UFC 168: Weidman vs Silva 2

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Sparring is a ton different to actually fighting. Unless you're part of Chute Boxe, you're not throwing at full power trying to hurt the other guy, with the emphasis being on technique rather than causing injury.

 

MMA might be a competitive sport, but at the same time, it's still a fight, and everyone's different. I've got a couple of mates that, if you put a $100 000 purse in and threw us in a cage, we'd be happy to have a five round war. Other friendships I have where I couldn't dream of causing my mate pain and/or vice versa.

 

In recent times, I've debated whether making friends fight is the best course of action, not because it might strain a friendship or whatever, but because the fight isn't as good as it could be with one or both parties fighting tentatively. Hunt vs. Bigfoot was an anomaly, fights between friends/training partners hardly ever turn out that great. Machida vs. Munoz and Rashad vs. Chael being recent examples, and a little while ago, Rashad vs. Jon Jones. Jones was like a total different man in comparison to the way he's tore though most of his opponents.

[wandshogun09]

Sparring is a ton different to actually fighting. Unless you're part of Chute Boxe, you're not throwing at full power trying to hurt the other guy, with the emphasis being on technique rather than causing injury.

 

That's true. But still, not all gyms are like that. It's not all cosy, half contact, technique sparring. And really it can't be. They have to go hard otherwise what's really the point of sparring? You can drill the techniques all day but if you don't get used to dealing with hard shots, taking body shots, dealing with pressure, you'll be a deer in headlights in the actual fight. The aim isn't to damage your sparring partners but it'll happen because you have to go hard to be ready. Obviously there's a balance, you can't be having full-on gym wars every day like Chute Boxe did, but you can't go too easy either or you'll end up with a Brock Lesnar scenario. A guy with a ton of talent but panics under fire. Sparring is where you can make mistakes and work to fix them. It's no good going 40% in sparring every week and then finding out on fight night that you can't take a good body shot, or your chin's like mashed potato. A mistake in sparring might cost you a bit of pride, a mistake on fight night could cost a lot of money and set your career back.

 

So I know what you're saying but sparring isn't some friendly revision for the eventual exam. It's a brutal exercise that has to simulate the real thing as closely as possible, albeit slightly more safely, to get a guy ready for a fight. Freddie Roach offers Manny Pacquiao's sparring partners something like $1,000 every time they can knock Pacquiao down in sparring. Fight sparring is no joke. When I used to go to boxing training in my teens I saw a few guys get sparked by their mates in the gym. And it wasn't necessarily the aim, it just happened in the event and heat of sparring.

 

Hunt vs. Bigfoot was an anomaly, fights between friends/training partners hardly ever turn out that great. Machida vs. Munoz and Rashad vs. Chael being recent examples, and a little while ago, Rashad vs. Jon Jones. Jones was like a total different man in comparison to the way he's tore though most of his opponents.

 

Sometimes it actually adds to the fight though. The familiarity of training together and the hard sparring sometimes brings the best out of guys. Bragging rights. Hunt vs Bigfoot is the most recent and easiest example. But there's been other cases. Gilbert Melendez vs Diego Sanchez for one, had history and going into that fight they talked about expecting a war because that's how it always was when they sparred. Some guys just click in sparring and they just know, if they ever meet in a fight, it'll be something special.

 

Sometimes, like Jones vs Rashad, yeah it doesn't work out. But there's been plenty of friend fights that have been great fun. Scott Smith vs Pete Sell, Cro Cop vs Pat Barry, Griffin vs Bonnar 1, Shogun vs Machida, Diaz vs Penn. All fights where they'd probably rather not have had to fight, but they turned out to be wars.

 

When you think about it, losing a fight on TV must be hard enough as it is. Losing to a mate, who you'll have to see regularly and probably have mutual friends with, that's even harder. That surely adds extra incentive and motivation to win because you'll never live it down if you lose. That's probably what drove Hunt and Bigfoot to keep going, they are mates but they probably hated the thought that the other guy could wind them up about it if they won. I bet Rashad's always rubbing Chael's nose in it when they're doing the FOX panelist stuff now.

