I think it's safe to say this guy is probably the top submission guy in the UFC. Just a few years ago though, his standup looked pretty amateur and unimpressive. I remember him flopping on the ground against Overeem, not wanting anything to do with exchanging. How does a guy go from that , to complete destruction of his last few victims? Although a few of them were not really top talents(russow, nelson, browne). But the way he beat them was a big surprise. Also, he is now 38, It's quite impressive that he seemed to improve that much over this time. You rarely see anyone re-invent themselves like this. (Robbie Lawler, though he got better in different ways) Do you guys think he is that damn good, or was competition weak? It can't be that easy, he has to be a great athlete, or else why wouldn't Damien Maya train the same way? He could go from mediocre to great if he had good striking.
those are weak wins. Weak wins would be him beating someone like ruan potts. Russow was 15-1 and 4-0 in the ufc, Nelson is always dangerous, and Browne was coming off 3 straight ko's and was 1 fight from a title fight, also koing hunt and subbing cain is insane, so saying his comp is weak is a ridiculous statement, his resume of opponents is fantastic throughout his career.
Maybe you miss-read what I wrote. I said they were not top talents. Not weak competition. Do you beleive Russow, Browne and Nelson are top talents ? Also you says they are weak wins and then you say it is ridiculous?
i consider anyone within the top 15 to be pretty much top talents, but im assuming your definition of top talent is the absolute elite of the division, difference of opinion i guess
Yet nobody answer the original question of the TS Shertards be trying to sound smart and find flaws in OP argument. I don't know either, and I'm also curious 'bout how he improved so much in a shark tank (Nelson Cain Browne Hunt. say whatever those are dangerous mofos) I guess it has something to do w/Rafael Cordeiro ?? Impressive nonetheless. I always liked the guy, now I'm a fan of his sloppy yet agressive striking combos, don't get me wrong, but I expect Cain to give him a tougher challenge although I rather Werdum as champ (more fun more charismatic)
Browne and Nelson are definitely top talents. Russow was on a role when Werdum beat him as well. Those are high quality wins.
I really think the guy just hit his stride and started putting everything together in the gym. He always had talent but it is obvious he really started focusing on sealing up the holes in his game and it worked extremely well. I'm a fan. He's the kind of champ the UFC needs right now. And whether Dana realizes it or not, he's well embraced by the mexican-american community - which is the market the ufc is clearly trying damn hard to appeal to. I hope he holds the belt for a few years, we need talent AND character in one package, he's clearly got the goods.
Werdum has had good standup for a long time. He just used to look more awkward when striking. He outlanded AA (2 of 3 rounds) in a boring fight but kept butt flopping in that one too so he lost a decision. He also outlanded Overeem but kept butt flopping. Doesn't look good to judges. In most of his fights he out landed his opponents (except on rare occasions like the 1st Nog fight) He is more confident in his striking now so that also helps.
His real breakthrough fight for me was his fight with Nelson. Werdum looked like he belonged in GLORY in that fight his Muay Thai was crisp and he looked like a completely different animal than his previous UFC days
maybe in terms of bjj, but in terms of bjj use in mma, werdum is a monster. Subbing guys like Overeem, fedor, nog, cain.
Ok maybe I did not explain well. Nelson will NEVER win the Title. Russow will NEVER win the title. So any up and cummer has to and will beat these guys in order to get a title shot. Does not mean they are the best fighter, it just means you are approaching the top. You will still need to see them beat a better fighter to be convinced they can be a champion/
Cain will crush him in the rematch and then probably get hurt again and sit on the belt for another year.
Yes. And after watching that, I was saying, "where the hell did this come from?" Wow, now this guy is starting to look very scary
Cain will be drilling how to deal with a double collar clinch. Will his adjustments be enough? We will have to wait and see.
Ouch! Really? Bold prediction. Werdum looked really great and used his length very well. If he can do that again, he will have a good chance. I expect Cain to put on much better performance though. I think this will be a different fight.
