Official MMA discussion thread: UFC 231 Holloway vs Ortega finally!

[j4remi]

Do you think once Mighty Mouse wins and if Garbrandt beats Dillashaw (not a given), that the UFC will promote a superfight at 135 for Mighty Mouse to really beat the record? I think this would bring some more hype around Mighty Mouse who has gone relatively unpromoted as he does not tend to do too many PPV. I think Mouse would destroy Garbrandt by the way!

I think if Garbrandt really keeps pressing for it and beats Dillashaw; the UFC will definitely explore that avenue. But I also feel like Joseph Benavidez deserved the title shot three fights ago and would make a really nice final test with his and MM's history (plus the way Joe cleared out everyone Demetrius did besides Horiguchi). I'm not sure what to think on MM vs Garbrandt as far as picking because Cody's performance against Cruz was such a curveball. He showed a skillset that we hadn't seen at all before, so it's kinda like "what else is hidden behind that dominant power?" MM is my P4P number 1 until Jones is back though, so for now I lean his way.

And really happy for a fighter not to sit on the sidelines, Jacare at 37 is risking alot against an up and comer like Whitaker. Though i have to go with the experience and take Jacare. Jacare is also a free agent after this fight and is likely fighting for his last contract.

I'm a HUGE Jacare fan. I feel he beat Rockhold in their first fight, I thought he did enough to edge out Romero too. Whitaker is a major threat, good wrestler and really dangerous striker; so this fight is a scary test. While Romero only wants to fight for a belt (any belt actually), Bisping only wants superfights, Rockhold can't get anything to materialize...Jacare keeps steamrolling high caliber guys including Mousasi. I think the UFC brings back Jacare for his Brazil pull but he has history with strikeforce and would be an instant favorite to win a belt there whereas he's probably waiting until after GSP AND Romero get their shots with UFC. It's interesting...it'd suck, but it's interesting. If UFC lets Jacare walk it'll be another Kyoji Horiguchi level loss. A fighter they did a poor job marketing leaves in spite of being the biggest threat in that division.

[MelosSoreWrist]

I think we can all agree that Cormier leaned on the towel to make weight. He was 1.2 pounds over and reweighed 2 minutes later and impossibly made weight with the towel grab. I dont doubt that Cormier wouldve loss the 1.2 lbs in the 2 hour allowance. But he didnt. Its hard to lose that last bit of weight when you are already exhausted from a weight cut and you are bone dry. Who knows how much it wouldve taken out of him to lose that last pound. He skipped the pain and further exhaustion of that last mile in a marathon, 12th round of a fight, when you got nothing left.

My problem with DC is that he didnt even try to lose that last pound. I get that he admitted that it was his hardest weight cut and he looked terrible and was probably drained of everything at that point. But I'd respect more if he tried til time ran out and if he still couldnt make it, resort to something like that.

I actually think the towel conspiracy was BS and that they did something to adjust the scale because Rumble weighed in 1.2 lbs under 205 right after. That's more a combination of my thinking an olympic athlete like Cormier would have sucked it up if need be and the NYSAC has been such a mess that they could have either screwed up the scale or toyed with it after which to me is more believable than DC cheating...pure speculation though.

Its an interesting reminder when you bring up the Olympics because he had to actually withdraw from the 2008 Olympics as he was hospitalized for kidney failure after a terrible weight cut. He made weight fwiw. In fact that may have had something to do with Cormier's decision because I dont think there is any way Cormier reweighs in 2 minutes after missing weight by 1.2 pounds unless he is complicit in some shenanigans be it towel or adjusted scale.

The other interesting aspect of this is that I've seen the hands down rule described as "they must be WEIGHT BARING" which to me changes things. Weidman at best had his fingertips down, that's not weight baring at all. So for the chunk of fans that say the knees were illegal, I'd say that probably shifts the outlook.

