UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Arlovski - May 8th

[lambyUK]

I've got no problem people saying at the ufc level you shouldn't tap, as they are right. That's just ultimately pointing at Northcutt's lack of experience. Its the pathetic snide comments along with the jealously that's fucking disgraceful.

 

I sincerely hope Khabib mauls Ferguson.

[David]

I find it easy to excuse Northcutt.

 

Not only is he still a teenager, but he's also relatively new to the game. With that in mind, rookie mistakes and freezing in the moment can easily be forgiven. 

 

Nah, fuck that.

 

If you're good enough to accept the contract and all the benefits of the hype that the UFC hand you, then you're good enough to take the pelters when you lose in such a fashion.

 

That wasn't a rookie mistake, he didn't put his arm somewhere he shouldn't have, resulting in a submission, or got caught coming in. He tapped to a choke that wasn't even properly applied. 

 

That's white belt in your local gym shit right there, not UFC level.

 

He'll either learn from it and move on, or he'll crumble and become one of those "remember that guy?!?" stories.

 

I'll tell you something though. When you're a round down and you're in deep water for the first time you need to be listening to Firas Zahabi, not your fucking dad. 

 

Mark Northcutt has no business dishing out advice in that corner to the extent that he was, while Zahabi has to stand there silently listening.

[jimufctna24]

 

I find it easy to excuse Northcutt.

 

Not only is he still a teenager, but he's also relatively new to the game. With that in mind, rookie mistakes and freezing in the moment can easily be forgiven. 

 

Nah, fuck that.

 

If you're good enough to accept the contract and all the benefits of the hype that the UFC hand you, then you're good enough to take the pelters when you lose in such a fashion.

I'm not saying he doesn't deserve criticism.

 

What I'm saying is, for his level of development and age, that mistake is not the end of the world. So long as he learns and comes back strong, it can be forgiven. If this was his UFC debut, things would be a tad different. But he's shown that he can perform well inside the cage.

[wandshogun09]

That wasn't a rookie mistake, he didn't put his arm somewhere he shouldn't have, resulting in a submission, or got caught coming in. He tapped to a choke that wasn't even properly applied. 

 

That's white belt in your local gym shit right there, not UFC level.

I definitely think it's logical to put it down to inexperience. He clearly panicked and tapped because he thought he was fucked. With more experience comes less panicky situations like that. More familiarity in those positions would've seen him reacting calmer in that situation, I think. You see some guys and they seem almost impossible to catch in chokes and it's not because of anything physical, they're just so experienced at being put in those positions in training that they're comfortable and calm and don't try to rush their escapes or panic and stuff.

 

And 'UFC level' doesn't mean what it used to anyway. With the expansion and increase in shows they've obviously had to hire a lot more fighters over the last couple of years. And as a direct result of that, they've had to lower the threshold of how good you have to be to get in the door. It wasn't that long ago that they'd only look at you if you'd put together at least a three fight win streak, usually over fairly recognisable names. Now in some cases they're hiring guys who, let's be honest, aren't quite ready for the big show because they need bodies out there.

 

That's why I'd give Northcutt a bit more leeway here. If this was 2009 or 2010 or whatever, I'd maybe be a little bit more critical. But we're in an era where guys and girls with one or two fights are getting hired, fighters are getting hired coming off losses and stuff. They can't be UFC ready. So you'll see lower level MMA as a result. And rookie mistakes like this will happen from time to time. He's had just 8 fights, has only been fighting MMA since 2014 and he's 19. You don't get a lot more rookie than that unless you're CM Punk. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against him being criticised. Constructive criticism will be good for him anyway. But the joy from some at his loss seems a bit much to me. 'UFC level' covers a much broader range of skill levels now than it ever has before. The top end is obviously the very highest level in the sport - your Jon Jones, Conor McGregors, Rafael Dos Anjos etc. The bottom level is about what you'd see on a show promoted by a guy called Cleetus in a barn in Arkansas. In front of a crowd of 9 people with a combined 3 teeth. The term 'UFC level' is meaningless in 2016. I accepted that when greenhorns like Royston Wee (2-0 at the time) and Aleksandra Albu (1-0 when she was hired) started coming in.

