Anderson Silva Says Yushin Okami Has Nothing for Mark Munoz
by Nick Thomas on Jul 28, 2010 3:15 PM EDT
in MMA News
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When asked what his strategy was coming in against Okami, Munoz replied succinctly, "I'm going to take him down and pound him out". Anderson Silva agrees.
"Anderson actually told me that after sparring with me, and after fighting Okami, Yushin has nothing for me. He knows what Okami has, so we've been working really hard to understand how he moves and how to counter back. He's got a lot of great stuff that he's showing me."
-- Mark Munoz talks to examiner.com.
"I’ve been working on my ground and pound quite a lot and working on my striking too, and I’m just looking to improve every time I step into the Octagon," Munoz said. "I’ve been training really hard and I’m looking to win this fight and win it in convincing fashion."
-- Mark Munoz talks to ufc.com.
Mark Muñoz sits down with Karyn Bryant to discuss his win over Kendall Grove at UFC 112. Mark admits he was almost knocked out by a knee to the head, but thanks to his wrestler's instinct, he was able to continue and ultimately win the fight.
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i still got okami in this
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
*In GSP voice* "I am not impressed by your last performance!"
Munoz ate a lot of punches early on in that Grove match trying to get takedowns There was a few times that Munoz looked outmatched in that fight as well.
I’m not saying Munoz is a bad fighter…
… I just think Okami might be the one coming out victorious regardless of what Anderson says.
Semper Fi
by ChicagoMarine on Jul 28, 2010 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions
remember, fighters never evolve
the Okami that Anderson fought 4 years ago is the same one Munoz will fight in a couple weeks.
Also, teammates never talk each other up. Ever.
"It’s going to be like sex with a grizzly bear, you know, a lot of scratching and growling on both sides." - Don Frye
RIP Sherdog (6/26/10)
They fought 4 almost 5 years ago. Okamis boxing was so precise and tight in his last fight, and Mark Munoz striking while powerful is sloppy as hell. IMO Munoz can only take this with his wrestling and Okamis wrestling is nothing to scoff at especially after training with the Wet Blanket Sonnen.
Sounds to me more like typical training partner talk from Anderson. Yushin will be a beast for sure.
"I just like violence, period." -James Toney
by casey manrique on Jul 28, 2010 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions
The Anderson fight was 4 years ago
I’m sure that was ample time for Okami to diversify his abilities.
Okami's striking + Munoz's non-existent striking defense = Okami via dominant decision or late TKO
Nick Garcia is the Brian Russell of MLS but 10 times worse.
by SSreporters on Jul 28, 2010 1:59 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I agree.
Kendall Grove exposed a lot of flaws in his defense.
Either that or he just abandoned striking defense in order to try to get the takedown.
Semper Fi
by ChicagoMarine on Jul 28, 2010 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions
The way he came back was very impressive
Especially knowing Grove has no chin and Munoz has incredible ground-and-pound. Munoz is just not polished to handle someone like Okami.
Nick Garcia is the Brian Russell of MLS but 10 times worse.
I wasn't expecting the comeback
… But, he did pull it off.
I think Grove underestimated his strength and went for the armbar when he was perfectly in control of the match by staying on his feet and punching/kneeing him when he lunged in.
Semper Fi
by ChicagoMarine on Jul 28, 2010 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
True
I think he was too!
He kept going for them and kept eating glove or getting stuffed.
Semper Fi
by ChicagoMarine on Jul 28, 2010 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions
But once he got one it was all over, dude has some devastating strikes from the top.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jul 28, 2010 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Brutal!
… Combine that with how he winded up on top and it was an impressive comeback victory indeed!
Semper Fi
by ChicagoMarine on Jul 28, 2010 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Not buying it
Okami and Munoz’s wrestling cancel each other out. Okami has shown that his striking has gotten much better and Munoz has always had bad striking defense and sloppy offense.
by Cocytus on Jul 28, 2010 2:01 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I like Munoz, but he really struggle against Grove early.
