Live October 6th, 2018
T-Mobile Arena
Las Vegas, NV
Full Fight Card:
http://www.ufc.com/event/UFC-229
For those that missed the press conference last week:
Live October 6th, 2018
T-Mobile Arena
Las Vegas, NV
Full Fight Card:
http://www.ufc.com/event/UFC-229
For those that missed the press conference last week:
It's the big one then. Likely for the mythical "pound for pound" title as well as for the undisputed lightweight title. The lineal champion and the most polarizing and notorious character in the game against the unbeaten Russian who holds the present version of the UFC title. Striker vs. grappler. Flash vs. substance. East vs. West. It's got all the caveats and storylines to make it the most memorable and intriguing fights in the sport's history. I think calling it the biggest in a sporting sense is off the mark (that would be GSP vs. BJ Penn for me), but it's not far off. In terms of global interest it has to be the biggest fight in MMA history though.
On to the fight, and for me it's won or lost in the two minutes. I do not see a scenario where Conor McGregor wins this fight if he gets taken down within that time frame. That would give Khabib at least three minutes to work his crushing top game and damaging ground and pound, and that's the fight. Yes, Conor came from behind against Chad Mendes, but Mendes was a bit soft and out of shape due to notice. Khabib won't be gassing out, and he won't be going for a chancer's guillotine. If the positional change isn't there he'll just keep smashing in guard. However, that doesn't necessarily mean Khabib will definitely get him down early. Conor's footwork is excellent. His training for Mayweather should have his hands looking great, and that will likely lead to him dropping a lot of his kick based offence which would leave him open to a takedown. He needs to stay off the fence, be fast, be clinical, and he's in the fight. If he isn't on his back in that time he'll have likely landed shots on Khabib, who's standing defence is quite porous. His power is one of the most overrated aspects of his game, but he's certainly accurate enough to hurt any man at and around lightweight. He can do it. I just don't see it. For me, he showed against Nate Diaz and Mendes that he can be backed up and grappled, and he just hasn't had the fights to show that he's shored that part of his game up. I see him landing early, possibly staggering Khabib, but I see Khabib marching forward, putting him against the cage, getting the takedown, and gradually and methodically taking him apart. Conor, the warrior that he is, will empty the tank early in round 2 and 3 when he's standing, unlike Khabib's past opponents who favoured survival, and that will lead to him fading and getting stopped with elbows from side control in the championship rounds, or giving his back for the choke. It will take a dual threat to really give Khabib nightmares, and Conor offers nothing on the ground. Khabib TKO4.
Ferguson vs. Pettis is designed to be a bit of a placeholder fight for Ferguson coming back from injury, but it's not without potential to be a war. Pettis has kind of got his macho side out of the way now. He's not just a flashy striker, he's got balls and heart, can take a beating and come back. That's probably freed him a bit. He doesn't need to prove himself. So this is a fight he can win if he's flowing, keeps tight in the scrambles and lets his feet fly. It's a little bit of a mirror fight really, both with sick scrambling and submissions, with Pettis more of a kicking artist while Ferguson slashes with punches and elbows. It's going to be entertaining. That's how Tony Ferguson fights. Wouldn't surprise me if Pettis catches the mad cunt in a guillotine. Wouldn't surprise me if Tony knocks him out with a kick. Anything can happen. I'm leaning towards one of the more durable fighters in MMA in Ferguson though, if he's in a war he's the guy I see having the ammunition and the chin to get through it. Think it'll probably go to points as it's three rounds and Pettis himself is hugely durable, but should be a clear decision for Ferguson down the stretch. Imagine if Pettis wins though, what a comeback that would be.
Reyes vs. OSP is a big step up for Reyes, who has milled his three UFC opponents inside a round. Saint Preux has won 3 of 4 by stoppage including Corey Anderson so he's in solid form. A good fight at light heavyweight. Reyes genuinely does look the real deal though, composed and a threat standing and on the ground. You never know how he'll deal with adversity, but I feel OSP is a little too slow to trouble him too much and he should pass the test, maybe getting stretched to the cards for the first time. Hurts him early, 10-8 round, then maybe fades a bit later with OSP threatening from top position late. Reyes points.
