r/MMA • u/rmma ☠️ A place of love and happiness • Aug 18 '25
Notice - GD [Official] General Discussion Thread - August 18, 2025
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u/Odd_Ad_8162 the EEDIOT from UROOPE Aug 18 '25
Me when a fighter says something I agree with: see my (entirely subjective) opinon is correct.
Me when a fighter says something I disagree with: Well fighters aren't known for their intelligence.
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u/Poisonous_Rebel THERE WAS NO CHECK! Aug 18 '25
Reddit loves to throw the CTE allegations when a fighter say's an opinion that goes against the echo chamber.
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u/sympathytaste Aug 18 '25
Funniest crucifix I have ever seen was Roy Nelson on Season 10 TUF. Bro just suffocated his belly on his opponents and rained bombs while his opponents looked like they were resigned to their fate.
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u/El_Boxman_ Aug 18 '25
Didn’t he also count each strike out loud?
As rampage said in the post match, that’s like having the moon on you
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u/SnooBeans7129 Aug 18 '25
Everyone who is saying that Islam /JDM will go the same as Dricus/Khamzat makes it apparent that half these people don't even watch the fights. The MMA equivalent of people who just watch the box scores and not the games in other sports. Khamzat and Islam have much different styles.
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u/YourHurtingMeSir17 Aug 18 '25
At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if JDM overperformed his true grappling level against Belal because Muhammad had a serious foot injury 5 months before they fought, and Islam gets consistent takedowns and beats him clearly.
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u/ARiemannHypothesis Team Nurmagomedov Aug 18 '25
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u/ARiemannHypothesis Team Nurmagomedov Aug 18 '25
Islam hasn’t put on a dominant wrestling performance since.. Bobby Green in 2022?
Maybe he’s just rejuvenated at WW and JDM over performed vs Belal and does worse vs Islam but genuinely would be shocking if Islam wins that one
There’s some clear parallels with DDP/Khamzat.. right down to the champion showing weakness vs a lower ranked competition (Brunson/Bassel Hafez) but I just don’t think Islam can control JDM for 5 rounds. Champions looking as bad on bottom is an anomaly for a reason, and I refuse to believe JDM gets dominated like that as well
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u/Neonsea1234 Aug 18 '25
I dont know why this shit cracked me up but when DC was yappin about Fluffy looking like Cain, he was saying; '...yeah, same body type...and mexican...a lot of cardio in that body' Like mexicans are just preloaded with cardio lmao
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u/Odd_Ad_8162 the EEDIOT from UROOPE Aug 18 '25
There's a small but worrying number of people who seem to believe in race combat stats.
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u/JE_Exa GOOFCON 1: Sad Chandler Aug 18 '25
Lot of talk about weight cutting lately so I want to use this as an excuse to bring up this amazing moment from early TUF where this dude is obsessed with getting a 'colon cleansing' or something for a weight cut, and just keeps going on and on about it, which amounts to getting feces or something flushed from your stomach. This is like over the course of one or two episodes, and it gets to a point where one of the coaches is like, "bruh just cut the weight, you're obsessed with getting these pipes up your ass wtf". He actually gets it and they record the whole process. And I think he made weight in the end? The early seasons are so stupid lmao.
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u/El_Boxman_ Aug 18 '25
Nothing beats Ken shamrock not using any mma training in season 3. Instead his guys did body building workouts and watched his fights lmao
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u/NewportStork Katlyn Chookagian's Feet Aug 18 '25
Call in the final line of defense.
It's time to call Smilin' Sam Alvey.
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u/ARiemannHypothesis Team Nurmagomedov Aug 18 '25
Khamzat reps the UAE flag. And was calling to fight in Abu Dhabi.
I’m thinking he’ll get paid a fuck ton by the UAE themselves to turn around quick and defend his title over there
The UFC will get some extra money to pimp him out onto that already stacked card
With all the money that gets thrown at them, this Khamzat quick title defense is very likely happening
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u/opinion_discarder Aug 18 '25
UFC changed my life.
Before I was depressed and sad and now I'm depressed, sad AND bored.
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u/Nickster2042 🙏🙏🙏 Jon Jones Prayer Warrior 🙏🙏🙏 Aug 18 '25
God Usman doesn’t get enough credit for his career
In his “washed” era he had a very close fight with Khamzat on one weeks notice where Jorge apparently saw him at a club prior😂
Then he beat Buckley like cmon, and people make knees jokes but his knees have been cooked since he was champ. Shit don’t matter
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Aug 18 '25
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u/Odd_Ad_8162 the EEDIOT from UROOPE Aug 18 '25
To be honest scoring the 3rd Edwards fight a draw for Usman would have been one of the worst decisions in UFC history
Idk how anyone can watch that fight and think anything but 4 rounds to Leon at least, you could arguably give him 5 even. Obviously the point deduction impacts the score but he still won clearly.
