Category: UFC

The Situation With the UFC’s First ESPN+ Card is Officially Nuts

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Yesterday morning, I sat down at this very keyboard and wrote out what I thought was a solid blog regarding the next UFC Fight Night in Brooklyn, which also happens to be the UFC’s first card on ESPN+ as part of the new UFC-ESPN deal. Well, that blog got deleted instead of being sent to Red for publishing. Fuck. Fate seems to have intervened, as it does however, and a whirlwind of announcements have been made since. Hard to tell where to begin.

What I wrote about yesterday was the UFC insensitively booking Greg Hardy’s debut for the Brooklyn card when the only other fight scheduled (at.the.time) was Paige Van Zant vs. Rachel Ostovich. Ostovich, if you don’t know, is the fighter who came into the public consciousness recently for the worst reasons, having been the victim of a brutal attack at the hands of her husband, a fellow MMA fighter. I mean, he broke her orbital bone. Ghastly stuff. But she’s a fighter, and fighters fight, and she decided to stay on the card, So what does the UFC do? O, only books a guy convicted of beating, strangling, and tossing, onto a bed laden with guns no less, his girlfriend. Best case scenario this was just a massive missed communication – not a misspelling by the way, I don’t mean signals crossed, I mean signals missed altogether. Worst case the UFC went too far with their “everybody deserves a second chance” stance on Hardy and this being a big event, decided it shouldn’t matter who he fights alongside. What I think they might do, given the backlash, is move his fight to a different card. Make the guy wait and excuse yourself with an “aw shucks” shrug. That will be enough. No need for a gigantic, phony public apology. If Ostovich raises hell however they are going to be in quite the spot with the press and fans alike.

That was supposed to be it. The Hardy-Ostovich story. But noooope. This card curiously lacked a headliner. What did the UFC do? They only moved the biggest fight they currently have booked, the Champ vs. Champ 125lb Title Fight between Henry Cejudo and T.J Dillashaw, to the top of this card, taking it from an uncomfortable spectacle on paper to the makings of a barn-burner. I mean this fight is not getting 1/100 the attention it deserves. In Cejudo you have a guy that should be getting all the love in the world; someone who has been the best in the world at every stage in the game, from Olympic gold medalist to UFC Champion after dethroning long-time, immovable champion Demetrious Johnson. In T.J Dillashaw you have a true blue nightmare at 135lbs; another excellent wrestler who under the tutelage of Duane Ludwig has rebuilt himself into a shape-shifting, ultra slick, world-class kickboxer that just simply freezes people. This fight is going to be insane. (Side Note: This leave UFC 233 without a headliner. Cormier-Lesn……?)

To round out yesterday’s announcement The UFC shifted a pivotal  women’s flyweight division fight from UFC 233 to the Brooklyn card. This one pits Arianne “Violence Queen” Lipski, who has only met a couple of opponents she couldn’t finish, against fan favorite Joanne Calderwood, who has only met a couple coaches she couldn’t fuck. The winner of this one is probably neck-and-neck with or just below Jessica Andrade for a shot at Cashmeouside for the Women’s Flyweight Championship.

When all is said and done this Brooklyn/ESPN+ card has gone from kind of bizarre to almost a real UFC MMA card. It still, in my opinion, needs a solid fight or two to make it worth tuning into for more than Cejudo-Killashaw, but they are this close. Wild night indeed.

This is an INSANE Weekend for Combat Sports

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For those of us that love the world of MMA, there occasionally comes a weekend like this where there are multiple cards on multiple days and you can kind of just plan a lazy weekend around watching a steady stream of violent athleticism on both the feet and the ground.

Even rarer still comes the Friday-Sunday run of both MMA and a boxing match that even a casual fan wants to tune into. And we have just that this weekend. Not one but two UFC cards and the hotly anticipated heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. Sure, The Saturday UFC card goes head to head with Fury vs. Wilder, but one can always rig up a stream of the FS1 card card. Plus I doubt the boxing goes off until like, 1 or 2 in the morning because boxing is batshit like that (Note: Red is seething reading through this because we once stayed at a bar until 3:00am to watch Ronda Rousey only to have her knock out her opponent in like, 15 seconds).

