UFC on FUEL 5: 'Struve vs Miocic'

[jimufctna24]

Another thing was the gaps between the fights, unlike in Birmingham they had to base the card around adverts for Fuel as well as ESPN, as they showed the Birmingham show on tape delay, plus they I noticed they showed prelims as they were shown on the small TV monitors around the Octagon.

 

The wait before the Pickett fight stands out for me, just after Paul Sass that seemed to last forever. I ended up curing my boredom by going for a burger and then a cupcake. After fast food all day yesterday its a good job I eat healthy all year round!

 

The show does go too long and by the end I was ready for bed, but it was still a great night and the UFC live is something I would happily endorse for anyone who has not seen it.

[wandshogun09]

The crowds defo need to pace themselves a bit. They go so mental for the curtain jerkers they are gassed by the main card. They need to work on their cardio.

 

"fuck him up Dan, kill that mother fucker"

 

Haha, Jim going all 209

 

You raise a good point on Maguire. I said to my mate that Maguire looks like he could make 155. He's not that tall and he looks a bit soft. He's even called himself a fat bastard between camps haha. Dropping to a lower weight isn't always the answer but it might be worth thinking about. It doesn't help that Hathaway is a massive 170 either.

 

I agree that Jabouin was giving Pickett all he could handle as well. I was starting to picture a Barao like finish then Pickett just levelled him. Great stuff.

[Egg Shen]

I don't thin the show is bases around the adverts, they simply slot them any chance they get. The gaps between fights is down to fights ending early, there must be a basic structure they follow eg. The main even starting at 11. Any gaps simply get filled in, good for a tv audience, bad for a live one.

 

Anyone rememer when the UFC would advertise a swing bout? They got shot of that.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

I'm curious, what's a swing bout?

[METAL ON METAL]

Its where they have a fight spare depending on whether the PPV is running quick or slow, meaning it can happen anytime in the night. If there had been a few early finishes then they'd slot in the fight as soon as they could which would take up some time, on the opposite end they would leave it till the last fight so that they definitely had time to show the most important fights before that.

 

Best example I can think of is like at UFC 100, where Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Tiago was the proper main event - due to them wanting to ensure they had enough time for Lesnar vs. Mir 2.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Ah alright, that makes sense. Man, even though UFC 100 was a great show, the audience would have left on a low note after seeing a dull Fitch decision win.

 

I'll add in my two cents on this show:

 

Thought the prelims were action packed, win or lose, the UK guys were very impressive (except for Jason Young). I think DaMarques will get one more chance in the UFC due to stepping up on such late notice, particularly with Dana's recent public comments that he loves fighters that do that, coupled with the UFC 151 debacle. Wish Kingsbury/Manuwa went to a 3rd round, the doctor stoppage was reminiscent of the Fedor/Big Foot fight. I think Kingsbury would have won a decision based on Manuwa ground game/gas tank. Manuwa should still do pretty well in the LHW division, he hits like a truck and KK has a better chin than most.

 

The main card had an unfortunate start with the Ludwig/Mills fight. That's two shows in a row where the opener seemed to guarantee fireworks on paper, but ended anticlimatically.

 

The less said about the battle of the Johns, the better, though it wasn't "the worst fight of the year" as one report coined it. Pretty much every Fitch fight is worse.

 

The card took a major upswing with the Sass/Wiman fight. I believed it would be exciting, I picked Wiman to win on points, but I could have never dreamed he'd make the submission ace tap out! Very exciting ground battle, take notes Fitch.

 

I adored the Jabouin/Pickett fight. The uppercut finish, combined with the Gangnam Style dance, was my personal highlight of the whole card. Both guys tried to take each other's head off with brilliant striking, another terrific fight and a great contrast to the previous fight.

 

Hardy vs. Sadollah was more exciting than I thought it would be. I don't think Sadollah is that great a fighter, he struggled with a gassed Phil Baroni, but he fought hard here. The fact that Hardy was evenly matched with him is unequivocal proof that he never belonged anywhere near GSP. You can tell HArdy's improving his all around MMA game though, and it would make a nice redemption story if he could continue to improve and go on a winning streak to become a contender again. He absolutely fucked up Amir in the third, the takedowns and GnP with elbows were brutal, Jones would be impressed. And just because I haven't ripped Fitch for a while- that's how you ground and pound, Johnny Boy, not by slightly discolouring someone's face with 300 baby hammerfists. Anyway, Hardy vs Sadollah was a very good fight.

 

Struve vs. Miocic... wasn't too impressed. Struve had terrible striking defense in the first round and didn't use his reach at all, and Miocic should have capitalised better, being a Golden Gloves boxer and all. Struve got his shit together in the 2nd and finished decently enough, but he can't leave those openings like he did in the first if he wants to be the elite fighter he considers himself to be. Also, I don't know if it's the fact that Struve is "filling out", but his striking seemed a lot slower than it had in the past, his kicks and uppercuts seemed very laboured. Werdum, Nelson, Carwin, Reem, Cain and JDS are all tons faster. I don't think this deserved FOTN, honestly the three fights preceding it all had a better claim to it.

