MMA January Discussion is Awaiting The End of Rampage

[Turd Ferguson]

Due to Popular Demand and the Relaxed Spam Rules, we'll give this monthly thread series a shot in The Sports Arena.

Please feel free to jump in, Lurkers/Newbies. We have an excellent group here and aren't like the mouthbreathers you'll usually find on Sherdog, The Underground, and the cesspool of countless MMA Forums that are out there.

Calendar
Literally Something UFC Related Everyday on FuelTV if you have it.
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen begins January 22nd.

1/12 - Strikeforce - Marquardt vs. Saffiedine
1/17 - Bellator 85 (SPIKE TV DEBUT) - Two Title Fights
1/19 - UFC on FX - Belfort vs. Bisping
1/24 - Bellator 86 - Askren vs. Amoussou
1/26 - UFC on FOX - Johnson vs. Dodson
1/31 - Bellator 87 - Lightweight Tourney Opening Round


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Noteworthy/Discussion Topics:

• GSP vs. Nick Diaz is on for UFC 158 - Will this actually happen?
• Anderson Silva signed a 10 Fight Extension with the UFC - Does he finish out the contract? Who would you like to see him fight?
• Mike Goldberg did not appear at UFC 155. Dana said he's out indefinitely. Rumors circulating on various addictions he's being treated for. Rumors also circulating that he "will not be welcomed back to the UFC".
• Oh God, I just realized Mauro Ranallo is a possible candidate to replace Goldie.
• Will Rampage actually fight Glover Teixiera?
• Cain Velasquez is Heavyweight Champ again. What happens to Cormier?
• This season of TUF can't possibly suck, right? Right?
• Will Bellator be successful on Spike?
• Will more than 10 people get Fuel TV?
• The UFC is offering Cyborg Mike Dolce's services so she can cut to 135. Will she accept?
• Is Chris Leben finished? Will Melvin Guillard be cut?
• Who else wants an immediate rematch between J-Lau and Jim Miller?

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I am really looking forward to Johnson vs. Dodson. I fell in love with Dodson and his goofy smile back on TUF. This may be the most fast paced fight in UFC history. Neither of these guys will slow down.

 

[jmt225]

I am really looking forward to Johnson vs. Dodson. I fell in love with Dodson and his goofy smile back on TUF. This may be the most fast paced fight in UFC history. Neither of these guys will slow down.

Honestly, Johnson/Dodson is the fight I'm least looking forward to on that otherwise fantastic Fox card. Mighty Mouse is one of the most boring fighters in MMA IMO, and I think it was a huge mistake for the UFC to put this as a main event on Fox. Hopefully the undercard makes up for it as expected, even though Rampage's pussy ways may hurt that possibility.

 

[Fizzy]

Yea, this is the worst decision made by the UFC in recent history. Mighty Mouse is a lot like Frankie Edgar. He needs an exciting opponent to make his fights watchable. Terrible fight for Fox.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I don't get the hate for Mighty Mouse from you guys. I really enjoy watching him fight and Dodson is definitely an exciting opponent.

Besides, nobody's going to pay for a Flyweight Championship fight where the division still isn't established.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Guillard''s definitely going to be cut. No chance of him pulling off that 5 fight win streak he once had. If SF was still alive,t hey could've sent him down there.

 

[jmt225]

Besides, nobody's going to pay for a Flyweight Championship fight where the division still isn't established.

I'm not saying it should be headlining on pay-per-view either; a Fuel TV main event seems worthy of that fight.

The only Mighty Mouse fight I've ever found exciting was the first Ian McCall fight, and that was all McCall. Every Mighty Mouse fight is him looking for the takedown and doing nothing when he gets it. The guy only has 1 finish in his last 9 fights for a reason.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I think the timing is bad, considering the last Fox card has dynamite, but putting these guys title fights on free TV is the way to go. There aren't enough people who get FUEL to promote the division there. The UFC hype machine will build both of them up as world beaters, and I think Dodson can make the fight exciting.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Well, if Mike Goldberg is a goner, I think Good Ol' JR may be a good enough replacement.

