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David

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Just watched Like Water.

 

I cannot advise anyone enough to watch this documentary, it beats out Smashing Machine as the best MMA documentary ever. Anderson is the best MMA fighter of all time in my opinion, it is a worthy piece on him to say the least, espicially as it covers the build up and the actual fight of the most famous and dramatic fights in MMA history and in many ways the best moment of Anderson's career.

 

The soundtrack is excellent and really sets the scene of the fight and the pre-fight preparations.

 

Here is the link I used - http://www.putlocker.com/file/3C695CC3B5BBA875#

 

Cheers for the link, I was wondering when that would surface online. I'll give that a watch later.

 

Anyone read the news that Bellator's unbeaten heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov was stabbed the other day? He's in critcal condition. Shocking news.

 

Bellator is asking fans for their thoughts and prayers as Bulgarian heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov reportedly clings to life.

 

Over the weekend, multiple reports stated the Bellator veteran was attacked by a group of men at a bar in Sofia, Bulgaria, and remains in critical condition after being stabbed in the chest.

 

"Right now, we do not have all of the details, but our thoughts and prayers are with Blagoi and his family," Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said in a statement released today to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

 

Ivanov (6-0 MMA, 2-0 BFC), a world champion in the Russian hand-to-hand fighting art sambo, made his Bellator debut this past March and immediately announced his presence with a first-round TKO victory over William Penn. He then earned the right to compete in the promotion's season-five tournament and advanced to the semifinals after a second-round submission victory over "The Ultimate Fighter 10" veteran Zak Jensen.

 

However, Ivanov would withdraw from the competition when he injured himself training for a bout with Thiago Santos at Bellator 56 this past October. He returned two months later to TKO former UFC champ Ricco Rodriguez at an MMA event in Moscow.

 

A report from "Sofia News Agency" said that surgeons saved Ivanov after he was brought to an area hospital, but the fighter is on artificial life support.

 

Police are investigating the incident, which took place in the early hours of Sunday. Witnesses said a group of eight men armed with bats and knives attacked Ivanov and a group of friends in the bar. The report said another person was shot in the leg in the same bar earlier this month.

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I just got round to watching 'Like Water', thanks jim :thumbsup: It really is as good as everyone's saying.

 

The bit in the run up to UFC 117 where Anderson tells Big Nog he's gonna submit Chael felt like a big moment watching. Seemed like something from an old martial arts movie with the student defending the honour of his master. I love shit like that.

 

And it's kind of ironic how they showed Anderson drilling the triangle right before the fight and the guy he was rolling with even tried the escape Chael ended up trying. Spooky. The doc also proves Anderson's rib injury wasn't something made up post fight which a lot of his haters tried to accuse him of.

 

Great documentary, really well done. Deffo beats the excellent 'Smashing Machine' for me and I'd put it up there with the best Boxing docs aswell like 'When We Were Kings' and 'Thrilla in Manila'.

 

I've said it before, Anderson Silva is the greatest MMA fighter in the sport's history. They couldn't have picked a better period to base the doc around either. From probably his most controversial and disappointing fight to the fight that may define his career when it's all said and done.

 

Thanks for the link for that Anderson Silva behind the scenes it was a really good watch. I could see UFC putting a few of these out in the future.

 

The UFC didn't produce this documentary as far as I'm aware. They obviously allowed footage to be used and access backstage and stuff but it was actually directed by a guy called Pablo Croce. I'd like to see more of this kind of stuff aswell though. I'd love to see something like this done on Fedor, Big Nog or Cro Cop. All would be interesting stories to tell.

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Awesome Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II video by Nicktheface:

 

That's the greatest thing I've ever seen. If Dana put that video at the end of a Countdown episode it'd legitimately have a chance of breaking all records.

 

One of the best promo videos I've ever seen. I've watched it a number of times, it's superb.

