Ank is nothing special IMHO. Emphasis on "special".

[HHJ]

lol no

You care enough to argue angrily.

He was given the belt from a questionable decision over Jan after Ankalaev was kicked back down the ladder for drawing with Jan. Then he was given the #8 guy in the division instead of higher-ranked guys, one of whom (we now know) could beat him (and would have done it earlier if he hadn't been kicked back down the ladder).

It doesn't matter if you're unhappy that people aren't satisfied he's a legitimate mixed martial artist. He's an extreme recipient of Dana White privilege and hasn't showcased a well-rounded skill set, so you're basically going to rant to yourself until he shows he's well-rounded.

Its not that I am unhappy that people arent satisfied he's a legitimate mixed martial artist, I just dont care about anyone being one. If they can win with only striking, and everyone in his div strikes, thats not really his fault, and he's only a product of his era. Fine with me.

They didnt want Ank to fight him, but thats not him having Dana White priveledge, they never wanted Ank to be champion regardless, whoever else had it.

 

[don't ask]

Its not that I am unhappy that people arent satisfied he's a legitimate mixed martial artist, I just dont care about anyone being one. If they can win with only striking, and everyone in his div strikes, thats not really his fault, and he's only a product of his era. Fine with me.

They didnt want Ank to fight him, but thats not him having Dana White priveledge, they never wanted Ank to be champion regardless, whoever else had it.

You're literally ranting at me because I'm one of the fans who wants to know if he's well-rounded.

 

[HHJ]

You're literally ranting at me because I'm one of the fans who wants to know if he's well-rounded.

Watch his fights?

he's been taken down, and didnt lose.

That's all anyone needs to know.

 

[don't ask]

Watch his fights?

he's been taken down, and didnt lose.

That's all anyone needs to know.

Turns out you're wrong.

 

[HHJ]

Turns out you're wrong.

So if you find he's not "well rounded enough" for your liking, what then ?? Lol

Two world titles in 2 divisions.

What, u gonna cry??? Lol

 

[don't ask]

So if you find he's not "well rounded enough" for your liking, what then ?? Lol

Two world titles in 2 divisions.

What, u gonna cry??? Lol

lol you're certainly worked up about this

 

[HHJ]

lol you're certainly worked up about this

At the last second of any dominant striking Rd he should shoot a td so he don't offend nobody lol

 

[don't ask]

At the last second of any dominant striking Rd he should shoot a td so he don't offend nobody lol

Serious question: how invested do you have to be to angrily rant for multiple posts and then deliberately be as stupid as possible interpreting another person's position?

Are there other areas of your life where you melt down like this?

 

[HHJ]

how invested

It's fuckin MMA!

The fuck is anyone in this forum here for??!?!

 

[don't ask]

It's fuckin MMA!

The fuck is anyone in this forum here for??!?!

Have you noticed how most posters don't have to be as deliberately stupid as possible when interpreting what their conversational partner is saying? Right now you're breathing rarefied air with some of the worst posters here.

And I always thought you were one of the best posters here, so it's bizarre to see you melt down like this over Perreira. I hope you're at least secretly being molested by a fireman or something else equally destabilizing because the things you're posting in this thread are shocking in how crazy you're determined to sound.

 

[HHJ]

Have you noticed how most posters don't have to be as deliberately stupid as possible when interpreting what their conversational partner is saying? Right now you're breathing rarefied air with some of the worst posters here.

And I always thought you were one of the best posters here, so it's bizarre to see you melt down like this over Perreira. I hope you're at least secretly being molested by a fireman or something else equally destabilizing because the things you're posting in this thread are shocking in how crazy you're determined to sound.

Go hard or go home, buddeh.

(And this isn't even going hard)

 

[Luffy]

There are fans here who do.

How did he get the belt again?


Unless he wants to prove he's a legitimate, well-rounded mixed martial artist.

Unless he wants to prove he's a legitimate, well-rounded mixed martial artist.

