UFC 156: 'Aldo vs Edgar'

[wandshogun09]

Night of the upsets. Night of the Brazilians. Night of the ex-Strikeforce fighters. Good show.

 

Aldo vs Edgar

Thought this was a great fight. Kind of went how I expected but it was closer than I thought it would be. I wasn't ever counting Frankie out but I did think Aldo would get him eventually. Frankie proved once again he's as tough as they come. And, I'll have to rewatch it, but I think I actually had him winning the last 3 rounds. The 3rd and 5th were pretty close though.

 

Good stuff though. Who does Aldo fight next? If he stays at 145 that is. Ricardo Lamas has to be up there in the running. Zombie would be ideal and he had a ton of momentum but the layoff's kind of killed a lot of that, he'll probably need a fight when he returns now.

 

I'd like to see Edgar fight Clay Guida next.

 

Little Nog vs Rashad

I'll start this by saying this was the disappointment of the night for me. I've made no secret I'm a big fan of both so it was always going to be bittersweet to watch because one had to lose. But the best you can hope for is that it's a great fight so they both come out of it looking good. This wasn't great. It wasn't awful though I didn't think.

 

I defo had Nog winning rounds 2 and 3, probably round 1 as well. Rashad just looked so lifeless. It's really odd to see. There was just nothing there, no urgency, no spark about him. Fuck all. Nog didn't go balls out either but he fought smartly, I thought Joe Rogan was way harsh on Nog tonight. What did he expect Nog to do? He wasn't gonna be able to take Rashad down but Nog's the better boxer, he outboxed him. Pretty comfortably too in my book.

 

There goes Rashad vs Anderson. I guess Weidman will defo get the shot now. Where Rashad goes from here I don't know. Maybe he fights Shogun?

 

Oh and another point on Rogan. That kick Nog was throwing...fuck me. Rogan was relentless with that wasn't he. Something like...

 

Round 1 - "Look at that kick Nogueira's throwing Mike. It's an odd kick. The toes are pointing in a weird direction. There's not much power on it".

 

Round 2 - "There's that kick by Nogueira. Look how he throws it Mike. There's no power on it. He's just throwing it to land not to do damage".

 

Round 3 - "There's that weird kick again by Little Nog, Mike. Do you see how he doesn't put his hips into it? There's absolutely nothing on it."

 

For fuck's sake. OK, we get it. You don't like how he's throwing the fucking kick. Jesus Christ. Give it a rest man.

 

I got the impression Rogan really didn't want Nog to win this fight. Even when Nog was outlanding Rashad handily with his boxing Rogan was still giving it the "well nothing's really happening. If Rashad does one thing now he could steal the round. In an uneventful round like this one move can be the deciding factor". And trying to act like Rashad's couple of desperate winging rights and stuffed takedowns constitutes "a really close round" when Nog had peppered his face for about 4 minutes.

 

I know I moan about Rogan's commentary a fair bit but I do actually really like him. Every now and then though, there's a fight where he really, really grates on me. This was that fight.

 

Bigfoot vs Reem

I said from the start that Reem should win this fight. The reason I emphasized the 'should' is for the reasons I and others have been voicing about Reem for a long time.

 

Reem's always had that vibe of a first round beast, after that if you can take him deeper into a fight he's not the same fighter. I've said for ages that I think Reem may be the greatest frontrunner in MMA but if the opponent doesn't drop early doors then he goes to pot mentally. Physically he tires out as well.

 

It didn't help that Reem came into this fight massively cocky. Anyone who watched any of his pre-fight interviews or the Countdown will know what I mean. He thought he had this in the bag as soon as it was signed.

 

Add to that, Bigfoot to his credit was also well up for this. We were saying you can never sleep on a gorilla sized man with power and good grappling.

 

Bad things can happen...

 

Reem got Reem'd.

 

Huge win for Bigfoot and an early candidate for upset of the year. Unless someone beats Anderson, GSP or Jones this year then this is surely the early leader.

 

I bet Dana is gutted. Cain vs Reem would have been a huge fight and it's down the shitter now. Worst of all they can't really book Cain vs Bigfoot because Cain already steamrolled him less than a year ago. Who the fuck does Cain fight now?

 

One silver lining, they can go right ahead and make JDS vs Reem now. I wouldn't mind seeing Bigfoot welcome Josh Barnett to the UFC if they do get him. That could be good.

 

Maia vs Fitch

Maia looked outstanding. Yeah he didn't finish but he was trying from start to finish. It's a credit to Fitch that Maia couldn't put him away because he had some good positions. Really scary how dominant Maia was though. He totally shut down Fitch, which is usually Fitch's MO. Now Fitch knows how many of his past victims felt. Maia's takedowns were great as well. Really impressive showing. I think he'd have ended up submitting most 170ers with that performance.

 

Benavidez vs Creepy

Good PPV opener. I think Benavidez's power made the difference. His shots had more effect. The Flyweight division is so shallow though, I don't know what's next. I guess Creepy vs Dodson could be on the cards, that could be great. Who does Benavidez fight? Surely not another title shot already?