 

Anyway, thought this was cool from Sergio Pettis;

 

 

They're not all cunts.

[jimufctna24]

 

 

I definitely think it's logical to put it down to inexperience. He clearly panicked and tapped because he thought he was fucked. With more experience comes less panicky situations like that. More familiarity in those positions would've seen him reacting calmer in that situation, I think. 

 

Indeed. Jordan Breen tweeted something similar. 

 

Jordan Breen ‏@jordanbreen  15h15 hours ago

Northcutt was nowhere near trapped, almost any vet would've escaped that. Tapped because he was panicked and exhausted. That's being 19.

[wandshogun09]

 

FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD

Donald Cerrone vs Alex Oliveira

Roan Carneiro vs Derek Brunson

Cody Garbrandt vs Augusto Mendes

Dennis Bermudez vs Tatsuya Kawajiri

Joe Riggs vs Chris Camozzi

James Krause vs Shane Campbell

 

FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS

Alex Garcia vs Sean Strickland

Daniel Sarafian vs Oluwale Bamgbose

Trevor Smith vs Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes

Jonavin Webb vs Nathan Coy

 

FIGHT PASS PRELIMS

Marion Reneau vs Ashlee Evans-Smith

Lauren Murphy vs Kelly Faszholz

Anthony Hamilton vs Shamil Abdurakhimov

 

Another Sunday Fight Night here. So more avoiding spoilers at work the next day. Fucking Sundays. Decent looking show though.

 

 

Donald Cerrone vs Tim Means should be a corker. Welterweight debut for Cowboy here and it's pretty much the ideal introduction to the weight class for him. Means is almost like a less well known version of Cerrone in terms of his 'in your face' aggressive fighting style. Style-wise these two really should make for a very exciting fight. Means is a bit underrated, I think, but at the same time he's not one of the top guys at 170. It should be a fun one and it should give us an idea of what Cerrone might be capable of at 170. Perfect.

 

 

Roan Carneiro vs Derek Brunson could be decent. Carneiro is a BJJ specialist, Brunson is a wrestler but they're both pretty handy at everything else as well. I like Carneiro's style. I was glad to see him return to the UFC last year and have a successful re-debut, even if it was at the expense of Mark Munoz. Brunson I'm neither here nor there on so I'm hoping Carneiro wins this.

 

 

Now this is an interesting one - Cody Garbrandt vs John Lineker. Garbrandt is a product of Team Alpha Male and is an undefeated prospect at 7-0 and 24 years old. Lineker was a flyweight wrecking ball, when he made weight, now he's at bantamweight because, presumably, he couldn't knock the Haribos on the head during training camps.

 

I don't really like Garbrandt. It's not a strong dislike but something about him irritates me. Maybe it's his hideous prison tattoos. Maybe it's his shit 'No Love' nickname. Maybe it's the fact that he was shagging Paige VanZant. Maybe it's all the above.

 

I love Lineker though. He's a little ball of craziness and wild haymakers. Great fun to watch, if a bit one dimensional. He's coming off a KO win over Francisco Rivera in his 135lb debut at UFC 191 in September. One of the best two minute fights you'll ever see.

 

I hope Lineker knocks him spark out.

 

 

Dennis Bermudez vs Tatsuya Kawajiri is another interesting one. Kind of similar grappling styles here with the wrestling backgrounds, and both have been known to get into wars in the striking as well. Bermudez moreso at the moment. Kawajiri has seemingly become less brawling minded over the last few years. Bermudez is coming off a couple of losses, after a solid win streak. I like both of these two so I'm not really that arsed who wins. I'd like to see Bermudez get back on track though. Hopefully it'll be a good fight either way.

 

 

Brandon Thatch vs Siyar Bahadurzada is a fight between two guys who were once both pretty highly hyped. Both entered the UFC with high expectations and both got off to strong starts. Then both went off the boil and hit the L column hard. Both have had their injury issues as well. Lots of parallels with these two actually. Should be a good fight. They're both dangerous and aggressive, both powerful. I'm looking forward to this.

