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UFC 209: Can Tony Ferguson Figure Out The Puzzle That Is Khabib Nurmagomedov?

A ton of people have been speaking their mind on the fact that the co-main event of UFC 209, Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Tony Ferguson, should be the main attraction of the show. Whether or not you agree with that point, the truth of the matter is that this fight is certainly one for the ages as both men have looked nigh invincible during their UFC tenure. What’s more, one of these men will have to experience the bitter taste of defeat as they head for a collision course that could be one of the greatest lightweight scraps in the sport’s history.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov is an absolute savage. To neglect to mention the fact would be remiss on my part. Since entering the UFC he’s looked pretty damn impressive. He capped off his twenty-fourth straight win with a domination of Michael Johnson. What makes Khabib so dangerous? His indomitable will that sees the Dagestan native push the pace, push towards his opponents with strikes, then wrap his arms around his prey where the thrashing begins. While his striking may not be polished, Khabib has found a way to make it effective. He’ll throw a standard one-two, then instantly explode forward with a hook in order to enter into the clinch and secure a takedown by any means.

Whether it’s a judo throw, double or single leg, once Khabib is in that clinch position you either need to spin off and push away the head or find yourself with your back to the mat.

On the other side of the equation we have Tony Ferguson who brings a much more balanced skill set to the table. He has striking, he has wrestling, and great submission abilities. His gas tank seems to be endless and he pushes the pace with consistent striking combinations from lead uppercuts to sharp low leg kicks. Ferguson also enjoys switching stances in the middle of combo strings to find the inside and outside angles in hopes exploiting openings. He’ll throw a cross from orthodox stance, switch to south paw where he’ll through a rear uppercut, back to orthodox for a rear leg kick to a spinning back fist. His striking is at once technical and chaotic and always packs a punch. But his he’s more controlled than his foe in that he uses fundamentals.

His jab is sharp and long and he uses it as a legit weapon as well as a range finder which adds variety to his striking arsenal. Ferguson will do well to keep Khabib on the end of his punches and if the Sambo specialist does try to shoot for the takedown, a traditional needs to be at the ready and if he can’t manage that, his nifty forward roll needs to be on hand to create a scramble.

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I’ve always said that Ferguson would be a tougher match up for Conor McGregor if the legit lightweight champ ever decides to come back and defend his title. That’s not to say that Khabib wouldn’t give McGregor trouble, but the pace that Ferguson can put on people, coupled with his size, striking, chin, and submission game, makes him a terrible match up for the lightweight champ. That’s not to say Khabib can’t grind McGregor into the cage, land a takedown and smash him on the ground. Either way, we still have to see Ferguson and Khabib do the damn thing at UFC 209. I’ll be sure to watching with a whiskey in hand and a smile plastered across my face.

Who do you think wins the interim lightweight title: Khabib Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson?

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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UFC 209: The ‘Groovy’ Lando Vannata Will Have A Chance To Prove He’s The Real Deal Against David Teymur

The fight breakdowns just keep on coming as Lando Vannata faces off against fellow young prospect David Teymur which should be a display of some fine striking skills. Where David Teymur comes largely from a more traditional muay thai striking background, Lando Vannata has cultivated a skillset that mixes boxing, karate, and muay thai into one unique package. A win from either prospect will get fans and pundits alike to open their eyes to the possibilities of these fighters one day reaching the top of the division.

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The Swedish native David Teymur showcased his all around skills in his first two Octagon appearances. As far as his offensive game, Teymur operates out of the southpaw stance and usually prefers to open up his attacks with leg kicks. He throws jabs and left hands with near perfect technique and is adept at countering on the back foot. He also has a good sense of when to land reactive takedowns when his opponents push too far forward. In his bout against the unpredictable Lando, Teymur will want to utilize the one common factor we’ve seen from the ‘Groovy’ one in his first two octagon appearances. Lando has a tendency to use weaving head movement to dodge attacks. If Teymur is patient enough, he can time Lando as he dips his head and land one of those powerful uppercuts to floor his opponent.

