Support NeoGAF

[Asbel]

Fedor has more to lose, but IMO beating Sylvia and Barnett would say more about Fedor as a fighter than beating Couture. I think Couture is the easiest matchup of the three for Fedor.

Have a breakdown on why you think this? I don't know who would be easiest for Fedor. They all provide their unique challenge and that is why Fedor should fight as many different style (or mix of styles) matchups as possible.

Fedor has beaten a great ground fighter in Nog but what about one that prefers to work from the top position? What about fighter's that can keep him on his back without getting subbed? What about a fighter capable of delivering some gnp on him instead of receiving it? To me, these are all very interesting questions and why I love seeing great matchups.

Fedor has beaten a great striker in Crocop and a tall one in Semmy. He didn't finish them though. He also said that Crocop was his toughest match and he had problems with Semmy's length. Tim is a good tall striker with good take down defense. This will be a tough fight for Fedor.

 

[Asbel]

Some quotes from the Crocop chat which I just grabbed from fightlinker.

Hibberdons1987 Who will take fedor vs sylvia and how?
CROCOP Reply to Hibberdons1987: It’s hard to say. Minor advantage goes to Fedor

aliquid What are You think about possiblle Fedor vs., Couture fight ? Who acording to You will be the winner ?
CROCOP Reply to aliquid: Fedor for sure.

DuO Having faced both of them, do you think that Barnett has the skills to beat Fedor?
CROCOP Reply to DuO: Barnett has a chance if he’s having one of his best days

Sounds like he thinks Tim has the best chance.

And some lowlights..

madmaxq you are big pussy
CROCOP Reply to madmaxq: Come and say that in front of me

ivan cro cop You cheat on your wife?
CROCOP “Reply to ivan cro cop: Ivan … Let me tell you a joke. James Bond came to Mujo from Bosnia and said “”Bond, James Bond”". Mujo’s reply was “”Off, fuck off”" (laugh) you get the message?”

:lol oh internet, never change

 

[dskillzhtown]

TUF was pretty good last night. The "devastaing injury" wasn't as gruesome as they made it seem. But that dude got knocked the FUCK out. Not sure if he was acting or did he really not have any clue about the entire day. Seems like he may have gotten a severe concussion. Overall, it was a good show though. Looking at the previews, it seems that the house destruction and house violence will be taken to another level this season.

As we discussed before, I think that shit is a waste of time and is counterproductive in portraying the fighters as professionals that just happen to kick ass, but I guess the marks like it. Just pisses me off that someone like Couture is looked at as a legend, but UFC wants to present their up and coming fighters as idiots who can't behave like adults.

 

[Brian Fellows]

idk besides anderson silva, ufc's middleweight division is the worst imo

But its still entertaining to watch. I'd rather watch Nate Quarry vs Kalib Starnes than most of the HW top 20 fight. I mean can you imagine how horrible a seaon of TUF with 32 unknown true HW's would be?

You take Silva out and you have a great division where there are plenty of contenders. Where as if you take Fedor out of the HW division you just lost one of the few fighters in the world capable of putting on a decent fight at that weight class.

 

[Boogie]

I'd rather watch Nate Quarry vs Kalib Starnes than most of the HW top 20 fight.

Man, you are some kinda messed up MMA fan.

 

[Ned Flanders]

TUF was pretty good last night. The "devastaing injury" wasn't as gruesome as they made it seem. But that dude got knocked the FUCK out. Not sure if he was acting or did he really not have any clue about the entire day. Seems like he may have gotten a severe concussion. Overall, it was a good show though. Looking at the previews, it seems that the house destruction and house violence will be taken to another level this season.

As we discussed before, I think that shit is a waste of time and is counterproductive in portraying the fighters as professionals that just happen to kick ass, but I guess the marks like it. Just pisses me off that someone like Couture is looked at as a legend, but UFC wants to present their up and coming fighters as idiots who can't behave like adults.

Couldn't agree more. Part of the reason that I've always disliked TUF. Its good for the UFC, but not necessarily good for the sport on the whole. The UFC should be looking towards the NFL as a goalpost for image/success, not the WWE.

