That's because they are harder for judges to see from where they are sitting. Headshots are easier to spot since they are higher up and visible. So unless the judges watch the fight on a monitor then the headshots will generally be viewed as more significant.
The MMA thread
- Thread starter Fortitude
- Start date
That's because they are harder for judges to see from where they are sitting. Headshots are easier to spot since they are higher up and visible. So unless the judges watch the fight on a monitor then the headshots will generally be viewed as more significant.
You know what the UFC could use right about now ?
Rory MacDonald and Gegard Mousasi
Rory MacDonald and Gegard Mousasi
Exactly how I saw it.
Khabib continues to WUM Conor 
3:20 onwards
3:20 onwards
"Right now if UFC give me somebody I can fight. Right now give me 30 minute rest, little bit drink water..." gotta love Khabib, man.
Credit to Iaquinta for stepping up but was completely outclassed. That other Dagestani dude looked awesome too, first time I saw him fight I think.
gotta love Khabib, man.Credit to Iaquinta for stepping up but was completely outclassed. That other Dagestani dude looked awesome too, first time I saw him fight I think.
"Right now if UFC give me somebody I can fight. Right now give me 30 minute rest, little bit drink water..."
Credit to Iaquinta for stepping up but was completely outclassed. That other Dagestani dude looked awesome too, first time I saw him fight I think.
"Send me location, tell me what time, I'm gonna come".
The thing with Khabib is that even though his stand up has technical holes he still gets the better of most of his opponents on the feet for one simple reason, they are always thinking about the takedown. Similar to GSP in that respect. Khabib was lighting up Iaquinta on the feet who actually has good hands. The reason being Iaquinta was keeping such a low and cautious stance.
Iaquinta was being about as defensive as you can be in terms of defending takedowns in the later rounds, that's why Khabib didn't see as many openings for takedowns or have as much success getting him down to the ground, but it did mean losing on the feet anyway.
If McGregor or Ferguson try to keep their normal stances and win the stand up then they will find themselves repeatedly on their back. Neither are as good wrestlers as Iaquinta who has a wrestling background. They need to be extremely cautious of the takedown and still try to win the standup which is actually very hard to do. Or in Ferguson's case he may accept being taken down and have ultimate faith in his bjj. Conor's best chance is catching Khabib at the start of the round and putting him away. He'll only have a very short window though.
Iaquinta was being about as defensive as you can be in terms of defending takedowns in the later rounds, that's why Khabib didn't see as many openings for takedowns or have as much success getting him down to the ground, but it did mean losing on the feet anyway.
If McGregor or Ferguson try to keep their normal stances and win the stand up then they will find themselves repeatedly on their back. Neither are as good wrestlers as Iaquinta who has a wrestling background. They need to be extremely cautious of the takedown and still try to win the standup which is actually very hard to do. Or in Ferguson's case he may accept being taken down and have ultimate faith in his bjj. Conor's best chance is catching Khabib at the start of the round and putting him away. He'll only have a very short window though.
Khabib's standup on sat was poor, in the fact he was leaving his chin very exposed at times whenever he threw. GSP's stand up is on a different level to Khabib's though, GSP has very good stand up, his jab is particularly impressive. I wouldn't read too much into this fight though..The week has been a mess, different opponents etc, so he went in and did his job. I know he's fought strikers before, but he hasn't fought an elite one like McGregor, the same way Conor hasn't fought anyone with Khabib's ground game. Khabib leaves his chin out like he did on sat and Conor ko's him. Not just McGregor's power, it's his speed and angles. Same way it goes to the floor only one winner there. Intriguing fight if it can be made. Both men will being masters in their areas of expertise, certainly have weaknesses in other parts of their game.
To be fair, Barboza is a striking beast and Khabib dealt with him so not guaranteed McGregor's stand up will defeat Khabib, who needs only one opportunity to get Conor to the ground and it's lights out for McGregor. Conor has to get Khabib early and that's his only chance I feel.
Generally agree. This fight was a one off where its best to ignore what Khabib did since he was facing a new opponent that he didn't train for.
