Anything MMA, except thumb wrestling

[prsnljournalst3]

Belfort lasted a lot longer than i thought he would, I guess only thing left for jones to do at lhw is beat up someone he already beat the **** out.

[NoCalMike]

Remind me again why Bones Jones is the devil?

Far from "The Devil" I am not even suggesting he is a bad person. However, there are plenty of MMA fighters in high profile spots that aren't barely 6 months removed from a DUI.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

The one thing that jumps out at me is how insanely close Jones was to losing the title, and Vitor becoming the friggen' LHW champion in 2012. That armbar got my adrenaline rushing right around the time Goldberg popped a blood vessel screaming "Oh my goodness!" at the top of his lungs. When Jones started to get out of it, wow, what a letdown. That was an insane moment, so close.

I think Anderson would have beat JBJ last night, just a hunch though. Anderson is on fire, and Jones has been in some long fights lately. I think Anderson has a great chance to hurt Jon on the feet. He'll push kick the knee too, youngin'.

Not that I'm not a fan of Jon, but I think Anderson snipes him at this point. Please make that mother****ing fight.

[NoCalMike]

What you are starting to see with Jones taking more fights is that he is being game-planned much better, however his physical advantages over other LHWs is simply too much to overcome.

He is so much taller and bigger than the competition that it is making up for any inexperience or mistakes he may make in the Octagon.

Who is really left at LHW for a compelling fight? Hell, half the fighters he has beaten who Dana tries to sell as "elite" were has-beens way before Bones ever got the chance to fight them.

Bones will be a HW eventually, it really is inevitable, I just hope Greg Jackson doesn't talk him out of moving up sooner then later, all in the name of racking up a bunch of wins over inferior competition for the purpose of "legacy"

And this isn't me trying to knock Jones. I think he would still do pretty well at HW too, but I also think that weight division is the proper one for him where the competition would be more stiff and his physical advantages wouldn't be as hard to overcome by the competition.

[StillUnknown]

What you are starting to see with Jones taking more fights is that he is being game-planned much better, however his physical advantages over other LHWs is simply too much to overcome.

He is so much taller and bigger than the competition that it is making up for any inexperience or mistakes he may make in the Octagon.

Who is really left at LHW for a compelling fight? Hell, half the fighters he has beaten who Dana tries to sell as "elite" were has-beens way before Bones ever got the chance to fight them.

Bones will be a HW eventually, it really is inevitable, I just hope Greg Jackson doesn't talk him out of moving up sooner then later, all in the name of racking up a bunch of wins over inferior competition for the purpose of "legacy"

And this isn't me trying to knock Jones. I think he would still do pretty well at HW too, but I also think that weight division is the proper one for him where the competition would be more stiff and his physical advantages wouldn't be as hard to overcome by the competition.

Its not just size though, his well-rounded skill make him hell to deal with. He can outstrike just about anyone not because he is long, but because he knows how to use range effectively. Sure he has holes just like any other fighter, but its going to take a unique fighter to exploit them. His length becomes a liability in guard if someone has a nice guard game, but how many people have that level of jiu-jitsu AND the tools standing to make Bones want to take it to the ground? LHW isn't exactly crawling with jiu-jitsu standouts. Vinny Maghlaes can submit anyone in the world, but even if he ever strung enough wins to get a shot (which he won't), he doesn't have near the striking skill to make Jon want to take it to the ground.

And on top of everything else, he appears to have a fighter's heart in the cage. He withstood his arm getting jacked up, and proceeded to dominate the better part of 4 rounds as if it never happened.

this is a longer one than usual, but Al Bundy makes a guest appearance

[Forehead]

I really wanted to see Phil Davis evolve and challenge Bones, but he's pretty much disappeared since the loss to Rashad Evans. Davis had the wrrestling background, the great body type/stamina, etc. He could strike worth a damn though, maybe that's what he has disappeared to work on.

As for Bones, it seems like the only way to make his fights fair would be to shoot him in the knee before he enters the cage. And he'd probably still win.

[StillUnknown]

I really wanted to see Phil Davis evolve and challenge Bones, but he's pretty much disappeared since the loss to Rashad Evans. Davis had the wrrestling background, the great body type/stamina, etc. He could strike worth a damn though, maybe that's what he has disappeared to work on.

As for Bones, it seems like the only way to make his fights fair would be to shoot him in the knee before he enters the cage. And he'd probably still win.

