UFC 277: Pena vs Nunes 2 - Jul 30 🇺🇸

[Egg Shen]

have you been on the beer Carbomb?

[Carbomb]

13 minutes ago, Egg Shen said:

have you been on the beer Carbomb?

Nope. I just don't trust my luck. It's why I don't bet any more.

[Zebra Kid Mark]

6 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

Yeah we’re all just trying to make sense of it 😂 in the end though, it all makes for a very interesting rematch.

How’s everyone seeing the main card going then? I’m going Nunes by TKO, Moreno by decision, Pantoja by sub and Ankalaev on points, although I’d like to see Smith win. Struggling with the Heavyweight fight but I’ve got a bad feeling Pavlovich might stop Lewis. 

Same as you a part from Anthony Smith is winning by knock out.

[wandshogun09]

All is right with the world again.

Normal service resumes. This is how the first fight should’ve gone. I’ll never call the first fight a fluke. I never did. But I did always feel like it was a one-off case of Pena having the best night of her career on the same night as Nunes had her worst. The timing fell perfectly for Pena. I’ll stand by my thinking that Nunes wasn’t right the first time. I said that from the day after that loss. And watching how this fight played out backed that up. Whether it was the knee injury as she said, complacency, COVID, needing a change in camp. Whatever. She had no business losing to Pena. If she’d lost again last night then no excuse would’ve been good enough. That’s 0-2 and if the loss the first time didn’t light the spark under her then nothing would’ve. It’d have probably been time to call it a day. Thankfully she was up for this and made it right this time. I suspect there’s been a ton of people across social media changing their Pena avatars today ☺️

Couldn’t be more chuffed for Nunes. She’s always seemed a good egg to me and Pena has always been a gobshite twat. I honestly don’t get how anyone could’ve rooted for her over Nunes. She’s a proper dickhead. Not just thick as fuck but there’s a real vile streak there as well. The comments about Nunes faking having COVID were bad enough but she was also spouting about being the first ‘real mother’ to win UFC gold because Nunes didn’t give birth or something. Just no need to be saying shit like that. It’s not cute and it does absolutely fuck all to ‘sell a fight’.

Regardless, Nunes smacked her about and it was fantastic. I didn’t buy Nunes’ claims after the fight that she deliberately took it the distance to prove a point. I’ll give Pena her due for being tough enough to see the final buzzer. But Christ, in a way this was better than a finish for Nunes. She really beat Pena everywhere over 25 minutes. What was it, 5 knockdowns in the first 2 rounds? Controlled the grappling as well. Flummoxed her with the switching southpaw etc. Just outclassed her. And I didn’t think this was Nunes’ best performance. I think she has noticeably lost a step over her last bunch of fights. But it was a clear and dominant win all the same. Very satisfying to watch. Especially after all the shite Pena has talked from before and since the last fight. Again, she deserves credit for hanging in there. But that’s all she did, survive. Couple of decent sub attempts but basically just a complete mauling. 

Moreno vs Kara-France 2 was a good fight, well deserving of FOTN. Two tough little bastards but Moreno is just more battle tested at a higher level. Almost a shame really that it ended when it did. After a decent but unspectacular first couple of rounds, they really turned it up in the third. Kai opened up that big cut under Moreno’s eye and that seemed to light a bit more of a fire under Moreno. Both landed some good shit that round but then Moreno just proved too much animal for him.

Just as it was really heating up, it was over. Kind of felt bad for Kai because before that, it felt like he’d finally started to make a bit of a breakthrough, was having his best round to that point and then in the last minute it all went to shit. The little spinning backfist Moreno clipped Kai with seemed to spring him into action and that body kick just folded him. The commentators were saying it was more of a slap with the foot at first but a kick like that landing in the sweet spot, especially 15 minutes into a hard fight when fatigue’s already setting in, there’s no coming back from that.

