***spoilers*** UFC News and Discussion Thread

[Benjamin]

Fedor's next fight on June 17th will be streamed on Fight Pass. He's facing UFC veteran Fabio Maldonado.

[Draevyn]

Just had a chance to watch the fights. There were some pretty good fights on the early prelims and the regular prelims. I expected a better fight out of Cruz/Faber but I'm glad Cruz won. You guys are all celebrating Michael Bispings win and I'm just over here cheering the hell out of Henderson KOing Hector Lombard!

[Benjamin]

Seeing Lombard get KTFO was pretty satisfying. So was seeing Green get put away. Big Poirier fan, but he needs to do something other than just box all the time.

Cruz is amazing. The way he leans forward while his frame is further away to give the illusion that he's closer than he actually is is phenomenal. 

[MalaCloudy Black]

 

[Vince Russo]

Brock will be facing Mark Hunt at UFC 200.

A dangerous but stylistically fairly safe opponent. As long as Lesnar avoids the big overhand right, he'll be fine. If he can avoid it.

[Rich]

Stylistically sage?!  Are you having a laugh? Last time Lesnar fought a former k1 champ he got TKO'd and the time before he fought a solid striker (Cain) there was the same result.

 

[EndOfAnEra]

Was hoping for Josh Barnett.

[JasonM]

8 minutes ago, EndOfAnEra said:

Was hoping for Josh Barnett.

He's facing Arlovski in September

[Vince Russo]

3 minutes ago, WE'VE GOT AMOND! said:

Stylistically sage?!  Are you having a laugh? Last time Lesnar fought a former k1 champ he got TKO'd and the time before he fought a solid striker (Cain) there was the same result.

 

As a pure striker with no ground skills and no submission defence Mark Hunt is a stylistically safe opponent, as long as Lesnar avoids the overhand right. Yes, Hunt has kicks, but the only MMA fight he’s won with those kicks was almost twelve years ago, to a subpar superheavyweight who was never any good anyway. And if Hunt wants to deliver those kicks to the body and go for the body shot that stopped Lesnar before, Hunt’s size means he’s going to have to get in real close to Lesnar to do that, which leaves him open for a takedown, and I’d give Lesnar good odds of getting a takedown if he goes for it from that position.

 

Overeem and Hunt might both be former K-1 champions, but that does not mean they fight the same way and can beat someone the same way. Overeem was tall enough with enough reach that he could kick Lesnar from far enough away that he could avoid a takedown attempt. That’s an advantage that Hunt does not have.

[Benjamin]

Hunt does not need to avoid a takedown attempt, he has pretty good takedown defense, and with Brock having an already watered down body plus the amount of damage he took in his second WWE tenure and it's going to be a short night for him. Brock has a shitty chin, Hunt doesn't need to go for the body. Stylistically safe sounds way off to me. Brock has a chance in like the first minute of the fight, then he'll gas and it'll be a short night.

Plus, why Mark Hunt?! Who am I going to root for in that one now

[DavidMarrio]

I've gotta pick Mark Hunt for that. His overall game has improved over the last few years to suggest its not going tk be plain and simple as Brock just has to avoid being punched and he'll take hjm down. 

Plus the fact that he got tko'ed by both Overeem and Velasquez and got rocked badly by Carwin...all Hunt needs to do is hit some solid strikes and he'll hurt Brock. 

It'll be a fun fight to watch though!

[Benjamin]

But I kind of want Brock to win just to shut up the MMA dudebros that'll be going "Yeah, go back to that fake wrestling!1!1!1!"

[Arjen Robben]

Helwani's been a bit emotional on the MMA Hour talking about, now he's decided to just give a timeline I guess of times where he knows they've fucked with him.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Should be a great fight. While Lesnar did get finished in his last two it's important to remember the issues he was having with his health as well as the fact it was against top level opponents. Hunt is on a winning streak but it's not much to shout about when you look at the two guys he KO'd. Could swing either way this one, personally I fancy Lesnar to come out guns blazing, take Hunt down and finish him.

[SlicedBread]

6 hours ago, Cloudy said:

 

Apparently that's the night before Summerslam that UFC is supposed to promote for the exchange. I saw on Reddit and had to laugh but imagine video replays of Punk getting tapped or knocked out while they plug Summerslam the following Sunday.

