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

Naturally Tim Tebow is there tonight and naturally he has no mask on. Devout Christian my _______!!

Edit: And this is so much worse then Wrestlemania. Wrestlemania at least was outdoors (which is so so so much better then indoors obviously) in an arena that wasn't at half capacity and incredibly mamy had masks on. This is indoors, at capacity and very few masks. Enjoy the breakout Jacksonville.

 

I think WWE made it very clear or at least heavily emphasized that masks had to be on to attend WrestleMania.

Edit: And they just showed an unmasked Brady in the audience. UFC, I mean.

 

Yep and the compliance among the crowd was decent. Quite a few had chin diapers but many were wearing it correctly. Watching UFC right now is honestly frighteningly especially since you know very few have the vaccine including the UFC employees on down. Don't worry though they filled out a health screening that the CDC is going to come out and say is USELESS outside of being used for contract tracing has people lie all the time on health screenings:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mm...covid-19-screening-app-mask-maker-for-ufc-261

Edit: Pretty incredible to think Vince McMahon cares more about his customers then another sports leagues owner but just like Josh Hawkey and Ted Cruz, Dana White worked really really really hard to be a bigger ______ then Vince McMahon.

 

Two things about that: A)Vince has employees who genuinely give a crap about the pandemic and are not afraid to speak to him about that (FWIW, Kevin Owens was the one who told Vince early on that he wouldn't come back from his post - Mania hiatus last year unless masks were mandatory backstage when they were then at the Performance Center. In clips on YouTube you can see that that has continued through their various Thunderdomes) and B) WrestleMania will always have a far bigger spotlight than most UFC events, simply because it's WrestleMania. There will always be some form of national/international media coverage of what is always WWE's biggest yearly event. Vince and the rest of the McMahons are smart enough to know what the perception would be if people at home saw those at the Raymond James Stadium without masks and then there was a spike of COVID cases in the Tampa area that could be directly attributed to WrestleMania. He may claim to be above it these days, but he is aware of it.

On a note not related to masks at UFC 261; Weidman's leg oh good gracious.

 

UFC 261 was a dream show.

 

Diego Sanchez released under bizarre circumstances.

 

Ultra bizarre. But honestly....Diego should probably stop fighting for his own health.

 

Devastating KO on Reyes. Prochazka is getting a title fight after this and Jan is going to have his hands full.

 

Ryan Benoit was pulled from his UFC Fight Night bout following a very scary weigh - in today.

 

Anderson Silva says he's done in MMA.

 

Good for him. One of the greats that really should’ve have taken the sport more seriously as he got older. The Spider is legendary though.

Next needs to be Cowboy, though Dana’s forcing that one on Cerrone. Sanchez is out. As MUCH of a fan of Michelle Waterson, I think the chance of her fighting for the title is slim to none and while I love seeing her going out there and fighting it out with the best, it’s clear she’s not at the top of any division. I think we’re a year or two from her hanging it up.

Jon Jones and McGregor and Jan... you guys are likely next.

 

Paul Felder retires.

 

Tyron Woodley is going to box Jake Paul. Difference between him and Ben Askren is that A) he's been active more a lot more lately than Askren, and B) he has punching power when he wants to use it (just ask Robbie Lawler). Just hopes he decides to use it to punch Jake Paul into oblivion.

 

Tito didn't last in politics too long.

 

From WrestlingObserver.com:

• Jake Hager is trying to get the 10/23 fight with Fedor Emelianenko in Russia. The odds are that he won't but he is pushing for it.

Hager currently also works for pro wrestling company AEW, and is probably best known as Jack Swagger in the WWE.

 

AHAHAHAHAHA EAT **** GREG HARDY

 

Conor comes out. Overcompensates on the leg kicks due to Poirier essentially neutralizing him with them last fight. Possibly fractures his own in the process(speculation) but his ankle snaps in a freak accident.

Hope he recovers, but good riddance. It’s time for Poirier to get the shot he has deserved for over a year.

 

Yeah might've been right here



Would love to see Dustin win the belt. And then Poirier-McGregor IV will print money assuming Conor's body can handle it (that's not an easy recovery obvs).

 

I’m EXTREMELY excited for a Poirier-Oliveira matchup. Lightweight division is on fire.

 

My sympathy for Conor is diminished by his trash talking after the fight. It's said that people are never more themselves than when their in pain, or drunk, and I guess Conor proved that point tonight.

But it did lead to my favorite new line from Poirier:

"Karma isn't a *****, it's a mirror,"

 

Conor won one fight in the past five years and that was Cerrone who been done for years as well. If McGregor was a Black guy from LA, Dana would have him on the prelims by now.

 

Conor loses again. Shocking. I do hope he's okay.

 

DAMNIT

 

Gane is the better striker and better overall fighter, but I was left woefully unimpressed in his performance against Volkov. There were multiple opportunities to finish and Gane seemed content to just stay ahead and win by decision, which I generally abhor in fights where it’s clear the other guy can be finished.

So if he decides to stand and fight with Lewis, I think he could pull off a decision win and maybe even a submission win (Lewis is not wonderkid on the ground). But for 5 rounds against someone as dangerous as Lewis, he really only needs to land once or twice and the fight is over.

I’m taking the Black Beast.

Luque V Chiesa will likely be the fight of the night and I have no idea who wins that one. Luque looks like a destroyer right now though.

Has anyone else seen the fight card for UFC 268…

Usman V Covington 2
Gaethje v Chandler
Strickland V Rockhold

So far… just those 3 fights make this a card of the year candidate though the Usman V Masvidal 2 fight card is something that will always live with me. That night was like a movie.