 

[Stoney Mason]

Couldn't agree more. Part of the reason that I've always disliked TUF. Its good for the UFC, but not necessarily good for the sport on the whole. The UFC should be looking towards the NFL as a goalpost for image/success, not the WWE.

You mean pretend and sweep everything under the rug. Yuck.

 

[Bishman]

It is good to see Boogie back!

 

[whytemyke]

Did you guys see this? Yahoo is letting you order the PPV and stream it online for 83.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/ufcppv/83

it sucks you gotta pay full price for it, but that's still badass that they're starting to do this.


edit: why does serra look like ken shamrock in the face? is he one of the clone army? metal gear shamrock?

 

[Brian Fellows]

Did you guys see this? Yahoo is letting you order the PPV and stream it online for 83.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/ufcppv/83

it sucks you gotta pay full price for it, but that's still badass that they're starting to do this.


edit: why does serra look like ken shamrock in the face? is he one of the clone army? metal gear shamrock?

I've got a site where you can stream UFC and most other MMA ppvs for free. Granted the picture quality probably isnt as good but the stream is probably much more reliable and did I mention its free?

 

[Keen]

So I watched that YAMMA-thing. Boring as hell, and I wanted to strangle that ring announcer the second he opened his mouth. Dunno what to make of that new ring, need to see more it, but it seemed like a pretty stupid gimmick that didn't even work as intended.

 

[Asbel]

So I'm over thinking this quote from Franca: http://www.punchdrunkgamer.com/inde...65:hermes-franca&option=com_content&Itemid=72

PDG: Okay, so not challenging anyone…….who out there would you like to fight because you think that it would be a great fight for the fans?

Hermes: When I come back, I want to fight the best and right now BJ Penn is the best. We are great friends and good partners but right now he is number one and he has the belt. So if I had a the chance to fight him, I would take the fight. No offense to BJ, like I said he is a really good friend but he has the belt.

First off, it's cool that him and BJ are willing to fight as friends. But knowing that Penn asked Hermes to be his training partner, surely Hermes should know if he has a chance against Penn, especially on the ground. I had always figured that Penn was simply a step above black belts like Franca when it comes to rolling, but if he ain't, well, Sherk sliced through Franca's guard like it was nothing. It got pretty boring by the 3rd rd but it was still an impressive display of skill by Sherk to pass a black belt's guard so consistently. Not that I believe Sherk can do the same to BJ yet, Franca has been making horrible decisions lately after all.

 

[The Internet]

dem will enjoy this one :

While the Canadiens are a way of life in Montreal, St. Pierre followed the Edmonton Oilers. Messier, Gretzky, Tikkanen, and Kurri were his heroes. His dad, a Quebec Nordiques fan, used to wake him up when the Oilers were winning the Stanley Cup, so he could catch a glimpse of the celebrations.

 

[Boogie]

. I had always figured that Penn was simply a step above black belts like Franca when it comes to rolling, but if he ain't, well, Sherk sliced through Franca's guard like it was nothing.

BJ won the Mundials, so I would also be inclined to say he is a step above Franca in that regard.

 

[Boogie]

UFC 83 event thread is up:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=278048

 

[123rl]

Fight DVD in the UK (official distributors for UFC and WWE merchandise) have got a huge sale on Pride DVD boxsets! So I'm thinking of buying some but I don't know where to start, so I'd like a few suggestions please

http://www.silvervision.co.uk/category.asp?src=mainfdbanner&cat_id=PRIDESALE

This one sounds good - it's the Pride Bushido Volume 1-5 Boxset and has loads of fights on it, and it's a good price:

Bushido Volume 1

Team Japan vs. Team Gracie
Carlos Newton vs. Renzo Gracie
Dokonjonosuke Mishima vs. Ralph Gracie
Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Daniel Gracie
Daiju Takase vs. Rodrigo Gracie
Kazuhiro Hamanaka vs. Ryan Gracie

Additional Matches
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Dos Caras Jr.
Sergei Kharitonov vs. Jason “Nobunaga” Suttie
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Akira Shoji
Aleksander Emelianenko vs. Assuerio Silva
Chris Brennan vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
Chalid Arrab vs. Rodney Faverus


