- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
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First, allow me.
<mma2>
Like most (all) of you, I have been very disappointed in Rashad for a long time now. He was one of the very best in the world- and of all time- when he dominated Phil Davis. That win has only gotten better with age, but he has not performed well since then, aside from his stylistically-favorable fight with Chael. Rashad is one of the most gun-shy fighters. He has lost tight decisions to guys whom he should've beaten, if not destroyed. He lost narrowly, but he lost comfortably, too. The Nogueira, Kelly, and Alvey fights were all winnable, but there was no urgency shown. I felt like he lost all 3.
I have always blamed his skid on his mental state, but the truth is, if his physical state was better, he'd probably be in a better mental state. I think he has struggled in the gym for many years now. He has lost his shot; Rashad used to have one of the best takedowns in the sport. That's a takedown that should have been there for him in all 3 of those aforementioned decision losses, especially against Rogerio (which would have been the biggest win). But I think Rashad has lost faith in his takedown ability and has doubts about his cardio if he starts working for a takedown. It's actually quite reasonable, if true, but he needs to force a change because he's been gradually reducing himself to a guy who throws punches with enough power to keep his opponent at a distance so he won't ever have to really engage. He finds a spot at the end of his opponent's jab and stays there for 3 rounds.
Rashad reminds me so much of Tito Ortiz 7-10 years ago. Tito was so tough, but he was also a gun-shy fighter who had lost faith in his wrestling/cardio (after rd 1) and seemed content to lose decisions rather than risk getting hurt late in the fight and try to make something happen. Ironically, Rashad was one of those guys that battled Tito during those days, and their fights really helped put Tito's decline and Rashad's ascension in perspective.
I can't ask for him to be in 2012 condition. I can't ask for his double-leg to be sharp. I only want to see him try his hardest to win a fight- that's it. I just want to see the effort from Rashad. I want him to leave everything in the cage, win or lose. Anthony Smith just might be the guy to bring that out of him.
At first, I considered this matchup to be awful for Rashad. Smith is a violent fighter, and, as a fan, I feel almost protective of Rashad and would prefer to see him fight someone less violent. There are no lambs in the UFC, but, stylistically, I considered Spicely to be the perfect opponent for Rashad. Rashad has never been submitted, so I figured matching him up against more a of a grappler might be good for his confidence. But that's bullshit. That would be almost enabling Rashad. Honestly, Spicely may have given him problems on his feet anyway, but even if Rashad would've fought him and won, I think he would have been on cruise control.
Smith is truly one of the most versatile "Kill or be killed" fighters in the sport. He has finished 26 of his 28 wins and been finished in 12 of his 13 losses, with both wins and losses being almost even in KOs and subs. He's got grit, too, which won't make it easy on Rashad. Before his last fight, he had 3 late comeback KO wins. To do that at the UFC level- especially after having been finished earlier by lesser fighters- is very fuckin impressive. With his height, reach, and youth advantage, Smith is the clear favorite in this fight. But, when he's being stalked by the violent finisher, it just might be time for Rashad to bite down on his mouthpiece and see what happens. Whether it's with takedowns or strikes, I expect Rashad to have no choice but to "go for it" in this one. I think, if he gets the W or even just performs well, he will permit himself to retire. This fight is about washing the taste out of his mouth from the last two perfomances.
I compared Rashad to Tito earlier, and I can't help but wonder how great the reaction would be if Rashad finished his opponent after being on such a shitty skid. Beating Smith on FightPass could never compete with beating Bader on PPV, but I believe it would be one of the greatest moments in his career.
WAR RASHAD!!!!!!
TL;DR: Pretty dull shit, honestly. I provided evidence of Rashad doing cocaine (paragraph 2). I speculated that Rashad was part of a drug ring in New Mexico 10 years ago (paragraph 4). And I found dirty pictures of Anthony Smith's sister in Rashad's gym bag (paragraph 10). Dull, like I said. You're not missing much.
