Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

Matt showed a pretty decent chin when he didn't hit the deck after that flying knee right at the start of the fight. I'm definitely interested to see him fight again.

Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

What was up with Hughes' bible study thing? Study the book of Esther and tell me who Coach Hughes is in the story?? All the fighters looked a little perplexed by his request.

Hey guys, study your bibles and let me know how great I am and what a nice guy I am! - Matt Hughes

Serra seems like a nicer guy of the two from what I've seen in the past on TUF and this season. That said, he's definitely not as good of a coach as Hughes.

Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

Yeah, when he walked out of a training session to go to the house and bitch out Joey, that seemed really stupid. Why not wait until the training session was over?

Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

re: Hughes Bible study

It was definitely weird, but I read his blog entry for episode 2 and his explanation makes sense. These dudes live in the house and train. That's it. No TV, no phones, no internet, no books, nothing. Hughes was able to convince Dana/the producers to let him get Bibles for his team (they wouldn't allow anything else, according to him). I'm sure it isn't totally altruistic, but he did want them to have something to do and wasn't really that pushy about it.

I'm a pretty strong atheist/agnostic, and I probably wouldn't have minded just having something to read, honestly.

Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

Oh, also, Lyoto Machida is awesome and "Lay and Pray" is a poor description of how he fights.

Also, apparently Shogun had pretty major knee damage which [censored] up a lot of his training. He had or is having surgery shortly.

Overall, UFC 76 was the bomb even though 1) Shogun lost and 2) Wandy/Chuck might get delayed AGAIN. Awesome fights from top to bottom.

Dana should put Wandy/Chuck on in December anyway. He looks really [censored] stupid after criticizing Pride for setting up Hendo/Wandy (which was a much better fight than Jardine/Chuck on paper). Chuck looks like he has 2, maybe 3 fights left in him. Just get it done.

Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

[ QUOTE ]
Oh, also, Lyoto Machida is awesome and "Lay and Pray" is a poor description of how he fights.

Also, apparently Shogun had pretty major knee damage which [censored] up a lot of his training. He had or is having surgery shortly.

Overall, UFC 76 was the bomb even though 1) Shogun lost and 2) Wandy/Chuck might get delayed AGAIN. Awesome fights from top to bottom.

Dana should put Wandy/Chuck on in December anyway. He looks really [censored] stupid after criticizing Pride for setting up Hendo/Wandy (which was a much better fight than Jardine/Chuck on paper). Chuck looks like he has 2, maybe 3 fights left in him. Just get it done.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some random thoughts:

Ryoto is a good fighter, but there's no question that his style is the standing equivalent of lay and pray. 6 out of his last 7 fights went to decision, and he wasn't exactly fighting the best competition in those fights either. It's his prerogative as a fighter to win anyway he can, but I have little sympathy for his lack of popularity or notoriety.

The whole Wandy-Chuck thing is a mess from a business perspective. I'd still love to seem them fight, but the UFC probably doesn't want to set up a fight that will automatically result in one of their highest paid fighters losing 3 times in a row. Given how fickle most MMA fans are, the loser of a Chuck-Wand is almost guaranteed to be labeled as washed up. Also, the UFC essentially conditioned the Chuck-Wand fight on Chuck beating Jardine. Although Dana has reneged on his word in the past, the aforementioned issues with that fight make it less likely that Dana will say "Oh well, Chuck lost, but he still gets to fight Wanderlei."

205 is just a mess in general now. A year ago it was the most stacked division in MMA, but since then nearly all the top fighters have had some kind of embarrassing loss: Wand KOed twice, Shogun gassing and getting choked out, Chuck getting KOed and outstruck by a TUF fighter, Rogerio KOed, Arona KOed, Jardine brutally KOed, Forest getting KOed then crying about it, etc. Rampage has looked good recently, but it wasn't that long ago he got brutalized by Chute Box and struggled against a Japanese can. Sokodjou and Houston Alexander haven't had any embarrassing losses recently, but they're still untested. MMA hype and marketing depends upon two seemingly invincible fighters being matched up against each other. Thats kind of hard when all the top fighters have recently gotten their asses kicked.

Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

Slickpoppa,

The "standing equivalent of lay and pray" would be something like Randy Couture pushing you up against a fence and dirty boxing for the whole fight, IMO. Machida fights more like a Floyd Mayweather Jr., effective striking without getting hit. I understand why it may be boring for some, but it's pretty fun to watch a guy throw and throw without being touched.

re: Chuck/Wandy

I heard Hackleman (Chuck's trainer/manager) in an interview after the loss (and before it was known that Shogun had a pretty serious knee injury) saying that Dana/Joe Silva were thinking about matching up Chuck with Rua in December. Like I said above, I don't think Chuck has many more fights left in him. That's not to say that he's lost a ton of skill, but he doesn't have a style like Randy that translates well to aging. The UFC would be best serve to throw him into two or three really big fights. If I'm the UFC I throw him against Wandy in Dec. followed by Tito and/or Randy (assuming he loses the HW belt and can cut down to 205) in his final fight(s). I think a retirement fight between Randy and Liddell could be an extremely big money main event.

I don't see how 205 isn't stacked still? Even though some big names have fallen, they don't look so bad in hindsight, and now you have even more stars. You've got Rampage and Henderson (who may end up fighting exclusively at 185 now), Wanderlei was KO'd by two top guys, Rogerio and Arona were knocked out by someone who may be legit. I don't know how you can say Sok is "untested" when he's knocked out 2 top 10 guys. You still have Chuck and Tito as credible opponents. Up and comers like Rashad, Jardine, Forrest, Machida, Bisping, and Hamill.

Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

To clarify, 205 is still stacked, but the matchups are somewhat less compelling now that several of the fighters have lost their auras of invincibility. A fight is always more exciting when both fighters are on huge win streaks and look unstoppable. Like I said, I'd still love to see Chuck fight Wanderlei, but it's not nearly as big of a fight as it would have been a year ago. Some parity is a good thing, but there can't be true super bowl caliber fights without dominant fighters.

Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

205 is very very good still, we're just in a period where nobody is stepping up to take the top spot. Everyone is losing to anyone, but eventually someone will come out and work up a streak again.

Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

I think Rampage is pretty clearly the top guy at 205 right now. He's looked better and better with every fight since he started training with Jaunito Ibarra.

I get what you're saying about the division now. Obv, Chuck/Wandy is nowhere near as high caliber as it was one year ago, but I really think if they decide to delay it again it won't happen.

Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

Hughes seemed a decent chilled back guy IRL, he played poker a few nights a week when I was in Vegas I am guessing with some of the guys on his team, never played on the table with them but one of the regulars was always desperate to get on their table.

Did take a nice $200 off the bald headed coach he has working with him who also seemed a nice guy (and mentioned they were filming the show at that time), although didnt seem blessed with the highest intelligence dealt well with a drunken knob who was getting in his face.

The good thing about UFC growing in the UK is we dont have to pay for any of the shows all free on satellite tv here even if is the night after.

Re: First Ultimate Fighter 6 Episode
 

Hughes and Swick have (or had, not sure if they're still up) on FTP, FWIW.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

Anyone got any information about Fedor joining UFC?

Its got to happen soon.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

ufc wont let him do his combat sambo tournament in russia while hes under contract so it sounds like theyre just gonna sign the deal after the tournament, which i think is sometime this month

ufc junkie says kongo/nog at the december show, with winner likely getting a title shot. nogs gotta be a massive favorite there

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

Sambo world championships are Nov. 7-11.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

Damn it, was hoping for a Fedor vs Couture december event or something.

