Brewster McCloud Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 It was such a weird fight to watch like Woodley had given up before it even started, like he had a massive spastic collapse. It was very much a case of wtf. Do something in the later rounds, man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 I think it was simply a case of what he mentioned after the fight. Sometimes you go in there and it just doesn't work out. We've seen it happen with guys before, and it looks like it happened here. It wasn't all on Woodley not performing of course, as Marty's gameplan worked a treat and he did just as much to take Woodley out of his game. One thing I would say though, is that I wouldn't want to be the guy that Woodley faces immediately following this fight, as I get the feeling he's gonna chew somebody up real bad and make a statement. A statement, of course, that Dana will blatantly ignore. I'd be very surprised if we ever see Woodley get another title shot. The only way Woodley gets a second crack is if it's a straight up choice between him and Askren, and even then he'll probably look to get Khabib or someone to jump up in weight and take the shot instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewster McCloud Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Aye. I think the psychological aspect of being a fighter often gets overlooked; none of us really know what it's actually like to step into the cage when everyone's looking at you. It must be a headfuck, and I can't even fathom what the guys go through when it's the big dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Anyone who's done any form of training will know exactly what he's on about. There were days I'd hit the gym and could do no wrong on the mat, and other days where I honestly looked as though I'd just wandered in off the street for my first class. For the very top guys those off-days are obviously far fewer than a regular Joe like the rest of us suffer, but they still happen. Couple that with an opponent who was switched on and ready for the biggest fight of his career and it was only ever going to go one way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted March 7, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2019 Yeh, bad night at the office. Its the first time in a while that Woodley has had someone apply wrestling pressure like that, he's always had the luxury of having people stand in front of him and be afraid to throw much because Woodley has legit KO power to throw back at them plus the takedown threat himself. Woodley had 97% takedown defence before this fight, id be interested to see how many opponents actually attempted a takedown against him though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted March 7, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2019 Yeah. His coaches realised as much and were begging him to throw some combinations to keep Usman away, but as Dom Cruz said Woodley was just throwing loaded right hands that were miles off. It's that champ schedule GSP highlighted. It's ruthless and only the very elite can ever keep that pace for a few fights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 He's still one of the greatest welters of all time for me, despite that loss. Just how great he is will be determined by how he bounces back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted March 7, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2019 Just now, David said: He's still one of the greatest welters of all time for me, despite that loss. Just how great he is will be determined by how he bounces back. 100%. He defended his belt against some of the best in the world. He was probably a couple of wins away from proper challenging GSP for his title as the best in the division. Even GSP lost, but he bounced back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 As I mentioned earlier, I have a feeling that even if he bounces back in great style it will be a while before he gets another crack at the strap, if it ever happens at all. I think that even though Woodley claims his "beef" with Dana has been squashed, I don't think Caesar forgets or forgives quite so easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted March 7, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2019 I think Woodley sits as 2nd or 3rd in the toop 170's of all time chat. You do feel he's the type of guy that needs to come out and do something spectacular to get another shot though. I think Woodley got complacent Saturday and was facing a guy bang up for it who was on the warpath. If you go into a fight believing you a better than the guy you are fighting anywhere the fight goes (which was how Woodley described it going in) its gotta leave a bit of a shell shocked feeling when you realise the guy is better than you'd thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted March 7, 2019 Author Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2019 I’d have Woodley second behind GSP in the ‘best welterweight ever’ category myself. I think he’s overtaken Matt Hughes and there’s no-one else I can think of who’s close enough in that bracket. And to Woodley’s credit, he was champion when the 170 division was surely the strongest it’s ever been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTH17 Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 I'd be happy with that judgement. He's some distance behind GSP for me, but he's absolutely in the top 3 conversation. One thing I mentioned when regarding GSP as the GOAT was the variety of guys he beat, and we saw that replicated throughout Woodley's run. The brawler in Lawler, the tricky karate guy in Wonderboy (x2), the submission wizard in Maia, the aggressive striker in Till and if he'd beaten Usman that's a high-pressure wrestler added to his list as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimufctna24 Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 I think a case can still be made for Hughes being ranked above Woodley. - Hughes's best wins were a young GSP, Penn, Sherk, Trigg x2, and Sakurai. - Woodley's best wins are currently Lawler, Maia, Wonderboy (in a very close fight), and a split decision win over a young and lazy Kelvin Gastelum. Hughes shutdown Sherk and Sakurai, top fighters for their time. And he showed great composure to recover from Trigg's low-blow in their second bout. He wasn't as gifted as GSP or Penn in some regards, but he used his experience and work ethic to overcome adversity against them, and thus holds a win over both. By 2008 it was all over for him as a top fighter. The size difference between him and Alves was striking at UFC 85 and he was reaching his mid-30s after a decade long career. The division had moved on. Woodley's demolition jobs on Till and Lawler were very impressive. As was his win over Maia. But he was taken to the brink twice by Wonderboy. Gastelum ran him very close, Rory actually beat him, and now Usman has beaten him. I will ignore Hughes' losses against Hallman, and Woodley's loss to Marquart because neither were quite at their best when those losses occurred. Woodley was also unfortunate to not get the decision over Shields. On the balance, I lean towards Hughes's resume being slightly more impressive. Of course, resume isn't everything. I can agree that there is more facets to Woodley's game and he's fought in a more competitive era. But it's a debatable point either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 7, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2019 Talking of which, what are people's views on Usman himself becoming part of the GWWOAT conversation? He's now 9-0 in the UFC, on a 13-fight winning streak, only has one loss to his name to a guy who, looking at his record, would probably be obliterated in a re-match, and won the belt off one of the best WWs ever in a dominant performance. Obviously, it's too early to place him there, but how far do you reckon he has to go before he can legitimately talked about in comparison to GSP? Off the top of my head, I guess he'd probably have to defend against the big names like Thompson, Lawler, Covington, Ponzinibbio, maybe even Stun Gun or Magny at the outside depending on how quickly he clears out the division, and, of course, there's potentially a match with Askren on the horizon too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 14 minutes ago, Carbomb said: Talking of which, what are people's views on Usman himself becoming part of the GWWOAT conversation? He's now 9-0 in the UFC, on a 13-fight winning streak, only has one loss to his name to a guy who, looking at his record, would probably be obliterated in a re-match, and won the belt off one of the best WWs ever in a dominant performance. Obviously, it's too early to place him there, but how far do you reckon he has to go before he can legitimately talked about in comparison to GSP? Off the top of my head, I guess he'd probably have to defend against the big names like Thompson, Lawler, Covington, Ponzinibbio, maybe even Stun Gun or Magny at the outside depending on how quickly he clears out the division, and, of course, there's potentially a match with Askren on the horizon too. Absolutely far too early to have him in the discussion in my opinion. He's got a ways to go before he's on the same level as Woodley as far as accomplishments go, never mind GSP. He'll need to defend the title a few times before he's anywhere near the discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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