To get into the nitty gritty, we kick off our weekend of pugilistic omnipresence with the finale of the most recent, and possibly last (???????) rendition of “The Ultimate Fighter”. I honestly haven’t seen an episode which always makes me sad. As much hate as it gets I do think it’s a pretty enjoyable show. This season they had heavyweights on which makes it even more intriguing as it puts the “big brawler vs. talented martial artists/athletes” question under the microscope. Did I mention the other weight class they had was women’s featherweights? The seemingly non-existent weight class occupied by Cyroid? So ya, bit of a circus this one.

The HW final is between Justin Frazier, 29, from Alaska who brings a 3-fight win streak into the contest. His opponent is a Spaniard with a long-ass name (Juan being the first part) who is 38 but only has one loss to his credit. It looks to be striker vs. grappler so I am going to just guess the Alaskan clubs him with one. The women’s final is Pannie Kinzad, a known quantity in Women’s MMA vs. Macy Chiasson, a slightly more unknown fighter. I have Kinzad, who I believe held an Invicta belt at one point. The Main Event of this one pits Rafael dos Anjos against Kamaru Usman in a pivotal 170lb clash. After what happened against Colby Covington I just can’t take RDA, who I fucking love. Usman by UD.

Wake up, watch some college football, and then it is on to UFC Fight Night: Dos Santos vs. Tuivasa. The first notable fight is what the man himself has said will be Mark Hunt’s last MMA fight. He fights AKA prospect Justin “Big Pretty” Willis and honestly I don’t think the Super Samoan has anything left at this point. Willis by KO in RD2. Next is Shogun against Tyson Pedro. I LOVE Pedro as a prospect, mostly for his size and penchant for violence, but he keeps stumbling and seems to not have much in the grappling department. Shogun, while a blackbelt in BJJ, won’t really go after a sub. He is, however, a world class kickboxer and I think gets the UD here over the greener Pedro. The main event, as mentioned pits Junior dos Santos against Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa. I think this one goes like any other “Cigano” fight against someone not named Velasquez, Miocic, or Overeem. Basically, unless you have technical assets better than JDS’, he is a very hard out. JDS by UD.

Finally, we have Fury vs. Wilder. Not only is this a long awaited fight, but it is so in part due to a complete mental breakdown/run of addiction on Fury’s parts that saw him weigh 400lbs and have most folks just figure his career was over. And all of this after just beating Klitschko. I will preface anything else I say with the fact that I DON’T KNOW SHIT ABOUT BOXING I AM JUST TRYING MY BEST. To beat Klitchsko you have to have some great technical ability and from I’ve read Fury is indeed an excellent technician and can change his approach based on opponent. I’ve watched Wilder fight and he pretty much just tries to take you’re fucking head off. something which he is VERY good at doing. That said, I don’t think Fury engages in a brawl and I think Wilder fails to clip him. Fury by UD.

At this point it will be Sunday and you will be hungover and exhausted and wondering what happened but hey, that’s the price of the clash of many titans. So whether you like it when they just bleed or fail to protect they neck, this should be a fun few days.

Enjoy,

-Joey B

 

 

The UFC’s Solution To Eye Pokes Just Might Be Kitten Mittens

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Image result for kitten mittens

Sherdog – Glove design has been a topic of controversy in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for years, with the organization’s current design receiving blame for the prevalence of inadvertent eye pokes….

……”That’s a real problem, man, and there is a solution in the works,” Rogan said. “I can’t talk about it. I’m sworn to secrecy. They have a better glove design that they’re working on right now. I’ve already said too much. I’m sworn to secrecy.”

So there is obviously a serious fight fan piece of this as well as a kind of humorous piece where they can’t seem to figure out how to stop adults in a fist fight from poking each other in the eyes.

The major first step they took fairly recently is having points deducted for extending the arm with the fingers open. I thought this was a great changing where it still allowed fighters to measure distance and keep an opponent at bay while not putting that same opponent at risk. The problem with that is that, like a lot of things that happens within the cage, it is up to the referee’s discretion and most if not all refs just don’t want to take points away from a fighter, which is understandable and to a point commendable. To that end something has to be done because eye pokes are still a gigantic issue that affect not only the immediate fight, but the income and near and long-term career of the fighter.