Lewis vs. Volkov SHOULD be Volkov keeping Lewis at arm's reach, peppering him with the jab and either scoring the finish in the third as Beast gets exhausted chasing him or coasts to a decision. This is heavyweight though. A division where a chancer like the Black Beast can throw a punch from the bleacher's while he's clenching his arse cheeks to hold a shit in, land, and beat a top 10 opponent. Where he can turn up, throw about 20 strikes the whole fight and beat the #1 contender by virtue of him only throwing 18. It's a crazy sport. He's going to fucking do it. Loses the first two, Volkov throws an uppercut, Beast goes over the top and knocks him out. Storybook. Beast, implausibly, knockout round 3.
Herrig vs. Waterson is your coin flip on the scorecards WMMA fight of the evening. I'm leaning Herrig as she's been in good form lately, was unlucky last time out not to get the verdict, and should probably hold the strength and grappling advantage down the stretch. Herrig SD.
O'Malley vs. Quinonez is a good fight for Sugar Sean to look good in. He's against a decent and durable brawler, he'll give him rounds but more importantly the chance to look good. O'Malley on points.
Formiga vs. Pettis. Call me crazy but I'm not buying into Sergio Pettis. Just about beat Joseph Benavidez coming off a long break and possibly a bit long in the tooth for flyweight, suddenly he's a fight away from the title. Good striker, growing in confidence but I don't see the X factor. Formiga has really come into his own lately too. The division's nearly man. His 4 UFC losses have been to opponent's who challenged Demetrius in their very next fight. He's very good. Improved striking and just a suffocating ground game. I think he beats Pettis, and I think he might stop him too. He throws these wild strikes without fear of the takedown, I think he lands, takes the back in a scramble and chokes him out inside two rounds. Winner likely gets dibs after DJ's rematch too, though both have lost to Cejedo in the past.
Luque vs. Turner is the Price/Al-Hassan of the card. A one round banger. I'd expect Luque to come out on top, possibly with a D'Arce.
Ladd vs. Evinger. If Ladd can get her weight in order she'll run through the ranks at 135 quite rapidly I think. Finished 5 of 6 wins all but 1 before her 22nd birthday. Beating girls that do have Octagon wins. Tonya Evinger is one of the more underrated women in MMA history though, probably cos she's rough as fuck. In the last 11 year she's 14-4 and only lost to Cyborg, McMann and Davis, the WMMA GOAT and 2 of the best in 135 history. She's 37 now though and quite unathletic, so there will likely be a large speed discrepancy. I see Ladd beating her to the punch, landing takedowns, not really doing a lot with them but enough to score points and gain much needed experience. Ladd UD.
Lansberg vs. Kunitskaya should be entertaining. Reminds me of that Aldana fight on the last PPV, stylistically it should lend itself to being quite a scrap between two tough women. Kunitskaya is likely the more talented fighter, I see her winning on points.
Holtzman vs. Patrick and LaFlare vs. Martin are two fights between guys who are well matched that I don't see creating any fireworks. Patrick and LaFlare on points most likely in dull affairs.
Lastly, Gray Maynard vs. Nik Lentz in one of those wonderfully random fights between two veterans. Maynard joins Lentz in the 20 club with this fight. I'm hoping it'll be scrappy and entertaining, both have had their stinkers but generally entertain in defeat. Maybe this will be one of them. Lentz is the less shopworn so I see him winning.
Great card from TV up, not so much Fight Pass but nobody's there for that.
Wow. Your review here has me pumped for an MMA card for the first time in a hot minute.
You're missing out if you've never read a Fanny Batter write-up.
McGregor the 3rd (O'Malley, McGregor the 2nd is that Gallagher kid from Bellator) is out. Apparently he made public that he failed a USADA test but they think it was a tainted diet supplement. Nice knowing ya CM3
It wasn't weed?
I haven't translated Nash Diesel in a while ... so what exactly does all of that mean?
Who the fuck knows. Every prospect is the second coming of Conor McGregor evidently.
That said ... I'm fucking over the moon for this fight. Scheduled myself off that night and the following day to just enjoy the shit out of it.
Such opposing skillsets and mental approaches ... may these dudes test the fuck out of one another for the motherload of mma showdowns.
Yeah I have to work. So it's going to be a very diligent effort staying off YouTube and other social media until I get a chance to watch it. I am super hyped though. Brain says Khabib, heart says Conor via head clean off.
Good fucking luck with that. It's possible but damn you best stay away from anything so much as mentioning their names or it'll be spoiled with sites trying to 'scoop' the outcome.
Brain says it could legit go either way ... heart says I just want to see a war, with maybe a hint of Khabib making Conor uncomfortable as fuck grappling. Because I likes that shit and am curious to see his reaction.
