The MMA Thread

[Orville]

I guess I am just not as hung up on the "beating Jones" (or Cruz) aspect of it. Both Champs were stripped of their titles for very legitimate, though wildly different, reasons.

Lets say Lawler would have pissed "hot" after Saturday night. Obviously they cannot give the belt to Rory, but would you question the legitimacy of the next Champion at 170, because they did not beat Lawler? Of course not, and I look at Cormier (and Barao, too) in that light, as well.

 

[brucered]

Poor Ellenberger, he took a beating tonight. I'm not sure how he didn't see half of those kicks coming as they were quite telegraphed while I was sitting on my couch eating cookies....but still, they were quite easy to spot coming.

He needs to head to Bellator or somewhere, regroup and put together some wins....or retire.

 

[TheChariot]

Poor Ellenberger, he took a beating tonight. I'm not sure how he didn't see half of those kicks coming as they were quite telegraphed while I was sitting on my couch eating cookies....but still, they were quite easy to spot coming.

He needs to head to Bellator or somewhere, regroup and put together some wins....or retire.

That dude looks roasted. And honestly, looking back, I begin to wonder if he was ever really that good to begin with. He's never hung in there with the top talent, and he hasn't defeated a semi-impressive opponent in like 4 years or something. I see him as yet another fighter who has failed to evolve with the sport, and I think that also shows in how his brother has performed in the UFC.

Did you see the little promo interviews? He was scoffing at karate, and saying how movement is useless or whatever. I'm not sure if those are scripted to any extent, but it didn't appear that way. And what happened?? He got karate'd in the face. He didn't see those kicks coming. He didn't adjust his game to suit this unorthodox opponent.

I agree that he needs to fight elsewhere or retire, but most importantly he needs to train elsewhere if he wants to find success. Get out of freakin Omaha. Farm boy strength isn't enough to get it done anymore, especially in a crowded Welterweight division.

 

[TheChariot]

- What was with the live singing intros? Connor makes for an exciting champ and I'm glad he won. I wanted him to beat Aldo, I still want him to beat Aldo and he's the most charismatic person in the sport right now. I believe he called it in round two and then delivered, doesn't get much better then that but man did Mendes ever crumble at the end. But like Anderson got caught showboating (and he had way more skill then Connor), he's going to get caught and probably soon or he's going to get outwrestled badly.

I have to admit that I love the trash talk during the fight. It's so heavily fueled by his character and his fan base. The best part is that he kept at it even when he was getting hit or on his back.

It's not the same as Anderson pretending to be dazed, or Nick Diaz laying on the canvas, which were clown moves. Conor's jabbering is in the spirit of fighting. It makes me want to see 2 men punch each other. I consider that a good thing, regardless of whether it helps or hinders him.

We're lacking that these days. That's why people are quick to compare him to Ali. "I'm better than you, I'm constantly gonna tell you about it, and then I'm going to beat you." You can be that way while still respecting the sport and even your opponent.

A different example: the true brawler mentality of Robbie Lawler. I knew Rory was in for a hurting after I watched Robbie spit blood at the mat after the 4th round ended. My eyes got wide and I realized I was watching a different type of human being than just a "pro fighter". I considered it a thing of beauty.

I dig that type of stuff. Crazy mentalities don't always lead to success (see Diego Sanchez) but many champions feed off of it. It's fun to watch!

 

[Orville]

Personally I thought the spitting was a little disrespectful. Not just because I think it is disrespectful to your competition, but also disrespectful of other fighters still to come. It was the end of the round. If he really needed to get rid of some fluids in that manner, he could have used the bucket in his corner. It was the one (small) thing in an otherwise world class performance by Lawler that bugged me.

 

[Sullybob]

I haven't seen the Rory/Lawler fight, I've seen clips. It looked like a war. I loved Robbie spitting the blood out, it didn't appear to me like he was trying to spit it on Rory, he was just clearing his mouth. I took it to mean that Robbie was letting Rory know that he was in for a world of hurt and that he (Robbie) was just getting warmed up. I think they brought out the best in each other in that fight. Robbie is an animal!

 

[Orville]

I did not mean to imply that I thought he was spitting "at" Rory. did not think that at all. Just disrespectful in general . . . it happens during the course of a fight, but at the end of a round . . . just did not sit well with me (YMMV).

And yes, the fight was a WAR in the truest sense, especially when you consider that round one was basically a 5 minute version of "So You Think You Can Dance". They did all that damage to each other in just over three rounds. Rory is likely to be out of action until 2016. Lawler, iirc, has a "no contact" suspension for three weeks or a month, one of the longer one of those I can recall. They beat the hell out of each other.

