Is Shavkat overhyped?

blaseblase

blaseblase

Silver Belt
Joined
Feb 28, 2023
Messages
12,168
Reaction score
23,474
He's being treated as the boogeyman of the welterweight division, the guy whose going to take the belt and run the division. But imo his last two fights have revealed two flaws in his current skill set.

1. His offensive takedown game is average. He struggled against Neal. And while he did eventually get Wonderboy down in the second, a high level wrestler should have manhandled Wonderboy from the opening round.

2. His striking defense is pretty poor. He's very easy to hit. He's showing a great chin but the fact he's getting hit like that is not a great sign for career longevity.

Don't get me wrong, he's an amazing talent and that perfect finishing rate is insane. But I don't see the guy who fought Geoff Neal beating Leon Edwards. Leon is the better striker and has already handled the two best wrestlers in the division. I'm rooting for Shavkat as Leon is fairly boring to watch but I wouldn't favor him as of now.
 
no he is not overhyped. because he has proven himself every step of the way. of course he has some flaws but his strengths set him apart. he is very offensive and it leaves him open at times, but he will always look for the finish. he comes forward to do damage and control and is willing to engage, maybe a bit too much at times.

but he can finish his opponents in the first round or the last round, because he is always looking to inflict damage and finish. you dont get a 100% finish rate with 10 (t)ko's and 8 submissions 18 fights into your carreer and be called overhyped
 
blaseblase said:
I'm talking overhyped as in everyone is talking about him running the division and I don't see him beating Leon without improvements in his game.
Click to expand...
Fair point, but the guy has that unpredictability factor as well. He does wild shit that's hard to train for.

I do agree that he gets reckless with his defense though. Leon might catch him if he starts dropping his hands down by his waist.

Will be interesting to see if he sharpens up his defense aspects.
 
I'm guessing that Shavkat is hyped to be the next WW champion. If that's the case, then no, he's not overhyped. If he is hyped to be the GOAT WW, then yes, he would be overhyped.

If it is the former, then no, he's not overhyped because he's a fighter who is 29 years old, 18-0 with 18 finishes, 6-0 in the UFC, with wins over 3 UFC mid level guys, and 3 top 15 contenders, including a finish over Stephen Thompson. I doubt you can find anyone else with a similar resume at this point in their career. The closest would be Khabib, Jon Jones and Khamzat. Except Shavkat had all finishes while Khabib, Jones and Khamzat had some decisions. I believe they didn't have 3 wins over top 15 guys by their 6th fight either.

There were plenty of undefeated prospects in the UFC before, but I can't think of one who had 3 finishes over top 15 guys.
 
Last edited:
blaseblase said:
I'm talking overhyped as in everyone is talking about him running the division and I don't see him beating Leon without improvements in his game.
Click to expand...
Leon has a very high skillset. He also has shown an ability to raise his level. He put in a lot of work on his wrestling training for Usman the last 2 times. He has a tendency to coast at times and Shavkat walks forward like a zombie. I can't wait to see them in the ring together. Book it Dana!
 
Killer instinct with a high work rate looking for the finish from the bell.

Definitely has the makings of a champion but he does need to tighten up with his defense. He at times does struggle up until he finds a way.

I do see fighters with high iq giving him problems ala Leon and possibly Belal.
 
RichardHarrow said:
Killer instinct with a high work rate looking for the finish from the bell.

Definitely has the makings of a champion but he does need to tighten up with his defense. He at times does struggle up until he finds a way.

I do see fighters with high iq giving him problems ala Leon and possibly Belal.
Click to expand...
He also needs to learn the murican way of ducking fights and being a diva.

He wants to fight Jack Della Magdalena next for no reason... he should be aiming for Colbi, Usman or Belal. A win there and he fights for the title. Beating Jack does not do much for him IMO
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,265,209
Messages
57,327,313
Members
175,646
Latest member
Volodymyr_D

Share this page

Back
Top