GDT: UFC 194: Rockhold vs. Weidman; McGregor vs. Aldo

[Avs_19]

Then don't say, multiple times, including just a number of weeks ago "I'm going to be a two-class champion. I'll beat Aldo, and then contender at 55 will emerge. I'll go up and beat him. Then a new contender at 45 will emerge - I'll go down and beat him" etc etc.

He was still saying that last night. It was his coach who said he can't make that weight anymore and he'll never do it again. I don't think anything is set in stone though. We'll see what happens.

Not getting a rematch would suck for Aldo but if Cerrone wins next week, I hope they make that fight at 155.

 

[MurrayBannerman]

Then don't say, multiple times, including just a number of weeks ago "I'm going to be a two-class champion. I'll beat Aldo, and then contender at 55 will emerge. I'll go up and beat him. Then a new contender at 45 will emerge - I'll go down and beat him" etc etc.

He can't hold two belts, so that's a non-starter. I'm sure the UFC brass had to explain this to him because he did in a smaller org.

 

[DylanSensFan]

Where did all your Vcash go, Nostradamus?

Conor's gonna be scary at 155.

Bergevin, this was my quote exactly on Youtube.

Dec 10, 2015

+driver3596 there is no similarity aside from the fact that they both promote themselves and the UFC well. McGregor has proven time and again that he is a good striker and that his stand up is on par or better than almost everyone in the featherweight division. You can hope for McGregor to be exposed, but I honestly believe he is going to KO Aldo. Aldo is skilled yeah? But Mendes has exposed Aldo. Aldo's boxing skills are sub-par and if you watch any of his highlights you will see how he telegraphs a lot of his shots. Aldo is also all about timing and when he cannot time McGregor it will begin to get frustrating. McGregor is not going to be like the other fighters who were tentative, he is going to go after Aldo. This will be like nothing Aldo has ever faced before. I am hoping for a bit of a brawl to make the $60 I spend on PPV worth while, but I think McGregor is going to crush Aldo's jaw and it will happen quickly.

 

[Rocko604]

So McGregor vs Dos Anjos/Cerrone at UFC 200?

 

[Avs_19]

So McGregor vs Dos Anjos/Cerrone at UFC 200?

Hopefully not as his next fight. UFC 200 is in July so that would mean 7 months on the shelf for him. He probably likes money too much to go for something like that too.

 

[Kitten Mittons]

I hope Dana doesn't milk it til July. Him and Edgar are so fresh, it would be great if they could fight within the next 3 months. McGregor fought 3 times this year; it would be great if he could do fight in March/July/December this year, July being the LW championship fight.

 

[member 51464]

I just find it weird, conceptually, to think of Conor going up a weight class and immediately fighting for the title. While I get it from a hype perspective and wanting to sell more PPVs, it just seems weird.

Won't fighting at 155 be a different feel? Carrying extra weight and all the pros or cons that come with that.....and what about top-ranked 155 guys waiting their turn for a shot?

Idk, I guess being a champ at 145 means Conor shouldn't have to work his way up from scratch at 155, I'd prefer it not be immediate. Maybe fight Edgar, then fight a top-10 155 guy both to get used to that weight class/weight cut, as well as to postpone the issue of "you can't have both belts."

And why can't someone have belts at two weight classes? Just put in a rule you have to defend each at least once a year or something, and good to go.

 

[Avs_19]

I just find it weird, conceptually, to think of Conor going up a weight class and immediately fighting for the title. While I get it from a hype perspective and wanting to sell more PPVs, it just seems weird.

Won't fighting at 155 be a different feel? Carrying extra weight and all the pros or cons that come with that.....and what about top-ranked 155 guys waiting their turn for a shot?

Idk, I guess being a champ at 145 means Conor shouldn't have to work his way up from scratch at 155, I'd prefer it not be immediate. Maybe fight Edgar, then fight a top-10 155 guy both to get used to that weight class/weight cut, as well as to postpone the issue of "you can't have both belts."

And why can't someone have belts at two weight classes? Just put in a rule you have to defend each at least once a year or something, and good to go.

I think he has enough size for 155. He walks around at 165-170 lbs and still probably has a reach advantage on most of the division. He has also fought at that weight before so it's not entirely new to him. Power is something you wonder about when someone moves up but he's dropping guys at 145 without even throwing with full force. We might even see a better version of him since he's not draining himself trying to make weight.

Might be unfair to a few fighters at 155 but it doesn't make sense for Conor to go up unless he's getting an immediate title shot. Again, whether fair or not, UFC tends to go in the direction that'll make the most money in these cases. Frankie got an immediate title shot when dropping down even though he was coming off a loss so at least this one would be off of a win.

They probably don't want someone holding two belts at the same time because ideally, if everyone is healthy, they want the belt in each division defended at least two times a year.

