UFC 248: Adesanya vs Romero - Mar 7 🇺🇸

[jimufctna24]

12 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

You keeping up with it as well?

I don't normally follow weigh-ins, but I thought I would check to see if Romero had made weight. 

As I write this, only Romero and Whitmire haven't weighed in.

[wandshogun09]

1 minute ago, jimufctna24 said:

I don't normally follow weigh-ins, but I thought I would check to see if Romero had made weight. 

Same. There are some fighters who you just have to check the weigh ins for. Romero, Lineker, Rumble etc.

For what it’s worth, Adesanya is calling a weight miss...

[Guy Bifkin]

Yoel by knock out for me!

Edited March 6, 2020 by Guy Bifkin

[Scott Malbranque]

That mang looks even more terrifying with the Chev Chelios hairdo.
I'm genuinely stumped as to how this fight plays out though, and I think I'm the only one pulling for Joanna (something.gif) in the co-main.

[jimufctna24]

Yoel made weight!

[wandshogun09]

[WeeAl]

Delighted! That clip Guy put up is peak Yoel. That's him at his glorious best. He said on embedded this week that he wants to beat Bernard Hopkins and still be fighting past the age Hopkins retired at. If he says that's what he wants to do, I'll not be doubting him!

[Egg Shen]

the guy's been a quote machine this week, brilliant stuff

[Guy Bifkin]

2 hours ago, Egg Shen said:

guy's been a quote machine this week, brilliant stuff

Cheers Bruv.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Okay, now I can get hyped! Watching all the YouTube videos I can and I'll probably head to Fight Pass later to sink some full fights (really, any excuse to watch Romero vs. Whittaker II and Adesanya vs. Gastelum again).

Nobody catch a virus or trip on a cable between now and tomorrow.

[Egg Shen]

Rumors flying about, which appears to be standard for a big fight.

The Israel staph infection thing is the big one. It's clearly visible on his arm and he says it been fully checked out, but it doesn't look great.

https://www.lowkickmma.com/does-israel-adesanya-have-a-staph-infection-ahead-of-ufc-248-photo/?amp&__twitter_impression=true

Edited March 7, 2020 by Egg Shen

[wandshogun09]

The day has arrived then. Must admit I’ve been bricking it throughout pretty much the whole buildup to this show that something was going to cock one or both of the two title fights up. Either injury or Coronavirus or someone missing weight. Something. Yoel had me worried yesterday taking so long to get his arse on the scale. We got there in the end though. And I’m fucking erect for this now.

 

Israel Adesanya vs Yoel Romero - Absolutely buzzing. Especially after watching that weigh in face-off. Even when Rogan was standing there waiting to get a word, they just stood there not breaking eye contact. No doubt Rogan soiled himself. He loves stuff like that. It might be just me but there’s something different about Yoel coming into this fight for me. He just seems a little bit more serious and, dare I say, sinister. He’s had the look about him like he’s about to murder someone all week. He’s still been Yoel, he’s always fun with the media and stuff, but I don’t know. He just seems more menacing for some reason. Guess it’s just the knowledge that this is probably his last shot at the belt. I know he’s been on about fighting into his 50s but, realistically, he knows the clock is ticking. Adesanya is his usual self. I love everything about this fight. They’re completely different in fighting styles and personalities and it’s been fun to watch.

