This is why leg kicks aren't really effective.

There's nothing really wrong with spamming leg kicks as long as you have a good hooking game. Pornsanae Simonchai was great cuz' of that. Yuta Nezu is a very good striker and his style's built more than anyone else in this sport's history around spamming low kicks, and they work because he has good hooks. Kevin Belingon has great low kicks, but his punches (usually a hook or an overhand) are what finish fights. Dan Henderson's whole striking game was a strong leg kick off his lead leg and a big hook or overhand. The kicks stick the guys up and in place, and they can be used as a long-range weapon, so they pair as well with hooks as a one does a two, to exaggerate poetically.
Justin Gaethje's plan is usually to use the leg kicks to weaken them for when they're in the clinch and finish 'em with either a hook while holding a collar tie with the other hand or a knee. If they can fight off the clinch, he throws more kicks to tire 'em out. As long as you're aware of the risks, that's not a bad gameplan. It's like Gaethje says, "I'll either win or get knocked out." It worked a lot of times against good strikers, and the times it didn't still led to FOTY-level-competitive fights.
Gaethje's real problem against Poirier was he stopped throwing leg kicks in the third round about a minute and a half in (when they landed pretty hard on Dustin's knee), which's when he needed to, and he started throwing them very wide off his right leg [main leg] when he did throw 'em those final four times. That tells me he probably hurt his leg, which, well, is the big risk of leg kicks... you throw a lotta jabs, you'll get hit with a cross-counter; you hit the body, you open up your head; you throw hooks, you're missing and getting jabbed; you mix it all up and do everything, you're prey for a patient counter striker, like Andy Ristie vs. Davit Kiria...
Gaethje's also finished 3 fights with his kicks, so I think you can say he kicks particularly hard.

Wow. Jabs rarely knock guys out, so boxers should stop throwing them...

He literally said:

Before Sherdog crucifies me for dissing leg kicks, I'm not. It's a great weapon, but it's a weapon that rarely finishes fights.

That's not an unreasonable thing to say. Did you just read the title and assume the rest?
 
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He literally said:



That's not an unreasonable thing to say. Did you just read the title and assume the rest?
Its unreasonable to say that they arent effective. There is no reasoning that supports that argument.
 
Its unreasonable to say that they arent effective. There is no reasoning that supports that argument.

Aren't really effective. That can just as easily be interpreted as they're effective, but just not fight-ending moves, which is clearly what he meant (because he said it).
 
Wow. Jabs rarely knock guys out, so boxers should stop throwing them...

While I don't disagree, it isn't really the same thing. A leg kick is one of the few moves where you are more likely to be finished throwing it than finish your opponent throwing it.

Your opponent can never finish you by blocking your jab, but can break your leg by checking your leg kick
 
Aren't really effective. That can just as easily be interpreted as they're effective, but just not fight-ending moves, which is clearly what he meant (because he said it).
They are as effective as they ever need to be.
 
Or Gaethje is just an idiot and wouldn’t stop throwing them when they stopped working
 
They are as effective as they ever need to be.

That doesn't change the fact that he didn't say leg kicks aren't effective and said in the OP that they're a great weapon.
 
While I don't disagree, it isn't really the same thing. A leg kick is one of the few moves where you are more likely to be finished throwing it than finish your opponent throwing it.

Your opponent can never finish you by blocking your jab, but can break your leg by checking your leg kick
A jab can be countered,especially if you overuse it,get predictable with it. Also see Lennox Lewis vs Tyson. Look how angry his corner got at him when he had tyson dead to rights and kept playing around with the jab.


"stop playing and fucking finish him,this man is DANGEROUS"

Most of the people who get countered off the leg kick are reckless and overuse it. If you are going to be dedicated to using that kick you better be barboza level sick with it.
 
That doesn't change the fact that he didn't say leg kicks aren't effective and said in the OP that they're a great weapon.
THE GREATEST WEAPON

im sorry until the TS deletes this thread,creates another,and commits felattio on leg kicks,im sorry,i cant agree with him and he should feel bad
 
Well this is almost like you're talking about jabs, or semi-powerful power-punches that aren't necessarily timed to perfection, or a body shot that hasn't been landed on the liver.
All are useful in the UFC and can break your opponent down, but never really the ultimate finishing moves.

In general, leg kicks enable you to fight bigger opponents if you're using it as another form of stunting your opponent's offence, thus you take command of the space in a way that someone like a boxer wouldn't be able to.
Hitting on the knee causes your opponent physical pain.
Leg kicks can be used to set up your own offence. They're best not thrown for the sake of it, but can be included in your plan as a supporting tool to defeat your opponent.
If they haven't adapted to your leg kicks, then keep hacking away at their legs.
Decent for point-scoring if you're in the octagon as you're inflicting clean damage.
 
A jab can be countered,especially if you overuse it,get predictable with it. Also see Lennox Lewis vs Tyson. Look how angry his corner got at him when he had tyson dead to rights and kept playing around with the jab.


"stop playing and fucking finish him,this man is DANGEROUS"

Most of the people who get countered off the leg kick are reckless and overuse it. If you are going to be dedicated to using that kick you better be barboza level sick with it.
Well... i actually didn’t agree with Lennox’s corner. It was to early in the fight

Tyson had just knocked out Botha a few fights before when Botha was dominating him because botha got careless

lennox did the right thing there
 
Well... i actually didn’t agree with Lennox’s corner. It was to early in the fight

Tyson had just knocked out Botha a few fights before when Botha was dominating him because botha got careless

lennox did the right thing there
I disagree. He was letting Tyson to possibly get back in the fight. Even Foreman watching it thought the same. It was time to put his man away,before he got put away.
 
A jab can be countered,especially if you overuse it,get predictable with it. Also see Lennox Lewis vs Tyson. Look how angry his corner got at him when he had tyson dead to rights and kept playing around with the jab.


"stop playing and fucking finish him,this man is DANGEROUS"

Most of the people who get countered off the leg kick are reckless and overuse it. If you are going to be dedicated to using that kick you better be barboza level sick with it.

Yes they can be countered. That wasnt the point.
 
Because most mma fighters can't kick and don't know how to perform the techniques properly so it has an effect.
 
I disagree. He was letting Tyson to possibly get back in the fight. Even Foreman watching it thought the same. It was time to put his man away,before he got put away.
Lennox had been ko’d by Mccall and Rahman for getting careless

I think at that point, he had to be smart. They both were older, you just never know with Tyson. Plus lennox basically was walking to victory there.

And was actually landing some really heavy shot but Mike even at his older age still had a great chin.

I thought he did the right thing. Never get careless with Mike until you know that he is done
 
Lennox had been ko’d by Mccall and Rahman for getting careless

I think at that point, he had to be smart. They both were older, you just never know with Tyson. Plus lennox basically was walking to victory there.

And was actually landing some really heavy shot but Mike even at his older age still had a great chin.

I thought he did the right thing. Never get careless with Mike until you know that he is done
I felt like he was being careless by dancing around like he was doing! He was showing off and doin pirouettes and shit. Put the man down!
 
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