Oh and yea, nog would probably sub Kongo, I think it would be a good fight though.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

Why do the losers not go home this season? three weeks of that bloke moaning on is really bringing the program down.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

What do you guys think of Houston Alexander? He's quickly becoming my favorite fighter to watch at the UFC, his fights are so devastating. The UFC website has stated that Houston needs to be tested against a ground opponent first before reaching for a tittle shot. If you agree with that statement, who do you suggest that "test" should be, and how soon? He's 35 and the clock is ticking for him to make a really big score.

On another note, I find it ridiculous that Jardine got paid only 14k for beating Liddell yet Chuck received 500k for losing. Jardine should instantly fire whoever set up that mismatch in pay and get a real agent.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]

On another note, I find it ridiculous that Jardine got paid only 14k for beating Liddell yet Chuck received 500k for losing. Jardine should instantly fire whoever set up that mismatch in pay and get a real agent.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the way it works. Nobody is paying to see Jardine fight. Dana White had numerous guys he could put in the ring with Liddel.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
What do you guys think of Houston Alexander?

[/ QUOTE ]

Love what I've seen so far, can't wait to see him fight again.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

Couture's not fighting again this year anyway due to his broken forearm.

Alexander looks good, though I think he's too old to become a megastar.

If you think Jardine only made $14k for that fight, you're nuts. The payroll numbers reports to the athletic commissions are only base salaries for fights. The UFC gives lots of bonuses (in addition to the standard bonuses for Fight of the Night, KO/Sub of the night, etc.), plus these guys are making a lot of money off of sponsorships. It is weird that Jardine made one of the lowest base salaries on the card, though.

Going back to Houson, there's a bunch of routes the UFC can go with the LHW division. You could throw him in with Forrest, Jardine, Wandy, Bisping, etc. If they had signed Sokoudjou, THAT would be a fun matchup with the stories behind it.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Alexander looks good, though I think he's too old to become a megastar.


[/ QUOTE ]

LOL! have you heard of this great man called Randy Couture?

I'm loving what I'm seeing from Houston Alexander. I would love to see him beat the snot out of Bisping or Machida.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]

LOL! have you heard of this great man called Randy Couture?

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't tell how serious you are, but...do you really think Randy is the rule rather than the exception? How many other fighters have done what he has? How many other fighters like him have tailed off as they've aged?

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

hijack- saw houston alexander in the underground fight nights in omaha. he didnt fight but was there signing autographs and taking pictures. cool guy, he looks like a badass.

/hijack

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Alexander looks good, though I think he's too old to become a megastar.


[/ QUOTE ]

LOL! have you heard of this great man called Randy Couture?

I'm loving what I'm seeing from Houston Alexander. I would love to see him beat the snot out of Bisping or Machida.

[/ QUOTE ]

Randy is the best ground and pound fighter ever. Since he is not dependent on speed he can be effective at a ripe old age. Strikers are toast once they lose just a shred of hand speed and reflexes. One reason whey Liddell got smoked in his last two fights.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Randy is the best ground and pound fighter ever. Since he is not dependent on speed he can be effective at a ripe old age. Strikers are toast once they lose just a shred of hand speed and reflexes. One reason whey Liddell got smoked in his last two fights.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://www.gambling911.com/Fedor-Emelianenko-10.jpg

This man says hello.

More seriously though, Randy's strength isn't his ground and pound. It's his ability (to use one of his cliches) to impose his will on his opponent. It's his ability to find holes in his opponent's game and (as was the case with Gonzaga) to exploit the edge he has in a certain area of the fight.

In terms of his actual strength in a fight, it's his clinch and dirty boxing game.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

