UFC 70: The rest of the card

[Beowulf]

So what do you guys think about the other bouts? We're all trying to yank our jaws out of the gutter, but I think there are other fights that deserve discussion (for good and for bad).

 

[stxnas]

I made the mistake of watching of the main event first...I can't bring myself to watch the rest of it now ;(

 

[Rogue Drone]

Apart from the Shocker and the Etim/Grice fights, a dull card.

Bisping - I'm not sold on him. Sinosic may be game, but he's not good.Can Bisping defend against someone better, particularly with subs, who can wether and counter his intensity?

Bisping versus the next tier of Jardine, Griffin, Bonnar, etc; when not in super hometown hyped mode, then maybe we'll know where he is.

Arlovski fought the fight he should have, which appears to me to be covering two weaknesses, his unsure ground game and the protection of a weak chin. There is a lot of flinch in him, he knows he should attack and withdraw before someone taps that glass jaw. The more I see of Andre, the more I think he needs to go to a different better camp that can build his ground game and continue to improve his standup, can he highkick?. Not much you can do about a weak chin, just offset with good offense. As fast as AA is, he should have a deadly shoot in his toolkit. Andre has the "Pitbull" moniker, but I sense he's not as mean as he should and could be, he's winning on athleticism, not superior skill and heart.

Kongo's a monster on his feet, but as was said over and over last night, he's very weak on the ground. His choice, learn the groundskills or remain one dimensional behind the elite. Anyone other than the amazingly ineffective A. Silva would have subbed and/or pounded him out at will.

I haven't commented on Mirko, somethings wrong with him, either lack of motivation and/or physical issues, I think he's a true tough guy that will either quit or renew himself back to where he was. He's been serving in the Croat Parliment for real, and they say about the rejoin the Special Forces, maybe he just needs to refocus and recommit to the fighting.

 

[jas123]

Yeah, I think you summed it up well. As I said in another thread, Bisping didn't impress me too much. He looked a little afraid to strike with Elvis. His GnP looked pretty good, but he was in some serious trouble for a while.

Arlovski is definitely fighting scared and worried about his chin. I hope he gets back that killer instinct. Do you think he thinks the beard will improve his chin? At least he apologized and dealt with it well from a PR standpoint unlike the Mainiac flipping off the crowd.

 

[MisterEZE]

Do you think he thinks the beard will improve his chin?

that beard was amazing. an extra few inches of padding may be exactly what he needs!

 

[grila jujitsu]

Apart from the Shocker and the Etim/Grice fights, a dull card.

Bisping - I'm not sold on him. Sinosic may be game, but he's not good.Can Bisping defend against someone better, particularly with subs, who can wether and counter his intensity?

Bisping versus the next tier of Jardine, Griffin, Bonnar, etc; when not in super hometown hyped mode, then maybe we'll know where he is.

Arlovski fought the fight he should have, which appears to me to be covering two weaknesses, his unsure ground game and the protection of a weak chin. There is a lot of flinch in him, he knows he should attack and withdraw before someone taps that glass jaw. The more I see of Andre, the more I think he needs to go to a different better camp that can build his ground game and continue to improve his standup, can he highkick?. Not much you can do about a weak chin, just offset with good offense. As fast as AA is, he should have a deadly shoot in his toolkit. Andre has the "Pitbull" moniker, but I sense he's not as mean as he should and could be, he's winning on athleticism, not superior skill and heart.

Kongo's a monster on his feet, but as was said over and over last night, he's very weak on the ground. His choice, learn the groundskills or remain one dimensional behind the elite. Anyone other than the amazingly ineffective A. Silva would have subbed and/or pounded him out at will.

I haven't commented on Mirko, somethings wrong with him, either lack of motivation and/or physical issues, I think he's a true tough guy that will either quit or renew himself back to where he was. He's been serving in the Croat Parliment for real, and they say about the rejoin the Special Forces, maybe he just needs to refocus and recommit to the fighting.

i lost so much respect for Arlovski. he never should have shaved his body... its like his fight was taken out of him when he did that !:yawn: <- thats how i felt about that match... good thing he said sorry for giving such a ****ty proformance.

 

[size]

Bisping - The biggest thing that I noticed was his hand speed while int he guard. Typically, punches are not thrown with such speed so often when in the guard.

Arlovski vs Werdum - Disappointed in Werdum's takedown attempts and lack of trying more. I found the numerous openhand lefts that he threw to be odd. Arlovski looked light on his feet and quick but he does seem tentative about going in for the finish. I assume he is worried about getting hit while attempting to finish like he did against tim sylvia.

Etim- Long guy at his weight.

Kongo vs Silva- Both look bad on the ground. I do not understand this since Silva is supposedly good on the ground. Kongo is terrible on his back. Kongo on his feet looks very crisp and he moves very well including changing ranges from kicking to striking.

Crocop vs Gonzaga - Gonzaga looked good and very aggressive. Crocop looked out of place.

 

[jas123]

Arlovski vs Werdum - Disappointed in Werdum's takedown attempts and lack of trying more. I found the numerous openhand lefts that he threw to be odd. Arlovski looked light on his feet and quick but he does seem tentative about going in for the finish. I assume he is worried about getting hit while attempting to finish like he did against tim sylvia.

I noticed the wierd open-handed strikes too. Not sure what that was about. Werdum threw that Sylvia uppercut once or twice when AA attempted a right. It might have scared him off.

 

[exnihilo]

It's really obvious that werdum punches like a girl. He needs to fix that or he's not going to be winning many matches versus top guys.

 

[Minus83]

Arlovski is one of ym favorite fighters out there, and win or lose (or barely win, lol) ill be rooting for him.

considering the only times hes had to "go the distance" in a fight has been after he lost to Sylvia, he does seem worried about getting caught.

He'll come back eventually, look at David Loiseau after fighting Rich Franklin, Loiseau was a monster before that fight, and had the most dangerous knees and elbows in his division at the time, but now he looks just as scared as Arlovski is, i think they just need their confidence back.

its gotta be hard for Andrei to go from everyone thinking hes invincible to losing to tim sylvia who he had already beat, not to mention to gain the title and then lose it so quickly.

his beard is looking awesome though, i hope mine grows in half as good.

 

[jas123]

I wonder if Werdum broke a knuckle or something in the first round?