Congrats! GSP was easy money but man, Randy keeps surprising me. I never bet on a Randy fight. He's made a career of being the underdog that ends up winning but it's so hard to put money on him because of his age. At some point it's going to catch up to him. To be honest I didn't expect him to take this, but again, aside from the last two Liddell fights, he's proven me wrong.healer677 said:
UFC 74 Predictions
- Thread starter Smash
- Start date
I got swayed by the odds -they gave the Natural 2.25. That to me is just plain ignorant. You can't give a champion (in any sport, except collegiate sports) a mutts end on a lay. This guy Gonzaga, to me read poorly. First time in a championship fight (5 rounds), on a big tv ticket, for a huge crowd, in a pro-Couture venue....plus fighting the champ, somehow 2.25, to me; was not justified. Had it been even money, I wouldn't have bet on it. Funny thing is -had Couture been injured in the Silva fight, I may have gone the other way with Gonzaga, but watching that fight I was convinced that his conditioning was without question. Some might argue (like my friends.lol) Gonzaga lost because of the nose or his face being driven into the canvas, I answered by saying -If I was two feet taller I'd be in the NBA.lol. Couture gave as good as he got -Gonzaga landed solid on-chin combos on him with no effect, he landed that patented kick to the Naturals head, with even less effect -after that I knew Gonzaga was in real trouble. When you give a man your best shot and he brushes it off and bull rushes you for a take down -you're screwed.
A lot of members know I am a bettor, and being such; I really don't cheer for anybody or any team in particular. You give me odds that make sense and if the read is right -I'll lay a bet on it. But I honestly felt sorry for Gonzaga after the first round - I was just hoping this guy didn't sustain a bad injury, considering his age.
A lot of members know I am a bettor, and being such; I really don't cheer for anybody or any team in particular. You give me odds that make sense and if the read is right -I'll lay a bet on it. But I honestly felt sorry for Gonzaga after the first round - I was just hoping this guy didn't sustain a bad injury, considering his age.
Couture/Gonzaga
After the broken nose Gonzaga never stood a chance. In my opinion, Couture got lucky with the accidently head to the nose during the throw which caused the broken nose. Couture is a great champion but his days are numbered. Fedor, Mirko, Arlovski, and even Silvia are on the horizon. He can't get lucky against them all.
GSP/Koshcheck
GSP was totally dominate over the boring wrestling Koshcheck. The only surprise is that two judges scored round 1 for Koshcheck. 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28. Terrible judging. Koshcheck was never in the fight except for maybe 50 seconds at the end of round 1 when he managed to get on top.
P.S. great to see Patrick Cote finally win one.
After the broken nose Gonzaga never stood a chance. In my opinion, Couture got lucky with the accidently head to the nose during the throw which caused the broken nose. Couture is a great champion but his days are numbered. Fedor, Mirko, Arlovski, and even Silvia are on the horizon. He can't get lucky against them all.
GSP/Koshcheck
GSP was totally dominate over the boring wrestling Koshcheck. The only surprise is that two judges scored round 1 for Koshcheck. 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28. Terrible judging. Koshcheck was never in the fight except for maybe 50 seconds at the end of round 1 when he managed to get on top.
P.S. great to see Patrick Cote finally win one.
This is one of my main problem with the 10 point must system when there are only 3 - 5 rounds. GSP dominated yet the scores made it seem much closer. I can see how the first round could have been given to Koscheck. Add to that, if Kos had scored a couple of take downs in another round, we could easily be looking at a split in favour of Kos.slamtart said:Koscheck just got schooled completely and thoroughly...GSP was better than Koscheck at EVERY single aspect of the fight game, which was clearly shown. I would even say that Koscheck got thoroughly embarassed!
Off on a tangent but I also don't like the being saved by the bell rule. If a guy's in the middle of a submission or hard GnP, they should let the action continue until some sort of escape or getting out of danger.
