Official MMA discussion thread pt 3 UFC 318: Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway BMF fight, all strikers card

[HarthorneWingo]

Justin Gaethje is a freak of nature. I believe that he has very high bone density. I think he’s even spoken about that. His head is made of stone, lol.

So who does Gaethje fight next?

Personally, I'd like to see him against Tsarukyan. Ilia vs Islam; Justin vs Arman (determines the next contender); Oliveira vs Max 2 (lines up the winner to be in the next contention-deciding fight, and also gives the fans an amazing fight).

Bahamondes from last night should fight Pimblett. That would be all sorts of fun.

arman vs justin sounds like it has the potential to be a great fight and possibly an upset. right now the allegations against justin is that he has no ground game but that's because of the aftermath of the khabib fight who makes everyone look like they have no ground game. is justin can keep the fight standing watch out..

I like those fights. But what about the Heavyweight Division? Is Jones going to pussy out against Aspinal? Is Dana going to strip him?

Also, can we finally say that Conor's MMA fighting days are over?

[Guano]

1,5 for Pereira; 2,4 for Ankalaev; 3 was a toss-up. That fight sucked. Pereira saw the takedown attempt to end the first round and completely shelled up until the fifth, where he landed the head kick which is enough to win a round where neither guy lands anything else consequential.

I really think they need to start punishing failed takedown attempts on the scorecards. It makes for boring fights when guys can wall stall through entire rounds, and 0-12 takedown attempts is just ugly in a close fight. Ank did enough to win, but I hate seeing the title go to a performance like that.

Alex should be kicking himself for that performance too. He feared the level change too much to let his hands go, and those calf kicks don't hit the same when he's on his backfoot. Jan Blachowicz was more effective against Ank with leg kicks...and everywhere else really. I edged Jan over Ank when they fought.

i agree that something should be done about stalling - be it against the cage, laying in guard, or keeping your knee down to avoid getting blasted. i like how in pride(?) they gave yellow cards for inactivity that cut into purses.(sports really does bring out the worst in me - trying to steal money from the working class. the hypocrisy of me judging others for being a shtbag at work )

as for the fight, I think a lot of the rounds were close, but I'm a big proponent of who won a dominate round. In that 2nd round ank won the fight. he had pereira rocked. i think that score cards should reflect that sht. no round that pereira might have won compared to that round. i know that a fight isn't scored like that but it should be. in all it was a frustrating fight to watch. pereira respected ank's wrestling way too much. with that said ank didn't respect pereira's striking game that much and kept his foot on the gas which was pretty f'ing impressive.

also gaethje is everything that is beautiful about mma. nothing but love for him. never been in a bad fight.

[j4remi]

1,5 for Pereira; 2,4 for Ankalaev; 3 was a toss-up. That fight sucked. Pereira saw the takedown attempt to end the first round and completely shelled up until the fifth, where he landed the head kick which is enough to win a round where neither guy lands anything else consequential.

I really think they need to start punishing failed takedown attempts on the scorecards. It makes for boring fights when guys can wall stall through entire rounds, and 0-12 takedown attempts is just ugly in a close fight. Ank did enough to win, but I hate seeing the title go to a performance like that.

Alex should be kicking himself for that performance too. He feared the level change too much to let his hands go, and those calf kicks don't hit the same when he's on his backfoot. Jan Blachowicz was more effective against Ank with leg kicks...and everywhere else really. I edged Jan over Ank when they fought.

i agree that something should be done about stalling - be it against the cage, laying in guard, or keeping your knee down to avoid getting blasted. i like how in pride(?) they gave yellow cards for inactivity that cut into purses.(sports really does bring out the worst in me - trying to steal money from the working class. the hypocrisy of me judging others for being a shtbag at work )

as for the fight, I think a lot of the rounds were close, but I'm a big proponent of who won a dominate round. In that 2nd round ank won the fight. he had pereira rocked. i think that score cards should reflect that sht. no round that pereira might have won compared to that round. i know that a fight isn't scored like that but it should be. in all it was a frustrating fight to watch. pereira respected ank's wrestling way too much. with that said ank didn't respect pereira's striking game that much and kept his foot on the gas which was pretty f'ing impressive.

also gaethje is everything that is beautiful about mma. nothing but love for him. never been in a bad fight.

