UFC 241: Cormier vs. Miocic 2 (August 17, 2019)

[Wohlford]

Dude is undefeated and probably in his prime at 28 years of age (if he's been trained up). Fighting an old man now with a PROVEN limited gas tank..

Costa has fought a few names in his last 4 UFC fights. He's represented strong since joining the UFC. Knocked them all out too.

I'll take the younger undefeated fighter in this one at plus odds. Like I said he might not win this one by KO because Romero is hard to finish.. Romero will cheat on the chair in between rounds to get his gas back when he feels he is getting punked just to survive. Maybe throw a ball shot or eye poke also..

win	Uriah Hall	UFC 226 - Miocic vs. Cormier Jul / 07 / 2018	TKO (Punches) Mark Smith	2	2:38
win	Johny Hendricks	UFC 217 - Bisping vs. St. Pierre Nov / 04 / 2017	TKO (Punches) John McCarthy	2	1:23
win	Oluwale Bamgbose	UFC 212 - Aldo vs. Holloway Jun / 03 / 2017	TKO (Punches) John McCarthy	2	1:06
win	Garreth McLellan	UFC Fight Night 106 - Belfort vs. Gastelum Mar / 11 / 2017	TKO (Punches) Osiris Maia	1	1:17

I conceded that Costa has finished all his fights. But that doesn't change the fact that all his impressive wins have been against extremely unimpressive opponents.

All four of those guys are bums.

Romero has struggled with his gas tank in the past from time to time, but his two very impressive five-round decision losses to Whitaker are a strong indication that his gas tank is probably going to be fine against Costa in a three rounder.

[Sanity Check]

What are some of the bigger locks?

The only time I post plays is just before a fight starts when its *hopefully* too late to tail.

I'm a bigger fan of meritocracy than of socialism and giving things away for free to people who have done nothing to earn or deserve them.

-Shrug-

Dude is undefeated and probably in his prime at 28 years of age (if he's been trained up). Fighting an old man now with a PROVEN limited gas tank..

Costa has fought a few names in his last 4 UFC fights. He's represented strong since joining the UFC. Knocked them all out too.

I'll take the younger undefeated fighter in this one at plus odds. Like I said he might not win this one by KO because Romero is hard to finish.. Romero will cheat on the chair in between rounds to get his gas back when he feels he is getting punked just to survive. Maybe throw a ball shot or eye poke also..

Yoel seemed to have a rough weight cut for his 5 round fight with Robert Whittaker. Many still thought Yoel took that decision. If Yoel's diet and nutrition is dialed and he has a good cut here, cardio might not be an issue in a 3 round fight.

Yoel is heavy handed. Had Robert Whittaker in all sorts of trouble. One shotted Luke Rockhold.

Eraser hasn't shown much of a one punch KO, even against lesser competition than Yoel has faced. Almost all of Eraser's wins via TKO.

Its cool if people win betting on this fight. I would look for an easier play. Tough to tell what type of cut Yoel will have. Yoel's kickboxing is improving as well. You can see it in his fights with Whittaker.

Jorge Masvidal and Yoel are close. Whatever gains Jorge is making in his standup could be passed on to Yoel. Maybe you can see those two collaborating on training and sharing information.

Athletes like Yoel who don't do drugs, use PEDs or overindulge in alcohol have good longevity in the sport. You can see Kongo another one of those types still going strong at 44 years old.

[Sanity Check]

edit:

Nate said it was a game up cbd joint.

Legal under USADA / commissions(?).

[firekillex]

you can smoke up to 24 hours of the fight hell be ok

and yoel romero has shown bad cardio??? he just did two 5 round fights recently while Costa is gassed in round 2 getting jab fcked by uriah hall lol.... Costa is solid but i think Romero takes that fight unless hes fallen off outta nowhere.. people say the money from the tainted supplement couldve made him less hungry but an athletes mindset especially a dude from the slums of Cuba i could basically guarantee that money wont change his hunger... especially if he wins this fight impressively hell most likely get a title shot if Style bender beats Whittaker

and imo that last whittaker fight was a draw for me... but he looked super impressive, Yoel has learned to be patient with his explosions so he doesnt gas too fast, Costa just goes for broke a lot hence he gasses quick

[Thrilla]

Nate Diaz: I was smoking CBD, I'll smoke weed after the fight.

