jaedmc Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 And there it is. The Snoop Prophecy is complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 (edited) Sean O'Malley wins the UFC Bantamweight Championship at the start of round two with a big right hand with follow up punches. Edited August 20, 2023 by The Natural Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 (edited) Daniel Cormier saying Aljamain Sterling is the Bantamweight GOAT. No, that's Dominick Cruz. Edited August 20, 2023 by The Natural 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted August 20, 2023 Author Share Posted August 20, 2023 Step off to the side...counter right hand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 12 out of 17 wins by KO for Sean O'Malley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawful Metal Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 Clown world early stoppage. All Hail Sugar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 Yeah yeah yeah, Sean won. Yeah yeah yeah, they wanna book him and Chito. But the real story is Merab Dvalishvilli just got let off the leash. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 1 minute ago, jaedmc said: Yeah yeah yeah, Sean won. Yeah yeah yeah, they wanna book him and Chito. But the real story is Merab Dvalishvilli just got let off the leash. I forgot that. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 On stoppages, I've always believed better stopped a punch too soon than a punch too late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamBroken Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 Sugar Sean! Love to see it. Always good to see a killer Zhang Weili performance as well. thought Natalia Silva looked awesome on the early prelims, star quality. Heartbreaking loss for Maryna Moroz to tap at the literal last second to get stopped for the first time. Sad that Chris Weidman couldn't pull it off, but I popped for seeing his entrance again when I Won't Back Down hit. Always one of my favorites. I guess if nothing else, it was his first loss that wasn't by knockout at least. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 (edited) Sterling predicted a second round TKO. He wasn't wrong... from a certain point of view..... So, let's talk about that Gregory Rodriguez illegal elbow that nearly killed Denis Tiuliulin. I feel that a fighter with more killer instinct than honor would've destroyed Chris Weidman's leg and crippled him so lucky for Chris that he drew Brad Tavares who did just enough to win the fight and not maim Weidman for life. Edited August 21, 2023 by J.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waffle Posted August 21, 2023 Share Posted August 21, 2023 (edited) On 8/20/2023 at 12:13 AM, The Natural said: Daniel Cormier saying Aljamain Sterling is the Bantamweight GOAT. No, that's Dominick Cruz. Been seeing this a lot this year. Don't get it. Aljo won the title on a DQ of a fight he was losing. Beat Yan clean in the second even if the judges had it as a split. TJ did a bank robbery on the UFC before retiring, coming in with a unusable shoulder. 50/50 fight with Henry coming of a multiple year layoff. Then starched by Sugar. While Cruz from 2008-2016 was untouchable. Edited August 21, 2023 by waffle 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted August 21, 2023 Author Share Posted August 21, 2023 46 minutes ago, waffle said: Been seeing this a lot this year. Don't get it. Aljo won the title on a DQ of a fight he was losing. Beat Yan clean in the second even if the judges had it as a split. TJ did a bank robbery on the UFC before retiring, coming in with a unusable shoulder. 50/50 fight with Henry coming of a multiple year layoff. Then starched by Sugar. While Cruz from 2008-2016 was untouchable. I dunno if the Cejudo fight was 50/50. IMO He beat Cejudo pretty convincingly, and Cejudo is still a hell of a fighter. I thought the 2nd fight with Petr Yan was really impressive. He's the first guy to make Petr Yan look like just merely a very good fighter. You didn't even mention the Sandhagen win, which is arguably on par with any win you can have as a contender or champion. As for Dom, I would say if we're talking just the WEC era and the early years of the UFC having fights below 155, he's probably one of the more consistent fighters. However, I don't think there is a true best bantamweight of all time. I think there are some folks with some really good wins. However, compared to an Jose Aldo or a Max Holloway or a Volkanovski up at featherweight, it doesn't compare. IMO We haven't seen the best bantamweight of all time yet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waffle Posted August 21, 2023 Share Posted August 21, 2023 11 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said: I dunno if the Cejudo fight was 50/50. IMO He beat Cejudo pretty convincingly, and Cejudo is still a hell of a fighter. I thought the 2nd fight with Petr Yan was really impressive. He's the first guy to make Petr Yan look like just merely a very good fighter. You didn't even mention the Sandhagen win, which is arguably on par with any win you can have as a contender or champion. As for Dom, I would say if we're talking just the WEC era and the early years of the UFC having fights below 155, he's probably one of the more consistent fighters. However, I don't think there is a true best bantamweight of all time. I think there are some folks with some really good wins. However, compared to an Jose Aldo or a Max Holloway or a Volkanovski up at featherweight, it doesn't compare. IMO We haven't seen the best bantamweight of all time yet. I mean the Cejudo fight would've been a loss, if Cleary didn't turn in that awful scorecard. 