The MMA world is waiting to hear that Chris Cyborg and Holly Holm have signed on to do the damn thing already. The long anticipated title fight between the two has been in the works for a while now, but numerous hiccups seem to keep getting in the way. The biggest issue, outside of Cyborg […]
The MMA world is waiting to hear that Chris Cyborg and Holly Holm have signed on to do the damn thing already. The long anticipated title fight between the two has been in the works for a while now, but numerous hiccups seem to keep getting in the way. The biggest issue, outside of Cyborg […]
It’s getting to be something when the most anticipated mixed martial arts card of the week is a Bellator event. It’s saying even more when there is a UFC just the very next day. Times are changing indeed and while Bellator has put on fight cards before, the level of competition on Bellator 180 is truly impressive. While I won’t cover every single bout on the fight card, one of the more intriguing match ups pits Conor McGregor’s protege James Gallagher against veteran karate fighter and MMA convert Chinzo Machida.
It’s getting to be something when the most anticipated mixed martial arts card of the week is a Bellator event. It’s saying even more when there is a UFC just the very next day. Times are changing indeed and while Bellator has put on fight cards before, the level of competition on Bellator 180 is truly impressive. While I won’t cover every single bout on the fight card, one of the more intriguing match ups pits Conor McGregor’s protege James Gallagher against veteran karate fighter and MMA convert Chinzo Machida.
As far as overall style goes, James Gallagher is a grappler through and through. While he may try to fool some people into believing he’s the second coming of Conor McGregor, Gallagher has already shown that he striking may be competent, even fluid and sharp, but the ground is where his strengths lie. Now, that’s not to suggest that Gallagher can’t strike at all, but his striking is purely meat and potatoes with jab set ups into power shots.
In this fight he’s going to want to take things to the ground or at least threaten. While his striking is certainly competent on the feet, Gallagher would be foolish to take away his biggest strength which is his awesome Brazilian jiujitsu skills. Gallagher is good at maintaining the center which he’ll want to continue to do in this fight. He should keep a good karate bounce to really mask his movement, through feints, and most of all be unafraid to throw kicks. If he slips on a kick and brings Machida into his guard, opportunities to sweep and get on top will fall right into his lap. How he’ll have to initiate shot attempts when he gets Machida to the fence, using his bread and butter jab to get in good position to hit a double leg takedown.
Chinzo Machida may have had a late start in MMA yet he still appears to be very fresh. In terms of his form and approach, there aren’t a great deal of high level karate fighters who have the kind of experience in timing and distancing that Machida has. Unlike his brother Lyoto who is far more focused on countering, Chinzo Machida is more aggressive in his attack. That doesn’t mean he attacks constantly, but likes to play the aggressive counter fighter, attacking his opponent which forces them to counter moving them right into Machida’s own counter. Machida should also look to kick from the southpaw stance in this fight. Gallagher keeps his hands extremely high so a fake left straight into a left body kick could fold Gallagher in half.
It’s obvious that Gallagher will want to take Machida down at some point just as it’s obvious that Chinzo will want to keep the fight standing. In order to stay upright Machida will have to be constant moving target. Gallagher will want to pressure him against the fence, control center, and enter into range behind his jab as well as leg kicks. Machida is comfortable fighting on the outside but taking the center from time to time is highly advised as well as throwing a ton of feints to freeze the younger man. With Gallagher properly frozen a fake jab/front hand parry can set up a great cross or uppercut.
It’s an interesting fight as we’ll get to see two men who like to strike using traditional arts, but at the end of the day this is still clearly a striker versus grappler match up. Who you got?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
Well, that escalated quickly now didn’t it. In one of the most anticipated fights of the year, Max Holloway once again showcased his superior ability to perform under the bright lights and in hostile territory no less. But the road to victory was by no means a cake walk for the Hawaiian fighter. Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo gave Max Holloway all he could handle before succumbing to ground and pound in the third round. Let’s get a glimpse at some of the big takeaways from UFC 212 and the fantastic main event that shook up the featherweight division.
Well, that escalated quickly now didn’t it. In one of the most anticipated fights of the year, Max Holloway once again showcased his superior ability to perform under the bright lights and in hostile territory no less. But the road to victory was by no means a cake walk for the Hawaiian fighter. Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo gave Max Holloway all he could handle before succumbing to ground and pound in the third round. Let’s get a glimpse at some of the big takeaways from UFC 212 and the fantastic main event that shook up the featherweight division.
The biggest issue for Jose Aldo in this fight was getting in on the inside and landing meaningful strikes on the interim champion. He started out strong and his speed was blinding in the opening frame. He kept a busy front hand to keep Holloway at bay as Aldo can throw his fair share of fast jabs to catch his opponents off guard.
It was Aldo’s left hook, right straight combination that stunned Holloway in the first followed by a nice flying knee.