[Thrilla]

MMA Pros Pick

[Hugo de Naranja]

The only time I post plays is just before a fight starts when its *hopefully* too late to tail.

I'm a bigger fan of meritocracy than of socialism and giving things away for free to people who have done nothing to earn or deserve them.

-Shrug-

I'll look forward to seeing your bet posts right before the fights that you bet on Saturday.

[Hugo de Naranja]

@Jibs

Romero almost knocked out Whittaker in R3 and in R5 of their title fight. Think he is dangerous the whole fight. Costa on the other hand gassed badly when he lost on The Ultimate Fighter a few years back.

[Hugo de Naranja]

you can smoke up to 24 hours of the fight hell be ok

and yoel romero has shown bad cardio??? he just did two 5 round fights recently while Costa is gassed in round 2 getting jab fcked by uriah hall lol.... Costa is solid but i think Romero takes that fight unless hes fallen off outta nowhere.. people say the money from the tainted supplement couldve made him less hungry but an athletes mindset especially a dude from the slums of Cuba i could basically guarantee that money wont change his hunger... especially if he wins this fight impressively hell most likely get a title shot if Style bender beats Whittaker

and imo that last whittaker fight was a draw for me... but he looked super impressive, Yoel has learned to be patient with his explosions so he doesnt gas too fast, Costa just goes for broke a lot hence he gasses quick

Also people miss that he hasn't actually been paid. A court says that supplement company owes him a bunch of money but there's a good chance he never sees a dime. They didn't even show up for the hearing.

[Thrilla]

I'll look forward to seeing your bet posts right before the fights that you bet on Saturday.

Who gives a fukk. Moron says not to look at the odds just bet who you think will win. Guy is a broke retard doesn't know shit about betting which is why you never see him post in sports outside of MMA.

[firekillex]

Also people miss that he hasn't actually been paid. A court says that supplement company owes him a bunch of money but there's a good chance he never sees a dime. They didn't even show up for the hearing.

yup.. ive heard the supplement company will just fold and open under another name? not sure thats legal or how that all works... pretty garbage imo.. he shouldnt get 27 million lol but he should be compensated if he really took a tainted supplement and isnt on roids... people think anybody who is jacked is automatically on roids but certain people just have amazing genetics.. walk into some african countries and youll see dudes jacked af that barely eat 2 meals a day , not everybody is juicing

[Hugo de Naranja]

yup.. ive heard the supplement company will just fold and open under another name? not sure thats legal or how that all works... pretty garbage imo.. he shouldnt get 27 million lol but he should be compensated if he really took a tainted supplement and isnt on roids... people think anybody who is jacked is automatically on roids but certain people just have amazing genetics.. walk into some african countries and youll see dudes jacked af that barely eat 2 meals a day , not everybody is juicing

Romero is one of the biggest genetic freaks ever imo. The normal slowing down that comes with fighters aging has not applied to him thus far.

[firekillex]

Romero is one of the biggest genetic freaks ever imo. The normal slowing down that comes with fighters aging has not applied to him thus far.

yup regardless steroids or not hes a genetic freak/ animal... ive seen people do steroids and think they automatically just get jacked... doesnt work like that whatsoever ... watching Yoel on JRE was pretty cool talking about the Cuban olympic training centers and how crazy it is ... guys literally been a killing machine for his entire life ... used to not like him at all but it would be nice to see him get a title before he hangs it up

[Thrilla]

Sodiq Yusuff (9-1) discusses his upcoming fight against Gabriel Benitez.

[Thrilla]

Two prospects I like Sodiq Yussuf and Devonte Smith on this card too. Wow man this is the card of the year for sure.

Wow and Hannah Cifers? Hell yeah! Love how tough this farmer girl is.

[Pr0ph3t]

Sandhagen steamed from -170 to -195...

[PaperTrail07]

Romero Freakishness is not natural LOL....the guy is a 1 of a kind animal....that big w that much cardio...KO power w each hand.....dangerous individual lol

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Romero Freakishness is not natural LOL....the guy is a 1 of a kind animal....that big w that much cardio...KO power w each hand.....dangerous individual lol

don't fukk with the soldier of God

[Teem]

Man, think im gonna smack Assuncao. He's +175 on 5D.

