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First Things First

UFC 304 is over. It was somehow simultaneously shocking and completely unsurprising. Let’s take a look at which fighters rose to the occasion, plus what techniques and tactics stood out.

Tom Aspinall Blasts Blaydes Away In A Minute

Last week we previewed Tom Aspinall’s clash with Curtis Blaydes. We thought Aspinall looked like a good fighter on the cusp of being a generational talent. We knew he was still largely untested.

That hasn’t really changed.

Aspinall does a lot of stuff that doesn’t look good. His chin is straight in the air and he retreats in a way that puts him completely out of position. But he can hit as hard as his heavyweight contemporaries and he and moves faster than a flyweight.

With this win, Tom Aspinall’s total professional fighting time extended to 2440 seconds over 18 fights. That means his entire career has lasted less than 45 minutes. That’s an all-time great stat.

Yes, we still have a lot of questions about Aspinall’s game, but if you’re unwilling to admit that he’s special, you’re delusional.

Paddy Pimblett Jumps Into Another Triangle Choke

In last week’s premium article, we asked two simple questions.

1. Is Paddy Pimblett’s hype justified?
   

2. What can he do to improve his game and make the most of the position he’s been given?

Pimblett has a dynamic submission game, so-so wrestling, and pretty sloppy striking. He stands straight up and down and gets cracked constantly.

Though, even with all of his technical flaws, Pimblett has been more than entertaining during most of his fights, and on the mic between them. Accordingly, rhe UFC has pushed his brand (somewhat undeservedly) and Pimblett even signed a seven-figure deal with Barstool a few years ago.

Many feel Pimblett’s performances shouldn’t warrant the prizes he’s captured. And most felt King Green would be able to take advantage of Pimblett’s non-existent defense to derail the hype train.

Green did not do that.

After a leg kick took away Green’s balance, he decided to jump on a takedown attempt. Pimblett was all too happy to use his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills on the desperate Green. Watch as he jumps into a classic submission combination.

This was just a great entry. Pimblett’s win makes him the only man to ever submit Green in the UFC.

Pimblett gets a lot of hate but he keeps rising to the occasion. Don’t hate the player, hate the game (and the rankings that will probably feature Pimblett now).

Belal Muhammad Puts On His Best Performance In The UFC

I picked this totally wrong. I think everyone other than Muhammad picked this wrong.

We all knew Muhammad would try to take Edwards down. And we all assumed he might stick Edwards on the fence. But we thought that the long kickboxer and clinch anti-wrestler, Leon Edwards, would sting Muhammad on the outside and stuff whatever takedowns were attempted. That was his clear path to victory.

We didn’t realize how Muhammad would maneuver towards Edwards’s hips to lift him off of his feet. Watch how quickly Muhammad cuts Edwards off below.

This takedown came within the first 20 seconds of the fight.

In the second round, Muhammad went back to the same strategy. He ran forward straight forward, shot, and slammed Edwards straight onto his head.

It wasn’t a total shutout though. Edwards was able to reverse Muhammad a couple of times. He cut him in the fifth round and scored this beautiful takedown to claim back control in the third.

And early in the fight, we got a peek at what we can expect from Edwards. Blistering strikes at range.

This sequence still has me confused. Edwards handled Muhammad here with almost no issues. But for most of the rest of the fight, Edwards looked like he wasn’t even interested in competing.

I suppose the simplest solution is the answer. Edwards could not deal with Muhammad’s sustained pressured.

Going into the fight, Muhammad’s coach claimed he was boxing like hall of famer Canelo Alvarez. No one would (nor will) ever confuse Muhammad with Canelo, but the pressure his hands presented deserve a shout out. Watch how his boxing cuts Edwards off below.

I think this next sequence explains the whole fight.

Once Edwards is on the fence he has far fewer options to fight back. He can hardly move and certainly doesn’t have the space nor stance for the kicks he has become known for. On the other hand Muhammad can land punches, rack up control time, and steal the momentum.

This fight was a masterful pressuring performance from Muhammad. Anyone that wants to learn how to box into fence wrestling should study this.

No one would call Muhammad the most talented nor technical athlete on the roster. But where his skills may lack, he more than makes up for with all heart and patient pressure.

Edwards is skillful. He’s crafty and he wants to fight clean. That’s why he backed away from Belal’s active front hand all night. He was begging for a skillful exchange that he could win. Muhammad denied him at every opportunity and kept moving forward until Edwards was forced to fold.

He’s already 36 so I don’t know how much time Muhammad will have with the title. But it does make you feel good to see someone actualize on their potential after being made to wait for so long. Aside from one no contest this was Edwards’s 11th win in a row.

Later this week we’re taking a look at one of everyone’s favorite action fighters, Corey Sandhagen. We’ll be analyzing how him adding offensive wrestling opened up his striking. Upgrade to premium if you want to read that, and more.

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