ImageImageImageImageImage

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

Moderators: mpharris36, GONYK, HerSports85, Jeff Van Gully, dakomish23, Capn'O, j4remi, Deeeez Knicks, NoLayupRule

NY 567
Lead Assistant
Posts: 5,237
And1: 7,437
Joined: Dec 18, 2016

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: UFC 259: Adesanya vs Blachowicz plus Aljo vs Yan and Nunes vs Anderson 

Post#1581 » by NY 567 » Tue Mar 9, 2021 1:48 am

ibraheim718 wrote:I actually laid coin on the Sterling-Anderson-Jan parlay.

You would have been better off flushing your money down the toilet. Because that's essentially what you did when you threw Megan Anderson in that parlay. Cruz would have been a much better 3rd choice.
bringbackhoffa
RealGM
Posts: 14,052
And1: 5,039
Joined: Apr 18, 2007
     

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: UFC 259: Adesanya vs Blachowicz plus Aljo vs Yan and Nunes vs Anderson 

Post#1582 » by bringbackhoffa » Tue Mar 9, 2021 8:02 pm

NY 567 wrote:
ibraheim718 wrote:I actually laid coin on the Sterling-Anderson-Jan parlay.

You would have been better off flushing your money down the toilet. Because that's essentially what you did when you threw Megan Anderson in that parlay. Cruz would have been a much better 3rd choice.


Megan odds made the parley worth it. Any thing could happen in MMA, ie Nunes could of done an illegal strike...
Charlotte Hornets 2024-25

Morant/Alvarado
Edwards/Huerter/Robinson
Durant/Bogdanovic/Royce
Draymond/Highsmith
Gafford/Collins

On the block: Huerter 36/2 years, Rubio- $6/3 years, Mills- $3/3 years, Duncan Robinson- $16/1 year, Okeke- $1/3 years
User avatar
HarthorneWingo
RealGM
Posts: 90,316
And1: 55,168
Joined: May 16, 2005
Location: In Your Head, USA
   

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: UFC 259: Adesanya vs Blachowicz plus Aljo vs Yan and Nunes vs Anderson 

Post#1583 » by HarthorneWingo » Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:41 am

Conor just sold his ownership interests in Proper 12 and “doubled his wealth.”
POSTING POLICIES:
1. Posts are dictated but not proofread most of the time. It depends.
2. All typos are not the fault of the real Harthorne Wingo, may he Rest In Peace.
User avatar
j4remi
Forum Mod - Knicks
Forum Mod - Knicks
Posts: 37,422
And1: 18,435
Joined: Jun 23, 2008
         

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: UFC 259: Adesanya vs Blachowicz plus Aljo vs Yan and Nunes vs Anderson 

Post#1584 » by j4remi » Sat Mar 13, 2021 2:07 am

So...Free UFC tomorrow is really good again because March is positively stacked the whole way through. This time around we get a contender who gave Usman arguably his toughest fight; one of the more interesting lhw prospects against a ranked submission ace; and some of the more entertaining fighters in their respective divisions.

First and foremost, Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad is fire. Edwards was last seen in 2019 beating RDA, Gunnar Nelson, and Cowboy Cerrone...back when those dudes were high-ranked Welterweights. He also beat Vicente Luque in the past. But most intriguing is that he fought a really competitive two rounds against Usman before giving up a third clearly and losing the decision. He's arguably the toughest opponent Usman's faced in the UFC and hasn't lost since. Edwards is a CRAZY good striker. Like people generally offer that Wonderboy is the best striker at Welterweight from a technical standpoint. I stan Wonderboy and think it's debatable with Edwards. He has impeccable timing, vicious clinch and break elbows, and quality takedown defense. Unrelated sidenote: His brother is Fabian Edwards, the beast in Bellator.

