Greg Jackson's Game Plan: Details and Adaptability
by Luke Thomas on May 7, 2009 11:09 AM EDT
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Josh Gross underscores the keys to Greg Jackson's successful strategizing:
An ideal counter argument to those who claim mixed martial arts is all physical, Jackson's cerebral approach to fighting has formed the basis for much of his success, including a burgeoning notoriety for razor-sharp strategies -- which he can make sound both esoteric and simple.
"Everything's tethered within physics and the structure of the techniques," Jackson said. "But you're playing within those structures ... you're doing different things and making them work for you."
Germane to any game plan Jackson engineers in his Albuquerque, N.M., gym is adaptability. Regardless of the degree to which fighters execute techniques, no matter how efficient their attacks, he believes little good can come from relying too heavily on even the most effective tactics.
"If you put your eggs in any psychological basket at that top level, saying that my 'ace in the whole' is this large thing, then it would be very hard for you to win because if that doesn't go your way, you don't have a plan b," he said. "It's more important to look at little things, which, of course, I can't divulge."
Even more than a set of neatly constructed blueprints will be the improvisational ability of Evans. Jackson and Evans certainly need alternatives should their forecasting about what's required to defeat Machida falls through, but there's only so much one can do to connect strategy to operations against the Brazilian. What will ultimately prove more fruitful is whether Evans can make adjustments on the fly that neither he nor Jackson determined they'd need ahead of time. There is peril in immediate adaption, but Machida is an opponent with impeccable timing that's too technically defensive to be susceptible to a "complete" strategy.
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the thing here that always impresses me, is that Lyoto’s opponents know exactly what kind of game plan Lyoto will have from the get go, yet people still can’t figure him out..
Greg Jackson has done wonders for his fighters, and even if i think that Evans is the LHW fighter with the best chance of derailing lyoto’s rise, i just dont know if he actually can solve the machida puzzle..
I don’t necessarily believe this is true.
While fighters haven’t done well against Lyoto in the UFC, it’s more due to their approach and skills versus some complete inability to figure Machida out.
Machida will make you chase him. Guys like Tito and Silva refused to be patient, and chased Machida. Those 2 aren’t the strongest fighters mentally when it comes to gameplans or controlling their emotion. They are also subpar strikers, which plays into Machida’s hand, as Lyoto could easily counter their plodding, lunging strikes.
Not running after Machida may not make for the most action packed fight, but it will give that fighter a better chance of winning. I fully expect Rashad and Team Jackson to have the best gameplan as well as the best skillset that Machida has faced in the UFC, and by a mile.
I don’t think it will give anyone a better chance. The big problem with Machida’s style is his skills, just like every great fighter in the UFC. Skillwise, he has advantages in both types of countering styles. If a guy decides to come forward, he uses his footwork, speed, and countering ability to easily “clown” opponents in a quick fashion.
If his opponent decides to sit back, he’ll use his speed, range, and karate background to score points. In a five round fight, unless Rashad gets close and can hammer Machida, he’ll lose 3 out of the 5 rounds by the 3rd round, and then he has no choice. He has to move forward to end the fight in order to win. Then he’s resorting to what everyone else had to do.
Speed is the issue. I don’t see anyone in the LHW division beating Machida. Rashad has speed, but he has to put you within range to use it. Machida is the complete opposite of that type of fighter. He won’t open himself up to that speedy counter.
Follow my analysis of all things MMA on BloodyElbow.com
by Leland Roling on May 7, 2009 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
You dealing with absolutes in terms of what will and won’t work is something I wouldn’t engage in. There are no absolutes. Machida is fast, but he’s not faster than Rashad. And I’ve yet to see any evidence whatsoever that if Machida’s opponent doesn’t chase him that Machida can still “sit back” and “score points”. That would mean Machida would have to do some engaging, which he doesn’t want to do with Rashad.
Machida’s problem for other fighters is his skills, as you state, not some befuddling style that no camp or opponent can comprehend. This will be a good matchup, and Rashad brings more problems to Machida in terms of his skills and gameplan than Machida has ever faced, which makes it compelling.
Rashad probably is a bit faster on the draw, but he still has to get close to hit Machida first. Machida’s head movement is amazing. I also think Machida could be more patient than Rashad. It’s just another intangible that makes Machida so good at getting fighters to play his game.
I agree though that Rashad is Machida’s biggest threat. It’ll be gameplan and Rashad’s ability to stick to it, and adapt, that will be his key to victory.
I love me some Sexyama!
That’s the key. Either guy has to get close to the other in order to land strikes. Who is going to make the first move towards his opponent? History would indicate that Machida will wait, but Rashad has shown to be a very patient fighter as well.
My only concern is that fans at the arena start booing these 2 guys early on. It may not affect the fighters, but I hope we don’t see it so it doesn’t detract from the technical battle this will be.
Well, Machida doesn’t care about the boos at all. I don’t know about Rashad, I would imagine against Machida, he probably won’t care either. Both want to win.
Follow my analysis of all things MMA on BloodyElbow.com
by Leland Roling on May 7, 2009 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Unfortunately, this fight seems ripe for possible booing within the first round or two, just because of the nature of this fight. Hopefully I am wrong, cause the booing can be really distracting to the point where you have Rogan commenting on why people are booing, etc. Personally, I am really looking forward to this fight. It’ll be a chess match more than a brawl. I think the cerebral aspect of MMA can often be overlooked or underappreciated.
I love me some Sexyama!
I’m not convinced by this argument, but I’m not going to counter because it really comes down to this matchup giving us the answers we want.
I don’t know if I believe Rashad is faster, but both guys generally have different ways to use speed, and Machida’s rangey abilities can’t be compared with Rashad’s speed inside. I haven’t seen Machida ever use speed in a striking game on the inside, so I’ll assume Rashad is quicker in that aspect. From range however, I still think Machida possesses the ultimate advantage. He can dictate this fight, unless Rashad truly figures out how to get inside on him.
Rashad is definitely the biggest threat to date for Machida.
Follow my analysis of all things MMA on BloodyElbow.com
by Leland Roling on May 7, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Do you actually believe your own argument? That he can counter anything and everything Rashad throws at him because he has an ability to instantly recognize his opponent’s actions and switches seamlessly between styles without any trade-offs defensively?
Nothing personal, but this could just be the echo chamber at work. Hardcores love to attach themselves to Machida for various reasons and then one attempts to trumpet him louder than the next. He is good, possibly great but he is not untouchable. He has fought mostly undisciplined strikers with poor mobility.
Rashad is on another level than Lyoto’s past opponents athletically, is one fighter you can count on to improve fight over fight, and has the brains (and the brains behind him) to be successful even against stiff competition.
Jackson will not be unprepared and Rashad is smart enough to implement his gameplans. This will be the most difficult deconstruction Jackson’s ever had to do, but I’m sure he’s up for the task. He is the master at explaining to his fighters how they need to fight and where it needs to flow for a stoppage.
Even though we don’t see much of this out of him, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rashad come out leg kicking early and often to set up Lyoto for a late round KO.
The key is to neutralize the opponents strengths and best utilize your own. A wrestler trying to out point fight a point fighter is not the best way.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
You don’t have to neutralize your opponent’s strength. You just have to keep the fight where your advantage is the greatest.
I think the best fighters do both. Take GSP as an example. He’ll neutralize his opponent’s strengths, but also utilize his own tools and make the most of there he’s best at. eg: he outwrestles every wrestler in the division, despite their credentials. But he also uses his strengths to take advantage of their weaknesses. Another example is him nullifying BJ’s stand up with his wrestling and then fearlessly beating him on the ground and then again later in the standup.
I love me some Sexyama!
Nullifying your opponent’s biggest strength is clearly good, there is no debate. But it isn’t a sure-fire way to even have success. Look at BJ in R1. GSP was 0/3 on takedowns but BJ was still losing the fight because he couldn’t find an area where he had the advantage.
The most important thing is identifying where you can have success whether it is broad or specific (a certain counter/transition). I think Jackson’s camp does that very well. And it is very important to accurately predict where you will have success. If BJ realize he was going to get bludgeoned on the ground, perhaps he wouldn’t have planned to work his guard and instead changed his training to incorporate even more TDD.
Adaptability is definitely the camp’s biggest asset when it comes to gameplanning. I also think it’s the openminded fighters Jackson has there that are eager to evolve and learn new things without letting too much ego get in the way. Something fighters like Chuck refuse to, or can’t, do.
I love me some Sexyama!
This fight is awesome… 2 of the best 205’ers in the world fighting at their current best.
However there is a high probability that to the naked(casual) eye this will be a very boring fight.
Serra vs Hughes will also be a potentially very boring fight. Both have ring rust… then add their styles and you have a very bad recipe.
This is the worst card to be scheduled right after the Anderson-Thales debacle.
Fingers are crossed!
by mmalogic on May 7, 2009 1:25 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Looking at the matchup:
Who wins the stand up? Rashad gets hit – Machida Doesn’t.
Who wins the ground game? Rashads best chance of winning this fight is on the ground from top position.
The problem: Machida is Excellent in the clinch and Machida moves too much for a clean shot.
Conclusion: Greg Jackson has his work cut out for him.
I’d even favor Machida over Rampage.
by mmalogic on May 7, 2009 1:42 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Rashad circles around and then finds a spot againts the cage – waits and then counters… He gets beat most of the time in the exchanges (ex… chuck and Forrest).
Lyoto can counter from any part of the octagon and almost never gets beat in the exchanges – huge difference.
The probability of Lyoto winning 3 rounds out of five against Rashad is very high. The probability of Lyoto being finished is extremely low.
