Blanchfield couldn't take Taila Santos down, Valentina did.

[xhaydenx]

This 'dumb' Val person is the current flyweight champ. My point is, if Santos can give Val problems, then the girl who controlled her for 8 minutes the other day might be pose some problems as well.

Also, the people who are disparaging Blanchfield for not being able to take Santos down should remember that even female khabib can struggle landing the TD sometimes (vs Nina). She had her way with her in rds 1-2 but then went 0-4 on TDs in the 3rd and ended the fight getting bullied and lit up.

I never called Val dumb. I said she went for some dumb tds. And no, she's not the flw champ haha. How many beers have you had that you've gone back in time, lad?

Erin can give anyone problems, but its a different type of problem. She's shown that she can really struggle to secure tds against girls who are either competent grapplers or just super strong. Just because Santos was able to reverse around Val and hit some reactive tds, doesn't mean Erin's going to be able to do the same. Val's a very good defensive clinch grappler, while Santos isn't really. Holding Santos up against the cage like that while not being able to mount any offense or tds for so long doesn't give m confidence that she'll be able to do the same against Val.

Tatiana had an injury flare up in round 3. You could easily tell something was wrong with her. And no, Nina didn't bully her and light her up lol. You should maybe go and re-watch that round. 4 mins in and Anik literally says that Nina hasn't been able to land anything significant. Tatiana used her striking and had Nina on the back foot for most of the round. Nina landed a nice kick and a punch in the final minute and then ended the fight with a flurry that didn't really do anything except make Tat cover up. Nina didn't even actually land the more strikes that round, so if NIna was lighting her up then I guess Tatiana was lighting her up more?

 

[YungSithLxrd]

I wouldn't dismiss her just bc of that. Sterling couldn't get Sean down but Yan did repeatedly. Sterling couldn't get Moraes down when they fought either but Merab did. Also Valentina is old now and though she's not washed, her physical decline was noticeable against Grasso

 

[CPH]

I never called Val dumb. I said she went for some dumb tds. And no, she's not the flw champ haha. How many beers have you had that you've gone back in time, lad?

wtf was that indeed... pardon me - I should have said: 'the fighter still considered to be at the top of the heap'

Erin can give anyone problems, but its a different type of problem. She's shown that she can really struggle to secure tds against girls who are either competent grapplers or just super strong. Just because Santos was able to reverse around Val and hit some reactive tds, doesn't mean Erin's going to be able to do the same. Val's a very good defensive clinch grappler, while Santos isn't really. Holding Santos up against the cage like that while not being able to mount any offense or tds for so long doesn't give m confidence that she'll be able to do the same against Val.

I never said that she could do the same things. 'Different problems' is correct. My point was: if she can handle Santos's wrestling and athleticism, she's a problem for anyone, including Val. I don't agree that Val is a better defensive clinch grappler than Santos. Technically, maybe, but Santos didn't just reverse her - she also tripped and folded her repeatedly. Also worth noting that she could do none of this vs Blanchfield.

 

[sfer1]

Eh doesn't matter...she got taken down but ended up on top. I can't remember Santos taken her down other than that. Anyway, Santos had nothing left in the tank by the 3rd round.

She ended up on top not because of something she did right, but because of sheer luck. Santos gassed out getting back up. Erin getting lucky is what changed the dynamic of a fight she was comfortably losing until then. I don't think getting lucky is a skill, but that's me.

 

[xhaydenx]

wtf was that indeed... pardon me - I should have said: 'the fighter still considered to be at the top of the heap'



I never said that she could do the same things. 'Different problems' is correct. My point was: if she can handle Santos's wrestling and athleticism, she's a problem for anyone, including Val. I don't agree that Val is a better defensive clinch grappler than Santos. Technically, maybe, but Santos didn't just reverse her - she also tripped and folded her repeatedly. Also worth noting that she could do none of this vs Blanchfield.

Val still being at the top of the heap makes more sense lol.

I do think Erin is going to be a problem for Val as well, but I just don't think it'll be as easy. Just because Santos got the better of the grappling exchanges against Val, doesn't mean Erin will against Val because she just did against Santos. It just doesn't always work that way.

Santos relied a lot on strength and the fact that Erin's technique wasn't overly great to stall Erin in the clinch. It worked less and less for Santos the more she slowed and as her athleticism waned. Unless Val has lost a lot of her fitness, she's going to be carrying her cardio and athleticism a lot later into the fight than someone like Santos can. People like to just say it was because of the headbutt, but Santos was slowing massively against Val in the champ rounds.

Santos was able to hit those reversals on Val because Val was doing weird shit. It was like she thought she had something to prove by trying to take Santos down from bad positions. Felt like the first sign in a while that Val is slipping. She never used to try such risky things.

Val made other mistakes against Santos as well. She kept repeatedly striking her way into clinches that she was then overpowered in while her younger, stronger opponent wasn't tired. She didn't learn from this the entire fight, which is unusual for Val because when something doesn't work for her during the fight, she almost immediately addresses it the next round, as she did against Maia.

