Moreno/Figgy 3 set for December
Moreno/Figgy 3 set for December
My son is trying to convince me to order this show since my bday is the 12th. I've had some pretty good cards close to or on my bday. McGregor v. Aldo, Penn v. Sanchez
Benevidez retired yesterday and Condit today.
Condit was my #3 favorite fighter of all time. I saw him in WEC and just fell in love with the fact he lived up to the sick nickname of Natural Born Killer. He couldn't really get that fire going after the Woodley fight, not like he should have been able to but what can you do? Let's be honest, he never really had any easy fights and has been around for a long ass time. Only 37, but he's been in those wars....I doubt this is the end but who knows, let's hope.
Who have we got on Saturday then?
Leaning Volkanovski against Ortega. T-City is the flashier, more dangerous fighter and if it ends inside the distance there's not much doubt in my mind it will be him with his hand raised, but Volk is so good at just dissecting an opponent's weapons and controlling the fight with range, distance control, strong clinch work and timing. He's very good. He's not exciting, but he's kind of like a fire hydrant GSP, well rounded, smart, technical and tactical. I don't think it's a rout, one of those where you can probably put up an argument for Ortega winning, but he gets it done on points.
Shevchenko vs. Murphy will be a rout. Valentina seems to vary from destroyer to point fighter every fight so you don't know whether you're going to get a mauling or a shutout, but she's excellent. It's a division she will just never get beat in I don't think. Best chance is a flash KO and it's just not happening at 125. She's too good, and the other women lack any real power. And if they have power, she just routs them on the ground anyway. Slight lean towards a finish because Murphy will definitely bring it and that probably opens up holes on the ground for the TKO.
Lawler vs. Diaz 2 is such a good fight because I have absolutely no idea how it goes down. No clue. Both durable as they come, with Lawler's only real stoppage loss in 10 years coming against Woodley, and he's put some rounds in against some monsters. Matt Brown, Cowboy Cerrone and Carlos Condit have some of the best kill ratios in the sport and Lawler stood up to it. Still went 5 rounds with Colby and RDA when past his prime and pretty much target practice. Nick's only been stopped on cuts in nearly 2 decades. Obviously hasn't fought in years but himself fought killers like Daley, Silva and Gomi and survived. But they're older and working with 5 rounds. I can't look past Diaz really going to the body and sapping Lawler, but that's because we haven't seen Nick Diaz past his prime because he hasn't fought. We know Lawler's faded whereas Diaz is a question mark. Maybe his legs have gone and Lawler runs through him. I love the fight anyway. Diaz in 3 by TKO, or maybe he chokes him out after hurting him and creating a scramble.
Blaydes vs. Rozenstruick is a sneaky good fight. Blaydes is unique in that he's been obliterated by Ngannou and Lewis so he's clearly going to struggle for a title shot, considering Rozenstruick is probably the best guy he can face and he still has to hope Gane beats Francis and doesn't take on Jones or Stipe after. So he'll be stuck fighting backwards again for a bit. Rozenstruick is similar, got ruined by Ngannou and dissected by Gane so there's no chance he's getting a shot either. Yet, it's #4 vs. #6 in the heavyweight division so it's still a big one. Blaydes is the better fighter but Bigi Boy can hit. For me though, Blaydes grinds out an ultra cautious decision coming off that Black Beast knockout.
Andrade vs. Calvillo isn't terrible. I like watching Andrade fight. Last 3 wins by knockout. I think she's the clear #2 in the division which made her one sided loss to Shevchenko all the more eye opening. She hardly lay a glove on her. Calvillo is decent but she'll struggle to keep Andrade off her and I like Jessica to get another stoppage.
Moraes vs. Dvalishvili is a great crossroads fight. Moraes hasn't looked great his last 4 but he's lost to the former champion, squeaked past Aldo, and got stopped by #3 and #4 in the world. Levels. Merab has looked very good but he's fought a level considerably below Moraes and done it predominantly with grappling. I guess there's a chance Moraes is spent but he hasn't been losing to grapplers, Font and Cory are fast strikers. Merab lacking power might let Moraes let his hands go too. I've got Moraes wiping him out early personally, and I like Merab's style. I just don't think he has the offensive fire power to trouble one of the best one round fighters on the planet. If it goes past the first Merab grinds out a decision, but Moraes needs a statement.
Hooker vs. Haqparast is a great fight too. Hooker only really has bangers. Nasrat looks the part of a steady ranked contender too. Expect it to be a war and a coin flip on points, with the slight upset going for Haqparast given Hooker's issues with getting a visa and the possible drop in motivation going from headline fights and Conor cards to 7th fight down in the afternoon in Vegas. It'll be a good one though.
Abdurakhimov vs. Daukaus might be the worst top 10 male fight in recent memory, talentwise. Like most top 10 fights you see a route to the title for one or both, or at least the top 5. Not here though. How fun it will be depends if Daukaus can hold off the takedown. He's got good hands but unproven against anybody that is decent and not ancient. He's fighting a guy that hasn't fought in 2 years and lost when he's gone up a level, but who can definitely grind a win out. Probably the big Russian with a sloppy late round ground and pound stoppage.
