Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: UFC 268 in MSG Usman vs Colby 2, Rose vs Zhang 2

[j4remi]

One FC this morning is a straight up Fairtex school showcase. They've got a ton of killers and an especially strong stable of female fighters with Stamp Fairtex leading the way but Wonder Girl and Denice Zamboanga also in the mix. Just got a highlight reel body punch finish from a man named Sok Thy that is absolutely picture perfect; caught a body kick, threw it aside and landed a brutal counter shot to the sternum. You have to sign up for a bleacher report live account to watch, but it's free and the striking is always fun (muay thai rules with mma gloves is fire).

Also worth noting, while I slept on last week's UFC. Tomorrow night's card is pretty damned good for a freebie. Anthony Smith returns against a prospect that I really like in Rakic. Robbie Lawler is fighting Neil Magny which should be fun. Alexa Grasso and Ricardo Lamas are reliably fun fighters with opponents I don't know well (Ryan Hall got hurt a week out from fighting Lamas which kills me). And lastly...Magomed Ankalev vs Ion Cutelaba, the rematch. That fight SHOULD be really good and was showing a LOT of promise before a ref confused Cutelaba trying to bait a counter for Cutelaba being hurt and stopping the fight. It's always been a fireworks type of fight, could be fight of the weekend.

[Clyde_Style]

Like seeing Bruce Leroy doing well. Remember him from TUF. He has persevered and is on a 3 win streak. He's even goofier now than he was before.

[Clyde_Style]

Rakic's thighs look like hams, muscle on top of muscle. Those kicks must hurt

[HarthorneWingo]

Neil Magney just beat up Robbie Lawler, who looks like he should either jump over to Bellator or retire.

[Tron Carter]

Neil Magney just beat up Robbie Lawler, who looks like he should either jump over to Bellator or retire.

and Anthony “turtle heart” Smith should join Robbie there

[Clyde_Style]

Neil Magney just beat up Robbie Lawler, who looks like he should either jump over to Bellator or retire.

I missed the last fight. Did he kick Robbie's butt?

[j4remi]

Rakic looked great, Anthony Smith is who I've always said he is...a good fighter but not a legit contender. People kinda gassed that Jones never finished him, but the guy fought to survive rather than win. I felt the same way about dragging out the Glover fight and this Rakic one. He can stay alive against guys but unless they gas, he doesn't have much to turn a fight around once it goes bad. As far as what's next: I think the number one contender will be decided by Thiago Santos vs Glover Texeira. That leaves us an epic match-up...Rakic vs Prochazka. If you didn't get a chance, try to watch Prochazka vs Oezdemir; he's unorthodox and tough as hell with a ton of power and size. So Prochazka vs Rakic will be amazing.

With the Robbie fight...I just want yall to look back at the way he was sprawling when he fought dudes like Koshchek or MacDonald and then look at how easily Magny was in on his hips...the fall off is real. I thought Colby's constant volume and pressure mighta made him look worse, but Robbie has really lost the explosion that made him able to turn a fight around in a millisecond. I'd take Magny vs Vettori but I've been pitting Marvin Vettori vs everybody lately. Neil Magny vs Brad Tavares would be a hell of a fight too though.

The stand out of the night for me was Alexa Grasso. Grasso has been a solid, entertaining fighter but has never lived up to the hype she had a prospect coming into the UFC. She did however, deal with a gang of weight cut issues. This time, up a weight class, Alexa Grasso showed out. She was throwing 3 to 5 strike combinations and changing levels to boot. She threw a ton of volume and had legitimate pop on her strikes. She came into the UFC young, only 27 years old, and the 125 lbs division is really developing strong. Give me Grasso vs KGB Lee ASAP! They both throw down!

Caceres is definitely always fun to watch and I'm glad he's back on track. I was getting nervous after some tough match-ups a while back but he's still a staple and NEVER BORING. Impa Kasanganay is a new face that I'll be on the look out for. Alessio DiChirico vs Zak Cummings was a LOT OF fun with an absolutely bananas finish.

