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

[HarthorneWingo]

Johnnie Walker fighting out of Russia?

Yeah he was training in Russia for this fight. Probably shoring up his wrestling.

Should've been working on his boxing.

[Duke4life831]

That hype train is dead on arrival haha.

[HighRyzer83]

That hype train is dead on arrival haha.

What a disappointment from the jon jones slayer

[HighRyzer83]

On a similar note, Gregor Gillespie is being heralded as the next Khabib slayer. He's definitely talented but Lets see how see pans out against an excellent wrestler Kevin Lee.

[HighRyzer83]

Does Lee have staph on his chest again?

[ADeP7]

What a fuggin knockout

[HighRyzer83]

Well gregor got kicked unconscious.
Not sure what he was thinking out striking Lee. Everyone knows his strength is his grappling. Oh well, good effort. Lets see how far Lee can go with zahabi

[Duke4life831]

2 beautiful head kick knock outs so far. Kevin Lee needs to get that staph issue under control though. Thats twice now he has had some nasty staph on his chest in a fight. So far the move to Tristar looks like a great one for him.

[HighRyzer83]

Why is Ivanov the Favorite against Lewis? Hes technical but not exactly elusive and Lewis, if nothing else, has power.

[HighRyzer83]

Wonderboy looking slick. Luque getting hit too much

[BKAY]

Great card with an anticlimactic finish. Canelo / Kovelov about to start now as well. Great night for fights

[HarthorneWingo]

Wonderboy looking slick. Luque getting hit too much

Masvidal looked great but they’re apparently going to run it back probably in Las Vegas next time.

[HighRyzer83]

Wonderboy looking slick. Luque getting hit too much

Masvidal looked great but they’re apparently going to run it back probably in Las Vegas next time.

Nate was not nearly competitive enough to run it back. Its something he just says, not something he or his team will agree to. Mas will fight Colby/Usman next

[HarthorneWingo]

Wonderboy looking slick. Luque getting hit too much

Masvidal looked great but they’re apparently going to run it back probably in Las Vegas next time.

Nate was not nearly competitive enough to run it back. Its something he just says, not something he or his team will agree to. Mas will fight Colby/Usman next

Nate didn't look great, that's true. I saw the post fight presser and Nate agreed. He said he didn't feel great. Said he needed more time to prep. I'm not sure I need to see that again. I think you're right. It should be the winner of Colby/Usman.

[j4remi]

Nate didn't look great, that's true. I saw the post fight presser and Nate agreed. He said he didn't feel great. Said he needed more time to prep. I'm not sure I need to see that again. I think you're right. It should be the winner of Colby/Usman.

Yeah, I love Nate and I'd be intrigued to see how he'd have adjusted in the fourth and fifth, but nothing was working for him to that point. So I'm good with Jorge vs the champ and then maybe line up Nate for the Conor return and a big pay day.

Other fights I want to see post-244:
I want Wonderboy to get the loser of Colby vs Usman BADLY. I want to see him vs those pressure and volume wrestlers so bad. I really think he smokes them with his skillset. Luque should get the winner of Neal vs Perry...he's a tough as nails, willful brawler with better technique than the norm and that'd be interesting vs either of those two guys.

Robert Whitaker wants Darren Till and I'm all for it. That was a BEAUTIFUL performance against a striker who Izzy even struggled with. The other intriguing match-up would be Cannonier but he's shortlisted for Adesanya so we'll see where he goes. Gastelum needs to fight Hermannson imo...that'd be epic and they're both off tough losses to top tier guys, so it'd help one bounce back into top five comp.

Derrick Lewis should probably see Curtis Blaydes...Blaydes ran into Ngannou and got bodied but he's been a nightmare for everyone else. Lewis just finds ways to win. I'm kinda intrigued at Ivanov vs Abdurahimov since they're both kinda awkward and sneaky dangerous in the clinch...but Abdurahimov is in enough snoozers that I'm not sure I want to endorse it.

