Say what? Look, he impressed me back in the early UFC's, but he hasn't fought since, like, 1996, right? I'd love to see if the guy can hang, he gave Royce a run for his money 'til it hit the mat, but I just don't see the logic of having him come in when his spot could go to someone with far more potential. And oh yeah, the Matt-Mike fight sucked a big one.
Matt's ground game You guys have to remeber that Matt has been wrestling since he was like 8 years old. He has a LOT of reflexes to change and the transition is really really really hard. Wrestling teaches you a lot of things that are completely counter to what works in MMA style matches and Matt is fighting a lifetime of training and trying to change his whole style in just a few months. That's not going to happen easily. I think he has the potential to be a great UFC fighter if he can just get his wrestling training reconciled with what he needs to do in the octogan. Kintanon
So I watched the episode again thinking maybe there was some redeeming item I missed the first time around and... Nope, :cry: :bang: it gets worse the more you watch it, what we have is a Jiu jitsu guy and a wrestler who have opted to fight outside their respective disciplines and use striking where they have had maybe six weeks of training in, which goes right out the window when the rubber meets the road. So anyhow here's how I see it playing out: Kendal vs Kalib (winner Kendal) Jesse vs Josh (winner Jesse) Ed vs Rory (winner Ed) Bisping vs Matt (winner Bisping) Finals Ed vs Kendal Bisping vs Jeese (could be Matt depending on how things play out) I'm undecided on the Ed vs Kendal but I'm sure Bisping will get the contract.
Thanks for the kind words and all but I really was just having a bit of fun and joking around a bit. If the TKD guy had won, I would posted some off-the-wall stuff about the superioroty of TKD but would have done it in a joking manner. I love TKD and respect it a lot as a fighting style and think that it serves a s a good striking base for my goals. If I wanted to be a MMA fighter, I would be doing a lot of other stuff too, namely training at an MMA school and making sure to train in areas where many TKD schools are weak (like grappling for example). One of my good friends has recently begun competing in MMA (he's 1-0 undefeated at the moment with another fight soon) and his base is Kenpo, then a few years with us in TKD, a couple years in Kung Fu and now time doing NHB. When he wins his matches, I don't go parading around that "it's because of his TKD" but in some ways I think some of what we taught him about being open about systems and cross training may have led him to the path he's on now. I think any system can serve as a base for MMA... along with lots and lots of MMA-specific training to deal with the rules and situations that turn up in that sport. Also, regardless of what system you learn, you need to try it out with people from other systems to see what you may be missing in your own training. I have alot of respect for the TUF guys, they go out and try out what they are doing against other hungry guys... if they lose, I hope they take the lessons with them and make themselves better. Personally I would love to be on the show and get the opportunities these guys are getting, especially training-wise. I don't know if I would account myself as well as some of the guys have though! And, like someone said earlier, there are a lot more deserving young hungry contenders out there than me!
i saw it and agree.....awful....mmike had the style of a school yard bully and mike threw all arm punches...nothing on them alas it is easyer said than done......i dont know how many times i mave came out of a fight thinking im the second coming of bas ruttan....only to look at the tape and say....wow im really sloppy...wide hooks from the second row, straight back retreats....lousy footwork that being said i still think the stratagy was sound....and in proof at least it was for matt (cause we are all talking about what a lousy striker he is ....but hes one fight closer to a contract)
LOL! Ouch. I decided to watch the match one more time last night (because I'm a masochist :bang: ). Watching Matt was like watching trains traveling different directions get switched onto the same track, you know they'll be an ugly crash, it's just a matter of time. I counted at least four advances on Mike where Matt had his hands by his hips. A halfway decent striker would have laid him out. They seem to be looking for not necessarily the best or most experienced fighters, but the ones from other fight sports that are looking to cross over to MMA.
We'll see. I'm hoping for a Mike v. Matt final. Even though we have not seen a test of Matt's abilities. I'm guessing Mike would lay him out.
I dooubt Matt can get past the semi's unless he unleases his inner "Ninja" or something. Short of a miracle, Matt is in for a beating.
