The UFC Discussion and Prediction Topic

[electronicash]

OK guys, are we seriously not going to talk about the proposed 4-man BMF tournament? I don't think so.
Long story short, Dustin Poirier, who is looking for something spectacular before announcing his retirement, suggested a 4-man tournament for the BMF belt on the line, consisting of himself, Justn Gaethje, Max Holloway and Dan Hooker. That means the winner will have to fight 2 fights in one night.
When asked by a reporter, Dana said the idea "sounds fun". Whether he actually will go with it - I don't know, but I think there's a chance as people are craving for something new and exciting.

The concept of fighting tournaments where fighters fight multiple times in one night is not new, it was a popular format used e.g. by K1/Pride FC back in the day.

Multiple fight in one night was also the format in the early days of the UFC when there were no rules and no weight division.

As to the BMF, it does look fun but I think this is more advantageous to Max. It might also need it's own Fight Night because the draw is more than enough to be the main event.

unusual suggestion really but Dustin is like someone who gets to party all night, gets wasted and sleep for just an hour and ready to start a running marathon the next morning. maybe he can really pull this of and restart his career again.  he knows there is nothing left for him even i he moves up his weight class.

but yep its an exciting tournament to see. all BMFs just proving to be mudafvkers within a day. i wonder how much should the ticket be as this is gonna be one of the most extreme day.

[Zed0X]

~
but yep its an exciting tournament to see. all BMFs just proving to be mudafvkers within a day. i wonder how much should the ticket be as this is gonna be one of the most extreme day.

Dana has to add interesting undercards if he wants to maximize the profit from the main card or maybe just add two to four fighters in the BMF tournament. I have no names in mind right now but someone who is controversial that could actually fight and knows how to run his mouth could be part of it.

[pawel7777]

Full UFC 308 odds:

Fakhretdinov x1.40 vs Miranda x3.00
Naurdiev x1.60 vs Silva x2.33
Basharat x1.15 vs Hugo Silva x5.50
Nzechukwu x1.14 vs Barnett x5.66
Magomedov x1.70 vs Ferreira x2.16
Rebecki x3.50 vs Orolbay Uulu x1.32
Neal x1.32 vs Dos Anjos x3.40
Aslan x1.96 vs Cerqueira x1.84
Magomedov x1.60 vs Petrosyan x2.36
Murphy x1.37 vs Ige x3.00
Ankalaev x1.27 vs Rakic x3.75
Whittaker x3.10 vs Chimaev x1.40
Topuria x1.37 vs Holloway x3.10

The odds for Holloway are more than decent. But I wouldn't put my money on him in that fight. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Max has ever faced a really good grappler before.

[electronicash]

Full UFC 308 odds:

Fakhretdinov x1.40 vs Miranda x3.00
Naurdiev x1.60 vs Silva x2.33
Basharat x1.15 vs Hugo Silva x5.50
Nzechukwu x1.14 vs Barnett x5.66
Magomedov x1.70 vs Ferreira x2.16
Rebecki x3.50 vs Orolbay Uulu x1.32
Neal x1.32 vs Dos Anjos x3.40
Aslan x1.96 vs Cerqueira x1.84
Magomedov x1.60 vs Petrosyan x2.36
Murphy x1.37 vs Ige x3.00
Ankalaev x1.27 vs Rakic x3.75
Whittaker x3.10 vs Chimaev x1.40
Topuria x1.37 vs Holloway x3.10

The odds for Holloway are more than decent. But I wouldn't put my money on him in that fight. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Max has ever faced a really good grappler before.

well Ilia hasn't faced a BMF like Max too.
Topuria is one of the greatest at this time in UFC. he has the power that can knockout Max and if he said in the conference that he will KO Max, it might just happen or the other way around. 
the odds favors him though so if what bookmakers see pleases you, then most likely you have the same view. they rarely make mistake actually.

i find it incorrect actually but Chimaev, Ankalev and Magomedov odds looks correct. would be fun to parlay.

[pawel7777]

There's no doubt Max is a better striker and if Topuria gets dragged into a striking match, he'll most likely lose. But Max hasn't really faced anyone with solid wrestling skills. I suppose Volk would be the closest thing to a wrestler he's encountered. In the UFC 251 Volk managed to shift the win in his favour by taking Max down multiple times quite easily.

Regarding Oliveira and Ortega - both are good in jiu-jitsu and submissions but that style does not emphasise on takedowns like the wrestling does. Plus, Max fought Oliveira in 2015, so that was the weak part of Charles' career when he was losing a lot of fights.

