Official Mixed Martial Arts Thread

[V3zna]

2014 has been an absolutely disastrous year for the UFC. Too many events spread over too small a roster. There's a chronic lack of fighters that can sell a PPV as well. I'd guess Lesnar, GSP, Carano etc are going to be offered some serious cash soon.

[angel]

Cain is a joke with his annual defences, poor knockout power, he needs to be removed. Pleased they've done an interim. Id watch Mark Hunt all day over Cain. Shame Werdum will murder Hunt.

[ckny]

Wasn't Hunt something like 7-8 only a few fights back? And since the JDS loss he's only drawn with Bigfoot and smashed Nelson IIRC. Still, #Hunt4Champ!

[angel]

Who else is there though really, and hes been on a decent run 4 unbeaten I think. Also, hes a crowd pleaser.

[ckny]

Who's JDS got next, Struve or Miocic I forget. They should be ahead really, but who wants to see that! Sorry, I'm giddy at the thought of Mark Hunt, UFC Heavyweight Champion. #Hunt4Champ

[Yobo Ahoy]

Miocic/JDS coming up yeah. Also UFC have probably taken into account Bigfoot failed a drug test after their fight so internally at least that's probably viewed as a Hunt win. I think he deserves it, you can't scrap the Stipe/JDS fight this close to the date and who else really is there after Hunt? Browne was on a decent run but Werdum beat him convincingly recently, after that you just have a bunch of guys with patchy records and not looking particularly impressive with it. I would secretly love to see Arlovski back in title contention though!

[Doomguy]

2014 has been an absolutely disastrous year for the UFC. Too many events spread over too small a roster. There's a chronic lack of fighters that can sell a PPV as well. I'd guess Lesnar, GSP, Carano etc are going to be offered some serious cash soon.

It really, really is. They should give Robbie Lawler some sort of special bonus seeing as he'll have fought 4 times this year. Meanwhile the champs Jon Jones, Weidman, Cain, have only fought twice between them all... ridiculous.

[schmojo]

Cain is a joke with his annual defences, poor knockout power, he needs to be removed.

Phil Davis is awful,

Wow, mister, you sound like some kind of super-expert!

Just kidding, you appear daft as shit.

The interim title fight is just a spectacle, and nobody brings the spectacle like Mark Hunt v3. He's got a puncher's chance, but it's a hell of a punch. If Werdum wins, and Overeem can seemingly do the impossible and string 2 wins together, they can throw them back in based on their previous (terrible) bout.

[angel]

Its my opinion, no need to be such a dick about it.

Davis chokes on the big show, his stand up is dreadful, hes anonymous, he only trash talked when dana told him so and it was laughable.

Cain is injury prone as everyone knows, doesnt have the knockout power of the other heavywights, doesnt sell PPVs, doesnt self promote, and is a bit of a liability.

But yeah schmojo, youre such an expert and cant even be polite.

[schmojo]

Some things are beyond opinion.

Phil Davis is in a group of the 10 least awful people in the world at what he does. He's also finished Gus, which keeps him perennially relevant. He's 'choked' twice in his entire career, and never been finished.

Cain isn't a joke. He's arguably the best of all time at what he does (which is being a heavyweight fighter, not interviews). He makes the division a joke by being so transcendentally superior, and he's got 3 TKO wins in his last 4 fights.

I apologise for implying that you're stupid. You just say stupid things.

[angel]

Nothing I said was stupid. Youre an mma snob, basically. Phil Davies is a gatekeeper, and Cain's a 1 fight a year man. My opinions. End of.

[Tofu]

Anyone reckon Mendes will take it?. I suspect it be a good fight but Aldo is just too good.

[angel]

Aldo by decision or maybe 4th round TKO. Aldo is definitely too good.

[Tofu]

I agree Angel, but then I remember how I dismissed TJ against Barao and look at how that turned out.

[McFly]

I put Aldo by sub in the 3rd on the pick em league, which is reasonable i think. I also reckon that unless Glover KOs Davis in the first, or Davis will grind it out to a decision win.

[angel]

I agree Angel, but then I remember how I dismissed TJ against Barao and look at how that turned out.

I think Mendes is thinking he could do the same as TJ, but im not sure he has the same advantages. TJ was just plain faster that Barao, it was a mismatch, like Barao had gone super saiyan 2 and over bulked on muscle, where TJ stayed lean and picked him apart. That fight was done by round 1. I dont think Mendes has any of this, hes a little beast sure, but Aldo can pick him apart at range. I see aldo doing 3 rounds worth of heavy damage, kicks, picking him to bits, then Mendes getting desperate and maybe getting TKO'd in the 4th.

I'll go for a Glover win too by decision in a not too exciting fight.

[Gotters]

Cain isn't a joke. He's arguably the best of all time at what he does (which is being a heavyweight fighter, not interviews). He makes the division a joke by being so transcendentally superior, and he's got 3 TKO wins in his last 4 fights.

sorry I can't have that, he's just the best of a bad bunch at the moment, and he hasn't really got any defining fights on the horizon or on his record. He had a good trilogy of fights with JDS but that was just 2 decent fighters who are well matched (don't get me wrong they were good fights but not enough to make somebody the 'best of all time'.

at present he's one of those early 80s heavyweights who followed the likes of Norton, Foreman, Frasier & Ali - he may hold the belt but he's got nobody to fight to elevate him beyond that.

