- Joined
- Mar 24, 2011
- Messages
- 7,455
- Reaction score
- 1,283
Actually Stipe was trying to avoid the clinch, which is how he got knocked out.
DC got the clinch with a modified 1-2-3 combo. But instead of a left hook, he goes for a collar tie. Then he limp arms to an underhook.
Not minding the clinch is not exactly the same as looking to stay in the clinch.
Stipe didn't mind clinching with Cormier on his terms (he was beating him up against the cage for instance), and he wasn't allergic to falling into the clinch either (which would have influenced the character of striking exchanges, see for instance Thompson vs Woodley).
If someone gets an advantageous position on you escaping and resetting things to neutral is generally a safe low risk tactical approach.
Stipe decided to push out when Cormier got an underhook; Cormier, as he mentioned himself however, had done homework, and knew that in past bouts Stipe had a habit of not throwing off the break like many fighters, some defensive irresponsibility, and trusted that if he took a big shot it would pay off, totally reversing the course of a fight that up to then even in the first few minutes looked like he was barely hanging onto.
Last edited: