Official Combat Sports (MMA, Boxing, Kickboxing) Thread

Fuck a rematch btw, if Ferguson doesn't get this title fight next I don't know what to say.

Az. said:

FYI much better cardio for Conor of would improve his odds at winning. If he can sustain the same pace for 5 rounds, then he can spam his kicks for 5 rounds. If he tires in 2, then he is a slice of tiramisu for Khabib again.

Conserving his energy won't do much against Khabib, he needs to stay active not the other way around. What you said is true, just by doing runs he won't improve his cardio enough for Khabib, he needs to roll with somebody that won' t ass kiss him in the gym, and prepare him for a real situation.

Click to expand...

Once again, he was not able to "sustain the same pace" mostly because he was worn out by Khabib in round one. He was pinned to the cage with his legged hooked and sprawled on, carrying Khabib's weight.

You are right though in that he needs to have realistic rolls. I am not sure why they think bringing in Dillon is a good idea. Dillon is a really good BJJ player but as far as I know he isn't known for his pressure game in the BJJ world, and most of games Dillon plays are more modern BJJ-centric games.

Even so, pressure isn't something you get used to. The way it wears you out, its not like if you experience it more you are more immune to it. That is why I don't see cardio as the main problem, rather how to address being pinned to the cage. If you listened to Kavanagh, they accepted that they were going to be on the bottom and that Connor was going to "play some guard". They probably need to be a bit more proactive in the second fight.

MilanMB. said:

Well, you know this better than me so I won't say too much. I didn't think about the injury risk, thought that a neck cranck was just painful.

Anyway, I'm really disappointed in how little Conors developed over the last couple of years. I can't respect him again unless he beats Khabib.

Click to expand...

For sure that is not true.



That by the way, was the first time Dean Lister was submitted since 1997. Neck crank, if applied correctly, can cause very serious injuries. I think that really jacked Lister up for awhile.

As far as Connor's development, what do you expect? The guy is not humble and is full of himself. He is really good at certain things but is lacking in other aspects of the fight game, to consider him anywhere close to being the best is laughable. And this is what most of his "haters" have been saying all along.

Remember the UFC hype machine trying to make us believe that Ronda was the "female Mike Tyson". That she could "probably fight Cain Velasquez and it would be an even match" or "beat up Mayweather like a rag doll".

Connor at least seems to have a positive attitude after the beating unlike Ronda, I really do hope to see him improve as a fighter rather than retire as a trash-talking fight-selling guy

Hmm now you're actually underestimating him, because it's not laughable to consider him close to being the best. The guy was a double champ for a reason and he got great fighters on his win list.

Curupira said:

For sure.

The way Kavanagh broke down the podcast was that, Connor expected to be taken down, and he didn't expect to stand up. He was telling Connor to "play guard" if he gets taken down, you see how that went. Overall, despite all the trash talk I don't think Connor believed he can beat Khabib other than the KO (judging how he moved in the fight).

And I really don't think the tap was weak. He was in a nasty head crank with a Russian that hates him and can hurt his neck really badly and put him out for a long time and you can bet that shit has lingering effects. Once again, you can see his head was already turned and Khabib has 2 hooks in and Connor was going face down, all it needed was a proper little rotation from Khabib and it's bye-bye to Connor for a LONG time. If it was a blood choke I understand this sentiment, but when it comes to anything else, trying to tough out a submission to prove a point is the dumbest thing one could do.

Click to expand...

still don't know how wonderboy survived the choke by Woodley in the first fight. I mean Woodley is a brown belt so he should be quite good at those type of chokes.

MilanMB said:

Hmm now you're actually underestimating him, because it's not laughable to consider him close to being the best. The guy was a double champ for a reason and he got great fighters on his win list.

Click to expand...

absolutely. Connor is legit top 3/4 fighter. honestly I see him losing only to khabib and Tony. I really think Connor ko's lee. lee has a glass jaw. connor vs al iaquinta would be tough fight but he should get through it as he is more of a standup guy. He already destroyed Poirier and i believe Poirier got starched my michael Johnson not too long ago. Nate could pose problems but he did solve it in the past so I am quite positive about his chances versus nate should they fight for a third time. watch out for Dan hooker though. he is an elite fighter on the rise. He is more than capable of beating guys like lee, Poirier and even gaetje perhaps.

