After Sleeping on It: Post-UFC 115 Thoughts
by Anthony Pace on Jun 13, 2010 4:26 PM EDT
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Print- That’s enough, Chuck.
- Cro Cop just won a war. It was vindication against all the naysayers who said he had no fire left in him. He survived Barry’s best shots and used the knowledge accrued from a long and glorious career to finish his opponent. I’ll admit I was a bit surprised it came from a rear naked choke, as Cro Cop has only submitted one previous opponent (Kevin Randleman) with a guillotine. But it was more of a "What do I have to do to finish this guy?" move coupled with Barry’s ineptitude on the mat than any sort of brilliant Brazilian jiu-jitsu display. I said going into the fight that Cro Cop could trade with Barry and survive, while his ground skills would provide him the best avenue for victory. Right now, I’m patting myself on the back. Give him Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera next, in a rematch of a classic fight that everyone wants to see.
- I fortunately had Cro Cop’s magical healing potion to put on my wounds after the Paulo Thiago hype train crashed. Don’t get me wrong, Martin Kampmann is a good fighter. It’s just we’ve all figured Thiago has seen his success against presumably better fighters than Kampmann (excluding Jacob Volkmann) and the Brazilian was outclassed in this fight. I’d love to see Kampmann against either the Alves/Fitch loser or, more tantalizingly, against Jake Shields in Shields' eventual UFC debut.
- I postulated prior to the fight that Carlos Condit was too much for Rory McDonald at this point in his career. That wasn’t exactly proven true, as McDonald controlled the former WEC champ for most of the fight. But I can’t help but think McDonald would have made it out of that third round if he had a little more seasoning.
- Yvel/Rothwell was as fun as any heavyweight fight can be the lasts more than a round. I don’t think Yvel should be cut, although he probably will be. A fight with Cheick Kongo should be his last chance because, well, that’s an awesome fight on paper. If they don’t want to make Cro Cop/Noguiera II, they should reset the Cro Cop/Rothwell fight that was scheduled for UFC 110. Otherwise, Rothwell vs. Gabriel Gonzaga would be interesting.
- Evan Dunham is the new hotness. Him vs. Stevenson/Gomi winner sounds good to me. It’s an appropriate match against a good veteran, a necessary step before facing a steady diet of the division’s elite.
- Yves Lavigne screwed up big time, yes, but let's not be so hard on the guy. I doubt the decision will be reversed; Vancouver doesn't even have an athletic commission to review it. There is, however, The Ultimate Fighter Finale coming up just this weekend, and neither man sustained any kind of serious damage. Book the rematch, Joe Silva!
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Barry had a broken hand and foot. You don’t think that diminishes the Cro Cop win even a little bit?
I think it does
but CC did show some aggression to try and get Barry out of there regardless of if he was injured or not….
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Well........
If a dude breaks his hand on his opponents face, and then his foot from the guy defending a leg kick……..Strangely, I didnt see Barry really slow down though till he ate that body kick.
he wasn't near as offensive after the first round
Rich Wyatt pointed that out…and I was thinking it…like…something was wrong with him.
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by Kelvin Hunt on Jun 14, 2010 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
To me that’s gassing more than anything. A lot of fighters break their hands in EVERY FIGHT (cough…Fedor…cough), I’m surprised it actually doesn’t happen more often with the 4oz gloves.
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 14, 2010 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Here's how I always view those things
Injuries sustained within the fight are products of the fight. While they affect the outcome, they don’t diminish anything the other fighter did, to me.
If he went into the fight with a bad back, like Thiago Silva did against Rashad Evans, I take that into account. But almost everything that happens in a fight is a product of being in combat with another person.
The bigger factor to me was Barry’s reluctance to go to the mat, even if he could have finished the fight, for fear of being in a world unknown to him.
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 14, 2010 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I feel u
only thing is…Cro Cop didn’t inflict those injuries on Barry….unless you look at it that from CC has a hard head PPV…lol…so it takes a little away from CC IMO…
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I give a lot of credence to how Cro Cop bounced right back up after those shots
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 14, 2010 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn't get to see the fight what was the last bullet in reference to?
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 14, 2010 8:50 AM EDT reply actions
He thought Danzig had gone out on a guillotine when he was really just relaxing. Danzig’s neck was completely open and he was in no danger of going out.
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 14, 2010 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions
That's what I just heard , it was Yves right?
yeah when I saw the results I was like what the fuck. I thought the fight had decision written all over it.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 14, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, Yves got it pretty bad from the crowd. There was also a weird moment when Wiman was trying to pull a slip of paper out of his shorts after the fight, and it was just a reminder to thank God and his mom….
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 14, 2010 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions
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