UFC 245: Usman vs Covington - Dec 14 🇺🇸

[wandshogun09]

Once again, I’ve really neglected the buildup to this one. Just never seem to get around to watching the Countdown anymore and usually end up forgetting about Embedded and all that stuff. I’ve only watched a few of the media interviews from this week and now I’ve just caught the weigh in. It’s done the trick. Can’t wait for this tonight now. 

Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington - I’m still pretty much none the wiser. How do you split these two? Style-wise they have so many of the same strengths and we haven’t seen much in the way of weakness from either yet. It’s ridiculously hard to call. Like pretty much everyone else, I see this being a real gruelling, grinding struggle all the way. Maybe we’re all wrong and one will just steamroll the other but there’s really nothing to base that on from what we’ve seen. If anyone’s predicting a domination either way then it’s just guesswork or wishful thinking. I’m yet to see anyone be really confident in picking a winner here. And that’s what makes this such a tremendous matchup. 

I’m going Usman by decision...I think. Don’t really know why I’m thinking that and it’s not just because I can’t stand Covington. I just think he might have the edge in physical strength and he holds up well pace-wise along with that. But all bets are off really because if Colby’s schtick has gotten under Usman’s skin then that could be the equaliser. With two men this evenly matched, tiny things that wouldn’t usually matter much could actually make all the difference. I don’t know. I hope Usman twats him all over the place though. 

Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski - This is such a great fight and it’s been criminally overlooked. Whether it’s Colby and his orange suit, Aldo looking like a raisin all week or just the busy time of the year having people preoccupied, not many have been talking about this. It should be class though. Holloway obviously will have the advantage as long as it’s standing. Not that Volkanovski is a bad striker, he’s not at all, but Max is on a completely different level. But it’ll be interesting to see if Volkanovski can find success with his takedowns and wear on Max with his strength. Volkanovski is tough as fuck, pushes the pace, doesn’t shy away from a scrap and he’s strong as a bull. He’s also on a 17 fight winning streak. He’s no joke. He didn’t get enough credit for his win over Aldo in May for me. He totally shut Aldo down and Aldo had been looking good and on a resurgence in his previous fights. 

In the end though, I’m picking Holloway on points. If Volkanovski was fighting anyone else at 145, I’d probably pick him. I rate him that much. But Holloway is so dialled in at 145 right now and I just can’t see a clear path for Volkanovski here. Wrestling and mixing in takedowns with his striking seems like it’ll probably be the plan but that’s so much easier said than done against someone with the gas tank of Holloway, who also never stands still and is constantly peppering you with strikes, emptying your tank at the same time. Frankie Edgar had no luck with that game plan either. It’s a real uphill battle for Volk. I think he’ll see out the 5 rounds but even that’s hard to say because we’ve never seen him in the ‘championship rounds’ before and if anyone’s going to severely test your conditioning in those late rounds it’s Holloway. 

Amanda Nunes vs Germaine De Randamie 2 - Yeah, Nunes most likely wins this. I’m not sure it’ll be the walkover most seem to be expecting though. I think De Randamie gets sold short a bit and I think a lot of it is to do with the whole ‘she ducked Cyborg’ thing. But I think there must’ve been more to that than we know. It’s not like GDR had a rep for ducking before that. I mean, fuck, she actually fought a man who was 40lbs heavier than her and knocked him out in a Boxing match. She didn’t hesitate to sign on the dotted line against Nunes here either. And Nunes destroyed Cyborg. All that aside, De Randamie went 46-0 with 30 knockouts in Kickboxing. She knows what she’s doing in there. She’s had mixed results in MMA but she comes into this one off 5 consecutive wins.

I’m still going with Nunes by KO/TKO but I genuinely think this could be trickier for her than a lot of people think. Her best bet would probably be to try to recreate what she did the first time they fought. Just go grappling heavy and put GDR where she’s weakest. If she does that then it could be a fairly easy night’s work. But Nunes has fallen in love with knocking people out over the last few years and I can see her wanting to prove a point here against the more experienced pure striker. I think Nunes is smarter than that though. She’s got a huge advantage in the grappling so she’d be mad not to exploit that. 