Don't believe me?

 

[Fizzy]

Dan Severn retired today. A true legend who will be sorely missed.

 

[Da Prophet]

I will be so pissed off if Nick Diaz screws his title shot up again. The Diaz boys have a problem with not stuffing big chances up. When Nate misses weight and Nick doesn't show up for the press conference it leaves me with little faith in either brother. Hopefully Nick gets into the right space of thought and doesn't screw up. I really want to see GSP and Diaz fight and it's all up to Nick to not screw it up.

Please Nick Diaz don't screw it up!

 

[INDYjon22]

Honestly, it would have been nice to have seen Dan Severn get one last run in the UFC. The man is a legend and has been around forever. I don't know what his standing is with Dana but that would have been a nice cap off to a storied career. Hopefully we will see Dan inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in the near future, at the very least.

EDIT: Scratch that, I didn't realize he was already in the UFC HOF. Good for him.

 

[Papa Pillman]

I'm not saying it should be headlining on pay-per-view either; a Fuel TV main event seems worthy of that fight.

I realize that its the 125 division, but the UFC can't possibly justify putting a world title fight on a Fuel card. Hell, we are lucky to get a headliner between two top ten in their division guys on a Fuel card.

The fight I am most looking forward to is Cerrone/Pettis. I actually expect it to be better than Lauzon/Miller.

To answer a couple other questions asked...

•GSP vs. Nick Diaz is on for UFC 158 - Will this actually happen?
Either way I don't expect GSP exits 2013 as champ, if he does mange to get by Diaz, or if Diaz fucks up his shot, I can't see Georges having the same luck against Hendricks. Hendricks is the one guy in the division he has no hope to out-wrestle, and if he trys to stand with him and jab him to death like he did against Koscheck, he's playing with fire. If Serra can catch him, Hendricks may knock his head from his shoulders.

•Will Rampage actually fight Glover Teixiera?
He may fight him simply to stay relevant, and get the payday. Jackson's days as MMA draw are seriously limited. Teixiera will destroy him and Jackson knows it. Hell so does alot of the division's older guard, which is why none want to take a fight with Glover.

•Cain Velasquez is Heavyweight Champ again. What happens to Cormier?
I wish I knew more about the dynamics of the relationship/camp. I know the group of 170 guys at AKA always adamantly refused to fight each other. Silva should make a JDS/Cormier fight, and if Daniel wins, we could potentially be looking at another Jones/Evans situation.

•Will Bellator be successful on Spike?
Depends on how you quantify "success". We could argue that UFC's venture to FX has not been successful.
I think they will draw much better numbers than they did on MTV2, and maybe at best rival the better of the numbers WEC recorded with Versus.

•Who else wants an immediate rematch between J-Lau and Jim Miller?
I think any MMA fan would line up to watch if this fight is made.
Headline an FX card maybe?? Sounds good to me.

 

[jmt225]

Either way I don't expect GSP exits 2013 as champ, if he does mange to get by Diaz, or if Diaz fucks up his shot, I can't see Georges having the same luck against Hendricks. Hendricks is the one guy in the division he has no hope to out-wrestle, and if he trys to stand with him and jab him to death like he did against Koscheck, he's playing with fire. If Serra can catch him, Hendricks may knock his head from his shoulders.

You're really underestimating GSP and giving Hendricks way too much credit.

Hendricks is not this great wrestler you think he is. Koscheck's takedowns are highly overrated for one, and for two, Rick Story was able to constantly take Hendricks down. If Story was able to do so, why don't you think GSP will be able to?

And even if GSP couldn't take the guy down, he's not about to allow himself to get caught on the feet. Hendricks has a POWERFUL right hand, this I cannot deny, but that's all his has to offer on the feet. If you don't think GSP isn't intelligent enough to go 25 minutes without getting himself caught by a big punch, then like I said... you're severely underestimating him. He'll jab and move and Hendricks will not have an answer for it.

I also don't think it's fair to assume that Hendricks against Ellenberger is a guaranteed win for Hendricks. That's a 50/50 fight. They're essentially the same fighter.

