UFC 125: Resolution

[Turd Ferguson]

[YOUTUBE]1G0kqjOIII0[/YOUTUBE]

MAIN CARD

• Lightweight Championship: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard
• Middleweight bout: Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann
• Light Heavyweight bout: Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera
• Welterweight bout: Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim
• Lightweight bout: Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi

Preliminary Card (Non-televised)

• Lightweight bout: Marcus Davis vs. Jeremy Stephens
• Featherweight bout: Josh Grispi vs. Dustin Poirier
• Middleweight bout: Phil Baroni vs. Brad Tavares
• Featherweight bout: Mike Brown vs. Diego Nunes
• Welterweight bout: Greg Soto vs. Daniel Roberts
• Lightweight bout: Jacob Volkmann vs. Antonio McKee

This is a rare case where the undercard matches on the main card are really more interesting than the main event and co-main event. UFC 125 will be a card that's worth watching, but not go out of your way to plop $55 on.

Starting with the main event, there should be a lot more interest in the actual storyline between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. Maynard defeated Edgar a couple of years ago. He's the only person to ever defeat Edgar. Since then, Frankie Edgar somehow surpassed Maynard in the rankings and became Lightweight Champion. Maynard is still undefeated. It may not be the most exciting matchup, but it's the matchup that absolutely makes the most sense right now.

Styles make matchups and these two could not have more different styles. Edgar has his speed and Maynard has power. Will Frankie Edgar be able to do what he did to BJ Penn, which is utilize his speed to unleash combos and stay in the fringes so he can't be attacked? Or, will Gray Maynard be able to dominate Edgar with his ground and pound? The only thing that is for sure is that this will likely go to a decision. If I had to guess, I would say that Gray Maynard will win. He's beaten Edgar before. Edgar can't avoid the takedown for five rounds, and we've seen Gray wear down opponents and break their will physically, and in Kenny Florian's case, mentally and emotionally.

In the co-main event, Chris Leben will look to continue his career renaissance, this time against Brian Stann. This is a major letdown opponent for Leben. He should be taking on top 10 competition right now, and Stann surely is not a top 10 Middleweight. Taking this at face value, it should be a fun standup war. However, Leben should have this in hand with a second round KO.

Thiago Silva will return to the Octagon for the first time in a year, taking on Brandon Vera. This could be a win or go home fight for both guys, and both will likely be looking for the knockout. The reason why Thiago could be going home with a loss is because both times he fought elite competition, not only did he lose, which is one thing, but he looked horrible in doing so. He is a major injury concern for the UFC as well. He's fighting for the first time in a year. With a loss, Brandon Vera's going to hit the magic number of 3 losses... which is what I think will happen. Brandon Vera's a shitty fighter, and even though he's not an elite fighter, Thiago Silva is still very good, and I expect him to make quick work of Vera.

Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim should be a great fight, and another win at Welterweight for Nate Diaz, who has looked great since going up in weight so far. Being a judo specialist can only get you so far in the UFC. Not to mention, being a judo specialist means that Kim will look to grab his opponent and throw him. Nate is just too quick for that. I expect Nate to keep the fight standing and employing the strategy he used against Marcus Davis, frustrating him by peppering him with shots at unorthodox angles. Kim's record of 13-0 and 1 No Contest is very deceiving. He hasn't beaten anyone that is nothing better than run of the mill, and he's never been impressive in victory. Karo Pariysan beat him at UFC 94 and it got overturned due to Karo being a fucktard. I expect Nate to frustrate him on the feet and eventually pull guard and Triangle Choke Kim. He's showing flashes of being just as good as Nick right now.

Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi should be a very fun fight to kick the card off. When we last saw Gomi, nobody expected much of anything out of him as it was widely believed that Tyson Griffin would wrestle him for three rounds. Gomi made very quick work of him. Once again, he faces an opponent that has the potential to wrestle him for three rounds. Gomi needs to keep it standing as much as possible, but Guida is relentless, and he will exploit Gomi's lack of grappling ability. Guida brings an onslaught for every fight, has an unbelievable gas tank, and it's highly unlikely Gomi will be able to catch Guida like he did with Tyson Griffin. Guida's head is quite hard. I think Guida wears Gomi down and submits him.

The prelims have some real interesting fights. The one that jumps out to me is Marcus Davis, who couldn't have picked a worse time to drop to Lightweight, squaring off against Jeremy Stephens. This would have been Win or Go Home for both guys in the first place and that's before you account for the WEC fighters jumping over. Davis has looked really bad lately, getting destroyed by Ben Saunders and Nate Diaz, and dropping a decision to Dan Hardy before that. Sure, he beat Jonathan Goulet in between the losses to Saunders and Diaz, but Goulet is not UFC level competition. Stephens looked like crap against Melvin Guillard, and I could absolutely see him getting cut with a loss. He's never quite reached his potential and a loss to Marcus Davis would severely devalue him at this point. A lot of guys in the lightweight division are on short leashes right now with the influx of talent coming over from the WEC.

We also have two Featherweight bouts on the prelims. Josh Grispi and Dustin Poirier will square off to decide the #1 Contender to Jose Aldo, and Mike Brown will also be fighting and looking to make a name for himself in the UFC.

In the Middleweight Division Phil Baroni is in a major win or go home situation against Brad Tavares, who I felt was one of the more impressive fighters from TUF 11. Tavares should take a decision.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Well, I can see everyone is damn excited to talk about this card. This card would've been great for Spike or Versus. If the Carwin/Nelson fight could've stayed on then there would've been more hype with this card. But at least we get Holly Madison and WEC ring girl Brittany Palmer.

Edgar vs. Maynard is one of those fights that most of us didn't want to see because their styles are similar and seems like it good be a boring fight, as most of Maynard's are. But as time went during the build up for this fight, I'm kinda interested in seeing it now. I think the only reason why Frank jumped ahead of Maynard for a title fight, was because in Maynard's fight against Diaz is was extremely close fight, whereas the guy Edgar fought he subbed him in the 2nd round, even though he was pretty much a nobody. Needless to say I really don't like either guy, but hope they put on a decent fight.

Like Guy already said, Stann is a step down for Leben. After those back to back impressive performances early in the summer by Leben he should definitely be fighting a top ten opponent. If Leben would've lost one of those fights then fine, this fight would've made sense. However it should be a fun fight leading into the main event.

Vera vs. Silva has KOTN written all over it. Both guys have very good striking skills, and win the majority of their fights by putting their opponents out with them. I also see that the winner stays to fight another day, and the loser gone. Silva should be able to take care of Vera.

Man, ever since that loss to Maynard Nate Diaz has been on a warpath, looking damn good, especially since the move up in weight. Nate should use his boxing skills and his long ass reach to keep Kim at bay, even if Kim gets Diaz down, we know Nate is very dangerous off his back, so he should have no problem winning this fight. Nate is just the better all around fighter.

In the Gomi/Guida fight I really have no idea who is going to win. All I know for sure is that it's a Guida fight, that dude leaves it all on the line every time he fights, just a great way to start the main card with the energy Guida brings. I always laugh when he's getting prepped before he is about to enter the ring and is bouncing around, making it hard to prep him. Definitely a tough fight for Gomi, if he keeps it standing, Guida has no problem trading shots with him, and on the ground Guida is the better fighter. The majority of Gomi's losses come from being subbed. Gomi is just going to have to out strike him to get the win, and be ready to go nonstop for three rounds.

Onto the Prelims. Davis vs. Stephens can easily be a win or be gone match, much like the Vera/Silva. Especially since its a Lightweight fight, and the WEC guys are no here, with both of these guys losing 3 out of their last 5 fights, it seems like the logical thing that would happen. Both guys have looked rather shitty in their previous losses, Davis the boxer was out boxed by Nate Diaz (not saying that's a bad thing as Diaz could probably become a decent boxer if he wanted to), and Stephen's looked like crap against Guillard.

