Holloway never took many chances against Edgar. It was clear coming off of losing in front of his kid to Dustin Poirier, retain the title and cruise to a comfortable win was the game plan. He shrugged off takedowns, and only once really poured on a patented Holloway 10 piece combo, and when he looked to have hurt Edgar still didn't pour it on.
Cyborg looks strangely human any time she fights a woman nearly her size. Spencer was hurt a couple times but Cyborg didn't have the gas to put her away when she did, and found herself pressed up against the cage. I'm actually interested to see her fight Kayla. I think Kayla would drag Cyborg down off the cage the way other women have not, and Cyborg against a woman she doesn't manhandle in the clinch or put on the backfoot looks quite different from the wrecking ball she was when fighting Japanese women 20 lbs smaller than her et cetera, or puffed up bantamweights who have never really even been in her weight class. Call it what you want, but you wouldn't give the same dominating legend status to a guy who spent over a decade beating up guys coming up from a different weight class one after another, so I will remain an outspoken critic of Cyborg the same way I find the Gabi Garcia fights with women with virtually no pro fights and who are almost my mom's age a fluff record with no meaningful wins.
The rest of the card was passable if not basically a bunch of fight pass level prelims streamed as a main card. Niko Price waged war til he got slept taking punches while playing guard. Aubin-Mercier lost a crucial third round and got out single-legged and out volume'd on the feet to a decision loss. Tucker actually put on a good scrap utilizing improved chain wrestling to get to the back and finish his opponent face down, ass up as they say.
It figures the first time I'm actually awake through an entire main card it's a UFC on Fox if even that, more like a Fight Night level card. Cyborg vs someone and Holloway vs Edgar sold the event, but the rest was padding if I ever saw it.
On to the other combat sports event this weekend:
Doederlein absolutely crushing the lightweight competition at the King of the Mats in Japan...5 submissions in 6 matches, thankfully disproving that high level black belt matches (all under 6 minutes too!) has to be as boring as watching paint dry. The other guys for their part engaged in pull your pants down/grab ankles matches rife with penalties with a couple other submissions (Cleber for his part made for some entertaining matches and a stepover/spinning kneebar FTW), but had it not been for Doederlein it would have been a crucially boring event to watch through. 6 minute matches and guys burning the first minute to 90 seconds refusing to come on top. Doederlein hit armbars, some nice sweeps, a kimura reversal from standing, his ankle lock of doom (I asked him about it at a recent seminar he did in NYC - which btw, super nice guys, super helpful walking around during the drilling portion of the seminar and approachable to answer questions, 10/10 would highly recommend his seminars).
But, the tide is turning, folks. The penalties are beginning to come forth, and soon, much like Judo and Wrestling, if JiuJitsu would be a spectator sport, these silly ankle grabbing-fest and refusing to do anything more than try to berimbolo underneath for 5 minutes straight will fade into obsolescence. You heard it here first.
On that note there was also a Fight2Win this weekend....some of the Sub Only matches are the same: Johnson vs Spriggs was Spriggs throwing the same head post and ankle grab cartwheel style pass for 5 minutes then faking two foot lock attempts with 20 seconds left. Thanks for showing up guys....not. A Judo match stole the show with a beautiful footsweep to step over lapel strangle finish. JT Torres didn't get bullied by Vagner's endless rough collar ties and chest shoves/jabs, wrestled him down, passed, mounted or nearly mounted, and almost took his back. Vagner's ADCC gameplan works if he harasses/fouls you into taking a bad shot, but he simply will not shoot of his own accord other than the most sparingly, and as a result, if his foul you into irritation plan doesn't work/kimura you as you take him down, it's unlikely he'll win ADCC as I expect them facing one another this fall at ADCC again will look exactly the same.