People can say what they want about randy, but theres just no way he'll win a fight against Fedor, sorry to say it, I love couture but there's just not enough holes in Fedors game for him to get a win.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
People can say what they want about randy, but theres just no way he'll win a fight against Fedor, sorry to say it, I love couture but there's just not enough holes in Fedors game for him to get a win.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fedor would be a strong favorite against Randy, but saying that there's "just no way" Randy could win is ridiculous. Haven't all the upsets in the past year taught you anything? All it takes is one punch with those 4 oz gloves or a cut from an elbow. Watch Fedor's fight against Lindland. Lindland was actually doing very well against Fedor in the first minute and he has a very similar style to Randy, but is naturally about 30 pounds lighter. Fedor has been hurt in the past, and dare I say it, gotten lucky that he wasn't finished. If Randleman had slammed him at a slightly different angle, he could have been paralyzed. Now part of the reason Fedor survived that slam was because he knew to tuck his head, but if the angle had been different, it wouldn't have mattered what he had done. And if Fujita hadn't been gassed when he stunned Fedor, he might have been able to KO him. The point is that Fedor is human, and a great fighter like Randy certainly has a decent chance of beating him.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

Yeah, saying Randy can't defeat Fedor is hilarious, but "the past year of upsets" has nothing to do with it. Go back through the year, and only the Serra/GSP fight still looks nuts in retrospect (based on info we have post-fight).

The reason Randy can beat Fedor is the reason Randy beat Sylvia and Gonzaga. He'll try his hardest to get the fight where he wants it. The only problem is that Fedor is basically a faster, stronger Randy Couture in the prime of his career.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

how could anyone beat this man?!

http://xs320.xs.to/xs320/07403/fedor1el7ah0.jpg

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

Just found out (it's on the UFC website), Ortiz/Evans II is off. Evans and Bisping are fighting at 78. Interesting stuff.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

Its a real odd decision since both were suppose to be in immediate rematches..Wonder if this means Tito's contract renewal aint going so well..

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
If you think Jardine only made $14k for that fight, you're nuts. The payroll numbers reports to the athletic commissions are only base salaries for fights. The UFC gives lots of bonuses (in addition to the standard bonuses for Fight of the Night, KO/Sub of the night, etc.), plus these guys are making a lot of money off of sponsorships. It is weird that Jardine made one of the lowest base salaries on the card, though.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, he gets more money in sponsorships. Yes there are bonuses given out but he didn't receive any of it that night (all of the bonuses were disclosed in the article). True his earning potential has increased.... but not that much. If I was Jardine, I would feel ripped off. Even if you factor in that people are paying PPV fees to see Liddell, at LEAST get a $50k loss/$100K contract negotiated vs. Liddell's 500K/1M sweetheart deal.

About Houston, I really hope they put him in vs Machida asap. If he proves he can beat a ground fighter, give the guy his title shot.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

On another topic, any discussion/thoughts about tonight's Ultimate Fighter?

I find it so sick to my stomach that Joey couldn't stick it out for a few more weeks for his buddy Matt Serra. What a pussy. Serra did everything he could to keep him in, told him the score, tried to give him the best advice. Dana even going into his room and trying to convince him to stay. Just wow. The guy gave the middle finger to all these heavy hitters in the industry in one fell swoop. GG career and life.

Tonight's fight was terrible, the guy walked right into the choke and just let it happen. He was obviously feeling the moment. Terrible fight, just like Joey's. I really hope that the season improves, I've had high hopes for it but the potential hasn't shown yet. Hopefully Hughes gets really pissed off next show just like the previews have alluded to.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

The Joey thing was odd. I know living like that must really suck, but for him to basically give up a friend, a job and probably a career in mma, instead of staying a few more weeks is nuts.

I am hoping the fights get better soon too. Though I think once some of the more one dimensional fighters are picked and booted, it should get better.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Its a real odd decision since both were suppose to be in immediate rematches..Wonder if this means Tito's contract renewal aint going so well..

[/ QUOTE ]

"September 24th, 2007
The rematch betwen Hamil and I was being planned for Nov 27 in New Jersey. Unfortuntely Hamil is unable to fight as he is having knee surgery. I am dissapointed as I was really looking forward to fighting him again. That said, myself having a torn posterier cruciate ligament in each of my knees for my last 3 fights I can understand why he’s having it.

Wishing you a speedy recovery matt and hopefully we can “get it on” soon.On a side note it gives my big toe a chance to heal as I stubbed it on the way o the octagon. Stay tuned…."

