UFC 202 DIAZ V. MCREGOR 2

[Nash Diesel]

http://www.razorgator.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/UFC-202-Tickets.png

UFC 202
Live! August 20th, 2016
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, USA

Main Card:

Main Event
Nate Diaz v. FW Champion Conor McGregor (WW)

Rumble Johnson v. Glover Teixeria (LHW)
Rick Story v. Donald Cerrone (WW)
Hyun Gyu Lim v. Mike Perry (WW)
Tim Means v. Sabah Homasi (WW)

Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
Cody Garbrandt v. Takeya Mizugaki (BW)
Raquel Pennington v. Elizabeth Phillips (WBW)
Artem Lobov v. Chris Avila (FW)
Randa Markos v. Cortney Casey (WSW)

Prelims (Fight Pass)
Neil Magny v. Lorenz Larkin (WW)
Colby Covington v. Max Griffin (WW)
Alberto Uda v. Marvin Vettori (MW)



Arguably one of the biggest rematches that has no reason to even be happening in the first place other than to bank on a trilogy and huge ppv buy. I don't know if this one will sniff the first fight in terms of ppv buys and I'm not sure it will go any different than the last time in terms of who wins. But I will definitely respect opponent change at the last minute, Diaz not being in fighting shape when he got the call, etc. so who knows. I know McGregor is basically saying if he wins, he's not going back to FW to defend his title as there will be a 3rd fight at the end of the year if all goes to his plan which I would assume means he's going to be stripped of the title for not defending in a year. If Diaz wins, I'm not sure where that puts him but you'd think he'd be given a title shot at 155 or at the very least a #1 contender fight to get the title shot at 155-170, depends on where they want him to go I guess.

Rumble/Glover should be beastly. A lot of WW fights on this card, half the card is WW. I like Cerrone's venture to 170 and Rick Story is a bad dude so let's hope Cerrone brings his A-game.

I won't be getting this show, but I'm hoping someone else will so I can go watch it lol. I don't do the bar scene or eating establishments as it's just too crowded, not my thing.

[Percussion]

Think we're at the fill mark on the scribbly-face poster.

[Nash Diesel]

Think we're at the fill mark on the scribbly-face poster.

HAHA

[kangus]

Well that was an interesting press conference!

[Mik]

I really like when people read so much into these things.

[Murphy]

Been getting back into the UFC again recently. Its like the WWE back in the day for us in the UK in that it's live on BT Sport, not PPV. Boom.

[Beer-Belly]

Nick Diaz talked to a kid that was allegedly hit by one of McGregor's bottles:

https://streamable.com/2qco

:lol:

I'll never figure out whether I like or dislike the Diaz brothers, but their antics are always good for a laugh.

EDIT: Sounds like it was someone related to Diaz's crew rather than a fan. Still funny, though.

[Nash Diesel]

I'm with you Beer Belly. It's a love hate relationship depending on the situation. When they're fighting in the crowd, jumping the cage, bailing on media appearances, scoffing at the drug policy all while not winning fights and asking for 7 figures....But then there are times where these boys make good points about certain situations and I've never looked down on their skills as they are really good fighters.

[Mark Hammer]

I'm with you Beer Belly. It's a love hate relationship depending on the situation. When they're fighting in the crowd, jumping the cage, bailing on media appearances, scoffing at the drug policy all while not winning fights and asking for 7 figures....But then there are times where these boys make good points about certain situations and I've never looked down on their skills as they are really good fighters.
I used to not care for them personally but always admired their fighting style and fighter attitude. Nate is a funny motherfucker though and i cant bring myself to dislike him at all anymore. Plus I loved it when he whooped on Cerrone back in the day.

[Spedizzo]

Nick Diaz talked to a kid that was allegedly hit by one of McGregor's bottles:

https://streamable.com/2qco

:lol:

I'll never figure out whether I like or dislike the Diaz brothers, but their antics are always good for a laugh.

EDIT: Sounds like it was someone related to Diaz's crew rather than a fan. Still funny, though.

Nick Diaz is P4P best unintentional troll of all time

The Diaz brothers initially got their cult following/fans by just being their extremely awkward selves. Now they are becoming legit superstars and are just riding the wave

[Spedizzo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orEhbmKU76M

[RuneEdge]

Nick Diaz is P4P best unintentional troll of all time

Great title to have. :yes:

[Nash Diesel]

I used to not care for them personally but always admired their fighting style and fighter attitude. Nate is a funny motherfucker though and i cant bring myself to dislike him at all anymore. Plus I loved it when he whooped on Cerrone back in the day.

Nate always seemed to be the more calm, relaxed Diaz. He would always put over his brother like when they wouldn't even let him in the building to corner Nate or just randomly during a post-fight with Rogan he'd say "First off props to the best fighter in the world my brother Nick Diaz". This is probably a foreign comparison to some but they remind me of the brother rappers Necro and ILL Bill. Anyway....Yeah as time goes by I've been able to kind of push the nonsense to the side and really appreciate them. I was happy for Nate to play spoiler and derail Conor's path to absurd demands, I just got sick and tired of hearing his shit over and over. And don't get me wrong, a lot of it is very clever, Conor deserves all the props in the world but it was time he was brought back down to planet Earth, even for a moment.

I'm kind of over the whole shit talking from Conor toward Nate, it doesn't really matter anymore what he has to say because he straight up lost, there was no * next to the win for Nate or anything it was just a typical Diaz victory IMHO. Get bloody, pick your shots, and go in for the kill and that's how Nate's fought shit since TUF 5. I hope he wins tomorrow I really do and it's not because of anything really outside of wanting shit to go back to "normal". Get McGregor to defend his strap against Aldo, give Nate a huge fight at 155. I'm guessin win lose or draw both of these things are going to happen for both men especially Dana's recent interviews about McGregor's next fight being a 145 title fight but you know Dana, says one thing does 10 other things that contradict the first lol.

[Clutch]

I really really really hope Diaz beats him again. Wanna see Connor's head deflate a bit more.

[Spedizzo]

I still think this fight being at 170 is ridiculous

It should absolutely be at 155

There is no justification for it being at 170 other than Conor being obnoxious

Conor fighting legitimate sized Welterweights is laughable

Can you imagine the size advantage welterweights who cut down in weight would have... someone like Wonderboy would have over him? Tyron Woodley would ragdoll him.

[Bert]

Fuck a 3rd fight. I didn't even care much about a 2nd one.

[TheRockSays]

my parlay of Cowboy, Rumble by KO, and the Notorious One by cards turned out very well.

[John Cocktoastin]

Now that was a main event. I thought for sure Diaz was going to sleep early in the 2nd round... but that motherfucker was only just getting warmed up.

Conor going past 3 rounds was something else.

Like Conor or not, you've gotta admit that he is one tough little cocksucker.

I definitely want to see a 3rd and decisive fight between them. Conor barely survived at times...

[Eddie Brock]

I was pulling for McGregor, like I said yesterday, and while I'm enjoying the salt from the Diaz side getting shut up, I'll leave it there. These guys put on a fight that was everything fans could've asked for other than a knockout. Props to both of them for leaving it all out there and showing respect for each other at the end. I wasn't sure which way the decision would go McGregor had more precision in the damage he did while Diaz had more overall power in his. Damage isn't all visual. Diaz bleeds from a gust of wind, and he's not the one walking away with a broken foot. There can be no cries of robbery. What I'm impressed about is McGregor's condition and fighting heart though, and I said this before the result was announced. The thing that pissed me off after the first fight was the accusations of frailty and mental weakness directed towards McGregor. He's an Irish warrior...end of story. If Diaz didn't respect him after the first fight he will now.

[John Cocktoastin]

oh, there's definitely respect there now. Diaz don't fuck around; he wouldn't have hugged the little motherfucker if he didn't mean it.

they are both real men. no denying that.

[Bert]

Yeah yeah they're both good fighters, whatever.

Connor needs to defend the belt or drop it already.

[John Cocktoastin]

he should have been stripped of it as soon as he abandoned the weight class.

[Seanny One Ball]

It is incredibly disrespectful to the featherweight division to actively ignore it for 8/9 months just to go fight the same guy twice.
After the loss he should have been told it's featherweight or nothing now.

Shit I don't even like Connor Mcgregor, he's a cocky little bastard and it would give me great pleasure to watch a guy with decent ground game tie him in knots or even just a powerful wrestler punch his head in.
I don't tend to hate fighters but I honestly think it's close with that little twat.

The UFC really hasn't retained a huge deal of interest for me since I stopped watching it live and it's the ridiculous way that fights are arranged that put paid to that.

I've said it before and I'll say it again Dana White and the Fertitta brothers are the worst thing for the sport right now and only good would come of their removal from the driving seat.

[Mik]

You do realise that the fertittas have sold the UFC and the completion last week now means that they have no controlling interest whatsoever?

[Seanny One Ball]

No I did not

[Percussion]

And Dana is still operating as president of day-to-day operations for the foreseeable future.

