Quote (Oathkeeper @ 30 Jul 2019 13:39)
*crickets...
If you want a serious discussion, I'd suggest you post this in Sherdog, Bloodyelbow or something similar. Most jsp members only like to talk about McGregor.
For Whittaker:
- Wrestling: Whittaker has underrated wrestling skills. He can surprise Adesanya with this and if he can mix in a takedown through his striking early, it will give Adesanya something to think about, opening up strikes to the head.
- Mess up Adesanya's footwork. Two good ways of doing that: 1. injuring the legs or fatiguing them, 2. make him dizzy (what happened in Adesanya vs Gastelum).
For number 1, I don't like the idea of Whittaker going leg kick for leg kick against an elite kickboxer, so for him, it would be pushing Adesanya against the fence early, kneeing his thighs, stomping his foot, etc. If he gets a takedown, he should focus on making Adesanya spend a lot of energy trying to get back up, making his legs weary by just resting on top of him. He should save the damage for the later rounds when he has the leverage. An inexperienced wrestler like Adesanya spends a lot more energy wrestling than an experienced one. Whittaker is way ahead in wrestling experience. The more grappling in this fight, the better. Trying to do a lot of ground and pound is only giving scramble opportunities and empty his own gas tank. He is going to need to ignore the boos from the crowd. Just for the first round or 2, he can unload later.
- In the 3rd round, he should test Adesanya out by feinting and level changing and find out where Adesanya's mind is at. Because if Adesanya is worried about being taken down, it is time to mix in some more head strikes.
- Whittaker seems to be good at the front kick (not the push kick, but the stabbing front kick). He had a lot of success depleting Romero's gas tank in the first fight with this kick and this is one way to make Adesanya tired and making him slower. Slowing Adesanya down is more rewarding than slowing any other opponent down because his game relies on it.
For Adesanya:
- If Whittaker doesn't try to clinch, he just needs to fight like he always does. For sure he will study Whittaker's loss to Thompson. Lots of similarities between Adesanya and Thompson: lanky, movement-based fighters, both rely on timing and accuracy to support their sniper-like offense, both rely on speed and reflexes to support their hands-down defense.
- If Whittaker tries to clinch, Adesanya should use his height and reach to his advantage use elbows and knees from the Thai clinch if he can't separate (just like fighters with the same body frame: Jones, Silva...). This should be a key thing in his training camp.
- If on the ground, he should try to elbow Whittaker from the guard and look for cuts. Whittaker suffered a lot of damage from the 2 wars with Romero and will carry the scar tissue into this fight. Blood into the eye of Whittaker will only amplify Adesanya's elusiveness. It's okay for Adesanya to stay on his back. Whittaker is not a submission artist and he did well from his back against his last opponent, a decent grappler.