Boxing/UFC 2018-24

[Dan2501]

Askren chocked unconscious by a Demian Maia RNC. I thought Askren would have a fantastic run in the UFC but it hasn't happened. A contentious win over Lawler followed by being KO'd in 5 seconds and then chocked unconscious by Maia. Could be the end for Askren's career, can't see him coming back from this. Shame, as was super excited for his debut.

 

[Fromtherough]

Askren chocked unconscious by a Demian Maia RNC. I thought Askren would have a fantastic run in the UFC but it hasn't happened. A contentious win over Lawler followed by being KO'd in 5 seconds and then chocked unconscious by Maia. Could be the end for Askren's career, can't see him coming back from this. Shame, as was super excited for his debut.

Askren may go down as the biggest hype job to ever feature in the UFC. I was never a fan as his fights were usually boring and I don't think the calibre of his opposition was anything to shout about.

However, the UFC have been unrelenting with his opponents since he joined. The fight with Lawler was a beat down, which probably should have been stopped. To be fair he scraped a win - in very contentious circumstances. He was then pole-axed by Masvidal and now choked unconscious by Maia. I think it's fair to say he's struggled with the step up.

His stand up is awful and he's much too one dimensional. Is he a big draw in the USA though? I think that will determine if he continues.

Really looking forward to UFC 244 now Diaz is cleared to fight. I hope the main event lives up to the hype. Will be good to see what Till is like at middleweight. A terrible choice of opponent in Gastelum though. Could be a tough night for him. The whole card looks amazing. For Johnny Walker to only make the pre-lims says it all.

 

[Dan2501]

Askren just joins a list of guys who looked fantastic outside the organisation but have flattered to deceive. Guys like Sexyama, Lombard, Sokoudjou, Shields and Jorge Santiago. He did win the first 2 rounds against Maia to be fair to him, and contentious or not, he did beat Lawler after surviving getting battered, so have to give him a little bit of credit, but yeah, think he expected to just shut guys down like he was in other promotions, but hasn't happened that way. His stand-up is awful, but against most guys not named Demian Maia that's not really a big issue, as he can take anyone down and rag-doll them on the mat, Maia's just too damn good. To dominate Askren on the mat like he did was so damn impressive, Askren's a seriously good grappler.

Also, I don't think his opposition outside the UFC was that bad. His run in Bellator where dominated Thompson, Heiron, Lima and Koreshkov was impressive. Suzuki has some handy wins and he absolutely wrecked Aoki. The calibre of opponents in this UFC run has been far better though, and I'm sure the 18 month layoff has done him no favours. I think this could be it for him now though, would be surprised to see him come back, although I would like to see him string a couple of wins together against guys like Mike Perry or take on someone like Condit before moving back up to face a ranked guy. Wouldn't surprise me to see him retire though.

Just hope Diaz doesn't stick to his guns about pulling out, and turns up next week to fight, I'm sure he will. Hell of a card. Agreed RE:Till, but apparently he asked for a top guy. The UFC wanted to give him a gatekeeper but he flat-out denied it, so here we are with Gastelum. I think he matches up pretty well with Gastelum with his length, reach and then his power should be better now he's not depleting himself with a brutal weight cut. I think 185 is the right weight for Till, and he could go on a run, the weight cut can't have been helping him at 170.

The card is absolutely stacked. Lee-Gillespie should be fantastic - Gillespie could be the guy to really challenge Khabib but this could be the night where Kevin Lee finally showcases his unreal potential. Lewis-Ivanov probably shouldn't be on the main card ahead of Walker-Anderson but it'll be a good HW scrap. Always love watching Wonderboy and Luque is on a tidy little run so should be a good fight. Then the main and co-main are fantastic, so excited for Diaz-Masvidal.

 

[Pin-seeker]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1189478702951944194

😂 hope he smashes Till.

 

[Dan2501]

Till might not even make it to fight night. Currently having visa issues trying to get into the US. Gastelum has said he won't find a late replacement. Suck if this fight falls through, was excited for it. Think Till could be a force at MW.

 

[Dan2501]

Till is now on a flight to NY. Lands on Friday in time for the weigh-in and ceremonial weigh-in. Not sure how it will mess with his weight cut & the jet lag might suck come fight night but hopefully not.