So what now? KITTEN MITTENS, THAT’S WHAT. The very same genius creation that allows evil felines to go about their business quietly are also pliable enough to allow for grappling while keeping the fingers closed and covered. The Diaz Brothers will be throwing the quietest Stockton Slaps ever when they get their hands into a pair of American-made kitten mittens.

In all seriousness a mitten-like design is what we are probably looking at, if not one that holds groups of fingers together like the Star Trek “v”. It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with.

-Joey B

BossLogic Swoops in With a Moving Tribute To Stan Lee

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I’m late to the parade on this, I know. I’m also notably not the biggest fan of the comic book movies, although I’ve enjoyed “Deadpool”, the first couple Spider-Man movies, etc. Either way, Stan Lee clearly made a huge difference in pop culture as a whole. I mean, even if you don’t like what he directly created, you like Kevin Smith movies right?

As for BossLogic, he is an indy artist who has become very well known for making his own version of UFC PPV/fight posters. His are so preferred by the fans to the ones the UFC come up with on their own that I believe they’ve started using his creations. Anyway, see below. Some day, hopefully in the very, very distant future, someone is going to do something like this for J.K Rowling and I’m going to bawl my eyes for 2 weeks. Note: I can’t fucking find Spider-Man, who I most associate Stan Lee with (Internet: O YOU FUCKIN LOSER POSER ASSHOLE SPIDERMAN? WHAT ABOUT….), if you see him let the kid know?

The MMA Apocalypse is Upon Us

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MMAFighting.com –  MMA history is about to be made with a shocking talent exchange.

ESPN reported Wednesday that the UFC and ONE Championship are in talks to trade former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson for recently retired ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren.

Straight off the top, what is basically happening if you don’t feel like reading is that the two organizations are going to release their respective fighters so that the fighters can sign with the other organization. So it’s not really a true, blue trade, but it is the kind of thing that quasi-happens on occasion in the NBA around the trade deadline.

This makes the most sense for ONE and DJ. “Mighty Mouse” has never been able to break through popularity-wise as his PPVs have sold poorly and Fight Night cards have had low ratings compared to other headliners. In ONE, he’ll have the benefit of a fanbase that loves smaller, quicker, more dynamic fighters and will be able to reap the rewards of sponsorship opportunities

I can’t rate the UFC’s side of the deal without bias unfortunately. I hate Ben Askren. He is entitled and big-headed without, in my mind, deserving to be. Don’t get it twisted, he has been completely dominant throughout his career. But he has fought literally no one of note. His first fight in ONE was against an unknown career middleweight with I think 8 fights. Woopdy do. The UFC seems to be desperate to add another marquee name in the wake of another McGregor loss and Daniel Cormier retiring imminently.  Like a baseball team that doesn’t build its farm system, the UFC did not do a good enough job building future stars.

Either way, this is the most batshit thing I can possibly think of happening in combat sports. Shipping two fighters across the world in opposite directions is laugh out loud funny especially when you consider this is being done because neither organization knows what the hell to do with the fighter they have under contract. Stupefying stuff.

-Joey B.

Friday Afternoon Grab Bag

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I have ten minutes at work to kill so let’s go.

-I initially disagreed with Mattes’ blog about Dwayne Allen but then I really concentrated on exactly how much we are paying him and I am now enraged. What I texted him, and what I’ll share with you, is that you kind of have to compare his role on the team and contract to players of equals roles and their deals. My example was James Devlin, who lead blocks on just about every significant run play (I think I heard last week the Pats go with more 2 back sets than just about every other team) and now has added catching a key pass every now and again to his repertoire. He also makes a little more (in pro athlete terms) than a quarter of what Allen makes. Fuck that. Allen contributes significantly as a blocking tight end but not 4x of James Devlin significant.

-On the other hand, I respectfully disagree with the assessment of our pass rush. If you recall the hey day of the Pats dynasty, The D relied on a front seven that could hurry the hell out of a quarterback, forcing bad throws and picks (sup Ty Law and Asante Samuel) (No “sup” for you Ellis Hobbs III). We didn’t really fill up the stat sheet back then with sacks either. I think we are doing the same thing nowadays. Adrian Clayborn, for example, seems to be somewhere near the quarterback on a lot of significant pass plays. I’m fine where we’re at right now.

-I feel like there hasn’t been any press yet about “The Sisters Brothers”, a western that stars Gyllenhaal, C. Reilly, Phoenix, and Ahmed, among others. It looks like the shit.

