The Official UFC Thread!
#361
02-17-2011, 04:52 PM
I'd say Jones is more than a new breed. He's individually very unique. Like a Federer, an Armstrong, a Jordan. He's a natural, very creative and gifted athlete. The training everyone does around him will not give them that additional natural talent he has. I think he's going to be one of the greatest in the sport.
I don't want to watch Randy any more. He's great. He's a hero. No doubt. But watching dirty boxing for an entire bout is really tiresome. Not that it's not valid, not that he's not a master of doing it, not that he hasn't been one of the best in the business, he is and he has. Sure, he neutralized Vera who's a much younger fighter...because Vera fought with no effing strategy, just like he did with Thiago Silva. When you have long, effective tools and you can create damage from a distance without getting tied up, you do it. Vera was foolish. Just like Randy was foolish when he CREATED distance w/Brock and of course Brock used the space to strike, which was his advantage in the face of Randy's excellent wrestling. Everyone has to use their best tools effectively, smartly, compared and relative to their opponent at that time. Some are smart this way. The smarter fighter wins. Randy's usually smart. Just boring to watch.
This is a bad match-up for Lyoto. If he wins, he loses. If he loses, he loses. He's fighting an older, lower-ranked fighter. Randy's not focused on the sport anymore, so if Lyoto loses to him, it may be a huge setback to his career, and I'd not be surprised if he gets cut from UFC. Lyoto needs to get better coaching and go after Shogun again (or Jones when Shogun loses) get the belt back. And then retire. He didn't fight Shogun or Jackson smart, didn't control the match, wasn't prepared for each fighter specifically. At least it didn't appear that way. He's going to have to get specific, or quit. I think he's got the ability to make one last run if he commits to it, not more than another year or two tops. In tip-top form, and well-trained, I think he and Jones would be a thrilling match up. I still give Jones the edge, but I'd like to see Lyoto at his best in that bout.
I don't want to watch Randy any more. He's great. He's a hero. No doubt. But watching dirty boxing for an entire bout is really tiresome. Not that it's not valid, not that he's not a master of doing it, not that he hasn't been one of the best in the business, he is and he has. Sure, he neutralized Vera who's a much younger fighter...because Vera fought with no effing strategy, just like he did with Thiago Silva. When you have long, effective tools and you can create damage from a distance without getting tied up, you do it. Vera was foolish. Just like Randy was foolish when he CREATED distance w/Brock and of course Brock used the space to strike, which was his advantage in the face of Randy's excellent wrestling. Everyone has to use their best tools effectively, smartly, compared and relative to their opponent at that time. Some are smart this way. The smarter fighter wins. Randy's usually smart. Just boring to watch.
This is a bad match-up for Lyoto. If he wins, he loses. If he loses, he loses. He's fighting an older, lower-ranked fighter. Randy's not focused on the sport anymore, so if Lyoto loses to him, it may be a huge setback to his career, and I'd not be surprised if he gets cut from UFC. Lyoto needs to get better coaching and go after Shogun again (or Jones when Shogun loses) get the belt back. And then retire. He didn't fight Shogun or Jackson smart, didn't control the match, wasn't prepared for each fighter specifically. At least it didn't appear that way. He's going to have to get specific, or quit. I think he's got the ability to make one last run if he commits to it, not more than another year or two tops. In tip-top form, and well-trained, I think he and Jones would be a thrilling match up. I still give Jones the edge, but I'd like to see Lyoto at his best in that bout.
#362
02-17-2011, 05:04 PM
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Montreal, Qc
Posts: 23,831
I'd say Jones is more than a new breed. He's individually very unique. Like a Federer, an Armstrong, a Jordan. He's a natural, very creative and gifted athlete. The training everyone does around him will not give them that additional natural talent he has. I think he's going to be one of the greatest in the sport.
I don't want to watch Randy any more. He's great. He's a hero. No doubt. But watching dirty boxing for an entire bout is really tiresome. Not that it's not valid, not that he's not a master of doing it, not that he hasn't been one of the best in the business, he is and he has. Sure, he neutralized Vera who's a much younger fighter...because Vera fought with no effing strategy, just like he did with Thiago Silva. When you have long, effective tools and you can create damage from a distance without getting tied up, you do it. Vera was foolish. Just like Randy was foolish when he CREATED distance w/Brock and of course Brock used the space to strike, which was his advantage in the face of Randy's excellent wrestling. Everyone has to use their best tools effectively, smartly, compared and relative to their opponent at that time. Some are smart this way. The smarter fighter wins. Randy's usually smart. Just boring to watch.
