I don't know if there is another thread about this topic, so here is mine. I'm Just curious to know if you all ever watch UFC or any other kind of MMA.
What do you watch?
Who do you like ?
What do you think about the future of MMA?
I personally think it has a bright future, I just think they need to put up more fighters that people want to see. I see alot of nobodys whenever I watch. It. I don't watch the pay-per-view ever, I think it's rediculous they cost like $50 bucks when I fight might not last even a minute. My favorite fighter is currently not even in the UFC. It happens to be Fedor Emelianenko, I beieve he is the best fighter alive right now. I think he's like 29-1 and he only lost because he took an illegal elbow to the face and bled like hell.
As for the UFC Brandon the truth Vera is looking good in the heavy-wight decision and george St.Pierre got the skill to take the middle-weight championship.
UFC, WEC, DREAM, Sengoku, Affliction, I used to watch PRIDE when it was still around, and every so often I'm lucky enough to get some Shooto and DEEP sent my way. I also watch smaller promotions, and have gone to a few small local events.
Almost everyone will tell you they watched from the beginning, but I can absolutely say that I've been a fan since close to the start of the UFC - the first UFC I watched was UFC 2 on tape (really an awful event in retrospect outside of Royce Gracie, but it was better than UFC 1 at least) and the first one I attended in person was UFC 7 in Buffalo. I love MMA.
Who do you like ?
A lot of different fighters. I'm a big Josh Barnett fan, obviously Anderson Silva (who doesn't like him), GSP, Wanderlei Silva, Minotauro Nogueira (though I will fully admit that Wand and Nog are in the twilight of their careers, their PRIDE fights were so incredible I'll always be a fan), and SHINYA FREAKING AOKI because of his ridiculous submissions (and glorious pants - Aoki is probably my favorite current fighter). That's really just a start though, I am a fan of many fighters, and this list could probably go on forever.
What do you think about the future of MMA?
First, I never in a million years imagined that MMA would get as popular and mainstream as it has now, but I'm so glad it has because it's a great sport. I think the future is interesting - there is a lot of room for even more global expansion, which will bring out talented new fighters from places we're not aware of yet. The only place I'm worried about the sport declining currently is Japan, where MMA was really dealt a big blow with the death of PRIDE - having the biggest promotion in the country's dirty laundry, including Yakuza dealings, really hurt the sport over there, which sucks because it's been a great place for fighters to train and to make a living. But the sport is most definitely on the upswing here, and it will likely continue for the near future at least. My hope is that it will entrench itself as a mainstream sport as more people go from just enjoying the sport to taking up martial arts as a hobby - this will really be the key to long term success.
I personally think it has a bright future, I just think they need to put up more fighters that people want to see. I see alot of nobodys whenever I watch. It.
The thing is, those "nobodies" quite often put on the best fights of every event on the planet, because they are so eager to earn a place as a regular fighter. Think about it...many of the good fighters in the UFC now were "nobodies" to all but hardcore fans when they made their debuts. It's rare that a guy like a Brock Lesnar, who is relatively famous, comes into the sport - more often, it's guys who have fought for years, working their way up the rankings. Hell, when GSP fought Karo Parisyan the first time in the UFC, the only reason most hardcore fans actually knew much about him is because he beat UFC veteran Pete Spratt in Quebec - he would have absolutely been a "nobody" by today's standards.
I don't watch the pay-per-view ever, I think it's rediculous they cost like $50 bucks when I fight might not last even a minute.
This is why many of us go to local bars or friends' houses to watch the show and pay far less than $50 to watch the events. Pool together ten people (it's not hard), pay $5 a piece, get a few refreshments, it's a blast.
My favorite fighter is currently not even in the UFC. It happens to be Fedor Emelianenko, I beieve he is the best fighter alive right now. I think he's like 29-1 and he only lost because he took an illegal elbow to the face and bled like hell.
I also believe Fedor is the best fighter alive, but really both Fedor and the UFC share equal blame for him not being in the organization. Fedor's not a greedy or bad person, but his management is insane and awful, and has made some of the most ridiculous demands I've ever heard. I mean, one of the people around him is such a douche that Bas Rutten, who is one of the nicest people in MMA, publicly tore him apart on a message board. Fedor needs to get some better people around him.
You're right about the "loss" though - everyone should ignore that, the fight should have been a no-contest and only got counted that way because (1) it was a tournament but more importantly (2) it was in Japan and they're notorious for making up the rules as they go along.
As for the UFC Brandon the truth Vera is looking good in the heavy-wight decision and george St.Pierre got the skill to take the middle-weight championship.
Well, Vera is actually fighting light-heavyweight now, and honestly up until his last fight I think he looked absolutely awful for a stretch. He's got talent for sure, and I think he's just been underachieving lately, but I need to see more from him before I declare him a title contender.
GSP having the abililty to take the middleweight championship is a bold statement. At welterweight I'm not sure there's anyone in the UFC that can challenge him, but Anderson Silva could be a rough challenge just because he's so well-rounded. Demian Maia and Nate Marquardt would also be steep challenges - Marquardt is just freaking huge and looked great in his last fight, and Maia has been submitting everyone they throw in front of him. I also think we might see a couple more of the decent light-heavyweights drop to middleweight, just because the division is not quite as deep. But, GSP is huge for welterweight, and he definitely has a ton of skill.
the reason I dislike seeing nobodys is because less people are gonna watch it when they don't know who amybody is. Right now they need to play the big names to get ratings high enough that they can lower the pay per view costs and broadcast more fights on regular cable. I really prefer to see relatevely unknown fighters because they put on the best fights. Also a lot of unknowns right now are coming from PRIDE fighting being that it died out.