He's fighting Belal Muhammad, another guy I straight up stan. Belal came into the UFC as a really good wrestler and has rounded into a quality fighter everywhere. He's got 12 UFC fights and has won 8 of his last 9 (only lost to Geoff Neal who is a monster). Muhammad has beaten a who's who of the best-unranked guys while losing his couple of chances at top-tier guys. But he's always been improving and provides a legitimate takedown threat. The main thing holding him back is moreso that he never finishes guys, not that he isn't really freakin' good.

But Leon's elite. I think of Edwards as the second most interesting Usman opponent in the division (Wonderboy holds the crown). That tells you how good I think this guy was...two years ago. We haven't seen him fight since 2019 because of COVID restrictions. If he's grown or gotten rusty, we don't know. We do know Muhammad has three fights in that span. I'm still picking Edwards by decision though and how his takedown defense and clinch hold up will be something to watch.

The rest doesn't need so much background...but it's good.
Mischa Cirkunov has been around forever. He's tied for the second most submissions in the LHW division. He's fighting Ryan Spann who is a developing prospect with crazy physical attributes. Spann is 6'5 with a massive reach, solid hands and good subs. He's just been raw. So this is an up and comer with 11 career submissions in 18 wins, and he's up against a veteran submission wrestler 9 subs in 15 wins. Also, Cirkunov's been in the UFC for hella long and never been to a decision.

Then you got Dan Ige vs Gavin Tucker. Ige fought Calvin Kattar really competitively but lost. That followed him beating Mirsad Bektic and Edson Barboza though. He's tough as hell, has great hands, and fights entertaining...he'll brawl. Gavin Tucker has looked really dominant against lesser competition but got annihilated after gassing in a fight. The bad thing is that's my memory of him. He has a 13-1 record with a ton of nice finishes but I mainly remember that time a ref almost let get killed. He's a hyped prospect, but I need to see more.

The rest of the main card has some intriguing talent. Jonathon Martinez just showed out against Thomas Almeida...not AS big a deal these days, but that's still a showing. He looks really promising. Manel Kape is good enough to be ranked, hasn't shown enough to contend...but he can grow. He wasn't in the UFC until recently and just fought Pantoja to a tough one.

Then on the prelim main event we get Angie Overkill Hill. She's one of my favorite female strikers, with one of the GOAT women's fights all-time from her bout against Jessica Andrade. She's just never gotten over the hump to that top tier. She just got jerked against Michelle Waterson in another FOTN, but I thought she won that fight. She's really good and a cool personality on top of that. Check out her old Street Fighter weigh-ins.
Haliburton/Lewis Jr/Sasser
Booker/Shamet
Barnes/Dick/Duarte
Washington/Barnes/Crowder
Zubac/Theis/Clowney

Sanogo, Castleton

Ex: Samar, K. Diop, Spagnolo
User avatar
HarthorneWingo
RealGM
Posts: 90,316
And1: 55,168
Joined: May 16, 2005
Location: In Your Head, USA
   

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: UFC 259: Adesanya vs Blachowicz plus Aljo vs Yan and Nunes vs Anderson 

Post#1585 » by HarthorneWingo » Sat Mar 13, 2021 6:03 am

What do you think of Machachev? Who's next for him?
POSTING POLICIES:
1. Posts are dictated but not proofread most of the time. It depends.
2. All typos are not the fault of the real Harthorne Wingo, may he Rest In Peace.
User avatar
HarthorneWingo
RealGM
Posts: 90,316
And1: 55,168
Joined: May 16, 2005
Location: In Your Head, USA
   

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: UFC 259: Adesanya vs Blachowicz plus Aljo vs Yan and Nunes vs Anderson 

Post#1586 » by HarthorneWingo » Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:56 am

Leon "Fingers" Edwards points those fingers out on almost every punch. I was watching after the first one just waiting for it to happen again.

Weasel on the UFC gloves compared to Pride and Bellator.

