getting knocked out is actually being savvy enough defensively AND have a good chin. Look at Mayweather and Hopkins in boxing.

If you don't have good defensive skills, eventually you will get caught, no matter if you've got that cast-iron chin. Williams was left unconscious by Martinez, yet he has one of the best chins in boxing. Sefo was out cold by one of Schilt's jabs; he just didn't see it coming. Hunt was chopped down by Manhoef if memory serves.

Nelson will be severed from his consciousness sooner rather than later. Guy has no defense.

[cinemaafficionado]

Yes, age definitely factors in. Everybody eventually gets KO'd no matter how hard their chin. If you take too many, your punch resistance will go down and you'll get KO'd eventually. Look at Baldomir. The way to not getting knocked out is actually being savvy enough defensively AND have a good chin. Look at Mayweather and Hopkins in boxing.

If you don't have good defensive skills, eventually you will get caught, no matter if you've got that cast-iron chin. Williams was left unconscious by Martinez, yet he has one of the best chins in boxing. Sefo was out cold by one of Schilt's jabs; he just didn't see it coming. Hunt was chopped down by Manhoef if memory serves.

Nelson will be severed from his consciousness sooner rather than later. Guy has no defense.

I'll give you two more examples of fighters never being Ko'd.
George Chuvalo had 93 fights and was never even knocked down. He was TKod standing only by George Forman and Joe Frazier but he never went down.
Rocky Marciano went 49-0 and was never stopped.

[Masterman]

I'll give you two more examples of fighters never being Ko'd.
George Chuvalo had 93 fights and was never even knocked down. He was TKod standing only by George Forman and Joe Frazier but he never went down.
Rocky Marciano went 49-0 and was never stopped.

But your naming boxers, Brods is completely right in what he is saying. It only takes a certain amount of pressure to knock someone out and a punch that your not expecting to the temple will knock anyone out. Boxers are more aware of whats coming there way and will only defend against a punch, where MMA fighters have to defend against kicks, takedowns, elbows, submissions, punchers and what ever else comes there way so there is more chance of a good shot getting through. MMA fighters gloves are really to protct the fighters hands and a punch of one of them is alot more powefulr than a punch from a boxer (gloves).

[The Prestige]

Agree with Brods. Everybody gets knocked out eventually, just take some guys a lot longer than others. Roy Nelson does have a great chin though, got to be honest.

Condit is looking sharper and sharper. Great work at mixing it up against Diaz, I had picked the Stockton block to win. Apparently he's quit mma for boxing, but i'm assuming that was just a knee jerk reaction to losing??

I'm calling it now, Rashad will win and probably even finish Jones. I'll put a tenner on Rashad too. I think Jones is great great talent, but he's so young and still relatively inexperienced (as well as full of himself) that he'll eventually crumble to Rashad's pressure. Jones keeps being compared to Anderson Silva, but his striking is nowhere near the level of that MMA master. He is a ground and pounder and a damn good one at that, but I don't think he can do much to Rashad from the ground as Rashad's similar to Chuck Liddell in that in just pops up when he does get taken down. Even Greg Jackson said that Rashad is impossible to keep down.

I think that the fight will come down to who the better wrestler is, and for my money I feel Rashad has the advantage. He has already tooled him in practice, and he has the athleticism to match Jones and decent boxing with good knockout power. I think it's definitely Jones toughest fight. If he beats Rashad, he rules the division for at least another 2 years. But I don't think he'll complete this chapter as Rashad's a hungry ****er right now.

[cinemaafficionado]

But your naming boxers, Brods is completely right in what he is saying. It only takes a certain amount of pressure to knock someone out and a punch that your not expecting to the temple will knock anyone out. Boxers are more aware of whats coming there way and will only defend against a punch, where MMA fighters have to defend against kicks, takedowns, elbows, submissions, punchers and what ever else comes there way so there is more chance of a good shot getting through. MMA fighters gloves are really to protct the fighters hands and a punch of one of them is alot more powefulr than a punch from a boxer (gloves).

You are absolutely right about the fact that the gloves being used in MMA are smaller, which gives guys greater impact punching power.
I don't think that boxers are necesarily more aware in stand up; they just get hit more with punches. Of course some know better how to slip punches and thus evade full impact ( Wilfredo Benitez ) but for the purposes of this discussion, my point is that there are guys that are born with thicker skull density (and this includes the chin and temple ) and thus can not be knocked out normaly. Without doing too much extra research just to prove this well known point: Roy Nelson is a perfect example.
He did get caught right in the temple with Crocop's left foot ( which impact had knocked out everyone else prior to that ) and Nelson got tagged in different parts of the head by Dosantos punches ( almost everybody else got knocked out with the exception of Shane Carwin ) and still didn't get knocked out, further proving my point.

[Brodinski]

I'll give you two more examples of fighters never being Ko'd.
George Chuvalo had 93 fights and was never even knocked down. He was TKod standing only by George Forman and Joe Frazier but he never went down.

Chuvalo quit against Frazier after Joe smoked his jaw with that left hook of his. He was as good as out on his feet against Foreman. If the ref didn't stop that fight, the guy might've ended up in a coma.

Rocky Marciano went 49-0 and was never stopped.

This is true, although the great Ezzard Charles damn near fvcked up his nose entirely. Marciano had a great chin, but he went out on top. Retired when he was 32 and his punch resistance wasn't shot yet. His style didn't make for longevity.

The same can be said for Hagler, he took Hearns' best shot and still kept coming. Guy was just a tank. Blessed with a cinder block for a chin. But he too got out on top. If you keep going long enough, you have to be a technician, understand the finer points of defense and only then will you make it out without getting separated from your consciousness. I doubt that Hopkins will ever get KO'd. Nor will Floyd or even Andre Ward. These guys are damn near the total package when it comes to defensive skills.

[cinemaafficionado]

Chuvalo quit against Frazier after Joe smoked his jaw with that left hook of his. He was as good as out on his feet against Foreman. If the ref didn't stop that fight, the guy might've ended up in a coma.



This is true, although the great Ezzard Charles damn near fvcked up his nose entirely. Marciano had a great chin, but he went out on top. Retired when he was 32 and his punch resistance wasn't shot yet. His style didn't make for longevity.

The same can be said for Hagler, he took Hearns' best shot and still kept coming. Guy was just a tank. Blessed with a cinder block for a chin. But he too got out on top. If you keep going long enough, you have to be a technician, understand the finer points of defense and only then will you make it out without getting separated from your consciousness. I doubt that Hopkins will ever get KO'd. Nor will Floyd or even Andre Ward. These guys are damn near the total package when it comes to defensive skills.

Haven't you ever been in a fight where you hit the guy with your best shot and he just got up and kept coming? I was in a bar fight once ( stupidly over a chick, as usual.) There were two of them. The first guy I hit a grazing blow to the temple and it was lights out for him. The second guy had a baseball bat, so I hit him harder than usual. He got immediately sans his bat, I head butted him hard and broke his nose and hit him with a an uprer cut to the chin, lifting him off his feet and he went down again.
This guy muct have been on PCP. He got up and rushed me, pushing me up againt the wall.
I kneed him in the cohones, pulled him into my Thai clinch and shot up my right knee through his face. The guy got up, grabbed an empty beer bottle from one of the tables, smashed it against the table breking it and lunged at my face with the exposed glass edges. I though F.. this. Blocked his thrust pulling his arm forward and to the side of me, took his back and sunk in a rear naked chocke , making sure he went limp before I dropped him down.
I had a feeling that if I had the baseball bat and smashed him in the head, he would have still kept coming. I don't need to be reminded that the world has guys like that and to tell you the truth, I would rat:Dher shoot them then fight them.:p
Oh, and to put a cap on this stoy, the girl who was my date an whose honor I thought I was defending, didn't want to have anything to do with me after that. She said she was scared of me. Go figure.

[Masterman]

Haven't you ever been in a fight where you hit the guy with your best shot and he just got up and kept coming? I was in a bar fight once ( stupidly over a chick, as usual.) There were two of them. The first guy I hit a grazing blow to the temple and it was lights out for him. The second guy had a baseball bat, so I hit him harder than usual. He got immediately sans his bat, I head butted him hard and broke his nose and hit him with a an uprer cut to the chin, lifting him off his feet and he went down again.
This guy muct have been on PCP. He got up and rushed me, pushing me up againt the wall.
I kneed him in the cohones, pulled him into my Thai clinch and shot up my right knee through his face. The guy got up, grabbed an empty beer bottle from one of the tables, smashed it against the table breking it and lunged at my face with the exposed glass edges. I though F.. this. Blocked his thrust pulling his arm forward and to the side of me, took his back and sunk in a rear naked chocke , making sure he went limp before I dropped him down.
I had a feeling that if I had the baseball bat and smashed him in the head, he would have still kept coming. I don't need to be reminded that the world has guys like that and to tell you the truth, I would rat:Dher shoot them then fight them.:p
Oh, and to put a cap on this stoy, the girl who was my date an whose honor I thought I was defending, didn't want to have anything to do with me after that. She said she was scared of me. Go figure.


Hahahaha Steven Seagal there. :rolleyes:

[Brodinski]

Haven't you ever been in a fight where you hit the guy with your best shot and he just got up and kept coming? I was in a bar fight once ( stupidly over a chick, as usual.) There were two of them. The first guy I hit a grazing blow to the temple and it was lights out for him. The second guy had a baseball bat, so I hit him harder than usual. He got immediately sans his bat, I head butted him hard and broke his nose and hit him with a an uprer cut to the chin, lifting him off his feet and he went down again.
This guy muct have been on PCP. He got up and rushed me, pushing me up againt the wall.
I kneed him in the cohones, pulled him into my Thai clinch and shot up my right knee through his face. The guy got up, grabbed an empty beer bottle from one of the tables, smashed it against the table breking it and lunged at my face with the exposed glass edges. I though F.. this. Blocked his thrust pulling his arm forward and to the side of me, took his back and sunk in a rear naked chocke , making sure he went limp before I dropped him down.
I had a feeling that if I had the baseball bat and smashed him in the head, he would have still kept coming. I don't need to be reminded that the world has guys like that and to tell you the truth, I would rat:Dher shoot them then fight them.:p
Oh, and to put a cap on this stoy, the girl who was my date an whose honor I thought I was defending, didn't want to have anything to do with me after that. She said she was scared of me. Go figure.

I'm not one to get into bar fights. I do my fighting inside a ring with my gloves on. After primary school, I've only been into a real fight once where I had no other option but to start fighting and that was a big mess afterwards. In 98 % of the cases, starting a streetfight isn't worth it. It's mostly because of extremely stupid and juvenile reasons that a fight is initiated and when you actually think about the potential consequences of it, one knows it is never in his best interest to begin brawling. I've a friend who got into a street fight once when he was drunk, he knocked a guy into the hospital and was proud of his act of alphamale behaviour. Not so much when he was charged, had to cough up lots of money for lawyer costs and got convicted on top of that. There's not a day that goes by when he doesn't regret the decision he made back then.

[cinemaafficionado]

I'm not one to get into bar fights. I do my fighting inside a ring with my gloves on. After primary school, I've only been into a real fight once where I had no other option but to start fighting and that was a big mess afterwards. In 98 % of the cases, starting a streetfight isn't worth it. It's mostly because of extremely stupid and juvenile reasons that a fight is initiated and when you actually think about the potential consequences of it, one knows it is never in his best interest to begin brawling. I've a friend who got into a street fight once when he was drunk, he knocked a guy into the hospital and was proud of his act of alphamale behaviour. Not so much when he was charged, had to cough up lots of money for lawyer costs and got convicted on top of that. There's not a day that goes by when he doesn't regret the decision he made back then.
It's too bad, but hardly anyone I know thinks of consequences in the heat of the moment. It becomes dog eat dog and if you bite while they are barking, you'll usually be the one walking away on your own.

[Brodinski]

It's too bad, but hardly anyone I know thinks of consequences in the heat of the moment. It becomes dog eat dog and if you bite while they are barking, you'll usually be the one walking away on your own...

... into an assault and battery charge and the corresponding 1000s of dollars law suit.

[Masterman]

It's too bad, but hardly anyone I know thinks of consequences in the heat of the moment. It becomes dog eat dog and if you bite while they are barking, you'll usually be the one walking away on your own.

Thats just stupid talk! i had a friend who got into a bit of fight and died of a punch, as Brods said its stupid and there is no real reason for it.


Back to the ufc, just put £10 on Edgar for a ko or tko win, £90 back if it happen :)

[cinemaafficionado]

Thats just stupid talk! i had a friend who got into a bit of fight and died of a punch, as Brods said its stupid and there is no real reason for it.


Back to the ufc, just put £10 on Edgar for a ko or tko win, £90 back if it happen :)

" Stupid talk " - apparantly you haven't been in a fight or you missunderstood my point which is that if people were controlled enough to think of consequences beforehand, fights would never happen. Unfortunatly, most people get caught up in the heat of the moment and either lose that control or re-focus it.
I'd like to know how you got Edgar as a 9 - 1 dog when the bookies actually have him as a slight favorite against Ben Henderson? I see, beacuse you qualified it as a stoppage. Still, who's giving out those odds? Anyway you could have spent that money enjoying some KFC, Henderson will not get stopped. He may be out-decisioned, if anything.

