Stipe: "He hasn’t fought anyone like me yet."

[Te Huna Matata]

Stipe has better wrestling than people give him credit for and DC won't be able to ragdoll him like he has many, including Barnett.

Strongly disagree. There is a big difference between an NCAA qualifier and an Olympian. Size difference or not, DC is significantly better. That is the equalizer in this match.

 

[spannered]

If he was the Forrest Griffin of HW, he wouldn`t have guys like JDS and Overeem running away from him with fear on their faces once they feel his power.

This. TS has grossly underrated Stipe.

He has turned JDS, Overeem and Werdum unconscious. They are literally the best strikers on the planet.

Forrest was a work horse with little athletic ability. Stipe has lightening quick hands and the ability to take anyone down who threatens him on the feet. He's criminally underrated.

DC is a weapon too with his boxing and wrestling, so it's an interesting stylistic matchup.

 

[Gambit MMA]

Strongly disagree. There is a big difference between an NCAA qualifier and an Olympian. Size difference or not, DC is significantly better. That is the equalizer in this match.

I think size and strength matters in this instance. If dc can’t handle guys like Gus at 205 what makes you think he’s gonna come to HW and wrestle better against a guy like Stipe

 

[HanoverFist33]

I seem to remember seeing that "oh shit" look in several fighters eyes the first time they got touched by Stipe. Apparently he hits hard enough to change gameplans after first contact.

 

[Enigma87]

DC hasn’t fought anyone like Stipe in his entire career

 

[spannered]

Werdum was never known for his stand up, specially in strike force days, Werdum wanted go to the ground in them days. He flopped on the ground like a fish just watch the Reem fight.

Mir, fucking Brock beat him twice what f'ing joke.

Henderson was way past his days when they fought.

So was Anderson, but he gave Anderson the gsp humping ground game. When dc try stand with Anderson for one minute out the 24 mins, Anderson made him pay, then dc was trying bring it back to the ground.

Dc couldnt get Jones down in first fight and dc got owned. Dc couldnt hold gustafsson down and almost lost that fight. Jones II dc got smashed. Dc better days are pass him, Stipe going send dc back to lhw.

It's easy to downplay accomplishments to fit your narrative. That's what you're doing.

DC/Silva was a 3 round fight, so that tells me you barely watched it.

Truth is, he's beaten everyone not named Jon Jones and Rumble, Barnett, and Gus are no pushovers.

You're also bringing up 2010 Werdum like that's relevant. He is a completely different fighter now who arguably beat Reem in the rematch and beat the piss out of Cain on the feet. Of course he's a good striker.

I don't think you even like MMA.

 

[One MMA Fan]

I'm only here for 2 reasons.

1 to say Stipe has some legit boxing skills even better then his wrestling he just might be one of the best if not the best boxer in the UFC surely in the HW division

2 to watch for @Final Say like a hawk, as soon as he mentions Cain I'm all over him

 

[Klippy]

DC's is going to wrestlefuck Stipe tire him out and sub him. He wouldn't take this fight if he'd thought he could lose. DC saw something in the Stipe vs Ngannou fight that he believes can expose on Stipe.

 

[ImNotSurpisedDonks!]

Why do people like TS act as if Hunt was this one punch ko machine that leaves everyone on his back? He loses half of his damn fights.

Well, because Hunt IS a one punch KO machine. He went thru a massive slump and was getting rekt by MW's for a while, not to mention he has fought the absolute best since day one, so the characterization of him losing half his fights and is some sort of mid road fighter is disingenuous. Hunt can beat any man any day.

 

[ImNotSurpisedDonks!]

It’s like people think time doesn’t move on. Like people don’t look at the dynamics. When was DC’s last HW fight. Juiced or not. Jones doesn’t have the strength of Stipe.

Sorry, Stipe by KO in round one.

I look forward to the backtracking after the fight though.

Stipe has serious strength but it is different than Jones. It is said Jones in the clinch is unrivaled, but we shall see. To nullify D.C., Prime Rashad, ragdoll Bader and others is a really unique thing.

 

[Final Say]

Strongly disagree. There is a big difference between an NCAA qualifier and an Olympian. Size difference or not, DC is significantly better. That is the equalizer in this match.

Smaller, lesser wrestlers (Gus, Jones, Nelson, Mir) all did half decent or better than decent neutralizing most of DC's takedowns and top control.

DC's is going to wrestlefuck Stipe tire him out and sub him. He wouldn't take this fight if he'd thought he could lose. DC saw something in the Stipe vs Ngannou fight that he believes can expose on Stipe.

stipe didn't lose a second of the Ngannou fight, was far more skilled than Ngannou in every position. Wasn't a ton to learn except that Stipe is just as good if not better than we thought

I seem to remember seeing that "oh shit" look in several fighters eyes the first time they got touched by Stipe. Apparently he hits hard enough to change gameplans after first contact.

