OT: Official MMA discussion thread pt 3 UFC 319: DDP vs Chimaev, Aaron Pico vs Lerone Murphy

[HarthorneWingo]

I get what you’re saying. But Usman seems to be getting old and more of a gatekeeper at this point.

He is, but his name still carries weight. If his fight with Khamzat was 5 rounds, he probably woulda won. So, he still might have gas in the tank.

i'd put him on washed watch at this point... the khamzat fight was over a year ago, and by the time he gets back in the octagon, it'd be about a year and a half at the earliest. the name is kind of fading fast too at this point

I thought I heard something about his knees being really bad, i.e. he has trouble walking.

[j4remi]

He is, but his name still carries weight. If his fight with Khamzat was 5 rounds, he probably woulda won. So, he still might have gas in the tank.

i'd put him on washed watch at this point... the khamzat fight was over a year ago, and by the time he gets back in the octagon, it'd be about a year and a half at the earliest. the name is kind of fading fast too at this point

I thought I heard something about his knees being really bad, i.e. he has trouble walking.

His knees have been cooked since before he lost the belt. It's only getting worse with age. I think everyone's expecting him to be cooked, which is probably why he's refused a bunch of opponents. He'll probably wait for a big money fight or an opportunity to make one last push...and I think it'll be at 185 since he won't have to cut weight (and looked impressive against Khamzat).

But I don't think we'll stop seeing him called out by 170'ers until at least one more loss. His name value >>> his risk compared to all the other options.

[HarthorneWingo]

I want to see Dana get beat up.

[j4remi]

No more UFC this year...but Karate Combat is running

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[Ghetto Gospel]

just reviving this because there are some big fights soon

also looks like the bellator brand is officially gone

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[HarthorneWingo]

Don’t we have 311 this weekend?

[j4remi]

Don’t we have 311 this weekend?

We do! I been sick as a dog, so I haven't gotten time to update the thread. But this weekend is finally the first banger of the year. Islam vs Arman 2 (first one was AWESOME); Merab vs Umar (best wrestlers in the division match-up); Jiri vs Hill (best orthodoxed boxer in LHW vs the most unorthodox striker); and Dariush vs Moicano (great grapplers who like to strike).

Then on the prospect tip. Peyton Talbott and Jailton Almeida are two of the best prospects in their divisions and they're at the top of the prelims against top notch competition.

[HarthorneWingo]

Don’t we have 311 this weekend?

We do! I been sick as a dog, so I haven't gotten time to update the thread. But this weekend is finally the first banger of the year. Islam vs Arman 2 (first one was AWESOME); Merab vs Umar (best wrestlers in the division match-up); Jiri vs Hill (best orthodoxed boxer in LHW vs the most unorthodox striker); and Dariush vs Moicano (great grapplers who like to strike).

Then on the prospect tip. Peyton Talbott and Jailton Almeida are two of the best prospects in their divisions and they're at the top of the prelims against top notch competition.

Haven’t seen you around lately but thought that you’ve been tied up with holiday parties with KnicksFanTV and the NBA elite.

[HarthorneWingo]

We’re boycotting Frontier Airlines for kicking Khabib off the flight, right?

Watch on YouTube

[j4remi]

Haven’t seen you around lately but thought that you’ve been tied up with holiday parties with KnicksFanTV and the NBA elite.

Yeah, getting the KFTV recaps out first thing in the morning keeps me from posting as much since I'm an after-work guy usually. Add in that the UFC didn't have any events for a long run, and kicked off January with a snoozer, and I let the MMA thread slide for a bit, but we've got some good stuff coming up if the rumors come true.
Leon vs JDM; Gaethje vs Hooker; and rumors about Periera vs Volkov...good stuff!

We’re boycotting Frontier Airlines for kicking Khabib off the flight, right?

Watch on YouTube

I was already a Frontier Airlines hater BEFORE they acted foolish with Khabib . The funny thing is that even before Khabib gave his side of the story, people were meme'ing about his innocence, because he's not that kinda guy. Or at least, we've never seen him act like an a-hole unnecessarily.

