UFC DUBLIN 19th JULY **Start time info in post #1**

mailburner

was the the o2 in 09 and close to the cage but found I could
see more watching the big screen despite paying 250ish for a ticket
Decided not to go this time but the minute fightpass started I
immediately regretted not going
the atmosphere there sounded incredible
delighted for pendred for somehow pulling a win out of nowhere
I'm sure a lot of these lads barely have a pot to piss in so great
to see him getting a bonus

last nite was unique and hard to believe there'll be another
night like it again unless conor is fighting for or defending a title here
(defending the only way it happens over here obv)

you often have two wait months for a really good card and we've
had two great cards in a week

Saints#33

I watched Diego train on Wed and I said to everyone who'd listen, he looked great for a minute and completely gassed after it.i knew if he couldn't finish him fast, Conor would kill him.

To say he dived is a joke, lets not forget he stepped in to take the fight.

deisedude

shoutman wrote: »

Anywhere to watch the pendred fight video online? Send me a pm if necessary. Thanks

Me too if anyone has a link!

Zero-Cool

Axwell wrote: »

Make sure to tag yourself and share it so that the event becomes and even bigger success.

Cheers

http://www.ufc.com/fanpic

Excellent man!! Found myself, looking forward to a month of Fightpass. Such a great pic!

calex71

Sorry if this was discussed today but didn;t have time to follow things after the fight last night but was Connor called on the kick off the touch at the start of the fight?

haven't seen a dick move like that in an age.

DeVore

Conor didn't kick off the touch, because there was no touch.

If you watch the video just before they are told to fight, Conor clearly signals to ask if he wants to touch gloves and Diego very clearly indicated no. I even said it to my companion last night "woah, no touching gloves...!".

The initial second of the fight was just two fighters reaching out to get range which Conor obviously felt was right for him (and it was).

calex71

DeVore wrote: »

Conor didn't kick off the touch, because there was no touch.

If you watch the video just before they are told to fight, Conor clearly signals to ask if he wants to touch gloves and Diego very clearly indicated no. I even said it to my companion last night "woah, no touching gloves...!".

The initial second of the fight was just two fighters reaching out to get range which Conor obviously felt was right for him (and it was).

Haven;t watched it back but my initial reaction was that it looked like a touch , I do recall Diego shaking his head though like you say.

Stev_o

Conors stance coming out of the initial found has him always leading with his open hand which makes it look like a touch gloves gesture. DB just hadn't a clue how to approach it.

Axwell

deisedude wrote: »

Me too if anyone has a link!

Its on fight pass - you can get a 7 day trial off the site

shane9689

definitely wasnt a dive...it just looks like a dive because he was hit only by afew punches when he started to wobble...BUT, if you check out afew seconds before that, he took a serious kick to the side which would have been the main cause for his wobble afew seconds later imo

Mellor

walshb wrote: »

If you're calling it dumb then you are implying that cheating is not possible in MMA. That is naive.

I don't think it was a dive, but in sport, particularly hyped combat sport, nothing should be surprising.

Nobody's saying it was impossible for cheating to occur in MMA. The point is a semi educated fan can see that IF DB wanted to take a dive, he had far better spots to find an easy way out. He could have lcrumpled on the ground when Conor passed his guard for example.

walshb wrote: »

Not the biggest MMA fan, but I have watched many cards. Let's put it down to a poor performance, or a mismatch. Failing these two, a dive is the other option.

Calling it a mismatch is kinda naive imo.

They were at the same apparent level. Conor has stepped up his opponent for 5 fights in a row now. Matches aren't set by hype or rumours, they are set by performance. Conor stepped up again and is legitimately looking at a top 10 spot now.

As for the ending, why are people obsessed with post-justification? He dived, he was gassed etc. Why does there have to be an excuse?

He didn't gas imo, he got hit in the mid section and was hurt. He moved away to recover and folded when Conor moved in. I thought the replays were poor and didn't show the strikes that did the most damage.

DeVore

He also seemed to be dragging his leg (or maybe it was protecting his side?) just before the straight left that dropped him... any idea what that was about?

ASOT

Its like people look for a reason to doubt conor, IMO he silenced alot of critics last night, without a doubt he is a stone cold killer!

Zero-Cool

To all the Conor haters :pac:

Edsonbarboza

Anyone Who thinks that was a fix or whatever,did you not see him swinging to take conors head off? must be a good actor do yourself a favour and educate yourself asap or just dont bother watching the sport again,


Anyone else notice Diego doing jumping jacks after making his enterance into the octagon pure stupidity burning up energy I thought,

Theres plenty of haters and doubters still of Conors and its 100% pure jealousy I see lads on facebook who delivers currys for a living slating him while hes out in las vegas fighting they'll be sitting in their ma's houses still delivering currys hating on people doing well in life


His fight with Ivan Buchinger was a thing of beauty if anyone doubts his ability the most its on youtube,a thing of beauty to say the least.

