thefightgame

[thefightgame]

UFC 269 Immediate Aftermath

Well hello there everyone. It’s been...quite some time. 

I never technically left. Tumblr just became outdated and I stopped writing about MMA. 

Well, I missed it, so now I’m back. 

UFC 269 literally just finished and I have A LOT OF THOUGHTS ABOUT IT. 

The first thought: Holy. Shit. What a way to cap off the year for the UFC; from the prelims on, every fight was fun and played out interestingly. Even the “boring ones” weren’t boring, but rather just patient back and forth physical chess matches. 

The biggest thing we have to talk about is the co-main event. I think 99% of the world picked Amanda Nunes to retain. That doesn’t even seem like an exaggeration - she’s been THAT dominant throughout her title reign in both weight classes. Pena, on the other hand, hadn’t faced anyone recently that matched the power and technicality that Nunes typically poses. It seemed like a no brainer. 

Until it wasn’t. 

Pena somehow got Nunes to forget any and all technique, and made her bite down on her mouthpiece for a slugfest in the center of the octagon. It was absurd - Nunes threw looping punches, tried to throw overhands constantly, whiffed on so many, hit on so many, but Pena just kept throwing too. Pena kept throwing, kept moving forward and Nunes buckled. Not by knockout, but by sheer exhaustion. Midway through the second, Pena got the sweep on Nunes and sank in the most half-assed rear naked choke in the history of the UFC and Nunes tapped. Again...I don’t think it was even that tight, but I think Nunes was just THAT tired. I don’t know what made her throw recklessly like she did, but it cost her the belt. 

So now, let’s find some tinfoil hats for a second. Just because this wil be fun to say out loud: This is Nunes first defense of the 135 belt in two years. Yes, I know she only competed once in 2020 due to COVID, but the fact still remains. Part of me wonders if she hates the weight cut to 135 now, and just feels more comfortable fighting at 145. Why wear the tinfoil hat? Because this fight could have been a “meh” on her radar. Give up the belt at a weight class you’re not interested in staying in, and move on. 

Do I think this was the actual case? No, not at all. Why defend then? Why keep both belts if you don’t want to? But, the outcome of the fight was so unpredictable, and the WAY it happened makes so little sense that I think reaching for conspiracy theories is more plausible. 

Pena had the perfect gameplan, and implemented in brutal fashion. It’s not often that getting hit in the face repeatedly while throwing caution to the wind works as well as this did...but man did it ever. I’m happy for her and I hope this does wonders for the woman’s bantamweight division. Parity brings new challengers and growth, and it’s for sure needed.

Speaking of bantamweight, let’s talk about the two big fights in the men’s 135 division. Starting with former champion Dominick Cruz and Pedro Munhoz. 

This was vintage Dom, and I’m here for it. He got dropped in the first and I honestly thought he’d be finished again. His head movement is unique, but at a certain point you could tell Munhoz had it timed and just kept tagging Cruz with the jab coming in. Thankfully his coaches read my tweet (you know with all 78 of my followers) and told him to stop dipping forward and he stopped getting tagged. I know part of his game is that you don’t know what it is he’s aiming to do - that dip forward could be an overhand, a takedown, or just a feint...but if he continues to do it as many times as he does, someone will find ways to time it, risk getting hit, and knee him in the face. *cough cough* Henry Cejudo *cough cough*. 

But, even with the drop in the first, he came back and dominated the rest of the fight in the only way Cruz knows how. Munhoz has serious power in his hands, so whoever he draws next will be interesting to watch. That 135 division is kind of stacked - Aldo, Sandhagen, Font, Vera, Moraes, Cruz, Munhoz - all are hanging out in the middle of the rankings right now. 3 - 11 is anyone’s ballgame. Personally, I’d like to see Cruz take on Sandhagen. The wily veteran vs the creative up and comer. Storyline writes itself. However, I’ve read some other people on twitter asking for Cruz vs Aldo and that fight would be nuts. What could’ve been a super fight YEARS ago finally coming to fruition? OK. I’m intrigued. 

As for Muhnoz, obviously he’ll fall in the rankings, which might mean he could face the winner the night’s other bantamweight fight, Sean O’Malley. 

