Watching Stipe/Cormier again, and Pettis/WB actually gives me way more faith in Stipe/Diaz.
WB was content with point fighting, slightly pressuring Pettis, and landing a solid jab on him at low volume.
Diaz will throw twice the volume that WB did, and be in the face of Pettis the whole fight.
Stipe fought a weird fight. He was for sure winning, but his gameplan of pressuring DC was peculiar, and something I'm sure he's looked back at.
He took DC down, and initiated the clinch, which is what DC wants. But even so, when he landed a solid 1-2 when he had DC against the fence, DC's facial expression changed immediately after feeling his power.
DC then eye poked the fuck out of him twice, and less than 30 seconds after the second eye poke, finished him.
Everyone is acting like DC is prime Cain and can go for 5 rounds hard while pressuring and taking down another HW.
We saw DC go 5 rounds hard most recently against Gus, which was when DC was much younger, and a fight that was contested standing the entire fight.
"But but Stipe was tired in the Francis fight". No shit, it's not easy to hold a beast like Francis down for 5 full rounds. I can guarantee DC will tire more in this fight than any other fight he's had if it goes 5 rounds.
Holding down scrubs @ lhw =/= hw by any stretch of the imagination.