First two I would have loved to see. Mir/Hardonk not so much, though I hope this win is a sign of good things to come for Mir.Kathleen said:Clay Guida vs Marcus Aurelio
Renato Sobral vs David Heath
Frank Mir vs Antoni Hardonk
When you buy the PPV they clearly state that some fights may not be aired due to time constraints. They guarantee 5 fights every PPV will only put the other 5 on if time permits. Basically, for every fight that goes the distance you lose a undercard fight due to time.Kathleen said:What is with the UFC either not showing any, or all the under card fights?
I noticed the same with the bood all over the ring, and thought - last month when I paid for PPV, I was ripped off for all the under card fights. So hope that doesn't happen again.
Well, they showed one, but clearly not them all.
I realize that the UFC likes to wrap up around 12:45-1am (est), but come on.
People like myself pay a great deal every PPV, and want the extra under card fights.
If others agree, perhaps sending some email complaints might ensure some 'overtime' viewing.
As for going off at 1am that is not the UFC's problem. They get licensing from the FCC (CRTC in Canada) and can only show some much, for so long. Writing emails will do nothing. It's not their decision. Write the FCC/CRTC. If it was up to Dana White we'd probably see UFC 24/7 at a million dollars an hour. Hate the FCC/CRTC for licensing if you want but if it wasn't for regulation then PPV wouldn't be 40 bucks the UFC would be able to charge whatever they wanted and you'd be paying at least double that.
It's all about the almighty dollar to the UFC. They bought Pride to squash it because it was competition. Bulldog will be next. Look at what McMahon did with wrass'lin. He bought out everyone to have a monopoly to make more, more, more, and then more money. Dana White is trying to do the same thing. Don King did the same thing with Showtime in the 70's and 80's with boxing. Pro sports is all about money and gambling not "consideration for fans".Kathleen said:Dana is turning the UFC and its fighters into a giant commercial, with a couple fights thrown in. Last month, every winner was qucikly thrown a power drink to show the camera.
Now you see 'Mickeys' and other UFC sponsors on shorts, and the UFC talks about upcoming movies, Ulimate fighters, and other stuff. Easily wasting 45min. Those three missed unaired fights could be on.
Promoters could give a shit about the fans. Owners could give a shit about the fans. Million dollar athletes could give a shit about the fans. It's all about promotion and leading the sheep to grass. Dana White isn't doing anything that MLSE isn't doing with the Leafs and their fans. Sell, sell, sell, and then buy, buy, and buy,Kathleen said:More consideration for the fans.
Actually, I think DSE edited most PrideFC PPVs to eliminate the gaps between fights. One of the later ones that was shown live had a lot of gaps between the fights.Kathleen said:.... Not only do I miss PrideFC because ... But because the fights were one after another...Dana is turning the UFC and its fighters into a giant commercial, with a couple fights thrown in....
PrideFC did have much better cards and you were almost guaranteed that you would get your money's worth. There's so many UFCs with thin cards now and the fans don't get value they used to get.
Couture vs. Gonzaga - That's what I was thinking too. The blood was really bothering Gonzaga to the point where he kept complaining that couldn't see. Once Couture heard that, he knew Gonzaga couldn't see very well and just moved in for the kill.dj1470 said:...After the broken nose Gonzaga never stood a chance. In my opinion, Couture got lucky with the accidently head to the nose during the throw which caused the broken nose. ... GSP was totally dominate over the boring wrestling Koshcheck.... great to see Patrick Cote finally win one...
GSP vs. Koshcheck - There was a remark that GSP looked "big" and I could swear that he did look bigger. He certainly looked a lot more serious than his previous fights.
Cote - Wrong place at the the wrong time. Who knows where he might be today if his first UFC fight wasn't against Tito.
I wonder if Gonzaga would have done better against Couture if Gonzaga hadn't fought Cropcop (and knocked out Crocop stand-up) first.