Well apparently Matt's great(cough) fight wore him out too much. My thoughts on this weeks show- 1) What was with bringing all the guys back to the house? I can definetely understand them wanting to bring in training partners, but they do they have to be in the same house? (If you didn't see it, all the fighters were brought back by Dana as training partners). 2) What was with Dana putting 10k cash as a prize for Ken vs Tito to play pool? Seemed like maybe Dana wanted to show off his money, as it didn't seem to have any other point. Regardless, apparently Ken is pretty good at pool. At least he can beat Tito at something(I know its a cheap shot). 3) Dana needs a replacement for Matt, and brings in Tait and Kristian. Both turn him down??? That's like a comitting career suicide, now Ross Pointon(Dana's last second pick after the previous two turned him down) has a chance to go to the finals AND Dana White now loves him....Talk about both a fighting man, and a smart guy. 4) Two of the fighters in the Semi Finals never won a match? What is with that? 5) Kendal vs Kaleb was a great fight, very entertaining. Both came out swinging(with skill) and impressed me, Kendal especially as he was able to beat Kaleb via Verbal Tapout(Kaleb thought he had a cracked rib, but apparently Ken disagrees). Ken's comments about Kalebs cardio being his responsibility are partly true, but as his trainer/coach it is also his and he seems to ignore that. 6) Congrats to all of the UK fans, we will have a pure UK match-up between Mike Bisping and Ross Pointon. Up next we have Ed vs Rory, should be interesting and I look forward to seeing if Ed comes out more aggresive. Rory vs Ed- Will go with Ed because he seems more skilled, I really dislike both of them though. Ross vs Mike- Will go with Mike, everything we have seen from him is great, so I expect him to come out on top. But Ross will come out swinging, he is a gladiator and I have to respect that. Josh vs Jesse- Not sure here, we havn't seen much from Jesse but he appears to be pretty good. Will go with Josh as he won his fight, which was pretty good.
Interesting TUF 3 fact: Micheal Bisping and Ross Pointon have fought before in the UK. Bisping won by armbar. I've gotta say that I don't see the rematch ending much differently
My predictions are one and one and the fight cards I guessed were correct except for the surprise disqualification of Matt and return of Ross (Who could have guessed that?). Maybe I should try my skill in Vegas. I'm happy to see Ross back.
Me neither, but i am still glad to see him back. since his aptly named school 'gladiator gym' hadnt re-opened i thought he would be sticking it out in hope of something like that. I think Bisping is the best fighter left in the tornie, but i am morally tied to Poitin having trained with him a couple of times
Woo-hooo I for one really liked the match (Caleb and Kendall)!!!! Good match (and hey, 3 rounds... guess that clears up the whole "2 round amateur, 3 rounds pro debate earlier). I am sad that Matt is out as I wanted to either see him dominate after the hype or see him get ripped apart. As for bringing the "losers" of the first matches back as training partners, I wouldn't be surprised to see this continue as a trend, afterall with the need for alternates, maybe they should keep them around training or have actual alternates set up there. As for the two who turned down Dana... I think it was a bad decision. I think Ross stepping up to fight with such enthusiasm will put him in good graces regardless of whether he wins or loses and he will be seen on a UFC in the future whether he goes to the finals or not. Lot of respect to his will and wisdom!!!!! Very excited about the semi-finals!!!!!!
Okay, someone explain to me why you would ever turn down an opportunity to live your dream? I don't care if I got the <bleep> beat out me in the first fight, as long as I could still fight I would have jumped at the chance!!!! Good luck ever seeing those guys again!! Man, I need to go find a MMA school to train at so I can tryout for TUF5!!! All you have do to is have the will to fight, regardless of the circumstances!!!
I can totally understand why those two wouldn't want to continue to fight. Let's put it like this: Remember, while for us it may have been several weeks since either of them fought, for them it's been a much shorter time and they're still fresh off their loss. They are still cloistered in the filming area, they're depressed that they got served on national TV, and they're physically wrecks right now. And then they get a call saying Dana wants them to fight again against people whom they know will probably beat them on national TV again. I'm not really sure if I could have done what Ross did, I'm not sure I would have had it in me. It's easy to talk like "oh, I wouldn't let a chance like that slip through my fingers", but really when you're so mentally broken you can barely stand the thought of returning so soon to the cage must be sickening.
I don't care if they lost earlier in the day, this is what they are there for, and this is what they have sacrificed for!!! Sounds very weak minded, to say that you are not ready to fight again on TV. I get pounded on by blackbelts every other day, but I never turn down a fight!! No matter what happens, that Brit is alright in my book!!
