Anything MMA, except thumb wrestling

[StillUnknown]

[Sebowski]

Chris "lights out" Lytle AKA My career is stuck in neutral? I could do without another bland sloppy drunk-boxing, haymaker throwing replicant, but hey I guess they need these guys to fill out Fight Night cards.

Lytle is a great "gate-keeper" that can fight anywhere the fight goes, and always keeps it exciting. 3 straight "fight of the nights" is incredible. Also, Lytle does more than just throw haymakers. He has a 13-1 professional boxing record.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

That might be one of the funniest gifs I've ever seen.

[StillUnknown]

Lytle is a great "gate-keeper" that can fight anywhere the fight goes, and always keeps it exciting. 3 straight "fight of the nights" is incredible. Also, Lytle does more than just throw haymakers. He has a 13-1 professional boxing record.

boxing records can be manufactured, its one of the things i hate most about boxing. fighters can be 20-0 and never faced a real challenge in their lives

i like Lytle, but his technique is horrible (especially for a professional boxer). in the cage, he pretty much is a dude who throws haymakers (although his ground game is very respectable)

[Opiate-Zeo]

LOL @ that gif.

[#98QBKiller]

Yeah I'm not a real fan of Lytle...I really wish Anthony Johnson didn't have a match already, that would be a good fight between two pretty lanky WW's.

And that gif is the funniest thing I've seen in about 100 pages in this thread LOL.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

UFC is countering Strikeforce by showing UFC 100 this Saturday on Spike from 10 to 12:30pm.

Will definitely watch it in between the Mousasi/Babalu and Carano/Cyborg fights.

Specifically, the flying falcon punch from Hendo.

Edited August 13, 2009 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[#98QBKiller]

Does anyone think that the UFC's Lightweight division is not as deep as once thought?

I remember in 2007-2008 the division was supposed to be the deepest in the organization along with 205 but I'm not so sure now. BJ Penn has pretty much cleared out the division with the exception of a few middle-of-the-pack lay & pray guys like Frankie Edgar, Tyson Griffin and Gray Maynard.

I guess Diego Sanchez might be next for a title shot but does anyone really think he has a shot at beating BJ? I don't.

Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca don't seem to be as big of factors as once thought, Roger Huerta doesn't seem to want to fight anymore, Matt Wiman and Nate Diaz are both coming off of consecutive losses, there are guys like Melvin Guillard that are doing better but still have a lot to prove,there's Joe Lauzon who was on his way but got stopped by Florian who just got completely outgamed by BJ.

I guess there's depth in their division but there aren't any really clear-cut challengers for the belt like there are in other divisions. Everyone in UFC's LW division seems kind of stuck in the middle right now.

It seems to me that the fighters that would present a challenge to BJ are outside of the UFC. No wonder BJ wants to move up in weight and be involved in lots of super fights, there's nothing exciting or challenging left for him in his division.

Eddie Alvarez & Aoki would both present legitimate challenges to BJ in the UFC. I can understand if Aoki doesn't want to leave Japan but why aren't the UFC pursuing Alvarez? As far as I know they haven't tried offering him a contract. Then there are guys in the WEC like Jamie Varner and maybe Donald Cerrone that could at least make the UFC's LW division a little more exciting by giving some other styles of fighters besides the usual lay & pray guys that are in the fold now.

IMO, the UFC needs to get a couple of these guys in the fold or risk BJ getting bored and going elsewhere again. BJ comes from a pretty wealthy background and doesn't need to fight for money so if there aren't any challenges left for him he's going to go find them.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Honestly, 99, I think there's room to argue that right now every champion in the UFC is just on a level that makes their respective divisions look bad.

Jury is still out on Brock against strikers and Machida has to defend his title, but they've both been extremely, extremely dominating so far in the UFC, barring the kneebar Mir put on Brock.

Yes, BJ is dominating at 155, but that division has a lot of very game fighters. Listen, you want to hear the most ridiculous comparison of all time? The lightweight division reminds me of the golf world right now. That's right, something in MMA reminds me of golf. There are a ton of very, VERY good golfers in the world these days, but then there's Tiger Woods. Now BJ Penn isn't Tiger Woods, but he's the Tiger Woods of the Lightweight division. There's him, then a ton of good competition behind him.

