UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Arlovski - May 8th

[d-d-d-dAz]

'All the needles in your arse...'

[seanz25]

After that I'm hoping by some miracle Bisping manages to drop Silva

[Supremo]

The weigh ins were fun. Bisping's outburst has terrified me though. What if that angers Anderson similar to how Damian Maia's comments angered him, meaning he just dicks about for five rounds to win a shit decision?

 

I bumped into Forrest Griffin as we both got off the tube. He didn't have a clue where he was going. You'd think he's a millionaire, wouldn't you? Why the fuck's he getting the tube? I also managed to get a photo with Big Nog, who was as nice as you'd imagine. Instead of just taking the quick photo and moving onto the next fan he stopped me, decided our photo was rubbish because of the lighting, so repositioned us both for a clearer shot. Lovely man. I know the clue is in the name, but he was fucking massive, too.

[wandshogun09]

I also managed to get a photo with Big Nog

You fucking bastard! I'm not really arsed about meeting fighters too much, to be honest. I'm not the type who will go out of my way to track a fighter down or hang around at hotels and stuff to meet them. The few fighters I've met it's been by chance bumping into them. But there's a few fighters I'd go out of my way to meet. Big Fucking Nog is one of them. Jealous. Glad to hear he's as nice as he comes across on telly.

 

What was Forrest like, apart from lost?

 

I really regret not going to this now. Me and my brother usually make it to the London shows and we were hoping to get to this one but he's moving house and me and my wife are saving for a holiday. Just couldn't afford to take a trip to London for the sake of Bisping vs Mousasi. So didn't put any money aside for this. THEN they switch it to Silva vs Bisping. Wankers.

[Egg Shen]

but he was fucking massive, too.

Despite being a heavyweight i never actually imagine Nog to be a big man in my head. Must be because he's always had abit of an underdog thing about him.

 

Randy Couture i feel the same about. I saw him at the Expo a few years back and was surprised at how big the fucker was.

[d-d-d-dAz]

I got a display port converter thingy (think that's right?) and a HDMI cable, and now I'm buzzing for tonight's show. When I was quite serious about MMA training, before I really got serious about crisps, Silva was my idol.

 

Going to try and get in Glory, UFC and Frampton/Quigg today.

 

What time are we live tonight?

[Egg Shen]

Prelims are 5:45, main card is 9.

[wandshogun09]

Just watching that Helwani/Bisping walk around London thing. Great stuff so far.

 

Can't help thinking Bisping is being a bit delusional though in regards to Anderson. Yes Anderson has used steroids and yes Anderson is 40 years old. But I really think he's banking on those things a bit too much. At one point when they're in the taxi, he even says to Ariel 'The middleweight division has changed since Anderson was champion. He was beating a load of bums back then.' I mean, really? I'm not disputing the fact that the division has improved, of course it has. But "bums"? Put Anderson's list of UFC wins against Bisping's, it's not even close. Including a few wins over guys who have beat Bisping. If Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort are "bums" what does that make Bisping for losing to them? That was a ridiculous comment to make.

[seanz25]

I love that Ariel comes across kinda retarded during the interview, the bit about asking if we still use those boats to transport tea and asking what a building was, which he'd done 2 minutes prior and just walk round the side had me creased up. I love the thought that Ariel never went to school, doesn't understand anything else in the world bar MMA.

[wandshogun09]

I love the thought that Ariel never went to school, doesn't understand anything else in the world bar MMA.

That sounds like me, to be honest. Except at least Ariel had enough smarts to make a career out of it.

[Chunk]

Just watched the weigh ins. Have you ever seen a fighter look worse on the scale than Davey Grant!?

 

Holy shit. He looked like someone on a famine charity advert.

[wandshogun09]

The end of the 'walk around London' thing is great. I still think Bisping might've developed a false sense of Anderson's decline and I still see him getting battered tonight, but one thing about Bisping is you know that if that happens he's going to go out swinging. He's always been a good fight hyper but he seems even more fired up for this one than I've ever seen him before. The little rant in the taxi at the end of the Helwani video was quality.

 

"I see a ground and pound victory, a ground and pound stoppage. Round two. I'm gonna put it on him from the start. He's never fought anybody with my footwork, with my confidence, with my movement, with my variety of strikes, with my wrestling. I can put it all together. I'm stronger, I'm faster...