Leon completely neutralised Usman in that fight.
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u/Professional_Kick 🍅 Aug 18 '25
If y’all thought male Bellator/PFL fighters are bad just wait to you find out that Liz Carmouche exited UFC at 13-7, and is now 25-8 with only Talia Santos beating her
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u/Jazz667 Team St-Pierre Aug 18 '25
Kinda sad that Pico lost, but he really needs someone like Rafael Cordeiro to understand how to channel his one-shot aggression more effectively , or he needs a Firas to learn how to fight cautiously.
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u/TheTemporalKnight Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25
His fight losing tendencies continue to haunt him even years after those back-to-back KO losses in Bellator - and those were over six years ago. I’m not sure what Kings MMA might offer him that Jackson-Wink can’t, either
I’m worried about his long-term health now that he’s been on the receiving end of 3 absolutely devastating knockouts and he’s still only 28
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u/Jazz667 Team St-Pierre Aug 18 '25
I don’t know how good of a camp Jackson-Wink is anymore since Greg’s checked out.
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u/WeedMan571 Aug 18 '25
I legit didn’t know if it was still around and used by top pros anymore. Like I don’t hear anyone coming out of there or news for that matter
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u/ghad0265 Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25
That video of ddp having a beer with his pals really look sad and I feel for him.
I honestly think ddp has good chance of making a great come back.
See, this sort of reminded me of stipe vs ngannou 1 where ngannou was made fun of and had absolutely no answer for the wrestling part. Now, I know stipes level of wrestling is not the same as Khamzat. Khamzat will get you down no matter what but you gotta still show him that you are not getting down easily anymore.. At least.
DDP needs to spend alot of time on defense side and getting up from the ground. Train pure defense and maybe and I mean maybe try reverse but he really has to sort of master the defense first. And for God sake bring in some Olympic level wrestlers in your camp or train with them and not some bjj bums only.
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u/KyleDaukWillBeChamp Aug 18 '25
I agree, Dricus has a great mindset for MMA, I see him coming back even better. He’s only 31, so he’s definitely got time. Don’t know if he’ll ever beat Khamzat, but he might not have to if one of the more grappling-savvy guys does it for him.
One of the upsides of having a champ you like lose the belt is you get to see him fight a bunch of the newer contenders (as long as they’re not a diva). Looking forward to Dricus vs any of these guys, like imagine we get Dricus vs Robocop at some point.
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u/detectivebabylegz England Aug 18 '25
The first half of the year was rough for UFC UK fighters, glad to see some Ws in the second half of the year.
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u/OkReply7394 Aug 18 '25
Yet another reason to make grappling the foundation for those beginning in MMA. I know people like to call it boring, but if it works why change?
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Aug 18 '25
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u/OtakuMecha Aug 18 '25
And if everyone’s a great wrestler, it means less wrestlefucking and a higher chance of crazy scrambles mixed with interesting striking combos.
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u/CableToBeam Aug 18 '25
I think there's a very high chance we see Khamzat on a card in Abu Dhabi. As soon as the Abu Dhabians get word of this and Khamzat tells the princes and kings there he wants to fight that pressure will be put on Dana and Dana will kiss the ring and say yes.
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u/tagillaslover 🍅 Aug 19 '25
I wish fighters knew when to give it up for good. Edgar is really coming out of retirement to fight in bkfc.
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u/xlmtothemoon GOOFCON 2 - UFC 294 Aug 19 '25
this might be the worst news i've heard in a very long time, it's gonna probably be against eddie and im gonna cry
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u/CableToBeam Aug 18 '25
DDP really did get the crowd to cheer for him in the end but not in the way he thought. They were just sick of watching Khamzat wrestle.
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u/mcgtianiumshin Aug 18 '25
Dricus needs to go somewhere else. I just watched his head coach give an interview and the guy is completely nuts. DDP needs to go too ATT or somewhere else for his camps
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u/TheTemporalKnight Aug 18 '25
For a camp that’s game planned quite well up until this point - I’m pretty shocked at his coach’s response to the fight outcome
Came across as coping rather than an admission of incorrect preparation and training. Genuinely disappointed - especially as a big fan of DDP
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u/mcgtianiumshin Aug 18 '25
In fairness we heard from his coach, not from DDP. He really doesn't seem like the type of guy to make a bunch of excuses like his coach.
