GDT: UFC on ESPN: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot/Bellator 282: Mousasi vs. Eblen/PFL 5

[MMC]

Date: June 25, 2022
Venue: UFC Apex
City: Las Vegas, Nevada
Time: 7 pm ET/4 pm PT
Viewing: ESPN+, TSN 5

MAIN CARD (ESPN, TSN 5)

Lightweight bout: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mateusz Gamrot
Welterweight bout: Neil Magny vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
Heavyweight bout: Josh Parisian vs. Alan Baudot
Lightweight bout: Thiago Moises vs. Christos Giagos
Bantamweight bout: Nate Maness vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Middleweight bout: Chris Curtis vs. Rodolfo Vieira

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2, TSN 5)

Light Heavyweight bout: Carlos Ulberg vs. Tafon Nchukwi
Featherweight bout: Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. T.J. Brown
Bantamweight bout: Raulian Paiva vs. Sergey Morozov
Flyweight bout: JP Buys vs. Cody Durden
Bantamweight bout: Brian Kelleher vs. Mario Bautista
Women's Strawweight bout: Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Jinh Yu Frey​

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[MMC]

Date: June 24, 2022
Venue: Mohegan Sun Arena
City: Uncasville, Connecticut
Time: 9 pm ET/6 pm PT
Viewing: Showtime, Bellator Youtube

MAIN CARD (Showtime, Bellator Youtube)

Middleweight Championship bout: Gegard Mousasi vs. Johnny Eblen
Bantamweight bout: Leandro Higo vs. Danny Sabatello
Bantamweight bout: Magomed Magomedov vs. Enrique Barzola
Welterweight bout: Brennan Ward vs. Kassius Kayne

PRELIMINARY CARD (Bellator Youtube)

Lightweight bout: Brent Primus vs. Alexander Shabliy
Women's Featherweight bout: Cat Zingano vs. Pam Sorenson
Middleweight bout: Anatoly Tokov vs. Muhammad Abdullah
Welterweight bout: Sabah Homasi vs. Maycon Mendonca
Women's Flyweight bout: Alejandra Lara vs. Ilara Joanne
Featherweight bout: Cody Law vs. James Gonzalez
Lightweight bout: Dan Moret vs. Killys Mota
Featherweight bout: Lucas Brennan vs. Johnny Soto
Middleweight bout: Aaron Jeffery vs. Fabio Aguiar
Lightweight bout: Bryce Logan vs. Mandel Nallo
Bantamweight bout: Marcus Breno vs. Richard Palencia​

 

[MMC]

Date: June 24, 2022
Venue: Overtime Elite Arena
City: Atlanta, Georgia
Time: 10 pm ET/7 pm PT
Viewing: Showtime, Bellator Youtube

MAIN CARD (ESPN)

Heavyweight bout: Bruno Cappelozza vs. Matheus Scheffel
Lightweight bout: Anthony Pettis vs. Stevie Ray
Featherweight bout: Chris Wade vs. Kyle Bochniak
Heavyweight bout: Renan Ferreira vs. Klidson Abreu

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)

Heavyweight bout: Ante Delija vs. Stuart Austin
Heavyweight bout: Denis Goltsov vs. Sam Kei
Heavyweight bout: Ali Isaev vs. Jamelle Jones
Featherweight bout: Bubba Jenkins vs. Saba Bolaghi
Featherweight bout: Sheymon Moraes vs. Lance Palmer
Featherweight bout: Brendan Loughnane vs. Boston Salmon
Featherweight bout: Alejandro Flores vs. Ryoji Kudo​

 

[m9]

Pettis looked better last fight and I'm a bit of a fanboy when it comes to him so hopefully he does well against Stevie Ray. If Pettis can't beat Ray then I think we can officially call him done. Bubba Jenkins on the undercard was interesting as he was the top prospect in MMA at one time. Cappelozza is a fun guy at HW. He's not young (though 33 is fine for HW) but is 8-1 in his last 9 fights with his only loss being to some Prochazka guy who seems to be doing okay in the UFC.

For Bellator, the top six fights all have something to watch. Mousasi looked amazing in his fight vs Vanderford and I really don't know what to think about Eblen given his limited resume.

I like this UFC card but there won't be many big names for casuals. The main event has two guys who will probably be fixtures in the top ten for the next 5 years. Rakhmonov is as impressive of a prospect as there is right now. - he is running through legit UFC vets and making it look really easy. Magny is the perfect matchup for it here as nobody makes it look easy vs Magny, so if Rakhmonov can win here then the sky's the limit. Maness v Umar is a huge matchup as well.

The UFC card kind of reminds me of old Strikeforce challenger cards where you would have a handful of blue-chip prospects in big fights.

 

[pistolpete11]

The UFC card is a perfect Apex card in my 1 PPV/1 traveling Fight Night/2 Apex cards per month blueprint. A solid card for fight fans, but not enough names to take it on the road.

