Tag: General

Fallout: Is Stipe Miocic The Greatest UFC Heavyweight Of All Time?

It’s funny what they say about headlines that end in a question mark. Most of the time the answer to the proposed question will be no and in this case that tends to be my initial gut reaction. But that doesn’t mean that this is a topic that is without merit or one that shouldn’t be explored. In fact, it makes researching and finding the evidence for or against all the more intriguing. So let’s take a moment to really consider whether or not Stipe Miocic deserves the title of the greatest heavyweight the UFC has ever seen.

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It’s funny what they say about headlines that end in a question mark. Most of the time the answer to the proposed question will be no and in this case that tends to be my initial gut reaction. But that doesn’t mean that this is a topic that is without merit or one that shouldn’t be explored. In fact, it makes researching and finding the evidence for or against all the more intriguing. So let’s take a moment to really consider whether or not Stipe Miocic deserves the title of the greatest heavyweight the UFC has ever seen.

With his victory at UFC 211 over former champion Junior dos Santos we saw a Stipe Miocic who was hungry for the finish, hungry to prove that he first loss to the former heavyweight kingpin was simply just a bump in the road. During his UFC tenure, Stipe Miocic has lost to only two men, one being Stefan Struve and the other Junior dos Santos. In fact, these are the only two blemishes on the heavyweight champion’s resume. Every other match has seen him taking a pretty clear cut victory and as such demonstrating just how sharp a fighter Miocic is.

That said, it still does boggle the mind that Stefan Struve was able to best the champ, but that’s a case of been there done that and move on. Struve is a tough fight for anyone in the UFC heavyweight division, but he does have the tendency to stray away from game plans and get himself in big trouble. Yes, it was years ago and yes it was Miocic’s first main event, but still it just seems pretty interesting to me.

At the risk of sounding like a prick, I need you to hear me out.

Losing to Stefan Struve is by no means a reason to sulk. The man is a giant after all with some good skills. But I mention this loss to Struve because it’s the turning point that has made Miocic into the beast he is today, that and his only other loss coming at the hands of dos Santos. You see, after the Stefan Struve fight we saw Stipe Miocic evolve as a fighter inside the cage. Not only did he throw away the slugger mentality that he seemed to adopt in the earlier portion of his career, he became more well rounded in his approach to fights. After his loss to Struve we saw a Stipe Miocic that chose to utilize his wrestling in conjunction with his striking. He would set up his combination punching with both faked and honest takedown attempts. We saw him focus more on versatility rather than simply what boxing combination would be best for the finish. Frankly, we saw the birth of a future champion in taking that first devastating loss.

So the question remains, is Stipe Miocic the greatest heavyweight in UFC history? That really all depends on how you look at things. He has yet to face the wrecking ball Cain Velasquez and could miss the opportunity completely based on the rate of injury we see from the former champion. But even if he never faced Velasquez, considering the fact that he was able to best Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, Roy Nelson, Gabriel Gonzaga, Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem during his UFC tenure makes you sit back and really wonder. The best heavyweights in the sports history are undoubtedly Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Nogueira, and Farbicio Werdum. Stipe Miocic handily defeated one name on that list under the UFC umbrella. That in itself adds weight to the argument that he’s the promotion’s greatest heavyweight.

Considering that the most times a UFC heavyweight belt has been defended is twice, it gives way to the argument that with a third title defense Stipe Miocic will unquestionably be the UFC’s greatest heavyweight champion. Until that day, everything is simply based on opinion.

Do you think Stipe Miocic is the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time?

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: Is Stipe Miocic The Greatest UFC Heavyweight Of All Time? appeared first on Cagepotato.

Fallout: Is Stipe Miocic The Greatest UFC Heavyweight Of All Time?

It’s funny what they say about headlines that end in a question mark. Most of the time the answer to the proposed question will be no and in this case that tends to be my initial gut reaction. But that doesn’t mean that this is a topic that is without merit or one that shouldn’t be explored. In fact, it makes researching and finding the evidence for or against all the more intriguing. So let’s take a moment to really consider whether or not Stipe Miocic deserves the title of the greatest heavyweight the UFC has ever seen.

The post Fallout: Is Stipe Miocic The Greatest UFC Heavyweight Of All Time? appeared first on Cagepotato.

It’s funny what they say about headlines that end in a question mark. Most of the time the answer to the proposed question will be no and in this case that tends to be my initial gut reaction. But that doesn’t mean that this is a topic that is without merit or one that shouldn’t be explored. In fact, it makes researching and finding the evidence for or against all the more intriguing. So let’s take a moment to really consider whether or not Stipe Miocic deserves the title of the greatest heavyweight the UFC has ever seen.