Fuck it, Romero by KO/TKO for me. Ever since the fight was announced I’ve thought Adesanya probably wins but whether it’s heart over head or what, I’ve got a gut feeling about it. Yoel most likely won’t be winning the rounds. He’ll not outpoint Izzy over 5 rounds. There’s usually not a whole lot of output and volume to Yoel’s game. And Adesanya is the better technical striker anyway. But Izzy has also shown a willingness to take risks and play around in the danger zone in the heat of battle. It’s how Gastelum was able to hurt him in their fight. And even as good as Adesanya looked against Whittaker, even during the finishing flurry his chin was straight up in the air and he barely avoided Whittaker’s punch before countering with his own. Credit goes to him for that obviously but he was playing a risky game. That fight was a cunt hair away from being his Silva vs Weidman moment and the next day, instead of heaping praise on him, everyone would’ve been shitting on him for having his hands down, not taking it seriously etc. It’s part of what makes him such an exciting fighter to watch but it also leaves him vulnerable. He’s got away with it up until now but he’s not immune to getting clipped. I get that I’m basing this prediction mostly on wishful thinking and a puncher’s chance. Ordinarily I probably wouldn’t but freaky shit tends to happen when Yoel fights and I’ve just got a feeling he catches Adesanya at some point. It’s basically Fury vs Wilder in MMA though. Adesanya could definitely outclass him. I’d be interested to see if Yoel goes the wrestling route if he starts getting a hiding on the feet. Going on his past fights, probably not, but it’s always in the back pocket if he needs it. I’ve waffled on long enough. It’s a brilliant fight whatever happens.

 

Zhang Weili vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk - Another very intriguing one. A lot more of an interesting fight than it’s being given credit for, to be honest. I’m still seeing the overwhelming majority of fans seem to think this is an easy night’s work for Zhang. Still baffles me. Fair enough if you think she’ll win. She might well do, I don’t think that’s an outrageous prediction. But the amount of times I’ve read this week that Joanna is just going to get steamrolled is ridiculous. I like Zhang a lot but the hype on her is getting a little bit silly. There are still people being sensible. I saw Jack Slack tweeted this yesterday;

And he’s right. It’s not to say Zhang isn’t legit. There is a middle ground. Opinions have to be so extreme on Twitter so if you say you think Zhang is getting a bit overhyped, you’re saying she’s shite. Not the case at all. But fucking hell, a lot of people have fallen in love with her based on 42 seconds against Jessica Andrade. And it is the Andrade fight because I don’t recall many even talking about Zhang before that, much less predicting big things. Now she’s unstoppable. I think a big part of it is also that a lot of people hate Joanna. Just because you don’t like a fighter though, doesn’t mean they’re a bum. I can’t stand Conor McGregor, Colby Covington or Henry Cejudo. They’re elite fighters though, whether l like it or not. Whatever you think of Joanna, and even though she’s lost a step since the Thug Rose losses, it’s hard to argue that she’s not the best fighter Zhang will have come up against to date. Joanna is a higher level than Andrade and a trickier style.

I’ve gone back and forth on this but I’ll go Jedrzejczyk by Decision. I wouldn’t be shocked if Zhang wins but I don’t think it’ll be anywhere near as easy as most are making out. I think a lot of questions will be asked of Zhang in this one. This is the fight where we really find out what she’s all about. Yeah, she’s on a long streak but most of those wins were unknowns. If Joanna fought the same fighters she’d almost certainly be on a 20 fight win streak as well. It’s easy to go ‘Joanna lost 3 of her last 5 LOL’ but Joanna was also operating on a much higher level than Zhang. You can’t just go purely on Ws and Ls. You have to look at who they’ve fought. In her last 5, Zhang has fought Andrade, Tecia Torres, Jessica Aguilar, Danielle Taylor and some fucker called Bianca Sattlemayer who doesn’t even have a Wiki page. In Joanna’s last 5, she fought Michelle Waterson, Valentina Shevchenko (and went up a division to do so), Tecia Torres and Rose Namajunas twice. And if we’re going solely by numbers on records Joanna went 30-3 in Kickboxing and 37-3 in Muay Thai. Zhang went 2-2 in her Kickboxing career. I liked what I saw with Joanna at the weigh in too. She’s been a bit cringey in the trash talk going in, she often comes across like that, but she looked really relaxed and cool at the weigh in, seems to have had a good weight cut as well. Plus she’s gone 5 rounds a bunch of times, including her last fight in October. Zhang’s never done more than 3 rounds. Like I said, I rate Zhang. She’s a tank. There’s still a few questions on her though for me. 
 

