1. Bisping was the better technical fighter and he fought a conservative to get the victory. Leben reminded me a bit of Huerta in his last fight. He showed better discipline and looked to be better technically but lacked the reckless abandon he has in the past which may have helped him in this fight. I appreciate a fighter working to become a better skilled fighter but there is a large gap in technique better between Leben and Bisping and I think at a certain point Leben should have just started swinging repeatedly.

2. Luiz Cane is a serious threat in the lhw division. He has very good striking and also has good bjj we we have yet to see. Sokoudjou needs to learn how to pace himself, he was throwing everything he had into every punch and kick. He has a good judo background so he needs to mix that into his arsenal rather than looking for a knockout on every strike.

3. I knew picking Paul Kelly was a bad choice. Its the same reason I lose the ncaa pick em pools every year. Sometimes I try to get too cute and pick a surprise pick who others wont pick and it backfires. Davis looked pretty good it will be interesting to see who he fights next. He has proven he can beat the average fighters but he needs a win over a legit ww.

4. The Taylor-Lytle fight was a great fight to watch. Lytle and Taylor will continue to get fights in the UFC because they are willing to stand and trade. I thought Taylor won the fight but I was not too upset as I like Lytle.

5. Vera needs to reevaluate things. He has all the skill to be a top notch fighter but he doesnt fight like it. Jardine really is the most awkward fighter to watch, sometimes it looks as if he has never learned how to punch but it is effective.

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6. I am very disappointed they did not show Shane Carwin. He is a monster and they need to start showcasing him. He needs a big fight next.

7. Some interesting results on the prelims. Hardy beating Gono confirms he is a legit prospect in the ww divison. Jim Miller beat a very tough David Baron and he will be a big name in the lw division in the near future. Etim beating Stour was a slight surprise I expect to see Stout again in the UFC as he is a striker. Perhaps we will see a Stout vs. Fisher 3.

Originally Posted by p-jersey

1. Bisping was the better technical fighter and he fought a conservative to get the victory. Leben reminded me a bit of Huerta in his last fight. He showed better discipline and looked to be better technically but lacked the reckless abandon he has in the past which may have helped him in this fight. I appreciate a fighter working to become a better skilled fighter but there is a large gap in technique better between Leben and Bisping and I think at a certain point Leben should have just started swinging repeatedly.

2. Luiz Cane is a serious threat in the lhw division. He has very good striking and also has good bjj we we have yet to see. Sokoudjou needs to learn how to pace himself, he was throwing everything he had into every punch and kick. He has a good judo background so he needs to mix that into his arsenal rather than looking for a knockout on every strike.

3. I knew picking Paul Kelly was a bad choice. Its the same reason I lose the ncaa pick em pools every year. Sometimes I try to get too cute and pick a surprise pick who others wont pick and it backfires. Davis looked pretty good it will be interesting to see who he fights next. He has proven he can beat the average fighters but he needs a win over a legit ww.

4. The Taylor-Lytle fight was a great fight to watch. Lytle and Taylor will continue to get fights in the UFC because they are willing to stand and trade. I thought Taylor won the fight but I was not too upset as I like Lytle.

5. Vera needs to reevaluate things. He has all the skill to be a top notch fighter but he doesnt fight like it. Jardine really is the most awkward fighter to watch, sometimes it looks as if he has never learned how to punch but it is effective.

6. I am very disappointed they did not show Shane Carwin. He is a monster and they need to start showcasing him. He needs a big fight next.

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7. Some interesting results on the prelims. Hardy beating Gono confirms he is a legit prospect in the ww divison. Jim Miller beat a very tough David Baron and he will be a big name in the lw division in the near future. Etim beating Stour was a slight surprise I expect to see Stout again in the UFC as he is a striker. Perhaps we will see a Stout vs. Fisher 3.

I agree with the Bisping decision, but I am very disappointed in the fight. At one point in the 2nd round Bisping almost hurt himself by running into the fence in his haste to get away and Rogan and Goldberg praise his elusiveness. I mean the guy actually said in the post fight interview "My gameplan was to outpoint him for a unanimous decision."

Somewhere along the line, UFC fighters figured out that you can simply play keep away and out box a guy and they will give you the fight. I am a big UFC fan and hated Elite XC after their first CBS show, but the last CBS show was 10 times better fights than this card. The UFC better watch their promotion of gun shy fighters, and their boxing like score system that awards punches landed over attempting to end a fight. Their are guys winning big fights in the UFC lately that would have been carded and fined in Pride.

Originally Posted by barrettO

I agree with the Bisping decision, but I am very disappointed in the fight. At one point in the 2nd round Bisping almost hurt himself by running into the fence in his haste to get away and Rogan and Goldberg praise his elusiveness. I mean the guy actually said in the post fight interview "My gameplan was to outpoint him for a unanimous decision."

Somewhere along the line, UFC fighters figured out that you can simply play keep away and out box a guy and they will give you the fight. I am a big UFC fan and hated Elite XC after their first CBS show, but the last CBS show was 10 times better fights than this card. The UFC better watch their promotion of gun shy fighters, and their boxing like score system that awards punches landed over attempting to end a fight. Their are guys winning big fights in the UFC lately that would have been carded and fined in Pride.

I know you and Dingo have had problems with this in the past (last time was after the florian fight) and while I do not particularly enjoy these type of fights I do not have a problem with them.

