News Bellator signs Tofiq Musayev

While you're right about Mamedov being irrelevant to tehmoose if he was in the UFC and there being better top control guys in the UFC there are so few of them by design a lot of those guys Careto listed don't get tested against someone who wants to deploy that type of gameplan. The ones that are in UFC like Makhachev get avoided.
Those guys tend to get overhyped because they fight other "bangers" and rarely face guys like Makhachev, Gamrot, or Dariush who would shut them down and might risk having a "boring fight". I'd put money on Primus and Outlaw against guys like Riddel, Dobber, Haqparast, Hernandez, and even Hooker; they are just bad match ups.
 
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I've always been really curious about how Conor would do against a persistent wrestler who the average fan thinks he would tear through. Like Conor/Mamedov: is it crazy to think Conor would struggle in that matchup? I ask that earnestly and would like to hear other opinions because I'm not exactly an expert. I think Conor has a good skill set even now, but against a guy who just loves to hump legs and won't take no for an answer? I dunno.
 
Those guys tend to get overhyped because they fight other "bangers" and rarely face guys like Makhachev, Gamrot, or Dariush who would shut them down and might risk having a "boring fight". I'd put money on Primus and Outlaw against guys like Riddel, Dobber, Haqparast, Hernandez, and even Hooker; they are just bad match ups.

Not sure if I'd put my momey on Primus/Outlaw over those guys, maybe yes, maybe not especially over Hooker.

Anyways, I do think it's clearly harder to become champion in a major org out of UFC than barely break the rankings in UFC. There might be exceptions, depending on what org/division, but for the most part that's the case and I think it's proven well enough.

Even UFC acknowledges it. When they sign an established top talent from another major org, they usually give them a high profile match up right away
 
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I've always been really curious about how Conor would do against a persistent wrestler who the average fan thinks he would tear through. Like Conor/Mamedov: is it crazy to think Conor would struggle in that matchup? I ask that earnestly and would like to hear other opinions because I'm not exactly an expert. I think Conor has a good skill set even now, but against a guy who just loves to hump legs and won't take no for an answer? I dunno.

I think it's pretty crazy to think that, other than if you assume that McGregor is a cokehead and doesnt have his mind on the fight game. If Conor shows up relatively on point, it's certainly crazy to think so

When Javier Mendez gives credit to Conor as Khabib's toughest opponent, I dont think he is trying to please anyone or sell anything, he is giving his honest opinion and he also gave Conor credit for his solid grappling defense, and rightfully so.

I don't understand how anybody who watched Conor fights (including how he managed to neutralize to a good extent Khabib's ground game for 3 rounds and even win the 3rd) can come up with the conclussion that would struggle with a guy as Mamedov.
I think he is finding Mamedov's chin rather quick.

 
I've always been really curious about how Conor would do against a persistent wrestler who the average fan thinks he would tear through. Like Conor/Mamedov: is it crazy to think Conor would struggle in that matchup? I ask that earnestly and would like to hear other opinions because I'm not exactly an expert. I think Conor has a good skill set even now, but against a guy who just loves to hump legs and won't take no for an answer? I dunno.
Conor would dismantle Mamedov rather fast and easy, IMO. Conor has top notch TDD but pretty mediocre ground game. However, Mamedov is not very versatile to get fights to the ground and tends to do jackshit once in the ground. IMO, Conor would stuff him and pick him apart rather easily.
 
Not sure if I'd put my momey on Primus/Outlaw over those guys, maybe yes, maybe not especially over Hooker.

Anyways, I do think it's clearly harder to become champion in a major org out of UFC than barely break the rankings in UFC. There might be exceptions, depending on what org/division, but for the most part that's the case and I think it's proven well enough.

Even UFC acknowledges it. When they sign an established top talent from another major org, they usually give them a high profile match up right away
They are never going to fight so its a moot argument but I think Primus and Outlaw are pretty slick at getting fights to the ground before getting hurt on the stand up, particularly Primus. I may overrate Primus a bit but I think he has a vastly, vastly underrated ground game.
 
I think it's pretty crazy to think that, other than if you assume that McGregor is a cokehead and doesnt have his mind on the fight game. If Conor shows up relatively on point, it's certainly crazy to think so

When Javier Mendez gives credit to Conor as Khabib's toughest opponent, I dont think he is trying to please anyone or sell anything, he is giving his honest opinion and he also gave Conor credit for his solid grappling defense, and rightfully so.

I don't understand how anybody who watched Conor fights (including how he managed to neutralize to a good extent Khabib's ground game for 3 rounds and even win the 3rd) can come up with the conclussion that would struggle with a guy as Mamedov.
I think he is finding Mamedov's chin rather quick.