[cinemaafficionado]

... into an assault and battery charge and the corresponding 1000s of dollars law suit.

You really think that after a fight people stand around and exchange their place of domicile information? Most fights happen among strangers and when they happen among people that know each other, most of them don't file chickenshit law suits. Most assault and battery charges are filed in cases of road rage, domestic disturbances and neighbour disputes, where the perps are all known; if you really want to get legal on me.

[Brodinski]

Ehh, sure...

Moving on:

Main card
Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson
Light Heavyweight bout: Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader
Heavyweight bout: Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo
Welterweight bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
Middleweight bout: Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
Featherweight bout: Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski
Lightweight bout: Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon

Preliminary card (FX)
Lightweight bout: Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Misutoka
Bantamweight bout: Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee
Middleweight bout: Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell
Bantamweight bout: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso
Featherweight bout: Zhang Tiequan vs. Issei Tamura



My picks in bold.

[cinemaafficionado]

Ehh, sure...

Moving on:

Main card
Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson
Light Heavyweight bout: Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader
Heavyweight bout: Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo
Welterweight bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
Middleweight bout: Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
Featherweight bout: Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski
Lightweight bout: Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon

Preliminary card (FX)
Lightweight bout: Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Misutoka
Bantamweight bout: Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee
Middleweight bout: Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell
Bantamweight bout: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso
Featherweight bout: Zhang Tiequan vs. Issei Tamura



My picks in bold.

Ok, some of your picks are questionable. If Cheick Kongo stands with Mark Hunt, he'll get knocked out and he doesn't have much of a ground game, so I don't see it going to the ground.
Joe Lauzon is a spoiler. Whenever he's been a big dog, he's pulled off upsets, starting with Jence Pulver.
There is no way Takanori Gomi is going to lose this fight and also look for Zhang Tiequan to beat Issei Tamura.
Other than that I pretty much agree with you:D

[Masterman]

Ok, some of your picks are questionable. If Cheick Kongo stands with Mark Hunt, he'll get knocked out and he doesn't have much of a ground game, so I don't see it going to the ground.
Joe Lauzon is a spoiler. Whenever he's been a big dog, he's pulled off upsets, starting with Jence Pulver.
There is no way Takanori Gomi is going to lose this fight and also look for Zhang Tiequan to beat Issei Tamura.
Other than that I pretty much agree with you:D

Have you just said if Kongo stands with Hunt he weill get knocked out?? WOW your about the only person i have heard say that, Kongo will not have a problem with Hunt at all, wether its on the ground or standing.

And i got Edgar for Tko or Knockout at 16/2 at ladbrokes. There also offering 9/1 on Henderson for the submission.

[cinemaafficionado]

Have you just said if Kongo stands with Hunt he weill get knocked out?? WOW your about the only person i have heard say that, Kongo will not have a problem with Hunt at all, wether its on the ground or standing.

And i got Edgar for Tko or Knockout at 16/2 at ladbrokes. There also offering 9/1 on Henderson for the submission.

Kongo is made to order for Hunt. All of Hunts losses except for one have been by submission. Kongo doesn't know submissions and Hunt can take a better punch. Hunt's coming off of a win over Big Ben Rothwell and he won his previous fight, so I wouldn't be surprised if he makes it 3 in a row.
He is an experienced K-1 fighter and believe me Congo is not favorite in the stand up. The only way Congo wins is if he takes Hunt down and ground and pounds him but for him to do that, he is going to eat some leather first and I really don't think his chin is that good.

[Brodinski]

Ok, some of your picks are questionable. If Cheick Kongo stands with Mark Hunt, he'll get knocked out and he doesn't have much of a ground game, so I don't see it going to the ground.
Joe Lauzon is a spoiler. Whenever he's been a big dog, he's pulled off upsets, starting with Jence Pulver.
There is no way Takanori Gomi is going to lose this fight and also look for Zhang Tiequan to beat Issei Tamura.
Other than that I pretty much agree with you:D

Kongo will get Hunt to the ground in a hurry and stop him there via GnP or an easy sub. Lauzon is very dangerous for about 6 minutes and then fades badly. It's a hard task to finish a guy who's never been subbed or KO'd in his career. Pettis via decision then. And Gomi is done.

And also, regarding the man who "cannot be knocked out":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0_UhcpG_ww

[cinemaafficionado]

Kongo will get Hunt to the ground in a hurry and stop him there via GnP or an easy sub. Lauzon is very dangerous for about 6 minutes and then fades badly. It's a hard task to finish a guy who's never been subbed or KO'd in his career. Pettis via decision then. And Gomi is done.

And also, regarding the man who "cannot be knocked out":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0_UhcpG_ww

Thanks. Just watched it again. That was a TKO. Roy was down but he wasn't out. The ref stopped it. It was a good stoppage because Roy might have gotten lights out but as you saw Roy protesting the stoppage and even heard Frank Shamrok admitting that Roy can take those kind of punches as he has an iron chin. At that time the Pit Bull was putting people to sleep bfore Fedor derailed him.
You are kind of contradicting yourself by saying " it's a hard task to finish a guy whose never been ko'd, meaning Petis. But, didn't you say that anyone can get ko'd? And Louzon is the harder puncher and has more submissions than Petis. He trains with some really top BJJ guys and is more profficient at that. Petis'es last two fights were hard fought split decisions. The Clay Guida should have been unanimous for Clay as he busted him pretty good. Petisis win over Jeremy Stephens was pretty close and could have gone the other way. Louzan didn't live no doubt with first knocking Guillard to the ground ( the kid hits hard ) and then finishing him with the rear naked chocke. Louzan has all the momentum going into this fight. If he wins, he knows he might get a shot at the title and he is so calm as opposed to jittery Petis.
Dude, about 50 minutes a go I took 2mg xanax, 6mg. lunesta and 1500mg. vicodin. I'm starting to feel woosy. Let's see what happens.
Among our group, we often bet after watching the first round, if the fight goes past it and then it gets interesting readjusting odds. Of course you can't do that with bookies, exept in college football you can bet second half, which can be a good bet as the bookies saldom adjust the line accordingly. Well, it's been lovely chatting with you but I'm about to go under and you wouldn't be happy taking advantage.

[Masterman]

That was a knockout my friend and a very good one, his legs went on him and he went face down! Not every knockout it someone completely out cold yanno, his legs went and he would not if been able to defend him self that was far from a tko!

[cinemaafficionado]

Kongo will get Hunt to the ground in a hurry and stop him there via GnP or an easy sub. Lauzon is very dangerous for about 6 minutes and then fades badly. It's a hard task to finish a guy who's never been subbed or KO'd in his career. Pettis via decision then. And Gomi is done.

And also, regarding the man who "cannot be knocked out":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0_UhcpG_ww

MARK HUNT!!!!
I wound up betting 3 fights tonight:

I got Mark Hunt for $500.00 as a 2 1/2 to 1 dog = + $1250.00
I bet Takanori Gomi $500.00 as a 2 to 1 favorite = + 250.00
I bet Joe Louzon $250.00 as a 2 to 1 dog = - 250.00

And I bet my friend a friendly $50.00 bet on the decision of Edgar- Henderson, after watching the fight. I lost, as I picked Edgar.
Still I won $1200.00 for the night but felt empty afterwards.
I have so much respect for Edgar and I thought that he won 3 of the 5 rounds and should have been declared still champion.
When I look at the fight in it's totality, Edgar scored more clean shots and had more takedowns and he was the champion.
Never mind his busted face, he just cuts easy and the only real damage done to him was the upkick that broke his nose.
Ben Henderson has real smooth skin and the punishment he took was not easily visible.
If one was to look at things fairly, Grey Maynard did a lot more damage to Frankie and still lost, twice ( the draw was like a loss, as he didn't become the new champion )
The problem is UFC never really like Edgar to be the poster boy for the lightweight division. His style, which was the closest to boxing, didn't sit well with MMA oriented UFC leadership.
That's why he had to fight the same fighter (Maynard ) 3 times.
So a new image was needed for the lightweights - enter Ben Henderson, perfect: a combination of Taekwando and BJJ.
No to take anything away from Ben. I like him and think he is an outstanding figher but if UFC was to stick to their usual scoring system,
there is no doubt in my mind that Edgar won that fight.
One judge had it 49 - 46 fo Henderson and all of them gave him a unanimous decision. That's very telling. I can rewatch the fight and prove with stats who really won.
I had a bad feeling about this fight so I didn't really bet it, other than the friendly wager afterwards. There is no doubt in my mind what I saw and I know the scoring guidelines. Those judges didn't even consider the one flash knockdown of Henderson and Joe Rogan was so quick to call it a slip.
Will they give Edgar a desrved re-match? I don't think so.

[Masterman]

Well i have to agree with everything above, i had Edgar taking 3 rounds aswell. The Judges are really starting to annoy me now in MMA they score each and every fight a different way and ime so gutted for Franky after last night. The Ufc and the fans never really accepted Franky as the ufc champion and the ufc ppv buys wern't so great with Franky in the main event slot, so i don't see a rematch coming for Franky... but he deserves one. Since Franky was the champion he had to defend his title twice after two close fight's so its only fair that they step Pettis aside and give Franky the immediate rematch instead of pressuring him to drop down weight. Last night Franky landed more strikes with great combo's in every round (even dropping Ben), he had great footwork in and out, alot more takedown and caught nearly every kick that Henderson threw. Okay Franky took more damage, but it was really only off the up kick that broke his noise.... other than that he wasn't hurt. I dont see how Henderson Won, was it just of appearance because thats what it feels like.

Overall last night was a great card but i don't know how much more of this i can watch, if its not bad decisions all the time then its Joe Rogan, that guy is just pi**ing me off now. I heard him say before the decision that Edgar and Henderson landed equal takedowns and the Jakke shields fight was a joke... what was he watching.

[cinemaafficionado]

Well Masterman, I'm glad we we see it the same. There are others like us, but we are a minority, if we are to judge the polls at Sherdog. That's probably due to a lot of younger, uneducatd polsters that think a winner is the guy with less blood on his face.
The UFC is a huge MMA monopoly and yes they have kind of revolutionized the sport and made it more acceptable to western (US ) audiences but they still have most of the same judges they had ten years ago. When left to their own decisions most of these people are inept; however they are useful when it comes to directions as to which way to swing should it go to a decision.The refs have gotten better, with the exception of John Mackarthy, who was always good but wouldn't always play ball.
The ref can be such an instrument of control and finality. In boxing, there was Richard Steele, who was on Don King's payrol, and who controlled the ebb and flow of fights in Don's favor until a few brazen fight stoppages exposed him. In UFC , you used to see more premature stoppages then there are now, but guys like Nelson Hamilton are now judges instead of referees. Thank God they got rid of Larry Landless and now they got to kick out Cecil Peoples. But the UFC really tries to put on appearances. They hired that tall blonde to referee and she doesn't seem to be a bad ref , but I'd like to see her pull off a big heavyweight, when it's necessary to stop the fight and he's lost all control. When that happens, blodie will be given her walking papers and there will be no more female refs in male fights.
In the mean time, all we can do is feel for warriors witt great heart such as Frankie Edgar. And fo all these " knowledgeable " Sherdog posters, not one mentioned the fact that by the time the fight took place, Frankie was fighting a guy that outweighed him by fifteen pounds. That's why, the way ins should be conducted on the same day of the fight. As it is now,
those 24 hours give a great edge to naturaly bigger guys that are adept at cutting weight. What a sham that is. Tito Ortiz used to do it for years.
He'd cut weight and make the 205 limit the night before and by the time he fights the next day, he weighs 225.
Frankie walks around at 155, Ben Henderson walks around at 180.

[Brodinski]

Hmm, good event I'd say. Credit where credit's due, cinemaafficionado, I did not expect Kongo to be that dumb to stand and trade with Hunt. He should've immediately gone for the takedown the minute he had Hunt against the cage. Trading with a heavy-handed guy like Hunt is asking to get Ko'd if you're not better at boxing than he is.

Insane turnaround in the Okami-Boetsch fight. Okami doesn't really have the fighter's mentality. He ran away after Boetsch hurt him and did nothing to really avoid the damage once Boetsch was close. Didn't look to clinch; didn't look to fire back; just took the punches and got KO'd...

Hioki is the sh!ts on the ground, really like that kid. Pettis is the goods as well, just needs some finetuning on his wrestling and he's good to go for a title shot. Surprised that Bader beat Page, of whom it's been known that he doesn't live for his sport and that's kind of catching up with him.

Then there's the Edgar - Henderson fight. I love Edgar... that kid would rather die than look for a way out and in spite of his undersized frame, he manages to utilize angles, movement, speed and wrestling to take on guys that are way bigger than him. He's my # 2 favourite fighter right after the GOAT. I don't know the punch and takedown stats, but it looked to me like Frankie landed more strikes and maybe one or two more takedowns. But you have to factor in the damage which was done. When I'm judging a round, the primary factor for me to score the round is damage. Who would you rather be at the end of the round? Yes, Edgar probably outlanded Henderson in round 2, but Henderson undoubtedly did the most damage. Yes, Frankie took Henderson down quite a bit, but Henderson got up just about immediately after he was taken down and even had a guillotine attempt once after being taken down.

