You think rda wins? Im not confident in either tbh, I like rda but he'll have a hard time with usman's wrestling and physicallity. He's a big ww. He's got power but isn't nearly as well rounded/ polished as rda in the striking dept so there's that. Fight over 2.5, decision is a good bet imo. I see it playing out similar to rda vs colby, even though usman is much different from colby (colby is a cardio machine who's constantly putting the pressure on you, and throws VOLUME, Usman is more of a overhand wrestler)
It is a good bet over 2.5, but it's gonna be juiced.
I actually think RDA is overrated as a sub threat. Especially in this fight.
Agree, he is not submitting Usman.
TKD, I wrote this in a message to you:
"...I don't think he is worse match-up for RDA than Colby was. He does not go forward and close the distance as much as Colby does. RDA can't seem to fight half as well on his backfoot as on his frontfoot. He is very expirienced and has great BJJ and serviceable TDD. Not great, but he knows what to do. Especially if you are not pushing
constantly forward..."
I don't think Usman is gonna do this at all, or nearly enough. He fights too cautiously. You can't really afford to be that tentative against RDA (even if you have size, strength and wrestling advantages), Tony was in his face the whole time, and still lost 2 rounds, Eddie was losing a close round until he nailed him with a counter shot. You have to pair the boxing and wrestling attacks well, because Rafael is safety-first fighter and will prefer to defend from strikes first, then the TD. Khabib was throwing something in his face before he goes for the TD, Colby was constantly throwing and pushing forward, just like Khabib. I should rewatch Usman fights to see exactly how he fights, tho.
I'm not picking RDA just yet. Need to watch more tape. But as it stands, the fight is stylistically little better for RDA than Colby was. Colby is not the athlete Usman is, but fought Dos Anjos the right way. I can't say Usman will fight RDA the right way. Guy trains with Hooft. He ruins fighter's careers. You give him athletic specimen, and he finds a way to ruin that guy. I don't know how he does it! Rumble, Rockhold, Oezdemir, Skelly, M.Johnson, Burns - fighters that underperform on a regular basis. Where they train at? RDA is with Parillo. I think he is fine there. If he learns how to move laterally and use pivots (just don't get pushed to the fence) he can be the next champ @ 170. Or at least fight for the title.