I mean, based on previous comments from Suga, he might not be interested in taking big risks yet - he’s kind of set on fighting close to his rankings. But, honestly...who gives a shit what he wants. Let’s talk about what I want. What the fans want. O’Malley looked CRISP tonight again Paiva. He was patient, had great footwork, picked his shots, and was as accurate as he’s ever been. Here’s the thing I noticed tonight - he’s not overly aggressive until he’s assessed the risks. His footwork is as defensive as it is offensive, meaning his angles come from avoiding the shots and countering. But when he counters, he makes it count. I’d LIKE to see him take a step up in competition, but we’ll see. I’d like him to avenge that 1 on his record and fight Chito Vera again. He claims it was a fluke win (and I kind of agree, that foot drop shit sucks even if it was brought on by a great kick from Chito) so run it back. Vera’s coming off a huge win against Edgar, and O’Malley looked impressive in this fight. Run it back and let’s see what happens. 

Now from bantamweight fights to a former bantamweight champ in Cody Garbrandt making his flyweight debut. 

Listen, I’m going to just come out and say it: Cody looks like shit now. I wanted to believe it was just a 135 thing, maybe just afraid of getting caught again, and that maybe he won’t fear that at 125. Nope. Turns out he’s just afraid of it no matter the weight class. If I sound frustrated it’s because I got to watch a Cody realize his potential against Cruz, become the heir apparent at 135 after a BRILLIANT showing against Cruz, then become a shell of his former self after taking a beating by Dillashaw. He’s hesitant to throw shots, tries to be slick defensively, and gets caught because he doesn’t fire back. Look, I’m a scrub. I get it. I can’t fight to save my life (I can’t even tie my shoes without passing out), but I can tell when a fighter finds his rhythm, and Kara-France found it EARLY and OFTEN. It’s hard to disrupt someone’s rhythm when you don’t throw anything at them to disrupt their rhythm. Cody tried to counter once or twice, and whiffed. Then he tried being elusive and didn’t fire back...so Kai answered with more shots. The initial shot that stunned Cody was one that came as Cody threw a leg kick, then the subsequent scramble to the finish, Cody threw maybe 7 shots? Isolated punches that Kara-France just got out of the way of and continued his onslaught. There was no fear of retaliating combos coming Kai’s way, so he started finding Cody’s face in a violent fashion. 

What does this mean going forward? I have no clue. Cody wasn’t ranked at flyweight, so I don’t know if the win pushes Kara-France up further and closer to a title shot, or if he should get a title eliminator fight? I mark that as a question because the top of flyweight right now seems cluttered. There’s the top two in Moreno and Figueiredo, then 2 and 3 being Askarov and Pantoja coming off of top 10 wins, then Alex Perez, Brandon Royval, and Kara-France at 4, 5, and 6 respectively. Other than Kara-France, the other two are coming off losses, and the Askarov and Pantoja are the ones who beat them. Maybe then there should be a title eliminator eliminator fight - Kara-France vs Perez, winner gets the next title eliminator fight. I don’t know, I’m not the match maker here. 

But let’s finish this whole thing off with the main event. 

I am heartbroken. Gutted. Sad. 

I REALLY wanted Dustin Poirier to win that fight. Every bit of me thought he was going to do it. I counted him out against Alvarez, Gaethje, and even Conor in January. But each time he showed he has that grit that makes him a tough opponent for anyone. This time out, especially in the first, I thought it would play out the same. He came out, landed some HARD shots, dropped Oliveira twice and looked to be on his way to realizing championship glory. But then the second round happened...and the third. Next thing you know, Oliveira is on Dustin’s back and Dustin is tapping. 

Hats off to Oliveira though - Do Bronx is a stud man. He weathered the storm in the first, and just dominated after that. The threat of his submissions caused what could have been a 10-8 round in the second, because Dustin was just afraid of rolling with the guy. His standup is crisp in delivery, creative in the clinch and his power is sneaky. I think his biggest issue is honestly his propensity for slugfests. I mean, I’m sure he’s not TRYING to get into them, but he finds his way into them. Chandler did it to him, and now Dustin. He gets tagged WAY too much early on for my liking. If he gets Gaethje next, I don’t know how he’ll fare - Justin’s a MADMAN, and probably doesn’t care too much about getting caught up in grappling exchanges. However, I counted Oliveira out tonight and he proved me wrong against the next best lightweight in the world. 155 is INTERESTING right now. The top 10 is seriously way too stacked. From 10 to 1 is: Gillespie, Conor, Hooker, Ferguson, RDA, Chandler, Islam, Beneil, Gaethje, Poirier. Gaethje and Poirier will probably switch spots, although I don’t see why. Dustin is still the second best lightweight in the world, and I think if he fought Gaethje next week he’d prove it again. 

