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UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ 35: Covington vs. Woodley (9/19/2020) - Las Vegas, NV (UFC APEX)


Elsalvajeloco

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UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ 35: Covington vs. Woodley 
September 19, 2020
Las Vegas, NV (UFC APEX)

Colby Covington (171) vs. Tyron Woodley (171) - Covington, TKO (injury), R5 (1:19)
Donald Cerrone (170.5) vs. Niko Price (170.5) - No Contest (Price Failed Drug Test for Marijuana)
Khamzat Chimaev (185.5) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (186) - Chimaev, KO (punch), R1 (0:17)
Johnny Walker (205.5) vs. Ryan Spann (205.5) - Walker, TKO (elbows), R1 (2:43)
Mackenzie Dern (115) vs. Randa Markos (115.5) - Dern, SUB (armbar), R1 (3:44)
Kevin Holland (185) vs. Darren Stewart (185.5) - Holland, DEC (split)

ESPN+ Preliminary Card:
Jordan Espinosa (126) vs. David Dvořák (125.5) - Dvořák, DEC (unanimous)
Mirsad Bektić (144.5) vs. Damon Jackson (145.5) - Jackson, SUB (guillotine choke), R3 (1:21)
Mayra Bueno Silva (125.5) vs. Mara Romero Borella (125) - Silva, SUB (armbar), R1 (2:29)
Jessica-Rose Clark (135) vs. Sarah Alpar (135.5) - Clark, TKO (strikes), R3 (4:21)
Darrick Minner (146) vs. T.J. Laramie (145) - Minner, SUB (guillotine choke), R1 (0:52)
Journey Newson (135) vs. Randy Costa (135) - Costa, KO (head kick and punches), R1 (0:41)
Andre Ewell (134.5) vs. Irwin Rivera (135.5) - Ewell, DEC (split)
Tyson Nam (136) vs. Jerome Rivera (135) - Nam, TKO (punches), R2 (0:34)

Event Bonuses ($50,000)
Performance of the Night: Randy Costa
Performance of the Night: Damon Jackson
Performance of the Night: Mackenzie Dern
Performance of the Night: Khamzat Chimaev

Edited by Elsalvajeloco
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1 hour ago, Jiji said:

After a few ho hum cards, this feels like a ppv calibre show. That's a lot of promising fighters on there and a big main event. 

In terms of entertainment, they were fine cards. It also helps they weren't like 12 fights deep most of the time. The problem is them trying to slide in so much new talent (many from the Contender Series), which obviously means more fights they have to fulfill contractually. A good portion of some of these fighters we've seen in the past several weeks are decent, but most of them aren't really UFC caliber. At least, not yet. Reminds me of the early UFC Fight Pass exclusive shows. We ended up with plenty of good and some great fighters from those shows. However, there was plenty of muck they had to sift through to find them. I mean that's how you end up with guys like Chimaev. Hell, you can even throw Johnny Walker into that mix because it's not like early on he was on major cards even though it was pre-pandemic. He won two fights, and then it was on to bigger cards. The UFC is going to be super aggressive in signing new fighters with many of them being folks people don't know. They're hoping to find the next big superstars.

Another issue is obviously covid-19 because they had to make some major changes. It's nothing they can control.

With this card, they clearly wanted to do something notable the week ahead of a PPV. In addition, this card (so far, fingers crossed) held together well compared to the other cards. That's just luck.

Edited by Elsalvajeloco
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20 minutes ago, Hail Sabin said:

So by how many Pounds will Dern miss weight this Time? 

It looks like she's got that under control. Granted she's spent time on maternity leave, the ABC fight was almost 2 and 1/2 years ago. She's made weight twice since then. Compare that to some of the other folks who missed multiple times since then, and don't get as much scrutiny. We've had several fighters in the Fight Island and UFC APEX era now who either sign on to fights or replace fighters knowing full well they're not going to make weight. Instead of just agreeing to a catchweight, they miss by 3 or 4 pounds and end losing up a portion of their purse or end up in the hospital.

