Has Jiri become underrated?

[Bend NvR Break]

Gaethje may not be a bad comparison but I feel he doesn't get the same hate/dismissal following a loss the way Jiri has.

Agreed.
I've always seen one in the other since jiri came around.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

Both Reyes and Rakic hurt him a few times... I think this Hill fight is a great test .

Reyes almost turned his his lights out. He was a fraction of an inch or a millimeter or 2 away from sleeping jiri. Jiri survived and made him pay.
That's an awesome fight.
At the the of the fight I felt bad for Reyes because I know there was a moment when he thought he had the fight in the bag and well it didn't go that way.

 

[Pequeño Corey]

He did ok in UFC. Alex is just a bad matchup for him. He trucks most of these other guys as long as his chin holds up.

 

[HHJ]

MMA fans are sissies that's all.

Ya gotta a guy coming in w total reckless homicidal intent and these nu fans are all like omg eww where is the prototype create-a-fighter boxer/wrestler, my brain can't take this

 

[HHJ]

Reyes almost turned his his lights out. He was a fraction of an inch or a millimeter or 2 away from sleeping jiri. Jiri survived and made him pay.
That's an awesome fight.
At the the of the fight I felt bad for Reyes because I know there was a moment when he thought he had the fight in the bag and well it didn't go that way.

He didn't have it at all. Jiri came to so fast he had no time to think of that.

I more feel bad for Reyes because he died in that fight.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

If Poatan is a 5 star fighter, Jiri is like a 4.5.

.5 is enough difference you can see it. Most everyone else at LHW is a 4 or lower.

Jiri may be different, but you can't really say anything about results. He finishes most everyone not named Alex Pereira, and that is tangible, you can see it in his record.

 

[HHJ]

He has looked small and frail upon his return and and showed no real adaptability and learning in the rematch against AP. It's reasonable to be cautious that he's been figured out.

I mean did you even see the match?

I doubt anyone can just replicate what Poatan did there

 

[Blond]

He has skills and I am a fan, but he seems like he is high risk for going downhill fast over the course of 1-2 fights

 

[HHJ]

He has skills and I am a fan, but he seems like he is high risk for going downhill fast over the course of 1-2 fights

Downhill fast? He lost to the same guy, who beats everyone

 

[Blond]

Downhill fast? He lost to the same guy, who beats everyone

A knockout loss is a knockout loss - you can only take so many of those

 

[HHJ]

A knockout loss is a knockout loss - you can only take so many of those

Poatan got a knockout loss

 

[A Very Serious Cat]

I'm a fan win or lose. You know when Jiri is fighting he's going to bring it

 

[HHJ]

Some guys got the ultra violence.

This should be celebrated.

 

[Blond]

Poatan got a knockout loss

I would also consider him at high risk of deteriorating fast, especially if he has one or two more fights where he takes some bombs

 

[HHJ]

I would also consider him at high risk of deteriorating fast, especially if he has one or two more fights where he takes some bombs

Lol you guys are just waiting for the sky to fall. How boring.

 

[World eater]

That's definitely one way to look at it and you're right if entertainment is your man desire.

My main desire is seeing the actual best in the world trying to be the best first and foremost. That's my entertainment. Win at all cost.

We just like different things.

In any sport, there is a period of “innocence” when not all is figured out. Then comes the period where things are figured out and adapting begins. Then a period of rules adjustment and fine tuning. We are now, at least imho, in a period where fighters strive to achieve greatness at all costs in a fine-tuning period. They do this by adapting to the rules and winning within the ruleset even if the win itself is often questionable. Sure, it is a valid and sound strategy, but winning a staring contest with 20 strikes per round or by hugging against the fence for 25 minutes is a legitimate win, it does nothing for me. A guy who wins through sheet grit by risking it all against opponents with a better skillset is, at least to me, worth infinitely more.
Also, the “best” often prolong their time on the top by beating Veras, Masdivals, Miočićs and Rountrees of this world instead of the rightful #1 contenders. I find this silly, but at the same time don’t blame the fighters, but the org that allows such behaviour.
And to wrap it up, we are occasionally watching the best of one org fight the other best of that org, not necessarily the world.

 

[FreedomCricket]

Jiri is over rated.

 

[JBJ was here]

Jiri is an easy target because he's unorthodox. People think if he went to ATT he'd be come a better fighter, or he'd slowly become some LHW Porier. Meanwhile, all of his success has come because of how different he is from others

Unorthodox, when it works, usually works until it's figured out and then it suddenly doesn't work, even more so for reckless unorthodox. Jiri isn't some freak athlete who can make something work that no one else can make work; any high-level LHW who employs good striking defense, patience, and gameplans appropriately has a good chance to beat him.

And switching camps probably wouldn't help Jiri because he's flat-out nuts.

 

[CroCopsLHK]

When someone goes 0-2 against the champ it becomes very hard seeing them win that gold (again)

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

I mean, literally only one guy has beaten him and he's finished everyone else. Pereira didn't figure him out, he just hit him harder than anyone else did.

Poatan has definitely fgured him out, I don't see a third fight going much better for Jiri. There is no shame in that though. Give me a fighter Alex can't figure out standing up after two fights with them (inb4 the Izzy bow and arrow picture).

Alex saw from Jiri's warm up footage that his gameplan was to counter off the calf kick, however, Jiri had some flaw in his timing that Alex saw and I'm not privy to understanding as I am not a world champion kickboxer, but Alex said before the fight to his team he would be landing the high kick precisely because of this timing flaw.

I mean did you even see the match?

I doubt anyone can just replicate what Poatan did there

Absolutely no one can replicate what Alex did there, as Alex is the best striker in the sport currently, technique-wise. Jiri has a reckless, swarming, unpredictable style that works against everyone else. Alex is a precision sniper with one shot knockout power in all 8 limbs. It's a nightmare matchup for Jiri, and repeat fights will have diminishing returns as he is less and less "unpredictable."

However, this does not at all mean that anyone else in the division is capable of replicating what Poatan did to him until we see it. Jiri is still consensus #2 right behind Ank.