I believe that fedors management is screwed up, they want millions to have him fight UFC. I heared a few months back when he fought Andre Arlovski (who happens to be another of my favorite) his payout was arond 300k. They say on a few different sites I visit that fedor is going into the ABU-DABI(i think I got it right) submission league. He feels that he has peaked in MMA and wants to move to a different kind of fighting.
Like you said GSP is huge for a welterweight and I believe he would kick ass if he moved up. He's got one of the fastest paces I've ever seen in a fighter.
As for Brock Lesnar, he looks promising. His skill level isn't great right now but he's strong as hell and he's one of the fastest heavyweights I've ever seen. He's still pretty young too, I think in a few years he will be one of the best heavyweights in the UFC. He's just got a lot of training to do
I personaly don't care if it's a "nobody" or a star. I just watch the fights and sometimes they are brilliant, and sometimes unexciting. It's just the nature of the game.
My favorite fighter is Anderson Silva, hands down. There's noone I enjoy watching more, and i admire his honor and humble nature.
I wish I could find a bar around me that pooled money together to watch the PPV specials.
Ohh man it would be awesome to see Fedor fight Mirko Cro Cop fight again. I think he has a chance to beat Fedor. Cro cop has the best kick I believe in all of MMA, and one good kick to the head and it could be over.
If Cro Cop can return to his PRIDE form, he has a good chance against Fedor, but that is a BIG if at this point in Mirko's career. I think Fedor takes him - Cro Cop does leave himself open from time to time, which Fedor would take advantage of. Takedown defense is definitely important for Cro Cop to train.
the reason I dislike seeing nobodys is because less people are gonna watch it when they don't know who amybody is. Right now they need to play the big names to get ratings high enough that they can lower the pay per view costs and broadcast more fights on regular cable.
The problem is that if you overload one card with too many top flight fighters, you won't have the time for them to rest and get ready for the next card a month later. I'm of the opinion that UFC-level fighters should look to have 4-6 fights per year. That works out to once every two or three months, meaning that you have to spread the championship level talent enough so that you'll get a draw on every card. Outside of UFC 96, of course...which was fun to watch but a very "unimportant" card. I mean, it felt like Ultimate Fight Night.
I believe that fedors management is screwed up, they want millions to have him fight UFC. I heared a few months back when he fought Andre Arlovski (who happens to be another of my favorite) his payout was arond 300k. They say on a few different sites I visit that fedor is going into the ABU-DABI(i think I got it right) submission league. He feels that he has peaked in MMA and wants to move to a different kind of fighting.
There are always Fedor rumors, and I never know what to believe. That said, 300K isn't that much actually for Fedor considering UFC level contracts...but the sleazy part is that it's not the salary that is the issue. Dana White (who I find to be pretty honest, blunt and cruel at times but honest) said that his management team was asking Dana to do things like building stadiums in Russia. And just for correctness, it's the Abu Dhabi Combat Championships, which is a submission fighting tournament, that you would be talking about. If he were to enter Abu Dhabi, it would be VERY interesting. I think his wrestling and sambo are almost overrated at times.
As for Brock Lesnar, he looks promising. His skill level isn't great right now but he's strong as hell and he's one of the fastest heavyweights I've ever seen. He's still pretty young too, I think in a few years he will be one of the best heavyweights in the UFC. He's just got a lot of training to do
Brock's skill level is actually VERY good for someone who's only been fighting for a year. His wrestling background is a huge benefit - he was a D1 Champion and two time All-American in wrestling which is very hard to do. That puts Lesnar on an elite level of wrestling, and it gives him grappling experience that is very helpful when learning the sport.
The issue will always be avoiding submission at the beginning of a fight with Lesnar, imho. If you stand and wrestle with him, you lose. Lesnar's standup sucks technically but it gets the job done. But I think he is vulnerable to submission when inside an opponent's guard. The reason I say early in the fight is that Lesnar is way too strong to try to "rope-a-dope" or tire out when it comes to grappling - you will exhaust yourself in the process. Looking for submissions puts him in a very defensive position, though, that I'm not sure he can handle. That's why, as much as I actually like Lesnar, I think Frank Mir will probably submit him again when they fight (as long as Frank stays away from McDonald's until then).
Finally, if you have HDNet, watch WVR: Sengoku 7 when they play it - it was actually pretty entertaining.
Personally, im a big fan of Lyoto Machida. But i understand its something of a polarizing taste.
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Personally, im a big fan of Lyoto Machida. But i understand its something of a polarizing taste.
Agreed. I really like Machida - I think his technical brilliance is fascinating to watch. Love the foot sweep - he catches every opponent with that it seems, even though they know it's coming.
Kazushi Sakuraba, seemed to lose more than win when he was active in PRIDE, but was always entertaining and fought honorably and with style! I'll be a fan for life!
they say Machida is boring but so is Rashad, so yeah, I'd like to see Machida defeat Evans!
It didn't seem to me that Sakuraba lost more than he won in PRIDE, and in reality he definitely didn't (18-8-1 record in PRIDE). I can understand it though - people put VERY heavy weight on those three fights with Wanderlei Silva, and he got mauled mercilessly in all three. He's always fun to watch though.
I just can't see Evans beating Machida outside of a puncher's chance - and even that chance is slim because you have to actually catch Machida to hit him, which doesn't happen very often. Machida's defense is absolutely insane, I think it's really exciting to watch. I've always liked very skilled fighters though, even if they're more skilled at making the opponent miss than anything. I guarantee at least one foot sweep against Evans. Evans is going to have to be really careful with that lead leg too. On the ground, I think it's a virtual stalemate if anything - Evans has a good base but isn't the best at passing guard, and Machida has very good jiu-jitsu but it probably makes more sense for him to stall for the standup, where I think he has an overwhelming advantage in the striking department.