It was a beautiful display of Aldo’s speed, power, and precision. But after taking a moment to consider what that kind of explosion took out of Aldo’s gas tank, you have to wonder if he was pushing himself too hard too fast in hopes of getting a big win in front of the hometown crowd.
By the end of the first we saw Holloway loosen up a bit and open up with a spinning back kick to Aldo’s body.
As I mentioned in my breakdown, as soon as Max Holloway decided to start going first, his offense started to become more effective. Holloway is great at counter fighting as well as being the aggressor. In a fight with a faster competitor with sharp counter punching skills, staying busy with in and out jabs, feinting, and being the aggressor is all needed. Max Holloway started using these tools in the second round which started to throw off Jose Aldo’s rhythm. Max Holloway began to turn the tide by moving forward, shifting back when Aldo committed, then countering back before the former champ could recover defensively.
That doesn’t mean Aldo wasn’t still in the game as his counters were still looking sharp.
By the time the third round came around, Max Holloway was fully in his rhythm and started to throw more volume. Rather than load up on power shots, as Aldo was tending to do, Holloway was content to just simply touch the champion with potshots.
In the end, it was the basic jab-cross that got the job done, but it was the rhythm change the separated the first and second combinations that made the shots so devastating.
Holloway throws the jab-cross that just touches Aldo, but rather than move all the way out after the combination he avoids the left hook counter and follows up with a counter one-two that ultimately signaled the end of Jose Aldo’s reign as champion.
It’ll be interesting to see who the UFC matches Max Holloway up with next. My guess is that it will be a little known New Jersey native. You know, the former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
What did you think of the performance of Max Holloway?
While my other breakdowns have been pretty enjoyable, this fight is one that every hardcore and casual fight fan has been keeping their eyes on. Frankie Edgar versus Yair Rodriguez is a battle of old school versus new school. Does the old dog have some new tricks to throw the pup off his game or will the young hungry cub prove himself to be a world beater.
While my other breakdowns have been pretty enjoyable, this fight is one that every hardcore and casual fight fan has been keeping their eyes on. Frankie Edgar versus Yair Rodriguez is a battle of old school versus new school. Does the old dog have some new tricks to throw the pup off his game or will the young hungry cub prove himself to be a world beater.
Anyone who has seen a Frankie Edgar fight knows what to expect from the former lightweight champ. There will be punches in bunches, there will be wrestling exchanges, and, quite possibly, Edgar being hurt by a heavy shot yet surviving. While it’s something that many Frankie Edgar fans may not want to admit, the man has been hurt a great deal of times during his career. Does that mean his chin is going? Not necessarily. Does that mean there’s deficiencies in his striking game? Most certainly.
Frankie Edgar will be susceptible to kicks in this fight and he’ll need to keep things in boxing range where he can land flurries and damaging punches.
If Edgar wants to win this fight, he’ll have to make things dirty. Playing the outside angle with Rodriguez is ill advised. Yair Rodriguez wants to kick and kick often. Edgar needs to use his lateral movement a bit smarter here and close the distance every chance he gets. Pumping the jab, getting off center, pivoting back to center and throwing a cross or kick to close distance is his best option to get close to Rodriguez. Once he’s there, he’d be smart to pick up a single leg rather than reach for a double. It’s potentially a faster entry and he can use it to either transition to the double or force Rodriguez to the cage where he can disengage to throw short combinations, battle in the clinch, or work for a strong takedown.
Yair Rodriguez is a member of the new school of young talent who utilizes a traditional striking game to get the job done in his fights. The thing about his style that sets him apart from say a Stephen Thompson or Justin Scoggins is his wild streak. Rodriguez throws a myriad of different strikes, a lot of times with no initial set up except for feints or the occasional jab. He thrives in chaos and so far it’s worked well for him.
The problem there is that with such a kick heavy game, the chances of him getting taken down is extremely high, especially a fighter with such a strong wrestling game like Frankie Edgar.
What Yair Rodriguez is going to want to do in this fight is keep Edgar at a distance. Much like the flyweight bout between Henry Cejudo and Sergio Pettis, Rodriguez as the kicker is going to want to operate at a longer distance. Rather than follow his usual game plan of throwing everything and the kitchen sink at his opponents, low kicks to the calf, front snap kicks to the body and head, as well as side kicks, will keep Edgar at bay until Rodriguez can throw something more meaningful, preferably up the middle. As shown before, Frankie Edgar has an open guard at times on the feet so Rodriguez would do well to time his opponents lateral movement and have him walk into something devastating.
It’s truly an interesting fight that is all about distance. Whoever controls the distance best will get their hand raised.
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
While much of the attention was set on the UFC bouts in Nashville, there was indeed another fight card that had some pretty interesting clashes. It’s fascinating to me that a fourth fight between two closely matched opponents can somehow still generate interest, but when you consider the fact that the two fighters in question are Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire and Daniel Straus, you have to make a bit of an exception.
