Media Just rewatched Yan/Merab II for the 3rd time

[fortheo]

Lawler broke rory in that fight. Merab was still coming for more In round 5. I wouldn't count him out just yet

 

[accolyte1022]

..waht?

I think he's talking about neanderthal DNA, pretty common in MMA threads... on the 'dawg.

 

[Russie]

I only watched it once. I don't feel it was a beating that would send him on downward spiral. He can come back from that. Yan was on point and fought masterfully. Merab had a hell of year probably should not have tried to force that fight in the 2025 calendar.

 

[Thy]

I have a feeling like he has insanely high DNA percentage.

For a lot of random people in Eurasia it's like 6%.

Imagine if he's like 8-10%.

That's like practically having a Neanderthal great grandparent lol.

I dunno, but it cracks me up how he's always giggling in between his goofy bad ideas.

 

[Streeter]

Unless Yan got a lucky fight.

It can happen. Yan comes in without injuries in the best shape of his life, and Merab comes in with injuries and not in his best shape. The result is Merab unable to employ his gameplan and Yan's striking makes the difference.

I'm not saying this is what happened. But it could be the case. And if it is, I would expect Merab to win the rematch.

Don't think this is like Pereria v Ank where Pereria wax clearly just not himself rarely throwing any serious strikes for 5 rds then running g through him in re match when hes right. Yan is just better n spaming tds is Merabs only weapon. Yan actually has better grappling control

But you never know which Yan you get .
Umar v Yan is fight to make and I cant stand tbe Caucasus fighters but its most interesting fight. I dont need to see Omalley laid on for 15 or 25 min first.

 

[Alpha_T83]

Don't think this is like Pereria v Ank where Pereria wax clearly just not himself rarely throwing any serious strikes for 5 rds then running g through him in re match when hes right. Yan is just better n spaming tds is Merabs only weapon. Yan actually has better grappling control

But you never know which Yan you get .
Umar v Yan is fight to make and I cant stand tbe Caucasus fighters but its most interesting fight. I dont need to see Omalley laid on for 15 or 25 min first.

I don't think we can say that.

Merab fought 4 times in 12 months. You think he was at 100%?

And what is the probability that Yan comes into the rematch with no injuries in peak shape? I could very easily envisage a much closer rematch.

 

[Streeter]

I don't think we can say that.

Merab fought 4 times in 12 months. You think he was at 100%?

And what is the probability that Yan comes into the rematch with no injuries in peak shape? I could very easily envisage a much closer rematch.

If Merab added power to his strikes hes got chance . Yan has close to Aldo level tdd , power in his shots , and better ground control than Merab. Imo the first fight qas more likely the fluke than tbe 2nd. Yan is just the better fighter when on point and I rooted for Merab .

To win hes got to be able to stsnd and do damage

 

[Alpha_T83]

If Merab added power to his strikes hes got chance . Yan has close to Aldo level tdd , power in his shots , and better ground control than Merab. Imo the first fight qas more likely the fluke than tbe 2nd. Yan is just the better fighter when on point and I rooted for Merab .

To win hes got to be able to stsnd and do damage

It's also possible that Merab had an injury and just couldn't put his full body power into his takedowns.

You'd be surprised how much that can affect you. I had soft tissue damage that literally would not allow me to incline chest press at a certain angle (left side). Most of the time it didn't bother me in grappling, but every once in a while I would hit a position where the pain was intense and I would have to back off.

If that's the case, we could see Merab make the takedowns look easy in the rematch.

 

[TheMMAnalyst]

Watched it like 5 times…don’t think I can ever get tired of watching it.

 

[Kratos94]

I think Yan will win the trilogy fight similar to how the second went. Merab likely isn't getting much better at this point of his career either.

 

[RockyLockridge]

I don't think we can say that.

Merab fought 4 times in 12 months. You think he was at 100%?

And what is the probability that Yan comes into the rematch with no injuries in peak shape? I could very easily envisage a much closer rematch.

I think that it's a forgone conclusion that the rubber match will be closer. I highly doubt it will be more one sided than the first two affairs

 

[Dorkman]

that and redlining his body for 4 title defenses in a year.

