The MMA thread

Raoul said:
Waiting indefinitely would be a complete farce though. The Division has already gone nine months without the belt holder getting challenged. How much longer would Aldo have to wait before Conor fights another 1 or 2 fights at LW? That would be another year or more at least, and who is to say Conor wouldn't change his mind at that point and just stay at LW. If he doesn't want to diet down to 145 or perhaps if he doesn't want to risk losing to Aldo, then just vacate the belt and move to 155 and focus on the likes of RDA, Diaz et al. and allow the 145 division to march on with fighters who actually want to fight in that division.
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Indefinitely yes i agree but another 6-8 months isn't that big if a deal i don't think. If McGregor fights again before Xmas i would imagine he will next fight in Feb-Apr, he could fight Aldo then.

It has to be said though if McGregor has no intention of ever going back to FW and is only holding the belt for the chance to be the first fighter to hold two titles at the same time then that i don't agree with. And he should vacate the title.
 
stevoc said:
Indefinitely yes i agree but another 6-8 months isn't that big if a deal i don't think. If McGregor fights again before Xmas i would imagine he will next fight in Feb-Apr, he could fight Aldo then.

It has to be said though if McGregor has no intention of ever going back to FW and is only holding the belt for the chance to be the first fighter to hold two titles at the same time then that i don't agree with. And he should vacate the title.
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Why should Aldo and the rest of the division have to wait that long while another fighter mucks about in other divisions ? The answer is they shouldn't and contrary to Conor's ego, he isn't bigger than the UFC or its interests. The case is pretty clear - either he defends his belt as all belt holders do or he relinquishes it and moves on to another division.
 
Right watched the fight again. First of all props to both guys unbelievable performances.

On rewatch: Round 1: 10-8 Conor
Round 2: 10-9 Conor
Round 3: 10-8 Nate
Round 4: 10-9 Conor
Round 5: 10-9 Nate

47:46 Conor on my card. Goldie stupidly said 1 all at the end of the second which is bullshit. Up until the last minute or so it's a 10-8 round to Conor if we take the knockdowns into account. Also he landed the most effective strikes and even in the last minute he dodged a lot of the harder strikes and landed a couple of his own. No way can you score that for Diaz. I find all the other rounds pretty clear cut. If you ain't giving Conor a 10-8 for Round 1 you can't give one to Diaz for Round 3. IMO both those rounds were 10-8 though.

Close fight but Conor won it. Interestingly I believe Diaz might be Conor's toughest fight at 155 because he just keeps coming and has an iron chin. Can't see many others taking those shots he ate. Lots of great matchups there either way.

For Diaz I really hope he keeps pushing because he's better than his record looks. He has been a bit half arsed about it in the past but he can definitely give anyone trouble at 155 too.

Edit: Also Conor did a much better job defending at the end of Round 3 then I first gave him credit for. He dodged a few and took some to the shoulders. Still a 10-8 for Nate.
 
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Raoul said:
Why should Aldo and the rest of the division have to wait that long while another fighter mucks about in other divisions ? The answer is they shouldn't and contrary to Conor's ego, he isn't bigger than the UFC or its interests. The case is pretty clear - either he defends his belt as all belt holders do or he relinquishes it and moves on to another division.
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Yep agree with this. Defend or be stripped. Holloway is on too great a run to have to wait. I hope Conor goes to 155, no point killing yourself to make weight. Hell Cerrone looks a lot better without the huge weight cut so maybe Conor will be equally better at home at 155.
 
Firas Zahabi makes a pretty good case as to why Conor won in his latest YouTube video. Everything comes down to round 2 and despite Nate's strong finish, Conor's two knockdowns trumped whatever Nate did at the end of the round, which in his view gave Conor a 10-9 and a 48-47 overall.
 
I think Conor is right though, if they strip him of the title and give it to Diaz, the division loses all credibility. McGregor has Dana by the balls right now.
 
cold-zebra said:
I think Conor is right though, if they strip him of the title and give it to Diaz, the division loses all credibility. McGregor has Dana by the balls right now.
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Its a pretty poor argument on Conor's part. If he keeps the belt and continues fighting in other divisions, then the division will suffer just the same as there would be no title fights. If he goes back down to 145 and fights Aldo, then goes back up to 155, the same scenario he claims of the division losing credibility would play out. Realistically, the division wouldn't lose credibility as Aldo is one of the greatest fighters of all time and still not 30, and other fighters would emerge over time as well. Conor just needs to either go back down to fight Aldo and then go to 155 or else give up the belt now and go to 155. Its obvious Conor doesn't want to do that as he would effectively make him a belt less contender at 155.
 
