Ufc

[Furiousg]

I was pretty sure that Hughes was going to dominate.
The thing that I was most impressed with about Hughes was that he didn't break Gracie's arm when he had him in the Kimura/Arm lock and Gracie wouldn't tap....and I also have to give props to Gracie for not tapping, his arm was bent the wrong way and he didn't even look worried.

[Derree]

I was very impressed with Gracie, I remember him from back in the day but time has passed him by. Hughes is just so dominate and as you said FG Gracie kept so calm as his arm was bending backwards, kept looking for the submission on his own...got Hughes a couple of times where I thought Hughes was done.

[MikeyBK]

Gracie is truly a legend that was the best there was when UFC started, but the fighters now are just that much more so evolved in technique and ability. Most of them are basically using Gracie's old techniques and are advancing it even further.

As far as Matt Hughes, he is a great fighter but in my mind he is not really the champ because he lost it convincingly to BJ Penn. But for some reason the UFC kicked Penn out and stripped him of the title ( I think it had to do with contract and not enough money) . BJ Penn made Hughes look like a nobody.

I'm surprised they never gave Penn a rematch after he was reinstated back into the UFC?

[locoeng]

BJ fought someone (st peirre I think) last month and lost in a decision, and from what I remember neither one looked very impressive. With that being said St. Peirre will have a shot at hughes before Penn.

[MikeyBK]

BJ fought someone (st peirre I think) last month and lost in a decision, and from what I remember neither one looked very impressive. With that being said St. Peirre will have a shot at hughes before Penn.

Yeah I was surprised to see that decision. St. Pierre must be tough, because he decisioned the guy that gave Hughes a pounding, and I remember seeing a video of Penn completely annihilating Gomi, Gomi's face was all totaled, swollen and battered.

[Derree]

St.Pierre is another one that I think will really impressive soon..he has been calling out Hughes for almost a year now..after every fight he gets told that he will get a shot soon..I think it would be a great fight...then again I might be biased since he is Canadian...I will say I think BJ Penn lost a bit while fighting in Japan but he still has a lot left in him.

[locoeng]

I remember seeing a video of Penn completely annihilating Gomi, Gomi's face was all totaled, swollen and battered

Now that is a fight I'd like to see. I thought that St. Peirre and Hughes had already had a fight, with Hughes as the victor.

[MikeyBK]

Now that is a fight I'd like to see. I thought that St. Peirre and Hughes had already had a fight, with Hughes as the victor.

Here you go Bro, Penn vs. Gomi

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1747118296266663222

[MikeyBK]

Here's also a good review of the St. Pierre/ Penn fight.

St. Pierre showed his heart against Penn, who had the best of the early going and quickly began work on altering his opponent's(St.Pierre's) good looks. But a bloodied St. Pierre rode out the storm and then began to impose his will on the Hawaiian, taking him down repeatedly.

St. Pierre sees his comeback against Penn as the answer to critics who said he was "mentally weak."

Still, the Canadian paid a price for the Penn win, leaving the ring with his shaved head pebbled with welts and abrasions and his nose swollen. The good news was nothing was broken.

He took a week off in Mexico after the fight - "I swam with dolphins" - and then resumed training.

Penn is a common foe for St. Pierre and Hughes.

Hughes, whose record is 40-4-0, lost his welterweight title to Penn in UFC 46: Supernatural in January 2004. He won it back after Penn was stripped of the championship belt in a dispute with the UFC.

[Furiousg]

St Pierre vs Hughes was a great match. St Pierre DOMINATED Hughes with standup striking as Hughes couldn't come close to taking him down....BUT at 4:45 of the first round, St Pierre was against the fence and got swept/taken down...then at 4:59 Hughes pulled an armbar to win.....AT 4:59 ! ! !


As for BJ Penn, he lost his title because he breached his contract by fighting under another company ( In Japan I believe ).
I also watched the Penn/St Pierre fight, it wasn't spectacular, but with two quick, talented artists there isn't expected to be a messy brawl ( ie Griffin/Bonnar )

[floresdave]

I don't want to take anything away from gracie's victories in early ultimate fighting championships. But doesn't it just boil down to that gracie was using the most dominant style (brazillian ju jitsu) in the early days. He was fighting people who were the top of their disciplines, but most of those disciplines were one dimensional and had no answer for gracie's ground attack(kimo, shamrock, and severn excluded)he even fought a guy with a boxing glove on. Fighters of today have watched those tapes and become these hybrid fighting machines. Gracie could obviously tap a karate expert with no ground game in no time, but try a muay thai guy with good ground submission skills or a guy like matt hughes with good ground and pound and submission skills. Gracie overcame the best in the MMA world at the time and won three UFC tournament and for that he will always be the legend of the UFC, but the UFC has evolved and while Gracie can still be competitive at some level, he can't expect to be dominant even in a style he helped shape.

[Derree]

I agree dave, the fighters of today are just what the name implies, Mixed Martial Artist, they take things from quite a few discplines and use them, if all you have is one main thing you will not go far any more..I can't wait to see Shamrock Ortiz again (Ortiz will kill him...again!!) As well as the rubber match between Slyvia and Arlovski...that will be good!

[floresdave]

I hate sylvia he's a punk but i know arlovski will not have an easy time with him and what the heck is shamrock thinking. How many times is he gonna get destroyed to let someone add it to their resume. Kimo is the only recent win i can remember and that was a horrible fight.

[Derree]

Yeah Shamrock is waaaaay past his prime...should stick to training up and comers..but from what we see on The Ultimate Fighter he doesn't seem to do that well either...And I like Sylvia cause he is a punk..just a big tough guy who can kick your ass...Arlovski...well he is a whole different thing..Like they say..He isn't human..the way he can absorb punishment and then give it...damn...

[Furiousg]

I really like Sylvia, I think because everyone views him as a punk and "just a big tough guy" . The guy has a solid game. He's hard to take down, he's got a great takedown defense aka jab to the face He can wrestle, and he's a smart fighter. Arlovski on the other hand is a machine, insane athletic ability and mobility for a man of his size. Crazy speed and power. Awesome ground game...tap you out or knock you out.

On the "isn't human" quote...did you know that was said during an Arlovski fight....but it was actually about Cabbage Correra...THAT guy isn't human. His head is filled with concrete I think. Sylvia and Arlovski both, have beat the tar out of him, but he won't go down. Sylvia landed HUGE shots over and over and over until Cabbages corner threw in the towel because he wouldn't get knocked out or backup. He reminds me of Homer when Moe trains him to fight Drederick Tatum for the heavyweight crown LOL