POSTING POLICIES:
1. Posts are dictated but not proofread most of the time. It depends.
2. All typos are not the fault of the real Harthorne Wingo, may he Rest In Peace.
User avatar
HarthorneWingo
RealGM
Posts: 90,316
And1: 55,168
Joined: May 16, 2005
Location: In Your Head, USA
   

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: UFC 259: Adesanya vs Blachowicz plus Aljo vs Yan and Nunes vs Anderson 

Post#1587 » by HarthorneWingo » Fri Mar 19, 2021 7:14 am

Wow. So Charles Oliviera vs Michale Chandler for the UFC LW Belt in 262. I thought Dana was going to set up two semi-final matchup with Chandler vs Gaethje and Poirier vs. Oliveira, with the winners fighting for the Title. I'm even more confused after listening to The Weasel's video on it. :lol:

POSTING POLICIES:
1. Posts are dictated but not proofread most of the time. It depends.
2. All typos are not the fault of the real Harthorne Wingo, may he Rest In Peace.
User avatar
j4remi
Forum Mod - Knicks
Forum Mod - Knicks
Posts: 37,422
And1: 18,435
Joined: Jun 23, 2008
         

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: UFC 259: Adesanya vs Blachowicz plus Aljo vs Yan and Nunes vs Anderson 

Post#1588 » by j4remi » Sat Mar 20, 2021 2:17 pm

HarthorneWingo wrote:Wow. So Charles Oliviera vs Michale Chandler for the UFC LW Belt in 262. I thought Dana was going to set up two semi-final matchup with Chandler vs Gaethje and Poirier vs. Oliveira, with the winners fighting for the Title. I'm even more confused after listening to The Weasel's video on it. :lol:



Big time pleasant surprise for me because I've wanted Do-Bronx to get his shot. I never thought Gaethje would be the odd man out on this. His options are basically RDA, Hooker of Makhachev right now. Those are all good fights, but definitely a step down from the contenders in terms of stature and ranking.

Gaethje said he was expecting the fight. I'm not sure what went wrong there. Poirier probably figured he could get a payday against a guy he's confident in beating and then STILL get his title fight.

I think Oliveira wins this but Chandler's power is the great equalizer. I don't think this win would make Chandler a top-5 LW all-time though. Khabib, Penn, and Alvarez are definitely above him. I don't see how Poirier isn't. Then there's Frankie and Aoki who I would comfortably place ahead of him as well. Plus I think RDA, Melendez, and Tony Ferguson could make strong cases as well. Chandler would need a title defense or two to legitimize his run.
Haliburton/Lewis Jr/Sasser
Booker/Shamet
Barnes/Dick/Duarte
Washington/Barnes/Crowder
Zubac/Theis/Clowney

Sanogo, Castleton

Ex: Samar, K. Diop, Spagnolo
User avatar
j4remi
Forum Mod - Knicks
Forum Mod - Knicks
Posts: 37,422
And1: 18,435
Joined: Jun 23, 2008
         

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: UFC 259: Adesanya vs Blachowicz plus Aljo vs Yan and Nunes vs Anderson 

Post#1589 » by j4remi » Sat Mar 20, 2021 2:34 pm

We've got a doooope free card tn fellas. Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson is a great fight. Holland was my pick for the best prospect of 2020 over Chimaev, because he ran off 5 wins in 2020 alone. That run ended with KO'ing Jacare Souza from full-guard...while talking to him! Souza is a GOAT-tier mma grappler in my book, an ADCC champ, and Holland slept him from the bottom. This compilation of Holland talking during fights has a quick glimpse of it, and also the whole thing is hilarious.



He's fighting Derek Brunson, the KO machine. Outside of his first loss to Kendall Grove, Brunson's only ever lost to the elite fighters of the division. 3 former champs, Yoel Romero, and Jacare are the only ones to beat Brunson. He just KO'ed a super-prospect in Edmen Shahbazyan, and that's been the story of his career. He smokes anyone in the middle of the pack, but never gets over the hump.

