I’d suspect a combination of both. Also seems like they have a bunch of whiners this season.
It’s like Hughes said, fighters almost never fight without some level of injury or pain. Training accidents will occur and sometimes can’t be helped.
Holy Crap that was a terrible fight. Tom put on what was the worst performance I have EVER seen from a fighter. It sucks too, because besides the fight the episode was really entertaining.
last weeks fight was nice. Short, sweet, and Joe stomped Marcus’s ass. Dominated him.
This weeks fight may have been the most boring in recent memory. I thought Rasahd was going to try and finish him on the ground in the 3rd round, but he just kinda said, “hey I’m ahead, I’ll coast.”
You’d think the motivation of $5000 for the knockout or submission would fire these guys up more.
You would think that a former NCAA wrestler and a expert in jujitus could preform a takedown. Hell, he didn’t even try. Rashad didn’t even have to attempt a sprawl. When the went to the floor in round three it looked more like they were just bored and got tired of standing. Just Awful!
No wonder the UFC heavyweights suck, all the heavyweight guys in america are big pussies.
[quote]danreeves1973 wrote:
last weeks fight was nice. Short, sweet, and Joe stomped Marcus’s ass. Dominated him.
This weeks fight may have been the most boring in recent memory. I thought Rasahd was going to try and finish him on the ground in the 3rd round, but he just kinda said, “hey I’m ahead, I’ll coast.”
You’d think the motivation of $5000 for the knockout or submission would fire these guys up more.[/quote]
How about when Rashad was show-boating in the ring and the other guy (forgot his name) did nothing! I mean, Rashad was leaving himself wide open and if his opponent would’ve been somewhat aggressive, probably could’ve capitalized on Rashad’s stupidity and won the fight.
[quote]danreeves1973 wrote:
You’d think the motivation of $5000 for the knockout or submission would fire these guys up more.[/quote]
You know, I’d forgotten about that added bonus. I don’t think Dana White’s mentioned it once, but I did catch Brad Imes say something about before he fought.
I think yesterday’s episode deserves one word: Yawn. Both guys were so non-aggressive, and Rashad’s taunting/head bobbing was making me dizzy. I love how, in the preview for next week, you see Hughes mention how he thinks it was disrespectful to do that. Right, but his head games on Jorge aren’t? (Hughes is starting to get on my nerves on this point)
Once again, we see that Hughes has no problems sacrificing his team members to get ahead. He did it with the dude with the shoulder, and he did it again last night. I’m also starting to wonder about Franklin’s coaching abilities. Technique-wise, I think Rashad was lucky to have won. If Murphy was a bit more pro-active, he could’ve laid a whoopin’ on him.
It’s odd how we seem to be shown more in-house drama, as opposed to actual training footage. I’d rather see the guys in practice, to get an idea that they’re actually capable of performing.
[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
danreeves1973 wrote:
last weeks fight was nice. Short, sweet, and Joe stomped Marcus’s ass. Dominated him.
This weeks fight may have been the most boring in recent memory. I thought Rasahd was going to try and finish him on the ground in the 3rd round, but he just kinda said, “hey I’m ahead, I’ll coast.”
You’d think the motivation of $5000 for the knockout or submission would fire these guys up more.
How about when Rashad was show-boating in the ring and the other guy (forgot his name) did nothing! I mean, Rashad was leaving himself wide open and if his opponent would’ve been somewhat aggressive, probably could’ve capitalized on Rashad’s stupidity and won the fight.
[/quote]
I work with Rashad and he said all that showboating was just trying to rattle the other guy. He has a degree in psychology so he knows how to get inside someone’s head. Sure a more aggressive fighter could have capitalized on his showboating, but I don’t think he would have done it if it was a more aggressive fighter in the first place.
Some good things he did:
He managed to draw attention to himself, while landing punches and knees, and dictating the pace of the match.
He managed to advance in the show without displaying his full range.
He managed to leave the fight without getting injured or further injuring his existing injury.
He won by unanimous decision.
Any predictions on who makes it to the finals?
[quote]Sasage wrote:
I work with Rashad and he said all that showboating was just trying to rattle the other guy. He has a degree in psychology so he knows how to get inside someone’s head. Sure a more aggressive fighter could have capitalized on his showboating, but I don’t think he would have done it if it was a more aggressive fighter in the first place.
Some good things he did:
He managed to draw attention to himself, while landing punches and knees, and dictating the pace of the match.
