Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre think alike.
When 170-pound champion Matt Serra was scratched from the upcoming UFC 79: “Nemesis” pay-per-view (PPV) card on December 29 because of a herniated disc in his back the “blockbuster” New Year’s Eve weekend event was all of a sudden not so “blockbuster.”
Just five weeks out it seemed a tall order to find an opponent to face Hughes who was marketable and worthy of the opportunity.
Enter “Rush.”
Here’s a snip from Yahoo!Sports.com:
St. Pierre and his management team called UFC after getting news of Serra’s injury, and asked for the match… with seven months between fights, St. Pierre was getting antsy for competition. He had even talked of competing in amateur wrestling at the Canadian national level. St. Pierre, with no competitive wrestling background, outwrestled Koscheck in his win…. While St. Pierre asked for the fight, even though he’d only have four weeks of intensive training, about half of a normal top-level fighters camp, it was still up to Hughes to agree.
Agree? Hughes apparently got to “pick” his opponent, according to a recent post on his official Web site.
Here’s a snip:
“As most of you know, Serra has dropped out of the fight due to a back injury. I found out and was told that I get to basically pick my opponent. The UFC had called some welterweights, some said they wouldn’t take the fight; but ultimately I got to choose and I chose Georges St. Pierre. I asked to fight GSP. I think there are a few things that will be in my favor in doing this. I get to fight in Vegas, what I consider my home fighting area, NOT Canada. I don’t think it’s a big deal to switch an opponent over a month out, it’s just not a concern for me. Before I was fighting a guy holding the belt, now I’m fighting a guy that I consider number two in the world. Anyone who thinks this fight will be like the second fight with GSP will be shown wrong on December 29th. THIS IS MY FIGHT!”
Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Thiago Alves were also mentioned as possible replacements; however, all three combined might not have the draw power of St. Pierre. That’s not a knock on those fighters but more of a testament to the popularity of the Canadian and the widespread interest in a rubbermatch with Hughes.
It should be a fantastic fight. One that perhaps most fans would have picked, too, if given the list of possibilities.
***
Sidenote: Sherdog.com has a feature article up right now about fighters who take short notice fights and the end results. It’s only a handful of examples, but it is certainly an interesting read.
The finding:
“Without a proper six- to 10-week training camp, the odds of coming from a generic training session and overcoming an elite athlete aren’t exactly encouraging. But there is one unique trend: Of all the bouts thrown together at the last possible minute, the lack of strategizing and possible overtraining usually results in some dynamic action.”
Based on this brief analysis it’s simple to conclude that history is not on the side of St. Pierre and we should expect an exciting fight.
We’ll find out soon enough.
88 Comments »
Am I the first post? Where’s my prize, oh yeah I can’t stand when people do that. Oh well, this is going to be a great fight, I’m sure GSP has been training and is going to be in shape, but I think Hughes will have his number this time. Go Matt.
no one is bailing on this one..lol
i wonder how many times hughes will call time out in this one
I doubt Hughes got to pick his opponent like that. GSP was next in line for a title shot so there’s no way that Dana would let Hughes fight a guy like Karo for the title over GSP. The real people asking for this fight are the fans. Either way, GSP is going to basically repeat exactly what he did to Hughes the first time.
This probably is a stupid question, but why do they call this one for the interim title? there is no title here at all, Serra has the title and is just hurt at the moment, but will be back to fight later, so there is no title to be had. Someone educate my dumbarse.
[quote comment=”218116″]I doubt Hughes got to pick his opponent like that. GSP was next in line for a title shot so there’s no way that Dana would let Hughes fight a guy like Karo for the title over GSP. The real people asking for this fight are the fans. Either way, GSP is going to basically repeat exactly what he did to Hughes the first time.[/quote]
I hope so, because the first time he lost to Hughes.
[quote comment=”218116″]I doubt Hughes got to pick his opponent like that. GSP was next in line for a title shot so there’s no way that Dana would let Hughes fight a guy like Karo for the title over GSP. The real people asking for this fight are the fans. Either way, GSP is going to basically repeat exactly what he did to Hughes the first time.[/quote]
What get caught in an Armbar?
Sweet.
I hope GSP will do fine and will be able to go a full 5 rounds. We dont need to see GSP gas and Hughes just demolish him.
I want to see a war.
Obviously Matt Hughes has a ton of pull with Dana White and he demanded this be for the title. Everyone knows that Matt Serra is a nobody who had numerous UFC losses prior to his lucky win over GSP.
Hughes / GSP III may be called an “interim” title fight, but anyone with some sense knows that the winner of this fight is the true champ.
Hughes in round 2
And for the record, a fighter the caliber of GSP doesn’t need 8 weeks to train for any fight. He will do just fine with 4 weeks fo training. When you are as talented as GSP it doesn’t matter.
F u c k ya!!! GSP is gonna destroy anyone he faces in the octagon with from now on. This fight was one of the many fights that were on my christmas list, thanks santa!
[quote comment=”218116″]I doubt Hughes got to pick his opponent like that. GSP was next in line for a title shot so there’s no way that Dana would let Hughes fight a guy like Karo for the title over GSP. The real people asking for this fight are the fans. Either way, GSP is going to basically repeat exactly what he did to Hughes the first time.[/quote]
Oops! I meant last time…not first time.
