I noticed that Machida was getting absolutely pwned with kicks to the body when circling towards the left.For the entire fight he seemed un-comfortable and left openings when circling away.
As demonstrated here he only throws the hooks once Shogun is rocked...
Elvis
Oh yeah that brings up another point... someone mentioned that Machida does not keep his guard up. The reason is because he has a very upright Karate stance and leans back to avoid punches (similar to a sway or shoulder roll). This gives him the opportunity to follow up with a counter punch (straight) or head/body kick.
Doing this though from my experience leaves you open for leg kicks. I'm guessing this is part of what Shogun and his team saw when developing their game plan.
Elvis
TTT
this is why machida didnt land shit that whole fight....
I think Shogun and Chute Boxe really did their homework when preparing for this fight. They didn't worry about defending the hook just the straight punch. They didn't bother with leg kick defence just head and body kick defence. They worked the timing to come off a Machida attack and worked the legs and body. Was a great strategy and it worked.
Elvis
tryptophan - But this makes sense given his in-out style of attack, no? He lunges in from the outside like a fencer, usually with a punch-trip combo. He wants to keep his momentum (particularly his rotational momentum) controlled to either complete the trip, react to a counter from his opponent, or get the hell back out. It seems much easier to do this with a short straight punch than a lunging hook, overhand right, or worst of all, an outside uppercut.
And of course, he never, ever infights with punches, so you don't see any inside hooks or uppercuts (which are rare in MMA anyway because of the clinch game).
Regarding Shogun's blocking, I kept re-watching Rua-Liddell leading up to this fight and Shogun was using the same technique (forearms up and together in front) in that fight, no doubt in anticipation of that deadly short counter right that Liddell throws right up the middle. I was thinking that would be perfect for blocking Machida if he could be quick and disciplined enough about doing it. Fighting Liddell might have turned out to be great prep for this fight.
This is a nice post. I definitely agree re: Lyoto's use of hooks. The idea of Iceman as prep for this bout for Rua is also interesting. Personally, I saw how slow he seemed vs. Liddell and thought it was further evidence that he wouldn't be able to catch Lyoto. Mayve I was wrong. I'm hoping to watch the fight tonight and see what I draw from it.
TH
I agree. I thought Shogun had improved heaps from his UFC debut but I wasn't sure he'd have improved enough for the match with Machida. I was also worried he might be pressured to attack and become too reckless. He proved me wrong. He came in conditioned and ready with a great game plan and the patience to pull it off.
Elvis
Awesome analysis Elvis. Thanks for sharing.
No problems.
Elvis
noqueada - Elvis,
What rounds did you think Machida won? I really thought he lost every round. I actually think that the best shots he landed the entire fight were in rd. 5 with those two knees.
You can think Shogun won every round while acknowledging that several of those rounds were razor thin and could go either way.
I had Shogun 49-47.
I had Shogun 48-47. Rounds 1-3 were very close and could have gone either way. I have Machida 1 & 3 and Shogun 2,4 & 5. It's always tough going to a decision. Shogun definitely came out stronger at the end and the work he did in the earlier rounds became apparent in the last round with the leg kicks, but by then you can't go back and rescore the round.
Elvis