HOWEVER, the work Trevor Whitman has put in with Gaethje is honestly impressive, so it’s probably a good bet he’s improved leaps and bounds since that last fight. I don’t know, this whole thing is interesting. Where does Dustin go from here? Should he fight a Mike Chandler? Wait for Conor? Maybe RDA or Ferguson? Honestly, I think he should wait it out for a second. Could fight the winner of Dariush and Islam. If it’s Islam, there’s some bit of revenge he could get against that Dagestani crew. That’s probably not ever a thought he has in his head, but I’d use it as motivation. Any way you look at it though, Dustin has his pick of the top 10 if he so choose. He’s essentially the heir to the throne...he just has to win the big one. 

The PPV year comes to a close tonight, and the card certainly delivered. I’m excited for MMA in 2022. A lot of big matchups are around the corner and I’m going to be here for the ride. 

[thefightgame]

Why does that guy look like Belfort? 

When play fighting turns sexual.

[thefightgame]

UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson Promo

Done by: NicktheFace

Being quite unfamiliar with the law on dui arrest, I can only hope this fight still happens and punishment occurs afterwards.

[thefightgame]

Very well said. 

To one of the greatest Heavyweight of all time. 

Ultimate Fedor Emelianeko Highlight !!

For a legend who says he is about to retire and me knowing him for the mythical man he use to be this seems fitting to show new comers who he was. Fedor was much more than an overrated Strikeforce fighter who never made it to the UFC, it sucks to see his career go down hill so fast. This video only seems appropriate considering how I been digging up photos of his PRIDE fights. To me Fedor always was and always will be a legend of the sport, and he makes me wish Zuffa would create a PRIDE Hall of Fame.

[thefightgame]

Nick Diaz Stirkeforce-UFC Career Highlights | He ain’t scared homie!

[thefightgame]

Flying Omoplata

I can totally do this

[thefightgame]

UFC on Fox 4: My Picks and a slight breakdown.

WHOO! 

I don't think I've ever been more pumped for a free card in my life. 

I was a little excited for dos Santos - Velazquez, but it's nowhere near how excited I am for this card. 

Nate Diaz and Jim Miller?! Dude, it's going to be 3 rounds or pure adrenaline, and non stop punching. I guarantee it'll be fight of the night. 

And that guarantee is 100%. Because seriously, I've yet to watch a Jim Miller or Nate Diaz fight that was boring. 

But obviously, the rest of this card is pretty damn good too.

You have Alan Belcher returning from his near-career ending eye injury (detached retina, which the doctors thought you force him to retire), to take on a man who doesn't care about the physical well being of any of his opponents limbs. Rousimar Palhares is the type of monster that parents try to protect their kids from when they're little. The type that kids are certain is hiding in their closet, or tucked in under the bed. With all of the fur and beady, evil eyes.

Also, Pat Barry.

Just Pat Barry. I don't have to say much more. I don't care if he's fighting a dresser, I just like watching him fight. The dude is funny, a class act, and has a mean kickboxing skill set.

Then there's "Epic Beard Man" vs "Fraggle Rock". 

So with all of those in mind, here's the breakdown. 

Nate Diaz vs Jim Miller 

Nate's boxing is about on par with his brothers. They both aren't spectacular technicians, but the volume in which they throw their punches is impressive and is always something to take into account. They may not hurt when they throw them, but when you're taking 60 shots to the head and body a round, it starts to take a toll. 

Miller's advantage comes from his wrestling. He's a strong wrestler who's proven to be really smart while on top. With his jiu-jitsu background, he knows how to avoid submissions, which could be Diaz's downfall. 

Even with as active as Diaz could be off of his back, it'll be hard to get past Miller's defense. 

