UFC/MMA in 2016
- Thread starter Pxer
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Yes, but there's an argument to be made that he could have done everything in Kliq's post without taking a PPV slot away from someone less rich and famous than him. He could have easily received a similar beating in a 'minor league' venue.
The UFC is to "blame" for Punk taking up that slot. What was he supposed to do, refuse it and go fight in the Prelims out of some warped sense of honor? Everyone in the MMA game understands the bigger draws get the spotlight, you can twist this around and make a case that Punk actually gave an unknown fighter a chance to look good and even start a feud with Sage that'll probably jumpstart his career in the UFC.
Heck, if you count PPVs, Fight Nights, Fight Pass exclusives and UFC on Fox there are 80+ shows a year
How likely is it that he brought in more PPV dollars than he was paid?
More people watching is good for all fighters. More exposure for others on the card. Maybe more future fans when people tuned in for the first time and realized how awesome MMA is. I'd guess that most fighters understand that and don't have too much of a problem with the spectacle.
It's an entertainment business. Thankfully the UFC doesn't indulge in too much of that kind of silliness, though I think the next middleweight title fight is another step in that direction.
More people watching is good for all fighters. More exposure for others on the card. Maybe more future fans when people tuned in for the first time and realized how awesome MMA is. I'd guess that most fighters understand that and don't have too much of a problem with the spectacle.
It's an entertainment business. Thankfully the UFC doesn't indulge in too much of that kind of silliness, though I think the next middleweight title fight is another step in that direction.
It's also good for marketing. See, this ain't so easy, even for a really good athlete.
Good lord UFC 205 in at Madison Square Garden is loaded
Tyron Woodley v Stephen Thompson - Welterweight Title Fight
Chris Weidman v Yoel Romero
Joanna Jedrzejczyk v Karolina Kowalkiewicz - Strawweight Title Fight
Tim Kennedy v Rashad Evans @ middleweight
Cowboy v Kelvin Gastelum
Frankie Edgar v Jeremy Stephens
Jim Miller v Thiago Alves
Miesha Tate v Raquel Pennington
Tyron Woodley v Stephen Thompson - Welterweight Title Fight
Chris Weidman v Yoel Romero
Joanna Jedrzejczyk v Karolina Kowalkiewicz - Strawweight Title Fight
Tim Kennedy v Rashad Evans @ middleweight
Cowboy v Kelvin Gastelum
Frankie Edgar v Jeremy Stephens
Jim Miller v Thiago Alves
Miesha Tate v Raquel Pennington
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Weidman-Evans-Cowboy-Edgar-Alves-Miesha goes pretty deep in known names, even if Woodley/Thompson isn't a cornerstone main event.
Do they really need a "star" to sell this card? it's the first one in New York in 20 years, and first at MSG. This is a great opportunity for UFC to try to make stars out of Woodley, Thompson, and/or Jedrzejczyk. They could always use new stars
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On a relatively uneventful Fight Night, Roy Nelson kicked Big John McCarthy after KOing Bigfoot because McCarthy didn't stop the fight sooner. He's right but hitting the ref is a usually a big no-no
Well, now you are:
http://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-205-main-event-conor-mcgregor-vs-eddie-alvarez?utm_campaign=UFC&utm_medium=social&utm_source=sprout&utm_content=1474951082
8 current or former UFC champs on that card, you can make an argument that this is much better than 200, considering how stupid the Lesner and Silva fights wound up being.
There is a good chance he could grind out an incredibly frustrating 50-45 victory where Connor spends 20+ minutes on his back.
His knockout of RDA was pretty shocking, if he tries to trade with Connor he is going to get knocked out. His fight against Pettis where he pressured Pettis and took him down repeatedly (6 times in a 3 round fight) is probably a good blueprint for what he will try to do to McGregor.
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His knockout of RDA was pretty shocking, if he tries to trade with Connor he is going to get knocked out. His fight against Pettis where he pressured Pettis and took him down repeatedly (6 times in a 3 round fight) is probably a good blueprint for what he will try to do to McGregor.
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Conor's distance control will be key. Alvarez will try to take him down or push him against the cage for the whole fight like he did with Pettis.
He's a much more attractive match up in the name of keeping the McGregor hype train going then Khabib would of been with the belt around his waist, that's for sure imo. If Connor is getting his two titles it's probably right now or never.
Aldo has a legit beef with his threatening to retire over this:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/jose-aldo-asks-ufc-release-threatens-retire-005600198--mma.html
I mean in the end I get the $$$ grab logic and all, but this is still getting kind of silly. Just strip Connor and go the Cyborg superfights route with his career already.
I have a hard time feeling bad for Aldo. He pulled out of the first McGregor fight a couple days before the fight. Than when they did fight Aldo got knocked out in 13 seconds. Its not like he's been getting ducked forever.
McGregor only fought Diaz the first time because dos Anjos pulled out of his first title defense, and then I can't fault Conor for taking a rematch against a guy who beat him rather than the guy who he knocked out in 13 seconds.
McGregor only fought Diaz the first time because dos Anjos pulled out of his first title defense, and then I can't fault Conor for taking a rematch against a guy who beat him rather than the guy who he knocked out in 13 seconds.
I'm with you. A real fighter wouldn't even give a damn about the belt if he knew he got it after it was relinquished by the dude who knocked him out. Aldo had a fair chance against McGregor and got stretched. I think it was a bit of a fluke, but his guard was down and he got caught and knocked out. It's his fault alone he doesn't have the belt.