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As far as Lando Vannata attributes go, there’s no way you can’t love the slick footwork and head movement he’s brought with him to the cage. I hold Brandon Gibson in pretty high regard as a striking coach, somewhat of a blue print for some of my own coaching work. What I’ve seen ‘Six Gun’ infused into Lando’s style is the ability to move in and out of the danger zone while always having the ability to land a strike whether moving forward or backing up. As the orthodox fighter against a southpaw opponent, Lando will want to continue to utilize that low line sidekick to keep Teymur where he wants him. It’s a nice trick to either stop your opponents forward motion or to force them to move into the direction of a follow up strike. Lando also has some strong wrestling skills he can rely on as well as some well timed spinning techniques. He’ll want to stay on the move a bit more in this fight as he has a tendency to get flat footed and get caught with jabs. His weaving head movement should also be mixed in with slips and some good old fashioned footwork in order to get out of harms way. Rather than rely solely on head movement, foot movement is a great first line of defense.

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Will David Teymur announce himself to the world with a win over Lando Vannata or will ‘Groovy’ prove that he’s all that and then some with another spectacular showing?

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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UFC 209: Is Alistair Overeem Going Out On His Shield Versus Mark Hunt?

If I were to say that UFC 209 was just another fight card then I would give you the permission to feel free to punch me directly in the nose for lying. If anything, UFC 209 is proving to be one of the stronger cards of 2017 so far and that’s in big part due to the main and co-main event. But though the main attractions are very much the selling point for this fight card, there a ton of other great matches to enjoy this weekend. Namely the heavyweight showdown between Alistair Overeem and Mark Hunt.

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Both men have lost their last bouts. Alistair Overeem was brutally knocked out by champ Stipe Miocic while Mark Hunt lost a controversial decision to former champion Brock Lesnar. Where Mark Hunt was competitive and essentially fighting a suped up version of Lesnar, Overeem faced off against a game and talented champion in form of Miocic. Overeem proved himself to be a match for the champ, but once again allowed his technical holes to shine through.

Overeem had his moments in the fight, mainly from the southpaw stance where he threw his back leg round kick and left cross with power and accuracy. But as the fight carried on and Overeem got clipped, we saw him take bigger chances with wilder shots that hit air. Not only that, he found himself with his back against the fence far too many times which opened him up to strikes. Ultimately a poorly executed low line sidekick would be his undoing as Miocic secured a takedown and proceeded to bounce punches off of Overeem’s chin.

Mark Hunt’s last battle was against a juiced up Brock Lesnar who looked to take the fight to the ground early and often. Hunt won’t have to worry about that when he enters the cage against Overeem. Hunt will be at a height disadvantage, but that shouldn’t be much of a concern for him considering that he’s always on the wrong end of the reach/height equation. The leaping left hook and counter right hand will be his best friends in this fight as Overeem has a tendency to drop his hands as he gets comfortable in the fight.

Overeem will want to keep Hunt at bay with front kicks and the left cross. Another great idea would be for him to execute the low line sidekick against Hunt. While he didn’t have too much success with it against Miocic, it’s a safe bet that Hunt won’t be looking to take the fight to the ground. The sidekick will destabilize Hunt’s movements and prevent him from just leaping forward as he tends to do.

Usually I’d make my prediction and just carry on, but instead I wanted to take the opportunity to discuss something that’s been on my mind in regards to Alistair Overeem.

When will he decide to hang it up?

I know, I know, after a veteran fighter loses a match by knock out there’s a tendency for everyone to kick a person while they’re down, call for their retirement. But in the case of Alsitair Overeem we’re looking at an individual who has lost by knock out ten times in his career, and that’s just in regards to his MMA match ups. He’s been knocked out in kickboxing bouts as well and you also have to consider all the training camps he’s been through in his career. If he suffers another devastating this Saturday night it’s certainly grounds for him to consider hanging it up. Either Overeem sees this as a chance to once again prove he’s the cream of the crop or this may be the modern example of going out on your shield in battle. Either way, when the bill comes due one can only hope that Overeem makes it through the other side no worse for ware.

Who do you think wins at UFC 209?