Yeah I had high hopes for Phil. Great collegiate wrestler who seemed to be adapting well to jiu-jitsu. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to react well to punches being thrown at him, and his MMA wrestling doesn't quite match his collegiate pedigree.

He's fighting Wagner Prado at 153. Their first fight was stopped before it really started when Phil accidentally poked him in the eye.

[method man]

What you are starting to see with Jones taking more fights is that he is being game-planned much better, however his physical advantages over other LHWs is simply too much to overcome.

He is so much taller and bigger than the competition that it is making up for any inexperience or mistakes he may make in the Octagon.

Who is really left at LHW for a compelling fight? Hell, half the fighters he has beaten who Dana tries to sell as "elite" were has-beens way before Bones ever got the chance to fight them.

Bones will be a HW eventually, it really is inevitable, I just hope Greg Jackson doesn't talk him out of moving up sooner then later, all in the name of racking up a bunch of wins over inferior competition for the purpose of "legacy"

And this isn't me trying to knock Jones. I think he would still do pretty well at HW too, but I also think that weight division is the proper one for him where the competition would be more stiff and his physical advantages wouldn't be as hard to overcome by the competition.

Glover Teixeira is probably the next serious threat within the division. Cormier is saying he will fight at LHW in the UFC so we'll see

[lovetoaster]

Glover Teixeira is probably the next serious threat within the division. Cormier is saying he will fight at LHW in the UFC so we'll see

Teixeira, Cormier and Gustaffson at least present some intriguing matchups. I am excited about that Gustaffson-Shogun fight.

[Chachie]

And on top of everything else, he appears to have a fighter's heart in the cage. He withstood his arm getting jacked up, and proceeded to dominate the better part of 4 rounds as if it never happened.

As for Bones, it seems like the only way to make his fights fair would be to shoot him in the knee before he enters the cage. And he'd probably still win.

Yep. Toughing it out through that arm bar basically proved that he can take it as well as dish it out. He hit next-level greatness on that one. Earned even more respect from me. I personally think he'd have won that fight convincingly even with a broken wing.

[Taylor703]

Its not just size though, his well-rounded skill make him hell to deal with. He can outstrike just about anyone not because he is long, but because he knows how to use range effectively. Sure he has holes just like any other fighter, but its going to take a unique fighter to exploit them. His length becomes a liability in guard if someone has a nice guard game, but how many people have that level of jiu-jitsu AND the tools standing to make Bones want to take it to the ground? LHW isn't exactly crawling with jiu-jitsu standouts. Vinny Maghlaes can submit anyone in the world, but even if he ever strung enough wins to get a shot (which he won't), he doesn't have near the striking skill to make Jon want to take it to the ground.

And on top of everything else, he appears to have a fighter's heart in the cage. He withstood his arm getting jacked up, and proceeded to dominate the better part of 4 rounds as if it never happened.

this is a longer one than usual, but Al Bundy makes a guest appearance

Bones is a physical freak with tremendous wrestling skills and submissions, however his stand-up game is very suspect. He doesn't have great boxing skills and he lacks punching power to really do any damage. I think Gustaffson presents a major problem considering his amazing boxing skills and punching power. This is the fight I want to see before Bones is eventually forced to move up to HW.

[#98QBKiller]

For anyone with Fuel TV, there's a decent free UFC card on this weekend.

Stefan Struve is fighting undefeated Stipe Miocic and Struve always puts on an entertaining fight.

And for any BJJ nerds, Paul Sass is fighting on the main card (he likes to pull guard in MMA and he's won 12 of his 13 fights by submissions off his back). Also Gunnar Nelson is fighting on the undercard on facebook. The dude is a BJJ prodigy, who got his black belt in like 4 years or something BJ Pennish. He's 9-0-1 in MMA with every fight being a finish minus the draw. This is his UFC debut and it's against DaMarques Johnson, who should be a halfway decent test.

[StillUnknown]

Bones is a physical freak with tremendous wrestling skills and submissions, however his stand-up game is very suspect. He doesn't have great boxing skills and he lacks punching power to really do any damage. I think Gustaffson presents a major problem considering his amazing boxing skills and punching power. This is the fight I want to see before Bones is eventually forced to move up to HW.

Too have so many holes, he's beaten some great strikers on the feet. Gustfasson intrigues me because he comes closest to Jones' reach. The fact he throws everything makes Jones very hard to plan for. Jones has apretty good fight IQ though, I think he takes AG down before AG can get into a groove standing.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Gus needs to be next, if Texieira murders his next opponent then perhaps he can be thrown in there. Hendo is there too. You gotta think all three guys get dissected by JBJ.

