MMA-UFC UFC 290

[Guy Threepwood]

He's already done that tohugh. After the first Alonzo Menifield fight he dumped Sam Greco as coach and got a whole new team.

Jimmy spent the entire lead up to this fight talking about how he was a changed man, had cut out booze/partying and we'd see a completely new version of him.

I would have cut him some more slack on today's performance if he hadn't have talked such a big game. I was super disappointed to see him regress like that. Curious to hear what his excuses are.

Was it a whole new camp, or the same camp minis Greco? Either way, it looked like the same old Jimmy.

As much as I don't like his commentary, DC made a good point about Crute havi6ng the ability to finish takedowns well, but not how to set them up. The kid is as strong as an ox and can ragdoll people when he gets them down, he just seems stuck in the mud right now. Giving up the party lifestyle is a good step, but I'd love to see him get in to a good camp because he has close to home doesn't appear to be working. City Kickboxing wouldn't be a bad shout if he wanted to stay relatively close to home, but I'd love to see him at a camp like AKA.

 

[Topkent]

Was it a whole new camp, or the same camp minis Greco? Either way, it looked like the same old Jimmy.

As much as I don't like his commentary, DC made a good point about Crute havi6ng the ability to finish takedowns well, but not how to set them up. The kid is as strong as an ox and can ragdoll people when he gets them down, he just seems stuck in the mud right now. Giving up the party lifestyle is a good step, but I'd love to see him get in to a good camp because he has close to home doesn't appear to be working. City Kickboxing wouldn't be a bad shout if he wanted to stay relatively close to home, but I'd love to see him at a camp like AKA.

Any Aussie who isn't Whittaker needs to get to City kickboxing. What they do with their guys is phenomenal. It's not just the skills it's the game plan. Jimmy's young, I think he needs a step down in competition for a little to get some confidence back. Ever since Smith Jabbed him at will it's like he's frozen now

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Shocked me how strong DDP was. He was ragdolling Darren Till and, although Rob's BJJ was better, DPP looked huge when he was on top of Rob.

If he can get Izzy down he could cause some serious damage.

cardio is better too since he got his nose fixed.

the ability to breath properly is underated.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Gutted for Whitaker, didnt realise how much bigger than him DP is. Hard career fighting bigger dudes caught up to him.

 

[RobbyRoy]

I don't disagree that Nickal is a top shelf prospect, but other than power, his stiking left a bit to be desired tonight. I thought his distance control was pretty average tonight as well. He ended up almost chest to chest with Woodburn after throwing strikes on a few occasions and had to take some quick steps to get out of range. Still, he's just a baby in the sport so his potential for growth is massive.

For sure, but he did seem to recognise when he it was too tight and quickly tried to adjust instead of rolling with, at least indicating and understanding of what is required.. He hasn't put it all together, but at 27 and just a few years into his MMA journey, I see nothing but good signs.

 

[the_interloper]

Shocked me how strong DDP was. He was ragdolling Darren Till and, although Rob's BJJ was better, DPP looked huge when he was on top of Rob.

If he can get Izzy down he could cause some serious damage.

I was saying to my mate during the fight when have you seen Whittaker on his back like that, Dricus v Izzy is going to be fun.

For sure, but he did seem to recognise when he it was too tight and quickly tried to adjust instead of rolling with, at least indicating and understanding of what is required.. He hasn't put it all together, but at 27 and just a few years into his MMA journey, I see nothing but good signs.

What was it, like his 5th MMA fight? He's still green and you can bet he'll drop at least one on his way up given how green he is, I'm still convinced he'll win the title at some point.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

[

What was it, like his 5th MMA fight? He's still green and you can bet he'll drop at least one on his way up given how green he is, I'm still convinced he'll win the title at some point.

When looking at Nickal I can't help but think back to the crazy hype Pico got when he came on the scene in Bellator as he had a similar wrestling pedigree coupled with a good background in boxing. He's been far from a washout as a pro, but it's been a road filled with some pretty serious bumps along the way for him. Now at 26, he's worked up to being ranked in the top 3 and may be a fight or two away from a title shot. Nickal at 27 and without great striking chops seems to be much less of a sure thing to me. He is no doubt showing plenty for a guy so inexperienced, but he's a long way off yet.

 

[the_interloper]

[

When looking at Nickal I can't help but think back to the crazy hype Pico got when he came on the scene in Bellator as he had a similar wrestling pedigree coupled with a good background in boxing. He's been far from a washout as a pro, but it's been a road filled with some pretty serious bumps along the way for him. Now at 26, he's worked up to being ranked in the top 3 and may be a fight or two away from a title shot. Nickal at 27 and without great striking chops seems to be much less of a sure thing to me. He is no doubt showing plenty for a guy so inexperienced, but he's a long way off yet.

Yeah that example of Pico is relevant. I remember watching a few of his fights, seemed the next big thing (still might be) and he got put out cold. It's sort of the problem with MMA, you don't seem to stay at the same level, if you win a fight you get someone ranked a few higher in the next, and so on. There must be some sort of middle ground with boxing, where a lot of guys will get to 15-0 without really taking a risk.

Nickal's striking clearly needs work but being able able to achieve what he did in wrestling, the hard work won't be the problem. I guess you're better off doing striking from a young age but he should be able to learn enough quickly I think. I'm hoping he fights Khamzat eventually, might need two years of experience first though even though Khamzat himself is inexperienced.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

Yeah that example of Pico is relevant. I remember watching a few of his fights, seemed the next big thing (still might be) and he got put out cold. It's sort of the problem with MMA, you don't seem to stay at the same level, if you win a fight you get someone ranked a few higher in the next, and so on. There must be some sort of middle ground with boxing, where a lot of guys will get to 15-0 without really taking a risk.

Nickal's striking clearly needs work but being able able to achieve what he did in wrestling, the hard work won't be the problem. I guess you're better off doing striking from a young age but he should be able to learn enough quickly I think. I'm hoping he fights Khamzat eventually, might need two years of experience first though even though Khamzat himself is inexperienced.

Agreed that work ethic should not be a problem for him. Provided he surrounds himself with a good team, he should develop in to a nightmare match up. You mentioning Khamzat and his inexperience is interesting too. He's obviously longer in the game than Bo, but he showed that his striking and maybe even more importantly his chin were up to the task when he fought Burns. Bo seems to have that one-shot power similar to Khamzat, it's just a matter of his technique being able to catch up. In a couple of years, that could be a crazy fight!

 

[RobbyRoy]

What Nickal does seem to have, and Khamzat obviously has it as well, is that intangible quality that makes him stand out, call it an X-factor if you will. He passes the eye test as a fighter, whatever flaws or areas of improvement there are.

Having rewatched now, DDP could hardly have been more impressive. While he definitely looked outclassed on the feet in Round 1, his defence was rock solid and he blocked just about everything Rob threw. He made Rob look small in general, and significantly weaker in the grappling excuses. The guard work was beautiful, as was the speed and pressure. With his size and ground game, and newfound ability to breathe, he's at least something different for Izzy to think about.

 

[Joker91]

I thought Du Plessis was terrible a few fights ago, but I was wrong.
He just has a really awkward style/stance, as far as to say he even looks uncoordinated at times but watching his last few fights the skill level is definitely there.
He is also a big unit for middleweight.

 

[00Stinger]

Not retiring but taking a break by looks

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