Printable View
What did yall think about the fights? I was very impressed with Rashad's athleticism at 205. Completely shocked how Bonner didn't have an answer for him. And what was Leben thinking in his fight. I mean the I'll take 2 to land one of mine works sometimes but against a proven dangerous striker like silvia. Pure stupidity.
IMO, Leben sucks and is nothing more than an undercard. Against a truly good fighter, one that can contend with the top of the weightclass, he is a boy in a man's sport. The UFC is full of those guys.
Couldnt put it any better myself, Von. The UFC has one or two good fighters in each division, with the rest being guys who have no shot whatsoever at the belt, and get killed any time they fight a truly skilled fighter. While TUF has been good for getting the UFC name out there, it seems a very large majority of the fighters who have continued in the UFC have been undercard fighters. Some of them have potential, while others (Leben) have already capped off at the "Not bad, but never gonna be championship material" level. The only true exception to this that I've seen was Bisping, who I think could already tangle with some of the better fighters out there. Florian wasnt so hot on the show, but has gotten way way better, and will no likely get a lightweight title shot. Diego dominated on the show, but his last few fights have shown he definately leaves a lot to be desired. Likewise with that Joe guy from Season 2 (and he couldnt even put away last pick Cummo).
Also, you two need to get new names...I can't keep the two of you straight.
lol. it's easy. I have a space in my name, Van doesn't. ;D
When I see a UFC guy, I always ask myself, does he look like he could clean house in a bar fight? Most UFC guys are a definite NO WAY.
Only a handful could.... arlovski, silvia (even tohugh they'd get whooped in pride), chuck, tito, franklin, maybe louiseau, GSP, BJ Penn, Hughes and a few others. The rest don't like anything special whatsoever.
Ya know, I also really like Ivan Salaverry.
The difference between pride and ufc is like F1 and Champ Car. A global league vs a predominantly American league. Even though the UFC has gained popularity, IMO, Dana Whie is badly dropping the ball.
I think your right about a global vs regional company. Thats why I don't like comparing the two. It is no secret that Pride pays more, fills more seats and overall has better fighters top to bottom. That being said UFC has arguably the best WW, MW LHW champs in the biz. Obviously that is a very subjective statement, but I think most people would put Hughes, Franklin and Chuck in the top three in the world in their respective weights. The UFC is doing a good job of filling their ranks with lots of local young talent. Yes many of them are raw talents and not always very multidimensional, but they will improve. I think Dana is smart to try to infuse his company with american fighters that are not as skilled than fill it with japanese, brazilian and european fighters that have more experience. I enjoy watching the UFC. For the most part they put on competitive cards that don't cost a ton and throw a free bee on spike 3-4 times a year. I don't think of it as the cream of the crop of MMA, but as the best MMA fighters the US has to offer and a great conduit to promote MMA in the US. We all know the kind of money pride makes in Japan, but UFC viewership is sharply on the rise in the US. I wouldn't at all be suprised to see the two close to even par in the next 10 years.