Apparently the attorney general wanted just 25 hours. And McGregor has to take part in an anti-bullying campaign lol. This is fucking professional fighting, not exactly bullying that went on in this situation, just some childish shit.
Apparently the attorney general wanted just 25 hours. And McGregor has to take part in an anti-bullying campaign lol. This is fucking professional fighting, not exactly bullying that went on in this situation, just some childish shit.
Sorry that this isn't just about 205 but I have to keep going with this whole McGregor fine stuff. DW said that McGregor doesn't want to fight in Nevada ever again. I don't blame him. I did like that Dana was like "He could fight in Iowa" Bring that shit to Iowa, PLEASE!!!!! I need to do some more research as this is a pretty big MMA state, we have like 7 promotions lol. UFC 21 was in Cedar Rapids but that was pre-Zuffa days. Bellator has had several events here so I'm not really sure. I mean shit, I'm not even saying ppv. But I would love to see a fight card with guys like Robbie Lawler who's not FROM Iowa but he's someone who has strong ties here, you have Jeremy Stephens, shit even Jon Jones went to college here. Give me a Fight Night with Lawler headlining, we have Wells Fargo Arena here in Des Moines, that's a good 15-16,000 seat arena which isn't exactly small. WWE and UFC have held ppvs at smaller venues or right around there.
The shitty thing for us is that we're considered a fly over state. We're 3 hours from Minneapolis, 3 hours from Kansas City, 90 minutes from Omaha, NE which isn't a huge city but UFC has had an event or two there post-Zuffa, Chicago is about 5 hours, they've held events in South Dakota. But again, Iowa in general is a strong wrestling/MMA state. Maybe if Mietich was going strong like they were in the past we'd have a better shot but I mean fuck, Robbie Lawler, Jeremy Stephens, those 2 guys right there alone could bring a shit ton of fans to the event.
That statement was pretty much the opposite of an endorsement for having a UFC in Iowa.
The second half was in a way lol. I was just trying to see both sides to why they should and why they probably won't.Originally Posted by percussion13
For a pro-Iowa endorsement look at it this way. Fight Night 91 was held in Sioux Falls, SD. Population of like 150,000 and the event only brought about 5,000 fans. Now, this did feature one of my favorite fights of all time, Ferguson v. Lando (had to have been named after my main man Lando Calrissian) but they didn't exactly stack it with a shit ton of names or anything. Des Moines has about 200-250,000 people and again we have 2-3 quality names that could be part of the card and draw a shit ton of fans to Wells Fargo.
Hey man, I don't have a dog in the fight either way. They could hold an event in Aleppo or on the moon and I'd watch. So Iowa, great. I was just pointing out that White sounded like he was making the point that Conor could fight in the middle of bumfucking nowhere before he'd ever need to fight in Vegas again much more so than he was teasing Iowans to get ready.
Oh I know, I didn't think he was implying they were coming to Iowa but it just made me think, why the fuck haven't they came here?? Big big wrestling state, any kind of wrestling. WWE comes here 3-4 times a year to Des Moines, some of the most legendary collegiate wrestlers are from here, the turn out for high school/college wrestling is absurd. I know, not MMA, but again, there are a ton of promotions here and we have some solid history with Miletich's camp back in the day plus Lawler, Stephens, etc. *I know Lawler wasn't born here but he's still recognized as an Iowa guy by many*
It'd just be cool and again this was more of a self-serving post
The irony being that many pro fighters (including Conor himself) take up martial arts in response to being bullied.
Yeah my cousin got beat up when he was in kindergarten by some 7th graders and started taking tae kwon do and became a 3rd degree black belt by the time he got to high school. He trained under some old school cats so it's not like some YMCA shit where you can get your black belt in the span of 2 years lol. Luckily he has never once had to use it, he's the most unassuming black belt on the planet.
So, this card then.
Alvarez vs. McGregor is the main event. First champion vs. champion match since January 2009. Biggest PPV draw in UFC history challenging for a second world title in the first card at Madison Square Garden against a blood-and-guts warrior from Philadelphia. Both with a high KO percentage. Both won their titles with first round stoppages. It's going to be crazy. Alvarez will likely look to wrestle early, but if it's successful that should open up his striking late. If Conor shows good TDD, it could turn into a shootout between 2 guys who can take a shot. I like Conor to get the knockout inside 2 rounds though, he should have a decisive speed advantage and lands his best shots down the middle. Mike Chandler a lot of success with the uppercut against Eddie so that's the shot I'm taking to lead to the finish.
Woodley vs. Thompson is a world class fight. Woodley has been criticised for fighting safe but when he's on he can look awesome. In the UFC, only really Rory beat him but Woodley beat himself that night by not pulling the trigger. Wonderboy has looked excellent but like all karate fighters in MMA he keeps his hands low and that could be trouble against one of the best closers of distance in Woodley, he got dropped by Ellenberger. But on that note that explosiveness can lead him onto a big shot. And if he is cautious Thompson will pick him apart. I honestly think the best Woodley, with his wrestling on point and decent output on the feet, beats the best Wonderboy. But against Shields, Rory and Gastelum he couldn't pull the trigger whereas Thompson has been very consistent. So I'm going for Thompson taking a close decision by putting work to the body and legs in early thus pulling away with it late with Woodley tiring and losing that explosiveness.
Double J vs. Double K is a good title fight. Karolina is tough as nails and a gamer, and seemingly gets better throughout the fight. Joanna is just the better fighter though. I see Joanna getting a stoppage in the Championship rounds as KK face damages quite easiky and can see her getting pulled out with a shut eye or something. Joanna TKO4.