Poor Josh Grispi, guy went from fighting in the co-main event fighting for the Featherweight title, to the prelims. That kind of thing happens when the Champ gets hurt though. The real shitty thing for him is that even if he is victorious against Poirier, he isn't guaranteed a title shot, according to Dana White. (It was reported yesterday on mmajunkie).

All in all, some decent match ups. I'm really looking forward to the buyrate of this card. I'd be surprised if it hit more than 350k buys. I was hoping they would've put Mike Brown on the free prelim card, but hopefully it will be a filler if needed during the main card.

 

[jmt225]

This is actually a really good card; I'm just not too high on the main event. Neither is the UFC apparently, to bring back "the nickname" for the show, instead of simply calling it Edgar vs. Maynard like they have done for every card since, I don't even know how long now, but it's been a long time since the show hasn't been named after the main event.

Anyways, it's not that I expect the main event to suck; it's just I don't care for either fighter. I find both to be boring as hell, with dull ass personalities, and I also don't believe either are the true elite of the Lightweight Division.

That said, should be a decent fight, much like their first account was. I fully expect it to go to a decision, with Edgar winning on points. Maynard will score one or two of lay and pray rounds, but ultimately Edgar will keep it on the feet with his tremendous scrambling (that's one thing I do give him a lot of credit for) and pitter-patter punches.

Chris Leben is ALWAYS a hell of a lot of fun to watch, no matter who he's fighting. I do wish he had a more known opponent, but you can't look past Brian Stann. Stann is pretty damn big for a Middleweight, and he's pretty well-rounded, too. However, I have to go with my heart here and say Leben wins by KO.

Brandon Vera vs. Thiago Silva should be a fun little stand-up war with somebody getting KTFO. Hopefully that somebody ends up being Brandon Vera, because I really can't stand the guy, but this could honestly go either way.

Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim... man, of course I'm a HUGE Nate Diaz fan, but fuck, this is just a bad match-up for him. Kim will have a really big size advantage over Diaz, and his grappling is far superior. There's just no way Diaz keeps this fight standing. If he could, then he'd dominate for sure, but for him to win this one, he's going to have to pull a triangle or guillotine from the bottom. Let's hope he can pull it off.

And Gomi vs. Gudia... I am so, so, so looking forward to this fight. I keep reading that Guida is a bad match-up for Gomi, and that just couldn't be more false. Gudia is a wrestler/boxer, and Gomi ALWAYS knocks out wrestler/boxers (ala Tyson Griffin). ALWAYS. And he's fought and dominated far superior fighters than Guida in those areas, and I don't expect anything different Saturday night. If Gomi shows up in the same kind of shape he did for the Tyson Griffin fight, he will knock Guida the fuck out. Mark my words. I like Clay Guida, I really do, but he will not be able to take Gomi down, and he will not win a stand-up war against him.

And as for the prelims... Davis vs. Stephens should be a fucking war, and I hope Brad Tavares kills Phil Baroni. Don't care for the other fights, however.

All in all... really, really good main card, with a lackluster main event. This show though along with Dynamite and SRC makes this weekend one of the best weekends for MMA fans in quite sometime. I am definitely excited for it all.

 

[INDYjon22]

I am really pulling for Frankie Edgar to win tonight, but I just don't see it happening. Maynard wrestled Edgar to a decision once before and I don't see big enough improvements from either fighter to really see any other outcome. However, if Maynard tries to be the aggressor and tries to finish the fight then I could see Frankie picking Gray apart on the feet. The fight will be as simple as they come, Edgar will win in the stand up and Maynard will win on the ground, now we just have to see who does what and whose style is better.