The new rule starting this year, I've read, was palm or fist. The whole announcing team didnt seem to be up to date on all the rules for all the different venues which added confusion for the viewers. It might help telecasts if they had rotating non working refs cageside to clear things up like what Mike Pereira does for the NFL telecasts.

[j4remi]

Its an interesting reminder when you bring up the Olympics because he had to actually withdraw from the 2008 Olympics as he was hospitalized for kidney failure after a terrible weight cut. He made weight fwiw. In fact that may have had something to do with Cormier's decision because I dont think there is any way Cormier reweighs in 2 minutes after missing weight by 1.2 pounds unless he is complicit in some shenanigans be it towel or adjusted scale.

Yeah, I could see him being complicit since he walked out so confidently. I just think the scale makes more sense because of Rumble's weigh in right after suspiciously being 1.2 lbs. light. I didn't realize the issue that got him pulled was weight cutting, that's good to know and interesting for sure!

The new rule starting this year, I've read, was palm or fist. The whole announcing team didnt seem to be up to date on all the rules for all the different venues which added confusion for the viewers. It might help telecasts if they had rotating non working refs cageside to clear things up like what Mike Pereira does for the NFL telecasts.

That would be a good idea about the non-working ref. Herb Dean drops knowledge pretty often on ref decision making in interviews after events and it was clear no one knew exactly what was going on. The rule changes have been pretty significant but inconsistent across states, so everybody's confused but an off duty ref could easily help with this stuff.

[bringbackhoffa]

Very Impressive performance from Whitaker. With the Middleweight division title in a holding position, he will likely have to win 1-2 further matches with top 8 talent to possibly get a title shot after GSP and Romero. Many are calling for a match-up against Rockhold, which I guess can be reasonably entertaining. With an aging Middleweight division you do need to make some of the younger guys with potential more of a household name. That is why I would not mind seeing him in a quick turnaround against Anderson Silva.
An impressive win over Silva who is past his prime but still a massive name, will get more people taking about Whitaker who has now won 7 in a row. Though i think Silva is gonna hold out for Nick Diaz.

Lucky for Jacare he re-upped for 8 fights prior to this one.

Waterson got rag dolled just like I thought she would, it was a giant step up from her last fight against Van Zant and she shouldn't have been pushed this heavily after only having 1 fight in the last couple of years.

And what can you say about DJ, he is the greatest of all time. Interesting he brought up Dominic Cruz name on the post fox show. Cruz is one of 2 people who have defeated DJ, and a fight at 135 could be interesting. But i do believe he should have at least his record breaking fight at 125 against either Dodson, Benevidez, or (Garbrandt, Dillashaw, or Cruz cutting to 125) and then line up the 7 figure superfights at 135 or catch weight 130 that way you are not having a champ with titles holding 2 divisions hostage ala Conner

[j4remi]

Very Impressive performance from Whitaker. With the Middleweight division title in a holding position, he will likely have to win 1-2 further matches with top 8 talent to possibly get a title shot after GSP and Romero. Many are calling for a match-up against Rockhold, which I guess can be reasonably entertaining. With an aging Middleweight division you do need to make some of the younger guys with potential more of a household name. That is why I would not mind seeing him in a quick turnaround against Anderson Silva.
An impressive win over Silva who is past his prime but still a massive name, will get more people taking about Whitaker who has now won 7 in a row. Though i think Silva is gonna hold out for Nick Diaz.

Some heads are saying Silva is leaning toward accepting a Romero fight. A win for him combined with Jacare losing would probably be enough to jump into a rematch with Bisping or superfight with GSP; both of which are match-ups he could win. Romero's a TALL order but Romero waits to counter pretty often and loses gas fast so if Silva can survive early...it's possible (especially a 5 round interim title fight which is what Romero wants). Whitaker has the best style for Jacare, incredible take down defense (arguably the best in the whole UFC) combined with quality outside striking. To me the most intriguing match-up for Whitaker would be Gegard but Rockhold wants it and that's a fight I'd be intrigued by as well. Luke's striking is great but has holes, his length and size though will make outfighting a nightmare for Whitaker...and they're both nasty kickers.