Weidman vs. Romero is an ill advised heel kick and a clean piss away from being the year's first middleweight title fight. What a fight. Weidman had got himself back in the fight with Rockhold with his body kicks and was starting to time his big shots, then he ended up on his back, tired, against a big, lethal ground player in Luke. A minute there and that's all she wrote. The finish was decidedly more emphatic than the whole fight. I gave Weidman the first and he took the first 3 minutes of the third quite handily. He's really good. Championship good clearly. But he took a BEATING before the finish. Possibly career altering. And he's had his injuries. Romero is a really good fighter, will be the better wrestler and should have a speed and power advantage. I give Weidman a big technique advantage both on the feet and the ground. Can he get top position on a beast like Yoel though? On the flipside, can Yoel fight on the backfoot for 3 rounds against someone with Weidman's pressure and workrate? GREAT fight. My lean is Weidman as he's the younger fighter and should be able to pressure Romero, take his gas and overwhelm him for a late stoppage. 50/50 fight though.
Cerrone vs. Gastelum is another ridiculous fight. I'm done picking against Cowboy at welterweight, it seems the speed advantage he brings against these guys, as well as his long frame, really makes him a great fit for the division. That combo on Story was incredible, probably my favourite stoppage of the year. Gastelum is a good talent but I feel he has benefitted from some bad performances by the world level competition he has faced. Hendricks and Woodley were both off on those nights, Tyron still doing enough for the W. Good takedowns, puts his combos together well but hittable and lacking in the power you'd want out of a stocky guy like that. He's capable of winning, Cowboy is certainly capable of having off nights, but I see Cerrone as the superior fighter and taking it on points.
Tate vs. Pennington is a clear step down from the 5 fights above (and, in fact, the 3 below), but should still be a solid scrap. It's probably too soon for Tate to get in there after a crushing title loss. Particularly such a high profile one. I feel titlists coming back within 6 months is a bad bet, it's a significant psychological hurdle to overcome, A: because of the physical loss and B: because it's hard to get motivated for a smaller scale fight after the hype and pressure of a title fight. Look recently at fighters like Barao, Holm, Hendricks, RDA, looking flatter than their title form. So I'm leaning Pennington on points by higher output in a bit of a snoozer.
Edgar vs. Stephens is a killer fight. Frankie Edgar is my favourite fighter. All heart that man. Never ever been out of a fight, all of his losses at championship level you can make an argument for winning a couple of rounds, or more in the case of Benson II. High output, mixes up his boxing and wrestling well, tough as nails, and has shown more finishing power as of late. But he has had some wars and like Tate coming off a demoralising defeat. He has gone from a potential good style match-up in the main event against the sport's biggest star to a prelim against a heavy handed beast, through a 5 round dismantling by Aldo. But again, heart for days. Unfortunately I have a feeling this is the fight the chin gets checked, Stephens is in good form and will be up for it big time. Hoping Edgar wins but going Stephens TKO1.
Khabib vs. Johnson is a superb fight. Johnson's movement is a great challenge for Nurmagomedov. I can see Johnson having some success as he's very quick for the division and should have success on the feet. He's pretty flawed once he's on his back though so it's huge that he defends the takedown. Nobody's managed it yet though. Khabib drags it to the ground at some point and dominates from there, but I wouldn't be shocked if Johnson plays spoiler. Again, psychology; Khabib went from prospective title shot to a prelim. Khabib UD.
Rashad Evans is 9th fight down, making his middleweight debut against a guy who beat the 185 champ and the last 170lb champ. Crazy. This is a big time intangibles fight; will Rashad have a big strength advantage 20lbs south? Is his chin shot? Will he retain his speed? Does Kennedy want to fight anymore? Will he have ring rust? I'm surprised to see Kennedy as such a favourite as I see Evans as the superior fighter on paper and think all the intangibles cancel each other out. I see Rashad being quick on his feet and capable of landing those big takedowns if he can keep Kennedy guessing. With such an important fight I doubt he takes risks but does enough in top position to take it on points. I hope so anyway, Rashad is a good guy and it'd suck for him to lose a third on the bounce.
Muhammad vs. Luque is an ideal TV opener, 2 action fighters. I see Luque as having the bigger upside and winning a brawl on points.
Alves vs. Miller is another superb fight. Miller has won 2 straight for the first time in years and appears over the ailments that plagued him the last few years. Alves is making his lightweight debut after being out a year and a half. Alves should have big TDD at lightweight as he won't be undersized, and he should win on the feet. Miller tires out by round 3 nowadays too. If the scales don't beat Alves he should win, and possibly look spectacular while doing so. Alves TKO3.
Natal vs. Boetsch has Tim Boetsch berserker comeback written all over it. Loses first 2 rounds, Clubs Natal in round 3. This is like a tribute to that 20-30 middleweight round robin from a while back where it seemed like these guys, Camozzi, Ring, Costas etc all fought one another back to back.
Carmouche vs. Chooknagan is a former title challenger against an undefeated prospect. Carmouche has had one fight since Chooknagan began her pro career and ran up an 8-0 record, both sharing victories over Lauren Murphy in their last fights. I'll go for the more active fighter with the bigger upside on points.
Amazing card. 3 title fights, 4 current champions, an additional 4 former champions, and a further 5 present or former title challenger. Half the 13 fight card have worn or have challenged for a UFC title for God's sake. Then another 6 of them have beaten a current or former champion. Miller, Boetsch, Johnson and Pennington have beaten top competition too. Most stacked event of all time. All 20 of that lot have been in the main or co-main of a UFC event.
Stephens TKO'ing Edgar in Round 1? That's a ballsy prediction especially if Edgar is your favorite fighter and he's never been finished. Don't get me wrong, if someone is going to do it, it might be Jeremy but idk. Jeremy hasn't exactly been starching dudes that early very often. I'd say if anything, Edgar owns the first 2 rounds and Stephens comes out and finishes Edgar in the 3rd but idk man. I guess everyone gets their card pulled at least once in their career, this might be the fight we see Edgar get dusted.
Alvarez vs. McGregor: Decision
Thompson vs. Woodley: Decision
Romero vs. Weidman: TKO Round 3
Cerrone vs. Gastelum: Decision
Pennington vs. Tate: Decision
Rashad is off the card apparently. Don't know whether Kennedy stays on, the smart move would be just to promote Boetsch or Natal up and have a no mark step in against the other. Unless Jacare is willing and able at this late juncture...
