Canberras league-best attack meets Melbournes from corse178's blog
Each week, ESPN. Matt Niskanen Jersey .com writer Brett Okamoto provides his take on the hottest topics in the world of mixed martial arts.This week, Okamoto speaks with current UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. A former Bellator MMA champion, Alvarez (28-4), 31, defeated Rafael dos Anjos by first-round TKO in July to capture his first UFC title.?1. With UFC 202 fast approaching on Aug. 20, who are you currently leaning toward winning Nate Diaz-Conor McGregor?II?Eddie Alvarez: I think Conor gets deflated again. Hes going to trip over his own shoelaces like he did the last fight. I feel like Nate does the same thing to him, puts him away the same kind of way. The reason I think so is I dont think Conor has made enough changes. I watched some of the stuff he has put online, some short videos, and that was all I needed to see. It looks like hes fighting the exact same. He didnt innovate. He feels he has the right style and all he needs is better conditioning ... I beg to differ. So I think he loses again.Brett Okamoto: Ill have a prediction ready for next weeks UFC 202 Picks section. In the meantime, Ill admit I dont completely co-sign Alvarezs opinion of McGregor. I think theres strong evidence he has made adjustments. He has tailored a camp specific to Diaz (something he hasnt done in the past). He has abandoned some of the (probably unnecessary) cardio methods he has used in the past for a more scientific approach. Hes working very closely with nutritionist George Lockhart?and will do so all the way up to the fight, which he didnt do in March. He has always believed hes better than Diaz, so he was never trying to reinvent anything -- just fine-tune. Whether he has done enough of that (and whether he can prevent old habits once the fight starts), well see.2. UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping says his first title defense will come against Dan Henderson at UFC 204 on Oct. 8. Love it or hate it?Alvarez: I like that fight. I think Dan has more than earned his keep in this sport. Any good that happens to Dan Henderson is deserved, because this guy has put his time in. The thing is, when were looking at rankings, its tough to say theyre really subjective. No. 1 doesnt always deserve to be there. So its hard to say one guy deserves a shot over another based on these subjective rankings. I just feel like you make the biggest fights possible and at this point, thats the biggest fight possible. To say that Dan Henderson doesnt deserve something, no matter what it is, seems crazy to me. I give him a huge chance against Bisping. And Bisping doesnt like me. He has got something against me, so I actually hope Dan knocks him out.Okamoto: I definitely dont love it. I really dont hate it either, but if I have to pick a side, I guess Im more hate than love on this one. Call me old-fashioned -- title shots should be based on merit, not storylines. Dont get me wrong, this is a great storyline. Not only do you have Henderson, at 45, getting one final crack at the belt he has never won. You get their UFC 100 history added to it. Plus, the fact its Bisping in Manchester? Plus, Hendo saying hell retire, win or lose? It doesnt get better than that. But I cant get past the other contenders of this division who are so clearly more deserving of a shot than Henderson. I really dont agree with the message this sends to somebody like Ronaldo Jacare Souza. Apologies for being a buzzkill on this one, but Im against it.3. As a brand-new welterweight champion, does Tyron Woodley deserve to pick his first title defense?Alvarez: I think its really up to the promotion to make the fight. At the end of the day, the UFC is the one who makes the decision. He can have a preference. I have a preference. Every champion has a preference, and theres nothing wrong with that. But if the promotion is leaning toward a certain guy, you go with that guy. Its not really up to us. It would be cool to see Georges St-Pierre come out of retirement to fight Woodley, to see how hes able to fare in the new world. He has been out of the sport for a while. Ive always been a fan of GSP so seeing him come back and take that fight would be cool, for sure.Okamoto: Woodley deserves to have an opinion on who he fights next. Every fighter deserves that. Every fighter should have that. Say who you want to fight. Good things happen when you do. Does he deserve to handpick who he fights next? I would say no. As the champion, especially a new champion, you have to fight the No. 1 contender. Right now, the No. 1 contender is Stephen Thompson. I spoke to Thompson last week and he said something I agreed with and Ill repeat it here: If Woodley had already defended the title three or four times, then hed have my support in calling his next opponent. At that point, he has earned the right to say, Ive clearly established Im No. 1, Ive separated myself from the pack -- now, I want a money fight against a big name who maybe isnt ranked No. 2. But as a brand-new champion with zero title defenses? I think he needs to fight the No. 1 contender.4. If WSOF bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes signs with the UFC, how would he do and who should he fight first??Alvarez:?[Note: Alvarez and Moraes train together under striking coach Mark Henry.] He will kill everybody who stands in his way. He should fight [UFC champion] Dominick Cruz right away. Marlon doesnt need to prove himself. Marlon is proven. If fans dont believe hes at the top because of who he has fought, surely they should base it on who he trains with daily. From what Ive seen him do in the gym, even against myself, Marlon has the ability to destroy any 135-pounder. He could move up in weight, hes that talented. If he didnt get a title shot, I think T.J. Dillashaw would be an amazing matchup. I would love to see that. I just dont see anyone in that division matching Marlons power. And usually when guys have power, they lack technique. Marlon has both.Okamoto: Alvarez described it -- what makes Moraes fun is the power. Hes a hard hitter with some of the nastiest kicks in the division, regardless of promotion. The talent level he has fought against in WSOF hasnt been awful, but its simply nowhere near the level hed face in the UFC. Thats just reality. I really enjoy watching Moraes fight. Do I think hed be a champ in the UFC? Thats a pretty stacked division at the moment. The addition of former flyweights John Lineker and John Dodson, the?return from injury of Raphael Assuncao, the?emergence of Cody Garbrandt, Aljamain Sterling?and?Bryan Caraway?