UFC 70 Free on Spike

[Apotheosis]

"
Q: What's the latest with HBO, and will UFC 70 be televised on HBO or PPV?

DW: I don't have the deal done yet, but UFC 70 will be on free television. It's going to be a free TV deal for the fans here in the U.S.

Q: Is it going to be on Spike?

DW: Let's see, yup. I'm the one that's always chirping about how all these guys that destroyed boxing. Everything was f------ you've got to pay for this, you've got to pay for that. I don't like to make the fans pay for every fight we have. I like to have a lot of good fights for free, and this is a great fight that we'd be giving to the fans for free.

Q: Is UFC 70 definitely going to be on Spike, or might it be on a different network?

DW: It's probably going to be on Spike.

Q: Are there any plans to televise preliminary bouts in the future and offer UFC fans all nine bouts on a fight card? "

Source (http://sportsline.com/boxing/story/10050453)

Great news for us MMA fans here in the U.S...the card looks great and it will be on basic cable?

I'm liking Dana White more and more every day.

[MALibrarian]

Yeah, I'm willing to bet it's because of the time difference. Checking the UFC website, it's going to be happening in England which will cause it to happen at 2pm, EST. My guess is they'll show it live on basic cable because not enough people would buy it otherwise, and the PR is worth far more than they would earn by selling it on a Sat. Afternoon.

All in all, darn cool!

[Agutrot-]

You always hear how Dana White is a jerk to do business with, but as a fan I think he's the best thing that happened to MMA in America since Royce Gracie in UFC 1.

[Apotheosis]

Yeah, I'm willing to bet it's because of the time difference. Checking the UFC website, it's going to be happening in England which will cause it to happen at 2pm, EST. My guess is they'll show it live on basic cable because not enough people would buy it otherwise, and the PR is worth far more than they would earn by selling it on a Sat. Afternoon.

All in all, darn cool!

Most likely..but I still love it.

[wazzabi]

good thing my handy VCR is still here :D

[Gufbal1981]

good thing my handy VCR is still here :D

So glad I have mine too! I would hate to miss it

[Linguo]

Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
David Heath vs. Lyoto Machida
Fabricio Werdum vs. Andrei Arlovski
Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic
Assuerio Silva vs. Cheick Kongo
Allesio Sakara vs. Victor Malimaki
Dennis Siver vs. Jess Liaudin
Matt Grice vs. Terry Etim
Junior Assuncao Vs. David Lee

I didnt see the full card up, so here it is. Picks?

[Sever]

I can't believe this is the first UFC in years that's not on Bravo, but on PPV on Setanta :bang:

Crocop by decap-attack
Machida by TKO or decision
The Werdum/ Arlovski match is the most competitive one on the card; it could go either way. I'm picking Werdum by sub, but it's far from a done deal
Bisping by TKO
Silva by decision
Sakara by TKO

[g-bells]

so, what days is it on?

[Linguo]

I can't believe this is the first UFC in years that's not on Bravo, but on PPV on Setanta :bang:

Crocop by decap-attack
Machida by TKO or decision
The Werdum/ Arlovski match is the most competitive one on the card; it could go either way. I'm picking Werdum by sub, but it's far from a done deal
Bisping by TKO
Silva by decision
Sakara by TKO

At least us Yanks get a taste of what it means to have a PPV for FREE

w00t!

Anyway, it's on 4/21 9PM ET

[g-bells]

At least us Yanks get a taste of what it means to have a PPV for FREE

w00t!

Anyway, it's on 4/21 9PM ET
thanks Linguo :)

[spirez]

Sakara needs to win this or else he's out on his arse!

[Gufbal1981]

Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
David Heath vs. Lyoto Machida
Fabricio Werdum vs. Andrei Arlovski
Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic
Assuerio Silva vs. Cheick Kongo
Allesio Sakara vs. Victor Malimaki
Dennis Siver vs. Jess Liaudin
Matt Grice vs. Terry Etim
Junior Assuncao Vs. David Lee

I didnt see the full card up, so here it is. Picks?


Cro Cop
Machida
I want Werdum
Bisping
silva
sakara

I have no idea who the other three are.

[wazzabi]

CroCop
Machida
Bisping
Arlovski/Werdum, too tought to call, plus i like them both :confused:
Kongo
Sakara
other dudes don't matter :D

[PASmith]

So what are the TV options for watching the UK UFC (can't remember the number)?
Is it on any channels?
PPV?
Setanta like last time?
Bravo?

Anyone know?

[gornex]

Its on spike for people in north america. I think its ppv for people in the uk

[PASmith]

Yeah sorry I'm in the UK.
What channel in the UK is the PPV on?

[gornex]

couldn't tell you, can't you just check the guide?

[PASmith]

What guide?
TV guides in the UK are crap and I can't find any mention of it on any UK tv websites.
Perhaps my net-fu is weak? :)

[spirez]

I heard it was Setanta?

[Apotheosis]

UFC 70 is on Setanta in the UK

In the U.S, Spike will air UFC 70 from Manchester and UFC 72 from Ireland

[Apotheosis]

I can't believe this is the first UFC in years that's not on Bravo, but on PPV on Setanta :bang:

Crocop by decap-attack
Machida by TKO or decision
The Werdum/ Arlovski match is the most competitive one on the card; it could go either way. I'm picking Werdum by sub, but it's far from a done deal
Bisping by TKO
Silva by decision
Sakara by TKO

HA...and we in the U.S finally get one for free

Mirko KO round 2
Machida KO round 2
Werdum sub or decision
Sinosic- Decision
Kongo- TKO
Sakara TKO

Also, UFC 72 from Ireland will be on Spike for free

[Gufbal1981]

HA...and we in the U.S finally get one for free

Mirko KO round 2
Machida KO round 2
Werdum sub or decision
Sinosic- Decision
Kongo- TKO
Sakara TKO

Also, UFC 72 from Ireland will be on Spike for free

Sweet! another free UFC! :love:

[Oversoul]

You're picking Sinosic, Apotheosis? I thought everyone was picking Bisbing.

[Apotheosis]

You're picking Sinosic, Apotheosis? I thought everyone was picking Bisbing.

I was unimpressed with Bisping in his recent fight and I think Sinosic knows he has one last chance to actually have an MMA career.