[Spedizzo]

Event was fun. The bar I was at was insanely packed compared to any other UFC event I had ever previously attended.

The only prelim fights I was really interested in was Avila vs. Lobov for the Diaz/McGregor camp aspect of it and Cody Garbrandt's fight.

-Lobov utilized leg kicks very well, and it is something I had a good feeling Conor was going to utilize against Nate (and honestly, ANYONE fighting Nate should utilize because every time Nate gets his ass kicked it starts with leg kicks). Avila has potential, but Lobov's experience and gameplan was just much better.

-Cody Garbrandt obviously looked awesome. He has a plethora of first round knock outs. Is he ready for Cruz? Probably. Can he beat Cruz? Who is to say? His time competed in the octagon is so small because of how quick he has disposed of people so we don't know much about him. If Cruz keeps the fight going in the later rounds he obviously has the advantage. And this is definitely the likely outcome because Cruz is so elusive and won't engage in dangerous striking contests. Cody has never been taken into deep waters. This fight definitely has juice to if it is booked.

-Don't have much to say about the first two fights on the main card. Tim Means and Perry both looked great.

-Cowboy looked amazing. I thought Rick Story would be the one taking Cowboy down. Cowboy beat the crap out of Rick Story everywhere. The combination he used to put Rick Story down at the end was something straight out of EA UFC 2 the video game. Cowboy just leapfrogged over everyone in the Welterweight rankings, although he said he wants to go down to Lightweight. I think he should stay at Welterweight based on how badass he has looked.

-Anthony Johnson did what Anthony Johnson does. If the fight lasted longer than a round and a half he probably would have been submitted. A lot of people coming inside from smoke breaks/bathroom breaks in the bar missed the fight and were pissed that it ended so quick.

-The main event was as Joe Rogan described - a dog fight. I rewatched the fight online, and after second viewing, honestly, it could have been much more favorably scored toward Diaz in my view. Round 2 was scored by every judge to Conor, but other than the knockdowns Conor got on earlier in the round, the second half of the round consisted of Conor running, being gassed, and Nate essentially starting to really beat the fuck out of Conor. Conor was in much more danger than Nate in this round. This round could have easily been scored a draw or for Diaz. If this was the case, Diaz wins the fight. Conor ran and clockwatched for much of the fight and was in a lot more dangerous situations due to his cardio and the pressure Diaz was putting on him than any time Diaz was knocked down. I thought for sure a couple times it was over when Diaz started hitting combinations along the fence. It reminded me of their first fight and I was just waiting for Conor to crumble.

I don't think Conor will drop down in weight and face Aldo based on what he is saying. I think it is a combination of he is just not excited about fighting Aldo again and doing a media tour with Aldo again, as well as the weight cut being brutal. I can see Conor being stripped, and Conor waiting for Aldo to lose the belt before he makes a return to Featherweight. I also think Lightweight consists of just AWFUL matches all around for Conor with the likes of Khabib and Alvarez around, so I don't know. He also has boxers calling him out, and a third match with Diaz as a possibility.

While the Diaz/Conor triology's importance is insignificant, it is $$$, and I think Diaz deserves a rematch, especially with the result of this one.

Conor definitely had that "suprise, suprise muddfukka the king is back" line planned all training camp.

[Seanny One Ball]

Diaz is the one coming out of this looking like a great fighter. Conor just looks ungrateful for his title. I'd be pissed if I was in the FW division seeing the champ ignore it for nearly a year.

[Nash Diesel]

I would definitely welcome DC v. Rumble 2 before Jones gets a title shot. Which is odd coming from me as I feel Jones is the best fighter on the planet and should get it...but Idk. Rumble killed Glover in 13 seconds, when was the last time Jones finished someone let alone in 13 seconds? Plus you never know what Jones' suspension will be, you can still get suspended for at least 6 months even if you didn't know it was a tainted supplement. Don't really feel like waiting 6 months to see DC defend his title.

Conor isn't going back to 145. We can joke about what Dana White said, that he WOULD be going back to 145 but it's just not going to happen. I say you give him a top guy at 155 but not the champ, McGregor going 1-1 against Nate Diaz doesn't equal title shot I don't give a fuck how much money you can draw, what about the cats who have busted their ass to get in the top 5-10? Anyway....155 is fucked up as well. You have Khabib who hasn't done jack shit in 2 years laying claim to a title shot, you have Tony Ferguson who's been putting in the work, but now he's set to face RDA and if he wins that fight, he no doubt should be next in line. Alvarez wants a piece of McGregor but we all know that has more to do with $$$ than fighting the top contenders. 155 is a solid division that I think Conor could thrive in but he needs to truly earn that title shot just like he did at 145.

[Seanny One Ball]

Tony Ferguson hasn't lost since 2012. That is some streak. Tough names in there too. Jesus is the d'arce choke his finisher or something? That's not a common move.

[Nash Diesel]

He has like the perfect arms to execute that move. Tony should be the guy getting the next title shot. Khabib has a stake in the sense that once upon a time he beat 1 top 10 guy 2 years ago who wound up winning the title. That's really it, I mean yeah he's like 20-0, but he's so inactive, 2 fights in 2 years? Fuck that.

[Spedizzo]

Khabib may not be as deserving, but I still think he is the most dominant fighter in the division by leaps and bounds. I don't think he has lost an official round in the UFC. The guy brings in the Russian audience and has a no fucks given personality like Nate Diaz. If UFC marketed him correctly, he can be pretty big. I don't think people know him other than he is somehow the #1 lightweight in the world and has the hardest name to pronounce.

Tony Ferguson is more like Jim Miller to me. He has good wins and is on a great streak, but it is just going to burst. He almost just got knocked out multiple times by a guy with 8 fights who made his debut on short notice.

Doesn't matter anyway, Ferguson vs. RDA is booked already. Winner of that should face winner of Khabib vs. Eddie Alvarez. Lets settle this deserving lightweight threesome/foursome that has been going on for a couple years now.

Eddie Alvarez needs to stop being a cunt and and sign against Khabib.


http://m0.sportsjoe.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/27103936/Khabib-Nurmagomedov.jpeg

[Nash Diesel]

Yeah but what are you basing that opinion of Khabib on? He looks dominant against lesser talent, seriously look at his record in the UFC, maybe 2 guys were ranked top 10 at the time he fought them and that's Tibau and RDA. Outside of that....Nothing really to brag about. I would never say that guy is the most dominant fighter at 155 by LEAPS and BOUNDS when he has only fought the elite once and that was 2 over 2 years ago.

[Spedizzo]

Have you ever tried stopping a Khabib takedown in EA UFC 2 the video game?

can't be much different in real life

leaps and bounds might have been incorrect. But he is ranked 1, undefeated, and Tony Ferguson and RDA are booked. It makes sense to put Khabib against Alvarez and then have the winners of each fight eachother. Eddie Alvarez' resume was quite shit when he got his title shot and he is calling the shots like he is Floyd Mayweather right now.

I am just a big fan of Khabib's constant trolling on Twitter of everyone

[Seanny One Ball]

Did you seriously just make that comparison with a computer game?

[Mark Hammer]

Yeah yeah they're both good fighters, whatever.

Connor needs to defend the belt or drop it already.
Aldo went for longer periods of time without defending and unlike Conor who never pulls out Aldo backed out of at least half of his scheduled fights. Just some perspective.

On topic Conor is the man (so is Nate) and im happy with how this fight turned out.

[Mark Hammer]

Yeah but what are you basing that opinion of Khabib on? He looks dominant against lesser talent, seriously look at his record in the UFC, maybe 2 guys were ranked top 10 at the time he fought them and that's Tibau and RDA. Outside of that....Nothing really to brag about. I would never say that guy is the most dominant fighter at 155 by LEAPS and BOUNDS when he has only fought the elite once and that was 2 over 2 years ago.

He absolutely ragdolled RDA who went on a dominant run becoming a defending champ immediately after. It is absurd to discredit his UFC run and he is undeniably deserving of the next shot.

[Mark Hammer]

He has like the perfect arms to execute that move. Tony should be the guy getting the next title shot. Khabib has a stake in the sense that once upon a time he beat 1 top 10 guy 2 years ago who wound up winning the title. That's really it, I mean yeah he's like 20-0, but he's so inactive, 2 fights in 2 years? Fuck that.

I find it hard to agree that Ferguson should be next in line considering he came very close to being destroyed by a jobber his last fight. Wouldn't be the easiest sell right now.

[Mark Hammer]

he should have been stripped of it as soon as he abandoned the weight class.

Lame. He 'abandoned' the weight class to take part in a champ vs champ superfight. The other champ bitched out at the last minute so unlike what most would do Conor accepted a dangerous last minute replacement to save the card. So yeah let's strip him and hand the title back to the guy he absolutely clowned to win it in the first place.

[Nash Diesel]

He absolutely ragdolled RDA who went on a dominant run becoming a defending champ immediately after. It is absurd to discredit his UFC run and he is undeniably deserving of the next shot.


