UFC 187: Cormier vs Rumble

[David]

 

 

From that video we've found the answer to what Belfort looks like off the sauce...and the answer is like a shrivelled prune.

 

He looks like an actual 40 year old due who's in shape now, rather than an extra from The Expendables.

 

 

I was actually going to say that in my initial post. As you say, he looks like an in shape 40 year old guy, which ultimately translates into he's getting messed up on Saturday night. 

 

 

Well, I wouldn't go that far. Chances are that he'll lose, but even off the gas he's still Vitor Belfort, he's still a fucking awesome fighter with serious KO power and he could still put Weidman away early.

 

What he isn't is a genetic freak on top of being an awesome fighter now, which makes things more realistic.

[d-d-d-dAz]

Weidman and his family always come across as lovely people.

 

Are there any reports to the contrary? I hope not.

[lambyUK]

 

 

 

From that video we've found the answer to what Belfort looks like off the sauce...and the answer is like a shrivelled prune.

 

He looks like an actual 40 year old due who's in shape now, rather than an extra from The Expendables.

 

 

I was actually going to say that in my initial post. As you say, he looks like an in shape 40 year old guy, which ultimately translates into he's getting messed up on Saturday night. 

 

 

Well, I wouldn't go that far. Chances are that he'll lose, but even off the gas he's still Vitor Belfort, he's still a fucking awesome fighter with serious KO power and he could still put Weidman away early.

 

What he isn't is a genetic freak on top of being an awesome fighter now, which makes things more realistic.

 

 

I don't disagree that he's an awesome fighter from a skills perspective, but I fear this is the first Vitor Belfort we may ever be seeing who is fighting clean. You say he's got serious KO power but it's difficult to see how he maintains that power looking like he does now. I know it's me jumping to conclusions, and I accept I could be wrong here, but it looks bleak for him. 

[seanz25]

 

As per almost all ufc events over here your best bet is to find the local casino and give them a call in advance to see if their showing it. Grosvenor casinos show a large portion of fight events.

Cheers, was trying to avoid casinos (drink+roulette=nae money) but if that's all there is then I suppose I can't be fussy. There's 18 of us on a stag so the rest can go lose all their spending money while a few of us watch this.

 

 

Most of them have bars with screens dotted around them, so technically you don't have to play any games. As Long as you're not taking the piss buying a drink every 2 hours and a half you should be fine. Also playing tables get's you free drinks just a heads up 

[Supremo]

Three days to go, I'm still not convinced Weidman and Belfort are going to make it into the cage together. Someone is almost certainly going to slip getting out of the bath on Friday afternoon.

[Egg Shen]

Ariel Helwani has done another one of his sit down interviews, this time with Weidman. Should be worth a look.

[Supremo]

 

Here's the Ariel/Weidman interview.

 

Ariel Helwani is so amazing at this stuff. He should genuinely be inducted into the UFC Hall Of Fame one day.

[Chunk]

Victors fucking barnet. Jesus. The fucking state of it. He deserves to get battered for that alone.

 

You could almost hear the barber sigh when he asked "are we keeping the cross" and the answer was "yes"!

 

Can't see past a Weidman win either. I reckon DC has it all day long too.

[Supremo]

This photo has been doing the rounds on Twitter.

 

 

I think there's a genuine possibility that Weidman is going to maul him.

[Egg Shen]

i really hope Vitor comes out and performs, even if he loses i hope he does something to legitamize his last couple of years. There's an asterix next to that reign of destruction and if Vitor loses here and loses badly it's just gonna open the floodgates for that TRT thing again.
 

Belfort has gone through a few stages in career where he's looked a little softer physique wise, when he went through the Cage Rage era did but some people might put that down to lack of motivation at that time, back at UFC 103 his physique bared little resemblance to the guy who's kicking muthafuckers heads off recently.

 

[wandshogun09]

i really hope Vitor comes out and performs, even if he loses i hope he does something to legitamize his last couple of years. There's an asterix next to that reign of destruction and if Vitor loses here and loses badly it's just gonna open the floodgates for that TRT thing again.

That's the thing though, I honestly don't think this particular fight is going to be one to gauge that on. I've always said I think Weidman mauls Vitor on or off the juice. Vitor had a punchers chance regardless. Weidman is just, IMO, a nightmare style-wise for him. Even the 'TRT Vitor' reign, you look at the guys he was fighting in that period;

 

Bisping is primarily a striker so that played to Belfort's strengths. A striker who Belfort had outgunned in power and speed, plus Bisping never had a great defence/chin.

