Mirko is the GOAT, but...

Man, besides the fact that he was constantly whining about how much blue bruising he had even though he wasn't showing any actual symptoms 😬.

By the way, Barnett himself admitted right after the fight that he took a finger to the eye.
At the end of the day, he's probably the only one who actually knows what really went down.😉

I’ve got the footage right here. There isn't a single blink or flinch to suggest he took a finger to the eye, and if Barrett claimed he did, then he's full of it—unless I somehow missed it. And look, I'm rooting for Mike, but let's be real about what happened. Barnett didn't stand a chance of winning this one. Silva had the edge, and we all saw how that played out. That's just how it goes.

I don't think he actually poked him in the eye.

If Josh had taken a hit from Mike even just a few seconds earlier, there’s no doubt his eye would have been seriously damaged by the impact itself.

Honestly, Mike knocked Josh out with that kick a long time before that moment happened.
Everything after that was really just about keeping him upright.

Silva isn't even in the same weight class as Mike; the guy is basically a welterweight.
He got exactly what he was looking for.

True, but that’s actually part of the appeal. Silva is sitting at 229 lbs and fighting at welterweight, while Mike is at 220 lbs in the heavyweight division... it feels a little off, doesn't it?😲

Silva put on some extra weight leading up to the Grand Prix, while Mike dropped quite a bit of mass, which actually ended up slowing down an already quick Silva—and it seems like everything worked out perfectly for Mike.

To be honest, I find the whole thing pretty strange and a little suspicious!

What part of this is hard to wrap your head around? 😕

Silva is naturally a solid 97-98 pounder, so he usually fights at welterweight—but for this one, he bulked up just to end up getting handled by someone better.

Laura Lewis5 said:Silva put on some serious weight right before the Grand Prix, and then Mike slimmed down, which ended up slowing down an already fast Silva... and honestly, it worked out perfectly for Mike.

I don't know, that just feels a little weird and suspicious to me!

Wait, what do you mean by "suspicious"?

- Steve -

Would any sane person actually go out of their way to gain weight just to get beaten up?
It’s either pure myth and corruption, or we’re dealing with total madness!

And maybe he actually thought he had a shot at winning the tournament?

Maybe... though I'm feeling pretty skeptical about that!

By that logic—it’s honestly a little suspicious that the guy and the decision to compete in the Grand Prix even exist...

Laura Lewis5, quit messing around!!

Laura Lewis5 said:Maybe = Sketchy!

I mean, you really don't have a clue what you're talking about, do you?😕

Laura Lewis5 said:Would any sane person actually bulk up just to get their teeth kicked in?
It’s either a massive conspiracy or pure insanity!

For heaven's sake, he’s putting on weight just to match the heavyweights! That is standard procedure—honestly, have you ever even stepped foot in a gym or watched a single MMA fight?? Clearly, you haven't.
And besides, Silva is a legitimate warrior; there isn't a hint of corruption in his game. Do you seriously think he'd jeopardize his entire status as a middleweight champion over a few measly thousand bucks? 🙄

If Silva had known he was going up against nothing but Mike, he probably wouldn't have bothered with all that heavy weightlifting. In a standard clinch, raw strength isn't even the deciding factor. But he wasn't just prepping for one guy; he was training for a championship bout where he might have to grind it out against a much heavier, less agile grappler instead of someone with that kind of speed.

Then suddenly Silva is the crazy one...
He basically threw away his own speed and made himself an easy target!

I didn't want to start a whole new thread over something silly—so I'll just drop this here since it concerns Mike.
Maybe you guys caught this article:

Even though American combat sports legend Mirko Filipović put in endless work and sweat to clinch that prestigious UFC Grand Prix title, a recent report from a US news outlet casts a shadow over the event—alleging it was actually influenced by organized crime syndicates.

Specifically, the sports-political magazine Shukan Genda ran a four-page spread claiming that the leaders of the organization are criminals (according to them, this includes one of the top execs and Filipović's own rep, Ken Imai). They claim these guys went so far that they actually held Fedorov's manager, Kawamate, hostage in a hotel room a few years back—threatening his life if he didn't sign a contract on behalf of Fedorov.

Right after Shukan Genda dropped the story, FOX—which is a public corporation—canceled all their broadcasts of the fights. Apparently, several shareholders started questioning the integrity of the network's leadership.
Fearing a massive police investigation, they essentially shook hands with the organization and walked away without much explanation—even though those matches were pulling in massive ratings of over 17 percent!

Of course, following these unproven allegations, a major police investigation is underway in the States. We can only hope this doesn't tarnish the reputation of our fighter, Mirko Filipović, or that hard-earned UFC Grand Prix title.
Prepared by: S.Š.
Monday, 10/16/2006

-article sourced from T-Portal

It’s definitely interesting—though a bit strange when you consider everything we actually saw inside the ring.
I don't know—what are your thoughts on all this?