UFN 132 Cerrone vs Edwards

Yeah I agree with a lot of Asian fighters being held back by loyalty to their small gyms. It's one of the reasons why I can't back Inoue here against Schnell. I think Naoki has all the technical tools to become really good, but there's other things like strength, conditioning, weight-cutting, that come into play. He just won't be physical enough to compete with a lot of UFC level guys.

I do like the fact that guys like Song Yadong and even Daichi Abe are taking trips to the US to train. Yadong has made multiple trips to TAM and Abe is now training with Bang Ludwig in Colorado. TAM is obviously a great choice for smaller athletic guys like Yadong. Not quite sure if Bang Muay Thai will translate well at 170 since it's so volume-based and is better for smaller weight classes with higher SPM, especially since Abe seems to gas out easily. Colorado's altitude might be helpful for Abe's cardio, however.

1.5 years is a long time for a guy like Yadong to improve. Look at how much better Sayles looked yesterday after a year of intense training at Alliance. However, the difference here is that I haven't heard too many people heap praise on Yadong yet in the gym and Yadong is only a part timer at TAM with still the majority of his training in China. 1.5 years only part timing at TAM is definitely not enough to improve both his striking and his grappling IMO so I might just stick with my 2u bet on Arantes unless I hear something new about him from TAM gym mates or if I can find that Skrivers fight. If he looks as good as he did against Khandare against Skrivers, I would probably buy out part of my bet.

TAM is good for Yadong because watching some video, when Yadong gets taken down or ends up on his back, it looks like he doesn't use proper technique to reverse or sweep, he just tries to muscle out which expends a lot of energy and is bad news against a grappler like Arantes. With a better camp like TAM, they also strategize better on how to beat an opponent with a gameplan and focus on an opponent's weakness, the fighter just needs to execute. Watching some smaller Asian organization fights in general, it doesn't look like they have a gameplan or watched opponents tape, they are just straight brawling. Not trying to convince you out of your bet, your points are valid and I'm still on the fence on how I want to play it.

I'm really curious about Abe Daichi training at Bang Muay Thai, obviously the altitude training is going to help him with his cardio, not sure how much though, some people just have better cardio than others. Abe Daichi has always been an accurate striker with good counter punching but he could really improve his use of angles at a place like Bang Muay Thai. We know Li Jingliang is going to shoot takedowns but it's not so easy to land takedowns when your opponents is not stationary right in front of you and is using angles. +295 is really tempting even for 0.5 units.
 
TAM is good for Yadong because watching some video, when Yadong gets taken down or ends up on his back, it looks like he doesn't use proper technique to reverse or sweep, he just tries to muscle out which expends a lot of energy and is bad news against a grappler like Arantes. With a better camp like TAM, they also strategize better on how to beat an opponent with a gameplan and focus on an opponent's weakness, the fighter just needs to execute. Watching some smaller Asian organization fights in general, it doesn't look like they have a gameplan or watched opponents tape, they are just straight brawling. Not trying to convince you out of your bet, your points are valid and I'm still on the fence on how I want to play it.

I'm really curious about Abe Daichi training at Bang Muay Thai, obviously the altitude training is going to help him with his cardio, not sure how much though, some people just have better cardio than others. Abe Daichi has always been an accurate striker with good counter punching but he could really improve his use of angles at a place like Bang Muay Thai. We know Li Jingliang is going to shoot takedowns but it's not so easy to land takedowns when your opponents is not stationary right in front of you and is using angles. +295 is really tempting even for 0.5 units.

I've alrasdy played Abe for a unit at +315. I think he probably needs another year of high quality work before I consider this a more even matchup but will take the gamble at these odds. Abe has a good chance of knocking down Li early if all of his previous opponents can too. Abe also has some judo chops so Li can't just muscle him around in the clinch. He'll have to try to shoot for a TD instead.
 