Not much into Modafferi vs. Santos, but it's a ranked fight with a former title contender against a girl on a win streak with a gaudy record so it has some value. Hopefully Santos wins and looks good doing so because the division needs a contender, but it's likely a close 29-28 either way points scrap.
Meric vs. Turner I really like. Undefeated 7-0 guy with 7 finishes against a guy on a win streak who has finished 3 of his last 4 fights in the UFC. Sneaky good scrap on the early prelims. Always like to see a prospect get a win in a position like this so hopefully Medic gets another finish and starts to get a bit of hype. Dangerous early and Turner has been stopped on strikes 3 times.
Fiorot vs. Silva I like too. Fiorot lost her debut but is on a 7 fight, 5 stoppage streak. 2-0 in the UFC and has looked a potential contender. Just a relentless pressuring striker, comes at you until you break. Opponent is 2-1-1 in the UFC but finished both wins by submission so this has the potential to be a fun one. Either Fiorot smashes her or we see her tested on the ground. Valentina's division so hopefully one of them makes a bit of a statement. Got Fiorot by TKO, I expect her to be ranked after this weekend.
Roberson vs. Maximov is a glass cannon in Roberson (four first round submission losses in the UFC!) against an unproven, unbeaten debutant. Roberson has lost to good opposition and beat the lesser guys so I'd expect him to pull off the win, but Maximov has finished 5 of 6 and has grappling experience so maybe he exposes Roberson's glaring weakness instead. Got Roberson on points though.
Semelsberger vs. Sano is weird. 2-1 in the UFC vs. a guy who hasn't fought in 4 and a half years, hasn't won in 7 and a half, and 0-2-1 in his last 3. Odd. I guess it's a lay up for Semelsberger who should stop a guy like that in a round.
Morales vs. Pearce, can't really fault guys coming off UFC wins fighting in the 14th fight down. Morales is pretty decent, beaten some good fighters and only lost to Chikadze. He should get the win.
Epic card. First I've paid much attention to since Conor vs. Dustin 3.
It's a stacked card. My son is a big fan of Nick Diaz, loved the first fight with Lawler. Diaz definitely stays in shape, but fighting shape, totally different. He's a fighter at his core so that helps but yeah, ton of time off. IDK if that's good or bad.
Main event is a toss up and I'd like to see either win. Max next in line? Hopefully.
Uhh so Lawler/Diaz is moving from 170 to 185 I guess
I prefer them at 170 but I bet Lawler is just as happy. Lawler was alright at 185 in Strikeforce, Diaz I think just has that one fight against Anderson which was a total joke. That fight is why people get popped for weed. It's not a performance enhancer it's a dream fight killer lol.Originally Posted by Bert
Jon Jones arrested for domestic violence and battery in Vegas.
Fuck sake.
I'm sure he'll be back in the picture by the new year.
Full story:
https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/...arge-las-vegas
You have to think drugs and/or alcohol were involved. They have him on a 12 hour hold.
"we really don't know yet the full story" Keep that in mind when saying you are providing the actual full story.
Jon Jones is a fucking idiot…
Oh wow. Dana hadn't commented on it yet when I posted it. I was sure he would be defensive of him, but nope. It's a cliché but Jon Jones worst enemy is really himself.
Classic Jon Jones. Hours after humble bragging about his dedication to the transition to heavyweight. He's a sociopath. Can't help himself. It's a shame we'll probably never get him laid out in the octagon.
Glad the fight card's pretty much stayed in tact. Unbelievably. Lost the Fiorot fight and Karl Roberson dropped off but all the big fights have stayed on the show. First time I remember that happening in forever, always seems to be a big drop out inside 2 weeks out of fight night. Potential for a couple of classic fights tonight, the main event in particular will have a bit more tension than the Volk/Holloway fights because Ortega has more genuine finishing ability than Max - Max always has potential to overwhelm, but Volk has to be perfect for 25 minutes or he gets his neck taken or runs into a knee. He's got a lot to prove in this one. Lawler vs. Diaz is going to be a lot of fun. Valentina is entertaining when she puts the afterburners on and Lauren Murphy should bring the fight to her to enable that. Big heavyweight fight. Andrade is always fun. Moraes vs. Morab should be fireworks for a round. Hooker vs. Naqparast might end up being a banger. Daukaus is a fun heavyweight. Should be a great night of fights following Joshua vs. Usyk.
On cue, Aljo out of next month's title fight. 5 weeks away. Got to think they shift to Yan vs. Sandhagen or most likely Font for an interim title. Which I'm not big on but considering Yan would still be champion if he wasn't an idiot momentarily, it's not too bad. Would put the timeline back to mean Aldo vs. Dillashaw is a possibility too as Dillashaw surely won't wait until fall next year for a shot.
Last edited by Fanny Batter; September 25th, 2021 at 3:11 PM.
Man I love Volkanovski so much. Those 2 subs had me scared though. Ortega is tough as hell for sure. Can't take that away from him. His face looks like hamburger meat.
That was a really good fight card. When you've got as clean a knockout as Semi the Jedi's that early you know you're in for a good one.
