artmonkforHOF

Nice to see the full thread back, lost some of it after the change. I wasn't planning on watching 160- helping my brother move- but I kind of want to check it out now to get a look at the MGM Garden Arena. Found out for UFC162- Silva Weidman- most row A seats in the upper 200 level are $400, I'm off in a corner so mine was the next price down. I also found out why I couldn't buy $125 tickets, they only seats at those prices are the last 3 rows of a few sections at one end if the arena, probably less than 200 total tickets at that price in a 15,000 seat arena.

My cost was $270.45 from Ticketmaster in section 217 Row A, on a $250 face value ticket. I think I will throw a bet or 2 down on Silva, depending on what the lines are. Right now I think Silva is -300 to -250, if I can find a sports book full of NY/NJ homers betting on Weidman maybe I can get Silva at -200, anything beyond that is kind of a waste for me with the amount of $ I would be gambling on the fight. Do all sports books in Vegas have good UFC lines? I kind of want to throw some money down on Silva to win, and maybe another bet picking the round/ how the fight finishes.

Thanks for the advice. Right now it looks like I will be flying by myself, but might meet up with an old HS buddy & his friends from LA if they can get tickets to the fight. It was suppose to be a larger group, some UFC fans some guys who just wanted to go to Vegas, some guys dropped out when they saw the fight ticket price (would have had to buy $600 tickets to get 5 together), others dropped out when comparing the price for their last trip to Vegas to this one & top it all off with a few pissed off spouses and the only guy left who can go is the single guy with cash (that's me!). You bring up paying for a cabana, do you have to pay to get into every pool at Vegas? I know they have pool nightclubs which I would assume you would pay cover for, but what about general hotel pools? do I have to pay to get access to the pool or just to reserve a seat/lounger? I also read an article in the local paper here noting how Vegas is spending more on "super" night clubs, in fact, MGM grand just opened a 5 storey club called Hakkasan. The article noted that the lines are designed to get the people who will pay for drinks in fast, and keep the free loaders out, which probably means they won't let me in with my t-shirt & shorts. How dressed up do you have to be to get into the vegas clubs? will a button up collared shirt and nice jeans/dress shoes work? I really don't want to bring a suit if I don't have to.

Well I did it, threw down a boatload of cash and I am off to Vegas to see Silva take on Wiedman at UFC 162. It's 4th of July weekend, so nothing is cheap, I couldn't get the lowest price tickets ($125) from ticketmaster, not even when trying a day before general ticket sales with their newsletter promo code, so I had to settle for a $250 ticket and I'm still in the upper level (first row though). Pisses me off that on ticketmaster, you can't buy any $125 tickets, but they will re-sell you tickets that someone purchased the day before for $125 for a premuim AND pay an additional ticketmaster service charge. I'm going to be staying at the MGM Grand, which is also where the fight is, fly down Thursday, fly out Monday. I am not planning to do much else in Vegas while I am there-I figure with 4th of July everything will be busy/have a line,- but has anyone ever been to Vegas for a fight? What should I do while I am there? There is also the UFC fan expo and fight week events going on- are either of those worth checking out? Oh , and after spending a ton of money before I even land in Vegas, I can now see why people get pissed at Silva when he doesn't show up, lol. I would cancel the trip if Silva pulls out of the fight, the overall card is not bad or anything, but not worth the type of money I am spending to go see it. This is more an excuse to 1) see the man who I think is the greatest fighter on the planet fight live before he retires 2) say that I have been to Vegas once as an adult & 3) I really need a vacation NOW, haven't had a decent one in about 4 years.

Chael Sonnen never let's the truth stand in the way of a good story.

