GDT: UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2/PFL 9

[CDJ]

Ribovics is impressive, got another talented Argentinian on the roster

 

[16Skippy]

He's got a pretty good case as P4P #1. Volkanovski is the only other guy you could argue IMO and their records are remarkably similar.

I think it's a little early for GOAT talk, but if he beats Edwards again and then beats Chimaev? I think he's right there with Silva behind Jones and GSP. At that point, he'd have not only taken out the old guard and beaten all of his contemporaries, but started to fend off the next wave of contenders.

I would put Izzy ahead even if some of his fights are boring. Maybe even Olivera too based on quality of competition. But obviously if he keeps winning I'd have to reconsider.

 

[CDJ]

Usman’s wins over Covington are better than any wins Oliveira has

Usman has beaten:

Sean Strickland
Leon Edwards
Demian Maia
Rafael dos Anjos
Tyron Woodley
Colby Covington 2x
Jorge Masvidal 2x
Gilbert Burns

Zero losses. Zero draws. That’s a terrific strength of schedule. And he’s mostly made it look really easy. It’s him or Volkanovski as the p4p #1 imo, Izzy hasn’t done it for as long and hasn’t done it against better competition.

With how Volkanovski looked against Max I think he’s my #1

 

[pistolpete11]

I would put Izzy ahead even if some of his fights are boring. Maybe even Olivera too based on quality of competition. But obviously if he keeps winning I'd have to reconsider.

Izzy lost somewhat recently, though. I know it was up a weight class and I don't think he should be buried for it, but when you're splitting hairs, everything counts. How can you say you're the #1 P4P fighter when someone else beat you?

Oliveira isn't even close IMO. I think his top wins (Poirier/Gaethje/Chandler) are on par with the other guys, but it really drops off after that.

 

[pistolpete11]

Usman’s wins over Covington are better than any wins Oliveira has

Usman has beaten:

Sean Strickland
Leon Edwards
Demian Maia
Rafael dos Anjos
Tyron Woodley
Colby Covington 2x
Jorge Masvidal 2x
Gilbert Burns

Zero losses. Zero draws. That’s a terrific strength of schedule. And he’s mostly made it look really easy. It’s him or Volkanovski as the p4p #1 imo, Izzy hasn’t done it for as long and hasn’t done it against better competition.

With how Volkanovski looked against Max I think he’s my #1

Max is better than anyone Usman has beat and Volk did it 3 times (even if I disagree with 1 of those), but Usman's resume is deeper IMO. That's really where the argument is.

I was going to disagree with Izzy's level of competition because I think Whittaker is that good, but after that, yeah, it's a little questionable.

 

[MMC]

Pretty crazy night for the Brits, Joshua and Edwards will be fighting and BKFC and PFL are in London

 

[MMC]

Though I expect Edwards, MVP, Joshua, and Loughnane to all lose

 

[member 51464]

Izzy lost somewhat recently, though. I know it was up a weight class and I don't think he should be buried for it, but when you're splitting hairs, everything counts. How can you say you're the #1 P4P fighter when someone else beat you?

Oliveira isn't even close IMO. I think his top wins (Poirier/Gaethje/Chandler) are on par with the other guys, but it really drops off after that.

I think a lot of these guys are going to be really interesting to see how their records age in 5 years or so. Some wins get better in time, and some mean less in time.

 

[Taytro]

Watched this Rockhold pre-fight conference and I thought maybe he would have changed or be humbled but no. I've never seen someone so self absorbed, egotistical, and living in the past, he's just not in the right headspace. Hes concerning himself with literally everything EXCEPT the fight. I'm putting significant money on Costa, Rockhold doesn't seem mentally ready to be in a fight in a few days. Anyone else have opinions on this? Just wow.



Edit: Nevermind, the oddsmakers don't think he has a chance either.

 

[Neutrinos]

Watched this Rockhold pre-fight conference and I thought maybe he would have changed or be humbled but no. I've never seen someone so self absorbed, egotistical, and living in the past, he's just not in the right headspace. Hes concerning himself with literally everything EXCEPT the fight. I'm putting significant money on Costa, Rockhold doesn't seem mentally ready to be in a fight in a few days. Anyone else have opinions on this? Just wow.