He managed to advance in the show without displaying his full range.
He managed to leave the fight without getting injured or further injuring his existing injury.
He won by unanimous decision.
Any predictions on who makes it to the finals?
[/quote]
I think Rashad fought a good fight or at least a very smart fight.
The “showboating” wasn’t in my opinion being stupid or arrogant. He was trying to antagonize Tom and draw him out inot making a mistake. Was a very crafty move. I’ve seen fighters in all levels of combat sports do that and usually the guy “showboating” coaxes his opponent into a mistake and takes him apart.
Seemed like Rashad was fighting at just above Tom’s level, only doing what he had to to win, not trying to destroy him… Yes its not as exciting, but like you said he got the W, he recieved no injury, and he’s still on the show.
As far as predicting…
I predict Dana is going to give all the fighters and coaches real Hell about making the fights exciting and trying harder.
No one wants to watch a remake of Shamrock vs Severn from back in the day.
The reason he didn’t get injured was because his opponent did nothing. If anything, his lackadaisical approach to the match opened himself up to attack; his opponent was just too cowardly or lazy to capitalise on it.
As for getting inside his opponents head or whatever, there is no reason to believe this did anything, as he only started showboating in the 2nd or third round, when it was clear his opponent was doing nothing.
I think he could’ve accomplished his goals of not showing his full ability AND not getting injured by knocking his opponent the fuck out as early as possible.
We’ll see if he was really just playing, and is in fact a decent fighter when he faces a real opponent.
Head games, no headgames, whatever.
I think we can all agree on one thing from that fight.
Tom sucked it up majorly.
I’ll agree with Minotaur…Hughes is kind of a dick (but i’m still afraid of him).
when i was watching that fight, i noticed Tom’s leg (the good one) was wide open the whole fight for a leg kick…and he couldn’t really shoot or counter it because of his other knee. Rashad apparently did not even know about leg kicks…if he would’ve wore out that leg…he could used Tom as a punching bag. as it was, he flailed around and acted like he was kicking his ass…it’s kind like some jackass bragging about bencing 135 lbs…
I really expected more out of both of those fighters…Tom was in a little better shape than Rahsad…but i think Tom’s knee was worse than he let on. there’s no way a kick-ass college wrestler couldn’t do a take-down…seriously. and apparently that was all he had…
i think the middleweights are prolly gonna be the best fights on this show…i’m looking worward to the crazy-zen-meditaiing-head-facing-north guy to fight…
Seriously guys, complaining about Matt Hughes talking shit? If I was Matt Hughes, I would talk shit too. What’s anyone gonna do about it?
i just thought Hughes was being hypocritical…that’s why it annoyed me
Initially, I was appalled at the utter lack of fighting competence displayed by either competitors on Monday’s episode. However, strategically, Rashad did the right thing. Considering he knew he was ahead, he “turtled” and tried to avoid getting injured. From a “fighting” perspective the match was terrible - perhaps the worst I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been watching MMA since 94/95.
Still, having been trained in martial arts all my lives, I still truly believe that the UFC, and to a lesser degree PRIDE/K-1 aren’t showcasing the best fighting talent out there. I think many martial artists stick to their own federations with their own regulations and restrictions. It’s frustrating, because I’ve known, spoken, and trained with so many unbelievable fighters.
I think the stigma around UFC is similar to that of pro-wrestling, which isn’t unfounded as in the US, atleast, they target the same audience. In all honesty, most of the top-level martial artists I’ve spoken to believe they are “above” the UFC drivel. I think K-1 has the least problem attracting top martial artists - the regulations play perfectly into the sanctions established by Kyokushin and Muay Thai. The cost/benefit ratio doesn’t exist for prominent practioners. There’s far more money in movies, television, entertainment, self-defense training, and consulting than there ever will be through any MMA organization. You can’t really be an effective instructor if you’re perpetually injured.
In terms of Hughes, I think he’s pathetic. Maybe it’s because I hope to see martial artists and not just ‘fighters’ in the UFC ring. I’ve had instructors nail my ass and ride me for throwing incorrect techniques. I’ve been beaten up for taking an improper stance and I’ve learned from my mistakes. Hughes is just an idiot who is losing the respect of his crew. His antagonism and intensity is directed toward all the wrong things. He should be working to refine these fighters, and instill a mental efficacy that will enable them to excel. Fighting is not just about what techniques you know and what your condition is like. He seems to be setting psychological, pre-established limitations onto his team, relegating them to a certain pecking order based on his quick assessment. Is it any wonder some of Hughes’ aren’t showing any ‘heart’? I know his credentials, and I’m not contesting them. It seems to me that Hughes views the whole TV show as a joke, and really cares little for the success of his team.
