Most elbow strikes do, but those awkward 10 to 4 o'clock ones they're allowed in the UFC...not as much. If you know Muy Thai, then Nathan "The Carnage" Corbett is a beautiful example of how utterly devastating the 12 to 6 o'clock elbow can be in a match. I have only watched one of the WEC fights so far, but Spoiler I agree with you about Torres, and would take it one step further; he doesn't have the combination of skills to a deal with some of today's elite 135 pounders.
Staying with the WEC trending, I will admit that I'm a Urijah Faber fan. I think he started buying his own press releases though and then Mike Brown fucked his life up with a well timed, though rather lucky uppercut. How do you think he'll do at 145?
I think unless he starts checking leg kicks it won't matter. Aldo knew what all strikers do (or should know) and that is when facing a strong wrestler you MUST attack their legs so they can't shoot on you. On the other hand, as effective as leg kicks are, they aren't used as frequently as they should be. I think a lot of strikers are afraid their kick won't be fast or strong enough and they'll get taken down as a counter. It's probably a typo but Faber is moving down to bantamweight which is 135. I think he'll do fine up to a point. His skill and athleticism will get him a title shot but I think that's where it ends. I'm actually really curious to see how he'll do against Cruz because he definitely has the cardio to hang with Cruz for 5 rounds, but that doesn't mean he'll be able to catch Cruz. Also, Cruz is an expert at getting in, throwing a quick, short-range leg kick, and getting out of range so I think Cruz would win that fight by decision.
Agree. Wrestler's and strictly stand up guys like Ramapge. You'd think they'd learn after fighting the Aldo's and Griffins of the world. Rampage didn't learn. Lets see if Faber will. The guy was so impressive for so long. Lets see what he can do with this weight class.
Anyone got any experience tuning a class for people with health problems? I do occasional workshops to introduce people into BDSM takedown play - some basic take downs, submission holds and control positions that work reasonably well for consensual sexual rough housing. But I'm very up front about my limitations - I only teach introductions and only for limited purposes. I've had a couple of people ask for an introduction tuned for people with health issues - older people or people with bone/joint problems who want do some basic stuff. I'm looking through local contacts who have the skills to do that session - but so many people in the BDSM community claim ludicrously implausible martial arts skills - so I'd like to at least improve my bullshit filter for when I'm talking to people about it. If anyone's got direct experience training people with health issues - I'd love to pick your brains.
UFC 120 Somewhat spoiler Spoiler Can any one remember the last time Cheick Kongo was in a clean fight? Nut shuts, knees to the head of a grounded opponent, grabbing shorts, pretending to get poked in the eye... Does this motherfucker even know the rules?
I am truly looking forward to Saturday. Brooooock Lessssss-NARRRRRR! Sorry Bruce Buffer, no one does you better than you buddy. Anyway. Since Brock isn't coming off of a 1 year lay off and is completely healthy, no ring rust, how do you think Cain will fare against him. In the hype films on Spike it seems like they're expecting Brock to gas in the later rounds. Problem with that is how do you survive that dudes lunch box size hands to get to the later rounds? Would a Greg Jackson, run, tap, run, tap approach work for Cain?
I think the only way Velasquez beats Lesnar is if he takes the Nick Diaz approach and uses high volume jabs while circling for the takedown; an outside single to be exact. Velasquez looks to be a fraction faster and utilizing that is his only chance IMO. If I'm Lesnar; I close off the octagon, clinch up, drag him down, and rabbit punch until a choke opens up. One thing I am certain of is that cardio will not be a factor in this fight.
I don't know if he has a chance on the ground with Lesnar. Even employing GnP, I can't see how he could keep him down long enough to do any significant damage given what we saw in the Carwin fight. I think if he keeps it standing and moves in and out on him, stuffing the take down (is that possible with Brock?) he can point him to death with some crisp boxing and leg kicks. If he can nullify the take down with some balls to the wall, this will prevent your rape type sprawling, he might have a chance.