 

[Rocko604]

Hopefully not as his next fight. UFC 200 is in July so that would mean 7 months on the shelf for him. He probably likes money too much to go for something like that too.

I can't see him waiting 7 months either, but with 200 likely being the biggest card of the year, they'll want him on it.

And as Champion, he won't be defending the belt more than twice a year. Only way he fights more than twice a year is if he takes a non-title fight at Lightweight, something I can't see the UFC letting him do, unless they feed him cans.

 

[MAHJ71]

McGregor one punched Aldo....there's no reason to hype up a rematch as some way to end it once and for all. It's not like it went 5 epic rounds and was a split decision. It was 13 seconds. Aldo didn't earn a rematch.

Plus. The way Aldo whined after the match kinda soured me on him. I'd be disappointed too but don't act like it didn't happen.

This.. understand being upset but, don't say it wasn't a fight because the dude just 1 punch KO'd you.

I don't believe Aldo deserves a rematch. I think Frankie Edgar has earned the next shot.. and that would be a tough fight as I like both fighters.

 

[Heaton]

Aldo whined after the match? Where?

Are you guys talking about the poor translation by the translator?

 

[Heaton]

This.. understand being upset but, don't say it wasn't a fight because the dude just 1 punch KO'd you.

I don't believe Aldo deserves a rematch. I think Frankie Edgar has earned the next shot.. and that would be a tough fight as I like both fighters.

Just out of curiosity and taking business aside, do you think Rousey deserves a rematch with Holm more than Aldo does with McGregor?

 

[The Kingslayer]

The reaction videos online are awesome. I do feel for Aldo though watching the footage of him the dressing room afterwards was gut wrenching.

 

[Rocko604]

Rousey is getting an immediate rematch because she's been the face of the UFC for the last two years and made them a ton of money. Aldo is an afterthought to the casual fan who doesn't bring in PPV buys.

I would rather see an McGregor/Aldo rematch just to see how that fight would play out beyond 13 seconds. Holm/Rousey 2 will be a carbon copy of the first fight.

 

[Heaton]

Rousey is getting an immediate rematch because she's been the face of the UFC for the last two years and made them a ton of money. Aldo is an afterthought to the casual fan who doesn't bring in PPV buys.

I would rather see an McGregor/Aldo rematch just to see how that fight would play out beyond 13 seconds. Holm/Rousey 2 will be a carbon copy of the first fight.

I get that, but I don't think people are thinking about the PPV buys when saying 'Aldo doesn't deserve a re-match'.

 

[Rocko604]

I get that, but I don't think people are thinking about the PPV buys when saying 'Aldo doesn't deserve a re-match'.

Funny you should mention that because I saw that argument being made on Sherdog. Yeah, I know, it's Sherdog, but the UFC is a money-driven business. They haven't been able to market Aldo that well, if at all, and while he's a hell of a fighter, it's more "what have you done for me lately?" Well, he dropped out of the first fight, and then got KO'd after 13 seconds.

 

[MAHJ71]

Just out of curiosity and taking business aside, do you think Rousey deserves a rematch with Holm more than Aldo does with McGregor?

A lot more so than Aldo yes. But if its not until July then no, I do not.

 

[Avs_19]

Based on what the UFC has done in the past and as a long-time reigning champion, Aldo should get a rematch. The way he lost combined with the fact that there's a new challenger already waiting probably hurts him though. If Mendes beat Frankie, I could see them going with the Aldo rematch but now they have a fresh match-up that a lot of people want to see.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Funny you should mention that because I saw that argument being made on Sherdog. Yeah, I know, it's Sherdog, but the UFC is a money-driven business. They haven't been able to market Aldo that well, if at all, and while he's a hell of a fighter, it's more "what have you done for me lately?" Well, he dropped out of the first fight, and then got KO'd after 13 seconds.

Absoluetely bang on. Aldo is a great fighter no doubt but hes pissed the UFC off alot.

-Pulled out of FIVE title fights. Five. They marketed the hell out of 189 and dumped a **** load of money into it no doubt Dana and co. were pissed off when Aldo pulled out yet again. Fortunately for them Mendes stepped in and took that fight.
Hard to market a fighter if hes constantly pulling out. You would think after the 3rd time you might wanna train smarter.

- Complaining about pay and doing nothing to justify getting paid more. During the promo to this fight he was actually giggling that Conor is doing all the promo work and all he has to do is train or something like that. Im sure this didnt make the bald father happy.

- Doesnt speak english. Doesnt even attempt too. Hard to market a champion who doesnt connect with the fans. Even broken english would've been acceptable im sure.

- Shattenkirk'd all over the Reebok deal ( I dont blame him). prolly not the smartest thing to do for Jose.

- Coasts in fights where hes winning. The promotion loves finishes and so do the fans. Dont know if thats a reason for the company to hate on him because GSP was a decision machine and Dana loved him some GSP up until the Big Rigg fight.

