Hughes wins.
K.O Round 2.
if hughes does not win and win BIG, it will be a disaster for the UFC. if an older fighter who is no longer even competitive with the top guys in pride can come into the ufc and defeat the guy who they claim is the best welterweight mma guy EVER, IN THE WORLD, then any credibility the ufc has is gone in my opinion.
Hughes
Third round submission by Gracie.
Matt used to wrestle in my district in high school. He was a bad mofo then and he’s a badder mofo now. I’m glad to so many Hughes fans on this site. He has a tremendouse work ethic and you can bet he is going to bring his best game to the table. My only concern for him is that old habits are hard to break and wrestlers are not afraid to give up their back, that mistake will get him choked out even by an old unconditioned Gracie. But, if he keeps it on his feet the way he has said he wants to it may not go 2 rounds. Good luck Matt!
Hughes: 2nd round KO.
Then if y’all don’t mind I’ll go ahead and predict GSP takes the title the next time Hughes and him meets.
Is that too bold?
[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:
slimjim wrote:
TheBodyGuard wrote:
Why don’t more heavyweight guys go into boxing? Same reason they don’t go into MMA. The money, top to bottom, is not there. Only at the very top. And the top is occupied by 4 at most. Social and popularity issues at work here too. Basketball and football are far more popular outlets for the young and developing athlete. You’re surely not going to argue that these MMA guys top to bottom are “elite” athletes are you? There is more athletic talent sitting on the bench on an NFL football team than there is the UFC. Heck, there is more talent from the guys CUT from the NFL that currently in the UFC.
I’m not sure I understand your point about Hopkins and Toney? What was the point? That they are not “physical specimens”. Uh boy, you’re wrong. Hopkins is a marvelous physical specimen for his weight class - its not even a debate. It’s a boxing match - not a BB contest. And the man is a specimen. And are you forgetting what Toney was like in his prime at his true weight? You lost me there friend.
Alot of people can’t fight? Again, what is your point. If you can’t fight - the economic law of competition takes over. Can’t fight? You disappear from the scene. Only in places like crazy-ass Japan where they tolerate and reward a big CUR like Sapps can a loser make money. You quit here and you’re done.
I certainly understand your points about athletic skill does not always beget a fighter. The point was that from top to bottom, these fighters out there are by no means “remarkable” athletes. If and when the sport attracts those type of athletes who of course, need to be able to fight, we might have something special to watch. And that will NEVER happen until the money is big and of course, social issues develop to push the sport like basketball, football, etc. It’s still not just popular enough.
Does anyone know when we can expect Hughes to leave the comfy confines of the UFC and show us his mettle overseas?
ALrighty, a few points I’d like to contest here. First, by claiming that our youth are attracted to basketball and football and therefore the top athletes(world class I believe is the term you are using) in the world are drawn to those sports, you discount the rest of the world’s athletes. Fedor is world class. Even your Jevon Kearse’s of the “world” could train for twenty years and never beat him. Second, you’re also assuming that the genetic characteristics that make for a good basketball player or football player would carry over to MMA which is also faulty. Wrestling is more akin to MMA, and look at the body types of the world’s best wrestlers…not exactly many basketball players in the bunch.
Third, boxers suck at MMA. Maybe a some cross training from somebody with a wrestling background towards boxing would help, but please don’t claim Mike Tyson could come in a wreck shop…that is ridiculous. Totally different strategies involved. Boxers tend to string together punches over the course of a fight, the best strikers in MMA defend the takedown and drop the bomb that puts a guy out.
Fourth, why the hell should Hughes go overseas? That is probably the most ridiculous statement in your entire post. The best welterweight division in the world is right here in the UFC. Penn, GSP, Diego Sanchez, Nick Diaz, Karo Parisian, Jason Miller, Robbie Lawler, Shawn Sherk, Frank Trigg, Charuto, etc, etc, have all taken part in matches here…what the fuck does Pride or K-1 have to offer in depth that the UFC doesn’t?
You’re nitpicking and it’s just silly as they internet debates become…just nitpicking…no offense.
I merely used football and basketball as an example of great athletes. An example nothing more.
And a guy like Mike Tyson would have wrecked shop had he trained MMA at an early age. He still would have ended up with world class hands. I don’t see any world class hands in UFC and my god, they do still stand up and swing crazy at each other like two drunks in a bar fight. You be impressed - I am not.