[HarthorneWingo]

Neil Magney just beat up Robbie Lawler, who looks like he should either jump over to Bellator or retire.

I missed the last fight. Did he kick Robbie's butt?

Oh yeah. Dominated him for all three rounds.

[HarthorneWingo]

Looks like Nick Diaz is making a comeback at age 37. DC is calling for a Nick vs. Rocky Edwards fight, main event. Nicks looks in shape. Is he ready for Rocky?

Thoughts?

Watch on YouTube

[j4remi]

Looks like Nick Diaz is making a comeback at age 37. DC is calling for a Nick vs. Rocky Edwards fight, main event. Nicks looks in shape. Is he ready for Rocky?

Thoughts?

Watch on YouTube

I don't think Nick comes back for anything other than a big name fight. My guess is he'd wait for the result of Nate vs Jorge 2 and then jump in to get the bag for Nick vs Jorge as a grudge match.

Prime Nick vs Leon would be really interesting. Edwards is HELLA disciplined and sharp everywhere, where as Nick fights a war of attrition both physically and mentally. He'll take a beating to bait you into mistakes later and then he'll break you down. Presently though? I can't picture Nick being ready for a Edwards level opponent coming in after such a long absence, at least get a tune-up.

Side note though: Leon vs Wonderboy is either on the verge of happening or signed (I can't remember off the top). I LOVE that fight. Of all the guys who are low key threats to the top tier; Wonderboy and Leon Edwards are the biggest sleepers. Leon didn't do terribly with Usman and probably learned a lot. Wonderboy is built for Anti-wrestling and has elite wrestlers that can help him prep at any time (Chris Weidman's his brother-in-law).

I actually think Leon is a bigger threat to Wonderboy than Colby. But I wanted my guy to fight Edwards or Covington because it could shoot him past the line for a title shot. I think he can beat Usman/Covington's skillset off "styles make fights" logic. Edwards though? I have some concerns.

[j4remi]

Not sure if anyone bothered with a weak UFC card this past weekend (and it gets even weaker this coming weekend but Karate Hottie does have a fan base); but there were some nice come from behind wins.

OSP showed his savvy and then Overeem did the same. Both guys were outstruck early but found a few things that worked (Especially Overeem with his wrestling) and that was all it took. They just showed why guys who hang around a top 10-5 range for such extended periods is a permathreat. Younger, stronger guys put them into trouble but it didn't last. Reem has two come from behinds in a row. His 1 loss out of his past 5 fights was a match-up he had won on the score cards only to get caught with less than a minute left to go or so.

The talk of the card was Michel Pereira, famous for flipping around the octagon but also for gassing himself out and losing ugly last time. This time he got mushed at the weigh in and fought a hype explosive but much more composed bout in response. He wound up blowing kisses at Imadaev (his opponent) and then slapping him with the same hand. He landed superman punches off the cage and some interesting kicks. He looked like he was toying with Imadaev in spite of plenty of showmanship. He's a more intriguing prospect than he gets credit for.

Besides that...Brian Kelleher had his opponent changed twice in one week which meant weaker competition by a long shot. But he continues to have a nice little run building up. Viviane Araujo had one of her best UFC performances imo. And then Hunter Azure got back in the win column. He's a promising prospect that got rushed and lost to Brian Kelleher but he's worth keeping an eye out for. His record is still low 8-1 but he's got extended amateur experience so he could make a leap sooner than later, it probably why he got rushed in the first place.

[j4remi]

Well fam...another weak looking card on paper had some good fights. Billy Quarantillo vs Kyle Nelson was a hell of a scrap, Bobby Green is still on a nice resurgence with a beautiful performance and Ottaman Azaitar KO'ed a VERY legit opponent in Khama Worthy (caught me completely off guard).