I mean when you have a guy who wrestles bears when he's 9, what other outcome is there gonna be? I think even Woodley said keep that guy out of my division. Now that's the fight I wanna see...

I hope everyone's seen the vid of Khabib vs Bear.

Soldier_of_god said:

absolutely. Connor is legit top 3/4 fighter. honestly I see him losing only to khabib and Tony. I really think Connor ko's lee. lee has a glass jaw. connor vs al iaquinta would be tough fight but he should get through it as he is more of a standup guy. He already destroyed Poirier and i believe Poirier got starched my michael Johnson not too long ago. Nate could pose problems but he did solve it in the past so I am quite positive about his chances versus nate should they fight for a third time. watch out for Dan hooker though. he is an elite fighter on the rise. He is more than capable of beating guys like lee, Poirier and even gaetje perhaps.

Click to expand...

McGregor is the #2 lightweight in the world and would knock out any other lightweight/featherweight not called Khabib.

I believe the only reason he lost to Khabib was because of the time spent away from the Octagon. Taking 2 years out and returning to fight the best fighter in the world straight away is complete madness. That would never happen in Boxing. Also, he's clearly overindulged in his time away and age has also started to catch up with him.

I think if he'd fought Khabib immediately after Alvarez he would've had a good chance of knocking him out. He was much more powerful, faster and sharper back then.

One thing I wasn't surprised to see was Khabib dropping McGregor. Conor used to have a rock chin but taking clean shots from the best Boxer in the world for 10 rounds and getting stopped clearly lowered his punch resistance. Just ask Jose Aldo

Soldier_of_god said:

not just this fight. even in the Woodley fight. it looked like they wanted till to win so bad lmao. but he got wrecked everywhere by GOAT Woodley. Not even prime gsp beats current Woodley. Woodley under roofus is an animal.

Click to expand...

Soldier_of_god said:

still don't know how wonderboy survived the choke by Woodley in the first fight. I mean Woodley is a brown belt so he should be quite good at those type of chokes.

Click to expand...

The belt system in BJJ is a bit subjective.

There are brown belts who are absolutely trash, and there are out of the world brown belts who can wax most black belts. With that said, I am not saying Woodley is not a good brown belt rather using that benchmark may not always hold true.

Also, with the gloves, chokes are a bit harder than just regular grappling

MilanMB said:

Hmm now you're actually underestimating him, because it's not laughable to consider him close to being the best. The guy was a double champ for a reason and he got great fighters on his win list.

Click to expand...

Again, I agree he is really good at a skill set. He was double champ for that reason and the fact that Dana White picked opponents who were favorable for that skill set.

Diaz choked him out and then went to decision with McGregor and Diaz is hardly anywhere near the cream of the crops for his division. And Connor really hasn't shown he can stop a good take down, even Mendes was getting the best of him.

Once again, I think Connor is a really good fighter, I even gave him great chance to win this fight. But to say he is a complete martial artist (one of the best), I think he's still got some ways to go.

Soldier_of_god said:

absolutely. Connor is legit top 3/4 fighter. honestly I see him losing only to khabib and Tony. I really think Connor ko's lee. lee has a glass jaw. connor vs al iaquinta would be tough fight but he should get through it as he is more of a standup guy. He already destroyed Poirier and i believe Poirier got starched my michael Johnson not too long ago. Nate could pose problems but he did solve it in the past so I am quite positive about his chances versus nate should they fight for a third time. watch out for Dan hooker though. he is an elite fighter on the rise. He is more than capable of beating guys like lee, Poirier and even gaetje perhaps.

Click to expand...

If Lee stands he'll have a rough night because I agree, dude has a weak chin but I think his ability to shoot for double leg takedowns in comparison to Khabib can take him to a 50/50 with Conor.

I also think current Holloway if he gets his brain damage or what it is under control is favored against Conor. 4-6 is the range I look at for Conor.

Gaethje lets himself be very hittable. There'll be many chances for Conor to end it but Gaethje has an insane chin. We've seen him go down but he ate such an absurd amount of punches that it's incredible he lasted as long. So if he can eat Conor's offense for 2 rounds, I believe the tables turn.