Yeah, PRIDE had my favorite rule-set of any organization! Soccer kicks and knees to grounded opponents, punishments for stalling, and the madness of trying to keep guys from falling out of the ring or through the ropes ...Plus the No-Weight Class Grand Prix and same-night tournaments are a throwback to a bygone era of greatness.

I agree with you about scoring needing to be changed. One FC doesn't do judging on a round-by-round basis. They judge the fight in its entirety and takedowns are low on the totem pole of deciding factors. It goes; Near-Finish over everything, then Damage, then Combinations and Ring Generalship; THEN takedowns; and finally aggression as the last option if all else fails.

Ank fought incredibly disciplined. He waded forward with a crap load of level-change feints but never reached. Alex usually gets guys to reach and punishes that, but he just kept waiting and Ank never gave him anything. That's an excellent performance from a guy who I think loses to Jiri, Jan, and maybe even Rountree...hell, I'd probably pick Rakic in a rematch too. But I'm just not a fan of Ankalaev.

We're closing in on Gaethje and Poirier retiring and it will be some of the saddest times. Those guys are throwbacks and we're running out of their mentality in this sport.

[j4remi]

arman vs justin sounds like it has the potential to be a great fight and possibly an upset. right now the allegations against justin is that he has no ground game but that's because of the aftermath of the khabib fight who makes everyone look like they have no ground game. is justin can keep the fight standing watch out..

I like those fights. But what about the Heavyweight Division? Is Jones going to pussy out against Aspinal? Is Dana going to strip him?

Also, can we finally say that Conor's MMA fighting days are over?

The funny thing about Jutsin's grappling being questioned, is his early fights were similar pace but with some wrestling incorporated and he'd slam the hell out of people. I wish he'd incorporated level changes into his game but it's just not his style.

HW should be interesting now. Jones started negotiating an Aspinall fight but it flopped, and the UFC was starting talks for Aspinall vs Gane. Jones seemed to be counting on Pereira in a money fight, though, and that ship just sailed. So, maybe Jones finally fights Aspinall and the HW division can feel less stuck in the mud.

No one expects Conor to fight again at this stage. His case in Ireland, which he lost, has a bunch of gross details that went under the radar in America. He should be blackballed...but I'll settle for never letting him waste time signing a fight contract again. He can do a Paul Bros. fight or some other circus nonsense.

[Guano]

1,5 for Pereira; 2,4 for Ankalaev; 3 was a toss-up. That fight sucked. Pereira saw the takedown attempt to end the first round and completely shelled up until the fifth, where he landed the head kick which is enough to win a round where neither guy lands anything else consequential.

I really think they need to start punishing failed takedown attempts on the scorecards. It makes for boring fights when guys can wall stall through entire rounds, and 0-12 takedown attempts is just ugly in a close fight. Ank did enough to win, but I hate seeing the title go to a performance like that.

Alex should be kicking himself for that performance too. He feared the level change too much to let his hands go, and those calf kicks don't hit the same when he's on his backfoot. Jan Blachowicz was more effective against Ank with leg kicks...and everywhere else really. I edged Jan over Ank when they fought.

i agree that something should be done about stalling - be it against the cage, laying in guard, or keeping your knee down to avoid getting blasted. i like how in pride(?) they gave yellow cards for inactivity that cut into purses.(sports really does bring out the worst in me - trying to steal money from the working class. the hypocrisy of me judging others for being a shtbag at work )

as for the fight, I think a lot of the rounds were close, but I'm a big proponent of who won a dominate round. In that 2nd round ank won the fight. he had pereira rocked. i think that score cards should reflect that sht. no round that pereira might have won compared to that round. i know that a fight isn't scored like that but it should be. in all it was a frustrating fight to watch. pereira respected ank's wrestling way too much. with that said ank didn't respect pereira's striking game that much and kept his foot on the gas which was pretty f'ing impressive.

also gaethje is everything that is beautiful about mma. nothing but love for him. never been in a bad fight.