Fuck I'm looking forward to this bruh.
Wrong. Only the straight up wannabes. Especially that kid in Bellator who got smacked the fuck up not too long ago.Originally Posted by Mark Hammer
I can't wait for you to get your spirit animal tatted on your chest as I already know you're talking with an Irish accent at work.
What similarities does Sean O'Malley have with Conor McGregor other than (a small amount of) promotional attention?
There is shit coming out of your mouth right now.
He tries to strike like McGregor. Has a chest tat inspired by McGregor. Tries to cut a promo like McGregor.
I would give my right arm to be face to face with you whenever anything that could be twisted into a negative pertaining to McGregor is spoken of just to see you roid rage the fuck out about it lol. You're a Stan and a half when it comes to this guy, to the point where even comparing others to him and vice versa you get all Carl'd up about it lol.
Mark Hammer's response:
"Me no like to read"
Nope.
Anyway...
The more and more I think of it, the more and more I just feel like Conor's only chance is to knock this dude out in the first 15-20 seconds. Conor's a great athlete but cage rust is real and playing boxer and acting obnoxious isn't exactly going to do him any favors. I feel like he's entering the Chuck Liddell pre-Rampage rematch stage of his career. Chuck was a superstar, biggest name in the sport, knocking dudes out with ease, the champ, living the life. Then it just went away.
Do I see McGregor going on a 7 fight losing streak or something crazy? Maybe. Khabib is the type of fighter who could break a man's will for eternity. Conor and his fans will not recover if Khabib fucks him up for 5 rounds straight, toying with him like I know he can.
Problem is your co workers or some random person may burn it for you.
Indeed, and this has happened before. I was spoiled the result of Rousey/Holm the next morning at work when I was planning on catching the fight afterwards.
Good interview with the man himself.
I had Aldo/McGregor spoiled for me when I turned on the morning news. Swedish media never, ever talk about MMA if it isn't about Gus so naturally I thought it was safe to turn on the morning news..
Oof, terrible.
Also had Alvarez/McGregor spoiled but that was my own fault for logging on to Facebook right before I was going to watch the show. Some poop just had to post "KING MCGREGOR!!" I guess..
Fun stat. Khabib and Conor have both fought for the UFC 10 times.
I don't know why but I love little stats like that.
Well that was interesting to say the least lol
I enjoyed it. McGregor seemed quite a bit less wound up than he did at the last one lol.
I haven't been this pumped since Bisping vs GSP. Watching all the media day faceoffs reminded me of what a ridiculous card this is.
The closer we get the more I think Conor might do it. People expected Aldo to wreck him, many picked Eddie as well. Even in the Mayweather fight he held his own in defeat when all the boxing snobs were scoffing.
That said obviously a Khabib ground mauling won't surprise me.
I keep going back and forth. I can see Khabib shooting for a takedown and getting KO'd by that left. I can see McGregor being mauled on the ground. I can also see a back and forth type fight where it goes the distance and both men are busted up and bloody.
Amazing matchup to see two guys who are so top of the food chain at what they do while each being the blueprint style nightmare for one another.
And by all accounts they genuinely can't stand each other. So that's cool.
This is a fight fans fucking dream come true fellas.
Am I wrong in saying this is the modern day Chuck Liddell v. Randy Couture? Talking aside, you look at one guy, he had the mohawk, the crazy striking, the awesome TDD. Then you have the subtle Couture who was like the everyman with incredible wrestling and GNP. I didn't see their first fight live, but the 2nd fight that happened was probably the most hyped I had been for a fight since Shamrock-Ortiz 1.
Obviously the big difference is those 2 respected the hell out of each other, had no beef, just the elite of the division. But everything else just takes me back to 2004-2005 whenever that fight was and the way one guy had the clear advantage on the feet and the other had the advantage on the ground and we saw in the first 2 fights how each guy won playing to their strengths.
I guess you could say it's fairly similar to Silva/Sonnen, although the styles and personalities would be reversed (inversed?).
Conor has never shown great TDD as far as I know, Mini Mendes put him down easily several times before gassing out. Mendes is also the only wrestling based fighter he has ever faced so there's a diminutive sample size there. Alvarez has decent wrestling but it's a very secondary skill to his boxing. Crocop for example sprawled the shit out of grappling tanks like Ron Waterman, Josh Barnett, Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman so you knew his TDD was top-notch.
Last edited by OD50; October 6th, 2018 at 5:14 AM.
