UFC 205

[Danger-Mouse]

Definitely one to look forward to. The greatest fight card that has ever been put on in the UFC. Even the prelim card is packed with quality fights.

 

Lightweight Eddie Alvarez © vs. Conor McGregor - It will be interesting to see how Conor performs in this weightclass. Alvarez is going to be a tough opponent, especially if he utilises his wresting and can take Conor down. If Conor can keep it standing then I think he stands a very good chance of making history. With his reach and power I fancy Conor for this one.

 

Welterweight Tyron Woodley © vs. Stephen Thompson - Despite being the champion Woodley is the underdog in this one. However, any man who can put down Robbie Lawler with essentially one punch is a very dangerous man indeed. Thompsen is obviously very dangerous too, especially with his kicks. However he seems to keep his hands down a lot. I might be tempted to have a few quid on Woodley as I reckon he hangs onto his belt in this fight.

 

Women's Strawweight Joanna Jędrzejczyk © vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz - Battle of the undefeated Poles. I don`t know much about Karolina so I have to choose Joanna in this one. Should be one hell of a scrap though.

 

Middleweight Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero - Weidman is coming off a loss so he should be hungry for the win. Romero is on a 7 fight winning streak but his opponents haven`t all been of the highest quality. A tough one to call but I think Weidman will probably take it.

 

Welterweight Kelvin Gastelum vs. Donald Cerrone - Cowboy for this one. He has looked awesome at Welterweight and finished his last fight with one of the sweetest combinations I`ve ever seen. Again I don`t know much about his opponent but it`s hard to bet against Cowboy on his current form.

 

Women's Bantamweight Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington - Both excellent grapplers so it may come down to who has the best striking ability. A close call but I fancy Pennington for the win. But you can`t rule out Tate, she never quits.

 

Featherweight Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens - Hard to bet against Frankie in this one.

 

Lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Michael Johnson - Again virtually impossible to bet against Khabib.

 

Middleweight Rashad Evans vs. Tim Kennedy - A vintage fight. Evans hasn`t done well in his last couple of fights but Kennedy has to be a bit rusty having not fought in over 2 years. Not a confident prediction but I`ll say Rashad takes this one.

 

Welterweight Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad

 

Lightweight Jim Miller vs. Thiago Alves

 

Middleweight Rafael Natal vs. Tim Boetsch

 

Women's Bantamweight Liz Carmouche vs. Katlyn Chookagian

[Archie-fox]

Should be a great night

 

I hope Connor gets banged out, he makes me laugh but I'm not a fan..

[timps]

I am looking forward to it, I actually went to UFC 204 in Manchester with my son and still buzzing from that and this card blows that one out of the water.

[SuperGoose75]

OH Yes' Its getting ever closer. Been looking forward to this card since it was announced and will be doing an all Nighter.

I had a few options available to me last saturday Night. Go to bed early and get up for morning flight. 2. Stay up and watch Ferguson v RDA and Pacquiao v Vargas and in the end due to some health issues,I went to bed early and had a bit of a lay in Sunday. I watched the Ferguson v Dos Anjos fight on sunday evening and have the Pacman v Vargas on at present here.

 

I was routing for RDA as I dont like Ferguson and it was a decent Fight. Got to give it to Ferguson though despite Dos Anjos having a couple of good rds' The height and reach of Ferguson and skill set of his MMA was just too good. Hes a dangerous fighter for anyone in the division. I would love to see McGregor fight Ferguson if he overcomes Alvarez but would think if being honest,That ferguson has too much for Conor.

 

I mentioned before that I would worry for McGregor in the LW division,Given the fact their is so many Animals in it. Before the rematch with Diaz' I would not have fancied Conor's chances with Edward,However after seeing his performance against Diaz I would be more confident of him doing well. Your right about keeping it Standing though, Alvarez is a dangerous fighter who can wrestle and bang also.I think McGregor Can and will try and take him out early but this is no walk in the park and if Alveraz gets it to the ground McGregor could be in trouble. I was very impressed with Conors take down defence against Diaz though. i would say this is a 50/50 fight for sure. The fact that its on the east coast tells us that there is going to be a massive Irish presence out there and they will make a lot of Noise in Edwards back yard that may unsettle him a bit. Should be good.

