Yeah maybe. Going to wait for everything to be announced and see some games I'm actually interested in playing before buying anything.
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MMA-GAF |OT4| BangBros
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Yeah maybe. Going to wait for everything to be announced and see some games I'm actually interested in playing before buying anything.
Host Samurai
Member
I wonder if the next Xbox is going to block used games now that PS4 will play used games.
Lambda Pie
Banned
yep, and Capcom engines for the past 10 years have been top notch.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
The entire game won't be two character models in a small cave environment. It ain't an ios game.
Lambda Pie
Banned
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
My 1/60 combo chains, parries, and reflexes are too fast for his old man swipes and taps.oh snap! Heel gonna catch you in an alley and beat yo ass up.
Lambda Pie
Banned
you got his frame data downloaded.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
The frame data app costs the same as 2 ios games and has 100 times as much information.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
I wasn't aware arcade sticks could connect to ipads and iphones (;
Moving back to mma, Dream's essay from a couple pages back brings up a good point about people wanting to see this card fail and the event thread is an example. I actually wouldn't mind spectating PC-GAF (politically correct) going in a starting a melee with UFC-GAF.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
dream
Member
I want to see this event succeed just because it's something new. Plus, the Ultimate has done an unusually good job at developing both Rousey and Carmouche as characters.
edit: wtf@badmma.com!!
edit: wtf@badmma.com!!
I agree, you couldn't make a DMC game at 60 fps with that kind of IQ. The engine is impressive all the same though. It's funny to see people saying "LOL CAPCOM!" when they created the awesome MT Framework engine.
dream
Member
But while you were playing Pokeymans and "Revengeance," I wrote more essays. Some interesting ones too, dealing with the cuts, TRT, and some stats:
People have been warned for some time that UFC has far too many fighters on its roster than it has matches available to book, and that heavy cuts were imminent.
The moral of the story going forward is that if you’re not a star, this is not a good time to lose after the company’s first round of cuts, involving 16 fighters, and it is likely several losers off every show going forward will be added to the list.
The 2/19 list featured some familiar names, many that were expected, and one outright shock, Jon Fitch. The cutting of Fitch, who had a 14-3-1 UFC record against mostly good and some great competition, would not have surprised me with one more loss one year ago. But Fitch was only one fight removed from a top-ten finish in the match of the year balloting with his win over Erick Silva last year in Brazil. He was also, at the time of his being cut, ranked No. 9 at welterweight in the official UFC rankings, which tells you what they are worth. Many consider him the third best welterweight in company history, behind the two legends, Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes. Until his loss to Johny Hendricks on the New Year’s show at the end of 2011, Fitch had the second best UFC record of any long-time fighter in company history, trailing only Anderson Silva.
Fitch was cut five days before his 35th birthday. The problem is he was dominated for three rounds in his 2/2 fight with Demian Maia, which combined with his age made it unlikely he would ever be able to work his way back to a top contender spot in such a talent-laden division. So now he’s tricky to book. It serves no purpose to put him against the rising names, because at this stage of the game he’ll likely beat most of them, and stop their advancement without creating a new title contender with the win.
What hurt Fitch, the team captain at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, was losing at a time when massive cuts were being made, plus the stigma that he’s a boring fighter. The stigma isn’t unfair, and while the Silva fight made him some fans, it also didn’t completely erase the stigma.
Bringing forth arguments that this proves UFC is entertainment and not sport are silly, but that is the emotional reaction to the decision. 35-year-old former stars with high contracts that can play at the top level get cut all the time in every major team sport. Fitch didn’t show much against Maia, but he was also not 100% at the time of the fight (not that it is unusual because everyone goes in with some issue).
Perhaps cutting Fitch and Jacob Volkmann (who had won six of his last eight fights as a lightweight) was meant as a message that winning most of the time isn’t enough and you have to be exciting. It may also mean that they don’t want a wrestling-based style. But it’s really unfair to even link the two of them. Volkmann was a prelim fighter as opposed to Fitch, who has been facing top names almost every time out since 2007, and once headlined by PPV against St-Pierre.
Some noted Fitch was 1-2-1 in his last four fights. Those fights were a quick knockout loss to Hendricks when he was hurt, a loss on the ground to Demian Maia, a draw with B.J. Penn that most thought he won handily (Dana White was not one of them, as he thought Penn won the fight), to go along with the win over Erick Silva, who at the time was thought of as being one of the rising stars.
The cut more than ever sends a mixed message. Unless one is a superstar, the fear of losing has to be playing in everyone’s head. And there’s nothing worse than a card of fighters who are fighting not to lose. Even worse, this is a strong encouragement that if you’re a fighter who is hurt, it’s best to call in sick. Both of Fitch’s loss were in fights that he really shouldn’t have competed in. The loss to Hendricks he has said many times he only took because he had gotten in a bad financial bind and needed the money. Under normal circumstances he’d have pulled out. He hasn’t spoken about the loss to Maia, and he was in a condition there where most, but not all, fighters would have done the fight. But in this climate, a fighter, unless they were someone with genuine drawing power, would have to really think twice about it.
