MMA & UFC General - Featuring Bellator MMA & Rizin Fighting Federation

[Slimy Time]

Absolute fucking madlad, I love it. I think he's still in the states in which case I'd be shocked if he doesn't just stay there for the month and train with another gym. I'm pretty sure NZ still has mandatory quarantine for returning travellers, and combo that with the shitshow that was getting a visa to travel last time and going home seems like a bad idea.

According to MMA media that is exactly what he's doing. He's apparently going to stay in the states now, train the best he can for one month, go fight Islam in Abu Dhabi and then be in limbo. I think he's done it because that UFC card is falling to pieces and the deal to do it short notice must a been for a lot of money. Everyone is getting injured and pulling out, they don't even have a proper lineup for what is main card and what is prelim, other than the two belt fights (Jan-Glover and Yan-Sandhagen for interim). Makachev is likely going to be main card.

The NZ situation is utterly fucked. Dan was explaining that the two week quarantine in NZ is basically a prison lockdown, you get 30 mins every day to walk around in a yard and do some exercise. To come into the country you need to book the quarantine, you don't just show up in case there is no space. That used to be on a first come first serve basis until the government people were using bots to secure spaces ASAP, so now it's a fucking ballot. Completely up to RNG when you get your in. You don't make it, too bad, back into the ballot box. Then he's stuck at home, apparently being told that if he's caught out of his home again he's going to be arrested, so he's doing drills in his garage by himself.

Apparently they threw him enough money for him to set up in the US for the time being.

 

[East_Clintwood]

So I came across two seperate stories recently, which while not really related did get me thinking about something.

The first is the news that Mark Hunt's appeal was at least partially successful, and the fraud and battery claims have been brought back in. Now I still don't expect this to ultimately go anywhere because these were the weakest of the claims (in an already weak case), but what interested me was why they'd come back. Specifically the appeals court ruled that Dana White's statement that Lesnar would be the most tested athlete on the card could count as fraud as it's a false representation of material fact.

The second story I read was Chandler being a good little boy and defending Dana over some texts that came out a while ago as part of the anti-trust lawsuit against them. Specifically this bit:

In a February 2014 text message discussion between White and Lorenzo Fertitta regarding re-signing Gilbert Melendez, Melendez’s contract with Zuffa was ending and he had come to an agreement with Bellator. In response, Zuffa exercised the right to match clause to re-sign Melendez.
Fertitta texts White: “We gotta keep taking these f-ckers oxygen till they tap out. We have sacrificed too much to let anyone get traction now.”
At his deposition, Lorenzo Fertitta testified that the term “f-ckers” referred to Bellator, while the “oxygen” referred to fighters Gilbert Melendez and Eddie Alvarez.

This one might actually be more important since it makes it a little tougher to argue you're not a monopoly/monopsony while talking about how to choke the competition.

The reason this got me thinking is because this is multiple instances where Dana's proclivity for mouthing off without thinking could end up costing the UFC, and that makes me wonder if Endeavour will ever bother do anything about it. With the UFC being so vital to Endeavour's overal success, and their desperate attempts to become a proper mainstream sport, there has to be a point where Dana becomes more of a liability than an asset (although personally I thinkwe passed that point long ago)

 

[Slimy Time]

So I came across two seperate stories recently, which while not really related did get me thinking about something.

The first is the news that Mark Hunt's appeal was at least partially successful, and the fraud and battery claims have been brought back in. Now I still don't expect this to ultimately go anywhere because these were the weakest of the claims (in an already weak case), but what interested me was why they'd come back. Specifically the appeals court ruled that Dana White's statement that Lesnar would be the most tested athlete on the card could count as fraud as it's a false representation of material fact.

The second story I read was Chandler being a good little boy and defending Dana over some texts that came out a while ago as part of the anti-trust lawsuit against them. Specifically this bit:

This one might actually be more important since it makes it a little tougher to argue you're not a monopoly/monopsony while talking about how to choke the competition.

The reason this got me thinking is because this is multiple instances where Dana's proclivity for mouthing off without thinking could end up costing the UFC, and that makes me wonder if Endeavour will ever bother do anything about it. With the UFC being so vital to Endeavour's overal success, and their desperate attempts to become a proper mainstream sport, there has to be a point where Dana becomes more of a liability than an asset (although personally I thinkwe passed that point long ago)

Yeah, I think it's pretty clear that the UFC is a monopoly/monopsony, especially with that leaked text message. But also in terms of pure numbers. Bellator, probably the UFC's best competitor, held it's biggest event with the Featherweight Grand Prix finals between Pitbull and AJ McKee, stacked card with some top talent while the UFC put on a garbage Hall v Strickland card, and completely blew Bellator out of the water in number of views.