I find it hard to agree that Ferguson should be next in line considering he came very close to being destroyed by a jobber his last fight. Wouldn't be the easiest sell right now.

Ferguson has at least been active. Neither of their last wins were against any ranked fighters. Khabib's win from 2 years ago against RDA shouldn't warrant him a title shot. I wish the 2 times the Khabib/Ferguson fight was made they fought but unfortunately both times one or the other pulled out.

Selling Khabib as a viable contender against the champ based on being undefeated but only 1 real solid win out of 20 or whatever, that's a hard sell. Like those guys they put up against Mighty Mouse. Khabib I think will more than likely get the nod no matter what I personally think about his accomplishments because he is undefeated and that's something to be proud of for sure. But he's so unreliable, has only fought twice in 2 years, and then you have Tony Ferguson who has been active finishing dudes left and right, tough tough guys and now he has to fight RDA to MAYBE secure that title shot. And it's not like Tony is a Jon Fitch where he's 8-0 but 90% of the fights were boring as fuck and then he FINALLY got a title shot because there was no one left and no other reason as to WHY. Tony is exciting and should get the nod but again, I can respect why Khabib would if it's based on being undefeated and beating the former champion 28 months ago....

[Seanny One Ball]

By these rights TJ Grant is still the #1 LW contender :headbang:

[Mark Hammer]

Diaz is the one coming out of this looking like a great fighter. Conor just looks ungrateful for his title. I'd be pissed if I was in the FW division seeing the champ ignore it for nearly a year.

Name one fighter at 145 who was deserving of the shot this entire time other than Frankie pre-200 or Aldo post-200. Fuck that division, Conor is bigger than it. He deserved his requested rematch vs Nate considering all the circumstances. Again he could have very well said piss off to fighting Diaz the first time and the very hyped 196 card would have been fucked, not to mention all the fans who flew in, booked hotels, etc. Haters gonna hate but maybe they can at least attempt to be reasonable?

[Mark Hammer]

By these rights TJ Grant is still the #1 LW contender :headbang:

TJ Grant is retired is he not? So no.

[Seanny One Ball]

Name one fighter at 145 who was deserving of the shot this entire time other than Frankie pre-200 or Aldo post-200. Fuck that division, Conor is bigger than it. He deserved his requested rematch vs Nate considering all the circumstances. Again he could have very well said piss off to fighting Diaz the first time and the very hyped 196 card would have been fucked, not to mention all the fans who flew in, booked hotels, etc. Haters gonna hate but maybe they can at least attempt to be reasonable?

Max Holloway


TJ Grant is retired is he not? So no.

:rolleyes:

[Nash Diesel]

Frankie should have been next, not a gifted 155 title shot. In hindsight from a ppv buy standpoint, the first Diaz-McGregor fight, props to them for the money they made. UFC 200, should not have been the rematch, the rematch should never have happened. That's me with my "why do fighters who have to climb the ranks not matter anymore?" glasses on, just to play Devil's Advocate because the reality is that the UFC are going to milk their draws for what they're worth and I respect that because you need to make money to keep doing what you're doing as a company.

Idk if I agree about stripping him unless a 3rd fight with Nate is set to happen before he defends because it's absurd to have an interim champion when the real champ is still active and has no real plans of ever coming back. 145 isn't a shallow division, they might not have the big draws left and right but really the only divisions that have MULTIPLE draws are divisions that have fighters who have been around since pre-2005. Where are the draws at LHW? HW? WW? etc.

[Mark Hammer]

Max Holloway



:rolleyes:

The guy Conor beat decisively with a torn MCL? Good call.

[Mark Hammer]

Ferguson has at least been active. Neither of their last wins were against any ranked fighters. Khabib's win from 2 years ago against RDA shouldn't warrant him a title shot. I wish the 2 times the Khabib/Ferguson fight was made they fought but unfortunately both times one or the other pulled out.

Selling Khabib as a viable contender against the champ based on being undefeated but only 1 real solid win out of 20 or whatever, that's a hard sell. Like those guys they put up against Mighty Mouse. Khabib I think will more than likely get the nod no matter what I personally think about his accomplishments because he is undefeated and that's something to be proud of for sure. But he's so unreliable, has only fought twice in 2 years, and then you have Tony Ferguson who has been active finishing dudes left and right, tough tough guys and now he has to fight RDA to MAYBE secure that title shot. And it's not like Tony is a Jon Fitch where he's 8-0 but 90% of the fights were boring as fuck and then he FINALLY got a title shot because there was no one left and no other reason as to WHY. Tony is exciting and should get the nod but again, I can respect why Khabib would if it's based on being undefeated and beating the former champion 28 months ago....

A 20something-0 record is nothing to scoff at. His dominant win over RDA is just icing on the cake. And while both he and Ferguson fought late replacement jobbers last, Khabib dominated as expected and Ferguson was almost finished multiple times.

[Nash Diesel]

The guy Conor beat decisively with a torn MCL? Good call.

So you don't think fighters deserve a rematch if they've already lost and have put on a 9 fight winning streak since that loss? So what are your thoughts about guys like Rampage getting a 3rd try against Wanderlai? Or Brock fighting Frank Mir a 2nd time? Or McGregor getting a rematch against Nate Diaz?????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????

So you have Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway who for sure could have been given title shots. You have Edgar who hadn't lost a fight since his title fight against Aldo a few years prior and Holloway being the only guy to go the distance with McGregor-who won but it was 3 years ago-not to mention Conor is the guy selling the fight just like Ronda Rousey could fight a toothbrush and still pull at least 800-900 buys.

[Mark Hammer]

So you don't think fighters deserve a rematch if they've already lost and have put on a 9 fight winning streak since that loss? So what are your thoughts about guys like Rampage getting a 3rd try against Wanderlai? Or Brock fighting Frank Mir a 2nd time? Or McGregor getting a rematch against Nate Diaz?????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????

So you have Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway who for sure could have been given title shots. You have Edgar who hadn't lost a fight since his title fight against Aldo a few years prior and Holloway being the only guy to go the distance with McGregor-who won but it was 3 years ago-not to mention Conor is the guy selling the fight just like Ronda Rousey could fight a toothbrush and still pull at least 800-900 buys.

All 3 of those fights were poor booking. I understand why Diaz/McGregor 2 was made 'cause context but I still didn't agree with it.

McGregor/Holloway 2 would have been absurd. Nobody wants to see that shit considering how Max got handled the first time, at least with Conor and Nate there was heat amd Conor WAS running away with the first fight before getting clobbered in the 2nd.

[Spedizzo]

if Holloway did that throwdown shit against Diaz or Conor like he did against Lamas he would be face down ass up

[Nash Diesel]

All 3 of those fights were poor booking. I understand why Diaz/McGregor 2 was made 'cause context but I still didn't agree with it.

McGregor/Holloway 2 would have been absurd. Nobody wants to see that shit considering how Max got handled the first time, at least with Conor and Nate there was heat amd Conor WAS running away with the first fight before getting clobbered in the 2nd.

The first fight was 3 years ago. You can't hold that against him. Holloway could very well come in and knock out McGregor or whip his ass just like Cain V did back to back to Dos Santos, or how Lesnar mangled Mir in the rematch. So again, you can't hold a loss from 3 years ago against someone who is on that kind of a streak against top tier players. It's called redemption.

[Mark Hammer]

Its also called an unsellable fight.

Well not exactly because Conor McGregor is Conor McGregor but that doesn't mean all the scrubs he beat soundly on his way to the top deserve a second shot.

[Mark Hammer]

Its also called an unsellable fight.

Well not exactly because Conor McGregor is Conor McGregor but that doesn't mean all the scrubs he beat soundly on his way to the top deserve a second shot.

[Seanny One Ball]

Anger, hyperbole and a distinct aversion to grey areas.

[Nash Diesel]

Its also called an unsellable fight.

Well not exactly because Conor McGregor is Conor McGregor but that doesn't mean all the scrubs he beat soundly on his way to the top deserve a second shot.

How is Holloway a scrub? His last 4 victories were against top 10 FW's Lamas, Stephens, Oliveria, and Swanson. If that isn't enough, 4 top 10 victories in a row, to warrant you a title shot against a guy who he lost to 3 fucking years ago lol.

[Seanny One Ball]

I wish I was a 9 fight win streak UFC scrub. There cannot be many of those. Something to tell the grandkids.

[son_of_foley]

I always think that after a fight McGregor is actually normally very respectful to the other fighter. The shit talking is clearly an act, I imagine him to be an incredibly likeable man.

[Eddie Brock]

Apparently at some point over the weekend, Dana White's been quoted as saying that McGregor has two options for his next fight, either defend his title against Aldo or vacate the belt OR fight Alvarez for the Lightweight title.

I presume, from the quote I read, if he opts to fight Alvarez he won't be forced to vacate the Featherweight title, at least until after the bout, as he'll want to be the first to hold a UFC title simultaneously in two weight classes.

