The MMA Thread: DON'T ASK 4 STREAMS & NO GIFS- UFC 300 ON NOW

[Vincent Van Goat]

Btw rusty, I missed it but your boy Chris definitely proved his chin in multiple fights. Anderson tagged him which goes forgotten. Lyoto got him good multiple times in their 5 round fight. Vitor hit him as well even though it wasn't long

 

[phillyzphan]

I expected Barao to move up to 145 lb. If you lose twice to the same champion, its close to impossible to get a third championship fight against that same person. Unless you're Meisha and the rest of the division is absolute crap.

Jury moving down is kinda surprising. His only loss was to Cerrone who is on a hot streak right now.

 

[champcruthik]

Damn, looks like barao and jury are moving to 145.

I've made this point repeatedly, but Aldo handcuffed Barao in a lot of ways. Their unwillingness to fight each other is completely understandable but it forced Barao to wait for Aldo's move to lightweight. It's been clear Barao struggles to make 135 cleanly since mid-2014. He's forced now because it's proven he can't beat Dillashaw at his best.

Myles Jury is also switching camps from Alliance to Power MMA (Bader's camp in Arizona). He's moving with Johnny Case and Michael Chandler.

Btw rusty, I missed it but your boy Chris definitely proved his chin in multiple fights.

Weidman's chin is definitely proven and legit. I'm not saying he's made of granite like Hunt, Nelson or Frankie but Chris can take a punch.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

I was surprised as well at jury. He's also leaving Cruz and alliance for Bader in Arizona

I'd like to see both jury and barao get "eased" in to 145. Give them Lentz and Stephens

 

[champcruthik]

If you lose twice to the same champion, its close to impossible to get a third championship fight against that same person.

That's the exact conundrum Benavidez has publicly spoken to, with class. He gets the politics and why Dodson got his rematch with MM. Although the winner of Benavidez/Cejudo at 191 deserves the next crack at Johnson (or Dodson). I'm not sure Cejudo is quite ready for D.J. but a victory over Benavidez could alter my opinion, especially if he does so in the stand-up.

Team Alpha Male curse that plagues Faber, Mendes and Benavidez. Clean out the division, can't beat the champ. Next champion I see in their camp is Cody Garbrandt for sure.

Speaking of the flyweight division and future champs, keep an eye on Ray Borg this weekend. Love his combination of wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Probably hits a RNC in Nashville against Herrera.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Rockhold will give Weidman a real chin test. Really excited for that match whenever it happens

Still waiting on Cody he is extremely young and raw. Don't want to hype him like I did with Mayday. I have hopes for him though he's exciting

 

[QU!K]

Possibly Juiced Spider didn't test his chin?

Coming from a Spider fan

 

[shogun]

For p4p I like to use the definition of if everyone was the same size, who would give everyone that work. I would probably give jones the top spot. Dude is too good. I wouldn't even put honda on the list but seeing Jelena J chin check her multiple times would be nice. Such terrible stand up defense for a champion.

 

[spiderjericho]

I don't even remember Anderson checking Chris' chin. I remember Anderson being out and Chris waking him up with GNP before the leg break. Chris is a horrible matchup for Anderson.

I feel like Rockhold is the first guy to match up decent against Chris. I feel like Chris has more power and better wrestling. But I like Luke's BJJ and his stand up is decent.

What about Chris H from Team Alphamale? He pretty much dominated TUF the season he was on. He doesn't seem like he's fought much since then but seemed like a solid up and comer.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

In the first fight didn't Anderson get a few clean shots in when he was taunting and Chris got excited to trade?

 

[champcruthik]

I wouldn't even put honda on the list but seeing Jelena J chin check her multiple times would be nice.

Such terrible stand up defense for a champion.

Claudinha may very well take Joanna's strawweight belt. She dominated a proven veteran in Aguilar and holds a legit BJJ black belt under Pederneiras. Joanna showed solid TDD against Esparza but Carla was one-dimensional with her angles and wrestling tactics. Plus Claudinha pushed Joanna to the limit in their first fight, might have even won 2 rounds depending who you ask.

