UFC 187 JONES/RUMBLE & WEIDMAN/BELFORT DOUBLE TITLE EVENT

[Nash Diesel]

http://weboardd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/UFC-187-March-4th..png

UFC 187
May 23rd, 2015
MGM Grand Las Vegas, NV

Main Card
UFC Lightheavyweight Title Match
Daniel Cormier v. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson

UFC Middleweight Title Match
Chris "All-American" Weidman v. Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort

Khabib Nurmagomedov v. Donald Cerrone (LW)
Travis Browne v. Andrei Arlovski (HW)
Joseph Benavidez v. John Moraga (FLW)

Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
John Dodson v. Zach Makovsky (FLW)
Dong Hyun Kim v. Josh Burkman (WW)
Uriah Hall v. Rafael Natal (MW)
Rose Namajunas v. Nina Ansaroff (SW)

Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
Mike Pyle v. Sean Spencer (WW)
Islam Makhacev v. Leo Kuntz (LW)
Justin Scoggins v. Josh Sampo (FLW)

[Fanny Batter]

Yep. This card. I wouldn't be too disappointed, and would watch, a Fight Pass card main evented by DHK vs. Burkman (hell, I watched the DHK/Hathaway one). It's the seventh fight down. Hall vs. Natal's a suitable FS1 co-main as well and that's eighth down. Fucking deep.

[Nash Diesel]

On paper, easily one of the most stacked cards in the last 5 years. And a lot of fights people want to see that have actual meaning, not just a bunch of top guys thrown on a card to help boost ppv buys (although that never hurts:))

I honestly couldn't tell you a clear cut winner in any of the first 10 fights lol.

[Pablo Diablo]

I'm so cynical now though that I feel they stacked this card knowing at least one of the top fights will be cancelled due to an injury.

[Nash Diesel]

Hey I'm right there with you. I'm looking at Chris Weidman or one of the HW's on the main card to drop out due to injury shortly.

Also, has anyone noticed how little we're seeing of the LHW and HW fighters or maybe I'm just crazy. It just seems like the last handful of cards we've seen like 2 LHW bouts and maybe 1 or 2 HW bouts while the rest of the card is littered with smaller weight classes like Featherweight and Lightweight.

[Nash Diesel]

For those who aren't in the UFC thread, the main event has been changed. Cormier v. Rumble Johnson for the vacant LHW title. I have to say, I like this fight a lot and I think Rumble has a good chance of putting Cormier out.

[Mik]

If Rumble can neutralise Cormier's wrestling...then he's got a great chance of beating the real champ.

[Mark Hammer]

Maybe, maybe not... DC's wrestling isn't as good as Jones'. Three months ago had someone said that I would have lol'ed them off the forums.

[Nash Diesel]

There's definitely a difference between wrestling in the Olympics and wrestling in the Octagon. Look at GSP. Dude had zero wrestling background until he started MMA and he's probably the best wrestler in the Welterweight division, maybe even in MMA. DC getting schooled for 5 rounds by Jones was just insane lol.

[Mark Hammer]

Yep. Also look at Mark Munoz. Excellent collegiate wrestling credentials but he's regularly out-wrestled because amateur wrestling doesn't always translate to MMA.

[Mik]

The wrestling with Cormier and Jones is misleading though. If they had locked up and started wrestling you would assume that Cormier would win. Instead Jones hit him with clean shots, tired him out, got him worried about the stand up and took him down. In the last round you saw Cormier grind to get a couple of takedowns on Jones...nothing happened with them, in fact it was an utterly stupid ploy that he would've been much better off employing from the start of the fight rather than when he needed a knockout to win, but it did demonstrate that Cormier was able to take Jones down, when that was all he was focused on.

[Seanny One Ball]

Mik it's an MMA fight not a wrestling match. They don't have to lock up and start wrestling.
You outlined yourself why Jones had all the beating of Cormier right there, you can't claim Cormier even has an advantage at wrestling really because he got taken down three times and only took Jones down once.
It was an all round dominant performance stat wise.

[Seanny One Ball]

WTF Cerrone vs Makdessi :wtf:

I just noticed this...

That makes no sense at all.
Jesus that Cerrone has some nuts on him. He must fucking love fighting.

[Spedizzo]

The image of Josh Koscheck choking out Rumble and Vitor Belfort molesting Rumble with ease still distorts my perception of him at his new weight class.

[Fanny Batter]

The Belfort/Johnson fight is a complete anomaly. Johnson was forced to keep his weight under a certain level after the missed weight cut so couldn't re-hydrate, then he kept getting stood up despite working on the ground. It was a freak show fight. Johnson could have been seriously hurt, medically I doubt that fight would have come close to going ahead in the States considering what is known about dehydration and its impact on brain injuries. Everybody involved, except ironically Belfort who made weight and fought a fair fight, should have hung their heads in shame that night. From AJ for missing weight so spectacularly, from the teams agreeing to a stipulation that could have resulted in irreversible harm to a fighter, the commission for allowing a fight with such drastic stipulations on weight to take place, the UFC for basically pissing on AJ and taking his head out of the game, to the referee for having an absolute shocker. It's a bizarre fight; Oliver McCall vs. Lennox Lewis 2 esque, where it just should not have taken place given one fighters lack of dedication and mental deficiency heading into it.

[Mark Hammer]

Yeah, I was about to say beat Rumble "with ease" ie with referee assistance. I remember two completely bullshit standups when Rumble had Vitor down. That fight shouldn't be remotely considered when looking at any of Rumble's fights since becoming part of the 205 division.

The Kos fight was 6 years ago and was Prime Koscheck vs 170 pound Corpse Rumble. Imagine what Rumble would do to him today.

[Mark Hammer]

Mik it's an MMA fight not a wrestling match. They don't have to lock up and start wrestling.
You outlined yourself why Jones had all the beating of Cormier right there, you can't claim Cormier even has an advantage at wrestling really because he got taken down three times and only took Jones down once.
It was an all round dominant performance stat wise.

Aye, Jones put DC on his butt whenever he wanted and without breaking a sweat... he shit all over DC's prestigious wrestling accolades that night.

[Spedizzo]

Yeah, I was about to say beat Rumble "with ease" ie with referee assistance. I remember two completely bullshit standups when Rumble had Vitor down. That fight shouldn't be remotely considered when looking at any of Rumble's fights since becoming part of the 205 division.

The Kos fight was 6 years ago and was Prime Koscheck vs 170 pound Corpse Rumble. Imagine what Rumble would do to him today.

Fair enough!

Good points made.

Looking forward to the fight. I would still give Cormier the edge. Whoever has the wrestling edge/strength edge may be important here in determining who can dictate the fight along the cage and where it goes.

But I can also see either one of them getting caught by the other so who knows.

[Nash Diesel]

I honestly think speed and who hits harder will be the deciding factor. Cormier has to respect Johnson's TDD and Cormier mixes it up pretty well, he's not just a grappler so I could see him cracking Rumble, give him the Matt Hughes slam, and winning by TKO or submission. But I'm pulling for Rumble, I've been a fan for years and I think he'll do well. The only thing I'm thinking might be an issue is his cardio. Has he ever gone 5 rounds? He did go a full 3 with Phil Davis and shut Davis down in every aspect. With a less excruiating weight cut I think he should be ok.

[Fanny Batter]

What a fight card Saturday.

Johnson vs. Cormier is the definition of a 50/50 fight. While it feels ultimately like an interim title fight due to the inevitability of the Jon Jones fight, for a period of time one of these men will be able to call themselves the World's champion. Cormier is one of the more cerebral fighters in the game with usually great tactical nous based around his best-in-the-sport (on paper) wrestling and work ethic. Johnson is a destroyer, a man whose fists seem able to break stone, one punch or kick away from ending anybody in the world's night early. Possibly the biggest puncher in the sport. His previous Achilles heel ironically (considering who Cormier is) has been grappling defence and cardio, but those seem to have been shored up considering he doesn't deplete his body of about 60lb's of water 24 hours before a fight anymore. So it's a complete pick em. I can envision Cormier shutting down the striking with pressure, demoralising him and ultimately working the ground game and riding to a comfortable decision or late submission win. I can also envision Johnson working angles, keeping Cormier off him and either knocking him out or stinging him and putting him on the defensive for a comfortable points win. I don't see a war, I see one man imposing his will and looking great, I just don't know which man! I'm leaning towards Johnson though, this has always been his fight, he'll be in the better fight shape and if he wins, I'm seeing a knockout after rocking Cormier a minute before. Johnson KO1.