[quote comment=”218117″]This probably is a stupid question, but why do they call this one for the interim title? there is no title here at all, Serra has the title and is just hurt at the moment, but will be back to fight later, so there is no title to be had. Someone educate my dumbarse.[/quote]
I’m assuming that this is just a way of saying “guaranteed to beat Serra when he is all healed up”. EVERYONE expects GSP or Hughes to beat Serra.
Interim titles are just Glorified number 1 contender spots anyway.
This is a lot more of a risk for GSP than it is for hughes. Hughes has been preparing for a fight, he has know that he would be fighting on December’s card for like the past 7 mionths or so. With that beng said there should be no excuses for Hughes.
On the other hand GSP is showing why he is the man at 170. With 5 weeks to train against the greatest welterweight of all time, GSP showed what kind of heart and what kind of competitor he is.
GSP is under a lot of pressure in this situation. He knows he hasnt trained as much as hughes, also if he were to loose, he will be another 2 fights away from the title shot. With a win against Hughes, GSP will end the 3 fight saga having gotten the better of Hughes 2 out of 3 times, also it will guarentee him a rematch against Serra, when he is healthy. Also if Serra isn’t ready to fight by April, GSP will probably have to defend his title against Fitch. So if GSP wins this fight, it will be huge.
I am verry happy that this is a 5 rd fight, I am not so happy that they are giving away interim titles like they are candy. I would prefer these 2 fight 5 rds. with no belt being on the line. Than again, GSP is the best fighter in the world at 170, so him regaining the belt isn’t that bad, and I would really like to see him get a chance to avenge his loss against Serra.
Now, if GSP wins, I doubt we will get to see Hughes vs. Serra, that wou8ld mean that Serra held on to his title for 9 months wit out defending it for no reason. The reason he had the belt for this long was because he was a coach ion TUF. Now this TUF coaches match up might never happen which would be a shame.
In the future I hope to never see the current champion as a coach on TUF show. If healthy, a champion should defend his title every 4 or 5 months tops. With the reality show it holds up title fights which is retarded. The TUF show can be succesful with out current champions being coaches. The show is about the FUTURE of the UFC, by having a champion as a coach it messes up the NOW. This should never happen again. The show can still be successful without having the coaches fight each other at the end of the season.
Wow, just saw the news, this fight card just got a whole lot better. I’m pulling for GSP, though I think Matt will be coming a lot more prepared this time. I predict he will give GSP more problems than he did in the last fight, but GSP will prevail.
The interim champ thing is good, that way Serra has plenty of time to heal, and the WW division is not held up in the process. In addition, now we get to see a 5 round fight instead of 3! I kinda wish all fights were 5 rounds, it would mean that less fights would go to the judges, and if they do, it would be a better decision because there were more rounds to score. No more stupid ties because of being docked a point (ie: Tito/Rashad).
[quote comment=”218117″]This probably is a stupid question, but why do they call this one for the interim title? there is no title here at all, Serra has the title and is just hurt at the moment, but will be back to fight later, so there is no title to be had. Someone educate my dumbarse.[/quote]
If Serra is injured for more then 1 year, then the winner of the interim title fight will get the belt
I have been hearing rumors that Fedor will be fightin “the Great” Yoshida instead of sum dum guy, or choi man ho, or whate3ver that Giant’s freaking name was. If this news turns out to be true it would mean that Fedor has gone a whole year without fighting against a heavyweight (1st Lindland, now Yoshida)
If he doesnt fight against a heavyweight soon, I would drop his ass from the Heavyweight rankings, maybe that would make him rethink his decision about not competing in the UFC.
Mania: have u herd any news on Arlovski, or the couture vs. Noguerra situation?
Dana gave him Lytle before when he could have fought Karo, Diego or someone more deserving of the opportunity. With the UFC half the time it’s not who’s next in line or who’s most deserving. It’s whoever Dana wants it to be and what will generate the most cash. He was definately looking out for his buddy Hughes when he gave him Lytle. That gave him a guaranteed big money fight afterwards.
Serra will do anything he can to hang on to the belt. lord knows that if he faught Hughes or GSP he would loose it. Serra talks soo much crap and then when it comes down to putting his title on the line “somehow” he becomes injured…
this fight should have hapend before TUF, but props to dana for redeming himself. I don’t believe for one second that hughes picked this fight he probabley begged Dana for another fighter. I guese Dana is tired of getting his dick sucked by Hughes.
[quote post=”4009″]Now, if GSP wins, I doubt we will get to see Hughes vs. Serra, that wou8ld mean that Serra held on to his title for 9 months wit out defending it for no reason. The reason he had the belt for this long was because he was a coach ion TUF. Now this TUF coaches match up might never happen which would be a shame.[/quote]
I totally agree with this.
I am upset and happy about all this. I am happy because when GSP beats Hughes he gets a rematch against Serra for the title. I really want to see GSP destroy Serra after the fluke victory. If Serra didn’t get injured I don’t think we would have seen Serra vs GSP. I’m upset because I am a Hughes fan and don’t want to see him get KTFO again. I would have loved to see him beat Serra and become champion.
[quote comment=”218148″]Serra will do anything he can to hang on to the belt. lord knows that if he faught Hughes or GSP he would loose it. Serra talks soo much crap and then when it comes down to putting his title on the line “somehow” he becomes injured…[/quote]
come on… sera’s not afraid to get his ass kicked ( unless it’s a spining back fist)… I bet he’s pissed. He really seemed like he wanted this fight.