Bushido Volume 2

Chute Boxe vs. Team Japan
Wanderlei Silva vs. Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Akihiro Gono
Jadson Costa vs. Takanori Gomi

Additional Matches
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto
Rodrigo Gracie vs. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai
Daiju Takase vs. Chris Brennan
Mario Sperry vs. Mike Bencic
Sean Sherk vs. Ryuki Ueyama
Yasuhito Namekawa vs. Egidijus Valavicius
Yushin Okami vs. Ryuta Sakurai
Mu Bae Choi vs. Yusuke Imamura


Bushido Volume 3

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Hiromitsu Kanehara
Takanori Gomi vs. Ralph Gracie
Ryan Gracie vs. Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa
Daiju Takase vs. Carlos Newton
Aleksander Emelianenko vs. Matt Foki
Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Chalid Arrab
Ricardo Almeida vs. Ryo Chonan
Akira Shoji vs. Tsuyoshi Tamakairiki
Mu Bae Choi vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto
Kazuo Misaki vs. Jorge Patino
Bertrand Amoussou vs. Raou Raou
Shamoji Fujii vs. Kim Jin Oh


Bushido Volume 4

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Shungo Oyama
Takanori Gomi vs. Fabio Mello
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Hayato “Mach” Sakurai vs. “Funky” Brady Fink
Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa vs. Kenichi Yamamoto
Dean Lister vs. Amar Suloev
Paulo Filho vs. Akira Shoji
Takashi Sugiura vs. Paulo Cesar “Giant” Silva
Luiz “Buscape” Firmino vs. Hiroyuki Abe
Dokonjonosuke Mishima vs. Marcus Aurelio
Kyosuke Sasaki vs. Eiji Mitsuoka


Bushido Volume 5

Takanori Gomi vs. Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett
Crosley Gracie vs. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai
Ryo Chonan vs. Carlos Newton
Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Shamoji Fujii
Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa vs. Ryuki Ueyama
Luiz “Buscape” Firmino vs. Masakazu Imanari
Henry “Sentoryu” Miller vs. Mal Foki
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Yasuhito Namekawa

The Pride GP 2004 is another one I'd consider buying and there's a few more similar to that. But the Bushido set seems like the best value for money. Is it a good place to start?

 

[Sinatar]

The bushido events are alright but the main Pride events were quite a bit better (Bushido 9 not withstanding).

 

[123rl]

Ok thanks. I ordered it anyway as it's 5 DVDs for £15. I'm sure there'll be at least a couple of worthwhile fights on each DVD. I'll order a Pride GP as well if they're better. Are any in particular worth buying ie is there one year that was significantly better than the others?

 

[dem]

Chuck is out for the Rashad fight in London

Torn hamstring

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=11489

check out the picture



wonder who can fill in now..

 

[Keen]

...and Kalib Starnes gets the big ugly axe after his "performance".

bye bye

I wonder what the hell happened to him. If I was into conspiracies, I'd have people threatening his family unless he threw the fight or something. I've never seen such lack of aggression.

 

[Brian Fellows]

I say they pull Tito out of his fight with Machida and put together Tito/Rashad 2. Then they could find Machida a decent oppoent. Probably too close to 84 to that though.

Also Mark Hughes is coming out of retirement for a show my brothers friend Jeff and Philadelphia Philly Jayson Werth are putting on in Springfield this fall. you heard it here first. Unless of course you listen to Knockout Radio then you heard it there a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Asbel]

And in news that will produce much more exciting matchups, Din Thomas is moving to 145! Woo! Faber is Dead! (but it'll be a good fight)

 

[GekigangerV]

Chuck is out for the Rashad fight in London

Torn hamstring

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=11489

check out the picture



wonder who can fill in now..

Damn that is nasty, really hope the fights are exciting so it saves the card.

Didn't Chuck fight Rampage with a torn hamstring the first time in Pride? Not that I expect him to fight now, but I was just wondering.