Lucky for Jacare he re-upped for 8 fights prior to this one.

I actually think it sucks because Jacare at 38 probably can't jump the line in time before he declines and he's not gonna learn the necessary combinations to close gaps on guys with Whitaker's style. He'd do well to have a nice Bellator run before he calls it a career but who knows...BJJ is a good way to avoid damage and prolong a career.

Waterson got rag dolled just like I thought she would, it was a giant step up from her last fight against Van Zant and she shouldn't have been pushed this heavily after only having 1 fight in the last couple of years.

Before this performance, I'd have said Jessica Penne who fought for the title and was a champion would count as a better opponent who Waterson stopped before joining UFC. You could tell she's an atomweight who jumped a class to get into the UFC though. Honestly, Waterson made some bad decisions but was winning the striking damn near the whole time off those leg kicks. The karate rush was ill advised and got her kicked, can't do that to someone that tall. Same with the throw, she had JUST finished landing a leg kick, head kick combo and Rose was confused. Michelle gave that one up. Rose's evolution here was mental though. When she fought Karolina she couldn't adjust, against Waterson she started to fight longer in the second and it paid off. Rose's growth is absurd though, she's only 24 and she's come back from every loss like a Saiyan in DBZ...

And what can you say about DJ, he is the greatest of all time. Interesting he brought up Dominic Cruz name on the post fox show. Cruz is one of 2 people who have defeated DJ, and a fight at 135 could be interesting. But i do believe he should have at least his record breaking fight at 125 against either Dodson, Benevidez, or (Garbrandt, Dillashaw, or Cruz cutting to 125) and then line up the 7 figure superfights at 135 or catch weight 130 that way you are not having a champ with titles holding 2 divisions hostage ala Conner

I'm tryna piece something together about how DJ is MMA's Floyd Mayweather. Takes no damage and makes guys who are world class look common to the extent that people find his fights boring. For hardcore fans the technical beauty is special though. I'd like Benavidez to be the last test, he's earned that by beating everybody not named DJ (except Horiguchi who the UFC let walk). Fun fact about the loss to Cruz...DJ wasn't even training full time when they fought, he still had a 9-5 I'd love to see them run it back but the size advantage will always be massive.

[j4remi]

Rumor has it Woodley vs Nick Diaz is close...another super fight where a big name jumps the line, meanwhile Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal are fighting what should be a number one contender match soon. Maia's deserved a shot for a while now.

[bringbackhoffa]

Rumor has it Woodley vs Nick Diaz is close...another super fight where a big name jumps the line, meanwhile Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal are fighting what should be a number one contender match soon. Maia's deserved a shot for a while now.

Maia is getting royally screwed. UFC would love for Diaz to win the belt setting up a rematch with GSP or Conner fighting the other brother to become 3 division champ, with Maia once again getting screwed if he meats Masvidal

[newyorker4ever]

Rumor has it Woodley vs Nick Diaz is close...another super fight where a big name jumps the line, meanwhile Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal are fighting what should be a number one contender match soon. Maia's deserved a shot for a while now.

Maia is getting royally screwed. UFC would love for Diaz to win the belt setting up a rematch with GSP or Conner fighting the other brother to become 3 division champ, with Maia once again getting screwed if he meats Masvidal

Masvidal is an absolute beast but i think with how much he keeps calling out Dana and the UFC it could be hurting him but i would love to see a C.McGregor vs Masvidal fight.

[bringbackhoffa]

Rumor has it Woodley vs Nick Diaz is close...another super fight where a big name jumps the line, meanwhile Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal are fighting what should be a number one contender match soon. Maia's deserved a shot for a while now.

Maia is getting royally screwed. UFC would love for Diaz to win the belt setting up a rematch with GSP or Conner fighting the other brother to become 3 division champ, with Maia once again getting screwed if he meats Masvidal

Masvidal is an absolute beast but i think with how much he keeps calling out Dana and the UFC it could be hurting him but i would love to see a C.McGregor vs Masvidal fight.