 

[brucered]

A different example: the true brawler mentality of Robbie Lawler. I knew Rory was in for a hurting after I watched Robbie spit blood at the mat after the 4th round ended. My eyes got wide and I realized I was watching a different type of human being than just a "pro fighter". I considered it a thing of beauty.

I dig that type of stuff. Crazy mentalities don't always lead to success (see Diego Sanchez) but many champions feed off of it. It's fun to watch!

I noticed Lawler laughing a few times too after getting rocked and then pushing forward after it. I'm a fan of Connor, not sure why. He sears, drinks, is a goof ball, but I like it. Same as I liked Ali, Ricky Henderson and the other smack talkers as they backed it up.

As you said, he was even trash talking on his back getting elbows and grounded down while asking the Ref to stand them up (or maybe complaining about the fingers in the eyes).

He's good for MMA/UFC and brings some entertainment and fun to it.

 

[MrLara]

I noticed Lawler laughing a few times too after getting rocked and then pushing forward after it. I'm a fan of Connor, not sure why. He sears, drinks, is a goof ball, but I like it. Same as I liked Ali, Ricky Henderson and the other smack talkers as they backed it up.

As you said, he was even trash talking on his back getting elbows and grounded down while asking the Ref to stand them up (or maybe complaining about the fingers in the eyes).

He's good for MMA/UFC and brings some entertainment and fun to it.

I just don't like the guy, he reminds me of the Diaz brothers. And i can't stand them.

 

[brucered]

I just don't like the guy, he reminds me of the Diaz brothers. And i can't stand them.

And I can't stand the Diaz brothers...go figure.

I guess it's the adopted Irish in me. Red Head born on St Patrick's Day but zero Irish in me

 

[MrLara]

I tell ya, that Gunnar guy is awesome to watch. He has zero personality, but he's awesome to watch. And his name is Gunnar!!

 

[brucered]

I tell ya, that Gunnar guy is awesome to watch. He has zero personality, but he's awesome to watch. And his name is Gunnar!!

Agreed and he's at the opposite end of the charisma spectrum from Connor. And I think they said they train together.

Overall, one of the better PPV or events in a while. I really enjoyed the entire card, no sleepers, no bad stoppages.

 

[TheChariot]

I just don't like the guy, he reminds me of the Diaz brothers. And i can't stand them.

I like the Diaz brothers. Why? Because I can't stand them. The Nate/RDA fight back in December was great to watch, but it would've been a total snoozer if it wasn't for Nate Diaz being such a jerk.

 

[brucered]

I like the Diaz brothers. Why? Because I can't stand them. The Nate/RDA fight back in December was great to watch, but it would've been a total snoozer if it wasn't for Nate Diaz being such a jerk.

I guess that's true for most. Even the guys we can't stand we watch to see if they get pummeled and have to ear their words and smack talk.

 

[Orville]

Gunnar DOES train with Conor. Any of you guys ever watch Tommy Toehold? His UFC 189 post-mortem was a good laugh . . . "Gunnar couldn't be here because it's his turn on The Wall . . . cut to a shot of Gunnar as Jon Snow.

 

[lpe492]

The free Wed fight night card was very good. Every fight was good. I enjoyed seeing Mir / Duffee. Personally, I really enjoy seeing fighters who have been around awhile who remain strong competitors. It is even better to see a comeback like Robbie Lawler. Mir is near the top of the lists for total fights, stoppages, years in the UFC, etc. And the more experienced fighters tend to be more mature and represent the sport well.

Ferguson / Thompson was a great fight and I hadn't paid much attention to Ferguson before. I like his fighting style.

Holly Holm ran a clinic in her fight, and the Jouban / Dwyer fight was fun to watch.

Two great cards in a row!

 

[brucered]

I didn't even know there was a card. I watched the TUF finale card but didn't know there was one last night.

I'll check for a rerun.

 

[Orville]

Too late a start time for me to wait for the fights I wanted. Concerned about Holm. From everything I have read, she did put in a very solid performance, but I wonder why she could not finish? A striker who wants to challenge Rousey had better have some power in her hands, or she will simply get thrown, grounded, and submitted by the Champ. Until Holm proves she has true KO power, I do not like her chances . . .

 

[MrLara]

Gunnar DOES train with Conor. Any of you guys ever watch Tommy Toehold? His UFC 189 post-mortem was a good laugh . . . "Gunnar couldn't be here because it's his turn on The Wall . . . cut to a shot of Gunnar as Jon Snow.

i watch the TTHS, but i didn't know who jon snow was. I had to look it up.

I just watched the Mir/Dufee fight, WHOA!! what a slugfest that was. Very happy Mir won that one.

There's also a card this satuday, Bisping/Leites. I didn;t know there were so many cards this week.

 

[Orville]

Yeah . . . 73 second fight means they basically walked out to the middle and played rock em sock em robots for a minute or so until someone went to sleep. Have to love those fights, too.