**official Mma Thread**

[PrtyPSux 0]

I'm not sure if Guillard is training with Top Team right now, or Team Punishment. I would also like to know where Rich Clementi is training.

This is what it said on Wiki

Rich, spent eight years in the military with the Navy Seabees, was mobilized as a reservist after 9/11.He divorced his wife after he got out of the military. He maintained a bad attitude after the divorce and this is how he got his nickname of 'No Love'.He also runs an MMA school in his hometown of Slidell, Louisiana.[1]

PS Spike is airing the "inside the mind of Lidell and Wandy" thing after unleashed, they'll show the training and all that shit, they'll also show hughes and GSP, I think this will be informative as far as betting goes. just fyi

[SpiderGuard 0]

I'm having some trouble with the Machida fight. "Sok" has won his last two fights very quickly, similar to how Matt Lindland lost to that guy from the Caesar Gracies camp. Ugh, can't remember his name right now. But then the guy fought Tanner in a similar fashion. Tanner weathered the storm.........got in top position and punished him until the ref stopped the fight. David Terrell, that's the guys name. Obviously if Sok can win this fight quick, that's good. But if it goes the distance, I give the edge to Machida in a big way. There is also the Pride vs. UFC thing. First time in oct. etc. I'm going to have to see what the final odds are for this fight.

I just wanted to respond and say that I hated David Terrell. I'm not sure why, but I hate both him and Nick Diaz. Also, I have a hard time keeping the two straight in my mind, which probably explains why I hate both of them.

I'm a big believer in training camps. When JC and I went to the TUF finale I would constantly say who has this guy been training with between the time the show finished and now. Whenever a kid would show up with another kid around his own age with long hair and a goofy hat on backwards in his corner, I put the ticket into the other pocket. Meaning, I kind of knew that we had made a mistake.I feel that the camp that you train with not only gets your prepared physically, but mentally for the fight. The corner is also very important. These are things that a lot of people don't consider when betting, or picking fights. I'm not sure if Guillard is training with Top Team right now, or Team Punishment. I would also like to know where Rich Clementi is training.

This is one of my favorite posts in the thread. Training camps say a lot - specifically it says how seriously you take the game. MMA is filled with two kinds of people: tattooed thugs who were the toughest guy in their hometown and the guys who train seriously, take care of their diet, etc... Look at Mac Danzig and George Sotiropolous in the TUF house vs. the guys shitting in the upper deck of the toilet, painting the walls and themselves, and whining about wanting to see their girlfriends. That's the difference between an Ultimate Fighter and a cage brawler. So the final verdict on Melvin Guillard - I have no clue. Sherdog says that he's training with Team Punishment, and Wikipedia cites Sherdog in them saying he's part of Team Punishment. But his official website says nothing about any team, and his afterparty is being sponsored by a clothing company that's NOT Punishment Athletics. So I'm skeptical.Clementi on the other hand is training with "Team Voodoo" - decent roster, but no real top level guys other than Clementi.http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfi...ion=Team+Voodoo

[grocery_mony 8]

He was moving like an old man, limping around, looking straight down at the floor, very slow and didn't look well at all....I'd compare his physical movements to that of a drunk Bob Stupak.

Maybe he was doggin it in public so Chuck wouldnt take it to seriously and keep goin to clubs till dawn.

[steve7stud 0]

Just watched the show where they displayed the training camps of the main card, and I will give my thoughts.Vanderlei Silva- Yes he is in Vegas and training at Randy's gym, but I didn't see Randy anywhere. That could obviously be because of the current disputes. Having said all of that.....I was not at all impressed with the way that Vanderlei looked. His "team" didn't look like the brightest tools in the shed. If Vanderlei was smart he would be working out with guys like Forrest Griffin who are already at the gym. Maybe he is, who knows. But at the end of the day, he STILL looked tired, worn down, old and beat up.Chuck Lidell- I thought Chuck looked great. He is still training at the Pit, and his regimen seems great. Two things that I noticed. The first was a bad thing. His coach was looking at tapes of Vanderlei and couldn't find any weaknesses, so he said he would focus on Chuck's strengths. I would say that Vanderlei losing a stand up battle to Henderson is a pretty big weakness. Maybe he was just being polite, but Vanderlei is aging quite a bit. The second thing I noticed was them bringing in Tony Robbins, this is a good thing. I have never really talked about this before. But Tony Robbins has been one of the most influential people in my life. If any of you are looking to improve your poker game, or your quality of life in general, I cannot stress how important it is to either go to a Robbins seminar, buy books, cd's, etc.Matt Hughes- Training in a make shift gym at a hospital. Hmm. I'm sure that his wrestling will be very good. Aside from that, I think he is in serious trouble. His decision to leave Millitech should come around to bite him in the ass. He will be lacking a strong corner, and his sparring will be sub-par at best. I was not impressed with Hughes training at all.GSP- George looked great in training. He went back to Canda and is training at a variety of places. This is a HUGE mistake imo. I liked the idea of him training at Greg Jacksons camp in New Mexico. If he was in New Mexico he would get to spar with Jardine, Evans, etc. This would be very good for him. In addition, he would have a strong core behind him. It appeared that GSP was getting top notch training, but he was going all over the place to get it. This is something that Rich Franklin has also done. And I think it's a hole in his game. I don't know who is cornering GSP yet. I can only hope it's someone good. I still pick Chuck to beat Vanderlei, and GSP to beat Hughes.

