It looks like Daniel Cormier will have a legend in his camp ahead of his trilogy fight with Stipe Miocic next year. Cormier took to Instagram to share a photo of himself with the legendary George Foreman. Cormier suggested that he’ll be working with Foreman for his fight with Miocic once a date is set. […]
It looks like Daniel Cormier will have a legend in his camp ahead of his trilogy fight with Stipe Miocic next year.
Cormier took to Instagram to share a photo of himself with the legendary George Foreman. Cormier suggested that he’ll be working with Foreman for his fight with Miocic once a date is set. Here’s what “DC” had to say.
“Was really great to meet you champ, I am very excited to have you a part of my journey to the heavyweight championship. I’m excited to meet all the kids at the Houston youth center, and learn from one of the best.
“If anyone knows about becoming world champ as a older man you do champ. That performance motivated me to be a combat athlete, it’s a dream come true to have you as a friend and mentor. See you as soon as we get a date Big George! Such a beautiful human being.”
This past August, Cormier was TKO’d by Miocic at UFC 241, dropping the heavyweight championship to the Cleveland native. After the fight, Cormier strongly considered retirement, but wants one more go with Miocic before doing so. He has confirmed his third bout with Miocic will, in fact, be the final fight of his career.
What do you think about Cormier training with Foreman ahead of his trilogy with Miocic?
By any measure, Conor McGregor enters his Aug. 26 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. as a massive underdog.
As of this writing, Mayweather is a -500 favorite to McGregor’s +375 (bet $500 to win $100 or bet $100 to win $375), but t…
By any measure, Conor McGregor enters his Aug. 26 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. as a massive underdog.
As of this writing, Mayweather is a -500 favorite to McGregor’s +375 (bet $500 to win $100 or bet $100 to win $375), but the line hardly reflects the actual odds at OddsShark. Oddsmakers opened Mayweather as a -2500 favorite; McGregor was a +1100 underdog.
But a historic level of wagering on McGregor has driven the price so low as to be almost unbelievable, especially if you consider Mayweather is a virtual lock.
Mayweather’s average line over the past decade is roughly -600. That’s the same as the current line against McGregor, of course, but you must remember that Mayweather averaged -600 while facing world-class boxers like Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao.
Those boxers had long and storied careers before they stepped in the ring with Mayweather; McGregor has zero professional or amateur boxing bouts.
Make no mistake: This is one of the most lopsided fights in combat sports history. Even with the standard boxing practice of feeding cans to top prospects to build up their names, the idea of an undefeated, legendary boxer facing a debutant is unheard of.
In fact, if not for the greed of the Nevada State Athletic Commission—and its unique trait of bending over backward for Mayweather no matter the circumstance—this fight would not even be sanctioned. It’s only happening because it’s big money, and Nevada never turns down big money.
We’ve established that Mayweather vs. McGregor is a historically lopsided fight. What if McGregor wins? It would be the biggest upset in combat sports history, without question.
With that in mind, let’s take a walk through the history books and look at some of the other biggest upsets in both boxing and MMA history.
The combat sports universe could unfortunately be close to losing one of its most recognized and influential figures, as legendary boxing champion Muhammad Ali is reportedly hospitalized and on life support according to a piece posted by Fightland today (Fri., June 3, 2016). Ali was reportedly hospitalized for a respiratory issue on Thursday, and a spokesman
The combat sports universe could unfortunately be close to losing one of its most recognized and influential figures, as legendary boxing champion Muhammad Ali is reportedly hospitalized and on life support according to a piece posted by Fightland today (Fri., June 3, 2016).
Ali was reportedly hospitalized for a respiratory issue on Thursday, and a spokesman revealed that his condition was supposedly “fair” with the following brief statement that Ali would only be in the hospital for a short while:
“A brief hospital stay is expected. At this time, the Muhammad Ali family respectfully requests privacy.”
However, Ali supposedly took a turn for the worst, with the report stating his ex-wife Veronica Porche flew to Phoenix with their daughters, including Laila Ali, to be with the all-time legend:
“My daughters have both flown there and I will be hearing from them when they arrive at the hospital,” Porche, who was married to Ali from 1977 to 1986, said.