I definitely think Erin will have her clinch time against Val, but I don't see it going further than that unless Val is trying dumb reversals rather than just safe grappling to disengage.

Maybe Val doesn't have the fitness for it these days, but if she does I see her getting back to her somewhat uneventful evasive style rather how she fought Santos. I don't think Erin has the skills to deal with that style, but we'll see, I guess.

It's a pretty intriguing matchup, although I just remembered Val has to actually beat Grasso for this to probably come about lol. You accidentally saying Val was the current champ must have got me turned around hahaha.

 

[Rektkid]

She ended up on top not because of something she did right, but because of sheer luck. Santos gassed out getting back up. Erin getting lucky is what changed the dynamic of a fight she was comfortably losing until then. I don't think getting lucky is a skill, but that's me.

Santos didn't gas out getting back up...be shocking if she did! Santos went for a fast start with the intention of putting Erin away early but she failed.

Erin was slowly drowning her with her pressure in the 2nd and by the 3rd Santos had nothing left in the tank.

The fighter with more grit, tenacity and relentless application won...

 

[CPH]

Val still being at the top of the heap makes more sense lol.

I do think Erin is going to be a problem for Val as well, but I just don't think it'll be as easy. Just because Santos got the better of the grappling exchanges against Val, doesn't mean Erin will against Val because she just did against Santos. It just doesn't always work that way.

Santos relied a lot on strength and the fact that Erin's technique wasn't overly great to stall Erin in the clinch. It worked less and less for Santos the more she slowed and as her athleticism waned. Unless Val has lost a lot of her fitness, she's going to be carrying her cardio and athleticism a lot later into the fight than someone like Santos can. People like to just say it was because of the headbutt, but Santos was slowing massively against Val in the champ rounds.

Santos was able to hit those reversals on Val because Val was doing weird shit. It was like she thought she had something to prove by trying to take Santos down from bad positions. Felt like the first sign in a while that Val is slipping. She never used to try such risky things.

Val made other mistakes against Santos as well. She kept repeatedly striking her way into clinches that she was then overpowered in while her younger, stronger opponent wasn't tired. She didn't learn from this the entire fight, which is unusual for Val because when something doesn't work for her during the fight, she almost immediately addresses it the next round, as she did against Maia.

I definitely think Erin will have her clinch time against Val, but I don't see it going further than that unless Val is trying dumb reversals rather than just safe grappling to disengage.

Maybe Val doesn't have the fitness for it these days, but if she does I see her getting back to her somewhat uneventful evasive style rather how she fought Santos. I don't think Erin has the skills to deal with that style, but we'll see, I guess.

It's a pretty intriguing matchup, although I just remembered Val has to actually beat Grasso for this to probably come about lol. You accidentally saying Val was the current champ must have got me turned around hahaha.

Everyone seemed absolutely mystified by the fact that Val kept locking up and attempting to throw Santos, despite having ended up in bad positions again and again, but I didn't think that it was at all unusual. It's 100% been her MO since the MT days, hard coded muscle memory at this point. Val is very safety-oriented - you push her, she will close and throw.

Blanchfield obviously does not pose anywhere close to the same threat on the feet as Santos (or even Maia) did, so Shevchenko should be much more comfortable staying at range with her. Also, I am assuming that Maia is physically stronger than Erin, so this should play in Val's favour as well. And then there is the speed difference. Erin looked slow vs Talia and Val is even faster. Blanchfield should not throw any low kicks vs Shev - they are too slow and leave her wide open. Despite all this, I still give Erin a good chance because she is smart, always comes well-prepared for what the opponent brings and has that high level grappling, which seems to be Val's kryptonite.

 

[xhaydenx]

Everyone seemed absolutely mystified by the fact that Val kept locking up and attempting to throw Santos, despite having ended up in bad positions again and again, but I didn't think that it was at all unusual. It's 100% been her MO since the MT days, hard coded muscle memory at this point. Val is very safety-oriented - you push her, she will close and throw.

Blanchfield obviously does not pose anywhere close to the same threat on the feet as Santos (or even Maia) did, so Shevchenko should be much more comfortable staying at range with her. Also, I am assuming that Maia is physically stronger than Erin, so this should play in Val's favour as well. And then there is the speed difference. Erin looked slow vs Talia and Val is even faster. Blanchfield should not throw any low kicks vs Shev - they are too slow and leave her wide open. Despite all this, I still give Erin a good chance because she is smart, always comes well-prepared for what the opponent brings and has that high level grappling, which seems to be Val's kryptonite.

The 1-2 clinch has def been her MO for years, but that doesn't mean she's known when to not use it. She used it against Maia, got controlled for a whole round, and then avoided falling into that same position for the remainder of the fight. She avoided it against Carmouche completely, knowing that Liz is strong there. It was mind-boggling that she kept doing it to Santos over and over lol.