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  • jaedmc pinned this topic

It is strange that a card this loaded and the only way to see it is on ESPN+.   But now that we have college football back there is no need to fill 5 hours of ESPN

Woodley just say 'BLACK LIVES MATTER' over and over and coming out to this in the presser was just gold.  I just don't think he is winning this particular fight

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The question is can Tyron can kick it into another gear? I'll grant him the Usman fight as one where it was gonna be hard to win anyway, however, it wasn't much different in the Durinho fight. Now it's another difficult style matchup and you wonder can he let his hands go. It's not like Covington is Pernell Whitaker or anything so he'll have opportunities if the fight can stay standing. 

Just too many ifs going into this fight.

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45 minutes ago, John E. Dynamite said:

This card feels like a major step toward the burgeoning saga of UFC-as-Facist-Propaganda-Machine. Regardless of outcome, I cannot bring myself to watch it. Or maybe any other UFC event ever.

We'll miss you, buddy.

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Colby grinds out the win and Dana's coming down to the ring with a tiny fuckin' replica John Cena-era US Championship Belt to wrap around Colby's dick, shoving red/white/blue Fire Cracker popsicles down all the ring girl's throats while Born in the USA (just the chorus) plays on loop. You can trade in your COVID mask for a free Gadsen flag in the parking lot after the show. They aren't getting my fucking money any more.

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4 minutes ago, John E. Dynamite said:

Colby grinds out the win and Dana's coming down to the ring with a tiny fuckin' replica John Cena-era US Championship Belt to wrap around Colby's dick, shoving red/white/blue Fire Cracker popsicles down all the ring girl's throats while Born in the USA (just the chorus) plays on loop. You can trade in your COVID mask for a free Gadsen flag in the parking lot after the show. They aren't getting my fucking money any more.

This is where you drew the line, but not Chael Sonnen saying that Little Nog tried to feed a bus a carrot and Minotauro started petting it? Then said he didn't know Brazil had computers. 

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26 minutes ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

This is where you drew the line, but not Chael Sonnen saying that Little Nog tried to feed a bus a carrot and Minotauro started petting it? Then said he didn't know Brazil had computers. 

i'm going to think of a better reply than "yes"

Chael Sonnen's self-identified social group/class/thing and the Nogueira's were separated by a lot of miles and a lot of geopolitical entities. That's not to say it wasn't trashy, but...

They were not a professional MAGA hat troll and an outspoken black man from Ferguson, calling each other racists and terrorists a month and a half out from a compromised and contentious election that I don't unreasonably think might lead to a certain kind of unrest, and, oh i dunno,

death

I've seen this kind of thing in MMA before, duh. This isn't Kadryov kneecaping Fedor's sister, this isn't even the yakuza in PRIDE, and I don't mean to equivocate. But it's the country I live in and it's the biggest MMA company in the world and after the Trump rally I have no doubts regarding the company's preferred (and likely) outcome. There is a deep sociopolitical symbolism in that outcome, and I don't want to say that I paid to see it. The same symbolic outcome was a possibility in the Usman fight, and I felt gross about that too.

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1 hour ago, John E. Dynamite said:

i'm going to think of a better reply than "yes"

Chael Sonnen's self-identified social group/class/thing and the Nogueira's were separated by a lot of miles and a lot of geopolitical entities. That's not to say it wasn't trashy

Without Chael Sonnen, we don't get baby Chael Sonnen because Colby wouldn't feel emboldened to do it. Would he say he supports Trump? Probably because if you look at the folks going to the upcoming Trump fundraiser (I think it hasn't happened yet), it's not just Colby Covington. It's Henry Cejudo. It's Justin Gaethje. It's Roy Jones Jr., who was my favorite boxer for several years. Colby gets shit (rightfully so) because he's the mascot. However, that's all he is. A mascot. If Chael had done some Tea Party stuff when he was still a title contender, it wouldn't have shocked me. And it's not like we didn't have police (or vigilante in the case of George Zimmerman) shootings or deaths in general of unarmed black people and riots THEN. That's how we got here in the first place. Freddie Gray in Baltimore was 2015. Sandra Bland was 2015. Ferguson was 2014. The Zimmerman verdict was the summer of 2013. So on and so forth. It's just gotten uglier each and every year. 

