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Mekchu
Apr 10, 2012

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS
Previous thread is here.


June Events & Dates
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai - June 5, 2021
UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2 - June 12, 2021
UFC on ESPN: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige - June 19, 2021
UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov - June 26, 2021


Current Champions
Men's Heavyweight Champion - Francis Ngannou (16-3)
Men's Light Heavyweight Champion - Jan Blachowicz (28-8)
Men’s Middleweight Champion - Israel Adesanya (20-1)
Men's Welterweight Champion - Kamaru Usman (19-1)
Men's Lightweight Champion - Charles Oliveira (31-8-1)
Men's Featherweight Champion - Alexander Volkanovski (22-1)
Men’s Bantamweight Champion - Aljamain Sterling (20-3)
Men's Flyweight Champion - Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1-1)
Women's Featherweight Champion - Amanda Nunes (21-4)
Women's Bantamweight Champion - Amanda Nunes (21-4)
Women’s Flyweight Champion - Valentina Shevchenko (20-3)
Women's Strawweight Champion - Rose Namajunas (11-4)


Other Things to Check Out

MMA is not solely restricted to UFC but it is pretty much guaranteed that the UFC will more often than not put on fun cards. There’s a bunch of B, C, and Z tier MMA organizations which you can chat about over at the B-League MMA: Grand Prixs and Untested Pee thread.

We have the Let's Watch: Random Old MMA Events! Thread thread which has been great to read about/relive events through other people’s eyes and worth getting in on yourself if you like writing.

We also are always looking for nominations for the 2020 Best & Worst of MMA awards.

Finally, shout out to DumbWhiteGuy for providing details for the MMA IRC channel.

irc.synirc.net #mma

Join your fellow MMA fans in discussing all things MMA in a place probably secure against nuclear armageddon - IRC has been around for so long I'm not convinced anything could kill it.

There is also the MMA Goons Discord if you no longer use IRC because you are living in the 21st century.

:siren: Please Note: this is not an official Fight Island discord, and is just some of us hanging around to chat and such. :siren:

Link - https://discord.gg/SkR8ZeC

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Mekchu
Apr 10, 2012

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS
May Recap
Man, May was a pretty busy month with fights, and as a whole not terrible but man they need to do a better job making the cards seem more interesting. As mentioned last month, Jiri Prochazka murdered Dominick Reyes and that was about it for the first card UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs Prochazka.

The following week was a card that basically fell apart and was the second time in the pandemic the UFC called on the Karate Hottie Michelle Waterson to be in the main event because the original main event fell apart. Watterson faced Marina Rodriguez who took the decision win and put herself somewhere in line to face Rose Namajunas eventually. The battle of the Neil/Neal debate was settled when Neil Magny defeated Geoff Neal via decision, and that was about all that was worth talking about for UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs Watterson.

The next week UFC hosted a good PPV with UFC 262 which was a great card overall. Edson Barboza got a pretty weirdly delayed KO win over Shane Burgos to kick the card off. Katlyn Chookagian defeated Viviane Araujo in a slightly boring bout. Match Schnell lost to Rogerio Bontorin in a sorta fun fight from what I can remember. In the co-main, Beneil Dariush put on a great wrestling clinic and essentially solidified himself as a top contender in the Lightweight division with a decision victory over Tony Ferguson. And finally, Charles Oliveira shattered the premature victory party the Chandler family were going to have by TKO’ng Michael Chandler to win the vacant lightweight title. Just a few seconds prior however, we were all sure Chandler was going to take the strap home so that just goes to show you not to assume you know how MMA works.

Finally the UFC held the last event for May with UFC Fight Night: Font vs Garbrandt.This was a pretty good card for an ESPN+ one. First up was Jack Hermansson beat Edmen Shahbazyan. Carla Esparza got a TKO win, which is shocking given she’s not really a finisher, over Yan Xiaonan. Finally in the main event, Rob Font jabbed Cody Garbrandt to a decision thus derailing No Love’s attempt at getting another title shot.



UFC events in June
So as you can tell, we’re almost halfway into June because I’ve been lazy.

First up in the month was UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Sakai which was decent. Mainly I’ll skip the main event because Rozenstruik got the expected KO over Sakai we were all assuming he would. Marcin Tybura KO’d Walt Harris, which is just….yeah poor Walt Harris. Seriously. Montana De La Rosa also got a solid TKO win over Ariane Lipski and given the fact that Flyweight is rather bleak, who knows. Maybe she’ll be fed to Shevchenko next.

Then there will be UFC 263. This is decent as a PPV card with two title fights scheduled. First in the main event is the Middleweight Championship up for grabs as champion Israel Adesanya takes on Marvin Vettori. Also we get the Flyweight Championship rematch between Deiveson Figueredo and Brandon Moreno, as their last match went to a draw. Also on the card is Leon Edwards going up against Nate Diaz, probably will win and then ask for a title shot and get told no. On top of all of that, we have Demian Maia taking on Belal Muhammad which, yeah I’m down with.

One week later is UFC on ESPN: The Korean Zombie vs Ige which could also be a fun card. First off, Dhiego Lima is expected to take on Matt Brown which is extremely my poo poo. Marlon Vera returns to take on Davey Grant. In the co-main event we have Aleksei Oleinik taking on Sergey Spivak in a Heavyweight tilt. Finally in the main event is ChanSung Jung taking on Dan Ige which, yeah also is extremely my poo poo. This is a sleeper card if you aren’t super busy this weekend, watch it. It’ll be a good barn burner.