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Thanks for the take. I never saw that clip with Mendez, maybe I'm underestimating Conor's anti wrestling. Not that I think it was bad, but I'd have certainly not thought it was on Gaethje's level. Obviously Mendez would know better then me. Mamedov's got a pretty great takedown game, he just does nothing when on top. Good chain wrestling and great at keeping guys on bottom when he gets where he wants. Maybe I'm just way off though.

Even though it'd never in a million years happen I'd like to see that match up, or at least that dynamic of Conor fighting a lesser regarded persistent wrestler. He never really fought one on the come up and I think we all know that's no coincidence on the UFC's part.
 
I know, even Poirier looked like dogshit on the ground. Wouldn't be surprised at all if someone like Mamedov would lay on him for 3/5 rounds. They have a strong LW division but not as good as people say it is

The idea of Mamedov beating Poirier is pretty hilarious tbh and I think Mamedov is good.
 
Hooker peaked in that 2-fight stretch against Felder and Poirier and has looked absolutely average ever since. Guys like Primus, Outlaw, Mamedov, and even Bak would be very bad match ups for him. There are many fighters in the UFC top 25 that are very deceiving because they are "bangers" but have, either subpar or questionable ground games. I'm talking about guys like Moises, Hernandez, Riddell, Dober, Haqparast, Alvarez, shit even Conor.

Hooker is underrated at the moment I think. Nasrat is a good fighter and he dealt with him very easily. People think he loses to any decent grappler now and forget the dude has beaten Miller, Gilbert and Hioki in his career.

Alvarez is actually a BJJ dude by trade too.
 
The idea of Mamedov beating Poirier is pretty hilarious tbh and I think Mamedov is good.
I just said that he has a difficult style for him. Poirier had nothing on the ground for Khabib & Oliveira so I wouldn't be shocked if he can win via lnp

I would also pick Mamedov over this version of Tony and I would bet a lot of money on it
 
Hooker is underrated at the moment I think. Nasrat is a good fighter and he dealt with him very easily. People think he loses to any decent grappler now and forget the dude has beaten Miller, Gilbert and Hioki in his career.

Alvarez is actually a BJJ dude by trade too.
There is some recency bias with Hooker, for sure. It doesnt help that he got destroyed by the 2 elite fighters he fought recently. I dont think he is a mediocre or bad fighter but I do think he already peaked.

Yes, I forgot Joel is a submission guy, not sure I would consider his ground game elite tbh, but absolutely above average . His fight against Tsarukyan will be very telling.
 
I think the way the sport of MMA is evolving recently, we're entering a grappling heavy meta. The way techniques are evolving is favoring a grappling style. Traditionally the UFC covers non-grapplers with other non-grapplers, and that still happens of course, but matchmaking is increasingly difficult. I think it's exciting.
 
I just said that he has a difficult style for him. Poirier had nothing on the ground for Khabib & Oliveira so I wouldn't be shocked if he can win via lnp

I would also pick Mamedov over this version of Tony and I would bet a lot of money on it

Idk, Tony is still pretty active off his back and still throws those elbows, I'm not sure what Mamedov would do when that started happening.
 
Idk, Tony is still pretty active off his back and still throws those elbows, I'm not sure what Mamedov would do when that started happening.
Lay on him and win the rounds?
 
Lay on him and win the rounds?

The one thing judges do tend to score when people are on their back is blood. He'd have to pass guard against Tony, if he tried his usual sit in guard throwing pitter patter GNP with Tony he'd be bleeding a lot.
 
The one thing judges do tend to score when people are on their back is blood. He'd have to pass guard against Tony, if he tried his usual sit in guard throwing pitter patter GNP with Tony he'd be bleeding a lot.
Idk man, I'm too tired to analyze this shit anymore haha, it's 7:30 am here will go to sleep now

But anyway after seeing how Tony's last few fights went, you would be foolish to pick him to win against a dagestani wrestler
 
Idk man, I'm too tired to analyze this shit anymore haha, it's 7:30 am here will go to sleep now

But anyway after seeing how Tony's last few fights went, you would be foolish to pick him to win against a dagestani wrestler

Depends on what the odds were for me. Mamedov doesn’t usually pass guard, I think that leaves him vulnerable to people throwing a lot of elbows

What I really want to happen is for someone to frame and elbow him like Dipchikov did to Honeycutt.
 


Interesting to see Vugar Keremov stay in Rizin while Tofiq is going to Bellator
 


Interesting to see Vugar Keremov stay in Rizin while Tofiq is going to Bellator

Vugar has fought one-offs at Bellator before and he fought a complete can. Plus, he has looked vastly underwhelmingin his last 2 fights at RIZIN. I think he is very clearly the lesser of the two teammates.

I think if Tofiq would have retained his title he would have had a decent chance at signing with the UFC. However, entering free agency coming off a loss and an "expensive" contract limited his chances. The UFC wasnt gonna go crazy to sign him, particularly with a deep af LW division. Bellator, on the other hand, desperately needs depth and is probably overpaying a bit for him.
 
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