“I can’t comment more than that but I will say it is not so great, I’ll just say that much. He’s a real hero. It’s a sad situation.”
Ali contracted Parkinson’s disease in 1984, and that has apparently caused some complications with his recovery from the respiratory issue. Sources close to the situation elaborated on the serious matter in a report to The Mirror, which also declared four of his nine children were in Arizona with their father:
“Like in the ring, Ali is a fighter on the ward,” said a source. “Doctors are working to regulate his breathing put it is being hampered by his Parkinson’s.
“His children are all extremely concerned and dropped everything to be with him.”
The 74-year-old Ali is boxing’s most recognized figure and perhaps the greatest of all-time as he often referred to himself, with his highly-publicized feuds opposite Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, and George Foreman the stuff of legends. His infamous “Rope-A-Dope” fighting style was a timeless, one-of-a-kind maneuver that both gained him legions of fans and endless detractors.
He was also a highly polarizing social figure whose strong beliefs inspired countless individuals to fight for civil rights and lead to great social change during his prime, and he continues to influence combat sports personalities to this day.
Ali also at least helped the creation of mixed martial arts when he took on famed Japanese pro wrestler Antonio Inoki in a bizzare ‘special rules’ fight in Japan on June 26, 1976, a bout that was refereed by “Judo” Gene Lebell and is still viewed as the precursor to modern MMA.
All of us here at LowKick MMA wish Ali and his family the best in this trying time. We’ll of course keep you updated on any relevant developments in the situation.
I’m going to talk briefly today about something which you will see over and over again. A fighter wins or loses and the forums are flooded with posts about how he has bad footwork. Simultaneously, I see fighters praised for having good footwork who dis…
I’m going to talk briefly today about something which you will see over and over again. A fighter wins or loses and the forums are flooded with posts about how he has bad footwork. Simultaneously, I see fighters praised for having good footwork who display obvious flaws.
Here’s the problem: There isn’t just one method of footwork for everyone.
There are certain things which everyone should be doing. For instance, crossing the feet should be avoided at all costs. But to say that a fighter has horrible footwork just because his doesn’t look like another fighter’s—whom you decree to have good footwork—is just not a great way to go about things.
Where does this come from? Well, when Muhammad Ali hit the boxing scene he was something to behold. He moved like no-one had ever moved at heavyweight and it attracted a great deal of attention. In talking himself up, Ali also talked down the likes of Joe Louis for what he perceived to be slow, shoddy footwork.
Check out this charming scene between Muhammad Ali and the late, great Cus D’amato (trainer of Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres).
Hold on a minute though. Freddie Roach and many others consider Joe Louis to be one of the finest technical boxers of all time. Yet he had terrible footwork? Well, no. He didn’t.
Louis’ footwork suited Louis’ needs and Louis’ style. He was a heavy hitter who liked to stay in range for counters. He stayed in his stance with his head off line, and shuffled towards his opponent. Sometimes he would take a slight step back to see if he could bait his opponent in, and eventually they would fall for it and he would hammer them with the big shots. I talk often about creating collisions and Louis is a beautiful case study.
Ali’s footwork, meanwhile, was a means to his end. He too wanted his opponents walking into his punches, but he accomplished this by being elusive and providing a great deal of hyper active movement, punctuated by flicking jabs. When he had his opponent annoyed enough to be reaching at him, he’d lower the boom with his favorite right hand counter, commonly called the Anchor Punch (something which I shall discuss more in my upcoming print book, which is a technical biography of Ali).
Another fighter who was excellent at creating the chase was Willie Pep. It was the same move over and over and over again. He would step his foot back and begin circling with his feet level. As his opponent either turned to face him or moved to cut him off, Pep would step in with his right foot and nail them with a southpaw left straight.
Count how many times Pep does it. It’s remarkable.
Sound familiar? Holly Holm does exactly the same thing. And there are plenty of fighters out there who have picked up on baiting the chase. LyotoMachida is a master of a very karate-esque version of it.
