fatthew
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Post by fatthew on Jul 22, 2008 13:13:38 GMT -5
Doesn't look like Jesse Taylor is long for the UFC: sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Taylor-one-and-done-for-UFC-?urn=mma,94946 Silva looked pretty natural at 205. I don't know that there is anyone who can beat him right now, at 185 or at 205. I don't really know what to make of the Affliction show. I've seen Fedor fight in Pride, and I don't think he's the best P4P in the world. Best heavyweight, no doubt, but not best P4P. I also haven't been impressed with Tim Sylvia in a while (though his last 3 losses have been against the 3 best heavyweights in the world). I'm not crazy about the heavyweights in general. So I won't pay for an Affliction card until & unless Fedor fights Randy Couture. It'll be interesting to see where they go from here, though. By most accounts, it was a pretty good card. They had a huge crowd, and made $2 million+ at the gate. But fighter salaries for the event were in excess of $3.3 million. Sylvia alone made $800K for his 36 seconds of work. I don't know much about the economics of MMA, but I doubt that they made money on this event. I hope they can stick around and be profitable. I think the competition is good for the UFC and for the sport. Side Note: Patrick Ewing Jr was seen at the UFC event, along with a bunch of other guys from the Kings Summer League team. Also, why is Mandy Moore always at these things? Weird. |
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fatthew
Century (over 100 posts)
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Post by fatthew on Jul 22, 2008 22:16:01 GMT -5
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Hank Scorpio
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Post by Hank Scorpio on Jul 22, 2008 22:56:59 GMT -5
from the other thread, i am not entirely sure how the reffing process works. i believe the refs must be licensed by state, instead of being eligible nationally, then the MMA organizations are free to hire them. i distinctly remember either columbus or newark not having any refs i recognized, and it was because the regular crop were not licensed in the state. jesse taylor isn't long for the UFC. it goes way deeper than his big idiotic mouth. i was at the UFC card, but, from all accounts, the Affliction card was very good. i don't think they'll make $ on it as they just won't sell that many PPVs, but if they can come close to breaking even, that'd be a huge success. the Randy situation resolving itself would set up a Fedor/Randy fight which would be one of the biggest of all time. and believe the hype on Fedor, i think he is top 3 P4P in the world, behind Anderson and neck-and-neck with BJ Penn. Mandy Moore LOVES mixed martial arts. sometimes she brings friends along. (i met her and Minka Kelly backstage in Montreal. I still haven't showered. my coworkers complain, but F them) Met PE2 on Saturday night and got my #33 jersey signed as my friend with the UFC tipped me off on the Maloofs letting the Kings summer league squad use their box at the Pearl. He was on his iPhone the entire time...almost. he got out of his seat for the Anderson Silva KO. how could you not? Doesn't look like Jesse Taylor is long for the UFC: sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Taylor-one-and-done-for-UFC-?urn=mma,94946 Silva looked pretty natural at 205. I don't know that there is anyone who can beat him right now, at 185 or at 205. I don't really know what to make of the Affliction show. I've seen Fedor fight in Pride, and I don't think he's the best P4P in the world. Best heavyweight, no doubt, but not best P4P. I also haven't been impressed with Tim Sylvia in a while (though his last 3 losses have been against the 3 best heavyweights in the world). I'm not crazy about the heavyweights in general. So I won't pay for an Affliction card until & unless Fedor fights Randy Couture. It'll be interesting to see where they go from here, though. By most accounts, it was a pretty good card. They had a huge crowd, and made $2 million+ at the gate. But fighter salaries for the event were in excess of $3.3 million. Sylvia alone made $800K for his 36 seconds of work. I don't know much about the economics of MMA, but I doubt that they made money on this event. I hope they can stick around and be profitable. I think the competition is good for the UFC and for the sport. Side Note: Patrick Ewing Jr was seen at the UFC event, along with a bunch of other guys from the Kings Summer League team. Also, why is Mandy Moore always at these things? Weird. |
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Hank Scorpio
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Post by Hank Scorpio on Jul 22, 2008 23:05:42 GMT -5
just checked the link buffalo posted. yeah, that's minka on the right, they're both sporting montreal credentials. clear eyes, full hearts...
Fire Joe Morgan eviscerates Plaschke regularly, much to my amusement. He doesn't strike me as someone who does a lot of research, so I'd imagine he ignores the whole "detained for mental evaluation" bit that came out after the car chase. Or maybe I am giving him too much credit.
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Hank Scorpio
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Post by Hank Scorpio on Jul 24, 2008 10:11:58 GMT -5
won't be live if it's on spike, can't sell commercials at 3 in the afternoon. but yes, it's a pretty sweet card, i'm psyched to hop across the pond again if it goes down.
Thiago Silva is Machida's toughest test in the UFC to date, and vice versa. Machida has beaten some better competition before arriving stateside, but don't sleep on Silva. Also, Machida doesn't make quick work of anyone...he waits til you overcommit on a combination or takedown attempt, and then makes you pay.
that said, best free card ever has gotta be Rampage/Hendo, Bisping/Hamill, and Kongo/Cro Cop at UFC 75.
- HS
Ps - Thiago Alves/Diego Sanchez will be in Chicago at UFC90.
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hoyaboy1
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Post by hoyaboy1 on Jul 24, 2008 10:48:29 GMT -5
Silva is good, but I don't think Machida will have much trouble with him. Machida will easily dominate the standup, and Silva's only edge would be if he got a takedown, which probably isn't that likely - and Machida is good on the ground anyway.
I'd have Fedor #1 in my pound for pound list, personally. He's never lost legitimately, and is the most well-rounded fighter in MMA by a decent margin. You also have to consider the fact that his "walking around weight" is only around 15 pounds more than Anderson Silva, but he fights at HW and Silva at MW. If Silva can clean out LHW too and not just beat a scrub, I'll consider him 1b.
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fatthew
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Post by fatthew on Jul 24, 2008 15:50:41 GMT -5
What are the chances the UFC moves UFC 89 up a week? Looks like the next Affliction card will be Oct. 11 in Las Vegas. Fedor-Andrei Arlovski. Also, possibily Renato Sobral-Tito Ortiz.
Hank & hoyaboy - Your points on Fedor are well-taken. Admittedly, he's beaten just about everyone in his class pretty convincingly. I think my problem with calling Fedor the best P4P is that I'm just not that in love with the HW division. I think, generally, the more talented fighters are in the lower weight classes. There's nobody I find that exciting among the heavyweights. I won't pay for an Affliction card until Fedor fights Randy. Even then, who knows what Couture will bring to the fight, given age & the long lay-off.
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RBHoya
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Post by RBHoya on Jul 26, 2008 1:05:24 GMT -5
Finally got to see last Saturday's UFC fight night tonight, Anderson is clearly the best in the world right now and an easy guy to root for as well. I think the upcoming free event from England with Bisping/Leben (usually fun guys to watch, I like Bisping) and Machida/Silva should be excellent, too bad its still a few months away. Does the winner of Machida/Silva get a title shot? Not sure if there's anybody more deserving than whomever wins that fight.
Personally, and yes I know I'm showing my colors as a "casual fan" or a "mark" to borrow a pro wrestling term, but I'm eager to see Lesnar fight again coming up in a few weeks. There's just something about seeing him in the octagon, I want to see him rip somebody's head off. GSP is always fun to watch as well.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Jul 26, 2008 12:51:13 GMT -5
RB, I was about to say the same thing. I watched the most of the card last night on Spike -- what a great network, by the way. Silva is just unusual. In football or basketball terms, he would be the classic mismatch -- whether he was too tall for a 3 to guard or too quick for a 4. Or on the gridiron, maybe he would be too big and strong for DB's to cover, but too fast for linebackers to keep up with. In any case, he was certainly impressive.
