General MMA Discussion & Future Lines- 2020

[PolarBearPaulVarelans]

Ouch she looks worse than the main event fighters. Now I feel kinda bad. Shout out to KK for going bell to bell lot of heart and it made my night with my decision parlay.

See, this isn't worthy of an ounce of respect. I would even say that what KK did is downright disrespectful, and she received her just desserts.

MMA is a brutal, cruel sport. You can prepare perfectly, be a great fighter, and still sustain horrific, life-altering injuries. Gegard Mousasi almost lost his eye and needed multiple surgeries when a random Shlemenko casting punch broke his eye socket. Josh Emmett had his face broken and needed multiple surgeries for a caved in face, broken orbital socket, caved-in nose, etc.

And that's not even getting into the sheer wear and tear of the sport, which has led to many retired greats needing spinal fusion surgery (Pat Miletich, Bas Rutten, and Don Frye all come to mind), hip replacement surgery (Mark Coleman, Ben Askren), and generally living life with a lot of pain and great loss of mobility. Or in Gary Goodridge's case, being reduced to a vegetable from all the head trauma.

Fighters need to respect and be cognizant of this side of the sport.

Now, fighting at women's 115 pounds, there is a lot less potential trauma and injury than, say, the heavier male weights. And Xiaonan Yan is, for the most part, a pillow-fisted point fighter.

And yet, you still can't spit on the sport of MMA like KK did.

She didn't train seriously, if at all. She hung out at the beach a lot and posted photos of herself in her bikini. She looked frail and weak, with noticeably less muscle mass. She looked like she was wading through mud. According to her own interviews, she was looking forward to retirement, but liked the paychecks. For her, MMA was no longer a serious, dangerous sport, but a way to make good money for minimal work. A point-fighting affair.

Unfortunately for her, no one informed Xianon Yan. She is a true fighter. Comparing her fights in Road FC in 2016 to each one in the UFC might be the most incredible growth and improvement I've ever seen in MMA history. She trains hard and intense, and has no problems traveling all around the world to do so, in contrast to KK staying with the same shitty regional Polish bums.

And so, the inevitable happened. KK got hurt.

Why the fuck should anyone feel sorry for her? Just because she is an attractive girl?

I would rather reserve my pity for serious fighters who respect MMA and get injured through no fault of their own, while often fighting for far less money.

 

[Sono07]

See, this isn't worthy of an ounce of respect. I would even say that what KK did is downright disrespectful, and she received her just desserts

I bet against her partly because the media team mentioned she had some autoimmune disease. Either way I learned recently to respect anyone who steps up especially in front of the whole world even if they are mismatched in the UFC.
Meh glad she hasn't lost an eye and I haven't lost all my empathy for the world yet. Got anybody this weekend? I like a few prospects so far, long drive but I'm tempted to see it live for once.

 

[Sono07]

@PolarBearPaulVarelans
Unpopular opinion here maybe but alot of what you said I think is relevant to Zang vs JJ. I might be wrong but I think the champion is more focused, speaking of which if this weekend works out I'll probably parlay Khabib and Zang for 10u.
Something something tail or fade.

 

[PolarBearPaulVarelans]

@PolarBearPaulVarelans
Unpopular opinion here maybe but alot of what you said I think is relevant to Zang vs JJ. I might be wrong but I think the champion is more focused, speaking of which if this weekend works out I'll probably parlay Khabib and Zang for 10u.
Something something tail or fade.

Only a little. As much as I might dislike her personally, JJ is a true champion and carries herself like one. Someone like that is NEVER going to allow herself to fight well below her potential, let alone embarrass herself like KK did. I made a lot of money betting Joanna's points handicap against Waterson, and her performance didn't do anything to make me think that was wrong, or she had declined. Fighting for the championship yet again should motivate her, too.

That being said, I'm absolutely not betting Zhang vs. JJ. A lot of people love JJ at plus odds, but after what Zhang did to Andrade (I, like many others, had heavily bet Andrade at around -170 or so), it's clear that tape is absolutely worthless in assessing Zhang's present fighting ability.

That was an absolutely monster outlier performance that there was zero indication of any kind she was capable of. Nevermind the insane amount of "vitamins" that Zhang is on, making the similarly vitamin-enhanced Andrade look small in certain photos.

I would rather wait for the live-bet lines.

 

[Sono07]

Only a little. As much as I might dislike her personally, JJ is a true champion and carries herself like one. Someone like that is NEVER going to allow herself to fight well below her potential, let alone embarrass herself like KK did. I made a lot of money betting Joanna's points handicap against Waterson, and her performance didn't do anything to make me think that was wrong, or she had declined. Fighting for the championship yet again should motivate her, too.

That being said, I'm absolutely not betting Zhang vs. JJ. A lot of people love JJ at plus odds, but after what Zhang did to Andrade (I, like many others, had heavily bet Andrade at around -170 or so), it's clear that tape is absolutely worthless in assessing Zhang's present fighting ability.

