Anything MMA, except thumb wrestling

[StillUnknown]

in response to the Kongo/Jordan fight:

[#98QBKiller]

Sounds like I picked a good night to miss a card. I haven't seen any of the fights yet, I just read the play-by-plays and they sounded super boring.

I think there are simply too many events these days. Fighters have a trouble staying healthy and we end up with cards like this. I'm happy with the way the sport has grown but we may be seeing the side effects of such rapid success.

This is definitely true. It's just another reason to bring the Strikeforce guys (and girls) over to the UFC. It would help deepen the divisions and strengthen PPV cards.

[artmonkforHOF]

I'm not too good at this sort of thing but I'll take a stab at it, what do you guys think:

Lombard/Cung Le

Belcher/Boetsch

Palhares/Munoz

Sonnen/Belfort

Bisping/Stann

Anderson/Weidman

Palhares is fighting Yushin Okami at 150,I think winner of Stann Bisping should fight wiedman for # 1 contender, Chris needs a big PPV fight before a title shot, all others I like which leaves Munoz free to fight. Maybe pair him with cung le/belfort in Macau in November,or let Lombard fight Belfort or drop down to 155 or less (easy, cut off one pectoral and one lat) and let Chael fight Wandy Silva.

I think now you have a top 3 (2 really) in Chris, Bisping/Stann, then the next tier is Belcher & boestch, Chael, Yushin & Belfort are there too, but no one wants to see those guys fight Anderson, maybe Vitor if he gets 2 big wins. Rounding out the list are Palhares, Munoz and Lombard for now IMO

I think all is on hold until the New Year as I'm pretty sure Dana is going to push hard for Anderson/Jon Jones at Jerrah's wonderpalace in God Forsaken Dallas. Lombards horrible showing really threw a wrench into the mix, and Silva Sonnen 2 only doing 1 million PPV buys really hurt the next 3 guys inline unless they can string together 2 impressive wins.

Edited July 23, 2012 by artmonkforHOF
Okami as Palhares opponent @ 150

[Sebowski]

I'm not too good at this sort of thing but I'll take a stab at it, what do you guys think:

Lombard/Cung Le

Belcher/Boetsch

Palhares/Munoz

Sonnen/Belfort

Bisping/Stann

Anderson/Weidman

UFC typically likes to match up winners vs. winners and losers vs. losers. That said, How about:

Lombard/Wandy

Franklin/Clung Le

Belcher/Weidman

Boestch/Munoz

Sonnen/Belfort

Bisping/Stann -already booked

Palhares/Okami -already booked

Give the winner of Belcher/Weidman Anderson. Bisping and Stann have both lost too recently to get a title shot so quick. Especially compared to the streak the winner of a Weidman/Blecher matchup would be on.

[Forehead]

I thought Matt Riddle was actively trying to finish here and there, and his opponent was swinging for the fences. That was about it though. I used to feel slightly guilty about streaming the fights online rather than paying, but garbage cards like this make me reconsider.

[#98QBKiller]

I was just reading through some RG3 articles on the Post website and came across this pic:

It's Chuck in a Bryce Harper jersey hanging out with Tyler Clippard...apparently Chuck threw the first pitch out in a game back in May, I had never even heard of this.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

I want to ****, I want to fight, wif Chuck.

**** Chuck.

[StillUnknown]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/mma/story/2012-07-25/Mir-moves-to-Strikeforce-for-now/56492782/1?csp=34sports&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=usa+today+sports

USA TODAY Sports confirmed with UFC and Strikeforce officials that Mir has agreed to meet Strikeforce grand prix winner and former two-time Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier (10-0 MMA, 7-0 SF) in the co-main event of September's Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy fight card, on Sept. 29 at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, and airs on Showtime.

RIP Frank Mir

On another note, why does Cormier get a quality opponent in Mir while Melendez is stuck facing a guy most people have never heard of? If they're bringing a fighter from the UFC over for Cormier, they should be able to find a some lightweight on their roster thats better than Healy. Someone like Anthony Pettis maybe

Edited July 26, 2012 by StillUnknown

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Dang, I read RIP Frank Mir and gasped

No, but really, RIP Frank Mir.

