The UFC/MMA Thread

Beautiful for Waterson, beautiful - she is on Joanna's back - clearly Waterson's biggest moment for her so far.
 
What an awesome fight for Joanna. Beautiful leg kicks, on the body, and of course the volume of strikes as usual was brilliant to watch.
 
Thug Rose - I've never been more enchanted by a fighter in the female division. The fight she lost in Brazil - she dominated every second of the fight - her footwork is other worldly. Hopefully she steps back in the Octagon soon.

I hope so, being a huge boxing fan I find her striking is very impressive and the technique is excellent, her awareness when it comes to range is also very good. All round a great fighter but a bit of an enigma
 
Damn it, I thought the UFC event was tomorrow - it is actually happening right now. I missed the whole card except the main event which is happening in a few minutes between CHRIS WEIDMAN vs DOMINIC REYES at Light Heavyweight.
 
Holy Sh*t, Reyes absolutely obliterates Weidman in the very first round. Reyes's rained hammer fists on Weidman's face after first flooring him with his powerful left hand.
 
It is possible that Reyes's next opponent could be Jon Jones. Great victory for Reyes. He extends his streak to an unbeaten 12-0 now.
 
[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION]

Please keep this thread alive with the results and analysis of the next few Fight Nights and PPV events for a month :).

The key fights I will be missing:

Ben Askren vs Damian Maia - could be Maia's last fight for UFC win or lose.
Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz.
Kelvin Gastelum vs Darren Till.
Kevin Lee vs Gregor Gillespie.
Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Calvin Kattar


I will be on a vacation where I'd be avoiding all TV.
 
Who can forget Weidman's unbelievable victory over Anderson Silva which started his eventual slide.

I think Silva was already on the slide by then. I saw they were showing quite a lot of replays of Weidman beating UFC legend Vitor Belfort, but I reckon Belfort would have destroyed Weidman in his heyday. He was 10 years past his prime when they fought.
 
[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION]

Please keep this thread alive with the results and analysis of the next few Fight Nights and PPV events for a month :).

The key fights I will be missing:

Ben Askren vs Damian Maia - could be Maia's last fight for UFC win or lose.
Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz.
Kelvin Gastelum vs Darren Till.
Kevin Lee vs Gregor Gillespie.
Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Calvin Kattar


I will be on a vacation where I'd be avoiding all TV.

Enjoy your vacation and this thread is always alive ;) I tend to show up when it comes to the high profile womens fights as I follow their divisions more closely
 
Not sure if [MENTION=135526]leonidas_alexandar[/MENTION] has already reviewed the fight but man what a commanding performance by Joanna over Waterson who is no mug at all, Joanna had a spring in her step and was really up for the fight. We touched on defeat affecting people in different ways but make no mistake, that champions heart is still there. I feel like Joanna has been in the game a long long time, has rarely got injured and has generally been very active; it can be a great thing but as you get older with all the wear/tear and mileage on the clock you need to train and fight a lot smarter, in this instance the long and much needed break after losing to Valentina did Joanna a world of good.

She bullied Waterson imposing her physicality in the clinch and displayed the trademark kicks which made her so feared for a long time, there were times when Waterson did have her moments especially in round 3 when she managed to get Joanna's back, applied the hook and wanted to choke the former champion out but Joanna showed her fighting spirit and prevented Waterson from getting under her chin and fought her way back to the standing position, loved the composure. The kicks to the legs and body continued in the final round and Joanna picked up a very dominant W, wouldn't mind seeing her in with the champ Zhang next; her confidence ought to be quite high and she has the momentum as well, wouldn't be surprised if Dana booked this sooner rather then later.
 
I think Silva was already on the slide by then. I saw they were showing quite a lot of replays of Weidman beating UFC legend Vitor Belfort, but I reckon Belfort would have destroyed Weidman in his heyday. He was 10 years past his prime when they fought.


No - that fight began his slide. I actually remember that fight like yesterday. Silva was an overwhelming favorite for that fight. Silva was undefeated in UFC till that fight - in fact he was 16-0 and I am only talking of his UFC record.

For some strange reason, if you remember that fight - he started showboating - taunting Weidman to punch him as Weidman's main skill is wrestling. Weidman did not take the bait - and that truly bizarre moment happened - when Silva pretended to be jelly legged and he escaped 3 punches from Weidman but the 4th one from Weidman put Silva out.

