The MMA thread

Just one more week.

 

UFC buys Strikeforce.
Good for pending matchups, but bad for UFC having no competition
http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=6209923

Now the man talks

 

Affliction, WEC, and now Strikeforce. Zuffa's purchase of Strikeforce, continues Dana White's dream of a unified MMA sport.

The NBA, NFL, NHL, and MBL have virtually no competition as well.

 

Not good news for pending matchups since all of the fighter's contract have to and will be honored first. Even after a fighter's contracts is up with either the UFC or Strikeforce there is no guarantee that the UFC will sign them.
There will be no crossover fights whatsoever. At all. All because of the UFC's refusal to co-promote.

Dana White learned an important lesson from allowing UFC fighters to compete in Pride FC specially from the Rampage versus Chuck Liddell fight. Pride maintained bragging rights after that tourney and it was safe to say that Pride had better fighters since the UFC brought their best fighter during that time and he got demolished by a guy who wasn't even Pride's best fighter.
I think the only reason that Dana allowed fight to happen was that Pride wasn't well known in the U.S. Hell, it's still not very well known in the U.S. so the UFC was able to save face and lost very little popularity if any at all from their first and last co-promotion endeavor. They definitely did not lose any fans in the U.S. and managed to gain popularity in Japan when Chuck Liddell knocked out Alistair Overeem.

The bottom line is: the UFC loses more than it gains allowing co-promotion matches to happen. The UFC can keep bragging about how it has the best fighters in the world as long as they are not tested by any outsiders. If an outsider is going to come into the UFC and start kicking everybody's ass, best believe that Dana is going to get that fighter into an UFC contract before he can defeat anyone of his fighters. It's too big of a risk for a company who makes such huge claims about their fighters. Realistically, Dana's a really good hypeman. There is no way he will allow Overeem or Fedor demolish anyone of his fighters and take away from all that hype and smoke that he's been blowing up our asses for years.

The saddest thing about all of this is that this is the slow demise of Strikeforce. The same thing that happened to Pride is going to happen to Strikeforce, except it's going to take a bit longer since some of those fighers are still under contract for a few more years. Strikeforce's lifespan is 2-3 years tops.
So what's going to happen to all of those Strikeforce fighters that Dana White doesn't want in the UFC?
Where will they go?
So far there's Paul Daley and Josh Barnett, Dana has made it clear that those 2 will never fight in the UFC ever again. But what's gonna happen to fighters like Nick Diaz? Overeem? Most importantly, what's gonna happen to Fedor if he decides that he still wants to fight?

Sure there will probably be another company that emerges and tries to setup fights the way that Strikeforce did but they probably won't last long.

 

Anderson Silva talks about GSP super fight, fighting Lyoto/Jon Jones and Shogun vs Jones:


TRANSCRIPT:

" Reporter: So now that Vitor is behind, people want to know who will challenge you next.
Who is going to be able to give you a challenge in taking your belt away.
You have gone through all your opponents in your weight class, it is hard finding someone now because you have passed through everybody.

Anderson: No, there's still a lot of people in my weight class, there are great athletes in my weight class still, I won't be able to remember all their names right now but there are still great athletes there.
And now I have to wait and see, we'll continue training, as soon as I landed back here in Brazil I went back to training.
Feijão is going to be facing Dan Henderson now, Rogério is going to be facing Tito Ortiz, so we have work to be done

Reporter: Now Dana has mentioned during the Press Conference that GSP would be next, that he's been wanting to make that fight happen for some time.
I want to know what you think of this fight, GSP is a guy who fights at 77kg, he naturally weighs in around 89kg, and you have mentioned that your natural weight is over 100kg.
Do you think this fight is more hype than it is competitive in reality? Because a lot of people are saying that it would be a massacre and I personally agree.

Anderson: I don't agree. GSP is a great athlete, very dangerous, and he has his merits as well.
He's dangerous, he's smart, he knows how to fight, and I think there will be an agreement on the weight issue...

Reporter: but don't you think this is a physical disadvantage for him? genetically you are very gifted, you are tall and skinny, you can go up in weight or down, and you have a huge reach advantage on him.

Anderson: Yeah, but I don't think that will be much of a factor, I mean, this is what the great Master Hélio Gracie used to say, that BJJ was created for the weak.

And GSP is a great athlete and he has all the conditions to go up in weight and to fight at MW of course I have my advantages, as he has his.
And... it's a fight that people want to see, if it will actually happen we don't know.