[Thrilla]

don't fukk with the soldier of God

Amazing post

[UncleChael]

Dude is undefeated and probably in his prime at 28 years of age (if he's been trained up). Fighting an old man now with a PROVEN limited gas tank..

Costa has fought a few names in his last 4 UFC fights. He's represented strong since joining the UFC. Knocked them all out too.

I'll take the younger undefeated fighter in this one at plus odds. Like I said he might not win this one by KO because Romero is hard to finish.. Romero will cheat on the chair in between rounds to get his gas back when he feels he is getting punked just to survive. Maybe throw a ball shot or eye poke also..

win	Uriah Hall	UFC 226 - Miocic vs. Cormier Jul / 07 / 2018	TKO (Punches) Mark Smith	2	2:38
win	Johny Hendricks	UFC 217 - Bisping vs. St. Pierre Nov / 04 / 2017	TKO (Punches) John McCarthy	2	1:23
win	Oluwale Bamgbose	UFC 212 - Aldo vs. Holloway Jun / 03 / 2017	TKO (Punches) John McCarthy	2	1:06
win	Garreth McLellan	UFC Fight Night 106 - Belfort vs. Gastelum Mar / 11 / 2017	TKO (Punches) Osiris Maia	1	1:17

Amazing post. Tim Kennedy had him beat!!

[BIGDAY]

Yoel Romero will have take downs like crazy in this matchup if he wants...

One thing to always remember...

WRASTLERS RULE

[JIBBBY]

Amazing post. Tim Kennedy had him beat!!

Tim Kennedy is tough and brings it back in the day. No knock there.

[JIBBBY]

Romero Soldier of GOD is 42 and is gonna breath dog.. Young undefeated buck will get him late and probably on the cards..

1207 Costa wins by 3 round decision

+525

Wrestling does rule but wrestling takes energy...

In reference to TIM KENNEDY gif below..

[JIBBBY]

MMA MANIA prelim write ups -

155 lbs.: Devonte Smith vs. Khama Worthy

Devonte Smith (10-1) scored his fourth consecutive stoppage win on “Contender Series” last August, pummeling Joseph Lowry to claim a UFC contract. His Octagon career has seen him knockout Julian Erosa and Dong Hyun Ma in just 4:49 combined, the latter of which earned him “Performance of the Night.”
Six of his nine knockout wins have come in the first round.
Worthy (12-6) saw a six fight winning streak give way to a 2-4 skid, but has since bounced back to win three straight. The current run includes two of just four career trips to the judges, with six of his other victories coming by (T)KO.
“The Deathstar” replaces Clay Collard, who himself replaced
I couldn’t find any footage of Worthy from the last four years that wasn’t behind a paywall, but there’s not a lot going for him here. Three of his five knockout losses came in a combined 3:19 and he showed zero striking defense against Matt Bessette in his most recent defeat. Unless he’s made a 100% overhaul of his game and somehow reinforced his chin, Smith’s going to knock his block off.
Worthy’s potential improvement and willingness to throw leather could make this interesting, but odds are that Smith poleaxes him inside three minutes.
Prediction: Smith via first-round knockout
Related
Diaz Prefers Masvidal Showdown Over Khabib And Usman

