crudz -I dont think for one second Smith beats Jones but the man is hungry calling for a shot and I can't criticize him for that.
Agree, rather see a guy calling out the champ than anyone else.
crudz -I dont think for one second Smith beats Jones but the man is hungry calling for a shot and I can't criticize him for that.
Agree, rather see a guy calling out the champ than anyone else.
The fact that anyone on here thinks that Smith has even the tiniest chance of beating Jones is more a reflection of how shit the UG is these days.
I’m a huge Anthony Smith fan but he will get destroyed if he goes into a fight with JJ in the same shape as his last fight with volkan.
ConorWinsTheRematch -It still boggles my mind how Gus didnt walk Jones down and beat him up with his vastly superior boxing. Strange fight. More then anything, Anthony Smith has the right temperment, and the right mind set to shock Jones. Dont let Smith's friendly demeanor fool you. Smith is a real ass mother fucker who will walk through kicks and punches to land his own. Smith has the soul of an old school tough as nails hard nosed boxer. When facing Jones that's what you need, you need to bully the bully. Step in and smoother his kicks. Land combos in-tight then step back out of range. Make Jones react to you. You dicate when exchanges occur. Make Jones have to come to you to do anything, and counter, or that's when you can utilise movement, and not let Jones get close. Frustrate Jones. That's how you control the range against him. You make a fighter give up his reach by coming to you. I don't know if Anthony has the boxing skill/IQ, but again, he absolutely has the right qualities in his temperament and in his mind set to beat Jones. Smith being just as tall means that he will not waste any of his reach punching up. He will be punching level with Jones, which is huge too. I would watch Smith try to beat Jones. I say fuck it. If Jones were to lose, he would lose to someone unexpected like Smith, in a fight no one expected. Smith also has very very underrated speed and athleticism. Smith can legit catch Jones with his combinations. Jones's biggest weakness is his defense, footwork, lack of boxing, and his own lack of speed. Smith might just match up good with Jones:) Call me crazy, but I would not be shocked if Smith pulled off the upset. The only thing is, Smith will have to keep it standing. Smith will need to work on his TDD and bottom game. And just be himself on the feet. Either Smith lands on the feet, or Jones takes Smith down, and has his way with him. The person to absolutely smash Jones though is Dominick Reyes. Who is Reyes fighting next? Watch out for that kid. Trust me. He will "out Jones" Jon Jones. At this point Jones is Shogun and Reyes would be his Jones. Reyes now is in the same position Jones was coming up
Gus has literally no wins over anyone impressive in their prime. He came up short against DC and an unprepared Jon Jones. His only notable W is Glover Texieria who also was past his best days. There was no suprise he lost to a roided up, prepared Jones this past weekend, none. He chokes against anyone and everyone who he has fought that mattered.
Posters on the ug need to stop beefing up arguments to support the fighters we want to win vs the reality of the situation. We have a handful of really knowledgeable members who can break down fights brilliantly but then turn around and say some dumb shit like "I cant wait until Aldo moves up to 155 and takes the throne." Clown shit like that is what separates mma from boxing and other legit sports. The wise elders in the mma community with the most knowledge disregard their ability to be truly critical in favor of fanboying tf up.
