Eskrima Kombat

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One thing about MMA is you never know what might happen. I was shocked to see the photos this morning of Anderson Silva’s broken shin.

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Weidman at the Side of Fallen Silva

I have written of the first Silva vs. Weidman bout. Many regarded Weidman’s knockout victory as a lucky fluke, that Silva mistakenly showboated and lost the fight. Yet I think you should keep in mind that showboating is a feature of every Silva fight, and in the past it hasn’t prevented him from annihilating opponents –it’s a necessary feature of the mind games he plays on opponents.

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In the first fight you should take into account Weidman’s impressive skills as a grappler, and the fact that he specifically trained to counter Silva’s taunting. Of course, against an MMA legend like Anderson Silva, it’s easy to come across as a lucky chump.

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But now Weidman has won twice. Are you prepared to argue that he got lucky twice, especially when Silva was out to prove that it was all just a lucky shot?

You must also take into consideration that Weidman appeared to have won the first round of this latest fight. This writer confirms that Weidman was winning right up to the fateful kick. At 40 seconds he tackled Silva, who has rock solid takedown defense, and then rocked him with a right hook in the clinch (:45 and :50), where Silva usually chews men up.

Furthermore, Weidman specifically trained to counter the low leg kick. Silva isn’t “accidentally” breaking his shin –Weidman is intentionally countering the low kick with his knee. In video of the first fight you can see Silva dodge and taunt, pretend to go wobbly, then suddenly lash out with a low leg kick. It makes sense that Weidman and his team would anticipate this.

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Ronda Rousey

Also in UFC 168, Ronda Rousey defeated Miesha Tate. As I’ve written, Ronda’s game plan is simple yet effective –use her excellent judo skills to dominate clinches and floor grappling, then submit via armbar. Once again, Ronda’s game plan was victorious. I think it shows that you don’t need hundreds of techniques; just a mastery of a few high-percentage moves.

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Don’t dismiss “just one technique.” If Ronda were jumped on the street and clubbed nearly unconscious, she could still execute that armbar on autopilot.

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By the way, Ronda will appear in The Expendables 3.