If the Mayweather fight happens, Conner will never come back to the UFC. He will demand a minimum of $50 million for any fight going forward, and the UFC does not have capability of recouping that in any particular UFC PPV card. It is likely with this $100 million payday that Conner will start his own promotion (mcGregor promotions), in which he would not fight but would be the 'Dana White' of this promotion that would showcase boxing and MMA fights.

[newyorker4ever]

Maia is getting royally screwed. UFC would love for Diaz to win the belt setting up a rematch with GSP or Conner fighting the other brother to become 3 division champ, with Maia once again getting screwed if he meats Masvidal

Masvidal is an absolute beast but i think with how much he keeps calling out Dana and the UFC it could be hurting him but i would love to see a C.McGregor vs Masvidal fight.

If the Mayweather fight happens, Conner will never come back to the UFC. He will demand a minimum of $50 million for any fight going forward, and the UFC does not have capability of recouping that in any particular UFC PPV card. It is likely with this $100 million payday that Conner will start his own promotion (mcGregor promotions), in which he would not fight but would be the 'Dana White' of this promotion that would showcase boxing and MMA fights.

C.McGregor will fight in the UFC again whether he fights Mayweather or not. He'll still get paid enough to make it worth it for him, he loves fighting so he's not gonna leave the fight game especially with how much he loves his money.

[HarthorneWingo]

Rumor has it Woodley vs Nick Diaz is close...another super fight where a big name jumps the line, meanwhile Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal are fighting what should be a number one contender match soon. Maia's deserved a shot for a while now.

What Maia did to Condit was an amazing display BJJ. Khabib is on that level imo.

[j4remi]

Maia is getting royally screwed. UFC would love for Diaz to win the belt setting up a rematch with GSP or Conner fighting the other brother to become 3 division champ, with Maia once again getting screwed if he meats Masvidal[/quote]


Masvidal is an absolute beast but i think with how much he keeps calling out Dana and the UFC it could be hurting him but i would love to see a C.McGregor vs Masvidal fight.[/quote]

What's killed Masvidal historically has been coasting during fights. He had Al Iaquinta dead to rights but sorta toyed his way through the fight and got jerked on the decision (Al cursed at the fans boo'ing him and that was a strike that cost him bonus money this weekend). Masvidal has lost a few decisions where he was clearly the better the fighter but just let the opponent hang close enough to rob him. Now that he's been aggressive lately, he might jump up the ranks because he has a Diaz level of honesty that should score fan fare. I also think he has a decent chance vs Maia; similar to Whitaker, I'm not really sure where I place him in the division but his style is the best in the division to beat Maia. He's a GREAT wrestler (watches and practices obsessively) who is really hard to take down and his striking makes it really difficult to get in on his hips for takedowns or body locks to trips.

But yeah, Diaz/Conor or GSP seems like the goal for WME and that means Maia keeps twisting in the wind. Honestly, the grappler obsessive fan in me would mark out more for Maia vs Diaz than any other match for Diaz and I think Maia beats GSP outright, maybe Conor too (but I should add the GSP rumor mill is that his BJJ has gone to new levels).

If the Mayweather fight happens, Conner will never come back to the UFC. He will demand a minimum of $50 million for any fight going forward, and the UFC does not have capability of recouping that in any particular UFC PPV card. It is likely with this $100 million payday that Conner will start his own promotion (mcGregor promotions), in which he would not fight but would be the 'Dana White' of this promotion that would showcase boxing and MMA fights.

C.McGregor will fight in the UFC again whether he fights Mayweather or not. He'll still get paid enough to make it worth it for him, he loves fighting so he's not gonna leave the fight game especially with how much he loves his money.

