Bigfoot Silva defeats Fedor on Strikeforce

[grizzly adams]

Since when is Fedor known as a boxer/muay thai/brawler? This a guy with an extensive sambo/judo background who at one point in his career was known as the man who redefined ground and pound.

Fedor has never been a brawler.Historically he has used his wild punches to close the distance and utilize his grappling skills and takedowns.In the Choi fight he did this exact thing although he didn't complete the throw and ended up on the bottom.If you think Hong Man Choi,an unaccomplished kickboxer,took down Fedor you need to rewatch that fight closely and pay no mind to the commentators. You should probably rewatch the 12 to 15 fights as well because you have the wrong impression about Fedor's fighting style.

I respectfully disagree with a few things you just mentioned .

Matt Hughes is the fighter that I believe made ground & pound really popular .

Choi is the one who kept closing the distance and ultimately fell on Fedor on two separate occasions.

fedor always pick and chose his fighting style. If he fought an accomplished grappler he tried to keep on his feet and if his opponent had weak wrestling skills and was more of a puncher he would shoot first and take advantage of his sambo skills

 

[Tickler15]

I respectfully disagree with a few things you just mentioned .

Matt Hughes is the fighter that I believe made ground & pound really popular .

Choi is the one who kept closing the distance and ultimately fell on Fedor on two separate occasions.

fedor always pick and chose his fighting style. If he fought an accomplished grappler he tried to keep on his feet and if his opponent had weak wrestling skills and was more of a puncher he would shoot first and take advantage of his sambo skills

Actually it might of been Mark Coleman

 

[Snail Shell]

Why would he go back to UFC when he is the Strikeforce Champ . There is this huge misconception that UFC is the only game in town . Five years ago that might have been the case. Its not that way anymore . Strikeforce as a whole is equal if not better than UFC .


Diaz is a cocky SOB who has gotten better over the last few years. His skills right now are as good as anybodies pound for pound. MMA changes so quickly, its about results and wins not what you did three years ago .

Arlovski was the UFC heavyweight champ not that long ago . He is now a shell of himself and not even a top 10 heavyweight anymore . thats how quickly things change

The same reason why Shields left: better competition, better exposure and better pay.

Diaz's skills only look better by comparison because he's fighting a weaker grade of competition. It's like putting the NY Yankees in the minor leagues and saying "Look how good they are!" Right now, despite his recent successes and Strikeforce gold, Nick Diaz is ranked the #8 welterweight in the world (http://www.sherdog.com/news/rankings/5/Sherdog-Official-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Rankings-30028) behind GSP, Fitch, Alves, Shields, Koscheck, Kampmann and Condit. And you can add BJ Penn into that mix in the next month or so.

Has Diaz beaten any of those guys? No. Has he beaten anyone as good or better than those guys? No. When he's been faced with anyone close to that level of talent, has he ever won a fight? MAYBE Chris Lytle....back in 2002.

I'll give you that Strikeforce has a comparable HW division to the UFC, though I would still love to see a tournament between the two to determine who is indeed better. However, on the whole, the UFC has the best MMA talent in the world, including 9 of the 10 top ranked P4P fighters in the world (GSP, Silva, Aldo, Edgar, Fitch, Shields, Shogun, Evans and Cruz. Gilbert Melendez is ranked #9). While Strikeforce holds a significant place in the world of MMA, the UFC, top to bottom, is the superior ticket.

As for Nick Diaz, he's not the pound-for-pound best. He's not the best welterweight. He isn't either of those things by a very large margin over many other, superior fighters.

SS

 

[FlockOfSeagulls]

The same reason why Shields left: better competition, better exposure and better pay.

Diaz's skills only look better by comparison because he's fighting a weaker grade of competition. It's like putting the NY Yankees in the minor leagues and saying "Look how good they are!" Right now, despite his recent successes and Strikeforce gold, Nick Diaz is ranked the #8 welterweight in the world (http://www.sherdog.com/news/rankings/5/Sherdog-Official-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Rankings-30028) behind GSP, Fitch, Alves, Shields, Koscheck, Kampmann and Condit. And you can add BJ Penn into that mix in the next month or so.

Has Diaz beaten any of those guys? No. Has he beaten anyone as good or better than those guys? No. When he's been faced with anyone close to that level of talent, has he ever won a fight? MAYBE Chris Lytle....back in 2002.

I'll give you that Strikeforce has a comparable HW division to the UFC, though I would still love to see a tournament between the two to determine who is indeed better. However, on the whole, the UFC has the best MMA talent in the world, including 9 of the 10 top ranked P4P fighters in the world (GSP, Silva, Aldo, Edgar, Fitch, Shields, Shogun, Evans and Cruz. Gilbert Melendez is ranked #9). While Strikeforce holds a significant place in the world of MMA, the UFC, top to bottom, is the superior ticket.