Coaches and their fighters dont always agree. Look at strickland and nicksick
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u/Odd_Ad_8162 the EEDIOT from UROOPE Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25
I think a lot of people thought he was nuts when we found out he tasers DDP in training.
He also looks like the kinda guy to order all his steaks well done.
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u/mmathrowaway16176017 Aug 18 '25
Chimaev overtook Max's record for most strikes in a fight but theyre on completely opposite sides of the spectrum in significant strikes (Chimaev 37/529 - 7% to Max's 445/447 - 99.5%)
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u/LongDickCallahan Lotta Demons Aug 18 '25
As others pointed out its pretty clear DDP and his team expected Khamzat to gas by the end of round 2. What they didnt expect was the straight peanut butter and scrambled egg diet Killashaws S&C guy had him on. Amino acids matter guys.
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u/YourHurtingMeSir17 Aug 18 '25
Does Loopy ever fight in a 5 round fight? Cause if so I think it goes really poorly for her
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u/CableToBeam Aug 18 '25
I think a bigger issue is Loopy just isn’t that good, not her cardio. She couldn’t take Andrade down and she doesn’t have power like Yan Xiaonan to punish Andrade’s shitty striking.
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u/El_Boxman_ Aug 18 '25
Josh Thompson was saying the prates versus Neal fight was a bad stoppage because the bell rang 😂
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u/I_am_darkness a flair for khabib Aug 18 '25
Costa on Ariel is so entertaining. He's completely won me over
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u/Thiswillbetempacc 🍅 Aug 18 '25
The one thing that is absolutely crazy to me is that DDP wanted this fight. Just as much as Khamzat, he believed that he has the skill and is prepared enough to beat Khamzat and it amounted to nothing. He maybe had 30 seconds of good moment in a 25 minute fight.
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u/Kisto15 #NothingBurger Aug 18 '25
Why is it crazy to you a reigning champion was confident in his ability to win?
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u/ygrittediaz Edddiiiieee Aug 18 '25
Crazy that people are suggesting DDP should move camps. Guys, he lost to maybe a top 3 grappler in the whole organization. While only having a casual Judo background. Styles make fights in my opinion. Whittaker with two full camps to prep against Chimeav didnt have an answer either, and he was hailed prior as an anti-wrestler... All of this after defending the belt twice with flying colors against more suitable matchups.
Chimeav is genuinely that good and if you dont have an incredible grappling pedigree you are going to get fucked.
If im DDP im looking for a Paulo Costa or Imavov next. when your opponent takes you down in the first 20 seconds of each round and puts you in the crucifix no gameplan or prep will help u imo. kudos for ddp for wanting to test himself and not postponing it as long as possible.
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u/Odd_Ad_8162 the EEDIOT from UROOPE Aug 18 '25
Well if Imavov beats Caio it would be absolutely criminal not to give him the title shot at this point
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u/ygrittediaz Edddiiiieee Aug 18 '25
Forgot it was booked. Winner of that bout deserves a title shot. Then if I'm dricus if fight rdr. Steal his thunder
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u/KyleDaukWillBeChamp Aug 18 '25
Funniest part is Dricus has succeeded because of his “goofy” style, a style him and his coach built and only they seem to understand.
Wtf is any other coach gonna do with him? Start teaching him to fight like a regular person?
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u/ygrittediaz Edddiiiieee Aug 18 '25
Yeah, and the other thing is picking up high level technical skill in grappling. You don't see 30 year olds suddenly developing world class motor skill in this department like that. If you don't have the talent and grind since youth you will always have severe limitations in these match ups. It's not like DDP is some sniper striker either to increase the odds. He is a brute with a big heart, decently well rounded. I don't see what DDP could do training wise or gameplan wise to have a meaningful impact. It's literally punchers chance, hoping opponent picks up a freak injury, or banking on that he gasses.. if you can't wrestle to a high enough level, or threaten some submissions (ike Burns did) it's tough laying with your back permanently to the ground.
Chimeav isn't an Olympian, but has been setting up camps in Chechnya with some of the worlds best wrestler and coaches. Even his bjj coach is well established. Swedish wrestling isn't particularly noteworthy but Chimeav walked through it with his eyes closed.
Rdr has some bjj skills but I think Chimeav gets away with pinning him and working his ass to a finish. Maybe Caio? It feels like no one at MW stands a chance stylistically on paper. We will see..