Fitch is now in a weird situation. He can hope to be called and be a last minute fill-in if a name welterweight goes down. But given that the boring label was why he was cut with a strong record, they may not want to give him that chance. He could go to Bellator with the idea that he and Ben Askren would be an interesting test for both guys. But at 35, does he want to go through three fights in three months to earn that shot. And will Bellator offer him something that would be worth it to him to fight that often?
Fitch was earning $66,000 downside for his fights, with a $66,000 win bonus.
The other cuts made were:
*Wagner Prado - A charismatic Brazilian (at least for Brazil) with an 8-2, 1 no contest record as a light heavyweight. But his UFC record is 0-2, with 1 no contest. All of his enthusiasm and ability to connect with the crowd doesn’t mean much in UFC if you can’t win against the lower level competition. And Prado hadn’t proved he could win at the UFC level.
*Mike Russow - The Chicago police officer who moonlights as a fighter was a big favorite as a prelim fighter in the Windy City. A heavyweight with a 15-3, 1 no contest record, Russow is 36, and had lost his last two fights to Fabricio Werdum and Shawn Jordan after winning his first four in UFC.
*Jacob Volkmann - A three-time All-American wrestler at the University of Minnesota, Volkmann was his own worst enemy. He was a tough competitor who would grind out wins, but then come off like an idiot with his threats against President Obama. He had vowed at the 2/2 show that he had an interview that was going to make people take notice, and the reaction when he says things like that is the opposite of if Chael Sonnen would. But he lost that fight. Volkmann was 15-4, but had won six of his last eight as a lightweight before losing on 2/2 to Bobby Green.
*Vladimir Matyushenko - The former world class wrestler from Belarus, his being cut was expected. At 42, the 26-7 fighter was one of the oldest fighters on the roster, and had lost quickly to Alexander Gustafsson (2:13) and Ryan Bader
50) in his previous two outings. Matyushenko will forever be the trivia question as to half of the first main event after UFC got on PPV in 2001, where he lost a light heavyweight title match via dreadfully boring decision to Tito Ortiz.
*Che Mills - A British welterweight, Mills was 15-6 with 1 no contest, and had gone 2-2 in UFC competition. On 2/16 in London, he lost a split decision to Matt Riddle, although the split is very misleading since Riddle clearly won the fight.
*Jay Hieron - The 1997 junior college national champion wrestler is now 36, and had gone 0-2 in UFC competition, losing a decision to Jake Ellenberger before Tyron Woodley finished him in 36 seconds on 2/2 in Las Vegas. He’s now 23-7. Hieron also bad the reputation of being a boring fighter. Given how much depth there is at lightweight, I figured he was gone after the way he lost to Woodley.
*Terry Etim - A lightweight from Liverpool, Etim lost a decision in a major upset on 2/16 to Renee Forte of Brazil. While he’s 15-5 overall, his UFC record is 6-5 and he’s lost three of his last four, although has also picked up four submission of the night bonuses in his six wins.
*Paul Sass - Another lightweight from Liverpool, Sass would have been the second biggest surprise on the list. He had a 13-2 record, although both losses were in his last two fights, a submission loss to Matt Wiman and a decision loss on 2/16 to Danny Castillo. However, Sass was always exciting, constantly going for the finish in his fights. 12 of his 13 wins were by submission, and 11 of them in the first round. His first loss to Wiman was a hell of a fight. But Castillo did shut him down, spending most of the fight on the ground and really Sass never came close to finishing him.
*Jorge Santiago - Santiago, a solid veteran, lost on 2/16 to Gunnar Nelson via decision. It was his first match back in UFC. He had a 25-11 record overall, and was a Sengoku champion in Japan, but was only 1-5 in three different UFC stints. His being cut was expected.
*Mike Stumpf - Also expected. Stumpf, 11-4, is a welterweight that went 0-2 in UFC, losing to T.J. Waldburger via triangle as Pascal Krauss via decision on the 1/26 show in Chicago.
*Simeon Thoresen - A native of Norway with a 17-4-1 record, Thoresen came in at 16-2-1 with 14 submission finishes, but only went 1-2 in UFC competition, losing on 1/26 to David Mitchell via decision.
*C.J. Keith - A lightweight, Keith came into UFC with an 8-0 record, but then lost to Ramsey Nijem and Francisco Trinaldo in his first two fights.
*Motonobu Tezuka - A bantamweight with a 19-6-4 record, Tezuka went 0-2 in UFC, losing on 2/16 to Vaughan Lee via decision.