 

I watched Like Water last night (thanks jimufctna24). Like Water is a terrific documentary. The documentary follows Anderson Silva before his dramatic UFC 117 main event fight with Chael Sonnen, the actual fight and backstage after the fight was over. The documentary makers must be thankful how it all turned out as Anderson Silva

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So glad this doc is good. I've downloaded it & intend to watch it over the weekend. I'm relieved it shows Anderson's rib injury as I was a staunch defender of him on here when 'John Galt' (I think?) was supporting Sonnen's post fight claims that Silva was faking the injury to excuse the fact that he didn't win quickly enough.

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You are very much welcome the people who followed my link.

 

I actually forgot that for a good year before the Sonnen fight Silva was a massive headache to Dana almost as bad as Nick Diaz, not just for his piss taking and lacklustre performances in the octagon, but also for his media performances like the one shown in the documentary. Even Ed Soares at one point is annoyed with Anderson repeatdly saying "no" I found it quite amusing looking back.

 

I never questioned Anderson having a rib injury, but Chael also had the flu going in so they both had problems. Both should be proud of themselves that night in the octagon.

 

Despite the drug mess afterwards, even in the documentary I felt bad for Chael when he loses, he must have felt 2ft tall he was so close to beating the best MMA fighter of all time and then it being snatched away from him. The footage of the fighter that Anderson cornered in Portland was very interesting and the fans who were shouting nonsense into the cameras about Anderson was cringeworthy, but showed that some MMA fans had really turned on Anderson at that point.

 

My favourite bit was Anderson having that moment to himself in the locker room afterward, what he must have been thinking and feeling after that classic I could never fathom. Watching Chael leave the arena with his girlfriend was another good scene, I have to say though he kept it all togeather very well in the aftermath, no tears or visable anger like some fighters would show.

 

As a human being I have never had a stong opinion either way about Anderson, but I can definatly say I have a more positive opinion after that documentary.

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I actually forgot that for a good year before the Sonnen fight Silva was a massive headache to Dana almost as bad as Nick Diaz, not just for his piss taking and lacklustre performances in the octagon, but also for his media performances like the one shown in the documentary. Even Ed Soares at one point is annoyed with Anderson repeatdly saying "no" I found it quite amusing looking back.

 

Really? This surprises me a bit. I know a lot of people were on Silva's back for the Maia fight but IMO Maia should've got the brunt of the vitriol for that as he was the challenger, it's up to him to try & take the belt. It was just a bad match-up stylistically, Silva wanted to counter strike & Maia wanted Silva to come to the ground leading to a bit of a stalemate. That fight aside I thought Silva was on a good run? Wasnt' Griffin before Maia? That was an 'entertaining' performace surely?

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I actually forgot that for a good year before the Sonnen fight Silva was a massive headache to Dana almost as bad as Nick Diaz, not just for his piss taking and lacklustre performances in the octagon, but also for his media performances like the one shown in the documentary. Even Ed Soares at one point is annoyed with Anderson repeatdly saying "no" I found it quite amusing looking back.

 

Really? This surprises me a bit. I know a lot of people were on Silva's back for the Maia fight but IMO Maia should've got the brunt of the vitriol for that as he was the challenger, it's up to him to try & take the belt. It was just a bad match-up stylistically, Silva wanted to counter strike & Maia wanted Silva to come to the ground leading to a bit of a stalemate. That fight aside I thought Silva was on a good run? Wasnt' Griffin before Maia? That was an 'entertaining' performace surely?

The Griffin fight calmed things down a bit, but before that was the Cote and Liates fights that were dull. So it was 3 fights out of 4 going in that got bad reviews. He did win them easily but it was the way he won them, a large amonut of fans feel he could have finished them fighters with little ease. I felt the only fight where he really took the piss was Maia and even then I get there is a argument in his defence.

 

I will say the flack Anderson got in some places was a bit harsh, as you said styles can determine how good a fight is. As I said though I forgot there was a backlash against him kind of like how people forget the band Queen went through a phase of this before they stole Live Aid, his comeback against Sonnen and his lengendary knockout of Belfort have pretty much erased any malice fans had against Silva. The demolition job of Okami only added to this as well.

