UFC 265: Lewis v Gane - Intercontinental Title

Well, it's about as legitimate as the one they're fighting for tonight. :P

Without the silly title and the barely still-relevant Aldo it's just about a Fight Night card.

Fromvert

Fantastic from Luque. Luque by sub against Chiesa was something I did not expect.

hawaii501

That was some reversal by Luque, I thought he was about to get finished at one stage then 10 seconds later he has chiesa in a Darce.

Hope he gets the title shot now. Saw Usman tweeting about him so maybe he's next after Colby!

Fromvert

I always get a good laugh at them trying to hype up Valentina's next victim (same with Nunes' opponents), like 40 year old Lauren Murphy is anything but another body before we eventually get Shevchenko v Nunes 3

hawaii501

Yeah it's just another punching bag for her until we eventually get Nunes 3.

Think this will go either way but Munhoz should be favourite.

Fromvert

I'm shocked how good Aldo still looks, he's been fighting at the top for so long. Still so quick. And he must be the best in MMA at ripping a body shot.

hawaii501

Very impressed with Aldo's boxing there, thats improved so much since his last fights. The accuracy was like 60% or so and his defence was excellent too.

I wish he threw a few leg kicks in the earlier rounds tho, you could see them really hurting Munhoz(dropped him with one) in the 3rd so I don't know why he didn't throw them in the 1st or 2nd.

Fromvert

Gane should tell all those mouth breathers booing to kiss his ass. He's fantastic. Even though Francis is champ would love Gane vs Stipe

EagererBeaver

A classic from DC there. Interviewing Gane, who has just had the interim belt strapped on him, he tells him that Ngannou is the undisputed world champion. He's bad enough on commentary but don't start letting him do big interviews ffs.

Fromvert

He's awful. No Rogan tonight to laugh along with his nonsense, Cruz spends his time correcting him like he does Rogan.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117722387#Comment_117722387

Well DC was right tbf. They need to do away with those interim belts.

Homelander

Great card except the main fight. Lewis looked awful even by his usual standards.

EagererBeaver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117722647#Comment_117722647

If there's an interim champ, by definition there can be no undisputed champ. Pretty simple.

The fact that interims are a joke (not always, but this might be the worst example of all) is neither here nor there.

rob316

If someone is holding up a division like Mcgregor or is out injured for a stretch I don't mind the Interim belt but Francis won the HW title like 3 months ago, its was absolutely ridiculous and I'm glad Gane wasn't pretending it was the belt. Gane should be fighting Stipe next then winner fights Francis.

StringerBell

What?

Lewis was the next in line, Gane just beat him so he is now the next in line.

The storyline that Dana will love to go with the Francis v Gane is a by product and you can feel the treatment of Stipe is poor but it is what it is.

He has zero Dana White privilege unfortunately for him and Gane is now deservedly next in line tbh given how things have played out.

Homelander

Don't at all agree with "deservedly". Stipe had 5 successful title defences. Had a fantastic trilogy with DC that he came out of best.

Literally previously schooled the current champ Francis.

He is 100% the most deserving of another fight with Francis. Even Francis acknowleges this.

It's fair enough to say "Dana is a massive POS who only cares about money and doesn't give a damn about integrity of his organisation or sport it represents" but it's not fair to say that Cyril Gane deserves a title fight before Stipe gets a rematch.

StringerBell

But more than one person can deserve a title shot at any one time?

Stipe should have gotten a rematch, maybe, it's the way the sport is headed alright but it wasn't the norm always that the dethroned champ got the immediate rematch like happens in boxing, they often had to work their way back up. I would have had no real issue with Stipe getting a rematch but I can't get my head around the idea that the guy who just beat the man who actually was next in line for the title shot doesn't also deserve his chance against the champ.

hawaii501

Gane deserves a title shot and will beat Ngannou as well.

Stipe probably does deserve a title shot but it was very one sided which is probably why he hasn't got one.