He just turned 35 2 weeks ago too. He is getting into the scary side of the 30's for guys at lower weights. And who knows where his head is at. His title run he was fighting with supreme confidence, and it allowed him to operate at his peak. If that confidence is now not so bulletproof, and will he pose any where near the same threat this time around because of it? Lot of questions surrounding merab at the moment

 

[ExitLUPin]

Lawler broke rory in that fight. Merab was still coming for more In round 5. I wouldn't count him out just yet

This. Anyone comparing the 2 fights is off their rocker:



Rory's nose was also permanently damaged from that fight. He's suffered multiple breaks and chronic instability since which even affects his life outside of fighting. Wonderboy, a year later, showed his nose wouldn't be the same. He barely did anything in that fight after his nose got damaged again. 2 years later, when Mousasi mauled him, there was a punch in the finishing sequence that hit him right on the nose, and Rory immediately turned back and tapped the mat. It was brutal to watch.

Merab took an ass-whooping, but I don't think he was permanently damaged or that discouraged from the fight. I think Paddy took a more career altering beating last night than Merab did.

 

[Streeter]

I think that it's a forgone conclusion that the rubber match will be closer. I highly doubt it will be more one sided than the first two affairs

If Yan is right I think it will be one sided. As what is Merab better at ? Trying g to get yske demons that he cant really get and even if he does he cant keep him down more than a feemw seconds? His only weapon is cardio and against Yan thats not much as Yan has good cardio himself. I think Yan knocks him out in 2nd or 3rd in trilogy

 

[taugrim]

Unless Yan got a lucky fight.

It can happen. Yan comes in without injuries in the best shape of his life, and Merab comes in with injuries and not in his best shape. The result is Merab unable to employ his gameplan and Yan's striking makes the difference.

I'm not saying this is what happened. But it could be the case. And if it is, I would expect Merab to win the rematch.

I doubt it was lucky.

Yan has the right skill set to counter Merab. He has excellent striking, excellent grappling / TDD, and excellent cardio.

No one else in the division aside from Yan has all 3 to the same extent.

Yan is a better striker than Umar.
Unlike Suga, Yan can defend against TDs and get back to his feet.
Song is like a lesser Yan, but Yan's striking is far more technical.

FWIW, I thought Merab was going to beat Yan in the rematch. But Yan's entire striking game plan, TDD, and cardio were on point.

Against everyone else, Merab bullies the shit ouit of them. I don't think the beatdown he took changes that.

I thought going back to the 1st Aljo fight that Yan was going to be the champ. Then he did the illegal knee and got backpacked in the rematch. Then lost a surprisingly competitive fight against Suga that he probably should have won.

Styles make fights, as the saying goes. I hope Merab can make changes and make the 3rd fight competitive.

 

[RockyLockridge]

If Yan is right I think it will be one sided. As what is Merab better at ? Trying g to get yske demons that he cant really get and even if he does he cant keep him down more than a feemw seconds? His only weapon is cardio and against Yan thats not much as Yan has good cardio himself. I think Yan knocks him out in 2nd or 3rd in trilogy

It's just that the first 2 fights were so one sided I can't imagine a 3rd fight being even more one sided. I Scored both 50-45. I guess Yan could finish him or get a knock down I suppose but I can't imagine merab having less success than his last out. Less success than no success is just hard for me to imagine lol

 

[Streeter]

It's just that the first 2 fights were so one sided I can't imagine a 3rd fight being even more one sided. I Scored both 50-45. I guess Yan could finish him or get a knock down I suppose but I can't imagine merab having less success than his last out. Less success than no success is just hard for me to imagine lol

I dont Yan will care about tbe tds an just tee off on him in rd 2. For some reason Yan refuses to ever engage in rd 1 he treats it as 5 min warm up session.

 

[Mmmmmmma1234]

I don't think we can say that.

Merab fought 4 times in 12 months. You think he was at 100%?

And what is the probability that Yan comes into the rematch with no injuries in peak shape? I could very easily envisage a much closer rematch.

Yan's not going to come in injured he made that mistake the first fight.

Typically the trilogy fight goes worse for the guy who lost the second fight. Stipe vs DC, Chuck vs Randy, GSP vs Hughes, Edgar vs Maynard, Cruz vs Faber, Melendez vs Thompson, sylvia vs Arlovski.

 

[RockyLockridge]

I dont Yan will care about tbe tds an just tee off on him in rd 2. For some reason Yan refuses to ever engage in rd 1 he treats it as 5 min warm up session.

Huge fan of Yan and I can't wait for that fight. One of the few times I'd rather watch an immediate rematch than anything else the division has to offer

 

[Streeter]

Huge fan of Yan and I can't wait for that fight. One of the few times I'd rather watch an immediate rematch than anything else the division has to offer

I rather have Omalley or Umar honestly. But Merab deserves the rematch for his activity.