I realize it is still an odd pick, but then again Serra and Sokoudjou would be as well and we saw how those fights ended.

[Freud > God]

Is Bravo showing it at all?? like it normally does a few dayz later

[Sam]

Tuesday nights from about 10 onwards on bravo if I recall. Its either tuesday or thursday.

[Sever]

Is Bravo showing it at all?? like it normally does a few dayz laterNot this one, no. Prepare to shell out about £15

[Sever]

Two threads on the subject merged

[Sever]

The PPV doesn't air until 8pm here tonight, but the live results so far are as follows, updated as and when


Paul Tayler def. Edilberto Crocota by TKO (due to strikes), Round 3

Jess Liaudin def. Dennis Siver by Armbar at 1:21, Round 1

Alessio Sakara def. Victor Valimaki by TKO (due to strike) at 1:44, Round 1

Junior Assuncao def. David Lee by Rear Naked Choke at 1:55, Round 2

Terry Etim def. Matt Grice by Guillotine Choke at 4:00, Round 1

PPV's starting now, first fight up will be Kongo/ Silva. I bet the crowd boo the crap out of the Frenchie... errrr, Kongo! Surprisingly, he got a pretty nice reaction. The crowd's HUGE and they seem really into it too
If nothing else, the Fertita's buyout of Pride has given some nice highlight vids to hype Crocop up

Silva/ Kongo was a complete yawnfest aside from the first 30 seconds of each round. Kongo would open up with some beautiful striking, really tee off and then Silva would clinch up and dump Kongo with huge slams, move to side mount and just lay on him. Kongo didn't know how to do anything on the ground, it looks like and Silva wasn't a threat. Rogan was hollering all the way through the fight to get Kongo to a wrestling camp, which is a fair point. Split decision victory for Kongo

Just starting Machida/ Heath right now. Machida's come in light at 199 for this fight which is less than he usually comes in at. Pretty dull fight so far. Machida's doing his usual counter, evade routine and Heath's just walking at him, hardly throwing anything. He's thrown two stupid spinning hook kicks that have left him on his arse though, which have been comedic. Machida's landed some very nice kicks and is definitely winning the points at the end of round 1, but the exchanges have been far apart. The sold-out crowd in Europe's biggest indoor arena (according to Mike "I'm Stupid" Goldberg) are REALLY not happy right now. Machida opens up with knees to the body at the end of round two. Last minute of the third was pretty cool, Machida unloaded a sick series of knees, knocked Heath down and threw punches and elbows and nearly had an RNC. Not Machida's greatest showing, I've said before that he's a fighter that really needs an opponent that's going to bring it aggressively to make him be exciting.
Unanimous decision for Machida

Word is, Dana White's got a "huge announcement" to make. Season 6 of TUF will be coached by Matt Serra and Matt Hughes. Wow, I can't wait to see that :rolleyes: I'd say that this confirms that Serra's first title defence will be Hughes at the end of the next TUF season and thus St Pierre will probably have to wait ages again for his title shot. This does not amuse me

Sinosic/ Bisping up next. I'm really feeling for Sinosic - not only is it a very partisan crowd (obviously), having done it a few times, I can say that the journey from Sydney, Australia to London sucks (24-30 hour flight) and on top of that, he's got a six hour train or bus journey to get to Manchester from there. Poor guy. Sinosic is taking a serious beating from inside his guard in round one. HUGE cuts from Bisping throwing elbows, and generally evil GNP. Sinosic catches Bisping early in the second with a knee and knocks him down. Almost got Bisping in a kimura, now he's got his back. This could happen :eek: Bisping's reversed, sick GNP from Bisping, referee stops the fight. Bisping by TKO. Great show of heart from Elvis, if his conditioning had been better, he might've finished with the kimura or the RNC, but he's really got to work on using his guard as a defensive position. He was showing armbar and triangle attempts, but was letting Bisping posture up and unload all the way through

Werdum/ Arlovski now. Werdum's back training with Crocop, apparently. Arlovski's bearded and looking scary. He's walking out to Hatebreed. I saw them last night, and my ears and neck are still wrecked from it! Not like that's going to affect the fight, but it's my PBP and I'll say what I please ;)
Pretty even standup at the end of the first. Arlovski caught Werdum with a nice uppercut that rocked him, but he wasn't going to follow Werdum to the ground for love nor money and who can blame him? Werdum chased Arlovski across the cage landing punches shortly afterwards. Arlovski's timing Werdum now, landing better. Werdum's not really trying to get it down which is weird. Arlovski's picking Werdum apart in the second, but he's not showing that killer instinct he's known for. They've both just stood there for much of it.
Herb Dean's warned both guys at the start of the third that whoever retreats first will get a point taken off.
Why Werdum's not shooting for takedowns more is anyone's guess but at least he's making the effort and throwing hard on the feet, Arlovski's really not attempting to engage properly at all. Two takedown attempts from Werdum, but nothing committal from either in the second or third round. This card's really disappointing so far. Decision coming up. Crowd are not happy at all, there may be a lot of cranky people wanting their extortionate ticket money back if Crocop/ Gonzaga doesn't take the roof off. Next time there's a UFC on Setanta, remind me not to pay for it
Unanimous decision for Arlovski

Crocop's back to walking out to "Wild Boys" by Duran Duran. I'm not gonna tell him Duran Duran suck. Not much going on right now. Very little striking going on from Crocop, he's just getting out the way and waiting for the right moment. Gonzaga caught a body kick and took Crocop down. He's cut him with an elbow. Have I mentioned how lame I think elbows on the ground are lately?
Crocop threw very little on the feet, Gonzaga's throwing little elbows, not a lot of action, but Gonzaga's taking the round so far. Ref's stood it up
GONZAGA KNOCKS OUT CROCOP WITH A HEAD KICK :eek: :eek: :eek: Nothing makes sense anymore!
Crocop fell nasty on his leg, his knee might be messed up badly from that, his ankle looked really unpleasant too in the replay
Gonzaga vs Couture is the next heavyweight title matchup, Couture's been very classy to Gonzaga
Crocop's limping a little out of the cage. Another ridiculous upset. This sport is absolutely insane this year, maybe it's time for me to call Fedor out. OK, maybe not. There really is something strange going on here this year - the odds just aren't this wrong this many times in four months. Three heavily favoured main events in a row, three massive upsets

Just showed the Liaudin prelim fight. Beautiful armbar from him; and the crowd booed the hell out of him when he said he was French :D

It's end of the event now. All in all, it was pretty weak, I'm glad I didn't pay £200 for tickets, and I'm a little sore about paying £14.95 for it too, but the shock at the end numbed some of the pain.
The Ireland card has Franklin/ Kampmann main eventing. Franklin should kill him, so I'm going to bet on Kampmann the way these things are going

[Aqilifer]

That was devastating KO. Hope Mirko will recover. Well done on Gonzaga's part. That outcome was the most unlikely one to occur and it happened. Murphys law at work. World is unfair. Mirko is the best, this was just a glich in the program.
Hard to watch your fighter get ko like that....