Pill Cosby -ConorWinsTheRematch -It still boggles my mind how Gus didnt walk Jones down and beat him up with his vastly superior boxing. Strange fight. More then anything, Anthony Smith has the right temperment, and the right mind set to shock Jones. Dont let Smith's friendly demeanor fool you. Smith is a real ass mother fucker who will walk through kicks and punches to land his own. Smith has the soul of an old school tough as nails hard nosed boxer. When facing Jones that's what you need, you need to bully the bully. Step in and smoother his kicks. Land combos in-tight then step back out of range. Make Jones react to you. You dicate when exchanges occur. Make Jones have to come to you to do anything, and counter, or that's when you can utilise movement, and not let Jones get close. Frustrate Jones. That's how you control the range against him. You make a fighter give up his reach by coming to you. I don't know if Anthony has the boxing skill/IQ, but again, he absolutely has the right qualities in his temperament and in his mind set to beat Jones. Smith being just as tall means that he will not waste any of his reach punching up. He will be punching level with Jones, which is huge too. I would watch Smith try to beat Jones. I say fuck it. If Jones were to lose, he would lose to someone unexpected like Smith, in a fight no one expected. Smith also has very very underrated speed and athleticism. Smith can legit catch Jones with his combinations. Jones's biggest weakness is his defense, footwork, lack of boxing, and his own lack of speed. Smith might just match up good with Jones:) Call me crazy, but I would not be shocked if Smith pulled off the upset. The only thing is, Smith will have to keep it standing. Smith will need to work on his TDD and bottom game. And just be himself on the feet. Either Smith lands on the feet, or Jones takes Smith down, and has his way with him. The person to absolutely smash Jones though is Dominick Reyes. Who is Reyes fighting next? Watch out for that kid. Trust me. He will "out Jones" Jon Jones. At this point Jones is Shogun and Reyes would be his Jones. Reyes now is in the same position Jones was coming up
Gus has literally no wins over anyone impressive in their prime. He came up short against DC and an unprepared Jon Jones. His only notable W is Glover Texieria who also was past his best days. There was no suprise he lost to a roided up, prepared Jones this past weekend, none. He chokes against anyone and everyone who he has fought that mattered.
Posters on the ug need to stop beefing up arguments to support the fighters we want to win vs the reality of the situation. We have a handful of really knowledgeable members who can break down fights brilliantly but then turn around and say some dumb shit like "I cant wait until Aldo moves up to 155 and takes the throne." Clown shit like that is what separates mma from boxing and other legit sports. The wise elders in the mma community with the most knowledge disregard their ability to be truly critical in favor of fanboying tf up.
That's what you are doing with Jones. Jones isnt invincible. We have already seen him lose. We have already seen him get dominated (1st Gus fight.) Jones is human, and has flaws, many of which I detailed. You are also doing the opposite of what you are crying about, to Gus. You are "beefing up arguments" to discredit fighters you dont like, like Gus, vs the reality of Gus having way better footwork and boxing then Jones, and yet strangely not utilising any of his advantages in the rematch. You just sound like a Jones fanboy. I even said that if Smith catches Jones it's an upset. Jones would be a huge favorite over Smith. Everyone knows that. You need to relax. Seriously, are you really getting that offended and emotional just because I even dared to entertain Jones losing in an upset? That's being a fanboy on a whole other creepy level. You know who you should be worried about though? Dominick Reyes. Hes coming for Jones, and what happens isnt going to be pretty. Young Reyes is going to make Jones fans feel the same way a young Jones made Shogun fans feel. Everything comes full circle. It's the circle of life my friend. Jones is on borrowed time, while Reyes is behind the cut just patiently waiting to step out from the shadows and "arrive" onto the spotlight.
I hope he gets the shot. He's a veteran fighter that has had ups and downs but he's on a roll now finishing two former champs and a recent challenger. Give Smith the shot. I will cheer for him.
ConorWinsTheRematch -It still boggles my mind how Gus didnt walk Jones down and beat him up with his vastly superior boxing. Strange fight. More then anything, Anthony Smith has the right temperment, and the right mind set to shock Jones. Dont let Smith's friendly demeanor fool you. Smith is a real ass mother fucker who will walk through kicks and punches to land his own. Smith has the soul of an old school tough as nails hard nosed boxer. When facing Jones that's what you need, you need to bully the bully. Step in and smoother his kicks. Land combos in-tight then step back out of range. Make Jones react to you. You dicate when exchanges occur. Make Jones have to come to you to do anything, and counter, or that's when you can utilise movement, and not let Jones get close. Frustrate Jones. That's how you control the range against him. You make a fighter give up his reach by coming to you. I don't know if Anthony has the boxing skill/IQ, but again, he absolutely has the right qualities in his temperament and in his mind set to beat Jones. Smith being just as tall means that he will not waste any of his reach punching up. He will be punching level with Jones, which is huge too. I would watch Smith try to beat Jones. I say fuck it. If Jones were to lose, he would lose to someone unexpected like Smith, in a fight no one expected. Smith also has very very underrated speed and athleticism. Smith can legit catch Jones with his combinations. Jones's biggest weakness is his defense, footwork, lack of boxing, and his own lack of speed. Smith might just match up good with Jones:) Call me crazy, but I would not be shocked if Smith pulled off the upset. The only thing is, Smith will have to keep it standing. Smith will need to work on his TDD and bottom game. And just be himself on the feet. Either Smith lands on the feet, or Jones takes Smith down, and has his way with him. The person to absolutely smash Jones though is Dominick Reyes. Who is Reyes fighting next? Watch out for that kid. Trust me. He will "out Jones" Jon Jones. At this point Jones is Shogun and Reyes would be his Jones. Reyes now is in the same position Jones was coming up
It’s that easy, huh?! Well put me in coach, I can beat the champ now!
