Spoiler well.... Good few fights. Ridiculous uppercut ko by Johnson!! Anyone else give the fight to Diaz? I thought he took 3, 4 and 5. Beyond just MMA scoring I think he pressed it and outworking Conor and out fighting him by the 5th and really by the 3rd
Not watched any yet (have them TiVo'd for my day off) but stayed abreast last night, with live updates, and it does have to be said... Spoiler The fact Diaz was a clearer choice for the decision seems to be a popular one, and with similar agreement on which rounds he appeared stronger in too. Regards Travess
Spoiler I have an opposing view. I watched the fight this morning and had it 3 rounds to 2 for Connor.
I have to say I agree with Knee Rider and don't think that the outcome does anything to improve the credibility of the UFC. LFD
I've watched it 3 times so far and each time I honestly gave Conor 1, 2 & 4 also. Also I don't think it should have been a majority decision. Looking at the judges scorecards I actually think it should have been unanimous. One of the judges gave round 3 as a 10-8 in favour of Diaz, with no knockdowns or takedowns for Diaz in that round, nothing significant. It should have been a 10-9 round. That was the only reason it was a majority decision, as that judge scored the fight a draw, 47-47, as all of the judges scored every other round the same resulting in 48-47 in favour of Conor. 1: 10-9 Conor (1KD) 2: 10-9 Conor (2KD) 3: 10-9 Diaz (1 Judge scored 10-8 Diaz) 4: 10-9 Conor 5: 10-9 Diaz (1TD) And in all fairness I think Round 2, with 2 knockdowns inflicted by Conor, should have been a 10-8 round in Conors favour. Diaz was also cut in several places and looked in a pretty bad way in terms of damage dealt, regardless of existing scar tissue, etc. Overall Diaz may have thrown more strikes, but he didn't throw them when it mattered most. Under the 10 point must system it's scored on higher percentage of strikes per round, not higher percentage of strikes over the entire fight. Conor landed more significant strikes in Rounds 1, 2 & 4, scoring 3 knockdowns. Absolutely no question who won that fight, though it was a good, well fought, bout.
I think it's tricky with MMA scoring. I think the way it's scored isn't always reflective of the dynamic of the fight. But that's the rules. I believe there was similar feeling about the machida vs rua bout a few years ago. I reckon round 4 was a contentious round. I think Nate outworked him and out pressured him, controlled the pace and nature of the fight and controlled him against the cage. Round 3 Diaz almost put Connor away. Round 2 Conor got the knockdowns but in the scheme of that round (and in the fight as a whole) they didn't actually do anything and the round ended with Nate pushing the action and pressing Conor in the clinch. Round 5 was the same but with the fight ending with Nate on top punching conor in the face. Connor was just surviving that fight by the end. I also think that Nate's style is one that starts slow, grinds and is very hardy. That might not be the best style for winning decisions but at the end of those rounds he was looking like the aggressor, the controller and the winner. Connor was breathing out of his ****, on the back foot and looking to get finished by Nate if it had continued. I feel you can give a case for Nate winning the 4th and the 2nd was won by Connor on the basis of knockdowns which didn't even effect the tide of the round. Maybe that's the difficulty/danger of judging an MMA match like a fight. I dunno. I think the scoring system needs some sort of overhaul maybe.
I thought it was a close fight, I had Nate winning 3 and 5, 2 and 4 were anyone's I know Nate was on his backside in the 2nd but he finished strong. Either way Aldo will be looking at that and if he's in the shape he was against Frankie not too worried about the rematch, can't believe how quickly conor gassed
I had Conor for 1, 2 and 4. Split decision is always going to be controversial, but I don't put much score for any of the time Diaz kept Conor pushed against the fence - as the bigger man I think that is easy, and lazy, and not really much to be impressed by. Remember GSP v Hendricks? Hendricks easily did more damage, but GSP kept racking up the points, which is how the scoring works, and how Conor won this one More importantly, anybody fancy trading shots with Rumble? that man has rocks in his gloves!
Damn close...I had it marginally Conor but could score it a draw too. I'd have to re-watch as I was watching a version that was edited and without round numbers showing so I lost track. Great fight though...both of them have gameness for days.
absolute machine!! I bet Cormier is bricking it even after the pasting he put on Johnson the first fight. There's no way you can watch another human do that to someone and not feel fear.
I scored 1,2,4 rounds in Conor's favour. I would like to ask something the members here who have been/are active athletes in fighting sports. What do you think according to your experience? Conor generally has poor cardio or jumping weight classes (25 pounds above) can have such an effect?
Got to remember he was fighting a bigger fighter that was tying him up with clinchwork. That is hard work with people your own size and weight, it's harder when they're bigger.
more muscle mass means your heart works harder to provide oxygenated blood. having said that, I think the size differential is a bit overplayed in this instance.
I can tell you that a 40-50lb difference between you and the other guy can be really tough and a bad idea for a fight if you're the lighter guy #Experience . . . . . xD Knee Rider is right to a degree, but it depends on what type of muscle you built up and how you did it. I'm not sure how quickly Conor jumped up to that weight class, which would certainly have an effect on him.
Conor at 145 looks like death warmed up. I think 145 was Ok for him early days but he's now grown into his frame a bit and 155 is now his best weight class. Still cut some weight, but not a crazy amount, but still retain the power to KO consistently because people are more his size there. 170 is too big for him(especially when you see the sort of fighters that cut to that weight!).