UFC 98 Wrap Up
by Michael Rome on May 24, 2009 4:17 AM EDT
in MMA News
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Who would have ever thought Lyoto Machida would save a show with a brutal finish? Well, I guess we all should have after UFC 94, but he did it again tonight.
The UFC was faced with a situation where they realized an unpopular foreign fighter was bound to become champion of their premier division, and instead of burying him in unimportant fights they put their marketing machine behind him and created a star.
Machida's performance was incredible. Every fight, we hear a new supposed weakness his opponent will exploit. When it was Tito, it was his supposed lack of takedown defense. When it was Thiago, people said Machida would finally be forced to really fight against someone so aggressive. Against Rashad people said he was finally fighting a patient fighter and Rashad was quick enough to handle him. Each time, these theories are blown to pieces.
I try not to overreact the night of fights. I see all over people are saying Machida is unbeatable and Rampage has no chance. Please. I think Machida will win, but the idea that Quinton Jackson has no chance is just silly. It's a fight I really want to see.
I don't have much to say on Hughes and Serra. I agree with the decision, and don't really think Serra deserved a win for a headbutt followed by an illegal punch, so I can't cry for him.
I'm not the greatest fight prognosticator, so I have to stop and boast a bit about my prediction for Sherk and Edgar. Much like Koscheck and Diego, Sherk has abandoned his wrestling in order to turn his mediocre boxing into slightly above average boxing. Frankie threw good combinations and got a great win, and I'd like to see him get Roger Huerta's last UFC fight.
Finally, as a closing note, I thought tonight told us a lot about guys that didn't fight. It's amazing how easily GSP passed Serra's guard given how Matt Hughes simply never came close, Gray Maynard looks great following Sherk's inability to deal with Edgar's boxing, and Tito Ortiz's performance against Lyoto Machida now looks pretty solid compared to how Thiago and Rashad performed against Lyoto.
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Something happened to Lyoto much like what happened with Anderson…
Anderson used to hit people but then one day his shots just turned into something else where people were turning into little girls (he hit guys like jeremy horn to decisons and then all of a sudden turned into this monster).
Same thing is happening with Lyoto (sam hoger, david heath, hitting them until decision) but as evidenced in his last 2 fights. Lyoto hurt Thiago with almost every shot, nearly the same with Rashad.
Does Rampage have a chance? ofcourse. But he’ll be a clear underdog. I do think the fight will LOOK more competitive because of his style and chin but it will end the same way.
Interesting question to me is if the announcers spotted a tell for Machida’s kicks tonight. If they did, maybe Rampage can time him.
by Michael Rome on May 24, 2009 4:14 AM EDT up reply actions
he aint timing shit… his only chance is doing one of his duck/block/roll/counter moves and while he’s doing all that: praying that it lands and then a separate prayer that it knocks him out.
I think this is overstated. To me, Quinton’s best attribute is his power. You talk to people that roll with him and its the first thing any of them say. His only hope, in my view, is to get into clinch and try to slam Machida. Will it be easy? Absolutely not. But I think a Rampage slam is the kind of X factor that could change things in a hurry.
I think Rashad’s strategy tonight was awful, worse than Tito’s. I knew a week ago he was doomed when he said he didnt train much differently for this than any other fight. The right strategy in my view is still to push forward, get into the clinch, and try to create scrambles where you can catch Lyoto out of position. Everyone lets him grab the center of the cage and dictate the fight. It’s not easy, but you have to put this guy off balance.
by Michael Rome on May 24, 2009 5:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Another thing I’ve noticed is Lyoto is really aggressive now when he thinks guys are hurt. Maybe feigning effect of strikes could lure him into a firefight. Who knows?
I fucking hate them being tuf coaches. Just terrible. I want this fight in September.
by Michael Rome on May 24, 2009 5:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Spike really wanted Lyoto Machida?
thats…interesting
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on May 24, 2009 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions
I read it as Spike wanted Jackson against whoever won.
Granted, Rashad would have been ideal. At least, 24 hours ago. After that dominating performance and brutal KO, Machida is looking pretty good to Spike execs, I reckon.
by Applejack McNeil on May 24, 2009 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah...
