UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Arlovski - May 8th

[wandshogun09]

I think it has been a good while yeah. In the FX and FUEL days the shows were usually on a Friday or Saturday. You might be going back to the Versus shows to find the last mid-week UFC. And they ended in 2011 when the FOX deal kicked in.

[pryko]

Last midweek show I remember was Shields vs Ellenberger.

 

Seriously considering doing an all nighter and watching this and just getting a few cans of Red Bull in work tomorrow Tuns out i'm off on Tuesday now rather than tomorrow. Decisions.

[wandshogun09]

Well that was a fun show.

 

Condit vs Kampmann was a war. Really enjoyed it. Kampmann got off to a strong start but he really didn't damage Condit and it always had that feeling that he wouldn't be able to keep that up for 5 rounds. Condit is great at avoiding damage off his back and inflicting his own even from the bottom. And every time they stood up he was getting the better of it. Kampmann still landed some good shots himself but Condit's combinations were awesome last night. He really looked to be on point and almost everything he threw seemed to find the target. The 3rd round is when Condit really seemed to grab the fight by the bollocks. I thought he was a strike away from stopping Kampmann a couple of times that round and Kampmann's cuts were nasty. I was half expecting the doctor to stop it before the 4th because blood was pissing into his eye. The finish was great. Condit's the man. Kampmann to his credit never quit, he went down swinging but that left hook that hurt him at the end looked like it took the fight out of him. Then the body shot that followed did him in. You could see he wanted to fight on but his body was done at that point. Great fight.

 

There's a few options for Condit now. I know he was on about a title shot but that's very unlikely. Especially as the two guys in the title picture right now have beat Condit fairly recently. I think another rematch is what's next for Condit. They could either re-book that Rory MacDonald rematch that we were meant to get in March. Or the one I want to see, Condit vs Nick Diaz 2.

 

The problem is Rory is meant to be fighting Robbie Lawler. And Diaz, fuck knows. Maybe last night's performance will convince Diaz that Condit might go to war with him this time. Failing those two options, there's always Matt Brown. It might be no coincidence that he was in attendance last night. Maybe he was angling for the winner of last night's fight.

 

Cerrone vs Dos Anjos was a good fight. Huge win for Dos Anjos. He was being well underrated for years and still for this fight a lot of people dismissed him. I watched that 'Beyond The Octagon' yesterday and both Luke Barnatt and the twat in Jim's sig were all talking up Cerrone and how this might be a step too far for Dos Anjos. Going on like he'd be fucked if he couldn't make it a grappling match. They were talking like he was a one trick pony. Obviously they haven't watched much Dos Anjos over the last few years because he's very good all round.

 

Cerrone is a good fighter but it really seems like he's been figured out. Much like Cro Cop, Cerrone has always been most dangerous when he's coming forward. When opponents have brought the fight to him and backed him up, he doesn't look like the same fighter. Nate Diaz did it, Pettis did it, now Dos Anjos did it. You could see after round one, Cerrone looked like he didn't want to be there. He kind of got back into it and he had a better third round but it was too late. I had Anjos taking the first two rounds comfortably, I gave Cerrone the third but even that was close.

 

I'd like to see Dos Anjos vs Josh Thomson now. Maybe do Cerrone vs Joe Lauzon.

 

Gastelum vs Melancon, man, Gastelum looked fantastic didn't he? 170 might be the perfect weight class for him. He looked so strong, fast and powerful for his first time at the weight. It's early days but at 21 years old, 7-0 with 6 stoppages, the sky is the limit. I've said before that he reminds me of a mini Cain Velasquez. That combo at the end before the choke was brilliant.

 

McGee vs Whittaker was a fun one. I've really grown to enjoy Court McGee's style. His boxing has really come on under John Hackleman. What he lacks in one shot power he makes up for in volume, speed and accuracy. Whittaker fought good as well and he always looked dangerous. Those stepping in elbows were nasty. Really entertaining fight.

 

Mizugaki vs Perez was another good back and forth. Mizugaki looked really sharp and just proved too much. I think we'll still see some good stuff out of Perez though. It's worth noting that he was returning from an 8 month layoff and a really bad staph infection that could have killed him. So all things considered, he gave a good account of himself, and against a very tough experienced opponent. He's only 23 as well, I'm sure he'll be back.

 

Brandon Thatch, fuck. That's how you make a debut. Justin Edwards is a durable guy as well, he's no world beater but certainly no pushover either. Thatch pushed him over. I didn't really know about the hype on him until Ebb mentioned it in here. I can see why there's hype. Jury is out until he faces top guys of course, but so far so good.

 

Dylan Andrews' comeback was impressive. Papy Abedi was looking like a bit of a beast the first two rounds. The comeback surprised me. Even more impressive considering Andrews hurt his arm.

 

Got a feeling the Hatsu Hioki experiment in the UFC might be over. It was a competitive fight, and maybe they'll keep him around for their next Japan show, but he's been a bit of a flop really. Even though this was fairly close and he probably should have won the Guida fight, it's cold hard results that matter and Hioki is 0-3 in his last 3. I think it's sayonara for him.

