Alright, 1 for 3! GSP is crazy. Serra must be shitting bricks.
GSP is great, but the best explosive endurance is with guys like Huerta, Guida, and tons of other lightweights. I think GSP would be much faster and stronger if he didn’t cut so much weight, and I think his size strategy worked against him when he fought Serra and got blitzed.
Wandy has eaten far too many punches and has lost the steroids, so he looks slow and old. He should quit now before he ends up like Ali, seriously.
Eddie Sanchez is so painful to watch, as was the other guy. The UFC heavyweight division is terrible.
Melvin Guillard was hilariously terrible, as usual. 
Machida is amazing. He is really conservative, but he wins easily, and makes the opponent look bad. I think he deserves a title shot after the freak show TUF 7 fight, actually maybe he should fight Jardine for the #1 contender spot before then.
Good kneebar/leg lock by Manvel Gamburyan, if anyone saw it.
[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
And I don’t care how dominant the ‘Iceman’ is/has been, I still think the dude comes across as a punkass douche. I was glad when Rampage knocked the piss outta him.[/quote]
WTF???
The guy is anything but what you describe. He’s a class act, and arguably the best lightheavy of all time. Why would you say something like that? I don’t get it Ponce.
He’s never been one to act like a douschebag. Look at Tito for that kind of description. Chuck has always let the fights speak for his talent, never running his mouth like most lesser fighters like to do.
ToneBone
That’s my biggest problem witih UFC: the refs. Always late to make the right calls, puts guys at too much risk. Is it because they’re that bad? Or do they do it for so there’s a few more seconds of action for the crowd and camera team?
[quote]Higher Game wrote:
GSP is great, but the best explosive endurance is with guys like Huerta, Guida, and tons of other lightweights. I think GSP would be much faster and stronger if he didn’t cut so much weight, and I think his size strategy worked against him when he fought Serra and got blitzed.
[/quote]
I’m pretty sure you have no idea what you are talking about.
I thought the fights sucked, except for Liddell/Silva. Hughes embarrassed himself. Aside from the southpaw experiment, it looked like he knew he had no chance and didn’t even try. He’s done. I was impressed with Liddell’s chin. They were both taking some pretty serious shots, and just kept on throwing. I was glad to see Liddell took this seriously, and laughed when he opted for the takedowns. The last fight was pretty good too. Does anyone know what happened to that kid’s ankle? It look like he tore his acchiles or something. He was in a shit ton of pain.
I found the fights here…
[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
The ref was a bit fuckin late pulling George off as well.
That’s my biggest problem witih UFC: the refs. Always late to make the right calls, puts guys at too much risk. Is it because they’re that bad? Or do they do it for so there’s a few more seconds of action for the crowd and camera team? [/quote]
Dude, what the hell…have you ever seen Japan’s refs or some of the Vale Tudo stuff out of Brazil? They let guys get practically murdered in some cases. You can only react so fast, and once you step in (as a ref) that is the end of the fight. You want to be as sure as you can while looking out for the fighter’s safety. It is by no means an easy task.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
The last fight was pretty good too. Does anyone know what happened to that kid’s ankle? It look like he tore his acchiles or something. He was in a shit ton of pain.[/quote]
Not heard anything, but as it was heel hook, I guess he fucked his knee. The idea is that you pin the guys knee in place by pinching your legs together and at the same time twist the ankle. The guys knee wants to follow his ankle, but can’t because it’s trapped, and thus the knee pops.
Heel hooks are regarded as one of the most dangerous holds due to the fact that your knee will pop suddenly; there is a fine line between it being painful and popping. Other subs like an armbar or any kind of choke, you will slowly feel the point of no return and have more time to make a decision and tap.
I’m pretty sure Hughes, Koscheck, Parisyan, and Sherk are conservative ground fighters who lack standup aggression, and GSP has capitalized on fighting this kind of opponent, just like Chuck Liddell. GSP is tailor made to beat those guys, and that’s why Jon Fitch will never be champion as long as GSP is a welterweight.
