The Official MMA Thread

[ASUcruz]

All in all a pretty solid night of fights. Here's my breakdown and a what's next for each guy.

Anderson Silva-Nathan Marquardt

A lot of people and pundits picked Marquardt to win this fight. He had a reputation of having a good wrestling, solid striking, and a good ground and pound; plus Silva had a fairly mediocre performance against Travis Lutter. However in this fight, Silva showed why he is perhaps the most dynamic striker in the 185 pound division. Marquardt had no answer for the pinpoint striking Silva showed. Not to mention Silva had a very active guard and showed improved submission skills. The transition to standing that Silva put on Marquardt was beautiful and his strikes are absolutley devesating. Obviously a rematch with Rich "Ace" Franklin is next for the Spider and I think it will be another barn burner. Franklin will be motivated and he won't be surprised by Silva's clinch game this time around. I'll still give the edge to Silva of course but it should be a good fight.

As far as Marquardt goes, he looked decent but not great. A fight against Yushin Okami makes sense but I think that fight would be very dull. Hopefully the UFC brings in some of PRIDE's Middleweights like Dennis Kang into the fold. Maybe Kendall Grove will get a push soon.

Tito Ortiz-Rashad Evans

A draw was the right decision in my eyes. Although I wonder what would have happend if the fight were 5 rounds. Some people might think the point being taken away was ticky tack but Tito was warned so I think it was fair. After that first round Tito didn't look that great and in the third he looked gassed. Tito's cardio has been one of his main strengths but in this fight he was clearly gassed. Rashad took it to Tito in that final round. I think a rematch with both guys is in order. It only makes sense.

Sean Sherk-Hermes Franca

What a dominating performance by Sean Sherk. Despite eating some huge knees from Franca, Sherk looked very impressive. Sherk had a few huge slams of Franca and pretty much took Franca down at will. Franca did very little damage with his hands and he could not stop Sherk's dominating wrestling. Some booing during the fight, but Sherk was active on the ground, passing guard easily and dropping a ton of elbows and punches. So I don't really know what the boos were about. As far as UFC lightweights go I don't think there are many who can handle Sherk's style unless BJ Penn stays at 155.

I'd like to see a fight against Joe "Daddy" Stevenson or even Roger Huerta. Joe Daddy has more solid stand up than Franca and a much better guard. I think it will be harder for Sherk to pass Stevenson's guard but I still think Sherk takes it. Huerta also has good standup but Doug Evans took Huerta down pretty easily Huerta's last fight so I'm guessing Sherk would take Huerta down at will. I'd love it if Sherk got matched up with some Pride LWs. Gomi if he can make 155 would be a dynamite fight. Ditto a fight with Gilbert Melendez or a fight against Aoki(the guy with the best guard in all of MMA).

You could tell Franca was getting more frustrated as the fight went on but I'll give him a lot of credit for not quitting and still trying to fight. Plenty of LWs for him to fight. Maybe a fight against Leonard Garcia, the guy who fought that war with Huerta. That fight would be dynamite while it lasted.

Minotauro-Herring

Big Nog looked good against Herring. He was punishing Herring in the standup until Herring landed that head kick that stunned Minotauro. Despite that kick though, Nog was destroying Herring on the fight. Herring had no answer for Nog's jab and frankly was quite lucky he landed that headkick otherwise I think he would have gotten stopped. The UFC didn't get the highlight debut out of Minotauro they wanted but he got the win and looked good. One fight might be too quick to give Nog a title shot. Maybe a fight against Andre Arlovski. I think that would be a good fight for Minotauro. As for Herring he's still young but he gets dropped down the ladder even more. Maybe a fight with Brandon Vera. We'll see. Look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts.

[Mr. Irreverent]

Very good analysis ASU! Btw, I still owe you a 12 pack!!! PM me when you are ready to collect!!!

[SmytheKing]

Always love your analysis ASU, glad you're back.

