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

[HarthorneWingo]

Why can't you watch the video? It goes into a lot of things you're discussing. Luke slow motions parts of the fight - frame by frame - in order to see what's going on. I think you'd really like it.

Yeah, I agree that the strategy was worse than bad. It seems like, by now, we know that backing up against the cage is not a good strategy. So maybe Tony does stand a chance.

Thanks for engaging.

I only mean as of posting, my bad for lack of clarity there. I love Luke's breakdowns, so I'm definitely gonna dive in on it when I'm home with time to fully digest and take notes.

On a side note about these guys all backing up to the cage, I think it's a trip to see. Chuck Liddell was my favorite fighter during his era and the wall walk was basically his answer to wrestlers and a lot of dudes built strategies to defend wrestlers that way. But this new generation is loaded with wrestlers who use the cage to limit defense instead and most guys are still habitually trying to use the cage to stand. Usman, Khabib and Colby all have belts (one interim to be fair) off using the cage to their advantage and they've beaten elite guys that just didn't have an answer for it. I'm dying for Islam to have to fight Ryan Hall so I can get a look at that style vs someone who actively looks to fight on the mat in open space (and also I'm just curious about leg locks against these guys since that became the wave in the BJJ world for a minute).

Thanks for the history on that. Liddel's strategy seems counterintuitive (at least from what I've learned watching these fights) because if you're a striker backed up against the cage, you're at a disadvantage because the cage limits your mechanics. At least that's what I recall hearing from the announcers during these fights.

[j4remi]

Thanks for the history on that. Liddel's strategy seems counterintuitive (at least from what I've learned watching these fights) because if you're a striker backed up against the cage, you're at a disadvantage because the cage limits your mechanics. At least that's what I recall hearing from the announcers during these fights.

You're 100% right fam. Since you can't back away when you hit the cage, you have to move laterally or clinch. There's not much space to get torque behind your strikes and you're susceptible to a takedown. Some heads (Woodley) would use the cage to time counters but that's not all that common. Liddell though...Liddell had power in both hands going backwards and a great chin, so he'd often back up and let dudes walk onto his counter punches or pivot out and trap them on the fence. Then, like I mentioned, if he did get taken down he would just use the fence for leverage along with an underhook and pop back up. I think this highlight reel shows Liddell's cage work a good deal. Check out how many of the KO's come while he backed up between the fence and the black line. It's pretty crazy. This was my GUY too. He stuck around too long and it takes away from his legacy, but prime Liddell belongs on the All time great short list in my book.

Watch on YouTube

[HarthorneWingo]

Thanks for the history on that. Liddel's strategy seems counterintuitive (at least from what I've learned watching these fights) because if you're a striker backed up against the cage, you're at a disadvantage because the cage limits your mechanics. At least that's what I recall hearing from the announcers during these fights.

You're 100% right fam. Since you can't back away when you hit the cage, you have to move laterally or clinch. There's not much space to get torque behind your strikes and you're susceptible to a takedown. Some heads (Woodley) would use the cage to time counters but that's not all that common. Liddell though...Liddell had power in both hands going backwards and a great chin, so he'd often back up and let dudes walk onto his counter punches or pivot out and trap them on the fence. Then, like I mentioned, if he did get taken down he would just use the fence for leverage along with an underhook and pop back up. I think this highlight reel shows Liddell's cage work a good deal. Check out how many of the KO's come while he backed up between the fence and the black line. It's pretty crazy. This was my GUY too. He stuck around too long and it takes away from his legacy, but prime Liddell belongs on the All time great short list in my book.

Watch on YouTube

Thanks, I'm gonna check that out because I love watching Liddel KOs. I see what you mean about Woodley too though that didn't work out too well against Usman. (Was Woodley injured for that fight?)

You working on tomorrow night's Fight Night preview?

[j4remi]

Thanks, I'm gonna check that out because I love watching Liddel KOs. I see what you mean about Woodley too though that didn't work out too well against Usman. (Was Woodley injured for that fight?)

You working on tomorrow night's Fight Night preview?

I put priorities on a Dem Debate power rankings and recap for another board so I'm a lil behind but looking at the card, there's some guys I really wanna punch in some words about...michel pereira is out of his mind, wildly entertaining and I need to talk about. I'm keeping it light tonight so after work I def wanna preview some of these fights for yall. Cerrone/Gaethje is amazing on it's own (tugs at my heart strings because I love 'em both).