Yeah something to do with Rashad's medicals. I'm not saying I'll miss this fight but we're less than a week away, wtf. I heard the fight is completely off the card, no finding Kennedy another opponent.
That would surprise me, especially when there's a sacrificable middleweight fight underneath. If Kennedy wants a short notice opponent I'm sure he gets one, even at a catchweight.
Just from googling the situation most of the stuff I'm reading is that the fight has been removed from the event completely but you never know. I mean, it's not like Tim Kennedy is a MUST HAVE for this card. He's 37, hasn't fought in over 2 years. He already knocked out Natal, I don't see much of a difference in appeal for having him fight either Natal or Boetsch. Not to mention if you insert Kennedy, you have to remove one of these other guys who have been training for a specific opponent for months and then on 4 days notice you flip it on them just to get Kennedy on the card?
More than likely what will happen is the fight will be rescheduled for one of the December shows unless it's something serious. I was actually pretty excited to see Rashad at MW.
It's not about "just getting Kennedy on the card", it's about finding him a replacement if he wants it because he trained and it's not his fault Rashad pulled out at the last minute. Promoting Boetsch and finding a no-name looking for an opportunity for Natal would be the ideal fix but this card is so stacked it hardly makes a difference other than simply being fair to Kennedy.
Anyone expecting anything other than another win for McGregor?
OD50 is calling Alvarez and I won't be shocked if Eddie wins, but I gotta go with my boy on this one.
Speaking of, OD, let's make our bet and the stakes official.
I've got Eddie.
OD: Alvarez (T)KO round 3
Hammer: McGregor (T)KO round 1
So a month-long av bet, 2 months for predicting round and method. It's on.
I would love to see Mark Hammer with a Ronda Rousey Avatar
Well I already gave him Edmond for a month which is a fate terrible enough.
I am flying to my family's house in Jersey today after work
Tomorrow is the weigh ins
My brother wants to go to a Nick/Nate Diaz/Luke Rockhold meet and greet at some bar in NYC after the weigh-ins. I am debating it, but it is costly.
Then Saturday is obviously UFC 205 and I will be there
you guys jealous??????????????????//
this is one of the more stacked cards and there are no LHW or HW fights on the card
Yeah I'm jealous and yeah I thought it was a tad strange that they have a huge card but those 2 weight classes didn't figure in. Now I know Rumble wanted to fight Cormier at this event but I believe this was the card that Cormier was like Naw I can't make weight in 6 weeks I need 9 even though he was able to make weight on short notice in the recent past....Still obviously a great card.
So Thiago Alves missed weight by a good 7 pounds. You know, I never really believed he'd be good at lightweight anyway, he was a pretty meaty WW. The fight is still on at this point.
In bigger news, Kelvin Gastelum didn't even weigh in and tweeted that he couldn't make the weight and therefore his fight with Cerrone is off.
Laughable Thiago thought he could make 155 when he struggled like a motherfucker to even make 170, missing weight several times. What's next, Jonny Hendricks moving to 155? Kelvin.....Cut him. 3 times in less than 3 years and this is the biggest card in UFC history and he doesn't even make a fucking attempt. Donald Cerrone deserved better.
Wtf Kelvin. Dude was a fight or two away from a title shot. Total lack in discipline and professionalism, what a waste of potential.
100% AGREE.
Mark, how fucking awesome was McGregor with his entrance and mink coat? Holy shit man. Just when you thought this guy couldn't get any more entertaining he comes in looking like he popped out of 1976.
And what was up with Eddie's comment about McGregor taking time off because he's having "twins" but not from the same women....I was like damn that was some cold shit to make up if it's not true. I mean if that was true, we would have heard about it from someone other than Eddie first but the weird thing was, nobody said shit about after he made the comment. Nobody asked him why he said that, McGregor didn't dispute it.
I'm watching it as we speak.
Maybe Alves should fight Cerrone, and Miller gets half his purse.
Would be a great fix. But no way is that happening.
Oh didn't you see? It's now Matt Brown vs Cerrone at UFC 206. That fight, along with Kennedy/Rashad gives that card a much needed boost.
I think it's pretty obvious that Conor will be taking time off after this fight because Dee is pregnant. But I would imagine that all the fighters were told to not mention it, so Eddie going close to the bone was probably the reason for the muted response.
What's the reach difference between Wondeboy and Woodley? I never noticed until the weigh-in, how much bigger Thompson is.
Despite Wonderboy being three inches taller, the reach advantage is negligible. Woodley has a 74" reach and Wonderboy has a 75" reach. But obviously Steven Thompson is very gifted at distance management and keeping the fight at the range he's comfortable with while Woodley is ridiculously explosive and powerful, especially in the early rounds. Very, very intriguing match-up here.
Last edited by kangus; November 12th, 2016 at 9:58 AM.
Thompson has about a 10 inch reach advantage over woodley because Tyron will be using his arms while Stephen uses his legs.
Thompson is going into this as favourite, wondering if it's worth a little punt on Woodley, he has some hands on him.
I would say that it was well worth a punt on Woodley and Alvarez. I wouldn't go against Joanna though.
I wish the SW title fight could be contested buck naked.
I've gone for Woodley in the end, and also Romero, that one might come back to haunt me.
I don't see Joanna having trouble tonight, could be a long night for Karolina
Stuck a free £20 I got from McBookie on McGregor by decision at 15/2. Profit on that.
I honestly can't see it going into the championship rounds. I've gone McGregor TKO 1/2
i feel alvarez by decision. i'd like conor to win to continue the hype train.
Merciful finish there.
What a heel turn by Khabib!
Seriously, Khabib is a frightening dude. I wouldn't want to be either mcgregor or Alvarez after tonight.
I really don't think it's fair that Miesha has to fight a dude.
NO MIESHA! NO!
Must say I was pretty impressed there by
That was a masterclass. Alvarez looked nowhere near his quality
Nice. Now he can tie up two divisions at the same time.
Have to give it to McGregor, he looked great. Also think he looks like a better fit for 155. He looks a lot stronger. Add the movement, power, etc. He ain't going to get touched. Now his takedown defense is improving. Never seen anything like it in MMA.
