Why would he be suspended?Originally Posted by percussion13
Why would he be suspended?
Oh, this route. Well you're wrong, someone who spent 30 years as a man and has the bone structure and muscle density to show for it omitted his background citing that it was a "medical condition" and made a name beating up women, some of then unsuspecting.
I'll stop watching the UFC on everything I love if he gets so much as a slap on the wrist for that. Jesus.
For speaking publicly in what many could see as an inflammatory way when UFC have set some sort of precedent in defending Fox before.
Not sure what any of that has to do with what I said that you'd quoted there.
Bit dramatic for the subject. But duly noted.
Dramatic would be talking about suspending a man for taking issue over a biological man not disclosing his gender and building a career on beating up women.
I think it's more nuanced than simply that. Fox's physical makeup is more nuanced than that.
And I don't think Costa is necessarily in the wrong for feeling the way he does. I just could see how people could take issue with expressing it in such a way.
But if you're looking at it from the pov "Here's what happened when Mitrione said something" you have to take into consideration what Meathead actually said v. what Pablo said. Meathead, while I don't disagree 1 bit with what he said about Fallon Fox, he threw PC out the window.
Ok, one said mean words about Fox versus the other said they'd like to put a beating on her.
Yes, one said "mean" words. The other said they'd put a beating on a transgender using an unfair physical advantage against women. I just have no respect or sympathy for Fallon Fox. Should have came out from the jump and stated they were a man for 30+ years and had this this and that done to alter themselves. There is no excuse to lie about this shit. We can sit here and chastise men and women who get popped for GNC over the counter "peds" but we have to, for some odd reason, show respect and class toward this person?
I'm not saying YOU are expecting this, my comment is a generalization based on the nature of you thinking Pablo could possibly face suspension, fines for offering to fight someone who fights others on an uneven playing field.
If I'm Dana I do expect a bit of civility and consideration in non-UFC matchmaking matters.
Oh for sure especially with WME owning them as I'm sure they're not wanting to have someone under their umbrella making these statements.
First-ever UFC show in Russia booked for September in Moscow
Exciting times.The first-ever UFC show in Russia is set to happen as early as September, as the event has already been scheduled in one of the biggest arenas in Moscow, RT Sport has learned from the venue.
Staff at Moscow's Olympiyskiy Stadium (Olympic Stadium), which has a capacity of up to 35,000 spectators, confirmed to RT Sport that a UFC show is booked at the venue for September 14 and 15.
The UFC has yet to announce the news, but the possibility of a show in Russia was first raised by the promotion’s president, Dana White, at a press conference following the UFC 205 event at Madison Square Garden, New York, back in November 2016.
Russia’s most popular fighter, undefeated lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was victorious on the UFC 205 card against Michael Johnson, has long been rumored to headline an event his home country.
Following the news, RT Sport contacted Khabib’s father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov for comment.
“Most likely, this event is going to be connected with us. We will fight in April first with Tony Ferguson, and then we will receive a date for a fight with McGregor,” said Nurmagomedov senior, speaking by phone.
“Although I can’t exclude the possibility they will make us wait for Ferguson until September, and there won’t be an April fight. We have many good fighters who can fill the arena - Alexander Volkov, Gadzhimurad Antigulov, Mairbek Taisumov. Fans love Zabit Magomedsharipov now. Rustam Khabilov and Islam Makhachev can also join. Many (fighters) will want to perform both in the UFC and at home at the same time. Plus it’s very interesting for (Russian) fans.”
They might try and get Volkov into a title shot and double it up with Khabib, should he beat Tony of course. Or sign Minakov and hotshot him. Zabit should be ready for a top 10 opponent by then. If Taisumov beats Pettis (rumoured for London) he'll be top 10. Could put together a great card at this point. Khabilov is unspectacular but on a winning streak too.
If staph infected Kevin Lee was able to take down, full mount, and beat the shit out of Tony Ferguson for a round, I have absolutely no doubt that Khabib will easily manhandle Tony Ferguson barring a flying knee flash KO or something random.
Tony Ferguson is impressive, but I have never seen someone ride such a win streak while also taking such damage and beatings in so many of their fights. That will only last so long. Ain't that right, Justin Gaethje?
While I don't think Fallon Fox should be allowed to ever fight women who were born women, Fallon Fox also has a TKO loss to the only woman who has a wikipedia page. Shit fighter.
I don't think anybody deals with Khabib. Absolute monster. That's why they fight though, Tony doesn't go down without a fight, and he has enough offensive tools where if you give him 25 minutes with any man on the planet he has a chance to find something.