Volk is terminator. What a pace. It's a real shame they rushed that Holloway rematch (like most rematches the last 5 years - TJ/Cody springs to mind) because their next fight won't be as anticipated as it should be for such a high level fight. Obviously Holloway needs to beat Yair but it's the obvious next fight. While they try and get Allen and/or Chizadke over the line with a top 5 win anyway. Chikadze/Zombie and Allen/Kattar makes a world of sense. Fight was incredible, Ortega doesn't lose a whole lot in defeat given his toughness and how close he was to the finish in the wild third round. Rebound him with Yair if he loses and he's not far from another shot.
Valentina going to Valentina. It's a shit division though, make no mistake. Maybe she'd still have that record in a better weight class still, and you can only beat what's in front of you, but Maia, Eye, Murphy, Carmouche and Chookagian aren't title level. Her best wins are still at bantamweight (Kaufman, Pena and Holm) as well as the title winning effort against Joanna. Other than that, scrubs. It's a worry that nearly 8 years in to the women's MMA movement in the UFC and this is the level of title contender we get. As bad as Mighty Mouse made his challengers look, your Moraga's and Borg's were still very good fighters. Lauren Murphy is a tough girl with a basic skillset and she got to a title shot. Mad. The standard should be better by now, beyond the strawweight division which is genuinely very good. Particularly if Andrade goes back down.
Lawler and Diaz was an enjoyable old guy fight. They stood in the pocket, threw shots, took shots, and one man was left standing. It wasn't high level by any means, and you worry about either man against anybody with skill and athleticism at this point, but against each other it was fun. Diaz is clearly done and came for the paycheque, but he did it admirably. Lawler hopefully won't be rushed into another fight for him to put a contender over and instead gets maybe the Price/Oliviera winner.
Blaydes did his job but didn't impress. He's going to have to fight down the rankings for a while until the division sorts itself out up top. Fairly sure Jones never fights again so Stipe probably gets the winner of Gane/Ngannou. Blaydes maybe gets Daukaus, or Tybura if he beats Volkov. Bigi fights Black Beast next surely, the most natural fight in the division for a fun TV main event. Ironically earns as much in a loss as in defeat even though he looked shit.
Andrade is too good for anybody below championship level. Fun watching her smash the overmatched contenders though. Calvillo had nothing for her at all.
Merab vs. Moraes was awesome. Moraes has no petrol and came up against a guy that didn't get his doors blown off. Just. Overcame adversity and then just wrecked the guy once he was spent. Important finish too.
Hangman Hooker was just a level above Nasrat. More weapons. Glad that he's back in the win column, fun fighter to watch.
Daukaus knocking the slobber out of that guy was gross. He's proof that the heavyweight division kinda sucks, slow and heavy handed like most of them.
Jon Jones never fights again? You're crazy. Short of jail for murder nothing will stop him from fighting.
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/...-front-of-kids
On Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a copy of the police report through a public record’s request, which stated that Jones left his fiancée, Jessie Moses, bloodied after allegedly assaulting her with their three children present.
According to the report, the domestic incident took place inside a room at Caesars Palace hotel and casino. Moses said the altercation occurred after Jones came back agitated from a night out with friends while she was asleep. When she tried to leave the room, Moses said Jones pulled her hair. According to Moses, their children were present during the altercation.
An account taken from a Caesars Palace security guard stated that Moses came to the desk and asked for a key to her room. The security guard observed blood on Moses, who cried when asked if she was OK. Moses explained she did not feel safe going back to the room, and she was taken with her children to a security office. Once there, Jones’ youngest child asked security, “Can you call the cops?”
When interviewed by police, Moses was asked if Jones had gotten physical with her, to which she responded, “Ummm not too physical but a little bit yeah.” According to the report, police observed “blood all over Moses’ clothing and a bump with dried up blood on the lower part of her lip.” When asked about her bloody lip, Moses stated that her lips get dry.
The police report described Moses as “scared to even talk about Jonathan.” When police entered the hotel room with Moses to observe where the altercation took place, they found blood on the bed sheets and shoes strewn about.
“She still seemed very scared as to the release of Jonathan from jail,” arresting officer Boschetti wrote in the report. Moses asked him how long she had before Jones would be released from jail.
Moses refused to have pictures taken of her injuries and declined to accept a domestic violence card with information about a restraining order.
When police arrived, casino security stated Jones had just left the premises with two male adults. After a description was broadcasted on police radio, Jones was quickly found walking on a nearby street. Jones became “irate” as he was arrested and smashed his head onto the front hood of a LVMPD patrol vehicle, which “left a medium size dent” and paint chipped off.
While in custody, Jones was “an emotional rollercoaster,” according to the report. Initially angry, Jones told officers a lawsuit would be filed against the department for “ruining the biggest night of his life.” Jones went from agitated to sad to a state of calmness.
Jones admitted he had been going through difficult times with his fiancée but denied getting physical with her. Jones recalled saying goodbye to his children prior to his night out and then heading back to the hotel room to get $10,000 for a trip to a strip club. Though Jones claimed Moses didn’t have issue with the behavior, the strip club trip started an argument about their relationship in which he told her to “f*ck off.” He denied pulling Moses’ hair or hitting her and said he did not remember any blood or him leaving the hotel.