 

 

Alex Garcia vs Sean Strickland will probably be decent. Garcia is a bit of a poor man's Hector Lombard. He's strong as fuck and powerful. Strickland's alright. Could be a good one. Not expecting a FOTY or anything but should be enjoyable enough.

 

 

Joe Riggs vs Chris Camozzi (or is it Derek Acorah vs John Travolta?) could be a bit of a sleeper on this card. Neither are world beaters but they're both tough scrappers and seem fairly evenly matched on paper.

 

 

Marion Reneau vs Ashlee Evans-Smith should be good. I thought Reneau was looking good in her fights pre-Holm. And knowing what we know now about Holm, that loss doesn't look so bad at all, does it? And Ashlee Evans-Smith had a really fun fight with Raquel Pennington last time out, in a fight she took on short notice. So I'm interested to see how she does with a full camp this time.

 

 

Daniel Sarafian vs Oluwale Bamgbose is a fight I quite like the look of on the prelims. Sarafian was a standout on the first TUF Brazil but he's been a bit disappointing in the UFC since. Bamgbose looks badass and has a fun style but came up short in his debut against Uriah Hall. This seems like a better matchup for both though so I'm looking forward to watching it play out.

 

 

Sarah Moras vs Lauren Murphy is a decent little prelim as well. Moras is the frizzy haired, fat arsed one off TUF: Rousey vs Tate. She was decent on the show as I remember. She surprised everyone by scoring an upset over WMMA vet Tara LaRosa during the elimination fights and she made it to the semis before losing to the eventual tournament winner Julianna Pena. Lauren Murphy is the former Invicta bantamweight champion.

 

 

Anthony Hamilton vs Shamil Abdurakhimov interests me only because of this Abdurakhimov bloke. Just look at him in the picture there. I like him already. He just looks like a bit of a funny character. Decent record on him as well actually. 15-3 with wins over Sokoudjou, Jeff Monson and Neil Grove. Sure, those guys aren't in the best of form these days but at least I've heard of them. That's better than most newcomers we see now. Especially heavyweights.

 

Nothing earth shattering but not bad for a Fight Night. Not bad at all.

[seanz25]

I feel like Cowboy fights every other week.

[DarloKid]

All the talk regarding Sage getting beat last night and the snide comments been levelled at him got me thinking.

 

Personally UFC created a problem in my opinion putting Northcutt on the TV portion of events straight away, as after a couple of wins the UFC would have to step Northcutt up in class otherwise the fans wouldn't accept him fighting poor fighters so they were backed in a corner straight away. Paige VanZant is a similar situation young girl early into her career in a division lacking depth having to go in at the deep end.

 

So with Fight Pass at their disposal, do you think the UFC should create a feeder promotion, this way young fighters like Northcutt can be matched correctly whilst having time to develop their skills. With it being down to the match makers carefully progressing them in their career making them ready for the UFC. The UFC could make money off the gates and its another bow for Fight Pass with more content. It would also give the UFC the chance to snap up all the young top talent, or people with big reps from other sports starting in MMA , before getting signed up elsewhere.

 

Another possibility could be UFC just doing their own shows naming it something daft like 'Stars of Tomorrow' and just having prospects fighting on it, again have it a Fight Pass exclusive. Didn't Strikeforce do something similar ?

 

The final suggestion like in football maybe loaning some of the fighters to other lesser know promotions to gain experience

 

 

what do you guys think ?

 

[Widdy85]

I think you over think it. He has people talking, what more do you want?

[lambyUK]

 

Nah, fuck that.

 

If you're good enough to accept the contract and all the benefits of the hype that the UFC hand you, then you're good enough to take the pelters when you lose in such a fashion.

 

 

I agree will your full post David apart from the bit above.

 

When was the last time you saw fellow professionals attack a fighter from a loss with such venom?

 

This viciousness is down to his age, jealously of the hype he's received, and the spot that's he got so soon in his career.

 

Its not normal this response and he should receive the same respect as any other fighter who has the balls to step in that cage.

[Keith Houchen]

Really enjoyed the event and the prelims, I'm starting to look forward to the next event, which usually seems a fortnight away.

