Champions and their kryptonite

G10 said:
Sa, Sherbros!

I've been thinking about stylistic matchups lately, and pondering on the champions and their weaknesses. These are my thoughts about what kind of fighter would match up best with each champion, and who best fits the description. I want to hear your thoughts on my assessment, and if you disagree, who/what's a better matchup. NO HYPOTHETICALS!!! Current contenders, only.

HW: Francis Ngannou. This is pretty straightforward. The ideal fighter to beat Ngannou is someone who either has a strong chin/good striking defense, above average cardio, and ideally a strong offensive grappling game. Best opponent on the roster I see that fits this bill is Volkov.

LHW: Jan Blachowicz. He's a little trickier because of how well rounded he is. If I were to envision a fighter to beat Polish Power, I'd want a guy who was a fast, athletic striker who can fight smart for five rounds. Rakic seems to be the guy most likely to fit that profile.

MW: Israel Adesanya. Very straightforward. A relentless, well-conditioned wrestler who won't be tricked into running into a counter. Honestly, Vettori seems like he most fits the description.

WW: Kamaru Usman. Really tough to figure out who matches up with Usman. I guess I would have to say a good striker with excellent TDD, but honestly, that may not be enough to beat him right now. Stephen Thompson, maybe?

LW: Charles Oliveira. I like Do Bronx a lot, but I think anybody with decent defensive grappling and lots of power in his strikes is a bad matchup for him. There are a few guys in the division who fit that description.

FW: Alexander Volkanovski. Probably the hardest one to imagine. He's just too damn well-rounded. I'll say someone that can do everything, but maybe just a little better. KZ maybe?

BW: Aljamain Sterling. Not even gonna say it.

FLW: Deiveson Figueirdo. Tough call. Definitely must have great cardio and a strong chin. Otherwise, not sure who beats. Askarov?

I'm skipping the women's MMA divisions because Nunes and Shevchenko are too good, and Strawweight is crazy already. Otherwise, give it to me, Sherbros!
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I think it's younger Stipe and Gane. Not Volkov
 
G10 said:
Fair point. I guess if I were to envision a style matchup for Nunes, I guess she would have to be an elite striker with exceptional TDD and defensive grappling. I'm not sure who there is in the current WBW division that fits that description best. All of them seem to be either strikers with poor TDD or grapplers with poor striking. Can you think of anybody in the division besides GDR?
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Not really. I would love a Cyborg rematch, but unfortunately, there aren't many top 135 or 145 women fighters
 
Hey Soos said:
I don't see anyone beating Kamaru. I feel as though he is going to be the next gsp.
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Same here. His striking is improving a lot between fights, so it's hard to bet on just a good sprawl & brawler to come in and beat him. If he keeps getting better in the standup, I'm not sure what it'll take to figure him out.
 
3rdAccount said:
I think it's younger Stipe and Gane. Not Volkov
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Younger Stipe is a hypothetical matchup, so I didn't consider him. As for Gane, I thought about him, but I opted for Volkov based on his experience. Gane might be the real deal, but he's still too early in his career for me to imagine him beating Ngannou.
 
G10 said:
Younger Stipe is a hypothetical matchup, so I didn't consider him. As for Gane, I thought about him, but I opted for Volkov based on his experience. Gane might be the real deal, but he's still too early in his career for me to imagine him beating Ngannou.
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No. It’s not hypothetical. It happened. He beat him and it wasn’t even close. Before you say, “that was a different Ngannou back then,” I can also say Stipe wasn’t the same in the rematch.
 
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fuck i don't really like usman but i gotta admit it he's probably gonna be the ufc goat if he continue to win
 
13Seconds said:
Let's be real here: Ngannou and Usman have currently no known weakness.
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Ngannou no known weakness XDDD good joke. I honestly think the top 10 heavyweight wrestlers in the world could beat him with a couple months of training.

Usman is actually a super well rounded fighter. I agree with the people saying Wonderboy can give him problems, but also think Colby can give him problems in a rematch. I think his biggest threat will be Khamzat when he gets some more experience. He's another guy with a huge frame, probably a better wrestler than Usman, tough as absolute nails, pop in his hands, and has that x-factor that all great champs have where you just can't see anyone beating him in your head. If they fought tomorrow you'd have to pick the champ though - he's just not experienced enough.
 
I'm trying to figure out why a lot of people think that vettori is gonna beat Izzy this time. Dude had a hard time with short notice Holland. Izzy is going to make it look easy this go round.
Also, Volkov has the chin to withstand an Ngannou punch? Did you not see the Derrick Lewis fight?
 
J-Pac said:
Ngannou no known weakness XDDD good joke. I honestly think the top 10 heavyweight wrestlers in the world could beat him with a couple months of training.

Usman is actually a super well rounded fighter. I agree with the people saying Wonderboy can give him problems, but also think Colby can give him problems in a rematch. I think his biggest threat will be Khamzat when he gets some more experience. He's another guy with a huge frame, probably a better wrestler than Usman, tough as absolute nails, pop in his hands, and has that x-factor that all great champs have where you just can't see anyone beating him in your head. If they fought tomorrow you'd have to pick the champ though - he's just not experienced enough.
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Ngannou beat Blaydes twice. Probably the best wrestler in the division right now. Subbed Anthony Hamilton a NCJAA all american wrestler. Keep trolling son.
 
KingBeef said:
I'm trying to figure out why a lot of people think that vettori is gonna beat Izzy this time. Dude had a hard time with short notice Holland. Izzy is going to make it look easy this go round.
Also, Volkov has the chin to withstand an Ngannou punch? Did you not see the Derrick Lewis fight?
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I said strong chin/good striking defense. Trust me, I don't think Volkov's chin is anything like a Roy Nelson or Mark Hunt, but his defense is better than people give credit for. The guy has over forty pro fights, but he's only been KOed twice. Of course, Ngannou can knock anybody out, but unlike Derrick Lewis, he hasn't yet proven that he can carry his power into later rounds. I'd favor Ngannou in a fight between the two of them, but I think Volkov currently poses the worst stylistic challenge for Ngannou.
 
Jojomojo said:
Ngannou - Gane
Jan - Jiri or Rakic
Izzy - noone really, most likely is Vettori or wrestlin' Whittaker
Usman - Wonderboy, but not really "kryptonite"
Do Bronx - Gaethje
Volk - Max
Yan (still chmap in my book) - maybe Font? I dont think Yan gets beaten anytime soon.
Figgy - CCC
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Why Gaethje.
 
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