So we have the shuffling footwork and the dancing footwork but there’s more.
A fighter whom Ali also mocked for his footwork was George Foreman. Here’s the thing, Foreman (at his best) was considered one of the best ring cutters in the sport. He had bad performances where he got wild, but against Ken Norton and Muhammad Ali, his feet were looking brilliant. To recall that massively overused phrase in any English football broadcast: Foreman had “neat feet for a big man”.
Here’s Ali’s usual eloquent salesmanship, spliced in with George Plimpton and Norman Mailer’s more sobering assessment of Foreman, from the film When We Were Kings. If you have an hour and a half, watch the whole movie because it’s easily the best fight film ever made.
Remember the Rumble in the Jungle? Why do you think Ali went to the ropes? He didn’t have a choice. Foreman could take a shot with the best of them, his hands were always all over his opponent’s hands and checking punches preemptively—something we saw a little of in Lawler versus Hendricks)—and when he got near enough the ropes he would often just push his opponent into them.
The aforementioned Willie Pep had the exact same trouble in his incredible quartet of bouts with Sandy Saddler. Saddler also adopted the hands out in front “mummy” style of fighting, and cut off the ring with the best of them. He also butted, elbowed and generally fought dirtier than Foreman. A couple of decades later, he taught a young George Foreman the same style.
Let’s not forget the greatest of ring cutters, Julio Cesar Chavez. He too squared up to his opponents, offering more of a target, but moved them to the ropes anyway.
Louis wanted to waltz his opponent into punches, Ali wanted to peck and bait the chase, and Foreman wanted to push his way to the ropes and then get to work. So which one had the bad footwork?
None of them. Refusal to dance is not bad footwork. Shuffling is not bad footwork. Squaring up and plodding in is not bad footwork—If you use that footwork to achieve your ends.
A quick example would be how the Diaz brothers and Fabio Maldonado love to fight against the fence, and are brilliant once they get there, but cannot follow an opponent who uses lateral movement. Their long, side on stance does not fit well with cutting off the cage. Even in a ring, with lovely 90 degree corners, it is necessary to square up a little in order to trap someone there.
My purpose in this short piece is not to point to examples of bad footwork, however. I intended to highlight that a fighter’s footwork is not about looking like another fighter’s. There were plenty of people who—before Muhammad Ali won his first world title—said that Ali’s footwork was horrible because it didn’t look like Louis’. And there are plenty today who think that dancing is the pinnacle of footwork.
The truth is that different strokes work for different folks. If a fighter’s footwork is conducive to their best fighting method, it is good. If it is letting a fighter escape as they try to cut off the ring, or it is running them onto the fence too often, or it is leaving them off balance so that they fall each time they are clipped, then it is problematic. But whether it’s beautiful or ugly, it is results that matter, not looks.
Pick up Jack’s eBooksAdvanced Striking and Elementary Striking from his blog, Fights Gone By. Jack can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
Anthony Pettis, George Foreman and Mike Tyson share a common trait—they are very good at getting their opponent along the edge of the ring and they perform their best work from there.Ring craft is absolutely the most important element of the game…
Anthony Pettis, George Foreman and Mike Tyson share a common trait—they are very good at getting their opponent along the edge of the ring and they perform their best work from there.
Ring craft is absolutely the most important element of the game between two skilled combatants. A fighter with a lesser punch or slower movement can make up for it with good ring placement, while a fighter who has an advantage in these areas already can make a fight look like a complete mismatch if he uses good ring craft to get ahead.
There is a reason that being “on the ropes” or “in a corner” are phrases with negative connotations for the party involved—because those are terrible positions to fight from.
Ringcraft, like almost every element of the fight game, can be considered from an offensive and defensive perspective (though the best are aware of both elements at all times). Defensive ring craft is the ability to stay off of the ropes/fence, the ability to turn an opponent and the ability to reverse positions if cornered.
Offensive ringcraft, the focus of this article, deals with the art of cutting off the ring and the attacking options which are made available both while attempting this and once one succeeds at it. It is, of course, impossible for me to come close to doing justice to this in 1500 words, but I hope to at least illuminate a little and entertain.