 

EDIT: Even in these days though he still got cheered against Sonnen at the weigh-ins, so the fans had not completly turned on him

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Really can't wait to watch this. I'm not surprised he got cheers against Sonnen though, I know there's a lot of Sonnen love on here (it's a pro-wrestling forum after all) but it's easy to assume that this sentiment is echoed elsewhere. I watched UFC 136 in a packed bar in NYC, the booing of Sonnen from the Americans (his big comeback fight) really surprised me.

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I actually forgot that for a good year before the Sonnen fight Silva was a massive headache to Dana almost as bad as Nick Diaz, not just for his piss taking and lacklustre performances in the octagon, but also for his media performances like the one shown in the documentary. Even Ed Soares at one point is annoyed with Anderson repeatdly saying "no" I found it quite amusing looking back.

 

Really? This surprises me a bit. I know a lot of people were on Silva's back for the Maia fight but IMO Maia should've got the brunt of the vitriol for that as he was the challenger, it's up to him to try & take the belt. It was just a bad match-up stylistically, Silva wanted to counter strike & Maia wanted Silva to come to the ground leading to a bit of a stalemate. That fight aside I thought Silva was on a good run? Wasnt' Griffin before Maia? That was an 'entertaining' performace surely?

The Griffin fight calmed things down a bit, but before that was the Cote and Liates fights that were dull. So it was 3 fights out of 4 going in that got bad reviews. He did win them easily but it was the way he won them, a large amonut of fans feel he could have finished them fighters with little ease. I felt the only fight where he really took the piss was Maia and even then I get there is a argument in his defence.

 

I will say the flack Anderson got in some places was a bit harsh, as you said styles can determine how good a fight is. As I said though I forgot there was a backlash against him kind of like how people forget the band Queen went through a phase of this before they stole Live Aid, his comeback against Sonnen and his lengendary knockout of Belfort have pretty much erased any malice fans had against Silva. The demolition job of Okami only added to this as well.

 

EDIT: Even in these days though he still got cheered against Sonnen at the weigh-ins, so the fans had not completly turned on him

 

2 of his 12 fights before defeating Sonnen were decision victories..the rest were submission or KO's. I dunno how that kind of record can lead to any sort of backlash. As he covers in the documentary, why should he do anything more than try to win?

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Again I was not really one to jump on that banwagon at the time, the only fight where I think he went too far was when he kept running around and playing the guitar against Maia, but the people who did have a problem with Anderson thought he had grown content to coast and not give it his all in the octagon aside from the Griffin fight.

 

He talked more about retirment than ever at this stage and people thought he was bored with MMA and held it against him. His talk of boxing Roy Jones annoyed people as well. So when people found his fights dull, they had a more of a reason to hate on him.

 

None of this really matters to his legacy now though, the people who hate him do not tend to be as vocal these days or have simply changed their opinions on him.

 

I do like Anderson these days, but I would be lying if I said I found fights in that time frame entertaining. Now I am not saying it was his fault 100% but Dana White and a large amount of fans were not all togeather positive about him at this point.

 

In his whole career he has had plenty more entertaining fights than borefests.

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There's still a lot of people who (sadly) fall into the 'just bleed' category of MMA fan. People who want the excitement & spectacle that comes with Pro-Wrestling but none of the draws, stalemates or 'un-entertaining' match-ups that is part & parcel of actual sports. If you watch/listen to Ariel Helwani's MMA hour some of the comments from viewers that call in to the show are thoroughly depressing. The UFC are partly to blame for pandering to these fans, most people realise that in any sport not every match is going to be a '5-4 goal-fest' & some will be '0-0 midfield battles'

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SYDNEY – UFC president Dana White has always contended that as a promoter, it's not his job to tell his fighters what they can and can't do in terms of career direction.

 

That said, White remains confident he knows the best decision for former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (14-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) as he looks to rebound from a UFC 144 loss.

 

White, who today promised Edgar an immediate shot at the featherweight title if he's willing to make the drop, still believes "The Answer" should be at 145 pounds. That said, he's still not going to make anything a requirement.

 

"Here's the thing: I really care about this kid," White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I like him a lot. There's only so many wars you can have in your career, and I hate – hate, hate, hate – guys fighting out of their weightclass. He did it because he had to do it because there was no other weightclass, and you can't deny a guy a way to make a living. But I would love to see him at 145.

