Greenman

I think this will be an excellent season, Big Nog is truely a great fighter in all aspects, and Mir, well, I dunno about him, but I do know he does have some slick BJJ.

My only concern is what might come out of this. Did ANY of the previous HW's go anywhere in the HW division? Come to think of it has any Tuffer even had a close chance of reaching the top?

Meh, oh well, I will still watch.

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Drewplata

Although I am not such a big fan of TUF, you have to respect some of the real talent the show has brought to life. Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez, Josh Koscheck, and Rashad Evans are a few examples and I'm sure the notable others will be pointed out. One common denominator of the examples above is that they were all from the earlier shows. Recent cuts from the UFC have been littered with alums of more recent TUF seasons. Nate Diaz may not fit that mold, but I think it is fair to assume that he may have made a name (Nate, that is, not Diaz) for himself with or without the show. So yes, there are some Tuffers who have come close to the top.

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Ryduce

Mir will submit my hero, and though it will hurt me momentarily, it will be the greatest moment in MMA history.

Mir has been through hell, and Nogueira is known for his comebacks, but when Mir submits the unsubmittable it will be the greatest comeback of all.

Mir by kneebar. Don't stop believing!!!!

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May all the glory of Brock be with you.

MTKrav911

It's not totally impossible. Mir has tons of subs off his back, it's just that because as a HW, he's had to resort to Stand Up vs guys like Wes Sims, etc.

Then again, he did break Tim Sylvia's arm in half.

The man has just an insane knowledge of position which is 95% of the Jiu Jitsu game.

I mean look at his fight with Lesnar. Look at it objectively. Yes, Lesnar has minimal MMA experience, but Lesnar was actually fairly smart in his approach. Try to pound with punches the smaller guy.

What did Mir Do?

Mir ate those punches/hammerfists, etc. And being the smaller guy? MADE HIMSELF EVEN SMALLER by curling up into a position to grab a foot, then let Lesnar try and fight out of it which is exactly what a good BJJ guy wants, then Mir pulls in tighter and gets the leg, LEG BAR/KNEE BAR TIME = Tapout for Brock

It was so simple in approach, but textbook BJJ by Mir.

Nog?

I love him. He'll fool Mir into thinking he's done then BOOM

But time will tell.

Should be an interesting next 12 months.

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"I may not break your spirit, but I sure as hell can break your back! Last Stop MeatbalL!" - Thunderlips (Rocky III)

StrikeHARD

While I'm not happy at having to wait so long for a development in the HW division, I don't see how they could give a title shot to anyone but Mir... What are the other options?

Werdum: Coming off a good win over Gonzaga, but also lost to Arlovski, which was such a boring fight that it could have cost AA his UFC status.

Herring: Good win over Kongo, but has lost numerous times to Nogueira.

Lesnar: Lost his debut to Mir

Kongo: Defeated by Herring in his last outing, after the biggest win of his career over Mirko Cro Cop

Gonzaga: Looked in bad shape against Werdum and incidentally lost.

Vera: Lost his last fight to Sylvia...

To summarise; I don't see anyone more deserving of a title shot than Mir, even though I don't believe Mir deserves one lol. Should make for an intersting series of TUF with both being BJJ practitioners. But I do think the best part of Mir's game - and what he relies on - is his BJJ, which I think is not as good as Nogueira's... Mir could be in for a long night...

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Drewplata

Let us not forget, the UFC created their own HW problem. Excluding Fedor and Randy from the conversation (for fear of that puke taste returning to my mouth), there are HWs out there that could have strengthened the division. Regardless of opinions about Sylvia and Arlovski's styles, they at least gave the HW division some depth. And look how long it has been for Josh Barnett between quality fights. Was the UFC that afraid of someone who could/did beat Randy? I know he got busted for steroids, but it would not have been the 1st time someone returned from that.

But the point is, why shine light on your weakest division? Will Dana be wearing a t shirt that says "F@#% Randy" on one side and "F$%^ Fedor" on the other? I guess I just don't get this one.

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MTKrav911

Fair enough.

But in all Fairness?

Cro Cop coming into the HW picture of The UFC only 19 months ago? Then being that HUGE HUGE bust he is now?

And now it 's all of a suddent The UFC's fault for having a "HW PROBLEM"?????

It's not that the UFC created this. It's that fighters who were supposed to be on top by now arent. And actually are fairly gone from the picture because theyve been embarassed/exposed.

I mean after Cro Cop signed with The UFC in 12-06, was there any doubt he wouldnt be UFC HW champ by now?

If I told you in 12-06 that Big NOg would be teh champ, Fedor not in the picture, and Cro Cop 1-2 in The UFC back then

Would you believe me?

It isnt the UFC's fault with regards to the HW division. It's their fault that they havent done anything to replace these guys.

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"I may not break your spirit, but I sure as hell can break your back! Last Stop MeatbalL!" - Thunderlips (Rocky III)

Kurtis636

The HW division is so shallow that it's not really going to kill them to hold off on another title defense. What they need to do is really work on the HW division between now and around Dec. 08 or Jan. 09 so that there is a buzz about who will get the next HW title shot. I think we all wan to see some depth in the HW division and in order to do that they need to put the HWs on PPV in the next 6 months or so.

