I was really impressed with Frankie last night, whilst Gray Maynard got too patient rather than gassing and was completely controlled after the first round just as he had been in their second fight. This time, Frankie didn't just come back to pepper Grey with shots, he blasted him out with his crisp boxing. Edgar is a solid evasive fighter, who puts his shots together well and has shown very high levels of resilience. Not sure whether he is, as Dana put it after the fight, higher on the P4P list than GSP, but it was refreshing to see a smaller guy who doesn't cut weight beat the drainer due to having more time to really refine his skills, and was also refreshing to see Edgar put it all together and get his man out of there. If Aldo Vs Edgar will happen, let's hope Aldo fights at a more natural weight for him and they fight for Frankies 155lb title. So, Popkins my ol' chum, has Frankie won you over?
First time I've been called out in a thread title for quite a long time. My answer? Yes and No. But more Yes than No, as I'm sure you can see I have elevated him above Aldo to #4 in my own p4p rankings. Firstly, the No side: - His punch resistance at lightweight is not great despite his miraculous recovery time abilities - His boxing is overrated from a defensive perspective, he is often spoke of as being so elusive but he can keep getting hit with the same punch, he is not as hard to hit as Silva or Cruz or Jones - I don't think he will have an extended run of defences like Silva or GSP has had, sooner or later he will run into another lightweight who is bigger and more powerful than him who will get the finish, and I think Ben Henderson has a really good chance to be this man But more importantly the Yes side: - The main point I took from the last night's fight is that Frankie Edgar proved me WRONG over his power and over his ability to finish fights - Frankie Edgar is a BRILLIANT fighter - I tipped Frankie to win a clear UD last night, but I was shocked that he stopped Gray Maynard, to stop someone that big and strong (especially after taking an ass-whooping in the 1st round) was just stunning - Edgar's offensive boxing is superb Am I wholly converted to a Frankie Edgar fan? No. Do I now consider Edgar as peerless in his division as I believe GSP and Cruz are? No. But did he prove me wrong over my main gripe with him? Yes. He did. Tremendous fighter. (though I still think he'd be even better at 145, he would dominate Jose Aldo IMO) That good enough for ya? :think
Goldberg mentioned last night, and I've heard him say it before, that the only reason Edgar wasn't fighting at 145 was because the UFC did not have that division and he wanted to be in the UFC. Now that the UFC has included the 145 lb division, Edgar may take some fights there.
It was an impressive performance with a caveat - and yet the caveat leads to what truly made it an impressive performance. The 1st round did not flatter Edgar at all. That he got caught with those wild uppercuts and so clearly hurt by them (and once wise to them, seemingly unable to scramble into Alert Response Mode rather than just stumbling away getting clocked) speaks poorly to his defense, chin, and cage IQ. However, the subsequent few rounds speak very HIGHLY of his physical and mental powers of recovery, his heart, and his boxing skills - movement and precise counter-punching against a bigger opponent in particular. And his finishing instincts, well ****... Overall a B+ performance (taken down a notch by the 1st round), and an A+++ comeback (because of how he behaved after seeming on the verge of being KTFO in the 1st round).
So, Sherk used to be the 2nd best boxer in mma? I know that isn't what you meant. Who was 2nd best? Who do you think is the best? BJ? That would be my pick, but I'm interested in what others think.
1) jorge masvidal and its not even close. 2) frankie edgar- Good feints and real good in and out footwork. You can throw adam lynn right in the mix with both of those guys aswell.
I meant to say frankies boxing was decent but i could tell he had been working hard on it when he fought sherk because he went from being a good boxer to a great boxer in mma. He used feints in and out footwork and got uner and out the back brilliantly in that fight.