Yeah, PRIDE had my favorite rule-set of any organization! Soccer kicks and knees to grounded opponents, punishments for stalling, and the madness of trying to keep guys from falling out of the ring or through the ropes ...Plus the No-Weight Class Grand Prix and same-night tournaments are a throwback to a bygone era of greatness.

I agree with you about scoring needing to be changed. One FC doesn't do judging on a round-by-round basis. They judge the fight in its entirety and takedowns are low on the totem pole of deciding factors. It goes; Near-Finish over everything, then Damage, then Combinations and Ring Generalship; THEN takedowns; and finally aggression as the last option if all else fails.

Ank fought incredibly disciplined. He waded forward with a crap load of level-change feints but never reached. Alex usually gets guys to reach and punishes that, but he just kept waiting and Ank never gave him anything. That's an excellent performance from a guy who I think loses to Jiri, Jan, and maybe even Rountree...hell, I'd probably pick Rakic in a rematch too. But I'm just not a fan of Ankalaev.

We're closing in on Gaethje and Poirier retiring and it will be some of the saddest times. Those guys are throwbacks and we're running out of their mentality in this sport.

ank is kinda the perfect champ for this era of ufc. they think brand is bigger than the fighters and he is a perfect champ to promote this line of bullchit. and i agree with you - good on him for having a great game plan and catching pereira on an off night. any of the guys you mentioned can and will beat him.

pride was so much fun. so many great fights. also a "fun'' aspect of pride is they didn't drug test so you they were at the peak. just the absolute pinnacle of fighting entertainment.

the scoring system sucks and they need to revamp it.

gaethje and poierier are everything i love about this sport. i'd throw max into that mix too. fighters through and through. never going to get a boring fight with these guys.

[HarthorneWingo]

arman vs justin sounds like it has the potential to be a great fight and possibly an upset. right now the allegations against justin is that he has no ground game but that's because of the aftermath of the khabib fight who makes everyone look like they have no ground game. is justin can keep the fight standing watch out..

I like those fights. But what about the Heavyweight Division? Is Jones going to pussy out against Aspinal? Is Dana going to strip him?

Also, can we finally say that Conor's MMA fighting days are over?

The funny thing about Jutsin's grappling being questioned, is his early fights were similar pace but with some wrestling incorporated and he'd slam the hell out of people. I wish he'd incorporated level changes into his game but it's just not his style.

HW should be interesting now. Jones started negotiating an Aspinall fight but it flopped, and the UFC was starting talks for Aspinall vs Gane. Jones seemed to be counting on Pereira in a money fight, though, and that ship just sailed. So, maybe Jones finally fights Aspinall and the HW division can feel less stuck in the mud.

No one expects Conor to fight again at this stage. His case in Ireland, which he lost, has a bunch of gross details that went under the radar in America. He should be blackballed...but I'll settle for never letting him waste time signing a fight contract again. He can do a Paul Bros. fight or some other circus nonsense.

Conor is a case study of how money can change and ruin lives. I have a feeling that one day we’ll learn that he died from too much booze and cocaine.

[Jkam31]

This is wild the ufc was really gonna do Alex vs Jones when aspinal is the real champion wtf is wrong with Dana

[Jkam31]

arman vs justin sounds like it has the potential to be a great fight and possibly an upset. right now the allegations against justin is that he has no ground game but that's because of the aftermath of the khabib fight who makes everyone look like they have no ground game. is justin can keep the fight standing watch out..

I like those fights. But what about the Heavyweight Division? Is Jones going to pussy out against Aspinal? Is Dana going to strip him?

Also, can we finally say that Conor's MMA fighting days are over?

The funny thing about Jutsin's grappling being questioned, is his early fights were similar pace but with some wrestling incorporated and he'd slam the hell out of people. I wish he'd incorporated level changes into his game but it's just not his style.