Khabib to RETIRE after Conor McGregor fight - UFC star has victory plan
No idea how credible Schaub is with this kind of thing, but a real bummer if true.
What time is this event due to start and when do we reckon the main event will kick off?
So that's one way to go out.
khabib worked himself into a shoot
They really put out an entertaining product here. The post match brawls were awesome.
I would say Khabib may get the win stripped, possibly the title and definitely suspended.
That was fucking bonkers.
What a bunch of ass hats.
You could hear the fear in Rogan's voice, he really thought a fucking riot was about to start. Crazy moment.
I would be running for the hills right now if I was a fan at that event. Shit is gonna get ugly real fast.
That was fucking mental.
Some good footage here
https://twitter.com/bustedcoverage/s...756908544?s=21
ufc = wwe
I was thinking the police could arrest some people at any moment if they wanted . Overall tho great night of fights. I almost lost my voice during the main event lol.
Sometimes you reap what you sow. Conor and his team's campaign before this fight was nasty and filled with vitriol, and Khabib's reaction was just that, a reaction to the hideous words Conor has used. Yes it's funny. Yes it's entertaining. But you can't just say things or attack men's buses without prompt retaliation. Did Khabib go to far? Absolutely. But can we really blame him? It's a shame he didn't punt Dillon Danis' head into row Z to be honest. Didn't like the teammate's getting involved and throwing punches, but look what happened in Brooklyn. Khabib real gangster.
What a card though. Black Beast winning like that may be my moment of the year, incredible. Ferguson/Pettis was so good too, the balls on Tony Ferguson.
And no, I didn't have Beast round 3 and Khabib round 4 in a double! Shitting hell I could have made some coin.
Step over Bret/Austin, Khabib/Conor is now the best heel/face swap I've ever seen.
The was shitting mental.
Yes, yes we can. Absolutely. 100%. This is why the "he said mean things about me" defence isn't particularly effective in trials. His actions, his responsibility. He deserves anything coming his way. As do the his teammates who attacked Conor from behind.
So there, went down and did some laundry and now I'm cooled off, I posted that literally seconds after I watched the fight/melee.
Note though, to me there's a huge distinction between calling someone "taliban bearded" to calling someone a "taliban/terrorist/suicide bomber" etc. To me that's like the difference between saying someone has a "pedophile moustache", "feminist glasses" or a "hipster haircut" as opposed to actually calling someone a pedophile, feminist or a hipster. If someone doesn't agree that's fine, I really couldn't care less.
Thank you, glad there's some sane people here.
Nah, not good.
Khabib showed such little class in victory yesterday and has probably indirectly done multi million dollar damage to the ufc imo. Think ufc has been struggling with casuals and last in total with Conor getting pasted like he did and all that shite after will have hurt that more.
The lad who through the punch to the back of the head after the fight. Jesus what a cunt. You almost feel the best punishment would be making him fight mcgregor for real
I mean, Guaranteed if someone not named Peter Griffin made that post Matthew wouldn't have chimed in.
And you just love to follow me around, Troll and neg rep because you're a sad cunt, Enjoy your Sundayyawn. you poor thing. just another victim.
pretty good event. shambles at the end. they can shit on dana and everyone involved, but really, it has been the biggest news coverage they have gotten in awhile. it makes a rematch shit hot.
Are you a huge MMA fan? Do you usually post in this or the other MMA threads? I have no memory of that.And you just love to follow me around, Troll and neg rep because you're a sad cunt, Enjoy your Sunday
- - - Updated - - -
Meaning?
It's a case of choosing the narrative to suit us really isn't it. Either you're of the belief that actions should have consquence or not. Conor has gone too far constantly with his words, as has Dannis. From homophobic slurs directed at Andre Fili, Aldo's impoverished background, "cholo" Nate, some of the racial shit with Mayweather, all the stuff with Khabib. Of course it was going to boil over. Khabib is at fault of course for being the guy that let it get to him, but the nastiness of Conor's act was always going to attract a sour reaction eventually. It went too far, but the common link here is Conor. Khabib has had a very respectful career. No can throwing at press conferences, no attacking buses, no racism. I'd give him more leeway for the man he has been dealing with.
Peter has the diplomacy skills of an angry Jack Russell, but I shared his distaste to what you said in anger. Knowing the religion of Khabib and how it's been played upon in the build, it's not really on, bab. I'm not standing here shaking my fist into the sky and calling for vengeance, but the explanation and comparisons you made weren't really analogous.