[Sever]

Threads merged :)

[BGile]

Well its in and out, so if you want to look go ahead, or wait for another 6 hours, depends if you are in the UK or USA


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_70

Gary

[Stevebjj]

Thanks for the link. I did really well... picked 7 out of 10 fights right. A little surprised with Cro Cop, but I had heard that his opponent was underrated. Can't wait to watch the fights tonight.

[BGile]

If it is 9:00 eastern, we need to quite posting and start watching :D
I believe the countdown is on now and we on the westcoast will see the Nations collide at 2100 (9:00 PM)

:cool:

[tekkengod]

HOOOOOLLLLYYY CRAPPP! i almost cried! poor mirko!

[wazzabi]

i feel like crying now...

[bujingodai]

Yeah that one was pretty tough to watch, especially since it looked like he broke his ankle on the way down. Of course he walked away though.
How wierd for someone to best Mirko with his own trademark finish.

[Apotheosis]

Terry Etim def. Matt Grice by Guillotine Choke at 4:00, Round 1---Was a good fight, Grice showed some nice GnP and the Guillotine Choke was just nasty...he escaped it the first time by passing out...I wonder where he learned that escape?

Silva vs Kongo- Kongo has some great striking but as Rogan kept harping he NEEDS to go train wrestling and some grappling or he will always get beaten by anyone with a takedown game...No idea why Silva didn't try to do anything once he got Kongo down, it isn't like it would be his one chance.

Machida vs Heath- Have yet to see it as they skipped over it on Spike but from what I hear Machida vs Griffen would have ben much better

Sinosic vs Bisping surprised me, Bisping had great GnP but Sinosic gassed after the first and couldn't do anything once he had an opportunity to submit Bisping. I still believe that Bisping's weakness is anyone who can take him down as he doesn't seem to have good takedown defense or a good ground game off of his back..Good fight though
Werdum vs Arlovski was a borefest like many of Arlovksi's fights against top opponents...Werdum went for a whopping total of TWO takedowns which was just plain dumb. He did have better striking but he really should have played to his strengths and taken Arlovski down

Mirko vs Gonzaga- Gonzaga shows some good striking, takes Mirko down and Mirko couldn't figure out how to defend the elbows.He defended the punches very well but came up short against elbows. The ref stood them up for no apparent reason and Gonzaga immediately knocks Mirko out with a vicious head kick...Mirko looks like he really hurt his knee and or ankle, my guess is he will be out due to surgery for a year, if it is as bad as I think then he may just retire especially as he has been expressing interest in going back to the special forces

Couture really has his work cut out for him against Gonzaga


It's end of the event now. All in all, it was pretty weak, I'm glad I didn't pay £200 for tickets, and I'm a little sore about paying £14.95 for it too, but the shock at the end numbed some of the pain.
The Ireland card has Franklin/ Kampmann main eventing. Franklin should kill him, so I'm going to bet on Kampmann the way these things are going

Try paying $40 for an event that turns out to be crappy....makes me want to slam my head into the tv for wasting my time and money

No idea what is going on with MMA lately, if you pick the big underdog involving a major fighter chances are you will be right.


The TUF 6 announcement pisses me off....it won't start until September and usually has about 13 episodes which means it will be 3+months after September...which means they will fight as long as 9 months from now.

Is that not just a tad bit long for no title shots to take place?

[BigRed389]

Interesting note...Herb Dean the hero referee.

Despite previous early stoppage criticisms, he did a DAMN good job protecting Crocop and Crocop's career IMO. Any more punishment and Crocop would've been looking at a year before a full physical and mental recovery, IMO.

With this, it was just a particularly nasty flash KO(after some brutal GNP).
Otherwise it could've left him seriously maimed.

[Apotheosis]

Interesting note...Herb Dean the hero referee.

Despite previous early stoppage criticisms, he did a DAMN good job protecting Crocop and Crocop's career IMO. Any more punishment and Crocop would've been looking at a year before a full physical and mental recovery, IMO.

With this, it was just a particularly nasty flash KO(after some brutal GNP).
Otherwise it could've left him seriously maimed.

He did save Mirko but I have NO idea why he stood them up...

[BigRed389]

Yeah, my guess is that he figured that it was getting "boring."

Crocop didnt look to be in any real danger, and had managed to turn away from the cage somewhat. He'd survived about 2 minutes of it, so I think he figured another 30 seconds wouldn't have mattered.

That said, I think without the standup Crocop would've ridden out the round and maybe...just MAYBE come out FTW in the 2nd. With that standup he had to engage in a striking war after 2 minutes of having elbows slam into his face...

But given how it looked overall...I really don't see that being too likely either.

[Apotheosis]

I dunno...he was getting hit quite often with those elbows so it wasn't like the action sputtered to a halt...

I think there is no need for the spoilers anymore so here is a pic of his ankle

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/7442/1392491400x300ae1.jpg

[BigRed389]

Yeah, after three posts w/out spoiler tags I figured the cat was already out of the bag.

I'm not saying the action was spluttered, just saying it was "boring" to the fans. To an observer it looked like not much was being done. That said, I am pretty sure those elbows contributed a LOT to Mirko's bad response time to the head kick...I don't think Mirko trained to deal with elbows at all...his tie up is pretty good against punches, esp since they always have to travel more to damage so he can see them coming, but the short sharp elbows...I think they really messed him up.

[KempoFist]

As I've said elsewhere.....I feel empty inside after that....

[Apotheosis]

But a fight shouldn't be stood up on the belief it is boring, Gonzaga was landing elbows constantly and had just moved Mirko against the cage which is an improvement of position...