OK I'm a bit new to all this, have heard a few times that the 155 division is the most competitive, and that's apparently where McGregor sees himself from now on. Anyone here want to break down or rank the fighters in that division for me? Seems a bit unfair for McGregor to get an immediate title shot with so many other worthies lining up.

Does Nate Diaz even make the top 5 in that division?
 
2cents said:
OK I'm a bit new to all this, have heard a few times that the 155 division is the most competitive, and that's apparently where McGregor sees himself from now on. Anyone here want to break down or rank the fighters in that division for me? Seems a bit unfair for McGregor to get an immediate title shot with so many other worthies lining up.

Does Nate Diaz even make the top 5 in that division?
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http://m.uk.ufc.com/rankings/lightweight

Diaz is 4th
 
2cents said:
OK I'm a bit new to all this, have heard a few times that the 155 division is the most competitive, and that's apparently where McGregor sees himself from now on. Anyone here want to break down or rank the fighters in that division for me? Seems a bit unfair for McGregor to get an immediate title shot with so many other worthies lining up.

Does Nate Diaz even make the top 5 in that division?
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He's ranked 4th at the moment. Nate is a tough one to call really, he has have motivation troubles in the past. However he put on a clinic in his fight before the 1st McGregor one and then beat Conor very well too. However he's already saying he wants to sit out unless the 3rd Conor fight happens. Nick and Nate don't seem to care about belts much but want money fights.

Nate is great on the feet and has a rock hard chin, I don't think any other 155 guy could've ate some of those shots Conor hit him with. He also has the most submission wins in UFC history ( I think) so he's great on the ground too. Definitely a top 10 guy in my eyes and could be higher up if he keeps himself motivated.

Conor is the biggest money maker in the sport so he gets certain concessions. Plus people push to fight him because they stand to make a hell of a lot more for fighting him than anyone else. Diaz made something like 2 million for the other night. That's huge money for a fighter in the UFC. Hard to say if it's fair or not but Conor puts the money on the table every single show he does and money talks.
 
2cents said:
OK I'm a bit new to all this, have heard a few times that the 155 division is the most competitive, and that's apparently where McGregor sees himself from now on. Anyone here want to break down or rank the fighters in that division for me? Seems a bit unfair for McGregor to get an immediate title shot with so many other worthies lining up.

Does Nate Diaz even make the top 5 in that division?
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Here are the current top 5 at LW:

Champion : Eddie Alvarez

1 Khabib Nurmagomedov

2 Rafael Dos Anjos

3 Tony Ferguson

4 Nate Diaz

5 Edson Barboza


The next logical fight would be Eddie Alvarez v Khabib. RDA is apparently scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson in November, so that takes care of that. Conor should therefore do his trilogy fight against Nate and kick on from there. Whoever wins the next Nate v Conor should be considered for a title shot depending on what happens between RDA and Ferguson and the Khabib/Alvarez fight that should ideally happen next.

I'd rate Conor somewhere in the top 5 between Nate and Tony Ferguson at the moment.
 
Thanks, where does Cerrone fit in? Looked impressive the other night and is usually a 155 right?
 
2cents said:
Thanks, where does Cerrone fit in? Looked impressive the other night and is usually a 155 right?
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He has moved to Welterweight, but apparently wants to fight Alvarez next. Not sure if that is going to happen given that there are several other fighters higher up in the rankings.
 
2cents said:
Thanks, where does Cerrone fit in? Looked impressive the other night and is usually a 155 right?
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Here's what I think when you dont take rankings into consideration:

Champion : Eddie Alvarez - Pretty small guy but has a dogged approach and loves the war aspect. Would be a decent fight and either fighter can win (when talking about Conor).

1 Khabib Nurmagomedov - Will destroy Conor or anyone in that division. I really think he could have been one of the P4P greatest fighters had it not been for his injuries. Just a monster.

