lambyUK

Fun show. They ended up closing and curtaining off the whole top tear. We got some pretty sweet upgrades to the first tier about 20 rows back. The O2 managed the whole upgrade process (once there) really well. Even with the top shut off, I'd say the venue was still only at best about two thirds full.

 

They messed about with the order of the card for some reason, so I'm not sure what made it onto TV. The delays between fights were silly at times too. Sometimes 20 minutes with nothing else going on in the arena to keep you entertained. MVP was the most over fighter by far, that knock out sounded brutal even from where we were. Oli Thompson took some huge shots before finally getting stopped. After MVPs finish, a huge delay before the main event and then it being 3 rounds instead of 5, the Semtex fight felt a bit flat to me.

 

All in all a fun card and a good night. We all called it the moment the tickets when on sale but the venue and the pricing was just clearly wrong for Bellator. A real shame to see the place so empty, even if it did make for a sweet upgrade, shorter queues at the bar and an easier journey back home. Hopefully it doesn't put them off running London again. A 5-7k capacity venue, an event not near a UFC event and tickets 20% cheaper and they could pull a good crowd.

 

To be fair, that's pretty standard in my experience of UFC events. Fuck all happens apart from a shit load of awful adverts for future events. I'm not really sure what entertainment you expect between fights to be honest? They expect people to go to the bar for drinks etc.

 

In relation to the pricing, I think it was too high to begin with, but losing Kimbo and the co-main with Koscheck hurt the event badly too. 

 

It was actually the first time I've watched an entire Bellator main card in it's entirety and really enjoyed it. MVP is just so good and as you mentioned, Thompson has got some chin on him. 

That Rocky video is brilliant Matrix. The best bit is the kid attempting the one arm push ups!

 

It's incredible their memory at such an early age though.

 

Regarding a couple of things,

 

 

 

Once the boys are asleep, it's clearing up the carnage left behind in the kitchen from two mealtimes, and if we're lucky, half an hour to grab a bath or put feet up, before they wake. 

 

This is the big thing for me. When I'm coming home from work I know what I'm walking into, an absolute disaster zone that's going to take at least 1-2 hours to sort out, and that's after the routine of actually getting them both to bed and getting yourself sorted. 

 

In regards to Mr E above, I think that's completely normal. It's what's being a parent is, always worried about what your kids are doing and making sure they are ok. 

Anyone who tells you 'yeah, having 2 isn't double the work' are absolutely talking out of their arse.

I have 2 boys, the eldest being 2 (and a few months) and the youngest is now 6 months old. I'm absolutely exhausted and I work an easy job.

 

To echo the above, I have so much respect for stay home parents as I see how exhausted my wife is every night. We don't have parents locally so it's all on her. She's also breast feeding which makes it so difficult for her to keep up with a 2 year old and for other parents who have or have had children go through that age will testify, it's a fucking testing period too.

 

Having children though is the most rewarding thing that's ever happened to me. It's brought a purpose to my life that I never knew existed.

 

You just look at children and they are just so innocent though. My wife was in tears this morning watching the news regarding the horrendous attacks in Nice as my 2 year old was sat there happily pointing out the ambulances and police cars, blissfully unaware of the evil in the world that I fear awaits him as he grows up. Whilst the news was terribly upsetting, it was that combined with the innocent look on our son's face that set her off.

I remember seeing this Jones tweet from earlier in June, I bet he's not calling him team captain now..

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, the guy is completely clean. There's actually a bit on Rogan's podcast where they go into the GAT products and crazily some of them suggested a failed drugs test could occur. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjlBGnwRyC8

Doesn't really make a difference who the real headliner is or was, even though White looking miserable would suggest he did care at the time.

 

All that's irrelevant David to be honest. The fact is Mcgregor saw in his own words people in the back all over the place like going around headless chickens trying to clean up the mess and he knew that if it was him still fighting that chaos wouldn't be taking place.

 

You asked why the smile and that's most likely it.

 

In regards to having Dana against him when it comes to contract negotiations after a few losses, I don't think Mcgregor cares one bit. If he does go through a bunch of losses then he probably will retire anyway.

It makes complete sense to me personally. White and the company put faith in a man who has let down people again and again over a fighter who steps up time and time again to save events.

 

Irrespective of the money being made, I don't think White wanted to be running around like a headless chicken panicing about his headline fight 2 days before it was supposed to be taking place during the biggest mma event of all time.

 

This is why Mcgregor is probably smiling, he knows the events of the past few days wouldn't have happened if he was in the main event.

I'm very tempted to stick a fiver on this 6 fold.

 

Zingano, Cain, Cormier, Edgar, Nunes and Lesnar at 33.65/1. Returns £168.

 

The one I'm not convinced about is Lesnar.

