UFC Makes 111 Official With Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy and Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin
by Scott Haber on Jan 4, 2010 6:25 PM EST
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The UFC's return to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ is now official as UFC 111 takes place on March 27th with two title fights scheduled for the card. This will be the first UFC event with multiple title fights since UFC 100 last July. Coincidentally, two of the men who headlined that historic card will co-main event 111 as well, as Georges St. Pierre defends his welterweight title against British usptart Dan Hardy, and Frank Mir and Shane Carwin battle it out for the interim heavyweight title as current champ Brock Lesnar still is sidelined with medical issues.
Shane Carwin was expected to challenge Lesnar for the heavyweight title, but when the champ went down with serious gastrointestinal issues, Carwin was faced with the choice of sitting on the sidelines indefinitely waiting for news of Lesnar's recovery, or getting back into the Octagon to avoid the ring rust. With Frank Mir's destruction of Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 in December and his frequent calls for a rubber match with Lesnar, it became clear that the former heavyweight champ would match up well against Carwin to determine an interim champ while Lesnar's future was decided.
Although many were vocal about Dan Hardy not deserving a title shot when he was penciled in for a number-one contender's fight with Mike Swick at UFC 105, Hardy proved many of the doubters wrong and ended up as the only viable option after dominating Swick for a unanimous decision victory. Although some may argue that St. Pierre has faced stiffer competition in his UFC career, Hardy has proven to be a very dangerous striker, and if GSP-Serra 1 told us anything, one punch can change history.
Although not yet confirmed, a welterweight rematch between former title contenders Thiago Alves and Jon Fitch is also expected for the card, and New Jersey residents Ricardo Almeida and Frankie Edgar are also expected to compete. Ticket sale information and a more complete card should be released shortly.
[UPDATE] by Nick Thomas - Tickets go on sale Thursday, Jan. 7th priced at $600, $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50:
"Shane Carwin is an extremely dangerous opponent and being matched up against him is an honor," Mir said. "It’ll be a great challenge to face him and get to match wits against his coaches. Greg Jackson is like the ‘Yoda’ of mixed martial arts and I will need a strong gameplan heading into this fight."
"It’s an honor to not only fight for the interim UFC heavyweight title, but to do so against a respected former champion like Frank Mir," said Carwin. "This is going to be a fight to remember for the fans, and I plan on making it one of my most memorable performances as well. Beating Frank is going to be a test, but I’m confident that it’s a test I will pass with flying colors."
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So you're for Hardy I take it?
And NEW UFC Welterweight Champion of the World.....Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy!
by slapjaw ackrite on Jan 3, 2010 1:23 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I'll be rooting for Hardy
I know GSP fans are legion and I’m alone in my one man crusade against him. However, if GSP doesn’t finish Dan Hardy in 5, then the excuses need to stop.
There are tons of GSP fans on this site, but who’s the biggest one? Anyone got the balls to sig-bet “GSP is a Lay N Pray loser” if he doesn’t finish Hardy in 5?
by cyph on Jan 4, 2010 7:41 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
GSP's last five fights have been:
Thiago Alves: W (decision)
BJ Penn: W (TKO – threw in the towel)
Jon Fitch: W (decision)
Matt Serra: W (TKO – knees)
Matt Hughes: W (armbar)
Even if you want to throw out the BJ Penn fight (which I’m sure you do) you still have a guy who’s finishing half of his last four fights. But if you include the Penn fight, GSP has finished 3/5 of his last fights, and his decisions have been ANYTHING but boring. Brutal domination is not boring.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
GSP uses his huge size and suffocating wrestling to decision opponents. He lacks the striking skill to destroy opponents ala Rashad Evans. He is the only UFC champ who doesn’t destroy opponents but merely grind out dominating decision wins. He only finishes opponents who are out of their primes or who are smaller than him. Penn is smaller than him, but I doubt that GSP could have finish him if his corner didn’t throw in the towels. Matt Serra is way too small for welterweight; the fact that he held the belt at all was a joke and all the more reason to see why GSP doesn’t have the well rounded chops to strike with fighters without resorting to his bread and butter.