 

"I can't tell him where to go, but I can [expletive]heavily persuade him."

 

The 5-foot-6 Edgar, of course, has long been linked with a potential drop to 145 pounds. But when the WEC played home to the division, the payout didn't match that of octagon fights. Add in the fact that Edgar was more than holding his own in the UFC – twice defeating B.J. Penn and building a seven-fight unbeaten streak in the division – and White admits there was little he could do.

 

"When you talk about respecting a guy, I have so much respect for Frankie Edgar," White said. "He did what he had to do at 155 pounds because he had to – because there wasn't a 145-pound division. He did it."

 

But after Edgar was dethroned by former WEC champ Benson Henderson at this past weekend's UFC 144 event, White openly admitted he'd like to see Edgar make a run at 145 pounds and challenge current titleholder Jose Aldo (21-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC).

 

"I think Jose Aldo is awesome," White said. "I think he's pound-for-pound one of the best in the world. So is Frankie Edgar, and there's nothing more fun than when guys are both at the same weight and go in there and fight."

 

Thus far, Edgar has balked at White's offer. But the UFC boss said the two have remained in close contact since UFC 144, and he hopes the former lightweight champ will eventually share his point of view.

 

"I talked to him on the phone," White said. "I think everybody's pretty clear on what I would like to see. I'd like to see him go down to his natural weight of 145 pounds."

 

Edgar's supporters, as well as the former champ himself, point to the two rematches that he gave during his title run (one each to Penn and Gray Maynard) as reason why he should be given the same courtesy. But White points to a number of contenders currently in line – including Anthony Pettis, who stepped aside for Edgar-Maynard III – as to reason why this situation is a little different.

 

That said, the UFC boss agrees it's a difficult situation he simply wished he didn't have to deal with right now.

 

"We still have (Nate) Diaz and (Jim) Miller fighting on FOX," White said. "That weight division is so stacked, and there's so many guys in line.

 

"I have a lot of different feelings about the rematch. First and foremost, I feel like Frankie Edgar absolutely deserves one, seeing as how every fight this guy's fought, he's given everybody else a rematch. And I don't want him to fight at 155 pounds. I want him to go to 145 and fight for that title. If we do give him a rematch, it clogs up – there's other guys that are there waiting.

 

"It's just a big mess, man. Controversy sucks. I like fights that are clean clear, we know who won."

 

For now, it appears that Pettis will get the first shot at Henderson's title, and with the history between the two from their famed WEC title bout, it will certainly be a marketable affair. As for Edgar's next move, White is hopeful the two can quickly get on the same page – page No. 145.

 

"You can say whatever about Frankie, this guy's fighting with 155-pounders, guys that are cutting from 170-plus, and are always so much bigger than him, and the guy has absolute wars and pulls out decisions that are so controversial every time. I really respect him. I like Frankie Edgar as a human being. Take the whole fighting thing out of it.

 

"This guy belongs at 145 pounds. When you're a professional fighter, you have a small window of opportunity as it is to compete and be a professional athlete. There's only so many wars you have in you. You can't have this long, amazing career fighting wars all the time.

 

"I don't know. This whole thing's a nightmare, and we'll see what happens."

 

Credit: mmajunkie.com

 

Wonder what will happen with both having different views.

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I think if Frankie is determined to stay at 155 they shouldn't try to force him to move down. Let's face it, he's racked up a very impressive record there and even in losing to Benson it's not like he was completely overwhelmed to the point he looked out of place in the division. He's only lost twice at the weight and he avenged one of them. It's not like he looks out of his depth.

 

Saying that, I would like to see him give 145 a go, the Aldo fight especially is really interesting. But with what he did at 155 I don't see why he can't still hang with the other top lightweights and I wouldn't be surprised to see him with the belt again in the not too distant future. The talent pool is so deep in that division I find it hard to imagine the title staying with one fighter for any long run.

 

I think at 145 he beats everyone bar Aldo maybe. Lightweight is the tougher division for him so fair play to him for wanting to challenge himself.

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