Yeah, that one was alright, I guess, but this fight? This was on a whole different level. Aside from that one shot from Travis, it felt like such a dynamic, well-rounded battle. You had everything—striking exchanges, transitions, grappling scrambles... it wasn't just one-dimensional at all. 🎉
Huge props to Cowboy, I was really crossing my fingers for him to pull this one off. Honestly, after the opening bell, I started getting a little nervous, but he eventually found his rhythm and it became pretty obvious how this was going to go down. Yancy was just being way too naive; instead of slowing things down to catch his breath at the end of the round, he decided to double down and charge forward. 😬
Black Beast 🙏 I can't even remember the last time I watched such a dominant round in the heavyweight division. 🍿 But look, Black Beast is definitely going to have to tighten up his grappling game. If he ends up facing a high-level specialist like Fabricio Werdum, he’s going to be in serious trouble. 🤷
I’m honestly not sure if Werdum is going to get a shot at Stipa. I mean, he didn't exactly have a bad showing, but if the Overeem - Francis fight ends in a knockout... I feel like whoever comes out on top is going straight to the front of the line for a title shot (or maybe even Cain if he ever actually makes a comeback 😬). Personally though, I’d love to see Werdum get that opportunity.
Finally caught some of the fights, and man, that main event was absolute fire. Such a bummer it ended on a stoppage like that, though. Honestly, Dustin caught me totally off guard; I was fully expecting Pettis to just run the show, especially once they got standing. But things went sideways fast—he wasn't really finding his rhythm on the feet, and then once it hit the ground, he showed some seriously impressive Jiu-Jitsu. He just seemed to take way too many unnecessary risks in those transitions.
So, looking at U Subosu, they’ve got their RGA school, and then there's also Alliance Black Dragon. Now, if you're checking out RGA, you might find they're lacking a coach at the black-belt level, but honestly? It doesn't even matter—those guys are putting in some seriously top-tier jiujitsu work regardless.
Nisan expects him to take it, but honestly, my gut tells me there could be a massive upset on our hands. I mean, this whole thing has already blown past everyone's expectations. 🎉
I actually dig his headspace right now—he isn't even stressing about the belt, he just wants to go out there and get himself a solid payday. 🍿
Darren Till has a world-class strike, honestly, but you really have to see if he can actually hang with someone like Donald Cerrone. I’m seriously counting down the days until this happens. 🍿
I’ve been trying to catch up on all those knockouts, but honestly, I just don't have the time to sit through everything. Still, what I did manage to see was 😲
Gaethje vs Johnson was an absolute heater. Honestly, Gaethje should probably take the result as a win; no matter how he spins it, he’s going to struggle against those elite guys who actually bring high-level technique and a solid game plan to the cage.
Jesse Taylor is just a beast. The guy has insane potential. Aside from that weird lull at the start of the second round, he was basically running the show.
Diakiese vs Klos was way too close for comfort. I honestly couldn't tell you who walked away with the win—I definitely need to go back and watch the replay. Both of them have serious upside, especially Diakiese. He’s such a sharp technician; he actually reminds me a lot of JJ, just maybe not quite at that level yet.
Roehrick has so much heart, though. His grit really stands out to me. 🙏
Dana Davis5 said:I honestly never even doubted it... street fighting just pulls every single one of those raw, animal instincts right to the surface. You can practice gym techniques until you're blue in the face, but nothing—and I mean nothing—can truly compete with that kind of real-world chaos. It’s like trying to compare actual life wisdom to some guru who spends thirty years meditating in total isolation without ever actually stepping out into the world to experience anything real. They're just not even in the same league, you know? Anyway, thanks so much for the reply.
I wouldn't say it pulls out animal instincts, though. Take Judo or Jiu-Jitsu, for example; they actually teach you how to stay composed in those high-pressure moments and force an opponent to submit without necessarily hurting them (if that's even possible 😬 ). In that sense, even meditative practices have a similar goal when you're training in a gym.
As for the cave-dwelling guru, it would definitely be interesting to see how they’d handle themselves in the modern world. But I don't really buy the comparison to martial arts. Sure, meditating in a cave makes sense, but practicing a martial art solely in a gym doesn't quite hold up. A martial art needs to be tested—otherwise, what does "martial" even mean? You might as well call it ballet, or dance, or something else entirely 😁
Dana Davis5 said:If that's the case, what on earth was Bruce Lee actually training, besides just acting in movies? 😁
Wing Chun. And from what I gather, it’s actually been tested in real street fights (at least, 😬 ). There's even this one pro fighter—super legit, too—who uses it.
I you’re saying the same thing... you aren't quite sure how much of it is actual fact versus just some kind of "movie magic." It’s totally possible that after a lifetime of grueling training, their bodies just adapt to those kinds of extreme physical demands. Honestly, it's hard to say for sure.
As for Seagal, in any serious martial arts circle, he's considered a total fraud.😬
Thomas Nelson25 said:A Shaolin? (I mean, there used to be a huge spiritual component to the training—not really anymore, but it was definitely there once)
From what I've gathered, their training sessions are absolutely brutal. It doesn't look like some choreographed performance routine like you see in Aikido.
For everyone else, I’d suggest ki aikido by Koichi Tohei. It stays truer to the spirit of the founder, Morihei Ueshiba; a strange and warlike fellow who happened to be one of those guys prone to making things up: "I set my mind on budo when I was about 15 and visited teachers of swordmanship and jujitsu in various provinces. I mastered the secrets of the old traditions each within a few months. But there was no one to instruct me in the essence of budo – the only thing that could satisfy my mind. So I knocked on the gates of various religions but I couldn`t get any concrete answers.