There really isn't much competition with the UFC. ONE Championship is a sieve, just leaking money, turning over no profit and getting suspiciously large anonymous donations to keep it afloat, along with other suspect things in general. Bellator has no chance as demonstrated above. Rizen is a meme, and other seem to eventually be a filter for fighters to go over to the UFC anyways.

 

[who dare wins?]

Dan Hooker is a savage. He's going to jump in and replace RDA against Islam Makachev on the next PPV, in spite of the absolutely draconian rules that New Zealand has in place just after fighting last weekend. This is a guy who has to train for fights in his backyard because the lockdown rules are so fucked that if he or the CKB guys are caught training again, they are going to be arrested.

Fucking good on him, id say similar with volkanovski and other Australian fighters here since we have utterly fucked up lockdown rules. Good on him for staying in the states and going on such short notice to fight Makachev. Who do you think will win that fight anyway?

 

[Slimy Time]

Fucking good on him, id say similar with volkanovski and other Australian fighters here since we have utterly fucked up lockdown rules. Good on him for staying in the states and going on such short notice to fight Makachev. Who do you think will win that fight anyway?

Makachev. Dan has openly admitted that because of NZ lockdown rules he hadn't practiced wrestling in a month. That performance against Nasrat, first time he wrestled in a month. Most of his coaches have already gone back already as well, so it's not like Bareman or Volkanovski is staying there to help him. Could Hooker run Islam into a knee and finish him? Of course, someone has knocked out Islam before, and that opponent wasn't very good. But it's unlikely.

The one benefit of someone like Makachev over Khabib is he's much less of a ground and pounder, but a sub guy. So even if he loses, Dan isn't likely to take a lot of damage.

CKB and Volkanovski have all indicated that they are seriously thinking of relocating to the US because of how crazy the lockdowns are in that region. The CKB guys got screwed hard, Volk less so as he got government permission to train, though he did it all from his gym in Australia with zoom calls to Eugene for gameplanning (which really is a testament to his head coach Joe Lopez to get him looking that good without all his sparring partners).

Volk wants to be active, which he couldn't this year because of covid, but he's looking for another fight quick, even if it means moving up while Max and Yair play out. Same with a lot of guys in that region. I think Bareman said that they took about half as many fights as they did before Covid because of restrictions. The whole thing is fucked.

 

[who dare wins?]

Makachev. Dan has openly admitted that because of NZ lockdown rules he hadn't practiced wrestling in a month. That performance against Nasrat, first time he wrestled in a month. Most of his coaches have already gone back already as well, so it's not like Bareman or Volkanovski is staying there to help him. Could Hooker run Islam into a knee and finish him? Of course, someone has knocked out Islam before, and that opponent wasn't very good. But it's unlikely.

The one benefit of someone like Makachev over Khabib is he's much less of a ground and pounder, but a sub guy. So even if he loses, Dan isn't likely to take a lot of damage.

CKB and Volkanovski have all indicated that they are seriously thinking of relocating to the US because of how crazy the lockdowns are in that region. The CKB guys got screwed hard, Volk less so as he got government permission to train, though he did it all from his gym in Australia with zoom calls to Eugene for gameplanning (which really is a testament to his head coach Joe Lopez to get him looking that good without all his sparring partners).

https://youtube.com/watch?v=oGyP_czQbk0
Volk wants to be active, which he couldn't this year because of covid, but he's looking for another fight quick, even if it means moving up while Max and Yair play out. Same with a lot of guys in that region. I think Bareman said that they took about half as many fights as they did before Covid because of restrictions. The whole thing is fucked.

Honestly, it is really sad to see all of this shit, where volk trains (NSW) today had their premier fucking resign who was a massive sickler for lockdowns and what not so maybe this shit might end quicker but who knows. At least volk is staying active.

That is true, Makachev does have that huge advantage of training over him but dan could possibly win it. Hooker would use that reach he has over Makachev his advantage but it probably wont be enough

 

[East_Clintwood]

Who do you think will win that fight anyway?

Makachev all day. If he had a proper camp I'd give Hooker a chance (not a great one maybe, but a chance nonetheless), but between the short notice, not being able to have a proper camp thanks to coof restrictions and the shitshow that was the run up to his last fight (cutting weight while flying out mere days before is fucking insane) I don't think this'll go well for him. Hopefully Slimy Time is right and Dan is making bank for this fight, the man deserves it.