HW should be interesting now. Jones started negotiating an Aspinall fight but it flopped, and the UFC was starting talks for Aspinall vs Gane. Jones seemed to be counting on Pereira in a money fight, though, and that ship just sailed. So, maybe Jones finally fights Aspinall and the HW division can feel less stuck in the mud.

No one expects Conor to fight again at this stage. His case in Ireland, which he lost, has a bunch of gross details that went under the radar in America. He should be blackballed...but I'll settle for never letting him waste time signing a fight contract again. He can do a Paul Bros. fight or some other circus nonsense.

Why are they trying to shove sorry ass Gane down our throats the fans see through it and have turned on him especially after they gave him the last fight when he clearly lost.

Illia has said we won’t believe his next fight with that said people are speculating Conor which I agree. A fight vs Islam/Poerier/Olivera isn’t something we couldn’t see coming and Conor would wanna fight someone who doesn’t wrestle

[j4remi]

Why are they trying to shove sorry ass Gane down our throats the fans see through it and have turned on him especially after they gave him the last fight when he clearly lost.

Illia has said we won’t believe his next fight with that said people are speculating Conor which I agree. A fight vs Islam/Poerier/Olivera isn’t something we couldn’t see coming and Conor would wanna fight someone who doesn’t wrestle

I can't figure it out with Gane. The only two things I can think are:
1. He's the biggest name they have out of France, which has a healthy combat sports culture to tap into.

2. It's just prolonged spite from Dana White. Gane was Dana's pick to be the guy that would outshine Francis Ngannou, so he's determined to make it work. I realize that sounds crazy, but Dana's incredibly petty sometimes and holds long grudges (the Ariel Helwani beef is a hilarious example).

I got the sense from some recent comments by White that he's done trying to make a Conor fight. It's definitely the biggest thing they could do for Ilia. The only thing more surprising would be if they booked a Topuria boxing match under their new TKO brand.

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[Jkam31]

Why are they trying to shove sorry ass Gane down our throats the fans see through it and have turned on him especially after they gave him the last fight when he clearly lost.

Illia has said we won’t believe his next fight with that said people are speculating Conor which I agree. A fight vs Islam/Poerier/Olivera isn’t something we couldn’t see coming and Conor would wanna fight someone who doesn’t wrestle

I can't figure it out with Gane. The only two things I can think are:
1. He's the biggest name they have out of France, which has a healthy combat sports culture to tap into.

2. It's just prolonged spite from Dana White. Gane was Dana's pick to be the guy that would outshine Francis Ngannou, so he's determined to make it work. I realize that sounds crazy, but Dana's incredibly petty sometimes and holds long grudges (the Ariel Helwani beef is a hilarious example).

I got the sense from some recent comments by White that he's done trying to make a Conor fight. It's definitely the biggest thing they could do for Ilia. The only thing more surprising would be if they booked a Topuria boxing match under their new TKO brand.

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Dana said they’re won’t be any ufc fights boxing and rightfully so I’m pretty sure Dana would want Conor be Illia cause Illia will KO him in the first and make him even a bigger star.

Gane is a clown and thinks every fight he’s in should be a championship fight it’s ridiculous that and ommalu getting another title shot the ufc is out of touch. O’Malley loses fans by the second the way they give him privilege

[j4remi]

We've got some interesting scraps this weekend, which is nice because last week's card sucked so bad that I didn't bother mentioning it. This week there's a former champ in the main event, a former champ in the co-main, and an undercard of scrappers with some promising prospects mixed in. It starts at 4 PM (1 PM for prelims), because it's overseas.

Leon Edwards vs Sean Brady is basically instantly launching one guy onto the shortlist for a title match. Brady has one loss, it's to Belal, and Brady beat the hell outta Belal to start that fight. He gassed out, but I'm fairly confident he'd win a rematch. Everyone knows Edwards, who also lost to Belal but got completely blanked.

And this follows the same pattern as always with Edwards. Can the fighter take him down and keep him there? If yes, then they're in good shape. Brady has really good wrestling, but his gas tank is still unproven after what happened with Belal. I'm not confident making a pick, though I'd prefer a Sean Brady victory...let the division's younger guys start moving up.