Leben is an exciting fighter but I really wish he was fighting Wandy and not Stann. Stann has done nothing to impress me since he arrived in the UFC. Sure he wins, but he is no title contender, whereas I could see Leben fighting for a title in the near future, especially since this career resurgence. Stann has weak submission defense and I actually think Leben can and will exploit that. Stann has a strong enough chin but I don't think he will be able to defend the triangle, much like Akiyama fell to it.

Guida vs. Gomi could be a very early choice for fight of the year in 2011. Both are exciting fighters and I expect fireworks. Hopefully Gomi wins so he will fight either for the title next or fight Soti. Guida isn't a bad choice either, but as long as Gomi doesn't gas I think he should walk out with the win.

Diaz vs. Kim is another interesting fight. Both men are perfect in the Welterweight divsion and this fight could push the winner into the top 10 or at least get them a fight with a top 10 guy. I think Diaz's style will be enough to out point Kim but this fight could go either way.

Silva vs. Vera I don't expect much from. I completely expect to see Silva come out and batter Vera quickly and finish the fight in the first. Easy as 1, 2, 3.

The undercard is very solid. A hope Phil Baroni gets his ass destroyed and sent packing. I hope nothing more for Brad Tavares to end Baroni's career in the UFC. I also expect Grispi, Soto, Brown and McKee to win. Marcus Davis vs. Jeremy Stephens should be an absolute war. Hopefully the weight cut doesn't hurt Davis to much because I want to see him get the win or else he will most likely get the axe. Should be an entertaining card for the most part.

 

[Tech N9ne]

I am really pulling for Frankie Edgar to win tonight, but I just don't see it happening. Maynard wrestled Edgar to a decision once before and I don't see big enough improvements from either fighter to really see any other outcome. However, if Maynard tries to be the aggressor and tries to finish the fight then I could see Frankie picking Gray apart on the feet. The fight will be as simple as they come, Edgar will win in the stand up and Maynard will win on the ground, now we just have to see who does what and whose style is better.

Leben is an exciting fighter but I really wish he was fighting Wandy and not Stann. Stann has done nothing to impress me since he arrived in the UFC. Sure he wins, but he is no title contender, whereas I could see Leben fighting for a title in the near future, especially since this career resurgence. Stann has weak submission defense and I actually think Leben can and will exploit that. Stann has a strong enough chin but I don't think he will be able to defend the triangle, much like Akiyama fell to it.

Guida vs. Gomi could be a very early choice for fight of the year in 2011. Both are exciting fighters and I expect fireworks. Hopefully Gomi wins so he will fight either for the title next or fight Soti. Guida isn't a bad choice either, but as long as Gomi doesn't gas I think he should walk out with the win.

Diaz vs. Kim is another interesting fight. Both men are perfect in the Welterweight divsion and this fight could push the winner into the top 10 or at least get them a fight with a top 10 guy. I think Diaz's style will be enough to out point Kim but this fight could go either way.

Silva vs. Vera I don't expect much from. I completely expect to see Silva come out and batter Vera quickly and finish the fight in the first. Easy as 1, 2, 3.

The undercard is very solid. A hope Phil Baroni gets his ass destroyed and sent packing. I hope nothing more for Brad Tavares to end Baroni's career in the UFC. I also expect Grispi, Soto, Brown and McKee to win. Marcus Davis vs. Jeremy Stephens should be an absolute war. Hopefully the weight cut doesn't hurt Davis to much because I want to see him get the win or else he will most likely get the axe. Should be an entertaining card for the most part.

For the most part, you were wrong on every single comment you made on the main card. But it's all good. Unpredictability is ONE of the things that make MMA awesome. Phil Baroni did get his ass destroyed though.

Anyway.... It was a card that looked great on paper. Surprisingly it DID deliver. It was a pretty crazy night. I am shocked that Leben got handled the way he did. I was definitely pulling for him. Can't win every fight though.