One thing not noted on your list is laying down a geotextile cloth after compacting the dirt. This will prevent weeds & other plants from rooting in the soil below and causing havoc with your patio stones. You still might get some plat life around your stones, but those will most likely be ones that are very looses rooted in the sand between your patio stones and should be easy to pull out and not cause any serious damage to the patio. I'm thinking or redoing my driveway this year with compacted pea gravel. I don't want the stones to be loose hence the compacting, and have seen a product online called Gravel Lock and wondering if anyone here has heard of it or used it before. The system consists of a pastic ribbon type of material that is weaved together to from an grid system. You lay this grid system down and then fill in the open parts of the grid with gravel then compact. Then, mix your top layer of stone (about 2") with a bonding agent and level over the gravel & grid system and finish with a top coat of the bonding agent. Part of the reason I want to use gravel is for site drainage, especially snow in the winter time. I live in an old ( built early 1900's) Victorian row home that for some reason I still can't figure out has a double width driveway when none of my neighbours have anything close to a driveway. Come winter time, I have nowhere to put the snow I have shovelled since I don't have any side or front yard space to speak of and thought if I could have some of the snow melt and drain through the gravel this would solve my problem of only being able to shovel half my driveway after heavy snowfalls. The concerns I have about this system are (besides not having a local dealer): 1) when I first saw the system, I though the gird system was painted metal, only to find out it is similar to those fiber reinforced plastic straps that are used for packaging. My concern is that even if you spread the grid system out properly, what prevents the grid system from falling over or leaning when you dump the gravel in it? I am picturing dumping a truck load of stone on the grid and having the grid system not stay in place, if you have to fill up each grid cell individually to prevent the grid from collapsing, that sounds like a lot of work I might not be interested in doing. 2) To do a big area (like my driveway, which is approx 1,000 sq ft), wouldn't I need something the size of a concrete mixing truck to mix the top stone & the bonding agent? I am worried about seams and areas of the top stone not bonding together if I mixed the stone & bonding agent in smaller batches. 3) does anyone know the lifecycle of the grid system? I am expecting to have to top up and compact the top layer of stone every 5 years or so after initial installation, but would I ever have to worry about redoing the grid system? will the grid system hold up for 20-25 years? below is a link to the product website I am talking about, the site lists many dealers in Maryland & Virginia and one in West Virginia, I was hoping an ES'er might know something about it. I guess the company that makes the grid system and the bonding agent is called CellTek Direct or CellTek geosyntheitcs and they are based out of Crofton Maryland. I am thinking of using the LSG-6 (6" high gird system for heavy duty traffic) for my double width and about 3 car length deep driveway and for an adjacent rock garden area. http://celltekdirect.com/index.html any insight on this product would be greatly appreicated.

I'm in the same boat as you. In fact, this card wasn't all that compelling even with Gustafasson on it- unless you happen to be Swedish. I'm really just waiting for the Hederson v. Melendez on Fox in 2 weeks and 159 the week after. I'll watch the TUF finale next week, but I just really want to see Uriah Hall's fight.

Yeah, MMA judges work like a hybrid of boxing & wrestling judges, scoring points for striking and dominate positions only and ignoring anything like BJJ. Like if you are going to give GSP a point or an uptick for getting a takedown, you should have to give either a point, half a point or half an uptick to Diaz for stuffing a takedown, but that rarely happens in the judges eyes. I'm not saying I would have given any round to Diaz in that fight, but round 4 where he stuffed 3-4 GSP takedowns ( out of the 5 or 6 he tried) was a very different 10-9 round than the rounds one or 2 that where also 10-9 GSP. Going back to Silva Sonnen I, I would have scored 1 round for Silva-think round 3 or 4- where the fight ended up on the ground not from a Chael takedown but an Anderson slip. When Chael was on top, he litterally did nothing because Anderson's guard was so good, but jedges see Chael as having "dominate position" and give him the points. Heck round 5, Anderson threw the hardest punch of the fight from his back, which got Chael to cover up and open up the triangle for Silva, which was much more impressive than anything Chael did in round 5. Had he not won via submission, I would have scored that round for Anderson as well, but no current judge would have seen it that way. I think you will have to wait 5-10 years before you see compitent judging in MMA, it will have to be retired MMA fighters who fought in the UFC or other top level promotions that decide to become judges as the judges who will score points to a guy who has a good gaurd game while on their back.

I like Jack Slack, hate that he is on BleacherReport now. I feel dirty giving that site traffic. His articles really don't belong on a site filled with inane lists and horribly written articles filled with uneducated or biased opininons from community college journalism students trying to earn a course credit. It seems like they let any idiot post their musing on that site, especially for list type articles, it's almost like the editors don't read the things, and decide what to post based on the number of points (and in turn page hit) the "article" has. Even though I'm not on twitter, I check Jack Slack's to see when he posts a new article and pray he also posts it in his blog just so I don't have to go to BR anymore than I truly have to.

No kidding, I was expecting The Reem to get beaten so badly the UFC would consider cutting him, or at least not offer a new deal. It's a shame he ballooned up the way he did- legit or not, most likely not- I would have liked to see him at 205 in the UFC, kickboxing the crap out of people.

Anderson vs. Wiedman- 162. 4th of July weekend. I dont really like Vegas, or travelling at peak holiday times, but I might have to go see this fight live just to so I can say I did see Anderson fight live at least once in my life (NOTE: I don't know if the fight will be in Vegas for sure, just guessing since that is where they have held July 4th weekend cards in the past). Linked article goes on to note that Lorenzo told Wiedman in Albany that he will get the fight scheduled for July 6th. http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/3/6/4071510/report-anderson-silva-vs-chris-weidman-ufc-162-mma-news After Lombard lost to Okami, there really wasn't any other viable choices for who gets the next title shot. Can't wait to see Anderson tear this kid apart.

yeah I read this article elsewhere and my first thought was "is this guy serious?". My second thought was search Dennis Daugaard's computer, home & office, I bet he has a ton of kiddie porn hiding somewhere.