As for Nick Diaz, he's not the pound-for-pound best. He's not the best welterweight. He isn't either of those things by a very large margin over many other, superior fighters.

SS

First of all rankings are subjective. There are close to thirty different websites that rank fighters and none of them are the same. In one ranking a guy may be 3rd in another he may be 7th .

Diaz has beaten the likes of Shamrock, Lytle, Lawler , KJ Noons .

As far as exposure goes UFC is pay per view . That itself keeps exposure limited for new fans. Strikeforce puts its top fights on Showtime where all you need is cable or satellite TV .

 

[Snail Shell]

First of all rankings are subjective. There are close to thirty different websites that rank fighters and none of them are the same. In one ranking a guy may be 3rd in another he may be 7th .

Diaz has beaten the likes of Shamrock, Lytle, Lawler , KJ Noons .

As far as exposure goes UFC is pay per view . That itself keeps exposure limited for new fans. Strikeforce puts its top fights on Showtime where all you need is cable or satellite TV .

Name three ranking websites that have Diaz over GSP, Fitch, Alves, Shields Penn or Koscheck.

Shamrock, over the hill.
Lytle, happened 9 years ago. Since then, Lytle's starting to gain enough momentum for a title shot in the UFC against legit competition. By your own argument, skills and abilities grow over time.
Lawler was a brawler at best. He's never been a real contender.
KJ Noons. WHO?

Regardless, believe what you want. You are entitled to your opinion. Until you actually get Nick Diaz into the same cage as top-tier, high-calibre fighters like those listed above though, I completely disagree with you. Nick Diaz is a second-rate, mid-card welterweight at best who hasn't beaten any legitimate competition in his career.

While Strikeforce may be on cable, the UFC has several different shows on SpikeTV and VS (and SportsNet in Canada), including live events and the reality show. Beyond that, the UFC is a much larger name promotion, including setting the all-time attendance record at the Rogers Center for the upcoming St.Pierre vs. Shields card. Sports fans or not, more people in general know what "UFC" means more than what "Strikeforce" means.

Strikeforce has value. It's never a bad thing to have competition for market share in sport. It's important to have an alternative in the North American marketplace for MMA. However, save for maybe the heavyweight division, the UFC has the top MMA talent in the world in each weight class. I can't think of any commentator, pundit or credible name in the business who would disagree with that.

SS

 

[FlockOfSeagulls]

Name three ranking websites that have Diaz over GSP, Fitch, Alves, Shields Penn or Koscheck.

Shamrock, over the hill.
Lytle, happened 9 years ago. Since then, Lytle's starting to gain enough momentum for a title shot in the UFC against legit competition. By your own argument, skills and abilities grow over time.
Lawler was a brawler at best. He's never been a real contender.
KJ Noons. WHO?

Regardless, believe what you want. You are entitled to your opinion. Until you actually get Nick Diaz into the same cage as top-tier, high-calibre fighters like those listed above though, I completely disagree with you. Nick Diaz is a second-rate, mid-card welterweight at best who hasn't beaten any legitimate competition in his career.

While Strikeforce may be on cable, the UFC has several different shows on SpikeTV and VS (and SportsNet in Canada), including live events and the reality show. Beyond that, the UFC is a much larger name promotion, including setting the all-time attendance record at the Rogers Center for the upcoming St.Pierre vs. Shields card. Sports fans or not, more people in general know what "UFC" means more than what "Strikeforce" means.

Strikeforce has value. It's never a bad thing to have competition for market share in sport. It's important to have an alternative in the North American marketplace for MMA. However, save for maybe the heavyweight division, the UFC has the top MMA talent in the world in each weight class. I can't think of any commentator, pundit or credible name in the business who would disagree with that.

SS

I guess we agree to disagree. UFC was the first in MMA . I watched the very first ones where Gracie dominated all-comers. There were no weight classes or timelimits . I watch UFC as well. They have some fantastic fighters ; but just because a fighter isn't in UFC doesn't mean he's not world class.

Believe it or not I'm not a Diaz fan per say. He is cocky as hell but I've seen his last several fights and he NOW stacks up against anybody in his weightclass . Kust giving the man his due whether he fought in Pride, K1 , UFC, Elite XE or other promotions around the world .

UFC does indeed have shows but never top ranked matches on cable.

That doesn't bold well for UFC in the longterm . I am old enough to remember that world-title fights in boxing were on mainstream TV. The best in the biz like Ali, Frazier , leonard , Spinks, Holmes were there for all to see. Boxing took a major nosedive in popularity when the big matches went to pay-per-view.


Plus Strikeforce has the market monopolized on female fighters . UFC is becoming very stagnant whereas Strikeforce is constantly coming up with new ideas such as the Heavyweight Grand Prix

 

[Raphael Sorel]

And to those who say Fedor only lost to time, he's 34 and starting to fall from grace. Anderson Silva is 36 and destroying competition. He's aging for the sport, but Fedor isn't too old to be competitive.