[SpiderGuard 0]

Vanderlei Silva- Yes he is in Vegas and training at Randy's gym, but I didn't see Randy anywhere. That could obviously be because of the current disputes. Having said all of that.....I was not at all impressed with the way that Vanderlei looked. His "team" didn't look like the brightest tools in the shed. If Vanderlei was smart he would be working out with guys like Forrest Griffin who are already at the gym. Maybe he is, who knows. But at the end of the day, he STILL looked tired, worn down, old and beat up.

This is actually exactly because of the current disputes. I didn't watch the special, but Meltzer reported in the WO something about Dana not allowing mentions of Randy Couture or Xtreme Couture. Maybe KDawg or someone with a subscription to the newsletter would be able to fill in the details, but basically it sounds like Dana's getting ready to bury Randy if he won't re-sign.Steve - do you ever watch the show Tapout? They did an episode where the guys were allowed inside The Pit, and it was probably 30 minutes of watching Chuck Liddell's roommate train under Hack. Great great stuff...try to find the episode on torrent somewhere if you haven't seen it, I think you'd really like it.Sometime can you talk about Tony Robbins and how he's helped your poker/life? If it's personal I completely understand, but it would be interesting to hear if you don't mind sharing sometime.

[PrtyPSux 0]

But Tony Robbins has been one of the most influential people in my life. If any of you are looking to improve your poker game, or your quality of life in general, I cannot stress how important it is to either go to a Robbins seminar, buy books, cd's, etc.

what does he do? Is he just a motivational speaker or hypnotist or whats the deal?

[SpiderGuard 0]

So I looked at the UFC 80 card, and it might even be harder to handicap than this one. Should be another fun few weeks of discussion in this thread.On UFC's website they made an interesting point about Liddell needing to circle away from Silva to create space to effectively throw his strikes. Cro Cop is the same way, an was able to do it effectively against Silva, but his lateral movement is FAR stronger than Liddell's, especially at 37 (or however old Chuck is). Also - Rogan's doing standup at the Mandalay Bay on Friday for those of you going to Vegas. If you're there, but read this check it out.

[BigLebowski 0]

Matt Hughes- Training in a make shift gym at a hospital. Hmm. I'm sure that his wrestling will be very good. Aside from that, I think he is in serious trouble. His decision to leave Millitech should come around to bite him in the ass. He will be lacking a strong corner, and his sparring will be sub-par at best. I was not impressed with Hughes training at all.

This was literally the only piece I saw. I found it odd that Matt Hughes just kept saying "I'm really concentrating on getting in the best shape of my life". Say it once fine, but he said it quite a bit which leads me to believe he thinks his only chance is wearing down GSP and taking it to him in the 4th and 5th rounds. At least on paper it seems to be a better game plan than trying to stand with GSP.

Steve - do you ever watch the show Tapout? They did an episode where the guys were allowed inside The Pit, and it was probably 30 minutes of watching Chuck Liddell's roommate train under Hack. Great great stuff...try to find the episode on torrent somewhere if you haven't seen it, I think you'd really like it.

Rocky IV FTW? The only thing missing was the snow.

[BigLebowski 0]

Spider, here's that site I've been getting older fights from, but I don't see Hughes v Trigg I on there either.http://www.mmalinker.com/

[SpiderGuard 0]

Rocky IV FTW? The only thing missing was the snow.

And Fedor ;)Thanks for the link - I'll check it out.