Jan Blachowicz vs Carlos Ulberg is the same deal, winner has a case for a title shot. Jan lost a close split-decision to Michael Pereira before getting injured and vanishing for a while. Prior to that he fought Ankalaev to a draw. So if he's healthy again, he's competitive with the best guys in the division.

I'll be honest about Ulberg. I've never been impressed with him, I think his schedule has been super light, and I do not understand the hype. But people really like him and if Jan's not 100%, it's a dangerous fight. I think Jan kicks his leg off tbh.

Gunnar Nelson vs Kevin Holland is weird because Gunnar's great at submissions but mediocre at takedowns and striking. You know Holland. I know Holland. Will he prevent the takedown and take Gunnar's head off? Will he bother with takedown defense at all or just let Gunnar hang on to him for an ugly grindy fight? I don't even think Holland's sure yet, but it's up to him.

Molly Mccann vs Alexia Thainara is one I can't speak on. I've never seen Thainara fight since she's coming straight from the Contenders show. But most of Thainara's wins are by sub, and Meatball Molly is susceptible to takedowns and submissions. I just never trust a Contenders fighter in their debut.

Jordan Vucenic vs Chris Duncan should be a SCRAP. Both dudes are well-rounded with some impressive victories so far. Vucenic lost against Guram Kuteladze, but I remember being worried that he'd blow up my parlay. That's a quality performance.

Duncan has a 3-1 record, and fights at a kill or be killed kinda of pace. I like Vucenic to catch him, but it'll be a fun fight regardless.

Nathaniel Wood vs Morgan Charriere is another guaranteed SCRAP. Wood's not the best, but he's decent everywhere and tough as all hell. Charriere...same, but leans more into a power style. So it's tough all-arounder vs KO chaser. It's a toss-up for me, though I always pull for Wood.

Jai Herbert vs Chris Padilla should be another scrap. Padilla has HEAVY hands and Herbert loses to upper-tier guys but will test anyone. Herbert hurt Ilia Topuria worse than anyone I've seen (head kick). I think this is supposed to be a showout for Padilla, but I'm not touching it. I just mention it because I expect a finish.

[j4remi]

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Kyoji has lost a step, but he'd still be one of the best 125'ers in the UFC and a genuine threat to everybody. Horiguchi vs Pantoja would be a FOTY candidate...and I'd be really curious about Horiguchi vs Merab too.

[HarthorneWingo]

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Kyoji has lost a step, but he'd still be one of the best 125'ers in the UFC and a genuine threat to everybody. Horiguchi vs Pantoja would be a FOTY candidate...and I'd be really curious about Horiguchi vs Merab too.

Your boy!

Finally!

[HarthorneWingo]

We've got some interesting scraps this weekend, which is nice because last week's card sucked so bad that I didn't bother mentioning it. This week there's a former champ in the main event, a former champ in the co-main, and an undercard of scrappers with some promising prospects mixed in. It starts at 4 PM (1 PM for prelims), because it's overseas.

Leon Edwards vs Sean Brady is basically instantly launching one guy onto the shortlist for a title match. Brady has one loss, it's to Belal, and Brady beat the hell outta Belal to start that fight. He gassed out, but I'm fairly confident he'd win a rematch. Everyone knows Edwards, who also lost to Belal but got completely blanked.

And this follows the same pattern as always with Edwards. Can the fighter take him down and keep him there? If yes, then they're in good shape. Brady has really good wrestling, but his gas tank is still unproven after what happened with Belal. I'm not confident making a pick, though I'd prefer a Sean Brady victory...let the division's younger guys start moving up.

Jan Blachowicz vs Carlos Ulberg is the same deal, winner has a case for a title shot. Jan lost a close split-decision to Michael Pereira before getting injured and vanishing for a while. Prior to that he fought Ankalaev to a draw. So if he's healthy again, he's competitive with the best guys in the division.