This is true, people always feel uncomfortable sharing the cage with a Stipe.

What is Stipe talking about?

He hasn't fought anyone like Stipe yet???? You mean a fighter with good boxing but not a well-rounded striking game like an Anderson or GSP (few kicks if any), doesn't have proven 1 punch KO power, yes, he KO'd a charging Werdum who's momentum helped KO him but he hasn't gotten any other 1 punch KO's and doesn't have a proven track record of 1 punch KO power like a Hunt or Hendo, is a good wrestler but doesn't have a deadly ground game like Maia or Ortega.

Stipe is basically a HW Forest Griffin a fighter who is well-rounded but is not lethal striker or ground fighter.

People respect Stipe's power but they don't fear his stand up game like they would Hunt or Carwin and they don't fear his ground game like they would a Mir or Werdum.

Stipe wins by out-striking his opponents and finishing them with a flurry of punches or a decision victory. He isn't out there 1 punch KOing his opponents like a Hunt or submitting them like Werdum.


So yes, I think DC has fought someone like Stipe before.

DC has fought the likes of Anthony Johnson twice (whom I think would beat Stipe), Anderson Silva, Bigfoot Silva, Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, Josh Barnett, Dan Henderson, and others, so yes, I think DC has not only fought people like Stipe before, he's fought far more lethal opponents. Stipe is a jack of all trades master of none.

I don't care who wins in DC vs. Stipe, but I believe DC will win it.

Stipe is 100% correct. Better boxing than anyone D.C. has seen, better power and better wrestling than just about everyone else too.

 

[mkt]

Stipe is basically a HW Forest Griffin a fighter who is well-rounded but is not lethal striker or ground fighter.
.

How many Top 10 fighters did Forrest finish? Shogun and....???

Before the Ngannou fight, Stipe finished 5 consecutive guys. Terrible comparison--they're nothing alike. They're even very different stylistically. Stipe is boxer-wrestler with pretty heavy hands (I thought he decapitated Maldonado). Forrest was more of an MT guy who mixed things up and liked leg kicks...but didn't have much power. He was more of a BJJ guy and not a strong wrestler.

 

[welcometohavoc]

Stipe has better wrestling than people give him credit for and DC won't be able to ragdoll him like he has many, including Barnett.

Stipe is pretty good on his feet. Dude is super confident like the one guy who beat DC.

Based on what? Stipe has NEVER, EVER come close to fighting a wrestler like DC. You simply have nothing to judge him by.

What we do know is DC has made a GOAT career out of ragdolling bigger men

 

[welcometohavoc]

Smaller, lesser wrestlers (Gus, Jones, Nelson, Mir) all did half decent or better than decent neutralizing most of DC's takedowns and top control.

Last time I checked, DC won all of those fights (aside from PED man)

 

[welcometohavoc]

Stipe is 100% correct. Better boxing than anyone D.C. has seen, better power and better wrestling than just about everyone else too.

Nonsense. AJ puts Stipe's power to shame.

This fight will look alot like DC vs. AJ

 

[Ianstaine]

Tossup fight.. Im leaning a little towards Stipe. I think he can dictate the fight a little more and keep out of the clinch where DC is so strong with his wrestling and dirty boxing. I think Stipe likely touches him a few good times and they split the first two rounds and then DCs takedowns get a little labored and Stipe takes the championship rounds.

 

[Furious77]

Stipe has better wrestling than people give him credit for and DC won't be able to ragdoll him like he has many, including Barnett.

Stipe is pretty good on his feet. Dude is super confident like the one guy who beat DC.

His wrestling is good,but it's not great. Cains wrestling is great and was able to put JDS on the matt often. Stipe failed miserably trying to duplicate Cain's gameplan. Stipe has actually never faced anyone close to the level of DC in the wrestling department. We've seen Stipe slow down considerably in fights where there's alot of grappling. It seemed to me he was able to take Francis down easily and he still almost had a fucking heart attack himself.

 

[MusterX]

Prepare for body shots followed by a left high kick.

 

[Elmo]

Don't know...DC has a solid, solid chin and good wrestling.
Took it to AJ, who to me seems scarier than Stipe, at least in the first round lol.
Which brings me back around to the AJ vs Mr. Wonderful fight, which has me so confused about
Anthony quitting.

 

[Final Say]

Last time I checked, DC won all of those fights (aside from PED man)

He won the two heavyweight fights against the fence and those are not grapplers on the level of stipe. He had real trouble with all these guys and stipe is bigger and a better wrestler than just about all of em.

Nonsense. AJ puts Stipe's power to shame.

This fight will look alot like DC vs. AJ

man. If you think stipe is anything like AJ, you're in for a shock. Stipe is levels above Rumble in terms of boxing skill, way bigger and strongerand will not be eager to rush anything.

I hope D.C. goes down early as opposed to taking a prolonged beating out of toughness.