Random MMA-Boxing news

[Guest John Hancock]

Diego Shanchez has officially confirmed that he's moving up to the Welterweight division on his Twitter. He's also said he wants his next fight to be against either Fitch or Koscheck. Dan Hardy is another possibility, should he lose to GSP. Edited January 19, 2010 by John Hancock

[Guest ShaneMcCutcheon]

I can understand he feels the need to change things after the demoralising loss to Penn. It's pretty clear that while Penn's around Diego won't be winning a world title at Lightweight.

 

However, he won't be winning one at Welterweight either and I couldn't see him beating Fitch, Koscheck, Hardy or especially GSP at this point. Diego's a better fighter at lightweight.

[Guest John Hancock]

Yeah., he's obviously just changes weights because he knows he can't beat Penn, but, if he can't beat Penn, he sure as hell can't beat G.S.P. either, so it seems like a bit of a waste of time really.

 

Finch has beaten him before, Koscheck has beaten him before, and G.S.P. is just unbeatable right now. Other names being thrown around for his first matches are Anthony Johnson and Paul Daley.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if UFC played some part in convincing him to change weight classes. G.S.P.'s sucked the life out of the whole division by just being ridiculously awesome, and they need some new challengers, no matter how unsuccessful they may be.

[Guest ShaneMcCutcheon]

I'd enjoy most of the fights with the guys up there, I just don't think Diego's gonna get a run together to get a shot against GSP.

 

the division's really strong. I'd love to see a Diego/Daley fight as it'd be great entertainment but I just don't see Diego making a run at the belt, whether he wins or loses that fight.

 

As for Rumble, he shouldn't even be at Welterweight anymore and the schooling he got from Koscheck really should have pushed him to move up in weight too.

 

as for dominant champions sucking hte life out of divisions I really don't buy into that. Anderson Silva may have had an effect like that on the Middleweight division but that's been down to him fighting outside the division and not defending the belt in every fight, not because he's too dominant. The Middleweight division was terrible when Silva won the belt, and it's no worse now. I enjoy seeing a great champion put together a run, and record, that's just incredible, going through top fighter after top fighter. The welterweight division is incredibly strong and full of exciting and relevant fights. Koscheck, Fitch, Alves, Hardy, Daley, Swick, Kampmann, Thiago, there's real strength in depth. Seeing GSP face different obstacles, styles, fighters who present different problems to him each time and overcoming them is intriguing and entertaining and the division still has plenty of exciting and competitive fights to offer. these things don't last forever, and I think it's worth enjoying them while they happen. in the same way that I loved Tyson cleaning up a poor heavyweight division in boxing and completely dominating for a while, I love seeing GSP do the same to the welterweights and if anything GSP's quality and level of consistent performance has made the division stronger as other fighters have tried so hard to up their games. It's such a strong division right now

Edited January 19, 2010 by ShaneMcCutcheon

[Guest John Hancock]

Random MMA news from the previous day;

 

- UFC have released Kyle Bradley from his contract.

- Marquardt is going around saying Hardy doesn't deserve GSP to anyone who'll listen.

- Koscheck and Fitch are now involved in some sort of anti-drugs program and are going around doing talks at schools.

- Gina Carano and Ariany Celeste both, respectively, made number 68 and 98 on Askmen.com's list of the desirable women of 2009.

[Guest Jimmy Redman]

Also, apparently news that Brock will return to fighting in 2010 will be announced at some point soon, I havent figured out the time zones yet.

[Guest ShaneMcCutcheon]

he's back in the Summer for the winner of Carwin/Mir

 

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has recovered from an illness that threatened his career and he will fight this summer.

 

Lesnar and UFC President Dana White ended months of speculation Wednesday when they addressed Lesnar’s health on the 11 a.m. ET edition of “SportsCenter” and stated that Lesnar will fight the winner of the March 27 interim title bout between Shane Carwin and Frank Mir.

 

Lesnar spoke soberly of his illness. He had been expected to fight Shane Carwin in November, but he dropped out of the bout and said Wednesday that initially he had been diagnosed with mononucleosis. However, when he took a trip to Canada to get his mind off the fight’s cancellation, he experienced severe stomach pain.

 

“One night I woke up and I was in severe shock,” Lesnar said. “I had a 104 temperature. I felt like I was shot in the guts.”

 

Lesnar returned to the U.S., where he was diagnosed at Medcenter One in Bismarck, N.D., with a severe case of diverticulitis. The champion described the disease by saying he had a hole in his stomach. He said he was given antibiotics and pain medication.

 

“The doctor there … wanted for me to heal myself,” Lesnar said. “Versus the other side of it, was to go in, remove part of my colon and wear a colostomy bag and pretty much end my career.”