Then in the spring of 1925 when I was taking a walk in the garden I felt that the universe suddenly quaked and that a golden spirit sprang up from the ground, veiled my body and changed my body into a golden one. At the same time my mind and body became light. I was able to understand the whispering of the birds, and was clearly aware of the mind of God, the creator of this universe. At that moment I was enlightened. The source of Budo is God's Love. The spirit of loving protection for all beings. Endless tears of joy streamed down my cheeks.
Since that time I have grown to feel that the whole earth is my house and the sun, moon and the stars are all my own things. I had become free from all desire, not only for position, fame and property, but also to be strong. I understood, budo is not felling the opponent by our force, nor it is a tool to lead the world into destruction with arms. True budo is to accept the spirit of the universe, keep the peace of the world, correctly produce, protect and cultivate all things in nature and assimilate and utilize it in our own mind and body
😁
It’s not even really about whether someone *wants* to fight or not; it’s more about whether the techniques actually work if things ever get messy. And honestly, in that department, Aikido kind of falls short 😁
On a side note, I personally believe there are certain energies in spirituality, sort of like an "etheric" body. 😬
Back in the day, our Jiu-Jitsu crew used to share a gym with a group of Judo practitioners. To be honest, Judo always looked kind of ridiculous to me. ☕ There’s a massive difference between throwing a partner who’s actually working with you and trying to move against some grumpy old man who’s just digging his heels in to resist you.
I remember one time, our instructor—who was rocking a purple belt at the time—sparred against a black belt from the Judo squad and absolutely tossed him around like he was nothing. 😁
Betty Sanchez10 said:The whole licensing aspect hadn't even crossed my mind, but then again, this isn't some custom commission where someone pays you once and the transaction is dead and buried. Though, I'm honestly not sure if that distinction actually changes anything legally. I'll have to do some digging online regarding those specific regulatory agencies.
I already tried reaching out to the IRS for some clarity, but all I got were these useless, non-committal answers. I have zero desire to let them trip me up just because it's easier for their bureaucracy to squeeze more money out of me. 🤣 From what I've gathered, some people haven't been asked for proof when reporting foreign royalties, though I can't tell if that's because the amounts were negligible or if they were just treating it as minor side income that didn't trigger any red flags.
The more I read into this, the more confused I get. Does anyone know if registering as a sole proprietor or a freelancer means there’s no formal copyright contract involved, forcing me to issue dummy invoices? And if I somehow manage to file this strictly under copyright income, can I keep doing that every month regardless of the amount without being forced to register a formal business? I'm also curious if that 30% expense deduction is actually going to stick after these tax reforms. If it doesn't, I'll probably end up paying those new contributions for nothing since I'd still be classified as unemployed. 😵 It's enough to make anyone lose the will to work. 🙏
I’ve spent the last few months just wandering around, trying to find some actual answers. It feels like everywhere you turn, you just pick up another random little piece of the puzzle, and eventually, you hope it all clicks together into one big, clear picture. 😬
Betty Sanchez10 said:The whole licensing aspect hadn't even crossed my mind, but then again, this isn't some custom commission where someone pays you once and the transaction is dead and buried. Though, I'm honestly not sure if that distinction actually changes anything legally. I'll have to do some digging online regarding those specific regulatory agencies.
I already tried reaching out to the IRS for some clarity, but all I got were these useless, non-committal answers. I have zero desire to let them trip me up just because it's easier for their bureaucracy to squeeze more money out of me. 🤣 From what I've gathered, some people haven't been asked for proof when reporting foreign royalties, though I can't tell if that's because the amounts were negligible or if they were just treating it as minor side income that didn't trigger any red flags.
The more I read into this, the more confused I get. Does anyone know if registering as a sole proprietor or a freelancer means there’s no formal copyright contract involved, forcing me to issue dummy invoices? And if I somehow manage to file this strictly under copyright income, can I keep doing that every month regardless of the amount without being forced to register a formal business? I'm also curious if that 30% expense deduction is actually going to stick after these tax reforms. If it doesn't, I'll probably end up paying those new contributions for nothing since I'd still be classified as unemployed. 😵 It's enough to make anyone lose the will to work. 🙏
Honestly, it feels like in this country, staying off the grid and working under the table is just way too easy. It’s almost like the system isn't even trying to stop it. ☕
Regarding the whole copyright thing, I honestly think the trick is to license the rights to your work rather than selling them off entirely. It’s more like giving them a permit to use it. But hey, you should probably double-check that with the U.S. Copyright Office (or whatever the official 😬 is) just to be safe.
As for getting paid through PayPal or something similar, my rule of thumb is to report exactly what hits your account. That’s how it worked for me with my independent contractor agreements, and I’m pretty sure if you end up with a formal copyright contract, the rules would be basically the same.
When it comes to the actual client who ends up buying your stuff, I don't think that's the main concern. What really matters is who is actually sending you the money—in this case, the platform you're registered with.
Honestly, your best bet is to head down to the IRS and ask them directly. From my experience, they aren't always super clued-in on these specific niches, so it might be worth hitting up a few different offices or calling them up. If you call a smaller office like the one in Spokane, they’re usually pretty helpful and love a good chat, whereas the folks in New York City or Miami will probably just ignore your call.🤣