[method man]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/mma/story/2012-07-25/Mir-moves-to-Strikeforce-for-now/56492782/1?csp=34sports&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=usa+today+sports

RIP Frank Mir

On another note, why does Cormier get a quality opponent in Mir while Melendez is stuck facing a guy most people have never heard of? If they're bringing a fighter from the UFC over for Cormier, they should be able to find a some lightweight on their roster thats better than Healy. Someone like Anthony Pettis maybe

It's because Cormier is coming to the UFC after this fight. A win over Mir = immediate #1 contender for the HW title, granted JDS retains vs. Cain. Otherwise, Cormier is going to have to find a way to cut to LHW to fight for a title.

If Gil beats Pat, no one is left for him in SF.

---------- Post added July-25th-2012 at 11:07 PM ----------

One possible option I can think of is Eddie Alvarez, who will fight his last fight for Bellator in October. I hope Zuffa can sign him to such a contract that he gets a non-title shot against Melendez (I don't think Eddie would want to get stuck in Strikeforce) and then they can move him over to the UFC.

If I were Eddie, if I were to go to the UFC, I'd go to the FW division given how crowded the LW division is. If I were to beat Gil, I'd want to be promised a title shot vs. the KZ/Aldo (who will beat Koch) winner in exchange for doing the UFC this favor.

Edited July 26, 2012 by method man

[#98QBKiller]

It really is a crime that Melendez hasn't been moved to the UFC already.

---------- Post added July-25th-2012 at 11:21 PM ----------

btw, more bad injury news

http://www.fightersonlymag.com/content/news/16830-palhares-has-knee-injury-may-require-surgery

Palhares has knee injury, may require surgery

Rousimar Palhares is out of his fight with Yushin Okami after suffering an injury in training.

The Brazilian middleweight suffered damage to his knee and will be sidelined for some time, his coach Murilo Bustamante told Fighters Only today.

He may even require surgery to fix the damage, which is likely to be ligament-related.

“He got an injury in his knee during the camp. Bad luck. He is out of action for while. After next two weeks we will know for sure if he'll need a surgery,” Bustamante said.

Palhares is coming off a loss to Alan Belcher in May. The first-round TKO finish was an upset as Palhares had been on a three-fight winning run going into the bout and was the favourite to win by way of one of his trademark leglocks.

Prior to the fight, Belcher told everyone that he was more than willing to match jiu jitsu skills with Palhares. He did, and got the better of him, before putting him on his back and finishing him with elbows and punches.

Okami is coming off back-to-back losses, having been stopped by Anderson Silva at UFC 134 and then stopped again at UFC 144 when Tim Boetsch managed a come-from-behind rally to take him out in the third round.

Now Okami is set to face the unknown Buddy Roberts at UFC 150. Roberts won his UFC debut last month with a unanimous decision over fellow debutant Caio Magalhaes, but it was a fairly lacklustre affair and certainly didn’t drive Roberts’ name home to the fans.

UFC 150 takes place August 11 in Denver, Colorado and will be headlined by a lightweight title rematch between Ben Henderson and former champion Frankie Edgar, who lost the title to Henderson by decision at UFC 144.

[StillUnknown]

For every 5 knees Paul Harris claims, he must suffer one knee injury of his own. It keeps the universe in balance.

[styx491]

Popsci: How science is transforming the sport of MMA fighting (Greg Jackson focus)

Greg Jackson, the single most successful trainer in the multi-billion-dollar sport of professional mixed martial arts fighting, works out of a musty old gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico, not far from the base of the Sandia Mountains. On a recent morning, the 38-year-old Jackson, who has the cauliflowered ears and bulbous nose of a career fighter, watched two of his students square off inside the chain-link walls of a blood-splattered ring called the Octagon.

One of them was Jon Jones, the light heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the premier MMA league. In four weeks, Jones would be defending his title against Rashad Evans, an expert fighter and his former training partner. To prepare him, Jackson had set up a sparring session with Shawn “The Savage” Jordan, a heavyset fighter from Baton Rouge.

Jones and Jordan met in the middle of the ring. Jordan threw first. Jones backpedaled and protected his face with his forearms.

“Look for that space, Jones!” Jackson hollered. “You. Do. Not let him close those angles on you.” Jordan threw a flurry of blows. To me, the exchange appeared disorganized, nonsensical—a blur of flesh, sinew and the red flash of Jordan’s mouth guard.