2nd Yan fight was his best win for sure. Not sure how that win will age since Yan is now on a three fight losing streak. I think Dom is the best because he dominated the division, then returned and beat the other guy who was dominating the division in TJ. Seven wins in title fights. Don't really see anybody matching up. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted August 21, 2023 Author Share Posted August 21, 2023 8 minutes ago, waffle said: I mean the Cejudo fight would've been a loss, if Cleary didn't turn in that awful scorecard. 2nd Yan fight was his best win for sure. Not sure how that win will age since Yan is now on a three fight losing streak. I think Dom is the best because he dominated the division, then returned and beat the other guy who was dominating the division in TJ. Seven wins in title fights. Don't really see anybody matching up. Cruz also was in a division that was still developing and also had a lot of future flyweights. I think in terms of being a pioneer, I think he should get that credit. I am not sure what that means for his longevity. Now that said, Aljo's three or four best wins in his career stack up to Dom's three or four best wins cause Aljo beat all his comp in their primes. Even with Cejudo, it's not like he forgot how to fight in his time away. Aljo is just a tough style match up for him cause he just cannot simply take Sterling down when he wants to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiztor Posted August 21, 2023 Share Posted August 21, 2023 12 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said: IMO We haven't seen the best bantamweight of all time yet. On 8/20/2023 at 12:13 AM, The Natural said: Daniel Cormier saying Aljamain Sterling is the Bantamweight GOAT. No, that's Dominick Cruz. i'd put Cruz as the BW GOAT, but i don't think that he has as firm a grip on that division as DJ at FLW or Aldo/Max/Volk at FW. i could definitely see a guy go on a run and take that crown in the next few years. sidenote 1: pre-Cruz, Miguel Torres was considered the GOAT due to his WEC run. YMMV, but it made as much sense as anything at the time. Cruz never fought him. while Cruz was out getting his zombie legs, Barao was considered the current greatest. He obviously had a monumental fall, but for a couple of years there, he looked like he would for sure be an all timer. Cruz never fought him either. sidenote 2: Aljo had what i would consider the weirdest title run in UFC history. Won the title by DQ in a match he was definitely losing. Came back in the rematch and convincingly beat that guy (even if it was a split decision). Beat the former champ in Dillashaw, but it was a severely compromised version. Beat another former champ in Cejudo, albeit after a 3 year retirement. Just bizarre. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted August 21, 2023 Author Share Posted August 21, 2023 14 minutes ago, twiztor said: sidenote 2: Aljo had what i would consider the weirdest title run in UFC history. Won the title by DQ in a match he was definitely losing. Came back in the rematch and convincingly beat that guy (even if it was a split decision). Beat the former champ in Dillashaw, but it was a severely compromised version. Beat another former champ in Cejudo, albeit after a 3 year retirement. Just bizarre. I dunno if I would call that bizarre as much as bantamweight hasn't had the most ideal conditions for a prolonged period. That's why it's tough to consider anyone the greatest ever. I think Dominick Cruz spent more time on the shelf than fighting over the last six or seven years. With each return, it was a more diminished version. Unfortunately, I think what hurts Dom the most outside the inactivity and injuries, the division has the most talent it has ever had in it's existence. Bantamweight for a good while was as top heavy as flyweight. You had about 4-5 good fighters, 1 or 2 contenders, and everyone else was also rans. Eddie Wineland, for example, managed to stay in the UFC way longer than he should have. A guy like Sergio Pettis probably should be a perennial title contender but he got let go before he probably could have been. Then, you add in Cejudo probably should have had a good long title reign but never did. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 9 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said: Cruz also was in a division that was still developing and also had a lot of future flyweights. I think this is a very overlooked point. In his WEC/UFC title runs he had defenses against Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez, both who while talented had no business in that weight class but were forced to doing to flyweight not yet existing in the Zuffa companies. I would still probably give him the edge as best bantamweight so far, but there's a lot more soft spots in his record than people really acknowledge. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 (edited) On 8/20/2023 at 6:13 AM, The Natural said: Daniel Cormier saying Aljamain Sterling is the Bantamweight GOAT. No, that's Dominick Cruz. On 8/21/2023 at 7:06 AM, waffle said: Been seeing this a lot this year. Don't get it. Aljo won the title on a DQ of a fight he was losing. Beat Yan clean in the second even if the judges had it as a split. TJ did a bank robbery on the UFC before retiring, coming in with a unusable shoulder. 