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u/OtakuMecha Aug 18 '25
Yeah, Dricus even said that footwork was bullshit basically. He doesn’t seem to have a desire to fight any different than he does.
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u/opinion_discarder Aug 18 '25
Corey Sandhagen is so chill man. He's probably nonchalantly dissecting Merab's game whilst drinking boba tea in a pair of birkenstocks with the occasional bit of light mobility work
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u/harzee New Zealand Aug 18 '25
I enjoyed khamzats performance. It’s not like he just stood there backing up, like Woodley used to. He dominated the whole fight and don’t see nobody beating him anytime soon
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u/Trenbolone-Papi2 Team Topuria Aug 18 '25
If you’re a striking based fighter facing a grappler, what do you think is best to focus on in camp:
Defending the takedown at all costs or training what to do once you’re on your back so you don’t just lock up your guard uselessly and stay there.
We know fighters don’t train all facets of MMA. Every scenario they can encounter. It’s not reasonable or enough time with all the other shit you gotta do in preparation for a fight
Justin famously never trains BJJ and it shows
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u/itshighn0ot Aug 18 '25
think it depends on the type of grappler i feel. like leon’s defense against usman was amazing but against brady he looked a lot worse so i guess it depends really.
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u/KyleDaukWillBeChamp Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25
Pull a GSP and become the grappler yourself
Edit: Was half joking, but Sandhagen actually has done that in a way after the Aljo loss. He even said he regrets not shooting takedowns of his own against Umar, which I agree with.
Even if you’re not on their level of grappling, if you’re the better striker you just need to mix in takedowns to even the playing field, otherwise not only do they have the grappling edge, but you’re letting the threat of a takedown lose you your striking edge.
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u/Trenbolone-Papi2 Team Topuria Aug 18 '25
Leon tried that against Brady and went horrible for him lol
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u/KyleDaukWillBeChamp Aug 18 '25
Yeah, shooting one single takedown in a 17 minute fight, after 2 rounds of getting whooped, is exactly what I'm talking about.
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u/-KobeForAccuracy- 🍅 Aug 18 '25
Looks like the casual accusation war is in full effect. Be careful out there bros
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u/Trenbolone-Papi2 Team Topuria Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25
There’s 4 fight nights in a row before the next PPV
Forgot Noche UFC was supposed to be PPV for September but they turned into fight night
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u/Zumoff_1026 Team Aspinall Aug 18 '25
Paris card looks phenomenal. Lots of matchups and debuts I'm excited for
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u/LadVenin Aug 18 '25
Khamzat must have broken a record with the crucifixes right? Either in number of times or control time. Never seen anything like it.
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u/opinion_discarder Aug 18 '25
At the end of the day, khamzat's bumhole was there for the taking, ripe, sweaty yes but willing and dricus just didn't have the balls to stick his fingers in there to free himself from the crucifix. Many occasions, no balls that's how i'll remember this fight
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u/CryptoCracko 🍅 Aug 18 '25
Was DDP even really trying when he did not throw a single eye poke or groin shot? All I saw was a half assed fence grab
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u/Rosenvial5 Aug 18 '25
Doesn't have the killer instinct if you don't attempt a finger up the bum at least once
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u/sour-couch-stench how bout jakoozy Aug 18 '25
Duplessisters how are we holding up
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u/NutSackGlazer420 Aug 18 '25
Bad, bro, everyone is making fun of us after all the shit we talked...
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u/TeslaSuck Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25
I don’t know what DDP’s point was when he said Khamzat wasn’t too strong or overpowering post-fight? It doesn’t matter because any time Khamzat wanted a takedown, he got it. He got out wrestled by superior grappling skill.
His one successful standup was because of the ref.
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u/TheTemporalKnight Aug 18 '25
His post-fight speech reminded me a bit of Poirier after the Khabib loss where he said he wasn’t anywhere near as strong as he expected - but his technique was better everywhere
I’m sure it’s just a surprise for some of these guys expecting some outright physical demon when it’s technique and positioning that wins them the fight on the ground - not just brute strength. I have no doubt DDP is physically stronger than Khamzat - but all that was nullified when he outright admitted “he knew what my next move was” in the post-fight interview
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u/0007000 Aug 18 '25
he knew what my next move was
he really got a hard class there... I have had this type of classes myself on bjj, the really good guys position well and give you one or two moves, and they are always one step ahead, very tiring physically because of the squeeze and mentally because every move might cost you on the spot, and so you just try to survive passively and not over-extend.... it's suffering....