[Pacer_3]

It was obvious from the replays that Cro Cop was expecting a body kick. He flinched in and dropped his elbow to protect his ribs, and he might have closed his eyes, but I can't remember now. I bet Gonzaga has been practicing that kick since he found out who he was fighting. I agree though, that the standup was a strange one...McCarthy wouldn't have stood them up there, and I would like to hear Dean explain that one. Gonzaga was continuing the pace at which he was smashing Cro Cop's face, and seemed to be doing lots of damage.

[chopperfan666]

Yeah that one was pretty tough to watch, especially since it looked like he broke his ankle on the way down. Of course he walked away though.
How wierd for someone to best Mirko with his own trademark finish.

so he did walk away under his own power, legs alright? seeing his leg like that made me cringe. he needed a few tune up fights to get used to legal elbows; those owned him worse than the kick, kick was just the finale

[neryo_tkd]

I couldn't believe my eyes when i saw mirko go down like that. i still can't believe it. i was really hoping that he would win and have a chance at the match with randy. mirko has been training and fighting for many years hoping to get the belt. now we'll see what'll happen.

[Sever]

If it's aired over in the US, we can kill the tags.
Another thread on the subject merged

[wazzabi]

what a crazy year. sucks for me cause both of my favorite fighters both got KTFO in the same MONTH!!! :eek: . well, we can say that there are 2, maybe 3 new top ten fighters born of upsets, Sokoudjou, Serra and now Gonzaga. if you notice, all three fighters were the aggressors in their fights, right at the start of the bell. they all dominated at the standup, and coincidentally, all finished by KO :eek: .
i predict that Hendo will lose his belt, either to a rematch with Wandy or title shot with Shogun, and Sokoudjou will go for the belt and be the next PRIDE MW champ. not sure if i can make the same victory hope for Serra, but if he hits Matt Hughes like he did with GSP, he'll knock him out too :D . and i hate Matt Hughes, so i hope that happens. then there's Gonzaga vs Randy. i really have no clue what's gonna happen. i think the odds are even for both fighters actually. both can knock people out & both are great on the ground, so the fight can end in any possible way. anybody agree with me?

seeing Mirko's leg.....i dunno, potential career ender. i hope that when it heals it won't be permanently messed up, because with a severe fracture/sprain like that/those, often times you'd never be the same, either with changes in flexibility/range of motion, balance among other things. i really hope it's not as bad as it looks, but i fear the worst. also, he's never been KO'd this bad before. that might have messed him up even more than his leg. God knows how many brain cells he lost with that kick.

[neryo_tkd]

i also don't know what to say about gonzaga vs randy. if gonzaga enters the cage in such a good mood, it might be a very interesting fight. but still i have my doubts about him winning the fight.

regarding cro cop, i still can't believe it. if he quits fighting after this, it is understandable, he has been trying to win the belt for such a long time, and it was always a step in front of him out of reach. but i truly hope he does come back but the question is how much time would he need?

i'm checking the croatian online news all the time to find some news about him, but one could have expected that he won't give an interview right away. maybe the reporters will catch him at the airport in zagreb as they usually do.

[Aqilifer]

I've been checking for some news about Mirko too, but no luck (I'm from Croatia btw). That moment yesterday was terrible, my mother cried. Mirko is a great guy and it was very hard for people who are his fans to even comprehend what happened yesterday. His comeback is possible, but unlikely. Then again, the same depresing atmosphere was in the air when he lost to Randleman, but he came back. Wounds heal, body recoveres, it's the right mind set that matters and Mirko has STRONG will. He is also a very rational guy who knows his limits and i'm certain he'll look on the situation objectivly. Only thing certain is that he won't be back in the ring (or octagon) so soon.

Ajmo Mirko, ti to možeš!

[Oversoul]

On one hand, anybody (except maybe Mark Hunt) can get caught and knocked out. It happens. On the other hand, Gonzaga looked like he was pretty much controlling that fight the entire time.

When he lost to Werdum, it was basically because he was too tired to move (even when Paulo Filho stopped the fight, it didn't look like he was in danger of being knocked out, just that he was too tired to lift his arms up and block strikes). Now he appears to be stronger and better at striking. If his stamina has improved and he's really as good as he looked in that fight, he's a top 5 heavyweight. I still think Nog or Fedor could beat him, but that might be about it.

However, I think CroCop also made Randleman look that good in their first fight. And we all know where that's gone since. This shakes things up a bit, but I'm not going to discount CroCop or hail Gonzaga as the next big thing just yet...

[Aqilifer]

Mirko just gave and intreview on Croatian national tv. He's limping little bit on the right leg, but walking on his own. He was disapointed regarding his fight, but said he'll be back stronger than ever. Thats the spirit, Mirko!

[neryo_tkd]

he said that every now and then he falls down in his career. the same happened to him with randleman and the same happened with fedor. mirko didn't say anything about whether or not he'll continue fighting. he did say that he would continue fighting because of the contract and he has still 4 more fights but he didn't say anything about the plans afterwards.

[Apotheosis]

he said that every now and then he falls down in his career. the same happened to him with randleman and the same happened with fedor. mirko didn't say anything about whether or not he'll continue fighting. he did say that he would continue fighting because of the contract and he has still 4 more fights but he didn't say anything about the plans afterwards.

Good to know he will keep fighting, I hope he isn't out too long with his knee/ankle especially as I know he reported nagging problems before concerning his ankle and foot.


When he lost to Werdum, it was basically because he was too tired to move (even when Paulo Filho stopped the fight, it didn't look like he was in danger of being knocked out, just that he was too tired to lift his arms up and block strikes). Now he appears to be stronger and better at striking. If his stamina has improved and he's really as good as he looked in that fight, he's a top 5 heavyweight. I still think Nog or Fedor could beat him, but that might be about it.

Gonzaga really does look good, good striking, good wrestling, good elbows etc...He out struck Mirko, not something many people can do.

[BGile]

Gonzaga and Randy C. ''The natural"...
Well looks like that one is in the bag and now will be talked about an awful lot. Who will win, that is anybody's guess?.

But back to Gonzaga, he is a tough and smart fighter. He faked slightly and when Cro Cop went to protect the rib kick he was just hammered and we all saw it. Very good fighting on Gonzaga's part. He was all over the Cro cop.