2 Rafael Dos Anjos - Looked unstoppable until Alvarez beat him but that could be down to just getting caught with that one punch because even though he was rocked, he just wouldnt go down. A very tough fighter and very well rounded. Would love to see him fight Conor.

3 Tony Ferguson - Eccentric and unpredictable. He's on a tear but had some scary moments against "lesser" opponents. Build up and fight with conor will be fantastic.

4 Nate Diaz - We all know about him now.

5 Edson Barboza - Very flashy fighter but I think Conor has the smarts to beat him. Having said that, one kick from Barboza and it's lights out...

Cerrone was on a great run but choked in the title fight as usual. I prefer him at WW.

Such a stacked division.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Here's what I think when you dont take rankings into consideration:

Champion : Eddie Alvarez - Pretty small guy but has a dogged approach and loves the war aspect. Would be a decent fight and either fighter can win (when talking about Conor).

1 Khabib Nurmagomedov - Will destroy Conor or anyone in that division. I really think he could have been one of the P4P greatest fighters had it not been for his injuries. Just a monster.

2 Rafael Dos Anjos - Looked unstoppable until Alvarez beat him but that could be down to just getting caught with that one punch because even though he was rocked, he just wouldnt go down. A very tough fighter and very well rounded. Would love to see him fight Conor.

3 Tony Ferguson - Eccentric and unpredictable. He's on a tear but had some scary moments against "lesser" opponents. Build up and fight with conor will be fantastic.

4 Nate Diaz - We all know about him now.

5 Edson Barboza - Very flashy fighter but I think Conor has the smarts to beat him. Having said that, one kick from Barboza and it's lights out...

Cerrone was on a great run but choked in the title fight as usual. I prefer him at WW.

Such a stacked division.
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Thanks!
 
Randall Flagg said:
http://m.uk.ufc.com/rankings/lightweight

Diaz is 4th
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It doesn't really mean much as the UFC rankings are a farce for the most part. They change based on the whims of obscure journalists no one has ever heard of, often not based on relevant fights at all. Diaz was ranked something like 8th or 9th before the Conor fights...which weren't even at 155. I'd back the top 7 and the champion to beat him more often than they lose probably.

Edit: Just checked, Diaz was ranked 15th in the division before beating Michael Johnson which justly bumped him up to 8th. Now he's climbed from 8th to 4th by going 1-1 against the Featherweight champion at Welterweight. :wenger:

Maia was right in calling the rankings a joke. They should have changed it to a statistical, scientific model years ago if they really cared about them being genuine. But they like to.be able to rely on hype fudging the numbers.
 
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justboy68 said:
It doesn't really mean much as the UFC rankings are a farce for the most part. They change based on the whims of obscure journalists no one has ever heard of, often not based on relevant fights at all. Diaz was ranked something like 8th or 9th before the Conor fights...which weren't even at 155. I'd back the top 7 and the champion to beat him more often than they lose probably.

Edit: Just checked, Diaz was ranked 15th in the division before beating Michael Johnson which justly bumped him up to 8th. Now he's climbed from 8th to 4th by going 1-1 against the Featherweight champion at Welterweight. :wenger:

Maia was right in calling the rankings a joke. They should have changed it to a statistical, scientific model years ago if they really cared about them being genuine. But they like to.be able to rely on hype fudging the numbers.
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It also has to do with the likes of Cerone and Petit leaving the division and Nate's brand as a fighter going up after submitting Conor.
 
Raoul said:
It also has to do with the likes of Cerone and Petit leaving the division and Nate's brand as a fighter going up after submitting Conor.
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Nate's been gone from the division longer than both. But yeah his brand is totally the reason. Which is why the UFC rankings aren't objectively useful.

Edit: Actually the same as Cerrone I guess they both last fought at 155 on the same card.
 
For me the fight I'd like to see if Khabib v Alvarez. They have both beaten RDA and bring a completely different set of skills to the table - Alvarez's boxing and Khabib's takedowns and ground game, which is arguably the most important skill to have in MMA because it allows a fighter to control the fight. This will go a long way to identify whether Khabib's unbeaten record is the real deal or just a matter of him not having enough UFC fights yet.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
Here's what I think when you dont take rankings into consideration:

Champion : Eddie Alvarez - Pretty small guy but has a dogged approach and loves the war aspect. Would be a decent fight and either fighter can win (when talking about Conor).

