All UFC Thread

[OzExorcist]

Erm... no? You asked a question, I gave you the correct answer.

Not sure what else you expected - someone to be stupid enough to post a link to an illegal stream in a public forum?

 

[Blackout09]

ill have to rewatch the fight but i feel like Nate should have won it... Expected bit more from Magny tho...

If ANything I give Conor the win By Split. He did get three Knockdowns. But Diaz was taking the fight to Conor and that takedown at the end was huge. Was a pretty close fight. Cant wait for the trilogy if it happens.

 

[underdog140]

I'm not sure a lot changes at 155 - Nate goes back to fighting at his usual weight class, Conor fights at what is probably his "natrual" weight, Nate still has height and reach and we probably get another great fun fight.

Mostly I agree, I think they both will have more gas in the tank at 155lbs.

I suppose it depends what way he meant that - if it's in the cage dominating other fighters then no. It's possible that's what he was trying to say, though on the whole I thought he was pretty humble and respectful after the fight. Other people's mileage may vary though.

If he meant "King" as in the UFC's biggest draw and money earner though (which is kind of how I took it - again, mileage may vary), then I think it's fair to say it's true. He just put on an instant candidate for fight of the year, he's got a trilogy match sure to do megabucks with Diaz in his pocket, and that almost certainly won't even be his next fight. He's negotiating from a position of strength with the company, he's still far and away their biggest star and box office draw, and he just got the biggest payday in the company's history coming off a loss.

Interesting way to look at it but I don't for a second believe he meant it in a way that meant "PPV KING". I will say I thought he was down to earth in the post fight video I posted in an earlier post.

He would still be a big draw and current "king" of PPV if he lost. But if he didn't lose to Nate in the first place he would be even bigger. He lost something in the first fight he didn't gain back in this rematch.

If I were the UFC I'd book him against Alvarez next for the 155 belt, but that's just me.

It could happen although I don't think he deserves it going 1-1 with Nate Diaz with his win being very very close. Nate was 2-3 in his last 5 before beating Conor. Not exactly a guy you lose to and then win against right after and get a title shot. But then again it's the UFC and shots have been given for less.

 

[WVHillbilly]

I don't think Coner will be ready to fight again anytime soon so I doubt Alvarez still has the title by the time he's ready to go at 155. My guess is that he is forced to vacate the 145 title and then has a fight against Diaz at 155 before getting a shot at whoever the current title holder there (assuming he can beat Nate at 155). Personally I'm hoping it's Cowboy but we shall see.

 

[OzExorcist]

Yeah I suppose we'll see - if he really did break his foot then he's probably out for a while. If it's just a bruised shin like he said in the post-fight interview then he's probably back sooner.

Whether it's Aldo, Alvarez or someone else though, I suspect everyone concerned is hoping he'll be able to fight soon. UFC205 at Madison Square Garden still doesn't have a headliner, and everyone from Conor's camp was talking like they wanted that card even more than they wanted the UFC200 headliner.

 

[Mr Sandbag]

I think a lot changes at 155. Diaz was getting destroyed - for the second time in a row - until McGregor gassed. At his natural weight McGregor will last considerably longer. Not saying he can finish Diaz because it looks like he can't, but it'd probably be a landslide decision victory IMO.

 

[Rincewind]

Mcgregor did pretty much as I expected and indeed what I said here that he would. Cut off the Nates one dimensional movement with leg kicks. Fought smart and beat up a guy who outweighed him on the night by about 15 pounds. On the occasions when he was in trouble he stayed calm and weathered the storm to regain momentum. We saw a whole new dimension to his game. The loss in the first contest has been the making of him.

Well done to both men. A well deserved fortune in disclosed payments and we can only speculate at PPV payouts.

Where to from here?

Nate surely has these two fights (and Conor) to thank for his new found marketability and he can afford to wait 18-24 months for Diaz/McGregor 3 at LW. Diaz is too wooden and too one dimensional in his offence so It will be a ferocious beating for him now that McGregor has his number but it will be a huge payday that he can retire on.

McGregor WILL unify the FW title in another astronomical payday and possibly go after the LW title as well. If you're Jose Aldo right now, you gotta be scared after seeing what a machine McGregor is and the amount of punishment he can take from a much bigger man. No way Aldo can knock McGregor out nor can he last five rounds without being decapitated.