-I’ve tried to get into “Big Mouth” the animated show by Nick Kroll and his childhood friend Andrew Goldberg about puberty and jerking off but just can’t. I guess it’s one of those litmus test shows like “Rick and Morty”, you either get it or you don’t.

-Khabib and Conor will both be suspended from the 15th to the 25th, when it will be decided if they will be suspended indefinitely pending an investigation. You can count on the indefinite suspension. Bob Bennett, the Commissioner of the NSAC is considered one of the more reasonable Commissioners and I don’t think he even can pass up an opportunity to show his power and self-importance. This could take awhile.

-Lewis vs. Cormier for the title at UFC 230 is the fight we deserve right now. I mean leeeet’s fuckin go. Should be a fun one. Sucks about Nate vs. Poirier though. I’d say the event itself nets out even. If both were still on, this would be a can’t-miss card.

-No word on the final fate of Zubair Tughukov, I’m thinking a suspension at this point.

-I know I’m forgetting something….

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-O YA, THE YANKEES SUUUUUUCKKKK HAHAHAHA. O boy. Poor trash bags from the 5 burroughs with nothing to be proud of anymore. If you are in the tri-state area next couple weeks bottle some tears for me. Go Sox, indeed.

 

Khabib Nurmagomedov Drops Incendiary Instagram Post Directed at the UFC

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View this post on Instagram

I would like to address @ufc Why didn't you fire anyone when their team attacked the bus and injured a couple of people? They could have killed someone there, why no one says anything about insulting my homeland, religion, nation, family? Why do you have to punish my team, when both teams fought. If you say that I started it, then I do not agree, I finished what he had started. In any case, punish me, @zubairatukhugov has nothing to do with that. If you think that I’ll keep silent then you are mistaken. You canceled Zubaira’s fight and you want to dismiss him just because he hit Conor. But don’t forget that it was Conor who had hit my another Brother FIRST, just check the video. if you decide to fire him, you should know that you’ll lose me too. We never give up on our brothers in Russia and I will go to the end for my Brother. If you still decide to fire him, don’t forget to send me my broken contract, otherwise I'll break it myself. And one more thing, you can keep my money that you are withholding. You are pretty busy with that, I hope it won’t get stuck in your throat. We have defended our honor and this is the most important thing. We intend to go to the end. #Brothers

A post shared by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on

Holy. Mother. Fuck. Khabib Nurmagomedov is is reaaaaalllly not kidding around folks. While I sit here and try and wrap my head around the situation in order to write an even mildly coherent commentary, I think that it is important to note that this whole debacle is going to be impossible for the UFC to get right. There are just too many players, too many events, and too many questions to address.

For instance – what do you put more weight, on the past or the present? Yes, the entire melee involving Khabib and his team was wrong and a bad look for the sport. That much is undeniably true and it can’t go unpunished…..except for the fact that six months ago Conor McGregor got off scot-fucking-free, at least in terms of the Athletic Commission and the UFC, for throwing metal objects through bus windows, injuring two fighters, who had no involvement in any kind of beef with McGregor by the way, to the point where they could no longer compete and earn an income that weekend. So if you didn’t punish Conor for that, how can you really punish Khabib or his teammates for this when at least no foreign objects were used and no one was critically injured?

Image result for conor mcgregor bus attack

Next there is the fact that Conor McGregor came after Khabib’s religion, father, homeland, nationality (this is a long fucking lists), etc. Now to a lot of Americans, including my lapsed Catholic ass who doesn’t put a ton of weight on the fluid idea of the “nuclear family”, Conor engaged in the same over-the-top shit talking he always does. But it was just that to us, shit talking. We cannot comprehend what it means to a proud Dagestani Muslim from humble beginnings to hear his next opponent thrash the very fabric of his being like that. It just doesn’t compute in our brains. I guarantee you it has been overwhelmingly hard for Khabib to watch and hear Conor these past few months. If you think about it, he is absolutely stoic. Imagine the volcano bubbling inside of him in order to finally have him snap last Saturday?

