Anything MMA, except thumb wrestling

[Baculus]

In the aftermath of last night's title fight, I can't help but wonder how Randy Couture is feeling today. In his stubborn efforts to wait for a fight with Fedor, he finds himself watching Minotauro acquiring the belt he fumbled. He was so bent on proving something to the world with Emilianenko when he could have stayed, fought Nog, and possibly retired with both the UFC and Pride belts. That would be something Fedor's never done and it would have been a fantastic way to retire, cementing Randy as at least a viable mention in the "best ever" discussions for all time. Now Nog rules the MMA HW world and the history books.

:whoknows:

Exactly. Fedor is great, but he has to prove he can be a HW champ outside of PRIDE FC. Add Randy and Fedor to the HW division, and you have possibly the possibly greatest collection of fighters outside the LHW division.

[StillUnknown]

Exactly. Fedor is great, but he has to prove he can be a HW champ outside of PRIDE FC. Add Randy and Fedor to the HW division, and you have possibly the possibly greatest collection of fighters outside the LHW division.

my only problem with Randy is that he got a gift in a title shot against Sylvia, now he won't return to face a fighter in Big Nog who deserves a fight with Couture at this point. Big Nog is a bad matchup for Randy style wise, so i question if he wants to take the risk of losing to Nog before he gets his farewell match with Fedor.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Fighter Salaries for UFC 81

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=5643&zoneid=13

UFC 81 MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS

-Brock Lesnar: $250,000 (lost to Frank Mir; win bonus would have been $200,000)

-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: $200,000 (defeated Tim Sylvia; win bonus was $100,000)

-Tim Sylvia: $100,000 (lost to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira; win bonus would have been $100,000)

-Frank Mir: $80,000 (defeated Brock Lesnar; win bonus was $80,000)

UFC 81 MAIN CARD FIGHTERS

-Nathan Marquardt: $52,000 (defeated Jeremy Horn; win bonus was $26,000)

-Ricardo Almeida: $40,000 (defeated Rob Yundt; win bonus was $20,000)

-Tyson Griffin: $36,000 (defeated Gleison Tibau; win bonus was $18,000)

-Jeremy Horn: $25,000 (lost to Nathan Marquardt; win bonus would have been $25,000)

-Gleison Tibau: $11,000 (lost to Tyson Griffin; win bonus would have been $11,000)

-Rob Yundt: $5,000 (lost to Ricardo Almeida; win bonus would have been $5,000)

UFC 81 PRELIMINARY MATCH FIGHTERS

-Chris Lytle: $24,000 (defeated Kyle Bradley; win bonus was $12,000)

-Kyle Bradley: $4,000 (lost to Chris Lytle; win bonus would have been $4,000)

-David Heath: $6,000 (lost to Tim Boetsch; win bonus would have been $6,000)

-Tim Boetsch: $12,000 (defeated David Heath; win bonus was $6,000)

-Terry Martin: $12,000 (lost to Marvin Eastman; win bonus would have been $12,000)

-Marvin Eastman: $14,000 (defeated Terry Martin; win bonus was $7,000)

-Robert Emerson: $16,000 (defeated Keita Nakamura; win bonus was $8,000)

-Keita Nakamura: $5,000 (lost to Robert Emerson; win bonus would have been $5,000)

_____________________________________________________

Lesnar almost made $450,000. Wow. Highest fight salary of the night, more than the championship contenders? I dunno, I know he's a big name that's been making a lot of money in the WWF, but If I'm coming out of college as a champion wrestler - I go to the WWF first. It will up my ante when I go in to the UFC.

[#98QBKiller]

my only problem with Randy is that he got a gift in a title shot against Sylvia, now he won't return to face a fighter in Big Nog who deserves a fight with Couture at this point. Big Nog is a bad matchup for Randy style wise, so i question if he wants to take the risk of losing to Nog before he gets his farewell match with Fedor.

I'm sure if Randy really wanted to fight Big Nog, Dana White and the UFC would have no problem promoting it.