[quote comment=”218148″]Serra will do anything he can to hang on to the belt. lord knows that if he faught Hughes or GSP he would loose it. Serra talks soo much crap and then when it comes down to putting his title on the line “somehow” he becomes injured…[/quote]
so you think he f*cked up his back on purpose? Thats stupid nobody would do that. I don’t understand why everyone is pissed at Serra for holding the belt for so long. That was done for the TUF show, not for Serra! If you remember correctly, GSP had to pull out of his first fight with Serra due to an injury to his knee (I think). Nobody called GSP a pussy but I guess Serra is because he pulled out for a back injury. Incase you don’t know, back injury’s are a lot more serious than knee injuries.
I detect a double standard, theres GSP, who apparently can do no wrong, then theres everyone else.
[quote comment=”218117″]This probably is a stupid question, but why do they call this one for the interim title? there is no title here at all, Serra has the title and is just hurt at the moment, but will be back to fight later, so there is no title to be had. Someone educate my dumbarse.[/quote]
Rusty, I agree with you that it is a dumb idea. I don’t KNOW the reason they are doing it, but my guess would be to add more hype to the fight, and ultimately, make more money for the UFC. This was supposed to be the year end blockbuster event, and without the welterweight belt on the line, the event wasn’t so blockbuster. Another good reason, was pointed out by Kevin Kelley:
[quote post=”4009″]Obviously Matt Hughes has a ton of pull with Dana White and he demanded this be for the title.[/quote]
Sherk has gone a year without defending the title before, so why didn’t they have an interim title then? Rampage is injured, why don’t they have an interim champion? In my opinion, there should not be an interim champion unless it is a known fact that the chamion cannot compete for a minimum of 12 months. I think that it is a bad idea to call the winner of Hughes/GSP 3 the interim champion. They should simply be considered the #1 contender to the belt. Remember, niether of them did much since losing the belt. Each of them fought and won one fight by decision. Hughes won a decision vs Chris Lytle and GSP won a decision against Koscheck. Not exactly impressive quality wins over top opposition.
[quote post=”4009″]Now, if GSP wins, I doubt we will get to see Hughes vs. Serra, that wou8ld mean that Serra held on to his title for 9 months wit out defending it for no reason. The reason he had the belt for this long was because he was a coach ion TUF. Now this TUF coaches match up might never happen which would be a shame.
In the future I hope to never see the current champion as a coach on TUF show. If healthy, a champion should defend his title every 4 or 5 months tops. With the reality show it holds up title fights which is retarded. The TUF show can be succesful with out current champions being coaches. The show is about the FUTURE of the UFC, by having a champion as a coach it messes up the NOW. This should never happen again. The show can still be successful without having the coaches fight each other at the end of the season. [/quote]
I don’t know about you guys (I haven’t read those looooong threads yet), but I for one STILL want to see Hughes/Serra. If Hughes wins, he fights Serra for title unification. If GSP wins and GSP beats Serra, Serra will be looking for a fight and so would Hughes. A perfect time and situation to still have this fight. The only scenario I see them not fighting is if GSP beats Hughes, and then Serra beats GSP to remain champ. But even then, Hughes can become #1 contender to fight Serra, BUT who would they give him? Another Chris Lytle or the real Jon Fitch? Would the UFC give Hughes a free crack at Serra and the title by fighting a scrub, or put him in a real #1 contender fight against a true top 3 welterweight in Jon Fitch. If they were to match him up with Fitch, I don’t see Hughes/Serra ever happening, which would be a shame.
UFC, PLEASE listen to John and NEVER put a champion on as a coach on TUF. I love this comments so much, I’m going to quote it again, “The show is about the FUTURE of the UFC, by having a champion as a coach it messes up the NOW.”
[quote comment=”218116″]I doubt Hughes got to pick his opponent like that. GSP was next in line for a title shot so there’s no way that Dana would let Hughes fight a guy like Karo for the title over GSP. The real people asking for this fight are the fans. Either way, GSP is going to basically repeat exactly what he did to Hughes the first time.[/quote]
your exactly right the first time (gsp) lost, i am glad that there are hughes fans still out there, but you probably meant the last time, hahahaha
I BET YOU EVERYONE FORGOT ABOUT THIS…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06SN82Dh_ts&feature=related
OH YEAH!!! KARMA IS A BITCH!!!!GSP is probably watching this 10 X a day until December 29th. If i was GSP i would totally lose respect for Hughes and when GSP KO’s Hughes i hope he stands right over him…points in his face…and laughs his fucking ass off!!! Heres Hughes thoughts before Serra got hurt…”Gee im so glad im gonna be champion again after i beat Serra and then im gonna dodge GSP and retire with the belt before i have to face that guy again.” Now Hughes’ thoughts after hearing hes facing GSP again…”OH MY FUCKIN GOD!! I AM FUCKED NOW!!! THAT DUDE IS GONNA POUND ME FOR LAUGHING AT HIM AND IM GONNA RETIRE A CHUMP”!!
I hope the entire crowd goes for GSP and when Matt Hughes is lying dazed on the ground again they need to all stand on their feet and point and laugh.
[quote comment=”218132″][quote comment=”218117″]This probably is a stupid question, but why do they call this one for the interim title? there is no title here at all, Serra has the title and is just hurt at the moment, but will be back to fight later, so there is no title to be had. Someone educate my dumbarse.[/quote]
I’m assuming that this is just a way of saying “guaranteed to beat Serra when he is all healed up”. EVERYONE expects GSP or Hughes to beat Serra.
