Joe Lauzon, unfair advantage? Why's he here?

NamelessMC · 05-18-2007, 03:34 AM

Maybe he didn't have enough exposure to be a noticed fighter? Maybe he wants the $100,000 contract?

But I don't get it. Why would it slip past anyone's mind that a guy of this caliber is just too far ahead of the other fighters for it to be a fair competition?

I mean, how could you put a guy on TUF that already beat one of the coaches?

I thought Diego Sanchez on season one was bad, but this is just ridiculous.

I mean look how badly he tore through Geraghty. That was just a brutal beating, and it wasn't even like Wiiman versus Sims or Gray versus Weems, because those were just two competent guys fighting two suspect cans.

Joe Lauzon literally just walked through one of Pulvers top 4/5 fighters like it was a sparring session to him. He had nothing in his game that made me think he was amateur.

What I mean is, watch Lauzon against Geraghty, and watch his striking, ground game, aggressiveness. There's no hesitation, no "rusty" or low-skilled moves. Everything looks like the caliber of a professional fighter.

Now look at the guys that are the other winners. Nate Diaz. Rocky striking, questionable take downs. Matt Wiiman. Slugging puncher, closed his eyes when he threw his over-hand right. Didn't duck his head and got caught by a straight. Corey Hill. lol from 8-0 to 4-0 to 0-0. Doesn't check leg kicks, doesn't utilize most of the ground game he was taught. Melendez. Good striker but not great? I mean, Andy was catching him with some loose jabs and hooks and striking is supposed to be his A-game.

But Lauzon? It was like if Gomi went in there and fought Geraghty.

ZachD009 · 05-18-2007, 03:45 AM

i gotta agree with you for the most part. But he is relativley unknown i guess. To me beating the former champ gets you more than a spot on TUF. Not that TUFs a bad thing but its for guys that havent had big sucess in big orgs. Lauzon obv has.

Tylerzd · 05-18-2007, 03:48 AM

whoa there. There are a few other guys on the show with the skills necessary to be competitive with Lauzon. Gamberyian, Miller, and Diaz are at a similar level, or just a notch below due to less pro experience. You're giving Geraghty more credit than he deserves. His record is 17-9 against fairly limited opposition. He's a journeyman.

If anything this is the best balanced season of TUF yet in terms competitiveness.

Frontrunners:
-Lauzon
-Diaz
-Gamberyian
-Miller

mid range darkhorses:
-Maynard
-Wiman
to a lesser extent Hill (because he's so green)

Then the rest are mainly journeymen and rookies with limited potential, who have all duly lost as they were expected to. The only guy in the second round who is really outclassed by the rest is Melendez.

seawolfing · 05-18-2007, 03:50 AM

he was guaranteed the shot on the sow when he stepped in late to fight pulver b4 he ever won the fight. it was a great claus and after beating pulver he is letting ppl know hes for real

Tylerzd · 05-18-2007, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZachD009

i gotta agree with you for the most part. But he is relativley unknown i guess. To me beating the former champ gets you more than a spot on TUF. Not that TUFs a bad thing but its for guys that havent had big sucess in big orgs. Lauzon obv has.

That's not entirely true. Diego Sanchez and Joe Stevenson were both KOTC champs before going on the show. Michael Bisping was a Cage Rage champ.

JacobianMatrix · 05-18-2007, 03:55 AM

He only has one ufc win which some consider a fluke and Pulver although he is a coach is a questionable opponent considering how the sport has evolved since he domination of the weight class. He has some losses to some nobodies which I guess qualifies him for the show. Wiman gave Fisher the fight of his life and Fisher has like 50 UFC wins and was one win away from a title shot.

NamelessMC · 05-18-2007, 03:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tylerzd

That's not entirely true. Diego Sanchez and Joe Stevenson were both KOTC champs before going on the show. Michael Bisping was a Cage Rage champ.

That's what I mean though.

You're putting people that were smaller organization champions against guys that fought like, employees of a burrito joint at a club Friday night.

It's just unrealistic. Look what Joe Daddy did to Guillard who was one of the highly regarded fighters from TUF. Look what Diego Sanchez did to the guys on TUF. TUF 1 didn't teach him shit, he knew what he knew coming into that show. His striking got better because of Greg Jackson, not TUF 1.

Look how badly Michael Bisping tore through TUF.

Bisping is probably the only amazing fighter I'd agree with being on the show, because he literally had no exposure in the UK for the American market.

NamelessMC · 05-18-2007, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JacobianMatrix

He only has one ufc win which some consider a fluke and Pulver although he is a coach is a questionable opponent considering how the sport has evolved since he domination of the weight class. He has some losses to some nobodies which I guess qualifies him for the show. Wiman gave Fisher the fight of his life and Fisher has like 50 UFC wins and was one win away from a title shot.

Wiiman gave Spencer Fisher the fight of his life? That's why Spencer Fisher knocked him out in the first round? It might've been late in the first round, but it was still the first round.

Joe Lauzon beating Pulver is about as much of a fluke as Diego Sanchez beating Joe Riggs was. They only show the highlight as Pulver slipping and getting caught on his way down. They don't show how Lauzon was dominating the fight and over-whelming Pulver the whole time and how he actually caught Pulver BEFORE Pulver slipped. It had a lot to do with why he was slipping in the first place.

JacobianMatrix · 05-18-2007, 04:01 AM

don't forget Gabe, 3x WEC champ that doesn't know how to cut weight. You just never know in mma.

Tylerzd · 05-18-2007, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NamelessMC

That's what I mean though.

You're putting people that were smaller organization champions against guys that fought like, employees of a burrito joint at a club Friday night.

It's just unrealistic. Look what Joe Daddy did to Guillard who was one of the highly regarded fighters from TUF. Look what Diego Sanchez did to the guys on TUF. TUF 1 didn't teach him shit, he knew what he knew coming into that show. His striking got better because of Greg Jackson, not TUF 1.

Look how badly Michael Bisping tore through TUF.

Bisping is probably the only amazing fighter I'd agree with being on the show, because he literally had no exposure in the UK for the American market.

Ahh, I think you're missing the point of TUF. It has much more to do with promotion of up and coming fighters than it does with competition. This is especially true considering the fact that most TUF alumni get a contract in the UFC- usually a 1 fight deal on the finale for the lower level guys which, if they win, get a second fight and so forth. The losers that did well on the show usually get 3 fight deals. Winning the whole thing just gets you a slightly better contract and higher profile matchups.