I was really impress with how he came back and won, but Okami is a very large step up from Grove.
okami is just one of those guys that only the elite of the division can beat
and i just dont think mark munoz is at the level of a chael sonnen, or a silva
i’d probably favor okami vs anyone at mw besides chael, anderson, and marquadt
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
Okami and Munoz’s wrestling cancel each other out
I seriously doubt that.
Munoz compares pretty favorably to Chael Sonnen in terms of wrestling credentials, and Sonnen sonned Okami in the wrestling department. Okami has built his reputation as an MMA wrestler throwing around guys who can’t wrestle. As soon as he ran up against a legit bad ass wrestler, he struggled.
I think Yushin is the better overall fighter, but Munoz is the better wrestler by a fairly substantial margin.
by Steve4192 on Jul 28, 2010 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Good point
We should also remember that, as good as Okami’s striking looked against Linhares (and it did look both objectively good and light years better than it had previously), Linhares is hardly a top-notch striker, so it may partly be a case of Okami looking better than he was because he was up against someone who couldn’t take him down and had inferior striking.
Munoz is certainly a threat to take Okami down, so we’ll have to see how that affects Okami’s striking. It’s certainly possible that Okami’s striking has improved as much as it looked like against Linhares, but the limitations Linhares brought to that fight provide reason to have some caution.
by Verklemptomaniac on Jul 28, 2010 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Lynn Harris subscribes to the "Let's wing hooks around and see what happens" style of striking
It’s easy to look good against someone like that in the striking department, but Okami made him look foolish. I was there live and Linhares was eating jabs before he had a chance to initiate a punch. The man, who was from a rural area and acted as such, sitting next to me kept screaming “Gotdamn that boy can jab, WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Its was like he was getting hit by telephone poles. Really fast telephone poles.
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
He definatly could be Munoz never did international competition as far as I know(which I don't)
And as I stated below he’s proven himself a competent wrestler he just hasn’t seemed to be able to reach his full potential in the octagon. Perhaps that will come with time.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jul 28, 2010 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions
http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org/wrestlers.php?wrestler=2483
Two-time All American, national champion, silver medalist at the 1998 junior worlds.
That’s a pretty damn impressive wrestling resume.
When asked what his strategy was coming in against Munoz, Okami replied succinctly, “I’m going to take him down and be way too sexy for him”. Akiyama agrees.
“Sexyama actually told me that after sparring with me, Munoz has nothing for me. . He’s got a lot of great stuff that he’s showing me. I’ve been training really hard and I’m looking to win this fight and win it in sexy fashion.”
"Ten more seconds is all I ever ask. That's the good thing I learned about being KO'd twice. You don't see it coming -it's like death- you don't plan for it so don't wait for it. So many people are afraid of getting Ko'd that their hands stay home, but not me. I got to go out there and shoot the lights out and fall down" Jens Pulver
by StevenGiles on Jul 28, 2010 2:07 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
go thunder
i see this going to okami unless munoz swings for the fences and lands, his got some decent power in his g’n’p might translate to his striking
I think the big question
Is wrestling.
I was surprised to see Okami get out-wrestled by Chael.
As for Okami’s striking – one fight against a poor opponent is good but doesn’t make for a total reinvention.
Given that Okami actually sought out Sonnen and trained with him after the loss, and given Okami’s improved striking in his last fight, and given how Munoz was beat up by Hamill and Grove on the feet, I would say that I like Okami. Howver Munoz has heavy, heavy hands. If he can get Okami to the ground the same way Sonnen did, it will be ugly.
All and all, too close to call and I’m very excited for this fight. Should be a great card all around.
I concur
Okami looked great against a bunch of good fighters who happen to have mediocre wrestling. As soon as he ran up against a fighter with GREAT wrestling, he struggled big time. Munoz has GREAT wrestling. If Yushin hasn’t fixed that hole in his game, he’s going to get manhandled again.
wrestling has always been a weakness for fighters from the East
I just don’t think there’s any substitution for high school and college wrestling experience—I don’t think you can ever totally catch up.
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
there really
should be sumo for smaller people..Poor little guys that only weigh between 130-250 would have a good base then.
