Sensei UFC 300
During any fight, you see, whether it be a street fight, a boxing match, a kickboxing match, or a MMA match. They are always full of lessons where we, as martial artists can learn what we should do, and often what we shouldn't do. Many times our mistakes are magnified when our opponent takes advantage of them to score points, or even win the fight. Sometimes we see the fighters mistake, but his opponent isn't able to capitalize for whatever reason, and sometimes it looks like one of the fighters is doing everything right, but he still gets caught. Some people say fighting is a game of inches, I'll take it one step further and say it is a game of millimeters. With that said I'm gonna get specific and talk about four fights. I saw this past weekend. They all took place in the greatest martial arts event ever, UFC 300. In three of the techniques I'm gonna talk about. I saw a mistake being capitalized on, and in one of the techniques, it was just a beautiful technique that was just at the right place at the right time. Obviously I'm not gonna use the word luck, because these hard-core martial arts athletes have learned, trained, and drilled these techniques thousands of times so it has nothing to do with luck, but sometimes, a great technique can overcome even a good defense.
https://www.thepit.tv/blog/sensei-ufc-300
The first technique I want to talk about was a big mistake made by Sudiq Yusuff, and Diego Lopes was able to capitalize on it for the KO Qwinn. It started when the fighters were in clinch range, and Sudiq had a good idea to attempt a clench on Diego, however, he neglected to keep his elbows tight. When you have someone in a clench, you wanna try to touch your elbows together because if you don't, you will get countered in many different ways possible, and Diego took advantage of that, and used one of the most effective counters to a lazy Thai clench, which is a uppercut to the chin. if you watch that fight, you will see how effective that uppercut can be a lazy clench. And the lesson for all people who wanna administer a Thai clinch on their opponent, keep your elbows tight, try to touch them together. Won by knockout because of this mistake that Sudiq made in the street that mistake could've cost him his life. I know I get a little dramatic about these things, because I am very passionate about self-defense and I feel MMA is a great laboratory.
The second fight I want to talk about is a close fight to me because the winner is part of my lineage. Alex Pereira Versus Jamal Hill. Jamal made the mistake of walking backwards with no plan. He backed himself into the figurative corner, didn't have a real plan and just stood there, while Alex fainted punch, and came up with what we call the fishhook to the chin. The lesson here is number one do not move straight back, and always have a plan when the fight gets close enough where you can hit them. Because if you're close enough to hit them, they're close enough to you. so you should either be hitting, holding, or getting the fuck out of the way.
The next technique I wanna talk about was performed beautifully by Max Holloway. I feel like this technique was performed so perfectly, I don't think Justin really made a mistake, I just feel like maxes jump spinning back kick was so perfectly timed. There wasn't anything Justin could've done to prevent it. Except maybe just not be there, but that goes for any technique. I just think it was so beautifully timed and performed, that was just one of those things that's gonna happen in a fight, and you can't really prepare for it, train for it, or even defend it.
The last technique I want to talk about was also performed by Max Holloway on Justin Gaethje. This was a beautifully executed, simple, right hook, but the way he threw it was reminiscing of power punching Dan Henderson and his famous H bomb. Here there was a defense that could've been initiated, and it was definitely a mistake made by Justin. The mistake was number one. He wasn't solid on his feet, and he dropped his hands, and he was willing to just bang with his chin way up in the sky. That look great for the fight fans, and it was great for the production, but he still could've been banging with his chin down, and it still would've been very crowd-pleasing, but a little safer for Justin, the great warrior.
Those were the top four lessons that I took away from this fantastic and historical fight card. Huge props to all of the brave and powerful warriors who put it all on the line to entertain us. And huge props to Dana White, who created the greatest martial arts competition ever.
