Anything MMA, except thumb wrestling

[StillUnknown]

slick triangle choke by Ryan Larson.

that was a fun match to watch

[NoCalMike]

Oh and Fedor, he also beat Arlovsky & Sylvia when they weren't very far removed from being UFC HW champions. Now you can argue, "sure but they were not up to par with the current crop" but that doesn't really matter since they were the best there was to offer Fedor at the time.

If you look at Fedor in his prime, he was head and shoulder above the competition. The sports of MMA is still in the evolution faze. In the next 5-10 years we are going to start seeing MMA fighters that were training to be MMA fighters since being teenagers, (or perhaps in some cases even before then) Right now most fighters come from a specific background and then try and pick up the rest once they decide to go pro. Fedor is from that era. Judging Fedor based on a couple of losses that are coming at the end of his career would be the same as saying Couture is an average fighter because he pretty much trades a win for a loss nowadays. Lots of fighters keep fighting too long an it does damage to their legacy because a lot of fans have a short-sighted view of things.

A fighter should be judged for what he did in the prime of his career against the best competition out there. When Fedor was in his prime, there wasn't a Cain or a Lesnar, or Bigfoot, or Carwin, Dos Santos etc etc....There was a Nog, a CroCop, a Sylvia, a Arlovsky, Coleman, Choi, Eastman etc etc tec....and those were the best opponents at the time, Fedor didn't duck any of them, he obliterated them. If that first set of fighters would have been around and in their primes in 2005 and Fedor managed to not fight any of them, then you could make an argument that he was being protected, but there is no way you can tell me that in Fedor's prime he was being held back from fighting anybody.

Fedor and hell even Big Nog, remind me of the lightweight boxers. They aren't necessarily "old" by human standards, but they have just been through too many wars. Their bodies have taken brutal assaults over and over again, even in matches they have won. It takes it's toll and eventually catches up. It's fair to say neither one will ever be champion again, but both have "money" fights ahead, if they choose to take them. Hell I'd still love to see Fedor vs. Couture just as a "the fight you wanted to see years ago" billing. Do I think either should be sniffing a title shot as a result? No.

When fighters lose "it" It's gone, and it aint coming back. It isn't their fault and too many monday morning qb's try to use it as an excuse to bash and mock.

Heavyweight division is not what it used to be. You never used to see guys that topped 255lbs have much skill at all. Times have changed. You have Lesnar who can wrestle, Cain who can wrestle, Carwin who can wrestle, Bigfoot who has legit BJJ skills, Overeem who is legit kickboxer etc etc....It is no surprise that Fedor in 2011 is going to have trouble with guys that much bigger than him who actually have skill.

I don't look at that as a knock on Fedor, I look at that as the natural evolution and progression of the sport of MMA as a whole. It's a good thing.

I just wish people didn't have to be so either/or about Fedor's career/legacy. You are allowed to think he is a Top 5 GOAT fighter, yet also believe he is done as an elite fighter. Both can be true.

Edited February 19, 2011 by NoCalMike

[Patrick86L]

Strikeforce Challengers 14 – Teh Gifs

[#98QBKiller]

That Strikeforce card was very entertaining for a lower-tier card. Awesome triangle finish, violent anaconda chokeout, Ryan Couture looked very good for someone who has only been training for five years. And I wanted Beerbohm to win, but at least his fight was exciting. Good stuff.

[ZoEd]

Oh and Fedor, he also beat Arlovsky & Sylvia when they weren't very far removed from being UFC HW champions. Now you can argue, "sure but they were not up to par with the current crop" but that doesn't really matter since they were the best there was to offer Fedor at the time.

If you look at Fedor in his prime, he was head and shoulder above the competition. The sports of MMA is still in the evolution faze. In the next 5-10 years we are going to start seeing MMA fighters that were training to be MMA fighters since being teenagers, (or perhaps in some cases even before then) Right now most fighters come from a specific background and then try and pick up the rest once they decide to go pro. Fedor is from that era. Judging Fedor based on a couple of losses that are coming at the end of his career would be the same as saying Couture is an average fighter because he pretty much trades a win for a loss nowadays. Lots of fighters keep fighting too long an it does damage to their legacy because a lot of fans have a short-sighted view of things.

A fighter should be judged for what he did in the prime of his career against the best competition out there. When Fedor was in his prime, there wasn't a Cain or a Lesnar, or Bigfoot, or Carwin, Dos Santos etc etc....There was a Nog, a CroCop, a Sylvia, a Arlovsky, Coleman, Choi, Eastman etc etc tec....and those were the best opponents at the time, Fedor didn't duck any of them, he obliterated them. If that first set of fighters would have been around and in their primes in 2005 and Fedor managed to not fight any of them, then you could make an argument that he was being protected, but there is no way you can tell me that in Fedor's prime he was being held back from fighting anybody.

