Who is NOT a counterstriker at the elite level of MMA?

[Mumrik]

Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Kenny Florian, BJ Penn (at least to some degree), Cro Cop, Rampage...



We hear a lot about counter punchers/strikers in MMA these days, so who are actually successful at the highest level with an aggressive and initiating striking game (not just setting up a TD)?



A few ideas:

Shogun - I still feel he is at least as much of a grappler as he is a striker, but if we ignore that he put Machida down with a counter, a lot of his success has come based on a very aggressive striking game.

Cain Velasquez - I'm not totally sold on his striking at that level yet, but he does have a swarming punching style and a title shot coming up.

JDS - It's basically what he does.

Thiago Alves - perhaps... he seems to have a hard time getting his striking going at the elite level.

 

[SteelHammer]

Fedor? he'll wait you out for 10 secs or so but he doesn't counterstrike, he just suddenly dives in with punches

 

[Mumrik]

True. Can't believe I forgot Fedor. Absolutely an initiator.

 

[ambertch]

we have to distinguish between counterstriking as a skill, and being a counterpuncher in terms of a style.

Everybody who is skilled and faces someone less skilled will be counterstriking their opponent all day long

Crocop certainly counterstruck lots of guys, but he's not a counterstriker stylistically - watch his K-1 fights and you'll see his style is more of the aggressive exploder like you're talking about. It just so happened that his skill level was so far beyond his opponents in MMA that he countered nearly everything thrown at him


I actually think JDS counterstrikes a lot. He caught Gonzaga, Werdum off a counter and arguably caught Yvel off a counter too

 

[VeprMensch]

Melvin Manhoef.

 

[Jecca]

Wand? :icon_chee

 

[Mumrik]

Rampage personifies the style you are talking about... if Im understanding your initial post correctly.

I held back on Rampage because he is holding so much back at this point. It's hard to say if he has been trying to counterstrike lately or if he's just gun shy. I think he's been at his best as the aggressive pushing striker though.

 

[EVIL5150]

I'd call Page something of an effective counter striker because he tends to keep his hands high and tight allowing him to bust holes in other strikers combinations whether he's defending or attacking.

He has been holding back so much lately it's not as apparent. Both fights with Chuck he showed good counters, and his final fight against Wand is a good example

 

[barnowl]

I would say very very few of the elite MMA are really what would be called a counter striker. Most are what you might call "exchangers". When you get in to exchanges, speed, reach and even power become the deciding factors. for true counter striking it is all about the timing.

 

[Frode Falch]

Melvin Manhoef, Cung Le, Thiago Alves, Nick Diaz