[Binder of Demons]

I found the card was underwhelming on the whole despite a few good performances. The Cormier-Cummins turned out to be the missmatch the betting line suggested it would be.

The liver shot was a great strike by Rousey, but it just felt a bit disappointing when Herb Dean stopped the fight. McMann looked to have recovered a bit just before Dean stepped in, and so it just seemed a bit early. Especially considering how long he left Pyle hammer Waldenburger in the head before stopping the earlier fight. It's great that McMann said it was a fair stoppage, and maybe she was not going to recover, but.. it just felt like a let down.

As for McDonald, he again looks like a powerful and athletic welterweight, who looks worried about being caught on the chin. He will dominate a lot of guys, by using good strategy and not being drawn into wars. But from the few fights of his I've seen, I think he's susceptible to head strikes, and I would imagine Hendricks overhand would destroy him. I don't think he gets a title shot next, but depending on timetables, I can see the UFC maybe having an eliminator bout between McDonald and Condit to fight he winner of Hendricks-Lawlor. My preference would be for Condit to win by KO and get a rematch with Hendricks over 5 rounds (cos I think he won the first meeting and was finishing the stronger, but i'll admit it was really really close).

Looking forward to seeing the next decent card, UFC FIGHT NIGHT 37, headlined by Alexander Gustafsson vs Jimi Manuwa. Can't see that being boring.

[Jakovasaurus]

Sometimes the weigh-ins are the best thing about the event. Joe Rogan, you coy summbitch.

[Binder of Demons]

Anyone watching the big UFC event tonight?

Some cracking looking bouts on the card, and I'm not overly bothered who wins most of the contests, except the Condit-Woodley one. Really hope Condit wins decisively so that he'll get the next shot at the title. If tonight was over 5 rounds I'd be confident but over 3 rounds he might get put on the ground enough times due to his wrestling deficiency. Fingers crossed for a stand-up war and a Condit KO victory.

Then I wouldn't care who wins the title bout. Even though I was a fan of GSP, I couldn't see how he won the fight against Hendricks, so in the interest of fairness it would be good karma to see Hendricks win out. But the comeback of Lawlor is so impressive, and he did us all the favour of beating Rory MacDonald, so I would like him to win.

The rest of the card is just gravy to be honest.

[amphibian]

I'm throwing a party for this one. It'll be the fourth actual WW champ since I started watching MMA (Hughes, GSP, Serra, [GSP again] and now the new champ). I don't count Condit's interim belt, because that was kinda nonsense.

Looking forwards to the entire card.

[Binder of Demons]

Hey Amphib, what did you make of the card from London last week. Gunnar Nelson was frighteningly efficient. Once the fight went to the mat, there just never seemed any doubt it was going to end in a submission. Who do you think the UFC will give him next, since it will likely be on a card in Dublin later this year.

Also, what did you make of the Irish guy Neil Seery putting up that performance against Brad Pickett on 2 weeks notice. I thought Seery did really well, and actually seemed to have Pickett scared of the punching exchanges in the 3rd round (but a friend of mine was very dismissive of Seery's performance). That showing doesn't bode well for Pickett at that weight either.

[Baco Xtath]

Definitely ordering this one. Don't care too much about the main event (though it should be good) but really interesting in Condit's bout. Hope I can stay clear headed enough to enjoy.

[amphibian]

Binder of Demons, on 15 March 2014 - 09:45 PM, said:

Hey Amphib, what did you make of the card from London last week. Gunnar Nelson was frighteningly efficient. Once the fight went to the mat, there just never seemed any doubt it was going to end in a submission. Who do you think the UFC will give him next, since it will likely be on a card in Dublin later this year.

Also, what did you make of the Irish guy Neil Seery putting up that performance against Brad Pickett on 2 weeks notice. I thought Seery did really well, and actually seemed to have Pickett scared of the punching exchanges in the 3rd round (but a friend of mine was very dismissive of Seery's performance). That showing doesn't bode well for Pickett at that weight either.

Seery was a much, much better boxer than Pickett. He was hitting clean almost every time and each time Pickett hit him, it really wasn't much. The groundwork is what won One Punch the match over Two Taps. I really like him and hope that he works with Kavanaugh or another great grappling coach to quickly improve that element of his game.

Gunnar's move into the clinch, although against a lower level guy, was surreal. He didn't take a strike and immediately moved to the trip takedown. It was one of the best moves anyone's pulled off in the Octagon in recent times. Once in the mount, he was patient and made it miserable for his opponent. I'd like to see him throw more elbows, but latching onto a guillotine like that is hard to argue against.

I hope they give him someone on the level of Gastelum or the equivalent of Court McGee. I'd like to see him against a wrestler in two fights, to see if he can level up the TDD and impose his own game on the higher quality of opponents.

[Jakovasaurus]

UFC 171


Johny Hedricks v. Robbie Lawler . . . . fight of he year contender ! ! ! !. . . . . . H-O-L-Y ... F - U - C- K ! ! ! !

