The Official MMA Discussion Thread

[Daffanka]

Final K-1 spoilers below:

 

Peter Aerts man. Overeem might be the champion but Aerts was the star. It's a real shame Ghita broke Saki's elbow and hand because if Overeem would've had to go through a grueling three rounds the final would've been more interesting (and Aerts might've won~)

[TheKenwyne]

Final K-1 spoilers below:

 

SPOILER DELETED

 

not sure he ever could've won unless Saki actually destroyed Reem's legs or ribs, but it might have lasted a little longer. To be honest Aerts looked defeated on his way to the ring - his head just wasn't in that fight.

[Tag01]

That was some awesome. The crowd reaction for Aerts was great. I knew he wasn't going to be able to pull it out but man I wanted him to. And that's coming from a giant Ubereem fan.

[EddieFnG]

Watching last week's Strikeforce on Bravo, pumped up for 124, not sure I'll survive, only slept for 2 hours last night, and I am *bleep*ed, and I have to work at 10.30, I tried to take a nap, not happening. >.<

 

Anyway, go Struve!

[Hyde Hill]

Nice K-1 GP not as spectacular as other years but Aerts taking out Shilt was a great match as was Ghita vs Saki and Spong vs Overeem. Gotta love the Dutch dominance hehe. Final 4 all Dutch and five Dutchies in the final 8 hehe.

[EddieFnG]

Nice K-1 GP not as spectacular as other years but Aerts taking out Shilt was a great match as was Ghita vs Saki and Spong vs Overeem. Gotta love the Dutch dominance hehe. Final 4 all Dutch and five Dutchies in the final 8 hehe.

 

Don't let my location fool you, I'm actually from Vlaardingen, so to see Sari (from Schiedam) and Schilt (from Rotterdam) in the semis is awesome, as they're right next to each other next to my home town.

 

Seeing my favorite Dutch fighter win, is just an awesome end, now Struve to finish a great day.

[Johnny Fenoli]

Great Card... Domination by GSP.

[jesterx7769]

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a fight like that. Super super pathetic blow to Kos, he wanted a stand up fight and he got it and GSP beat him using a simple job and lead leg kick. Would have liked to see him go for the KO but when you look like you did before the fight and your opponent most likely needs some sort of eye surgery I guess its a good day.

 

Struve vs. McCorkle= sloppy awkwardness as I expected, no way that deserved Co main event status when last month was Hughes and Penn.

 

Great job by Thiago, called his leg kicks before the fight and thats what he did. In also interesting news there was a fight at the bar (big surprise) but it happened BEFORE the fights even started which was new to me, apparently one guy started chanting white power to a black guy, presumably over John Howard since the highlight reel was running when the fight broke out, but Alves isn't exactly an American Caucasian so...yeah. At least lots of cops came that's exciting.

[Daffanka]

Great Card... Domination by GSP.

 

This is essentially my take on it. GSP proves why he's the best fighter on earth, Struve wins a fun freakshow fight, Miller taps a trash talking BJJ guy, Danzig KOs Joe "I don't have any reach so I'm going to leap in when I punch" Stevenson and Alves looks great in the opener. Also Bocek gets a mega slick submission. Good stuff all around.

[The Shape]

GSP will presumably destroy (and hopefully finish) Shields then move up to 185 for a proper title fight with Silva. In Vegas hopefully, talk of it being in Toronto would surely massively favour GSP. Not sure where Sonnen would factor in, but at least he could bring interest to a couple of fights elsewhere in the division. Though, I do really want to see that rematch. Hmm. Maybe he just gets the winner of Silva/GSP. Ahead of myself much? Heh.

[Self]

That Riddle/Pierson fight was AWESOME. Riddle might be my new favourite fighter. Disappointed in Dustin Hazelett though. Dude used to be my guy, but he's lost a lot recently. Depressing.

[ampulator]

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a fight like that. Super super pathetic blow to Kos, he wanted a stand up fight and he got it and GSP beat him using a simple job and lead leg kick. Would have liked to see him go for the KO but when you look like you did before the fight and your opponent most likely needs some sort of eye surgery I guess its a good day.

 

Struve vs. McCorkle= sloppy awkwardness as I expected, no way that deserved Co main event status when last month was Hughes and Penn.

 

Great job by Thiago, called his leg kicks before the fight and thats what he did. In also interesting news there was a fight at the bar (big surprise) but it happened BEFORE the fights even started which was new to me, apparently one guy started chanting white power to a black guy, presumably over John Howard since the highlight reel was running when the fight broke out, but Alves isn't exactly an American Caucasian so...yeah. At least lots of cops came that's exciting.

It should be have been Oliveira/Miller, or Alves/Howards. At least those two omatches were exciting and are big enough names.