I still think lightweight is the deepest division in the UFC, but BJ looks unstoppable there.

If BJ wants a challenge he should move up in weight and fight someone other than GSP.

Edited August 13, 2009 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[McD5]

Skins preseason on sopcast? I can't find a channel list.

[Sebowski]

Honestly, 99, I think there's room to argue that right now every champion in the UFC is just on a level that makes their respective divisions look bad.

Jury is still out on Brock against strikers and Machida has to defend his title, but they've both been extremely, extremely dominating so far in the UFC, barring the kneebar Mir put on Brock.

Yes, BJ is dominating at 155, but that division has a lot of very game fighters. Listen, you want to hear the most ridiculous comparison of all time? The lightweight division reminds me of the golf world right now. That's right, something in MMA reminds me of golf. There are a ton of very, VERY good golfers in the world these days, but then there's Tiger Woods. Now BJ Penn isn't Tiger Woods, but he's the Tiger Woods of the Lightweight division. There's him, then a ton of good competition behind him.

I still think lightweight is the deepest division in the UFC, but BJ looks unstoppable there.

If BJ wants a challenge he should move up in weight and fight someone other than GSP.

This guy agrees with you

All these champs seem to be on another level than their challengers right now. It is very hard to see any of them losing. I'm going to have to keep thinking about it and post my picks later.

That was in my post about the pool. Let's see where we ended up with that:

Most defenses

Machida: Sebowski, Chachie, Opiate, SU

GSP: lovetoaster, Slacky, Double, 99

Silva: capta1nchaos

Least defenses

Silva: Samuels, keastman, Double

BJ: lovetoaster, Slacky, Opiate

Brock: Sebowski, Chachie, SU, 99, ZoEd

Machida: capta1nchaos

Edited August 15, 2009 by Sebowski

[Sebowski]

In other news:

Cheech signs with Hall-of-fame boxing promoter Don Chargin

Baroni released from Strikeforce, and sherdog has him agreeing with the UFC.

I'd like to see him vs. Paul Daley

[Chachie]

This guy agrees with you

That was in my post about the pool. Let's see where we ended up with that:

Most defenses

Machida: Sebowski, Chachie, Opiate

GSP: lovetoaster, Slacky

Silva: capta1nchaos

Least defenses

Silva: Samuels, keastman

BJ: lovetoaster, Slacky, Opiate

Brock: Sebowski, Chachie

Machida: capta1nchaos

Too bad we never heard from SU or 99.

If Silva fights Machida it could get weird. It would be for Lyoto's belt but it would throw us all off our picture of how the next 18 months was gonna play out.

[#98QBKiller]

Honestly, 99, I think there's room to argue that right now every champion in the UFC is just on a level that makes their respective divisions look bad.

Jury is still out on Brock against strikers and Machida has to defend his title, but they've both been extremely, extremely dominating so far in the UFC, barring the kneebar Mir put on Brock.

Yes, BJ is dominating at 155, but that division has a lot of very game fighters. Listen, you want to hear the most ridiculous comparison of all time? The lightweight division reminds me of the golf world right now. That's right, something in MMA reminds me of golf. There are a ton of very, VERY good golfers in the world these days, but then there's Tiger Woods. Now BJ Penn isn't Tiger Woods, but he's the Tiger Woods of the Lightweight division. There's him, then a ton of good competition behind him.

I still think lightweight is the deepest division in the UFC, but BJ looks unstoppable there.

If BJ wants a challenge he should move up in weight and fight someone other than GSP.

As ridiculous as it is, I like the Tiger comparison. And I think that you can definitely argue right now that BJ, Anderson, and GSP are all the Tiger Woods' of their respective divisions. A few fights down the road and we could very well see Lyoto and Brock in that light as well.

I guess my problem with the LW division is that there aren't any more interesting fights for BJ and no clear-cut challengers. Everyone's just kind of there in the middle of the fold.

At 185 there are guys like Maia, Marquardt and Hendo that all have just about earned their way up to a title shot or rematch with Anderson. Then there are guys like Wanderlei and Vitor who haven't necessarily earned a shot at Anderson but would still make for big-time draws and interesting fights nonetheless.

