ijosef

I love it when the suggested consequences of an upcoming bout are simultaneously said seriously and in jest. With this match up, it works both ways. The idea of Roxy (and I love Roxy) or Lauren Murphy getting a title shot is humorous. At the same time, you take a look at the division and realize that yes, these two are indeed contenders with another W. I hope Roxy wins. I don't think she has a prayer against Valentina, but I respect the fact that she's a legitimate OG who's been continually active in the sport this long. She'll be going into a title shot with wins over Valentina's sister, the up-coming-hype-job Macy Barber, and Murphy. You could convince a casual that it's a deserved shot, at least on paper.

When I read the title of this thread I thought it was about a rematch for the title. 😆 Sure, Chookagian got finished in the second round, but why not run it back for the heck of it? It makes about as much sense (or lack thereof) as anything else lately.

How do you score that fight? The judges burn a crack rock between every round so you never know what they're going to say.

Bumbozo likely stole that round with the top position and ground and pound at the end. I was skeptical of him dropping a weight class but he looks okay here.

Reem always had that chance. I just remember when a ton of people called him "Ubereem" and were 100% convinced he was going to lay waste to the heavyweight landscape. He goes on that run, comes to the UFC and runs over Bork (who, admittedly, shouldn't have been fighting 5mos out from major intestinal surgery), then gets popped with a testosterone level seventeen times higher than normal. He was never the same.

If this fight went exactly like the Cain fight, you'd have Greg Jackson or Mike Winkeljohn crying about how Jon was finished by illegal shots and how the result should be turned into a no contest and blah blah blah.

I think it's definitely possible for Jones to "piece up" Francis and win a decision, but I think Jones getting KO'd is a much more realistic scenario. I'd love to see him get flattened ala Bisping vs Henderson or Rashard vs Machida. Jones has proven that he's got quite a chin (he's proven to be quite hittable in his last couple of fights), but I don't think that matters much against someone with Ngannou's power.

I hope Big Bum Rothwell picks up a win. He should be on a two fight win streak but he got robbed against Blowy Ivanov. Then again, he did beat Stephan Struve via multiple gonad strikes, so that's an asterisk too.

I think Ngannou owes Rozenstruik a rematch, especially after that controversial win. Jairzinho was clearly still in the fight and intelligently defending himself when the referee stopped the fight prematurely.

Of course it depends on what kind of Khabib we'll get for that fight. Remember he completely lost his ability to take Al Iaquinta down in the last few rounds of their fight. If that happens with Gaethje, I think Khabib will have a lot of difficulty on the feet. To steal from Chael Sonnen's analysis, Khabib excels when he's against fence. No one better. However, his takedowns in the center of the octagon aren't anything noteworthy. That said, it's easier said than done trying to prevent him from driving you to the fence and pinning you there.

MMAfighting did a pretty decent article on it: https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/4/19/21221244/retro-robbery-review-khabib-nurmagomedov-vs-gleison-tibau-from-ufc-148 <snippet> In regards to takedowns, Nurmagomedov was officially 0-13, while Tibau was credited with one takedown, which occurred in round three. Tibau won the head strike battle 15-13 and the body strike battle 13-7. Nurmagomedov had a shutout in leg strikes, 5-0. Only seven outlets are listed on MMA Decisions and the majority scored it in favor of Tibau. Five media members went 30-27 Tibau, the other two 30-28 Tibau and 29-28 Nurmagomedov. It was close, but it should have been Tibau's decision.

Khabib 100% lost that fight. He was extremely lucky to get a gift decision and keep his undefeated record intact.

Split decision with a 30-27 score on each side... 🤔

What kind of scorecard is that?

I know this wasn't direct towards me, but I can paint you a mental picture. Do you remember the original Robocop movie where the guy drove his van into a giant vat of nuclear waste? Well, instead of actor Paul McCrane, imagine that happened to Mark Hunt. That's basically what I look like.