Weidman vs. Belfort. Weidman's the blueprint to beat Vitor. Physically bigger, will be able to stifle the striking, get him down and break him. Jones, Couture, Henderson, Ortiz have all done it. BUT Vitor is Vitor and is the most historically dangerous fighter early, except Johnson, in the sport. Taking out Randy (on a cut admittedly), Wanderlei, Rockhold, Henderson and Franklin in less than a combined 10 minutes is serious fucking firepower. So that first rounds going to be tense and exciting. And I really hope the stupid old Jesus loving, shit haircut, mad talking cheating fuck does it. Because despite all that, he's been one of the most consistently entertaining and enduring fighters in my time as a fan, and I love the story of father time being delayed for one night as the legend reclaims his glory and becomes the third man to hold titles in 2 different weight classes. Alas, it's not going to happen. Weidman shuts him down after having surprising success on the feet in the first round, then smashing him and ending it whenever he wants from round 3 onwards. Weidman TKO3.

Cerrone vs. Makdessi. Damn is it disappointing that Khabib can't fight, but I'm kind of glad because I like Cerrone and would like to think he'll work his way to his title shot if he can avoid getting wrestlefucked, and that match-up had wrestlefuck written all over it. Makdessi is no slouch but he's kind of small for the weight class and Cerrone should be able to use his length, particularly his kicks, to dominate the fight. He's got good offensive wrestling himself as well so he can turn this into the KJ Noons fight if he has too. Cerrone keeps his momentum going, I'm not so sure he finishes Makdessi but feel he'll look good and score a 10-8 in there for a 30-26 verdict. Cerrone UD.

Browne vs. Arlovski. See what happened to Mark Hunt when he fought a younger, more athletic, less shopworn fighter last week? Yeah. This fight. Is that fight. Hopefully won't be as torturous as that fight since Arlovski doesn't have Hunt's whiskers, but I do see him getting stopped. Browne's just too long and moves too well for Arlovski, probably even in The Pitbull's prime. He's got good trips as well so could just smash him on the ground. This IS heavyweight MMA so of course Arlovski could sting Browne, Bigfoot did after all. That would be the most unbelievable story, more so than Robbie Lawler's climb back to the top! Alas, like Vitor, it ain't happening. Browne by headkick, making his case for at title shot. Him and Miocic would be fun. Book Arlovski vs. Cro Cop next. Browne KO1.

Moraga vs. Benavidez is a top fight, and for some reason Moraga's the biggest underdog on the card. I don't get it. Good fighter, and Benavidez's is in that tough position as a fighter where he's not getting a title shot anytime soon and thus may not be as sharp and focused as he should be. Add in people like Mendes, Faber, Dillashaw and PVZ presumably getting more attention in camp and there's a chance he might plateau as a fighter. And even though Moraga isn't a great fighter, he's a finisher who can make you pay for one mistake. I think Benavidez gets it done because on paper he's the more skilled fighter everywhere it goes, but I think he finds himself in a few dicey moments, possibly gets dropped, and basically doesn't look like the #2 fighter he's presented as. Benavidez by close unanimous decision.

Dodson vs. Makovsky. So Makovsky, a good wrestler with no real finishing instincts against a man with near impeccable takedown defence, is less of an underdog than Moraga? I don't get it. I don't see how Makovsky has anything for Dodson, in fact I think he's tailor made for Dodson to look spectacular against. Dodson is a lightning fast, fluid striker with the most power in the division and explodes when he has someone hurt. He doesn't really take too many risks so won't be open for easy takedowns. I see Makovsky getting stung early, going into a defensive shell before succumbing to strikes late in the second. Dodson moves on to Mighty Mouse in a rematch of the best title fight in the weight class so far. Dodson TKO2.

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Josh Burkman. Depends what DHK turns up. If he brings the smothering, boring Okami-lite style from 2012-13 to the cage with him, he absolutely cruises past Burkman who won't have the wrestling to keep him off him. If he's the entertaining bastard who went 2-1 in main/co-mains in the last 18 months, he has a 66% chance of winning. He's the better fighter in every aspect but every wild fighter has a chance of getting clipped by a precision striker like Burkman. Considering this is the 7th fight down with no responsibility of the card in his hands, I see Smotherman returning and cruising to a boring as fuck decision. Be nice if we get a DHK spinfest though. Kim UD.

Hall vs. Natal. Ah Natal. The resident Brazilian middleweight midcarder since Ronny Markes got too fat and shit. He's one of my least favourite fighters of all time actually, the embodiment of that smorgasbord of average, non-athletic, light punching middleweights that seemed to litter every FUEL TV prelim a couple of years back. Camozzi, Natal, Herman, Ring, McGee - fuck were they some dull fights, and they all seemed to fight each other! Hence why they all have wins in the UFC I guess. Uriah Hall is a weird fighter, offensively talented but seems a really fucking good guy and therefore doesn't really hurt people when the opportunity is there. There's something to him though, a feeling that if he can get past that mental block and just go for it that he can become a top fighter. Natal isn't somebody that's going to bring that out of him though, he doesn't take risks and therefore I see Hall coasting to either an easy points win or a late TKO due to damage, as his jab can fuck that guy's face up. Hall UD.

Namajunas vs. Ansaroff is a good fight, both finishers and in a weight class that has generally produced a high quality of fight so far. Seems to me they've given Rose a defensively flawed fighter to get her back on the right path, as she's certainly got something worth developing. Rose SUB1.

Even Fight Pass has some decent fights. Undefeated Colby Covington vs. Mike Pyle is a solid gatekeeper vs. prospect crossroads fight. Pyle has been gigantically underrated here, he's only lost to Mein and Brown in years, and got some good wins during his streak a couple years back. His weakness is his chin, as he's been caught cold early by those 2 men. Good guard, good clinch, strong hands. Offensively Pyle is excellent. Covington's never won by knockout and shouldn't have an advantage anywhere except the wrestling where he can get caught with either Pyle's elbows and knees in the clinch or in his tricky guard. Too much too soon for Covington as Pyle takes his duck egg, and I fancy a finish. Pyle TKO2.

Kuntz vs. Makhachev is two debutantes with great records squaring off We've had this a bit lately, and sometimes both turn out to be solid UFC calibre fighters (Skelly vs. Bektic one that springs to mind), so hopefully this will be a good fight. Makhachev is the solid favourite but I feel Russians get overrated quite a bit, the "Russian Invasion" hasn't really led to much past Khabib. Kuntz appears more well rounded but if The Mak has a solid sambo base he should be able to control it. Coin flip on the underdog. Kuntz UD. Hope Kuntz has a solid career, since his name is Kuntz.

Sampo vs. Scoggins is a good flyweight scrap. Scoggins genuinely has a lot of potential, at a world title level. He's about 3-4 years away from his peak. No idea why they had him against Moraga so early. He was winning as well. Gave a good account for himself in his other loss too, a tight one to Dustin Ortiz. Sampo's a grafter and a good one, not particularly athletic or great in any area, just very, very solid. I think Scoggins takes him down, beats him up, takes him down, beats him up, rinse repeat, for a clear and impressive win. Scoggins UD.

Looking forward to this one a good deal.

[Mark Hammer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0p7KY2GQ6M

[Eddie Brock]

Here's how I see it as far as advantages.

Experience: Belfort by a country mile. Weidman's had like ten fights.

Striking: Belfort. No explanation needed. His power speaks for itself. Add in the fact that he's added devastating kicks to his arsenal, and this one isn't close.

