2024 MMA General Discussion and Fight Announcements

[MMC]

Lol. With this and Luque/Brady hopefully Dana stops pushing bullshit in his fight announcement tweets

 

[m9]

Cheapest tickets for UFC299 are like $400+ and it just lost it's 2nd biggest fight. It's still a good card - at least as of now - but this kind of stuff sucks.

 

[CDJ]

Dana is such a clown for trying to pressure these fighters by announcing fights as done when they aren’t

Anyone catch Dan Hardy's comments about the current state of MMA/UFC, and the either lack of evolution or perhaps even temporary regression. I realize he didn't have the smoothest exit from the UFC, but he asked an interesting question. Is there one champion right now that you could/would argue is the greatest champion in that division's history?

Volk for me. Islam is possible, Leon is sneaky possible but unlikely to have the overall resume of a GSP

I like Dan and I do think the overall quality of fighter in the ufc has dropped over the last few years since DWCS. I think the top of each division is fine though

 

[I am not exposed]

Anyone catch Dan Hardy's comments about the current state of MMA/UFC, and the either lack of evolution or perhaps even temporary regression. I realize he didn't have the smoothest exit from the UFC, but he asked an interesting question. Is there one champion right now that you could/would argue is the greatest champion in that division's history?

Volk.


Watch him lose the next fight in his division now lol

Dana is such a clown for trying to pressure these fighters by announcing fights as done when they aren’t


Volk for me. Islam is possible, Leon is sneaky possible but unlikely to have the overall resume of a GSP

Volk for sure is in the conversation. I would say yes he has surpassed Aldo and Holloway. Islam has a bit to go but could get there. Leon is miles away right now. Would put him behind GSP, Usman, and Woodley at this stage.

 

[Taytro]

Dana is such a clown for trying to pressure these fighters by announcing fights as done when they aren’t


Volk for me. Islam is possible, Leon is sneaky possible but unlikely to have the overall resume of a GSP

I like Dan and I do think the overall quality of fighter in the ufc has dropped over the last few years since DWCS. I think the top of each division is fine though

I'd guess Dana announces the fight when both guys agree to it and thinks "these two guys have always done what they said, I'm safe to announce this one" and he's been wrong a little too frequently lately.

Volk/Islam are true headliners. Leon isn't unless it's vs Islam lol.

I agree that I think other organizations are catching up to UFC in terms of qualify of fighters. More of them are chasing money rather than chasing the "glory" of fighting in the UFC.

 

[CDJ]

I'd guess Dana announces the fight when both guys agree to it and thinks "these two guys have always done what they said, I'm safe to announce this one" and he's been wrong a little too frequently lately.

Volk/Islam are true headliners. Leon isn't unless it's vs Islam lol.

I agree that I think other organizations are catching up to UFC in terms of qualify of fighters. More of them are chasing money rather than chasing the "glory" of fighting in the UFC.

Yeah mostly said Leon because he hasn’t lost in forever and has a few impressive names on the resume. He needs a few more defenses to get into the convo- I think he’s capable of it. Don’t know if it’ll ultimately happen though, Shavkat is coming

 

[Taytro]

Yeah mostly said Leon because he hasn’t lost in forever and has a few impressive names on the resume. He needs a few more defenses to get into the convo- I think he’s capable of it. Don’t know if it’ll ultimately happen though, Shavkat is coming

I don't think he needs to do any more winning I think he just needs to do some more selling. He's not particularly likable, exciting, personable, etc. He gets the local UK fans but doesn't do much for anyone else. I look at him and Aspinall, Aspinall is an interim champ and is much more interesting than Leon just because of their personality differences and how fun Aspinall is, outs himself out there, engaged in media, pushes against Jones, etc.

Leon's record is great but that's where it ends. Not a ton of entertainment factor.

 

[CDJ]

I don't think he needs to do any more winning I think he just needs to do some more selling. He's not particularly likable, exciting, personable, etc. He gets the local UK fans but doesn't do much for anyone else. I look at him and Aspinall, Aspinall is an interim champ and is much more interesting than Leon just because of their personality differences and how fun Aspinall is, outs himself out there, engaged in media, pushes against Jones, etc.

Leon's record is great but that's where it ends. Not a ton of entertainment factor.

I don’t factor in entertainment factor when evaluating somebody as the best talent in their weight class, I’m just going off of fight skills when talking about greatness

 

[I am not exposed]

Yeah mostly said Leon because he hasn’t lost in forever and has a few impressive names on the resume. He needs a few more defenses to get into the convo- I think he’s capable of it. Don’t know if it’ll ultimately happen though, Shavkat is coming

I actually think Belal beats him in the rematch! But then Shavkat comes and takes the belt soon after.