With his victory at UFC 211 over former champion Junior dos Santos we saw a Stipe Miocic who was hungry for the finish, hungry to prove that he first loss to the former heavyweight kingpin was simply just a bump in the road. During his UFC tenure, Stipe Miocic has lost to only two men, one being Stefan Struve and the other Junior dos Santos. In fact, these are the only two blemishes on the heavyweight champion’s resume. Every other match has seen him taking a pretty clear cut victory and as such demonstrating just how sharp a fighter Miocic is.

That said, it still does boggle the mind that Stefan Struve was able to best the champ, but that’s a case of been there done that and move on. Struve is a tough fight for anyone in the UFC heavyweight division, but he does have the tendency to stray away from game plans and get himself in big trouble. Yes, it was years ago and yes it was Miocic’s first main event, but still it just seems pretty interesting to me.

At the risk of sounding like a prick, I need you to hear me out.

Losing to Stefan Struve is by no means a reason to sulk. The man is a giant after all with some good skills. But I mention this loss to Struve because it’s the turning point that has made Miocic into the beast he is today, that and his only other loss coming at the hands of dos Santos. You see, after the Stefan Struve fight we saw Stipe Miocic evolve as a fighter inside the cage. Not only did he throw away the slugger mentality that he seemed to adopt in the earlier portion of his career, he became more well rounded in his approach to fights. After his loss to Struve we saw a Stipe Miocic that chose to utilize his wrestling in conjunction with his striking. He would set up his combination punching with both faked and honest takedown attempts. We saw him focus more on versatility rather than simply what boxing combination would be best for the finish. Frankly, we saw the birth of a future champion in taking that first devastating loss.

So the question remains, is Stipe Miocic the greatest heavyweight in UFC history? That really all depends on how you look at things. He has yet to face the wrecking ball Cain Velasquez and could miss the opportunity completely based on the rate of injury we see from the former champion. But even if he never faced Velasquez, considering the fact that he was able to best Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, Roy Nelson, Gabriel Gonzaga, Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem during his UFC tenure makes you sit back and really wonder. The best heavyweights in the sports history are undoubtedly Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Nogueira, and Farbicio Werdum. Stipe Miocic handily defeated one name on that list under the UFC umbrella. That in itself adds weight to the argument that he’s the promotion’s greatest heavyweight.

Considering that the most times a UFC heavyweight belt has been defended is twice, it gives way to the argument that with a third title defense Stipe Miocic will unquestionably be the UFC’s greatest heavyweight champion. Until that day, everything is simply based on opinion.

Do you think Stipe Miocic is the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time?

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: Is Stipe Miocic The Greatest UFC Heavyweight Of All Time? appeared first on Cagepotato.

UFC 211: Stipe Miocic Is Out For Revenge Against Junior dos Santos

Finally we’re breaking down the main event of UFC 211 and it’s a doozy. The first battle between Stipe Miocic and Junior do Santos was a brutal slugfest that saw both men trading blows for five rounds. It was thoroughly entertaining and horrifying to watch. There’s only so much damage the brain can take after all and as such I see the champion and former champion taking a very different approach heading into this rematch. With everything on the line, you can bet both men are going to perform far differently than they did in their first meeting.

The post UFC 211: Stipe Miocic Is Out For Revenge Against Junior dos Santos appeared first on Cagepotato.

Finally we’re breaking down the main event of UFC 211 and it’s a doozy. The first battle between Stipe Miocic and Junior do Santos was a brutal slugfest that saw both men trading blows for five rounds. It was thoroughly entertaining and horrifying to watch. There’s only so much damage the brain can take after all and as such I see the champion and former champion taking a very different approach heading into this rematch. With everything on the line, you can bet both men are going to perform far differently than they did in their first meeting.

As far as overall games go in the UFC heavyweight division, Stipe Miocic is definitely one of the more all around fighters out there. With good boxing and solid wrestling, Stipe Miocic has a good amount of tools to rest his hat on. He does his best work in fact when he’s utilizing his jabs and feints to mix in his wrestling and visa versa. Having multiple tools to fall back on is a great way to confuse opponents and keep them unbalanced. He’ll have to do just that in this rematch.

Stipe Miocic had a ton of success in their first bout when he pressured Junior dos Santos against the fence where he unloaded combinations and threatened with takedowns. He’ll need to follow a similar game plan in his fight, but utilizing a lot more feints will be key for a few things. Not only will it keep dos Santos off balance, but it will allow Miocic to preserve his energy systems. Miocic was on cloud now in his first bout with the former champion when he was fresh. When he began to grow tired, we started seeing the holes in his game and his tendency to swing wild in chase of the knock out. Miocic needs to stay controlled, use his jab and leg kicks to keep dos Santos off balance, and shoot in for takedowns to keep the former champion honest.