[electronicash]

There's no doubt Max is a better striker and if Topuria gets dragged into a striking match, he'll most likely lose. But Max hasn't really faced anyone with solid wrestling skills. I suppose Volk would be the closest thing to a wrestler he's encountered. In the UFC 251 Volk managed to shift the win in his favour by taking Max down multiple times quite easily.

Regarding Oliveira and Ortega - both are good in jiu-jitsu and submissions but that style does not emphasise on takedowns like the wrestling does. Plus, Max fought Oliveira in 2015, so that was the weak part of Charles' career when he was losing a lot of fights.

its the young Ilia with KO power and accuracy vs the tough and experienced Max. i've watched several analysis in this event and seem people are leaning more to to ilia because they say he is more well rounded while Max lost 10lbs to make this weight.

Topuria sounds too confident that he will be the first to KO Max. he said this to the press and although there are several more fighters that we want to hear talking, its seem him taking all the attention.

[pawel7777]

No surprises at all in the UFC 308. What an entertaining event it was. The main card results are as follow:



I expected Topuria to win but thought it would be by decision or on the ground (submission/ground and pound TKO etc), but he has proven again that his striking skills are of the highest level as he did to Max what Max did to Gaethje.

Khamzat - flawless performance. Robert was not even a match for him. I don't think there's anyone in the middleweight who could stop him from reaching for the belt.

Ankalaev - a win by decision, but as Dan Cormier pointed out, he doesn't tend to go for takedowns at all in his fights. Despite his wrestling/sambo background, he might not be as good a wrestler as many of us thought. If he's matched with Pereira for the title shot (as he should) I think he'd get his ass kicked by Alex.

Shara - never fails to entertain. This might be the first time we've seen a KO by a double backfist.

[electronicash]

No surprises at all in the UFC 308. What an entertaining event it was. The main card results are as follow:



I expected Topuria to win but thought it would be by decision or on the ground (submission/ground and pound TKO etc), but he has proven again that his striking skills are of the highest level as he did to Max what Max did to Gaethje.

Khamzat - flawless performance. Robert was not even a match for him. I don't think there's anyone in the middleweight who could stop him from reaching for the belt.

Ankalaev - a win by decision, but as Dan Cormier pointed out, he doesn't tend to go for takedowns at all in his fights. Despite his wrestling/sambo background, he might not be as good a wrestler as many of us thought. If he's matched with Pereira for the title shot (as he should) I think he'd get his ass kicked by Alex.

Shara - never fails to entertain. This might be the first time we've seen a KO by a double backfist.

the damage on Whittakers teeth is gruesome if you have seen the photo. Khamzat did it even when his arms wasn't really positioned to choke Whittaker but it did the job forcing the tap as quick as possible. if it took longer that that, can;t imagine what will happen to Whittakers face.

also if Ankalaev performs this way against Pereira, i doubt he'd win especially since he promised not to take down Pereira. most of his wins is by striking actually so he probably isn't good at grappling as he didn't see it as an option.

[pawel7777]

the damage on Whittakers teeth is gruesome if you have seen the photo. Khamzat did it even when his arms wasn't really positioned to choke Whittaker but it did the job forcing the tap as quick as possible. if it took longer that that, can;t imagine what will happen to Whittakers face.

Good to see Robert is OK now. It wasn't a broken jaw as many have thought initially. He gave a couple of interviews since then and seems to be alright.

In other news, Belal is confirmed to be out of the UFC 310 on 7th Dec, when he was scheduled to fight Shavkat for the title.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/mixed-martial-arts/articles/c4gpzgn23yyo


 

[electronicash]

^ Belal vs Shavkat is gonna be a one sided fight anyway. what got into UFC that it only look like they want to penalize Belal and wants his career over after becoming a champ. their matchmakers are not seeing what could happen to Belal after Shavkat.

now they are going to scramble looking for fighters to replace the main event. UFC 310 will flop if no big names will show up. 
if they just give Belal vs Covington as co and then Pantoja as the main event from the start, they might not have this problem.

[pawel7777]

Shavkat and his team are calling for an interim belt at the UFC 310 and suggesting Kamaru as a potential opponent.

I don't see how Shavkat fighting for the interim belt would be unfair to Belal, who opposes the idea. After all, it's Belal who is unable to fight. If anything, it would be unfair to make Shavkat wait for his next payday for ~2 more months if not more. And it's not like Belal will be stripped of his belt or anything.