Today we will cover:
– Cutting off the Ring
– Herding and Blocking with Strikes
– The Ring vs The Cage
– Examples of Cutting off the Cage/Ring
Cutting off the Ring
Cutting off the ring is simple in theory: move in the same direction to meet the opponent when he attempts to move laterally. The natural instinct when an opponent begins circling is to pivot and face him. This, however, just re-establishes the fighting distance between the two fighters but along a different line.
If the objective was to get the opponent to the ropes or cage (and for the aggressive puncher it should be) by turning to follow the opponent’s movement, you have just allowed him to take the fight away from where you wanted it. The art of cutting off the ring is getting into position to ‘cut off’ the opponent’s movement before he completes it.
A good example of a fighter who cut off the ring to implement his power punching game along the ropes is George Foreman. Foreman would come forward with both hands open and ready to parry straight blows, then step to meet his opponent and move them into a corner.
The ropes are a terrible position to fight from because when a fighter is pushed against them, his stance naturally collapses and his feet move underneath him. Here he has no base from which to punch and is trapped in front of an opponent who is still in a strong hitting base.
Herding and Blocking with Strikes
To prevent an opponent from simply circling out, it is necessary to meet him with strikes. The easiest way in which this can be accomplished is with the right hook or left hook. If an opponent circles out toward the ring cutter’s left, he should meet them with a left hook. Just the same, if the opponent circles to the ring cutter’s right, he should meet them with a right hook.
It is hard for an opponent to block the force of a strike if he is circling into it. Moreover, by circling into a strike, the opponent shaves split-seconds off in which he could react to the height of the blow—be it a hook to the body or head.
Most importantly whether the hook lands on the opponent’s ribs, jaw or arms the opponent is not going to be able to move through it. No one circles so well that they can move through flesh and bone. Meeting a circling opponent with a strike will prevent them from moving away and pin them in place for a barrage.
Notice above how George Foreman walks down Ken Norton and uses the wide right to the rib cage to hold Norton in place along the ropes before beginning to unload.
Herding the opponent into strikes is a more assertive method of meeting the opponents circling with punches. By allowing a larger space on one side it is possible to convince the opponent to move in that direction then jump on them with a strike. It often involves reaching to connect though.
Roy Nelson will often pressure his opponent to the fence, then begin moving into the fence on their left side, encouraging the opponent to move into the space around his dangerous right hand.
Anthony Pettis, whom I will examine in great detail nearer his upcoming fight, will often pressure his opponent to the fence, then attempt a higher risk maneuver because his opponent cannot retreat but can only move left or right. His jumping back kick against Clay Guida, his cage spring knee against Donald Cerrone and his “Showtime kick” against Benson Henderson are all examples of this rushing an opponent as they are either against the fence or attempting to move along it.
The Ring vs The Cage
I have spoken about the importance of the different fighting areas before in my examination of fighters who rely on movement to avoid takedowns such as Anderson Silva and LyotoMachida. In a ring it is simply so much easier to move an opponent into a corner.
The corners of the Octagon, or even a hexagonal cage, are much less sharp than in a four-sided ring, and therefore much harder to get stuck in. Where a fighter who is cornered in a ring will have to move into one of his opponent’s hands to get out, a fighter in a cage has a much smaller corner to escape from and, unless his opponent is right on top of him, can usually run out unharmed.
The key in the cage seems to be to move towards a wall and a clinch, then to break but to keep the opponent along the fence. This is the strategy which has worked for individuals such as Nelson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and seems a sound strategy.
Pettis will often push kick his opponent towards the fence, then allow them distance so that they rush him or shoot. He almost ruined Shane Roller’s night with one such knee attempt as Roller ducked in off of the fence. Benson Henderson also ate a nice counter punch as he attempted to superman punch his way off of the cage.
In a boxing ring one may lean back on the ropes and spring off them as Roy Jones and Muhammad Ali famously did, but in the cage, when a fighter is pushed to the fence, he must often spread his feet apart to make a wide base so that his opponent cannot simply scoop his legs up.