Finally the last event for June is UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Volkov. I’m not super keen on this card but here’s what’s going on. In the main event is Heavyweights Ciryl Gane fighting Alexander Volkov. The expected co-main event is Tim Elliott taking on Su Mudaerji. Also on the card is OSP taking on Maxim Grishin and then after that? Nothing super interesting.

Just watch the Korean Zombie and PPV cards this moth.



Current Champions


Men's Heavyweight Champion - Frances Ngannou (16-3)
Making an impactful debut in 2015, Francis Ngannou quickly rose to a top contender status amongst the dearth of talent that is Heavyweight. He became known not only for having a high percentage of finishes, but in the viciousness in which he was able to KO/TKO his opponents. His KO of Overeem will forever remain a highlight reel moment in UFC history. After amassing an impressive run, Ngannou was paired with Stipe Miocic for the latter’s UFC Heavyweight title. The undersized and underrated Miocic made Ngannou look like a completely different fighter outwrestling his opponent into exhaustion shutting down Ngannous impressive power. This was Ngannous first loss in the UFC and was then followed up by an utterly bizarre performance against Derrick Lewis which saw Ngannou seemingly do a 180 flip on his vicious aggressive style to a timid and gunshy fighter en route to a Lewis victory. After that fight Ngannou then amassed a winning streak earning his way back to the title via impressive wins, seemingly returning to his tried and true ways. With the rematch with Miocic booked, Ngannou was able to secure victory and become UFC Champion. The next fighter for Ngannou is unknown but good ole Jonny Bones Jones is yapping on Twitter for a fight which means it’ll 100% not be Jones who is next for The Predator.


Men's Light Heavyweight Champion - Jan Blachowicz (28-8)
Poland’s Jan Blachowicz pre-UFC career was mainly a string of beating up European MMA fighters until being called up to the UFC. Things didn't go well for Blachowicz losing 4 of his first 6 fights in the promotion. Eventually though he found his groove and would string together wins and even avenging a few of his early losses in the UFC in rematches. It was when he fought and lost to Thiago Santos that things seemed to have changed. Blachowicz admitted the loss made him better and more focused on his fight game. He was relatively not a top end contender when the UFC matched him against the former UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold. The viciousness of Rockhold’s KO loss that night sent the clear message that Jan was not to be overlooked and thanks to a pair more wins that immediately followed, he was clearly a top challenger for the UFC Light Heavyweight championship. When Jon Jones vacated the belt the UFC put Dominick Reyes and Jan against one another to determine the new champion. Many assumed Reyes, who arguably won against Jones in his last outing, would simply claim the vacant belt. Much like the Rockhold fight, Jan’s power and focus made it abundantly clear that he was not to be anyone’s stepping stone. The first test for Jan was Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya which, mostly, was a Jan affair thanks to him learning to use his size more effectively than Adesanya could use his precision and speed. It was a solid test but LHW remains really devoid of viable contenders after the division was summarily cleaned out.



Men’s Middleweight Champion - Israel Adesanya (20-1)
A native of Nigeria, New Zealand’s Adesanya started his career not with MMA but with kickboxing and amassed a significant record of bouts throughout Asia and Australasia. Adesanya even made an appearance in Glory Kickboxing before moving to MMA full time. Debuting as an undefeated fighter, Adesanya simply kept collecting “scalps” (as he puts it) until he was facing off against the Middleweight Division’s best. With wins over Derek Brunson and Anderson Silva within his first year in the UFC, the brass decided he and Kelvin Gastelum would face off for the Interim Middleweight Championship. This was arguably the best fight of 2019, if not the best Round of the Year. With the Interim Belt to his name, he was set to face fellow Kiwi, but Australian based, Robert Whittaker in a showdown. Fittingly in the same arena that Adesanya was in the nosebleeds to see Holm KO Rousey, Adesanya KO’d Whittaker and took the Undisputed Middleweight Championship home. In his first defense Adesanya did not waste time aiming to clear out the division and fought against Yoel Romero. While this fight arguably was lackluster, it was clear that Romero’s prowess for chaos was at least stifled by Adesanya’s awareness and ability to not get caught. Next Adesanya defended his title against a fellow undefeated Middleweight in the form of Paulo Costa. Many believed this would be at least a greater test for Adesanya than before and yet Adesanya put on a picture perfect performance with a 2nd round TKO win. Adesanya then was booked to move up to 205 lbs to fight Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz. The undersized fighter did not emerge victorious and become a two division champion though as Adesanya was mostly held down or stifled in the clinch by Jan’s size and strength advantage. That said, Adesanya did show why he was a top talent, and this lone blemish on his record is not too concerning at present.


