Re: UFC on Fuel TV 8: Japan 2013 [live right now] Stefan Struve has a broken jaw. Paid a steep price for his stupidity tonight.
I dunno. I admire his desire to put on a show for the fans in Japan. He is a company man. His game plan of getting into wild exchanges with Wandy was idiotic. Stann hurt Wand every time he hit him. Wand was wobbled at least three times. Why Stann didn't decide to pick his shots and not get into a brawl with him can really only be explained by him wanting to be an entertainer and, maybe, wanting to help Wand put on a good performance in Japan.
both co main cards were wildly entertaining. hopefully the uc takes care of all four fighters because they deserve it.
Did Sanchez look good - or was Gomi just that bad again? I HATE these damn Fuel cards! Does anybody get that freakin' channel?
Re: UFC on Fuel TV 8: Japan 2013 [live right now] A few thoughts on the event... Bryan Caraway and Miesha Tate are going to rival Jorge & Zoila Gurgel as the most reviled couple in MMA soon. Between Caraway's safety first style and Tate's constant whining about Ronda Rousey they are giving everyone about all they can stand. Tate's advice to Caraway to coast in the third round was some of the worst cornering since BJ Penn's last fight. Caraway would've won the fight with a takedown or two in the third round and some top control, I reckon, but I don't know if he had the energy to pull it off. I know he tried a little for takedowns in the third but he didn't go all-in, probably thinking he had the first two rounds in the bag. Yushin Okami and Stun Gun are not so exciting to watch but they are both effective with what they do. Bahadurzada looked helpless against DHK's smothering attack and Lombard had opportunities but his gas ran out some time in the second round. Lombard's (expensive) UFC tenure could be over before it really begins if Zuffa is intent on cutting fat and excess. Lombard is undersized for middleweight as well which doesn't help. Both of these guys (Bahadurzada & Lombard) are only going to shine if given the right kind of opponent and they didn't get those tonight. Bahadurzada knew who he was fighting and still didn't fight to the death to avoid being taken down or to get back up. Lombard could hardly reach Okami's chin and had his judo nullified by Okami's wrestling. I knew Sanchez/Gomi was going to be close going into the third but I thought Gomi won that fight. Sanchez was throwing one punch or kick at a time while backing up. Gomi was coming forward but in all honesty he wasn't very effective. I don't know if any of his punches hurt Sanchez, and the one the commentators hung on (the body shot) was odd since Sanchez landed a harder counter right hand in the exchange that backed Gomi off. Gomi looked like he was in great shape so I'm not sure why he wasn't more active and aggressive. Maybe he feared Sanchez's takedowns? Stefan Struve's performance was baffling. I don't know if it is ego or what but dropping his hands with Hunt and getting into a bungalow throwing contest with him has to be the worst game plan in MMA history. He was doing exceptionally well on the mat where I thought he might eventually submit Hunt. Was he that tired in the third that he'd rather get his chin checked than keep his hands up? The stoppage looked shitty at first but Struve had a tooth lodged in his cheek and a broken jaw so it's just as well. Speaking of abysmal game plans, Stann's decision to stand-and-Wang with Wandy didn't pan out. Wandy's chin is terrible these days and every time he got touched he either fell over or let his hands go to his sides. Stann gifted him this one. Not the best night of fights but the last two made up for it.
Re: UFC on Fuel TV 8: Japan 2013 [live right now] Stefan Struve @StefanStruve 45 minutes to the hospital without painkillers.. Man, please choke me out.. Jaw is hurting like crazy..
Re: UFC on Fuel TV 8: Japan 2013 [live right now] Wandy & Stann -- Fight of the Night ($50k/each) Wandy & Hunt -- KO of the Night ($50k/each)
Re: UFC on Fuel TV 8: Japan 2013 [live right now] I thought Wandy might retire after this big KO win in Japan. I mean, he didn't even try to make weight for this fight and forced it to be at 205-lbs... maybe this will spark him again.
Sanchez has been contemplating retirement and I think this was one of his least aggressive performances. Maybe Gomi was expecting a different kind of fight? Dunno about Fuel TV. Every UFC event (non-PPV) and television series/special is shown on the same national sports channel in Canada.
Agreed though I figured Struve would get robbed of the FOTN with the wild fight the main-eventers put on.
Kudos to the UFC's producer/director for two long uninterrupted shots of this... like we wanted to see more of it...
According to Fight Metric, both fighters attempted about 100 strikes in the main event, with Stann edging Wand 64/49. That's a high pace for light heavyweights.
Apparently there was a little miscommunication between Stefan Struve and Herb Dean at the end of the fight. Struve, while down, pointed to his jaw, indicating that there was a problem (a tooth was lodged in his cheek) but Dean interpreted it as Struve telling him he was injured and the fight was stopped. Turned out Struve's jaw was broken so probably for the best that it was ended.
You'll never guess which middleweight Yushin Okami wants to fight next? I think every middleweight right now is eyeballing Bisping for a big payday. The dude has a stellar record and yet everybody thinks they can toy with him. Belcher, Rockhold, and Lombard have also called him out recently.
Diego Sanchez wants to fight Nate Diaz next. Good fight, easy to sell considering the history between Diego & Nick, but I dunno if Sanchez gets to pick his next opponent after a so-so performance (and gift decision) on top of missing weight.
I would love to watch Stann/Wanderlei on every UFC PPV, what an amazing fight. Love that Wand won, felt so bad for Stann also. That fight could have gone either way. What an amazing fight. Nate Diaz would beat Diego. Hunt/Roy Nelson needs to happen, now.
