News Rico Verhoeven, kickboxing champion, sparring with Ngannou to prepare for Gane fight

[Iron Nick]

Yeah he’s tall, low body fat and a world class fighter, I’d believe it

His bodyfat is a little high and he just barely squeaks by the 6'4" height requirement but indeed he is large enough to be a Sherdoger.

Great minds think alike!

 

[Steve Fox]

you don't know what i'm talking about. i'm talking about Rico, he's not light on his feet. he stands squared up, high guard, and comes plodding forward. he doesn't move around the way Gane does using angles.

take it easy buddy, nobody is arguing Francis isn't strong.

I don't understand how is there any argument about this. Your analysis is spot on!

 

[Dorkman]

Good guy to get rounds in with. I don't know that he's as quick as Cyril seems to be, but he's definitely way more tenured as a top level kick boxer. Cyril attacks with finer skill which is rare for HW strikers in the UFC, so good to be able to go with a guy with elite level striking skill. Hard to find guys that big and that skilled.

 

[fizzlehiss]

are you mentally ill lol Saddik is top3 HW kickboxer right now, not some "unknown" you ignorant bum, he's a 6'9" giant with tons of power and an unbelievable chin, he's a great win for Rico

Last fight was 3 years ago before Rico, nice division. Keep defending your roidbaby.

 

[Dan Torrance]

Fernand Lopez shitting his pants right now

pics? @bigwaverider

 

[Dan Torrance]

He should bring in a sumo guy as well IMHO.

 

[HunterAcosta]

Thick, solid , tight, athletic and explosive. Francis too.

 

[moreorless87]

Yeah, Ngannou's last performance was very, very good. I was quite surprised at how technical his striking looked. Whether he should stay technical against Gane idk. I tend to think he would be better off feinting a bit to get Gane to back up, cut the cage a bit and then windmill of death him.

Gane by decision is always a good bet, the dude is a machine.

Really I think thats what Ngannou should be focusing on, getting Gane backed up to the cage so he can unload on him.

I would say as well I think Gane's movement hasnt REALLY been tested yet, he's looked good but compared to guys like say Machida or Crocop I don't think he's really had a good opponent go after him, mostly he's been able to circle off fairly slowly rather than having to get out the back door.

He's also not really had to show really dangerous counters like Machida and Crocop's straights or Mirko's bodykick, he's just been able to work over opponents at range not had to have them really respect his power.

Doesnt mean he can't do those things but I would say theres significant uncertainty whether he can.

 

[Georges St Pierre]

Not sure if it's a good idea. Rico doesn't fight ANYTHING like Gane. But then again, I'm sure it's difficult to find someone like Gane to spar with.

It doesn't feel like the best idea to me. It sounds good when you hear it but yea

Gane is too fast for Ngannou

 

[Harmonica]

Fernand Lopez shitting his pants right now

You broke character with this post. I suggest you edit it and make it sound like GORO wrote it.

 

[Puerrozan]

You can't find a better partner, nice

 

[Iroh]

this is what i came to say. Verhoven uses his big gloves for the majority of his defense, the same way Ubereem did. he also uses his low kicks to off balance his opponents in exchanges, Gane doesn't. Gane uses timing and volume to open his opponents up, and uses his distance control and footwork for his defense. it's amazing to me how many people can be fans of something for so long and still not understand the differences.

it's like saying training with George Foreman is going to help you fight Mike Tyson.

Just because he doesn't fight the same doesn't mean he can't adapt to fight more like him in training and also have a lot of technical knowledge he can help Ngannou with.IIt really doesn't have to be a carbon copy in order to be beneficial to Ngannou.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Just because he doesn't fight the same doesn't mean he can't adapt to fight more like him in training and also have a lot of technical knowledge he can help Ngannou with.IIt really doesn't have to be a carbon copy in order to be beneficial to Ngannou.

sure, i never said it wasn't beneficial to Ngannou. i think it is. but i don't think it's going to directly translate to success against Gane the way a lot of posters in this thread are acting like it will. he can give knowledge and all that, but so could anyone else. as sparring goes i want the fighter to see the right looks and get comfortable seeing them. without actual evidence that Rico can do this, i'm skeptical. i'm also skeptical of Ngannou being able to realize this. overall he can be a better fighter, but if he thinks what Rico does will be the same as Gane, the same way many posters in this thread obliviously say they're very similar, i think he's going to be in for a rude awakening come fight time.

we already seen him buy into his own hype once vs Stipe in the first fight.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Not sure if you're brain dead or something but Rico is literally one of the best strikers on the planet. He's proven so many times.

sure, so is Gokan Saki. he still got rekt by a Khalil Rountree. just like Cro Cop got murdered by Gonzaga and so on. DC trained with George Foreman for his 2nd Stipe fight, it didn't make his boxing better.

 

[Chael_Sonnen]

Really I think thats what Ngannou should be focusing on, getting Gane backed up to the cage so he can unload on him.

I would say as well I think Gane's movement hasnt REALLY been tested yet, he's looked good but compared to guys like say Machida or Crocop I don't think he's really had a good opponent go after him, mostly he's been able to circle off fairly slowly rather than having to get out the back door.

He's also not really had to show really dangerous counters like Machida and Crocop's straights or Mirko's bodykick, he's just been able to work over opponents at range not had to have them really respect his power.

Doesnt mean he can't do those things but I would say theres significant uncertainty whether he can.

I totally agree. Ngannou should be looking to get Gane to use his movement to back up, and then cage cut properly so he can't circle out. As you say, Gane hasn't show a dangerous counter game.