[jimufctna24]

Condit was superb last night, worked a patient gamplan and timed his attacks at the right time when Kampmann was fading. Condit should have won this fight, he is too slick, technical and crafty too lose to Kampmann, who I believe is a step below a fighter the calibre of Condit. From a pure striking perspective, I think Condit might be the most well rounded striker at Welterweight, as well as one of the best conditioned. Condit's weakness will always be his wrestling, that is his only real notable flaw.

 

Like above I think Rory vs Condit should be re-booked if Rory beats Lawler (which he probably will) If Condit works his gameplam and times himself as well as last night , he could cause a mild upset over Rory, who on paper has the style to beat Condit quite handily.

 

Dos Anjos is underrated due to him being so unknown over the years, the opposite of Cowboy who is slightly overrated due to his exposure. Hopefully a fairer reflection of the skills of the two fighters is now more known after their fight last night. Perez losing messed up my parlay on Playground, I had him, Dos Anjos and Jason High. I cannot argue the verdict though, I had Mizugaki winning 2 and 3.

 

CM Punk sitting next to Dana was nice to see. Decent watch all round.

 

the twat in Jim's sig

 

 

[Egg Shen]

* Kampann came out and executed the perfect gameplan in round 1 to defeat Condit, he just tried so hard to execute it that he basically blew up after a round (Kampmann's admitted this himself). For a guy to gas out after a round in a 5 round fight must be kind of disheartening, especially when you consider Kampmann's a guy that's been in that spot many times before, and he claims he was in shape. If there's one guy you just don't want to tire out against it's Condit though, from round 2 onwards he put a hurting on Kampmann.

 

Condit's in a strange position now where's he's still ranked #2 but was beaten by the two guys above him, he's gonna have to fight again before GSP/Hendricks sort their shit out too, so i'd be down for Condit to fight once more before getting another crack at the gold.

 

* I'm still convinced that Cowboy wasn't right. For 2 rounds he was too laid back and between rounds he just looked like he didn't want to be there. Round 3 was more traditional Cowboy but he ended up walking forward without actually throwing much, he was just marching Dos Anjos down. He needs to get his shit together.

 

* Want to chat about a prelim...Bowling/Trujillo, i haven't seen the fight but it was ruled a no contest when Trujillo was hit with a supposed illegal knee whilst down...Dana White has rubbished the claim and said it was a knee to the shoulder and a thigh to the face (not actually blaiming Bowling who was clearly hurt). But am i right in thinking that hitting someone with a thigh to the face on a downed opponent is still technically an illegal strike?

 

 

* Appears the hype is real for Brandon Thatch, looks an exciting new addition to 170...also Kelvin Gastelum who continues to defy odds and look like the real deal, 21 too, Kelvin could be a force.

 

* Hioki/Elkins was a quality fight but unless the UFC are hitting Japan soon i think that has to be it for Hioki. The guy has all the skills, he just seems to lack the strength to compete in the US, he gets outmuscled.

 

* Special mention to Dylan Andrews for finishing Abedi with one arm, that was some Danny Williams-esque shit.

[wandshogun09]

Yeah I didn't mention Bowling-Trujillo because I didn't see it either. Apparently Dana is going to still pay Trujillo his win money.

 

Condit is in a funny spot. As well as the reasons you mention, there's also the fact that he's fought pretty much everyone who's relevant at 170 already.

 

Georges St Pierre

Johny Hendricks

Nick Diaz

Rory MacDonald

Jake Ellenberger

Dong Hyun Kim

Martin Kampmann

 

Basically, if you want to book him in a big fight next, which he no doubt has earned, it's pretty much going to have to be a rematch. He's fought everyone really. The only guys in that upper bracket who he hasn't fought are Maia, Lawler and Koscheck, but they're all booked, or lined up with a fight already.

 

Going down the list - GSP and Hendricks are matched up, Rory is meant to be fighting Lawler so he's out. Ellenberger is coming off a loss in one of the shittest fights of the year so that's unlikely. Kim's fighting Erick Silva. He just murdered Kampmann. Now Matt Brown and Tarec Saffiedine are paired off. It really only leaves Nick Diaz IMO.

 

The Rory rematch would be good but Rory-Lawler hasn't even been given a date yet. If that doesn't happen until December or something, I doubt Condit will want to sit around for months waiting for that fight to play out, then sit out longer while the winner trains for him. He might be out until March or April if he does that.

 

Diaz is free right now. All they have to do is sell him on the idea, which granted, might be easier said than done. But Diaz is just arsing about in Stockton, pampering his shit left and right. In theory, if they can get him to agree to come out of 'retirement', they could do Condit vs Diaz 2 before the year is out.

[Egg Shen]

Yeh Diaz/Condit 2 then! That shit needs to be settled.

[David]

Fucking hell, who's supposed to be updating the title of this thread?!