- bummed about Carlos Condit.

[Jakovasaurus]

UFC 175
Holy Shit! Ronda Rousey won so fast that her opponent was fighting the referee until he could explain to her that she lost! My taint quivers with excitement!

[Jakovasaurus]

DAAAAAYUUUUUM! The Wiedman v. Machida is fight of the year (so far). Holy Fuck! THE BE3ST!

[Binder of Demons]

Yeah the stoppage in the Rousey fight was pretty impressive. I was thinking, hmmm maybe that was a bit quick to jump in there ref, when you see Davis still going for a single leg takedown on the ref, and then on one of the ring doctors as well. Completely out of it. Good stoppage.

Rousey's biggest threat now is complacency, since there doesn't seem to be fighter there to challenge her right away.

The Machida-Weidman fight was very good. Thought it was going to be a cakewalk for Weidman until the 4th round, and then it really picked up. Is there anyone in the division who could really threaten Weidman seriously? I know the UFC doesn't like superfights for belt holders, but how do you think he'd fare against Jones. I'd say Jones by a distance.

[amphibian]

I think Chris beats Jon. Weidman is a better athlete and a better striker already.

Jacare, Rockhold and a roided up Vitor could also give Weidman problems or even win. Mousasi could also work his way back into this conversation and Kennedy could upset someone as well. I think Jacare is the biggest threat, even including Machida, because he's one of only three A+ athletes in the UFC (him, Hendricks and Ronda, with Jones and Aldo being A level athletes).

[Binder of Demons]

amphibian, on 06 July 2014 - 06:10 PM, said:

I think Chris beats Jon. Weidman is a better athlete and a better striker already.

Jacare, Rockhold and a roided up Vitor could also give Weidman problems or even win. Mousasi could also work his way back into this conversation and Kennedy could upset someone as well. I think Jacare is the biggest threat, even including Machida, because he's one of only three A+ athletes in the UFC (him, Hendricks and Ronda, with Jones and Aldo being A level athletes).

Would you really think Weidman is a superior athlete to Jones? I'm surprised at that.

I wasn't a fan of Weidman prior to last night, but he went way up in my estimation after last nights' fight. Very impressed by the tactical smarts of Weidman and his team, and being able to effectively neutralise the brilliance and awkwardness of Machida (tip of the hat to Machida for changing it up too when he felt the fight was getting away from him).

That's another reason why I'd like to see a Jones-Weidman match-up. The tactical to-and-fro would be fascinating, considering how Jones likes to try and prove a point by out wrestling wrestlers, out striking strikers etc. how would he face Weidman. And how would Weidman counter. and then what happens once punches and kicks begin to fly.

I bow to your knowledge regarding Rockhold, and was hugely impressed with his last performance. He seems huge for the division. But, seeing the way he got KO'd by Belfort makes me hesitate to pick him to beat one of the other big punchers in the division.

Who do you think they will give Weidman next?

[amphibian]

Weidman achieved much better results than Jones, who has admitted he doesn't have the athleticism of his brothers (who play in the NFL). Jon is taller and longer and did well in the juco ranks, but Weidman was a somewhat streaky, yet elite wrestler for Hofstra for four years on the D1 level.

Both men rampaged through opponents straight to the title and faced significant tests (Jones with Alexander, Weidman with Machida). However, Jon basically leveraged being a far, far better athlete than anyone else in the 205 division to achieve his success. Weidman fights in a division with significantly better athletes and still is better than them in terms of speed, strength and putting concepts together.

I believe Jones has stalled out since his Machida fight. He hasn't shown anything new or significantly improved since. Weidman keeps getting better - even if Machida had him in trouble for a while.

That's why I believe what I do, although reality may differ.

[Binder of Demons]

Managed to catch up with the mid-week UFC event headlined by Cerone-Miller. Surprisingly good card, with some great finishes, and only a couple of decisions. There were some real highlight reel stoppages, and the fact that the headline fight had one too, topped off one of the best cards of the year (in terms of performances not what I thought beforehand on paper).

What was interesting, was to see the number of fights, where fighters were really going for the body. Maybe it just seemed more noticeable due to the fact that several stoppages came that way, but it was impressive. Really liked the flurry of head and body strikes for the finish in the Jessamyn Duke-Leslie Smith contest. Showed good controlled aggression, and changed levels well.

Will be interesting to see what match-ups come out of this card, especially at lightweight.


And now, we're off the DUBLIN baby!!!!
Really looking forward to this. But am quite apprehensive, as I'd love to see all the Irish (and adopted Irish) fighters win. But regardless of match-ups, I can't see a clean sweep like that happen. But as for priorities, it would have to be Conor McGregor to win above all the others, as he's talked so much shite, and brought so much hype to the event (they had to have a ticketed weigh-in due to demand!!), that it would be crushing for Irish MMA if he were to stumble on his first big hurdle.