I just don’t know how compelling of a personality he’ll be for the masses in this type of show. We’ll see I suppose.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on May 24, 2009 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions
They might play up his unorthodox style. The “Diego” or “Luke” of coaches.
by Applejack McNeil on May 24, 2009 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Actually, I’m starting to think that Machida could be a star too. A different sort of star, but a star nonetheless. I can’t remember who said it, but they’re right: he’s like Royce Gracie all over again.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on May 24, 2009 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions
People are mistakenly comparing Lyoto to Anderson per his start power…
Machida is potentially closer to a GSP than Anderson.
Agreed.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on May 24, 2009 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions
machida on tuf would be a disaster
And I love Machida. I’m blown away by his ability to consistently stay just out of range. It’s like some weird spider sense thing. However, he would have a hell of a time passing along the nuances of his technique and training regimen to others. Additionally, I thought he was hilarious and likeable on the post fight mic in ring with Rogan. Yet there is no way phrases like “my body is my sword and my mind is my blade” would hit home with the masses who watch the show, let alone the fighters in the house. He’s awesome…just not for long stretches on television.
I thought Dan Henderson would be gold on TUF and he’s turned out to be Mr Mumbles, it’s hard to judge how a guy would do on there until after they have been on there. Of course Machida may bring Stankie with him too and that would be tv gold.
Machida with Stankie and Bas Rutten would be hilarious to me.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on May 24, 2009 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
ask Thiago about how that strategy worked out…
You can come after him or run away it doesnt matter. His entire strategy is based on where you are not where he is in the octagon.
At this point Kalib starnes would probably do the best against him by just running without stopping.
Machida doesnt get hit so his shelf life will be pretty long… however he does rely on speed and timing so people have some hope in knowing that will diminish over time.
The guy who will be beat Machida is 18 to 20 years old somewhere kicking somebody’s ass in the gym.
Just because Thiago’s strategy didn’t work, doesn’t mean it is not the best strategy to win. No doubt in my mind if you keep your distance with Machida, he will tear you apart. He is just outside of your range and you are just inside of his. He is the quickest guy in the division.
I believe the best chance to win is the close the distance, clinch, try take downs, etc. Haven’t really seen anyone try it (or at least do it effectively). Can’t wait too see Lyoto in 5 round fights with top competition.
agreed
watch closely, he doesn’t strike often when his opponent is within range. he clinches or quickly works to get back out of range. Thats how tito did "ok"’ (speical term now coined specifically designed to gauge performance against machida. In other words he didn’t die in the ring). Rampage has a chance in the clinch because of his strength, maybe even catch an uppercut on the break.
I may be the only Starnes defender in the universe...
..but there’s not a whole lot of difference between many Machida fights and Starnes vs Quarry. Machida vs Tito was almost a carbon copy, minus the homophobia and finger signs.
I maintain Starnes was smarter to evade and look for an opening than stand and get smooshed. And that’s what Machida usually does.
The only difference is, Machida wins doing it while Starnes… well.
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
Also, Machida’s escape from the clinch looked very vulnerable to a knee or uppercut tonight.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on May 24, 2009 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions
I remember when breaking once, Rashad threw a nasty uppercut that just whiffed – has it landed, Machida would have been flat on his ass.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on May 24, 2009 8:19 PM EDT up reply actions
That would have fucked up my Christmas.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on May 24, 2009 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions
What now?
So if one shot had landed, the fight would have been over? Just like that? I guess Shad was robbed huh? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds??
And anyway, Machida knew it was coming and had already began moving his head up and away on supa slow mo.
Also, shad had just taken some damage so I’m sure it wasn’t at full power.
Geez.
Eh?
All I said was that he would have been knocked down – where are you getting I said it would have ended the fight?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on May 25, 2009 2:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, well if Lidell had thrown his punch a split second sooner against Rashad then this fight never would have happened. If, if, if all you want, the only thing that matters is what actually happened.
Yeah...
I’m just agreeing with Rundownloser, who said Machida could have been attacked from the clinch, and I pointed to an example. This is the kind of talk future opponents will be doing. I don’t get where people are reading that as “Rashad got screwed” or me making excuses or however I’m being spun.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on May 25, 2009 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions
I thought Rashad was just downplaying his preparation when he said he didn’t train any differently (given that camp’s reluctance to give out details). Apparently this was not the case and they seriously underprepared or Rashad forgot whatever he was tought.