Gonzaga was a world champ at BJJ, but he seemed content to trade blows with Couture stand-up rather than taking the action to the ground.
The stand-up allowed Couture to use his strengths, clinch-and-blows against the cage (a new environment for Gonzaga) and ultimately a throw.
Gonzaga was a world champ at BJJ, but he seemed content to trade blows with Couture stand-up rather than taking the action to the ground.
The stand-up allowed Couture to use his strengths, clinch-and-blows against the cage (a new environment for Gonzaga) and ultimately a throw.
markvee said:I wonder if Gonzaga would have done better against Couture if Gonzaga hadn't fought Cropcop (and knocked out Crocop stand-up) first.
Gonzaga was a world champ at BJJ, but he seemed content to trade blows with Couture stand-up rather than taking the action to the ground.
The stand-up allowed Couture to use his strengths, clinch-and-blows against the cage (a new environment for Gonzaga) and ultimately a throw.
I don't think so....
If anything...Gonzaga just got a Championship fight just way too early in his career....A guy at that level should haven't got a title for a year or two....
His lack experience really showed...
Couture just came hard and fast (or shocked and awed Gonzaga) and overwhelmed the Brazilian...His gameplan was thrown off...
.....Once Gonzaga's nose was broken and there was blood everywhere the fight was pretty much over....
At the end of the fight Gonzaga knew the fight was being close to over and just tried for a Hail Mary type of Knockout....
He just didn't put as much in the kick as he did with Crocop...Guess he was afraid of getting taken down (the last kick probably didn't have anything because he was gassed)....
I agree with everything you say:Manji said:I don't think so....
If anything...Gonzaga just got a Championship fight just way too early in his career....A guy at that level should haven't got a title for a year or two....
His lack experience really showed...
Couture just came hard and fast (or shocked and awed Gonzaga) and overwhelmed the Brazilian...His gameplan was thrown off...
.....Once Gonzaga's nose was broken and there was blood everywhere the fight was pretty much over....
At the end of the fight Gonzaga knew the fight was being close to over and just tried for a Hail Mary type of Knockout....
He just didn't put as much in the kick as he did with Crocop...Guess he was afraid of getting taken down (the last kick probably didn't have anything because he was gassed)....
1) Inexperience at title fights
2) Broken nose taking the fight out of him
3) Getting desperate and throwing Hail Mary strikes
4) Not fully committing to kicks for fear of the take down
5) Gassing
I will have to watch the match again to see if Courture shocked and awed Gonzaga to the point that Gonzaga had no opportunity, even at the very beginning, to take the fight to the ground. I was under the impression that Gonzaga decided to go stand-up early, possibly based on his success at knocking out Crocop stand-up.
iluvquarks said:This is one of my main problem with the 10 point must system when there are only 3 - 5 rounds. GSP dominated yet the scores made it seem much closer. I can see how the first round could have been given to Koscheck. Add to that, if Kos had scored a couple of take downs in another round, we could easily be looking at a split in favour of Kos.
I think fans don't realize how close Koscheck could have been to winning that fight (it is hard to believe)....
BUT... Koscheck just needed two takedowns in the third round (and could have done nothing after that) and he would have won that fight...
Somebody mentioned that it was the judges that screwed up on the scoring but its actually the scoring system that is screwed up....
Too much emphasis on Take Downs....
And a scoring system that works for boxing but not for MMA.....
(I mentioned this in a previous post - If it weren't for the big points given to takedowns BJ Penn would have won his fight against GSP)....
The fights for DSE were edited...l69norm said:Actually, I think DSE edited most PrideFC PPVs to eliminate the gaps between fights. One of the later ones that was shown live had a lot of gaps between the fights.
PrideFC did have much better cards and you were almost guaranteed that you would get your money's worth. There's so many UFCs with thin cards now and the fans don't get value they used to get.
The fights had happened 12 hours or so before in Japan (because of the time difference they couldn't be played live)....