The main event should be a good one, but I'm more interested in Rakhmonov-Magny. Almost regardless of what happens in the main event, there will be a whisper in the back of my mind saying "Yeah, but how good are these guys?" I think the answer is pretty f***ing good, but we don't know that. We do know how good Magny is however. If Rakhmonov walks through him like he has done everybody else, look the f*** out. I think it's probably going to a decision, though.

 

[Taytro]

There's a couple interesting fights if you're a fight fan but god damn this is a weak card. I think that casual fans would have 1 fight they might be interested in and it's not even the main event.

These cards are usually the ones that produce exciting fights but as far as name recognition goes, there's not a lot to tune in for.

I definitely see a nice little parlay here though that I'm going to regret putting money on. Give me Nurmagomedov, Paiva, and Magny please.

 

[CDJ]

Paiva as the underdog surprised me, I was all over that

If Rakhmonov finishes Magny I’d be fine saying he’s 1 win away from a title shot. Guy appears to be prodigious

 

[Taytro]

Paiva as the underdog surprised me, I was all over that

If Rakhmonov finishes Magny I’d be fine saying he’s 1 win away from a title shot. Guy appears to be prodigious

I don't think he's 1 win away, especially with the frequency that champions fight nowadays.

I'd say it goes Leon then Chimaev or Belal are 1 fight away from the next 1 or 2 shots. After that it's very hard to deny Sean Brady if he gets 1 or 2 more wins, then Rakhmonov is there. But who knows what Colby does in that mean time to prove he gets his 3rd shot. Hell, if Luque beats Neal and then a top 5 guy, he's right there too.

Best case scenario for Rakhmonov is hoping some of those guys lose but even then he's 2 or 3 away in my opinion.

 

[CDJ]

I don't think he's 1 win away, especially with the frequency that champions fight nowadays.

I'd say it goes Leon then Chimaev or Belal are 1 fight away from the next 1 or 2 shots. After that it's very hard to deny Sean Brady if he gets 1 or 2 more wins, then Rakhmonov is there. But who knows what Colby does in that mean time to prove he gets his 3rd shot. Hell, if Luque beats Neal and then a top 5 guy, he's right there too.

Best case scenario for Rakhmonov is hoping some of those guys lose but even then he's 2 or 3 away in my opinion.

Yeah realistically there are a lot of ppl in front of him, I should have said if he beats Magny I think he’s good enough to fight for a belt immediately

 

[m9]

Some of the framework at 170lbs is laid out:

Rak/Magny
Edwards/Usman in Aug
Chimaev/Belal in Oct*
Luque/Neal in Aug

So you've got:

Colby
Burns
Wonderboy
Brady
Masvidal
Chiesa
Pereira
Daniel Rodriguez
Holland
Nate

.. as ranked guys or close to ranked guys looking for a fight.

So many good fights they can make there.

If Luque loses to Neal then I think Luque/Rakhmonov is the fight to make. But I also don't think Luque loses to Neal

 

[Taytro]

Some of the framework at 170lbs is laid out:

Rak/Magny
Edwards/Usman in Aug
Chimaev/Belal in Oct*
Luque/Neal in Aug

So you've got:

Colby
Burns
Wonderboy
Brady
Masvidal
Chiesa
Pereira
Daniel Rodriguez
Holland
Nate

.. as ranked guys or close to ranked guys looking for a fight.

So many good fights they can make there.

If Luque loses to Neal then I think Luque/Rakhmonov is the fight to make. But I also don't think Luque loses to Neal

I also didn't think Luque would lose to Belal so... Anything can happen in the fight game.

 

[m9]

I also didn't think Luque would lose to Belal so... Anything can happen in the fight game.

True, me either.

 

[pistolpete11]

I actually hope they don't do Chimaev-Belal. Yes, you're guaranteeing a no doubt next title challenger, but you're also guaranteeing to kill off another (at least for a while) potential title challenger in a division with not many intriguing options for title challengers.

I think Rakhmonov and/or Brady could be shot to the top of the division pretty quickly. If Usman keeps winning, they're gonna need some fresh meat. They don't have the personality of Chimaev, but Magny/Chiesa are roughly equal if not better wins than the Leech. Chimaev then got Burns who was top 5 and could be getting a title shot next.

Maybe give Chimaev next, then give one of Brady/Rakhmonov to Burns and the other to Belal? Of course, this is assuming Rahkmonov beats Magny convincingly. If he loses or squeaks by, pump the brakes a bit.

And EVERYTHING gets thrown out the window if Usman loses and/or retires.

 

[MMC]

Meant to post a few days ago but PFL prelims got shaken up a bit due to fighters having visa issues

 

[Adele Dazeem]

the LW rankings are some of the most outdated currently. The top 10-15 are better than the 5-10...

Arman and Gamrot fighting each other is good for the fans, but the sport needs to move forward.

If a fighter is only fighting once a year; he's not a fighter in my opinion

 

[m9]

the LW rankings are some of the most outdated currently. The top 10-15 are better than the 5-10...

