- Joined
- Mar 5, 2016
- Messages
- 7,310
- Reaction score
- 0
I thought that Rothwell was going to finish JDS and I have already eaten all my humble pie. My predictions have not been great lately. Still I don't want people to get all excited about JDS only to have their hopes dashed again.
JDS is a talented athlete, fast, strong, agile, great coordination. He also has a lot of heart and a good chin. In terms of skillset he is a good boxer for MMA, and he is very effective at dictating that fights take place in a boxing format. He has improved his kicks when his opponent is hanging back too, although he's still not super confident with them I think. On the ground or in the clinch just scramble out and box.
He is top 10 but he is never going to be champion again with that skillset, and against the top 5-7 he is going to continue to either have awkward fights where neither fighter is able to impose his game on the other, or he is going to continue to take a lot of damage.
I thought Rothwell would be able to walk JDS down and force him to grapple and trade. If he could have done I have no doubt he would have stopped him, and he has been able to do it to most of his recent opponents, or they have willingly stepped up to him for one reason or another. But against a fast, agile opponent with good footwork he simply wasn't able to catch him, so he got outpointed. Fair enough, those are the rules. It didn't really change my opinion on either fighter.
If you can take JDS down and keep him down you win. Not sure who can do that in 2016 with the time limits and standups. I have never forgotten the end of the fight with Carwin.
If you can put him on the cage and hold him there you win. Velasquez.
Barnett and Cormier have to be mentioned here as well at least potentially. It's a possibility.
If you have the MT and either the speed to keep up with him, or elite counter striking, you win. Overeem did it, Hunt didn't but I wouldn't rule him out in a rematch.
Alternatively you can just match fire with fire and box with him and whoever MMA boxes better wins. Stipe came close, Arlovskii could outbox him but he couldn't take his punches.
So it all adds up to basically JDS is at #5 and he is staying at #5, he's the gatekeeper for contenders. He's in a sh*t position as far as matchmaking goes kind of like Gustafsson, either give him significantly lower ranked guys, or guys who you know are going to give him a beating, and either way almost anyone who looks relevant is a rematch. He is a top 5-7 fighter, and he has a lot of heart, but believe me he can not withstand many more beatings like Velasquez Stipe Overeem, he is only human and he just doesn't have the tools to stop them doing what they do.
JDS is a talented athlete, fast, strong, agile, great coordination. He also has a lot of heart and a good chin. In terms of skillset he is a good boxer for MMA, and he is very effective at dictating that fights take place in a boxing format. He has improved his kicks when his opponent is hanging back too, although he's still not super confident with them I think. On the ground or in the clinch just scramble out and box.
He is top 10 but he is never going to be champion again with that skillset, and against the top 5-7 he is going to continue to either have awkward fights where neither fighter is able to impose his game on the other, or he is going to continue to take a lot of damage.
I thought Rothwell would be able to walk JDS down and force him to grapple and trade. If he could have done I have no doubt he would have stopped him, and he has been able to do it to most of his recent opponents, or they have willingly stepped up to him for one reason or another. But against a fast, agile opponent with good footwork he simply wasn't able to catch him, so he got outpointed. Fair enough, those are the rules. It didn't really change my opinion on either fighter.
If you can take JDS down and keep him down you win. Not sure who can do that in 2016 with the time limits and standups. I have never forgotten the end of the fight with Carwin.
If you can put him on the cage and hold him there you win. Velasquez.
Barnett and Cormier have to be mentioned here as well at least potentially. It's a possibility.
If you have the MT and either the speed to keep up with him, or elite counter striking, you win. Overeem did it, Hunt didn't but I wouldn't rule him out in a rematch.
Alternatively you can just match fire with fire and box with him and whoever MMA boxes better wins. Stipe came close, Arlovskii could outbox him but he couldn't take his punches.
So it all adds up to basically JDS is at #5 and he is staying at #5, he's the gatekeeper for contenders. He's in a sh*t position as far as matchmaking goes kind of like Gustafsson, either give him significantly lower ranked guys, or guys who you know are going to give him a beating, and either way almost anyone who looks relevant is a rematch. He is a top 5-7 fighter, and he has a lot of heart, but believe me he can not withstand many more beatings like Velasquez Stipe Overeem, he is only human and he just doesn't have the tools to stop them doing what they do.