I'd have to give Diaz the slight advantage on the feet though. Even though Miller has the power to put people away, he's never really come off as especially potent. Diaz ties combos together differently then most fighters in the lightweight division, and just the AMOUNT of punches he throws throws most people off of their game plan. Just ask Donald Cerrone. 

But with that said, Diaz's weakness has always been strong wrestlers. And with Miller's submissions defense, it'd be hard for Diaz to try to get points while on his back. And I doubt the judges would even give him points for staying active on his back.

But after all I've said...I'm still going to have to side with Diaz. He's been on a tear lately, and he's looked better than he ever has. 

I'm picking Diaz by decision.

-

Johnny Hendricks vs Josh Koscheck

These are the exact same fighters, just separated by 6 years. 

Both of them are collegiate wrestlers, and both have knockout power that can put anyone away. 

Both are collegiate champs too. It really is going to be hard to pick one of these guys. 

Kos has the experience, and has proven lately that his hands are better now then they were in the past, which is bad, because in the past they were good enough to knock out Trigg and Yoshida. 

Granted those two guys aren't staples in the top of the division...but a knockout is a knockout. 

Hendricks is on a roll right now, so it might be hard to vote against him, but Kos has proven time and time again that his only enemy in the UFC has been GSP. (And Paulo Thiago and Thiago Alves.) 

But with that said, Kos' wins haven't been against fighters with Hendricks ability. (Although it could be argued that he lost his fight with Pierce) 

So, I'm picking Hendricks by TKO.

- Rousimar Palhares vs Alan Belcher

Palhares is a heel hooking beast, while Belcher is just game for anything it seems. 

Just to correct myself, I didn't know Belcher fought already. This changes everything honestly. 

I was ready to pick Plahares based solely on cage rust, but, after watching Belcher's last fight from September (which he won impressively apparently), I can't NOT pick the talent. 

For a bit, people were picking Belcher to become the new face of the Middleweight contenders list. Even despite his "loss" to Akyiama. (Which wasn't a loss, because the judges are fucking idiots.)

So, with that said...

I'm picking Belcher by decision.

-

Pat Barry vs Lavar Johnson

I don't know much about Lavar Johnson, but I do know that Pat Barry is a better striker. 

And since both of these guys are stand-up fighters, it's hard to pick against the well rounded Barry. 

I'm picking Barry by TKO. 

-

SO there you guys go. 

My picks. 

And I'll stick to them. I'll be back tomorrow to talk about how the card went down. 

Also...I'm picking Cotto in the upset of the year for Boxing. 

At least, I hope Cotto wins. I hate Mayweather. 

Happy fighting everyone! 

[thefightgame]

This reminds me of what Nick Diaz said to Carlos Condit in their fight...

"Oh, so we;re throwing spinning shit now huh?" 

Back to basics… Remember always being told to keep your guard up?

One of the best times to counter your opponent is during his/hers attack because they always create an opening or they drop their guard.

So, guard up, know yours and your opponents ‘zone’ (kicking, punching), do your best to circle your opponent (not moving backwards).

[thefightgame]

If you like rap, or MMA (which I think you'd have to like at least one of those to be reading this blog) check this out. 

It's awesome and very, very, very, very impressive. 

[thefightgame]

30 Day MMA Challenge: Day 8 

Favorite Referee: Big John McCarthy 

I think it'd be obvious...but Big John is the fucking pioneer. 

The UFC's first ref, and one of their more consistent. He gets my vote. 

[thefightgame]

I know the news broke a few days ago, but I wanted to at least put it up on here. 

Former Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard will face former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion and American Hero Brian Stann for his UFC debut. 

The expected event is the UFC on Fox 4 on August 4th, so I think we'll go with that. 

I for one am ecstatic. Stann's a stand up fighter with knockout power, and Lombard's a stand up fighter with knockout power. 

So, hopefully, if all goes according to plan, someone's getting knocked the fuck out. 

And honestly, as much as I love Brian Stann, I hope Lombard does very well in the UFC. It always upsets me when fighters outside of the UFC don't get the props because they can't fight the best 2 to 3 times a year. Especially fighters like Lombard and Joe Warren and Pat Curan and Eddie Alvarez, Shinya Aoki, Gegard Mousasi, Luke Rockhold, Jacare and more. They're game opponents, and are willing to fight anyone that is put in front of them, it's just the people that's put in front of them aren't up to par. 

