UFC 206 is coming this weekend and though we may have lost the stellar main event of Daniel Cormier versus Anthony Johnson, the replacement main event is just as intriguing as the light heavyweight title match would have been. Max Holloway versus Anthony Pettis has potential to be a true barnburner of a fight and for the interim featherweight title no less. But the other featherweight match up on the main card looks to be just as intriguing as Christmas comes early for Doo ho Choi who gets his wish of fighting his idol Cub Swanson.
UFC 206 is coming this weekend and though we may have lost the stellar main event of Daniel Cormier versus Anthony Johnson, the replacement main event is just as intriguing as the light heavyweight title match would have been. Max Holloway versus Anthony Pettis has potential to be a true barnburner of a fight and for the interim featherweight title no less. But the other featherweight match up on the main card looks to be just as intriguing as Christmas comes early for Doo ho Choi who gets his wish of fighting his idol Cub Swanson.
A twelve year veteran in the sport, Cub Swanson is a savvy striker with a ton of experience under his belt. Known as a grappler in the earlier phases of his career, it was evident that Swanson put a tremendous amount of focus in improving his striking. His six fight win streak showed just how versatile he has been on the feet. That is until he bumped into Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway. Now with a new streak going Swanson looks to batter Doo Ho Choi at UFC 206. The biggest issue he’s going to have to overcome is avoiding the temptation to just stand and bang. If he hopes to keep his future in the sport alive he’ll have to mix up his game. Choi is seasoned, but the kind of experience that Swanson has obtain means that he’s smart enough to take the fight to the ground or even slow down Choi’s pace by putting him against the fence. Neither man likes to kick much, but a healthy dose to Choi’s legs would be a good plan of action for Swanson. What Swanson absolutely cannot afford is to get into a wild slug fest where his younger opponent is likely to excel.
Doo Ho Choi has become a very intriguing addition to the UFC featherweight division, one that has been outclassing his opposition thus far in the octagon. Now he meets Cub Swanson who is sure to present different obstacles that Choi has yet to face thus far in his career. Choi has disciplined boxing but has some defensive flaws like overthrowing his shots when he feels he closes in for the kill, but for the most part he stays composed and ready to counter. Feeding Swanson some long range jabs and straights to the body with eventually start to keep Swanson guessing. Choi has some really explosive movement, especially when he’s on the counter and can cover distance well if need be. He has to get Swanson to react and either counter the counter or put Cub into a defensive shell to deter him from coming forward. If Swanson over commits an uppercut, left hook, or right straight will likely greet him on the counter.
While Cub Swanson still has plenty left in the tank Doo Ho Choi presents a striking threat that could see the veteran getting clipped with a well timed counter. Expect Doo Ho Choi to prove the hype is all real as he captures a KO victory in the first round of a fun striking contest.
Who do you think wins at UFC 206?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
We’ve talked a lot this week about CM Punk and his chances of picking up a UFC victory over the fellow inexperienced Mickey Gall. In reality no one knows exactly what’s going to happen in that fight, making a breakdown impossible. Besides, there’s bigger fish to fry as the main event features two heavy hitters in the heavyweight division. Stipe Miocic versus Alistair Overeem should be a damn good fight, one that’s most likely to produce a vicious knock out.
We’ve talked a lot this week about CM Punk and his chances of picking up a UFC victory over the fellow inexperienced Mickey Gall. In reality no one knows exactly what’s going to happen in that fight, making a breakdown impossible. Besides, there’s bigger fish to fry as the main event features two heavy hitters in the heavyweight division. Stipe Miocic versus Alistair Overeem should be a damn good fight, one that’s most likely to produce a vicious knock out.
