🥊 The UFC Info and Prediction Thread

[aioc]

Once Conor said, that any fighter that fights him becomes a millionaire after. That might be the true motives Oliveira wants to fight him so badly ( I think in every third interview Charles calls McGregor for a fight). On the other hand we all know how greedy UFC is and how they pay only hundred thousands their top fighters. Hope that I am wrong. I believe real reason is that Charles has already fought everyone in top5, except Dariush (not a real challenge for him imho) and others Fiziev, RDA, Gamrot are not a real thread to him.

Well that was when he was a hot item and the biggest attraction in the UFC but the landscape is very much different now, there are a lot of up-and-coming UFC fighters and he cannot fight in the division where he used to reign, because he has different appearance he builds his muscles that if he fought it will be in the middleweight, I also like Connor to get back in the ring and see what division he is going to fight and if he is still the Connor that we used to know, fast strong and very agile.

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[Welsh]

Shame about the injury, and I don't think Strickland will have much luck as the replacement. I expect Imavov to win this. Gives him a good chance to actually jump a few in the rankings also. I'm also fancying Damon Jackson against Dan Ige. He's tough, and won't give up. Does leave himself open at times though that could definitely be a problem against Ige. Early feelings is; Soriano takes it against Kopylov, but I imagine it'll be a tough fight for both fighters. Soriano doesn't have a lot of volume, and will be looking for the finish.

Other than that, my other early leans are Vieira, Nurmagomedov, and Cachoeeira.

[klidex]

Well, Nate Diaz was the 1st to defeat him and it was his Welterweight debut. Fight of the Night, but he takes his revenge and wins back against Nate Diaz and gaining a more Arrogant persona, however, yes it was Khabib Nurmagomedov that has humbled him, but Dustin Poirier had the most win over him, well I really think he is back again because of money, and you can tell that he is fighting just because of money, and we all know that people are tend to be blinded by money when they really needed the most,

But after winning against Nate Diaz, McGregor is even more arrogant and arrogant towards anyone, he even looks down on other fighters to the point that he thinks that only he is the strongest fighter and no one can beat him.
However, what actually happened was not Khabib Normagomedov who despised but McGregor who actually provoked Khabib's wrath by insulting the religion that Khabib already adhered to and believed in. In fact, Khabib himself is a fighter with a personality who is very obedient to his religion.
If you say McGregor came back because of money, yes, that's true. We can see from McGregor's biography that he was not from a wealthy family, so we can be sure that he will only pursue money and wealth.

[Welsh]

If you say McGregor came back because of money, yes, that's true. We can see from McGregor's biography that he was not from a wealthy family, so we can be sure that he will only pursue money and wealth.

Which a lot of fighters do, and there's no shame in that. I think it's quite well documented that a lot of the fighters on the roster don't come from the wealthiest families. Mcgregor is no different in that. People who are already worth a lot probably wouldn't go through the hardship of getting beaten up on for years, before making it big. Hence, why there's a certain demographic to MMA in general, and not just the UFC. I'm not saying it's true for everyone, but the majority will be from low income households.

[YuginKadoya]

Once Conor said, that any fighter that fights him becomes a millionaire after. That might be the true motives Oliveira wants to fight him so badly ( I think in every third interview Charles calls McGregor for a fight). On the other hand we all know how greedy UFC is and how they pay only hundred thousands their top fighters. Hope that I am wrong. I believe real reason is that Charles has already fought everyone in top5, except Dariush (not a real challenge for him imho) and others Fiziev, RDA, Gamrot are not a real thread to him.

Conor McGregor is not on the list anymore so why suddenly take a match that will not benefit you but yeah Charles Oliveira is number 1 this will surely benefit Conor McGregor a lot because if he defeats Charles Oliveira he could go up a higher rank may be at rank 1 even, but against Islam Makhachev I think the same fate will happen between him and Khabib Nurmagomedov fight, that will be a bummer for Charles Oliveira and because he doesn't want a rematch against Islam Makhachev, he will go on where the money is at,

Depends on which Gastelum are we getting this coming weekend.  If somehow he found the fountain of youth and comes out fighting like he did vs Adesanya, he'd easily be a 2 to 1 favorite imho.  But as we know it's most likely not gonna be the Gastelum of old coming out, I guess 1.50 for Imavov is ok.  I wouldn't bet it tho...  I prolly would starting around 1.70.    And yes, I know it's too much to ask.  But I think that's a fair price if in case Gastelum of old does show up.

