Mixed Martial Arts Thread (UFC and others)

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by molson

And Machida turns down the title shot, after the UFC built a show around him and 3 other guys fighting for that title shot...

But now you get to see Jones v. Belfort! Aren't you excited!

Not a Bisping fan, but I loved this quote:

As great as Jon Jones is, and he’s a great talent who has done a lot of great things and will do a lot more great things, he's never going to be allowed to forget this. I know myself, the fans are very passionate and have long memories. I can see it already: 'Chicken Bones Jones! This is the UFC, not KFC!' And the fans are right. This is a little pathetic to be blunt.

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

But now you get to see Jones v. Belfort! Aren't you excited!

Not a Bisping fan, but I loved this quote:

Bisping gets a lot of heat because he doesn't fit the English stereotype. We don't do super-confident as well as you Yanks, but we do do cocky and funny just as well, and when someone does it with added sarcasm/irony, a large percentage bite every time ;-). Bisping and Sonnen are basically the same schtick.

The only downside to Bisping's routine is the highlight reel Henderson KO, if he was going to lose it couldn't have been a clean finish like that

[dubb93]

Frank Edgar is now stepping in to face Jose Aldo at 153 after Erik Koch had to withdraw due to injury.

My take: Who cares? MMA was more interesting back when every card wasn't dismantled due to injuries and then rebuilt with replacements. I find myself watching less and less due to this bullcrap. Title shots are rarely earned anymore in the UFC, they are given once the top contender is injuried.

[PilotMan]

You know, the truth of it is that I think that the UFC has finally hit that threshold where it's expanded beyond it's means. I know they want to build up some new faces, but each PPV card is now only a couple of intriguing fights, a couple of build up fights, and a young up and comer fight. I miss the fights where the fights were all intriguing.

The overexposure, coupled with injuries and more technical fights has really brought the overall excitement level way down.

[booradley]

You know, I'm a fan of MMA - in fact, the only sports I watch more regularly are college football and basketball. But, to be perfectly honest, it's the striking that captivates me most. I enjoy knockouts far, far more than submissions. With that in mind, I wonder if boxing would be rejuvenated if it switched to those little lightweight gloves. Can you imagine someone like Tyson or Foreman hitting someone with just those little things on? Oh well, perhaps this belongs in the 'random thoughts' thread. Musings ... musings ...

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by booradley

You know, I'm a fan of MMA - in fact, the only sports I watch more regularly are college football and basketball. But, to be perfectly honest, it's the striking that captivates me most. I enjoy knockouts far, far more than submissions. With that in mind, I wonder if boxing would be rejuvenated if it switched to those little lightweight gloves. Can you imagine someone like Tyson or Foreman hitting someone with just those little things on? Oh well, perhaps this belongs in the 'random thoughts' thread. Musings ... musings ...

This is me. I can't stand it when they get on the mat and lay on each other for 5 minutes. Stand up and knock the shit out of each other please.

[PilotMan]

ack, then go watch boxing please.

[DaddyTorgo]

Grappling is great.

[molson]

I definitely prefer MMA but I wish I understood grappling more. I have to rely on the announcers to know who's trying to do what. Which is usually OK when it's Rogan (or at least, I guess it I, I wouldn't know any better)

[Suicane75]

I'm at the point where I get just as excited for a good ground exchange as I do a standup war. Don't rose color it though, a lot of standup is just as boring as a prolonged ground game. I'd rather watch a guy jockey for position on the ground for five minutes than watch two dudes jab and circle for five minutes.

[thesloppy]

I like the power wrestling of dudes like Hughes, Rampage, or even Uriah Faber. Guys who use their strength and wrestling to set-up a lot of throws, ground-and-pound, and generally use their wrestling/grappling as a means to finish. I also enjoy a good BBJ battle, between aggressive, high-skill dudes.

"Deep Water" motherfuckers bore the hell out of me too, though, regardless of skill. Someone should set up a Jon Fitch/Ben Askren fight for sleep therapy purposes.

[PilotMan]

Jens Pulver is like the Tommy Hearns of MMA. He's not old, but he doesn't know when to quit. He lost again last night, and said that he only has one or two fights left!

