MMA & Boxing thread

[KB_314]

More fight announcements

BIG boxing this Sunday morning guys.

• Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev. This should be one to watch.

In terms of Ring Magazine Ratings, these are the two best pound-for-pound (active) boxers in the world. I have it for Ward.

For me though, the best boxer I've seen in a long time, maybe since Roy Jones Jr, and the man Connor should be fighting (if it's about seeing the most exciting fight, not the biggest names) is Vasyl Lomachenko. He only has 8 pro bouts but an unprecedented amateur record (according to Wikipedia) of 396 wins and 1 loss! Two-time world amateur champion and two time Olympic gold medalist. In his pro debut, he won the Featherweight title (WBO) and is now the junior-lightweight champion (WBO). Asides from those wiki-stats, you just have to see this guy fight. Absolutely amazing movement and awareness. Insane speed. I'll post a couple of highlights for those who are interested but haven't yet seen him box.

• Soon after the Mayweather bout we'll see another two p4p kings in September - Golovkin (ESPN's top rated p4p boxer) vs Canelo Alvarez. This fight took the date at Madison Square Gardens that was initially earmarked for Mayweather vs McGregor.

• And in the spirit of Boxing hosting bigger fights than MMA atm, tomorrow afternoon in the UFC, 18-time boxing champ Holly Holm will face Bethe Correia (I know, meh).

Some (hopefully) decent fights in Bellator next week on June 24.

• Fedor vs Mitrione (yippee, Fedor is back), Chael Sonnen vs Wanderlai Silva (finally they fight - these ol-timers have despised each other for decades now), and Lima vs Larkin for the welterweight belt. I think Larkin has a good chance to win his Bellator debut. Don't know why he's not in the UFC this year as he was winning his fights against top fighters at 170. Hard to imagine how he was once at 205!

 

[KB_314]

Vasyl Lomachenko..



Even Joe Rogan had some compliments!

 

[KB_314]

Ward won by TKO - it was a decent fight, but unfortunately an early stoppage. I still think Ward would have won the bout, maybe a couple of seconds later, but a pity to see an early stoppage when so much is at stake, and at such a big event.

The Holm vs Correia UFC Fight Night wasn't the best, but it was saved by a vicious head-kick knockout for Holm that came seconds after Correia started taunting her and showing some gamesmanship - somewhat satisfying to see. It was also only the second time I've seen a ref step in to tell the fighters to start engaging! Was all very passive until the violence

 

[KB_314]

Not sure if you've all heard, but Matt Hughes, Hall of Famer & UFC legend, was involved in a serious car accident over the weekend. Apparently he was crossing a railway track in his pick-up, and was hit (passenger side) by a train
He is alive and stable as far as I've read, but is not awake and still unresponsive. He has definitely suffered head trauma, and the day after the accident I read in MMAJunkie that he'd also suffered a collapsed lung. No internal bleeding, and according to his sister, no broken bones.
His manager reported the day after the accident that he was responsive, but a later statement from his sister (yesterday, also published in MMAJunkie) contradicted that.

 

[KB_314]

A lot of fights this weekend but imo slightly disappointing in the end. Fedor's comeback didn't go too well and it was over quickly - there was a nice "Rocky" moment though which saw both fighters put each other on the mat at the same time - basically, whoever recovered first would win the fight.

In Bellator NYC the long awaited Sonnen vs Silva fight involved Chael beating up Wanderlai after a takedown in each round. A bit like the Anderson/Sonnen fight, except Wanderlai couldn't find the submission. But demonstrated equally poor takedown defense.
Hmm, what else. Oh, Michael Chandler lost his lightweight Bellator title after what looked like he suffered a broken ankle. It was actually pretty gruesome - his ankle kept caving-in underneath him but he just wanted to keep going! At one point he had his opponent hurt and tried to swarm him, despite his ankle collapsing twice, mid-swarm! Eventually it was stopped by the doctor.
In the UFC, Lee beat Chiesa in a slightly controversial result - he had Chiesa in a choke and the ref stopped it before Chiesa tapped. He immediately protested and it didn't look like he was "out" at all.
And finally, wow. Felice Herrig, whose been fighting very well recently, got an easy and impressive win over Justine Kish. What was funny, memorable and also unfortunate about this one is that Kish seemed to, well, lose control of her bowls, after "exploding" out of what looked like a seriously tight submission hold Tbh I watched the fight and didn't notice it at the time, but when I saw it online later and checked the footage again, it was unfortunately a true story. She did own the situation afterwards though and Tweeted something ending in "#shithappens", making light of it and having a laugh herself.