Beneil Dariush vs Drakkar Klose - This will get slept on and I get why because they’re both usually ‘prelim4life’. But it’s a really good fight on paper. Dariush is a BJJ guy, a slick grappler. He doesn’t shy away from the striking either though. He’s won his last 3, subbed his last 2. I’ve seen less of Klose but he’s a scrappy fighter and has beat some solid opposition. His last fight with Christos Giagos on the UFC 241 prelims was tremendous. Proper hidden gem from 2019. He’s also coming off 3 wins.

Klose by Decision. Pains me to say that because I like Dariush and Klose comes off as a bit of a helmet. But I think he gets it done here. Love to see Dariush strangle him though.

Neil Magny vs Li Jingliang - Don’t know what to make of this one really. Magny’s been gone 2 years on a USADA suspension so who knows how he’ll look? And Jingliang is a guy I’ve never taken that much notice of.

Magny by Decision. Not sure at all but Magny has wins over Gastelum, Hendricks and Condit. Granted, in hindsight he might’ve been juicing but he’s shown a few times that he’s got skills to hang at a decently high level. Jingliang has obviously been more active of late, and he’s looked good in his last couple of fights. But unless Magny has really fallen off a cliff since getting popped, I think he can knock the rust off and grind out a win here. He’s the better fighter, just not sure what we’re getting after the layoff. 
 

Alex Oliveira vs Max Griffin - Decent main card opener, this. Cowboy Oliveira doesn’t really do dull. There’s always something to talk about and he’s had some really wild fights and big finishes over the years. He’s lost 3 in a row though so this is a must win for him. Griffin has also lost 3 of his last 4. I loved his undercard fight with Thiago Alves sometime last year. It’s not looking good for these guys results-wise though, is it? Suppose it’s a bit of a curious choice to open the PPV with going off both their recent form but it should be lively at least, so that’ll be why it’s here.

Erm, Oliveira by Submission. Bit of a shot in the dark.

 

Don’t usually go into detail on the prelims but there are a few fights I want to touch on here. 

Sean O’Malley vs Jose Alberto Quinonez - We haven’t seen O’Malley in forever. Injuries and USADA suspensions have kept him on the sidelines. So you never really know how a fighter will look after a lengthy time out. He hasn’t fought since March 2018. All that said, he’s only 25 years old. For a young fighter, the layoff might actually have helped because a young fighter will generally learn faster and fighters usually say that it’s when you’re training for fun and not a specific fight that you really pick up new skills and make gains in your progress. For a guy like O’Malley, as much as he’d have preferred being an active fighter, being free between ages 23-25 to just train and get better was probably hugely beneficial to him. 

O’Malley by KO/TKO. Unless he’s just sat about smoking weed (decent chance of that, to be fair) and/or is mega rusty, I don’t see him having too much bother here. Quinonez is a bit of a scrapper but on paper he’s probably the perfect comeback opponent for Suga Sean.

 

Mark Madsen vs Austin Hubbard - Like the above, this should be a showcase. Madsen has all the ingredients to be a real player in the 155 division. He’s 35 now so he wants to be getting a move on but he’s an Olympic silver medalist wrestler, and 9-0 with 6 finishes so far in MMA. He looked a beast in his UFC debut in September. Totally squashed his opponent in about a minute in front of his home crowd in Copenhagen. He looked a star that night. 

So yeah, Madsen by KO/TKO. Can’t see him having much hassle taking Old Mother Hubbard down and once he’s got him down I think that’ll be a wrap. I’m hoping Madsen can progress fairly quickly up the Lightweight ranks. Whether Khabib is still the champ by then or not, it’d be interesting to see how an Olympic wrestler like Madsen would match up with him. Long way to go though, obviously.