Marlon Moraes vs Jose Aldo - This has probably been the biggest talking point of the show. And for all the wrong reasons sadly. Style-wise this is a fucking fantastic fight. It’s got ‘Muay Thai war’ written all over it. But Aldo’s weight cut has been the bigger story and has dominated the MMA media this week. He looked awful physically at the early (real) weigh ins yesterday but to be fair I’ve seen worse in terms of how he seemed in himself. He was moving relatively well, didn’t need the towel and wasn’t shaking and looking all spaced out on the scale like some fighters we’ve seen in the past. But there’s no getting away from the fact that he looked terrible and there’s no doubt he’s paid the price and diminished himself to hit that weight limit. It’s barmy. And although he looked good at the bullshit weigh ins later on after he’d had chance to replenish, the damage is done now and he can’t be anywhere close to 100% when he steps into the Octagon tonight. 

Moraes by KO/TKO. I’d love nothing more than for Aldo to look great here and surprise everyone. But I’m not feeling it. If he was against a lesser opponent then maybe he’d get away with it this time but I just don’t see him dodging the bullet here. Moraes is a beast. I might pick him to beat Aldo if they fought at 145 or even 155. Aldo is an all time great fighter. I’d never totally write him off. But I don’t think he really has any advantage here. Power, speed, youth, health, it’s all in Moraes’ favour. And then Aldo’s stacked the odds against himself even further with the mental cut to 135. I just can’t see it ending well. 

Petr Yan vs Urijah Faber - This is a kind of intriguing one for me. Faber is a young 40, no doubt. He’s looked after himself. He looks better than guys on the roster who are literally half his age. Seriously, he could be some of these guys’ Dad and he’s in better nick than them. But he’s still 40 and I think when he retired back in 2016 it was probably the right time. The quick finish against Ricky Simon in July was nice and maybe got some people thinking he had another run at gold in him but I think it’s going to end in tears for old Bum Chin. Like with Moraes vs Aldo, if Faber was up against someone not so good he’d probably have another good night. But I don’t see him having much for Yan at this stage. 

Yan by KO/TKO for me. Faber has won fights I thought he’d lose before but at 40 how many times can you go to that well? Lesser fighters than Yan have given a younger Faber problems. And from interviews I’ve seen, I think Faber might already be slightly looking past Yan towards a shot at Henry Cejudo in 2020. I really think Yan is going to put a beating on Faber tonight. He’s kind of gone under the radar for a lot of people but this could be just the big name win he needs to put himself on the map. 

Full predictions then; 

Kamaru Usman by Decision. 

Max Holloway by Decision. 

Amanda Nunes by KO/TKO. 

Marlon Moraes by KO/TKO. 

Petr Yan by KO/TKO. 

Geoff Neal by Decision. 

Ketlen Vieira by Submission. 

Ian Heinisch by Decision. 

Matt Brown by KO/TKO. 

Chase Hooper by Decision. 

Kai Kara-France by Decision. 

Viviane Araújo by Decision. 

Punahele Soriano by KO/TKO.  

Edited December 14, 2019 by wandshogun09

[Marshmallo]

 

Nothing sums up Covington more than this. Rambling incoherently, mixing metaphors and references all over the place, camera pans to the crowd and there are maybe 3 people showing any emotion while the rest sit on their hands. Meanwhile Rogan looks at him as if he's Muhammad Ali and tells everyone on his podcast that Covington's become a superstar. 

Edited December 14, 2019 by Marshmallo

[Egg Shen]

anyone else getting the sense that Marshmallow isnt a fan of Colby?

