Do you guys agree with running this fight back? Nog is 44, Rua is 38. Little Nog is 2-4 in his last six, three of the four losses by KO.
I believe both are entering it as a retirement fight...I know Lil Nog is for sure. I think Whittaker either loses a boring decision or KO's Till. No in-between there.
I know he was doing some weight training. So probably a good mix of muscle + fat. He says he feels good and is committed. Even talked about going back down to 205. So we'll see. Hopefully his power increases at HW.
Carla Esparza's corner advice between the 1st and 2nd round is exactly what I hate about MMA coaching these days. Carla's trainer told her Rodriguez would come out more aggressive this round, and to use that aggression to put Marina on the ground and just maintain top control for the next two rounds. Pretty much just told Carla to stall for two rounds and get a boring UD win. I do not know if this is a product of the show/win model of pay or just a scared corner, but working to just maintain top control and nothing else is garbage.
The old boys looked good for a round and a half or so until they literally fell over each other exhausted and from there they looked their age. Still, hard fought and it didn't feel dangerous.
I think Whittaker is the closest thing to GSP we've seen since he retired. He's so well-rounded, level-headed, and humble. He talks openly about his fears and anxieties. He seems super genuine. I love watching him win.
Results Robert Whittaker def. Darren Till via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) Mauricio Rua def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Fabricio Werdum def. Alexander Gustafsson via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 2:30 Carla Esparza def. Marina Rodriguez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27) Paul Craig def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:06 Alex Oliveira def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Khamzat Chimaev def. Rhys McKee via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 3:09 Francisco Trinaldo def. Jai Herbert via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:30 Jesse Ronson def. Nicolas Dalby via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:48 Tom Aspinall def. Jake Collier via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:45 Movsar Evloev def. Mike Grundy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Tanner Boser def. Raphael Pessoa via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:36 Pannie Kianzad def. Bethe Correia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Ramazan Emeev def. Niklas Stolze via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Nathaniel Wood def. John Castaneda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Whittaker blew Till's knee out in the 2nd round; makes sense as to why Till completely let off the gas in the 3rd and in the 4th. In the 4th, he landed a nice 3 punch combo and did absolutely nothing after that. Till is already a cautious, counter striker...add in a blown out knee and he was straight out boring. I would love to see him be more aggressive when he comes back because he's not fooling anyone, anymore. I was not that impressed by Whittaker, either tbh. He threw a lot of crazy looping punches and missed head kicks. If he does that against Cannonier, Costa, or Izzy (again); he's being countered and put to sleep. He really needs to tighten up his striking again if he wants to secure the belt again. He's such a great person and great fighter; hopefully he can fix that hole.
Dude felt the stand up from Gustafsson and smartly decided it was time to hit the ground. Difference between Werdum and Carla is Werdum looks to end the fight from the ground. The man is just a beast with his submission grappling, easily the best in heavyweight history. Fabricio is what I love about MMA, whether the fight is on th feet or on the ground he is always looking to finish.
Werdum really shocked me last night. I thought he was washed and was expecting Gus to KO him in 1st half of the fight. Happy for Werdum, sad for Gus. I hope Gus' doesn't give up his hopes of a HW run either because with his standup he can still be a force at HW. There aren't a lot of BJJ heavy fighters in HW right now.
I agree with you on the Gus sentiment. Blaydes wrestling and Fabricios BJJ will give him problems, but I think Gus matches up well with a lot of the rest of the HW division. His striking is crisp, clean, and his power clearly translates to HW given how fast Werdum opted to take the fight to the ground.