*Josh Grispi - Grispi was 14-1 and set to face Jose Aldo Jr. for the title a year ago. Also was injured, so Grispi instead faced Dustin Poirier, and got dominated. He’s continued to lose, as his loss to Andy Ogle on 2/16 was his fourth in a row. Unless you are very popular like Dan Hardy, you don’t survive four losses in a row in the best of times, let alone the worst.
*Ulysses Gomez - Gomez is a flyweight who was considered one of the best in the world when he came to UFC with a 9-2 record. But he lost to John Moraga and then, on 2/16 to Phil Harris. I was sad to see this because I thought he deserved the win over Harris, but it wasn’t a surprise.
The always controversial subject of testosterone replacement therapy was back in the news for a second straight week when Dana White announced he had changed his position on the subject.
It is not clear exactly what sparked the change, but it was one week after Vitor Belfort, on TRT, and looking anything but natural, scored a knockout over Michael Bisping. The irony is that Bisping had been for years one of the biggest critics of steroid use in the company, and how has three of his four losses as a middleweight coming against fighters who were on TRT.
It is known that Bisping had talked to White in England. White was vehement in three separate interviews over the past week on the subject. What apparently set him off was the belief that fighters were going on high doses of testosterone during training camp, getting the benefits of the strength gains and recovery, and then lowering doses at the end, during the week of rest, so that their levels would fall into the top stage of allowable limits.
That’s one of the problems in the sense that, depending on the commission, the allowable level of testosterone in the blood is well over double the amount an average athlete produces. There was also the issue of Belfort being able to use TRT given he has a steroid test failure in his past. The problem is that it’s easy to get a doctor’s prescription because there are a number of things you can do to artificially lower your testosterone, such as drinking or not sleeping. Then you can go in for a checkup, and get prescribed testosterone. And anyone who has followed pro wrestling, entertainment or pro football knows the issues with “mark doctors” who will do anything to be friends with celebrities.
White said that they are going to test the shit all through camp of everyone prescribed TRT. Chael Sonnen, who fights on 4/27, noted that he was just given a test by UFC on 2/16.
Of course then becomes the issue as to what happens if three weeks before a show, if a key person in a main event is shown to have slightly high levels. Are they suspended for nine months, or are they told to get their level down in time for the fight (like the Pennsylvania commission did for Nate Marquardt, which was ridiculous). Will UFC cancel a main event, particularly if it’s a major one, a few weeks out?
White said that what has happened is that people have figured out how to take a great thing, and cheat with it, and it becomes bad. He talked about it being unfair that guys are getting their testosterone level back to that of a 25-year-old, or more, during camp. He said it had come to his attention that fighters were doing so.
“TRT has become a way for people to cheat,” said White. “If this is what your normal levels should be and then you have guys training at huge levels for their whole camp and then tapering down to get to normal levels before the fucking fight, that’s cheating and I don’t like it anymore. There are plenty of guys in the UFC that are naturally gifted and talented fighters. If you’re testosterone levels are too low, then you’re probably too old to be fighting. Stop fighting.”
Bisping, when word broke that Belfort was on TRT for the fight, was so mad that he declined all interview requests because he was afraid of what he might say. However, when he did a Q&A in England, it was the very first fan question.
“He’s been busted for that in the past and now he’s allowed to put steroids into his asshole. What can I say? He’s a fucking cheat. But I do want a rematch with the guy.”
Bisping made it clear that he’s not saying it played a difference in the eventual outcome of the fight,
“There’s probably 0.1 percent of the world that actually have low testosterone,” Bisping said. “But for some reason, a shitload of fighters have low testosterone.”
“You have guys that go in there 100% natural with their talent and natural ability, against someone on TRT, basically, somebody that’s on steroids,” said White. “I’m absolutely 100% against TRT and now I’m going to start fighting it 100% with the athletic commissions and I want nothing to do with it.”
The obvious problem is that if someone needs testosterone to function normally, they would look like a normal trained athlete on TRT. But when you have guys looking like they are looking for a spot in the 1980s WWF, how logically would someone with a deficiency look like that given they were low and the goal, for medical reasons, was only to get them to normal?
Belfort also spoke about his name being brought up.
“This will be the last time that I will talk about TRT,” he wrote. “I never hide from UFC that I was on the treatment, but admit that I didn’t admit (that) to the press. I confess that this was my mistake. I am men (sic) enough to admit my mistake. So from now on, guys, please don’t fight me if your going to use this as an excuse. That’s it. I never lie and I never hide from UFC. If you’re looking for an excuse, God will (be) the one to provide one for you, so accept he fact and change your attitude. If this is you, you better change. You tell me the rules. I will follow. You tell me the way. I will follow. You tell me the price. I will pay.
Get it over. A kick to the head doesn’t have nothing to do with TRT. This call(ed) skill.”
Daniel Galvan, who does MMA reporting for the Observer web site, did a statistical analysis of the 341 UFC matches of 2012.
While UFC’s goal is to give fighters three matches per year, it almost never happens. Of the 380 fighters who fought in UFC during the year, only 65 ended up with three or more fights, with 59 fighting three times and six fighting four times. 152 fought once and 163 fought twice.