I mean, if you aren't considering his achievement of defeating Pereira a big deal, then you're just another one of those who won't be convinced someone is elite because there will always be something you can bring up. "Oh JJ only fought guys smaller, like DC was way smaller and his reach made it easier..." ... "Oh Jiri Prochakza was a monster when he beat Reyes, but was no longer an elite LHW after Pereira crushed him!" ... "Oh Reyes was actually just good in the JJ fight but later fights proved he was weak"... I bet you're that type of person.

Again, Alex Pereira beat Jiri Prochakza twice, both by finishes. Jiri Prochazka was defeating Reyes, Glover... I remember exactly when ppl would talk a lot about a possible "Jon Jones vs Jiri Prochazka" clash, saying it'd be the most difficult fight for JJ. I mean, maybe it would. I think they were right. But some fans like you, always find a way to discredit someone who loses. In Ankalaev's case, he wasn't able to take Poatan down, which should show you that Poatan's grappling is very good, better than Jan Blackowski and anyone from LHW other than Ankalaev. No one that Ankalaev fought was able to stop his takedown except for Pereira. And Pereira said he has always approached every fight fully expecting the opponents to take him down. He is a very fast learner and showed a takedown defense on the same level of Reyes' when he fought JJ. Even Reyes said that his and Poatan's takedown defenses are in his opinion the best in LHW...

But Ankalaev said that as soon as he saw Poatan was way better in grappling and takedown defense than he thought, he had to adapt his plans and to trust in his striking. He managed to out-strike Poatan in round 2. Round 3, the striking was even to me, maybe Ankalaev was slightly better in that round. But Ankalaev knew anyways that he wouldn't be able to handle Poatan with striking only, that's why he tried to take Pereira down for almost 5 minutes of the 4th round. It's because he knew Poatan's strikes were too much if he didn't mix in grappling — that's where his well roundedness comes from. But he still had a very tough time as Pereira is not a kickboxer, he is an elite MMA fighter.

Actually, it's very visible how injured Ankalaev's legs were. Big Ank said that ever since the Jan Blachowicz fight, that he worked a lot more in defending calf kicks or at least lessening the impact. Even still, he said that Pereira's leg kicks were just so hard that after a certain point, his legs started to feel numb — that's why he also needed to go for takedowns. And he clearly was feeling his legs fucked already in round 3 and round 5 as he switched stances but he saw how danger fighting in orthodox was since Poatan is better vs Orthodox strikers. In round 5, after a leg kick, you can see Big Ank jumping a little and switching stance... Then, Pereira quickly snatched his head with a jab and he changed to southpaw again. Then with the leg kick followed by the head kick, Ankalaev was pressured and clearly somewhat rocked... When Poatan dodged his takedown feint + upper cut attack attempt and landed a good left hook on Ankalaev's liver region, you can also clearly see Big Ank walking on shaken legs, like, it seemed he was out of balance because he was rocked. That's when he went for the clinch, but he hadn't the energy to try strikes or takedown like before, he more like, held onto Poatan until the bell rung. His coaches were even looking at the clock and saying like only more 40 seconds!! ...

Poatan has a huge presence in championship rounds. He KO'd Adesanya in the 5th despite losing by 3-1 and with Ankalaev, he didn't get too far from KO'ing him, that's why Ankalaev needed to clinch to basically "survive the last minute".

His win was very impressive. Poatan is one of the most dangerous MMA fighters ever. The own UFC fighters say that, like Aspinall, DDP (who said recently he thinks JJ and Pereira are the best fighters right now) ...

 

[don't ask]

Go hard or go home, buddeh.

(And this isn't even going hard)

Okay, well, I hope you're able to deal with whatever you're going through and return to being your sensible, fun-loving self. Good luck.

 

[HHJ]

Okay, well, I hope you're able to deal with whatever you're going through and return to being your sensible, fun-loving self. Good luck.