Yeah, I heard around a grand too. Like I've said, mma isn't worth watching live, but this is the kind of
card you at least have to have a party or bar for.
Halfway through the fight, but how is Bisping not circling left after getting rocked by Henderson's right hand 3 times and that being his only weapon?
Close fight. Gotta give it to MB with the belt in his hometown. But how is that guy a title holder? He's very very average. Lot of balls at least.
He's champ because Rockhold didn't give a shit about the fight and underestimated him. Any of the top four guys would kill him. I don't know how long they plan on waiting on his next title fight but whoever the winners are of Weidman v Romero and Jacare v Rockhold are should fight to see who faces Bisping.
Ok makes sense. Jacare is incredible, and a motivated Rockhold is very good. Bisping reminds me of one of those 80s heavyweight belt holders between Holmes and Tyson - like this guy is the best in a prestige division?
Gegane M also looked very good last night.
Gegane M also looked very good last night.
Just because you're the champ doesn't mean you're the best. Matt Serra (great guy) was not near the best at 170 but he had the belt. I was happy to see Bisping win the title. He's a good fighter that has only lost to real greats of the sport or guys who were terrible matchups (Sonnen, and that fight was close).
Mousasi is a good fucking fighter that has not had great consistent training. I think you would like some of his old fights if you haven't seen them
McGregor fined 150K for bottle throwing at the UFC 202 presser by Nevada commission. No fine as of yet for Nate Diaz.
Ronda v Nunes for UFC 207.
Cyborg with an epic rant
I agree with her that if Ronda loses this fight and she most likely will, she's probably done.
Cyborg with an epic rant
I agree with her that if Ronda loses this fight and she most likely will, she's probably done.
A Rousey rematch with Holm would have been nice, but Holm fucked that up by losing two in a row. Of course Rousey is going to fight for the 135 belt. She had what, 5 or 6 title defenses before losing to Holm?
Cyborg being unhappy about not getting a superfight payday is understandable, especially with Rousey looking like she won't be around for much longer. It's a shame she couldn't get down to 135.
Cyborg being unhappy about not getting a superfight payday is understandable, especially with Rousey looking like she won't be around for much longer. It's a shame she couldn't get down to 135.
Why is it on Cyborg. Imagine being Muhammad Ali and everyone's fawning over Ernie Shavers. I think it's safe to say Cyborg shouldn't have had to do anything to accommodate one trick Ronda. I hope Nunes puts her out to pasture.
I know this is your area of expertise, but I think if Rousey and Cyborg were in the same weight class it would be a stronger point.
I don't know why the onus is on the heavier fighter to come down. The same thing is happening in boxing with GGG. These fighters all walk around 10-20 pounds above their weight class. They can move up to make the best fights. McGregor did it. Sugar Ray did it. Roy Jones did it.
Well yeah, and I'm sure Justino walks around bigger still. I mean, I get that some great fighters are willing to move up a weight class to fight. Is Rousey really a great fighter? Maybe a pioneer of sorts, but great? She was exposed by Holm and the shine is off. She built her brand well enough to make good money. If she fights Justino it will probably be one last big payday before she hangs it up. Crazy to do that if she isn't quite done yet because she knows damn well it will be a difficult fight for her that she will probably lose unless she can quickly grab an armbar. Another big loss and the shine is off even more. Of course that can still happen with Nunes, but at least Nunes is in her weight class.
I'm sympathetic to Cyborg because she is great herself but doesn't seem to have the quality opponents to really define her. I'm not sure calling out a big name in a lower weight class really changes that much, though she would get paid better.
I know you're a student of the game. While guys do move up, how often does someone in a higher weight class call out someone in a lower one? I don't know the answer. Maybe it happens a lot.
This is exactly what Gina Carano did.
It really sucks that there isnt a 145 division, but at the same time I can see it from UFC's point of view. A bunch of 135ers will jump to 145 right away, which would diminish the flagship women's division, without guaranteeing a new competitive division. they would have two lesser divisions instead of one that's very competitive. 145 (and 125) will happen eventually, that's the nature of the beast and it would provide more inventory
Your first paragraph makes my point. Ronda didn't fight Cyborg because she was all hype. If she was this great fighter, she would've moved up in weight and tapped her out. Cyborg didn't drop to 135 because it was physically impossible for her. Ronda didn't move up to take the fight, or not cut as much, because she was scared.
As for how often the call outs happen - very rarely. It's not a great proposition to call someone lighter out and lose. Frankly, I think it's an overblown concern. Maybe less so in mma where body weight comes into play more, but the weight divisions in boxing are every few pounds up to light heavyweight. If you're a 10% better fighter, you can work around that. And chances are, 80% of your sparring out of camp is with people in different weight classes.
I'm not sure what we're arguing about. I never made an argument that Rousey was super great or whatever. I agree that she isn't after getting exposed by Holm. My original post focused on Justino's comments and why Rousey absolutely should get a title shot again instead of having to fight Holm first. I do think calling Rousey "all hype" is a bit of an overstatement though. She's done extremely well in her division and, like Justino, can't control the amount of talent (or lack thereof) in it. It's awesome when a fighter is willing to take real risks and move up, but I have a hard time thinking it diminishes them when they don't.
I said she was attractive, I also always said she lacked talent. Besides one move.
I misinterpreted you saying it was a pity that Cyborg couldn't make 135 as putting the blame or onus on her. And by hype I don't mean that she didn't dominate the division, but even in doing so, you could tell she wasn't a generational or transformational athlete. That was the hype.