U
underdog140
Legend
Silver Level
OzExorcist
Broomcorn's uncle
Bronze Level
LOL
So a couple of things:
- It's on Penn's own website so it's hardly going to be slagging him off.
- It's in Yair's best interests to talk up Penn. He wants to be able to market himself as the man who beat the legend BJ Penn, not the guy who beat up a broken old man who shouldn't have been in the cage.
So a couple of things:
- It's on Penn's own website so it's hardly going to be slagging him off.
- It's in Yair's best interests to talk up Penn. He wants to be able to market himself as the man who beat the legend BJ Penn, not the guy who beat up a broken old man who shouldn't have been in the cage.
U
underdog140
Legend
Silver Level
Or just maby .... Yair Rodriguez is telling the truth.....
The website didn't make the quote it came from Yair Rodriguez so who published it doesn't matter.
Agree about it being in Yair Rodriguez best interest to talk up B.J.
The website didn't make the quote it came from Yair Rodriguez so who published it doesn't matter.
Agree about it being in Yair Rodriguez best interest to talk up B.J.
OzExorcist
Broomcorn's uncle
Bronze Level
*shrugs*
I'm just saying it's a quote from a guy who has a vested interest in talking up BJ Penn, on a website that has a vested interest in talking up BJ Penn.
And even given all of that, the best they can come up with as an endorsement is a lukewarm "yeah he's strong and he's motivated and I'm picking him to beat Siver". That's pretty sad really...
I'm just saying it's a quote from a guy who has a vested interest in talking up BJ Penn, on a website that has a vested interest in talking up BJ Penn.
And even given all of that, the best they can come up with as an endorsement is a lukewarm "yeah he's strong and he's motivated and I'm picking him to beat Siver". That's pretty sad really...
OzExorcist
Broomcorn's uncle
Bronze Level
WVHillbilly
Legend
Silver Level
He's the better fighter.
B
Blackout09
Visionary
Silver Level
I agree. And Also Cormier has become ****y like if hes been owning the whole Division. He still needs to defeat the man that never lost his title. Jon Jones.
U
underdog140
Legend
Silver Level
No .. this is what he said ..
“Well, I felt BJ was really strong in the cage you know. He punched me a couple of times where I thought to myself ‘Wow this guy is really strong’. BJ still has that fire in his heart and in his eyes. I saw it. I think he is going to do very well against Dennis Siver. I am picking BJ to win, of course.”
Nothing sad about that at all. Stop hating.
OzExorcist
Broomcorn's uncle
Bronze Level
Yeah I paraphrased. Doesn't change the motivations of Yair in making those comments, or the website that published them, and it still doesn't make it any more than a lukewarm endorsement.
And just to be clear, I'm not "hating" on BJ Penn. I'm just being real. The guy is clearly finished, in the same sad way that Ali was clearly finished but still came back for those last couple of fights in the early 80s, or that Chuck Liddell was clearly finished but kept coming back to get KTFO again. Or Big Nog's late career.
And even those guys only took two or three fights in that state. BJ hasn't won a fight since he did to Matt Hughes in 2010 what everyone's been doing to him since. It's been almost seven years since he's had a win, it's been four losses in a row and the last two have been ugly, ugly knockouts.
So I'm not hating on the guy. I'm just being real, and not wanting to see him wind up with even worse brain damage than he probably already has. Because we've seen this exact story time and time again across the history of combat sports, and it never has a happy ending.
And just to be clear, I'm not "hating" on BJ Penn. I'm just being real. The guy is clearly finished, in the same sad way that Ali was clearly finished but still came back for those last couple of fights in the early 80s, or that Chuck Liddell was clearly finished but kept coming back to get KTFO again. Or Big Nog's late career.
And even those guys only took two or three fights in that state. BJ hasn't won a fight since he did to Matt Hughes in 2010 what everyone's been doing to him since. It's been almost seven years since he's had a win, it's been four losses in a row and the last two have been ugly, ugly knockouts.
So I'm not hating on the guy. I'm just being real, and not wanting to see him wind up with even worse brain damage than he probably already has. Because we've seen this exact story time and time again across the history of combat sports, and it never has a happy ending.
OzExorcist
Broomcorn's uncle
Bronze Level
So the UFC continues to do strange and inconsistent stuff with their women's divisions... we're apparently getting a women's 125 division now!
They're doing it the same way they did 115, with a season of TUF to crown the inaugural champion:
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/5/3...r-womens-flyweight-division-champion-mma-news
On the one hand, huzzah: this is what they should have done all along instead of pretending women's 145 was a real thing that they could make happen (I'd complain that they haven't even tried to sign any more fighters to the 145 division but... there weren't any to sign in the first place, so it's a moot point).
On the other hand, they waited until AFTER Bellator had announced plans to establish their own women's 125 title and had signed away a chunk of good talents. 125 is nowhere near as thin talent-wise as 145 so they might still get away with this, but the timing is just bizarro.
Anywho, it's happening. What's the over/under on the date for the crowning of Joanna Two-Division Champion?
They're doing it the same way they did 115, with a season of TUF to crown the inaugural champion:
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/5/3...r-womens-flyweight-division-champion-mma-news
On the one hand, huzzah: this is what they should have done all along instead of pretending women's 145 was a real thing that they could make happen (I'd complain that they haven't even tried to sign any more fighters to the 145 division but... there weren't any to sign in the first place, so it's a moot point).
