UFC 100 Preview: Paulo Thiago Talks Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 5, 2009 4:53 AM EDT
Email
Print
Promoted from the Fan Posts by Kid Nate.
UFC welterweight contender, Paulo Thiago (11-0) talked to UFC.com about Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch (22-3), and people thinking he's one dimensional:
"[Koscheck] has his merits. He accepted a fight where an eventual victory would not add anything good to his card, but the defeat would cost him a lot. Even with this, he did not hesitate and agreed to fight."
"We are professionals, and we study the game of my opponent and come up with a specific strategy for each fighter. I trained the uppercut-cross combination a lot, I think more than 50 times per day. We knew he had heavy hands, but his head was exposed right after the bombs he landed. My goal was to exploit it."
...
"Looking at Fitch’s background, he is as dangerous as Koscheck, but in my opinion he has a wider repertoire, which makes him tougher to KO or submit. We had a training camp focused on his characteristics, and my coaches affirmed that I have evolved a lot since February. But since my adversary is very strong, I will need a bit more strength while not sacrificing my technique."
"But the mental strategies are as important as the physical ones. When you prepare your mind the right way, only you can defeat yourself. ...Only Fitch matters now. My life was constructed by stages, and I do not care if he is at the top or not, I face him with the same seriousness. Because of that I think I identify myself more with Lyoto’s [Machida] road to the belt [step-by-step]."
Paulo Thiago is a member of Brazil's Special Forces team and has trained in martial arts since the age of 5. He trained in Judo, then tansitioned to other forms such as Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Boxing, and jiu jitsu before making the jump to MMA in 2005. He has a perfect record and is currently ranked #10 in the Welterweight USAT/SBN Consensus MMA rankings.
HT: UFC.com
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
27 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Jeez,
This dude just showed up out of nowhere huh? With that record and training, can’t wait to see where this kid goes…After he loses to Fitch.
"Apparently, the only way to kill a lion is by rear naked choke...Personally, I'd just kick it in the head."- Bas Rutten
I'm wondering,
If he beats fitch, will they give him swick? Or give him a title shot?
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 5, 2009 9:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Don’t fuck with the whatever those guys are. Super Brazilian anti-drug cops?
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 5, 2009 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions
yep.
Silva is a super brazilian anti-drug cop with white pants..
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 6, 2009 12:44 AM EDT up reply actions
I have Jon Fitch winning this fight via decision but the lines on this fight are so far apart it’s hard to avoid picking Thiago.
I say Fitch by submission, but that’s only cause I think his chin is wayy to strong to get knocked out and being random is fun. Decision is likely though.
"I will knock your hair black!"- Ken Shamrock to Tito Ortiz
To be honest,
I thought Fitch surviving 5 rounds with GSP was one of the most least likely scenarios possible, or Paulo knocking out Koscheck, or Forrest submitting Shogun…Dude, this is MMA. I’ve found out that there is no “least likely scenario”.
"I will knock your hair black!"- Ken Shamrock to Tito Ortiz
People need to calm down about Paulo Thiago. He fluke knocked down Koscheck who then right away tried to defend himself from the next punch and the ref stopped it.
Fitch is going to handle him.
As far as I can tell, pretty much everyone is picking Fitch. There is hardly a massive amount of hype around this guy.
I’m tempted to pick the underdog though, Fitch isn’t going to be able to sumbit him, and the last time he finished anyone with strikes was over 3 years ago. Joe Silva obviously sees something in him if he is giving him such high profile opponents so early in his UFC career.
Probably.
But lightning doesn’t strike twice, and if he does pull out the win, then he’s right in line for a title shot.
But yeah, from watching his previous fights, and the fight with Kos, it’s obvious that he has sloppy (but powerful, at times) hands, and a very high level submission game. However, it’s also apparent that his ground game is much more top- control oriented, and I seriously doubt that he’ll be able to take Fitch down or sweep him with any consistency.
Fitch by decision sounds about right to me.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Jul 5, 2009 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions
A lot of MMA fans are forgetting that Koscheck prefers to box instead of wrestle, while FItch always tries to take his fights to the ground
I just don’t see Fitch trying to stand and trade with Thiago unlike his AKA partner Koscheck. Koscheck (like Sherk and Evans to a degree) has been using his wrestling in reverse lately whereas Fitch in his last fight against Gono has shown that he still puts the fight to the ground and grinds out decisions. I would honestly be surprised to see Fitch keep the fight standing for a very long time.
i wouldnt be surprised to see fitch do that..
the ground game is supposedly thiago’s strong suit… he did KO kos but it looked a bit sloppy, so fitch standing with him isn’t that farfetched…
im picking fitch by tko though..
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 6, 2009 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Fitch is a legit black belt under Dave Cammarillo (I don’t know how to spell his name), and there is really no indication in his previous fights that he will stand and trade with Paulo Thiago the whole fight. Thiago did look sloppy in his standup, but Fitch has come across as a fighter who plays it safe and uses his strongest asset which is his wrestling.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