He can’t finish Fitch, he can’t finish Koscheck, and he can’t finish Alves, fighters who are just as big as he is because he doesn’t have power in his hands nor the BJJ to take them out. The first guy who can stuff his take downs will KO him. Koscheck and Alves both have powers in both hands. Fitch unforunately, will never defeat him. Hardy will unlike as well. Daley has the potential to beat him but unlikely due to his weak ground game. Out of all the UFC champs, GSP is most likely to be beaten, hence his “Greg Jackson” safe game plan; effective but boring, hence the reason for decisions top fighters.
As a GSP fan, I’m sure you thought it was not boring. But the reason I’m against GSP is because he is boring, Boring, boring. In my drunken stupor, his fights have always driven me insane. The day he finishes a top fighter is the day he deserves to be called a dominant champ. As of now, he’s merely utilizing wrestling to win fights; effective but I don’t care for it. Rashad is now also on my shit list for this very reason.
Hardy is the lesser fighter than Fitch, Alves and Koscheck. So if he can’t finish him in 5, what more is there to say? Step up to the plate and take the bet.
Yeah, so you're just not interested in discussing the facts.
That’s kool. I hate Floyd Mayweather with about as much passion as you’re showing here, but I still take my hat off to the guy as one of the five best fighters of his generation. The fact that I dislike his style doesn’t mean he’s not a dominant champion.
But to discredit every. single. one. of GSP’s finishes is really flimsy debating. You’ve got to at least give him credit for a couple of them, otherwise it looks like you’re just fueled by ignorance and trying to support the position.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
When I say dominant, I meant refer to the ice-cold killers like Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, and perhaps Brock Lesnar if he keeps destroying his next two opponents. Dominant is when the next best fighter doesn’t lose, he gets destroyed.
GSP is clearly the best fighter in the welterweight division. I’m not even debating that. I said he’s the least dominating champ based on the reasons I gave because he utilizes his wrestling to grind out victories. He doen’t have the chops to stand with fighters; hence he finds it increasingly difficult to finish. Wrestling without the BJJ or GNP to finish = LNP. If you feel that is discrediting his wins then perhaps there’s a problem with GSP.
I suppose you've got a position here, at least.
You seem to be suggesting that in order to be a truly dominant champion (or ice-cold killer) then you have to be able and willing to fight your opponent’s game.
This is not the case with Anderson or BJ Penn, who generally prefer to use their stand-up to the exclusion of all else. Anderson uses insane clinch-work to nullify takedowns, and BJ uses his fantastic takedown defense to keep the fight on the feet.
It’s foolish to fight your opponent’s game, and until someone can exploit your weaknesses, there is absolutely zero incentive to change the plan. Aside from getting KO’d by Serra, GSP has displayed nothing to make me think he isn’t comfortable with his striking. He sets range well, executes crisply and keeps from getting hit while on the feet.
He’s not Rampage, for sure, but the guy isn’t exactly Palhares out there just praying that it ends up on the ground.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
by misterjonez on Jan 4, 2010 8:36 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
According to Fightmetric GSP landed 109 ground strikes against Fich and 100 against Alves. Against Penn he landed 223 ground strikes.
Keep firing Assholes!
It’s as if you fell down a flight of stairs, then logged onto the internet.
223 strikes in 4 rounds. Penn was dazed but never out. It took Penn’s corner to throw in the towel against a much smaller opponent. You’ve just reinforced my case that GSP has pillow punches and would find it difficult to finish opponents his size.
I’ve love to see Penn VS GSP III. I see GSP laying on Penn again, but at least Penn would have first hand knowledge of the GSP gameplan.
Fuck it. I quit. You’re right about everyhting.
Keep firing Assholes!
It’s as if you fell down a flight of stairs, then logged onto the internet.
by Ubernoober on Jan 4, 2010 8:56 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
When is the last time BJ got KO'd?
If you don’t count the towel vs. GSP, it was Matt Hughes TKO’ing him. That was actually the only other time he’s been KO’d, T or otherwise. So that’s a ridiculously poor argument. BJ doesn’t get KO’d. Try again.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
Matt Hughes.
But thanks for putting up an argument. =) I’m not here to prove I’m right. I just want to GSP show that he’s more than a gameplan.
Some fans can’t take criticisms of their favorite fighters. =)
Man, cyph. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?
I can see you’re not here to prove you’re right, just sling mud and then play internet wise guy, complete with faux smileys.