I know, it just seemed like he was losing even when he won, he always gets beat up & bloodies then somehow manages to pull off - uh, well, a Sakuraba win! an armbar here, a leg-lock there, next thing you know the opponent is tapping out?! gad i miss skyperfect/japanese tv...
did you guys know that ken shamrock allegedly tested positive for steroids? was supposed to fight Lashley (from WWE) too, maybe he saw the Wrestler and started to relate with mickey Rourkes' character, too bad.
I'm a recent convert to MMA. Watched some with a friend and started to love the BJJ aspects, and eventually saw how technically great a fighter can be after watching a couple Silva fights.
As for my favorite, hard to say. Silva is definitely a big draw to a newb like me who hasn't seen much. I'd really like to see if BJ Penn can continue to develop his Rubber Guard, but man does he need to work on his cardio.
It seem to me the biggest issue MMA faces right now is that they need to get away from the 10 Point Must system. It barely makes sense for boxing, and it certainly doesn't work for this sport. There is no valuation for submission attempts, sweeps, pace control, really any technical aspects. I pretty much hate when any fight that wasn't a clear domination go to decision because you always know the guy with the better standup is gonna win.
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of its steep paths have a chance of gaining its luminous summits"
-Karl Heinrich Marx Cube
I've been doing jiu-jitsu for 4 years, and prolly started paying attention to MMA about 2 years ago(first full PPV i watched at a friends house, it was Liddel vs Rampage)
That really didn't catch me though. about a week after that fight i was shown UFC 48. Mir vs Sylvia. It got me watching MMA all the time. I watch UFC, WEC, and anything I can get my hands on like links of Sengoku, DREAM, and shooto fights. Since then I've started up Muay Thai and aspire to be in the UFC someday.
As for who I like?
By Weightclass
Mir(UFC 48) honorable mention to Junior Dos Santos, Fedor, and Andrei Arlovski.
Rampage("wooooooooo!") honorable mention to Machida
Spider Silva(c'mon he's so cool) honorable mention to Demian Maia and Gegard Mousasi
Josh Koscheck honorable mention to GSP
Shinya Aoki(best lightweight ever) honorable mention to BJ Penn and Sean Sherk
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto(nuts) ummm ya just Kid in the featherweights. Faber is nice i guess.
Miguel Angel Torres(probably the most technical fighter in MMA)
also predictions for tonight?
Silva
Rua
Soszynski
Kongo
Cain
Also i think marshall will beat vinny. I see ed herman losing as well.
Stay classy canada. Anderson fought a great fight. Thales pussed out and Silva is gonna catch the criticism.
Way to go spider.
No offense, but most people watching would disagree with you. They don't think that Anderson would've lost either way...but that he was trying to be too cute and win with basically sole-ly leg kicks rather than trying to get dirty. It's the same problem with the Cote fight. Yes, The UFC's last 2 opponents for Silva have not been anywhere near his level, but his response should've been to swiftly eliminate them rather than string them along.
He can blame himself for the boos.
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If you're arguement is that he has faced competition of his level at anytime during his tenure in the ufc, you are wrong. Franklin and Henderson are past their prime. Leben, Lutter, and Irvin were all far below his talent level and probably will never be anywhere near his skill level. And Marquardt was not training nearly as hard as he is now. In all honesty, the best fighter he has faced was Leites and Leites couldn't hang with him past the 3rd round. On top of this, Silva has always been a counter fighter. Thales was afraid to engaged and the only time he truly did so was the second round.
He didn't defeat Leites with leg kicks. He defeated him by simply outclassing him in every aspect of the game..Many fans have been spoiled by his fights with Franklin and his fight with Leben that they think he is a strike first/rush-in type of fighter. That's not how he fights. Also, why should Silva rush into to the fight when his opponent is sitting back and can't actually engage him. Note: several times in round three, Leites just fell down in attempt to get away from Silva.
UFC needs to pair him with someone that is not afraid to engage silva. Silva may have deserve criticism for his Cote fight, but NOT for this one. Leites should be the one who was criticized here. The man couldn't evn physically mount an offensive after round 4.
Pair Silva up with a fighter who will engage him the entire fight and you see fireworks or at least give him a fight he wants. A rematch with Okami, A rematch with Marquardt, or shell out the money to make Gegard Mousasi or Robbie Lawler move into the UFC. Basically any fight but the one that they most likely are going to hand him next(Demian Maia). Make Silva work to keep his title. He wants the Okami fight to avenge his loss. Marquardt wants revenge and has been fighting like a man on a mission. He wants to hurt Silva. Mousasi and Lawler represent very good young talent that will come at Silva.
Offering anything less then these four fights would be terrible for buisness. Silva wants to put on a show. You can tell in his voice after the fight. You can tell in what he said. He just needs someone willing to become part of a highlight reel if the don't win the fight. Leites wasn't that guy and neither was Cote.
Edit: I came up with other fighting options, I break them done great, good, bad, and ugly
Great: GSP(not gonna Happen), Yushin Okami(possible)
Good: Nate Marquardt(possible), Gegard Mousasi(doubtful), Robbie Lawler(doubtful), Permanant move to Light Heavyweight(possible)
Bad: Demian Meia(Most Likely), Michael Bisping(Not in the near future), Martin Kampmann(Least likely out of all the "possible" scenarios), Yoshihiro Akiyama(Not any sooner then Bisping)
Ugly: A rematch with Cote, Frankling, Henderson, Leben(None of which are very likely) Anyone I haven't mentioned.
