🥊 The UFC Info and Prediction Thread

[danherbias07]

Photos on twitter of Islam Makachev having a puncture wound in his arm and is being accused of using a IV after the weigh ins. He could be stripped of his title if he is found guilty. I do not know if the UFC would have the balls to strip him but I think there will be a investigation and a lot of fighters are starting to talk about how he has broken rules in the past. This could get messy.

Or not.
There's a possibility Dan Hooker is just making stories and the camp of Islam Makhachev is firm about not doing it.

“We all know this is completely BS,” Magomedov said. “The guy is a loser. He’s salty and just looking for attention, and that’s it.”

https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/02/ufc-284-islam-makhachev-manager-salty-dan-hookers-claim-iv-use-completely-bs
I think there's no way they should lie or it will create more problems for both their fighter and their camp. There's no proof yet about the puncture, you may have been a victim of clickbait or an old picture of Makachev after a blood sample from USADA.

Regarding the rematch, I don't think they will happen in a rush. They may fight other fighters before they meet again. I won't put my expectations high about it happening so soon.
Yair vs Volkanovski is more possible, imo.

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[notblox1]

I'm not saying Dan Hooker is wrong here, since he might have insider knowledge. However, he should probably supply an accusation with a name, and some evidence, but for all we know he has behind the scenes. The UFC might have asked him t keep somewhat silent on the details. So, I'm not going to be quick to judge, but I'm also not going to believe someone did that until there's a little bit of proof that's been made publicly.

I don't know how he found out information about this but it is most likely some insider sources from people close to Islam team.
Posting this on twitter is big risk for him unless he provides some evidence or explanation in some interview.
Makhachev team denied Hooker's accusation so maybe USADA will have the final word on this.

BIG news I have to say here if nobody posted before me, Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane is confirmed fight on March 4 as UFC285 in Las Vegas!

[Apocollapse]

BIG news I have to say here if nobody posted before me, Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane is confirmed fight on March 4 as UFC285 in Las Vegas!

Jon Jones aka one of UFC legendary fighter is back after 3 years haven't fought anyone else. To be honest Jon Jones was never lose any match, he was lose because of disqualification where he hit Matt Hamill with his elbows. But he's get older, currently he's already 35 years old, he need to fight with Ciryl Gane, the most slick heavyweight fighter. Ciryl Gane would become underdog in this fight, but I think he able to compete Jon Jones since we're don't know how good Jones right now.

[YuginKadoya]

It seems many are still lingering with the UFC 284 and its result but certainly we are having another event and it is

UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield

So many unknown fighters in this fight and I don't see any underdog is worth to bet except the main card. Andrade is experienced but she's always lost when she fight with fighter who stronger than her, while Blanchfield she have a good record and this is her first test to fight with a high rank fighter. I see a possibility Blanchfield will pull an upset, she have a tough chin and I believe Andrade wouldn't easily make her fall.

Yup! there are many unknown fighters but I will not judge quickly because in some of my experiences in underestimating a fighter, there are some on the undercard that surprises me sometimes and for me, new fighters deserve to be watched and showcase what they can do inside the octagon,

But yeah pretty much main card will be pretty much decent and Jessica Andrade is a striking prowess, but her wrestling is just average in my opinion, but for me, Erin Blachfield has extreme knowledge when it comes to submissions and for me, she was furious when she destroys Molly McCann and humbles her,

UFC has scammed Islam Makhachev. Mens POUND-FOR-POUND ranking isnt updated. Islam Makhachev, but Alexander Volkanovski is still above him. https://www.ufc.com/rankings <--- check out yourself.

The was surely close, and Makhachev's win was not really dominating, and many have thought that Makhachev will be dominant with his wrestling Volkanovski still press a great performance despite losing in the standings, but for me Islam Makhachev deserves it and if the UFC will not give it to him, I think a rematch is pretty much needed to get that Pound 4 Pound title that Islam Makhachev deserves, but for me this time Makhachev to be now dominant with their fight,

[TopTort777]

Photos on twitter of Islam Makachev having a puncture wound in his arm and is being accused of using a IV after the weigh ins. He could be stripped of his title if he is found guilty. I do not know if the UFC would have the balls to strip him but I think there will be a investigation and a lot of fighters are starting to talk about how he has broken rules in the past. This could get messy.