I'm a HUGE Gunnar Nelson fan, so I'm really hoping he can pull out an impressive victory too, but even though I think his stand-up is tricky, and his Ju-Jitsu is frighteningly clinical, I'm really wary of the size and wrestling of Zak Cummings.

After that I'd really like Neil Seery to get a convincing win, as I love his story, and was massively impressed with his performance on 2 weeks notice against Brad Pickett for his UFC debut. If he could get a stoppage win it would lift the roof on the arena.

After that, I'd like to see a signature Norman Parke win, to fly the flag for Northern Irish MMA, since he doesn't seem to get much love from the media up there.

That leaves Cathal Pendred, and Paddy Holohan as the other Irish fighters, and while I'd like them to win, I'm not as bothered since I haven't seen much of them before.

Curious as to any opinions from outside of Ireland. Will ye bother watching? Amphib?

[amphibian]

I caught most of the Wednesday card, as I was home from grappling early enough.

Aljamain Sterling is a star in the making (not by talking, but by performance). Jim Miller is an incredibly nice person in many respects, but he couldn't take advantage of the Cerrone slow start that always happens. Once Cerrone hurt him with the breadbasket kick, Miller was just taken apart in a way that's shocking and definitely shows Cerrone is elite.

Duke is not a good fighter. She's got zero sense of timing in a real fight and doesn't have anything ingrained in her to do when she's hurt (broken hand, body shots).

Gunnar Nelson, I really hope he does well. He's figuring out how to combine the jiu jitsu with wrestling and striking in a way that's unique. Cummings is a good match-up for him to show us he's improving by leaps and bounds each time out (which I think he is).

Brandao/McGregor should be fun. I expect to see a rusty McGregor eventually win over Brandao.

[Binder of Demons]

Yeah Amphib, unless there is HUGE improvement in Jessamyn Duke's game in her next fight, then she is done. She might have the worst fight IQ I've ever seen, being allegedly a striker, with a huge reach advantage, and yet not developing a decent jab or kicking game to keep her opponents at distance. Would have to go back and watch her previous contests as well to be sure, but I think she went down from body strikes the last time as well, which doesn't bode well when she is such a long target.

I watched the Aljemon Sterling fight, and while I can see that he has all the attributes to be a good fighter, I was strangely underwhelmed by the performance. Will reserve judgement til after his next fight.

Was impressed by Cerrone's striking, but I can't help but feel he'll fall short again when he meets elite competition. He was taking some good shots by Miller early, and was doing the same against Barbosa in his last fight as well. Now he did pull out finishes in both cases, but I can't help but feel if he does that against one of the top 5, he'll get creased before he gets to unleash his own kicking. Real pity is that they had just announced Cerrone vs Nurmagomedov and then Khabib blew out his knee. Now that would have answered a lot of questions of both fighters.

Curious what the UFC will do with Lineker after that performance. Can't see them giving him a title shot yet, with his weight issues in the past. IF he can make weight reliably for one more fight and win in style, then he's up next I'd say.


Excited for the Dublin fights. I hope you're right with the Nelson and McGregor picks. Would be good for European MMA let alone Irish MMA.

[amphibian]

The problem with Duke is that she's a relative baby in the sport and she's not training with a particularly "newbie" friendly set of coaches and teammates. Her timing is abysmal and with that everything else falls apart. I'd be willing to bet that she's an okay grappler and if given basically no resistance, she's an okay volume striker.

But all of that falls apart under pressure and she's under pressure because she can't time her opponent's movements and her own in order to keep her distance. That can only be developed by Duke getting herself specific training to deal with the pressure and the timing and being brought along very slowly in terms of match-making. Her decisions and her coaches/manager's decisions to put her in the fights she's been in thus far have been terrible. I predict that Shayna Baszler will also lose all of her UFC fights because she can't improve either and will take on the toughest fighter possible. They're delusional about their own capacities and they won't realize it until after they're on the bottom of the ladder or out of a job.

Sterling's fight may have underwhelmed you, but Viana is a pretty good 135'er. Prone to being wild, but he's a good grappler, got a decent sprawl and can land some thudding leather on almost anyone. Sterling had a moment where he got staggered by a right early on, then just took over. He's progressing rapidly due to his own intelligent work and a great set of coaches. Basically, Sterling is the opposite of Duke, as laid out above. If he keeps improving at this rate, I could see him taking the title from Dillashaw, Barao and/or Cruz.

[Binder of Demons]

UFC DUBLIN

That was an awesome fuckin card. Haven't been that nervous watching a UFC event in ages. Just wanted to see the Irish guys win, especially after all the talking. The atmosphere was amazing too.

Good variety in the lead in fights, and then 2 great performances in the co-headline events.

Gunnar Nelson is a beast. Once he sees an opening you are toast.

And McGregor did what he needed to do.

[amphibian]

The beating Bermudez put on Guida was ferocious.

Lawler was also clearly better than Brown.

Rumble Johnson looked ferocious, but again, Lil Nog is really old for this game. My BJJ coach has a great Lil Nog training story - from 13 years ago...