1 Khabib Nurmagomedov - Will destroy Conor or anyone in that division. I really think he could have been one of the P4P greatest fighters had it not been for his injuries. Just a monster.

2 Rafael Dos Anjos - Looked unstoppable until Alvarez beat him but that could be down to just getting caught with that one punch because even though he was rocked, he just wouldnt go down. A very tough fighter and very well rounded. Would love to see him fight Conor.

3 Tony Ferguson - Eccentric and unpredictable. He's on a tear but had some scary moments against "lesser" opponents. Build up and fight with conor will be fantastic.

4 Nate Diaz - We all know about him now.

5 Edson Barboza - Very flashy fighter but I think Conor has the smarts to beat him. Having said that, one kick from Barboza and it's lights out...

Cerrone was on a great run but choked in the title fight as usual. I prefer him at WW.

Such a stacked division.
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Good breakdown.

I think Alvarez puts on a gameplan like he did against Pettis and comfortably smothers Mcgregor against the cage for the whole fight, and keeps active with dirty boxing/takedowns. With the difference in wrestling ability there won't be shit Conor can do about it. Alvarez has shown he doesn't mind taking an unpopular crowd displeasing route if it's the smart thing to do. RDA probably does the same. Conor would have very limited time to land a big finish on either guy, so I think he loses way more often than he wins. This applies to a fight with Khabib too.

Ferguson would be a good one. I could see Conor knocking him out and by roughly the same amount I could see Tony choking him. Close fight with potentially hilarious build up as you say. Barboza and Pettis would be great fights too. Conor's first real risks of being knocked out or TKO'd. He could do the same to them. I'd love either of those fights, but unfortunately neither are too likely right now. Pettis has been on a slide and Barboza just doesn't seem a likely option at the moment. I think I'd favour Edson just because his kicking is absolutely brutal so just imagine what some of those body kicks could do to Conor's energy. Also he's working with Mark Henry now. He's possibly the best game planner around and he works it into his fighters (Alvarez, Edgar).

I agree with there being a good chance of Cerrone choking if he has to deal with all the build up to a McGregor fight. Which is a shame because when he isn't stuck in his own head he can be incredible. That finishing combination the other day was beautiful. I'd still like to see that fight though and I think it's likely at some point.
 
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kidbob said:
Right watched the fight again. First of all props to both guys unbelievable performances.

On rewatch: Round 1: 10-8 Conor
Round 2: 10-9 Conor
Round 3: 10-8 Nate
Round 4: 10-9 Conor
Round 5: 10-9 Nate

47:46 Conor on my card. Goldie stupidly said 1 all at the end of the second which is bullshit. Up until the last minute or so it's a 10-8 round to Conor if we take the knockdowns into account. Also he landed the most effective strikes and even in the last minute he dodged a lot of the harder strikes and landed a couple of his own. No way can you score that for Diaz. I find all the other rounds pretty clear cut. If you ain't giving Conor a 10-8 for Round 1 you can't give one to Diaz for Round 3. IMO both those rounds were 10-8 though.

Close fight but Conor won it. Interestingly I believe Diaz might be Conor's toughest fight at 155 because he just keeps coming and has an iron chin. Can't see many others taking those shots he ate. Lots of great matchups there either way.

For Diaz I really hope he keeps pushing because he's better than his record looks. He has been a bit half arsed about it in the past but he can definitely give anyone trouble at 155 too.

Edit: Also Conor did a much better job defending at the end of Round 3 then I first gave him credit for. He dodged a few and took some to the shoulders. Still a 10-8 for Nate.
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Watching it again I don't think there were any 10-8 rounds.

Before the first Diaz fight, Nate was viewed as Conor's most favourable match up at 155 because he wouldn't take him down, which people have now done a u-turn on. Alvarez, RDA and Khabib could all have Conor on his back for the majority of the fight.
 