While much of the attention was set on the UFC bouts in Nashville, there was indeed another fight card that had some pretty interesting clashes. It’s fascinating to me that a fourth fight between two closely matched opponents can somehow still generate interest, but when you consider the fact that the two fighters in question are Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire and Daniel Straus, you have to make a bit of an exception.
While we can go on and on about where these two men fit in the grand scheme of things in terms of ranking the best featherweights in the world, what can’t be denied is that when these two enter the cage to face off, you can expect fireworks. Or that’s at least what I thought heading into Bellator 178. Instead, what I received was far more gratifying while at the same time conflicting.
I’ve always appreciated the blood and guts style of Daniel Straus, the wrestler with good fundamental kickboxing. But Patricio Freire peaked my interest most in this bout. From the moment he took the center of the cage and stood in a long karate stance reminiscent of Shotokan practioner I knew two things; firstly, Pitbull has gone out of his way to evolve his style and second, Daniel Straus was in for a long night.
Freire has always been a very explosive and powerful featherweight with some good boxing and Muay Thai skills. By implementing karate into his game we were able to see where he can truly shine.
Being in an opposite stance from Straus, Freire utilizing a longer, lower karate stance ensured a few things. One, that the takedown wouldn’t be readily available for Straus when he did choose to shoot in, simply because it would be hard to get below the hips of Freire to elevate the scrappy Brazilian. Another thing the karate stance ensured is that Freire would be using his front hand and footwork for distance control. This means that while Straus could be successful with inside low kicks from time to time, landing strikes to the head would be far more difficult.
Closing the distance for Straus meant that he would have to throw long Combo strings before being able to shoot in for the takedown, but this also meant potentially running into the long range straight right hand or gyaku zuki of Freire.
The fight would eventually be decided by the crushing guillotine choke by Freire, but it’s the lead up to the finish that was truly eye opening. Straus was forced to strike from too far out which allowed Freire the time and opportunity to keep a clear head and lock up the fight ending submission once he was comfortable.
Now, karate isn’t going to solve every problem, I know that well enough. But the benefits are growing more and more obvious as fighters who control distance are always going to conquer the game. Whether that means smothering offense or fighting from the outside, the distancing game that karate provides fighters makes winning all that much closer in reach.
What do you think of Patricio Freire beating Reclaiming the featherweight belt and karate in MMA?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
Well, of all the main events that have been scheduled for 2017, this booking was perhaps the most peculiar. Cub Swanson, a top ten featherweight in the world, will face a man who isn’t even top fifteen and is on a recent two fight winning streak in Artem Lobov. Not trying to insult ‘The Russian Hammer’ but this is a real uphill battle for the SBG Ireland product. In fact, this is really Cub Swanson’s fight to lose.
Well, of all the main events that have been scheduled for 2017, this booking was perhaps the most peculiar. Cub Swanson, a top ten featherweight in the world, will face a man who isn’t even top fifteen and is on a recent two fight winning streak in Artem Lobov. Not trying to insult ‘The Russian Hammer’ but this is a real uphill battle for the SBG Ireland product. In fact, this is really Cub Swanson’s fight to lose.
Cub Swanson is one of the most dynamic strikers in the UFC featherweight division. He has proven to be the cream of the crop with his mix of boxing and kickboxing, as well as a strong grappling game. The biggest difference that I can see in this match certainly has to be the punching style of both men. Cub Swanson is not necessarily a textbook boxing technician, but he does utilize his jab far more frequently than Lobov. Off the jab, Swanson can either pressure forward with a follow up right hand, a left hook or kicking technique either low or high. He can also strike moving backwards, using the jab to keep his opponent off of him to blast back with a powerful right hand. As far as strategy goes, Swanson should definitely be using his jab to set up his left hook into a powerful right hand.
As said before, Artem Lobov really has his hands full with this one. While Lobov can fight from both stances which can give him a bit of an edge, he usually approaches things in the same way for each side. His lead hand is used to measure distance rather than be utilized as a legit weapon. The only time he does use his lead hand is when he throws a wide hook. Most strikes that Lobov throws are with power and conviction which can leave him open to counters. What he does to try and masks this is use a ton of feints. He’ll need to do a lot of faking here to throw off Swanson’s reads and land his powerful low kicks. He’ll want to use effective pressure and try to pin Swanson along the cage where Lobov will have the best chances of success for his powerful left or right hands.
Cub Swanson has some tremendous footwork which is likely to really throw off Lobov’s game. If Artem wants to win this he’ll have to turn this into a brawl and even then, Cub Swanson excels in that style of fight. Like I said, an uphill battle for Artem Lobov indeed.
Who do you think wins at UFC Fight Night: Cub Swanson vs Artem Lobov?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