While matchmaker Joe Silva is not Brazilian, Silva is still the best last name to get into UFC, with Brazilians Anderson, Jussier da Silva, Antonio Silva, Thiago Silva, Wanderlei Silva and Erick Silva.
During the year, 178 fights went to a decision, 72 ended via submission, 100 ended by knockout or TKO and 9 ended via disqualification, injury stoppage or doctor stoppage.
The idea that there are more knockouts with the big guys is generally true. 69% of heavyweight fights ended via knockout, as compared to 26% for light heavyweight, 33% for middleweight, 27% for welterweight, 20% for lightweight, 21% for featherweight, 32% for bantamweight and 25% for flyweight. What is a myth is that the flyweights consist of these little guys who have no knockout power since their KO ratio is almost identical to light heavyweights. However, they did have the most decisions because they were the least likely to get caught in a submission.
When it came to matches ending via submission, for heavyweight it was 15%, light heavyweight was 26%, middleweight was 13%, welterweight was 20%, lightweight was 22%, featherweight was 21%, bantamweight was 32% and flyweight was 17%.
As many would expect, heavyweight fights are the shortest, averaging 6:41. But the second shortest fights were bantamweights at 8:58. Middleweights (11:02), lightweights (11:06) and flyweights (11:40) were the longest on average.
When it came to first round finishes, 59% of heavyweight bouts ended in the first round, to 33% for light heavyweight, 16% for middleweight, 32% for welterweight, 23% for lightweight, 31% for featherweight, 42% for bantamweight and 9% for flyweight.
As far as the UFC jitters claim, when someone debuts and is favored to win, they do so 56% of the time. When someone debuts and is expected to lose, they do so 68% of the time. Statistically, both are higher than the average, so there is something minor to the idea that UFC jitters can cause a very small percentage of fights to go the opposite way.
As far as ring rust, when fighters who are expected to win return from long layoffs (10 or more months), they won 80% of the time. Keep in mind that those favored who didn’t come off layoffs don’t win anywhere close to that number. Those coming off long layoffs that are expected to lose, do so 73% of the time. So it seems to be that taking ring rust into account when predicting matches, even though fighters will almost all tell you it exists, it may be a more uncomfortable feeling, but it doesn’t seem to make any statistical difference in the outcome of the matches themselves. What is more likely is that after ring rust, whether the person is favored or the underdog, you should be able to predict the result with more, not less, accuracy.
If there is something to help those wanting to bet, last year, there were ten fights where someone missed weight. In seven of the ten instances, the person missing weight was the underdog. However, in all ten of the instances, the person missing weight lost.
Huge news in the boxing world is that Floyd Mayweather Jr., the biggest PPV drawing card in the game, switched from HBO to Showtime in signing six-fight deal covering 30 months. The first fight of his deal will be on 5/4 against Robert “The Ghost”Guerrero. Mayweather Jr. is now 36, so his career is likely starting to wind down. The deal is said to be the most lucrative sports deal of all-time. As part of it, CBS will promote the hell out of Mayweather Jr. CBS will air his news conferences live as special shows as opposed to just clips on tape. CBS will also promote the fight heavily throughout the NCAA basketball tournament. Plus, they are looking at putting Canelo Alvarez, who is likely Mayweather’s next big money opponent, against Austin Trout in the semi to build a new PPV opponent. Alvarez is expected to be a focal point of the promotion, whether he faces Trout or someone else. This is a gigantic coup for Showtime, very much the equivalent of it TNA had signed The Rock.
People have been warned for some time that UFC has far too many fighters on its roster than it has matches available to book, and that heavy cuts were imminent.
The moral of the story going forward is that if you’re not a star, this is not a good time to lose after the company’s first round of cuts, involving 16 fighters, and it is likely several losers off every show going forward will be added to the list.
The 2/19 list featured some familiar names, many that were expected, and one outright shock, Jon Fitch. The cutting of Fitch, who had a 14-3-1 UFC record against mostly good and some great competition, would not have surprised me with one more loss one year ago. But Fitch was only one fight removed from a top-ten finish in the match of the year balloting with his win over Erick Silva last year in Brazil. He was also, at the time of his being cut, ranked No. 9 at welterweight in the official UFC rankings, which tells you what they are worth. Many consider him the third best welterweight in company history, behind the two legends, Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes. Until his loss to Johny Hendricks on the New Year’s show at the end of 2011, Fitch had the second best UFC record of any long-time fighter in company history, trailing only Anderson Silva.
Fitch was cut five days before his 35th birthday. The problem is he was dominated for three rounds in his 2/2 fight with Demian Maia, which combined with his age made it unlikely he would ever be able to work his way back to a top contender spot in such a talent-laden division. So now he’s tricky to book. It serves no purpose to put him against the rising names, because at this stage of the game he’ll likely beat most of them, and stop their advancement without creating a new title contender with the win.