 

Very good show overall, due to the prelims and half the main card being excellent.

[jimufctna24]

I don't thin the show is bases around the adverts, they simply slot them any chance they get. The gaps between fights is down to fights ending early, there must be a basic structure they follow eg. The main even starting at 11. Any gaps simply get filled in, good for a tv audience, bad for a live one.

It may not be based, but they do need to get a certain amount in unlike in Birmingham. Amercian TV has more adverts than ESPN will.

[wandshogun09]

Of the names you listed Shane O, I wouldn't agree that guys like Nelson and Carwin are faster than Struve in the striking. More powerful sure but Carwin can look very robotic and Nelson has one punch and it's not very fast. Granted it was fast enough to catch an old Cro Cop, an overrated Schaub and Struve himself but he's not exactly quick. Struve isn't either but that finishing flurry the other night made Struve look like Usain Bolt in the speed stakes compared to anything Fat Country has ever done.

 

JDS, Cain and Werdum I'll agree with but even Reem isn't particularly fast. At least not these days with his He-Man physique he's not. If you watch Reem's striking, his assets are his power and timing. But he doesn't really throw more than one strike at a time and he's not very fast in terms of getting his strikes off or his footwork. In fact at times he looks very plodding. The things he does he does well and he has brutal power in his strikes but speed is one attribute I don't see him possessing.

[Rule One]

 

Fuck

[jimufctna24]

One thing about Struve is he is never boring, maybe the most exciting Heavyweight on the planet and every fight he has seems to be a finish, usually with twists and turns in it

 

I picked against him Saturday, in the first he was no Vitali Klitchsko with how he used his reach, I gave Stipe that round clearly. The second he came to life, he has power in his strikes, something that is vital at Heavyweight. He is still very young and with his excellent submissions and improving striking, he could be the most serious threat to JDS and Cain going forward in the next 5 years.

 

EDIT: Fucking hell Kingsbury, sometimes MMA is a bit too brutal for me.

[Egg Shen]

surely he can't fly in that condition?

 

yeh, i don't see how anyone can knock Struve, by far the most consistently exciting heavyweight in the UFC, name a dull fight Struve's been mixed up in? The fact that's gone the distance once in his career says it all. He always has that habit of making things hard for himself, which is a terrible trait but it's awesome from a fans perspective. Struve is the fucking man.

[wandshogun09]

Kingsbury's eye looks like a kicked bollock. Poor sod.

 

Yeah Struve is quality. I've said it before but he's like the Heavyweight equivalent of Chris Lytle. You can always rely on him for some excitement win or lose.

 

I think Struve would be smart to train extensively on his striking at Golden Glory. If you're a 7ft fighter and want to learn how to truly fight effectively as a 7ft fighter then you can't go far wrong by seeking advice and help from Semmy Schilt. Plus he'd have the likes of Sergei Kharitonov and Gokhan Saki there. You can't not improve your striking with that quality of training partners.

 

Plus he'd have Jon Olav Einemo there to keep his grappling sharp. All that plus he's Dutch. It's a perfect fit.

[jimufctna24]

On the subject of speed, at 7ft you are never going to be nimble or have the footwork of a prime Ali, but in comparing Struve to other MMA giants like Tim Slyvia and the LA Giant (I forget his name, fought Sergai in Pride, think he is dead now) Struve is poetry in motion.

 

I agree Golden Glory is a great home for him, and the Dutch may want to get behind him move than Overeem, as like I said I feel Struve in the long run could be the bigger threat as has more tools.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Oh don't get me wrong, I like Struve (the Morecraft and Barry fights especially) and I actually picked him to win, but he definitely has holes in his game. I just thought his finishing flurry was a little slower than usual, look at the way he finished Morecraft then look at the punches he threw against Miocic. I was a little surprised they hurt Miocic the way they did, but I guess the longer arms allow for a bit more strength/momentum with uppercuts.

 

I was off base with Nelson, I think I just lumped him in with Carwin because of TUF. Carwin doesn't have a great gas tank, and looked slow against JDS, but his violent flurries against Mir and Lesnar carried a lot more speed. And admittedly all I've seen of Reem is the Lesnar fight, but his knees and punches there were pretty swift also.

 

We'll probably see Struve against Werdum next, and I hope he performs well, but I didn't think this fight was up to his past standards. I'm not confident he's ready for the upper echelon of heavyweight from this. I shouldn't be too hard on him, he brings excitement more often than not, and the fact that a 2nd round TKO was one of his less impressive wins (in my opinion) says a lot.

[Egg Shen]

i think you underestimating the power of any punch a 250lb man has on your chin.

 

As for Struve, wasn't he with Golden Glory for a long time? When he first came to the UFC he was a Glory guy, im sure of it. Didn't have he have Bob Schreiber in his corner.