1 hour ago, John E. Dynamite said:

They were not a professional MAGA hat troll and an outspoken black man from Ferguson, calling each other racists and terrorists a month and a half out from a compromised and contentious election that I don't unreasonably think might lead to a certain kind of unrest, and, oh i dunno,

death

I've seen this kind of thing in MMA before, duh. This isn't Kadryov kneecaping Fedor's sister, this isn't even the yakuza in PRIDE, and I don't mean to equivocate. But it's the country I live in and it's the biggest MMA company in the world and after the Trump rally I have no doubts regarding the company's preferred (and likely) outcome.

In the middle of the pandemic, we had a man make his return after the gruesome abduction and death of his daughter and then someone mentioned in the event thread it would been better if he had won. We also had the "they shouldn't have marketed it this way" contingent. People don't get it...that's just fighting in a nutshell. So was the UFC not suppose to say anything or Walt Harris just hide up under a rock and never fight again? It was going to be a black cloud hanging over his return bout either way it went. Since then, we've had people fight after the loss of siblings, grandparents, and other loved ones. Many of them have won, but I don't think all of them won. They fight the fights for a reason. You cannot have a legit sport, and expect the babyfaces to win all the time. Does it suck it's probably washed up Tyron Woodley against Covington? Yeah, but Covington is a top fighter. There isn't THAT many fighters at 170 better than him. However, if Tyron wins and knocks his teeth out, it makes it that much sweeter.

Our old moderator sprewellrimz brought it to my attention last night (since I wasn't watching the show) that Invicta had a fighter (Ashley Cummins) who I believe is a cop and vehemently supports the cops with the gear she chooses to wear to the cage everytime she gets indeed fought last night and lost by Von Flue choke. I mean I could take that as a personal victory, karma, and all that, but this is like Rod Salka (fwiw the guy Danny Garcia brutally KO'd in one of the biggest mismatches Showtime Boxing ever had in its long history) got stopped by IIRC Francisco Vargas while wearing Build That Wall themed trunks or some shit. Yeah, Francisco Vargas is suppose to beat the shit out of Rod Salka. Salka isn't a good fighter really. Combat sports can bring great feelings and memories, but it can't be all cathartic. You won't be able to live vicariously through the fighters all the time. These sports are brutal in their very nature. However, in my opinion, that's what makes the true victories that much sweeter. Crowd favorites can't and don't win all the time.

Moreover, what I would have a problem with is if the UFC decided to censor folks in retaliation. That would be unsettling to me. For example, someone tried to rile up Angela Hill on Friday (or Thursday, didn't get a good look at the timestamp) and get her to turn on Woodley. Angela had a great response to that very much in support of Tyron Woodley. If UFC tried to censor her and say she couldn't tweet that, I would have a huge problem with that especially since UFC capitalized just last week on saying Angela Hill was the first African-American female to headline a UFC event. Just like the fans can't have it both ways, the UFC cannot have it both ways. If they let Covington say the most outrageous shit, other fighters should have a chance to voice their opinions. 

Edited by Elsalvajeloco
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It's the boss, though. It's Dana. He very actively stumps for the bad guys. Like Vince & fam actively stump for the bad guys. I've felt a lot better since I cut that company out of my life. ANY sport is going to carry sociopolitical implications, whether it wants to or not. But these implications are coming from the top down. 12 to 6, baby. It ain't legal.

I get that I'm coming from this from an American perspective. I get that Spanish soccer rivalries are predicated on "hey, remember when you asked Hitler to bomb my grandma?". But there will be no lasting images of Messi breaking Ronaldo's jaw after his 170th punch of the game. Stick and ball sports are metaphors, and violence is real. I hold my violence to a different and higher standard.

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1 hour ago, John E. Dynamite said:

There is a deep sociopolitical symbolism in that outcome, and I don't want to say that I paid to see it. The same symbolic outcome was a possibility in the Usman fight, and I felt gross about that too.