Then the most decorated American wrestler in the LW division, Gregor Gillespie fights a top-notch striking prospect in Brad Riddell. It's a 13-1 wrestling monster vs a 9-1 Kickboxing beast. The prelim main event includes one of the top female bantamweight prospects in Macy Chiasson. She's an incredible striker with a meant streak and she's fighting a vet striker in Marian Reneau. It should be a really entertaining one.

For picks, I'm going Holland (I think he's evasive enough to beat Brunson but this could be a poor man's Izzy vs Jan); Gillespie (he's relentless on takedowns and I could picture a choke finish); Chiasson (TKO finish in my mind).

You'll also catch some memorable names like Tai Tuivasa and Max Griffin on the undercard. It's a good one.
Haliburton/Lewis Jr/Sasser
Booker/Shamet
Barnes/Dick/Duarte
Washington/Barnes/Crowder
Zubac/Theis/Clowney

Sanogo, Castleton

Ex: Samar, K. Diop, Spagnolo
User avatar
HarthorneWingo
RealGM
Posts: 90,316
And1: 55,168
Joined: May 16, 2005
Location: In Your Head, USA
   

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson (a new contender?) 

Post#1590 » by HarthorneWingo » Sat Mar 20, 2021 7:12 pm

Holland’s KO of Souza was crazy
POSTING POLICIES:
1. Posts are dictated but not proofread most of the time. It depends.
2. All typos are not the fault of the real Harthorne Wingo, may he Rest In Peace.
User avatar
HarthorneWingo
RealGM
Posts: 90,316
And1: 55,168
Joined: May 16, 2005
Location: In Your Head, USA
   

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson (a new contender?) 

Post#1591 » by HarthorneWingo » Sun Mar 21, 2021 12:58 am

I think Tzatziki won that third round
POSTING POLICIES:
1. Posts are dictated but not proofread most of the time. It depends.
2. All typos are not the fault of the real Harthorne Wingo, may he Rest In Peace.
User avatar
j4remi
Forum Mod - Knicks
Forum Mod - Knicks
Posts: 37,422
And1: 18,435
Joined: Jun 23, 2008
         

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson (a new contender?) 

Post#1592 » by j4remi » Sun Mar 21, 2021 2:21 am

That Dawson KO was epic. I really enjoy watching James Krause coach, he's got a lot of talent coming up and gets the most out of 'em. He told Dawson to get the finish and don't trust the judges, Dawson did it with one second left in the fight. Love it!

Chiasson disappointed me a little. Reneau's a vet but she's been struggling and made that a dog fight anyway.

I gave Giles the 2-1 but that coulda easily gone to Dolidze for the takedowns and leg lock attempts.

And that Montel Jackson KO was a beauty but it was a mismatch. Jackson is an intriguing Bantamweight though, so much length and pop.
Haliburton/Lewis Jr/Sasser
Booker/Shamet
Barnes/Dick/Duarte
Washington/Barnes/Crowder
Zubac/Theis/Clowney

Sanogo, Castleton

Ex: Samar, K. Diop, Spagnolo
User avatar
HarthorneWingo
RealGM
Posts: 90,316
And1: 55,168
Joined: May 16, 2005
Location: In Your Head, USA
   

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson (a new contender?) 

Post#1593 » by HarthorneWingo » Sun Mar 21, 2021 2:52 am

j4remi wrote:That Dawson KO was epic. I really enjoy watching James Krause coach, he's got a lot of talent coming up and gets the most out of 'em. He told Dawson to get the finish and don't trust the judges, Dawson did it with one second left in the fight. Love it!

Chiasson disappointed me a little. Reneau's a vet but she's been struggling and made that a dog fight anyway.

I gave Giles the 2-1 but that coulda easily gone to Dolidze for the takedowns and leg lock attempts.

And that Montel Jackson KO was a beauty but it was a mismatch. Jackson is an intriguing Bantamweight though, so much length and pop.


Giles definitely had the advantage with the hands but Dolidze had the kicks advantage 57-2. Honestly, I had a feeling Giles would get the win.

