News Islam Makhachev vs Rafael Dos Anjos added to UFC 267, Oct. 30th in Abu Dhabi

[rjmbrd]

how many times have we've seen RDA get wrestlefucked again?

I'm sure you were saying this rhetorically but it actually made me stop and try to take an inventory:

- Clay Guida, both shot failed attempts, but Guida got him down for a meaningful amount of time and slammed RDA to the ground in the third. He gets a tap from top control because RDA can't take the pain of his broken jaw. Overall, Guida out wrestled him.

- Tibau, cancelled each other out in wrestling early. Tibau is able to stuff RDA's shots and hurt him badly in a standing exchange, but he secures a take down in the third which seals the win. Watched this fight not long ago so its fresh. Marginally out grappled, but it cost him the fight.

- Khabib, not much needs to be said, he put on a grappling clinic.

- Colby Covington, got RDA almost immediately. Several mat returns. RDA is constantly defending take downs, pressed against the fence, or trying to make space. I've seen this fight a few times and remember it being competitive, but RDA was out wrestled and thats how he lost.

- Usman, he takes RDA down pretty much with ease. He's getting multiple take downs, doing work in RDA's guard, pressuring him against the fence. Overall he just got bullied and out wrestled. Saw this not long ago.

- Chiesa, didn't watch this fight twice but I remember it pretty clearly as a grappling domination win for Chiesa.


Its pretty nuts that RDA is ranked so high at lightweight considering back to back losses at welterweight then a single, split decision win at lightweight, against an opponent with no notice.

Islam gets a 'name' opponent who will be game but he should be a massive, massive favorite here.

 

[TRYHARD 2001]

Enough is enough! RDA has been getting wrestlefucked for like his past 10 fights lmao. He surprised me against Kevin Lee tbh, but Usman, Covington, Chiesa, and Leon all smothered and grinded him to a decision.

Well, to be fair I'm one of the few who had RDA winning a VERY close fight against Covington. He was most certainly not smothered in that one and showed he still has crazy cardio. The other three, sure... but they're really, really huge WW grapplers that probably had 15 pounds or more on RDA come fight night. In that space, RDA also throttled FKL, which is nothing to sneeze at.

At LW, he's been ragdolled by a grand total of one guy... Khabibi. It was complete domination, but we've all seen that Khabib is the LW GOAT by a mile and there's no shame in that. Eevery other grappler he's faced, from Bocek to Bendo to Jason High to prime Guida and Gleison had a nightmare taking him down and all failed to keep him down save Guida who managed to break RDA's jaw and put a light squeeze on there for the tap (weird, weird fight). I'm not saying that RDA hasn't been outgrappled in the past, but if you look at the specifics of those fights he was defending take downs reasonably well and he never stopped scrambling and regaining his feet; and he was doing that against the absolute best WW's in the world when in reality he always should have been competing at 155. He can be outwrestled, but it is really, really hard to do and we saw against Felder that his cardio is still top-notch and he's still hungry.

This is Islam's first really tough matchup against an elite LW and will give us the truest indication of his ability and show whether he really is the second coming of Khabib. For the guys saying Islam will blow RDA out of the water I'll just say that this fight is gonna be way, way closer than you think. Islam has looked amazing lately, he's really come into his own in his last couple fights, but none of those guys can hold a candle to RDA in the grappling department, none have his cardio, and none have that championship pedigree. I can see Makhachev winning this one cuz I'm sold on his skillset and attitude, but this is a very challenging fight for him, from both a physical and stylistic POV.

Is how I see it.

 

[1pedestrian]

why not a good wrestler like Chandler or Dariush?

 

[rjmbrd]

No, it wasn't a domination, Chiesa won 2-1, he recently admitted that he lost that second round to RDA.

RDA lost because he was dominated in grappling 2 of 3 rounds. Pretty straight forward and marks the point, RDA was out grappled in another fight.

RDA also choked out Kevin Lee, another wrestler, so not everytime RDA falls short against wrestlers, also defeated Neil, although Neil isn't exactly a wrestler but still, he knows how to wrestle.

Kevin Lee and losing a big fight, name a more iconic duo. Kevin got the ever loving dogshit beaten out of him by part time fighter Ragin Al. Who cares? He's inconsistent to say the least.

It is embarrassing to bring up Neil Magny and wrestling in the same sentence. Its literally his weakness.

RDA doesn't have any other choice but fight Islam.

He signed to fight Islam long before he was ranked, and it fell apart because of Covid. Not much to see here. Either way, RDA is ranked too high for a single split decision win at lightweight against a short notice opponent. He is a huge dog in this fight.

 

[Ackmed]

RDA lost because he was dominated in grappling 2 of 3 rounds. Pretty straight forward and marks the point, RDA was out grappled in another fight.



Kevin Lee and losing a big fight, name a more iconic duo. Kevin got the ever loving dogshit beaten out of him by part time fighter Ragin Al. Who cares? He's inconsistent to say the least.

It is embarrassing to bring up Neil Magny and wrestling in the same sentence. Its literally his weakness.



He signed to fight Islam long before he was ranked, and it fell apart because of Covid. Not much to see here. Either way, RDA is ranked too high for a single split decision win at lightweight against a short notice opponent. He is a huge dog in this fight.

