However maybe it’s because their strong point are getting cancelled out by others who have been training on their weaknesses more( or wrasslin or lack of wrestling, working and understanding how to neutralise it
I don’t think he’d dominate the sport today, but he’s definitely more than a muscled dwarf. He was world champ and only has losses to the elite. The era with gsp, bj penn, florian etc isnt that far off from where the sport is now. It’s evolved, but not to the point where any of them would be way out of place nowadays
Where in the blue hell are you getting the idea that Sherk was a good striker? “Heavy hands like Gaethje” rofl
He was basically Sean Brady, though more explosive but less of a finisher. His striking amounted to swinging his t-rex arms enough to get your attention so he could blast takedowns.
I agree with that in theory, but it was not the case with him. He never clubbed anyone. His striking was not dangerous. He rarely even landed. He definitely never showed “heavy hands like Gaethje”.
His takedowns were so effective not because of his striking but because he was so much faster, more explosive and physically stronger than his opponents. Talking about guys like Kenny Florian, who had a high skill level but was not terribly gifted physically. When Sherk fought other fast, athletic guys (GSP, Hughes, Edgar, BJ), he didn’t have such an advantage and often lost.
Yeah I agree he was great at that. It’s all about misdirection. You have to be fast and explosive to do that, so it’s not something just anyone can do. People would see it coming a mile away from, let’s say, Ben Askren.
On the other hand, some don’t need to hide their shots. Khabib never hid his because he would just chain wrestle if at first he didn’t succeed. Everyone has their own way of doing things.
Fighters like Dustin and Justin, who you mentioned, have no reason to fight like Sherk. Their strengths are standing.
It would have been smart for someone like Cejudo to adopt, but he also prefers to stand most of the time even though it’s not his biggest strength.
I’ve thought a lot about the “florian not being physically gifted” thing over the years. Trained at his hym in boston/brookline for a bit and agree with that position, but he was also a force in the ufc for a long time and played Division 1 soccer at Boston College. I think we’re all crazy for not thinking he has physical gifts