I'm not sure I hold the same sentiment about him not getting touched if Khabib is getting the next shot.
Excellent night of fights there.
Khabib is an absolute monster and is a hard fight for anyone. He's so big and strong for that division and nobody can resist him if he gets his hands on them. However, he is hittable, his strikes are wide open and he's there for a straight puncher to take advantage of. I think he would be a tough fight for McGregor, however I also think that its 50/50 who deserves the fight between him and Ferguson and I can imagine that being the next fight for both because my bet is that McGregor will probably take some time off, or take a superfight next (possibly GSP).
Edgar was Edgar. He's never going to win another title. His best bet would even be to go down another division. When was the last time he fought someone smaller than him in his whole career? I can only really think of Mendes and Faber.
Tate looked like she had checked out. Incredibly sloppy striking which got totally exposed by a straight puncher and didnt have the game plan smarts to stick to her wrestling, despite the fact that brought her the greatest success at the end of the first round.
Weidman got killed. I think that Romero was taking over that fight anyway. Weidman was lighting him up in the first round by mixing things around, kicks, punches, takedown attempts and constant pressure. Then all of a sudden Romero started wrestling offensively too and they both realise that there was massive wrestling gulf between the two. Weidman is a great wrestler, Romero is an Olympic medalist wrestler. Different class on the ground and Weidman wanted nothing to do with it in the last round. That flying knee was absolutely perfect and would've stopped a truck, I think that Romero is going to absolutely flatten Bisping. Hopefully this will be a humbling experience for Weidman, who I do like, but who has increasingly walked around like he's an untouchable fighter. I don't think that he accepted the result against Rockhold and put it down to an injury and a mistake. He has an arrogant quality that is just not quite as overt and unlikeable as Rockhold's, which came out when Bisping got the belt. Time to work his way up the pecking order again. Its a division of killers that one and I don't see the Champ staying at the top of the ladder for long.
Nice to see JJ dragged into the trenches a bit. KK was tough as hell, but was completely outclassed until she realised that JJ was open to straight punches. I really don't know why more MMA fighters don't realise this, but throwing in straight lines is incredibly effective. JJ does it, Wonderboy does it, McGregor does it, Silva did it...yet they all seem in love with the big looping overhands and hooks rather than working down the middle. Good recover from JJ, but it made a one-sided beatdown into a good scrap.
Wonderboy vs Woodley was a great fight in the end and I think that they'll do it again. Majority draw either way was probably a fair division. It seemed pretty clear to me that Woodley definitely won the first, the second could've gone either way, the third was definitely Thompsons, the fourth was Woodley's and it could've been a 10-9 or 10-8, then the fifth was definitely Thompson's. Personally I scored the second round for Thompson and the fourth 10-9...I think Thompson won the first two minutes of the round, then almost got stopped, then almost got finished, that took up the next 2 minutes, slipping it from a 10-9 to Thompson all the way to a 10-8 to Woodley, a three point turnaround due to the dominant nature of those 2 minutes, then Thompson spent the last minute in top control ground and pounding Woodley, which took it back to 10-9 Woodley for me. So I scored it 48-47 Thompson. However I think 47-47 was fair, I also think that 48-47 Woodley would be fair. Weirdly if you gave Woodley round 2 and 10-8 in the fourth, that would've made it 48-46 Woodley, which I also think wold not have been unfair. Very interesting match, why is why a rematch would make sense. If you go by who did the most damage and was the closest to stopping it (which you don't), then Woodley wins. If you go by who would've won a sudden death next round (which you also don't) then Thompson would win. Woodley looked so huffy the corrected decision was read out too, but I think that a rematch is the right call.
McGregor was very clearly a different level to Alvarez. That straight counter right hit him every time absolutely cleanly. Alvarez couldn't get his wrestling off and as game as he was he was complete outranked in the striking. Quick, long, straight, accurate hits. Three knockdowns in the first round, probably another one or two in the second and Alvarez was done. I don't see anyone the same size and similar reach beating McGregor, his striking is too good, he's got too much power, his chin is solid and his spatial awareness and movement is excellent. To be honest he embarrassed Alvarez a bit in there. However Ferguson and Khabib both pose interesting questions. Ferguson has a granite chin, constant cardio and pressure and had fluid movement and a varied striking game, whereas if Khabib gets a hold of you he WILL take you down and keep you down. But both of them get hit a lot and you can't afford to get hit that much with someone as precise as McGregor. Ferguson is bigger than McGregor and has a longer reach, Khabib is much thicker and stronger than McGregor and his massive specialism is McGregor's only real weakness. Interesting.
Holy fuck, boys, what an evening of fights hey? That's the kind of event that turns people who are on the fence about this sport into true fans.
Sat up all night, dozed off during Wonderboy, woke up as McGregor was making his entrance then fell asleep and missed the main event for fucksake man.
Was rooting for Alvarez from watching him going back a number of years and promotions, but Conor was just unbelievable again. So many kudos for an outstanding performance. Made a legit champion-level fighter look absolutely lost. His combination of talent and confidence right now are making Jon Jones looks humble.
Khabib/Conor should be hyped to the fucking moon as the absolute top-tier clash of opposing attributes.
Dana already stating a Wonderboy/Woodley rematch is next for them only makes sense. Think Thompson takes the next one as he'll look to come in more aggressive from the outset already having a good feel for the spacing/timing needed to get off on Tyron. Gotta feel for Maia though, who's not getting any younger while on the best run of his career.
Can't wait for Romero/Bisping now. Hope Mike's really enjoyed the spotlight.
Overall an excellent night for MMA on the whole. Fun festive fights, cliffhangers, finishes, shit-talking, and a ton of talent oozing from the prelims to through to the main-event.
I'm not a big MMA guy but I watched the main event on my phone. It was cool to see.
Why do the main events start at 1:30 AM eastern time though? Seems late.
