MMA February Discussion is Disarming a "Girl-Rilla"

[AhSpicyDrop]

I'm even more stoked for this card now that Hendricks vs. Condit is on the bill... They're my two favorites in the division. This is definitely a big step up in competition for Hendricks, but he may just use this as a way to further make his mark on the division.

Condit is probably the most well-rounded fighter that Hendricks has faced. He's never been finished by KO or TKO. He's been in there with a ton of talented guys. However, I don't know that Condit has faced a guy with the punching power that Hendricks has shown. Condit definitely hasn't faced a guy with Hendricks' power coupled with aggressive top control wrestling that's near world-level.

Condit definitely has the edge when it comes to the submission game, and technical striking. The only issue with Condit is he is damn near fearless and he'll try anything from the guard which sometimes puts him in precarious situations. Against someone with proven punching power like Hendricks that would be a bad thing if he ended up under side control or even half-guard.

All I can say is I'm stoked for this fight, and I'm rooting for Hendricks to be the real deal because I'm dying to see somebody have a competitive fight with GSP. St. Pierre has become way too complacent at the top of the division, he needs to fight somebody that's going to put him on the proverbial fence and make him fight instead of just controlling guys to a win.

Hendricks is a fraud. Just somebody with a huge right hand. Go on about his wrestling credentials and what not, blah blah blah. He got laid on by Rick Story. That's all that needs to be said about that.

Condit ends this fluke of a run.

Calling him a fraud is probably a step too far... He's beaten a lot of top guys since he lost a decision to Story... and as many top stars in MMA have proven anybody can have an off night. I mean... St. Pierre got knocked out by Matt Serra and I don't see anybody saying he's a fraud because he had an off night. And he has a power left; not right... Though his right hand is pretty stout as well. That huge left hand laid out Jon Fitch in one shot, who has shown an iron chin constantly. And as far as wrestling credentials go; 2 National Div-1 championships and 1 National Runner-Up don't lie, sir.

I'm not stupid enough to think Hendricks is going to walk in and drop Condit in one punch, but the fight is going to be a lot closer than you're giving it credit for.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Hendricks is a fraud. Just somebody with a huge right hand. Go on about his wrestling credentials and what not, blah blah blah. He got laid on by Rick Story. That's all that needs to be said about that.

Condit ends this fluke of a run.

I don't like Story at all but he was on a tear until he decided to take the Marquardt fight and ran into Charlie Brenneman on 24 hours notice. That loss broke him (rightfully so because it's Brenneman). If that fight doesn't happen, his career trajectory is vastly different... he was a good fighter.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Dana is going to be on Joe Rogan's podcast Thursday night.

I'm really excited... those two riffing back and forth on MMA for a few hours is going to be awesome. I really just hope Dana doesn't bring along his fool, Nick the Tooth.

 

[Papa Pillman]

He got laid on by Rick Story. That's all that needs to be said about that.

I don't understand where this argument keeps coming from. Did you see the fight? Story had top control in the second round for about two minutes tops and that was it for the entire fight.

Story landed only two takedowns, both in round two, and the second time Hendricks got back to his feet immediately. Basically the whole fight was Johny looking to counter from range that Story wouldn't provide, and everytime Johny ducked his head in close Story grabbed at front headlock and they clinched against the fence. In reality the fight was an incredibly boring coin-flip, and considering Hendricks landed six takedowns and was able to pass guard which Story never did, Hendricks could have easily gotten the decision. I thought he won the bookend rounds. The only thing Hendricks really did wrong was struggle to create anything while they were clinched.

I honestly think that Condit is a tougher matchup for Hendricks than GSP would be.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Marquardt is filling Hendricks' old spot against Ellenberger. Hopefully the fight doesn't become wrestle heavy. Marquardt is saying that Hendricks is ducking him. How he figures that I have no idea, maybe he is just trying to talk himself into title contention at 170.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Marquardt needs to STFU because Hendricks would have wrestled him to death and chances are, Ellenberger will wrestle him to death if he decides to fight smart.

