Mixed Martial Arts Thread (UFC and others)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Heh.

MMAScoops.com is reporting that at last night's MFC 21: Hard Knocks event, Bobby Lashley dismantled Mike Cook in just 24 seconds with a front choke that saw Cook flop around like a fish on the mat to go 3-0 in his MMA career. At the weigh-ins, Cook wore a lucha libre mask to play with Lashley and mock his pro wrestling past. Cook also wore the mask to the cage last night.

In the post fight interview, Lashley stated: "Now he can put back on the mask and have fun with himself." Next up for Lashley is Bob Sapp.

Cook (6-3) suffered his first pro loss back in 2006 on a Strikeforce card when he tapped to former WWE trainee Daniel Puder.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

How are you liking it so far Jon? I couldn't get into the first WMMA at all and this one I can't stop playing, totally addicting!

I'm pretty happy to this point I think. I was enjoying myself pretty well in my first trip through until I realized I had screwed up all the U.S. regions settings. I started to wonder if maybe it was just a little too easy if you had a good bit of money in the bank but playing with an empty cupboard means I haven't really seen things ramp up yet either so that's definitely something I'm not ready to say for sure (and I suspect it'll get significantly tougher once I move up the food chain).

Of course it's a clickfest (which maybe at some point we ought to consider renaming a Rylandfest, or maybe just give him an MMA name: Adam "Click" Ryland )

But it's hard not to imagine how much more enjoyable the playing experience would be if you didn't have to spend so much time chasing your tail in circles trying to get information on the fighters. The info is there, but it's almost as though it's intentionally difficult to get to in order to stretch out the gaming time or something.

If not for that issue I'd probably be giving it pretty high marks right now but that's definitely on me since having played his stuff for quite a while it's not as though I didn't know what to expect.

[DaddyTorgo]

is it just me, or does the card for UFC 98 pretty much blow outside of the top 2 fights?

[DaddyTorgo]

i'm bored tonight, and if the card was decent i might drop cash on it, but i can't justify dropping any cash on what essentially looks like a card equivalent to a "Fight Night" card

[DeToxRox]

Yeah I am not anxious for a lot of it, but Machinda vs Shad is so fucking disgusting that I'll be watching.

[Carman Bulldog]

Gotta disagree, I think it could be pretty good with all five main card fights having potential.

The two headline fights should be good, as should Miller/Sonnen and Sherk/Edgar (unless Sherk takes him down and lays on him the whole fight).

While it won't be a classic, McFedries vs. Professor X could be entertaining as well, especially if both decide to stand and bang like they are capable of.

No real matches jump out on the undercard. I would like to see Pat Barry fight again and Nover/Bradley and Gusmao/Soszynski could be okay.

[Calis]

I actually think tonight is a pretty decent card as well.

Rashad/Machida has become a really interesting match to me, and I have absolutely no idea how it'll play out. I don't even know who I'm rooting for. I like Machida more than I do Rashad, but overall I want Rampage to get the title back and I think he matches up better with Rashad. Should be interesting.

Serra/Hughes is a grudge match how many years in the making now? I'm curious to see how far Hughes has sunk. I'd be surprised if he wasn't able to take Serra down and grind out a victory but we haven't seen either of them in a long time, and Serra is obviously a much superior striker.

If Edgar can manage to not be smothered by Sherk that could be a fantastic fight. Both guys have tons of energy and good standup. I can hope it's a bit like the Griffin/Edgar fight which was a blast to watch, but I do think Sherk is too strong for him.

Nothing really stands out in the rest of the fights, but I don't it's bad by any stretch. This is obviously the slow card before 99/100/101 which are all shaping up to be huge events.

I'll be watching. I'm more pumped for Dream 9 coming up though. Apart from the freakshow fights there are some really good matches on there. I love watching Mousasi, Jacare/Mayhem 2 will be fun, Kid Yamamoto is coming back, and Bibiano Fernandes who is pretty damn slick with the BJJ. JZ vs. Kawajiri is the most exciting fight of the weekend also. That one should be a war.

