Watching JDS and Cain the first half min or so looked like Cain wasn't going to have much. He took Jds down and JDS pushed himself back up, Cain looked desperate in the next few td attempts. Then Cain kept pushing forward and Jds starts backing into the cage. I have seen Bj get pushed back lately and a few others. I just wonder from some of the "fighters" on here pro or amateur what's you mentality when your instinct is to back up to the cage? Is this examples of game plans gone wrong and confusion sets in or is this some kind of instinct fear that sets in?
Backing up allows you to pick your punches and set up counters. It helps you exploit a reach advantage and creates opportunities to plant and throw a really hard shot at an incoming opponent. Also makes it easier to avoid the TD. It makes plenty of sense for a fighter with good footwork and ring awareness. Fighting someone who keeps coming forward can be a bit overwhelming if you start to fatigue because the way to stop them is to hit them hard. If you don't have the energy left to do this, you begin to feel like you're drowning. This is why conditioning is critical for any fighter.
from my own personal experience, its pretty hard to pick your shots while backing up; i boxed for only 2years in HS. guys like anderson and RJJ make it look insanely easy
It depends all on the fighter. Guys like chuck liddell, lyoto machida and anderson silva have made a carrer of sudden violent attacks while back peddling. Others such as paul daley, wand, and arvloski have made a carrer out of forcing fighters to move backwards.. It all depends on who is fighting
In JDS case I think it was getting a bit winded. The pace was more than he could keep up with, which got him backing straight away, wanting to lean on the cage and put his hands down. And we all know what happened next.
He was winded but it wasnt due to lack of conditioning. Getting rocked and being put into survival mode is one of the most draining things. Your adreneline just dumps out on you.
He started backing up before he was rocked. I figured his game plan went to shit and he was trying to figure out plan b.
There is conditioning and then there is freakish conditioning. Look up Cain's first round output on fightmetric. Insane. Very few human beings of any size could keep up with that pace.
This was pretty much everything that needed to be said. The only thing that I would add is that backing straight up can be a sign of under-developed footwork, while a guy with better movement may look to cut harder angles so as to create that angle. Of course, the distance in a striking match vs an MMA fight where TD's exist is different, so not all of the same pivots and such translate well to MMA.
No after you recover, you feel exhausted. While you are rocked you actually have the adreneline hulping you survive.
Whenever I was backed up on the mat or in the ring I'd just be trying to come up with a way to counter. I was never scared.