So who won it then? I had round 1 razor close, Henderson in rounds 2 and 4 and Edgar in rounds 3 and 5. So yeah, I don't know... but a helluva fight, very entertaining, much skills on display, crazy pace. And both guys are champions in my eyes. Henderson's just a little too 'extravert' for me; that ridiculous gesturing and making faces after he got the nod. Didn't really like that.

And **** Jake Shields. That is all.

[cinemaafficionado]

Hmm, good event I'd say. Credit where credit's due, cinemaafficionado, I did not expect Kongo to be that dumb to stand and trade with Hunt. He should've immediately gone for the takedown the minute he had Hunt against the cage. Trading with a heavy-handed guy like Hunt is asking to get Ko'd if you're not better at boxing than he is.

Insane turnaround in the Okami-Boetsch fight. Okami doesn't really have the fighter's mentality. He ran away after Boetsch hurt him and did nothing to really avoid the damage once Boetsch was close. Didn't look to clinch; didn't look to fire back; just took the punches and got KO'd...

Hioki is the sh!ts on the ground, really like that kid. Pettis is the goods as well, just needs some finetuning on his wrestling and he's good to go for a title shot. Surprised that Bader beat Page, of whom it's been known that he doesn't live for his sport and that's kind of catching up with him.

Then there's the Edgar - Henderson fight. I love Edgar... that kid would rather die than look for a way out and in spite of his undersized frame, he manages to utilize angles, movement, speed and wrestling to take on guys that are way bigger than him. He's my # 2 favourite fighter right after the GOAT. I don't know the punch and takedown stats, but it looked to me like Frankie landed more strikes and maybe one or two more takedowns. But you have to factor in the damage which was done. When I'm judging a round, the primary factor for me to score the round is damage. Who would you rather be at the end of the round? Yes, Edgar probably outlanded Henderson in round 2, but Henderson undoubtedly did the most damage. Yes, Frankie took Henderson down quite a bit, but Henderson got up just about immediately after he was taken down and even had a guillotine attempt once after being taken down.

So who won it then? I had round 1 razor close, Henderson in rounds 2 and 4 and Edgar in rounds 3 and 5. So yeah, I don't know... but a helluva fight, very entertaining, much skills on display, crazy pace. And both guys are champions in my eyes. Henderson's just a little too 'extravert' for me; that ridiculous gesturing and making faces after he got the nod. Didn't really like that.

And **** Jake Shields. That is all.

Wow. Great analyses. We actualy see some of the same things. I gave Frankie round 1 because of his overall agression and speed, more clean strikes and rounds 3 and 5 ( takedowns and strikes )
My point about the scoring is this: lack of consistency. You can't judge a fight based on the merits of damage one day ( Bendo - Frankie ) and jusged it on the merits of overall workmanship, more strikes, takedowns, on another day ( Frankie- Maynar I, II ).
I can't prove it, but I feel that the judges were told to swing Bendo's way should it look close and go to a decision and the reason being because it was a unanimous decision and one judge giving Frankie just one round. I mean, he wanted to make sure he got it right. Dude, there was nothing unanimous about that fight and most judges would have to ask themselves the same question you did: on what merits do you judge the fight. They clearly asked themselves those questions in Frankie's last fight and the majority went with overall scoring rather than damage. How come this time around everybody went with damage? Bu Frankie really got damaged more by Mainard. See what I mean ?
That's the kind of ******** that drives me nuts and if I'm at ringside I want to jump on those refs or just grab the mike and ask Dana what the hell is going on, in front of God and everybody. That would make for a most interesting day.

[Brodinski]

There are definitely some fights where the fix is in or judges are simply retarded. I am thinking about Nogueira - Bader, Phan-Garcia, Machida-Rua I (and I'm a huge Machida fan), Kampmann - Sanchez and Couture-Vera.

And yes, it's true that judges differ on what the find more important. Do you like a guy who's throwing more and is being aggressive or do you like the guy who's counterpunching and landing fewer, but more accurate shots? Do you like the guy getting the takedown and then lays in the other guy's guard or do you like the guy being active from the bottom, working for subs and landing strikes? And that equation is what makes a huge difference when looking at the scores of 3 judges, because it would be very coincidental if all 3 guys a) look at the fight in the same manner (i.e. catch everything going on etc.) and b) granting the same significance to what passes during a round.

And any sport that depends on the human senses to make out the winner is always going to make for discussion when things get close. That's part of the game.

[cinemaafficionado]

There are definitely some fights where the fix is in or judges are simply retarded. I am thinking about Nogueira - Bader, Phan-Garcia, Machida-Rua I (and I'm a huge Machida fan), Kampmann - Sanchez and Couture-Vera.

And yes, it's true that judges differ on what the find more important. Do you like a guy who's throwing more and is being aggressive or do you like the guy who's counterpunching and landing fewer, but more accurate shots? Do you like the guy getting the takedown and then lays in the other guy's guard or do you like the guy being active from the bottom, working for subs and landing strikes? And that equation is what makes a huge difference when looking at the scores of 3 judges, because it would be very coincidental if all 3 guys a) look at the fight in the same manner (i.e. catch everything going on etc.) and b) granting the same significance to what passes during a round.

And any sport that depends on the human senses to make out the winner is always going to make for discussion when things get close. That's part of the game.

Yeah Nogiera -Bader was a travesty. The Brazilians are a huge investment for UFC and they need to keep that train rolling. But the Brazillians are as a whole the toughest fighters. Russians would be a close second but not in the UFC.
Of course in Brazil they have the Vale Tudo and Luta Lbre no holds, anything goes, bare fist, head but, kick to the groin, stomp on the head, kick in the head when downed, elbow in the head when downed, so you got to be tough when you come out of that. The Russians have Sambo, which is their own judo and they incorporate it with boxing and they are geneticaly strong. I mean anyone that drinks vodka like water has got to be tough.
Personaly I like GSP's attitude and hard training regimen.
I'm not a big fan of Andreson Silva. My inital background was wrestling, then judo then Kyo-ku Shin Kai, Then Muay Thai. I like guys that bring something unique to the table like Machida ( excellent timing ) and Edgar ( phenomenal speed and footwork and resiliency ) and I like Jones's animal agility and elbows, loved Wanderlei's Muay Thai in Pride's middle days, I like Shoguns ability to recoup and his determination, I like Dosanto's power and Dan Henderson's for that matter.
I got turned of by Silva when he started playing with the BJJ Brazilians and I know he fears Chael and Hendo and that Segal' upkick saved him from a Belfort beating. The problem with Belfort is so psychological. You never know which Vitor is going to show up.
Anyway, I could go on and on but am going to hit the sack and get up in time for the Oscars, the one show I haven't missed in the last eight years.
Have a good one.

[Brodinski]

I got turned of by Silva when he started playing with the BJJ Brazilians and I know he fears Chael and Hendo and that Segal' upkick saved him from a Belfort beating. The problem with Belfort is so psychological. You never know which Vitor is going to show up

Silva fears no man I reckon. When you've been in the game as long as he has and beaten the competition he has, you don't have to be scared of anyone. He beat Chael with an injury to his ribs, why would he be scared of hm knowing he's already beaten him? And Hendo was a decisive win as well. And Belfort isn't the one to beat Silva. He does nothing that Anderson doesn't do better.

[cinemaafficionado]

Silva fears no man I reckon. When you've been in the game as long as he has and beaten the competition he has, you don't have to be scared of anyone. He beat Chael with an injury to his ribs, why would he be scared of hm knowing he's already beaten him? And Hendo was a decisive win as well. And Belfort isn't the one to beat Silva. He does nothing that Anderson doesn't do better.

Congrats on your Oscar pics. Only a few ahead of you. Silva fears guys that can hurt him and, when he's on, Belfort is certainly one of them. Remember Silva wouldn't stand with Hendo and had to choke him out to win. No matter the excuse ( he could have pulled out of the fight if he was really hurt prior but I think Chael busted up his ribs ) Chael punished him for abou 22 minutes. You really think Silva is looking forward to more of the same. I see Chael dominating him. He has his measure.

[Brodinski]

I just bet the favourites and took a gamble on Bullhead, mainly because I'm friggin' Belgian myself. Good thing is we will find out this summer when the rematch between Chael and Anderson in scheduled.

To be honest, I don't know what Pettis has done to earn a title shot. He beat J-Lau... that guy is a fringe contender. At least have him take on a real contender like Maynard. Maynard would grind him up hard, that fight wouldn't be pretty.

I can't wait for the new UFC on FX. Not only is my boy Kampmann going to terminate Alves' ass, the little guys are on it! Benavidez should handily dispose of Urushitani. Johnson vs McCall will be closer, but it's hard to pick against a guy with the speed and pace of Mighty Mouse, especially now that he's fighting in his proper weight class.

[cinemaafficionado]

I just bet the favourites and took a gamble on Bullhead, mainly because I'm friggin' Belgian myself. Good thing is we will find out this summer when the rematch between Chael and Anderson in scheduled.

To be honest, I don't know what Pettis has done to earn a title shot. He beat J-Lau... that guy is a fringe contender. At least have him take on a real contender like Maynard. Maynard would grind him up hard, that fight wouldn't be pretty.

I can't wait for the new UFC on FX. Not only is my boy Kampmann going to terminate Alves' ass, the little guys are on it! Benavidez should handily dispose of Urushitani. Johnson vs McCall will be closer, but it's hard to pick against a guy with the speed and pace of Mighty Mouse, especially now that he's fighting in his proper weight class.

Petis beat Ben Henderson, the guy that just upset Frankie Edgar.
You would have probably remebered that fight, if you had seen it, as there was a spectacular mawashi ( roundhose) kick to Bendo's head, that dropped him and it was executed with a leap off the cage

As far as Kampmann is concerned, he is a stone cold mechanic grinding killing machine and I really like his precision. I thought he was robbed in the Diego Sanchez fight ( you can't award fights based on pinata head use:D)
However, this is the real test for him against Thiago Alvez. The bull is a wrecking machine himself.
If Kampmann can move and keep him on the outside, he'll pick him apart but if Thiago can rush him and take him down, he will really ground and pound him. Haven't seen Kapmann on his back much, so this will be a test for him.
Can't wait to see that fight but I won't bet it as it could go either way depending on who is able to impose his will on the other guy.

[Powderfinger]

I was a welterweight fighter for about 5 years....that was 10 years ago. All it does! ..... you up! 1 year ago, I was in a coma for 3 weeks for sparing with another fighter.

[cinemaafficionado]

I was a welterweight fighter for about 5 years....that was 10 years ago. All it does! ..... you up! 1 year ago, I was in a coma for 3 weeks for sparing with another fighter.

Good thing you pulled out of it. I guess that was the signal for you to stop.

[Powderfinger]

It was 400 dollars to spare with him for 6 rounds. I don't remember it at all but what I was told, I cround down.....he hit me with a round house. With destroyed me! But that it was happens!;)

[cinemaafficionado]

It was 400 dollars to spare with him for 6 rounds. I don't remember it at all but what I was told, I cround down.....he hit me with a round house. With destroyed me! But that it was happens!;)

Did you have insurance? What was the hospitol tab?

[Powderfinger]

In Australia it is free! I had to sell my house because it is hard to work full time.

[cinemaafficionado]

In Australia it is free! I had to sell my house because it is hard to work full time.

Austarlia is cool and so is Aussie mentality. I have a niece in Adelaide. Once, after meeting up with her, we went to Melbourne and Sidney and up to the Great Barrier Reef, whooked up with this guy that had a pretty big sail boat and needed company to go to Tonga. Man did I ever have a great time over there and my niece didn't want to leave.

[Masterman]

Congrats on your Oscar pics. Only a few ahead of you. Silva fears guys that can hurt him and, when he's on, Belfort is certainly one of them. Remember Silva wouldn't stand with Hendo and had to choke him out to win. No matter the excuse ( he could have pulled out of the fight if he was really hurt prior but I think Chael busted up his ribs ) Chael punished him for abou 22 minutes. You really think Silva is looking forward to more of the same. I see Chael dominating him. He has his measure.

Anderson Silva vs Sonnen II will be a different outcome this time i promise. Anderson will end this fight in fashion very early on just to prove a point. There first fight i don't know wether it was down to an injury, i dont know if Sonnen hurt him but we should all know that it wern't the real Anderson that night, something was wrong. Sonnen looked very sloppy in the Bisping fight i just don't think he stands a chance, the only way Anderson will lose is because of the age factor but i still see a good couple of years ahead for him before that comes into play.

[cinemaafficionado]

How is Anderson going to prove apoint, when Sonen is in his head. If anything all the pressure is on Siva performing in front of A Brazilian crowd who has high expectations.

[Brodinski]

Petis beat Ben Henderson, the guy that just upset Frankie Edgar.
You would have probably remebered that fight, if you had seen it, as there was a spectacular mawashi ( roundhose) kick to Bendo's head, that dropped him and it was executed with a leap off the cage

As far as Kampmann is concerned, he is a stone cold mechanic grinding killing machine and I really like his precision. I thought he was robbed in the Diego Sanchez fight ( you can't award fights based on pinata head use:D)
However, this is the real test for him against Thiago Alvez. The bull is a wrecking machine himself.
If Kampmann can move and keep him on the outside, he'll pick him apart but if Thiago can rush him and take him down, he will really ground and pound him. Haven't seen Kapmann on his back much, so this will be a test for him.
Can't wait to see that fight but I won't bet it as it could go either way depending on who is able to impose his will on the other guy.