-- 135 pounds is deep. If Moraes signs with UFC, I think hed prove to be a top-10 bantamweight, and Id pair him with Dodson in his debut.5. The Association of Boxing Commissions has approved a new scoring criteria. Changes include a finer definition of 10-8 rounds and added emphasis on aggression as a secondary scoring tool, not primary. Will these changes lead to better scoring?Alvarez: I wasnt aware that happened. The thing that could work better, I feel, is rewarding the guy whos trying to push the fight and finish the fight -- be a little more violent. That should be scored on heavily. If theyre saying score that less, I dont like that. When I fought back in Japan years ago, that was a big factor. A big percentage of who won the fight was which guy was willing to push forward and look for a finish. If thats not pushed, youre not leaning toward action. Youre not making rules in favor of what fans want. Fans tune in to see two guys be violent and go after each other. What youre doing with that new rule is making a fighter actually be a little more hesitant and calculated and that could be bad for the entertainment aspect.Okamoto: I think it makes scoring less vague, which is a plus. For years, takedowns were overvalued. Fighter A would land far more significant offense, but Fighter B would score a takedown, hold top position for one minute of a five-minute round and win the round. Thats not how its supposed to work. The new criteria asks judges, very definitively, to score impact, which is a nice way of saying damage. The change concerning 10-8 rounds is positive as well, in that it essentially encourages judges to use 10-8s. For a long time, 10-8 rounds were something judges avoided. A fighter had to come within a breath of ending the fight to earn a 10-8. More liberal use of that score is a very good thing, in my opinion. I dont think fans will necessarily notice real obvious shifts in how fights are scored, but long-term, I do think this is an improvement. Yvon Labre Jersey . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. T. J. Oshie Jersey . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. http://www.wholesalecapitalsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-jay-beagle-jersey .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. His team sit just behind Melbourne on the competition table, but Canberra hooker Josh Hodgson insist the Storm are still the club everyone wants to become.A week after knocking Cronulla from the top of the table, the Raiders will become just the second team in 30 years to take down league leaders in consecutive weeks if they can beat Melbourne on Monday.The Sydney Roosters are the only other team since 1986 that have defeated leaders in back-to-back weeks.In one of the most-anticipated clashes of the year, Canberra, winners of six straight, host the Storm, winners of seven straight, in a possible preview of a qualifying final.Another win for the Raiders would see them usurp the Storm as the hottest team in the NRL, but that still wont be enough for the Green Machine.Theyre very good at what they do and not only that, theyre very consistent. Thats something that were striving for, to be consistent every week, Hodgson said.Were not quite there yet, but were slowly and surely improving.In-form Hodgson also faces off against Australian captain and Dally M favourite Cameron Smith in a clash of the games premier hookers.Hodgson was just two points behind Smith, Storm halfback Cooper Cronk and Gold Coast forward Ryan James when voting went behind closed doors at the end of round 16.The English international laughed off the possibility of being in contention for one of the games highest honours, which has been taken out by backline starrs for the past nine years. Dmitry Orlov Jersey. .Smith was the last forward to claim the medal in 2006.My family used to tell me the standings, but I dont really worry too much about that, he said.I just worry about myself, churning out, working out and whatever I get off the back of that is a bonus. Its always good playing against great opposition and great people in your opposition.In a fascinating contrast of styles, Canberras league-best attack meets Melbournes league-best defence, as well as two of the competitions best exponents of Monday night football since 2007.Both teams have won more 60 per cent of their games played in the final game of the round.Raiders pivot Blake Austin is set to overcome a shoulder issue to take his place in the team, while Jordan McLean is expected to come back from an ankle injury for Melbourne after Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Felise Kaufusi were sent back to Queensland Cup.STATS THAT MATTER* Canberras 10 wins from 36 matches against Melbourne is its worst record against any opponent all-time. Melbourne won 14 consecutive matches against the Raiders from 2003 to 2009.* Melbourne is on track to become the best defensive team of the NRL era, leaking an average of just 11.5 points per game. Only two teams have conceded less than 12 points since 1998 - the Storm in 2007 and 2008. Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Discount NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping China Jerseys Cheap Jerseys NFL Cheap ' ' '
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