The argument that GSP utilizes his wrestling to the exclusion of all else is a valid one, and the stance that it’s not fun to watch is also a reasonable position. That’s where your platform ends though, unless there’s something else you’d like to introduce.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
Actually, that was the point I was trying to get at. I wasn’t intending to get side track into Penn’s chin.
I think originally I was here was to get someone to sig bet me. I don’t know why it devolved into a GSP bash fest. Oh yeah, I remember now, I was goading people into sig betting me. I guess no takers.
I guess I should have mentioned that the reason
I started off on this whole ST was to discredit the notion that doing a sig bet about GSP being a LnP fighter is ludicrous, because there’s just no reasonable way to illustrate that he is, in fact, a LnP fighter.
And with that, we’ve closed the circle. Might as well move on from this thing, lol.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
argh
‘discredit the notion that GSP is a LnP fighter,’ or ‘doing a sig bet about GSP being a LnP fighter is ludicrous’ works, but that weird little hybrid I concocted fails miserably.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
I was under the impression that true lay n pray involves NOT passing guard (GSP has passed the guard of all his opponents), sitting in your opponents , and clearly not trying to finish. Also, fighters like Fitch and Alves have not been finished in many fights and have proven difficult to finish, so I don’t see how GSP can be faulted here especially since seeing Fitch after his fight with GSP, it was obvious that GSP was trying to finish him. Also, GSP took Alves’ back which indicates that he was trying to finish Alves as well.
He doen’t have the chops to stand with fighters
From Fightmetric:
Total Strikes
GSP- 149 Alves- 72
GSP- 297 Penn- 63 (2nd fight)
GSP- 195 Fitch- 96
GSP- 118 Koscheck- 14
If he was such a poor striker why can none of these other guys land even half as many strikes as GSP does?
Next comes the Machida-esque criticisms.
“He just runs away until he can take them down and LAY N PRAY!”
I understand not appreciating the style. I just don’t understand the urge to discredit the guy.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
When did I say he’s poor striker? He uses strikes to set up his wrestling and GnP. The majority of his strikes are on the ground. Once a guy is soften up enough, his striking skills goes out the window (Penn, Alves). GSP doesn’t have the striking skills to finish guys like Kos or Alves. He also doesn’t have the skills to finish people via GnP or BJJ to submit them.
GSP is not the P4P champ that most people seem to believe. It’s okay to spell out his deficiencies.
Deficiencies, maybe. Depends on how you define deficiency.
But holes or true weaknesses? Not a one to be had on his resume. We don’t know for certain that Royce Gracie is/was a terrible striker, all we know is that he didn’t get KO’d and won every fight on the ground.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
GSP is not the P4P champ that most people seem to believe.
I don’t really see how you can make that statement. GSP completely and fairly consistently dominates the highest caliber of competition.
Would more finishes be nice? Absolutely.
I’ll even cede that GSP’s fights are anti-climatic because he is so dominant.
But you can’t argue with his resume. Wins are wins, and in his past two fights GSP dominated the consensus #2 welterweight in fights that weren’t close.
by Andy R on Jan 4, 2010 9:42 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
After reading…this is the best statement I have seen in the discussion thus far. I personally can’t stand watching him fight, but he does beat whoever is put in front of him. And the last time I checked a decision and a KO both equal a win. For people to fault GSP for beating top caliber fighters (points or not), consistently , is asinine.
…he beats them fairly squarly…
"Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'd never know 'cause I wouldn't eat the filthy motherf**ker" - Jules Winnfield
If you know how to use fight finder or wikipedia go look up how many wins he has in his career then figure up what percentage of those fights he finished, it’s a lot higher than you give him credit for. Then before you say “yeah well he can’t finish someone like Fitch or Alves” go see how many times those guys have ever been finished. Here’s a hint- it’s not too often. And I’ll take your bet since you think everyone is too scared. What is your sig gonna be when you lose?
by ufc4 on Jan 4, 2010 10:07 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Those are total strikes, so including ground strikes. Granted, if you look at just standing striking its just as dominant. At least some part of that is his opponent worrying about defending the takedown though, I don’t know its an indication that GSP is a better striker than the opponents listed.