Or not.
There's a possibility Dan Hooker is just making stories and the camp of Islam Makhachev is firm about not doing it.

“We all know this is completely BS,” Magomedov said. “The guy is a loser. He’s salty and just looking for attention, and that’s it.”

https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/02/ufc-284-islam-makhachev-manager-salty-dan-hookers-claim-iv-use-completely-bs
I think there's no way they should lie or it will create more problems for both their fighter and their camp. There's no proof yet about the puncture, you may have been a victim of clickbait or an old picture of Makachev after a blood sample from USADA.

Regarding the rematch, I don't think they will happen in a rush. They may fight other fighters before they meet again. I won't put my expectations high about it happening so soon.
Yair vs Volkanovski is more possible, imo.

After the fight, when being interviews in the octagon, Volkanovski pointed that he is standing still, but Islam cant stand without others help and looks very low on stamina. Maybe that was the root that cause Hooker to dig in and search for illegal IV proofs. Anyway, even if Makhachev cheated in that way, to be the best, his opponent still has to beat such guy. In Russian, we have such a proverb - "you dont swing fists after the fight". It is done. Either you prove you are better and win, or stay silent, prepare more and prove that in other fight.

My vision of that story - this is all bs. Hooker cant just forget that first round tap. If Makhachev is guilty, that will be proved and he will get his punishment. If not USADA, then karma boomerang will hit him one day.

[klidex]

BIG news I have to say here if nobody posted before me, Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane is confirmed fight on March 4 as UFC285 in Las Vegas!

I know that the fight will be very exciting to watch.
But Jones himself has been inactive for more than 2 years and he has to fight Gane where he is also one of the heavyweight fighters who is quite strong and must be watched out for, moreover Gane has a slightly younger age than Jones so his stamina in fighting will be Gane is superior and we can see from his last few fights Gane has managed to have a perfect record.
Even though Jones is a former light-heavyweight king and pound-for-pound No. 1, he will struggle a bit in the March fight as he is just getting into his first fight and will have to adapt to it.

[tokeweed]

It seems many are still lingering with the UFC 284 and its result but certainly we are having another event and it is

UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield

So many unknown fighters in this fight and I don't see any underdog is worth to bet except the main card. Andrade is experienced but she's always lost when she fight with fighter who stronger than her, while Blanchfield she have a good record and this is her first test to fight with a high rank fighter. I see a possibility Blanchfield will pull an upset, she have a tough chin and I believe Andrade wouldn't easily make her fall.

Don't think so.  Lol.  Andrade is a couple of levels higher than Blanchfield and the only reason why the line is a bit close is because Andrade took the match on short notice as the original opponent got injured.

But as far as underdogs go, at first glance I like OSP, Josh Parisian and Jordan Wright.  Themba Gorimbo could be a good one too just cos I want to fade Fletcher.  Lol.

Something to watch...

UFC Free Fight:  Blanchfield vs McCann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmLyrVsLh2c

Feels like both can also submit each other if opportunity comes. I'm not sure who to bet though but there is no other fights this Saturday. I can see you are rooting for Blanchfield? She seem new, young and wants to prove something. While Jordan Wright was already fucked 3 in a row, whoever he is fighting will likely to win. Pauga it is.

This card sort of a filler episode in UFC but its still fun to watch still.

Dunno man...  Andrade is just too good.  I'm not sure why the UFC is matching up Blanchfield vs girls who are too high up.  It was supposed to be vs Talia Santos before she pulled out due to injury.  Santos is ranked no. 1 and had a good showing vs Shev losing just via split decision.

Now Andrade is filling in on short notice.  She's no. 3 in the women's 125 ranking.  But maybe I'm wrong.  Maybe the UFC see something in Blanchfield.  :/  But from what I've seen, it's a huge step up.

And yup...  It's a filler event before 285 with Jones vs Gane.  As I always say, it's better than nothing.