On a side note: well done also to the Russian Hammer Artem Lobov who ensured team SBG(ireland) got a clean sweep of victories against the 209 crew by the one sided destruction of Chris Avila on the FS1 card. A fantastic night for the team and for the country of Ireland.

The King is back.

 

[WVHillbilly]

Mcgregor did pretty much as I expected and indeed what I said here that he would. Cut off the Nates one dimensional movement with leg kicks. Fought smart and beat up a guy who outweighed him on the night by about 15 pounds. On the occasions when he was in trouble he stayed calm and weathered the storm to regain momentum. We saw a whole new dimension to his game. The loss in the first contest has been the making of him.

Well done to both men. A well deserved fortune in disclosed payments and we can only speculate at PPV payouts.

Where to from here?

Nate surely has these two fights (and Conor) to thank for his new found marketability and he can afford to wait 18-24 months for Diaz/McGregor 3 at LW. Diaz is too wooden and too one dimensional in his offence so It will be a ferocious beating for him now that McGregor has his number but it will be a huge payday that he can retire on.

McGregor WILL unify the FW title in another astronomical payday and possibly go after the LW title as well. If you're Jose Aldo right now, you gotta be scared after seeing what a machine McGregor is and the amount of punishment he can take from a much bigger man. No way Aldo can knock McGregor out nor can he last five rounds without being decapitated.

On a side note: well done also to the Russian Hammer Artem Lobov who ensured team SBG(Ireland) got a clean sweep of victories against the 209 crew by the one sided destruction of Chris Avila on the FS1 card. A fantastic night for the team and for the country of Ireland.

The King is back.

Not so fast my friend. . .

Coner wasn't tested on the ground this time against Nate so we have zero idea if he's fixed the rather obvious flaws Nate exposed in their 1st fight. His takedown defense looked great but without seeing him working off his back (10 seconds at the end of the fight hardly qualifies) I'm not ready to anoint him King just yet.

I also don't think he ever cuts to 145 again but perhaps we get an Aldo-McGregor 2 at some point. Just don't think they're going to let him keep running around with that belt for much longer and I don't think he's all that interested in unifying that belt.

Only time will tell though.

 

[underdog140]

Not so fast is right. It was a hard fought win for Conor but lets not forget Diaz was originally hand picked as a show fight for Conor. He ( Conor ) was not meant to lose to Diaz or have a close decision win.

According to Dana, Conor has 2 options :

Conor can fight UFC interim featherweight champion Jose Aldo to unify the belts in the division or give up his featherweight title and fight Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title.

http://www.bjpenn.com/mma-news/cono...conor-mcgregor-two-options-following-ufc-202/

Also there are rumors that Conor made $15 million and Diaz made $13 million for UFC 202.

Conor McGregor Total UFC 202 Estimated Pay

Fight purse: $3 million.

Reebok Sponsorship money: $250.000.

PPV Share: $11.5 million.

Fight of the night bonus: $50.000.

Show money for his Vegas afterparty: $250.000 estimated.

Nate Diaz Total UFC 202 Estimated Pay

Fight purse: $2 million.

Reebok Sponsorship money: $250.000.

PPV Share: $10.5 million.

Fight of the night bonus: $50.000.
Show money for his Vegas afterparty: $150.000 estimated.

http://www.bjpenn.com/mma-news/nate...d-15-million-13-million-respectively-ufc-202/

 

[Rincewind]

Not so fast my friend. . .

Coner wasn't tested on the ground this time against Nate so we have zero idea if he's fixed the rather obvious flaws Nate exposed in their 1st fight. His takedown defense looked great but without seeing him working off his back (10 seconds at the end of the fight hardly qualifies) I'm not ready to anoint him King just yet.

I also don't think he ever cuts to 145 again but perhaps we get an Aldo-McGregor 2 at some point. Just don't think they're going to let him keep running around with that belt for much longer and I don't think he's all that interested in unifying that belt.

Only time will tell though.

Surely you are not naive enough to think that fighting ability has anything to do with McGregor's ascendancy to the top of the game?

Its his self promotion and marketability that has cemented him firmly at the pinnacle of the sport. If fighting ability was the sole determining factor of who is ''King'' the DJ would be it, without any competition.