I highly doubt that the Old Gastelum will show up, for sure this is another loss for him, and will likely announce his retirement, upon losing sorry for the Kelvin Gastelum fans but he's going to be when defeated by Nassourdine Imavov, and for this match, Nassourdine Imavov will need to be technical here and because Kelvin Gastelum has never been knockout before he's got to be very careful in that sense, this is a 1 tough opponent and 1 of the legend so you Imavov will need to respect him,

But after winning against Nate Diaz, McGregor is even more arrogant and arrogant towards anyone, he even looks down on other fighters to the point that he thinks that only he is the strongest fighter and no one can beat him.
However, what actually happened was not Khabib Normagomedov who despised but McGregor who actually provoked Khabib's wrath by insulting the religion that Khabib already adhered to and believed in. In fact, Khabib himself is a fighter with a personality who is very obedient to his religion.
If you say McGregor came back because of money, yes, that's true. We can see from McGregor's biography that he was not from a wealthy family, so we can be sure that he will only pursue money and wealth.

All in true, It was not Nate Diaz who shut his mouth because after this he became more violent and arrogant than ever he goes to insult Khabib Nurmagomedov by offering him a drink of whisky knowing that Khabib never drinks because of his Muslim faith, then he started mocking the Islamic greetings and it goes really religiously and politically that was on press conference day, that is why Khabib Nurmagomedov after the fight was pretty much still mad and goes on his corner to still wreak havoc, it really became personal,

[notblox1]

Big blow and loss for MMA is news that Khabib stopping with all his coaching activity this year to spend more time with his family

Gastelum lost a tooth in his training after he received accidental knee in the mouth, so main event is sadly canceled for him.
Doctors returned and fixed his tooth but he couldn't recover in few days for fight with Nassourdine Imavov.
Sean Strickland jumped in instead of Gastelum and I think Imavov is bigger favorite now.

[CryptoBuds]

Once Conor said, that any fighter that fights him becomes a millionaire after. That might be the true motives Oliveira wants to fight him so badly ( I think in every third interview Charles calls McGregor for a fight). On the other hand we all know how greedy UFC is and how they pay only hundred thousands their top fighters. Hope that I am wrong. I believe real reason is that Charles has already fought everyone in top5, except Dariush (not a real challenge for him imho) and others Fiziev, RDA, Gamrot are not a real thread to him.

Well that was when he was a hot item and the biggest attraction in the UFC but the landscape is very much different now, there are a lot of up-and-coming UFC fighters and he cannot fight in the division where he used to reign, because he has different appearance he builds his muscles that if he fought it will be in the middleweight, I also like Connor to get back in the ring and see what division he is going to fight and if he is still the Connor that we used to know, fast strong and very agile.

^ Right now, I don’t think Connor McGregor can actually make the career of any fighter. I mean right now, he is not very popular or also not in peak form as well.

And it was actually true before. Anyone who fought against Conor McGregor got a huge amount of money. But right now Conor McGregor is not a very big star for the UFC. And he can generate more than average revenue still in my opinion. But not something that he could do before. If I am not wrong, Conor McGregor has generated the top three revenue among the top five that UFC has ever generated. But time has changed.

[YuginKadoya]

Big blow and loss for MMA is news that Khabib stopping with all his coaching activity this year to spend more time with his family

Gastelum lost a tooth in his training after he received accidental knee in the mouth, so main event is sadly canceled for him.
Doctors returned and fixed his tooth but he couldn't recover in few days for fight with Nassourdine Imavov.
Sean Strickland jumped in instead of Gastelum and I think Imavov is bigger favorite now.

It seems that even Kelvin Gastelum's chin is not really durable to sustain an injury like that and so Sean Strickland will now face Nassourdine Imavov I was really focused on Kelvin Gastelum that I eventually look for his recent fights but it seems that he will not face Nassourdine Imavov this time, and for this match, Nassourdine Imavov is still favorite we all know Sean Strickland and how he does it seems that he is not satisfies with the recent Jared Cannonier match that was just on December 17, 2022, and he wants to lose again this time to Nassourdine Imavov for this fight a fighter needs a rest and while Sean Strickland seems very OK with this many will favored Nassourdine Imavov because Strickland's last fight was a decision match and Nassourdine Imavov has much rest than him, and for me has an even greater striking that Strickland,

^ Right now, I don’t think Connor McGregor can actually make the career of any fighter. I mean right now, he is not very popular or also not in peak form as well.