 

 

Ryan Bader vs. Glover Teixeira

Yushin Okami vs. Ronaldo Souza

Joseph Benavidez vs. Jussier Formiga

Piotr Hallmann vs. Francisco Trinaldo

Rafael Natal vs. Tor Troeng

Ali Bagautinov vs. Marcos Vinicius

Wilson Reis vs. Hugo Viana

Felipe Arantes vs. Edimilson Souza

Ramiro Hernandez vs. Lucas Martins

Elias Silverio vs. Joao Zeferino

Ivan Jorge vs. Keith Wisniewski*

Sean Spencer vs. Yuri Villefort*

 

*Facebook fights

 

Well, this is hopefully going to be another step in the Glover show. Personally, I've never been a fan of Bader for some reason. I hope he get's wasted.

 

Okami against Jacare. This is primed for Okami to smother Jacare and kill his momentum, isn't it? I fucking hope he doesn't.

 

Those two fights really stand out to me, and there are a few in there that I'm looking forward to, and a few that I'm indifferent to, but will likely enjoy come fight night!

[wandshogun09]

I've added the poll now.

 

There are a bunch of names on this one that I'm not familiar with. The top three fights are interesting. A lot of the undercard I'm going in a bit blind. It's often these cards which deliver though.

 

Main event is quite intriguing because Glover really hasn't passed the wrestler test in the UFC yet. You'd fancy Glover in the striking and submissions but there's always that risk that Bader stifles him to a decision.

 

Okami vs Jacare I'm not sure on. It's a huge test for Jacare. Probably lean towards Okami on points but we'll see if Jacare can rise to the challenge.

[jimufctna24]

I think Jacare would out strike Okami. The fight for me depends on how comfy Okami would be on top of Jacare, one slip and he could get subbed. Okami has the power and skills to takedown Jacare, but will he be confident enough to play the ground game?

 

Glover should wreck Bader. Glover should have enough wrestling/grappling defense to keep it standing where he should be able to land, I like Glover to maybe rock Bader then sub him with a choke. Bader is a live underdog, as Glover can be sloppy, but the smart money is with Glover.

[wandshogun09]

Glover should wreck Bader but like I said, how's Glover's wrestling? He's defended some takedown attempts but has he ever faced a big, strong wrestler like Bader? If he can't stop the takedown his standup will be useless. And although Glover has outstanding grappling credentials, how is he off his back? Even some of the best grapplers, some of them are top game experts (Barnett) and some are better off their back (Mir), then some are great all round (Maia/Werdum). We don't really know with Glover. All we've seen is him smashing people with his hands and either KOing them or finishing with a choke. If he's the type of grappler who's a threat off his back, Bader might be fucked because nowhere will be safe.

 

All that said, I fancy Glover to win. He's got more ways to finish and Bader is finishable standing and grappling. Fucking Tito decked and tapped him for fuck's sake! Another thing to consider, I don't think either of these two have ever gone 5 rounds before. Chances are it won't go that long, but if it does will they hold up?

 

Good point on Okami-Jacare. I agree Jacare is the better striker. And the better BJJ artist for sure. Actually this breaks down the same as Glover-Bader pretty much. Jacare is more a threat everywhere, but can Okami shut him down with wrestling? I'd say Okami has a better shot at it than Bader though.

 

On the prelims I really like the sound of Hugo Viana vs Wilson Reis. That could be fantastic.

[jimufctna24]

Glover should wreck Bader but like I said, how's Glover's wrestling? He's defended some takedown attempts but has he ever faced a big, strong wrestler like Bader? If he can't stop the takedown his standup will be useless. And although Glover has outstanding grappling credentials, how is he off his back? Even some of the best grapplers, some of them are top game experts (Barnett) and some are better off their back (Mir), then some are great all round (Maia/Werdum). We don't really know with Glover. All we've seen is him smashing people with his hands and either KOing them or finishing with a choke. If he's the type of grappler who's a threat off his back, Bader might be fucked because nowhere will be safe.

Is Bader that good a wrestler though?, I mean has got credentials but he has never stood out to me. Machida made him look like a club fighter, Jones threw him around at will and Rampage's knee was knackered (supposedly)

 

I just think Glover will not get smothered, I agree Glover has not been tested on his back, but I do have a hunch Glover has decent TDD. Training at The Pit which refined Chuck Liddel into a TDD monster will no doubt aid him.

 

Problem with Glover is that he can get sloppy, and Bader does have power in his hands. There is a small chance Bader can tag him, but I still see Glover getting stoppage in convincing fashion.

[Snake Plissken]

Everyone with their arms folded on that poster will lose. or vice versa.

[cleslie92]

Everyone with their arms folded on that poster will lose. or vice versa.

 

Please let that include GAD, pictured in the sig above...

[mania26]

On the prelims I really like the sound of Hugo Viana vs Wilson Reis. That could be fantastic.

 

Hugo has a knee injury and the fight has now been scrapped.