REEEEEEEE

 

[don't ask]

REEEEEEEE

Or you could continue to melt down. Good luck.

 

[Luffy]

Okay, well, I hope you're able to deal with whatever you're going through and return to being your sensible, fun-loving self. Good luck.

Well it's not our fault you can't acknowledge Big Ank's greatness

 

[HHJ]

Well it's not our fault you can't acknowledge Big Ank's greatness

I don't like your Jones glazing.


But being Pro Big Ank is a prized attribute in the wars to come

 

[Luffy]

I don't like your Jones glazing.


But being Pro Big Ank is a prized attribute in the wars to come

Haha. One thing tho, Big Ank vs Alex felt like a boring fight for most, but I think that's because ppl are used to fighters going wild and throwing punches. For example, in a poll, Jiri vs Hill would be chosen as the better fight for sure because ppl found it more entertaining. But better as in higher level? Nah, because Hill and Jiri were too wild in their exchanges and both were hit a lot in consequence. The narrative that Alex was running is false btw, I think Big Ank only said that to spice up their rematch. I think when he said that he had a lot of fun and that Alex is a different level, that was sincere... They both are very skilled technically, so they won't be going for those wild exchanges that would "fire ppl up". Many times when there are two very skilled guys, the fight is more technical since... Both Ankalaev and Alex are clearly a tier above any other fighter in LHW, so they have a way broader view of timing, octagon position.

I've re-watched Jiri vs Hill and that fight had more ohh moments since both of them were going at it and betting on their chins a lot, but to me that fight lacked a lot in terms of technical striking. I don't think Jiri really changed that much since his movements are still kinda weird in the sense he seems to throw some slow kicks and then BAM tries to go for a big shot... Sadly, even tho I'd like to see Jiri vs Big Ank, I think Ankalaev would dominate Jiri and it wouldn't go the distance. His striking is way more technical, he carries a lot of power too... And Jiri, even tho ppl might want to believe the opposite, has not the same level of grappling and takedown defense Alex has. The most important us takedown defense, since unless you're a Jon Jones or a DC, you just won't be able to bet on getting taken down and then inverting positions or submitting Ankalaev (Paul Craig pulled a miracle imo)... What is important is takedown defense. Jiri was taken down many times by Glover Teixeira, Reyes took him down once as well... And his unpredictable striking is way less dangerous for someone like Ankalaev than Alex's ... Technique beats unpredictability every time. Ankalaev is both a good enough grappler to take Jiri down and a good kickboxer to tame Jiri's storm, because he leaves himself too open to power counters. And Ankalaev is also pretty tough, has a very tough chin.


As of now, imo, only Alex Pereira can defeat Ankalaev. Other than him, I don't think someone would win. They can, but I think it's rather unlikely. Yeah sometimes when fighters are very high level there can be a war type of fight like JJ vs Gus 1, but... I think both JJ and Gus were on some sort of monster energy stimulant lol... Normally a pace like that can't be maintained like they maintained for basically all the fight. When it's a fight when both guys are elite and both are totally clean, it's generally a more studied one and competitive one, high technical, which ppl confuse with boring. The other fights from Alex weren't boring, but that's because he had a skill gap over all his opponents in LHW, so he could be totally dominant. Ankalaev and Alex are very even, so none of them could dominate. And they aren't fools to be throwing punches every second either, they are very high level. That kind of fight to me is way better than those "Jiri vs Hill" that have way more activity but lacks in technique. Proven by the fact once both of them fought a really high level striker, both were KO'd...

 

[markantony20]

Let's put Alex aside for a moment.

Jiri could beat Ank any given day, but most likely he loses more often than he wins.
He's head and shoulders above anyone else in a weak LHW division.

Now, back to Alex.
Our training coach made us watch their fight today. It was my 3rd time.
Pereira lost, period.

But he was able to deny his wrestling/grappling. All 12 attempts. If he got to the ground with Ank, he'd have been in big trouble.
There was some cage work, but the fight kept standing 80% of the time.