If he was fighting Tony or Conor, their striking would be mitigated by the fear of getting taken down by Khabib. Likewise, to a slightly lesser degree, Khabib's take down/grappling/close game would be someone mititaged by Conor and Tony's striking ability. But all things said, if Khabib is focused on taking someone down, they are going down, and if he takes Conor to the ground it will be over. If its Tony then it would be an interesting chess match.
Barboza good striker, not McGegor level though with his hands. H'ed be more deadly with his kicks, but takes a brave man to throw kicks at Khabib, as one grab of a kick and he's got you down. Of course Conor's only chance is the ko, same way Khabib can only win by taking him down. I'd say Khabib would be favourite and probably rightly so, but with Conor having ko power and Khabib leaving his chin exposed, certainly not as much as a foregone conclusion that some on here would have you believe. Some good fights to be made here, and then thrown Tony Ferguson back into the equation. 3 legitimate contenders.
The hard part for Conor would be his lack of ground game. I know some of his fans like to say he does have one, but its more of a survival strategy than something coherent and tactical. If Khabib takes him down the round will be his and he will probably inflict enough damage to mitigate Conor's striking in the next round. Conor's only chance would be his usual one trick of the KO.
I don't think it's a foregone conclusion by any means, especially with every round starting on the feet.
Will be interesting to see if McGregor's KO power really translates over to 155.
He couldn't KO Nate (but Nate is a zombie) and he did KO Alvarez (who had the world's worst game plan).
I'm excited.
totally agree on the ko, it's his only chance. I also worry about his stamina at times. I know he came on strong at the end v Diaz 2, but I do think he has issues with it at times. If Khabib gets you down early, trying to get back to your fight for a round can be tiring. All logic says Khabib wins this, but just something insides me sees Conor catching him.
I'm only a casual mma watcher but that Zabit-Bochniak fight was the best I've seen in years
Yep...it was a pretty rare fight in that both fighters are basically engaged in an entertaining brawl. Most fighters use some degree of tactical nuance but these guys just wanted to fight.
I liked the style match-up. Zabit has a really unique technique focused style while Bochniak fought like he was some stevedore dockside brawler.
All of the Chechnian and Dagestani fighters are great. They generally always bring it.
Bit too much mythos around Khabib for my liking. He's as overrated here as GGG is in the boxing thread. That's not to say they're not both great at what they do, but the overall tableaux of them being from another planet is OTT.
The whole time Khabib kept leaning back with his chin sky high and only linear movement backward, it felt like he could have been KO'd at any time, but Laquinta was either caught up in the moment, or just not bright enough to feint the initial punch, step-in and smashu that open jaw.
Honestly, the entire fight beyond the 2nd round, I was fearing he'd get caught and ruin the whole fight map for 2018 in the process.
Khabib was clearly testing out stuff from the gym and trying to put on a show with his actions beyond the second round, but in the process has inadvertantly exposed more flaws in his standup than he should have done. Those traits he has are instinctual and will take years, if ever, to shake - that thing of leaning back, in line, with his chin in the clouds is habitual and it's not going to change. That will have given both Ferguson and Conor's camps something to work with that they shouldn't have even got the chance to find out about. That same head movement vs Ferguson would get Khabib's head kicked off; vs Conor, he'll be feinted and put on the end of a bomb, which, if it doesn't end the fight, will have him wobbled and primed for finishing.
It's obvious Khabib will stick tightly to his initial strategy of the first two rounds vs either Conor or Tony as it's a given he won't engage in standup like he did in this fight, but they have a standing game he will have no choice but to respect. Khabib's shooting is not good. It's element of risk is much higher than that of collegiate wrestlers who explode with everything they have and tackle at mid-riff. Woodley, Cormier, GSP and the like run much less of a gauntlet initially than the Maier's and Khabib's who tend to go for the lower leg or a slowish surge for a thigh. That is risky once the fight goes past a few rounds. Khabib's stamina isn't a patch on Ferguson's and I really think you guys who have the notion Ferguson would get mauled in there are seriously underestimating the components that give that a chance of happening - unless Ferguson purposely engages to put himself in harms way, Khabib has a nightmare trying to lay hands on him.