Men's Welterweight Champion - Kamaru Usman (19-1)
Debuting in 2015 with The Ultimate Fighter: Blackzilians vs American Top Team, Kamaru Usman quickly showed his belief in his own self and mental toughness was a trait you could easily identify about him. Following the TUF finale, which Usman won, he would then go on to amass more and more wins against the Welterweight division’s top fighters. However Usman’s performances weren’t as eye-catching as others in the division, and yet he was there easily dispatching his opponents. Following wins over Demian Maia and Rafael Dos Anjos, Usman served as a replacement for Colby Covington against Tyron Woodley for Woodley’s Welterweight Championship. This would be Usman’s standout performance of his career, easily controlling and just beating up Woodley for all 5 rounds to earn a lopsided decision. Next Usman was put up against Colby Covington who had already begun a campaign to challenge for the belt. Usman again put on a fantastic performance and shut Covington up by breaking his jaw. He was then expected to face fellow teammate Gilbert Burns but Burns contracted COVID19 and a last minute replacement of Jorge Masvidal was chosen. Again, Usman’s hard work and ability to grind his opponents down served him yet another victory. Usman then fought, and dominated, Gilbert Burns in a phenomenal showing. Usman then rematched Jorge Masvidal, who claimed he only lost their first fight due to having to cut weight, and KO’d him spectacularly inside of two rounds. It was then announced Usman would rematch Colby Covington because somehow he is the only other reasonable title challenger at the moment.


Men's Lightweight Champion - Charles Oliveira (31-8-1)
After the mystique of Conor McGregor was destroyed by Khabib, The Eagle retired from the UFC just two fights later thus vacating the title. Common logic just pointed to Conor getting an immediate title opportunity, but instead the UFC opted to pair newly signed Michael Chandler, and longtime UFC veteran Charles Oliveira. Do Bronx has had one of the longest paths from UFC debut to UFC title shot and was paired with someone who had one of the shortest paths to their first title opportunity. The fight was a pretty great one, with Chandler being just seconds from a victory, only for Do Bronx to put Iron Mike away via TKO just a few seconds into the second round. With Oliveira in the Champions seat, Lightweight looks rich for contenders and Oliveira being a worthy champ only helps solidify the notion that the Lightweight division remains one of the UFC’s best.




Men's Featherweight Champion - Alexander Volkanovski (22-1)
A former rugby player who pushed 200 lbs, Alexander Volkanovski’s athleticism has been a key factor in his UFC run. The Australian native entered the UFC with a 14-1 record and, much like his fellow champions on this list, just kept winning until he was facing off against former title challengers in the form of Chad Mendes, who he TKO’d, or former champions like Jose Aldo, who he beat via decision. With his winning ways he then saw himself across the Octagon from UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway. In a 5 round tactical battle, Volkanovski earned the upset win and dethroned the surging Holloway who had been undefeated at 145 for a good while. It was only fitting that Volkanovski then gave Holloway a chance to win the belt back and the 2nd fight was just as exciting as the first. Suffering an early knockdown, Volkanovski was able to recover and eventually work out another decision victory, setting Holloway off the Featherweight mountain for the foreseeable future. Volkanovski is currently filming the newest season of TUF against Brian Ortega who is his next title challenger.



Men’s Bantamweight Champion - Aljamain Sterling (20-3)
A product of Matt Serra & Ray Longo, Sterling made his UFC debut in 2014. Early on, Sterling looked like a decent young prospect at Bantamweight and did well against his opponents. This path led him to fights with Bryan Caraway and Raphael Assuncao which were his first two ever losses, which oddly happened back to back. Sterling reworked his gameplan and continued to amassing a winning record before being dropped by Marlon Moraes thus derailing his momentum momentarily. With a return, Sterling then again amassed a winning streak and put himself back in title contention despite the two runs of setbacks. Earning the nod to get a title shot at Petr Yan, Sterling entered UFC 259 as an underdog of sorts thanks to Yan’s impressive performances. However mid-fight Sterling took an illegal knee that resulted in a DQ loss for Yan, meaning the UFC belt changed hands and Sterling became the new UFC Bantamweight champion. He is also the only person ever to win the belt in any division via DQ, a dubious honor to hold. Sterling is likely to face Yan next in a rematch though there’s been reports that Sterling is saying Yan needs to not be given a “reward” with a rematch. So who loving knows.


Men's Flyweight Champion - Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1-1)
Deiveson Figueredo debuted with the UFC in 2017 and immediately set the Flyweight division on fire. He picked up 4 wins quickly and then faced off against veteran Jussier Formiga. This would be a losing effort for Figueiredo but an important one which Deiveson learned from. Following the loss he then picked up a win and was pitted against former Flyweight title challenger Tim Elliott who Deiveson quickly tapped in the first round. With the Flyweight Championship vacated by Henry Cejudo, Deiveson saw his name on the marquee opposite former title challenger Joseph Benavidez. However Figueiredo came in over-weight and although he picked up a TKO win was ineligible to win the title. A rematch was then booked 5 months later and this time Deiveson had no issues with his weight. In even quicker fashion Deiveson choked out Benavidez and claimed the UFC Flyweight Championship. After Cody Garbrandt tested positive for COVID, Deiveson faced Alex Perez in November and won easily, so easily the UFC decided to rebook him for December to face #1 contender Brandon Moreno in the main event of UFC 256. The fight was a great back and forth affair that was hard to clearly judge either way, so much so that the ringside judges opted for a majority draw meaning we will see Moreno and Deiveson showdown one more time to determine who is the actual better fighter hopefully some time in early 2021.


Women's Featherweight Champion - Amanda Nunes (21-4)
Having claimed the UFC Bantamweight Championship, Nunes would go on a winning streak while the Featherweight division sat under the control of Cristiano “Cyborg” Justino. When the two were eventually paired for a Champion vs Champion bout at Featherweight, many assumed that Nunes likely could win, but it wouldn’t be that easily. Boy did she make us all eat our words on that one. Nunes KO’d Justino in less than a minute and became the first Two Division Champion for the UFC’s women’s roster and also the first female Double Champ. From here Nunes would bounce back and forth defending her Bantamweight and Featherweight titles, most recently in Featherweight where she beat Felicia Spencer. Amanda easily beat Megan Anderson and then the UFC finally opted to put the nail in the coffin with regards to Women’s Featherweight, though the announcement was made via Megan Anderson on Twitch so….idk?