Btw, didn’t Machida do sumo at one point? Must have loved his cake at a younger age.
"You just got your asses whipped..by a bunch of god damn nerds..NERDSS!!"
by Lambda Lambda Lambda on Jul 28, 2010 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Sumo...
is not a good base. Just a totally different type of sport, and there is amateur sumo for smaller weight classes. Judo is actually a much better base than sumo and there are weight divisions in Judo. Also, there are plenty of sumo wrestlers that don’t have gigantic stomachs, or any gut at all, and they regularly weight train. Machida said he uses certain aspects of sumo in his fights. I assume one aspect is the way he throws people away from him when they try and clinch him against the cage. Other than that I can’t think of anything Sumo has to offer towards MMA that Judo doesn’t.
When Machida pushes people with ease, it tells me your wrong. Any martial art is good when applied in effective MMA ways.
by moonlapse88 on Jul 28, 2010 11:44 PM EDT up reply actions
GSP
Didn’t have much of a wrestling background.
But your point is certainly taken, that one very noticeable exception aside.
GSP is the exception that proves the rule
Plus, he’s not from the Far East
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
The conversation went something like this...
MUNOZ: Hey Anderson, does Okami have anthing on me? You know I could really use some tips and pointers on what to do if I’m in a bad situation and what his strengths and weaknesses are.
SILVA: (heavy accent) no.
SOARES: He said no.
"You just got your asses whipped..by a bunch of god damn nerds..NERDSS!!"
by Lambda Lambda Lambda on Jul 28, 2010 2:35 PM EDT reply actions 11 recs
Hahaha
Well played.
"I have trained to fight an army. There is no way one man can stop me if many cannot." -Georges St. Pierre
Munoz has the skill to take him down, but that's the only way he wins this fight.
If Munoz can get the take down he will gorilla rape almost anyone. If he can’t Okami will knock him out that’ s about it for this one.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jul 28, 2010 2:45 PM EDT reply actions
Yushin Okami loses to dominant wrestlers
Chael Sonnen
Jake Shields
Is Munoz in that class? Probably not. But I think he might be good enough to beat Okami with the same techniques.
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
Well I'm pretty sure Munoz has some epic credentials in college, I've said it before, he was a OK state Cowboy and you have to really good to wrestle there, I've believe they are the one of if not the most decorated Div-1 wrestling school.
But he’s struggled getting inside on a competent striker, which Okami has now proven himself to be. If he can get the take down he wrecks if he can’t he’s gonna get his ass handed to him.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jul 28, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Call me crazy but...
I think this has FOTN written all over it.
When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail." - Jack Burton
Yeah, that too lol
When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail." - Jack Burton
he’s talking about the okami at 170. okami is probably the biggest nippon 185 fighter in the world right now.
granted, munoz has great wrestling pedigree, but that’s about all he has.
everything dana white says is a complete lie
Thunder will probably get the "W"
What with his new found boxing abilities; crisp, precise and lightning quick (That upper cut, straight combo is mesmerizing). Not to mention that his style is very similar to Munoz in that he relies on his wrestling to control and basically try to GnP his opponents to pieces.
But hey, I like Munoz. He’s a nice guy and he’s got a lot of heart. His fighting style can definitely be referred to as “Brawler” because of the lack of refined execution and his wild swings. But damn, his ground and pound is so beastly. It’s like a gorilla going ape shit on a poacher.
by ultima0chaotic on Jul 28, 2010 4:18 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Yushin is not Honky Kong
BROCKLESNAR!
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
I was referring to Munoz to having the GnP which makes him like DK.
by ultima0chaotic on Jul 28, 2010 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Must be those thick slab lats that put the viciousness in Munoz' GnP. But Okami's got this one.
Life is hard....get a fucking helmet.
Mark Munoz should have lost to Nick Catone, and was decapitated by Matt Hamill. I can’t see him doing real well against one of the best 185 pound fighters to ever lace up the gloves. People saying he’s going to out wrestle Okami because Chael Sonnen was able to are the same people who thought Jake O’Brien was going to out wrestle Mousasi because King Mo did it.
Check out my MMA highlight videos!
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