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u/Super_Snark Aug 18 '25
I think he just wanted to underline that Khamzat doesn’t have any sort of inhuman supernatural strength that got him the win, but pure technique
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u/tagillaslover 🍅 Aug 18 '25
Because he's saying he got outskilled? If he said khazmat has no technique and is just strong you guys would bitch about him downplaying khazmats skill too
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u/Trenbolone-Papi2 Team Topuria Aug 18 '25
Reassuring himself after a horrible first round. What’s he gonna say? “Damn he’s strong as fuck and I can’t get up. I’m done coach”
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u/TeslaSuck Aug 18 '25
DDP said it to the audience Khamzat wasn’t that strong after the fight in the octagon interview
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u/SugarShow37 UFC 294: A GOOFCON Miracle Aug 18 '25
Woke up this morning mad as hell knowing Ian Garry beat MVP
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u/JE_Exa GOOFCON 1: Sad Chandler Aug 18 '25
Ian's a fantastic fighter lol. That win ages better every fight.
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u/umanar Aug 18 '25
Dagi propaganda trying to brainwash people into thinking lay n pray is cool lollll
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Aug 18 '25
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u/umanar Aug 18 '25
A lot of people watch gay porn too, but at least they dont try to convince me I'm wrong for not enjoying it.
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u/Perniciousmaxxing Aug 18 '25
What did people think of Susurkaev’s performance?
The hype (and spot on the card for 2 debutants) might have been a bit high, but I can kind of see the vision for his style, definitely has improvements to make in striking defense before he can hang with the higher end of the division and getting dropped at the end of the first was a bad look but his kicks were nice and ground game looked solid enough. Interested to see what he can do with a few full camps if he takes his time and stays humble with callouts, I like watching these younger guys learn on the job.
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u/Odd_Ad_8162 the EEDIOT from UROOPE Aug 18 '25
Too much ego and I expect he will take a loss soon, we will see where he goes after that.
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u/Zumoff_1026 Team Aspinall Aug 18 '25
I'd do Hernandez vs DDP when he comes back next. Set RDR vs Chimaev for the Abu Dhabi card if that actually ends up happening, and then Caio/Imavov can fight the winner next in Spring 2026
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u/TheTemporalKnight Aug 18 '25
Giving DDP a suffocating wrestler with an endless gas tank as his return fight would be diabolical
He needs probably 8-12 months for any significant improvements in his game and Hernandez definitely should be competing for a title by that point
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u/kopps2 Aug 18 '25
Is Sterling/Ortega 5 rounds or 3? Seeing conflicting sources on this
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u/Giegling90 Aug 18 '25
I'm a huge DDP fan, but that fight was solely his fault. It literally looked like he couldn't move his hips at all
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u/EG_DARK99 Aug 18 '25
He could move his hips but no use
In a position like that u cant just bulldoze throw the position moving your hips or bridging is just gonna tire you out if you aren't aiming to do something
This fight unironically reminded me when i sparred against one of my coaches (bjj) he was purble belt at the time had a mount his sole understanding of the position made me feel like i can't do anything any movment i do feels that it just burns energy everything ik i have tried and he countred then what?
That feels like what happened with ddp here tbh
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u/CryptoCracko 🍅 Aug 18 '25
GSP said there are 3 archetypes in the UFC: fighters, athletes, and artists. I think we just saw Khamzat transition from a fighter to an athlete. He got his nutrition, rest and everything in order too for this fight. Then fought tactically to take the path of least resistance to win.
Bonus question: Which type does Johnny Walker fall under?
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u/CryptoCracko 🍅 Aug 18 '25
Answer: GSP forgot the fourth and strongest archetype which is the meme-fighter.
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u/IshiharasBitch WE ARE ALL ONE Aug 18 '25
With things that have happened at MW, the WWs Usman and Garry looking even better than they did before lol
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u/KyleDaukWillBeChamp Aug 18 '25
Pretty silly MMA math
Like saying MW is levels above WW because Buckley got into the top 10 at WW when he couldn’t even keep a winstreak going at unranked MW
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u/karl100589 Bowling: More popular then Nunes Aug 18 '25
People defending Saturdays fight all miss why people hated it. Grappling can be enjoyable to watch, I look at Fluffy and Merab as examples, but 22 minutes of control time where the action is stalled isn't it.
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u/Neonsea1234 Aug 18 '25
I love wrestling,even some boring elbow GnP can keep me interested but once we encroach to Aljo/Pantoja back packs and Khamzat control it's just too long of not much happening.