And it was actually true before. Anyone who fought against Conor McGregor got a huge amount of money. But right now Conor McGregor is not a very big star for the UFC. And he can generate more than average revenue still in my opinion. But not something that he could do before. If I am not wrong, Conor McGregor has generated the top three revenue among the top five that UFC has ever generated. But time has changed.

Certainly, if Charles Oliveira happens to lose against Conor McGregor he would surely drop down the standings for Conor McGregor to land in a higher rank again if Conor McGregor is to win against Oliveira, but for this match, I will go with Oliveira this is really a risk he is giving his career, he doesn't really need to faced McGregor so I assume this fight is all about the money because McGregor is a wealthy fighter that owns a pub and his own brand of Whisky, he can surely ditch the lower rankings and buy himself a fight on the upper rank of the UFC,

[TopTort777]

That is quite shocking that Kevin Gastelum is missing his fight. He was talking a lot about his "new me", transformation to a better. But now he is replaced with Sean Strickland on a very short notice. Much respect for Sean that he has saved the main event in the first UFC event 2023. Two days ago this guy was dangerously speeding on his dirt bike, in 3 days he is having a main event fight. Sean, that has two losses in a row, and a higher position in top, now is risking his career. Usually guys after several straight losses take a pause, Sean, that had a fight less than a month ago, gets back into business. Cool!

[Apocollapse]

That is quite shocking that Kevin Gastelum is missing his fight. He was talking a lot about his "new me", transformation to a better. But now he is replaced with Sean Strickland on a very short notice. Much respect for Sean that he has saved the main event in the first UFC event 2023. Two days ago this guy was dangerously speeding on his dirt bike, in 3 days he is having a main event fight. Sean, that has two losses in a row, and a higher position in top, now is risking his career. Usually guys after several straight losses take a pause, Sean, that had a fight less than a month ago, gets back into business. Cool!

Actually I wonder does only 3 days are enough to prepare the fight, I think this make Imamov get slight benefit since he's should be ready from few months ago. Although based on statistic Sean Strickland is better than Imamov, but Imamov could pull an upset since he's always trying to fight with top fighter.

Maybe Sean want to pause and take a holiday, but I think there's a rule where the fighter must agree to replace the other fighter slot if it's needed (like this case).

[TopTort777]

That is quite shocking that Kevin Gastelum is missing his fight. He was talking a lot about his "new me", transformation to a better. But now he is replaced with Sean Strickland on a very short notice. Much respect for Sean that he has saved the main event in the first UFC event 2023. Two days ago this guy was dangerously speeding on his dirt bike, in 3 days he is having a main event fight. Sean, that has two losses in a row, and a higher position in top, now is risking his career. Usually guys after several straight losses take a pause, Sean, that had a fight less than a month ago, gets back into business. Cool!

Actually I wonder does only 3 days are enough to prepare the fight, I think this make Imamov get slight benefit since he's should be ready from few months ago. Although based on statistic Sean Strickland is better than Imamov, but Imamov could pull an upset since he's always trying to fight with top fighter.

Maybe Sean want to pause and take a holiday, but I think there's a rule where the fighter must agree to replace the other fighter slot if it's needed (like this case).

Sean is crazy That describes everything. I am sure that Sean does train daily. But 3 days is not enough to prepare against an opponent. That might work if Imavov was a new guy, but he is in top15. Young and tall fighter. Sean rely much on his 15 years experience. Btw the odds are almost identical on both of the fighters.

There is no such rules as "must agree". Usually UFC tell few fighters of the main events weight class to be in shape (professional fighters should always be in a good shape imho), because they might be a replacement. If something happens, they call them, and wait who agree to replace. But Strickland, he just had a 5*5min fight against Cannonier.

UFC just game Strickland an extra bonus for such a super short notice - they have changed this fight from middle weight to light heavyweight. That might be the reason why Strickland agreed to fight. Imavov isnt a big dude. He was a welterweight once, and has been a middleweight for two last years only. But now they fight as light heavyweight, there is ~10kg difference between two weight classes. Either Imavov would have to gain fast (and lose speed), or Strickland will tank with his mass

[tokeweed]

Shame about the injury, and I don't think Strickland will have much luck as the replacement. I expect Imavov to win this. Gives him a good chance to actually jump a few in the rankings also. I'm also fancying Damon Jackson against Dan Ige. He's tough, and won't give up. Does leave himself open at times though that could definitely be a problem against Ige. Early feelings is; Soriano takes it against Kopylov, but I imagine it'll be a tough fight for both fighters. Soriano doesn't have a lot of volume, and will be looking for the finish.