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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UFC Denver: Shevchenko vs Pena Will Be Controlled Chaos

The main event of UFC on Fox 23 features two of the most ferocious women in the bantamweight division as Valentina Shevchenko squares off against Julianna Pena. Both women have built up quite the resume with Shevchenko having defeated former bantam weight champion Holly Holm and Pena out dueling Cat Zingano. These two women are both extremely talented with their own specific roads to victory. Who gets the job done at UFC Denver?

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Key Factors:

Striking

For many who tuned into her bout against Holly Holm, it became evident that Valentina Shevchenko operates on a level far beyond that of the average striker in the women’s bantamweight division. Her combinations were slick, her movement balanced, and the spinning attacks she threw gave a level of unpredictability that froze Holm at times. Shevchenko has been criticized by Pena for being more of a point fighter which is an unfair assessment. The reality of the situation is that Shevchenko is a controlled striker who looks for opportunities rather than wading into the fire, which just happens to be Pena’s preferred style.

Where Shevchenko is controlled and nuanced in her approach, playing the outside and countering effectively, Julianna Pena is a ball of fire who looks to explode forward with shots, get into the clinch, then do her best work by getting the fight to the ground. The biggest problem with her approach is that she usually enters the fray with little head movement leaving her susceptible to punishment when she makes her way in. While it may be an exciting style, it’s not very conduscive when facing off with a striker at the level of Shevchenko.

Shevchenko is a patient striker who will pivot on the outside, play matador, and chew up her opponents with a variety of attacks from all heights. The problem is that in the early rounds she can be a bit passive. Pena’s striking is alarming, but would be most effective if used at the initial bell in hopes of catching Shevchenko off balance. Something tells me that’s unlikely to happen.

Clinch/Grappling

Where Pena will likely have the advantage is in the grappling exchanges. She’s strong and pushes a ferocious pace once she gets the fight to the ground. She looks to punish her opponents with heavy leather and vicious elbows. The problem about all that is, she actually needs to get Shevchenko down to the ground for all that to happen. In order to do that, Pena will most likely choose to enter the clinch and try for a trip takedown which is her preferred method of getting her opponents grounded. There in lies another issue for the “Venezuelan Vixen.” Valentina Shevchenko is a judo black belt and is proficient with performing and avoiding trip takedowns.

Shevchenko was able to ground the champion Amanda Nunes in their match with a well timed counter Osoto Gari outside reap. The trip utilized in that match showcased Shevchenko’s ability to not only defend against trips, but counter effectively to end up on top. If Pena is hoping to get Shevchenko to ground then she’ll have to be aware of that fact and utilize a combination of takedowns in order to get the job done. Pure aggression alone will do her no good in this match up. Pulling guard could be an option, but Shevchenko has proven to have a strong top game of her own so the proposition is a bit of a gamble.

No matter how you slice it, this match is competitive as hell and the winner will likely be the one with the better game plan. When both fighters have heart for days, technical ability will always be the deciding factor.

Who do you think wins the main event at UFC Denver?

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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UFC Fight Night 103: John Moraga Has His Work Cut Out For Him Against Sergio Pettis

UFC Fight Night 103 features a flyweight showdown that could decide the future for both men involved. Former title challenger John Moraga looks to get back on track against the young and talented Sergio Pettis. How do these two match up? Let’s take a deeper look into things.

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Striking

You’d think it’d be obvious who has the striking advantage in this fight, but it’s not so simple. While Sergio Pettis may have the more striking heavy attack, John Moraga doesn’t mind mixing things up on the inside. Where Pettis tries to remain at kicking distance, darting in with jabs and getting out throwing a skip back cross similar to Conor McGregor, Moraga likes to pressure forward with his boxing. Moraga also enjoys implementing calf kicks that the MMA Lab fighters are known for. The major deficiency in Moraga’s striking is his inability to fight while going backwards. Besides a check hook, he doesn’t employ many tools while on the back foot. Moraga also throws one strike at a time which can eventually get more predictable. Pettis can strike both going forwards and back. Both men also don’t mind switching up their stances during fights, though Pettis is more comfortable with this tactic as he comes from a traditional martial arts background. Pettis has more tools at his disposal in the stand up realm, though he can be susceptible to leg kicks, the bane of every traditional martial artist’s existence. Still, Pettis has the advantage while the fight remains on the feet.