Kojak said:

McGregor is the #2 lightweight in the world and would knock out any other lightweight/featherweight not called Khabib.

I believe the only reason he lost to Khabib was because of the time spent away from the Octagon. Taking 2 years out and returning to fight the best fighter in the world straight away is complete madness. That would never happen in Boxing. Also, he's clearly overindulged in his time away and age has also started to catch up with him.

I think if he'd fought Khabib immediately after Alvarez he would've had a good chance of knocking him out. He was much more powerful, faster and sharper back then.

One thing I wasn't surprised to see was Khabib dropping McGregor. Conor used to have a rock chin but taking clean shots from the best Boxer in the world for 10 rounds and getting stopped clearly lowered his punch resistance. Just ask Jose Aldo

Click to expand...

There is so much off here.

1. He is not the number 2 LW - he's 50% in the division and there's really no reason to rank him above Tony. There is another LW that he fought against twice and didn't knock out in either fight - some even argue he lost both fights.

2. Conor would've lost this 2 years ago. Ring rust is not the huge discrepancy for this, he was never going to keep up with Khabib on the floor and his cardio was never something special. He was training for Mayweather last year and was training after it as well - don't think he wasn't in the gym. You don't forget to kick or punch. Any type of rust you have is gone within the first few sessions. He's 30, just like Khabib. Khabib spent 2 years away with knee injuries and nothing changed.

If anything 2 years without serious wear and tear in fight camps are beneficial since he still was training.

3. Are you seriously implying he lost his chin after Floyd played around with him a bit? Floyd isn't exactly a power puncher. Khabib caught him with a classic wrestler overhand right, that drops most people, especially if they're exhausted as Conor was.

UFC 230

DC vs Lewis for the HW title is the main event

Alec said:

There is so much off here.

1. He is not the number 2 LW - he's 50% in the division and there's really no reason to rank him above Tony. There is another LW that he fought against twice and didn't knock out in either fight - some even argue he lost both fights.

2. Conor would've lost this 2 years ago. Ring rust is not the huge discrepancy for this, he was never going to keep up with Khabib on the floor and his cardio was never something special. He was training for Mayweather last year and was training after it as well - don't think he wasn't in the gym. You don't forget to kick or punch. Any type of rust you have is gone within the first few sessions. He's 30, just like Khabib. Khabib spent 2 years away with knee injuries and nothing changed.

If anything 2 years without serious wear and tear in fight camps are beneficial since he still was training.

3. Are you seriously implying he lost his chin after Floyd played around with him a bit? Floyd isn't exactly a power puncher. Khabib caught him with a classic wrestler overhand right, that drops most people, especially if they're exhausted as Conor was.

Click to expand...

Lol I can see that your MMA knowledge is as weak as your football knowledge...

1) McGregor knocked out the reigning Lightweight champion at the time and had the gumption to face Khabib. Tony has never held the full title and pulled out of fighting Khabib numerous times. In fact, Dana even said that he would never sanction that fight again. Also, the fight against Nate Diaz was fought at 170lbs so is irrelevant to this discussion. However, if you think he won the second fight after getting dropped 3 times and outlanded in 3/5 rounds (with 1 round even IIRC) you need to visit the optician ASAP.

2) How can you seriously say a 2 year absence from the sport is not a significant factor in the loss? Even commentators, media and casuals were saying McGregor looked a shadow of his former self. Do you really think Floyd would take a 2 year absence from Boxing and jump straight in the ring with Errol Spence/Terence Crawford? That would never happen. He would have a tune-up fight or two before fighting the best fighters in the division which is exactly what McGregor should've done.

Like I said, McGregor looked extremely sharp, powerful and fast during the Alvarez fight (aka the opposite of rusty) so if he'd fought Khabib immediately after he could've knocked him out.

3) Do you really think taking clean shots from the best Boxer of his era for 10 rounds had no effect on McGregor's chin? From round 4 of that fight Floyd was landing at will and Conor was blocking punches with his head. Even McGregor said Mendes shouldn't have fought Frankie Edgar after getting stopped by him as he needed time to recover his punch resistance. The same applies to McGregor and also Aldo who got stopped in back to back fights after Conor stopped him. Also, Khabib knocked down McGregor early in round 2 so he was hardly tired.