Part 4 next then. It still feels like they’re spamming this rivalry away too fast but whatever. If any two guys are gonna fight four times, there’s much worse we could do than Figgy and Moreno. They’ve shared the cage a total of about 62 minutes and there hasn’t been a dull moment yet. I liked their little interaction after the fight. No bullshit trash talking and Moreno’s callout was about respectful as can be but the whole face off still felt like a big deal to me and got the juices flowing. Just imagine how much bigger it would’ve felt if they hadn’t rushed through the first 3 fights in a 13 month span? But whatever. Unless I’m overlooking something obvious, this’ll be the first series in UFC history to go to a fourth fight, won’t it?

Don’t know if anyone caught it but during the Fight Pass prelims, Rogan said something like ‘I think Moreno vs Kara-France is the REAL title fight’, despite the fact the actual champ Figueiredo exists and was in attendance. He said something about he doesn’t think Figgy will fight at Flyweight again as his reasoning. I mean, Fig looked heavy as fuck in the cage with Moreno last night. But Rogan’s obsessed with Figgy’s weight cut. I’m sure it’s no walk in the park but, aside from the first Benavidez fight, he’s never missed weight. He reportedly struggled going into the second Moreno fight but then his last fight with Moreno in January, not only did he make 125, he came in at 124 and looked great over 5 rounds the next night.

Pavlovich vs Lewis was over before it ever got going. It’s a shame that the way it ended is all anyone’s gonna be talking about.

Definitely could’ve been left to go a bit longer. I’m all for referees erring on the side of caution, especially when it comes to huge sods like this who can do some serious damage. But I didn’t feel like the ref gave Lewis much of a chance there. I didn’t have a huge problem with it, it was probably only gonna get worse for the Beast. Pavlovich was fresh and would’ve been able to tee off for a bit longer. I felt like there were a lot of people discounting Sergei’s power going in, and even during the walkouts. Whatever you thought about the stoppage, he clearly had Lewis in trouble. But yeah, it’s a shame that what is Pavlovich’s biggest win to date has been overshadowed by the so called ‘bad stoppage’ that wasn’t even that bad. I think the crying about this one is mostly because it was someone as beloved as Lewis on the receiving end. If the roles were reversed and Lewis got a stoppage win like this, I don’t think there’d have been nearly as much, if any, bellyaching on Sergei’s behalf. Tell you what though, Derrick Lewis needs to stop fighting in Texas. That’s his last 3 losses now (Gane, Tuivasa, Pavlovich) all on home soil.

Rogan again being a cock in the post-fight interview. The crowd’s already booing the shit out of Sergei, for a referee’s decision he had no control over, and then Rogan goes something like ‘your boxing looked great it’s just that the stoppage looked early and I think a lot of people here agree’. What’s that shite? Trying to get the crowd to boo him more and put his little spin on it to downplay the win. Fuck your opinion, roidy hobbit.

Alexandre Pantoja looked fucking incredible running through Alex Perez in 90 seconds.

Vicious little fucker. Perez had been inactive for nearly 2 years, so there’s that. But Pantoja had been out nearly a year himself and he really looked like he hadn’t missed a beat here. In fact, he probably looked better than he has in his whole UFC career. He’s been probably the most overlooked guy in the Flyweight division for a while now for me. He has 2 wins over Moreno, one being a submission on TUF, which is the only time Moreno’s ever been finished. Plus wins over Schnell, Kape and Royval. He’s a problem and this was the statement that he needed to make his case for the title shot. He absolutely deserves it. Problem is, it’s definitely gonna be Figgy vs Moreno 4 next, isn’t it? Pantoja’s best bet now is probably gonna be to just sit and wait and be the ‘official backup’ for that one incase anyone pulls out. I’d be cool with him challenging Figgy now but with Moreno as the interim champ now, they can’t really pass him over. Well, they could but then why even bother with the interim?