Does anyone think Cansesco actually shows to that fight? From what I've heard he is apparently not doing anything for training. Trigg said the extent of his training was getting on the treadmill.

[DaddyTorgo]

eh - well aside from the top 2 fights i don't see much that makes me want to shell out the $40 for it is all i meant

[dubb93]

They really need to take these refs aside and give them some serious training. The mistakes they make at this level are unacceptable. The job done by Yves Lavigne in the Nover-Bradley fight was bush league at best.

[Calis]

I was wondering why Yves got boo'ed so loudly before the Sonnen/Miller fight. I guess that explains it.

He's got a nice run going with the Matt Brown fight last time and then whatever happened on this one. (Haven't seen the undercard yet)

[SirFozzie]

wow, I'm not sure about that at all...

[DeToxRox]

I hate the Matt that won.

[Calis]

Are people still going to say Machida has no power or that he slaps people?

Nice finish. Glad he won. He has the potential to have a pretty successful run with the title.

[DeToxRox]

Machida is going to destroy Rampage. And I love Ramp but Machida is on another level. Then I think he gets Shogun and dispatches him and becomes best pound for pounder in MMA.

[BYU 14]

Machida is probably the most accurate striker in MMA right now and he is so unorthodx people don't know how to attack him. He fought a great fight tonight for sure, it's too bad Anderson Silva won't fight him.

Was disappointed in Hughes / Serra, thought Serra let that one get away.

[Dutch]

The Machida destruction of Evans was the only worthwhile moment of this UFC. I knew Machida would be a tough opponent for Evans, but I didn't think he was actually going to win. And not like that!

I honestly thought that if Machida won, it would have been after 25 minutes of mind-numbing circling. So bravo to Machida for mixing it up with the lightning fast fists of Evans.

And somewhere the Iceman is smiling. Welcome to the party, Evans.

[darkenigma510]

Will be interesting to see how UFC handles the inevitable next downcycle in the business. That being said, they handled the last one with flying colours.

[Calis]

I really enjoyed Edgar/Sherk last night. I thought Edgar looked great and proved he's one of the tops in the division.Great movement and boxing. I don't know what has happened to Sherk but he forgot what got him to the top for sure.

I'm really excited to see more Machida fights. We still know so little about him. It's hard to imagine how you even beat him because we haven't seen a weakness yet. We haven't even seen him hit. The obvious guess would be someone who can get him to the ground and control him or someone with unorthodox striking of their own.

I don't like Rampage's chance in a fight against him. He's got no kicks, and he refuses to use his wrestling skills anymore it seems like. He's got the power to finish anyone if he connects though, but he's got to get inside on Machida and I think he'll get picked apart on the way in.

I actually think Shogun if he's in top form has a better shot against Machida. He's got oddball enough striking of his own and all-around skills to be trouble, but I think also he's too reckless.

I think the championship belt rotation we've seen at LHW might actually being coming to a stop for a while.

[Rich1033]

Good show, Im excited to see what different fighters come up with to try and handle Machida. Should be very interesting.

This was just just the first in a line of oncoming MMA shows that I am really looking forward to seeing.

Originally Posted by darkenigma510

Will be interesting to see how UFC handles the inevitable next downcycle in the business. That being said, they handled the last one with flying colours.

Huh? Seems like a very random question and its something they wont have to deal with anytime soon.

[DeToxRox]

So apparently the new TUF will be Team Rampage vs Team Machida. Sounds like USA vs Brazil deal like they're doing right now.

Also, apparently after his fight, Sherk ran down out of the ring, and out a door into the streets shirtless, just wearing what he fought in.