If anyone dethrones GSP, it will be Nick Diaz. He's the only fighter with the skillset to do so. But even he can get completely dominated for 25 minutes. GSP is simply that motherfucker.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

As much as I dislike Nick, I really do think he is the best bet to dethrone GSP, because of his submission game. I'm biased toward him, but I think Fitch is the best wrestler at 170 and he couldn't take GSP down, Hendricks won't either. His best chance is a one punch KO like he did with Fitch and Kampmann, and I don't see GSP standing in front of him that long.

 

[Papa Pillman]

You're really underestimating GSP and giving Hendricks way too much credit.

Hendricks is not this great wrestler you think he is. Koscheck's takedowns are highly overrated for one, and for two, Rick Story was able to constantly take Hendricks down. If Story was able to do so, why don't you think GSP will be able to?

And even if GSP couldn't take the guy down, he's not about to allow himself to get caught on the feet. Hendricks has a POWERFUL right hand, this I cannot deny, but that's all his has to offer on the feet. If you don't think GSP isn't intelligent enough to go 25 minutes without getting himself caught by a big punch, then like I said... you're severely underestimating him. He'll jab and move and Hendricks will not have an answer for it.

You're severely underestimating Hendricks.

Not a great wrestler? Three state titles and a national title in high school, two D-1 national titles, a runner-up, 4-time all-american, and a 56-1 record as a senior seem to disagree. But I agree that he's still evolving translating that unmatched pedigree to the Octagon.

As for Story "constantly taking him down"; Story was 2 for 5 on takedowns in that fight and they both came in round two, where he did do a decent job maintaining top control, but never passed guard. Conversely Hendricks landed six takedowns in the fight and passed Story's guard in the first.

He also outdid Koscheck in takedowns by a 2-1 rate. And outlanded him on the feet by a significant margin.

Hendricks has successfully defended 16 of 23 takedown attempts in the octagon despite facing several great wrestlers. And he has scored 24 takedowns against those same opponents, despite winning four matches with quick brutal knockouts with his "Left" hand dynamite.

Why do you think Georges would try to defeat Johnny with top control anyway considering Koscheck is a weaker wrestler than Hendricks, yet GSP wanted no part of wrestling Kos??

Where the matchup is bad for GSP is in one of his strengths. Georges confounds so many opponents by staying at range where he is often protected but can close quickly from with punches or takedowns. That same range is where Hendricks is dangerous. If GSP tries to retreat straight back quickly (something he still does often, because he did it repeatedly against Condit) Hendricks is very adept at closing that range to land big left bombs, just like what happened when he blew up Fitch.

GSP will struggle more to take Hendricks down than he does with most. He will struggle more to keep him down than he does with most, especially if he tries to pass giving Johny a chance to scramble to his feet or reverse position. And while standing Johny proposes a different set of problems than anyone GSP has fought with his power and ability to manipulate range from the same distances where Georges is comfortable.

Also to think GSP could avoid getting hit in the face for 5 rounds is speculative. He get hit alot against Condit(admittedly a far more advanced technical striker than Hendricks). He also got hit alot against Sheilds prior to the "impairment of vision", and Hendricks ever improving standup technique is vastly better than Sheild's standup.

If you think Hendricks is the same fighter that got edged by Story you haven't been paying attention.

The only way GSP wins against Hendricks is to score takedowns early in each round and work from the top in full guard the whole round without passing, so he can control the score cards. If its close and goes the distance GSP will get the benefit of the doubt, as the judges award champs, and also have a history of short-changing Hendricks(the fact that one of the judges picked Kos in their fight is a travesty).

There is a good chance this is all for naught though, as while Hendricks will dispatch Ellenberger(a very talented but ultimately inferior version of himself), GSP on the other hand will have his hands full with Nick Diaz.

 

[jmt225]

Not a great wrestler? Three state titles and a national title in high school, two D-1 national titles, a runner-up, 4-time all-american, and a 56-1 record as a senior seem to disagree. But I agree that he's still evolving translating that unmatched pedigree to the Octagon.

