I'm not dogging you, but I find it laughable that people would say he lacks fight IQ after people said he was a wizard for beating Palhares.
I don't quite see your point, unless those are the same people. People are always going to have different views on fighters. Some think that BJ Penn has balls the size of pumpkins because he used to fight anyone back in the day, and still fights above his weight. Other people think that BJ Penn quits when he gets beat up and lacks heart.
Especially for fighters like Alan Belcher, who has shown flashes of excellence and moments that were less impressive, one would expect fans to be polarized.
I don't think he looked horrible, just had some instances where things didn't turn out they way he wanted. Sounds just like fighting.
Well, I just think that when you do the same thing in round 1 and round 2, and lose both rounds very clearly, then it's time to switch it up in round 3. Hell, some fighters even have the ability to adapt in the middle of the round.
A lot of people in this thread are saying "Okami was just too good." I'm guessing none of those people are MMA instructors. At least, I wouldn't want someone like that as my instructor, if that's the extent of their analytical abilities.
It's not like Alan Belcher did all the right things and it still wasn't enough. He made a lot of basic mistakes, and was unable to adjust or listen to his cornermen, Duke Roufus and Ben Askren, who plainly pointed out what he needed to do. When a wrestler is coming forward with punches to set up a takedown, don't move backwards. Hell, moving backwards is generally a bad idea anyway, but one would imagine that footwork was something Alan Belcher had trained on extensively before an Okami fight.
His stand up game plan was flawed, but going for submissions has nothing to do with it. He is a high level submission artist that believes he can submit anyone. His overall gameplan seemed to be "I can beat you anywhere so I don't need a gameplan." Honestly the only planning done was to try and land the head kick. Thats it. At this level you really do need a game plan. His team failed him, and failed him big.
I disagree on both counts.
A) Going for submissions has nothing to do with it. Uhm, it has a lot to do with it. Like GSP says, being a mixed martial artist is all about finding the type of attack that maximizes your chance of success, and minimizes your opponent's chance of success. If you have superior striking, strike. If you have superior grappling, grapple. If you have superior cardio, keep a high pace. If you have inferior cardio, control the pace. In a pure striking match, Alan Belcher beats Okami 9 times out of 10. Does he beat Okami 9 times out of 10 in a grappling match? I don't think so. I can see why he went for submissions when he had two rounds in the hole and desperately needed a finish. It was do or die. But not in the first two rounds.
B) His team failed him, he needed a game plan. Uhm, did you not listen to the advice he was getting from his corner? His corner told him exactly what to do, and he did the opposite. Duke Roufus is one of the best coaches in MMA, and there's no way anyone can blame him for the mistakes mentioned in this thread.
