[quote]j281 wrote:
I don’t see one match tonight going the distance…does anybody else? [/quote]
I think Forrest-Jardine could have a bloody battle go the distance. Chuck KO Round 2, AA KO Round 1, Forrest UD, Bisping KO Round 2, MacDonald Sub.
Does not seem to me to be that thrilling of a card… I am not impressed by the match-ups … tired of the rematches Tito vs Shamrock and now Tito vs Liddel… I would like to see a Brazilian Chute-Box fighter in there with chuck… someone who can both kick and strike and if if goes there … ground and pound as well… until then I guess I will wait for the fights on DVD or will use my peer to peer to download…
Anyone else share the same…
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
Naphta wrote:
ArcaneCocaine wrote:
On a side note I think Shogun would obliterate Chuck. I also think Arona could do the same…
I always say a good leg kicker would do well against Chuck. Punish the legs and it will effect his striking and takedown defence. Arona fits that bill, plus with his chin up and back(the back part being important) I don’t think he’s open for a counter, as he’s just too far away.
Don’t get me wrong if he does get hit he’ll put Brazil’s space program several years ahead of NASA by being the first person on Mars. 
Lil Nog could put a hurting on him too.
I think Lil nog would do even better than arona would. His boxing skills are crisp enough to set up good takedowns against chuck, and he would be much more dangerous on the ground.
Diet Nog has that indestructible face like his big twin brother too. He could absorb a couple of those counters and not go brain dead. Plus another aspect of him is that he’s the only top 205 pound contendor around with more reach than Chuck. Arona could beat Chuck, but the problem I see with that is that he’s just a faster, stronger version of everyone Chuck has knocked out. I’d like to see something new put in front of The Iceman and his magical knockout hands.
All Access was pretty good. Chuck has the personality of a rock, he cracks me up.
[/quote]
You both have good points that I can’t really disagree with. However, Shogun knocked lil nog down with a shot and Chuck has knocked out people who have never been knocked out before. I still see Lil Nog winning late round 4 or 5. But he could get tagged.
Shogun on the other hand I see him dropping Chuck like a wet paper bag full of Wandy’s doo doo after an all you can eat smoked ham buffet.
Very true Arona is just a faster better copy of what Chuck has faced in the past. I just feel with the slight style differences and the unorthadox technique he could give Chuck a run.
[quote]AdamC wrote:
fitfreak wrote:
Maybe I’m delusional, because no one seems to agree with me, but the way I recollect the Chuck/Tito first fight was, Tito pressing the action, actually getting in some decent and surprising strikes, taking Chuck down(although briefly), then being poked in the eye(although not intentionally), which opened up Chuck’s barrage of strikes which no one would probably be able to defend against.!
Don’t recall him getting anywhere near a take down but the eye poke did affect him…
Those Japanese rankings are pretty good imo but they do seem to be bias towards Pride fighters. The Sak ranking is way off but i guess he’s still a hero there.
I actually really rate Arona and think he could beat anyone at 205 on his day. He totally domiated Silva in their first fight which takes some doing, and i’ve heard people say he should have beaten Fedor although i haven’t seen the fight. Not sure what happened to him in the Shogun fight though…[/quote]
I think the Japanese rankings are a good counterbalance to many American rankings. Considering there are sites that have Matt Lindland as the #1 MW and Chuck Liddel as the #1 LHW which for many people in Japan is incomprehensible.
Arona is a great fighter but he isn’t the most exciting fighter. BTT has Filho and Arona who are two great grapplers, but have similar styles. Extremely strong and relentless. I think little Nog is not getting the chances he should in Pride, so maybe the UFC should make an offer. I think little Nog can beat Liddel. Little Nog can stand up with Liddel and if it goes to the ground it would be over. Throw in Rampage and you have a good division.
Donut - Knew I could count on you to start another quality MMA thread, my man.
I like the Fedor-Hunt match-up as they both have good hands and Hunt is unlike any fighter Fedor has fought before. It would be really great if the The Russian Experiment would keep things standing - then we could see how good his punching is relative to the top K-1 guys. The safe and sensible thing for Fedor to do however would of course be to take it to the ground.
To change tack slightly, I really think MMA needs more quality strikers of the CroCop calibre. Silva and Shogun are good fighters but not in the same league IMO. Thoughts?
I am pretty excited for this event as they seem to have set up some matchups with KO written all over them…I will be pretty shocked if AA doesn’t knock Pedepano’s head into the third row.
