Who else was pumped to see Cowboy get a big win against a young up-and-comer like Mike Perry ? I certainly was.
We take Donald Cerrone for granted because he has around for a long time and takes a fight everytime the UFC gives him one. We are talking about the man with two records " Most wins in UFC history (21)" and "Most finishes in UFC history (15)", we are talking about an active future hall of famer and an extremely exciting fighter to watch, a knockout artist and high level striker who is also a very underrated grappler and very agressive looking for the submission (16 submission finishes in career).
Donald has a illustrious career, but he is highly ranked in two divisions and very active and just 35 years old, if that seems old remember, Tyron Woodley is 35 and Conor Mcgregor is 30, this man still has a lot of gas in the tank and he doesn´t seem like the type of guy to retire because of a lack of passion or being burnt out, also being described by his personal friends like Joe Rogan as an adrenaline junkie.
I can´t wait to see what is in store for this charismatic and exciting fighter, especially now that there is talk of him fighting Mcgregor, wich would be a good fight to watch and a massive payday for Donald, although I would love to see Cerrone fight a guy like Nate Diaz or Justin Gaethje, maybe Beneil Dariush more amazing fights to watch and push Cowboy up the rankings in a more gradual manner.
quarta-feira, 14 de novembro de 2018
quarta-feira, 7 de novembro de 2018
Do not sleep in "T-City"
Brian Ortega, an interesting case.
This is a very tricky fighter to figure out, a grappler and BJJ expert who doesn´t attempt to control his opponent for large periods of time on the ground, instead Brian strikes with an impressive boxing and some MMA knees and elbows, if you don´t believe check his knockout of Frankie Edgar (first time Frankie got finished) and his hard earned KO against Clay Guida with a nasty knee after he adjusted his striking.
Ortega doesn´t attempt takedowns constantly to try and avoid striking and get the fight to the ground as soon as possible, like Demian Maia, actually according to UFC.com he has attempted 7 takedowns in all of his UFC fights and got 1 of them, although the fight by fight stats in the same page, there are no records of Brian getting a takedown (If you look up his highlights you will see a sweep from back clinch). He takes advantage of grappling scrambles, or a takedown from his opponent lik Renato Moicano, who shot a takedown and got guillotined.
I have to say I am a fan of Brian and can´t wait to see his fight against Max Holloway, how can you not be excited about a young mixed martial artist who has a very high fight IQ, a strong and creative grappling style and submission game and a scientifc and adjustable striking.
Place your bets, Brian or Max ?
This is a very tricky fighter to figure out, a grappler and BJJ expert who doesn´t attempt to control his opponent for large periods of time on the ground, instead Brian strikes with an impressive boxing and some MMA knees and elbows, if you don´t believe check his knockout of Frankie Edgar (first time Frankie got finished) and his hard earned KO against Clay Guida with a nasty knee after he adjusted his striking.
Ortega doesn´t attempt takedowns constantly to try and avoid striking and get the fight to the ground as soon as possible, like Demian Maia, actually according to UFC.com he has attempted 7 takedowns in all of his UFC fights and got 1 of them, although the fight by fight stats in the same page, there are no records of Brian getting a takedown (If you look up his highlights you will see a sweep from back clinch). He takes advantage of grappling scrambles, or a takedown from his opponent lik Renato Moicano, who shot a takedown and got guillotined.
I have to say I am a fan of Brian and can´t wait to see his fight against Max Holloway, how can you not be excited about a young mixed martial artist who has a very high fight IQ, a strong and creative grappling style and submission game and a scientifc and adjustable striking.
Place your bets, Brian or Max ?
sexta-feira, 2 de novembro de 2018
Jon Jones, an unsolved case.
Rising through a division of killers in Light Heavyweight, Jonny Bones has been a difficult theme for me to talk about with MMA fans and people who have never watched even KO highlights, I don´t know wether to introduce him as one of the greatest to ever set foot in the octagon, or the man who has been suspended and arrested multiple times, then shows himself unapologetic, cocky and says he´s worthy of forgiveness. Well I can´t just forget about the hit and run of a pregnant woman.
I don´t share the opinion that he, because of his talent, has some responsability to be great like Joe Rogan said in his podcast, I think that he worked and devoted himself to fighting, even if less than others, he still deserves recognition for that. However the theory goes that Jon could be even better... Truth be said, we will never know, maybe without the illegal substances, the partying or whatever Jon wouldn´t perform, things just turned out like this. Even though he is a superstar and his life is very public and so are his mistakes he should be allowed make his own decisions and his own mistakes.
It is very satisfying for me to hear Daniel Cormier talk trash to Jon, his words, although harsh and often said with bad intentions, they seem more paternal and caring, like a wish of improvement for a younger brother going down a darker path, even though this did not take the sting out of some words it does lose some meaning because of the domination that Jon inflicted on DC over the span of two fights, that makes the trash talk look more like the ramblings of a sore loser, instead of a nice guy who legitimately wants better for a young man who is following on his footsteps.
Watching Bones Jones fight is a pleasure, his flowy striking, his technical but imposing wrestling, his brutal, animalistic ground and pound and his devastating close range knees and elbows. I´d say he is missing a stronger submission game and better boxing to be the ultimate all around martial artist, and after his press conference for his fight against Alexander Gustafsson he said his hands were much better. This is why this topic came to my mind, this press conference Jon looked honest and charming, talked some funny stuff and teased Gustafsson, and I hope this is the end of the two-faced and cocky Jon that we saw in the press lead up to the Cormier fights.