I have a very basic question for you all:
I enjoy MMA and watch it almost any time I run across it, and will go "out of my way" to catch a special event. But with the exploding popularity, I haven't been able to keep it straight. I'm not even going to begin trying to "learn" which fighters are with which factions, but I do need to understand the factions themselves.
I have gotten so confused from the glut out there, that I can't keep it straight.
UFC
Affliction
Elite
Pride
IFL (International Fight League)
Tapout
and probably a couple more that I can't recall off the top of my head ....
Are these all independent of each other? At least in the case of Affliction and Tapout, I think the name refers to lines of apparel, but I'm not positive if that's all that it means.
How do I distinguish between these assorted "products?"
Are any of these, for lack of a better term, the "minor leagues" of any of the others?
What is the "major league" in MMA? I know that Dana White and his UFC pretty much put the spectacle on the map, but from following many of your comments, some of the best fighters are affiliated with other organizations.
Just a few questions for those of you in the know ...
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fatthew
Century (over 100 posts)
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Post by fatthew on Jul 26, 2008 13:48:37 GMT -5
I'm excited to see Lesnar, too. The guy is an unbelievable athlete. I couldn't believe how fast he is for a guy his size. He had Mir in trouble in his first UFC fight, but Mir was just too experienced. I also like that they are giving him legit opponents.
Hifi - I'll give this a shot, but take what I say with a grain of salt b/c I am not an expert by any means:
Tapout - Not a promotion, but a clothing company. They sponsor alot of fighters. They also have a show (on Vs. I think) where they travel the country and highlight up-and-coming fighters. You'll recognize the owners b/c they dress like fools and wear makeup.
IFL - Don't know much about it, except that I think it is going out of business. Alot of their fighters are signing elsewhere.
Pride - Was a japanese promotion that is no longer in business, I think. It ran into some trouble in Japan, partly b/c of alleged yakuza involvement. I believe it was purchased by the UFC and then folded. Most, if not all, of the best fighters in the world fought in Pride at some point. That includes most of the UFC's current stars - Rampage, Liddell, Wanderlai Silva, Shogun Rua, Big Nog, Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, etc, etc - & most of the stars elsewhere - Fedor, etc. It was considered by many to be the premier MMA promotion. The fights were held in a ring, and there were some variations in the rules from UFC (eg, kicks and knees to the head of a downed opponent were allowed in Pride). I think that the current DREAM promotion is the successor to Pride in Japan, but could be wrong about that. FSN sometimes shows old Pride fights on Monday nights. You should check them out if you haven't already seen them.
EliteXC - Rival promotion to the UFC. Has a show airing on CBS tonight. Elite has some decent fights, but most of their guys are fighters who couldn't make it in the UFC. Elite is also notorious for pushing Kimbo Slice. Generally, the quality of fighter is below that of the UFC (or Affliction in the Heavyweight division). However, XC has done some cross-promotions with a promotion called StrikeForce, where they have showcased a guy named Cung Le. He's the Strikeforce middleweight champion. He's nasty. I think he comes from a kickboxing background, and he's alot of fun to watch. EliteXC also showcases the female fighters. I think this is where they do a pretty good job. Gina Carano is one of their fighters. Also, Shayna Baszler-Cris Cyborg tonight should be good one. I have found the women's fights to be the best fights on their cards.
Affliction - Also is clothing company, but it is a fight promotion as well. Basically, many of the UFC fighters were wearing Affliction gear, and Dana White decided to ban them from wearing it to the ring. After that, Affliction decided to start its own fight promotion. It is particularly strong in the heavyweight division. It has most of the top 10 HW in the world, including Fedor, who is arguably the best P4P fighter in the world and definitely the #1 HW. Also, looks like Tito Ortiz might be over there for their next show.
