I am not a St. Pierre fan, primarily because of his early inconsistencies but I gotta say I was extremely impressed with his stand-up, in particular his ability to place his jab over and over, and how many TD’s did Koscheck finish? I can’t remember any and he looked like he had been beaten in the head with a 2x4 when it was over.
If you look at both fighters last 10 fights, Shields has really not faced near the competition St. P has.
The only thing that concerns me is GSP’s shortcomings in terms of capitalizing on an injured opponent. I think this plays in Shields favor as the fight draws out but he better come in with a full tank because if he starts to gas he will literally get made a bitch.
I really don’t see any way Shields wins this fight other than a KO and the way GSP’s striking has looked, this is going to come down to a fighters chance. I think people are underestimating his ground defense. I think he is very tough to put in a bad spot and his ability to get up off the canvas is excellent.
If GSP comes in looking crisp and doesn’t let up if he gets Shields in a bad spot, I think Shields has his hands full.
Having said that, my track record of late picking fights is abyssmal so if you are a betting man you may want to consider my opinion and choose the opposite. It will likely pay better.
I don’t see good things for Couture fighting Machida. We have possible the slowest (and oldest) fighter in the division fighting one of the fastest. Yes, Couture is great in the clinch but he first has to get him in the clinch without potentially taking multiple fight ending blows. Yes, Couture could win this, but I would never bet on it.[/quote]
Hmmm. I don’t think Randy would have taken the fight if he didn’t see something he thought he could capitalize on.
To me, he is one of the best at defining a game plan and executing it perfectly.
I think he has Machida’s number. I predict win by ref stop.
I don’t see good things for Couture fighting Machida. We have possible the slowest (and oldest) fighter in the division fighting one of the fastest. Yes, Couture is great in the clinch but he first has to get him in the clinch without potentially taking multiple fight ending blows. Yes, Couture could win this, but I would never bet on it.[/quote]
Hmmm. I don’t think Randy would have taken the fight if he didn’t see something he thought he could capitalize on.
To me, he is one of the best at defining a game plan and executing it perfectly.
I think he has Machida’s number. I predict win by ref stop.[/quote]
Isn’t Randy like 19-10 or something shitty.
[quote]apwsearch wrote:
I am not a St. Pierre fan, primarily because of his early inconsistencies but I gotta say I was extremely impressed with his stand-up, in particular his ability to place his jab over and over, and how many TD’s did Koscheck finish? I can’t remember any and he looked like he had been beaten in the head with a 2x4 when it was over.
If you look at both fighters last 10 fights, Shields has really not faced near the competition St. P has.
The only thing that concerns me is GSP’s shortcomings in terms of capitalizing on an injured opponent. I think this plays in Shields favor as the fight draws out but he better come in with a full tank because if he starts to gas he will literally get made a bitch.
I really don’t see any way Shields wins this fight other than a KO and the way GSP’s striking has looked, this is going to come down to a fighters chance. I think people are underestimating his ground defense. I think he is very tough to put in a bad spot and his ability to get up off the canvas is excellent.
If GSP comes in looking crisp and doesn’t let up if he gets Shields in a bad spot, I think Shields has his hands full.
Having said that, my track record of late picking fights is abyssmal so if you are a betting man you may want to consider my opinion and choose the opposite. It will likely pay better.[/quote]
Shields wins this by KO? It’s possible but a submission or smothering top control is much more likely.
[quote]thehebrewhero wrote:
It will most likely be a boring lay and pray fight won by dec for GSP… However I like the odds on Shields in Vegas hes got a better shot then the odds makers say. So based on that I got money on shields… [/quote]
I’d like to know your definition of “lay and pray”. It has been well over used lately and I doubt most who say it actually know what they even mean. That is not to say that you don’t that’s why I’m asking for your definition.[/quote]
I am not trying to speak for anyone else, but this is a topic (Lay and Pray vs Ground and Pound) that I have thought about. I do not think “Lay and Pray” really exists under unified(not Pride/Japanese) rules. In my opinion the two fighters that come the closest to reliably doing it are Matt Lindland and Chael Sonnen. If we take Silva vs Sonnen, I think Sonnen won between 23 and 24 minutes of that fight. He landed hundreds of strikes on the ground. However, at the end of the fight Silva was not all that battered.
Sonnen definetely prioritized ground control and pressure compared to damage when he was in a position to do so. I still would not call that Lay and Pray though, because under unified rules it is a legit way to win rounds. Under Pride style rules, a dozen shots from Silva on the feet could have made the fight his based on damage. I am not knocking Sonnen for using that style, if anything I will criticize him getting lazy about it in the last 20 seconds.