ASOT

Saints#33 wrote: »

I watched Diego train on Wed and I said to everyone who'd listen, he looked great for a minute and completely gassed after it.i knew if he couldn't finish him fast, Conor would kill him.

To say he dived is a joke, lets not forget he stepped in to take the fight.

Said this myself in other threads, he looked dirt on wednesday and was gassed after a 6 minute workout imo.

Edsonbarboza wrote: »

Anyone else notice Diego doing jumping jacks after making his enterance into the octagon pure stupidity burning up energy I thought,

Said that to my mate, for someone who has a history of gassing early for conors whole 5 minute entrance he was doing jumping jacks, pretty stupid thing to be doing.

Davei141

walshb wrote: »

I can agree to some degree here, but I wouldn't say that a dive is out of the question. It wasn't like a one punch monster KO shot. Conor was turning the screw and the guy faded and got stopped. Sure, could have been all down to the punishment. But, many instances of dives could occur under those kind of circumstances. I wouldn't label anyone dumb for saying it, and I wouldn't think that no MMA fans have thought it. Not the biggest MMA fan, but I have watched many cards. Let's put it down to a poor performance, or a mismatch. Failing these two, a dive is the other option.

First apparently Brandao looked a weight class below Conor (despite Brandao struggling to make 145 a couple of times) then it was a mis-match (anyone with a clue wouldn't call it a mis-match) now saying it was a dive is a legitimate conclusion. Stick to the boxing.

walshb

Davei141 wrote: »

First apparently Brandao looked a weight class below Conor (despite Brandao struggling to make 145 a couple of times) then it was a mis-match (anyone with a clue wouldn't call it a mis-match) now saying it was a dive is a legitimate conclusion. Stick to the boxing.

Did I say it was a dive? I said that I wouldn't slate folks who thought that it could be a dive. Personally I think Conor was clearly better than the guy. The guy was not at his level. Offered little resistance.

I think it was more a mismatch issue. Looked that way. I just was not at all impressed with Diego. Jesus, what's so wrong with this view? Happens quite a bit in any sport. I didn't think that this thread had to be all hype and praise. We not allowed debate and discuss and ask questions?

Just because someone struggles to make weight does not mean that they are natural at a weight. Diego for me looked a weight class below Conor. Conor is an example of a dedicated athlete who comes in fully prepared and at his optimum weight. Is it not possible that Diego is not as dedicated and focused, and maybe is in a weight class too heavy? If I am wrong, just say so. No big deal.

Stick to the boxing thread? Bit lame that!

walshb

Mellor wrote: »

Nobody's saying it was impossible for cheating to occur in MMA. The point is a semi educated fan can see that IF DB wanted to take a dive, he had far better spots to find an easy way out. He could have lcrumpled on the ground when Conor passed his guard for example.


Calling it a mismatch is kinda naive imo.

They were at the same apparent level. Conor has stepped up his opponent for 5 fights in a row now. Matches aren't set by hype or rumours, they are set by performance. Conor stepped up again and is legitimately looking at a top 10 spot now.

As for the ending, why are people obsessed with post-justification? He dived, he was gassed etc. Why does there have to be an excuse?

He didn't gas imo, he got hit in the mid section and was hurt. He moved away to recover and folded when Conor moved in. I thought the replays were poor and didn't show the strikes that did the most damage.

No real disagreement with what you have posted here. I did wonder if that initial kick right from the start affected Diego. It caught him cleanly to the body. He didn't expect it.

pablohoney87

walshb wrote: »

I think it was more a mismatch issue. Looked that way. I just was not at all impressed with Diego. Jesus, what's so wrong with this view? Happens quite a bit in any sport. I didn't think that this thread had to be all hype and praise. We not allowed debate and discuss and ask questions?

Walshb,

How often in boxing do people look like a great match on paper and then one gets destroyed in round 1?

walshb

pablohoney87 wrote: »

Walshb,

How often in boxing do people look like a great match on paper and then one gets destroyed in round 1?

Many times. Many mismatches happen in boxing. Not sure what your point is.

pablohoney87

walshb wrote: »

Many times. Many mismatches happen in boxing. Not sure what your point is.

