UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Arlovski - May 8th

[wandshogun09]

Good to hear you had a nice time mate.

 

a highlight being Connor Mcgregor calling himself the Irish Bruce Lee and saying Aldo's leg kicks wouldn't mean shit if he fought him. He also hinted at being back in time for the Dublin show.

 

I don't know if you saw the stuff in the MMA news thread about this but the current rumour is that McGregor is headlining the Dublin show on July 19th against Cole Miller.

 

Speaking of which, you have to assume Neil Seery bagged himself a spot on that Dublin card. Stepping in on late notice against Pickett, and then delivering an exciting fight, he'll be on that card I'm sure.

[wandshogun09]

Fuck me, Jones really isn't keen on this potential Gustafsson rematch, is he? First they were meant to have an immediate rematch but Jones said Glover should get the shot. Now, after last night's display he's saying he thinks Gustafsson should fight Cormier in a number one contenders fight next. Trying to eliminate a tough contender without fighting them. Crafty bastard.

 

Skills wise I think Jones is a better fighter than Gustafsson. I might be wrong but I think he may have slightly underestimated Gus last time. No-one could've known Gus had improved that much in his wrestling for example. I think he'd come in better in a rematch but I don't know, I might pick Gus. I think he's really rattled Jones' confidence.

 

Whatever the case, I think Gustafsson and Cormier will be Jones' two hardest challengers coming up. Glover is dangerous but I think Jones gets past him. I'd be very surprised if the UFC booked Gus vs DC. Just eliminates a great fight.

[jimufctna24]

Skills wise I think Jones is a better fighter than Gustafsson. I might be wrong but I think he may have slightly underestimated Gus last time. No-one could've known Gus had improved that much in his wrestling for example. I think he'd come in better in a rematch but I don't know, I might pick Gus. I think he's really rattled Jones' confidence.

Had a good laugh at your stories Wand, sounds like you had a whale of a time.

 

I am more open to Gusty beating Jones now. Gusty is carrying himself as a fighter with real confidence, if last night is anything to go by the Jones fight has made him even stronger. He seemed comfortable everywhere.

 

Carly Baker has taken over from Rochelle Leah as my all-time favorite Octagon girl as well.

[Chunk]

Good to hear you had a nice time mate.

 

a highlight being Connor Mcgregor calling himself the Irish Bruce Lee and saying Aldo's leg kicks wouldn't mean shit if he fought him. He also hinted at being back in time for the Dublin show.

 

I don't know if you saw the stuff in the MMA news thread about this but the current rumour is that McGregor is headlining the Dublin show on July 19th against Cole Miller.

 

Cheers dude, well worth the effort of heading over there. Hadn't seen that when I posted, I wonder if that started as a result of his comments at the weigh ins. I guess it's an obvious call to put him on that card.

 

 

Carly Baker has taken over from Rochelle Leah as my all-time favorite Octagon girl as well.

 

Man is she orange in person though! Don't get me wrong, seems really sound and genuinely into MMA, but yeah ... orange!

[David]

As long as Dana keeps his word we'll be seeing Jones/Gustafsson II most likely;

 

[wandshogun09]

Jim - Yeah that's what I was trying to say but you've put it better. Since their first fight, the way Gustafsson and Jones have responded have been night and day. For Gus that first fight seemed to do nothing but validate him and give him more confidence. Even before last nights fight he just had an air of belief about him in interviews and stuff.

 

With Jones, we won't know really until he fights again but there does seem to be a hint of doubt there now I think. I really don't think he fancies this Gusty rematch. Whereas immediately after their first fight, Gus was all for round six. I just get the impression Gus is more up for a war than Jones. That's not a criticism of Jones. It's healthy to want to get out fights with minimal damage and I'm sure Gus wants the same. But that was the first real war of both their careers and it seems like Jones didn't like it and Gus was in his element in that kind of battle. It's ironic how Jones walked out in a shirt which said 'Not Quite Human' for the Gusty fight, and Gus made him look more human than ever.

 

We'll see. The rematch might be the most interesting fight of 2014 so I hope it happens. All this said, it's still Jones. He might just be the most physically gifted fighter in the sport and he's insanely talented. I'm sure they'd both come into a rematch even better than ever.

 

It's got to be Gus next. He's earned it. Jones/Glover vs Gustafsson and I'd try re-booking Cormier vs Rashad if Rashad can heal up soonish. If not maybe Cormier vs the Davis/Rumble winner.