Yeah I agree with a lot of Asian fighters being held back by loyalty to their small gyms. It's one of the reasons why I can't back Inoue here against Schnell. I think Naoki has all the technical tools to become really good, but there's other things like strength, conditioning, weight-cutting, that come into play. He just won't be physical enough to compete with a lot of UFC level guys.

I do like the fact that guys like Song Yadong and even Daichi Abe are taking trips to the US to train. Yadong has made multiple trips to TAM and Abe is now training with Bang Ludwig in Colorado. TAM is obviously a great choice for smaller athletic guys like Yadong. Not quite sure if Bang Muay Thai will translate well at 170 since it's so volume-based and is better for smaller weight classes with higher SPM, especially since Abe seems to gas out easily. Colorado's altitude might be helpful for Abe's cardio, however.

1.5 years is a long time for a guy like Yadong to improve. Look at how much better Sayles looked yesterday after a year of intense training at Alliance. However, the difference here is that I haven't heard too many people heap praise on Yadong yet in the gym and Yadong is only a part timer at TAM with still the majority of his training in China. 1.5 years only part timing at TAM is definitely not enough to improve both his striking and his grappling IMO so I might just stick with my 2u bet on Arantes unless I hear something new about him from TAM gym mates or if I can find that Skrivers fight. If he looks as good as he did against Khandare against Skrivers, I would probably buy out part of my bet.

It's not really a matter of loyalty. The advantages of training fulltime in the US are completely obvious to Japanese fighters but its still virtually impossible for them to uproot their lives and move there. They don't speak a lick of the language, come from an completely different culture (much more so than someone coming from anywhere in Europe) and also can't survive financially just on fighting. Most pro fighters here live paycheck to paycheck while holding down fulltime day jobs. Even their time at the gym is mostly spent on teaching classes etc as another source of income. There just isn't that much money in MMA here in Japan at this point.
Horiguchi is only the fighter that I can think of off the top of my head that made a successful transition but he had the advantage of being a young single guy who came from one of the most high profile gyms here.
 
It's not really a matter of loyalty. The advantages of training fulltime in the US are completely obvious to Japanese fighters but its still virtually impossible for them to uproot their lives and move there. They don't speak a lick of the language, come from an completely different culture (much more so than someone coming from anywhere in Europe) and also can't survive financially just on fighting. Most pro fighters here live paycheck to paycheck while holding down fulltime day jobs. Even their time at the gym is mostly spent on teaching classes etc as another source of income. There just isn't that much money in MMA here in Japan at this point.
Horiguchi is only the fighter that I can think of off the top of my head that made a successful transition but he had the advantage of being a young single guy who came from one of the most high profile gyms here.

hey man what's the degenerate mma gambling scene like in japan? i'd love to visit your country one day for drinking and debauchery.
 
It's not really a matter of loyalty. The advantages of training fulltime in the US are completely obvious to Japanese fighters but its still virtually impossible for them to uproot their lives and move there. They don't speak a lick of the language, come from an completely different culture (much more so than someone coming from anywhere in Europe) and also can't survive financially just on fighting. Most pro fighters here live paycheck to paycheck while holding down fulltime day jobs. Even their time at the gym is mostly spent on teaching classes etc as another source of income. There just isn't that much money in MMA here in Japan at this point.
Horiguchi is only the fighter that I can think of off the top of my head that made a successful transition but he had the advantage of being a young single guy who came from one of the most high profile gyms here.

Good points. I wonder what kind of arrangement was made with Teruto and Yadong at TAM. Possibly TAM getting a cut of fighter purses?

I don't keep up with the Japanese scene as much as I used to when I visited Tokyo in 2006, but it looked like all the gyms there were very small and poorly equipped. Too bad there's no Japanese equivalent of a rich dude like Sityodtong building supergyms in Japan.

How's the general outlook for mma in Japan nowadays? It doesn't look like there's really a path back to the glory days or anywhere near it. RIZIN seems to have found a niche with a focus on story telling using a small stable.
 
hey man what's the degenerate mma gambling scene like in japan? i'd love to visit your country one day for drinking and debauchery.
Sadly, any proper gambling action is hard to find nowadays (unless you have an affinity for pachinko parlors) and sports betting is nonexistent. No worries though, there's a lot of other stuff to do. And Japanese chicks love Caucasian guys (if you are one).
 