[HarthorneWingo]

Thanks, I'm gonna check that out because I love watching Liddel KOs. I see what you mean about Woodley too though that didn't work out too well against Usman. (Was Woodley injured for that fight?)

You working on tomorrow night's Fight Night preview?

I put priorities on a Dem Debate power rankings and recap for another board so I'm a lil behind but looking at the card, there's some guys I really wanna punch in some words about...michel pereira is out of his mind, wildly entertaining and I need to talk about. I'm keeping it light tonight so after work I def wanna preview some of these fights for yall. Cerrone/Gaethje is amazing on it's own (tugs at my heart strings because I love 'em both).

Rem, I had no idea? On the Currant Affairs forum (where I'm banned for life? )?

[HarthorneWingo]

Justin Goethe with the shamma-lamma-ding-dong in the first round. Again.

[Buttah304]

Justin Goethe with the shamma-lamma-ding-dong in the first round. Again.

Does Justin have the heaviest hands in the division?

[j4remi]

Rem, I had no idea? On the Currant Affairs forum (where I'm banned for life? )?

I actually post politics over at the Higher Learning forum on TheColi because I like being able to flame bad faith actors and dog whistlers without my moderator status being an issue

I wound up with no time to preview the card which is too bad because it wound up being pretty damned entertaining. The Cowboy/Gaethje hype bit wound up being the real disappointment though. Cowboy's never handled pressure all that well and Gaethje has really taken another step toward being more tactful. The way he dropped back and caught Cerrone reaching was beautiful. With a dude like the Highlight, being mindful while countering is gonna be scary. Because he's not afraid to get hit and has spent his career shielding the main KO trigger points, so his instincts are solid as is. Now if he can make guys chase a little, he'll be the type that can easily pivot inside of strikes rather than weave away from them...that means KO's like the Cowboy one. The only downside is we've had three straight Gaethje fights end before he even broke a sweat.

What's fire is that I think the next two LW title fights should be all set. Book Khabib vs Tony and then the winner should fight Gaethje. I don't think there's any reason to have those dudes fight anyone else (GSP can stay home).

Other fights that were really notable.
Glover Texeira and Misha Cirkunov showed how vets can find ways to win even on a decline. Nikita Krylov is the most frustrating LHW of his generation. Dude is super promising, shows flashes of everything but never gets over the hump. Crute is still a prospect but obviously has ground work to learn. Cirkunov's chokes are always so entertaining btw...dude hit a Peruvian Necktie. I actually have to hit up my boy to see if I can run by the gym and have him school me on the ins and outs of it, because I've slept on it but it looks so damned cool and tricky.

I thought Uriah Hall probably lost, but the decision gave put me in the green on my weekly MMA bets. He's talked a good game about being inspired again and the Krylov description above kinda fits him as well. I still would love to see him make a run because it always seemed more mental than talent based with him.

Last, my dawg Michael Pereira was the one I really wanted to talk about prefight because he's so bizarre. Dude uses capoeira, flips around, does spinning stuff and attacks with flying strikes...but he usually KO's opponents quickly because he's so unorthodox. He was bound to run into someone that just avoided the explosive crap and let him gas. That's turned a lot of people against the guy but I'm still a fan. There are certain fighters who you're gonna watch. Pereira and Galore Bofando are the two names that come to mind, they do crazy ish and it's either highlight or hilarity. Both are entertainment. The mma community seemed to turn on Pereira hard off the loss and the way he gassed, but I'm a fan of the crazy that he brings. It spices up undercards and I'd take a dude leaping off the cage into someone's guard over another BJ Penn or Diego Sanchez throwaway any day...I'm tempted to lump in some of the other wastes of roster space where the UFC rushed guys off popularity too, lookin' at Sage and after him Gall. None of 'em is bringing this to the action




And every once in awhile, it somehow works and we get this.

[HarthorneWingo]

Matt Serra says that he thinks there are two fighters who stand the best change of beating Khabib are

1. Brian Ortega

2. Justin Gaethje

[NoStatsGuy]

Pretty sure Tony is the man to beat Khabib. Tony is something else mentally and can beat him in different ways.

with ortega you hope he gets khabib in a guillotine and pray Khabib cant get out, although Ortega's striking is getting better hes not on Barboza, Dustin or even Conor level.

Gaethje has a good shot, i said that a couple pages back. With his style and wrestling background hes one of the best opponents to face khabib. if i had to bet my money on one of these 3 guys, im definately going with tony.