 

[Marshy77]

I can't see him winning to be honest so its a good excuse to fall back on

 

[Pin-seeker]

I can't see him winning to be honest so its a good excuse to fall back on

I agree,I’ll go Gastelum KO in 2nd.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Anyone care to make a prediction for the BMF title?
I’m surprised Masvidal is such a big favourite with the bookies.
I can see it going the distance & I’ll go with Nate.

 

[Fromtherough]

Anyone care to make a prediction for the BMF title?
I’m surprised Masvidal is such a big favourite with the bookies.
I can see it going the distance & I’ll go with Nate.

Massively looking forward to this. Not bothered who wins, just hope it delivers. Masvidal is the more devastating puncher, which Diaz focussing more on output. Both have ridiculous chins. Diaz obviously has a mega advantage on the ground, so if he's smart...

My predictions for the night:
Diaz by submission.
Gastelum by KO.
Luque by decision.
Lewis by decision.
Gillespie by submission.
Walker by KO.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Massively looking forward to this. Not bothered who wins, just hope it delivers. Masvidal is the more devastating puncher, which Diaz focussing more on output. Both have ridiculous chins. Diaz obviously has a mega advantage on the ground, so if he's smart...

My predictions for the night:
Diaz by submission.
Gastelum by KO.
Luque by decision.
Lewis by decision.
Gillespie by submission.
Walker by KO.

Heard a few people questioning wether Walkers shoulder Is 100%.

Wonder boy is one of my favourite fighters to watch,I just feel that he’s too nice.

 

[Fromtherough]

My predictions for the night:
Diaz by submission.
Gastelum by KO.
Luque by decision.
Lewis by decision.
Gillespie by submission.
Walker by KO.

My predictions were awful, but what a card! Disappointed with how Masvidal-Diaz finished. However, Masvidal performed superbly. Picked Diaz apart with power and accuracy. It was a bad cut but we've seen fights continue in similar circumstances. Shame it had to end that way, but I don't think rounds four and five would have changed anything. I'd prefer to see Masvidal go in to challenge for the actual belt next. He deserves it after recent performances. Suppose it will come down to money.

Till performed intelligently. He is still massive at middleweight and looks strong at the weight. Negated Gastelum, moving away from his power all night. I think Gastelum was ranked 4. Don't know where that win will put Till, but the top 5 of the middleweight division is stacked.

Thompson v Luque was a brilliant fight. Luque's toughness was key to that. When fighters engage with Thompson, it's normally a guaranteed good spectacle and this didn't disappoint. Luque took some punishment, but was always in the fight. Thompson's accuracy is frightening.

The Lewis fight was as expected.

What a KO by Lee! Bad, bad knockout. Gillespie was much fancied but was properly sparked and that could have an ongoing impact on his career. Lee needed that performance after back to back defeats.

Great performance by Anderson. Walker is someone's fights I look forward to, but he was caught and not let off the hook.

 

[Dan2501]

The way Masvidal has turned his career around is so impressive. Back-to-back defeats in 2017 but has come back magnificently in 2019, and this was a beautiful performance. Stoppage was obviously early, but as above, it wouldn't have gone any differently in rounds 4 and 5. Jorge's boxing is exceptional, so accurate, so powerful, he's a handful for anyone. Would also prefer to see Masvidal vs the winner of Marty and Colby. WW is so stacked.

Till performed superbly, so glad to see him beat a top MW contender in his first fight in the division. Showed some of the stuff he showed against Wonderboy controlling the pace of the striking and looked so strong in the clinch. Thought Kelvin won R3 but Till took the first two. Excited to see who he gets next, great debut in the division and delighted to see him back in the win column.

Kevin Lee looked fantastic. He has SO much potential and seems like Tristar and Firas Zihabi could be the place for him to put it all together the way he should.

Anderson and Wonderboy looked superb as well. Anderson landed heavy and just ran through Walker. Think Walker winning would have been better for the division though, Anderson's not the man to challenge Jon Jones.

 

[Beezerk]

Random UFC related post.
Ross Pearson was on my flight home from Dubai earlier today. I didn't have the balls to go up and ask for a photo 🤣

 

[Fromtherough]

Is Wilder the biggest puncher of all time? He's KO'd all of his opponents (I'm counting Fury in that - he was out but freakishly recovered). Last night Ortiz boxed his head of for 7 rounds. Wilder landed one clean shot and it's over.

As we saw in the Fury fight, his punch is a huge leveller. Technically he's awful so they say. However, he's effective and bar Fury he only really needs to land once in 12 rounds. It's like Furyk's swing. Shouldn't work, but does.