Submissions: Belfort. He's been a BJJ blackbelt for close to twenty years. Came close to submitting Jon Jones.

However I believe if you were to create a fighter designed for the purpose of beating Belfort, Chris Weidman most resembles that guy. Still excited for it though, should be a great one.

[Spedizzo]

If Vitor has a tough time defending the takedowns, and Weidman switches up takedowns with his striking, it could severly wear Belfort out and gas him. Belfort could also get caught if he is worried about the takedown. At this age, does Vitor have the cardio someone like Weidman has, who will assumingly press him the entire fight?

Vitor won't win on points IMO. He has to blitz and finish Weidman.

[Mark Hammer]

Here's how I see it as far as advantages.

Experience: Belfort by a country mile. Weidman's had like ten fights.

Striking: Belfort. No explanation needed. His power speaks for itself. Add in the fact that he's added devastating kicks to his arsenal, and this one isn't close.

Submissions: Belfort. He's been a BJJ blackbelt for close to twenty years. Came close to submitting Jon Jones.

However I believe if you were to create a fighter designed for the purpose of beating Belfort, Chris Weidman most resembles that guy. Still excited for it though, should be a great one.

Vitor Belfort does not have better striking or better submissions than Chris Weidman.

[Eddie Brock]

Vitor Belfort does not have better striking or better submissions than Chris Weidman.

Are you on cocaine?

[Percussion]

I'd say they're on par with one another striking, just apples and oranges in terms of approach. Overall grappling I'd give to Weidman every day of the week. Better takedowns, longer, better use of leverages for position, better general control. Weidman's submission game is no joke either.

[Spedizzo]

Well, Vitor held his own with Jon Jones in the grappling department if I recall correctly (haven't seen the fight in a few years), and I assume Jones is a better grappler than Weidman?

[Mik]

Triangular logic doesnt work in MMA. Vitor held his own in that he caught Bones in a submission but didnt get it and then did get submitted himself? Thats like saying Gus took Jones down and kept him down for longer and didnt get taken down as much as Cormier, so Gus is a better wrestler than Cormier. It just doesnt necessarily work like that.

[Fanny Batter]

Yeah Vitor threatened by surprise from the bottom (the first sub attempt from the bottom in his entire career?), then duly got controlled thereafter. He was fighting a big light heavyweight on about 3 weeks notice while in training camp for a middleweight fight though, so he was at a big disadvantage physically as well.

I don't think it's accurate to say Weidman's better on the feet than Vitor at all. Not based on past fights anyway. I think he'll have success there because he's a fighting sponge and picks things up incredibly well, but the nuances in Vitor's game, the judgment of range and the variety of strikes he throws, as well as his fight ending power in all limbs, on paper trumps Weidman's achievements. Vitor's certainly very much in the fight, first round at least, on paper.

[Nash Diesel]

I don't see how anyone could realistically compare Vitor and Weidman's striking and say Weidman's better. Who's he stopped on the feet? Anderson and Munoz. Couldn't stop Machida, couldn't stop Maia. Vitor's pretty much won about 30 fights by knockout, and it was against all walks of life in MMA. Weidman definitely has the better grappling and I think that his standup is good enough to really mix it up and bring an entertaining and intelligent gameplan to the table. Weidman is a pretty big dude as well. It's going to be a tough fight for Vitor.

FB I have to say, that's a crazy prediction with Johnson winning in the first round via KO. But I like it, I like it a lot actually and feel that's going to be the way Johnson is going to have to win this fight. Put DC out real early.

[Mik]

Triangular logic doesnt work because say Silva knocked Belfort out standing, Weidman knocked Silva out standing. So Weidman should knock Vitor out within seconds by that judgement?

I think a lot of it will depend on how Vitor has reacted to not being on TRT anymore. I could see a close fight where Vitor is dangerous but Weidman grinds him down over the course of the fight, if they were both in top shape for their ages, but who knows how hard Vitor has been hit by not having TRT.

[Mark Hammer]

Well, Vitor held his own with Jon Jones in the grappling department if I recall correctly (haven't seen the fight in a few years), and I assume Jones is a better grappler than Weidman?

He didn't hold his own, he got ragdolled and submitted. At one point while he was on his back Vitor locked in a tight armbar but Jones escaped and continued beating the piss out of him.

[Mark Hammer]

I am to assume by some of these responses that saying Weidman has better striking is crazy but saying Vitor has better submissions is not. Ok... well I'm just thankful this fight is in a few days so we'll be able to put this behind us soon.

[Nash Diesel]

Vitor has better stand up that Weidman. Weidman has the better grappling. That's just me comparing their fights. I don't even know why there's an argument.

[OD50]

I know Vitor is a Carlson Gracie BB but something about his BJJ skills have never seemed being all that to me (kind of like Wand). I give overall grappling (rasslin/BJJ) to Weidman while overall striking to Belfort.

[Mik]

Why does Vitor undoubtedly have better stand up? He's knocked out more guys because he's faced more guys. Weidman beat Machida and they were standing up almost all the fight and he knocked out Silva...even if you think thats a fluke he was still beating Silva in the stand up. Would Vitor definitely beat Machida in the stand up even? I'm not sure.

I dont especially like Weidman and I would quite like to see Belfort prove that he wasnt all drugs, but I dont see these as being conclusive things. The only conclusion we will get is when we see the fight.

[Mark Hammer]

Vitor has better stand up that Weidman. Weidman has the better grappling. That's just me comparing their fights. I don't even know why there's an argument.

I'd bet the house you said Silva and Machida had better stand up than Weidman too. If his striking is better than those guys' then it is very plausible that it's better than the TRT-less Vitor Belfort's. That's why there is an argument.

[Nash Diesel]

Why does Vitor undoubtedly have better stand up? He's knocked out more guys because he's faced more guys. Weidman beat Machida and they were standing up almost all the fight and he knocked out Silva...even if you think thats a fluke he was still beating Silva in the stand up. Would Vitor definitely beat Machida in the stand up even? I'm not sure.

I dont especially like Weidman and I would quite like to see Belfort prove that he wasnt all drugs, but I dont see these as being conclusive things. The only conclusion we will get is when we see the fight.

I think Vitor could stop Machida. I think Vitor could've just as easily knocked out Anderson Silva especially if Anderson started dancing around like an idiot lol (Fuck off Mark ;))

It's called a discussion. It's boring if we just go "Let's not talk about anything until after the fight because nobody really knows who is better at anything until we see it during the fight". I mean even then, let's say Weidman gets submitted by Vitor, does that automatically mean Vitor's grappling is better overall? Idk.

[Nash Diesel]

I'd bet the house you said Silva and Machida had better stand up than Weidman too. If his striking is better than those guys' then it is very plausible that it's better than the TRT-less Vitor Belfort's. That's why there is an argument.

And? So if I said prior to those fights Silva and Machida had better stand up, what does that have to do with the result? So Matt Serra is a better striker than GSP? I'm just going by what I've seen of the 2. I'm not saying Weidman has bad stand up, he hung in there with Machida, he stopped Anderson so he's at least competent. I mean going the distance with Machida on the feet, that's not exactly some kind of rite of passage lol.

[Percussion]

I don't even know why there's an argument.


It's called a discussion. It's boring if we just go "Let's not talk about anything until after the fight because nobody really knows who is better at anything until we see it during the fight".

So which is it?

[Nash Diesel]

So which is it?

We can talk about the fight but I think it's silly to ARGUE about who has the better striking or grappling when it's, IMO, clear Vitor is the better striker and Weidman is the better grappler. We can talk about how the fight is going to turn out, how each guy is going to handle certain situations.

[Mark Hammer]

There is an argument because you are arrogantly posting absolute nonsense. For example beating Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida striking doesn't prove that Weidman's striking is any more than "competent". And beating Vitor striking won't prove it either. Next it will be Jacare or Rockhold who you lol'ingly swear has better striking than Weidman.

