The new MMA general news, events and thoughts thread

[wandshogun09]

Robbie Lawler on Conor McGregor;

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=Tn0tSneWib0

 

Sent a shiver down the old spine, that.

[Chunk]

Robbie Lawler on Conor McGregor;

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=Tn0tSneWib0

 

Sent a shiver down the old spine, that.

 

Lawler comes over as one sausage roll short of a picnic there ...

[lambyUK]

Maybe but it's made me desperate to see the fight, soul removal and all.

[Keith Houchen]

Bifkin posted that in the Conor thread, think there was a little bit of discussion about it. But yeah, Robbie is slightly more unhinged than usual.

[TildeGuy~!]

So how long before Fedor is with the UFC?

 

He was on the MMA hour yesterday and said its close.

[seanz25]

UFC 300. Nah gotta be soon hasn't it? Maybe they try and do Brock/Fedor for next year or something? The heavyweight division is in dire need of some more talent, right now it's pretty uninspiring compared to a lot of the other weight classes.

Does also add to a point they brough up on the Wheelock/Askren podcast last week - Where are all the UFC's future stars coming from? We've got McGregor/Rousey/Jones but is there many that are really coming through looking like monsters?

[Dead Mike]

Where are all the UFC's future stars coming from? We've got McGregor/Rousey/Jones but is there many that are really coming through looking like monsters?

 

Doesn't work like that. Any fighter on the prelims currently could string together 5 or 6 wins & find themselves shooting up the rankings. Future talent is the least of their problems, never before have MMA gyms been this popular & now there's a direct route to money/fame based on talent in BJJ, wrestling, karate etc that simply didn't exist 15 years ago.

[lambyUK]

UFC 300. Nah gotta be soon hasn't it? Maybe they try and do Brock/Fedor for next year or something? The heavyweight division is in dire need of some more talent, right now it's pretty uninspiring compared to a lot of the other weight classes.

 

Does also add to a point they brough up on the Wheelock/Askren podcast last week - Where are all the UFC's future stars coming from? We've got McGregor/Rousey/Jones but is there many that are really coming through looking like monsters?

 

I don't think the heavyweight division is that bad Sean. You've got probably similar depth in the heavyweight division and stars in comparison to the others. Overeem has star power no doubt, then you have the likes of Cain, JDS, Werdum, Miocic, and Hunt.

 

The future stars debate is an odd one though. It was only 2/3 years ago when people were saying where's the next Brock Lesnar/Chuck Liddel/Couture/Ortiz coming from and along came the 3 guys you mentioned and not forgetting GSP.

 

This isn't WWE where talent is developed and nutured in a scripted environment where look and personality is the most important aspect. It's the fight game where the best fighter will rise to the top by beating his or her opponent. It's just at the minute those so called monsters aren't monsters at this moment. Eventually those monsters will rear their ugly heads.

[the_mole]

They signed a Russian Olympic champion at HW and several time World champion. He was thinking of doing both Greco & Freestyle but tried that at the World's and only got two bronze medals because it's basically impossible to do so he's just doing Freestyle now, he's from Dagestan and has trained MMA in his spare time.

[herbie747]

Yeah agree with Lamby re the talent. It's not an issue - people are training in MMA all over the world and fighting on smaller shows. As they get better, they move up the ladder. UFC won't have the same problem as WWE; the requirements to be successful are different. 2 new stars may come along next year, or there may be none for 5 years - they have to happen organically in real sport.

[seanz25]

 

Where are all the UFC's future stars coming from? We've got McGregor/Rousey/Jones but is there many that are really coming through looking like monsters?

 

Doesn't work like that. Any fighter on the prelims currently could string together 5 or 6 wins & find themselves shooting up the rankings. Future talent is the least of their problems, never before have MMA gyms been this popular & now there's a direct route to money/fame based on talent in BJJ, wrestling, karate etc that simply didn't exist 15 years ago.

 

Hmmm, I more mean as in talent that's gonna draw big, you can be a superb fighter, greatest of all time, but arguably if you don't have something else about you, people aren't gonna pay to see you fight. Mighty Mouse is the definition of that. I agree there's no shortage of people wanting to fight, but finding those stand-out prospects who have a solid all round game and can sell/hype a fight doesn't seem be happening at the moment. I say that but you also have the argument there guys like Conor, Jones etc who do draw more than just the hardcore fans aren't near retirement

 

 

 

UFC 300. Nah gotta be soon hasn't it? Maybe they try and do Brock/Fedor for next year or something? The heavyweight division is in dire need of some more talent, right now it's pretty uninspiring compared to a lot of the other weight classes.

 

Does also add to a point they brough up on the Wheelock/Askren podcast last week - Where are all the UFC's future stars coming from? We've got McGregor/Rousey/Jones but is there many that are really coming through looking like monsters?

 

I don't think the heavyweight division is that bad Sean. You've got probably similar depth in the heavyweight division and stars in comparison to the others. Overeem has star power no doubt, then you have the likes of Cain, JDS, Werdum, Miocic, and Hunt.

 

The future stars debate is an odd one though. It was only 2/3 years ago when people were saying where's the next Brock Lesnar/Chuck Liddel/Couture/Ortiz coming from and along came the 3 guys you mentioned and not forgetting GSP.

 

This isn't WWE where talent is developed and nutured in a scripted environment where look and personality is the most important aspect. It's the fight game where the best fighter will rise to the top by beating his or her opponent. It's just at the minute those so called monsters aren't monsters at this moment. Eventually those monsters will rear their ugly heads.