Ankalaev had his best showing for a while over one of his toughest opponents so far. I said before I really wasn’t blown away by Ankalaev’s last performance against Thiago Santos. I’m starting to think Ankalaev is one of those fighters who you won’t see the best out of unless he feels threatened in there. Like he shone against Cutelaba but Cutelaba gave him no choice but to unload the heavy artillery. This wasn’t that kind of dogfight but I think Smith posed more problems than 2022 Santos did and whether it was that or it being a 3 rounder and Ankalaev knowing he didn’t have to conserve energy for an extra 2 rounds, I thought he looked good here. Smith probably played into his hands a bit though. Felt like he’d have had more success if he’d tried to make it an ugly slugfest rather than fighting on the outside at a slower pace. Although saying that, he came out faster in the second round and got put away. 

Smith’s since said he broke his leg throwing a kick at the end of the first round. That adds up. You could see him favouring it and it also explains the sudden sense of urgency at the start of the round. Shame to see him go down like that. I think Ankalaev would’ve won anyway but I’d have liked to have seen it play out. Still, it goes down as a finish for Ankalaev, something he’s been missing recently, and his streak continues.

There’s been a bit of talk lately on what’s next in the title picture at 205. They mentioned Ankalaev fighting for the title now and I wouldn’t complain about that. If I had my way though, I’d go with Prochazka vs Teixeira 2 and Ankalaev vs Blachowicz in a #1 contenders fight. I know I usually disagree with immediate rematches but, in the case of Jiri and Glover, I’d like to see that again. The way the first fight played out, with Glover seconds away from winning then getting subbed, plus how awesome it was in general, I’d be happy to see it again. Plus, time is off the essence when it comes to Glover. He’s not getting any younger. Also, Blachowicz’s win over Rakic was via injury. Now Ankalaev’s win over Smith kind of has a similar asterisk. Blachowicz vs Ankalaev would hopefully finally clear things up and a clear contender would emerge. In the meantime, give us Jiri vs Glover 2!

Don’t remember much of Morono vs Semelsberger. Apart from Semelsberger bleeding and almost turning the whole fight upside down with that flying knee in the third round. Too little, too late though.

Drew Dober vs Rafael Alves was a very entertaining fight. Loved it. Dober’s pretty reliable when it comes to delivering exciting scraps and Alves has had his little moments in the past. So this was never gonna be a dud but I didn’t expect to enjoy it quite as much as I did.

🤣

Was cracking up at this. He was losing and that wasn’t gonna help but I don’t care. I was grinning from ear to ear watching that whole exchange at the end of the second round. I’m gonna have to pay more attention to Alves. He also did that weird mini spinaroonie thing in the Ismagulov fight to escape from the grappling. He’s lacking the skills to take him far in the Lightweight division but he does some wacky shite in there and it’s a hoot to watch. Dober just had that bit more about him though when it came down to it.

Ended it with a body shot as well, which is always cool to see the rare times it actually happens in MMA. I wouldn’t be at all against seeing Dober vs Paddy Pimblett next, to be honest. They clearly don’t wanna rush Paddy but Dober would be a logical next step while not being a ridiculous jump in levels. I don’t think you’d find even Paddy’s biggest haters (like me) criticising the matchmaking if he’s paired with someone like Dober next. Fight would be fun as fuck however long it lasts and they’ve both shown vulnerabilities where the other is strongest. Book it.

Hamdy Abdelwahab had a successful UFC debut. Despite the best efforts of one of the judges. Not sure how that guy scored the fight for Don’Tale Mayes but the right man won in the end. Really enjoyed the fight as well actually. Hamdy showed flashes of potential and obviously his wrestling was gonna be on point. At the same time he also looked like a guy who’d only had 5 fights and that second round showed his inexperience. Hands low, chin up in the air and got cracked with some big shots. There were a few times when it could’ve ended very badly for him. He showed toughness and still managed to get through it and impose his game through the third round to get the win. Long way to go and after watching this I’m not hugely optimistic about his future but we’ll see.

Michael Morales continues on his winning streak and strong start to his career.

Stays perfect, 14-0 with 12 finishes. Fugitt made a good fight of it though, in fairness. Asked some questions of Morales and certainly didn’t embarrass himself. Especially considering he stepped in on late notice. I like Morales. He’s not without flaws but he’s still only 22. He’s only gonna improve and fights like this are a good experience builder. Gonna be fun to follow his progression.