[Seanny One Ball]

I always think that after a fight McGregor is actually normally very respectful to the other fighter. The shit talking is clearly an act, I imagine him to be an incredibly likeable man.

I think him being nice afterward is a bit of an act too because I get a very real sense of arrogance from him that fucks me off. I will like him after he has been properly humbled much like how I grew to love Nate.

[Mik]

-The main event was as Joe Rogan described - a dog fight. I rewatched the fight online, and after second viewing, honestly, it could have been much more favorably scored toward Diaz in my view. Round 2 was scored by every judge to Conor, but other than the knockdowns Conor got on earlier in the round, the second half of the round consisted of Conor running, being gassed, and Nate essentially starting to really beat the fuck out of Conor. Conor was in much more danger than Nate in this round. This round could have easily been scored a draw or for Diaz. If this was the case, Diaz wins the fight. Conor ran and clockwatched for much of the fight and was in a lot more dangerous situations due to his cardio and the pressure Diaz was putting on him than any time Diaz was knocked down. I thought for sure a couple times it was over when Diaz started hitting combinations along the fence. It reminded me of their first fight and I was just waiting for Conor to crumble.


You must've been watching that second round with your eyes closed or with your anti-Conor blinkers on then because that second round wasnt close to being Diaz's. McGregor controlled the pace and the positioning for the first 3 and a half minutes, throughout the round her landed the harder, cleaner and more damaging punches and combinations knocking Diaz down on his arse twice. In the last 80 seconds he clearly fatigued which allowed Diaz to push the pace, but the vast majority of his offence were short glancing punches against the cage a lot of which McGregor blocked, rolled and slipped. A minute and a half of pressure does not overrule three and a half minutes of cleaner and much more damaging work. You're crazy. Nobody other than people who don't like McGregor and do like Diaz scored that to Diaz.

Not to mention that on rewatch the ONLY round that could've been anywhere close to a 10-8 was the first round to McGregor, so whoever score the third round 10-8 for Diaz was going way over the top. 10-8s are supposed to be for when you're taking damage, nearly finished and not in the round, watch that third round objectively and that is not the case at all. Rogan was clearly pulling hard for Diaz in that fight and I think that might've tricked a few people.


Diaz is the one coming out of this looking like a great fighter. Conor just looks ungrateful for his title. I'd be pissed if I was in the FW division seeing the champ ignore it for nearly a year.

Complete bullshit. McGregor went up in weight to fight a man who was easily about 20lbs heavier than him on the night, was taller, had a longer reach, has a solid chin, good striking, great cardio and a ground game and most importantly tapped him out in two rounds. If you cant respect the balls in taking that on and respect, admire and be impressed by the ability to take those things, learn from them, adapt and create a different scenario the second time around, then you've just got the blinkers on I'm afraid. Bearing in mind that ALL the criticisms about McGregor have been that he beats up midgets, that he starves himself down to 145 so he can bully smaller people, that he's got no heart and quits too easily, that he's nothing without a reach advantage, that his power wouldn't move up a division, that he couldn't live with someone with elite level jitsu...they were all answered definitively. Like him or not, no other champion is moving up to fight top 5-10 opponents, nobody is moving UP divisions to try and fight champions.



Conor isn't going back to 145. We can joke about what Dana White said, that he WOULD be going back to 145 but it's just not going to happen. I say you give him a top guy at 155 but not the champ, McGregor going 1-1 against Nate Diaz doesn't equal title shot I don't give a fuck how much money you can draw, what about the cats who have busted their ass to get in the top 5-10? Anyway....155 is fucked up as well. You have Khabib who hasn't done jack shit in 2 years laying claim to a title shot, you have Tony Ferguson who's been putting in the work, but now he's set to face RDA and if he wins that fight, he no doubt should be next in line. Alvarez wants a piece of McGregor but we all know that has more to do with $$$ than fighting the top contenders. 155 is a solid division that I think Conor could thrive in but he needs to truly earn that title shot just like he did at 145.

Conor earned that title fight against Dos Anjos the first time around by pulling in huge PPV figures, by selling fights, by calling predictions and making them come true, but not pulling out of fights ever, by taking dangerous opponents that he was supposedly ducking (like Mendes on short notice, by making the 145 division relevant, popular and the richest division in the UFC and by defeating the undisputed top p4p undefeated in the history of the division champion in 13 seconds and then by being willing to move up and fight the champion a division up. Nobody is willing to do that and it wasnt his fault when Dos Anjos got injured, he would've been well within his rights to pull out of the card and let it sink and instead what he did was take on a taller, heavier and very different stylistic fighter on short notice AGAIN.

And when he got beat what did he do? Asked for the same fighter at the same weight, went back to work and learned how to beat him then applied everything he learned. I'm sorry, I know that his personality and the things he does to sell the fight is abrasive and it rubs you up the wrong way, it does me sometimes too. But this is exactly the type of fighter the UFC should want as a champion. I completely agree with Rumble Johnson when he says that they don't need to behave like that, that they can be respectful and martial artists and I wish that was the reality, but Rumble is a monster and he's never earning what he deserves for the hard work he puts in, but thanks to the likes of McGregor, he's earning more than he would be otherwise. Its a shame thats what the fans want, but ultimately it results in money for the fighters and they deserve so much more of that for everything they go through.


I always think that after a fight McGregor is actually normally very respectful to the other fighter. The shit talking is clearly an act, I imagine him to be an incredibly likeable man.


I think him being nice afterward is a bit of an act too because I get a very real sense of arrogance from him that fucks me off. I will like him after he has been properly humbled much like how I grew to love Nate.


Its pretty clear that the confidence isnt an act, that he has a remarkable amount of self belief, but the gamesmanship, the disrespect in the build up, thats all in the interests of promotion. The humble in defeat and in victory isnt an act either. He clearly respects the likes of Aldo and Diaz and anyone who fights, but he wants to be paid what he is worth. If the fans would respond to talented fighters Aldo would've already retired before he ever fought Conor. Its entirely the average consumer to blame for why this trash talk has become so effective and readily employed.

[Seanny One Ball]

You should probably respond to what I say rather than what you assume me to mean. I think Conor is a great fighter but he doesn't particularly look it after a loss and a very close majority win. I levelled one criticism in that tiny post and that was it, Diaz gets the benefits really from that fight because everyone can see Conor is no Featherweight and whether or not other people criticise him for beating up smaller guys is of no consequence to me really. I think he has the title so he should defend it or give it up.

My point is that Diaz looks better out of this to me because Conor was always going to move up and it was no surprise to me that Diaz found him out the first time and gave him such a hard time the second. Conor is the one asking for these fights and ignoring his title and that is most likely because he cannot stomach the cut anymore.

These are bad things for a champion to be doing while he holds a title unless he's smashing people like Anderson did.

Why are you so convinced that is bullshit? He's a title holder. Defend the fucking thing.

[Seanny One Ball]

I have a massive issue with your claim that those doubts were answered definitively btw. Looks to me like he still had holes in his game for a fighter to exploit and he wasn't exactly averse to the old Italian March when he didn't like what was coming forward.

That's not to say he isn't using these fights to improve but it's not quite as simple as him suddenly being unquestionably brilliant off the back of a very very close win.
He's good enough. That's about the right level of praise.

[Mark Hammer]

How is Holloway a scrub? His last 4 victories were against top 10 FW's Lamas, Stephens, Oliveria, and Swanson. If that isn't enough, 4 top 10 victories in a row, to warrant you a title shot against a guy who he lost to 3 fucking years ago lol.

He's a scrub in the sense that Conor already 30-27'd him with a torn MCL. He is absolutely a scrub as far as McGregor is concerned.

[Mark Hammer]

You must've been watching that second round with your eyes closed or with your anti-Conor blinkers on then because that second round wasnt close to being Diaz's. McGregor controlled the pace and the positioning for the first 3 and a half minutes, throughout the round her landed the harder, cleaner and more damaging punches and combinations knocking Diaz down on his arse twice. In the last 80 seconds he clearly fatigued which allowed Diaz to push the pace, but the vast majority of his offence were short glancing punches against the cage a lot of which McGregor blocked, rolled and slipped. A minute and a half of pressure does not overrule three and a half minutes of cleaner and much more damaging work. You're crazy. Nobody other than people who don't like McGregor and do like Diaz scored that to Diaz.

Not to mention that on rewatch the ONLY round that could've been anywhere close to a 10-8 was the first round to McGregor, so whoever score the third round 10-8 for Diaz was going way over the top. 10-8s are supposed to be for when you're taking damage, nearly finished and not in the round, watch that third round objectively and that is not the case at all. Rogan was clearly pulling hard for Diaz in that fight and I think that might've tricked a few people.