From what I've been reading at 170, the winner of Swick/Kampmann will be the next person to get a crack at GSP. There's also Dan Hardy who can't be too far from a shot, there's Carlos Condit who needs a win or two but would make an interesting match with GSP. Then there's Jon Fitch, who although is boring as hell is working his way back up to a title shot. Frank Trigg is coming back and if he pulls out a win against Kos, he could potentially earn a rematch with GSP.

Then what I see at 205 and at HW are two guys that can be champs for who knows how long but both are new champs and there are still plenty of challenges out there for both of them. Rampage has already earned a title shot despite taking the TUF coaching gig over a crack at Machida, Wanderlei's always a win away from a potential shot just because of who he is and the fact that he always puts on a show, of course Shogun's up next and looks to be back into shape, and there are always up & comers like Jon Jones and Luis Cane that will no doubt get a shot down the road if their success continues.

At HW, there are still interesting bouts with Shane Carwin, Nogueira, Dos Santos, Velasquez, etc.

For some reason I just feel that out of all of the UFC's divisions, LW has the least amount of challenges to offer the champion right now. And maybe you're right, maybe if Diego gets his shot and gets schooled by BJ, it might be time for BJ to move up and fight at WW. The only problem is, he's going to have a hard time being the champ there as long as GSP is in his way. I think it's time for the UFC to start moving guys in from the WEC and pursuing guys like Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez (Wikipedia says that they UFC does have interest in him BTW) and guys from Japan like Aoki and Kawajiri.

I guess my main point would be that out of all of the weight classes in the UFC, 155 seems to have the most talent that is missing from the UFC.

Sorry for typing up a college term paper lol.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Definitely a good summary, and you're right. The problem at lightweight is that everyone keeps beating each other. Once somebody starts to look like a title contender, he loses. That, in a way, is the beauty of the division. But it also holds true to your point, hardly any of them stand out as having decisively earned a shot at the title.

From a technical standpoint, who is going to beat BJ on the ground? There are some strikers like Tyson Griffin, Frankie Edgar and Diego that (and I stress) MIGHT be able to hold their own upstairs, but once it goes to the ground they'll all most likely be in big trouble.

Gotta love the fact that BJ wants the biggest challenges he can get. He's not content with just running a murder's row at LW, he wants to fight the best. He's probably trying to talk Dana in to getting a rematch against Machida.

If Frankie Edgar wins his next fight he'll probably be next in line. Hard to believe he'll be able to survive 5 rounds with BJ (assuming that BJ beats Diego), but at least he might be there to have the next shot.

Edited August 14, 2009 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[#98QBKiller]

Definitely a good summary, and you're right. The problem at lightweight is that everyone keeps beating each other. Once somebody starts to look like a title contender, he loses. That, in a way, is the beauty of the division. But it also holds true to your point, hardly any of them stand out as having decisively earned a shot at the title.

From a technical standpoint, who is going to beat BJ on the ground? There are some strikers like Tyson Griffin, Frankie Edgar and Diego that (and I stress) MIGHT be able to hold their own upstairs, but once it goes to the ground they'll all most likely be in big trouble.

Gotta love the fact that BJ wants the biggest challenges he can get. He's not content with just running a murder's row at LW, he wants to fight the best. He's probably trying to talk Dana in to getting a rematch against Machida.

If Frankie Edgar wins his next fight he'll probably be next in line. Hard to believe he'll be able to survive 5 rounds with BJ (assuming that BJ beats Diego), but at least he might be there to have the next shot.

Totally agree man, and lol to BJ asking for a rematch against Machida...I wouldn't put it past him! I actually wouldn't mind a Franklin/Machida rematch, not that Ace would have much of a chance but they're both better fighters these days.

And since I have nothing really constructive to add:

Edited August 14, 2009 by #98QBKiller

[ACW]

Thoughts on Carano/Cyborg tomorrow night?

[#98QBKiller]

Thoughts on Carano/Cyborg tomorrow night?

Ummm well since the Redskins don't look so hot just yet, I'm pretty excited. But here are my picks:

Carano vs. Cyborg:

This match is most definitely ending in some sort of (T)KO. I could see Gina standing into the pocket and hitting Cyborg with some good technique shots but I don't know if she can weather the initial storm of wild hooks.