I like the idea of Shavkat fighting Usman, provided Usman agrees and will be ready by then. Some say Kamaru is not deserving because he lost his last 3 fights, but he only lost to Edwards, once by KO and the second time by decision (in an even fight), and to Chimaev, who now is one of the most feared fighters in the UFC. In that last fight, he fought on very short notice and moved up to a higher weight class and still did surprisingly well, so it'd be fair to give him a chance.

[electronicash]

Shavkat and his team are calling for an interim belt at the UFC 310 and suggesting Kamaru as a potential opponent.

I don't see how Shavkat fighting for the interim belt would be unfair to Belal, who opposes the idea. After all, it's Belal who is unable to fight. If anything, it would be unfair to make Shavkat wait for his next payday for ~2 more months if not more. And it's not like Belal will be stripped of his belt or anything.

I like the idea of Shavkat fighting Usman, provided Usman agrees and will be ready by then. Some say Kamaru is not deserving because he lost his last 3 fights, but he only lost to Edwards, once by KO and the second time by decision (in an even fight), and to Chimaev, who now is one of the most feared fighters in the UFC. In that last fight, he fought on very short notice and moved up to a higher weight class and still did surprisingly well, so it'd be fair to give him a chance.

does Shavkat has the mandatory card to call Usman?  Belal chickens out. not a good thing for a champ to do that and its the main event which is embarrassing.

if i were Usman i would surely take that challenge, its not everyday you get another chance to prove yourself. beating that Genghis Khan descendant will make him an interim champ which Belal vs Usman will finally be happening.

[pawel7777]

does Shavkat has the mandatory card to call Usman?  Belal chickens out. not a good thing for a champ to do that and its the main event which is embarrassing.

if i were Usman i would surely take that challenge, its not everyday you get another chance to prove yourself. beating that Genghis Khan descendant will make him an interim champ which Belal vs Usman will finally be happening.

Yeah, but if Usman takes up the challenge and loses, that would put him in a tough spot as that would make him look like he was on a massive decline, which wouldn't necessarily be true. Whereas if he were to fight (and win) 1-2 more fights with lower-ranked guys just to break the losing streak and build his confidence back - that would be a different story.

But looks like he's not afraid the risk and expressed his willingness to accept such fight:
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2024/11/ufc-310-kamaru-usman-breaks-silence-shavkat-rakhmonov-fight-possibility
I respect him for that.

[electronicash]

does Shavkat has the mandatory card to call Usman?  Belal chickens out. not a good thing for a champ to do that and its the main event which is embarrassing.

if i were Usman i would surely take that challenge, its not everyday you get another chance to prove yourself. beating that Genghis Khan descendant will make him an interim champ which Belal vs Usman will finally be happening.

Yeah, but if Usman takes up the challenge and loses, that would put him in a tough spot as that would make him look like he was on a massive decline, which wouldn't necessarily be true. Whereas if he were to fight (and win) 1-2 more fights with lower-ranked guys just to break the losing streak and build his confidence back - that would be a different story.

But looks like he's not afraid the risk and expressed his willingness to accept such fight:
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2024/11/ufc-310-kamaru-usman-breaks-silence-shavkat-rakhmonov-fight-possibility
I respect him for that.

Usman is already in decline though. he is used to accepting short notice fights, he might as well just take the risk at least he can justify why he keeps the rank still even after losing 3 times. there's time to prepare at least not just 6 days.

losing against Shavkat though is not going to be surprising. he is going to overcome it as his worse loss was against Edwards but winning will make a big come back for him. he will be hailed as Khan slayer 

[pawel7777]

Usman is already in decline though. he is used to accepting short notice fights, he might as well just take the risk at least he can justify why he keeps the rank still even after losing 3 times. there's time to prepare at least not just 6 days.

That's precisely what I meant by saying he would risk a lot by taking the Shavkat fight.
In fans' perception, he's in decline, but that's not necessarily true. Quick break down:
- first fight against Leon, he dominated the fight and was on his way to win but got surprised with that head kick
- 2nd fight against Leon, not the best performance but was a very even fight that could go either way
- Khamzat fight - he lost but considering the short notice, fighting in a higher weight class, and the fact that later Khamzat has proven to be a real deal as ran over Robert Whittaker, losing by decision and causing Khamzat some troubles should count in his favour.