[Dutch]

Jon Jones vs Vitor Belfort is next up!

[Dutch]

Big Cheers for Vitor....just boos for Bones Jones...

[Dutch]

...or maybe they were saying, "Booooooooo-nes"...because they cheered him after the fight.

[PilotMan]

With the result of Bonnar and Herman testing positive for substances after the last show, coupled with the cancelled shows and over exposure, lack of clear contenders in some divisions, injuries and overall weaker shows. Also and I will say it, the loss of Lesnar and GSP. This is conclusively the worst year that the UFC has had in a long time. They really need JDS/Cain II and Condit/GSP to bring it these last few shows in order to salvage anything at all.

[Leroy Veritas]

They need to cut back on the total number of shows, cut back on how often they do the Ultimate Fighter, and get back to people earning title shots instead of talking their way into title shots.

[molson]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

With the result of Bonnar and Herman testing positive for substances after the last show, coupled with the cancelled shows and over exposure, lack of clear contenders in some divisions, injuries and overall weaker shows. Also and I will say it, the loss of Lesnar and GSP. This is conclusively the worst year that the UFC has had in a long time. They really need JDS/Cain II and Condit/GSP to bring it these last few shows in order to salvage anything at all.

I really wish I followed UFC in its prime years, I didn't get into it until a year or two ago. I still enjoy it but it seems like every show has a main event (which is mediocre half the time), and hoards and hoards of non-descript non-contenders.

To me UFC 146 was right in the way everything else in UFC is wrong. To showcase one division in one night, you had a chance to see where everyone fits in the pecking order, to speculate about future matchups, it gave a real sense of identity to the heavyweight division. It would be great if other weight classes could be showcased on a show like that, or even if more shows could have identities like that that gave you a greater sense of context of things, but that's probably just impossible with injuries and constantly-changing matchups.

[thesloppy]

Yeah, it's been brutal for the UFC recently. TUF is absolutely horrible this season, too. Shane Carwin may be the most boring person on this planet, and Roy Nelson is a maddening doofus. Couple that with some piss-poor fights, a dude who won't stop crying for attention, and a Canadian with a zero-tolerance policy against shirts, and you've got a real test of TV-watching endurance.

[molson]

No more Strikeforce after January. I hope Showtime picks up WSOF or starts a new promotion, to give us the more-fun, goofier alternative to UFC that Strikeforce used to be. I want to see a mix of decent prospects, washed up former stars and ex-football players/pro wrestlers.

[IlliniCub]

I'm excited for this card on fox tonight several fights have high action potential

[PilotMan]

Clinical main event fight. Just clinical. Never thought it would be this one sided.

[IlliniCub]

Yeah kind of disappointing I expected Diaz to do more

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by IlliniCub

Yeah kind of disappointing I expected Diaz to do more

It wasn't that he couldn't it was that he was simply beaten in all phases, and tactically destroyed.

[PilotMan]

I said way back that Gustaffson would fight for the title by the end of the year, and I missed the mark, but I don't think I missed it by much. He is still the only fighter who matches up well with Jones in terms of size and skill.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

It wasn't that he couldn't it was that he was simply beaten in all phases, and tactically destroyed.

This, Henderson is so much stronger and Diaz looked emaciated, he cuts too much weight to hang with someone as physical as Henderson. Glad to see him get dismantled like he did.

[BYU 14]

This was a pretty solid card overall, definitely better than some of the PPV's recently, that's for sure.

[EagleFan]

Loved seeing Diaz just get beaten down. He is such a punk. I love the one point in the fight when he did one of those "come on" jestures only to have Henderson fire off a punch that knocked him back on his ass.

Henderson is one of my favorite fighters at this point, he uses his head and gets creative. First time I have ever seen punches to the thigh/knee used to setup an overhand right.

[BYU 14]

Henderson is such a great guy too, met him at a Jiu Jitsu tournament. Totally down to earth and humble.

[sovereignstar v2]

Just goes to show that all things are possible through JC and stuff.

[molson]

This gif posted in the image thread reminds me of the last two Mike Easton fights I've seen .