I think he'd fight again but only because at some point the UFC will pay his price. He'd probably end up like Nick Diaz; demanding huge pay and major star fights. So you won't get the constantly active and fights anyone Conor; not when he can make more money in Hollywood or attempting more boxing (he's already implied that if Floyd won't take his terms, he's willing to try Pacman). But just like Diaz, there would be a time when the UFC pays his asking price for some transcendant match-up that would really only live up to billing with two active fighters, not a rusted one.

Rumor has it Woodley vs Nick Diaz is close...another super fight where a big name jumps the line, meanwhile Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal are fighting what should be a number one contender match soon. Maia's deserved a shot for a while now.

What Maia did to Condit was an amazing display BJJ. Khabib is on that level imo.

Mashing on Condit that quickly was epic; but even more impressive to me are the Magny and Gunnar beatdowns. Those are two elite BJJ fighters and Magny lost so bad he went to take lessons from Maia right after the fight, while Gunnar did no better. Both guys are knocking on the top five's door too, probably solidified top 10'ers with the WW exits of Rory and Larkin. Another cool fact, Frank Mir said Maia owns him in an interview...that's an elite grappling HEAVYWEIGHT giving props to a Welterweight. Khabib is right there for DAMNED SURE. My favorite grappler period and GSP's P4P number one btw. With the weight issues, I'm dreaming of (have it in a piece I'm putting together of dream match-ups) Maia vs Khabib at 170. Jacare is too big for those two, so this is probably the best combination of grapplers we could get in the UFC setting.

[bringbackhoffa]

i think desperation will soon hit for the UFC if PPV buys continue to trend negatively, and we could potentially see a super super card with Conner vs Diaz III as the main event and GSP vs Diaz II as the co main if GSP beats Bisping

[HarthorneWingo]

Maia is getting royally screwed. UFC would love for Diaz to win the belt setting up a rematch with GSP or Conner fighting the other brother to become 3 division champ, with Maia once again getting screwed if he meats Masvidal

Masvidal is an absolute beast but i think with how much he keeps calling out Dana and the UFC it could be hurting him but i would love to see a C.McGregor vs Masvidal fight.[/quote]

What's killed Masvidal historically has been coasting during fights. He had Al Iaquinta dead to rights but sorta toyed his way through the fight and got jerked on the decision (Al cursed at the fans boo'ing him and that was a strike that cost him bonus money this weekend). Masvidal has lost a few decisions where he was clearly the better the fighter but just let the opponent hang close enough to rob him. Now that he's been aggressive lately, he might jump up the ranks because he has a Diaz level of honesty that should score fan fare. I also think he has a decent chance vs Maia; similar to Whitaker, I'm not really sure where I place him in the division but his style is the best in the division to beat Maia. He's a GREAT wrestler (watches and practices obsessively) who is really hard to take down and his striking makes it really difficult to get in on his hips for takedowns or body locks to trips.

But yeah, Diaz/Conor or GSP seems like the goal for WME and that means Maia keeps twisting in the wind. Honestly, the grappler obsessive fan in me would mark out more for Maia vs Diaz than any other match for Diaz and I think Maia beats GSP outright, maybe Conor too (but I should add the GSP rumor mill is that his BJJ has gone to new levels).

If the Mayweather fight happens, Conner will never come back to the UFC. He will demand a minimum of $50 million for any fight going forward, and the UFC does not have capability of recouping that in any particular UFC PPV card. It is likely with this $100 million payday that Conner will start his own promotion (mcGregor promotions), in which he would not fight but would be the 'Dana White' of this promotion that would showcase boxing and MMA fights.

C.McGregor will fight in the UFC again whether he fights Mayweather or not. He'll still get paid enough to make it worth it for him, he loves fighting so he's not gonna leave the fight game especially with how much he loves his money.

I think he'd fight again but only because at some point the UFC will pay his price. He'd probably end up like Nick Diaz; demanding huge pay and major star fights. So you won't get the constantly active and fights anyone Conor; not when he can make more money in Hollywood or attempting more boxing (he's already implied that if Floyd won't take his terms, he's willing to try Pacman). But just like Diaz, there would be a time when the UFC pays his asking price for some transcendant match-up that would really only live up to billing with two active fighters, not a rusted one.

