Laying and praying or spamming takedowns without any control after - Which is worse for the sport?

[wolffanghameha]

Takes more skill: repeated takedowns
Usually more interesting to watch: repeated takedowns
More dangerous if the fight was a one vs one on a harder surface: takedowns

 

[bjjwar]

Who the fuck was fighting like Merab in UFC 1 !?!?!?

True! I’m just saying he’s not a great grappler/wrestler, not a great striker and somehow with limited skills in every aspect of mma he makes up for it with pressure/pace/cardio and not letting his opponent fight and everyone in front of him seems surprised despite being technically better at him at everything. We have a champ with 1 specific strenght that has basically nothing to do with mma and no one could adapt to it after so many fights lol. Just like in the bjj beginning era where no one was prepared for that.

 

[HHJ]

True! I’m just saying he’s not a great grappler/wrestler, not a great striker and somehow with limited skills in every aspect of mma he makes up for it with pressure/pace/cardio and not letting his opponent fight and everyone in front of him seems surprised despite being technically better at him at everything. We have a champ with 1 specific strenght that has basically nothing to do with mma and no one could adapt to it after so many fights lol. Just like in the bjj beginning era where no one was prepared for that.

I don't agree.
There is no mystery.
People know what Merab is doing they just can't stop him from doing it. Those Gracie tactics confounded people back then until sakurba hunted them to extinction

 

[DrRodentia]

If you get taken down 20 times yet you could not put any striking offense, I don't see how you should win, same for cage control.

What is the opponent that is being taken down 20 times doing to win? Regardless of what you may think, taking someone down repeatedly is more offensive in a fight than getting up repeatedly and being forced back down.

If you are able to control someone's body to the point they are only playing defense and trying to re-establish an advantageous position for themselves but failing repeatedly, you are winning, like it or not.

It's boring, maybe, but how can you justify that the person doing the controlling in these situation isn't winning? The opponent can't stop it.

Edit: I misread your post. We agree. I agree with you.

 

[DrRodentia]

Some people still don't seem to understand that Merab isn't trying to control people on the ground. He isn't worried about letting them get back up. His game is letting people get back up so he can battle them back down and sap their energy. Over and over again.

He's not GSP. His goal isn't to get to the ground so he can work from there. His goal is to stay in constant scrambling, dirty boxing, clinching situations where he thrives and plays to his strengths while his opponents tire. His comfort zone is in the car crash to takedown spaces.

Fighting to get up constantly costs energy. That's Merab's weapon.

 

[bjjwar]

I don't agree.
There is no mystery.
People know what Merab is doing they just can't stop him from doing it. Those Gracie tactics confounded people back then until sakurba hunted them to extinction

I’m also kind of saying we are back to « no skill » times when everyone had limited mma skills. In 2025 every fighter should be as polished as possible in every aspect of mma. Yet you have a dude like Merab beating everyone by cardio alone lol.

I don’t even see how he could have beaten a prime Dillashaw 10 yrs ago, but somehow now he gets away with this tactic. Umar should be able to take it in a rematch tough if he just focuses on cardio.