- Joined
- Aug 25, 2019
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Watching the McGregor / Cerrone fight, multiple times, I don't think it was a 'fixed' fight, per se.
I think Cerrone just flat-out quit ... curred-out, sulled-up ... and basically just gave up the ghost, not wanting to take the abuse. Donald Cerrone is no longer "a fighter" in my eyes, but a caricature of a fighter. His last great effort was against Tony Ferguson, but his back-to-back blowout losses to Gaethje and McGregor should push Cerrone so far down the list, he shouldn't even be in the Top 15.
The real story, however, in my eyes, is how Conor seems to have authentically-rejuvenated himself. I also like that Conor is no longer running his mouth, like he has in the past, so he may actually win me back as a fan if he keeps this up.
I was impressed with how Conor was using his whole body as a weapon in that fight. He has become a true "martial artist" again, using every part of his body as a weapon. His shoulders, his knees, foot-stomping, elbows—Conor uses every tool he can possibly use to injure his opponent.
This is actually one of the things I like about Usman: he uses his shoulders, stomps feet, etc. also. Usman spends every second trying to hurt his opponent, in some way, with 'some' body part. I believe Conor not only is targeting Usman, he's actually learning from Usman's style.
In a similar fashion, Conor also came flying out there, almost with a flying knee, reminiscent of Jorge Masvidal's entrance against Askren. I think Conor is studying Masvidal's success as well. If you will recall, Conor used to come out fast, but always in that long "karateka stance." This time, he came running out, guns-a-blazin', flying knee, like Masvidal, and then began a series of successive blows, with everything he had, including hard shoulders, like Usman often does.
I think Conor really intends to stay at 170, to face Usman and Masvidal, so it makes sense that he's also studying both of their styles intently, adopting what's effective. Although there wasn't much to last night's fight, I think Conor is athletic enough, strong enough, fast enough, and hits hard enough that he will beat Masvidal. Badly, actually. I think Conor would destroy Justin Gaethje, who is slow and stupid compared to Conor.
All in all, I was really impressed with Conor's comeback, even though I was disappointed with the result. Conor is one of the very few people who, at his best, is a true martial artist, using many different tools, and conditioning himself in many important ways, which is what I think will put him in an advantage over most.
I don't think he will beat Usman or Khabib, but I think he can beat just about anybody else at lightweight or middleweight.
I think Cerrone just flat-out quit ... curred-out, sulled-up ... and basically just gave up the ghost, not wanting to take the abuse. Donald Cerrone is no longer "a fighter" in my eyes, but a caricature of a fighter. His last great effort was against Tony Ferguson, but his back-to-back blowout losses to Gaethje and McGregor should push Cerrone so far down the list, he shouldn't even be in the Top 15.
The real story, however, in my eyes, is how Conor seems to have authentically-rejuvenated himself. I also like that Conor is no longer running his mouth, like he has in the past, so he may actually win me back as a fan if he keeps this up.
I was impressed with how Conor was using his whole body as a weapon in that fight. He has become a true "martial artist" again, using every part of his body as a weapon. His shoulders, his knees, foot-stomping, elbows—Conor uses every tool he can possibly use to injure his opponent.
This is actually one of the things I like about Usman: he uses his shoulders, stomps feet, etc. also. Usman spends every second trying to hurt his opponent, in some way, with 'some' body part. I believe Conor not only is targeting Usman, he's actually learning from Usman's style.
In a similar fashion, Conor also came flying out there, almost with a flying knee, reminiscent of Jorge Masvidal's entrance against Askren. I think Conor is studying Masvidal's success as well. If you will recall, Conor used to come out fast, but always in that long "karateka stance." This time, he came running out, guns-a-blazin', flying knee, like Masvidal, and then began a series of successive blows, with everything he had, including hard shoulders, like Usman often does.
I think Conor really intends to stay at 170, to face Usman and Masvidal, so it makes sense that he's also studying both of their styles intently, adopting what's effective. Although there wasn't much to last night's fight, I think Conor is athletic enough, strong enough, fast enough, and hits hard enough that he will beat Masvidal. Badly, actually. I think Conor would destroy Justin Gaethje, who is slow and stupid compared to Conor.
All in all, I was really impressed with Conor's comeback, even though I was disappointed with the result. Conor is one of the very few people who, at his best, is a true martial artist, using many different tools, and conditioning himself in many important ways, which is what I think will put him in an advantage over most.
I don't think he will beat Usman or Khabib, but I think he can beat just about anybody else at lightweight or middleweight.