And as I finished typing that, Yanez with the KO. Man, that kid's hand speed is on another level. Who's next for him?
POSTING POLICIES:
1. Posts are dictated but not proofread most of the time. It depends.
2. All typos are not the fault of the real Harthorne Wingo, may he Rest In Peace.
User avatar
j4remi
Forum Mod - Knicks
Forum Mod - Knicks
Posts: 37,422
And1: 18,435
Joined: Jun 23, 2008
         

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson (a new contender?) 

Post#1594 » by j4remi » Sun Mar 21, 2021 3:38 am

HarthorneWingo wrote:
j4remi wrote:That Dawson KO was epic. I really enjoy watching James Krause coach, he's got a lot of talent coming up and gets the most out of 'em. He told Dawson to get the finish and don't trust the judges, Dawson did it with one second left in the fight. Love it!

Chiasson disappointed me a little. Reneau's a vet but she's been struggling and made that a dog fight anyway.

I gave Giles the 2-1 but that coulda easily gone to Dolidze for the takedowns and leg lock attempts.

And that Montel Jackson KO was a beauty but it was a mismatch. Jackson is an intriguing Bantamweight though, so much length and pop.


Giles definitely had the advantage with the hands but Dolidze had the kicks advantage 57-2. Honestly, I had a feeling Giles would get the win.

And as I finished typing that, Yanez with the KO. Man, that kid's hand speed is on another level. Who's next for him?


Yeah, Yanez was a "wow" performance through and through. His combos are so clean, sharp, and like you said, FAST! He's still new and relatively unproven, but I'd like to see him go straight to a legitimate challenge. It's tough because there's not really an in-between. You go from prospects to absolute murderers without many journeymen. Maybe someone that's gonna threaten him with grappling to see how that impacts him...Nathaniel Wood is a BEAST in my mind and perfect for the fight. Winner gets a top 15 opponent next.
Haliburton/Lewis Jr/Sasser
Booker/Shamet
Barnes/Dick/Duarte
Washington/Barnes/Crowder
Zubac/Theis/Clowney

Sanogo, Castleton

Ex: Samar, K. Diop, Spagnolo
matchman
Retired Mod
Retired Mod
Posts: 11,395
And1: 1,785
Joined: Oct 20, 2003
Location: Hong Kong
 

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson (a new contender?) 

Post#1595 » by matchman » Sun Mar 21, 2021 4:21 am

Griffin vs Song

I was too busy thinking Song's opening music is too crappy (and the song "Journey to the West" has some bad vibe lol) and Griffin has KOed already.
Are you fans of the team or the player?
User avatar
HarthorneWingo
RealGM
Posts: 90,316
And1: 55,168
Joined: May 16, 2005
Location: In Your Head, USA
   

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson (a new contender?) 

Post#1596 » by HarthorneWingo » Sun Mar 21, 2021 4:32 am

Kevin Holland definitely has the best stand-up comedy game in the Division.
POSTING POLICIES:
1. Posts are dictated but not proofread most of the time. It depends.
2. All typos are not the fault of the real Harthorne Wingo, may he Rest In Peace.
User avatar
HarthorneWingo
RealGM
Posts: 90,316
And1: 55,168
Joined: May 16, 2005
Location: In Your Head, USA
   

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson (a new contender?) 

Post#1597 » by HarthorneWingo » Sun Mar 21, 2021 4:48 am

Dana's gonna be pissed tf off. lol
POSTING POLICIES:
1. Posts are dictated but not proofread most of the time. It depends.
2. All typos are not the fault of the real Harthorne Wingo, may he Rest In Peace.
User avatar
GONYK
Forum Mod - Knicks
Forum Mod - Knicks
Posts: 65,399
And1: 41,868
Joined: Jun 27, 2003
Location: Brunson Gang
   

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson (a new contender?) 

Post#1598 » by GONYK » Sun Mar 21, 2021 4:54 am

Did Holland want to win that fight? He just seemed happy to be there.
User avatar
j4remi
Forum Mod - Knicks
Forum Mod - Knicks
Posts: 37,422
And1: 18,435
Joined: Jun 23, 2008
         

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson (a new contender?) 

