Cheick Kongo: ‘Nothing worries me too much with Brock Lesnar’ if UFC 91 fight is booked |
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Twenty20Dollars
MMA Sensei
Career record: 168-91
Season: 47-23 (#640)
Location: KC,MO
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linkage
“…. If the UFC wants me to fight Lesnar, I’ll do it for sure…. Lesnar was impressive [against Heath Herring at UFC 87]. He showed confidence in his standup striking and completely dominated Heath Herring…. I try to never underestimate any of my opponents but there’s really nothing that worries me too much with Brock Lesnar. I know it could be a tough fight, but, you know, I train hard and I will be ready for this one too. I am hungry.”
Cheick Kongo talks about a potential heavyweight showdown with Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 in Portland, Ore., at the Rose Garden Arena on November 15. In short, he’s not scared of the mammoth former highly decorated collegiate national wrestling champion. Let’s just hope the “French Sensation” has polished his takedown defense since the loss to Carmelo Marrero at UFC 64: “Unstoppable” back in 2006.
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Post #1 8/22/08 1:00:52PM
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Go Giants!!!!!
Career record: 214-123
Season: 42-28 (#628)
Location: The Jersey Shore!!!!!!!
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Herring took him down. Brock is going to destroy him. It will be interesting to see though if Brock will stand and trade and how well he takes a shot. I really look forward to this fight
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Why don't you just sit there and bleed awhile before you taste yourself some real pain!!!!!!!
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Post #2 8/22/08 1:10:09PM
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wrona666
In Full Mount
Career record: 169-90
Season: 41-29 (#2118)
Location: Atascadero, California
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If Brock stands and trys to trade he will get KO'ed, but if he bull rushes him i see this fight going similare to the Herring fight..
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Post #3 8/22/08 1:43:57PM
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Twenty20Dollars
MMA Sensei
Career record: 168-91
Season: 47-23 (#640)
Location: KC,MO
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dont make this fight happen. Brock will strike alittle and then just take kongo to the ground and pound him out like herring to a tko or decision.
Idk why kongo would want to take this fight. Bad Matchup for him for sure.
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Post #4 8/22/08 1:54:50PM
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TuFanboi
Learning to Sprawl
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Career record: 189-87
Season: 41-21 (#1511)
Location: Wenatchee, WA, USA
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/prays for a flying Kongo Knee
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Post #5 8/22/08 2:30:43PM
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Go Giants!!!!!
Career record: 214-123
Season: 42-28 (#628)
Location: The Jersey Shore!!!!!!!
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Posted by Twenty20Dollars
dont make this fight happen. Brock will strike alittle and then just take kongo to the ground and pound him out like herring to a tko or decision.
Idk why kongo would want to take this fight. Bad Matchup for him for sure.
So your saying Brock should take the fight to Kongo's strength's? No one even knows what kind of chin he has. Kongo is going down
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Why don't you just sit there and bleed awhile before you taste yourself some real pain!!!!!!!
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Post #6 8/22/08 3:04:50PM
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nickcuc547
MMA Sensei
Career record: 219-128
Season: 45-25 (#813)
Location:
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i think kongo should be worried about his lack of a ground game, because that's where the fight will be for all of about five seconds at the beginning of each round. brock should be able to finish this one off because kongo's strength and defense aren't as good as herring's.
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Post #7 8/22/08 3:09:04PM
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RMFG_187
MMA Sensei
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Career record: 129-84
Season: 38-24 (#1754)
Location: Toronto, Canada
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wtf is Joe thinking? He just gave Kongo a nobody so he could get back into the game, now hes throwin him the (arguably) best wrestler in the HW division at him?
Brock Round 2 Sub. ya I said it, SUB
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Post #8 8/22/08 3:23:11PM
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BANNED
Career record: 116-60
Season: 45-21 (#854)
Location:
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Posted by TuFanboi
/prays for a flying Kongo Knee
if he's smart he will
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Post #9 8/22/08 3:57:03PM
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Aether
MMA Sensei
Career record: 120-82
Season: 38-23 (#2266)
Location: Canada
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*sigh* I knew they would do this. This is a downgrade for Lesnar. Kongo might be a technically better striker than Heath, but it isn't going to matter because his takedown defense is completely non-existent. He should be fighting Gonzaga. Cheick is probably going to have about 15 seconds at the start of each round where he has an opportunity to throw any strikes.
I really doubt that this fight makes it out of the first round. Lesnar must know Kongo is about as dangerous on the ground as a small kitten, so he's probably not going to be worried about posturing up and getting caught in a submission as he appeared to be against Herring. Lesnar by GnP early in round 1 is my prediction.
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Post #10 8/22/08 4:07:42PM
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casey64
MMA Sensei
Career record: 155-93
Season: 44-25 (#2004)
Location: Football Field
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Kongo better worry about that damn truck, once Kongo gets a bit clumsy Brock is gonna come in with a huge takedown and then ground and pound its over.
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Post #11 8/22/08 4:31:13PM
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Laying down the beats
Career record: 192-150
Season: 37-33 (#1810)
Location: Canada
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Posted by Aether
*sigh* I knew they would do this. This is a downgrade for Lesnar. Kongo might be a technically better striker than Heath, but it isn't going to matter because his takedown defense is completely non-existent. He should be fighting Gonzaga. Cheick is probably going to have about 15 seconds at the start of each round where he has an opportunity to throw any strikes.
It might be a downgrade in terms of the fact that Lesnar > Herring > Kongo, but I think it makes sense in the eyes of the UFC.