Looks like Silva Weidman might be on tap. It looks like Chris Weidman will get the next middleweight title shot against Anderson Silva. According to a report from Tatame magazine, a Silva vs. Weidman title fight is in the works for a July 6th PPV http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/2/21/4012908/report-anderson-silva-vs-chris-weidman-in-talks-for-july-event If the fight does happen, I bet the UFC Countdown show will look more like a Hurricane Sandy documentary, thats the story that will sell, not 9 wins over some suspect competition.

I didn't make the rankings, only posted them. They are based off top 10 rankings from various media members, half didn't list Sonnen at all while the other half ranked him as #2 so he slips in with the last slot. Yeah, MmA media has a long way to go before becoming credible, at least for half of the poll members. Fitch getting cut surprised me, then I read an article on Bloody Elbow explaining how Fitch is a high contract fighter who doesn't generate a ton of revenue & guys like him are vulnerable because of all the expensive StrikeForce contracts they absorbed. Guys like Koscheck , Shane Carwin& Chris Leben come up as possible cuts. Rumor has it the UFC might cut up to 100 fighters. Hope he keeps fighting if he wants to, he looks like he still could compete at a fairly high level. No shame in losing essentially a BJJ match vs Maia while he is on a tear after dropping to 170. ---------- Post added February-21st-2013 at 01:27 AM ---------- I'd like too see that fight too, I just don't think they can make it even if he has the KO or submission or fight of the year vs Okami, he will still only be 2-1 in the UFC with that lone loss being a very ugly loss. I think Anderson would dominate with distance & spacing, Lombard is a short stump of a 185, like 5'8" or 5'10". Even if he gets in range or inside, I think Anderson picks him apart with clinch work or will be able to get out of range without much damage done. I still want to see Silva shut Weidman up real good by beating him soundly, but I guess waiting couldn't hurt, it only gives Chris more time to try his Chael Sonnen impression & say something really stupid. I think a fight with Weidman would look a lot like Silva's fights with Dan Henderson & Chael Sonnen (#2), Silva gets taken down in the first and remains on the bottom for most of the round, but with no real damage, then Anderson finishes him in the 2nd, either by TKO or submission after learning what to avoid from the first round.

I would feel bad for Diaz if it happened, but I'd feel worse for Hendricks if he loses or doesn't put on a killer fight like he has of late and loses his rightfully earned title fight. If Diaz screws this up, he will take the brunt of the blame & rightfully so, but if Hendricks loses a title shot, part of it will be his fault, part will be because the champ wanted to fight someone else, which would be a harder pill to swallow. On to another weight class, anyone else notice all the top contenders at 185 are booked up except Weidman, Munoz & Tim Kennedy? Weidman is the only real true contender of the 3, & should be ready by early July. Unless Dan Henderson decides to drop to 185 (maybe if he loses to Machida?) I think Weidman gets his shot at Anderson by the fall at the latest. Here's a list using The UFC's rankings. 1. Weidman- open 6. Munoz - open NR Kennedy, Boetsch, Gracie - open March 3 4. Okami vs. 8. Lombard April 27 3. Bisping vs. 9. Belcher 10. Sonnen vs. LHW © Jones May 18 2. Belfort vs. 7. Rockhold 5. Phillipou vs. NR Souza Maybe Rockhold can earn a title shot with an impressive win, but outside of that I don't see too many contenders for the belt in that list. (Lombard if he destroys Okami is my next closest, but that seems like a huge stretch).

Sucks about Rory, surprised by Nate getting Jake though Wasn't Dana complaining about Diaz missing tapings for Countdown? Hendricks might get a shot at GSP sooner than he thinks if Dana believes Diaz is jerking him & the UFC around again. It would suck for Diaz, but I wouldn't complain, I think Hendricks has done more than enough to earn a title fight & Diaz GSP can be made at anytime.