[TopTort777]

The more Australian fighters rewatch Makhachev vs Volkanovski fight, the more they are confirmed that Volkanovski was robbed. I find it funny to see that Alex first admitted his loss and said it was a nice test of himself, but not he is 100% sure that he has won and now wants to punish Makhachev for robbery and cheating (the picture of Makhchevs pumped vein has gone viral already). Why didnt he punish Makhachev during the fight then? It might sound that I am defending Makhachev, but actually I vote for truth and sports behaviour. If you think you are the best, prove it with first attempt, but not after multiple tries.

[danherbias07]

The more Australian fighters rewatch Makhachev vs Volkanovski fight, the more they are confirmed that Volkanovski was robbed. I find it funny to see that Alex first admitted his loss and said it was a nice test of himself, but not he is 100% sure that he has won and now wants to punish Makhachev for robbery and cheating (the picture of Makhchevs pumped vein has gone viral already). Why didnt he punish Makhachev during the fight then? It might sound that I am defending Makhachev, but actually I vote for truth and sports behaviour. If you think you are the best, prove it with first attempt, but not after multiple tries.

Why do I feel like soon this will be a political fight?  I hope not.
Anyway, if Islam Makhachev is not hiding anything then he could easily end this trend about the IV issue. But I doubt he could end the replays that will be shown on Australian local sports television over and over just to prove to their people that Volkanovski won that fight. I mean, that will still fuel the fire but there's always a solution for that. A rematch.
Silence them with another win and maybe he should end it stronger to shut them up. But if Volk wins, another problem will come out, proving that he may really have cheated at that moment.
Volk needs to push harder if he badly wants it, as there are two fighters also aiming for that title after their fight. Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush.

[Welsh]

The more Australian fighters rewatch Makhachev vs Volkanovski fight, the more they are confirmed that Volkanovski was robbed. I find it funny to see that Alex first admitted his loss and said it was a nice test of himself, but not he is 100% sure that he has won and now wants to punish Makhachev for robbery and cheating (the picture of Makhchevs pumped vein has gone viral already). Why didnt he punish Makhachev during the fight then? It might sound that I am defending Makhachev, but actually I vote for truth and sports behaviour. If you think you are the best, prove it with first attempt, but not after multiple tries.

The more I watch it, the more I feel he was unlucky not to get the win. Out struck Makhachev, landed the more significant shots, including dropping Islam. Then, Islam gets a few takedowns, and doesn't do anything with them. Most of his control time came from the one round, where Volk was not in trouble one bit, and in fact did more damage while being mounted from the back than Islam did. Islam didn't even threaten submissions, so the control time shouldn't been mitigated due to the fact of not offering anything, other than getting punched in the face.

Then, Volk gets some control time, and actually does damage with it. I had him up 3-2, and I thought those rounds were fairly convincing by him. I can see why he feels hard done by, and apparently Islam was saying in his corner he wants the rematch, and looking back at the announcement of the winner, you can see Islam isn't really expecting his name to be called.

I think most people who goes, and watches that back without much bias will see Volk winning the fight.

[JooBra]

The more Australian fighters rewatch Makhachev vs Volkanovski fight, the more they are confirmed that Volkanovski was robbed. I find it funny to see that Alex first admitted his loss and said it was a nice test of himself, but not he is 100% sure that he has won and now wants to punish Makhachev for robbery and cheating (the picture of Makhchevs pumped vein has gone viral already). Why didnt he punish Makhachev during the fight then? It might sound that I am defending Makhachev, but actually I vote for truth and sports behaviour. If you think you are the best, prove it with first attempt, but not after multiple tries.

The more I watch it, the more I feel he was unlucky not to get the win. Out struck Makhachev, landed the more significant shots, including dropping Islam. Then, Islam gets a few takedowns, and doesn't do anything with them. Most of his control time came from the one round, where Volk was not in trouble one bit, and in fact did more damage while being mounted from the back than Islam did. Islam didn't even threaten submissions, so the control time shouldn't been mitigated due to the fact of not offering anything, other than getting punched in the face.