[DeToxRox]

Dola, from MMAFrenzy.com

UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida’s first title defense will be against former 205-pound champion and top contender Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

The bout was announced by UFC President Dana White at the post-UFC 98 press conference on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Machida improved to 15-0 at UFC 98 with a second-round knockout of title-holder Rashad Evans. The karate practitioner has won seven bouts inside the Octagon, including victories over Thiago Silva, Tito Ortiz, and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

“Rampage” won the title in May 2007 with a first-round knockout of Chuck Liddell then successfully defended the championship over Dan Henderson before relinqusing the belt to Forrest Griffin last July. After bouncing back with victories over Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine, Jackson is now poised to have an opportunity to reclaim the title.

The bout will take later this year after the fighters appear as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 10.

[Calis]

Sick of titles getting put on hold so people can coach TUF, but I guess this made the most sense for them.

Odd set of coaches though really.

[muns]

Originally Posted by Calis

Sick of titles getting put on hold so people can coach TUF, but I guess this made the most sense for them.

Odd set of coaches though really.

Does Machida even speak enough English to coach? How the heck is that gonna work out for tv?

[DeToxRox]

Watchin' the Dream show from this morning. Sokodjou is a bad bad man. Too bad he ran into Machida in UFC and got das boot.

[DeToxRox]

Dola, too bad after I typed that Soko went bush league with the GNP.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Jose Canseco gets knocked out (according to the article but sounds more like a TKO to me) by his 7'2" opponent in his MMA debut

[DeToxRox]

Jose Conseco was not an absolute train wreck either. I mean he sucked of course but he did land a punch so that's something.

[DeToxRox]

It was more a tap. He "tweaked" his knee and fell down and got GNP'd, but Jose basically tapped after only a few punches.

[Calis]

The Callum/Tokoro fight from Dream might be my early frontrunner for fight of the year. Awesome mix of technical skills and pure insanity. If you're not familiar with Tokoro check out his fights, they're almost always a blast.

Heard Machida's manager say he will not be doing TUF and the word now is the coaches are Rampage/Rashad. Good one for UFC but not a great choice for Rampage. Who gets Machida then also? Too early for Shogun but not many legitimate options out there that aren't tied up.

[PilotMan]

I just saw the Callum/Tokoro fight, and I have to agree, that was insane. Fantastic craziness abounded.

[ArlingtonColt]

Any interest in Fedor vs Barnett Aug 1?? I think Fedor by Sub easily... your thoughts?

[PilotMan]

I think that as far as Fedor/Barnett is concerned, generally we know what to expect from Barnett he is a hoss, but we agree that he isn't in Fedor's class as a fighter. Besides, I worry that based on the good relationship that these too have, that the fight could be lackluster.

It's a shame that we really don't have anyone that can truly challenge Fedor outside the UFC. Perhaps once his name value goes up a little more here in the US, he can fight for some insane payday and we can see him regularly against a better selection of world class fighters.

[Dutch]

Some friends and I are going to Biloxi in June to watch Bobby Lashley/Bob Sapp. I'm still hoping for the outside shot of eventually seeing a Lesnar/Lashley UFC fight. I have no idea how close or far Lashley is from making that a possability. So I've decided to go see for myself.

[DeToxRox]

So apparently KIMBO is going to be on TUF 10! Oh man if that is true that is amazing.

[DeToxRox]

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15060/kimb...er-10-slot.mma

[Flasch186]

wow

[PilotMan]

Nice main card for Showtime and Strikeforce to put on tomorrow.

STRIKEFORCE: JUNE 6, 2009 ON SHOWTIME
venue: Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri

Main Card (Showtime):
-Robbie Lawler (16-4; #2 Middleweight in the World)* vs. Jake Shields (22-4-1; #4 Welterweight in the World)* in a 182-pound bout
-Nick Diaz (19-7) vs. Scott Smith (15-5)
-Andrei Arlovski (15-6) vs. Brett Rogers (9-0)
-Joe Riggs (29-10) vs. Phil Baroni (13-10)
-Kevin Randleman (17-12) vs. Mike Whitehead (23-6)

I have been excited for that Shields/Lawler fight for a while now. Also looks to be some other pretty entertaining fights as well.

