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411 Fact or Fiction MMA: Is GSP vs. McGregor the Better Fight?

May 24, 2017 | Posted by Lorenzo Vasquez

Welcome back to another edition of 411 Fact or Fiction MMA! I’m your host, Lorenzo Vasquez III, and it is my pleasure to bring you the fact and the fiction in this thing we call professional mixed martial arts. By the way, thank you, for your votes and comments last week. It is appreciated and I encourage you to do the same this week. Last week, Wyatt Beougher and Scott Kuczkowski locked horns over the idea that Joanna Champ is the best ever, Stipe Miocic on course to defend the heavyweight title more than two times, and Conor Mcgregor wanting to fight twice this year. Wyatt came in bobbing and weaving landing flush combinations. Scott, however, was able to gain his composure return beautiful counters en route to a 16-to-25 victory. Congratulations, Scott! And thank you both for your efforts and contribution.

This week, two of 411’s heavy hitting beast will light the arena on fire. Robert Winfree will lock horns with Mark Radulich as they dive into subjects like Georges St-Pierre vs. Conor McGregor, Paul Daley’s need for Michael “Venom” Page, California’s new 10-point weight cutting plan, and much more! Grab some grub and get comfortable because it’s time for another round of, 411 Fact or Fiction MMA! Let’s get it on!

TALE OF THE TAPE
RED CORNER
Robert “The Last Rider” Winfree
Contributor/Live Coverage Guru/Host, 411 MMA Zone/411 Ground and Pound Radio Show
4-4-1

VS

BLUE CORNER
Mark “Headshrinker” Radulich
Supreme Overlord,
Radulich in Broadcasting Network

5-4-0


Georges St-Pierre vs. Conor McGregor makes better sense and is more intriguing than Georges St-Pierre vs. Michael Bisping.

Robert Winfree: FACT I could argue the other way, but sure let’s go with fact. GSP vs. McGregor will draw the most money, and in a bit of a down year that has to be a consideration for the promotion, McGregor has technically fought at welterweight at least, and this means only Bisping’s injury is holding up the middleweight division. Of course, this means McGregor continues to hold up the best division in the sport, but at this point, I imagine that’s just par for the course.

Mark Radulich: FACT From a financial/marquee standpoint, absolutely it makes more sense. GSP went on hiatus while he was still on top and still champion. Conor McGregor is the UFC’s biggest cash cow currently on the roster. A PPV with these two matched up against each other is guaranteed to pull in over a million dollars in buys. GSP vs Bisping would have also sold PPV buys but not as many as Conor McGregor vs GSP. Obviously, Bisping isn’t the draw McGregor is and I don’t think there are too many who follow the UFC that think Bisping has a snowballs chance in hell of defeating GSP.


If Cody Garbrandt does pull out of his title defense against T.J. Dillashaw, then T.J. Dillashaw vs. Demetrious Johnson isn’t too bad of an option.

Robert Winfree: FACT Given that at this point he has pulled out, and anyone paying attention to MMA news knew he’d do so about two or three weeks ago, I’ll go with fact. I don’t think TJ vs. DJ is in the immediate cards, certainly not for UFC 213, but it’s two tremendous fighters at the highest level of the sport. I would be fascinated to watch that fight, how TJ would do at flyweight, if DJ has adapted to deal with physically larger opponents better, how TJ would deal with another elusive high paced opponent, so on and so forth.

Mark Radulich: FACT Of all of Plan B options out there, Dillashaw vs Mighty Mouse makes the best sense. Dillashaw is a former champion and obviously, Johnson is the reigning Flyweight champion. Johnson needs some new, fun, fresh opponents as he’s about cleaned his division. Why not fight the former champ if the current champ is unavailable?


Paul Daley and Michael Page, “MVP”, are at a crossroads where they need one another—Daley needs a win over a big name while Page needs a win over a legitimate competitor.

Robert Winfree: FACT Yeah I’ll buy this one. Both guys need exactly what the question outlines, Daley just got embarrassed by Rory MacDonald and needs to rebound over someone who isn’t a can while Page has been with Bellator since 2013 but has yet to really face a true contender. Daley needs to fight someone who’ll play into his style and Page needs to finally move up in competition or get off the proverbial pot.