Right now who do they have that could legitimately fight for the title? Vera, Werdum... and who else? Lesnar obviously isn't ready for a title shot, Arlovski is probably out the door, Kongo just lost, Herring is 1-2 in the UFC, Gonzaga has lost 2 in a row... honestly I'm at a loss as to what they can really do until they sign some more legit talent and build those guys up. Putting the HW title on ice is going to be unpopular with the fans but it's probably the correct choice.

FYI, here is the entire HW roster for the UFC:

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Dirty Fighter

I've examined this post thoroughly numerous times and can't seem to find the sarcasm smilie.....

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MTKrav911

He broke the arm of a man almost a foot taller than him rather easily.

I agree, it's kinda laughable on the surface.

But I wouldnt laugh about fighting a guy who I knew broke a guy's arm who was much bigger than me.

It's taht "Back of your mind thing" argument.

Sure, Mir has had a massive life threatening injury in breaking his femur secondary to a motorcycle accident.

Sure, Mir has a replaced hip that limits your life span ultimately, and he's only 30.

Sure, Mir looked like crap a few times in his comeback, but BTW, look at all the above.

Then....

Mir takes teh best from a VERY VERY VERY large man in Brock Lesnar who rained down elbows, hammerfists, etc.

Which wouldve likely put MANY MANY guys at HW in any promotion in trouble.

Not Mir.

I have to give Mir the benefit of the doubt in the sense that he has a habit of subbing guys who he has a HUGE HUGE physical disadvantage over.

It seems Mir steps up past the fact that theoretically he should be dead after that motorcycle accident.

And even before the accident? He was beating up guys much larger.

I LOVE THAT ABOUT MIR

I hate big MOfo's. I love it whent he smaller guy wins.

BTW, Mir is what? 6'3?

GO MIR!

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"I may not break your spirit, but I sure as hell can break your back! Last Stop MeatbalL!" - Thunderlips (Rocky III)

KungFuGrip

Kurtis636 I notice Dan Severn on the Hw list, I think he deserves the shot more than anyone lol No disrespect to Dan really, he was on the list though.

Good point mades guys.

Just my thoughts. You guys think Dana subconsciously wants Mir to win to show case Nogs win as a one time thing sorta (Also to prove UFC HWs are superior cause Nog's still fairly new. Think about it, styles make matches and who better to beat Nog other than another great BJJ expert in Mir. Plus Mir is more marketable in a business sense. Don't get me wrong, I was trying to think why the UFC do what they do sometimes. Not trying to rekindle an old fire.

After saying that I would like want Nog to win. He's put in the work. He's also very respectable and sincere. When he ask Randy to please come fight him after defeating Tim Silvia, you can't help but admire this guys passion for what he does.

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"If you don't want to be hit in the back of the head, turn around."

Crazy

The fact is that there is not many big guys who`s been doing well in mma.
I guess they are to easy to submit?? Only one that comes into my mind is Sylvia and he do looses to submission when he loose.

Sidenote:
Big Nog alsow had a very bad accident when he was small.
A car crashing in to him. He was told he would never be able to do sport or walk good. He says that every time he is getting knocked down and are having problems in a fight he look back at how he overcome his earlier problems in life and keep moving.Got to love his heart.

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mammoth91

Sweet post Krav ! Really sums up how I feel about Mir as well. I will say this, Frank wins this fight...

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Lau Kune Do

Ryduce

I will never turn my back on Mir, no matter how much I love Nog.

If Mir wins, it will be a bigger upset than any Serra/Gonzaga/Sokoudjou ever could be.

I will ride the bandwagon to the uttermost ends of the earth!!

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May all the glory of Brock be with you.

Gooner

Barnett had Nog in some trouble in their first fight, but Barnett is just on another level compared to Mir.


Also, Ryduce... you can root for/be a fan of someone and not proclaim that he'll win the fight. You should try it some time.
Especially with Mir.

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mammoth91

Aww, come on Gooner. It's fun to go out on a ledge and pick a winner. I do think he said " If " Mir wins, I however did say that Frank will win, so if I'm correct, I'm smart. If he loses, not so much...

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Lau Kune Do

AikaImmortal

Yet another division tied up with a worthless 'title bout' tagged on at the end of it.

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fullonshred

December.... That will give Travis Lutter time to get Mir's cardio straightened out......

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Elder

Mir with a title shot? TUF is now officially turning into a joke.

DW is just thinking ahead to some money fights. If Mir were to pull off a freak win, he could have some good paydays ahead.

1. a rematch with Vera
2. a rematch with Lesnar, who DW probably wants as the champion anyway for publicity reason


Let's face it, Nog is a great fighter, but I just don't see many Nog fights that the average payperview buyer wants to pay for. I don't think he is a money-maker for the UFC and DW knows it. Someone like Lesnar would be.

Ryduce

Come on Gooner, you know this is what I do when it comes to Mir fighting. I think the fact that he even gets into the cage with a monster like Lesnar after the accident is amazing. I'm usually pretty objective except when it's my top bros fighting.

Join me in a Mir celebration, and I will proclaim the greatness of Penn and Finland.

Together, the galaxy will be ours!!!!

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May all the glory of Brock be with you.