MMA/UFC thread

[TRF_Olyy]

It's a shame Barnett popped again, I'd have said him.
Big Ben would be a good fight. HW is so shallow it's good to see another genuine contender coming through.

I, too, thought Arlovski might pose a greater threat but he's got arguably the weakest chin in the division these days. Sad to see, with his history, but inevitable considering the wars he's been in over the decades.
I know he doesn't want to, but he should consider hanging them up for his brain's sake.

 

[TheSaffycen]

Hopefully he does. It was 11 years ago when he was champion.
Heavyweight will always be weak, in the way that they can all knock each other out. When Miocic managed to retain his ***le it was amazing, hopefully he can keep it for a little while.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I'm not sure he will,
I really do like Stipe but I don't think he's better than the 1-4 contenders, which sounds weird because he's champ.
I think Werdum wins a rematch - he fought so stupidly when he lost the belt, trying to put on a show in front of his home crowd and just ran face first into a fist...twice.
Overeem was really a flip a coin - when he dropped Stipe, if he'd gone for the G&P he'd have the strap now. He has a notoriously nasty guillotine, but it was the wrong choice.
JDS is the better boxer and I think beats him to a decision.
Cain is Cain and I think he's the best heavyweight in the business.........if he can stay fit.....which will never happen.

That said Stipe's fight IQ is very high and he fights really smart, he could well keep hold of the belt for a while.

 

[munstermuffin]

Depends whether you like MMA as a sport or UFC as an entertainment company. I love the sport which is why I watch bellator, Rizin, one, wsof etc.

Everyone's in it for the money but no one has been gifted more opportunity than mcgregor has and he still ****s all over his employers and demands more.
Fair play it's made him rich but it doesn't mean I have to like him.

I don't disagree with any of this (and look I'm not a diehard fan) but your probably in minority loving for skill in UFC. Mostbthere love just for hype and entertainment.
On last bit I'm not saying you've to like him or that more UFC created this path

 

[TheSaffycen]

I'm not sure he will,
I really do like Stipe but I don't think he's better than the 1-4 contenders, which sounds weird because he's champ.
I think Werdum wins a rematch - he fought so stupidly when he lost the belt, trying to put on a show in front of his home crowd and just ran face first into a fist...twice.
Overeem was really a flip a coin - when he dropped Stipe, if he'd gone for the G&P he'd have the strap now. He has a notoriously nasty guillotine, but it was the wrong choice.
JDS is the better boxer and I think beats him to a decision.
Cain is Cain and I think he's the best heavyweight in the business.........if he can stay fit.....which will never happen.

That said Stipe's fight IQ is very high and he fights really smart, he could well keep hold of the belt for a while.

Overeem just can't take a punch, his chin is damn questionable. JDS is my favourite HW and he may be able to knock down Stipe but it would be a great fight. Werdum would probably beat him in the rematch, and Cain is a legend but needs surgery on his back so he can still stand. Hopefully he comes back fit and healthy as it just adds to the competition.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yeah overeem's chin is a mess, he's started fighting more from the outside now (hence his jogging vs stipe) but it only takes one, especially at HW.
Would love to see him head to Rizin and get back on the juice, like Cro Cop and Wanderlei

 

[TheSaffycen]

Juice? Nah mate just horse meat

 

[TheSaffycen]

Miocic v JDS looks set for 211

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Lurve that fight,
I reckon JDS takes it but it's gonna be a 100% banger.

I'm actually mildly excited for 208 this weekend. Think it's a **** PPV card but Holme vs Germaine has the potential to be a really good fight. It's basically gonna be kickboxing/boxing vs kickboxing/muay thai - a stand up battle between two highly decorated strikers but without the ref stopping it whenever someone gets dropped or clinches.
Interested to see how silva looks, too. I like Brunson but....I mean it's silva. Love the guy.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Bellator have just announced Paul Daley vs Rory MacDonald for their London card.
And with one fight have completely blown UFC London out of the water - that's an excellent fight, and one of the best you could make at welterweight in any promotion.


Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to UFC London, it's got a few local lads on there that I'm a big fan of, but it's essentially got no main event and no big name fight on there (considering the UK gets one, two if we're lucky, cards a year you'd have thought they'd have something a bit more than Manuwa vs Anderson, which would've been a decent co-main but not numero uno).

 

[anderton46]

UFC events in the UK have lacked a lot in recent years. It's basically a card where they put on 1/2 decent fights (name value) and then the rest are lower tier guys who are signed from regional promos to see if they cut it.

 

[TheSaffycen]

Rory MacDonald is an absolute warrior, Lawler II was one of the best fights I've seen. Hopefully his nose doesn't break again.

 

[munstermuffin]

Rumours are rife McGregor and Mayweather have agreed everything. A 3rd party just needs to ok it. And it's rumoured this fight will take place on June 3rd. Same night as Aldo fight.
McGregor had to cancel a meet and greet gig in Dublin this Friday due to having to travel to Las Vegas for unforseen reasons

 

[TRF_Olyy]

What a joke,
The UFC should strip him of his lightweight ***le if this is true, he refused to fight Khabib for the ***le, saying that Khabib was too injured and he also wanted 10months off for his kids birth/first few months of life (which is fair enough) but to then take a fight outside of the sport only a couple of weeks after the due date is just spitting in the face of the UFC.

 

[munstermuffin]

What a joke,
The UFC should strip him of his lightweight ***le if this is true, he refused to fight Khabib for the ***le, saying that Khabib was too injured and he also wanted 10months off for his kids birth/first few months of life (which is fair enough) but to then take a fight outside of the sport only a couple of weeks after the due date is just spitting in the face of the UFC.

Not too well up either way but presume it's clash of egos and cash. UFC will surely have a say. As I said it only rumoured but cancellation in Dublin for Las Vegas issue is fact

 

[ratsapprentice]

What is the fight though?

Boxing or some special hybrid?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

There is less than zero chance it's anything other than boxing.
Floyd is notorious for having incredibly detailed/specific contracts for his fights, right down to allowing him numbing injections in his hands and gatorade instead of water (sounds stupid, but he's literally the only fighter who can have anything other than plain water in between rounds).

Floyd's not an idiot, he's not going into an MMA fight, he's not going into a Boxing match with MMA gloves, it's gonna be straight up boxing. Especially as McGregor is saying he'll beat him at his own game etc.

 

[ratsapprentice]

McGregor will lose and retire then?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Definitely possible,
Pacquiao made $120m for fighting Floyd, think McGregor will definitely be in that ballpark because he has a massive and rabid fanbase, and people wanna see the freakshow fight. Plus Floyd coming out retirement and going for 50-0 will interest boxing fans, as much as they say they aren't interested They're both incredibly divisive figures so they'll get people tuning in in the hope of seeing one of them getting KOd.

Also depends on how the UFC treat it/him. If they let him keep his belt/give their blessing, I can see him coming back and fighting the winner of Khabib/Ferguson (or maybe Diaz), maybe retiring after that. If he has to go through the courts/use the Ali Act to be able to box, and is stripped, I can see him just flipping the UFC off and sailing off into the sunset.
He's always said he wants to retire young, and with a $120m pay day + at least another couple of years of fame, and therefore adverts/sponsorships etc, before his stock starts to fall from inactivity, he's set for life.

 

[munstermuffin]

Can see McGregor getting in to promoting sooner rather than later. And him and Mayweather actually linking up. But IF and it's a big IF he were to win it would shoot him up to World ***le shots in boxing and 2 fights at that level would easilynset him up for comfortable life. Alternatively he wants to stay active but away from UFC possibly so when he does return there is huge hype etc