 

Lesnar said he was fed through an IV during an 11-day hospital stay that saw him lose 40 pounds. He visited the Mayo Clinic next, where he said doctors suggested he needed surgery.

 

“Forget about the career side,” White said. “This guy was looking at a completely different life, a different quality of life if he would have needed this surgery.”

 

With the possibility of surgery looming, Lesnar returned to the gym. He added 30 pounds back on, and when he returned for more tests, doctors were stunned by the results.

 

“They were dumbfounded,” Lesnar said. “They couldn’t find any signs of any problem in my stomach. It’s just a miracle.”

 

Lesnar attested to the power of the mind during his “SportsCenter” interview. He thanked his family, friends and the UFC for standing by him.

 

“I take my hat off to the doctors at Medcenter One for saving my life and my career,” he added.

 

White said that the winner of the Feb. 21 bout between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez could also produce a challenger for Lesnar’s return if there is an issue with the winner of Carwin-Mir.

[Joey Asbo 45]

Thats great news about Lesnar.

 

I also agree about Hardy not being ready/deserving of a shot a GSP yet, and i'm a big Hardy fan. He just hasnt been that convincing in his wins, Rory Markham aside, he only got the fight because he beat Swick; who was supposed to fight Kampmann to see who would fight GSP, and also its good for business in the UK i guess.

 

I would have loved to see Koscheck vs. Semtex for the #1 contendership

[Guest ShaneMcCutcheon]

What wasn't convincing about Hardy's win over Swick, a legit top ten welterweight?

 

Who else is there that GSP's not already beaten? Hardy poses a different problem to the kinda guys GSP's fought recently too.

 

I think it's absolutely the right fight for them to make. Hardy's been convincing enough in his wins, really not sure what you think's not been convincing. Is he about to go in there and beat GSP? Unlikely, but then nobody else does either and there's more interest in a new challenge for GSP than him fighting a guy he's already looked dominant over.

 

I would have loved to see Koscheck vs. Semtex for the #1 contendership

that's fine, but in the meantime you still need a challenger for GSP, so, what's wrong with that guy being Hardy?

[Joey Asbo 45]

Well 4 fights in the UFC breaks down to 2 split decision wins, 1 unanimous decision and 1 KO. To me, thats not the best lead in to fighting GSP.

 

The Swick fight was good for Hardy, conversly, the 2 split decisions weren't against top 10 fighters.

[Guest ShaneMcCutcheon]

so?

 

four straight wins in the UFC is gonna get you a title shot, it hardly even needs to be against great competition. the fight's relatively sellable, certainly moreso than GSP Vs most other welterweights as he's beaten most of the top ones already.

 

whether his first and third fights in the UFC were decisions or not really doesn't matter at all. He's got four straight wins, he's undefeated in the UFC, and his last win was against a guy who would have been a natural contender for GSP in the near future.

 

There's nothing wrong with this fight being made at all, the guys got around thirty career fights, and won four straight in the UFC. you can't just keep having all the welterweights fighting each other to determine who fights GSP, and never actually getting round to fighting GSP.

 

He's the fourth ranked Welterweight in the world right now, and the two guys ahead of him have already lost convincingly in recent fights against GSP for the title. Going down teh rest of the welterweight list it's filled with guys he's beat, or people with less convincing records than Hardy

Edited January 20, 2010 by ShaneMcCutcheon

[Joey Asbo 45]

Marcus Davis was once on a 6 fight win streak but at no point was he worthy of a fight with GSP. This idea of winning a few fights in a row making you worthy of a shot at GSP, despite who you fought or how you won isnt really my thing. Orherwise Swick would have already had his shot.

 

Guess were going to have to agree to disagree as its too late in the day to keep debating.

[Guest ShaneMcCutcheon]

is it? what's wrong with discussing it?

 

Tell me who's more deserving at this point? Whether we disagree on Hardy, one thing I'm sure you do agree on is that GSP has to defend the title against someone right now? And, that does mean right now, not "let two other guys fight and the winner can get GSP", they need a GSP fight so who is ready to go right now and makes more sense than Hardy?

 

This idea of winning a few fights in a row making you worthy of a shot at GSP, despite who you fought or how you won isnt really my thing.

surely when the last of those fights was against a legit top ten welterweight who was in line to get a title shot himself, then four straight wins and an undefeated UFC record carries enough weight to get you a title shot? Edited January 20, 2010 by ShaneMcCutcheon

[Joey Asbo 45]

is it? what's wrong with discussing it?

 

Too late, as in i have work first thing in the morning!

 

 

Tell me right now who's more deserving. Whether we disagree on Hardy, one thing I'm sure you do agree on is that GSP has to defend the title against someone right now?

