I’m truly disappointed in you Anton, here. You’ve managed to miss the point in both of my posts. In any case, I’ll reiterate my points and address each of yours succintly.

Remember, Aoki is a large LW, he’s 6’3. And already cuts a lot of weight and you made the conclusion that he doesn’t do enough S&C just cause the video editor decided to focus on the interview and the other factors such as training his muay thai?

First of all, Aoki is not 6’3. He is 5’11 and though, he has a fairly large frame, he cuts nowhere near the amount of weight that many of the top LWs do. However, that is besides one of my larger points, which has been a focus on his S&C. Note: I never said he “doesn’t do enough S&C” like you’re erroneously stating, I’m saying that his S&C focus should be placed more on athleticism/strength purposes. I have viewed a number of Evolve MMA video blogs and I’ve yet to see any proper powerlifting routines. The fact that his physique has remained the same also makes me believe that he hasn’t undertaken that routine either.

Also, a powerhouse wrestling camp? Easier said than done. There aren’t any of those in Asia, and those in the states probably wouldn’t have the same quality of coaches for the other disciplines… Training with the best BJJ and Muay Thai fighters in the world isn’t going to help him? If you would see the facilities and coaches there, you’d understand that he’s already getting the best training possible in the region.

…in the region. Listen, I know for a fact that Evolve MMA is a fantastic gym with excellent facilities and trainers but Aoki is a grappler and will always remain a grappler. Think of Jake Shields. Shields trains with some of the best strikers but has his striking improved any? Not so much. The same applies for Aoki, he can train with the most beastly Muay Thai champions ever, but, as we see here, his striking will only improve at a incremental scale. The best thing for Aoki would be to sharpen his already dangerous grappling base (just as you said) with fantastic wrestling. We’ve already seen what happens when Aoki gets top position…scary things happen.

You also have to understand that this guy is from Japan. He has been a Japan-first guy for yearssss, and he even hesitated before eventually moving to Evolve for camps while his wife and his new born stays in Japan.

I don’t care about this. If he truly wants to be the best LW in the world, like he so often states, you need to make sacrifices. Period. Many of the top fighters train outside their comfort zones, train in different places all the time. This has no relevance.

I think Evolve is already getting a champion wrestler(s?) to add to their team. If they do get multiple quality wrestling champions, which I think this is already close to a done deal, (on paper at least)

They’ve been saying this for awhile. I’m still waiting for those champion wrestlers to show up. If they do show up, I’m still not sure that will be enough. As you can me both know, MMA wrestling and amateur wrestling are two completely different beasts.