So what? Everyone is saying he’s just a lay n pray guy, if that’s the argument then strikes on the ground are just as important.
by ufc4 on Jan 4, 2010 10:08 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
This was the quote which you responded to using Fightmetric stats
He doen’t have the chops to stand with fighters
I would have thought when using fightmetric stats to debunk the idea that he “doesn’t have the chops to stand with fighters”, whether those strikes were standing or on the ground would at least be semi-relevant, maybe it’s just me.
Ice cold killer like BJ Penn, who doesn’t have the chops to grapple with Diego Sanchez? Who took 4 and 5 rounds to beat LWs who aren’t even consensus Top 5 LWs in the UFC?
GSP beat Alves with a severe injury. Last time Penn got injured in a fight, he got his head caved in by Hughes. GSP also gave Penn a concussion and had BJ crying in his corner between rounds. GSP smashed Fitch as bad as a guy can be beaten for 5 rounds, and stopped Serra and Hughes before 2 rounds. Best of luck trying to discredit all of that because you’re still butthurt over your moronic GSP-Penn predictions and how completely wrong you were.
I give him a pass on fitch cuz he knocked him down twice (that’s impressive). He also knocked Alves down and I dont think anyone has done that… He should have finished alves and I think he would have if his abductor didn’t tear.
It’s gonna take a guy with Paul Daley’s striking, Koscheks wrestling, and Frankie Edgars cardio to beat GSP.
I think Hardy has alot of potential but his inability to finish swick after he put him in those bad situations says he is not ready.
I’d like to see Paul Daley fight Koschek. Koscheck should just shoot the entire fight which should get him the W and setup a GSP vs Kos rematch which has been GSP’s closest fight to date since he got the title back.
lol… I should have said with cains “abilities” he can potentially use the same overall structure that GSP uses to win fights and he’d be almost as unstoppable.
Other than Brock I dont see anyone who can go toe to toes with Cains wrestling.
Cain has the cardio and the wrestling. he needs to shore up his stand up and jitz around this structure.
I dont see anyone else who can mimic GSP in any other weight class.
Rashad doesnt have the cardio (now I know why he used to circle around and do nothing for 2 rounds) Brock possibly, but I dont think he’s coming back as good as he was.
did you see my sig? I'm with ya
And NEW UFC Welterweight Champion of the World.....Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy!
by slapjaw ackrite on Jan 4, 2010 8:52 PM EST up reply actions
No, he's got BJ on his back.
There’s a difference, I know, but still.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
So if Mir wins against Carwin, Lesnar then defends the belt against the very same guy he just fought, and a man he has fought twice already out of his five career fights.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
Trilogy baby!
If Mur can beat Carwin and possibly the winner of Nog/Cain he deserves another shot at the BROCKLESNARRR!!!!
Keep firing Assholes!
It’s as if you fell down a flight of stairs, then logged onto the internet.
There are also a lot of reasons its different than the last
If we just expect the same fight we last saw then its not interesting, but if it happens there are a lot of reasons to think Mir has a very good chance.
1. Mir is already significantly bigger and will probably by way bigger by the time he fights Brock.
2. Mir will show that he can deal with a big wrestler in Carwin.
3. Brock will be smaller with less ring rust.
That’s a very interesting matchup to me. The winner of the Nog Cain fight would have a claim at a title shot too, but its not significantly stronger than Mir’s and Mir Brock will sell like crazy
That is a huge card, more interesting than UFC 100 to me. With Anderson/Belfort, Lyoto/Shogun, BJ/next victim, all coming up, plus , Florian, Bones, Daley, Kos, Wand, Belcher, Condit, Gomi, Edgar, Stevenson, Maia, Franklin,Rogerio, Rodrigo and a bunch of others all scheduled or available in the next 4 months, there are going to be some amazing cards. Come on 2010.
by Kwisatz Haderach on Jan 3, 2010 5:55 AM EST reply actions
Don’t want to jinx anything but that was what we were saying with 106, 107,108, and 109 and looked what happened to those cards.
Ahhh!!!! Stop don’t jinx it!!!!! No, you’re definitely right about that, although 107 and 108 turned out alright. Let’s think positive :)
by Kwisatz Haderach on Jan 4, 2010 6:47 PM EST up reply actions
This has been so horrendously unlucky for the UFC
that I’m still not 100% convinced that the fighters didn’t get together and make it happen. And I’m not known for my tin-foil clothing.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
Stranger stuff has happened.