A good, sustained attack from a credible striker is how to wear down and beat GSP. That’s how Serra beat him and it’s how BJ Penn was doing great against him and lost a narrow split decision. Both Penn and Serra belong at 155, but have used their speed to be competitive at 170. Hell, I bet even Marcus Davis would be a threat to GSP, due to his chin and striking.
Despite some great instances of highlight reel striking, I think GSP’s clench and wrestling technique are actually his strong points, and they have been consistently solid, while his standup has failed him at times. I still suspect the heavy weight cutting is what makes GSP’s styles like this.
If fighters would get around the myth that GSP is some unbelievable striker (he’s good, not excellent), and show some aggression, they could break through his defense and do some real damage. A welterweight version of Wanderlei Silva, if it exists, is the answer to GSP.
[quote]Higher Game wrote:
I’m pretty sure Hughes, Koscheck, Parisyan, and Sherk are conservative ground fighters who lack standup aggression, and GSP has capitalized on fighting this kind of opponent, just like Chuck Liddell. GSP is tailor made to beat those guys, and that’s why Jon Fitch will never be champion as long as GSP is a welterweight.
A good, sustained attack from a credible striker is how to wear down and beat GSP. That’s how Serra beat him and it’s how BJ Penn was doing great against him and lost a narrow split decision. Both Penn and Serra belong at 155, but have used their speed to be competitive at 170. Hell, I bet even Marcus Davis would be a threat to GSP, due to his chin and striking.
[/quote]
I agree with you on these points, but I think you are missing the mark in pointing out that GSP’s size is somehow the culprit here. It is mere coincidence that the two guys who roughed him up on the feet were smaller fighters. The Matt Serra loss really defies all logic. GSP’s lack of preparation and overconfidence was to blame in that case I believe, and if they went toe to toe GSP would smoke him 9 times out of 10. As for BJ Penn, he went up to HW and gave a brilliant striker in Lyoto Machida absolute hell. GSP’s style is perfectly suited to that weight class, beyond BJ Penn no one has his ability on the feet, and when BJ got the better of him there he was able to use his wrestling to hold him down and get the decision.
It’s all about being well rounded, and GSP does everything above average. A welterweight Wanderlei Silva would get smothered on the ground by GSP, and all the good wrestlers he has the ability to outstrike. He’s nearly a perfect fighter.
The video link for St Pierre didn’t work. If the last fight was anything to go by I bet he schooled Hughes. That will teach Hughes to laugh at others misfortune.
Lidell v Silva was a good fight.
Did you guys see the Fedor v Hong Man fight? All the idiots who think that size trumps skill should see that fight. Fedor finished it quick.
Three of my favorite fighters win, but I have only seen two of them. Damnit I really wanted to watch St Pierre make Hughes his bitch! Again.
[quote]Sifu wrote:
Three of my favorite fighters win, but I have only seen two of them. Damnit I really wanted to watch St Pierre make Hughes his bitch! Again.[/quote]
Check your PM’s.
Maybe I should’ve known better, but during the first couple minutes of that fight I was honestly scared for Fedor. HMC is just SO fucking big, that when Fedor tried to take him down and he fell on top of him I just thought, “How’s he gonna’ get out from under that guy who’s three times his size?? There’s no way? He’s just fucking stuck! This could end embarrassingly for him!”
But, Fedor being Fedor, he went for a sneaky armbar and got it on the second try (albeit he was pretty much hanging in mid-air down the full length of that guy’s arm – was pretty funny to see).
[quote]Sifu wrote:
The video link for St Pierre didn’t work. If the last fight was anything to go by I bet he schooled Hughes. That will teach Hughes to laugh at others misfortune.
Lidell v Silva was a good fight.
Did you guys see the Fedor v Hong Man fight? All the idiots who think that size trumps skill should see that fight. Fedor finished it quick.
Three of my favorite fighters win, but I have only seen two of them. Damnit I really wanted to watch St Pierre make Hughes his bitch! Again.[/quote]
Fedor vs Choi was frickin hilarious. When they pulled the camera back to get a shot of the two of them in the ring the size difference was (in the words of Joe Rogan) IIIIINNNSSSSAAAAANNNEEEE. Most of the fights are on dailymotion.
