The MMA thread

[Araxen]

He has 1-3 right, but that's all he got right.

[Grimmlokk]

Other than putting himself at 5 and Rothwell about 4 spots too high(pre-affliction) I don't see what is so ridiculous. What obvious top 10 guy is he missing?

I was honestly just thinking about this and meant to make a post today. I know lists are all stupid and subjective, but I was thinking about what HW's I'd have in my top ten and right now after the top 5 I have no idea.

Fedor, Nog, Barnett, Couture, Arlovski

After that it's a big fustercluck. These are the names I was thinking are possibilities.

Aleks E, Kharitonov, Overeem, Nelson, Rothwell, Sylvia, Cro Cop?, Werdum, maybe Antonio Silva?

Am I missing anyone obvious? Gonzaga can fuck off. 1 good kick does not a contender make. Silva is in the same boat really, plus he just got busted for juicing. So really, 8 names for five spots. I really have no problem with the names on Nelson's list, maybe the order is off a bit, but all lists are subjective and his is no worse than any one that one of us could come up with.


What made me think of it in the first place is the fact that, at best, the UFC has 2 top heavyweights on the roster right now. And that made me think that overall, the HW division is fairly weak all over the world right now. The top 3 are well established, Couture hasn't fought in a year, may never fight again, and even if he does he's 113 years old. Arlovski could revert to mini-Sylvia at any moment. And everyone below that is totally overmatched.

So THAT got me thinking, where's the new blood? Antonio Silva was covered. Rothwell was impressive staying up as long as he did against Arlovski, but he was clearly outclassed. Kharitonov hasn't fought in almost a year and I have no idea WTF is up with him. Been a lot of rumored bouts falling through. Overeem hasn't really been tested yet at HW, he has a long history of gassing at LHW and the hope is that without having to cut 35lbs to make weight he won't tire so easily. He's also got a lot of miles on him for a younger guy. Brett Rogers is one that has me hopeful right now, but again he is completely untested. Everyone else is 30+. I think, no idea how old Aleks is. But he's got the Hep B rumors and the fact that NSAC or whatever guy said he'd never fight in the US.

Who does that leave? A bunch of completely untested guys like Velasquez and Lesnar(who isn't young, but has minimal MMA miles on him) who are really just getting started. Only 3 real reliable top heavyweights in the world?







On the subject of lists: Sherdog put up their list of the Top 5 Fights of the Year, So Far. Not a bad list, but no way in hell should 'Page/Griffin be #1. Swap it down to five and slide everything else up and it looks good. Maybe swap Nog/Sylvia with Torres/Maeda as well.

Anything they missed that should replace the Griffin fight?

[Ameraves Loyalheart]

So Rampage is coming back soon. The charges against him have officially been filed, but I guess that isn't going to stop him from fighting. The only good news with the charges is the lady who had the miscarriage turned out to have nothing to do with the accident.

Rumor right now is he would fight Shogun.
- QUINTON JACKSON LIKELY TO FIGHT AT UFC 91 - MMA WEEKLY - Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more

[homsar]

Couture hasnt fought for over a year so I dont consider him on any list. That top 5 fights this year list is bullshit. Griffin/Jackson fight sucked. I have Maeda/Torres or Hellboy at #1

I have as rankings

1. Fedor
2. Nog
3. Barnett
4. Arlovski
5. Werdum
6. Sylvia
7. Mir
8. Aleks
9. Gonzaga
10. Giant Silva

[Grimmlokk]

Now, see, I see Mir and Gonzaga on your list and now I think you are a buffoon and possibly an oaf as well. I assume by Giant Silva you mean Antonio and not the real Giant Silva, because he is incomparable and it's really not fair to the rest of the division to include him.




And you didn't name a fight to replace the Griffin fight on that top 5 list. 4 of the fights I have no problem with really. But that one shouldn't be there.

[homsar]

Originally Posted by Grimmlokk

Now, see, I see Mir and Gonzaga on your list and now I think you are a buffoon and possibly an oaf as well. I assume by Giant Silva you mean Antonio and not the real Giant Silva, because he is incomparable and it's really not fair to the rest of the division to include him.

What other fighters have done anything to be above them recently??

[Kindnugs]

I know I have seen some non ufc fights that were awsome... I just can't recall what they were. Perhaps it has something to do with me being an alcoholic. I need to start keeping track of this shit. That Griffin fight is a joke. I know I saw at least 10 fights that were better than that shit heap. Only thing that fight had was the hype and people knew who the fighters were. Not even a top 50 probably of all time fights.

Hell I had a better time watching that cuntbag Cyborg whoop some poor bitches ass than the Griffin fight.

And Cyborg is fighting soon! YAYAY! I love that lesbian butch ass!

[Tuco]

Randy vs Lesnar?

[Kindnugs]

Originally Posted by Tuco

Randy vs Lesnar?