 

[op_ivy]

Chuck is out for the Rashad fight in London

Torn hamstring

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=11489

check out the picture



wonder who can fill in now..

damn it

 

[Jables]

Jeebus Christos, that's one nasty tear. Can't say I'm too disappointed though, there's enough upcoming goodness and this one was lower on my list of "Much Watch" matches. I wanted to see Tito/Rashad 2 actually. Don't really care for either one of em, I just want to see em beat on each other.

 

[dem]

Jeebus Christos, that's one nasty tear. Can't say I'm too disappointed though, there's enough upcoming goodness and this one was lower on my list of "Much Watch" matches. I wanted to see Tito/Rashad 2 actually. Don't really care for either one of em, I just want to see em beat on each other.

You mean hug each other to death.. like the first fight?

 

[Jables]

You mean hug each other to death.. like the first fight?

haha ya...good point.

 

[The Internet]

Hahah, is there any way I can use that gif on my MSN Messenger?

 

[Asbel]

TUF 7 Finale card is looking good!

* Evan Tanner vs Kendall Grove
* Diego Sanchez vs Luigi Fioravanti
* Spencer Fisher vs Jeremy Stephens
* Jeremy Horn vs Dean Lister
* Drew McFedries vs Marvin Eastman
* Josh Burkman vs Dustin Hazelett

Quick picks:
Tanner
Diego
Fisher
Horn
McFedries
McLovin

Also, word is UFC 85 being on Spike was a mistake. Still could change though.

 

[Boogie]

TUF 7 Finale card is looking good!

* Evan Tanner vs Kendall Grove
* Diego Sanchez vs Luigi Fioravanti
* Spencer Fisher vs Jeremy Stephens
* Jeremy Horn vs Dean Lister
* Drew McFedries vs Marvin Eastman
* Josh Burkman vs Dustin Hazelett

.

Good card, glad they stripped Diego/Fioravanti of main event status. I'm not sure Luigi even deserves to be in the UFC, let alone headline a card.

 

[yacobod]

and Tanner and Da Spyder are good enough to headline an event?

pretty bad main event imo

last time we saw Tanner he got tooled by Okami, and the last time i saw grove fight he got KOd by Cote

 

[PlayStation Tree]

“I would like to announce my formal retirement from Mixed Martial Arts competition. I have achieved many of the goals I set out to accomplish in this sport and found others just out of reach. It is now time for me to lay down my gloves and rededicate my attention towards my business, my fighters, my family and my team. The successes I have found in my career are due in large part to all the great people who have helped me along the way. Being involved with the true champions at American Top Team has guided me to become a better father, husband, teacher and friend. Without the great generosity of ATT my life would have had a void. I hope that everyone reading (this) can one day feel the love of a great family as I have…. My goal in my career was always to be the best, and you know it just didn’t work out this time. I’m okay with that. I kind of hit the whole glass ceiling in my career and I don’t feel like dwindling on past my usefulness.”

McCarthy quits. No big loss IMO, but a little bit wierd. Anyone know the story behind this?

How has he hit a "glass ceiling"? He wants to be the best but chickens out after getting near the top. Strange guy all around.

UFC 83 has now officially ended the careers of 2 people. Who's next?

Spoiler

besides Matt Sera

 

[Brian Fellows]

and Tanner and Da Spyder are good enough to headline an event?

pretty bad main event imo

last time we saw Tanner he got tooled by Okami, and the last time i saw grove fight he got KOd by Cote

No last time we saw Grove he got BRUTALLY KO'd by Jorge Rivera. It was the fight before that Cote KO'd him.

 

[Asbel]

Wow. Hughes is stepping up again to save a UFC ppv. This time taking on Thiago Alves as the main event for 85. Really, the Hughes hate can stop now. I think he has earned his right to be as cocky as he wants.

 

[Boogie]

Wow. Hughes is stepping up again to save a UFC ppv. This time taking on Thiago Alves as the main event for 85. Really, the Hughes hate can stop now. I think he has earned his right to be as cocky as he wants.

I'll forever be torn on Hughes. He is a jackass, and his comments about Canada prior to GSP/Hughes II will forever prevent me from being a fan of him ever again.

