Tag: Features

UFC 211: Eddie Alvarez Looks To Dominate Dustin Poirier

With so many great fights on UFC 211 there’s pretty much no choice but to start the break downs a bit earlier than I normally do. First order of business is one of the more underrated fights on the card pitting former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez against the hard hitting Dustin Poirier. It’s certainly a tough match up for both men. In one regard, it puts Eddie Alvarez in a bit of a lose lose situation. He either beats a fighter he’s expected to or gets a second loss in the row. That’s not to suggest that Dustin Poirier is a slouch or an easy win, but after being crushed by Conor McGregor, you’d expect Alvarez to fight a higher ranked opponent. But in the present day UFC you have to take what you can get.

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With so many great fights on UFC 211 there’s pretty much no choice but to start the break downs a bit earlier than I normally do. First order of business is one of the more underrated fights on the card pitting former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez against the hard hitting Dustin Poirier. It’s certainly a tough match up for both men. In one regard, it puts Eddie Alvarez in a bit of a lose lose situation. He either beats a fighter he’s expected to or gets a second loss in the row. That’s not to suggest that Dustin Poirier is a slouch or an easy win, but after being crushed by Conor McGregor, you’d expect Eddie Alvarez to fight a higher ranked opponent. But in the present day UFC you have to take what you can get.

As far as game plans go, Eddie Alvarez has all the tools needed to beat a dangerous striker like Poirier. This will be the former champ’s third southpaw opponent in a row and that just makes game planning for Poirier easier. When Alvarez bested Rafael dos Anjos, the inside low kick was a major tool as well as the right hand. He’ll want to execute a similar game plan against Poirier as the Louisiana native has a tendency to stand heavy on his front leg, much in the same manner as Eddie Alvarez himself.

Attacking that front right leg of Poirier early and often, as well as following up with a right hand will do two very important things. It will get Poirier looking for these two big strikes and it will also take his mind off of Alvarez’s considerable wrestling game. Bouncing in and out, landing the inside low kick, darting in with a right hand and initiating the clinch would be a great starting point for Alvarez. But he’ll need to transition to a double or single leg, perhaps even an inside trip before Poirier looks to start opening up with a barrage of different punches.

via GIPHY

Dustin Poirier has gotten back on track with a hard fought win over veteran Jim Miller at UFC 208. After suffering a disappointing loss at the hands of Michael Johnson, Poirier had to go back to the drawing board and reevaluate his striking attack. While still got into brawls with Jim Miller at times, he did show some decent head movement and counter strikes. What he’ll want to do in this fight against Eddie Alvarez is focus on moving laterally rather than standing square in front of the former champ. Standing in front of Alvarez at middle distance is exactly what got Rafael dos Anjos in trouble and Poirier will want to avoid doing the same. The key for Poirier besides lateral movement is using his jab to draw Alvarez forward. Poirier has a tendency to slug a bit and he’ll want to avoid that here unless he has Alvarez hurt.

A darting in and out jab will force Alvarez to either counter back with a left hook or right cross, shoot for a takedown, or back off. All scenarios can work in Poirier’s favor. If he Alavarez looks to counter with strikes then Poirier can slip them and return fire with his own counter, can land an uppercut or knee in case of a shot, or pressure the former champ against the cage if he backs away where he can potentially corner him.

It’s a bit of a pick ‘em fight, but it’s sure to be pretty damn interesting while it lasts. Who do you got: Eddie Alvarez or Dustin Poirier?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Fallout: Al Iaquinta Battling For More Pay Should Be A Wake Up Call For The UFC

So, another week, another UFC event where fighters put it all on the line for a chance at glory. Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov had a pretty entertaining scrap in which ‘The Russian Hammer’ showed that he’s perhaps more talented than we first gave him credit for. Lobov by no means is a world beater, but the fact that he was competitive with Cub Swanson shows that he does indeed have some talent. With so many different fights on the card it’s hard to pick one out of the bunch to highlight. But for me, one fighter comes to mind more than anyone else and that’s Al Iaquinta.