Fedor and hell even Big Nog, remind me of the lightweight boxers. They aren't necessarily "old" by human standards, but they have just been through too many wars. Their bodies have taken brutal assaults over and over again, even in matches they have won. It takes it's toll and eventually catches up. It's fair to say neither one will ever be champion again, but both have "money" fights ahead, if they choose to take them. Hell I'd still love to see Fedor vs. Couture just as a "the fight you wanted to see years ago" billing. Do I think either should be sniffing a title shot as a result? No.

When fighters lose "it" It's gone, and it aint coming back. It isn't their fault and too many monday morning qb's try to use it as an excuse to bash and mock.

Heavyweight division is not what it used to be. You never used to see guys that topped 255lbs have much skill at all. Times have changed. You have Lesnar who can wrestle, Cain who can wrestle, Carwin who can wrestle, Bigfoot who has legit BJJ skills, Overeem who is legit kickboxer etc etc....It is no surprise that Fedor in 2011 is going to have trouble with guys that much bigger than him who actually have skill.

I don't look at that as a knock on Fedor, I look at that as the natural evolution and progression of the sport of MMA as a whole. It's a good thing.

I just wish people didn't have to be so either/or about Fedor's career/legacy. You are allowed to think he is a Top 5 GOAT fighter, yet also believe he is done as an elite fighter. Both can be true.

Best post in this thread in a very long time...it irritates me the way people want to hate on someone because they're not in the UFC or one of their favorite fighters. Take a step back, remove the Dana White issued glasses and look at the fighters career and his accomplishments. No figther in the UFC has been as feared or respected as Fedor, none! Look how revered he is by his peers, Big Foot, Werdum, Overeem, Fedor is a God in their eyes. How the **** is someone sitting on their couch going to say Fedor isn't legit when pro fighters think he's arguably the best ever?

I hate Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin but I will never say they sucked or that they didn't have legit skills based on the talent in the NFL today. It's an asinine arguement.

[Chachie]

Oh and Fedor,...

Perfect point of view IMO.

[#98QBKiller]

I hate Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin but I will never say they sucked or that they didn't have legit skills based on the talent in the NFL today. It's an asinine arguement.

Good post by NoCalMike. And I agree with it wholeheartedly.

This is a good quote too ZoEd. I hate all of those players too but I'd never pretend like they sucked because of my opinion on the team they play for. Same for MMA. I'm a known Fedor nut-hugger, but I try to keep my homerism in perspective. He's aging. It happens to all athletes and at this point, (and it's painful to say) I'd rather see him go out sooner than later before he tarnishes his legacy. Regardless of how much Fedor has regressed though, it doesn't erase a decade of dominance in the sport. Especially when he was in his prime and beating everyone, the HW division to be in was in Pride, not the UFC.

There are plenty of fighters I dislike, but I'm not going to belittle their strengths or accomplishments and pretend like they aren't talented in areas that they are actually talented in. It's important to keep perspective in sports. Just because you aren't a fan of an athlete or team, doesn't mean that you can't acknowledge what they have accomplished and IMO, that's the underlying theme here.

I respect Dana White but I don't like his ****ty attitude towards accomplished athletes outside of the UFC. Let's stop the fiction Dana and start showing some respect.

Edited February 19, 2011 by #98QBKiller

[StillUnknown]

I respect Dana White but I don't like his ****ty attitude towards accomplished athletes outside of the UFC. Let's stop the fiction Dana and start showing some respect.

this is my biggest issue with Dana White. he is largely responsible for building the UFC as far as its come, but that also gives him the ability to essentially rewrite history to fit his interests. Its one thing to not acknowledge other fighters, but when you start rewrite their history within the sport because you have a large audience who'll eat it up, it crosses a line

obviously its not just Fedor. when the UFC did their coutndown of the 100 greatest fights on spike tv, Frank Shamrocks match with Tito didnt make the list. Unless he makes up with Dana, Frank will probably never be in the UFC's hall of fame even though he more than deserves to be there

dana has made his priority of growing the UFC by any means necessary quite clear, but it would be nice if he managed to not disrespect the history of sport along the way

[StillUnknown]

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Ortiz-Injured-Davis-In-to-Face-Nogueira-30282

An injury has sidelined Tito Ortiz from his bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 24.