MMA is a sport and with every sport there is strategy and tactics involved. Certain fights are going to arise where you need to be more conservative and put entertaining the fans on the backburner. Bisping is generally an aggresive fighter as is Florian as is Griffin (he was criticized after his fight with Rampage) but they have adjusted their gameplans if necessary to win a specific fight. It happens in every sport, if you are playing the suns in basketball you probably dont want to get in a up tempo game, if you are playing the colts you do not want to get into a shootout, and if you are boxing or fighting you do not want to brawl a brawler.

While some of these fights are not the most exciting I can appreciate the fact of being disciplined and sticking to a gameplan that plays to your strengths and exploits your opponents weaknesses. Bisping and Florian were fighting less skilled brawlers and they knew the only way would lose is if they let the fight turn into an all out street fight.

Metsfan, I think Bisping wants a title fight but knows he still needs to improve in areas and knows he still needs to win against a big name before truly deserving a fight against Anderson. The things he has said after fights are things that I have heard said by many other fighters. I at least respect the fact that he understands that he has room to grow as a fighter and still needs to beat a top fighter to say he is title shot worthy. His next fight will be against Franklin/Henderson, if he did not want a title shot he would not take that fight.

Originally Posted by p-jersey

I know you and Dingo have had problems with this in the past (last time was after the florian fight) and while I do not particularly enjoy these type of fights I do not have a problem with them.

MMA is a sport and with every sport there is strategy and tactics involved. Certain fights are going to arise where you need to be more conservative and put entertaining the fans on the backburner. Bisping is generally an aggresive fighter as is Florian as is Griffin (he was criticized after his fight with Rampage) but they have adjusted their gameplans if necessary to win a specific fight. It happens in every sport, if you are playing the suns in basketball you probably dont want to get in a up tempo game, if you are playing the colts you do not want to get into a shootout, and if you are boxing or fighting you do not want to brawl a brawler.

While some of these fights are not the most exciting I can appreciate the fact of being disciplined and sticking to a gameplan that plays to your strengths and exploits your opponents weaknesses. Bisping and Florian were fighting less skilled brawlers and they knew the only way would lose is if they let the fight turn into an all out street fight.

Metsfan, I think Bisping wants a title fight but knows he still needs to improve in areas and knows he still needs to win against a big name before truly deserving a fight against Anderson. The things he has said after fights are things that I have heard said by many other fighters. I at least respect the fact that he understands that he has room to grow as a fighter and still needs to beat a top fighter to say he is title shot worthy. His next fight will be against Franklin/Henderson, if he did not want a title shot he would not take that fight.

I have no problem with Bisping or his gameplan. I thought he fought great and was clearly superior in just about every way.

My problem is with the UFC.

MMA judging is infected by boxing judges and judging. This means a fight is often times scored like an olympic fight where they seem to be adding up number of strikes to the scoring area. Couple this with the bad fit of the 10 point must system and you have a bad situation.

Like I said, I think fighters have realized the slant in the rules system towards this kind of fight and are wisely exploiting it. What it creates is a system that rewards inactivity. Now, tonight I think Bisping wins under any judging system, but I think if the system makes him be more aggressive he wins an MMA fight, not an Ultimate Boxing contest.

Every pro sport recognizes this and does the same. The NFL now outlaws illegal contact downfield, the NBA allows the Pick man to move on a screen now. They are not messing with the integrity, just molding the game to its best form. Coaches and Athletes are constantly looking for a way to win, so a sport must constantly adjust its rules to keep the spirit of the game in line with what was intended. Tonight was a guy deliberately and admittedly "outpointing his opponent to a Unanimous Decision." That is not the best form of MMA, no matter the skill level it takes (just like the grinding defensive styles in these other sports that they ended).

I have no problem with tonight's decision, I just think they need to adjust their rules since more and more fighters seem to be going this route.

A sports best form is completely subjective. If you like offense then of course you would be in favor of rules that have essentially taken away a cornerbacks ability to effectively defend a receiver. NBA wants more points so they make it easier on the offense and harder on the defense. I appreciate a great defense so I hate the rules that the NFL has come up wit to protect quarterbacks and make it much harder on defense. Its matter of preference of what you think is the best. I think there is a place in mma and in every sport for a conservative defensive type game plan. Rather than change the rules to stop that I think fighters need to advance their skillset or their own strategy to overcome that. I do not think they should reward fighters like Leben or Huerta because they prefer to walk straight ahead and throw haymakers.

The spirit or goal of any competitive contest is to win bottom line everything else is secondary. The person who can best implement their gameplan or strategy deserves the victory.

I am not saying UFCs rules are perfect but I hope it never comes to a situation where fighters are feeling pressured to just walk straight ahead and throw a punch as hard as they can regardless of whether that suites their strengths or not.

Originally Posted by MetsFan

Changing the rules to reward people who are attempting to finish the fight doesn't necessarily mean fighters will have to walk straight ahead throwing haymakers though. Lots of other ways in MMA to apply pressure and work for a finish.

Their are already are rewards in place. Their are the money bonuses, being placed in main card fights, and eventually title fights. Guys like machida get penalized for not being aggressive enough. I think if you penalize too much though it does alter the sport. Of course I was overstating to make a point by saying walking in with your head down but I see a trend where guys who fight with a conservative yet disciplined and techinical gameplan get ripped on and I do not agree with that.

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