 

Hendo was asked before he fought Rampage, if he had a problem fighting his friend. And he said something like;

 

"Yeah, me and Rampage are friends. But I have no problem with making money with some friends."

[jimufctna24]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVSDFzKqBxc

 

If anyone wants a more reflective look at the first fight this would be it. It captures the fight better than any analysis of the fight could, the camera angles show the different facial expressions and allows viewers to see what landed flush, and what did not.

 

After this viewing I am picking Anderson in the rematch. If you watch from the mid-point of round 1, Anderson is almost dismissive of Weidman's striking, and lands almost at will, Weidman does block shots from landing flush, but it seems that Anderson is dictating what is occurring.

 

It is working, but Anderson's corner can see Anderson is getting too cocky and dismissive, it was a case of Anderson going too far, and Weidman being better than Maia and Liates, he could punish Anderson.

 

I think Anderson needs to pick a time to attack on Weidman, and commit to a flurry of attacks, with his accuracy and timing, I believe he will do this easier than some anticipate and finish of Weidman in the 2nd round, after maybe losing the 1st round.

[wandshogun09]

I'll watch that in a bit, ta.

 

Countdown is on BT Sport this week as well, but it's only listed for 30 mins. That can't be right can it? They've already sodded off Primetime, surely they're not cutting the Countdown in half as well? When you allow for the ad breaks you're probably looking at just 20-25 mins tops. That would probably mean Barnett vs Browne would get nothing and the two title fights would be limited to about 10 minutes. Bit shit. Hopefully it's a listings cock up and we'll get an hour long Countdown.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Don Frye, in full gimmick, predicts 168 in the only way as only he can. In front of a fire place wearing his cowboy hat. Fucking tremendous video. What an amazing man.

[Carbomb]

For me primarily, though, this constant refusal to fight your team-mates is just really unsporting. If they really want to compete and show they're the best, they shouldn't object to fighting anyone, even their mates. Is their friendship with each other so fragile that they're afraid it wouldn't survive some healthy competition held within the context of a sporting event?

 

How long is a piece of string? Some fighters who are friends might be able to fight & still be cool (Chael & Rashad, Machida & Munoz) some might not. Some might want the cash & do it anyway, others might put value their personal relationships above work. I don't think you can put hard & fast rules in place for situations like this tbh. At the end of the day they're just people, not fighting robots.

 

No, I get that. But we are frequently told this is MMA, a fighting sport, not ballet, etc. (alright, maybe not "not ballet", but you get my point). From my perspective (and I'm aware I'm probably being unreasonable), it just seems to me that this is the type of industry whereby, if you can't stand the possibility of having to spark your mate in order to 1. prove you're the best and 2. make a sack of cash with each other, it may not be the right one for you if you want to be called the best at what you do. I was given to understand mental toughness is supposed to be a significant part of this game.

 

Anderson Silva, to be fair, has pretty much beaten almost all the best, and I'd imagine the majority consensus is that he'd beat Machida, but barring him, if there's any fighter who refuses to fight a friend/gym-mate who is easily comparable to him/herself, I personally believe he/she forfeits any claim to even being regarded as approaching the same bracket. The greatest rewards should go to those who take the greatest risk and succeed.

 

From the other end of this example to flesh this perspective out, look at the whole speculation about Cung Le a few months ago. I still say that, if he refused to face Anderson because he was scared he'd lose, what the fuck was the entire point of him being in the UFC or even in MMA? You're supposed to want to compete with the best as a sportsman, and if you're a business-head, what's interesting (and therefore profitable) about a current and relevant fighter (as opposed to, say, a legend of previous generations) who ducks the best?

 

(Disclaimer: Apologies for the lack of coherence, or even of a coherent argument. I have been drinking a lot of Western Gold bourbon.)

[Egg Shen]

Don Frye is the man.

 

Fight Flashback is tremendous, i love it when the UFC does stuff like that.