Cyborg by TKO Round 1

Babalu vs. Mousasi :

Both of these guys are on pretty good tears right now. Mousasi hasn't lost since 2006 and Babalu since 2007. This match could steal the show and be the true main event, especially if Carano/Cyborg finishes early. Mousasi has a big advantage on the feet, bigger than Babalu's advantage on the ground. Mousasi is good enough on the ground to survive a round with Babalu if need be but Babalu's striking just isn't enough to not get KO'd.

Mousasi by KO Round 1

Gil Melendez vs. Ishida:

Ishida took their first bout be decision in 2007 and both have been up and down since. Both can wrestle and Ishida can really hold his own on the ground. This could grind out to another decision but I'm picking yet another KO, because Gil's got that one-punch KO power and he evens the series here.

Melendez TKO Round 2

Jay Hieron vs. Jesse Taylor:

I hate that Nick couldn't put the pipe down or get his Marijuana license thing settled in time to fight but it may be for the best. This way he can fight Riggs for the belt in the fall. This fight though, is a great replacement. Both Hieron and Taylor are on impressive streaks. This will be Taylor's seventh fight this year and he's finished all but one that he took by Unam decision. Hieron's last fight was a KO over Jason High in February. Both guys can wrestle and box so this is going to be yet another entertaining matchup. Dana White's already said that Taylor's got his life back together and he plans on bringing Taylor back. Jesse Taylor is motivated by that and wins this via RNC, his favorite submission.

Taylor RNC Round 2

Fabricio Werdum vs. Mike Kyle:

Werdum is the better figher IMO. Both guys have had ups and downs but Werdum got sloppy and embarrassed himself against Junior Dos Santos with that mouthpiece-flying KO. Werdum has good standup and has a lot of KO wins but his strength of course is his BJJ, he catches Kyle who is much weaker on the ground.

Werdum by Armbar Round 1.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Wow, a pic of God armbarring some dude with white hair.

I think Machida would beat Franklin even worse these days, but that's not to say Franklin isn't good.

[#98QBKiller]

Wow, a pic of God armbarring some dude with white hair.

:rotflmao:

Man I swear I almost made the exact same comment but declined...since it's already thunderstorming here.

:paranoid:

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

:rotflmao:

Man I swear I almost made the exact same comment but declined...since it's already thunderstorming here.

:paranoid:

Perhaps Josh Barnett lives near you?

[ACW]

doublestroker...isn't that what people do to Gina?

:jerk:

:laugh:

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

doublestroker...isn't that what people do to Gina?

:jerk:

:laugh:

I think it only takes one stroke for most you kids

Edited August 14, 2009 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[StillUnknown]

i think Machida will defend his belt the longest, followed by GSP, Anderson, & BJ. i don't really see any of the champs losing anytime soon.

Brock will only get better which is a scary, but he is the most vulnerable.

nobody has come close to figuring out how to hit Machida with two consecutive shots, let alone beat him and now you have Anderson acting as a bodyguard to Machida's throne at 205 picking off potential challengers before they ever get to Machida.

at MW i just dont see a challenger right now, Hendo & Nate rematches would be good, but i see them both going down. Maia would be a replay of the fight, i dont see Maia as being strong or quick enough to get Anderson down.

at WW GSP has no real competitors right now, the winner of Kampmann/Swick has about .5% chance of beating GSP.

if BJ is movitated @ 155, he has a style matchup advantage against everybody else in the division right now as Maynard is wrestler who BJ would probably sub, Diego has no power in his strikes and his wrestling is just average. Edgar is too small, Griffin is basically Sherk-lite.

my picks for Strikeforce:

Werdum vs. Kyle: Werdum has to have learned something about underestimating opponents, he should make short work of Kyle

Werdum by Submission, round 1

Melendez vs. Ishida: Melendez worried me a bit because in a recent interview he complained a bit of having to switch preparation for a different type of fighter. he might be worrying too much, that being said, i think he'll be highly motivated to avenge one of his losses

Melendez by Unanimous Decision

Jay Hieron vs. Jesse Taylor: not really sure who to pick in this one, should be a good fight nonetheless. Taylor is on a roll right now, and momentum builds confidence but i'm picking Hieron with no real logical reason for doing so

Hieron by Unanimous Decision

Mousasi vs. Babalu: mousasi just has the look and vibe of a fighter that won't be losing anytime soon

Mousasi by TKO, Round 2

Carano vs. Cyborg: both are the others toughest competition to date. both have fairly equal skill sets, although i believe cyborg is the hungrier of the two fighters. me thinks she will take years of ugly out on Carano

Cyborg by TKO, Round 3

most pros picked Carano to win for what its worth, then again, they were split fairly evenly between Anderson & Forrest so take their opinion with a grain of salt

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Good article here from a journalist that just 'discovered' MMA:

http://www.comcast.net/sports/russakoffrules/30635/ifinallytooktheredpill/

I went to UFC 101 in Philly on Saturday night with designs on discovering America’s newest "major" sport.