Vs. Conor, things are very different. Conor has two rounds to get Khabib out of there. Conor's stamina is the worst of all three, and with the power and intent he throws with - or will have to to keep Khabib off him - it's a race against the clock before he runs out of puff and gets mauled to death in round 3 and beyond. I think it's a serious 50/50 between the two of them, which makes the beef and build-up all the more interesting.
re. Barboza as a reference point for how Khabib deal's with standup doesn't work at all in relation to Ferguson or Conor. Barboza is all kicks and power; once Khabib got his rhythm, he could time the takedowns and seriously offset Barboz's output as he became terrified to throw his only advantageous asset(s), with that, Khabib could walk him down with little fear and practically no variation from Barboza to contend with. That's not viable vs Ferguson, who goes, high, mid, low, angled, long and creates on the hop. Conor doesn't use the kind of kicks Barboza does and will leave nothing for Khabib to time his way in on, in fact, it's the opposite there as Conor is renowned for cottoning onto the timing of his opponents in standup and captializing off their eagerness to close in on him.
re. GSP. If GSP is GSP, this is a terrible matchup for Khabib. GSP can and will jab Khabib's face to mush. Khabib probably has a romantic notion of it being a contest to determine the greatest grappler, but GSP is a canny, shrewd, tactical opportunist who does whatever he needs to to get the win. There is a chasm between his standup and Khabib's, and with GSP's tactical brain, that just means jabbing Khabib all night long until he quits or is a bloodied mess. Of all three fighters, GSP is the worst matchup for Khabib by far because he has a rock-solid base in his stand-up, can genuinely give as good as he gets in wrestling, is the naturally bigger man, has way more stamina and 5-round fight experience. GSP also fights from a low stance and is thus the hardest of all 3 to shoot in on by any means and he's the most savvy at seeing setups and openings both defensively and offensively.... it's ballsy to call him out, but it's the worst matchup of the three for Khabib, imo.
I actually really like Khabib, and the stuff he does once he gets in is a work of art, but he is one-dimensional and he has flaws. And that plodding forward because his opponent is terrified, thing, is not going to work at the highest level - he'll have to do more if he's to be a long-term belt holder. Unlike other wrestlers who have been champion for an extended period of time, Khabib doesn't carry multiple threats. GSP, Woodley, Cormier all three of them are rock-solid standing up, and three of them can put opponents through the ringer without the bout going to the ground even once. The same can't be said of Khabib and he's now going to be fighting people who can take his standing work to pieces. Wherever he goes from here, there are excellent fights to be made and massive amount of risk. Exciting times!
The whole time Khabib kept leaning back with his chin sky high and only linear movement backward, it felt like he could have been KO'd at any time, but Laquinta was either caught up in the moment, or just not bright enough to feint the initial punch, step-in and smashu that open jaw.
Honestly, the entire fight beyond the 2nd round, I was fearing he'd get caught and ruin the whole fight map for 2018 in the process.
Khabib was clearly testing out stuff from the gym and trying to put on a show with his actions beyond the second round, but in the process has inadvertantly exposed more flaws in his standup than he should have done. Those traits he has are instinctual and will take years, if ever, to shake - that thing of leaning back, in line, with his chin in the clouds is habitual and it's not going to change. That will have given both Ferguson and Conor's camps something to work with that they shouldn't have even got the chance to find out about. That same head movement vs Ferguson would get Khabib's head kicked off; vs Conor, he'll be feinted and put on the end of a bomb, which, if it doesn't end the fight, will have him wobbled and primed for finishing.
It's obvious Khabib will stick tightly to his initial strategy of the first two rounds vs either Conor or Tony as it's a given he won't engage in standup like he did in this fight, but they have a standing game he will have no choice but to respect. Khabib's shooting is not good. It's element of risk is much higher than that of collegiate wrestlers who explode with everything they have and tackle at mid-riff. Woodley, Cormier, GSP and the like run much less of a gauntlet initially than the Maier's and Khabib's who tend to go for the lower leg or a slowish surge for a thigh. That is risky once the fight goes past a few rounds. Khabib's stamina isn't a patch on Ferguson's and I really think you guys who have the notion Ferguson would get mauled in there are seriously underestimating the components that give that a chance of happening - unless Ferguson purposely engages to put himself in harms way, Khabib has a nightmare trying to lay hands on him.