Collegiate wrestling and MMA wrestling are two completely different things. Hendricks may be the best collegiate wrestler in the division, but GSP is the best wrestler in MMA period. He doesn't have the credentials, but his fights speak for themselves.

As for Story "constantly taking him down"; Story was 2 for 5 on takedowns in that fight and they both came in round two, where he did do a decent job maintaining top control, but never passed guard. Conversely Hendricks landed six takedowns in the fight and passed Story's guard in the first.

I haven't seen the fight since it first aired and I didn't even know Hendricks back then. I just remember it being another boring Rick Story fight where he seemed to be on top nearly the whole time. If Story was able to defeat Hendricks in such a manner, I have all the confidence in the World GSP would be able to as well.

Why do you think Georges would try to defeat Johnny with top control anyway considering Koscheck is a weaker wrestler than Hendricks, yet GSP wanted no part of wrestling Kos??

Because Koscheck is absolutely horrid on the feet and doesn't have anywhere near the power Hendricks does?

And GSP had already outwrestled Koscheck once before anyway.

Where the matchup is bad for GSP is in one of his strengths. Georges confounds so many opponents by staying at range where he is often protected but can close quickly from with punches or takedowns. That same range is where Hendricks is dangerous. If GSP tries to retreat straight back quickly (something he still does often, because he did it repeatedly against Condit) Hendricks is very adept at closing that range to land big left bombs, just like what happened when he blew up Fitch.

GSP will struggle more to take Hendricks down than he does with most. He will struggle more to keep him down than he does with most, especially if he tries to pass giving Johny a chance to scramble to his feet or reverse position. And while standing Johny proposes a different set of problems than anyone GSP has fought with his power and ability to manipulate range from the same distances where Georges is comfortable.

Dude, Hendricks has won nothing but quick knockouts, and in the two decision victories he does have, they were VERY unimpressive. The Kos fight was a shitty slugfest, and the Pierce fight, which I don't even remember to be honest, was most likely boring as all hell. The fact that it was close enough to be a split tells me all I need to know about it.

Also to think GSP could avoid getting hit in the face for 5 rounds is speculative. He get hit alot against Condit(admittedly a far more advanced technical striker than Hendricks).

Not really. Condit landed that one lucky kick and that was really it.

He also got hit alot against Sheilds prior to the "impairment of vision", and Hendricks ever improving standup technique is vastly better than Sheild's standup.

GSP didn't have to worry about getting knocked out against Shields. Shields has perhaps the softest punches in the entire sport.

If you think Hendricks is the same fighter that got edged by Story you haven't been paying attention.

What has he done besides landing quick knockouts? Fitch had no idea what he was in for, and Kampmann is an overhyped glassjawed joke. I still haven't seen much skill from Hendricks outside of a powerful right.

The only way GSP wins against Hendricks is to score takedowns early in each round and work from the top in full guard the whole round without passing, so he can control the score cards. If its close and goes the distance GSP will get the benefit of the doubt, as the judges award champs, and also have a history of short-changing Hendricks(the fact that one of the judges picked Kos in their fight is a travesty).

I saw Hendricks boxing on full display in the Koscheck fight, and GSP picks apart that shit all night if he chooses to do so.

GSP will beat Hendricks anyway he wants, IF Hendricks can get past Ellenberger.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I don't know if you guys have heard yet, and it is only a rumor at this point, but a couple of MMA sites have reported that the reason Goldie is out is because he is in rehab for a pain killer addiction. No major news site has picked it up yet, so I wouldn't put great stock in it, but I've heard it more than once.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Goldie's been rumored to have an addiction to everything between Cocaine, Vicodin, Adderall, and Hookers. Whatever the case may be, I really hope he's getting well and that he'll be back soon.

The Injury Bug is officially starting to hit UFC 156. Erick Silva's out of his fight against Jay Hieron and is being replaced by Tyrone Woodley.

In related news, you couldn't pay me to watch Woodley/Hieron.