And just to make sure we don't get too sidetracked, man, were they fucking cunts. Khabib and the dickheads who attacked Conor, fuck the lot of them.
Mitigating, yes, but not excusing. We have no control over people's actions, only our own. Not going to disagree about how the two's behaviour pre last night has been almost polar opposite (and how that will rightly impact how it's then viewed and punished), but Khabib acted abominably last night and has to face the consequences for it.
Watched a few times now, lads who jump in the cage. One jumps in first, circles round to get his attention and pop off, the other sneaks in behind. It looks pre planned.
I don’t follow ufc much but I have a couple of thoughts.
1. Conor Mcgregor is garbage and he was outclassed in the fight, not even in the same league as Khabib
2. The aftermath was a work
3. If he aftermath wasn’t a work then Conor had it coming to him
4. Most importantly I bet $60 on Khabib
I’ll def go to watch ufc with my buddies next month, haven’t gone in years but that was up there with mania 18 for me!
Fun fact: I have only watched 3 Conor fights in my life and each time he has lost... Diaz 1, Mayweather and last night
Don’t really get why he’s considered the best ufc fighter of all time, best at generating hype maybe..
Maybe not best of all time, but he's absolutely wrecked some very, very good fighters and deserves credit as a world class competitor himself.
Fuck a bunch of being at that event..
Great shot selection.
1. Incorrect, he hasn't fought MMA in two years and Khabib is a stylistic nightmare for him. Conor winning would have been a superhuman accomplishment in my opinion. At times he actually did better than I expected, Khabib is literally a wet sandbag when he gets on top.I don’t follow ufc much but I have a couple of thoughts.
1. Conor Mcgregor is garbage and he was outclassed in the fight, not even in the same league as Khabib
2. The aftermath was a work
3. If he aftermath wasn’t a work then Conor had it coming to him
4. Most importantly I bet $60 on Khabib
I’ll def go to watch ufc with my buddies next month, haven’t gone in years but that was up there with mania 18 for me!
2. No
3. Debatable
4. Nice.
Watched it again ... and my word Khabib is a top control magician. Meanwhile his standup has seemingly gone from detriment to serviceable. Yikes.
I don't care how many times it's been booked ... I really, really want to see Khabib/Ferguson.
The way Khabib was controlling him on the ground was masterful. Had it been against someone he didn't hate to all holy hell he probably wouldn't have even gone as hard in the second round going for the finish and just had a solid gradual wear down of his opponent without looking tired himself. He had that short time in the third where he seemed just a bit slow, likely due to that attempt to finish.
UFC >>>>>>>>> WWE
The two products used to be similar but are now absolutely nothing alike. Lol at something like that ever happening at a 2018 Roman Reigns/WWE Divas rule kiddie show.
Moving away from morons that shouldn't be in this thread, my breakdown of the event:
Simply wow.
Black Beast might be my favorite person to ever live. Nothing tops "Why did you take your shorts off?"
"Because my balls were hot."
"I understand."
For an Octagon interview. Give that man a reality show.
Ferguson vs Pettis, while the finish was anticlimactic, was balls-to-the-wall just bleed action. I really really hate to be that guy though... I think Pettis quit. I've seen plenty of fighters break hands during fights and refuse to acknowledge it/keep going. Pettis didn't need an arm twisting to refuse to continue. Still though, great fight.
Main event went as expected. Until the aftermath. Khabib and his goons are fucking disgusting.
Just to comment a bit on things going on in this thread from a moderator stand point.
OD while it's true that your post in isolation isn't anything much to look at. But considering your recent post history in the asylum, your avatar, your status etc. the comment does get looked at a bit differently. Not that anything needed to be done about it mind, just why it might ruffle some people's feathers.
Either way though, there's no need for you to come in Peter and start up your shit adding nothing. Just like there was no reason for Matthew or Mark to come back at you.
There was one of the biggest cards last night and instead of just talking about that we have posts dealing with attacking each other. You all aren't McGregor or Khabib. No need for these personal attacks.
Fuck him. He never posts in these threads, but randomly chimes in to spew some neo-liberal vitriole that's been programmed into his tiny brain towards a poster that is always composed and respectful. I have zero patience for objectively bad people, that's "my reason for coming back" at him.
