UFC 230: Cormier vs Lewis

[d-d-d-dAz]

That crowd were dirt.

You get Adesanya being all Matrix-y, Roberson and Marshman going to war, an underdog KO in the Branch fight and a likely Top Ten FOTY in Jacare/Weidman... and they STILL boo when Cormier lands a takedown. Fucking dickheads.

I love that DC watched Crown Jewel.

I’m definitely with Supes. DC is probably my favourite fighter ever. He’s ace. He’s just so genuine and happy: him versus Lesnar should be incredible.

It always amazes me how much leash the commentators have. Immediately after Cormier sells his fight against Lesnar, and then they go back to the desk and they’re all openly calling it a shite novelty and it’s only worth happening so DC gets paid. Jesus lads. Dana needs to get himself a Vinnie Mac headset and start feeding lines.

[ColinBollocks]

Indeed. DC spending his remaining few months cementing his legacy as an all time great is such a cool story. I think only deviants and David can truly hate DC.

Lewis was never getting past a pro like DC. Lesser men probably would have taken this lightly but DC clearly wasn't mucking around. He was far more dominant than I was expecting, in truth. I expected a bit more from Lewis early doors while they were standing but DC didn't give him much.

Interesting in the post-fight interviews DC said his back gave out the day of the fight from sneezing. It was only around 5pm that he felt his back was starting to loosen up enough to fight. Absolute madness.

Weidman v Jacare was brilliant; one of the fights of the year. Gutted Weidman lost again. He's low-key sound, but it looks like he's not getting a title shot anytime soon.

Not really a fan of Felder. Compared to Cruz and DC, he's proper B team material.

[Keith Houchen]

10 minutes ago, ColinBollocks said:

Interesting in the post-fight interviews DC said his back gave out the day of the fight from sneezing.

Bang goes any hope of Vince signing him then.

[AndyUK]

Great win for DC. As much as Johnson winning would've been a great upset, the gulf in class was massive and I look forward to him v Lesnar. Really good fight between Weidman and Jacare too. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

6 minutes ago, AndyUK said:

Great win for DC. As much as Johnson winning would've been a great upset, the gulf in class was massive and I look forward to him v Lesnar. Really good fight between Weidman and Jacare too. 

I think you’re underselling how great of an upset a Johnson win would have been..

[wandshogun09]

Well I guess that was what should’ve happened. DC just gets the job done. It’s becoming increasingly clear with each passing fight that he probably beats everyone not named Jon Jones. Shame Lewis couldn’t make more of a fight of it. As much as he doesn’t care about MMA or accolades or whatever he’s got to be really bummed with how the fight went. He never even got to fight, he got squashed. 

Glad it seems like the DC vs Brock fight is still the plan. I was starting to think that was dead but they were all over it at the end there. Aside from finally beating Jones, which let’s face it is never happening, it’s the perfect way for DC to go out. Huge fight, huge payday, slaying a monster. 

Jacare vs Weidman was fucking awesome. I always thought it’d be a good fight, even years ago when Weidman was champ, but it even surpassed my high expectations. Agree with Colin it was a shame to see Weidman lose again. Especially at the Garden. He’s 0-2 now on home soil at MSG, with two knockout losses. Rough. Really loved this fight though. I’d have to think but it’s probably Top 5 for me for FOTY. Gaethje vs Poirier is number one, Ferguson vs Pettis might be number two, there aren’t many more I’ve enjoyed more than Jacare vs Weidman though. Both had their moments, both landed big shots, both had each other hurt and on jelly legs and then the big dramatic finish. Great fight. Jacare has had two this year, his Gastelum fight in May was quality too but this was another level. 

Cannonier vs Branch was the shocker of the card for me result-wise. Really wasn’t expecting that. We always say these last minute fights have a tendency to throw up the upsets. It wasn’t the main event this time. This was Cannonier’s debut as a 185er. Maybe that’s something we overlooked going in. It was clearly a good move for him. Branch looked strong early as well, Cannonier weathered it and messed Branch up. Don’t think anyone was calling this one. 