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So, another week, another UFC event where fighters put it all on the line for a chance at glory. Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov had a pretty entertaining scrap in which ‘The Russian Hammer’ showed that he’s perhaps more talented than we first gave him credit for. Lobov by no means is a world beater, but the fact that he was competitive with Cub Swanson shows that he does indeed have some talent. With so many different fights on the card it’s hard to pick one out of the bunch to highlight. But for me, one fighter comes to mind more than anyone else and that’s Al Iaquinta.

The Strong Island native (that’s right, I said it) proved once again why he should be considered a hot commodity in the UFC. The guy is young, talented, and sharp when it comes to his striking ability. With a two year lay off, people were thinking that Al Iaquinta may not have had that pop anymore, that the sport was leaving him in the rear view. He shut up those critics pretty emphatically with his knockout victory over veteran Diego Sanchez. The interesting part about the win for ‘Raging’ Al however was the fact that he didn’t truly have a chance to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

While I still believe that the UFC is the biggest, brightest, and most talent rich promotion in the world, it’s becoming obvious that fighters are getting more and more disgruntled. When you consider the fact that Iaquinta received $26,000 to show and another $26,000 to win, it’s easy to see why the talented lightweight would consider walking away from the sport. He could easily find himself up there with some of the best of the best in the lightweight division and the fact that he’s getting underpaid to knockout fighters that are getting paid more than him is a major issue that the promotion needs to solve.

Make no mistake, Al Iaquinta could easily become a star in the UFC. He could have New York on his back much in the same vain his stablemate Chris Weidman has been doing for years now. But if the UFC is content to let their high level talent seek other employment because they won’t show them the money, then you can bet your ass that Al Iaquinta will be taking his real estate career pretty damn seriously moving forward.

Do you think the UFC is making a mistake not paying Al Iaquinta the big bucks?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Fallout: Al Iaquinta Battling For More Pay Should Be A Wake Up Call For The UFC

So, another week, another UFC event where fighters put it all on the line for a chance at glory. Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov had a pretty entertaining scrap in which ‘The Russian Hammer’ showed that he’s perhaps more talented than we first gave him credit for. Lobov by no means is a world beater, but the fact that he was competitive with Cub Swanson shows that he does indeed have some talent. With so many different fights on the card it’s hard to pick one out of the bunch to highlight. But for me, one fighter comes to mind more than anyone else and that’s Al Iaquinta.

The post Fallout: Al Iaquinta Battling For More Pay Should Be A Wake Up Call For The UFC appeared first on Cagepotato.

So, another week, another UFC event where fighters put it all on the line for a chance at glory. Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov had a pretty entertaining scrap in which ‘The Russian Hammer’ showed that he’s perhaps more talented than we first gave him credit for. Lobov by no means is a world beater, but the fact that he was competitive with Cub Swanson shows that he does indeed have some talent. With so many different fights on the card it’s hard to pick one out of the bunch to highlight. But for me, one fighter comes to mind more than anyone else and that’s Al Iaquinta.

The Strong Island native (that’s right, I said it) proved once again why he should be considered a hot commodity in the UFC. The guy is young, talented, and sharp when it comes to his striking ability. With a two year lay off, people were thinking that Al Iaquinta may not have had that pop anymore, that the sport was leaving him in the rear view. He shut up those critics pretty emphatically with his knockout victory over veteran Diego Sanchez. The interesting part about the win for ‘Raging’ Al however was the fact that he didn’t truly have a chance to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

While I still believe that the UFC is the biggest, brightest, and most talent rich promotion in the world, it’s becoming obvious that fighters are getting more and more disgruntled. When you consider the fact that Iaquinta received $26,000 to show and another $26,000 to win, it’s easy to see why the talented lightweight would consider walking away from the sport. He could easily find himself up there with some of the best of the best in the lightweight division and the fact that he’s getting underpaid to knockout fighters that are getting paid more than him is a major issue that the promotion needs to solve.