To Jackson, it was a logical sequence, one with only one possible effective response. “Jones,” he said, “move inside.” The fighter seemed to hesitate. If he moved within range of Jordan’s fists, he risked catching a glove square in the face.

“Go on,” Jackson said.

Jones ducked under one fist and whipped his right leg out in a short arc. The kick missed. Jordan threw again. This time Jones dropped down, flicked his head to the side, and, leaping off one foot, launched a flying jab followed by a knee to Jordan’s midsection, which landed with a wet whoompf. Jordan groaned and crumpled onto the mat.

“Goddamn, Jones!” Jackson yelled. “Exactly correct.”

Producing a notepad from his back pocket, Jackson sketched a spiderweb of circles and lines. It was a game tree, he explained—a graph game theorists use to analyze a sequence of decisions. In a traditional game tree, each circle, or node, represents the point at which a decision can be made. Each line, or edge, represents the decision itself. Game trees eventually end in a terminal node—either a tie or a win for one of the players. This game tree, Jackson told me, showed the exchange between Jones and Jordan from Jones’s perspective.

Click for more.

Very interesting read.

[FanboyOf91]

Game theory? In MMA?

[artmonkforHOF]

Nice read on Jackson, seems like a very logical & analytical thinker, and the style some of his fighters employ in some fights make a little more sense now. It's plotting a smart fight plan by using quantitative analysis as oppose tu gut feel, like how more educated fans could guess Guida was not going to stand & bang close to Gray since that fan knows Gray has the advantage in that situation.

On another front, Nick Diaz's press secretary Cesar Gracie said Nick wants to fight Anderson Silva, at 185 if Silva doesn't want to do a catchweight. I won't post a link since it's purely fantasy right now, he is out until February 4, & super bowl Sunday is the 3rd so he won't make the SB Saturday night event, the one place rumored to host Anderson's next fight if he doesn't take something by the end of the year. Good to hear he wants to again, even if it cant happen for a year (barring an appeal Nick thinks he can win but won't).

Edited July 28, 2012 by artmonkforHOF
Real bad spelling

[StillUnknown]

Nice read on Jackson, seems like a very logical & analytical thinker, and the style some of his fighters employ in some fights make a little more sense now. It's plotting a smart fight plan by using quantitative analysis as oppose tu gut feel, like how more educated fans could guess Guida was not going to stand & bang close to Gray since that fan knows Gray has the advantage in that situation.

On another front, Nick Diaz's press secretary Cesar Gracie said Nick wants to fight Anderson Silva, at 185 if Silva doesn't want to do a catchweight. I won't post a link since it's purely fantasy right now, he is out until February 4, & super bowl Sunday is the 3rd so he won't make the SB Saturday night event, the one place rumored to host Anderson's next fight if he doesn't take something by the end of the year. Good to hear he wants to again, even if it cant happen for a year (barring an appeal Nick thinks he can win but won't).

Even if Nick wasn't still suspended, there's a line at 185 that Nick shouldn't be able to jump.

[lovetoaster]

Even if Nick wasn't still suspended, there's a line at 185 that Nick shouldn't be able to jump.

Yeah, no kidding. Diaz is a great fighter, but I don't think the UFC is going to be doing him any favors any time soon. He is not in a position where he should expect special treatment.

[StillUnknown]

Dana said the winner of Shogun vs. Vera is getting the next title shot at 205

:wtf:

Edited July 30, 2012 by StillUnknown

[lovetoaster]

Dana said the winner of Shogun vs. Vera is getting the next title shot at 205

:wtf:

I refuse to accept that as fact. That just simply cannot be possible. Hopefully just trying to drum viewership up for the Fox card.

[StillUnknown]

I refuse to accept that as fact. That just simply cannot be possible. Hopefully just trying to drum viewership up for the Fox card.

Maybe the UFC thinks it can put together a Bones/Anderson super fight or Bones moving to HW so the Shogun/Vera winner will fight somebody else for a vacated title.

Bones vs. Shogun or Vera is not a fight that you can sell.

[lovetoaster]

Maybe the UFC thinks it can put together a Bones/Anderson super fight or Bones moving to HW so the Shogun/Vera winner will fight somebody else for a vacated title.