Till then Silva was almost this mythical figure where he could conjure up victories from impossible situation (cue his legendary fight with Chael Sonnen when he was beaten black and blue for the first 4 rounds but pulled off an armbar in the 5th).

I think Silva was drunk in his own sense of invincibility but as everyone knows the sport is bigger than any one individual fighter.
 
Enjoy your vacation and this thread is always alive ;) I tend to show up when it comes to the high profile womens fights as I follow their divisions more closely

So you dont follow men's events at all or its just that womens division is more interesting to you.

I follow both of them but unfortunately there is not much depth at all in the women's divisions all across the board in UFC.
 
Not sure if [MENTION=135526]leonidas_alexandar[/MENTION] has already reviewed the fight but man what a commanding performance by Joanna over Waterson who is no mug at all, Joanna had a spring in her step and was really up for the fight. We touched on defeat affecting people in different ways but make no mistake, that champions heart is still there. I feel like Joanna has been in the game a long long time, has rarely got injured and has generally been very active; it can be a great thing but as you get older with all the wear/tear and mileage on the clock you need to train and fight a lot smarter, in this instance the long and much needed break after losing to Valentina did Joanna a world of good.

She bullied Waterson imposing her physicality in the clinch and displayed the trademark kicks which made her so feared for a long time, there were times when Waterson did have her moments especially in round 3 when she managed to get Joanna's back, applied the hook and wanted to choke the former champion out but Joanna showed her fighting spirit and prevented Waterson from getting under her chin and fought her way back to the standing position, loved the composure. The kicks to the legs and body continued in the final round and Joanna picked up a very dominant W, wouldn't mind seeing her in with the champ Zhang next; her confidence ought to be quite high and she has the momentum as well, wouldn't be surprised if Dana booked this sooner rather then later.

Yeah I saw the fight live and commented here live in this thread but your analysis is pretty much spot on. It was domination bar Waterson's few attempts to get on Joanna's back.
 
No - that fight began his slide. I actually remember that fight like yesterday. Silva was an overwhelming favorite for that fight. Silva was undefeated in UFC till that fight - in fact he was 16-0 and I am only talking of his UFC record.

For some strange reason, if you remember that fight - he started showboating - taunting Weidman to punch him as Weidman's main skill is wrestling. Weidman did not take the bait - and that truly bizarre moment happened - when Silva pretended to be jelly legged and he escaped 3 punches from Weidman but the 4th one from Weidman put Silva out.

Till then Silva was almost this mythical figure where he could conjure up victories from impossible situation (cue his legendary fight with Chael Sonnen when he was beaten black and blue for the first 4 rounds but pulled off an armbar in the 5th).

I think Silva was drunk in his own sense of invincibility but as everyone knows the sport is bigger than any one individual fighter.

I also remember that fight very well. I can remember at least one of the ringside commentators really fancied Weidman to win, may well have been Rashad Evans if I recall correctly. Silva started his fighting career in 1997, by the time he got to Weidman he was 38 years old. Yes he was 16-0, but at that age you are clearly not the fighter you would have been five years earlier. I would think his subsequent injuries and record just bears that out.

Weidman was a good fighter, but again, his subsequent record shows he was not all that, just got to make his name off beating a couple of Brazilian legends on their way down.
 
I also remember that fight very well. I can remember at least one of the ringside commentators really fancied Weidman to win, may well have been Rashad Evans if I recall correctly. Silva started his fighting career in 1997, by the time he got to Weidman he was 38 years old. Yes he was 16-0, but at that age you are clearly not the fighter you would have been five years earlier. I would think his subsequent injuries and record just bears that out.

Weidman was a good fighter, but again, his subsequent record shows he was not all that, just got to make his name off beating a couple of Brazilian legends on their way down.

Have you heard of or seen any of Zabit's (Magomedsharipov) fights?

This guy has got some crazy moves. He will be a superstar in the future if he goes the way he is going now.
 
Is that the tall guy with curly hair from Khabib's camp? He's mad talented.

Yep that's the guy. I know that your communication skills should ideally have nothing to do with your stardom since you are a fighter but if Zabit can improve his English - he will be a major draw.
 
So you dont follow men's events at all or its just that womens division is more interesting to you.

I follow both of them but unfortunately there is not much depth at all in the women's divisions all across the board in UFC.