Women's Bantamweight Champion - Amanda Nunes (21-4)
Following her third fight in the UFC, a loss to Cat Zingano, Amanda Nunes seemingly changed everything about her fighting style and went on a tear in the Bantamweight division. She would pick up wins over title challengers like Sara McMann and top title contender Valentina Shevchenko. This thrusted her into a Bantamweight Championship match against reigning champion Miesha Tate at UFC 200 which saw Nunes easily win in just three and a half minutes. Following this she would welcome former champion Ronda Rousey back to the UFC, and simultaneously retire her as well. A rematch with Shevchenko and a win over Raquel Pennington saw Nunes quickly become a top champion in the division. When she was put into a Champion vs Champion bout against Cristiano Justino, we all just assumed she would be undersized and yet she surprised us again with a quick KO. Since then she defended her Bantamweight title twice against Holly Holm, who she KO’d, and Germain de Randamie and then went back to Featherweight being the only truly active multi-weight champion defending both her titles.


Women’s Flyweight Champion - Valentina Shevchenko (20-3)
Debuting as a Bantamweight, Shevchenko’s skills were easily notable in the women’s division. However key losses to Amanda Nunes at UFC 196 in a non-title bout, and then later in a title bout at UFC 215 would see her return to the Flyweight division which she had fought in during her pre-UFC days. A fight against then champion Nicco Montano fizzled when Mantano couldn’t make weight let alone the fight due to illness and was stripped. Valentina then faced former kickboxing opponent and former UFC Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the vacant belt which she won. Since then Shevchenko has been on a tear with KO and TKO wins over Jessica Eye and Katlyn Chookagian and a decision win over Liz Carmouche (who Shevchenko lost to prior to the UFC). Shevchenko then faced and dispatched of Jennifer Maia. Shevchenko then took on Jessica Andrade and dismantled her easily, leaving her once again without any seemingly reasonable competition other than long time rival Amanda Nunes.


Women's Strawweight Champion - Rose Namajunas (11-4)
Fighting for the first time under the UFC banner (officially on a UFC card) for the inaugural UFC Strawweight Championship, Namajunas came up short. A few years later and an impressive winning streak put together, Namajunas shocked the MMA world by KO’ng the seemingly unstoppable Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Thug Rose then went on to defend the title against Joanna in an immediate rematch before dropping her belt to Jessica Andrade. This then led rose to take a year off and recover, before rematching Andrade (who had in the mean time lost her title to Zhang Weili). With the loss avenged, Rose set herself up as the most reasonable opponent for Zhang. At UFC 261 Thug Rose shocked the world again by KO’ng Zhang Weili with a perfectly placed head kick, snapping her 21 fight win streak, and also being the only woman in UFC history to capture her division’s championship twice. At present the perceived belief is Rose will rematch Zhang but whether or not that happens thanks to the UFC being dumb about Corona related procedures/distancing is up in the air.



As always, if i forgot something please let me know.

Mekchu
Apr 10, 2012

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS
Here's the UFC 263 preview by CommonShore

CommonShore posted:

Gon break this down.



Rematches rematches rematches

Main Card (PPV)
Middleweight Championship Israel Adesanya vs Marvin Vettori
I do not remember much of the first fight and I don’t plan to rewatch it, but it’s on the basis that one judge gave the first fight to Vettori that he’s getting his title shot. Really, even if the judge who gave it to Vettori was a nut (Chris Lee, he sucks poo poo at judging), and despite that only two media scores went to Vettori, the first fight was competitive and that’s more than can be said about any of Adesanya’s other opponents before he got to the title picture. Adesanya is an A+ striker with enough wrestling to make it count. His last time out he got beaten up and outworked by light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz, Izzy moving up. Vettori is a decent striker (A-boxing maybe?) and has shown decent wrestling too. His last two fights have been against Kevin Holland and Jack Hermansson, and in both of those fights he basically showed that he’s there to fight and that he can outwork his opponent. That gritty toughness is probably Vettori’s top characteristic, and his most likely path to victory is trying to replicate Jan’s game plan: make the champ work, make him wrestle, and concentrate on winning rounds, especially late in the fight.

:frogsiren:Flyweight Championship Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno
Do I need to break this down? Just watch this fight. The first fight was some insane short notice title fight for both men. It was an explosive and amazing barn burner, and the best fight ever at 125 lb in the UFC, ending in a majority draw that immediately demanded a rematch. Go watch it. Deiveson is a dangerous everywhere fighter – powerful strikes and a good guillotine. Moreno is a grappling-based fighter but he has shown good striking as well. Both of these guys are super cool, and who knows how this will look with both of them having a full camp. The x-factor is how Deivison’s psychology will be given that he has had only limited access to his best friend Ferdinand, who he allegedly on the no-fly list and banned from the venue.

Welterweight Leon Edwards vs Nate Diaz
This is a 5-round non-headliner non-title fight. Leon Edwards is the welterweight title-contender in waiting, and he has been for a year. Covid has screwed him over badly resulting in tons of cancelled fights. His last time out he poked Belal Muhammad in the eye so bad that the fight ended and we were worried that Belal might have suffered permanent damage (he didn’t, allegedly). Nate Diaz makes his first appearance since the TKO cuts loss to Masvidal in the BMF belt thing. Do I need to break him down? He’s an antisocial crank with great hands and great jits, but also with glaringly obvious holes in his game. This match seems to exist to give Edwards some name recognition going into a rematch against Usman.