Lyoto’s footwork (and control of the center by extension) gave him a really big advantage, Rashad was never comfortable. I’ve always thought of Rashad’s early round strategy paid dividends to him in the later rounds. Obviously taking a round loss isn’t ideal but there is no problem with giving up a round or two in a title match as long as you are confident that you can turn the fight around for good by round 3. The inability/unwillingness to create those scrambles was key, the location and pace of the match was totally in Lyoto’s favour.
It’s too bad they didn’t show Rashad’s corner after R1. Would’ve been interesting to see as nothing noteworthy happened in Machida’s and Rashad promptly got demolished.
I actually was impressed they had a translator on hand when they were showing Machida’s corner footage.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
That caught my eye… er, ear, as well.
It seems like UFC is really giving Machida the rub.
by Applejack McNeil on May 24, 2009 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s true but fighters come in hurt and have problems all the time. Tito had a bad back for that fight, something not worth bringing up I think. If you’re out there and fighting, i don’t buy into the injury excuses. Plus, even early on before he gassed he wasnt killing Tito the way he did to Rashad.
by Michael Rome on May 24, 2009 4:13 AM EDT up reply actions
He was killing tito… the only difference was his shots had no power like they do now.
Look at anderson fight with Jeremy horn and then with Rich Franklin… are you gonna say Jeremy horn was impressive?
The difference is Machida is now finding his power.
He wasn’t really landing much, he landed some body kicks, almost nothing with his hands. Nothing clean like he did with Rashad. It’s a boring fight, but rewatch it, he clearly wins but he’s not landing at will in that fight.
by Michael Rome on May 24, 2009 5:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Tito had a bad back for that fight
Not really. Tito was on record, going into the fight, that his back problems had been taken care of and that he was finally 100% healthy.
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Sir Winston Churchill
That was just smack talk.. He had surgery after, so he surely wasn’t “100%”
by Anton Tabuena on May 24, 2009 7:03 AM EDT up reply actions
I believe he said later that his back started having problems late in the second round or early in the third, crippling him in the third round.
by Graven Image on May 24, 2009 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Now come on, how did he pull off that triangle in the third if he was “crippled”? How do you know when Tito Ortiz is lying? His lips are moving.
How do you know when Tito is pumping Tito?
Same answer.
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
Had Tito not been saved by the bell in the first round, there’s a great chance Lyoto would’ve pounded him out and finished him in the first so I have to disagree about how Lyoto “wasn’t killing Tito the way he did to Rashad” but I agree with you about injury excuses.
by Konnekt MMA on May 24, 2009 4:20 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Tito is still a top fighter
Nobody has faced as much top competition as has Tito. He has gone the distance with several Top 10 LHWs.
An attempt at a linear ranking of the LHW division
Note: To account for weight class-swapping, this includes anyone who has fought at 205 in the last 3 years
1. Machida
2. Evans
3. Griffin
4. Jackson
5. A. Silva
6. Henderson
7. Rua
8. Liddell
9. W.Silva
10. Jardine
11. Ortiz
12. Franklin
13. Bisping
14. Hammill
15. Jones
16. Bonnar
17. T. Silva
18. Irvin
19. Shafer
20. Alexander
21. Cane
22. Sobral
23. Sokoudjou
24. Nogueira
25. Matyushenko
Almost
Put Spiderman at 2 and Brandon the Truth Vera just outside the top 10. Jones completely kicked Bonna’s ass so I have my eye on him.
Why are great wrestlers becoming bad boxers?
I don’t get the trend – can anyone explain it to me?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on May 24, 2009 4:31 AM EDT reply actions
They get sick of being called boring, fall in love with their new skills.
by Michael Rome on May 24, 2009 4:34 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m pretty upset with Rashad about that. I figured he had the right mindset and people around him to keep him from falling into that trap.
For the more skilled fighters, there is little downside to holding top position assuming you can avoid getting triangled/swept.
Even though Machida was quicker and sharper than I imagined he’d be, it was always clear that slowing his movement would give Rashad his best chance at a KO. Dancing around him for 2 rounds excitedly while Lyoto calmly held the center of the octagon.. Terrible idea.