Roberson vs Marshman went about how I expected. I had a feeling these two were going to throw down and they did. Marshman is so tough but Roberson just seemed that bit better. Really good scrap this was. 15 minutes of just blasting each other. 

Israel Adesanya...OK. I take it all back. This was impressive. A real breakout performance. What should’ve been his most difficult test on paper and he turned it into a highlight reel showcase. I still think the hype was overboard before this but now I think we really can start getting excited because Brunson is nobody’s pushover and Adesanya just fucked him up. What I liked as well was he answered some questions on his takedown defence. It wasn’t like he just caught Brunson on the feet and we’re none the wiser on his grappling at this level. Brunson couldn’t get hold of him and even when he did, Israel was out of there fast. Hard to believe this is the same guy who struggled with Marvin Vettori a couple of fights back. 

Really enjoyed Jordan Rinaldi’s performance. Jason Knight always comes off like a complete bellend to me so it’s always a good time watching him get shut the fuck down. Rinaldi looked good here. 

Sijara Whobanks looked half decent. Nothing amazing. Thought she had Modafferi out of there when she dropped her in the second but Modafferi toughed it out. Comfy points win for Eubanks anyway. She’s got to sort that weight cut out though. For the small number of fights she’s had, the amount of issues she’s had with making weight is mad. Imagine if that Shevchenko fight was still on this card? With all the upheaval this card already had, then she’d have gone and missed weight and rendered that a non-title match too? Disaster. There were a few times here where she looked so sluggish and slow but just about got away with it. If she’d still been fighting Shevchenko that would’ve been very bad news for her. 

Sheymon Moraes vs Julio Arce was a good, really bloody scrap. The canvas looked like something out of Jaws by the end. 

Lyman Good looked...well, good. Him and Saunders must’ve got added to the card late in the day. Sort of weird seeing what could’ve been a Bellator fight a few years ago, on a UFC show. Saunders looks about done to me. Which is a shame because I’ve always liked him and there was a point when he was coming off TUF where I thought he had real potential. That was 2008 though. Good made short work of him here. Watching Saunders is starting to feel like watching Jake Ellenberger for me now. 

Did anyone see the Fight Pass bit? I heard Lando Vannata vs Matt Frevola was a really good fight. I hate missing Lando’s fights. I’ll have to have a look for it. 

Really fun night all in all. Bit of everything on there. The UFC remain 3-0 for great shows at MSG. This card was a massive step down from the first two but it delivered on the night. 

[David]

6 hours ago, ColinBollocks said:

I think only deviants and David can truly hate DC.

I don't hate the guy, I just feel warm inside when I know that despite everything he's done, the fact he couldn't beat Jon Jones will eat away at him forever. He can never really be recognised as the greatest when the shadow of Bones looms large.

[ColinBollocks]

Oh well, he'll just have to make do with that Lesnar payday Jones was after.

[Keith Houchen]

It will soften the blow, sure, but you know he'd trade it all to have beaten Jones.

[ColinBollocks]

Of course, he's a competitor, but he's genuinely got the choice of Brock or Jones next and he's going for the Brock money. DC has said that he feels that winning the HW title means his legacy doesn't necessarily have to be attached to Jon Jones now because it's something special away from all the Jones drama. No doubt if he didn't beat Stipe he'd be less content with retiring without another crack at Jones - he was saying pre-Stipe that he really wanted the Jones fight before he is done.

Now he seems to reckon the HW title win cements his legacy without Jones. It does, of course, but he can never be truly the GOAT without that Jones win.

[Keith Houchen]

You'd have to have a heart of stone not to wish DC gets the glorious payday that sets him up for life.  And it's another plus to know he will still be on our screens after he retires.

[David]

11 hours ago, ColinBollocks said:

Oh well, he'll just have to make do with that Lesnar payday Jones was after.

If Jones keeps himself straight he'll still earn more from this sport than DC many times over. He's the biggest talent to ever step foot in the cage. 

