Paid Members Egg Shen Posted March 23, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted March 23, 2022 11 hours ago, Zebra Kid Mark said: The fact the event is being held in front of fans means that despite it having a "weak" card, it's going to be a lot better than most fight nights. my man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted March 26, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted March 26, 2022 Not seen much talk about this card, on here or anywhere else really. Guessing it’s the Blaydes factor but as a whole I think there’s a fair bit to like about the card and plenty worth watching. The Askarov vs Kara-France fight especially stands out, as both an interesting fight and probably having title shot implications. Could easily see the winner challenging whoever comes out of Figgy vs Moreno 4 with the gold. Well, unless we get another draw and go into a fifth fight! Elsewhere you’ve got Brown vs Barberena which should be bananas, Diakiese vs Slava Claus which could be all kinds of fun, I think Wood vs Grasso should be an enjoyable standup affair and, while I’m not expecting a barnburner out of Oleynik vs Latifi, they’re two favourites of mine and I’m oddly intrigued by it. For a Fight Night there’s more than enough to sink the teeth into. And Blaydes vs Daukaus might be better than people think. Famous last words, eh? No doubt someone will quote this last bit when Blaydes smothers his way to a 50-43 snoozer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfogg1991 Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 I've got seriously bad flu and I've got to work tonight doing sound and a club night so I'll be watching this on my laptop and trying to take my mind off the pain and discomfort. It's going to either step up to the challenge of last week's show or it will fall flat and be really underwhelming. The main card is pretty tasty so I'm looking forward to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted March 26, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted March 26, 2022 I wouldn’t go in expecting anything like last week’s card in London. Even if the actual fights turn out better they’re gonna be very unlikely to match the atmosphere that crowd brought. Here’s the final (hopefully) bout order and start times and stuff. Nice early 8pm kick off on Fight Pass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators neil Posted March 26, 2022 Moderators Share Posted March 26, 2022 Got the place to myself this weekend and this is the card I get to watch...christ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted March 26, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted March 26, 2022 Ha. Again, I really think it’s Blaydes making this look worse than it is. And especially because he’s against someone who’s never main evented or done anything of note yet. It’s a 6/10 Fight Night card with a 2/10 main event. If you think this is bad take a look at the Luque vs Muhammad card in April. I just know I’ve gone and jinxed it now after talking it up and they’re all gonna be lifeless duds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Kid Mark Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Latifi is out with a non covid related illness so his fight with Oleinik is now off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members WeeAl Posted March 26, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted March 26, 2022 Never even minding anything else, there are two great looking fights on that main card. That's a fair bit better than a lot of fight nights. Askarov Vs Kara-France and Brown Vs Barbarena have both excellence and barbarity (pun accidental), respectively, written all over them. All being said, I hope it's in the planner as I am already in bed as I type this and I'll be damned if I'm getting up again. Work is coming early enough in the morning as it is with these damn clocks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators neil Posted March 27, 2022 Moderators Share Posted March 27, 2022 9 hours ago, neil said: Got the place to myself this weekend and this is the card I get to watch...christ Was actually a decent show - TwoNeils Review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted March 27, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted March 27, 2022 That was a lot of fun. I said I thought just the fact Curtis Blaydes was headlining this was putting a negative spin on an otherwise pretty good card and I got why that was. We’ve been burnt before with Blaydes headliners. And although I don’t mind Daukaus, he didn’t scream ‘main event’ either. But it turned out alright. Well, unless you’re Daukaus anyway. Blaydes seemed like he was out to prove a point in this one and it was easily the most impressive he’s looked in ages. Probably since he bashed up JDS and Overeem. Thing is, what do you do next with him? The obvious one is a fight with Stipe Miocic after the post-fight callout but could Stipe have looked any less interested in that last night? He was pretty much walking away laughing. The other option that would make sense is Blaydes vs Ciryl Gane. But with Ngannou out most of