There a full list of what I think would be good and bad for Silva. Guys who will offer a challenge and/or their bodies to a fantastic knockout are generally good. Guys who won't or are way too far out of his league are ugly. If a fight with GSP does happen, by some stretch of the imagination ,and Silva wins, Silva should go ahead fight 205 cause that will be where the challenge is.
As a long time and well versed fan of MMA I surprised that not more of you are mentioning Lyoto Machida, not as an opponent for Silva obviously, but because of how completely amazing he is. I understand his style is often unengaging for casual fans (as well as his opponents ) but damn in his entire UFC career he has had maybe 40 shots landed on him and none of them really big shots, has been in trouble on the ground for all of 5 seconds in the Ortiz fight, and has generally walked through some of the best competetion the UFC could throw in front of him. Honestly at 205, right now,I think Machida is unbeatable as they come and I cant wait for him to dismantle Rashad Evans next month and unlike in the situation of Silva I dont even see anyone inside or outside of the UFC that is likely to really challenge Machida at least in the situation of Silva there are guys like Dameian Maia and Gegard Mousasi.
Aside from riding along quite happily on the jock of Machida I would like to know what you guys would think is the likelyhood that the UFC would sign Nick Diaz again, despite their previous difficulties, as an opponent for GSP. Personally I think this would be a great fight as Diaz often seems to rise to the level of his opponents and has an extremely awkward style to deal with. Now if GSP could get the takedown early I think he could just wear Diaz out with his top control which is as good as anyones in any division, but if Diaz can keep things on the feet for a while he might just be able to pepper GSP with enough of those annoying little punches he throws to really cause some discomfort to GSP and throw him off a bit.
Now a final little sidebar...it looks to me like Cung Lee might be on his way to the UFC! How cool would that be. My reasoning is that on last nights UFC 97 brodcast there was the long interview with him and in general the UFC black out fighters from other orgs at their events but they not only didnt black him out but they gave him 5 minutes or so of face time with Goldie. Now I dont really think Cung is one of the best at 170 but he is damn exciting and with a few more fights might be a real contender against GSP.
If you're arguement is that he has faced competition of his level at anytime during his tenure in the ufc, you are wrong. Franklin and Henderson are past their prime. Leben, Lutter, and Irvin were all far below his talent level and probably will never be anywhere near his skill level. And Marquardt was not training nearly as hard as he is now. In all honesty, the best fighter he has faced was Leites and Leites couldn't hang with him past the 3rd round. On top of this, Silva has always been a counter fighter. Thales was afraid to engaged and the only time he truly did so was the second round.
He didn't defeat Leites with leg kicks. He defeated him by simply outclassing him in every aspect of the game..Many fans have been spoiled by his fights with Franklin and his fight with Leben that they think he is a strike first/rush-in type of fighter. That's not how he fights. Also, why should Silva rush into to the fight when his opponent is sitting back and can't actually engage him. Note: several times in round three, Leites just fell down in attempt to get away from Silva.
UFC needs to pair him with someone that is not afraid to engage silva. Silva may have deserve criticism for his Cote fight, but NOT for this one. Leites should be the one who was criticized here. The man couldn't evn physically mount an offensive after round 4.
Pair Silva up with a fighter who will engage him the entire fight and you see fireworks or at least give him a fight he wants. A rematch with Okami, A rematch with Marquardt, or shell out the money to make Gegard Mousasi or Robbie Lawler move into the UFC. Basically any fight but the one that they most likely are going to hand him next(Demian Maia). Make Silva work to keep his title. He wants the Okami fight to avenge his loss. Marquardt wants revenge and has been fighting like a man on a mission. He wants to hurt Silva. Mousasi and Lawler represent very good young talent that will come at Silva.
Offering anything less then these four fights would be terrible for buisness. Silva wants to put on a show. You can tell in his voice after the fight. You can tell in what he said. He just needs someone willing to become part of a highlight reel if the don't win the fight. Leites wasn't that guy and neither was Cote.
Edit: I came up with other fighting options, I break them done great, good, bad, and ugly
Great: GSP(not gonna Happen), Yushin Okami(possible)
Good: Nate Marquardt(possible), Gegard Mousasi(doubtful), Robbie Lawler(doubtful), Permanant move to Light Heavyweight(possible)
Bad: Demian Meia(Most Likely), Michael Bisping(Not in the near future), Martin Kampmann(Least likely out of all the "possible" scenarios), Yoshihiro Akiyama(Not any sooner then Bisping)
Ugly: A rematch with Cote, Frankling, Henderson, Leben(None of which are very likely) Anyone I haven't mentioned.
There a full list of what I think would be good and bad for Silva. Guys who will offer a challenge and/or their bodies to a fantastic knockout are generally good. Guys who won't or are way too far out of his league are ugly. If a fight with GSP does happen, by some stretch of the imagination ,and Silva wins, Silva should go ahead fight 205 cause that will be where the challenge is.
w/regards to Silva's future matches, a match with Maia is one i disagree with being labeled as "bad." I'm not sure if Maia is ready for it yet, but he'd at least pose a challenge to silva, and has found ways to take guys down (rather than just pulling guard) in the past. And if Silva's on the ground with Maia, it gets good.
I don't think itd be advantageous for Silva to go to 205. I think Machida would beat him pretty easily (I think Machida's the best in the division personally), Evans would give him a run for his money etc etc, and this is without taking into account how Silva would be able to handle the extra weight (See BJ Penn recently.....yikes).