That Negumereanu vs Potieria finish was wild. Didn’t really have any expectations going in, although they did both have high finishing rates.

All went downhill for Potieria after that. Those big knees from Negumereanu were fucking nasty! I might be being unfair but I’ve been holding that loss to Saparbek Safarov against Negumereanu for a while now. I just can’t see him as a prospect with that hanging over him. Maybe he had his reasons. I don’t see either of these two going too far in the division but not everyone’s gonna be a contender and that’s fine. 205 could do with all the exciting fighters it can get so I’m fine with these guys slugging it out on undercards for a bit. Negumereanu vs Cutelaba please.

The Orion Cosce vs Blood Diamond curtain jerker was pretty fun as well. German suplexes, spinning backfists and all sorts. Enjoyed it. A definite win for Cosce but Mathetha is fun to watch. Sadly, at 3-2 now and 0-2 in the UFC, it’s not looking good. He switched over to MMA late and clearly wasn’t ready for the UFC but he’s also 34 years old so not like he had bags of time to gain experience on the regional circuit. He almost certainly only got the shot because he’s got friends and teammates in high places. He’s entertaining to watch but he’s just not well rounded enough. He’ll probably get at least one more fight though, especially because Cosce missed weight.

 

Not a great card. There wasn’t that one killer fight to really push it over the top. But the main event was entertaining despite being one sided, co-main was fun with a sweet finish, Pantoja had a killer performance, Ankalaev made a statement, Dober vs Alves was fun. There was a lot to like about it. We don’t really need to see Nunes vs Pena 3, it’s 1-1 but this was a complete mugging. We probably will see it though just because who’s left? Those 135 and 145 divisions are so bare bones. 

Edited July 31, 2022 by wandshogun09

[Carbomb]

Didn't Cain/JDS go to four fights? Could've sworn it did.

Edit: Nope. Think it must've felt like it because Cain fought something like six fights in a row against either JDS or Bigfoot.

Edited August 1, 2022 by Carbomb

[wandshogun09]

Yeah that was 3. No doubt Poirier and McGregor are gonna fight a fourth time as well. I’m guessing Figgy vs Moreno will go down before that though.

Just remembered some of the shite the commentators were spewing about Pena was hilarious. Few highlights…

- Cormier going “Pena has some real power. When she lands…”

Nunes decks her before he can finish the sentence.

- Then Din Thomas had a go. “Pena has that thing, like Charles Oliveira, where she’s getting dropped but she can lay on her back and recover, and they’re not gonna jump on top of her.” Comparing her BJJ off her back to Charles Oliveira’s killed me. They were banging on a few times like Pena had some lethal guard but when’s she ever subbed anyone from her back? The armbar and omaplata attempts in this fight were the first time I can recall her ever threatening with anything from the bottom. 

- DC asking “Why is Amanda so afraid to grapple with her? She’s a black-belt herself” was ridiculous. This was while she was battering her on the feet and had knocked her down a bunch of times. Somehow she’s a coward for that?

- Then you had Rogan wondering out loud whether Nunes would get sick of beating the shite out of Pena and get discouraged. Which she was showing no signs of. Sounded like wishful thinking. 

They were going on like that the whole 25 minutes. Of course, they said good things about Nunes as well because they had to. But they were constantly looking for little glimmers of hope for Pena despite her getting crushed the whole 5 rounds. Even when she’d been decked 3 or 4 times, they just kept going on about Pena having “no quit in her” (which felt like dig at Nunes as well) and speculating on when Nunes was gonna fall to bits. 

They wanted Pena to go 2-0 so bad. 

[Ironic Indie Lad]

I would have bet money on Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson having had 4 fights. I would have lost that money as I just double checked and it was a trilogy.

Cain had at least 15 fights against JDS and Bigfoot I think.

