Sherdog: Who is the best MMA fighter not under your tutelage?
Jackson: I honestly really think it shifts around, but I really like Anderson Silva’s creativity. I am going to go with him outside of my guys because of his last fight. I loved [his fight with Thales Leites at UFC 97]. Everyone hated it and thought it was boring stuff. I saw him reach down and punch a guy in the thigh. I love that. It’s legit. To me, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s cool.’ The side kicking, the cross kicking, doing all that good stuff
… I mean maybe he didn’t commit to this position or that position, but I loved that fight; I thought it was so creative and interesting what he was doing. I really like Anderson, and, hopefully, Nate [Marquardt] will end up fighting him again because I am really looking forward to the challenge of getting after him again.
Sherdog: What style fighters do you like to watch?
Jackson: I like the unorthodox fighters, I really do. I like the [Lyoto] Machidas, I like the Andersons. I like watching B.J. Penn fight. When he is fighting at [lightweight], he is great. Outside of my guys, those are the kind of fighters I like -- the guys who are very creative and do all kinds of cool things. I also like, like any other fan, the good heart and fire fights. Guys like Chris Lytle who are going to go in there and give it their all and go for it, I really enjoy that, too.
Marquardt will kill Anderson if they fight again. Hopefully Anderson will not be a pussy and claim it's not "superfight material" enough, and fight him.
JayBRO - Marquardt will kill Anderson if they fight again. Hopefully Anderson will not be a pussy and claim it's not "superfight material" enough, and fight him.
No doubt that Nate is a better fighter now, but your hyperbole is misplaced. Nate and Thales fought an essentially even fight and Thales had nothing for Silva other than a butt-flop. I'd like to see the rematch, but I'm not going goofy with Nate's chances.
JayBRO - Marquardt will kill Anderson if they fight again. Hopefully Anderson will not be a pussy and claim it's not "superfight material" enough, and fight him.
No doubt that Nate is a better fighter now, but your hyperbole is misplaced. Nate and Thales fought an essentially even fight and Thales had nothing for Silva other than a butt-flop. I'd like to see the rematch, but I'm not going goofy with Nate's chances.
Marquardt-Leites was fairly close, but Nate still won on 1 judges card even after being deducted 2 points. He lost on the other cards by 1 point.
What was impressive by Marquardt in that fight was the damage he did to Leites with GNP. That's what he'd have to try to do against Anderson.
vangor - It's why Greg Jackson is running the best camp out there. It's why if you are looking to be the best in the sport you'd train with him and not Matt Hughes or Tito Ortiz.
An open mind always evolves. Greg looks on at Anderson in awe, in appreication, and in fascination. As the figure head of his camp, and the guy who determines the direction of his fighters, he seeks ways to learn from Anderson. Greg has the mind of a martial artist, the spirit of a martial artist. Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz aren't martial artitsts. They are wrestlers. Matt Hughes may help someone develop a good base, but will never produce a true world champion, he will never produce a lb for lb top fighter. Those are places for the evolved fighters. Matt Hughes HIT squad isn't the place to become an evolved fighter. Neither is Team punishment.
What Greg himself can't teach he understands and knows how to ally himself with people who can, Look at how much Greg Jackson Acad has grown. look at how many more allies he now has. How many great minds he has working with him. Zhabi, Chaimberg, Grant in Montreal, Phil Nurse and Danaher in New York, the guys in Denver, the possibilities for fighters under Greg Jackson to evolve are unlimited. We can't say the same for Hughes, and his comments that many agreed with that reflect an ignorant and closed minded atttitude are the reason why Hughes is irrelevant in the sport as not only a fighter, but even having a future as a trainer. Pretty ironic since it was he who talked about the Gracies not evolving.
Somebody analyzes things a little too much.
Okay, I pretty much agreed with everything you had to say here, EXCEPT for noting that Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz aren’t martial artists.That’s BS.
A martial artist isn’t necessarily defined by their style of fighting or even their creative nature. Matt and Tito are simply past their prime, but were great martial artists for their time. These are the same guys who went outside of their element and competed in ADCC (though Kerr did as well, but being a roided up freak is an exception the rule). Keep in mind, Wrestling is a martial art just as well.
Yes, Anderson is on another level, but in the striking sense mostly. Which is okay—I’m not saying he’s one dimensional either. Just pay attention to how the other greats are in their respective expertise of MMA before making the judgment that everyone else isn’t a martial artist in favor of the person you’re admiring.
By the way, someone who wasn’t a martial artist wouldn’t have beaten Royce at his own game.