 

Rockhold has proven to be a legit badass but he came into that fight angry and fired up about the TRT stuff and got caught cold. Plus it was Rockhold's UFC debut so possible 'octagon jitters' could've been a factor.

 

Hendo was on a big decline and was always likely to stand and look for that one shot. Belfort is way, way faster and a better striker.

 

Of the three, Rockhold was the only guy IMO with the style to seriously trouble him with his size and grappling. But he chose to strike with Vitor early when Vitor is at his most dangerous. If they were to rematch I'm sure Rockhold would do things differently.

 

Basically, I think Belfort is fucked against Weidman. But I think he always was. He's fucked even more now though yeah. He's off the sauce, coming off an 18 month layoff and - most importantly - he's fighting Chris Weidman. If Belfort somehow wins this I'll be genuinely amazed.

 

The only way I think we'll really be able to gauge anything about him off TRT in this one will be if Weidman stands with him early and Vitor looks slow in the first round. That's never happened in a Belfort fight that stays on the feet early.

 

Whatever the case, I've got Weidman absolutely steamrolling him. TKO within two, three rounds tops.

[Egg Shen]

I fully expect Weidman to stand with him for a good portion of the fight.

[jimufctna24]

I am confident that Weidman will beat Belfort. I would elaborate, but I would be repeating what has already been said above. 

 

I have changed my mind on D.C vs Rumble. I think D.C will have some dicey moments early on, then rally in the later rounds as Rumble fades. I see D.C winning on points, or possible a late stoppage.

[wandshogun09]

Helwani interview with Matt Serra and Ray Longo;

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=MgUerkcJL5c

 

Good stuff as always.

 

I love that Weidman actually wanted to fight Belfort while he was juiced AND in Brazil. Got to love that attitude. While most of Belfort's opponents bitched about the TRT (and they definitely had grounds to), Weidman wanted to face the scariest, gassed up version of Belfort we've ever seen, and in his own backyard, just to prove who the daddy was.

 

And Serra's calf is vile. Still the man though.

[wandshogun09]

Just watched the rest of the Helwani interviews.

 

Cormier's Helwani interview and the scrum he did have got me so fired up for this show. He's really great at stuff like this. And he just comes off as such a genuinely good bloke to me. He's got that Joe Frazier thing about him, the hardworking family man. Like a black Dusty Rhodes in a way. Can't root against him.

 

In contrast, Rumble in his scrum has the air of George Foreman. And not the George Foreman who was all fat and jolly and selling grills either. I'm talking 70s Foreman. The moody, surly fuck who journalists were scared to interview. He's not exactly rude to anyone, but there's definitely an edge to some of his answers and a look in his eyes that says 'keep asking me stupid questions and I'll bite your fucking throat out". He's just got that imposing presence about him. I'm sure he'd be nice enough if you met him, but he's one of the few MMA fighters who I'd really think twice about bothering for a photo or something. I'd probably end up just leaving it.

 

Can't bastard wait for the fight. The thing about it as well is, Rumble might've lost in the past but he's actually undefeated at 205. It's hard to really look at his losses because they were at 170, which is a weight he had no business at anyway. He's similar in that he's always been powerful and explosive, but in a lot of ways it's like he's not the same fighter at all now he's actually at a more natural weight. It's like he hit reset on his career and looking at his welterweight fights in analysing this fight is almost pointless.

 

I still think Cormier wins though. It's going to be tough and I can see him having to get through some shit early on maybe, but I think he's got the tools to push Rumble in ways his other opponents weren't able to. I think if Rumble doesn't stop DC in the first two rounds, he won't and Cormier will pull ahead for a decision or late finish. We don't have much evidence that Rumble will gas out or anything, but usually explosive fighters like him do fade down the stretch. I thought there were signs of it in the Phil Davis fight towards the end and that was only a three rounder. Nothing terrible but he definitely seemed to lose some of his explosiveness as the fight wore on. And he's never gone five rounds. If he doesn't bomb DC out early then he might be in for a long night.

 

Easier said than done of course.

 

I'm going;

 

Cormier by decision.

Weidman by whatever he wants within two rounds.

Cerrone by sub but I think it'll be a good fight.

Browne by KO but hoping for AA to chin him.