2016 Non-Event General MMA Talk Thread

[Elsalvajeloco 7,714]

37 minutes ago, TheVileOne said:

If Donald Cerrone is still technically under contract with UFC as Brett Okamoto tweeted, is it even legal for Bellator MMA to make him a contract offer?

Cerrone has one fight left so no it wouldn't be legal.

I doubt Cerrone leaves anyway.

[TheVileOne 2,291]

Never mind, from what I've now read, it's unlikely he even received the offer at all.  Just more social media BS.  

[Elsalvajeloco 7,714]

Larkin is probably the free agent to watch since he was with Strikeforce prior to UFC. The thing is though, Larkin isn't that big of a name. He would be good wherever he goes, but he may be more in the Aljamain Sterling category than the Rory MacDonald category. If people don't make the right type of offers (or any offers at all) then it severely limits your options.

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Mirsad Bektic is returning to fight Arnold Allen at UFC 204.

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Also, rumor going around is that GSP will be on UFC 206 in Toronto but it is not finalized yet.

[Elsalvajeloco 7,714]

Mike Perry gets a quick turnaround and will fight Danny Roberts at UFC 204.

[Elsalvajeloco 7,714]

FWIW Rory MacDonald isn't going to make his Bellator debut until next summer it looks like.

So is he going to sit out a year everytime his nose breaks?

[Craig H 12,317]

1 hour ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

FWIW Rory MacDonald isn't going to make his Bellator debut until next summer it looks like.

So is he going to sit out a year everytime his nose breaks?

Just cut the fucker off, shave his head, and start calling himself Voldemort. 

[Elsalvajeloco 7,714]

Marcin Held has signed with the UFC.

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Cole Miller vs. Mizuto Hirota and Seo Hee Ham vs. Danielle Taylor have both been added to the UFC card in Manila.

[Elsalvajeloco 7,714]

According to Portal do Vale Tudo, Junior dos Santos has been cleared by his physician and is hoping to return as soon as November.

[Elsalvajeloco 7,714]

FWIW, I heard that he is leaving by the end of the year. Now, people can be mad at the other tiny matchmaker man.

[Craig H 12,317]

That's been the change I've worried about the most, the day when Joe Silva leaves. 

[Elsalvajeloco 7,714]

37 minutes ago, Craig H said:

That's been the change I've worried about the most, the day when Joe Silva leaves. 

For whatever reason (and don't know if this directly correlates to Silva's decision) Meltzer has been hinting that the direction of the new ownership is to make the biggest fights possible so they can reach that break even number of $88 million a year in profits to pay off loans until the new TV deal rolls around. If that's the case, then it's pretty obvious what fights to make on the top level. Now what to do with the other 600 fighters...that's up to Sean Shelby I'm guessing once Joe leaves at the end of this year or next year. 

People are always gonna complain even when it's not his fault. I don't expect this to change for whoever takes over. The two biggest stars recently? They didn't fight in divisions controlled by Joe Silva up until one did this year. If all they care about is stars and making stars, then they are going to run with the blueprint they want to run with. Bellator (well Viacom) is running with that model even when that model isn't working for them. I've accepted that is going to happen.

[TheVileOne 2,291]

I dunno.  Based on everything I've read and heard, the work Joe Silva has done has been essential to the company, not to mention pretty thankless.

Either way, this is the nature of the business.  Regimes change.  Staffs change.  Ownership changes, and executive staff changes as well.  

[Elsalvajeloco 7,714]

2 minutes ago, TheVileOne said:

I dunno.  Based on everything I've read and heard, the work Joe Silva has done has been essential to the company, not to mention pretty thankless.  

I didn't say the dude was useless. I'm saying the new regime is heading in a slightly newer direction, one they probably believe could be bolstered by just trying make fights the majority of people (who are willing to pay) want to see.

IMO, there isn't one blueprint guarantee to work. A lot of stuff has to fall into the right place ALONG with the matchmaking. Even in his absence, I don't expect their to be wholesale changes in the matchmaking unless the philosophy of the company changes.

[We Dem Boyz 25]

6 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

FWIW, I heard that he is leaving by the end of the year. Now, people can be mad at the other tiny matchmaker man.

I'm not surprised by this. When the sale was first confirmed Meltzer mentioned him living in Virginia and speculating that maybe the new owners wouldn't accept that. 

Business as usual...

[TheVileOne 2,291]

I'm curious if Joe Silva had any ownership in the company at all and how he made out from the sale to WME, if at all.

[Elsalvajeloco 7,714]

1 hour ago, TheVileOne said:

I'm curious if Joe Silva had any ownership in the company at all and how he made out from the sale to WME, if at all.

I highly doubt he did. Plus, something like that would have been already out there.

The Ben Fowlkes article is saying he did get enough as an executive when the sale occurred to retire though.

[Elsalvajeloco 7,714]

Marcin Held's first fight will be Diego Sanchez in Mexico City. Also, on the same card, Kelvin Gastelum will fight Jorge Masvidal.

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Gunnar Nelson vs. Stun Gun is going to headline the 11/19 Belfast show. I believe that is a day show on Fight Pass and there will be a FS1 show from Sao Paulo later that day.

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It looks like Claudia Gadelha has left the main branch of Nova Uniao in Rio and relocated to Stroudsburg, PA and started her own gym. It looks like Herica Tiburcio is down there as well. Claudia will be traveling to Natal, Brazil to train at Kimura Nova Uniao with Renan Barao and others NU fighters though.

There is a rumor going around that there was this blowup on the phone between Dede and her, but Claudia is denying that is what took place.