I wanted to be able to tell you that mixed martial arts had arrived. I wanted to be able to tell you that UFC was ready to make the leap into the mainstream. I wanted to be the guy to unleash MMA upon America.

But I can’t do it. After what I witnessed Saturday, I realized I can’t tell anyone that UFC is here for good.

Why?

Because it arrived years ago. I’m way too late.

Forgive my naïveté, MMA fans. I had no idea what I was missing — or, for that matter, how big the sport had already become.

Make no mistake, world: UFC is here, it’s not going anywhere and it’s only going to get bigger.

Walking into the fight Saturday night felt like falling into the rabbit hole. Like finally, after living 33 years in a dream world, I decided to take the red pill. It was as if I was Kanye West on South Park … at last I get the joke.

I arrived at the Wachovia Center early – or, at least what I considered early – and was flabbergasted by the lines just to get into the building. MMA fans, dressed in their jerseys (either “Penn State” shirts or “Dropkick Murphys” Tees), were snaked in a line that wrapped around the arena. My first thought: Are the Octagon Girls giving away free "hugs"?

But no, that’s how loyal and avid MMA fans are. Nobody’s missing first pitch. It doesn’t matter that “first pitch” consisted of five preliminary fights staged before the main card – and live television coverage – began. These fans weren’t missing a clutch (over 11,000 were in attendance for the pre-lims, a UFC record).

And that’s why MMA is so special. That’s what makes it better than boxing. That’s why UFC 101 brought in the largest gate in Pennsylvania fight history in its first incursion into the Keystone State.

Sports fans love sports for one simple reason: The moments.

The moments where we’re wowed. The moments that yank us out of our seats by the back of the shirt. The moments that make you burble, “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

The greatest thing any sports event can do for its fans is give them one of those moments.

UFC gives you eight of those a night.

At least.

And it’s because you never know what’s going to happen next. A fighter could be dominating a fight, and then take a single misstep into a huge punch and find himself on the canvas. Or get himself out of position on the floor and have to tapout because he suddenly finds himself on the wrong end of a rear-naked choke or an arm bar.

As Dana White eloquently put it on CSNPhilly’s “Daily News Live” the other day, “There's so many different ways to win …and so many different ways to lose. Anything can happen in UFC.”

And it can happen at any time. That what makes the sport great.

Name another American sporting event where getting up to grab a beer – no matter when you decide to make the run – is done at the risk of missing the biggest moment of the night? In what other sport can you look down to grab your dropped phone and miss the knockout of the year?

The sport keeps you constantly on your toes.

And if it doesn’t, if the fight slows down to a waltz (like boxing often does), the crowd boos and the Grand Poobah of the sport publicly tongue-lashes you in front of millions of people.

Do it multiple times and White is liable to blackball you from the sport entirely.

Because while there are plenty of rules in today’s MMA (the sport has come a long way since John McCain labeled it human ****fighting), the one rule that’s etched on the back of every fighter’s eyelids is:

Don’t be boring.

UFC offers substantial bonuses for submission of the night, knockout of the night and fight of the night. At UFC 101, each was worth a cool $60,000.

That’s a pay structure that rewards excitement. It’s why UFC fans love their sport so much. And it’s why fans are more excited for a photo op with Dana White than they are with the UFC Octagon Girls (though, the Octagon Girls are understandably popular too).

White is a cult hero.

And he is so because he runs his league with the rarest, simplest and smartest imperative:

Give fans what they want.

It seems so obvious.

Yet, it’s a concept no other major sport in America seems to grasp. It’s exactly why every time the other major sports look in their rearview mirror, they see UFC fast approaching.

And it’s way closer than it appears.