He will never become champion again? You do realize that he just had a split decision and arguably won by most people, right? <45>I don't consider Strickland a "top" fighter; he's a gatekeeper-level fighter, whose unique style exploited Adesanya.
That's right, the Style-Bender got bent by Strickland's style <45>
Strickland had his 15 minutes, but he will never become Champion again.
At best, Strickland is mid-level.
the worse type of fighters are the ones who talk the most shit and then shows up only to point fight to a decision.He's the Mayweather of MMA...defensive point fighter who needs the loudmouth to hide his boring style
I think what he does better than any fighter I can remember is to maintain eye contact and not flinch from strikes. Not saying he never flinches or looks away - I know he sometimes does. But he braces for impact way less than most fighters, easily. He stays VERY focused on his target no matter what they are doing.Watching him fight, I have a hard time discerning what makes him elite. He's clearly able to compete with the best and Im sure its a case of , I dont have sophisticated enough an eye to gauge, but what makes him so good?
He doesnt kick, wrestle, have a dynamic arsenal of moves. He doesn't seem unusually athletic, agile, or defensive. His boxing looks pedestrian to me, with no head or lateral movement, with the exception of his seemingly effective jab which frankly looks kind of slow.
In no way am I bashing the guy because he was champion material, but what I am I missing?
LOLHe's kind of like Obi Wan Kenobi. He never had the most raw talent just like Obi Wan never had the most force potential but through hard work , hours of training and dedication they both focused on mastering and polishing various aspects of their game and ended up becoming very well rounded fighters capable of taking on all kind of elite opponents.
And for fuck sakes i feel like a complete nerd after posting this but to my defense i watched Episode 3 on cable a couple hours ago so..
Thank god that's not true 100%Defense wins championships
He's kind of like Obi Wan Kenobi. He never had the most raw talent just like Obi Wan never had the most force potential but through hard work , hours of training and dedication they both focused on mastering and polishing various aspects of their game and ended up becoming very well rounded fighters capable of taking on all kind of elite opponents.
And for fuck sakes i feel like a complete nerd after posting this but to my defense i watched Episode 3 on cable a couple hours ago so..