Can JDS come back any better than now?

[Eyepokesftw]

He's never been the same since he divorced his wife and replaced her with his stunning girlfriend...

Honesty, if he reunites with his Ex-wife we'll see the JDS we used to see. We need the younger version of JDS back.

 

[Rylo Ken]

Hard to say, I've seen some of the greatest, strongest, smartest warriors fall early. The one known as JDS has the potential but the one Big Ben may put the final nail in his coffin.

 

[Dead Kennedy]

He got his soul taken and his career shortened by Cain. He's getting gun shy. No offense to Overeem or anything but that was JDS's fight to lose, and lose he did.

 

[Dead Kennedy]

He's never been the same since he divorced his wife and replaced her with his stunning girlfriend...

Honesty, if he reunites with his Ex-wife we'll see the JDS we used to see. We need the younger version of JDS back.

Agreed, he can always keep a side Hoe for those long lonely nights.

 

[FrontNakedChoke]

That last video was not very impressive.

I have Rothwell finishing Junior in the first round.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

He's failed to evolve more than anything. Ben for example has gone from a tough journeyman with limited skills to a tough elite HW with great grappling and underrated striking.

JDS is still the exact same fighter he was all those years ago when he debuted. No grappling, no defence, just power and speed in his strikes.

Ben has always been a big, powerful hitter with good striking skills. People on these forums just don't know much of anything beyond what Joe Rogan bellows at them. Go look at his endless KO run in the IFL. What I do feel has improved dramatically are his grappling and cardio, and his confidence along with them.

 

[JKS]

How much can ATT revitalize out of Junior? Although I agree that we shouldn't be quick to call a certain fighter "shot" but he did look gun shy to me against Overeem.

A lot! Not only the physical training and preparation but also the strategy and rounding out his game. I know for his fight with Overeem he worked heavily on his wrestling, which he didnt really use but its good to have for development. The issue with JDS in the Overeem fight was that he expected Overeem to fight a certain way and he fought a different way and JDS took too long to adapt before he went after him mid round 2. I think that having a new camp and fighting with new game plans takes a fight or two to adjust to. Coming from Luiz Doria being his coach its very different. His next fight will tell us a lot.

 

[CJohnny]

He was always a good fighter. Never was great. Good boxing, good TDD. But that's it. He always had to rely on his chin to win fights. I mean, he took some huge bombs from Nelson and Carwin who would probably KO anyone else. His defense was always terrible. Even John Dodson can hit JDS clean. I think he is still a good fighter for HW terms, but he has just been figured out and has been fighting against much more intelligent and overall better fighters who doesn't rely on just power to win fights. JDS just happened to have the combination to be a good HW which is great chin and power. As a fighter he always had major flaws in offense and defense and Cain exposed that.

 

[RondaDrowsy]

I still can't believe JDS lost to Reem Lol. holy shit that fight was awful.

I still fully expect JDS to give Rothwell a beatdown.

 

[Fight Professor]

He lost confidence in his hands. Without it he does not have much to offer.

 

[Maryse]

He was always a good fighter. Never was great. Good boxing, good TDD. But that's it. He always had to rely on his chin to win fights. I mean, he took some huge bombs from Nelson and Carwin who would probably KO anyone else. His defense was always terrible. Even John Dodson can hit JDS clean. I think he is still a good fighter for HW terms, but he has just been figured out and has been fighting against much more intelligent and overall better fighters who doesn't rely on just power to win fights. JDS just happened to have the combination to be a good HW which is great chin and power. As a fighter he always had major flaws in offense and defense and Cain exposed that.

Exactly. Fact is without Juniors chin being as good as it is Nelson and Carwin probably would have KO'd him. Most other HW's would have been done with some of the shots they landed on him. He's too one dimensional, and he's one dimensional at that one dimension. He's just an offensive striker with little else to offer.

Ben has always been a big, powerful hitter with good striking skills. People on these forums just don't know much of anything beyond what Joe Rogan bellows at them. Go look at his endless KO run in the IFL. What I do feel has improved dramatically are his grappling and cardio, and his confidence along with them.