I think a supermatch vs GSP would be the perfect match for him,as it wouldnt be easy but he would have a clear advantage and wouldn't feel uncomfortable. I don't think its too far out of the blue either.
My Guess, Silva matches up with Maia next, GSP with someone else, and then if they both win, UFC arranges a match between them.
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I love Joboman, Poggy, Niv, and Vezok, because, while they may not be the best players, they still try to win. Having fun is the most important thing to a game, but I've learned that if you don't try to win, then you're ruining everyone else's fun.
I personally dislike the Maia fight because I think it's much to likely to end up like the Leites fight and Maia is less of a striker. And don't get me wrong Maia is a fantastic fighter and I think if he gets it to the ground it is over against pretty much everyone(See: Chael Sonnen).
I like his move to 205, he did it against James Irvin and knocked him out in under 90 seconds. Also I'm not saying he goes up immdiately against a guy like Machida, Evans, Jackson, Or Griffen. I'd rather him fight a guy like Stephan Bonnar. Little better then Irvin but not fantastic. To the BJ Penn comparison, everyone knows that Penn has had conditioning problems and work ethic problems. Spider has never had those issues. Also, I think accuracy would beat Rashad Evans. Lyoto Machida is prolly gonna be the next guy on the pound for pound greatest list right behind Fedor, GSP, and Spider. That is saying something due to him being in the most loaded division in the UFC.
Fighting GSP would be fantastic but I believe it is not gonna happen. Anderson can't go down in weight, ad everything I've read says GSP won't be going up to go get him.
EDIT: I just remembered something a read a while back: What if his next fight was a boxing match with Roy Jones JR?
I personally dislike the Maia fight because I think it's much to likely to end up like the Leites fight and Maia is less of a striker. And don't get me wrong Maia is a fantastic fighter and I think if he gets it to the ground it is over against pretty much everyone(See: Chael Sonnen).
I like his move to 205, he did it against James Irvin and knocked him out in under 90 seconds. Also I'm not saying he goes up immdiately against a guy like Machida, Evans, Jackson, Or Griffen. I'd rather him fight a guy like Stephan Bonnar. Little better then Irvin but not fantastic. To the BJ Penn comparison, everyone knows that Penn has had conditioning problems and work ethic problems. Spider has never had those issues. Also, I think accuracy would beat Rashad Evans. Lyoto Machida is prolly gonna be the next guy on the pound for pound greatest list right behind Fedor, GSP, and Spider. That is saying something due to him being in the most loaded division in the UFC.
Fighting GSP would be fantastic but I believe it is not gonna happen. Anderson can't go down in weight, ad everything I've read says GSP won't be going up to go get him.
EDIT: I just remembered something a read a while back: What if his next fight was a boxing match with Roy Jones JR?
UFC won't let him. He'd have to leave the UFC. And that'd create a conflict that'd be a pain the arse.
As for the GSP thing, if GSP beats his next opponent then i can see it happening, with Dana White being one would especially push that.
Remember, there is little edge toward adding anderson silva to the LH division, which is alreayd competitive with fan favorites and setup for PPVs for years. Adding silva doesnt help.
Silva vs GSP however, does create something out of nothing. It makes the most sense for the UFC.
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I love Joboman, Poggy, Niv, and Vezok, because, while they may not be the best players, they still try to win. Having fun is the most important thing to a game, but I've learned that if you don't try to win, then you're ruining everyone else's fun.
As a long time and well versed fan of MMA I surprised that not more of you are mentioning Lyoto Machida, not as an opponent for Silva obviously, but because of how completely amazing he is. I understand his style is often unengaging for casual fans (as well as his opponents ) but damn in his entire UFC career he has had maybe 40 shots landed on him and none of them really big shots, has been in trouble on the ground for all of 5 seconds in the Ortiz fight, and has generally walked through some of the best competetion the UFC could throw in front of him. Honestly at 205, right now,I think Machida is unbeatable as they come and I cant wait for him to dismantle Rashad Evans next month and unlike in the situation of Silva I dont even see anyone inside or outside of the UFC that is likely to really challenge Machida at least in the situation of Silva there are guys like Dameian Maia and Gegard Mousasi.
Aside from riding along quite happily on the jock of Machida I would like to know what you guys would think is the likelyhood that the UFC would sign Nick Diaz again, despite their previous difficulties, as an opponent for GSP. Personally I think this would be a great fight as Diaz often seems to rise to the level of his opponents and has an extremely awkward style to deal with. Now if GSP could get the takedown early I think he could just wear Diaz out with his top control which is as good as anyones in any division, but if Diaz can keep things on the feet for a while he might just be able to pepper GSP with enough of those annoying little punches he throws to really cause some discomfort to GSP and throw him off a bit.
Now a final little sidebar...it looks to me like Cung Lee might be on his way to the UFC! How cool would that be. My reasoning is that on last nights UFC 97 brodcast there was the long interview with him and in general the UFC black out fighters from other orgs at their events but they not only didnt black him out but they gave him 5 minutes or so of face time with Goldie. Now I dont really think Cung is one of the best at 170 but he is damn exciting and with a few more fights might be a real contender against GSP.
Nick diaz is not top competition. Thiago Alves is GSP's next fight and Alves is much much more talented then Nick Diaz. I personally don't think Cung Le would be a contest for GSP. If he beats Alves, I don't know what happens.
@ Loran, What does GSP gain out of the deal though? Silva gets a beast opponent, UFC gets cash, GSP gets ?. It's not like he isn't content with making highlight reels out of the rest of his division. Only thing I can think of beside Silva after the Alves fight is Paulo Thiago if he registers a few more high-end knockouts. Maybe Swick?