Arman and Gamrot fighting each other is good for the fans, but the sport needs to move forward.

If a fighter is only fighting once a year; he's not a fighter in my opinion

I think these two guys would definitely beat a few guys ahead of them.

Oliveira, Poirier, Gaethje, Makhachev, Chandler, Dariush are the top 6. Hard to argue with that group.

RDA at 7 I don't love. Hasn't really fought much at 155lbs recently.

Gets tricky at 8 & 9. Conor has absolutely no business being ranked. I also don't think it does anyone any favors having him ranked - he hasn't fought much and there's a good chance when he's back he won't be at 155. When he does come back, whether or not he has a # next to his name is completely irrelevant.

Ferguson (#9) hasn't won a fight in 3+ years.. albeit he has fought the toughest guys in the division in those 4 fights.

This is where I wish there was a bit of an actual rule in these rankings and only consider what they have done over a certain time period. If I had a rule it would be the previous 3 years from the current date. That will generally be 4-8 fights for guys which is all that you really need in terms of a ranking. It would remove guys like Conor who have 1 win in 3 years (over Cowboy) and 0 wins in 3 years (Ferguson).

In general I don't think the UFC rankings are that bad.. but the fallen stars get ranked too high for too long. Maybe the UFC would be more motivated to give them appropriate fights if they didn't have such a high ranking, too.

 

[MMC]

PFL's pacing is such a joke

 

[MMC]

 

[CDJ]

PFL's pacing is such a joke

It’s hilariously bad

 

[MMC]

Why is Bellator's #2 LW fighting on their Prelims?

 

[Taytro]

PFL's pacing is such a joke

I actually love the PFL league and broadcasting format. As much as like UFC, PFL is so much more enjoyable to watch.

 

[16Skippy]

I actually hope they don't do Chimaev-Belal. Yes, you're guaranteeing a no doubt next title challenger, but you're also guaranteeing to kill off another (at least for a while) potential title challenger in a division with not many intriguing options for title challengers.

I think Rakhmonov and/or Brady could be shot to the top of the division pretty quickly. If Usman keeps winning, they're gonna need some fresh meat. They don't have the personality of Chimaev, but Magny/Chiesa are roughly equal if not better wins than the Leech. Chimaev then got Burns who was top 5 and could be getting a title shot next.

Maybe give Chimaev next, then give one of Brady/Rakhmonov to Burns and the other to Belal? Of course, this is assuming Rahkmonov beats Magny convincingly. If he loses or squeaks by, pump the brakes a bit.

And EVERYTHING gets thrown out the window if Usman loses and/or retires.

Chimaev -Usman/Edwards winner
Belal - Rakhmonov/Magny winner but assuming it's Raky that might eliminate another contender
Brady - anyone in the top 10 without a fight lol

Lots of options as long as Conor doesn't move up and dick things up and Usman doesn't mess around with boxing.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

I think these two guys would definitely beat a few guys ahead of them.

Oliveira, Poirier, Gaethje, Makhachev, Chandler, Dariush are the top 6. Hard to argue with that group.

RDA at 7 I don't love. Hasn't really fought much at 155lbs recently.

Gets tricky at 8 & 9. Conor has absolutely no business being ranked. I also don't think it does anyone any favors having him ranked - he hasn't fought much and there's a good chance when he's back he won't be at 155. When he does come back, whether or not he has a # next to his name is completely irrelevant.

Ferguson (#9) hasn't won a fight in 3+ years.. albeit he has fought the toughest guys in the division in those 4 fights.

This is where I wish there was a bit of an actual rule in these rankings and only consider what they have done over a certain time period. If I had a rule it would be the previous 3 years from the current date. That will generally be 4-8 fights for guys which is all that you really need in terms of a ranking. It would remove guys like Conor who have 1 win in 3 years (over Cowboy) and 0 wins in 3 years (Ferguson).

In general I don't think the UFC rankings are that bad.. but the fallen stars get ranked too high for too long. Maybe the UFC would be more motivated to give them appropriate fights if they didn't have such a high ranking, too.

I think we see some shakeups in the coming year and the older stars being phased out (Dariush, Chandler, Poirier)

Islam v. Oliveira is bound to happen after his fight with Dariush
Chandler v Poirier is likely as well with the loser being dropped outside top-5

I think winner of this upcoming main event will probably fight the loser of Islam v. Dariush

Fiziev will push out Connor, Ferguson and if he can beat him - RDA

Chimaev -Usman/Edwards winner
Belal - Rakhmonov/Magny winner but assuming it's Raky that might eliminate another contender
Brady - anyone in the top 10 without a fight lol

Lots of options as long as Conor doesn't move up and dick things up and Usman doesn't mess around with boxing.

Watch them put the title on the line between Conor and the true champion Oliveira for the end of the year.

 

[MMC]

Quick KO for Chris Wade

 

[m9]

My deep insights while watching two cards at once:

Wade KO - Great
Magomedov/Barzola through 3 rounds - Good
PFL HW fight - Bad