Jump to content

UFC on FOX 7: 'Henderson vs Melendez'


wandshogun09

Who wins and how?  

22 members have voted

You do not have permission to vote in this poll, or see the poll results. Please sign in or register to vote in this poll.

Recommended Posts

  • Paid Members
Cormier on Mir's trash talk;

 

A lot of that stuff, I just don't understand. Where does he hear that I'm lazy? When he can hardly get through a first round. I mean, come on man. He's exhausted after the first round most times. I don't understand where he hears that I'm lazy.

 

I don't mind trash talk, but it's kind of...the way he does it. It's really quite condescending, he kind of looks down on you. Very smug, I mean, he's very smug. I knew that before I even started fighting, you can watch him versus Brock Lesnar and tell he's one of those guys. It won't matter, I could go in there on Saturday night and take him out, and on his next fight he's gonna be doing the same thing to the next guy. That's him. He's like that guy in high school, you know - 'oh no man, here comes Frank'.

 

He's hit the nail on the head for me there. That's dead on the same feeling I get watching Frank Mir.

yeh, that about sums it up for me as well. Mir's got the to the point now where i don't really believe any of the talk, the only thing that'll prove anything to me is seeing how he performs in the cage. The Jackon's camp stuff enthused me, but im waiting till tonight to say whether or not i believe any of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 95
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Anyone else finding the prelims feed to be really bad? Do they have another feed on YouTube? Can't seem to find it using my tablet.

Mine was but has cleared up for the start of the current fight (Masvidal vs Means)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

I missed the prelims because I was watching the boxing. I'll seek them out tomorrow. Thought the main card on FOX was very good.

 

Henderson vs Melendez

Great fight. Razor close, kind of what everyone expected I guess. Personally I had Melendez winning but it's not a decision you can really complain about. I'd have to rewatch it to be sure but I had Melendez winning the first two rounds and the last round. Round 2 was close though so maybe Bendo nicked that as well.

 

Excellent fight though.

 

Cormier vs Mir

I didn't think this fight was that bad. It didn't warrant so much booing in my opinion. Yeah they were clinching a lot but for the most part Cormier was working. It wasn't a Kongo clinch. He was landing shots. Cormier just did what was needed. He outworked him in the clinch, got the better of the striking exchanges and rocked Mir a couple of times. I had him winning 30-27.

 

I have to admit, although Cormier clearly won, I do actually think Mir has made some improvements. It might seem weird to say that after he lost every round but I thought he looked in good shape physically, his movement looked better than usual, his kicks looked better, he did tire but not as bad as he has in the past. He wasn't fucked after 1 round this time and it was a gruelling fight which, if you have gas problems, that's the type of fight which will expose it. He took big shots and didn't turtle up. He lost but I think this move to Jackson's might well prove to be a good one over the next couple of fights.

 

Thomson vs Diaz

Well, there goes Nate's run of never being finished in the UFC. Brilliant performance from Thomson. He's been knackered by injuries over the years but he's proven over his last couple of fights that when he's healthy he's up there with the very best at 155.

 

As with when any Diaz loses, you usually get a lot of complaining. I can see Nate saying he could have continued but the fact is, even if the ref didn't jump in, Nate's own corner threw the towel in so he was clearly in big trouble. That headkick was vicious.

 

Brown vs Mein

This was about as perfect an opener as you could ask for on FOX. Back and forth, non-stop action and a big finish. Matt Brown was on his arse a couple of years ago, he had one foot out the door after a losing streak, now look at him. 5-0 in his last 5. He should get a big fight now off the back of this. Awesome fight.

 

So yeah good show.

 

Interested to see what happens in the lightweight title picture now though. With Pettis set to fight Aldo now, I wonder who Bendo will fight next? No-one really is head and shoulders above the pack now. Maybe Josh Thomson can sneak in and get the shot. Many thought he got robbed against Melendez before this so that performance followed by KOing Nate is better than a lot of guys at 155 are currently riding. Maybe if Pat Healy looks phenomenal against Jim Miller he'll get the shot. I don't know.