[DeToxRox]

I can't wait for Arlovski vs Rogers. Rogers talks a lot but he has backed it up so far. If Arlovski wins though I assume he'll be back in the UFC soon enough.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Nice main card for Showtime and Strikeforce to put on tomorrow.

STRIKEFORCE: JUNE 6, 2009 ON SHOWTIME
venue: Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri

Main Card (Showtime):
-Robbie Lawler (16-4; #2 Middleweight in the World)* vs. Jake Shields (22-4-1; #4 Welterweight in the World)* in a 182-pound bout
-Nick Diaz (19-7) vs. Scott Smith (15-5)
-Andrei Arlovski (15-6) vs. Brett Rogers (9-0)
-Joe Riggs (29-10) vs. Phil Baroni (13-10)
-Kevin Randleman (17-12) vs. Mike Whitehead (23-6)

I have been excited for that Shields/Lawler fight for a while now. Also looks to be some other pretty entertaining fights as well.

looks like a great card. note to self to dvr it!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Totally random thought from a casual MMA follower but I was surprised that Baroni's record was just 13-10 and even more surprised that he's on a 3 fight winning streak to even get there.

I didn't have him as a top top guy or anything, I was just surprised that he was so close to .500, though he was a little better than that.

[DaddyTorgo]

Baroni's a big like..."highlight reel" guy. He hits like a ton of bricks but he can be vulnerable (or that's my sense from watching some of his old PRIDE fights). I think he has a very interesting "character" though, and that led to a lot of exposure for him in PRIDE. I don't think as a fighter he's as well-rounded as most of the younger guys are these days, he's somewhat more one-dimensional (again that is anecdotal, i'm not THAT familiar with him as a fighter to say that his ground game sucks or anything)

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Baroni's a big like..."highlight reel" guy. He hits like a ton of bricks but he can be vulnerable (or that's my sense from watching some of his old PRIDE fights). I think he has a very interesting "character" though, and that led to a lot of exposure for him in PRIDE. I don't think as a fighter he's as well-rounded as most of the younger guys are these days, he's somewhat more one-dimensional (again that is anecdotal, i'm not THAT familiar with him as a fighter to say that his ground game sucks or anything)

Phil isn't awful on the ground but he isn't great either. He has as many submission wins as losses if that means anything. Phil has always had an issue with taking punches. He has the benefit of being able to catch anyone, anywhere, anytime and KO them, but has the crutch of being able to be caught by anyone, anywhere, anytime and being put to sleep.

[DaddyTorgo]

thanks dubber. that was pretty much what i meant by "vulnerable" when talking about his stand-up i suppose.

he's always exciting though.

[Flasch186]

I added showtime back to the lineup for the fights tonight and so far its been a disappointment through 2 fights but the big 3 are coming up...

although Baroni sure can take a beating.

[dubb93]

I can't watch it tonight but I am rooting for Arlovski. Really have no rooting interest elsewhere on the card.

[DeToxRox]

I am really looking forward to seeing Rogers vs Arlovski. I think Arlovski wins but Rogers could be on his way to UFC with a win tonight.

[DeToxRox]

Baroni/Riggs wasn't that bad of a fight. The Whitehead fight was meh though. Randleman had that fight too, I don't know how he didn't finish that GNP.

[dubb93]

From what I read Baroni actually showed a decent chin tonight which is shocking considering he folded as soon as Frank Shamrock hit him and then the two fights after that one where he was TKO'd in both of them.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by dubb93

From what I read Baroni actually showed a decent chin tonight which is shocking considering he folded as soon as Frank Shamrock hit him and then the two fights after that one where he was TKO'd in both of them.

Yeah he took some nice shots and didn't look phased. He also escaped a Triangle I thought might end the fight.

[Flasch186]

Boy was Smith awful....Diaz made him look awful!