[wandshogun09]

Don Frye! That was brilliant. What a great Christmas present from the MMA Santa. And he said he's doing one for 169 as well. I hope this becomes a regular thing. He should review the shows as well.

 

His reaction to the womens fight was hilarious. And the line on Poirier vs Brandao about sweaty fat women. Watch it to find out you lazy bastards.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

"Heh, women!"

 

My God, that was an amazing video. I normally couldn't give a damn about prediction videos on Youtube, but Don Frye seems like the true baddest man on the planet. I've never seen him fight, but just based off that vid I went to find a PRIDE FC collection that's currently downloading.

 

Loved his line about the afterparty too. His lady friend reminded me a lot of Stacy Keibler. I can look past her Weidman obsession, but I wouldn't want to tangle with Don over her.

 

The description says "first in a new series" so hopefully he does all the numbered events. I couldn't picture him doing every event, he'd be spending all his time filming, when he should be busy drinking and fucking, like a true man's man.

[wandshogun09]

Yeah, definitely a touch of the Stacy Keiblers about her.

 

I've never seen him fight

 

Shocking.

 

Get on his fight with Takayama ASAP. An absolutely mental fight. And I'd highly recommend his fights with Ken Shamrock and Tank Abbott. His fight with Amaury Bitetti (one of the most brutal beatings ever dished out in the UFC), the first Mark Hall fight (not far off the Bitetti fight in terms of viciousness. So bad Don was actually advising Hall to quit for his own good mid-fight). The first two Gary Goodridge fights and the time he stopped the 'unbeaten in 700 fights on the island' Thomas Ramirez's reign of terror are worth a visit as well. And watch the James Thompson fight just for the staredown.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

A quick Wiki search shows me that I have the Bitetti, first Hall and first Goodridge fight on one of my box sets (of course the one I lent to my uncle. Bastard.).

 

Thought I'd have a couple Frye fights in the PRIDE collection I'm getting atm, but it's Bushido, and he wasn't in those according to his record. Ah well, at least I'll get to see Del Rio getting his head kicked off again by Cro Cop. I'll definitely seek out those other fights though, thanks.

[Egg Shen]

just watch his whole career from the start, Frye is great!

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Haha, well he's definitely a character. Few people could capture my interest like that in a short video.

 

I'm still playing catch up on MMA history, it's difficult considering there's so much new content coming out all the time. I started watching UFC more regularly in 2009, getting the numbered events, then from late 2010 I started watching pretty much everything. But before that, it's all scattered highlights and fights from 2000s era UFC, a tiny bit of PRIDE, and the first four UFC events. I bought the 1-10 box sets and lent it out part way through, bad move on my part. My uncle did mention, off the cuff today at Christmas lunch, that he would be watching the rest of the set ASAP. He's got a couple of weeks holidays, and I've got a few more until I start teaching again, so hopefully my Don Frye education can begin imminently.

[wandshogun09]

just watch his whole career from the start, Frye is great!

 

Yeah but some of the later stuff is just sad to watch. Getting beat down by guys who weren't fit to sniff his mighty 'tache, and who he'd have wrecked years ago.

 

Shane O - the Bushido shows are pretty much all great. Is it the complete set? There were 13 Bushidos all in all. I love the Renzo Gracie vs Carlos Newton fight on the first one, you get some fantastic lower weight stuff, Gomi at his best, the odd appearance from Cro Cop/Wand/Hendo, Minowaman!, early Shogun. Bushido 9 is one of my all-time favourite MMA shows to this day. Just one corker after another.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Yep, all 13. Looks like my Boxing Day is set

 

Also, my mum gave me enough in gift vouchers and money to get the UFC Ultimate Fight Collection 2013. Then UFC 168 on the weekend... damn, having a very MMA-heavy last week of the year. Watching the 2012 collection as I type actually, with a few scotches it's the perfect way to spend the wee hours of Thursday morning (2am here and I'm wide awake following a food coma nap earlier).