I didn’t think it was possible to underate Chuck’s takedown defense, but it seems like a few of you are. If Tito manages to take Chuck down and hold him it will be an amazing feat. I don’t believe Lil Nog could pull it off. Arona could possibly, especially in the cage. Shogun would probably have his way with him, but Chuck only needs to land once.
[quote]
To change tack slightly, I really think MMA needs more quality strikers of the CroCop calibre. Silva and Shogun are good fighters but not in the same league IMO. Thoughts?[/quote]
I agree. But at the same time that’s kind of like saying “we need more lebron james in basketball.” CroCop is a freak and there are very few people who will ever be as skilled as him in the striking game. his leg power is amazing.
[quote]j281 wrote:
To change tack slightly, I really think MMA needs more quality strikers of the CroCop calibre. Silva and Shogun are good fighters but not in the same league IMO. Thoughts?
I agree. But at the same time that’s kind of like saying “we need more lebron james in basketball.” CroCop is a freak and there are very few people who will ever be as skilled as him in the striking game. his leg power is amazing. [/quote]
There are quite a few strikers who are as good, if not better than Cro Cop. He was great in K-1 but couldn’t get past guys like Hoost and Hug. I think the difference is that no one else has showed the ability to ADAPT their striking to MMA rules. For every Cro Cop there is also a Stefan Leko.
[quote]j281 wrote:
To change tack slightly, I really think MMA needs more quality strikers of the CroCop calibre. Silva and Shogun are good fighters but not in the same league IMO. Thoughts?
I agree. But at the same time that’s kind of like saying “we need more lebron james in basketball.” CroCop is a freak and there are very few people who will ever be as skilled as him in the striking game. his leg power is amazing. [/quote]
Crocop is an example of a properly trained talented kickboxer. He is an example of what striking SHOULD look like. I know guys with equivalent talent and ability. They are just making a living in shootboxing, or Holland or All Japan kickboxing or K-1 etc. There are alot of guys who have striking abilities equivalent to him. They just do not fight in mma. That is changing little by little.
Crocop in the UFC should change people’s perceptions. I hope.
PRIDE SHOCKWAVE
Holy shit, I had to squeeze my butt cheeks together as hard as I could to keep from shitting my pants when Hunt slapped the kimura on Fedor.
Mark looked like he actually trained for this fight, and it was evident. Give him some time and some motivation and he could be a force yet. But really, Fedor and Barnett have both tapped Hunt so maybe he could wind up in the UFC and beat Cro Cop for the title, LOL. Hunt is like Cro Cop kryptonite, he’s the perfect match up. Fedor was calm under pressure and once again showed why he is the best in the world, but for the first time he seemed to get angry and concerned when he got back up from the ground.
[quote]
Holy shit, I had to squeeze my butt cheeks together as hard as I could to keep from shitting my pants when Hunt slapped the kimura on Fedor.[/quote]
Yeah that was good but Hunt didn’t have it in right. He was grabbing more of Fedor’s hand instead of grabbing his wrist. Must have sucked though…you could tell Hunt already had visions of tapping Fedor and next thing you know he gets submitted.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
PRIDE SHOCKWAVE
Holy shit, I had to squeeze my butt cheeks together as hard as I could to keep from shitting my pants when Hunt slapped the kimura on Fedor.
Mark looked like he actually trained for this fight, and it was evident. Give him some time and some motivation and he could be a force yet. But really, Fedor and Barnett have both tapped Hunt so maybe he could wind up in the UFC and beat Cro Cop for the title, LOL. Hunt is like Cro Cop kryptonite, he’s the perfect match up. Fedor was calm under pressure and once again showed why he is the best in the world, but for the first time he seemed to get angry and concerned when he got back up from the ground.[/quote]
Holy shit is right, I shat straight through my pants, my chair and the floor below watching that fight.
Hunt was really impressive, looks like he’s learned how to make his size and strength work for him on the ground. I don’t think anyone else has managed to make Fedor look so vulnerable before.
I thought Fedor looked a bit crappy compared to his usual self, even given Hunt’s performance. Might be his lack of training due to that broken toe. Still, Fedor was Fedor, despite getting whacked in the back of the head by someone as powerful as Hunt, despite dropping his hands and giving Hunt some free shots, and despite that couple of americanas, he won. At one point it actually looked like Fedor rocked Hunt with a left, did anyone else see that?