My point is, fighters get broken and dominated constantly. Unless people look at the two fighters form, records and abilities and say before hand this is a mismatch, there is no point in calling it one after. Just because one fighter performs on the night and the other doesnt, does not make it a mismatch

walshb

pablohoney87 wrote: »

My point is, fighters get broken and dominated constantly. Unless people look at the two fighters form, records and abilities and say before hand this is a mismatch, there is no point in calling it one after. Just because one fighter performs on the night and the other doesnt, does not make it a mismatch

I agree fully with this. Sometimes one man gets the win and performs brilliantly. Just from looking at the fight on Saturday, to me, it looked more like one man was out of his depth as opposed to the other man having the perfect night. Conor did what he had to do. Credit there.

pablohoney87

walshb wrote: »

I agree fully with this. Sometimes one man gets the win and performs brilliantly. Just from looking at the fight on Saturday, to me, it looked more like one man was out of his depth as opposed to the other man having the perfect night. Conor did what he had to do. Credit there.

Keep in mind this was after a year long lay off for Conor. Matchmakers cant bring forward in rankings during that year just because his coach says that the improvements he's made over the past year have been scary.

In my opinion Diego had a gameplan that he would be able to take conor down or at least be much better than him on the ground. He felt conor's strength and how tight he was on the ground and was broken from there.

I just don't see how it can be called a mismatch. Looking at the top 10 in the rankings would you be able to identify any other mismatches off the bat or would you wait for hindsight to pass judgement?

Mr. Manager

It wasn't a mismatch - not even close. No one before hand said anything of the sort, that just goes to show you that Conor put on a good display.

I had Diego going into the fight. He's been hit and miss but when he's hit he's fantastic. This was just one of his 'miss' days IMO. Not taking anything away from Conor with statement by the way.

walshb

pablohoney87 wrote: »

Keep in mind this was after a year long lay off for Conor. Matchmakers cant bring forward in rankings during that year just because his coach says that the improvements he's made over the past year have been scary.

In my opinion Diego had a gameplan that he would be able to take conor down or at least be much better than him on the ground. He felt conor's strength and how tight he was on the ground and was broken from there.

I just don't see how it can be called a mismatch. Looking at the top 10 in the rankings would you be able to identify any other mismatches off the bat or would you wait for hindsight to pass judgement?

I am not a big MMA fan, so I wouldn't be able to give you examples. Anyway, good performance from Conor. I look forward to his next outing.

pablohoney87

Cereal Rapist wrote: »

. No one before hand said anything of the sort,

Except for Conor and the team

walshb

Cereal Rapist wrote: »

This was just one of his 'miss' days IMO. Not taking anything away from Conor .

This is the ground I am on then. He seemed very ordinary the other night. Maybe he can be a lot better. Conor did what he had to, but he didn't do anything extraordinary!

MagicIRL

Edsonbarboza wrote: »

Anyone else notice Diego doing jumping jacks after making his enterance into the octagon pure stupidity burning up energy I thought

Nerves methinks.

It's the typical Irish though, regarding Conor. So many people looking to put him down, fight after fight after fight. The chap is talented and he's moving through a division with ease. Onwards and upwards, I say. Delighted for each and every one of them lads.

Mr. Manager

walshb wrote: »

This is the ground I am on then. He seemed very ordinary the other night. Maybe he can be a lot better. Conor did what he had to, but he didn't do anything extraordinary!

If you look at the betting thread you'll see I had a few quid on him (DB). I'd have no hesitation to take that same bet every day of the week.

Mr. Manager

MagicIRL wrote: »

Nerves methinks.

It's the typical Irish though, regarding Conor. So many people looking to put him down, fight after fight after fight. The chap is talented and he's moving through a division with ease. Onwards and upwards, I say. Delighted for each and every one of them lads.

Just on this note, I'm not bashing Conor at all. Think he's exceptionally talented - just have very little time for him. Wish him all the success though.

BeepBeep!

Re-watched it last night again. TBH on the night, I was a bit disappointed with Gunni's performance but watching it back I actually thought he was always in control. Didn't panic, waited for his opening and finished it with style. McGregor was sensational and proved himself to be worthy of a Top 5 fight. Nice of the O2 to make the climate just right for Brandao, by fook it was warm! ;-) Went for a piss half way through and bumped into Holahan on the way back, considering I was in the top tier I was surprised! Went back to my seat and there he was again down cageside laying back like a champ. lol He was buzzing and must have clocked up a few mile walking around meeting and greeting fans. Top class and I actually think he could be a dark horse in this division! An unbelievable night topped off with all the Irish lads winning!

MagicIRL

BeepBeep! wrote: »

McGregor was sensational and proved himself to be worthy of a Top 5 fight.