After taking advantage of Fabricio Werdum’s inexplicable bull rush that left him face down on the mat at UFC 198, Stipe Miocic is now sitting pretty as the UFC heavyweight champion. His approach to the game is primarily boxing based, though he does have some decent kicks in his arsenal. For the most part, many of his combinations begin off of the jab and his footwork is extremely sound. What he’ll have to do to win this fight is push Overeem backwards constantly. The Dutch kickboxer works best when he has space to methodically work his longer range kicks and brutal knees. Miocic can’t let Overeem get into a groove. The champion should be stalking from the opening bell in order to put Overeem into a defensive shell. Some takedown attempts against the cage should also be apart of the champions game. Even if he can’t complete the attempt, it’ll give the challenger something to think about.
Alistair Overeem had a pretty up and down start to his UFC career. Though he looked extremely impressive in vanquishing former champion Brock Lesnar, he quickly found himself suspended for elevated testosterone. Upon his return he was greeted with back to back knockout losses, one decision win, and another KO that had people wondering if Overeem was really the terrifying heavyweight we all thought he was. But his recent four fight winning streak has proven that Alistair has the ability to adapt. Gone are the days where he squares up right in front of opponents. Now we see an Overeem who uses lateral movement, as well as well placed kicks and punches to confound opponents. What Overeem will need to do is use his long range weapons to force the champion to move forward. Some inside low kicks and body kicks from the southpaw stance should keep Miocic guessing and if the champion gets frustrated and moves forward too aggressively, you can bet a straight left from Overeem will be waiting for him.
This is a pretty fun match up based purely on the fact that it’s a clash of striking styles: boxing vs kickboxing. With more tools in his toolbox expect Alistair Overeem to have the Ohio fans in tears as he knocks out Stipe Miocic in the third round.
Who do you think wins at UFC 203?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
Fortunately for us MMA fans, watching The Ultimate Fighter Nations finale — which goes down this coming Wednesday, April 16th, in Quebec City — is a much better way to spend your time than watching the actual TUF Nations TV series. And fortunately for the UFC, it has exactly a 100% chance of receiving better TV ratings too. Continuing with the “Nations” theme, the card is headlined by a Redcoat Brit named Michael Bisping and an American Green Beret, Tim Kennedy. Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be Australia vs. Canada? Close enough, eh.
Although Joe Silva’s geography may not be the greatest, he sure as hell knows how to make an interesting match up with this main event. Not only could this fight have title implications down the road, each of these fine fellows has a few different ways to win the match, making it much more interesting to break down from a technical standpoint. Not to mention, I always enjoy a scrap built upon a foundation of shit-talking, even if it did start as little more than Twitter quips and bizarre short videos of a bad impersonation of The Count by a clothing company.
Either way, there’s animosity — fabricated or real, I don’t really care. I want to see these two men punch each other repeatedly. Maybe we’ll even be lucky enough to see Bisping spit on random people outside of the cage and land multiple illegal blows. That stuff may be against the rules, but it always makes the post-fight-interwebers implode with hyperbolic rage, and that can be just as entertaining as the fights themselves.
(Skilled martial artists *and* masters of disguise.)
Fortunately for us MMA fans, watching The Ultimate Fighter Nations finale — which goes down this coming Wednesday, April 16th, in Quebec City — is a much better way to spend your time than watching the actual TUF Nations TV series. And fortunately for the UFC, it has exactly a 100% chance of receiving better TV ratings too. Continuing with the “Nations” theme, the card is headlined by a Redcoat Brit named Michael Bisping and an American Green Beret, Tim Kennedy. Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be Australia vs. Canada? Close enough, eh.
Although Joe Silva’s geography may not be the greatest, he sure as hell knows how to make an interesting match up with this main event. Not only could this fight have title implications down the road, each of these fine fellows has a few different ways to win the match, making it much more interesting to break down from a technical standpoint. Not to mention, I always enjoy a scrap built upon a foundation of shit-talking, even if it did start as little more than Twitter quips and bizarre short videos of a bad impersonation of The Count by a clothing company.
Either way, there’s animosity — fabricated or real, I don’t really care. I want to see these two men punch each other repeatedly. Maybe we’ll even be lucky enough to see Bisping spit on random people outside of the cage and land multiple illegal blows. That stuff may be against the rules, but it always makes the post-fight-interwebers implode with hyperbolic rage, and that can be just as entertaining as the fights themselves.
