Anything MMA, except thumb wrestling

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Since we have some downtime...how about some matchups we may never see but might get you thinking? Consider all these fighters as they are right now.......

Be as honest as possible.

(Copy and Paste)

Rousimar Palhares vs. George St. Pierre :

Big Nog vs. Shogun Rua:

BJ Penn vs. Chris Leben:

Jose Aldo vs. Tyson Griffin:

Floyd Mayweather vs. Urijah Faber:

Lyoto Machida vs. Roy Nelson:

BJ Penn vs. Thiago Alves:

Manny Pacquiao vs. Paul Daley:

Forrest Griffin vs. Gegard Mousasi:

Alistair Overeem vs. Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez:

Chuck Liddell vs. Jacare Souza:

Vitor Belfort vs. George St. Pierre

King Mo vs. Gabriel Gonzaga:

Nick Diaz vs. James Toney:

Rashad Evans vs. Frank Mir:

Kenny Florian vs. Matt Hughes:

Frank Trigg vs. Ken Shamrock:

Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Tyson:

Edited July 19, 2010 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[#98QBKiller]

Rousimar Palhares vs. George St. Pierre : I still think GSP has this one. Especially with Palhares drug problems. GSP has the better wrestling and standup.

Big Nog vs. Shogun Rua: Hate to say it but I think Shogun would KO Nog.

BJ Penn vs. Chris Leben: This is intriguing because Penn is obviously the more talented fighter but not only is Leben two weight classes above Penn, but he also walks around at 205. The size difference here could be too much for BJ.

Jose Aldo vs. Tyson Griffin: Aldo via death kicks.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Urijah Faber: Obviously Faber could take him down and beat him up a little but I think Mayweather is good enough to step in and hurt Faber before the fight hits the ground.

Lyoto Machida vs. Roy Nelson: Nelson has the better BJJ (funny saying that an American is better than a Brazilian) but Lyoto is the better standup guy IMO. I think he gets past the weight difference.

BJ Penn vs. Thiago Alves: I think BJ has this one with his boxing and BJJ if Alves gets tired.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Paul Daley: Pac man, because you know Daley will still stand up.

Forrest Griffin vs. Gegard Mousasi: Mousasi by nasty guillotine.

Alistair Overeem vs. Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez: Overeem eats them both.

Chuck Liddell vs. Jacare Souza: Jacare by KTFO.

Vitor Belfort vs. George St. Pierre GSP, younger, better and Vitor only has a size advantage, which isn't that great.

King Mo vs. Gabriel Gonzaga: King Mo takes him down and beats on him with his wrestling. I'm pretty sure Mo is a larger LHW, I remember reading somewhere that he cuts a decent amount of weight.

Nick Diaz vs. James Toney: Diaz via gogoplata.

Rashad Evans vs. Frank Mir: Rashad uses his wrestling to neutralize Mir's BJJ, maybe lands a good shot to drop Mir.

Kenny Florian vs. Matt Hughes: The focused Florian we've seen lately beats up an over-the-hill Hughes that couldn't put away Renzo Gracie.

Frank Trigg vs. Ken Shamrock: Trigg by murder.

Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Tyson Not sure, I guess Hardonk against today's Tyson but that's weird to say.

[StillUnknown]

good matchups double. you should add Cyborg vs. Miguel Torres

Rousimar Palhares vs. George St. Pierre: GSP uses his wrestling in reverse to keep things standing and outstrikes Paul Harris en route to easy decision

Big Nog vs. Shogun Rua: Nog doesn't have the speed to hand with Rua on the feet. rua's takedown defense has never been that great, so i could see nog getting the takedown, but rua's jiu-jitsu is great in its own right. i would lean towards shogun because i believe he has more ways to win the fight

BJ Penn vs. Chris Leben: Penn is not losing to a wild striker like Leben. Penn's chin is as about as good as they make in MMA. Leben would have a size advantage, but Penn has fought bigger and more technical guys and survived. Penn by an easy unanimous decision

Jose Aldo vs. Tyson Griffin: Aldo has better striking and the better ground game. Griffin might have better wrestling, but not by much. i think Aldo uses his speed on the feet to outstrike griffin. in a 3 round fight it goes to a decision, in a 5 round fight Aldo finishes him

Floyd Mayweather vs. Urijah Faber: Faber has varied striking game so it wouldn't surprise me if he leg kicked the hell out of mayweather's legs. faber's ground game has submitted some damn good bjj blackbelts so he could make it very easy and just take mayweather down and submit him instantly. the only way faber loses is if he's arrogant enough to stay in floyd's punching range.