 

Prelims were really good for the most part. The Strikeforce boys wrecked shop.

 

*Tyron Woodley had about as perfect a UFC debut as you can get. And it's exactly what he needed coming off the Marquardt loss.

 

Jay Hieron's UFC curse continues though. He's a good solid fighter but he just can't get a win in the UFC.

 

*Bobby Green fought a great fight against Volkmann. I thought Volkmann would outwork him and possibly get a submission. I like Green but he exceeded my expectations in this one. Generally, Volkmann usually only loses to top level guys so to finish him is something.

 

*Vallie Flagg beating Yves Edwards surprised me a bit. Well, to be honest I had Edwards winning but Flagg fought well.

 

*Dustin Kimura looks like one to watch. Really good BJJ from the top and bottom. Enjoyed that fight.

 

*Rivera vs Figueroa was a wild fight. Loved that fight. Figueroa is another of those overlooked prelimers, he lost but he's always fun to watch and this was no different. Rivera was just too skilled in the end though, his striking was more accurate and Figueroa gassed.

 

Awesome finish too...

 

Oh, and finally, fuck Winslow. That stand up in the Green/Volkmann fight was bollocks. She is just total arse. Doesn't have a clue what she's doing. I thought I'd been harsh on here in the past so I was gonna try to be nice, but every single fucking card she's on she cocks something up at least once. She is awful.

 

So yeah overall a good night's fights. Rashad/Nog left me flat but even that, it's great to see Nog putting some wins together. I enjoyed the rest.

[wandshogun09]

Oh fucking shit! Get this...

 

Pettis texted Dana and said he wants to go to 145 and fight Aldo.

 

EDIT - Dana just said that at the press conference. That would be insane.

[The Natural]

Oh fucking shit! Get this...

 

Pettis texted Dana and said he wants to go to 145 and fight Aldo.

 

EDIT - Dana just said that at the press conference. That would be insane.

 

Holy shit. What a move by Pettis.

 

With you mentioning Kim Winslow, I can't be the only one who thought "oh fuck" when she was the referee for Maia/Fitch.

[METAL ON METAL]

Now THAT would have a proper super fight feel to it, far more exciting than the prospect of Aldo/Edgar was for me - Pettis far eclipses Edgar in terms of entertainment and the 'must see' factor.

 

Plus tbf, it is the WEC champions super fight!

[wandshogun09]

Plus tbf, it is the WEC champions super fight!

 

Yeah this is GSP vs Anderson on a smaller scale for me. I hope it happens. Aldo seemed open to it when they asked him. I'd love to see Pettis vs Bendo 2 or Melendez though as well. Either way we can't lose. But I now really want Aldo vs Pettis. That fight had never even crossed my mind before now.

 

Bigfoot had the line of the press conference, something like this;

 

Reporter: There was a lot of bad blood going in. Did you have chance to speak to Overeem after the fight? Was it more respectful?

 

Bigfoot: Yes. After the knockout, he's my friend now.

 

EDIT - actually no, I forgot about this. Dana might have stole the press conference. Someone asked if Tyron Woodley was in the running to get the 'KO of the night' bonus and Dana replied with "Yeah. Bigfoot fucked him".

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Wow, that's major- Pettis vs. Aldo? Couldn't think of a better fight on paper in the world, but Aldo didn't look as dynamic as he has in the past. The first 2 rounds he tore Edgar apart, but his attacks didn't have the same flash after that. Then again, maybe he felt like he didn't have to go wild as the best of Edgar couldn't hurt him. Pettis has style, technique AND power. Just awesome.

 

And that Dana line is solid gold, his delivery was classic.

[wandshogun09]

but Aldo didn't look as dynamic as he has in the past. The first 2 rounds he tore Edgar apart, but his attacks didn't have the same flash after that. Then again, maybe he felt like he didn't have to go wild as the best of Edgar couldn't hurt him.

 

To be fair, he was fighting a great fighter. I think he could have been feeling the effects of the increasingly hard weight cut too. But I think it's more a credit to Frankie than Aldo looking less impressive. Frankie gave it a good old bash.

 

Pettis has style, technique AND power. Just awesome.

 

Aldo has all that as well. Which is what makes it such a potentially fantastic fight.

 

While I'm here;

 

 

The irony of Reem lying knocked out between two sponsor banners saying 'Musclepharm' and 'Dead Man Down'.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

but Aldo didn't look as dynamic as he has in the past. The first 2 rounds he tore Edgar apart, but his attacks didn't have the same flash after that. Then again, maybe he felt like he didn't have to go wild as the best of Edgar couldn't hurt him.

 

To be fair, he was fighting a great fighter. I think he could have been feeling the effects of the increasingly hard weight cut too. But I think it's more a credit to Frankie than Aldo looking less impressive. Frankie gave it a good old bash.