135 lbs.: Raphael Assuncao vs. Cory Sandhagen

After suffering a knockout loss to Erik Koch in his Octagon debut, Raphael Assuncao (27-6) put together an 11-1 streak from 2011 to 2019, beating the likes of T.J. Dillashaw, Aljamain Sterling and Marlon Moraes, among others, along the way. His efforts earned him a No. 1 title contender eliminator rematch against Moraes, who dropped him in the early going and put him away with a guillotine choke midway through the first round.
He faces a six-inch height disadvantage and a 3.5-inch reach disadvantage.
Cory Sandhagen (11-1) survived a gruesome armbar to pound out Iuri Alcantara in his second UFC effort, then inflicted an armbar of his own on Mario Bautista five months later for his third finish in the Octagon. This led to a clash with all-action slugger John Lineker, whom Sandhagen controlled with distance strikes en route to a decision victory.
He had not gone the distance in victory since 2016.
For my money, this is the most stylistically intriguing fight on the undercard, pitting Assuncao’s patient, potent counters against Sandhagen’s brutal, devil-may-care offense. It’s the best kind of pick-‘em, close enough to keep things interesting, but not so close that they’re liable to get gun-shy and stink out the joint.
I’ll admit to flip-flopping a bit on this one — Assuncao presents a stiff test for Sandhagen’s offense, but getting cracked by Moraes last time out is worrying, especially considering Sandhagen’s considerable reach advantage. Even with the X-factor of Assuncao’s wrestling, I say Sandhagen outworks Assuncao and powers through enough counters to claim a narrow win.
Prediction: Sandhagen via unanimous decision
Related
Free Fight! Cormier Steamrolls, Miocic, Becomes UFC Champ-Champ

135 lbs.: Manny Bermudez vs. Casey Kenney

Manny Bermudez (14-0) racked up nine first-round finishes on his way to the Octagon, six of them in less than two minutes apiece. “The Bermudez Triangle” has enjoyed similar success in UFC itself, scoring a trio of submissions and walking away with a post-fight bonus for his 59-second triangle finish of Davey Grant.
He’s submitted 11 professional opponents and knocked out one other.
Casey Kenney (12-1-1) went 1-1 on “Contender Series,” fighting twice in the span of two months, before returning to LFA, where he claimed the interim Bantamweight title with a knockout of Vince Cachero. Eight days after that victory, he stepped up on short notice to defeat Ray Borg by split decision.
He is three inches shorter than Bermudez and will give up 3.5 inches of reach.
Win or lose, Kenney looks to be Bermudez’s biggest headache to date. He’s the stronger wrestler of the two and ostensibly has the submission defense to avoid Bermudez’s quick-kill finishes. This fight will give us a good idea of whether Bermudez’s style can win him a decision in the Octagon.
I don’t think so, at least not against Kenney.
Kenney’s skilled enough to scramble with Ray Borg and looks to have fixed the cardio issues that led to his defeat on the Contender Series. The last time Bermudez went the distance, he had to be saved by the judges via robbery against Saul Almeida. Kenney’s takedowns, scrambling and clinch skills carry him to victory.
Prediction: Kenney via unanimous decision
Related
UFC 241 Embedded! Cormier The Underdog Against Miocic?

155 lbs.: Drakkar Klose vs. Christos Giagos

The upset decision win for Drakkar Klose (10-1) over Marc Diakiese in his second UFC bout cemented his status as one to watch, only for the surging David Teymur to hand him his first professional loss five months later.
He returned with another upset of Lando Vannata, then narrowly edged Bobby Green in Milwaukee in Dec. 2018.
He’ll give up one inch of height and 1.5 inches of reach to “The Spartan.”
Christos Giagos (17-7) initially washed out of UFC on a 1-3 skid, but answered the call to face Charles Oliveira after winning four of five on the regional and Russian circuits. Though he fell victim to “Do Bronx’s” infamous submission game, he enters the cage on the heels of consecutive victories over Mizuto Hirota and Damir Hadzovic.
Seven of his 10 stoppage wins have come by form of knockout.
Klose is a strange sort — it’s like he alternates between being forgettable and being a quality prospect from fight to fight. He absolutely did not deserve the decision against Green, but absolutely dominated Lando Vannata in the previous fight. Though he can’t seem to blend his striking and wrestling, his aggression and raw power make him a problem for everyone.
Giagos included.
Giagos’ takedown defense has proven insufficient in the past, and even if Klose isn’t the most adept wrestler, he’s physically strong enough to grind it out in the clinch. Between that and his thudding leg kicks limiting Giagos’ explosiveness, I say Klose muscles his way to a close victory.
Prediction: Klose via unanimous decision