Other than that, my other early leans are Vieira, Nurmagomedov, and Cachoeeira.

It's closer that what most of the fans expect.  I think the lines give an accurate view of each fighter's value in this match up.  Remember, it's gonna be at 205..  And you know me when I try to look at these guys' match ups, I know Strickland lost a couple matches straight but look at those guys he lost to.  One is just became the current champ at 185 and the other one is a middle weight beast.  No shame in losing to both fighters.  The pick is still Imavov but he's way down in my lottery ticket.  It's a big test for him.

Free fight vid.  Enjoy.

UFC Free Fight:  Imavov vs Shahbazyan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKg42f1_FUE

[TopTort777]

What do you think guys about that red dot on Gastelums face? That does not look like a mark from a punch or kick, definitely not a bruise or cut. Does not look like a pimple either. Conor McGregor in reply to Gastelums twitter picture replied that this is staphylococcus infection. That thing is sticky. I would not fight a sweaty guy with that crap. Anyway, Kelvin has got his teeth fixed already and soon will be ready to fight.

Kelvin Gastelum is out of his fight this weekend. This is the 1st time a Mexican pulled out of anything. <-- lol

tokeweed, fix the second post of this topic please.

[cabron]

UFC just game Strickland an extra bonus for such a super short notice - they have changed this fight from middle weight to light heavyweight. That might be the reason why Strickland agreed to fight. Imavov isnt a big dude. He was a welterweight once, and has been a middleweight for two last years only. But now they fight as light heavyweight, there is ~10kg difference between two weight classes. Either Imavov would have to gain fast (and lose speed), or Strickland will tank with his mass

Gastelum is a different fighter compared to Strickland which Imavov had prepared to fight.  3 days of preparation for the next fight is very short but when opportunity knocks, it's best to take it before someone else takes it. It may still be unpredictable but Imanov is already conditioned.

HE is already on short notice so it's hard for Strickland's situation that he might focus more on weight than on his game strategy. Very risky but would be satisfying if he proves himself.

[Slow death]

well I really think he is back again because of money, and you can tell that he is fighting just because of money, and we all know that people are tend to be blinded by money when they really needed the most

the reality is that in the beginning these fighters accept to fight for money in order to survive, they don't have the money to buy a house, luxury cars, airplanes, golf courses, tennis courts... but after they win many fights they start to make a lot of money, enough money for them to live well for many years, but what happens is the following when a fighter reaches the top he becomes the center of attention and with that he becomes very sought after by big companies to sponsor him or for him to do part of advertising for these companies

and the fighter begins to have a lifestyle that is excessively spent in order to remain in the spotlight, it happens that if the fighter stops fighting and other fighters start to appear who call a lot of attention, then the fighter with a luxury life needs to fight again and manage to win more attention and at this level the fighter is not fighting for money to live, he is fighting to have more money to sustain his luxury

[erep]

HE is already on short notice so it's hard for Strickland's situation that he might focus more on weight than on his game strategy. Very risky but would be satisfying if he proves himself.

Strickland was not much different from Gastelum in terms of weight and height, so Imavov had a hard time learning Strickland's fighting style and signature attacks in a short time, neither of them had enough training time to analyze his opponent's abilities. Strickland is so dominant have more wins than Imavov but Strickland has 2 humiliating defeats in his career after talking crap before the fight, he has to improve his fight history for his future career and he has to win for him to be proud after the fight.

[klidex]

All in true, It was not Nate Diaz who shut his mouth because after this he became more violent and arrogant than ever he goes to insult Khabib Nurmagomedov by offering him a drink of whisky knowing that Khabib never drinks because of his Muslim faith, then he started mocking the Islamic greetings and it goes really religiously and politically that was on press conference day, that is why Khabib Nurmagomedov after the fight was pretty much still mad and goes on his corner to still wreak havoc, it really became personal,

I don't know when McGregor will start competing again in the UFC. I don't know what is clear. McGregor's fans have started to decrease for now, and McGregor's opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov has retired from the UFC free-wrestling world and has even decided not to be a coach anymore.
So I think that in the next UFC match, if McGregor competes, he will not be as exciting as when he fought against Khabib, because in my opinion while watching the UFC fight, McGregor's fight with Khabib is the most thrilling and very exciting to watch, where Khabib fights with great anger. smoldering and the only match that Khabib experienced with vengeance in his heart.

