Wandy needs to retire. He has been in far too many wars, kinda like Morales. He is simply not as durable as he once was. That was a perfect shot but he had been fading for a couple years. I would even go as far as to say he could have ate that punch a few years ago. He would have been hurt but would have survived. I think he can still bring it offensively he just can't take it. The same goes with Nog but Nog can't even pull the trigger anymore. The reflexes are gone. He is in the same boat as DLH. Mir vs. Lesnar should be a very good rematch. Mir's standup was very solid tonight. Then again he didn't see any punches coming back at him We knew Rashad Evans was a very talented fighter but he helped solidify that tonight. Forrest keeps improving and I am very impressed with his kick boxing. He stunned Evans a few times but Rashad showed a good chin with some heart. He was the better man tonight. Hang em up Wand and Nog. 2 great carrers that should come to a close. Even though I wouldn't be against Silva vs Liddell 2 for a final curtain call. Jackson vs Evans should be a great fight. I see Evans outboxing Rampage to a decision. Maybe even stopping him late on a GnP but Rampage is so heavy handed he is definately a live underdog. I would like to see Griffin vs Machida. It would give the talented Lyoto much needed exposure plus a chance for Forrest to bounce back with a very nice win.
I don't think Wand is done yet, he can still dropp to 185. Besides he is still fast,strong and sharp but like Chuck his style has been blueprinted and is beatable. Nog on the other hand is only 32 but looked 42 and I'm not sure what else he has left. He was lucky not to get finished by HH and Tim before mir finished him.
I just think the 2nd Cro Cop fight took so much out of Wand. His durability has been fading since then. In the past we saw how he went after Rampage and took the best Q had to offer. Tonight he was hesitant from the opening bell. The first Liddell fight might have been a last hurrah for him as far as taking punishment. That punch was wicked though. There might not be a fighter who could even survive a shot like that at 205 today. That was a Marciano like KO. Offensively you are spot on though. He completely walked through Jardine. If he looks fresh at 185 then why not. I don't wanna see him take purmanent damage though.
Ive been saying this about Nog.. The UFC can try all they want to market him. He is a walking corpse. Ive posted this many times on the Nog vs Lesnar thread. People picked Nogatsch. I mean cmon. Mir looked good tonight. Wandy looked good till he got drop. Im not sold on Rampage still. Rashad is the winner tonight
he is still an exiting fighter, but has become one dimentional and beatable. Give him fresh life at a new weight class and maybe a different gameplan as well. But let's be honest he's really not done yet.......not quite yet.
Nog is getting old, look at his face and body when Saap slammed him, he looked like a young man, he looks like an old one now, the one fight everybody loses is against free radicals.
I agree on Wanderlei and Nog these guys have took alot of abuse especially recently I suppose its time for them to atleast start considering hanging it up. That said I was impressed with Rampage a bit you gotta give props to a man who fights a guy who violently KOed him twice and has the firepower to finally get revenge and in a devestating way. Mir looked fantastic hes never displayed striking skills like that or anything close to it ever im very impressed and he deserved it hes right hes living proof there aint **** you cant do that guy is a real inspiration. Congrats to Rashad hes a legit Champ but I was alittle disapointed with Forrest I thought he was doing everything he needed to do in the 1st 2 rounds exept throw a few more leg kicks when he threw them it effected Rashad but there where just to few and that may have been a big mistake.
Your going to have to change the tune Ajax. Wandy is finished. He isnt making 185 either so you can forget about that. The guy hasnt been the same since he fought Mark Hunt. He got raped at the OWGP and beat up again by Dan Henderson. The fact he caught Jardine cold is fairly immaterial as Houston Alexander and Travis Wiuff did exactly the same to him. they all caught him cold out of the gate. Either way against the top tier Wandys a goner all he has left is his pride.
Wand is FINISHED! The only thing that the Jardine win proves is that Jardine was a bum all along. Silva should've changed his style or career years ago man
The Griffin / Evans fight was the best fight of the night IMO - it was the most competitive, and it was the one that revealed the most. Rashad seems to throw everyone off their game and lures his opponents into attacking him. He has good movement and is a bit random. What impressed me the most about Evans is that he took advantage of the only opening Forrest gave him... once he had it, he exploded and finished him. I am not too taken away by the Mir performance. It was good, but Minatauro was like a mummy walking around. Either way, with Mir's experience and his new found dedication, the rematch with Lesnar should be interesting. Wanderlai's punch resistance is shot. He is still an animal and very athletic and explosive offensively. I was surprised on how fast he was, he kind of made Rampage look slow for a bit, til he got caught with the left hook counter. It was a pretty brutal one punch ko and the follow-up punches were unnecessary, I am sure Rampage got some of his resentment towards him out on it. This fight didn't reveal too much about Rampage's state of being. Actually, he appeared a bit nervous and shaky. Also, his reaction after winning seemed a bit out of his character, he seemed a bit too happy almost like he had doubted himself.
You think he had doubts just because he was more happy than he usually is after a win? Ofcourse he is, if he would've lost this fight he would have never ever gotten a chance to redeem himself against Silva. A bit nervous and shaky my ass. The follow ups was unnecessary? Do I ****ing have to point out that Rampage have knocked down Silva before without finishing? Silva has/had a great recovery from hard punches, so ofcourse he will be there to make sure he's out.
Sad to see the way in which Wand and Nog lost. Mir did a good job but Nog looked really really bad. He looked very slow and to get dropped a good few times by a guy like Mir says it all. Wand on the other hand, I don't think his skills have gone but more his punch resistance/recovery. However his recovery was a key of his success, especially due to his style. I remember he use to even get dropped/rocked by guys like Tamura but he would take it and get straight back up and then beat the crap out of them. As most Pride fans know it was the brutal beating he took in the 2nd Cro Cop fight which seemed to be the turning point. I was worried about Jackson mentally but he proved me wrong. I don't think Jackson deserves the title shot just yet. The winner of Machida vs T.Silva would be more deserving. Congrats to Rashad he pulled it off again. He always looks looks calm and as bachatu pointed how he just seems to explode as of a sudden. Also quick mention about Hamill, thought he did a good job too and showed Vera how its done. He can take a shot and has heart but he still needs to keep his hands up. Bring on UFC 93!!!
I think Forrest got too comfortable. He used the same gameplan as he did against Rampage, but I don't think he was a sharp as then, though. He fought the entire fight against Jackson like he was waiting for a KO punch. When he went to kick and he wasn't comfortable with it, he pulled it. Against Jackson, Griffin's kicks weren't checked in any way - there was no effort on Rampage's part to make Forrest hesitate. I think Griffin simply got comfortable and didn't expect Rashad to take his leg... and Evans didn't do much to make him worry about it happening until he finally did. Evans simply flipped the script and Griffin wasn't expecting it - plus, I think he felt that even if Rashad kept him down, he'd be able to control from his back like he did against Rampage.
Case in point: Griffin just simply wasnt/isnt good enough. The guy caught life against Jackson who himself walked into the cage and thought he had a gimme. He was given a dubious decision but lets be very honest here. Griffin achieved much with the limited skillset he has. He can hold his head high. But he was never going to be a champ with a long reign. Personally i dont think Rashads reign will be that much longer either although he does pose an very interesting enigma because of his loose style. One thing is certain 205 is stacked!