 

I would agree with most of your predications, but hope your Wrong about the Hottie "Cupcake" Tate. She is such a babe.

 

I also fancy an upset between the two Polish ladies. I think Karolina can beat Joanna as she is a very similar fighter and wont gas as quick as Claudia did. Should be a cracker.

Saturday/Sunday morning cant come quick enough.

 

Just one other thing ' That name you have down v Frankie Edgar Who the **** is dat Guy.?

[Danger-Mouse]

 

 

I was routing for RDA as I dont like Ferguson and it was a decent Fight. Got to give it to Ferguson though despite Dos Anjos having a couple of good rds' The height and reach of Ferguson and skill set of his MMA was just too good. Hes a dangerous fighter for anyone in the division. I would love to see McGregor fight Ferguson if he overcomes Alvarez but would think if being honest,That ferguson has too much for Conor.

 

Fergusen is a class athlete, a worthy opponent for anyone in that division. He would definitely give Conor a run for his money. The question for Conor at Lightweight is how well his punching power transfers. Ok we know at the heavier weight that he fought Diaz at he couldn`t KO Nate but that doesn't really provide any evidence. Nate is one tough dude. If Conor KO's Alvarez then the division is really going to stand up and take notice.

 

I mentioned before that I would worry for McGregor in the LW division,Given the fact their is so many Animals in it. Before the rematch with Diaz' I would not have fancied Conor's chances with Edward,However after seeing his performance against Diaz I would be more confident of him doing well. Your right about keeping it Standing though, Alvarez is a dangerous fighter who can wrestle and bang also.I think McGregor Can and will try and take him out early but this is no walk in the park and if Alveraz gets it to the ground McGregor could be in trouble. I was very impressed with Conors take down defence against Diaz though. i would say this is a 50/50 fight for sure. The fact that its on the east coast tells us that there is going to be a massive Irish presence out there and they will make a lot of Noise in Edwards back yard that may unsettle him a bit. Should be good.

 

I would agree with most of your predications, but hope your Wrong about the Hottie "Cupcake" Tate. She is such a babe.

 

Well Miesha is the favourite in the match so your wishes may well come true (the one regarding the result at least ) If your girl does lose then you can just think about Pennington celebrating her win with her girlfriend Tecia Torres . . . that should brighten up your evening

 

I also fancy an upset between the two Polish ladies. I think Karolina can beat Joanna as she is a very similar fighter and wont gas as quick as Claudia did. Should be a cracker.

Saturday/Sunday morning cant come quick enough.

 

As I said, I don`t know enough about Karolina to pick her over Joanna. I can't see it being anything other than an absolute war though.

 

Just one other thing ' That name you have down v Frankie Edgar Who the **** is dat Guy.?

 

:lol: Conor at his best. He really does steal the show at those press conferences.

[Danger-Mouse]

Rashad Evans vs Tim Kennedy is off the card. Apparently Evans has not been granted a license to fight by the NYAC. Looks like a medical issue.

[SuperGoose75]

Damn that. Cowboy fight now pulled as well.

Gastelum didn't make the weight.

[SuperGoose75]

Not long to go now. And after a very busy day I could easily hit the hay. I had intended to get a few hours kip but to late at this stage.

 

I'm going to go against another one of your predications Dangermouse.

 

Jeremy Stephens looked an absolute Beast at the weigh ins and I think he could give Frankie a world of trouble . Frankie is gonna have his work cut out for him with this fella and he may have the last laugh after all.

 

Ref- Cupcake and the bulldaggers. I am a happily married man and have my own little Cupcake to brighten up my evening's anytime i want

Miesha is just a fantasy..But damn she is fine..

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av2Ix3ETWjc

Edited November 12, 2016 by SuperGoose75

[Danger-Mouse]

I`m going to watch it tomorrow night so this will be the last time I call in to the thread until I`ve seen it.

 

Funny thing, a lot of people reckon Stephens could have the edge in that fight. It's not so much that he is the better fighter, but that the fight doesn't mean much to Edgar. Not to say he doesn't want to win, but it doesn't really do anything for his career. For Stephen's though it's a real step up the ladder towards a title shot.

 

It's a definite possibility and not something I'd considered when I made my prediction. I'll stick with Edgar though and hope that experience and professionalism will carry him through.

