The MMA Thread

[Smug Panther]

I couldn't believe how quiet the crowd were during his fight yesterday. Volk put on a masterclass and as usual, he wasn't really appreciated.

It feels the Yanks think Holloway beat him twice therefore they refuse to acknowledge him.

Volk has to fight Holloway and win with more authority it seems.

Anyone who thinks Max won the first fight should just give up the sport

 

[Valheru]

Anyone who thinks Max won the first fight should just give up the sport

This

With any split decision there is controversy, by the very definition of the term it was a close fight so I can understand people who believe Max wont he 2nd one.

The first was as clear a decision victory as you can get in favour of Volk.

 

[Valheru]

I couldn't believe how quiet the crowd were during his fight yesterday. Volk put on a masterclass and as usual, he wasn't really appreciated.

It feels the Yanks think Holloway beat him twice therefore they refuse to acknowledge him.

Volk has to fight Holloway and win with more authority it seems.

The problem is Max is a top 10 (possibly top 5) P4P fighter himself so their fights are always going to be close. Max has never been knocked out in his career and I don't think he has been knocked down at all at FW.

 

[Wizardman]

UFC 274 in the books!

Shogun v St Preux......what a terrible fight. Both blokes should not step onto a mma mat again. St Preux only had one move....a front kick to Shogun's chest.....which actually seemed effective but Shogun should have been better in countering it.
Khaos Williams v Ray Brown: A really good fight. This Ray Brown has some definitite talent. A guy with incredible reach that seems to know how to use it too. Pretty raw talent but definitely one to watch moving forward.
Chandler v Fergo: I was cheering for Fergo but Chandler has some serious power. That front kick was the best front kick ko ever. Chandler on his day I believe can still win that belt.
Rose v Esparza: I liked Rose but geez......her stocks fell dramatically for me today. Her whole attitude and effort towards that fight was dreadful. Nobody deserved to win that that fight but I thoroughly felt that Rose deserved to LOSE that fight. You cannot dance around....even showboat at parts of that fight and win when you....barely throw punches that land. I hope Joanna gets another crack at Rose and beats the shit out of her.
Oliveira v Gaejthe: Oliveira is the lightweight fighter of his generation. People like to knock him saying he won't last long at the top....he is still number one. I love the guy

 

[Valheru]

Chandler may never win the belt but he is box office and a heck of a promo cutter. He has some big money fights in his future.

The SW title fight was depressing. We wint be seeing a rematch and rose will need Carla to lose the title for another shot.

Oliveira is beyond doubt, the bloke is a killer and doesn't get the respect he deserves. I feel sorry for him with the scales fiasco as he was certain he made weight on the test scales. When fighters miss weight they generally miss by a fair margin, .5 is quite rare. Still, rules are rules and everyone else made weight. He will get the belt back soon enough.

 

[Smug Panther]

Chandler may never win the belt but he is box office and a heck of a promo cutter. He has some big money fights in his future.

The SW title fight was depressing. We wint be seeing a rematch and rose will need Carla to lose the title for another shot.

Oliveira is beyond doubt, the bloke is a killer and doesn't get the respect he deserves. I feel sorry for him with the scales fiasco as he was certain he made weight on the test scales. When fighters miss weight they generally miss by a fair margin, .5 is quite rare. Still, rules are rules and everyone else made weight. He will get the belt back soon enough.

I'm not so sure he gets the belt back. I have Islam beating him but Oliveira is a hell of a fighter. Either one is just keeping the belt warm for my boy Volkanovski though.

 

[Smug Panther]

Glover was up 3-1 then. What a sad way for the champion to lose but it was maybe the greatest ever light heavyweight title fight of all time

 

[Smug Panther]

Volk is the FW GOAT and top 5 ever Aussie athletes. f**k he is a freak

 

[shiznit]

Volk is the FW GOAT and top 5 ever Aussie athletes. f**k he is a freak

I can’t talk about his standing as an Aussie athlete…

but he’s FW GOAT for sure… and P4P only behind Usman… and only due to the higher level of competition at WW… but not by much.

Am soooo glad to see him do this as I was getting sick of arguing with idiots on Twitter about him.