I want to see Kevin Lee vs. Khabib. I think that is a good match-up. I want to see someone pressure Khabib and try to take him down. How would someone with equal strength/wrestling do against him? How will Khabib do off his back? Everyone fights on the defensive and is worried about the takedown. Make him worry. He comes in standing vertically because he hasn't had to worry about someone shooting in on him.
I think Ferguson is just a shit match-up. Ferguson is a good and unorthodox striker with good grappling, but both areas of the game will be nullified in my opinion. He beat Kevin Lee because Kevin Lee was absolutely gassed. I think he will be taken down and pummeled like Barboza.
Ferg won from more than just Lee getting tired. He threw everything at Lee from his back and had Kevin genuinely tentative about how to attack from on top.
His length, awkward standup, guard game, and mental makeup make a matchup with Khabib thoroughly intriguing.
This is what makes MMA so exciting. CAN Ferguson handle the strength and pressure and grappling? CAN Khabib handle the warrior spirit, the striking, and attacks off the back? I mean we are seriously looking at some of the best MMA fighters of any era in the UFC today.
Couldn't agree more.
And I may be jumping the gun on optimism here, but ...
Demetrious Johnson
Conor McGregor
Georges St-Pierre
Max Holloway
Daniel Cormier
TJ Dillashaw
Stipe Miocic
Tyron Woodley
Cris Cyborg
Tony Ferguson
Cody Garbrandt
Robert Whittaker
Amanda Nunes
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Frankie Edgar
Joseph Benavidez
Henry Cejudo
Dominick Cruz
Eddie Alvarez
Jimmie Rivera
Kevin Lee
Nate Diaz
Stephen Thompson
Rafael Dos Anjos
Robbie Lawler
Colby Covington
Yoel Romero
Luke Rockhold
Chris Weidman
Kelvin Gastelum
Alexander Gustaffson
Volkon Oezdemir
Francis Ngannou
Fabricio Werdum
Cain Velasquez
... I'd take this contendership over any other era in this company's, and perhaps the entire sport's, history. The amount of talent plus variation in backgrounds, styles, and approaches to the sport make the still many potential matchups here pretty incredible to look forward to. Plus the gaggle of young talent just behind them looking to break through this coming year or so.
MMA2018..
We have a great mix of veterans, guys getting into their prime, younger cats. The only negative for the younger/newer fighters is the overexposed product that is the UFC. That's why a guy like Joe Riggs can still go to Bellator and people tune in whereas Ashanti Newlozenbaum is racking up 7 wins in a row and nobody knows who the fuck he is because there are 90 fight cards a year.
Veteran color commentator Jimmy Smith signs with UFC
Pretty cool, I like Jimmy Smith.
Wonder if he'll get worked into a main role for the long-distance shows that Rogan doesn't want any part of anymore or if he'll be used mostly as a studio analyst.
Uriah Hall and Zak Cummings both out last minute due to weight cut related issues (Hall simply didn't, Cummings had a fall) for tomorrow's fights. Hopefully Vitor still chooses to have a retirement fight - against Bisping.
Anybody think the UFC are cynical enough to put PVZ in against the flyweight champion straight away, should she beat Clarke tomorrow? It's probably the greatest chance they'll get to have a title fight at that weight get any attention. For as good as Shevchenko is, she's not an exciting fighter or compelling personality so can't see them rushing her into a shot. Tough fight for Paige anyway, who knows how serious she's taken training?
Choi could get fast tracked with a stoppage win over Stephens. Likewise, Stephens can get back in the mix with a spectacular win. It'll be fireworks anyway, perfect TV main event. Of course hoping Choi wins, lovely sweet boy.
Usman vs. Meek is another good one. Usman's got a big win streak, honestly looks far more impressive than Colby Covington but hasn't got the step up yet. Meek is tough and long so will be an interesting fight. I see Usman as a potential future champ though so see him winning on points.
MJ vs. Elkins has a lot of potential too. MJ's fast hands against Elkin's durability. Johnson should be too quick but if anybody can stay in a fight long enough to find an opening it's Elkins. With the weight cut, who knows how MJ will be if it goes to the third. I think he gets the early KO though.
Not a lot else.
Paige was originally set to challenge the 125 champ but something happened and it was changed. Even before the finale.
In spite of the fight cancellations this is a loaded Fight Night card. Hometown MJ vs Elkins has been promoted to the main card, where it should have been to begin with.
Choi will join the ROK army for 24 months next year so he needs to get to work.
Michael Johnson might be able to take a one year run at a title shot to be honest. 145 is shy on names on good form, if he beats Elkins he can maybe fight Emmett next, a winnable fight in the top 5.