One of the three fights you reference wasn't even an MMA fight so it really has no standing in the 'best UFC fighter of all time' discussion. The Khabib fight was his first in nearly two years, while the only two MMA fights of the three you mention are outside his regular weight division. Tough crowd.Fun fact: I have only watched 3 Conor fights in my life and each time he has lost... Diaz 1, Mayweather and last night
Don’t really get why he’s considered the best ufc fighter of all time, best at generating hype maybe..
Mark Hammer why you neg repdidn’t know people still did that...
Haven’t posted here much in the last few years but with all the hostility and whining I can see why this place is a ghost town :S
Tough one.
I thought Conor was going to get murdered given that he hasn't had a proper fight in ages. Thought he went over the line in everything (the hype), up until the actual fight itself.
What are people's takes on NAC holding Khabib's winnings and not Conor's? Not sure if you gents have seen him also over the fence and swinging fists as well. Personally I think it was more in retalliation to Khabib making a beeline for the other fella and Conor getting in a few licks before someone else had a crack at him - but surely his behaviour's unsportsmanlike as well.
Khabib's interview was stupid. Clearly has no understanding that what he did was wrong.
The fight before this was fricken insane also
Fun story, Mark nearly had a meltdown when Mike kept Negging him last year but it's ok when him, Matthew and DVDA et al do it, Hmmmm.Mark Hammer why you neg rep
Haven’t posted here much in the last few years but with all the hostility and whining I can see why this place is a ghost town :S
No hostility towards you but it was a really dumb post. "I don't watch or know what I'm talking about but Conor lost both times I seen him fight. UFC fans are dumb." Those types of responses come with the territory though and are a side effect whenever a fighter like Rousey or McGregor brings in extremely casual fans.Mark Hammer why you neg rep
Haven’t posted here much in the last few years but with all the hostility and whining I can see why this place is a ghost town :S
peter griffin: professional victim
card was fun, not enough so to bring me back 'in' to watching these in a regular basis, as everything feels diluted (too many shows/events). however, the final 2 matches on this card were great and i actually stayed focused for one of these for the first time in awhile. felt like khabib was going to win just due to the layoff conor had. the rematch is now probably a little bit of a ways off now, due to the ruckus, but you bet your ass i will be tuning in for the eventual rematch.
Forgot to mention it in the ridiculousness following the Conor fight, but Ferguson looked fucking boss.
A ton of finishes, great fights spread out. You couldn't ask for a better card imo. The main card start to finish plus the encore so to speak, just an incredible event.
Tony Ferguson/Anthony Pettis. WOW. Yes, they've tried 3 separate times to book this fight between Khabib and Tony and the gods don't want it to happen but I don't see what other fight makes sense. There is no immediate rematch for Conor, he was pretty much schooled for 4 rounds. This shit after the fact doesn't warrant anything in MMA.
I could honestly see Conor v. Ferguson if something happens with Khabib. I get it, the words Conor spoke, this took me back to Pride and Chute Box type shit lol. But the atmosphere was hot from the jump, people were fighting all weekend. Men, women, even a McGregor fan got a one punch bedtime story for spitting on a Khabib fan. SCHAUB was right lol.
I was absolutely marking out during all of the Conor/Khabib stand-up exchanges. I could have swore Conor landed a few times (I was pretty hammered at the bar by the time the main event happened), but it really didn't do anything to Khabib. Khabib landed that overhand on Conor with temporarily dropped him, and it annoys me how casuals on forums attribute that to Conor's stand-up being less than Khabib's. That is like saying Chael is a better striker than Anderson due to him dropping him multiple times in the first fight. The threat of a TD does wonders in paralyzing one's stand-up ability.
I think Conor is a weird size when it comes to LW as well. It's almost as if he is too big for FW, but too small to LW - at least when it comes to grappling someone at the level of Khabib. I was impressed with Conor's early display of takedown defense, it almost reminded me of BJ Penn.
I personally wish Conor went back down to FW. I think Conor vs. Max 2 is compelling, I think Conor easily handles someone like Ortega, and think about how cool a potential Conor vs. Zabit match would be a year from now or so?
If Khabib gets suspended and stripped, I could easily see Conor vs. Tony being made which is an intriguing match. But too much is in the air to predict anything right now... Conor wants a rematch, Tony is undoubtedly next in line, Nate vs. Dustin has yet to unfold, and we need to see what happens to Khabib.
As far as the other fights, all around decent night of fights. Was pulling for Pettis, but respect to Tony. I am a huge fan of Derrick Lewis but shocked at the has the UFC record he currently has. He has back issues, awful cardio, and is pretty one-dimensional... but he is a loveable character.