For what it's worth, I think Caine will fight that way because it gives him a chance to out-point Lesnar while minimizing risk. Sticking and moving is a possibility, but Caine was dropped more than once by Kongo and Lesnar hits harder than Kongo. It's just a matter of whether or not a superior striker can beat a much more physically gifted fighter.
I tend to agree with this. No way should Lesnar's cardio ever be questioned. He went 3 rounds with Heath Herring and there's no chance of this fight lasting that long. Randy actually had a great game plan coming into his fight with Brock and was winning on points until he got caught with those lunchbox hands. I'm not saying Cain's wrestling is anywhere near Randy's so he probably won't be able to lock Lesnar into a clinch, but his youth and strong chin definitely count for something. Unless you happen to rival Brock in size, I wouldn't advise going to the mat with him. Hell, even if you are his size I wouldn't necessarily advise it. The way to beat Brock is with foot work a.k.a. the Dominick Cruz/Frankie Edgar approach. The only guy in the heavyweight division I see being able to pull that off right now is Dos Santos.
Caine will win this fight, and it's possible he finishes Brock very early and easily. Brock is going to get lit up in the stand-up with his slow movements and pawing jab, and unlike Carwin, Velasquez will not gas considering his frame and age. Unfortunately for Brock, he doesn't even have his typical strength, wrestling, and athletic advantages in this match, either. While Lesnar is bigger and a little stronger, Carwin is faster, more agile, and has more technically sound grappling. Neither man will be able to take the other down unless they're gassed or hurt. Outside of a lucky right hand connect, I don't see what chance Lesnar possibly has of winning. I have no clue why you're comparing Lesnar's stand-up to that of a borderline K-1 caliber kickboxer. Kongo-Velasquez has nothing to do with this match; Lesnar's strikes are nowhere near as technical, fast, or precise as the Frenchman's. He will not be able to connect at will like Kongo did; Lesnar needs to get lucky. And Caine doesn't have to "stick and move" anything; both men are gigantic, powerful heavyweights, and a clean connect can KO or at least badly stun anyone, Lesnar included. The fight between the "feather fisted" Velasquez and the "incredible iron chin" Rodrigo Nogueira should have taught people this lesson.
Care to make this an avatar/sig bet? I'm certainly not saying I think Brock is going to dominate, but I'd give him a slight edge given how athletically gifted he is and the fact that Cain hasn't had the spotlight on him like this before (I don't count UFC 110). Being rich and being able to have a no expenses spared training camp doesn't hurt either. Very true, but I think he was just talking in terms of power, but even then, the only person he's ever knocked out was a 47 year old undersized heavyweight.
Sure, let's do it. I already have a number of bets running on this fight, of both the friendly and serious varieties. Those are two of the strangest reasons I have heard for favoring Brock yet. You think that Cain's training at AKA is somehow deficient because he is not as rich as Brock? And that the move from headlining a UFC card to headlining a UFC card with more attention from the press (read: a few more interviews, same sized crowd) is going to be too much for Cain to handle mentally? I understood that he was talking about power, but Kongo landed those strikes against Cain because of his speed and technique, which Lesnar doesn't come close to matching. Of course, if Brock lands flush on Cain with the right hand, he can KO him. But why is that a likely scenario considering Lesnar's disadvantages in terms of hand speed and technical ability relative to Velasquez, let alone Kongo?
Sweet, are we doing sig, avatar or both? Maybe I'm wrong, but I assume that if you're willing to shell out more cash you can get more one on one training with coaches, more coaches in general, better equipment and fly out and pay more/better training partners. Do we know who Cain's sparring and training with to simulate a Brock Lesnar? I've heard that fighting for a UFC title is just a different ball game mentally than any other fight, could be wrong on this one as well, but I believe it. The threat of a takedown from Brock will force Cain to defend himself differently than he did against Kongo, he never had to think about sprawling or dropping his center of gravity to fend off Kongo's non-existent wrestling. I think we can agree that having wrestling as a weapon helps your striking because of this. And if Brock does tag him, even if it's not as direct as Kongo did, Cain won't be able to score a takedown to buy time while he gets his equilibrium back (which I admit he gets back very quickly). I'm not saying this is how I think he wins, but I think it is more possible than you seem to.