What hurt Fitch, the team captain at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, was losing at a time when massive cuts were being made, plus the stigma that he’s a boring fighter. The stigma isn’t unfair, and while the Silva fight made him some fans, it also didn’t completely erase the stigma.
Bringing forth arguments that this proves UFC is entertainment and not sport are silly, but that is the emotional reaction to the decision. 35-year-old former stars with high contracts that can play at the top level get cut all the time in every major team sport. Fitch didn’t show much against Maia, but he was also not 100% at the time of the fight (not that it is unusual because everyone goes in with some issue).
Perhaps cutting Fitch and Jacob Volkmann (who had won six of his last eight fights as a lightweight) was meant as a message that winning most of the time isn’t enough and you have to be exciting. It may also mean that they don’t want a wrestling-based style. But it’s really unfair to even link the two of them. Volkmann was a prelim fighter as opposed to Fitch, who has been facing top names almost every time out since 2007, and once headlined by PPV against St-Pierre.
Some noted Fitch was 1-2-1 in his last four fights. Those fights were a quick knockout loss to Hendricks when he was hurt, a loss on the ground to Demian Maia, a draw with B.J. Penn that most thought he won handily (Dana White was not one of them, as he thought Penn won the fight), to go along with the win over Erick Silva, who at the time was thought of as being one of the rising stars.
The cut more than ever sends a mixed message. Unless one is a superstar, the fear of losing has to be playing in everyone’s head. And there’s nothing worse than a card of fighters who are fighting not to lose. Even worse, this is a strong encouragement that if you’re a fighter who is hurt, it’s best to call in sick. Both of Fitch’s loss were in fights that he really shouldn’t have competed in. The loss to Hendricks he has said many times he only took because he had gotten in a bad financial bind and needed the money. Under normal circumstances he’d have pulled out. He hasn’t spoken about the loss to Maia, and he was in a condition there where most, but not all, fighters would have done the fight. But in this climate, a fighter, unless they were someone with genuine drawing power, would have to really think twice about it.
Fitch is now in a weird situation. He can hope to be called and be a last minute fill-in if a name welterweight goes down. But given that the boring label was why he was cut with a strong record, they may not want to give him that chance. He could go to Bellator with the idea that he and Ben Askren would be an interesting test for both guys. But at 35, does he want to go through three fights in three months to earn that shot. And will Bellator offer him something that would be worth it to him to fight that often?
Fitch was earning $66,000 downside for his fights, with a $66,000 win bonus.
The other cuts made were:
*Wagner Prado - A charismatic Brazilian (at least for Brazil) with an 8-2, 1 no contest record as a light heavyweight. But his UFC record is 0-2, with 1 no contest. All of his enthusiasm and ability to connect with the crowd doesn’t mean much in UFC if you can’t win against the lower level competition. And Prado hadn’t proved he could win at the UFC level.
*Mike Russow - The Chicago police officer who moonlights as a fighter was a big favorite as a prelim fighter in the Windy City. A heavyweight with a 15-3, 1 no contest record, Russow is 36, and had lost his last two fights to Fabricio Werdum and Shawn Jordan after winning his first four in UFC.
*Jacob Volkmann - A three-time All-American wrestler at the University of Minnesota, Volkmann was his own worst enemy. He was a tough competitor who would grind out wins, but then come off like an idiot with his threats against President Obama. He had vowed at the 2/2 show that he had an interview that was going to make people take notice, and the reaction when he says things like that is the opposite of if Chael Sonnen would. But he lost that fight. Volkmann was 15-4, but had won six of his last eight as a lightweight before losing on 2/2 to Bobby Green.
*Vladimir Matyushenko - The former world class wrestler from Belarus, his being cut was expected. At 42, the 26-7 fighter was one of the oldest fighters on the roster, and had lost quickly to Alexander Gustafsson (2:13) and Ryan Bader
50) in his previous two outings. Matyushenko will forever be the trivia question as to half of the first main event after UFC got on PPV in 2001, where he lost a light heavyweight title match via dreadfully boring decision to Tito Ortiz.*Che Mills - A British welterweight, Mills was 15-6 with 1 no contest, and had gone 2-2 in UFC competition. On 2/16 in London, he lost a split decision to Matt Riddle, although the split is very misleading since Riddle clearly won the fight.
*Jay Hieron - The 1997 junior college national champion wrestler is now 36, and had gone 0-2 in UFC competition, losing a decision to Jake Ellenberger before Tyron Woodley finished him in 36 seconds on 2/2 in Las Vegas. He’s now 23-7. Hieron also bad the reputation of being a boring fighter. Given how much depth there is at lightweight, I figured he was gone after the way he lost to Woodley.