I felt the minute he threw that kick and Gonzaga caught it and threw him to the ground I knew he would lose. Just a look of total confidence with Gonzaga...

Randy C.:
I believe would have liked to go against Cro Cop because he really has studied him. Now he has to do his home work and get ready for Gonzaga.

Gary

[Faminedynasty]

His comeback is possible, but unlikely.
Caaaaaaaaaaallllllmmmnnnn down. Cro Cop will be back in no time and knocking cats like he got knocked last night. Such is MMA.

[TKDjoe]

Here are reporters asking Mirko some questions at the airport, can someone translate for us.

http://dnevnik.hr/bin/article.php?article_id=15882&show_media=44575 (http://)

[mlan]

Link doesn't work

[Apotheosis]

This is the basis of what he said-

I deserved that loss because of the way i was fighting. I fall down every now and then, i was twice in this situation, after Randleman and after Fedor and i got back up again, i will be back this time too, that is a part of my career. I have 4 more fights to come and i will do them all.

[Aqilifer]

Caaaaaaaaaaallllllmmmnnnn down. Cro Cop will be back in no time and knocking cats like he got knocked last night. Such is MMA.

I'm calm now :D It was his pre-fight interviews in which he said any of the following fights might be his last one, that led me to believe he is retireing.

[BGile]

I sure like the guy his whole attitude reflects his heart and the true warrior spirit. He is a real deal guy that is for sure. I hope he is able to get back in there and fight for the Championship.

Gary

[wazzabi]

he'll be back. i believe in him. o and GSP too :D

[Thomas]

I'm glad that UFC 70 was free. I think I would've been a bit disappointed if I had paid for it.

The Bisping-Elvis match was pretty good but I thought the Arlovski-Werdum match was a bit booring after the first round.

The Cro-Cop - Gonzaga match was good though, especially with the surprise ending!

One thing I wonder though, is if guys like Cro-Cop and Rampage are "ready" for title shots so soon. Cro-cop's previous match was a bit booring (couldn't put his opponent away) and this one basically became a #1 contender match. To be honest, why does he rate a title shot in the UFC? Now Gonzaga, by beating Cro-Cop, whose latest UFC matches haven't been that great rates a title shot. Rampage Jackson has had one match and it wasn't "too" impressive - yet he rates a title shot.

Pardon me for the Pro-Wrestling reference but it's sort of like when the WWE bought WCW and brought in their top guys to "job" them out to their own. I'm a big fan of Pride but from what I've seen, I don't think they are stacking up well to the UFC guys. I don't know if they are being "rushed" to big matches for fan approval or whther there is a hope that they won't be "ready" and will lose to the established UFC stars...

[Linguo]

I'm glad that UFC 70 was free. I think I would've been a bit disappointed if I had paid for it.

The Bisping-Elvis match was pretty good but I thought the Arlovski-Werdum match was a bit booring after the first round.

The Cro-Cop - Gonzaga match was good though, especially with the surprise ending!

One thing I wonder though, is if guys like Cro-Cop and Rampage are "ready" for title shots so soon. Cro-cop's previous match was a bit booring (couldn't put his opponent away) and this one basically became a #1 contender match. To be honest, why does he rate a title shot in the UFC? Now Gonzaga, by beating Cro-Cop, whose latest UFC matches haven't been that great rates a title shot. Rampage Jackson has had one match and it wasn't "too" impressive - yet he rates a title shot.

Pardon me for the Pro-Wrestling reference but it's sort of like when the WWE bought WCW and brought in their top guys to "job" them out to their own. I'm a big fan of Pride but from what I've seen, I don't think they are stacking up well to the UFC guys. I don't know if they are being "rushed" to big matches for fan approval or whther there is a hope that they won't be "ready" and will lose to the established UFC stars...

I felt this event was mediocre. Arlovski/Werdum and Kongo/Silva were pretty lackluster events. Kongo is a great striker, but without wrestling or a groundgame, he won't get very far. Etim and Grice was awesome. Bisping/Sinosic was pretty good. Gonzaga/Cro Cop blew my mind.

If I remember correctly, Cro Cop TKO'd Sanchez, so it wasn't like Cro Cop didn't do his thing. The UFC has a history of giving fighters title shots, even if they don't really deserve it. Riggs/Hughes and Quarry/Franklin both come to mind. Arguably, the fighters from TUF didn't really deserve a shot either, considering the level of competition they faced. I know it seems to be a moot point in light of Serra's victory, but let's face it. Shonie Carter, Chris Lytle, and Pete Spratt were not top contenders in the UFC. With maybe the exception of Lytle, they were journeymen. At least people like Cro Cop and Rampage had decorated records coming into the UFC. Cro Cop was just coming off a Grand Prix victory, and was probably in line for a title shot at Fedor. To my mind, giving Cro Cop the fast track to the championship was at least a little more justified than something like Riggs/Hughes.

Cro Cop was going into his fight the heavy favorite. I think few people would have thought that the Cro Cop/Gonzaga matchup was a "rush". If anything, it looked like Gonzaga was being fed to Cro Cop. Obviously, things turned out differently, but I'd say it's a genuine surprise to most at how poorly so many of the Pride imports have been doing, Anderson Silva being the one exception.

[Thomas]

Nice points

[BigRed389]

Title shots are often there just to keep a champion active.

Honestly...who else in the UFC HWs "deserves" to fight Randy Couture? Keep in mind the whole picture.

Only real possibilities are Arlovski and Sylvia. Arlovski been "out" for quite a while, and after the consecutive losses to Sylvia, needs to build up some momentum first.
Sylvia is a UFC marketing nightmare. He's so boring, I'm convinced that's why Couture got the title shot in the first place. And to be fair, it could be argued that from a "standard" point of view, Couture didn't deserve his title shot either.

With that, enter Crocop...exciting fighter with great credentials. Perfect opponent for Randy...if Randy wins, he looks good, if Crocop wins, you've got an exciting new champion.

[BGile]

Title shots are often there just to keep a champion active.

Honestly...who else in the UFC HWs "deserves" to fight Randy Couture? Keep in mind the whole picture.

Only real possibilities are Arlovski and Sylvia. Arlovski been "out" for quite a while, and after the consecutive losses to Sylvia, needs to build up some momentum first.
Sylvia is a UFC marketing nightmare. He's so boring, I'm convinced that's why Couture got the title shot in the first place. And to be fair, it could be argued that from a "standard" point of view, Couture didn't deserve his title shot either.