On the other hand, they waited until AFTER Bellator had announced plans to establish their own women's 125 title and had signed away a chunk of good talents. 125 is nowhere near as thin talent-wise as 145 so they might still get away with this, but the timing is just bizarro.
Anywho, it's happening. What's the over/under on the date for the crowning of Joanna Two-Division Champion?
U
underdog140
Legend
Silver Level
If they are going to do a 195 division they would have to rework the divisions. 10 Lbs gap is ok at smaller weight classes but not at higher ones.
Weight becomes less of a factor the bigger you get so the gap between weight classes needs to be bigger at the higher weight classes.
Weight becomes less of a factor the bigger you get so the gap between weight classes needs to be bigger at the higher weight classes.
WVHillbilly
Legend
Silver Level
I disagree but how about that 60 lb gap from 205 to heavyweight?
OzExorcist
Broomcorn's uncle
Bronze Level
As soon as they have a PPV that needs a headliner and they find they can't shoehorn in an interim title in another division
U
underdog140
Legend
Silver Level
Sure that is too much of a gap ...
220 - 225 lbs possibly ...
Body percent wise there is a big difference between a 135 lb fighter losing 10 lbs to get to the next division then a 205 lb fighter losing 10 lbs to get to 195. IMO there should be a big enough gap in the divisions that keep most from jumping back and forth. I feel as 10 lbs is enough to accomplish this at the lower weight classes but not at the higher ones.
What about Lowering 205 to 200 and introducing a 220 lb division ?
WVHillbilly
Legend
Silver Level
I don't mind them jumping around as much as I don't like guys struggling to make weight and fighting diminished because of it.
OzExorcist
Broomcorn's uncle
Bronze Level
I think to a large extent the gap in the higher weight classes is dictated by the number of fighters available to fight in it though.
I mean, look at the current state of LHW and HW in the UFC. They've barely got enough warm bodies to fill a top 15, and even then they've gotta trot out the zombie corpse of Little Nog. They let Bigfoot Silva go on a losing streak that wouldn't be tolerated at a lower, more populated weight class just because LOL it's heavyweight.
If it got broken down any further, I think you either wouldn't have enough guys to make a division (the same problem they're having with women's 145) or you'd just get existing 205 and 265 fighters doubling up.
That's because especially in the post-USADA era, the 265 pound heavyweight limit is kind of academic anyway. Most of the top competitive guys (Miocic, Dos Santos, Cain, Werdum) fight at about 240 and they're pretty clearly not cutting weight to get there. Even a 6'4 physical freak like Francis Ngannou comes in around 250. The only ones left weighing up around 265 any more are guys like Mark Hunt and Derrick Lewis (and all 7 foot of Stefan Struve I guess)
Anywho, point being if you made a new division around 220 or 230 I suspect it'd look kind of similar to the current heavyweight division - I'd be surprised if all those top guys mentioned earlier wouldn't be able to cut down to that, so it'd probably just be them fighting each other and a few 205ers who didn't want to cut quite as much weight.
I don't think the dearth of talent at the higher weight classes is going to change any time soon either - at least not until there's a LOT more money in MMA - because talented athletes that size can currently make a way more playing a range of other sports, without getting hit repeatedly in the head. The lighter divisions get more talent because they're guys who are too small to make it playing football or basketball or whatever.
I mean, look at the current state of LHW and HW in the UFC. They've barely got enough warm bodies to fill a top 15, and even then they've gotta trot out the zombie corpse of Little Nog. They let Bigfoot Silva go on a losing streak that wouldn't be tolerated at a lower, more populated weight class just because LOL it's heavyweight.
If it got broken down any further, I think you either wouldn't have enough guys to make a division (the same problem they're having with women's 145) or you'd just get existing 205 and 265 fighters doubling up.
That's because especially in the post-USADA era, the 265 pound heavyweight limit is kind of academic anyway. Most of the top competitive guys (Miocic, Dos Santos, Cain, Werdum) fight at about 240 and they're pretty clearly not cutting weight to get there. Even a 6'4 physical freak like Francis Ngannou comes in around 250. The only ones left weighing up around 265 any more are guys like Mark Hunt and Derrick Lewis (and all 7 foot of Stefan Struve I guess)
Anywho, point being if you made a new division around 220 or 230 I suspect it'd look kind of similar to the current heavyweight division - I'd be surprised if all those top guys mentioned earlier wouldn't be able to cut down to that, so it'd probably just be them fighting each other and a few 205ers who didn't want to cut quite as much weight.
I don't think the dearth of talent at the higher weight classes is going to change any time soon either - at least not until there's a LOT more money in MMA - because talented athletes that size can currently make a way more playing a range of other sports, without getting hit repeatedly in the head. The lighter divisions get more talent because they're guys who are too small to make it playing football or basketball or whatever.
OzExorcist
Broomcorn's uncle
Bronze Level
So... Gegard Mousasi felt the need to come out and say that Ronda Rousey isn't very good at striking:
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/5/6...-doesnt-have-the-skills-of-a-stand-up-fighter
Erm... yes Gegard. In other news, the sky is blue and water is wet. And you wonder why other fighters get paid more than you?
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/5/6...-doesnt-have-the-skills-of-a-stand-up-fighter
Erm... yes Gegard. In other news, the sky is blue and water is wet. And you wonder why other fighters get paid more than you?