Then, Volk gets some control time, and actually does damage with it. I had him up 3-2, and I thought those rounds were fairly convincing by him. I can see why he feels hard done by, and apparently Islam was saying in his corner he wants the rematch, and looking back at the announcement of the winner, you can see Islam isn't really expecting his name to be called.

I think most people who goes, and watches that back without much bias will see Volk winning the fight.

It was a close fight which would have gone in both directions. When I watched live I was having Islam ahead, but though they would give it to Volk since they fight in Australia. At the end both fighters are in win win situation since a very possible rematch will be really big. Ideal scenario is to have them both defend belt in their divisions and after that maybe end of this year to have a rematch.

[Welsh]

It was a close fight which would have gone in both directions. When I watched live I was having Islam ahead, but though they would give it to Volk since they fight in Australia. At the end both fighters are in win win situation since a very possible rematch will be really big. Ideal scenario is to have them both defend belt in their divisions and after that maybe end of this year to have a rematch.

It was a close fight, but that's only because I know how the judges score it. However, I was of the opinion that Volk won on the night, but I sort of figured that in a close fight they'd give it to Islam. I'm not trying to discredit him at all, I just wish takdedowns weren't scored so heavily when they result in nothing. It wasn't even decent control, since he was getting his head smacked in whilst he basically just held Volk there.

Like I said, I've watched it again since we have the liberty to do that, but to me it was a fairly clear win for Volk even if you follow the judges line of thought. I know why they did side with Islam it's because of the control time, but just look at Volk's control time, and see how many significant hits he had compared to Islam while he was on top. I'm pretty certain that Islam's number would be very close to zero, while Volk really put a statement down when we managed to get top position.

[Marvell1]

Why do I feel like soon this will be a political fight?  I hope not.
Anyway, if Islam Makhachev is not hiding anything then he could easily end this trend about the IV issue. But I doubt he could end the replays that will be shown on Australian local sports television over and over just to prove to their people that Volkanovski won that fight. I mean, that will still fuel the fire but there's always a solution for that. A rematch.
Silence them with another win and maybe he should end it stronger to shut them up. But if Volk wins, another problem will come out, proving that he may really have cheated at that moment.
Volk needs to push harder if he badly wants it, as there are two fighters also aiming for that title after their fight. Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush.

Islam Makhachev is actually going to fight Volkanovski again. The rematch is going to happen. As far as I know, both fighters have agreed for the rematch. And I think it is going to be one hell of a rematch. And of course, the Australian media is going to try to say that their player won the fight. He is Australian, so the Australian media is going to support him. And I do not think that is a problem. And as long as he does get the rematch, I do not think there will be any problems at all.

Now if Islam Makhachev will be able to get another when over him? I think that is quite questionable. Because the first one was very close.  Islam Makhachev will have to train very well for the rematch.  Otherwise, it is going to be a loss for him in my opinion.

The more I watch it, the more I feel he was unlucky not to get the win. Out struck Makhachev, landed the more significant shots, including dropping Islam. Then, Islam gets a few takedowns, and doesn't do anything with them. Most of his control time came from the one round, where Volk was not in trouble one bit, and in fact did more damage while being mounted from the back than Islam did. Islam didn't even threaten submissions, so the control time shouldn't been mitigated due to the fact of not offering anything, other than getting punched in the face.

Then, Volk gets some control time, and actually does damage with it. I had him up 3-2, and I thought those rounds were fairly convincing by him. I can see why he feels hard done by, and apparently Islam was saying in his corner he wants the rematch, and looking back at the announcement of the winner, you can see Islam isn't really expecting his name to be called.

I think most people who goes, and watches that back without much bias will see Volk winning the fight.

The fight was really close. And I think the judges actually did well to score the fight. Now I also believe that this fight could have gone either way. But now I think as there is a controversy going on that probably Volkanovski was robbed, we are subconsciously being very careful about the mistakes that Islam Makhachev makes but not being careful about the mistakes that Volkanovski made while watching the highlight.