Post#1599 » by j4remi » Sun Mar 21, 2021 3:03 pm

GONYK wrote:Did Holland want to win that fight? He just seemed happy to be there.


That's pretty much Kevin Holland in a nutshell. He's happy-go-lucky and talks the entire fight. When Thiago Santos beat him, it was this same thing. He telling Santos "you could beat Style-Bender if you fight like this every time" while being ground and pounded. But it was also like that when he KO'ed Darren Stewart and Jacare Souza.

His bigger issue is that he's an impatient finisher. Every time he hit Brunson clean, he rushed to follow-up with more damage. He was chasing a KO instead of letting it come to him. Brunson said it best, "he kept presenting his hips" which is a wrestler's way of saying "he was running into the takedown attempts."

It's frustrating because Holland can be REALLY good if he tweaks a few things.
Haliburton/Lewis Jr/Sasser
Booker/Shamet
Barnes/Dick/Duarte
Washington/Barnes/Crowder
Zubac/Theis/Clowney

Sanogo, Castleton

Ex: Samar, K. Diop, Spagnolo
User avatar
j4remi
Forum Mod - Knicks
Forum Mod - Knicks
Posts: 37,422
And1: 18,435
Joined: Jun 23, 2008
         

Re: Official MMA discussion thread pt 2: Kevin Holland vs Derek Brunson (a new contender?) 

Post#1600 » by j4remi » Sat Mar 27, 2021 5:33 pm

We're a few hours away from Stipe vs Ngannou, I slept on making a thread about it because the rest of the card is...kinda trash. Next Week's Vettori vs Till free card has a better line-up imo. That said, the names are recognizable...a rushed rundown for yall...

Francis vs Stipe is the one you know. It's really, really good and the winner fights Jon Jones next. Stipe is the best HW in UFC history, his resume ought to put him in the GOAT argument but that's way more debatable (I still stan Fedor). Francis has the best come-up story of any fighter. Seriously, watch him on Rogan or look for him speaking on his life prior to fighting. Dude's an inspiration...also a monster. People fold when he hits them. He's the definition of a natural whereas Stipe is the guy we watched build out his game.

The first time they fought, Ngannou had a short camp and was super raw. He still clipped Stipe a few times but Miocic used feints and wrestling to wear the big man out. I don't actually know how much sharper Ngannou is technically, because since then he's murdered everybody (not counting the gun shy Lewis fight). He's steamrolling people and has had a couple more years to build on his acumen. Stipe meanwhile, has had a lot less action plus some injuries. He came in lighter this time as well. The deciding factor here ought to be if Stipe can wear on Ngannou like last time.

Then the rest...
Tyron Woodley is back vs Vicente Luque. Luque has never had a boring fight, but never beaten the top tier guys he faces. He beats everyone else though. Woodley has lost his last 15 rounds, but to Usman, Colby and Burns who are all killers. He seems like the era has passed him by, but this is a drop in competition to really find out.

Sean O'Malley is back after the loss to Chito Vera. He fights Thomas Almeida who had a spark when he started but keeps getting knocked out. I think it's a showcase fight to get a UFC marketing darling back in the highlight reels. Almeida could make it interesting with low kicks though, O'Malley just needs an answer for those and should be okay.

Then talent on the rest of the cards to watch for...
I like Gillian Robertson, she's middle of the pack but I like her.

Same for Khama Worthy.

Khabib has a cousin fighting.

Alonzo Menifeld is the main prelim guy to watch. He has CRAZY pop and some upside.
Haliburton/Lewis Jr/Sasser
Booker/Shamet
Barnes/Dick/Duarte
Washington/Barnes/Crowder
Zubac/Theis/Clowney

Sanogo, Castleton

Ex: Samar, K. Diop, Spagnolo

Return to New York Knicks