[HarthorneWingo]

Haven’t seen you around lately but thought that you’ve been tied up with holiday parties with KnicksFanTV and the NBA elite.

Yeah, getting the KFTV recaps out first thing in the morning keeps me from posting as much since I'm an after-work guy usually. Add in that the UFC didn't have any events for a long run, and kicked off January with a snoozer, and I let the MMA thread slide for a bit, but we've got some good stuff coming up if the rumors come true.
Leon vs JDM; Gaethje vs Hooker; and rumors about Periera vs Volkov...good stuff!

We’re boycotting Frontier Airlines for kicking Khabib off the flight, right?

Watch on YouTube

I was already a Frontier Airlines hater BEFORE they acted foolish with Khabib . The funny thing is that even before Khabib gave his side of the story, people were meme'ing about his innocence, because he's not that kinda guy. Or at least, we've never seen him act like an a-hole unnecessarily.

I would've loved it if the plane was then hijacked after they kicked Khabib off it. That would've been some good Karma.

[HEZI]

Arman’s “secret technique”

[j4remi]

Arman’s “secret technique”

After screaming from the mountain tops that Arman was Islam's biggest threat for years, I couldn't be more pissed off.

Moicano is interesting in that his BJJ is absolutely elite. So Islam might want to avoid the grappling exchanges until he lands some leather like he did with Oliveira. But I don't think Moicano's striking or chin can avoid Islam. So this is a disappointment.

I hope Umar beats Merab. I got Jiri over Hill. Jailton damn well better handle Spivak or he's not the HW we thought he would be. Holland vs De Ridder...fun fight, Holland should win but he slips up and underperforms once every three fights (my theory being that he fights too often and runs out of steam).

But here's the thing...We're a miraculous submission away from the greatest post-fight interview in UFC history:

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Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[HEZI]

Arman’s “secret technique”

After screaming from the mountain tops that Arman was Islam's biggest threat for years, I couldn't be more pissed off.

Moicano is interesting in that his BJJ is absolutely elite. So Islam might want to avoid the grappling exchanges until he lands some leather like he did with Oliveira. But I don't think Moicano's striking or chin can avoid Islam. So this is a disappointment.

I hope Umar beats Merab. I got Jiri over Hill. Jailton damn well better handle Spivak or he's not the HW we thought he would be. Holland vs De Ridder...fun fight, Holland should win but he slips up and underperforms once every three fights (my theory being that he fights too often and runs out of steam).

But here's the thing...We're a miraculous submission away from the greatest post-fight interview in UFC history:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

I wonder if this keeps Islam in the division longer because he was looking forward to closing the book on Arman and then moving to the Welterweight division. Now this might keep him in the division a little longer until another possible rematch or does he just move on.

I might be underestimating Moicano but I think he likely gets dominated in the standup and on the ground. Very short notice and he’s not even a striker so I don’t think he has a chance.

[j4remi]

I wonder if this keeps Islam in the division longer because he was looking forward to closing the book on Arman and then moving to the Welterweight division. Now this might keep him in the division a little longer until another possible rematch or does he just move on.

I might be underestimating Moicano but I think he likely gets dominated in the standup and on the ground. Very short notice and he’s not even a striker so I don’t think he has a chance.

I'd guess Islam just chases a money fight. I wouldn't be surprised if he waited on a move to Welterweight to see if Shavkhat wins...because Islam doesn't really want that smoke, and Khabib ought to know better. A moneyfight against Topuria would give him a smaller opponent although there are some threats involved.

I think Moicano's a live threat on the ground. He's had a black belt from team Constrictor for more than 10 years. Islam might have a strength advantage to offset it, but I wouldn't bet on it. The gap on the feet is where it's bad, though. Islam's much faster and Moicano's chinny with poor defense. Moicano's gotten past the poor defense by incorporating some wrestling but that's a non-factor against Islam.

[HarthorneWingo]

Arman’s “secret technique”

After screaming from the mountain tops that Arman was Islam's biggest threat for years, I couldn't be more pissed off.