Interim titles are just Glorified number 1 contender spots anyway.[/quote]
..this being a interim title match is bull shit..Unless Serra retires..or is disqualified for braking a rule..he is the reconized ww ufc champ..regardless if he was lucky against the FORMER champ GsP..he is the current champ..
hey.. rampage is hurt can’t fight next month..lets have Forrest vs Jardine for the interim lhw title..Franklin was out for months with an injury..no interim title match with the mw’s..Sherk’s ongoing steroid issues went on for like 4months..b4 dana set up a lw interim match..why do this to serra?? cuz he is not suppose to be a the ww champ..he wasn’t suppose to beat GsP..no way he would of beat hughes..so get the two FORMER champs together have them fight..call it a title match..even though both dont have gold wrapped around their waist…is this MMA..or WWE..are we goinfg to have tag team belts?? intercontental belts..TV Cgamp..come on..what gives..at least be consistant..do to all the champs what you’re doing to Serra..Oh cuz Hughes is peeps with Dana.threw a bug in his ear..” Dana I want this to be a title match..”
..” Yeah Matt whatever you want..your heiness.”
Who writes this shit…I think this will be a great fight to see..along with Chuck/Wandi..but this should be only 3rounds..cuz they are not the champ..Serra is.
What Stunnalator failed to note was that HE WAS NOT LAUGHING AT GSP.
Nice try Stunnalator !
Hughes was overwhelmed with the thought of actually getting to pound Matt Serra and regain his title in easy fashion. He was SOOOO HAPPY because his road back to his title would be a CAKE WALK. He has the utmost respect for GSP and always notes that he is the second best welterweight in the world period !
Again nice try Stunnalator for trying to rally the GSP bloggers. LOL
[quote post=”4009″]I am upset and happy about all this. I am happy because when GSP beats Hughes he gets a rematch against Serra for the title… I’m upset because I am a Hughes fan and don’t want to see him get KTFO again. I would have loved to see him beat Serra and become champion. [/quote]
A fan of Hughes AND GSP?? Let me guess, your two favorite baseball teams are the Yankees and Red Sox? How about college football? Ohio State and Michigan?
LOL, just playing with you GriffinGSPHughesFan05, lol
[quote comment=”218168″][quote comment=”218117″]This probably is a stupid question, but why do they call this one for the interim title? there is no title here at all, Serra has the title and is just hurt at the moment, but will be back to fight later, so there is no title to be had. Someone educate my dumbarse.[/quote]
Rusty, I agree with you that it is a dumb idea. I don’t KNOW the reason they are doing it, but my guess would be to add more hype to the fight, and ultimately, make more money for the UFC. This was supposed to be the year end blockbuster event, and without the welterweight belt on the line, the event wasn’t so blockbuster. Another good reason, was pointed out by Kevin Kelley:
[quote post=”4009″]Obviously Matt Hughes has a ton of pull with Dana White and he demanded this be for the title.[/quote]
Sherk has gone a year without defending the title before, so why didn’t they have an interim title then? Rampage is injured, why don’t they have an interim champion? In my opinion, there should not be an interim champion unless it is a known fact that the chamion cannot compete for a minimum of 12 months. I think that it is a bad idea to call the winner of Hughes/GSP 3 the interim champion. They should simply be considered the #1 contender to the belt. Remember, niether of them did much since losing the belt. Each of them fought and won one fight by decision. Hughes won a decision vs Chris Lytle and GSP won a decision against Koscheck. Not exactly impressive quality wins over top opposition.
[quote post=”4009″]Now, if GSP wins, I doubt we will get to see Hughes vs. Serra, that wou8ld mean that Serra held on to his title for 9 months wit out defending it for no reason. The reason he had the belt for this long was because he was a coach ion TUF. Now this TUF coaches match up might never happen which would be a shame.
In the future I hope to never see the current champion as a coach on TUF show. If healthy, a champion should defend his title every 4 or 5 months tops. With the reality show it holds up title fights which is retarded. The TUF show can be succesful with out current champions being coaches. The show is about the FUTURE of the UFC, by having a champion as a coach it messes up the NOW. This should never happen again. The show can still be successful without having the coaches fight each other at the end of the season. [/quote]
I don’t know about you guys (I haven’t read those looooong threads yet), but I for one STILL want to see Hughes/Serra. If Hughes wins, he fights Serra for title unification. If GSP wins and GSP beats Serra, Serra will be looking for a fight and so would Hughes. A perfect time and situation to still have this fight. The only scenario I see them not fighting is if GSP beats Hughes, and then Serra beats GSP to remain champ. But even then, Hughes can become #1 contender to fight Serra, BUT who would they give him? Another Chris Lytle or the real Jon Fitch? Would the UFC give Hughes a free crack at Serra and the title by fighting a scrub, or put him in a real #1 contender fight against a true top 3 welterweight in Jon Fitch. If they were to match him up with Fitch, I don’t see Hughes/Serra ever happening, which would be a shame.
UFC, PLEASE listen to John and NEVER put a champion on as a coach on TUF. I love this comments so much, I’m going to quote it again, “The show is about the FUTURE of the UFC, by having a champion as a coach it messes up the NOW.”[/quote]
I agree with not having a current champ be coach..for exactly what happened with this season..Serra should of fought a few PPV’s ago..but Dana wanted to hype things up..VM to real..The UFC gave us a reason to care..Hughes and Serra gaves sides to choose..we all ate it up..and we’re hyped waiting for the 29th..but a few months from now will the hype be there for us to see a Hughes/Serra fight?? I don’t know..in every scenario..and with time passing..the ufc build up to this match was f&@#%k up.