From bisping.tv, looks like bisping v hamill will have to wait a while :/

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you think Jardine only made $14k for that fight, you're nuts. The payroll numbers reports to the athletic commissions are only base salaries for fights. The UFC gives lots of bonuses (in addition to the standard bonuses for Fight of the Night, KO/Sub of the night, etc.), plus these guys are making a lot of money off of sponsorships. It is weird that Jardine made one of the lowest base salaries on the card, though.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, he gets more money in sponsorships. Yes there are bonuses given out but he didn't receive any of it that night (all of the bonuses were disclosed in the article). True his earning potential has increased.... but not that much. If I was Jardine, I would feel ripped off. Even if you factor in that people are paying PPV fees to see Liddell, at LEAST get a $50k loss/$100K contract negotiated vs. Liddell's 500K/1M sweetheart deal.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is standard for the TUF guys. Their initial contracts are always terribly low paying and last for several fights.

J

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Its a real odd decision since both were suppose to be in immediate rematches..Wonder if this means Tito's contract renewal aint going so well..

[/ QUOTE ]

"September 24th, 2007
The rematch betwen Hamil and I was being planned for Nov 27 in New Jersey. Unfortuntely Hamil is unable to fight as he is having knee surgery. I am dissapointed as I was really looking forward to fighting him again. That said, myself having a torn posterier cruciate ligament in each of my knees for my last 3 fights I can understand why he’s having it.

Wishing you a speedy recovery matt and hopefully we can “get it on” soon.On a side note it gives my big toe a chance to heal as I stubbed it on the way o the octagon. Stay tuned…."

From bisping.tv, looks like bisping v hamill will have to wait a while :/

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess Hamill was full of it when he said he only needed 3 weeks rehab after surgery.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, he gets more money in sponsorships. Yes there are bonuses given out but he didn't receive any of it that night (all of the bonuses were disclosed in the article). True his earning potential has increased.... but not that much. If I was Jardine, I would feel ripped off. Even if you factor in that people are paying PPV fees to see Liddell, at LEAST get a $50k loss/$100K contract negotiated vs. Liddell's 500K/1M sweetheart deal.

[/ QUOTE ]

What article? The UFC doesn't usually disclose any of its bonuses outside of the Fight/KO/Sub of the Night. Maybe I didn't make it clear that Dana and the UFC hand out bonuses ON TOP of the Fight/KO/Sub of the Night. I don't really feel that bad for Jardine. The only reason people care is because he was thrown in the main event with Liddell and won. He had no business being on top of the card anyway.

[ QUOTE ]
About Houston, I really hope they put him in vs Machida asap. If he proves he can beat a ground fighter, give the guy his title shot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Machida isn't a ground fighter. He's a counterstriker/karate guy. An Alexander/Ortiz fight would be interesting, but I think Ortiz should fight a bigger name like Hendo to really drive the value of that card up.

re: Hamill surgery

If he hasn't had the surgery, three weeks wouldn't give him enough time to rehab and fight at 78. If he has had it, it would be close, but pushing it.

Re: The Ultimate Fighter / UFC thread
 

i cant believe all you dudes are hating on serra. he may have a thick accent and [censored], but he's a totally nice guy. remember the comeback season where he went out of his way to coach and help his teamates train? they were his opponents, you realize?

and as far as the person who says he "knows people who know both" and "hughes is very respected", i find that interesting because i've never heard anyone ever say a nice thing about matt hughes' person, and he's never come off as anything but a douchebag in the media. examples

1) bible study. if he pulled that [censored] on me i would have walked out. but then again, somedays i can barely motivate myself to turn on the computer and make 3x what these guys make for getting punched in the face.

2) in an interview before fighting george st. pierre he stated all canadians were cowards for not backing the US in the current "war"

3) he mocked george stpierre for not wanting to look at him/talk to him before their fight on an ultimate fighter season

4) he has a twin so if he is struck by lightning and dies we still have to put up with a carbon copy