Why Cain Velasquez was so successful?

[That209]

i didn't read it and i didn't leave, so what am i suppose to do now?

Find a different way of putting your post count up instead of useless stuff here.

Alot of very good points there.

I'd agree that the key to this fight was that Cain really got in Juniors face in the striking exchanges and didnt allow him to work his typical game.

I think its interesting to watch JDS's fights pre UFC, yes he was winning most of them but standing agenst opponants who were pushing the pace(like Mondragon) he looked much less impressive.

In the UFC he exploded onto the scene with that massive KO over Werdum and the blitz of Struve and I think that instantly made everyone respect his power. Ironically in showing him respect though I think they've actually played into his game, it gives him time to setup his big shots, less of an issue with his soemwhat questionable defenece and I think those big looping overhands are much more effective at mid distance(where they sweep a large area and come in at greater angles) just as they were for Chuck.

JDS to me really didnt seem to have any plan B, no power straight, no knees and no kicks that could have punished Cain as he closed the distance.

I haven't seen his fight against Mondragon, maybe I'll look it up. And yes, Junior was the aggressor in the Struve fight and cut him off at the cage and unloaded hooks and uppercuts on him until the fight was over.

Against Werdum, he kept the center of the cage and stepped in with that brutal uppercut, something he couldn't do when moving backwards against Cain. If JDS finds a way to deal with pressure like Cain put on him, nobody will stop him.

 

[Bronko]

Thanks 209, great analysis. The damage was done in the first and second rounds. JDS always had a punchers chance but this was Cains fight.

 

[Jae102]

This is the true reason why Cain was so successful.

 

[Trollinator]

It is not about keeping his hands up. JDS doesn't fight with a high guard and it wouldn't help him out, anyway. He needs better footwork, a better jab and better head movement. Keeping his hands low is part of the reason why he has such great TDD and keeping his hands up won't make any kind of difference. His defensive problems are movement related.

He is still going to get taken down regardless. The struggle to get up with 250lb laying on your is going to take huge chunks out of your cardio throughout the course of a fight. He needs to learn to relax off his back -- He has spent next to no time off his back until the other night, so he'll adapt.

In terms of his hands they were definitely lower vs Cain 2 than against any other fighter to date, and his footwork was movement was more tentative -- It all harks back to his fear of the takedown which at the end of the day is something inevitable vs Cain. He needs to have confidence in the fact that the fight will eventually return to the feet and he will once again be at the advantage.

 

[That209]

This is the true reason why Cain was so successful.

Because everybody loses after beating Frank, right? lol.

 

[fight4ippon]

I was saying this before the fight and I'll say it after.

You can pretty much throw out Cain vs. JDS 1. One punch tells you pretty much nothing about how these fighters really match up in the cage. People will disagree but the results last night speak for themselves.

This is very true. I always heard people say guys get over confident and too comfortable if they continually finish opponents in the first round. Is it possible that JDS didn't train his endurance for a 5 round fight to focus on 1 punch knockout power? I never believed before it but it feels like that is what we saw in this fight.

 

[moreorless87]

I haven't seen his fight against Mondragon, maybe I'll look it up. And yes, Junior was the aggressor in the Struve fight and cut him off at the cage and unloaded hooks and uppercuts on him until the fight was over.

Against Werdum, he kept the center of the cage and stepped in with that brutal uppercut, something he couldn't do when moving backwards against Cain. If JDS finds a way to deal with pressure like Cain put on him, nobody will stop him.

Its a short fight with them exchanging looping hooks/overhands standing before JDS takes him down and a cut stops the match but Mondragon was clearly giving as good as he was getting.

You compair that to say Yvel or Gonzaga, guys who can be hyper aggresive yet you can see both keep there distance and yet Jnr control the fight. I remember Yvel commenting that he thought he needed to pick his shots, I'd argue exactly the wrong tactics vs JDS.

 

[Jae102]

Because everybody loses after beating Frank, right? lol.

Even you can't deny that fact. I hope Cain fights Mir next because.

 

[moreorless87]

I'm not sure about Cro Cop, he was very good at moving around and countering with the straight left in PRIDE. In UFC, Cro Cop didn't move the same at all. He was amazing to watch in PRIDE when he was evading and countering, in UFC he was mostly being pushed around.

I'd say that shows you the clear difference, when Wanderlei looked to hustle Mirko in the second fight he walked right into the left straight, when Heath looked to hustle Mirko he walked right into a body kick.

JDS really didnt seem to have anything to punish Cains aggresion, timing big hooks and uppercuts agenst someone closing the distance like that is far more difficult than timing a good straight punch, a knee or a kick IMHO.

 

[Buakaw Pramuk]

This fight really reminded me of Liddell Couture one. I think the only reason Cain looked good striking was because of the TD attempts. If it was a straight K1 fight Cain would get crushed. The first fight didn't give JDS any time to feel Cain out. I think the third fight will be more competitive.

 

[That209]

Even you can't deny that fact. I hope Cain fights Mir next because.

What about Brock? lol, he beat Carwin after.. after Carwin beat Frank? correct me if I'm wrong. Too lazy to look it up, I forget.

 

[Jae102]

What about Brock? lol, he beat Carwin after.. after Carwin beat Frank? correct me if I'm wrong. Too lazy to look it up, I forget.

Well you see the Brock thing was a little complicated because both Lesnar and Carwin fought Mir their last fights so that's why Carwin was owning Lesnar then Lesnar came back because it was really a toss up.

 

[That209]

You may possibly be correct. But I don't think Mir gets a shot any time soon

 

[Elmero]

I like Dos Santos n all but i just think its kinda crazy how everyone is excusing his gassing with him taking a couple of shots. Nobody stays rocked for that long..he was just not prepated to fight for more than 2 minutes, plain n simple.

 

[quadrunner]

I agree with your post completely, but its not cain's side of things that confuses me.. its juniors, i dont understand how he completely gassed out within the first 2 minutes, it seemed like that punch knocked him stupid for 4 rounds!!

All i know is i feel bad for whoever cain and junior fight next!

 

[ens189]

He was so successful because he's got the gas tank of a LW.

 

[Juzie]

What about Brock? lol, he beat Carwin after.. after Carwin beat Frank? correct me if I'm wrong. Too lazy to look it up, I forget.

It just proves that Brock Lesnar really is the GOAT!

 

[CRuck1980]

I believe this fight was a unanimous decision, not a finish. Junior had no answer in this fight, but he had 20 more minutes to come up with something and he couldn't.

He couldn't because he was on queer street from that punch in the first round. He dug deep and managed to avoid being finished, but that's all he could do. It was the same thing during the Tim/Randy fight, that punch told the story

 

[CRuck1980]

I like Dos Santos n all but i just think its kinda crazy how everyone is excusing his gassing with him taking a couple of shots. Nobody stays rocked for that long..he was just not prepated to fight for more than 2 minutes, plain n simple.

JDS was more than rocked. He was damn near knocked cold, and that takes awhile to get back from. Not everybody is Frankie Edgar

 

[JDB]

why analyzing the later rounds when the fight ended in the first already?
thats dumb.

This.

It ended with that knockdown punch early in the fight, after that JDS had no speed or power, even his takedown defense flew out the window.