Former bouncer and head of security involved in MMA since the pre-UFC days. Here to create a community where everyone can share their passion for the sport.
Topuria, renowned for his high fight IQ, ended up losing due to horrible decision making at the end of R2. He had Gaethje badly hurt. If he had made him stand back up, he would have easily finished him. Instead, he exhausted himself trying to secure a submission.
@arielhelwani This is not a good sign. When aging fighters choose a sub-optimally high weight class because they felt better not having to cut weight instead of choosing to compete at the weight class where they are most competitive, they tend to be past their prime.
@THATBOYMMAGURU If this fight confirms anything, it is that Gane has never had real knockout power. Yes, he fairly and legitimately rocked Pereira with a jab. But he could not render him unconscious even with repeated full force, unimpeded follow up blows to the back of the head. Pathetic.
@Fight_Ghost The only other fighter close to Gane in terms of cheating (both inside and outside the octagon) is Jon Jones. At least Gane and his illegal blows saved Dana from having to start glazing Pereira instead of his true love, Jon Jones.
@bjpenndotcom I have not made my official pick for the McGregor vs Holloway fight. But, Connor has 2 fights left on his current UFC contract. I can definitely see a world where, if Holloway wins the rematch, the UFC makes the McGregor vs Chandler fight for the last fight on Conor's contract.
@TheRealCobiMMA Inexplicably horrible fight IQ at this point from an otherwise cerebral fighter is why Topuria lost the fight. If he had made Gaethje stand back up, he would have easily finished him.
@SpinninBackfist@AlexPereiraUFC The combination of the quagmire created by Aspinall aligning with Hearn and the overall weakness of the HW division may lead to Pereira getting an immediate rematch with Gane. If he does, let's hope Pereira learns from his mistakes and goes into the fight 25 pounds lighter.
@SpinninBackfist I am not ruling out a Garry win, but I have more analysis to do before picking a winner. One thing is for sure. Garry will give Makhachev a much more difficult fight than JDM did. While he can definitely be cringe, Garry deserves the opportunity.
If he focused on the illegal blows, he would have my support. But, this is a bad look. Even with the illegal blows, the main reason he lost to Gane is he put on too much weight too quickly, especially at his age.
@HenryCejudo@LernerandRowe Yes, most of the damaging shots subsequent to the jab were illegal. If we can make the rematch happen after Aspinall aligned with Hearn, which is far from a given, Aspinall beats him.
@BlindBearMedia Garry often gets on my nerves but he deserves this fight. He is one heck of a fighter. I admire how he always travels to train with new people so he is constantly improving. Garry has outstanding takedown defense against most opponents, but Makhachev is not most opponents.
@UFCRosterWatch Herb Dean has never been my favorite referee. That is for sure. And, action should be taken against him. But, this is missing the larger point for this particular fight. Gane cheats more than Jones. He flat out refuses to fight fairly whether he is winning or losing.
@arielhelwani I thought Pereira was showing signs of exhaustion in his corner after round 1. Gane had slowed his "bouncy" lateral movement a bit in round 2, but Poatan is reaching here. I am with him on the illegal blows but this comes across as sour grapes.