Perhaps you missed a washed up no training 50 year old ex boxer by the name of Ray Mercer knock Tim Silva out in 9 seconds?Who said either don't have any power? Who said either can't throw a punch?
Perhaps you missed Couture dropping Sylvia 30 seconds in to their fight? Oh, right, Sylvia has no chin either
Perhaps you missed a washed up no training 50 year old ex boxer by the name of Ray Mercer knock Tim Silva out in 9 seconds?
Why didn't none of you guys tell me that?
and Mayhem would NEVER happen in the UFC and if it did there would be a bunch of fighters without contracts.
My wife said, "Strikeforce is so white trash."I have to agree that just looked totally ridiculous.
Please. Just like Melendez, Shields is that dude. Jon Fitch has called him the most underrated fighter in mma, said he'd do just fine against UFC welterweights...when is he going to get some respect? Besides getting caught in the first, Shields dominated Hendo, he didn't just beat him.
Sorry fellas, been busy with work and training. Forgive me if I don't go back and restart our previous debate...I'm afraid the arguments have gotten a little circular, and I think in the best interests of this thread we should just let it die.
You mean Olympic Gold Medalist and former Heavyweight Champion of the World Ray Mercer? Yeah, I caught that one
Sorry, couldn't resist...ok I'm done
Thats completely incorrect...the UFC guaranteed Diaz additional fights after Gleison Tibau and he turned them down to sign with the Gracie Fighting Championships, out of loyalty to Cesar Gracie...when that promotion imploded, Pride 33 came around and he fought Gomi, then went on to other opportunities. He was never cut, and the UFC never elected not to renew his contract.
Which brings me to an interesting point. People love to hate the Diaz brothers...they're controversial characters, but I think they get far more derision than they deserve.
If you consider loyalty the better part of class they are the classiest fighters in the sport. Did you see Nate's interview after the Markham fight? The first words out of his mouth were "my brother is the best fighter in the world." Did you see Nick's interview after the Zaromskis fight? "My brother won his last fight, that was bs." Find me another example of a fighter talking about anything but themselves directly after a victory.
They're loyal to a fault, to one another and to their team...thats a quality thats all too rare in mma today. I've met Nate, and he's extremely polite and respectful in person...people I know who've met Nick say the same thing, and thats more than I can some for other fighters I've met. They value loyalty and respect above all else...is that really a bad thing? Some might call them thugs...others might call them good brothers and true friends.
Just something to think about
How was it started by Shields? Mayhem snuck in to the cage and slid up in Shields grill mid-interview...it wasn't a pre-planned rematch hype session, Mayhem squatted on Shields moment in an attempt to get some air time.
Mayhem knew full well he was going to incite a brawl. Get up in somebody's face like that in the street and you're liable to start a fight...why would he think it would turn out any differently doing it in a cage with the Diaz brothers? If your friend ran his mouth to a bunch of drunken frat boys or something and got beat up as a result, would you tell people he didn't start it? Of course not.
It already happened in the UFC (UFC 45, Cabbage/Tank)
This idea that the UFC is somehow "above" this sort of thing, or that Strikeforce is the one using the pro wrestling model is downright laughable.
Have we all forgotten that Dana White thrust mma in to the mainstream on the backs of a bunch of impulsive young athletes that he shoved in to a house stocked with booze and ecouraged to wile out? Have we forgotten the drunken idiocy, the destruction of property, the bodily fluids in food, that are all typical of the very vehicle which carried the UFC in to the spotlight?
Have we forgotten which promotion gave a former pro wrestler with a 2-1 record a title shot?
Have we forgotten the single most McMahon-esque publicity stunt ever attempted by an mma promoter?
Stop being ridiculous
On to the fights...
Aoki/Melendez - GREAT fight. Mad respect to Gil for dropping right in to Aoki's guard...I thought he'd back out every chance he got. Fantastic performance by Melendez...you can discount the win by saying Aoki/Japanese fighters are overrated, but you'd be making a mistake...Gil is that dude, he stacks up favorably with almost anyone in the UFC lightweight division.
Mousasi/Mo - Mo is the real deal...I've only seen a few guys in mma drive through a double like he does. Mousasi should have poured it on and tried to finish with strikes at the end of the second round rather than trying to take the back. I was also a little dissapointed to see him striking off his back so much rather than controlling Mo's wrists and trying to set something up...strikes off your back don't win fights (with the rare exception being the perfectly placed upkick a la Mousasi/Jacare), they reflect frustration.
Shields/Hendo - A few months ago, Hendo was the undisputed number 2 in the UFC MW division. A couple weeks ago, he was gonna smash Shields. Now he's washed up, done?
After seeing Hendo get smashed by a puffed up welterweight, anyone who doubts that the top fighters in each Strikeforce division are right up their with the top guys in the respective UFC division is in denial.
Oh, and one last thing...this event blew UFC 112 out of the water
Seriously he's bigger than Lesnar! That's insane. When he's shredded to near bodybuilder levels he hovers around 280 at 265 Brock looks like he could still cut up a bit.I knew it was coming and arguing about it isn't worth my time.
You mean Olympic Gold Medalist and former Heavyweight Champion of the World Ray Mercer? Yeah, I caught that one
Sorry, couldn't resist...ok I'm done
I'm sure he'll bring in the crowds and I wouldn't be surprised if he destroys Sylvia.
The Diaz brothers, Shields and Melendez are perpetually underrated and with the exception of Shields, some of the most exciting fighters in the game.I don't have a prediction on Overeem/Fedor after watching Fedor struggle with Brett Rogers, could have been ring rust. After the Overeem / Rogers fight things should come into focus for both of them. Fedor is the best but Overeem has more than a punchers chance.