Despite all the charachter flaws, I hope this is a new beginning for Jon because I am a fan, and it´s a pleasure to watch him fight.
I don´t share the opinion that he, because of his talent, has some responsability to be great like Joe Rogan said in his podcast, I think that he worked and devoted himself to fighting, even if less than others, he still deserves recognition for that. However the theory goes that Jon could be even better... Truth be said, we will never know, maybe without the illegal substances, the partying or whatever Jon wouldn´t perform, things just turned out like this. Even though he is a superstar and his life is very public and so are his mistakes he should be allowed make his own decisions and his own mistakes.
It is very satisfying for me to hear Daniel Cormier talk trash to Jon, his words, although harsh and often said with bad intentions, they seem more paternal and caring, like a wish of improvement for a younger brother going down a darker path, even though this did not take the sting out of some words it does lose some meaning because of the domination that Jon inflicted on DC over the span of two fights, that makes the trash talk look more like the ramblings of a sore loser, instead of a nice guy who legitimately wants better for a young man who is following on his footsteps.
Watching Bones Jones fight is a pleasure, his flowy striking, his technical but imposing wrestling, his brutal, animalistic ground and pound and his devastating close range knees and elbows. I´d say he is missing a stronger submission game and better boxing to be the ultimate all around martial artist, and after his press conference for his fight against Alexander Gustafsson he said his hands were much better. This is why this topic came to my mind, this press conference Jon looked honest and charming, talked some funny stuff and teased Gustafsson, and I hope this is the end of the two-faced and cocky Jon that we saw in the press lead up to the Cormier fights.
Despite all the charachter flaws, I hope this is a new beginning for Jon because I am a fan, and it´s a pleasure to watch him fight.
terça-feira, 30 de outubro de 2018
Wrestling in MMA. Opinion study.
In the beginning MMA was a clash of styles, that was the main draw, the main "storyline".
Nowadays this is a sport, it´s own sport, now you can´t be a "karate guy" or a "boxing guy", you have got to be a mixed martial artist. So, logic would dictate that there are not specialists anymore, however this isn´t further from the truth, and we see specialists in the top organizations and fighting at the top level.
The specialists with the most sucess are undoubtedly wrestlers, men like DC, Khabib, GSP or Ben Askren, this article is meant to make you think, research and weigh in on the discussion about why this phenomenon happens.
Let´s dive on in, my opinion is that wrestling is a control based grappling discipline, meaning, the fighter with the clear better wrestling ability can control WHERE the fight takes place, if Khabib wants you against the cage and you are not one of the worlds greatest grapplers or, like Gleison Tibau, you have a huge weight advantage due to weight cutting, you are getting taken down against the cage, if Ben Askren wants to get you in his Crucifix you´ll have a hard time keeping him from getting you there or you´ll give up your back or Mount. Therefore they have the advantage of controlling the pace of the fight and not getting damaged, plus they are on top or initiating the grappling, so they are scoring on the judges scorecards.
Another way in which having the wrestling advantage in an MMA fight tilts the odds in your favor is the fact that it impacts the striking, your oponnent can´t open up and strike with you, you can feint with the striking or the takedown or even the clinch, as masterfully utilized by Tyron Woodley, who uses the threat of a takedown to open up his deadly right hand, or vice versa. Ben Askren also uses his grappling to impact the striking and avoids getting hit, he uses his grappling like a counter strike, he times a punch or a kick and shoots in for a double leg, enforcing his will on his opponent.
My opinion is that to be a Mixed martial artist today you need at least a wrestling fundamental level, I believe it is the foundation of a fight.
How about you?
Comment your opinion.
Who do you got? Jacaré vs Weidman.
Nowadays this is a sport, it´s own sport, now you can´t be a "karate guy" or a "boxing guy", you have got to be a mixed martial artist. So, logic would dictate that there are not specialists anymore, however this isn´t further from the truth, and we see specialists in the top organizations and fighting at the top level.
The specialists with the most sucess are undoubtedly wrestlers, men like DC, Khabib, GSP or Ben Askren, this article is meant to make you think, research and weigh in on the discussion about why this phenomenon happens.
Let´s dive on in, my opinion is that wrestling is a control based grappling discipline, meaning, the fighter with the clear better wrestling ability can control WHERE the fight takes place, if Khabib wants you against the cage and you are not one of the worlds greatest grapplers or, like Gleison Tibau, you have a huge weight advantage due to weight cutting, you are getting taken down against the cage, if Ben Askren wants to get you in his Crucifix you´ll have a hard time keeping him from getting you there or you´ll give up your back or Mount. Therefore they have the advantage of controlling the pace of the fight and not getting damaged, plus they are on top or initiating the grappling, so they are scoring on the judges scorecards.
Another way in which having the wrestling advantage in an MMA fight tilts the odds in your favor is the fact that it impacts the striking, your oponnent can´t open up and strike with you, you can feint with the striking or the takedown or even the clinch, as masterfully utilized by Tyron Woodley, who uses the threat of a takedown to open up his deadly right hand, or vice versa. Ben Askren also uses his grappling to impact the striking and avoids getting hit, he uses his grappling like a counter strike, he times a punch or a kick and shoots in for a double leg, enforcing his will on his opponent.
My opinion is that to be a Mixed martial artist today you need at least a wrestling fundamental level, I believe it is the foundation of a fight.
How about you?
Comment your opinion.
Who do you got? Jacaré vs Weidman.
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