Darren Elkins man holy shit. UFC's Homer Simpson. Gets pieced up for a round then just seemed to drown MJ as soon as it hit the deck. Huge finish for him. Honestly wouldn't argue if they put him against Ortega for a title shot. 6 wins in a row, the last 3 being very legit. As for Johnson, again looked superb on the feet but still no ground game.
Jeremy Stephens getting a statement win. Choi probably will never make it now, with his military service coming up. I like the sound of Stephens vs. Aldo to be honest - give Stephens the chance to hold wins over UFC champs in 3 different weight divisions.
Last edited by Fanny Batter; January 15th, 2018 at 1:24 AM.
I was only able to see the 3rd round of the PVZ-Clarke fight and the main event. Stephens, wow. On one hand it's somewhat hard for me to root for the guy on a personal level but on the other I'm loving this guy in the cage. Let me just say that he's the type of fighter who NEEDS to be a professional fighter. This is his calling and if he wasn't on the big stage and still in DMI fighting down at Hy Vee Hall he'd be in prison.
Jeremy Stephens is a beast. DHC is done currently. I'm sure we'll see him in a few years but he's going to have to build himself from the ground up again. In fairness he was a bit overhyped and could have used a few more top 15-20 opponents before making the jump to the calibre of his last two fights.
Did anybody catch the prelims? I'm sick for finding humor in this but there was a 6-0 Serra-Longo fighter (Weidman name-drops galore) making his debut against 7-5 Polo Reyes who was clearly intended as a feeding for the undefeated prospect coming out of the world-reknown camp. He surprisingly had a lot of crowd support too, they were popping for him. Well he got beat up for 60 seconds and KO'd goofy.
I didn't realize Jeremy Stephens' UFC record is 14 wins, 13 losses. And all but 3 of his career losses happened in the Octagon. I remember when his ex-gf told me he was going to be fighting in the UFC. I thought she was confused and just thought UFC=all of MMA. Sure as shit, his first fight was Din Thomas lol. What a welcoming party that fight would be for really anyone.
So with the news that Tony v. Khabib is for the UNDISPUTED LW championship, does it somewhat water down McGregor's accomplishments as a champion? Matt Hughes and others used to always say, you're not REALLY the champ until you defend it. So twice in Conor's career he's been a 2 division champ and both times he never defended either belt. Me personally, I think winning the championship is good enough but defending it just adds more to your legacy as a champion. And by defending you don't necessarily have to win, it helps, but it's not the worst thing in the world. At least you tried to defend it.
is it confirm yet it is for undisputed title? im sure it will be, just didnt hear it was confirmed yet. I feel like its just a technicality at this point, and Dana is just scared to officially announce it cause Conor will throw a hissy fit despite no intentions to defend it in immediate future
yes, I saw it. The guy was being hyped on MMAjunkie radio for a few weeks too due to his nickname. Matt "The Streamrolla" Frevola. He came out with absolutely poor boxing defense and just kept getting tagged over and over until he was eventually dropped. It was a shame cause he was pretty over and has a cool as fuck nickname
I read a couple different sources saying it was for the Undisputed but they could have very well just implied that themselves with no official word. I doubt McGregor comes back. All his tweets in regards to Khabib, Tony, and the UFC are basically him saying nope, not going to happen I'm rich lol. He'll come back for some stupid shit like Floyd in the Octagon but that's it.
I dont see him fighting anyone who isnt Nate or GSP. I would say outside chance to Woodley, but I cannot see UFC giving him another title shot again seeing as all he does is hold up divisions
thats about it.
vacates title, fights Nate in the summer in the most meaningless grudge match trilogy ever that we will unfortunately be hyped for, hypes that he is still the champ champ (despite not having the belts), and says he doesn't give a fuck about the belts, he wants to kick Nates ass and get that +1 on him and then go and kick Floyd's ass or something, and then probably never fight in the UFC again or fight GSP
Honestly won't be hyped worth a shit for a Nate/Conor III. Of course I'll watch, I'm a fight fan. But I'll make no effort to free up to watch it live, and outside of being amused at the idea of Nate knocking McGregor the fuck out I couldn't care less about the outcome. It's a pointless affair altogether.
I'm reading that Ferguson/Khabib is for the interim belt.
And yeah, the trilogy fight is fast losing steam; they should have struck when the iron was hot. Granted the moment it's announced and they do the press conference it will be must see tv again.
..the first question that White was asked was whether their announced main event bout will be for the undisputed championship and should that be the case, will McGregor be stripped of his title. White’s response was inconclusive.
“I have no update,” White said. “The winner of this fight will be the champion.”