Nunes really had zero respect for Pena's guard at all did she?. She wasn't squaring her hips off so giving away all kinds of angles for arm bars and triangles. I guess she just had the confidence that she could posture right up out of anything Pena threw up at her which turned out to be the case.

They really let Pena get away with hooking under the glove like a gi and using it to help with her many, many failed attempts at omaplata's and sweeps.

I had one of those "what am I doing with my life?" moments in R4 when Nunes grabbed a front headlock and it seemed like she was thinking about rolling for an anaconda. You could see the blood pouring out of Pena's head and then when they cut to a different angle you could see pools of blood around them. For one brief moment I felt embarrassed to be sitting there with no top on and JUST BLEED written on my torso.

 

[Egg Shen]

Yair's wager came in then...

 

 

[wandshogun09]

1 hour ago, Ironic Indie Lad said:

I would have bet money on Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson having had 4 fights. I would have lost that money as I just double checked and it was a trilogy.

Yeah there was some talk at one point of doing a fourth fight in Bellator when Melendez parted ways with the UFC but I think they both ended up just retiring. I was just talking UFC history though. There might’ve been a few 4 fight series in other promotions. I know Pride were actually gonna do Wanderlei vs Sakuraba 4 in 2004, just because they were hell bent on seeing Sakuraba die or something. But Sakuraba pulled out and it became Wandy vs Mark Hunt.

I forgot all about Pena’s glove grabbing as well.

And yeah, Egg. Poor prick was a quivering wreck…

Edited August 1, 2022 by wandshogun09

[Egg Shen]

It really was order restored in that main event. I've seen calls for a trilogy, but that so comprehensive I don't see the point. Pena has to go away and win a couple before she entertains a 3rd. I did get frustrated watching Nunes stay in Pena's guard for the second half, but it became apparent that she was so comfortable there it wasn't an issue.

Derrick Lewis doesn't cope well under the cosh does he? The stoppage was premature but I could see why big Dan stepped in, Lewis dropped to his knees covering up for a split second and gave the impression that he was done. It was quick, but it gave the ref. reason to step in.

I loved the look of big Hamdy on the undercard. There's something there, he's clearly granite tough and packing natural power, but having that wrestling in his back pocket is his ace in the hole. Want to see what he can do with a full camp.

Dober/Alves was a crazy little fight. Got full on Michel Pereira vibes from Alves though, why was he doing somersaults to warm up? what a wally. Still, next time he fights, i'm watching. Drew Dober doesn't get enough love.

Good card this, it was needed after the underwhelming London card.

[Dai]

Pena was outclassed in this one, for sure. Looking at the rankings of this division though, and I think its a no brainer that they do another rematch. Its either that, or Nunes pops off to another division for a while.

Despite the overwhelming Frank Mir vibes that Wandy is sending about Pena, I thought she did OK at certain points in the fight, and is clearly super tough to take Nunes' best shots. At points she was doing OK in the standup, and definately put Nunes' in some squeaky bum moments with some of the sub attempts.

Another general point, I think it would be great if the UFC did the Picture In Picture replay thing that the wrestling shows do. Case in point, Moreno gets sliced up with a nasty elbow, which was hard to make out. 30 seconds later the commentators are talking about it on their iso monitor. They frequently refer to this. Why not do a picture in picture? It could backfire if you end up missing something big, but its probably worth the risk. Gives the UFC an excuse to sell even more advertising, too, as they can plaster a big logo on the split screen, a la WWF 98.

[Egg Shen]

Yeah, interesting point that last one. Ive never seen picture in picture for any kind of live sport really, does it happen? I guess its always best to wait for a break in the action.

 

[wandshogun09]

2 hours ago, Dai said:

Despite the overwhelming Frank Mir vibes that Wandy is sending about Pena

[wandshogun09]

[wandshogun09]

Kai’s body after that kick from Moreno. Not as bad as the mess Cro Cop made of Wandy’s ribs back in the Pride days but it doesn’t look like fun, does it? 

Edited August 2, 2022 by wandshogun09