Happy Friday Maniacs. The end of the week means it’s time to open up the mailbag and answer some of the burning questions you put to us on Monday (along with a few older ones that had been sitting at the bottom of the bag).
This week we got some questions on last weekend’s UFC Vegas 120. We also got asked about the upcoming UFC 330. And we were also given an excuse to go deliciously off topic, with a question about our favorite brews.
Let’s get into it.
A new GOAT?
Question: I’ll keep it simple – If Islam beats
Garry, is he still behind GSP in the GOAT convo? (Casual_Monk)
Anton Tabuena: I don’t at all mean this as an insult, but why would beating Garry make anyone the GOAT?
Thomas Myers: Islam has a very odd legacy and not the best resume … yet. Sound familiar? I think he’s great, one of the most talented fighters alive. I just need to see more, still. I think he beats Sean Strickland if given the opportunity … give me “Triple Champ” and I’ll give you a GOAT.
Andrew Richardson: I don’t think Islam is anywhere near GSP in the all-time GOAT rankings. Too many of his title defenses came under weird circumstances (through no fault of his own). That said, continued Welterweight success would be a really strong bolster for his overall legacy.
Alex Behunin: No, and I don’t even think him passing Anderson Silva with the longest win streak moves him up the list for all time either, as 13 of Silva’s wins on that streak were title fights. Islam has had 6 title fights, and he beat a Featherweight twice.
Tim Edwards: I don’t think a win this weekend puts Makhachev in the GOAT conversation. He’s a Hall of Famer, but I don’t think he’s had the kind of schedule that Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Demetrious Johnson and Anderson Silva had as champions. Like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has been unfortunate to have a mix of replacement opponents and big name match-ups which never came to fruition. Makhachev’s record can also be picked apart by skeptics, who might argue that he fought Arman Tsaurkyan too soon and Dustin Poirier too late. And that two of his Lightweight defenses were against a Featherweight. It’s pretty hard to play that game when you look at the records of the four guys I mentioned up top.
The Savage’s chances
Q: Does Gillian Robertson have a chance? (LoneCowboy)
Andrew Richardson: Dern is kind of bad, so sure. It’s not an easy path to win, but Robertson’s top game is quite good. If she doesn’t dive into a guillotine Benoit Saint Denis style, it’s conceivable that she wears down Dern with punches and elbows from half guard. It’s really hard to submit people from bottom in MMA!
Thomas Myers: I think Dern’s cardio sucks, her striking is even worse. She’s pretty bad at takedowns. Gillian is a beast, always getting better, gets the most out of her body / talent. I am really liking her chances here — I can see the dog in her taking over the latter half of this fight and stealing the crown down the stretch.
Tim Edwards: I’ve picked Dern, but I certainly think Robertson has a chance. I have a feeling that this fight might end up being a low intensity kickboxing match, with both women thinking that’s where they have an advantage. In that scenario, I think we’re in for a very close decision on the scorecards. Also… go Canada.
Bad Gameplan
Q: Do you think Gamrot underestimated Quillan in this match up or do you think he was compromised mentally going in? He himself was talking about having to be more exciting and actively try to finish fights to reach the elusive title shot. He seemed to rush in with his chin straight up in the air for Quillan to clip him. (BrutalBOB87)
Andrew Richardson: I think Gamrot is just a little sloppy/hittable on the feet. He gets dropped fairly often, the difference is just that Salkilld was good enough on the canvas to make him pay for it.
Alex Behunin: I think he got caught with that punch early on and that screwed up his game plan, which made him panic and eventually get submitted.
Thomas Myers: The choke he allowed Quillan to hit was so obvious — on all fours, basically daring him to snatch his neck. He was either rocked or just completely underestimated who was on his back. I think he thought he had to make a statement for sure, he just picked the wrong time (and opponent) to do it. Need to be careful about what fighters say and what they do — a lot of smoke and mirrors there. But, perhaps Gamrot here did get caught up in something mental … did not look right.
Tim Edwards: I’m hesitant to put too much blame on Gamrot for what happened last week. And that’s because I think Salkilld might be that guy at Lightweight. He’s been flawless so far and I think he beats Gamrot this convincingly again if they fight next week. This gameplan from Gamrot didn’t look terribly new to me. He got hit a lot in the Dan Hooker fight, too. He got so busted up there that he couldn’t implement his wrestling. I think Salkilld was able to just do more damage than Hooker did and then back-up with that incredible grappling he has.
Ty Miller Time
Q: Is Ty Miller that good or is Billy Ray Goff just that bad/a bad matchup? (LoneCowboy)
Andrew Richardson: Too early to say if Miller is THAT GOOD. All we really know is that he’s huge and has a sharp jab. I still have questions about his striking defense and ability to wrestle hard against a similarly good athlete.
Alex Behunin: I think it’s a little of both. Ty Miller has slick boxing and good fight IQ, and Billy is just super tough, but that’s about it.
Thomas Myers: Carlos Condit reboot, baby. I am all in on Ty Miller — give me more, soon.
Tim Edwards: I’m a believer. Miller has the kind of technique that makes me think he’s not getting lucky and that he’s going to look good against much better fighters. He also has incredible size at this division. That size, combined with the talent, made this impossible for Goff.