I think Conor fights the winner of Ferguson/Nurmagomedov around September'ish myself, if Tony/Khabib even goes down that is. I have my doubts but fourth times the charm eh? Or something..
Yeah, Helwani had him visibly triggered when he pointed out that he was refusing to announce that he had stripped Conor. He's trying to sell a ppv and get rid of the tacky "interim" label, but that's what this fight is.
Khabib/Ferg is for the best 155'er on the planet as far as I give a shit.
Many sites are saying Conor has til march.
https://www.google.com/amp/www.sport...9hzk542ur6l7dn
No argument here. I think (and hope) Khabib steamrolls him.
The trilogy at 155 followed by him fighting the winner of Khabib/Ferguson is the play I think, with a win over Nate of course. If they can get him to commit to July/August for Diaz then December for the lightweight title fight. It's not like contender's are queuing at lightweight after Khabib/Ferguson so them sitting out for 8 months wouldn't be that bad, and is par the course for champions nowadays anyway. So 226 in July in Vegas followed by 232, again in Vegas, for the New Year's card. I get that Moscow sounds appealing, but there's 8 hours difference between Eastern Time and there. You don't have Conor McGregor fight at 8am local time for the US PPV audience, and you certainly don't run a PPV at 3pm on a Saturday in the US to be the right time for the local audience. It's perfect for a Khabib title defence that's not necessarily expected to do big numbers (vs. Alvarez or Poirier), but not Conor.
Looking forward to the big heavyweight title fight tonight. With it has come great hyperbole (they're trying to push it as the biggest HW title fight of all time - Lesnar's run comes to mind, as well as JDS/Cain I), but it's a really spectacular fight which would almost certainly crown the next top draw, if they had any bloody contenders fit for the winner! Miocic is chasing the consecutive defence record at heavyweight at three, whereas Ngannou is looking to be the first guy since JDS to run undefeated through the UFC and win the heavyweight title. Neither man has let his opponent out of the first round in their last four fights. That includes Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, and The Reem and Arlovski for both. Machines. So the likelihood is someone lands big, and early, and somebody goes to sleep. Stipe is the more technical boxer with good inside boxing and favouring straight punches, whereas Ngannou is lightning fast with hooks and uppercuts. Stipe has great wrestling but Ngannou's the bigger fighter, super strong with good TDD from what we've seen.He's also the unknown,as we have less knowledge of intangibles like chin, gas tank, work off his back.We know Stipe can take a shot and can go five rounds at a wicked pace if need be. So the logical man would lean with Miocic retaining... but this is heavyweight MMA, where the margins of class can be completely shattered with one punch. I've not seen a man hit as hard as big Francis. So Ngannou by KO inside one round.
Cormier vs. Volkan should be a good one too. I feel Volkan's been undersold by the oddsmakers to be honest. A fresh, hard hitting contender facing a guy who's getting up there in age, coming off a bad knockout,struggling to make the weight as the years roll. I'd say Volkan's being underrated BECAUSE he's knocked out his man inside a minute the last two times. That makes one assume he's just got a "lucky" shot. If he'd outskilled Misha or Jimi for three rounds he'd be given more of a chance. It's presuming he's not skilled, and that simply can't be the case. Alas, Cormier is the second best light heavyweight that ever lived, only 9 months ago he beat a very feared striker in Anthony Johnson, and 6 months ago he gave a very good account of himself against Jones. Good striking, and possibly the most grueling top game in the sport.Just a heavy, relentless grind. But he needs to be better than ever - he can't rely on his chin anymore as it's more than likely going to be worse after the KO. If he gets the takedown early in rounds 1 and 2 he should drain the life out of Volkan, but if Oezdemir can defend a couple of shots and land some hands, who knows? The lean is Cormier by submission (RNC) in three though.
Rest of the main card is light on names but should be action packed. Burgos and Kattar can both make waves at 145. Almeida vs. Font should be a barnburner. Vilante doesn't have bad fights. Prelims are light, but it's January so never expect much more.
Last edited by Fanny Batter; January 20th, 2018 at 3:21 PM.
I have this feeling that Ngannou will tire by the second/third round if Stipe can implement his wrestling and put him on his back (see the Mark Hunt fight). If he can't put Francis down early and often he probably goes to sleep.
Stipe fights like Randy Couture in the first (making better use of distance standing up, the threat of takedowns, and cageside clinchwork) to frustrate and zap some of Frank's strength. Round 2 sees Frank wing something(s) huge that Stipe gets inside of to catch him with a notsohighlight worthy punch that totally sits him down for a big gnp tko finish.
