MarcusV1984
White Belt
- Joined
- May 4, 2014
- Messages
- 82
- Reaction score
- 0
Sometimes gameplans don't work in MMA because of the nature of the sport.
Besides Shogun/Machida I, in which the strategy was to weaken Lyoto's movement with leg kicks, was good, but didn't get him the win.
What TJ did over the course of 4 1/2 rounds was outstanding. He literally re-wrote the book on MMA striking.
The keys are this: He avoided Barao's speed, didn't allow him to create angles, didn't allow him to pick up on TJ's timing, and struck from his own angles.
Lateral movement: Fast footwork, darting in several directions to avoid angles made Barao's simple Muay Thai strategy null in void. Barao couldn't time TJ and ended up swinging at air most of the time.
Head movement: There is little to no head movement in MMA. It is mostly reserved for boxing. Standard kickboxing and muay thai train fighters to stand in front of their opponent and hope to overload with shots, counter punch, and create angles. Dillashaw trained fast head movement to avoid Barao's speed.
Feints/Unpredictability: This simply cannot be taught. TJ was practically the most unpredictable I've ever seen. Albeit some head kicks that were telegraphed, TJ was moving so much and feinting so much, that the standard Muay Thai that Barao is used to put him in another world. Barao did not know what was coming, and literally just stood in front of TJ, waiting to be punched.
Angles: With all of the first 3 keys in place, TJ could effectively strike when he wanted, and what he wanted with. He switched stances and his Barao with left straights, then he switched and went with overhand rights. Then he came at him with left high kicks.
Overall it was brilliant. Just brilliant. This is how you counter a fast, powerful, Muay Thai striker. It's not easy. But TJ made it look easy. How he was able to do it within a single camp is astonishing. The real test is to see what we will see next from him. He's probably got Mizugaki, Assuncao, and Cruz on the horizon. I think the Cruz fight will be interesting.
Besides Shogun/Machida I, in which the strategy was to weaken Lyoto's movement with leg kicks, was good, but didn't get him the win.
What TJ did over the course of 4 1/2 rounds was outstanding. He literally re-wrote the book on MMA striking.
The keys are this: He avoided Barao's speed, didn't allow him to create angles, didn't allow him to pick up on TJ's timing, and struck from his own angles.
Lateral movement: Fast footwork, darting in several directions to avoid angles made Barao's simple Muay Thai strategy null in void. Barao couldn't time TJ and ended up swinging at air most of the time.
Head movement: There is little to no head movement in MMA. It is mostly reserved for boxing. Standard kickboxing and muay thai train fighters to stand in front of their opponent and hope to overload with shots, counter punch, and create angles. Dillashaw trained fast head movement to avoid Barao's speed.
Feints/Unpredictability: This simply cannot be taught. TJ was practically the most unpredictable I've ever seen. Albeit some head kicks that were telegraphed, TJ was moving so much and feinting so much, that the standard Muay Thai that Barao is used to put him in another world. Barao did not know what was coming, and literally just stood in front of TJ, waiting to be punched.
Angles: With all of the first 3 keys in place, TJ could effectively strike when he wanted, and what he wanted with. He switched stances and his Barao with left straights, then he switched and went with overhand rights. Then he came at him with left high kicks.
Overall it was brilliant. Just brilliant. This is how you counter a fast, powerful, Muay Thai striker. It's not easy. But TJ made it look easy. How he was able to do it within a single camp is astonishing. The real test is to see what we will see next from him. He's probably got Mizugaki, Assuncao, and Cruz on the horizon. I think the Cruz fight will be interesting.
