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Cyborg vs Holm **** For UFC Womens Featherweight Championship****
Khabib vs Barboza
Lineker vs Rivera *** Lineker pulled out of fight with tooth infection on Sunday.UFC looking for replacement,may cancel all together.
Calvillo vs Esparza
Condit vs Magny

Roundtree vs Oleksiejzcuk
Hooker vs Diakiese
Jury vs Glenn
Smolka vs Nicolau

Elliot vs De La Rosa
Vettori vs Akhemdov

Huge bummer for Jimmie Rivera. He could have really solidified himself as the next contender heading into the new year but his replacements replacement drops out too. Clearly Moraes had any intention of taking that fight in the first place, and I can't blame him. 3 fights in about 2 months or so? I know he had a quick KO, but doing 3 weight cuts in that span is a bad idea. He should be praised for his classiness regarding the Aljo KO, but this definitely makes him look bad imo. Same with Ali.

Very weak card for a NYE event IMO.

REDDzone wrote:Very weak card for a NYE event IMO.

Eh. Rivera had two opponents pull out, Cruz and Lineker. Had Cruz not go injured, the original main event card isn't very weak.


Cyborg vs Holm
Khabib vs Barboza
Cruz vs Rivera
Calvillo vs Esparza
Condit vs Magny

I forgot about Condit for a while after he hinted at retirement. Cool to see him back. He's been in a bad stretch but his losses are to the last 4 champions + Maia. It doesn't get any tougher than that. Plus the ACL injury.

REDDzone wrote:Very weak card for a NYE event IMO.

Compared to past years ya. I definitely am excited for the two main events though. Ready to see Khabib again and curious if anyone can make Cyborg look human.

Khabib champ
Khabib #1

Khabib will win!

I think Khabib wins by Barbosa tapping out via verbal damage. I expect a lot of "You have to give up", "You know this, I deserve this" from Khabib as hes just taking Barbosa's will from him and Barbosa taps from that.

I hate the fact that Cyborg is fighting in the UFC. PEDs have a greater effect on women and I don't want to watch her give another woman brain damage. She's been caught multiple times and should never be allowed to fight again. I really don't want to watch this card and incentivize the UFC to let her fight. I still have a bad taste in my mouth after watching Jones vs. Cormier 2.

NZB2323 wrote:I hate the fact that Cyborg is fighting in the UFC. PEDs have a greater effect on women and I don't want to watch her give another woman brain damage. She's been caught multiple times and should never be allowed to fight again. I really don't want to watch this card and incentivize the UFC to let her fight. I still have a bad taste in my mouth after watching Jones vs. Cormier 2.

This looks like 2 completely different people. Im with you, its hard to watch Cyborg in the UFC. Her body has changed so drastically from steroids and testosterone its almost just not fair anymore. It would be sweet to see Holms knock her out though.

Duke4life831 wrote:

NZB2323 wrote:I hate the fact that Cyborg is fighting in the UFC. PEDs have a greater effect on women and I don't want to watch her give another woman brain damage. She's been caught multiple times and should never be allowed to fight again. I really don't want to watch this card and incentivize the UFC to let her fight. I still have a bad taste in my mouth after watching Jones vs. Cormier 2.

This looks like 2 completely different people. Im with you, its hard to watch Cyborg in the UFC. Her body has changed so drastically from steroids and testosterone its almost just not fair anymore. It would be sweet to see Holms knock her out though.

This is exactly what I was thinking too. That retroactive TUE was surprising. I thought that won't pass in the stricter USADA era.

In men, PED use has been found to benefit permanently (or at least, 5+ years) after it is stopped. Possibly in men this makes less of a difference because some competitors may have naturally high testosterone and it, though still cheating, is potentially not the major deciding factor.

This is basically watching a half-man vs. a woman. I'm even surprised there is willing fight commisons to sanction it. I wish Cyborg would lose, and maybe Holm is cheated too, but, this has ugly beatdown clown show written all over it. Looking at the body transformation pictures, the funny thing is (IMO) it's even questionable whether the "before" pic was a Cyborg using PEDs as well.

NZB2323 wrote:I hate the fact that Cyborg is fighting in the UFC. PEDs have a greater effect on women and I don't want to watch her give another woman brain damage. She's been caught multiple times and should never be allowed to fight again. I really don't want to watch this card and incentivize the UFC to let her fight. I still have a bad taste in my mouth after watching Jones vs. Cormier 2.

You're blowing things out of proportion.

She hasn't been caught multiple times. She has one violation for PEDs and one violation for an out-of-competition diuretic. The other supposed violation was convincingly dismissed:

“In the case of Justino, the application for a TUE was granted because the athlete had an unequivocally diagnosed chronic medical condition for which the use of Spironolactone is the appropriate standard of care. Further, it was determined that the athlete and her medical team pursued and exhausted all non-prohibited alternatives and that the low dose of the medication is consistent with best medical practice to treat her condition and would return the athlete to a normal state of health without providing a performance-enhancing benefit.”

re: retroactive TUEs. They are explicitly allowed by USADA, they did not bend any rule. The rule is designed to bend. The pearl-clutching by internet MMAbros is ridiculous. Athletes do NOT have to apply for TUEs in advance, they are only encouraged to do so. USADA:

athletes are educated and encouraged to apply for a TUE in advance of using a prohibited substance or method, the UFC Anti-Doping Policy permits athletes to file for retroactive TUEs where the use of a prohibited substance or method was medically justified. Athletes are cautioned, however, that applying retroactively is at their own risk and the only guaranteed way to avoid an anti-doping policy violation for using a prohibited substance or method is by obtaining a TUE prior to the use of a prohibited substance or method.”

So she has one violation. You think she - but only she - should be banned for life for one violation? Do you complain equally about Alistair or Hendo or Wanderlei any of the countless dudes who are doing far more damage to other humans than Cyborg possibly could do?

I'm not even a Cyborg fan or a women's MMA fan. And her power does not look scary, I don't think she's got one strike power at nearly the level of almost any man. She just swarms people. How that's reaping a benefit from steroid use in 2011, I'm unsure.

Also, the idea that women benefit more from PEDs...I don't see any science behind that. Not for use after adolescence anyways.

Duke4life831 wrote:This looks like 2 completely different people. Im with you, its hard to watch Cyborg in the UFC. Her body has changed so drastically from steroids and testosterone its almost just not fair anymore. It would be sweet to see Holms knock her out though.

The arms are explained by flexing, look at Holm at the weigh-in her arms go through a similar transformation just by flexing. The rest is comparing a younger woman with heavy makeup in a publicity photo to a bit older woman after a weight cut.

I'm putting my money on Holly Holm, you guys need to follow my lead ( don't really lol) and make some quick cash! Just over 3 to 1 odds where i am.

Rogan and Cruz seem to always have this awkward back and forth. There just seems to be tension between the two. It's a much more natural back and forth when it's Rogan/Daniel/Anik

Roundtree is such a weird dude. Interested in seeing him fight though.

Duke4life831 wrote:Rogan and Cruz seem to always have this awkward back and forth. There just seems to be tension between the two. It's a much more natural back and forth when it's Rogan/Daniel/Anik

lol, these two are like oil and water. DC is such a good partner but Dom just doesn't let things go and Joe is a know it all.

Condit in Round 2