Anyone Watching the UFC Fights this Weekend?

[DeepBlue68]

I'm really excited about them. I cannot stand Tim Sylvia...I hope Monson annhialates him. I think it should be interesting to see a 5'10" guy fight a 6'8" guy though. Hopefully Monson will be able to overcome the gigantic reach disadvantage he's facing.

George St. Pierre is one of my favorite fighters, and my opinion of Matt Hughes has been going down since he made some pretty arrogant comments regarding Royce Gracie (who paved the way for people like Hughes) and B.J. Penn. Hughes got saved by the bell when Penn had him in that triangle, and unfortunately Penn didn't have the luxury of the round being almost over when he got caught. I think if Penn had've been in a little better shape as far as stamina goes, he could've taken him. Water under the bridge though...maybe they'll have a Hughes vs. Penn 3.

Anyone else gonna be watchin?

[4FTTY4]

I wanted to go, but the cheaper tickets sold out within an hour or so of being released, and I don't have $500 bucks for ringside seats. I want to see GSP beat Hughes just to make him eat his words. Arrogance annoys the hell out of me. Sylvia and Monson should be an interesting fight to watch.

[wick]

I can't stand Sylvia either and hope Monson takes him. I just like Monson and his modest but confident attitude.

I don't like GSP at all but he is one bad ass fighter. I'm not a big fan of Hughes either but I hope he takes it. I didn't see what Hughes had to say about Gracie but Gracie was at the end of his career and I don't think he really wanted to fight anymore. What else did he have to prove?

[ViperBlue68]

sorry to burst your bubble guys but Hughes is gunna whoop gsp's azz....I like gsp'z style and think hes a good fighter but not at the level of Hughes...and Tim Sylvia is actually a cool cat I've met him at ufc 47 along with alot of other fighters...I have some pics I'll hafta find em...Tito on the other hand is a total *****! I've met him on a few occasions and I've gotten the same feeling every time....
should be fun watchin tho....

[DeepBlue68]

I didn't see what Hughes had to say about Gracie but Gracie was at the end of his career and I don't think he really wanted to fight anymore. What else did he have to prove?
They were interviewing Hughes about his fight with BJ Penn, and he was talking about his last fight with Gracie. He said something along the lines of "I'm not really sure why they wasted my time having me fight Gracie because he's old and it was pointless...I knew I was gonna destroy him." While all of that is for the most part true, I just think it's classless and arrogant to talk that way about a pioneer of the sport. You think he would be more respectful to those that paved the way for him.

[BA.]

I agree with most all of that above. Hughes does come off as just too damn arrogant,.........even if he is really good. :) I think GSP has equal skills, but I give the aggressive edge to Hughes and I think that will get him a win.

I like Monsion also, but, I REALLY don't think he can overcome that reach/height disadvantage. :) Silvia could lift a knee and crack Monsion in the head! lol.

I'm just as excited to see Brandon and Nick Diaz fighting on undercards, those guys are fun to watch!

[DeepBlue68]

Brandon Vera is awesome...he's a damn good fighter, but classy and respectful of his opponents.

I'm not a big fan of Nick Diaz though. He's always whining about something. I'd be willing to bet that he'll probably complain that even though he's been in the UFC for a while now, his fight is one of the "may not be broadcast" fights on the card saturday night. I don't think he's a very exciting fighter to watch, which might be why he doesn't get more publicity/hype/spotlight that he seems to think he deserves.

Speaking of Diaz, when is Diego Sanchez gonna fight again? That guy is amazing. I think he could be one of the next great MMA fighters to come around. It doesn't seem like he's done much since winning TUF1, but the times I've seen him he's been awesome to watch.

[BuddyP]

Had planned on watching but have to go to the woman's Mom's this weekend... blah!

[wick]

DeepBlue, if Hughes said that it was classless. Hughes should have shown the man some respect that he deserves. I always liked Gracie and watched him in disbelief the first time I saw him. He is not a flashy fighter but always gets the job done.

[Vegas69]

These guys have to talk it up to hype the fights. Its part of their job. If you were the best mma fighter in the world at 170lbs you might be suprised how confident you would be. I say go hughes hes a good old boy arrogant or not.

[Buick Motorsports]

there is no argument that Hughes is a great fighter. His arrogance, outside of taping the interviews, is classless. He has repeatedly referred to his competition as lesser human beings, both mentally and physically.