I wouldn't say so if am totally honest unless there's like a larger then life type contest / spectacle or something which has been built really well, I completely disagree to be honest; yes they have lost some big names and you have others who are closer to the end of their primes but I feel the division is taken for granted, Rousey just changed the game for womens combat sport in general; if you compare the womens MMA divisions to other combat sport, they are a lot more sound technically speaking when it comes to the top 10 in general, so they are great to watch; outside say Katie Taylor, Shields and Cecilia Brækhus there are not many female Boxers who are great to watch technically speaking due to the lack of exposure but the Rousey effect has benefited everyone in recent times. The MMA divisions are still in good health with Nunes, Rose (hopefully), Joanna, Claudia, Raquell and Waterson; maybe they are not neccesarily at that main-event level and fighters like Nunes need those dance partners but they remain very competetive and you see upsets from time to time to (Andrade) , they are going through a little bit of a rebuilding phase at the moment but the quality is still there for me as far as the women are concerned on the whole.
 
Conor McGregor says he will make his UFC return on 18 January 2020 - despite announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts earlier this year.

The 31-year-old has not fought in the octagon since his defeat by Russia's Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018.

McGregor told a news conference on Thursday that he is "in prime physical condition" to fight.

"This date is agreed. I don't care who will be my opponent," McGregor said.

He added that he had agreed the return date with the UFC, and that he would also seek a later bout in Moscow against the winner of Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, who are set to fight in early 2020.

"It takes 66 days to form a habit. Now I go to bed early and get up early," he continued.

Boxing & MMA social round-up
"A structured approach is the key to success. All billionaires must be organized.

"I will focus on the fight, I will not drink alcohol."

McGregor made his mixed martial arts debut in 2007 and won the interim featherweight title with a knockout of Jose Aldo inside 13 seconds.

He first announced his retirement in April 2016 but issued a retraction later that month, before returning to the octagon to fight Nurmagomedov two years later.

In 2018, he was ordered to have anger management training and perform five days of community service by a court in return for criminal charges being dropped after he had attacked a bus containing rival UFC fighters.

Video footage appeared to show McGregor throwing a railing at a bus carrying Khabib and a number of other UFC fighters.

In March, McGregor was arrested in Miami for allegedly smashing a fan's phone, but the charges were later dropped.

"I'm getting back in a good form," McGregor added.

"It's important for me to get back in a good form. It's very difficult to win year after year."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/mixed-martial-arts/50166883
 
[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] [MENTION=135526]leonidas_alexandar[/MENTION]

Who is up next for Conner? Surely it has to be Justin Gaethje?
 
[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] [MENTION=135526]leonidas_alexandar[/MENTION]

Who is up next for Conner? Surely it has to be Justin Gaethje?

It seems to be the case, another scenario where they pit the wrestler against the striker; he's a good fighter, Conor seems to fight anyone really. I'd have thought they would go for someone in the lower end of top 10 to build his confidence back up
 
It seems to be the case, another scenario where they pit the wrestler against the striker; he's a good fighter, Conor seems to fight anyone really. I'd have thought they would go for someone in the lower end of top 10 to build his confidence back up

I have a feeling Dana feels Conner needs to prove himself now, talking big can only go so far. He's looking at Khabib, Ferguson or Nate. Unless Conner shows he's still got it, those 3 will ruin him pretty easily. It would be nice to see him back, fighting well but one more loss and his career is coming towards an end.
 
I have a feeling Dana feels Conner needs to prove himself now, talking big can only go so far. He's looking at Khabib, Ferguson or Nate. Unless Conner shows he's still got it, those 3 will ruin him pretty easily. It would be nice to see him back, fighting well but one more loss and his career is coming towards an end.

Conor is a massive draw but also very unpredictable, he has I think 4 fights left on his contract; Dana will partly be thinking, hmm how can I use him to raise the profile of lower profile members of the division, lets be honest no one has ever heard of Justin but it's a massive opportunity for him and the main stream coverage is great exposure. On the other hand he will be looking to make as much money possible like those bouts vs Diaz, Khabib, Ferguson etc When you look at the money Conor has made which he could never dream of in MMA, it's safe to say that same desire is not going to be there and once the contract is up he will hold all the cards when it comes to future bouts if he chooses to continue in the sport or go down the Floyd model, he is very shrewd at promoting himself and getting free publicity
 