He has the best coaches in Joe and Eugene and the dude spars Adesanya, Hooker, Riddel & Kai Kara France every camp… so the level of striking he deals with in the gym is beyond anything he will meet in the octagon IMO…

If Kai Kara France wins his interim title fight in a few weeks that team would have 3 f**king champs… unreal for a gym from Aus/NZ.

We just need Izzy to move up to LHW permanently so Rob can come over as I reckon they could take him to the next level too.

Really interesting to see Izzy’s next fight against Pereira… he looks like he will actually push him.

 

[Smug Panther]

I can’t talk about his standing as an Aussie athlete…

but he’s FW GOAT for sure… and P4P only behind Usman… and only due to the higher level of competition at WW… but not by much.

Am soooo glad to see him do this as I was getting sick of arguing with idiots on Twitter about him.

He has the best coaches in Joe and Eugene and the dude spars Adesanya, Hooker, Riddel & Kai Kara France every camp… so the level of striking he deals with in the gym is beyond anything he will meet in the octagon IMO…

If Kai Kara France wins his interim title fight in a few weeks that team would have 3 f**king champs… unreal for a gym from Aus/NZ.

We just need Izzy to move up to LHW permanently so Rob can come over as I reckon they could take him to the next level too.

Really interesting to see Izzy’s next fight against Pereira… he looks like he will actually push him.

I'm not normally one to call out fighters for being boring or winning safe but after what Izzy said before this fight it was a pretty disappointing performance really.

 

[Jono078]

Outstanding performance by Volkanovski.

It bothers me a little because he made it look too easy. I'm sure the Holloway fans will say time caught up with him tonight. So I hope Holloway destroys his next opponent because it makes tonight look even greater for Volkanovski.

I can't wait for Izzy vs Pereira. So much back story there it's hard not to be excited. It's also without a doubt the best striker Izzy will come up against so far in his UFC career.

 

[shiznit]

I'm not normally one to call out fighters for being boring or winning safe but after what Izzy said before this fight it was a pretty disappointing performance really.

I have no problem with Izzy out pointing his opponents… he’s winning with absolute ease.

it’s up to them to beat him… but it’s getting almost to that GSP stage where it’s just boring.

but it is what it is… i just think he needs someone to push him… to bring out the best in him…

 

[Jono078]

I also think Izzy is in the unfortunate position of being compared to Anderson Silva and we all know the run Silva had where it was highlight after highlight.

Tonight was no where near as bad as his fight against Romero.

 

[Smug Panther]

I also think Izzy is in the unfortunate position of being compared to Anderson Silva and we all know the run Silva had where it was highlight after highlight.

Tonight was no where near as bad as his fight against Romero.

Oh not even close. That Romero fight is the only "bad "one imo

 

[Jono078]

Just seen this online and this is what I was speaking about in regards to what Izzy is kind of up against:

'Anderson finished 15 of his 17 fight win streak in the middle weight division'.

Everyone knows Izzy has the tools to do what Anderson did so I think the expectations of him are super high.

 

[Valheru]

I thought the card was overall a bit of a fizzer.

The O'malley/Munhoz fight had a terrible ending and was a bit boring up until that point as well. O'Malley reckons he "won" the fight but is completely delusional. He was winning the 2nd round IMO but Munhoz won the first. Making them go again is logical but not sure UFC will waste their time as I can't see it being a money maker.

The Lawler/Babareno fight was a decent scrap and easily the most exciting on the card.

Strickland just came with the complete wrong game plan and decided to stand in front of a world class kickboxer and the result was inevitable.

Alexander Volkanovski, what a man. That was right up there with the most impressive performances in UFC history. He made a genuine top 10 P4P fighter look 2nd rate. IMO he clearly won the first fight, the 2nd was a genuine 50/50 decision but the 3rd was domination and I could have lived with a couple of 10-8 rounds if the judges went that way. Hopefully he gets the respect he deserves from the yanks now. I have no problem with them cheering on max or any other American fighter against Volk but the boos he has copped have been uncalled for. At this stage, Volk is number 1 P4P for me, he has beaten the number 6 guy three times now one a complete annihilation. Usman is a sensational fighter who has fought all challengers but none of them are currently ranked P4P (although Colby should be IMO) and Colby fought him much closer than Holloway has fought Volk. From here it is obvious he wants a shot at champ champ but don't think that happens next given the LW belt will be defended late October. I reckon the time is right for him to finally headline a PPV in Australia in November with the poor soul copping a flogging probably being Josh Emmett or Yair Rodrigues if he gets over Ortega.