Contrast Sonnen’s style with the recent Fitch vs Penn fight. In that fight Fitch used his top game to injure Penn, not Lay and Pray. Another fantastic example is Lesnar vs Mir II, again Lesnar was not looking for clock time.
Regards,
Robert A[/quote]
All good points. “Lay and Pray” is an overused term by those who do not understand the ground game. I’ve sat through many boxing matches that were methodical, more of a chess match. I find that interesting as well. Those who want 15:00 of straight action either don’t understand the game, or are kids. My point is it doesn’t matter where a fight ends up it can get slow at times, but if you are really watching and know a bit about mma you can see how each man is attempting to take control and push his agenda.
I guess no one really wanted to talk about NCCAA finals.
:((
I actually like this card-
Ill comment on GSP last.
its got some decent matches.
I like Aldo over Hominick
not to buy into the hype
Hominick is a solid striker but
Aldo has more power, and crazy leg kicks
Randy vs Machida
the machida riddle has already been cracked,
but I think I still like him over Randy in this fight.
too young, too fast.
I want to see this Bocek vs Henderson fight, Bocek has been
doing very well in his last several fights, this is superb
grappling vs athleticism,
Ill say Bocek.
Id like to see Maschenko win only cause I do like him
Ivan Meninjar is kind of fun to watch too- but that was like years ago.
what to say about shields, if you watch the beatdown Dan Henderson put on him,
for someone with shit head movement and who never tucks his chin ,
his beard is strong Ill say that.
Shields to me , often looks like like a slow starter but does the job.
Its hard to pick against GSP I think we will see him win, but it might be tricky.
I don’t see good things for Couture fighting Machida. We have possible the slowest (and oldest) fighter in the division fighting one of the fastest. Yes, Couture is great in the clinch but he first has to get him in the clinch without potentially taking multiple fight ending blows. Yes, Couture could win this, but I would never bet on it.[/quote]
Hmmm. I don’t think Randy would have taken the fight if he didn’t see something he thought he could capitalize on.
To me, he is one of the best at defining a game plan and executing it perfectly.
I think he has Machida’s number. I predict win by ref stop.[/quote]
Couture is a smart fighter, one of the very smartest. But, he thought there was something that he could do with Lesnar and coudln’t. And Nog and couldn’t and Verra and couldn’t (yeah he won that fight but come on).
Yes, he thinks he has a way to beat him but will his body be able to cash that check that his mind wrote?
GSP by UD. Afterward, the UFC will have no one else to hype up as a threat to GSP. Every guy he has fought recently has a glaring weakness that he was able to exploit. Shields will just be the next in line.
Machida by tko. It will look like the Vera fight but Machida has a killer instinct when he has a guy hurt and he will swarm on Randy when he drops him. I admire Couture for still fighting at a world class level at his age, but this is a bad matchup for him.
[quote]ZEB wrote:
Couture is a smart fighter, one of the very smartest. But, he thought there was something that he could do with Lesnar and coudln’t. And Nog and couldn’t and Verra and couldn’t (yeah he won that fight but come on).
Yes, he thinks he has a way to beat him but will his body be able to cash that check that his mind wrote? [/quote]
I don’t know. That’s kind of the essence of the fight game though, no?
The thing is I considered the Lesnar fight in my response but for fuck’s sake, how can you compare Machida to Lesnar. Randy just got overpowered and outsized.
I was thinking more of the Sylvia fight.
What Dre said is true though, Machida is a finisher but so is Randy. Hopefully it’s entertaining.
The whole card looks good.
Has anybody received a mailer charging $44.95 for SD, $54.95 for HD? WTF is this all about? It’s just ridiculous.
[quote]sardines12 wrote:
Isn’t Randy like 19-10 or something shitty.[/quote]
You think that’s shitty? Have you looked at who he has fought/where his losses came from? The guy’s career spans decades fighting top teir talent, not a bunch of guys at a local Brawl and Sprawl.
I was going to ignore this comment but it is just so ridiculous to me I couldn’t let it go.
Has anybody received a mailer charging $44.95 for SD, $54.95 for HD? WTF is this all about? It’s just ridiculous.[/quote]
Good Point.
And that’s exactly what happens when one organization controls the entire game. Especially when that organization is at least partly controlled by the likes of Dana White. By the time they are done you can look forward to paying much closer to $100 than $50.
[quote]sardines12 wrote:
Isn’t Randy like 19-10 or something shitty.[/quote]
You think that’s shitty? Have you looked at who he has fought/where his losses came from? The guy’s career spans decades fighting top teir talent, not a bunch of guys at a local Brawl and Sprawl.
I was going to ignore this comment but it is just so ridiculous to me I couldn’t let it go.[/quote]
So it’s still a shit record.