Kojak said:

Click to expand...

lol that was a green Woodley. he dint even have a coach at the time. look at JRE prodcast. He was still developing as a striker and nate was roided to the gills pre usada. Woodley is GOAT post usada. Gsp wants absolutely nothing to do with him.

Connor was not off. khabib made him look off. it's a huge difference. khabib is just thay good. khabib drained his gas tank. Connor needs to work on rolling with someone that can pressure and grapple like khabib and not dildo anus who is not a pressure chain wrestler whatsoever. DC is the guy you want to train with and khabib trains with him so that's the issue here.

Sage said:

UFC 230

DC vs Lewis for the HW title is the main event

Click to expand...

Wow no words. Wasn't DC still healing his hands? Guess he figured this is easy money while he waits for Brock.

Kojak said:

Lol I can see that your MMA knowledge is as weak as your football knowledge...

1) McGregor knocked out the reigning Lightweight champion at the time and had the gumption to face Khabib. Tony has never held the full title and pulled out of fighting Khabib numerous times. In fact, Dana even said that he would never sanction that fight again. Also, the fight against Nate Diaz was fought at 170lbs so is irrelevant to this discussion. However, if you think he won the second fight after getting dropped 3 times and outlanded in 3/5 rounds (with 1 round even IIRC) you need to visit the optician ASAP.

2) How can you seriously say a 2 year absence from the sport is not a significant factor in the loss? Even commentators, media and casuals were saying McGregor looked a shadow of his former self. Do you really think Floyd would take a 2 year absence from Boxing and jump straight in the ring with Errol Spence/Terence Crawford? That would never happen. He would have a tune-up fight or two before fighting the best fighters in the division which is exactly what McGregor should've done.

Like I said, McGregor looked extremely sharp, powerful and fast during the Alvarez fight (aka the opposite of rusty) so if he'd fought Khabib immediately after he could've knocked him out.

3) Do you really think taking clean shots from the best Boxer of his era for 10 rounds had no effect on McGregor's chin? From round 4 of that fight Floyd was landing at will and Conor was blocking punches with his head. Even McGregor said Mendes shouldn't have fought Frankie Edgar after getting stopped by him as he needed time to recover his punch resistance. The same applies to McGregor and also Aldo who got stopped in back to back fights after Conor stopped him. Also, Khabib knocked down McGregor early in round 2 so he was hardly tired.

Click to expand...

1.) Conor beat a weak champion in Alvarez, that much is pretty clear. You think Dana's word means anything? He can say what he wants, people want to see the best compete and that is Khabib and Tony. It's unlucky that they had health issues 4 times already but they need to keep trying because this is the best fight LW can offer.

2.) You are under the impression that Conor has been 2 years away from the sport. This isn't correct. He trained for a boxing match last year - why would he be rusty? He trained this year for this bout - no reason for rust at all. You have guys like Domick Cruz - who unlike most "experts" actually knows a lot, say that ring rust isn't a factor here.

Conor looked like a shadow of himself because he was standing opposite of a true monster. Guess what - you'll look worse vs the true champion as opposed to when you fight a brawler like Alvarez.

3.) Hardly tired? Khabib drained Conor in that first round, you can see in his face that he was done for. Yes, I doubt his chin is done after having an exhibition fight against Floyd fight a year ago where the damage wasn't really that bad. I'd wager Khabib had to endure more hard shots in training than Conor did in the last six months - easily, because AKA actually has competitive sparring instead of using bums like Artem.

I see your MMA knowledge is as extensive as your drug knowledge.

Soldier_of_god said:

Connor was not off. khabib made him look off. it's a huge difference. khabib is just thay good. khabib drained his gas tank. Connor needs to work on rolling with someone that can pressure and grapple like khabib and not dildo anus who is not a pressure chain wrestler whatsoever. DC is the guy you want to train with and khabib trains with him so that's the issue here.

Click to expand...

That's exactly it. Fighting better opposition will make you look worse, it'll expose your weakness.