[mvisit1]

Fighter Salaries for UFC 81

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=5643&zoneid=13

UFC 81 MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS

-Brock Lesnar: $250,000 (lost to Frank Mir; win bonus would have been $200,000)

-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: $200,000 (defeated Tim Sylvia; win bonus was $100,000)

-Tim Sylvia: $100,000 (lost to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira; win bonus would have been $100,000)

-Frank Mir: $80,000 (defeated Brock Lesnar; win bonus was $80,000)

UFC 81 MAIN CARD FIGHTERS

-Nathan Marquardt: $52,000 (defeated Jeremy Horn; win bonus was $26,000)

-Ricardo Almeida: $40,000 (defeated Rob Yundt; win bonus was $20,000)

-Tyson Griffin: $36,000 (defeated Gleison Tibau; win bonus was $18,000)

-Jeremy Horn: $25,000 (lost to Nathan Marquardt; win bonus would have been $25,000)

-Gleison Tibau: $11,000 (lost to Tyson Griffin; win bonus would have been $11,000)

-Rob Yundt: $5,000 (lost to Ricardo Almeida; win bonus would have been $5,000)

UFC 81 PRELIMINARY MATCH FIGHTERS

-Chris Lytle: $24,000 (defeated Kyle Bradley; win bonus was $12,000)

-Kyle Bradley: $4,000 (lost to Chris Lytle; win bonus would have been $4,000)

-David Heath: $6,000 (lost to Tim Boetsch; win bonus would have been $6,000)

-Tim Boetsch: $12,000 (defeated David Heath; win bonus was $6,000)

-Terry Martin: $12,000 (lost to Marvin Eastman; win bonus would have been $12,000)

-Marvin Eastman: $14,000 (defeated Terry Martin; win bonus was $7,000)

-Robert Emerson: $16,000 (defeated Keita Nakamura; win bonus was $8,000)

-Keita Nakamura: $5,000 (lost to Robert Emerson; win bonus would have been $5,000)

_____________________________________________________

Lesnar almost made $450,000. Wow. Highest fight salary of the night, more than the championship contenders? I dunno, I know he's a big name that's been making a lot of money in the WWF, but If I'm coming out of college as a champion wrestler - I go to the WWF first. It will up my ante when I go in to the UFC.

WOW. That is chump change. Crap. These guys are more talented than boxers. MMA is more popular than boxing. Has more PPV AND TV viewers than boxing. Yet, the headliners don't make NEARLY as much money. I'm suprised MORE fighters aren't complaining.

[StillUnknown]

I'm sure if Randy really wanted to fight Big Nog, Dana White and the UFC would have no problem promoting it.

i agree on the promotion part, but my thing is that Randy should fight Big Nog whether he wants to or not.

if Randy loses to Big Nog, which is very possible, his future match with Fedor loses some luster.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

I really think, at most, Randy is done after one more fight. I don't think his agenda falls around what the UFC is conjuring up, he's getting sued by them. He's 44 years old and spends a lot of his time training other fighters, and people expect him to fight Nog and Fedor? That's funny, he could die if he did that.

I don't think Randy will fight again. If he does, it will be with Fedor, overseas, and that's it. Nog has a rapidly growing division to worry about while he asks Randy to come back to it. Better worry about his standup game rather than calling out 44 year old men being sued by the organization.

[StillUnknown]

I really think, at most, Randy is done after one more fight. I don't think his agenda falls around what the UFC is conjuring up, he's getting sued by them. He's 44 years old and spends a lot of his time training other fighters, and people expect him to fight Nog and Fedor? That's funny, he could die if he did that.

I don't think Randy will fight again. If he does, it will be with Fedor, overseas, and that's it. Nog has a rapidly growing division to worry about while he asks Randy to come back to it. Better worry about his standup game rather than calling out 44 year old men being sued by the organization.

rapidly growing division?

HW in ufc is still weak, Werdum (who nog has already beaten, is probably goin to get the next shot), Gonzaga is living off his head kick on Crocop who isn't the same, Kongo has 0 ground game, Vera is a division to high, Sylvia just got submitted, Lesnar is 2yrs away from seriously competing. who's left in the UFC's "rapidly growing HW division". Arvloski's fight at UFC 82 is not even on the main card. he's gone after his next fight.

and against Randy, Nog would have more success standing. Randy doesn't have much punching power, and Nog is probably the better boxer of the two. randy doesn't defend submissions well so if he takes nog down, nog would tap him out.

randy signed a contract, just because ufc didn't land fedor as he wanted, doesn't mean he should just take his ball and go home. if fedor was the only legit competition for him than i would agree, but fact is Randy and Nog would be a super fight.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

rapidly growing division?

HW in ufc is still weak, Werdum (who nog has already beaten, is probably goin to get the next shot), Gonzaga is living off his head kick on Crocop who isn't the same, Kongo has 0 ground game, Vera is a division to high, Sylvia just got submitted, Lesnar is 2yrs away from seriously competing. who's left in the UFC's "rapidly growing HW division". Arvloski's fight at UFC 82 is not even on the main card. he's gone after his next fight.

and against Randy, Nog would have more success standing. Randy doesn't have much punching power, and Nog is probably the better boxer of the two. randy doesn't defend submissions well so if he takes nog down, nog would tap him out.

randy signed a contract, just because ufc didn't land fedor as he wanted, doesn't mean he should just take his ball and go home. if fedor was the only legit competition for him than i would agree, but fact is Randy and Nog would be a super fight.