Lyoto Machida vs. Roy Nelson: i think the most underrated part of machida's game is his takedown defense. his sumo background gives him some pretty good balance. on the feet Machida would pick nelson apart. i think as long as machida can stay off the cage, he can pretty much use his speed and movement to avoid the takedown and get a decision victory.

BJ Penn vs. Thiago Alves: Mr. Penn doesn't like to check the leg kicks for some reason. it would be a great fight standing, but i think Alves wins by using combinations to penn's legs. i dont think penn's wrestling is good enough to overcome the size differential, so unless he pulls guard i dont see it going to the ground. Alves by decision.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Paul Daley: Daley is arrogant enough to stand with Pacquaio. he could use kicks to eliminate pac's legs. there's also the massive size advantage daley would have. Pacquiao spent most of his career between 126 & 135lbs, the highest he's ever fought was 147, Daley is pretty big for 170. daley wins on account of knowing how to kick in addition to punch.

Forrest Griffin vs. Gegard Mousasi: forrest has never shown to be that great an offensive wrestler. on the feet, Mousasi would kill griffin, and their jiu-jitsu is just about even. Mousasi wins in dominant fashion

Alistair Overeem vs. Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez: Overeem eats Cruz and flosses with Benavidez

Chuck Liddell vs. Jacare Souza: although improving, Jacare's striking isn't to the point that it should bother chuck. i know his chin is fine china at this point, but i dont think jacare possesses power to bother chuck. outside of pulling guard, i dont see how jacare gets this to the ground. chuck wins this by KO

Vitor Belfort vs. George St. Pierre: if Vitor doesn't get the KO in the first 2min, GSP will smother him with wrestling for a decision.

King Mo vs. Gabriel Gonzaga: i think it stays standing because Mo might not want to test a world champ's ground game. Mo would have the speed advantage standing and has some good power in his punches, although not technical at all. Gonzaga seems to fail lately when matched up against elite talent. i think Mo lands something on the chin that puts gonzaga down.

Nick Diaz vs. James Toney: i know Diaz is dumb enough to trade punches with toney. Toney by violent KO

Rashad Evans vs. Frank Mir: tough one to call. while rashad hasn't been in with anyone with mir's level on the ground, he's shown good ability to stay out of submissions. Mir could always big man rashad and pin him against the cage. i think the 265lb mir wins by attrition and big man tactics, although he might have to survive a scary moment or two.

Kenny Florian vs. Matt Hughes: Hughes would still be the bigger man and should be able to get Kenny on the ground. florian's takedown d has improved, but not enough to stop matt hughes from bringing him down. hughes grinds out a decision, although he'll probably be bloodied from kenny's elbows from the bottom.

Frank Trigg vs. Ken Shamrock: the crowd and anyone who watches loses. Trigg wins by being slightly more coherent at this stage of their lives

Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Tyson: Tyson has dropped weight recently but he's still in his mid 40's. hardonk would cut his legs in half, tyson would quit as he wouldnt' be able to walk halfway through round 1

Edited July 19, 2010 by StillUnknown

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Rousimar Palhares vs. George St. Pierre: Paul is incredibly strong for a middleweight, but let's not forget that Jeremy Horn did very well on the ground against him. George may get a scare or two, but works his blanket to a victory.

Big Nog vs. Shogun Rua: Shogun is just a step faster than Nog, like most fighters these days. Shogun by blood.

BJ Penn vs. Chris Leben: Leben has that plodding approach that feeds right in to Penn's style. The weight difference does concern me however, as Leben could lean him against the cage and land some major shots to the body. Slowing BJ down has always been the way to beat him. Still gotta go with BJ, just way more skilled.