It is one thing to be confident as a champion, it is another thing to have a superiority complex the size of his.

He is a classic child....he can dish it but can't take it! When GSP entered the ring after the Penn fight and made comments about Hughes' performance, he had a fit.

Matt has a weakness in his game and that is his striking. Penn owned the first two rounds. Whether he gassed/injured his rib, Penn completely exposed Matt's lack of standup.

[JMitch19]

Fellas, if you go to UFC.com there is a really good interview with BJ Penn. In the interview he states that he hadbroken a rib in the same round as he had Hughes in the triangle choke. He said it had nothing to do with him not being in shape. He says he was in the best shape of his life. Prior to the last Hughes fight BJ said he didn't believe in training because it made him a less natural fighter. He says he knew he needed to be in top shape to go five rounds with Hughes, so he trained his butt off for this fight. It's a good interview I think you can find it in their media section.

I think the Hughes vs. GSP fight will be awesome. I hope it's a punishing fight that goes the distance. I don't really care who wins. I just want to see a war....

As far as the Silva vs. Monson fight goes. I think IF Silva can keep it on the feet he wins. If it goes to the ground Monson will destroy him. Come on the UFC lists the friggin guy at only 5'8" but he's 240 lbs. of solid muscle. And the guy is the world Abu Dhabi heavyweight champ. Abu Dhabi is kind of like submission wrestling. Not to mention he's a Pacifist with a masters in Psychology. Picture going in for counseling and seeing a guy like that on the other side of the desk.

[BA.]

As far as the Silva vs. Monson fight goes. I think IF Silva can keep it on the feet he wins. If it goes to the ground Monson will destroy him.

Completely agree, although, "destroy" seems pretty strong. :) Yeah, he is a multi Abu Dhabi champ so he should own the ground.


I'm not a big fan of Nick Diaz though. He's always whining about something."

Agreed here too. You saw him play mind games with Robbie Lawler though, right? He owned Lawler. Being brash is part of his game and he is good both on the ground and standing, but sometimes he does bring more MOUTH than GAME. :)

[DJW32]

[quote=JMitch19]

I think the Hughes vs. GSP fight will be awesome. I hope it's a punishing fight that goes the distance. I don't really care who wins. I just want to see a war....


YES!

If the fight does go the distance...HUghes will be the victor

[DeepBlue68]

Not to mention he's a Pacifist with a masters in Psychology. Picture going in for counseling and seeing a guy like that on the other side of the desk.
Yea, he's also a big Anarchist. Go to this link at YouTube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmYtbY7sLuE to watch an interview with him where he's talkin about his anarchist beliefs and his opinions of the Bush government. He's actually fairly well-spoken, which I wouldn't have guessed just from looking at him, to be honest.

I read an article about him in Rolling Stone about a month ago that said he participates in anti-war protests in the Northwest all the time. It was talking about him getting into trouble with the cops at the protests, and said that while all his friends are getting arrested, the cops just stand in a circle around him with tasers babysitting him b/c no one wants to try to arrest him. Hell, I wouldn't....

[JMitch19]

Yea, he's also a big Anarchist. Go to this link at YouTube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmYtbY7sLuE to watch an interview with him where he's talkin about his anarchist beliefs and his opinions of the Bush government. He's actually fairly well-spoken, which I wouldn't have guessed just from looking at him, to be honest.

I think I'd let him protest anything he wanted. I was very surprised by him also. I figured he was some kind of nazi skin head or so thing, but obviously he's a pretty bright guy if he has a masters in phych. He has some different views that is for sure.

Should be a good saturday.... beer, friends,and some good fights.

Might be a tough sunday. I have to load the 68 up to take it to the body shop early.

[BA.]

Brandon Vera wins in impressive fashion, taking only about 90 seconds to defeat Frank MIr!!
It was a straight shot to Franks chin that wobbled him a bit, then Vera went in for the Muay Thai clinch and sent a knee to Franks face which struck hard!
After it went to the ground, the Ref had to step in fairly soon because Vera was able to throw elbows and punches to the defenseless Mira's bloody face.

[BA.]

FWIW, Joey Stevenson wins his fight over the Japanese guy whose name I could never get correct so I won't try. :)
1st round win with a choke while laying on his back. (after about 3 tries)

[4FTTY4]

updates?

[BA.]