[CryptoBuds]

^

Certainly, if Charles Oliveira happens to lose against Conor McGregor he would surely drop down the standings for Conor McGregor to land in a higher rank again if Conor McGregor is to win against Oliveira, but for this match, I will go with Oliveira this is really a risk he is giving his career, he doesn't really need to faced McGregor so I assume this fight is all about the money because McGregor is a wealthy fighter that owns a pub and his own brand of Whisky, he can surely ditch the lower rankings and buy himself a fight on the upper rank of the UFC,

^ Conor McGregor is well past his prime. So I do not think it will be any problem for Charles Oliveira to beat Conor McGregor. But of course, he cannot underestimate Conor McGregor.

Anyway, of course, Conor McGregor is a rich fighter. And he can always find his way to have a higher rank match that he probably does not deserve at this time. But it is not going to mean anything if he cannot win. And Charles Oliveira also probably has the mindset that if Conor McGregor can bring good pay-per-view, Charles will also be able to get a good amount of money from this fight.

What do you think guys about that red dot on Gastelums face? That does not look like a mark from a punch or kick, definitely not a bruise or cut. Does not look like a pimple either. Conor McGregor in reply to Gastelums twitter picture replied that this is staphylococcus infection. That thing is sticky. I would not fight a sweaty guy with that crap. Anyway, Kelvin has got his teeth fixed already and soon will be ready to fight.
Kelvin Gastelum is out of his fight this weekend. This is the 1st time a Mexican pulled out of anything. <-- lol

^ If that is actually some kind of infection, I think it will be great for fighters to not fight with him, to be honest. And I do not think of this time Conor McGregor is actually talking shit. I think for this instance Conor McGregor is actually serious. We know that any fungal infection can be easily spread. If this is actually a fungal infection, he should get it cured right away.

[inthelongrun]

All in true, It was not Nate Diaz who shut his mouth because after this he became more violent and arrogant than ever he goes to insult Khabib Nurmagomedov by offering him a drink of whisky knowing that Khabib never drinks because of his Muslim faith, then he started mocking the Islamic greetings and it goes really religiously and politically that was on press conference day, that is why Khabib Nurmagomedov after the fight was pretty much still mad and goes on his corner to still wreak havoc, it really became personal,

I don't know when McGregor will start competing again in the UFC. I don't know what is clear. McGregor's fans have started to decrease for now, and McGregor's opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov has retired from the UFC free-wrestling world and has even decided not to be a coach anymore.
So I think that in the next UFC match, if McGregor competes, he will not be as exciting as when he fought against Khabib, because in my opinion while watching the UFC fight, McGregor's fight with Khabib is the most thrilling and very exciting to watch, where Khabib fights with great anger. smoldering and the only match that Khabib experienced with vengeance in his heart.

Connor McGregor was 2 years inactive in MMA when he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov. I think he was an underdog already when he faced Khabib. I am not saying Connor will beat Khabib but it could be different if he was active and not from that long layoff and the huge humiliation when he was just toyed by Floyd Mayweather before being stopped in a boxing match.

Nevertheless, Connor has always had a place in the UFC whether he returns or not. Either he faces a newly signed beatable weak fighter, Connor will be entertained by Dana as always. Even Connor's tune-up with 100 years old Cerrone was top 5 in UFC PPV buys history. Connor owns 8 out of the top 10 UFC PPV buys.

[TopTort777]

Big blow and loss for MMA is news that Khabib stopping with all his coaching activity this year to spend more time with his family

Hard to believe he completely quits sport. I think he will keep on training with same guys. He will be like his father, after ending fighting career, coaching entire life. I cant imagine him becoming a businessman, running, company, production, sitting in the office. I think he will always be in fighting. As a manager, promotor.

Spending time with family is great, but he has already told that he will send his son to wrestling section When the interviewer asked if he has found already a proper coach, he has said that he will train him. Doubt that he will train him just to be fit and NOT becoming a worlds champion.