Jose Aldo vs. Tyson Griffin: Aldo is way too fast, and Griffin hasn't been the title contender I anticipated he was going to be. I imagine if Aldo moved up in weight, this fight could possibly happen. I'll give it to Aldo via helicopter blade to the thigh.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Urijah Faber: I don't know why I made this matchup, Mayweather's timing would be totally thrown off by kicks and takedowns. One takedown and it's over. Faber.

Lyoto Machida vs. Roy Nelson: I like the way Nelson rolls with punches, I think he's underrated and just packs way too much power for karate to mess with him. Nice chin, good technique, just a terrible looking specimen. Good point by SU about Machida's TD defense. Roy's takedowns aren't Lesnaresque to say the least. I still think Roy wins the standup battle by brute force.

BJ Penn vs. Thiago Alves: I would be so pumped to see this fight, both of these guys are animals. I'll give the edge Penn because he has an answer for all the tools in Thiago's game. Thiago could certainly slow BJ down with those kicks, but outside of that I see BJ with the edge anywhere else.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Paul Daley: Like SU said, huge size disadvantage. As bad as UFC fighters make Daley look on the ground, it IS the UFC. Daley has been versed in the ground game, believe it or not. He also has the kicks, but he's also a bonehead. I think he could eat a punch or two and have some sense knocked in to him. Daley by palm-to-the-mouth submission.

Forrest Griffin vs. Gegard Mousasi: Another fight I'd love to see. Griffin is gigantic and his stamina is second to none. I think he survives a few scares to clinch up against the fence and score a few trips. Mousasi slows down and poses little threat to Griffin as the fight goes on. Griffin by decision.

Alistair Overeem vs. Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez: Gosh, one big shot from Overeem anywhere on the bodies of those two and they might entirely collapse in to themselves. It would create a small worm hole where we could travel back to 1998 to prevent Ken Shamrock from ever fighting again. This fight has to happen, it should have been an episode on Quantum Leap. The thing is, I imagine this fight looking EXACTLY like the Rancor Pit scene from Return of the Jedi. Benavidez is the green pig monster and Cruz is Luke Skywalker. Cruz throws a stone at a cable supporting the light structure and it falls on Overeem's neck. KO rd 3.

Chuck Liddell vs. Jacare Souza: I don't know man, people are calling for Chuck's retirement, but he looked good against Franklin until he got murdered. This has to be looked at the same way, Chuck has a chance here until Souza finds the launch codes. Souza, Hindenburg, round 2.

Vitor Belfort vs. George St. Pierre: I actually think St. Pierre takes this easily. Vitor is not a guy that likes getting pushed to the limit. St. Pierre, armbar, round 3.

King Mo vs. Gabriel Gonzaga: I am not sold on Mo yet. He is automatic with his wrestling, but he's pretty shaky everywhere else. I think Gonzaga wrecks him or submits him quite easily.

Nick Diaz vs. James Toney: Obviously we know what happens if Nick gets this down, forget a triangle, we'll see the first rectangle we've ever seen. Nick's takedown game is the chink in his armor, and he's a slow...methodical, peppering puncher. He'll sit in the pocket and get sent in to the next town like an episode of Popeye.

Rashad Evans vs. Frank Mir: Frank is just so gigantic, and he's got pretty decent speed. Evans still obviously has the speed advantage, but I think if Mir merely breezes by Rashad's chin it could be over. Rashad also doesn't stay tight at times and he can't afford getting tagged by such a big dude. The size and strength advantage here would spell doom for Rashad, even considering that he's fought at heavyweight before. I give him a puncher's chance. Mir, KO, round 1.

Kenny Florian vs. Matt Hughes: Florini is part of the new breed of MMA fighters. Matt is forever-stuck as that ground and pound specialist with a silly striking game. Florian puts on a show in this fight, even after getting taken down a few times. I even think he'll score a submission later in the fight.