But I like Luke's BJJ and his stand up is decent.

What about Chris H from Team Alphamale?

Rockhold's jiu-jitsu is slick, love the inverted-triangle kimura he hit on Timmy but if Serra and Renzo Gracie are to be believed, Weidman is a jiu-jitsu prodigy. The time frame in which he received his black belt is unheard of. Rockhold and Weidman are pretty damn close in the stand-up (different styles) and grappling, but the major difference could be Weidman's offensive wrestling combined with finishing power through G&P.

Holdsworth has experienced major post-concussion symptoms which have all but derailed his promising career. His jiu-jitsu is nice and he holds a good win over Camus.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Matt brown vs Kevin gastelum on November 21 in Monterrey mexico so maybe there's less altitude issues? I forget

Looks like gastelum is returning to WW for now

 

[champcruthik]

Looks like gastelum is returning to WW for now

Better make 170 otherwise Dana will legitimately ban Gastelum from welterweight. I'm surprised Kelvin's getting a WW return so soon. Looked sharp at 185 against Nate, former champion. That fight should have been stopped a lot earlier, BTW.

Gastelum is a far better offensive wrestler than Brown is a defensive one. "Immortal" obviously has a major stand-up advantage with versatile striking, but Gastelum has a sturdy chin.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

I think kelvin definitely had/has his mind set on WW. Even if he flames out and can't make it long term I think he had his mind made up

I remember him being real hesitant even after the woodley fight to move up even when Dana was mandating it

With some guys I just don't get it. They seem obsessed with cutting so far down for no apparent reason

 

[bennyice47]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-c...res-in-aftermath-of-wild-event-165046403.html

Good, in my opinion, dude should be barred from these organizations.  No excuse for the prolonged holds.

 

[red80]

Claudinha may very well take Joanna's strawweight belt. She dominated a proven veteran in Aguilar and holds a legit BJJ black belt under Pederneiras. Joanna showed solid TDD against Esparza but Carla was one-dimensional with her angles and wrestling tactics. Plus Claudinha pushed Joanna to the limit in their first fight, might have even won 2 rounds depending who you ask.
Rockhold's jiu-jitsu is slick, love the inverted-triangle kimura he hit on Timmy but if Serra and Renzo Gracie are to be believed, Weidman is a jiu-jitsu prodigy. The time frame in which he received his black belt is unheard of. Rockhold and Weidman are pretty damn close in the stand-up (different styles) and grappling, but the major difference could be Weidman's offensive wrestling combined with finishing power through G&P.

Holdsworth has experienced major post-concussion symptoms which have all but derailed his promising career. His jiu-jitsu is nice and he holds a good win over Camus.

7 years to get a BJJ black belt is definitely fast, but nowhere near unheard of.

To put it in perspective, BJ Penn got his in 3 years, hence the nickname "the prodigy".

 

[g money 87]

Some yall over rating rockhold stand up, dude is solid but he's not gonna blow Weidman out on the feet. He had good kicks but he's more dangerous in scrambles and in top position...that's where Weidman outshines him.

Look at rockhold fights against belfort, machida, he wasn't out striking them on the feet. Even bisping did well but he doesn't have power or a chin

Weidman has good distance, timing, and it makes it that much more of a threat knowing he has the wrestling behind it

And rockhold won't be the much bigger taller fighter either like he usually is

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Mendes was fully in his feels today with Ariel. Wouldn't expect him to say anything different regarding Ludwig

"I don't know what the hell Duane is talking about," Mendes said Tuesday on The MMA Hour. "I'm tired of hearing about Duane and him ruling our team. Duane came here to Team Alpha Male for a short amount of time, and Duane did what he did, but I'd say 95-percent of our wins when he was here we would've won anyway.