 

[jmt225]

The Injury Bug is officially starting to hit UFC 156. Erick Silva's out of his fight against Jay Hieron and is being replaced by Tyrone Woodley.

That's a blessing in disguise. Erick Silva is a potential star and setting him up to lose to another wrestler again was a horrible move by the UFC.

 

[The Crock]

Jon Anik isn't bad, but he's certainly no Mike Goldberg. Goldberg and Rogan are the guys I associate with the UFC, it's weird to think that one of them is being replaced indefinitely. I've seen the speculation on why Goldberg's taking time off -- rehab for some kind of an addiction (I saw Adderall popping up as what he's hooked on) -- but I'm hoping he can sort everything out. I respect him for trying to get healthy. That's really the most important thing, his commentator seat can wait until he's healthy.

On the topic of Nick Diaz, I'm sure he'll show up. I don't think he'd screw up another opportunity. The fact that he ignores Dana White's calls and texts makes me nervous, but if he really wants to fight GSP -- which I think he does, or at least I hope -- he'll make sure the fight goes off without a hitch.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

That's a blessing in disguise. Erick Silva is a potential star and setting him up to lose to another wrestler again was a horrible move by the UFC.

He got an exciting fight out of Fitch, that guy is a star already sir lol.

Seriously though I have to agree. He is a guy who has had issues with wrestlers, and while you can take a loss to a guy like Fitch and be okay, Hieron isn't one of the guys you could absorb a loss to easily.


When it comes to the Diaz brothers, how much blame does Ceaser Gracie have to take? I mean he their manager, yet he seems to have little handle on the guys.

 

[jmt225]

When it comes to the Diaz brothers, how much blame does Ceaser Gracie have to take? I mean he their manager, yet he seems to have little handle on the guys.

None. Cesar embarrassed the hell out of Nick during that press conference if you remember.

Also, I think people are overstating Nick not being dependable. The guy missed one press conference. In Strikeforce I believe he missed weight one time in a meaningless Lightweight fight. However, besides that, when has Nick or Nate missed a fight for any circumstance? Nate's done ALL the media no problem, and Nick did all the media for the BJ fight, and he even allowed the UFC to do their Primetime series on him during the build-up to the Condit fight. There's no reason to believe Nick can't be counted on. He missed a total of one press conference that was MONTHS before the actual fight, and ever since then he's been labeled as a guy who doesn't live up to his contractual obligations, and that's simply not true.

If Nick somehow fucks this up then I won't be able to defend him, but for now there's absolutely no reason to believe he would throw this opportunity away.

 

[Da Prophet]

“Yes, I’d have fought [Sonnen] They could call me tomorrow and ask me to fight. I think you need to fight. That’s our job. I don’t think you should curl up and find a way out. So yes, that’s my answer. [Jones] is my teammate, and we have this discussion all the time. I said, ‘You should’ve done it.’ And he goes, ‘Well, you don’t make a million (dollars) to fight.’ And I said, ‘Well, you’re right, but I f—ing fight every time with all my heart."

- Donald Cerrone

Got to agree with Cerrone in this situation. You should take fights. Like if the UFC needs you to fight you should totally do it. I guess if you were a champion it would basically force you to take all fights that the UFC wants you to take. I'm sure not one UFC champion would ever duck someone. Not one. Not Cain, not Anderson, not GSP, not even Aldo.

True champions those blokes. Not like that Jones guy. Doing all the ducking for multiple divisions that guy. Cerrone speaks the truth and I knew I liked him for a reason.

 

[jmt225]

Donald Cerrone is a white trash hick who doesn't have the first clue about managing anything in his life other than his 40 plus guns. Jones did what he felt was right, and shouldn't be blame for it. UFC wants to present itself as a professional sport and a professional organzition, so they cannot complain when their fighters act professionally and put the safety of their career before they do the organzition. The UFC would never put a fighter before their own benefit, so why should fighters be expected to do so?

That said, the sport does need guys like Cerrone for it to continue to thrive, but it's not the "right" way to be, especially for main eventers where one loss could completely ruin their career.