I won't be able to watch this weekend's UFC event as the wife and I will be in the White Mountains in AZ. Still though, I've been reflecting on the matchup of Mir vs CroCop and why I feel so conflicted about it. Then I read this article on Bloody Elbow and it totally clicked for me. Even though I am pulling for CroCop to win I subconsciously realize that those days are over. The fierce tenacity with which he used to fight is long-since gone, replaced now by the hesitant almost timid nature of the aging fighter.

Made me sad to read that article, but at the same time it made me realize that deep down, I know he doesn't have it anymore.
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I too am sad to see Cro Cop fall to the level of has-been. Thing is, Mir isn't too far behind.

One thing I've noticed is that once a fighter suffers big KO loss their career usually takes a drastic turn downwards. Fighters get hesitant, afraid to be caught again, instead of what they had done their entire career.

Mirko is the prime example. He has been a shell of himself since the Gonzaga fight. Chuck (although age plays a big role) has gone from being the man to deliver a KO at will to being the guy who takes them from almost out of the blue.

MMA fighters age ever so quickly, and not so gracefully.
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yeah sakauraba didn't look like he did 10 years ago ealier this morning. It really makes you respect Randy Couture and what he has done.
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Eh Couture is another one. If you think about it, his last big win vs a quality (and even that is subjective) opponent was against Vera, where personally I thought he lost. His game is beyond boring. Holding guys against the cage and dirty boxing isn't really MMA, especially when the refs allow it to continue for way longer than it should with him.
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Ugh....why?
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Ah, that last fight made me tired I'm going to bed.
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Fans Booing gillard vs. stephens? WTF. These two slugged it out the entire fight. Also how'd Gillard win the third round in anyones eyes?
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Dunham Sherk, Tough fight, these two must have said to each other "let's just throw hands for 15 minutes".

ps. watching the fights now, and giving my recaps...
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Most fans are uneducated drunk retards. Booing 2 guys that fought their hearts out is ridiculous. Even worse is booing when the judges make a bad decision. It's not the fighters fault if the judges picked the wrong guy so why boo him? Ignoramuses
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This article makes me sad :-)

War Fedor!!!!
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It looks like all of our hard-core MMA guys have dropped out of this thread lately. UFC 120 was alright. Great knockout of Hardy. Didn't see that one coming. The Bisping/Akiyama fight was decent but I think they showed each other too much respect. But the fact that buffer announced him as "Sexy-yama" made me smile. Damn you Michael Schiavello LOL. And the Cheick Kongo fight just leads me to believe that the guy is an incredible douche-bag when it comes to throwing below the belt knees. That fight was yawn-inspiring.

Anybody got any predictions for this weekend's event?
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Here's the card if anyone hasn't checked it out:

UFC Heavyweight Championship
Brock Lesnar (No. 1 HW) vs. Cain Velasquez (No. 4 HW)

Jake Shields (No. 3 MW, No. 8 PFP) vs. Martin Kampmann (No. 6 WW)
Paulo Thiago (No. 7 WW) vs. Diego Sanchez
Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill
Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Court McGee vs. Ryan Jensen
Patrick Cote vs. Tom Lawlor
Michael Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts
Sam Stout vs. Paul Taylor
Gilbert Yvel vs. Jon Madsen
Dongi Yang vs. Chris Camozzi

Personally I hope Hamil thumps the **** out of Tito... if for no other reason than Hamil is like the heartwarming story and Tito is well, Tito...
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UFC Heavyweight Championship
Brock Lesnar (No. 1 HW) vs. Cain Velasquez (No. 4 HW) - Lesnar

Jake Shields (No. 3 MW, No. 8 PFP) vs. Martin Kampmann (No. 6 WW) - Shields
Paulo Thiago (No. 7 WW) vs. Diego Sanchez - Thiago
Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill - Hamill
Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga - Draw
Court McGee vs. Ryan Jensen - Jensen

The rest I have not seen fight enough to know enough to call.
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I'm thinking the Stout/Taylor fight is going to be awesome. Love to watch both of those guys.

I'm not really sure what to expect from Brock/Cain. I'd easily chalk it up and go with Brock, but Cain is definitely a capable opponent.

Shields V Kampmann could be another weird one. I personally dislike Kampmann, I feel that the UFC has already handed him a victory over a new incoming champion from another promotion (Condit clearly beat him) If it stays close I can easily see another job on Shields.

I think this could be a solid top to bottom card. First one I will be ordering in a few months.
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Upcoming MMA:

10-21 - Bellator 33
10-22 - Strikeforce challengers 11
10-23 - Turku Fight 2
10-23 - UFC 121
10-24 - DEEP 50th Impact
10-28 - Bellator 34
10-29 - Superior Challenge 6
10-29 - M1 Challenge
10-30 - Sengoku Raiden Championship 15
11-13 - UFC 122
11-20 - UFC 123
12-03 - XFC XII
12-04 - The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale
12-11 - K-1 World GP 2010 Finals
12-11 - UFC 124
01-01 - UFC 125
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Yeah UFC 121 looks pretty good. Don't forget about Bellator thusday, Eddie Alvarez is on that card. EA MMA came out today too. The only place you can see Fedor vs Couture.
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I played the demo awhile back. It was meh at best for me. The action was very slow and missing the "excitement" factor of an actual fight. While it was more technical than the UFC game (especially the submission x-rays) it was just a little bland for me. I'll pass on the game.
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Thiss will keep ya busy for a while.
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maybee they cleaned it up because its getting better reviews than undisputed. I bought the first undisputed and loved it at 1st until THQ kept making patches that screwed up the online play. I doubt ea will havethat problem.
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Is K-1 considered MMA??
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