I spend a lot of my Igram content flaming various matches, but Padilla put on a great match with Dom Hoskins hammering through to a leg lock finish. We managed a couple other foot locks and a kneebar win earlier on the card as well, giving hope to the growth of JiuJitsu as a spectator sport outside of butt flopping and ankle grabbing.
Cyborg looks strangely human any time she fights a woman nearly her size. Spencer was hurt a couple times but Cyborg didn't have the gas to put her away when she did, and found herself pressed up against the cage. I'm actually interested to see her fight Kayla. I think Kayla would drag Cyborg down off the cage the way other women have not, and Cyborg against a woman she doesn't manhandle in the clinch or put on the backfoot looks quite different from the wrecking ball she was when fighting Japanese women 20 lbs smaller than her et cetera, or puffed up bantamweights who have never really even been in her weight class. Call it what you want, but you wouldn't give the same dominating legend status to a guy who spent over a decade beating up guys coming up from a different weight class one after another, so I will remain an outspoken critic of Cyborg the same way I find the Gabi Garcia fights with women with virtually no pro fights and who are almost my mom's age a fluff record with no meaningful wins.
The rest of the card was passable if not basically a bunch of fight pass level prelims streamed as a main card. Niko Price waged war til he got slept taking punches while playing guard. Aubin-Mercier lost a crucial third round and got out single-legged and out volume'd on the feet to a decision loss. Tucker actually put on a good scrap utilizing improved chain wrestling to get to the back and finish his opponent face down, ass up as they say.
It figures the first time I'm actually awake through an entire main card it's a UFC on Fox if even that, more like a Fight Night level card. Cyborg vs someone and Holloway vs Edgar sold the event, but the rest was padding if I ever saw it.
On to the other combat sports event this weekend:
Doederlein absolutely crushing the lightweight competition at the King of the Mats in Japan...5 submissions in 6 matches, thankfully disproving that high level black belt matches (all under 6 minutes too!) has to be as boring as watching paint dry. The other guys for their part engaged in pull your pants down/grab ankles matches rife with penalties with a couple other submissions (Cleber for his part made for some entertaining matches and a stepover/spinning kneebar FTW), but had it not been for Doederlein it would have been a crucially boring event to watch through. 6 minute matches and guys burning the first minute to 90 seconds refusing to come on top. Doederlein hit armbars, some nice sweeps, a kimura reversal from standing, his ankle lock of doom (I asked him about it at a recent seminar he did in NYC - which btw, super nice guys, super helpful walking around during the drilling portion of the seminar and approachable to answer questions, 10/10 would highly recommend his seminars).
But, the tide is turning, folks. The penalties are beginning to come forth, and soon, much like Judo and Wrestling, if JiuJitsu would be a spectator sport, these silly ankle grabbing-fest and refusing to do anything more than try to berimbolo underneath for 5 minutes straight will fade into obsolescence. You heard it here first.
On that note there was also a Fight2Win this weekend....some of the Sub Only matches are the same: Johnson vs Spriggs was Spriggs throwing the same head post and ankle grab cartwheel style pass for 5 minutes then faking two foot lock attempts with 20 seconds left. Thanks for showing up guys....not. A Judo match stole the show with a beautiful footsweep to step over lapel strangle finish. JT Torres didn't get bullied by Vagner's endless rough collar ties and chest shoves/jabs, wrestled him down, passed, mounted or nearly mounted, and almost took his back. Vagner's ADCC gameplan works if he harasses/fouls you into taking a bad shot, but he simply will not shoot of his own accord other than the most sparingly, and as a result, if his foul you into irritation plan doesn't work/kimura you as you take him down, it's unlikely he'll win ADCC as I expect them facing one another this fall at ADCC again will look exactly the same.
I spend a lot of my Igram content flaming various matches, but Padilla put on a great match with Dom Hoskins hammering through to a leg lock finish. We managed a couple other foot locks and a kneebar win earlier on the card as well, giving hope to the growth of JiuJitsu as a spectator sport outside of butt flopping and ankle grabbing.