I personally was disappointed in the Main Event. Not the fight itself. The fight was much better than I expected. I thought the only way this would end up being good was if it ended pretty quickly with some sort of big KO and no way a 5 Round fight between them would end up kicking ass. I thought eventually it would get sort of boring and one of the 2 fighters involved would end up laying on the other one.

But no... It went the distance and was super entertaining. I must admit I wasn't much of an Edgar fan at all. But after seeing him recover from the ass kicking he took in the first round and basically win the 2nd Round was remarkable.

I thought the decision sucked though. I myself actually predicted it would be a close fight and won 500 bucks on the fight being a draw. I had thought I lost the money I bet and was shocked when it was announced as a Draw. I'll take the $500 though for sure.

But to be honest I felt kind of bad for Maynard. I thought he won the 1st, 3rd and 5th rounds. I saw the fight as 48-46 Maynard. I couldn't believe one of the judges scored it 48-46 Edgar. That was crazy. That means that judge saw Maynard win a 10-8 first round and lost the next four. I don't know what fight he was watching, but hey, I'll take the $500 for calling a pretty random ass Draw.

 

[jmt225]

I've always been a big fan of Clay Guida, but after tonight... fuck him. And it's not because he beat Gomi, it's in the manner he did so. Greg Jackson, as expected, has turn Guida into a pussy. I mean, had Gomi not pressed the action, then this would have been one of the worst fights of the year. Guida just danced and danced some more until he could use Gomi wanting to put on a show for the fans against him. Bottom line.

Gomi does need to work on his BJJ though, Jesus Christ. I always knew it wasn't top level, but I know it's better than that. I guess sometime during Pride he decided to stop working on it and only focus on his striking and wrestling, because he was not this bad BJJ wise back in the day; I promise you.

Regardless, Gomi is still awesome in my book, and I look forward to his next fight. As far as Guida... he lost a fan tonight with his crap. Maybe he was just fighting "smart," and maybe it's only because it was against one of my favorite fighters why I'm so upset about it, but my point still stands... fuck him. Seriously guys, think about it, imagine if Gomi never pressed the action. What would have happened? We would have had one boring ass fight, with a decision that could have gone either way. Gomi could have easily gone that route and it would have been the "smart" thing to do. I mean, why risk actually FIGHTING, when Mixed Martial Arts is ONLY about WINNING?

Anyways...

Edgar vs. Maynard was an epic war and a lot better than most people expected (myself definitely included). I thought the draw was bullshit, however. MMA really needs to figure out just what a 10-8 round is. This isn't fucking boxing where it's determined beforehand that if a fighter gets dropped, he loses a point in the round. So, why the fuck would you take away an extra point from Edgar in the first? Edgar recovered and to me... that was enough to keep the round 10-9, not some 10-8 or 10-7 bullshit.

Regardless, great fight. Major props to both guys. I would bitch about Pettis getting the next fight for the title, but if Edgar shows up to fight Pettis like he did Maynard tonight, then it won't matter... because we'll be guaranteed another epic war, if not a better one than we saw last night. After tonight, I'm starting to really come around to Edgar. I still say BJ should be able to kick his ass if he fought the right way, but still... props to Edgar. He made me somewhat of a fan tonight. And Gray... props to him, too, but I just don't see him working his way back up to a title shot now that he's not getting an immediate rematch. I would love to see Gray vs. Gomi next, in fact. It would shoot Gomi right back up if he won, and if Gray won, then hey.... Gray should get his rematch for the title immediately following. And at least Gray would actually fight Gomi though, instead of keeping his distance waiting for Gomi to press forward so he can get a silly takedown like a pussy.

Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann... great little fight, but Stann was just too big and strong for Leben. After Leben got rocked he should have swallowed his pride and gone for the takedown. I know you might think that makes me sounds hypocritical after criticizing Guida, but it's a completely different story here. Leben was actually fighting and was in trouble, he should have saved himself, whereas Guida was on Dancing with the Stars waiting for Gomi to come to him like a little cunt. Like I said... huge difference.

