GDT: UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman

Avs_19

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Jun 28, 2007
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220px-UFC_Fight_Night_Usman_vs._Ponzinibbio_event_poster.jpg


Date: May 19, 2018
Venue: Movistar Arena
City: Santiago, Chile
Time: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Viewing: FS1, TSN 2

MAIN CARD (FS1, TSN 2)

Welterweight bout: Demian Maia vs. Kamaru Usman
Women's Strawweight bout: Alexa Grasso vs. Tatiana Suarez
Light Heavyweight bout: Jared Cannonier vs. Dominick Reyes
Bantamweight bout: Diego Rivas vs. Guido Cannetti
Women's Flyweight bout: Veronica Macedo vs. Andrea Lee
Welterweight bout: Vicente Luque vs. Chad Laprise

PRELIMINARY CARD (FS2, Fight Network/UFC Fight Pass)

Welterweight bout: Zak Cummings vs. Michel Prazeres
Flyweight bout: Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja
Women's Strawweight bout: Poliana Botelho vs. Syuri Kondo
Featherweight bout: Gabriel Benítez vs. Humberto Bandenay

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass)

Featherweight bout: Enrique Barzola vs. Brandon Davis
Bantamweight bout: Henry Briones vs. Frankie Saenz
Lightweight bout: Claudio Puelles vs. Felipe Silva​
 

m9

m9
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Jan 23, 2010
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I like this test for Usman. It's an intriguing style matchup and the perfect step-up in competition. Makes me wonder why this wasn't the original matchup, as this one makes way more sense.

The rest of the card is ugly. Grasso/Suarez is a good matchup of prospects, but as a co-main event it's brutal. Dominick Reyes is an intriguing prospect, looking forward to a solid test in Cannonier.

Lots of names on this card I don't recognize or just vaguely remember.
 

Avs_19

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Jun 28, 2007
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I like this test for Usman. It's an intriguing style matchup and the perfect step-up in competition. Makes me wonder why this wasn't the original matchup, as this one makes way more sense.

The rest of the card is ugly. Grasso/Suarez is a good matchup of prospects, but as a co-main event it's brutal. Dominick Reyes is an intriguing prospect, looking forward to a solid test in Cannonier.

Lots of names on this card I don't recognize or just vaguely remember.

Moreno is another prospect to watch on the prelims but like you said, it's ugly.

There's a pretty good chance the main event may not be too entertaining but it's a good match up based on styles and talent. I think Usman will need to really impress and grinding out a win won't be enough to get him in the title conversation. His last fight was a one-sided win over a solid fighter but the aftermath was weird with Dana and fans not being too happy.
 

td_ice

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Aug 13, 2005
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Wow!!!

That's crazy.

Puelles, knocked down three times in the third, pulls out a submission with a knee bar.
 
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Avs_19

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Nice left from Luque to get the KO in the first main card fight.

The crowd was insane for Rivas but he just never got it going. He clearly lost the first two rounds and showed some urgency early in the third but then just stopped moving forward.

Another impressive first round finish for Reyes. The stoppage looked a little weird but Cannonier was wobbled and fell flat on his face.
 

Neutrinos

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I'd like to see Usman vs Uriah Hall

Sure, Hall fights in the higher weight class, but they're both 6 feet tall, so I think it would be evenly matched
 

Neutrinos

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Sep 23, 2016
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Poor showing by Maia

Calling Usman to the mat once is cute, doing it repeatedly is pathetic
 

Avs_19

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Jun 28, 2007
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Dominant win but another one of those fights where it's probably not going to help Usman a ton. Maia's a very tough stylistic fight so it's easier said than done but Usman needed to really impress to get some momentum behind him.
 

pistolpete11

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Apr 27, 2013
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Main event was a yawner, but was to be expected, I guess. Maia had a nice run there, but I think it's time to hang 'em up. When your 2 moves are to shoot a single leg and beg your opponent to go to the ground with you, you're not going to win any fights nowadays. Especially as a 40 year old man who's explosion and endurance are declining. Maybe he should just go do some BJJ tournaments or something.

Usman, I don't know. He's a physical specimen, but I feel he needed to make a statement and grinding out a victory against a 40 year old specialist just doesn't do it for me. I don't like what the UFC has done with the WW division. Too many guys have talked their way into big fights without deserving it. Colby, Till, and probably Usman is next. These guys should have had to fight each other before they fight the top guys in the division. To be fair, Usman was to fight Ponz which would have been a good test and more in line with how someone like him should climb the rankings.

Suarez is f***ing legit. I think she smashes anyone in front of her in the rankings until you get to like Torres and even then, I could definitely see her as the champ someday. She's not a shit talker though, so the UFC will make her earn it unlike the WW's.
 

m9

m9
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These criticisms of Usman are very similar to the ones Woodley got when he beat Maia. Maia is a tough out and makes people look bad even when winning.

Suarez looked great, and I'm very intrigued by Reyes. Reyes is some fresh air in a stagnant 205 division, similar to what Oezdemir was a couple years back.
 
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m9

m9
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Jan 23, 2010
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I'd like to see Usman vs Uriah Hall

Sure, Hall fights in the higher weight class, but they're both 6 feet tall, so I think it would be evenly matched

You want a top five guy at 170 to fight a fringe guy at 185 because..?
 

Praetorian Caps

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May 15, 2018
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Demian Maia is one of my fave fighters but when he can't get the fight to the ground he is pedestrian.

Sadly everytime he's gotten a title shot it has been against the worst stylistic match ups for him: Anderson Silva and Tyrone Woodley. Both of their TDD were superior to his takedowns. And when he is on his feet he is not a threat to anyone.
 

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