Dude, Diego CLEARLY ate that shot. He wasn't stunned, wobbled, hurt, or anything. Sure that shot pushed him back, Riggs can hit and is a Boxer by nature, but he ate it. Diego didn't even winse.
Sure he ate that shot and his adrenalin rush pushed him through, but if you saw the full fight, Diego was ****ed up in his corner down.
This is just absurd; Diego "destroys" Sherk? Has some sort of great standup with huge power? Where the hell is all this coming from?
If you were reading correctly, nobody said Sanchez has "great" standup, but what he lacks in pure skill on the feet he makes up for with big power and Sherk would be INEFFECTIVE on the feet with him. He would get picked apart. Again. Who the hell has Sherk ever knocked out? Answer please.
Where is this idea of "big power" coming from? He's looked much improved with his stand up for sure, but one knockdown against one fighter is hardly proof of "big power." Sherk has pretty good boxing for a guy with T-Rex arms, he beat Tyson Griffin standing, which is pretty impressive. Diego would have a chance, but he's just coming off a decision against Clay Guida that was not particuarly impressive, Sherk is basically a much better version of Guida. Sherk would be the clear favorite.
Maybe in your opinion he'd be the favorite. But not in the minds of odds makers, and certantly not in mine. Or anyone with some sense for that matter. As far as his power, explain to me the fights with Joe Riggs, Karo Parisyan, & Clay Guida. He KO'd riggs brutally. Hurt Karo with a very nice uppercut in the beginning of they're fight, and he had Guida ready to go twice in the first round of they're fight. You can't possibly tell me or even debate Sherk is a bigger hitter than Diego or that Diego doesn't have descent power. Nobody said devastating power. But he'll sure knock somebody's ass out if they sleep on him. That I guarantee. Just ask Joe Riggs. As far as you saying Diego's win over Guida wasn't impressive. I don't know what the hell fight you were watching, but that was one of the best fights of the year IMO and Diego whipped his ass and won all 3 rounds. Just because he didn't stop Guida(which he almost did twice in the very first round, and you have to credit Guida's toughness) doesn't mean he wasn't impressive. That's ridiculously absurd. That win wasn't impressive? WTF were you watching dude:blood
I'm not saying Sherk hits harder, Im saying he has the more technical and better striking game. Diego has certainly gotten better standing, but his punching power isn't really anything to right home about, it was a knee that KOd Riggs. I mean there is no way Diego would KO BJ or Sherk. Diego looked good during periods against Guida, but Sherk wouldn't get overwhelmed standing like Guida did, and where Guida didn't quite finish his takedown or advance when he did, Sherk probably would.
But it was a right hook that floored him and set up that knee. And of course Sherk would possibly finish some TD's, he's physically strong himself and is a stud Wrestler, you'll never catch me debating that. As far as Wrestling credentials, he's above Diego. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Sherk hater, I support the guy and root for him more times than not. But stylistically he doesn't match up well with Diego. Guys that aren't physically strong enough to match Sherk(like Florian, Nick Diaz) or not much intensity & pace(Franca) are gonna have a really hard time with him and Sherk will dictate & control opponents like that. Diego is the exact opposite of all the above. If Sherk takes him down(which he possibly can) won't mean he's gonna control the fight. I see Sherk getting cut open trying to protect his head while Diego will remain throwing at whatever he sees. And Diego has good subs from off his back but I think he'll just get right back to his feet at some point. I don't see Sherk controlling & out muscling Diego the way Fitch did. Fitch almost kind of like reverse pile drived Diego I just don't Sherk being able to treat him that way. I think he stops Sherk, either due to a cut or he'll break him down standing up, or maybe catch him with something big. Diego is a more versatile fighter than Sherk. Diego can possibly knock you out, he can submit you, ground & pound, whatever etc. Sherk's only hope is to lay & pray and I just don't see Sanchez getting beat like that. As far as BJ? I don't think Diego knocks him out or subs him. BJ's Boxing base is better than Diego's. They both have good chins, and no way does Diego out Jiu jitsu BJ either. Diego has to out work him, out fight him. I'm not sold on BJ's cardio being where it should be. Diego(just like Hughes & GSP) is a fighter with amazing cardio. That's what it takes to beat Penn. BJ Penn is leaps & bounds ahead of Matt Hughes in the skills deparment, but Hughes's pace is what broke Penn. He keeps going. Just like how GSP broke Penn, he keeps going. Diego is that kind of fighter. Now we'll see where BJ's cardio really is. It's easy for people to say Penn's fights with Sherk & Florian is proof his cardio is where it should be at 155. BJ dictated & controlled those guys to a point it almost looked like sparring. Diego Sanchez is no sparring partner.