//
Edit

hate to see a main event in Mexico City end like this, was super hyped for Yair vs Stephens. Dude literally couldnt open the eye anymore, hope hes alright.

Moreno vs Askarov was a fun fight tho, **** was WILD

[HarthorneWingo]

Pretty sure Tony is the man to beat Khabib. Tony is something else mentally and can beat him in different ways.

with ortega you hope he gets khabib in a guillotine and pray Khabib cant get out, although Ortega's striking is getting better hes not on Barboza, Dustin or even Conor level.

Gaethje has a good shot, i said that a couple pages back. With his style and wrestling background hes one of the best opponents to face khabib. if i had to bet my money on one of these 3 guys, im definately going with tony.

//
Edit

hate to see a main event in Mexico City end like this, was super hyped for Yair vs Stephens. Dude literally couldnt open the eye anymore, hope hes alright.

Moreno vs Askarov was a fun fight tho, **** was WILD

Ortega has taken a lot of time off to work on his deficiencies, according to him. He said Max taught him a lesson and that he has heeded it. So, we'll see.

Stephen has a deep scratch to the cornea is what I read. It's definitely a legit injury. Stephens spent $30k of his own money to train for this fight. He moved away from his family to move to Mexico so he could get used to the thin air. These fighters go through so much. Did Jeremy and Yair get any money for last night? I don't think they do and that's wrong.

The UFC has to change it's employment dynamic with these fighters. It's just not fair.

[j4remi]

Matt Serra says that he thinks there are two fighters who stand the best change of beating Khabib are

1. Brian Ortega

2. Justin Gaethje

Did Serra say why he'd pick Ortega over Ferguson? I feel like they pose a lot of the same stylistic problems for Khabib (great at snatching chokes when someone shoots and completely unworried about being taken down which makes their striking pressure intense).

Gaethje is definitely interesting, his wrestling pedigree is legit and I always say Khabib needs to beat a true elite American wrestler. The only thing is Gaethje barely uses his wrestling so Idk how sharp it all is (I assume good from what few looks we've gotten of him in scrambles though.

The other name that I think belongs in the conversation and I believe will be by the end of 2020 is Gregor Gillespie. I've been gassing him for a minute now, but dude just needs to be a bit more active and get some bigger names. He's in range of Islam so maybe we get that fight too.

Pretty sure Tony is the man to beat Khabib. Tony is something else mentally and can beat him in different ways.

with ortega you hope he gets khabib in a guillotine and pray Khabib cant get out, although Ortega's striking is getting better hes not on Barboza, Dustin or even Conor level.

Gaethje has a good shot, i said that a couple pages back. With his style and wrestling background hes one of the best opponents to face khabib. if i had to bet my money on one of these 3 guys, im definately going with tony.

//
Edit

hate to see a main event in Mexico City end like this, was super hyped for Yair vs Stephens. Dude literally couldnt open the eye anymore, hope hes alright.

Moreno vs Askarov was a fun fight tho, **** was WILD

I'm with you on Tony over Ortega, though I am really curious about how Ortega will look after getting a big lesson from Max. He seems like the type to adjust and improve so I could see him coming back with visible improvements to his game. Sometimes you don't pick up improvements until you really learn that you can't get away with certain habits like those low hands and overreliance on shoulder rolls.

That Yair/Stephens freak accident was a big disappointment. I was excited to see my girl Angela Hill pick a dub, she's always fun to watch. The Moreno/Askarov fight was great. Moreno is reliable for a frantic pace and Askarov played right into it. Seeing him gut it out past that Dagestani wrestling pressure (I think he shoulda won not gotten a draw) was extra hype for me. I'm not sure if Tim Elliott is still trying to run 125 fights, but Moreno vs Elliott would be clutch. What a bizarre night...I came away more impressed with Grasso in a loss than I did a handful of winners.

[HarthorneWingo]

Matt Serra says that he thinks there are two fighters who stand the best change of beating Khabib are

1. Brian Ortega

2. Justin Gaethje

Did Serra say why he'd pick Ortega over Ferguson? I feel like they pose a lot of the same stylistic problems for Khabib (great at snatching chokes when someone shoots and completely unworried about being taken down which makes their striking pressure intense).

Gaethje is definitely interesting, his wrestling pedigree is legit and I always say Khabib needs to beat a true elite American wrestler. The only thing is Gaethje barely uses his wrestling so Idk how sharp it all is (I assume good from what few looks we've gotten of him in scrambles though.