Can you please go re-read my analysis and your arguments so I dont have to teach and explain the fight game to you anymore. This will save you oodles of embarrassment in the future.
Rashad underperformed, Lyoto came out on fire and we all saw what happened. It’s clear Rashad needs more work to compete with Lyoto. I thought Rashad could close the gaps in certain areas and I was wrong. I may have overlooked some things which I do admit, and completely missed when you predicted Machida’s 2nd round KO.
At least I can be happy that I was right about one thing. You have zero class and I’m glad not to know you.
zero class? You were making every asinine argument on why Rashad would win and when I tried to educate you, you would continue – so instead of wasting my time I told you to watch the fight and then come back so you would understand what I was saying.
I said all Rashad does is circle around find a nice spot, get hit enough until he can figure out his opponents timing and then counter.
I said Rashad gives away rounds.
I said Lyoto doesnt get hit but Rashad does.
You didnt understand this because you rather nut hug than look at reason…. and now like a typical nuthugger you are trying to ride Machidas nuts.
Am i always right? NO. But I look at reason before anything else. I like Rashad and it would be better if he won but I can see the factors and indicators that mattered in this fight and conclude with a very high probability that Machida will win this.
I dont blind myself with my own ignorance. Sherdog is filled with ignorance so if thats your cup of tea head on over – but bloody elbow is filled with good arguments… I’m even proven wrong sometimes.
I have no problem with arguments as long as they make sense and its not just some ignorant bable.
I know that you pointed out some somewhat valuable indicators, but MMA is still a sport won on specific techniques, actions, and attributes of each fighter.
Statements like “Rashad gives away rounds” and “Lyoto doesn’t get hit but Rashad does” are extremely general. They only have partial relevance to the interactions between the two fighters. It also doesn’t account for the possibility that the fighters (who are preparing for many months) have stripped down these broader issues and found a way to overcome them in the future. Then there is the issue that fighters fight so infrequently, you may be drawing a trend out of randomness.
They also look to the past for answers and ignore many external factors. They don’t predict the future, they project the past onto the future, which can be accurate but is not always correct. Your mindset is – “Waiting to see to believe.” Mine is – “It can happen.”
So it didn’t happen this fight, but that doesn’t change anything for me. Noone is perfect. But on the flip side, we have a fight like Sherk/Edgar where I bet on Edgar. I’m interested to see how you called that fight so point me in the right direction on that one.
I don't know, but it sucks.
You can’t consistently win by being one dimensional so wrestlers need to work on their striking hardcore. But when they are outmatched on the feet and they still don’t try to wrestle, then they have failed. Now they have become one dimensional in their weak skill. It’s pissing me off so that I’m gonna start a list:
Shad, Sherk, Liddell, Rampage, Kos etc etc etc
I agree w/ Rome that part of it is the FotN bonus but you’d think you can get it through vicious GnP.
great point.
this card showed more about fighters not acutally fighting on the card.
Wow. Great fight by Lyoto.
Rashad was not on his game – he was impatient but at the same tentative when he had opportunities to shoot, moved around too much (probably because of Machida’s positioning), and came in with a rather poor gameplan – the exact same one he has used for a few fights now. It got him beaten up this fight.
I really have to give out props to Fagan – he pointed out a big problem with Rashad’s footwork and this was echoed on Beatdown’s round table which I heard this afternoon. It really got me thinking, and after watching the fight it is indeed Rashad’s inability to back out swiftly that caused him so many problems in this fight. Instead of Lyoto’s kicks whiffing, Rashad was blocking them with his hands which led to him eating a left straight in R1. Rashad also managed to plant himself right in front of Lyoto right before the KO finish. Lyoto measured him and quickly popped him with the left straight which led to 20-30 seconds of a dazed/battered Rashad.
I’m hoping Rashad comes back from his loss with a similar mindset to that of GSP. Playing the striking game is all well and good, but the added threat of the takedown enhances both your standup and takedowns. He needs to learn to open the exchange better and transition instantly between striking and wrestling.
Please re-read my post about how certain indicators and factors make predicting outcomes very reliable.
Then re-read your foolish arguments.