In today’s newspaper Takada said that in addition to having the Febuary 24th Las Vegas show, they have decided to have one in April and June. April will be Pride 35 at the ThomasMac(? sorry translated from Japanese) Center. Also having a show in October. In Japan in April Pride 34 will happen. July will be the Number Series. May will be the Bushido Light Weight Grand Prix. This is what Takada has said. WIll it really happen? I do not know.
In regards to Mirko Crocop DSE President Sakakibara said there are no hard feelings and wishes Mirko the best and hopes Mirko comes back with the UFC’s belt.
The source is the Tokyo Chunichi Sports, January 1st 2007 edition.
In Sportsnavi their review of Takada’s speech at the Fumetsu(Shockwave)is similar but states 2007 will see Pride having three shows in Las Vegas. Febuary, April and June. As opposed to the Thomas and Mack Center. Either way it looks like they are going to try to make a big push into the American market. It might be their only chance to right themselves.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
PRIDE SHOCKWAVE
Holy shit, I had to squeeze my butt cheeks together as hard as I could to keep from shitting my pants when Hunt slapped the kimura on Fedor.
Mark looked like he actually trained for this fight, and it was evident. Give him some time and some motivation and he could be a force yet. But really, Fedor and Barnett have both tapped Hunt so maybe he could wind up in the UFC and beat Cro Cop for the title, LOL. Hunt is like Cro Cop kryptonite, he’s the perfect match up. Fedor was calm under pressure and once again showed why he is the best in the world, but for the first time he seemed to get angry and concerned when he got back up from the ground.[/quote]
I just watched the fight and agree with your analysis. Fedor’s escape from the (first) kimura was sick.
Also attendance for K-1 Dynamite was 51,930. Pride 48,709.
Dynamite was horrible though.
Hunt is one big strong fucker and he’s learning how to use it in MMA. Gave Fedor the best fight he’s had in a while!
[quote]otoko wrote:
Also attendance for K-1 Dynamite was 51,930. Pride 48,709.
Dynamite was horrible though. [/quote]
I agree.
Heroes is pretty much worthless. When Giant Silva vs. Akebono is one of your feature fights, your organization has serious talent issues. When you have a TV personality like Bobby Ologun climb into the ring against a world class kickboxer who outweighs him by 150 pounds (Hong Man Choi) you make it clear that you are more interested in freakshows rather than actual athletic competition. The fight between movie star Ken Kaneko and Bobby Ologun’s younger brother Andy further illustrates the point.
The only quality matchup on that entire card that was Sakuraba versus Akiyama.
I cringe every time I see Sakuraba fight these days. He is really risking his long-term health and has absorbed some ridiculous beatings (Arona, Wandy, Smirnovas, Akiyama) over the last three years. It is pretty clear that Kazushi can no longer match up against world class fighters, and the japanese refs aren’t doing him any favors by letting him absorb those kinds of beatings.
"30937- JAMES THOMPSON +600
30938- HIDEHIKO YOSHIDA -800
God help me, for the first time in my life I might put something on James Thompson."
I wonder if Donut is living it up this New Years Day.
[quote]AdamC wrote:
Hunt is one big strong fucker and he’s learning how to use it in MMA. Gave Fedor the best fight he’s had in a while!
[/quote]
If by best fight in awhile you mean it looked somewhat competitive for five minutes then I agree…if you mean that it looked like he was going to win, then I disagree wholeheartedly…Cro Cop and Fedor need to fight again, he hasn’t been challenged since that fight.
[quote]Jack_Dempsey wrote:
"30937- JAMES THOMPSON +600
30938- HIDEHIKO YOSHIDA -800
God help me, for the first time in my life I might put something on James Thompson."
I wonder if Donut is living it up this New Years Day.[/quote]
$50 on him baby! I was freaking out. Yoshida looked absolutely horrendous and had no reason to be in the ring that night.
Does Josh Barnett really get on your nerves? I have so much respect for Nog, and the things he was saying in the pre-fight interview really disgusted me. He always seems like such a nice guy, but finds it necessary to act like a tool whenever the camera is on.
Also it appears that Pride is signing Francisco Filho. He was supposed to be Yoshida’s opponent according to Sherdog but they couldn’t get the paper work done in time. Yoshida-Filho (judo vs kyoushikan) and Filho-Hunt are the matches they want out of him.