After the interview, Jones joked with officers that “he would like to take us all on and see what we could do” before he faked like he was going to run away. He was warned that it wasn’t a joking matter and would be tased if he feinted running away again. He was transported to the Clark County Detention Center and booked.
Must be fascinating - and equally disturbing - to witness just how maniacally arrogant this dude is in real life.
When I watched his appearance on the JRE podcast I couldn't stop but think damn this dude is mad entitled, doesn't have any real empathy. Joe seemed to call him out on not really seeming to take responsibility. He always has an answer for everything and I'll admit to siding with him more often than not in certain situations but he's crossed the line several times with nothing more than some community service.
The UFC have a couple guys at the top that think they can walk on water.
O'Malley wants Cruz. I think Cruz is too fast for him.
Eh, O'Malley is yesterday's news. It's all about Paddy The Laddy now.
I hate everything about Dominic Cruz. I hate the constant condescending tone of his voice, the never changing smug look on his face. I hate his fighting style, I hate that he backs it up. He's one step above Cejudo so I don't want to see him wheelchair bound or anything wild but holy fuck....I can't wait to see Pedro knock this dude out.
Hooker vs Makachev for 257
That should be good.
That might even be a better card than the last PPV, and it's not even PPV! Jan/Glover in a battle of the lovely old men for the title, Yan vs. Sandhagen stylistically is a better fight than the Stirling one, Dan Hooker is Islam's biggest test yet and is fit and in form, Chimaev finally returning against The Leech in a big test, Volkov vs. Tybura a sneaky relevant HW fight, Volkan vs. Ankalaev is a banger at 205 with Ankalaev a huge prospect, Amanda Ribas returning from her loss, and Lerone Murphy and Ismagulov looking big prospects too. On a decent time for us Brits too.
What do you mean it's not ppv?
It's literally not on PPV. Will be on ESPN or ABC. 268 the week after is behind the paywall.
Wow, that's pretty crazy. I thought all numbered events were on ppv.
Cut her. Mediocre fighter, mediocre record. Misses weight more than Kelvin. Every excuse under the sun, even if some are valid (not going to argue about periods) but she's mid. MIDDY
Ngannou vs Gane for 270 in January
Happy 40th born day for me as Poirier v. Oliveira is going down on Dec 11th (the night before my bday) @ UFC 269 woooooo. I've had some pretty sweet UFC events on or right around my bday. Penn v. Sanchez, McGregor v. Aldo,
Sandhagen/Yan is the first interim title fight I've seen where they might as well be fighting for the real belt. Let's be honest.
100%. Dude we just saw Patricio in Bellator vacate the LW title after losing a FW fight to McKee. He said he basically didn't feel right for being champion after losing his last fight plus his brother can't get a title shot unless they fight. My point being that Sterling should not have accepted the title, vacated it on the spot, and when he's ready come back and fight again.
Instead, the guy is talking stupid shit left and right. I didn't even know you could win a title via DQ in sports I'm so deep in pro wrestling with their rules.
It also kind of sucks TJ is hurt but shit, how does Yan even make weight??
Masvidal vs. Edwards at UFC 269, with the flyweight title fight moving back to UFC 270. Poirier vs. Oliviera for the lightweight title, the female GOAT, a top 5 PPV attraction in a grudge match #1 Contenders fight, the bantamweight GOAT against an underappreciated Pedro Munhoz, Cody Garbrandt's flyweight debut, and Sean O'Malley's step up in competition. Plenty going on that night.
I'll believe Masvidal v. Edwards is a go when Edwards shows up to the Octagon that night. I just don't think Edwards truly wants that fight. He wanted Nate Diaz instead of a top 10 guy. Dude is whack.
The card is sick though.
Jorge/Leon at 269, December 11th.
Leon will show up, COVID permitting I guess come December. He'll fancy it against a Masvidal coming off a vicious loss. How many times have we seen a guy drop an L coming off a devastating loss in a title fight? Look at Tony Ferguson, or Benavidez recently. Best time to fight a top 5 guy.
Ponzinibbio vs. Neal on that card. Fucking banger. It's rich on exciting fights on paper, not just ranked guys.
Luis Pena was released from the UFC.
Meanwhile, Jon Jones has not. Because Jon Jones makes money.
McGregor still there too.
Meanwhile, Jon Jones has been banned until further notice from Jackson-Winklejohn.
But he still says they'll help him train, just not in their gym. I'm sure Jon isn't rich enough to afford his own gym or anything...
He can afford his own gym all he wants with all the yes men surrounding him like he always has. It's not going to change the fact that he's been focusing on the wrong record.
Life is catching up with Jones. Both in and out of the cage. It's just wild to think what could've been these last 5 years with him. Instead he's spent the majority suspended or on the outside looking in. I will say this, the double standards are there. A nobody gets released but Jones and McGregor are still there. But the promoter seems to only have enough space in his "dealing with fighter bullshit" for McGregor considering how he responds to their actions. It seems like the older son just isn't in the favorable position anymore. McGregor's just on a totally different planet though even compared to guys like Jon Jones.
Double standards exist in every avenue of business and operations. The bigger the asset you are the more latitude for untoward behavior you're allowed. It's an entirely common, though unfortunate of course, occurrence.
Jim Miller and Andrei Arlovski still doing their thing. Arlovski's abandoned any and all finishing instinct to develop into an elusive point fighter and it keeps him in the winners column enough to keep his job. Miller's pretty much the opposite, now a shit or bust finisher who gets outpointed if the finish isn't there early. I think UFC 300 is Summer 2024 so the mad bastard might just make it. If he gets matched like he did last night he should avoid the dreaded 4 fight slump. Yet they're still 50/50 fights because he's very shopworn at this stage. Legends the pair of them.
Aspen Ladd's had about the shittest fortnight you can have for a fighter. Missed weight, dropped out of the fight, quick turnaround and a spectacularly drab loss in a main event. She was probably in line for a title shot if she made weight and beat Chiasson, now she's an unreliable blowout in 2 divisions, and an uninspiring fighter to boot. Young enough to come again, but on the surface, whatever 'it' is, it's not there for her.
Big main event coming up this weekend with Costa v. Vettori. I'm excited to see Rick Glenn as he's someone who represents a town that showed me love for many years (Marshalltown, IA). Nothing else really exciting on paper. I'm not familiar with most on the card. Shocked to see Randa Markos still in the UFC. Also the first ever Ugandan-born fighter will make his debut David Onama
I've got in the habit of catching up on these Fight Night's the next morning, fast forwarding through the adverts and fights between non-ranked, dull fighters. Costa vs. Vettori is the best Fight Night fight in months though, and on at a decent time here, so will get a rare live watch. I like Vettori, odd fucker that he is.
My 20 year old son has the ESPN+ so he's always watching these and educating me on who these lesser known fighters are. He'll watch one and be like Dad, you have to check out this fight at least. 2 guys/girls I've never heard of putting on a banger.
Costa can't make weight so it's catch weight now? Too much wine?
He said 2 days ago (I think) he was at 211lbs. He then said that if Vetorri doesn't fight him at catchweight, Vetorri is scared lol.
This is just ridiculous. He should be fined at least 50% of his purse and then they can talk about a fucking catchweight. Costa's excuses such as "It'll be better for the fans we'll be able to go for a knockout easier" or some bullshit. This guy is delusional.
There is a stat out there, might have been shared here, where the majority of fighters who come in heavy wind up winning.
Just taking into consideration how much some people deplete themselves to make weight in the first place that's not that surprising.
Exactly. Vetorri is probably drained as fuck as it is and here's Paulo not even trying. Or maybe he cuts from like 240lbs. But he said he was at 211, fighting at 185. Why are you trying to cut 30lbs a few days prior to the show? We need to fix this more than anything in MMA. If not, they to introduce more weight classes.
Earlier this week I ended up going down a Twitter MMA rabbit hole which was initially started by this:
https://www.themix.net/2021/10/kamar...-welterweight/
I couldn’t believe how many responses agreed with that statement. Insanity…
Also, watching Brock Lesnar, who looked to be in great shape at today’s “Crown Jewel”, made me sad that Diverticulitis robbed us of what might have become one of the all-time greatest heavyweights.
Catchweight of 195 with Costa forfeiting 20%.
The upside to Lesnar's brief career in MMA is that his only losses were to the absolute best of the best. Frank Mir I think had the most wins at HW at the time. Ubereem's resume speaks for itself. Cain V was elite of the elite. And with the minimal skill and desire to evolve somehow Lesnar thrived.
Usman I can also see why people would think that. Many fight fans will say if you put Usman against everyone GSP fought, he would destroy them because they think the game has evolved so much more in the last 5-10 years. IDK if I agree with that. You take Carlos Condit, Hendricks, Nick Diaz, Matt Hughes, BJ Penn-all in their prime, they're still killers in the modern era.
But if you ask my 20 year old son who would win between Prime GSP and Prime Usman, my money is that he would say Usman because that's the generation of fighters he's grown up with, seeing them fight live. Just like my generation thinks Anderson Silva is the GOAT or Fedor, then someone says "well what about Izzy, what about Stipe? " What about them? lol
Now I'm reading the fights at 205. Ridiculous.
Costa is a fucking idiot. Mindboggling interview where he alluded to Vettori being scared to fight him at a higher weight, considering, you know, they signed a contract that was still existent three days ago to fight at 185. Sure. I hope Vettori batters him, but you get the feeling Costa knocks him out and kind of gets away with it. It's weird the insistence to make 185 anyway, 205 is a pretty poor division and he'd do just fine there given the success of Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos since moving up.
Shame Vettori let himself be shittalked into agreeing to this nonsense.
Costa said he shouldn't give up any of his purse because Vetori agreed to the fight at 205. What a piece of shit.
Fighters who can’t make weight are completely unprofessional and totally deserve the financial repercussions.
You chose to get into the combat sports arena, either make weight or stop squeezing yourself into a class that your body clearly isn’t suited for.
Despite all the bullshit, what a great fight between those 2. The card was pretty solid. Bruce LeeRoy came back from almost getting put to sleep several times so props to him.
Fun fact: UFC 267 will be the first numbered event to not have Bruce Buffer introduce the fighters since UFC 11, in 1996.
Apparently he has covid.
That's wild! Couldn't he just do it from his house? In this day and age we're not that advanced?
Just imagine if he starts repeating himself, it's timeeeeeee-eeeeeee-eeeeeeeee.
Been feeling a bit apathetic to the overall landscape as of late, but happy to see a bit of a banger of a card coming up this weekend if anyone's looking out.
LHW title fight that isn't super marquee but could well have a definite finish with Blachowicz looking to solidify his title reign against grizzled vet Teixeira.
Interim BW title fight with the by-all-rights title holder - and general badass, Petr Yan - taking on the roundly talented yet perennial up and comer Cory Sandhagen.
Khabib disciple Islam Makhachev gets his first real significant level up opponent in the always ready Dan Hooker.
The heralded Khamzat Chimaev returns from a year off to take on his realest opponent to date in Li Jingliang.
Also on the maincard are LHW and HW fights with guys worth checking in on in Oezdemir, Ankalaev, Volkov, and Tybura.
This card isn't exactly grab you by the short and curlys star-studded can't miss and all that, but it has an all around narrative note-worthy quality to it that I'm awfully looking forward to.
I miss cards like this.
Countdowns are always so good. I'm not sure who I want to win. Probably Jan and Sandhagen.
Quality card tonight. Not unfeasible that 4 of them will see out next year as champions, with Chimaev and Makhachev looking lethal at the moment as well as the title fights. That's including Ankalaev, who's on a streak and probably a win away from a shot if he beats Volkan.
Jan vs. Glover is a bittersweet fight in that I don't want to see either lose. Two of the better people in this sport full of wrong 'uns. I've got to cheer on my man Glover though, Jan has had his big moment and it would be lovely to see Glover reach it after so many high profile setbacks and being written off. Now at 42, it's looking like it's a win the title or leave the gloves in the cage situation. Would love to see him do it but won't be too gutted given how lovely Jan is. I think Jan knocks him out, Glover has been rocked in pretty much every post-40 fight, after big knock out losses to Rumble and Gustafsson too. Jan connects big and puts him away inside two rounds. Fight gets VERY interesting if Glover can get top position though, still one of the best in the game at chasing the finish on the ground.
Yan vs. Sandhagen is another great fight. I don't really like either fighter as a personality but they're two of the best all action scrappers in the world. Yan's pressure against Sandhagen's length and range of weapons. Both have great gas, power, scrambling ability, so it's going to be a war. Yan's on a full camp and has been preparing for a long fighter (albeit more of a wrestler) for the better part of a year, whereas Sandhagen is on a month's notice. So I think it's a tight 3 rounds which could be scored 2-1 either way before Yan pulls away with it in the championship rounds. Then we get Yan vs. Sterling 2 while Sandhagen rebuilds. He'll see another title fight down the road, and might well be a future champion. I just don't think Yan gets put away and five rounds is a long ass time against that man on a month's notice.
Hooker vs. Islam isn't the squash match people think it is. Islam of course passes the eye test, 8 in a row, last 4 being legitimately good wins against fringe top 15 guys. But would we pick any of those guys against Hooker? Arman at a push, but the Arman that Islam beat was 22 making his UFC debut. Hooker hasn't been ragdolled in forever, he's sneaky good at defending takedowns for someone so long, hits hard, will be a threat from the bottom, has good knees on the level change. Islam might run through him, but that shouldn't be the assumption based on the body of their work. I do think he gets it done but I don't think he looks overly impressive, choosing to grind one out rather than flat out putting it on Hooker once he realises Dan is a gamer and if he leaves gaps he'll do damage. Islam stays in half guard chest-to-chest for the last 2 rounds after a fairly competitive opener for a points win. Would LOVE to see Hooker finish him, seems such a sound bloke.
Volkov vs. Tybura is a good fight, but there's a clear hierarchy at heavyweight and neither have either the power or takedown defence to put a dent in it. Maybe the winner catches Ngannou or Gane in a post-title loss funk, that's the ceiling, even that's highly doubtful. Alas, Volkov should win this one with his length and body work, I fancy he gets the finish too.
The Leech vs. Chimaev is another that's been perceived as a squash match on paper that is anything but. Li isn't a world beater but he is a very dependable, durable welterweight coming off a huge knockout win fighting a guy who's best win is against GM3. Again, Chimaev certainly passes the eye test, but his wins don't tell us much at this stage. This is a huge test, and I'd rather see him win a fight like this before labelling him a -500 favourite against a top 15 guy. I do think Chimaev smashes him based on the performances so far and Li struggling on his back before, but wouldn't be shocked if the guy who's been out a year with COVID who hasn't really been tested falls apart if he doesn't get his man out of their early. If Khamzat wins big though, hype train will be on overload.
Volkan vs. Ankalaev is a great fight at light heavyweight. Ankalaev has benefitted from the slow and steady build up and finally gets the step up (though ranked higher already) against the former title contender. He's 1 second away from being unbeaten, which is both a worry (tapping a second before the end to a choke is a little suspect given the relatively low risk of being choked for 1 more second) and possibly the biggest lesson he could have learned without taking a beating. Passes the eye test, but Volkan's no joke and only loses to champions and contenders. He got absolutely levelled in his last fight though and see him being a bit gun shy, leading to him coasting to a points loss rather than getting smashed in a firefight.