The Black Pearl said:
No more than the preparation Conor done himself I think John Kavanagh deserves great credit for the way he prepared Conor for the fight too. If there was ever an advertisment for his book 'Win or Learn' the difference in approach to last saturday nights fight compared the first fight was it. It was a pure attention to detail job.
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Yep totally agree
 
Raoul said:
Why should Aldo and the rest of the division have to wait that long while another fighter mucks about in other divisions ? The answer is they shouldn't and contrary to Conor's ego, he isn't bigger than the UFC or its interests. The case is pretty clear - either he defends his belt as all belt holders do or he relinquishes it and moves on to another division.
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They shouldn't have to wait in an ideal world. But what should happen and what has and will happen are maybe two different things.

They shouldn't really have had to fight amongst themselves for the last 8 months while McGregor has fought the same guy twice two weight divisions above. But they did because they all want to fight McGregor and get a huge payday. And because the UFC are letting McGregor do what he wants. Not saying i agree with that but thats how i see it. If he phoned White tomorrow and said he wanted a LW title shot next i have no doubt he would get it i think White has recently said as much, even though he's never even fought in that division in the UFC.

For the record i would like to see Connor fight Aldo next at 145 before moving up permanently, but sadly i doubt it will happen.
 
To be serious though, re watching the fight here and McGregor clearly won the 1st, 2nd and 4th rounds. The commentators even said, going into the 5th round that Diaz NEEDED to win it.

Amazing how when you're emotionally invested in something it can cloud your judgement
 


Bit disappointing this, his last fight was a bit of a dud but he's hugely entertaining. Surprised the UFC let him go really he has loads more to offer.
 
.Rossi said:
To be serious though, re watching the fight here and McGregor clearly won the 1st, 2nd and 4th rounds. The commentators even said, going into the 5th round that Diaz NEEDED to win it.

Amazing how when you're emotionally invested in something it can cloud your judgement
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I've still only seen it that first time but didn't Diaz own corner tell him he needed to win the last round?

I wonder how many of the judges have actually been fighters because like I said I called it for Diaz at the time but I was probably basing that a lot on just general feeling from the point of view of someone who's stood and traded kicks and punches with another person. I know that Diaz wins that fight if it continues so the knockdowns and visual damage doesn't really factor in so much for me but technically as a sporting contest Mcgregor probably edged it.
 
Oggmonster said:


Bit disappointing this, his last fight was a bit of a dud but he's hugely entertaining. Surprised the UFC let him go really he has loads more to offer.
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I don't think he's the same after his ridiculous fight with Robbie Lawlor. Gonna get well paid to beat people in Bellator.

Or maybe he's just running away before CM Punk starts battering people in the UFC welterweight division.
 
duffer said:
I don't think he's the same after his ridiculous fight with Robbie Lawlor. Gonna get well paid to beat people in Bellator.

Or maybe he's just running away before CM Punk starts battering people in the UFC welterweight division.
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:lol:
 
I was actually expecting him to sign for Bellator.

Heal his nose, go back to the victories and make good money. Get some momentum on his side.

He is only 27 so he can perfectly come back in 3 years if he kept improving.
 
Raoul said:
He has moved to Welterweight, but apparently wants to fight Alvarez next. Not sure if that is going to happen given that there are several other fighters higher up in the rankings.
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Cerrone got a lot of media exposure on that last win and he's out of contract, that might give him the juice to leapfrog some.
 
duffer said:
I would absolutely love it if the UFC seriously referenced that Punk nearly beat Brock Lesnar at Summerslam in 2013, just to send the UFC fans absolutely mental.
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That'd probably be my favourite MMA moment ever.
 
duffer said:
I would absolutely love it if the UFC seriously referenced that Punk nearly beat Brock Lesnar at Summerslam in 2013, just to send the UFC fans absolutely mental.
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You sir need to be working for the UFC marketing department because that shit would go viral.
 
UFC on Fox: Maia vs. Condit tomorrow for anybody that didn't know, very nice main card:

Maia vs. Condit
Anthony Pettis vs. Charles Oliveira
Paige VanZant vs. Bec Rawlings
Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon

That's a nice nice main card. Miller/Lauzon got fight of the night in their first WAR, remember watching it live at the time, Lauzon was bleeding like crazy throughout almost all of the fight. Here for anybody that hasn't seen it, pumped for the second fight, I think Lauzon get's his revenge here.

 
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