UFC - Is the premier MMA promotion. In my opinion, the best fighters in the world are in the UFC. UFC has five weight classes - Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight & Heavyweight. In each of these but HW, the #1 fighter in the world is in the UFC.
WEC - Is owned by the UFC. WEC has the same weight classes as UFC, except that WEC does not have the heavyweights. WEC also has a Bantamweight division and a Featherweight division. These two lower weight classes are the WEC's sweet spot. BW champion Miguel Torres and FW chmapion Urijah Faber are sick. There is some talk of the UFC merging the WEC's LW, WW, MW & LHW divisions into the UFC. WEC also has a pretty good Middleweight in Paulo Filho.
There also are bunch of other promotions that I don't know much about. I hope this helps.
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hoyaboy1
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Post by hoyaboy1 on Jul 27, 2008 10:30:42 GMT -5
If you have HDNet, Dream is worth watching too - they still have a lot of good fighters, especially at LW.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Jul 28, 2008 11:43:07 GMT -5
Cool, thanks for the info.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Jul 28, 2008 11:44:25 GMT -5
By the way, you're right about the tapout crew. They look more like Motley Crue. I had a hunch they were a little more flash than substance.
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fatthew
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Post by fatthew on Aug 4, 2008 10:43:48 GMT -5
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Aug 4, 2008 12:40:08 GMT -5
Does anyone know exactly when the WEC replay will air? I can set the DVR up to record it at the lake and make sure I have it.
Or, what was the specific "name?" Was it WEC # such and such?
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Aug 4, 2008 15:18:34 GMT -5
Thanks
Incidentally, that's why I said "or the specific name..."
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Aug 6, 2008 15:19:02 GMT -5
I did enjoy what I saw of the card replay last night, but I want to try to watch it again in full. We had our last summer family movie last night, so I didn't turn on the MMA until about 10:25. Still, I agree with your take on the Condit fight. Several times it looked like he had it wrapped up, but Miura not only wriggled out, but even took a dominant position a couple of times. But overall I certainly thought Condit was deserving of the victory. Most of the praise I can give of Miura was in escaping predicaments. For the most part Condit avoided them.
I agree with the ending, in that the knee really wasn't that devastating. But Miura was so exhausted that he couldn't do anything but squat there and get hit inthe back of the head. I can't complain too much about the stoppage, but I too would have liked to see another round after a minute of rest. You never know ...
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Hank Scorpio
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Post by Hank Scorpio on Aug 7, 2008 10:37:00 GMT -5
Also sweet: Saturday's card. My picks:
Kenny
Brock
Fitch with the upset.
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Hank Scorpio
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Post by Hank Scorpio on Aug 7, 2008 11:01:58 GMT -5
Glad I've got another Kenny fan here. I've become pretty good friends with him, despite his BC allegiance. One of the good guys. Heath has a puncher's chance against Brock, but I think Brock's double leg is just about unstoppable, and when the fight gets to the ground, Brock will overwhelm him. GSP is really good, but I also feel like he has overwhelmed people b/c he is a HUGE welterweight (GSP could fight at middle, whereas Koscheck/Serra/Hughes types could cut down to 155 if they had to). He tossed Hughes and Serra around like rag dolls. That won't be the case with Fitch, who is a big boy, and an unbelievable wrestler. Also sweet: Saturday's card. My picks: Kenny Brock Fitch with the upset. Kenny Brock GSP... I think he's still Editeded about losing to Serra. The only way to get that taste out of his mouth is going to be by successfully defending his title this time. Off topic a bit: if Penn defeats the KenFlo/Huerta winner, does White give him a shot at GSP? Maybe even a catch-weight bout? |
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Hank Scorpio
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Post by Hank Scorpio on Aug 10, 2008 11:45:22 GMT -5
Lesnar looked unbelievable. Nogueira must not have enjoyed watching that.
Mea Culpa on GSP. He proved me wrong last night. Hopefully they pit him against BJ, I'm dying to see that rematch
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