How hard is it to decide, arbitrarily, that one of the type of injuries you normally just plow through is just too much this time? It just smells fishy to me.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
I think fighter’s are definitely becoming more likely to pass on a fight where they’re not 90% or more. Particularly guys in the top ten of a division like Minotoro, Condit, Alves, etc. But that’s because the number of fighters and cards has increased so much the past couple years. If you’ve got an injury that’s going to impede your performance, there’s a lot more to lose now by fighting than by taking the time to heal up. Whereas a guy who makes ten grand a fight has to consider whether he can afford to wait a month or two for another fight. If all these guys dropping fights were from one or two affiliated camps, I’d be more inclined to wonder about it. I think guy’s just feel less obliged to take a fight they don’t feel prepared for, particularly if you’re at the level where you’re fighting the toughest competition. We all respect a guy for taking a fight injured, or on short notice, but look what happens to a guy like Hazelett. Condit drops out due to a bad cut, so Hazelett, having missed a year with a legitimately serious injury, decides to take the fight. So suddenly Hazelett’s fighting a guy he’s probably not ready for at his best, while dealing with a short camp and a year’s worth of cage rust. Kudos for stepping up Dustin, but how was that a wise choice? Part of working your way up to top ten in a division, is that it earns you the ability to be more careful, and due to the better competition, it starts to demand that you be in good condition with the time to game plan for a dangerous opponent. And sorry for writing you a book in response :)
by Kwisatz Haderach on Jan 4, 2010 9:27 PM EST up reply actions
Haha, I've got no right to complain.
My posts are usually mini-articles. Here’s what I think about your idea of waiting out the injuries…
For champions, you’re almost certainly right, which just means the UFC is going to have to be a little more strict on enforcing the fights/year thing. I know that sounds callous, but Zuffa has millions tied up in the prestige of those belts, and you’d better damn well believe that an injured champ is still riding that belt for endorsement deals and other revenue sources. Zuffa just asks that they fight twice per year, or whatever, and if it starts becoming an issue getting to that, they need to re-evaluate contract stipulations.
As for younger fighters like Hazelett, I think it was absolutely the right move for him to fight on semi-short notice. If for no other reason than helping Dana out when he was in a bind, it would be a no-brainer. But ultimately, the more fights you can get in, the more ‘value’ you present to the UFC in terms of product they can push in front of the camera. Unless you’re right on the cusp of title contention, there’s really zero reason not to fight. Dana & Co. know when a guy is fighting on short notice, and they don’t hold those losses against them as much as we might think.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
Listen I know Dana and co. are loyal to fighters who are willing to step up as needed. But once you’ve proven yourself to the degree that you’re a top ten fighter, or thereabouts, Dana will also tell you that they don’t want you to fight if you can’t give your best performance. If this becomes a trend over the next six months, I’d agree the UFC may have to make some kind of statement to them by dropping a guy or just blackballing them temporarily if they keep dropping out of fights. But as to Hazelett, it’s one thing to take a fight against Condit, Kampmann or someone else, but I thought it was a terrible move to fight Daley. The UFC’s respect isn’t worth getting your second bad knockout, which was a pretty obvious outcome to this one. Dustin is one of my favorite guys to watch, but he’s young, and has plenty of time to improve. Hopefully, they give him a mid-tier guy next time, so he can get back on track. In the meantime, he’s now going to be on a medical suspension for a month or two presumably.
by Kwisatz Haderach on Jan 4, 2010 9:47 PM EST up reply actions
- Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy
- Shane Carwin vs. Frank Mir
- Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch
- Ricardo Almeida vs. TBA
Wow, that TBA dude fights more than Jeff Monson.
by brad23 on Jan 4, 2010 6:51 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
He's a tough SOB
and usually fights on short notice.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
so TBA’s contract with strikeforce isnt exclusive?
by milson on Jan 4, 2010 8:58 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
i am in!
First post, and hopefully first UFC event..
Let’s get it on!
This would be one hell of a card
to be your first.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
So Machida- Rua II and Rampage-Rashad are being suggested for 113 and 114 in March. Anyone here have any word when the rumored Gomi-Florian fight is scheduled? Or what date Silva-Belfort is being planned for?
