I started a thread after the Cote/Anderson fight, but being a mere mud, I can;t pull it up. It had to do with Cote's gameplan and execution thereof v Anderson.
Seems like now that Anderson has had a 'poor' showing v Thales, people are back on the "Cote sucked" train.
I could not disagree more. Cote came with a solid gameplan and executed it. He wanted to get into range where he could brawl with Anderson, but refused to be another Leben and lead in with his chin. He pushed forward and when Anderson engaged, he threw bombs.
Throughout the fight, Cote was moving forward, looking to set up the power shots. He was playing to his strength (one shot knockout power) and doing a good job not giving Anderson the chance to counter all night (Anderson's primary strength)..
His performance is not comparable to Leites'. Leites' strength is the ground, but he did not commit to a takedown and scramble or takedown and control gameplan. He tried striking with Anderson, but didn't use those exchanges to set up takedowns. In other words, he did not impose a gameplan of any type.
Cote did.
Whether Cote's gameplan was 'boring' is open to interpretation, but he had one, and committed to executing it.
To the uneducated eye, the fights looked similar. Not a whole lot of exchanges, no flashy knockdowns or sick transitions, no highlights. But, and forgive me if I sound patronizing, to the educated fight fan, there are significant differences.
Cheers!
yhou are right