I saw it last night, but for some dumb reason, the show airs the earliest at 11pm in Canada on Sportsnet. I think becasue FX does have a channel in Canada, although I can't get it from my provider. Nasty kick, and with no crowd noise or commentators talking, that KO seemed nastier than one you would see at an event becasue you could hear the guy gasping for air. During last week's preview, they showed a clip of Chael & his coaches running into the ring, they edited it to make it look as if they took off right after a KO shot. Myabe I missed it, but I don't remeber seeing Chael run to the cage in the episode. Myabe I am reading too much into it, or maybe there is another crazy KO coming to one of Chael's guys and they just edited that clip into the preview to keep the suspense of who gets knocked out. Dana was promoting the show and said that one guy has the entire house afraid to fight him, every fight he's in someone goes to the hospital. Early speculation was that it was the Swedish guy Tor Torberg, but now I wonder if Hall is the one who has people afraid. Eitehr way, I hope Hall makes it to the UFC and gets revenge on Wiedman & Phillipou, his only pro loses.

What now for Frankie? I'm glad he lost, I was hoping Aldo would finish him because I don't think any of those sycophants in Edgar's camp has ever told Frankie they thought he lost a round. The general opinion in that camp is if Frankie is standing at the end of a fight, he either won or got robbed. I like Dana proclaiming Wiedman as the man most likely to face Anderson for the MW belt at the post fight press conference. I want to see Anderson destroy him after all the crazy junk he has been talking. Weidman is a decent fighter, probably could win & defend the belt a few times if Silva wasn't around, but he is not seasoned enough to deserve a title shot. He turns down fights then criticizes Anderson for "turning down" a fight with himself to fight Bonnar. I would like to see Weidman face Lombard or Vitor before getting a title fight. Heck, if I was him, I'd ask for a title eliminator fight vs Bisping, pretty much as close to a guarantee as you can get to landing a title fight, and it ups his exposure, like a win-win-win situation for Weidman, lol.

That is until Anderson makes them look like amateurs & people will go back to (incorrectly) thinking MW is one of the weaker divisions of the UFC. At least now it looks like Silva might actually have compelling fights for that entire 10 fight contract he supposedly signed. Before these SF guys came over, Anderson really only had 2, maybe 3 fights @ 185 with the current guys on the roster, now maybe 5 or 6. That's not including the 2 super fights- I think only 1 happens- and any guys who under the radar who may make a run. I'm glad, now the chance of Anderson fighting Roy Jones Jr or Bob Sapp in an open weight fight in Japan are far less likely to happen. Man I hope Bisping wins, not cause I'm a big fan but because I want to see what Anderson would do to him, and I really have no interest in seeing Silva Belfort 2, or even listen to Belfort whine about not getting a title shot.

Oh snap! It's fight night. My gogoplata-ist are: JDS Lauzon Boetsch Belcher Brunson Not a very enticing card, won't buy but will try to go to a bar & watch. Not worth the $60+ IMO for the main card.

Well now GSP has 2 blueprints to follow for beating a Diaz brother, Condit's stick & move ( or move, move & stick) vs Nick or Benson's lead leg kick vs Nate. Given that GSP is just as smart of a fighter as Henderson - if not smarter- I think GSP has an easy win over Nick, if that fight ever happens. I like Diaz more than GSP, but I just don't see the Cesar camp being smart enough to figure out an effective gameplan vs GSP, or any other well trained fighter. If a Diaz brother can stand and box, Diaz will win, but they both really don't have any effective offense other than their boxing and if someone neutralizes that, either Diaz has not shown they can adapt their strategy to pull out a win. Tough guys to fight, but a pretty simple gameplan to follow, don't let them throw combos.

Close but not quite right. It's why you shouldn't have a Diaz brother on network TV.

Holy christ I forgot about Cormier. Does he have an oppoent for that last Strikeforce card? is he even still on it? Man a 205 fighter or catchweight fight vs Jones would have been much better than a Chael fight. I think Cormier could grind out a win vs Jones, it won't be pretty though.

Yeah, or finish him somehow. I don't think any superfight happens, Silva wants GSP, GSP doesn't want Silva, & neither Silva or Jones wants each other despite the recent hype being thrown out there, it's all just talk. I think they can sell GSP Hendricks, and GSP Diaz if he comes back and wins 1 or 2 ( AND passes the drug tests). They also could sell Silva Weidman and Silva Bisping, probably both in Brazil where Anderson gets a sweet deal. I also don't see Jones leaving LHW for a superfight until he breaks the record for LHW title defenses, regardless of how inferior the public views his challengers. ( I think it's 2 to tie & 3 to break the record) With each guy being able to take at least 2 other fights, that puts us 12-18 months into the future, and in the UFC anything can happen in that amount of time, a lot of potential contenders could pop up, or one of the 3 could lose. I see Jones jumping from LHW into a HW title fight versus JDS or Alistar before any superfight happens.

Wow. Rich didn't even see it coming, chin was out there on a platter for Cung Le and he nailed it. I'd say it's at least in the running for KO of the year. Thanks for the gif, missed it live this morning, but will watch the replay at 7pm here.