This is a bad match-up for Lyoto. If he wins, he loses. If he loses, he loses. He's fighting an older, lower-ranked fighter. Randy's not focused on the sport anymore, so if Lyoto loses to him, it may be a huge setback to his career, and I'd not be surprised if he gets cut from UFC. Lyoto needs to get better coaching and go after Shogun again (or Jones when Shogun loses) get the belt back. And then retire. He didn't fight Shogun or Jackson smart, didn't control the match, wasn't prepared for each fighter specifically. At least it didn't appear that way. He's going to have to get specific, or quit. I think he's got the ability to make one last run if he commits to it, not more than another year or two tops. In tip-top form, and well-trained, I think he and Jones would be a thrilling match up. I still give Jones the edge, but I'd like to see Lyoto at his best in that bout.
I don't want to watch Randy any more. He's great. He's a hero. No doubt. But watching dirty boxing for an entire bout is really tiresome. Not that it's not valid, not that he's not a master of doing it, not that he hasn't been one of the best in the business, he is and he has. Sure, he neutralized Vera who's a much younger fighter...because Vera fought with no effing strategy, just like he did with Thiago Silva. When you have long, effective tools and you can create damage from a distance without getting tied up, you do it. Vera was foolish. Just like Randy was foolish when he CREATED distance w/Brock and of course Brock used the space to strike, which was his advantage in the face of Randy's excellent wrestling. Everyone has to use their best tools effectively, smartly, compared and relative to their opponent at that time. Some are smart this way. The smarter fighter wins. Randy's usually smart. Just boring to watch.
This is a bad match-up for Lyoto. If he wins, he loses. If he loses, he loses. He's fighting an older, lower-ranked fighter. Randy's not focused on the sport anymore, so if Lyoto loses to him, it may be a huge setback to his career, and I'd not be surprised if he gets cut from UFC. Lyoto needs to get better coaching and go after Shogun again (or Jones when Shogun loses) get the belt back. And then retire. He didn't fight Shogun or Jackson smart, didn't control the match, wasn't prepared for each fighter specifically. At least it didn't appear that way. He's going to have to get specific, or quit. I think he's got the ability to make one last run if he commits to it, not more than another year or two tops. In tip-top form, and well-trained, I think he and Jones would be a thrilling match up. I still give Jones the edge, but I'd like to see Lyoto at his best in that bout.
btw its really amazing to be able to speak MMA with guys who KNOW wtf is going on in the sport...alot of my buddies "LOVE" MMA but its really they only know the UFC nothing outside and dont appreciate the the under laying factors...ok rant over!!!
#363
02-17-2011, 05:23 PM
I love watching, talking about and participating (in a very small way via training) in this sport.
But I'm just a fan, and like any fan (and even most sports reporters), I have limited knowledge. Someone closer to each fighter, on the inside, has a different perspective. So my judgment comes from the 10,000ft level. Someone else is at the 10ft level, and that changes everything. I like to debate this stuff, but objectively I am truly working with little detail. Makes you think differently when you and I, we, are all debating what we think we know, and watching sports reporters doing the same, then a friend on the inside shares something that nobody was aware of--like one of the fighters has been fighting with a back injury that kept him from doing what he normally could for four years, but he didn't have the finances for surgery because he was supporting his family with every dollar--and then everything changes. Maybe the fighter wasn't fighting with no smarts, maybe he was managing the situation best he could in circumstances nobody knows about.
What I'm saying is, we're all armchair quarterbacks until we get closer. Then it gets much more interesting, and the real stories unfold. And then it's not so easy to make a clear cut judgment call, things get complicated. More variables. Like in auto racing, you have the driver, car, engineers, crew. Fighting is no different, it's complex. I have a lot of respect for these guys, just like any professional athlete who gives up everything to go after it, and manage all the variables. No easy path to succeeding.
I met a guy on the plane going to Vegas last year, pro fighter from ATT camp on his way home to FL from a week at Hendo's place here in SoCal. He dislocated his knee in training there, one of Hendo's friends was supposed to hook the kid up with an MRI, but it fell through. So here he was, sitting next to me with a major knee injury, untreated, going home. I asked him if he had med insurance, and what he did for a living alongside fighting. His answer "I'm a professional fighter, this is what I do for a living. Nope, no insurance." He shares an apartment with another fighter in FL, barely getting by.
So whatever I say or read, I take it with a grain of salt, these are convenient judgments and assumptions. There is much more than meets the eye. That's why I love sports, including this one.
But I'm just a fan, and like any fan (and even most sports reporters), I have limited knowledge. Someone closer to each fighter, on the inside, has a different perspective. So my judgment comes from the 10,000ft level. Someone else is at the 10ft level, and that changes everything. I like to debate this stuff, but objectively I am truly working with little detail. Makes you think differently when you and I, we, are all debating what we think we know, and watching sports reporters doing the same, then a friend on the inside shares something that nobody was aware of--like one of the fighters has been fighting with a back injury that kept him from doing what he normally could for four years, but he didn't have the finances for surgery because he was supporting his family with every dollar--and then everything changes. Maybe the fighter wasn't fighting with no smarts, maybe he was managing the situation best he could in circumstances nobody knows about.
