[Vaughany]

if i recall ,evans thought that silva was such a shabby striker that he almost exclusively used his wrestling when they fought...evans,for a guy who is such an accomplished wrestler has become conspicuous for underutilizing his wrestling base and has become almost exclusively a striker......but he thought enough of silva to use more takedowns in their fight that any other i can recall off the top of my head...he couldn`t keep him down,but he used numerous takedowns to score points and control the fight...

and when they both tired in the 3rd and silva was finally able to stuff evans` takedowns,he almost knocked evans out...

now,this is in no way a disparagement of gustafsson...i think he`s very talented...and rightly the fave here(particularly considering the layoff and silva`s ped issues)....but to state that silva is some hobo and has no chance is utterly ridiculous.....the guy is a very dangerous fighter with power and some skill...he`s not fighting an uber-athletic guy like ncaa wrestler evans or machida here...gustafsson is athletic,but not like the afforementioned guys...

this fight is no bagshot,imo....i`m expecting a great,action-packed fight here....imo,the first guy that ends up on his back will be in serious trouble....both guys have great top control and g&p.....

looking forward to this much more than gustaf/lil nog...dana isn`t exactly giving silva and easy road back into the fold...

Completely agree.

No way will I be playing Gustafsson at these odds, especially with his questionable stand-up defense. Like some of the other guys tht moved to Alliance such as Travis Browne they tend to adopt Cruz's style of being elusive and working angles with lots of movement whilst keeping hands down and chin out...I cant help but think tht eventually one of these guys are going to get caught. Conversely, this may well be a fine strategy to use as we've already seen Thiago struggle against an elusive fighter in Machida, and it will also make it more difficult for Thiago to get the takedown which may be his best strategy in this fight. Ironically, despite being an Alliance fighter, Vera was easy to takedown because he has a style where he tends to plant his feet looking for powerful leg/body kicks and hooks, rather than being elusive with constant movement.

[rocky mattioli]

Completely agree.

No way will I be playing Gustafsson at these odds, especially with his questionable stand-up defense. Like some of the other guys tht moved to Alliance such as Travis Browne they tend to adopt Cruz's style of being elusive and working angles with lots of movement whilst keeping hands down and chin out...I cant help but think tht eventually one of these guys are going to get caught. Conversely, this may well be a fine strategy to use as we've already seen Thiago struggle against an elusive fighter in Machida, and it will also make it more difficult for Thiago to get the takedown which may be his best strategy in this fight. Ironically, despite being an Alliance fighter, Vera was easy to takedown because he has a style where he tends to plant his feet looking for powerful leg/body kicks and hooks, rather than being elusive with constant movement.

i`m a huge gustafsson fan..he`s a load for anyone...well rounded and aggressive...just from a fan`s perspective,this is incredible matchmaking...

if alexander walks through a bully like silva,then he defintely will be a legit factor in the division(actually,he probably already is).....but he really hasn`t stepped in against the creme-de-la-creme(with the exception of davis who is still a work in progress).......

and btw,i meant to say"aforementioned" in my previous post(groan)...and welcome back,v...i`m sure many of us have grown accustomed to living in your underwear drawer when it comes to mma wagering(get a damned laptop)......you were missed...

[Rubber Guard]

if i recall ,evans thought that silva was such a shabby striker that he almost exclusively used his wrestling when they fought...evans,for a guy who is such an accomplished wrestler has become conspicuous for underutilizing his wrestling base and has become almost exclusively a striker......but he thought enough of silva to use more takedowns in their fight that any other i can recall off the top of my head...he couldn`t keep him down,but he used numerous takedowns to score points and control the fight...

and when they both tired in the 3rd and silva was finally able to stuff evans` takedowns,he almost knocked evans out...

now,this is in no way a disparagement of gustafsson...i think he`s very talented...and rightly the fave here(particularly considering the layoff and silva`s ped issues)....but to state that silva is some hobo and has no chance is utterly ridiculous.....the guy is a very dangerous fighter with power and some skill...he`s not fighting an uber-athletic guy like ncaa wrestler evans or machida here...gustafsson is athletic,but not like the afforementioned guys...

this fight is no bagshot,imo....i`m expecting a great,action-packed fight here....imo,the first guy that ends up on his back will be in serious trouble....both guys have great top control and g&p.....

looking forward to this much more than gustaf/lil nog...dana isn`t exactly giving silva and easy road back into the fold...

Rashad used his wrestling vs. Rampage, Tito....even Phil Davis.

Not sure what you are getting at. Yea, Thiago has some power...we all know that. Why wouldn't Evans wrestle him? He was just coming off a KO loss....why on earth would he strike when he doesn't have too after getting KO'd by Machida?

He was rocked and almost finished by Page. Wasn't he rocked by Tito? He got lit up by Machida. When doesn't Rashad get hit on the chin in a fight? He always gets rocked it seems. Pretty sure after him laying there googlied eyed thanks to Machida that he would wrestle anyone and everyone in his next fight...

He learned his lesson a bit vs. Machida...it wasn't because he was deathly afraid of Thiago's striking. Also no one is saying Thiago can't strike. It is his strong point. But his striking is overrated when you look at it from a technical standpoint. Not hard to KO straight cans.

I don't get it.