 

[Greyz]

ot

A lot of fights this weekend but imo slightly disappointing in the end. Fedor's comeback didn't go too well and it was over quickly - there was a nice "Rocky" moment though which saw both fighters put each other on the mat at the same time - basically, whoever recovered first would win the fight.
View attachment 99505
In Bellator NYC the long awaited Sonnen vs Silva fight involved Chael beating up Wanderlai after a takedown in each round. A bit like the Anderson/Sonnen fight, except Wanderlai couldn't find the submission. But demonstrated equally poor takedown defense.
Hmm, what else. Oh, Michael Chandler lost his lightweight Bellator title after what looked like he suffered a broken ankle. It was actually pretty gruesome - his ankle kept caving-in underneath him but he just wanted to keep going! At one point he had his opponent hurt and tried to swarm him, despite his ankle collapsing twice, mid-swarm! Eventually it was stopped by the doctor.
In the UFC, Lee beat Chiesa in a slightly controversial result - he had Chiesa in a choke and the ref stopped it before Chiesa tapped. He immediately protested and it didn't look like he was "out" at all.
And finally, wow. Felice Herrig, whose been fighting very well recently, got an easy and impressive win over Justine Kish. What was funny, memorable and also unfortunate about this one is that Kish seemed to, well, lose control of her bowls, after "exploding" out of what looked like a seriously tight submission hold Tbh I watched the fight and didn't notice it at the time, but when I saw it online later and checked the footage again, it was unfortunately a true story. She did own the situation afterwards though and Tweeted something ending in "#shithappens", making light of it and having a laugh herself.

I share your sentiment and felt a little let down by Bellator NYC. I had high expectations for the Silva\Sonnen and Matrione\Fedor match ups. While the Silva\Sonnen fight dragged on for 3 rounds, the Matrione\Fedor fight was over very quickly. Silva basically got given an education on how to execute a good ground game, it's like he had no response for Chael on the ground.
It's great to Matrione back in the octagon again and I really want to see his next fight as the Fedor fight didn't show us much. I'm excited he's back as I like his style - the man beat Derek the Black Beast Lewis and that's no easy task!

UFC Fight Night 25th June: Kevin Lee vs Michael Chiesa....... so much hype, so much trash talking and the fight ends in controversy. This was one fight I had been waiting for since Kevin punched Michael after referencing his mom. I felt that Yamasaki called the fight about 5 seconds too early. In his defense though if you look at the replays, it does look like Chiesa hands go a little limp, almost as though he about to pass out, that combined with how he wasn't fighting Kevin's hands could be what led to Yamasaki stopping the fight. I don't think it was a bad call but more so a premature call - he should have waited a few more seconds. I mean if the guy wont tap then let him pass out he will wake up when the chokes released. This isn't an arm bar where the fighter is in danger of breaking a limb if the ref doesnt stop it.

 

[KB_314]

Hey peeps - last night was the TUF Finale (which was the co-main event, between Diego Lima and Jesse Taylor). Jesse Taylor did well to win, but the main event between Michael Johnson and the WSOF 155 champion Justin Gaethje was one of the mosts memorable fights in a long while. I won't say who won because if you haven't seen it, you really should watch it not knowing who wins. But trust me, be sure to watch this one

 

[Greyz]

Hey peeps - last night was the TUF Finale (which was the co-main event, between Diego Lima and Jesse Taylor). Jesse Taylor did well to win, but the main event between Michael Johnson and the WSOF 155 champion Justin Gaethje was one of the mosts memorable fights in a long while. I won't say who won because if you haven't seen it, you really should watch it not knowing who wins. But trust me, be sure to watch this one

It was a great card with the only disappointment being Nunes bailing out due to bad sinisitus.....

