C.J.W. wrote:Very nice. Also find it interesting that while he appears to have a solid background in wrestling, he's chosen to focus on his stand-up striking game instead.
"Wikipedia wrote:Whittaker's father enrolled Robert, aged seven, and his brother in a Goju-ryu Karate school, to encourage them in self-discipline and self-defence.[13][14] After training in the discipline for a little over eight years, and earning his black belt, his father offered him the chance to change to another sport or drop Karate entirely. While his brother decided to drop out, Robert chose to switch to Hapkido[15] gym run by Henry Perez, following his move to Menai.[13][16] Not long afterwards, Perez transformed his gym into an MMA gym. Having no other choice, Whittaker began training in MMA and was immediately hooked, choosing MMA as his preferred sport over Rugby League.[14]
GrahamB wrote:( I also think the best way to learn how to counter grappling is to learn how to grapple to some degree. I don't think you'll ever 'get it' unless you do that).
Bhassler wrote:I enjoyed this. There are a lot of concepts there that are similar to stuff that comes out in rougher tuishou-- it could be a good template for taiji folk who want to work on not getting their head beat in by the first drunk MMA bro they piss off in a bar.
GrahamB wrote:I think it's the Jiujitsu factor. You can be good at wrestling and end up on the ground with a skilled jiujitsu guy and you've lost, despite getting the takedown. Bobby Knuckles is primerily a striker, so he wants to keep the fight in his strongest area where he'll win.
The recent Ben Askren vs Demian Maia is a case in point of elite level Wrestler vs elite level BJJ under MMA rules. All it took was one bad decision from Askren (to engage on the ground) and it was over.
marvin8 wrote:Bhassler wrote:I enjoyed this. There are a lot of concepts there that are similar to stuff that comes out in rougher tuishou-- it could be a good template for taiji folk who want to work on not getting their head beat in by the first drunk MMA bro they piss off in a bar.
This video might be closer to "rougher tuishou" than the OP takedown defense video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksiD-NcxwFs
dspyrido wrote:GrahamB wrote:I think it's the Jiujitsu factor. You can be good at wrestling and end up on the ground with a skilled jiujitsu guy and you've lost, despite getting the takedown. Bobby Knuckles is primerily a striker, so he wants to keep the fight in his strongest area where he'll win.
The recent Ben Askren vs Demian Maia is a case in point of elite level Wrestler vs elite level BJJ under MMA rules. All it took was one bad decision from Askren (to engage on the ground) and it was over.
It's not. Whittaker is a great striker who became a great wrestler. With that he took on BJJ guys and wrestlers in MMA. The video jumps into the defences that he merged. Rightly so but it glossed over his greatest defence which is his striking and it's ability to flow into wrestling counters.
Against good strikers like Adesanya, Thompson & McGee he struggled.
I will even put down his latest change in his game plan against Adesanya was a tactic in desperation that came from bad advice when he switched to a BJJ focused gym. He was not confident in his striking so attempted to rush in and setup take downs. Adesanya just did what any good striker will do and applied the best "anti grappling" of beating his brains out. Sadly it he keeps going down the BJJ path this may see him quietly disappearing from MMA because he will never beat Adesanya this way.
Good striking and good wrestling will stuff up most take down attempts. Askren is a good example of someone who is a poor striker but relies too much on smothering. The tactic worked against several BJJ black belts like Aoki and Lima but ultimately is a dangerous game. His secret is most likely genetic (+ wrestling intensity) but in the end time and impact will ravage anyone doing that approach.
I will even put down his latest change in his game plan against Adesanya was a tactic in desperation that came from bad advice when he switched to a BJJ focused gym. He was not confident in his striking so attempted to rush in and setup take downs. Adesanya just did what any good striker will do and applied the best "anti grappling" of beating his brains out. Sadly it he keeps going down the BJJ path this may see him quietly disappearing from MMA because he will never beat Adesanya this way.
GrahamB wrote:Care to re-evaluate your assesement?
To stop a take down from the outside it's good footwork and striking that is generally hand and foot.
dspyrido wrote:Result - I'm rewatching this fight & sadly I have to say I don't know what he was thinking. I am back to his shift in the coaching team (he swapped to a gracie gym). The options here are:
1. He was trying to head hunt a guy who is a capable of dodging bullets matrix style
2. Robert just got rusty with his time out from UFC
3. Perhaps it's age or lifestyle (although he said he was the fittest he has ever been)
4. The fight team he moved to just did not get him to spend enough time applying a striking method that would work (e.g. look at how tyson took out giants)
Either way I don't get why he was doing what he was doing against Adesanya.
Now if he did try doing take downs on Adesanya I doubt he would have had any success either.
To quote:To stop a take down from the outside it's good footwork and striking that is generally hand and foot.
And Adesanya is a master of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmPR0t4VETM
And even if he got into range:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O97VR7sKng
The ultimate in anti-grappling has to be just not being there at the time to be grappled with. For that I am backing the Adesanya approach of stuffing up the grappler before they even get in.
GrahamB wrote:So, what you mean through that lengthy elaboration is that you got it completely wrong but can't admit it.
Ok, don't worry, I get it.
marvin8 wrote:Option 5, Adesanya's skills, team (coach Eugene Bareman at City Kickboxing) and gameplan were just better. In 2019, Volkanovski, Adesanya's teammate, defeated Holloway to become a UFC champion (featherweight) as well.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests