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Thread: UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship

  1. #12501
    GP OG Percussion's Avatar
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    Leon Edwards has the the 'rona and so his fight with Khamzat won't be happening Dec 19th. Great.

    I hope he hasn't forgotten how to fight by the time he finally steps back into the octagon.

  2. #12502
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    That sucks. Card is stacked but Leon has missed so much time that it was important to get him in there, and the fight was massively intriguing. It's a shame they're just rebooting honestly, I'd have just pulled Belal Muhammad from his prelim bout to fight Khamzat, who has shown no problem taking a quick turnaround and would still fight Leon in January with a win. I'd put it on the Conor card if it's just postponed, Leon has been a hard sell but a win on that card would get him a title shot without doubt.

  3. #12503
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    They added an Anthony Pettis fight for the main card against Alex Morono. Random, but the kid is exciting and a decent 7-3 in the UFC.

  4. #12504
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Magny was ready to step in but we get it.

  5. #12505
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Oddly, Yoel Romero has been released with fights left on his contract. Can't make sense of that, must be more to it that will come out in the wash as he's a big name, has had huge moments in the Octagon and, most importantly, he's still fucking good. If Bellator aren't running a PPV with Mousasi vs. Romero and Pitbull vs. McKee on top, they're mad. That and the penultimate Fedor fight would be a big draw.

  6. #12506
    GP OG Percussion's Avatar
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    Can't say I'm all that bothered to see him go. He's become a bit of a tedious watch, imo, with his off/on style that grows more and more off as he gets older. Surely a run against guys not at the tip top of the MW rankings would see him become more the monster he once was, but that would also only serve to eliminate those trying to come up the ladder and not do anything for the development of the division.

    This feels kinda like a Jon Fitch-ian move but with a hot and cold former champion striker versus a dull wet blanket contender.

    And wouldn't they have to offer him fights while under contract with fights left, so surely he was agreeable to being let go, I think?

  7. #12507
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    I guess they've figured these ESPN events generate them as much money whether it's Yoel vs. Gastelum or Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill, so why pay the big unit? Shame though. One of the more fascinating fighters in the sport, despite his penchant for staring for long periods of fights.

    Thoughts on the card Saturday? Resigned to the fact more fights will kick the bucket, but it's a tidy main card on paper. Title fight, huge crossroads fight between Ferguson and Oliviera, Kevin Holland looking to go 5-0 in 2020 against a big name in Jacare, BANGER of a fight between Fizaev and Moicano and the prospect gatekeeper fight between Gane and JDS. A lot to like there, mainly because stylistically that's a fun fight card, and relevant too.

  8. #12508
    🪝HOOK GANG🪝 Bert's Avatar
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    Overall I'm excited for the card Saturday. Deveison is what Dana wanted Mighty Mouse to be. I like watching him fight. I love Tony Ferguson so I'm probably most excited for that fight.

    Ostovich got cut today. I'm not surprised. Dana said he expects to cut 60 fighters before year end.

  9. #12509
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    This card is a little lackluster compared to the last time a fight card was on my birthday. McGregor v. Aldo and Rockhold v. Weidham.

    Not shocked about the cuts. Dana said just a few fight cards ago they had an inflated roster, the most fighters they've ever had. Honestly there's no point to have this many fight cards and fighters. Yoel Romero is not a big name, he's not a big draw, he missed weight twice for title fights so fuck that guy.

  10. #12510
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    Apparently MTV Cribs is a thing still and Masvidal is going to be on the latest episodes lol.

  11. #12511
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Respect to Figgy Smalls putting on a fight like that fighting food poisoning. What a great title fight, comfortably the best in flyweight history. It's not like there's a run of challengers queuing up so a rematch buys them time to build a new contender. I want to see Cejudo or Garbrandt take him on, particularly Henry. That fight would be dynamite.

    Do Bronx put the nail in Tony's hope of being undisputed champion. He took advantage of a flaw in Ferguson's game and fought perfectly to take away his weapons. I do love a story like Charles', fighters who are near the chopping block putting a run together after ironing out a few flaws.

    Dern fight was decent. She's a prospect.

    Kevin Holland wiping out Jacare, old or not, was seriously impressive. Souza fought well against the light heavyweight champion last year so he's hardly shot. 5-0 for the year, 4 finishes, 3 bonuses. Probably fighter of the year considering his activity level. Entertaining too.

    JDS is shot, of that there's no doubt. What a legend though. If he wants to fight again, I'm up for an Arlovski fight and that's it. Which is mad thinking that's a 50/50 fight now. Gane clearly has talent but not sure of his ceiling as he beat a broken fighter here.

    Great to see Cub Swanson get his first finish in 7 years. Time flies man. Fiziev looked great. Tecia Torres got a rare finish. Excellent night of fights.

  12. #12512
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fanny Batter View Post
    Respect to Figgy Smalls putting on a fight like that fighting food poisoning. What a great title fight, comfortably the best in flyweight history. It's not like there's a run of challengers queuing up so a rematch buys them time to build a new contender. I want to see Cejudo or Garbrandt take him on, particularly Henry. That fight would be dynamite.

    Do Bronx put the nail in Tony's hope of being undisputed champion. He took advantage of a flaw in Ferguson's game and fought perfectly to take away his weapons. I do love a story like Charles', fighters who are near the chopping block putting a run together after ironing out a few flaws.

    Dern fight was decent. She's a prospect.

    Kevin Holland wiping out Jacare, old or not, was seriously impressive. Souza fought well against the light heavyweight champion last year so he's hardly shot. 5-0 for the year, 4 finishes, 3 bonuses. Probably fighter of the year considering his activity level. Entertaining too.

    JDS is shot, of that there's no doubt. What a legend though. If he wants to fight again, I'm up for an Arlovski fight and that's it. Which is mad thinking that's a 50/50 fight now. Gane clearly has talent but not sure of his ceiling as he beat a broken fighter here.

    Great to see Cub Swanson get his first finish in 7 years. Time flies man. Fiziev looked great. Tecia Torres got a rare finish. Excellent night of fights.
    It really was an excellent night of fights. I was happy to see Cub get that win against a quality opponent in vicious classic Cub fashion.

    You know what bothers me and I'm not really talking about your comment I'm just branching off and venting about Tony Ferguson. Again, YOU are not saying this, but we've read the comments where people are acting like Tony is done for good. Could you imagine watching any other sport and thinking a basketball team is done for the season because they were on a 12 game winning streak but then lost two in a row? Even in a sport like MMA, no matter who it is, if you're elite like Ferguson, 2 losses in a row means what? He did well in the Gaethje fight and Charles is just a guy people have slept on for a decade. So I just want to say that I do agree his dreams of being a champion are probably gone if Khabib is truly retired, but I don't like people trying to pretend this guy was simply "surviving" all these years.

    Let's get a rematch going asap for that title fight. March-April at the latest. I love great fights and even if this winds up being like Woodley-Thompson 2, that's ok we still have the first one lol.

  13. #12513
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Him and Hooker or Felder would show where he is. Both very good but not great, and have had wars themselves lately. It's a worry to me that he's been routed on the ground and on the feet in back to back fights. His well roundedness might be to his detriment now, as specialists can get it in their wheelhouse as his wrestling has stagnated. Reminds me of Condit when his wrestling got figured out, basically means his opponent decides where the fight takes place. Shore that up and he's far more dangerous, can't just assume you can win off your back however dangerous you are.

  14. #12514
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    Best matched card of the year for me this weekend. I expect COVID to wipe a couple out, just because, but the main card is just full of interesting, relevant pick em fights with entertaining, accomplished fighters.

    Wonderboy vs. Neal is a banger. Thompson gets derided for the occasional stinker, but the Woodley rematch and Till fights were down to smart gameplans against his difficult striking style. Geoff Neal will fancy himself on the feet against an older Wonderboy coming off an injury, and that should bring out the best in both. Proper crossroads fight, it's now or never for Wonderboy if he wants the title, needs a win, whereas Neal can get lost in the welterweight shuffle with a loss, such a stacked division that a loss probably puts him 4-5 fights back in the division. Leaning Neal (all leans on the main card in fact!) based on youth and power, but he needs to show the kind of growth he has on previous fights. Neal by decision.

    Aldo vs. Vera. Similar story. Aldo needs the win desperately. He's on an athletic decline but his offensive skills are still there to the point where I think he has a chance to beat anyone on any given Sunday, he just can't do it fight by fight anymore. Vera himself is an offensive juggernaut so this will be a banger. I like Aldo over 3 rounds here, only non-title fight he's truly lost is that Volkanovski fight, Vera isn't that level. I like him to exploit the aggression, bank an early lead and hang on for the decision.

    Hardy vs. Tybura is a frustrating one as I want to see Hardy finished in devastating fashion, whereas I think Tybura fights a cautious, smart fight to win on points. Big opportunity for Hardy though, it's a winnable fight and if he does, surely they give him someone that will split his wig next.

    Moraes vs. Font is a banger. Both fast strikers with vulnerability. For me, Moraes is back too soon after a stoppage loss and gets finished again. Font isn't as good as Moraes, but trajectories.

    Pereira vs. Williams! Holy shit. Lunatic cart wheeling guy with skills against concussive one hitter quitter guy. This one's going to be fun. I'm on the Khaos Williams train. Dude just hits different. Think this will be another devastating KO.

    Robertson vs. Santos is a fine enough prospects fight. Robertson is fun to watch, a finisher at 125 which is rare. Infectious personality too. Santos came in with hype but Robertson is the more proven fighter at this level so I think she gets the sub.

    Pettis vs. Moreno is weird. I like it enough though. Moreno has a sneaky good UFC record (7-3) so deserves a step up, usually would be somebody like Luque and not a former champ like Pettis. Pettis hasn't fought outside of world class in 10 years. So I think Pettis takes him out, but the short notice and the weight makes it interesting.

    Banging card.

  15. #12515
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    Yeah this card is all types of crazy. We're already starting to lose fights but not the bigger ones so that's a plus.

  16. #12516
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Wonderboy held serve then. What a great fighter. It was a mixed martial arts contest whereas Neal needed to make it a fight. He'll learn from the setback, didn't take too much damage and he's plenty of time to grow, whereas the next year is huge for Thompson if he's to get another crack at gold. If I were a betting man, the most impressive winner out of Chimaev/Edwards and Masvidal/Covington (when's that getting announced?) will get the Usman/Burns winner, which sets up the other winner to fight Wonderboy. Strong division. Neal vs. Luque sounds a good time on the other end of it.

    Aldo got it done with his brain. Very impressive fight IQ. Like the Dillashaw call out, huge fight. Has everything you want in a legacy fight. Wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't happen though considering UFC matchmaking... Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar are right there and you give Dominick Cruz... Casey Kenney?!

    Pereira with a smart tactical performance. Odd. Always enjoyable to watch though.

    Moraes fight went as expected. His management need to give their heads a wobble sending him out so soon after the Sandhagen loss. Mentally and physically wasn't ready to stand up with Rob Font and it showed. Good win for Font, who should be mixing with Rivera or somebody next. Maybe a Munhoz rematch.

    Greg Hardy has improved, but still has huge holes. Good to see him lose. Tybura is absolutely nothing special though.

    Pettis was Pettis. Losing when pressured, winning when not. He'll never make a title run based on that flaw but he's always fun to watch.

  17. #12517
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    Yup. Agree with all that. Personally I'd love to see Thompson against Covington. Incredible record for the Wonderman, totally slept on fighter, I had him beating Woodley in their first fight and possibly the second too and I had him beating Till too. Obviously was all over Pettis until the hail mary finisher. Has never really been outclassed and would pose an interesting challenge to the wrestling heavy top of the division.

    Hardy needs to work on his delusions of grandeur. Was calling out Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua to a boxing match before getting worked as soon as he was unable to get Tybura out of there in the first round.

    I love Aldo so much and thought that him taking down Vera was a masterstroke, but don't know why he didn't attempt to land any strikes at all on the ground. Personally I'd love to see Aldo go the Glover way and drag people to the ground and try to get good control, hold them down and go for ground and pound. It's clear that his striking is still top notch, but he cannot go three rounds striking if he can't get them out of there. He doesn't really throw range finders at all. If he can give himself a plan b he'll still be hard to beat in that division. He doesn't need to work on his striking whatsoever, if I was his team I'd be constantly working his wrestling and ground control.

  18. #12518
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Wonderboy beat Woodley 3 rounds to 2 twice for me, it's just whether you liked the Woodley dominant round as a 10-8 in both. For me, it was in the first and wasn't in the second. I can't really argue that it was an unfair result though as Woodley did the most impactful work of the (excruciatingly dull) fight. Till fight though, definition of home cooking. Pettis fight was a freak and he's dominated Masvidal, Luque and Neal now around that, and I don't think Pettis is favoured against any of those guys.

    Just imagine Fury against Greg Hardy .

    Good shout on the Glover comparison for Aldo. Recognise that your speed and durability are on the wain and find ways to negate it rather than continue down the path of increasing resistance. Particularly in this division. I don't think Sterling or Sandhagen are particularly bad match ups for him so if he can keep chipping away with wins and Sterling or Cory beat Yan, it's not out of the question he can pick up the title.

  19. #12519
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    Greg Hardy is a piece of shit and I find joy in watching him lose.

  20. #12520
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    He sure is. I don't get it, either. Why's he getting pushed? I can see it without the domestic abuse, crossover athlete in a shallow division, but... the domestic abuse. I mean come on. Gross human being.

    Conor and Dustin's going to be on Fight Island. Bit of a break til the 20th, then Max/Kattar, Leon/Khamzat and Conor/Dustin in an 8 day stretch.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Fanny Batter View Post
    He sure is. I don't get it, either. Why's he getting pushed? I can see it without the domestic abuse, crossover athlete in a shallow division, but... the domestic abuse. I mean come on. Gross human being.

    Conor and Dustin's going to be on Fight Island. Bit of a break til the 20th, then Max/Kattar, Leon/Khamzat and Conor/Dustin in an 8 day stretch.
    You shouldn't even have to question it when looking at the history of certain fighters such as Jon Jones, Rampage Jackson, Conor McGregor, those are top tier names in this sport and for the most part outside of it, especially Conor. And it's not just MMA. Look at boxing, football, basketball, the list goes on where it's top tier athletes doing wild shit that one of us would serving time for, losing our jobs at the very least.

    Conor levels a 70 year old man for no reason in a bar, they gifted him another 8 million in ppv revenue lol.

    The problem with Hardy is that he's a fucking nobody in this sport and in football he wasn't exactly a legendary player so I'm not sure other than looking at other fighters who have been given a pass or exploited. Junie Browning is a prime example of someone who had no business being on tv or in the promotion yet Dana had a massive hard on for this guy's antics.

  22. #12522
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    Bellator, I guess.

  23. #12523
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Jan vs. Israel for the light heavyweight title in March then. Feel bad for Glover. I think if Jared had beaten Whittaker they'd have done those 2 fights, but they don't want to waste Adesanya's momentum on a Whittaker rematch I guess, and there's no other contenders on runs at the minute. It's an interesting fight though as Israel will in no way have put efficient weight on to fight at 205 so he'll either be undersized or not in great condition. Skill wise it's not easy, Jan is a tough stand up fighter with power, his poor run was due to grappling deficiencies mainly and he's fixed those. The smaller champion does win the majority of these fights mind. Speed does kill.

    On cue, Jon Jones is saying he's not going back down to light heavyweight. I imagine that lasts until March. He's probably stopped lifting already. He wants the pay day. Adesanya vs. Jones does bigger numbers than Jones vs. Ngannou (or Miocic) and he doesn't have to adjust to the power of a genuine heavyweight for the first time. Adesanya probably only goes back down to 185 if Till or Holland put a run together. Guys that will talk a fight up. Both divisions are short on name value and momentum but Israel will be a draw going forward if he wins. He already is somewhat but he should be top tier.

    Looks like the schedule for big fights elsewhere will be:

    Figgy Smalls vs. Moreno 2, winner against Garbrandt

    Yan vs. Sterling, winner against Dillashaw (with a win against Aldo)

    Volk vs. Ortega, winner against Zabit (with a win against someone) or Kattar (with a win over Max)

    Conor vs. Poirier winner against Khabib, or Gaethje vs. Oliviera winner for vacant title

    Usman vs. Burns, winner against Colby vs. Masvidal winner, or Leon with a win over Khamzat. Or maybe they push for a Khamzat shot.

    Miocic vs. Ngannou, winner faces Jones

    Zhang vs. Rose, winner against Ribas maybe if she keeps winning

    Shevchenko vs. Andrade, winner faces Lauren Murphy(!)

    Nunes vs. Anderson, then Nunes vs. Holm 2

    Also if Conor loses, surely Diaz 3.

  24. #12524
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    Khamzats out, I think. Not sure if they're rescheduling or giving him a different fight. Leon wants Jorge but there's obviously more money for Jorge vs Colby.

  25. #12525
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    They took Leon off the card so the signs are that they will reschedule. Leon deserves a bigger fight, but his credentials have gone down significantly since his last fight, with RDA losing again to Chiesa and Cowboy still on the down swing of his career. He needs to just fight. Colby vs. Masvidal is an absolute no brainer. It's a PPV main event when non title fights generally aren't. Maybe that's the hold up, with the UFC wanting to put it underneath a title fight to lower the payroll or something.

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    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Izzy v. Jan. Final opinion. This is the least excited I've been to see a champion v. champion fight. We've said it before, the UFC needs to let the LHW division establish itself outside of Jon Jones. I don't think Izzy is as big of a name as the UFC would have you believe and Jan is Jan. A veteran who never really made a name for himself beyond the super hardcore fanbase who still didn't tune in to see him v. Reyes.

    Was the fight to make Izzy v. Jones? Maybe. Izzy with his 1 title defense? Shit they wanted that fight when he won the title from Whittaker. Social media not rankings and legacy and everything else that mattered once upon a time, but fucking social media beefs=Dana White matchmaking.

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    Israel is more of a star than you think. Costa isn't remotely a name and their fight did 700,000 buys. Jan fought in the co-main so he had eyeballs on him. I agree that it's the least appealing "champ champ" fight considering they have a grand total of 2 title defences between them, and Jan didn't even beat the champion to win his. Jones is the linear light heavyweight champion and Jan's very much fighting in his shadow. I'd have run an Adesanya/Whittaker rematch with Jan vs. Glover underneath. Both win, 4 combined defences, timeline adds up, no clear contenders in each division. "Champ champs" generally leave one of the titles vacant and the incumbent champion generally struggles to be seen as the man. I don't get the obsession. Unless it's a legit pair of champions. Jan isn't yet.

    They'd love Adesanya vs. Jones. In the ideal world, Ngannou cleans out Stipe then turns around quickly against Jones. Adesanya beats Jan and defends against Glover. Jones beats Ngannou. 2 weight champion going for a third against the GOAT, for the heavyweight title. Lots of moving parts, won't happen, but guaranteed they'd love that.

    You know that if Masvidal had beaten Usman, Conor would be going for number 3 against him this month. No two ways about it. I'd be shocked if he never takes a crack at the 170 title, unless Usman keeps it locked down. Colby wins it and Conor's eating that fight up, doesn't have to do any of the media, fighting a guy with pretty bad striking defence. Burns wins he fancies it since Dan Hooker knocked him out. They're not really fussed about rankings if they can get a name into a big fight.

  28. #12528
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    700,000 buys isn't something I'm scoffing at especially when you consider that card, on paper, wasn't shit outside the 2 title fights. It is weird that I can't find the buy rates for Izzy's 2 fights prior. I know when that Usman-Masvidal fight did over a million buys people chalked a lot of that up to Covid and nothing really worth giving a damn about for awhile.

  29. #12529
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    Well his title fight with Whittaker put 50,000+ in a stadium, so there's that. He's certainly no Mighty Mouse. People are paying to watch him fight. He's not on a Ronda Rousey level, but if there's a bit of needle and he puts himself about a bit in terms of marketing, he's on his way to being a star. This fight with Jan I don't see doing big numbers because Jan is a lovely, decent man who will just turn up to fight on the night, and I can't see Adesanya getting much out of him to get the casuals interested. I think the B side needs to be at least interesting for the fight to sell, whereas your Conor's and Ronda's can sell fights against nice people with respectful build ups a la Cowboy and Zingano.

    They're giving him every opportunity for it to be a huge event though. Two other title fights (Nunes vs. Anderson, Yan vs. Sterling) on the bill, as well as Santos vs. Rakic, Dominick Cruz back against Casey Kenney (super strange fight), Benavidez vs. Askarov which is likely a #1 contender bout for the latter, Dober vs. Makhachev, Jake Matthews vs. Sean Brady in a good prospect fight, and Randy Costa who has generally been must see TV. So he's getting a strong main card and a very decent lead in to the PPV, where they'll presumably use Cruz or Benavidez in the TV main event.

  30. #12530
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fanny Batter View Post
    Well his title fight with Whittaker put 50,000+ in a stadium, so there's that. He's certainly no Mighty Mouse. People are paying to watch him fight. He's not on a Ronda Rousey level, but if there's a bit of needle and he puts himself about a bit in terms of marketing, he's on his way to being a star. This fight with Jan I don't see doing big numbers because Jan is a lovely, decent man who will just turn up to fight on the night, and I can't see Adesanya getting much out of him to get the casuals interested. I think the B side needs to be at least interesting for the fight to sell, whereas your Conor's and Ronda's can sell fights against nice people with respectful build ups a la Cowboy and Zingano.

    They're giving him every opportunity for it to be a huge event though. Two other title fights (Nunes vs. Anderson, Yan vs. Sterling) on the bill, as well as Santos vs. Rakic, Dominick Cruz back against Casey Kenney (super strange fight), Benavidez vs. Askarov which is likely a #1 contender bout for the latter, Dober vs. Makhachev, Jake Matthews vs. Sean Brady in a good prospect fight, and Randy Costa who has generally been must see TV. So he's getting a strong main card and a very decent lead in to the PPV, where they'll presumably use Cruz or Benavidez in the TV main event.
    I would hope Whittaker and Izzy could put 50,000 in that stadium considering they represent New Zealand and Australia. I mean, when was the last time they didn't sell out in Australia?

    The Mighty Mouse comment is interesting because that was more about the UFC not wanting to put the machine behind him. The guy was sponsored by X Box and they were like naw he's not worth it but let's push the guy sponsored by John's Meat Market and Taco Casa.

    The upside for Izzy is that he seems genuine, I don't think what he says and does is an act AND he's delivering. If he was boring, like if he just had Romero type fights he would be a dud. I want to see less bullshit though with him. This fight with Jan makes no sense other than the UFC trying to do something for the short term with no real payoff down the road.

    Like Glover said recently.....Let's say Izzy beats Jan, then what? Do guys like Glover sit around and just keep fighting until the end of 2022 when they decide to have Izzy defend the title? More than likely Izzy will win the belt, never defend it like Conor, an interim will be created it'll be a cluster fuck. I think Glover said he hopes Izzy gets injured lol. I don't blame him. I would too if I were him lol.

  31. #12531
    Legend Mik's Avatar
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    I think that if Izzy wins the belt he's either defend there and drop the MW, call out Bones for a LHW fight or chase Jon Jones up to heavyweight. I don't see him going back to MW when he hasn't got much to do there at the moment and if he can take Jan's power and grappling, then he's probably not going to be an easy fight for anyone currently in that division.

    I'd be amazed if this fight did less than 700k on PPV.

  32. #12532
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Yeah Glover should be training as back up. If he's American based (think he's in Connecticut) he may actually end up fighting Jan as Australia/New Zealand have shown to be no nonsense when it comes to COVID so Izzy might not be allowed in the States come March. I guess Fight Island is an option though. I feel bad for Glover, fans of the sport want to see him for the title, and he deserves it too, so it's frustrating they've bowed to the pressure of a "super fight" instead. When it's not really one, just so happens both have a title. What's the old adage, you're not a champion until you defend it? That's how I feel about Jan, who I do happen to like. But beat Glover first and I could buy it as one. It's rushed. It doesn't need to be.

    I think if Israel wins, he would fight Glover though. There's no indication he's a duck. It's a bigger fight than Whittaker 2 unless they can do it in a stadium again. He'll call out Jones, but Jones looks committed to heavyweight, and honestly, I want to see Jones take that challenge more than him vs. Adesanya. The unbeaten GOAT going for the heavyweight title and putting the discussion to bed or getting beat for the first time is the story. I don't care if Stipe or Francis won't call him a cunt or mock his drug abuse, that's a sporting story for the ages. Spectacle finds a way of winning out, though.

    I think there's a likelihood that they're back logging fights for Alleigent Stadium at this point. They'll want their live event revenue levelled off quickly. If(!) COVID is a lesser issue come the Summer, I expect Jones vs. Adesanya and Conor in a lightweight title fight are on the docket for the stadium. Can probably do 20 mill gates there. I don't think they'd have faith in Jones and the heavyweight champion selling out as they won't call each other cunts, bitch tits or drug addicts. Joe public loves that stuff.

  33. #12533
    Legend Mik's Avatar
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    The ideal really is that Izzy has to pull out and then Glover gets his title shot and then whoever wins Izzy can move up against them. Glover's clock is ticking and it would be a shame to see his shot yanked for a first defence against a fighter moving up a division.

  34. #12534
    🪝HOOK GANG🪝 Bert's Avatar
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    So who the fuck is Irwin Rivera? This is the 2nd time I've seen "UFC fighter arrested" and had no clue who it was. I can't even remember the first guys name.

  35. #12535
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    There's like 600 people on the roster now so I wouldn't be able to pick him out of a lineup. Sad story, though I did get a morbid laugh about his family summarising that he had mental issues. Well yeah.

  36. #12536
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    If Jones commits to HW like he has, he isn't coming back to 205 for a long, long time. It'll be a tough cut and I'm sure it's already tough for him. He's not like Cormier all pizza toppings and donuts.

  37. #12537
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Yep. I think he's using COVID to his advantage by taking the "no crowd" era of fights off to build a physique optimal for the heavyweight division. I'm not expecting Uber Jones but I think he'll be a fair unit, and functional with it. His title challenge for me will be the most historical fight in MMA history, as he'll be fighting a world class champion, #1 without dispute, in the top weight class, as the #1 P4P fighter of all time. Who doesn't want that fight?!

    In an ideal world (for them) they're running Ngannou vs. Jones, Khabib vs. Conor 2 and an Adesanya/Volkanovski double bill in stadiums back to back to back from September through November. Get that paper back.

  38. #12538
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fanny Batter View Post
    Yep. I think he's using COVID to his advantage by taking the "no crowd" era of fights off to build a physique optimal for the heavyweight division. I'm not expecting Uber Jones but I think he'll be a fair unit, and functional with it. His title challenge for me will be the most historical fight in MMA history, as he'll be fighting a world class champion, #1 without dispute, in the top weight class, as the #1 P4P fighter of all time. Who doesn't want that fight?!

    In an ideal world (for them) they're running Ngannou vs. Jones, Khabib vs. Conor 2 and an Adesanya/Volkanovski double bill in stadiums back to back to back from September through November. Get that paper back.
    That's the great thing about Jones moving up to HW and if he does jump right into the title fight. Stipe isn't Frank Mir. Ngannou isn't Paul Buentello. This dude will be coming up fighting a killer. HW has been dangerous forever obviously but I think there are 10-15 guys that won't make it easy at all for Jones.

    I'm with you. For the simple fact that the HW champion will be a fucking monster regardless, the guy who Jones fights=biggest fight in MMA history. I know that's subjective but for me that's just how I feel. It's insanity. And everyone is in their prime imo. Stipe is at the top of his game only falling to arguably one of the top 5 HW/LHW's of all time in Cormier. Ngannou had a few mishaps, maybe a little too much too soon but he's never looked better. Obviously Jones is ever evolving and this is completely new for him. This is a top tier collegiate athlete about to go to the Olympics and I think he's going to do extremely well.

  39. #12539
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Main card on Saturday is actually pretty damn good, in terms of action and relevance. Holloway vs. Kattar is a banger with Holloway still in his prime against an improving contender, Condit vs. Brown is one of those fun veteran fights we've been asking for, Ponz vs. Li gets Ponz back in there after a couple of years out (was knocking on the door of the top 5 at that point), Soriano vs. Todorovic is two unbeaten prospects with potential fighting, and Buckley looks to build on those 2 big knockouts last year, including the knockout of the year. Fun stuff.

  40. #12540
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fanny Batter View Post
    Main card on Saturday is actually pretty damn good, in terms of action and relevance. Holloway vs. Kattar is a banger with Holloway still in his prime against an improving contender, Condit vs. Brown is one of those fun veteran fights we've been asking for, Ponz vs. Li gets Ponz back in there after a couple of years out (was knocking on the door of the top 5 at that point), Soriano vs. Todorovic is two unbeaten prospects with potential fighting, and Buckley looks to build on those 2 big knockouts last year, including the knockout of the year. Fun stuff.
    I barely know anyone beneath the 2 main fights and that's ok. Main event is very solid. Condit v. Brown is a dream fight for me. Would I have liked it 5 years ago, yes. But I still think we'll see the same level of violence, both dudes getting rocked with Condit getting the win. Call it a fucking day champ.

  41. #12541
    Legend Mik's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fanny Batter View Post
    Main card on Saturday is actually pretty damn good, in terms of action and relevance. Holloway vs. Kattar is a banger with Holloway still in his prime against an improving contender, Condit vs. Brown is one of those fun veteran fights we've been asking for, Ponz vs. Li gets Ponz back in there after a couple of years out (was knocking on the door of the top 5 at that point), Soriano vs. Todorovic is two unbeaten prospects with potential fighting, and Buckley looks to build on those 2 big knockouts last year, including the knockout of the year. Fun stuff.
    Yup and on at a reasonable time over here too. Nice to be able to watch live for a change. It’ll be interesting to see whether Holloway has slipped at all.

  42. #12542
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Holloway has taken some digs in his career. He's approaching 1000 absorbed strikes to his head, so there's a worry he'll start to see issues with his recuperation and chin sometime soon. Kattar hits hard and has sharp hands so it's inevitable that it will be a bad matchup for Max eventually, but there's no signs that he'll be knocked out here. Haven't seen him slip that much. I've got Max by putting volume on the board, but it's another tough fight for him in a career full of them. He's been world class a long time. Hell of a fight.

    Hoping Condit vs. Brown delivers. Brown had a banger last year with a top prospect but it's been a minute since we saw Condit in peak form. Welterweight and lightweight are full of these fun veteran fights. I've got Brown because he'll be able to wrestle Condit, but both are vulnerable pretty much everywhere nowadays, while being dangerous everywhere too.

    Ponzinhibbio fight is interesting. He destroyed Gunnar and Magny before this long break. Li is good. A win and he's right back in the top 10. I've got Li cracking him though, Ponz has been out too long.

  43. #12543
    🪝HOOK GANG🪝 Bert's Avatar
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    Crazy to see Buckley knocked out with his star power on the rise.

    Holloway put on a clinic.

  44. #12544
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    That's one of the best performances in MMA history. Absolute masterclass. Took two to tango, Kattar is rock solid going the distance under that onslaught. Match Max and Zabit now, winner fights for the title.

    Enjoyed Condit and Brown. Both showing all the skills of years of graft. That Condit takedown was superb.

    Ponz getting knocked out showed the importance of activity. Li is underrated, hits hard, can take a shot, high pressure. Doesn't look particularly athletic but he can fight.
    Last edited by Fanny Batter; January 16th, 2021 at 7:08 PM.

  45. #12545
    Legend Mik's Avatar
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    Exceptional card.

  46. #12546
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Max Holloway pieced up a top tier contender like prime Anderson Silva. There were moments in that fight that kind of reminded me of Bonnar-Griffin I. They went at it but Max showed honestly he's on another level. I think when it's all said and done Max Holloway is going to be a name in the legends section of MMA history. He's going to be one of the top guys that people will look back on during this time and go THAT GUY was one of the elite.

    Very few people I would want to see him fight outside of another shot at the title. Zabit would be a good fight and really the only one that makes sense.

  47. #12547
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    Easily beat Dustin Porier, easily beat Max Holloway, starched Jose Aldo, took out Chad Mendes in round 2, left undefeated. I know that it was killing him to make the weight, but if Conor had stayed at this weight division, would anyone have beaten him yet? He is never really counted in the GOATs of that division, but he did something that none of the rest of them have been able to do since and was dominant in doing so.

  48. #12548
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Everyone minus 1 or 2 people in this sport lose at the elite level. There was a time people didn't think Aldo would get beat and when he did it was deflating. The GOAT of that time at 145 knocked out in 13 seconds felt like when Cain got Ko'd by JDS in a minute. I wanted that rematch. I wanted the Holloway rematch even more than the Aldo after we saw what Max did to Aldo....twice.

    Conor outside of 145 has been hit or miss but that's due to inactivity. But again, my opinion, he would've lost at 145. To this day he still has the same flaws. Cardio, submission game, all questionable enough to warrant that he could have lost even to people he defeated without question.

  49. #12549
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    It's a shame he didn't stick around. 2016 would've had (probably) Frankie Edgar and the Holloway rematch. Obviously there would be no doubt if he went through those two. Edgar was still an excellent fighter in 2016 (not that he isn't still great), and Holloway had come into the prime form that would see him finish Aldo twice in 2017. There's no doubt in my mind that Conor's peak is the best featherweight we've seen, but it's hard to look past volume. Jose Aldo won 18 fights in the premier featherweight division in the world (8 in the UFC), Holloway 16 (would have 2 more without the opponent missing weight). Conor won 7. Unbeaten at the weight, beat the two other "GOATs" quite comfortably. It's fair to say Max wasn't Max at that point (8 months removed from a robbery points win over Leonard Garcia!), but you can't really say Conor was Conor either. Second fight in the UFC, they were each the best fighter they'd have fought at that point, and Conor won handedly. Not that I wouldn't have preferred to see it in 16/17, or now even, but this nonsense that some people preach about that fight not having any real baring on things may as well extend to pretty much every fight that has ever happened. Two evenly ranked men fought and one man won. Likewise with the Aldo fight you get that Aldo was shopworn after the Mendes war and fought emotional, but he was a man that passed every medical, made weight and got ironed out in 13 seconds. The same man passed every medical, made weight and handedly beat Frankie Edgar 7 months later. Conor was that good.

    I'm sure we're all victims of it as we're partisan to our favourite fighters, but I'm not too keen on wins and losses getting discounted based on circumstance. I don't mind whataboutism, as that's the nucleus of "who would win" discussions, but writing off victories for any reason (short notice, weight drained, pre-prime, post-prime, etc.) doesn't really cut it. That's pretty much how people sum up Conor McGregor's career. He's beaten Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier, Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz, Eddie Alvarez and Donald Cerrone. It's a fine resume. Nobody seems to get on Holloway for beating Aldo (after Conor), Edgar (after Aldo and Ortega), Pettis (weight drained and after 3 losses at 155) and Olivera (weight drained, injured), because they're just great fucking wins. Aldo gets a pass for beating a very basic version of Chad Mendes (first fight) and coming through close ones in Edgar (1) and Mendes (2). Great wins, great achievements. So were Conor's.

    For me though, volume and consistency at the weight trumps him. He's third. Ahead of Volkanovski who matches his three best wins at the weight but Poirier is better than Darren Elkins, and the second Max decision could have gone either way. I'd put Max first on the Aldo head to head, Aldo second, Conor third, Volk 4th, Edgar 5th. Yet on who beats who at their 145 best it's probably Conor, Max, Volk, Aldo, Edgar. Volkanovski has a very good chance of becoming the division GOAT this year though if his docket is Ortega and this version of Holloway. Beat them and it's him.

    I say all that as somebody who thinks Conor is a fucking arsehole too. But he's a hell of a fighter.
    Last edited by Fanny Batter; January 18th, 2021 at 1:28 PM.

  50. #12550
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    I think depending on how you want to go about it, wins and losses do need to be analyzed beyond "You won, you're better" That's the deciding factor obviously but shit even a win is impressive when you hear the guy tore his ACL during the fight i.e. McGregor v. Holloway. And if he had lost that fight I think him tearing his ACL would be a valid * to warrant a rematch OR at the very least, give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe if they weren't trying to fight with a serious injury it would've gone differently.

    For example the JDS-Cain I fight. Imagine if they didn't do a rematch based solely on that fight? It'd be insane considering what Cain did to JDS the other 2 fights lol. So I get what you're saying, or maybe I'm just branching off into something different lol. But I think wins/losses and the circumstances around them do matter but on a more in depth level of looking at a fighter and their fights.

  51. #12551
    GP OG Percussion's Avatar
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    Certainly think Max could've taken Conor later on in a rematch at FW. Not necessarily would, but could.

  52. #12552
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Yeah I agree that the better fighter sometime doesn't win, but the better fighter on the night always will. It's a physical game. There's very few situations where I'd recognise a result as a fluke. In an ideal world the best would fight each other at least twice, as fans we should love seeing the best fighting the best and appreciate the adjustments that fighters can make to have a chance to either avenge a result or not. That's not my point though, the point is that the first fight, and any fight really, will generally produce a just result. Flagrantly bad judging and literal freak injuries aside. The Cain and Junior example is a good one as Cain did get to prove his superiority over a trilogy, but in their first fight Junior hit him, he went down and JDS won. The better fighter on the night. Consistency as I said is my key factor behind rating somebody better than the other overall, and that's why I can't rank Conor first at featherweight. Holloway and Aldo both doubled down on their best wins, Conor never gave himself the opportunity. Alas, if he beats Poirier on Saturday I can't see much argument against ranking him above both P4P all time, just not at 145 based on 4 good wins.

    I think Max would have beaten Conor past 2016 though. I genuinely do. He's Terminator. Once he shored up his takedown defence he was off to the races. I think it goes a bit like the Diaz fights, but without the knockdowns to punctuate the Conor dominance. I'd love to see it. I know he lost to Volk and Poirier so he's by no means unbeatable, but Conor's durability is a question mark against high pressure fighters and Max's chin has stood up to everything so far in his career.
    Last edited by Fanny Batter; January 18th, 2021 at 2:55 PM.

  53. #12553
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    I think Porier beating Max up a division is the same reason why I think Conor would’ve probably taken him in a rematch. Max is great, but had never quite had the disabling power and he gets hit a lot if you can find the target.

  54. #12554
    🪝HOOK GANG🪝 Bert's Avatar
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    So who do you guys think out of Chandler/Hooker and Connor/Poirer?

    I haven't seen a lot of Chandler, I've only watched his fight with Henderson from 2016 because it's free on youtube, but just from comparing records I could see Chandler winning.

    I would love to see Poirer win but Connor is really good and if they stand the whole time (or however long it lasts), I see Connor winning.

  55. #12555
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bert View Post
    So who do you guys think out of Chandler/Hooker and Connor/Poirer?

    I haven't seen a lot of Chandler, I've only watched his fight with Henderson from 2016 because it's free on youtube, but just from comparing records I could see Chandler winning.

    I would love to see Poirer win but Connor is really good and if they stand the whole time (or however long it lasts), I see Connor winning.
    If we tune out the loud ass McGregor haters, not the people with an honest opinion but these idiots who are like "McTapper!" Smack these people. He's dangerous, plain and simple, one of the most dangerous dudes out there. Same can be said for Diamond. Love this fight. Diamond can redeem himself from the previous fight 6-7 years back. I will not be shocked with either man winning.

    Chandler v. Hooker. Very interesting. Chandler's fought top tier guys in Bellator. Alvarez, Benson, those 2 right there are top tier. And he beat Alvarez when he wasn't even at his peak yet. He's there now and Hooker is a great intro. It's like Condit v. Kampmann, a perfect introduction. Shit they must be high on him to make him a replacement for the title fight. That's huge.

  56. #12556
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    I have Conor winning, but I'd love it if Poirier can get through the first round and see how they match from there. Dustin deserves the payday and I'd love him to get the win and the plaudits, particularly if it was a stoppage to strikes, but I don't like the matchup for him. I've seen him bite down on the mouthpiece and brawl too much for him to change course, and that gets him knocked out against McGregor.

    I've got Hooker against Chandler. Levels and chins. I've seen Dan Hooker walk through punches to the head his whole career. He'll need to weather that storm but he will, and he breaks Chandler down for a stoppage after that. If Chandler can catch him cold though, that's big for the division as Hooker is coming off a close loss to Dustin which was as good as a win against most others.

  57. #12557
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    I've got McGregor and Hooker too. I like Porier, but I just don't really see what he brings massively different this time around, the style still favours McGregor who is simply a better stand up fighter. Unless he has declined significantly, which is likely. I also want him to win really, for the excitement and exposure McGregor brings to MMA. Although I'd much prefer if it was positive exposure. Conor McGregor being confident in his abilities and dismissive of others is much better for the sport generally, even if Conor McGregor talking all kinds of shit is better for his and the UFC's bank accounts.

    Chandler, I remain to be sold on. I think he'll fare better than Will Brooks, but worse than Eddie Alvarez.

  58. #12558
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    I felt for Brooks a bit. Got knocked out by a significantly bigger Cowboy Oliviera (who missed weight) then stopped by Do Bronx who, as it turns out, is one of the best in the world at 155. Tough go of it. By the next fight he was anxious and that was that for him. Still, I think Chandler comes in with better pedigree, and his power probably makes him more of a threat. His ceiling is likely just outside the top 5 with the potential to catch any living man at 155 cold early. Which is essentially what Eddie Alvarez was.

    Magny vs. Chiesa tomorrow evening. Don't hate the fight. Well matched veterans on win streaks. Prefer Magny so hoping he can get it done. He's had an underrated career. Beaten Lawler, Condit, Gastelum, Hendricks and Lombard as well as a lot of decent wins. Rest of the card is bare bones but it's at tea time here so I'll give it a watch.

  59. #12559
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    I used to get annoyed with his rants, his borderline racism that made me remember how bad I hated Chael-and not in a good way, in a fuck the UFC for putting him on this card I'm not ordering this shit type hate lol. The hate that got me banned back in the day from this board lol.

    But I'll take McGregor's over the top verbals over the bullshit outside the octagon. He wasn't as bad as Jones, but collectively those 2 are fucking lucky they do what they do for a living. Normal humans would still be in jail/prison.

  60. #12560
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    His persona is rancid and spurred quite a movement by encouraging young people to be obnoxious, materialistic arseholes. But it is what it is. He's a great fighter and Joe Public either wants him to win or wants him to get his head kicked in. As long as the out of the cage stuff remains as simmered as these last 2 fights I'm good with it, but his involvement in the Khabib build up was all just gross. That press conference, yeeesh.

  61. #12561
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fanny Batter View Post
    His persona is rancid and spurred quite a movement by encouraging young people to be obnoxious, materialistic arseholes. But it is what it is. He's a great fighter and Joe Public either wants him to win or wants him to get his head kicked in. As long as the out of the cage stuff remains as simmered as these last 2 fights I'm good with it, but his involvement in the Khabib build up was all just gross. That press conference, yeeesh.
    Conor was like the greatest villain ever in that Khabib fight. He broke Khabib mentally, he broke Khabib worse than any fighter in the history of the UFC has ever been broken. I have been watching the UFC since day one and even when I dipped out for 3-4 years when Shamrock was wrestling in the WWF, I still never heard of someone jumping the cage and crane kicking a dude in the crowd.

    Khabib was struggling with holding his shit together when he put his hands on Artem. I'm not in any way backing up Artem, he's a buffoon, but these are also professionals. Conor was no saint, no pardon here, just more me being mesmerized by how stone cold Khabib seemed and the fact he reacted the way he did...IDK if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

  62. #12562
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Sooooooo apparently there are fights on tomorrow on ESPN lol.

    A pretty big fucking main event. Magny v. Chiesa. Like with most cards these days I recognized 4 other names and have no clue by name who the fuck everyone else is. Still, huge fight. Pulling for Magny. Chiesa has a great story, tough as shit, only 4 losses. I think Chiesa loses by decision.

  63. #12563
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Most of the other interesting fights are on the prelims - Khabib's cousin debuting, Mason Jones an undefeated 2 division UK champion, and Breese vs. Akhmedov. Can see why they haven't stacked it, main card starts at 9am on the west coast and it's inauguration day. Presume there's basketball on too. On a Wednesday. Fuck all people will be watching! Magny's knocking on the door of 20 UFC wins which is crazy considering he was very much a journeyman of sorts. I remember him getting smashed with elbows on TUF years ago, he's greatly exceeded his ceiling.

  64. #12564
    GP OG Percussion's Avatar
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    maldives
    Khabib Nurmagomedov leaves door open to potential UFC return

    Undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov left the door open for a return to the Octagon.

    Promotion president Dana White said that if the two lightweight fights next week -- Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler -- are spectacular, Nurmagomedov would consider coming back to fight one of the winners.

    "If these guys could do something special, Khabib will fight them," White said Saturday on the UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Kattar broadcast from Abu Dhabi
    He also mentioned Do Bronx as someone who he's been impressed with.

    Any of these guys going to wow everyone and command a finale fight with the LW GOAT?

  65. #12565
    🪝HOOK GANG🪝 Bert's Avatar
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    I love working from home, got the TV on waiting for the prelims in an hour. Let's go Chiesa! I've liked him since he looked like a hobo on TUF and was choking everyone out.

  66. #12566
    Legend Mik's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Percussion View Post
    Khabib Nurmagomedov leaves door open to potential UFC return



    He also mentioned Do Bronx as someone who he's been impressed with.

    Any of these guys going to wow everyone and command a finale fight with the LW GOAT?
    I'll believe it when I see it. Sounded like Dana White salesmanship to me.

  67. #12567
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    It benefits Khabib's brand if he's still got one toe in the cage. Same with GSP. 1 fight in 7 years and there's still "what if's" with him long after retirement. It is odd, however, that he hasn't vacated the title. I think he fights again, dependant on Makhachev's status. If Islam beats Drew Dober, gets a decent turnaround and fights one of the top 6 and wins, Khabib vacates under the assumption that his teammate will be in line for a title shot. If Dober beats him I think Khabib's open to a title defence knowing Islam will need to rehab while Khabib gets a final fight in. That fight's in March, so an Islam loss might accelerate a decision.

    The 2 March PPV cards are madness. Jan/Adesanya, Yan/Sterling, Nunes/Anderson, Cormier/Ngannou and Volkanovski/Ortega inside 3 weeks.

  68. #12568
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    I'll be honest, I have no desire to see GSP fight Khabib, or anyone for that matter. I have no desire to even see Khabib fight again because everyone he needed to fight, he did. Maybe if Chandler starts killing people that would be interesting. Someone fresh is going to have to show up that's either new to the division or new to the company that's a fucking killer to really get me excited for Khabib.

    I barely got excited to see him as it is. I agree that it is odd that he hasn't vacated the title. The reality with Khabib is that he's about the money. He is hoping to God Conor wins and he knows Conor 9/10 times makes sure you know he won that fight. Barely do you see the guy have a questionable victory, if ever. Khabib knows the payday will be fucking huge.

    He can pretend he's just a regular guy but I've seen how they play basketball.

  69. #12569
    🪝HOOK GANG🪝 Bert's Avatar
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    Usman/Burns Feb 13th

  70. #12570
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bert View Post
    Usman/Burns Feb 13th
    About time. I'm assuming we're going to get the winner of this versus the winner of Masvidal/Covington. Whatever combination we see will be good. I want to see Usman v. Masvidal 2. I think you give Masvidal another shot he takes home the gold.

  71. #12571
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    I think Colby beats Masvidal.

  72. #12572
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    maldives
    Me too.

  73. #12573
    Legend Mik's Avatar
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    He almost definitely does. Which is why I think that Masvidal has gone very quiet since Colby accepted the fight.

  74. #12574
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    I think Masvidal's holding out for Conor or Diaz. The risk and reward isn't there for him to fight Colby. Stylistically the toughest non-title fight out there for him, to go with Colby not having the name value. It's the most legitimate fight though. The only thing is I can't see it not being a PPV main event, and there's so many title fights to work around it.

  75. #12575
    🪝HOOK GANG🪝 Bert's Avatar
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    Chiesa wins a unanimous decision and calls out Colby Covington.

    I think Chiesa vs Tyron is really the fight to make.

  76. #12576
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Welterweight kind of needs Khamzat to actually come good, division is top heavy on skilled grinders. The positive is they are all well matched, the negative is the fights aren't the most exciting on paper.

  77. #12577
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mik View Post
    I'll believe it when I see it. Sounded like Dana White salesmanship to me.
    Khabib has effectively come out and said that it was a load of old bullshit. He doesn't want to fight, he want's to respect his Mother's wishes, please stop bothering him. I guess we'll find out how true that is after this weekend if he drops the belt.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fanny Batter View Post
    Welterweight kind of needs Khamzat to actually come good, division is top heavy on skilled grinders. The positive is they are all well matched, the negative is the fights aren't the most exciting on paper.
    Yeah, after Burns vs Usman I only really have interest in seeing the heavy grapplers in the division vs the intriguing strikers with good take down defence. Give me either Burns, Usman or Covington vs Edwards, Wonderboy or Chimaev if he beats Edwards (half grappler half striker I guess). I have no real interest in seeing grappler vs grappler for number one contender status.

  78. #12578
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Yeah I've seen that now from Khabib. He should be vacating the belt if he's retired though. That's possibly more Dana bullshit though, maybe he's blocking it in the hope Khabib comes back. It's a bit sad really, and a little backward honestly - you might get A fight out of him, and a big one, but he crushes whoever he beats, likely Conor, and where do you go from there? The division is fun without him, time to move on.

  79. #12579
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    The lack of faith in Masvidal when it comes to Colby has always shocked me.

    I don't mind Chiesa calling out Colby because it'd be a good fight. The top 10 of WW, shit the top 20 are all dangerous dudes. Personally I'd like to see Masvidal v. Colby. The top 2 ranked guys in the division, both defeated by Usman so it makes perfect sense.

  80. #12580
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    Hypothetical of course, but does a win for Dustin tonight make him the second best lightweight of all time? Alvarez, Gaethje, CDR, Hooker, Pettis, Miller, Green and Holloway already on the slate, only 1 loss besides Khabib. Would literally have every champion other than Khabib (GOAT) and RDA since August 2013 on his resume, as well as a win over the at the time reigning featherweight champion. He's super underrated all time I think. One bad loss in his UFC career which is pretty much due to revisionist history as Michael Johnson was a very good fighter at that point on an unjust losing streak considering the Dariush robbery. Other than that, McGregor and Khabib are legends and Zombie and Swanson are both likely top 10 all time featherweights. I think realistically, and I know he's a double champion, but this version of Poirier would probably be Conor's second best win too. High level MMA. Shame the rest of the card is pretty bad co-main aside.

  81. #12581
    FBI Warning VHS's Avatar
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    Godammit, Herb.

    Good stoppage afterwards, but dang.

  82. #12582
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    He slipped moving in to get closer to deciding to finish or not. It was an honest accident.

  83. #12583
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    maldives
    What a damn debut..

  84. #12584
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    Hahahahahahsgxzxbxzvjkyybx

  85. #12585
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    That was great. Dustin came in with the perfect gameplan. So impressed by that man. Didn't think he could sustain his discipline early, but he was never really troubled, took the leg out, then when Conor stopped stalking it was over. An all time great. Conor's taken it well and he's possibly right on activity, so let's get him in there as soon as possible. As for Dustin, him and Do Bronx is about as stylistically brilliant a fight as you can get so make that for the title, with Chandler fighting Gaethje.

  86. #12586
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    The one time I decide to put some money on Conor.

    Lost $30 total from single and parlay. I was 2/3 on the parlay! (I picked Jojo and Chandler)

    Oh well, I'm happy for Dustin.

  87. #12587
    GP OG Percussion's Avatar
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    Conor's consistently been able to keep his chin, and thereby this punching range well within an opponents', just hanging out looking to get off fast and strong, and he was doing this early tonight. But just as soon, in the 2nd round, as Dustin started working from the calf kick that had already done its damage he switched to early jabs in the exchange to keep Conor's distance at bay and allow him to reset his range from leg kicks to straight punches.

    Taking that range and timing advantage, on top of Dustin having such a large frame for a LW, was so on point. He talked about being more technical and that was absolutely what we saw.

    Poirier
    Chandler

    Fucking hats off boys, way to usher in a new era.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bert View Post
    The one time I decide to put some money on Conor.

    Lost $30 total from single and parlay. I was 2/3 on the parlay! (I picked Jojo and Chandler)

    Oh well, I'm happy for Dustin.
    I lost a few.bets as well. I may have to have daniel as my new favorite since he is officially a hot sauce guy.

  89. #12589
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    Quote Originally Posted by virms View Post
    I lost a few.bets as well. I may have to have daniel as my new favorite since he is officially a hot sauce guy.
    Dude, it's Dustin.

  90. #12590
    Truth teller virms's Avatar
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    germany
    yeah yeah.

  91. #12591
    Legend Mik's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fanny Batter View Post
    That was great. Dustin came in with the perfect gameplan. So impressed by that man. Didn't think he could sustain his discipline early, but he was never really troubled, took the leg out, then when Conor stopped stalking it was over. An all time great. Conor's taken it well and he's possibly right on activity, so let's get him in there as soon as possible. As for Dustin, him and Do Bronx is about as stylistically brilliant a fight as you can get so make that for the title, with Chandler fighting Gaethje.
    Yup, you just cannot come back from such inactivity and fight top contenders. His tactics weren't great, his game looked massively lacking in diversity just throwing hard lefts and didn't adapt to a more diverse game from Dustin. No teep kicks to keep his distance, was lunging in and leaving his chin exposed to counters. I hope that he does stick around and get more active because he is still quite young and is talented enough that he'll always be able to sell if he puts a good run together.

    Personally I don't want to see him either in money fights or in challenger fights, I'd like to see him in a couple of 'tune up fights', I know that they don't usually do that in the UFC, but you've got their biggest money maker who has been beaten twice now in his last three and has taken big breaks between each fight. He also needs to go back to the drawing board with his tactics because he is fighting up a division and those guys are pretty resilient and can take a few hard lefts. I personally think that however tough the weight cut the 145lbs was, that was always going to be his best division.

    Great fight from Chandler, really put him in the mix. I'd like to see a little round robin between Chandler, Oliveira, Dustin and Justin next and let both Ferguson and McGregor fight down the rankings a little for one. See if either of them have anything left.

    Sad to see Ribas get taken out, but she's got plenty of time left in her and good to see Calderwood win, but I have no interest in seeing her fight Shevchenko though, she'd get destroyed.

  92. #12592
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    I had a decent bit of money on Dustin to win in rounds 3-5, so a shame that Conor folded so quickly.

  93. #12593
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    The ideal scenario would be to get Chandler turning around quite quickly and facing Do Bronx for the right to challenge Poirier for the vacant belt. Dustin does good stuff for his community, I'm happy for him to wait until late Summer to get back in there and have a hyped title fight against an undisputed top contender.

    Elsewhere, I'd be having Conor vs. Diaz 3 at lightweight in the Summer. I don't think you can drop Conor to that Dariush, Dober level. I wouldn't be opposed to it but he's a PPV headliner so there needs to be some level of stakes to his fights to delay title fights. It's one of the biggest bouts in the sport still. Match Gaethje with RDA, the Dober/Islam winner can face Tony, Hooker can get the Dariush/DCR winner and Felder is left with one of the 4 losers from those fights.

    Agreed on Ribas. Chin is a worry. Stopped with strikes twice by fighters not revered for their power. Fought a really good fighter in Rodriguez, who has never outright lost a fight in her career. Calderwood is an odd one, she goes from looking awful and uncoordinated to a sharp striker and back sometimes several times a fight. Shevchenko destroys her but she destroys everyone at that weight class, Andrade aside.

    They're in a good position the UFC. Conor looks committed to the sport. They've got a lineup of practically unbeaten champions. Guys like Poirier and Holloway are massive stars to the sport though likely never to transcend to a casual base. Jon Jones is finally going up to heavyweight. It's a shame there's no more Khabib fights but they were always more a testament to his skill rather than the contest itself. Just think of the fights that should be on deck this year:

    Miocic vs. Ngannou
    Winner vs. Jones
    Lewis vs. Blaydes and Gane vs. Rozenstruick where surely the winners fight to create the next contender after Jones, unless Reem beats Volkov
    Jan vs. Israel
    Glover vs. the winner
    Israel vs. Whittaker 2 or Rob fighting for the vacant/interim belt
    Usman vs. Burns
    Covington vs. Masvidal
    Winners fighting each other
    Edwards vs. Khamzat
    Poirier fighting for the lightweight title
    Conor fighting
    That entire lightweight division top 15, any combination of that where they all fight twice a year
    Volkanovski vs. Ortega
    Winner vs. Holloway
    Zabit vs. Zombie?
    Yan vs. Sterling
    Sandhagen vs. Edgar
    Winners facing each other unless it's Sterling and Sandhagen
    Dillashaw or Garbrandt vs. Aldo
    Figgy vs. Moreno 2
    Winner vs. Garbrandt
    Nunes vs. Anderson
    Nunes vs. Holm 2?
    Shevchenko vs. Andrade
    Zhang vs. Namajunas
    Joanna vs. the winner?

    Then you've still got former champions and legends like Overeem, Woodley, Weidman, Cowboy, Wonderboy, Cruz, Lawler, Condit etc to scatter about the place for main events if booked appropriately. Who wouldn't want to see Lawler vs. Condit 2 or Cruz vs. Edgar or Aldo in five rounders?

  94. #12594
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Finally a place where I'm not reading "Conor is washed up LMFAO!!!" type bullshit.

    I think for me I'd like to see Poirier v. Chandler for the championship, Tony v. McGregor, and Charles v. Gaethje. If Chandler was going to be a sub for the Khabib/Gaethje fight then obviously they looked at him as someone definitely next in line.

  95. #12595
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    I don't understand those people. The guy who beat him has been knocked out twice and he's the best in the weight class now that Khabib is retired. This is MMA, people lose. Of course it was eye opening to see him lose on his feet, but Nate Diaz was heading down that track in the first fight before Conor shot for the takedown. I think people bought into the stand up of McGregor as being some sort of mythical, unbeatable machine, because he talked that belief into people. He's a very talented striker but there are and have been many in this sport, and not many avoided getting knocked out in the end. There will always be a strategy that does you in a sport of inches, with Conor's lead leg being key to his style and Dustin skillfully taking it out of the equation and tipping the fight in his scales. Conor landed strikes, looked strong in the clinch, but once he was compromised he was a sitting duck. Against one of the great all time finishers in Dustin Poirier. If people don't think he'll shore up that aspect of his game (I think he's been heavier on the lead leg since he's leant more into straight boxing, and got into bad habits) and come back better, they're mad. I'd love to see him back down at 145 honestly, we've not seen him try that cut since they changed the weigh ins to the morning and I think that would be beneficial to him. I can't see him doing it as it would take year round discipline to stay on weight, but how good would it be to see him back at the weight he never came close to losing at. It doesn't matter though as pretty much every ranked fighter between 145 and 155 are world class, well rounded and entertaining. Imagine him and Zombie!

  96. #12596
    GP OG Percussion's Avatar
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    maldives
    He's certainly not washed up, that's patently ridiculous. I do though question the kind of fights he'll take with his elevated status and how that will narrow his avenues toward the top.

    At LW we're looking at Gaethje, Poirier again, Oliveira, Ferguson, and Chandler. And maybe not every one of them. At FW (should he take that path) we're looking at Volk, Holloway, Ortega, and maybe Zombie. And maybe not every one of them. And of course maybe Nate.

    This route doesn't give him much wiggle room, and particularly not so only taking fights every so often and in between boxing matches, promotional excursions, and holidays.

    And so then the question is how many L's can he take due to facing only top/marketable competition while perhaps not having both feet firmly in the MMA world?

    Of course he can still fight, and he can beat the upper end of the rankings as well. I'm just not sure how he's going to put together the couple or a few fights necessary to get to the top of the mountain again with his very unique position in the sport.

  97. #12597
    GO ON LAD Fanny Batter's Avatar
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    RDA is another option at lightweight. That would make sense given the rankings and the fact that they almost fought 5 years ago. The positive for McGregor is that the top of the division at 155 are dangerous and vulnerable in equal measure, so it's not like he can't crack any of those guys. They've all been finished in fights before. It's a shame they didn't keep Pettis as that's probably the right fight to get him back on track while appealing to the fans. I don't think you can throw him in there with a Beneil Dariush, where he'd have a major athleticism advantage and likely win, and get the same interest off fans. He needs to fight the top guys. Or Diaz. Diaz fight probably still breaks records as the fans would be getting all the shit talk to go along with the star power. Mini 155 tournament:

    Poirier vs. Do Bronx for the title
    Gaethje vs. Chandler (next title shot)
    McGregor vs. RDA
    Ferguson vs. Diaz

    That's what I'd do. Poirier aside the fan favourites are on the other side of the bracket so the eventual title fight "final" would be a monster fight. Unless RDA won somehow of course. In an ideal world for them you get Poirier beating Chandler, Conor beating Nate, then you get the trilogy (after Conor has just won his other rubber bout) for all the marbles with both guys on winning streaks in massive fights. Of course it's MMA though so Do Bronx vs. RDA would be the final .

  98. #12598
    Multiversal Champion OD50's Avatar
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    sweden
    Putting my promoter hat on I was going to suggest:

    Poirier/Oliveira *LW title* This is not a blockbuster money fight but it's what's right for the sport and the fighters. The UFC could just as well do Conor/Dustin III for the title if they choose money and show over sport.
    McGregor/Diaz III
    Chandler/Gaethje
    Ferguson/RDA (or maybe Ferguson/Hooker? Great fighters but both are on two fight losing skids)
    I think Chandler/RDA is a great stylistic match-up, not sure how interested people would be though.

    If Conor and Dustin wins you do McGregor/Poirier III, too much money to not do that rubber fight. Dana is already crying at night for losing the Conor/Khabib rematch. If Poirier wins, Chandler wins and Conor loses you could do Poirier/Chandler for the title.
    Last edited by OD50; January 26th, 2021 at 7:49 AM.

  99. #12599
    Legend Mik's Avatar
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    OD50! Nice to see you man.

    I think the best thing for McGregor would be to take a fight down the division a little. Nate would be a tune up. He's not likely to bring anything new that you haven't seen before. You know that it's winnable. It'll sell, he has been out of action for a while and should have some of the same issues McGregor has.

    I'd be surprised if they don't do an immediate rematch with Dustin for the belt though. They'll be able to build it up as a rubber match, they'll be able to say that McGregor was coming back from inactivity and got caught cold. I think that knowing that he still sells and knowing that he might not be around for long, they'll try and squeeze whatever they can out of McGregor. I don't think that they know any other business model.

  100. #12600
    Multiversal Champion OD50's Avatar
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    sweden
    Yeah, I think they'll try and strike while the iron is hot with some of these fights. As much as we all like the sporting aspect, if you do it proper elimination style and have the winners fight for the title in the end you likely, just as FB said end up with something like Oliveira/RDA that sells 150k PPV buys. I'm guessing the UFC might feel comfortable that Oliveira and Diaz are winnable enough for Dustin and Conor to be perfect set up fights before doing the trilogy bout. Ooor... Dana just says fuck it and does Dustin/Conor III for the vacant title right off the bat. You can tell he's crushed that Khabib doesn't seem to be interested in fighting and Conor getting stomped. That rematch had 2.5-3 million buys written all over it.
    Last edited by OD50; January 26th, 2021 at 8:50 AM.

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