Edit: Nevermind, the oddsmakers don't think he has a chance either.

Yeah, Rockhold isn't particularly likeable, which is a shame, because he had both the look and the talent that a promotion looks for when deciding which fighters to push towards stardom

Sonnen raves about his wrestling, and in terms of pure athleticism, a prime Rockhold may have been the best athlete in the UFC

So, I find myself rather disappointed with the way his career has gone since losing the belt to Bisping

Had his career not gone off the rails, Rockhold vs Adesanya, for example, would've been a great fight to watch

With that said, the Rockhold in the video you posted looks sickly, not at all like the elite athlete he once was

I don't know if he's now off PEDs, or what his deal is, but based on appearances, I can't imagine he comes away with a victory against Costa

 

[Taytro]

Yeah, Rockhold isn't particularly likeable, which is a shame, because he had both the look and the talent that a promotion looks for when deciding which fighters to push towards stardom

Sonnen raves about his wrestling, and in terms of pure athleticism, a prime Rockhold may have been the best athlete in the UFC

So, I find myself rather disappointed with the way his career has gone since losing the belt to Bisping

Had his career not gone off the rails, Rockhold vs Adesanyay, for example, would've been a great fight to watch

With that said, the Rockhold in the video you posted looks sickly, not at all like the elite athlete he once was

I don't know if he's now off PEDs, or what his deal is, but based on appearances, I can't imagine he comes away with a victory against Costa

Agree with everything you said. When he was coming up and had something to prove he wasn't nearly this arrogant. Winning the title changed him to this entitled creature we see today.

I think he (or the UFC) hopes to catch or tire out Costa and then immediately get a fight with Izzy, which makes sense since Izzy has been running through everyone in the division but Rockhold is just not likeable. He has all the skill in the world if his chin and ego could get out of the way for 15 minutes. I legitimately think 2015 Rockhold would give Izzy a run for his money, no idea what 2022 Rockhold will look like in the cage.

 

[Neutrinos]

Agree with everything you said. When he was coming up and had something to prove he wasn't nearly this arrogant. Winning the title changed him to this entitled creature we see today.

I think he (or the UFC) hopes to catch or tire out Costa and then immediately get a fight with Izzy, which makes sense since Izzy has been running through everyone in the division but Rockhold is just not likeable. He has all the skill in the world if his chin and ego could get out of the way for 15 minutes. I legitimately think 2015 Rockhold would give Izzy a run for his money, no idea what 2022 Rockhold will look like in the cage.

I actually find Adesanya to be less likeable than Rockhold

Rockhold can be awkward, and doesn't seem all that bright, but as far as I know, he's never done anything close to as cringey and worthy of criticism as what Adesanya did immediately following his victory over Costa

I mean, did he actually think this made him look cool?

Factor in his gyno-titty, and I genuinely don't know how anyone can like this guy

 

[MMC]

If Usman wins convincingly, do you think he’s earned a LHW title shot? Adesanya got one with only a couple defenses.

 

[pistolpete11]

I think a lot of these guys are going to be really interesting to see how their records age in 5 years or so. Some wins get better in time, and some mean less in time.

Yeah, if anything, Oliveira's streak has not aged well even looking back now. I think Poirier and Gaethje will forever be great wins for him, but Tony's drop off and Lee leaving the UFC are not great for his resume. The guys before that (Gordon, Lentz, Teymur, Miller, Giagos, Guida) kinda are what they are at this point. They were all well past it and/or limited to begin with. Chandler's the 1 win that could still go up or down IMO.

 

[pistolpete11]

If Usman wins convincingly, do you think he’s earned a LHW title shot? Adesanya got one with only a couple defenses.

No.

Izzy was only moving up 1 weight class and if I remember correctly, LHW had a real lack of contenders at the time. They're doing Glover next and then they still have Jan, Ankalaev, and maybe Hill knocking on the door. It would be silly to let a WW jump in front of them.

But I also don't believe Usman really wants to go to LHW. Just like I didn't believe him that he wants to box Canelo. He's just talking shit about stuff that he knows won't happen.