 

Absolutely loved the Bruce LEEROY fella and how he negated a cliche in the first sentence of his post match interview by enforcing a different cliche "Not bad for a vegan". Gutted about Josh Barnett, always liked him when I last followed MMA / Pride.

 

Also, just to say thanks again to Wand for his write ups, it makes me feel like I know what to expect from fighters I know nothing about.

[ColinBollocks]

Rothwell tapping out Barnett deserved every "wow" that fell out of Rogan's mouth. Just a shame he didn't do his panto villain laugh during the Rogan interview. Nuts that we're now looking at Rothwell as a genuine Werdum murderer - for ages it seemed like he was destined to be another Schaub-type fighter with a cracking L-W-L-W-L-W record, but ever since his suspension he's come back looking like a he'd rip the dick off a gorilla. The heavyweight division is very nearly on its way to being interesting again.

 

Rumble being Rumble is always a treat.

 

The Northcutt abuse is to be expected, sadly. It's the sort of shite McGregor would have received had he not been so mystic. The tap is what it is, I'd be surprised if he doesn't learn from it.

[Supremo]

It takes a special type of bitterness to take enjoyment out Northcutt's loss. It was a weird tap, but he looked pretty shook up from those blows on the ground before the choke came. I wonder if he just panicked or wanted out.

 

I thought Meltzer made a great analogy on last night's podcast. He said when Paige lost in her last fight it was clear that she was lacking in skill and athleticism, but had tonnes of heart, whereas Sage was the opposite. He's clearly skilled and athletic as fuck, but seemed to have no heart at all when things weren't going his way. He's only 19 though. I reckon he could easily be a champion one day. This loss will probably be the best thing that ever happened to him. It's certainly endeared him to me. I want to see him come back from this. It's that's most human he's ever felt, and that's a huge benefit with a guy who's so fucking strange and robotically nice.

 

Great to see Bader get knocked out of contention. Rumble vs. Jones is one of the most intriguing fights in ages. I can't wait to see it once Cormier unfortunately loses. I wonder if they'll pair Bader with Gustaffson next?

 

UFC 196 promo was fucking outstanding. I can't wait.

[theringmaster]

All the talk regarding Sage getting beat last night and the snide comments been levelled at him got me thinking.

 

Personally UFC created a problem in my opinion putting Northcutt on the TV portion of events straight away, as after a couple of wins the UFC would have to step Northcutt up in class otherwise the fans wouldn't accept him fighting poor fighters so they were backed in a corner straight away. Paige VanZant is a similar situation young girl early into her career in a division lacking depth having to go in at the deep end.

 

So with Fight Pass at their disposal, do you think the UFC should create a feeder promotion, this way young fighters like Northcutt can be matched correctly whilst having time to develop their skills. With it being down to the match makers carefully progressing them in their career making them ready for the UFC. The UFC could make money off the gates and its another bow for Fight Pass with more content. It would also give the UFC the chance to snap up all the young top talent, or people with big reps from other sports starting in MMA , before getting signed up elsewhere.

 

Another possibility could be UFC just doing their own shows naming it something daft like 'Stars of Tomorrow' and just having prospects fighting on it, again have it a Fight Pass exclusive. Didn't Strikeforce do something similar ?

 

The final suggestion like in football maybe loaning some of the fighters to other lesser know promotions to gain experience

 

 

what do you guys think ?

So essentially UFC:NXT? Which I agree could be awesome, exposing teenagers to the big lights isn't always wise, I remember when I was 19 I thought remembering what day of the week it is was pressure, let alone fighting on PPV/TV.

 

Sage will comeback and probably end up schooling some of those bashing him on twitter (or at least their training partners). I kinda like the kid, he doesn't seem false at all, he just seems a friendly, well mannered (albeit naïve and stinking rich) kid. I cant hate somebody like that, how can you hate a decent kid? I would love for my son to grow up and have the personality of Sage when he's 19, a nice happy well mannered young man.

 

There was the comment he asked for this fight to happen before his 20th birthday, on top of that this is his 3rd UFC fight in 4 months. All a bit to fast maybe?

[seanz25]

If you had an age cap on the youth idea I think it could work very well, would be something to look forward. So long as the natural progression from youth to UFC was in place to.