I was absolutely bored during the OSP vs. Reyes fight... even if it was FOTN I still wouldn't have cared... it followed Derrick Lewis' epic knockout and was the calm before the storm of the co-main event and main event.
I am pissed that Karate Hottie won, I had bet on Felice Herrig based purely on size and not actually watching any of her fights.
Overall good card and unparalleled anticipation for the main event... I hope UFC 230 follows up strong, but with that main event (Valentina vs. some random) I cannot see it doing too well.
As far as the post-fight shit goes, I don't really care - but I can see how it can both interest and detract casual fans. Fighters jumping over the cage has happened countless times, but I don't think anyone ever did a Mario N64 stomp over corner-men and into the crowd and actually fought.
Conor initiating the first punch by hitting one of Khabib's guys on the cage when they were trying to go into the crowd. Conor came back down and then got swarmed by Khabib guys.
Khabib did get attacked on a bus and their feud got really personal, but I think he is dumb for doing what he did in an arena full of fans with the Governor of Nevada in attendance. At least wait until you get backstage.
Jon Anik's commentary during the brawl reminded me of Michael Cole calling RAW during a pier-six brawl. It got too cartoony despite being real.
People say Conor should have faced sanctions from the NSAC for the dolly/bus incident, but people fail to realize that was more of a criminal/NY jurisdiction issue as opposed to a fighting commission issue. What Khabib did essentially put fans/media/celebs at danger, and it actually occurred during an event. The situation could have started riots down the strip with drunk Irish/Russian fans. There are tons of videos all over the internet already that shows all the fights that happened inside the arena with fans.
Last edited by Spedizzo; October 8th, 2018 at 1:45 PM.
@Spedizzo I wouldn't say Conor threw the first punch in the sense that none of the shit with him started until after Khabib did the Eagle into that one dude Danis (?). THEN the shit hits the fan. I don't blame Conor one bit for jacking that other dude trying to hop out of the cage with him, and you have to be impressed with Conor's ability on the feet. He had 3 different motherfuckers coming at him from various angles within a minute and he blasted all 3 pretty good.
I know that the WWE fans and some of the wrestlers are already calling this a "work". It's not. Pro wrestlers will give anything to make us believe MMA is just as much of a work as Raw but it's not.
Conor's not too small to grapple with Khabib, he's just not good enough to do so.
Greatest UFC event of all time? Serious question. Maybe a month from now I should ask when the dust has settled as I'm guilty of the "honeymoon phase" with movies that just came out going "That was the best movie I have ever seen" then 2 years later forgetting I said that and saying something else was my favorite. I do it with fights, wrestling, movies lol.
But this might have been, imo, the greatest UFC event I've seen. Maybe. UFC 100 was pretty dope.
Conor has been a part of many great events. 189, 194, 202 and 205 in particular were epic too. I guess added eyeballs and promotion helps the fighters come in motivated.
Can't get over how great Derrick Lewis was. He's so, so terrible, but everything that is great about the sport. Just a hard hitting dude with heart for days. Would like to see him fight for the title next, he's actually fucking earned it. Beaten #9, #4 and #5 in consecutive fights. Who doesn't want to see a brilliant man like that get his puncher's chance at immortality?
You will always have situations like this where people call it a work. Hell it happens in football and baseball.
Not even close. 189, 205, and 217 were better. 100 if we're going back that far. It was a good event but the shenanigans at the end marred the show.
I think UFC 189 (or whatever event that was McGregor vs. Mendes) was the best of all time
no one is good enough to grapple with Khabib.
but it doesn't help that Conor weighed 170lbs on night of the fight against a world class grappler who naturally walks around at 195
Conor should ask Gleison Tibau for some pre-USADA workout shakes
Without generalizing too much, when it comes to pro wrestlers it feels like they're trying really hard to pretend MMA and pro wrestling are the same exact thing. I mean, Taz was on his show claiming Ronda's loss to Holly Holm was a work to sell more tickets for a rematch. I don't think these dudes realize very very very few people are going to go "Yeah go ahead and blatantly headkick me into orbit it'll be great for the 2nd fight!" It's that wrestler mentality where they think because they played a MMA fighter on t.v. they are one in real life. Until RVD slaps you.
I thought the end was insanity, in a good way. Twisted mind of mine. I always felt UFC 100 was probably my favorite event even if it had that whack ass CB Dolloway fight on the main card instead of Bonnar-Mark Coleman which seemed more appropriate for a UFC 100 main card. Lesnar's post-fight promo=stellar.