The other name that I think belongs in the conversation and I believe will be by the end of 2020 is Gregor Gillespie. I've been gassing him for a minute now, but dude just needs to be a bit more active and get some bigger names. He's in range of Islam so maybe we get that fight too.

Pretty sure Tony is the man to beat Khabib. Tony is something else mentally and can beat him in different ways.

with ortega you hope he gets khabib in a guillotine and pray Khabib cant get out, although Ortega's striking is getting better hes not on Barboza, Dustin or even Conor level.

Gaethje has a good shot, i said that a couple pages back. With his style and wrestling background hes one of the best opponents to face khabib. if i had to bet my money on one of these 3 guys, im definately going with tony.

//
Edit

hate to see a main event in Mexico City end like this, was super hyped for Yair vs Stephens. Dude literally couldnt open the eye anymore, hope hes alright.

Moreno vs Askarov was a fun fight tho, **** was WILD

I'm with you on Tony over Ortega, though I am really curious about how Ortega will look after getting a big lesson from Max. He seems like the type to adjust and improve so I could see him coming back with visible improvements to his game. Sometimes you don't pick up improvements until you really learn that you can't get away with certain habits like those low hands and overreliance on shoulder rolls.

That Yair/Stephens freak accident was a big disappointment. I was excited to see my girl Angela Hill pick a dub, she's always fun to watch. The Moreno/Askarov fight was great. Moreno is reliable for a frantic pace and Askarov played right into it. Seeing him gut it out past that Dagestani wrestling pressure (I think he shoulda won not gotten a draw) was extra hype for me. I'm not sure if Tim Elliott is still trying to run 125 fights, but Moreno vs Elliott would be clutch. What a bizarre night...I came away more impressed with Grasso in a loss than I did a handful of winners.

I don't even remember him mentioning Tony, which is a little weird. You can't take Tony for granted at all. He's the freaking no. 1 contender. lol

[j4remi]

So I've had a crazy busy past two weeks and didn't get to go in on event previews to highlight what I thought would be good...but they both wound up kinda being duds with disappointing main events so I guess I was kinda lucky. But...that leaves us one more fight night before another PPV (and a surprisingly good card for a region based line-up too). Normally, I expect the last fight night before a PPV to be weak but we've actually got a bit of a sleeper on our hands and it doesn't have much leg work to be the best fight night of the month. What are we looking for?

Jack Hermansson vs Jared Cannonier: Jack Hermansson just took out Jacare who was one fight away from a title shot. He did that with an absolute gang of feints, a lot of volume and clever movement. Dude has won 6 of his last 7 and the one loss is to my boy Thiago Santos aka the biggest test Jon Jones has faced since his comeback. Jack's not really my cup of tea though. He's super active but a lot of what he throws is for points...then when you get desperate or frustrated and come in, he flashes his power. It's effective and technically fine, just not my favorite style by a long shot. Then you got Cannonier, who was a power puncher at 205 and might be the hardest hitter at 185 (talking Costa levels of force) right now. Cannonier has always been an impressive striker but struggled with bigger guys, now at 185 he's in incredible shape and still really great striking. He's also no longer at a strength deficit with these middleweights. Most importantly though, he's FAST with the strikes. He annihilated Anderson Silva's leg with kicks inside of one round. He feels almost like Derek Brunson with more ring craft and speed. I also like how his approach lines up with Hermansson (who I think is a bit overhyped but that could be my style bias speaking). A good answer for guys that feint and move a ton is to overwhelm them with leg kicks to slow the movement and power counters to force them backwards to stop some of that volume striking between feints. That's literally the Thiago Santos style and that's the last guy to beat Hermansson. Cannonier is almost a 2 to 1 dog and I have some extra house money thanks to Carla Esparza last week...I'm putting a little something on this one if Cannonier seems alright at the weigh ins. Also...this should be really entertaining. Styles make fights, I like this combo.

Ion Cutelaba vs Khalil Rountree: Do me a favor and if you missed Rountree vs Anders, go check it out. He went to Thailand before the fight and came back looking like a throwback, bouncing that front leg and chopping my man down with leg kicks. Actually, it's not far off my description of Cannonier or Santos. Leg kicks at distance, power when you close it. That said, Ion Cutelaba usually loses to grappling and not striking. Cutelaba is big, tough and hits hard...also, I can't recall at the moment but for some reason I remember thinking he's a bit of a dirty fighter which can throw off guys mental games (and Rountree does seem like he's had some issues getting out of his own way before). Ion does have one clear loss to a striker but it was a hell of a fight with Cannonier...who I just compared favorably with Rountree. Yall catch my drift? I'm edging this one to Rountree and expecting another entertaining match between two strikers. I'm especially excited to see if Khalil can turn that impressive performance vs Anders into real momentum with this performance. Khalil hits HARD, strikes FAST and his flaws are ground based. I'm hype to see if he's still growing.