If you wanna consider McGregor talents and any percieved hole's in his game lets consider them fairly shall we? People are so dismissive of his ground game (you said obvious flaws) and continually trot out the old excuse of not having seen enough of him on the ground. To be honest thats just bs. When he went to ground with Diaz in the first contest he was bossed there because he was gassed and he basically gave up position followed by his back and neck to a very dangerous BJJ black belt.

But what about when they were both fresh in round one? Remember when this happened?

Perfectly executed x guard sweep to recover top position against one of the best offensive jiu jitsu players in the sport. Any one that knows BJJ, knows that shit aint easy to pull off at the best of times never mind against Nate.

Remember this against Mendes?

You dont learn escapes like that by accident man, c'mon!!?

And here, my personal favourite. This pass to mount against Siver really shows the kind level he is on. Maybe the top 10% of Jiu Jitsu guys in MMA could pull off a pass like this so effortlessly and so instinctively outside of the gym.

People just dont give his ground game the credit it deserves because he is primarily a striker.

 

[KUN_AGUERO_KROOS]

Idol? Seriously, dont make me laugh. Because I happen to be from the same piece of dirt in the ocean as him, you assume he is my idol. Far from it. But at least I can objectively analyse both fighters performance in their last meeting without bias. Unlike you.

Diaz is too wooden and too one dimensional in his offence so It will be a ferocious beating for him now that McGregor has his number but it will be a huge payday that he can retire on.

McGregor WILL unify the FW title in another astronomical payday and possibly go after the LW title as well. If you're Jose Aldo right now, you gotta be scared after seeing what a machine McGregor is and the amount of punishment he can take from a much bigger man. No way Aldo can knock McGregor out nor can he last five rounds without being decapitated.

A fantastic night for the team and for the country of Ireland.

The King is back.

Irish bandwagoners are MMA Cancer.

At least admit ur a fanboy.

Conor did very well, but ur acting like he KO`d Nate, he won by decision and a very close one.

were you taking a shit on the last seconds of the 3rd round?

 

[Rincewind]

Irish bandwagoners are MMA Cancer.

At least admit ur a fanboy.

Conor did very well, but ur acting like he KO`d Nate, he won by decision and a very close one.

were you taking a shit on the last seconds of the 3rd round?

 

[OzExorcist]

Not so fast is right. It was a hard fought win for Conor but lets not forget Diaz was originally hand picked as a show fight for Conor. He ( Conor ) was not meant to lose to Diaz or have a close decision win.

I agree with the broad principle of not getting carried away - this obviously wasn't a dominant performance.

For my money that's part of McGregor's appeal by the way: you've often got no idea whether he's going to get the win or not. From the Mendes fight onwards there's been a big chance of him losing every time he steps in the cage. That makes his fights way more interesting than, say, Jon Jones putting a beatdown on whoever was next on the list during his championship run.

I disagree with Diaz being "hand picked" though. Someone like Dennis Siver was hand picked: Diaz was just the preferable option from the two or three guys who were available to fight on 11 days notice.

You're right, the narrative going in was that he was meant to deal with Diaz much easier than he did in either fight. The style matchup was always problematic for him though, and both fights obviously bore that out.

People just dont give his ground game the credit it deserves because he is primarily a striker.

I agree, his ground game is probably underrated by a lot of people at this point - purely because a lot of people don't think he has one at all, which is just silly. That pass on Siver is especially pretty (albeit against a guy who had been rocked, and I don't think is a grappling powerhouse to begin with).

Obviously what those GIFs don't show is things like all the time he spent underneath Mendes unable to do anything: IIRC McGregor was only able to escape when Mendes made a mistake trying to pass? If Mendes had've just stayed in guard and kept throwing strikes, McGregor would have been under him until the bell, losing the round.

It was a good escape, he capitalised on the opportunity as soon as it presented itself, but at the same time he's obviously no Gunnar Nelson or Demian Maia on the ground.

FWIW I think the same is probably true of a lot of top-level UFC fighters, people just like to go on about it in Conor's case. Robbie Lawler is hardly a wizard on the ground, for example. Jedrzejczyk is the same.