[quote comment=”218205″]What Stunnalator failed to note was that HE WAS NOT LAUGHING AT GSP.
Nice try Stunnalator !
Hughes was overwhelmed with the thought of actually getting to pound Matt Serra and regain his title in easy fashion. He was SOOOO HAPPY because his road back to his title would be a CAKE WALK. He has the utmost respect for GSP and always notes that he is the second best welterweight in the world period !
Again nice try Stunnalator for trying to rally the GSP bloggers. LOL[/quote]
Well no shit he was happy it was going to be a cake walk to the title. That is some pussy shit though. Every fighter should want to avenge a loss asap. Regardless of how it went down, he should still not be happy or laughing about any of that unless hes a complete pussy and wants the easier way out. Plus you act like you were right there at the moment and know everything as a fact that was going through Hughes’ heads and every reason he was laughing…but u dont know 100% that he wasnt laughing at the fact that GSP lost to Serra so quit acting like a know it all.
NICE TRY KELLY
[quote post=”4009″]A fan of Hughes AND GSP?? Let me guess, your two favorite baseball teams are the Yankees and Red Sox? How about college football? Ohio State and Michigan?[/quote]
I’ve been a Hughes fan before I even heard of GSP. Just because they’re rivals doesn’t mean I have to hate one of them.
I know Hughes is a dick, but I would love to see him beat GSP.
well the ufc came through and made it a great card again, i am not happy about the interim belt stuff i think they did it just so it would be a 5 round fight, but i don’t think it will take 5 rounds for gsp to end it.
[quote comment=”218135″]]The interim champ thing is good, that way Serra has plenty of time to heal, and the WW division is not held up in the process. In addition, now we get to see a 5 round fight instead of 3! I kinda wish all fights were 5 rounds, it would mean that less fights would go to the judges, and if they do, it would be a better decision because there were more rounds to score. No more stupid ties because of being docked a point (ie: Tito/Rashad).[/quote]
Great point about 5 rounds for every fight. That is definitely a great idea.
[quote comment=”218114″]i wonder how many times hughes will call time out in this one[/quote]
oh man that was a good one.. you should win a shirt..LMAO..ROFL
The UFC just made this interim title for marketing purposes and to make it a 5 round fight. I am happy that it is 5 rds, but the title doesnt mean much. The winner of this situation is GSP, cuz now he will get a crack at hughes, and then get to avenge his loss to gsp ASSUMING gsp CRUSHES hUGHES AGAIN.
UFC should have more 5 round fights without making them for the interim title. This will be the 3rd fight of the trilogy, a rubber match and it is only right that it is a 5 rd fight, but lets b real, it aint for no interim title, The best fighter in the world at 170 is clearly GSP, so I wont be totally pissed if he wins the interim belt, but he isnt the CHAMP until he avenges his loss to Serra (prolly the worse loss of his career).
Anyone know how long Serra will be out for? because if he is out for a long time, we might get to see Fitch vs. GSP in a 5 rd WAR. Thats a real title fight because Fitch and GSP are the best 2 welterweights in the world… Hughes’s time has passed.
What excites me is Soko vs. Machida…. I cant wait to see that fight!
Thanks for the Props ViolentMike!
[quote comment=”218225″][quote comment=”218135″]]The interim champ thing is good, that way Serra has plenty of time to heal, and the WW division is not held up in the process. In addition, now we get to see a 5 round fight instead of 3! I kinda wish all fights were 5 rounds, it would mean that less fights would go to the judges, and if they do, it would be a better decision because there were more rounds to score. No more stupid ties because of being docked a point (ie: Tito/Rashad).[/quote]
Great point about 5 rounds for every fight. That is definitely a great idea.[/quote]
make every fight 5rounds..25minutes
make every title fight 8rounds..40minutes..which is close enuff to 12 rounds of boxing = 36minutes.
you will just have less fights on a card.
Matt hughes 1st round Submission, Gsp Has 2 weeks to train with a 2 week warm down period. If he does 4 straight weeks of training, He will walk into this fight too tired and will loose his heart in the first 2 minutes. Gsp is so dumb for taking this fight, or has some balls. But I just can’t see gsp winning this fight.
I agree the interim title idea is not necessary a 3 round fight for Matt Serras next opponent when ready is definetly better.
Being the champ has got to be a great feeling and having a interim title has to maybe take away from it a little, especially when the reason is at no fault of your own(injury).
I know the ufc/world whatever was shocked when Serra won and would’ve preferred St.pierre winning but giving out a second title at a moments notice of serra being hurt is not cool to say the least.
I’m sure there was no claus in serras contract that states if you get hurt we’re giving half of your championship title away.
[quote comment=”218231″][quote comment=”218225″][quote comment=”218135″]]The interim champ thing is good, that way Serra has plenty of time to heal, and the WW division is not held up in the process. In addition, now we get to see a 5 round fight instead of 3! I kinda wish all fights were 5 rounds, it would mean that less fights would go to the judges, and if they do, it would be a better decision because there were more rounds to score. No more stupid ties because of being docked a point (ie: Tito/Rashad).[/quote]
Great point about 5 rounds for every fight. That is definitely a great idea.[/quote]
make every fight 5rounds..25minutes
make every title fight 8rounds..40minutes..which is close enuff to 12 rounds of boxing = 36minutes.
you will just have less fights on a card.[/quote]
Do that and we’ll end up paying $40 for two fights instead of five.