UFC 111: Sorry about 108
Keep firing Assholes!
It’s as if you fell down a flight of stairs, then logged onto the internet.
I know it’s a long shot but I SO want Hardy to win. Nothing against GSP, but his devotees drive me nuts.
by brad23 on Jan 4, 2010 6:42 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
i know exactly what u mean
most likely wont happen though hardy only has a serra chance of catchin him
Agreed, I doubt his takedown defence is at BJ Penn levels, and even that isn’t enough. I think if GSP is going to have any sort of kryptonite it’s going to be someone who is good enough off their back to stop GSP from wanting to take him down, and the ability to also out-strike him. It’s a tough ask. Personally I think Paulo Thiago could possibly have those qualities once he has developed a bit.
Either that or someone who has the ability to drop GSP before he can get the fight to the ground, like Daley. Hardy has some power, but I don’t think it will be enough.
How about this:
GSP pounds the piss out of hardy for a R2 TKO and then goes off to the Olympics fot 3 years?
Keep firing Assholes!
It’s as if you fell down a flight of stairs, then logged onto the internet.
The problem with that sort of scenario is that there will always be questions over the champ of whether they are as good as GSP, it’s not a great situation.
Well, yes… thats true.
But if GSP leaves to go to the olympics they aren’t going to get the opportunity, hence there will be a question over their championship, is what I was driving at.
After his olympics stint, he’ll back. Then whoever the champ is must face him.
I like the WW div w/o GSP, makes it competitve.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
So far, Fitch seems to be the #2 in the division. Especially if he beats Alves, which is pretty much a #2 WW match, and the winner would be the interim champ. Unless somebody manages to beat Fitch, everyone knows that the current champ got destroyed by GSP. Even if its Alves, then he got beat by GSP, too.
The WW division will be wide open for 2.5 years as they wait for the apocalyptic return of GSP.
Keep firing Assholes!
It’s as if you fell down a flight of stairs, then logged onto the internet.
I've got this Mordor-esque imagery
of GSP’s Eye surrounded by lava and flames, watching events from afar, waiting for his chance to once again reign terror and destruction on the varied peoples of Middle Ear- erm, the UFC.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
this idea’s been done already
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
It’s not the exact same idea, so I’m just bustin ya chops
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
Ahh, I missed that entirely.
Serves me right for only reading the articles I’m 95% interested in. You miss all kinds of goodness in the comments ;)
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
It true that any post-GSP champion wouldn’t have the same legitimacy, but by the same token there’s people all over complaining about how boring GSP’s dominance is. There’s always going to be something people bitch about. I’m trying more and more to just enjoy matchups, and not obsess about title reigns and such. I just hope GSP has good advice as to whether he really has a solid chance to make it to the Olympics with a chance for a medal. Taking 2 years off just to sort of give it a try seems like a waste of his talents. But Georges is surrounded by smart people who know what they’re doing, and I’m sure he’ll do what’s best for himself.
by Kwisatz Haderach on Jan 4, 2010 6:56 PM EST up reply actions
And Olympic Gold Medal
would be such an amazing accomplishment, and you have to remember that he’s Canada’s #1 athlete. He’s got a country on his shoulders, so if someone even hints at the prospect of him competing at the games, he has to make a public deal out of his consideration.
I don’t think he could win Gold, but he’d be pretty good and would do quite a bit of good for the MMA world if he did choose to compete there.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
It would be an amazing accomplishment, and I’m sure he’d love to represent his country, but I’m pretty skeptical it would do much for MMA. We all already know who GSP is, and he’s already huge in Canada. Olympic coverage is always based on a country’s own athletes. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be a decent story, I’m just not sure it brings in many new fans. Pure wrestling isn’t that popular with people who wouldn’t already be aware of Georges, and how much legitimacy does Dan Henderson’s Olympic career bring to MMA? If it happens, I’ll be traitorously rooting for Canada in wrestling :)
by Kwisatz Haderach on Jan 4, 2010 8:09 PM EST up reply actions
The reason I think it would be huge for MMA is
the impact it would have on the other competitors there, watching this guy who’d never wrestled, competing at the highest level of the sport. It’s a natural segue and it would get them all thinking about the possibility of an MMA career a little more seriously.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
You may be right, since wrestlers don’t really have anywhere to go professionally, but that trend is well under way already. It’d be fun if Ishii started wrecking people in MMA, and we got a ton of judokas working hard on their striking and coming into the sport. We can dream anyway…
by Kwisatz Haderach on Jan 4, 2010 9:32 PM EST up reply actions
I don't think it's a dream.