With that, enter Crocop...exciting fighter with great credentials. Perfect opponent for Randy...if Randy wins, he looks good, if Crocop wins, you've got an exciting new champion.

Cro Cop is not going to go there for now he is out, as in a kick in the head and bye bye..

Gonzaga is up for the battle. I think a good one will be Arlovski and Cro Cop, the winner fights the winner of Couture and Gonzaga. :cool:

Gary

[Doublejab]

I can't help feeling a little sorry for dana white. He's critised for having a weak HW division compared to Pride so he brings in Cro Cop and Verdum, rated as two of the best in Pride to fight. They both lose! And he's got a very dominent 205 pounder whos destroying everyone so he brings in one of the best 205ers from Pride and.....it remains to be seen, but I bet Dana's praying that Rampage at least gives Chuck a good fight!

I think one of the problems is that Cro cop's health is pretty dodgy (he had to have fluid drained from his left ankle just prior to his first UFC fight and has had a fair bit of surgery on it) and he's a fighter that replies on mobility and speed alot. Rampage really hasn't been the same fighter since Silva beat him twice and he going to need to find his best form again if he's going to restore Pride's pride...

[Apotheosis]

I can't help feeling a little sorry for dana white. He's critised for having a weak HW division compared to Pride so he brings in Cro Cop and Verdum, rated as two of the best in Pride to fight. They both lose! And he's got a very dominent 205 pounder whos destroying everyone so he brings in one of the best 205ers from Pride and.....it remains to be seen, but I bet Dana's praying that Rampage at least gives Chuck a good fight!

I think one of the problems is that Cro cop's health is pretty dodgy (he had to have fluid drained from his left ankle just prior to his first UFC fight and has had a fair bit of surgery on it) and he's a fighter that replies on mobility and speed alot. Rampage really hasn't been the same fighter since Silva beat him twice and he going to need to find his best form again if he's going to restore Pride's pride...

I sure don't feel bad for him with the money he is making...I bet he regrets signing Herring but not Mirko...Mirko will almost certainly provide at least 1 or 2 highlight reel knockouts before his contract runs out plus now we know just how good Gabriel is....

I agree that Mirko seems to be injury prone, recent injuries cannot help that much

[wazzabi]

i wonder when Big Nog would make his debut. can't wait to see him dismantle someone in the octagon.

[Apotheosis]

i wonder when Big Nog would make his debut. can't wait to see him dismantle someone in the octagon.

After all the recent upsets, I'm just going to cross my fingers and pray he wins

[Oversoul]

After all the recent upsets, I'm just going to cross my fingers and pray he wins

No one in the UFC heavyweight division has the name "Fedor" so his chances should be pretty good...

[Apotheosis]

No one in the UFC heavyweight division has the name "Fedor" so his chances should be pretty good...

The same could have been said for Mirko...

[BigRed389]

The same could have been said for Mirko...

Nog has never dropped the ball.

His only fairly recent losses come to Fedor and Barnett...and he beat Barnett by UD in the rematch.

I WILL say that elbows could make life a bit more difficult for him...but he's a tough guy, and we've seen him get out of some tough spots against Fedor(not for long of course).

And with Nog...all you gotta give him is an arm baby...just an arm.

And if he's smart, he'll train to use the cage as a defensive tool...it can help or hurt depending on how you plan to use it.

[Oversoul]

The same could have been said for Mirko...

Not really: http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Randleman/video/xkz7n_mirko-cro-cop-vs-kevin-randleman

[tekkengod]

Not really: http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Randleman/video/xkz7n_mirko-cro-cop-vs-kevin-randleman

:rolleyes:

can you say "flouke" ? the rematch lasted 11 seconds, mirko won by guiilly.

[BigRed389]

Yeah, to clarify my earlier post...Nog's only losses have come by decision.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Rodrigo_Nogueira

Hasn't been finished once in that long and illustrious career...pretty damn impressive considering the absolute monsters he's had trying to take his head off.

That said...Gonzaga just may be part of the "new generation" of fighters changing of the guard.

[Oversoul]

:rolleyes:

can you say "flouke" ? the rematch lasted 11 seconds, mirko won by guiilly.

So far, Nog has not been susceptible to flukes.

[HeavyStrike]

Arlovski made me cry :cry: .....

IN FRUSTRATION :bang:

What happened to the PitBull?!

[BigRed389]

Arlovski made me cry :cry: .....

IN FRUSTRATION :bang:

What happened to the PitBull?!

Looked more like the Hyena to me. :D

[neryo_tkd]

"Crocop: I was lost"
Although the KO he suffered looked deadly, Mirko's head doesn't hurt him. But, he is having problems with a swollen right ankle.
"I won't be doing anything for 2 weeks, won't even drink vitamins and proteins. I have to clean up my organism. Full of spite, I wanted to train the same evening I got back to Croatia, but I know it would be contraproductive", Mirko says.
He is feeling guilty for letting down his fans, especially those who came to Manchester to support him. And he doesn't care about those who took pleasure in his calvary.
"I don't have to justify myself to anyone. Besides being an amateur boxer for 2 years, thus being paid trips to a few tournaments, the country's sport system didn't invest in me. I am my own investment."
He doesn't have an excuse for his bad performance. He can't even explain what happened to him. Although, he can manage to describe the state he was in.
"I don't have an alibi. It happens in cycles to me. It looks like I blew myself out after winning the Pride OWGP belt. I wasn't happy even with my first UFC performance. This time I also didn't decide to engage an exchange of punches. I didn't have warrior spirit in me. I was lost."
He adds that besides no initiative, he also didn't have a strategy.
"All of that didn't have anything to do with the quality of my preparations and the shape I was in, but it had to do with my focus on the fight and my opponent. Before the fight I was nervous, I was thinking about all sorts of stupid things, I was just in a bad state. Unfortunately, I seem to be that type. I need a rough wake-up call in order to focus again."
He says he didn't even see the high-kick:
"After 3 or 4 elbows to the temple, I had blurry vision when I stood up."
Mirko is announcing changes in his training session. He is going to introduce elbows and elbow defence, which wasn't present in Pride.
"I'm not used to elbows, but that's my problem. I'm also going to do exercises for my injured ankles."