"Duane was the type of guy who brought a new style to our team, but we have such a unique team, everybody is such high-level athletes that anybody can come to this team with a new style, and we're going to pick it up, we're going to learn it and we're going to use it in fights. So we made Duane. We put Duane on the map. Before that, Duane was a fighter who fought in the UFC who most people didn't even know about."

"When he got the offer, he basically said it's like coming to a garage full of Ferraris and Lamborghinis," Mendes said. "He's going to fine tune some things and those cars are going to run like hell. That's basically how it was. Duane had a new system that we hadn't seen yet and that's why things were so fun and everyone got along. Then some crazy, weird s**t happened between him and Faber, and Duane started attacking all of us in the media.

"It just sucks. It's something that really bummed me out because I liked Duane a lot, and I felt like him as a person, him as a coach, it was good until all of this stuff started happening, and then him taking digs at all of us. It's just something that I'm sick of and I want out of my life. Duane's not a part of Team Alpha Male. This is a team that I'm going to be a part of until I'm completely done fighting and probably after I'm done fighting. This is where I started, this is where I'm going to end, this is what's made me who I am today as a fighter, and I owe everything to Team Alpha Male.

"Duane was a small, tiny, little part of that, and I just hate that so many people are assuming that Duane completely made our team. I'm just tired of hearing it."

Mendes suffered a short notice loss to Conor McGregor in his most recent outing at UFC 189, pushing his record in UFC title bouts to 0-3. Ludwig said previously that he believes Mendes would've won the fight had he been "in shape" or training with him, adding that the only thing separating Mendes and fellow Team Alpha Male contender Joseph Benavidez from accomplishing what Dillashaw has done is "a little more focus and desire."

"I don't think it's getting weird," Mendes said. "I know T.J. is going to train with him probably forever, there's guys like Danny (Castillo) who are going to train with him. There's certain guys who just like working out with him. I'm not one of those guys. I like my system here. Like I said, Team Alpha Male and what we've done here is what's made me a fighter, and Duane's training was just a tiny, little part of that.

"For him to say that if I would've worked with him, I'd be champion? That, to me, is a dig at me. That's disrespectful and I don't think that's true. I did work with him. I'm not a champion. For him, his three things, I don't know what the hell he's talking about, and like I said, to me it's disrespectful, and I'm just tired of hearing about it."

http://www.mmafighting.com/2015/8/4...d-of-hearing-about-duane-ludwig-we-made-duane

 

[RustyShackleford]

I'm sorry, but I kinda argee. Bang feeling himself too much

He used to do that as a fighter too.

 

[af1 1982]

Aside from TJ, TAM is the corniest thing in MMA.

They got calendar shoots......

 

[g money 87]

Alpha fails gon alpha fail

 

[af1 1982]

View media item 1657957

 

[justsole90]

KG vs Brown going to be insane but brown is a tough fight for anybody . I think this will be KG's toughest fight , besides making weight lol.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

I'll never forget how brown recovered from brutal shots and a liver shot from Erick silva... Thought brown was DONE.

Dude is a machine. Seems like he walks through anything lately.. I hope his body doesn't all of a sudden just shut down

 

[spiderjericho]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-c...res-in-aftermath-of-wild-event-165046403.html

Good, in my opinion, dude should be barred from these organizations.  No excuse for the prolonged holds.

Wow. Surprised they went as far as stripping his title. He's going to eventually become an outcast in the MMA community if he doesn't learn from this. Something is definitely off without that guy.

As far as Chad's comments go, I agree with them. Team Alpha Male is a great stable of fighters. Besides TJ, they're all high level competitors in the 125, 135 and 145 divisions. They've had a bunch of folks challenge for a title but never succeed (that's with or without Ludwig).

I think they still need a great coach, kind of Phil Jackson-esqe in that he can help them become a stable of champs. Ludwig and Kampmann are both okay but don't boast the same coaching/leadership at ATT, AKA, Jackson/Winklejohn, etc.