Saw a rumour for Shavkat vs. Colby in Seattle. Please let that be true!

 

[m9]

I just think it's an extremely high bar to compare the current UFC champ to the best of all-time. You can do the same thing with NFL positions - there are probably only a couple of guys would be considered the best of all-time or even the last 20 years for a more direct comparison. Or NHL players, or whatever sport you pick.

Volk is the best 145er and the best 205er is the champ in a different divison. Then you're asking guys to compete with DJ, Khabib, GSP, SIlva, etc who are the best of all-time for a reason.

 

[I am not exposed]

I don't think he needs to do any more winning I think he just needs to do some more selling. He's not particularly likable, exciting, personable, etc. He gets the local UK fans but doesn't do much for anyone else. I look at him and Aspinall, Aspinall is an interim champ and is much more interesting than Leon just because of their personality differences and how fun Aspinall is, outs himself out there, engaged in media, pushes against Jones, etc.

Leon's record is great but that's where it ends. Not a ton of entertainment factor.

I'm British but even I'm a bit meh on him. Was really happy he beat Usman and Colby though.

Yeah I'm a way bigger fan of Aspinall.

 

[pistolpete11]

I can understand that from a name/draw perspective. Feels like a big fight that fits on top of the poster, but do people actually care about it? I get how that may be separate and irrelevant to the "Should/could it headline 300" discussion, but man that fight does not interest me in the least.

It's a fun celebrity fight to begin with, but given their history, yeah, I hope that's a fight we eventually see whether it's at 300 or not.

Anyone catch Dan Hardy's comments about the current state of MMA/UFC, and the either lack of evolution or perhaps even temporary regression. I realize he didn't have the smoothest exit from the UFC, but he asked an interesting question. Is there one champion right now that you could/would argue is the greatest champion in that division's history?

I didn't see his comments or how he justified them, but my initial reaction is I 100% disagree. I think it has evolved a ton to the point that we are seeing a lot more people that are MMA fighters now and not specialists fighting MMA. I think people have got a lot better at BJJ defense and striking defense for that matter. I think there's a lot more feinting than there used to be. Calf kicking.

As far as greatest champs in the division, as @m9 said, that's an insanely high bar to constantly be clearing, but I think there has been a lot of fighters over the last few years that have or have at least come close.

HW : It's either Stipe or Francis which isn't that long ago. Aspinall's got the potential.
LHW : Jones by a mile and is still technically around.
MW : Anderson, but Izzy's reign just recently ended and I think is a clear #2. Technically could still add to his resume.
WW : GSP by a mile, but Usman is probably #2 and ended recently. Leon's got the potential to pass Usman......and Shavkat is coming.
LW : Probably Khabib, but Islam's got the potential to pass him. His grappling is a step down, but I ain't ever see Khabib head kick somebody.
FW : Volk, even if he loses to Topuria.
BW : I guess it's technically Cruz, but I'd probably pick like 5 of the current guys to beat even prime Cruz.
FLW : Mighty Mouse and nobody has really come close.

WFW / WBW : Just saw Nunes retire as the far and away GOAT
WFLW : probably not even worth considering given how new it is, but Valentina is an all timer in WP4P
WSW : I think you could make a strong case for Weili.

 

[I am not exposed]

It's a fun celebrity fight to begin with, but given their history, yeah, I hope that's a fight we eventually see whether it's at 300 or not.


I didn't see his comments or how he justified them, but my initial reaction is I 100% disagree. I think it has evolved a ton to the point that we are seeing a lot more people that are MMA fighters now and not specialists fighting MMA. I think people have got a lot better at BJJ defense and striking defense for that matter. I think there's a lot more feinting than there used to be. Calf kicking.

As far as greatest champs in the division, as @m9 said, that's an insanely high bar to constantly be clearing, but I think there has been a lot of fighters over the last few years that have or have at least come close.

HW : It's either Stipe or Francis which isn't that long ago. Aspinall's got the potential.
LHW : Jones by a mile and is still technically around.
MW : Anderson, but Izzy's reign just recently ended and I think is a clear #2. Technically could still add to his resume.
WW : GSP by a mile, but Usman is probably #2 and ended recently. Leon's got the potential to pass Usman......and Shavkat is coming.
LW : Probably Khabib, but Islam's got the potential to pass him. His grappling is a step down, but I ain't ever see Khabib head kick somebody.
FW : Volk, even if he loses to Topuria.
BW : I guess it's technically Cruz, but I'd probably pick like 5 of the current guys to beat even prime Cruz.
FLW : Might Mouse and nobody has really come close.