As much as I hate Hughes, I hope he beats GSP for the phony interim belt just so Serra can come back, whip his ass and re-unify his own title. Kick him in the ding-ding!
I like the interim title fight idea. When Sherk got injured it was a little different because the lightweight division wasn’t as stacked as it is now and the wasn’t a clear #1 contender since Sherk and Florian had just faught for the vacant lightweight title. The welter weight divisionis much for stacked and there a few deserving guys waiting in line for thier shot. Karo, Fitch, and of course GSP. They had to have some sort of title fight because they had put it off so long anyone because of this TUF BS. April to december with no title defense in a stacked division is stretching it and to wait any longer than that is gonn make some fans jump ship to other promotions. Serra is still the champ. He still gets a guaranteed shot at whoever holds the belt once he’s healthy enough to fight.
Interim fight is just another name for the #1 challenger for the belt.
[quote comment=”218245″][quote comment=”218231″][quote comment=”218225″][quote comment=”218135″]]The interim champ thing is good, that way Serra has plenty of time to heal, and the WW division is not held up in the process. In addition, now we get to see a 5 round fight instead of 3! I kinda wish all fights were 5 rounds, it would mean that less fights would go to the judges, and if they do, it would be a better decision because there were more rounds to score. No more stupid ties because of being docked a point (ie: Tito/Rashad).[/quote]
Great point about 5 rounds for every fight. That is definitely a great idea.[/quote]
make every fight 5rounds..25minutes
make every title fight 8rounds..40minutes..which is close enuff to 12 rounds of boxing = 36minutes.
you will just have less fights on a card.[/quote]
Do that and we’ll end up paying $40 for two fights instead of five.[/quote]
perhaps not if they cut out some of the talking and advertising between fights.
[quote comment=”218231″][quote comment=”218225″][quote comment=”218135″]]The interim champ thing is good, that way Serra has plenty of time to heal, and the WW division is not held up in the process. In addition, now we get to see a 5 round fight instead of 3! I kinda wish all fights were 5 rounds, it would mean that less fights would go to the judges, and if they do, it would be a better decision because there were more rounds to score. No more stupid ties because of being docked a point (ie: Tito/Rashad).[/quote]
Great point about 5 rounds for every fight. That is definitely a great idea.[/quote]
make every fight 5rounds..25minutes
make every title fight 8rounds..40minutes..which is close enuff to 12 rounds of boxing = 36minutes.
you will just have less fights on a card.[/quote]
CMON PHIL!!! Are you actually serious??? Your smarter than that. There are 12 rounds of boxing because it is one aspect of fighting that doesnt take close to as much energy. Go into a ring and just wrestle( not punching or submission attempts) for 5 minutes (1 round) and u see how tired u are. Granted fighters are in 10X better shape but u see how most fighters that have been training weeks for a fight still get gassed in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. (Rashad, Tito) If it was 8 rounds it would start to turn into the slowest pace fights ever casue they would be waaaayyyy to tired
[quote comment=”218271″][quote comment=”218245″][quote comment=”218231″][quote comment=”218225″][quote comment=”218135″]]The interim champ thing is good, that way Serra has plenty of time to heal, and the WW division is not held up in the process. In addition, now we get to see a 5 round fight instead of 3! I kinda wish all fights were 5 rounds, it would mean that less fights would go to the judges, and if they do, it would be a better decision because there were more rounds to score. No more stupid ties because of being docked a point (ie: Tito/Rashad).[/quote]
Great point about 5 rounds for every fight. That is definitely a great idea.[/quote]
make every fight 5rounds..25minutes
make every title fight 8rounds..40minutes..which is close enuff to 12 rounds of boxing = 36minutes.
you will just have less fights on a card.[/quote]
Do that and we’ll end up paying $40 for two fights instead of five.[/quote]
perhaps not if they cut out some of the talking and advertising between fights.[/quote]
I’ve been trying for years to get Rogan to shut up, but he never does.
Although I cannot see Hughes making the same mistake twice against GSP, I think “Rush” will be too much for him. GSP in two by knockout.
[quote comment=”218324″]Although I cannot see Hughes making the same mistake twice against GSP, I think “Rush” will be too much for him. GSP in two by knockout.[/quote]
I don’t think Hughes made a “mistake”. He was just outfought. He’d have to catch GSP with a jarring shot like Serra did, or else hope he breaks a rib like BJ did.
[quote comment=”218285″][quote comment=”218231″][quote comment=”218225″][quote comment=”218135″]]The interim champ thing is good, that way Serra has plenty of time to heal, and the WW division is not held up in the process. In addition, now we get to see a 5 round fight instead of 3! I kinda wish all fights were 5 rounds, it would mean that less fights would go to the judges, and if they do, it would be a better decision because there were more rounds to score. No more stupid ties because of being docked a point (ie: Tito/Rashad).[/quote]
Great point about 5 rounds for every fight. That is definitely a great idea.[/quote]
make every fight 5rounds..25minutes
make every title fight 8rounds..40minutes..which is close enuff to 12 rounds of boxing = 36minutes.