[cabron]

The more Australian fighters rewatch Makhachev vs Volkanovski fight, the more they are confirmed that Volkanovski was robbed. I find it funny to see that Alex first admitted his loss and said it was a nice test of himself, but not he is 100% sure that he has won and now wants to punish Makhachev for robbery and cheating (the picture of Makhchevs pumped vein has gone viral already). Why didnt he punish Makhachev during the fight then? It might sound that I am defending Makhachev, but actually I vote for truth and sports behaviour. If you think you are the best, prove it with first attempt, but not after multiple tries.

The more I watch it, the more I feel he was unlucky not to get the win. Out struck Makhachev, landed the more significant shots, including dropping Islam. Then, Islam gets a few takedowns, and doesn't do anything with them. Most of his control time came from the one round, where Volk was not in trouble one bit, and in fact did more damage while being mounted from the back than Islam did. Islam didn't even threaten submissions, so the control time shouldn't been mitigated due to the fact of not offering anything, other than getting punched in the face.

Then, Volk gets some control time, and actually does damage with it. I had him up 3-2, and I thought those rounds were fairly convincing by him. I can see why he feels hard done by, and apparently Islam was saying in his corner he wants the rematch, and looking back at the announcement of the winner, you can see Islam isn't really expecting his name to be called.

I think most people who goes, and watches that back without much bias will see Volk winning the fight.

It was a close fight which would have gone in both directions. When I watched live I was having Islam ahead, but though they would give it to Volk since they fight in Australia. At the end both fighters are in win win situation since a very possible rematch will be really big. Ideal scenario is to have them both defend belt in their divisions and after that maybe end of this year to have a rematch.

People really enjoyed the fight regardless of the decision, it can't be changed anymore. But a rematch demand will be a good one to watch again. People believe what they wanted to see and they thought Islam doubted himself they think he wasn't expecting the referee to raise his hand. He must have given a big credit to Volk making him drop to the floor.

I might just be rooting for Volk for the 2nd time. There is just so much to watch out for when they fight. An immediate rematch would be good, UFC 288 probably.

[Welsh]

The fight was really close. And I think the judges actually did well to score the fight. Now I also believe that this fight could have gone either way. But now I think as there is a controversy going on that probably Volkanovski was robbed, we are subconsciously being very careful about the mistakes that Islam Makhachev makes but not being careful about the mistakes that Volkanovski made while watching the highlight.

I'm not really following much of the controversy. I'm just reacting based on what I saw that night. The longest control time Islam had was when he was on Volks back, but during that Volk protected against some very minor attempts to wrap the arms around the neck, and actually landed a lot of shots with no retaliation from Islam.

I personally, don't think you should be scoring control time when you're getting your face punched in, and not threatening anything. Fair enough if he retaliated. We always talk about damage, and how damage is the leading metric for scoring. Well, during the control times, Volk did the most damage. Volk didn't appear to be in any danger at any point in that fight, at least on the ground. There were a few big shots from Islam which definitely made Volk back up a little.

[TopTort777]

I think most people who goes, and watches that back without much bias will see Volk winning the fight.

I think most people, who are not connected with combat sports, will see Volkanovski as a winner, because he completely took ending of fifth round. A lot of people dont remember what was in previous rounds, but remember only what happened a minute ago. Their thoughts would be like "if Volkanovski had more time, he would have finished him".

I think both of fighters would agree for a rematch, but UFC management would be sceptical about it. Media has already gone crazy about it. My YouTube is full of "Makhachev is going to get banned for X years for cheating/taking doping/illegal IV" and crap like that.

[Welsh]

I think most people, who are not connected with combat sports, will see Volkanovski as a winner, because he completely took ending of fifth round. A lot of people dont remember what was in previous rounds, but remember only what happened a minute ago. Their thoughts would be like "if Volkanovski had more time, he would have finished him".

I think both of fighters would agree for a rematch, but UFC management would be sceptical about it. Media has already gone crazy about it. My YouTube is full of "Makhachev is going to get banned for X years for cheating/taking doping/illegal IV" and crap like that.

It was back, and forth I'll give you that. However, I don't tend to agree with scoring control time, when they aren't doing anything with it. They have to at least be threatening with submissions or doing damage. Islam didn't do that, instead he was the one getting punched while he was in a dominant position. We've seen it before that judges have favoured the bottom fighter when they're the most active, and doing the damage. So, I was kind of expecting them to do the same on the night.