 

I said in my first post, i like Hardy, hes one of my favourite fighters. I just dont think, over his 4 performences, he is right for GSP. In that, Hardy has won 3/4 by decision. Mainly by holding his man, against the fence or controlling the clinch. I dont think he will be able to do that against GSP. I'm not saying Hardy isn't a good fighter.

 

I think one of the more attractive qualities about seeing Swick fight GSP that he wins with lightning knockouts, a quality that might have troubled GSP like the first Serra fight.

[Guest ShaneMcCutcheon]

In that, Hardy has won 3/4 by decision. Mainly by holding his man, against the fence or controlling the clinch. I dont think he will be able to do that against GSP. I'm not saying Hardy isn't a good fighter.

that's not really relevant though. If you work on the basis that "his style and level of performance mean he probably won't beat GSP" then you might as well just retire the welterweight and middleweight titles now and not bother having GSP or Anderson Silva defend them again.

 

I think one of the more attractive qualities about seeing Swick fight GSP that he wins with lightning knockouts, a quality that might have troubled GSP like the first Serra fight.

Swick's far from a great striker and Hardy's striking technique and power is way more evolved than Swick's. Swick comes with the same three punch combination over and over and over, he would have had zero success with it against GSP. Hardy's striking is a lot more accurate, offers a lot more strength and power, and is more varied. Bear in mind again, that Hardy beat Swick, comfortably to earn his shot.

 

Do I think he's gonna beat GSP? I very much doubt it. But GSP's already beaten Fitch, Alves, Koscheck. Swick and Kampmann just had losses, and Daley's only had two UFC fights.

[Joey Asbo 45]

that's not really relevant though. If you work on the basis that "his style and level of performance mean he probably won't beat GSP" then you might as well just retire the welterweight and middleweight titles now and not bother having GSP or Anderson Silva defend them again.

 

Swick's far from a great striker and Hardy's striking technique and power is way more evolved than Swick's. Swick comes with the same three punch combination over and over and over, he would have had zero success with it against GSP. Hardy's striking is a lot more accurate, offers a lot more strength and power, and is more varied. Bear in mind again, that Hardy beat Swick, comfortably to earn his shot.

 

Do I think he's gonna beat GSP? I very much doubt it. But GSP's already beaten Fitch, Alves, Koscheck. Swick and Kampmann just had losses, and Daley's only had two UFC fights.

 

 

Like i've said.. I like Hardy, i just think hes been given his shot a little quickly. The way Hardy utilises his strikes might just set him up to be taken down by GSP.

 

The same could be said for Swick but the way he throws bursts of punches could lead him to catch GSP right in the mask, whereas Hardy is more methodical, which GSP could counter.

 

For the record, i hope Hardy wins. I like him, i really do.. I just genuinly think his style would play to much into GSP.

 

And thats all i have to say on the matter because otherwise i wont get up for work in the wee hours. :xyx

[DC 536]

four straight wins and an undefeated UFC record carries enough weight to get you a title shot?

Brock didn't even have that behind him when he got a shot at the champion.

[Guest ShaneMcCutcheon]

absolutely, not only did he have a short UFC record, he had a short MMA record full stop. but the UFC knew it was a sellable fight, and that if he could beat Randy then BRock would be a massively sellable fighter.

 

It's the same kinda thing with Hardy. This is a fight they can sell, it's a different kinda challenge for GSP and if the unthinkable were to happen and Hardy won then he's a guy they could really get behind and create a star out of. If he doesn't, well, everyone in that division loses to GSP so it won't hurt his career a jot.

 

as I said, this'll be Hardy's 30th career fight, with four straight wins in the UFC, one of which was against a top ten welterweight who was on the verge of a title shot himself. When you compare that to where Brock was when he got his Randy fight I really don't see the problem with this fight at this point in time. When you look at the other options there really isn't another logical fight to go for.

Edited January 21, 2010 by ShaneMcCutcheon

[Guest John Hancock]

Random news updates from the last 24 hours.

 

- Rapage/Rashad is being rumoured for UFC 114.

- The New York state budget includes expenses for "MMA legislation", which all but confirms that MMA will become legal in the state of New York within the year.

- Jackie Chan hates MMA. He thinks it's violent, disshonourable, and an insult to martial arts.

- Strikeforce will be holding a women's tournament in April.

- Couture is starting to train in wrestling, and wants to move away from BJJ.

[Joey Asbo 45]

the UFC knew it was a sellable fight, and that if he could beat Randy then BRock would be a massively sellable fighter.

 

It's the same kinda thing with Hardy.

 

Thats different though. Lesnar vs Mir would sell loads of PPV's regardless of Brocks record beforehand. Brock was/is on a big contract and therefore his fights have to be big ones to justify his pay checks.

 

Not to mention the fact that he had already headlined a PPV against Randy Couture, pulling a shed load of buys.