Having said all that we'll now see Ngannou win with the UFC's first hindulotine, naturally.
Anyone watching the ppv?
Yup.
I caught the last three fights. Dominant performances by both champions.
That proved there's levels to this game. Both challengers had their moments, but as soon as the champions could implement their games that was that. Particularly impressed with DC taking Volkan out within barely a minute of taking him down. Beast.
Both of the title fights were great. I feel that Stipe could have gotten on Ngannou's back multiple times and probably choked him out but still loved his performance. Cormier is still amazing. Can't believe how good he is considering his age. I liked that both hype trains were derailed.
It wasn't a barnburner the whole way, but I think Miocic and Ngannou both actually come out of that looking strong as fuck. Not too many dudes are withstanding Ngannou artillery for very long, and they still aren't after this fight. But Stipe did, and outworked the shit out of him in the process. Stipe has also put together now arguably the greatest run ever for a MMA HW. Pretty incredible.
Meanwhile DC looked great in confidently systematically outgunning a limited but very live opponent in Volkan.
Proud showing for the big men all around tonight.
I liked that he said Cain was coming back too. A tune up fight or two for him and then maybe a run at the title would be nice. If anything like the Cain of old comes back people better watchout.
Yeah, I'm just not sure what Cain has left at this point. One of the all time great heavyweights, but his body appears to be breaking down on him. He's absolutely capable of turning up in top form and beating Miocic, but could he do it again and again anymore? It's crazy that in the last 7 years he's only faced four different opponents, and competed only 7 times. Such a shame. But if we can at least get that one big fight against Stipe out of him I'll be happy.
Ngannou will come again. He has youth on his side, and he wasn't taken to the woodshed and given a thorough beating. He was just dismantled. Ngannou vs. Hunt if he beats Blaydes sounds like a good time.
Cormier has the Gustafsson rematch left to clear the division. After that it's OSP and Shogun. They don't stop the wrestling. Alexander has more than a good chance though if he comes in healthy.
Volkan absolutely drowned on the mat. Was reasonably impressed with him in the first round but once it hit the deck he was poor.
Thinking Werdum vs. a returning Cain for clear number 1 contender while Stipe gets a reasonably comfortable recovery period sounds best.
I don't like Cain in another rematch either. But, this one has a range of likely good returns. Werdum wins and he's done three straight including a series finale against a HoFer. Cain wins and the arguable greatest ever will have immediately worked his way back into contention. Meanwhile one of the midcard hw's can hopefully fight their way clear to contention.
I am so impressed with Stipe's gameplan. I really thought he would throw caution to the wind and just duke it out. He implemented his gameplan perfectly and cemented himself as one of the top 3 heavyweights (if not number one) of all time. Good for him. Francis is still a tough dude, but showed he is green. He caught Stipe with a couple shots despite Stipe implementing his gameplan that could have rocked him and changed the course of the fight.
I don't buy Francis saying that if he came out less aggressive in round 1 it would have made a difference. I think his gas tank is what it is, and Stipe would have drained his energy away regardless pending he doesn't get caught.
Cormier also proved that Jon Jones aside, he is the best LHW in the game. Cesaro was not in his league. There is Jon Jones----->----------->DC------>Gus, and then everyone else.
I do not want to see Stipe vs. Werdum again. Put Werdum against Francis if Cain isn't back within a year. Also put DC vs. Stipe. I know DC doesn't want to do HW because of Cain, but he doesn't plan on fighting past 40. That means he has a potential fight with Jon Jones if he comes back this year, or a fight with Gus. That, and Stipe. Then he can vacate the HW title if he were to win and call it a career.
Great showings by both champions. I couldn't believe Stipe could handle some of the big shots from Francis. Stipe also became the first HW to ever defend the title 3 times. That's insane.
I feel that Ngannou is too muscular for his own good. The muscles prevent oxygen from really getting to a lot of his body and ruins his cardio. He needs to work on going down a little bit in size. The Rock goes up and down depending on how he needs to be and I think Ngannou needs implement that if at all possible.
its the shane carwin effect. everyone gets blown away by big strong HW who knocks everyone out immediately, and then when he is taken into deep water he cant breath. Carwin was undefeated until he went against Lesnar, knocking out literally everyone in round 1. PLUS he had a strong wrestling pedigree
we as fans get sucked into the hype, but we forget you cant just knock everyone out at will in round 1. and when you dont, you are in trouble.
BRS, Brett Rogers Syndrome.
Here's what we need to take a step back and look at.