[Apotheosis]

Thanks for posting that, very interesting...

I hope he makes the necessary changes

[neryo_tkd]

yes, i hope it does. i think it's a good sign that he recognised his flaws and things he needs to work on.

[mrsumo]

One thing I wonder though, is if guys like Cro-Cop and Rampage are "ready" for title shots so soon. Cro-cop's previous match was a bit booring (couldn't put his opponent away) and this one basically became a #1 contender match. To be honest, why does he rate a title shot in the UFC? Now Gonzaga, by beating Cro-Cop, whose latest UFC matches haven't been that great rates a title shot. Rampage Jackson has had one match and it wasn't "too" impressive - yet he rates a title shot.

Do you watch Pride? The simple answer is yes, these guys do warrant everything they have gotten sice coming to the ufc. Sure, Mirko lost, but crazy ass upsets have been happening all over the last few events. Gonzaga earned his win. He slipped one in on the button. That doesn't mean that Cro Cop still isn't one of the best in the world. There are many cases where UFC fighters have gone over to pride only to realize they have just stepped up in class. Jackson too. He has already beaten Liddell. He can probably do it again. Everyone talks about how much better Liddell is now than then, but the same is true for Rampage. And what the Iceman has against him is he hasn't had many opponents like Jackson since then. In his weight, in the UFC, Chuck is definitely the man. That is why he needs some outside competition.

[wazzabi]

i disagree about rampage's current performance. in his last fight against eastman, sure he won, but he wasn't the rampage that fought so well in pride. his jabs were too short, and he was a bit hesitant, something rampage is known not to do.

i really hope on may 26 we'll be seeing the good old rampage that we've been used to seeing. if he fights hesitantly against chuck like he did with eastman, he has no chance. i have my money on rampage though, since he is considered the underdog in this fight, but if he wins, it's far from an upset.

[BigRed389]

Yeah...picking the underdog in main events seems to be the way to go with these past few UFC events.

And I agree, Rampage didn't look very good against Eastman(he said so himself, really). While Chuck has been going fairly steady, with the exception of his recent illness, he's been steadily training and fighting strong.

I really hope Ramapge comes in hungry, motivated, and ready for this one...he's got a TITLE shot here.

[Doublejab]

Its a HUGE fight for both of them. Rampage is the one guy left to have beaten Chuck and not to be beaten in a rematch. If Chuck beats him he'll have cemented him reputation as one of the best MMA fighters of all time. For Rampage this is a chance to capture a major title, something he failed to do in Pride. This could be his last realistic chance to get to the very top.

I think as an all round fighter Rampage is more skilled. However Chuck is very very very hard (impossible?) to KO and very hard to takedown. And he's only got to land one good punch and its over, thats true of most fighters of course but he does it ALOT. I think it'll ultimately come down to mental attitude. Rampage's used to great, pure focus but he hasn't been the same since losing to Wanderlei. Chuck's is ALWAYS superb, he'd not called the Iceman for nothing!

I hope it lives up to the billing, could be the fight of the year!

[Oversoul]

However Chuck is very very very hard (impossible?) to KO and very hard to takedown.

Once again, it sure didn't look that way in their last match. Yeah, I know, it was a while ago. But it's still far from "impossible."

[Thomas]

Do you watch Pride? The simple answer is yes, these guys do warrant everything they have gotten sice coming to the ufc. Sure, Mirko lost, but crazy ass upsets have been happening all over the last few events. Gonzaga earned his win. He slipped one in on the button. That doesn't mean that Cro Cop still isn't one of the best in the world. There are many cases where UFC fighters have gone over to pride only to realize they have just stepped up in class. Jackson too. He has already beaten Liddell. He can probably do it again. Everyone talks about how much better Liddell is now than then, but the same is true for Rampage. And what the Iceman has against him is he hasn't had many opponents like Jackson since then. In his weight, in the UFC, Chuck is definitely the man. That is why he needs some outside competition.
I watch some PRIDE, but not a lot. I have seen Cro-Cop and Rampage in action prior to their UFC debuts and was suitably impressed. Both of their UFC debuts were "nothing special" though and I can't see why they would get pushed to title shots before they were really "ready".

I am definately not putting either one down, they are among the best... but when looking at their debut matches I have to wonder if giving them a few more matches and some time before shoving them into the title shots would have been a better idea. Short term - yes, it's great to see these guys getting title shots and hardcore UFC fans will probably enjoy seeing them get beat by their "UFC" guys. I would rather see them get some more matches under their belt in UFC and really be ready for a title shot.

To be blunt, Cro-cop won his debut but really didn't look that good. Instead of throwing him against a really good guy with a title shot on the next match, it wouldn't have hurt to give him a few "easier" matches to build him up. Rampage didn't look "awesome" against Eastman... I'd rather see him get his "groove" back and have a couple of AWESOME matches against some lower ranked guys before challenging the Iceman. I'd hate to see guys like Cro-cop and Rampage thrown in and used so soon when they could be built up and used when ready, allowing them a better chance of being around longer.

[Oversoul]

I watch some PRIDE, but not a lot. I have seen Cro-Cop and Rampage in action prior to their UFC debuts and was suitably impressed. Both of their UFC debuts were "nothing special" though and I can't see why they would get pushed to title shots before they were really "ready".

CroCop walked right through Eddie Sanchez like it was nothing. What more did you expect? A no-touch knockout?

[Gufbal1981]

CroCop walked right through Eddie Sanchez like it was nothing. What more did you expect? A no-touch knockout?

A KO due to a scary look...

[Sever]

The debuts of Crocop and Rampage weren't exactly stellar, it's a fair point. However, it was tricky for Crocop to get a highlight reel KO on a dude who spent the whole fight running away and Rampage has only just got himself back with a proper training camp, having been without one for quite a while
Rampage himself asked that he get some more tune-up fights before going against Liddell so either the UFC didn't listen or they threw a ton of money at him. Should he lose (I think he's still the blueprint example of how to beat Liddell and he's got a great training camp right now, but he's not had much time with them), the rubber match will probably do huge numbers, which is how I can see the UFC working it

[Thomas]

CroCop walked right through Eddie Sanchez like it was nothing. What more did you expect? A no-touch knockout?
Hmmmm.... now that you mention it, yes. :D

I wanted to see a highlight reel knockout - he was a guy coming in with a huge buildup put up against a guy who wasn't expected to be any sort of real challenge. Yes, I wanted to see a big bad KO... sort of like Gonzaga did to him. For a match that got him a #1 contender's match, I just wasn't impressed.