[Nash Diesel]

I'm not posting absolute nonsense. I'm sure there are quite a few people who would say Vitor is the better striker. I see like 5 people on this thread alone saying it. You're just a Weidman mark. See, I'm an Anderson Silva FAN, I'm a BJ Penn FAN, I'm a JDS FAN, you are literally a mark for Chris Weidman. You can't accept that the guy who dethroned Anderson still has more to prove than legends like Vitor. I'm rooting for Weidman, I don't want a dude like Vitor holding a championship with his tainted past, but I'm not going to simply say "Weidman knocked out Anderson Silva, he's the better striker than Vitor!" Like I said, by your logic, Matt Serra is a better striker than GSP.

[Mark Hammer]

'

[kangus]

Really good one on one with Chris Weidman and Ariel.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yllG0vFeGJI

[Mark Hammer]

Vitor's testosterone levels are once again absolutely through the roof. I hope Weidman crushes the cheating slime ball.

[Mark Hammer]

"Testosterone LevelsMale 1-10 yrs: 0.00-0.20 ng/mL; Male 10-14 yrs: 0.10-5.00 ng/mL; Male 14-18 yrs: 1.00-9.50 ng/mL; Adult Male: 2.50 - 9.50 ng/mL

ON March 16, Belfort was tested and scored 12 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) of testosterone in the body, as well as a testosterone-epitestosterone (T/E) 1.7 — the maximum rate allowed by NAC is 6/1. Weidman was tested on March 30, and was 3.7 ng/mL testosterone and a rate T/E of 0.13. The American went through the same exam again on April 27, and appeared with identical testosterone level, and a rate T/E of 0.092. The Brazilian was examined the following day, and had 5 ng/ml of testosterone and rate T/E 1.5.”

10 years older and 4x Chris Weidman's testosterone level... how can anyone be a fan of this fuck bag?

[Mik]

Well that doesn't prove anything. They could've tested Vitor at different times of the day and that wouldn't be a disparity that would be out of the question. Meanwhile if Weidman has been over training and Vitor has not his Testosterone levels being higher would not be unusual. With that said Vitor has cheated in the past and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he is again. I just don't see how anyone could trust him. Even though his body is noticeably less muscular these days, way more so than overeem's dropped post ban.

I don't think it matters either way because I think Weidman is winning, but I did have a dream last night that Vitor beat the shit out of him, hitting him with chairs and everything, so maybe that's suggesting that I think that if Vitor is going to win and it'll be by cheating.

[Defrost]

Arlovski vs Browne was awesome

[Eddie Brock]

Well I'll be dipped in shit. Wow.

[Percussion]

:lol: @ Cerrone trying to get in every last sponsor he can before the uniforms go into effect. That dude is the definition of prize fighter.

[The Law]

Last fight was one of the best I've ever seen. Huge slugfest, looked like the fight was over about ten times before the finish.

[Dream-Evil]

HAh! Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssss

[Mark Hammer]

And stillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll...

[Dream-Evil]

'MURICA

[Tainted Eclipse]

man this has been some show.

[The Law]

Thought Weidman was in trouble...two minutes later he finishes. Stud.

[Defrost]

man this has been some show.

Most fun I've had watching UFC this year

[Defrost]

Dipyourcar.com

[Percussion]

Like that Rumble shirt.

[Tainted Eclipse]

damn johnson got his shit wrecked. guess this says how good jones is.

[Mark Hammer]

Yeah yeah good job paper champ. At least now we'll get Jones/DC 2 which has been requested by no one.

Fantastic event, possibly my favorite ever. I wish Rumble would have won but oh well.

[Dream-Evil]

Haha wow.

[Tainted Eclipse]

HAHAHA, amazing

[Defrost]

Haha what? I cut out once Rumble tapped.

[Tainted Eclipse]

Haha what? I cut out once Rumble tapped.

joe went up to interview cormier and he just ignored the question, screamed into the camera to jones "get your shit together because i'm waiting" and walked out.

[Mark Hammer]

DC said he was waiting for Jones and left the cage. Seriously, that was it.

[Dream-Evil]

Haha what? I cut out once Rumble tapped.

"No disrespect to you Joe Rogan, or the 16,000 people here. I have only one thing to say to someone. *turns to camera* JON JONES, GIT YO' SHIT TOGETHER I'M WAITING FOR YOU" *walks out*

[Mark Hammer]

Yeah DC is waiting for another 5 round beating.

[Defrost]

Hell of a show

[Percussion]

Fantastic night of mixed martial arts all the way around.

[Eddie Brock]

I was wrong with the cardio. I still think Rumble matches up better with Jones than Cormier. Congrats to DC though, he imposed his will. Rumble didn't even bother showing up tonight.

[Percussion]

I was wrong with the cardio. I still think Rumble matches up better with Jones than Cormier. Congrats to DC though, he imposed his will. Rumble didn't even bother showing up tonight.

Jones would handle Johnson similarly.

[Mark Hammer]

It all boils down to Jones' chin. DC proved to have a head made of concrete tonight and that seems to be key to beating Rumble these days... weather the early storm then exploit his shit cardio. I believe Jones/Rumble would have gone pretty much the same way.

[Defrost]

Bader crashed the press conference

[Droid]

So many people were talking trash about Weidman were I watched the fights and I was the only one that was telling people how they need to stop underestimating him. Then he laid waste to trt whore Vitor in under 3 minutes lol. The whole main card was amazing. I'm wondering who they give Arlovski next.

[Ringo]

Haven't watched a full UFC event in a long time so I'm very glad I picked this one to sit down and watch. Hell of a show.

[Mark Hammer]

So many people were talking trash about Weidman were I watched the fights and I was the only one that was telling people how they need to stop underestimating him. Then he laid waste to trt whore Vitor in under 3 minutes lol. The whole main card was amazing. I'm wondering who they give Arlovski next.

I find personal satisfaction out of every opponent he wrecks. Not because I'm a "Weidman mark" but because the stupidity that has surrounded Weidman discussion for the past couple of years is offensively idiotic. I mean it's pretty bad when people are pulling for a known cheater and actually clinging to the hope that he's still juicing to the gills.

[Mark Hammer]

Also I want Velasquez vs Arlovski. Strike while the iron is hot.

[Spedizzo]

Cain would absolutely wreck Arlovski... Waste of a match IMO.

[Mark Hammer]

Cain would absolutely wreck the rest of the HW division. So I guess he should never fight.

[Seanny One Ball]

Please tell me Hapa didn't get creamed by the resurgent Arlovski.

[Eddie Brock]

He was going to get creamed in 2 more seconds.

[Seanny One Ball]

Arlovski is a weird one....he has all the skill of a pro boxer but for years he made some of the stupidest mistakes. Now he's dropping contenders.

I don't know what to make of it at all.

Hapa is even stranger. He went on a tear that I knew he couldn't endure for long and after that he has been found out as a heavy hitter who has virtually no skill whatsoever.

I mean re-watch the Overeem fight. He throws that front kick about 20 times before it lands at all and out of freak luck it KO's the cunt.

[Droid]

I find personal satisfaction out of every opponent he wrecks. Not because I'm a "Weidman mark" but because the stupidity that has surrounded Weidman discussion for the past couple of years is offensively idiotic. I mean it's pretty bad when people are pulling for a known cheater and actually clinging to the hope that he's still juicing to the gills.

Ya its as if it doesn't matter what Vitor does they still want him to win and it's stupid and it sucks for the fighters that he goes against who are usually very good cause no one wants them to win most of the time. What I find odd (and a lot of other people did too) is that Vitor didn't seem to be defending pretty much at all once he got full mounted. Either way he got what was coming to him. Since he lost in two title fights I don't think we will be seeing him in another one for a long time if ever thankfully.

As for who should fight Cain I would say either arlovski or Miocic. Don't laugh but for some reason I wouldn't mind seeing Rothwell get a shot either.

[Droid]

Please tell me Hapa didn't get creamed by the resurgent Arlovski.

You need to download the card if possible. The prelims were kinda meh to me but the main card was just amazing. The Browne/Arlovski fight was my favorite although it is pretty hard to pick a favorite.