I see your point. However Fedor's and Spider's situations can't be compared. Fedor recently lost to 2 guys who are way taller and heavier than him, while Spider fights opponents who have about the same size as him.

I agree with Interrogator. Fedor could drop to the LHW division. After all, Couture did that move after 2 consecutive losses against Barnett and Rodriguez.

 

[Tickler15]

I see your point. However Fedor's and Spider's situations can't be compared. Fedor recently lost to 2 guys who are way taller and heavier than him, while Spider fights opponents who have about the same size as him.

I agree with Interrogator. Fedor could drop to the LHW division. After all, Couture did that move after 2 consecutive losses against Barnett and Rodriguez.

Most of the people who beat are taller and heavier than Fedor. In the Werdum fight, Fedor got caught, he cleaned Werdum's clock, went in for the early kill, and Werdum reacted very quickly and got him in the guard, then submitted him. In this fight, Silva just out fought him. Hell if Fedor would of defend that takedown he could of beaten Silva.

 

[Snail Shell]

I guess we agree to disagree. UFC was the first in MMA . I watched the very first ones where Gracie dominated all-comers. There were no weight classes or timelimits . I watch UFC as well. They have some fantastic fighters ; but just because a fighter isn't in UFC doesn't mean he's not world class.

Believe it or not I'm not a Diaz fan per say. He is cocky as hell but I've seen his last several fights and he NOW stacks up against anybody in his weightclass . Kust giving the man his due whether he fought in Pride, K1 , UFC, Elite XE or other promotions around the world .

UFC does indeed have shows but never top ranked matches on cable.

That doesn't bold well for UFC in the longterm . I am old enough to remember that world-title fights in boxing were on mainstream TV. The best in the biz like Ali, Frazier , leonard , Spinks, Holmes were there for all to see. Boxing took a major nosedive in popularity when the big matches went to pay-per-view.


Plus Strikeforce has the market monopolized on female fighters . UFC is becoming very stagnant whereas Strikeforce is constantly coming up with new ideas such as the Heavyweight Grand Prix

Like I said, Strikeforce has a place. And anyone who fights at that level for that long can be considered world class. But you're right, we agree to disagree on Diaz.

I see your point. However Fedor's and Spider's situations can't be compared. Fedor recently lost to 2 guys who are way taller and heavier than him, while Spider fights opponents who have about the same size as him.

I agree with Interrogator. Fedor could drop to the LHW division. After all, Couture did that move after 2 consecutive losses against Barnett and Rodriguez.

Fedor capped Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds, but I digress.

Fedor could and could very well be successful at 205. Whether or not he does is another story. Mirko CroCop should have moved to 205 ages ago; after the Cheick Kongo fight, really. His stay at HW has done him no favours.

SS

 

[Raphael Sorel]

Like I said, Strikeforce has a place. And anyone who fights at that level for that long can be considered world class. But you're right, we agree to disagree on Diaz.



Fedor capped Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds, but I digress.

Fedor could and could very well be successful at 205. Whether or not he does is another story. Mirko CroCop should have moved to 205 ages ago; after the Cheick Kongo fight, really. His stay at HW has done him no favours.

SS

Tim Sylvia recently got squashed by Abe Wagner, but I digress too.

 

[TropicThunder]

Can we just say Tim Sylvia sucks and be done with it?

SS

 

[Tickler15]

Can we just say Tim Sylvia sucks and be done with it?

SS

He was pretty good for awhile....16-0 to start your career isn't bad...but I thinks its his inexperience at BJJ (Blue Belt) that gets him his losses, 4 of his seven losses are by submission

 

[FlockOfSeagulls]

You mean that guy who got run out of the UFC after three straight losses to Sean Sherk, Diego Sanchez and Karo Parisyan? That guy who's fought a long line of nobodys? That guy? He's your pound-for-pound champ?

Diaz has never been ranked in the top five Welterweights in the world, never mind pound-for-pound. The closest thing to Nick Diaz being close to that list is Jake Shields, who's slated to get beaten to a pulp by GSP at the end of April. Sorry man, but until Diaz somehow comes back to the UFC, fights some legitimate competition and makes a serious run at GSP, he's not even on the P4P radar.

SS

I guess it 's safe to say Nick Diaz is the real deal and definately one of the best fighters in MMA today. He destroyed Penn to the point where he probably ended his career. UFC felt so strongly about him as to make his fight the main event.

GSP vs. Diaz is the next true superfight and must have White frothing at the mouth about the icome possibilties

 

[Snail Shell]

I agree with the second and fourth sentences. He was only the main event because GSP got injured and they couldn't replace him in time.

Anywho, once GSP and Diaz get in the cage together, we'll see for sure.

SS