Overall, I was satisfied with the card. The only fight I was bored with was the Sherk one. I thought FOR SURE that McCarthy would have stood them up. Sherk was transitioning, but not doing much of anything at that point but throwing little punches. In Pride those guys get yellow's I think. I don't know that anyone in 155 can compete with him though.Even Penn. Sherk is just too strong for those guys and he's explosive on his shoots. He's "relentless" as Joe Rogan said about 9 billion times tonight.

Silva is just a monster. No two ways about it. I thought Nate would win tonight, but Silva just kicked his ass too. Has anyone landed a solid shot on him since he got into the UFC? Jesus. I think Franklin loses the rematch with him too. I think he's an incredibly nasty and accurate striker and I'm just not sure anyone can hold up to that. We'll see what happens with Henderson and Lindland though if they decide to fight at 185(or come over in Lindlands case).

I was really impressed with the Tito and Rashad fight quite honestly. You and I have talked about this before ASU and I think if it goes 5 that Rashad takes it. Tito looked surprisingly gassed. All things considered I think Rashad will win the rematch too. He looked nervous as hell out there and didn't do much of anything besides stuff Tito. I totally agree with the decision as well. The point probably was ticky tack, but it was what it was. I didn't think there was any doubt about it being a draw. Up to that point, Tito was winning the fight, and if not for that late takedown by Rashad, he probably gets the decision.

Herring, for what it's worth, showed quite a bit of heart and spirit. There were several times when I thought he was done, but he just fought out of it. That kick was lucky as hell, but it sure did land. I was surprised he didn't stay on Nogueria though. He's THAT afraid of getting caught that he leaves that guy after nailing him like that? Some of us were even saying that the fight should have been stopped. Quite surprised that it wasn't in fact. I've seen them stopped for less. I say Herring sticks around after that showing and Nogueria isn't quite fast tracked. I think Arlovski and him would make a bad matchup though. A lot like AA's last fight with Werdum. What about Pe De Pano or Ausserio Silva? I think Nog needs another tuneup fight though. His rhythm seemed a little off tonight. He looked good, but not great you know?

[Crapgame13]

I was really shocked that Nog looked that bad against Herring, but that Herring didn't finish off Nog in the second.

But I was admittedly pulling for the Texas Crazy Horse. I think he's good for the sport.

Tito sort of blew it for himself, but really, what does Tito get out of eeking out a win against an outclassed opponent, as I feel Evans is at this point. There is no way he should be *THIS* high up other than Dana's need to self-promote. His skills are not well rounded enough at this point to be a contender, either that or Ortiz has lost a step.

Vera and Sylvia should fight for the right to stay top tier...my own opinion

[lagwagon0]

Well Silva certainly proved me wrong with another dominating performance. There's something about his reach and angle he throws punches that makes him so dangerous out of the blue. I am not surprised he won although I thought he looked a hell of a lot better in guard then he did in his last fight. While he is going to fight Rich Franklin next , I actually would have preferred Dan Henderson.

On to Tito/Rashad. For whatever reason I really didnt enjoy this fight much .I felt like little significant damage was done either way. Tito appeared stronger and more aggressive at the beginning. Rashad looked tentative although picked up the pressure as the fight wore on. Another round would have been nice. As noted before, a rematch is already set which is a good idea since nothing was settled in this fight.

The Franca/Sherk fight played out how I expected, with Sherk shooting and attempting to control position on the ground. I was a little surprised there was so little standup but that just supports the strength and tenacity of Sherk. Also, the length of time spent of the floor with Sherk doing little to damage Franca's head IMO made me wonder why they weren't ever stood up. I agree that Sherk did some body damage but felt there were some lulls that would Big John would have forced a standup (if he was in there officiating). All that being said, Sherk showed why it's going to be difficult to dethrone him. It's gonna take a fluid boxer and ground technician to beat him. Honestly, putting in his biggest competition BJ Penn in November may do it but until anyone at 155 is able to prevent the takedown consistently he should reign.