Yeah that was an awesome fight. One of the best of the year. I can't believe that match wasn't listed..................................?

[Tuco]

lol, sorry, wasn't referencing your post.

I'm just remarking on a rumor that Randy is going to fight Lesnar.

[Grimmlokk]

Originally Posted by homsar

What other fighters have done anything to be above them recently??

What have they done to be above the other fighters recently? Ohhh Mir beat a kickboxer with no ground game and a guy in his 1st real fight with no BJJ game. AMAZING! And Gonzaga beat the worst fighter in the UFC since they went to weightclasses. OMG!

Like I said, lists are retarded. All of them. So I don't see anything especially bad about Nelson's list compared to any one that most anyone else can come up with.




Article about Randy maybe fighting once more for the UFC as part of a settlement. This year. No mention of Lesnar though. But he would make sense as an opponent. The kind of no-win situation they like to give guys on the way out. If he wins, he beat a newbie. If he loses, well he must have been over-rated anyways!

[huh]

KJ Noons speaks up about EliteXC, ducking Diaz and other shit. Spoiled cause its long

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

The problems between EliteXC and its lightweight champion, K.J. Noons, continue to escalate as the Hawaiian has finally broken his silence regarding numerous statements from company vice president Jared Shaw.

Noons released a statement regarding the situation between himself and Nick Diaz, as well as other problems that have risen between the fighter and the promotion that currently employs him. The statement is published below in its entirety and unedited:

“It is not about being scared to fight Diaz, who I previously defeated, it is about the fight I am currently in with Elite XC regarding my career.

I would first like to address all the false allegations and insults from Jared Shaw, aka $kala, VP of Elite XC. You will see why I am so disgusted of how Elite XC treated me and how it applies to this proposed fight and my career.
$kala says:

Honor my contract. Elite XC wants to talk about honoring the contract. How about when Elite XC honored the contract and my pay to fight Edson Berto went down after I lost my first fight. That was not part of my contract. Or how about the contract Gary Shaw breached by not promoting my boxing career? Gary Shaw only gave me one out of four of the agreed upon fights. I have not boxed for over a year. When I signed with Elite XC, I was promised they would promote both my boxing and MMA careers. I could have signed with another MMA only company, but I wanted to box too.

Elite XC does me a favor after I lose, by putting me on the first ShoXC against Edson Berto? Berto’s father is good friends with Jared’s father, Gary Shaw who wants Berto’s brother on a boxing contract. Berto was the next guy Elite XC wanted to build. But I win that fight and now I am 1-1. Elite XC gives me an opportunity to fight Diaz. Elite XC puts me against Diaz because Elite XC’s roster was so light and there was nobody else to fight him.

Elite XC creates a new weight class for Diaz because he beat Gomi. Giving Diaz a belt and creating a weight division (160) he can make, will make your belt legit. Sorry to ruin Elite XC’s plans and beat him.

Elite XC never promoted or took care of me as their champion.

Examples:

In the Elite XC’s DVD where Diaz and I fought there are two (2) baseball cards of Diaz and Kimbo. Hello! I won the fight and Elite XC’s promoting Diaz after I beat him? Or how about the day Elite XC flew Diaz in to do a signing on the DVD where he lost. Wow, that must have been uncomfortable Nick? Signing a DVD, and it is a fight that you lost. Why wasn’t I flown in for the signing?

Elite XC has never promoted me on either of their websites, EliteXC or Pro-Elite.

Elite XC offered me a fight on the first CBS show, but only if I signed a new long-term contract. Instead of promoting their best fighters on CBS, you have to be on a long term contract for them to promote you. That was not our deal.

Consider when Elite XC gives a couple thousand tickets away at their CBS show in Stockton.

Elite XC gives me a hard time about comping me one extra ticket for my cousin that helped me train for my fight. I only get four tickets per show. I am the main event in Honolulu, my home town! I did not ask for any tickets for my family and friends and they gave me a hard time about one extra ticket!

Or how about when Elite XC brought Diaz into the ring after my last victory in Hawaii to disrespect me and my family.

Chuck Champion (President Elite XC) threatens me, my family and my manager with lawsuits and how he’s going to sue me. HAHA. Pretty hard to sue a guy who does not make jack with your company. I’m glad $kala disclosed how much I make, which breached the confidentiality clause of the contract. I will break down the real numbers for you. I am the defending world champ, I have been the main event for Elite XC three out of four times on Showtime. In almost two years I have made approximately $83,000?

After paying my trainers and managers fee, I have $50,000 thousand. After taxes, probably 30 grand. Divide that by two years for $15,000 thousand a year. Divide by 52 weeks that amounts to approximately $300 a week. I do not know anybody that can survive on that amount of money. My buddies make more money than that in a couple days being a bus boy or bar back. And yes you can argue I should fight more. Elite XC doesn’t give me fights or promote me, they ice me. Gary Shaw Productions only gave me one of the agreed upon four fights per the boxing contract.