To be honest, I don't even want to see these guys back in their own divisions defending their titles, because I don't think anyone really challenges them. I just want to see the rematch. I'd like to see how Islam approaches the second fight, since his wrestling was largely ineffective.

[Marvell1]

Of course, it would be extremely difficult for us to even understand why the fight was scored that way. At least I do not think that there is any type of agenda behind this. But what I understand is that there have been a lot of times when the judges have not scored a fight well, even if the fight once clearly turned the opposite way of what the judges were thinking.

But this fight was not scored like that. This fight was genuinely challenging to score. And it is very understandable why a lot of people might think that the fight should have ended the other way. And I am not saying that they are wrong for thinking like that.

Honestly, I think the rematch is going to clear all the doubts. Of course, if Islam Makhachev wins the rematch, it is likely to be settled. But if he doesn't, there will be a third fight between them.

I'm not really following much of the controversy. I'm just reacting based on what I saw that night. The longest control time Islam had was when he was on Volks back, but during that Volk protected against some very minor attempts to wrap the arms around the neck, and actually landed a lot of shots with no retaliation from Islam.

I personally, don't think you should be scoring control time when you're getting your face punched in, and not threatening anything. Fair enough if he retaliated. We always talk about damage, and how damage is the leading metric for scoring. Well, during the control times, Volk did the most damage. Volk didn't appear to be in any danger at any point in that fight, at least on the ground. There were a few big shots from Islam which definitely made Volk back up a little.

[posi]

I think most people, who are not connected with combat sports, will see Volkanovski as a winner, because he completely took ending of fifth round. A lot of people dont remember what was in previous rounds, but remember only what happened a minute ago. Their thoughts would be like "if Volkanovski had more time, he would have finished him".
I think both of fighters would agree for a rematch, but UFC management would be sceptical about it. Media has already gone crazy about it. My YouTube is full of "Makhachev is going to get banned for X years for cheating/taking doping/illegal IV" and crap like that.

It was back, and forth I'll give you that. However, I don't tend to agree with scoring control time, when they aren't doing anything with it. They have to at least be threatening with submissions or doing damage. Islam didn't do that, instead he was the one getting punched while he was in a dominant position. We've seen it before that judges have favoured the bottom fighter when they're the most active, and doing the damage. So, I was kind of expecting them to do the same on the night.
To be honest, I don't even want to see these guys back in their own divisions defending their titles, because I don't think anyone really challenges them. I just want to see the rematch. I'd like to see how Islam approaches the second fight, since his wrestling was largely ineffective.

@TopTort777 I have seen a lot of people mention that this fight could have swung the other way easily. This is said by a lot of people who actually keep a close eye on combat sports. Actually, I am at a loss here. Because at the same time, I cannot say this was the right decision made by the judges. And at the same time, it is also difficult to say that this was a mistake. I believe the fight was really close. And there had to be a winner.

A lot of people are also thinking that Islam Makhachev did not perform better compared to Volkanovski in this fight. However, I do not believe that is the case. I believe people are saying that after watching the fight again and again and subconsciously thinking that it was in Volkanovski's favor.

[tokeweed]

The thing with Volk is he wasn't finished as easy as how the lines showed.  The lines were so wide they gave Volk's line some value.  The lines should've been closer to 1.90 for both or maybe slight favorite for Makhachev.  But we know books juice these lines so if there's a rematch they will prolly lay it at Makhachev at 1.50 -1.60 or something.

Anyway on to the most exciting event of the year.  I can't wait!    My lottery ticket will prolly look something like this..

Bueno Silva - Pogues
Add:  Andrade - Fletcher - Carpenter
Add:  Knight - OSP
Add:  Emmers - Elder - Hernandez
Add:  Wright

^  Not financial advice.  Pie shtters are all around.  Lol.

And don't forget to make your picks at the Multi Master.

UFC Fight Night 219 - Multi Master Challenge
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5439870.0

Good luck!