[wandshogun09]

To be fair, I don’t really get why anyone would be a fan of him. Colby’s parents probably dodge his calls, a lot of his own teammates openly root against him and the women who hang around him are clearly being paid. I’d say that even the people who claim to be fans of him, a good chunk of them are probably only doing it because ‘heelz are kool’. He’s arse. Whether he’s a star or not is whatever. Makes no odds to me. I don’t see him as particularly charismatic either. Which is why he has to say controversial things, attach himself to Trump, wear the bright orange suits etc. He’s a crap talker as well. Just constantly going for shock value and coining and beating to death cack catchphrases and nicknames that nobody else repeats. He said in some interview I saw this week ”That’s why they call him Marty Fakenewsman...”. Except, they don’t. I’ve never heard anyone else call Usman that. Just Colby saying it 3 times a sentence, desperately hoping it’ll catch on. It’s all a bit David Brent. 

David’s seen the div in the flesh so maybe there’s an ‘it factor’ he has in person that doesn’t translate to the screen. But even if that’s the case, that’s still a problem because the screen is where people will mostly see him. I’m not bothered about ratings and all that boring shite but I’m sure I saw somewhere that his fight with Robbie Lawler was one of the lowest rated shows since the ESPN deal kicked in. If that’s true (anyone know?) then it doesn’t exactly fill you with hope that he’s going to become some big star. 

[jimufctna24]

12 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

but I’m sure I saw somewhere that his fight with Robbie Lawler was one of the lowest rated shows since the ESPN deal kicked in. If that’s true (anyone know?) then it doesn’t exactly fill you with hope that he’s going to become some big star.

It's true. The show also drew poorly at the gate compared to other previous UFC shows that had been held at‎ the Prudential Center  However, it was held in the afternoon, rather than the evening. So there is that excuse. 

Someone with too much time on their hands on Reddit analysed his social media traffic. They found that he wasn't really gaining followers at faster rate than other fighter. The gimmick has worked for him, insofar that it has help further his career. That is about it.

I've always maintained that he is a very good fighter. Yet, I still wish he would fuck off. Not only are there plenty of other great fighters in the sport, but fighters that are more exciting to watch and more entertaining to listen to than Covington. 

[Supremo]

I’m here all day for Colby Covington getting his jaw broken and running away. Belter of a fight with the perfect finish. 

[jimufctna24]

@Marshmallo

@wandshogun09

https://imgur.com/a/Afi2Gve

[ColinBollocks]

4 hours ago, Supremo said:

I’m here all day for Colby Covington getting his jaw broken and running away. Belter of a fight with the perfect finish. 

It always amazes me how poetic MMA can be.

Incredible main event to wrap up a really good show. Until Colby got his jaw broken in the 3rd, there really wasn't much in it. Fair play to Colby for gutting it out in the 4th (I gave him that round) but the power of Usman is what won out in the end. A really gripping and satisfying last minute to end the fight, as we didn't really have a clue how the judges saw that fight. Usman seems like a good man, so was delighted he managed to get the finish, and yes, break Colby's flapping jaw. Although a decision would mean we would get a quick rematch.

I'm out the loop with the sport these days, which is proving to have a benefit in that I turn up to these cards only knowing the main event. Quite a lovely treat seeing how packed the show was.

Holloway was "out tacticed" to quote Big Sam. As far as game plans go, it was incredible to watch.

Wand after the fight. 

Edited December 15, 2019 by ColinBollocks

[wandshogun09]

[jimufctna24]

I was a bit worried when I saw the main card had run for 4 hours. Yet, the action mostly delivered and the show didn't drag - although I did have the luxury of fast forwarding through the entrances, etc. 

The main event was engrossing. I had Covington winning round 1 and Usman winning round 3. Rounds 2 and 4 were very very close. Nonetheless, Usman deserved the victory by any measure. Even had Covington survived the final minute, he would have lost the final round 10-8. Given that Covington has clearly lost round 3, you could at best argue he deserved a draw (47-47). Moreover, Usman caused more damage, breaking Covington's jaw and sucking the life out of him with body shots. 