Looking back at my bet sheet I realized I never actually submitted my Sasaki R1 +325 bet and now it's +200. I still think it's the most probable outcome but I'll watch some Lausa tape before acting.
 
Can’t find any footage of xianon yan’s TDD, feel like Viviane Perreira is going to stall against the cage work the clinch and probably take her down at will depending on yans ability to stuff it. Questionable but I see why she’s +140. Clean striking but there is the glaring question of her TDD
 
Can’t find any footage of xianon yan’s TDD, feel like Viviane Perreira is going to stall against the cage work the clinch and probably take her down at will depending on yans ability to stuff it. Questionable but I see why she’s +140. Clean striking but there is the glaring question of her TDD

You can see her tdd or lack of in the Curran fight.
 
Can’t find any footage of xianon yan’s TDD, feel like Viviane Perreira is going to stall against the cage work the clinch and probably take her down at will depending on yans ability to stuff it. Questionable but I see why she’s +140. Clean striking but there is the glaring question of her TDD

FIght comes down to Viv's gameplan IMO. She was content to stand at range and trade with Val for long stretches, but had success when she decided to grind against the cage. If she sits at range she is going to get outvolumed and pieced up IMO, but if she fights a smart fight she should be able to control Xan on the cage and from top position. Xan was worth a bet +2xx, but lines are probably fair now.
 
Here are all my bets havent placed any yet but this is what I like all EASY MONEY BETS!!!!!!!!!!!1

Sasaki- wins in rd 2+425
Inoue- Wins by dec+175
Perreira- Wins by dec Even
Matthews- Wins by dec-130
K. Song- Wins by sub+240
Dy+134
Yadong- Wins by dec+230
Yan- Wins by dec-154
Jingaling- Wins by dec+140
Clark- wins by dec+130
ST Preux+105
Edwrards- Wins by dec+475
 
How many hours from now is the event? I’m confused on the time zone.

I’m on pacific time so does that mean Saturday night at 10:30pm?

Nvm I just realized, it’s Friday night going into Saturday morning.
 
How many hours from now is the event? I’m confused on the time zone.

I’m on pacific time so does that mean Saturday night at 10:30pm?

Nvm I just realized, it’s Friday night going into Saturday morning.

Fightpass prelims in a little over 30 hours
 
How many hours from now is the event? I’m confused on the time zone.

I’m on pacific time so does that mean Saturday night at 10:30pm?

Nvm I just realized, it’s Friday night going into Saturday morning.

Prelims are going to start at 1:30am, main card at 5am. Unless you want to forego a night of sleep, expect to wake up and watch the replay on fight pass (whole card is on fight pass).
 
Weigh ins are done and still no line for Kim/Fabian. WTF
 



Donald Cerrone (171) vs Leon Edwards (170)
Ovince Saint Preux (206) vs Tyson Pedro (205)
Jessica-Rose Clark (126) vs Jessica Eye (126)
Li Jingliang (170) vs Daichi Abe (170.5)
Teruto Ishihara (136) vs Petr Yan (136)
Felipe Arantes (136) vs Song Yadong (135)
Rolando Dy (146) vs Shane Young (146)
Song Kenan (170.5) vs Hector Aldana (169)
Shinsho Anzai (171) vs Jake Matthews (171)
Viviane Pereira (115.5) vs Yan Xiaonan (116)
Matt Schnell (126) vs Naoki Inoue (124)
Jenel Lausa (126) vs Ulka Sasaki (126)
Ji Yeon Kim (125.5) vs Melinda Fabian (124)
 
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Weigh ins are done and still no line for Kim/Fabian. WTF

Seriously. I can't remember the last time there was no line for a UFC fight past when the fighters successfully weighed in.
 
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