Luke Thomas's Opinion On Rousey vs Cyborg At Catchweight

[phatron]

Only a moron compares his first UFC fight. We are comparing what he was doing before he lost, to what he did after he lost. His first Mir loss took away a lot of his steam. He got it back by destroying him in the rematch, and then had 4 fights in a row over 1 mil, averaging 1.2 mil .. then dropped like a rock after he lost to 750k. It's a fact.

I'm not even sure what your stance is?

That people ppv buys go down after they lose?

OMG they went down a little and the events still sold 750k and generated 50+ million....is that a loss? Guys still a superstar, just like Anderson was after he lost....just like ronda will be after she loses.

 

[PapaBherd]

I think his opinion stems from the fact that there is no other credible challenger out there which I agree with completely. To most people, Tate/Rousey 3 is a foregone conclusion, and Tate's success is predicated on Rousey fighting exactly the way she did against Correia. She isn't going to grind her out or catch her in a submission, so the only chance she has is Rousey falling in love with her striking, and getting caught with those overhands that clipped Eye. Rousey is too smart for that.

 

[UJustGotChaeld]

I'm not even sure what your stance is?

That people ppv buys go down after they lose?

OMG they went down a little and the events still sold 750k and generated 50+ million....is that a loss? Guys still a superstar, just like Anderson was after he lost....just like ronda will be after she loses.

Maybe you should read what my stance is before you reply.

My stance is that it makes no sense to do a 1 off fight with Cyborg to get a few PPV buys and then have Cyborg leave because whatever PPV buys it generates would be lost in one fight if Rousey lost.

My stance is how does it make sense for the UFC? What's the risk vs. the reward? What are the odds of both?

 

[flanellograf]

This is why the fight might not happen. Either the UFC is going to have to bite the bullet, or Cyborg might have to lose mass and change her body to make 135. At that point, is Cyborg fighting at her optimal weight? Don't we want them both at their best?

This fight is the one everyone wants. I want it, I'm sure the fans all want it, I'm sure Cyborg, Ronda, and the UFC all want it. But it might not be as realistic as everyone thinks.

Also, people need to remember, there are 3 parties here. Ronda, Cyborg, and the UFC, who will all have things they will want, and things that they don't want to make this fight happen. There will be a lot of posturing, finger pointing, and all of that. But at the end of the day, they will have to come together on the terms, which isn't always as simple as people want to believe.

Well, I'm not sure them both at their best would be entirely fair. Remember, Cyborg has missed weight for 145, and was absolutely shredded for that fight. I think Ronda would still win that fight, because Cyborgs bully-grappling won't cut it, but that's a significant (raw) strength and size advantage for Cyborg.

 

[phatron]

Maybe you should read what my stance is before you reply.

My stance is that it makes no sense to do a 1 off fight with Cyborg to get a few PPV buys and then have Cyborg leave because whatever PPV buys it generates would be lost in one fight if Rousey lost.

My stance is how does it make sense for the UFC? What's the risk vs. the reward? What are the odds of both?

Oh.

Well that's obvious. That's why the ufc won't do a catchweight fight.

Anderson still did a million buys after his first loss

 

[UJustGotChaeld]

Oh.

Well that's obvious. That's why the ufc won't do a catchweight fight.

Anderson still did a million buys after his first loss

If you can convince people they are still the best and the loss was a fluke it won't damage them, and can even help in the rematch. But if there is no doubt, it definitely hurts.

Ronda would still be a star, but the UFC would lose tons of PPV buys over her career. It makes no sense for the UFC, we both agree.

 

[Shaddows]

If you can convince people they are still the best and the loss was a fluke it won't damage them, and can even help in the rematch. But if there is no doubt, it definitely hurts.

Ronda would still be a star, but the UFC would lose tons of PPV buys over her career. It makes no sense for the UFC, we both agree.

I don't think anyone would disagree for the UFC it makes no sense.

But for Ronda, as a competitor, this is what puzzles me. Everyone with a drive to be the best such as Ronda, invariably wants to prove they are indeed the top dog.
Not by saying, but by doing.

Examples are plenty (i.e. boxer moving up in weight) even in MMA (Fighters moving up like BJ, Bendo or Silva).
You can even take Cyborg as an example, fighting Jorina Baars at a Kickboxing competition.

I think most people get the financial consequences of taking risk. But that is exactly why it is called a risk.
IMHO this fights needs to happen to solidify Ronda's career. If she does not fight the only other dominant female, as soon as another woman appears on the scene, she will be discarded as Women's GOAT. And the reason would be exactly the fact she rather beat Bethe than take up a challenge.

So yeah.
For Cyborg, it will make her relevant once again (although it's one and done, so I think she will probably retire after that) and a bug payday.

For the UFC, it will be one big Pay plus it may help popularize WMMA even more. Heck, I can see a win-win if Cyborg wins and they use it to open an 145 Lbs division with Cyborg at the top.
And if Ronda wins, they kill the "Ronda is beating cans" and the fact she will have cleaned ALL OF THE COMPETITION, not only in her WC. And this is something unique, that I don't think will ever be topped.

As for Ronda, IMHO this is her destiny, her legacy cemented and unbeaten for the foreseeable future...

Heck, and let us not forget us! The fans!
This fight will be a great fight! A dominant, proven veteran and a brawler against someone who's been honing her technique since she was an infant! I absolutely would love this fight to happen before either loses or starts decaying!

do you disagree?

 

[DLX]

Anyone that says 5 lbs is no big deal has never cut weight before. 5 lbs is ENORMOUS. It's crazy how people talk about the weight cutting ruining the sport, but when it comes to the Cyborg/Rousey super fight, its Cyborg that needs to give up the most weight. Steroids don't always make you heavier, and if you've seen Cyborg IRL, or seen her next to other fighters/Male fighters, you'd know that Cyborg is a natural 145er.