Complete bullshit. McGregor went up in weight to fight a man who was easily about 20lbs heavier than him on the night, was taller, had a longer reach, has a solid chin, good striking, great cardio and a ground game and most importantly tapped him out in two rounds. If you cant respect the balls in taking that on and respect, admire and be impressed by the ability to take those things, learn from them, adapt and create a different scenario the second time around, then you've just got the blinkers on I'm afraid. Bearing in mind that ALL the criticisms about McGregor have been that he beats up midgets, that he starves himself down to 145 so he can bully smaller people, that he's got no heart and quits too easily, that he's nothing without a reach advantage, that his power wouldn't move up a division, that he couldn't live with someone with elite level jitsu...they were all answered definitively. Like him or not, no other champion is moving up to fight top 5-10 opponents, nobody is moving UP divisions to try and fight champions.



Conor earned that title fight against Dos Anjos the first time around by pulling in huge PPV figures, by selling fights, by calling predictions and making them come true, but not pulling out of fights ever, by taking dangerous opponents that he was supposedly ducking (like Mendes on short notice, by making the 145 division relevant, popular and the richest division in the UFC and by defeating the undisputed top p4p undefeated in the history of the division champion in 13 seconds and then by being willing to move up and fight the champion a division up. Nobody is willing to do that and it wasnt his fault when Dos Anjos got injured, he would've been well within his rights to pull out of the card and let it sink and instead what he did was take on a taller, heavier and very different stylistic fighter on short notice AGAIN.

And when he got beat what did he do? Asked for the same fighter at the same weight, went back to work and learned how to beat him then applied everything he learned. I'm sorry, I know that his personality and the things he does to sell the fight is abrasive and it rubs you up the wrong way, it does me sometimes too. But this is exactly the type of fighter the UFC should want as a champion. I completely agree with Rumble Johnson when he says that they don't need to behave like that, that they can be respectful and martial artists and I wish that was the reality, but Rumble is a monster and he's never earning what he deserves for the hard work he puts in, but thanks to the likes of McGregor, he's earning more than he would be otherwise. Its a shame thats what the fans want, but ultimately it results in money for the fighters and they deserve so much more of that for everything they go through.






Its pretty clear that the confidence isnt an act, that he has a remarkable amount of self belief, but the gamesmanship, the disrespect in the build up, thats all in the interests of promotion. The humble in defeat and in victory isnt an act either. He clearly respects the likes of Aldo and Diaz and anyone who fights, but he wants to be paid what he is worth. If the fans would respond to talented fighters Aldo would've already retired before he ever fought Conor. Its entirely the average consumer to blame for why this trash talk has become so effective and readily employed.

Brilliant post that deserves re-reading hence this quote. Conor haters are something else; it's nice to see some sanity in the middle of this vitriol and nonsense.

What kind of sad person can objectively not respect the hell out of what Conor has done?

[Seanny One Ball]

Who's saying they hate Conor and don't respect what he has done?

[Mark Hammer]

You didn't say you hated him but honestly you don't have to. Every single one of your posts concerning him in this thread has been an unfair criticism.

[Seanny One Ball]

Do you even know how to post without making absurd leaps and assumptions?
Do you realise how tiring it is to interact with you because of that?

You are the only poster who works in black and white here and I'd appreciate it if you stopped trying to pigeon hole people just because you are so close minded and refuse to see the huge grey area in between. Also it's nice to let people have their own opinions, not ones you make up for them.
I know it takes a bit of effort but give it a go, discussions move more smoothly that way because people don't feel like they're interacting with a brick wall.

[Mark Hammer]

That was lots of rambling emotion. All I said was all your posts concerning Conor are negative and is that true or is it false?

[Seanny One Ball]

What was I saying about your inability to see the grey? :lol:

It honestly doesn't compute with you that other people don't tend to literally hate everything they don't love.

[Mark Hammer]

What the fuck are you talking about?

[Mik]

Who's saying they hate Conor and don't respect what he has done?

I'd say you, with the below two posts more or less...



Shit I don't even like Connor Mcgregor, he's a cocky little bastard and it would give me great pleasure to watch a guy with decent ground game tie him in knots or even just a powerful wrestler punch his head in.
I don't tend to hate fighters but I honestly think it's close with that little twat.




Diaz is the one coming out of this looking like a great fighter. Conor just looks ungrateful for his title. I'd be pissed if I was in the FW division seeing the champ ignore it for nearly a year.


You've pretty much said that you almost hate McGregor, you've called him a little twat and then you've given him no credit for beating Diaz, in fact you said that Diaz is the one coming out looking like a great fighter...but McGregor is not? For fixing holes in his game that allowed to get him tapped out in two rounds off a bigger, longer and taller fighter (all of which are sticks that he's been poked with), two weight divisions above where he won his championship, enough to knock the rock chinned Diaz down three times. I think that Diaz has indeed improved his position in the UFC and in the eyes of many fans and is certainly a great fighter. But to claim that McGregor, the much smaller fighter who beat him ISNT a great fighter is just bias against Conor, the likes of which you've pretty much admitted in the above post that you do have.


The FW division has never really had a champ thats fought more than once a year, McGregor at this moment is either going to resign the belt back to someone who he beat in 13 seconds (who I love) and who we know from experience will fight around once a year, or will defend his belt within that timeframe. In fact most of the champs of most of the divisions are fighting at an average of once a year at the moment. The fact that McGregor is so unusually active for a top tier fighter is what blinkers people a bit in this regard.



You should probably respond to what I say rather than what you assume me to mean.

I think that you should read what you've typed, because thats what I've responded to. You said you close to hate him, called him a cocky little twat, said that you wanted to see his face get pounded in, gave him no credit for beating Diaz and then balked when you were called a hater...

[Seanny One Ball]

Blah blah blah.

[Badger]

He's trolling WWE guys on Twitter, I'm not sure how humble and respectful he really is.

[Nash Diesel]

I'm a fan of McGregor but that doesn't mean I'm going to ride his dick and not have issues with certain things he does. Like going on twitter to announce he's retiring, which even he admitted was childish. I think he's clever, but what I like about him is what he does in the cage and his training. I really respect the guy as a fighter and as a self-promoter. He took what Tito and Chael and a few others gave us and was able to create something remarkable because he also backs it up more often than most who go this route. And he changed the game, look at all these wannabes like Dom Cruz, Khabib, etc. that couldn't sell a fight to save their life and now look, they're going that Chael route. I can't give Conor full credit because he just took what Chael was doing, who took what Tito was doing, who took what Frank Shamrock was doing, (and we can keep going) but yeah, I think more fighters are seeing what Chael and Conor were able to do and even though it doesn't really work it's still somewhat entertaining.

[son_of_foley]

He's trolling WWE guys on Twitter, I'm not sure how humble and respectful he really is.
Errrr what!? You realise it's possible to ham it up on Twitter right?

[Badger]

Errrr what!? You realise it's possible to ham it up on Twitter right?

I know he's not serious, but why is he doing it?

[Mik]

Because it gets WWE fans buying the PPV to see Conor get beat. It also helps WWE getting a rub from a legitimate combat sport, have you seen the discussion since about which of the WWE roster could actually defeat McGregor in MMA. Its win win and it makes money...thats why he's doing it.

[Badger]

Point taken, there's benefits to both sides. :yes:

[son_of_foley]

Also he's happy to keep a potential big pay cheque open down the line as well right? I doubt he'll need to work a wrestlemania but it's pretty little effort to keep that on the back burner

[Nash Diesel]

Did anyone catch Lesnar's response to Conor's shit talk toward him? Basically 45 F bombs and a "say it to my face the next time I'm at an event". Seemed pretty serious and not trying to play into any games or promotional shit because A-the fight would never happen unless it was in the streets and B-if the WWE booked that and there was legit beef, Lesnar would kill that dude and make us all forget about Owen Hart and Chris Benoit.

[son_of_foley]

Fuck me apparently all kayfabe needs is a character limit

[Badger]

Fuck me apparently all kayfabe needs is a character limit

This Connor stuff seemed quite random at first though, not like the Foley and Ambrose Twitter exchange which was by design and going to be a real feud til Foley couldn't make medical clearance.

[Percussion]

Did anyone catch Lesnar's response to Conor's shit talk toward him? Basically 45 F bombs and a "say it to my face the next time I'm at an event". Seemed pretty serious and not trying to play into any games or promotional shit because A-the fight would never happen unless it was in the streets and B-if the WWE booked that and there was legit beef, Lesnar would kill that dude and make us all forget about Owen Hart and Chris Benoit.

Hadn't seen this 'till you mentioned it here/now. And for anyone else interested ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgP26W_Ol8Q

... aaalllright then.

[John Cocktoastin]

Glorious. Lesnar would use Conor as a toothpick.
Funniest part was when he told Roberts to get the fuck out of there.

[John Cocktoastin]

Like him or not, you've got to give the little cunt due credit. He commands respect... no denying how great he is.

I'm not even a Conor fan, but even I can see how brilliant his gimmick is... it's all about mental chess-- and he excels at it.

he certainly knows how to promote himself.

Diaz almost had him at key moments early on... shame those leg kicks hampered any possible momentum.

[Beer-Belly]

Hadn't seen this 'till you mentioned it here/now. And for anyone else interested ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgP26W_Ol8Q

... aaalllright then.