[Supremo]

Shogun vs. Dan Henderson is two weeks away?! Wow. I'd like to think that I follow MMA pretty fucking closely and even I was unaware of that! The only fight promo I remember them playing in the arena was for Roy Nelson vs. Big Nog, which is weird if that fight is after Shogun vs. Henderson. I can only assume that Abu Dhabi must be considered more local to us, so therefore gets more promotion over here regardless of what comes first. More regionalising, I guess.

 

I'm on the way home from London now. A really enjoyable weekend. I won't go over the whole show in detail, but I will make mention of what set this show apart from almost every other UFC show I've been to; those Swedish fans were fucking awesome. We first encountered it at the weigh ins, when the Swedes (brilliantly all dressed in yellow throughout the weekend) went bonkers for Latifi and Gustafsson. Then, come fight time, we found ourselves sitting right behind a shit load of them (directly under the giant screen in the lower tier) and the atmosphere they created was absolutely brilliant all night. Super friendly, super enthusiastic, it made for such a fun night, particularly in the main event when it created an amazing home vs. away scenario. After last night's experience I'd gladly fly over to any future shows in Sweden. Those guys are incredible.

 

In terms of other quick notes; I had no problem with the new ring announcer and although Dan Hardy started off a bit awkward during the post-fight interviews, it felt like he eased into the role and relaxed as the night went on. Give him a few more tries and he'll no doubt be as smooth and slick as both Rogan and Florian. I've heard and read nothing but praise for their commentary though, which is great to hear.

 

Gareth A. Davies was ubiquitous all weekend and much like wand describes, it's amazing how tempting it is to just throw something at the plonker. I watched Dana's pre-fight scrum on Saturday afternoon and GAD was up to his usual tricks, asking inane bollocks and awkwardly ignoring when Dana and Gary Cook had clearly wrapped the scrum up, continuing to ask further, rubbish questions. He truly is the worst. By contrast though, while it was also impossible to miss Conor McGregor all weekend, unlike GAD he was nothing short of incredible with everyone and as insanely likeable as always. I managed to get a photo with him at the end of the show as fans were filing out. Much like in Manchester, he seemed genuinely thrilled with the attention, willing to stay all night in order to make sure he said hello and gave a photo to anyone who wanted one. A top, top bloke. Everyone was asking him about Dublin but he didn't seem willing to give a definitive answer just yet.

 

I thought Gustafsson and Nelson looked amazing and major props to Seery; he put on the perfect performance as a late replacement. Game as fuck and giving Pickett a far tougher fight than anyone likely expected, I think Seery more than bagged himself a contract. Dana was a huge fan from what I read on twitter, too. The only rubbish fight was Silva vs. Scott, and although Melvin got a lot of boos for his performance, it just felt like the typical inconsistency from him. Sometimes he looks like a title contender and other times he just doesn't show up at all.

 

They only appeared to give out the smallest amount of free tickets, something like two pairs in total, so it seemed to be a genuine sell out. I'd like to think that was because they finally sorted the pricing system out, but it may have just as likely been due to the amount of Europeans that flew over. Either way it made for a really great atmosphere having the arena so packed which, combined with there being less fights than usual, made for a great night that truly seemed to fly by. The complete opposite of last year's London show in that sense. I'm pretty sure that show is still ongoing.

[wandshogun09]

That's right they advertised Nog vs Nelson as well, I forgot. They ran ads for 171, Nog vs Nelson, TUF Brazil and the EA game all night. Just found it a bit odd they didn't mention the Shogun vs Hendo show at all. I mean, I know it's in Brazil and won't be on at a good time here but still, why not run promos at least? Can't hurt.

 

The Swedes were great, really added to the overall atmosphere. I wasn't really sitting near any of the Swedish fans but I could see clusters of yellow and blue splattered around the crowd and they were lively all night. Even Fucker and Nilssen got almost star reactions. But it was clear they love Gustafsson.

 

Forget British, has there even been a European UFC champion yet, at any weight? Actually Bas Rutten was heavyweight champ but it's been a long fucking time. Gustafsson could well be the next one.

[jimufctna24]

Nelson vs Nog will be promoted as it is on Channel 5.

 

I must say Channel 5 getting UFC content could improve MMA standing in the UK. Since last night I have had two non-fans say they knew it was on Channel 5, and one was even planning to watch it. If you look at some of the ratings Tyson Fury boxing matches get on Channel 5, you see that there is an audience there to view combat sport.