The Sylvia-Monsion fight was lackluster. For the first round and a half, Monsion kept going for Sylvia's legs but Sylvia was excellent in his sprawls every time.

Sylvia worked the jab every now and then, once in a while even a hook, all just to keep distance. He tried 1 leg kick at the endo of a round but Monsion ducked barely and it went over his head.

The last 3 rounds were boring really. There was a brief bit of excitement when Monsion actually got Sylvia on his back, but, Monsions reach is so short, and Sylvia's torso so long, that nothing could connect for Monsion. There as a LOT of that in the 3rd and 4th rounds.
A brief choke by Monsion looked pretty good but Sylvia was able to twist/roll out of that twice.

It went 5 rounds, Monsions right eye had a good cut under it starting around the 3rd round or so. It got puffed up a bit in 4 and 5, hurting his vision.
The decision went to Sylvia, and rightly so.

[BA.]

The Hughes vs GSP fight was a GOOD ONE if you're a GSP fan!!! :)

GSP came out strong, and had a very good looking jab that was connecting and surprising Hughes.
GSP even negated a Hughes full grasp that usually results in a body slam!
There were a lot of inside and high leg kicks by GSP, most looking pretty good. Two of the inside kicks ended up hitting Hughes in the cup area. If you watch a replay, the cause is that Hughes would back out of the way of the kick. GSP was aiming for thigh area, but when Hughes backs away, it makes GSP's foot at the right distance to hit him in the crotch. Not GSP's fault, not Hughes fault. GSP was apologetic, and Hughes backed away each time. No major complaints by Hughes which was nice.

At the end of Round 1, GSP caught Hughes again with a punch, but this one staggered him a little. GSP attacked, took Hughes down and it looked like the end for Hughes! It was the end actually, the end of the round, as the ref stepped in to separate them. :)

Round two showed more of the same. Good kicks and strikes by GSP, and Hughes just not able to "get anything going". He was even doing some bouncing and shaking of his arms as if to say "wake up Hughes, wake up".

Right about then, GSP sent up a left kick to the head and it connected well. Hughes was dazed and off-balance. GSP attacked once again and got on top of Hughes, then dropped some good punches to the still dazed Hughes, followed with about 2-3 good elbows to the head.

That was all she wrote as the ref stepped in 'called it'. GSP wins and wins well!

[JJSmitches]

I am not a Hughes fan but I appreciate his physical skill and work ethic. I wanted to see GSP win a battle. If you watched, GSP never seemed to be in trouble, winning almost too easily.

However...

I thought Hughes showed some manerisms that to me appeared to be uncharacteristic both entering the ring and in the first half of round 1. It seemed odd to me after watching many Hughes fights that he would wink at someone either in his onterage or in the crowd as he entered the ring. Im not sure if it was the way he winked or the act itself. The smiling at GSP after being hit was something I never remember see him doing in the past. I know some fighters will do something similar to try and show they werent hurt after catching one.

I also wonder how much those two shots to the cup, especially the second, may have taken out of Hughes.

Overall excellent performance by GSP. I wouldnt mind seeing a rematch soon.

[DeepBlue68]

I also wonder how much those two shots to the cup, especially the second, may have taken out of Hughes.

Overall excellent performance by GSP. I wouldnt mind seeing a rematch soon.
Agreed. I was really impressed with St. Pierre's performance, above all, how seemingly easily he was able to get out of Matt Hughes' clinch, which is always bad news for whoever's in it. I'm glad that Hughes didn't try to say that the 2 groin shots took the fight out of him...I guess we'll see if that comes up anytime in the coming weeks or during the interviews for his next fight.

As for what's ahead for GSP - I'm wondering what they're gonna do for his next fight. I'm wondering if they'll have Penn vs. St. Pierre 2 and give B.J. another shot at the title. It seems reasonable to have that fight, except that I don't know whether they'd give Penn two back-to-back title fights. Another thought is that maybe they'd move Diego Sanchez straight up to a title fight the way they did for Asuerio Silva. I think Sanchez is good enough to compete with GSP (not sure that he could beat him, but I don't think it'd be a slaughter by any means). I'm anxious to see what they do.

[96Z28SS]

gsp has to fight MAtt Serra first, actually next month i think.

[ViperBlue68]

wow....I stand corrected...GSP came out and COMPLETELY schooled hughes.....that was a good fight...Silva won as I thought due to the BIG reach advantage....only two fights I watched...so I dont know of the others....