MMA General Discussion and Fight Announcements 9.0

[m9]

Next three main events:

Woodley vs. Burns (I like it)
Nunes vs. Spencer (PPV headliner?)
Eye vs. Calvillo (Awful)

Fight Island better be a real thing and up and running in early July so the international fighters can compete. They're already starting to just throw anything at the wall to get these cards out.

Calvillo/Eye as a main event is just awful. How can they not do any better than that?

UFC250 probably has the most elite prospects we've had on a card in awhile. Very intrigued by most of the fights there, just sucks at the top.

 

[CDJ]

Seems like they have to get a lot of the women fights if I’m looking at the structure of some of the upcoming cards. Lotttttttta mediocrity

That eye/calvillo card is gonna be something lol

 

[pistolpete11]

Next three main events:

Woodley vs. Burns (I like it)
Nunes vs. Spencer (PPV headliner?)
Eye vs. Calvillo (Awful)

Fight Island better be a real thing and up and running in early July so the international fighters can compete. They're already starting to just throw anything at the wall to get these cards out.

To headline what on June 13th? The prelims? If that's the best fight they got for that night, it's probably one that I wouldn't mind skipping even during a lockdown. Dana/UFC has always liked Calvillo for some reason.

They better blow it out on Fight Island, too.

 

[pistolpete11]

This particular fight has been in the works for awhile so I think it will be fine.

It seems like most fighters interviewed have a target date they are trying to fight and then are just hoping the UFC can get a good fight for them around that time. So probably just more general training and then focus more on the opponent when things get confirmed.

Poirier-Hooker is a bad example for that question. They've been rumored for a while now and they are both in places that are able to train (Florida definitely is and I think Australia/New Zealand is pretty mild in terms of the virus).

That does raise another question, though. How is Hooker able to get into the country to fight if other international fighters aren't? Why do we have to wait for Fight Island?

 

[member 51464]

Would no place in the UK sanction a fight right now? There is surely enough talent there to create an entire card.

 

[Avs_19]

Calvillo/Eye as a main event is just awful. How can they not do any better than that?

UFC250 probably has the most elite prospects we've had on a card in awhile. Very intrigued by most of the fights there, just sucks at the top.

Yeah, UFC 250 has a bunch of fights I'm looking forward to but it's missing one big one. Either something to headline over Nunes/Spencer or a really high level co-main.

To headline what on June 13th? The prelims? If that's the best fight they got for that night, it's probably one that I wouldn't mind skipping even during a lockdown. Dana/UFC has always liked Calvillo for some reason.

They better blow it out on Fight Island, too.

Dana said they're going to run card after card on Fight Island for about a month straight so if we take him at his word, it could be 4-5 events in a month. I'd guess that means a couple of cards that don't have a lot of depth but hopefully they stack the PPV.

UFC 251 should be the Adesanya/Costa card assuming they can travel. Maybe you can throw Volkanovski/Holloway on there as well to have two title fights. The MW division might be the one impacted the most right now because no one has been able to fight. Adesanya, Costa, Whittaker, Till, and Hermansson are all international fighters and I honestly don't know what the travel restrictions are in their countries, Cannonier is injured, and Gastelum is suspended. That leaves Romero as the only guy in the top 8 who can compete on these cards.

Conor is a wild card in all of this. He should be on a card this summer and at one point July was talked about but it's hard to say when he'll fight next.

 

[CDJ]

Once fight island gets up and operating I bet we will see some nice cards. We have to remember that they are choosing from a rather limited pool of fighters for these upcoming cards

 

[CDJ]

 

[chicagoskycam]

I saw some post on Insta yesterday about Shevchenko's sister fighting May 30th??

 

[m9]

I saw some post on Insta yesterday about Shevchenko's sister fighting May 30th??

Yeah she's fighting Chookagian, who her sister just beat.

 

[pistolpete11]

Yeah, UFC 250 has a bunch of fights I'm looking forward to but it's missing one big one. Either something to headline over Nunes/Spencer or a really high level co-main.



Dana said they're going to run card after card on Fight Island for about a month straight so if we take him at his word, it could be 4-5 events in a month. I'd guess that means a couple of cards that don't have a lot of depth but hopefully they stack the PPV.

UFC 251 should be the Adesanya/Costa card assuming they can travel. Maybe you can throw Volkanovski/Holloway on there as well to have two title fights. The MW division might be the one impacted the most right now because no one has been able to fight. Adesanya, Costa, Whittaker, Till, and Hermansson are all international fighters and I honestly don't know what the travel restrictions are in their countries, Cannonier is injured, and Gastelum is suspended. That leaves Romero as the only guy in the top 8 who can compete on these cards.

Conor is a wild card in all of this. He should be on a card this summer and at one point July was talked about but it's hard to say when he'll fight next.

If Hooker is able to fight Poirier, shouldn't Stylebender and Volkanovski be good to go too, then? Costa is obviously the fight for Stylebender and Till would be plan B I guess, but the UK and especially Brazil are not very good. BTW, Gastelum is good to go. His suspension was reduced to 4 months retroactive to his failed test which was in November or something.

Whatever they do, I hope the first card at Fight Island is the PPV and it's got a bad ass main event. It really is like a movie, so don't take some of the shine off it by doing a Fight Night first. I don't want Jones-Jan or something as the main event either. For me, it will be a little bit of a let down if it isn't Conor or Stylebender-Costa. Usman-Masvidal is probably the best I can realistically hope for, though, and I could live with Volkanovski-Max. Anything else is going to have to come out of left field or will be a disappoint.

