Ufc

[GVGjr]

I'm not sure if we have many UFC followers but some incredible results today.

Holly Holm (The Preachers Daughter) defeated the UFC most dominant champion (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey for the world title
Joanna Jędrzejczyk (Champion) defeated Valerie Letourneau for the strawweight title.

Mark Hunt easily defeated Antonio Silva in a rematch from a fight many regarded as one of the best ever
Robert Whittaker defeated Uriah Hall in what would have been regarded as another major upset. Whittaker now likely moves into the top 10 which is a huge achievement.

A few other Australians recorded wins in the undercard.

The crowd was estimated at 60,000.

[Eastdog]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

Not a big fan but yes heard this was huge. About 55,000 packed Etihad today.

[comrade]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

Was there in person and the main event was unbelievable. Holm dominated Rousey in an almost embarrassing manner for the former champ.

Dana White, the UFC prez, could not have been more nonplussed that his cash cow suffered her first lost.

[GVGjr]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

Comrade, how did you rate it was a spectacle?

[EasternWest]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

I was there.

My thoughts, for what it's worth.

Holm was a masterclass in strategy and professionalism. She picked Rousey apart and more than held her own in the grappling. One thing that I think made a big difference is that she is very big and strong. More so than the girls Ronda has been able to rag doll. Ronda looked panicky and rushed. The tipping point for me was when Ronda tried to toss Holm and Holm just arched her back and dumped her.

I like Rousey, but her hands need work. Holm is a good champion. Great shape, she's humble and likeable as well.

JJ vs LeTourneau was a cracker. I was embarrassed to be sitting in the crowd when a Mexican wave went around during the fight. LeTourneau was game and lost no friends, but Joanna is a beast.

Hunt vs Silva was dodgy. I don't like the greasy feeling it gave me.

Whittaker and Hall was pretty good. I was happy for Whittaker. He throws his punches to kill, and I think Hall found that intensity too much for him.

Struve and Rosholt should be cut, instantly. That was a disgrace.

The prelims were pretty good on the whole. Perosh and Vaculik shouldn't fight in the ufc again. Kyle Noke fired off about the best front kick to the body I've seen.

It was a long day. I think UFC could do a better job with entertainment during the breaks. I think "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" needs to die a horrible death.

But to be clear, I had fun and would go again. Plus, it's not often you can say you were there when sporting history was made.

[LostDoggy]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

I'm a big fan of Holly and was rapt for her. I'm only spewing I couldn't get some decent money on her, every minute it got closer to the fight the more confident I was for her. Rousey was just so focused on selling her brand she really didn't know what hit her, she looked amateurish at times and just wasn't anywhere near ready for someone as good with their hands as Holly.

Holly was in her head before they even got in the Octagon and Rousey just had no answer and to be honest won't have much of a future if she doesn't do some serious work on her skills. Not only has Holly got such great hands but she is so strong and I think four knockouts with her feet now? Holly will be a great champion.

[comrade]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

Don't think there was anything untoward in the Hunt-Silva fight.

Hunt got him in the sweet spot behind the ear which threw Silva off balance. Didn't look much but even a glancing blow from Mark Hunt would have some sting to it.

Struve was woeful. Worst performance I've seen.

[comrade]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

I've been to a few smaller MMA shows recently so obviously the UFC production is on a different planet. The music and video spots used throughout the day were good but there were a few flat spots between fights and in the transition between undercard and main card.

The Mexican Wave, like always, was cringe worthy.

The seating set up was pretty average for suckers like me who got a ticket on the ground. There was no point watching the cage so it felt like I spent hundreds to watch a PPV on a really big screen with awesome sound.

[EasternWest]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

I'm a big fan of Holly and was rapt for her. I'm only spewing I couldn't get some decent money on her, every minute it got closer to the fight the more confident I was for her. Rousey was just so focused on selling her brand she really didn't know what hit her, she looked amateurish at times and just wasn't anywhere near ready for someone as good with their hands as Holly.

Holly was in her head before they even got in the Octagon and Rousey just had no answer and to be honest won't have much of a future if she doesn't do some serious work on her skills. Not only has Holly got such great hands but she is so strong and I think four knockouts with her feet now? Holly will be a great champion.

I had money on Holly. Happy days!

Truthfully it was only $2. I had a seven fight multi that would've netted me a pretty penny except for bloody Struve. But Holly put me back in the black, so it's all good.

I agree with you. Holly is a terrific ambassador for the sport. I still have hopes for Rousey, but she's gotta go see Freddie Roach or something.

Also, why did she have the Monster energy logo on her gear?

I've been to a few smaller MMA shows recently so obviously the UFC production is on a different planet. The music and video spots used throughout the day were good but there were a few flat spots between fights and in the transition between undercard and main card.

The Mexican Wave, like always, was cringe worthy.

The seating set up was pretty average for suckers like me who got a ticket on the ground. There was no point watching the cage so it felt like I spent hundreds to watch a PPV on a really big screen with awesome sound.

I had seats down there too. It was good for being able to hear what was going on, but otherwise not great. Lesson learned.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

A lot of people I met ( I'm abroad ) were astounded at how many people turned out.
Did they allow kicking while on the ground? when people are allowed to kick others on the ground I'm not sure it qualifies as a true sport. When that is not allowed, I don't mind it.
I've done Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, Judo and like grappling arts. But kicking people on the ground is really unmanly - where is the competition in it?
Love Mark Hunt - what a legend.

[Ozza]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

You're not allowed to kick an opponent on the ground in the UFC.