Wrestling

Sergio Pettis does have some wrestling pedigree. In fact, his wrestling is sharper than his older brother Anthony who still seems to struggles with his entries. Sergio has no such weaknesses as he times his double leg takedowns with speed, precision, and solid technique. That being said, it will likely be John Moraga who looks for the takedown early and often. Moraga has been wrestling for his whole like and will look to use those skills to his advantage. Despite that fact, Moraga tends to rely more on his boxing than his wrestling pedigree. If he’s smart, he’ll want to go back to his roots for this fight. To do so he’ll have to throw more than one strike to set things up however. If he sticks to his single striking methods then it’s likely that Pettis will be able to defend his takedowns.

Submissions

Moraga has more submissions under his belt than the young Pettis. While Sergio has certainly had his fair share of submissions during his career, it came against lesser competition, not at the highest levels of the sport. Moraga has managed to submit higher level opposition with either great time and instinct or by utilizing a smart top game until he’s able to transition into an advantageous position. If anyone is going to have a chance of securing a submission, it’s John Moraga.

The stakes are high in this match up and with Moraga flirting with retirement, you can expect both men to give it their all come Saturday night.

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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Amanda Nunes vs Ronda Rousey: 5 Things To Keep An Eye On

Ronda Rousey has been a ghost for the past thirteen months since her defeat at the hands of Holly Holm. Since then it’s been radio silence on the “Rowdy” front and as such fans have been waiting with baited breath to see how Rousey would rebound from her first loss. The sad part about Ronda’s big comeback party is that she’ll have to lock horns with current women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Usually, a breakdown would follow this introductory paragraph, but you have to shake things up now and again. So instead, here’s five points of interest to watch out for in the UFC 207 main event.

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1. The Same Coaching Staff

So, Ronda Rousey has stuck with the same coaching staff following her last bout at UFC 193. While her loyalty may be commendable, one has to wonder if it’s truly the smartest move. The biggest takeaway from the fight besides Rousey’s first defeat was the lack of valuable information in the corner between rounds. Edmond Tarverdyan may be able to teach boxing with adequate results, but at this level of the game cornering a pro fighter should be more nuanced. The biggest issue with his coaching was that he failed to offer his fighter new adjustments between rounds. Rousey was dominated for the first time in her career and when she returned to her corner, no valuable strategies were awaiting her. Some fighters need a pep talk between rounds, that’s true. But in the heat of competition words of encouragement won’t cut it. If Ronda faces adversity at UFC 207, Tarverdyan better be prepared to give his fighter tangible advice.

2. Any New Techniques?

If Ronda Rousey hopes to be champion again come Friday then she’ll need to show some new wrinkles to her game. Rather than just throwing punches in bunches and looking for a hip toss, kicks of all variety should be on the table if she wants to be successful. Throwing a fighter off their game, making them uncomfortable, that’s the key to grasping victory.

Also, what new goodies does Nunes have cooked up? We could just be scratching the surface of the champion’s skills. Don’t be surprised if Nunes starts throwing wheel kicks out there, especially considering her traditional martial arts background. As we all know anything can happen in an MMA match.

3. Ring/Cage Rust

Rousey’s been gone for a minute while Nunes has been collecting scalps and cutting checks. That time away could have either hurt Ronda or sent her game to a new level. This fight could easily come down to activity versus stagnation.

4. The Difference In Striking

I mentioned striking before, but this is truly the field in which both fighters will need to keep their eyes open. Ronda can’t afford to bull rush and hope to connect a good shot on the champ’s chin. Nunes will also need to be cognizant of the same thing. She can’t afford to blink or get flustered by Rousey’s pressure game. Ronda will need to show patience (and feints for Gods sake) to close distance while Nunes will need to keep the former champ on the outside and at the end of her strikes.

5. Who’s The Better Grappler?

Once the fight hits the mat things are sure to get interesting. Both women come from a judo background and both have strong ground games, albeit in different ways. Nunes has impressive top control and is extremely violent when she’s in that position. Ronda hunts for submissions the moment the fight gets to the ground. It’ll be a positional battle with Nunes having to avoid consistent submission attempts while Ronda avoids being brained by the champion.

So, who do you got in the UFC 207 main event?

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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