Hey chaps,
In my continuing efforts to up the amount of technical examination in the MMA media, I have written another edition of my Anderson Silva Judo Chopseries. The first part, about his counter jabs and head kick against Yushin Okami, was a huge success, so I thought I'd dive straight in to the most requested Anderson fight, his destruction of Forrest Griffin. There was an awful lot at play in this fight, and Anderson's head movement and left straights were also effective, not to mention his nice kick catch, but I wanted to focus on the strategy that Anderson kept returning to throughout the fight, his counter right hand. I hope you don't mind clicking the link, and of course, all feedback is much welcomed!
As an extra note, if you really enjoy it, please share it on your facebook, twitter or any other forum you visit! =) I'm bringing in some of the biggest hit counts at BE atm, but I'd like to make it more decisive! ;)
Cheers,
Jack
Anderson Silva is one of the top two fighters in the world pound for pound in terms of accomplishment, ranked by most either #1 or #2 depending on whether he or Georges St. Pierre has fought more recently. He is also well known as one of the finest strikers in the sport. This is in part due to his ability to utilize a full Muay Thai and boxing arsenal without simply being taken down and submitted, as many truly elite strikers who enter the sport are, and also due to some of his more memorable and creative knockouts. Last time we spoke about Anderson's counter jab against fellow southpaw Yushin Okami (click to read). This time we will talk about one facet of Anderson's most memorable performance in the eyes of many fans; his lopsided destruction of former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Forrest Griffin.
To set the scene, Anderson Silva had just gone 5 rounds with Jiu Jitsu ace Thales Leites. Leites refused to meet the champion in the centre of the cage, and Anderson refused to attack Leites on the ground. What followed was a game of cat and mouse where neither man stepped up to play the role of the cat. The match was cringeworthy and dented the image of Anderson Silva as an unstoppable knockout artist. To bounce back from this woeful main event, Anderson needed to win convincingly over a world class opponent. To this end, the UFC matched him against Forrest Griffin.
Griffin, a light heavyweight who lacked speed and power in his own weightclass, was known almost entirely for his heavy low kicks and decent Jiu Jitsu, which he had used to wrest the light heavyweight title from Quinton Jackson a year earlier. Despite his relatively small number of recorded victories by TKO, Forrest was always keen to trade punches on the feet. He was tenacious, always moving forward, and lacked the power, speed or ground game to trouble Anderson. He was therefore, the perfect opponent. Griffin had, however, only been TKOd three times previous to his meeting with Anderson, and had taken Quinton Jackson's best shots. In spite of this toughness, Silva's dismantling of the American was masterful.
Silva's entire gameplan focused around Forrest's bad habit of dropping his left hand following a punch - never bringing it back high as a slower fighter should to protect his chin and temple. This provided the hole for Anderson to work with his stronger, right hand. After the jump we shall examine Anderson's:
- Counter Right Hook
- Step out Right Hook
- Finishing Right Jab
Continues at: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/6/17/3091880/ufc-148-judo-chop-anderson-silva-Forest-Griffin-Chael-Sonnen-Demian-Maia-MMA-Technique
