ufc,s octagon,cryptonite to the supermen pride fighters

[gracie bjj]

it just seems like these guys who dominated pride become a shell of the fighters they use to be when they step into the octagon,or could it be the ufc just had better fighters all along?or maybe its just coincidence and it just happens that the pride killin machines are alittle past thier prime.ever since wandy got ko,d by cro cop it seemed like he was never the same fighter,then hendo kod him and i even said to one of my boys that i think wandys lost a step,im by no means saying the guys washed up cause imo hes still a threat to any top 5 lhw in the world on any givin day.big nog last night didnt look like the nog we all saw fight fedor and cro cop in pride,its kinda sad cause sometimes we all want to think these guys can fight like that forever,age and the body breakin down takes its toll on all fighters.i think wandy deserves another shot at quinton within the next year cause wandy deserves it imo,after all hes still one win up on rampage,some guys are sayin wandy and nog should retire,thats bullshit.both guys got alot of fight left in them and they just had bad nights,every great fighter got beat at some point in his career.im glad rampage and mir won as well as evans,they are all worthy champions imo.thanks for reading

[BlueDevil]

the cryptonite obviously has no effect on rampage

[MindSpin]

the cryptonite obviously has no effect on rampage

He lost to the 1st TUF fighter

[BlueDevil]

He lost to the 1st TUF fighter

well let's just say "he did recover"

[MindSpin]

well let's just say "he did recover"

true.

[BlueDevil]

true.

the op raises some valid questions though

can't overlook the "mediocre" performances from former pride fighters in the octagon, but then again wouldn't it be fun to see how ufc fighters will perform in the ring in japan

loved the ko by rampage but let's face it silva kicks lack basic power , his defense is questionable to say the least and rampage definitely got in his head

nog reminded me of peter aerts in the last K1 final, not focused, slow, bad defense, no offense and why the hell didn't he try to take mir down, i mean the outcome was great for mir but quality wise this fight was a joke

[Fury]

I think it has more to do with their ages. Wandy and Nog have been fighting since they were in their teens in Vale Tudo and other Brazilian organizations. They're old as shit in fighter years. Especially with they way they've always fought. Nog has made a career out of getting the shit beat out of him and enduring long enough to get a sub or pull some kind of victory out. Just look at his face for proof of how old and beat up the guy looks. That shit adds up. Those guys were already entering the downsides of their careers before they left Pride and are most likely down to their last few fights. Very few fighters stay great forever, and the ones that do are usually those with incredible defense.

[BlueDevil]

I think it has more to do with their ages. Wandy and Nog have been fighting since they were in their teens in Vale Tudo and other brazilian organizations. They're old as shit in fighter years. Especially with they way they've always faught. Nog has made a career out of getting the shit beat out of him and enduring long enough to get a sub or pull some kind of victory out. Just look at his face for proof of how old and beat up the guy looks. That shit adds up. Those guys were already entering the downsides of their careers before they left Pride and are most likely down to their last few fights. Very few fighters stay great forever, and the ones that do are usually those with incredibly defense.

but how did you see the fights objectively, skill wise

basically i see a lot of hype and not much skills to back it up

[Fury]

but how did you see the fights objectively, skill wise

basically i see a lot of hype and not much skills to back it up

Nog is old and slow. The guy looked tired. Wandy's been KO'd in 3 of his last 5 fights going back to PRIDE. He's lost 5 of his last 8 dating back to 2005 when Arona beat him in the semi's of the MWGP. He's been on the downswing for a while now. They don't look anything like the fighters they were in 2004 and 2005. Probably a combination of the lack of gear and age. Liddell hit the downswing right around the same time as well.

Guys like Rampage and A. Silva weren't even in their prime when they came over from Pride and they've dominated the UFC since.

Team Pride (Just to get my dicksucking fanboy Yemeni in here) 

[BlueDevil]

Guys like Rampage and A. Silva weren't even in their prime when they came over from Pride and they've dominated the UFC since.

remember this one

[Fury]

remember this one

Yup. Great fight. All 12 seconds of it. 

[rccs]

I remember Sapp beating the shit out of Hoost...

http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=fAKBjOG49Cs

[americanbulldog]

Here are somethings that affected Pride fighters.

1.  Athletic commisions and drug testing.  No kicking a downed opponent, elbows allowed on the ground.

2.  Octagon versus ring.  Hard to chase down and corner someone when there are no hard corners.  Being cage savy versus ring savy.  In the cage one can be shoved up against it, head high.  Someone like Tito wouldn't need to pass guard or improve their position to rain down elbows for brutal GNP. 

3.  Like BF opined, age in fighter's years.  Lots of head trauma experienced by both Wand and Nog.  Mirko had problems with the size of the cage, couldn't chase down opponents.  Fedor still is performing well, as is Josh Barnett.  Anderson thrives better in the cage. 

[gracie bjj]

all good points people,but you know the saying(love is blind)i guess it applies to fans who cant seem to realize/accept that thier fighter aint what he used to be.ive been through it myself,i was a diehard mark coleman fan years back and when mo smith beat him and the hammer lost the title i was crushed/pissed and stunned.does that mean i didnt like coleman anymore?not at all.i think its great yous guys standing behind wandy and nog cause it shows you are true fans,true fans are hard to find these days cause everyone jumps on the winner wagon.i used to make excuses for coleman back then but i just learned to accept it and say hell get another crack at that guy who beat him down the road and maybe the outcome will be different.wand was asked in his post fight speech if he thought rampage got lucky,wany replied(NO LUCKY,HE TRAIN VERY HARD FOR FIGHT AND HE WAS BEST MAN TONIGHT)imo if my fighter aint making excuses niether shall i.i still like wandy and nog and think that theyll be back with better showings then saturday night