11 hours ago, ColinBollocks said:

Of course, he's a competitor, but he's genuinely got the choice of Brock or Jones next and he's going for the Brock money. DC has said that he feels that winning the HW title means his legacy doesn't necessarily have to be attached to Jon Jones now because it's something special away from all the Jones drama. No doubt if he didn't beat Stipe he'd be less content with retiring without another crack at Jones - he was saying pre-Stipe that he really wanted the Jones fight before he is done.

Now he seems to reckon the HW title win cements his legacy without Jones. It does, of course, but he can never be truly the GOAT without that Jones win.

Of course he'll go for the Brock money, why would you give up money and a better chance of winning for slightly less cash and a likely ass kicking? This is no slight on DC, by the way, I don't think there's many fighters who can match up with an in-form, prime Jon Jones.

[ColinBollocks]

You give it up if you're truly consumed with beating Jones, though. DC waved it off and is happy to ride off with a big fat pay cheque. The big payday Jones was desperate for, after earning little cash for years, to boot.

4 minutes ago, David said:

If Jones keeps himself straight he'll still earn more from this sport than DC many times over. He's the biggest talent to ever step foot in the cage. 

11 hours ago, ColinBollocks said:

We'll see. DC said post-fight he's got a lot of opportunities outside of fighting that will likely earn him more coin than his fighting career did - opportunities he's earned because he's a talented good dude. Jones probably blows all his money on coke and hookers after he's done.

[David]

1 minute ago, ColinBollocks said:

You give it up if you're truly consumed with beating Jones, though.

You would think so, wouldn't you? However, when Jones said;
 

Quote

 

“I’d fight ‘DC’ at heavyweight, but I feel like I have nothing to prove,” 

“I always say that a lot of this fighting is not personal to me. My goals are just to be great. It’s not about these individual rivals. So me challenging Daniel Cormier would be making it a personal thing. If he had beat me, then I could see me challenging him, but it’s like, I’ve done enough to that guy. I’m going to let him breathe easy and enjoy some of his stuff.”

 

DC's response doesn't suggest in the slightest that he's "at peace" or "waving" anything off;

Quote

 

“Giving me a shot?”  

“Seriously, giving me a shot? Here’s the deal when it comes to Jones: It’s hard for me to really take anything seriously because you say, ‘I don’t want to give you a shot,’ and, ‘You don’t deserve it. I beat you.’ He said he knocked me out, which he did, and you guys know I’ve always said he won the fight. He once put like a video up of a little girl kicking a girl in the head. I said, ‘Look, man… she set that kick up perfect. But you were on steroids, dog. You can’t use that.’ It’s the same thing. I’m sure USADA said, whatever, but you still had steroids in your system. It does not matter. You can’t be on steroids in no way, shape or form. That’s not fair.”

“For him to say, ‘I don’t think he deserves a title shot,’ or ‘I’m not going to grant him’, who are you to grant me anything?” Daniel Cormier questioned. “I’m the guy that’s been here this whole time. Three years I’ve been the light heavyweight champion because this dude can’t stay out of trouble.”

 

That's an awful lot of words to waste on someone that you ain't consumed with beating, isn't it?

As has been said, DC can make a trillion dollars and beat Brock Lesnar, but when he's 60 he's gonna be as bitter as Joe Frazier was over Ali. It'll consume him for life.

He's gonna be all gnarled up, walking with a stoop, eyesight gone, hard of hearing, sitting in his old comfy chair muttering "USADA....steroids......not fair......."

If they somehow do fight again one last time, I hope the crowd shit all over DC and cheer Jones like they did before, so DC can cry about it while Jones sits there with a huge, shit-eating grin on his face.

Now that, that would be ~ace~

[ColinBollocks]

They hate each other, though. That's never going to change; Jones has been nothing but a great big bastard towards DC. Again, if DC wanted the fight he could 100% have it - Dana was trying his hardest to sell it at the weekend. Someone asked him the question about Jones being a bit of a dismissive twit and he retorted. It's not like he's up there ranting about wanting Jones every minute. Prior to beating Stipe, DC pretty much said he had to fight Jones again before he retired, but now he's over it and that's not the case.

If the Brock fight falls through he said he'd go Jones because it's the second biggest fight out there for him. DC is of the opinion the double champ run cements his legacy.