 

Rodolfo Vieira vs Saparbek Safarov - Another one that, by all rights, should be a squash but I’m not against a few of them on the undercards. Vieira is a grappling gorilla. 4 time BJJ world champion, black-belt, 6-0 with 6 finishes in MMA. He’s someone we should definitely keep an eye on in 2020. 

Surprise, surprise, I’m having Vieira by Submission. Safarov is a nutcase. He’s tough as fuck but not particularly skilled. There’s always a chance he clips Vieira but I think his aggression will play right into the Brazilian’s hands and he’ll take him down and work his magic. Can’t see Safarov surviving very long down there. 

 

Full predictions;

Yoel Romero by KO/TKO.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk by Decision.

Drakkar Klose by Decision.

Neil Magny by Decision.

Alex Oliveira by Submission.

Sean O’Malley by KO/TKO.

Mark Madsen by KO/TKO.

Rodolfo Vieira by Submission.

Gerald Meerschaert by Decision.

Polyana Viana by Decision.

Giga Chikadze by Decision.

Guido Cannetti by KO/TKO.

 

Come on Yoel. 

Edited March 7, 2020 by wandshogun09

[Carbomb]

"Old Mother Hubbard" 😂

This is a beast of a card. I never stay up till the early morn these days, but I'm going to make the fuck sure I record this. 

[Egg Shen]

The ESPN prelims all have a major prospects involved, this is gonna be a fun night. 

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Well, I'll be damned. The highs and lows of MMA, perfectly encapsulated in those two main events.

Joanna vs. Zhang was easily the best fight in women's MMA history, or if we have to split hairs, UFC history, in case there's some crazy promotion in Asia that had a barnburner that I'm not aware of. But that was about as good as it gets in the Octagon, regardless of gender. Non-stop action, evenly matched, great technique, both challenger and champion in top form. Joanna had volume, and I thought she may have edged the fight on sheer numbers, but when your face looks like this:

 

Yeah, I can see why the nod went to the defending champ. Zhang had power, but she also had incredible heart. Based on some of her comments about Joanna being "the past", I thought maybe she was too overconfident and would leave herself open to something, but the technique and respect for her opponent was there. An incredible fight.

Now... Stylebender vs. Romero. I've commented before about fights being different in practice than on paper, but that usually applies to cards/fights that look shitty and then knock it out of the park. This was a rare case of the opposite. Who could have expected a 5 round fight between Adesanya and Romero to suck? The flashy techniques of Izzy meets the otherwordly power of Yoel. We know Romero likes to hang back and wait for his moment... look at his win over Rockhold, fuck all happened there until the huge knockout. But his moment never came in this one. Adesanya's performance was very surprising, given how willing he was to throw caution to the wind and firefight against Gastelum and Whittaker. I get being tentative, respecting the power of your opponent, but that hasn't been Izzy's MO up until now. It was always going to be hard to follow a war like Joanna vs. Zhang, but both men didn't seem up for it. I thought it may eventually warm up, but two of the most exciting fighters in the UFC spent about 22 of 25 minutes basically staring at each other in the cage.

And then Romero's bizarre post-fight interview, ranting about how the people paid for a fight, not running. Adesanya evaded a bit, but there were plenty of stretches where they just stood in front of each other. Both were just as guilty as each other as far as the level of action in the fight. Like I said, I get being tentative and respectful, but to avoid fighting to that extent... almost makes you wonder why they signed a fight contract in the first place. Especially when Adesanya made all this noise about fighting the guy everyone's afraid of, needing to do that for his legacy. Sure, he walks away with the victory, but outside of having that in the record books, I don't see this fight as being a positive part of Adesanya's legacy.

EDIT: Listening to the post-fight press conference right now, Romero is still putting all the blame on Izzy. Saying "I can't fight a ghost", "Israel disrespected the UFC and the fans" and "I forgot his African people were great runners". Damn. I like Yoel generally, but his stance on this is near delusional.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Shane O' Mac Version 2