Q: Billy Ray Goff’s corner’s conduct was egregious IMO, and we’ve seen it before (although rarely that blatent), why are corners in MMA so intent on NOT saving their fighters? (LoneCowboy)
Andrew Richardson: It’s a problem with the overall culture. Look at how much shit Ilia Topuria caught for “quitting” on the stool in his last bout — MMA fighters and their teams are too prideful to deal with that kind of toxic backlash.
Alex Behunin: Completely agree with Andrew. How many times have we seen fans call fighters quitters for not continuing?
Tim Edwards: I agree with Andrew, but also want to add that there is an institutional reason why we don’t see corners throw in the towel in MMA. With fighter pay being so awful, fighters being inactive for six months at a time (if they are lucky), the show/win money system and how performance bonuses are so lucrative I can see why corners are afraid to take away a shot for their guy to double their money and possibly get a life changing bonus check. I really wish guys were being spared having to take so much damage. But what I wish for more, is that fighters weren’t so financially dependent on wins and bonuses so that then their corners can think about their health and not the dire finances that are involved in being a professional fighter (and often part-time Uber driver).
Dark Horse
Q: Is Tofiq Musayev a darkhorse title contender? He’s been damn good for a while.(Ryan Hall v. Khabib)
Andrew Richardson: Musayev was elite about five years ago. Nowadays, he’s still damn good but gets too tired to be a title threat in a 25-minute fight.
Alex Behunin: He’ll do well, but he’s too old to really contend for a title – especially in the Lightweight division. That being said, I love that guy and how he fights.
Tim Edwards: I think Musayev is a fun action fighter and we’re going to get a lot of wars out of him. But I also think he’s going to end up losing as much as winning when it comes to those wars. Lightweight is so stacked and I don’t think he’s going to be able to get wins over that top five. I’m excited to see him try, though!
Best Combat Sport for Kids?
Q: Which martial art do you think is the best for kids? I’ve got three boys who want to start and we have a choice of Lau Gar Kung Fu, BJJ and Judo. I did Goshin JJ for 15 years, so I do not know a huge amount about the rest. I did do Aikido for 2 lessons, but my god that was awful! (Dread Pirate)
Anton Tabuena: Don’t take parenting advice from me, but even as a guy who trains and covers jiu-jitsu, I’d personally pick Judo for kids. More practical than Kung Fu, arguably builds better athletes than jiu-jitsu, and more importantly, it typically has a healthier and less cultish gym culture.
Andrew Richardson: I think jiu-jitsu is the best (though I agree with Anton to do your research and avoid the creeps/cults). Judo, as my counter point, is very hard on the body — all the Judo black belts I know have had back surgery several times over. BJJ, meanwhile, is good for confidence without crossing into the realm of fight-seeking cockiness (unless you’re Jonah Hill). Whatever the martial art, my advice is always this: find a good head instructor with a healthy attitude. The attitude and environment all stem from the top, good or bad …
Tim Edwards: I’ve actually thought a lot about this, being a parent to a small child. For me, I’d rather my kid did something like judo, karate or taekwando than BJJ or MMA. Those traditional martial arts have big infrastructures and a lot of accountability. Those martial arts have very formal national and international associations which regulate how they are being taught. And those associations also often impose safety protocols within affiliated studios and gyms. This might include things like background checks on instructors who work with children. During my decade or so at Bloody Elbow, where I worked the crime desk, I must have written something like 50 stories on cases of abuse in BJJ and MMA gyms, often including minors. This isn’t me saying that those places are all terrible and that everyone in the sport is a predator. But I think the decentralized aspect of BJJ and MMA means that these are spaces were bad apples can find cover and room to operate.
Coffee Break
Q: How do you take your coffee? (MixedMartialAids)
Ryan Harkness: Two sweeteners and a lot of cream, which I’m told is an insult to coffee.
Thomas Myers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzEG5_ggB6Q
Alex Behunin: I like coffee with my creamer, you know what I’m saying? If you don’t I like a lot of creamer in my coffee, because I don’t like the taste of coffee – even though I drink it every single morning.
Anton Tabuena: Not many people know this, but I actually own and run a specialty coffee shop in Manila with my brothers. Funny thing about what Alex brought up is that I also grew up really disliking coffee, but I eventually realized I actually only hated bitter, burnt, bad coffee. I still don’t like espresso, but there’s apparently a massive spectrum of flavors out there that I can enjoy, and I now mainly drink pour over coffee. “Black coffee” sounded so gross to me growing up, but to be honest I’m not even sure if my super light and fruity, or heavily fermented and wine-like pour overs even count as that lol.
Andrew Richardson: Ideally, Vietnamese style: very dark coffee with very sweet condensed milk.
Jesse Holland: I belong to Trade which is a subscription coffee service and every month I get a specialty bag from craft roasters (whole beans). I drop a chunk of Kerrygold cinnamon and sugar butter into a french press, add the grinds from my burr grinder, and pour over hot water (brewed just under boiling). Perfect cup every time.
Dan Hiergesell: I like my coffee in the trash. Tried it once when I was 10 years old and haven’t tried it ever again. Smells and looks like dirt. I don’t get it.
Anton Tabuena: PS: Okay damn, I think I have to try Jesse’s recipe now.
Tim Edwards: I’m English, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I drink tea and not coffee. I like to do as the locals do whenever I travel, though. So if I’m somewhere with a big coffee culture I’ll try things here and there. I will sometimes order a cappuccino after a nice meal, though.
