Anyone out there want to have anymore discussions on how Pride fighters are "struggling?"

Wow, Warlord.....one Pride fighter actually performs and now you feel vindicated.....lol

Not to mention that Tim Sylvia damn near had Nogueira out cold. Listen, I am not a pride hater, but there is no way that Nog gets past Frank Mir or even Kongo. Nog is not the same fighter he was years ago. Too many battles and too many wars (ex: Don Frye).

Rampage beat an aging "Iceman". After Rampage beats a Tito Ortiz, or even a Kieth Jardine, I will be a tad bit more inclined to believe what you are saying. But we all know that there are a host of other Pride fighters that have struggled and lost, so isn't it all about timing and matchmaking and not so much about who has superior fighters?

I don't feel vindicated about anything, I am simply stating a fact that PRIDE FC fighters now hold the majority of the UFC's championships.

Rampage also beat a younger Liddell too. Liddell IMO hasnt really declined IMO.

And Rampage will beat the shit out of Jardine and Tito Ortiz. They have no chance against him.

I never liked Sylvia... or any guys that basically get by on being physical freaks like Valuev in boxing. I'm glad he got submitted.

Rampage is no super fighter, he was clearly beaten by a much smaller Matt Lindland a couple years ago. I like Rampage because he is funny, and his personality seems to be cool, but I think he is definitely overhyped. I think that Forest Griffin, Thiago Silva, and Matt Hamill all have a good shot at defeating him. Rampage has great standup, but on the ground he is EXTREMELY limited.

And biggeorge89- Liddell has shown some serious signs that he is fading. His recent win over Wanderlei didn't prove much.

I can see Matt Hamill as the future champ in the UFC at that weight.

brutalbodyshots, gotta disagree with you about tim sylvia getting by on his physical attributes. the guy's just big. he's not athletic or naturally gifted, and is nowhere near as big as valuev. i have a lot of respect for sylvia because i think he gets by on hard work and dedication which has led to conditioning, great recovery time and a decently rounded skill set (good defensive wrestling and grappling). he's got a lot of height and reach but that's not enough to say he's gotten by on physicality.

Matt Hamill will NEVER be a champion in the UFC. His standup sucks, and he has no clue whatsoever on what to do once he does manage to get the takedown on an opponent. That lay-and-pray bullshit works on TUF, but translates very poorly into legitimate MMA fights.

See above post.

I forgot to debate your point in regards to Quinton Jackson. The guy is light years beyond what he was in his Pride days. The UFC rules favor Rampage's style, and I think it is going to be tough for any of the current 205lbers to beat him. Rampage had two fathers in Pride, Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio Rua. In the UFC, however, I don't think the Chute Boxe style of Muai Thai translates too well, especially since soccer kicks are not allowed here in the states. So for someone to sit here and say Rampage is over-rated, is, IMO, a little unfair. He raped the UFC's poster boy in front of millions, then pulled out a close, fairly convincing win over a very dangerous Dan Henderson.

And as for the statement that Rampage is weak on the ground, well, that too is a little innaccurate. You guys need to look at Quinton's wrestling background before making a statement like that, and then get back to me. He's more skilled, MMA-wise, on the ground than either Forrest Griffin or Matt Hamill ever dreamed of being. As for hands... well... we don't have to go there, do we?

I will agree to (sort of) disagree.

Tim does train hard, and his conditioning shows. But his stand up is very painful to watch: hobbling around on stilts he calls legs. His ground game is where it needs to be-purely defensive.

Monson dropped the ball, but lets face it: the only reason SnowCone had difficulty is because he's 4'3" and Sylvia is 9'2", if Tim were a little shorter, or Monson were a little taller (and this is arguably the case in every one of Tim's fights) the results could have been different.
Tim really doesn't look very strong for his size *cough* Lesnar *cough* so he doesn't really appear to be a big lifter.

His biggest asset has nothing to do with skill, or luck, or training. His biggest asset is his chin. The boy can take a punch.


Put an iron jaw on a telephone pole, and throw it in the ring, and we'll see similar results-but the telephone pole won't wear the belt out for lunch at McDonalds.

Not to mention that Tim Sylvia damn near had Nogueira out cold. Listen, I am not a pride hater, but there is no way that Nog gets past Frank Mir or even Kongo>>>>


really. Frank has one decent fight in years, against a strong fighter with no experience at all. A fight in which he was damn lucky the fight got stood up and he is a major force?

Last I checked the absolute best that could be said about Kongo's ground game is he impruved. He's far from elite

"A fight in which he was damn lucky the fight got stood up"

completely wrong.

i'm not saying mir would beat nog- he wouldn't, in my opinion. but to say mir was lucky the fight was stood up is a bit strange. i mean... he won it on the ground... off his back... and he'd have probably done the same thing if the fight never got stood up, considering all that happened when they were stood up, was the fight went back to the ground.