*Terry Etim - A lightweight from Liverpool, Etim lost a decision in a major upset on 2/16 to Renee Forte of Brazil. While he’s 15-5 overall, his UFC record is 6-5 and he’s lost three of his last four, although has also picked up four submission of the night bonuses in his six wins.
*Paul Sass - Another lightweight from Liverpool, Sass would have been the second biggest surprise on the list. He had a 13-2 record, although both losses were in his last two fights, a submission loss to Matt Wiman and a decision loss on 2/16 to Danny Castillo. However, Sass was always exciting, constantly going for the finish in his fights. 12 of his 13 wins were by submission, and 11 of them in the first round. His first loss to Wiman was a hell of a fight. But Castillo did shut him down, spending most of the fight on the ground and really Sass never came close to finishing him.
*Jorge Santiago - Santiago, a solid veteran, lost on 2/16 to Gunnar Nelson via decision. It was his first match back in UFC. He had a 25-11 record overall, and was a Sengoku champion in Japan, but was only 1-5 in three different UFC stints. His being cut was expected.
*Mike Stumpf - Also expected. Stumpf, 11-4, is a welterweight that went 0-2 in UFC, losing to T.J. Waldburger via triangle as Pascal Krauss via decision on the 1/26 show in Chicago.
*Simeon Thoresen - A native of Norway with a 17-4-1 record, Thoresen came in at 16-2-1 with 14 submission finishes, but only went 1-2 in UFC competition, losing on 1/26 to David Mitchell via decision.
*C.J. Keith - A lightweight, Keith came into UFC with an 8-0 record, but then lost to Ramsey Nijem and Francisco Trinaldo in his first two fights.
*Motonobu Tezuka - A bantamweight with a 19-6-4 record, Tezuka went 0-2 in UFC, losing on 2/16 to Vaughan Lee via decision.
*Josh Grispi - Grispi was 14-1 and set to face Jose Aldo Jr. for the title a year ago. Also was injured, so Grispi instead faced Dustin Poirier, and got dominated. He’s continued to lose, as his loss to Andy Ogle on 2/16 was his fourth in a row. Unless you are very popular like Dan Hardy, you don’t survive four losses in a row in the best of times, let alone the worst.
*Ulysses Gomez - Gomez is a flyweight who was considered one of the best in the world when he came to UFC with a 9-2 record. But he lost to John Moraga and then, on 2/16 to Phil Harris. I was sad to see this because I thought he deserved the win over Harris, but it wasn’t a surprise.
The always controversial subject of testosterone replacement therapy was back in the news for a second straight week when Dana White announced he had changed his position on the subject.
It is not clear exactly what sparked the change, but it was one week after Vitor Belfort, on TRT, and looking anything but natural, scored a knockout over Michael Bisping. The irony is that Bisping had been for years one of the biggest critics of steroid use in the company, and how has three of his four losses as a middleweight coming against fighters who were on TRT.
It is known that Bisping had talked to White in England. White was vehement in three separate interviews over the past week on the subject. What apparently set him off was the belief that fighters were going on high doses of testosterone during training camp, getting the benefits of the strength gains and recovery, and then lowering doses at the end, during the week of rest, so that their levels would fall into the top stage of allowable limits.
That’s one of the problems in the sense that, depending on the commission, the allowable level of testosterone in the blood is well over double the amount an average athlete produces. There was also the issue of Belfort being able to use TRT given he has a steroid test failure in his past. The problem is that it’s easy to get a doctor’s prescription because there are a number of things you can do to artificially lower your testosterone, such as drinking or not sleeping. Then you can go in for a checkup, and get prescribed testosterone. And anyone who has followed pro wrestling, entertainment or pro football knows the issues with “mark doctors” who will do anything to be friends with celebrities.
White said that they are going to test the shit all through camp of everyone prescribed TRT. Chael Sonnen, who fights on 4/27, noted that he was just given a test by UFC on 2/16.
Of course then becomes the issue as to what happens if three weeks before a show, if a key person in a main event is shown to have slightly high levels. Are they suspended for nine months, or are they told to get their level down in time for the fight (like the Pennsylvania commission did for Nate Marquardt, which was ridiculous). Will UFC cancel a main event, particularly if it’s a major one, a few weeks out?
White said that what has happened is that people have figured out how to take a great thing, and cheat with it, and it becomes bad. He talked about it being unfair that guys are getting their testosterone level back to that of a 25-year-old, or more, during camp. He said it had come to his attention that fighters were doing so.
“TRT has become a way for people to cheat,” said White. “If this is what your normal levels should be and then you have guys training at huge levels for their whole camp and then tapering down to get to normal levels before the fucking fight, that’s cheating and I don’t like it anymore. There are plenty of guys in the UFC that are naturally gifted and talented fighters. If you’re testosterone levels are too low, then you’re probably too old to be fighting. Stop fighting.”
Bisping, when word broke that Belfort was on TRT for the fight, was so mad that he declined all interview requests because he was afraid of what he might say. However, when he did a Q&A in England, it was the very first fan question.