Welterweight Demian Maia vs Belal Muhammad
Maia is one of the greatest grapplers in MMA history, eclipsed in the UFC only by Charles Oliviera. His game plan is typically to work single legs to back takes and RNC them. He has won fights without landing strikes. Muhammad is a rounded fighter who is trying to punch through to the top tier. His last fight was an NC to Leon Edwards (noted above) but before that he was on a 4 fight streak.

Light Heavyweight Paul Craig vs Jamahal Hill
Craig is a Scottish grappler who has been good at pulling some wins out of his rear end over the years. He’s best known for his series with Shogun (that should tell you a lot about Craig’s level) and his 3-4:59 triangle of Ankalaev, who is good. Jamahal Hill is one of the surging and undefeated DWCS products. He knocked OSP silly last time. This is very clearly a gatekeeper fight for Hill.

Prelims ESPN/ESPN+
:siren:Lightweight Drew Dober vs Brad Riddell
Dober is a decent striker but he has a lot of work to do to convince anyone that he’ll ever be a title challenger. Last time out he showed that he is deeply flawed, as Islam Makachev just tossed him around like a toy and choked him out. Dober is good where he’s good, but he needs the right kind of opponent, someone who will be willing to strike with him even though he tends to KO other strikers. Brad Riddell is an Kiwi striker who loves to bang and has been in some fights of the night. What else do you want?

Light Heavyweight Eryk Anders vs Darren Stewart
Is this a rematch too? It is. This was an NC (Illegal knee) on the same one where Leon Edwards removed Wozzname’s cataracts. That fight was at middleweight; this one is at “I don’t feel like cutting” weight. Last time Anders was winning but like a moron KOed Stewart while he was grounded. Anders is a football based guy, and Stewart is a British banger.

Flyweight Lauren Murphy vs Joanne Calderwood
Anything to avoid giving Murphy a title shot. She is now on a 4-fight streak, last time just trouncing some late replacement with big BJJ credentials. Jojo is coming off of a win over Jessica Eye after losing her title shot to Jennifer Maia. Oh Murphy is pretty much a wrestler, whereas Jojo is a clinch-heavy muay thai striker.

:siren:Featherweight Movsar Evloev vs Hakeen Dawodu
This fight owns. Evloev is an undefeated Russian suplex machine. Dawodu is a Canadian striker on a 5 fight streak with some wins against grapplers.

Early Prelims (ESPN+/Fight Pass)
Bantamweight Pannie Kianzad vs Alexis Davis
Kianzad is a Swede who was the runner up on the featherweight TUF season. She has fought in Invicta and stuff too. She punches ok, and is on a streak of mostly forgettable decision wins. Alexis Davis is one of the big veterans of the women’s divisions at this point. She’s a BJJ black belt but she also brawls. She beat Sabina Mazo in February, snapping a 3 fight skid.

Featherweight Chase Hooper vs Steven Peterson
Hooper is mini Askren. He’s a lanky gumbly grapple kid who has scored a head kick KO but got outworked and outclassed by Alex Caceres. His last fight was a heel hook win in December. Peterson is a LFA/DWCS guy who is 2-3 in the UFC, but he scored a back fist KO that I don’t remember seeing back in 2019. Might be a good fight.

Fares Ziam vs Luigi Vendramini
One of my two tapology fights. Oh I remember Ziam. He’s a very young French kickboxer who is reasonably likeable. He won a decision over Jamie Mullarkey which some people disputed. Vendramini is a Brazilian with a 1-1 UFC record: a 2018 loss to Elizu Zaleski and a 71 second KO this past October

:btroll:Carlos Felipe vs Jake Collier
They call Collier Fatboy Fat. He was a tall lanky middleweight who said gently caress it and went up to the heavyweight limit. He brawls and often looks embarrassing. His last fight was a sloppy trash fight win over Gian Villante. Felipe is a Brazilian who weighed like 340 lb at age 14 and now manages to make 265. He is also a loving trashweight. His last fight was a lackluster decision win over Justin Tafa after which he celebrated as if he had won the world cup instead of apologizing to the world for having made us watch it. Trashweights.

:siren:Lighteweight Matt Frevola vs Terrance Mckinney
Mckinney is a late replacement here but he has won some very impressive KOs on LFA. Frevola is a boxing-based striker who I like and who has been in some good fights, especially against Lando Vanatta. I have no idea where on the card this is going to take place, but it’ll be a fireworks fight.

Digital Jedi
May 28, 2007

Fallen Rib
Think this is going to be the first card I go out to the bar to see since pandemic started.

devilmonk
May 21, 2003

I enjoy Moreno. I hope he wins.

LobsterMobster
Oct 29, 2009

"I was being quiet and trying to be a good boy but he dialed the right combination to open the throw-down vault and it was on."

"Walter Foxx is ten times brighter than your bulb at the bottom of the tree merry xmas"
TUF Recap time!

Episode 2: Stake Your Claim

Volko and his coaching team show up to cook for the boiiiis while they watch UFC 261. They react to Thug Rose's win and that's all the fights we get to see from that night. Some dudes are training at 11PM, too hyped from Rose's win (And we get to see Rose's TUF run to show that You Too Can Be Champion, I suppose).

