The UFC/MMA/Etc. Thread

[BostonBrew]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Fight last night was pretty crazy, The Korean Zombie dislocated his shoulder throwing a punch at Jose Aldo and tried to pop it back in while still fighting.  Once Aldo figured out what happened he went in for the kill and the fight was stopped.  Dislocating your shoulder is no joke, can't imagine not dropping in pain, no less standing and fighting for two more minutes with it popped out.

That was a bit of a disappointment. I'd been looking forward to that fight for about a week and was bummed it got stopped because of that really strange event. I agree though that it was very impressive that Zombie didn't put his hand up and ask the ref to stop the fight when it happened. The problem with a dislocated shoulder is, once it happens, you're more prone to it happening again. We had a recruit in my platoon at Parris Island who dislocated his shoulder multiple times before then finally sent him home with a "Thanks, but no thanks."

[pholmes]

The way Aldo looked last night, with his broken foot, he's lucky Pettis got hurt.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Fight last night was pretty crazy, The Korean Zombie dislocated his shoulder throwing a punch at Jose Aldo and tried to pop it back in while still fighting.  Once Aldo figured out what happened he went in for the kill and the fight was stopped.  Dislocating your shoulder is no joke, can't imagine not dropping in pain, no less standing and fighting for two more minutes with it popped out.

The Korean Zombie is tough man.  That was his biggest asset against Aldo because Aldo is better all around.  Don't short change Aldo either.  He broke his foot in the first round and still won against arguably one of the "toughest" fighters in the division.

Originally Posted by BostonBrew

That was a bit of a disappointment. I'd been looking forward to that fight for about a week and was bummed it got stopped because of that really strange event. I agree though that it was very impressive that Zombie didn't put his hand up and ask the ref to stop the fight when it happened. The problem with a dislocated shoulder is, once it happens, you're more prone to it happening again. We had a recruit in my platoon at Parris Island who dislocated his shoulder multiple times before then finally sent him home with a "Thanks, but no thanks."

Aldo was winning the fight anyway though, right?  It sucks that it happened when he was turning up the pressure, but I still don't think it would have mattered.  Aldo cruises when he is ahead and it makes it look like he is tired or something.

Originally Posted by pholmes

The way Aldo looked last night, with his broken foot, he's lucky Pettis got hurt.

Yeah, he would have had a harder time beating Pettis...with a broken foot.  You can't compare the matchups though.  Pettis is tailor made for Aldo's style.  That's the kind of guys Aldo wants to fight.  Someone that will stand and bang.  The only reason he started wrestling and using BJJ was because his foot got broken in the first.  I like Pettis, but I don't think he could beat Aldo.  I don't think Pettis beats Henderson either. The good news is that Aldo will probably move up to 155 soon and we will get to see the fights anyway.

[pholmes]

That's what I saying,what if he had to have a kick boxing match with Pettis being injured?

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by pholmes

That's what I saying,what if he had to have a kick boxing match with Pettis being injured?

Yeah, I know. I was just talking.  I think he would gotten Pettis down as well...eventually.  Aldo showed some good wrestling considering he is a standup guy.  Pettis is good, no doubt.  I like watching him and I was really excited when the two were supposed to fight.  I honestly hope Pettis beats Henderson again, but I'm not sure he will be able to.  I think Henderson will really utilize the take down this time

[pholmes]

I think I finally identified Aldo's relative weakness, while he's good in every area, like you said, something about his transitions from striking to grappling are missing. They seem to be not as seamless as the other top guys. What do you think.

[Crim]

Shogun vs. Sonnen next weekend. I'm a big fan of both guys but hope Shogun gets the W because let's be honest....Sonnen doesn't need another title shot anytime soon. Also Irishmen Conor McGregor has another fight! BIG FAN

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by pholmes

I think I finally identified Aldo's relative weakness, while he's good in every area, like you said, something about his transitions from striking to grappling are missing. They seem to be not as seamless as the other top guys. What do you think.

Well, it's hard to say at this point. He hasn't really used it much in the past and even though he did use it in this fight, he had a broken foot that he said he could barely walk on.  So that would have had a big effect on any explosiveness or transitions.  I don't know...I think he showed enough that he doesn't look one dimensional though.