 

Struve is in the mix? really? damn. Dana is getting desperate.

[Tag01]

It should be have been Oliveira/Miller, or Alves/Howards. At least those two omatches were exciting and are big enough names.

 

Struve is in the mix? really? damn. Dana is getting desperate.

 

They usually try to get guys coming off wins for the co-main event if they can't find big names. And they also knew the odds of McCorkle - Struve going the distance was low. I really enjoyed that fight, and Struve is one of my favorite fighters by far. But I think Miller / Oliveira would have been a better co-main event, especially they way they have touted Oliveira as an up and comer and Miller closing in on a title shot. Meh, at the end of the day they knew they could pretty much throw any undercard together beneath GSP-Koscheck, and they did. I hope it doesn't become a trend. But all in all, the undercard fights were great even if not that meaningful.

[jesterx7769]

So I like doing the "who should they fight next" and reading those articles on various MMA sites so lets do it here.

 

GSP: Shields, I don't want to see the Silva fight just yet when they just brought in Shields. However if he beats Shields I think it is time for the Silva fight even if GSP has to move for good as he has suggested. I have no interest in GSP continually doing rematches with Fitch/Alves/Penn when the Silva fight is looming.

 

Kos: Kind of tricky since he is going to be out for awhile after surgery so he probably wont fight anyone that is available soon. I think a Hardy fight would be good, two former contenders coming off losses, or maybe as John Howards one last shot, might work out to face Shields if GSP/Shields is in April since Kos could be out 6 months from surgery alone. I'm not a big fan of putting him up against a contender on a winning streak as I would want to see Kos get a win first.

 

Struve: I think he def. needs to fight a bigger name. One Sherdog article had the Mitrione fight winner, which I think is below him. This is why I like the Kongo matchup. Coming off wins, European so put them on a Euro card, and is a test for both that could elevate Struve within a fight of a title shot and also test Kongo if he can get back to being a contender or live out his days as a journeyman.

 

McCorkle: Honestly don't really care. I don't think anyone thought he was going to become HW champ so find another big charismatic HW and let them trash talk to garner some hype as thats about all he's good for.

 

Jim Miller: People are throwing out George Sot. but hes already covered. He def. needs to fight a contender if he wants his shot so a Sean Sherk bout should do. Sherk was injured but should be ready in a while and is coming off his Dunham split decision and has former title holder name value. Beating him should be give him the momentum he needs.

 

Oliveira: I like him but he made a dumb mistake and severely underestimated Millers ground game. If they want to continue his hype he needs a quality opponent, give him Joe Stevenson and if Daddy loses hes out.

 

Stevenson: Just covered that.

 

Danzig: Tyson Griffin should make for an exciting fight and while I dont like putting Danzig up against a 3 loss straight guy Griffin has 2 split decisions and has the public and Dana on his side.

 

Alves: Give him Amir Sadollah, both coming off wins and a good stand up fight. I dont want to see Alves against Hardy as some have hinted as while it would be a good stand up fight Hardy is coming off two losses. This is a test for Amir to see if he is legit and sets Alves up a title shot if GSP beats Shields in April and drops the 170 belt to fight Silva. Dont know if thats how the UFC will do but it sets Alves up nicely for a top contender at the least.

 

Howard: Somewhat already covered him, but as the Sherdog article said he's only 5'7 so he probably needs to cut down to 155 anyway to stay relevent otherwise he cant stay consistent at 170

[Tag01]

So I like doing the "who should they fight next" and reading those articles on various MMA sites so lets do it here.

 

GSP: Shields, I don't want to see the Silva fight just yet when they just brought in Shields. However if he beats Shields I think it is time for the Silva fight even if GSP has to move for good as he has suggested. I have no interest in GSP continually doing rematches with Fitch/Alves/Penn when the Silva fight is looming.

 

Kos: Kind of tricky since he is going to be out for awhile after surgery so he probably wont fight anyone that is available soon. I think a Hardy fight would be good, two former contenders coming off losses, or maybe as John Howards one last shot, might work out to face Shields if GSP/Shields is in April since Kos could be out 6 months from surgery alone. I'm not a big fan of putting him up against a contender on a winning streak as I would want to see Kos get a win first.

 

Struve: I think he def. needs to fight a bigger name. One Sherdog article had the Mitrione fight winner, which I think is below him. This is why I like the Kongo matchup. Coming off wins, European so put them on a Euro card, and is a test for both that could elevate Struve within a fight of a title shot and also test Kongo if he can get back to being a contender or live out his days as a journeyman.

 

McCorkle: Honestly don't really care. I don't think anyone thought he was going to become HW champ so find another big charismatic HW and let them trash talk to garner some hype as thats about all he's good for.