I love Aldo and I hope he comes back better than ever but I can see why Dana is glad in a way that Jose is no longer the FW champ.

 

[Avs_19]

Absoluetely bang on. Aldo is a great fighter no doubt but hes pissed the UFC off alot.

-Pulled out of FIVE title fights. Five. They marketed the hell out of 189 and dumped a **** load of money into it no doubt Dana and co. were pissed off when Aldo pulled out yet again. Fortunately for them Mendes stepped in and took that fight.
Hard to market a fighter if hes constantly pulling out. You would think after the 3rd time you might wanna train smarter.

- Complaining about pay and doing nothing to justify getting paid more. During the promo to this fight he was actually giggling that Conor is doing all the promo work and all he has to do is train or something like that. Im sure this didnt make the bald father happy.

- Doesnt speak english. Doesnt even attempt too. Hard to market a champion who doesnt connect with the fans. Even broken english would've been acceptable im sure.

- Shattenkirk'd all over the Reebok deal ( I dont blame him). prolly not the smartest thing to do for Jose.

- Coasts in fights where hes winning. The promotion loves finishes and so do the fans. Dont know if thats a reason for the company to hate on him because GSP was a decision machine and Dana loved him some GSP up until the Big Rigg fight.

I love Aldo and I hope he comes back better than ever but I can see why Dana is glad in a way that Jose is no longer the FW champ.

That's funny. I posted a lot of the same stuff but then deleted it because I couldn't find the original tweet I saw. Someone in the Brazilian media mentioned it. Aldo has refused to "play the game", as Dana would say. It's all good when you're the champ and on top but it could hurt you when you're not and you want something.

I don't agree with that and think it should be all about his fighting ability but I wouldn't be shocked if there's a few people holding a grudge and really make him earn it now.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Just like most professional sports it's all about money. McGregor is taking it to the next tier for himself and UFC. He can call his next opponent because, while he may have just achieved the minimum amount of success in the octagon (i.e., featherweight championship), he has achieved an unprecedented amount of financial success that gives him a lot of leverage with the UFC in picking his next fight.

 

[Avs_19]

John Kavanagh told Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour that McGregor is considering fighting for the lightweight title in March or April and then defending the featherweight strap against Edgar at UFC 200 on July 9 in Las Vegas. Kavanagh doesn't think McGregor will wait until UFC 200 like many expected and added he could be interested in fighting at Madison Square Garden in New York in April.

"I do think the next one will be lightweight for the belt," Kavanagh said. "Maybe that's going to be around April. March, April -- something like that. ... Maybe that and then July, UFC 200. Maybe he'll defend the featherweight belt against Frankie on that card."

http://www.mmafighting.com/2015/12/14/10123202/coach-conor-mcgregor-considering-lightweight-title-fight-in-april

Sounds good for Conor. Frankie probably disagrees though because of the long layoff.

I was thinking the other way around. Fight Frankie in April, especially if they can get New York done. Then challenge for the LW title at UFC 200.

 

[Peter Griffin]

So if McGregor plans to fight for the LW title in the spring and to defend that FW title in July, I guess that means he potentially could hold two belts at one time? Seems to be a bit of confusion on whether the UFC would allow that or not, but my guess is if there is one guy they want holding two belts, it's Conor.

 

[Kitten Mittons]

http://www.mmafighting.com/2015/12/14/10123202/coach-conor-mcgregor-considering-lightweight-title-fight-in-april

Sounds good for Conor. Frankie probably disagrees though because of the long layoff.

I was thinking the other way around. Fight Frankie in April, especially if they can get New York done. Then challenge for the LW title at UFC 200.

Yeah I don't understand this logic. I think the opposite makes a lot more sense.

 

[BGDDYKWL]

As a huge Weidman fan that was really tough to watch. I had him winning the first and winning the third up until that stupid kick. He was gassing but so was Rockhold. We'll never know if he could've pulled it off if he doesn't throw that kick, but I have a feeling that may haunt him for a LONG time. I was very impressed with Rockhold. Weidman wasn't able to do anything with him on the ground. My guess is we see Rockhold-Romero and Weidman-Jacare. Personally I had it 29-28 Jacare but I'm more interested in seeing Rockhold-Romero so I'm ok with it.

Aldo doesn't deserve an immediate rematch. Nor does Ronda. Those should SOLELY be for extremely close or controversial fights. This couldn't have been further from that. Edgar deserves the shot, he should be next.

The amount of talk about all these different options/scenarios for Conor is getting a little ridiculous (and I like the guy). I don't think Cerrone wins Saturday but he's A LOT bigger than Conor. I'm not sure Conor has anywhere near the success at 155 that he's had at 145. I'm not even sure he beats Frankie.