Didn't you hear? Nate vs. Paul 2 is totally happeningPoirier v Nate if he comes back?
Didn't you hear? Nate vs. Paul 2 is totally happening
Seriously, though, if I was Nate, I'd wait to see what happens with Conor before I decide to come back to the UFC or not.
I feel like Conor/UFC have talked themselves into a corner with Chandler being next. I mean, I know they can do whatever they want and Conor-Nate 3 at UFC 300 makes a ton of sense, but I dunno. With someone as high profile as Conor talking about Chandler for so long, to switch to a much easier fight with Nate would seem weird and he'd take a lot shit for it.Yeah, that's under the assumption the Conor/Chandler fight happens.
IMO they should just do Conor/Nate 3 to headline UFC300, obviously with a couple of title fights as well. Not really a bigger "name" fight they can make.
I've never bought into the McGregor vs Chandler talkYeah, that's under the assumption the Conor/Chandler fight happens.
IMO they should just do Conor/Nate 3 to headline UFC300, obviously with a couple of title fights as well. Not really a bigger "name" fight they can make.
I've never bought into the McGregor vs Chandler talk
Chandler is one of the best athletes in MMA, he's very strong, lightning quick, has knockout power, and he's an elite wrestler
For a fighter who can hand pick his opponents, I can't see much incentive to settle on Chandler if there's no belt on the line
He's 2-3 in the UFC and has lost to all the top LWs he's fought. He's not some insurmountable challenge, but good enough of an opponent that it isn't a gimme fight for Conor.I've never bought into the McGregor vs Chandler talk
Chandler is one of the best athletes in MMA, he's very strong, lightning quick, has knockout power, and he's an elite wrestler
For a fighter who can hand pick his opponents, I can't see much incentive to settle on Chandler if there's no belt on the line
I'm aware of Chandler's resumeHe's 2-3 in the UFC and has lost to all the top LWs he's fought. He's not some insurmountable challenge, but good enough of an opponent that it isn't a gimme fight for Conor.
You love PEDs eh?Volkanovski's physique looked like someone who's come off PED's
I remember him being much more muscular in the pastView attachment 755789View attachment 755790
Going to pay the rent tonight boysGreasy card to bet on, all the main card matches have pretty big favorites. Might have to do the Bellator trick of making a parlay of just main card favorites lol.
I agree with @m9. Volk has still looked great. It just so happens he lost on 12 days notice, up a weight class, to one of the best P4P fighters in the world. It was a tall task.Is Eugene Bareman/CKB losing his fastball a little bit here?
We're coming off Adesanya with a very disappointing loss to Strickland. Adesanya looked like he was fighting with fifteen minutes notice. No gameplan at all. Strickland did exactly what he always does too. Now Adesanya is talking about stepping away from the sport for a few years after seeming like he was right back on top with that KO of Pereira.
Kai Kara-France two straight losses.
Brad Riddell out of the game.
Hooker on a two fight winning streak is good I guess but I expected bigger things after that absolute war vs Poirier. Ullberg is doing well too.
Volkanovski was very emotional after this fight basically saying he has issues functioning when he's not fighting. He's 35 years old and just fought three months ago. Why is he saying stuff like that? He probably needs to sit down and speak to his family or a professional about whatever issues he's having instead of trying to live in the octagon permanently.
I've never been a big fan of established fighters like Volk being "team" guys for Dana in these situations. It seems to rarely end up being worth the risk. I know some fans justify it by essentially erasing the fight from memory but I don't buy that. Volkanovski getting KO'ed in the first round matters regardless of the circumstances. Maybe Eugene needed to be the big boy in the room and have some hard conversations with Volk he wasn't willing to have. I remember Bareman telling Helwani that many of his issues with Adesanya stem from Izzy never wanting to rest and that goes all the way back to his kickboxing days. Izzy is 34 years old. Maybe he needed to take some more time preparing for Strickland also. No one else on the roster is matching these two in terms of activity and I don't know if that's a good thing anymore, especially when you start mixing in losses by KO. Is Volk really going to fight Topuria in early 2024? Guy should probably take a year off and find some sort of peace within himself.
I thought we all agreed to not talk about this!Are we going to talk about ass staph?
Agreed on all points. I don't see Bareman as a culprit here.Counter argument to Bareman losing his fastball...
-Izzy has been the best 185lber for a long time and a very active champion. He was beating pereira before getting stopped and redeemed himself. Maybe he was overlooking Strickland or didn't realize how awkward his fighting style would be. Also I think Izzy is clearly a little burned out too who knows how banged up he is after all these recent fights.
-KK France... lost an interim championship bout to a legit champion in Moreno no shame there and the Albazi fight was a joke he won that. 19 of 21 entries on mma decisions have him winning it.
Amir Albazi def. Kai Kara-France :: UFC on ESPN 46 :: MMA Decisions
mmadecisions.com
-Hooker is a top fighter but I never saw him as a legit threat to the belt.
-Volk is still Volk... best 145er right now and one of the best to ever do it.
Agreed on all points. I don't see Bareman as a culprit here.
That said, Izzy and Volkanovski looked like 2 guys who were nowhere near peak of their game.
Similar short notice for Usman who maybe got tired, but still appeared to be in phenomenal physical shape and was very competitive in his fight.
I truly believe Volk just didn't have the time to get shredded at 155, so I wasn't alarmed by his physique nor did I think he was coming off PED's at all.
Izzy however, especially with his gyno history and showing zero aggression for 25 minutes...is it food for thought? Not accusing.
At the very least, you have Izzy and Volk alluding to issues outside of fighting (not to mention Izzy's arrest) plus things like the Riddell departure. Perhaps the young man Fau Vake who was killed awhile back did some damage, or maybe City just became a little too Hollywood.
I know I'm rambling but there are some things going on that make me wonder.