Don't mind the edited fights though sometimes they did take out some of the entrances of the fighters which sucked....And some of the Pride Fighter's entrances were super entertaining (Sakuraba had some of the best entrances).
The live ones were the ones showed in Vegas....they could have run them a little smoother but it was their first event in North America.....
Either way Pride cards were amazing and highly entertaining....And Pride FC showed every fight - even when it was a long event (like the Pride Bushido 9 - one of the best events in MMA history)....It is a unbelievable rip-off that UFC doesn't show the whole fight and that you have to pay extra to download the undercard fights...
Now that UFC has no competition...it appears that Dana White is taking advantage of the Zuffa monopoly...
GSP did looke bigger that Koscheck.....I think he might be one of the best fighters at cutting weight for the weigh-in and then gaining weight for the fight....l69norm said:Couture vs. Gonzaga - That's what I was thinking too. The blood was really bothering Gonzaga to the point where he kept complaining that couldn't see. Once Couture heard that, he knew Gonzaga couldn't see very well and just moved in for the kill.
GSP vs. Koshcheck - There was a remark that GSP looked "big" and I could swear that he did look bigger. He certainly looked a lot more serious than his previous fights.
Cote - Wrong place at the the wrong time. Who knows where he might be today if his first UFC fight wasn't against Tito.
Cote looked pretty solid....And it was a great well timed hook to Grove.....A boost to Cote's UFC career and a huge hit to Grove (who I think was probably favoured for that fight).
Cote wasn't ready for his fight against Tito but he got his foot in the door....it wasn't his loss to Ortiz that stopped him for rising to the UFC elite.....it was the two subsequent losses to Doerkerson and Leben that made the UFC decide he wasn't UFC material (til his return in The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback).
Here is Brock Lesnar's first MMA fight (approx 6 weeks ago)justvisiting1 said:Former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar Will Be At Ringside!
http://rapidshare.com/files/51946123/brock.avi
I was at the UFC in Las Vegas this past weekend, after watching a bunch on PPV. They opened the gates at 4:30, and started the first fight at 5:15 Pacific time. Then at 7pm (10pm in Toronto), they fired up the crowd and announced that the PPV had started. So there were at least three fights not shown, including Heath-Sobral. In general, I was impressed that they moved it along pretty well, there was one 15 minute intermission at about 6:45. I think that the theory is that if the later fights are first round knock-outs, they replay one of the earlier fights that was good or the right length. For me, I would rather the PPV started at 5:15 Pacific and showed everything live.Kathleen said:What is with the UFC either not showing any, or all the under card fights?
I noticed the same with the bood all over the ring, and thought - last month when I paid for PPV, I was ripped off for all the under card fights.
The blood was from Heath-Sobral, it was in a giant pool, they mopped it up with towels so that only the stain remained for later, but it was a lot of blood. Sobral got Heath in a guilitine choke and Heath tapped, but Sobral chocked him unconcious, until the referee could pull him off. Joe Rogan asked him what happened, and Sobral said that Heath had called him a Motherfucker, so he had to punish him. The crowd booed him a lot (as they did with Kobe, I was glad), and it appears he will be fined half his purse and suspended.
This guy keeps amazing me.......
"As if Randy Couture's victory over Gonzaga in the UFC 74 main event wasn't impressive enough, the Fight Network reports that "The Natural" won despite suffering a broken forearm from a third-round kick shortly before scoring a TKO win. The injury isn't expected to affect Couture's heavyweight title reign"
http://msn.foxsports.com/boxing/story/7163984
"As if Randy Couture's victory over Gonzaga in the UFC 74 main event wasn't impressive enough, the Fight Network reports that "The Natural" won despite suffering a broken forearm from a third-round kick shortly before scoring a TKO win. The injury isn't expected to affect Couture's heavyweight title reign"
http://msn.foxsports.com/boxing/story/7163984