[Rich]

2 hours ago, Asuka's Gonna Kill You said:

Should be a great fight. While Lesnar did get finished in his last two it's important to remember the issues he was having with his health as well as the fact it was against top level opponents. Hunt is on a winning streak but it's not much to shout about when you look at the two guys he KO'd. Could swing either way this one, personally I fancy Lesnar to come out guns blazing, take Hunt down and finish him.

Hunt had knocked out a guy who beat fedor, a guy who beat Lesnar and roy nelson who has never been knocked out before. He is also a former K1 kick boxing champ... Anyone who thinks mark hunts striking game is anything less than stellar is talking out of their backside.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

28 minutes ago, WE'VE GOT AMOND! said:

Hunt had knocked out a guy who beat fedor, a guy who beat Lesnar and roy nelson who has never been knocked out before. He is also a former K1 kick boxing champ... Anyone who thinks mark hunts striking game is anything less than stellar is talking out of their backside.

Can't speak for anybody else but I certainly wasn't knocking Hunt's striking at all, wouldn't surprise me one bit to see him knock out Lesnar. That wasn't a shot at him in regards to his two fight win streak. I don't think anybody has been underrating Hunt so far, instead I'm seeing quite a few writing off and underrating Lesnar (not on here).

[Vince Russo]

10 hours ago, WE'VE GOT AMOND! said:

Hunt had knocked out a guy who beat fedor, a guy who beat Lesnar and roy nelson who has never been knocked out before. He is also a former K1 kick boxing champ... Anyone who thinks mark hunts striking game is anything less than stellar is talking out of their backside.

I don't think anyone has said Hunt's striking game isn’t stellar. All that's been pointed out, quite accurately, is that Hunt's kicks, whilst obviously being vicious, are, given his size and reach when compared to Brock's size and reach, not necessarily the fight ending weapon people are assuming they'll be simply because of Hunt’s background. It's not a knock on his skill, but pointing out the simple physics in a 5’10 man trying to get in close enough to use kicks on an opponent who is 6’4 and has the strength and ability to take him down if he’s even slightly off balance.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Ariel Helwani's had his credentials restored, but not before basically admitting on his podcast to being paid by UFC. His checks went from "Fox to Zuffa" to himself

Quote

"The catch was that, for the pre and post fight shows, the check has to be signed by Zuffa. So, UFC Tonight is one contract, and that is a Fox production, Zuffa has nothing to do with that, but, even though Fox is paying the UFC for those broadcasts, weigh-in shows, post-fight shows, all that stuff, the money is going from Fox, to Zuffa, to the talent. ... The first class I ever took at [Syracuse University’s] Newhouse [School], in journalism, was journalism ethics, and they hammer that down your throat. There is like a rule that you can’t take anything above $30. I kid you not. Because you can’t owe them anything if you want to be unbiased."

UFC fighters also got veto power over anything he asked in interviews. He'd ask them if it was okay to ask about x subject, they'd say yea or nay. When he interviewed Travis Browne, he explicitly asked Browne if it was OK to ask about his relationship with Ronda Rousey and Browne talked to Rousey and came back with the OK, but she still got mad at him after the interview came out.

Quote

"I reached out to people close to her, I reached out to Travis, I said “You told me this was okay. I never would’ve done it if it wasn’t. I don’t understand.” Nothing. [...] I would never do something she didn’t want me to do. I would never do something that would expose her, or embarrass her. I specifically asked for permission beforehand, which by the way is something you’re told not to do."

http://deadspin.com/blackballed-mma-reporter-admits-he-was-ufcs-paid-shill-1780851837

He also confirmed a Twitter rumor that at UFC 172 he was thrown against a wall and choked by UFC security for asking Chuck Liddell if he'd fight Jon Jones.

[Rich]

8 hours ago, Vince Russo said:

I don't think anyone has said Hunt's striking game isn’t stellar. All that's been pointed out, quite accurately, is that Hunt's kicks, whilst obviously being vicious, are, given his size and reach when compared to Brock's size and reach, not necessarily the fight ending weapon people are assuming they'll be simply because of Hunt’s background. It's not a knock on his skill, but pointing out the simple physics in a 5’10 man trying to get in close enough to use kicks on an opponent who is 6’4 and has the strength and ability to take him down if he’s even slightly off balance.

Have you ever watched a Mark Hunt fight? I mean, his kicks are generally against the legs and his knockouts are generally by punch, I don't care how tall you are, Mark Hunt punching you in the face will suck.