UFC 152 Live Thread *Spoilers*

riffmongous

Main Card


Light Heavyweight Jon Jones (c) vs Vitor Belfort

Flyweight Joseph Benavidez vs Demetrious Johnson

Middleweight Michael Bisping vs Brian Stann

Light Heavyweight Matt Hamill vs Roger Hollett

Catchweight (146.2 lbs.) Cub Swanson vs Charles Oliveira


Preliminary Card (FX and Sportsnet)
Light Heavyweight Igor Pokrajac vs Vinny Magalhães
Lightweight TJ Grant vs Evan Dunham
Welterweight Sean Pierson vs Lance Benoist
Featherweight Jimy Hettes vs Marcus Brimage
Preliminary Card Facebook
Welterweight Seth Baczynski vs Simeon Thoresen
Bantamweight Mitch Gagnon vs Walel Watson
Welterweight Kyle Noke vs Charlie Brenneman



Setting up a show thread with all the info in it rather than just continuing one of the month old 'Belfort in' news threads. I'm looking forward to this a lot, it's a very good card imo, I'm particularly looking forward to Bisping-Stann, very even fight. Plus I think Belfort has a better chance than a lot of people to beat Jones (which still isnt much) due to his ko punches, it gives him a great chance compared to guys like Machida and Evans who were always going to have to survive 5 rounds against Jones. Another point will be the crowds reaction to Jones, I'd imagine there will be a great noise for Vitor.

I'm a bit so-so for the flyweights though, although Johnson is interesting to watch since he's so fast.

ESPN info

lafors wrote:

On ESPN here, prelims and all from 1am.

And remember no stream links to be posted.

unknown13

If the main event leaves the second round. Jones will still be the champion unless he stops Belfort before then but I don't think he will because he will be too aware that is the only time Belfort has to win the fight.

lafors

On ESPN here, prelims and all from 1am.
Looking forward to this card too

liger

lafors wrote: »

On ESPN here, prelims and all from 1am.

Thank God trying to get us to pay for the prelims didnt last too long.

Mr. Manager

Facebook prelims starting at 12?

MrStuffins

Oh wow, 2 hours of Prelims, I thought it was just 1 hour.

By the way, if anyone doesn't have ESPN it seems that UFC.tv aren't charging for the prelims tonight.

http://www.ufc.tv/ufc/event/prelims/1675

riffmongous

MrStuffins wrote: »

Oh wow, 2 hours of Prelims, I thought it was just 1 hour.

By the way, if anyone doesn't have ESPN it seems that UFC.tv aren't charging for the prelims tonight.

http://www.ufc.tv/ufc/event/prelims/1675

Do you still need that Silverlight software for UFC.tv?

El Guapo!

Looking forward to this. I won't be staying up to watch it though, I'll hang on till the morning.
I think Jones will win convincingly. It's gonna be like all his other fights. People always say his opponent is the one who can do it and not to underestimate them, but it always goes one way. I'm not a Jones fan by any means but he's just too good. There doesn't seem to be anybody out there at the minute capable of beating him. That being said, I wouldn't count Vitor out and I'll definitely be rooting for him.

Bisping v Stann should be a great fight. Very evenly matched, and Busping is improving with every fight but I see Stann taking it.......hopefully by KO but more than likely on points.

I reckon Benevidez will win by decision too. It's sure to be a cracking fast paced fight either way.

riffmongous

The difference between Stann and Bisping summed up nicely (semi-serious)

Bisping on flyweight finalist Benavidez

That smug-faced little t--- in a prepubescent boy's body needs to shut the f--- up because I'll take the Pepsi Challenge with that short-ass any day of the week," Bisping told MMAjunkie.com Radio

Stann on his brother in laws suicide

"Getting [my mother-in-law] and my wife and wife's family through that with my kids, it was difficult," Stann today told MMAjunkie.com "As soon as I beat Sakara, that week they asked me about the Lombard fight. I immediately accepted it even though he wasn't signed yet.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/30697/for-brian-stann-ufc-152-victory-could-aid-healing-process-after-family-tragedy.mma

http://mmajunkie.com/news/30666/not-in-joking-mood-bisping-fires-back-at-fellow-ufc-152-fighter-benavidez.mma

MrStuffins

riffmongous wrote: »

Do you still need that Silverlight software for UFC.tv?

I'd imagine so!

Jonah42

Probably won't be the case tonight I'm guessing?

pauldoo

i can see jones taking belfort down straight away-tire him out a bit and lesson the potential for any ko, should be good, think belfort has a decent chance-cant see him standing on the outside like evans/rampage

bisping/stann should be good too, think bisping will take him

MrStuffins

I thought it was interesting that a lot of people think Stann will take this, siting Stann's "superior wrestling & grappling". Both lads on MMA Live (Jorge Rivera and the other lad who looks like Michal Shannon from Boardwalk Empire) both fancy Stann.

I don't! I think people are over-rating Stann's wrestling and under-rating Bisping's. i think Bisping will have more than enough to match Stann's grappling and will win the stand up battle.