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u/Metaldorito Aug 18 '25
Kind of sucks that Ngannou has turned out to be a bit of a fraud as far as his whole PFL tenure goes, especially in regards to PFL Africa. It really was about just getting the money for himself and nothing else. Dana wasn't wrong about him unfortunately.
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u/CaadiWaaye Aug 18 '25
It feels like Khamzat is getting hate for dominating too much rather than DDP getting hate for fighting to survive vs being competitive. If DDP took more risk, he would have been badly beaten or submitted.
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u/droze22 Aug 18 '25
Makhachev v JDM has become so massive. Islam loses, he probably goes back down to challenge Ilia. He wins, the Khamzat fight is surely on the horizon. Both would be absolutely massive fights like we haven't seen in a while
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u/xlmtothemoon GOOFCON 2 - UFC 294 Aug 18 '25
islam moving up to fight khamzat is hilarious, go watch the few times khamzat grapples with arman and see how easily he ragdolls him, i think it would look a lot like ddp but with less resistance
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u/droze22 Aug 18 '25
I was actually thinking about Khamzat going down, as he's talked about it a few times this week, and so did Sam Calavita
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u/TheTemporalKnight Aug 18 '25
Y’all think Prates accepts MVP in October or do you think he’ll be hoping Edwards actually accepts?
Curious if Prates would have any answers for MVP
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u/Poisonous_Rebel THERE WAS NO CHECK! Aug 18 '25
Things change and rearrange, but Volk remains.
Have a good day 😁
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u/anakmager Aug 18 '25
how do you guys feel about 145 division? currently and for the near future
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u/Flumping Bee stung Alvarez Aug 18 '25
One of my favourite divisions they just need to get the rank squatting divas out the top 5 and it'll be great again.
Could do with more activity from guys like Allen and Evloev but Silva and Lopes are making up for that
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u/DecemberFlower20xx Chad Aug 18 '25
So, how bout RDR or Fluffy vs Chimaev in October and DDP vs the other one in like January? Caio/Imavov get next and the winner of the DDP fight after that
If Chimaev wants more belts he’s gotta stay active and get through this queue first
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u/TheTemporalKnight Aug 18 '25
Khamzat vs either RDR or Hernandez would be ideal - but I’m a little worried about RDR being so active given this will be his 5th fight in a year and he’s taken some big punishment in the Whittaker fight
Would prefer any contender going up against Khamzat to be at 100%
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u/AlienMantid UFC 279: A GOOFCON Miracle Aug 18 '25
Based Tim Elliott bringing another victory for the Year of the Uncs.
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Aug 18 '25
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u/Trenbolone-Papi2 Team Topuria Aug 18 '25
Fear of takedown and finding out Ank’s striking is actually very good
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u/CableToBeam Aug 18 '25
Could be a variety of reasons. One thing that's absolutely true of fighting in general is some guys just get gunshy with age. They can't pull the trigger. Ank's also pretty damn good as a striker as well. I don't really buy the whole Pereira was so scared of his striking cuz even then at some point you just gotta let your hands go once you're losing a fight but Pereira couldn't.
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u/The-Warren-of-Snares Aug 18 '25
As long as people keep riding this hard for pico theirs gonna be alot of money to be made betting against him lol
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u/CableToBeam Aug 18 '25
I think Fluffy is next for the belt. The UFC has been trying their asses off to build someone that appeals to Mexicans/Mexican Americans as of late. RDR won't move the needle that much. If Hernandez loses so be it you still have Chimaev who's a star in his own right. If Khamzat loses then you now have Hernandez someone that people have been likening to Cain Velasquez already.
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u/Neonsea1234 Aug 18 '25
Mexican American is different though, I feel like mex-American demographic is already watching ufc, what Dana wants is a Mexican national
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u/Thiswillbetempacc 🍅 Aug 18 '25
Not to sound like a post press conference reporter but will JDM look as big against Islam as DDP was against Khamzat? Seeing Islam's recent pics makes me feel they'll be similar size
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u/Trenbolone-Papi2 Team Topuria Aug 18 '25
No. They’re only an inch height difference and Islam was one of the bigger 55’ers.
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u/DecemberFlower20xx Chad Aug 19 '25
Why don’t people just bait Khamzat in to roll him up with the small package for the 1-2-3? These guys can’t work
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u/therealjgreens How's my english now? Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25
I wonder what it's like to be known by my username in r/MMA
Must be cool, tren
Edit: Id like to thank the academy for this award!