[PrtyPSux 0]

I just got +120 for chuck and bet 800 on him I think thats the best the line will get, if he gets to over +150 I'll probably bet another 800 on him...I also bet 700 on clementi at +180 (I'm upset I didn't bet him at +200)....the rest of the lines went really bad so I'll see about that tomorrow.Also I saw a friend that's betting 24k on GSP, which I thought was ridic.

[SpiderGuard 0]

I just got +120 for chuck and bet 800 on him I think thats the best the line will get, if he gets to over +150 I'll probably bet another 800 on him...I also bet 700 on clementi at +180 (I'm upset I didn't bet him at +200)....the rest of the lines went really bad so I'll see about that tomorrow.Also I saw a friend that's betting 24k on GSP, which I thought was ridic.

Betting big on most of these fights makes me nervous, let alone 24k on either of the main events.Good to see the line shifting toward Clementi...makes me less nervous about my pick.GL, and enjoy the show tomorrow. I'm thinking I'm going to have to do a house party and watch the PPV instead of the sports bar - not sure if any sports bars are going to do anything that's not the Patriots game tomorrow night.(Anyone have video of the weigh-in? Apparently Chuck and Wandy almost killed each other...Wandy made a move at Chuck, Chuck stepped back and flipped Wandy off and there was a pull apart. Good stuff)

[PrtyPSux 0]

Betting big on most of these fights makes me nervous, let alone 24k on either of the main events.Good to see the line shifting toward Clementi...makes me less nervous about my pick.GL, and enjoy the show tomorrow. I'm thinking I'm going to have to do a house party and watch the PPV instead of the sports bar - not sure if any sports bars are going to do anything that's not the Patriots game tomorrow night.(Anyone have video of the weigh-in? Apparently Chuck and Wandy almost killed each other...Wandy made a move at Chuck, Chuck stepped back and flipped Wandy off and there was a pull apart. Good stuff)

Yea I just saw the weigh in on UFC.com, they have the video....Chuck looked meaner than ever, seems like he lost a little of the beer gut and looks more cut than I remember him. The stare down was sick between both of them Wandy fakes the head but and Chuck gives him the finger, they had to separate them...zoooooomg I can't wait.

[BigLebowski 0]

Doesn't Chuck always look good at the weigh in after cutting the weight? Then he rehydrates and has the water retention belly?I saw Wandy's training last night. Scuba gear and ice baths FTW? That training looked so sick....and so unconventional?Definitely looking forward to the card more so than the last few. I said a while back I didn't have near the interest in Chuck/Wandy fight as I would have if it were for the title and to a certain degree I still agree with that, but I am def pumped up for this one...thanks in large part to all of you.

[SpiderGuard 0]

Meltzer's last minute analysis of the show made me feel better about my picks:

-Since everyone always asks, Randy Couture is picking Silva. Now, Silva is training at his camp so that is going to influence things. Silva is the betting favorite. As of last night, Lyoto Machida was still favored over Sokoudjou but most of the money was coming in on Sokoudjou and the odds were tightening up. Most money was also coming in on Matt Hughes, but that's because the odds were so strongly favoring St. Pierre.

And...

The Rich Clementi vs. Melvin Guillard match is a legitimate personal grudge as apparently one punched the other at a small show months ago.

Anyone know this story?

[BigLebowski 0]

You know, I have been hearing about what a bitter battle Clementi and Guillard will be as well, but I heard nothing of the incident of which you speak or any other incident for that matter. I am interested to hear "the real story" behind the incident involving Tito Ortiz and Lee Murray that Matt Hughes supposedly details in his new book. I know Pat Miletich has said "Lee lit him up like a christmas tree, and kicked his head like a football".

[Ron_Mexico 4,219]

off topic, but I"ve just started watching this stuff and I really like it. I watch all the freebies in all the different associations and will be buying tonights fights, but one of the best fights/fighters I've seen this year is Urijah Faber. He's a featherweight (I think, around 135 or 145) and he just recently beat some guy from the UFC named Jeff Cullen (Curren?) That kid, The California Kid, is pretty sick. That's all I've got for now. Be back with next time with solid facts and insight. Ok, no I wont, but lets get it on.

[SpiderGuard 0]

off topic, but I"ve just started watching this stuff and I really like it. I watch all the freebies in all the different associations and will be buying tonights fights, but one of the best fights/fighters I've seen this year is Urijah Faber. He's a featherweight (I think, around 135 or 145) and he just recently beat some guy from the UFC named Jeff Cullen (Curren?) That kid, The California Kid, is pretty sick. That's all I've got for now. Be back with next time with solid facts and insight. Ok, no I wont, but lets get it on.