[Mark Hammer]

Ya its as if it doesn't matter what Vitor does they still want him to win and it's stupid and it sucks for the fighters that he goes against who are usually very good cause no one wants them to win most of the time. What I find odd (and a lot of other people did too) is that Vitor didn't seem to be defending pretty much at all once he got full mounted. Either way he got what was coming to him. Since he lost in two title fights I don't think we will be seeing him in another one for a long time if ever thankfully.

As for who should fight Cain I would say either arlovski or Miocic. Don't laugh but for some reason I wouldn't mind seeing Rothwell get a shot either.

Cain/Miocic is a shout, Stipe could probably use another win though so he can at least say he's got a win streak going. For what it's worth I scored JDS/Miocic a draw, and I think Miocic is every bit a top 4-5 HW. Rothwell is deserving of a top fight as well but do we really need to see Cain/Rothwell II?

[Droid]

Cain/Miocic is a shout, Stipe could probably use another win though so he can at least say he's got a win streak going. For what it's worth I scored JDS/Miocic a draw, and I think Miocic is every bit a top 4-5 HW. Rothwell is deserving of a top fight as well but do we really need to see Cain/Rothwell II?

We don't really need to see it but im a fan of both so watching them fight and with Rothwell gettijg better all the time and on a small winning streak I wouldn't mind seeing them go at it again.

Well we won't be getting the rematch of him and Cain just yet. Rothwell wants to fight either Miocic, JDS or Arlovski.

http://http://www.foxsports.com/ufc/story/ben-rothwell-wants-junior-dos-santos-stipe-miocic-or-andrei-arlovski-next-091714

[Eddie Brock]

Disappointing main event. I hate Jones, and I'm looking forward to him coming back now. With DC we're going to be seeing boring clinch fights from now on.

As far as Belfort goes I'm disappointed as hell. I find it hard to believe that Weidman finished Belfort in one round where it took Jones four, and Belfort nearly subbed Jones from his back with an armbar. But he couldn't defend himself in the slightest against Weidman?

[Mark Hammer]

He also looked like Raging Brazilian He-Man vs Jones.

[Percussion]

As far as Belfort goes I'm disappointed as hell. I find it hard to believe that Weidman finished Belfort in one round where it took Jones four, and Belfort nearly subbed Jones from his back with an armbar. But he couldn't defend himself in the slightest against Weidman?

Because fights don't play out like a video game simulation. It's not like you take two guys and plug their attributes into a computer and all of a sudden the most likely result that can happen just will. All the training and athleticism and measurables in the world can't always account for the human element of a fight. That's why MMA math so rarely adds up and is essentially useless.

[Spedizzo]

Vitor is older and blew his load against Weidman. He clipped Weidman and used all he had to go for the kill. You don't understand what an energy dump it is when you think you have a match won, start violently swinging with all you have, and for the pace of the match to completely change.

Once Weidman took Vitor down after he survived the blitz, it was over. Weidman is no slouch on the ground and Vitor was spent.

Similar to what happened to Rumble. After the first round Rumble had nothing.

[kangus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OKuNWymjWI

:lol:

[Droid]

Disappointing main event. I hate Jones, and I'm looking forward to him coming back now. With DC we're going to be seeing boring clinch fights from now on.

As far as Belfort goes I'm disappointed as hell. I find it hard to believe that Weidman finished Belfort in one round where it took Jones four, and Belfort nearly subbed Jones from his back with an armbar. But he couldn't defend himself in the slightest against Weidman?

That's cause it seems like you aren't giving Weidman his credit as a legit fighter. Vitor the cheator didn't show up since he can't cheat any more and that hurt him as well. I'm not sure why everyone seems to love Vitor so much when everyone knows he was cheating for so long like Chael Sonnen. Yes he did some good stuff before he cheated for sure but once he started cheating over and over with the trt he should be a laughing stock to everyone.

[Droid]

Vitor is older and blew his load against Weidman. He clipped Weidman and used all he had to go for the kill. You don't understand what an energy dump it is when you think you have a match won, start violently swinging with all you have, and for the pace of the match to completely change.

I think it's because he didn't have all of that cheating energy from the trt that he's used to having. Being championship material means you have to be ready for the match to go any where or any way at any time in my opinion. You have to be an all around fighter no matter when and how the match changes. He gets takin down and now he sucks cause the pace of the match changed makes him non championship material to me.

[OD50]

Think I'm going with DC. submission round 3.
Was very easy to predict. I was 100% sure that DC would grind Rumble out and sub him, if he didn't get blasted early and finished, which very nearly happened.

Stud Weidman beating Saggy tit non-TRT Vitor was pretty much a given. TRT Vitor vs. Weidman could have been interesting, TNT Vitor vs. Weidman not so much. Bring on Luke Rockhold, that should be a evenly fought fight.

[OD50]

Amazing what a little bit of roids/TRT can do. Going from this:
https://noqueando.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/vitor-belfort2.jpg

To this:
http://i57.tinypic.com/10sawrd.jpg

Is pretty crazy. Last pic is what an all natural Belfort should look like I guess.

[Fanny Batter]

In fairness to Vitor, he had one chance of winning this fight, catching Weidman cold and unleashing fists until he goes down. He went for it, it didn't work, then he got the raping we expected. Glad that happened rather than a tentative Vitor pawing away with meaningless jabs and circling while avoiding takedowns for 2 rounds and not doing anything on the feet before tiring, succumbing to the takedown and getting beat. He tried to win, but Weidman was the better man.

Cormier winning like he did was impressive. That overhand by Rumble was an incredible thing to survive. Hopefully he finishes Bader, and he should because that match-up should play out on the feet and I favour both D.C's power and chin in that exchange. Again, Rumble's got nothing to be ashamed of, he needed to go for it early. He can still knock anybody out and I expect him to be back in contention soon.

Holy bollocks Arlovski vs. Browne. Christ. Don't think I've ever been so happy for a fighter, Arlovski was suicidal a few years ago because his career was in tatters, now he's more than likely getting a title shot after this insane knock-down-drag-out fight. Unbelievable. And with that power, and offensive skill on the feet, as a heavyweight, he can actually win, obscenely. Highly unlikely but he's got that belief again. And here was me thinking he was on the fast lane to the nacker yard. Browne got exposed a bit there, he's so confident in his chin that he does not block punches. With his physical attributes he can be great, but it doesn't look like he can put it together.

Cowboy looked sharp. Makdessi's going to feel sore in the morning. Looking forward to Cowboy's title shot, he deserves one.

Benavidez vs. Moraga was excellent, and showed how the ability to decide where a fight goes is huge. Moraga wasn't outclassed anywhere, he just had no say on the control of the fight, and that was it. Benavidez hasn't improved much really so I can't see how he ever challenges Mighty Mouse. Feel he'd win on output against Dodson though.


Great main card.

[Mark Hammer]

That's cause it seems like you aren't giving Weidman his credit as a legit fighter. Vitor the cheator didn't show up since he can't cheat any more and that hurt him as well. I'm not sure why everyone seems to love Vitor so much when everyone knows he was cheating for so long like Chael Sonnen. Yes he did some good stuff before he cheated for sure but once he started cheating over and over with the trt he should be a laughing stock to everyone.

Quite a bit of this... That's why I was dumbfounded when he said Vitor had better submissions... Weidman is a grappling prodigy and Vitor's armbar attempt vs Jones was unsuccessful... and more likely attributed to Jones' arrogance/disregard for Vitor on the ground than it was Vitor's submission skills. Alas to be fair in this argument Weidman's striking did not look to be better than Vitor's.. it was better than Machida's and Silva's though so that shouldn't have been the given that a couple made it out to be.

Also steroids. Overeem fans seemed to accept reality when what everybody expected was confirmed, Belfort fans should as well. He is a fraud.