One of the things that makes Khabib Nurmagomedov so intriguing is that he is a throw back. He fights to challenge himself. He fights for honor. He fights to prove he is the best. He fights to fight. Indeed it must be a mind-fuck, in the age of the money fights and the red panty nights, for the UFC to come up with a compromise with their champion, possibly the greatest lightweight ever (we don’t know that yet), when he states pretty clearly money does not matter to him here. They can choke on it, is what he pretty much says. It reminds me of Frank Costello’s remark about Billy Costigan’s Dad, “He never wanted money. You can’t do anything with a man like that.” Now, having finally arrived in the age of MMA fighters demanding to be paid, Khabib sees red over his teammates’ professional fate, not green from his greatest triumph.

Dana White is a stubborn man so I have no doubt Tukhugov is or will be cut. If I had to guess I’d say they’ll do what they did with Artem Lobov and just re-sign him somewhere soon down the line.  I actually don’t know if Lobov was ever even formally cut or not. I do know that many more members were added to Team Khabib last Saturday and that the UFC would be well suited to do all they can to keep that large, global team happy. I’m not saying don’t punish anyone, but keep in mind your past transgressions when it comes to these sorts of mishaps. Because now The Eagle has come home to roost.

-Joey B

QUICK P.S: This was not meant to be anti-Conor at all. Big Conor fan too. However Khabib’s current issue with the UFC has to be seen in the context of both his beef with McGregor and in McGregor’s past actions.

 

 

Khabib Nurmagomedov Loses His Mind at UFC 229, Jumps Into the Crowd to Fight Conor McGregor’s Teammate

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You talk shit long enough and sooner or later someone’s going to make you pay for it. That’s exactly what happened last night at UFC 229 as Conor McGregor got submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov via rear naked choke in the 4th Round. It was a humbling loss in a fight that McGregor was outclassed in on the ground. He never got into a rhythm and was unable to land enough strikes to ever really faze Khabib who just methodically took McGregor down time and time again with superior grappling skills.

The end right?

Not exactly.

Rather than revel in the victory Khabib instead lost his shit. He literally jumped out of the octagon and attacked, what the broadcast team ID’d as, McGregor’s jiu jitsu coach. A guy who just defended his crown and snuffed a loudmouth literally jumped the fence to fight a guy in the crowd. Then all hell broke loose and you could hear Joe Rogan’s legit concern on the broadcast, “No, no, no, don’t do this!”

It was like a scene straight out of the WWE, but this was anything but fake. Khabib’s buddy and fellow champion Daniel Cormier even had to come out of the crowd in an effort to calm the dude down.

Worst of all, what appeared to be one of Khabib’s teammates jumped INTO the ring and sucker punched McGregor from behind, who was up until that point not participating in the chaos.

I’m sure Dana White was counting the PPV sales in his head for a rematch, but he told Khabib you are not getting this belt in front of this crowd right now.

To be fair, McGregor talked shit for weeks leading up to the fight, and there was the whole Brooklyn bus incident so a lot of people in my twitter mentions were saying Conor got what he deserved. But last night was different, the post fight mayhem was just dirtier.

Khabib had a press conference somewhere past my bedtime and while he did offer an apology, he still didn’t seem to understand the issue with what had just happened.

“I no understand how people can talk about I jump on cage,” Nurmagomedov said. “He talk about my religion, he talk about my country, he talk about my father. He come to Brooklyn, and he broke bus. He almost kill a couple people, worry about this (expletive). Why people talk about I jump on cage? Why people still talk about this? I no understand. My California seven years. Everybody know who I am. All my friends. Everybody who know me, they know who I am.”

Listen, it’s cage fighting. Naturally the sport is going to attract some crazy fellas, but brawling with people in the crowd while your teammate is sucker punching a fighter in the octagon is a bad, bad look for Team Khabib.

Three of Khabib’s teammates were arrested after the shenanigans, but it seems like everyone agreed to just call it a night.

“Per UFC president Dana White, the three members of Khabib’s team that were directly involved in the post-fight brawl were taken into custody, but were subsequently released after McGregor decided not to press charges. He also confirmed that Khabib’s cheque has been withheld by the Commission.”

Wild, wild night and McGregor’s already planning for a rematch.

The 300s Official UFC 229 Preview

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Here we are folks. The eve of the single most monumental, true, blue, “who is the best in the world who weighs this much” fight in MMA history. Members of the media, etc. have stated as much and I do indeed agree. Sure, there has been a puzzling absence of press and promotion for this fight, but like in days of yore, all that matters is that they will definitely deliver in the cage.