Volkanovski/Holloway and Aldo/Morases were both bags of fun as well. I felt Aldo did just enough to win the final round and steal the fight - although it was very close. Volkanovski's performance was another surprise. You could make an argument that he won every round. I personally scored rounds 1-3 in his favour, with rounds 4 and 5 being razor tight. Either way, he deserved the nod. His gameplan was near perfect. 

Edited December 15, 2019 by jimufctna24

[wandshogun09]

That might be the show of the year for me. Enjoyed everything on the main card and pretty much all the prelims too. Some great fights, a few highlight reel finishes, a couple of surprises and to top the night off with the most satisfying result in years, yeah, it’s my show of 2019. 

Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington was a quality fight with an even better ending. Think I’ll be an Usman fan forever for this. Beautiful stuff. This whole Covington thing couldn’t have had a better payoff if it was scripted by Bill Watts in the Mid South territory in 1984. Watts would’ve loved Usman as well wouldn’t he? 😉 It really feels like everything with Covington was building to this moment. After all the shit Colby has talked, for him to end up getting his jaw broken really is some poetic justice. Then scurrying away backstage like a dastardly chickenshit heel. 

The fight itself was top notch. Nip and tuck with them trading rounds like everyone expected. I felt like it was probably 2-2 going into the last round. In all honesty I wasn’t sure about the stoppage on first viewing but Usman was winning the round big anyway. There’s no question he was well on his way to securing the decision. Didn’t matter in the end though. 

USMAN! 🇳🇬 

Alexander Volkanovski shocked me. Always rated him but just never fancied him to take that gold off Holloway. Incredible performance, it really was. And the crazy thing is it wasn’t even like it was that close. He won convincingly. Like Jim, I had him up 3-0 going into the ‘championship rounds’. He got it spot on. The constant leg kicks really hindered Holloway’s usually frantic movement, forced him to switch stances and also opened up Volk’s Boxing. He fought a hell of a fight. Bittersweet really because I’m a huge fan of Holloway. But this shakes up the division nicely. Volkanovski is going to be a force to be reckoned with. What a run he’s on.

The Baddest Munchkin On The Planet. 

How interesting is the top of the Featherweight division now? Does Holloway get an immediate rematch? Then there’s Zabit, Zombie, Ortega, Rodriguez. The depth of talent at the top of 145 is insane. And all different and dynamic in their own ways. Another question now is does Frankie Edgar still move down to 135 now? With Volkanovski winning the strap, Frankie might be able to get back in the picture with a strong showing against the Zombie next weekend. That fight just got a bit more interesting. 

Amanda Nunes vs Germaine De Randamie 2 wasn’t close in terms of the score. Nunes won clearly. But I thought De Randamie fought really well. She wasn’t doing enough to win enough of the rounds but she gave a good account for herself and she seemed to have at least one big moment in almost every round. That flurry in the second, the big upkick in the third that hurt Nunes, the triangle attempt in the fourth. She really went for it. She’s now the only woman besides Valentina Shevchenko to take Nunes the distance. Seen mixed comments on this fight. Some loved it, some said it was boring. Didn’t find it boring at all myself. Nunes isn’t going to blow everyone away and I had a feeling GDR might be tougher than many were expecting. In the end though, Nunes’ takedowns and ground work were the deciding factor that ultimately won her the fight. Says a lot about how much GDR has improved though, that a prime Nunes couldn’t finish her this time on the ground. Not Nunes’ best performance but she got it done and stays on the throne. I’m stumped who is next for her now though. At 145 or 135. It’s not who’s next, it’s who’s left? 

Obviously, Claressa Shields was there last night and apparently met with Dana at some point. Could be the perfect time for her to make the jump. Not that I think she’d do much in a MMA fight with Amanda Nunes. But with Nunes running out of contenders, she’ll probably get a nice payday to step in now. And with Nunes looking more human last night, they might be able to spin it and convince people that Nunes isn’t going to just take Shields down and smash her into crumbs. Which she will. I can see it happening just because who else can they put in there with Nunes at this point? 