Finally, the Nog/Herring fight almost ended with a shock. Nog had his way with his trademark stiff jab against a slower much sloppier fighter until he got caught with what looked like a shin that decked him. My immediate reaction was that the fight would be stopped as he was laying with his head down and a weak hand trying to shield. When this didn't occur and Herring didn't attempt to follow up, it was unfathomable what was going through his mind. I understand the notion of not wanting to be on the bottom but I thought Herring did a decent job surviving there early in the fight and against this caliber of fighter you have to go for the kill when you have the chance. Herring once again lives up the billing as an underachiever. I'd like to see Herring vs Silva(HWY) and Nog take on Fabricio Verdun(Sp?).

Final comments. From the UFC's POV this was the type of PPV you want to have where the bigs names all basically perform as expected without having every bout become a one-sided affair like recent PPV's.

[ASUcruz]

Originally Posted by SmytheKing

Overall, I was satisfied with the card. The only fight I was bored with was the Sherk one. I thought FOR SURE that McCarthy would have stood them up. Sherk was transitioning, but not doing much of anything at that point but throwing little punches. In Pride those guys get yellow's I think. IHe's "relentless" as Joe Rogan said about 9 billion times tonight.

I thought the card was a good one as well. Even though three fights went to the scorecards most of the fights were compelling with good action.

I enjoyed the Sherk fight. Just a dominating performance by a very tough fighter. Sherk did not do a whole lot of damage on the ground but he was fairly active and was transitioning to mount and back control. There is no way a ref can stand up a fighter who is improving his position. If Sherk was not active in Franca's guard then yea stand up the fighters, but Sherk was improving his position and being fairly active. So I think Big John did the right thing in letting Sherk work. I'm all for exciting fights but if the wrestler is improving his position then if his opponent wants to get up he should get up not rely on the ref to do so.

Originally Posted by Smythking

don't know that anyone in 155 can compete with him though.Even Penn. Sherk is just too strong for those guys and he's explosive on his shoots.

Sherk-Penn would be a dynamite matchup for the ages. I really hope BJ realizes how good a fighter Sherk is and beating him would solidify his reputation even further. I think part of the reason he wants to move up in addition to his love of food is that the big names are at 170(GSP, Hughes, etc.) and he has already beaten the best at LW(Gomi). However Sherk is showing that he is a powerhouse in his own right. I hope Penn realizes that and I hope that motivates him enough to go after the 155 pound title.

Sherk will be the stronger man at 155 and he'll have better cardio which will probably be the story in every matchup we come up with. But BJ's takedown defense and balance is so solid that it will be tough for Sherk to take him down. Remember that GSP who has an outstanding wrestling reputation(Canada wanted him to quit MMA to wrestle in the olympics) couldn't take BJ down until BJ gassed, which likely won't be that much of an issue at 155. Also BJJ game is uber good. Sherk has shown great submission D in the past but he's never faced a guy with a submission game the caliber of BJ. Plus BJ would have the edge in standup and his wrestling is solid as well. It is very possible that BJ could take Sherk down and we have never seen Sherk fight from his back. It would be a really good matchup that is for sure, one that could headline a PPV IMO.

Originally Posted by Smythking

Silva is just a monster. No two ways about it. I thought Nate would win tonight, but Silva just kicked his ass too. Has anyone landed a solid shot on him since he got into the UFC? Jesus. I think Franklin loses the rematch with him too. I think he's an incredibly nasty and accurate striker and I'm just not sure anyone can hold up to that.

I don't want to count Franklin out just yet. Mostly because he was a good champion for a long time and I'm a bit biased because I'm a Franklin fan. I do think that Franklin has an uphill battle though. Silva's striking is much more pinpoint than Franklin and he has more strikes in his arsenal kicks, knees, etc. Franklin though has good power and is a smart fighter. I truly believe that he'll come into the fight with a better game plan, although I'm not sure what that gameplan is. Franklin has a good top game maybe he'll shoot on Silva the problem though is guard is dangerous(black belt in BJJ) and he's so lengthy he can nail a guy in the face from his back. We'll see it is a fight I am looking forward too.