 

[Neutrinos]

If Usman wins convincingly, do you think he’s earned a LHW title shot? Adesanya got one with only a couple defenses.

I don't even think he'd have to win convincingly

Champs always get an immediate title shot when they move up, and a jump of 2 weight classes would make for an interesting story to help sell the fight

 

[CDJ]

Rockhold always looks like shit when he’s cutting weight

He’s extra cranky this week but he’s not wrong about a lot of the stuff he’s saying. Even called out a dumbass Full Send reporter for giving Chito Vera a Mexican luchador mask

 

[m9]

The Usman to LHW talk is a waste of time right now. First, go beat Edwards. Second, you probably have Chimaev up next which will be a bigger $ fight than anything he would see at 205 anyway. That fight likely would be January/February.

So what, we are talking about who Usman might fight in a year? Who knows.

He's also kind of forced to say he'll fight at 205lbs because his boy Adesanya is the champ at 185lbs. If Adesanya isn't the champ in a year, you can bet Usman will be going for 185lbs first.

 

[I am not exposed]

Leon Edwards: UFC fighter's rise to world champion & escaping his 'darkest years'

His father's murder sent him spiralling towards a life of crime. Now Leon Edwards is a UFC world champion.

www.bbc.com

Didn't realise Edwards had this type of background. Kind of refreshing in some ways that he doesn't laud his gangster past.

 

[Neutrinos]

The Usman to LHW talk is a waste of time right now. First, go beat Edwards. Second, you probably have Chimaev up next which will be a bigger $ fight than anything he would see at 205 anyway. That fight likely would be January/February.

So what, we are talking about who Usman might fight in a year? Who knows.

He's also kind of forced to say he'll fight at 205lbs because his boy Adesanya is the champ at 185lbs. If Adesanya isn't the champ in a year, you can bet Usman will be going for 185lbs first.

If he jumps 2 weight classes and loses to the champ, nobody will hold it against him

He has much more to lose if he stays at 170 and fights Chimaev

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Betting wise this ufc card has like 8 fights that are pretty one sided when it comes to the odds.

I'm hoping Merab can keep it rolling here... just remember moreas almost had him finished in the first round hopefully he fights a smarter fight and just grinds Aldo down.

When it comes to the PFL I'm really looking forward to Chris Wade vs. Brendan Loughnane. They've done a pretty good job selling this fight to the 2 dozen of us that watch this stuff lol. Chris is just gonna take him down and wrestle him to a win.

 

[m9]

If he jumps 2 weight classes and loses to the champ, nobody will hold it against him

He has much more to lose if he stays at 170 and fights Chimaev

He has lots to lose if it looks like he's running from the biggest challenger to his belt so far.

But Chimaev is a name and it will be Usman's biggest payday, so he's going nowhere and this talk is a waste of time

 

[Neutrinos]

He has lots to lose if it looks like he's running from the biggest challenger to his belt so far.

But Chimaev is a name and it will be Usman's biggest payday, so he's going nowhere and this talk is a waste of time

But he won't lose his belt, which is worth more than whatever you think he'll lose if he appears to be dodging Chimaev

Also, it's kinda hard to accuse him being scared and ducking Chimaev, if he's willing to face a champion in a weight class 35lbs above his own

 

[m9]

But he won't lose his belt, which is worth more than whatever you think he'll lose if he appears to be dodging Chimaev

Also, it's kinda hard to accuse him being scared and ducking Chimaev, if he's willing to face a champion in a weight class 35lbs above his own

If he leaves the division with Chimaev on deck to go lose a fight at 205lb he is going to get blasted for it. Simple as that. If he loses a fight to Chimaev, at least he'll get a shot for a rematch and both of those would be huge fights.

If he goes to 205 and wins then he comes out great, for sure

 

[Chaels Arms]

What's surprising in terms of the betting odds is Edwards has been getting progressively more action. Last night when I checked on one site Edwards moneyline was +340, today it's down to +280. I actually expected the opposite to happen with more and more money being put down on Usman the closer we got to the actual event. I was hoping maybe we get Edwards at +380 or something but looks like it might not happen.