Whether Ngannou's footwork is good enough to do that, I don't know. I suspect it isn't.

 

[moreorless87]

I totally agree. Ngannou should be looking to get Gane to use his movement to back up, and then cage cut properly so he can't circle out. As you say, Gane hasn't show a dangerous counter game.

Whether Ngannou's footwork is good enough to do that, I don't know. I suspect it isn't.

The first time Ngannou rushs him will probably be key, even if it doesnt end the fight I think if he can do it and Gane doesnt punish him he'll be free to do it for at least a couple of rounds whilst his cardio holds which will be difficult to deal with.

If Gane pops him with a good straight counter first time though I can see that getting to Francis leading to him backing off much more.

 

[Iroh]

sure, i never said it wasn't beneficial to Ngannou. i think it is. but i don't think it's going to directly translate to success against Gane the way a lot of posters in this thread are acting like it will. he can give knowledge and all that, but so could anyone else. as sparring goes i want the fighter to see the right looks and get comfortable seeing them. without actual evidence that Rico can do this, i'm skeptical. i'm also skeptical of Ngannou being able to realize this. overall he can be a better fighter, but if he thinks what Rico does will be the same as Gane, the same way many posters in this thread obliviously say they're very similar, i think he's going to be in for a rude awakening come fight time.

we already seen him buy into his own hype once vs Stipe in the first fight.

Sure, he's not the best choice for imitating Gane, on first glance, but who is? Gane is more than just the way he moves, he's also very intelligent in the choices he makes. That is definitely what he has in common with Rico, high fight IQ. A lot of people could give technical advise, but not many are as accomplished and experienced a striker as Rico (not to say Rico is the only good choice). Just an example of something you don't immediately would tell, but most likely is kind of 'hidden' knowledge that he possesses because he trained a lot with Tyson Fury, which very possibly gives him a good bit of first hand boxing knowledge he got from training with the best in the world in a different striking sport, than his own. Not to mention all the other people he got to train with since he was young, and all the styles he has seen. He's a great bet for finding some creative solutions to the problems Gane possess. Rico also has a good bit of MMA training experience, so I think he has a pretty good understanding of what works and what to look out for in MMA, Though Gane is mainly a striker, so it's not too much out of Rico's depth regardless.
Rico also has an exemplary winner's & champ mentality and experience, which is something that is always good for a fighter to be surrounded by and can very definitely raise the fighters game up.

Also, on another note, people ITT seem to disregard the possibility of Ngannou bringing in other guys (other than Rico) and possibly someone who can mimic Gane better,
But people want to act like they know exactly what is best for a fighter as soon as little details are known, even though they really don't know at least 95% of how his training camp will actually look.

 

[Chael_Sonnen]

The first time Ngannou rushs him will probably be key, even if it doesnt end the fight I think if he can do it and Gane doesnt punish him he'll be free to do it for at least a couple of rounds whilst his cardio holds which will be difficult to deal with.

If Gane pops him with a good straight counter first time though I can see that getting to Francis leading to him backing off much more.

Yeah, we saw in Stipe 1 he has a round and a half of super dangerous cardio. After that he is still dangerous, but not nearly as much.
In Stipe 2 he was much more measured, and I suspect he would have had around 2.5 rounds of dangerous cardio. If Gane gets to round 3, he is going to have a field day with Francis.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Sure, he's not the best choice for imitating Gane, on first glance, but who is? Gane is more than just the way he moves, he's also very intelligent in the choices he makes. That is definitely what he has in common with Rico, high fight IQ. A lot of people could give technical advise, but not many are as accomplished and experienced a striker as Rico (not to say Rico is the only good choice). Just an example of something you don't immediately would tell, but most likely is kind of 'hidden' knowledge that he possesses because he trained a lot with Tyson Fury, which very possibly gives him a good bit of first hand boxing knowledge he got from training with the best in the world in a different striking sport, than his own. Not to mention all the other people he got to train with since he was young, and all the styles he has seen. He's a great bet for finding some creative solutions to the problems Gane possess. Rico also has a good bit of MMA training experience, so I think he has a pretty good understanding of what works and what to look out for in MMA, Though Gane is mainly a striker, so it's not too much out of Rico's depth regardless.
Rico also has an exemplary winner's & champ mentality and experience, which is something that is always good for a fighter to be surrounded by and can very definitely raise the fighters game up.

Also, on another note, people ITT seem to disregard the possibility of Ngannou bringing in other guys (other than Rico) and possibly someone who can mimic Gane better,
But people want to act like they know exactly what is best for a fighter as soon as little details are known, even though they really don't know at least 95% of how his training camp will actually look.

unless you're apart of Ngannou's camp, most of that is hopeful assumptions. nobody can know what Rico is telling him, nobody knows how much Ngannou has absorbed or even if Rico is telling him good advice. all we can know is that they sparred, and we don't even know how that looks. i'm just saying based on the evidence provided which is literally an instagram post and knowing how humans are and how they are creatures of habit, that i think Rico will find it difficult to fight Gane's style in a sparring match. not that he can't try, not that he sucks or that he can't impart knowledge, but simply that i doubt he can replicate the look. that's it.

i think you may be reading a little too much into that. i think Gane himself is not very tested, he never had to deal with much adversity and Ngannou surely will provide that in spades. we're on a karate forum giving are opinion, that's it, i didn't say Ngannou should hire me or that i know what is best for Ngannou, i'm just a dude giving his opinion like you are.

 

[Pepy]

Verhoeven is a sherdogger too

well, guy is 6'5", 270 lbs ripped so he fits the average around here