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What do you watch?
Who do you like ?
What do you think about the future of MMA?
I personally think it has a bright future, I just think they need to put up more fighters that people want to see. I see alot of nobodys whenever I watch. It. I don't watch the pay-per-view ever, I think it's rediculous they cost like $50 bucks when I fight might not last even a minute. My favorite fighter is currently not even in the UFC. It happens to be Fedor Emelianenko, I beieve he is the best fighter alive right now. I think he's like 29-1 and he only lost because he took an illegal elbow to the face and bled like hell.
As for the UFC Brandon the truth Vera is looking good in the heavy-wight decision and george St.Pierre got the skill to take the middle-weight championship.
What do you guys think?
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UFC, WEC, DREAM, Sengoku, Affliction, I used to watch PRIDE when it was still around, and every so often I'm lucky enough to get some Shooto and DEEP sent my way. I also watch smaller promotions, and have gone to a few small local events.
Almost everyone will tell you they watched from the beginning, but I can absolutely say that I've been a fan since close to the start of the UFC - the first UFC I watched was UFC 2 on tape (really an awful event in retrospect outside of Royce Gracie, but it was better than UFC 1 at least) and the first one I attended in person was UFC 7 in Buffalo. I love MMA.
A lot of different fighters. I'm a big Josh Barnett fan, obviously Anderson Silva (who doesn't like him), GSP, Wanderlei Silva, Minotauro Nogueira (though I will fully admit that Wand and Nog are in the twilight of their careers, their PRIDE fights were so incredible I'll always be a fan), and SHINYA FREAKING AOKI because of his ridiculous submissions (and glorious pants - Aoki is probably my favorite current fighter). That's really just a start though, I am a fan of many fighters, and this list could probably go on forever.
First, I never in a million years imagined that MMA would get as popular and mainstream as it has now, but I'm so glad it has because it's a great sport. I think the future is interesting - there is a lot of room for even more global expansion, which will bring out talented new fighters from places we're not aware of yet. The only place I'm worried about the sport declining currently is Japan, where MMA was really dealt a big blow with the death of PRIDE - having the biggest promotion in the country's dirty laundry, including Yakuza dealings, really hurt the sport over there, which sucks because it's been a great place for fighters to train and to make a living. But the sport is most definitely on the upswing here, and it will likely continue for the near future at least. My hope is that it will entrench itself as a mainstream sport as more people go from just enjoying the sport to taking up martial arts as a hobby - this will really be the key to long term success.
The thing is, those "nobodies" quite often put on the best fights of every event on the planet, because they are so eager to earn a place as a regular fighter. Think about it...many of the good fighters in the UFC now were "nobodies" to all but hardcore fans when they made their debuts. It's rare that a guy like a Brock Lesnar, who is relatively famous, comes into the sport - more often, it's guys who have fought for years, working their way up the rankings. Hell, when GSP fought Karo Parisyan the first time in the UFC, the only reason most hardcore fans actually knew much about him is because he beat UFC veteran Pete Spratt in Quebec - he would have absolutely been a "nobody" by today's standards.
This is why many of us go to local bars or friends' houses to watch the show and pay far less than $50 to watch the events. Pool together ten people (it's not hard), pay $5 a piece, get a few refreshments, it's a blast.
I also believe Fedor is the best fighter alive, but really both Fedor and the UFC share equal blame for him not being in the organization. Fedor's not a greedy or bad person, but his management is insane and awful, and has made some of the most ridiculous demands I've ever heard. I mean, one of the people around him is such a douche that Bas Rutten, who is one of the nicest people in MMA, publicly tore him apart on a message board. Fedor needs to get some better people around him.
You're right about the "loss" though - everyone should ignore that, the fight should have been a no-contest and only got counted that way because (1) it was a tournament but more importantly (2) it was in Japan and they're notorious for making up the rules as they go along.
Well, Vera is actually fighting light-heavyweight now, and honestly up until his last fight I think he looked absolutely awful for a stretch. He's got talent for sure, and I think he's just been underachieving lately, but I need to see more from him before I declare him a title contender.
GSP having the abililty to take the middleweight championship is a bold statement. At welterweight I'm not sure there's anyone in the UFC that can challenge him, but Anderson Silva could be a rough challenge just because he's so well-rounded. Demian Maia and Nate Marquardt would also be steep challenges - Marquardt is just freaking huge and looked great in his last fight, and Maia has been submitting everyone they throw in front of him. I also think we might see a couple more of the decent light-heavyweights drop to middleweight, just because the division is not quite as deep. But, GSP is huge for welterweight, and he definitely has a ton of skill.
I believe that fedors management is screwed up, they want millions to have him fight UFC. I heared a few months back when he fought Andre Arlovski (who happens to be another of my favorite) his payout was arond 300k. They say on a few different sites I visit that fedor is going into the ABU-DABI(i think I got it right) submission league. He feels that he has peaked in MMA and wants to move to a different kind of fighting.
Like you said GSP is huge for a welterweight and I believe he would kick ass if he moved up. He's got one of the fastest paces I've ever seen in a fighter.
As for Brock Lesnar, he looks promising. His skill level isn't great right now but he's strong as hell and he's one of the fastest heavyweights I've ever seen. He's still pretty young too, I think in a few years he will be one of the best heavyweights in the UFC. He's just got a lot of training to do
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My favorite fighter is Anderson Silva, hands down. There's noone I enjoy watching more, and i admire his honor and humble nature.
I wish I could find a bar around me that pooled money together to watch the PPV specials.
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Also, wanted to respond...