Kevin Lee wants Islam Makchaev and I'm here for it. Let's have Lee fight all the other elite wrestlers on some Highlander ish. That fight is dope too because Islam's pace meets Lee's technique and strength. God, he TOWERED over Gillespie. For Gregor, I still think he's elite as a grappler and would be curious about him vs Charles Oliveira.

Anderson doesn't deserve Jones...sorry. Give him Anthony Smith or Jan Blachowicz while Reyes gets the next shot at Jones. I'd run Walker out at someone who's tough and less KO threat, because we still need to see him in deep water. Ilir Latifi...come on down.

Shane Burgos vs Josh Emmett would be FIREWORKS!

Shabhazyan was super impressive but I'd still slow roll him and push him vs Derek Brunson who is a great gatekeeper to test whether or not a guy should face the true elites of the division.

Rozenstruik caught me sleeping on him. Beautiful use of precision, length and power from that man. He's got Overeem in December lined up already.

Chookagian has earned her title shot, I'm not a fan but she's done the work.

Lyman Good deserves another shot at a ranked opponent but it's murderer's row at WW. I'm thinking if they don't do Burns vs Askren than Good should get that look but it's a tall order.

Dawodu is fun to watch, Arce didn't fight a smart fight though. I'd still want him vs an unranked but on the verge type of guy and one with more experience. My pick? Andre Fili! Dude is on a nice little run, has fought some of the best and always brings a tough fight.

[HarthorneWingo]

Nate didn't look great, that's true. I saw the post fight presser and Nate agreed. He said he didn't feel great. Said he needed more time to prep. I'm not sure I need to see that again. I think you're right. It should be the winner of Colby/Usman.

Yeah, I love Nate and I'd be intrigued to see how he'd have adjusted in the fourth and fifth, but nothing was working for him to that point. So I'm good with Jorge vs the champ and then maybe line up Nate for the Conor return and a big pay day.

Other fights I want to see post-244:
I want Wonderboy to get the loser of Colby vs Usman BADLY. I want to see him vs those pressure and volume wrestlers so bad. I really think he smokes them with his skillset. Luque should get the winner of Neal vs Perry...he's a tough as nails, willful brawler with better technique than the norm and that'd be interesting vs either of those two guys.

Robert Whitaker wants Darren Till and I'm all for it. That was a BEAUTIFUL performance against a striker who Izzy even struggled with. The other intriguing match-up would be Cannonier but he's shortlisted for Adesanya so we'll see where he goes. Gastelum needs to fight Hermannson imo...that'd be epic and they're both off tough losses to top tier guys, so it'd help one bounce back into top five comp.

Derrick Lewis should probably see Curtis Blaydes...Blaydes ran into Ngannou and got bodied but he's been a nightmare for everyone else. Lewis just finds ways to win. I'm kinda intrigued at Ivanov vs Abdurahimov since they're both kinda awkward and sneaky dangerous in the clinch...but Abdurahimov is in enough snoozers that I'm not sure I want to endorse it.

Kevin Lee wants Islam Makchaev and I'm here for it. Let's have Lee fight all the other elite wrestlers on some Highlander ish. That fight is dope too because Islam's pace meets Lee's technique and strength. God, he TOWERED over Gillespie. For Gregor, I still think he's elite as a grappler and would be curious about him vs Charles Oliveira.

Anderson doesn't deserve Jones...sorry. Give him Anthony Smith or Jan Blachowicz while Reyes gets the next shot at Jones. I'd run Walker out at someone who's tough and less KO threat, because we still need to see him in deep water. Ilir Latifi...come on down.

Shane Burgos vs Josh Emmett would be FIREWORKS!

Shabhazyan was super impressive but I'd still slow roll him and push him vs Derek Brunson who is a great gatekeeper to test whether or not a guy should face the true elites of the division.

Rozenstruik caught me sleeping on him. Beautiful use of precision, length and power from that man. He's got Overeem in December lined up already.

Chookagian has earned her title shot, I'm not a fan but she's done the work.

Lyman Good deserves another shot at a ranked opponent but it's murderer's row at WW. I'm thinking if they don't do Burns vs Askren than Good should get that look but it's a tall order.