I don't know where Saffiedine gets off turning down the Condit fight. He would have been right in the mix at 170 in the UFC, which would have been huge for him considering the fact that nobody really knows who he is. He's surely in the back of the pack now.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

Marquardt needs to STFU because Hendricks would have wrestled him to death and chances are, Ellenberger will wrestle him to death if he decides to fight smart.

I don't know where Saffiedine gets off turning down the Condit fight. He would have been right in the mix at 170 in the UFC, which would have been huge for him considering the fact that nobody really knows who he is. He's surely in the back of the pack now.

I like Nate but he's looked absolutely piss-poor at welterweight. The weight cut destroys his stamina, and he's already past his physical prime. I wouldn't be totally shocked if he beat Ellenberger, but his days of being at the top of the division are done. That being said I still think Ellenberger will beat him because he's younger, faster, more accustom to the weight cut, and quite frankly has more power.

Marquardt's main advantage right now is his experience and the fact that he's pretty much seen every style of martial arts out there from his world travels. Another problem; word going around is the damage Marquardt took from Sponge during their title fight is still affecting his mobility to an extent, so that will make it a little more difficult to sprawl and defend Ellenberger's takedowns.

To be fair to Saffiedine I don't know many people that would want to step in and fight a guy like Carlos on short notice, especially if he wasn't in camp for a fight already. It's not as big of a deal for Hendricks as he's already been putting the fight prep time in at the gym. If I recall correctly Saffiedine went into the Marquardt fight with some injuries, and was taking a break after that fight; so could be a case of him just not being in fighting shape. I don't think it was really a case of him being "too good" to fight Condit or anything. Unrelated but Damien Maia has been calling Tarec out in interviews here lately, so that may have played into his decision as well. I'm sure Dana wasn't too sore over it... He could honestly throw Saffiedine in against GSP without ever giving him a fight and simply bill it as a "Champion vs. Champion" match... I think Condit would have handled Tarec more easily than he would Hendricks, though. And I give Tarec virtually no shot against St. Pierre. Striking wise he's top notch, but his takedown defense is piss-poor and he's lacking in the jiu jitsu department as well.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Tarec did bring up a defensible point that all of his teammates are pretty much tied up right now... so training for a guy like Condit would have been especially difficult given the fact that he would have been on a short training camp in the first place.

Marquardt struggles with wrestlers... but Jake is in love with his power so who knows if he'll employ an actual gameplan based off of wrestling.

Few tidbits...

1.) UFC 160 is shaping up to be really entertaining. Cerrone has a good opportunity to rebound from the Pettis debacle of a fight where he's been booked against KJ Noons. Seems like a gimme for Cerrone but he's kind of in between a rock and a hard place in the division where he's been beaten decisively by Bendo, Diaz, and Pettis now.

2.) Ryan Bader must have pissed in Joe Silva's Cheerios as he's fighting Glover Teixiera at UFC 160. This will end hilariously for Bader's glass jaw.

3.) Frankie Edgar wants either Cub Swanson or Dennis Siver at UFC 160.

4.) In a move where Dana was probably waiting for him to lose again out of fear of another Obama outburst, Jacob Volkmann has been cut by the UFC.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

Well, UFC released Jon Fitch today... Kind of a head scratch moment if you ask me. Fitch wasn't exactly the most exciting fighter in the division but he was at the top for a long time, and definitely a good measuring stick for the who's who of the division.

I would say Bellator is the winner with this one, as it's another recognizable star for them to pick up.

Rumor going around is UFC plans to cut quite a few people this year in comparison to other years. They're definitely turning into more of a "what have you done for me lately?" company as opposed to sticking to their guns with certain fighters.