I'll be honest about Ulberg. I've never been impressed with him, I think his schedule has been super light, and I do not understand the hype. But people really like him and if Jan's not 100%, it's a dangerous fight. I think Jan kicks his leg off tbh.

Gunnar Nelson vs Kevin Holland is weird because Gunnar's great at submissions but mediocre at takedowns and striking. You know Holland. I know Holland. Will he prevent the takedown and take Gunnar's head off? Will he bother with takedown defense at all or just let Gunnar hang on to him for an ugly grindy fight? I don't even think Holland's sure yet, but it's up to him.

Molly Mccann vs Alexia Thainara is one I can't speak on. I've never seen Thainara fight since she's coming straight from the Contenders show. But most of Thainara's wins are by sub, and Meatball Molly is susceptible to takedowns and submissions. I just never trust a Contenders fighter in their debut.

Jordan Vucenic vs Chris Duncan should be a SCRAP. Both dudes are well-rounded with some impressive victories so far. Vucenic lost against Guram Kuteladze, but I remember being worried that he'd blow up my parlay. That's a quality performance.

Duncan has a 3-1 record, and fights at a kill or be killed kinda of pace. I like Vucenic to catch him, but it'll be a fun fight regardless.

Nathaniel Wood vs Morgan Charriere is another guaranteed SCRAP. Wood's not the best, but he's decent everywhere and tough as all hell. Charriere...same, but leans more into a power style. So it's tough all-arounder vs KO chaser. It's a toss-up for me, though I always pull for Wood.

Jai Herbert vs Chris Padilla should be another scrap. Padilla has HEAVY hands and Herbert loses to upper-tier guys but will test anyone. Herbert hurt Ilia Topuria worse than anyone I've seen (head kick). I think this is supposed to be a showout for Padilla, but I'm not touching it. I just mention it because I expect a finish.

Damn, missed card. I’ll check it out on YouTube … like I do every fight card.

[j4remi]

Damn, missed card. I’ll check it out on YouTube … like I do every fight card.

Save yourself some time, it was a really weak card . Jan and Ulberg feared each others' power; Gunnar vs Holland was boring; and the undercard either finished fast or with limited action.

The only thing worth watching is Sean Brady vs Leon Edwards, since Brady's performance was really impressive. But even that one's pretty weak from an entertainment standpoint.

Your boy!

Finally!

The prodigal son returns! Finally! I'll never get my dream rematch between Guch and Mighty Mouse; but there's still time for him to fight Moreno and Pantoja

[Ghetto Gospel]

was kind of hoping this was an april fools joke but it's not. expecting 2 lop sided victories for the main and co-main..

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[Guano]

was kind of hoping this was an april fools joke but it's not. expecting 2 lop sided victories for the main and co-main..

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Why are they running back that championship fight. It wasn't close at all.

[Ghetto Gospel]

was kind of hoping this was an april fools joke but it's not. expecting 2 lop sided victories for the main and co-main..

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Why are they running back that championship fight. It wasn't close at all.

i'd guess they're just trying to give the exciting fighters more opportunities to become champ. they're prob not happy with merab and living on a punchers chance here

[j4remi]

was kind of hoping this was an april fools joke but it's not. expecting 2 lop sided victories for the main and co-main..

Read on Twitter

Why are they running back that championship fight. It wasn't close at all.

i'd guess they're just trying to give the exciting fighters more opportunities to become champ. they're prob not happy with merab and living on a punchers chance here

It could be a serious misstep. If Suga loses (the most likely scenario), he'll be in no-man's land in that division. The sad part is that a Petr Yan rematch was RIGHT THERE for them. Yan beat Figueiredo and Song Yadong since his loss to Merab and has the grappling acumen to make a rematch intriguing.

The card today is super mid. But it does have Lerone Murphy vs Josh Emmett...Murphy's a really good prospect but with flaws, and Emmett has touch of death power. So, it could be fun. Other than that, the card kinda sucks. My girl Loma Lookboonmee should put on a striking clinic again, though. She's fun.

[HarthorneWingo]

Lerone Murphy was a major disappointment