New weight cutting rules may force UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway up a division, leaving “Blessed” at a potential career crossroads. As Holloway prepares to defend his belt against Frankie Edgar at UFC 222, the 145-pound champ told The MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani that he may have to move up to 155 pounds in the near […]
New weight cutting rules may force UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway up a division, leaving “Blessed” at a potential career crossroads.
As Holloway prepares to defend his belt against Frankie Edgar at UFC 222, the 145-pound champ told The MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani that he may have to move up to 155 pounds in the near future (MMA Fighting):
“If they change a few things around, I’m probably not going to be able to make 145. If it happens, it happens. If UFC keeps making new rules, I most definitely might have to step up. There ain’t no denying it.”
“Everybody is talking about being champs and this and that. I’m a champion in my mindset. I’ve told you before, I’ve nothing but time on my side. Man, you might see me with two of these gold belts. Who knows? I’m trying to be a legend.”
The new weight cutting rules essentially established that a fighter cannot cut more than 10 percent of their natural body weight, meaning many of the heavy weight-cutters will now have to reevaluate their diets.
Holloway would be one casualty of the new rules; the massive Hawaiian towers over everyone else in the division despite his lanky frame. He’s never missed weight but admitted many are surprised he can even make the division’s 145-pound limit:
“Every time I check my weight they’re in disbelief, but I’m like, ‘I’ve never missed weight in my life.’ I don’t know why they’re giving me a hard time, but medically if they’re the rules, then medically I probably won’t be able to make it because of their rules with the (weight) cuts.
“155 might come sooner rather than later, so we’ll see what happens.”
How would Holloway do at lightweight against the likes of Eddie Alvarez, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Tony Ferguson?
Could the featherweight champ win gold at 155 pounds?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
UFC Fight Night 106 is fast approaching and one fight that catches my eye is the match up between Francisco Trinaldo and Kevin Lee. Both are prospects, both have shown tons of improvement since their UFC debuts, and both fight in a completely different style. That style clash makes for a pretty damn intriguing match up, but the fact that Francisco Trinaldo at 38 years of age is putting a beatdown on many of his younger opposition makes this a Cinderella story any fight fan can find intriguing. That being said, Kevin Lee is no slouch and could easily bring Trinaldo’s streak to an end.
UFC Fight Night 106 is fast approaching and one fight that catches my eye is the match up between Francisco Trinaldo and Kevin Lee. Both are prospects, both have shown tons of improvement since their UFC debuts, and both fight in a completely different style. That style clash makes for a pretty damn intriguing match up, but the fact that Francisco Trinaldo at 38 years of age is putting a beatdown on many of his younger opposition makes this a Cinderella story any fight fan can find intriguing. That being said, Kevin Lee is no slouch and could easily bring Trinaldo’s streak to an end.
With a mostly striking oriented attack, Francisco Trinaldo has changed since he first debut in the UFC back in 2012. Once a brawler with an over aggressive fighting style, Trinaldo has tapered things quite a bit and has created for himself a striking based attack that is focused on movement and sudden rhythm changes to throw his opponents off their game. He can be bouncing light on his feet backwards then suddenly move forward with a straight or looping left hand or left body kick when fighting an orthodox opponent. His movement will serve him well in this match up as Kevin Lee loves nothing more than to come forward and use his wrestling game. If Trinaldo is able to keep up his lateral movement throughout the fight, Lee will have trouble getting in on his hips. He’ll need to remain diligent and avoid his brawling tendencies.
Kevin Lee’s road to victory is pretty straight forward. He’ll want to use his striking skills primarily to set up his takedown. He has a great reactive double leg takedown and knows exactly when he should abandon the wrestling game and shoot in for a double or a single. Even if the takedown is unsuccessful, Kevin Lee could use his game to smother Trinaldo into the fence. Where Lee is sure to find success with his wrestling game is drawing Trinaldo into an exchange. If he can bring some of that old brawling Trinaldo out, Lee will have little issue ducking under the strikes and entering in on the hips of ‘Massaranduba’ for a reactive double.
Both men have tools to bring the other into their game so strategy is absolutely key in this match up. The intangibles will be equally important like scrambles and the orthodox versus southpaw tactics, but ultimately it’s the fighter that draws the other into their rhythm that will ultimately prove to be the victor.
Who do you think wins: the veteran Francisco Trinaldo or the young prospect Kevin Lee?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
Yes I’m a little late with this one but nevertheless, it’s still a topic that should be touched upon. These days it seems that judging mixed martial arts matches are getting more and more difficult. While one judge may focus on damage inflicted, others will focus on the technical aspects of the fight while yet another may be focused on how much control one fighter established over another. No matter how you slice it, things are as confusing as ever, even with the revamped judging criteria. The match up between Michael Chandler and Ben Henderson demonstrates that point perfectly.
Yes I’m a little late with this one but nevertheless, it’s still a topic that should be touched upon. These days it seems that judging mixed martial arts matches are getting more and more difficult. While one judge may focus on damage inflicted, others will focus on the technical aspects of the fight while yet another may be focused on how much control one fighter established over another. No matter how you slice it, things are as confusing as ever, even with the revamped judging criteria. The match up between Michael Chandler and Ben Henderson demonstrates that point perfectly.
The match started out heavily in Michael Chandler’s favor, landing a bunch of solid punches on Henderson’s chin. The former UFC lightweight champion survived the onslaught to come back and arguably take the second round. By the end of third frame however, Chandler did enough to get ahead in the score cards with some well placed strikes and wrestling.
Then round four begun.
Round four saw Chandler taking down Henderson multiple times only to find himself getting beat up from the bottom and defending multiple submission attempts. While many judges score takedowns heavily, the work that Henderson put in, particularly the ground and pound, was certainly more damaging and threatening than what Chandler offered up. This is where judging criteria becomes more murky and less of a science.
With Henderson taking the last round the fight was truly a toss up. Chandler was declared the winner but not without some controversy. MMA judging will always be an issue it seems and in the case of Chandler vs Henderson it reared its ugly head once again. One thing is certain, it’s a fight that should definitely be run back. Not just for the sake of the fans and the fighters, but to build even more interest and exposure for Bellator.
How did you score Michael Chandler vs Ben Henderson?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