Originally Posted by Crim

Shogun vs. Sonnen next weekend. I'm a big fan of both guys but hope Shogun gets the W because let's be honest....Sonnen doesn't need another title shot anytime soon. Also Irishmen Conor McGregor has another fight! BIG FAN

Shogun is one of my favorite fighters from back in the day. He is a true warrior.  I think he can beat Sonnen unless he allows Sonnen to take him down and grind on him.  Shogun lacks the conditioning it takes to fight Sonnen like that for 3 rounds.

McGregor!!   That guy is a BEAST and I LOVE to watch him strike!

[pholmes]

Good call on the foot, it skewed things. You're right, he is good every where, and crazy explosive. What I mean is maybe he could use that awesome striking to set up take downs, like gsp, and they will come easier and he won't have to wear himself out. About the transitions, they are pretty subtle, like, remember how Fedor would throw strikes, seamlessly grab a clinch into a takedown and start throwing hard shots. Seemingly all in one motion. Gsp also goes from striking to grappling in, essentially one motion. That's the last area Aldo has room to really improve on IMO. I think it will keep him fresher at the end of fights if he can blend certain areas of his game up with the other amazing things he does to gain positions.

[newtogolf]

Sonnen has to win this one, so I expect him to take Shogun down and ground n pound him.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by pholmes

Good call on the foot, it skewed things. You're right, he is good every where, and crazy explosive. What I mean is maybe he could use that awesome striking to set up take downs, like gsp, and they will come easier and he won't have to wear himself out. About the transitions, they are pretty subtle, like, remember how Fedor would throw strikes, seamlessly grab a clinch into a takedown and start throwing hard shots. Seemingly all in one motion. Gsp also goes from striking to grappling in, essentially one motion. That's the last area Aldo has room to really improve on IMO. I think it will keep him fresher at the end of fights if he can blend certain areas of his game up with the other amazing things he does to gain positions.

I agree.  That would be one of the last areas for improvement.  And that's also probably the hardest area to improve.  GSP has done PHENOMENAL at this aspect for not being a wrestler.

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Sonnen has to win this one, so I expect him to take Shogun down and ground n pound him.

I don't think he has to win it....especially since it's his first fight on a new contract.  He has a new 5 fight deal and I believe his plans are to fight at 185. So the fight with Shogun won't hurt him if he loses. I think the last thing Sonnen has to worry about now is winning.  He's going to sell fights regardless and with everything he has done for the UFC (stepping up on last minute PPV saving fights), Sonnen will work with them as long as he wants whether fighting or behind the mic.  That's my opinion anyway

[Crim]

Anthony Pettis is a STUD. Bendo didn't have anything for him.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by Crim

Anthony Pettis is a STUD. Bendo didn't have anything for him.

Agreed.  Henderson just isn't on the same level with striking.  I love that Pettis won. Being beaten so decisively, Henderson will have to work his way back up now.  Although it wasn't in the UFC, Pettis beat him twice.  I want to see Pettis and Aldo personally...they are two of my favorite strikers

[Golfingdad]

hey @newtogolf ... guess who watched UFC last night and enjoyed it?  This guy!

I'd long been thoroughly disinterested in any fighting sports, but ever since my son and I have started taking karate* lessons a few months ago, I'm acquiring a new interest in this stuff.  I am still very, very green on all of it, but I'm looking at it in a new light after having been a little bit exposed to it.  I'm watching the guys grappling on the ground and I'm like "Hey, I was just learning that exact move 2 hours ago!"

*(I say karate, but technically, our style is an amalgam of karate, taekwondo, kickboxing and jiujitsu.)

[newtogolf]

hey @newtogolf ... guess who watched UFC last night and enjoyed it?  This guy!

I'd long been thoroughly disinterested in any fighting sports, but ever since my son and I have started taking karate* lessons a few months ago, I'm acquiring a new interest in this stuff.  I am still very, very green on all of it, but I'm looking at it in a new light after having been a little bit exposed to it.  I'm watching the guys grappling on the ground and I'm like "Hey, I was just learning that exact move 2 hours ago!"

*(I say karate, but technically, our style is an amalgam of karate, taekwondo, kickboxing and jiujitsu.)

It's a great sport.  I always liked it, but became more interested when my son got involved with wrestling 8 years ago.  It's been fun to watch the sport evolve, initially it was more kickboxing oriented but the current influx of fighters with heavy backgrounds in wrestling and / or BJJ has really changed the sport.  Those workouts are tough, keep us posted on how the lessons go.