The former heavyweight champion was once a man to be feared in the heavyweight division. In fact, he still should be feared as he still packs a punch in every shot. Junior dos Santos was once a man who seemed impossible to defeat until his losses to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem. His tendency to fight with his back against the cage has often gotten him in a ton of trouble and mitigating that will surely give him a leg up in this bout. His jab and overhand rights are still sharp and are filled with devastating one shot power. The former champion showed in his last fight with Ben Rothwell that he’s capable of keeping his back off of the cage as well as utilizing front and side kicks to keep his opponent at bay.

For the rematch it’s obvious both men will want to build on what they did well in the first bout. But besides that, Junior dos Santos will want to be sure to implement more of a diverse approach to this fight. His jab will always be a great set up for his left hook as he’s always had proficiency at snapping out the strike with speed and optimal technique. His elbow is tucked in tight, he switches things up and goes to the body with the jab as well, and converts the punch to a hook seamlessly. He’ll want to use the jab to bait Miocic forward where dos Santos can shift out and fire a blistering right overhand or left hook counter. His kicking game should also be used as an option. The side kick, particularly the defensive side kick, will allow dos Santos to create space and reset if necessary. Junior dos Santos already has the takedown defense to keep things up right, its all about utilizing the right distancing and drawing Miocic forward so he can run into a counter or even a takedown.

Who leaves the cage as the UFC heavyweight champion at UFC 211?

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 211: Joanna Jedrzejczyk Versus Jessica Andrade Will Be A Total Slugfest

The co-main event spot belongs to two of the fiercest female fighters in the UFC today as strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is set to mix it up with fellow striker and all around beast Jessica Andrade. The two women are known for the ferocity and willingness to mix things up on the feet. Both are warriors in the truest sense of the word with the kind of never say die mindset that makes for epic battles, not to mention brutal beat downs.

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The co-main event spot belongs to two of the fiercest female fighters in the UFC today as strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is set to mix it up with fellow striker and all around beast Jessica Andrade. The two women are known for the ferocity and willingness to mix things up on the feet. Both are warriors in the truest sense of the word with the kind of never say die mindset that makes for epic battles, not to mention brutal beat downs.

For Joanna Jendrzejczyk battling things out on the feet is a foregone conclusion. Her style consists of sharp jabs, front kicks and leg kicks to start things off. While she is willing to mix things up, her preferred method is to get reads on her opponent before throwing herself into the thick of things. Once she understands the range she’s sure to start following up her jab with a strong cross, a hook off of a rear kick, and variety of different punching combinations. While she does fight in the pocket from
time to time, she much rather land her strikes, pivot out and regain distance before engaging again.

In this bout with Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk has a truly tough test. Andrade is likely to be the bigger woman come fight time and is likely to have a power advantage. Nevertheless, the challenger is at a reach disadvantage, which means Joanna is going to want to stick that jab, land the front kick up the center, and counter off of Andrade’s pressure when she comes forward. Joanna must be diligent with how far she pushes forward. Andrade being the smaller party will go to the body consistently. It’s a bigger target than the head and harder to miss. But since Andrade likes to bulldoze forward, lateral movement as well as pivoting will be key to Joanna landing hard counter punches. While Andrade may not have an insane wrestling pedigree, she’s more than willing to tie up and dump a girl on her back. That means Joanna can’t over commit on anything unless she’s on a deep outside or inside angle with her hips off the center line.

It’s hard to believe that Jessica Andrade was once competitive as a bantamweight, but that nasty power really made up for her size disadvantage. She is one of those fighters that is reminiscent of the old school, aggressive Chute Boxe style. Andrade fights like a hybrid of Wanderlei Silva and John Lineker. She’ll throw powerful kicks and come down throwing hooks like Silva. She’ll punch her way into range and work the body with consistent body hooks reminiscent of Lineker. But against the champion Jessica Andrade will need to bring all her tools to the table. In fact, those body shots in particular are going to be a major factor in this fight (more on that later). Takedowns should also be on the menu as she’s proficient in a number of different techniques.

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Andrade’s height disadvantage means playing the outside game is highly unlikely. She needs to close the distance on Joanna Jedrzejczyk right out of the gate. But she can’t afford to just bull rush forward and get clipped. A distance jab into a low calf kick will unbalance the champ long enough for Andrade to close distance where should immediately work the body. It will be hard to divorce herself from her hooking punches, but she’ll want to mix things up with jabs, straights and feints throughout. Some low kicks into front kicks to the straight cross to the body could push the champ to the cage. Then and only then should a lunging hook be unleashed. If the champ’s back is against the cage then there will be nowhere for Jedrzejczyk to go except either left or right. That means Andrade’s right or left hooks will be awaiting her on the exit. The cage is super important in this fight. If Andrade can get Jedrzejczyk to the cage early and often, stay diligent with body and leg work, it’s only a matter of time until she walks into something devastating.