Most of the PPV events start at 10 PM EST which puts the main event, more or less, at 12 AM EST. But this was a special card featuring 3 championship bouts, the first two of which went to a decision after 25 minutes of fighting. That resulted in the main event starting much later than as per usual.
If Khabib attempts to walk through McGregor like he tried with Johnson, he'll be put to sleep.
Or he'll take his time and set up his shot effectively, and Conor ain't felt nothing like Khabib's grappling.
You can take that further, nobody, especially in that weight class has felt anything like Nurmagomedov's grappling. It must be so suffocating, claustrophobic and frustrating. Add in those thumping punches he was throwing last night, with Johnson's right hand tied up, -and that is a scary prospect for anyone standing across from him.
The flip side of that is despite the fact that he has so many striking opportunities, he doesn't finish many people
with strikes. He doesn't seem to have big punching power. He doesn't seem to have a rock solid chin. He does seem to get hit and he hasn't ever prepared for the movement, speed and precision of someone like mcgregor.
All very good points, and it will be interesting to see if that is the next fight that is made. There are so many options for McGregor now.
Obviously Khabib has cemented himself as the next LW challenger, but we also have Aldo waiting as interim FW champion, and now Woodley calling out McGregor for a WW fight. I'm sure Woodley is just posturing and trying to drum up some more $$$, but do we think that is something which will play into Conor's insatiable ambition? Dana has said time after time that if Conor won, he would have to forfeit one of them, but will they really make that decision if Conor says he will take on Aldo at 145? That is surely a huge money fight, as is the potential trilogy fight with Diaz, perhaps culminating at LW.
Everything is a hypothetical at the moment, but If I had to put money on any scenario, it would be Conor making the 145 cut one last time, for Aldo, and if he wins again, vacating the title to move up to 155 permanently. After Aldo, there isn't much else left in that division for him.
After that, the obvious choice would be a 155 defence against Khabib, but Conor himself has come out and put the brakes on that a little, bemoaning his inability to avoid injury. If that pushes Khabib into a fight with Ferguson, I could see them making the Diaz fight in the interim, much the same way as they did at MW with Bisping and Henderson, with the rivalry overshadowing the rankings.
I only see McGregor having a handful more fights, and then walking away. He's probably made enough this year to live comfortably off the interest going forward, and with his hints towards the company investing in him, and vice versa, maybe that is how he makes his money going forward.
Lots of options, and it will be exciting to see how it all pans out.
looking forward to a wonderboy/Woodley rematch
Did you see the interview? McGregor wants more money or part shareholder to keep fighting, and he wants to be around when his baby is born, either way, he's taking a break. So thinking we see Khabib vs. Tony before McGregor comes back and they figure out the money situation with him.
What a great show that was.
Carmouche staying relevant at 135. It's not a deep weight class. Her and Zingano or Holm makes sense as a main card fight and a likely gimme for one of those 2 as Carmouche is pretty limited.
Good to see Jim Miller win. He's won untelevised fights on UFC 100, 200 and 205. If that's not a testament to him being possibly the greatest underappreciated fighter of all time I don't know what is. Him and Evan Dunham makes sense next, 2 guys who have been around forever on career resurgances.
Vicente Luque looks a beast. Big power, solid grappling game.
Tim Boetsch is another guy that comes back when you think he's done. Lost 6 of 8, all emphatically (5 finishes and a 30-25 level rout), then fires back with 2 consecutive knockouts. Natal was top 15 as well wasn't he? Mad. Maybe Tim can be Vitor's rebound fight? I guess they could go Anderson vs. Vitor 2 for a big fight but I'd like to see both get a bit of a gimme before then, Vitor vs. Tim and Anderson vs. Lombard or something. Not that either of those guys are completely incapable, but physically have enough flaws (Tim's lack of speed, Hector's lack of reach, both racking up stoppage losses lately) to be considered underdogs. Wouldn't exactly mind Vitor vs. Anderson straight up though!
Khabib is a grappling machine. Just scary dominance. It is easy to forget that Johnson has always been a bit of a fish out of water off the bottom, but he's recently shown the takedown defence to eliminate that deficiency. Khabib mowed through it though. Him and McGregor is stylistically a brilliantly match up. Obviously Mendes was dominant at wrestling against Conor, but there will likely be 2 years between that fight and this (if indeed Khabib is next - personally I debut in Russia with Khabib vs. Ferguson and go Conor vs. Aldo 2) and he's hardly been in fear of the takedown since. It's not as if Khabib has shown stellar striking defence so Conor CAN hit him. Conor has crushing power. Amazing fight that is.
Frankie survived another sledgehammer shot, regained his composure and did what Frankie does against anybody that isn't absolutely world class. Big win for Edgar. There's scenarios where he can stay at 145 and get a title shot with a win over, say, Lamas (McGregor vacates, Aldo loses now full title to Pettis/Holloway winner; McGregor beats Aldo, Pettis/Holloway winner suffers long term injury), but it's not likely. Edgar/Lamas makes sense in the interim, but I would like to see his wrestling and punching power against men that won't be a stone heavier than him at bantamweight. Maybe do Edgar/Lamas, the Aldo title fight and the bantamweight title fight (Cruz/Cody winner vs. Lineker/Dillashaw winner) sometime next Spring and plan from there.
Tate losing in a dull fight wasn't surprising. I felt it was a tough fight to get invested in for her after such a mad year. I don't see the retirement sticking, I just feel she rushed into a fight and couldn't find her mojo for it. If it is the end for her, she had an excellent career for someone quite athletically limited. Pennington herself is limited but is in a limited division and should probably get a contenders match against Pena or Schevchenko.
Romero is an absolute killer. Insane finish. Weidman looked good in the first round, but Romero had the power advantage and cancelled out the wrestling and then some. That takedown in the second was just ridiculous. Weidman fought the wrong fight really, should have applied more pressure. Alas, that flying knee was mental, and believe you me, Bisping's getting wrecked. Hopefully Weidman gets a step down opponent, maybe the loser of Brunson vs. Whitaker? For me, keep Rockhold vs. Jacare as a top contenders bout and Mousasi can fighter the winner of Brunson/Whitaker.