[OD50]

Even to an AO fan like me it was very, very obvious what was going on. Overeems genetic muscular limit at 10% b/f is roughly 97.5 kilo/214 lbs and 93 kilos/205 lbs at 5% b/f. Quite a difference from that 265+ pound K-1 monster.

https://thecoalfist.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/alistair.jpg

[Eddie Brock]

Weidman was leaking like a broken faucet, and it was clear he was a canvas for Belfort to paint a brutal KO standing. If Weidman had immediately taken Belfort down you can be sure the fight would've lasted longer. This proves it was the exchange on the feet that lead to Belfort's early shower.

[Percussion]

Weidman was leaking like a broken faucet, and it was clear he was a canvas for Belfort to paint a brutal KO standing. If Weidman had immediately taken Belfort down you can be sure the fight would've lasted longer. This proves it was the exchange on the feet that lead to Belfort's early shower.

It actually isn't clear that Belfort would have gotten a KO. It is clear however that Weidman weathered the storm and implemented what he wanted to do in the fight and finished Vitor with ease.

[Mark Hammer]

Did anybody not expect Vitor to open up with a flurry?... it's what Vitor does. While I'm not a fan of the "corner up and let the other guy punch himself out" approach Weidman had the chin and resolve to pull it off. Though for the record most of those punches missed and as Goldberg pointed out, Weidman was cut during that crazy scramble when both fighters were tripping all over the place.

[Droid]

Weidman was leaking like a broken faucet, and it was clear he was a canvas for Belfort to paint a brutal KO standing. If Weidman had immediately taken Belfort down you can be sure the fight would've lasted longer. This proves it was the exchange on the feet that lead to Belfort's early shower.

In the end it comes down to he doesn't have the cheating edge with the trt so he gassed and got wrecked. We will probably see quite a bit higher percentage of loses coming from him since he can't cheat. I think a lot of his big wins over the last few years was because he was either roiding or on trt.

[Droid]

I still get the feeling that Vitor still has a ton of fans and that they don't care that he cheated for a long time.

[Eddie Brock]

Actually Belfort isn't a cheat they allowed TRT, so anyone that wanted it got it so it's all fair if anything it evens the playing field (when not abused), and as we seen, almost everyone was using it. His results were high, but they couldn't do anything to him, because he was allowed to take it, he had plausible excuse or something, so they banned it outright then he took so long off, because he had to get his body to readjust, or he would've fought like a girl instead of an old man. He cheated once plain and simple, and the rest was legal with suspicion of abuse.

[Droid]

It was taken to get an unfair advantage over his opponents. How many of his oponents were doing trt? You look at guys like GSP who beat people on skill and just working hard to get where he's gotten should be the types who get high praise. Not some trt junkie who has a lot more power and energy against his oponent to get his wins. Don't get me wrong he has talent but he also had a lot more help in winning a lot of those fights that got him the two title shots he got over the last couple of years. You know all of this but yet seem to be on his side for some strange reason.

[Mark Hammer]

Actually Belfort isn't a cheat they allowed TRT, so anyone that wanted it got it so it's all fair if anything it evens the playing field (when not abused), and as we seen, almost everyone was using it. His results were high, but they couldn't do anything to him, because he was allowed to take it, he had plausible excuse or something, so they banned it outright then he took so long off, because he had to get his body to readjust, or he would've fought like a girl instead of an old man. He cheated once plain and simple, and the rest was legal with suspicion of abuse.

:eek:

[Spedizzo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OKuNWymjWI

:lol:

hahhahahaha

any questions for Rumble???

[Eddie Brock]

It was taken to get an unfair advantage over his opponents. How many of his oponents were doing trt? You look at guys like GSP who beat people on skill and just working hard to get where he's gotten should be the types who get high praise. Not some trt junkie who has a lot more power and energy against his oponent to get his wins. Don't get me wrong he has talent but he also had a lot more help in winning a lot of those fights that got him the two title shots he got over the last couple of years. You know all of this but yet seem to be on his side for some strange reason.

Belfort actually had an exemption for TRT beforehand that's why the UFC was monitoring his levels so closely prior to his fights, and the fact that you don't know this means I probably shouldn't even respond to the rest of your post, but here goes. Belfort cleared his TRT with the UFC through Marc Ratner who acts as commissioner when they do international shows, and they were checking his levels periodically the same way Nevada does with guys. His levels were fine or else we would've heard otherwise.

[Nash Diesel]

All I thought about when Vitor was cracking Weidman was "Mark Hammer will kill someone if Weidman gets finished in the first 2 minutes by fucking Vitor" lol. Cormier looked good, proved his point about how at the core Johnson is still the guy who Kos choked out years ago. I had a feeling cardio would play into this as Rumble looked done after the first, which was weird but as someone said, he was headhunting and it probably gassed him out quicker.

So we're probably looking at:
Weidman v. Rockhold
Cormier v. Bader
RDA v. Cerrone
Mighty Mouse v. Dodson 2

Those are pretty damn good title fights on the horizon. I read somewhere that Dana White told Bader to "crash" the post-fight lol. I mean I like Bader but I'm not a big fan, he's been kind of under the radar even thoug he's on a decent winning streak. So I'm not jumping up and down for a fight with DC BUTTTTT who else is there?

[Spedizzo]

Bader has a winning streak, but I also do not want to see Bader vs. Cormier as I am not impressed by Bader at all. Sadly, there is no one else in the vicinity of the top 5 rankings except Jones who is suspended, Gustaffson who is injured and just got knocked out, and Phil Davis and Ovince St. Preux who recently lost to Bader.

Is Rampage ranked? He is on a 4 fight winning streak... although he also lost to Bader a few years ago and I doubt he would be able to keep the fight standing against Cormier as his wrestling defense has gone to shit.

I can't believe how shitty the UFC Light Heavyweight division looks right now. Jones is obviously the best, and he has ran through the entire division with ease. All of the old guard (Machida, Shogun, Rampage, Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Lil Nog, etc.) are all either retired or irrelevant now.

[Spedizzo]

Dana White said that although Rockhold is the #1 contender, Jacare will probably face Weidman next, so take that how you will.

The title picture in upcoming months:

Velasquez vs. Werdum
Cormier vs. Bader
Weidman vs. Jacare
Lawler vs. MacDonald
dos Anjos vs. Cerrone
Aldo vs. McGregor
Dillashaw vs. Barao
couldn't be less interested in Flyweight
Rousey vs. Correia

[Nash Diesel]

I'm just kind of sick of the Weidman v. Brazil gimmick.

You should care about 125 especially if the next title fight is Mighty Mouse v. Dodson, that's going to be fast paced and MM is one of the best fighters around. 125 has grown on me, took me a little while, but it also took me awhile to give a shit about 135 and 145.

[Spedizzo]

I've always liked 145 since WEC, and Barao's dominance against Faber followed by Dillashaw putting on a show really got me really into 135.

I will give 125 a chance but I don't know anyone outside of Mighty Mouse, Dodson, and the guy with the mustache.

[Nash Diesel]

Joseph Benevidez is someone you probably know, used to fight at 135 until a year or 2 ago.

There are just too many fighters to keep up on lol. And I'm sure that's what someone who had been following the UFC 10 years ago said when more people started coming in lol. I'm just getting too old to keep up I guess.

[Spedizzo]

I only got into UFC when Lesnar first faced Frank Mir. About a month or so after that I was hardcore into it and caught up on a lot of old stuff/Pride/some WEC. To me, that was such an awesome time in UFC. You had GSP, Anderson Silva, and BJ Penn in the peak of their dominance running through their competitive divisions defending their titles all of the time... Legends and old timers like Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin, Tito Ortiz, Wanderlei Silva were still around... you had guys like Machida, Rampage, Rashad Evans, Shogun, Forrest Griffin who were in the title hunt, and even some random kid name Jon Jones on the prelims. The heavyweight division was being ignited by the popularity Lesnar brought to the sport. Fedor was still considered a thing of Greek mythology and dream matches of him vs. a top UFC heavyweight was all the craze.