[SuperGoose75]

Ok' I will make this my last post also as not to spoil it for you until you watch it. Time for some more caffiene to help stay awake.

Edited November 13, 2016 by SuperGoose75

[SPARKIE]

I wish sometimes they would stop stringing it along and just get on with it the adverts and run up is ridiculous

[iano]

Can't stand McGregor the man, but jesus - the man is a superb athlete. Lot of respect for what he has achieved.

 

Pity that he is such a ****.

[Danger-Mouse]

Well what can you say? Conor nails it again and in style. An absolutely dominating performance. He looks fantastic at 155lbs and that left hand of his is obviously going to cause some damage in the division. Yes he's a gobby arrogant bar-steward but he certainly backs up his words with action.

 

Khabib also looked amazing with a dominating performance over Johnson. All credit to Michael for toughing it out and for shaking Khabib in the first round but after that it was all over. If he is Conor's next opponent it will be one hell of a fight.

 

Great fight from the Polish ladies. It went the way I expected but Joanna was definitely wobbled and all credit to Karolina for providing some tough opposition for the champ.

 

Pennington deserved her win over Tate. I had a feeling it would come down to striking and that proved the difference in the match. Sad to see Miesha retire but it's probably a good decision.

 

Woodley vs Thompson was a good fight. I was inclined to score it a draw so I`m not unhappy with the judges decision. I`ll claim a correct prediction because I never said Woodley would win, only that he would keep his belt.

 

Edgar vs Stephens was a decent match. I must confess when I saw how much bigger Stephens was I was thinking that perhaps I'd made the wrong call. And then when that kick landed it looked like it might all be over for Frankie. But all credit to him, he toughed it out and took the win.

 

Weidman vs Romero. Well the only prediction I was completely wrong about. It was also the one I was most unsure of. Things did look to be going as predicted until that devastating flying knee landed, Romero to face Bisping next?

[SuperGoose75]

Some great calls DM.

 

Stephens should have really finished Frankie when he put him down. Credit to Edgar though, He used his speed,wrestling and experience to get the win.

 

Karolina won a lot of fans last night.She was always gonna be up against it against someone like Joanna but she never lay down and had the Champ rocked. iguess its a case in both fights that the Cream always comes to the top.

 

Disappointed to see Meisha get beat and announce her retirement. But I think she had lost her drive and didnt really want it anymore.She didnt seem right even against Nunes.

 

Romero comes across a bit like Hendo. Although Weidman was domanating the fight, You just knew that when Romero did fully engage it was gonna be explosive. An absoloute animal that will go after Bispings strap for sure.

 

How Wondeboy survived that onslaught and guiloteen attempt was just unreal, Compelling Stuff.

 

Well what more can I say about McGregor' other than he is the Man. Super slick striking and so glad he knocked Alvarez out in such fashiion for the way he disrespected the Irish .

And also for bursting my Bubble by saying there was no such thing as Santa Claus

Edited November 14, 2016 by SuperGoose75

[iano]

I read that Conor is looking for an equity stake in UFC.

 

This will be the test of whether he is 'bigger' than the event - if he isn't, could be something else springing up with him headlining it.

[Danger-Mouse]

I read that Conor is looking for an equity stake in UFC.

 

This will be the test of whether he is 'bigger' than the event - if he isn't, could be something else springing up with him headlining it.

 

Yeah he talked about it at the post fight press conference. It's not entirely unreasonable, a bunch of celebrities have an investment in the company. I don't really see why a huge draw like Conor couldn't negotiate a piece. After all he's been at every record breaking event as far as gate and PPV goes.

[Danger-Mouse]

Some great calls DM.

 

How Wondeboy survived that onslaught and guiloteen attempt was just unreal, Compelling Stuff.

 

 

Cheers.

 

Woodly admitted the submission attempt was a mistake. He should have kept it standing at that point. I think Woodley should have wrestled more in rounds 2 and 3. He proved in round 1 that Wonderboy couldn't roll with him. If he'd ground Thompson down some more in those early rounds I think he could have won outright. Rematch should be good though.

[Danger-Mouse]

A couple of great interviews with John Kavanagh, Conor's coach. The first is pre-fight, the second post-fight.