Prelims aren't bad too. Amanda Ribas is always worth a watch and very likeable, Jandiroba is very solid but her potential is a level below Ribas who should be able to set a good pace on the ground and take it on points. Ramos vs. Tukhugov is a fun scrap at featherweight between two guys who have found their level just outside the top 20. Dos Santos vs. St. Dennis, Murphy vs. Mr. Finland and Ulanbekov vs. Nascimento should be fun too. Throw in a couple of streaking prospects (Duraev, Gamzatov) and you've got a pretty deep card. One from the start for me. And at a decent time too!
Poor Dan Hooker. Makachev is a beast.
Shocking dominance. Can't argue with the title shot coming next. Gaethje/Chandler winner against Dariush for the next, timelines all match up.
Ideal scenario for UFC is surely Usman beating Colby and Edwards then going for the winning streak record against Chimaev towards the end of next year. Biggest fight in the division by far. Or Masvidal gets Leon out of the way and they do it earlier. Chimaev against Wonderboy, Burns or Luque next, absolutely no point going slow with him at this point. All three world class but with miles on them.
Khamzat, Makhachev, and Yan all showing the fuck out.
Great night.
Went how I expected, Sandhagen did his best work early but Yan's pacing is so measured and methodical that it feels he can fight 10 rounds if he wanted to. No wasted motion. Who beats that man over 5 rounds other than himself?
That aspect of Yan's game is really incredible. Usually compact, explosive strikers will gas themselves out before long through inefficient wasted motion, missing on heavy swings and overextended footwork. Yan is literally never ever where he shouldn't be in his stance, angling just off his opponents movement, one strike seamlessly to another, and not coming out the gate swinging for the fences.
He's such a textbook display of power/technique/gameplan.
Missed the main event but I'm happy for Glover. We'll see how long he holds it.
Glover! What a story. That Corey Anderson loss, the third in 5 fights, was so uninspiring that he just had to be done. 38, slow, 2 big recent knockout losses, and losing to an at the time one note guy in Corey. How he's come back from that with all sorts of adversity in the winning streak too, to win the title in dominant fashion, hats off. It might not last long, but on this night he's king. Couldn't be more deserving. The new breed (Ankalaev, Jiri and Rakic) are coming and you can't see him putting much of a run together but who knows with this man?
So, Font/Aldo winner fights Dillashaw for the shot at Yan/Sterling right? TJ surely can't get a shot without another win, by the time he challenges it'll be 4 years since he won a non-split decision. Yan crushes him anyway, but an inactive TJ off an injury gets hurt badly. Sandhagen I hope takes a decent enough step down, he's someone they should be looking to build back up. Exciting as hell.
For me, it's Islam vs. Oliviera/Poirier and Dariush vs. Gaethje/Chandler. All lines up with the timing. Winners fight. Let Conor come back against Nate, Tony or RDA if Dustin wins the belt, a loss and you run that back obviously. Though you can see DP pushing for Conor 4 even if he wins the belt. Money. And not getting ragdolled.
Could very well be a changing of the guard year, 2022. Looking at the list of champions, anybody fancying any of the (full) male champs to see out 2022 with the belt? I've got Gane, Jiri, Israel (only one), Chimaev, Israel, Max, Yan and Garbrandt (or Munhoz if he drops to 125 after the Cruz fight as expected). UFC needs a US star to break through really, has there ever been less US fighters in the top 5?
Great fight card. The BW title fight was incredible. Glover winning the title was awesome. I actually didn't get to watch the show until after I saw the results and honestly it was so good it didn't matter. I was rooting for Glover he's a guy that has been around for years going back to when Chuck Liddell was champion. I just always saw the title around his waist solely based on his affiliation with Chuck. And at 42, that's wild-and he dominated this man. Jan had no chance.
I wonder if we're going to see takedowns in this Covington/Usman fight.
I hope Usman doesn't try to play to the ref for fake nut shots and eye pokes again.
I hope Rose wins in dominant fashion again. She's the best! Interesting to see Cejudo coaching Zhang.
I'd like Gateje to beat Chandler.
You could just call this UFC 268 Wittman vs Everybody.
Hoping Colby gets his shit pushed in again tonight. Usman is on an unbelievable run. Either the second or third longest win streak in UFC depending on whether you count the Cormier no contest against Jon Jones (to the surprise of nobody, I do). Looking to become only the 8th man in UFC history to get to five consecutive title defenses. Ended 3 of 4 already inside the distance so he's becoming a better finisher later in his career. A win here sets him up for a fight to tie Anderson Silva's 16 fight win streak to open his UFC career. It's all set up for him to maybe go for the record towards the end of 2022 against Chimaev if he can pick up a couple of big wins, and that's likely a massive fight if his star grows as it has. But he has to get it done against Covington who is an excellent fighter in his own right but I don't think has the power to put much of a dent in Usman again, and the power will show down the stretch with Usman getting another championship round stoppage in hopefully another banger. Their first fight was incredible.