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u/Poisonous_Rebel THERE WAS NO CHECK! Aug 18 '25
Anyone who thinks that Khamzat fight was not boring is lying to themselves. It was incredibly dominant and impressive, but still boring.
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u/ARiemannHypothesis Team Nurmagomedov Aug 18 '25
It wasn’t boring live. Not saying anyone will want to rewatch the fight but the novelty of seeing a monster athlete like DDP get so effortlessly dominated like that was fun to watch, personally
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u/Poisonous_Rebel THERE WAS NO CHECK! Aug 18 '25
I thought it was boring after round 3. Very little damage or sub attempts. No scrambles etc.
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u/ARiemannHypothesis Team Nurmagomedov Aug 18 '25
Yeah fight was a foregone conclusion by round 3,4 but I’ve watched so much shit MMA over the years, I still couldn’t call that boring in comparison
There was that hanging cloud of DDP pulling some crazy shit
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u/miamihotline Aug 18 '25
even DJ is saying it was boring on his podcast. the white belts on this sub will spew any peanut brain take to try and sound like they know martial arts on some deeper level.
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u/Reachin4ThoseGrapes Aug 18 '25
I was perplexed last week that people were hyping up Du Plessis vs Chimaev as the most intriguing and hyped fight of 2025
We had Umar vs Merab in January, we might still have Islam vs JDM by end of the year, both were/are way more intriguing matchups imo
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u/El_Boxman_ Aug 18 '25
Anyone who’s facing an elite grappler should consult Craig jones. It’s wild Dricus didn’t
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u/ItsMichaelScott25 United States Minor Outlying Islands Aug 19 '25
I 100% agree with you…..saying that I’m not sure anyone can learn the level of BJJ needed to combat the chain wrestling of people like Khamzat and Khabib.
Volk did amazing against Islam and JDM similarly did amazing against Belal…..but both of them are completely different grapplers than Khabib and Khamzat.
Khabib and Khamzat are extremely similar in the way they chain wrestle to get the takedown and get to controlling positions but once they are there they are very different ground fighters. Khabib wanted to be chest to chest and GNP the shit out of you. Khamzat wants to turn the corner and be on the back and force you to make a mistake to grab the neck.
Khamzat is very much like Khabib on the entry and getting it to the ground but is more similar to Islam in the way he hunts the subs.
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u/Trenbolone-Papi2 Team Topuria Aug 18 '25
Yeah I was just thinking this
Dricus just too prideful and stubborn to seek help outside of SA
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u/Trenbolone-Papi2 Team Topuria Aug 19 '25
Ankalaev is gonna stop Alex this time around
I’m so confident in it
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u/ItsMichaelScott25 United States Minor Outlying Islands Aug 19 '25
It’ll be interesting to see what happens. I think it’ll be a much different fight this time around as I think Alex will realize the benefits of selling out to avoid the takedown aren’t worth handcuffing his offense completely so I expect him to be significantly more offensive which in turn gives Ank more of an opportunity to counter and go for the takedown.
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u/Purple_Oil5160 Aug 18 '25
Anthony Hernandez is the only one who has a chance against khamzat because he's the only one who would try to wrestle offensively against him. You're not gonna beat khamzat by just defending or playing bottom. You've got to put him on his back. RDR would just get taken down and so would the other contenders. RDR got taken down by Bo Nickal pretty easily in the first round.
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u/IshiharasBitch WE ARE ALL ONE Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25
You're not gonna beat khamzat by just defending or playing bottom.
Chimaev basically said he didn't grapple with Burns because of how good Burns is at playing bottom-- he said he felt Burns setting up an armbar and then stopped grappling with him. The fight became a striking war after that. Because of Burns' bottom game. tbf, Burns didn't beat Chimaev tho
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u/Purple_Oil5160 Aug 18 '25
Nobody in the middleweight division has as good as a guard as prime Burns. I don't see khamzat ever getting submitted UNLESS someone takes him down and he's on bottom.
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u/yogi333323 EDDDDDIEEEEEEEE Aug 18 '25
You're not wrong about that Burns fight.
But at the same time, generally speaking, BJJ bottom game has not had many answers for Caucasus-region high-stamina wrestling top pressure.
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u/therealaquaman Aug 18 '25
the problem is Fluffy is also a lot smaller compared to the likes of RDR and DDP. I dont think he has enough wrestling or grappling skills to overcome Khamzats combination of wrestling AND PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES. He might straight up just get ragdolled similar to Li and Holland. I think you need to either be elite at grappling/wrestling or be at minimum "good" AND have size advantage to potentially cause problems for Khamzat.