the year and Jones clearly not about to be fighting anytime soon, I think we’re gonna end up seeing a Miocic vs Gane interim title fight announced imminently. I can see that happening over the summer. So fuck knows where that leaves Blaydes. I’m guessing Aspinall and Tuivasa are about to be paired off as well so unless Blaydes can get a rematch with Derrick Lewis or something, and even that’s not ideal with Lewis coming off a loss, Blaydes best bet in that scenario would probably be to push to be the official backup for Stipe vs Gane and then just hope one of them gets injured. There’s really no other spot for him. Alexa Grasso vs Joanne Wood was an entertaining enough round of action. Gutted for Wood but sadly she’s just not cutting it. She’s just so inconsistent. Even here, I thought she was getting the better of the striking early on but as soon as this happened… I had a feeling the writing was on the wall. Grasso’s never been known for her grappling but I’m never confident whenever Wood’s fighting and it goes to the ground. She’s had her moments with submissions but it’s always been the big weakness in her game. Bit of shite luck there as well with her bouncing off that post but, at this level, if you’re not equipped to hang when it hits the mat you’re gonna keep hitting these roadblocks and we’ve seen it a lot with Wood now. Shame. She’s never in boring fights and she’s likeable as fuck but in terms of her level, she probably hit her ceiling a while back. Still not sure about Grasso but she’s fun to watch. She’s gonna get annihilated whenever she’s inevitably fed to Shevchenko but what can you do? Brown vs Barberena was exactly how you’d picture a fight between those two to look. It’s why everyone was excited when it was originally announced, why everyone was wounded when it got cancelled and why it made all the sense in the world to just reschedule it as soon as possible. What an absolutely barmy scrap. I know it’s only March but this is my #1 for FOTY so far now. The bar has been set. It’ll probably be beaten but I think it’ll remain in the conversation the rest of the year. Incredible. I wasn’t sure Brown had another battle like this in him at 41 years old but here we are. I don’t know how he keeps doing it. Barberena’s had a few himself now as well. Pair of nutters. I know we moan about the Apex shows, I haven’t been as vocal as some about it and I don’t think I’m as bothered about it as a few of you. But I’m so glad this was in front of a crowd. The fact it was Brown’s hometown just added to it. Absolutely fuck them for booing ‘Bam Bam’ after the fight though. I get supporting your guy but that decision really could’ve gone either way, no-one got robbed, and how do you boo Barberena after a war like that? I wish he didn’t pander to them after though. I hate that “you’re booing me but I love you guys” bollocks. This really would’ve been the perfect retirement fight for Brown. A fight like that in his hometown, at 41 you’ve got to think he’s not gonna get a better or more fitting farewell than that. But he’s already saying ‘onto the next one’. Mad bastard. Fuck knows what’s next? A Robbie Lawler rematch maybe? Apparently, this was the last fight on Barberena’s contract and he’s saying he’s just gonna retire if he’s not re-signed. He’s definitely gonna be re-signed though, isn’t he? Coming off a win in a fight like that, consistently in exciting fights, probably not costing them that much. Why wouldn’t they wanna keep him around? The fact he’s even bringing that up when there’s no way they’re not gonna offer him a new deal tells you he’s about done. Unfortunately for us as fans but the way he fights and for the relatively low pay he’s probably getting, I’d rather see him walk away early than too late. I’d hate to see him end up like Spencer Fisher. Really enjoyed Kai Kara-France vs Askar Askarov as well. On most cards that’s your FOTN. I expected a fast paced and competitive one here but I kind of thought Askarov’s wrestling would be the difference maker. KKF really fought his bollocks off though. I really wasn’t sure which way the decision was going at the end. Askarov clearly won the first round, Kai took the second but that third was up in the air and razor close. Didn’t have a problem with the decision at all, although it definitely felt like a fight that could’ve done with another two rounds. I think a few of us touched on it earlier in the thread that we wished this was the main event. Seeing how the fight played out I think that even more now. Good stuff from both though. I love the Flyweight division. Saw Figgy going all matchmaker and tweeting something about defending against KKF now instead of the fourth Moreno fight. And he suggested Moreno vs Pantoja 3. It’s not gonna happen, I doubt they change direction based on what Figgy wants but I’d be all for them switching it up. Like I’ve said a few times, as much as I love both Figgy and Moreno and as great as their series of fights have been so far, I really think it could do with a break. I’m fine with two guys fighting more than the standard 3 times if the circumstances call for it and the challenger is deserving but the