I also watched the extended cut the other night and it definitely flowed a hell of a lot better. It felt less clunky and as mentioned it fleshed out some of the stuff that didn't make any sense.

 

Eisenburg's Luthor is still shit though. It's not necessarily his performance that's bad, but it just doesn't belong in this movie. It just isn't Lex Luthor at all. 

 

It still has it's major issues as commonly known, but it's at least better than the theatrical cut.

The happy medium for you both is that they should basically book a double freak show main and co main event, with the likelihood one more than likely drops out.

Why? At the time Kimbo was booked as was Daley/Kos 2.

 

Sticking Shamrock and Royce on there too would have done the very thing you're advising against.

 

Unless you think they should matchmake based on who could die next, which is insane.

 

Sadly, looking at who they've been booking, it's not such a terrible approach. 

The whole thing proves why Bellator's business model works though. Many people slag off the 'freak show' element (Kimbo/Thompson) or showcase approach (Koscheck/Daley) but since those fights fell off the buzz on this show slowed down and lots of people are writing the show off before it's happened.

 

Yes and no really Egg. Whilst the freak element got people talking, there's only a certain amount of freaks out there now. 

 

When those top of the card do fall out, it leaves them exposed if they aren't building stars of their own. 

However, with that freak show element no longer there, we may finally see the big rise of Michael Page?

 

He's finally got a step up competition and if he can do what he's done to Santos (despite coming off a loss) that he's done to previous opponents we could see a big star born that night.

Fuck me this London show is dieing in its arse by the minute. So dissapointng.

 

Mitrione vs Thompson is actually a decent addition to the card and the best they could really hope for. I still think it's a good card. 

 

I think if GSP vs McGregor ever happens, it'll definitely be at 170. Can't see GSP at 185 being anything more than a one-off thing myself.

 

It does annoy me though that he's up for it now, when the real superfight - GSP vs Anderson - never happened. I hate that that fight got away. And while GSP played on the size difference stopping that fight, people forget that Anderson was saying he was open to a catchweight of 177-180. Then GSP and Firas Zahabi basically called Anderson's bluff and said the only way the fight would happen would be if Anderson dropped to 170. Anderson then said that that could be possible and he'd be up for trying the cut. GSP and Firas went quiet again after that.

 

GSP is maybe the greatest MMA fighter ever. And a top bloke with it. But he wanted none of Anderson. Ever. Everything GSP ever said about fighting Anderson, at any weight, was so non-committal but he'd always leave the door just ajar enough that you had some hope it'd happen somehow. Like a really hot girl making you think you might have a shot, all the while knowing she was never in a million years going to let you even touch her knee.

 

Not calling him a coward. I am calling him a cockteasing bastard though.

 

You can't beat up on GSP not wanting to fight Anderson when Silva himself wanted no part of ever fighting Jon Jones. He even fought at light heavy a few times. Then when asked about Jones he would change the subject.

 

 

You can't compare these though. Neither Jones nor Anderson at any point expressed any interest at all in that fight. On top of that, as Wand says, there wasn't any doors ajar comments from either party.

 

Anderson fought up there as one offs and fill in. There was no desire to fight for a title that GSP now seems to be cherry picking based on the opponent in front of him. 

Where the hell is David when you need him?

 

A Mcgregor fight at middleweight vs GSP isn't mental CB, because as you say, both guys are similar size, at least height wise. In the end it would be up to them and the promotion if that's what they wanted.

 

However, a Mcgregor vs GSP for the middleweight title is absolute insanity. 

 

Bollocks, you've completely got your divisions wrong.

Welterweight is 170llbs. Middleweight is 185llbs, 

I think he means you have to weigh as much as 171lbs to compete as a Middleweight. 

 

Anyway, I see the winner of Diaz/McGregor 2 meeting the Lightweight Champion. Although regardless of the result, McGregor might go back down to 145lbs, and defend his Championship there. 

 

 

Ah I see.

 

Still, we shouldn't be talking about one offs when it comes to title fights in my view, especially when it comes to the crazy thought of Mcgregor, the featheweight champion, fighting for the 185llb belt.

 

Say if Mcgregor beats GSP somehow at 185llbs. Then what, put him in there with 6ft 4 Luke Rockhold who walks around 215llbs? Mental. 

 

Bollocks, you've completely got your divisions wrong.

Welterweight is 170llbs. Middleweight is 185llbs, 

then cowering when Weidman comes along, given his history of defending his belt against all sorts of killers.

 

Truly, I think he faces the winner of McGregor/Diaz for the middleweight belt next. Needless to say, it's exactly the big match GSP is after.

 

Fair enough regarding the first point, but for his own health's sake, I hope he cowers. 

