GDT: UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2

Avs_19

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Jun 28, 2007
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Date: June 9, 2018
Venue: United Center
City: Chicago, Illinois
Time: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Viewing: PPV

MAIN CARD (PPV)

Middleweight Championship bout: Robert Whittaker (c) vs. Yoel Romero
Welterweight Interim Championship bout: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington
Women’s Featherweight bout: Holly Holm vs. Megan Anderson
Heavyweight bout: Andrei Arlovski vs. Tai Tuivasa
Welterweight bout: CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson

PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1, TSN 5)

Heavyweight bout: Alistair Overeem vs. Curtis Blaydes
Women's Strawweight bout: Cláudia Gadelha vs. Carla Esparza
Featherweight bout: Ricardo Lamas vs. Mirsad Bektić
Heavyweight bout: Rashad Coulter vs. Chris de la Rocha

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass)

Light Heavyweight bout: Rashad Evans vs. Anthony Smith
Flyweight bout: Joseph Benavidez vs. Sergio Pettis
Lightweight bout: Clay Guida vs. Charles Oliveira
Featherweight bout: Mike Santiago vs. Dan Ige​
 
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Avs_19

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Finally a card to be excited about. Some odd fight placements but it's not a big deal if you're planning on watching all of it anyways.

The first Whittaker vs. Romero fight was pretty good so while it may not be the ideal MW title fight, I'm still looking forward to it. I think Whittaker's too good and he'll likely take it again.

Covington will probably be quite a bit bigger than RDA and should be able to get the fight to the ground. I really hope I'm wrong though because I can't stand Covington. He's not entertaining in any way, neither inside nor outside the cage. RDA will pick him apart if the fight stays standing.

Holm vs. Anderson is interesting. Anderson is a legit FW and one of the few who wouldn't look completely physically overmatched against Cyborg. Holm is an awkward fight for most though and I could easily see her winning a decision.

Blaydes has developed into a pretty good fighter but I'm still surprised he's the favourite against Overeem. I don't believe Overeem is done just yet, even after that brutal KO loss in his last fight.

Benavidez vs. Pettis is buried on Fight Pass for some reason but that could be a good one.
 
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Sheppy

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Wow, surprised to see Overeem on the undercard... that said, I was surprised to see Anderson/Holm on it as well. Would have dropped Arlovski/Tuivasa instead.
 
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m9

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Great card, top-to-bottom. The fight placement is so wacky, but I'm definitely looking forward to this one.
 

MD thaivuN

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watching Megan Anderson's last fight... I'm thinking Holly Holm is gonna eat her up. I see Anderson just eating counter punches after counter punches and then we'll have Rogan hype Holm's "amazing" counter striking :laugh: :help:
 

dss97

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Aug 30, 2010
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One of the many reasons why you don't give a title shot to a guy who just missed weight.
 
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Avs_19

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We finally get all excited about a card and now this happens. I guess it's not too surprising since this just happened with Romero and many other fighters recently.

Real tough spot for the UFC now. Do you let your champion fight a guy who can't make championship weight in a non-title fight and risk a loss? Also, media members are saying Romero had to be helped by two guys when walking out of there because he was in such poor shape so he might not be able to fight regardless.
 

Deen

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Feb 19, 2010
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As much as I want to see them fight and .2 pounds is basically nothing, he didn't meet his contractual obligation. It's up to Whittaker now, he will for sure want 40% of his purse and the fight will obviously be turned into a 3 round non-title fight. Whittaker has said in the past he won't fight him if he misses, depends on what the UFC offers him now I guess. Same thing happened between Anderson Silva and Travis Lutter when Lutter missed weight. It turned into a three round non-title fight and Anderson still fought/beat him.
 

pistolpete11

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Apr 27, 2013
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I know it was only 0.2lbs, but this is beyond ridiculous. You must make weight. The UFC needs to increase their punishment for fighters that don't. Instead, they will probably just blame this on the morning weigh ins and let the show go on. I hope when the UFC does away with the morning weigh ins, they use it as an opportunity to set some new standards of punishment.

Regardless of what happens with that fight, this is still a stacked card. The CM Punk thing is silly, but the preliminary card is as good as any Fight Night I've ever seen. To have a card with this many fights I want to see, it's a minor miracle that only one is not happening as it should.
 
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pistolpete11

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Apr 27, 2013
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I'd cancel the fight, screw that guy, he missed weight for the #1 contender spot and misses it for the title? I'm not jeopardizing my champ for a guy that can't make weight.
What about Whittaker, though? Does he still get paid if there's no fight?