The problem is that if you overload one card with too many top flight fighters, you won't have the time for them to rest and get ready for the next card a month later. I'm of the opinion that UFC-level fighters should look to have 4-6 fights per year. That works out to once every two or three months, meaning that you have to spread the championship level talent enough so that you'll get a draw on every card. Outside of UFC 96, of course...which was fun to watch but a very "unimportant" card. I mean, it felt like Ultimate Fight Night.
There are always Fedor rumors, and I never know what to believe. That said, 300K isn't that much actually for Fedor considering UFC level contracts...but the sleazy part is that it's not the salary that is the issue. Dana White (who I find to be pretty honest, blunt and cruel at times but honest) said that his management team was asking Dana to do things like building stadiums in Russia. And just for correctness, it's the Abu Dhabi Combat Championships, which is a submission fighting tournament, that you would be talking about. If he were to enter Abu Dhabi, it would be VERY interesting. I think his wrestling and sambo are almost overrated at times.
Brock's skill level is actually VERY good for someone who's only been fighting for a year. His wrestling background is a huge benefit - he was a D1 Champion and two time All-American in wrestling which is very hard to do. That puts Lesnar on an elite level of wrestling, and it gives him grappling experience that is very helpful when learning the sport.
The issue will always be avoiding submission at the beginning of a fight with Lesnar, imho. If you stand and wrestle with him, you lose. Lesnar's standup sucks technically but it gets the job done. But I think he is vulnerable to submission when inside an opponent's guard. The reason I say early in the fight is that Lesnar is way too strong to try to "rope-a-dope" or tire out when it comes to grappling - you will exhaust yourself in the process. Looking for submissions puts him in a very defensive position, though, that I'm not sure he can handle. That's why, as much as I actually like Lesnar, I think Frank Mir will probably submit him again when they fight (as long as Frank stays away from McDonald's until then).
Finally, if you have HDNet, watch WVR: Sengoku 7 when they play it - it was actually pretty entertaining.
Logical Reasoning is dead; Long Live Stupidity
I really miss having Vs. or Spike and being able to watch some MMA on cable.
Agreed. I really like Machida - I think his technical brilliance is fascinating to watch. Love the foot sweep - he catches every opponent with that it seems, even though they know it's coming.
they say Machida is boring but so is Rashad, so yeah, I'd like to see Machida defeat Evans!
I just can't see Evans beating Machida outside of a puncher's chance - and even that chance is slim because you have to actually catch Machida to hit him, which doesn't happen very often. Machida's defense is absolutely insane, I think it's really exciting to watch. I've always liked very skilled fighters though, even if they're more skilled at making the opponent miss than anything. I guarantee at least one foot sweep against Evans. Evans is going to have to be really careful with that lead leg too. On the ground, I think it's a virtual stalemate if anything - Evans has a good base but isn't the best at passing guard, and Machida has very good jiu-jitsu but it probably makes more sense for him to stall for the standup, where I think he has an overwhelming advantage in the striking department.
did you guys know that ken shamrock allegedly tested positive for steroids? was supposed to fight Lashley (from WWE) too, maybe he saw the Wrestler and started to relate with mickey Rourkes' character, too bad.
A lot of the major fighters ascended rapidly: someone can go from "nobody" to "star" in a couple fights easily.
As for my favorite, hard to say. Silva is definitely a big draw to a newb like me who hasn't seen much. I'd really like to see if BJ Penn can continue to develop his Rubber Guard, but man does he need to work on his cardio.
It seem to me the biggest issue MMA faces right now is that they need to get away from the 10 Point Must system. It barely makes sense for boxing, and it certainly doesn't work for this sport. There is no valuation for submission attempts, sweeps, pace control, really any technical aspects. I pretty much hate when any fight that wasn't a clear domination go to decision because you always know the guy with the better standup is gonna win.
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That really didn't catch me though. about a week after that fight i was shown UFC 48. Mir vs Sylvia. It got me watching MMA all the time. I watch UFC, WEC, and anything I can get my hands on like links of Sengoku, DREAM, and shooto fights. Since then I've started up Muay Thai and aspire to be in the UFC someday.
As for who I like?
By Weightclass
Mir(UFC 48) honorable mention to Junior Dos Santos, Fedor, and Andrei Arlovski.
Rampage("wooooooooo!") honorable mention to Machida
Spider Silva(c'mon he's so cool) honorable mention to Demian Maia and Gegard Mousasi
Josh Koscheck honorable mention to GSP
Shinya Aoki(best lightweight ever) honorable mention to BJ Penn and Sean Sherk
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto(nuts) ummm ya just Kid in the featherweights. Faber is nice i guess.
Miguel Angel Torres(probably the most technical fighter in MMA)
also predictions for tonight?
Silva
Rua
Soszynski
Kongo
Cain
Also i think marshall will beat vinny. I see ed herman losing as well.
Stay classy canada. Anderson fought a great fight. Thales pussed out and Silva is gonna catch the criticism.
Way to go spider.
No offense, but most people watching would disagree with you. They don't think that Anderson would've lost either way...but that he was trying to be too cute and win with basically sole-ly leg kicks rather than trying to get dirty. It's the same problem with the Cote fight. Yes, The UFC's last 2 opponents for Silva have not been anywhere near his level, but his response should've been to swiftly eliminate them rather than string them along.
He can blame himself for the boos.
Logical Reasoning is dead; Long Live Stupidity
He didn't defeat Leites with leg kicks. He defeated him by simply outclassing him in every aspect of the game..Many fans have been spoiled by his fights with Franklin and his fight with Leben that they think he is a strike first/rush-in type of fighter. That's not how he fights. Also, why should Silva rush into to the fight when his opponent is sitting back and can't actually engage him. Note: several times in round three, Leites just fell down in attempt to get away from Silva.