Stipe was killing dudes in the first round as well and couldn't finish a completely gassed Predator. Right? Stipe wasn't exactly bouncing around the Octagon like Frankie Edgar. These are big dudes, most of them do not look great going into the 3rd-5th round. Francis has literally been murking dudes in the 1st-2nd round, he climbed to the top and earned that title shot. Again, Stipe couldn't put this dude out. He zapped JDS, Arlovski, Werdum, Overeem, even Mark Hunt, but couldn't finish Francis.
That just shows regardless of his gas tank, his lack of ground skill off his back, he's a legit #1 contender.
there is nothing Francis should be ashamed about. he only got into MMA training 5 years ago. He is green as hell. No matter what he will always have the most vicious KO in UFC history to date against a legit striker.
the storyline after the fight is moreso UFC was hyping Francis up as out of this world, when in reality they had that guy right in front of them already holding the belt. That is also why Stipe is bitter towards Dana White. I was watching the pre-fight hype and me myself believed poor Stipe would get KTFO and Stipe was just holding the belt for this guy
if Khabib ever fought Conor I predict it going the way Stipe/Francis did, just more vicious and definitely a stoppage
All the commercials I saw for the ppv were pretty much 90% highlight reel KOs from both men. If anyone should be pissed it should be Cormier, that dude was nowhere to be seen on any ads that I saw.
And I can respect the UFC trying to build up someone that is new because that's what they need to do. Stipe, the dude is incredible, but for some reason the UFC were hesitant to back him 110% and I can understand why. Francis, his last couple fights, more people were talking about Francis w/o any UFC influence than they ever talked about Stipe. I've been a fan of Stipe ever since he debuted in the UFC and paid homage to Cro Cop wearing the same kind of shorts.
But I mean, look at DJ. Look at a lot of fighters who just don't get the ultra special treatment. Part of that is the UFC's fault, part of that is the fans' fault, and part of that is the fighters' fault.
And by the fans being at fault I just mean if they're gravitating toward a fighter then see "part of that is the fighters'/UFC's fault" It all goes together. And if the UFC are doing their part and it's not catching on, they move to the next. I just don't believe Stipe has figured out the fight game like when he didn't understand all of the sudden why he wasn't getting paid more than Overeem simply because he's the champ. There's more to it than winning and losing.
I dont know, based on the countdowns and everything else I saw, it built Francis up as the 10th wonder of the world and Stipe as an appetizer
apparently he felt the same way
And again, I understand why they did that. Francis had all the hype, he carried that main event. Sure he didn't come in and kill Stipe in the first round, but Stipe looked like he was thrown in a meatgrinder and couldn't finish the big guy like he had done in 4-5 previous fights. So imo, they created a great story. I hope Stipe is champ 2 fights from now because as shallow as the talent pool is, I could see Stipe v. Francis 2 happening by this time next year.
And who knows where Francis will be in terms of cardio, ground, etc. I have a lot of love for Stipe and I think the UFC should really put more effort into this guy promotion wise.
I dont blame them at all, but I also dont blame Stipe up for being bitter
I definitely don't want to see Stipe try to be something he's not to try and gain a larger fanbase or even the love of the suits. Again, the commercials I saw seemed pretty 50/50. Highlight reel KO's left and right from both men but again, Francis was the draw in this fight. The UFC didn't create those brutal KO's, especially the Overeem KO. Francis has a lot of attractive qualities that casual and hardcore fans gravitate toward. Had Stipe came out the gate the same way I feel Stipe would be getting more love.
In the end, everyone including Stipe can only do so much. Especially today with 900 events a year.
Between two dudes who knock other dudes out regularly Francis is the bigger more muscular dude who also happens to have a more likely intriguing story than white guy from Cleveland.
None of this means Francis deserves more hype, but it's not too difficult to see how this could happen. Sucks that it may take finally adding Cain to his defense streak to actually sell Stipe as a top draw. If even that does it.
Good main event on FOX on Saturday, Jacare Souza vs. Derek Brunson. Brunson is probably the most underappreciated action fighter in the UFC - in his last 8 fights, 7 have ended inside in a round, all knockouts, 6 of them victories. The other to Whitaker in a crazy fight. The only fight that went beyond a round in that stretch he was robbed against Anderson Silva in a fight where he was disciplined and a little too respectful. Basically, beast. Jacare himself has finished nine of ten in his last 10 victories too, including a KO of Brunson back in Strikeforce. With the way the division is at the moment, winner probably moves on to fight Weidman or Gastelum for the next title shot. Hoping Brunson wins to be honest, been watching him rack up quality wins under the radar for years. A second consecutive KO in main events should push him over the top.