Jedrzejczyk looked good, but you can see the gap in skill shrinking as the talent pool increases. She absolutely blew away WMMA "pioneers" Esparza and Penne but has struggled at points in her last three. Clearly won all three mind, but they're competitive. The Andrade fight will be good, as Joanna can get hurt in fights and Andrade's power could be a game changer. She's showing the benefit of fighting at the proper weight class, a .500 bantamweight but a killer strawweight. Karolina can come again with more top level experience.
Woodley vs. Thompson was a great title fight. Swings in momentum and the display of heart from Wonderboy. Draw and rematch is the right result. Feel bad for Maia waiting longer, but maybe him against Lawler would interest him? Either you have Maia have the best win streak possible or the fan favourite Lawler gets back in the picture.
McGregor. Wow. Just a flawless victory. Hurt Alvarez early, Eddie could never recover and got picked apart. Clinical, surgical performance against the legitimate lightweight champion of the world. Styles do make fights and I felt the style was perfect for Conor. History making moment to cap off a massive success financially and creatively. What next? Personally I want McGregor vs. Aldo 2, for me the 2 best fighters on the planet, natural rivals, hopefully having the fight we expected the first time. However, if McGregor is taking a break, I can't see him keeping hold of the featherweight title. On a realistic timescale he will have kept the belt on ice for 18+ months (can see him fighting next in July), and if his 145 sabbatical ends there he will be ensuring the 155 belt goes undefended for a year too. The preferred scenario is Aldo 2 in March and lightweight in July. With the baby due, I feel that's a pipedream. All interesting options. I feel he should absolutely forget about Tyron Woodley though. Fuck that. If a smaller welterweight like Cerrone can get to the title maybe go for the third belt then, but not now.
Hammer you need to delete some of your fan mail, tried to PM you last night. Good job on the pick and I can't wait for my spanking new avatar.
Somebody help me out here.. The Romero/Weidman KO was identical to another flying knee/failed takedown KO from the past but I just can't remember who were involved in that one. Might have been way back in Pride, not sure.
Ah shit, I remember.. Spencer Fischer/Matt Wiman from (I believe) UFC 60. Check that one out.
My UFC 205 pictures:
Notes:
-There were way more Irish people than non-Irish people at the event and through the weekend.
-There was a distinct smell of body odor around a lot of the Irish people.
-When I met the Diaz brothers I was talking to two girls who said they did lines of coke with both of them in Vegas over the summer. I thought they were full of shit, but one of them showed me their phone and it actually had Twitter DM conversations with Nick's actual verified twitter account and the girl in a mildly flirtatious context.. The girls were kind of ugly and chubby.
-Nate Diaz absolutely reeked of Marijuana (didn't notice anything on Nick).
-Jake Shields said UFC made him pay for a ticket to attend UFC 205, so he wasn't going.
-The Irish people caused very long lines at the alcohol beverage lines.
-I sat in the section to the left of where Michael Bisping and the Fox Sports 1 crew was. The fans were chanting obscenities at Bisping the whole time.
UFC event notes:
-The crowd lost their shit when Wonderboy popped out of that guillotine. They were extremely pro Wonderboy.
-NYC became a party when Conor beat the shit out of Eddie Alvarez.
-A lot of people were in shock at how gruesome Weidman's KO was.
-Conor's after party at Marquee nightclub commanded a $200 cover for guys, $100 for women.
-I actually told my brother/predicted as Miesha was on her way to a decision loss that she was going to retire.
-I was kind of nodding off during the Joanna/Karolina fight until Joanna got rocked. It was a long night.
-Khabib is an animal, but he showed he has holes in his standup on the way to the takedown. But once you're on your back GG.
I think Conor should drop the FW title, let Pettis/Holloway/Aldo play out for it. Have Ferguson/Khabib happen in Russia for #1 contendor, and let Diaz/Conor III happen for the LW title.
Is Diaz/Conor for the LW belt fair? No. But fukkkk it. Ferguson or Khabib is going to get screwed regardless, so you might as well screw them both and have them fight for the guaranteed title shot while Diaz/Conor III this time at 155 for the belt would break more records. Do it in Brooklyn.
Last edited by Spedizzo; November 14th, 2016 at 10:29 AM.
Conor made it look way too easy. I've said this before and I'll say it again, McGregor at 155 is going to be like BJ Penn at 155. He might run into a Frankie Edgar, but for the most part he's going to make it look easy. And that "promo" after he won, I'll admit my inner pro wrestling fan thought damn this is a great heel promo. It had a very Shane Douglas throwing the NWA title down and raising the ECW title in the air feel to it. Either way, great performance by McGregor. If he's taking time off, that's too bad. Definitely wouldn't mind seeing him v. Khabib or Tony but it looks like these 2 are either going to fight to see who is the true #1 contender or Dana and co. are going to have a tough call to make as to who gets Conor first. And that's assuming he doesn't say fuck it and want to defend the 145 title.
The LW division which was thought to be the division of the worst matches for Conor really just consists of Khabib & Tony Ferguson at this point.
Eddie Alvarez and RDA are both essentially out of the equation, and quite honestly, RDA doesn't look like he would stand a chance against Conor anymore. Conor would have the size, reach, and striking against RDA (at least on paper with the way RDA has looked as of late).
Khabib/Tony are both in line for a shot, but they will probably end up killing eachother off because they both can't get a title shot at the same time. I see Dana throwing tons of money at them to make them happy and books Khabib/Tony for the title shot in Russia or something. I don't see how you give Khabib a shot and not Tony, or vice versa.
Beyond that, there is Nate Diaz who isn't really a contender, but is the money fight at LW.
What was once a division that consisted of awful matches from Conor, all of the sudden became a division that can easily become cleaned out - and rather quickly. Khabib is the only real dangerous threat. And Tony Ferguson is a bad match for Khabib. Likewise, Conor is a bad match (IMO) for Tony.
We shall all see how this plays out.
For the record, Eddie Alvarez looks silly.