 

Jim Miller: People are throwing out George Sot. but hes already covered. He def. needs to fight a contender if he wants his shot so a Sean Sherk bout should do. Sherk was injured but should be ready in a while and is coming off his Dunham split decision and has former title holder name value. Beating him should be give him the momentum he needs.

 

Oliveira: I like him but he made a dumb mistake and severely underestimated Millers ground game. If they want to continue his hype he needs a quality opponent, give him Joe Stevenson and if Daddy loses hes out.

 

Stevenson: Just covered that.

 

Danzig: Tyson Griffin should make for an exciting fight and while I dont like putting Danzig up against a 3 loss straight guy Griffin has 2 split decisions and has the public and Dana on his side.

 

Alves: Give him Amir Sadollah, both coming off wins and a good stand up fight. I dont want to see Alves against Hardy as some have hinted as while it would be a good stand up fight Hardy is coming off two losses. This is a test for Amir to see if he is legit and sets Alves up a title shot if GSP beats Shields in April and drops the 170 belt to fight Silva. Dont know if thats how the UFC will do but it sets Alves up nicely for a top contender at the least.

 

Howard: Somewhat already covered him, but as the Sherdog article said he's only 5'7 so he probably needs to cut down to 155 anyway to stay relevent otherwise he cant stay consistent at 170

 

I like a lot of what you've got. Here's mine:

 

GSP: Shields. No brainer. If he handles Shields easily it's time for the Silva superfight. If he can't beat Silva I say he comes back down and hopefully there will be a challenger soon. If he beats Silva I think he should stick with Middleweight and vacate the WW belt.

 

Koscheck: Rematch with Alves. I'd like to see this fight with neither guy on short notice, and it would say an awful lot about the 170 pecking order at this point, especially as we edge towards GSP leaving the division.

 

Alves: See above.

 

Struve: I really like the idea posted above about him facing Kongo. I think a win moves Struve into the upper echelon (Although I don't think he'd be a win away from a title shot.) I am pretty Struve biased, but he's never had a boring fight in my opinion, even the ones where he got starched in under a minute.

 

McCorkle: I'm not a fan of him and don't see him lasting long in the UFC. I say give him a strong wrestler with his job on the line. If he can get past Madsen or (assuming he ever debuts) Chad Corvin he might be a useful gatekeeper.

 

Oliveira: I love watching this kid fight, but he's really green. Now that his metioric rise has slowed a bit I say put the brakes on his climb and let him get some experience in the cage. I'd put him against someone that is on the verge of getting cut, like Mike Lullo.

 

John Howard: I really like watching him fight. He's been in over his head in the last couple of fights but I wouldn't set him up for failure here. I think giving him a fight with another striker and waiting for the fireworks makes sense, so I'm going with Duane Ludwig.

 

Jim Miller: I really like the Sherk suggestion. I hadn't thought of that. Miller always kind of flies under the radar for me, but Sherk would be a good one. Given that the Lightweight Title is booked up not just for this upcoming title fighter but the following champion vs. champion bout, I think there could be time for Sotiropolous to fight and then work in a Miller-Sotiropolous title eliminator instead. But either of these are good.

 

Joe Daddy: I don't really know what to do with him. I fear that either way his days in the UFC are numbered. In the end, I'd probably give him a rebound fight against someone like Curt Warburton.

 

Danzig: I'm likely alone on this, but I'd like to see him rematch Bocek. I know rematches aren't really done unless there was controversy or they were big fights, but both of these guys have progressed since that last fight and I think a win by Bocek would really solidify him in the division.

 

Bocek: See above.

[jesterx7769]

I think you made pretty solid suggestions as well.

 

I'll explain the Struve thinking a little bit, to start out I'm actually not really fan so I'm biased the other way however the HW title picture is very shaky at the moment. There are some very solid competitors but none that seem on the fast track to the title. Right now you have Cain vs. JDS, but then who? Lesnar on a loss, Carwin on a loss, Nog on a loss, Big Country on a loss, Mir has chance to get back into it if he beats Schaub but that wont be for a title, Schaub is on the rise but a win over Mir doesn't give him a title shot, this is why i think if Struve gets past his next opponent he could end up fighting one of the above for a shot at the champion simply because no one is on a roll like they were at the beginning of this year.

 

Only reason other thing is I dont like the Alves Kos only because Kos is probably going to be out for awhile and Alves seems healthy and should be good to go before that but I like the thinking you had about setting up the division after GSP leaves like I mentioned.

 

edit: How about John Howard vs. Anthony Johnson? That has KO of the night or FON all over it.

[The Shape]

Carwin is a definite HW contender still, one more win and he's there due to the nature of his last performance.