Vs. Conor, things are very different. Conor has two rounds to get Khabib out of there. Conor's stamina is the worst of all three, and with the power and intent he throws with - or will have to to keep Khabib off him - it's a race against the clock before he runs out of puff and gets mauled to death in round 3 and beyond. I think it's a serious 50/50 between the two of them, which makes the beef and build-up all the more interesting.
re. Barboza as a reference point for how Khabib deal's with standup doesn't work at all in relation to Ferguson or Conor. Barboza is all kicks and power; once Khabib got his rhythm, he could time the takedowns and seriously offset Barboz's output as he became terrified to throw his only advantageous asset(s), with that, Khabib could walk him down with little fear and practically no variation from Barboza to contend with. That's not viable vs Ferguson, who goes, high, mid, low, angled, long and creates on the hop. Conor doesn't use the kind of kicks Barboza does and will leave nothing for Khabib to time his way in on, in fact, it's the opposite there as Conor is renowned for cottoning onto the timing of his opponents in standup and captializing off their eagerness to close in on him.
re. GSP. If GSP is GSP, this is a terrible matchup for Khabib. GSP can and will jab Khabib's face to mush. Khabib probably has a romantic notion of it being a contest to determine the greatest grappler, but GSP is a canny, shrewd, tactical opportunist who does whatever he needs to to get the win. There is a chasm between his standup and Khabib's, and with GSP's tactical brain, that just means jabbing Khabib all night long until he quits or is a bloodied mess. Of all three fighters, GSP is the worst matchup for Khabib by far because he has a rock-solid base in his stand-up, can genuinely give as good as he gets in wrestling, is the naturally bigger man, has way more stamina and 5-round fight experience. GSP also fights from a low stance and is thus the hardest of all 3 to shoot in on by any means and he's the most savvy at seeing setups and openings both defensively and offensively.... it's ballsy to call him out, but it's the worst matchup of the three for Khabib, imo.
I actually really like Khabib, and the stuff he does once he gets in is a work of art, but he is one-dimensional and he has flaws. And that plodding forward because his opponent is terrified, thing, is not going to work at the highest level - he'll have to do more if he's to be a long-term belt holder. Unlike other wrestlers who have been champion for an extended period of time, Khabib doesn't carry multiple threats. GSP, Woodley, Cormier all three of them are rock-solid standing up, and three of them can put opponents through the ringer without the bout going to the ground even once. The same can't be said of Khabib and he's now going to be fighting people who can take his standing work to pieces. Wherever he goes from here, there are excellent fights to be made and massive amount of risk. Exciting times!
He's certainly not one dimensional. His standup is respectable and his take down threats tend to mitigate opposing standups to a degree. We all know what happens on the ground.
His point was completely accurate though. Al was in a low, ultra defensive wrestling stance. He completely gave up the striking game to prevent take downs. So Khabib just machine gunned a jab into his face for 2 rounds.
Barboza is arguably the most well rounded striker in the entire division, and Khabib buzz sawed him, and he is better on the ground than Conor is. The way it looks to me is, you try to work your striking game, ala Barboza, and Khabib is going to plant you on your ass. If you work a deep defensive wrestling stance like Al, you're giving up your ability to effectively strike in exchange for distance and take down defense.
No, he really is. Relative to the fighting wrestlers I mentioned, Khabib is a distance off. Until he gets his hands on the opponent, he's fair game in ways the others are not.
Only Jon Jones has outdone Cormier outright in standup; Woodley is a lethal standup fighter and GSP is the best of all of them by far. Khabib isn't in league with any of these guys as a mixed martial artist as opposed to a superb grappler.