Conor is a massive draw but also very unpredictable, he has I think 4 fights left on his contract; Dana will partly be thinking, hmm how can I use him to raise the profile of lower profile members of the division, lets be honest no one has ever heard of Justin but it's a massive opportunity for him and the main stream coverage is great exposure. On the other hand he will be looking to make as much money possible like those bouts vs Diaz, Khabib, Ferguson etc When you look at the money Conor has made which he could never dream of in MMA, it's safe to say that same desire is not going to be there and once the contract is up he will hold all the cards when it comes to future bouts if he chooses to continue in the sport or go down the Floyd model, he is very shrewd at promoting himself and getting free publicity

He is still a big draw but not as much as he used to be. He went too far abusing peoples family and culture, then seen punching an old man in a pub. For many esp casual fans it's difficult to support or follow such a guy but if he ever fights Khabib again, this wont matter, it will be the biggest combat fight in sports history esp if it takes place in Moscow.

He deserves to make as much as he can, when you are a combat fighter, you are risking your life.
 
He is still a big draw but not as much as he used to be. He went too far abusing peoples family and culture, then seen punching an old man in a pub. For many esp casual fans it's difficult to support or follow such a guy but if he ever fights Khabib again, this wont matter, it will be the biggest combat fight in sports history esp if it takes place in Moscow.

He deserves to make as much as he can, when you are a combat fighter, you are risking your life.

I think he is an even bigger draw, as you know controversy in combat sport is just $$$$ and lately UFC have been using WWE tactics to hype up their sport. Conor plays up the role of a heel or anti-hero etc and while he did go too far etc it reflects in the buy rates because you have a portion of his loyal supporters and then others who want to see him get KO'd, Floyd, Tyson etc were never very popular from the POV of being PC and doing / saying the right things but drew massive money, in Tyson's case that extended well beyond his prime after he came out of prison. But what people do outside the ring some times from my end as a combat sports fan I think it's given too much emphasis at times when in the end two people are going to try and kill each other in the end, push themselves to the absolute limit with serious consequences on the line ; well in Boxing anyway those are the real implications which is why Bruce Lee also valued our sport more then MMA
 

Till seems a top bloke and you can see he wont have issues finding a new job when his career is over, a great trainer [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION] - have you ever done any MMA training ? I have had some sessions in the past from Jim Wallhead, it's a nice little game to play :yk
 
[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] [MENTION=135526]leonidas_alexandar[/MENTION]

Who is up next for Conner? Surely it has to be Justin Gaethje?

So now we know that his opponent is Cowboy Cerrone. And more important to note - this will be at 170 pounds welterweight.

I think the idea is he does not want to cut weight and since both Cowboy and Conor have fought before at Welterweight it is'nt much of a problem.

But I think Conor wants another shot at Khabib surely - and if that is the case - he does not have to cut weight twice to reach 155 lbs.
 
So while I was gone - Ben Askren retired - he had a whirlwind UFC stint. No other fighter has been able to attract so much attention in such a short span of time and he mainly helped Masvidal reach the superstar status that he enjoys now with that beef they had.

Masvidal is now the official "BMF" lol.

And the fight Gods have heard my plea - KHABIB is going to fight TONY FERGUSON in April. Please please bubble wrap them and protect them from any injuries - this is going to be the biggest fight of 2020. They tried to have this fight 4 times - hopefully 5th time is the charm :).
 
So now we know that his opponent is Cowboy Cerrone. And more important to note - this will be at 170 pounds welterweight.

I think the idea is he does not want to cut weight and since both Cowboy and Conor have fought before at Welterweight it is'nt much of a problem.

But I think Conor wants another shot at Khabib surely - and if that is the case - he does not have to cut weight twice to reach 155 lbs.

Cowboy is naturally bigger than Connor, not a smart move by McGregor here. Cowboy can bang too, so im going for a KO win for him.
 
Cowboy is naturally bigger than Connor, not a smart move by McGregor here. Cowboy can bang too, so im going for a KO win for him.

I doubt Cowboy will KO him, I think there's a better chance of him getting a submission. Overall though I think Conor will get the win.
 
I doubt Cowboy will KO him, I think there's a better chance of him getting a submission. Overall though I think Conor will get the win.

Connor hasn't fought for a while since his embarrassing mauling from Khabib while Cowboy is game ready after a recent tough fights. McGregor is vastly overrated and will get lose either KO or submission. Connor might win on points if Dana has fixed this.
 