Faber sure looks special from what I've seen of him. Tough son of a bitch with an incredible amount of talent. I'm worried about them throwing him up against Jens Pulver in his next fight though - Pulver's been at the top of the game for a long, long time. It'll be a great test for Faber, but I'm not sure that he's ready yet. I'd like to see them build up the fight a little bit and making it more special.

[BigLebowski 0]

Ok, so I broke down and threw $100 on Bodog through MMAJunkie to get the 10% plus $25 bonus.Here are the bets for tonight:Georges St. Pierre -205 Risk US$ 20.00 to win US$ 9.76 Rich Clementi +170Risk US$ 20.00 to win US$ 34.00Lyoto Machida -115Risk US$ 20.00 to win US$ 17.39Eddie Sanchez +155Risk US$ 10.00 to win US$ 15.50 Roan Carneiro -150Risk US$ 40.00 to win US$ 26.67

[SpiderGuard 0]

Reiterating Spider's Late Night MMA Picks (without reasoning):Matt Hughes vs George St-Pierre - HughesChuck Liddell vs Wanderlei Silva - LiddellLyoto Machida vs Rameau Sokoudjou - SokRich Clementi vs Melvin Guillard - ClementiSao Palelei vs Eddie Sanchez - PaleleiLuis Cane vs James Irvin - CaneNate Mohr vs Manny Gamburyan - MannyJordan Radev vs Dean Lister - RadevRoan Carneiro vs Tony Desouza - Bocek

[SpiderGuard 0]

Highlight for spoilers.

Bocek beats Doug Evans by decision.Carneiro beats DeSouza.Lister beats Radev :(Gamburyan beats Mohr.

Spoilers at http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/h...t.asp?aID=21688Edit: I'm headin' out - gl all in your bets (Except for Lebowski whose bets directly contradict mine in a couple cases)

[Ron_Mexico 4,219]

Good stuff. Two top fights lived up to the billing. I'm not spoiling anything.Also, I think Faber needs to fight Pulver, there is nobody else left in that division, I think.

[BigLebowski 0]

Ship the boomsauce. Parlay the Titans tomorrow?JC, how bad was the knee that caused Irvin to quit?Also, the only bet I was kinda sketchy about was the Sanchez bet because I had never laid eyes on Palalei and he looked pretty fricking stacked. As soon as he took a completely unnecessary amount of time to recover from that phantom knee to the groin I knew I was golden. You could easily tell that guy did not want to be in that fight. I really wish they had time to show that Carneiro fight. From MMAJunkie's pbp it sounded like it was complete domination.

[grocery_mony 8]

Very good card. GSP looked so dominating he has to be a close second to Silva(Anderson) as a top pound for pound. He threw the wrestler around like a rag doll. Lidell looked solid tonight and I gotta say that Silva has a solid chin and alot of heart. That upercut the broke Palelei's nose was gruesome on the replay you could see his eye almost instaly swell up big time. I loved it when Clement tapped out Guillard and Guillard then decided to act like a tough guy, funny stuff. Soko looked like shit. The next fight that I am really looking forward to is Silva/Henderson. Of coursr I will deffinatly also be intrested what Lesnar looks like as a MMA fighter before the Superbowl.Edit: Did yopu get that Liddel/Silva going the distance bet in JC?

[SpiderGuard 0]

I shit the bed on Hughes and Sok, hit on Clementi as a huge dog and Liddell as a small dog...not a bad night, not a great one either.I have NEVER seen a fighter look so demoralized as Sok did before the 2nd round started. He wanted a way out of the fight, Machida gave it to him. When was the last time we saw a finish via side choke in the UFC? Pathetic, pathetic display.Then Palelei comes out and shits the bed again for Team Quest...both those fighters looked incredibly scared and neither tried to really do much of anything. Absolutely pathetic night for Team Quest.I hope JC put some money down on the Silva/Liddell prop bet- he's the only one who seemed to think that was a good bet, and he was obviously right. Liddell had a strange game plan in that fight, but a very effective one. In the 2nd and especially the 3rd round he initiated the wild swinging matches, connected a couple times early, and then retreated so Silva could flail away at the air instead of trying to finish. Then added the takedowns to steal the 2nd round and the 3rd if needed on the scorecards. Very interesting, and very smart.Edit: I think I just decided to put some serious money on Anderson Silva over Dan Henderson...Hendo looked super bored in both fights and did little to motivate his guys other than dropping the F bomb a bunch of times...meh.