I may be biased because it is when I got into the sport, but I feel like from the The Ultimate Fighter 1 finale (Griffin/Bonnar) to around ~UFC 141 (Lesnar vs. Overeem) when Lesnar left the sport was like the Attitude Era of the UFC. And not just because Lesnar left around that time, but that was also the last card of 2011, and with the exception of Jon Jones taking care of business the next 2-3 years, a lot of injuries plagued the sport and UFC went more "corporate."

Over the last few years all of the injuries to the big cards and title fights, the oversaturation of the product being on different FX channels every week, all of the new weight classes being introduced, 100 different Ultimate Fighters going on at once, and the old fighters being phased out really put a dent into me keeping up.

I still enjoy the sport and watch when a big PPV is coming up, or if it is on FX/Fox and I remember... but yeah, it is almost a job to keep up with everything. I just took a look at the rankings when I made my post earlier and I am in shock at how much has changed since I last looked many months ago/year or so ago.

I just feel the lack of personality a lot of fighters have, and the well-rounded style everyone exhibits makes differentiating guys even harder. To me, Luke Rockhold and Tim Kennedy seem like the same guy. But it just makes it that more special when a fight you anticipate (Cain vs. Werdum, Aldo vs. McGregor, or even this last UFC card) takes place I guess.

[Mark Hammer]

Bader has a winning streak, but I also do not want to see Bader vs. Cormier as I am not impressed by Bader at all. Sadly, there is no one else in the vicinity of the top 5 rankings except Jones who is suspended, Gustaffson who is injured and just got knocked out, and Phil Davis and Ovince St. Preux who recently lost to Bader.

Is Rampage ranked? He is on a 4 fight winning streak... although he also lost to Bader a few years ago and I doubt he would be able to keep the fight standing against Cormier as his wrestling defense has gone to shit.

I can't believe how shitty the UFC Light Heavyweight division looks right now. Jones is obviously the best, and he has ran through the entire division with ease. All of the old guard (Machida, Shogun, Rampage, Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Lil Nog, etc.) are all either retired or irrelevant now.

He should be ranked... he shouldn't have ever dropped out of the top ten to be honest. Losses to Jones (c), Bader (top ten) and, Glover (top five at the time) shouldn't drop you out of the top ten, especially when you rebound with a winning streak. Shogun was getting KTFO left and right and Sherdog kept him in it's top ten long after they took Rampage out.... lots of bias in play... anyways I think Rumble's loss sets up Rampage/Rumble marvelously. That's a FOX card headliner if I've ever seen one.

[Mark Hammer]

Also why are we looking at RDA/Cerrone II over RDA/Khabib II? Cerrone's got a nice streak going but it's topped off by a win over journeyman Makdessi and a bullshit decision nod over Benson.

[Spedizzo]

Ahhh Rampage vs. Anthony Johnson would be fun as hell.

Is it more beneficial for UFC to have a match like that headline FOX or a PPV?

[Spedizzo]

Also why are we looking at RDA/Cerrone II over RDA/Khabib II? Cerrone's got a nice streak going but it's topped off by a win over journeyman Makdessi and a bullshit decision nod over Benson.

True... Khabib is undefeated and has a win over the champ. Is Khabib still hurt though?

If not, he should definitely get the shot first. Cerrone I guess would be next deserving for being such a trooper and fighting pretty much anyone at any time. He is like a modern Chris Leben.

[Nash Diesel]

Also why are we looking at RDA/Cerrone II over RDA/Khabib II? Cerrone's got a nice streak going but it's topped off by a win over journeyman Makdessi and a bullshit decision nod over Benson.

Is this is a serious question? You're curious as to why a guy who hasn't fought in over a year isn't next in line over a guy who hasn't lost a fight in 2 years riding an 8 fight winning streak??????? I get it, he beat RDA, but come on, Cowboy is 8-0 since his loss to RDA, Khabib can't be trusted to stay healthy long enough to even warrant a gifted title shot lol. A nice streak is what Khabib has been on since joining the UFC, an incredible streak that 100% warrants the next title shot is what Cerrone is doing.

[Nash Diesel]

True... Khabib is undefeated and has a win over the champ. Is Khabib still hurt though?

If not, he should definitely get the shot first. Cerrone I guess would be next deserving for being such a trooper and fighting pretty much anyone at any time. He is like a modern Chris Leben.

Khabib is ALWAYS hurt. He's been in the UFC going on 4 years and has had I think only 5 fights. Like I said above, I get that he has a win over RDA, so does Clay Guida lol, but Cerrone has worked his ass off and is deserving of a title shot.

[Mark Hammer]

Is this is a serious question? You're curious as to why a guy who hasn't fought in over a year isn't next in line over a guy who hasn't lost a fight in 2 years riding an 8 fight winning streak??????? I get it, he beat RDA, but come on, Cowboy is 8-0 since his loss to RDA, Khabib can't be trusted to stay healthy long enough to even warrant a gifted title shot lol. A nice streak is what Khabib has been on since joining the UFC, an incredible streak that 100% warrants the next title shot is what Cerrone is doing.

Yeah, I'm gonna say the guy who has a win over the champ is more deserving than the guy coming off a win over John Makdessi (and who dropped a 30-27 to RDA already).

Laughably pathetic Guida comparison. How many fights has Khabib lost since he beat RDA?

[Mark Hammer]

Ahhh Rampage vs. Anthony Johnson would be fun as hell.

Is it more beneficial for UFC to have a match like that headline FOX or a PPV?

Well it won't headline a ppv, UFC has been pretty adamant about headlining ppvs with title fights... the only exceptions being Silva/Diaz and Hendo/Rashad (only on account of the scheduled title fight for that card being pulled). It would make one hell of a co-main, maybe alongside a weaker drawing champion headliner such as DJ... but imo would be ideal for a FOX card.

[Nash Diesel]

Yeah, I'm gonna say the guy who has a win over the champ is more deserving than the guy coming off a win over John Makdessi (and who dropped a 30-27 to RDA already).

Laughably pathetic Guida comparison. How many fights has Khabib lost since he beat RDA?

He hasn't even fought since RDA, unless that was the joke. I'm just saying, how can you deny a guy who's on an 8-fight winning streak who's only loss in 2 years was to the sitting champion....I think Cerrone has racked up a better win streak inside the UFC than Khabib has not to mention Khabib has pulled out of quite a few fights over the years, I don't think you should reward him a title shot just because he beat the champion over a year ago. Cerrone has earned this more than anyone in the division. You can say what you want about his last win, but it's a bigger win than pretty much all but 1 of Khabib's wins in the UFC.

The Guida comment was a joke.

The RDA-Cerrone fight was 2 years ago, again, Cerrone, 8 fight winning streak, he's beaten a lot of top 10 guys since RDA, and I get where you're coming from I truly do but come on.....8 FIGHT WINNING STREAK, always steps up when asked to fill in on short notice, incredible fighter, he deserves it, he has earned it. Khabib probably will never return and if he does, he sure as fuck does not deserve a title shot just because he beat RDA. He hasn't done anything since to prove he deserves it. It's almost like some MMA Math type shit lol.

[Percussion]

Really don't see any issue with Cerrone getting the title fight with RDA. His scheduled fight with Khabib was essentially a title eliminator. And while caving in Makdessi shouldn't necessarily vault him to number one contender, the fact that he's still healthy, fighting, and winning, while Khabib is peeling himself off the surgery table again should make sense enough. I understand Khabib is looking at an October return and has already called out Pettis should he be ready by then.

We can just kill all these birds with one stone here in Houston at 192 ...

Donald Cerrone vs Rafael Dos Anjos - LW Title
Khabib Nurma... vs. Anthony Pettis - Number 1 Cont.
Rampage Jackson vs. Rumble Johnson - cause, awesome

[OD50]

Ahhh Rampage vs. Anthony Johnson would be fun as hell.

Is it more beneficial for UFC to have a match like that headline FOX or a PPV?
It's a fight peeps would be willing to pay for I believe, so PPV. I can almost guarantee it would look like Rampage/Bader or Rumble/Dan Hardy though.