Liudvik is a wrestley Armenian, living in Ukraine. He says "In Russian, is like car, no steering wheel. Crazy style". I assume that refers to his fighting style, or perhaps his nickname. Ortega is working on communicating with Liudvik through the language barrier. Ortega says the gameplan for Liudvik is to punch Mitch, stuff takedowns, and get the finish. Ok.

Mitch explains his combat sports journey: being a kid with a temper problem that fought his older brothers in the backyard, then started formally training as a tween ("I was like 13, and training 4 or 5 times a week"). He credits MMA with helping him get through his parents divorce.

Home Movie Time!

Mitch Raposo, from Fall River, MA (I was noticing a slight Lauzon-esque accent at times). Mitch has an excellent bulldog named Charlie. Mitch trains a lot with Rob Font, who does not show up on camera to say anything about Mitch's skills.

Mitch's fight prep is to stuff takedowns and punch.

Home Movie Time!

Liudvik's video is from Vegas, where he moved for TUF. He says his parents moved from Armenia to Ukraine when he was 3 for more opportunities. Edmen Shahbazyan facetimes Liudvik to show support, so that's nice.

Liudvik thought the original offer for TUF from his manager was a joke, and he hopes to win not just for himself, but to help Ukrainian people, Armenian people, all sorts of people.

Weigh-ins go off without a hitch, which is always good to see.

ULTIMATE FIGHTER FLASHBACK

Rampage breaks the door, the last time he threw effective combos in the UFC.

"Mitch does wrestling. Maybe I'll do wrestling, too." - Liudvik Sholinian

We're roughly at the halfway point of the episode's runtime, so I am gonna assume this goes however many rounds it is scheduled for (I think 2 with a possible 3rd sudden victory round in the event of a draw at the end of 2)

Tale of the Tape

Mitch Raposo
Age: 22
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 135.5lbs
Reach: 65"

Liudvik Sholinian
Age: 31
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 136lbs
Reach: 70"

Round 1!

Liudvik starts with some kicks. Raposo darts in to rip a left to the body and darts back out again. Liudvik keeps throwing mostly single kicks that aren't landing, while Mitch zips in, fires off a 2 to 5 punch combo, then zips out again. Liudvik shoots at around the halfway mark of the round, but Mitch stuffs it and they reset.

Mitch lands a few hooks as he crashes in, but neither man is showing a ton of striking accuracy. Most of the fight is Mitch circling around the outside with Liudvik chasing. Liudvik level changes with about 30 seconds left, but Mitch defends it. Round ends and I've gotta give the first to Mitch, 10-9.

In the corner, Volko says they've seen everything Liudvik has, and Mitch just needs to be aware of the angles Liudvik is presenting. Ortega tells Liudvik to mix up the levels of his kicks (Liudvick threw almost exclusively headkicks in the first), and to throw elbows over the top when Mitch crashes in for a combo.

Round 2!

Mitch starts with a nice combo. Liudvik back to throwing high kicks with no set ups. Mitch lands a shovel hook to the dingus, but Liudvik doesn't take any time to recover (It might have just grazed, but there was an audible thwack of the cup).

Liudvik shoots and finally gets Mitch down. Mitch gets his legs free and then escapes the body lock. Mitch keeps circling, landing shots, and Liudvik gets some more takedowns stuffed. Liudvik finally grabs Mitch takes his back standing, and then draaaags him to the floor. Liudvik gets his hooks in and starts throwing some punches to the face.

Mitch stands up, but it's not long and Liudvik gets the fight back to the ground. Round ends with Liudvik on top, and it should be his round, but a 19-19 draw.

Round 3!

Liudvik shoots, Mitch tries for the Travis Browne elbows, but Liudvik gets him down and takes Mitch's back. Mitch spins and Liudvik is on top, in guard. Liudvik shoves Mitch to the fence and throws some punches and elbows.

Mitch scrambles, and ends up taking Liudvik's back. Liudvik shakes Mitch off his back and ends up back on top in full guard. Herzog stands them up with about 30 seconds left, Liudvik shoots, Mitch jumps a gilly and does not get it. Round ends with Liudvik landing punches from on top. Round and fight should go to Liudvik. Winner, by decision, Liudvik Sholinian.

Team Ortega is now up 2-0, and the narrative of "well-rounded prospect versus underdog" is at 1-1, but the real narrative of "really good wrestling versus ok grappling" is 2-0. I'm sure Dana loves the wrestling meta dominating.

Next fight announcement!

Ryder Newman vs Tresean Gore

(I still dont like that fight picks alternate. Control should remain with the winning team :colbert:)

Dana says Ryder is a highly decorated, 2-time high school national wrestler, who spent some time at the Olympic training center. Tre Gore fights out of ATT: Georgia, and he says he is looking forward to digging his shin bone into Ryder's legs and head.

CommonShore
Jun 6, 2014

A true renaissance man


just to continue the front page stuff - I'd also be fine if my breakdowns were quoted (with credit) in someone else's front page articles


e. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^if we had a site with just the effortposts from these threads it would probably be the best non-news MMA content on the internet.

GTO
Sep 16, 2003

CommonShore posted:


e. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^if we had a site with just the effortposts from these threads it would probably be the best non-news MMA content on the internet.

