Benson Henderson showed reach is not everything

[Noraa 666]

The people that say Jones has an unfair advantage are comically stupid. That being said you didn't argue a valid point at all. Bendo was just a better fighter plan and simple.

 

[negaum]

If you're skilled enough you can beat the shit out of taller and long armed fighter. Don't whine about fighters physical gifts.

Is it a toothpick in his mouth?

 

[hasar]

Is it a toothpick in his mouth?

Yes. Before 5th round.

 

[elbrian]

If you're just learning this, you must be relatively new to the sport.

 

[hasar]

Diabate might have longest arms in UFC. Jones reach is bigger but Jones has wider shoulder than Diabate.

 

[Still Holdin]

But Nate hunches over

 

[willin]

Reach is nothing special, some of you make to much of it.

It has equal advantages as it does disadvantages. Inside the pocket the fighter with the longer reach is at a disadvantage and that is a very big disadvantage. So his game is to keep it at a distance whereas the fighter with the shorter reach tries to make it a closer fight or pocket fight.

There is no skill or more skilled in this approach ,it is just knowledge on how to fight a longer fighter as compared to a shorter reach fighter.

Certainly reach has advantages if your opponent allows you to use it.
Gray Maynard beat Nate with entirely heavy strikes on the inside. He knocked down/rocked Nate in every round. Didn't use his best in Division Wrestling at all.
Miller, Diaz, Gomi and many others, learned the hard way. Don't allow Nate's reach to be an issue.

 

[bish0p2004]

I didn't know Nate had 6-10 inches reach advantage on Bendo.

He had a 6 inch reach advantage...and a height advantage.

 

[Synapse]

Reach is nothing special, some of you make to much of it.

It has equal advantages as it does disadvantages. Inside the pocket the fighter with the longer reach is at a disadvantage and that is a very big disadvantage. So his game is to keep it at a distance whereas the fighter with the shorter reach tries to make it a closer fight or pocket fight.

There is no skill or more skilled in this approach, it is just knowledge on how to fight a longer fighter as compared to a shorter reach fighter.

This is an accurate evaluation applied to boxing; it ceases to be true when the longer fighter is a high level greco roman wrestler with an excellent clinch.

I'm not saying it's insurmountable, just nowhere near as cut and dry as you make it out to be.

 

[justblaze717]

Why do people not understand that Jon can use his reach well due to his wrestling? Guys get inside and then get scared because he can hit the clinch TD or trip. Jones wrestling is what makes his reach so effective.

 

[MysticNinjaJay]

Agreed, TS.

Henderson has physical gifts as well but the way he neutralized Diaz's Boxing was masterful. For someone to beat Jon Jones they are going to have to come at him with an effective gameplan and be better than him in certain aspects of the game. That's not going to be easy because he's so well-rounded. Saying that he wins because of his reach is misguided because while he has tremendous reach and uses it effectively there are ways to get around reach. Henderson vs. Diaz is a good example.

 

[SnapTheLankyGuy]

People on sherdog just don't understand the disadvantages of height/reach

In fact, height gets you taken down MUCH easier, you will be weaker per weight class the taller you are, easier to submit, ect.

If I'm a wrestler in the UFC, I do not want to be tall (Jones is a freak, 99% of tall guys can't wrestle for crap for their weight class)

As for reach, yes it is an advantage in outside striking but 99% of the time the guys who have longer reach are taller, less coordinated, and easier to ragdoll. So in other words the shorter guy with less reach will be faster, most explosive, and more powerful because he will have more muscle on his frame.

 

[PAPERCLIP30]

To be fair, Nate has had a problem with wrestlers in the past and eats leg kicks all the time.

It isn't very surprising Bendo won.

 

[SnapTheLankyGuy]

What you gain in length, you lose in strength

Shorter guys tend to be better bully type fighters who use their strength to get takedowns and implement their top game with gnp and submissions. They also tend to be more power punchers than taller guys.

Taller guys tend to be better strikers and end up on their backs more so they use their long limbs to submit guys easier.

If one tried to fight like the other, they would almost always lose

I think the misconception on here that height is always good comes from the vestiges of boxing and people's every day lives. I mean, their mom's tell em wow look how tall you are! Girls tell em they want guys to be taller than themselves. Many things with tall have positive connotations.

When it comes to cage fighting though? It just depends on your fighting style.

 

[Rematch]

If you're skilled enough you can beat the shit out of taller and long armed fighter. Don't whine about fighters physical gifts.

People, pay attention. What the TS is saying is that if a fighter has ENOUGH SKILL, he/she can overcome his/her opponent's reach. That statement is not false regardless of the level of skill necessary.

 

[new kid]

What if regular bendo was able to fight stretch Bendo with super long limbs? Who would win?

Close thread.

 

[BrainLeakage]

Reach is but one of many parameters.

People like to simplify and say: "Jones wins because of reach" or "GSP wins because of his athletism", but in reality, it take a whole lot more than one great characteristic to make it in the UFC.

 

[SeattleFightFan]

so did Haglar. and Tyson. and Sherk. and many others.

no one has ever, in the history of combat sports, seriously suggested that reach was everything btw.

Bendo is a very, very skilled fighter. he beat Nate straight up. it was a well executed bout.

 

[Rematch]

so did Haglar. and Tyson. and Sherk. and many others.

no one has ever, in the history of combat sports, seriously suggested that reach was everything btw.

Bendo is a very, very skilled fighter. he beat Nate straight up. it was a well executed bout.

"Jones only wins because of his reach" -everyone that has seriously suggested it.

 

[spin]

reach has never been everything, so we are in no need for a fight to "show" it.

and if we did, fight sports have been around for a long time and this isn't the first time one fighter beat another with a longer reach.