Props to Stann though. He's too wild to ever become a MW Contender I think, but he'll definitely deliver us fans some great fights in the years to come. And there's no doubt Leben will recover from this like he always does.

Kim vs. Diaz... I pretty much went over this in the LD, I thought Diaz won the fight. I gave both rounds 2 and 3 to Nate, and I know I'm not the only one because Sherdog had the same scores I did. Just because somebody scores a fucking takedown does not mean they won the damn round, bottom fucking line. That really, really pisses me off about judging in MMA. Takedowns shouldn't mean ANYTHING, but judges treat them as if they're the biggest thing you could ever do in a fight. What they need to realize is that they mean absolutely nothing when the fighter doesn't do anything with them, ESPECIALLY if his opponent is active off his back. And Nate Diaz was certainly active off his back last night, like he always is, with his repeated punches, up kicks, and submission attempts. Diaz also clearly won every stand-up exchange.

There's no way anyone could make a good argument for Kim in that fight. He attempted a lay-n-pray snoozefest, but Diaz was the one who made it an entertaining fight and the one who constantly was looking for a way to win. Diaz also caused more punishment. How did he not win the fight?

Thiago Silva landing a beatdown on Vera was great. Hopefully now Vera finally gets cut. The dude is horrible.

And props to Jeremy Stephens, Brad Tavares, and Daniel Roberts. Great showing from all these guys. Now we just need to have a retirement fight between Baroni and Davis. That would be pretty epic, if I say so myself.

 

[joejoe]

I've always been a big fan of Clay Guida, but after tonight... fuck him. And it's not because he beat Gomi, it's in the manner he did so. Greg Jackson, as expected, has turn Guida into a pussy. I mean, had Gomi not pressed the action, then this would have been one of the worst fights of the year. Guida just danced and danced some more until he could use Gomi wanting to put on a show for the fans against him. Bottom line.

Gomi does need to work on his BJJ though, Jesus Christ. I always knew it wasn't top level, but I know it's better than that. I guess sometime during Pride he decided to stop working on it and only focus on his striking and wrestling, because he was not this bad BJJ wise back in the day; I promise you.

Regardless, Gomi is still awesome in my book, and I look forward to his next fight. As far as Guida... he lost a fan tonight with his crap. Maybe he was just fighting "smart," and maybe it's only because it was against one of my favorite fighters why I'm so upset about it, but my point still stands... fuck him. Seriously guys, think about it, imagine if Gomi never pressed the action. What would have happened? We would have had one boring ass fight, with a decision that could have gone either way. Gomi could have easily gone that route and it would have been the "smart" thing to do. I mean, why risk actually FIGHTING, when Mixed Martial Arts is ONLY about WINNING?

Your logic makes no sense what so ever... Because you're a big Gomi fan you're saying you wanted Guida to "press the action" and end up in a slug fest with Gomi? Really?

Guida's strengths are his un orthodox style, being on the ground and having great stamina. He fought this fight to his strengths not Gomi's that's smart.

I get it though, you're an old Pride fan.. so am I. And you want the Pride guys to dominate in the UFC like they did in Pride. I'm the same way when I watch Cro Cop fight in the UFC I want the Stalker Cro Cop to come out but he just doesn't have it anymore and while Gomi hasn't fallen off like Cro Cop he isn't the same fighter he used to be.

 

[jmt225]

Your logic makes no sense what so ever... Because you're a big Gomi fan you're saying you wanted Guida to "press the action" and end up in a slug fest with Gomi? Really?

Did I say that? No, I didn't. All I said is that it was ridiculous how Guida went out there and danced around like a ******ed monkey.

First off, let me say that since that post I've calmed down about the fight and I do take back what I said about Guida. I'm still gutted about Gomi losing, but it's impossible not to like this guy as a human being; he's easily the nicest guy in the entire sport.