Reporter: Would you like for it to happen?

Anderson: It's a good fight for the fans to see.
We only need to agree on the weight so it will be good for him and it will be good for me.
It's a fight that everyone wants to see, for me personally I want to fight the best, and... let's go.

Reporter: Last September you had mentioned that you did not want to go up in weight. Do you still feel this way today?

Anderson: I do, I am MW Champion, and in our team we have Lil' Nog that fights at LHW, who has a chance of becoming champion.
We have Lyoto, we have Feijão...
So we stay true to our tradition, of our code of honor, each one stay in their entitled weight class and let's work together so that the sport grows even more.

Reporter: Shogun had an interview a few weeks back in which he said that even though he has trained with you previously he'd have no problems facing you, that he's a professional.

Anderson: Sure, [the fights] are professional

Reporter: would you accept this challenge, you said you wouldn't go up in weight, but...
How would you see this fight playing out? do you think this fight is a possibility?

Anderson: sure it's possible. I'm fine in my weight class, I do not plan on leaving my weight class, I plan on retiring in my weight class.
Another 10 years fighting in my weight class, hopefully it would be 10 years of victories.
It's difficult, it's something that is more than likely impossible to fight another 10 years without losing.
But we're going to try. as for the fight I train to fight with the best... there's no secret.

Reporter: now that you touched on the word ‘retirement', we heard these past few weeks your partnership with [now retired] Ronaldo, I would like for you to talk about that.

Anderson: Dude, it's a great step for the sport...
9ine [Ronaldo's company] is a new born baby that is going to grow and needs all the necessary caution to get stronger and to where we'd like to see it

Reporter: and what exactly is 9ine going to do for the career of Anderson Silva? Is it going to take care of your image, is it going to make deal on fights?

Anderson: 9ine is going to take care of all my business outside of the UFC, my image, sponsors, things like that.

Reporter: Is Corinthians [football club] involved with this somehow? You wore their jersey in the end of the fight.

Anderson: That's a secret.

Reporter: Anderson, UFC 126 was special not just because of your fight, but also because of Jon Jones' as well that got a lot of attention.
Jones will now be challenging Shogun for the LHW belt
Who do you see winning this fight?

Anderson: wow, I'm going to call my psychic, then I'll let you know.

Reporter: You're not going to risk it?

Anderson: I can't, it's going to be a big fight for both of them, they are both great athletes.
Jon Jones has a small advantage because he's very young, and he can risk more.
Shogun is the champion, he has experience, and... as a Brazilian I'm going to be rooting for Shogun.
But it will be a tough fight for both of them and I think Jon Jones carries a small advantage because of that.
Not that I think JJ is the favorite, I think he'll have a small advantage for being younger and would be able to risk more than Shogun.

Reporter: One last question for you is regarding UFC Rio. We will finally have a UFC here in Brazil, what do you think about that and will we have Anderson Silva defending his belt in UFC Rio?

Anderson: I don't know if I'll be fighting in UFC Rio, but it's a unique opportunity and we need to take advantage of this so that we can have other events here so that we can have another UFC here in the capital, in São Paulo, in Curitiba.
We have to work, let's hope it will be a success.
It's a big step for the sport inside Brazil and... we'll need to wait and hope it to be a big success

Reporter: Anderson, we got a lot of questions through twitter and one of the questions that was mostly asked was a possible match between you and Jon Jones.
You mentioned that he's a young kid that is doing well and is coming with a lot of hype.

Anderson: You guys hate me right? Everyone hates me...

Reporter: no easy ones right? Just hard ones.

Anderson: Just broken glass. Beating me is easy, what I want to see is if you're able to pay my bills.
Well... I'm an employee of the UFC, I think that...
Everything is possible. It's like I said, I do not plan in going up in weight.
I'm well in my weight class, I think there's a reason for everything.
Everyone in their places, and JJ is a great athlete, we have a certain level of friendship in there.

Of talking, he has told me a few times that he's my fan, that I inspire him a lot and I'm not sure if that [fight] would happen, I don't have this desire.

Reporter: he has some strikes that resembles some of yours, he seems to take a few things out of video games such as his elbow strikes...

Anderson: yeah, I think he's much better than me because he's younger, he can risk more, if he feels like doing a backflip with a Jackie Chan kick and land on two feet it will be beautiful and it will work, because he's young and he can risk it, I had that phase as well.