And you might have a point about overseas. I don’t follow the so called sport that closely. I just know enough to see all of Hughes flaws - technical and personality. I’m rooting for Gracie and we’ll all just have to wait until the fight.
And I stand by my statement - top to bottom, the UFC and MMA in general is not filled with elite athletes. And yes, I believe skills being equal, the “stuff” that makes a good football player or basketball player (removing for obvious things like extreme body types like too much height you nitpicker) has absolute transfer to MMA and any other sport for that matter.
[/quote]
How you can make such sweeping generalizations without watching much Pride is beyond me, but you’re entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong it is.
[quote]BSims wrote:
Hughes: 2nd round KO.
Then if y’all don’t mind I’ll go ahead and predict GSP takes the title the next time Hughes and him meets.
Is that too bold?[/quote]
very bold!
Hughes by decision.
[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
Hunthor wrote:
Then again that was Mark Kerr. My god if he had have kept his head on straight…in Kerr’s prime…I think Fedor would have met his match. IMO
You’re kidding.
I could compare them now en detail but I realized it would be pretty ridiculous.
Kerr was a strong, extremely specialized ground and pounder with shitty nerves and no true fighter’s attitude.
[/quote]
You know maybe you are right about Kerr’s nerves. I guess he was the million dollar aircraft with the 1 dollar microchip but of course the question in my brain is what was all the nubain and crap he was doing keeping him from taking his game to the next level had he been 100% mentally there what could he have become. I guess Schawrtzfather I was looking at what he could been with his potential being focused sans his addictions and lack of focus but in MMA it is the whole package.
Fedor is still king in the real world…that is what matters.
Hughes domintates first round. Gracie suprises a few critics and gets a few decent kicks and punches in. Hughes gets Royce against the fence and clinches and Royce goes to the guard. Matt gets some decent punches in and has Royce pinned up against the fence. Royce eye swells. Round ends with Hughes in Royce guard.
Second round. Royce is using his longer legs and arms to keep Hughes off. Matt eventually shoots they clinch Royce attempts to fall to guard but fails and Hughes waits for him to get back up. They restart and circle and both throw a few kicks and eventually end up in a clinch and both go down and end back up in Royce guard after some rolling. Matt gets a decent punch and starts to drop the elbows and draws blood. Royce now moves his legs up using the guard to keep Hughes close. Matt getting frustrated uses his power to try to create distance and Royce goes for an arm bar and misses. Hughes lands another big punch and throws a right and misses. Royce graps the arm, his hips pivot and catches Hughes in arm bar and rolls where both fighters are stomach to the floor. No escape for Hughes and he taps.
Royce looks like something out of the Rocky movie with his face.
Royce never fights UFC again.
Hughes goes back to Millitech camp after the loss and analyzies his mistake and wins his next 10 fights and wins a Pride/UFC showdown fight.
Hughes by decision.
[quote]heavythrower wrote:
if hughes does not win and win BIG, it will be a disaster for the UFC. if an older fighter who is no longer even competitive with the top guys in pride can come into the ufc and defeat the guy who they claim is the best welterweight mma guy EVER, IN THE WORLD, then any credibility the ufc has is gone in my opinion. [/quote]
It would not be a disaster for the UFC you moron. Gracie was/possibly is the best MMA fighter ever, talent like that comes along maybe once every few generations. If he wins the fight that won’t mean shit except that he is still the best. “Desaster” give me a break, it would be a hell of a story and further solidify the greatness of Gracie.
Gracie wins, not even debateable.
Hughes’ strength is great until you compare it to some of Gracie’s other opponents like Kimo, Severn, etc. Hughes is easily submitted and is really outmatched against an opponent like Gracie (i.e., he is weakest against Gracie’s fighting style).
Gracie would not have agreed to come back and fight somone he didn’t already watch, study, and know he could dominate. Gracie is a true student of the MMA, he will know Hughes better than Hughes knows himself tomorrow night.
[quote]heavythrower wrote:
if hughes does not win and win BIG, it will be a disaster for the UFC. if an older fighter who is no longer even competitive with the top guys in pride can come into the ufc and defeat the guy who they claim is the best welterweight mma guy EVER, IN THE WORLD, then any credibility the ufc has is gone in my opinion. [/quote]
thats EXACTLY why matt is going to win no matter what he will win some how, they will NOT let him loose
But his speed with his strength and his knowledge makes him much more dangerous today than these guys were to Royce years ago.