Gus is a cool matchup, but I'm not diggin' the punchers chance guys when ANDERSON SILVA is fighting another 6'4" light heavyweight soon. Hey, Dana, I don't care about UFC 151 anymore, start talking about how these guys should fight. When Bonnar's teeth are spread across the mat, his eyeball smooshed in his head, and his stomach purple from muay thai knees, yet somehow he still survives all 5 rounds - you better get Jon in that octagon when Anderson wins 50-12 on all score cards.

I understand everyone involved doesn't want their **** tarnished. Don't give a damn, that's the best fight possible. Is it going to be Jones vs. Machida 2? Christ almighty. Ryan Bader has some title shot granting superpower, it's insane.

Edited September 28, 2012 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[Dr. Do Itch Big]

Paul Sass got armbared

[#98QBKiller]

Disappointed about Sass but Gunnar Nelson looks legit

[Chachie]

Struve started slow but took care of biz. He would be a great test for Bones if JJ went heavy.

[#98QBKiller]

Struve started slow but took care of biz. He would be a great test for Bones if JJ went heavy.

Struve has proven to be one of the more entertaining fighters in UFC history. Out of all of his fights he only has 1 decision on his record. I'm always excited no matter who he's going to fight.

[Chachie]

Struve has proven to be one of the more entertaining fighters in UFC history. Out of all of his fights he only has 1 decision on his record. I'm always excited no matter who he's going to fight.

No shortage of confidence either.

[#98QBKiller]

Seriously, he didn't look hesitant at all in there yesterday. I thought he'd at least be slightly cautious throwing bombs with a guy like Miocic. Struve is the polar opposite of Jon Fitch.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Struve has proven to be one of the more entertaining fighters in UFC history.

Dunno if I'd go that far, but I see your point. He's not involved in many "wars" per-say, it's usually a "who get's caught first?" type of deal with him. I like Struve, he's in a very good position considering his KO losses. Could be seeing an Overeem kind of deal with him, where he got caught a lot early on, but will find a groove when he hits his peak. Will he ever become champion? I'll say no.

[#98QBKiller]

Dunno if I'd go that far, but I see your point.

When's the last time he was in a boring fight? Plus his UFC losses have come from: JDS, Travis Browne, and Roy Nelson....that's not terrible company. I'm firmly on the Struve bandwagon. Although I do agree, he'll never be champ.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

When's the last time he was in a boring fight? Plus his UFC losses have come from: JDS, Travis Browne, and Roy Nelson....that's not terrible company. I'm firmly on the Struve bandwagon. Although I do agree, he'll never be champ.

My point is there is a difference between a non-boring fight and a really exciting fight. You can even have an insanely boring fight with a typically awesome finish like Frank Mir vs. Cro Cop - and the finish doesn't do jack squat to the quality. Just because Struve is always in fights with finishes, doesn't mean the fights are necessarily great. I just don't find him to be wildly exciting. There are currently several guys simply at HW I would rather watch. He is tall though.

Edited October 1, 2012 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[#98QBKiller]

My point is there is a difference between a non-boring fight and a really exciting fight. You can even have an insanely boring fight with a typically awesome finish like Frank Mir vs. Cro Cop - and the finish doesn't do jack squat to the quality. Just because Struve is always in fights with finishes, doesn't mean the fights are necessarily great. I just don't find him to be wildly exciting. There are currently several guys simply at HW I would rather watch. He is tall though.

I see what you mean, but I guess what I'm saying is when I think of Struve, a lot of exciting fights come to mind and I don't see him as just a not-boring fighter. I thought this last fight was exciting, definitely the Pat Barry fight (I was there live for that one, so it was that much more entertaining for me), the Lavar Johnson fight was exciting (I thought for sure Struve was getting KO'd), so was the Christian Morecraft (sp?) fight, and I think that's the one that put Struve on the UFC map and kind of solidified him as true main card material too.

[Chachie]

I see what you mean, but I guess what I'm saying is when I think of Struve, a lot of exciting fights come to mind and I don't see him as just a not-boring fighter. I thought this last fight was exciting, definitely the Pat Barry fight (I was there live for that one, so it was that much more entertaining for me), the Lavar Johnson fight was exciting (I thought for sure Struve was getting KO'd), so was the Christian Morecraft (sp?) fight, and I think that's the one that put Struve on the UFC map and kind of solidified him as true main card material too.

He's the new Chris Leben! Love Struve just as much for his offense as for his lack of D.