Ellenberger has the power to take anyone out if they aren't careful. He also has very solid wrestling to fall back on. He does seem to have some cardio issues, but hopefully he is working on that. He slowed the pace down too much against Hieron to really tell if it has improved, and Hieron wasn't really pushing him. He's just not the kind of guy I would ever bet against. He was very close to having first round stoppages against both Kampmann and Condit, who are both currently in the top five.
I thought Ellenberger looked improved against Heiron myself, he has a natural ability in controlling range and has really solid timing, his stand up looks crisper than ever and he always has his wrestling, what impressed me was his shot selection in his boxing, his timing looked pure, he looked like a boxer, plus ............... he obviously carries power, Heiron wanted to mix but thought more of it when ever he got a taste of Ellenberger's power! Obviously he's got cardio issues (bizzare for a 170lb wrestler but there you have it), but he's a handful for anyone top to bottom in the WW division If St Pierre beats Condit and the UFC make Silva St Pierre, id be looking to make that match (Kampman/Ellenberger 2 , Hendricks/Ellenberger). And one fight ive been drooling over is Erick Silva vs Nick Diaz :yep
I agree with what you said about his striking, timing & distance. He looked very composed and crisp. I wasn't impressed with him, because he didn't go for it at all. I see 2 possible reasons for that. 1) He just lacked killer instinct and simply wanted to get the "W". or/and 2) He is worried about his cardio. Either one, let alone both, means he stands NO chance at beating GSP (other than the small chance he'll land something big and KO him). And I'm dissappointed because there was a time my mouth was watering for an Ellenberger/GSP fight because I thought he had the style to beat him more than anyone else. :deal I thought Kos beat Hendricks, I was at that fight too. I wouldn't mind seeing Ellenberger fight either one of those guys though. Ellenberger/Condit would be interesting also after GSP beats Condit. Hopefully Silva will KO Fitch and then he can be thrown in the mix too.
Yeah thats all pretty fair LMAO at "killer instinct" after the Stefan Struve thread , but id suggest Ellenberger is shy of a high pace due to his cardio issue's, he's flattened too many guys to be accused of not knowing how to hurt an opponent or finish a fight, but if he can control the pace of a fight with crisp boxing, he's a dangerous man Koscheck is a fascinating stylistic clash, Kos would push his pace hard!! Be a good fight to see that 1
I've actually wanted to Diaz/Kampmann for a long time. That fight would be an absolute war. If Silva beats Fitch, though, he will be looking for a huge fight, and the timing lines up well with Nick's return.
Has Nick definitely said he will even return? Last I heard from him he was retired, then offering to fight A. Silva. But no talk of WW.
Since he and his people are still trying to fight the suspension, I think he definitely plans on returning. The most likely scenario will be him fighting a top contender at WW. He said recently that he would fight right now if the suspension was dropped and he was called upon by the UFC.
Its been a trying time these last 4 months as I have been faced with the prospect that one of our teams most talented fighters had decided to leave the sport. As a fan Ive always admired what both of the Diazs brought to the cage; a combination of technical brilliance and raw violence. Nate Diaz has finally put his game together and found the formula to propel him to the top of the 155lbs division. To see Nick leave at the top of his game was difficult. For the last couple of months Ive watched Nick begin to frequent the gym more and more. Hes training harder now than he has for many of his fights. It was obvious that training and fighting is in his DNA. It is who he is. This week we had a great talk and he made it clear to me that he is ready to get back to the cage. Nick Diaz will return. To address the NSAC suspension, I will say that we have appealed to the courts and if things go our way, it will be plausible that Nick could return as early as sometime at the end of this year. For too long NSAC bureaucrats have acted with malicious incompetence towards the fighters. We will challenge them in court. As far as future opponents, Nick has stated that he would like to take fights that matter. Since GSP will be fighting Condit, he has to look elsewhere. He will respectfully ask for a fight with Anderson Silva, a fighter he respects and would like to challenge. Silvas camp has been speaking of a fight with GSP, possibly even at a catch weight. Nick will take that fight in a minute but has told me that should Silva decide not to drop at all, he will move up to 185lbs to face the Champ. I will be meeting with Dana next Monday August 6th to discuss this and other issues. If you appreciate Nicks fighting style, please let Dana know that you want Nick back ASAP. Thank you and best regards, Cesar Gracie