[quote]sardines12 wrote:
Isn’t Randy like 19-10 or something shitty.[/quote]
You think that’s shitty? Have you looked at who he has fought/where his losses came from? The guy’s career spans decades fighting top teir talent, not a bunch of guys at a local Brawl and Sprawl.
I was going to ignore this comment but it is just so ridiculous to me I couldn’t let it go.[/quote]
I do not consider a winning record at the top of the game shitty, but I will say that 19-10 is not a dominant record. It is even less so when we consider that his last three fights, while all wins, were against James Toney (one of the greatest boxers ever, but 0-0 in MMA so maybe Brawl and Sprawl worthy), Mark Coleman (another legend and 16-9 at the time, but one who is in the twilight of his career), and Brandon Vera (not top ranked, and some controversy over the decision). I do not intend to diminish his accomplishments. He has fought at or near the top from 1997-2009, just not recently.
[quote]Robert A wrote:
I do not consider a winning record at the top of the game shitty, but I will say that 19-10 is not a dominant record. It is even less so when we consider that his last three fights, while all wins, were against James Toney (one of the greatest boxers ever, but 0-0 in MMA so maybe Brawl and Sprawl worthy), Mark Coleman (another legend and 16-9 at the time, but one who is in the twilight of his career), and Brandon Vera (not top ranked, and some controversy over the decision). I do not intend to diminish his accomplishments. He has fought at or near the top from 1997-2009, just not recently.
Regards
Robert A[/quote]
When put in that context it’s basically impossible to argue.
I just can’t imagine calling Couture a shitty fighter, which declaring his record shitty is accomplishing, so that was my primary objection.
Having said that I can’t remember the figure but Couture banked serious cash for the Toney fight and I would guess he is a purse leader so it’s hard to argue with his career decisions.
When put in that context it’s basically impossible to argue.
I just can’t imagine calling Couture a shitty fighter, which declaring his record shitty is accomplishing, so that was my primary objection.
Having said that I can’t remember the figure but Couture banked serious cash for the Toney fight and I would guess he is a purse leader so it’s hard to argue with his career decisions.[/quote]
I can agree with that, and I was not looking to argue.
Side Note: Your avatar is damn distracting. I tend to read posts in the “voice” of an avatar when I recognize it, and Sling Blade is taking me for a loop. I think you typed “Hmm” in another post and I kept waiting for a line about french fries. Only other avatar worse than yours; Xen Nova’s Yoda D.J.
[quote]Robert A wrote:
I can agree with that, and I was not looking to argue.
Side Note: Your avatar is damn distracting. I tend to read posts in the “voice” of an avatar when I recognize it, and Sling Blade is taking me for a loop. I think you typed “Hmm” in another post and I kept waiting for a line about french fries. Only other avatar worse than yours; Xen Nova’s Yoda D.J.
Regards,
Robert A[/quote]
I know you weren’t. I was just conceding a point well stated.
Not to steal your thunder, but I was going to point this out also. Randy has not had a real quality win since Sylvia, and that was more than 4 years ago. Gonzaga got a reputation for his KO of CroCop, but has since proven himself nothing more than a gatekeeper. Lost to Lesnar (no shame in that given the size and age difference), worked pretty good by an aged Nogueira and dropped hard a few times by Vera. Vera is nothing more than a gatekeeper himself. The Toney and Coleman fights were irrelevant.
If Randy wins, I’ll tip my cap to him, but that would be a significant upset.
[quote]Robert A wrote:
[quote]apwsearch wrote:
[quote]sardines12 wrote:
Isn’t Randy like 19-10 or something shitty.[/quote]
You think that’s shitty? Have you looked at who he has fought/where his losses came from? The guy’s career spans decades fighting top teir talent, not a bunch of guys at a local Brawl and Sprawl.
I was going to ignore this comment but it is just so ridiculous to me I couldn’t let it go.[/quote]
I do not consider a winning record at the top of the game shitty, but I will say that 19-10 is not a dominant record. It is even less so when we consider that his last three fights, while all wins, were against James Toney (one of the greatest boxers ever, but 0-0 in MMA so maybe Brawl and Sprawl worthy), Mark Coleman (another legend and 16-9 at the time, but one who is in the twilight of his career), and Brandon Vera (not top ranked, and some controversy over the decision). I do not intend to diminish his accomplishments. He has fought at or near the top from 1997-2009, just not recently.
There is going to be some serious stand up carnage tomorrow. Shields will be raped! He won’t even get a chance to shoot. GSP is no has been and has out wrestled every wrestler he’s fought. Shields is by far the slowest and doesn’t have any stand up technicality to compete with GSP… one way domination much like the koscheck fight