The little cro-magnon Sam Roberts has some balls, though. Clearly Brock's not going to beat him up for asking him a silly catchphrase, but holding a microphone in front that man is still intimidating.

[Beer-Belly]

Double post.

[Mark Hammer]

He's trolling WWE guys on Twitter, I'm not sure how humble and respectful he really is.

Shame this needs spelling out but he's simply keeping his name on top of the headlines. All you wrestling geeks know who he is now. And he's a shoe-in for a job in WWE if he ever desires one.

[Mark Hammer]

I know he's not serious, but why is he doing it?

Lol, not sure if srs.

[Badger]

Yes Mark I said all along that I knew he was joking. I was questioning why as it seemed random. It's not every day UFC guys decide to self-promote by bantering with WWE stars. And I know perfectly fine who he is.

[Mark Hammer]

Right.

[Badger]

Well apart from the obvious in Brock Lesnar, UFC and WWE don't really interact that much and they're both entirely different products. It was strange to see Conor doing it.

[Mark Hammer]

Conor McGregor is not the UFC. He pulls his own strings.

[Badger]

UFC stars in general I meant, it's not very common for them to interact with WWE stars like that. Of course no-one's pulling the strings on what they can write about.

[Mark Hammer]

WWE pulls the strings on all of it's stars. UFC on most of it's. Which is why I made that comment. But Conor McGregor brings in more money than anyone in the company; even Lesnar and Rousey. UFC brass doesn't even pretend to have a hold on him. He does what he wants.

[Badger]

WWE pulls the strings on all of it's stars. UFC on most of it's. Which is why I made that comment. But Conor McGregor brings in more money than anyone in the company; even Lesnar and Rousey. UFC brass doesn't even pretend to have a hold on him. He does what he wants.

And that's exactly why I found Conor's motives odd. If he's bringing in so much money, why is he bothering with the WWE at this particular point? If it's just a case of him spreading his own rep then fair enough.

[Mark Hammer]

Maybe to keep his options open? Or maybe to get the wrestling fanbase talking about him? Or maybe to get all of its stars talking about him?

[Mark Hammer]

Freaking Floyd Mayweather can't keep Conor's name out of his mouth. I'd say McGregor knows what he's doing with regards to his trash talk.

[Atty]

Hadn't seen this 'till you mentioned it here/now. And for anyone else interested ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgP26W_Ol8Q

... aaalllright then.


Phenomenal interview. Brock a fucking champ.

[Badger]

Maybe to keep his options open? Or maybe to get the wrestling fanbase talking about him? Or maybe to get all of its stars talking about him?


Freaking Floyd Mayweather can't keep Conor's name out of his mouth. I'd say McGregor knows what he's doing with regards to his trash talk.

Creating buzz is one thing, actually following through with it is another.

No doubt Conor would be a big acquisition for WWE, there are a few concerns:

- WWE is an extremely hectic travel schedule.
- He's gonna have to essentially learn a new style, making his strikes look real instead of being real.
- Even if he got a special limited appearance deal like Lesnar, I could see him catching a load of shit amongst talent backstage waltzing in when they've been busting their asses for years. Lesnar at least had a WWE background before making the transition to UFC and was at a young age, so there's not as much heat for WWE using him on occasion.

[son_of_foley]

I thought as well there was some talk that some interaction with Seamus or someone recently kinda put the WWE guys on McGregors radar on Twitter.

It's why he likes talk of fighting Amir Khan and talks up fighting Ronaldo. He's promoting.

Badger, if Conor decided to go to WWE he would go and have a Wrestlemania match and go home with a 7 figure amount in his back pocket and if they had any sense the WWE workers would be happy that he managed to bring the amount of additional exposure he would. Failing that he may do a Mike Tyson and come in and help Devitt out at a big event and kick 7 shades of shite out of someone.

[Beer-Belly]

That piece of shit Mayweather did it, so McGregor could definitely do it. Conor could shit talk everyone and still have the fans rooting for him.

[Badger]

Oh no doubt he could do a one-off deal like Mayweather. I was talking more if he decided to have more of a career with WWE.

[Beer-Belly]

He could easily get a deal similar to Brock's if he wanted to put in the work.

[Nash Diesel]

I would 99% of the wrestlers who responded know how to play the game and are doing just that. Chris Jericho's had the best response, saying what Conor does is fake what he does is absolutely real. Trolling him back, fucking hilarious. McGregor's a mark anyway, the only people he propped were the "OG's" like Rock, Austin, and then stroked the McMahons and Triple H. But he's not a hardcore wrestling fan, he's not watching Raw every week and probably doesn't have a clue who most of the roster even is....which is what so many people say these days anyway, including hardcore wrestling fans who watch it all the time that it's not the same as it was 15 years ago in terms of star power and what pro wrestling was to the mainstream.

Also, going by Bisping's comments about the situation....It doesn't seem like pro wrestling is as popular in Europe or in some parts compared to North America. Bisping was like "I have no idea why pro wrestling is so popular in the States" and maybe that's just his own opinion, I'm not trying to blanket an entire continent but again if you're not really a big fan of it and you're not watching, you probably do think the last 10-15 years have been full of "dweebs".

[Mark Hammer]

Absolutely. This new crop does seem really, really dorky.

[Nash Diesel]

Absolutely. This new crop does seem really, really dorky.

I just think it's a matter of, if you're the type that only watches when something is "cool", "popular", then when something like pro wrestling is not as cool and popular as it was in the late 80's or late 90's, the mainstream assumes the worst.

[Badger]

He could easily get a deal similar to Brock's if he wanted to put in the work.

He probably could, just that there may be heat backstage for them bringing in another part-timer to take away a PPV slot from guys that are full-time and been there for longer.

[Mark Hammer]

I just think it's a matter of, if you're the type that only watches when something is "cool", "popular", then when something like pro wrestling is not as cool and popular as it was in the late 80's or late 90's, the mainstream assumes the worst.

I started watching WWF when it was 'cooler' and 'more popular' to be into WCW so put the blanket away please.

[Nash Diesel]

I started watching WWF when it was 'cooler' and 'more popular' to be into WCW so put the blanket away please.

It wasn't directed toward you but more toward fare weather fans who only get into something when everyone else is also into it. If you're a trendy fuck then so be it, but I figured you weren't judging by the posts you've made over the years in the pro wrestling threads.....

[Mark Hammer]

Fair enough. :yes:

I watched for years while wrestling was no longer 'in'. It just got too nauseating eventually so I totally understand where Conor is coming from.

[Spedizzo]

I have to agree with Michael Bisping on this one

the new crop of WWE fans are dorks

"you deserve it!"

"we are awesome"

"marking out, marking out"

"this is awesome" :rolleyes:

at one time "this is awesome" was reserved for legitimately awesome shit

[Mark Hammer]

They seem far, far into such an awful, awful product. Its almost like they hand kool-aid out at the front entrance.

[Spedizzo]

I didnt wanna turn this into a WWE/NXT thread

but you can put dog shit through NXT and the fans will eat it up thinking they are getting one over on the WWE or something

[Nash Diesel]

You have to remember the majority of fans who watch pro wrestling are people who love pro wrestling. It's people who will watch no matter how bad or good it is, we just have the internet these days to vent instead of talking to ourselves lol. Although I don't remember anyone talking shit about the fans. Bisping questioned why it was so popular here in the US but he's not a fan at all, he said something like he used to watch in the early 90's. McGregor said the wrestlers themselves were "dweebs". Idk, as a fan, I've brushed off the negative view of pro wrestling and it's fans decades ago.

[Badger]

You have to remember the majority of fans who watch pro wrestling are people who love pro wrestling. It's people who will watch no matter how bad or good it is, we just have the internet these days to vent instead of talking to ourselves lol. Although I don't remember anyone talking shit about the fans. Bisping questioned why it was so popular here in the US but he's not a fan at all, he said something like he used to watch in the early 90's. McGregor said the wrestlers themselves were "dweebs". Idk, as a fan, I've brushed off the negative view of pro wrestling and it's fans decades ago.

Word up. :yes:

[Mark Hammer]

Just rewatched the main event. Fucking lol at the judge who scored R3 10-8 Diaz. I had Conor clearly winning 1 and 2, narrowly losing 3, narrowly winning 4 and narrowly losing 5. 48-47 Conor. Can't wait for the rubber match and its a bigger fight than any imaginable title fights at 145. But stripping Conor will make that whole division look weak, and the new 'champion' look like a chump with an asterisk next to his reign.

[Professor Priapism]

You wear mma gloves when you type don't you?

[MikeHunt]

slutty sock.

[Mark Hammer]

Why come all his user names suck?

[Nash Diesel]

Just rewatched the main event. Fucking lol at the judge who scored R3 10-8 Diaz. I had Conor clearly winning 1 and 2, narrowly losing 3, narrowly winning 4 and narrowly losing 5. 48-47 Conor. Can't wait for the rubber match and its a bigger fight than any imaginable title fights at 145. But stripping Conor will make that whole division look weak, and the new 'champion' look like a chump with an asterisk next to his reign.