Fitch is coming off of a very impressive run following his defeat to GSP. He's 6-2-1 since his lost to St. Pierre... Definitely not a very justifiable cut unless they're still angry with him over the whole AKA fiasco back in the day. Definitely a strange cut when you consider the two losses are to Maia and Hendricks, both of whom are eyed as being top title contenders, and the draw to BJ Penn.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

This is a dark day for the UFC

 

[Richard Blonoff]

If anyone needs me I will be crying over in a corner. Absolutely unjustified. I know Fitch isn't the most exciting guy around, but he wins.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

According to Dana White and other various sources these are the fighter that were cut today:

Wagner Prado
Mike Russow
Jacob Volkmann
Vladimir Matyushenko
Che Mills
Jay Hieron
Terry Etim
Paul Sass
Jorge Santiago
Mike Stumpf
Simeon Thoreson
C.J. Keith
Motonobu Tezuka
Josh Grispi
Ulysses Gomez
Jon Fitch

If I'm being honest several of those were justifiable cuts but I'm really questioning UFC's stance on the following cuts:

Vladimir Matyushenko - Maybe it's my soft spot for rags-to-riches style stories, but I've been a fan of Vlady since his early days. He's just a hard-nosed veteran that will throw down with anybody. Not only that but he's been a great gatekeeper, which are necessary for building future stars. Definitely a big loss for the UFC in my eyes.

Che Mills - Overly popular in the UK, he could have been good to keep around for those cards. He's a relatively exciting fighter with a 50% win ratio in the UFC, and the fight that got him cut was a split decision loss... Not a huge loss but I'm a fan of his.

Jay Hieron - Past his prime but another good example of a gatekeeper that any promotion would be happy to have. I think he's most likely to be brought back since he's willing to face anyone and everyone on short notice. He should have been given another fight at least.

Jorge Santiago - Nobody has been cursed in the UFC more than this guy... He was coming off two wins outside the UFC, and takes a fight on short notice against a rising prospect. The deal he signed very well could have been a "if you win you're in, if you don't you're gone" but still, he was worth keeping around.

....

I gave my disdain for the Fitch cut in a previous post so I didn't cover him. Bellator is on the rise and while none of these guys(aside from maybe Fitch) are big names, they will mesh well into Bellator and provide fresh tournament matches... Look at Ben Saunders, it's done wonders for his career thus far.

I will say this though... I'm sincerely hoping that Clay Guida loses his next fight and he gets the Jon Fitch treatment because I'm pretty sick of him. The same goes for Dan Hardy... The guy went on a 4 fight losing streak, and they were still considering him for headline fights...

We're definitely going to see Ben Askren vs. Jon Fitch pretty soon though.

 

[Papa Pillman]

The selection of cuts today definitely shows a clear divide.

The message sent: We have way too much talent now, and alot of this Strikeforce talent didn't come cheap, so... If you're gonna lose then you better be exciting while doing it.

Sluggers with questionable records like Garcia and Hardy kept their jobs. Now it is clear that once guys who fight like Volkmann or Fitch start losing they are the first ones to become expendable.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I have a feeling they aren't done. They said they expect about a hundred cuts this year due to the women's division and the Strikeforce contracts.

Hardy said in an interview the other day that his retirement is fast approaching. I'm a fan of the guy, but he should have been gone after the 4th straight loss.

I am a bit surprised to see Etim go, he wasn't a overly good fighter, but he was rarely in boring fights.

Same for Sass, dude was a submission machine in his first few fights. Ran into trouble in the last few though.

I would have kept Vladdy around because he is a good gatekeeper, but he had been blitzed in his last couple fights.

Russow had a cult following, but the loss on the Chicago card probably did him in. He blew his wad major. Will never forget the Duffee fight though. Hammer fist of doom!

I will say Santiago needed to go. He had so many chances and never put it together inside the Octagon. I'm sure he will go back to being a huge success in Japan

 

[Fizzy]

We have noooo idea what went on back stage with Fitch. Wait until the full story comes out before jumping down the UFC's throat. Every other release is completely justified.

 

[jmt225]

I think this has everything to do with the influx of Strikeforce fighters crossing over, and as proven, those guys are actually exciting. I'd rather see fighters like them get paid over a guy like Fitch anytime.

Fitch can now go on to have the Welterweight Fight of the Century in Bellator against Ben Askren. Should be fun.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I like Fitch a lot and my comment earlier was kind of tongue in cheek. That being said, his being cut was sort of justified.

Well, UFC released Jon Fitch today... Kind of a head scratch moment if you ask me. Fitch wasn't exactly the most exciting fighter in the division but he was at the top for a long time, and definitely a good measuring stick for the who's who of the division.