<mma2>
Like most (all) of you, I have been very disappointed in Rashad for a long time now. He was one of the very best in the world- and of all time- when he dominated Phil Davis. That win has only gotten better with age, but he has not performed well since then, aside from his stylistically-favorable fight with Chael. Rashad is one of the most gun-shy fighters. He has lost tight decisions to guys whom he should've beaten, if not destroyed. He lost narrowly, but he lost comfortably, too. The Nogueira, Kelly, and Alvey fights were all winnable, but there was no urgency shown. I felt like he lost all 3.
I have always blamed his skid on his mental state, but the truth is, if his physical state was better, he'd probably be in a better mental state. I think he has struggled in the gym for many years now. He has lost his shot; Rashad used to have one of the best takedowns in the sport. That's a takedown that should have been there for him in all 3 of those aforementioned decision losses, especially against Rogerio (which would have been the biggest win). But I think Rashad has lost faith in his takedown ability and has doubts about his cardio if he starts working for a takedown. It's actually quite reasonable, if true, but he needs to force a change because he's been gradually reducing himself to a guy who throws punches with enough power to keep his opponent at a distance so he won't ever have to really engage. He finds a spot at the end of his opponent's jab and stays there for 3 rounds.
Rashad reminds me so much of Tito Ortiz 7-10 years ago. Tito was so tough, but he was also a gun-shy fighter who had lost faith in his wrestling/cardio (after rd 1) and seemed content to lose decisions rather than risk getting hurt late in the fight and try to make something happen. Ironically, Rashad was one of those guys that battled Tito during those days, and their fights really helped put Tito's decline and Rashad's ascension in perspective.
I can't ask for him to be in 2012 condition. I can't ask for his double-leg to be sharp. I only want to see him try his hardest to win a fight- that's it. I just want to see the effort from Rashad. I want him to leave everything in the cage, win or lose. Anthony Smith just might be the guy to bring that out of him.
At first, I considered this matchup to be awful for Rashad. Smith is a violent fighter, and, as a fan, I feel almost protective of Rashad and would prefer to see him fight someone less violent. There are no lambs in the UFC, but, stylistically, I considered Spicely to be the perfect opponent for Rashad. Rashad has never been submitted, so I figured matching him up against more a of a grappler might be good for his confidence. But that's bullshit. That would be almost enabling Rashad. Honestly, Spicely may have given him problems on his feet anyway, but even if Rashad would've fought him and won, I think he would have been on cruise control.
Smith is truly one of the most versatile "Kill or be killed" fighters in the sport. He has finished 26 of his 28 wins and been finished in 12 of his 13 losses, with both wins and losses being almost even in KOs and subs. He's got grit, too, which won't make it easy on Rashad. Before his last fight, he had 3 late comeback KO wins. To do that at the UFC level- especially after having been finished earlier by lesser fighters- is very fuckin impressive. With his height, reach, and youth advantage, Smith is the clear favorite in this fight. But, when he's being stalked by the violent finisher, it just might be time for Rashad to bite down on his mouthpiece and see what happens. Whether it's with takedowns or strikes, I expect Rashad to have no choice but to "go for it" in this one. I think, if he gets the W or even just performs well, he will permit himself to retire. This fight is about washing the taste out of his mouth from the last two perfomances.
I compared Rashad to Tito earlier, and I can't help but wonder how great the reaction would be if Rashad finished his opponent after being on such a shitty skid. Beating Smith on FightPass could never compete with beating Bader on PPV, but I believe it would be one of the greatest moments in his career.
WAR RASHAD!!!!!!
TL;DR: Pretty dull shit, honestly. I provided evidence of Rashad doing cocaine (paragraph 2). I speculated that Rashad was part of a drug ring in New Mexico 10 years ago (paragraph 4). And I found dirty pictures of Anthony Smith's sister in Rashad's gym bag (paragraph 10). Dull, like I said. You're not missing much.
