🥊 The UFC Info and Prediction Thread

[Upgrade00]

I have been avoiding talking about the Pantoja loss all day. I woke up quite early due to timezone difference only to watch him lose. But it was well deserved by Van. He is an elite striker and showed insane cardio to keep the pace until the 5th round.

Pantoja's corner did not do him any favours by telling him he may have been 2-0 up before round 3. That was criminal and no where near the truth and it may have made him fight defensively rather than go for a finish.
This may have not made a difference, Van was the better fighter on the night.

I will watch the full replay of earlier fights later. I only got highlights of an insane armbar submission on X

[Balmain]

Arman pulled off an incredible knockout he closed the distance, landed an elbow at the perfect moment, and put Ruffy to sleep. He had previously expressed a desire to fight Justin Gaethje. I think they’ll give him that fight nowhe had already become quite popular through his YouTube videos. Dana White was waiting for the right moment, and that moment has arrived. He would give Justin Gaethje a tough fight, though I’m not sure if he could win, Justin Gaethje still remembers what happened on that White House card.

[trendcoin]

Right now, no one in the lightweight division deserves a title fight more than Arman. Some people thought he deserved it yesterday, but today there’s absolutely no doubt about it. If the next title fight isn’t given to Arman, my respect for this organization will diminish significantly...

Also, Arman barely took any hits in this fight. He can step into a title fight very comfortably. Even after the fight, his energy was still very high. He stepped out of the Octagon and jumped on Nina. He looked very fit, energetic, and strong. I don’t know if you saw that moment. It was truly an interesting moment... :)

[BluebloodCXVI]

I have been avoiding talking about the Pantoja loss all day. I woke up quite early due to timezone difference only to watch him lose. But it was well deserved by Van. He is an elite striker and showed insane cardio to keep the pace until the 5th round.

Van just had better striking and the guy is pretty fast with his hands; Pantoja just couldn’t keep up with the striking pace and even his punches looked kinda labored whereas Van was just flowing with the punches and his combinations were landing flush.

That’s why Pantoja went for takedowns more but even at that, he couldn’t really do much with the few takedowns that he got.

Pantoja clearly did his best but it obviously was not enough to get him his belt back.

Pantoja's corner did not do him anh favours by telling him he may have been 2-0 up before round 3. That was criminal and no where near the truth and it may have made him fight defensively rather than go for a finish.
This mag have not made a difference, Van was the better fighter on the night.

I will watch the full replay of earlier fights later. I only got highlights of an insane armbar submission on X

If his corner actually told him that, then they did him dirty.

I personally think he won only two rounds of that fight (1 and 4) cos i watched the fight but i don’t agree that Pantoja was fighting defensively because of what his corner told him about him being 2:0 up before round 3.

From the beginning of the fight, Pantoja was clearly the aggressor and he only started fighting defensively around round 4/5, i guess he just didn’t want to take any more extra damages cos he already had cuts on his face from the accidental head butting and punches from Van.

Even his cardio started to slow down during the last two rounds so there was no way for him to even set up a finish not to talk of going for it.

[LogitechMouse]

Right now, no one in the lightweight division deserves a title fight more than Arman. Some people thought he deserved it yesterday, but today there’s absolutely no doubt about it. If the next title fight isn’t given to Arman, my respect for this organization will diminish significantly...
---

After that victory over Ruffy, there's nobody more eligible in that title fight than him. I still wonder why Dana White still isn't giving him an opportunity for that one? The only time Tsarukyan had an opportunity for that lightweight title fight was against Makhachev but unfortunately he got injured. Now's the perfect time to have another one.

I said that I was a fan of Topuria, but TBH, let's set him aside for a second and let Tsarukyan have that title fight. TBH, it's my first time watching him on live, and I just saw how good he is in both grappling and striking as shown on that fight. I know it's just 1st round, but I think that's enough for me to say it. Now let's assume that Arman will have an opportunity, can he defeat Gaethje though because we know how devastating his punches are. Khabib once said that "Justin hits just like a truck", and other fighters seconded it.
Up until now, I still can't imagine how one judge scored the Van-Pantoja 2 fight 50-45. I mean the remaining 2 is understandable, and I scored the fight 49-46 as well in favor of Van, but that one judge who favored Van in all 5 rounds? Still unbelievable if you will ask me. No winning rounds for Pantoja? I guess he's not a fan of grappling, or the Dagestan way of fighting in the Octagon then.