Does Joanna Jedrzejczyk keep her belt or can Jessica Andrade become the next champion?

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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Eddie Alvarez: Loss to Conor McGregor Gave Me ‘Freedom’

The former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez opens up on a number of different topics from his loss to Conor McGregor to his upcoming fight with Dustin Poirier.

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The former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez opens up on a number of different topics from his loss to Conor McGregor to his upcoming fight with Dustin Poirier.

What’s you thoughts on Eddie Alvarez heading into UFC 211?

 

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UFC 211: Demian Maia Is Going To Manhandle Jorge Masvidal…Or Receive A Massive Beatdown

Another major bout on the main card, besides the monumental title fights that top the card of course, Demian Maia versus Jorge Masvidal is an absolute monster of a fight. It’s crazy to think that Demian Maia isn’t fighting for the title next, but with the Tyron Woodley-Stephen Thompson draw and subsequent rematch, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard probably thought it was best that he kept his blade sharpened. Too bad he has to contend with Jorge Masvidal who is a live dog in this fight. So how exactly do these two match up?

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Another major bout on the main card, besides the monumental title fights that top the card of course, Demian Maia versus Jorge Masvidal is an absolute monster of a fight. It’s crazy to think that Demian Maia isn’t fighting for the title next, but with the Tyron Woodley-Stephen Thompson draw and subsequent rematch, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard probably thought it was best that he kept his blade sharpened. Too bad he has to contend with Jorge Masvidal who is a live dog in this fight. So how exactly do these two match up?

Demian Maia is a man who has gone through a number of interesting transitions as a mixed martial artist. When he first came onto the scene, Maia was clearly just a jiu-jitsu player whose sole mode of combat was taking his opponents done and strangling them. Then we saw the version of Maia who fell in love with striking a bit too much and became a somewhat ineffective fighter. Now what we’ve seen is a man returning to his roots and understanding the means in which to implement that game while staying competent on the feet. But as far as his wrestling is concerned, he attacks the front leg well with single leg takedowns, but he’d do well to vary his attack.

In this bout, Maia is likely to implement a similar game plan to all of his most recent fight. Maia will look to push forward and be the bull against the former lightweight and likely this is the best approach. What he’ll want to do however is mix in his striking. Since he wants the fight on the ground, attacking with kicks should be apart of the game plan, albeit not heavily. If he can use a lead low round kick to the legs, it will go a long way to soften up Masvidal up. Maia should be watching for counters and should even invite them. Pressuring Masvidal will force him to counter back, especially considering that he’s a counter striker. Once Masvidal looks to counter back, the takedown should follow for Maia immediately afterward. Even a failed attempt will do great deal to put doubt in Masvidal’s head and that’s exactly what Demian Maia needs in this fight. Once Masvidal is down, bypassing the hips is priority number one. From there, Maia’s options are infinite.

Jorge Masvidal on the other hand is a man who is a born and bred striker who has rounded out his game over the years. While ‘Gamebred’ may have started out as a striker, he has combined a slick wrestling game and strong submission defense to his arsenal. Now what we see from Masvidal is not only a man willing to throw hands, but a fighter who can reverse takedowns and go for his own. But make no mistake, head and shoulder control as well as his boxing and movement are the keys to victory in this fight.

What Masvidal is going to want to do primarily in this fight is keep his feet moving. What Demian Maia usually does well is pressure his opponents and keep them guessing just when he’ll shoot in for the takedown. Masvidal being on his bicycle is paramount in this fight, but he can’t afford to be too passive either. A stiff jab coupled with movement will win the day for him. When Maia overextends and looks for a takedown off of the jab, Masvidal should move his feet, whether that means a hard pivot or shifting backwards, then look to land a cross. Front kicks should be a primary weapon as far as leg techniques go, but going to the well too many time could lead to an easy takedown. Jorge Masvidal is truly a great boxer with a strong gauge of distance, but he can’t afford to start slow in this fight. In the event that he ties up with Maia, Masvidal needs to be savvy with the jiu-jitsu masters movement in the clinch and willingness to give up position to go for a sweep and look for top control. Landing that right cross will be absolutely necessary for Masvidal as well as moving directly after a shot is landed. Most of all, Masvidal must make Maia pay for every failed takedown attempt to deter Maia from reshooting.

It’s a throwback fight if I’ve ever seen one and a damned good one at that. Who wins the chance to face the beast Tyron Woodley?

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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