What I'm saying is, we're all armchair quarterbacks until we get closer. Then it gets much more interesting, and the real stories unfold. And then it's not so easy to make a clear cut judgment call, things get complicated. More variables. Like in auto racing, you have the driver, car, engineers, crew. Fighting is no different, it's complex. I have a lot of respect for these guys, just like any professional athlete who gives up everything to go after it, and manage all the variables. No easy path to succeeding.
I met a guy on the plane going to Vegas last year, pro fighter from ATT camp on his way home to FL from a week at Hendo's place here in SoCal. He dislocated his knee in training there, one of Hendo's friends was supposed to hook the kid up with an MRI, but it fell through. So here he was, sitting next to me with a major knee injury, untreated, going home. I asked him if he had med insurance, and what he did for a living alongside fighting. His answer "I'm a professional fighter, this is what I do for a living. Nope, no insurance." He shares an apartment with another fighter in FL, barely getting by.
So whatever I say or read, I take it with a grain of salt, these are convenient judgments and assumptions. There is much more than meets the eye. That's why I love sports, including this one.
#364
02-17-2011, 05:38 PM
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Montreal, Qc
Posts: 23,831
I love watching, talking about and participating (in a very small way via training) in this sport.
But I'm just a fan, and like any fan (and even most sports reporters), I have limited knowledge. Someone closer to each fighter, on the inside, has a different perspective. So my judgment comes from the 10,000ft level. Someone else is at the 10ft level, and that changes everything. I like to debate this stuff, but objectively I am truly working with little detail. Makes you think differently when you and I, we, are all debating what we think we know, and watching sports reporters doing the same, then a friend on the inside shares something that nobody was aware of--like one of the fighters has been fighting with a back injury that kept him from doing what he normally could for four years, but he didn't have the finances for surgery because he was supporting his family with every dollar--and then everything changes. Maybe the fighter wasn't fighting with no smarts, maybe he was managing the situation best he could in circumstances nobody knows about.
What I'm saying is, we're all armchair quarterbacks until we get closer. Then it gets much more interesting, and the real stories unfold. And then it's not so easy to make a clear cut judgment call, things get complicated. More variables. Like in auto racing, you have the driver, car, engineers, crew. Fighting is no different, it's complex. I have a lot of respect for these guys, just like any professional athlete who gives up everything to go after it, and manage all the variables. No easy path to succeeding.
I met a guy on the plane going to Vegas last year, pro fighter from ATT camp on his way home to FL from a week at Hendo's place here in SoCal. He dislocated his knee in training there, one of Hendo's friends was supposed to hook the kid up with an MRI, but it fell through. So here he was, sitting next to me with a major knee injury, untreated, going home. I asked him if he had med insurance, and what he did for a living alongside fighting. His answer "I'm a professional fighter, this is what I do for a living. Nope, no insurance." He shares an apartment with another fighter in FL, barely getting by.
So whatever I say or read, I take it with a grain of salt, these are convenient judgments and assumptions. There is much more than meets the eye. That's why I love sports, including this one.
But I'm just a fan, and like any fan (and even most sports reporters), I have limited knowledge. Someone closer to each fighter, on the inside, has a different perspective. So my judgment comes from the 10,000ft level. Someone else is at the 10ft level, and that changes everything. I like to debate this stuff, but objectively I am truly working with little detail. Makes you think differently when you and I, we, are all debating what we think we know, and watching sports reporters doing the same, then a friend on the inside shares something that nobody was aware of--like one of the fighters has been fighting with a back injury that kept him from doing what he normally could for four years, but he didn't have the finances for surgery because he was supporting his family with every dollar--and then everything changes. Maybe the fighter wasn't fighting with no smarts, maybe he was managing the situation best he could in circumstances nobody knows about.
What I'm saying is, we're all armchair quarterbacks until we get closer. Then it gets much more interesting, and the real stories unfold. And then it's not so easy to make a clear cut judgment call, things get complicated. More variables. Like in auto racing, you have the driver, car, engineers, crew. Fighting is no different, it's complex. I have a lot of respect for these guys, just like any professional athlete who gives up everything to go after it, and manage all the variables. No easy path to succeeding.
I met a guy on the plane going to Vegas last year, pro fighter from ATT camp on his way home to FL from a week at Hendo's place here in SoCal. He dislocated his knee in training there, one of Hendo's friends was supposed to hook the kid up with an MRI, but it fell through. So here he was, sitting next to me with a major knee injury, untreated, going home. I asked him if he had med insurance, and what he did for a living alongside fighting. His answer "I'm a professional fighter, this is what I do for a living. Nope, no insurance." He shares an apartment with another fighter in FL, barely getting by.