My UFC 121 predictions: Velasquez Assuming he survives the first two rounds I think he can finish Lesnar in the third. His stand up is vastly superior and his wrestling, age, and agility may just be enough to stuff-or at least recover quickly from-a Lesnar takedown. Lesnar has great cardio but his bulk will eventually weigh on him and tire him out, especially if Velasquez pushes the pace. Shields Obviously Kampmann has the edge standing, but the fight against Henderson showed that Shields can take a big punch and recover quickly enough to get a takedown. Once the fight goes to the ground, it's over. He may get a submission but more than likely Shields is walking away with a decision here. Hamill Tito is a shitty boxer. Tito is old and can't explode like he used to. Tito has a history of back injuries. Tito is a whiny little bitch. Short of a from the bottom submission (like that triangle he tried to throw up against Machida) I don't see Tito winning this fight. Schaub Honestly I want to give this to Gonzaga but he's too unreliable. Arguably his only spectacular performance was against an aging, don't-give-a-fuck-anymore Cro Cop. The rest of his fights have been just eh. Schaub on the other hand is young and hungry. Sanchez In my mind Sanchez wins because his boxing is slightly better than Thiago's. Sanchez has little technique but his run-and-gun style will work against Thiago, who has a bad habit of exposing his chin during exchanges.
Let's do signature. I would miss looking at the manly pecs of Forrest Griffin otherwise. First of all, getting a decent, diverse group of training partners does not cost a fortune, and is largely dependent upon a fighter's abilities, not his wallet. The man in my avatar, Gegard Mousasi, is far from wealthy, but has trained with Fedor Emelianenko, Georges St. Pierre, Dan Henderson, and others all within the last year or so. Brock's main sparring partner is still Chris Tuscherer. Also, better equipment? I've visited AKA before, and they seemed quite fine in that regard! They have plenty of coaches for one of the 4 best heavyweights in the world, too. I'm sure it's been said in various interviews by Dana and a few fighters, but how has it manifested itself in the cage? Like, what is an example of a guy having his performance significantly affected by it? I don't see much of a difference. Same crowd. Same lead-up to the fight. Maybe more people watching at home, but the fighter doesn't even see that. Brock is not taking Cain down anymore than Cain will take Brock down. Lesnar couldn't take down Carwin until the latter gassed, and Velasquez is a far superior wrestler. Really, I think people are attributing some illusory superiority in this area to Brock because he is bigger and way more muscular. I don't see this, in terms of either pedigree or within MMA. Brock finally broke through and won the D1 heavyweight championship in 2000, winning a very close match in the final against Wes Hand. Velasquez finished 5th in 2005 and then 4th in 2006, losing a double overtime match to eventual champion Cole Konrad. Konrad has trained with Brock in recent years, and from all reports, is better, beating him in the wrestling. My point is, even from that perspective, they are very, very close. In terms of MMA, Velasquez took down a former D1 All-American wrestler in Jake O'Brien and put on an absolute clinic against solid wrestler Ben Rothwell. Lesnar's takedowns have been excellent too, but if Carwin was able to stop him without particular difficulty in the first round, why won't a better wrestler in Cain?
I can't really dispute anything you said, you're a much better MMA analyst than I am, call it stupid, call it whatever, but I have a feeling Brock takes this. I am also hoping your fandom is clouding your judgment. Shall we do a signature bet starting Nov 1 until the end of the year? edit- and didn't Brock fly in Pat Barry? This is kind of what I was getting at with money mattering. The stars will get coaches and training partners to fly to them, the scrubs have to go to the coaches and partners. I definitely feel that being able to stay home while training is beneficial as long as you're disciplined. But that's awesome you got to check out AKA. Scared yet?