Frank Trigg vs. Ken Shamrock: I just puked in my mouth a little. I will actually take Shamrock here. I know it sounds crazy, but 170 pounds? Really? Shammy dives in for a takedown and we get to see what looks like great grandparents having sex. Even the promoter, who specializes in c-ck fighting events, yells to "make it stop." Dan Mirgliotta dives in to stop the fight and misses both fighters. Steve Mazagatti jumps over the cage in what looks to be desperation, only to inexplicably let the fighters keep fighting. Finally Mirgliotta makes it back to the fight after picking up the needles that fell out of his pocket and punches Shamrock in the face. Mirgliotta, KO, round 6.

Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Tyson: I was thinking about a prime Mike when I made this matchup. I'll still go with Hardonk, those kicks would be too much.

Edited July 19, 2010 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[Patrick86L]

One of the best edited if not the best MMA highlight video I have seen. It is based on the book and movie, "A Clockwork Orange".

D1EGoM9LbU4

[Chachie]

One of the best edited if not the best MMA highlight video I have seen. It is based on the book and movie, "A Clockwork Orange".

Good stuff, Patrick.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Damn, I liked that highlight. I'm ashamed to say I've only seen parts of Clockwork, which is ridiculous because I like Stanley Kubrick (see signature). It just hasn't grabbed my attention, seems a little bit silly of a movie. Perhaps dropping acid would help, but I've never done it and don't plan on it. And old friend of mine swore by watching it on mushrooms...but I won't do that either. Am I hijacking the MMA thread?

Edited July 20, 2010 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[#98QBKiller]

Damn, I liked that highlight. I'm ashamed to say I've only seen parts of Clockwork, which is ridiculous because I like Stanley Kubrick (see signature). It just hasn't grabbed my attention, seems a little bit silly of a movie. Perhaps dropping acid would help, but I've never done it and don't plan on it. And old friend of mine swore by watching it on mushrooms...but I won't do that either. Am I hijacking the MMA thread?

Hijacking the thread's ok sometimes. :evilg:

You definitely have to see the movie man. I liked it so much I bought it on DVD.

It looks kind of silly but the movie is chock full of crazy violence. A brutal rape scene, killings, the fastest threesome recorded on film, lots of nudity, etc. And it's kind of a psychological thriller too. Great, great movie. I recommend seeing it almost as much as I recommended Dogfish.

I'd watch it with subtitles on the first time, because they speak in thick British accents and sometimes it's hard to follow the dialogue w/out it. But I guarantee you'll enjoy it.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Hijacking the thread's ok sometimes. :evilg:

You definitely have to see the movie man. I liked it so much I bought it on DVD.

It looks kind of silly but the movie is chock full of crazy violence. A brutal rape scene, killings, the fastest threesome recorded on film, lots of nudity, etc. And it's kind of a psychological thriller too. Great, great movie. I recommend seeing it almost as much as I recommended Dogfish.

I'd watch it with subtitles on the first time, because they speak in thick British accents and sometimes it's hard to follow the dialogue w/out it. But I guarantee you'll enjoy it.

You reminded me of those accents, you're totally right, I'll remember to use subtitles. :logo:

[#98QBKiller]

I really hope this happens. Lol at Rampage's tweet.

http://www.5thround.com/44738/quinton-rampage-jackson-vs-lyoto-machida-coming-this-fall/

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida Coming This Fall

t’s being reported that a light heavyweight scrap between former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida is in the works for a yet-to-be announced UFC event this autumn.

“Almost ready 2 sign the bout agreement! i would tell yall who im gonna get down with,but i cant spell his name,” Jackson Tweeted late Tuesday night.

UFC president Dana White hinted at the possibility of the 205-pound shootout a couple of months back and MMAWeekly.com has since confirmed “The Dragon” was the complicated name Rampage was unable to piece together.

After being humbled by bitter rival Rashad Evans in his last outing at UFC 114, Rampage was quickly put to work at his part-time gig as the hype man for his summer film The A-Team. Now that B.A. Baracus’ international promotional tour is completed, it’s time to get back in the gym to pay some bills.

Machida lost the light heavyweight crown in his last outing at UFC 113 to reigning champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. After suffering the first loss of his professional career, “The Dragon” called upon his old Brazilian buddy Anderson Silva to help him recapture his mojo.