Rumor has it Woodley vs Nick Diaz is close...another super fight where a big name jumps the line, meanwhile Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal are fighting what should be a number one contender match soon. Maia's deserved a shot for a while now.

What Maia did to Condit was an amazing display BJJ. Khabib is on that level imo.

Mashing on Condit that quickly was epic; but even more impressive to me are the Magny and Gunnar beatdowns. Those are two elite BJJ fighters and Magny lost so bad he went to take lessons from Maia right after the fight, while Gunnar did no better. Both guys are knocking on the top five's door too, probably solidified top 10'ers with the WW exits of Rory and Larkin. Another cool fact, Frank Mir said Maia owns him in an interview...that's an elite grappling HEAVYWEIGHT giving props to a Welterweight. Khabib is right there for DAMNED SURE. My favorite grappler period and GSP's P4P number one btw. With the weight issues, I'm dreaming of (have it in a piece I'm putting together of dream match-ups) Maia vs Khabib at 170. Jacare is too big for those two, so this is probably the best combination of grapplers we could get in the UFC setting.[/quote]


You think Jones is ready for DC without a warmup? Dominic Cruz didn't need one to beat Dillishaw, but I dunno. Jones wasn't really that dominant over an out of shape OSP.

[j4remi]

i think desperation will soon hit for the UFC if PPV buys continue to trend negatively, and we could potentially see a super super card with Conner vs Diaz III as the main event and GSP vs Diaz II as the co main if GSP beats Bisping

I actually expected the Diaz bros to co-headline the July card. I was predicting Nick vs Robbie 2 and Nate vs Conor at the time but then the PBF rumors jumped and Robbie took Cerrone. If Nick gets Woodley, I can still picture Nate getting Tony Ferguson on that same timeline. International Fight Week was being built into a major date to stick to, I think they'll try to stick to that.

You think Jones is ready for DC without a warmup? Dominic Cruz didn't need one to beat Dillishaw, but I dunno. Jones wasn't really that dominant over an out of shape OSP.

I REALLY would like Jones to take a warm up. Cruz gets miscast as not needing a warm up for Dillashaw but that's because of his comments right after the warm-up fight itself ironically. He came back and fought Takeya Mizugaki before he got a title shot, but steamrolled the guy in a little over a minute. After the fight he said he doesn't believe in warm-ups which is super ironic considering what that fight was.

Jones vs OSP is one that I really struggle to place because the variables are there for Jones to struggle stylistically even in top shape, but there are also the long layoff and his different build in that fight. OSP like Gus had size and reach that could explain some of Jones' struggles and on top of that, OSP's awkward style may have thrown Jones off with less time to train for it. But then you have Jones packed with muscle which means less flexibility, potentially less speed and less endurance...plus the layoff. So it's hard to know how much was rust and how much was situation. But to me, nobody looks great on a long lay-off against quality opposition; so I think a warm-up is necessary. Problem for Jones is everyone's booked or in Bellator; his options are basically Cirkunov or a rematch with Rua.

[bringbackhoffa]

i think desperation will soon hit for the UFC if PPV buys continue to trend negatively, and we could potentially see a super super card with Conner vs Diaz III as the main event and GSP vs Diaz II as the co main if GSP beats Bisping

I actually expected the Diaz bros to co-headline the July card. I was predicting Nick vs Robbie 2 and Nate vs Conor at the time but then the PBF rumors jumped and Robbie took Cerrone. If Nick gets Woodley, I can still picture Nate getting Tony Ferguson on that same timeline. International Fight Week was being built into a major date to stick to, I think they'll try to stick to that.

You think Jones is ready for DC without a warmup? Dominic Cruz didn't need one to beat Dillishaw, but I dunno. Jones wasn't really that dominant over an out of shape OSP.