Sure, I saw the Pettis-Bendo fight. It was good, but Bendo is a more complete fighter now imo. Pettis struggled since getting in the UFC, J-Lau was his first good win and right off that he'll get a title shot? That's undeserving, simple as that. He ought to take on a real top contender like Maynard before getting a shot.

And Kampmann can go toe to toe with Alves anywhere. He has the technique AND skill to keep him honest on his feet and the JJ chops to make Thiago's life difficult on the ground. I see Kampmann taking this. Guy is a nightmare for anyone in the division if you ask me. He arguably beat Shields and hasn't properly lost a fight since Daley.

[garry444]

hello....................

[cinemaafficionado]

Sure, I saw the Pettis-Bendo fight. It was good, but Bendo is a more complete fighter now imo. Pettis struggled since getting in the UFC, J-Lau was his first good win and right off that he'll get a title shot? That's undeserving, simple as that. He ought to take on a real top contender like Maynard before getting a shot.

And Kampmann can go toe to toe with Alves anywhere. He has the technique AND skill to keep him honest on his feet and the JJ chops to make Thiago's life difficult on the ground. I see Kampmann taking this. Guy is a nightmare for anyone in the division if you ask me. He arguably beat Shields and hasn't properly lost a fight since Daley.

It's been two years since Bendo lost to Petis and since then he's had one more fight (4-3) and on the whole fought better competitors. He beat the one common opponent ( Clay Guida )who did beat Petis.
So you are probably right that Bendo has evolved into a more complete fighter than Petis.
However it's highly unlikely that Maynard will first get a shot at Bendo, as he's allready had two shots at the title and was TKO'd in his last attempt against Edgar.
Edgar deserves the re-match before anyone else gets a shot at Bendo.
Donald Cerone was on a streak ( and he allready lost twice to Bendo) before just losing to Nate Diaz.
So Nate Diaz should get the shot if Edgar doesn't get the re-match or UFC could possibly give the shot to Diego Nunez, if he can get past Dennis Silver. If Dennis Silver wins, I don't see him getting the shot, as he got beat by Donald Cerone in his last fight.

As far as Kampmann-Alvez is concerned, they have both had the same opponent recently in Rick Story, who won a unanimous decision against Alvez and lost to Kampmann on a close split decision.
Since then, Alvez has fought and stopped ( rear-naked choke) Papy Abedi, who was undefeated going into that fight, with an 8-0 record. Not that Papy has defeated any one of significance, but it was still a boost to Alvez to get back on track. And in the last six years , Alvez had lost only to John Fitch and George St. Pierre and had beat the rest of the contenders in the middleweight division.
So, don't think that Kampmann will just walk over this guy. If Alvez wins this fight, he just might get the winner of the Condit-St. Pierre title fight. If Kampmann wins, it's back to the drawing board and they'll probably give Jake Ellenberger the title shot first.

[Brodinski]

It's been two years since Bendo lost to Petis and since then he's had one more fight (4-3) and on the whole fought better competitors. He beat the one common opponent ( Clay Guida )who did beat Petis.
So you are probably right that Bendo has evolved into a more complete fighter than Petis.
However it's highly unlikely that Maynard will first get a shot at Bendo, as he's allready had two shots at the title and was TKO'd in his last attempt against Edgar.
Edgar deserves the re-match before anyone else gets a shot at Bendo.
Donald Cerone was on a streak ( and he allready lost twice to Bendo) before just losing to Nate Diaz.
So Nate Diaz should get the shot if Edgar doesn't get the re-match or UFC could possibly give the shot to Diego Nunez, if he can get past Dennis Silver. If Dennis Silver wins, I don't see him getting the shot, as he got beat by Donald Cerone in his last fight.

As far as Kampmann-Alvez is concerned, they have both had the same opponent recently in Rick Story, who won a unanimous decision against Alvez and lost to Kampmann on a close split decision.
Since then, Alvez has fought and stopped ( rear-naked choke) Papy Abedi, who was undefeated going into that fight, with an 8-0 record. Not that Papy has defeated any one of significance, but it was still a boost to Alvez to get back on track. And in the last six years , Alvez had lost only to John Fitch and George St. Pierre and had beat the rest of the contenders in the middleweight division.
So, don't think that Kampmann will just walk over this guy. If Alvez wins this fight, he just might get the winner of the Condit-St. Pierre title fight. If Kampmann wins, it's back to the drawing board and they'll probably give Jake Ellenberger the title shot first.

I'm not saying Maynard should get a title shot, he is boring as hell with that ugly grinding style of his, but he is a perennial top contender. No one has an easy time with that guy and I believe that Pettis' level of competition was nowhere near the competition Bendo had to face before getting the title shot. So why should Pettis get an easy break? Because he defeated Bendo a year and a half ago? That lies in the past. The here and now is what counts and if anyone deserves a shot, it's indeed Edgar or the winner of Miller - Diaz.

I'm not saying Kampmann will walk over Alves, but Kampmann is a more complete fighter and I think he will beat Alves. No one ever had an easy time with Kampmann and no one will for a while. He's too complete a fighter for that.

[cinemaafficionado]

Who said that Petis should get the title shut to begin with? All I did was break down what happened in the last two years among the guys that are considered viable contenders by the UFC.
Edgar deserves the re-match, other than that, they should give Nate Diaz a shot.
Right now, Maynard is at the end of the contender line. There is a possibility that they may give him the winner of Kampmann-Alvez.There isn't a fighter alive that ever got three shots at a title within one year.

[cinemaafficionado]

Congrats, Brodinski. Your boy pulled it off, but he got hammered as I knew he would. By the way Kampmann is from Denmark, not from Belgium.
If he didb't pull off that guillotine, he would have lost on the score cards and been sacked from UFC ( 3 straight losses ).
Congrats again.

[Brodinski]

Yeah Kampmann pulled it out but only because Thiago decided to go into full-retard mode. Why would you shoot for a takedown when you're winning the fight standing up? I'm seeing a pattern here in that Kampmann can't defend himself backing up and against the cage. You can't block shots with your face all the time. He needs to fix that.

You know what I was wondering last night? How come there are no loooooooooooong win streaks in MMA? When you look at the 'longer' win streaks in MMA history, you end up with Fedor (lot of subpar competition), Anderson Silva, Jake Shields (subpar competition), my boy Aldo and Dominick Cruz. And that's all that springs to mind. Why are there no longer win streaks, at least over 20 fights? Is it because there's more dangers to factor in in comparison to boxing? You have to take into account boxing, takedown defense, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and kicks. But how come there are so few guys that are able to consistently string together win streaks? I mean, these guys have been working most of their life on getting better in all aspects of the game, much like boxers.

I personally think it's because there's fewer guys practising MMA than there are people practising boxing. If you have a bigger pool to grab talents from, you're going to end up with more exceptional talents. I have to say, in MMA there's an utter lack of true skill. By that, I mean guys that look like superman. There is Anderson, Jones, my boy Aldo and Dominick Cruz. That's it. I can't get really fired up for it like I can for boxing, perhaps because I see guys that are considered elite with so many holes in their game. I don't know. Unless Anderson, Edgar or Aldo are fighting, I do watch it, but I don't really care who wins. Whereas with boxing, I've got my favourites in pretty much every division, perhaps because there's at least one huge talent in each division.

/ rant

[cinemaafficionado]

Yeah Kampmann pulled it out but only because Thiago decided to go into full-retard mode. Why would you shoot for a takedown when you're winning the fight standing up? I'm seeing a pattern here in that Kampmann can't defend himself backing up and against the cage. You can't block shots with your face all the time. He needs to fix that.

You know what I was wondering last night? How come there are no loooooooooooong win streaks in MMA? When you look at the 'longer' win streaks in MMA history, you end up with Fedor (lot of subpar competition), Anderson Silva, Jake Shields (subpar competition), my boy Aldo and Dominick Cruz. And that's all that springs to mind. Why are there no longer win streaks, at least over 20 fights? Is it because there's more dangers to factor in in comparison to boxing? You have to take into account boxing, takedown defense, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and kicks. But how come there are so few guys that are able to consistently string together win streaks? I mean, these guys have been working most of their life on getting better in all aspects of the game, much like boxers.

I personally think it's because there's fewer guys practising MMA than there are people practising boxing. If you have a bigger pool to grab talents from, you're going to end up with more exceptional talents. I have to say, in MMA there's an utter lack of true skill. By that, I mean guys that look like superman. There is Anderson, Jones, my boy Aldo and Dominick Cruz. That's it. I can't get really fired up for it like I can for boxing, perhaps because I see guys that are considered elite with so many holes in their game. I don't know. Unless Anderson, Edgar or Aldo are fighting, I do watch it, but I don't really care who wins. Whereas with boxing, I've got my favourites in pretty much every division, perhaps because there's at least one huge talent in each division.

/ rant

It's true what you say that there is less of a fight pool to chose from in MMA as compared to boxing. I used to watch boxing but it has lost it's appeal because there is a lack of real stars in this generation as compared to the ones that fought twenty or more years ago. After watching fight films of Jack Dempsey, Stanley Ketchel, Joe Lois, Rocky Marciano, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran, Muhammed Ali, George Forman, Joe Frazier, Myke Tyson, Hoolyfield and Micheal Moorer as Light-Heavyweights, to name a few, it's hard for me to get up for a Klitchko or even a Packiao
nowadays because the opposition is so sparse
In the glory days of Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones tthere were still lots of good fights to watch. Lately, and I mean the last 3 years, Marquez fights stand out and my boy Cotto was never the same after he got mauled by steel gloves. I lost interest in boxing. I'd like to see Packiao fight Mayweather, but that ain't going to happen.
MMA fighters train harder as they have to cross-train and the gap between them is smaller and that's why you see less winnning streaks.
I prefer it to boxing because it envolves more disciplines and becomes like a physical chess match on which fighter is going to impose his style and his will on the other.

[Masterman]

It's true what you say that there is less of a fight pool to chose from in MMA as compared to boxing. I used to watch boxing but it has lost it's appeal because there is a lack of real stars in this generation as compared to the ones that fought twenty or more years ago. After watching fight films of Jack Dempsey, Stanley Ketchel, Joe Lois, Rocky Marciano, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran, Muhammed Ali, George Forman, Joe Frazier, Myke Tyson, Hoolyfield and Micheal Moorer as Light-Heavyweights, to name a few, it's hard for me to get up for a Klitchko or even a Packiao
nowadays because the opposition is so sparse
In the glory days of Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones tthere were still lots of good fights to watch. Lately, and I mean the last 3 years, Marquez fights stand out and my boy Cotto was never the same after he got mauled by steel gloves. I lost interest in boxing. I'd like to see Packiao fight Mayweather, but that ain't going to happen.
MMA fighters train harder as they have to cross-train and the gap between them is smaller and that's why you see less winnning streaks.
I prefer it to boxing because it envolves more disciplines and becomes like a physical chess match on which fighter is going to impose his style and his will on the other.

i have to agree with everything here, boxing is on its a**. I used to love boxing but it just hasn't got that spark anymore and with the ufc growing by the minute it won't be long till boxing fall's behind.

[Justified123]

Ufc used to be good, theres too many on now, all the big fighters only fight a few times a year, which sucks.

[Brodinski]

It's true what you say that there is less of a fight pool to chose from in MMA as compared to boxing. I used to watch boxing but it has lost it's appeal because there is a lack of real stars in this generation as compared to the ones that fought twenty or more years ago. After watching fight films of Jack Dempsey, Stanley Ketchel, Joe Lois, Rocky Marciano, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran, Muhammed Ali, George Forman, Joe Frazier, Myke Tyson, Hoolyfield and Micheal Moorer as Light-Heavyweights, to name a few, it's hard for me to get up for a Klitchko or even a Packiao
nowadays because the opposition is so sparse
In the glory days of Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones tthere were still lots of good fights to watch. Lately, and I mean the last 3 years, Marquez fights stand out and my boy Cotto was never the same after he got mauled by steel gloves. I lost interest in boxing. I'd like to see Packiao fight Mayweather, but that ain't going to happen.
MMA fighters train harder as they have to cross-train and the gap between them is smaller and that's why you see less winnning streaks.
I prefer it to boxing because it envolves more disciplines and becomes like a physical chess match on which fighter is going to impose his style and his will on the other.


There's some points in there I concur with and some I disagree with entirely. The opposition isn't sparse, except in the HW division. I could give two sh!ts about stars. I care about skills, guys honing their craft for a lifetime to shape themselves into masterpieces of the art of fisticuffs. Mayweather was bred to be a boxer and his utter control over nearly every aspect of the game is frightening and terrific at the same time. There lie years of perseverence, will power and labour into the boxer he is today. His style is built to last, his defense is airtight, his speed at age 35 remains blistering, his sense of timing uncanny. This is a guy who would not only be able to hang with all-time greats, but beat a great many of them. The same goes for Pacquiao, Hopkins and the Klitschko's.

