UFC 207: Nunes vs Rousey

[Philjax]

I think Garbrandt has been underestimated a lot by many before most of his bouts. Not by me. New champion!

 

I see Nunes taking out RR pretty much in the same manner as Tate, but maybe quicker, because Ronda is probably gonna bull rush in with her crappy striking and get sparked. Face plant.

[Egg Shen]

I'd love to see him win it, i've just seen enough Dominic Cruz fights to know that he'll probably dance his way to victory.

[wandshogun09]

Joe Rogan talking to TMZ about Ronda's return at 207...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=G5_gl0lDHP8

 

And speaking of Rogan, apparently Ronda's mega pissed off with him for saying negative (or really, honest) stuff about her loss to Holly Holm. That's according to Joey Diaz of all people.

 

Joey Diaz;

I went to this place and bumped into this guy — I’ve met this guy a few times, he’s a big time MMA guy — and he pulled me over to say how mad Ronda Rousey was at Joe Rogan. Not only Joe Rogan, but anybody in that time period that she got knocked out, anybody who said anything of a negative air… she’s just furious, and she has a long list, and she’s very angry. (Transcript via Reddit user pepsiboycoke)

And here's a snippet of what Rogan's been saying that might've got Ronda's back up...

"It becomes this Hollywood trap. And Ronda was — and still is — a giant superstar. She’s this undefeated women’s fighter. She’s crushing all the competition, she looks like a destroyer and then the fucking traps…That’s something that happens when someone gets so absorbed with this idea that they’re special.

 

So absorbed with this idea — when you’re on top, you think you are the fucking person, you are the woman, you’re the man, you’re the shit. No one’s gonna fuck with you, I’m just going to run through this bitch. And then you get cracked."

Everything I've read and heard about Rousey over the last year, it just doesn't sound good to me. Take this bit with a Shane Carwin XXXL sized fistful of salt because I can't remember where I read it, and I think it was just a rumour anyway, but I read recently that both Ronda and Edmond have apparently still not even watched the Holm fight back. And there was also something that she had to be consoled backstage after the face off with Nunes in New York. Which if true, and it could be a load of old shite, isn't a good sign.

 

The very fact that Ronda's still got Edmond around is alarming in itself. And this stuff about Ronda supposedly getting all arsey about people saying negative things about her loss to Holm, I mean why worry about that? It's not good that she's so hung up on that shit a whole year after the fact, is it? For one, what were peoole meant to say positive about her fight with Holm? And two, forget that anyway. Surely her focus, and Edmond's, should be to acknowledge what went wrong, accept you're human and beatable like everyone else with a hole in their arse and put 100% of your energy into minimising the chances of it happening again. Instead of wasting time worrying about other peoples' opinions.

 

She's fighting an absolute terror in Amanda Nunes in a few weeks. She's got enough on her plate there. And you can bet that Nunes isn't giving a nanosecond's thought to what anyone thinks of her. She's Clubber Langing doing sit-ups and pull-ups and flooring sparring partners left and right while Ronda's still fretting about photoshops from a year ago or whatever.

 

It's in total contrast to how Conor McGregor dealt with his loss to Nate Diaz in March. That's almost been completely forgotten now. I know she had no choice because her jaw was jacked, but in hindsight I really think the worst thing for Ronda was that layoff after the loss. She wasn't exactly mentally all there before this. Having her sit on the bench for 12 months dwelling on the arse kicking seems to have completely done whatever bit of mental strength she might've had left.

 

Ronda's mum has been noticeably quiet in all this as well. It's well documented that she's not Edmond's biggest supporter but she's usually Ronda's most vocal cheerleader in the run up to her fights. I haven't heard much from her this time though. Maybe she's not on board with this comeback.

 

I do find it quite comical though how now, after the fact, Rogan's saying 'maybe Ronda thought she was special' when he was going nuts with the hyperbole during her title reign. He was spouting some right mad over the top waffle at times like "She's not just a once in a lifetime athlete. She's more than that. She's a once ever. EVER!" He was hyping her up as Muhammad Ali meets Bruce Lee but with blonde hair and a fanny. He went well overboard.

 

But yeah. I'm a huge Ronda fan. But I don't like the feel of this one. Maybe she'll prove everyone wrong but there's just something not quite right about it all for me. I get the feeling she's doing it because she feels like she has to, to redeem herself of the embarrassment or whatever. It just doesn't seem like her heart's in it from the little bits we've seen and heard and the reading between the lines. All added up it just has the feel of a bad ending for her, I think.

