Will be posting pics from the trip...stay tuned!!! Leaving for TO 7am friday...so soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

YouTube - UFC Primetime - Georges St Pierre Vs. Jake Shields - Episode 3 (Part 1).avi
YouTube - UFC Primetime - Georges St Pierre Vs. Jake Shields - Episode 3 (Part 2).avi

 

Diego Sanchez vs. Matt Hughes tapped for fall UFC event

Diego Sanchez vs. Matt Hughes tapped for fall UFC event | MMAjunkie.com



A welterweight bout between Diego Sanchez (23-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) and Matt Hughes (45-8 MMA, 18-6 UFC) has been tapped for a to-be-announced UFC event in the fall, officials today announced.

No date or location were announced for the fight.

The booking, though, all but assures that UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie won't get his desired rematch with Hughes at August's UFC 134 event in Brazil.

"A matchup between two welterweight fan favorites has been verbally agreed to as Diego 'The Dream' Sanchez will face former UFC welterweight champion and Hall of Famer Matt Hughes," UFC president Dana White stated.

Sanchez recently picked up his second straight win with a close but highly competitive unanimous-decision victory over Martin Kampmann at March's UFC on Versus 3 event. "The Ultimate Fighter 1" middleweight winner and recent lightweight competitor returned to his more natural welterweight division in 2010 and suffered an uninspired decision loss to John Hathaway. However, he's since rebounded with wins over Paulo Thiago and Kampmann that both earned "Fight of the Night" awards.

The Greg Jackson-trained fighter now meets Hughes, who hasn't fought since November 2010, when he suffered a quick, 21-second knockout to B.J. Penn. Hughes, long considered the best welterweight in MMA history, briefly considered retirement in 2008 following back-to-back losses to Georges St-Pierre and Alves. However, while fighting only occasionally, the H.I.T. Squad fighter had put together a three-fight win streak with wins over Matt Serra, Renzo Gracie and Ricardo Almeida before the recent Penn loss.

Back in 2006, then-champ Hughes fought Gracie, who returned to the UFC for the first time in 11 years, in a non-title fight. Gracie suffered a lopsided TKO loss, but as MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) recently reported, the MMA legend has been campaigning for a rematch with Hughes at UFC 134. The Sanchez booking, though, now makes that all but impossible.

 

McRae, WAKE UP and tell us how was it to see this event live? MAN, the fights were GOOD!

Largest crowd in North American history!

 

 

Just arrived back home from a helluva weekend...will post pics and reactions tomorow

 

GSP never seems to be able to finish fighters...could be a costly weakness and it almost was.

Dont get me wrong, hes a great technical fighter, wins by decisions... but if he ever fights the likes of silva or even diaz, hes going to have a hard time...

 

Hominick was a WARRIOR. I think Aldo had a bad day, but still... Anyone who can hang with Aldo even on a bad day is one tough mother.

GSP could've followed through, combo'd up on the strikes and probably TKO'd Shields. I think he needs to fight to win rather than fighting not to lose. He's incredibly smart and talented, but giving the opponent too many chances to recover is gambling..and that ain't smart. That said, Shields lost for the first time in a long time, and his game plan was....well, he didn't appear to have one. That's what GSP does to you, he takes away your ability to execute, and makes your game plan meaningless. Shields should've gone after the TD's relentlessly, gotten to his comfort zone when things weren't going well, and instead he just fell into GSP's trading game. Very foolish of him, blew a huge opportunity, and from the looks of how things went, I don't think he deserves a rematch. He just dropped down a notch compared to my expectations of him. I have huge respect for the work ethic and talent of both of these guys. Wish we saw them hang it all on the line last night.

 

^Well said. Shields' only real chance, and a good one at that, was to take GSP down. And he gave up on that idea VERY quickly...shame...

Love GSP here but I want an opponent to force him to raise his game...It has been business as usual for too long now with GSP...And for the love of God, quit apologizing to fans after the fight for not being able to finish...LOL

 

Yeah, I don't like the apologies either. Nothing to apologize about. GSP wins even when he doesn't perform to his fullest. If that's not a daunting reality for the other guys, I don't know what is.

I really have no desire to see him fight Anderson Silva, it's a mismatch. GSP/Diaz will be interesting if it happens. Diaz let's it all hang out; GSP will have to commit to either a thorough stand-up attack and finish, or relentless groundwork ending with a sub. There will be no dance or sport, it will be a real fight.

After that...I hate to say this...I think GSP may want to consider retiring. He'll be 30 years old in a couple of weeks, he's been fighting for more than a decade, and he may be one of the only fighters to retire on top, be in good stead financially, and still have enough brain cells to function well professionally out of the ring, and who knows, maybe raise a family. These guys who stay too long are pressing their luck, inviting a slow fade downward in brain function (IMO), financial stability and performance in the ring. You can't hang on to the top spot forever. If he dominates Diaz, there's really nothing left to do, and switching weight classes is sort of pointless. He's perfect at WW. Probably could be very successful at MW, but so what? MW's are slower. He's in the best class for a balance of speed and power and he's proven himself over and over again to be the dominant athlete.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching him fight, and seeing him challenged by different types of fighters. But he'll either lose to Diaz, then come back and get on top again quickly. Or, he'll beat Diaz and then be in a position of waiting for some young gun to develop out of Jackson's camp (or maybe even Tristar) and come take the title away. Yes, at some point, GSP's age will catch up to him and he'll start degrading in capability. A younger fighter who trains just like him will get the right combination of strategy, stamina, youth, athleticism and natural insinct, and GSP will be beaten. Or the punishment of intense training over the course of years will exact long-term injury that compromises mobility or resilience. Or head trauma from boxing will dull his senses. The longer he stays past 30, the more this reign of greatness will decline into what could be a heartbreaking and anticlimactic exit. I don't want to see that happen.

One more great performance, with a solid and succinct finish, and there is no more to see. Nothing more to prove.

Don't stay too long, GSP.