He talked probably the most crap out of any of Conor's opponents and just got absolutely annihilated.
It was the equivalent of if Forest Griffin calling Anderson Silva the easiest guy in the room, a pretend fighter, I am going to prove that Santa Claus isn't real, and then UFC 101 happening.
At least Chad Mendes, Nate Diaz, etc. were all competitive. At least Jose Aldo didn't just get clowned around for a round and a half and got a shot in on his way down.
Eddie Alvarez got dropped like 4 times, had any takedowns stuffed or evaded, and just got decimated.
Great card. Great fights.
Was disappointed with Thompson's approach and thought he got discouraged from using his leg length to its full extent throughout the fight because of that kick he threw in the first round that caught and led to him taking that pummeling. The decision to go with the hands in range to the extent that he did added a tremendous amount of risk that he didn't need to take, and it invited Woodley's bombs that found their mark more often than they had to. It felt to me like Thompson got hasty because of the belief he had that he was behind on points after the first. Definitely one of the fights of the year, for me.
Johnson vs. Khabib was the second most interesting fight to dissect. Johnson looked really good in there... until Khabib got his hands on him... that guy is a frightening grappler, and the way he bound the arm under Johnson and went to work on the other side was both awesome and horrible at the same time. Watching someone get rag-dolled like that for all their defiance and heart was just brutal. Basically, Khabib and Maia are the two fighters who, once they get their opponent down, can do anything they want. You can't even fault the other guy - they're both just that good at what they do that it looks like they're fighting with cheat codes on once things go to ground. Romero is supposedly at that level, but I've yet to see him shut everyone he faces down once his speciality is introduced like these two do. Ronda would be the other one before her loss, actually. Usually when I watch these fights I like to give an armchair view of what could or should have been done or not as the case may be but when Khabib gets a hold of someone, I'm at loss to think of what their options are such is his level. He got tagged enough in the first round to give others encouragement that he may be susceptible, but his upside is just massive, as his standup is more than good enough while his grappling is uncontestable. He's the worst guy to prepare for too, because there's nobody you can get in camp to replicate what he does.
McGregor was brilliant, it has to be said. I've watched that fight five times now. The first time being in the moment and the rest for analysis, and credit should be given where it's due - that was a performance befitting of MSG. Whatever the critics want to throw at him it should be acknowledged that he's controlling these fights just as much inside the ring as he does from a psychological standpoint outside of it. Alvarez couldn't shoot from so far out, but was eating so many punches from the outside and into range that he just couldn't set anything up. McGregor's power is quickly established against everyone he fights, and you see the visual comprehension of it on the opponent's face the first time they feel the left hand, and from there they don't try to get inside so readily again. As much as I think Khabib is a fight to avoid there's no doubt at all that he could be KO'd before he manages to get hands on McGregor so it's a fight that could go either way.
UFC 205 could be a landmark for the company, because they've now set a bar for themselves, and the fans will be eager for more.
Not that it matters to everyone but I just read on the main page Triple H was at UFC 205. I find that somewhat funny as he's made it somewhat of a point that he's not a fan of MMA but who knows maybe he was just saying that, idk.
Pretty sure he was there to do business.
As a male athlete (sort of?) juiced to his gills with testerone and competitive spirit, I don't know how you can not be a fan of MMA. But I am sure he was indeed there to do business or just show up as a positive ambassador of the WWE for such a landmark event.
It is pretty fucking hard going from watching an epic UFC PPV to then looking forward to a PPV like WWE Hell In The Cell or whatever.
You get butterflies in your stomach for a main event of the magnitude of McGregor/Alvarez.
And who cares? He's much bigger and more important than both divisions.
Atta boy Conor! I realize Ferguson and Khabib are both in line but I want Conor/Nate 3 for the belt. That fight would be massive.
Nate Diaz showed up to Conor's after party at Marquee NYC to make his presence known.
The two did not interact with eachother, but it is kind of odd considering Nate had his own after party at some strip club/cabaret a few hours before.
McGregor came to Marquee at like 3AM or so, which is around when Diaz showed up.
Nate is really lobbying hard to fight McGregor for the belt.
And the Irish fans actually love Nate Diaz, they just don't love him when he is fighting McGregor. Most of them were fans of Diaz before the Conor fight.
The Irish fans who fly in to see McGregor fight is a spectacle to see. It isn't just something Michael Goldberg or Joe Rogan says on television. There were literally thousands of people who flew in from Ireland all over the city causing chaos. It was absolute insanity.
I did think it was funny though when Khabib went full heel mode and compared the size of Russia to Ireland. Prior to that, the Irish fans were actually behind Khabib.
Khabib is a G.
Last edited by Spedizzo; November 14th, 2016 at 1:24 PM.
I'll have it ready by the end of the today (US time obviously).Hammer you need to delete some of your fan mail, tried to PM you last night. Good job on the pick and I can't wait for my spanking new avatar.
James Irvin vs Terry Martin?
Totally get the appeal of Nate/Conor III for the title, from a money-making point of view anyway, but from a pure MMA-pov I'd 1000x over prefer to see Conor/Khabib.
You know, I don't stress over these decisions because one of the great things about the UFC is that worthy contenders almost always have their shot at the title in short order.....unless Conor wants to fight Dan Henderson now.
Yeah I'm a little torn on how I feel about Diaz v. McGregor 3 especially for a title. But the UFC in terms of McGregor, while it took me a little bit to warm up to everything in terms of "holding up divisions", this shit is really bringing me back to when Pride was going strong and guys like Fedor and Wanderlai weren't defending their title or they were against people who didn't really deserve the shot but there was money to be made. I mean there really is no set blueprint to how title shots should be given in MMA. That's why you can have a guy like McGregor do absolutely nothing at 155 and get a title shot. That's why you could do the 3rd fight with Diaz for the belt even though Nate hasn't done shit at 155 since beating Michael Johnson-a good win but he's still coming off a loss. That's why his brother was able to lobby for a fight against GSP for the belt coming off a loss.