Finally realize you dont have a clue and should leave the analysis of fight projections to adults. If you feel a need to nuthug without common sense or logic then go to sherdog.
LOL. Tito beat Forrest, beat Rashad (in my books) and gave Lyoto his hardest fight to date. That’s freaking hilarious.
It’s a shame that Dana is out to bury him. I would’ve like to see where Tito is at. His stand-up may be embarrassingly bad, but he’s still a huge LHW that poses distinct problems for anybody.
I don’t really agree with that.
It looked like Lyoto was on another level tonight when compared with his previous fights.
His distancing was impeccable. Usually he would be quick to disengage and circle around the cage. I actually don’t recall him doing it at all tonight, he would instead bounce back and then quickly retake his position in the center of the octagon.
R1 seemed extremely long, it’s because Lyoto made each round with Rashad a continuous fight instead of the usual five minutes with scattered spurts of action.
Tito didn’t give Lyoto his “hardest fight to date” unless you really overrate the triangle at the end of the fight.
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Exactly, I get sick of people saying this. Machida was killing Tito the entire fight (anyone remember a bloodied Tito being pissed and yelling at Lyoto at the end of the 2nd round because he couldn’t get close enough to do any damage?) and he gets lucky at the end of the 3rd by throwing on that triangle for about 10 seconds, that was the only time in the entire fight Lyoto was even remotely in danger. 14 1/2 minutes for one guy and 30 seconds for the other doesn’t make it a hard fight.
by ufc4 on May 24, 2009 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Okay... okay
He didn’t him his hardest fight to date. That was poor wording, but he certainly came closest to beating him with that triangle.
Machida himself admits he was just about to black out from the triangle but many of his fans insist it wasn’t close. mind blowing.
by Michael Rome on May 25, 2009 12:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Props to Tito (in a way)
I bet that close call has made Machida all the better. And turns out that Machida’s so dominant, that deep triangle he was in makes Tito his strongest challenger.
I still think that Shogun can beat Machida.
Rua’s list of victories is as impressive as Machida’s if not even more.
But let’s watch Machida vs. Rampage first.
By the way, who is Rua going to fight next?
I still think that Shogun can beat Machida.
Shogun has stated that he doesn’t want to fight Machida but would if the UFC told him that he had to. Would be interesting.
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Sir Winston Churchill
Let's not put the cart before the horse here....
it wasn’t that long ago where we were all treated to an ambien/vodka induced brawl between shogun and coleman. Sure he he came back stronger against chuck, but at this point its difficult to accurately assess the magnitude of a knockout win over chuck. shogun looked great in pride, however a bit reckless. Maybe that’s what would help close the distance with machida, it just seems more likely that it has machida knockout written all over it. That said, shogun vs rashad makes sense to me.
Was anyone else getting headaches because of the overhead camera? That thing was screwing with me something chronic…
Calling out Michael Rome
“Who would have ever thought Lyoto Machida would save a show with a brutal finish?”
TKO Franklin Round 1, TKO Bonnar Round 2, TKO Silva round 1, knocked Sokoudjou b/f winning by sub. Knocked Hoger down but what a chin. Was aggressive vs Ortiz and Penn… wouldav got a TKO if those were 5 round fights. Vernan White was the only boring Machida fight I’ve seen but I’m sure there were a few others.
Rome, I love you’re contributions, and I’m sure you know much more about MMA than I do, but I expect a comment like that from a casual fan and not from you.
You forgot Nakamura.
That was a boring fight too.
The only bet I got right was Kaplan Vs Roop (ow).
Balance of -$428 from last night.
Keep firing Assholes!
This is a dream competition for me. I drink as much coffee as I want, and eventually I hallucinate.
I haven’t done the math, but I’m sure that the vast majority of my fantasy money is gone.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on May 24, 2009 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions
According to Dave Meltzer, Sean Sherk had a meltdown after his fight tonight:
After Sherk lost, he disappeared wearing his gloves and trunks, left the building and apparently went running down the street and was allegedly seen near the Hard Rock. He didn’t say anything to anyone. He is back in the building now.
Last nights show was merely an appetizer for WARGODS next week.
by monkeyfightclub! on May 24, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions
Perfect.
Guess he shouldn’t have been such an ass after he knocked Chuck out.