[molson]

Dola, finally got through the show on DVR last night and I really enjoyed it. This stuff is just so much more entertaining to me now than any other sport where I don't have a rooting interest. Every prelim fight was entertaining with the exception of the one involving twitchy Mike Easton. The crowd was into almost everything. Silver and Cruickshank just destroyed their opponents. Abel Trujillo, I noticed, didn't even have a wikipedia page immediately prior to this show but does now. I was a little disappointed MacDonald almost seemed to back off and couldn't finish Penn in the 2nd round, but he still came off like a star (until he tried to talk at the end). I get the feeling Jones will squash Gustaffson so I'll think they'll try to stretch out the Gustaffson mystique a little more and give him another fight first. And ya, Benson Henderson is the man.

[booradley]

Jones will kill Gustafsson. Only Anderson Silva would have a real shot against Jones, methinks ...

[SirFozzie]

The funny thing was that Henderson had a toothpick in his mouth during every round of the fight with Diaz. :P

[PilotMan]

I can't begin to tell you how pissed I am that Diaz is getting GSP next March and not Hendricks. Being screwed by the judges is one thing, getting screwed by your own company is another. Diaz is coming off of a loss and suspension and all Hendricks does is win. Total fuck job by the UFC.

[Travis]

It's a one fight wait for Hendricks and maybe not even that. GSP asked for Diaz, you give it to him. Putting Hendricks on the same card gives them the fall back of GSP/Hendricks if Diaz flakes out, but worst case, he has to win one more fight to get his shot (I'd be amazed if GSP went from Diaz to a Silva fight, but I suppose that'd be about the only way Hendricks wouldn't get him next).

It's not like Hendricks has been hanging around, waiting forever for this shot. His timing is pretty close to perfect in getting there with GSP getting back to action. One more fight won't kill him, and if he can't win to retain his #1 contender status, can't imagine he'd have had a shot against GSP.

[IlliniCub]

Alright guys tonight's the big one! Any predictions?

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by IlliniCub

Alright guys tonight's the big one! Any predictions?

I think JDS by stoppage again, 2nd round. He is just too good with his hands and has a good enough takedown defense to keep it standing. Cain has a punchers chance though, just hard to land a solid shot on Dos Santos.

[Suicane75]

I think tonight we're reminded that a healthy Cain is the most dominant MMA Heavyweight since Fedors heyday.

[bhlloy]

Incredibly underwhelming undercard here. Can't help but think the product is really suffering with the frequency of events they have these days

[BYU 14]

Miller and Lauzon made up for the rest of the undercard, holy shit that was a war!

[spleen1015]

Can't believe the ref didn't end that.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

I think tonight we're reminded that a healthy Cain is the most dominant MMA Heavyweight since Fedors heyday.

You are looking quite wise ATM

[spleen1015]

Dola, meaning the main event after Velasquez hit JDS with a few good shots.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

You are looking quite wise ATM

People have short memories. Going into the 1st fight Cain was regarded as a dominant fighter and the clear future of the heavyweight division. He went into the fight with a blown out knee against the best puncher in the heavyweight division and got caught. Flash forward to today and everyone seemed to forget what the book on Cain was.

Don't get me wrong, I think Dos Santos is a bad motherfucker and is probably the clear #2 heavyweight in UFC but I didn't think his all around game was even close to the level that Cains was and we saw that tonight.

I will say this though, Dos Santos might be the toughest son of a bitch I've ever seen and I'd love to see a 3rd fight between the two.

[EagleFan]

Predicted Cain going in and wanted him to win but by the end I was hoping for a Dos Santos knockout victory just for how awesome that would have been after getting his ass kicked for nearly 25 minutes.

[EagleFan]

dola: Was really hoping Lauzon was going to land that submission at the end of the 3rd as that would have been a great ending to that fight. I don't think I have seen that much blood in a fight before.

[EagleFan]

double dola: Thankfully those last two fights made up for the first three fights totally sucking ass.

[PilotMan]

Bellator has 2 title fights on Spike tonight.

[PilotMan]

145lb title is the first fight on the card, and a chance to see one of the highest regarded fighters outside the UFC in Pat Curran, the current champion.