Lesnar appears to be a big investment for them. He still is a green MMA fighter. Despite beating a veteran like Herring, what other UFC HWs would offer Lesnar an upgrade, whilst not being a risk of the UFC's investment losing a fight? I can't think of many.
Nog and Werdum are currently out of Lesnar's rank. Gonzaga, not only has lost two of his last three fights, he is a bad match-up for Lesnar. I don't think Mir would survive a rematch with Brock, but that point aside, why would they be creating a series of fights between two fighters that are not even top 10 fighters?
Kongo seems to the be only legit (and by legit I mean known) HW fighter that is around Lesnar's "rank" in the UFC right now.
I think it is a smart move by the UFC. There are options from all outcomes.
If Lesnar wins, they woudl have an excuse to dump Kongo and it's one more win for their investment. If Kongo wins, Lesnar's popularity and previous dominance will help them play up Kongo as a possible HW contender, which they are in serious need for.
All in all it doesn't make sense to me to give Lesnar some up and comer from outside the UFC, considering what he did to Herring. It doesn't make sense to give him one of the top fighters in the division because there is little reason to justify it rankings and experience wise.
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MMA Playground Ninja Moderator - Be cool and follow forum conduct or you'll be banned and all you will see is a puff of smoke. Members banned - 31, IPs banned - 19
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Post #12 8/22/08 5:12:43PM
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Menard_StC
Learning to Sprawl
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Career record: 223-121
Season: 43-25 (#796)
Location: CT
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Polished his takedown defense LMAO
Assuerio Silva and Heath Herring both took him down at will. His TDD is absolutely pathetic. He worked on his wrestling.. but all that improved was his OFFENSIVE wrestling, not his defense.
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Post #13 8/22/08 6:26:37PM
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Mchubb316
MMA Sensei
Career record: 217-120
Season: 45-25 (#1353)
Location: Southern Oregon
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I'm sure he is not worried too much with Brock Lesnar. He should be terrified. Lesnar will do the same to Kongo, as he did with Herring. This time I see Brock finishing the fight. Each month Brock has to train MMA, and work his weakness, it makes him that much scarier as a fighter. The Brock we see next will not be the same as the fight with Herring, he will be better.
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Post #14 8/22/08 6:29:57PM
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Aether
MMA Sensei
Career record: 120-82
Season: 38-23 (#2266)
Location: Canada
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Posted by Rush
Posted by Aether
*sigh* I knew they would do this. This is a downgrade for Lesnar. Kongo might be a technically better striker than Heath, but it isn't going to matter because his takedown defense is completely non-existent. He should be fighting Gonzaga. Cheick is probably going to have about 15 seconds at the start of each round where he has an opportunity to throw any strikes.
It might be a downgrade in terms of the fact that Lesnar > Herring > Kongo, but I think it makes sense in the eyes of the UFC.
Lesnar appears to be a big investment for them. He still is a green MMA fighter. Despite beating a veteran like Herring, what other UFC HWs would offer Lesnar an upgrade, whilst not being a risk of the UFC's investment losing a fight? I can't think of many.
Nog and Werdum are currently out of Lesnar's rank. Gonzaga, not only has lost two of his last three fights, he is a bad match-up for Lesnar. I don't think Mir would survive a rematch with Brock, but that point aside, why would they be creating a series of fights between two fighters that are not even top 10 fighters?
Kongo seems to the be only legit (and by legit I mean known) HW fighter that is around Lesnar's "rank" in the UFC right now.
I think it is a smart move by the UFC. There are options from all outcomes.
If Lesnar wins, they woudl have an excuse to dump Kongo and it's one more win for their investment. If Kongo wins, Lesnar's popularity and previous dominance will help them play up Kongo as a possible HW contender, which they are in serious need for.
All in all it doesn't make sense to me to give Lesnar some up and comer from outside the UFC, considering what he did to Herring. It doesn't make sense to give him one of the top fighters in the division because there is little reason to justify it rankings and experience wise.
I'm not denying that it's smart from a financial/marketing point of view. Obviously giving him fights that he is expected to win against somewhat well known fighters is going to help build his name and make the UFC money, I'm just talking from a pure fight perspective. I want to see the best fights, I think everyone does, and I think Brock probably wants to improve rather than take a downgrade in the level of competition he's fighting.
I don't think there is little reason to justify it rankings and experience wise. He beat Heath badly and he was also demolishing Mir before he got caught. He's proven that he can roll with the big boys, so why is he getting weaker competition instead of a fighter that will help him to progress his game? I don't see how him winning a fight everyone expects him to win will help clarify the rankings any more... How will the situation be any different after fighting kongo than it is now? Kongo doesn't have the tools to force him to learn anything new, he's just going to use the tool he already has.
I see Gonzaga as the next most logical step up. He's not so amazing that Brock would have no chance, his jiu jitsu (at least applied to MMA) is not as good as Frank's, he's big enough to make Brock work for his takedowns, and his striking is good enough to force him to be careful about picking his spots. I would really have to think about that fight to call it, which is really how any fight should be.
I don't really think fights should be based around politics, or a desire to clear out unwanted fighters or build reputations for fighters. I think fights should be about fighting and progressing your career as a fighter skill-wise, you should build your reputation by earning it not by having fights spoon fed to you. I just don't think that's what this fight is about. I think it's about all of the things you've said it's about, which essentially amount to public persona and money (which is debatable, because a match between Lesnar and Gonzaga I think could be hyped much more than this fight)
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Post #15 8/22/08 7:15:47PM
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