Predictions?

[VictorCharlie]

Someone should have reminded Jake that his stand up sucks. Seriously all respect to GSP but what was Jake's gameplan? I'm going to outbox the guy?

[OumaFan]

I fully admit that I'm a GSP hater (because he's incredibly boring) but I still think he's a bit overrated. An elite guy obviously but when has he fought a good, technical striker with good takedown defense? Outside of Penn (who arguably beat him once) and was at a serious size/strength disadvantage.

Hardy was taken down at will by Anthony Johnson. Thiago Alves is a good fighter but not an elite guy. Koshchek has power but isn't really a great striker. Fitch is an incredibly boring lay and pray guy. Serra? Seriously? Hughes, great wrestler, but not much of a striker. Shields is limited as a striker.

I'm totally biased cause I dislike him so much (and not extraordinarily knowledgeable as far as MMA goes ) but I just think he'd have problems with a real good striker with good takedown defense. Of course, how many guys are there like that at that weight?

[OumaFan]

Aldo's stamina looked awful tonight. I was actually impressed by him through four rounds simply because he won the first four rounds against a good striker while gassed but seriously, he was gassed starting the second round. I didn't see all his WEC fights but I never noticed his cardio looking that shitty before.

[Youngblood]

not sure how many more of these Couture moments I can witness...

[VictorCharlie]

I gave Hominick the 2nd and the 5th round. The way judges score take downs has to be addressed. Hominick boxed his ears off for most of the round, Aldo took him down twice, never gaining a dominant position and being completely neutralized. You shouldn't get points for getting a take down and doing nothing with it unless its a Rampage style slam. I briefly considered giving Hominick a 10-8 for the 5th which on my card would have made a draw, but he just didn't do enough damage

I picked Couture for old time sake but I kinda felt that Lyoto's striking style would be his cryptonite. Who knew having Segal in your corner assured you a front kick KO.

[ross]

I watched the couture and St Pierre fights and have to say I wasnt very impressed with what I saw of GSP given how he is hyped. He telegraphs his work, like those apinning kicks and the over hand rights. His opponent looked tired very early, it was sloppy rubbish really. The Machida kick was good as it would have been very hard to see that coming, rather than GSP thinking hes Jean Claude Van Damme with the theatrical kicks that do nothing.

I saw a clip on Van Damme at some expo and he is explaining to people that in boxing you have the jab and straight right hand and that the big looping punches rairly land so why not use straight kicks from your front leg like a jab. Thats exactly what
Machida did.

[VictorCharlie]

GSP is a great athlete and always comes in top shape but I have decided the thing that makes him so hard to beat and so not fun to watch is his tremendous ability to take away whatever his opponent wants to do. It creates largely one sided fights that just aren't that exciting. Shields didn't help much last night. He even said as much in his post fight interview. He had to know he was going to have to take some risks to get the tie ups and takedowns instead decided he was going to be the next Ali. Ground enthusiasts should have gotten to watch a really top end wrestling/submission fight instead we got a very boring kickboxing match.

[mattboxingfan]

I watched the couture and St Pierre fights and have to say I wasnt very impressed with what I saw of GSP given how he is hyped. He telegraphs his work, like those apinning kicks and the over hand rights. His opponent looked tired very early, it was sloppy rubbish really. The Machida kick was good as it would have been very hard to see that coming, rather than GSP thinking hes Jean Claude Van Damme with the theatrical kicks that do nothing.

I saw a clip on Van Damme at some expo and he is explaining to people that in boxing you have the jab and straight right hand and that the big looping punches rairly land so why not use straight kicks from your front leg like a jab. Thats exactly what
Machida did.

Isn't there a slight contradiction there? You say GSP thought he was "Jean Claude Van Damme with his theatrical kicks that do nothing" then say about a clip you saw of Jean Claude Van Damme and how Machida used that technique exactly and got a KO? Saying he is naff then saying someone used his move to win? Plus the kick was taught to Machida by Steven Segal!

[OumaFan]

I gave Hominick the 2nd and the 5th round. The way judges score take downs has to be addressed. Hominick boxed his ears off for most of the round, Aldo took him down twice, never gaining a dominant position and being completely neutralized. You shouldn't get points for getting a take down and doing nothing with it unless its a Rampage style slam. I briefly considered giving Hominick a 10-8 for the 5th which on my card would have made a draw, but he just didn't do enough damage

I totally agree with this. But I didn't even give it much thought while watching the fight, I just knew they'd score the round for Aldo.

If Aldo can get his stamina worked out, wow. Even gassed he was making Hominick, a good striker, miss a lot just with head movement. And I really liked the fact that both guys threw body shots, totally underutilized strike in MMA. I guess the fear is getting countered? But with those gloves you can just double a guy over with a good left hook to the body. I like that part of Nick Diaz's game too.

[VictorCharlie]

I read he had some injuries leading up to camp and came in heavier than usual which led to a tough weight cut. He definitely didn't have the same pace that he did in the first. Although Hominick had some good moments boxing it was pretty clear who had the heavier hands.

[mattboxingfan]

I fully admit that I'm a GSP hater (because he's incredibly boring) but I still think he's a bit overrated. An elite guy obviously but when has he fought a good, technical striker with good takedown defense? Outside of Penn (who arguably beat him once) and was at a serious size/strength disadvantage.

Hardy was taken down at will by Anthony Johnson. Thiago Alves is a good fighter but not an elite guy. Koshchek has power but isn't really a great striker. Fitch is an incredibly boring lay and pray guy. Serra? Seriously? Hughes, great wrestler, but not much of a striker. Shields is limited as a striker.

I'm totally biased cause I dislike him so much (and not extraordinarily knowledgeable as far as MMA goes ) but I just think he'd have problems with a real good striker with good takedown defense. Of course, how many guys are there like that at that weight?

It's not exactly having great take defense that is needed because GSP times his takedowns so well you just cannot defend half the time. I was far from a GSP fan but after the Hardy fight I respected what he can do a lot more and I don't find his fights boring because most of the time he is so dominant is just great to watch him control on the ground and his transition are great too. I think his stand up is good but its not great because that is not what he is. He is primarily a wrestler/submission wrestler if he just focused on his stand up he could get a lot better. I genuinely believe his eye injury was a big factor in that fight without that we might have seen a finish. GSP is not a guy to make things up.