That was an absolutely monster outlier performance that there was zero indication of any kind she was capable of. Nevermind the insane amount of "vitamins" that Zhang is on, making the similarly vitamin-enhanced Andrade look small in certain photos.

I would rather wait for the live-bet lines.

You say outlier but the same could be said about Nunes vs Cyborg. Styles make fights and Zang has a MUCH stronger clinch game than Waterston.
All I know is she told Jessica the belt would stay in China it did, she probably learned more English last year than I have in half my life, her favorite mma fighter is Fedor "The last Emperor". She has a heavy bag with JJ's face printed on it. I was here when you guys bet heavy against her vs Andrade, couldn't get a reply when I said Zang is not one to be clinched up with.

 

[Kyle Stephens]

I can't find a thread for Lee vs. Oliveira so I'm gonna write some thoughts about this fight here. This match-up is a repeat of Lee vs. Santos IMO. Oliveira is the better, more composed striker and has amazing jitz. I rate Leo Santos' BJJ and his striking higher, but Do Bronx is not that far behind. Lee didn't impress me at all vs Gillespie. He ate a lot of jabs, his new TriStar stance (crouched and leaning forward, like he is on a skateboard) is going to get his nose rekt like Rory's. I like Oliveira, his striking improved leaps and bounds, but in this fight he will have to show improved wrestling and grappling defense. He gives up TDs easy and is too offensively minded once on the ground which gets him submitted when facing similarly good grapplers. And I don't know how to feel about the 5 rounds... Lee gasses, but Oliveira is on the smaller side of 155, and he is not a fighter who is going to set a ridiculous pace. If I had to pick I'll pick Oliveira, but bettingwise I just don't know...

 

[Gugabe]

I can't find a thread for Lee vs. Oliveira so I'm gonna write some thoughts about this fight here. This match-up is a repeat of Lee vs. Santos IMO. Oliveira is the better, more composed striker and has amazing jitz. I rate Leo Santos' BJJ and his striking higher, but Do Bronx is not that far behind. Lee didn't impress me at all vs Gillespie. He ate a lot of jabs, his new TriStar stance (crouched and leaning forward, like he is on a skateboard) is going to get his nose rekt like Rory's. I like Oliveira, his striking improved leaps and bounds, but in this fight he will have to show improved wrestling and grappling defense. He gives up TDs easy and is too offensively minded once on the ground which gets him submitted when facing similarly good grapplers. And I don't know how to feel about the 5 rounds... Lee gasses, but Oliveira is on the smaller side of 155, and he is not a fighter who is going to set a ridiculous pace. If I had to pick I'll pick Oliveira, but bettingwise I just don't know...

Glass Cannon Battle IMO. Oli's probably got more upside, might actually be solid value on ends by KO here.

 

[Deleted member 316645]

I can't find a thread for Lee vs. Oliveira so I'm gonna write some thoughts about this fight here. This match-up is a repeat of Lee vs. Santos IMO. Oliveira is the better, more composed striker and has amazing jitz. I rate Leo Santos' BJJ and his striking higher, but Do Bronx is not that far behind. Lee didn't impress me at all vs Gillespie. He ate a lot of jabs, his new TriStar stance (crouched and leaning forward, like he is on a skateboard) is going to get his nose rekt like Rory's. I like Oliveira, his striking improved leaps and bounds, but in this fight he will have to show improved wrestling and grappling defense. He gives up TDs easy and is too offensively minded once on the ground which gets him submitted when facing similarly good grapplers. And I don't know how to feel about the 5 rounds... Lee gasses, but Oliveira is on the smaller side of 155, and he is not a fighter who is going to set a ridiculous pace. If I had to pick I'll pick Oliveira, but bettingwise I just don't know...

I'm on your side for a lot of bets, but I literally came on sherdog just to talk about this matchup.

I'd cap Lee at -300. No joke.

Oliveira hasn't fought any real competition aside from a washed up Pettis.

He's a lanky dude that Lee will be able to take down with no effort at all, mount, and end the fight in round 1.

Oliveira has good submissions, but he doesn't submit fighters the caliber of Lee, and he'll have never faced a LW with the top pressure Lee has. Lee is also going to be 10+lbs heavier than him come fight night.

Legitimately throwing half of my bankroll on Lee and Lee ITD.

 

[Kyle Stephens]

@Invictis your points are legit. Maybe I just personally prefer to see Do Bronx win because I like him more and his style. Still I hope your bet cashes if you are going to throw that much in.

 

[null]

Lopsided odds for the main event of Titan FC 59 on Fight Pass tonight:

 

[Deleted member 316645]

@Invictis your points are legit. Maybe I just personally prefer to see Do Bronx win because I like him more and his style. Still I hope your bet cashes if you are going to throw that much in.

I cashed out recently so my unit sizes are smaller. That being said I just threw 325 on him, I'll just the SS closer to the fight or whenever I care to.