[jasmith85]

Ronda has always come across as someone who is mentally unstable, threatening to kill herself over the loss to Holly Holm.

 

She believed her own hype and it bit her in the arse, she claimed she was going to be the next big thing in MMA and boxing when all she really did was swing for the fences and used her Judo skills to scare people about coming in strong.

 

Now Holly has exposed Ronda for poorly skilled striker she really is anyone and everyone will emulate Hollys tactics and quickly in and get out. Amanda is a powerhouse of a woman and will quickly walk through Ronda most likely quicker than she did with Mischa Tate.

 

The fact Ronda keeps Edmund around is a joke and she's she isn't prepared to listen to this "boxercise" at best coach. She can't take critism and can't take loosing and can't take handle people supporting anyone else but herself. She said she loved being the "bad guy" playing the Rowdy Piper role when she can't even handle a commentator being truthful and honest about her performance. I won't doubt her Judo skills a bronze medal at the olympics is an amazing feat but she isn't an MMA star. The woman's 135 division around her peak was still developing and growing and was no way on par with the talent of the Men's MMA now women have caught up Ronda has been exposed for being a One trick pony who got lucky because of her "looks" and being in the right place at the right time. An MMA legend she isn't.

 

The quicker Ronda is gone the quicker we can start celebrating the real MMA athletes in the Women 135lbs division and make this division about talent instead of who has the loudest mouth or looks the prettiest.

 

Sit back and enjoy the ride and watch Ronda get KO one more time, it will be hilarious. This will surely be her last fight and she can retire into then sunset via an Ambulance.

[kev2050]

Not sure where to start with that. You're clearly judging her with the benefit of hindsight.

 

There's no way a year ago anyone was saying Ronda was a one trick pony, right place right time, and isn't an MMA superstar. Come on man.

 

*edit* Is this a Davis style troll post that I should ignore? I'm tipsy so can't tell.

[ColinBollocks]

Helwani has mentioned a few times he and several other good MMA journalists are on the childish Rousey "haters" list. Helwani seems genuinely pissed off about it. To the point he's been quite negative on anything Rousey a few times on several of his shows.

 

As Helwani points out, how the hell were you supposed to objectively report that fight and not be critical of Rousey? Rousey and her coaches got it all wrong.

 

Schaub has said a few times that one of the reasons he and Rousey split was due to him being "too negative" when he dared to offer some feedback and what not. In camp Rousey it's very much frowned upon to point out a Rousey flaw, so it makes sense Edmond is still knocking about. He probably spent the aftermath telling Rousey she fought great against Holm and just got clipped. She's the best. No better than that.

[Keith Houchen]

Isn't jasmith the one who said McGregor is bad for MMA?

[jasmith85]

Isn't jasmith the one who said McGregor is bad for MMA?

Yes I did say he was bad for MMA and I still stand by my statement. People like him and Ronda and the UFC in general have taken away what UFC meant. It was meant to be an elite fighting organisation where it was about the fighting now it's more like WWE, where the more you trash talk the quicker you climb the ranks and reach stardom, whilst the others who are clear not trash talkers and let their skills do the talking are shunned to one side to make way for the Conor's and Ronda (trash talkers and pretty people). It's appauling what the UFC has become.

[Porkchopcash]

But Mcgregor is backing it up, therefore you can't really argue with his position.

[seanz25]

I think both mcgregor and Rousey before her defeat to Holly where backing up what they claimed. Rousey was on a fairly lengthy win streak, all with wins via finish. Mcgregor is also the same.

 

For me right now the UFC have a decent balance of booking fights based on rankings/wins and what the fans want. Yeah not everyone loves that but at the end of the day the UFC stands to make money primarily and you make money by selling fights to your audience. Sometimes you have to give them what they want, ie Bisping vs Hendo 2.

[jimufctna24]

For me right now the UFC have a decent balance of booking fights based on rankings/wins and what the fans want. Yeah not everyone loves that but at the end of the day the UFC stands to make money primarily and you make money by selling fights to your audience. Sometimes you have to give them what they want, ie Bisping vs Hendo 2.

This.

 

The UFC is in the prizefighting business. It's always been this way to an extent. Pride didn't follow a stringent ranking system, and Boxing certainly doesn't. You can't please everyone, but you can try and please the majority some of the time. 