Ah now come off it. I'm a McGregor fan as much as the next guy, but beating Brimmage, Holloway and Brandao does not a title contender make.

In my opinion, Conor needs to fight anyone ranked 6-11 next. That's one of Bermudez, Stephens, Lents, Siver, Guida or Poirier. It's looking like (rumour mill ftw) that it could be Poirier in September, and that would be an excellent fight. I would like to see Conor fight Guida first though, as I think someone with his tenacity would be a savage fight!

BeepBeep!

MagicIRL wrote: »

Ah now come off it. I'm a McGregor fan as much as the next guy, but beating Brimmage, Holloway and Brandao does not a title contender make.

In my opinion, Conor needs to fight anyone ranked 6-11 next. That's one of Bermudez, Stephens, Lents, Siver, Guida or Poirier. It's looking like (rumour mill ftw) that it could be Poirier in September, and that would be an excellent fight. I would like to see Conor fight Guida first though, as I think someone with his tenacity would be a savage fight!

Fair enough, we aren't that far apart in our thoughts, maybe 1 fight? It was very impressive how he dismantled Brandao and he takes out Poirier in my opinion as well. On another point did anyone else notice Swanson stop Dana walking past before the McGregor fight and having a chat. Then, the second the McGregor fight was over he made a beeline for him and had another chat.

Ash.J.Williams

passatman86 wrote: »

Very happy he got the win. BUT I can't stand the american put on accent and manner. Think he should express his Irish heritage more considering he flys the flag

i don't think he could express his heritage anymore than he is...the accent is a smart move and shows he has sights outside of Ireland.

MagicIRL

BeepBeep! wrote: »

Fair enough, we aren't that far apart in our thoughts, maybe 1 fight? It was very impressive how he dismantled Brandao and he takes out Poirier in my opinion as well.

Yeah, I think he's about two fights out. Going in to a title fight 5-0 in the UFC would definately be showing you're worthy of the shot. I think Dustin is made for Conor, and he's just too quick in the standup exchanges.

I would love to see a good grappler get a hold of him (if that's even possible? Diego found that very difficult) and try to grind him down. I reckon Guida would give him a very good fight although I would still expect Conor to come out of it.

If I had my way, he would fight Guida and Poirier before Aldo. It's looking like it'll be Poirier first anyway.

GK1001

MagicIRL wrote: »

Yeah, I think he's about two fights out. Going in to a title fight 5-0 in the UFC would definately be showing you're worthy of the shot. I think Dustin is made for Conor, and he's just too quick in the standup exchanges.

I would love to see a good grappler get a hold of him (if that's even possible? Diego found that very difficult) and try to grind him down. I reckon Guida would give him a very good fight although I would still expect Conor to come out of it.

If I had my way, he would fight Guida and Poirier before Aldo. It's looking like it'll be Poirier first anyway.

...and it was written...McGregor fighting Aldo...if that doesn't give you goosebumps nothing will

markcahill1985

What a great night from start to finish, I ended up having to drive up and home again after from Cork and therefore no booze but was still engrossed in the atmopshere. pendrads fight was just insane, should have been stopped 5 times in the first, great comeback! Hopefully will be back again in the next year, only going to get harder and harder to get tickets now.

BeepBeep!

Is there still a possibility of Aldo vacating the belt? Or this that no longer the case?

DrPhilG

BeepBeep! wrote: »

Is there still a possibility of Aldo vacating the belt? Or this that no longer the case?

No. I think the UFC wanted him to vacate if he was going to challenge for the LW belt. He's staying at FW though.

stealinhorses

Few randomers talking about Conor's fight in the gym this morning. It's gonna feel so weird when this sport actually takes off in Ireland, though for now it's a lot of lads just wanting to see "McGregor knock your man out".

Also, if it is going to be Poirier then that's as tough a fight as you can get outside top 3 IMO. To beat Dustin you need to swing for the fences, same way as he will, and hope that he goes down first. He will be explosive but technical and will love to take it to the ground. After watching Fightland, he became one of my favourite fighters, so it will be hard to cheer against him, but it has to be done

MagicIRL

Now's a better time than any to get out to your local MMA gym and start training yourselves! Think of the buzz that'll be going on in both SBG and Team Ryano with tons of new faces coming in. I can't wait.

Mr. Loverman

passatman86 wrote: »

Very happy he got the win. BUT I can't stand the american put on accent and manner. Think he should express his Irish heritage more considering he flys the flag

Who is putting on an American accent and manner?

All the fighters very clearly showed they were Irish. No one watching could have thought otherwise.