His striking has come along way since he was KOing nobodies and other journeymen. He's grown into his own style and uses it really well thesedays. Even defensively Big Ben is really good now, he doesn't actually get hit that much for a big lumbering HW.

 

[TheHermit]

maybe -- and only if he incorporates other aspects of mma in a game plan that does not rely heavily on his boxing.

 

[Flokk]

We traded JDS for Cain and all we got was 2 years of utter stagnation. Too bad we can't get a refund.

He's definitely become more gunshy. Blueprint to beat him is on file. Chin is half-cracked. Hasn't fixed the holes in his game. Still a scary guy, still has power (less speed now for sure) and it's not TOO too late, but the smart money is on him never wearing gold again.

That being said, at HW you just never know.

 

[Jawth]

Better than he looked against Reem? Sure. Better than he used to be? Hell no, he's taken a ton of damage and not just from Cain. Took a lot of shots from Stipe and then got finished vs. Reem. Rothwell is not an easy fight either and I'm honestly taking Ben.

 

[linvillegorge]

Honestly, I doubt it. He just never evolved beyond an athletic guy who had good TDD, hit like a truck, had a great chin, and had pretty good offensive boxing skills. That's probably a borderline top 10 type fighter in most divisions, but that's a top flight contender at HW.

If he had better right IQ and had worked on his defense, I think he could've potentially gone down as one of the top HWs of all time. Instead, his career highlight is a lunch a lot of people consider to be a fluke, especially considering the outcomes of the second and third fights vs. Cain.

 

[The Don]

A lot! Not only the physical training and preparation but also the strategy and rounding out his game. I know for his fight with Overeem he worked heavily on his wrestling, which he didnt really use but its good to have for development. The issue with JDS in the Overeem fight was that he expected Overeem to fight a certain way and he fought a different way and JDS took too long to adapt before he went after him mid round 2. I think that having a new camp and fighting with new game plans takes a fight or two to adjust to. Coming from Luiz Doria being his coach its very different. His next fight will tell us a lot.

He seemed gun shy to me against Overeem, a characteristic others have attributed to fighters nearing retirement. Hopefully you're right though and his showing against Overeem was just a minor transitional error.

It's interesting to note though, that you can somewhat see JDS's slow deterioration from his last three fights. Took another savage beating from Cain, had another war after that against Stipe in which he looked a little slow to me, in my honest opinion and then took a nasty left by Overeem that rendered him unconscious.

I honestly believe the hellacious beatings he received from Cain literally took years of his career, and as much as I feel that phrase is overused and cliche, I think it's unfortunately the case for JDS. Do you see it differently?

 

[Lightfoot]

I don't get why people are shitting all over JDS rather than giving Reem credit where it's due for that fight. JDS was gunshy because Reem was constantly swapping stances, moving in and out of range and slipping when he did throw looking to counter. If he had just rushed forward guns blazing, the counter hook he ate in round 2 would've come that much earlier.

Reem has a propensity to lose fights he should win on paper, but people are sleeping on him if they don't recognize his very high level striking skills and massive power. JDS didn't look shot to me, particularly not with the flurry he threw right before getting slept.

 

[RetiredSlave]

I believe he can cause I love that guy. Such a nice man but then ya see the uppercut he landed on Werdum and realize hes capable of killing people with a punch before they even hit the ground.

 

[YesMySon]

JDS and Cain got so used to fighting each other that they forgot how to fight other people.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

He was always a good fighter. Never was great. Good boxing, good TDD. But that's it. He always had to rely on his chin to win fights. I mean, he took some huge bombs from Nelson and Carwin who would probably KO anyone else. His defense was always terrible. Even John Dodson can hit JDS clean. I think he is still a good fighter for HW terms, but he has just been figured out and has been fighting against much more intelligent and overall better fighters who doesn't rely on just power to win fights. JDS just happened to have the combination to be a good HW which is great chin and power. As a fighter he always had major flaws in offense and defense and Cain exposed that.

Look out, everyone, it's the "he just began to face better competition" guy.

Here's an enigma for you. If age and experience aren't factors, and Cain simply exposed his "major flaws," then what did Werdum do to Cain, and what did JDS do to Werdum? It looks like everyone is just a mediocre competitor benefitting from some fortunate circumstances, in your little fantasy world.