This weekend we’ll be treated to a rematch for the light heavyweight title between Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Daniel Cormier. The first fight saw Cormier recover from an early knockdown to dominate Johnson with his wrestling before finishing him with a rear naked choke in the third round. The second time around, I see two ways the fight plays out: Either Cormier hits his takedowns and outwrestles Johnson, or Rumble defends the takedowns and dominates with his striking. I see very little chance of Cormier winning on the feet or of Rumble winning on the ground. Considering the result of the first fight, I think it’s more interesting to discuss what Rumble can do to ensure he keeps the fight standing. We’ll start by looking at what went wrong the first time.
This was the first of many times Cormier got a hold of Johnson. Immediately after dropping Cormier with an overhand, Rumble goes in for the kill. He stalks Cormier towards the cage and once Cormier runs out of room he steps in with another big overhand. Notice the deep step of the lead foot combined with the dropping of the right hand and external rotation of the right foot. All of this indicates a loaded up punch from Rumble’s right hand, so Cormier easily ducks under the predictable overhand. Sacrificing distance, mobility and balance, Rumble throws his entire body into the punch and gives Cormier a free opportunity to wrestle. Cormier doesn’t even move his feet, Rumble does all the work for him. Throughout the fight, Rumble would find Cormier ducking under his punches and forcing him against the cage where he was caught in extended wrestling exchanges. All of that wrestling drained his energy and kept him from getting into his rhythm on the feet, which finally led to him shooting on Cormier, having his back taken and getting choked out. In order to avoid this in the rematch, Rumble will need to be much more measured and versatile with his striking, starting with his jab.
Despite being known for his superhuman power punching, Rumble actually has a very sharp jab in his arsenal. Here he snaps Phil Davis’ head back with it and claims the center of the cage with controlled footwork. A sharp, snapping jab is one of the most important tools a striker can use against a wrestler. It allows the striker to measure and control distance, hitting the opponent from the farthest distance possible while keeping both feet on the ground. This is one of the most important principles of striking against a wrestler—denying the opponent the position and range to shoot. To take an effective shot, the wrestler must step forward with his level lower than the opponent’s. Thrown correctly, the jab offers a serious threat but requires very little commitment and leaves few openings. It can be used to attack at the range a wrestler will be looking to set his shots up from, and the fighter can take angles while jabbing to make it very difficult for the wrestler to secure their legs or drive into their hips. Of course, the jab is also used to set up more devastating attacks.
Once the lead arm is established as a threat, it can be used for craftier purposes. As Teixeira steps forward, Rumble times him. He shoots his lead arm out, but what initially looks like a jab turns into a sneaky hand trap. A slapping hook to the right arm of Teixeira helps Rumble to line up his uppercut and convinces Teixeira to duck into it, while also serving to control the right arm and prevent it from being used to counter or defend. If you pay attention to Rumble’s fights, you’ll see him using his lead arm for this type of control constantly to set up some of his best knockouts.
Alternate angle slowmo
Rumble makes great use of his lead hand to control Little Nog as he tees off for the finish. Holding Nog in place and taking his right hand out of the equation, Rumble unloads with right hooks around the guard and uppercuts between it. By pinning the right arm of the opponent and attacking with his own, he makes it difficult for the opponent to escape because he can feel their movement. This allows him to pick his shots very intelligently and the combination of his power shots on the one side and his control of the other make counters unlikely. When the opponent does try to move, his control is dynamic enough to keep up.
After hurting Gustafsson, Rumble leads with a high kick before swarming. As he attacks, he uses his left hand to line up his punches before unloading with his right. When he attacks with his left, his right arm transitions to control instead. This allows him to keep the pressure on and pick shots, landing even on a moving target while keeping his opponent purely on the defensive. His controlling arm is used to blind the opponent, measure distance, feel where the opponent is going and manipulate their balance.
This was the first of many times Cormier got a hold of Johnson. Immediately after dropping Cormier with an overhand, Rumble goes in for the kill. He stalks Cormier towards the cage and once Cormier runs out of room he steps in with another big overhand. Notice the deep step of the lead foot combined with the dropping of the right hand and external rotation of the right foot. All of this indicates a loaded up punch from Rumble’s right hand, so Cormier easily ducks under the predictable overhand. Sacrificing distance, mobility and balance, Rumble throws his entire body into the punch and gives Cormier a free opportunity to wrestle. Cormier doesn’t even move his feet, Rumble does all the work for him. Throughout the fight, Rumble would find Cormier ducking under his punches and forcing him against the cage where he was caught in extended wrestling exchanges. All of that wrestling drained his energy and kept him from getting into his rhythm on the feet, which finally led to him shooting on Cormier, having his back taken and getting choked out. In order to avoid this in the rematch, Rumble will need to be much more measured and versatile with his striking, starting with his jab.
Despite being known for his superhuman power punching, Rumble actually has a very sharp jab in his arsenal. Here he snaps Phil Davis’ head back with it and claims the center of the cage with controlled footwork. A sharp, snapping jab is one of the most important tools a striker can use against a wrestler. It allows the striker to measure and control distance, hitting the opponent from the farthest distance possible while keeping both feet on the ground. This is one of the most important principles of striking against a wrestler—denying the opponent the position and range to shoot. To take an effective shot, the wrestler must step forward with his level lower than the opponent’s. Thrown correctly, the jab offers a serious threat but requires very little commitment and leaves few openings. It can be used to attack at the range a wrestler will be looking to set his shots up from, and the fighter can take angles while jabbing to make it very difficult for the wrestler to secure their legs or drive into their hips. Of course, the jab is also used to set up more devastating attacks.
Once the lead arm is established as a threat, it can be used for craftier purposes. As Teixeira steps forward, Rumble times him. He shoots his lead arm out, but what initially looks like a jab turns into a sneaky hand trap. A slapping hook to the right arm of Teixeira helps Rumble to line up his uppercut and convinces Teixeira to duck into it, while also serving to control the right arm and prevent it from being used to counter or defend. If you pay attention to Rumble’s fights, you’ll see him using his lead arm for this type of control constantly to set up some of his best knockouts.
Alternate angle slowmo
Rumble makes great use of his lead hand to control Little Nog as he tees off for the finish. Holding Nog in place and taking his right hand out of the equation, Rumble unloads with right hooks around the guard and uppercuts between it. By pinning the right arm of the opponent and attacking with his own, he makes it difficult for the opponent to escape because he can feel their movement. This allows him to pick his shots very intelligently and the combination of his power shots on the one side and his control of the other make counters unlikely. When the opponent does try to move, his control is dynamic enough to keep up.
After hurting Gustafsson, Rumble leads with a high kick before swarming. As he attacks, he uses his left hand to line up his punches before unloading with his right. When he attacks with his left, his right arm transitions to control instead. This allows him to keep the pressure on and pick shots, landing even on a moving target while keeping his opponent purely on the defensive. His controlling arm is used to blind the opponent, measure distance, feel where the opponent is going and manipulate their balance.
