Tag: General

UFC 211: Frankie Edgar VS Yair Rodriguez Has Fight Of The Year Written All Over It

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.

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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.

via GIPHY

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.

via GIPHY

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.

via GIPHY

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.

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UFC 211: Will Henry Cejudo Shutdown The Young And Hungry Sergio Pettis

The main card of UFC 211 features two top level flyweights, each of whom could be considered for a title challenge with a few more good wins. While Henry Cejudo may have already had his crack at glory, Sergio Pettis is looking to throw his card into the Demetrious Johnson sweepstakes (a prize that I’m not sure anyone truly wants to win at this point). This fight has a lot riding on it for both fighters and it’s good to see it opening up the main card for one of the more stacked events of the year (good job UFC, keep this up and people may end up caring about flyweight).

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The main card of UFC 211 features two top level flyweights, each of whom could be considered for a title challenge with a few more good wins. While Henry Cejudo may have already had his crack at glory, Sergio Pettis is looking to throw his card into the Demetrious Johnson sweepstakes (a prize that I’m not sure anyone truly wants to win at this point). This fight has a lot riding on it for both fighters and it’s good to see it opening up the main card for one of the more stacked events of the year (good job UFC, keep this up and people may end up caring about flyweight).

Henry Cejudo has the tools to give anyone at 125 lbs tons of issues. His mix of gritty, powerful and technical wrestling has matched well with his kickboxing style. Cejudo showed in his bout with Joseph Benavidez that he has the ability to go three hard rounds against a tactical and fast paced opponent. His kicking game was also very impressive. The biggest flaw in that fight however was how much power he threw into every shot. If he learns to fight at a more measured pace, picking his shots, flashing the jab to control distance, and level changes when Pettis over commits, we could see Cejudo put on a dominant performance.

The plan of attack for Cejudo should be fairly straight forward. Takedowns will play a major role, as will controlling the clinch and landing heavy punches on the break. Cejudo is likely to have a strength advantage here and he needs to let Pettis understand that as soon as the first bell rings. Cejudo fell in love with his power a bit in his bout with Joseph Benavidez and he’ll want to avoid that here. Basic boxing combinations like the double jab cross will be effective in this fight. He’ll need to stay in Pettis’ face and stay busy the whole time in order prevent the younger man from trying to control the distance. Pettis wants distance which means Cejudo needs to make him feel claustrophobic and fight in a phone booth. Ending combinations with either a left hook or right round kick will do Cejudo a ton of good.

Sergio Pettis may not have the flash and flare of his older brother, but he does indeed have a more complete game. The younger Pettis looks to mix up his attack with sharp striking coupled with some nicely timed level changes. Rather than just focus purely on knocking opponents out, Pettis likes to employ a game that keeps his opposition guessing. He’s as likely to fire off a blistering head kick as he is to shoot for a takedown.

The goal for Pettis here is to frustrate Cejudo and get his distance with kicks immediately before the Olympic wrestler can get comfortable. While kicking against a wrestler can be ill advised, if you get the distance just right it can keep the shorter Cejudo on the outside. The benefit of Sergio Pettis being from a traditional martial arts background means that he has the ability to throw strikes from both stances. It will allow him to confuse Cejudo and, once his opponent is bewildered, land a devastating rear round kick or cross from the southpaw stance.

Most important for Pettis is to ensure his feet keep moving. The younger Pettis has a tendency to stand still at times which can get him into all kinds of trouble with a power puncher and wrestler of Cejudo’s caliber.

Which flyweight will take one step closer to punching their ticket for the Demetrious Johnson horror show?

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: 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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Karate In MMA: How Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire Defeated Daniel Straus With Ease

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.

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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.

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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.

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

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.

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