you will just have less fights on a card.[/quote]
CMON PHIL!!! Are you actually serious??? Your smarter than that. There are 12 rounds of boxing because it is one aspect of fighting that doesnt take close to as much energy. Go into a ring and just wrestle( not punching or submission attempts) for 5 minutes (1 round) and u see how tired u are. Granted fighters are in 10X better shape but u see how most fighters that have been training weeks for a fight still get gassed in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. (Rashad, Tito) If it was 8 rounds it would start to turn into the slowest pace fights ever casue they would be waaaayyyy to tired[/quote]
hehehehehe..I totally agree with you…I can roll when Im well conditioned for 45 minutes nonstop..BJJ.noproblem…but when I practice takedowns..takedowns..takedowns..for like 5minutes I need an air tank..I feel like going to die..I could only imagine in MMA in the cage..the crowd..the lights..( Bring it on!!)you can get gassed in 2minutes flat..I commented on this whole time frame with 3rounds/5mins..5rounds/5mins(title match) I took the timeframe of boxing match to an mma match..we cant compare the two…apples to oranges..but lets look just mma. sometimes we get a 3rd war..that we all want to see that extra round..then we have a 5rd AA vs Sliyvia part3..snooozefest..and wish they only had a 1round to fight..
..with Hughes/GSP part3..it should be a 3round match per ufc rules..it’s not a title match..but the powers that be..Dana,suits,Hughes,etc…for marketing decided this was for the interim ww belt..and made 5rounds which pleases most people..I still think it should just be 3rounds..cuz there is no belt on the line.
[quote comment=”218349″][quote comment=”218324″]Although I cannot see Hughes making the same mistake twice against GSP, I think “Rush” will be too much for him. GSP in two by knockout.[/quote]
I don’t think Hughes made a “mistake”. He was just outfought. He’d have to catch GSP with a jarring shot like Serra did, or else hope he breaks a rib like BJ did.[/quote]
OR look for the takedown and ground and pound. Sure Koscheck couldn’t get GSP to the ground, but we’re talking about MATT HUGHES!!!!!
For this fight I agree with Five rounds…I think it should be 5 rounds for Number One Contender fights as well.. I guess they want to have no questions, mitigate controversy etc… I do hope Hughes and Serra do eventually get to beat the piss out of each other… I dont know why but I feel Serra beats Hughes.
GSP will win the fight. Than BJ PENN will come back up to Welerweight and hold the Lightweight and Welterweight belt at the same time. If the Hawaii Warrior football team wins a BCS game, it will be a good year in 2008 for sports fans in Hawaii. GO Hawaii Warriors and BJ PENN
[quote comment=”218392″]GSP will win the fight. Than BJ PENN will come back up to Welerweight and hold the Lightweight and Welterweight belt at the same time. If the Hawaii Warrior football team wins a BCS game, it will be a good year in 2008 for sports fans in Hawaii. GO Hawaii Warriors and BJ PENN :)[/quote]
BJ already lost to GSP, I think he will always have problems with his conditioning, GSP will outlast him in a 5 round war.
I seriously think Sherk would too, that is if he is cleared.
[quote comment=”218114″]i wonder how many times hughes will call time out in this one[/quote]
…and fake a kick to the groin.
[quote comment=”218215″][quote comment=”218205″]What Stunnalator failed to note was that HE WAS NOT LAUGHING AT GSP.
Nice try Stunnalator !
Hughes was overwhelmed with the thought of actually getting to pound Matt Serra and regain his title in easy fashion. He was SOOOO HAPPY because his road back to his title would be a CAKE WALK. He has the utmost respect for GSP and always notes that he is the second best welterweight in the world period !
Again nice try Stunnalator for trying to rally the GSP bloggers. LOL[/quote]
Well no shit he was happy it was going to be a cake walk to the title. That is some pussy shit though. Every fighter should want to avenge a loss asap. Regardless of how it went down, he should still not be happy or laughing about any of that unless hes a complete pussy and wants the easier way out. Plus you act like you were right there at the moment and know everything as a fact that was going through Hughes’ heads and every reason he was laughing…but u dont know 100% that he wasnt laughing at the fact that GSP lost to Serra so quit acting like a know it all.
NICE TRY KELLY[/quote]
Couldn’t agree more with this comment. Have some respect and show some class Hughes. Even if he was sooooo giddy that he was going to have the shot at the title and fighting Serra, the fact of the matter is he was laughing and whoooping it up with the midget of the UFC, and you should never laugh when another athlete gets hurt and knocked out. By the way, Kevin Kelly, weren’t you the guy who was soooooooooooo confident KOS was going to beat GSP? So you are definitely not a “know it all”.
[quote comment=”218135″]Wow, just saw the news, this fight card just got a whole lot better. I’m pulling for GSP, though I think Matt will be coming a lot more prepared this time. I predict he will give GSP more problems than he did in the last fight, but GSP will prevail.
The interim champ thing is good, that way Serra has plenty of time to heal, and the WW division is not held up in the process. In addition, now we get to see a 5 round fight instead of 3! I kinda wish all fights were 5 rounds, it would mean that less fights would go to the judges, and if they do, it would be a better decision because there were more rounds to score. No more stupid ties because of being docked a point (ie: Tito/Rashad).[/quote]
but if u wanna know Rashad actually beat tito because he would of had like 3 takedowns and would have won round 2 tito only won that round because he grabbed the fence and got a better position because of that
[quote comment=”218148″]Serra will do anything he can to hang on to the belt. lord knows that if he faught Hughes or GSP he would loose it. Serra talks soo much crap and then when it comes down to putting his title on the line “somehow” he becomes injured…[/quote]
GSP got injured right b4 his fight with Serra was supposed to happen so r u gonna say that GSp was gonan loose so he “got injured” just to hold the belt longer ur an a**
[quote comment=”218163″][quote comment=”218148″]Serra will do anything he can to hang on to the belt. lord knows that if he faught Hughes or GSP he would loose it. Serra talks soo much crap and then when it comes down to putting his title on the line “somehow” he becomes injured…[/quote]
so you think he f*cked up his back on purpose? Thats stupid nobody would do that. I don’t understand why everyone is pissed at Serra for holding the belt for so long. That was done for the TUF show, not for Serra! If you remember correctly, GSP had to pull out of his first fight with Serra due to an injury to his knee (I think). Nobody called GSP a pussy but I guess Serra is because he pulled out for a back injury. Incase you don’t know, back injury’s are a lot more serious than knee injuries.