 

Listen, all that aside, cut all that bullshit! I want it more than Anderson. It's as simple as that. I want it more and you can't put it any simpler than that. Everywhere he goes he has a huge entourage. The open workouts he's got twenty people with him. I'm there, just me and my boxing coach. And you might say that's because he's a big star or whatever...I want this more. Friday night I'm there by myself, pitch black, out running the pavements. Screaming because I'm pushing my body so hard, pushing it to the limit. If I'm running past people they must think 'this guy's crazy'. On my own. Nobody. By myself. I guarantee you he's not doing that. He doesn't want this like I want it. FACT! And I'm gonna win this fight!"

I love that he started out giving the old stock fighter response then halfway through just goes "cut all that bullshit" and goes off on one.

 

I hate to beat an already dead horse and I totally get why they're doing it, but it's a shame this is on Fight Pass...to the sound of crickets outside the hardcore MMA bubble. The Bisping speech I've quoted there is something that you'd see on the end of a final episode of Primetime to sell a big PPV fight. Imagine this fight as co-main to McGregor vs Diaz next week? In fact, I wish they did that now. Stick Holm vs Tate on Fight Pass in London and do a McGregor vs Diaz/Anderson vs Bisping double-header at 196.

 

I get that this wasn't feasible to actually do, but I wish that's how it played out.

[Supremo]

Helwani has always struck me as a pretty clever guy. He definitely struggles with cultural differences though. I remember leading up to the Dublin show that McGregor headlined he was trying to interview a bunch of kids in the street, seemingly oblivious to what little shits they clearly were. They were riding round on their bikes, mainly just looking to cause trouble, and here was Ariel trying to ask what McGregor meant to them as a sporting icon. I reckon Bisping could've told him we still have wars over tea in England and he'd have believed him.

 

Here's another example of poor Ariel dealing with cultural differences. Half way through his preview show outside the arena some fat, drunk bell-end gate crashes it and makes a nuisance of himself.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=l8gejnnJr44

 

Welcome to England, Ariel!

 

Agree with Wand about that closing rant from Bisping. It was like a go-home promo on the RAW before Wrestlemania. It gave me goosebumps. It's going to be such a shame when Mike once again loses to an elite level fighter. I wonder if he might retire when that happens.

[David]

Can't help thinking Bisping is being a bit delusional though in regards to Anderson. Yes Anderson has used steroids and yes Anderson is 40 years old. But I really think he's banking on those things a bit too much. At one point when they're in the taxi, he even says to Ariel 'The middleweight division has changed since Anderson was champion. He was beating a load of bums back then.' I mean, really? I'm not disputing the fact that the division has improved, of course it has. But "bums"? Put Anderson's list of UFC wins against Bisping's, it's not even close. Including a few wins over guys who have beat Bisping. If Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort are "bums" what does that make Bisping for losing to them? That was a ridiculous comment to make.

 

He has to tell himself that. If he goes into this fight thinking "I need to outwork this guy for five rounds whilst avoiding any of his KO level strikes" then he'd be as well not showing up.

[wandshogun09]

True but surely it's better to be realistic than to think you have advantages that don't actually exist. Or to base your whole chance of winning on your opponent being old/unmotivated/PED-less rather than what you bring to the table yourself.

 

I was going to post that Preview Show in here but Supremo got there first. I was going to post it purely for that fat drunk crashing the party.

 

#BACKYOUROWN

 

Twat.

 

I know I keep saying it but I really think people are overplaying the Anderson decline angle. Both guys in that Preview are picking Bisping. I know they're UK journalists so they're more likely to #backtheirown but still, I've seen more people picking Bisping than I expected and they always trot out the 'Anderson isn't what he was' thing as their reasoning. I could be way wrong but I don't see it. He's lost to one man in a ten year UFC career. And people putting so much stock on him not looking spectacular against Diaz need to remember that he was coming off a bad injury and a year layoff in that fight. If he loses to Bisping, I can agree he's slipping, but I don't know where people are getting their confidence from that Anderson is suddenly so shot that he can't win these fights anymore. The jury's out on Anderson for me. I haven't seen this massive decline that some are seeing.