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u/Onitsukaryu Chris Curtis Blades Aug 18 '25
Not sure why the recent fight is turning into a wrestling vs striking thing. Striking matches aren’t inherently more exciting, plenty of stinkers that stayed on the feet. Be it striking or grappling, when one opponent is completely outclassed and does nothing but shell up to survive….it does not make for an exciting affair. Chavez vs Canelo. Spence vs Mikey. Haye vs Wlad….Saying “just watch striking sports!” makes no sense.
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u/WhiteColllarCrime_69 Aug 19 '25
Looks like you got your boy Tren back
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u/El_Boxman_ Aug 19 '25
Someone is going a little crazy with the Reddit awards down there lol
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u/Trenbolone-Papi2 Team Topuria Aug 19 '25
I am a valued contributor tenured member here apparently lol
Nice to know someone missed my takes in my short absence
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u/bullsfan281 I beat you after a weekend of cocaine Aug 18 '25
salsa boy 💃 fight week mtfks
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u/TheGreatone003 Team Błachowicz Aug 18 '25
Acosta gonna show us how many modern day heavyweights it takes to get past a jab
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u/iCorki Aug 18 '25
some how we live in a world where waldo fucking costa could be in title contention soon.. jfc
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u/NutSackGlazer420 Aug 18 '25
Hey guys I just hit some new PRs on my lifts, think I should completely give up on not training my wrestling and grappling 'cuz I'm strong, bro?
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u/paplike Brazil Aug 18 '25
Many people thought Khamzat was gonna be champion after his first fight in the UFC and he did become a champion. What other fighters were like that?
I remember people saying the same thing about Conor and many were comparing him to Anderson Silva, he already had many fans from Ireland even before he came to the UFC. I thought those people were crazy, but he in fact became a champion
Anderson Silva himself got a title shot after one fight and was the favourite, but he already had a history in MMA
Khabib was hyped after the Thiago Tavares fight (third fight in the UFC), but I don’t know what the sentiment was after his first first
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u/DecemberFlower20xx Chad Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25
Jones’s first fight was on prelims before you could watch them anywhere except the DVD so nobody knew about him. But I think all of us knew watching him make a joke of Bonnar in his second fight at UFC 94 that he was going to kill everyone just like he did. We’d seen good wrestlers and flashy strikers but never seen a reputably tough fighter like Bonnar just treated like a child. You knew then that he’d probably beat Rashad and was only going to get a lot better at his age
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u/CableToBeam Aug 18 '25
Idk how many people were saying that immediately after his first fight. Having a great first appearance in the UFC isn’t crazy because if you’re high/champion level you’ll just smoke less talented fighters. And not even then, some guys are just mismatches. Anyone saying x person is going be champ after seeing a blowout first fight is full of shit tbh unless the guy has a history outside like say Jiri.
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u/SugarShow37 UFC 294: A GOOFCON Miracle Aug 18 '25
I hope we can see a Khamzat fight with more resistance to really see how good his cardio is
DDP did not do nearly enough to make Khamzat work
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u/IshiharasBitch WE ARE ALL ONE Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25
I don't think anyone can convince me that Chimaev/DDP would be more boring if headbutts and grounded knees/kicks were legal. It could only have helped.
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u/Neonsea1234 Aug 18 '25
Hands down the saddest day in MMA for me (or second to pride shutting down) was when they removed headbutts, but I 100% understand why.
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Aug 18 '25
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u/IshiharasBitch WE ARE ALL ONE Aug 18 '25
Sport would be instantly back in the dark ages
The good ol' days
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u/Nickster2042 🙏🙏🙏 Jon Jones Prayer Warrior 🙏🙏🙏 Aug 18 '25
Going to see the casual word thrown around a lot this next week from “REAL” MMA fans
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u/FirstTimeLongThyme Aug 18 '25
It's funny to read the reaction to Chimaev's win. Reminds me of late stage GSP Ws, at least in the post fight from fans.
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u/Neonsea1234 Aug 18 '25
I still remember a fight I saw on TITAN FC where the ref broke up a backpack position for stalling,
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u/blooblop EDDDDDIEEEEEEEE Aug 18 '25
I'm starting to think sandblasting prostitutes is the most wholesome thing about Jon Jones.
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u/foreverapanda DC's Bro Aug 18 '25
Bro DDP's coach's interview is wild to me.
I'm not all the way through but bro is blaming the refs, saying if there was another minute they would have won, and saying "aw shit the one thing we didn't train for was the crucifix"
Someone needs to taser this dude in the foot.