Khabib has a respectable standup game. He spent a majority of this weekend's fight standing up and there were no issues. Iaquinta made contact a few times which Khabib shrugged off. He obviously wouldn't have allowed the fight to go that far if he feared getting KO'd. He's obviously not on peak GSP levels but he's far more competent than some who claim his standup is weak have suggested. Its merely a perceptual illusion because his ground game is best in all of MMA.
He ran a massive risk of being KO'd all through the fight beyond round 2! Moved straight back, in a straight line, every single time with his chin high up just begging to be smashed. Respectable and title-defending are very different categories. We're talking about belt holders now. Those guys I mentioned have standup that is a problem in its own right. Woodley's opponents know he can KO them in the blink of an eye. Cormier can go straight to the centre of the octagon and go to war with anyone not named Jon Jones. GSP is something else entirely.
There was minimal risk to Khabib throughout which is why he took his foot off the accelerator after round two to give the crowd a bit more bang for their buck. If he wanted to he could’ve ended it much earlier.
Good overall summary I think.
Theoretically, but until the last few minutes of round 5, Al was never in a position to actually threaten him standing. Yes, Al has one shot KO power. No, Al does not have the capability to knock anyones head off in that wrestling turtle stance he was in. He was low, squat, his hands were out in front of him to defend the shot. All the power shots he threw, were weak, telegraphed, slow and wouldn't KO anyone, let alone Khabib who looks to have a pretty solid chin on him. This is why Khabib tried to go show time with his striking. That isn't to say that Khabib has no head movement, and leaves his chin out, because he doesn't have head movement, AND his chin is right there.
However you see the difference between Khabib fighting Barboza, who is TRYING to land with power and strike effectively, and Al, who is in full on turtle mode. Al turtled up, Khabib took what Al gave him. Barboza swinging for the fence? Khabib turbo spammed take down after take down relentlessly, actively avoided any sort of comfort zone for Barboza's striking, and rode him and abused him.
T.Ferg is NOT a great stand up fighter, and he seems to be chinny to me, he's more technical than Khabib for sure, but Khabib seems to be able to take punches Ferg can't. That fight could very well turn into a repeat of Ragin' Al. If Khabib doesn't feel threatened on the feet by Ferg, and Ferg is committing DEEP to defending take downs, it leaves his face open to get jabbed up. Conor on the other hand, is going to need to land something enormous instantly I think to keep Khabib off him. As one dimensional as Khabib might be, Conor is even more one dimensional. I say that because, good wrestling/grappling can open up the striking game for someone. The opposite is generally not true. Good striking can only open up the wrestling game, if your wrestling game is better than the other guys. An inferior striker can get the better of a better striker if the threat of wrestling changes how the better striker sets up. Now, I don't think Khabib would ever want to stand and wang with Conor, because Conor has a laser for a straight left. It doesn't have that one shot power, but it has enough to rattle you, so that the next one, or the one after can TKO you.
I see Khabib vs Conor going down basically the way the first round of Iaquinta Khabib went. Khabib shooting for long distance singles, where Conor can't kick or knee him in the head coming in effectively without risking a DQ. Once Khabib gets that single, if Conor can't get away, he's going to get dumped on his ass, pressed up against the cage, and gorilla fecked. The only question is, can Conor get up? Some guys just have a knack for getting up no matter who takes them down. I've never seen Conor demonstrate that ability, but you never know. Even Al, who IS known for that quality, couldn't really do much about it. He'd get halfway up. Khabib would ride him and punch him in the face. The moment he got up, he got beasted into the air, leg swept, and back down to repeat the whole process. It saved him from the kind of damage Barboza or other guys have taken, but it was no less dominant, just dominant in a different way.
some good points, but Ferguson vs Kevin Lee he also got overpowered and saved by the bell. Ferguson also leans forward with his chin and his left hand can be a bit low. Lee was able to overpower him but Tony is so so slippery. It will indeed be a mountainous effort for Khabib to dominate him on the ground. I would say Tony is the worst match up for Khabib, Conor is the easiest and Tony is the easiest for Conor (of the 3 obviously). Its a real triple threat.
