Anyone Else A Bit Blown Away by Yair vs Stephens?

BluntForceTrama

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I went into the fight basically hating that little pinche but was actually super impressed by Yair's handling of Stephens. Albeit he let the 3rd get away from him but rounds 1 and 2 demonstrated a highly trained artist with abilities far outside the normal fare.

First and foremost was his handling of Stephens, a fighter who normally makes the rookies shit their pants. Yair feigned a bullfighter at the end of round 2 and I thought that was almost profound because he was fighting like a matador. He wasn't running away mind you, He would retreat but put out the ciggarette butt out in an instance with lighting counters that hurt Stephens. His kicks were lightening bolts that he threw at will whenever he needed and even used them as counters that kept Stephens off balance throughout Rds 1 and 2. He also threw them at strange angles and often out of nowhere. I was actually stunned by those abilities.

I have a love hate for Yair now. I think I view him completely differently now. I think this fight was a defining one for Yair, and he'll likely go exponential from this point on. Most of all, this fight impressed me because Yair brings something that hasn't really been brought outside of Wonderboy who Im not necessarily a big fan of.

Yairs tae kwon do interpretation definitely works let me also mention. Before him I wasn't sure if taekwondo was effective on the streets or in a cage. Footwork was slick along with his ability to rattle off head choppers at will
 
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Most muricans on here dislike him for obvious reasons.

The guy gives it his all every fight win or lose .
 
No? This wasn’t his first fight, kinda went as I expected it to.

was hoping for a Stephens KO though
 
I figured he'd win. Even though his handling of the situation after their first fight made him look like a jerk to a lot of people, it doesn't take away from his fighting ability. With a few adjustments he could easily compete with the top five.
 
He's a good fighter and fun to watch. I think Stephens beats him in a five rounder.

All main card fights at 155 or 170 and below should be five rounds.
 
His standup is ridiculously good, too bad his wrestling sucks

Maybe the best striking of anyone at 145

Him and 145 Conrad would have been interesting. Him and Max too but he might gas and get killed. He'd have to finish Max in the first few rounds
 
He's a good fighter and fun to watch. I think Stephens beats him in a five rounder.

All main card fights at 155 or 170 and below should be five rounds.

I agree, for where we are I think 5 rounds should be the norm and 3 rounders should be contracted.

Something, we need more flexibility.
 
Max would steam roll through him.

He reminded me a bit of Zabit as he does his best work against stationary fighters who can't easily put him on the cage or his back.

With that said, he and Zabit have similar stand up but Zabit is better.
 
It was a fun fight. Bit of a rivalry and in the end we had a clear winner. Hespect all around.
 
I think Stephens was having a wtf moment during and after the fight.

Number one, I don't think Stephens was aware of how strong Yair was. He kept getting taken for rides by Yair and didn't win many of the tie-ups

He was clearly stunned by the kicks. He probably didn't do much video viewing of Yair's kicking. He probably would've been better prepared. There was one point after Stephens got to his feet where he was just swinging at the breeze. Stephens was actually outclassed in Rds 1 and 2.
 
His standup is ridiculously good, too bad his wrestling sucks

Maybe the best striking of anyone at 145

Him and 145 Conrad would have been interesting. Him and Max too but he might gas and get killed. He'd have to finish Max in the first few rounds
His hands could be a bit more polished still. A bit haymakey right now.
 
His standup is ridiculously good, too bad his wrestling sucks

Maybe the best striking of anyone at 145

Him and 145 Conrad would have been interesting. Him and Max too but he might gas and get killed. He'd have to finish Max in the first few rounds

He went 5 rds with Zombie he has a good gas tank
 
I'm more blown away that the ref didn't fuck things up and stop it too early. 75 percent of refs would have fucked that up
 
Stephens fought a tough fight. But he also fought a really emotional and stupid fight. He took a lot of damage and didn’t engage enough.
 
He went 5 rds with Zombie he has a good gas tank
Yes but is it grappler his kryptonite? Edgar messed him up,and Jeremy the brawler would also probably win in on the ground in 5 rounds. But then again he is really slick on the feet,if he woundn't follow Jeremy on the ground with his poor gnp, he could finish him in stand-up
 
He looked good...

But I was more impressed with Stephens ability to survive in the 2nd and finish strong.

I honestly thought he was done after that kick.
 
He went 5 rds with Zombie he has a good gas tank

This
Yair's tank is fine, but he put a LOT of energy into trying to get that finish in Rd 2, and even the commentators were mentioning how if he didn't get it, he was gonna be struggling to keep up after.
 
He would retreat but put out the ciggarette butt out in an instance with lighting counters that hurt Stephens. His kicks were lightening bolts that he threw at will.

he’ll likely go exponential from this point on.
<JerryWWF>
 
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