Arena Let's get it on!: The Mixed Martial Arts Discussion Thread

So MMA fans (I'm casual at best). Can McGregor box? My initial reaction was that McGregor has had the deck stacked way too high against him by limiting the match to pure boxing. And I still feel that way, but .....

I feel like I've been hearing about this rivalry for years. I know they were going back and forth on social media before the Pacquiao fight, so over two years ago. Here's an old article I found from July 2015.
http://www.foxsports.com/ufc/story/...r-i-would-most-certainly-dismantle-him-070315

Have MMA fans noticed an improvement in his "striking" ability over the past 2-3 years? There is a chance that McGregor has been working on his boxing skills just a bit more in those years, which does give me some pause. Not that he'd be able to become an A level boxer (or A+ in Floyd's case) in that time. But we aren't talking about prime Floyd. We are talking 40yo, two years out of the game Floyd. So this version of Floyd would also be destroyed by prime 2001 Floyd.

I'm starting to understand why this fight was made. I've only been casual on MMA because I don't have the time for it. But now I can't help but search YouTube videos for McGregor matches. I'll probably end up getting hooked. I fought it when I watched UFC gen 1 with the likes of Tank Abbott, but I know it is infinitely better now.

 

Well there was that 13 second distruction of Aldo... though there was that first Diaz fight (though as we've seen from the second Diaz fight if Conor can weather the storm, and not get submitted, he can give as good as he gets), but unlike the first Diaz fight, he's not going to have to worry about Floyd trying to choke him out, if Floyd gives him a nasty volley.

If Conor doesn't get knocked out, either way it's a win for UFC, as this will probably those who know Mayweather, but may not be as familar with Conor to seek out information about him, including the fights, and perhaps getting hooked. It's a chance, much like the original Ultimate Fighter was all those years ago, to get new eyes to the sport and grow the audience even more (something a certain company *coughWWEcough* seems to have lost the ability to do). Like I said, unless Conor is absolutely destroyed by Floyd, UFC comes out a winner regardless of the outcome.

But if Conor somehow shocks the world (and he's done that time and time again), it's not a good look for boxing, which is just starting to try and regain some of the popularity it has lost over the years.

 

How is McGregor when it comes to illegal tactics? I know there are fewer "illegal" moves in MMA, but it still isn't a free for all. As long as McGregor fights clean, he's going to win the event almost no matter what the result. Some major foul would probably be the only way McGregor (and by default, MMA) comes out not the better for this fight. It is purely about a big payday for Floyd because this does nothing for his career or boxing. It isn't that this could have had some upside for boxing. Floyd could have agreed to some minor MMA rules into the match.

As far as boxing's image, ugh. I used to watch just NHL hockey (the speed is great) and boxing. Couldn't keep up with both, so chose boxing. Mainly because I like to watch a sport that doesn't have to go X minutes, but instead can end while you are turning your head to say "this is a boring match." Unfortunately, the *governing bodies*, promoters, refs and judges continue to prove year in and year out that, yes, it can get worse. I've been seriously considering making the jump to MMA. Seems like an expensive sport to follow though.

EDIT:
OMG. MMA has this as an actual rule?
Avoiding Contact With Opponent
Best. Rule. Ever.

 

Haven't seen him do any obvious or outright illegal tactics so far, not to day that it couldn't happen, but for all of Conor's critisims, being a dirty fighter doesn't seem one of them.

 

Official statement from Matt Hughes' family:

 

I heard it was a very strange PPV all the way around.

 

The fight is not hard to find on youtube. Double knock down and Fedor got the worst of it.

 

There are times where Twitter can be a wee too helpful, such as the case with the Felice Herring fight tonight.

 

Per, Meltzer: UFC is cancelling it's August PPV, due to it being six days before McGregor/Mayweather.

 

Main Event off due to illness to Nunes.

 

Really good card last night, though. The main event was wild. Gaethje better stop those backflips, he's gonna tear his knee doing that some day.

Good on JT for totally redeeming himself. I liked seeing Diakiese's hype get derailed, but I didn't like the way Klose behaved at all.

Glad to see Tecia happy and excited to the point of tears for getting her first finish like a day after her friend was murdered. I rather like her.

 

Whittaker is now the Interim Middleweight Champion.

 

Add Gegard Mousasi as another jumping from UFC to Bellator.

 

Wow, what the hell. How can they let him get away? He's an elite guy who actually fights, instead of sitting around whining for a title shot in between modeling sessions.

Btw, Whittaker deserves a lot of credit for winning one upset after another.

 

I've edited my post to include the WrestlingObserver link, but basically it came down for Mousasi being comfortable with Bellator head honcho Scott Coker, having worked for him in Strikeforce.

 

Dana's being petty again. He's gotten Ariel Helwani thrown off the McGregor/Mayweather press conference tour. (Helwani just tweeted that)

 

I have admittedly seen Dana's RNC speech (I was channel flipping at the time and I was trainwreck curious), and surprisingly, he was the only one who wasn't abrasive (only maybe about 50% speed of how he normally operates, this is Dana we're talking about), peddling insane conspiracy theories, or leading chants of 'Lock her up.' He simply gave a speech about Trump being a friend to him and helping him out on occasion. Surpisingly, the only one to actually attempt to put a human face on Trump and be convincing doing it that whole week.

 

Yep. And in his hometown.

 

That was a great card, I enjoyed every fight. Flash knockouts, grueling battles, and Weidman ends the losing streak. Very important for his career, those losing streaks can snowball and get out of hand.

Good judging, too, imo.