[quote]zdrax wrote:
In terms of Hughes, I think he’s pathetic. Maybe it’s because I hope to see martial artists and not just ‘fighters’ in the UFC ring. I’ve had instructors nail my ass and ride me for throwing incorrect techniques. I’ve been beaten up for taking an improper stance and I’ve learned from my mistakes. Hughes is just an idiot who is losing the respect of his crew. His antagonism and intensity is directed toward all the wrong things. He should be working to refine these fighters, and instill a mental efficacy that will enable them to excel. Fighting is not just about what techniques you know and what your condition is like. He seems to be setting psychological, pre-established limitations onto his team, relegating them to a certain pecking order based on his quick assessment. Is it any wonder some of Hughes’ aren’t showing any ‘heart’? I know his credentials, and I’m not contesting them. It seems to me that Hughes views the whole TV show as a joke, and really cares little for the success of his team. [/quote]
Look, Hughes was an All American wrestler…have you ever been around one of those guys? They are frickin nuts. Their devotion to their sport is insane, their work ethic is crazy, and they expect the same out of those they train with or those they train.
Granted it may or may not be the “smart” way to train, but it has worked for years to create top of the line wrestlers, and it’s not as if Hughes has exactly been a disappointment in the MMA world. So if someone is not up to his standards he probably doesn’t feel like babysitting. At his level, if you don’t already have the motivation on your own, he is not going to sit around and pat you on the back for trying hard…it is just expected that you will dig deep and do so on your own.
That last fight was piss-poor, did anyone see that last heavyweight fight where that guy pulled off the slowest triangle choke in the history of the sport? The heavyweight fights in this show have been my least favorite fights ever…hopefully the other guys will end up being badasses…or at least able to go more than a round without gassing.
[quote]slimjim wrote:
zdrax wrote:
In terms of Hughes, I think he’s pathetic. Maybe it’s because I hope to see martial artists and not just ‘fighters’ in the UFC ring. I’ve had instructors nail my ass and ride me for throwing incorrect techniques. I’ve been beaten up for taking an improper stance and I’ve learned from my mistakes. Hughes is just an idiot who is losing the respect of his crew. His antagonism and intensity is directed toward all the wrong things. He should be working to refine these fighters, and instill a mental efficacy that will enable them to excel. Fighting is not just about what techniques you know and what your condition is like. He seems to be setting psychological, pre-established limitations onto his team, relegating them to a certain pecking order based on his quick assessment. Is it any wonder some of Hughes’ aren’t showing any ‘heart’? I know his credentials, and I’m not contesting them. It seems to me that Hughes views the whole TV show as a joke, and really cares little for the success of his team.
Look, Hughes was an All American wrestler…have you ever been around one of those guys? They are frickin nuts. Their devotion to their sport is insane, their work ethic is crazy, and they expect the same out of those they train with or those they train.
Granted it may or may not be the “smart” way to train, but it has worked for years to create top of the line wrestlers, and it’s not as if Hughes has exactly been a disappointment in the MMA world. So if someone is not up to his standards he probably doesn’t feel like babysitting. At his level, if you don’t already have the motivation on your own, he is not going to sit around and pat you on the back for trying hard…it is just expected that you will dig deep and do so on your own.
[/quote]
exactly, brother. If you want it, then you fucking want it. Plus you guys have to realize how edited this is before it hits the air, too. Remember Matt talking about his camp? If anyone of those sissies came in to train, then because their knee was sore they half-assed it, I doubt they’d last very long there(at his camp). If they can’t hack it there, then how could they possibly make the UFC? I don’t even train MMA, but I am thinking about getting into it because it looks like a lot of fun. I don’t even train yet and I think I “want it” more than some of these guys seem to show.
Honestly, I have to say I agree with your points. I don’t know if, put in Hughes’ place, I good deal with some of these guys’ piss poor attitudes and laughable fighting proficiency.
I just realized, I can’t believe nobody mentioned Frankln’s team prancing, prancing, prancing around the octagon in tighty-whities. Maybe we’re all just trying to block it out of our heads.