Lando Vannata vs Marc Diakese: There are a couple more main card fights I wanna mention, but this trumps those for me. These are two explosive, unorthodox strikers who tend to throw defense aside and go for big hits. Vannata actually had a hell of a brawl with Tony Ferguson on short notice once and Diakese just outstruck the very talented Joseph Duffy. Neither of them has been able to put together momentum, partially because of their recklessness. But two reckless strikers with big potential that goes unrealized because they take such big risks? That sounds like a fight of the night or a highlight finish waiting to happen. Expect some spinning ish, some flashy kicks and a lot of movement. I have a hard time picking here because Diakese beating Duffy is a big accomplishment in my book and showed maturity but I'd probably pick Lando outright before that performance. So I'm not betting this one because I wanna see how Diakese comes out. Both guys have room to be something much more than where they're at right now and that makes picking one a risky endeavor.

Gilbert Burns vs Gunnar Nelson: Gilbert Burns is that dude that I tend to sleep on and underestimate but he's a massive threat to basically everybody he fights. He's 16-3 with 8 submission wins, 5 KO's and he's only been finished once. He has a gang of armbar wins which isn't all that common for someone to keep pulling off. He's yet another power striker too, everything hits heavy. Gunnar Nelson is my guy though. He brings a karate form with kicks into blitzing punches in bunches but all of that is masking that his real cup of tea is the ground game. Gunnar has TWELVE submission wins and 4 more KO's. He's tough as hell too, he's been finished once and that was a flash KO after multiple eye pokes set him up to fail. He has losses but they're only to top ten talents. So you've got two guys that are extremely adept at the ground game but know how to finish fights standing. One more wrinkle in this one is that it's a short notice switch up. Gunnar was prepping for Thiago Alves until not long ago when Burns had to step in. I'm not even sure if it's been two weeks since I saw the replacement, so Burns may be a bit rushed (and Gunnar doesn't really cut weight so his stamina is always golden). I think the late switch plays more into Nelson's hands and I'd have picked him initially anyway, but it's always worth considering that a guy preps for one opponent then gets switched up so late that he won't have much time to do hard sparring in preparation for the change-up.

Lastly, some names worth watching...
OSP is fighting and he's had a bit of a dip lately but the guy's a real vet. He's lost 3 of his last 4 and this could be a crucial one for him. I don't know his opponent that well but the guy has some accomplishments with a KO of Gian Villante and an overturned decision over Khalil Rountree (the guy popped for a PED). He'll remain namely because his name is hard to spell but he's 10-2, with 10 straight wins (plus the no decision) and hasn't lost a UFC bout. OSP is gonna need to be on his A-game and hasn't been lately.

Brazilian Cowboy is against Nicolas Dalby who got the UFC boot after a three fight losing streak but then became the Cage Warriors champion (a very solid promotion). Cowboy is usually entertaining and Dalby did fight Darren Till to a draw once. Cowboy has some serious allegations in recent history that I won't go in on because I honestly don't know how true they are...Suffice to say though, that if they're confirmed then I'll be rooting for Cowboy to get kicked out of the UFC rather than wanting to watch him fight.

Lina Lansberg is fighting Macy Chiasson. I'm not much of a fan for Lansberg but she has a lot of amateur and muay thai experience which makes her a tough out. Chiasson only has 5 fights but won the Ultimate Fighter and showed a lot of potential. I'm watching to see how Chiasson is developing and also how well she handles a dangerous and experienced opponent.

Last two names. Alessio Di Chirico and Brandon Davis have fights (not against each other). Both had some hype coming into the UFC but I've found both disappointing so far. They're worth keeping an eye out for though.