Hughes beat Penn because he was so much stronger and bigger then him, he wore him down because he was able to muscle out of the triangle and arm bar that penn got him in.....Diego could not have survived that, neither could've any other lightweight. That was a classic example of "size and strenght" saving a fighter from defeat. Then Penns rib broke and I think his lack of preparation took a toll and he had NOTHING left in the final round, and that was obvious. That was THE WORST BJ has looked inside the octogan or any other ring, that last round with Hughes, he looked absolutely awful.....he was getting picked apart by Matt Hughes on his feet, this is a guy who has thrown hands with Machida and GSP. GSP wore him down because he had an even bigger size and strength advantage then Hughes did, but he also can just about match Penn in skills. Now. Diego may not have a strength advantage over him, you don't know yet. You are banking on that for your basis for him wearing him down. Sherk, Florian, Stevensen, Pulver....all those guys FAILED to dictate the pace of the fight. Hughes and GSP were able to eventually take the fight to the cage wall and the floor, and force BJ to constantly defend. If Diego cannot somehow impose his will on the superior striker, and ever improving Penn then he is gonna find himself in the same kind of fight Florian and Sherk were.....and sparring session, in which Diego gets outpointed with the jab and occassional combo, up until Penn stuns him and takes him down and finishes him off. That is the most likely scenario, and one I would place my money on. Diego is more aggressive and heated then sherk and Florian so I think he will be more aggressive == less defensive and get caught earlier and finished in the 1st 3 rounds. He is fighting a better striker then himself, who has one of the best chins in all of MMA, one of the best if not the best ground games in all of MMA and the best takedown defense in all of MMA. Good Luck Diego! :yep
GSP and Hughes are renowned for their strength. From members of their camps, you get amazement at the strength of both guys. Obviously they had a huge advantage over Penn, they would have advantages over middleweights in strenght. But that is not to say that Penn is not very strong himself. The guy was able to fight off GSP's takedowns for the entire first round.....something Hughes, Fitch, Kos, Alves, Sherk, Trigg, etc etc could not do. I am thinking that Penn will be the "stronger" fighter in the ring with Diego as well as having all the advantages in skill. All Diego will have is cardio, and that has never been tested past 3 rounds either. Diego has never been in a championship fight, so how does anyone know what his stamina will be like in the 4th and 5th?
Just rewatched Sanchez vs Stevenson: 1. Sanchez is gonna get dominated on his feet 2. He is way too open for shots, Stevensen was hitting him with clean shots because Diego's defense sucks 3. This fight will only go to the ground if BJ says so. Diego lands like only 30% of his takedowns.....huh???? BJ is the HARDEST fighter in the world to takedown. 4. I see this fight as a very very easy one to call. BJ TKO or submission in 2 or 3 rounds.
Bro come on, you're an MMA fan and you seem like you know the game pretty well. Sanchez vs Stevenson is the wrong fight to look at. That's the only fight from Sanchez that I don't really like to much. That wasn't the real Diego and you know this. He just tried to Box in that fight, and his guard was pretty weird looking, we spoke about this Why don't you judge off the fight with Karo? Where Diego's Boxing was ok, and he pushed the pace to a point he made Karo his *****. If you wanna judge off bad fights, we can look at Penn's 2nd fight with Hughes. If Penn show's up with that paticular gas tank, Diego stops him around the same time Hughes did and in devastating fashion. No if's, or maybe's:deal