 

[Slimy Time]

Makachev all day. If he had a proper camp I'd give Hooker a chance (not a great one maybe, but a chance nonetheless), but between the short notice, not being able to have a proper camp thanks to coof restrictions and the shitshow that was the run up to his last fight (cutting weight while flying out mere days before is fucking insane) I don't think this'll go well for him. Hopefully Slimy Time is right and Dan is making bank for this fight, the man deserves it.

Pretty much his only chance. Alternatively he pressures with feints/jabs and forces bad shots from Islam, but I doubt it.

 

[Hollywood Hulk Hogan]

Makhachev is likely a future champ and it won't be more than a few years. Guy is legit as it gets

 

[naffatune]

Hey guys. I'm assuming most of you have a Twitter, so do yourself a favor and follow @UFCRosterWatch if you haven't already. The name is self-explanatory.

 

[Slimy Time]

Hey guys. I'm assuming most of you have a Twitter, so do yourself a favor and follow @UFCRosterWatch if you haven't already. The name is self-explanatory.

View attachment 2587028

Look up twitter account. See Thomas Almeida removed. Feel bad.
---
They finally sorted out the UFC 267 lineup.

This is a better lineup than the originally planned one. Explains one of the reasons Hooker jumped at the short notice call. He's right before the title fights. Kinda more interesting than RDA who likes to wrestle but can't and Aljo Petr which we already know how that's going to go.
---
That Santos Walker fight...ffs. Good job Jon Kavanaugh/SBG, you took a young wild lion and tamed it, to the point where he can't bring the wild side out when he needs to. The guys in SBG Ireland must have seen Adesanya and Volkanovski fight recently, because they drilled lots of feints into Walker. Problem is they never taught him what to do with the reactions he got off of them. He would do like four feints in a row, get into jabbing range, and then get kicked and back out. Either that or feint, feint, feint, inside leg kick. Did nothing else. Thiago did nothing either, but at least when he went, he hit much harder.

 

[naffatune]

lol

 

[Slimy Time]

lol

View attachment 2591726

Walker - Wild man who does stupid shit and it works because it's light heavyweight. Doesn't think much, relies on corner to guide him

SBG-Lets give him a gameplan that requires a lot of thinking and awareness of what targets open and figuring out how to get to each gap in his defence.

Result, the above meme.

 

[naffatune]

Walker - Wild man who does stupid shit and it works because it's light heavyweight. Doesn't think much, relies on corner to guide him

Johnny Walker and Michel Pereira should make their own gym and make a martial art that teaches flying knees, spinning back kicks, and jump kicks off the fence as fundamentals.

I always like a crisp, efficient striker who sticks to boxing, but I absolutely love hilariously inefficient strikers just as much.

Also, Mullarkey's striking seemed pretty solid against Devonte. I looked back at his fight with Riddell, and realized that I misremembered him as a bad striker because of the last round and because of the shots he took by the end. He didn't actually look that bad at the time, but it's nice to see that his style has some more polish. Moving to City Kickboxing before the Devonte fight seemed like an obvious choice for the guy.

It's also worth mentioning that Mullarkey and Hooker sound almost exactly the same while talking, lol

 

[Slimy Time]

Also, Mullarkey's striking seemed pretty solid against Devonte. I looked back at his fight with Riddell, and realized that I misremembered him as a bad striker because of the last round and because of the shots he took by the end. He didn't actually look that bad at the time, but it's nice to see that his style has some more polish. Moving to City Kickboxing before the Devonte fight seemed like an obvious choice for the guy.

It's also worth mentioning that Mullarkey and Hooker sound almost exactly the same while talking, lol

Smith vs Mullarkey 1.mp4
Smith vs Mullarkey 2.mp4

Is he at CKB? He trained with Volk for his title fight with Ortega, and that was at Freestyle Fighting in Windang. Noticed after the fight that he had both Brad Riddell from CKB and Joe Lopez, Volkanovski's head coach in his corner. Additionally the commentary said that he went back to his original gym, Magnus MMA, who's head coach (I think it's Ross Pearson) was also there for the winners photo.

Just seems everyone good in Oceania trains together in one way or another, except Whittaker, who seems to do his own thing and just not train with anyone in the CKB sphere.

Edit: Watching the clips he seems to have a bit of everything from the three gyms. Heavy feints from CKB, pace and pressure from Freestyle Fighting and the boxing head movement Ross Pearson was known for.