It's not just that he has DC there, he's got the camp that made Cain and he has a lifetime of wrestling in that high level style. He's at a level of mind muscle connection and efficiency for wrestling that simply cannot be obtained unless you do this for your entire life. But overall fantastic champion factory of a camp, even if their strength and conditioning coach is suspect as fuck

The best Conor can hope for is to become more economic in his defense, get used to being in that position and to learn to relaxed when he's there. Otherwise he'll get gassed again. But honestly I don't see the things needed for him to get there as realistic all things considered.

Soldier_of_god said:

Gsp wants absolutely nothing to do with him.

Click to expand...

That's a load of shite. GSP will fight anybody now as long as he is getting payed.

He said he doesn't take fights anymore that don't reward him financially in a big way. If the UFC would pay up, he would fuck up Woodley.

GSP is the G.O.A.T.

P.S: watch his JRE latests podcast to understand his mindset.

Az. said:

That's a load of shite. GSP will fight anybody now as long as he is getting payed.

He said he doesn't take fights anymore that don't reward him financially in a big way. If the UFC would pay up, he would fuck up Woodley.

GSP is the G.O.A.T.

P.S: watch his JRE latests podcast to understand his mindset.

Click to expand...

he has repeatedly ducked Woodley. it's a fact. He won't fuck up Woodley because Woodley is the toughest matchup for him. You saw what Hendricks did to him? Woodley is even better with more power, better footwork, wrestling, speed advantage and strength. Gsp won't be able to take him down.
If gsp is the GOAT then Woodley is the best fighter in WW's history.

Soldier_of_god said:

he has repeatedly ducked Woodley. it's a fact. He won't fuck up Woodley because Woodley is the toughest matchup for him. You saw what Hendricks did to him? Woodley is even better with more power, better footwork, wrestling, speed advantage and strength. Gsp won't be able to take him down.
If gsp is the GOAT then Woodley is the best fighter in WW's history.

Click to expand...

I saw that a juiced to the grills Hendricks gave him a fight, that he won. (he bruises easily, don't be jelly)

And GSP beat better fighters than Woodley did. And again watch the JRE podcast, he isn't ducking anybody. He is a smart business man, and won't fight if he is not getting payed what he wants.

He doesn't need to, he has cemented his legacy against the very best.

Soldier_of_god said:

he has repeatedly ducked Woodley. it's a fact. He won't fuck up Woodley because Woodley is the toughest matchup for him. You saw what Hendricks did to him? Woodley is even better with more power, better footwork, wrestling, speed advantage and strength. Gsp won't be able to take him down.
If gsp is the GOAT then Woodley is the best fighter in WW's history.

Click to expand...

you mean hendricks who was full of roids?


woodley doesn't have the resume GSP has.

doesn't matter if he doesn't have his resume. All I know is that Woodley would clean gsp's chin out if they ever fight.
Nope. tyron has much better wins overall now. gsp's best win was Condit, shields and the hendricks fight which he clearly lost. Go look up sherdog and mma fighting scoreboard for that bout.
Woodley would beat all of them. Gsp was afraid to fight even Robbie Lawler who got flatlined by Woodley. Woodley is better than the juiced to the gills version of Hendricks. The Woodley that lost to shields and Rory dint have a head coach and it's been well documented. He was purely a wrestler at the time. He has drastically improved under din thomas and doofus. His footwork, speed, ability to pace himself, power level and boxing has vastly improved. Funnily enough Hendricks ducked Woodley too lol.
I respect gsp but he beat a lot of bloated LWs and mediocre one dimensional fighters barring the three that I mentioned. Nick Diaz is extremely one dimensional. Dan hardy is a joke. alves and koschek is a fodder.

Soldier_of_god said:

doesn't matter if he doesn't have his resume. All I know is that Woodley would clean gsp's chin out if they ever fight.
Nope. tyron has much better wins overall now. gsp's best win was Condit, shields and the hendricks fight which he clearly lost. Go look up sherdog and mma fighting scoreboard for that bout.
Woodley would beat all of them. Gsp was afraid to fight even Robbie Lawler who got flatlined by Woodley. Woodley is better than the juiced to the gills version of Hendricks. The Woodley that lost to shields and Rory dint have a head coach and it's been well documented. He was purely a wrestler at the time. He has drastically improved under din thomas and doofus. His footwork, speed, ability to pace himself, power level and boxing has vastly improved. Funnily enough Hendricks ducked Woodley too lol.
I respect gsp but he beat a lot of bloated LWs and mediocre one dimensional fighters barring the three that I mentioned. Nick Diaz is extremely one dimensional. Dan hardy is a joke. alves and koschek is a fodder.