What Kennedy needs to do to ensure victory is first, drop his feeble attempts at trash-talk. Not only is he going up against a formidable opponent in the game of verbal jousting, but also he has most likely killed people. I mean, literally. The man is a U.S. Green Beret. The odds of him having actually killed another living human is as great as Chael Sonnen talking his way into an undeserved title match after a loss. Kennedy, shhh. You needn’t sell your fights with trash-talking, though we all appreciate the effort. What you need to do is follow a carefully scripted game plan by the master planner himself, Greg Jackson.
Kennedy is going to want to keep those karate-style front snapping kicks to a minimum, along with the little foot jabs to the thigh and knee. The reason? He’s going to want to have his footing to catch kicks from Bisping and get inside. If Kennedy stays on the outside and plays the “technique” game with his British foe, he’s going to have a long night. He needs to walk forward in a “V” to force The Count to fight with his back against the cage. Once Bisping has no more space to retreat, Kennedy can really apply the pressure, which is one of his strong points: chain wrestling. He’s not an NCAA all-American, but when he pressures people his cardio usually outlasts theirs and he comes out the victor. (See his twenty-eight takedown attempts that finally resulted in top position over a more experienced MMA wrestler in Robbie Lawler.)
He’s also going to want to brawl the Brit, get in his face, and hope The Count gets sleepy — like Bisping’s done in the past during his snooze-fest against Jason Miller. Another key: throw a lot of overhands and looping hooks. Bisping tends to reach forward with his hands both defensively, anytime a punch is thrown, and offensively — he tends to reach with his right hand as if parrying when he jabs, like an amateur-style boxer — which opens him up for looping punches. Opening combinations with a jab, level change, or feint is one way to get The Count to reach, then follow it with an overhand.
Now, if your goal is to gain vengeance on America for ousting the redcoats 200+ years ago, and your name happens to be Michael Bisping, you are going to want a battle like those the Brits hoped for when engaging in the Revolutionary War: a respectable, gentleman’s war. Stay on the outside, see your enemy, and fire an arsenal at his head while gazing into his eyes. Good night sweet prince. Oh, and keep the trash-talk coming. But relax, Michael; when you get too wired, bad things happen. Remember the H-Bomb? Remember getting dropped by Dennis Kang early in the first round of that fight? No? Those have been erased from your memory? Well, I do. And they happened because you were too amped up.
One of The Count’s greatest strengths is his ability to regulate distance and to only “fight” when he wants to. As his opponents move forward, like a cheetah in the Serengeti, he’s backing off or moving laterally to keep the range he’s comfortable with. That type of fighting doesn’t always equal an exciting affair, but it’s one way to victory for the Brit, especially if he hasn’t been keeping up with his cardio. He needs to keep his jab in front of him to hold Kennedy on the outside. Bisping’s one of the few fighters that successfully utilizes the jab for distance in MMA, as opposed to just using it to set up an overhand. The only issue with that game plan is that it offers Kennedy the opportunity to capitalize on the areas mentioned above.
Now, I may sound a bit crazy here, but if the Geico-lizard-voice-over-stunt-double has the cardio to maintain a grappling affair, he could pressure Kennedy to the cage and put the Green Beret on his back. Bisping’s wrestling is truly underrated — especially his defensive wrestling — and he could quite possibly out-wrestle Kennedy. I’m not sure he will turn this war of pillow-fists and weird Ranger Up promo videos into a grappling extravaganza, but if he does, and can maintain the blood coursing through his veins, as opposed to the usual spotted dick, he could make his fellow Brits proud with a victory over a highly trained killing machine.
Again, I think we’ll see more of the touch-and-go Bisping we’re used to, and I’m not sure that Kennedy will be smothering the Brit like he should, but either way, all of the fans in Montreal for the TUF Nations Finale will be asking themselves, “Why the hell are these two headlining here?”