Moicano is interesting in that his BJJ is absolutely elite. So Islam might want to avoid the grappling exchanges until he lands some leather like he did with Oliveira. But I don't think Moicano's striking or chin can avoid Islam. So this is a disappointment.

I hope Umar beats Merab. I got Jiri over Hill. Jailton damn well better handle Spivak or he's not the HW we thought he would be. Holland vs De Ridder...fun fight, Holland should win but he slips up and underperforms once every three fights (my theory being that he fights too often and runs out of steam).

But here's the thing...We're a miraculous submission away from the greatest post-fight interview in UFC history:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

I love this guy already and I have never even watched him fight.

[HEZI]

I wonder if this keeps Islam in the division longer because he was looking forward to closing the book on Arman and then moving to the Welterweight division. Now this might keep him in the division a little longer until another possible rematch or does he just move on.

I might be underestimating Moicano but I think he likely gets dominated in the standup and on the ground. Very short notice and he’s not even a striker so I don’t think he has a chance.

I'd guess Islam just chases a money fight. I wouldn't be surprised if he waited on a move to Welterweight to see if Shavkhat wins...because Islam doesn't really want that smoke, and Khabib ought to know better. A moneyfight against Topuria would give him a smaller opponent although there are some threats involved.

I think Moicano's a live threat on the ground. He's had a black belt from team Constrictor for more than 10 years. Islam might have a strength advantage to offset it, but I wouldn't bet on it. The gap on the feet is where it's bad, though. Islam's much faster and Moicano's chinny with poor defense. Moicano's gotten past the poor defense by incorporating some wrestling but that's a non-factor against Islam.

Islam vs Shavkhat would be the money fight but there is still a road to get there. Does Shavkhat get the title shot vs Bilal or does he go against Kamaru for the No. contender match? Will see how that plays out.

As far as Islam goes, he looks bored so I don’t really see anything left for him to do in the lightweight division. Like I said the only thing that might still keep him there is Arman but we don’t know how long he will be out for.

I’m still interested in the Moicano matchup even though it’s nowhere close to the intrigue level of the Arman rematch

[j4remi]

I love this guy already and I have never even watched him fight.

He's a legitimate top-10 LW but probably outmatched around the top five. He had losses at 145, but the only fighter to legitimately beat him at 155 is Rafael Fiziev (a beast in his own right)...he lost to RDA too, but that was at 160.

[Ghetto Gospel]

I wonder if this keeps Islam in the division longer because he was looking forward to closing the book on Arman and then moving to the Welterweight division. Now this might keep him in the division a little longer until another possible rematch or does he just move on.

I might be underestimating Moicano but I think he likely gets dominated in the standup and on the ground. Very short notice and he’s not even a striker so I don’t think he has a chance.

I'd guess Islam just chases a money fight. I wouldn't be surprised if he waited on a move to Welterweight to see if Shavkhat wins...because Islam doesn't really want that smoke, and Khabib ought to know better. A moneyfight against Topuria would give him a smaller opponent although there are some threats involved.

I think Moicano's a live threat on the ground. He's had a black belt from team Constrictor for more than 10 years. Islam might have a strength advantage to offset it, but I wouldn't bet on it. The gap on the feet is where it's bad, though. Islam's much faster and Moicano's chinny with poor defense. Moicano's gotten past the poor defense by incorporating some wrestling but that's a non-factor against Islam.

every interview i've heard from DC and islam, they mention that it's islams dream to be double champ. he's 33 now so i'd guess he's looking to move up soon (either this year or early next year) before he ages out of his prime.

it also doesn't seem right for islam to have to face another 145 in topuria before he gets his own chance at 170. i get that the featherweight division isn't that interesting for topuria but he should at least go through diego lopes if he beats yair and then movsvar evloev after.

[Clyde_Style]

I want to see Dana get beat up.

I'll settle for him and Zuckerberg and Cheeto Douche super-glued into a permanent menage a trois human centipede