Eventually we’ll get some Japanese judoka who succeeds in the MMA scene, and it will take off.
I guess I was thinking Sambo in Russia, but they’ve already got Fedor doing bazillion ratings in slavia, so no help there.
Still, I think it would be good press. MMA would get mentioned a bunch on TV every time GSP wrestled.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
Nail on the head, don’t get it either, his fight as of late have been very boring
by kanodogg on Jan 4, 2010 6:51 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I just don't get it, either.
Do we dislike Fedor’s fights because we know he’s a mortal lock to win? How about BJ? People just have a problem with wrestling as a style, which I truly cannot comprehend.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
no, fedors fights tend to be very exciting as are bj penns, i don’t have a problem with wrestling as a style but it is not entertaining to watch 25 minutes of gnp from the guard. i don’t fault the guy for doing that, it would be stupid for him to fight a more exciting style and lose vs. his takedown/gnp gameplans that give him wins. don’t fault him for doing it, it’s just not necessarily something that i look forward to watching.
So much for Mir hyping fights:
“Shane Carwin is an extremely dangerous opponent and being matched up against him is an honor,” Mir said. “It’ll be a great challenge to face him and get to match wits against his coaches. Greg Jackson is like the ‘Yoda’ of mixed martial arts and I will need a strong gameplan heading into this fight.”
He's just following Brock's footsteps.
Be respectful of other respectful fighters (Lesnar vs. Couture) and talk shit about the rest. Except, well, Brock didn’t talk shit about anyone who didn’t talk shit about him first.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
Off to Newark i go!
cant wait
Fan of Tiger 'Makin It Rain' Woods
Tickets were much more reasonably priced than I had assumed they'd be.
Pretty serious attempt here.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
Never been to NJ
Can someone help me out here? According to Mapquest Newark is only 20 min from NY, do most people just fly into Laguardia and take a cab to NJ? How much would a hotel run (roughly) for Fri and Sat fairly close to the arena? Is that an area I wouldn’t be scared for my life to stay in?
I don’t know how much hotels are, but for the low low cost of 1 ticket you can sleep on my couch. I see the arena from my roof.
I think if he buys you a ticket, maybe you should give up your bed and sleep on your couch ha ha. Unless its a nosebleed I guess. Cageside, you leave your girl in the bed with him ;)
And NEW UFC Welterweight Champion of the World.....Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy!
by slapjaw ackrite on Jan 4, 2010 9:14 PM EST up reply actions
There's a decent major hotel right near the Prudential Center
can’t remember if it’s a Marriott or Hilton, but as a lifelong NJ resident, I wouldn’t advise you to walk around Newark by yourself at night. I think you’ d be better off staying in NYC…public transportation from there to Newark is very easy.
As far as flights, as others have said, go with whatever’s cheapest. JFK’s probably the farthest out of the way, but LGA and Newark would both be very convenient.
I’ve been looking for a cheap flight and neither of the carriers I’ve checked (Southwest, Air Tran) fly into Newark.
by ufc4 on Jan 4, 2010 10:13 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
JFK is a bit further out than that man. The area around the Rock is finally starting to get cleaned up but it’s still pretty gnarly. The places to hangout in NJ would be either Jersey City or Hoboken (atleast the places in the area). The biggest airline for Newark is Continental which also tends to have pretty fair rates. It’s literally 5-8 minutes from the arena.
by Matthew Roth on Jan 4, 2010 11:55 PM EST up reply actions
fly into newark. the next stop on the train heading north to NYC is Newark Penn Station, which is a couple stone throws away from the prudential center. lots of hotels in the area. the NJ Transit train is cheap, too
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
This is too early for an Interim Title and Mir doesn’t deserve a shot at it before Velasquez. It should have been the winner of Cain/Nog and the winner of Mir/Carwin for the Interim Title.
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