As Sever mentions, there are a lot of "little things" going on that doesn't really put them at the top of their game. Why not let them fight for a bit, get used to the cage and get back up to peak ability and then turn them loose on the champions?

[Aqilifer]

Why not let them fight for a bit, get used to the cage and get back up to peak ability and then turn them loose on the champions?

Everyone are generals after the battle.... Why? They didn't KNOW! Thats why. And i bet they would make that same "mistake" (call it that if you want) if Fedor ever signes with UFC.

[Thomas]

Everyone are generals after the battle.... Why? They didn't KNOW! Thats why. And i bet they would make that same "mistake" (call it that if you want) if Fedor ever signes with UFC.
Call it what you will, my take is that it would be better to cultivate and buildup new acquisitions before throwing them to the wolves. That way, you can try to offset the chance that they'll be rusty, unused to the rules, out of shape or whatever.

If they bring Fedor in, he sure has a lot of potantial to sell PPV matches. I bet though that if they set him up with some "easier" opponents first to get him "warmed up", people will still buy the PPVs to see him beat the tar out of them. Then, when he's ready he will have an even bigger reputation/buildup/UFC fan recognition that when they do give him a title shot, that will equal even more PPV $$$$. I see the choice as generating a modest amount of quick PPV $ by bringing in new faces that are known to the hardcore few (the new UFC demographic is pretty wide, much beyond the hardcore few) or using the buzz and buildup to make these guys into bigger UFC stars and selling more PPVs before ever putting them into a dream match.

Looking at Cro-Cop for example, I know he's one tough hombre and one of the top guys. I bought his PPV debut because I knew he'd beat his opponent. There was a lot of hype and the UFC did a nice job of presenting his background. For the average Joe who watches a few UFCs and doesn't follow much outside of that, I don't imagine he looked that great... and then he gets KO'd in his next match. For the average viewer this is a guy from the "other federation" who was supposed to come in and kick butt and take the title. What does that now do to the average fairly uninformed fan's perception of PRIDE and of the guys coming in from there?

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

P.S. By the way, I prefer "armchair quarterback" to "general" for myself. I figure that since I pay to be entertained I get to pick my own title. :D

[Atharel]

What does that now do to the average fairly uninformed fan's perception of PRIDE and of the guys coming in from there?
Indeed. I'm deeply suspicious of Dana White's treatment of Rampage and Cro Cop.

Rampage really should have been given another one or two fights. I'm concerned that he won't deal well against Chuck so soon after moving to cage/elbows allowed (mostly the cage) will get beaten down badly.

[Oversoul]

Yes, I wanted to see a big bad KO... sort of like Gonzaga did to him. For a match that got him a #1 contender's match, I just wasn't impressed.

He chased him down, shrugged off the few attacks Sanchez was brave enough to try, then knocked him out in the first round.

After that fight, people were saying CroCop looked like a video game character on godmode. Sanchez made CroCop look very good, probably even better than he really is.

Obviously the Gonzaga fight turned out differently, and CroCop did look unimpressive, but less than three years ago he looked even less impressive against Kevin Randleman. He came back, dominated almost all of his opponents, and only lost by decision (one split decision against Mark Hunt, a bad matchup for CroCop, and one unanimous decision against Fedor, who is Fedor) until now. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I don't think the cage had much to do with it. The elbows definitely did. I'm sure he'll be training defense against elbows heavily now.

[Oversoul]

Rampage really should have been given another one or two fights. I'm concerned that he won't deal well against Chuck so soon after moving to cage/elbows allowed (mostly the cage) will get beaten down badly.

Rampage has a plenty of cage experience and his last two fights (both of which he won) were in a cage.

[Atharel]

Ah, true. Mostly I'm not liking the instant throwing of Rampage to the top just because he beat Chuck in the past. Based on his recent performance, I don't think he's ready for a title shot. I am worried this is an attempt to feed him to Chuck before he gets into the swing of things.

[Gufbal1981]

I also think it's too early for Rampage for a title shot. There are people with more consecutive wins in the UFC LHW division that deserve a shot before Rampage IMO. I'm not counting him out...I like him. I think Dana doesn't want to lose out on this opportunity like with the Wanderlei thing. He's a business man and knows what sells...

[Oversoul]

Ah, true. Mostly I'm not liking the instant throwing of Rampage to the top just because he beat Chuck in the past. Based on his recent performance, I don't think he's ready for a title shot. I am worried this is an attempt to feed him to Chuck before he gets into the swing of things.

That I agree with. I do wish he got at least one more fight against someone else. Although if he lost, would that mean his opponent got a shot at Chuck? And who in the UFC light-heavyweight division would he face? Maybe Machida...

[wazzabi]

i wonder why Machida's never knocked someone out in the octagon. he comes close, but doesn't finish. i mean for a guy that TKO's stephan bonnar, and KTFO rich franklin, he should be able to finish fights rather than hold to a decision. but in any case, he should be given a title shot sometime this year. so now we have 3 candidates to be the first UFC undefeated champ. all in the LHW class. we got Lyoto, Rashad and Bisping. i think Lyoto is the most likely one to get the belt, just because of the opponents he's beaten. maybe they should re-schedule his fight with Forrest Griffin. too bad the dude got staph. that would have been an awesome fight.

[Apotheosis]

i wonder why Machida's never knocked someone out in the octagon. he comes close, but doesn't finish. i mean for a guy that TKO's stephan bonnar, and KTFO rich franklin, he should be able to finish fights rather than hold to a decision. but in any case, he should be given a title shot sometime this year. so now we have 3 candidates to be the first UFC undefeated champ. all in the LHW class. we got Lyoto, Rashad and Bisping. i think Lyoto is the most likely one to get the belt, just because of the opponents he's beaten. maybe they should re-schedule his fight with Forrest Griffin. too bad the dude got staph. that would have been an awesome fight.

Machida is very cautious, he isn't a KO "artist" at all....but he does have he ability and maybe he will develop that "killer instinct".

I give Bisping a 5% chance of ever being the 205 champion, Rashad and Lyoto have much better odds of doing it.