In spreading their base, the fighter on the wall reduces his punching power even further than if he stood upright with his feet in line.
Examples of Cutting off the Cage
Ultimately, this article is simply a collection of thoughts which I had while on a flight home from holiday, but I would like to finish with some specific examples of how make-or-break cutting off the cage can be to an offensive fighter.
Nick Diaz and his younger brother Nate are overwhelming fighters with incredible body work and great combinations, but until their opponents are hurt or tired and standing right in front of them, they have terrible trouble keeping on top of their man. Just watch Nick Diaz vs Carlos Condit or Georges St. Pierre, or Nate Diaz vs Josh Thomson or Benson Henderson.
Watch how both Diaz brothers struggle if their opponent has the good sense to keep circling away from them rather than covering up and walking backwards to the fence.
To see some superb ringcraft in action in the cage, check out Anthony Pettis‘ wonderful work against Donald Cerrone. When he was on the outside, Pettis was well away from Cerrone‘s mule like kicks, but when he did step in, Pettis was all over Cerrone like eczema. Physically pushing Cerrone back to prevent the taller man from kicking, Pettis moved Cerrone to the fence before springing off it with a spectacular knee strike.
To watch a great battle of wits between dancing master and bullying ring-cutter in the golden days of boxing, have a look at what footage exists of Willie Pep versus Sandy Saddler. Better yet, take a look at Muhammad Ali versus George Foreman—we all know that Ali pulled the infamous rope-a-dope and upset the terrifying giant, but Foreman had to get Ali to the ropes first and Foreman was very, very good at that.
Pick up Jack’s ebooks Advanced Striking and Elementary Striking at his blog, Fights Gone By.
For a long time, there was a beloved tradition with myself and a group of friends: After work, we would all gather at one house and watch USA Tuesday Night Fights. This was around the time when the UFC was just starting, and boxing was still thriv…
For a long time, there was a beloved tradition with myself and a group of friends: After work, we would all gather at one house and watch USA Tuesday Night Fights.
This was around the time when the UFC was just starting, and boxing was still thriving. The program showcased boxers on the rise and gave them their own spotlight, which in turn allowed fans of the sport to get to know them much better.
Names like Riddick Bowe, Vinny Pazienza, Fernando Vargas, Pernell Whitaker, George Foreman and others fought on the show (either on their way up or on their way out), and some excellent bouts were brought to us on free television.
The UFC should do the very same thing.
Granted, they might not be able to do it every single week, but twice a month or even once a month would be better than nothing.
Not every up-and-coming fighter is going to be discovered on TUF—especially since each show usually only focuses on one or two weight classes at a time. Having a smaller show for those fighters could not only deliver some great bouts, but it would also allow fighters to create their own following at a grassroots level.
There is something about a fighter creating a buzz that makes their climb toward the title compelling. Fight fans love that feeling of discovery when they see a newer fighter making waves and clawing his way upward, and this would give those fighters a chance to have more of the spotlight than they normally would.
It could also prove to be a vehicle for those fighters who are on a slump or have been regulated to undercard status. They could possibly headline at these smaller shows, growing their brand while getting some fights under their belt.
But, as with anything else, the real winner would be the fans. Having a regularly scheduled MMA show that put the newer fighters in action gives the viewer a chance to really see just how gritty and scrappy some of the new names are.
Then, when they make the transition to the next level, they will be enjoying greater name recognition than if they were to simply “show up” on an undercard as a new name and face. In short, they would bring a “buzz” with them, and that makes people want to watch, much like the days when UFC PPVs had known names in all the slots.
Once upon a time, Nick Diaz was making his UFC debut against Jeremy Jackson, and most people watching didn’t know either fighter from Adam.
Had a smaller UFC-backed show been in existence then, a fighter like Diaz would have probably built up a nice following and from there could have brought quite a buzz into the cage with him at UFC 44.
I’m going to talk briefly today about something which you will see over and over again. A fighter wins or loses and the forums are flooded with posts about how he has bad footwork. Simultaneously, I see fighters praised for having good footwork who display obvious flaws.