 

[andyt5303]

I'm like 70% sure Conor won't go back to 145 again after what he said at the post fight press conference. Also heard John Kavanagh on the MMA hour today and he didn't seem too enthused about him going back down to 145 - said there's no one near his level in that division and 'it would almost be like cheating'.

The only reason I see him going back to 145 is the fact he'll lose the belt (according to Dana), he was always intent on replicating his strikeforce days with multiple belts so it must hurt him to have to vacate it.

Either way I think the next fight is McGregor Diaz 3 as early as November at MSG.

 

[andyt5303]

Also during the interview on MMA Hour Kavanagh told this hilarious story during the fight...

I forget which round but Conor threw a turning side kick and Nate ended up clinching him against the cage right by Conor's corner and Kavanagh was shouting to stick to the game plan. While Nate was in the fight blood pouring out his face landing shots on Conor he looked down to Conor's corner and said 'f*ck you and your gameplan!!'

I thought that was incredible, didn't think I could love Nate anymore but I guess I was wrong!

 

[OzExorcist]

Either way I think the next fight is McGregor Diaz 3 as early as November at MSG.

There's a couple of potential hiccups in that one: Diaz is apparently under investigation for the cannabis oil vape pen he was using in the post-fight interviews (it's only banned in-competition, but "in competition" extends six hours after the fight), and McGregor needs to get medical clearance for whatever was making him limp around after the fight.

If I were McGregor and the UFC though there's no way I make the trilogy fight straight away. Just keep that one in your pocket. It's a true moneyweight fight, not dependent on belts or anything else. Either guy could take a fight and lose in the meantime and then still come back to fight the trilogy and make big money.

 

[underdog140]

I agree with the broad principle of not getting carried away - this obviously wasn't a dominant performance.

For my money that's part of McGregor's appeal by the way: you've often got no idea whether he's going to get the win or not. From the Mendes fight onwards there's been a big chance of him losing every time he steps in the cage. That makes his fights way more interesting than, say, Jon Jones putting a beatdown on whoever was next on the list during his championship run.


I disagree with Diaz being "hand picked" though. Someone like Dennis Siver was hand picked: Diaz was just the preferable option from the two or three guys who were available to fight on 11 days notice.

Diaz was hand picked. A guy with a name and following that was 2-3 in his last five and out of shape. While there were other named fighters that were in fight shape willing and ready to take the fight ( Donald Cerrone and others ). He was hand picked out of the available options because at the time he was viewed as a guy that doesn't have much of a chance to beat Conor.

Lets be honest here. He was suppose to easily beat Diaz in the first match and move on to a LW title shot. Not many gave Diaz a chance in the first match. There wasn't any guessing on who was going to win. Most picked Conor.

Mendes also fought on short notice and out of shape. While Conor had a full camp.

 

[Rincewind]

Excuses excuses. McGregor will never get the credit he deserves from some people. Many observers seem to be allowing their dislike of him cloud their judgement.

He's proved himself consistently since his early days in the sport.

 

[Rincewind]

Mendes also fought on short notice and out of shape. While Conor had a full camp.

Oh and let's not be naive here, Mendes had his own advantages going into that fight.

 

[Rincewind]

Size difference is hugely noticeable here. And that sweet sweet left.

 

[underdog140]

What advantage did Mendes have that isn't a skill or naturally given to him ?

I notice the size difference also during the Diaz fight ( I seen allot worse ) but that gif doesn't show it well. I think you just wanted to show Diaz getting dropped.

No clouded judgement here. It was a close hard fought fight.

 

[Rincewind]

What advantage did Mendes have that isn't a skill or naturally given to him ?

Seriously?

I notice the size difference also during the Diaz fight ( I seen allot worse ) but that gif doesn't show it well. I think you just wanted to show Diaz getting dropped.

Obviously!!! TWICE

 

[Mr Sandbag]

That drop where he's covering up and standing still looks intentional to me.

 

[Rincewind]

That drop where he's covering up and standing still looks intentional to me.

What are you saying? That its staged?

Seriously?

 

[underdog140]

Seriously?



Obviously!!! TWICE

Seriously ...... I guess you are alluding to him getting caught by usada. Which I believe was after the Edgar fight not the Conor fight.

What are you saying? That its staged?

Seriously?

That Diaz was trying to bait Conor to the ground. Similar to what Werdum does.