Ministry of Truth - I think we need to better define fight IQ. A lot of fighters on this thread are just good at sticking to a gameplan or following advice. This is not fight IQ. Fight IQ is the ability to adapt in the moment, and without guidance.
Based on his commentary, I think Dominick Cruz is a great answer.
Yeah, that’s how I think about Fight IQ, A fighter that can adapt his syle for the better or taking the least amount of damage from an opponents best attacks while they’re are hurt or in trouble
Read Yoel Romero: God’s Greatest General on the fight site. That is the very definition of what Yoel does.
BigWilliam - After listening to him on commentary I am going with Cruz. Unless you mean active fighters only?
Not talking about guys who can break fights down, but guys who can break fights down and implement it in the cage.
Cruz is a brilliant analyst, but compared to Volk in the Cage - they’re not even close.
What? Lol Cruz is a genius in the cage. One of the most awkward, technical, fast moving fighters I've ever seen. His fight IQ is probably among the best ever. I'm not saying Volk doesn't have good Fight IQ, but to say that Cruz's skill compared to his isnt even close is a ridiculous statement.
Also GSP, Mighty Mouse and Khabib deserve mentioning too. All three have shown that they know how to take a fight exactly where they want it, implement game plans and impose their will, with incredible focus - which to me demonstrates their high level of fight IQ.
BigWilliam - After listening to him on commentary I am going with Cruz. Unless you mean active fighters only?
Not talking about guys who can break fights down, but guys who can break fights down and implement it in the cage.
Cruz is a brilliant analyst, but compared to Volk in the Cage - they’re not even close.
What? Lol Cruz is a genius in the cage. One of the most awkward, technical, fast moving fighters I've ever seen. His fight IQ is probably among the best ever. I'm not saying Volk doesn't have good Fight IQ, but to say that Cruz's skill compared to his isnt even close is a ridiculous statement.
Also GSP, Mighty Mouse and Khabib deserve mentioning too. All three have shown that they know how to take a fight exactly where they want it, implement game plans and impose their will, with incredible focus - which to me demonstrates their high level of fight IQ.
Cruz’s fight IQ is amazing.
He has essentially only made two mistakes in his fight career. He dove into a guillotine against Faber and he pressed Cody. After the Cody fight, he broke down all his mistakes instantly.
BigWilliam - After listening to him on commentary I am going with Cruz. Unless you mean active fighters only?
Not talking about guys who can break fights down, but guys who can break fights down and implement it in the cage.
Cruz is a brilliant analyst, but compared to Volk in the Cage - they’re not even close.
What? Lol Cruz is a genius in the cage. One of the most awkward, technical, fast moving fighters I've ever seen. His fight IQ is probably among the best ever. I'm not saying Volk doesn't have good Fight IQ, but to say that Cruz's skill compared to his isnt even close is a ridiculous statement.
Also GSP, Mighty Mouse and Khabib deserve mentioning too. All three have shown that they know how to take a fight exactly where they want it, implement game plans and impose their will, with incredible focus - which to me demonstrates their high level of fight IQ.
Idk, my striking coaches hate him. Their hatred of him has bled over I guess haha
Regardless, I have a hard time believing Dom could hang with someone like Yan doing the shit he does. Can he break stuff down better than anyone in the business? Yes. But he’s constrained by his >
Yeah can’t say that much for Stipe when that was a horrible fight for the most part and it’s like Cormier lost it more than Stipe won it…k maybe that’s a bit harash but that was no impressive display.
Among active fighters. And while GSP is the GOAT, his skill set seems basic in comparison to someone like Volk or Izzy.
Non sense. GSP is more rounded than either of them and no one will likely surpass his striking/TD mixing ability for a loooong time.
GSP would have never let a Izzy/Romero situation happen. He may not have Izzy’s striking finishing ability but he would have still imposed his strikes to tds like he does vs everyone else. GSP never needed his opponent to come at him to counter. He could counter or impose his game.
I get what he’s saying. He just means that GSP doesn’t use a lot of exotic or intricate skills. He relies on the basics, but he’s mastered them to a degree, that it’s really all he needs.
Honestly, I wish more fighters were this way. And I think it’s the calling card of a high fight IQ to know what skills you do and don’t need. You need a jab, you need a cross, you need to be able to kick the leg and check leg kicks. That’s really all you need on the feet. And grappling wise, you only really need to know how to get takedowns, get to dominant positions, and strike effectively from those positions. Everything else you need is on the defensive end. And GSP is the most educated fighter on defense ever possibly. Anytime his back touches the ground he gets up immediately. Even when hurt. The Diazs have lost so many fights because they fought from their backs. GSP never does. And that’s why he always wins.
I'd argue that one of the more impressive displays of fight IQ in recent memory was Stipe vs Cormier 2.
Stipe's (not his corner) decision to attack the body and stick with it until the finish was brilliant.
I'm not saying he has the best fight IQ of all time but he has shown that he is an intelligent fighter against Ngannou and Cormier.
Stipe's a very smart fighter. He's almost never as talented or athletically gifted as the guys he beats. He's stiff and doesn't move his head when striking. There's no reason, apart from fighting smart, that Stipe has been so successful.
Khabib has a Mayweather-like fight IQ. He doesn't care how boring he is, he's not going to play to his opponent's strengths. He's even more risk averse than GSP. He's content with his striking being good enough to set up his ground based gameplan, he doesn't need Freddie Roach teaching him how to perfectly jab when he's only interested in clinching and chaining takedowns and mauling.
