E9 – UFC 206 Card, Fight Night 101

Discussion on the UFC 206 Card, it blew up this week,  the UFC Fight Night 101 card, Brunson-Whittaker in particular, Rashad and Cormier being pulled, Gastelum and Kennedy being scheduled on the UFC 206 card, McGregor giving up his Featherweight Championship, does this make Jose Aldo happy now? Meisha Tate questioning Rousey’s desire to fight, Big Nog questioning Fedor, JDS calling out Stipe (politely), Rothwell being annoyed.

UFC Fight Night 101 Discussion
Robert Whittaker (16-4) vs. Derek Brunson (16-3)

Round 1 – Brunson lands a couple single shots. Brunson returns and this just turned into a brawl. Things get a little sloppy as Brunson is chasing desparately. It calms. I had to stop typing because this fight got crazy. Crazy. They exchange wildly, reminiscent of Forrest and Bonnar. Then Whittaker catches Brunson. Brunson is dazed. Whittaker swarms him but somehow Brunson stays alive. It calms for a moment and then Whittaker lands a huge right head kick and it disillusions Brunson. He covers up on the feet and Whittaker unleashes a barrage of blows that collapses Brunson. More on the ground before the ref finally steps in. WOWOWOWOW!!!!!

/ what was brunson doing?

“It really sucks,” Brunson told MMAjunkie. “I put together a streak, and worked really hard. But I came out here and fought with no game plan, like a chump tonight. Iʼll take it on the chin. Iʼm better than I showed.

“This sport is growing. Itʼs about patience, rather than getting caught up in five in a row, want a title shot, main event. The goal is to put on a great fight and be smart.”

“I had him against the cage, and I felt him breathing really hard,” Brunson told Australiaʼs Submission Radio. “I could have really slowed him down and gotten the takedown. But I didnʼt make smart decisions. Instead of going to my wrestling, which I knew I had the upper hand, I was more intent on trying to knock him out.”

Brunson could potentially fight Chris Weidman or Vitor Belfort in 2017

/ Whittaker wants to fight Moussasi next

Whittaker has his sights set on the reinvented Gegard Mousasi, who has been on a tear in the 185 pound division and has won three of his last four fights via KO or TKO.

“Heʼs a top athlete, heʼs a top fighter, and heʼs a cool dude,” Whittaker said of Mousasi at the post-fight press conference, per Steven Marrocco and John Morgan of MMA Junkie. “If thatʼs a fight the UFC wants, thatʼs a fight theyʼll get.”

“Itʼs funny, because I actually remember in the fight as I was backing away, I was thinking, does he think he rocked me? I wasnʼt rocked,” Whittaker said. “I was still in it. A lot of people were critical of his game plan charging forward, but ask the last four dudes. He takes you out of it.”

• /  Cormier injured off of UFC 206 card
• /  Rashad issues – off of UFC 206 card
• /  Gastelum vs Kennedy announced for UFC 206 card despite suspension
• /  UFC 206 card – PreviouslyDaniel Cormier (c)(18-1) vs. Anthony Johnson (22-5)* Max Holloway (16-3) vs. Anthony Pettis (19-5) Rashad Evans (19-5-1) vs. Tim Kennedy (18-5) Donald Cerrone (31-7, 1 NC) vs. Matt Brown (20-15) Valerie Letourneau (8-5) vs. Viviane Pereira (11-0) Zach Makovsky (19-7) vs. John Moraga (16-5)

  John Makdessi (14-5) vs. Lando Vannata (8-1) Olivier Aubin-Mercier (8-2) vs. Drew Dober (17-7) Jason Saggo (12-2) vs. Rustam Khabilov (20-3) Nikita Krylov (21-4) vs. Misha Cirkunov (12-2) Cub Swanson (23-7) vs. Doo Ho Choi (15-1) Jordan Mein (26-10) vs. Emil Meek (8-2-1)
  Mitch Gagnon (12-3) vs. Matthew Lopez (8-1)

  NOW
  Max Holloway (16-3) vs. Anthony Pettis (19-5)**
  Tim Kennedy (18-5) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (12-2) — Pending Commission Approval

  Donald Cerrone (31-7, 1 NC) vs. Matt Brown (20-15) Valerie Letourneau (8-5) vs. Viviane Pereira (11-0) Zach Makovsky (19-7) vs. John Moraga (16-5)
  John Makdessi (14-5) vs. Lando Vannata (8-1) Olivier Aubin-Mercier (8-2) vs. Drew Dober (17-7) Jason Saggo (12-2) vs. Rustam Khabilov (20-3) Nikita Krylov (21-4) vs. Misha Cirkunov (12-2)

  Cub Swanson (23-7) vs. Doo Ho Choi (15-1) Jordan Mein (26-10) vs. Emil Meek (8-2-1) Mitch Gagnon (12-3) vs. Matthew Lopez (8-1) Dustin Ortiz (15-6) vs. John Moraga (16-5)

• /  McGregor gives up Featherweight belt
• /  jose aldo – does he feel better ?
• /  Meisha Tate questions Rousey’s motivation upon return, is rooting for Nunes to retain belt“I guess whatʼs really difficult for me to decide is what weʼre going to get out of Rousey,” Tate told MMA Junkie at a recent media scrum in Melbourne, Australia. “Is she doing it because she wants to or is she doing it before she feels obligated? Is that knockout going to be in the back of her mind? Is she going to be punch shy? Itʼs kind of like – I remember when I went skiing for the first time, I was like 5 years old and I just blitzed down the hill. I had no fear. The first time that I wrecked really, really hard is when I realized this is actually dangerous … so you kind of wonder what has that put in the back of her mind?”

  “I know that Amanda is a very solid fighter and she hits like a ton of bricks,” Tate said. “Sheʼs a very worthy opponent. It should be interesting. … I want Amanda to win. Sheʼs a sweetheart and a good girl. I think she deserves it.”

• /  Big Nog says its time for Fedor to retire”He waited too much to [get into] the UFC,” Nogueira said. “If he got to the UFC five years ago, maybe seven years ago, something like this, he’d be in his prime, but now, it’s not his time to go anymore. So if I’m in his place, it’s time to retire.”

  Fedor (36-4, 1 NC) will be facing Matt Mitrione on February 18th, the first of his multi-year, multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA. Big Nog acknowledged Fedorʼs performance against Fabio Maldonado, which ended in a controversial decision win for “The Last Emperor,” but otherwise still believes he has enough left in the tank to get the win.

  “I mean Fedor is the favorite for this fight, he’s fighting more, he’s been more in shape,” Nogueira said. “But a fight’s a fight, you never know, you know? You have a fighter in [Fabio] Maldonado, in the last fight, you know, Maldonado surprised him. So a fight is a fight, but letʼs see — Fedor’s got everything to win this fight.”

• /  JDS calls out Stipe in tweetHey @stipemiocicufc enjoy Thanksgiving in ur new home- hope it’s filled w great food & friends. Let’s fight after the holidays?Brooklyn? LMK
• /  Rothwell annoyed by JDS
  @stipemiocicufc serious who cares man. **** off. Are wegoing to build the HW division or what?