[Guy Bifkin]

I'm one of the guys who watches more as a sport and likes to see the rankings observed but even I haven't been able to watch any UFC shows since the Madison Square Garden, such was it's brilliance and spectacle. 90% of that is McGregor. The buzz he creates permeates it's way to the other fights and fighters. I don't often like some of his antics but I'll mourn the day he leaves the sport. There will be a huge vacuum.  

[wandshogun09]

I can't even fathom how McGregor and Rousey are bad for the sport. They've brought more eyes to the sport, brought excitement to the shows they've been on, made the sport more profitable. You not liking them doesn't mean they're bad for MMA.

 

I find it comical that McGregor is mentioned as a fighter who's all WWE and is where he is purely on trash talk. This is a man who knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds, completely schooled and finished Eddie Alvarez and had two of the best fights of 2016 with Nate Diaz. And that's just his last 12 months. Yes his ability to promote himself was a big part of it, but you can't just pretend he's all hype when he's backed it up the way he has. I don't know what people want. Like Jim said it's prize fighting. Self promotion is a massive part of it, it always was, it always will be and as long as there's an exchange of fans buying tickets and ordering PPVs to watch fighters fight, it's not going to change. Ever. Was Muhammad Ali bad for boxing?

 

And this revisionist bullshit that Ronda Rousey was always a shit fighter because she lost one fight is goofy as fuck. I'm not for one second saying she's without faults or that she's a perfect fighter. But to pretend she was shit altogether is ridiculous. And again, it's clearly coming from people who just don't like her. Which is totally fine. But just admit that's what it is. I've never got why people have such difficulty separating their personal dislike of a fighter from assessing their skills as a fighter. I can't fucking stand Floyd Mayweather but I can admit the man is a freakishly great boxer. I loathe Frank Mir but I can admit he was one of the best submission artists in the game. I don't feel the need to talk down their talent to criticise them. I can still call them cunts.

 

Ronda is a really good fighter. She's a beast. She's got her strong points and her weak points like any other fighter. Holm fucked her up and now I think it might be a case where she's physically rusty, mentally fragile and also up against a killer in Nunes. I just don't like Ronda's chances much. But that loss to Holm doesn't = Ronda being a crap fighter at all. There's plenty of cases of great fighters suffering terrible losses over the years. Is Mighty Mouse a joke because he got completely dominated by Dominick Cruz? Was Big Nog shite because Fedor battered him twice? Is Condit a chump because Maia ran through him? Is Lawler crap now because Woodley KO'd him in a round? Of course fucking not.

 

Disliking certain fighters is part of following combat sports. But a lot of the criticisms Rousey and McGregor received after their losses this past year were delusional utter bollocks seemingly based purely on people disliking them. There's a difference between reasonably talking about a fighter's weak areas and just totally overexaggerating things to suit your agenda.

[Supremo]

 

Isn't jasmith the one who said McGregor is bad for MMA?

Yes I did say he was bad for MMA and I still stand by my statement. People like him and Ronda and the UFC in general have taken away what UFC meant. It was meant to be an elite fighting organisation where it was about the fighting now it's more like WWE, where the more you trash talk the quicker you climb the ranks and reach stardom, whilst the others who are clear not trash talkers and let their skills do the talking are shunned to one side to make way for the Conor's and Ronda (trash talkers and pretty people). It's appauling what the UFC has become.

Out of interest, when exactly was the UFC, "about the fighting," and not trash talk? At what point did the UFC change in this manner to be come so, "appalling,"?

 

Genuine question, because I think you're talking absolute shit.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Brilliant post Wand. I think that's what gets Conor's detractors so angry though, the fact that he backs it up all the way in the cage. Look at Chael Sonnen. He's more WWE than Conor, and didn't quite have the in cage results to match his loud-talking persona. Yet, while he had his critics, it was never with the venom that you hear regarding McGregor.

 

As far as Rousey goes, she's one of modern MMA's biggest examples of a specialist fighter. You hardly see that anymore, everyone's well rounded, especially the younger fighters. She got to her spot through world class judo, and once she faced an opponent that could deal with that, it became clear that she didn't have the skills in other disciplines.

 

Doesn't mean she's a bad fighter at all. It's like saying Maia's shit because he got KOed in 21 seconds by Nate Marquardt before he rounded his game out.