That said, for his "in-ring" accomplishments and attitude, he is deserving of respect.

But yeah, awesome matchup that saved the card.

Spoiler

And technically, it was GSP who stepped up to save the December PPV, since Hughes was already slated to fight ;P

In other news, I was browsing mmaranks.com, and can now definitively say that their rankings are 100000x more retarded than MMAweekly's. GSP is at #15 in the WW rankings, behind three fighters that he has defeated (Kosheck, Karo, and Hieron. Their statistical model is horribly broken.

 

[Asbel]

ok, the hughes hate can stop until the next dumb thing he says. which probably won't take that long.

stat models suck cause someone assigns some arbitrary point value to win/losses. when you're making up point values, you might as well make up the rankings as you please. it's too easy to skew statistics.

 

[Boogie]

ok, the hughes hate can stop until the next dumb thing he says. which probably won't take that long.

stat models suck cause someone assigns some arbitrary point value to win/losses. when you're making up point values, you might as well make up the rankings as you please. it's too easy to skew statistics.

I just now joined their forums, to see what the discussion was like there, and the dogmatic way in which the creator of the site defends his model was both frustrating and depressing.

Apart from being arbitrary, I don't see how he can get any enjoyment out of MMA sticking so slavishly to his statistics.

 

[Asbel]

I just now joined their forums, to see what the discussion was like there, and the dogmatic way in which the creator of the site defends his model was both frustrating and depressing.

Apart from being arbitrary, I don't see how he can get any enjoyment out of MMA sticking so slavishly to his statistics.

Yeah, to each their own I guess. But he'll probably start to hate mma cuz of it, imo.

When the sherdog forums nearly sucked all interest for mma out of me, I had to learn the self control not to go there when it's pissing me off. Sad to say. :lol

 

[Brian Fellows]

With the addition of Hughes/Alves and Bisping/Leben I'm really looking forward to UFC 85 now.

 

[pel1300]

good god UFC 86 looks AWFUL.

Worse than UFC 83, IMO.


UFC 84 looks awesome...UFC 85 is starting to look decent.

But man...86 is the worst since....72 or 78.

 

[Brian Fellows]

I still say 84 has all the makings of a snoozer.

 

[JasonUresti]

Fedor has beaten a great ground fighter in Nog but what about one that prefers to work from the top position? What about fighter's that can keep him on his back without getting subbed? What about a fighter capable of delivering some gnp on him instead of receiving it? To me, these are all very interesting questions and why I love seeing great matchups.

Honestly, if neither Mark Coleman or Kevin Randleman could keep Fedor on his back, Randy would not be able to do it either. Mark and kevin are both superior wrestlers to Couture, and neither man could control Fedor on the mat. Its not just about submissions, they were unable to even control him long enough to set themselves for up to attack. Look at the whole of Fedor's career, no one has been able to control him on the ground.

Recall that Fedor was able to reverse and escape from Ricardo Arona years back in RINGS. Arona has won of the most dominant top control games in all of MMA and submission wrestling, and even while just trying to do nothing but stay on top of Fedor, was unable to do so.

 

[SIP YEK NOD]

I still say 84 has all the makings of a snoozer.

84 looks decent, but whoever decided to name it "Ill Will" should be shot.

 

[Brian Fellows]

84 looks decent, but whoever decided to name it "Ill Will" should be shot.

Oh it could be good. But With Tito and Sherk on the same card the potential is there.

In perfect world BJ dominates Sherk, Machida KO's Tito, and all the guys making their debut have the fight of their life(except the guy fighting Gouveia).

I am fully confident that Wandy/Jardine will kick some major ass though.

 

[pel1300]

84 may have snoozer potential, but at least it has match ups that the fans give a shit about. Match ups that answer a lot of questions.

 

[Ned Flanders]

84 may have snoozer potential, but at least it has match ups that the fans give a shit about. Match ups that answer a lot of questions.

UFC 84 is gonna be fucking awesome.