 

And the more I think about Silva/GSP's routes, the more excited I get. If they both win their next fights they fight later in 2011 (in Vegas surely, putting it in Canada would be heavily biased to GSP). Sonnen gets Wanderlei and then maybe someone else and all being well is waiting for the winner of the super fight for another huge bout. MW not a great division beyond that but this could be three more huge ones in a row. If Silva beats GSP then it's one of the biggest rematches ever against Chael, and if GSP wins...it's GSP vs. Sonnen. I mean imagine that? The trash he could talk, but he could get America on his side. And it'd be a hugely intriguing fight.

[Daffanka]

Alves smashed Koscheck in their fight, why would you want to see that again? Never mind that Joe Silva loves matching up guys that are both coming off losses or wins and very rarely mixes it up.

 

Also if Mitrione wins his fight at Fight For the Troops I'm pretty sure he will be a bigger name than Kongo. It'll be his third televised fight he's won, the fourth being beating up Kimbo at a well selling PPV. Meanwhile Kongo's coming off the awful Buentello win and Browne draw.

[Tag01]

Alves smashed Koscheck in their fight, why would you want to see that again? Never mind that Joe Silva loves matching up guys that are both coming off losses or wins and very rarely mixes it up.

 

Also if Mitrione wins his fight at Fight For the Troops I'm pretty sure he will be a bigger name than Kongo. It'll be his third televised fight he's won, the fourth being beating up Kimbo at a well selling PPV. Meanwhile Kongo's coming off the awful Buentello win and Browne draw.

 

Kos came in on short notice, and that was a while ago. I'd like to see what improved Kos can do against an on weight Alves.

[ampulator]

Alves smashed Koscheck in their fight, why would you want to see that again? Never mind that Joe Silva loves matching up guys that are both coming off losses or wins and very rarely mixes it up.

 

Also if Mitrione wins his fight at Fight For the Troops I'm pretty sure he will be a bigger name than Kongo. It'll be his third televised fight he's won, the fourth being beating up Kimbo at a well selling PPV. Meanwhile Kongo's coming off the awful Buentello win and Browne draw.

I don't know. He's bigger in MMA hardcore fans (like you and me) for sure, but they are protecting him (unlike his friend McCorkle), which means he won't face anyone THAT good or against his style.

[Daffanka]

Kos came in on short notice, and that was a while ago. I'd like to see what improved Kos can do against an on weight Alves.

 

Kos hasn't improved since 2007 though, that's the thing. He still has no sense of timing on his punches and Alves' style is poison for a wrestler with bad stand up and inability to set up shots. Koscheck is a guy with KO power and really good wrestling but no technique to set up either.

 

Also Joe Silva likes both Struve and Mitrione, I really wouldn't be surprised to see them fight with the winner facing a legit top 10 UFC heavyweight.

[ampulator]

The problem with Koscheck... well, he isn't always the smartest fighter. He fights a bit too emotionally. Hell, his right hand didn't matter much because GSP could have seen it from a very long distance away.

 

To be fair, Koscheck DID try to adjust, doing some jabs of his own. But the importance of a jab is its speed and technique, and not power. His jabs were... well, bad.

 

GSP just kept moving around, with good footwork and some head movement. With Koscheck seeing out of one eye, he wasn't going to hit anything.

[jesterx7769]

Yaaay finally someone said how Kos hasn't improved since 07! That bugged me alot in the hype up shows talking about how much he has improved, I'm like um how? He hasn't really fought anyone that great, his only impressive win as of late was against Anthony Johnson as I thought Johnson would KO him.

 

And yeah his right hands were awful, did he even connect with GSP's gloves? GSP's movement made him look like Riddle in the 3rd round when he threw them

[ampulator]

Yaaay finally someone said how Kos hasn't improved since 07! That bugged me alot in the hype up shows talking about how much he has improved, I'm like um how? He hasn't really fought anyone that great, his only impressive win as of late was against Anthony Johnson as I thought Johnson would KO him.

 

And yeah his right hands were awful, did he even connect with GSP's gloves? GSP's movement made him look like Riddle in the 3rd round when he threw them

He has imrproved, but not by much. His got a lot of punching power in his right hand, and his a lot more willing to finish than his friend, Jon Fitch.

[Tag01]

He has imrproved, but not by much. His got a lot of punching power in his right hand, and his a lot more willing to finish than his friend, Jon Fitch.

 

I think he's certainly better than a few years ago. We all know he's no virtuoso on his feet, but from the Hazelett fight forward I think his standup has steadily improved from non-existent to passable. Plus, he came in short notice against Alves last time. I still don't know that Kos could fend off Alves, but I think with a proper camp this go 'round he would be more successful at putting him on his back.

 

But I did preface my original comment with the admission that I'm probably the only one who wants to see that rematch.