In this sport, what goes around always comes around.
by jebushchrist on May 24, 2009 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions
The skateboarding one had me rolling.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on May 24, 2009 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions
I said it in the live thread...
I agree with the decision, and don’t really think Serra deserved a win for a headbutt followed by an illegal punch, so I can’t cry for him.
There is a big difference between headbutt and clash of heads.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on May 24, 2009 10:39 AM EDT reply actions
I’m gonna have to rewatch the fight, because I definitely thought that Serra won, but I didn’t catch the headbutt/illegal punch combo.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on May 24, 2009 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions
I think the "illegal punch" notion is a bit overstated as well...
guys are going to get clipped in the back of the head during exchanges.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on May 24, 2009 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, but apparently Brock Lesnar is the only one who gets points deducted for it.
I’m not bitter…..
I am. That’s still one of the more atrocious referee decisions of the past few years.
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Lesnar knocked out Couture
With a hook that nailed him behind the ear, much like Serra’s knockdowns of both GSP and Matt Hughes.
The day a Lesnar fight is decided on points...
That might matter.
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
actually it's understated
back of the head blow need to be called on the feet more often and the fact that pretty much everyone gets away with it is bs
Yeah...
It definitely wasn’t an offensive head butt by Serra. It really looked more like Hughes dropping his chin down into the top of Serra’s head. It was a good decision, but I think Serra made a good showing, considering his physical limitations. I made a lot of mistakes in evaluating this card. One of which was downplaying the size advantage of Hughes over Serra. Neither are huge welterweights, but Hughes is much larger than Serra.
By the way, I don’t think either has a good chance against the top tier UFC welterweights at this point. A fight I’d love to see, if Shields were to come to the UFC, is Hughes vs. Shields. I think it would be a good evaluation of Shields, but that’s kind of a pipe dream right now.
by Cannon Jacques on May 24, 2009 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Good call
Shields/Hughes is an awesome idea.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on May 24, 2009 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions
I read a while back that Anthony Johnson has a problem with Hughes(forget why though at the moment) so I wouldn’t mind seeing that fight.
fightlockdown.com
Johnson meant “staying healthy”, not “Hughes”.
by ufc4 on May 24, 2009 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Just do Hughes/Serra II
If they hadn’t hugged they could really sell the “controversial decision” angle.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on May 24, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, what was that shit? These guys have hated each other for 2 years but after they get done beating the shit out of each other for 15 minutes now they’re BFF’s? That pissed me off, and Serra-Hughes 2 would be a fight I would have liked to see.
It wasn’t on purpose, but with the hindsight of what Hughes was saying after the first round, the combination of that head clash and the punch to the back of the head (which was a little worse than the GSP one, Hughes should have been given a chance to recover.
They weren’t on purpose, so I’m not saying that it should have been a DQ, but I think you have to give a fighter a chance to recover from something like that.
LMMFAO!!!!
Rashad was not Rashad out there, period! Horrible gameplan and horrible reaction to getting clipped. He should have clinched instead of trying to show he can take a punch like he did with Forrest. I’m dissapointed.
I cant believe that out of all the fighters Machidas faced Tito came closest to beating him. I don’t see Machida losing for a long ass time unless Rampage brings his wrestling/slams back. Rampage has also fallen into the wrestler turned boxer guy. No biggie for him because of his power but we all know that alone wont help him beat Machida. Hopefully he knows that he needs to mix it up in there to even have a chance. I know his chin is way better than most though so there something.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
Awesome post, Rome.
1) I just woke up and rewatched the fight. Machida dismantling Rashad like that and destroying him was a thing of beauty. Rashad had a horrible game plan. While Rashad has improved leaps and bounds since TUF, Machida is just on another level. What I really enjoyed was Machida’s use of fakes. There were times he’d make like he was rushing in, Rashad would react and there would be nothing there. It was amazing to watch. And how about that kick/punch combo in the first round that put Rashad on his ass? Lighting fast. Amazing.
2) Who’d have thought that after the debacle of a main event that UFC 97 was, Machida would be the one who helps the UFC rebound? I know while I had faith in Machida, I was still sort of worried this might have ended as a five round downer. I am glad that fear was without merit.
