Media Johnny Walker plans to break Ankalaev's 'ugly mug'

Guy LeDouche said:
Right lol
It feels a lot of guys suddenly want to “keep going and are pissed” after its stopped and the fight gets called….i wonder why?
<Wink2>
Click to expand...

This guy gets it.

{<jordan}

Every time this situation happens (illegal strike that probably shouldn't end a fight) it's almost like fighters are doing mental gymnastics in real-time trying to figure out how they can get a DQ win without looking like a bitch.....and since they are fighters they are terrible actors and always over-sell shit.

Looks like Walker tried to do the opposite of Aljo - instead of acting so hurt he couldn't possibly continue, he had momentary brain-fog that instantly cleared the second the fight was called off. And because he did that instead of flopping around like Aljo he got a NC instead of a DQ.....classic!

<{you!}>
 
I don't usually like reading into what was going on before a foul to make assumptions about the rematch... but early indications for Johnny were not good. Prior to the first fight I figured Ankalaev was the favorite, but Walker had a few potential openings:

-- Low kicks

-- Using his physicality and bottom game to shut down the offensive grappling of Ankalaev like he did to Spann and Cutelaba

-- Landing something crazy like a well-times knee up the middle or whatever


These paths to victory are probably still available to him, especially since Ankalaev tends to fight like an idiot and make things needlessly difficult for himself. But from what I saw, Ankalaev seemed to have Walker's number. He was landing clean early and often and seemed to hurt Johnny at least a little bit with pretty much every shot he threw, finding his way inside Walker's range and checking a kick or two in the process. Johnny also seemed to be struggling with the grappling before eating the knee, but it was hard to judge especially since it wasn't a conventional takedown in the first place.
 
Conor Strickland said:
If this was a ko scene in a movie, people would be saying that it looks so unrealistic but it actually happened lol. One of the craziest knock outs I've seen
Click to expand...
svmr_db said:
Click to expand...


He should try out for some movies

tumblr_mvyoddZ7cS1rogwl3o2_250.gif
 
Safton said:
I don't usually like reading into what was going on before a foul to make assumptions about the rematch... but early indications for Johnny were not good. Prior to the first fight I figured Ankalaev was the favorite, but Walker had a few potential openings:

-- Low kicks

-- Using his physicality and bottom game to shut down the offensive grappling of Ankalaev like he did to Spann and Cutelaba

-- Landing something crazy like a well-times knee up the middle or whatever


These paths to victory are probably still available to him, especially since Ankalaev tends to fight like an idiot and make things needlessly difficult for himself. But from what I saw, Ankalaev seemed to have Walker's number. He was landing clean early and often and seemed to hurt Johnny at least a little bit with pretty much every shot he threw, finding his way inside Walker's range and checking a kick or two in the process. Johnny also seemed to be struggling with the grappling before eating the knee, but it was hard to judge especially since it wasn't a conventional takedown in the first place.
Click to expand...

Honestly it felt like he was destined to lose that fight, he landed a couple decent low kicks and then tried some crazy jumping attack, got clinched, taken down, controlled, and was having trouble getting up before he ate the knee.

Ankalaaev his own worst enemy so if he fights like a moron and lets Walker kick his leg off he's in trouble, but I don't think Walker has the same nuance to his low-kick game as Jan (and doesn't have the dangerous boxing to set-up the attacks as well). I don't think his bottom game is that great, it's pretty much just bide time and survive, and Ank has levels superior grappling to Spann or Cutelab. That means his best bet is landing some crazy shit or convincing Ank to foul him for a DQ again.

Personally I see this the same as the Ion rematch - we already had a pretty clear indicator that one fighter was superior but now we have to re-do it anyways.
 
TheMMAnalyst said:
Honestly it felt like he was destined to lose that fight, he landed a couple decent low kicks and then tried some crazy jumping attack, got clinched, taken down, controlled, and was having trouble getting up before he ate the knee.