That's precisely it though. He wasn't exciting, and he was never going to get another title shot against GSP. I agree with you that yes, he was a good measuring stick but at the same time, he derailed the Erick Silva hype train, when the UFC seemed focused on making him a top contender in the division. Let's ignore the fact that it was really bad matchmaking on Joe Silva's part. It was one more strike for Fitch. Plus the fact that he makes a lot of money to win/show and Dana doesn't like him much in the first place.

The biggest thing he had going against him? One win in his last four fights, he arguably lost the Penn fight, and looked really bad in the losses to Hendricks and Maia. The loss to Maia cemented him as a guy at the bottom of the Top 10. Add in age, and it's unlikely he'd ever get back in the Top 5. The UFC, unfortunately for us people who like Fitch, aren't going to give a guy $66K to show to be a good measuring stick.

I would say Bellator is the winner with this one, as it's another recognizable star for them to pick up.

Not necessarily. The NY Times article that focused on the UFC/Fox/Spike/Bellator negotiations this weekend had a quote from Spike. They have no interest in picking up guys cut from the UFC.

Sitting at cageside, Kevin Kay, the president of Spike — who estimates that he has attended more than 400 fights — is talking over loud rock music to Mr. Rebney about getting Bellator ready for prime time. They agree, for one thing, that Bellator has to discover its own fighters. “We don’t want to be picking up rejects from the U.F.C., because there’s a reason they’re leaving,” Mr. Kay says later. “Either they weren’t a fan favorite or they weren’t making money. You have to build your own talent up.”

Vladimir Matyushenko - Maybe it's my soft spot for rags-to-riches style stories, but I've been a fan of Vlady since his early days. He's just a hard-nosed veteran that will throw down with anybody. Not only that but he's been a great gatekeeper, which are necessary for building future stars. Definitely a big loss for the UFC in my eyes.

Vlad the Janitor ruled for his Motorhead walkout song and Janitor's outfit he wore for his walkout. I do think Vlad should have been given one more fight... yes, he got destroyed by Gustafsson and Bader, but those are top 10 Heavyweights and I don't think anyone expected Vlad to in those fights anyway. He would have been a fine gatekeeper to take on a guy crossing over from Strikeforce. Then again, $40K is a lot for a gatekeeper.

Che Mills - Overly popular in the UK, he could have been good to keep around for those cards. He's a relatively exciting fighter with a 50% win ratio in the UFC, and the fight that got him cut was a split decision loss... Not a huge loss but I'm a fan of his.

Saw this one coming. The fact that it was a split decision was a judging botch and a half. He admitted to being worn down and tired and Dana came out saying that if he came into the third round tired and "not pissed off" then he should look for a new job.

Jay Hieron - Past his prime but another good example of a gatekeeper that any promotion would be happy to have. I think he's most likely to be brought back since he's willing to face anyone and everyone on short notice. He should have been given another fight at least.

Couture and Hieron are buddies, I kind of think this might have been a "fuck you" to Couture by Dana, because you know how Dana holds grudges.

Jorge Santiago - Nobody has been cursed in the UFC more than this guy... He was coming off two wins outside the UFC, and takes a fight on short notice against a rising prospect. The deal he signed very well could have been a "if you win you're in, if you don't you're gone" but still, he was worth keeping around.

I definitely agree that he should have been given one more chance. Leben, Belcher, Maia, Stann, and Nelson are guys that all didn't match up well for him. He's a guy who probably didn't have a huge contract... why not give him one more shot especially when he did them a solid?

I will say this though... I'm sincerely hoping that Clay Guida loses his next fight and he gets the Jon Fitch treatment because I'm pretty sick of him. The same goes for Dan Hardy... The guy went on a 4 fight losing streak, and they were still considering him for headline fights...

Fuck Guida. I really hope he gets cut too and that Mendes fight really could go either way. Hardy's a draw for UK fans and Dana likes his fighting style which is why Leonard Garcia still has a job.

I am a bit surprised to see Etim go, he wasn't a overly good fighter, but he was rarely in boring fights.

Often injured, looked hysterical getting KO'ed by Barboza and that last fight he lost was a lay-up.