"IM A FAN BUT I DONT WANT TO SEE FIGHTS" - UG in 2019
For the most part I want to see the number one contender fight for the belt but I also like to see the odd wild card jump in there and see what happens.
ConorWinsTheRematch -Pill Cosby -ConorWinsTheRematch -It still boggles my mind how Gus didnt walk Jones down and beat him up with his vastly superior boxing. Strange fight. More then anything, Anthony Smith has the right temperment, and the right mind set to shock Jones. Dont let Smith's friendly demeanor fool you. Smith is a real ass mother fucker who will walk through kicks and punches to land his own. Smith has the soul of an old school tough as nails hard nosed boxer. When facing Jones that's what you need, you need to bully the bully. Step in and smoother his kicks. Land combos in-tight then step back out of range. Make Jones react to you. You dicate when exchanges occur. Make Jones have to come to you to do anything, and counter, or that's when you can utilise movement, and not let Jones get close. Frustrate Jones. That's how you control the range against him. You make a fighter give up his reach by coming to you. I don't know if Anthony has the boxing skill/IQ, but again, he absolutely has the right qualities in his temperament and in his mind set to beat Jones. Smith being just as tall means that he will not waste any of his reach punching up. He will be punching level with Jones, which is huge too. I would watch Smith try to beat Jones. I say fuck it. If Jones were to lose, he would lose to someone unexpected like Smith, in a fight no one expected. Smith also has very very underrated speed and athleticism. Smith can legit catch Jones with his combinations. Jones's biggest weakness is his defense, footwork, lack of boxing, and his own lack of speed. Smith might just match up good with Jones:) Call me crazy, but I would not be shocked if Smith pulled off the upset. The only thing is, Smith will have to keep it standing. Smith will need to work on his TDD and bottom game. And just be himself on the feet. Either Smith lands on the feet, or Jones takes Smith down, and has his way with him. The person to absolutely smash Jones though is Dominick Reyes. Who is Reyes fighting next? Watch out for that kid. Trust me. He will "out Jones" Jon Jones. At this point Jones is Shogun and Reyes would be his Jones. Reyes now is in the same position Jones was coming up
Gus has literally no wins over anyone impressive in their prime. He came up short against DC and an unprepared Jon Jones. His only notable W is Glover Texieria who also was past his best days. There was no suprise he lost to a roided up, prepared Jones this past weekend, none. He chokes against anyone and everyone who he has fought that mattered.
Posters on the ug need to stop beefing up arguments to support the fighters we want to win vs the reality of the situation. We have a handful of really knowledgeable members who can break down fights brilliantly but then turn around and say some dumb shit like "I cant wait until Aldo moves up to 155 and takes the throne." Clown shit like that is what separates mma from boxing and other legit sports. The wise elders in the mma community with the most knowledge disregard their ability to be truly critical in favor of fanboying tf up.
That's what you are doing with Jones. Jones isnt invincible. We have already seen him lose. We have already seen him get dominated (1st Gus fight.) Jones is human, and has flaws, many of which I detailed. You are also doing the opposite of what you are crying about, to Gus. You are "beefing up arguments" to discredit fighters you dont like, like Gus, vs the reality of Gus having way better footwork and boxing then Jones, and yet strangely not utilising any of his advantages in the rematch. You just sound like a Jones fanboy. I even said that if Smith catches Jones it's an upset. Jones would be a huge favorite over Smith. Everyone knows that. You need to relax. Seriously, are you really getting that offended and emotional just because I even dared to entertain Jones losing in an upset? That's being a fanboy on a whole other creepy level. You know who you should be worried about though? Dominick Reyes. Hes coming for Jones, and what happens isnt going to be pretty. Young Reyes is going to make Jones fans feel the same way a young Jones made Shogun fans feel. Everything comes full circle. It's the circle of life my friend. Jones is on borrowed time, while Reyes is behind the cut just patiently waiting to step out from the shadows and "arrive" onto the spotlight.
Reyes is fighting volkan. He needs to worry about that fights first, he's really good but looked very beatable vs osp... Also a fan of smith, but don't see any path to victory besides the ol punchers chance.
SQUEEZIE -ConorWinsTheRematch -Pill Cosby -ConorWinsTheRematch -It still boggles my mind how Gus didnt walk Jones down and beat him up with his vastly superior boxing. Strange fight. More then anything, Anthony Smith has the right temperment, and the right mind set to shock Jones. Dont let Smith's friendly demeanor fool you. Smith is a real ass mother fucker who will walk through kicks and punches to land his own. Smith has the soul of an old school tough as nails hard nosed boxer. When facing Jones that's what you need, you need to bully the bully. Step in and smoother his kicks. Land combos in-tight then step back out of range. Make Jones react to you. You dicate when exchanges occur. Make Jones have to come to you to do anything, and counter, or that's when you can utilise movement, and not let Jones get close. Frustrate Jones. That's how you control the range against him. You make a fighter give up his reach by coming to you. I don't know if Anthony has the boxing skill/IQ, but again, he absolutely has the right qualities in his temperament and in his mind set to beat Jones. Smith being just as tall means that he will not waste any of his reach punching up. He will be punching level with Jones, which is huge too. I would watch Smith try to beat Jones. I say fuck it. If Jones were to lose, he would lose to someone unexpected like Smith, in a fight no one expected. Smith also has very very underrated speed and athleticism. Smith can legit catch Jones with his combinations. Jones's biggest weakness is his defense, footwork, lack of boxing, and his own lack of speed. Smith might just match up good with Jones:) Call me crazy, but I would not be shocked if Smith pulled off the upset. The only thing is, Smith will have to keep it standing. Smith will need to work on his TDD and bottom game. And just be himself on the feet. Either Smith lands on the feet, or Jones takes Smith down, and has his way with him. The person to absolutely smash Jones though is Dominick Reyes. Who is Reyes fighting next? Watch out for that kid. Trust me. He will "out Jones" Jon Jones. At this point Jones is Shogun and Reyes would be his Jones. Reyes now is in the same position Jones was coming up
Gus has literally no wins over anyone impressive in their prime. He came up short against DC and an unprepared Jon Jones. His only notable W is Glover Texieria who also was past his best days. There was no suprise he lost to a roided up, prepared Jones this past weekend, none. He chokes against anyone and everyone who he has fought that mattered.
Posters on the ug need to stop beefing up arguments to support the fighters we want to win vs the reality of the situation. We have a handful of really knowledgeable members who can break down fights brilliantly but then turn around and say some dumb shit like "I cant wait until Aldo moves up to 155 and takes the throne." Clown shit like that is what separates mma from boxing and other legit sports. The wise elders in the mma community with the most knowledge disregard their ability to be truly critical in favor of fanboying tf up.
That's what you are doing with Jones. Jones isnt invincible. We have already seen him lose. We have already seen him get dominated (1st Gus fight.) Jones is human, and has flaws, many of which I detailed. You are also doing the opposite of what you are crying about, to Gus. You are "beefing up arguments" to discredit fighters you dont like, like Gus, vs the reality of Gus having way better footwork and boxing then Jones, and yet strangely not utilising any of his advantages in the rematch. You just sound like a Jones fanboy. I even said that if Smith catches Jones it's an upset. Jones would be a huge favorite over Smith. Everyone knows that. You need to relax. Seriously, are you really getting that offended and emotional just because I even dared to entertain Jones losing in an upset? That's being a fanboy on a whole other creepy level. You know who you should be worried about though? Dominick Reyes. Hes coming for Jones, and what happens isnt going to be pretty. Young Reyes is going to make Jones fans feel the same way a young Jones made Shogun fans feel. Everything comes full circle. It's the circle of life my friend. Jones is on borrowed time, while Reyes is behind the cut just patiently waiting to step out from the shadows and "arrive" onto the spotlight.
Reyes is fighting volkan. He needs to worry about that fights first, he's really good but looked very beatable vs osp... Also a fan of smith, but don't see any path to victory besides the ol punchers chance.
Reyes looked amazing vs OSP. Outclassed him. Dominated from every range. That really should've been a KO win. Its BS thats only a decision win on his record. But holy smokes, Reyes vs Volkan has me pretty excited. When is that fight happening? If Reyes dominates Volkan, we could see Reyes fighting for the title sooner then we think. I'm telling you, Reyes is going to annihilate Jones. Hes just as much if not more of a dynamic kicker.Taller.Reach.He can out kick Jones from range, step inside and elbow with Jones, plus he has superior boxing and footwork. Reyes can do what Jones does, but better, and actually has the boxing that Jones doesnt have. Reyes has the tools to shut down Jones from any range. Young Reyes is going to do to a champ Jones what a young Jones did to a champ Shogun several years ago. Will likely even be worse of a beating that Reyes puts on Jones. The only area we haven't seen of Reyes yet that is a question mark is his bottom game. But that is not going to really matter when Reyes has the kicking and range control to "out Jones" Jon Jones
SickEye -danybayamon23 -Has there been a worst division than LHW now?
maybe MW during Silva era
That’s ok. Jones is more than happy to rule over the ashes at LHW as opposed to challenging himself at HW.
He will be happy to do it, and I’m sure the hypocrisy will be in full effect when the same people who say DC has fought weak competition say JJ is the GOAT for beating the same people.
QuintonRammedMyPage -I don't think Smith has anything for jones. That being said, all it takes is one punch.
Fuck it. I'm on the Anthony Smith train.
choo choo mother fuckers
This
I like Smith and he has talent. That said, the reality is he’s a journeyman fighter and he’s feasted on the modern, low rent ufc. The talent pool is so thin that it’s transparent. Jones will utterly destroy him.
Eskimo -I like Smith and he has talent. That said, the reality is he’s a journeyman fighter and he’s feasted on the modern, low rent ufc. The talent pool is so thin that it’s transparent. Jones will utterly destroy him.
Journeyman is not the correct term. At MW he def wasnt championship material, but he was also cutting a shit ton of weight which hindered his abilities/performances while he was at MW. Smith at LHW is a completely different beast. It's like the people who were saying that Whitaker wasnt going to be a real threat at MW because of the losses he had at WW while being severely dehydrated. Smith is now just coming into his own. Watch out for Smith. One thing I am willing to guarantee is that Smith will put up a better fight against Jones then DC and Gus did in their rematches. It's time for Jones to start fighting the new wave (LHW Smith, Walker, Reyes). Even Rockhold. I guarantee you that Rockhold is also going to be a different beast at LHW. BTW Rockhold with his kick game and ground game is someone who Jones is 100% going to struggle with. In fact, IF Rockhold got top position on Jones during a scramble, things could start to get very interesting. No one has ever survived being on the bottom of Rockhold. Rockhold gaining top position is a death sentence. He has even scarier ground and pound then Jones has while having much better control/guard passing/submissions etc
Pill Cosby -ConorWinsTheRematch -It still boggles my mind how Gus didnt walk Jones down and beat him up with his vastly superior boxing. Strange fight. More then anything, Anthony Smith has the right temperment, and the right mind set to shock Jones. Dont let Smith's friendly demeanor fool you. Smith is a real ass mother fucker who will walk through kicks and punches to land his own. Smith has the soul of an old school tough as nails hard nosed boxer. When facing Jones that's what you need, you need to bully the bully. Step in and smoother his kicks. Land combos in-tight then step back out of range. Make Jones react to you. You dicate when exchanges occur. Make Jones have to come to you to do anything, and counter, or that's when you can utilise movement, and not let Jones get close. Frustrate Jones. That's how you control the range against him. You make a fighter give up his reach by coming to you. I don't know if Anthony has the boxing skill/IQ, but again, he absolutely has the right qualities in his temperament and in his mind set to beat Jones. Smith being just as tall means that he will not waste any of his reach punching up. He will be punching level with Jones, which is huge too. I would watch Smith try to beat Jones. I say fuck it. If Jones were to lose, he would lose to someone unexpected like Smith, in a fight no one expected. Smith also has very very underrated speed and athleticism. Smith can legit catch Jones with his combinations. Jones's biggest weakness is his defense, footwork, lack of boxing, and his own lack of speed. Smith might just match up good with Jones:) Call me crazy, but I would not be shocked if Smith pulled off the upset. The only thing is, Smith will have to keep it standing. Smith will need to work on his TDD and bottom game. And just be himself on the feet. Either Smith lands on the feet, or Jones takes Smith down, and has his way with him. The person to absolutely smash Jones though is Dominick Reyes. Who is Reyes fighting next? Watch out for that kid. Trust me. He will "out Jones" Jon Jones. At this point Jones is Shogun and Reyes would be his Jones. Reyes now is in the same position Jones was coming up
Gus has literally no wins over anyone impressive in their prime. He came up short against DC and an unprepared Jon Jones. His only notable W is Glover Texieria who also was past his best days. There was no suprise he lost to a roided up, prepared Jones this past weekend, none. He chokes against anyone and everyone who he has fought that mattered.
Posters on the ug need to stop beefing up arguments to support the fighters we want to win vs the reality of the situation. We have a handful of really knowledgeable members who can break down fights brilliantly but then turn around and say some dumb shit like "I cant wait until Aldo moves up to 155 and takes the throne." Clown shit like that is what separates mma from boxing and other legit sports. The wise elders in the mma community with the most knowledge disregard their ability to be truly critical in favor of fanboying tf up.
Not sure if you’re serious, but if you are: why would it matter? Dude was on a long winning streak at LHW finishing most of the guys he fought, who else should he have fought? Please show your elder wisdom by giving us your alternate reality.
If you really wanted to analyze and break down guys records and fights, you could argue JJ fought very few guys in their primes. Rampage, Sonnen, Lyoto, Belfort. Cmon son. BUT I don’t do that because you can’t fault a fighter for beating the guys that are there, they don’t have control over that. Gus came close to beating JJ the first time. That alone shows he’s world class. Nobody else aside from DC has even been remotely competitive with JJ. The fact that Gus has only lost to JJ and DC says a lot. He may never be champion but clearly he’s elite. I also don’t buy the “omg lol I totally forgot to train cause I was too busy partying and getting wasted” excuse. He trained and he was prepared. He just had no idea how good Gus actually was, and that excuse sounds better than saying “hey man I thought I had him figured out but once we were in there, he was better than I thought”.