Marlon Moraes vs Jose Aldo was a cracking fight. That seems to be being overshadowed by debate over the decision unfortunately. I didn’t have a problem with it at all. Had it for Moraes 29-28 with him taking the first and third rounds. Aldo looked really good though, in fairness. I still don’t like the cut to 135 for him. It’s clearly not healthy. But performance-wise he was on point here. Moraes is an animal and Aldo went to war with him and it was close. Just felt like he faded slightly towards the end (possibly because of the hard weight cut) and that made all the difference as Moraes ended stronger. Great fight though. Just not sure about Aldo long term at Bantamweight. 

Henry Cejudo must be disappointed with last night’s results. He had to be hoping for Aldo and Faber to win their fights. Big names like that, at the end of their careers, would’ve been appealing title defences for Cejudo for 2020. Now he’s got Petr Yan in the mix and Moraes back in the game. Tougher fights but not as sellable. I read that Cejudo is saying he wants Aldo next regardless though. Fuck knows? 

Side note - What the fuck was Rogan on about saying Aldo didn’t look drawn and depleted weighing in at 135? Put the bong down for half an hour you old wally. 

Petr Yan vs Urijah Faber went about how I expected. Faber was looking fairly sharp early on, to be fair. He was moving well and landing pretty some nice stuff here and there. Yan was just measuring him up for the kill though and when he upped the aggression in the second round it was all downhill from there for Faber. The big knockdown was the beginning of the end. That was a sweet right-left combo. Then that big elbow that had Faber’s face all badly swollen up. That round was a nightmare for the California Kid. Faber is tough as nails but I had a feeling as he was coming back out for the third that he wasn’t seeing the final buzzer and within less than a minute...

Done. Love watching Yan. Hopefully this win really gets the ball rolling on him catching on as a player in the 135 division. I’ve had a good feeling about him since his UFC debut. He’s badass. I’d love to see him and Marlon Moraes collide. Ideally as a Fight Night headliner over 5 rounds. As for Faber, surely he goes back into retirement now. I still think he could beat a fair few guys but Faber doesn’t strike me as the type to stick around unless he can beat the top guys and I think this loss shows that those days are gone. 

Yan and Cody Garbrandt got into it a bit backstage after the fight. Cody being his usual knucklehead self, I imagine because Yan bashed his Daddy. I’d love to see Yan knock that twat out but Yan’s in the title mix now and Cody...is not. Apparently, Cody is fighting Assunção in March anyway.

Prelims were mostly a lot of fun as well. 

Geoff Neal vs Mike Perry had all the makings of FOTN going in but Neal had other ideas. He wasn’t fucking about. Like Rogan said, he put Perry away in a way nobody else really has. He’s a guy who’s not really had any hype but he’s racking up the wins now and getting that quick first round stoppage over a semi-biggish name like Perry sets him up nicely going into 2020. 

I quite like this Chase Hooper. Saw pictures of him and thought he’d annoy me but he seems nice enough and has a kind of nerdy likability like a young Joe Lauzon. He’s got some skills as well. Just dominated Teymur on the ground. All credit to Teymur for somehow surviving that rear naked choke but you could see it was just a matter of time after that. Hooper could be fun though. Only 20 years old, unbeaten. I hope he got his M&Ms. 

Irene Aldana vs Ketlen Vieira was the surprise of the prelims for me. Aldana has been on a decent run and has always been a scrapper. I feel like she’s a tad underrated. But I thought Vieira’s wrestling and overall box of tricks in the grappling would prove too much. Vieira just stood and traded though. She did land a few big shots but it baffled me why she completely abandoned the grappling. She didn’t even use the threat of the takedown to open up her strikes. Just stood toe to toe. And it obviously backfired. Vieira was coming off a long lay-off but still a great win for Aldana over an undefeated fighter. That left hook just flattened Vieira. 

Omari Akhmedov vs Ian Heinisch was alright. Nothing mind blowing but a decent enough competitive fight. Akhmedov looked pretty solid all-round here. Probably the best overall showing I’ve seen from him so far. Heinisch is a tough guy as well so it was a nice win for the Russian. 