3) Kudos to UFC’s marketing machine. People were chanting his name in the second. I thought Countdown was great in building the Karate mystique around Machida, but the results were even more impressive.
4) Must drink first piss of the day. Way of the samurai.
I love me some Sexyama!
I'll turn this green
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on May 24, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Hey Rome
Did you ever hear any numbers on the countdown show? I’m sure anyone who watched it then ordered the fight won’t be disappointed.
Huerta?
Edgar v Huerta is a terrible idea. Why would he step down? Edgar should fight Diego/Clay winner or a Tyson rematch.
Sherk couldn’t keep Edgar down when he did wrestle and failed on every attempt after. The same thing can be said for the Tyson fight where he couldn/t keep him down either. Edgar is just a better fighter than Sherk. People can’t really complain about him in the rankings anymore since his LW record is now 3-2.
If Huerta is leaving, you have to believe the UFC wants him to lose. Edgar would benefit from a win no matter what, and Huerta isn’t at the top but he does hold a stoppage over Guida. Also, Edgar is going to need to string some wins together before he gets a shot anyway. Plus, Huerta may still have some name value which will help Frankie out.
I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure Diego has been told to expect a title shot should he beat Guida. According to Diego, anyway. And Tyson already lost to Sherk (close), and lost to Frankie. I would love to see the rematch but I don’t know if they would book that.
Give him a #1 contender fight.
He just embarrassed a #4 ranked Sherk. Give him the winner of BJ/Kenny or winner of Diego/Clay or a rematch w/ Maynard.
So then who fights the champ next? Maynard or Diego/Guida winner? Say Diego/Guida gets the first title shot, you’d give Edgar get the next one over Maynard?
I think they should just be patient with Edgar and give him an easier fight here but a stiff test before a potential title shot. As good as this win was, he’s only on a 1 fight win streak right now, and it would be nice to see him finish a fight.
If diego wins he has my vote for the next title shot. If clay wins, I like the maynard vs Clay matchup. no reason to move edgar closer to a title shot than maynard at this point. Tyson rematch doesn’t seem like a great idea. Griffin would be getting a rematch after losing to a guy who Edgar just beat. Griffin vs huerta would work. edgar vs diaz?
Sherk isn't even a gatekeeper anymore.
Diego/Clay winner makes sense to me.
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
I'm oficially no longer a Sherk fan
not because he lost, but because he fought plain stupid. Someone said the other day in the comments that he might get a case of Gurgelitis and that’s what happened. He can try to box but at least realize it’s not working and go for the takedown. And not 1 or 2 shots in the third round. I feel I should elaborate some more but I’m pissed being a Sherk apologist for so long.
Kuwabara Kuwabara
Sherk minus wrestling < Sherk plus wrestling
Kuwabara Kuwabara
by J. B. Maddox on May 24, 2009 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah...
Sherk + boxing > Sherk – boxing IF Sherk = wrestling
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on May 24, 2009 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yes. Last night Sherk =/= wrestling though.
Kuwabara Kuwabara
by J. B. Maddox on May 24, 2009 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Completely agree, used to be a big Sherk fan but anymore it’s like all he wants to do is get cheers, not win fights.Well he won’t be getting my cheers anymore.
He fell of a cliff
and will be regulated to gatekeeper forevermore. Which is sad b/c every wrestler needs some striking to set up his takedown, but Sherk just threw weak jabs all night long.
Vitor flashback
I think it was in the 1st round, but when Lyoto put together a sick combo of 3 or 4 punches it reminded me of the classic Vitor /Wanderlei fight when it seemed like Vitor was floating in air Matrix style.
Thankx
I’ll check that out b/f the next card.
This is a little off topic
But when are they going to announce Cro Cop’s return on the website? Goldie mentioned it briefly last night and Dana has talked about it so why is it taking so long for it to made official on the website?
fightlockdown.com
Cro Cop UFC time was a flop. It does not make any sense to build him up at this point, considering there another possibility he could fizzle out again.
by The Bronzeville Bully on May 24, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
I'll say it:
Rampage can’t beat Lyoto, but for the lucky punch factor.
Rampage is like Sherk with actual arms – he just wants to box, but has nothing else to bring if that ain’t working.
And it won’t work against Lyoto.
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
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