GSP would literally assault Khabib. The guy has like the highest amount of take downs and his base is actually striking (karate background). complete fighter.
regarding wrestling, its funny because Cormier has nothing but extreme praise for Khabibs grapping skills and that he is able to overpower light heavies and train with them.
When you move back like that, with your head in the clouds, there's always a massive risk things could go south off any shot that lands.
It wasn't Khabib's anything that determined whether he was punished for that huge hole in his standup but rather his opponent just not being competent/smart enough to do anything to capitalize. If he does that against superior strikers at any time, I would put money on it being the end of him. You have to know how amateurish that is, surely? It's the first thing a boxing coach would try, desperately to drill out of him. Standup coaches would be mortified because it primes him for so many ways to get himself knocked out, and I'm talking a Rousey-Holm type KO at that. *shudders
I'm not at odds with any of this really. His opponent was even more one-track and lacked the nous in his own game to strategize anything to take even a shot of claiming that sky-high chin. I still really feared a clubbing overhand, yolo right was going to KO Khabib, mind - he was that exposed on his lowered, leaning back side.
I think Barboza as a reference is very difficult. The guy is all kicks - it's a very different set of propositions to contend with, and much better suited for Khabib with no chance to expose the weakness we saw on Sunday. Barboza sets everything up to kick, and if it doesn't come off, he'll reset position and try it again. He's a prime opponent for Khabib to walk down, especially so given Khabib is really good at timing incoming low kicks and countering/catching them.
I think you really underrate Ferguson, tbh. Perhaps his lack of convention or erratic approach puts you off him? I can agree he can't do any one thing to an elite level nor does he have the same kind of rigid consistency we see in the exceptional standup fighters, but what he does have his a brilliant, unconventional mind full of ideas and a systematic methodology to break down opponents who don't even realize he's put them in his web. Ferguson catches on to movement, reaction, timing and idiosyncratic actions like no other in the division and then he sets up a plan within a plan and goes to work the type of guy who feints low with a fake shoot then comes up high and kicks your head off... just a wildcard of creativity. There's just no way he'd roll over and be devoured by Khabib, win or lose. He's going to try a lot of things until he finds an opening, and he has the tank to do it.
I read what you wrote above, but there's a gap where you don't mention length and the distance Ferguson can fight at as well as his lateral movement. He doesn't have to stay in line and let Khabib plod into him, he doesn't need to fight flat-footed or in anticipation of being taken down in the same way as Iaquinta did because he has far more tools to select from in his arsenal to both keep Khabib out and thinking of what's coming next, and if Khabib is disrespectful of that he can easily find himself tagged up enough to be drained prematurely, which he cannot afford as a grappler with no standup and few means of getting in in the first place.
I think both have reason to be cautious, or at least respectful of the other, but Khabib cannot afford to go into Ferguson's long-game whilst getting tagged up on approach. Stamina is all Tony's and Khabib must conserve and wait for his chances and then go to work in overwhelming bursts when he gets the chance to, imo.
I mostly agree with this but think Conor's window for work is 2 rounds, or a round and a half of high output. Khabib can't just walk into Conor - there's too much power in his hands and his timing on the counter or from a switched stance is immaculate. The element of risk for both of them is real, imo. I doubt Conor goes for many kicks at anything but full distance (knee distenders and teep kicks) absolutely no Barboza like swinging/circular. Those single leg takedowns have their weaknesses, too - if Conor catches the timing he can go through with a knee at source.
I think there's too much emotion between them for a solid gameplan to be followed by either, if I'm honest. The first round is likely to be over-explosive and emotional, it could even come down to who gets the better of those first bursts of energy. Conor has shown that the right opponent can get inside his head and I'm not convinced Khabib would be cool as a cucumber with Conor running his mouth and taunting him a few feet away. Both of them going for their go-to moves far earlier than they probably should... timing will be everything one way or the other..
I think we all know if Khabib gets Conor down the bout is over and done with, even Nate looked like a shark once the fight went to the ground, But Khabib walking Conor down is the hardest thing for him to do of any opponent he could face in the division due to the power and timing.