MasterofMartialArts -Pill Cosby -ConorWinsTheRematch -It still boggles my mind how Gus didnt walk Jones down and beat him up with his vastly superior boxing. Strange fight. More then anything, Anthony Smith has the right temperment, and the right mind set to shock Jones. Dont let Smith's friendly demeanor fool you. Smith is a real ass mother fucker who will walk through kicks and punches to land his own. Smith has the soul of an old school tough as nails hard nosed boxer. When facing Jones that's what you need, you need to bully the bully. Step in and smoother his kicks. Land combos in-tight then step back out of range. Make Jones react to you. You dicate when exchanges occur. Make Jones have to come to you to do anything, and counter, or that's when you can utilise movement, and not let Jones get close. Frustrate Jones. That's how you control the range against him. You make a fighter give up his reach by coming to you. I don't know if Anthony has the boxing skill/IQ, but again, he absolutely has the right qualities in his temperament and in his mind set to beat Jones. Smith being just as tall means that he will not waste any of his reach punching up. He will be punching level with Jones, which is huge too. I would watch Smith try to beat Jones. I say fuck it. If Jones were to lose, he would lose to someone unexpected like Smith, in a fight no one expected. Smith also has very very underrated speed and athleticism. Smith can legit catch Jones with his combinations. Jones's biggest weakness is his defense, footwork, lack of boxing, and his own lack of speed. Smith might just match up good with Jones:) Call me crazy, but I would not be shocked if Smith pulled off the upset. The only thing is, Smith will have to keep it standing. Smith will need to work on his TDD and bottom game. And just be himself on the feet. Either Smith lands on the feet, or Jones takes Smith down, and has his way with him. The person to absolutely smash Jones though is Dominick Reyes. Who is Reyes fighting next? Watch out for that kid. Trust me. He will "out Jones" Jon Jones. At this point Jones is Shogun and Reyes would be his Jones. Reyes now is in the same position Jones was coming up
Gus has literally no wins over anyone impressive in their prime. He came up short against DC and an unprepared Jon Jones. His only notable W is Glover Texieria who also was past his best days. There was no suprise he lost to a roided up, prepared Jones this past weekend, none. He chokes against anyone and everyone who he has fought that mattered.
Posters on the ug need to stop beefing up arguments to support the fighters we want to win vs the reality of the situation. We have a handful of really knowledgeable members who can break down fights brilliantly but then turn around and say some dumb shit like "I cant wait until Aldo moves up to 155 and takes the throne." Clown shit like that is what separates mma from boxing and other legit sports. The wise elders in the mma community with the most knowledge disregard their ability to be truly critical in favor of fanboying tf up.
Not sure if you’re serious, but if you are: why would it matter? Dude was on a long winning streak at LHW finishing most of the guys he fought, who else should he have fought? Please show your elder wisdom by giving us your alternate reality.
If you really wanted to analyze and break down guys records and fights, you could argue JJ fought very few guys in their primes. Rampage, Sonnen, Lyoto, Belfort. Cmon son. BUT I don’t do that because you can’t fault a fighter for beating the guys that are there, they don’t have control over that. Gus came close to beating JJ the first time. That alone shows he’s world class. Nobody else aside from DC has even been remotely competitive with JJ. The fact that Gus has only lost to JJ and DC says a lot. He may never be champion but clearly he’s elite. I also don’t buy the “omg lol I totally forgot to train cause I was too busy partying and getting wasted” excuse. He trained and he was prepared. He just had no idea how good Gus actually was, and that excuse sounds better than saying “hey man I thought I had him figured out but once we were in there, he was better than I thought”.
Very good post
If this happens, I might actually put $500 on Jones just to get back the price of the PPV.
ConorWinsTheRematch -Eskimo -I like Smith and he has talent. That said, the reality is he’s a journeyman fighter and he’s feasted on the modern, low rent ufc. The talent pool is so thin that it’s transparent. Jones will utterly destroy him.
Journeyman is not the correct term. At MW he def wasnt championship material, but he was also cutting a shit ton of weight which hindered his abilities/performances while he was at MW. Smith at LHW is a completely different beast. It's like the people who were saying that Whitaker wasnt going to be a real threat at MW because of the losses he had at WW while being severely dehydrated. Smith is now just coming into his own. Watch out for Smith. One thing I am willing to guarantee is that Smith will put up a better fight against Jones then DC and Gus did in their rematches. It's time for Jones to start fighting the new wave (LHW Smith, Walker, Reyes). Even Rockhold. I guarantee you that Rockhold is also going to be a different beast at LHW. BTW Rockhold with his kick game and ground game is someone who Jones is 100% going to struggle with. In fact, IF Rockhold got top position on Jones during a scramble, things could start to get very interesting. No one has ever survived being on the bottom of Rockhold. Rockhold gaining top position is a death sentence. He has even scarier ground and pound then Jones has while having much better control/guard passing/submissions etc
I guess we’ll see. Smith seems to have suspect cardio and has looked a little chinny at times.
I agree about Rockhold and Reyes. Both of them are potentially tough fights for Jones.
lhw is a mess. Hw is a bigger mess but Jones has virtually No Real tests at lhw