Athleticism once again proves how important it is

TJ proved to be the much better athlete and his speed decided this fight in his favor clearly. First guy Barao fights who he doesnt have speed advantage on and he loses. But Im sure the MMA purist will say athleticism and speed doesnt matter and its all technique that decides every fight

 

I just think it wasn't Barao's night. He still was of one the best fighters in UFC

 

I don't think that there was ever a debate about the importance of athleticism....it's pretty accepted as being a key component of any fighter

 

It's a combination of things. If fighting was purely about athleticism Royce would have never won a fight, Lesnar would still be champ, and TJ would have beaten Assuncao. But when both guys are very technical then altheticism can make a world of difference. It should also be noted that styles make fights, and it looked like TJs style of striking was just a bad match up for Barao.

 

Can you provide an example of anyone anywhere saying that athleticism and speed don't matter ? Because it looks to me like you're really putting a kicking on a strawman here..

 

Athleticism was a must but his game plan was spot on ... great movement and varied strikes completely shut down Barao

 

Dillashaws faultless striking technique won him the fight

 

Who ever said "it's all technique?"

 

Thats what I been saying for ages here......if fighters are close in ability and one fighter is much better athlete, he will dominate. In fact its better to have little less ability if you can have more athleticism as it will be a great equalizer

 

huh? this fight didn't show that in any way...

 

It's a factor.

Didn't do much for Trinaldo though.

 

Yep - it also helps when you clock your opponent and bascially ko him the first round.

Renan never recovered and got whooped.

totally unexpected and I must admit it counted him out.

 

the technique in his footwork and movement with the combination of his speed and athleticism. TS is an idiot, acting like technique has nothing to do with it.

 

So barao is less atheltic than TJ is, LOL

TJ won by great head movement, solid striking and mixing it up

 

and people thought barao would beat cruz lol

 

Yeah, hes still among the best. MMA purists should say its about athleticism and technique, and also willpower and focus, and a million other things.

 

The difference in athleticism you're referring to is more of a difference in speed, which is almost definitely due to the fact that Barao is the bigger man and cuts more weight than Dillashaw to make 135.

 

If he wasn't fast enough he wouldn't be able to execute that kind of technique successfully against a high level fighter like Barao.

 

He's definitely slower. He looked noticeably slower than TJ in the first even before TJ tagged him.

 

Exactly. Perfect example is Roy Jones in boxing....very good fighter. But without his amazing athleticism he would be nothing more than a decent boxer. Speed also give you the chance to get away with alot more flaws in your game