According to the report, this contest is all but a done deal. No word on when and where the former champs will collide, however a November event in Germany appears to be the front-runner to host the blockbuster match-up.

[Sebowski]

I really hope this happens. Lol at Rampage's tweet.

http://www.5thround.com/44738/quinton-rampage-jackson-vs-lyoto-machida-coming-this-fall/

I'd rather see Rampage-Thiago Silva. Not sure Rampage's and Machida's styles will make for as great a fight.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

I'd rather see Rampage-Thiago Silva. Not sure Rampage's and Machida's styles will make for as great a fight.

You gotta take Machida vs. Rampage all day every day over a Thiago fight. For the sake of the sport's growth, if nothing else. That is a hugely-named fight; you just have to take it. The only thing that should hold back Rampage from fighting Machida is the way he's acted in the UFC. I still think he's too big of a name to stifle.

As far as the pure matchup goes, I'd rather see the iron-chinned Rampage go against the stealthy accuracy of Machida. Rampage could very well do what Shogun did and rumble a hook through Machida's defenses with brute force. There's always the question about Rampage's motivation, but that alone won't kill the hype surrounding that fight. Thiago vs. Rampage would be alright, it'd be a rough scrap with bombs being thrown regularly, but I'd rather see Rampage's tenacity and hefty cage experience deal with the chess player approach of Machida. That, along with the significantly larger implications makes that fight much more interesting to me.

Edited July 22, 2010 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[#98QBKiller]

As far as the pure matchup goes, I'd rather see the iron-chinned Rampage go against the stealthy accuracy of Machida. Rampage could very well do what Shogun did and rumble a hook through Machida's defenses with brute force. There's always the question about Rampage's motivation, but that alone won't kill the hype surrounding that fight. Thiago vs. Rampage would be alright, it'd be a rough scrap with bombs being thrown regularly, but I'd rather see Rampage's tenacity and hefty cage experience deal with the chess player approach of Machida. That, along with the significantly larger implications makes that fight much more interesting to me.

Yeah I think that Shogun put out a blueprint for beating Machida. And Rampage has the tools to do it. Basically, if you have a good chin and you go out and get Machida into a points war and then surprise him with a flurry of some bombs you can potentially hurt him. But I think it takes a good chin, a pretty technical striker and some power. All of which Rampage has. And Rampage is more of a western boxer whereas Shogun is purely a Muay Thai guy. I think Rampages hands might be even better.

[StillUnknown]

Yeah I think that Shogun put out a blueprint for beating Machida. And Rampage has the tools to do it. Basically, if you have a good chin and you go out and get Machida into a points war and then surprise him with a flurry of some bombs you can potentially hurt him. But I think it takes a good chin, a pretty technical striker and some power. All of which Rampage has. And Rampage is more of a western boxer whereas Shogun is purely a Muay Thai guy. I think Rampages hands might be even better.

shogun definitely set out a blueprint, but i dont think rampage has the tools to make it work. more than technical approach, i think it requires a varied striking attack to beat machida

shogun was able to get to machida because he was equally dangerous with his punches and kicks. machida doesn't have to worry about that with rampage. when was the last time rampage kicked anybody? i think this is actually an easy fight for machida, although it probably won't be exciting. machida will be significantly faster and should be able to hit and move, keeping him out of range for rampage's bombs.

i cant see rampage, especially at this stage of his career, beating machida

[#98QBKiller]

Actually has Rampage ever kicked anyone? His career compustrike #'s for kicks would probably read 0/1.

[#98QBKiller]

Found these two older articles on Brock....this man is a freakish athlete:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1830855

Nobody questions his tenacity. His strength. His pure athletic ability. A few weeks after his wrestling career came to an end with a Wrestlemania loss to Goldberg, Lesnar ran the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds, a blistering time for a man his size. He has a 10-foot standing broad jump. A 35-inch vertical leap, not to mention the bench and squat numbers. It's the tools of an NFL running back power packed into a gladiator's frame.