I completely agree with this. If it also had spoiler free reviews of recent fights and events it would be a 1 stop shop for all my mma needs

G-Hawk
Dec 15, 2003

Re TUF, Liudvik was kinda amusing and it was fun to see Raposo get exposed. It was kind of a weird fight, liudvik had a huge size advantage and it felt like raposo's future is at flyweight.

So far this season has lacked in wacky beefs and drama, the first two fights were decidedly fine. I wouldn't be surprised if Raposo comes back for whatever reason later in the season.

otoh afterwards they showed this poor sportscenter anchor trying to straight interview nate diaz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4WobSPLUYE

G-Hawk fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Jun 9, 2021

DoombatINC
Apr 20, 2003

Here's the thing, I'm a feminist.





I got into UFC over a decade ago entirely because of Seanbaby articles about MMA, so I'd be super into seeing nuSA have some front page MMA content

blue footed boobie
Sep 14, 2012


UEFA SUPREMACY
Just posting to say that I love Charlie Olives and I hope he gets a successful title defense even though I few like he probably gets smoked by the rest of the top 5.

Hollandia
Jul 27, 2007

rattus rattus


Grimey Drawer

devilmonk posted:

I enjoy Moreno. I hope he wins.
I like Moreno and Figs so I'm just happy to get that fight twice. After that embedded it looks like Moreno may also be the biggest nerd in the UFC, which is cool.

Mekchu
Apr 10, 2012

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

CommonShore posted:

just to continue the front page stuff - I'd also be fine if my breakdowns were quoted (with credit) in someone else's front page articles


e. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^if we had a site with just the effortposts from these threads it would probably be the best non-news MMA content on the internet.

A site would be pretty cool. I can look into setting something like that up but would honestly like the threads to be a top resource :shrug:

But something like Goonhammer but for MMA/UFC stuff wouldn't really be absurd/a bad thing.

Mekchu fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Jun 10, 2021

flashy_mcflash
Feb 7, 2011

They put up a statue of GSP in his hometown of Ste Isidore, QB but all I can see is a super ripped Obama.



Also I've never been to Ste Isidore but Google's designated landmark/image is currently a convenience store with a Tim Hortons in it. Maybe they'll replace it with this statue now.

Marching Powder
Mar 8, 2008



stop the fucking fight, cornerman, your dude is fucking done and is about to be killed.
Wow yeah that is obama

LobsterMobster
Oct 29, 2009

"I was being quiet and trying to be a good boy but he dialed the right combination to open the throw-down vault and it was on."

"Walter Foxx is ten times brighter than your bulb at the bottom of the tree merry xmas"
As a person who, for a time, ran a mma blog, wrote for a site for pay, and wrote for a site for no pay:

- Doing something on my own, I didn't expect to make money off it, it was just something I wanted to do for fun
- Once you start doing it for someone else, get paid (Alternatively, once you ask other folks to contribute, pay them something, even if it's like $5 for a preview/review/recap and a lil more for something that requires more effort)

I don't know anything about making websites or hosting or whatnot, but I know such things exist.

To make money at this, you either gotta sell ads or ask for subscriptions. Seanbaby's 1-900-HOTDOG patreon is a pretty good set up of the latter. That site has something pretty much every day, and maybe like 2 articles per week are free, the rest are behind the patreon paywall. So you can get folks interested without them having to give you a dollar, but other stuff is locked away.

I dunno, I am currently in Just Sayin Stuff mode, but the detailed breakdowns and other effortposts are always good reads

LobsterMobster
Oct 29, 2009

"I was being quiet and trying to be a good boy but he dialed the right combination to open the throw-down vault and it was on."

"Walter Foxx is ten times brighter than your bulb at the bottom of the tree merry xmas"

flashy_mcflash posted:

They put up a statue of GSP in his hometown of Ste Isidore, QB but all I can see is a super ripped Obama.



Also I've never been to Ste Isidore but Google's designated landmark/image is currently a convenience store with a Tim Hortons in it. Maybe they'll replace it with this statue now.

dat ees ehhhh da bronze obomber

flashy_mcflash
Feb 7, 2011

Vairy himpress wit ze uhhh craftsmainsheep on doze uhhh petit short

Marching Powder
Mar 8, 2008



stop the fucking fight, cornerman, your dude is fucking done and is about to be killed.

LobsterMobster posted:

dat ees ehhhh da bronze obomber

Lol

CommonShore
Jun 6, 2014

A true renaissance man


LobsterMobster posted:

As a person who, for a time, ran a mma blog, wrote for a site for pay, and wrote for a site for no pay:

- Doing something on my own, I didn't expect to make money off it, it was just something I wanted to do for fun
- Once you start doing it for someone else, get paid (Alternatively, once you ask other folks to contribute, pay them something, even if it's like $5 for a preview/review/recap and a lil more for something that requires more effort)

I don't know anything about making websites or hosting or whatnot, but I know such things exist.

To make money at this, you either gotta sell ads or ask for subscriptions. Seanbaby's 1-900-HOTDOG patreon is a pretty good set up of the latter. That site has something pretty much every day, and maybe like 2 articles per week are free, the rest are behind the patreon paywall. So you can get folks interested without them having to give you a dollar, but other stuff is locked away.

I dunno, I am currently in Just Sayin Stuff mode, but the detailed breakdowns and other effortposts are always good reads

This ^^ is generally how I think about it. I'm content if my work goes to where more people can read it, but it's really imo worth doing if people other than those in this thread will read it. And I'm 90% sure that's at least roughly how most people who make effortposts feel about that.