 

Or, as crazy as it sounds, BJ Penn? If those rumours of BJ coming back at 155 are true, yeah he wouldn't technically have earned it but with no obvious challengers who wouldn't get behind Benson vs BJ Penn for the title? I'd love to see it.

 

Anyway, off to bed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dana said at the press conference that the winner of Maynard/Grant at UFC 160 will get the next title shot.

 

 

Great show, tied with UFC 92 for most KO's on a card with 8. Prelims were fantastic.

 

I also had Gilbert winning but I don't think anyone can argue it going either way. Be interesting to see who Melendes gets next.

 

Thompson looked fantastic, hopefully he stays injury free and gets a good run of fights.

 

Bloody Mein losing cost me my bet (had him, Thompson, Cormier & Jury). Good performance by Brown though.

 

And finally how good do Team Alphamale look lately?! Mendes, Benavidez & Dillashaw all getting KO wins tonight (plus Faber winning last week). Used to be largely a collection of wrestlers that just grinded but since Ludwig took charge they have looked a class above.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On a first watch, I gave Bendo 3-4 and Melendez 1-5. 2 was the tightest round. The decision has divided 'net opinion either 50/50 or 60/40 to Bendo or Melendez.

 

This is exactly what I thought. 2 was way too close for me to score without watching again. Gave up on the pre-lims because of the sound cutting out. Main card was awesome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

I forgot all about Maynard vs Grant. That makes sense. Of course Bendo vs Maynard would be a good fight but personally I'd love to see Grant go all the way. He's been great to watch over the years and it's nice to see it all clicking for him at 155.

 

I'd like to see Josh Thomson vs the winner of Miller/Healy. And Melendez vs Sanchez or Lauzon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gilbert vs Bendo was so close. The only round I scored clear for either was Round 4 for Bendo. Rounds 1 and 2 I may have given Gilbert, 3 Bendo I felt nicked at the end. Round 5 I gave to Gilbert, but I see others have given it for Bendo.

 

Really other than Round 4 all the other rounds are a matter of opinion. Under Pride rules, I would be hard pressed as well. Gilbert had the more telling shots but Bendo landed with more volume. I always believe that you have to clearly beat a Champion if you are challenger to be truly recognized as Champion, so maybe Bendo deserved the verdict as Gilbert did not clearly beat him.

 

Elsewhere, Cormier was a spoiler with Mir. D.C played the percentage game and took away Mir's only chances of winning by mauling him against the cage for the majority of their bout. I felt it was a decent yet dull performance. Mir I think may be best served to call it a day or accept that he will not reach the heights on 4 or 5 years ago and face the Rich Franklin role.

 

I picked Thomson to win on points, but a TKO was not what I expected. Strikeforce talent have done fantastic so far in entering the UFC. Mein I felt was a decent prospect and had tagged Brown as a gatekeeper, I may tag him now as a spoiler after this and beating Wonderkid. Brown brings constant pressure, toughness and heart, for someone I felt would not last in the UFC he has proven me wrong. I would steer prospects away from him if I was UFC, the way he fights can take away serious confidence from a prospect. Mein still has upside but he is now firmly back to the drawing board.

 

I only watched the Main Show, so 3/4 fights I enjoyed. That is not bad, so I rate this as a decent show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally, I cannot see how the main event hasn't warranted an immediate rematch?

 

I don't know why but I simply cannot stand Benson Henderson.

Well, with a nickname like "Smooth" and that cocky swagger he has, juxtaposing with his "God-botherer" image- that's what does it for me. He seems more egotistical than a Sonnen or Mir, just less upfront about it.

 

I thought the main event was super close, but I could see the arguments from different angles. The various scores given at the decision were all justifiable in my book.

