UFC 200! BIG NAMES! Disappointing Match-ups?

The UFC 200 card is filling up now and largely with big names BUT there has been some criticism from the MMA world. There are a lot of big stars set to enter the octagon at UFC 200 but some of their opponents aren't what we'd hoped they'd be and some fights that just don't give you the sense of satisfaction that we're all looking for from this hopefully record breaking event. HOWEVER, It's not all doom and gloom, so let's take a look at some of the fights.

Conor McGregor VS Nate Diaz 2

Credit: bjpenn.com

A good way to sum up this rematch is 'understandable but frustrating'. Conor McGregor is the UFC's biggest star and is understandable that the UFC and McGregor want the rematch because if he wins then he is back to the unbeatable warrior and sets up a lightweight title fight. Another bonus for McGregor is that if he loses to Diaz again then they have the excuse that it was at 170 pounds and that he is still the featherweight champion and there will be the opportunity to defend his title then fight for the lightweight title.

But A lot of people are annoyed with this rematch, One notable is Frankie Edgar. Frankie Edgar was next in line for a shot at the featherweight title, a shot that he has arguably he has been owed for a long time. This is the second fight in a row that McGregor has fought at welterweight and there is frustration from the fans.

Frankie Edgar VS Jose Aldo 2

Credit: blogs.telegraph.co.uk

At UFC 200 there will be a new interim featherweight champion. After a short absence at the top of the featherweight division there will be action again and a challenger will emerge that McGregor will HAVE TO fight or vacate the title.

In their first bout Aldo took a unanimous decision win in a 5 round war and good news is we can expect more of the same. Aldo is coming off just his second career loss and his first loss in almost 10 years of ruling the featherweight division wherever he went. Edgar is on a 5 fight win streak including knockouts of top contenders such as Chad Mendes. When these two meet in the middle of the octagon at UFC 200 we can expect a great fight.

Miesha Tate VS Amanda Nunes

Credit: Zuffa

Miesha Tate will make her first title defence against... Amanda Nunes. Yes... the fight that literally no one was calling for.. the UFC have once again side stepped the fans, with the influence of Tate and her team and made a fight of their own back. There are so many missed opportunities in the set up for this fight:

1. A rematch with Holm. This fight would result in the winner having a huge rematch with Ronda Rousey and this would also be a good rematch.
2. NO RONDA ROUSEY. Although this couldn't be avoided as the former champion is not due to return to competition until October/November but this is arguably the biggest downfall of the UFC 200 card. The absence of the joint biggest star in the UFC cannot be replaced
3. No one wants to see Nunes win. Nunes winning would mean she has the fight with the returning Rousey and further complicates the title picture with 3 women owed a rematch for the belt.

The current absence of Robbie Lawler

The current absence of the welterweight champion Robbie Lawler from the UFC 200 card is very disturbing. We can only assume that a fight between Lawler and Tyron Woodley is in the pipelines because it would be devastating if one of the most exciting champions and divisions doesn't feature in the card. Especially seen as we'd like to see a whole range of rematches including Condit, a possible insane return of GSP and an explosive fight with Stephen Thompson should he quickly put away Rory McDonald.

Rumours! Rumours! Rumours!

Tony Ferguson was supposed to be the opponent of the highly anticipated returning Khabib Nurmagomedov. Tony Ferguson is unfortunately injured and the world of MMA goes into speculation, rumours and we wait for hints or potential call outs.

There are many rumours as well as twitter call outs, Donald Cowboy Cerone has offered to fight Khabib but on the condition that he still gets to fight Patrick Cote in June. There are also rumours that BJ Penn has offered to fight Khabib.

BUT ALSO, perhaps the biggest development from this, the champion Rafael Dos Anjos has taken to twitter https://twitter.com/RdosAnjosMMA/status/717551331238486016
to say "Sorry to hear Ferguson is out. @TeamKhabib We have some unfinished business, I'll be ready in July" This is a great move by RDA and it's the rematch we all want to see. However many people think it's too soon for Khabib after a 2 and a half years off. But the crucial nail in the coffin is July is a confirmed no for Khabib because of Ramadan. So let the speculation live on!

UFC CUTS BIG NAME FIGHTERS!

In a very uncharacteristic event the UFC has cut several solid fighters which don't make a lot of sense. The UFC has cut fighters Mike Wilkinson, Jared Rosholt and Norman Parke.

These cuts are very strange for several reasons. Norman Parke and especially Jared Rosholt are two very well known names and two very good fighters. Norman Parke and Mike Wilkinson are not only two solid fighters but also a chance to extend the very scarcely explored markets the United Kingdom and Ireland. This not only gives the opportunity to extend business and exposure to a huge largely unexplored market but it is also an opportunity to develop new talent in these markets.

Mike Wilkinson is a young, talented and exciting fighter. He came into the promotion with a 7-0 record with 6 finishes and after a close loss to Makwan Amirkhani he was told that he was being cut. On the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Wilkinson understandably said he was "in a bit of shock" but also said "everything happens for a reason", "brush it off and we'll go again" and with a record of 9-2 and an exciting style he is in a perfect position to build his career and no doubt we will see him back in the UFC.

Update: We're back online!

Sorry for the delay in setting up a new twitter account after the last one decided it wasn't working. The account will be used to keep up to date with the blog especially for people who aren't on google, it will also have updates from me and the world of MMA. The account will also have additional content and quick reactions to live events and much more!

Follow me @TheMMAGenius

Apologies

Having some issues with the twitter account, it will be sorted soon.

Update: I'm on Twitter!

Hey guys, another update here and I'm on twitter! This is so more people can follow the blog, get updates faster and more quick reactions to events as the unpredictable world of MMA unfolds. Everyone please go follow https://twitter.com/TheMMAGenius @TheMMAGenius on twitter.

Top 10: MMA Fighters Of All Time!

This was actually very hard to decide on, there were so many fighters that I wanted to include, this is what I came up with, tell me what you think.

1. Jon "Bones" Jones
2. Anderson Silva
3. Georges St. Pierre GSP
4. Fedor Emelianenko
5. "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey
6. Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson
7. Jose Also
8. BJ Penn
9. Bas Rutten
10. Dominic Cruz

Honourable Mentions:
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Lyoto Machida
Matt Hughes
Cain Velasquez
Conor McGregor
Randy Couture