[fosho14]

Rashad used his wrestling vs. Rampage, Tito....even Phil Davis.

Not sure what you are getting at. Yea, Thiago has some power...we all know that. Why wouldn't Evans wrestle him? He was just coming off a KO loss....why on earth would he strike when he doesn't have too after getting KO'd by Machida?

He was rocked and almost finished by Page. Wasn't he rocked by Tito? He got lit up by Machida. When doesn't Rashad get hit on the chin in a fight? He always gets rocked it seems. Pretty sure after him laying there googlied eyed thanks to Machida that he would wrestle anyone and everyone in his next fight...

He learned his lesson a bit vs. Machida...it wasn't because he was deathly afraid of Thiago's striking. Also no one is saying Thiago can't strike. It is his strong point. But his striking is overrated when you look at it from a technical standpoint. Not hard to KO straight cans.

I don't get it.

Based on your response here, are you going to be staying away from this fight, or playing the -240 or whatever it is line? Personally I don't see value.

[rocky mattioli]

Rashad used his wrestling vs. Rampage, Tito....even Phil Davis.

Not sure what you are getting at. Yea, Thiago has some power...we all know that. Why wouldn't Evans wrestle him? He was just coming off a KO loss....why on earth would he strike when he doesn't have too after getting KO'd by Machida?

He was rocked and almost finished by Page. Wasn't he rocked by Tito? He got lit up by Machida. When doesn't Rashad get hit on the chin in a fight? He always gets rocked it seems. Pretty sure after him laying there googlied eyed thanks to Machida that he would wrestle anyone and everyone in his next fight...

He learned his lesson a bit vs. Machida...it wasn't because he was deathly afraid of Thiago's striking. Also no one is saying Thiago can't strike. It is his strong point. But his striking is overrated when you look at it from a technical standpoint. Not hard to KO straight cans.

I don't get it.

if memory serves me,he used it a good deal more vs silva.....he had silva on his back time and again in the first 2 rounds(couldn`t keep him down,but scored numerous takedowns in rds 1 and 2).....in the 3rd,when both were tired,silva was able to stuff some of rashad`s takedowns....he hurt rashad standing,but wasn`t able to finish(both were very tired)....

as much as i like gustafsson,i don`t think his style or athleticism compare to rashad or machida....


all that said,gustaf`s length is something that neither of the other two guys have(and he`s pretty nifty with his sub game)....and that`s very important...

all i`m saying(and we obviously disagree)is that silva` is nobody`s walkover....he has some issues(layoff,injury history,fighting away) that make it even an even tougher fight than it might normally be...


he`s rightly the fave....i just think it`s a dangerous fight...i think silva is a dangerous fight for most 205`ers....maybe i`m wrong...guess we`ll see in a month or so...

[Hannibal]

^pretty sure machida just stomped him
He couldn't even touch machida. But after that...we saw that length and athleticism could be even superior to the highest level of elusive striking technique (jones)

I think gustafson has better hands than jones..also .same height, slightly shorter but still massive reach

[rocky mattioli]

^pretty sure machida just stomped him
He couldn't even touch machida. But after that...we saw that length and athleticism could be even superior to the highest level of elusive striking technique (jones)

I think gustafson has better hands than jones..also .same height, slightly shorter but still massive reach

i think we disagree on jones...jones just brings so much to the table that it`s hard to compare him with anyone at this point......hands,feet,whatever....he seems on another level compared to anyone at any weight...

machida and evans have much better feet and are all around quicker than gustafsson(imo)....but,theres that height again...that(along with his obvious talent) is the factor that makes gustafsson possibly a top tier guy....

but lets remember....he really hasn`t beaten an elite guy yet....i think he will.....i`m looking forward to seeing him progress(that is if he`s not on fuel t.v. and dana isn`t suing every swinging dick with a computer from here to timbuktu)....

[fosho14]

but lets remember....he really hasn`t beaten an elite guy yet...

I agree. Maybe this is going to be the fight that shuts everyone up, we'll see.

[Hannibal]

i was wrong...gustafson appears to have a massive reach because of his boxing technique and height, but his reach is only 76 inch... not even close to someone like jones with 84

[rocky mattioli]

i was wrong...gustafson appears to have a massive reach because of his boxing technique and height, but his reach is only 76 inch... not even close to someone like jones with 84

i don`t think you`re wrong about gustafsson being a real player in the division(particularly with an impressive win here vs silva)......as a fan, just love this fight...

[Rubber Guard]

No I probably won't. I don't play as many fights as most people here. I'll easily pass on this line. I just believe Gustafsson will win and is a guy on the up and up. While Thiago is overrated. Thiago has power and can change the whole fight. I just don't believe he can do it against an actual top 10 caliber guy, especially one as technical and athletic as Gustaffson.

But I will pass. They both have power and will be striking a lot. There defiantly is better value elsewhere.

[PunisherIND]

gustafsson-silva ITD -300 on 5dimes (goes the distance +220)

[Vaughany]

Took the distance at +280 earlier

[PunisherIND]

Took the distance at +280 earlier

looking like a good play. its now -230 / +170.

[Vaughany]

looking like a good play. its now -230 / +170.

yeah on paddypower Gustaf by decision is most favoured result...can get that at +130 and fight to go distance is -137.5