So, sure, the TD threat was looming in Poatan's head, but once you defend successfully the first... dunno, 4-5?
you get enough confidence to focus on the striking match. Because it was basically a striking KB match.

Retroactively, the info about Poatan having a foot and his lead hand/shoulder/whatever injured... makes sense.
No excuses: if you enter the cage, you are ready to fight.

Poatan's left was absent, his -apparently- pitty-patter low kicks with the inner foot (that actually cause a lot of damage, as other fighters have reported) did nothing this time, and he landed a ton of them.
I don't know, it adds up IMO.

I don't buy that he didn't take the camp seriously. It was his last challenge left* (I'll dig into this).
He is 37 and has had the tightest schedule. Injuries piling up and getting sick while on camp sounds likely to me.

Don't get me wrong, Ank is a good/great MMA striker with a wrestling cherry on top.
But Alex has faced each of his strengths to the 11th.
More power, more pressure, faster hands, better defense... even hand-fighting, too.

Now, the rematch. Alex has much more room for improvement in his TDD/wrestling/defensive grappling that Ank has regarding his striking.
Alex won't forget how to KB.

If Ank doesn't make it ugly, I'm pretty confident that a healthy, recovered Alex takes it pretty comfortably.


*If Alex won, he would be undeniable and silence the naysayers securing a spot along the greatest combat sport athletes of all time.
And move to HW. Losing to JJ or Aspinall, even in dominant fashion (unless he looked absolutely embarrassing) wouldn't lower his stock the tiniest bit.
The HW fight would've been a celebration lap for him, at worst, or an epic win if somehow he pulled it off.

He’s a well rounded mixed martial artist but he fights in a weak division that doesn’t have many guys the push him to show his X factor

 

[legedema]

Let's put Alex aside for a moment.

Jiri could beat Ank any given day, but most likely he loses more often than he wins.
He's head and shoulders above anyone else in a weak LHW division.

Now, back to Alex.
Our training coach made us watch their fight today. It was my 3rd time.
Pereira lost, period.

But he was able to deny his wrestling/grappling. All 12 attempts. If he got to the ground with Ank, he'd have been in big trouble.
There was some cage work, but the fight kept standing 80% of the time.

So, sure, the TD threat was looming in Poatan's head, but once you defend successfully the first... dunno, 4-5?
you get enough confidence to focus on the striking match. Because it was basically a striking KB match.

Retroactively, the info about Poatan having a foot and his lead hand/shoulder/whatever injured... makes sense.
No excuses: if you enter the cage, you are ready to fight.

Poatan's left was absent, his -apparently- pitty-patter low kicks with the inner foot (that actually cause a lot of damage, as other fighters have reported) did nothing this time, and he landed a ton of them.
I don't know, it adds up IMO.

I don't buy that he didn't take the camp seriously. It was his last challenge left* (I'll dig into this).
He is 37 and has had the tightest schedule. Injuries piling up and getting sick while on camp sounds likely to me.

Don't get me wrong, Ank is a good/great MMA striker with a wrestling cherry on top.
But Alex has faced each of his strengths to the 11th.
More power, more pressure, faster hands, better defense... even hand-fighting, too.

Now, the rematch. Alex has much more room for improvement in his TDD/wrestling/defensive grappling that Ank has regarding his striking.
Alex won't forget how to KB.

If Ank doesn't make it ugly, I'm pretty confident that a healthy, recovered Alex takes it pretty comfortably.


*If Alex won, he would be undeniable and silence the naysayers securing a spot along the greatest combat sport athletes of all time.
And move to HW. Losing to JJ or Aspinall, even in dominant fashion (unless he looked absolutely embarrassing) wouldn't lower his stock the tiniest bit.
The HW fight would've been a celebration lap for him, at worst, or an epic win if somehow he pulled it off.

you are accepting and refusing at the same time