Ankalaaev his own worst enemy so if he fights like a moron and lets Walker kick his leg off he's in trouble, but I don't think Walker has the same nuance to his low-kick game as Jan (and doesn't have the dangerous boxing to set-up the attacks as well). I don't think his bottom game is that great, it's pretty much just bide time and survive, and Ank has levels superior grappling to Spann or Cutelab. That means his best bet is landing some crazy shit or convincing Ank to foul him for a DQ again.

Personally I see this the same as the Ion rematch - we already had a pretty clear indicator that one fighter was superior but now we have to re-do it anyways.
Click to expand...

Yeah, more or less how I see it. As someone who picked Ankalaev the first time I was definitely feeling good until that goddamn knee.

I think Walker is a decent, maybe even good leg-kicker. I don't think he's elite like Jan or Pereira, though. I mean what are Walker's best low kick performances? Tuning up Anthony Smith? Ankalaev did the same thing, including a bunch of low kicks. I would hope Ankalaev has taken note of the near-disaster from the Jan fight and doesn't let that happen again (whether by improving his low kick defense or knowing to grapple early and often). I don't think Walker's bottom game and defensive grappling is amazing, but at the same time he does better in those exchanges than I'd expect of someone with his style. I really didn't expect him to effortlessly sweep Ion the way he did. Cutelaba is undersized and that often manifests in a lack of top control, though. Krylov mauled him, though. I think Ankalaev is a very solid grappler and more proven than Cutelaba and Spann, but sometimes he frustrates me with his inactivity on top and his initial unwillingness to even go to his wrestling. It feels like he's leaving things on the table.

Magomed is definitely the rightful favorite and I'll pick him to win and potentially by finish, but Johnny presents the kind of hypothetical danger along with Ankalev's poor decision-making which could result in an upset I guess. I don't necessarily mind them running it back since it was Ankalaev who committed the foul and I've been surprised before by the guy who was winning the first fight which ended by NC losing the rematch. If nothing else it keeps Ankalaev active and lets us see if he has shifted anything around in his approach or overall game.
 
Both these guys gonna fuck up somehow
 
Safton said:
Yeah, more or less how I see it. As someone who picked Ankalaev the first time I was definitely feeling good until that goddamn knee.

I think Walker is a decent, maybe even good leg-kicker. I don't think he's elite like Jan or Pereira, though. I mean what are Walker's best low kick performances? Tuning up Anthony Smith? Ankalaev did the same thing, including a bunch of low kicks. I would hope Ankalaev has taken note of the near-disaster from the Jan fight and doesn't let that happen again (whether by improving his low kick defense or knowing to grapple early and often). I don't think Walker's bottom game and defensive grappling is amazing, but at the same time he does better in those exchanges than I'd expect of someone with his style. I really didn't expect him to effortlessly sweep Ion the way he did. Cutelaba is undersized and that often manifests in a lack of top control, though. Krylov mauled him, though. I think Ankalaev is a very solid grappler and more proven than Cutelaba and Spann, but sometimes he frustrates me with his inactivity on top and his initial unwillingness to even go to his wrestling. It feels like he's leaving things on the table.

Magomed is definitely the rightful favorite and I'll pick him to win and potentially by finish, but Johnny presents the kind of hypothetical danger along with Ankalev's poor decision-making which could result in an upset I guess. I don't necessarily mind them running it back since it was Ankalaev who committed the foul and I've been surprised before by the guy who was winning the first fight which ended by NC losing the rematch. If nothing else it keeps Ankalaev active and lets us see if he has shifted anything around in his approach or overall game.
Click to expand...

Walker started as a glass-cannon athletic freak that just tried to blitz guys and it usually worked. He’s tried to become “technical” which to him means outfighting from ten feet away with 30 feints for every low kick. If he gets countered enough he will panic and revert to “Old Walker” and try some low percentage crazy shit.

Ank is a Dagestani cypher - he has all the skills and physical attributes to be champ and should’ve been by now, but he just doesn’t have a dependable process, and because of that we get so many weird fights from him. Which he mostly wins because he really is a dope fighter, but he’s his own worst enemy in every fight, almost always makes it tougher then it needs to be.