[EasternWest]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

You're not allowed to kick an opponent on the ground in the UFC.

Not technically true. You can kick to the legs if they're on their back and defending with them. You can also axe kick to the body over the legs too.

Soccer kicks aren't allowed.

[LostDoggy]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

I had money on Holly. Happy days!

Truthfully it was only $2. I had a seven fight multi that would've netted me a pretty penny except for bloody Struve. But Holly put me back in the black, so it's all good.

I agree with you. Holly is a terrific ambassador for the sport. I still have hopes for Rousey, but she's gotta go see Freddie Roach or something.

Also, why did she have the Monster energy logo on her gear?



I had seats down there too. It was good for being able to hear what was going on, but otherwise not great. Lesson learned.

Hey $2 bet got you back in the black you done well, bad luck on the multi it must have been frustrating watching Struve wrestle!

Monster thought they were on a good thing and wanted to cash in and signed Rousey just before the fight.

I loved how Holly's corner apologised to Vegas for taking over 100k on her winning that's how confident they were and she has about the best trainers going around. When she started in the UFC they knew one day they will get the call for Rousey so they purposely held back with her footwork from day 1 just doing enough to win. But had a plan for her from day 1 that's why we saw her Southpaw and then circle away. Fought the perfect fight!

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

I was busy so I only watched a replay of the main event.

Not a huge UFC fan but I like watching it from time to time. I feel for Rousey, will be interesting to see how she bounces back from it. One thing to lose, another to be absolutely dominated. Think she really lost focus days/weeks out, then particularly at and after the weigh in. She would do well to copy the persona of a sports athlete like Federer - always calm and respectful, even in crisis. I think she's a likeable character but judging from afar perhaps she got caught up in her own hype in more ways than one.

She's been receiving quite a bit of negative press from fans, ie. "She's no good, she feasted on weak opponents and crumbled when she came up against a real one". I think the truth is somewhere in the middle; she's better than what she showed the other day, but she has a lot of work to do both in and out of the Octagon.

[EasternWest]

Re: UFC 193 - Melbourne

Hey $2 bet got you back in the black you done well, bad luck on the multi it must have been frustrating watching Struve wrestle!

Monster thought they were on a good thing and wanted to cash in and signed Rousey just before the fight.

I loved how Holly's corner apologised to Vegas for taking over 100k on her winning that's how confident they were and she has about the best trainers going around. When she started in the UFC they knew one day they will get the call for Rousey so they purposely held back with her footwork from day 1 just doing enough to win. But had a plan for her from day 1 that's why we saw her Southpaw and then circle away. Fought the perfect fight!

If Struve had done any wrestling that is! The only wrestling that went on was done by Rosholt. Struve just lay there and let it happen. Honestly, If Struve had only thrown some combos things might have been different. But as it was, Rosholt knew he was just going to throw one big one so he just had to cover up. What a crap fight. I read on a forum somewhere: "I haven't been this disappointed in Struve since the last time I was this disappointed in Struve.". So perfect.

No, I mean why was she allowed to have the logo on her gear? The UFC has stamped out all sponsors other than Reebok so fighters are getting strangled financially. I know Ronda was the champ, but there's something wrong when the main event, already getting paid millions, can get hooked up financially when the guys who have to scrape by aren't allowed to get some outside support. It's wrong.

Agreed. Holly dismantled her. I will say, in Ronda's defence: she can take a punch. She hadn't really been tested up till this fight, and she got hit with a lot of hard shots and kept ticking. If she can just get some head movement going she'll be able to a) get hit less and b) find it easier to get inside on her opponents.

I was busy so I only watched a replay of the main event.

Not a huge UFC fan but I like watching it from time to time. I feel for Rousey, will be interesting to see how she bounces back from it. One thing to lose, another to be absolutely dominated. Think she really lost focus days/weeks out, then particularly at and after the weigh in. She would do well to copy the persona of a sports athlete like Federer - always calm and respectful, even in crisis. I think she's a likeable character but judging from afar perhaps she got caught up in her own hype in more ways than one.

She's been receiving quite a bit of negative press from fans, ie. "She's no good, she feasted on weak opponents and crumbled when she came up against a real one". I think the truth is somewhere in the middle; she's better than what she showed the other day, but she has a lot of work to do both in and out of the Octagon.

For someone who's not a huge UFC fan, you've got a pretty good handle on the nuances of the game, TBB. I enjoyed reading your post.

I agree with you in regards to feeling for Rousey. It's clear she's been surrounded by yes men for so long that she started to believe the hype herself, so I'm firmly in the camp that this loss will actually serve her well. She's a phenomenal athlete with an iron will, and I think she lost a bit of focus in the lead up (which is taking nothing away from Holly, I think she would've won that fight regardless of Ronda's preparation). And for those people saying "she's no good etc", she demolished the best fighters at her weight class in the world. I'm not sure what else she needs to prove.

People tend to forget that Federer was a tantrum throwing brat in his early days. Although the sports can't really compare, I agree that the trajectory of his public persona is something she would do well to follow.

I know a lot of people don't like MMA (and that's fine, it's not for everybody) but as a role model, kids could do a lot worse than look up to Rousey. She had a difficult childhood (suicide of her father, bullied for having a speech impediment), enjoys "nerdy" things like Pokemon and computer games and has managed to become a champion at two sports. There's a lot to look up to, but some edges need polishing.

You know what though? Kids could do a lot worse than to look up to Holly Holm too. She's a champion in three sports now and is probably the sweetest, most genuine person I have heard speak in MMA. It's ridiculous how nice she is. I think love her a little bit.