Dude, 2 years ago every name you mentioned besides Sylvia and Arlovski weren't in it. Mir is back, also. That's what I would call "rapidly growing". It's enough competition for Nog not to be worried about Randy. If most of the guys you mentioned can defend the takedown, they can beat up Nog standing up. Who is to say Lesnar is going to take 2 years to be a serious competator? The guy has furious ground and pound, he got caught by a master submissionist after blowing his face up with hammerfists.

Bottom line, the HW division has plenty of fighters in it to challenge Nog. A year ago, it didn't. I'd love to see most anyone in the HW division fight him.

[Chachie]

and against Randy, Nog would have more success standing. Randy doesn't have much punching power, and Nog is probably the better boxer of the two. randy doesn't defend submissions well so if he takes nog down, nog would tap him out.

randy signed a contract, just because ufc didn't land fedor as he wanted, doesn't mean he should just take his ball and go home. if fedor was the only legit competition for him than i would agree, but fact is Randy and Nog would be a super fight.

I honestly have not seen Minotauro look good in the UFC. I should check out more of his Pride fights to see what he is capable of because while his toughness is undebateable, I have not seen where his skills are all that. He got punked by Heath Herring but his toughness got him to a decision. Then he was getting absolutely humbled by Sylvia before he slipped a choke on Timmaaaay. In both fights he proved he can take a licking but he has not shown this fan that he could beat Couture, Arlovski, or Mir in the octagon.

[StillUnknown]

I honestly have not seen Minotauro look good in the UFC. I should check out more of his Pride fights to see what he is capable of because while his toughness is undebateable, I have not seen where his skills are all that. He got punked by Heath Herring but his toughness got him to a decision. Then he was getting absolutely humbled by Sylvia before he slipped a choke on Timmaaaay. In both fights he proved he can take a licking but he has not shown this fan that he could beat Couture, Arlovski, or Mir in the octagon.

i wouldn't say Herring punked Nog, he caught him with a stiff kick. outside of that kick, he didn't do anything to Nog in that match. Herring lost 14min & 15secs of a 15min fight.

this is why i want Randy to fight Big Nog now. Nog has been through alot of wars (especially in pride). the wars are obviously catching up to him now, but he's surviving on his world class bjj and toughness. he doesn't have much time left in the sport.

definitely watch his fights in pride though, he was never known for his standup, but is known as the best heavyweight bjj artist.

[#98QBKiller]

Here's a cool Fedor workout video I found on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RREGFOZoZTk&feature=related

It shows he and his brother spinning around and making themselves dizzy and then shadowboxing...pretty cool preparation.

Also, I think it's cool that he does some pretty classic workouts (running, plyometrics, chin-ups etc.) as opposed to some of the more modern stuff that a lot of MMA guys do and it seems to pay off a lot for him.

[SkinsOrlando]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW94NsthDjc&feature=related

just saw this, if he gameplay really looks like this, I'm gonna piss myself in joy.

In a related note, when are we doin more sig bets?? I'm still sporting mine even though my 2 weeks was over, I refuse to take it down until I redeem myself.

[Chachie]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dd-mmarankings020708&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Yahoo! Sports MMA Top 10

By Dave Doyle, Yahoo! Sports

February 7, 2008

Feb. 2 should have been Randy Couture’s night. Instead, it might have been the evening the sport of mixed martial arts moved on without the Hall of Fame legend.

Couture was slated to defend his UFC heavyweight title on the night before the Super Bowl long before he decided to walk out on his contract.

But instead of Couture’s absence crippling the heavyweight division, Feb. 2 became the night the UFC’s 265-lb. weight class was revived. Consider:

# Brock Lesnar showed major potential in his loss to Frank Mir. From a pure fan-interest perspective, Lesnar is already in the category of stars such as Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. And if you think that’s a hype, consider this: Dave Meltzer’s Jan. 21 column on Lesnar did more clicks than any piece of content on Yahoo! Sports that week, and yes, that includes Super Bowl-related pieces.

# Mir gets the rub from the win over Lesnar and has revived his career as a money player. People love redemption stories and fans will rally around a guy who had it all, nearly lost it all, and has picked himself up and started climbing back to the top.

# Tim Sylvia lost to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, but put in the sort of effort fans always suspected “The Maine-iac” had in him. Sylvia pushed the pace and dominated Nogueira for two rounds before getting submitted in the third.