In the rematch Ank probably kills Walker in Round 1.
 
Walker has a questionable chin and Ankalaev has questionable fight IQ.

I'm conflicted between Ankalaev by KO or Walker by DQ/close decision. All I'm sure of is its a weird main event.
 
TheMMAnalyst said:
Walker started as a glass-cannon athletic freak that just tried to blitz guys and it usually worked. He’s tried to become “technical” which to him means outfighting from ten feet away with 30 feints for every low kick. If he gets countered enough he will panic and revert to “Old Walker” and try some low percentage crazy shit.

Ank is a Dagestani cypher - he has all the skills and physical attributes to be champ and should’ve been by now, but he just doesn’t have a dependable process, and because of that we get so many weird fights from him. Which he mostly wins because he really is a dope fighter, but he’s his own worst enemy in every fight, almost always makes it tougher then it needs to be.

In the rematch Ank probably kills Walker in Round 1.
Click to expand...

Yeah the journey of Walker's career has been a weird one. He started out as the Great Brazilian Hope of 205, the one people were talking about in hushed tones as the fighter to dethrone Jones. Then went through a lot of rough patches, looked at one point like he might get cut with one more loss. Reinvented himself arguably for the worse... but now seems to be okayish. Not great, but serviceable. The weird Catch-22 of the whole situation is that while I think this "serviceable technician" version of Walker makes him a more appealing and reliable pick against a lot of the lower-level talent in the division because I'm less worried about him doing something colossally fucktarded and getting chinned for his trouble... I think the athletic wild man who was willing and able to do anything might have actually have a marginally higher chance of beating Ankalaev. Not enough to be anywhere near a favorite -- I'm talking a difference of a few percentage points here, mind you -- but it's there. I just don't like the idea of him trying to play tit-for-tat with the better, more well-rounded fighter for 15 minutes.

When it comes to Magomed... so there are a few phrases in MMA that get tossed around nonstop by the community that I really hate. One of them is "He/she fights to the level of his/her opponent". It grinds my gears, mostly because I often find it to be a bit trite and uninspired in its application. But honestly? Ankalaev is a guy who fits that platitude to a tee at times, lol.

This outcome definitely wouldn't surprise me. I'm 100% picking Ankalaev again, mostly because Walker didn't really show me anything other than a few desperate low kicks which Magomed started checking. Judging by how much Johnny didn't like the power he was tasting, I am not certain he survives 15 minutes of it coming his way. Or maybe it happens within 5 as you say. Ankalaev always has the ground game in his back pocket... if he chooses to actually employ it lol
 
I really hope he follows through with this. Ankalaev is extremely unlikeable.
 
Im all for derailing Ankalaev. That guy is dumb as shit for a top fighter
 
Anka will win this fight easily, just like he was winning the first time
 
TheMMAnalyst said:
My favorite thing is how the commission guy walks right up to his face, waves his arms comically to indicate the fights over, and Johnny IMMEDIATELY adopts a fighting stance and starts shuffling forward as if he is so concussed he doesn’t understand the fight is over.

<[analyzed}>
Click to expand...
His buffoonery is very unlikeable
 
If Ankalaev does any weird shit to ruin this fight they need to cut him.
 
Anakalaevs owl like appearance with undoubtedly help him against Johnny walker… what kind of a name is Johnny walker for a Brazilian guy?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Rhood
Does Johnny Walker make everyone in the division look small?
2
Replies
37
Views
2K
Neck&Neck
Neck&Neck
Arm Barbarian
Media Ankalaev - Johnny Walker won't have a chance to "throw" the fight in the rematch
3 4 5
Replies
83
Views
5K
Zab3ast
Z
GolovKing
Funny thing is Jamahal Hill got countered by Alex throwing the same punch he koed Johnny Walker with
Replies
1
Views
156
Yep
Y

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,237,731
Messages
55,513,519
Members
174,804
Latest member
eltonmjr

Share this page

Back
Top