And while the die hard MMA fanboy in me wants to see top ranked guys fight each other and fighters earn title shots and see the champions defend against people who have earned their spot by fighting....there's also that part of me who at the end of the day wants to see exciting fights and I want to see MMA as a whole do well and while McGregor might be a UFC fighter, he's hopefully opening up people to MMA in general.
Accuse me of not being a pure MMA fan in spite of watching it religiously for 10 years if you'd like but the energy that Conor/Nate 3 for the LW crown would bring to an event given their already huge 1-1 story trumps adhering to the rankings. Khabib vs Ferguson in the meantime would be just fine. Yes they are both deserving but neither 'moves the needle' and that is undeniably the most important aspect to have in prize fighting.
With the hype and fanfare behind Connor and the fact him and Diaz are tied 1 to 1 the obvious fight is right there. You can easily build more to that payoff than anything.
Does anyone think Connor is going to step away from the spotlight for 7 or 8 months?
Exactly.
That's what I'm saying. There's a part of me that wants just the straight up black and white, you're the #1 contender, you're the champion, what's the argument? And then there's the other part of me who welcomes fights like McGregor v. Diaz 3. I know if the UFC sends Khabib anything but a title shot against Conor he's going to freak out lol. The kid is dying for a title shot but a lot of people including myself have said this and I think Conor said this as well, the guy is injury prone. Do you do a huge fight against McGregor knowing that there's a good chance Khabib will go down with an injury? I guess that's the gamble. Tony Ferguson, he's a fan favorite who's building his name up still and he's on a 9 fight winning streak. I don't care if it's not against 9 of the top 10 in the world, you're not going to find very many people on a 9 fight winning streak competing at this level.
With that said....you do Khabib v. Ferguson for the true #1 contender as both guys have a claim and then put together Diaz v. McGregor as the headliner for the same card. Then you have the ultimate staredown to close out the ppv between the winners of those 2 fights and you can build off that. I guess it now depends on what Conor is wanting to do. How long will he want to be gone and does he have any intentions on even fighting again? I know he didn't say anything really to make me think that, but you never know man.
I'm hoping the results of the last couple of weeks give us:
Maia vs. Woodley
Lawler vs. Thompson
Ferguson vs. McGregor
Alvarez vs. Khabib
Bisping vs. Romero - Jacare to get next shot no matter what happens. If he waits for the winner, he'll be on the shelf for over a year. Or they could do Jacare vs. Silva which would do big business even though Jacare would be a big favorite.
Aldo vs. Holloway/Pettis winner for full championship - McGregor isn't going back to FW, he looked massive next to Alvarez.
Edgar vs. Lamas
Last edited by Venom_Axe; November 14th, 2016 at 2:37 PM.
Also, I'd like to point out that Conor is not actually "holding up" the 145 division. Aldo is champ in the interim and he fights as infrequently as ever.
Dana already announced Woodley/Wonderboy 2. Sucks for Maia but immediate rematch was the right call.
See, I think that they need to do an immediate rematch between Woodley and Thompson. Sometimes I hate those like when someone gets finished who only defended the belt once and then they get a rematch. In this case, since it was a draw, you have to give Thompson another shot. When in the history of the UFC did this not happen? I'm not considering rematches where someone got injured and the fight didn't happen immediately but think back to Edgar-Maynard 2. Pettis was supposed to get the winner if you remember and he wound up having to take a fight with Clay Guida-which he lost-so Edgar-Maynard 3 could go down. I feel for Maia and this was FOR SURE worst case scenario for him but I don't see how anyone could argue a case for anyone but Thompson to get the next shot. Nobody won the fight, you have to do a rematch.
Since January 2015;
Aldo fought twice.
Khabib fought twice.
Conor fought six times.
His activity as a (the) top guy is remarkable.
Still rather see Conor/Khabib.
People don't even realize how often Conor fights, they notice he's fought several times since beating Aldo and somehow see that as an injustice to the 145 division. Aldo went a year at a time between title defenses and nobody had a problem with it.
Judges' inadequecy can be a bitch. Lawler/Condit, which at the very worst objectively was a draw (Condit did enough to win but I digress), didn't get the immediate rematch it deserved because the judges completely fucked up and gave it to Robbie.
I'm glad things turned out the way they did this time (though I personally scored it 48-47 Thompson and can't fathom what the judge who scored it 48-47 Woodley was smoking). Again, sucks for Maia because he deserves a title shot, but he has two options now: keep waiting at the ripe age of 40, or take a fight/money/'remember me?' in the meantime and risk losing an incredible win streak and undoubtedly the last guaranteed title shot of his career. I wouldn't want to be Demian right now honestly.
I think for the pro-Aldo argument it's because he was out with injuries. If McGregor was injured for the last 11 months nobody would care they'd say it sucks that he's hurt but what can you do? The pro-Aldo/pro-he's holding up the division crowd see McGregor taking 2 fights at 170, then getting a title shot at 155, and that's where you hear the negativity. I'll be 100% honest, the only time I was truly negative about the whole thing was when they announced Diaz-McGregor 2 for UFC 200 and then put an interim 145 title bout underneath it. I was just like, what's the point of having an interim title fight why not just call it a #1 contender's fight with a TBD title shot down the road? So it wasn't even a slight on Conor it was just weird for the UFC to do something like that.
I agree. It sucks for Maia because like I said, this was for sure worst case scenario for him.
170 is dangerous. You've got about 20-30 guys who could beat each other on any given day and as good as Maia is, even he knows that. He COULD take a fight with Lawler or Donald Cerrone if he gets through Matt Brown, but those are dangerous fights idc how good he is on the ground. And you can't trust the UFC because they could tell him he is FOR SURE next in line but you never know because we've heard that and then boom, a totally different fight happens, just ask Khabib. If I'm Maia, I'm probably thinking either title shot or GSP. If he fights GSP, there's a huge pay day in that fight to where if he did lose hey, at least he made a killing that he won't make against anyone at 170 compared to a fight with GSP.
Last edited by Nash Diesel; November 14th, 2016 at 3:34 PM.
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