Bones vs. Shogun or Vera is not a fight that you can sell.

I guess that is about as rational an explanation that can be presented. But Bones does have one fight left before anything like that is considered. I know Hendo is the underdog but the looping right is always a threat.

Regardless, the division is not as deep as it used to be. Well, maybe it is and Bones has just cleaned it out. You would think that Gustafsson would get a shot before Shogun or Vera would. I don't think he is ready for that, but it may be better than setting up a fight that not many people want to see again right now (Shogun) or one that nobody wants to see right now (Vera).

[artmonkforHOF]

Dana said the winner of Shogun vs. Vera is getting the next title shot at 205

:wtf:

WTF!?!?!

does anyone really want to see Bones Vera II? how do you even show Vera highlights from that fight? he got destroyed from the opening bell. Do you put this on to see if Bones can finish him in less than 1/2 of a round? I think pulling Matt Hammil out of retirement for a rematch would be more compelling, at least you could sell the idea of Bones getting redemption for his one "loss".

Maybe Jones Rua II could sell easier, but this seems like a Silva Franklin II fight for me, it might last longer, but Rua will just get the crap kicked out of him worse than he did the first time. Maybe it would sell, you could say Rua only had 1 month to prepare for Jones, but Jones only had a month as well (what will he do to him with a full camp and knowledge from the first fight?).

Jones is doing to the LH division what Anderson has done to MW, make a bunch of great fighters look like crap, and people think the division is "thin" or "weak". No it's not, but by comparision the rest of the top 10 look weak compared to a dominate Jones, especailly since he beat half of them quite handily.

[lovetoaster]

What the world needs now is:

[StillUnknown]

Jones is doing to the LH division what Anderson has done to MW, make a bunch of great fighters look like crap, and people think the division is "thin" or "weak". No it's not, but by comparision the rest of the top 10 look weak compared to a dominate Jones, especailly since he beat half of them quite handily.

Just to add, Bones has destroyed all 4 fighters in the Main & Co-Main Event of Saturday's FOX card.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

What the world needs now is:

Dan Henderson

If Hendo beats Jonathan I'm going to react like the comeback in 2005 against the Cowhumpers.

does anyone really want to see Bones Vera II? how do you even show Vera highlights from that fight? he got destroyed from the opening bell. Do you put this on to see if Bones can finish him in less than 1/2 of a round? I think pulling Matt Hammil out of retirement for a rematch would be more compelling, at least you could sell the idea of Bones getting redemption for his one "loss".

I agree about Vera, but disagree about Hamill. Hamill was well on the down slope when he retired, not even close to title contention. This isn't an Okami/Silva 1 situation, because Okami stayed relevant to the title picture for years after that fight -- he earned a shot at Anderson regardless of the result of the first fight. Giving Hamill a shot would perhaps be the biggest freebee in UFC title shot history.

Maybe Jones Rua II could sell easier, but this seems like a Silva Franklin II fight for me, it might last longer, but Rua will just get the crap kicked out of him worse than he did the first time. Maybe it would sell, you could say Rua only had 1 month to prepare for Jones, but Jones only had a month as well (what will he do to him with a full camp and knowledge from the first fight?).

Well, Shogun is arguably the greatest of the great LHWs in MMA history. If he beats Vera handily, you can justifiably give that guy a rematch, considering his legend status. Especially when everyone at the top of LHW seems to be coming off a recent loss. There's a huge need to sort things out at LHW, luckily Hendo is buying time for the division. I also expect Alexander Gustafsson to get a shot within the next 365 days, if he doesn't lose obviously.

Jones is doing to the LH division what Anderson has done to MW, make a bunch of great fighters look like crap, and people think the division is "thin" or "weak". No it's not, but by comparision the rest of the top 10 look weak compared to a dominate Jones, especailly since he beat half of them quite handily.

I hear ya. Take Lightweight for instance. Currently it's the opposite of MW and LHW, even HW and FW, where the champs are so dominant that we're often left scratching our heads for new title contenders. There's nobody even close to an Anthony Pettis in those divisions, who got royally screwed because the competition for the belt is so unbelievably tight. At least it's not Welterweight *shiver*.

Edited July 30, 2012 by d0ublestr0ker0ll