MMA fighters train harder? Forget about that, that's based on nothing. Their training is more diverse, whereas boxers just spend more time on the various skills they have to utilize, perfecting them and constantly looking for new ways to gain advantage. It's completely different training, but to say one trains harder than the other is ridiculous.

The other stuff you said I agree with.

And Mayweather would trash Pacquiao. It wouldn't be close.

[cinemaafficionado]

There's some points in there I concur with and some I disagree with entirely. The opposition isn't sparse, except in the HW division. I could give two sh!ts about stars. I care about skills, guys honing their craft for a lifetime to shape themselves into masterpieces of the art of fisticuffs. Mayweather was bred to be a boxer and his utter control over nearly every aspect of the game is frightening and terrific at the same time. There lie years of perseverence, will power and labour into the boxer he is today. His style is built to last, his defense is airtight, his speed at age 35 remains blistering, his sense of timing uncanny. This is a guy who would not only be able to hang with all-time greats, but beat a great many of them. The same goes for Pacquiao, Hopkins and the Klitschko's.

MMA fighters train harder? Forget about that, that's based on nothing. Their training is more diverse, whereas boxers just spend more time on the various skills they have to utilize, perfecting them and constantly looking for new ways to gain advantage. It's completely different training, but to say one trains harder than the other is ridiculous.

The other stuff you said I agree with.

And Mayweather would trash Pacquiao. It wouldn't be close.

I agree with the Mayweather prediction.
When it comes to training camps, I've been to both.
Most boxers will commence hard training 8 to 6 weeks before the fight.
Their training includes running, hitting the speed bag, the heavy bag, sparring and doing conditioning exersizes such as stomach hardening, jumping rope, working on timing and execution with their trainer.
They'll usualy do a split routine and their total work out preparation usually doesn't exceed 4 hours in a day.
In MMA, guys in the upper echalons will have training camps 10 to 8 weeks and their training is much more diverse.
For example here's one guy's regimen: one hour boxing, one hour Muay Thai, one hour BJJ, one hour wrestling, one hour weight training, one hour with coach working on different aspects of his game and putting them together, 30 minutes running and 30 minutes sauna for weight cutting.
That comes to about 7 hours of training per day.
Now , you figure who trains harder.

[Brodinski]

You think training is just training camps? The real elite is training almost every day. You don't want to see the hours, days, months that guys like Ward, Hopkins, the Klitschko's, Pacquiao, JMM, and Mayweather have spent in the gym. These are career athletes. They train right; they sleep right; they eat right. No insane parties, no drinking, no drugs, no irregular life. In training camps, the intensity of all of that is increased. But make no mistake, the elite in boxing as well as in MMA are focused, much like every man with a day job. They too live a very regulated life with little surprises and hiccups.

Can you believe what that is like? Almost always eating right; almost always sleeping right; almost no partying and drinking. There's a reason guys like Bernard Hopkins, Sergio Martinez, JMM, Anderson Silva are still part of the top. They're advanced in age, but they have lived the right life; they have the style built for aging. And no one can survive that long on sheer talent and a little or mediocre work effort.

You have to be a special breed to do it. I don't think I could do it. I lived like that for 2 years and it's hellishly difficult. When my mates were out partying, 8/10 I was at home, watching a movie and taking my rest. When I did go out, I only drank vodka and mineral water because that's the alcoholic drink that makes you gain the least weight. I always cooked my own food, because my mother cooked 'regular' food, i.e. potatoes, good butter, gravy, all that. I went running and swimming at 6 in the morning before I took the train to uni. Even if I was doing that for a living, I don't think I'd last living like that. It takes iron discipline and focus.

[cinemaafficionado]

You think training is just training camps? The real elite is training almost every day. You don't want to see the hours, days, months that guys like Ward, Hopkins, the Klitschko's, Pacquiao, JMM, and Mayweather have spent in the gym. These are career athletes. They train right; they sleep right; they eat right. No insane parties, no drinking, no drugs, no irregular life. In training camps, the intensity of all of that is increased. But make no mistake, the elite in boxing as well as in MMA are focused, much like every man with a day job. They too live a very regulated life with little surprises and hiccups.

Can you believe what that is like? Almost always eating right; almost always sleeping right; almost no partying and drinking. There's a reason guys like Bernard Hopkins, Sergio Martinez, JMM, Anderson Silva are still part of the top. They're advanced in age, but they have lived the right life; they have the style built for aging. And no one can survive that long on sheer talent and a little or mediocre work effort.

You have to be a special breed to do it. I don't think I could do it. I lived like that for 2 years and it's hellishly difficult. When my mates were out partying, 8/10 I was at home, watching a movie and taking my rest. When I did go out, I only drank vodka and mineral water because that's the alcoholic drink that makes you gain the least weight. I always cooked my own food, because my mother cooked 'regular' food, i.e. potatoes, good butter, gravy, all that. I went running and swimming at 6 in the morning before I took the train to uni. Even if I was doing that for a living, I don't think I'd last living like that. It takes iron discipline and focus.

You hit it on the nail talking about healthy life style. Many guys that have made it to the top got into cocaine, booze and women, guys like James Toney, Aron Pryor, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoja, Mike Tyson.
Makes you wonder how good could they have really been had they completely stayed off the ****. I've seen fighters come out before a fight and just by looking at them I could tell that they weren't right.
I'm old school so when I trained I wouldn't even have sex for months at a time. Old school trainers believed that it sapped you and I know they were right. You just need every drop of testasterone, total focus on preparation and if it means giving up everything, you did it. The problem is very few of us were meant to be saints and even though it's not the hardest to live clean during training, what is almost imposible is to maintain that kind of dedication throughout your sports life. Hopkins, without a doubt is one of those individuals but he had to close the doors of hell first. To be able to stay on top for so long, without significant KO ability, you know it's all hard work and iron will.

[Brodinski]

Hopkins, without a doubt is one of those individuals but he had to close the doors of hell first. To be able to stay on top for so long, without significant KO ability, you know it's all hard work and iron will.

Nowadays, Bernard doesn't have the KO power anymore, because he can't push the pace anymore. He has to slow the fight down to his pace and once the other guy is fighting at a pace he's comfrtoable with, then he'll start dishing out punishment. Not like he once used to, but he definitely hits hard enough to make his opponents think twice. 'Young' Bernard Hopkins (up until about 2003-2004) was a bad man. He beat the fight out of his opponents, stopping them on an accumulation of punishment or draining them of the will to fight so he could cruise to a decision.

[cinemaafficionado]

Nowadays, Bernard doesn't have the KO power anymore, because he can't push the pace anymore. He has to slow the fight down to his pace and once the other guy is fighting at a pace he's comfrtoable with, then he'll start dishing out punishment. Not like he once used to, but he definitely hits hard enough to make his opponents think twice. 'Young' Bernard Hopkins (up until about 2003-2004) was a bad man. He beat the fight out of his opponents, stopping them on an accumulation of punishment or draining them of the will to fight so he could cruise to a decision.

There was a black guy that came out of prison just like Hopkins, James or Anthony something, ( was it James Scott? ) I can't remember his name, but he had the same fast pace and was durable but had no one punch KO power. I know he was a contender for a while, I think as a light-heavyweight. Then something happened to him and he faded from the scene. Do you know who I am talking about?

[cinemaafficionado]

Did some research. My memory was good. I remember seeing a film of James Scott and thought how much Bernard Hopkins emulated his style. Scott punched harder. Most of his fights he fought out of Rahway State Prison. He became a big deal when he beat Eddie Mustaffa Muhammed, who went on to take the WBA Light Heavyweight Title from Marvin Johnson.
James Scott's Record 19 ( 10 ko's ) - 2 ( ud ).
In his last loss he went ten rounds with Dwight Muhammad Quavi who went on to take out Mathew Saad Muhammad and become the WBC Light Heavyweight Champion. He was eventually defeated by Michael Spinks.
These fighters were the light heavyweight royalty of that era.
James Scott wound up doing life for another murder.
Had he not been in prison, this guy would have been champion. His pace and intesity were better tha Bernard Hopkins and he had more KO power.
Bernard got the training regimen and discipline ,inspired by Scott ,while he was doing time for five years in Grateford Prison. Upon his reaslese he set on the long road to become champion and broke a lot of boxing records.

[cinemaafficionado]

Brodinski, where are you? Don't let this thread die out.

[Brodinski]

I watched some of Scott's fights, he's not as well rounded as Bernard is. Hopkins, along with Mike McCallum, Buddy McGirt and Ezzard Charles are some of the most well-rounded fighters you'll ever see. The secret to beating Hopkins is fighting at your pace through volume and intensity. If you let him slow the fight down to his pace, which he is excellent at btw, it's going to be tough to beat him at his game. Pscal was tailor-made for Bernard, because the guy fights in sprints, short bursts instead of constant activity and he's prone to gassing late.

Dawson, not so much. He'll beat Bernard... maybe not convincingly but it'll be a clear win. Even a close loss to Dawson would enhance Hopkins' stock in the all-time ratings even more. Guy is already in my pound for pound top 15.

[DexterRiley]

Ufc used to be good, theres too many on now, all the big fighters only fight a few times a year, which sucks.

?

[cinemaafficionado]

Actually, UFC is getting bigger and better. Now, with a solid contact with FOX, it's become main stream and is trying to be Global by holding vengues in UK, Austraila, Japan and other contries that will give them access. It's bought out WEC and Strike Force, has added a divison and might even incorpotrate female MMA. At this rate, within ten years, it will completely over shadow boxing.
Before Zuffa, it was on the verge of instintion. Look at it now.

[Brodinski]

MMA doesn't have true stars like boxing. Brock was built up completely by WWE. There's no Mayweather, Pacquiao or Klitschko. There's no one in the UFC who could sell out a soccer stadium by themselves. Manny and Pac could fight bum of the week and they'd still sell out a 40,000 man arena. Wladimir Klitschko just fought bum of the week and there was over 50,000 people in attendance.

And who cares? MMA is entertaining, boxing is entertaining. I like boxing more.

[Brodinski]

Some bum fights announced by UFC in the past week. Ortiz - Griffin, Barao - Hougland, Bisping - Boetsch, Franklin - Le. All fights that are pretty much worthless and where the outcome is already known. Griffin beats Ortiz who is past done; Barao destroys Hougland, Bisping outpoints Boetsch easily and Franklin easily takes care of Le, who is ridiculously bad.

[cinemaafficionado]

Some bum fights announced by UFC in the past week. Ortiz - Griffin, Barao - Hougland, Bisping - Boetsch, Franklin - Le. All fights that are pretty much worthless and where the outcome is already known. Griffin beats Ortiz who is past done; Barao destroys Hougland, Bisping outpoints Boetsch easily and Franklin easily takes care of Le, who is ridiculously bad.

You are spot on about Cung Le. This is one fight that I will bet a lot of money to see him lose. He will most likely get KO'd. This is about as big a mismatch ast there is. Cung Le is too short to utilize the Thai clinch aginst Franklin and Franklin will keep him on the ouside and KO his ass.
I don't know yet what best odds I can get on Boetcsch but he has the ability to KO Bisping. Bisbing may be more technical in the stand up but Boetsch should be able to walk through him and connect. Even if he takes 3 to 1 in shots, he can still knock Bisbing out. After Henderson, Bispbing chin is not as good as it used to be.

[Brodinski]

Boetsch doesn't have much of a shot I reckon... the guy is a plodder, he walks forward slowly winging huge shots hoping one lands. His defense is ***** and he's slower than a special needs child. He's the middleweight division's Roy Nelson, minus the huge amount of fat. Bisping is excellent at nullifying takedowns and can easily outbox Boetsch. Easy decision for Bisping imo. And I don't think highly of Bisping at all.

[cinemaafficionado]

That's ok. Boetsch has a puncher's chance and if the odds are right, that's what I'll put my money on.

[Brodinski]

Everyone always has a puncher's chance... Lightning doesn't strike twice. He got schooled against Okami until that guy went retarded. You'd be better off betting Bispind to win a decision.

[cinemaafficionado]

Wouldn't be a good bet. I suspect Bisping will be a 2 or 3 to 1 favorite.
I like to bet dogs with a chance when the odds are right. The exception will be the Franklin fight where I might have to lay $3000.00 to win $1000.00. If he comes off as a bigger favorite, I might not bet it. Would be too worried about a fix.

[Brodinski]

I bet on Peterson to win at 22-1 and won € 440. I didn't think he would win, but no one ever had an easy time with Lamont except Bradley and if what I think is correct, that guy is a top 5 p4p fighter. It was good to see Lamont expose Khan (whom I loathe) and win me a handsome sum.

[cinemaafficionado]

That was a very good bet. I don't like Khan, either.

[cinemaafficionado]

Spoiler alert!

How's that for a fight card? All the dogs in the main event in Sweden won their fights( except for Stan, as he was the favorite going in and the safest bet of the event, one of the few times I had to lay odds )
I have mad money on Rashad next week. I know, Jones's reach and elbows and all that but how can I pass on a 5-1 dog that's realistically only a 2-1 dog, if that?