WFW / WBW : Just saw Nunes retire as the far and away GOAT
WFLW : probably not even worth considering given how new it is, but Valentina is an all timer in WP4P
WSW : I think you could make a strong case for Weili.

Nice breakdown.

 

[Taytro]

I don’t factor in entertainment factor when evaluating somebody as the best talent in their weight class, I’m just going off of fight skills when talking about greatness

Misunderstood, my bad, I went back and read the chain. I was just talking about in terms of headliners.

 

[MMC]

Honestly it shouldn’t be legal to sell tickets and promote events with fights without a contract signed. Seems incredibly scammy, when you’re charging hundreds of dollars and putting it on the event poster

 

[m9]

Honestly it shouldn’t be legal to sell tickets and promote events with fights without a contract signed. Seems incredibly scammy, when you’re charging hundreds of dollars and putting it on the event poster

Yup. And technically for main events if there's a cancellation or change you can get your money back.

But shit like this with Poirier is exactly why I tell people to not buy UFC tickets until right before the fight. Too much can change and it's rarely for the better.

 

[Avs_19]

I think we had this discussion at the time they announced the fight. Both surprised Poirier would take it and assumed it was because they made it worth his while. Turns out we were right to be skeptical. Such BS and shady business by the UFC to first put these guys in that position and also for the fans who may have purchased tickets in part due to this fight.

 

[MMC]

Shady business practices aside I have no clue what Dustin is looking for if he’s not going to work something out here. He should move up to 170 and try to make a run there

 

[I am not exposed]

Shady business practices aside I have no clue what Dustin is looking for if he’s not going to work something out here. He should move up to 170 and try to make a run there

Terrible idea. He will be outsized in that division.

 

[MMC]

 

[MMC]

Lol what a clown

 

[Avs_19]

What's more likely, there was "miscommunication" or Poirier got what he wanted after he made it public? I know which one I'm going with.

It's all good as long as the fight is actually happening. That's what I care about the most.

 

[MMC]

 

[Moncherry]

You're right that professional athletes, especially fighters, have a different mindset and view on what they are capable of.

However, I think Izzy thinks about his legacy more than most fighters. Fighting Pereira at 205 would be the ultimate risk/reward for him, but IMO it leans far too much into the risk. The size difference is massive. Pereira walks around 230. Izzy walks around at 200. That size difference was noticeable when they fought, but to get to 185, Pereira had to drain himself. To get to 205, he still has to cut, but it's a normal weight cut. He'd be stronger and more durable and that's on top of already being the same level of kickboxer as Izzy. Izzy tried wrestling him at 185 and failed, so he's not going to be able to do it up a weight class. Not saying Izzy can't win, but it's a really tough fight for him IMO. Say what you will about Izzy, but he's not stupid. I think he realizes that and wouldn't want to risk the 'last laugh', as you put it.

If he cares about his legacy so much, I don't see why he wouldn't risk it. Having the last win against his biggest rival, who he is still 1-3 against, doesn't mean nearly as much as another potential triumph which would result in the LHW title. Yeah it would be dangerous, but fighting Pereira is always dangerous. He can still win a kickboxing match at 205, even if Pereira is more durable at that weight.

 

[bov]

I really doubt Conor at UFC 300. It just doesn't make much business sense. UFC 300 even with a shitty main event is going to sell a lot of PPVs just on how deep it is. Conor is good for 1 million PPVs by himself. For example, UFC 300 with Leon/Belal + Conor on his own PPV is going to sell more than UFC 300 with Conor + Leon-Belal on their own PPV.

Nunes-Cyborg 2 would be pretty fun if you ask me, but I don't think it's the big main event that most people want either.

Who would be excited for Colby to headline especially after his last fight? Not to mention, who would he fight? Leon-Belal isn't exciting, but at least a belt is on the line.

Just spitballing based on Dana's comments, but you're right that it's not practical. He kind of implied it would come out of left field, but maybe I'm overthinking. My only reason for mentioning Colby at all is that he's not really in the title picture at 170 anymore, and has always teased dropping to 155 ( or maybe some catch weight/165 title?). I know 300 will sell PPV's regardless, but I assume they still want a big draw atop the card.

Nunes /Cyborg wouldn't shock me, that's a good guess.

There are no heavyweights on the card either. On one hand, I'm not sure if they'd do an interim bout as main event, but Aspinall seems to be available. Do they get creative with that somehow?

At the end of the day I'm perfectly fine with Belal vs Edwards, just doesn't seem consistent with the teases I've seen.