 

You lot are making GAD about to be a greasier version of David Brent.

 

205lbs is getting exciting at the top end. I expect Jones to polish of Glover. But Cormier may have the tools to beat Jones, and Gusty has shown he can run Jones very close. I did not expect it to be this soon where I saw Jones as a vulnerable Champion, but right now I can see him being beaten by 2 top contenders.

 

I actually think Gusty might be a better striker than Jones, or at least a better boxer. If Gusty can plug some holes elsewhere in his game, I think he could have the tools to beat Jones next time out. As Wand said, Jones might be more physically gifted, but I think Gusty is showing he might have the tools to overcome that.

 

Man is she orange in person though! Don't get me wrong, seems really sound and genuinely into MMA, but yeah ... orange!

I like a women with a nice tan

[Chunk]

You lot are making GAD about to be a greasier version of David Brent.

 

Anyone see him at the pre London scrum:

. (27 mins in).

 

Comes over as such a slimey git. Dana doesn't look too impressed though.

 

Man is she orange in person though! Don't get me wrong, seems really sound and genuinely into MMA, but yeah ... orange!

I like a women with a nice tan

 

Not to mention great tits ...

[jimufctna24]

The one thing I will say about GAD is, at least he provides us with some comedy.

 

Chunk - Not seen you around these parts before, so welcome to the MMA threads.

[Egg Shen]

first off, gotta give props to BT for their coverage last night. It was so much better than the last UK show, the idea of having a panel live in the arena rather than the studio is just so much better (the studio killed it last time), the panel stuff was short and sweet too as it should be (i didnt watch the pre-show 30min build up though). I liked it, it felt a bit different to the standard UFC format, the commentary was good, i warmed to the ring announcer (though i generally don't like any UK ring announcer's in boxing or mma) and the audience was great all night. For a Fight Pass show that wasn't getting much love it really came off as a big event...i even liked the Haskell interviews at cageside, some decent faces on camera. Fair play...

 

the actual show was excellent too, not a dud prelim all night and a fun main card with some real standout performances.

 

* Neil Seery doesn't look like a typical UFC Flyweight but he's a rugged little fucker, great hands too. He was beating Pickett to the punch all night and Pickett's insisting (and sensibly) taking the fight to the ground prevented this from being a bit of a Flyweight classic, still a quality fight. Seery definitely earned his place, i bet Dana loves the guy.

 

* Gustafsson took care of business in the main event. I found myself rooting for Manuwa depsite being a Gustafsson fan and really wanting to see the Jones rematch. All things considered though we got the best result possible, brutal KO (that knee was harsh) and Gustaffson looks like a fucking demon (and EA are happy as fuck).

 

 

...the YES cartwheel it wasn't

 

* I even enjoyed Johnson/Guillard. It was an odd mesh of styles but it coiled ready to go off at any second, and it did on occasion. Melvin Guillard will ride the inconsistency wave for the rest of his career. Thought Michael Johnson looked great though despite it being awkward stylistically.

 

* Gunnar Nelson needs to stay fit, that guy's fucking dangerous. I expect him on a PPV next.

 

* SOME FUCKER!!!!!

 

* He looked good but does anyone else find Luke Barnatt hugely unlikable? i can't put my finger on what it is, but he annoys fuck outta me.

 

That'll do, excellent show.

[Egg Shen]

on the subject of GAD, was he simply off reporting or was he actually pulled from the broadcast booth? seemed a bit strange to replace him mid show and not see him on camera again?

 

and hang on, how did Gustafsson/Manuwa take home FOTN over Seery/Pickett? even Araujo/Mitchell on the undercard deserved the nod over the main event. Gustafsson rightfully took home a performance of the night bonus, but FOTN too? eh!?

[jimufctna24]

I am going to speculate GAD might have fucked off early to get to the post-show conference, or to conduct interviews with fighters for Fox Sports or something. There is pictures of him on Twitter interviewing Michael Johnson after his fight.

 

This was also on his twitter

 

[METAL ON METAL]

Pearce mentioned that he was about to leave them (sadly, not the end of my sentence) to go and interview backstage - they ended up showing his interview with Johnson later on.

 

 

As far as Gunnar Nelson goes, he said he wants to be on the Dublin card. Which would make logistical sense as he'll bring the Scandinavian fans over and he's also McGregor's training partner. Stick him on co-main against someone like Ellenberger, Stun Gun or Wonderboy - that'd be ideal.