Yeah, after the furore has died down, the ending enhanced the event for me. It was chaos. Obviously if it led to a riot and/or murder it would've soured it, but it was basically just a bunch of handbags between camps with a couple of obnoxious drunk fans getting banged out in the lobby for good measure.
Ben Askren or GSP vs Khabib would be pretty interesting.
And sure, Conor's size does him no favors but his skills on the ground as is would do him little good versus Khabib if he walked around at 2 bills. Just a different league all together. Where as he could probably compete on the whole (or flat out defeat) with any other 155er on the planet. If it weren't for having simply met his kryptonite (Khabib) there wouldn't be any reason to suggest that he's out of his element weight-wise.
GSP and Ben Askren are Welterweights though. That is why I think if Conor has a size advantage like he does in FW he could maybe hold his own and keep it standing enough. Khabib barely beat that guy Gleison Tibau or whatever years ago, but the guy was roided to the gills. I remember when the decision for Khabib was announced and Goldie/Rogan were in disbelief.
In any case I hope they don’t rematch because I don’t think Conor has anything to beat Khabib. I also hope talks of GSP/Conor or GSP/Woodley never come back as well.
GSP and Askren are terrific on the ground tho..
Conor's size is the least of his problems on the ground with Khabib is all.
Is Conor/Nate III still getting run?
Also a bit surprised it hasn't been mentioned much, but one can hardly blame a man for wanting to go completely out of their way to knock the dumbshit out of Dillon Danis.
Khabib/Ferguson
Conor vs Poirier/Diaz winner
winner/winner ... chkn dnnr
?
I'm glad I seem to be in the minority on this but the fiasco following the fight really tainted the event for me. In what should have been a defining moment for Khabib and his emergence as a superstar he and his crew instead came out looking like scumbags and the "MMA and its fans are uncouth" crowd have one hell of an argument.
I also have zero interest in a rematch. I'm seeing rumblings all over the place, including from Joe Rogan, but no. This isn't like the first Diaz fight where Conor was winning before getting clipped and had the excuse of it being a totally different last-minute opponent. This was a four-round shellacking and I'd honestly prefer to forget about the whole thing.
Khabib/Ferguson definitely needs to happen but I don't see how Tony wins. He is very hittable and as unconventional as his bottom submission game is Khabib is something completely different on the ground.
Khabib vs. Ferguson and Conor vs. Diaz/Poirier sounds good to me. Khabib/Ferguson is easily the most snake-bitten fight ever, but fourth time's the charm, right...? Anyway, it feels like a fight that just have to happen.
Both Nate and Dustin are good and exciting stylistic match-ups for Conor as opposed to the nightmare of Khabib's wet sandbag/T-800 style. Nate being the rubber match and Poirier being a rematch from 178 makes it easy to promote as well, also the fact that Poirier has massively improved at 155. If Khabib beats Ferguson and Conor beats Poirier/Diaz they could make the Nurmagomedov/McGregor rematch maybe around next summer (International Fight Week'ish?) or fall. Feelings might have cooled off and bad memories faded a bit by then.
Just saying though, if Dana and his WME/Img pals are really greedy, dirty scumbags they will strip Khabib of the title and do the immediate Conor rematch for the vacant LW title. It's still white hot and would probably get them another 2 million PPV buys, but c'mon...
Starting to understand the context for your chat about immigrant crime in Sweden the other week. Not a concerned citizen or a student of sociology...just a standard-issue thick racist.
Nice.
/I am an actual student of criminology though.
He's not just unconventional on the ground, he's also flat out good as fuck on the ground. May not be good enough to neutralize Khabib's insane top pressure but there's also only one way to find out.
And Tony may get hit plenty, he does, but it also doesn't really seem to matter a whole hell of a lot ... and that's just kind the thing that may have an affect on Khabib's approach, in particular in the later rounds.
If Tony can pull it off it's because he's batshit crazy enough to not know he's not supposed to. That kind of bizarre mindset can be the perfect antidote to a terminator.
Congratulations, you're still a racist though. On which note, your overtly racist avatar was just brought to my attention. @Cewsh @mth @Pablo Diablo @Rajah @Version 6 can you please remove it ASAP.
It's not racist in any way I assure you. Do explain what it means to you, it will say a lot about yourself.
I'm not interested in whatever mimsy justification you have for it, the intent is clear.
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