Jayo_M

riffmongous wrote: »

The difference between Stann and Bisping summed up nicely (semi-serious)

Bisping on flyweight finalist Benavidez




Stann on his brother in laws suicide




http://mmajunkie.com/news/30697/for-brian-stann-ufc-152-victory-could-aid-healing-process-after-family-tragedy.mma

http://mmajunkie.com/news/30666/not-in-joking-mood-bisping-fires-back-at-fellow-ufc-152-fighter-benavidez.mma

Sorry, don't really see the correlation here? Bisping is talking about a 125lber saying he hits harder than Bisping and Stann is talking about a terrible family tragedy. Is there a link there?

Bisping gets so much slack, its ridiculous. Stann and Bisping are both just playing the game. I'm sure in reality Stann is no saint and Bisping is no satan, they're both just fellas with serious dedication and serious skillsets trying to further their careers in any way they can.

Hopefully this is a great card. Bisping/Stann really can't be called. I think Bisping is the better fighter, but I think Stann is too durable and expect it to be similar to the Sonnen fight. I wouldn't be surprised if Stann connected hard and put Bisping out a la Hendo.

Benevidez/Johnson is just as tough to call. I've got a soft spot for Benevidez since his days on the circuit and over in DREAM, so hope he achieves big tonight.

Jones and Belfort really should only go one way. Jones is absolutely incredible and is just going to get better. Belfort is a bit of a beast, but we've seen time and time again over his career that he can fold mentally, and fold hard. He seems to have gotten past this in recent years thanks to a supreme confidence in his ability and a realisation that he doesn't have to prove himself anymore. Besides the Silva fight, which shouldn't be read into too much, he has been an absolute monster. I would love to see him connect hard once on Jones and swarm, and it could happen. But I can't see past Jones. If he was the least bit likeable, I don't think many would truely believe Belfort will believe him.

Hopefully this card lives up to its potential. Imagine, Vitor Belfort the UFC LHW Champ in 2012! The odds on that at the start of the year would have been unreal :pac:

MrStuffins

Anyone put any bets on?

I've a treble of Dunham, Olivera & Hettes.

Then i've a single of Vinny Magalhes who I thought was a generous 5/4 underdog v Pokrajac

I also have Jones to win in Round 3 at 5/1 but.............. also a cheeky pop at Vitor to finish Jones in Round 4 @ 40/1! Just couldn't resist

Jayo_M

Surprised Vinny is an underdog against Prokrajac! Good bet there.

pauldoo

MrStuffins wrote: »

I thought it was interesting that a lot of people think Stann will take this, siting Stann's "superior wrestling & grappling". Both lads on MMA Live (Jorge Rivera and the other lad who looks like Michal Shannon from Boardwalk Empire) both fancy Stann.

I don't! I think people are over-rating Stann's wrestling and under-rating Bisping's. i think Bisping will have more than enough to match Stann's grappling and will win the stand up battle.

Kurt Milenhal i think his name is, that show is on the slide, rivera is rubbish too, was much better with anik,kflo and franklin mcneil. i dont know what they were talking about with Stanns wrestling, over the past 6 months or so, sonnen dominated stann on the ground, and bisping was actually able to take sonnen down and avoided most of his wrestling. i wouldnt be surprised to see bisping take stann down

MrStuffins

Jayo_M wrote: »

Surprised Vinny is an underdog against Prokrajac! Good bet there.

Yeah me too! If the market was there i'd have backed Vinny to win by Sub too! That's how I see it going!

riffmongous

Jayo_M wrote: »

Sorry, don't really see the correlation here? Bisping is talking about a 125lber saying he hits harder than Bisping and Stann is talking about a terrible family tragedy. Is there a link there?

Really you dont? You think Bispings repsonse shows how classy he is? He couldnt just give a little smirk or roll his eyes or something, he needs to talk like that about a guy 60lbs lighter than him. Ok, fair enough.

I actually gained a lot of respect for Bisping after the Sonnen fight, taking it on short notice and proving how tough he is, but then I read his interviews since then and I've lost all that respect already, compared to a guy like Stann who shows true class both in and out of the cage I find it pointless to like a guy like Bisping.

Jayo_M

I really don't. It's only banter with Bisping. He's building heat for himself at the same time.

What would Stann's reaction be if Benavidez claimed to punch harder than Stann?

What would Bisping's response be if asked about how he dealt with a personal tragedy?

riffmongous

Jayo_M wrote: »

I really don't. It's only banter with Bisping. He's building heat for himself at the same time.

He doesnt need to build heat for himself anymore, people were finally starting to respect him.

What would Stann's reaction be if Benavidez claimed to punch harder than Stann?

Maybe not punching but even if he said he could wrestle better I'd say you wouldnt get more than a smile out of Stann, certainly not a tirade.