Israel Adesanya.... this bloke is really starting to lose his aura, appeal and star power IMO. Yeah he won the fight pretty comfortably but it was boring AF and he didn't live up at all to what he said he would do in the lead up to the fight. Since winning the belt, with the exception of the Costa fight, he seems content with just staying at range against blokes significantly shorter than him. I doubt he will ever be successful at LHW because as the Jan fight showed, he can't stay out of range as well in that division against taller opponents, doesn't have LHW knock out power and can be taken down with ease in that division. Perreira is definitely the right fight for him next because he won't just be able to stay at range and kickbox his way to a boring points victory so hopefully he uses some more of his tools.

 

[Jono078]

Couldn’t agree more @Valheru hit every point on the head there.

 

[shiznit]

I thought the card was overall a bit of a fizzer.

The O'malley/Munhoz fight had a terrible ending and was a bit boring up until that point as well. O'Malley reckons he "won" the fight but is completely delusional. He was winning the 2nd round IMO but Munhoz won the first. Making them go again is logical but not sure UFC will waste their time as I can't see it being a money maker.

The Lawler/Babareno fight was a decent scrap and easily the most exciting on the card.

Strickland just came with the complete wrong game plan and decided to stand in front of a world class kickboxer and the result was inevitable.

Alexander Volkanovski, what a man. That was right up there with the most impressive performances in UFC history. He made a genuine top 10 P4P fighter look 2nd rate. IMO he clearly won the first fight, the 2nd was a genuine 50/50 decision but the 3rd was domination and I could have lived with a couple of 10-8 rounds if the judges went that way. Hopefully he gets the respect he deserves from the yanks now. I have no problem with them cheering on max or any other American fighter against Volk but the boos he has copped have been uncalled for. At this stage, Volk is number 1 P4P for me, he has beaten the number 6 guy three times now one a complete annihilation. Usman is a sensational fighter who has fought all challengers but none of them are currently ranked P4P (although Colby should be IMO) and Colby fought him much closer than Holloway has fought Volk. From here it is obvious he wants a shot at champ champ but don't think that happens next given the LW belt will be defended late October. I reckon the time is right for him to finally headline a PPV in Australia in November with the poor soul copping a flogging probably being Josh Emmett or Yair Rodrigues if he gets over Ortega.

Israel Adesanya.... this bloke is really starting to lose his aura, appeal and star power IMO. Yeah he won the fight pretty comfortably but it was boring AF and he didn't live up at all to what he said he would do in the lead up to the fight. Since winning the belt, with the exception of the Costa fight, he seems content with just staying at range against blokes significantly shorter than him. I doubt he will ever be successful at LHW because as the Jan fight showed, he can't stay out of range as well in that division against taller opponents, doesn't have LHW knock out power and can be taken down with ease in that division. Perreira is definitely the right fight for him next because he won't just be able to stay at range and kickbox his way to a boring points victory so hopefully he uses some more of his tools.

I still have Usman as #1 P4P… as when he beat Colby and Masvidal they were on the P4P list. They dropped off it after losing to Usman. but it’s tight AF… Volk is right there.

as far as Izzy goes… people are f**king stupid… he’s using his tools to win as easy as possible… no different than GSP did in MMA or that Floyd did in boxing.

What I will say is he needs to be honest about it though… he comes out hyping his fights like he’s going to finish motherf**ker’s and then just out strikes them with ease… also doing these grand entrances are great if you perform like you did when you KO’d Rob… but if you don’t perform it’s gonna bring extra negative heat on yourself… which is why people don’t have those entrances…

Having said all of that… he shouldn’t need to change his style… he’s the f**king champ… it’s up to the challengers to beat him.

I also think people are going to be in for a big disappointment with Alex… I think Izzy is going to out point him with ease as well… people don’t actually realise that Izzy was straight robbed in their first fight and was winning the 2nd fight until he got impatient and got caught… I reckon the outrage is going to be hilarious levels after Izzy 50-45’s Alex…

 

[Valheru]

I still have Usman as #1 P4P… as when he beat Colby and Masvidal they were on the P4P list. They dropped off it after losing to Usman. but it’s tight AF… Volk is right there.

as far as Izzy goes… people are f**king stupid… he’s using his tools to win as easy as possible… no different than GSP did in MMA or that Floyd did in boxing.