Dawodu is fun to watch, Arce didn't fight a smart fight though. I'd still want him vs an unranked but on the verge type of guy and one with more experience. My pick? Andre Fili! Dude is on a nice little run, has fought some of the best and always brings a tough fight.

Great card! I love the contrast of styles, especially Wonderboy vs. the loser of Colby/Usman. That would really be fascinating. Whitaker vs. Till is a great matchup. Getting the Nate v. Conor trilogy fight out of the way makes so much sense it'll never happen. It would be a great fight for Conor to come back to because it's one he'd feel very comfortable with since he already has been in the octagon two times with him. Lewis v. Blaydes too.

Dana should put you to work.

[j4remi]

Great card! I love the contrast of styles, especially Wonderboy vs. the loser of Colby/Usman. That would really be fascinating. Whitaker vs. Till is a great matchup. Getting the Nate v. Conor trilogy fight out of the way makes so much sense it'll never happen. It would be a great fight for Conor to come back to because it's one he'd feel very comfortable with since he already has been in the octagon two times with him. Lewis v. Blaydes too.

Dana should put you to work.

Hell yeah, I really do wonder how match makers get into the game, seems like it'd be a cool job (prolly stressful though). I have a feeling a lot of these fights fail to get made because of politics and scheduling issues. But at the same time, I look at the roster and there are some guys who really get a raw deal and then others who just get pushed out the gate. I'd love to get a window into the world of a Sean Shelby or Joe Silva.

[j4remi]

Yo Fight Fam, I'm really happy with an interview we had on my podcast last night and the entire front half of my typically current events focused show wound up strictly about the combat sports world. We brought in a long time friend and recently turned Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt out of Subforce BJJ, Anthony Corea.

The show starts with us recapping the UFC 244 fights that stood out with myself (wrestling experience and mma obsessed), my brother (years of muay thai training), Anthony (BJJ blackbelt) and Jhan Boom (not into MMA like that, but always hilarious). Then we had a long discussion about Anthony's experience and journey from his start as a white belt to 12 years later as a black belt. He talks about the mentality needed and the challenges as well as his love for the sport. We also get into some of the best BJJ tournaments that are televised and bounce around grappling discussions. I think it's a great discussion for any fight fans. Full disclosure though, after around the half hour mark, we move on to our usual current events format where we mix politics, current news and jokes...so feel free to jump off when we get to the "what BJJ expert choked Epstein though" section lol

I'd really appreciate any looks yall give us and feedback is always welcome. Share it if you enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/TFP%20/episodes/Episode-34---The-Journey-BJJ-White-to-Black-Belt-Gang-Leader-to-College-Grad-feat-Anthony-Corea-e8slhp/a-a10nc69

Here's a full timestamped breakdown so yall can skip around to the parts you're interested in or hear us all the way out.

Intro
BMF Title 2:00
Darren Till 9:00
Lee vs Gillespie 10:45
Sanchez is mad 13:45
Journey man belt 14:40
Anthony's Journey to black belt 15:20
Rear naked Epstein choke 34:50
Kushner ok's murder? 38:45
Turkey has our our nukes 40:00
Mexican Cartel blood bath 41:45
Mitt Romney is a Sicario 44:00
Out of Line (explicit) 46:66
Ray Jay tries to Pardon Suge Knight 50:00
Boston pays gang leaders to go to college 55:00
Outro

[j4remi]

So Zabit and Volkov just had wins that I found really disappointing. Zabit started to slow down late in the second round and ate a lot of damage in the third. He needs a five round fight to prove he can last 25 minutes. It's weird too because he throws a ton of volume early and he's got a decent pace early.

Volkov played it crazy safe with Greg Hardy. Granted, Derrick Lewis took his damned head off last time when he let up right at the last second. But Volkov threw damn near nothing with intent to finish even though he was clearly a much better striker.

I don't feel like either guy helped his stock. Danny Roberts came away with the biggest moment to talk about and Nurmagomedov's cousin getting tapped has been blown out of proportion because Conor tweeted about it. Karl Roberson had a really nice moment too.

[HarthorneWingo]

So now Nate's not retired. lol