Size can definitely trump skill. Big Nog almost lost to Bob Sapp, and Ernesto Hoost did. Both are clearly far away more skilled than Sapp, but his sheer mass made him a force. BJ Penn is the most gifted fighter in the world, but his size definitely worked against him in many of his fights.
Fedor won because he is extremely skilled, and although HMC is no chump (wrestling champ, plus beat Schilt and Mighty Mo in K-1), Fedor is just that damn good. But if HMC were of equal skill, or even of slightly better skill, with just a few more years of training, Fedor would have lost, really badly.
Thank you. GSP dominates again. I would have to say that the striking on the second fight was more exciting than the third.
The southpaw (open) stance did hamper GSP a little. But Hughes didn’t have the appropriate skills to make it work. I was surprised GSP didn’t switch up sides to a closed stance. If there is one thing about MMA that I find wierd it is how fighters only fight off of one side.
In the dojo I came up in we would work off of either side like it was no thing. We never referred to southpaw stance. You were either in an open stance with opposite sides forward or a closed stance with the same side forward.
Constantly switching up sides is a good way to keep your opponent from getting a focus on a target without having to bounce all over the place. So I am disappointed noone uses it.
I did enjoy the grappling and clinch work, which I don’t always find exciting. It was impressive to see Hughes beaten at grappling which is supposed to be his strong suit.
So again thanks for that. Now I can’t wait to see Serra rematch GSP. GSP should have watched Rocky 1 before the first match. I think he will be better prepeared the second time. I also would really like to see Serra and Hughes go at it. There is nothing like a good grudge match.
[quote]Higher Game wrote:
Sifu wrote:Did you guys see the Fedor v Hong Man fight? All the idiots who think that size trumps skill should see that fight. Fedor finished it quick.
Size can definitely trump skill. Big Nog almost lost to Bob Sapp, and Ernesto Hoost did. Both are clearly far away more skilled than Sapp, but his sheer mass made him a force. BJ Penn is the most gifted fighter in the world, but his size definitely worked against him in many of his fights.
Fedor won because he is extremely skilled, and although HMC is no chump (wrestling champ, plus beat Schilt and Mighty Mo in K-1), Fedor is just that damn good. But if HMC were of equal skill, or even of slightly better skill, with just a few more years of training, Fedor would have lost, really badly.[/quote]
Wanted to point out that Schilt was robbed in his fight with HMC.
HMC is just too big to ever be very effective I think(in mma), he will never get over his lack of mobility.
[quote]Sifu wrote:
Thank you. GSP dominates again. I would have to say that the striking on the second fight was more exciting than the third.
The southpaw (open) stance did hamper GSP a little. But Hughes didn’t have the appropriate skills to make it work. I was surprised GSP didn’t switch up sides to a closed stance. If there is one thing about MMA that I find wierd it is how fighters only fight off of one side.
In the dojo I came up in we would work off of either side like it was no thing. We never referred to southpaw stance. You were either in an open stance with opposite sides forward or a closed stance with the same side forward.
Constantly switching up sides is a good way to keep your opponent from getting a focus on a target without having to bounce all over the place. So I am disappointed noone uses it.
I did enjoy the grappling and clinch work, which I don’t always find exciting. It was impressive to see Hughes beaten at grappling which is supposed to be his strong suit.
So again thanks for that. Now I can’t wait to see Serra rematch GSP. GSP should have watched Rocky 1 before the first match. I think he will be better prepeared the second time. I also would really like to see Serra and Hughes go at it. There is nothing like a good grudge match.
[/quote]
I find it that most kickboxing coaches coach to fight in either a orthodox or southpaw stance, not both. Having to take time to train both isn’t as efficient as getting good in one. I have met maybe one person who was pretty good(not great) as a southpaw and as an orthodox fighter. Once you are great at one I don’t see it as a problem to learn the other in a limited capacity. Sometimes it is easier to counter as a southpaw because guys come straight forward or go to their left, but that is just for one sequence, like hooking off your right and throwing a left kick.