The main event of UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor, seems to have been written in the starts dating back years, when the rising, still slightly anonymous man from the Northern Caucasus seemed destined to steamroll his way to an eventual title shot. That shot, even back as far as 2015, would most like likely be against the brash Irishman who everyone wanted to be booked against – either for the pay day, the legacy, or both.

Both of our headliners, of course, face their first test today around noon when they meet “The Scale”. Although Nurmagomedov is the one with the history of weight issues, neither man enjoys the cut to 155lbs, which adds an additional layer of drama.

UFC 229 also serves up a helping of additional quality fights in all shapes and sizes – some divisionally-meaningful, some MMA nerd friendly, some of the “just bleed” variety. Therefore, after addressing the main event, I will very briefly touch on the rest of the main card plus one more to give this entire event it’s due and proper.

Shall we?

The Main Event – Khabib Nurmagomedov (c) vs. Conor McGregor

Lightweight (155lbs) Title Fight

Image result for khabib conor face offIn one hand of our main event we have Conor McGregor, the bombastic, charismatic, electric former two-division champion. Aside from his accolades inside the cage and in the PPV buys record books, he has single-handedly brought MMA further into mainstream consciousness than any of his predecessors combined.

On the other hand is Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is every bit what you’d think his former-USSR origins would beget – stoic, calculated, direct, and harboring a simmering inner fury that is simply terrifying.

Stylistically, thank the MMA Gods again, we have been blessed with a fight between polar opposites. McGregor is a dynamic, one of a kind striker. He is capable of throwing a powerful side kick, lightning fast spinning kicks, and speedy combos from a rhythmic, bouncing crouch. Alternatively, he can slither forward in his wide, southpaw stance, slipping everything on earth in anticipation of firing off his patented bolt stunner of a left hand. His grappling, although much maligned thanks to a submission to Nate Diaz to go with the pair he suffered pre-UFC, has steadily improved since the first Diaz fight and the wrestling clinic Chad Mendes put him through before that. It’s worth noting, of course, that the late-notice replacement Mendes tired down the stretch and got knocked out.

The Upside Down to McGregor’s Hawkins, Khabib Nurmagomedov is what has become known as a typical Dagestani wreslting machine, albeit the best of the bear wrestling best with a few additional tricks up his sleeve. On the feet, he is willing and able to change his approach based on his opponent, from the jab seminar he put Al Iaquinta through to the 1-2s he used against Michael Johnson. His knock of course is his straight back and forth footwork coupled with occasionally limited head movement. This is to say he gets hit, sometimes kind of a bit too much. All of this standing and trading of course is only done to set up the inevitable take down, which usually comes via a beautifully brutal double leg. It should be noted here that anywhere from the middle of the octagon to against the cage Nurmagomedov has an unlimited arsenal of throws and take downs, he just prefers the double. From there, “The Eagle” becomes arguably the best, and definitely the most physically dominant, top position fighter in MMA. He uses slick passes, heavy pressure, and shockingly repressive strength to get into position to begin reining merciless elbows, punches, and hammerfists down on his opponents. Also of note, if he gets a back or side position, he is an expert user of the wrist ride to confound and torque his opponents into a position where he can again begin pounding away or hit a submission such as the kimura he tapped Johnson with. It’s brutal folks. It made DII all-American Abel Trujillo, held prostrate on the ground, throw his hands up in frustration to the ref as if to say “is this even legal?”

So, striker or grappler? As with many of these I have to pick head vs. heart. My heart lies with Dagestan’s favorite son. I have to say, I fucking love Khabib. With that said, he indeed gets hit. And Conor knocks. People. The fuck. Out. So as much as I hope the opposite. I have go with the man from Erin.

The Pick: Conor McGregor wins via KO (Rd1). Becomes new UFC Lightweight Champion

 

Co-Main Event: Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis

Lightweight (155lb) Fight

This one, for me at least, is just a little sad to pick. Former division champ Pettis had an “I’m back” moment when he submitted Michael Chiesa in July, but as good as he looked in that fight his Achilles heel has always been that he shits the bed when he is being backed up. Although I kind of hate Tony Ferguson and his played out antics, he DRIVES forward. Ferguson is also a very good wrestler, something which Pettis also struggles with. There could be a silver lining here for Pettis, for as good of a grappler Ferguson is, “Showtime” has a knack for tapping out higher ranked/thought of mat men such as the aforementioned Chiesa as well as Benson Henderson. That said, that’s a little too much to wish for.