[Brodinski]

I don't think Gustaffson was the underdog. I don't get the hype about that kid. He's there to be hit. He can't fight well using his reach, when he throws he leaves himself wide open and his defense in general isn't good. Silva tagged him with a fair amount of shots and he got buzzed good once. He doesn't like fighting in reverse either. He's getting KO'd in a bad way against a heavy-handed guy who can press the action (Hendo at least for one round) or a good counterpuncher (Machida).

What about that Afghan guy, huh. I thought Thiago was dead the way he smacked into the canvass. That was nasty.

[cinemaafficionado]

Yeah, I was watching Gustafson- Silva with a friend of mine and he was very high on him talking like he's the second coming of John Jones but as you pointed out, he's hands are too low and he's no Muhammed Ali and a sucker for a KO artist or someone with a good counter. He was a slight betting dog with my bookie [( probably because of Silva's hihger quality opposition and experience ) although realistically nollified by the fact that Silva was roidless and had that one year lay over].
It was a step up in the level of compettion and now I would be real curious who they put him up against and what he's chin is really made off.
As for the Afghan, that was a shocker and surprised me. Just goes to show you that on any given day, any one can be vulnerable, stepping into the right punch. It happened so fast, I know the Brazilian got clipped with
a short upper cut and a shot to the temple, which is probably what short circuited him.
I previously made money on Stan against Legionarius ( bet $400.00 to win $200.00 ) and am parlaying that at 5 to 1 on Rashad. If I lose, I break even, but if I win I'm up $1200.00 and I have a feeling Rashad is going to shock a lot of people, just like he did against Chuck Lydell ( which by the way, I made a ton of money on that fight, as I knew Chuck was going in to hunt him down and leave himself open to the counter shot, and that was the history. Rashad has lethal power for a small light-heavyweight.
Hell, he was man handling heavyweights at TUF and I knew then he was something special. I just didn't like his arrogance.

[Brodinski]

Rashad should rely strongly on his wrestling against Jones. Really push him against the cage, get him down, grind him. Anything to get the fight off the feet or at least get on the inside. On the outside, Jon is bad news for him. Rashad already played that game once with Machida it did not end well. He's not the second coming of Ezzard Charles; wrestling is his bread and butter and he's better at it than just about anyone in that division.

[cinemaafficionado]

Ha ha, good Ezzard Charles comparisson.
I'm sure Rashad knows what to do as the two of them have allready done lot's of sparring together. And even Jones admitted that Rashad was able to keep him down, but of course, Jones wasn't using those deadly elbows in practise. I still don't know if he can take Rashad's best punch.
For all intents and purposes Rashad's punch ended Chuck Lydell's career.
Afterwards, he was never the same and got repeatedly ko'd by guys with less power than Rashad.

[cinemaafficionado]

By the way Brod, who's that in your avatar?

[cinemaafficionado]

I predict that the Overeem vs. JDS fight will take place as scheduled.
THe UFC has not confirmed any replacements and Overeem will get his liscence from the Nevada State Athletic Comission. He will expain that he was using testosterone replacement therapy and that's why his levels showed high in comparisson. The fight will take place and my money is on Overeeem.

[cinemaafficionado]

Just watched Jones vs. Evans. I don't want to sound like a sour looser but this fight didn't feel right ( like it was really a friendly fight ). For all the animosity, trash talking and hatred, they sure didn't look like someone trying to hurt the other guy and if someone did get hurt ( Rashad ) it's as if it happened more by accident than design. They made it look good but it's as if some of those blows would just miss too many times and at the end ( like last 15 seconds ) Rashad made it look easy (the flurry followed up by the take down, which he really didn't do throughout the whole fight up to that point ) as if saying I could do this any time I want. Draw your own conclusions, I didn't like what I saw and not just because my fighter got beat.

[Brodinski]

at the end ( like last 15 seconds ) Rashad made it look easy (the flurry followed up by the take down, which he really didn't do throughout the whole fight up to that point ) as if saying I could do this any time I want.

Jones pulled guard.

What happened was Rashad thinking he is Sugar Ray Leonard again. Why would you try the stand-up game with an unorthodox, much taller fighter? Close the gap and try to take him down. Rashad didn't attempt that once. Dumb fight from him, dominating performance from Jon. I had it 4-1 with Evans winning the first round.

Boring event by the way.

[cinemaafficionado]

Jones pulled guard.

What happened was Rashad thinking he is Sugar Ray Leonard again. Why would you try the stand-up game with an unorthodox, much taller fighter? Close the gap and try to take him down. Rashad didn't attempt that once. Dumb fight from him, dominating performance from Jon. I had it 4-1 with Evans winning the first round.

Boring event by the way.

I agree with you. You got to ask yourself why Rashad only half-assed attempted one other time to take Jones down and the fight went a full 5 rounds. Too much choreography for me.
What was really weird was that a lot of late money was bet on Rashad which brought the betting line down and Jones dropped to a 2-1 favorite.
At that rate, I couldn't help but paly safe so I bet Jones $800 to win $400, having previously bet Rashad $400 to get back $2000, so I broke even. But, I didn't like that fight. Something just didn't seem right.

[cinemaafficionado]

An assemblyman from California just proposed a new bill that would allow the California State Athletic Commission to control MMA in California.
I see Dana White shaking in his boots, ha ha:D

[The Prestige]

Jones pulled guard.

What happened was Rashad thinking he is Sugar Ray Leonard again. Why would you try the stand-up game with an unorthodox, much taller fighter? Close the gap and try to take him down. Rashad didn't attempt that once. Dumb fight from him, dominating performance from Jon. I had it 4-1 with Evans winning the first round.

Boring event by the way.

Hate to say it but have to agree. This could have been a MUCH different fight had Rashad remembered he is an explosive wrestler with excellent grappling abilities. Not sure what the hell went through his mind but standing with Jones was not the brightest idea. I bet he's kicking himself now, because from the brief ground game we saw at the end for the 5th, Jones didn't show me anything that would suggest he could survive with Rashad on top of him.

It's a shame because this fight only proved that Jones has more tools than Rashad striking. I'd have been much more satisfied had Rashad used his wrestling and it had been neutralised or something, but I didn't see any of his strengths. It's a damn shame. Hope Rashad remembers his wrestling in the inevitable rematch.


EDIT- On the other hand, that Rory Mac kid is ****ing savage.

[cinemaafficionado]

MMA is getting crazier by the minute. Jones - Henderson is scheduled for UFC 149 and the odds just got posted. Jones is -565 favorite and Hendo is + 385 dog. The bookies are going to make it hard for people to middle.
I don't care, I allready put $300.00 on Hendo. He ceratinly has a puncher's chance. I remember him fighting Big Nog in Pride, standing up and holding his own. Big Nog is a legitimate heavyweight ( ususally fighting at 230 ) and Jones doesn't have the power to dent Hendo's iron chin. He could possibly choke Hendo out but he won't beat him in stand up. If Hendo can bring it in the first and second round ( before he gasses out ) and he is able to connect with one of his bombs, it's going to be lights out Jones.

[Brodinski]

Prestige: they gave Rory another easy fight. As with any Brit: ok on the feet, rubbish on the ground. That guy conntected with Rory's chin a few times before it went down. I'd like to see hm in with at least a top 10 opponent, then we'll see.

Hendo has got a chance with Jones. His dynamite right hand could do the trick, but he'd be better off dragging Jones to the ground and unleash some ground-and-pound. Hendo has got just about all of his opponents down, bar Babalu because he spent 2 something minutes beating the living ***** out of him standing. I still want to see what Jones is made of off his back. If anyone can do it, Hendo can. But he better get him out of there in 3 or it's game over. He won't make the finish if it goes past 3.

[The Prestige]

Prestige: they gave Rory another easy fight. As with any Brit: ok on the feet, rubbish on the ground. That guy conntected with Rory's chin a few times before it went down. I'd like to see hm in with at least a top 10 opponent, then we'll see.


True, Che isn't exactly dynamite on the ground, but he came to fight and the stand up looked to be in his favour, but luckily Rory is well rounded. Regardless of the opponent, Rory's output was intense. A top 10 opponent is a must for his next fight. I'm thinking someone like Kampmann, he makes the most sense for the kid right now. If he beats Kampmann then Shields would be a good match up.



Hendo has got a chance with Jones. His dynamite right hand could do the trick, but he'd be better off dragging Jones to the ground and unleash some ground-and-pound. Hendo has got just about all of his opponents down, bar Babalu because he spent 2 something minutes beating the living ***** out of him standing. I still want to see what Jones is made of off his back. If anyone can do it, Hendo can. But he better get him out of there in 3 or it's game over. He won't make the finish if it goes past 3.



Dunno mate, Hendo has a chance but it's a punchers chance, and that's it. Thing with Hendo is despite his olympic wrestling background, his defensive wrestling is very weak. I see Jones getting him down before he gets Jones down, tbh. I see a sub or maybe even a late TKO stoppage for Jones.

I still think that Rashad is the best option to dethrone Jones. I honestly think that him and his team just chose a piss poor gameplan for the sake of being unpredictable. If Rashad can remember the wrestling ability in him, he could make it a long night for Jones. Hendo is a greco guy, and Jones's long limbs and body combined with his own superb greco wrestling skills makes him a nightmare for almost anybody wanting to work in the clinch. You need a freestyle guy like Rashad to put him on his back.

[cinemaafficionado]

Hendo doesn't need to wrestle Jones. He'll put his butt down if he tags him in the stand up. He still has the most lethal one punch ko in the light-heavyweight division. Rashad caught Jones with a few wide looping shots but Jones slipped them and took some of the steam off. Hendo throws a more direct shot. His strategy should be just to go all out in the first round, swarm and connect. If he lands, it's good night Mr. Jones. I don't see Hendo winning if the fight goes the distance. I don't know if he can go the distance with Jones. So far, Rashad is the only one, but they did fight a " friendly " fight. That won't be the case with Hendo. He is still very hungry to put that cap on his career and fade off into immortality.
Hey, this is the guy that not so long a go ko'd Fedor. There is no one else in the division that stands a chance against Jones. If Hendo can't do it, Jones will be around for at least another 4 years.

[The Prestige]

Thats all he has though, ko power. Rampage has KO power but he couldn't get the job done due to Jones' ultra long limbs. If the younger, faster Rampage couldn't land that punch, I dont like Hendo's chances. The thing with Hendo though is he does love to fight on he inside and he'll take a shot just to give, but Jones could be well prepared. Who knows. Maybe a slimmed down Fedor (if he ever makes it into the octagon) would be a good stylistic match up for Jones.

[Brodinski]

No one looked good against Jones so far, my boy Machida being the only one who had him worried for exactly 1 round. Then the elbow came and he got choked out. I'd like to see what he can do in a rematch, but the chances of Lyoto getting another shot are non-existant. If Gustaffson gets one more good win, they'll probably toss him to Jones and watch him get brutally KO'd.

And Rampage is nothing compared to Hendo nowadays, Prestige. Guy is just in it for the pay, he checked out before he signed for the A-team movie.

[cinemaafficionado]

Thats all he has though, ko power. Rampage has KO power but he couldn't get the job done due to Jones' ultra long limbs. If the younger, faster Rampage couldn't land that punch, I dont like Hendo's chances. The thing with Hendo though is he does love to fight on he inside and he'll take a shot just to give, but Jones could be well prepared. Who knows. Maybe a slimmed down Fedor (if he ever makes it into the octagon) would be a good stylistic match up for Jones.

Hate to tell you this but Rampage's KO power is nothing like Hendo's. Hendo is the real deal one punch KO. Hendo is also a better wrestler than Rampage. His main weakness is against srong BJJ guys on the ground. Jones has rear naked choke capability but he is not in Silva's class when it comes to BJJ.
A slimmed down Fedor would be a good stylistic match-up.
Machida could possibly pull off the upset, if he could stay away from Jones's elbow, but for him to get another shot, he would first have to go through another top contender or possibly KO Gustaffson first.

[cinemaafficionado]

A friend tried to get me to bet Mir, who was a 4-1 dog. I just couldn't do it. I wish I had the balls to bet Dos Santos as 5 to 1 favorite. I had a real good feeling he was going to stop Mir. I just couldn't see myself betting $1000.00 to win $200.00.
Big Country just keeps rolling along.
What the heck happened to Mayhem? To gass that early in the fight means his training sucked. Well, now he's out of UFC.
This is a classic example of underestimating your opponent.

[Brodinski]

I thought Miller's knee gave out on him? They should cut both Dollaway and Miller, they're no good whatsoever.

Good event btw, best of the year. Nice KO's.

[cinemaafficionado]

Go Roy Nelson, although for the love of me, I just don't know how he keeps rolling along with that belly.

[The Prestige]

I thought Miller's knee gave out on him? They should cut both Dollaway and Miller, they're no good whatsoever.

Good event btw, best of the year. Nice KO's.


No WAY. Dollway had a long layoff after having HIP surgery. Miller wasn't an easy opponent. I admit, that second round he sort of just controlled him with his wrestling, but round 3 was pure domination. Dollaway is a beast when he is on. Only problem is his chin doesn't seem as solid as it once was, and he has a bad habit of underestimating other people's striking abilities. As for as wrestling/grappling skill goes, I don't think that there is anybody in the Middleweight division who can touch him. I would like to see him fight someone a little easy next just to build his confidence up and then have him fight someone like Alan Belcher.