115 lbs.: Hannah Cifers vs. Jodie Esquibel

A five-fight win streak that featured four knockouts brought Hannah Cifers (9-3) to the Octagon in Nov. 2018, where she fell to blue-chip prospect Maycee Barber via second-round technical knockout. She returned to action five months later to upset jiu-jitsu ace Polyana Viana by split decision at UFC 235.
All but one of her five (technical) knockout victories have come in the first round.
Jodie Esquibel (6-5) lost a split decision to Ashley Yoder in the opening round of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 23 and fell to Alexa Grasso in her return to the Invicta cage, but came back to edge veteran DeAnna Bennett her next time out. She’s yet to taste victory in the Octagon, going 0-3 over a two-year stretch.
She stands two inches taller than the 5’1” “Shockwave.”
Esquibel has had three UFC fights to show anything besides grit and decent takedown defense. Instead, she’s absorbed more than 350 strikes. It’s like all you need to beat her is above-average stand up, and Cifers certainly fits the bill.
Cifers can win this almost purely on the strength of her right cross, and the power she can put behind it bodes ill for the ever-hittable Esquibel. Power punching secures Cifers her second UFC victory.
Prediction: Cifers via unanimous decision
Related
Video: Watch ‘Countdown To UFC 241’

135 lbs.: Kyung Ho Kang vs. Brandon Davis

Kyung Ho Kang (15-8) opened his UFC career 2-1 (1 NC) before undergoing his mandatory military service in his native Korea. He returned to action 3.5 years later with a submission of Guido Cannetti, then tapped Teruto Ishihara after a narrow loss to Ricardo Ramos.
“Mr. Perfect” has submitted 11 professional foes.
Brandon Davis (10-5) dazzled on the Contender Series with an entertaining decision over Austin Arnett, but struggled to maintain that momentum in the Octagon, going 1-3. This past March, he faced heavy-handed Joe Lauzon protege Randy Costa and survived a wild start to hand the latter his first career loss.
His six professional finishes are split evenly between knockouts and submissions.
Davis is ballsy, tough as nails, and hits plenty hard. He also struggles profoundly with grapplers — Enrique Barzola alone dragged him down 10 times, and the hulking Kang looks like he’s got the goods to exploit that weakness yet again. Davis simply cannot handle the Korean veteran on the ground, and though he’s not the type to be mentally broken by a few takedowns, it’ll be hard for him to get anything going on the feet with the threat of them dangling over his head.
All that said, Kang can get too brawl-happy for his own good, and if he’s reticent to bring his excellent grappling to bear, I can easily see him humoring Davis for too long and dropping a decision. He’s just got too big an edge on the mat for me to pick against him. We get a few minutes of fun brawling before Kang drags him down and forces a tap.
Prediction: Kang via first-round submission
Related
Latest UFC 241 Fight Card, PPV Line Up

125 lbs.: Sabina Mazo vs. Shana Dobson

The four-fight LFA career of Sabina Mazo (6-1) saw her score a pair of highlight-reel head kicks, claim the promotion’s Flyweight title, and successfully defend it with a decision over Carol Yariwaki in Nov. 2018. Despite the strong run, she came up short against UFC veteran Maryna Moroz in her promotional debut in March.
She stands an inch taller than Shana Dobson (3-2) but faces a one-inch reach disadvantage.
Dobson’s TUF 26 run ended 97 seconds into the opening round courtesy of Roxanne Modafferi’s ground-and-pound. She successfully debuted in the Octagon with a knockout of Ariel Beck, but fell short against Lauren Mueller four months later.
This will be her first fight in 16 months after injury scrapped a November bout with Yanan **.
I won’t pretend I wasn’t disappointed in Mazo’s performance against Moroz, but she’s still got potential. I expect her to do quite a bit better against Dobson; while “Danger” offers the sort of pressure that Mazo dislikes, “The Colombian Queen” is the better technical striker and won’t have to worry too much about takedowns.
It’ll come down to Dobson’s one-shot power against Mazo’s versatile offense, and I favor the latter. Expect the 22-year-old to learn from her first-ever defeat and use her kicking arsenal to piece up Dobson on the feet.
Prediction: Mazo via unanimous decision

[JIBBBY]

Something to look at also...

https://www.mmamania.com/2019/8/15/20805039/ufc-241-odds-latest-vegas-lines-online-betting-guide-cormier-miocic-favorite-anaheim-sportsbook-mma

[Bert102]

Romero Soldier of GOD is 42 and is gonna breath dog.. Young undefeated buck will get him late and probably on the cards..