same two guys fighting 4 times consecutively is too much. It’s overkill and it’s gonna render what should be one of the greatest rivalries in MMA history into something people are sick of seeing and burnt out on. Diakiese vs Slava Claus looked completely different to how I’d anticipated. I had a feeling the wrestling was gonna be where Slava would eventually come unstuck but this really wasn’t the fight where I expected it to be exposed. Loved him mocking the boos. He’ll probably be getting pelters for being ‘boring’ today and it wasn’t anywhere near as good to watch as I thought it’d be, or as good as it could’ve been had Diakiese fought his usual style. It was the disappointment of the card for me in terms of my expectations vs what was delivered. But I think the timing of this fight dictated a lot of that. Diakiese badly needed a win here and simply took the path of least resistance. Borshchev had nothing for him on the ground. And Diakiese has never been known as an especially strong grappler. Not a good sign for Slav. I never expected him to make it to title level in the UFC anyway but I think his ceiling is gonna be even lower than I thought. Still plenty of fun fights for him but Diakiese completely shut him down here. I think there were moments when he could’ve upped the aggression and maybe even forced a stoppage but he secured the W regardless and can try to build on that now. Even Neil Magny wasn’t boring on this card! His fight with Max Griffin was way better than I thought it would be. Prelims were hit and miss. Few quick points; I think I mentioned Chris Gutierrez vs Danaa Batgerel being a possible sleeper in the opening post and it was a really good little fight. Definitely the highlight of the prelims for me and the spinning shit finish from Gutierrez was sweet… Have it! Elsewhere, it was nice to see Sara McMann back with a win at 41 years old and after a year plus on the shelf. Manon Fiorot continues to stack up wins as well. I don’t see her being the one to dethrone Shevchenko but, honestly, she’s got as good a chance as anyone else and probably a slightly better chance than most just because of her strength, physicality and her striking. I thought the way she dealt with a little brick shithouse like Maia in the clinches and grappling here was pretty encouraging as well. I like her. 9-1 now, has won 9 in a row. She’ll probably be rushed into a title shot before she’s ready just because Val’s burning through challengers faster than they can create new ones but by the time Shev’s defended against Santos and maybe Grasso, Fiorot will have had another one or two fights and maybe, maybe she’ll be able to offer something of a challenge when her time comes. I liked Khizriev from my first proper look at him as well. Strong grappler but not afraid to get stuck into the striking either. Choked Tiuliulin all the way out and then started having a back and forth with Bisping at cageside. Memorable debut. Not bad at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted March 28, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted March 28, 2022 yep, excellent wee main card this! i'll put that down this not being at the Apex though 😉 That's exactly what Blaydes needed. Should give him a boost of confidence going forward too, if he can mix the hands with the takedowns he's gonna be be hard to beat, still young too. Kara-France/Askarov was quality but as talked about prior, this needed to be over 5. Kara-France won, but i never felt like either man proved they were the better fighter. Brown/Barbarena was bonkers. Those two were just made for each other. I love how Brown is all about maximum violence even when hes fucking knackered, constantly looking to do damage. Just have these 2 fight each again in a few months. Good show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted March 28, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted March 28, 2022 21 minutes ago, Egg Shen said: Brown/Barbarena was bonkers. Those two were just made for each other. I love how Brown is all about maximum violence even when hes fucking knackered, constantly looking to do damage. Just have these 2 fight each again in a few months. Brown wants it. Sod it, I’d have it headline a Fight Night. Imagine 5 rounds of that madness? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted March 29, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted March 29, 2022 wasnt mentioned here, how about Neil Magny's piledriver of sorts... Magny was quality on Saturday night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 29, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted March 29, 2022 Pretty much a cradle piledriver, with the hook through the legs. Only thing missing was the drop with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted March 29, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted March 29, 2022 I might be biased because I was in attendance but Nate Marquardt did it better at UFC 85 back in 2008. Although technically, aren’t both illegal, them spiking the opponent like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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