Can't think of a top caliber fighter like Tony with such a crappy stand up

[THE BMF]

He is offensively one of the best and most diverse fighter I have ever seen honestly

 

[I am your real dad]

Jones has bad standup as well as being pillow fisted.

And Fergusons standup isn't that terrible, he just has a bad chin. He goes down very easily, but he is also very comfortable fighting while down and has great recovery.

 

[Versace]

And his offensive is garbage. If he didn't have some of the best grappling ever, his awful striking would have been exposed a long time ago.

Striking defense is more important in MMA than offense

 

[Azazyah]

Boxing, wrestling etc are fighting skills. Cardio has nothing to do with fighing or technic. It's being athletic.

The point of my thread was pointing out ferguson's strikings flaws

I think cardio is extremely important. Imagine Shane Carwin with a Velasquez gas tank.

 

[You Will Vote For Dreyga]

This thread is dumb... Tony has been wrecked everyone he has gone up against...

 

[chinarice]

Striking defense is more important in MMA than offense

As soon as you have to fight someone standing, your offense matters just as much.

 

[jeff7b9]

What a dumb thread.

pressure, cardio, pushing the pace etc is all a part of overall striking.

Tony has proven to be highly effective.

 

[mkess101]

You know very well that it's because he tires his opponents out and keep coming with shots.

Take off his cardio and the result might be significantly different. I know it's a big stretch, but i wanted to point out how big of a factor his endurance was.

And don't tell me his striking doesn't have huge holes..

Sigh...

He's made his last two opponents faces into hamburger within 2 rounds. His cardio is great, but it's one of a number of factors. His jab is busting people up from the start of the fight. He's got a huge reach and he doesn't throw his jab as a "feeler", he throws it to do damage. And he lands it. Over and over. And it busts up the faces of everyone he fights. People focus on Tony's elbows and they are a factor, but everything comes off his jab.

Yes, Tony has some defensive liabilities. But that's part of the reason he's so successful with his OFFENSE. He forces opponents into wars of attrition. His "crappy" standup is more effective than almost anyone in MMA. He's learned EXACTLY where his advantages lie, and he leverages them better than anyone else. Pace and cardio for sure, but it's more than that. He shoulder rolls a lot of the punches that people think are landing clean on him too. They land, but not full force. Pettis hit him clean and flush with one big punch, yes. Lando's awkward head kick off the caught kick did too. Edson landed a few decent shots. Otherwise? People aren't hurting Tony. He's using his jab to hurt people and then stalking and pressuring them to where they can't keep his offense off them. That's not "crappy", it's brutally effective and amazing to watch for people who understand what they are seeing.

 

[The XL]

You don't beat guys like Barboza and RDA on the feet with crappy standup

 

[Megalodon]

It won’t last much longer for him. His relative inactivity in recent years has saved him. He’s not special. I have been watching MMA for 20 years. Before that, boxing. I have seen a million guys who rely on being able to walk through punches as a major part of their arsenal. They all get their chins cracked and are never the same after.

The guy has the longest winstreak in UFC LW history (Khabib had a few catchweights), he's special whether you respect his ability or not lol.

And it's MMA, everyone gets their chins cracked eventually. If anything, it's a good thing that he's so old, he's most likely going to be retired within 3-4 years so it's not like he's going to be another BJ or Diego getting his ass kicked for a decade.

 

[Nightgunner05]

I watched Tony vs Barboza last night and I was incredibly impressed by how relentless Tony was. He just didn’t give Barboza an inch, it was an incredible fight.

With that said, it is clear to me, more than ever that Tony has some really sloppy striking and will get brutally knocked out one of these days. The guy took 4 shots just to land one. No one can take that kind of punishment forever, and once that chin goes it will be gone forever.

 

[10mm]

He is one of the few that knows how to use his reach.

 

[BHR]

lol at frankie being mentioned hes like 5'4 tall

someone needs to make a tally on how many times tonys been legit KD this is always being brought up and exaggerated just b/c he does a ninja turtle defensive roll when hit doesnt mean he was hurt

go re watch hes rda fight it was mostly all stand up and to me it looked technically sound

 

[Elvis.]

Shinya Aoki was a top 5 lw at one point and his standup was pretty basic

 

[Jack Reacheround]

The guy has the longest winstreak in UFC LW history (Khabib had a few catchweights), he's special whether you respect his ability or not lol.

And it's MMA, everyone gets their chins cracked eventually. If anything, it's a good thing that he's so old, he's most likely going to be retired within 3-4 years so it's not like he's going to be another BJ or Diego getting his ass kicked for a decade.

Do you not understand that a fighter’s shelf life is dramatically shortened the more heavy, I defended shots they take to the head? That’s all I’m saying. Why you idiots are making a federal case out of a statement that is really just common knowledge? Probably because that’s all you do.

 

[mashonkeyboard]

in the division where khabib is champ and you want to talk about sloppy striking? It doesn't matter if it works.

Khabib has better head movement and defense but Tony has better offense almost everywhere. Khabib has a decent jab and right uppercut, everything else is so sloppy its almost funny if he wasn't so good. His one two is ok but his naked right hooks are wild and winging, his jump knees are weird and is super telegraphed and kicks are exactly what you expect out of a lifelong wrestler, better kicks can be found at your local kickboxing class.

Tony has a solid and long jab, his right hand is not very good, loads up hard and over swings quite a bit if the opponent is not against the fence. His right step in elbow is very good, maybe because he loads up so hard on his right overhand that his step in elbow is very deceptive. His defense is pretty bad, head up, chin up doesn't take off center line when jabbing or with overhand rights.

His kicks are ok, much better than khabib's, his low kick on the inside in the middle of a combination is pretty good and should be used more often by everyone.

His best work is really squared up with the opponent against the cage, where his infighting really shines. Long and weird combinations from different angles, wing chun style hand traps to set up elbows and punches, and his defense doesn't matter so much that close because the opponent has a hard time extending their punch.

His standup is just as good if not better than most submission specialists from wrestling or bjj back grounds in the UFC. Don't forget he has a wrestling background and his most dangerous weapon is arguably his bjj. The fact that his standup is even a threat at all is already impressive. You wouldn't consider khabib, DC, Damian Maia, Curtis Blaydes or Ben Askren's standup to be the main threat at all, but tony is very dangerous even in pure standup.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

His offensive striking mixed up with his cardio and the pressure he puts on his opponents cover up his chin for him.

 

[Genisys]

Khabib is a prime example of an elite fighter with crappy standup. However, his grappling is so good that people are terrified of going to the ground with him and that's what opens up holes for him. His opponents are so concerned with defending a takedown that they leave holes to get hit with strikes. When he fights someone that attacks him instead of running from him he's going to get blasted. I'd favor Tony and Justin over Khabib.

 

[NorrisB]

@asdf122345

 

[Versace]

As soon as you have to fight someone standing, your offense matters just as much.

Not for a grappler.