About the bolded, as I said above, I think Conor has the timing and swiftness to get in and land if Khabib is not patient and timely enough to apply those singles situationally. Khabib has yet to really face any lateral movement and I'm really curious about this aspect of the fight with both Tony and Conor. It'll be much harder to set those singles up against them than Khabib's had to deal with thus far, imo.
Lee is a generic explosive and powerful wrestler, it's different to Khabib whose work smothers and is riddled with technique but nothing like that kind of explosive initial speed or shock out of the blocks. There's things one can do that the other can't because of the difference in explosiveness and approach and thus things someone like Ferguson has to be wary of when facing one or the other.
I don't think there's any question that in close quarters, Khabib would be a beast even against heavier men. His grappling is prodigious and full of clever balance tricks and manipulation that can negate larger, stronger men with less technique. He's also so quick with his transitioning and groundwork it wouldn't be hard to imagine him running rings around a lot of guys.
Just rewatched JJ -Rose, and have the first 2 to Rose, 3 and 4 to JJ and had Rose taking the 5th.
Cracking fight, and really glad JJ took the loss with better knowing she gave it everything. Tiny details really, I still think she's the best technical female fighter out there, along with Valentina.
Rose is just so different in the way she moves that JJ never really could get into her rhythm. Wouldn't mind seeing a 3rd fight between the two, though not straight away.
Cracking fight, and really glad JJ took the loss with better knowing she gave it everything. Tiny details really, I still think she's the best technical female fighter out there, along with Valentina.
Rose is just so different in the way she moves that JJ never really could get into her rhythm. Wouldn't mind seeing a 3rd fight between the two, though not straight away.
Joanna tempted to move up to flyweight. (Better for her health she says)
But not sure it's a good idea... Would be fun seeing her fight PVZ I guess, but a fight with Valentina would go really bad for her.
I agree. I think flyweight is her weight class, comparing her size to the other fighters. Valentina is a killer at 125 and looks unstoppable.
Losing this 2nd fight with Rose isn't all that bad, given her improvement from the first. Her punch resistance was so much better, incomparable to her physical condition in their last fight, that I feel if they fight for a third time, I'd be super confident that she'd make a few more tactical adjustments and win comfortably.
She is sort of in a Jose Aldo phase of her career imo. She can't beat the current champ (even though she arguably may have won last weekend) and will not get a third chance anytime soon. Moving up to 125 will also not help her there imo as the competition is going to be much more intense with the likes of Shevchenko and others competing there. If I was her, I would stay at 115 and continue to work towards another title shot. She's clearly better than anyone else there other than Rose and Rose will probably fight someone else like Karolina or the like and if Joanna plays her cards right she will get another crack down the road.
There's no hole in his stand up. He simply took his foot off the gas and was doing a bit of entertainment/showboating to give the crowd a less lopsided fight. Sometimes deliberately doing that sort of thing can result in one getting knocked out but it wouldn't be because he has a "hole in his stand up", its because he was deliberately mucking about (spot the difference between deliberately experimenting/entertaining and the technical flaw of not knowing how to fight standing up). Anderson Silva also got caught numerous times against the likes of Bisping and more famously against Weidman and you're not going to see many keyboard warriors claiming he has holes in his stand up.
Isn't Fortitude the guy who couldn't envisage any possible scenario in which Stipe could survive vs Ngannou?
It sounds like he's regurgitating Joe Rogan's commentary here, which isn't a good thing.
It sounds like he's regurgitating Joe Rogan's commentary here, which isn't a good thing.
If you want to hear what Khabib's coach says head to 5.15. Basically reiterating what Raoul and others have been saying. If you think Khabib will fight in that manner against Ferguson or McGregor you're nuts.
C'mon.... you don't lean your head back like that, ever, and certainly not to entertain a crowd. It's a flaw. Nothing to do with his offense, as it's a defensive problem.
Anderson getting clipped is nothing like the same kind of thing! I can't believe you even made that comparison!
Yes, regurgitating Joe Rogan's commentary.
I expected Ngannou to fight his fight and not come out uncharacteristically believing the hype.