Make no mistake, Al Iaquinta could easily become a star in the UFC. He could have New York on his back much in the same vain his stablemate Chris Weidman has been doing for years now. But if the UFC is content to let their high level talent seek other employment because they won’t show them the money, then you can bet your ass that Al Iaquinta will be taking his real estate career pretty damn seriously moving forward.

Do you think the UFC is making a mistake not paying Al Iaquinta the big bucks?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

The post Fallout: Al Iaquinta Battling For More Pay Should Be A Wake Up Call For The UFC appeared first on Cagepotato.

UFC Fight Night: Why Is Cub Swanson Fighting Artem Lobov?

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.

The post UFC Fight Night: Why Is Cub Swanson Fighting Artem Lobov? appeared first on Cagepotato.

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.

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With Kyoji Horiguchi In Rizin, Demetrious Johnson Is Missing The Challenge He Craves

The naysayers that read that title will likely have already dismissed that statement. “Kyoji Horiguchi? Didn’t Demetrious Johnson beat that dude already?” The answer is a resounding yes. That said, ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson has gone on record stating that the karate master was the toughest foe he’s faced. It’s been years since that match and since then we’ve seen improvements in both flyweights. That’s what makes it so frustrating that Kyoji Horiguchi has left the UFC to return to Japan and compete in Rizin Fighting Championships. His departure also means that Demetrious Johnson is missing the opportunity to be challenged by one of his biggest threats.

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The naysayers that read that title will likely have already dismissed that statement. “Kyoji Horiguchi? Didn’t Demetrious Johnson beat that dude already?” The answer is a resounding yes. That said, ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson has gone on record stating that the karate master was the toughest foe he’s faced. It’s been years since that match and since then we’ve seen improvements in both flyweights. That’s what makes it so frustrating that Kyoji Horiguchi has left the UFC to return to Japan and compete in Rizin Fighting Championships. His departure also means that Demetrious Johnson is missing the opportunity to be challenged by one of his biggest threats.

While Johnson is certainly happy taking out the other members of the flyweight division, attempting to make history in the process, one has to wonder what else is he doing this for. He doesn’t want to just fight opponents he knows he can beat. Despite the fact that he is a great fighter in his own right, Wilson Reis didn’t have the speed and technical ability to truly challenge Johnson at UFC on Fox 24. The result was a one sided beat down in the manner that makes you wonder, who the hell can even challenge Johnson?

There’s Joseph Benavidez who lost on two separate occasions to the flyweight champion. There’s Henry Cejudo who is as tough as they come and is making improvements. But who else really has that stuff that separates them from the pack?

Kyoji Horiguchi, that’s who.

While Johnson was tying Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive title defenses, Kyoji Horiguchi was on the other side of the world picking up his fourth straight win with a demolition of Yuki Motoya at Rizin 5. His speed, blitzing ability, boxing techniques, and improved wrestling due to his stint at American Top Team were all on display. Watching Horiguchi do work against Yuki Motoya only made me yearn to see him once again lock horns with Johnson.

As far as champions go, Johnson is the one given the least recognition even after accomplishing so much. He’s dominated nearly all of his opponents en route to his impressive ten consecutive title defenses, yet because he appears to be doing all of it in his sleep, people think he’s not being challenged enough. That may be unfair, but people want a storyline to latch onto, an opponent that can rival the skills of the champion. They want another individual who smashes the competition with ease and looks like a world beater in their own right. The flyweight division is lacking in star power outside a few individuals and if they don’t make a concerted effort to build it up it’s likely to remain the dark horse division of the UFC. The fact that the upper brass didn’t do everything in their power to ensure that Horiguchi remained on the roster shows a bit of naiivity on their part. If they want the division to flourish they need multiple stars, multiple fighters that make viewers from not just the west, but around the entire world to want to tune in.

If the UFC brass are smart they’ve kept track of Kyoji Horiguchi and if the young karate fighter is able to dominate in Rizin, there should be no reason that he isn’t brought back to the biggest promotion in the world. Demetrious Johnson wants a challenge, wants to prove he’s the absolute best to have ever done it. Perhaps he already has proved just that. But it wouldn’t hurt to see him in there again with a man that could also sport those same credentials. As I always invoke, only time will tell if we’ll ever get the chance to see Johnson and Horiguchi lock horns again.