“He’s been busted for that in the past and now he’s allowed to put steroids into his asshole. What can I say? He’s a fucking cheat. But I do want a rematch with the guy.”
Bisping made it clear that he’s not saying it played a difference in the eventual outcome of the fight,
“There’s probably 0.1 percent of the world that actually have low testosterone,” Bisping said. “But for some reason, a shitload of fighters have low testosterone.”
“You have guys that go in there 100% natural with their talent and natural ability, against someone on TRT, basically, somebody that’s on steroids,” said White. “I’m absolutely 100% against TRT and now I’m going to start fighting it 100% with the athletic commissions and I want nothing to do with it.”
The obvious problem is that if someone needs testosterone to function normally, they would look like a normal trained athlete on TRT. But when you have guys looking like they are looking for a spot in the 1980s WWF, how logically would someone with a deficiency look like that given they were low and the goal, for medical reasons, was only to get them to normal?
Belfort also spoke about his name being brought up.
“This will be the last time that I will talk about TRT,” he wrote. “I never hide from UFC that I was on the treatment, but admit that I didn’t admit (that) to the press. I confess that this was my mistake. I am men (sic) enough to admit my mistake. So from now on, guys, please don’t fight me if your going to use this as an excuse. That’s it. I never lie and I never hide from UFC. If you’re looking for an excuse, God will (be) the one to provide one for you, so accept he fact and change your attitude. If this is you, you better change. You tell me the rules. I will follow. You tell me the way. I will follow. You tell me the price. I will pay.
Get it over. A kick to the head doesn’t have nothing to do with TRT. This call(ed) skill.”
Daniel Galvan, who does MMA reporting for the Observer web site, did a statistical analysis of the 341 UFC matches of 2012.
While UFC’s goal is to give fighters three matches per year, it almost never happens. Of the 380 fighters who fought in UFC during the year, only 65 ended up with three or more fights, with 59 fighting three times and six fighting four times. 152 fought once and 163 fought twice.
While matchmaker Joe Silva is not Brazilian, Silva is still the best last name to get into UFC, with Brazilians Anderson, Jussier da Silva, Antonio Silva, Thiago Silva, Wanderlei Silva and Erick Silva.
During the year, 178 fights went to a decision, 72 ended via submission, 100 ended by knockout or TKO and 9 ended via disqualification, injury stoppage or doctor stoppage.
The idea that there are more knockouts with the big guys is generally true. 69% of heavyweight fights ended via knockout, as compared to 26% for light heavyweight, 33% for middleweight, 27% for welterweight, 20% for lightweight, 21% for featherweight, 32% for bantamweight and 25% for flyweight. What is a myth is that the flyweights consist of these little guys who have no knockout power since their KO ratio is almost identical to light heavyweights. However, they did have the most decisions because they were the least likely to get caught in a submission.
When it came to matches ending via submission, for heavyweight it was 15%, light heavyweight was 26%, middleweight was 13%, welterweight was 20%, lightweight was 22%, featherweight was 21%, bantamweight was 32% and flyweight was 17%.
As many would expect, heavyweight fights are the shortest, averaging 6:41. But the second shortest fights were bantamweights at 8:58. Middleweights (11:02), lightweights (11:06) and flyweights (11:40) were the longest on average.
When it came to first round finishes, 59% of heavyweight bouts ended in the first round, to 33% for light heavyweight, 16% for middleweight, 32% for welterweight, 23% for lightweight, 31% for featherweight, 42% for bantamweight and 9% for flyweight.
As far as the UFC jitters claim, when someone debuts and is favored to win, they do so 56% of the time. When someone debuts and is expected to lose, they do so 68% of the time. Statistically, both are higher than the average, so there is something minor to the idea that UFC jitters can cause a very small percentage of fights to go the opposite way.
As far as ring rust, when fighters who are expected to win return from long layoffs (10 or more months), they won 80% of the time. Keep in mind that those favored who didn’t come off layoffs don’t win anywhere close to that number. Those coming off long layoffs that are expected to lose, do so 73% of the time. So it seems to be that taking ring rust into account when predicting matches, even though fighters will almost all tell you it exists, it may be a more uncomfortable feeling, but it doesn’t seem to make any statistical difference in the outcome of the matches themselves. What is more likely is that after ring rust, whether the person is favored or the underdog, you should be able to predict the result with more, not less, accuracy.
If there is something to help those wanting to bet, last year, there were ten fights where someone missed weight. In seven of the ten instances, the person missing weight was the underdog. However, in all ten of the instances, the person missing weight lost.