 

Regarding that second point, Mcgregor fighting for the middleweight belt is one of the craziest things I've heard in along time regarding MMA. The guy is the featherweight champ!!

At the time the Silva fight was on the cards GSP was becoming the greatest Welterweight champion in history. A reason he didn't want to move up was because he realised packing on weight for one fight, while also looking to defend his title could negatively impact his body and it wasn't worth it, in his quest for greatness. GSP didn't need the fight.

 

If he wins he doesn't have to try and get down a weight immediately after the fight. To repeat my initial point, GSP has proven he's a game champion, so saying he's suddenly Ric Flair and is looking to avoid defending his title doesn't add up. He's GSP, not some horrible wimp like me.

 

If I remember rightly, he only fought once or twice after making those statements though Bollocks and then walked away from the welterweight division. It's your choice if you want to buy those reasons, but for me, he never wanted any part of the middleweight division. That's not a knock on him at all, it was completely the right thing to do. He's only 5ft 10 and was getting into wars with far smaller fighters.

 

On top of that, before announcing this week he was coming out of retirement, he said he was only interested in big fights. He's not expressed an intention of going on a title run and to eventually be fed to a beast like Jacare who pulls in barely any numbers.

 

With the belt on the line, it's just not right to me. 

 

Personally I think it's bullshit if GSP walks into a title fight with Bisping. My main gripe isn't actually the possibility of him jumping the queue, more so that he's only asking for it because he think it's a winnable and less risky fight.

 

I don't for a second believe that if he does win, he would continue on to defend the title against the beasts of that division. If you put him in with Rockhold, Weidman, Romero or Jacare, he would be eaten alive.

If it's a title fight then it should only be against Lawler. 

Why not? GSP was always a fighting champion. Forever taking on the hardest tests and usually always winning.

 

It's a huge match for Bisping and he's fucking tremendous at hyping fights, so I think it's a brilliant fit for everybody. Hopefully Bisping has PPV points, or UFC throw him some extra cash because their match will be massive.

 

I hope it happens now. I think it will be a bigger, better event than a Lawler fight, as much as I love Lawler.

 

 

Because he refused to move up in weight to fight Anderson Silva when Silva was champion. His reason was that Silva (and middleweights in general) would be far bigger than him come fight night.

 

Now he sees an easier fight and all of a sudden that weight class is an option? Perhaps he's packed on a bit more size in his absence, but GSP isn't a big welterweight.

 

The reasons for him requesting this fight are all wrong for me.

 

If there wasn't a title involved, my opinion would be completely different and I do agree that at this moment it completely benefits both him and Bisping. Bisping gets a huge pay day and GSP faces a less risky opponent.

Personally I think it's bullshit if GSP walks into a title fight with Bisping. My main gripe isn't actually the possibility of him jumping the queue, more so that he's only asking for it because he think it's a winnable and less risky fight.

 

I don't for a second believe that if he does win, he would continue on to defend the title against the beasts of that division. If you put him in with Rockhold, Weidman, Romero or Jacare, he would be eaten alive.

If it's a title fight then it should only be against Lawler. 

I agree completely and it's certainly an uphill challenge. I just think that if Mcgregor sorts out his cardio I think he can outwork Diaz using his speed advantage and potentially get a TKO finish on the ground.

 

Nate coming in bigger could adversely impact on his cardio too. 

 

I don't think Nate get's KO'd, but I can definitely see a path for Mcgregor by landing a combo that staggers Nate to then finishing it on the ground similar to his fight with Siver. 

I still think Mcgregor has a great chance of winning to be honest. I think he badly underestimated Diaz in the first fight and his preparation seemed abysmal. He just seemed to spend those final two weeks pigging out on 3 breakfasts when Diaz was announced as the late replacement. 

 

He will rely on his speed advantage this time and pick out his shots rather than search for them.

That first fight was 8 minutes of Mcgregor dictating the fight and gassing himself out. He's best countering his opponent using his superior movement. 

That's a great point David. Nate could feasibility be coming into this fight even bigger than he was in the first fight and decide to cut a chunk to make 170llbs.

 

I admire the balls of Mcgregor I'll give him that. 

Yep, it's fucking nonsense, especially as Mcgregor has already said he's coming into the fight lean and light. My guess is he will weigh in 5llbs lighter than he did in the first fight which essentially is what he would have been doing at 155llbs.

 

Then when he decides to officially go to 155 he can say (as long as he wins) that he's got a win under his belt in that division.

 

I understand why he's doing it as he wants to beat Diaz under the same rules and regs that were set in the first fight, but it's just fucking annoying. 

 

Edit:- That's a good point Jim. I'm not sure Mcgregor cares about weight classes anymore. He's always gone on about challenges. 

It bombed at the box office.