Matt Brown vs Ben Saunders was pretty good. Brown didn’t really look like he was coming off a lay-off. Saunders was a nice matchup for him to return to though. They’re both kind of in the same place in their careers. Saunders was always threatening off his back as usual but you just got the feeling that Brown would get through with something hurtful eventually and it came at the end of the second with that big elbow followed by the swarm. Not convinced Brown hangs with the Top 10-15 at Welterweight but there are some fun fights to be made with him going forward. We have to see Brown vs Mike Perry and/or Niko Price before he retires again. 

Really cool seeing Mark Coleman in Brown’s corner as well. 

Didn’t see most of the Fight Pass prelims but this knockout from Punahele Soriano. Fucking hell...

Piechota’s eyes rolled back and everything. Just a brutal, crushing KO.

Fantastic show.

USMAN! 🇳🇬 

[AdamTH17]

I had to call it a night after Nunes/GDR. I'll try and make the time to watch Usman/Colby and Max/Volk later, although I watched the highlights that BT put up of the main event, and watched with a massive fucking grin the entire time. Fuck off, Colby.

Before getting into the fights, I do want to mention that Joe Rogan's performance last night was amongst the worst I've ever heard from him. It was absolutely mute-worthy on more than one occasion. Saying that Aldo's weight cut went swimmingly, trying to argue that Faber had Yan "STUNNED! HE'S ROCKED!" after connecting with one right hand, the fucking constant "SHE'S THE GOAT!" during Nunes/GDR, bashing the referee for (correctly) standing the women up, and then continuing to bash him for (again, correctly) not standing them up during the final round. His absolute bias during Aldo/Moraes was fucking laughable. I had Moraes winning 29-28, but if Aldo got the same nod, I'd be completely fine with it. It was a close fight where both guys had their moments, however if I'd just listened to the commentary I would've come away thinking Aldo was winning 30-25. It was absolutely pathetic. At one point I literally think he said "Jose Aldo is winning this fight comfortably" despite being in deep water numerous times. He's never been my favourite, but he was utter wank last night.

I was glad Nunes won. I like an upset as much as the next guy, but I've never come close to warming to GDR. I think she just comes across ridiculously smug despite her best win being against a depleted Aspen Ladd. Plus there was the whole Cyborg situation, and her shitty post-buzzer punches against Holm. I thought she looked good on the feet actually, which I think you could see by how much Nunes wanted the fight on the ground. Didn't make for very exciting viewing, but it was intelligent fighting. I actually think Nunes looked really sloppy in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, before catching somewhat of a second wind towards the end. Her takedowns weren't exactly Khabib-esque, her ground work wasn't very effective and she was constantly walking into upkicks. If de Randamie had any type of ground game, she could've had Amanda in trouble, but alas. It seemed to me like she was happy just to avoid getting finished again.

Aldo/Moraes was a great fight. I was really surprised at how well Jose's chin held up, especially after the weight cut, and even moreso when you consider how flush Moraes was landing in the first round. Still not convinced about how Marlon's cardio holds up, mind. I think he expected to get Aldo out of there early on, and when he couldn't do that, Aldo started pushing the pace a lot more, which allowed him to really get back into the fight in the second and third. It was his downfall against Cejudo, so it's certainly an aspect of his game he needs to really tighten up. 

Yan looked equally as impressive against Faber. The speed, and fluency in which he switches between punches and kicks, as well as from the clinch to striking is terrifying. He's so bastard fast that it was always going to be a massive struggle for Urijah to try and keep up. I would've liked to have seen Faber lean into a more wrestling-heavy approach, just to see how Yan would've dealt with that, but maybe after getting the finish against Ricky Simon he fancied himself as the Bantamweight equivalent of Ngannou. 