 

Cormier was disappointing. He mentioned something in an interview the other week about wanting to go the distance with Mir just to prove he could, and that came to fruition here. Not the sort of debut the #3 heavyweight wants, especially with his pre-fight soundbyte of: "We're heavyweights, we knock each other out." He wasn't going for legs or trying to adjust his clinch position to attack further, he was just holding position until Herb warned him to work, which resulted in 3 quick shots to the gut. It would be impressive that he controlled a top HW like that, but it was just Frank Mir, albeit a more chiseled Frank Mir. Those kicks in the first round were admittedly cool, don't think I've seen him attempt such moves before.

 

Thomson vs Diaz was nuts, as was Brown vs. Mein. Thomson still has plenty to offer at 34, and that image of Diaz's corner throwing in the towel- wow. As for Brown, I feel like he's been undervalued for a long time. Last time on FOX, he was meant to be cannon fodder for Swick, then this one was meant to showcase Hardy, then he was to be a stepping stone for Mein. He never gets a post-fight interview, and someone with his fighting style should be getting more promotion. I've loved watching him fight for several years now, even when he was losing a bit. He's like Leonard Garcia with technique and a ground game. And he actually hits his opponents. So, nothing like Garcia.

 

I would steer prospects away from him if I was UFC, the way he fights can take away serious confidence from a prospect.

Why? The true prospects will fight up to Brown's level. He's been on a good streak, but he's not unbeatable, he was on a considerable losing streak before. Plus I think Mein still gained many fans even in losing here just from how gritty and exciting it was.

 

The prelims kicked arse. That bastard judges call in the Carmont/Larkin fight cost me 22 points in the prediction league (are we still doing that?). Clear UD for Larkin in my eyes. That's two decisions in a row for Carmont that are pretty shady, I think he should be on a 2 fight losing streak, but instead it's a 10 fight winning streak. Being a Tristar guy, he's sure to get the hype machine behind him soon. He's a black GSP, only not dominant.

 

We saw the #1 guys at flyweight and featherweight fight, Benavidez and Mendes, and they mowed through very credible opposition. It's similar to Faber's situation at 135- there's such a huge gap between them and the rest of their divisions. They look like deep talent pools in those divisions until they hit the Alpha Male guys- then the Alpha Male guys look awesome until they hit the champions. Weird dynamic. Shout out to Dillashaw as well, and it was said plenty on the broadcast, but Bang Ludwig is working wonders with these guys. They were already great, but add new killer striking offense and we could be looking at the next real dominant fight camp.

 

KOs a plenty, my favourite was Myles Jury's counter punch for how clean and brutal it was. Such a crazy night of finishes that he didn't get the bonus even with two "KOTNs" handed out.

 

KOTN: Josh Thomson

KOTN: Yoel Romero

FOTN: Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Read the second part of my sentence.

 

It is one thing to test or even beat a prospect, but to violently beat them down like Brown did to Mein can seriously hurt a young prospect in the long run. It is one thing for a prospect to lose on points to a gatekeeper, but the psychological effects from a beating like Brown's style allows are destructive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I did, I guess in saying "why" I worded my point poorly. My point is, if you're truly a prospect as a future top MMA fighter, a beatdown shouldn't break your confidence. Mein should learn from that fight in terms of how to respond to pressure in a fight- a true prospect either adjusts and responds during the fight or learns from the experience. If getting beat up by Matt Brown ruins your fight psyche, you have no business rising through the ranks in the UFC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fair enough if you believe that, but I strongly disagree and not just from a "fight psyche" point of view.

 

Brown's style is so aggressive it could cause serious injuries that would harm a career, he is a violent fucker. Knockouts and brutal GnP are more likely to cause say orbital damage to the eye and ruin a career in the long run. Sure, if a fighter is seasoned or past his peak they maybe able to handle it better, but a young prospect it could ruin his "psyche" or limit his potential physically.

 

If GSP got a Matt Brown beating at the start of his career he may well have quit, some fighters need a bit of nurture as they are not naturally tough. Some fighters with serious potential can be stunted by violent beatdowns. I know some like Frank Mir (with Ian Freeman) come back from it, but some do not.

 

There is a boxer that proves my example point, he was a Gold Medalist and he got fed to the wolves but I cannot recall his name.

 

EDIT: Davey Moore

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...