# Finally, Nogueira added another notch to his Hall of Fame legacy with his dramatic win over Sylvia. And he just may have snatched away Couture’s role as the crafty veteran who defies the odds, as well.

MMA is an out-of-sight, out-of-mind business. The longer Couture stays on the sidelines, the less money a potential match with Fedor Emelianenko, which would have been the hottest match in the world six months ago, will make.

Couture dropped three spots this month, from No. 5 to No. 8. That’s just one adjustment to the Top 10 after a month in which both Nogueira and B.J. Penn claimed championship gold.

10. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

Points: 12

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Light heavyweight

Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil.

Record: 16-3

Last month's ranking: 10

Most recent result: lost to Forrest Griffin, submission, Sept. 22

Analysis: Yahoo! got several reader emails last month asking why Shogun is ranked and Forrest Griffin isn’t, even though Griffin submitted Rua. I didn’t vote for either, but from the feedback I’ve gotten, my educated guess is that voters who went with Shogun feel the body of work over his career, which includes a KO win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, outweighs that of Griffin, whose win over Rua was his first over a world-class fighter.

9. Urijah Faber

Points: 45

Affiliation: WEC

Weight class: Featherweight (WEC featherweight champion)

Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.

Record: 20-1

Last month's ranking: 8

2007 results: def. Jeff Curran, submission R2, Dec. 12

Analysis: Is the California Kid ready for pay-per-view? Faber’s next title defense, against Jens Pulver, will take place in either April or May, with his hometown of Sacramento and Reno mentioned as potential sites. There are also rumblings the card might be held on pay-per-view instead of basic cable.

8. Randy Couture

Points: 57

Affiliation:Under contract to UFC

Weight class: Heavyweight

Hometown: Gresham, Ore.

Record: 16-8

Last month's ranking: 5

Most recent results: def. Gabriel Gonzaga, Round 3 TKO, Aug. 25

Analysis: Both Couture and Dan Henderson dropped last month after Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and B.J. Penn won titles and vaulted over them.

7. Dan Henderson

Points: 58

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Light heavyweight/middleweight (final PRIDE 183 lb. champion)

Hometown: Victorville, Calif.

Record: 22-6

Last month's ranking: 6

Most recent result: lost to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, decision, Sept. 8

Analysis: Henderson seems to be making a slow slide down the rankings, but he has a golden opportunity to prove the skeptics wrong when he takes on No. 1 Anderson Silva on March 1.

6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Points: 68

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Heavyweight (UFC interim heavyweight champion)

Hometown: Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil

Record: 31-4-1

Last month's ranking: 9

Recent results: def. Tim Sylvia, Round 3 submission, Feb. 2

Analysis: Nogueira added to his legend with a crafty and courageous win over Tim Sylvia on Feb. 2. The victory made him the first fighter to hold versions of both the UFC and PRIDE heavyweight belts. Big Nog’s Black House crew, which includes Anderson Silva and Loyoto Machida, might be the hottest camp in the world right now.

5. B.J. Penn

Points: 81 (1 first-place vote)

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)

Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii

Record: 12-4-1

Last month's ranking: 8

Most recent result: def. Joe Stevenson, Round 2 submission, Jan. 19

Analysis: Penn jumped three spots in the rankings after his dominant win over Stevenson in England. To contend for the top spot, Penn is going to need to prove he can sustain excellence over a period of time and not revert to his less-motivated ways.

4. Fedor Emelianenko

Points: 114 (1 first-place vote)

Affiliation: M-1

Weight class: Heavyweight

Hometown: Stary Oskol, Russia

Record: 27-1 (1 no-contest)

Last month's ranking: 4

Most recent result: Defeated Hong Man-Choi, Round 1 submission, Dec. 31.

Analysis: Former K-1 star Bob Sapp recently said he’d like a crack at Fedor. Such a match would no doubt excite those who like to spend their weekend nights in their basement blogging about Japanese network television ratings. But for the 99.99 percent or so of MMA fans who watch the sport because they want to see the best fight the best, it would make for yet another underwhelming Fedor show.

3. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Points: 114 (1 first-place vote)

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Light heavyweight (UFC lt. heavyweight champion)

Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.

Record: 28-6

Last month's ranking: 3

Most recent result: def. Dan Henderson, decision, Sept. 8

Analysis: One of the downsides of The Ultimate Fighter is that when a major name films the Spike TV show, they’re taken out of the fight mix for months. Jackson is expected to defend his title against Forrest Griffin in July, which would be a 10-month break between fights.