Possibly should earn more respect than he does. He fights Fury again in February. I think he might come and try to bomb him out this time. With Joshua v Ruiz in a few weeks and Usyk looking the real deal, the heavyweight division is worth watching again.

 

[Piece]

Is Wilder the biggest puncher of all time? He's KO'd all of his opponents (I'm counting Fury in that - he was out but freakishly recovered). Last night Ortiz boxed his head of for 7 rounds. Wilder landed one clean shot and it's over.

As we saw in the Fury fight, his punch is a huge leveller. Technically he's awful so they say. However, he's effective and bar Fury he only really needs to land once in 12 rounds. It's like Furyk's swing. Shouldn't work, but does.

Possibly should earn more respect than he does. He fights Fury again in February. I think he might come and try to bomb him out this time. With Joshua v Ruiz in a few weeks and Usyk looking the real deal, the heavyweight division is worth watching again.

He's certainly up there with his power. I saw the Ortiz fight and Wilder was 7-0 rounds down but all you thought was one punch and he's KO'd. So it proved. AJ would get twatted in a few rounds. Fury has the skills to avoid being hit but I think Wilder in the rematch would take more chances. I think someone like Ruiz Jr could be very dangerous for Wilder as he goes in swinging and Ortiz has shown that Wilder can be vulnerable if caught. Just don't give him the boxing distance and expose your chin otherwise its time.

Earlier in the day, Callum Smith defended his title against the rank outsider John Ryder. I, like quite a few others, had Ryder winning but the judges gave it to the hometown boy by a massive margin. Not a scandalous decision, but you can bet if that was against a UK fighter abroad, there would have been a bit of a kerfuffle. Hometown decision that one.

 

[Fromtherough]

He's certainly up there with his power. I saw the Ortiz fight and Wilder was 7-0 rounds down but all you thought was one punch and he's KO'd. So it proved. AJ would get twatted in a few rounds. Fury has the skills to avoid being hit but I think Wilder in the rematch would take more chances. I think someone like Ruiz Jr could be very dangerous for Wilder as he goes in swinging and Ortiz has shown that Wilder can be vulnerable if caught. Just don't give him the boxing distance and expose your chin otherwise its time.

Earlier in the day, Callum Smith defended his title against the rank outsider John Ryder. I, like quite a few others, had Ryder winning but the judges gave it to the hometown boy by a massive margin. Not a scandalous decision, but you can bet if that was against a UK fighter abroad, there would have been a bit of a kerfuffle. Hometown decision that one.

I agree on Joshua. Can just see his legs stiffening as soon as Wilder touches him. However, he does have the speed and power to trouble Wilder. Really interested in how he approaches the Ruiz re-match. I'd not seen much of him before their last fight. After subsequently watching about 5 of his fights, his style is awful for Joshua. Doesn't take a step back, fast hands and happy to take one to give 3. I think Joshua needs to keep moving and land combos to nullify him.

I saw the Smith fight. It was certainly a contentious decision. He looked hesitant from about the 4th round. I don't give him any hope against Canelo. He only needs to ask his brother about how that goes. I'd prefer to see him take on domestic rivals like Saunders and Eubank Junior first.

 

[Piece]

I agree on Joshua. Can just see his legs stiffening as soon as Wilder touches him. However, he does have the speed and power to trouble Wilder. Really interested in how he approaches the Ruiz re-match. I'd not seen much of him before their last fight. After subsequently watching about 5 of his fights, his style is awful for Joshua. Doesn't take a step back, fast hands and happy to take one to give 3. I think Joshua needs to keep moving and land combos to nullify him.

I saw the Smith fight. It was certainly a contentious decision. He looked hesitant from about the 4th round. I don't give him any hope against Canelo. He only needs to ask his brother about how that goes. I'd prefer to see him take on domestic rivals like Saunders and Eubank Junior first.

Agree. I think Saunders v Smith is a great match up. Both had dodgy last performances, with at least Saunders taking the judges out of the equation. Canelo v Smith wouldn't be a good idea for Smith. Even Smith v GGG would be better for Smith.

 

[BubbaP]

Bit late but Andrés Gutiérrez missing weight by 11 pounds!
Did he have a craving for a kebab and churros the night before 😁

 

[Pin-seeker]

Who do you want & who do you think will come out on top in the AJ v Ruiz fight?
I’d like to see Ruiz win & I think he’s got a better chance than the bookies are giving him.
I’ll av a few quid on Ruiz in the 5th & 6th.