But the big one to point out for yall is Waterson vs Hill. Angela Hill low key has some of the best fights in WMMA history (seriously, Angie vs Jessica Andrade is a classics scrap already). She pulled off another damned good fight with Michelle Waterson who's been pretty boring lately. Karate Hottie had to use a little bit of everything and Hill kept coming forward the entire time. It came down to a debatable split decision but I wasn't mad at it going either way. If you've got ESPN+ and missed or skipped the Waterson/Hill scrap; I highly suggest yall peep it.

Now we're coming off two sleepy cards that overperformed. Next up is Woodley vs Covington in a very strong card, especially for a free one. It's got name value up top with title implications and it's got serious prospects throughout (Chimaev's first true test, Johnny Walker's return vs Ryan Spann and Kevin Holland looked great last time out). It's a great build-up card for Costa vs Adesanya the week after.

[j4remi]

Tomorrow night's card is really, really good fam. First one that I'm excited about in a few weeks and the first one with a number of fights worth speaking a bit about. The main event is Colby Covington vs Tyron Woodley in a grudge match that's probably a couple of years too late. The rest of the card has some interesting prospects and entertaining fighters with the talk of the night being the return of Mr. 2 Fights in 2 weeks, Khamzat Chimaev vs his first true test in the UFC. Here are some notables:

T-Wood vs Covington: Tyron Woodley needs this win. He's lost 10 consecutive rounds in the octagon and losing three in a row at this advanced point would basically spark the retirement conversation. It's a shame too, because his style would present an interesting dynamic against Colby if only he hadn't lost a step. In his prime Woodley had very strong wrestling defense and the fastest hands in the division; but Usman took him down at will and Burns beat him to the punch all night.

Enter Colby Covington, fresh off of taking Usman to a fight of the year style war. Colby's style is similar to Usman, tons of pressure and takedowns using the fence. It plays entirely to Woodley's exposed weaknesses; counter punching off of the fence. In his athletic prime, I'd think Woodley was a serious threat but at this point in their careers; I'm concerned for a guy I've always appreciated as an all time great welterweight.

For Woodley to win, he'll need to beat Colby to the punch. That's difficult for someone who naturally relies on timing and counters. I love his low kicks for someone as active as Colby, but one caught kick means a takedown. Speaking of takedowns, Woodley has to keep his back off of the cage. He showed some improvement there against Burns, but still has a habit that will play right to Colby's advantage. I focus on Woodley here because Covington's gameplan is his usual one. If he's deceptive with feints and active with strikes, he can set up takedowns along the fence. He needs to avoid getting caught by the overhand or counter uppercuts; he should know to avoid the guillotine too. But I picture him winning.

Yes, I'm ignoring the elephant in the room, but I prefer this thread to focus on the fights as much as possible.

Cerrone vs Price: Two fan favorites who just like getting in there to fight are the co-main event and there's something I love about that. There are a bunch of serious prospects fighting below these dudes, but they've earned the bill because they fight for the love of it. Cerrone is chinny but incredibly technically talented. Price is sloppy but has insane power, enough to knock dudes out in literally any situation.

I'm surprised Price is the betting favorite though. Cerrone's best performances come against guys that fight tough but sloppy. He picks those types apart and it usually becomes target practice. In this case, it seems like oddsmakers are betting on his consistent slow starts to get him caught before he gets comfortable.

Anyway the fight will be decided by range. If Price can get it inside, he'll be in a position to capitalize on his power. Cerrone will need to keep the fight at range, to the extent that I'd concede takedowns and rely on grappling instead of letting Niko use takedown attempts to close the range. I think Cowboy is just a much better striker, so Price will have to bite down on his guard and punch through something to win. Cerrone needs that intercepting knee ready and the lower body and body work will be key. Kicking range is where he wins.

Chimaev vs Meerschaert: This is the part where we find out if Chimaev is for real. He fought two fights in the shortest turn around ever and smoked dudes in two different divisions looking like a bigger Khabib. That said, they were NOT UFC proven talent. Phillips is 1-3 in the UFC and Mckee was making his debut, though I like him as a prospect honestly.