UFC needs to pair him with someone that is not afraid to engage silva. Silva may have deserve criticism for his Cote fight, but NOT for this one. Leites should be the one who was criticized here. The man couldn't evn physically mount an offensive after round 4.
Pair Silva up with a fighter who will engage him the entire fight and you see fireworks or at least give him a fight he wants. A rematch with Okami, A rematch with Marquardt, or shell out the money to make Gegard Mousasi or Robbie Lawler move into the UFC. Basically any fight but the one that they most likely are going to hand him next(Demian Maia). Make Silva work to keep his title. He wants the Okami fight to avenge his loss. Marquardt wants revenge and has been fighting like a man on a mission. He wants to hurt Silva. Mousasi and Lawler represent very good young talent that will come at Silva.
Offering anything less then these four fights would be terrible for buisness. Silva wants to put on a show. You can tell in his voice after the fight. You can tell in what he said. He just needs someone willing to become part of a highlight reel if the don't win the fight. Leites wasn't that guy and neither was Cote.
Edit: I came up with other fighting options, I break them done great, good, bad, and ugly
Great: GSP(not gonna Happen), Yushin Okami(possible)
Good: Nate Marquardt(possible), Gegard Mousasi(doubtful), Robbie Lawler(doubtful), Permanant move to Light Heavyweight(possible)
Bad: Demian Meia(Most Likely), Michael Bisping(Not in the near future), Martin Kampmann(Least likely out of all the "possible" scenarios), Yoshihiro Akiyama(Not any sooner then Bisping)
Ugly: A rematch with Cote, Frankling, Henderson, Leben(None of which are very likely) Anyone I haven't mentioned.
There a full list of what I think would be good and bad for Silva. Guys who will offer a challenge and/or their bodies to a fantastic knockout are generally good. Guys who won't or are way too far out of his league are ugly. If a fight with GSP does happen, by some stretch of the imagination ,and Silva wins, Silva should go ahead fight 205 cause that will be where the challenge is.
Aside from riding along quite happily on the jock of Machida I would like to know what you guys would think is the likelyhood that the UFC would sign Nick Diaz again, despite their previous difficulties, as an opponent for GSP. Personally I think this would be a great fight as Diaz often seems to rise to the level of his opponents and has an extremely awkward style to deal with. Now if GSP could get the takedown early I think he could just wear Diaz out with his top control which is as good as anyones in any division, but if Diaz can keep things on the feet for a while he might just be able to pepper GSP with enough of those annoying little punches he throws to really cause some discomfort to GSP and throw him off a bit.
Now a final little sidebar...it looks to me like Cung Lee might be on his way to the UFC! How cool would that be. My reasoning is that on last nights UFC 97 brodcast there was the long interview with him and in general the UFC black out fighters from other orgs at their events but they not only didnt black him out but they gave him 5 minutes or so of face time with Goldie. Now I dont really think Cung is one of the best at 170 but he is damn exciting and with a few more fights might be a real contender against GSP.
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w/regards to Silva's future matches, a match with Maia is one i disagree with being labeled as "bad." I'm not sure if Maia is ready for it yet, but he'd at least pose a challenge to silva, and has found ways to take guys down (rather than just pulling guard) in the past. And if Silva's on the ground with Maia, it gets good.
I don't think itd be advantageous for Silva to go to 205. I think Machida would beat him pretty easily (I think Machida's the best in the division personally), Evans would give him a run for his money etc etc, and this is without taking into account how Silva would be able to handle the extra weight (See BJ Penn recently.....yikes).
I think a supermatch vs GSP would be the perfect match for him,as it wouldnt be easy but he would have a clear advantage and wouldn't feel uncomfortable. I don't think its too far out of the blue either.
My Guess, Silva matches up with Maia next, GSP with someone else, and then if they both win, UFC arranges a match between them.
Logical Reasoning is dead; Long Live Stupidity
I like his move to 205, he did it against James Irvin and knocked him out in under 90 seconds. Also I'm not saying he goes up immdiately against a guy like Machida, Evans, Jackson, Or Griffen. I'd rather him fight a guy like Stephan Bonnar. Little better then Irvin but not fantastic. To the BJ Penn comparison, everyone knows that Penn has had conditioning problems and work ethic problems. Spider has never had those issues. Also, I think accuracy would beat Rashad Evans. Lyoto Machida is prolly gonna be the next guy on the pound for pound greatest list right behind Fedor, GSP, and Spider. That is saying something due to him being in the most loaded division in the UFC.
Fighting GSP would be fantastic but I believe it is not gonna happen. Anderson can't go down in weight, ad everything I've read says GSP won't be going up to go get him.
EDIT: I just remembered something a read a while back: What if his next fight was a boxing match with Roy Jones JR?
UFC won't let him. He'd have to leave the UFC. And that'd create a conflict that'd be a pain the arse.
As for the GSP thing, if GSP beats his next opponent then i can see it happening, with Dana White being one would especially push that.
Remember, there is little edge toward adding anderson silva to the LH division, which is alreayd competitive with fan favorites and setup for PPVs for years. Adding silva doesnt help.
Silva vs GSP however, does create something out of nothing. It makes the most sense for the UFC.
Logical Reasoning is dead; Long Live Stupidity
Nick diaz is not top competition. Thiago Alves is GSP's next fight and Alves is much much more talented then Nick Diaz. I personally don't think Cung Le would be a contest for GSP. If he beats Alves, I don't know what happens.