I don't think it makes the division look weak especially when it's the CHAMPION who's the one avoiding the division. Does 170 look weak since GSP "retired"? No. Did Middleweight (which turned into LHW) look weak because nobody beat Frank Shamrock? Certain things happen that are out of their hands and if McGregor doesn't want to cut to 145 and defend his title that's on him not anyone else. There are guys at 145 who are former champions in deeper division i.e. Pettis and Edgar, who McGregor has yet to face and probably doesn't want to face, he probably doesn't want to face Aldo again either and was lucky as fuck for getting out of there in 13 seconds. The only one who looks like a chump in this situation is McGregor. The argument of "he's going where the money is", that's cool and respectable, but then you have someone like you going "but it still makes the division look weak"....how the fuck is that the other fighters' fault lol?

[Mark Hammer]

Correction, it's the champion who is far and away bigger than the division. Should he not have accepted the superfight vs RDA? Because the only reason he's been m.i.a. from 145 is because of the fallout of RDA bitching out then saving the card vs Diaz. Conor shouldn't be criticized or punished for that.

Making Aldo champ by default after what Conor did to him, yeah the belt will have as much value as all the WWE belts that get hotshotted every week to undeserving people.

[Nash Diesel]

Correction, it's the champion who is far and away bigger than the division. Should he not have accepted the superfight vs RDA? Because the only reason he's been m.i.a. from 145 is because of the fallout of RDA bitching out then saving the card vs Diaz. Conor shouldn't be criticized or punished for that.

Making Aldo champ by default after what Conor did to him, yeah the belt will have as much value as all the WWE belts that get hotshotted every week to undeserving people.

Would you feel this way if white American Frankie Edgar was the interim champion?

I'll admit, creating an interim title because Conor wanted a rematch was the lamest shit since the Bisping-Hamill decision. Let me get this wayyy out of the way but I am a McGregor fan but I do not approve of some of his fans making excuse after excuse. If you're a champion, I don't mind having that one off fight like he was going to against RDA, or even the fall out having to face Nate. It's the lame ass rematch that was set for UFC 200, then his bitching out of promotional duties and going on twitter like a 12 year old "quitting". That kind of shit makes it hard to be a fan of someone, regardless of what they bring to the table.

[Mark Hammer]

Yes, I would. I much prefer the Irish Conor McGregor to the American Frankie Edgar or the Brazilian Jose Aldo or the Hawaiian Max Holloway or the Wisconsin Pettis or the English Mike Bisping or the Mexican-American Cain Velasquez or the American Canadian Brock Lesnar or the Korean Korean Zombie etc etc etc, and even if I didn't, objectively speaking Conor hasn't done anything unjustifiable or deserving of being stripped. Piss on your random insinuation by the way; dispute my points without going out of your way to get personal please.

I agree about the interim situation. I get why they did it, really just an unfortunate situation all around for 145 because again, Conor hasn't done anything wrong. He always fights, took on Nate Diaz on short notice when he didn't have to, meanwhile Aldo supporters/Conor haters pretend Aldo was even a fraction as active all the years when he was champ.

I get why Conor wanted the rematch vs Diaz and I get why it was given to him. Took some brass balls to do what he did at 196 and the risk didn't pay off. Of course he deserved to run it back with a proper camp to prepare for Nate. It was still PRIDE-like freakshow matchmaking obviously, again just a bad situation for the division but punishing Conor would be extremely unfair and without merit. I believe he would have wrecked RDA and made history as a double champ, but he got screwed out of that opportunity.

[Nash Diesel]

I guess my issue is the lack of respect you have for everyone else at 145 just because McGregor is a huge draw. So he should be allowed to do whatever and no one should ever get the belt until 2027 when he wants to actually defend it.

[Mark Hammer]

Lack of respect? I'm simply being objective. There was a solid argument for Frankie getting the shot prior to 200 and now with Aldo coming off a dominant win and being interim champ there is a solid argument for him now. But this entire time, outside of Frankie getting the shaft, Conor's escapades vs bigger fighters (I enjoy how you somehow manage to hold this against him lol) hasn't affected ANYONE in his division. Nobody had a good claim other than Frankie, and now that ship has sailed.

PS- Conor said he's moving back to 145 to defend his title next. So your facts are skewed. Though it wouldn't surprise me if Dana talks him into the rubber match vs Nate next. Either way, the man isn't afraid to fight anyone, making your argument that he's ducking his division all kinds of stupid.

[Nash Diesel]

Again, you said stripping Conor of the title would make the entire division look weak....Well, when the fuck is the guy going to actually fight at 145? One day he says it's next, the next he says if he wins against Nate then it'll be a 3rd fight with Nate, the next he's going to fight for the 155 belt, then the next he wants to fight a HW. Then Dana says he's going to fight at 145, then Conor says no, then Dana says he will fight Jesus. lol. You get my point.

When is the right time to strip the guy? Because let's say he vacates the title, does that still make everyone else at 145 look weak because Conor didn't actually lose the title and moved up in weight, retired, etc.? If a motherfucker doesn't want to defend his title then do we just sit around? Makes zero sense, even as a McGregor fan you have to look at it beyond making money and also factor in this is still a sport. Imagine if the Super Bowl was dictated by what teams are the most popular and make the most revenue? My Redskins would be in the Super Bowl every fucking year lol. I get it, apples and oranges but MMA is still a SPORT even in the UFC.

Again, McGregor should have done something different other than facing Nate Diaz in a rematch. That's just my opinion. Then after he defended the 145 belt he could have gone back to get that win. If he's not ducking his division then let's see him actually defend the title, who gives a shit if it's against Aldo, are McGregor die hard dick riders that shook that he might not win? Imagine if Cain V never got a rematch against JDS, JDS would have 40 years left on his life but that's besides the fact. "Oh Aldo gets hurt too much, Aldo might pull out of the fight" Oh well, and if he does, then McGregor will defend the belt against a late replacement because that's the type of fighter he is and that's what I like about him. But I don't like the circus, he's on some Hulk Hogan WCW shit telling the boss what to do. There's nothing wrong with McGregor having stroke, nothing at all, he's earned it, but come on, it's getting out of hand.

Plus, what's going to happen when he has to answer for his shit talk toward Lesnar? I'd like to see Conor fight at 145 one last time before he dies. We already lost Mr. Fuji and Willy Wonka.

[Mark Hammer]

It would make the division look weak because it wouldn't have a real, undisputed champ.

And word is McGregor/Aldo II in New York at UFC 205. Though Alvarez/McGregor would be a much bigger fight and more appropriate for such a monumental event. Either way you're wrong, Conor isn't scared to return to 145.

Any time people talking about stripping champions, it's clearly hate-fueled and so freaking lame. How can you get behind a champ when he was handed the belt vs beating the previous champ for it?

[Nash Diesel]

If the dude isn't wanting to defend his title, he should be stripped. He shouldn't be allowed to be the "real" champ for the next 10 years.

And I'm sorry but WHEN was Jose Aldo HANDED the title? Last I knew he whipped Frankie Edgar's ass...but hey, let's just have McGergor never defend the title.

[Mark Hammer]

Except context and circumstances; and he IS wanting to defend his title.

[Nash Diesel]

I'll believe it when I see it. If he doesn't want to go back to 145 I understand completely, he looks like he's going through chemo when he cuts that much and he looked pretty beastly at 170. 155 might be the way to go for him. But again, it's really YOU saying stupid shit like "everyone else looks weak if they strip him" which no, they don't, just like when they stripped BJ Penn of the 170 title it didn't make GSP or Matt Hughes or anyone else look weak. There's no hate or malice when people saying it's stupid to have someone walk around with a belt he never defends just because it might make the division look weak. Imagine if Woodley was stripped of the title, would that make Wonderboy look weak if he won the title next? Fuck no.

[Mark Hammer]

It's not stupid, it is objectively true. Every single one of your posts concerning Conor, at least today, as been mind-boggingly stupid. Your accusation that the reason I don't want Conor to be stripped is because I'm racist topping the cake. That was dumb as fuck lol.

[Fanny Batter]

I'd be surprised if Conor can get back down to 145 without a couple months extra to get his weight sensibly back down. For me, I think he should fight Alvarez, vacating the featherweight title, then drop down next year to fight the winner of Aldo/Holloway if there's interest. It's now or never for me if Conor's to win the 155 title, Khabib, Barboza, Cerrone and RDA are probably less favourable style match-ups than Alvarez.

[Eddie Brock]

The only reason he doesn't want to vacate FW title is because he wants to make history as the first ever to hold two titles at the same time. That was his previous goal when he was supposed to fight RDA until he pulled out. The point is to not go back down to FW yet. It makes sense for his body as well. 170->155->145 instead of 170->145.

[Mik]

Nash, your exaggerations arent helping you here at all. It hasnt been 10 years or until 2027, its been just over 8 months since he won the title. It was 14 months between Aldo's last two title defences, between Mendes and Edgar was 13 months.

