Originally posted by: MysterLynch
Date: August 18, 2025 at 08:27 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/winners-and-losers-ufc-319-duplessis-vs-chimaev.75703/
LoneCowboy said:
Main Card
winner:
Forest Gump
Tim Elliot:
He was getting beat on in the 1st. He was bouncing around and not giving Asakura much to go on, but he was taking shots and he wasn't putting anything back. But then, late in the 1st he finally decides "hey, I'm way better on the ground maybe I should take him down". Takes him down but runs out of time. Then in the 2nd easily takes him down and submits him. His style is so funky and wild and somehow still works. It's gotta be hard to practice for. Honestly he gave DJ the hardest fight of his career. (we all know triple cringe lost that split). Probably too old to make a run at anything but he's certainly a high level gatekeeper.
Loser: Kai Asakura
Got rushed to the top with that unearned title shot and got exposed and then got beat down on the ground by Elliot. He might actually not ever win a fight in flyweight. The division is so stacked and everyone is so well rounded that just striking ain't gonna do it. Probably too old to really improve much at the top levels of BJJ and wrestling. HIs takedown defense was atrocious. Tim should have shot way earlier adn ended the fight sooner.
winner: MVP.
He made welterweight? how? He makes Cannonier look small at MW. He's a BIG guy. His footwork is impressive as hell and his speed is tremendous, he's a real problem until he gets taken down. Then it's like a fish out of water, flopping around. Against the cage he's so big he can still get up, out in teh open, he's just stuck. 20 years of training and he's never gotten around to this? Cost him against Ian Garry and could have cost him last night. Also his showing off and not finishing the fight (when he knocked Cannonier down) almost cost him but he's so afraid to go the ground with anyone that he just lets them up. Figuring out the footwork to catch him is the tough part, but once you've done that (just like Wonderboy) it's a matter of time until he gets grounded.
Loser: Jared Cannonier.
Not fast enough with not good enough footwork to catch MVP to drag him down. Amazing that Jared was the smaller guy BTW. It's like he never even practiced against a karate guy, the speed and bouncing totally flustered him for a round and a half. Even when he finally got him down, he didn't do anything with it. (MVP is a BIG guy) and wasn't willing to lose the position to try and catch him again. high end gatekeeper at this point, but still for a guy who didn't even start training until like his mid 20's, he's done really well and is actually a pretty well rounded guy.
Loser: Geoff Neal.
He looked like a punching bag out there. Slow and his footwork was just way off and he was missing all the time. aside, everyone says Sayif Saud is a great head coach (Fortis) where Neal trains. But tell me anyone whos goes there/gone there at the top level and gotten better??? Getting low level guys to higher level, yes, he's very good at that. Getting guys over the top? No. Brandon Moreno went there after that whole KC gambling mess and he got worse. I feel like Neal is the same guy he's always been. Big, tough athletic with nice boxing but not much else and now he's getting older. I'd still watch a fight with him, he always brings it and is tough as nails, but he's peaked
Winner: Carlos Prates.
Muay Thai man for the win. He didn't even start slow, just started finding range and putting it to Neal. Didn't have to worry about a takedown and his footwork was better than Neal's. Even before that monsterous walkoff KO, he was putting it to Neal and it was already starting to show on Neal. Great win for him. I don't think he has enough wrestling and grappling to make a run at the champ, but he's still a super fun guy to watch. he hits HARD. I like that UFC Is now giving bonuses in the cage like ONE. the ONE boss guy has to be chuckling.
undecided: Aaron Pico
(insert media clip about a-a-ron here, that clip never gets old). He was looking good and strong until all of a sudden he wasn't. Those body shots were tearing Lerone up, I really thougt a couple more of those were going to finish him. Some nice tight takedowns to keep Lerone honest (although he couldn't keep him down) and then that Murphy knee really shook him a bit and I wonder if he wasn't starting to fade. And then he got caught. People get caught all the time, I"m not holding it against him, that's why those spinning back fists/elbows are so brutal, you don't see them coming. He's clearly super strong and well skilled, but I guess I gotta wonder about his go-go-go style and if it's gonna hold up (you can't knock everyone out at this level) and he's GOT to worry about his defense. Give him anyone from 10 to 15 in the featherweight and let's see what happens. (I know, everyone thought I was gonna rip on the bellator guy, I do actually watch the fights and all i do is report what I see).
winner: Lerone Murphy
Been watching Murphy for a long time but he hasn't built any momentum because he wasn't super active for a long time. And then he went decision after decision. TBF it's much harder at the top and you can't finish everyone. But that was how you put a statement on it. He was definately losing the round but he was coming back, it wasn't like a shot out of nowhere. That knee about 2 minutes in was almost perfect and really hurt Pico and that spinning backfist was simply perfectly timed and placed. And in a division that's been stuck cuz everyone has fought everyone, he made a statement and I bet he gets a title shot out of it. Who doesn't wanna see Murphy vs. Volk instead of another repeat? And Evloev has to be kicking himself for getting injured and blowing a shot at it. With a win he would have been undeniable and now he's the forgotten man.
Loser: Dricus DuPlessis
. Sigh, what was that? Like he was unwilling to put himself into a worse position so he just sat there and Chimaev wasn't willing to go into a different position since he was in a pretty dominant one. Has he never seen a crucifix before? And jumping the gilly? twice? Sigh. He didn't take a ton fo damage but he certainly got whipped up on. That was simply a bad, bad, showing. It's like they never practiced wrestling despite coming to face a monsterous wrestler. Against the rest of the division he's still a problem but I gotta think everyone (except Strickland) is gonna try to wrestle him now.
Winner: Khazmat Chimaev.
Dominating wrestling performance. Position over submission and simply holding him down for 25 minutes, complete control. BUT. Try to do some damage, any damage, advance the position. Who cares if you lose the position? you can clearly get it back in about 20 seconds. But I don't see anyone I don't favor him against in the top 10 of MW currently. (maybe Caio, but we'll see what he shows in Paris). Between DDP unwilling to lose position and it get worse and Chimaev unwilling to lose his dominating position honestly it was a bit of a stuck and boring fight despite being complete domination. I've never seen anyone survive 15 minutes in the crucifix and even being mounted for a few minutes and yet little damage happening. IF Blah had put on a performance like this, we would all be complaining non stop and yet Khazmat gets a pass.
Click to expand...
Elliott is a guy that I keep forgetting that he is still in the UFC. He has a 10-11 record in the UFC, this might not have been a must win fight, but if he lost, his next certainly would be.
