BJ burst into the sport just like Vitor did by destroying his competition. He fell victim to Jens Pulver and was exposed for his cardio ala Randy Couture vs. Vitor in their first fight. Most fans know that Vitor is an excellent fighter and we know that if his opponent can survive his onslaught in the beginning of the fight then the likliness of winning against him increases. BJ may fall into the same category as Vitor in that way now. Both BJ and Vitor personify their nicknames, they truly are phenoms and prodigies, but their conditioning and mental strength are questionable. Both have the potential to become champs in their respective weight classes but plateau at a certain point. BJ should consider if his lack of size in the welter weight division really does affect his cardio and possibly move back down to 155lbs. If he really didn't train that hard like he said he did for this fight (possibly the GSP fight as well) then he should consider finding a great conditioning coach to work with him on that aspect.
Let me add something since you fockers won't.
BJ and Matt are 1-1 against each other with both fights being finished. I really couldn't tell you who the better fighter is because both are really good. One thing i know for sure is that if there was a third fight it would be just as exciting as their previous two. BJ always has a chance to beat Matt but i think it'll only happen within the first two rounds. If Matt chose to engage with him in those first two rounds i can't see Matt ever being able to finish him, and i do believe BJ will always have the edge to finish in those first ten minutes. The longer the fight goes the better it is for Matt and that is where he has his chance to just like he showed the other day.
I have just stated the obvious and what everyone is arguing about. There has to be a 3rd match just for the simple fact that they are 1-1 both being finished.
fluke or no fluke. if you add up the total rounds fought between both fights BJ is winning 3 rounds to Hughes 1 round.
i'd take BJ in a rematch... i like them odds.
I love the "add up the rounds" theroy,yhe only problem is,they are still 1 and 1.If BJ would have won 4 rounds or 1,the outcome was the same.
I don't think so. The first match was a fluke. Compare their records and you can see that Hughes is the better fighter. Nothing to prove really. "
Why was the first fight a fluke? BJ dominated the whole first fight and Matt had no offense at all during that bout. I don't even think he hit BJ once.
BJ was winning the second fight by pretty much most accounts. Round 1, BJ beat him standing up. Matt attempted takedowns and could not finish any of them. BJ took his back and came closer to submitting Matt than Matt came to taking BJ down.
Round 2 BJ again takes Matt's back and Matt is saved by the bell at the end.
Then either BJ gets injured or BJ gasses.
Either way, I think the second fight is closer to a fluke win for Matt then the first is for BJ.
If Matt had finished BJ in the first round the way he finished BJ in the 3rd, then I would admit the first fight was probably a fluke and that Matt derailed the BJ bandwagon.
After two fights, I believe BJ still has the edge over Matt.
"if you add up the total rounds fought between both fights BJ is winning 3 rounds to Hughes 1 round."
This is a really hilarious new thing the jockriders are jumping on.
When has this kind of idiotic math been done EVER before for any two fighters? You psychos just keep reaching new heights of madness.
And Snow Gorilla is right -- you have no idea what the scores were for Saturday's fight.
It was a fluke in that he floundered.
soon as bj was quoted as saying that he doesn't do well when he trains like a professional, I assumed his career was doomed... he's got one element of his game to figure out, and it's conditioning... the kalua shakes aren't working...
i'll agree with FearMir that BJ still has the edge over Matt. Let's forget that BJ has bad cardio or he gets hurt. Let's think about who would most likely finish off the other if both were fresh. I think BJ and that's why i think there should be the infamous UFC rubber match. it must happen.
Matts only chance is for BJ to gas or get injured when BJ could finish standing or on the ground. it is very unlikely matt ko's him standing or submits bj. it's possible but unlikely. he'll have to pound out a gassed or hurt bj again in the third match
The Matthuggers like to pretend that he first fight and the first 2 roundsof the second never happened.
The BJhuggers ignore the second and third rounds of the GSP fight and the 3rd round of the 2nd Matt fight.
i'm no hugger of any nuts
I'm pretty much a BJ hugger, but I've rooted and cheered for Matt in pretty much every other fight he's been in besides the Penn fights.
ok so we don't know what the judges scores were on the cards that night. but being a hughes fan can you honestly say that you were not worried for matt after the first two rounds? did you see those first 2 rounds go as you thought matt would have wanted?
so if bj's cardio is the factor in why hughes won the second fight good for him. now what if they have a third match and at this time it is not for the championship? what if gsp takes out hughes and then hughes and bj have to fight for the title shot? it would be a three round fight and then like i said i like the odds.
now if you say my theory of rounds (bj 3 to hughes 1) makes no sense then neither does your theory of hughes has a better mma record. i give hughes all the credit for what he has done but records don't mean that he will automatically win. buster douglas vs mike tyson is proff of that.
ttt
looking forward to the more mature serious penn continuing to dominate his opponents and all you haters freaking out over it.
Wash you panties after you play in the sand... Case of sand on the vagina.
"but their conditioning and mental strength are questionable."
i can't speak for vitor, but i think BJ is one of the most mentally strong fighters in UFC right now, by far.
Not a fair comparison at all. Vitor relied heavily on roids, BJ clearly doesn't. Vitor just burst onto the scene without much of a history in sport bjj or any other solid background (wasn't a pro boxer, muay thai fighter, olympic wrestler etc). BJ always has his jiu-jitsu to fall back on. In addition, Vitor never went out of his way to train with the best. BJ brings in the best to his camp to better himself.