Rhondas card is not nearly as impressive. I don't think it will do very well. I still want to see Rhonda crush the next poor soul though.
How do you see McGregor was poor on the ground? There was some nice anti gnp work going on, and he escaped the guiloteen and crucifix attack of a very good wrestler.
RONDA. Anyway...I thought McGregor's ground game was OK but a little too passive. Hate it when guys on the bottom getting elbowed in the fizzog look to the ref to stand it up. That's not how it works. Mendes was doing enough to keep it on the floor IMHO. And he was clearly damaging McGregor.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyWEJCg1BWQ[/ame] When you have a member of team " alpha male" pinning your hips, a little gamesmanship is understandable. The big news is the next UF series will be Europe vs America, SBGi vs Team Alpha Male. So the Aldo match will be after that, and potentially a match vs Faber at some point.
He lay there taking a beating and didnt do any thing constructive except whinge to the ref ... I am a McGregor fan but that part of his game disappointed me ... IMHO
I think he took very little damage with an elite wrestler in his guard and escaped easily from all control positions.
Edgar is very different to Mendes, so assuming that McGregor would perform in the same way is not a given. Also Edgar's not as strong as Mendes. Sometimes when you're in guard you have to deal with the pressure you're given.
I'm just saying though, given Edgar's output and Conor's showing, he could easily grind him out if he chose to, i'm much more excited about the bout with Aldo now, but i really think after that showing, Frankie knows he can control him for 5 rounds.
That was an excellent breakdown by Gracie (particularly for those, like myself, who've not formally trained BJJ) I thought as well, at first (regarding McG's defencive BJJ) but I realised my expectations were unrealistic, based my untrained observer's pov AND not giving Mendes enough credit for exceeding all-ready high expectations for his ground-skills. McG isn't a BJJ professor by any means but I'm coming to think he did well with the few basic skills that he does possess, otherwise he would've lost for certain. Watch the Gracie Breakdown that Fusen posted - all of it, but particularly starting from 8:35 - 12:07
Connor is a legit BJJ brown belt, trains with Gunnar Nelson, and john kavanagh who are world class blackbelts, he's also coming of an ACL injury, his A game for MMA won't be to attack his opponents main strength.
I think that, as stated by a few others, anyone deriding the groundwork of McGregor really doesnt have the knowledge base or the regard for either fighter's skills in place. Most notably they probably haven't ever felt the sort of immobilising pressure that high level grapplers can inflict (regardless of what they train or what rank they are) because if they had then they would have a different perspective. The choke/crucifix escape was sublime and he managed to both work back to standing and escape some of the takedown attempts executed by an elite wrestler... for those unclear: that is called 'good grappling ability'. The talking and baiting is gamesmanship. Lawlor vs Macdonald was awesome! As was the undercard! great card allround best for ages IMO.
I agree with the sentiment of your entire post but it bears stating as Fusen did that he posseses more than basic skills.
No argument from me, that. Mind you, I suppose I'm attempting to bridge the gap between those who say he has no ground game at 'tall and those who say, on the contrary, it quite good. It's gotta be in there somewhere, then? I suppose one definition of 'expert' is a person who knows the fundamentals (basics) of their trade very, very well.
