Official UFC Thread

[TheVileOne]

FYI, just remember guys, Spike TV isn't going to be showing any fights for the Fox card .

They are going to have a full card for fans who buy tickets. They will just air most of the prelims on Facebook or even FX.

 

[brainchild81]

Jon Jones looks like a beast in the cage.. but dam I hate that motha****er.. believe it or not I want to like him, but some of the trash he writes on Twitter & how he conducts himself just makes it impossible to like him.

In the latest trailer for UFC 135 he compares himself to the likes of Mohammed Ali in the sense that all of the greats have some form of arrogance about them. The difference is Ali was entertaining cocky/arrogant, even Rashad is a little entertaining in his 'bigheadedness'... Jones isn't entertaining cocky, hes irritating cocky.

I really.. REAAALLLY hope Rampage lays him out cold..

Doubtful. I think Bones is gonna stretch him.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Doubtful. I think Bones is gonna stretch him.

The only way Jones can win is by taking an opponent down and instilling Ground-and-Pound.

If Jackson is able to stuff Jones' takedowns and avoid his unorthodox strikes, then it'll be very interesting to see how Jon takes this bout.

Jones' stamina and striking are his weaknesses. Rampage HAS to exploit them here. Jones has a horrible looping hook and jab. Jackson needs to be aggressive.

 

[B]

If Rampage goes at Jones in the same way he went at Machida ie aggressive, but at the same time cautiously respecting him he is capable of beating Jones quite comfortably I feel.

I think Jones is an amazing talent, but all this talk of him being on par with the likes of GSP & Anderson Silva is ridiculous. His biggest strength thus far is the fact hes a freak athlete, his cardio doesn't look amazing, but he looks to have good strength & speed combined with the fact he has a great frame/long reach.

Rampage can exploit him on the feet I feel & he has the strength/ability to be able to prevent Jones from taking him down.

It could go either way if Jones or Rampage are careless. I think the Shogun fight has kinda given people a misrepresentation on Jones's striking level. I think Shogun is by far the more dangerous striker, Jones is simply unorthadox.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

I agree. I still think Shogun is the most dangerous striker in the LHW division, hands down. Rua is too modest to admit that his knee injury (the layoff) did indeed play a factor. Shogun was slow and sluggish compared to Machida I & II.

Jones is an outstanding talent but I loath his persona. The guy is so full of s**t. And I certainly believe he is NOT on par with Anderson or George. It makes me a bit disgusted that alot of fans consider Jon Jones the second best Pound-For-Pound fighter on the planet, and a living legend already. The guy has yet to defend the title once, for christ's sake. Jon is beatable, and to those who disagree -- analyze his bouts with Gavano, O'Brien and Bonnar closely. I seem to remember that even Joe Rogan described Jon Jones' striking as rudimentary.

Rampage has a great opportunity here. His TDD is elite and his stand up his lightyears ahead of Jones'. Jackson needs to keep this fight standing. On top of needing his conditioning to be top tier once again, he desperately needs his killer-instinct back.

 

[TheVileOne]

Rampage won't be able to stop the wrestling of a guy like Jones. Jones is huge, strong, and relentless.

Shogun is a dangerous striker because you have to consider he has 17 wins by knockout plus when he gets guys on the ground he puts people to sleep with his punches. All his UFC wins were knockout wins except his first fight with Machida he really won.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Machida never beat Shogun.

Lyoto, himself, knows this to be true. He left the octagon a mess that night, and was surprised when Bruce Buffer announced his name.

Rua vs. Machida III is inevitable, and based on the outcome of the first two bouts, most of the world will be picking Shogun to give Lyoto another beating.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Hmmm, rumor says Shogun is set to fight Ortiz next.

I hope it's wrong. Fighting Ortiz would be a step back at this time. Rua is the #2 LHW in the World. He should be next in line for a title shot or fighting Rashad Evans for the title contention spot.

Fighting guys like Davis and Bader are also a step back.

 

[Mace Bloodstone]

Put Phil Davis in with Shogun. He's undefeated and should be healed and ready by the time the fight is scheduled.

 

[Paroxysm]

Yoshihiro Akiyama Dropping to Welterweight, Wants to Train With Georges St. Pierre

 

[CrypticOne]

Yoshihiro Akiyama Dropping to Welterweight, Wants to Train With Georges St. Pierre

Awesome news. Akiyama is too small for MW.

 

[El Bastardo]

Dana got his way.

 

[TheVileOne]

Not sure how successful Akiyama can even be at welterweight. I don't think he's that good.

Match-ups I do like for Shogun are Dan Henderson or Rampage if Rampage loses to Jones. Tito Ortiz is a big step down for Shogun right now. Had it been right after the Bader win, yeah I could've seen it.

 

[B]

Not sure how successful Akiyama can even be at welterweight. I don't think he's that good.

Match-ups I do like for Shogun are Dan Henderson or Rampage if Rampage loses to Jones. Tito Ortiz is a big step down for Shogun right now. Had it been right after the Bader win, yeah I could've seen it.