I'd love to see Kelvin step in, but even he probably has to cut some to get to 185lbs.
 

Moncherry

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Feb 5, 2010
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Why would Whittaker turn down the fight? He's making more money, he's fighting a drained Romero, and he's still champion even if he loses.
 

Deen

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Feb 19, 2010
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What about Whittaker, though? Does he still get paid if there's no fight?

I'd love to see Kelvin step in, but even he probably has to cut some to get to 185lbs.

No commission would let anyone "step in" at this point.
 

Neutrinos

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Sep 23, 2016
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The answer is more weight classes

There are only 3 weight classes between 155lbs and heavyweight. which has always seemed silly to me

Scrap 170 lbs, and have a 165, 175, 185, and 195 lb division
 
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Rocko604

Sports will break your heart.
Apr 29, 2009
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The answer is more weight classes

There are only 3 weight classes between 155lbs and heavyweight. which has always seemed silly to me

Scrap 170 lbs, and have a 165, 175, 185, and 195 lb division

The answer is not more weight classes. Unless you want to water down the product. Bottom line is guys are too undisciplined, plain and simple. Case in point, Romero didn't bother bringing in a nutritionist until it was too late instead of the beginning of his camp.

No one missed weight this year at the NCAA Wrestling Tournament. No one. And those guys are weighing in 3-4 days in a row if they advance. So why can a bunch of college kids do it without issue, but not professional MMA fighters?

Romero, Till, Dern etc were undisciplined.
 
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offkilter

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Jan 18, 2014
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The answer is not more weight classes. Unless you want to water down the product. Bottom line is guys are too undisciplined, plain and simple. Case in point, Romero didn't bother bringing in a nutritionist until it was too late instead of the beginning of his camp.

No one missed weight this year at the NCAA Wrestling Tournament. No one. And those guys are weighing in 3-4 days in a row if they advance. So why can a bunch of college kids do it without issue, but not professional MMA fighters?

Romero, Till, Dern etc were undisciplined.

Maybe nobody in the NCAA wrestling tournament missed weight because they have a weight class system similar to what Neutrinos is suggesting as opposed to the UFC's?

The question I have is why as a consumer would I want to watch a match with a guy that is normally in a certain weight class fight a guy who has to starve and weaken himself to the point of collapsing just to make a weight class he has no intention of staying in just so he can get his butt handed to him?
 

Rocko604

Sports will break your heart.
Apr 29, 2009
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Maybe nobody in the NCAA wrestling tournament missed weight because they have a weight class system similar to what Neutrinos is suggesting as opposed to the UFC's?

The question I have is why as a consumer would I want to watch a match with a guy that is normally in a certain weight class fight a guy who has to starve and weaken himself to the point of collapsing just to make a weight class he has no intention of staying in just so he can get his butt handed to him?

Actually, that's not why NCAA wrestlers are missing weight. They're not missing weight because the NCAA has strict weight cutting guidelines, and the wrestlers are hydration tested all season. I'll admit it was a rhetorical question, but still an honest one.

And I'll answer your question with a question. How many main card level fights does that actually happen? And off those fights, how many times are the fighters killing themselves to makeweight getting their butts handed to them? Recently, Romero beat Rockhold, Till beat Thompson (arguably) and Dern beat Cooper.

From the time Zuffa took over unitl recently, we have not seen a rash of missed weights like we are now. To add more weight classes would be cutting your nose off to spite your face. And I guarantee you that at least one of 165, 175 or 195 would be as weak as women's flyweight and featherweight are now.
 

BGDDYKWL

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Jul 16, 2007
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More weight classes is the absolute last thing the UFC needs. Titles are virtually meaningless these days as it is, just imagine if there were more of them.

I know there are always circumstances and things happen but the bottom line is Romero has been caught cheating, has missed weight for title fights, and one of the wins that got him there was a very controversial one where he bent the rules against Kennedy. This guy doesn't deserve a title shot for a LONG time.
 

MD thaivuN

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You know why NCAA weigh-in works? Because it's a system that forces you to fight at your natural weight class. It's not because there's more weight classes. That's why I advocate same day as fight weigh-ins. No time to re-hydrate will f*** with those who cuts large amount of weights. And, then, Hydration testing over period of time is there to insure no one makes a massive cut on the same day as fight and fights dehydrated.

More weight class is just a band-aid solution. If you want to solve the weight problems, you have to create an environment where massive weight cut only gives you a disadvantage
 
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