Oregano_State

I don't know how anyone thinks Conor sounds remotely American.

That_Guy

Pendred on with Ray D'arcy just there. Came across very well even if D'arcy is an awful interviewer. Got his name wrong TWICE... "Conor"... Jesus.

Should be up as a podcast later or will be on the listen back feature if you fancy listening to some ignorance.

bmcc10

Oregano_State wrote: »

I don't know how anyone thinks Conor sounds remotely American.

It's stupid any excuse really, It's a world wide audience he's coming across to obviously he has to make his words clearer, They's are the same Irish people who moaned all WC about Brian Kerr's accent all WC for intance and how hard it was to understand, Imagine how hard the Americans would find it, Dana even made reference to Paddy's accent in the post fight press conference.

Mellor

walshb wrote: »

Just because someone struggles to make weight does not mean that they are natural at a weight. Diego for me looked a weight class below Conor. Conor is an example of a dedicated athlete who comes in fully prepared and at his optimum weight. Is it not possible that Diego is not as dedicated and focused, and maybe is in a weight class too heavy? If I am wrong, just say so. No big deal.

McGregor's height makes him look relatively bigger. The same way people think Jon Jones is a massive LHW - when in reality he's pretty normal (and smaller than the bigger 205ers).

When Diego missed weight, he was 8lbs over, that suggests he makes a big cut.

Without sticking then on the scales I can't say with 100% certainty what they were in the cage, but they both dehydrated severely to make 146. Both had that empty look at the weigh-ins. The second Diego was off the scale he was pouring hydralyte down his neck.

Easy Rod

My experience...what an unbelievable night. The O2 was pretty much packed from Paddy’s fight onwards. Thought he was very impressive and seems like a character to boot so he’s got a bright future imo. Got a kiss off Conor’s auntie when I kept standing up during the fight! Hot Sauce fight was pretty meh and thought Donavan gassed in the first round against Krylov.

Pendred fight was ridiculous, he didn’t look great but still a remarkable comeback. I reckon if King had stayed on top throwing punches rather than trying to go for the armbar Goddard would’ve stopped it. He obviously burned himself out though and allowed Pendred to make the comeback. Unbelievable. Seery fight was quality, he just looked so comfortable in there and was so confident in his striking. Swung for the fences a little too often but he was there to put on a show.

Missed the Latifi fight due to the qs for the mens toilets, pretty ridiculous situation. He is a monster though. Parke looked good but I can’t quite warm to him, he got a pretty decent reception thankfully though. Definitely due a step up now though. Pickett v McCall wasn’t great and I think the crowd took a bit of a break here after burning themselves out early and knowing what was coming up after! Watching live I thought Gunnar was losing but watching back yesterday I think he was in control throughout and stayed out of range very well and is just so dominant on the ground.

McGregor, what else is there to say...what an atmosphere, i’ve never been so tense watching a fight in my life. That spinning heel kick was so close to landing flush. The place erupted when he won, raining beer everywhere but nobody cared. Just an epic night and one of the best experiences of my life.

Oregano_State

Mellor wrote: »

McGregor's height makes him look relatively bigger. The same way people think Jon Jones is a massive LHW - when in reality he's pretty normal (and smaller than the bigger 205ers).

When Diego missed weight, he was 8lbs over, that suggests he makes a big cut.

Without sticking then on the scales I can't say with 100% certainty what they were in the cage, but they both dehydrated severely to make 146. Both had that empty look at the weigh-ins. The second Diego was off the scale he was pouring hydralyte down his neck.

In one of the build-up vids you can hear Conor tell someone (John Kavanagh I think) that his weight was 72.5kg, which is pretty much bang on 160lbs. This was the week of the fight so I doubt he lost too much more genuine weight, making his cut 14lbs. I thought he looked noticeably more gaunt at this weigh-in than he did in Boston. He looked like he was right at the limit.

For a championship fight do they have to weigh in bang on at 145?

Diego had a huuuuge cut to make weight, the vids of him weeks before the fight he looked really pudgy in the face.

rolexeagle1

Oregano_State wrote: »

In one of the build-up vids you can hear Conor tell someone (John Kavanagh I think) that his weight was 72.5kg, which is pretty much bang on 160lbs. This was the week of the fight so I doubt he lost too much more genuine weight, making his cut 14lbs. I thought he looked noticeably more gaunt at this weigh-in than he did in Boston. He looked like he was right at the limit.

For a championship fight do they have to weigh in bang on at 145?

Diego had a huuuuge cut to make weight, the vids of him weeks before the fight he looked really pudgy in the face.

Yes bang on weight for title fights. Mc Gregor is very big for the division