I am going to this event
OSP vs. someone else was supposed to be on the card too but got called off
It's a typical January FOX card, good match-ups and short of names. Nobody wants to spend Christmas in fight camp it seems. Some good prospects though - Gillespie in particular.
I saw on Brandon Vera's twitter an article he shared that a rumor is circulating that the UFC are trying to put together a TUF season with Stipe and Cormier as opposing coaches. Do they fight? IDK.
Pretty rad fight, imo.
Would really like to see DC take a number one contender HW fight with Werdum first.
Well that didn't take long..
Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier set to fight for heavyweight title at UFC 226
Still prefer guys contend in a division for at least one fight before a title shot ... but, at least neither hw or lhw have a queue of ready and deserving established contenders atm.
And honestly having trouble picking a winner here. Stipe wins standing, Cormier does grappling, but they each offer enough of the other to keep the fight completely honest. Both good gas tanks, strong fight iq's, tough chins.
Last edited by percussion13; January 26th, 2018 at 9:48 PM.
Cormier has fought more at Heavyweight than he has at Light Heavyweight and he is undefeated there.
So, how do you guys feel about the new UFC's thinking of promoting title fights across weight-classes? Currently they are targeting Cormier/Miocic, Nunes/Cyborg and TJ/DJ. Things like these are cool in the short run but can create problems in the long run, kind of like the madness of interim titles in recent years.
DC/Stipe is a baddass fight though don't get me wrong, and TJ is probably the most appealing challenger for DJ since he has already beaten Cejudo. But yeah, it creates trouble in the divisions just like when McGregor won the LW title while being the FW champ.
I think TJ vs DJ and Cormier vs Stipe is actually more defensible on competitive grounds than something like McGregor vs Alvarez was (which was predominantly on financial grounds). DJ, Cormier and to a lesser extent Stipe have all largely wiped out their divisions and there aren’t a huge amount of marketable fights for either that aren’t rematches.
Whereas McGregor vs Alvarez and GSP vs Bisping were both fights against a relatively new champion in incredibly competitive and thriving divisions.
Of course, 4+ years ago..
I hate that it has to include a TUF season. That crap takes months to film, and nobody watches it anymore. I guess it’s warranted for a big fight like this at least, but since Cormier wants to retire in a year, I'd rather seen him get an extra fight in instead. I'll be rooting hard for DC. This is a more exciting matchup than anything Conor has to offer. I really hope DC can pull this off this is how he gets out of the shadow of Jon Jones. Only issue is father time.
So it came up between Helwani and Cain V the idea that he could drop to lhw should DC beat Stipe. This came after Cain tweeted that 'things could get interesting ' if Cormier were to win.
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Cain at 205?
Can he do it?
vs Gustafsson?
vs ... Jones?
Believe it when I see it for now, still kinda fuckin intriguing.
Cain is like 6'1 and probably hovers between 20 and 25% body fat, he could probably make LHW if he's willing to put some hard work in. More sauna and less Mexican din din..
Cain is the same height as Rampage who weighed in at 253, while Cain usually fights around 240 I believe. Rampage has clearly less body fat and probably more muscle mass at HW and could probably still make LHW if he wasn't getting old, comfortable and lazy. .
Exactly. You had several contenders in both divisions, 185 even had an interim champion when GSP and Bisping fought. The 3 title fights that are rumored makes more sense to me than some of the other super fights we've seen put together for championships.
But they need to squash being a 2 division champion in terms of a fighter being able to hold both at the same time. You win 1, you have to vacate 1.
Conor actually fought at LW before his fight with Alvarez, obliterated FW, and was one of the most drawing fighters in history
GSP was gone for 4 or 5 years, and never fought at MW. That fight was kind of obsurd although I enjoyed it
Stipe vs. Cormier is good because Stipe destroyed everyone at HW, and Cormier destroyed everyone at LHW who isn't Jon Jones, and has fought at HW before (and is undefeated at HW)
DJ vs. TJ should happen on the grounds that the flyweight division is FUCKING SHITE!
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Cain is like 6'1 and probably hovers between 20 and 25% body fat, he could probably make LHW if he's willing to put some hard work in. More sauna and less Mexican din din..
Cain is the same height as Rampage who weighed in at 253, while Cain usually fights around 240 I believe. Rampage has clearly less body fat and probably more muscle mass at HW and could probably still make LHW if he wasn't getting old, comfortable and lazy. .
Cain can make LHW although he has a massive head. He just needs to cut down on the enchilladas
Yeah...He fight one time at 155 when he was in Ireland, it was a title fight, and then he signed with the UFC vacating both the 145 and 155 championships he had won in Cage Rage or whatever the fuck that promotion is. *EDIT* Ok he did fight a total of 3 times prior at 155 my bad.