Weidman went 10 months between defences. Velasquez 20 months. Jones...need I even say. McGregor shouldn't be punished because he hasnt had bad injuries or because he's not been in trouble with the police, or because he is ambitious!

6/7 months is about standard for an every day title defence, from anyone. Let alone someone who is trying to be a two division champion. He isnt holding the division to ransom, the guy who he beat in 13 seconds has only just fought again within the last couple of months and defeated the so-called undisputed top contender. Its pretty much common knowledge and also fairly obvious common sense that what will either happen is that McGregor will go back down to 145 and defend his title and will have done so within a not unreasonable amount of time considering he has still been fighting and the division has still been working out a number one contender. Or he will go up in weight and challenge for the 155 title. Realistically if he does that they wont strip him of the title UNTIL after the result of the fight.

If he wins, its huge promotion for the UFC to have its first concurrent two weight champion, they'll push that through all the media outlets and then they'll tell him he has to drop one of the belts and it'll probably be the 145. If he loses, they'll say that he has to defend or drop his title and he will probably defend it and then they'll have one of their biggest draws back at 145 and a big rematch between Aldo and McGregor.

If this shit has been going on without an end in sight for 1 year or 15 months I would understand the obvious and clear frustration you have with it. But it hasnt, the only thing unprecedented here is how many times McGregor has been able to fight as a top tier fighter and the ambition that he has to do things nobody else has really done before matched with the fact that he is the company's number 1 PPV draw. They would've let GSP go up to MW to face Anderson Silva for the title, or vice versa, but neither of them wanted to do it enough to make the match...McGregor did.

[Mark Hammer]

That was incredible Mik. I wish I was as good as you in articulating my thoughts here.

[Nash Diesel]

Nash, your exaggerations arent helping you here at all. It hasnt been 10 years or until 2027, its been just over 8 months since he won the title. It was 14 months between Aldo's last two title defences, between Mendes and Edgar was 13 months.

Weidman went 10 months between defences. Velasquez 20 months. Jones...need I even say. McGregor shouldn't be punished because he hasnt had bad injuries or because he's not been in trouble with the police, or because he is ambitious!

6/7 months is about standard for an every day title defence, from anyone. Let alone someone who is trying to be a two division champion. He isnt holding the division to ransom, the guy who he beat in 13 seconds has only just fought again within the last couple of months and defeated the so-called undisputed top contender. Its pretty much common knowledge and also fairly obvious common sense that what will either happen is that McGregor will go back down to 145 and defend his title and will have done so within a not unreasonable amount of time considering he has still been fighting and the division has still been working out a number one contender. Or he will go up in weight and challenge for the 155 title. Realistically if he does that they wont strip him of the title UNTIL after the result of the fight.

If he wins, its huge promotion for the UFC to have its first concurrent two weight champion, they'll push that through all the media outlets and then they'll tell him he has to drop one of the belts and it'll probably be the 145. If he loses, they'll say that he has to defend or drop his title and he will probably defend it and then they'll have one of their biggest draws back at 145 and a big rematch between Aldo and McGregor.

If this shit has been going on without an end in sight for 1 year or 15 months I would understand the obvious and clear frustration you have with it. But it hasnt, the only thing unprecedented here is how many times McGregor has been able to fight as a top tier fighter and the ambition that he has to do things nobody else has really done before matched with the fact that he is the company's number 1 PPV draw. They would've let GSP go up to MW to face Anderson Silva for the title, or vice versa, but neither of them wanted to do it enough to make the match...McGregor did.

Listen Mik....

I'm not talking about anything other than Mark Hammer saying IF they strip McGregor of the title for not defending it, that somehow everyone else at 145 is weak for not beating him for the title. I don't give a shit about anything else, just the comment he made about how if they do strip him it'll make everyone look weak. If he doesn't want to go back to 145 and they strip him, that's what happens so to say that would make Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar, Anthony Pettis, etc. look "weak" I say that's bullshit.

Everything else you just posted about, awesome, I agree with all of it, it was a complete waste of your time because the conversation was strictly about Mark calling 145 weak if they strip McGregor. And I'm not saying to do it today unless he truly doesn't want to go back, but from the sounds of it Mark thinks he should have the belt until he decides to defend it whether that's in December, March, or July of 2074.

[Mark Hammer]

Lets make it about me again and crap on Conor whole we're at it. Two birds one stone. Im done interacting with you as if you were an adult.

[Mark Hammer]

And again, not sure why I continue trying to beat this through your skull, but if the 145 champ decides he's too big for the division and relinquishes the belt to a guy he annihilated with ease, it makes the division look weak and beneath him. I wont pretend thats going to stick this time but at least I tried.

[Nash Diesel]

1 punch=annihilated? Hmm. And trust me, I get what you are trying to say, I'm trying to tell you that you are wrong IN MY OPINION. The only reason it was even brought back up today is due to Mik's response and I think he was confused as to what my issue was because he started rambling about how long so and so didn't defend this belt, and all this other shit that had nothing to do with what I said.

And dude, if you're going to post and turn into a prima donna about people talking about what you post, go back to Sherturd where your post gets lost with the other 9 million idiots that post there. We are having a discussion about the whole 145 situation, if you have an issue with something you said getting picked apart then you are in the wrong place.

[kangus]

Wow, now this was a first class event!

[OD50]

It was pretty damn great, Larkin, Cowboy, Rumble and Garbrandt looked beastly while Diaz/CMG was quite a war. Good stuff. :yes:

[Mark Hammer]

Lorenz Larkin I feel is underappreciated and often disregarded but the dude is a beast and always has been. I personally thought his decision loss to Tumenov was bs imo.

[Nash Diesel]

I've liked Larkin for a long time going back to his time in Strikeforce. Has a cool style to watch.

[OD50]

Lorenz Larkin I feel is underappreciated and often disregarded but the dude is a beast and always has been. I personally thought his decision loss to Tumenov was bs imo.
Yeah, same. Quite a shame too, he'd be on an undefeated, five fight win streak at WW otherwise. :no:

Crazy to think he used to fight at LHW with the only "loss" being to King Mo.

[Mark Hammer]

Makes me feel old too because Strikeforce feels like it was just yesterday. :(

[Nash Diesel]

I've been watching stuff on Fight Pass from Strikeforce and yeah it's nuts to think how fast time flies. I'm watching Cyborg whip ass left and right, Nick Diaz knocking dudes out, Scott Smith v. Cung Le 1 and 2 are 2 of my favorite fights to watch.

[Nash Diesel]

So the word is that this show had the 3rd biggest buyrate in UFC history behind UFC 100 and UFC 196. That is just crazy. I honestly didn't feel the same "must see" vibe as their last fight, I was actually shocked to hear it did more than 800k simply because again, it didn't feel like as many fans were jumping up and down to see the rematch.

[son_of_foley]

Didn't the original did 1.5m? You thought they would lose half that?

Mcgregor will bring in 1m buyrates for a while

[Nash Diesel]

Didn't the original did 1.5m? You thought they would lose half that?

Mcgregor will bring in 1m buyrates for a while

I did. Sometimes the 2nd time around isn't as MUST SEE, especially when there were a lot of negative vibes for it being made in the first place by a lot of fans. Plus it was coming off a huge string of big ppvs. 800k isn't anything to scoff at though when you figure most of the UFC ppvs barely hit that.

[son_of_foley]

I think honestly Mcgregor is a bit of a special case

[Nash Diesel]

I think honestly Mcgregor is a bit of a special case

Yep, numbers don't lie.

[Mark Hammer]

The first fight wasn't built nearly as much as the second. I figured the rematch would at least match the buys of the first. Not to mention the stakes involved. Nate wasn't quite bonafide going into 196 whereas he was a made superstar after. That on top of how important it was for Conor to win. Two losses in a row to the traditionally beatable Nate Diaz would have seriously hurt his stock.

[Mik]

So the word is that this show had the 3rd biggest buyrate in UFC history behind UFC 100 and UFC 196. That is just crazy. I honestly didn't feel the same "must see" vibe as their last fight, I was actually shocked to hear it did more than 800k simply because again, it didn't feel like as many fans were jumping up and down to see the rematch.


Actually looks ok like you were still being a bit conservative. Estimates now are that it did 1.65m meaning that it did 50k MORE than the first even making it the biggest selling ppv in UFC and any other sports that aren't boxing history.

[Nash Diesel]

Actually looks ok like you were still being a bit conservative. Estimates now are that it did 1.65m meaning that it did 50k MORE than the first even making it the biggest selling ppv in UFC and any other sports that aren't boxing history.

Yeah the 1.65m was revealed after the fact or maybe I just read an older article from the day prior or something. That's just insane. I have probably 10 solid MMA fans that are friends of mine and only 1 of them had posted anything about ordering the ppv. I'm not saying that's what I gauge anything on but all the big fights, these cats are all over the place posting about it on Facebook and only 1 guy did and he's the guy who illegally watches this shit.

That's awesome though.