-145 is fucking ridiculous. This dude had Tony in trouble and mounted in the first round. Tony is A LOT bigger than Oliveira, and has a lot more fight in him.

Kevin Lee is no fucking joke when it comes to his top pressure. Oliveira is scrawny as fuck, will come in so much lighter, and tends to quit in fights.

I think Tri Star is smart enough to realize this as well, and will have Kevin resort to just taking him down and pummeling him.

Kevin Lee -145, Kevin Lee ITD, and Kevin Lee Rd1 are all great plays.

It's MMA, anything can happen, but damn this line is off.

 

[Kamais_Ookin]

A lot of people are saying this is going to be a great fight and they can't wait, but I was hoping Islam would fight someone ranked above him for once like top 15 or 10. I don't see the appeal of this fight he's going to smoke Hernandez. A great fight implies this is going to be competitive and I don't see it.

 

[null]

Korean Zombie on the warpath:

 

[Sono07]

Korean Zombie on the warpath:

Ah ya beat me to it.
Yeah Park translated for Zombie a few weeks back saying something like
"Ortega was avoiding Zombie"
Then Ortega gets on twitter and threatens Park and Jung. Park responds
"Don't shoot the messenger"
So Ortega waits for Zombie to leave his seat at 248 so he can slap park.
What a bitch move in my opinion. Give me some decent odds on Zombie and I'll gladly bet against Temper Tantrum-City.
At least park has a sense of humor

 

[NonPhixion]

Ah ya beat me to it.
Yeah Park translated for Zombie a few weeks back saying something like
"Ortega was avoiding Zombie"
Then Ortega gets on twitter and threatens Park and Jung. Park responds
"Don't shoot the messenger"
So Ortega waits for Zombie to leave his seat at 248 so he can slap park.
What a bitch move in my opinion. Give me some decent odds on Zombie and I'll gladly bet against Temper Tantrum-City.

what a gigantic pussy Ortega is

 

[null]

Bellator Press Conference Live:

 

[Oblivian]

I'm not a fan of Ortega and think he's incredibly overrated, but isn't his argument that KZ wasn't really having Park say those things? I don't think Ortega believes he's really just translating, but he's actually the one saying all of the shit.

 

[PolarBearPaulVarelans]

I'm not a fan of Ortega and think he's incredibly overrated, but isn't his argument that KZ wasn't really having Park say those things? I don't think Ortega believes he's really just translating, but he's actually the one saying all of the shit.

It's completely irrelevant. As I posted in a main forum;

I was a fan of Brian Ortega.

I'm not any longer.

Firstly, Jay Park might be the most annoying Korean rapper alive for all I care, and responsible for all the social media trash talk towards Ortega. (although indications in this topic are that he is not, and simply accurately translating what Korean Zombie said)

A high-level professional fighter should NEVER attack civilians unprovoked. It's no different than a man attacking a woman, an armed man attacking an unarmed man, or as KZ's Instagram put it, an adult hitting a child. The excuse "Your honor, the child stuck his tongue out at me!" doesn't fly any more than the idiot rationalizations for Ortega. It's literally the reason martial arts has a code of honor, and why traditionally, senseis didn't just teach any random thug off the street.

Ortega proved he is not a real martial artist, but a low-class idiot thug who uses his fighting skills to settle petty grievances.

For fuck's sakes, even the Diaz Brothers, throughout their entire careers, have never slapped random civilians, and there have been no shortage of annoying people who have interviewed, badgered, or dealt with them.

But as bad as that is, the way Ortega went about it is even worse.

He sat quietly for 2 hours, not moving a muscle, and then attacked the civilian when the pro fighter who would have put Ortega in genuine danger had left. Fucking pathetic and cowardly, on top of being thuggish.

 

[Sono07]

I'm not a fan of Ortega and think he's incredibly overrated, but isn't his argument that KZ wasn't really having Park say those things? I don't think Ortega believes he's really just translating, but he's actually the one saying all of the shit.

I don't speak Korean but I'm pretty sure Ortega was responding to Zombies interview with Ariel Helwani. Can't remember which part but this wasn't long after Jung beat Edgar.
Ariel asks about a potential rebook in with Ortega and they respond something about him already avoiding a fight.



Either way who the fuck waits until a potential opponents walks away to slap his translation/friend?
Between this and him chanting "bitch" at Stephens during the mexico card NC the guy just seems low class in my book.

Or maybe I'm a sheeple and this is just mindless marketing. Highly doubtful but I thought the Jung would slap him silly before all this on merit.

 

[Oblivian]

In this day and age of MMA, of course there is marketing to it. All of this creates hype and I'm sure Ortega knows it. Didn't he just slap him? It's not like he tried to do physical damage to him. I'm not saying Ortega's behavior is ok or cool, but it will probably help him more than anything. He may have lost fans, but he sure gained interest.