I don't think Erin is going to be able to do a whole lot against Val. Too slow, not really skilled enough, and Val is likely going to do everything she can to not give Erin the one type of fight she needs. I think we get another boring fight like against Liz if they do end up fighting at some point.

Then again, who knows where Val's at fitness wise. She's not getting any younger and footwork goes fast after a round or two when you're older. I mean, look at Holly: she went from being able to dance around and evade girls like Aldana for five rounds without breaking a sweat, to flat footed and stuck on the spot against super slow Ketlen within like 2 rounds.

I thought she looked pretty fit late against Santos though, and fine against Grasso. Erin will likely run her down and wear her out if she has lost a step though.

 

[CPH]

The 1-2 clinch has def been her MO for years, but that doesn't mean she's known when to not use it. She used it against Maia, got controlled for a whole round, and then avoided falling into that same position for the remainder of the fight. She avoided it against Carmouche completely, knowing that Liz is strong there. It was mind-boggling that she kept doing it to Santos over and over lol.

I don't think Erin is going to be able to do a whole lot against Val. Too slow, not really skilled enough, and Val is likely going to do everything she can to not give Erin the one type of fight she needs. I think we get another boring fight like against Liz if they do end up fighting at some point.

Then again, who knows where Val's at fitness wise. She's not getting any younger and footwork goes fast after a round or two when you're older. I mean, look at Holly: she went from being able to dance around and evade girls like Aldana for five rounds without breaking a sweat, to flat footed and stuck on the spot against super slow Ketlen within like 2 rounds.

I thought she looked pretty fit late against Santos though, and fine against Grasso. Erin will likely run her down and wear her out if she has lost a step though.

The Grasso fight was interesting. At first watch, I thought that Val was cruising when she got caught on that spin. However, having just rewatched the fight recently, I have a diifferent take on it. Grasso won the 1st, Shevchenko did dominate 2 and 3 with her grappling, but in the 4th, she started slowing down; she was coming up way short of the TD attempts, and her speed was waning. Perhaps feeling this, she seemed uncertain, not willing to commit to her left hand or her kicks, just hanging on the outside behind her jab. It looked like she was about to go up 3-1, certainly, but Val was not exactly dominating.

So, this is not in the book on how to beat Val at the moment, but I think that she can be worn down. She's always had this very explosive sanshou-like rhythm; very quick, short hand combinations and kicks, powerful throws, interpersed with a lot of pauses. She can impose that rhythm on opponents because her strikes are hard and dangerous, plus she has a pretty deep arsenal. These things combined cause the opponent to freeze up. They don't want to get hurt or taken down, so they inadvertently give her the breathers she needs. Shevchenko has always been in amazing shape and I am not at all questioning her cardio. I just think that this sort of explosive style simply cannot be sustained over five rounds without those breathers. So back to Blanchfield: if she can find a way to keep the pressure up while staying safe, she might be able to wear Val out and get her to the ground. It won't be easy. When I think of how slow Blanchfield is with her hands and especially her kicks, I fear that Val will counter the fuck out of her, maybe even finish her early. Her speed and kicks might just be too much.

 

[xhaydenx]

The Grasso fight was interesting. At first watch, I thought that Val was cruising when she got caught on that spin. However, having just rewatched the fight recently, I have a diifferent take on it. Grasso won the 1st, Shevchenko did dominate 2 and 3 with her grappling, but in the 4th, she started slowing down; she was coming up way short of the TD attempts, and her speed was waning. Perhaps feeling this, she seemed uncertain, not willing to commit to her left hand or her kicks, just hanging on the outside behind her jab. It looked like she was about to go up 3-1, certainly, but Val was not exactly dominating.

So, this is not in the book on how to beat Val at the moment, but I think that she can be worn down. She's always had this very explosive sanshou-like rhythm; very quick, short hand combinations and kicks, powerful throws, interpersed with a lot of pauses. She can impose that rhythm on opponents because her strikes are hard and dangerous, plus she has a pretty deep arsenal. These things combined cause the opponent to freeze up. They don't want to get hurt or taken down, so they inadvertently give her the breathers she needs. Shevchenko has always been in amazing shape and I am not at all questioning her cardio. I just think that this sort of explosive style simply cannot be sustained over five rounds without those breathers. So back to Blanchfield: if she can find a way to keep the pressure up while staying safe, she might be able to wear Val out and get her to the ground. It won't be easy. When I think of how slow Blanchfield is with her hands and especially her kicks, I fear that Val will counter the fuck out of her, maybe even finish her early. Her speed and kicks might just be too much.

I pretty much agree.

I think Val can maintain that style of fighting for 5 rounds, so long as she's not blitzing into clinches too much. It's the grappling that slows her. She used to be able to move around and counter and blitz occassionally for 5 rounds with zero slow down. A lot of it was just her being evasive, which wasn't that taxing on her.

I think it's becoming a bit harder to do all that now that she's older, but still possible. Erin really is too slow on the feet to strike with her, but perhaps she can just sort of cut her off and hunt her down to clinch.