I REALLY would like Jones to take a warm up. Cruz gets miscast as not needing a warm up for Dillashaw but that's because of his comments right after the warm-up fight itself ironically. He came back and fought Takeya Mizugaki before he got a title shot, but steamrolled the guy in a little over a minute. After the fight he said he doesn't believe in warm-ups which is super ironic considering what that fight was.

Jones vs OSP is one that I really struggle to place because the variables are there for Jones to struggle stylistically even in top shape, but there are also the long layoff and his different build in that fight. OSP like Gus had size and reach that could explain some of Jones' struggles and on top of that, OSP's awkward style may have thrown Jones off with less time to train for it. But then you have Jones packed with muscle which means less flexibility, potentially less speed and less endurance...plus the layoff. So it's hard to know how much was rust and how much was situation. But to me, nobody looks great on a long lay-off against quality opposition; so I think a warm-up is necessary. Problem for Jones is everyone's booked or in Bellator; his options are basically Cirkunov or a rematch with Rua.

what about a returning Rampage jackson, if he can get down to 205... good warm up for Jones and name value will sell fight in a co-headline spot

[SH0KASE]

**** all that Conor talk. I can't wait till UFC 211.

I became a fan of ufc couple years ago but honestly, this organization is turning into a circus. They are not right screwing these fighters.

[newyorker4ever]

i think desperation will soon hit for the UFC if PPV buys continue to trend negatively, and we could potentially see a super super card with Conner vs Diaz III as the main event and GSP vs Diaz II as the co main if GSP beats Bisping

I actually expected the Diaz bros to co-headline the July card. I was predicting Nick vs Robbie 2 and Nate vs Conor at the time but then the PBF rumors jumped and Robbie took Cerrone. If Nick gets Woodley, I can still picture Nate getting Tony Ferguson on that same timeline. International Fight Week was being built into a major date to stick to, I think they'll try to stick to that.

You think Jones is ready for DC without a warmup? Dominic Cruz didn't need one to beat Dillishaw, but I dunno. Jones wasn't really that dominant over an out of shape OSP.

I REALLY would like Jones to take a warm up. Cruz gets miscast as not needing a warm up for Dillashaw but that's because of his comments right after the warm-up fight itself ironically. He came back and fought Takeya Mizugaki before he got a title shot, but steamrolled the guy in a little over a minute. After the fight he said he doesn't believe in warm-ups which is super ironic considering what that fight was.

Jones vs OSP is one that I really struggle to place because the variables are there for Jones to struggle stylistically even in top shape, but there are also the long layoff and his different build in that fight. OSP like Gus had size and reach that could explain some of Jones' struggles and on top of that, OSP's awkward style may have thrown Jones off with less time to train for it. But then you have Jones packed with muscle which means less flexibility, potentially less speed and less endurance...plus the layoff. So it's hard to know how much was rust and how much was situation. But to me, nobody looks great on a long lay-off against quality opposition; so I think a warm-up is necessary. Problem for Jones is everyone's booked or in Bellator; his options are basically Cirkunov or a rematch with Rua.

what about a returning Rampage jackson, if he can get down to 205... good warm up for Jones and name value will sell fight in a co-headline spot

Rampage is washed up and fighting in Bellator where he needs to stay.

[j4remi]

what about a returning Rampage jackson, if he can get down to 205... good warm up for Jones and name value will sell fight in a co-headline spot

Rampage is washed up and fighting in Bellator where he needs to stay.

Rampage said to Helwani that his next fight HAS to be UFC. I think he'd go Heavyweight though and that's a division shallow enough to beat up on the fringe fighters at least...he did hold his own with King Mo. I don't think he can do 205 because he was over 250 for King Mo; that's almost max HW allowance (265).

[matchman]

It could be a bit dated, but if you have the chance you gotta watch the match between Gustafson vs Texeira in Stockholm.

So different in style yet it is very exciting, and I cannot wait to see how Mauler has a second chance for a title shot against DC.

And Texeira has a steel chin and it is fearsome to be his opponent, most of other fighters could not survive those ground and pounds....