1. Obviously, like everyone else, I am thoroughly impressed with Topuria's all-around game. The boxing is very high level - the footwork, the timing, blocking, rolls, angling off, the the smart shot selection... The way he used the jab to catch Emmett lunging in, again and again, was impressive. And when he finally ran low on gas in the 5th, his wrestling and grappling were there, also very high level. His boxing reminds me of a young Masvidal except that he is much less risk averse. The one knock I have on him is that I think that he takes unnecessary risks in these early exchanges. I hope that he takes a more disciplined approach now that he is in the top 5. There is no need to impress or prove himself. Now is the time to win at all costs.
2. The utter stupidity of MMA corners was once again on full display. Emmett was getting outclassed badly, dropped right and left, and used as a heavy bag. His dumbass coaches simply didn't give a fuck. On top of that, they stopped giving him any technical advice mid way through the fight, sending him off with bum lines like "swing hard, bite down on your mouthpiece, fuck it". If this were boxing, the fight would have been stopped by either the ref or the corner. But in MMA, the legacy of the early days freak shows is still very much present. There is a lot of talk about the promotion not taking care of the fighters, but no one talks about how way too many teams are shit-for-brains amateurs who don't look out for their guy. The result is careers being shortened and fighters left with permanent damage. It ain't just Diego - there are a lot more like him.