Same for Sass, dude was a submission machine in his first few fights. Ran into trouble in the last few though.

He'll be back, needs more work on the regional circuit.

Russow had a cult following,

Whaaaa?

 

[BaconBits]

Fitch can now go on to have the Welterweight Fight of the Century in Bellator against Ben Askren. Should be fun.

Now, to be fair, I suffer from insomnia sometimes and I get excited about a potential Fitch/Askren "fight" because it would be a great cure for my occasional sleeplessness.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

Not necessarily. The NY Times article that focused on the UFC/Fox/Spike/Bellator negotiations this weekend had a quote from Spike. They have no interest in picking up guys cut from the UFC.

For the regular riff-raff that they released I would say that's a pretty accurate assumption. But if you look at their current roster a lot of them are UFC wash-outs.. So yeah, they might let them go and get a couple of easy wins in the barn shows, but they'll pick them up as soon as they got a little bit of momentum.

I would bet my left nut that Jon Fitch is signed with Bellator by the end of April unless he's just asking for a ridiculous amount of money.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

Two words: Holy shit.

He pulled that spinning backfist straight out of his ass on that one and it paid off... King Mo is a moron for trying to use boxing techniques like that in MMA. There's very few people who should be keeping their hands down at their waists when they fight, and King Mo isn't one of them.

Mo has gotten way too comfortable with his striking, and it's not very fluid. He relies way too much on one-shot knockout attempts. Emmanuel Newton exploited the hell out of his arrogance tonight, good for him. I bet Mo goes back to wrestling in his next fight. I wonder if Bjorn is regretting throwing down the money on him now.

 

[The Crock]

Yeah, that backfist was wild. Mo kept dropping his hands, it was totally ridiculous. I don't care who you are, one shot good shot is enough to put anybody down -- especially if you have your hands at your waist and aren't moving your head at all. I'm sure he'll come back and and pull it together and capitalize on all of his abilities next fight, but this wasn't a fight he should have lost. I'm glad Ben Saunders won, at least. I've always liked him.

I probably should have gone to the show tonight -- with all the fun knockouts -- but I thought it was going to be a pretty mediocre show. Oh well.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I like Saunders. I thought it was shitty he was cut from the UFC after back to back losses when one of them was a short notice fight against Fitch, who was in the middle of that period of time where he had been named the #1 contender like 3 times only to have it pulled away.

King Mo kind of reminds me of Rampage light. He isn't as lazy, evidenced by how hard he is reportedly working at his pro wrestling training, but he could be better if he tried to get by on more than his amazing talent alone. Then again I could be wrong and his time training for TNA could be taking away from his MMA training

 

[Papa Pillman]

Then again I could be wrong and his time training for TNA could be taking away from his MMA training

I think it is more the case of he has his training to focused around Mayweather and his boxing technique. He now seems to think he has traded in the Lawal part of his name for an Ali instead.

It is one thing for Anderson to play the kind of games that Mo now plays in the cage, it is something else for Mo to do it. You could see the heavy Mayweather family style influence on full display last night, and the hands at the waists that come with it. He was doing a nice job of avoiding punches and if it were a boxing match he would have been in good shape. Somebody should have reminded him that things like spinning back fists aren't accounted for in all that boxing training.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

The UFC is not fucking around with these cuts. At about the 12 minute mark you can hear Dana rant on why Fitch was cut. It was total bullshit that I am still crying about, but at about the 20 minute mark he says even Urijah if in danger of getting the ax.

[YOUTUBE]Pvwo1RGO7mM[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Papa Pillman]

The UFC is not fucking around with these cuts. At about the 12 minute mark you can hear Dana rant on why Fitch was cut. It was total bullshit that I am still crying about, but at about the 20 minute mark he says even Urijah if in danger of getting the ax.

I actually just came to post the same video. I swear during the Fitch rant it seemed like Dana's head might explode. I did like the Charles Woodson analogy though.

As for Faber being cut, I'll classify that in the "I'll believe it when I see it" category, yet I still don't think I'd believe it. Everyone of his losses has been in a world title fight, and he's almost solely responsible for putting the sub-155 classes on the mainstream map.