:yikes:

4.7 second 40?!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1018452/index.htm

That's because it's hard to get past Lesnar's imposing physique. He's a weight-lifting fanatic and has put on 60 pounds since graduating from Webster (S.Dak.) High in 1996. He can deadlift 720 pounds, squat 695 and bench-press 475, totals that arouse suspicion that he didn't attain such strength naturally. Robinson had Lesnar tested for steroids shortly after he arrived at Minnesota. The results were negative. "I never thought Brock was using steroids," says Robinson. "When people look at him, they make assumptions, and I told Brock that I wanted to eliminate the question before it became an issue. He didn't have a problem with that."

[StillUnknown]

http://mmajunkie.com/news/20018/phil-davis-replaces-injured-stanislav-nedkov-meets-rodney-wallace-at-ufc-117.mma

Highly touted Phil Davis (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has agreed to replace injured Stanislav Nedkov (11-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and now meets Rodney Wallace (9-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) at next month's UFC 117 event.

A source close to one of the competitors today confirmed the change with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Nedkov's representatives could not immediately be reached for comment to determine the nature of the UFC newcomer's injury.

The Times and Democrat (South Carolina) first reported the change. Although not officially announced by the UFC, the Nedkov vs. Wallace matchup has been removed from the event's fight card on UFC.com.

UFC 117 takes place Aug. 7 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., and the night's main card airs on pay-per-view.

Davis, an NCAA Division I national wrestling champ at Penn State, is 2-0 since signing with the UFC and debuting earlier this year. After topping former WEC champ Brian Stann at UFC 109, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt then submitted Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 112 to move to 6-0 overall.

Another win from Davis likely will send his opponent packing from the UFC. Although he entered the UFC with a remarkable 9-0 record, Wallace, a three-time state high-school wrestling champion, since has posted back-to-back decision losses to Stann and Jared Hamman. However, that action-packed and crowd-pleasing fight with Hamann at UFC 111, which all three judges scored 29-28, earned him a $65,000 "Fight of the Night" bonus and earned him a third UFC fight.

Nedkov, a Shooto and World Victory Road/Sengoku vet who recently defeated Kevin Randleman and Travis Wiuff, was scheduled to make his UFC debut at UFC 117.

davis is an oddly formed person

kinda looks like a character somebody made on a videogame

Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill @ UFC 121

Brendan Schaub vs. ManBearPig @ UFC 121

Edited July 22, 2010 by StillUnknown

[#98QBKiller]

Davis should be getting a better fight than Rodney Wallace. He does look weird in that pic, looks like someone shrunk his head.

Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill, that's going to be a boring fight.

Manbearpig will be a good test for Schaub.

[StillUnknown]

Davis should be getting a better fight than Rodney Wallace. He does look weird in that pic, looks like someone shrunk his head.

Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill, that's going to be a boring fight.

Manbearpig will be a good test for Schaub.

i think davis took the fight to stay busy. as good as he might be, he's only had 6 fights so far in his career. the more cage time he gets, the better he'll be at this point, regardless of who may be his opponent

if gonzaga cant beat schaub, he probably gets released

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

shogun definitely set out a blueprint, but i dont think rampage has the tools to make it work. more than technical approach, i think it requires a varied striking attack to beat machida

shogun was able to get to machida because he was equally dangerous with his punches and kicks. machida doesn't have to worry about that with rampage. when was the last time rampage kicked anybody? i think this is actually an easy fight for machida, although it probably won't be exciting. machida will be significantly faster and should be able to hit and move, keeping him out of range for rampage's bombs.

i cant see rampage, especially at this stage of his career, beating machida

I can easily see a situation where Rampage knocks Machida out. That doesn't mean I can't see Machida winning easily. It's cliche now to mention this sport is so hard to predict. Look at our Lil' Nog/Brilz predictions, SU. Mine was, "Lil Nog"...every other prediction I made that night was like 100 words long. You said something like, "Poor Jason Brilz." Welllll...Lil Nog won But that doesn't take away the fact that we all think he lost. You get what I'm saying.