Reporter: Anderson thanks again for coming and congratulations once again on the victory.

Now only Captain Nascimento can stop Anderson Silva [movie reference]

Anderson: [sarcastic] "don't joke around sir, be serious sir, you know we mean business, do you understand me?"

Reporter: Anderson take advantage of this time to leave a message to your fans, that are a lot.

Anderson: Everyone out there, please keep on watching and participating and stay tuned to RedeTV and UFC Sem Limites, kisses from the fatty."

Oh and for all the haters:
http://www.mma-core.com/videos/_Anderson_Silva_Hate_Me_Now_?vid=10017276&tid=101

 

Thanks for pasting that in here. Good stuff. I like Silva's attitude in this interview.

 

Glad you liked it man, Silva's attitude is positive and respectful most of the time. I've seen and/or read most of his interviews and it's hard to catch him talking trash about his opponents. People remember him mostly for his antics in Abu Dabhi which is sad but it's not like he had disrespected his opponents during fights before or even after the Maia fight.

Great Nick Diaz HL vid by LayzieTheSavage

 

I do not understand the thought process behind doing something so blatantly against the rules. I guess it worked out for him. Lately I'm less and less concerned about people being assholes with words and attitude (even when they win). I really don't like intentional rule breaking to gain the upper hand. Much the same as I can stand actions of, say, Palharres when he continues to apply pressure after taps. That shit has to go.

 

I couldn't say it was intentional in the sense of, "I'm going to attack this dude and maybe lose the fight on a foul" so much as "there's his head, I'll knee and - oh shit".

In fights, sometimes your body does the thing it needs to regardless of the rules.

Palharres, however, is a cunt.

 

I can believe that. I don't fight so I do not know what it is like.

 

Predictions:
Jon Jones is saying that he's going to stand and bang with Shogun, lol, it's obvious that he's going to take Shogun to the ground at will. I say Shogun takes it via submission.

I wish it was the CroCop of old stepping into that octagon with Schaub but sadly, Schaub is going to wear CroCop out. Schaub by K.O.

Also I got Faber beating Wineland by decision but that's an easy one.

Who you guys picking to win?

 

Jones wins via TKO round 3

Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland - Faber
Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian Loveland - Benavidez rd 2 sub
Mirko Filipovic vs. Brendan Schaub - Schuab rd 1 KO
Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus - Miller submission round 2
Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller - Nate TKO round 2
Raphael Assuncao vs. Erik Koch - Raphael split decision
Ricardo Almeida vs. Mike Pyle - Almeida round 3 submission
Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau - batman via sub late round 2
Anthony Njokuani vs. Edson Barboza Jr. - Njokuani ud
Costantinos Philippou vs. Nick Catone - coin toss
Luis Artur Cane Jr. vs. Eliot Marshall - Cane UD

 

Aight ShadowDean, Ima have to give u a C'mon Son! for thinking that Jones' gonna K.O. Shogun, lol. Shogun has NEVER been knocked out.
Jones' chin has never been tested and Shogun WILL test JJ's chin.

Speaking of, here's an MMA C'mon Son Special Edition:

 

Jones is gunna wrestle fuck him. He is sub savvy enough to stay out of whatever Shogun throws at him. Shogun will have to ko/tko Jones

 

Jones better get it to the ground quick cuz... damn!
"The goal is K.O."

 

Jon Jones or Rua? Who you guys got?
Me????
To quote myself from May, 2008--page 110 of this thread:

 

Joe Lauzon squeezes out a Hematoma along his shin. yay.

 

Jones/shogun staredown! my buddy's brand KORE is on Shogun's shirt, I had no idea he was sponsoring fighters now.

I like Jones, I want Shogun to win and think he should be able to.

 

Good eye, Social. I knew that Bones was going to have a good fighting career since the first time I watched him fight but I wasn't expecting him to climb the ranks this fast.
I don't dislike him, I think he's a great addition to the sport, cool kid... but for him to beat a guy like Shogun... Idk man, I just can't see it.

His wrestling is so badass that he might be able to keep Shogun on his back for 5 rounds but I don't see him knocking out Shogun... maybe he could submit Shogun with one of those killer chokes he's got in his arsenal but... Shogun's BJJ should prevail.

It's easy to make a case as to why JJ will win via wrestling but once Shogun gets JJ's timing down it's gonna be lights out for JJ... unless JJ's chin is rock solid... I think that's going to be the X factor in this fight, just how solid is JJ's chin.