 

Frankie did do well, but I felt like it was more a weight cut issue, he was breathing heavily at the end of the second round, which was before Frankie had really done much in the fight. Also, his performance reminded me more of the Hominick fight, where he looked to be exerting himself more to win and was struggling with the cut there, whereas with Florian he had a constant attack and prevented Florian from doing much of anything. I feel like we didn't see the best of Jose Aldo, that's the problem with having such a long and dominant reign, you start comparing to his career best performances. I expected a beating ala' the Faber fight, but he didn't pull the trigger as much as you would expect against such a durable guy like Edgar.

 

I mean, Frankie looked a mess at the end, but most of it was the busted nose from the front kick.

 

Pettis has style, technique AND power. Just awesome.

 

Aldo has all that as well. Which is what makes it such a potentially fantastic fight.

 

Oh, definitely. I was comparing Pettis and Edgar as challengers to Aldo. As talented as Edgar is, he seriously lacks power. They kept showing that uppercut he landed in slow mo, and even there it didn't look that impactful. I actually watched Edgar/Maynard III the other day, and Edgar starts the finish by landing an uppercut while Maynard was on his knees, increasing the force that way. If Pettis hits an opponent on the button, that's usually it. We know Aldo has great durability though.

 

 

While I'm here;

 

 

The irony of Reem lying knocked out between two sponsor banners saying 'Musclepharm' and 'Dead Man Down'.

That's beautiful. Did I hear wrong, or did Dana say he wasn't against making Cain vs. Bigfoot II next?

[wandshogun09]

I thought I heard Dana say he wasn't totally against Cain vs Bigfoot 2 as well.

 

As great a win as it was for Bigfoot, I don't think he should get the shot. If the last Cain vs Bigfoot fight wasn't so one sided then fair enough but I think Bigfoot really should have to get one more big win first.Bigfoot vs Barnett would do nicely. Or switch up, scrap Nelson vs Kongo and do Bigfoot vs Nelson. They could always have Kongo fight Gonzaga.

 

They don't have many options for Cain. I wouldn't be surprised if they went straight into Cain vs JDS 3. I'd rather they wait on that though.

 

Off the top of my head I'd do...

 

JDS vs Reem

Bigfoot vs Barnett

 

And I'd have Cain defend against Werdum (if he beats Nog). But that would mean Cain having to sit out a while. Only other thing I can think is scrap the Kongo fight and do Cain vs Nelson for the title.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

It's really muddied up the HW title picture. On the plus side, it should make the Struve/Hunt fight more significant.

[wandshogun09]

Shit I forgot Struve and Hunt. They are the only 2 heavyweights on a good little streak really. With how the division is at the moment, an impressive finish in that fight could possibly put the winner right in the frame.

 

Wouldn't be a PPV hit and I wouldn't give either much of a shot at dethroning Cain but the Struve vs Hunt winner will be more deserving of a title shot than most in my opinion. Stick it on a PPV with another title fight like a Silva or Jones defence and I'm sure it would do a decent buyrate.

[Barearse]

Shit I forgot Struve and Hunt. They are the only 2 heavyweights on a good little streak really. With how the division is at the moment, an impressive finish in that fight could possibly put the winner right in the frame.

 

Wouldn't be a PPV hit and I wouldn't give either much of a shot at dethroning Cain but the Struve vs Hunt winner will be more deserving of a title shot than most in my opinion. Stick it on a PPV with another title fight like a Silva or Jones defence and I'm sure it would do a decent buyrate.

 

I'd buy it, but the problem is, when is the last time a Heavyweight title bout played 2nd fiddle?

 

I'd love to Nelson to get the shot. Again, don't think he'd have a chance but he's got the personality and popularity to sell a main event

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

I think Cain vs. Hunt would do pretty well (I might be slightly biased). He has a great fight style to draw crowds in, he's still loved from his Pride days and he has this whole career resurgence thing going on. And yeah, I'd be there front row if I could

[Mr Tibbs]

I was over the moon when Bigfoot won that fight. I've never been a fan of Overoid and for me this was karma!

 

Anyway, was I the only one getting totally pissed of with Rogan in that fight!? "These are knees on another level", "This is ground and pound on another level". If he had been demolishing big foot then I would have been fine with this. However, seeing as Reem did virtually fuck all for the 1st 2 rounds I was wanting Rogan to shut the fuck up!

 

Anyway, great win for Silva. He won't get a title shot. Not sure who will now though. You could be right because Werdum is the next challenger if he can get past Nog.

 

Overall a very bad night for the Blackzillions.

[wandshogun09]

Yeah Werdum was named by Dana a few weeks back as the possible next contender if he gets by Nog. The only problem there would be, Werdum vs Nog isn't until around June after TUF Brazil 2 ends. So Cain vs Werdum wouldn't happen until Sep/Oct probably. Can't see Cain wanting to be out that long.

 

A fight in the meantime with Struve or Hunt, or Nelson would probably be best.

 

I'd buy it, but the problem is, when is the last time a Heavyweight title bout played 2nd fiddle?

 

Probably Sylvia vs Monson back at UFC 65. They put GSP vs Hughes above it. I don't think it would matter. The heavier weight title fight going on last thing is only a thing because that's how they usually do it. Not like it's set in stone and I'm sure they'd easily justify someone like Anderson or Jones going on last over the heavies.