[SPIDERMAN008]

Right now, no one in the lightweight division deserves a title fight more than Arman. Some people thought he deserved it yesterday, but today there’s absolutely no doubt about it. If the next title fight isn’t given to Arman, my respect for this organization will diminish significantly...

Also, Arman barely took any hits in this fight. He can step into a title fight very comfortably. Even after the fight, his energy was still very high. He stepped out of the Octagon and jumped on Nina. He looked very fit, energetic, and strong. I don’t know if you saw that moment. It was truly an interesting moment...

I was even more surprised that when they were so close, he managed to hit the elbow strike so perfectly and just knocked him out. I didn't really understand it when I watched it live. Later, the replays made it clear. Ruffy probably thought that Arman would try to take him down. He probably didn't even think about the elbow strike he would give him at that moment. Normally we are used to seeing Ruffy as very aggressive. He has won most of his wins by knockout. But in the last match, he was incredibly knocked out by Arman. Actually, I wasn't prepared to see an aggressive fighter like him get knocked out like that. Overall I enjoyed the fight a lot.

[bbc.reporter]

Right now, no one in the lightweight division deserves a title fight more than Arman. Some people thought he deserved it yesterday, but today there’s absolutely no doubt about it. If the next title fight isn’t given to Arman, my respect for this organization will diminish significantly...

Also, Arman barely took any hits in this fight. He can step into a title fight very comfortably. Even after the fight, his energy was still very high. He stepped out of the Octagon and jumped on Nina. He looked very fit, energetic, and strong. I don’t know if you saw that moment. It was truly an interesting moment...

Agreed! He will also win against the Justin Gaethje, I reckon, and similar to what I have said before he will also win against the big headed Topuria if he will have the bravery to challenge Arman!

I am very much excited for this hehehe! He will be champion!

[Upgrade00]

Van just had better striking and the guy is pretty fast with his hands; Pantoja just couldn’t keep up with the striking pace and even his punches looked kinda labored whereas Van was just flowing with the punches and his combinations were landing flush.

I started to notice the labored punches from round 2 which surprised me. He was throwing over which takes more effort and makes it easier for the opponent to see the punches coming. Van's jabs were landing quick and hard with combinations too.

I personally think he won only two rounds of that fight (1 and 4) cos i watched the fight but i don’t agree that Pantoja was fighting defensively because of what his corner told him about him being 2:0 up before round 3.

They told him it could be 1-1 or 2-0 for him. It is not a certainty but with that info and thinking he won either of round 3 or 4, he may have gotten slightly defensive, leaving it to the opponent to try and rescue the fight and make a mistake. As I said, it must have mattered little. He was exhausted at the later stages, perhaps the 12 year age gap showed in the cardio of both fighters.

[TopTort777]

Right now, no one in the lightweight division deserves a title fight more than Arman. Some people thought he deserved it yesterday, but today there’s absolutely no doubt about it. If the next title fight isn’t given to Arman, my respect for this organization will diminish significantly...

Also, Arman barely took any hits in this fight. He can step into a title fight very comfortably. Even after the fight, his energy was still very high. He stepped out of the Octagon and jumped on Nina. He looked very fit, energetic, and strong. I don’t know if you saw that moment. It was truly an interesting moment...

We can make a joke and say that he hasnt got enough straight wins to deserve a title fight Some guys were building 8-10 win streaks before they got a title fight. Arman has only 6 Btw in a month Tsarukyan will be having a wrestling match against Dillon Danis on RAF 14. Easy money but there is always a chance of injury.

Btw, Sean Sharaf got Proper Chaos Bonus for knocking Gable Steveson in 12 seconds. That is a real gift for him. Not only by that knockout he will boost his media, but also earn a lot. He got 30+30 for a fight and 50 as a bonus. That is a huge help for him as it turns he has 600k debt...

[tokeweed]

Here are the results of the event...  I think 125 is getting pretty exciting with Van erasing all doubts about his reign.  But I think Manel Kape will be the next guy to take on Van.  And with all the momentum behind Van, I hope the bookies make him a huge favorite as I think Kape could win it as the underdog. 

Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-47, 50-45)
Arman Tsarukyan def. Mauricio Ruffy via knockout (elbow) – Round 1, 4:56
Patricio Freire def. Dooho Choi via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:28
Sean Sharaf def. Gable Steveson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:12
Alonzo Menifield def. Iwo Baraniewski via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Marlon Vera def. Charles Jourdain via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:02
Robelis Despaigne def. Tai Tuivasa via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Michael Aswell def. JooSang Yoo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Ryan Gandra def. Ozzy Diaz via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:04
Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brunno Ferreira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Casey O'Neill def. Eduarda Moura via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:22
Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:57

UFC 331:  Post-Fight Press Conference
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yqHXlPThZ9M

[TopTort777]

UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos



Date: September 27

Main Card: SUN, SEP 27 / 12:00 AM GMT+3
Prelims: SUN, SEP 27 / 3:00 AM GMT+3

Venue: Meta Apex

Main card (Paramount+)
Bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos            
Middleweight: Rodolfo Vieira vs. Robert Bryczek            
Bantamweight: Brady Hiestand vs. Rinya Nakamura            
Bantamweight: Mehemmedeli Osmanli vs. Ilimbek Akylbek
Women's Strawweight: Melissa Amaya vs. Valesca Machado
Lightweight: Josiah Harrell vs. Elves Brener

Preliminary card (Paramount+)
Light Heavyweight: Rodolfo Bellato vs. Christian Edwards            
Bantamweight: Montel Jackson vs. Ricky Simón            
Bantamweight: John Castañeda vs. Alateng Heili            
Women's Bantamweight: Norma Dumont vs. Ailín Pérez            
Women's Strawweight: Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Yazmin Jauregui

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_Fight_Night:_Rosas_Jr._vs._Barcelos

[notblox1]

Here comes another UFC event I am going to skip watching live. 
I am not interested in most of the fights, but I might check later recordings for one or two fights.

Interesting news coming from Sean Strickland who said that he has plans to try himself in boxing fights soon.
He was mostly boxing oriented style fighter in UFC, so I am not surprised to see him saying this.
There is more money in top boxing fights than in MMA:
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/sean-strickland-wants-out-of-the-ufc-and-into-boxing

[trendcoin]

https://www.instagram.com/miichaelufc/p/DdjnIarmjIb/

We have a new story, and this story could pave the way for a title fight for Prates, and if Ian Garry wins this fight, a big threat to Islam will be eliminated...

The weight class is really starting to heat up. As things get more complicated, the possibilities are expanding, and the excitement is building...

However, in my opinion, it’s definitely Ian who’s taken things to this level. He fought Shavkat on short notice. He fought Prates, he fought Islam, and now he’s going for Morales, the division’s other most dangerous contender. This guy is doing everything he can to get the belt...

[Gragebox]

I started to notice the labored punches from round 2 which surprised me. He was throwing over which takes more effort and makes it easier for the opponent to see the punches coming. Van's jabs were landing quick and hard with combinations too.

The technical change in punching appears to have been key in the fight. Wide or overhand punches tend to cost more energy, and over time are also easier to predict if they are thrown regularly. If the overhand punches were already starting to look slow from the second round that was beginning to have a toll on pace.

The speed with which Van was able to loop quick jabs appears to have helped him maintain range and set up combinations.

Quick combinations of speed and accuracy are usually more effective against a slowing fighter, as they tend to give away punches for quick counters. It was interesting to see how much the efficiency became more apparent as the fight wore on.

They told him it could be 1-1 or 2-0 for him. It is not a certainty but with that info and thinking he won either of round 3 or 4, he may have gotten slightly defensive, leaving it to the opponent to try and rescue the fight and make a mistake. As I said, it must have mattered little. He was exhausted at the later stages, perhaps the 12 year age gap showed in the cardio of both fighters.

Their first remarks may have influenced the tactics he adopted for the rest of the fight. If he considered he was already ahead, adopting a somewhat more defensive stance, and leave his opponent to take risks would have been a sound tactic. Nevertheless, this strategy assumes enough strength to continue moving and resisting until the end of the fight.

His fatigue in the final minutes of the bout is an interesting detail when considering the 12 years difference between his and his opponent's ages.