Click to expand...

Soldier_of_god said:

doesn't matter if he doesn't have his resume. All I know is that Woodley would clean gsp's chin out if they ever fight.
Nope. tyron has much better wins overall now. gsp's best win was Condit, shields and the hendricks fight which he clearly lost. Go look up sherdog and mma fighting scoreboard for that bout.

Click to expand...

Sorry I’d have to disagree swagger

Woodley is a good fighter and may be a tough matchup for GSP, but to think he can wax GSP is easy is a bit misguided. GSP is incredibly well rounded and still constantly improving

Soldier_of_god said:

Woodley would beat all of them. Gsp was afraid to fight even Robbie Lawler who got flatlined by Woodley. Woodley is better than the juiced to the gills version of Hendricks. The Woodley that lost to shields and Rory dint have a head coach and it's been well documented. He was purely a wrestler at the time. He has drastically improved under din thomas and doofus. His footwork, speed, ability to pace himself, power level and boxing has vastly improved. Funnily enough Hendricks ducked Woodley too lol.
I respect gsp but he beat a lot of bloated LWs and mediocre one dimensional fighters barring the three that I mentioned. Nick Diaz is extremely one dimensional. Dan hardy is a joke. alves and koschek is a fodder.

Click to expand...

1. Jake Shield is known as a wrestle-fuck, American BJJ wet blanket, one-trick pony. If Woodley was purely a wrestler at that time he should have no issue dealing with such a fighter no?

2. Woodley's last fights

Darren Till - who the fook is that
Demian Maia - BJJ one trick pony.
Stephen Thompson - how many dimensional is he?
Robbie Lawler - one dimensional
Kelvin Gastelum - how many times has this guy failed to make weight?
Dong Hyun Kim - above average fighter

Who’s Woodleys best win? Thompson? Lawlor?

Should we go further back?

Rory MacDonald - lost to a not as good GSP
Carlos Condit - ???
Josh Koscheck - 1 dimensional wet blanket
Jake Shields - 1 dimensional fighter who only wrestles...Woodley's strong suit
Jay Hieron -

Seems like Condit is Woodley's best win too...according to your logic

I'm on the Woodley hype train so I'd say that he'd smash him. And GSP is totally ducking him, went to MW to fight Bisping and last I heard he wanted to go to LW to fight Conor - fighters perfectly suited for his game.

Az. said:

Click to expand...

#GreaseGate
#CheatingCunt

MilanMB said:

I'm on the Woodley hype train so I'd say that he'd smash him. And GSP is totally ducking him, went to MW to fight Bisping and last I heard he wanted to go to LW to fight Conor - fighters perfectly suited for his game.

Click to expand...

GSP is done fighting for bush league money like Woodley opponents. You can say he is ducking him but GSP has nothing to prove to Woodley. Saying Woodley fought tougher opponent is a really poor argument as I have pointed out before. It has more to do with financial interest rather than being scared of him as a fighter.

GSP turned that corner when he took that break after having his brains scrambled by Hendricks. While he's away he's now seeing guys who (probably in his mind aren't as good as him) are making way more than he's ever made. He's made it really clear that his return is 100% about money. He wants to fight guys who can give him paydays, not people to cement his legacy

Hmmm all he's talking about are legacy fights

truly some shady shit.

Why even compare resumes? I think GSP has the better one, hence why he is regarded as either the Goat or Nr2 after Fedor by many but for fighting right now it's not as important.

I think Woodley is a hard fight because he is a champ but GSP went in there with Bisping with no issue. Is Bisping a worse fighter than Woodley? Of course, that much is clear but he's also considerably heavier and GSP was able to take his hits. Do we think GSP can wrestle with Woodley? Yes and he has a better gas tank.

Anyway, I think George will try to go for triple belt, not sure if Dana wants to allow him that after he ducked his MW defense. Now ducking Whittaker - he undeniably did that imo and I don't blame him.

Tantalis said:

truly some shady shit.

Click to expand...

damn...

Steven Seagal tho