I detect a double standard, theres GSP, who apparently can do no wrong, then theres everyone else.[/quote]
Thank u there is actually some1 smart here
[quote comment=”218231″][quote comment=”218225″][quote comment=”218135″]]The interim champ thing is good, that way Serra has plenty of time to heal, and the WW division is not held up in the process. In addition, now we get to see a 5 round fight instead of 3! I kinda wish all fights were 5 rounds, it would mean that less fights would go to the judges, and if they do, it would be a better decision because there were more rounds to score. No more stupid ties because of being docked a point (ie: Tito/Rashad).[/quote]
Great point about 5 rounds for every fight. That is definitely a great idea.[/quote]
make every fight 5rounds..25minutes
make every title fight 8rounds..40minutes..which is close enuff to 12 rounds of boxing = 36minutes.
you will just have less fights on a card.[/quote]
wont happen this isnt like boxing u get more injured during a round that u do in boxing
My first reaction to this fight being for the interim belt, was that it was awfully quick to throw that down and kind of a dis to Serra, but the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. This fight, if not for the actual title, is for the alpha dog title and should go five because it’s the last time we get to see this premier match up and you want the result to be definitive. And interim belts have a funny way of solidifying into the real thing after a fashion. When Randy beat Chuck the first time it was for an interim belt and when Tito finally showed up to face Couture, it certainly felt like Randy was the champ not him. Granted injuries and contractual b.s. are two different things, but Serra has the kind of injury that ends careers. What I don’t want to see, and this will be almost impossible to avoid, is Serra rushing to get back to a place where he can fight again. But he’s pretty screwed no matter what he does, because it’ll be a year plus since his last fight when he gets back in there with whoever is the fight sharp champion (GSP, obviously). Anyone who thinks he’s faking the injury to hold onto the title is out of his mind. This is the worst thing in the world that could have happened to him. He had a real shot at beating Hughes and having his stock rise higher. Now he will have to come back and face GSP at his avenging best when he is somehow less than 100%. The other issue about GSP not having the proper time to get ready is a non-factor, I think. GSP is one of the best conditioned athletes around who has never gassed in a fight. True, he hasn’t gone five, but there is no doubt he is the equal to Hughes in conditioning. The bigger factor is that GSP is minor injury free, which he clearly is by the chomping at the bit way he responded to the opportunity to fight. He’s fit and ready to go, believe it. If they had never fought before, the shorter prep could be a factor, but this is their third fight. GSP has been studying Hughes his whole career, this is his favorite guy to fight, and he just comprehensively owned him on every level last time they fought. He unmasked Hughes as a fairly one-dimensional fighter who got by on great strength, solid wrestling, decent submissions and mental toughness. But his stand up has a hole as big as the ozone layer in it and he has no answer whatsoever for GSP taking him apart on his feet. Taking GSP down is the obvious play, but look what happened last time. He could’t take GSP down at all. Koscheck, the guy everyone said was the best wrestler in MMA, could only take him down once, and couldn’t even get him off his feet with a single leg in the third round. BJ Penn had no luck with GSP on the ground and he’s one of the best. Neither did Karo and ditto for him skill-wise. And we all know how GSP manhandled Trigg, who’s a solid wrestler in his own right. So what on earth is Hughes going to do? Hit him with a frying pan? His only chance, in my estimation, is to bull his way to a take down in the opening frame. He just might catch GSP off guard if he comes very hard early. Then he must land an elbow immediately. GnP is his best asset, so he must deliver it early to hurt GSP and take him out of his game so that he can finish him with a choke. He must do all this in round 1. If he doesn’t, GSP’s vastly superior skill set is going to take him apart like a pinata in a mexican prison.
This isn’t fair.. Serra did it on purpose. He darn well knows he would of lost to Hughes, I was really looking forward to Hughes getting rid of Serra for good! But I guess either way, GSP or Hughes will show Serra eventually. I think Serra thinks that if GSP wins he will be able to repeat his same “lucky, GSP accidently slipping into his punch knockout”, and too afraid to face Hughes. But Serra sucks, and I don’t care who wins 79, either fighter is a champion……….. UNLIKE Serra!!!!
You’re treating Serra like a bit of a chump for having fought the fight of his life in the most important moment of his life against easily one of the best fighters in the world. I agree with Joe Rogan, that there’s no such thing a “lucky punch.” If you meant to hit a guy and you hit him, there’s no luck involved. And Serra looked very relaxed on his feet with GSP. He even grabbed GSP’s leg when he went for a leg kick. He was anticipating his moves very nicely. Unlike Hughes, who looked like a truck driver in the LA Riots last time he faced GSP. You can’t knock Serra, he’s got good, much improved stand up skills. He finished off GSP perfectly. He didn’t go crazy, like he did when he droppe