Sherk vs Penn is gonna be hyped as hell, and though there may be some Lay-n-pray, you can garauntee the crowd will be hanging on every single takedown/guard pass. The only way it winds up a stinker is that each other's skills nullify one another, which, even then, should be a great display of skill for the purists. Worst case scenario would of course be Sherk L-N-P'ing the beloved Penn to a decision, but given how dangerous Penn is, that won't be as likely a scenario as would normally be the case with a Sherk fight.

Wanderlei vs Jardine? Come on...thats a golden matchup for a PPV. Both guys are gonna bring it with strikes, and are warriors. Casual fans will love it, and both are top competitors at 205. No-brainer.

Tito vs Lyoto is gonna be a big outcome either way. Either Lyoto will tool him and confirm that he has arrived and deserves a shot at the crown, or Tito will get up for the challenge and show fans (and the UFC on his way out the door) that he's still a competitor. Tito can get up for a challenge...I thought he looked pretty good against Liddell in the rematch before he starting trying to trade with him...and I don't think he's been very inspired for his other recent tilts. Regardless, if he has anything of a fighter left in him, this will be the fight where he proves it, as much because he'd like to stick it to Dana as anything else.

I think Sokodjou vs Nakamura will make it on the PPV as well. If Sokodjou is gonna beat Nakamura, he's gonna have to KO him or decision him. Nakamura is a hard sub (his short neck makes him near impossible to choke) and he's not afraid to take punishment and trade in the standup. To me this is a recipe for an exciting matchup, and will likely lead to some fireworks. Both have something to prove after their losses to Lyoto.

 

[Tchu-Espresso]

Well, fuck me in the ass, Bas Rutten is in GTA4. :lol

Bas will always be the man.

 

[Asbel]

Honestly, if neither Mark Coleman or Kevin Randleman could keep Fedor on his back, Randy would not be able to do it either. Mark and kevin are both superior wrestlers to Couture, and neither man could control Fedor on the mat. Its not just about submissions, they were unable to even control him long enough to set themselves for up to attack. Look at the whole of Fedor's career, no one has been able to control him on the ground.

Recall that Fedor was able to reverse and escape from Ricardo Arona years back in RINGS. Arona has won of the most dominant top control games in all of MMA and submission wrestling, and even while just trying to do nothing but stay on top of Fedor, was unable to do so.

You may be right but Hammer House has devolved and the Arona fight had no punches to the face on the ground, let alone elbows. If Fedor gets up from a takedown, Couture could just take him down again and again. If the fight is in a cage, Couture gets more of an advantage with the takedown and top control game.

 

[Boogie]

good god UFC 86 looks AWFUL.

Worse than UFC 83, IMO.


UFC 84 looks awesome...UFC 85 is starting to look decent.

But man...86 is the worst since....72 or 78.

Actually, I think all three (84-86) look pretty god.

Rampage/Forrest
Koscheck/Lytle
Griffin/Aurelio
Cote/Almeida.

Those are all matchups I'm interested in. The problem lies in the fact that we might not see the latter two. :-/

Honestly, if neither Mark Coleman or Kevin Randleman could keep Fedor on his back, Randy would not be able to do it either. Mark and kevin are both superior wrestlers to Couture, and neither man could control Fedor on the mat. Its not just about submissions, they were unable to even control him long enough to set themselves for up to attack. Look at the whole of Fedor's career, no one has been able to control him on the ground.

Awful comparison, considering Hammer House's lack of ability in, well, anything other than wrestling. Coleman and especially Randleman haven't beat anybody worth a damn in YEARS. Completely different from Couture

Recall that Fedor was able to reverse and escape from Ricardo Arona years back in RINGS. Arona has won of the most dominant top control games in all of MMA and submission wrestling, and even while just trying to do nothing but stay on top of Fedor, was unable to do so.

A better comparison, except that many people think that Arona should have won that fight.

 

[pel1300]

Actually, I think all three (84-86) look pretty god.

Rampage/Forrest
Koscheck/Lytle
Griffin/Aurelio
Cote/Almeida.

Those are all matchups I'm interested in. The problem lies in the fact that we might not see the latter two. :-/

I didn't know Griffin/Aurelio was set for UFC 86...that makes things a lot better..I still think 86 is one of the weakest in awhile.