UFC 200: Cormier vs Silva | Lesnar vs Hunt

[Egg Shen]

I'd like to see him stay retired because he retired with the greatest WW resume ever, but in other ways id love to see him come back and try reclaim his crown. Comebacks rarely work out but if one guy could make it work it would be GSP.

[seanz25]

Lawler would drag him into a war. I'm game for seeing him fight again.

[METAL ON METAL]

Anyone else not give a shit about GSP?

 

No finish in 7 years, got battered in his last fight and went running.

 

I'm no MMA fan, I certainly come under the UFC fan bracket as i would never watch another promotion. But I've zero interest in GSP.

God knows where you're getting your numbers from, unless you're counting the time passed since his retirement which in that case it'd be pretty hard for him to get a finish now.

 

He was 4 years without a finish, and a year & a half of that he was out with his serious MCL injury which obviously affected him. Add on missing 8 months-ish with an injury post UFC 100 too. He was the definition of a prizefighter schedule, only fought around once every 6 months on average.

 

I wouldn't expect anyone to be able to finish someone like Condit, not least someone arguably without true KO power like GSP. In fairness, he did everything he could to submit stretch armstrong Dan Hardy.

[Widdy85]

Ok, no finish in his last 7 fights. Still a bore.

[Carbomb]

You actually seen him fight, or are you just going off the stats? And do you honestly think a finish is the only way a fighter can be exciting?

[David]

 

An interim title after three months? Fucking hell, that would be ridiculous.

 

Saying that, it'll have been seven months since the title was defended when UFC 200 rolls around, and I don't see McGregor heading back down if he beats Nate.

 

The bottom bit is exactly my point. Create an interim champion in the mean time and then if McGregor does go back to 145lb you sell as Conor going back down to rightfully re-claim the division. Plus it also locks in who gets that crack at Conor when he does go back down.

 

 

I started that post of mines sure we shouldn't have an interim belt, finished not quite so sure, and you've convinced me to make a complete turn on it! 

 

Aldo vs Edgar for the interim title, with the winner getting on the mic and calling McGregor out. I like the sound of that.

[Widdy85]

You actually seen him fight, or are you just going off the stats? And do you honestly think a finish is the only way a fighter can be exciting?

Yeah I've seen his fights.

 

No I don't think it's the only way a fighter can be exciting.

[David]

I've seen many people describe GSP as dominant, but boring? That's a bit of a first.

[Widdy85]

Condit, Hughes, Rousey have all called him boring in the past.

 

It seems in answer to original question I am alone on here in not wanting to see him again.

[David]

I think you are alone in that regard buddy. I've seen reaction to his comeback range from excitement and anticipation to some people not being overly fussed.

 

Not seen many who actively don't want to see him again.

[wandshogun09]

Frankie Edgar is the man. I don't care if he has a moan. If you were in his position, and shit talking didn't come naturally to you, you'd be trying to be the squeaky wheel and bagging the McGregor fight by moaning your way into it if you thought it might work. I don't for one second think he's been ripped off or shafted out of anything. Like everyone's said the 145 title was only last fought for in December. He has been arguably the #1 contender since he beat Swanson, so you can see why he's getting frustrated that the title shot seems to never get any closer for him. I know all the business reasons and they make all the sense in the world. But Edgar even said himself on the MMA Hour that he gets that as well. He's just not blessed with the gift of the gab so I guess the only way he can think of being vocal about what he wants is to do the Bret 'Everybody's Screwing Me' Hart bit. I get why he's doing it. And I'd rather that than him do some ridiculously fake WWE shit talking. He's not Chael Sonnen and he couldn't carry that off.

 

I can't help thinking that the reason Edgar is getting any backlash at all is mostly because it's McGregor he's targeting. I'm a huge McGregor fan but it does feel like sometimes there's this need by some McGregor fans to make whoever is opposite McGregor the villain. It happened with Aldo (people saying he was faking the rib injury, scared, juicing), it was starting to happen with Dos Anjos (the PED thing), now Edgar (the moaning stuff). It all gets overplayed I think. I'm not the type of fight fan who has to root against one fighter to root for another. I wanted McGregor to beat Aldo, RDA and Diaz even though I'm a fan of all of them. My favourites are my favourites but I don't have to see the other guy as 'the heel'. Of course it's more fun when there is a clear favourite vs cunt fight but whatever. The stuff Edgar's said has been very tame. He's trying to get the big fight, he just isn't as good at that side of the sport as he obviously is in the cage. You can't expect everyone to be able to do what a McGregor, Rousey, Sonnen, Lesnar or Diaz do/did as far as promoting themselves to the point they can pretty much choose whatever fight they want.

 

A guy like Edgar has three options;

 

1) Force himself to talk shit. Which would be crap and make him look like a bargain bucket McGregor. He's just never going to be that guy.

2) Do what he's doing. Voice his frustrations and keep banging the drum that he's still here and still wants that shot.

3) Shut the fuck up, sit quietly and wait.

 

Of the three, surely option 2 is the best. I don't really know what people want him to do. Do you really want him to completely fake it? It would be monumentally cack. It's one thing the guys at the Unstoppable presser going with the flow and cranking up the shit talking a bit to promote themselves/their fights. Sure. But Cruz and Faber have history and Rockhold is a cocky twat which brought out Weidman biting back. Edgar just isn't that guy. He's like a mini Hendo minus the huge KO punch. He'll let you talk shit, take a mental note then he'll make your life miserable when the cage door shuts. Him faking shit talk would be terrible. And option 3 gets him fuck all.

 

Personally, I love Diaz vs McGregor 2. The first fight was tremendous, both the build up and fight. And they weren't even training for each other. A rematch with both guys coming in with a proper camp for each other, plus now with the backstory of the first fight, it's going to be brilliant. But I still really, really want to see McGregor vs Edgar as well. I just love the contrast between them, fighting style-wise and personality-wise.

[Carbomb]

Fair play to you if you've actually watched his fights and come to that conclusion. I don't agree, but to each his own, I guess.

 

GSP isn't THE most exciting fighter to watch ever, but I'd hardly call him a bore, especially taken in context against Bader, Fitch, Shields, to name a few. I'd say he's more exciting than those, and maybe a good 50% of the UFC roster in addition, but less exciting than 30%, including Pettis, Silva, Lawler, Rousey, Rumble, Hunt, Jacare or Barao.

[David]

I know you ain't badmouthing my G Fitch, Carbomb.

[Carbomb]

I know you ain't badmouthing my G Fitch, Carbomb.

It's an odd one. I find his style of fighting excruciatingly boring, but, outside of his fight with Maia, I found myself rooting for him, probably because Dana seemed to really have it in for him.

[David]

So, it's looking more & more like we're seeing McGregor vs Diaz II at UFC 200. That fight makes perfect sense considering the result of the first fight and the numbers it'll do, but am I the only one wondering what's going through Conor's head fighting at 170lbs again?

 

I assumed both of them fought at that weight initially due to the late call-up of Nate, so why not do this one at 155lbs? A win for McGregor would maybe even put him back on track for a crack at RDA.

 

170lbs makes zero sense to me.