Huge news in the boxing world is that Floyd Mayweather Jr., the biggest PPV drawing card in the game, switched from HBO to Showtime in signing six-fight deal covering 30 months. The first fight of his deal will be on 5/4 against Robert “The Ghost”Guerrero. Mayweather Jr. is now 36, so his career is likely starting to wind down. The deal is said to be the most lucrative sports deal of all-time. As part of it, CBS will promote the hell out of Mayweather Jr. CBS will air his news conferences live as special shows as opposed to just clips on tape. CBS will also promote the fight heavily throughout the NCAA basketball tournament. Plus, they are looking at putting Canelo Alvarez, who is likely Mayweather’s next big money opponent, against Austin Trout in the semi to build a new PPV opponent. Alvarez is expected to be a focal point of the promotion, whether he faces Trout or someone else. This is a gigantic coup for Showtime, very much the equivalent of it TNA had signed The Rock.
Chamber, friend, I want to believe.
You're already beginning to break. Might as well RSVP for the midnight launch.
Lambda Pie
Banned
i already set a 600 budget aside for the thing.
@RoUseyFC
i'm going to watch just to see Hendo caving Machida's face in.
the ladies fight... i honestly can't be bothered. it's the same with football, or tennis or pretty much every sport i follow: the female variant is usually weaker, therefore, not as interesting.
@RoUseyFC
i'm going to watch just to see Hendo caving Machida's face in.
the ladies fight... i honestly can't be bothered. it's the same with football, or tennis or pretty much every sport i follow: the female variant is usually weaker, therefore, not as interesting.
Chamber, friend, I want to believe.
Can Crusher
Banned
I only read the bolded drm. So thanks for bolding.
But I don't play those games friend, I play games like Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, Alpha Centauri and Total War.
Edit: Now I sounds snotty, goddamnit!
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
You weren't around when gaming side was constantly getting spammed with Killzone 2 and Uncharted 2 gifs.
Maklershed
Member
Listened to the Rogan podcast with Jimmy Smith. I love that show when there's in depth mma discussions. Really impressed with Jimmy's mma knowledge too. That guy seems to have a photographic memory when it comes to fights he's watched.
Gonna listen to the Inoue/Liddell episode next.
Gonna listen to the Inoue/Liddell episode next.
What the bullshots or actual gameplay? At least last nights demo was real I guess, the guys terrible aim confirmed that.
What a weird rock we live on. Just came back from the gym. Was in there doing my thing..had my earphones in listening to tunes.. and that chick i mentioned yesterday was there again. There were maybe 9 people on that floor in total. 3 chicks and rest were dudes. Betas being beta were staring holes in her. So im like..what the fuck. Went over there under the guise of using the bench next to her and five minutes later we exchanged numbers. Dudes were salty as fuuuuuuuck. Becoming single was definitely the right move for me cause I could only ward temptation off for so long. Judging by the reaction i got from her I will be putting her head through a headboard in the very near future.
Maklershed
Member
Did you say to her "let me bang, bro"
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
Alpha. Was she hot?
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
I'm guessing yes if 5 betas were staring at her and then got salty because brother Grim was the only one with initiative to do something besides stare.
No Timothy because my intention is to penetrate her. This may be one of those 'actions over words' scenarios.
Who do you take me for sir? Of course she's hot. Oh and Bone I didnt know you had them one frame links down like that son. I had a combo with Rog in vanilla that had 3 one frame links in it. Yea i had some free time on my hands. I actually think i got enough energy to go on a run. Lets see if i get a cold.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
I don't anymore in fighting games. My TE stick has seen more time lately as a weed/pipe storage box or for 2D stuff not using a second stick. I've somewhat traded fighting games for character action games.
Lambda Pie
Banned
i could beat everyone here at Tekken. not even joking.
my man
im just tryin to be like you brother.
*edit* Lunch time man. Thats when all the birds is out.
I usually go to the gym at 5 a.m. before work and the trim factor is nonexistent in the morning. Just sad Joes getting their swole on before work.
TheKaeptain
Banned
Good job.
I'm laying the ground work for this ridiculously hot 23 year old. I'll know within a few days if I should move on or make a move.
TheKaeptain
Banned
Jest Chillin
Member
157 presser is on. They're putting the press on camera for some of the questions. It looks like SNL monolgue with plants in the audience.
TheKaeptain
Banned
She would out shine those other "beauties"
Badr Hari to Replace Ben Edwards in K-1 World Grand Prix
I think even deflated Badr would turn Mirko's fade crooked.
I think even deflated Badr would turn Mirko's fade crooked.
TheKaeptain
Banned
Hari swinging into 2013 K-1. Oh how the might have fallen.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
They always do the UFC shorts ass shot, she'd be perfect for it.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
Badr off the juice is going to be one damn sad sight. I'm not sure if I want to watch him get beaten by some Bad Kickboxer.
TheKaeptain
Banned
And she actually has nice real boobs. I've seen her running on the beach once. Those things are beautiful.
If youre putting time in why not pull the trigger on it. No use in moving on without trying breh. Worse you get is a no. Best, you get to park your erection in her fleshy garage. On a related note, running in the cold is the worst fucking idea of all time.
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