It is indeed true that age doesn't necessarily affect the physical state of fighters, but it can show in a long and intense fight.

[OgNasty]

Here comes another UFC event I am going to skip watching live. 
I am not interested in most of the fights, but I might check later recordings for one or two fights.

Interesting news coming from Sean Strickland who said that he has plans to try himself in boxing fights soon.
He was mostly boxing oriented style fighter in UFC, so I am not surprised to see him saying this.
There is more money in top boxing fights than in MMA:
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/sean-strickland-wants-out-of-the-ufc-and-into-boxing

The UFC has a problem with a lack of fighters people want to watch. If Strickland switches to boxing it will be another hit to the roster. I think the UFC needs to start handing out some massive fight contracts and see if they can turn things around before it starts hurting the bottom line. I’d start with Strickland and Paddy.

[pawel7777]

Like him or not, it was a beautiful elbow KO by Arman. Ruffy was not a match for him, despite the size advantage. I think it would be fair if he gets the title fight next. He's currently ranked No. 2 contender, right below Ilia, in both, the media and the meta rankings.
If he doesn't get the title shot, he will probably get a big money fight, perhaps against Ilia, Paddy, or maybe Charles Oliveira.

It's a shame Iwo Baraniewski ended his amazing 8-0 all 1st-round finishes run by losing to Menifield by a somewhat controversial split decision. He's still young, and I hope he'll rebound.

[Balmain]

https://www.instagram.com/miichaelufc/p/DdjnIarmjIb/

We have a new story, and this story could pave the way for a title fight for Prates, and if Ian Garry wins this fight, a big threat to Islam will be eliminated...

The weight class is really starting to heat up. As things get more complicated, the possibilities are expanding, and the excitement is building...

However, in my opinion, it’s definitely Ian who’s taken things to this level. He fought Shavkat on short notice. He fought Prates, he fought Islam, and now he’s going for Morales, the division’s other most dangerous contender. This guy is doing everything he can to get the belt...

Prates' Muay Thai is lethal. I was saw him wear Türkiye uniform, that's why I support him. He smokes and leads a nightlife he doesn't try to hide it, nor does he claim it's the right thing to do. Just imagine what kind of monster he would be if he didn't smoke. Honestly, I think Prates has a better chance or at least a higher probability than the others of knocking out Islam Makhachev. The activity in the weight class has been a good thing in my opinion, it’s the best division.

[Synchronice]

Arman looked scary during weigh-ins I dont know how much longer UFC will keep title fight away from him, but he should have it anytime soon.  I only think that UFC want to make Armans title fight as a big show, and because of that, they might make Gaethje vs Topuria first (even though Topuria wont deserve it), to make Topuria win it, and later to face Arman Arman vs Topuria looks more $$$ event than Arman vs Gaethje

He really deserves the title shot and I'm sure he will get it but here is the thing, Dana White probably thinks about what to make in the future, make Topuria VS Gaethje with the hope that Topuria wins and then give Arman a title shot against Topuria (it will be an amazing fight since there is a beef between these two fighters too) or give Arman a title shot against Gaethje and make a Topuria VS Paddy fight.

To my mind, the best case scenario for UFC and/or Dana White, i.e. the most profitable one will be to make Topuria VS Gaethje rematch with the hope that Topuria wins and then make Topuria VS Arman with the hope that Topuria wins and then make Topuria VS Paddy. Such an outcome will be the most ideal outcome for Dana White to my mind.

[Upgrade00]

Just imagine what kind of monster he would be if he didn't smoke. Honestly, I think Prates has a better chance or at least a higher probability than the others of knocking out Islam Makhachev.

Fighters like that has to come as a package. His vices are elements to what makes him unhinged and unpredictable in the cage. I'm sure it is also a big part of the psychological training. You can follow the books as much as you want, if you are not mentally ready when you step in the cage and the door closes, you will be owned.

<snip>

This looks like some ai fluff to me.

[OgNasty]

News circulating that Sean Strickland has gotten into a motorcycle accident. Supposedly hitting his head on dirt and rolling with no protective gear. He supposedly claims he let his buddy drive while he was on the back, resulting in the crash.

Edit: There’s a video of him talking about it…