Ortiz will be replaced by undefeated light heavyweight contender Phil Davis of Alliance MMA. UFC President Dana White announced the injury and Davis’ substitution on his verified Twitter account Saturday afternoon.

“Tito has pulled out of fight night due to getting stitches,” stated a post on White’s Twitter account. “8-0 Phil Davis will be fighting Lil Nog now and is pumped for this fight!”

Davis, hailing from Harrisburg, Penn., is 4-0 in the UFC. The former Penn State University standout wrestler last saw action in an impressive submission of Tim Boetsch in November 2010.

Nogueira (19-4), the twin brother of MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, is coming off a tough loss to prospect Ryan Bader at UFC 119.

UFC Fight Night 24 will go down March 26 at the Key Arena in Seattle, and will likely be headlined by the Nogueira-Davis tilt.

great fight

Edited February 19, 2011 by StillUnknown

[#98QBKiller]

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Ortiz-Injured-Davis-In-to-Face-Nogueira-30282

great fight

That was already a great free card anyway. I'd rather see Davis vs. Lil Nog too. I think the UFC should start focusing more on up & comers and promoting them higher on main cards, this is a good chance to do that.

BTW, Phil Davis's Wiki says he's a brown belt in BJJ, but he was competing as a blue belt in no-gi divisions as recently as 2009...anyone know what belt he's really at right now?

[Sebowski]

Another good one. Keastman may not want to watch this one.

UFC 130: Thiago Alves vs Rick Story official for May 28 in Las Vegas

Bear_down_tiny by Geno Mrosko on Feb 19, 2011 5:22 PM EST

* 9 comments

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Thiago-alves_medium_medium_mediumRick-story-300x200_medium

Sometimes in life, you get exactly what you ask for.

Rick Story called out Thiago Alves and the UFC has obliged him, as the two are all set to square off at the annual Memorial Day weekend event on May 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The promotion made the bout official earlier today.

Alves is working his way back up the ranks after dropping back-to-back fights to Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and perennial contender Jon Fitch.

On top of those losses, the bulky brawler has also been plagued with weight issues, to the point of company President Dana White nearly forcing a move up to middleweight before ultimately deciding to give him one more chance to prove that he could cut the necessary weight to make 170-pounds.

One "Dolce Diet" later and "The Pitbull" had the bite to go along with the bark.

Star-divide

Alves destroyed John Howard at UFC 124, showing his vaunted Muay Thai skills to go along with his new (and much deeper) gas tank. After the fight, he asked for a match-up with Jake Shields but the Strikeforce castaway is next up to challenge for the title so the Brazilian wrecking machine was left to search elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Rick Story has quietly amassed a five-fight winning streak after dropping his Octagon debut at UFC 99 to John Hathaway. The wrestling standout feels he deserves a big jump up in competition and Alves certainly represents just that.

Will it turn out to be a "Horror-ible" mistake?

UFC 130 is all set to go down at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be headlined by the third and final fight between Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and the only man to ever defeat him, Gray Maynard.

Stay tuned to MMAMania.com for any updates as they become available.

---------- Post added February-19th-2011 at 03:36 PM ----------

Oh and Fedor, he also beat Arlovsky & Sylvia when they weren't very far removed from being UFC HW champions. Now you can argue, "sure but they were not up to par with the current crop" but that doesn't really matter since they were the best there was to offer Fedor at the time.

If you look at Fedor in his prime, he was head and shoulder above the competition. The sports of MMA is still in the evolution faze. In the next 5-10 years we are going to start seeing MMA fighters that were training to be MMA fighters since being teenagers, (or perhaps in some cases even before then) Right now most fighters come from a specific background and then try and pick up the rest once they decide to go pro. Fedor is from that era. Judging Fedor based on a couple of losses that are coming at the end of his career would be the same as saying Couture is an average fighter because he pretty much trades a win for a loss nowadays. Lots of fighters keep fighting too long an it does damage to their legacy because a lot of fans have a short-sighted view of things.

A fighter should be judged for what he did in the prime of his career against the best competition out there. When Fedor was in his prime, there wasn't a Cain or a Lesnar, or Bigfoot, or Carwin, Dos Santos etc etc....There was a Nog, a CroCop, a Sylvia, a Arlovsky, Coleman, Choi, Eastman etc etc tec....and those were the best opponents at the time, Fedor didn't duck any of them, he obliterated them. If that first set of fighters would have been around and in their primes in 2005 and Fedor managed to not fight any of them, then you could make an argument that he was being protected, but there is no way you can tell me that in Fedor's prime he was being held back from fighting anybody.

.

