I know there aren’t a lot of MMA fans here; I think my last UFC thread sank without a single response, but I’ve got to say: WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO St. Pierre!
Matt Hughes is a chump and it was about time he lost his strap, and who better to do it than my favorite fighter?
This was the best PPV in a long time. The only bad fight was the heavyweight title fight but I expected that. Sprawl & Brawl Sylvia who has had 3 very boring decisions in his last 4 fights Vs. a grappler. I wish Monson would’ve won but I can’t say I’m shocked. The Truth will be the next HW champ.
I’m looking at the MMAWeekly recap (too poor to order the PPV) and I’m noticing that St. Pierre landed two low blows in the first round. I have to wonder how much that affected the Country Boy’s ability to fight.
Sylvia winning is not surprising, since I don’t really see a heavyweight who can challenge him right now. I’m not convinced Brandon Vera is the real deal just yet, since 2006 Frank Mir isn’t 2004 Frank Mir.
I don’t think it effected him at all. It looked like he was pointing his crotch towards those kicks on purpose to get points taken away from his opponent or something. They weren’t very solids shots, and he was wearing a cup, so I don’t think they could’ve possibly had any effect on the outcome of the fight. GSP absolutely dominated. It looked like Matt Hughes didn’t even show up.
Brandon will get his chin tested, as Tim hits like a Mack truck, but he is aggresive and won’t let Tim play his points game. Tim obviously has a puncher’s chance, but Brandon has a puncher’s chance, a grappler’s chance, a chance at the decision . . .
I’m pretty sure The Truth will be the next heavyweight champion, followed by Andrei Arlovski.
Dayum, GSP has some deadly feet. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an MMA fighter kick so many times in a bout. They were lightning quick too. Hughes was not good in the stand up. But then, his takedowns also weren’t working and it did lead to his KO. Total domination.
Yes, that was a great fight. St. pierre has been my favorite ever since he first entered the UFC.
i think hughes definitely showed up – its just tough for him to deal with opponent that is much better than him at striking and is also difficult to take down. st.pierre is probably just as strong as hughes, which has always been hughes’ greatest weapon.
I actually think he was the better fighter even the first time he fought Hughes, but he wasnt mentally in it and hughes managed to catch him in a mistake. its great to see someone with skill and class wearing the belt. i suspect he will have it for a while too – bj penn is probably the most dangerous threat, and i think st.pierre has too much size, strength, and stamina for him.
as for vera, i think he is a good fighter, but his size wil hinder him against sylvia. sylvia has a big reach advantage and i believe vera only weighs about 220 or so, which will make it difficult for him to deal with the full weight of sylvia sprawling on him. sylvia looks soft and clumsy, but he fights smart and uses his reach and size to his advantage very well.
feel free to post about MMA, its nice to have someone to discuss it with.
I agree that GSP was probably the better fighter the first time as well. He won’t have to worry about BJ, who is supposed to be dropping down to lightweight, where he will soon hold the belt no doubt. The biggest threat I see for GSP next year is Koscheck. Karo, Serra, and Diesel are non-factors, Matt Hughes is a small threat (he will eventually get that takedown if he survives into the later rounds, and that would even the odds a lot), Diego is Hughes without the experience. Koscheck is hungry and athletic, just like Georges. For the record I can’t stand Kos and I hope GSP destroys him if they fight, but he is the biggest threat to the crown right now IMO.
Isn’t Fedor only 220 or so? Vera has the advantage of knowing the Tim’s sprawl is good. I think the key to taking big Tim’s strap is going to be muay thai and dirty boxing, both of which are in the Truth’s arsenal. He’ll get in close where reach doesn’t matter and knock him down, instead of shooting for the double leg over and over like Monson.
i dont think i’ve seen koscheck yet – has he been competing in pride? what is his main discipline? has he beaten anybody good yet? the serra match in february is going to be pretty lopsided. serra is only 5’6" or so which is going to give gsp plenty of room to pick him apart with jabs and kicks. hes not a very big welterweight either.
i think u’re right – fedor is pretty small also. good point. and i’d like to say fedor would walk right through sylvia…but who knows? fighting someone of that size can be tricky. i think the muay thai will be tough for vera though – hard to get the clinch and knee someone in the face who towers over u. i hope vera wins though – sylvia’s cut from that same country redneck mold as hughes (although hughes has shown considerably more class).
actually, i do remember seeing this guy, now that i looked him up. i dont know about his chances though – he is primarily a wrestler and as good as he may be at this, GSP has had no problem with defeating sherk, trigg, and hughes – all of whom are elite wrestlers. i believe hughes was the only one who actually took him down. while its not impossible that GSP can be taken down on occasion, it is difficult picturing koscheck repeatedly taking him down and eking out a victory like that – after all, that is hughes strategy as well and he had great difficulty getting GSP to the mat. GSP is a very good wrestler himself. i think the greatest threat to GSP would be someone who combines excellent standup skills with jujitsu – like bj penn. his fight with penn was the closest he came to being defeated (aside from the first hughes match).
Kos has shown a lot of versatility since debuting as a pure wrestler, though. His striking is lightyears beyond what it was when he lost a split decision to Diego. I’m not saying he will beat Georges - and again, I hope he doesn’t because I don’t like him - but I think he will beat everyone else they put in front of him until they have to give him a shot. BJ would of course be a bigger threat but he is a natural lightweight and is moving back to that weightclass.
Re: Vera/Sylvia: I just have to hold onto hope that this walrus loses his belt the next time he fights. He is the cure for insomnia. I hope Vera makes him shit his pants again.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen GSP look so tight, even in his fight against BJ Penn. And apparently his first title defense is going to be in Montreal, so I may have to make the trip.
Now, I’m looking forward to Liddell/Ortiz, but even more to Wanderlei Silva and Liddell in November. I’m really hoping that happens.
Seeing as how November ends next week, I don’t think it’s going to happen :). The fight has been all but officially cancelled (and it may have even been officially cancelled.) I think the UFC lost interest after Wandy was utterly demolished by Cro Cop last month in the Grand Prix. He said something like, “My plan was to go out there and explode his face. It didn’t work.” Damn right!
Now Liddell/Ortiz: wow. Anyone who predicts that fight and gets it right was lucky. There is just no way to call that one, between the eye poke, the hatred, the evolution of the fighters. That fight goes to whoever wants it more.
Real answer: Fedor by brutal, devastating, definitive knockout in round 1.
I don’t think Tim Sylvia is even considered a top 10 heavyweight, much less top 5, and Fedor is unquestionably #1. He’s walked right through people who would walk right through Tim.
What did you think of the latest ultimate fight night? I wasnt too impressed with koschek. His wrestling looked great, but his standup didnt look nearly as good as it would have to be to compete with a bj penn or st. pierre.