Mark Radulich: Page is currently 12 – 0 but has not beaten anyone with any real name value that I can see. Paul Daley is 1 – 2 in his last 3 fights. Daley needs some form of redemption to stay relevant, especially with more and more UFC defecting to Bellator. MVP, however, needs to get noticed by the UFC while still keeping his record intact. If MVP can beat Daley and one more competitor to finish up his contract then the UFC should come calling with a decent offer. That should be the goal.


SWITCH!

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Chris Weidman will tell us if Gastelum is indeed ready for a run as a top ten middleweight and if Chris Weidman’s stretch as a top ten middleweight is beginning to simmer down.

Mark Radulich: FACT What a run of bad luck Weidman has had. He beats Anderson Silva twice and then proceeds to have a series of injuries preventing him from really taking advantage of his prestigious wins. Then he loses to Luke Rockhold. He’s since lost to the SOLDIER OF GAWD and Gegard Mousasi. Now it could be a losing skid and he just needs to head back in the game or he’s on the downside of his career. Meanwhile. Weidman is good enough to be a test for any serious middleweight. If Gastelum gets a win here he’s got to be a fight or 2 away from a title shot (assuming Bisping get’s the vagina tear fixed up).

Robert Winfree: FACT Mostly true here, though between injuries and his recent run there’s a legitimate question as to where exactly Weidman sits in the division. Despite his recent string of losses Weidman still has perceived value, and if Gastelum can take out a former champion, even one on a three fight losing streak, he’ll find himself opposite someone like Luke Rockhold or Gegard Mousasi next in all likelihood.


California’s new weight cutting 10 point plan is exactly what mixed martial arts needs.

Mark Radulich: FACT I’ve been in favor of more restrictions on weight cutting for a long time. When left to their own devices, fighters can make some crazy decisions that usually have a terrible impact on their health. While I’m not the biggest fan of government intervention, this is one of those cases where it was needed. Sometimes, fighters need to be protected from themselves.

Robert Winfree:FICTION Part of MMA’s appeal when it was getting going was that it didn’t have weight classes like boxing. Now, this new system isn’t as bad as boxing is, which tends to have classes every five pounds, but will still serve the same kind of function in overly complicating the weight schemes. I know the big push here is to reduce weight cutting, which is something I generally support, but I question the real efficacy of this move. I imagine for every fighter deciding they won’t have to cut extra weight, there are those who were big welterweights with a hard cut but think they can make a cut to 160. I’d rather the current classes were reassessed, say 165 instead of 170, as opposed to creating a whole new slew of divisions. That said there are other aspects of his plan that are good, but I can’t take it wholesale and therefore wind up going fiction.


Conor McGregor coming to terms with the UFC regarding his fight purse for a clash with Floyd Mayweather Jr. means absolutely nothing and the fight is no closer to becoming a reality than it was 6 months ago.

Mark Radulich:FICTION Oh ye of little faith. I think that at this point they just need a date and location and we’ll see the match made. Both guys seem to want the fight, just under the right circumstances. I think Mayweather and McGregor both know the value of a good circus so it’s only a matter of time before they both sign on the dotted line.

Robert Winfree FICTION I imagine that internally this is a big deal. The UFC and McGregor coming to an agreement means McGregor doesn’t challenge the UFC’s contract in court, which means that the UFC doesn’t have to worry about case law and the language of their contracts being closely scrutinized at a time when they can’t afford that, and also keeps the Ali Act from becoming a thing in MMA due legal proceedings. Now, this is just the first step in a long and complicated process, one that only gets more complicated now that Mayweather has to be dealt with, but it is an important step in the process.


So who won? Did Robert leave Mark devastated, or did Mark drop Robert with his iron fist? You’ve got until midnight eastern on Sunday to vote, so make sure you make your voice heard!


And that’s it for today but, as always, we’ll be back next week with another contest! And please, be sure to vote!

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