So here's to hoping that Lombard comes out like a bat out of hell and puts a dent into this division. 

Granted though, I wouldn't mind seeing either of these guys win. Stann is a class act, and it's hard to root against him. 

(NOTE: I tend to backtrack over my own thoughts a lot. I mean, you probably already noticed that, but I figured I'd admit to it so you know that I know I'm confusing and a wee bit retarded.) 

[thefightgame]

30 Day MMA Challenge: Day 7 

Favorite Promotion: Affliction 

I wasn't around during PRIDE'S heyday. If I had been, that would be the obvious choice. 

And while the UFC has been the only promotion to not only stay afloat, but consistently grow, when fight wear company Affliction got in on the MMA promotion business, it was a legit threat to the UFC's massive cash cow. 

They put on big fights, offered big paydays and had big sponsors. (Trump and Mark Cuban (HDNet)) 

And even despite the short life it saw, I thought it could have been very successful. (Thanks Barnett) 

And plus, it was fun watching UFC vets Sylvia (five months out of his UFC career, so don't even give me that whole "past his prime" bullshit...because he was beating up on Big Nog before getting caught with Nog's slick jits) and Arlovski (also coming off of two big KOs over former IFL champs Rothwell and Nelson) get their asses handed to them by Fedor. 

[thefightgame]

30 Day MMA Challenge: Day 6 

Favorite Female Fighter: Ronda Rousey. 

I know Carano is usually everyone's favorite. Or maybe even Coenen. But honestly...Rousey is my go to girl now. 

She's hot as hell, and obviously very slick on the ground. Now all she needs is to fix her stand up, her ground and pound, and her unwillingness to marry me and she'll be golden. 

[thefightgame]

30 Day MMA Challenge: Day 5

Favorite Weight Class: Lightweight. 

I think this one is a no brainer. At least, it is for most people. 

I have yet to watch a boring lightweight fight, and I've been watching since 2007. It's impossible to have a boring lightweight fight. (Unless you're Gray Maynard) Even the ones counted as boring, (Edgar - Penn 2) are still good fights. Decent at the very least. 

But when you have a division filled with guys who never gas, have power, and slick jits and or wrestling...it's hard NOT to watch them. 

I tend to enjoy the lighter weight classes, with Featherweight and Bantamweight action always being tiresome for me to watch. Not because they're long, drawn out fights, but because my eyes can't keep up with anything, and all of their bouncing around makes me tired. 

But you don't really see powerful wrestlers in those two divisions. The technicality is there, but the power sometimes isn't. The lightweight class offers that, plus the insane cardio and constant motion. 

So that's why it's my favorite division to watch. 

Which reminds me...next weekend is the Jim Miller - Nate Diaz fight. If you want to know why I love the lightweight division so much...just watch that fight. 

[thefightgame]

30 Day MMA Challenge: Day 4 

Favorite Submission: The Gogoplata

It's just so awesome, I really can't say much more about it. 

Barely anyone uses it, and it's hard to set up, for you have to be really flexible. But it's always a highlight if you can sink it. 

The one off your back is impressive looking, but watching Shinya Aoki sink one from mount is even more slick, because it looked like he dislocated his knee just to attempt it. 

[thefightgame]

30 Day MMA Challenge

Favorite Knockout: Barboza's AWESOME spinning heel kick on Terry Etim. 

And I love Rogan's reaction to it. It's priceless. 

[thefightgame]

Alright...so...

If you're an MMA fan and you HAVEN'T heard of NicktheFace...you've been living under a rock. 

This guy makes the BEST fight-hype trailers on the planet, and you probably won't see many people debating me on that. 

Here is his newest creation, hyping up the dos Santos - Mir 146 showdown. 

And to be honest, I wasn't too hyped about the fight before seeing this. There just wasn't a big..."WOW, it's Mir and dos Santos?! That's going to be EXPLOSIVE!"

That thought never entered my mind. 

But this trailer...

yeah, it has that kind of effect. 

(Also...go check out NicktheFace2's other trailers. My personal favorites are: Machida - Rampage, Silva - Sonnen 2, The Strikeforce HW GP, Lesnar - dos Santos and Diaz - GSP)