135lbs is really interesting. With Cejudo still on the shelf (I think?) there's plenty of time to figure out who's next in line for a crack. If it was up to me, I'd do Moraes/Sterling II alongside Yan vs the winner of Cody/Assuncao. I think Sterling has more than earned another crack at Marlon (he's won four on the bounce since) and you also give yourselves the chance to capitalise on the "beef" that kicked off yesterday with Yan and Cody (if Cody avoids getting sparked out again, that is.)

Prelims were really good. Geoff Neal is fucking legit. Perry has been in with some great strikers, but nobody has taken him apart like Neal did. He showed great patience, timing and also power. Aldana knocking out Vieira was a nice surprise, having a female 135lber hit with that power doesn't come around too often. Brandon Moreno looked the business against Fara-France, too. I'm a big fan of Moreno, he deserves a proper step-up next. 

Excellent night of fights.

[neil]

Great card overall, lot of enjoyable fights, particular enjoyed the Yan and Neal victories. Nunes fight was more enjoyable than I thought given that it was pretty obvious that de Randemie had no answer for the takedowns and pretty weak ground skills.

Joe Rogan was fucking annoying during the Aldo/Morares fight. He kept on going on about how Aldo was clearly winning just because Aldo was coming forward. I thought the fight was way closer, and if anything going into the third round was one round a piece. I really can't wait for Rogan to retire from the UFC.

Usman/Covington was great, really close fight. Couldn't have been more thrilled with Usman breaking Covington's jaw. Covington is such an annoying fighter, on the one hand I want to give him props, but he is just _such_ a twat. I was thinking to myself, he's going to just turtle at some point and then complain about an unfair finish. I think the stoppage was decent, but would've like to have seen Usman put a conclusive finish just to shut Covington up.

[Tamura]

3 hours ago, AdamTH17 said:

Before getting into the fights, I do want to mention that Joe Rogan's performance last night was amongst the worst I've ever heard from him. It was absolutely mute-worthy on more than one occasion. Saying that Aldo's weight cut went swimmingly, trying to argue that Faber had Yan "STUNNED! HE'S ROCKED!" after connecting with one right hand, the fucking constant "SHE'S THE GOAT!" during Nunes/GDR, bashing the referee for (correctly) standing the women up, and then continuing to bash him for (again, correctly) not standing them up during the final round. His absolute bias during Aldo/Moraes was fucking laughable. I had Moraes winning 29-28, but if Aldo got the same nod, I'd be completely fine with it. It was a close fight where both guys had their moments, however if I'd just listened to the commentary I would've come away thinking Aldo was winning 30-25. It was absolutely pathetic. At one point I literally think he said "Jose Aldo is winning this fight comfortably" despite being in deep water numerous times. He's never been my favourite, but he was utter wank last night.

He was even worse at the end of Holloway/Volkanovski. After DC had just said he had no idea who won the fight, Rogan leaps in with "I think he did enough, the question is whether or not the judges score it correctly". Obviously "score it correctly" has to be translated as "agree with Joe Rogan"...

Edited December 15, 2019 by Tamura

[AdamTH17]

20 minutes ago, Tamura said:

He was even worse at the end of Holloway/Volkanovski. After DC had just said he had no idea who won the right, Rogan leaps in with "I think he did enough, the question is whether or not the judges score it correctly". Obviously "score it correctly" has to be translated as "agree with Joe Rogan"...

Yeah, I think his worst commentary aspect is that once he gets himself going on a tangent, there's absolute fuck all chance of anyone doing or saying anything to get him off it. Like last night with Faber/Yan, when Urijah caught Yan with a solid right hand, Rogan spent the next two minutes blithering on about Yan looked stunned, looking rocked, being on wobbly legs, looking up at the clock and so forth. When he's got something in his head, he can't help but treat it like it's absolutely nailed on. I thought Cormier did a pretty poor job as well, actually. As an actual fighter with mounds of experiences, he had plenty of opportunities to chip in and try and steer the commentary away from the waffle it was coming out with, but he just spent half the night playing upto Rogan's shitty calls.