 

[naffatune]

...the commentary said that he went back to his original gym, Magnus MMA, who's head coach (I think it's Ross Pearson) was also there for the winners photo.

Just seems everyone good in Oceania trains together in one way or another, except Whittaker, who seems to do his own thing and just not train with anyone in the CKB sphere.

Yeah, I think that's the case. Having one visit to CKB is still a good experience, since you can just continuously repeat what you were taught there, but at your home gym.

I will say that City Kickboxing is a little bit overrated for striking. They're a bit too kick-heavy, and their elbows are usually flared out when their guard is up, which puts unnecessary stress on the shoulders and leaves you open for body shots. Examples of this include Volkanovski, Brad Riddell, and Mullarkey. It's something you see in traditional Muay Thai too, which is part of the reason I've come to see it as an inefficient style.

On the other hand, you have Hooker and Adesanya who have their hands down, which isn't a style I like since it takes away your ability to block, parry, and punch fast since your punches won't come from head level.

 

[Slimy Time]

Yeah, I think that's the case. Having one visit to CKB is still a good experience, since you can just continuously repeat what you were taught there, but at your home gym.

I will say that City Kickboxing is a little bit overrated for striking. They're a bit too kick-heavy, and their elbows are usually flared out when their guard is up, which puts unnecessary stress on the shoulders and leaves you open for body shots. Examples of this include Volkanovski, Brad Riddell, and Mullarkey. It's something you see in traditional Muay Thai too, which is part of the reason I've come to see it as an inefficient style.

On the other hand, you have Hooker and Adesanya who have their hands down, which isn't a style I like since it takes away your ability to block, parry, and punch fast since your punches won't come from head level.

I guess the stance is just what you are used to and making it work for each individual fighter. Whittaker went from saying "putting your hands down and away from your face to make sure you have an instant underhook against wrestlers is a suicide move" when he fought Court McGee at Welterweight to now doing it all the time. So long as the stance works for the individual and isn't a complete mess with a fairly obvious and exploitable weakness (looking at the Diaz bros and their heavy side on lead leg), then it's fine.

But what you said about repeating in home gym makes sense, seeing as how Volk hasn't visited there for 3 camps, yet comes out looking arguably better with all the feints and set ups.

 

[East_Clintwood]

UFC pioneer Pat Miletich suggests Jon Jones use quantum timeline hypnosis to deal with issues

UFC Hall-of-Famer Pat Miletich proposes a solution that he feels could help Jon Jones deal with his personal issues.

www.bloodyelbow.com

“If I was his brother, I’d say, ‘Hey, man, let’s have a sit-down. Let’s talk,’ Miletich told James Lynch.


“Quantum timeline hypnosis, I found, is the most incredible thing for solving problems from the past when you were a kid and things that you don’t even remember that happened. I’ve got a good buddy who is a quantum timeline hypnotist. And I tell ya what, it works. It really does work.

Wat. I can't decide whether Pat was punched in the head too much or not enough tbh.

 

[naffatune]

Wat. I can't decide whether Pat was punched in the head too much or not enough tbh.

Guys from the early, 2000's UFC were mostly weirdos and still are to certain degree. I guess that naturally came since MMA was a lot more niche at the time; weirdos are lonely, so they join counter-culture groups since they're more tightly-knit as a community.

There are still some weirdos that join the UFC, but you can't say it's niche now; ever since 2010-ish, MMA has exploded. Weirdos still get in because MMA, at it's core, is a freestyle sport, so you can do a bunch of weird, unconventional stuff in the cage without anybody giving a crap, so long as it works to a certain degree. Ferguson is the poster boy for this mindset.

With all this said, I think the UFC's more "professional" look is more appealing than before, where fighters had those weird shorts with ads all over them and colored hair to match. Being a guy who started being a UFC fan in early 2019, I still think the old UFC appeals to me because of how zany and careless it was; nobody gave a crap about who got knocked out or who should fight who. If it was a fight, that was enough.

 

[East_Clintwood]

I think the UFC's more "professional" look is more appealing than before, where fighters had those weird shorts with ads all over them and colored hair to match

Not gonna lie, whenever anyone talks about the UFC's current professional look all i can think about is this clip:

Well, that clip and the absolute state of the fucking octagon and every other aspect of the broadcast being slathered in adverts for utter shite, that the fighters don't get a cut of. I mean personally if I have to see a fighter covered in adverts for dude wipes and condom depot, or listen to how the fight replay is sponsored by the offical ball hair trimmer of the UFC, I don't see the old uniforms being much worse, at least the fighters were getting paid.