[OD50]

Anyone who thinks Rumble would stand and trade instead of grapple fucking Rampage is are fooling themselves.

[Nash Diesel]

According to Dana White, Cerrone is getting the next title shot against RDA.

Rumble v. Rampage should definitely happen next. I do wonder where the fuck Rampage's wrestling went in his skillset. I want to see him slam some people more often.

[Spedizzo]

While Rumble is a good wrestler, I think he has a better chance to win standing with Rampage than wrestling him. Rumble has absolutely awful cardio, and wrestling Rampage who will defend some takedowns might tire him out. Rumble has the ability to knock anyone out who stands with him.

[Mark Hammer]

So does Rampage, and Rampage doesn't gas 2 minutes into each fight. Rampage also has a legendary chin and excellent stun recovery.

Not saying Rampage necessarily beats Rumble but he's also not a tailor made opponent for him to beat.

[Mark Hammer]

Anyone who thinks Rumble would stand and trade instead of grapple fucking Rampage is are fooling themselves.

There's a big chance one of them gets knocked out early... no I don't think Rumble would be scared to stand with Rampage, at least not until he got tagged.

Rumble also doesn't have the offensive wrestling of Bader, and Rampage's defensive wrestling hasn't deteriorated to anything resembling Dan Hardy's quite yet. So I disagree that Rampage/Rumble would look like either of those fights.

[Mark Hammer]

According to Dana White, Cerrone is getting the next title shot against RDA.

Rumble v. Rampage should definitely happen next. I do wonder where the fuck Rampage's wrestling went in his skillset. I want to see him slam some people more often.

He slammed Ryan Bader on top of his head without full use of either leg. And I'm pretty sure the only reason Fabio Maldonado got him down is because Fabio Maldonado has never shot for a takedown so nobody was expecting it.

[OD50]

So does Rampage, and Rampage doesn't gas 2 minutes into each fight. Rampage also has a legendary chin and excellent stun recovery.

Not saying Rampage necessarily beats Rumble but he's also not a tailor made opponent for him to beat.
To be fair he gassed so badly because Cormier put on a wrestling grind clinic on him. He went 3 rounds with Davis and Arlovski without gassing all that bad. It was a masterful display of wrestling by DC designed to tire Rumble out, most people are just saying Rumble gassed though. Nope DC gassed him out.

[Nash Diesel]

I think it was a mixture of both DC's aggressive style and Rumble headhunting after that first big shot that wabbled DC. Cormier claimed prior to the Jones fight that he was the "grind king" which is why Jones took him 5 rounds and then said "no I'm the king of the grind" lol. Just dominated him in every aspect. But DC did just that against Rumble, grinded him out until the time was right to choke him out. Maybe he was right, maybe Rumble is still at the core the same dude who got choked out by Kos back in the day. I think he still has room to improve and be champion in the future.

[Droid]

I'll just leave this here.


m.youtube.com/watch?v=oy0O5gQ6Jp4

[Mark Hammer]

If it weren't for inadequate judges Cerrone would be on a 1 fight win streak right now over John Makdessi. I wouldn't go as far as to say he "deserves" this shot because I don't think he does, but there isn't anyone else plausible atm so I see why he gets it by default.

[Fanny Batter]

I think it's more the fact that he has been one of the most consistent fighters on the roster, always turns up to fight and punches the clock 4 times a year while others won't accept fights without full training camps and on the road etc. He's a warrior, and occasionally when there aren't many candidates, those guys jump to the front of the pack. I don't see him having anything for Pettis, RDA or Khabib, and I don't think he beats Benson more than 1/4 of the time either, but he deserves his day in the sun.

[Mik]

Finally just caught up with this card.

Out of interest, I think that Rumble would be better off fighting at heavyweight. If that is his natural weight and he isnt cutting much and still gassing so quickly...then that isnt his right weight division. He wouldnt be a bad size for heavyweight at all, the fighters are less skilled there, he's still going to have knockout power, he'd have pretty good wrestling as far as a heavyweight is concerned and I've not seen much in the way of a weak chin, plus he's as strong as an ox. He was as strong as Cormier (who must be one of the strongest guys in the UFC) until he gassed.

[Mark Hammer]

Rumble could find success at HW, he does have a somewhat recent win over the current #4 HW... but 205 isn't the deepest of divisions and it would take a hit without him. Cardio is something that can be worked on anyways.

[Mik]

He's never managed it though.

It also absolutely baffled me the level of fight IQ from some of the top MMA fighters. Belfort tagged Weidman once and then completely blew himself out by smashing hooks into his defence while Weidman had his guard up. He was open for uppercuts (which he FINALLY landed that woke Weidman up) and particularly to the body and Belfort never went there once. He was utterly gassed when Weidman took him down ridiculously easy, mounted him ridiculously easy and then punched him out. Stupid fight tactics from Belfort. I'm not saying he was going to win, but his only chance was to buzz Weidman early and then take him out before he has time to recover. Now he definitely buzzed Weidman early (nobody willingly goes back to the cage and covers up) and then completely wasted any opportunity to take advantage of it.

Same with Johnson, throwing everything into every combination. Everyone knows Cormier is durable, AJ was definitely beating him in the stand up and is bigger enough than him to fight from distance plus he is quicker than Cormier, just as strong as Cormier (when not gassed, as evidenced by the fact that when they were both fresh Cormier found it difficult to drag him to the ground), so if Cormier is having to shoot in and close the difference AJ should be able to pot shot him and get away. Maybe throw a few shots to the body and soften him up for later rounds. Instead he got in close with one of the best clinch and cage fighters in the game. Stupid.

[Mik]

He's never managed it though.

It also absolutely baffled me the level of fight IQ from some of the top MMA fighters. Belfort tagged Weidman once and then completely blew himself out by smashing hooks into his defence while Weidman had his guard up. He was open for uppercuts (which he FINALLY landed that woke Weidman up) and particularly to the body and Belfort never went there once. He was utterly gassed when Weidman took him down ridiculously easy, mounted him ridiculously easy and then punched him out. Stupid fight tactics from Belfort. I'm not saying he was going to win, but his only chance was to buzz Weidman early and then take him out before he has time to recover. Now he definitely buzzed Weidman early (nobody willingly goes back to the cage and covers up) and then completely wasted any opportunity to take advantage of it.

Same with Johnson, throwing everything into every combination. Everyone knows Cormier is durable, AJ was definitely beating him in the stand up and is bigger enough than him to fight from distance plus he is quicker than Cormier, just as strong as Cormier (when not gassed, as evidenced by the fact that when they were both fresh Cormier found it difficult to drag him to the ground), so if Cormier is having to shoot in and close the difference AJ should be able to pot shot him and get away. Maybe throw a few shots to the body and soften him up for later rounds. Instead he got in close with one of the best clinch and cage fighters in the game. Stupid.

I sometimes think that the likes of Dom Cruz and Jon Jones are so good because they are two of the only few that have legitimate well rounded fight IQ to go with their obvious skills.

[Mark Hammer]

I could be wrong but I thought Weidman looked pretty composed when he had his back to the cage. He was defending almost every shot and had his eyes on Belfort the entire time, like he was just waiting for him to blow his load.

Not gonna lie though when Belfort initially tagged him and Weidman backed up I thought it was over.

[Mik]

I could be wrong but I thought Weidman looked pretty composed when he had his back to the cage. He was defending almost every shot and had his eyes on Belfort the entire time, like he was just waiting for him to blow his load.

Not gonna lie though when Belfort initially tagged him and Weidman backed up I thought it was over.

I dont necessarily disagree, but that is still a defensive position. He didnt do that voluntarily as a tactical move, he did it because he was hurt. He said in the post fight press conference when asked what was going through his mind at that point was that he was thinking it was like a video game where he was standing blocking most of the stuff which Belfort's energy bar was draining, then Belfort landed a hard uppercut and he was like 'Yup, its time to get out of here'. Thats probably mostly true I'd say, but he also claimed that Belfort never hurt him in the first place...which I'd say is probably not true.