Connor hasn't fought for a while since his embarrassing mauling from Khabib while Cowboy is game ready after a recent tough fights. McGregor is vastly overrated and will get lose either KO or submission. Connor might win on points if Dana has fixed this.

Conor is overrated but people tend to forget that he's still a pretty good fighter. Im not a fan of Conor but his performance against Alvarez was top notch. However its been quite some time since then and ring rust is a big factor on top of the size difference. Still though I have a feeling he'll get the win, lets see
 

Till seems a top bloke and you can see he wont have issues finding a new job when his career is over, a great trainer [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION] - have you ever done any MMA training ? I have had some sessions in the past from Jim Wallhead, it's a nice little game to play :yk

Yes I have done a fair bit but I was pretty young then. One of my close friends was an MMA fighter. He never reached the big dizzy heights of the UFC but was one of the top eltite fighter in the Cage Rage championsips. It kind of died around 10 years after sky stopped airing it. Since I sometimes have a the odd MMA lesson from him but tbh I prefer boxing training. I just prefer the sport and feel I can get more out of my boxing workout than MMA. However I am considering getting ju-jitsu atm. What about you? What you are training atm?
 
Conor is overrated but people tend to forget that he's still a pretty good fighter. Im not a fan of Conor but his performance against Alvarez was top notch. However its been quite some time since then and ring rust is a big factor on top of the size difference. Still though I have a feeling he'll get the win, lets see

Agree. Cowboy is at his best against smaller fighters, he got badly beaten by Ferguson. He might be a bit bigger than Conor, but Conor has a good reach and I think he will be able to inflict enough damage to get the win.
 
Watching UFC event in Washington DC.

A really good win for Aspen Ladd. I loved how she followed her head coach's instruction to the T and absolutely pummeled Yana in the first few seconds of the 3rd round.
 
It was really difficult to watch Stefan Struve and Rothwell's fight. Struve got hit in his junk twice and any lesser or saner man would have quit the fight and rightfully so.
 
It was really difficult to watch Stefan Struve and Rothwell's fight. Struve got hit in his junk twice and any lesser or saner man would have quit the fight and rightfully so.

While Rothwell won and in quite a spectacular way (after being docked of a point for an illegal groin strike) he had no other option but to go berserk - it was painful to watch Struve.
 
Marina has a perfect 2nd round. On course to winning this fight unless Cynthia stops Marina in the 3rd.
 
What a turnaround for Cynthia - she is on top of Marina almost the whole round and pounding her face.
 
Oh wow it is a draw. I think that incredibly dominant 3rd round for Cynthia pulled the bout to a draw.
 
They are showing a promo for UFC 245 KAMARU USMAN VS COLBY COVINGTON - what a superb fight it is going to be.
 
Really looking forward to UFC 245 featuring USMAN v COVINGTON on Saturday 14th at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

This is a real delight for serious fight fans as both of them are A grade wrestlers with more than decent stand up games. There is certainly a hot beef between both of them - both have a 15-1 MMA record.

In fact the whole main card is very riveting also featuring:

AMANDA NUNES vs GDR,
MAX HOLLOWAY vs VOLKANOVSKI

That is 3 title fights on a single main card. The other two also feature great fighters like Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Urijah Faber.

Cannot wait for this.
 
This is it. One of my most awaited cards of the year. UFC 245 in Las Vegas.

Just in time for the preliminary card to begin.
 
That is a very good win for Matt Brown. He absolutely pounded Saunders on the ground to the point where the ref had to jump in and stop the fight.
 
Really looking forward to UFC 245 featuring USMAN v COVINGTON on Saturday 14th at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

This is a real delight for serious fight fans as both of them are A grade wrestlers with more than decent stand up games. There is certainly a hot beef between both of them - both have a 15-1 MMA record.

In fact the whole main card is very riveting also featuring:

AMANDA NUNES vs GDR,
MAX HOLLOWAY vs VOLKANOVSKI

That is 3 title fights on a single main card. The other two also feature great fighters like Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Urijah Faber.

Cannot wait for this.


Very good main card for sure.

Predictions?

For me

Usman, Nunes and Holloway to win all by stoppage.
 
Very good main card for sure.

Predictions?

For me

Usman, Nunes and Holloway to win all by stoppage.

Wont argue with those predictions - those are in line with the betting odds too. But I'd like to see upsets mainly Colby - that will really shake up the division because it might lead to a fight with his former best friend Jorge Masivdal - who are now having a beef as well.
 
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