2. Georges St. Pierre

Points: 132 (3 first-place votes)

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Welterweight (interim welterweight champion)

Hometown: Ste. Isidore, Quebec

Record: 15-2

Last month's ranking: 2

Most recent result: Def. Matt Hughes, Round 2 submission, Dec. 29.

Analysis: St. Pierre edged closer to Silva’s top spot, narrowing the gap from 13 points last month to four. If St. Pierre puts on another show when he faces Matt Serra under the pressure of fighting in his hometown on April 19, voters will have a tough choice for the top spot.

1. Anderson "Spider" Silva

Points: 136 (9 first-place votes)

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Middleweight (UFC middleweight champion)

Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil

Record: 20-4

Last month's ranking: 1

Most recent result: def. Rich Franklin, Round 2 TKO, Oct. 20

Analysis: Pollsters become more enamored with St. Pierre with each passing month, but Silva has a golden opportunity to prove he deserves the top spot when he takes on No. 7 Dan Henderson on March 1 and goes for his seventh consecutive victory.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Here's a cool Fedor workout video I found on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RREGFOZoZTk&feature=related

It shows he and his brother spinning around and making themselves dizzy and then shadowboxing...pretty cool preparation.

Also, I think it's cool that he does some pretty classic workouts (running, plyometrics, chin-ups etc.) as opposed to some of the more modern stuff that a lot of MMA guys do and it seems to pay off a lot for him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW94NsthDjc&feature=related

just saw this, if he gameplay really looks like this, I'm gonna piss myself in joy.

In a related note, when are we doin more sig bets?? I'm still sporting mine even though my 2 weeks was over, I refuse to take it down until I redeem myself.

Man you guys post some old videos. lol. No but the Fedor training thing is awesome. I started doing the sledgehammer exercise after I watched that.

Also, the game is supposed to come out late this year, it's been in the making for quite some time. They are really trying to nail the moves system, one would think. I can't wait 'til it comes out.

[Chachie]

In a related note, when are we doin more sig bets?? I'm still sporting mine even though my 2 weeks was over, I refuse to take it down until I redeem myself.

LOL!! You da man, Orlando. Check the posts in this thread that preceded the the Lesnar event. I did offer you another sig bet a day before it happened but it may have slipped by you. If you want to do the March 1st event, let me know and we'll choose one of the fights where we disagree on winners but that will mean early predictions from both of us.

[#98QBKiller]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dd-mmarankings020708&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

So why is BJ Penn higher than Big Nog on that list? And how in the hell is Rampage higher than Fedor?

[SkinsOrlando]

Also, the game is supposed to come out late this year, it's been in the making for quite some time. They are really trying to nail the moves system, one would think. I can't wait 'til it comes out.

I really hope te tweak the fighting system, the last game was fun but damn near ever fight ends in the first round.

LOL!! You da man, Orlando. Check the posts in this thread that preceded the the Lesnar event. I did offer you another sig bet a day before it happened but it may have slipped by you. If you want to do the March 1st event, let me know and we'll choose one of the fights where we disagree on winners but that will mean early predictions from both of us.

I'm gonna take Hendo against Silva if you want to place a sig bet on that.

[Chachie]

I really hope te tweak the fighting system, the last game was fun but damn near ever fight ends in the first round.

I'm gonna take Hendo against Silva if you want to place a sig bet on that.

Hmmmmm... Not sure I want to bet against Henderson. Let me take a good look at the card and we'll talk more. I'll PM you.

[StillUnknown]

I really hope te tweak the fighting system, the last game was fun but damn near ever fight ends in the first round.

I'm gonna take Hendo against Silva if you want to place a sig bet on that.

the PrideFC game for playstation 2 had a pretty good fighting system, and had damn near all the moves you see in MMA. that is by far the best MMA game to date.

i'm taking Silva in that fight, so i'd be glad to do a sig bet.

[Chachie]

i'm taking Silva in that fight, so i'd be glad to do a sig bet.

Back off, Still. Until Orlando beats me he BELONGS to me.

(Honestly, you guys can sig bet on this event if you want. I just wanted to give him a chance to get even with me but if he wants to sig bet with you on the Spider-Hendo fight I'll be happy to retire 1-0.)

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Ooo Ooo I wanna do a sig bet with SU, he'll give me some silly ****ing .gif that people talk about in every thread I post in!

[Cooked Crack]

Random news. Al Bundy is now a BJJ black belt.

Talk about a real American hero.

[StillUnknown]

Random news. Al Bundy is now a BJJ black belt.

Talk about a real American hero.

i remember reading an interview he did about martial arts, he said he didn't care for the sport of mma that much.

[Chachie]

Random news. Al Bundy is now a BJJ black belt.

Talk about a real American hero.

Awesome. :applause: :notworthy