[ckny]

Nah, the second JDS fight will live long in the memory. The sight of a formerly dominant, unstoppable champion being so comprehensively beaten was stunning.

[Gotters]

good fight, but depends on your view of JDS how highly you think it elevates Velasquez.

JDS is a good rounded heavyweight - he's not a great in my mind, therefor beating him doesn't elevate you to being one.

[angel]

Hes a personality vacuum too.

[schmojo]

sorry I can't have that, he's just the best of a bad bunch at the moment, and he hasn't really got any defining fights on the horizon or on his record. He had a good trilogy of fights with JDS but that was just 2 decent fighters who are well matched (don't get me wrong they were good fights but not enough to make somebody the 'best of all time'.

at present he's one of those early 80s heavyweights who followed the likes of Norton, Foreman, Frasier & Ali - he may hold the belt but he's got nobody to fight to elevate him beyond that.

You don't have to have it. Cain's the new breed of Heavyweight, and the Colemans, Nogs and Fedors of this world would all have a nightmare with him. In their prime. He has a rounded game, and a fantastic style, and suggesting that he's not in the conversation for HW GOAT is nuts. Sure, it's a thin division, but HW always has been, and he fights the very best available, unlike others who would be competing for the title.

Who would you say was more successful in a stronger era against the top competition?

[schmojo]

Nothing I said was stupid. Youre an mma snob, basically. Phil Davies is a gatekeeper, and Cain's a 1 fight a year man. My opinions. End of.

Both things were powerfully misinformed, as is calling someone else a snob when you're shitting on two of the best in the world at what they do.

End of.

Still, unless Davis goes explosive and early with his wrestling tonight, Glover could catch him. Though it's hard to say what Davis can handle, since he's never been finished.

[Gotters]

fairly boring main card but the main event is a fight of the year contender

[schmojo]

That was a cracking fight. Certainly doesn't suck to be Connor MacGregor right about now - everyone's talking about him.

Davis/Glover:

Good showing by Davis - if he goes for Gus and gets past him again, then he's certainly in the frame for a title shot, though he's much more relevant in a Rumble-less LHW division. Glover looked quite bad at times - no flow to his striking, and very little in the way of combos. They should match him up with someone like Manuwa next time - lower down the totem pole, and ready to stand and trade.

[V3zna]

Despite the blatant cheating the main event was spectacular.

The rest of the card was utterly dire though. If the UFC doesn't cut down on the amount of events they have they'll sink themselves. Or buy Bellator to fill out the roster a bit.

[Doomguy]

Bored shitless by the davis fight (he calls out anderson silva (???) because he knows, like rumble, jones would stuff his takedowns and that's all he has) but mendes aldo was superb. Don't really see how Connor beats either tbh Mendes has multiple ways to win and Aldo would light him up standing. Connors Q&A with the brazilian crows is defo worth a watch.

[angel]

Both things were powerfully misinformed, as is calling someone else a snob when you're shitting on two of the best in the world at what they do.

You are a snob when it comes to discussion, you think you know it all. Anyway im done discussing it with you.

[angel]

Bored shitless by the davis fight (he calls out anderson silva (???) because he knows, like rumble, jones would stuff his takedowns and that's all he has) but mendes aldo was superb. Don't really see how Connor beats either tbh Mendes has multiple ways to win and Aldo would light him up standing. Connors Q&A with the brazilian crows is defo worth a watch.

This is part of my dislike of davis, hes a smothering fighter, boring to watch, and has awful self promotion. Calling out anderson was absurd, his post show presser answers were terrible, and he thinks he's top tier. His striking is so clumsy i find it hard to watch.

Unfortunately i think aldo would demolish conor, but you never know.

[Corrogate]

good fight, but depends on your view of JDS how highly you think it elevates Velasquez.

JDS is a good rounded heavyweight - he's not a great in my mind, therefor beating him doesn't elevate you to being one.

I think JDS is a great fighter, but I think Cain sits so high on top of the top that it's hard to put any heavyweight against Cain and make a decent comparison - like, if JDS is a great fighter in my mind, that makes Cain.. what? He's in a league of his own.

[Yobo Ahoy]

Man, Aldo/Mendes was so good. I originally wanted Aldo to win but he sorely tested my support during that post-bell shot, totally out of order although I guess the onus is on the ref to step in in those situations. Mendes looked surprisingly good, much more than I thought he would be. Probably one of the top 5 fights this year.

Davis/Glover was hideous. Glover looked tired and out of shape and on this form it's amazing to think he was considered the most dangerous guy in the division before the Jones fight. And Davis was just Davis. That Anderson Silva call out was bizarre... I would guess they will match him with Bader next but I can't see that being a match up for the ages.

I'm glad to see Maldonado back to winning ways, I think he's got a lot to offer the division. That temporary step up to HW to get beaten about by Miocic looks ever more bizarre.