 

[VanillaCoke]

Adesanya- Costa is the one I want to see most, Usman-Mazvidal would also be exciting but I don't see Maz having much chance at actually winning.

I'd also like to see Cruz get another top opponent. Didnt like him much at his prime but his analysis is some of the best in the business and now I'd like to see him get back in the mix.

 

[m9]

Looks like UFC officially took Cejudo out of the rankings and made his belt vacant, which should prime them for setting a title match. I expect Yan/Moraes for the title in July.

 

[CDJ]

They’re doing stricter testing/protocol at the apex center for these upcoming fights. Now they are getting tested when they arrive and before weigh ins

I’m not gonna sit here and argue whether or not they should be holding fights yet but I will say- I think they’re knocking the process out of the park. It seems like trial 1 was a success yet they’re still acknowledging improvements that can be made and they are making said improvements. I commend them for that

 

[member 51464]

I cannot believe this talk of McGregor and Usman. Usman would absolutely obliterate him.

 

[m9]

They’re doing stricter testing/protocol at the apex center for these upcoming fights. Now they are getting tested when they arrive and before weigh ins

I’m not gonna sit here and argue whether or not they should be holding fights yet but I will say- I think they’re knocking the process out of the park. It seems like trial 1 was a success yet they’re still acknowledging improvements that can be made and they are making said improvements. I commend them for that

Things have gone well and it seems like other sports are starting to follow.

I think cancelling those initial shows and giving them some time to come up with proper protocols really worked out well. Hard to really be able to criticize what they've done, and to their credit it seems like much of the media has dropped the subject and gone back to covering fights.

 

[Incognito]

I cannot believe this talk of McGregor and Usman. Usman would absolutely obliterate him.

Yup. The "second greatest fighter in UFC history" would get ripped apart by Usman.

 

[pistolpete11]

I cannot believe this talk of McGregor and Usman. Usman would absolutely obliterate him.

This screams fighters trying to negotiate in the public, not something the UFC is actually going to do. Masvidal-Nate 2 doesn't make a whole lot of sense either given how one sided the first one was. Really, it should be Usman-Masvidal and Conor-Nate 3.

If it does happen:
1. What the f***, UFC?
2. Love him or hate him, but props to Conor for even taking the fight. Oh Khabib was your worst stylistic matchup? Well, here's a bigger, stronger Khabib.

 

[Avs_19]

A fight against Usman would likely go even worse for Conor than the Khabib fight did. Usman vs. Masvidal is the obvious fight to make and I'm not sure exactly who or what is holding that up.

Khabib vs. Gaethje is another one that needs to happen next and Poirier just got booked against Hooker. That leaves the Diaz trilogy fight as the one that might make the most sense for Conor if he's fighting this summer.

 

[m9]

This screams fighters trying to negotiate in the public, not something the UFC is actually going to do. Masvidal-Nate 2 doesn't make a whole lot of sense either given how one sided the first one was. Really, it should be Usman-Masvidal and Conor-Nate 3.

If it does happen:
1. What the f***, UFC?
2. Love him or hate him, but props to Conor for even taking the fight. Oh Khabib was your worst stylistic matchup? Well, here's a bigger, stronger Khabib.

It's all negotiating, there's no way this fight gets made. Obviously people are going to discuss it, but it's a complete waste of time to discuss.

 

[CDJ]

Frankie Edgar to make bantamweight debut vs. Pedro Munhoz on UFC's July 11 event

Report: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Askar Askarov in the works for July UFC event

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Conor would get worked by Usman so hard that I want to see it.

 

[chicagoskycam]

I think Usman would be a tough challenge for Connor but I'm not in the camp he doesn't stand a chance. Usman is a really big 170 and Connor is really going to need to keep some distance. It all depends what kind of shape Connor is in but there is no way he should be fighting for the Welterweight title.

 

[pistolpete11]

Frankie Edgar to make bantamweight debut vs. Pedro Munhoz on UFC's July 11 event

Report: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Askar Askarov in the works for July UFC event

I got excited for a minute because I thought Munhoz fought out of Brazil. And if they were booking him, then there's a bunch of other Brazilians they could book. But turns out he lives in Cali and trains at ATT. Damn.

I liked Frankie vs. Sandhagen or Sterling more than Munhoz. It's a big name for those guys if they win and if Frankie wins, it puts him into immediate title contention.

 

[CDJ]

I got excited for a minute because I thought Munhoz fought out of Brazil. And if they were booking him, then there's a bunch of other Brazilians they could book. But turns out he lives in Cali and trains at ATT. Damn.

I liked Frankie vs. Sandhagen or Sterling more than Munhoz. It's a big name for those guys if they win and if Frankie wins, it puts him into immediate title contention.

agreed, I do like the idea of Frankie’s star being used to build a future champion like Yan/Sterling/Sandhagen. Little bit of a strange fight on Frankie’s end as he doesn’t have a ton of time yet but should be a fun matchup regardless


And yeah the way things are going in Brazil I wouldn’t expect to see anybody based out of there anytime soon. I could be wrong though....it just doesn’t seem like a promising situation

although Sakai is on the upcoming card....he based out of Brazil? My research to this point says he might be