1207 Costa wins by 3 round decision

+525

Wrestling does rule but wrestling takes energy...

In reference to TIM KENNEDY gif below..

Grabbing the opponents hand or gloves is against the rules, yet Romero is the one who cheated? Two wrongs make a right?

[LBfightlife]

Jibby wrong about Nate. Never sleep on Nate, clearly I have a team bias and idk wtf show hes putting on w the smoking and skipping stare down, that's his thing but Pettis is making is personal. Hes all worked up, saying "I really don't have much to worry about".. MY ASS.. I know you havent forgotten all the work Nate put in at the top. I do like Petis at this weight, but he was getting peiced up by Wonderboy. Hes not going to be able to drop Nate like that unless he catch him by clean headkick. Nate really hasn't been on the couch. I just hope hes been getting good sparring and gameplan/striking work down with Kron and whoever in LA. Hes been training with Kron a lot so, I wouldn't be surprised to see him submit him. If he would have taken Conner down and worked his grappling he would have won the rematch handily and finished him.. still wonder if he carried him in that fight to make it close on purpose . He could have finished him easily Conner turned his penetrating bad and ran multiple times for God sakes.

No way is Pettis better than Nathan on the ground, I could see Nate wearing him down and submitting him or taking a decision. Pettis does have a good ground game yes, it was very underrated he's a legit blackbelt. But Nate is another level on the floor than Petis trust me. Those guys are the biggest sandbaggers and train jits and boxing all the time

[Sanity Check]

If he would have taken Conner down and worked his grappling he would have won the rematch handily and finished him.. still wonder if he carried him in that fight to make it close on purpose .

Nate had an injured knee and rib going into the 2nd fight, if I remember right.

Don't know how serious it was. With an old school guy like Nate I would have to guess its stuff someone else would have pulled out with.

Same might be said of that fight with RDA where Nate's fines from the commission for the backstage altercation were close to the size of his paycheck so he might have made $0 for that one.

[LBfightlife]

Good analysis of both Nathan and Pettis w/a striking focus by Luke Thomas

https://youtu.be/Y2WxEUgZLbg

[JIBBBY]

Jibby wrong about Nate. Never sleep on Nate, clearly I have a team bias and idk wtf show hes putting on w the smoking and skipping stare down, that's his thing but Pettis is making is personal. Hes all worked up, saying "I really don't have much to worry about".. MY ASS.. I know you havent forgotten all the work Nate put in at the top. I do like Petis at this weight, but he was getting peiced up by Wonderboy. Hes not going to be able to drop Nate like that unless he catch him by clean headkick. Nate really hasn't been on the couch. I just hope hes been getting good sparring and gameplan/striking work down with Kron and whoever in LA. Hes been training with Kron a lot so, I wouldn't be surprised to see him submit him. If he would have taken Conner down and worked his grappling he would have won the rematch handily and finished him.. still wonder if he carried him in that fight to make it close on purpose . He could have finished him easily Conner turned his penetrating bad and ran multiple times for God sakes.

No way is Pettis better than Nathan on the ground, I could see Nate wearing him down and submitting him or taking a decision. Pettis does have a good ground game yes, it was very underrated he's a legit blackbelt. But Nate is another level on the floor than Petis trust me. Those guys are the biggest sandbaggers and train jits and boxing all the time

If they start grappling I'm sure this could be in play.. Nate has always been good with sinking in those triangles and chokes.. I don't see Nate dropping Pettis with any one single punch either. Nate's pathway to victory could be by sub perhaps?

1127 Diaz wins by submission

+750

[Thrilla]

Media Day Staredowns

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Yoel Romero will have take downs like crazy in this matchup if he wants...

One thing to always remember...

WRASTLERS RULE

agreed, ill take my chances with Romero and the strength of the competition he has fought along with his pedigree.

[HurlSweatPants]

Media Day Staredowns

B Davis already has a pretty sizable advantage, should be interesting to see how they compare on fight night.

[Hugo de Naranja]

@Hurl What does B Davis have an advantage in?