What Rampage lacks in versatility I think he certainly makes up with experience. Experience is such an underrated attribute. His instinct and survivability is amazing. The way he waded in to Hendo's game and didn't get dazed still baffles me. The way he got popped by Rashad and recovered so quickly is scary. What he lacks in speed and range he makes up for with his immense toughness. If Machida finished Rampage I'd seriously be stunned. Not shocked, but I'm certainly not expecting that outcome. I think either a decision for Machida or Rampage finds the launch codes. I think I might even pick Rampage to win if he's looking, acting and sounding motivated for this fight.

Edited July 22, 2010 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[Chachie]

What Rampage lacks in versatility I think he certainly makes up with experience. Experience is such an underrated attribute. His instinct and survivability is amazing. The way he waded in to Hendo's game and didn't get dazed still baffles me. The way he got popped by Rashad and recovered so quickly is scary. What he lacks in speed and range he makes up for with his immense toughness. If Machida finished Rampage I'd seriously be stunned. Not shocked, but I'm certainly not expecting that outcome. I think either a decision for Machida or Rampage finds the launch codes. I think I might even pick Rampage to win if he's looking, acting and sounding motivated for this fight.

I'm picking Lyoto at this early stage. Machida's defense is amaaaazing and he won't get in a trade with Jackson, but- if he thinks Rua hits hard he better darn sight not let Rampage clip his chin.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Chachie

[Sebowski]

shogun definitely set out a blueprint, but i dont think rampage has the tools to make it work. more than technical approach, i think it requires a varied striking attack to beat machida

shogun was able to get to machida because he was equally dangerous with his punches and kicks. machida doesn't have to worry about that with rampage. when was the last time rampage kicked anybody? i think this is actually an easy fight for machida, although it probably won't be exciting. machida will be significantly faster and should be able to hit and move, keeping him out of range for rampage's bombs.

i cant see rampage, especially at this stage of his career, beating machida

That's how I see it. Easy/non-exciting decision for Machida. That is one reason why I wanted to see Thiago Silva-Rampage. Those two would be a hell of a fight. Also it would leave some confusion in the rankings which I think can be a good thing. Especially with Shogun on the shelf recovering. I don;t know that is that exciting to have the winner of Rampage-Machida be waiting for the winner of Rashad-Shogun. I'd rather see them mix the conteders up a little. I don't think Thiago should have fallen as far down as it looks like he has. Lil' Nog, Ryan Bader, and Jon Jones (if he gets past Janitor) can all be mixed in with the top contenders, and then when we see how long it will take for the winner of Shogun-Rashad to be able to defend their title we can see who has had the best run to that point. Instead we are going to be stuck with fighters waiting around for "their shot". Fighters who have already had their shot. Better to just keep everyone more active and mix things up, imo.

But it is a hell of fight between the #3 and #4 contenders that if we waited for we may never get, so I am looking forward to it.

Machida by UD

[Chachie]

James Toney is rumored to be scaring fighters with his ground game...

http://espn.go.com/extra/mma/blog/_/name/mma

The more that comes out of James Toney's training camp, the more I feel like I'm being victimized by some kind of elaborate, subversive PR stunt -- one in which Toney is morphing into an actual threat in a mixed-style fighting ring.

There were the reports that Muhammed Lawal was tapped by Toney in a guillotine. Now there's noise from Dean Lister that Toney "almost submitted" him in training.

"We were going over a few things, and I passed his guard and I got a mount, and he turned and like grabbed my foot," Lister told FightHype.com. "I'm lucky he didn't break it … I had to roll out of it."

Lister, incidentally, is not just a body but an Abu Dhabi Absolute champion as well as a multiple-time jiu-jitsu tournament winner. One imagines he is not prone to getting caught by foot locks while in mount.

So what's Toney's deal? He's obviously preparing for some kind of ground scramble, though grabbing a foot doesn't sound like the apex of grappling prowess. I remain confident Randy Couture will tie him in knots, though Toney winning by KO or by heel hook would probably cause seizures in certain members of the audience. When has a fighter with such a small chance of winning driven this much interest? He must be a Dan Hardy fan.

[StillUnknown]

toney submitting couture would easily be one of the worst things that could happen to mma

[Chachie]

toney submitting couture would easily be one of the worst things that could happen to mma

Dana pass out and soil himself.