And I do not want to ramble on about all the little small stuff that I can keep going on about. But the straw that broke the camel’s back is they want me to fight Diaz for the second time. Diaz is not the number one contender and they are paying Diaz three times more money than me. Diaz complained after the Stockton fight, he was not paid enough. How do you think that made me feel? Yes you can argue that Diaz gets more for the draw, therefore I do not deserve as much compensation. If that is the case, it is a result of Elite XC terrible job promoting me. Instead of promoting me as their champ and upcoming athlete, Elite XC has resented me for ruining their plans to make Diaz their champ. That is just total disrespect. So it comes down to money and what is fair. I am tired of being bent over by Elite XC with no Vaseline.

I am right when I say Diaz is not the number one contender. Elite XC is trying to force this fight for their ratings. Eddie Alaverez is the number one contender and anybody with half a brain knows that a fight with Eddie is a way harder fight for me than Diaz. I will fight Diaz, but Elite has to be fair. I’m not ducking Diaz, why the hell would I be scared of someone I already beat.

With that being said, I am going to focus on my boxing career. I can make more money doing 6 and 8 rounders every other month and make more than I did being the Elite XC defending world champ. At least I will be able to sleep at night and be able to look myself in the mirror everyday. That right there is worth more than $300 bucks a week or fighting a guy I cannot stand for less money than him the second time around.

Will the Diaz fight happen? Yes. Will the fight happen on Elite XC on October 4, 2008, probably not. The way things are being run by Chuck Champion, a guy whose history is newspapers, not fighting, and $kala, someone who talks a lot of game, but has never put on a pair of gloves, never stepped in a ring or cage. $kala has had everything handed to him with a silver spoon from daddy. Does anyone else but me think $kala just wants to be famous and stir up all this dirty laundry? I guess any publicity is good publicity. When I think about it, it has been good promotion for their October card since nobody is talking about it until you bring up the Noons vs. Diaz match up.

Before I end, I would like to thank my team, my trainers and workout partners for helping me prepare for my fights hours every day. I would like to also thank my manager Mark Dion for standing behind my decision making. I want to be a fighter who is not doing whatever I am being told like some kind of mindless puppet.

Thanks for hearing my side.”

[Grimmlokk]

Sounds like they are doing a good job of sticking to the UFC business model. Well, UFC tends to push their champs a bit more even if they are unwanted champs(Matt Serra). But aside from that, yeah.

[Grimmlokk]

Jerome LeBanner is trying to get a fight with Tim Sylvia set up for Affliction.

- LE BANNER VS SYLVIA IN THE WORKS FOR AFFLICTION - MMA WEEKLY - Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more

C'MON HIGH KICK!!!!!!

[Tuco]

lol tim sylvia

BloodyElbow.com Exclusive: Randy Couture is Negotiating a Return to the UFC in November to Fight Brock Lesnar - Bloody Elbow

I've spoken with a lot of people about Randy Couture in the last day. Things are definitely happening.

First, I can say with 100% certainty that there are current negotiations for Randy Couture to return in November to main event, and that the current proposed opponent is Brock Lesnar. They can't get Fedor, too many issues to work out on short notice, and he has a US-only non compete with Affliction.

This will be a new contract, not a return to the old one. It will likely pay him more and give him more benefits, but it will lock him into the UFC for the long term. In exchange for signing it Zuffa would drop all breach of contract charges.

From there, things get hazy. Randy is now training full time as if he is expecting a fight soon, but he still hasn't signed anything as far as I know. As far as the details of the Lesnar fight, I don't know if it's title or non title.

Update: Dave Meltzer is now confirming the story:

A source close to Randy Couture has confirmed today that Couture is in negotiations with UFC for a new three-fight deal which would end the nearly nine month legal battle between the two sides.

If the deal is closed, and the source said they are hoping to conclude negotiations and announce the match sometime within the next week, Couture would face Brock Lesnar on 11/15, most likely in Portland, Oregon.

Couture was said to be hoping that if everything went well, the next two fights could involve Fedor, Nogueira, and/or Chuck Liddell. However, all previous hangups involving Emelianenko and UFC remain.

According to Ariel Helwani at MMA Rated, the UFC is planning to announce this deal on Tuesday if all goes well. He also says the UFC is considering an M-1 proposal to have Randy fight Fedor in his second fight:

Believe it or not, the UFC is also considering a proposal from M-1 Global to co-promote a Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko bout following the Lesnar fight in November. The third proposed fight would be a bout against either current interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira or Chuck Liddell - depending on where both fighters are in their respective careers. However, given the nature of the fight game and the fighters involved, it's hard to predict what will happen that far in advance.

Things are getting very exciting very fast.

edit: Grim, it looks like Randy is finally stopping his ducking of Lesnar after 11 long months ;D

http://www.fohguild.org/forums/sport...nar#post875429