Greg Jackson is without a doubt one of the best coaches in MMA today. His stable of fighters through Jackson’s MMA along with Mike Winkeljohn are among some of the best fighters in the sport’s past, present and future.
He’s helped train numerous world champions like Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Carlos Condit, Shane Carwin and Rashad Evans among others. Notable fighters like Clay Guida, Donald Cerrone, Leonard Garcia and Diego Sanchez are just a handful of fighters that can be found in the gym on a daily basis.
Jackson has received praise for years for producing world-class talent in multiple weight classes, but he’s also received a great deal of criticism from MMA fans. It comes with the territory of being one of the more prominent coaches and figures in the sport. Just as the fame and lime light comes with grooming world champions, so too do the complaints from fans and fighters.
It has been a mixed year thus far for Jackson and his crew of fighters in 2012. On the bright side, Condit topped Nate Diaz at UFC 143 to win the interim UFC welterweight title, Jones defeated his archnemesis to retain the belt at UFC 145 and Cerrone got back to his winning ways.
However, these highlights have come under an intense amount of scrutiny from MMA fans and analysts. The MMA world was set ablaze following Condit’s “safe/smart” strategy following his victory over Diaz.
No more is the criticism true than with Guida’s performance this past Friday night at the UFC on FX 4 event. Guida circled around the Octagon looking to set up counter strikes as Gray Maynard walked him down. As the rounds wore off, however, Guida’s offense became nonexistent, and fans were quick to criticize the former Strikeforce champion.
Dana White was also critical of Guida’s performance when talking to Ariel Helwani in the post-fight interview. In a roundabout way, White called Jackson a “goof.”
“‘Some goof put in his head that running around in circles might win him the fight, and they were dead wrong,'” White said via MMAFighting.com.
According to his post-fight press conference via YouTube, Guida seemed content with his game plan and even suggested it would become the norm as he wants to avoid his patented style.
We’ve seen in a previous instance where overly aggressive fighters have been transformed into more methodical fighters. Melvin Guillard is a prime example. The former Ultimate Fighter star was known for his explosive offense but became a much “smarter” fighter while under Jackson’s tutelage.
Guillard was winning his bouts but still chose to leave Jackson’s and make his camp at the Blackzilians gym. Guillard has lost a handful of bouts but has also returned to the type of fighter he was pre-Jackson’s.
With all the talk about game plans, is Jackson becoming one of the most despised men in MMA? The man who devised the game plans of Condit and Guida has been relatively given a pass, as most fans are concentrating on the fighters themselves.
Should Jackson come under the same fire as guys like Condit and Guida? He is, after all, the mastermind behind the “safe” fighting. Perhaps the attacks on Jackson’s coaching style made by White and Maynard following the fight are just the start, as it seems Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold expressed his concern over fighting Tim Kennedy.
“‘I’m not the biggest fan of Greg Jackson game plans, so I just hope he [Kennedy] comes out and fights me in the middle, and fights me everywhere,'” Rockhold said via MMAJunkie.com.
Whether or not you believe it’s fair to criticize Jackson over a handful of performances is up to each individual. But fans need to realize these “safe” fighters are only following the game plan given to them by their coach.
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