 

 

 

 

I've rewatched the fight a few times, including once in slow motion. I can't get over just how well Conor performed. He rarely missed with his own strikes and Eddie only managed to land a few blows, mostly body shots. Just about as perfect a performance as I've ever seen in any fight.

 

I've listened to post fight interviews with Eddie and he has said he fought badly and deviated from his planned tactics. Most likely true but I don't honestly think it would have made much difference given the form Conor was in.

[SuperGoose75]

I havent watched them clips yet' But will say that John Kavanagh is a really likable Down to earth fella. He was on a popular talk show over here awhile back getting interviewed and he talked about his youth and getting bullied and that is the reason he took up Martial Arts. And you have to say fair played to McGregor for sticking with him when he had so many other options available to him.They are certainly reaping the rewards now.

 

I have also watched the fight a few times and Conor was certainly on Point that night. Alvarez didnt know what hit him so fast and precise was McGregors striking.

I think Confidence played a big part in this fight. McGregor was stoked with it and Eddie not so much. Take the 1st round and very early when Alvarez used inside leg Kicks and his 2nd one made Conor fall down and forward. It sort of surprised Alvarez who tried to react with swinging uppercuts but Conor got up very quickly. Had Alvarez had more confidence in his leg kicks having effect he could have had Conor in all sorts of trouble. At the end of the day, regardless of what Eddie has said McGregor was far superior on the night and even had he tried Wrestling Conor seemed pretty in control of any take down attempts.

 

With Striking like that and the power in his left hand it makes a boxing fight with Mayweather very appealing. It would be very interesting if they fought with 4oz gloves.Could Mayweather take that left hand..? mmm I wouldnt be so sure he could.

 

I heard he was supposed to make an apperance at the UFC fight night in Belfast tonight. I missed it so dont know. Just checked there and it looks like he actually did,

And would you believe My Missus asked me did i want to go when the tickets became available and I refused saying i would wait until McGregor and the UFC came back to Dublin.

 

We are having great craic in the House this past week with my 5yr old Son and 3 yr old Daughter doing the Conor McGregor swagger. We took them to a McDonalds last night and my Boy was doing it up the floor and the staff were in Stitches laughing. I must take a video off then in action

[Cyrus1988]

Take the 1st round and very early when Alvarez used inside leg Kicks and his 2nd one made Conor fall down and forward. It sort of surprised Alvarez who tried to react with swinging uppercuts but Conor got up very quickly. Had Alvarez had more confidence in his leg kicks having effect he could have had Conor in all sorts of trouble.

I listened to an interview done by Chael Sonnen with Alvarez after the fight and Chael asked about the leg kicks. Alvarez said he damaged his leg with the last one so couldn't carry on using them.

[Danger-Mouse]

I havent watched them clips yet' But will say that John Kavanagh is a really likable Down to earth fella. He was on a popular talk show over here awhile back getting interviewed and he talked about his youth and getting bullied and that is the reason he took up Martial Arts. And you have to say fair played to McGregor for sticking with him when he had so many other options available to him.They are certainly reaping the rewards now.

I think Confidence played a big part in this fight. McGregor was stoked with it and Eddie not so much.

 

With Striking like that and the power in his left hand it makes a boxing fight with Mayweather very appealing. It would be very interesting if they fought with 4oz gloves.Could Mayweather take that left hand..? mmm I wouldnt be so sure he could.

 

Yeah Kavanagh came across as a very likeable bloke who obviously knows his stuff. I watched the videos in the wrong order. But I enjoyed listening to him so much in the post fight analysis I decided to watch the earlier video too. He also called the win virtually to the second even if his reasoning as to why was slightly off.

 

On Conor's confidence. I've listened to a lot of post fight analysis. One commentator (I forget who) made the excellent point that once you've faced and beaten a 190lb Nate Diaz how scary does any lightweight really look? A very valid point imo.

 

The Mayweather fight could be interesting. You have to give the skill edge to Floyd but he's a lot older and he doesn't seem to have the power to KO guys anymore. Plus Conor is a very talented striker and also very good at slipping punches. I can't see Mayweather finishing Conor, if Floyd wins it will be on points. However if Conor could land that big left hand a few times he could easily pull off the win. After beating Diaz in the rematch and destroying Alvarez I'm reluctant to bet against him in any fight.