The UFC and McGregor somehow managed to pull off a repeat of that. Kind of like The Summer of Punk angle in ROH going down on the bigger stage in WWE.
Dillashaw vs. Mighty Mouse is defensible based on the fact that DJ has cleaned out his division, and Dillashaw's division has the #1 contender coming off a KO loss to TJ, the #2 hasn't fought since losing to #1 13 months ago, #3 lost to TJ 18 months ago and #4 lacks a statement win. I think if any of those guys beat any of the other 3 around now, I'd say they should get an immediate title shot. But they're not even scheduled to fight with schedules filling through April. So even if they get a fight in May, it's not going to be a long wait after Dillashaw fights Johnson in presumably July.
Miocic vs. Cormier is just common sense. Again if Cain and Gustafsson were active fighters then you could make a case for them individually, but when can they fight? There's no telling whether Cain would be back BEFORE November/December time when Stipe will be ready to fight again.
The McGregor/Alvarez comparison is a good one. McGregor had Aldo (yes, 13 seconds, but he wasn't outclassed and was a long term champ prior) as interim champion coming off a win against an all time great. Holloway was on a roll too. Then at lightweight there was Khabib and Ferguson who were both at least 7 fights deep into UFC win streaks. If neither had anything on you could argue it, but there's 2 options for each that were viable at the time. Then again, a similar situation occurred with GSP and Penn (GSP had Thiago Alves on a monster roll, BJ had Kenny Florian), but at least they both defended against said guys within 7 months.
I had to go look up Kenny's record.....It's sad I've somewhat forgotten this guy was a top tier player for a long time. Shit I forgot he fought Aldo. That kid was really good for someone who looked like he hung by his underwear on a flagpole more often than not growing up.
I heard for the annual fight week the UFC wants to have those 3 title fights on that one card. That is amazing. It's crazy to think everyone of the 3 main events that will be walking down to the octagon will have a belt.
The probable end of Lyoto Machida's career tonight. Facing Eryk Anders, an undefeated power puncher who hasn't even appeared on a main card yet. The UFC have blatantly set it up so the athletic young gun can take out the veteran. Same as Hendricks/Costa. It's somewhat a shame Shogun is actually on a winstreak because I'd like a trilogy fight to end the career.
Edgar/Holloway is off.
how much would everyone pay for a monthly subscription service that broadcast all PPVs like WWE network? 20/month, 30/month?
I'd pay $25 a month if I felt I needed that service but I go to a great place to watch each pppv every month and only spend around $20-25 each time I go. I used to have fight pass and love it. I'm thinking of ordering that again and at least you get the fight pass cards with that live vs me having to download those after they have aired.
Machida won then called for a fight with Bisping. Makes sense to me, book it in the Summer in Manchester.
Thought Anders got hosed on the dec there.
Hosed? It seemed like Machida was definitely the more active of the 2 but not by much.
And how about Anderson Silva testing positive for steroids? Last time supposedly a dick pill gone bad, this time? Fuck.
He (machida) was actively on his backpeddle, sure.
Anders looked more dangerous, imo, and pretty clearly took rnds 2-4.
Ehhhh, Machida outstruck him by a considerable amount, stuffed 3-4 takedowns. It wasn't a pretty fight and think Machida won at least 3 of the rounds for sure. Split Decision, without seeing the numbers, sounds about right. Neither guy stood out, maybe the cut on Machida made Anders' work seem a little more but again I didn't see it as a robbery.
Try as UFC might to promote them I don't think stats work the same in combat sports the as they do in others. Anders was moving Machida up against the fence and working him while landing bigger shots standing and threatening more so with those shots. And sure Machida stopped a few takedown attempts but he also got taken down a few times and controlled and touched up as a result of them. Machida, as he's always done, was continuously point fighting off his backpedal. And I'm not entirely dismissing that as a fight strategy but it has to amount to some spectacular counters or an overwhelming display of matador/accuracy combination and I don't think he ever put those together enough to warrant anything worth winning rounds 2-4.
Didn't say it was a robbery either. May seem like semantics hosed/robbery, but I did genuinely mean a difference when choosing my words there. A robbery, imo, is an obvious disgraceful bit of judging where one guy clearly won the fight in just about everyone's pov. Getting hosed is nothing to throw a giant protest fit about as it was a close fight, but enough to make a legit argument that the judges got it wrong.
Yeah that's my bad. When I hear people use the word "hosed" it's usually in the same category as people screaming "bullshit" or "robbery". I mean 1 of the judges gave 4 rounds to Machida, I don't know if I agree with that.
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