[Golfingdad]

@Jeremie Boop I wanted to ask you this and realize it's way OT in the other thread. ;) ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeremie Boop

She's definitely the benefactor and victim of being in her position. Some talk about how extremely dominant she is and how nobody is close to her level of skill in a positive way. At the same time, some say the same things in a negative way. The truth is, because of how new the sport of women's MMA is, it may be impossible to ever truly understand how good she is. By the time enough other women reach her level of training she will most likely be retired. I understand the talk about whether she could compete against men, people want to see her challenged. I wouldn't say that she'd have zero chance against any pro male fighters, because anything can happen in there. I just think she's ahead of her time compared to basically every other female fighter out there, she's basically where the rest of the serious female fighters will be in another 5-10 years. One thing people don't seem to really take into account is that when male fighters weigh in they are a lot lighter then when they re-hydrate. So a male who weighs in at her weight will actually outweigh her by quite a bit when the fight actually takes place.

Quote:

For example, Sam Stout, who isn't considered to be a particularly large lightweight, has been quoted as saying that he cut down to 155 pounds from a walking weight of 180 pounds, and by the time he fights, he's back up to 175 pounds.

I could be wrong here, because I've not really seen anything about how much a weight a female fighter can/does cut for weigh ins so maybe they would still weigh roughly the same. However, I always heard that men are normally able to cut weight more quickly and easily than women. Given this basic principle, in order to fight someone of equivalent fight weight, she's probably have to fight someone who is in a class 10-15 lbs lower than her.

So to keep it on topic. I don't believe that women can equal men in MMA.

I'm very new to being interested in MMA so I don't know much about this stuff, but it dawns on me that if all of the men are really capable of cutting weight like that, and it's a common practice, then why bother with the weight classes as they are?  Seems kind of silly for two guys who both weigh 175 to be fighting each other in the 155 division, no?

Could they not add a secondary weigh-in within an hour or so of the fight that requires you be within a couple of pounds - maybe 5 - of the weight class limit?

[Abu3baid]

@Jeremie Boop I wanted to ask you this and realize it's way OT in the other thread. ;) ... I'm very new to being interested in MMA so I don't know much about this stuff, but it dawns on me that if all of the men are really capable of cutting weight like that, and it's a common practice, then why bother with the weight classes as they are?  Seems kind of silly for two guys who both weigh 175 to be fighting each other in the 155 division, no? Could they not add a secondary weigh-in within an hour or so of the fight that requires you be within a couple of pounds - maybe 5 - of the weight class limit?

Having experienced this myself it is not always an advantage to do this because of the fatigue factor that kicks in.. When I was wrestling it would be normal to see someone drop between 7-10 pounds to weigh in.. We would do that about 30 minutes before the match anyway.. It is not the case that this person is always winning the weight class either.. Now in tournaments we would have 2 weigh ins.. The first was about an hour before the first match, and if you made it to the next day they would have one at night and you couldn't be more than 5 lbs over your weight class.. I am not sure exactly how it works in UFC but figured I'd share the info.

[Jeremie Boop]

@Jeremie Boop I wanted to ask you this and realize it's way OT in the other thread. ;) ...

I'm very new to being interested in MMA so I don't know much about this stuff, but it dawns on me that if all of the men are really capable of cutting weight like that, and it's a common practice, then why bother with the weight classes as they are?  Seems kind of silly for two guys who both weigh 175 to be fighting each other in the 155 division, no?

Could they not add a secondary weigh-in within an hour or so of the fight that requires you be within a couple of pounds - maybe 5 - of the weight class limit?

I believe there's sort of an art/skill in properly cutting weight. Sometimes you'll see a fighter who just seems flat or seems to run out of gas quickly. These are symptoms of improper weight cutting or inability to recover from cutting the weight. To be honest, I'm not sure why it is the way it is. I just know there's a lot of talk about cutting weight for the fight and what the fighter's weight is naturally. There have been fighters who actually went up a weight class because it was closer to their natural weight and they fought better at it because they didn't have to recover from cutting so much for the weigh in. I know that one of the things I heard about Connor McGregor was that his weight cut is pretty strenuous and after capturing the title at 145 he may actually go up to the next weight class and try to hold both titles.