Enter Gerald Meerschaert, 44 fights into his career with 4 years and more than 10 fights in the UFC. He's only ever lost to legitimate ranked type talent. This man has 23 submission wins and that's interesting against Chimaev's insane takedown based offense. That said he's not really dominant on the ground; moreso tricky and tough. Guys can finish him and the better fighters in the UFC do...sometimes quickly. Chimaev running through Meerschaert could happen and it would be much more meaningful than both his last two fights combined. But we'll see, this is the prove it moment.

Walker vs Spann: Remember the Johnny Walker hype train? He's still huge and explosive and dangerous, but that feels like it passed with one overhand from Corey Anderson. Anyway the reason I love this fight is that Ryan Spann has Walker's size and length with sharper striking in place of the freakish explosiveness. He's also only a year older than Walker...both guys are under 30...fight primes come later, these guys have room to grow! It should be an absolute show too, 31 finishes to 4 decisions between the two guys...don't blind bet KO though, Spann has 11 subs to 4 KO's.

The rest is dope too:
We also get Mackenzie Dern's fantastic grappling skills against a tough vet in Randa Markos. Kevin Holland has looked great in his UFC performances and his opponent, Darren Stewart is a real test. David Dborak is a nice newcomer to watch against Espinosa. Mirsad Bektic is really, really good but always struggles. TJ Laramie is a cat I'm interested to watch as well. This card is honestly loaded with fights that will either be entertaining or include a legitimate prospect.

[HarthorneWingo]

I'm really excited for tonight's card. Yeah, I'm rooting for Woodley to beat Colby's ass but I have my concerns because of the volume that Covington can throw. I was amazed at what he did in the Lawler fight. But Tyron is better than Lawler. Plus, he knows Colby's combinations.

I thought this was a well done interview with Tyron. You probably know who he is, Remi. Woodley looks/sounds real calm and ready to go.

Watch on YouTube

[j4remi]

I'm really excited for tonight's card. Yeah, I'm rooting for Woodley to beat Colby's ass but I have my concerns because of the volume that Covington can throw. I was amazed at what he did in the Lawler fight. But Tyron is better than Lawler. Plus, he knows Colby's combinations.

I thought this was a well done interview with Tyron. You probably know who he is, Remi. Woodley looks/sounds real calm and ready to go.

Watch on YouTube

Woodley has really seemed locked in for this one, that's for certain. Not sure about the interviewer, thought Okamamoto had shaved for a second there . I'm rooting for Woodley but I think the era and style may have passed him by at this point. When Woodley was shutting down and KO'ing wrestlers; it was the Koshchek, Fitch, Hendricks types who wrestled in the open so they could blast through the take down. Woodley would use the cage to stay on his feet because guys couldn't push through. These new era wrestlers are the opposite, the use the cage to trap a guy and play a tricky game of position and leverage instead of power and push.

[bringbackhoffa]

17 seconds wow

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM mobile app

[HighRyzer83]

Woodley getting brutalized in there

[HighRyzer83]

Oh no Woodley is seriously hurt. Looks like a rib

[Manhattan Project]

I mean, it's not possible for Woodley to ever fight in the UFC again right? The man has lost pretty much 15 rounds in a row in which he threw 13 punches throughout that. I've never seen a fighter who simply doesn't fight like Woodley has done. Got to be impressed with what Chimaev is doing, just wow. Cowboy/Price, the only surprising thing is the one judge giving it to Cowboy, round two was close between him, I was expecting Price to get that one judge. Walker/Spann could've gone either way, Spann dropped him but Walker recovered to land that vicious elbow. Holland got that funky style that eeked out a win, good fight though.

It was a good card overall until the snoozer, hopefully next week keeps it rolling.

[HighRyzer83]

Yeah just a fantastic event! So many finishes.
And what can you say about Chimaev. Does he even have a weakness? People are impressed with him now, but if you knew who he was coming in, this is not a surprise. When he slep that sambo champion in the 1st round, it was clear he had 1 shot power. Slipped the jab, uppercut, good night undefeated sambo champ. That takes skill and iq.