Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted July 12, 2016 Paid Members Share Posted July 12, 2016 Moving on from UFC 200, we're off to Atlanta for this on 30th July...   PPV MAIN CARD Robbie Lawler vs Tyron Woodley - Welterweight Title Rose Namajunas vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz Matt Brown vs Jake Ellenberger Francisco Rivera vs Erik Perez Ryan Benoit vs Fredy Serrano  FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS Ed Herman vs Nikita Krylov Ross Pearson vs Jorge Masvidal Anthony Hamilton vs Damian Grabowski Wilson Reis vs Hector Sandoval  FIGHT PASS PRELIMS Michael Graves vs Bojan Velickovic Cesar Arzamendia vs Damien Brown  Bit of a weak PPV really but I guess we were due one after the run of stacked PPV shows between 198 and 200. I'm expecting the undercard to reshuffle but I think the main card is right, that's the lineup they had when they previewed the card at 200 anyway.  The worry with a card like this is that, God forbid, if one of the main eventers gets injured, we're left with a weak as fuck card and none of the other fights are PPV headline worthy. Hopefully everything works out.   Lawler vs Woodley is a fine main event. Interesting as well that they're both members of American Top Team. I've never heard that they're particularly close though and ATT is a huge team so I'm sure they won't find it too difficult to split the coaches or whatever they're doing.  I love this matchup but, I'll be honest, I'm not really fully on board with Woodley as a deserving challenger at the moment. People are acting like he'd earned the shot and was the standout obvious choice but I don't really agree. Yeah, he's won his last two fights. But he hasn't fought in 18 months, he's only fought twice in the last two years and the decision over Gastelum was questionable, it was a poor fight and he didn't look good. But whatever, now the fight is happening I am looking forward to it.   Robbie Lawler is coming off what is probably the 2016 FOTY so far with Carlos Condit. This after his 2015 FOTY with Rory MacDonald. Lawler is just stupidly fun to watch. He seems to be incapable of having a shit fight.  Here's a great little Robbie Lawler highlight;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=0YQCZnsJr0I  I really hope he wins this. My fear here though, is that Lawler is a bit of a slow starter. He often doesn't get going for a round or two. His last few fights (Condit, MacDonald 2 and Hendricks 2) have all followed that same pattern where he's been having to play catchup in the championship rounds. And Woodley is the total opposite of that. He's a scary strong starter. He's been known to fade later in fights but he's hell to deal with when he's fresh. Maybe the most physically explosive fighter on the roster. Now Lawler's ridiculously tough, but he could really do without getting off to another slow start here because, against Tyron Woodley, he mightn't have the opportunity to play catchup. Woodley can turn your shit off quick.  It's an intriguing one. I'm hoping Lawler can weather the initial storm. If he gets through the first two rounds and he's not completely fucked, I like Lawler to swarm him and finish him somewhere in the last three rounds.   Brown vs Ellenberger appears to be the co-main. Not ideal. It's a decent enough fight but, like I said, if the main event dropped out fuck would they headline a PPV with this. Brown's lost 3 of his last 4 and is coming off a lopsided loss to Demian Maia. Ellenberger has lost 5 of his last 6 and is coming off back-to-back losses to Stephen Thompson and Tarec Saffiedine. These two are on their arse basically. Especially Ellenberger. At least Brown's exciting. They'll keep him as long as they can. Ellenberger just seems finished these days. With their backs against the wall and Brown's non-stop aggression, maybe it'll be a pleasant surprise.   Namajunas vs Kowalkiewicz in a battle of hard to pronounce names. I quite like this fight. I'd read good things about Kowalkiewicz when she signed with the UFC but I haven't been blown away so far. She's been decent but nothing spectacular. She'll have to be on point here though because Thug Rose don't fuck about. Big fan of Namajunas. She's just constant offence, even when she's on the defence. She's already ruined Paige VanZant's streak, I could see her doing the same here unless Kowalkiewicz has something up her sleeve we haven't seen yet.   Rivera vs Perez is easily **WAND'S ONE TO WATCH** here. Easily. I absolutely love this pairing. Rivera's badass. He just fucking goes for it. And he's got Roberto Duran's face. What's not to like? He's been one of my favourite prelimers for a while now. Had a 2 minute classic with John Lineker at UFC 191 and I thought he was beating Urijah Faber before he got poked in the eye. And Erik Perez is a scrappy tough fighter himself. This could be one of those crazy Mexican vs Mexican wars that are usually reserved for boxing. Can't wait.   Uncle Creepy vs Munch off Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps opens the PPV. Should be pretty good. Scoggins is usually in good fights. McCall is a bit frustrating to watch though for me. Moves a ton but doesn't seem to actually do a lot. Hopefully this will turn out good though. Flyweight needs something to happen. Someone needs to step up and break out from the pack as a serious contender. Mighty Mouse owns the division at the moment to the point all these guys should be paying him rent.  Not much arsed about anything on the prelims at all. I like Masvidal vs Bahadurzada. That'll be alright. The rest is underwhelming to say the least.  Oh well. It'll do as a stopgap on the road to 202. And at least we get to see Robbie Lawler fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Bifkin Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 It doesn't feel to me like Woodley deserves a shot. I'm struggling to remember if he has even fought since the Carlos Condit fight?  