Yeah. That is what I was trying to say with this

Dana is being a douche with his twitter, but it is pretty funny. He has gotten so much shot from the Fedor fans that he has the right to rub it in a little. It isn't the right thing to do, but I don't blame him too much. He can trash Fedor's recent fights all he wants. It will never take away from the fact that during his awesome run the UFC's heavyweight champs were Tim Sylvia and Arlovski.

I'll add that I am not in the camp that thinks Fedor is done. He made a mistkae against Werdum and got beat be a beast of a Super Heavyweight. I'll still bet on him over 90% of the heavyweights out there, and all of 205ers if he dropped his body fat.

Edited February 19, 2011 by Sebowski

[#98QBKiller]

Another good one. Keastman may not want to watch this one.

True, but I think this will be a great fight. Story's wrestling skills could allow him to take down Alves and grind out a decision similar to what GSP and Fitch did to him (although GSP and Fitch are the two best WWs in the world right now IMO), but Alves striking is just nasty. Can't wait to see this. The entire card is good from top to bottom so far.

[NoCalMike]

Fedor being done or not, to me depends on his willingness to adapt his training. It was said on MMA Live and Inside MMA, when he was preparing for the CroCop fight back in the day, he actually changed up his training and went to holland to train with people who actually could help him train specifically for CroCop. It wasn't his usual, "Sambo is superior fighting system, it is all that I need" style of training.

Franklin McNeil(I think that is his name) on MMA Live made the best point. Now that Fedor has taken a legit that there can be no excuse for, it wasn't a "I made a mistake and got subbed" type of fight. It was a legit pounding. Now it has become painfully obvious Fedor must adapt and evolve his training if he plans to continue fighting.

I think Fedor's next fight (as long as it is against top competition) will be the real indication of whether he is still in this thing or not.

[Chachie]

Franklin McNeil(I think that is his name) on MMA Live made the best point. Now that Fedor has taken a legit that there can be no excuse for, it wasn't a "I made a mistake and got subbed" type of fight. It was a legit pounding. Now it has become painfully obvious Fedor must adapt and evolve his training if he plans to continue fighting.

It was indeed a legit pounding. I am still in awe of the way Fedor fought in the 1st round. It was apparent right away that the size, speed and accuracy of Bigfoot was leaps ahead of what we'd seen from him previously and I started doubting Emilianenko's chances very early in the first. What amazed me was him taking huge shots from a bear-sized right hand and staying on his feet, only to return fire with some sweet power combos.

I think it's also important to include his Arlovski and Brett Rogers fights when analyzing Fedor's "decline." In both cases he had to end it with big overhand rights that were almost desperation attempts. Andrei was tattooing him severely before he lost his mind and went for the flying knee. Brett had just broken his nose and was keeping him pinned to the cage. He won those fights in grand fashion but was losing both until he dropped a nuke. Then the Werdum mistake. The sport may have truly evolved beyond him at this point.

Your point about him adapting is a good one but I think that adaptation should include a drop in weight. 205 should be his new home and he should move to the UFC.

[Dr. Do Itch Big]

Disagree I think he was winning round 1 against Rodgers.

---------- Post added February-20th-2011 at 12:35 PM ----------

Also, if he moves to 205 I believe he should stay at strikeforce, they severely need lhw and the ones in strikeforce would be a good test cause if he can still compete at a high level.

[#98QBKiller]

Lol:

[styx491]

Those two are cute together.

[Chachie]

What the F?

[Sebowski]

Shields and who? looks familiar.

Wasn't Shields going out with a hottie recently? Out of context hilarity?

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Good summary on Fedor from Frank Shamrock and Bas

dQJDfTmaaP0

[Chachie]

Good stuff, Stroke.

[#98QBKiller]

Not sure about the Shields pics, found them on another forum but no one seems to know the real story behind them. Apparently, he has a daughter and people say he's married so who knows. Not sure who the other guy is either, he looks a little familiar but I can't figure out who he is.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Anybody taking BJ this weekend? I personally anticipate Fitch neutralizing him on the ground like he does to pretty much all of his opponents. Can he take & keep BJ down is the question. He's not going to set up takedowns as well as Edgar or GSP, but the strength advantage is clear. Will BJ's miraculous takedown defense reappear? If he lands on his back, how long will it take to escape? Can he work some offensive BJJ against such a ridiculously-tuned ground controller who is 10 to 20 lbs heavier come fight time? All signs point to this fight being decided by BJ's ability to avoid the lay & pray.

Edited February 21, 2011 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[StillUnknown]

the balance must be restored to this thread:

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Once again, I agree with SU