That said, Greg Jackson fucking ruined him, bottom line. There's no way Guida came up with that game plan. Sure, it worked this one time, but it won't work again; I guarantee it. People will now know what to expect and will take it to Guida. Instead of coming up with these ******ed gameplans, teach the guy how to strike first. Dominick Cruz can do that kind of shit because he actually knows how to strike; however, Guida looked like a ****** out there.

What Guida pulled last night was not fighting; it was dancing. It worked this one time, good for him, but it will lose him his next fight. You'll see.

Also, for the record, had Kos pulled what Guida pulled last night against GSP and won because of it, people would be singing the same tune I am. It makes the sport look stupid.

Guida's strengths are his un orthodox style, being on the ground and having great stamina. He fought this fight to his strengths not Gomi's that's smart.

When have you ever seen Guida fight like that?

I give Guida credit for his stamina and even his ground skills to a certain degree (Gomi basically gave his head to him as a late Christmas gift; even Guida would tell you that). But that stand-up was ridiculous. Like I said, it worked this one time, good for him, but I still say fuck Greg Jackson and I just cannot wait for his camp to come crashing down.

These "strategies" only work against people who want to fight. Gomi could have easily laid back last night and let Guida dance around like a ****** and simply only defend the takedown. But Gomi doesn't do that; he actually FIGHTS, which is what the sport is supposed to be about. If Guida had simply come in, shoot, got Gomi down and tapped him out, I wouldn't be bitching whatsoever. I'd still be hurt, but I'd have no other choice but to give Guida his props, just as I did Florian when he beat Gomi. However, the way Guida went out there and fought just completely rubbed me the wrong way.

I get it though, you're an old Pride fan.. so am I. And you want the Pride guys to dominate in the UFC like they did in Pride. I'm the same way when I watch Cro Cop fight in the UFC I want the Stalker Cro Cop to come out but he just doesn't have it anymore and while Gomi hasn't fallen off like Cro Cop he isn't the same fighter he used to be.

Honestly man it's not even like that. Sure, I like Pride, but I'm not one of these idiots who only roots for those guys. I couldn't care less if guys like Rampage and Dan Henderson won or lose. In fact, the only guys who made their name in Pride that I'm a big fan of are Gomi, Shogun, and Wandy. When Ricardo Arona finally fights for the UFC, do you think I'm going to be rooting for him just because he's a bit of a Pride legend? Hell no, fuck him.

I am a Gomi fanboy, just as I am of Nick Diaz and BJ Penn; I don't hide it. However, I only make excuses when they're warranted. I didn't make an excuse for Gomi when he lost to Florian or Kitaoka, but last night, like I said, that shit rubbed me the wrong way. That's simply not what MMA is supposed to be like. And if Gomi had the mind-set like Greg Jackson fighters do, he would have sat back and won or lost a decision. But thank God Gomi isn't like that, which is why he is and will always remain one of my favorite fighters, no matter what.

 

[Final Form Snyper.]

I figure this would be perfect in this thread.

UFC 125 has wrapped up from Las Vegas and the performance bonuses for the show have been awarded.

Awards were given out following the show for knockout of the night, submission of the night, and fight of the night to the tune of $60,000 for each fighter.

The winners were:

Knockout of the night: Jeremy Stephens for his third round stoppage of Marcus Davis

Submission of the night: Clay Guida with his guillotine choke finish of Takanori Gomi

Fight of the night: Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fighting to a draw

I was really into the Jeremy Stevens vs Marcus Davis fight I was thinking if this fight isn't fight of the night I will eat my hat..... well I'm glad I wasn't taken up on it because it didn't come close to being the fight I thought it was going to be..... All in all though it was a good night and worth the $39.95 that I payed.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

JMT, you know I respect you, but you also know that we disagree here a little bit. I'm a Clay Guida fan and I love seeing him on a bit of a hot streak.