The Pick: Tony Ferguson wins via Submission (Brabo Choke) – (Rd2)

Dominick Reyes vs. Ovince St. Preux

Light-Heavyweight (205lb) Fight

This one will get mighty interesting if it gets to the ground, what with OSP loving to Von Flue Choke people for some bizarre reason and everything. With that said, OSP is a sneaky-slow starter on the feet. Although he throws early and often, I find it to be without a lot of commitment. I think Reyes mauls him after some feeling out.

The Pick: Dominick Reyes wins via KO (RD2)

Alexander Volkov vs. Derrick Lewis

Heavyweight (265lb) Fight

Someone is most likely losing consciousness in this one. Volkov is 5-0 since joining the UFC including 2 KOs in his last 2 fights. Lewis is two for his last two but has looked sluggish and sort of uninterested. Turns out his back has been completely fucked and he hasn’t up to this point ever…really…trained? Throw that all in a pot and stir it up and I think the towering Volkov get’s a bit cocky here.

The Pick – Derrick Lewis wins via KO (RD1)

 

Michelle Waterson vs. Felice Herrig

Strawweight (115lb) Fight

Here we have a pivotal match-up in the Women’s Strawweight Division. Both fighters are top-115lbers but a few wins away from a title shot. Herrig is coming off a loss after four wins, Waterson a win after two losses. Although Herrig probably has the edge on the ground due to both skill and size over the natural atomweight Waterson, both prefer to stand and trade.  This is honestly a complete toss up so I’m going to just stop typing and pick.

The Pick: Michelle Waters wins via split decision.

As I mentioned, one more for the hell of it?

Jussier “Formiga” da Silva vs. Sergio Pettis

Flyweight (125lb) Fight

This could honestly be a Flyweight #1 Contender’s fight if Henry Cejudo didn’t have plans to fight T.J Dillashaw, possibly even for that very 125lb belt, next. Anyway, here we have the perennial (although finally arrived) young gun, if there is such a thing, vs. the World’s premier back taker. You know what? I’ll stop there.

The Pick: “Formiga” wins via submission (Rd2)

So that’s it folks. My fingers are bleeding and I’m emotionally exhausted and the Goddamn fights are a whole day away. Therefore, I don’t have much of a sign-off in me. My recommendation: take a minute for yourself over the next 36 hours. Take some deep breaths. Really come to understand what we are about to witness. It’s a historical event. Here. We. Go.

-Joey B

Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier Have Decided They’re Fighting for a New 165lb Title for Their Own Damn Selves

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Well look what we have here folks, a good old fashioned case of MMA Constanza-ing. Just go ahead and do it, make it known you’re doing tit, and don’t stop until someone physically stops you.

Now, Dana White has indeed done just that, stating these lunatics have in no way, shape, or form the power to make this match or create this title, let alone sanction it. Still, you never know. “The Diamond” and the 209’s favorite younger brother could go all baclyard wrestling on our asses and just say fuck you, slap together their own title belt and call it the 165lb title. Come to think of it Eddie Alvaez would probably LOVE that idea, tell ONE , who he has been in deep talks with, to go fuck themselves, and race back to the U.S to fight the winner. Soon enough Dana will have a full-fledged mutiny on his hands as the best 155ers and smaller 170lbers will be clamoring to fight seemingly random guys for a fake title. CHAOS JERRY! CHAOS!

So maybe I got a little carried away there but still, it is pretty funny that out of frustration with the UFC trying to make something out of jack shit to call a “main event” when the co-main is made up of two studs, these guys have said fuck you we are claiming main event status. Straight up UFC PPV prima nocte. I’m into too. I don’t want to get too heavy into the subject but I’m not one of these wads who says there are already too many divisons. Fuck that. Why not have more titles and healthier fighters? 165 is a great idea. So is 225.

Either way, the real main event for UFC 230 is now Diaz-Poirier for the People’s 165lb Title. Death or glory, people. Death or glory.