Dein erstes Forum » 31-12 win in last years preliminar

Each week, ESPN.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. 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Unaccustomed to being finals failures, Sydney Roosters say they are not motivated by the chance to spoil the playoff hopes of their NRL rivals as the Tricolours seek to salvage something from their wreckage of a season.After three successive minor premierships and the 2013 title, the Roosters will miss the finals for the first time under coach Trent Robinson.They face Brisbane at Allianz Stadium in the opening match of round 21 on Thursday night - the first of a number of finals contenders they meet over the final six games of the regular season.The Roosters face Penrith, North Queensland, St George Illawarra, Cronulla and the Broncos again over the final third of the regular season and have the opportunity to put a dent in the finals hopes of every side with a win.The Roosters wobbled on their way to the 2013 finals with a penultimate round loss to Gold Coast, who missed the playoffs that year and played the role of spoiler with the title hopes of the Tricolours.But Robinson said that wasnt the focus for his side.It is a poor motivation to get into if you are focused on being an annoyance to other teams, you are putting it in the wrong place, Robinson said on Wednesday.That might be the secondary result but you need to be the best team you can be.If that is your focus then you are going to play some good footy.If your primary focus is to be annoying then you wont progress very far and you wont be a good team in the future.Robinson did concede the 15th placed Roosters would love to finish above 13th placed arch-rivals South Sydney, who have won five games as opposed to thhe Tricolours three.ddddddddddddThat is always of benefit to a Roosters team but we are both fighting for our own form at the moment, he said.Broncos coach Wayne Bennett is surprised at the Roosters lowly ladder position ahead of the sides first meeting their year and their first clash since Brisbanes 31-12 win in last years preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium.It does defy their team. They have quality players and are playing fair football but the results havent been going their way. We have a big task on our hands tomorrow night, Bennett said.Brisbanes task was made more difficult by the withdrawal of star forward Matt Gillett on Wednesday.He failed a fitness test on the shoulder he injured in State of Origin II.Fellow Queensland forwards Sam Thaiday and Josh McGuire are missing for the visitors due to suspension. Jaydn SuA and Herman Eseese come into the Brisbane 17.The Roosters are without Jared Waerea-Hargreaves due to a knee injury. Dale Copley comes into the Roosters 17 for his first match against his former side.KEY STATS* The Roosters have now lost six straight matches for the first time this season and the first time since their wooden spoon season of 2009* The Roosters have the worst completion rate in the competition (71.7 per cent)* Despite their form slump, losing six of their last eight, the Broncos average a try for every 9.2 tackles they have inside their opponents 20m line, the NRLs best red zone ratioSource: Fox Sports Stats ' ' '