That said, I'm convinced he's winning this. It's been that kind of year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted July 12, 2016 Author Paid Members Share Posted July 12, 2016 His last fight was a razor thin decision over Kelvin Gastelum in January 2015, which many thought Gastelum won. Before that he beat Dong Hyun Kim by first round TKO in August 2014, before that he was made to be Rory MacDonald's bitch for the night at UFC 174 in June 2014. Â The Kim fight was the only fight he looked good in at all. I think Wonderboy should've got the shot, to be honest, after he beat Hendricks. Or maybe Demian Maia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Bifkin Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Don't think I ever saw the Kim or the McDonald fights. I vaguely recall the Gastelum match.  I might have thrown him in with Maia in a number one contender match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted July 12, 2016 Author Paid Members Share Posted July 12, 2016 That's a good shout actually. Lawler vs Wonderboy for the title with Maia vs Woodley to determine the next challenger. That'd have been better, I reckon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted July 12, 2016 Paid Members Share Posted July 12, 2016 it's a thin looking card up top but there's some quality fights. Â Tyron Woodley has the necessary tools to beat anyone he just rarely seems to put it all together to a level that you feel he his capable of. Given the fact that he has a tendency to fade and that Lawler has some of the best takedown defence ever i think Woodley wins a couple of early rounds possible through a lot of clinching against the cage the fades before Lawler stop him from 3 onwards. Â What Jake Ellenberger has done lately to justify co-main event billing on a PPV is anyones guess, he's lost 5 of his last 6. Strange billing that one, should be an exciting fight though. Matt Brown vs. anyone is a good fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane O' Mac Version 2 Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Only 10 fights? You'd think they'd rustle together a couple of Fight Pass worthy fights just to give the paying customers a decent amount of action. Â Better main card than I thought, though. I thought it was Lawler and a bunch of losers to follow, but I'm a big Matt Brown fan, and while Ellenberger's a good wrestler, I don't think he's got it in him to hold Brown down for 3 rounds like Maia did. Rose Namajunas always brings it, as do Perez and Rivera. McCall has his moments, but he's been pretty inconsistent in the UFC, hope he can put something together before it's too late for him. He was so close in his first couple of fights against Mighty Mouse. Imagine a flyweight division ran by Uncle Creepy since its inception? Flyweight would be a way better draw with a personality like that. Â All in all, this has the feel of the dos Anjos vs. Alvarez card. Light in star power (which is probably why a well known name like Ellenberger got the co-main) and will be flying under the radar a bit. But there's definitely some lesser known prospects hanging around that could make this a memorable card of fights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNRN10 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Siyar Bahadurzada  has Withdrawn from card due to illness [hoping to find replacement]  http://mmajunkie.com/2016/07/illness-forces-siyar-bahadurzada-out-of-ufc-201-ufc-seeks-opponent-for-jorge-masvidal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimufctna24 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 I really want Lawler to win.  That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted July 13, 2016 Paid Members Share Posted July 13, 2016 Siyar pulling out sucks. Â I imagine they are looking to add one-two more fights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted July 13, 2016 Paid Members Share Posted July 13, 2016 Only 10 fights? Only? Really? I'd say it's an absolute maximum. It's at least four more than anyone will care about. I know UFC crowds tend to be a bit more obsessive than Boxing where no-one gives a shit about the prelims but really, it's plenty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane O' Mac Version 2 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Most lately have had 12, with one having 13. I only know because I use the Tapology site to make fight predictions. Â It's not a huge deal, won't affect my enjoyment, just different to the usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted July 13, 2016 Paid Members Share Posted July 13, 2016 Â Only 10 fights? Only? Really? I'd say it's an absolute maximum. It's at least four more than anyone will care about. I know UFC crowds tend to be a bit more obsessive than Boxing where no-one gives a shit about the prelims but really, it's plenty. Â i agree 100% Â i think the UFC needs to reign it in in terms of fights on the show. I'm someone who likes to watch entire shows if i get chance and i find 12-13 too many to get through, especially if things start going to decisions...on the flip side if the fights end quickly you end up with loads of dead air times filled with adverts. Â I think 2 on Fight Pass, 2 prelims on Fox, then a 5 fight main card is plenty. Remember the days when the UFC would air the main card and a 2 fight prelim special on whatever channel, it was great and the prelims acted like a proper warm up to the main card. Â It's great that the UFC has platforms to allow people to watch the prelims but sometimes it's just too much to sit through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamaras-Tash Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Siyar Bahadurzada  has Withdrawn from card due to illness [hoping to find replacement]  http://mmajunkie.com/2016/07/illness-forces-siyar-bahadurzada-out-of-ufc-201-ufc-seeks-opponent-for-jorge-masvidal  Ross Pearson is moving up to replace him against Masvidal, big step up for Ross that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane O' Mac Version 2 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Pearson's going a little bit KenFlo here, third weight class in the UFC. That said, Masvidal was recently a lightweight as well, so it's not a situation like Bendo fighting Brandon Thatch.  Glad for that fight, anytime Pearson's fighting, I'm keen for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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