Do you want to see Demetrious Johnson versus Kyoji Horiguchi 2?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Fallout: How Namajunas and Whittaker Set Up Their Finishes At UFC on Fox 24

UFC on Fox 24 showcased once again why Demetrious Johnson has clearly earned the right of being dubbed the greatest pound for pound fighter in the world. His victory over Wilson Reis may not have shocked many in terms of the ultimate result, but the manner in which Johnson got the job done was nothing short of eye opening. Reis, while competitive in the opening frame, was ultimately dominated in the second and third rounds. I’ve got more to say about Johnson in a future article, but for now let’s focus on the other stars of UFC on Fox 24, namely Rose Namajunas and Robert Whittaker.

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UFC on Fox 24 showcased once again why Demetrious Johnson has clearly earned the right of being dubbed the greatest pound for pound fighter in the world. His victory over Wilson Reis may not have shocked many in terms of the ultimate result, but the manner in which Johnson got the job done was nothing short of eye opening. Reis, while competitive in the opening frame, was ultimately dominated in the second and third rounds. I’ve got more to say about Johnson in a future article, but for now let’s focus on the other stars of UFC on Fox 24, namely Rose Namajunas and Robert Whittaker.

What Rose Namajunas was able to pull off in her victory over Michelle Waterson was nothing short of amazing. Both women were competitive in the co-main event, but it was Namajunas that would make the necessary adjustments to pull off the victory. Waterson utilized her side kick brilliantly but found herself in trouble after executed a head and arm throw, the most overused and dangerous technique in women’s MMA, and eventually found herself on the bottom of Namajunas. Rose would win the first frame handily but it’s what happened in the second round that had me most impressed.

Waterson’s side kicks were landing to Namajunas’ knee with continual thudding impact. Understanding this, Rose made a slight adjustment. Waterson was firing her kicks from a southpaw side stance. ‘The Karate Hottie’ made a fatal mistake by faking the kick with a chambered right leg but not resetting quickly. As Waterson lazily placed her right foot down to the mat, Namajunas shifted to her left, obtaining a strong outside angle, and launching a right high kick that floored her foe. From there it was a matter of some strong ground and pound, superior positioning and a deep rear naked choke. You’ve gotta think that Rose Namajunas is most likely going to be the next challenger for the strawweight belt.

Robert Whittaker also made a huge impression with his victory over Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza. What was perhaps most impressive about this one was how patient Robert Whittaker has become. No longer the slugging, overly aggressive striker that he once was, Whittaker has been able to adopt a far more strategic approach to his striking as of late. His karate background showed in this bout as he bounced on his toes, light on his feet, and shifting in and out with punches. But what was most impressive was his ability to feint and keep Jacare guessing with every exchange. Jacare had some success with his right hand and even landed a takedown, but he would eventually succumb to the two things that make Whittaker dangerous.

One, Whittaker feints a ton and every real strike he throws is done so with variety while appearing to seem like the same movement. His punches are tight and his elbows always stay tucked in towards the centerline. That makes it difficult for the opponent to see if he’s going to launch a jab or a hook with his left hand, a straight cross or an uppercut with his right. Whittaker was utilizing his jabs to get a read on what Jacare would counter back with, then, once he was comfortable with the timing, exploded forward with a sharp right cross. From there we saw the young middleweight land a variety of strikes including that rear uppercut and a high right kick that nearly shut off Jacare’s lights. Some follow ground and pound and an oddly timed stoppage later and you’ve got your next big middleweight contender. Since things are so log jammed at the top of the division however, it’s likely that Whittaker will have to wait for a title shot. That means he’ll have the distinct pleasure of facing off with either former champ Luke Rockhold or the terrifying Yoel Romero. That’s like picking your poison where those match ups are concerned.

What should come next for the new contenders at UFC on Fox 24?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

 

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