Throwdowns > Closed

JimJ77 Can't make it up said 10/19, 03:54 PM
Big Nog vs Stefan Struve makes the most sense to me. Both guys just fought recently and won, so they're lined up with one another.

On top of that Struve has thrust himself into, what Dana likes to call, the "mix." He's won 9 of his last 11 UFC fights and has won 4 straight. In those four victories he's finished each of them within 2 rounds.

Nog says he wants a top 10 guy. Cain is fighting JDS. Overeem is next in line for a title shot. Mir's on the shelf and already beat Bog twice. I don't think the UFC wants to feed Nog to Cormier over in SF because that would just be cruel towards Nog. Werdum and Bigfoot? Eh.

Who's left? Struve. The kid has entered the top 10 and it would be young and up and comer versus the old lion. The same formula that was worked for years and years in combat sports applies.

Nog vs Barnett? We've seen it already. I really have no interest in it, and Barnett's status is in limbo anyway. I'm not sure that's really the best fight. I'd rather see Mir vs Barnett to be honest.

Struve vs Nog makes the most sense.

JimJ77 Can't make it up said 10/20, 05:39 PM
MMA Weekly just updated their rankings and have Struve ranked #7, so he's a very viable opponent for Big Nog and fits the criteria Nog has outlined. Nog says he wants to fight a top 10 guy, and Struve makes the perfect sense because he's top 10 and has won 4 straight in the UFC.

Barnett hasn't fought in the UFC in 10 years and is coming off a loss. No one knows if he'll even sign with the UFC, and even if he does where does getting a win over a guy who hasn't even fought in the UFC in a decade get Big Nog? No where, that's where.

Add onto this the fact that these two guys have already fought twice in Pride and what sense does it make to match them up? It's not even like its a fresh fight.

You say Struve isn't close to a title shot and Barnett could be. Well, that makes even less sense to me. Once again Struve is coming off 4 wins in the UFC, 6 of 7, and is 24 years old and ranked #7. Barnett is 35 coming off a loss and his last win in the UFC was at UFC 36 when he was busted for roids. He's no where close to a title shot, but Struve is.

Fact is Struve makes way more sense for Big Nog. He's young, on the rise, and is far more relevant than Barnett right now.

JimJ77 Can't make it up said 10/23, 11:59 AM
We can debate where fighters are ranked all day. Fact is rankings are totally subjective. What I think we can agree on is that we view Struve as a top 10 fighter and that falls in line with the type of fight Nog is looking for.

What I like most about the Nog vs Struve fight is that, stylistically, this is a perfect fight. Both bring very similar games. Both like to stand and trade, both can tap their opponents on the mat. Both guys are notorious slow starters, and both are notorious great comeback fighters.

When you add in the young fighter trying to break into the upper echelon vs the old fighter attempting one more climb to the top, it adds another exciting element.

I will say I'm not totally against trilogy fights. I thoroughly enjoyed Couture vs Liddell and even more recently Maynard vs Edgar, but I'm not terrible excited to see Barnett vs Nog for a 3rd time.

We also don't know what is going on with Barnett. Is he signing with the UFC? When is he available to fight after suffering a broken hand against Cormier? There are too many questions about his status to match him up against Nog, who by all accounts is ready for another fight.

Struve makes more sense.