[j4remi]

Prospect watch this weekend:
Another elite grappler is making the move to the UFC lightweight division. Olympic Medalist Mark Madsen fights tomorrow afternoon and I don't know enough to gas him too much. But in 18 months he's announced his transition to MMA, won 8 fights and gotten a UFC co-main slot. I've seen a couple of highlights and he looks good but Idk his competition to say much except that he lifted a man off the ground with a standing guillotine and put him to sleep faster than I've seen any standing guillotine ever. Here's a really great story on him.

https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/27693012/a-new-dream-danish-wrestling-star-chose-ufc-return-olympics

Also, I forgot about a solid the Bellator card is today. 5 PM starts the name fights since it's in Dublin and MVP will be back. Benson Henderson is fighting Myles Jury which is a good one, Bendo has kinda been falling off though and I hope he gets going again. Since it's in Dublin, we also get a James Gallagher fight, a lot of people don't like him for his personality (another Conor impersonator) but his grappling is really good and his striking has been mostly solid.

Edit: Found that clip of the standing guillotine near murder

Read on Twitter

[HarthorneWingo]

Prospect watch this weekend:
Another elite grappler is making the move to the UFC lightweight division. Olympic Medalist Mark Madsen fights tomorrow afternoon and I don't know enough to gas him too much. But in 18 months he's announced his transition to MMA, won 8 fights and gotten a UFC co-main slot. I've seen a couple of highlights and he looks good but Idk his competition to say much except that he lifted a man off the ground with a standing guillotine and put him to sleep faster than I've seen any standing guillotine ever. Here's a really great story on him.

https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/27693012/a-new-dream-danish-wrestling-star-chose-ufc-return-olympics

Also, I forgot about a solid the Bellator card is today. 5 PM starts the name fights since it's in Dublin and MVP will be back. Benson Henderson is fighting Myles Jury which is a good one, Bendo has kinda been falling off though and I hope he gets going again. Since it's in Dublin, we also get a James Gallagher fight, a lot of people don't like him for his personality (another Conor impersonator) but his grappling is really good and his striking has been mostly solid.

Edit: Found that clip of the standing guillotine near murder

Read on Twitter

That dude looks like he may have been out before the guillotine was locked in.

[j4remi]

That dude looks like he may have been out before the guillotine was locked in.

yeah fam, the hands were vicious too.

Unrelated but someone dug up footage of Gaethje using wrestling in an MMA match and he legit wrestles how he strikes. There's an offensive minded intent behind literally everything he does and it all happens at an insane pace to try and defend. Human highlight reel through and through.

Read on Twitter

[HarthorneWingo]

That dude looks like he may have been out before the guillotine was locked in.

yeah fam, the hands were vicious too.

Unrelated but someone dug up footage of Gaethje using wrestling in an MMA match and he legit wrestles how he strikes. There's an offensive minded intent behind literally everything he does and it all happens at an insane pace to try and defend. Human highlight reel through and through.

Read on Twitter

OMG

If Khabib only has two more fights left - as he's claiming right now - then after Tony it has to be Gaethje.

[j4remi]

OMG

If Khabib only has two more fights left - as he's claiming right now - then after Tony it has to be Gaethje.

Those two fights would be so much fun! They definitely need to be the two well before GSP or Conor so much as sniffs a contract.

Some solid fights today, giga chikadze is super intriguing.

Just to throw it in, I wasn’t a big fan of the lines today but put soft bets on rountree, cannonier with the upset (2-1 was enough to the trigger) and Nelson for the upset. I thought I’d pushed on chikadze (they corrected it from a draw to a win for him) and threw the break even money on ovince st preux which was just me being frustrated and on tilt but gets like OSP can surprise when their backs are against the wall so maybe I’ll luck out there. I basically bet light on a bunch of upsets so one hit breaks me even and two cashes me.

[HarthorneWingo]

OMG

If Khabib only has two more fights left - as he's claiming right now - then after Tony it has to be Gaethje.

Those two fights would be so much fun! They definitely need to be the two well before GSP or Conor so much as sniffs a contract.

Some solid fights today, giga chikadze is super intriguing.

Just to throw it in, I wasn’t a big fan of the lines today but put soft bets on rountree, cannonier with the upset (2-1 was enough to the trigger) and Nelson for the upset. I thought I’d pushed on chikadze (they corrected it from a draw to a win for him) and threw the break even money on ovince st preux which was just me being frustrated and on tilt but gets like OSP can surprise when their backs are against the wall so maybe I’ll luck out there. I basically bet light on a bunch of upsets so one hit breaks me even and two cashes me.

I saw Conor at the Bellator fight. I think this dude is so whacked out right now between not fighting, drinking booze (and who knows what else?) and just, generally, not being good to his body, mind, and soul. He's going to get his ass kicked when he comes back. Just my opinion.