To be honest I think Ortiz, after his win over Bader, is one of the few LHW's that is actually credible that isn't currently tied up with a matchup. Or there is Phil Jones who is on the edge of the contenders looking to bust in.

Really I feel Lyoto Machida is his best matchup in terms of where both fighters are at, but I don't think people want Shogun/Macida III so soon after the other 2 fights.

Has Dan Henderson been re-signed by the UFC? I'd love to see Henderson/Rampage II.

 

[B]

Not sure how successful Akiyama can even be at welterweight. I don't think he's that good.

I don't think he'll ever be a champion in the UFC, but he is one of those guys that tends to have good fights.

He was far too small for MW to ever be successful, he has more chance at WW which in theory should be a more natural weightclass for someone of his height/body.

 

[TheVileOne]

I dunno, he's a thick dude that doesn't carry a lot of fat. I'm not sure how easily he can make that cut. I mean we know Anderson Silva is much bigger. He sometimes cuts down from 230 lbs. or more.

UFC were talking about Rich Franklin/Tito Ortiz next which doesn't sound like a bad idea.

 

[Mace Bloodstone]

Well this sucks...

Diego Sanchez Out Of UFC 135 With A Broken Hand.

"The UFC is 19 days away from their next pay-per-view and UFC President Dana White has announced that Diego Sanchez is out of the co-main event with a broken hand.

He was scheduled to take on Matt Hughes and White said on Twitter that he is searching for a new opponent for Hughes."

 

[Sakuraba]

Not sure how successful Akiyama can even be at welterweight. I don't think he's that good.

Match-ups I do like for Shogun are Dan Henderson or Rampage if Rampage loses to Jones. Tito Ortiz is a big step down for Shogun right now. Had it been right after the Bader win, yeah I could've seen it.

Akiyama is actually a five-tool fighter. He just fights like an idiot. He's got good hands with good power, his judo is excellent, his top control/gnp/submission game is pretty decent, and he's fairly durable. But yeah, he just fights like an idiot and gets gassed out after two minutes. It's just a wicked combination of misguided warrior spirit and what he perceives American audiences want to see.

The only problem here is that it's too late. If the goal is to do a February show in Japan then Akiyama should have been forced down for his last match. He could have been put into a position to win two fights and challenge GSP in Japan. Akiyama challenging for the title is the only way I can see a Japan show doing any profit. Put a KID match as the second bill and you'd get a TBS, TV Tokyo, or Asahi pay to air it. The Super Arena could actually be configured for full capacity. The idea of a Japan show is stupid anyway because Japan is a dead market for mma, k-1, sumo, pro wres, and anything involving half naked men hitting each other, and a dying economy overall, whereas Hong Kong, Singapore, or Seoul would be much better choices long term. Those are the growing markets where Zuffa needs to invest.

 

[Sakuraba]

Well this sucks...

Diego Sanchez Out Of UFC 135 With A Broken Hand.

"The UFC is 19 days away from their next pay-per-view and UFC President Dana White has announced that Diego Sanchez is out of the co-main event with a broken hand.

He was scheduled to take on Matt Hughes and White said on Twitter that he is searching for a new opponent for Hughes."

I don't know if he was medically suspended or not, but just have Superman do a quick turnaround so he can tap Country Breakfast again. At this point, Hughes is just a novelty act anyway, so it fits and is a sellable fight.

 

[TheVileOne]

It will apparently be Josh Koscheck stepping in.

 

[E-Man]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/09/brock-lesnar-vs-alistair-overeem-ufc.html

So Brock is going to fight Overeem. I think Brock is going to smash Overeem in a fashion similar to how Jon Jones beat Shogun. Overeem doesn't have the TDD to keep Brock from taking him down, and on top of that his cardio is piss poor. Yeah I know, Overeem is a really good striker and Brock got beat up in his last two fights, but he's got to keep it on the feet and I doubt he can. Brock takes down whoever he wants, and he's shown excellent wrestling in his MMA career. Overeem also takes punishment worse than most people in MMA. This is going to be Brock/Mir 2 all over again.

 

[SuperSoldier985]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/09/brock-lesnar-vs-alistair-overeem-ufc.html

So Brock is going to fight Overeem. I think Brock is going to smash Overeem in a fashion similar to how Jon Jones beat Shogun. Overeem doesn't have the TDD to keep Brock from taking him down, and on top of that his cardio is piss poor. Yeah I know, Overeem is a really good striker and Brock got beat up in his last two fights, but he's got to keep it on the feet and I doubt he can. Brock takes down whoever he wants, and he's shown excellent wrestling in his MMA career. Overeem also takes punishment worse than most people in MMA. This is going to be Brock/Mir 2 all over again.

 

[E-Man]

^Hahahaha

 

[Paroxysm]

Oh man, this is gonna be awesome. I expect Reem to destroy Lesnar in the same fashion Cain did.

 

[E-Man]

Oh man, this is gonna be awesome. I expect Reem to destroy Lesnar in the same fashion Cain did.

Avatar bet on that? It would make a big match more interesting.