Originally Posted by Smythking

We'll see what happens with Henderson and Lindland though if they decide to fight at 185(or come over in Lindlands case).

Yea I'm anxious to see what happends with Hendo. Dana White has stated that he would prefer it if Henderson only fights in one weight class. If he beats Rampage I believe he'll stay at 205, I mean why not. If he loses he'll probably come down. Who knows if the UFC will let him do both, in boxing the alphabet soup organizations won't let you defend both belts. For example Floyd Mayweather just beat Oscar De La Hoya for a belt at 154. The organization gave him X amount of time to decide with belt he wants to defend(he also had the belt at 147). He chose to defend the 147 strap and the organization declared the 154 belt vacant. Floyd got to keep the actual belt of course but that title is vacant. I wonder if Dana will take a page from Boxing's book and do the same type of thing.

Anyways as far as matchups go, both Henderson and Lindland pose big problems for Silva. Henderson has tremendous power and a great wrestling game. He's smart enough to stay out of the Muay Thai clinch and he could stand with Silva and take him down easily. Lindland doesn't have as much power but his wrestling game is better. Both guys could control Silva from the top and pound him out. Both fights would be really fun to watch though.

Originally Posted by Smythking

I say Herring sticks around after that showing and Nogueria isn't quite fast tracked. I think Arlovski and him would make a bad matchup though. A lot like AA's last fight with Werdum. What about Pe De Pano or Ausserio Silva? I think Nog needs another tuneup fight though. His rhythm seemed a little off tonight. He looked good, but not great you know?

Herring will definitley stick around. He's still a young man and even though it is fair to call him an underachiever he does have talent. He'll get another fight for sure, he could make a pretty solid gatekeeper at the HW division.

Regarding Nog and Andre Arlovski, I don't think it would be a bad matchup at all. Nog likes to stand up and he has great boxing as was evident by looking at Herring's bloodied face. Werdum didn't want to engage Arlovski at all even trying to wave AA into his guard. Nog won't be afraid of Arlovski's standup; he'll definitley go to war with him. Plus Nog would test Arlovski's ground game as I think Nog would take him down fairly easily. I don't think Minotauro will get a title shot right away but his next fight will be against a name opponent. Either AA or Vera hopefully!

[ASUcruz]

Originally Posted by Crapgame13

I was really shocked that Nog looked that bad against Herring, but that Herring didn't finish off Nog in the second.

I don't think Minotauro looked bad against Herring at all. He got nailed by a head kick and was dazed but besides that last minute or 2 of the first round, Minotauro dominated the fight. Herring was getting busted up during the standup and he blocked the multitude of head kicks that Herring tried the rest of the way. He also took Herring down whenever he wanted and transitioned to mount and back control. Herring did a good job of surviving but it was clear that in rounds 2 and 3 that he had no answer for Nog except to hope to land another head kick.

[ASUcruz]

Check out the paydays from UFC 73

* Anderson Silva ($90,000) def. Nate Marquardt($24,000)
* Kenny Florian ($16,000) def. Alvin Robinson ($3,000)
* Tito Ortiz ($210,000) vs. Rashad Evans ($16,000)
* Sean Sherk ($28,000) def. Hermes Franca ($14,000)
* Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira ($200,000) def. Heath Herring ($70,000)
* Stephan Bonnar ($32,000) def. Mike Nickels ($5,000)
* Jorge Gurgel ($14,000) def. Diego Saraiva ($3,000)
* Chris Lytle ($20,000) def. Jason Gilliam ($3,000)
* Frank Edgar ($10,000) def. Mark Bocek ($3,000)

How in the hell is Stephan Bonnar making 32,000? I mean more power to the guy, but I hope Sherk cahes in on his next paycheck.

[borinka99]

Wow, interesting payouts. Do you have links for previous UFC matches?