Rogan pushed too hard to sell Rousey for the Aug. 2 PPV, first asking her (at the beshest of the production truck) if she'd fight. Then he spoke of her busted hand after the card in terms of how it would prevent her from fighting on Aug. 2. White looked angry with Rogan after the in-ring interview with her. And she said she's got knee surgery coming up. Maybe the UFC is letting her competitive spirit override her body's integrity. Let her rest up a little.
Weidman did exactly what he needed to, and save for the fourth round, dominated the movement of the fight.
If I could have seen Mitrione lose, the card would have been perfect.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
If I was understanding Meltzer right, which is impossible, the LA show may be postponed or canceled on Monday due to lack of main event.
My hunch is UFC had already made their decision, and didn't want it to come off like the show was pulled because Rhonda refused to fight (which seems to have been the undoing of Jon Jones.)
Great fight between Weidman and Machida. If anyone still thinks Weidman isn't for real, they are officially dumb. Machida also showed great heart by throwing all caution to the wind in the fourth round. He was moving forward, throwing bombs, taunting --- who was this guy and what did he do with the real Machida?
The UFC has nobody but itself to blame if the 176 card ends up canceled. Too many events and too many thin cards...a show being entirely shut down due to one injured headliner was bound to happen (again).
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." --- Bart Giamatti, on baseball
Thread ahead: Tony Stewart injures driver with car at sprint car race. Next thread: World Cup predictions and discussion Previous thread: Nathan's Hot dog eating contest
FWIW, Simmons mentioned on his last podcast that a reader told him he saw Max and Francesa having lunch or something, and Bill and JackO discussed the possibility of those guys teaming up for a couple minutes.
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