Lots of comments of "so and so is ranked too high" or "so and so is ranked too low" but rarely do you guys suggest how you feel the LW rankings should look like...it's all relative. If RDA's #7 at LW is too high u should have no problem listing well over 7 ofher LWs who you feel should be ranked above him and why

 

[rjmbrd]

Lots of comments of "so and so is ranked too high" or "so and so is ranked too low" but rarely do you guys suggest how you feel the LW rankings should look like...it's all relative. If RDA's #7 at LW is too high u should have no problem listing well over 7 ofher LWs who you feel should be ranked above him and why

Well, yes.

It should be common sense being gone from the lightweight division for over a year, losing back to back fights, and winning a single split decision against a short notice opponent shouldn't in of itself rank you so highly.

Generally speaking, the rankings are not appropriately weighed and you get weird distortions like this. There should be an activity requirement within the division to be ranked at all.

 

[Ackmed]

Well, yes.

It should be common sense being gone from the lightweight division for over a year, losing back to back fights, and winning a single split decision against a short notice opponent shouldn't in of itself rank you so highly.

Generally speaking, the rankings are not appropriately weighed and you get weird distortions like this. There should be an activity requirement within the division to be ranked at all.

Is that a No to being able to list over 7 opponents that you feel should be ranked above RDA?

 

[rjmbrd]

Is that a No to being able to list over 7 opponents that you feel should be ranked above RDA?

I don't think RDA should be ranked at all in the top 10.

You are suggesting every time someone makes a comment in passing that someone is ranked too high, they should pull up the records of the top 50 and sort a weighted list of everyone who belongs ahead of them?

Good luck with that.

 

[rjmbrd]

Kevin Lee choked out Chiesa.

So did Masvidal, and he sucks at BJJ. What is your point?

The guy was a cartoonishly big lightweight who was killing himself to make weight. He's a big welterweight now.

RDA is a former LW champ, who actually defended his title once, unlike Eddie Alvarez and Conor, so when he returned to LW division, after being ranked at the top of WW division, of course he could be ranked that high, even if his win against Felder wasn't that impressive, still win is a win, that split decision was wrong btw, even Felder didn't think he won.

That is not how rankings should work.

You cannot have your peers fight on your behalf. If you are not active in the division and winning fights, the people who are should be ahead of you.

 

[Ackmed]

I don't think RDA should be ranked at all in the top 10.

You are suggesting every time someone makes a comment in passing that someone is ranked too high, they should pull up the records of the top 50 and sort a weighted list of everyone who belongs ahead of them?

Good luck with that.

Not ever time, but it'll show that you put in some thought before making your "point"

There probably aren't 10 LWs that meet your criteria of having a top 10 rank, if you think RDA shouldn't be in the top 10.

 

[RayA]

Well, to be fair I'm one of the few who had RDA winning a VERY close fight against Covington. He was most certainly not smothered in that one and showed he still has crazy cardio. The other three, sure... but they're really, really huge WW grapplers that probably had 15 pounds or more on RDA come fight night. In that space, RDA also throttled FKL, which is nothing to sneeze at.

At LW, he's been ragdolled by a grand total of one guy... Khabibi. It was complete domination, but we've all seen that Khabib is the LW GOAT by a mile and there's no shame in that. Eevery other grappler he's faced, from Bocek to Bendo to Jason High to prime Guida and Gleison had a nightmare taking him down and all failed to keep him down save Guida who managed to break RDA's jaw and put a light squeeze on there for the tap (weird, weird fight). I'm not saying that RDA hasn't been outgrappled in the past, but if you look at the specifics of those fights he was defending take downs reasonably well and he never stopped scrambling and regaining his feet; and he was doing that against the absolute best WW's in the world when in reality he always should have been competing at 155. He can be outwrestled, but it is really, really hard to do and we saw against Felder that his cardio is still top-notch and he's still hungry.

This is Islam's first really tough matchup against an elite LW and will give us the truest indication of his ability and show whether he really is the second coming of Khabib. For the guys saying Islam will blow RDA out of the water I'll just say that this fight is gonna be way, way closer than you think. Islam has looked amazing lately, he's really come into his own in his last couple fights, but none of those guys can hold a candle to RDA in the grappling department, none have his cardio, and none have that championship pedigree. I can see Makhachev winning this one cuz I'm sold on his skillset and attitude, but this is a very challenging fight for him, from both a physical and stylistic POV.

Is how I see it.

I was kinda joking with my overall attitude, but you're looking very far back into his career though when you mention Guida. That was over a decade ago, RDA is 36 now and this will be his second fight back at LW after being forced to fight at Welterweight for like 10 fights due to a hard weight cut. So while those grapplers that smothered him out were at a weight class above, he's still not necessarily I'm the clear back down at LW.
Side note, RDA really put it to Colby and made him work for that win, but it wasn't "very close". It was a just a hard fought win.

 

[TRYHARD 2001]

I was kinda joking with my overall attitude, but you're looking very far back into his career though when you mention Guida. That was over a decade ago, RDA is 36 now and this will be his second fight back at LW after being forced to fight at Welterweight for like 10 fights due to a hard weight cut. So while those grapplers that smothered him out were at a weight class above, he's still not necessarily I'm the clear back down at LW.
Side note, RDA really put it to Colby and made him work for that win, but it wasn't "very close". It was a just a hard fought win.

We'll agree to disagree on that one.