[The Prestige]

To gass that early in the fight means his training sucked. Well, now he's out of UFC.
This is a classic example of underestimating your opponent.

I really don't think he had a bad camp or anything, not from what I read. Miller was game, he didn't underestimate Dollaway at all, he just had nothing to offer him.

[Brodinski]

No I would like to see him fight someone a little easy next

Miller was easy. Who has he ever beaten that's worth a damn? Kennedy and Kang? And he doesn't have the best wrestling or grappling skills in the MW division. There's Munoz and Sonnen, Weidman and Okami. Anyone in the top 15 wipes his ass with Dollaway, Prestige. Sorry to break it like that, but the guy is just plain bad.

[cinemaafficionado]

I really don't think he had a bad camp or anything, not from what I read. Miller was game, he didn't underestimate Dollaway at all, he just had nothing to offer him.

You forgot all the trash talking, which, by the way, he really believed and that's why I say, he underestimated his opponent.
When Tyson lost that fated fight in Tokyo, he only trained two weeks for that fight. Talk about underestimating an opponent.

[The Prestige]

Miller was easy. Who has he ever beaten that's worth a damn? Kennedy and Kang? And he doesn't have the best wrestling or grappling skills in the MW division. There's Munoz and Sonnen, Weidman and Okami. Anyone in the top 15 wipes his ass with Dollaway, Prestige. Sorry to break it like that, but the guy is just plain bad.

Miller may not hold a lot of big wins over big names but he has a wealth of experience and did push Shields to his limits in their fight. I actually think CB would beat Okami and maybe even Munoz in a rematch.

If you look at how they apply their wrestling skills in mma, Dollaway is MUCH slicker than Munoz. Munoz has a surprisingly weak shot, and you can see it coming miles away because he doesn't set it up well enough. His ground and pound is nasty, though, and that's what saves him. But look at the alarming ease in which CB took Munoz down in their fight. No effort at all. Only thing that lost CB that fight was his poor striking defence. Guy needs to learn to cover that chin when a shorter, stockier fighter comes charge inside like that.

Okami is a physical specimen, but I dunno if his strength would be able to negate CB's grappling prowess. It would be an interesting fight, but I have a hard time seeing CB being bullied simply because Okami mentally folds when he can't let impose his will on other fighters.

Weidman is basically a more successful version of Dollaway right now. I think they'd have an ultra competitive fight. Not sure who wins that one, I admit. Sonnen would probably beat CB at this point in his career, although CB's fondness for chokes could cause him problems.

Personally though, I think he can beat the likes (due to wrestling) of Michael Bisping, Chris Leben, Damien Maia, Court McGee, Alan Belcher and destroys Dan Miller and Brian Stann.

[Masterman]

Go Roy Nelson, although for the love of me, I just don't know how he keeps rolling along with that belly.


What ever happened to him dropping to Light heavy?? Remember the facebook campaign he did. Ime not a fan of Nelson at all, i always get the feeling he doesnt take it to serious.

[Brodinski]

What ever happened to him dropping to Light heavy?? Remember the facebook campaign he did. Ime not a fan of Nelson at all, i always get the feeling he doesnt take it to serious.

He doesn't. Anyone who comes into a fight that overweight doesn't take his profession seriously. Besides, every time he steps up in a competition, he gets the **** beaten out of him and inches closer to permanent brain damage. Guy is a journeyman who is popular because of his let-it-hang-loose- attitude. That's it.

And Kampmann fvcked Ellenberger up good. In spite of the fact that he gets hit way too much, that guy is pretty good. I'd like to see a Kampmann-Condit fight.

[cinemaafficionado]

Kampmann fought Condit in April, 2009 and won a split decision. They have both improved since then and it would be an interesting fight. I give Condit the slight edge, although this would be a pick-em fight. The judges seem to go against Kampmann in close fights so for him to win against Condit, he would have to stop him and I don't think he is quite there yet.

[Brodinski]

**** this man-hugging. It's Pac-Bradley this weekend.

[The Prestige]

Rar, Pacman got dethroned :eek:

Haven't seen the fight yet, but it's got all kinds of controversy surrounding it. Could chalk that up to karma..

[Brodinski]

Well, that was one of the most blatant robberies of the millenium so far. It isn't quite up there with Lara-Williams but not far off.

Pacquiao made a prime, fellow pounfopounder look ordinary. Bradley couldn't adapt to the speed and straight left of Manny. I'm telling you guys, Bradley's confidence took a hit last night. I'd never seen him so concerned mid fight. The way he walked back to his corner; the concerned looks. He really thought he could beat Pac and he was hit with the cold, cold truth that he just couldn't compete with an all-time great boxer.

I made € 400 last night off that fight and I don't even want it...

[The Prestige]

Heh, well don't fret, boss. I'm sure that there will be an immediate rematch.

[Brodinski]

I don't need to see a rematch. The result would be the same: a Pacquiao win.

[cinemaafficionado]

There is no doubt that boxing is the most corrupted sport there is, just looking at the alphabet organizations and who runs them, not to mention the promoters. The thing is, boxing matches are so easy to fix: the boxers themselves can have an agreement, the judges and the ref can be bought and paid for. A lot of money is bet on boxing and some people make a tremendous amount of it that is never reported or acknowledged.
One can say with a certain amount of certainty that most fights promoted by Don King where not 100% on the up and up. This guy vandalized his own fighters and created situations for them to lose before they even stepped into the ring. King of course would have money on the other fighter and not only once did we see him stepping over his own fallen fighter to give a big hug to the new winner. If he didn't allready own him, then his son Carl did.
Back in the day, in the boxing community Sugar Ray Leonard was hugely contraversial. Just look at his fights with Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Haggler.
But we can easily go further back to Ali-Liston and some of George Foreman's comeback fights. The punch that KO'd Michael Moorer definitely had nothing on it.
Anyway, I could go on and on and that's probably the main reason why I lost interest in boxing, apart from the fact that there are only a very few names out there today that inspire.
Back in the day, the poor were hungrier and willing to make more sacrifices when they prepared and fought those great matches. Today, there are too many other options to make money and people are not as desperate nor are they willing to put forth the effort required to become great.
Also, the emergence of the MMA as a more interesting fight sport may have something to do with it. And at least, overall the fix is a lot less predominant in the MMA.
The fact that Manny got robbed may have something to do with Karma, as well. This guy has been roiding for years and it's unbelievable that he is still allowed to fight without testing. He could have had the biggest fight of his career against Mayweather and he still refused to test. What a joke! So I'm not particulary sad over his recent loss. He, for one, certainly didn't appear to be. He definitely made more money by losing. The re-match is going to be worth twice as much and possibly regenerate new interest in the sport. But when it's all about money, the soul goes out of it and for me the interest is significantly diminished.

[Brodinski]

There is no doubt that boxing is the most corrupted sport there is, just looking at the alphabet organizations and who runs them, not to mention the promoters. The thing is, boxing matches are so easy to fix: the boxers themselves can have an agreement, the judges and the ref can be bought and paid for. A lot of money is bet on boxing and some people make a tremendous amount of it that is never reported or acknowledged.
One can say with a certain amount of certainty that most fights promoted by Don King where not 100% on the up and up. This guy vandalized his own fighters and created situations for them to lose before they even stepped into the ring. King of course would have money on the other fighter and not only once did we see him stepping over his own fallen fighter to give a big hug to the new winner. If he didn't allready own him, then his son Carl did.
Back in the day, in the boxing community Sugar Ray Leonard was hugely contraversial. Just look at his fights with Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Haggler.
But we can easily go further back to Ali-Liston and some of George Foreman's comeback fights. The punch that KO'd Michael Moorer definitely had nothing on it.
Anyway, I could go on and on and that's probably the main reason why I lost interest in boxing, apart from the fact that there are only a very few names out there today that inspire.
Back in the day, the poor were hungrier and willing to make more sacrifices when they prepared and fought those great matches. Today, there are too many other options to make money and people are not as desperate nor are they willing to put forth the effort required to become great.
Also, the emergence of the MMA as a more interesting fight sport may have something to do with it. And at least, overall the fix is a lot less predominant in the MMA.
The fact that Manny got robbed may have something to do with Karma, as well. This guy has been roiding for years and it's unbelievable that he is still allowed to fight without testing. He could have had the biggest fight of his career against Mayweather and he still refused to test. What a joke! So I'm not particulary sad over his recent loss. He, for one, certainly didn't appear to be. He definitely made more money by losing. The re-match is going to be worth twice as much and possibly regenerate new interest in the sport. But when it's all about money, the soul goes out of it and for me the interest is significantly diminished.

Dude, a lot of what you are saying is way out there. It's likely that the outcome was fixed by Bob. But if I was fixing a multi-million dollar deal, I would want as less people as possible to be in on it. Certainly not the boxers involved, nor anyone on his team.

Sugar Ray Leonard wasn't controversial. He made adjustments to beat Duran, KO'd Tommy and lost to Hearns and Hagler. Nothing controversial about that if you ask me.

If you wanna talk about controversial, the other Sugar Ray is the one to be looking at.

There's no proof of Manny ever roiding and he already agreed to Floyd's random drug tests. Floyd just wants 60-40; that's the problem.

If you are a true boxing fan, the rematch doesn't matter *****. He beat the guy. I see no need for a rematch. I am more interested in the Mayweather bout now. Pacquiao amazed me in the first half of the Bradley fight. He showed an uncanny sense of timing, attention to angles and picking his punches. He showed to me for the first time that he didn't NEED to rely on his athleticism to win a fight, like he did at the lower weights. No need for wasted motion; no need to fly in like a wild lion. If he can combine all of that with the ruthless fighter he was when he bashed Cotto and Diaz into oblivion, he has a realistic chance at beating Floyd. Before the Bradley bout, I wouldn't of said that.

Much like Floyd himself, Pac keeps on improving as his career progresses. The hallmark of a true ATG and Pacquiao certainly deserves to be mentioned among the 30 best boxers ever to have lived.

[cinemaafficionado]

[quote=Brodinski;819008]Dude, a lot of what you are saying is way out there. It's likely that the outcome was fixed by Bob. But if I was fixing a multi-million dollar deal, I would want as less people as possible to be in on it. Certainly not the boxers involved, nor anyone on his team. ]

"Certainly not the boxers" - are you kidding me?

[ quote:Sugar Ray Leonard wasn't controversial. He made adjustments to beat Duran, KO'd Tommy and lost to Hearns and Hagler. Nothing controversial about that if you ask me.]

The loss to Hearns was actually ruled a draw.
Hagler lost to Leonard by a split decision ( he never tried to finish the fight, even though he had Leonard up against the ropes many times and then just took a step back. The ferocity he showed against Hearns was comletely missing.
Duran didn't come out for the 8th round because Leonard decided to showboat and do his bolo punch fully knowing that Duran was not supposed to try to finish him. Duran allready had $7,000, 000 posted and locked up in a Panaminian bank. Why should he look the fool in a fight that was supposed to look good and go the distance?
Do you really think that Don king's boy Richard Steele was the referee in all of the above Leonard fights purely by coincidence?
Manny went up 8 weigh classes retaining same muscle density, proportion and percentage. No one does that without roiding.
As far as I know, he was very adamant in his refusal to test for the proposed Mayweather fight and is the only fighter I know that has never been tested immediately prior or post fight.
As far as him demolishing Cotto, Cotto had allready been demolished by Margarito and his steel padded gloves and was never again the same fighter. Had he fought Manny first, the outcome would have been different.

[Brodinski]

The loss to Hearns was actually ruled a draw.

So what? You respect judges' decisions? Leonard lost that fight; he eventually admitted as much himself.


Hagler lost to Leonard by a split decision ( he never tried to finish the fight, even though he had Leonard up against the ropes many times and then just took a step back. The ferocity he showed against Hearns was comletely missing.

The crucial difference being that Hagler wasn't the aggresor in the Hearns' fight. His opponents always came after him, he could counterpunch them and with that legendary chin of his, he could take their shots. If you forced him to be the aggresor - like Duran and Leonard did - he could be outhustled and yes, at times outboxed. I think Hagler won that fight and so do a LOT of critics and true boxing fans alike. If you wanna respect judges' decisions, that's fine. I am my own judge and Hagler didn't lose that fight.


Duran didn't come out for the 8th round because Leonard decided to showboat and do his bolo punch fully knowing that Duran was not supposed to try to finish him. Duran allready had $7,000, 000 posted and locked up in a Panaminian bank. Why should he look the fool in a fight that was supposed to look good and go the distance?.

What did Duran have to worry about his future? He already made heaps of money and actually got an $8 million purse for that fight. What happened was, Leonard learned from the first fight and knew that the mistake he made was fight on the inside in the first fight. Leonard fought a masterful second bout, using superior speed, movement, ring generalship to outbox Duran, who indulged himself in fatty foods prior to the fight. His longtime, all-time great trainer Ray Arcal left his corner permanently after that because of Duran quitting.

Duran got outboxed and outquicked by a man who was a superior boxer. Not a lot of people can say that when being compared with Duran, but Leonard is one of them.