What would Bisping's response be if asked about how he dealt with a personal tragedy?
Thats interesting, I've never heard bisping comment much on his personal life, couldnt guess. But what I can say is that Stann is always a nice guy, Bisping not so

What about the Stann-Sakara, Bisping-Rivera fights and post fights, they're both still playing the same game?

Jayo_M

Ah no, don't get me wrong man! I think it's pretty clear Stann is a 'nicer guy' than Bisping going by history, but I'm just saying I don't think the Bisping/Alpha Male heat should be used as a stick to beat Bisping with and likewise that Stann's response to a family tragedy should be used as an example of what a great person he is!

Anyway, pointless enough discussion at the end of the day! Great finish by Gagnon - think Walel was a bit of a gimme for Gagnon after a difficult enough debut fight?

weemcd

Impressive win from Gagnon!

Breneman fight stopped early perhaps, but from ref's point of view, Charlie's head dropped directly at ref's feet and not defending. Springs back to life but the call was made.

Mellor

Jayo_M wrote: »

Anyway, pointless enough discussion at the end of the day! Great finish by Gagnon - think Walel was a bit of a gimme for Gagnon after a difficult enough debut fight?

Gagnon was a decent underdog with the bookies. Dont know what they were thinking

Chavways

I have 5 quid on Vitor to win by submission. 20/1 odds.

Lets hope he can pull off a miracle.

Professey Chin

Cmon ta fcuk!
/shadowbox

Kurz

Ufc.tv all messed up for anyone else?

Kurz

Hettis really can take punishment, looks like the Homer Simpson tactic here.

Scar Tissue

Kurz wrote: »

Ufc.tv all messed up for anyone else?

Fine for me, even had the 4 screen setup for a few minutes

Kurz

Scar Tissue wrote: »

Fine for me, even had the 4 screen setup for a few minutes

Thanks, I played around with the console a bit and when I fullscreened it again it was fixed :pac:

Seriously impressed with Hettis in this.

Scar Tissue

No problem, sometimes the quality drops for a few seconds but pressing the refresh button on the stream seems to help.

Thought Hettis could have subbed Brimmage with the 2.5 minutes he had him on the ground

Great fight nonetheless!

Mr. Manager

Brimage has come a long way in my books. I reckon he took that one.

MrStuffins

What the f*ck is that on Brimmage's face?

There goes my treble anyway! Brimmage was a massive underdog with the bookies

Dave0301

My laptop died, Brimage win it!?

MrStuffins

Dave0301 wrote: »

My laptop died, Brimage win it!?

Yup. UD 29-28 x 3

Dave0301

MrStuffins wrote: »

Yup. UD 29-28 x 3

Yeah probably the right call, certainly seemed to be more aggressive and landing the harder punches.

MrStuffins

Dave0301 wrote: »

Yeah probably the right call, certainly seemed to be more aggressive and landing the harder punches.

Yeah, He won Rounds 1 & 3 IMO!

Dave0301

Watching this just makes me wish I was going to be at the Nottingham fights next week!

lafors

Rubber legs there, he's lucky he didn't do his ankle

Mr. Manager

Well? Who got it??

Mellor

Good decision.
I think Pierson knew he had won two rounds at the end there so fought more to hang in there.

Dave0301

Mellor wrote: »

Good decision.
I think Pierson knew he had won two rounds at the end there so fought more to hang in there.

He did really well to work his way out of that last barrage but was a deserving winner.

MrStuffins

What a round!

lafors

Dunham got a hiding in that first round.
Nice cut on Dunham

user2011

Awesome card so far.. im thinking more cards should be cancelled in future if this is the way things go. All fights been pretty good.. let em keep rollin

Scar Tissue

War!!

(Waits for chants of "get the tables" from the crowd :pac:)

MrStuffins

This is a great f*cking fight!

It's gonna take a hell of a battle to take Fight of the NIght from these guys so far anyway!

Mr. Manager

Fairly certain FOTN is wrapped up that slugfest blood bath!!!

lafors

I thought it was funny when Joe said the cut was 6 inches, yeah Joe is that what the ladies are telling you
Right decision, super fight.

Edit, igor is next. Really looking forward to seeing him in action again.
Was that vinnie guy a d1ck in the ultimate fighter?

MrStuffins

lafors wrote: »

I thought it was funny when Joe said the cut was 6 inches, yeah Joe is that what the ladies are telling you
Right decision, super fight.

Edit, igor is next. Really looking forward to seeing him in action again.
Was that vinnie guy a d1ck in the ultimate fighter?

Yup! Ridiculous BJJ! Vinny by sub (I hope)

Mellor

I dunno if its tied up yet.
Benavidez v Johnson should be 5 fast paced rounds.
Plus title shots get a bit of FoTN credit as do main card fights (unfairly imo, but it happens). Plus being the inaugural Flyweight title gives it a edge too imo.



Vinny is a big underdog here. Unfairly imo. He should never have been cut - KO to Bader would happen to a lot of guys. Then one loss. Hopefully he pulls out some top quality BJJ here. Flying armbar please