I think Hughes will get either a rather boring decsion or if he gets a quick opening he’ll pound Royce on the ground and maybe bloody him up a bit. But I don’t see him finishing the fight.
It’s so hard to say as I’m not sure how hard either one is training for this. It’s any given day out there. Who’s prepped better wins this fight. My brain says Hughes is prepped better. My heart wants Royce…I’m rooting for Royce all the way…I’d like to see Hughes tapping again like he did with Hallman and BJ…or a KO 
[quote]MattFarlick wrote:
Gracie wins, not even debateable.
Hughes’ strength is great until you compare it to some of Gracie’s other opponents like Kimo, Severn, etc. Hughes is easily submitted and is really outmatched against an opponent like Gracie (i.e., he is weakest against Gracie’s fighting style).
Gracie would not have agreed to come back and fight somone he didn’t already watch, study, and know he could dominate. Gracie is a true student of the MMA, he will know Hughes better than Hughes knows himself tomorrow night.[/quote]
[quote]BSims wrote:
Hughes: 2nd round KO.
Then if y’all don’t mind I’ll go ahead and predict GSP takes the title the next time Hughes and him meets.
Is that too bold?[/quote]
Since Hughes beat GSP at his own game and submitted him in their first encounter, yes I would say you are being too bold.
hughes by ref stoppage after G&P.
royce can survive in the guard for a while, but he will take a beating and then lose.
[quote]Hunthor wrote:
Hughes domintates first round. Gracie suprises a few critics and gets a few decent kicks and punches in. Hughes gets Royce against the fence and clinches and Royce goes to the guard. Matt gets some decent punches in and has Royce pinned up against the fence. Royce eye swells. Round ends with Hughes in Royce guard.
Second round. Royce is using his longer legs and arms to keep Hughes off. Matt eventually shoots they clinch Royce attempts to fall to guard but fails and Hughes waits for him to get back up. They restart and circle and both throw a few kicks and eventually end up in a clinch and both go down and end back up in Royce guard after some rolling. Matt gets a decent punch and starts to drop the elbows and draws blood. Royce now moves his legs up using the guard to keep Hughes close. Matt getting frustrated uses his power to try to create distance and Royce goes for an arm bar and misses. Hughes lands another big punch and throws a right and misses. Royce graps the arm, his hips pivot and catches Hughes in arm bar and rolls where both fighters are stomach to the floor. No escape for Hughes and he taps.
Royce looks like something out of the Rocky movie with his face.
Royce never fights UFC again.
Hughes goes back to Millitech camp after the loss and analyzies his mistake and wins his next 10 fights and wins a Pride/UFC showdown fight.
[/quote]
Well buddy, nobody can say you didn’t make a specific prediction about the fight. I guess time will tell.
Watched the UFC 60 countdown last night, totally want Hughes to kick Gracie’s ass but again, we’ll see.
[quote]MattFarlick wrote:
Gracie wins, not even debateable.
Hughes’ strength is great until you compare it to some of Gracie’s other opponents like Kimo, Severn, etc. Hughes is easily submitted and is really outmatched against an opponent like Gracie (i.e., he is weakest against Gracie’s fighting style).
Gracie would not have agreed to come back and fight somone he didn’t already watch, study, and know he could dominate. Gracie is a true student of the MMA, he will know Hughes better than Hughes knows himself tomorrow night.[/quote]
You don’t watch much MMA do you. Of course Gracie beat Kimo, Shamrock, Severn etc… They had never heard of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Hughes trains in BJJ, wrestling and lately stand up striking. He’s tapped out his last 3 opponents with submissions.
BJJ is no big secret these days and Hughes will know exactly what Gracie is coming with. The Gracie’s don’t have that great of records. And lately they’ve been on a slide. Royce hasn’t beaten anyone significant in 11 years. This is a gimme for Hughes. If Gracie even does any damage, Hughes should hang his head in shame.
[quote]ZEB wrote:
I think at this point we all need to go out on a limb and actually predict not only who will win but the round, and how the win comes about.
One prediction per person.
Me first:
Hughes wins by referee stoppage in the 2nd round.
COME ON LAY DOWN A PREDICTION![/quote]
Blah, smart money says Hughes, but I’m saying Royce shocks the world with an armbar late in the 2nd…what the hell, I’m sentimental at best.