 

[johan]

 

[KB_314]

I don't want to say too much because it can become like the damned HE/LE (I hate both of those terms and have never written them until this moment) forum "dialogue". Just that I think Floyd's gonna win, but will def be putting my money on Conor. And I never put money on fights. At those odds, I can't resist. Roughly 5-1 underdog (+500), and as much as 50-1 on per round betting, even for a KO in the first 4 rounds.

How about Canelo vs Golovkin? That's a massive boxing match too. Not as "spectacular", but should be a great fight. I have it for Golovkin myself but wouldn't bet on either.

 

[KB_314]

This was a bit long winded, but insightful stuff from MMA striking coach Firas Zahabi on the Conor vs Floyd fight.

 

[KB_314]

One of Vasyl Lomachenko's full fights. Any of his fights are a treat for fans of combat sports. Best boxer in the last 2-3 decades imho. His next fight is on 6 August.

 

[KB_314]

Conor 1, Floyd 0
He was the best at this sort of thing in boxing, but Conor will come out on top every time.

 

[KB_314]

So... it's almost time.
And I'm not talking about VapeCon (although that would be exciting too - missing it yet again )
Who do you all have winning? Anyone put money on the fight?

 

[KB_314]

Jon Jones has been stripped of his title again.
Cormier is now the champion. What do you guys think?
He's the most gifted fighter we've ever seen, by miles, but I'm over this guy and I personally think he should never be allowed to fight again. The sad thing is that DC looked amazing and was winning the fight until he got knocked out. I don't think I've ever seen DC looking so good. And now he'll never get a chance to beat Jones. Who knows what would have happened if Jon wasn't cheating.

 

[RichJB]

I think a fighter can be given a second chance by the sport. Four chances is a little much. It's time for UFC/MMA to ditch Jones and move on.

 

[Dewald]

Jon Jones completely messed up his career most probably, and selfishly our entertainment. According to some industry insiders, Lesnar was planning on making a comeback. That is, until Jones pissed hot. A fight between those two, with Brock back in good health, would have been epic.

I don't know why a guy with as much talent as Jones would resort to this, he clearly did not need it.

 

[KB_314]

Jon Jones completely messed up his career most probably, and selfishly our entertainment. According to some industry insiders, Lesnar was planning on making a comeback. That is, until Jones pissed hot. A fight between those two, with Brock back in good health, would have been epic.

I don't know why a guy with as much talent as Jones would resort to this, he clearly did not need it.

I hear you. He had every possibility of becoming the in-desputable GOAT. And with his physical and athletic abilities, he'd have made it difficult for future generations to top.
As far as Brock (one of the few guys who can "juice" more than Jones ) - personally I'd have been more interested to see Jones fight Gustafsson again. With Rumble facing the winner. Brock also cheated in his last outing and had the "W" struck from his record. He hurt Hunt in that fight and I don't blame Hunt for throwing his toys out the cot. Too much of this kak in fighting. On the plus side, Brock vs Jones is now a possibility outside of the UFC (I hear theres a nice venue in Kazakhstan)

 

[KB_314]

Speaking of Kazakhstan - this past weekend saw a massive fight in the boxing world, with 2 of the top pound-for-pound fighters facing off - not something that happens everyday in todays pro-boxing scene (but that problem seems to be improving, thankfully).

GGG vs Canelo Alverez. For me, it was an entertaining fight. I enjoyed the whole fight. But a majority draw? Seriously? Golovkin (GGG) was the clear winner. Close fight, but it shouldn't have been controversial. The judge who scored it 18-10 for Canelo knows she messed up and is a weeping mess at the moment by the looks. She deserves the criticism though. We can't have such poor judging for pro Boxing & MMA. Nevada State seems to be particularly bad.

If anyone saw the fight and is interested, below is the scorecard. Silliness.

 

[KB_314]

McGregor called it - Lomachenko vs Rigondeaux has been announced. This will be Vasyl's first real professional test and I don't think he'll disappoint.

 

[KB_314]

Wow! New champions this weekend: Namajunas, Dillashaw & GSP. What an event at MSG

 

[huffnpuff]

Wow! New champions this weekend: Namajunas, Dillashaw & GSP. What an event at MSG

G S P! G S P!