So whatever I say or read, I take it with a grain of salt, these are convenient judgments and assumptions. There is much more than meets the eye. That's why I love sports, including this one.
gah damn how much rep do need to spread...lol
#365
02-17-2011, 07:33 PM
BJ's been training w/Matt Hughes, getting ready for Fitch:
UFC 127: B.J. Penn Says Matt Hughes Was The Best Training Partner | HEAVY
UFC 127: B.J. Penn Says Matt Hughes Was The Best Training Partner | HEAVY
#366
02-17-2011, 07:52 PM
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Montreal, Qc
Posts: 23,831
BJ's been training w/Matt Hughes, getting ready for Fitch:
UFC 127: B.J. Penn Says Matt Hughes Was The Best Training Partner | HEAVY
UFC 127: B.J. Penn Says Matt Hughes Was The Best Training Partner | HEAVY
#367
02-17-2011, 08:19 PM
BJ's up and down, I have no idea what's going to happen here. Depends which BJ shows up.
Hope it's a war no matter what. You know Fitch is coming ready for one and hungry for that title shot. If BJ comes hungry and has his head totally in this, it will be one of the best fights of 2011. If BJ doesn't come prepared, it will be one of the biggest disappointments, and confirmation that BJ is on his way out instead of back up.
I'm going to give the edge to Fitch here, I think we'll see GSP and Fitch go at it again. (I think GSP is going to hand Jake his hat with a TKO.)
But regardless of what I think will happen, here's what I'd like to see happen to shake up this division:
Shields def GSP
BJ def Fitch
BJ def Shields
GSP def BJ
How fun would that be?! Need some heartache and rough seas in this division, dammit! GSP has to get beaten at some point (and not by making mistakes--I mean BEATEN by a top fighter), and then he has to dig deep to get back on top. I think this would be much more exciting than a GSP/Silva mis-match bout.
Hope it's a war no matter what. You know Fitch is coming ready for one and hungry for that title shot. If BJ comes hungry and has his head totally in this, it will be one of the best fights of 2011. If BJ doesn't come prepared, it will be one of the biggest disappointments, and confirmation that BJ is on his way out instead of back up.
I'm going to give the edge to Fitch here, I think we'll see GSP and Fitch go at it again. (I think GSP is going to hand Jake his hat with a TKO.)
But regardless of what I think will happen, here's what I'd like to see happen to shake up this division:
Shields def GSP
BJ def Fitch
BJ def Shields
GSP def BJ
How fun would that be?! Need some heartache and rough seas in this division, dammit! GSP has to get beaten at some point (and not by making mistakes--I mean BEATEN by a top fighter), and then he has to dig deep to get back on top. I think this would be much more exciting than a GSP/Silva mis-match bout.
#368
02-17-2011, 08:43 PM
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Montreal, Qc
Posts: 23,831
I dont want GSP to move up and get murdered by Silva...they say hes cleaned out the division but i DO wanna see a BJ III and then hopefully Kampmann can get it together and come back and get a shot as well...and by then Nick Diaz may be done his fights with Stirkeforce and i DO see him coming back to the UFC and getting an immediate title shot vs GSP cuz hell come out SF undefeated and WW champ...am i thinking too crazy??? just maybe...just mayyyyyyyyybe lololol
Last edited by McRae; 02-17-2011 at 08:47 PM.
#369
02-17-2011, 10:07 PM
Kampmann's a tough dude. But he needs to let his hands and legs do the talking with a guy like Shields. That was so damned frustrating to watch. He avoided the sub, but Jake's great on the ground, so Martin needed to hurt him standing up, stick to that relentlessly and either take him out with strikes or go to the ground after shaking him up. He had a very low percentage shot at sub'ing Shields without beating him up first, and the fight played out as it should have. Kampmann can do better, but will he?
Diaz/GSP would be VERY interesting. Diaz is a freaking insect. The guy keeps coming. I was at UFC 125 when he fought Kim, and the dude kept striking from any and every twisted up, contorted position. It was nuts. What a scary little raging bastid that kid is.
I think we should clone the Diaz brothers a few hundred thousand times and use them for our US ground forces.
Diaz/GSP would be VERY interesting. Diaz is a freaking insect. The guy keeps coming. I was at UFC 125 when he fought Kim, and the dude kept striking from any and every twisted up, contorted position. It was nuts. What a scary little raging bastid that kid is.
I think we should clone the Diaz brothers a few hundred thousand times and use them for our US ground forces.
#370
02-18-2011, 06:36 AM
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Montreal, Qc
Posts: 23,831