Beaten in most of the exchanges with Chuck? That’s why Liddell went back to the corner with a cut under his eye after round 1, and then Rashad landed cleanly how many times before he put Chuck to sleep?
Forrest was hitting Rashad, but let’s not pretend Rashad was eating bombs. And Forrest gave Rashad trouble because he is so tall and difficult to get inside on. Lyoto will not give Rashad those problems because he isn’t that is not nearly that tall or long and doesn’t throw a high volume of strikes.
You hold it against Rashad that he got hit by Forrest. Lyoto would get hit by Forrest too, that height and length is not easy to deal with for any opponent. And you didn’t answer my question either.
Tito’s stand up is technically good.
Soko is not bad either when he doesnt gas.
But technically the best is Tito – even though he has no power his stand up technically is better than Forrests, Chucks and even Rashad’s. Watch the tito and rashad fight and you’ll see ownage on the feet.
Tito couldnt touch Machida… Machida made him look clueless.
Tito’s standup is not technically as sound as Forrest’s, nor practically as good.
Tito is very robotic in his standup, and is unable to blend striking with grappling. He’s either going for TDs or striking, and he doesn’t transition well from one to the other, making him predictable.
Tito has also been slow in his last fights due to back problems.
so then what does that say about Rashad? He couldnt handle titos standup.
Lyoto from day 1 has handled everyone including Rich Franklin who has very good angles. Bj Penn couldnt touch him and he’s probably the best boxer in mma.
It tells me that Rashad has improved a great deal in the past 2 years. But you’d have to be blind or intellectually dishonest to claim that Rashad is the same fighter he was 2 years ago. It would be similar to people saying that GSP was the the same fighter in the 2nd Hughes fight as the first (2 years apart).
And Rashad handled Tito’s standup fine, considering he never was hurt by any of Ortiz’s srtikes.
LOL at Penn being the best boxer in MMA. GSP beat him standing (and on the ground, and everywhere in between).
Absolutely, let’s see what happens. It should be a great fight.
Watching the fight, however, doesn’t negate anything about what I’ve stated regarding Rashad’s improvement from 2 years ago until now. It’s not unique for fighters to improve over a 2 year period.
Now, you can continue to argue in a childish manner, devoid of any logic or insight, but is that really the route you want to take?
Who’s arguing against his improvement?
Im talking about right now… all he does is circle around find a spot against the cage and wait to counter.
He lost the first 2 rounds to forrest and the first round to chuck.
I say lets wait and watch the fight because its easier for you to see whats going to happen rather than me trying to explain it to you.
Tito’s standup is very underrated technically. He has technique down but as you said he doesn’t combine well and doesn’t have a lot of power. He’s also fairly slow.
Rashad is much improved, but he still had problems standing with Tito, Bisping, and Forrest. I’m not convinced he is a worldbeater on his feet, I think he is very good at adapting in the cage and finding a way to win. This is the ultimate test.
by Michael Rome on May 7, 2009 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't know about the clinch...
I think the Tito fight showed that Machida could have a slight weakness in the clinch. Yeah, he muscled Tito to the ground in the first round, but Tito showed Machida’s armor had a weakness there. I’m sure Machida being the fighter that he is, has improved since the last fight, but I’m just saying, he looked a bit exposed there.
I believe Rome said the following from a week or so ago, which I think is a correct assessment:
The only weakness from Machida we’ve seen was a small susceptibility to dirty boxing in the third round of the Ortiz fight. From the clinch, dirty boxing, takedowns, and opportunities to push off and land blows could be effective against Machida.
I love me some Sexyama!
Machida is good in the clinch, I’m not saying Rashad wins there, but he’s better off there than out in the open. Another potential strategy is Hendo’s strategy against Anderson…pull guard, and try to get a takedown from there. Make him stay close to you.
One of Machida’s common tricks is to evade people, pop in for a strike, and immediately clinch up. He uses his balance and power to push off and evade, or go for a trip. He picks and choose when to engage and then clinches to avoid exchanges. Watch him do this over and over to Sokoudjou and BJ Penn. One key is to prepare for this and be ready for it.
Machida did a lot of clinch work with Nakamura. He did well, but not incredible. He’s good in the clinch, but we shouldn’t go crazy. In the clinch against the cage Randy would completely maul him, he’s not elite in the clinch. The challenge for Randy would be closing the distance, which is very hard to do with Machida.
by Michael Rome on May 7, 2009 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Greg Jackson needs Mr. Miyagi
Rashad brings nothing that Lyoto has already experienced. It just may take another karate fighter to solve the Machida puzzle.
Rashad may be trying to cram a lifetime of counter-karate fighting into 4 months of training, that’s like trying to earn a Ph.D in one semester!
Evans has a better chance of beating Machida if he trains with Mr. Miyagi instead of Greg Jackson (really, what does Greg Jackson know about karate that Machida doesn’t?)!
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