Here's the thing: The issue I had with folks complaining about the kneeling in 2016 and the people who have followed in Kaepernick's footsteps in various forms of protest is people picking and choosing when sport is suppose to be political. Just like there is not one right way to protest, there isn't a right way for sports to be political. For a long time, people have expected athletes (who are mostly African-Americans coming from tough upbringings and in difficult environments showing the ill effects of the racial wealth gap and inordinate wealth hoarding in this country) to be apolitical mutants who can jump through the air and run fast for their enjoyment just because they are starting to get money now. No, they are very much entitled to their opinions. Now some might be very off base and over the top, but that's more on people not being able to decipher when they're worshipping celebrities/athletes too much and the decadent veil. The point is there aren't many forums where they can speak their mind other than their particular endeavor. Where are you more likely to see LeBron James? The basketball court or a TED talk? Maybe IG live, but the most eyeballs are going to be when he plays. That's just how it is. So I expect politics to be played out in sports. When they do the flyovers in a sporting event? Political. When they play the National Anthem or America the Beautiful? Political. When we have Breast Cancer Awareness themed jerseys and helmets for players? That's political. Political interest groups are always at play. Just because everyone agrees with it or likes the gesture doesn't remove the political implications. In addition, with combat sports, it's so much about masculinity that it makes it more susceptible for politics (Jack Johnson vs. Tommy Burns, Johnson vs. Jim Jeffries, Johnson vs. Jess Willard, Louis vs. Schmeling II, Marciano vs. Louis, Ali vs. Frazier I, Holmes vs. Cooney, etc.). Shit, that's the reason why boxing was the biggest or one of the biggest sports in the world for long. Politics and what comes with it is the reason it can have a megabout every so often. So if you've noticed a streak where politics, race, class, or nationality aren't at play somehow in combat sports, then you've found an exception to the rule. It definitely ain't the rule.

34 minutes ago, John E. Dynamite said:

It's the boss, though. It's Dana. He very actively stumps for the bad guys. Like Vince & fam actively stump for the bad guys. I've felt a lot better since I cut that company out of my life. ANY sport is going to carry sociopolitical implications, whether it wants to or not. But these implications are coming from the top down. 9 to 5, baby. It ain't legal.

Bob Arum hates Trump, and as much someone can love Arum's crazy old ass, he's not a savory person either. The fact he gets to play the crazy old man card with the boxing media gives him an out. Dana doesn't get that much since he isn't pushing 90. The good thing though is promoters don't fight, which is good because I can't think of many who I would root for. 

Edited by Elsalvajeloco
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I sincerely dislike "God Bless America" being shoehorned into baseball after 9/11. I don't love Komen. And while I agree with the sentiment of the BLM branding on the current NBA product, I really wonder if it makes a difference. But when you talk about promoters who you would root for - they don't care if you root for them. They care if you pay them. I don't want to pay them. I have weird priorities, I guess.

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13 minutes ago, John E. Dynamite said:

I sincerely dislike "God Bless America" being shoehorned into baseball after 9/11. I don't love Komen. And while I agree with the sentiment of the BLM branding on the current NBA product, I really wonder if it makes a difference. 

Well the leagues don't really care if you like it because it's happening anyway due to politics. That's the point.

13 minutes ago, John E. Dynamite said:

But when you talk about promoters who you would root for - they don't care if you root for them. They care if you pay them. I don't want to pay them.

Is the UFC getting from the ESPN deal or from your pockets? They're guaranteed money on every PPV now. ESPN+ is so successful that a small group dropping out doesn't even register. Even if that wasn't the case, Dana White got 300 million dollars AND allowed to remain the promoter of the UFC. The battle and the war itself ended four years ago. It's over, bro.

Quote

 I have weird priorities, I guess.

I wouldn't say it's a weird priority because you not watching is on you. However, it's a very weird angle to look at this from. There is no political safespace on either side when it comes to combat sports, so you cannot really have a standard to hold up. If you do have one, it's one you arbitrarily choose to apply.

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