50/50 fight with Henry coming of a multiple year layoff. Then starched by Sugar. While Cruz from 2008-2016 was untouchable. On 8/21/2023 at 7:35 PM, waffle said: I mean the Cejudo fight would've been a loss, if Cleary didn't turn in that awful scorecard. 2nd Yan fight was his best win for sure. Not sure how that win will age since Yan is now on a three fight losing streak. I think Dom is the best because he dominated the division, then returned and beat the other guy who was dominating the division in TJ. Seven wins in title fights. Don't really see anybody matching up. In full agreement. My favourite thing about Dominick Cruz is how unique his style, movement and footwork. Sometimes a current fighter is heavily hyped as the GOAT (Sterling) focusing on the present and overlooking the past (Cruz). Cruz is by far my consensus Bantamweight GOAT. Cruz also the best comeback in MMA history beating TJ Dillashaw. Pains me losing three years of Cruz at his best with those damn ACL tears. On 8/21/2023 at 8:36 PM, twiztor said: i'd put Cruz as the BW GOAT, but i don't think that he has as firm a grip on that division as DJ at FLW or Aldo/Max/Volk at FW. i could definitely see a guy go on a run and take that crown in the next few years. sidenote 1: pre-Cruz, Miguel Torres was considered the GOAT due to his WEC run. YMMV, but it made as much sense as anything at the time. Cruz never fought him. while Cruz was out getting his zombie legs, Barao was considered the current greatest. He obviously had a monumental fall, but for a couple of years there, he looked like he would for sure be an all timer. Cruz never fought him either. sidenote 2: Aljo had what i would consider the weirdest title run in UFC history. Won the title by DQ in a match he was definitely losing. Came back in the rematch and convincingly beat that guy (even if it was a split decision). Beat the former champ in Dillashaw, but it was a severely compromised version. Beat another former champ in Cejudo, albeit after a 3 year retirement. Just bizarre. You've brought up two points, I've thinking about. Which fighter is the GOAT at each weight class and how weird Sterling's UFC Bantamweight Championship reign was. Adding to that, a big part why Sean O'Malley challenged was his split decision victory over Petr Yan which pretty much everybody scored for Yan apart from the two judges. Edited August 23, 2023 by The Natural 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted August 23, 2023 Author Share Posted August 23, 2023 5 hours ago, The Natural said: overlooking the past (Cruz). I don't anyone is overlooking Dom as much Dom has hurt a lot of his case by continuing to fight on as a diminished fighter. It's hard to distinguish the Dominick Cruz that was champ from the one who got demolished by Chito Vera. Moreover, I wouldn't take the division Dominick Cruz lorded over against the one we currently have now. How many guys 10-15 years ago were better than Merab, Sandhagen, Petr Yan, Chito, Aljo since he the former champ, Rob Font? I think the only guy I would say gives those guys trouble outside of Dominick is maybe a prime Dillashaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted August 26, 2023 Author Share Posted August 26, 2023 UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ 83: Holloway vs. Zombie August 26, 2023 Kallang, Singapore (Singapore Indoor Stadium) Max Holloway (146) vs. Chan Sung Jung (146) - Holloway, KO (punch), R3 (0:23) Anthony Smith (205.5) vs. Ryan Spann (205) - Smith, DEC (split) Giga Chikadze (146) vs. Alex Caceres (145.5) - Chikadze, DEC (unanimous) Rinya Nakamura (135) vs. Fernie Garcia (135.5) - Nakamura, DEC (unanimous) Erin Blanchfield (125.5) vs. Talia Santos (124.5) - Blanchfield, DEC (unanimous) Junior Tafa (255) vs. Parker Porter (256) - Tafa, KO (punch), R1 (1:24) ESPN+ Preliminary Card: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (264) vs. Łukasz Brzeski (243) - Cortes-Acosta, KO (punches), R1 (3:01) Toshiomi Kazama (135.5) vs. Garrett Armfield (135) - Armfield, TKO (punches), R1 (4:16) Chidi Njokuani (185.5) vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk (186) - Oleksiejczuk, TKO (punches), R1 (4:16) Kenan Song (170) vs. Rolando Bedoya (170.5) - Song, DEC (unanimous) Billy Goff (170) vs. Yusaku Kinoshita (170.5) - Goff, TKO (punches), R1 (3:49) Na Liang (126) vs. JJ Aldrich (126) - Aldrich, TKO (punches), R2 (4:49) Seung Woo Choi (146) vs. Jarno Errens (145) - Choi, DEC (unanimous) Event Bonuses ($50,000) Performance of the Night: Michał Oleksiejczuk Performance of the Night: Junior Tafa Fight of the Night: Max Holloway vs. Chan Sung Jung Attendance: 10,263 Gate: $1.29 million Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamBroken Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 I'm sad that Erin vs Taila is no longer a main event like originally planned, still looking forward to it as both are two of my top favorites. Only issue is not wanting either to have to lose, but should be a good one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted August 26, 2023 Author Share Posted August 26, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 Well look at Parker Porter slimming down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted August 26, 2023 Author Share Posted August 26, 2023 34 minutes ago, jaedmc said: Well look at Parker Porter slimming down. And landing face down. Also, the Cortes-Acosta stoppage of Brzeski was somehow more ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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