MMA news updates

Instead of spamming the boards everytime I see some cool news, I’ll post it here. I’ll also keep track of prospects I like, new signings to ufc/dwcs/Bellator/etc.

* Edited at 05.02.2022, 4:44 PM ET *

Maybe either Ruffy or Forrest is substituting either Hamed or Magomedaliev. Also Ayy´s source for Lima is from an insider, but is as legit as it comes

It’s also possible jair farias isn’t fighting anyone and was added as a glitch 

Blackshear v. Johnson got added on the RDA card.  Feels like an easy win for Blackshear.  I also thought Johnson got cut but guess not.

Ben tynan has signed with ONE. One of their weirdest signings in a minute; legit makes no sense

* Edited at 08.08.2023, 9:50 AM ET *

Rickson zenidim is confirmed for week 10 dwcs. Must be fighting Andre lima 

So many more names have been rumored in the last couple days, we need another DWCS recap to keep track of what spots are left.

This one is mostly accurate https://mmaintel.blog/2023-dana-whites-contender-series/

Casey oneil is out, Jennifer Maia stepping in to replace her at ufc 293

* Edited at 08.08.2023, 3:48 PM ET *

Izzy sean official😒just a free title win for izzy moving him up on the all time list😒

Tatsuro Taira is facing David Dvorak next, pretty sure it's his shot vs a ranked opponent.

Damn that rumor about Jason knight winning tuf was untrue I guess. Kurt holobaugh slept him. Unbelievable fight

Of course maybe holobaugh is injured and knight is stepping in but who knows 

The is the first episode of TUF I have catched missed the whole ****** thing....... And I wanted to watch every episode

Well I watched TUF 14 religiously and I am telling you that was a worthy season, and vintage bantam/feather action...... Brandao was a true underdog story, my favorite Brazilian fighter next to Aldo, probably

Great fight but is anyone worried that Hubbard is just going to outwrestle Holobaugh for three rounds.

@Khanate
Dvorak is unranked now.
But I want to believe if Tatsuro wins he gets to the top 15.
For example Mokaev got ranked after three victories against unranked opponents. Taira is 4-0 already.

I don't think you need to worry too much about Taira and the pace which he goes at, he's so young at 23 and already on the cusp of being ranked, which may be too soon. I don't know if you remember the Kyoji Horiguchi situation where he became the number 1 contender at around 24 and the UFC offered him the title shot and he and his team declined, they said they felt they'd be ready to fight for the title in 18-24 months time, that he stilled needed to develop and gain experience. The UFC told Kyoji if he didn't accept the title shot, that he would never get another opportunity and that you simply do not decline title shots. Crazy I know, but they forced the Mighty Mouse fight on him before he was ready and then discarded him. 

Tatsuro showed us in his last bout he's not ready, to be honest, he may lose to Dvorak, this is a bigger step up than I expected, totally winnable too though. A young undefeated fighter getting his streak snapped can be good or bad but it's a pretty significant moment for those who are chasing greatness rather than just aiming to hang around. Taira did a lot of his last camp in Team Elevation in Colorado, I know in Japan he's trained a little with Tenshin Nasukawa but I still think even training wise he's figuring things out, for whatever reason he trains at a smaller Paraestra gym in Japan rather than out of the bigger one where both Makoto Shinryu and Rei Tsuruya train as fellow Japanese Flyweights. I think figuring out your process and building your environment, your extended network, coaches, teammates, bring in sparring partner , cross training etc takes time and can be crucial for development. Volk is such a clear example, I doubt 7 years ago or however long when he was a prospect in the UFC he had connections to train with Chechen wrestlers and sambists, Tae Kwon Do world champions and their gyms, his own personal wrestling coach who was a D1 stand out etc etc. 

I think he beats dvorak. Dvorak does a whole lot of nothing in there; he just point fights. Taira doesn’t have to worry about getting touched up on the feet because dvorak is not a finisher

I think he beats Dvorak too but I also think this is a bigger test than Chairez by a considerable margin and we just watched Taira struggle there. Dvorak isn't very dangerous in terms of finishing, that's for sure but he's a competent and well rounded fighter with high level experience who's very durable and game for all 15 minutes. The point is also, at 23, if Taira gets a ranking it's all uphill from there, the UFC doesn't allow for toothpaste back in the bottle. Beating Dvorak even if it's by the skin of his teeth or a struggle, probably just means harder and harder fights rather than pulling back a little to gain experience or adjust things etc. At 23 pacing and building a fighter up is everything. I don't hate this matchup though 

the narrative that taira struggled against chairez is such bs. i thought the fight was super 1 sided

He did struggle in some moments but you gotta realize he had to cut weight twice in a short span and got a new opponent he had to prepare for. Outside of getting clipped once and the mounted guillotine it was a domination. Getting hit on the feet didn’t shock me because it was evident taira can’t strike that well in the vergara fight. But his grappling is high level enough to beat most guys. Dvorak is a nothingburger so I don’t see where he’s a threat to taira 

Also idk, there’s still a ton of easy fights. Schnell, sumudareji, perez, Elliott are all pretty easy fights for taira. I would also favor him over Erceg and tagir. It’s the top 6 where things start to get tough

* Edited at 08.09.2023, 9:57 AM ET *