Rose vs. Zhang is a rushed rematch, as is the norm nowadays. Why couldn't they do Rose vs. Carla (a warranted rematch) and Zhang in a rebuild, then match them up? Zhang could pretty much be done as a contender already after tonight, or they even it up and do another needless immediate rematch to make a trilogy a la Figgy Smalls and Moreno. Their are other fighters. I've got a feeling Zhang fights better here and wins on points too, but wouldn't be surprised if 6 months isn't enough to make the physical as well as mental adjustments.
Edgar vs. Vera, I hope Frankie has another big one in him but I'm seeing a knockout for Vera unfortunately. Vera's underrated. Took a round off 3 round Jose Aldo and lost a coin flip decision to Song Yadong in the only setbacks of his last nine fights. 6 finishes in their including Sean O'Malley. Hits hard and I've seen enough of Edgar the last few years to suggest that his legendary durability is fading. Saying that, if he doesn't get caught early he grows into the fight as seen by taking Holloway and Munhoz the five round distance amongst the KO losses. But yeah, after that last fight against Sandhagen I'm leaning towards it being the beginning of the end and innocuous shots possibly finish him going forward. Round 1 KO. Always favour Frankie though, possibly my all time favourite fighter.
Burgos vs. Billy Q is a banger. One of them where we can just sit back and enjoy the violence. Burgos the more proven entity at this level but has taken some pummelings in losses to Kattar, Barboza and Emmett. No shame in those losses, three beasts, but man he has taken some punishment. Quarantillo is fun to watch, 4-1 in the UFC, but a loss to Gavin Tucker (who somebody like Dan Ige iced quickly) doesn't trend well for his ability to make the jump up in class so soon. Crossroads fight really because Burgos might be off based on the losing streak and Billy possibly improving more. Got Burgos in a coin flip but it'll be hotly contested.
Gaethje vs. Chandler opening the main card! Hell yes. Two must see fighters. Gaethje possibly the most watchable fighter in the sport, a calculated killer when he's on, Homer Simpson on steroids when he's in trouble. I'm hoping Chandler can put a dent in him so we get the absolute dog fight that it has potential to be, but I just get the feeling Gaethje gets him out of their in a big way early. I think Justin gets a title shot with a win, Islam already deserves one but you can't really leave Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliviera off the table if you can help it. Book Islam vs. Dariush over five rounds if so, then there's absolutely no denying the winner of that.
Prelims aren't as stacked as they were (Strickland vs. Rockhold and GDR vs. Aldana fell off) but still enough to like. UFC debut of the guy who knocked out Adesanya in kickboxing, guaranteed violence in Green vs. Iaquinta, Megatron Hawes looking to keep his streak going, Edmen finally getting a slight step back (wrongly written off for a guy who handled Brad Tavares that easily), UFC debut of big European prospect Ian Garry, Gian Villante retirement fight, and Dustin Jacoby continuing his unlikely UFC return.
I missed the early prelims but there's been some crazy fights on the later prelims.
I thought that Chris Curtis guy was toast for sure.
Al just seeming very rusty.
Gateje/Chandler is why I watch UFC.
Chandler with the fight IQ of a turnip.
I don't think he's that bad. He did a lot of good body shots.
It absolutely is that bad when you keep your hands down for half of a fight against Justin Gaethje. Also trying to get into a windmill war with him of all fighters when you'd been effective sniping efficiently from distance and capitalizing on your speed and motion just like your corner was begging you to do. And not trying to do a better job of either checking the leg kicks that you should've been prepared for or being able to work from a southpaw stance because he'd take your lead leg away or trying to tie up/clinch or make Gaethje work from his backfoot to limit the kicks.
He could've legitimately won that fight. Instead he helped Gaethje win it.
He doesn't have the cardio. He used up his gas tank in the 1st.
He doesn't have the cardio to hold his hands up? Seriously?
Cardio was the least of his problems. Gaethje looked fresher because he's learned how to control himself nowadays. Chandler got roped into the whole 'we have to have a war' mentality.
https://streamja.com/d5Kmy
I missed this when it happened. Nuts.
Lactic acid build up in his big muscles. I was surprised Chandler didn't throw more uppercuts himself since Gateje kept ducking his head.
I was hoping to hear from Justin. Hope they're both okay.
Bro he kept his hands down of his own choosing. It was obvious. He wanted to be in a spectacle.
Draft kings had an odds boost for Edgar/Vera under 2.5 and Usman/Covington under 3.5 so I took it.
Edgar doesn't have the chin he used to.
$5 pays $32.50.
The fact that the Gaethje/Chandler fight went to a decision is truly remarkable. Chandler has a granite chin geez.
Chito looking a lot like Suga and it's weird to me.
I don't think that fight ended fast enough for me to get my bet.
I love Rose but 49-46 from the one judge lol idk about that.
That judge was sleeping.
Colby has to be one of the biggest jabronies I've ever seen lol. I hope Usman knocks him out cold.
Marty grabbing the fence. Always gotta cheat somehow.
You can hate him but dudes a hell of a fighter.
UFC was going to cut him before he came up with the gimmick.
The funniest thing to me is people hate Colby but love Jon Jones and Connor McGregor. How many scandals has Colby had outside the cage? 0.
Team Wittman 3-0
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