Archive for December, 2016

Listening to an interview recently it really stuck me how accurate it was. We are clones in MMA, most of us have learnt the ‘best’ way to punch, kick, double leg and arm bar. As everyone is learning this in all the same way are we all just chasing our tail to get ahead.

To beat someone like me you just have to do the moves a bit better and win the transitions (which is kind of the same for everyone), I am the first to say that I don’t do anything flash I just try and make it right. I am always looking to make things a bit tighter faster and so on, but in reality all that is happening by doing this is just keeping up with the MMA evolution.

The people that do it different is where MMA is heading now, MMA has reached the point where everyone is so damn good at everything it takes something different to take it to the next level. Even though he has big issues out the cage, Jon Jones, was the first to go from doing it well to doing it different and was very successful. He did spinning elbows against the cage the little kicks to the front knee, was just a small part of what he did different. While he was clean he dominated his division. Dominic Cruz is still the person I think of when I think of someone who breaks the mould and does it so well.

When Cruz fought Dillashaw to win the title back it was a blue print for what we are talking about. TJ Dillashaw is a great fighter, he does everything right and does it really well if you could copy him and reproduce at the same level you would be doing very well. But he is the clone, everything he does is what you should do there are no real surprises just clean sharp good technique and good decisions. When he fought Cruz he was made to look bad, Cruz used weird angles and techniques to keep him off balance and catch him with clean shots. In the first 3 rounds of the fight Cruz dominated, he got a little tired in the last two rounds but won the fight without any doubt.

To be honest this kind of bugs me, every sport I have done I have always tried to do it right then do it better. When this dawned on me it made me re-think everything I do and really appreciate the people that have the ability to change the way things are done in any aspect of sport. Damn them for being so good, but thanks for the progression you have given us.

Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor
http://www.Lockdown.co.nz/