Guida's dancing, I firmly believe, is his technique to keep his opponent off balance. Guida switched his lead hand like 4 or 5 times, kept changing levels and moving his head, and Gomi could never get a handle on what he was going to do. Guida kept Gomi off of his game with the movements, and only guys like Guida can pull that off without gassing.

Be honest JMT, are you telling me you're not okay with Guida's movements to throw his opponent off, but you're fine with the Diaz assholes taking shit between every round to try to get inside their opponents heads?

 

[Ryman]

Ohhh i was almost done with my post and my computer stops working......... Alright here is the short version:

Davis and Baroni, its probably time to retire. I dont want to see these to fighting on the smaller shows and take to much damage.

Daniel Roberts needs to work on his standup, against a guy with good takedown defence he is in trouble.

Guida fought good and weird, confusing Gomi. Gomi has to get more technical is his boxing as his brawling style does not work anymore. Give Gomi Stephens and Guida Ben Henderson.

Diaz-Kim was really close so i disagree with Jmt here that Diaz won easily, the second round could have gone to both fighters. Kim was looking to advance in position and he had no trouble getting out of Diaz sub attempts that was not really close to begin with, but at the same time Diaz was active and punching and looking for subs(even if it was not close to finishing Kim) all the time from bottom so i dont know how to score that round. I am a big fan of Kim so i am happy but 10-9 Kim, 10-10 or 10-9 Diaz would have been ok for me. Kim needs to work on his cardio and Diaz has to get some big strong wrestlers to work with in his camp.

Thiago Silva is intense and dominated Vera. I want to see Silva-Rampage next, the stare dow would be epic(and Rampage would get a brawler to fight, he has been looking for one) Vera is probably getting cut.

Lebens coach is saying that he was sick and vomiting backstage before the fight but Stann looked great. He has power in his hands and good finishing instinct. Stann said he wants Wanderlei next(why is everyone calling him out)

Maynard-Edgar was extremely close so the draw made sense, the rematch is now going to sell more ppvs but i dont think they can top this fight. Early foty candidate. Edgar has a serious heart, i thought he was done after getting but on his back in the first. Awesome fight.

This card delivered some good fights, i cant wait for UFC 126

 

[jmt225]

Guida's dancing, I firmly believe, is his technique to keep his opponent off balance. Guida switched his lead hand like 4 or 5 times, kept changing levels and moving his head, and Gomi could never get a handle on what he was going to do. Guida kept Gomi off of his game with the movements, and only guys like Guida can pull that off without gassing.

I agree it was a technique. I'm not saying he did it to disrespect his opponent; I'm stating that I feel it's an absolutely ridiculous way to win a fight. And sure, it won this one time, but it won't happen again if he continues to fight like that. Instead of focusing on dancing around like a monkey, he needs to focus on his striking. Guida has a LOT of improving to do in that area, and he shouldn't be wasting his time on stupid shit like what he did Saturday night. It got him this one win, but it won't do him any help against his next opponent.

Also, like I said... I too like Guida and wish him the best. But, Greg Jackson is going to ruin him, and if he continues to fight like he did Saturday, he will lose his fanbase (hell, the fans were already turning on him Saturday before he was finally able to get the fight to the ground). He was just lucky he was in there with someone who wasn't afraid and still fought his heart out, like Gomi ALWAYS does.

Be honest JMT, are you telling me you're not okay with Guida's movements to throw his opponent off, but you're fine with the Diaz assholes taking shit between every round to try to get inside their opponents heads?

No, there's a huge difference. Talking shit like that is apart of any sport. It's not apart of some stupid strategy.... that's simply who they are when they're fighting. If you're not bringing it to them, they're going to tell you to stop being a bitch and fight.

Guida, on the other hand, was just dancing around like a ****** waiting for Gomi to approach him. I don't see a connection between what Guida did and what the Diaz brothers do.