 

 

I personally feel the heavyweight's aren't all that big of a deal or at least weren't till they've announced Brock's return. I agree Overeem has star power but I feel he's gonna take that championship quite easily of Stipe and run with it for quite a while, he seems to be way above Werdum, JDS, Miocic, in quality right now. Maybe I'm wrong but I get what your saying to. 

[herbie747]

 

 

Where are all the UFC's future stars coming from? We've got McGregor/Rousey/Jones but is there many that are really coming through looking like monsters?

 

Doesn't work like that. Any fighter on the prelims currently could string together 5 or 6 wins & find themselves shooting up the rankings. Future talent is the least of their problems, never before have MMA gyms been this popular & now there's a direct route to money/fame based on talent in BJJ, wrestling, karate etc that simply didn't exist 15 years ago.

 

Hmmm, I more mean as in talent that's gonna draw big, you can be a superb fighter, greatest of all time, but arguably if you don't have something else about you, people aren't gonna pay to see you fight. Mighty Mouse is the definition of that. I agree there's no shortage of people wanting to fight, but finding those stand-out prospects who have a solid all round game and can sell/hype a fight doesn't seem be happening at the moment. 

 

Then where did Conor come from? And how do we know there's not another Conor climbing the ranks right now somewhere?

 

And take Chael too - he was a nobody until suddenly he started cutting promos after he beat Nate Marquardt. He had 6 UFC fights before then but I'd never even heard of him. Then BAM - biggest star in the company within a few months.

 

"finding those stand-out prospects who have a solid all round game and can sell/hype a fight doesn't seem be happening at the moment"

You could have said the same thing a week before Conor debuted too, and before Rousey's 3rd or 4th fight in Strikeforce; but you'd have been wrong because you have no clue what is or isn't happening within UFC at any time, or what could be imminently around the corner.

[seanz25]

 

 

 

Where are all the UFC's future stars coming from? We've got McGregor/Rousey/Jones but is there many that are really coming through looking like monsters?

 

Doesn't work like that. Any fighter on the prelims currently could string together 5 or 6 wins & find themselves shooting up the rankings. Future talent is the least of their problems, never before have MMA gyms been this popular & now there's a direct route to money/fame based on talent in BJJ, wrestling, karate etc that simply didn't exist 15 years ago.

 

Hmmm, I more mean as in talent that's gonna draw big, you can be a superb fighter, greatest of all time, but arguably if you don't have something else about you, people aren't gonna pay to see you fight. Mighty Mouse is the definition of that. I agree there's no shortage of people wanting to fight, but finding those stand-out prospects who have a solid all round game and can sell/hype a fight doesn't seem be happening at the moment. 

 

Then where did Conor come from? And how do we know there's not another Conor climbing the ranks right now somewhere?

We don't, I get that - But then I don't personally and I'm purely talking from my own perspective so could have missed something, see the UFC really pushing any 'monsters' or building rivalries between fighters perhaps who are on the up and up through the rankings, look over the past year and a bit what's been the biggest selling point PPV wise for UFC and what's caught on with those outside of MMA? Ronda and Conor - Both have been trash talking killers, beating everyone up until recently via knockouts and submissions. DC and Jones was there other big seller - Again Jones is a monster as was DC leading upto that point. They had this crazy rivalry going people wanted to see come to blows inside the octagon. Obviously they've done well, not quite as well as the ones mentioned earlier with a lot of there other shows and I'm not dismissing that, I'm just saying that right now the UFC don't seem to have much in the public eye when it comes to younger talent climbing through the ranks, but then I suppose that's pretty much always been the way hasn't it?

[Chunk]

Does also add to a point they brough up on the Wheelock/Askren podcast last week - Where are all the UFC's future stars coming from? We've got McGregor/Rousey/Jones but is there many that are really coming through looking like monsters?

 

?

 

[lambyUK]

We don't, I get that - But then I don't personally and I'm purely talking from my own perspective so could have missed something, see the UFC really pushing any 'monsters' or building rivalries between fighters perhaps who are on the up and up through the rankings, look over the past year and a bit what's been the biggest selling point PPV wise for UFC and what's caught on with those outside of MMA? Ronda and Conor - Both have been trash talking killers, beating everyone up until recently via knockouts and submissions. DC and Jones was there other big seller - Again Jones is a monster as was DC leading upto that point. They had this crazy rivalry going people wanted to see come to blows inside the octagon. Obviously they've done well, not quite as well as the ones mentioned earlier with a lot of there other shows and I'm not dismissing that, I'm just saying that right now the UFC don't seem to have much in the public eye when it comes to younger talent climbing through the ranks, but then I suppose that's pretty much always been the way hasn't it?

 

 

Virtually everything you are saying is WWE though. The UFC don't have to "push" anyone, and I don't even know why you're talking about monsters anyway? What exactly is a monster?

 

All those big things you've referenced in relation to Conor etc all happened naturally. Of course the promotion will do their best to promote the fights, but in a real sport, you can't fabricate a monster or build one for that matter.

Herbie put it best, everything great in sport happens organically, and a point will arrive when it's evident that the promotion have the talent at their disposal to promote.

 

For example, for all we know, UFC French Heavyweight Francis Ngannou could be the next monster you seem to be calling for. However we don't know until he caves a few faces in.

In real sport, its, well, real.