Manny went up 8 weigh classes retaining same muscle density, proportion and percentage. No one does that without roiding.
As far as I know, he was very adamant in his refusal to test for the proposed Mayweather fight and is the only fighter I know that has never been tested immediately prior or post fight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku4jfLKD0Mg

Mayweather’s camp apparently agreed on the superfight after hearing the news that Pacquiao has agreed to Floyd’s random drug-testing demand (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/11/03/11/floyd-agrees-fight-pacquiao-may-2012-reports).
“That's news to us, but that's great to hear. Now hopefully the fans will finally get what they want to see,” said Ellerbe.


As far as him demolishing Cotto, Cotto had allready been demolished by Margarito and his steel padded gloves and was never again the same fighter. Had he fought Manny first, the outcome would have been different.

Cotto looked pretty damn good against Floyd. But the damage done by Margarito wasn't why he lost the fight. He lost it because he came in with the wrong gameplan. You can't engage a guy like Pacquiao and expect to come out on top.

[cinemaafficionado]

So what? You respect judges' decisions? Leonard lost that fight; he eventually admitted as much himself. ]

Maybe you missed my point. The judges were bought and paid for and so was the referee. Of course Leonard lost that fight.




[ The crucial difference being that Hagler wasn't the aggresor in the Hearns' fight. His opponents always came after him, he could counterpunch them and with that legendary chin of his, he could take their shots. If you forced him to be the aggresor - like Duran and Leonard did - he could be outhustled and yes, at times outboxed. I think Hagler won that fight and so do a LOT of critics and true boxing fans alike. If you wanna respect judges' decisions, that's fine. I am my own judge and Hagler didn't lose that fight. ]

You need to re-watch Hagler- Hearns, especially the 3 round. It wasn't a counter punch that knocked Hearns out. It was Hagler's all out agression. Probably the best 3d round in boxing ever.
As far as the Leonard fight goes, Hagler was not meant to win that fight. His agression was just posing. He never tried to finish.
Going back to something you said. Anytime the fix is in, at least one of the fighters knows about it and has agreed to it.






[What did Duran have to worry about his future? He already made heaps of money and actually got an $8 million purse for that fight. What happened was, Leonard learned from the first fight and knew that the mistake he made was fight on the inside in the first fight. Leonard fought a masterful second bout, using superior speed, movement, ring generalship to outbox Duran, who indulged himself in fatty foods prior to the fight. His longtime, all-time great trainer Ray Arcal left his corner permanently after that because of Duran quitting.

Duran got outboxed and outquicked by a man who was a superior boxer. Not a lot of people can say that when being compared with Duran, but Leonard is one of them. ]

You really believe that? Please....... Just take a look at their first fight. What did Leonard do that was so different in the second, except clown?
Duran threw that fight, plain and simple. He never really pressured Leonard because he wasn't supposed to, but Leonard was not supposed to clown, either. He was given the fight but wasn't supposed to make Duran look bad in doing so. Duran had no trouble making the weight, so the fatty food is just laughable. Why is it so hard for you to accept that?




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku4jfLKD0Mg

[Mayweather’s camp apparently agreed on the superfight after hearing the news that Pacquiao has agreed to Floyd’s random drug-testing demand (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/11/03/11/floyd-agrees-fight-pacquiao-may-2012-reports).
“That's news to us, but that's great to hear. Now hopefully the fans will finally get what they want to see,” said Ellerbe.]

News to me but saying something and actually doing it are two different horses.




Cotto looked pretty damn good against Floyd. But the damage done by Margarito wasn't why he lost the fight. He lost it because he came in with the wrong gameplan. You can't engage a guy like Pacquiao and expect to come out on top.

I've followed Cotto for a long time. The beating he got from Margarito significantly impaired him. Against Pacquiao, Cotto was a shell of himself.
He just didn't have the power and his ability to take apunch was significantly diminished. That's why he lost the fight.
He was the body-snatcher. Did you expect him to try to do a Mayweather?

[The Prestige]

Hmm, well theres no doubt that boxing has had it's fair share of corruption. I'm not sure about the Manny/steroid thing, though. I don't really know enough about such things to really comment on. I do know that steroids can be recycled, though. I mean, Pacman refused to do the testing for ages, right? Then suddenly he's like 'ok, i'll have the test'. It's a bit suspicious. But then, him and Roach could have just trying to be really stubborn. But again, I don't know much about the situation.

Can anybody name some decent right handed southpaws out there? I've come to the conclusion that I am more comfortable kicking with my left and leading with my right. I'm right handed, but have a dominant left eye and left leg..which potentially means I have been training wrong for a long arse time.

I know that Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida are natural right handed southpaws, anybody know anyone else?

[Brodinski]

The most famous one is Hagler. Roy Jones did it too sometimes. Yushin Okami also does it and is ***** at it.

[The Prestige]

Surprised at Okami. Thought he was a pure lefty, to be honest.

[Brodinski]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2cBrMLuuHKg

@ the 7.50 mark. That was quite good.

[donniedarko]

^haha that was good.

I see this on B/R and people had mixed opinions but which card do you guys think has the better main card?
UFC on FX 4
Or UFC 147

[DexterRiley]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-N70H--iox3I/T_pJ5Y84joI/AAAAAAAAAxY/tr6NY82ohY8/s450/ChaelFallFromGrace.gif

[The Prestige]

It's official, Silva is not human. The one man we all thought was a legitimate threat to him got finished inside of 2 rounds. Silva's beating all this guys and he is in his late 30's. Incredible. Apparently Rashad would be up for a fight, and while I think that Rashad is Silva's worst possible match up, I will never look past a man who has TEN consecutive title defences in the UFC. Would be a fantastic fight, and about the only fight that makes sense right now.

Questions remain, though. What weigh category does this fight take place? Is it for the belt? Catch weight? I think that for Rashad to win he should forget cutting the weight and pursuing the belt and just allow Silva to come up to 205 again.

[donniedarko]

Questions remain, though. What weigh category does this fight take place? Is it for the belt? Catch weight? I think that for Rashad to win he should forget cutting the weight and pursuing the belt and just allow Silva to come up to 205 again.

Anderson has been perfectly comfortable fighting at 205 (he walks around at 210) so if it happened it would probably be at LHW, I don't see Rashad cutting that much, he's not huge but he's a fairly large LHW. I think Silva really only needs to beat Lombard (assuming he gets past "The Barbarian" which is not an easy fight) to prove that he's the absolute best. A lot of people are talking about Silva vs Jones but I think that'll past away like Silva vs Gsp.

In other news Ronda Rousey is in ESPNs "The body issue"

[Brodinski]

Anderson has been perfectly comfortable fighting at 205 (he walks around at 210) so if it happened it would probably be at LHW, I don't see Rashad cutting that much, he's not huge but he's a fairly large LHW. I think Silva really only needs to beat Lombard (assuming he gets past "The Barbarian" which is not an easy fight) to prove that he's the absolute best. A lot of people are talking about Silva vs Jones but I think that'll past away like Silva vs Gsp.

In other news Ronda Rousey is in ESPNs "The body issue"

Silva would terminate Boetsch's life. Dude is not a good fighter, period. Lombard will get trashed by Silva, easily. The guy to look out for is Weidman. I think he'll beat Munoz. But really, Anderson's got nothing left to prove. I wish he'd take one more fight in Brazil and then announce his retirement out of the blue. He doesn't need to fight Jones or GSP to cement his legacy.

And GSP has a lot to worry about in his own weight class. I don't think it'll be that long before one of these young bucks turns his lights out.

[ChuckDee]

Silva is on a whole different level. His ground game is phenomenal, both offensively and defensively and his power is top notch. I agree with you Brodinski, he has nothing to prove and I too hope he takes a couple more big fights and walk out as the GOAT. He's a class act too.

[donniedarko]

Silva would terminate Boetsch's life. Dude is not a good fighter, period. Lombard will get trashed by Silva, easily. The guy to look out for is Weidman. I think he'll beat Munoz. But really, Anderson's got nothing left to prove. I wish he'd take one more fight in Brazil and then announce his retirement out of the blue. He doesn't need to fight Jones or GSP to cement his legacy.

And GSP has a lot to worry about in his own weight class. I don't think it'll be that long before one of these young bucks turns his lights out.

I agree with you in the GSP sense, I don't see him getting past Condit.

But I do disagree with you about your statements about Boetch. The guy has been a total beast since comin to MW. His win over Okamo was a superb comeback and he tossed Grove and Nick Ring around like dolls.
I don't know how he'll do against Lombard, I mean the only guy to finish him is Hamill who's pretty tough, Matyushenko couldn't. Lombard can strike on a top level but he hasn't been fighting top level guys. Prangley and Shlemenko are pretty good but the rest of his last 10 opponents are trash. I do think both "Th Barbarian" and Lombard would lose to Silva though.

Wiedman to me just seems like the bandwagon of the week. He's durable and has seemed invincible but he only has nine fights! I think he needs one more defiant win till he's title shot worthy. How about Brian Stann or Belfort for a next fight. I think a more reasonable opponent is Belcher, but of everyone wants to rush him into it let the UFC rush him into it.

And I do understand that Munoz is a top contender but we've all seen this story before.
Rick Story is a prime example. He beats Alves and then they give him Marquardt who at the time was close to the belt. Then we realize he can't even keep up with a short notice Brenneman

[Brodinski]

Boetsch is no good, my man. Anderson would toy with him like he did with Forrest.

Weidman is the real deal. Excellent wrestling, not too shabby in the stand-up, good tank. I like the kid. Everything else in the MW division is kind of 'meh'.

WW and LW is where it's at.

[donniedarko]

Boetsch was mediocere at LHW but at beast at MW.

MW isn't necessarily a weak division just kinda a mess. No determined contenders.

If you ask me LHW is the all time best division. It produced stars like "Suga", Shogun, Rampage, Forrest, and Chuck and up until Jones era the belt would keep on changing. But I think Hendo will end his run, but then again I said Matyushenko would destroy him.

But ya there's no doubt that LW is currently the deepest division in talent.
How long do you think Bendo will keep the belt for?

[Brodinski]

Henderson will get smashed by Bones. That gas tank isn't there anymore.

Bendo is quality, but I wouldn't be surprised if Edgar grits out a close decision in their rematch.

[donniedarko]

^agree with you about Bendo but I think Hendo is better now then he has been in awhile.
Just In his last 2 he beat legends Shogun and Fedor.

Back to Silva. If you ask me the one MW who could beat him is Tim Kennedy. The guy is an absolute monster, his decision Loss to Souza is BS and he's gonna stomp Rockhold. When he gets into the UFC he'll flip the MW division over and wreck everyone. Against Silva it would be close but I'd actually pick Kennedy.

[The Prestige]

Weidman is the real deal. Excellent wrestling, not too shabby in the stand-up, good tank. I like the kid. Everything else in the MW division is kind of 'meh'.



There are still some killers in the MW division. I know you're going to crease up at this, but I honestly want to see how Weidman would do against CB Dollaway, who, on paper is a less refined version of him. I think that would be a hell of a competitive fight. In fact, I think that should be the next fight Joe Silva books. Weidman wins, he reinforces that he is a threat to Silva, if CB wins (and he genuinely can, he gets a massive boost up the rankings).

CB's very tough to take down and his own wrestling and ground game make him formidable. I think he really just had an off night when he fought Munoz. Took Munoz down with alarming ease and then basically forgot Munoz' power. Plus that was an early stoppage. The Jared Hamman fight is tougher to defend. I know he ended up breaking his hip at some point in the fight, but it's that classic mma story of grappler falling in love with an aspect he isn't exactly best at. After he hurt and almost stopped Hamman standing, CB got a bit comfortable in the second round and his defense dropped.

If CB fights smart, moves to better camp, learns how to use his reach and develop a good guard, he can be up there with Weidman. Only time will tell though.

[The Prestige]

Bendo is quality, but I wouldn't be surprised if Edgar grits out a close decision in their rematch.

Bendo is a sick fighter, no doubt. Tough fight to call, but based on past experiences with rematches, I say Edgar will have the edge. Edgar has had to deal with fighters with the legs of Bendo.

Bendo's kicks were a huge part of why he won the first fight (which was close, but I just about scored for Bendo), and Edgar will still able to catch them numerous times. This time, Edgar will be more prepared for them kicks and the southpaw stance. Gonna be a fantastic fight.

[Brodinski]

^agree with you about Bendo but I think Hendo is better now then he has been in awhile.
Just In his last 2 he beat legends Shogun and Fedor.

Back to Silva. If you ask me the one MW who could beat him is Tim Kennedy. The guy is an absolute monster, his decision Loss to Souza is BS and he's gonna stomp Rockhold. When he gets into the UFC he'll flip the MW division over and wreck everyone. Against Silva it would be close but I'd actually pick Kennedy.

He didn't beat Shogun. That fight was a draw in a sensible person's mind. I was waiting for Hendo to have a heart attack in the fifth round.

Nah, Kennedy ain't wrecking anything. I doubt he gets past Rockhold. Picking Kennedy over Anderson is madness. Weidman is the guy to watch. He has the perfect style to beat Anderson.

[Brodinski]

UFC 149: forgetful event where the prelims were much more exciting than the main card. Lombard got robbed; Faber still doesn't like leg kicks, two heavyweights hugged each other for 15 minutes, and one guy kept hugging another guy's leg.

Meh.