Chan Sung-Jung enters his UFC 163 title bout with Jose Aldo as a four-to-one underdog, but the Korean has plenty of reasons to believe he can pull off an upset against the mini-powerhouse in Brazil (Bloody Elbow). Aldo holds the advantage in the standi…
Chan Sung-Jung enters his UFC 163 title bout with Jose Aldo as a four-to-one underdog, but the Korean has plenty of reasons to believe he can pull off an upset against the mini-powerhouse in Brazil (Bloody Elbow).
Aldo holds the advantage in the standing exchanges as well as a champion’s advantage on the scorecards, but when it comes to all other aspects, Jung can rival the champion.
There is almost no area where either fighter is truly weak. Instead an analysis only points to who is slightly stronger than the other.
When Amanda Nunes and Sheila Gaff face off at UFC 163: Aldo vs. Jung in Brazil, fans can almost be assured of frenetic violence. The card’s title fight between Jose Aldo and Chan Sung-Jung will be on the forefront of most fans’ minds for good reason. T…
When Amanda Nunes and Sheila Gaff face off at UFC 163: Aldo vs. Jung in Brazil, fans can almost be assured of frenetic violence.
The card’s title fight between Jose Aldo and Chan Sung-Jung will be on the forefront of most fans’ minds for good reason. That said, the only female fight on the card is an early darkhorse for Knockout of the Night or Fight of the Night. Nunes and Gaff may well end up looking similar to any betta-fish battle seen inside a small aquarium. That is the kind of fight Brazilians love, and MMA fans worldwide can enjoy.
The out-of-the-gate hectic styles of the two fighters can make predicting an outcome nearly impossible. However, if the two combatants fail to knock each other out early, Nunes could well enjoy a decided advantage.
Merriam-Webster defines“discipline” as “orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior. Self control.” There are many fighters in MMA who can fit the definition when it comes to the striking discipline. However, there are …
Merriam-Webster defines“discipline” as “orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior. Self control.” There are many fighters in MMA who can fit the definition when it comes to the striking discipline. However, there are a few that stand out above the rest.
Discipline does not always manifest in the same manner, however. These 10 fighters each possess a particular niche proportion of discipline that makes them unique.
Dana White once told MMAFighting.com that bad judging “kills my business” following a bout between Melvin Guillard and Jamie Varner at UFC 155.Seven months later, the judges are still killing the UFC. At UFC 161 on Saturday night, the split-decision vi…
Dana White once told MMAFighting.com that bad judging “kills my business” following a bout between Melvin Guillard and Jamie Varner at UFC 155.
Seven months later, the judges are still killing the UFC. At UFC 161 on Saturday night, the split-decision victory for Yves Jabouin over Dustin Pague underscored one of the fundamental errors of scoring: Judges do not initially score the full guard as a neutral position.
Pague landed takedowns, partially locked multiple submissions and controlled a majority of the match. Instead of rewarding Pague for his work and control, the judges handed the decision to Jabouin based upon his patter of strikes, avoidance of snapped limbs and lying in top position for portions of the bout.
While Jabouin did have more top position than his opponent, he ended up there because Pague wanted a ground battle. Jabouin did very little with the position overall.
Submission attempts are the grappling version of significant strikes. They do damage, cause one to deviate from a strategy toward survival mode and expose that one fighter is not in control of the bout. Why then was Jabouin given the nod simply for not tapping out?
If Pague had been struck 200 times and managed to survive, the judges would not have awarded him a victory for remaining conscious.
A judge has no reason to assume a fighter wants to stand rather than possess full guard. With full guard, the fighter is susceptible to strikes but also possesses more opportunities for submission attacks.
A submission artist who possesses poor stand-up would naturally prefer the full guard over standing. A fighter who is facing an opponent with great submissions would be wise to stand and avoid his opponent’s full guard.
Given those strategic truths, a judge cannot assume a fighter’s full guard is a better or worse position than standing. Given that standing is neutral, full guard must then be assumed neutral as well.
Pague deserved to win this fight, and the athletic commissions need to make scoring changes. While the judging criteria have many holes, here’s an easy change to make: Full guard is neutral until a fighter proves to have the advantage.
Jon Jones opening on BestFightOdds.com as a -800 favorite in his title bout against Alexander Gustafsson is likely to surprise few. Gustafsson opened at +500 (5-to-1 underdog) for the bout. Back in October, MMAJunkie.com reported Chael Sonnen’s initial…
Jon Jones opening on BestFightOdds.com as a -800 favorite in his title bout against Alexander Gustafsson is likely to surprise few.
Gustafsson opened at +500 (5-to-1 underdog) for the bout. Back in October, MMAJunkie.com reported Chael Sonnen’s initial odds at 4-to-1 for his bout with Jones. Coming in late as a replacement to face Jones, VitorBelfort opened at just over 6-to-1, according to MMAWeekly.com.
Gustafsson‘s odds could have been worse. Still, the odds do not exhibit a vote of confidence from the bookies.
In the past, Gustafsson had been labeled one of the few challenges left for Jones in the division. That sentiment seems to have softened in recent months.
While Gustafsson has a solid fanbase, the majority of MMA enthusiasts are likely to side with the early odds. A short list of key factors work against Gustafsson and are the cause of his perceived slim chances.
“Mauler” has yet to push five rounds in his career. He has reached the final bell in three-round bouts only twice. A majority of his fights have finished within the opening round. Quick stoppages usually work in a fighter’s favor when it comes to odds, but Gustafsson‘s ability to keep up with Jones for 25 minutes is in question.
Fans and bookies alike are cooling on Gustafsson in part due to his most recent decision victories. His wins over Thiago Silva and Mauricio Rua were solid, but not spectacular.
It is no secret that it will take something more than a solid performance to beat Jones.
Finally, Gustafsson‘s one loss is hard to ignore. Phil Davis came into his bout with Gus possessing many of the same advantages Jones will have at UFC 165. Davis utilized his long reach to control the stand-up before easily controlling Gustafsson on the canvas. It is hard to imagine Jones will not use the same attributes and skills to snatch another victory.
There is plenty of time to see the odds change for Gustafsson. For now, he will have to swallow any pride he had coming into the bout and simply look to shock a majority of the MMA world as a solid long shot.
A good finish to a fight is better than almost any decision. A knockout or submission provides a sense of totality and closure to a bout. It is what each MMA fan secretly craves, even if he or she pretends an exciting decision is “just as good.&r…
A good finish to a fight is better than almost any decision. A knockout or submission provides a sense of totality and closure to a bout. It is what each MMA fan secretly craves, even if he or she pretends an exciting decision is “just as good.”
Data collected from FightMatrix.com allows us to look at finishing rates for the participating members of UFC 161, as well as more broad numbers from across the divisions.
(All statistics are compiled by the author via Fightmatrix.com and cross-referenced with Sherdog’s Fight Finder function)