If a site were to happen we'd need to buiild an audience and develop a funding model as you say, and someone would have to put in the actual work of promoting it (and promotion is actual work, and not an insiginficant amount). It might be good to try to build the audience first before looking for domains and hosting and wordpress and blah blah blah. That's why the front page came to mind. This is also why youtube and podcasts are more popular platforms, because the funding model is easier and more lucrative than text (it's not that the audience always prefers those platforms to text).

In the mean time, it would take relatively little work in the case of my format for me to start a @CS-PSP-MMA twitter account and post my breakdowns there as threads, 1-3 tweets per fight, and it would probably get roughly as much outside audience as a blog would - it would at least be easier to share. Just looking at my last one, my main event breakdown would be 5 tweets, and a 1-tweet breakdown would be like the Drew Dober fight. The whole thing would be roughly 30.

mewse
May 2, 2006

A lot of niche topic writers have been moving to substack (subscription newsletter service) since the pandemic and general collapse of traditional newspapers

Aye Doc
Jul 19, 2007



https://www.mmamania.com/2021/6/9/22525922/unranked-nate-diaz-career-lightweight-gets-170-pound-title-shot-with-ufc-263-win-mma

dana says Colby/Usman 2 is next, and whoever wins of Diaz/Edwards gets the next shot. immediately switching my rooting interest to Nate to pull off 2 miraculous wins so that yet another division can descend into anarchy

G-Hawk
Dec 15, 2003

I want nate diaz and derrick lewis to win ufc belts on the same card

DoombatINC
Apr 20, 2003

Here's the thing, I'm a feminist.





G-Hawk posted:

I want nate diaz and derrick lewis to win ufc belts on the same card

Both in the center of the octagon with their belts over their shoulders, holding bongs to one another's lips like a bride and groom feeding each other cake

Aye Doc
Jul 19, 2007



just realized how quickly Nate winning the welterweight title going to Nate leads to thicc Conor vs. Diaz 3, yuck

Mr. Nice!
Oct 13, 2005

c-spam cannot afford



Aye Doc posted:

just realized how quickly Nate winning the welterweight title going to Nate leads to thicc Conor vs. Diaz 3, yuck

You just created this fate by imagining it. This is what will happen.

ilmucche
Mar 16, 2016

flashy_mcflash posted:

They put up a statue of GSP in his hometown of Ste Isidore, QB but all I can see is a super ripped Obama.



Also I've never been to Ste Isidore but Google's designated landmark/image is currently a convenience store with a Tim Hortons in it. Maybe they'll replace it with this statue now.

why did they give him hair lol

edit this nate interview is gold

BrotherJayne
Nov 28, 2019

how the hell they let vettori run around with his goddamn pants on backwards, for fucks sake xD

Brut
Aug 21, 2007

BrotherJayne posted:

how the hell they let vettori run around with his goddamn pants on backwards, for fucks sake xD

lmao what

Eat This Glob
Jan 14, 2008

God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. Who will wipe this blood off us? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent?

Brut posted:

lmao what

trump homage? i dunno. is the name the right way?

https://twitter.com/btsportufc/status/1403003307946172417?s=20

Skjorte
Jul 5, 2010
They're doing the old-schoolest press conference in a while, with the three 5-round fighters getting to shout at each other. Vettori and Izzy have both been so insanely embarrassing with their trash talk here that they should probably cut their mics at this point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TJfoXDTKvw

TheKingslayer
Sep 3, 2008

Skjorte posted:

They're doing the old-schoolest press conference in a while, with the three 5-round fighters getting to shout at each other. Vettori and Izzy have both been so insanely embarrassing with their trash talk here that they should probably cut their mics at this point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TJfoXDTKvw

Izzy really should give up the fake villain thing. It's really bad.

Skjorte
Jul 5, 2010

TheKingslayer posted:

Izzy really should give up the fake villain thing. It's really bad.

I don't think he's trying out a fake villain gimmick, unfortunately. He's super thin-skinned and immature, and he immediately reverts to schoolyard insults in these types of situations.

lmao at Vettori getting THAT angry at the end there, though.

TheKingslayer
Sep 3, 2008

It feels so forced I just assume it HAS to be put on. Then again the other possibility is pretty likely.

Marching Powder
Mar 8, 2008



stop the fucking fight, cornerman, your dude is fucking done and is about to be killed.
i don't think the really into anime guy is being socially awkward as a bit

blue footed boobie
Sep 14, 2012


UEFA SUPREMACY

TheKingslayer posted:

It feels so forced I just assume it HAS to be put on. Then again the other possibility is pretty likely.

It’s forced. Remember him and Costa got caught in a candid moment a couple days before their fight being totally cool and friendly with each other.

TheKingslayer
Sep 3, 2008

blue footed boobie posted:

It’s forced. Remember him and Costa got caught in a candid moment a couple days before their fight being totally cool and friendly with each other.

I don't remember that. But that's pretty funny.

Marching Powder
Mar 8, 2008



stop the fucking fight, cornerman, your dude is fucking done and is about to be killed.
i'm pretty sure you could get adesanya to have a full on meltdown if you just referred to him constantly as a pair of tits.

beep by grandpa
May 5, 2004

why's nate diaz v leon edwards a 5 rounder?

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G-Hawk
Dec 15, 2003

beep by grandpa posted:

why's nate diaz v leon edwards a 5 rounder?

https://twitter.com/SandhuMMA/status/1403153754476658689?s=19

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