What I will say is he needs to be honest about it though… he comes out hyping his fights like he’s going to finish motherf**ker’s and then just out strikes them with ease… also doing these grand entrances are great if you perform like you did when you KO’d Rob… but if you don’t perform it’s gonna bring extra negative heat on yourself… which is why people don’t have those entrances…

Having said all of that… he shouldn’t need to change his style… he’s the f**king champ… it’s up to the challengers to beat him.

I also think people are going to be in for a big disappointment with Alex… I think Izzy is going to out point him with ease as well… people don’t actually realise that Izzy was straight robbed in their first fight and was winning the 2nd fight until he got impatient and got caught… I reckon the outrage is going to be hilarious levels after Izzy 50-45’s Alex…

I have no problem with Izzy doing what he needs to win fights but don't come out and say you are some walking highlight reel and predict complete domination when you either aren't capable of it or aren't willing to take the risk of closing the reach. Mayweather is the perfect comparison actually, he has become the Mayweather of MMA and I don't believe that is a good thing for him. For me, a lot of his aura was lost with the Jan fight and i'm not sure the UFC will ever give him another shot there.

On Perreira, i tend to agree Izzy will win comfortably. I think it is far to early for Perreira as the UFC have hot shotted him specifically for Izzy. We still don't really know what he is capable of in MMA IMO as his 2nd fight against Silva wasn't that convincing and his only notable fight last night was against someone 3 quarters mad who stubbornly used the complete wrong tactics. What I do know though is that Izzy's latest tactics are fraught with danger against Perreira as they are similar height and reach with a similar base skill set (kickboxing) so he won't be able to stay at range and trying to jab his way to victory will give Perreira a chance to land big hits as he will find himself on the inside far easier than his other opponents in the weight class. I hope this revitalises Izzy and he brings the fire in their fight.

 

[shiznit]

I have no problem with Izzy doing what he needs to win fights but don't come out and say you are some walking highlight reel and predict complete domination when you either aren't capable of it or aren't willing to take the risk of closing the reach. Mayweather is the perfect comparison actually, he has become the Mayweather of MMA and I don't believe that is a good thing for him. For me, a lot of his aura was lost with the Jan fight and i'm not sure the UFC will ever give him another shot there.

On Perreira, i tend to agree Izzy will win comfortably. I think it is far to early for Perreira as the UFC have hot shotted him specifically for Izzy. We still don't really know what he is capable of in MMA IMO as his 2nd fight against Silva wasn't that convincing and his only notable fight last night was against someone 3 quarters mad who stubbornly used the complete wrong tactics. What I do know though is that Izzy's latest tactics are fraught with danger against Perreira as they are similar height and reach with a similar base skill set (kickboxing) so he won't be able to stay at range and trying to jab his way to victory will give Perreira a chance to land big hits as he will find himself on the inside far easier than his other opponents in the weight class. I hope this revitalises Izzy and he brings the fire in their fight.

Lmfao… it’s actually not about height and reach at all…

His loss at LHW was about weight more than anything… against Jan he was outweighed by about 30lbs on the night because his team arrogantly thought they could fight at his MW frame like he did when he fought at LHW and HW in Kickboxing and Boxing.

I’m pretty sure if he goes up properly and builds up to LHW properly he will win the title at LHW and can even beat some of the top HW’s.

Height and reach certainly play a part but it’s only a small part… it’s really his ability to use feints and continuously switch stances which causes continuous changing of angles that cause fighters to absolutely freeze up when they fight him.

CKB under Eugene and Doug Viney have developed that striking style through years and years of kickboxing around the world and Izzy is one of the absolute best at it.

everything they do is built off the feints…

Volk and Joe Lopez came across them working with Tiger Muay Thai awhile ago and ended up moving their striking over to CKB.

I actually think Brad Riddell(who lost earlier in the night) is Volk’s striking coach and has been before Riddell even debuted in the UFC…

But Volk is shorter and has less reach than most of his opponents yet he does exactly the same thing… it’s not about height and reach…

Izzy just easily dominates anyone who isn’t good enough to strike with him… same thing Floyd did…