Wrestlers are Taking Over UFC...but why (Sean O'Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili)

With Merab Dvalishvili, Belal Muhammad, Alexandre Pantoja, Islam Makhachev, and Jon Jones as champions, the strikers of MMA need to evolve.
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[@TheWeasleMMA]

There are so many well-rounded wrestlers but not well-rounded strikers. We don't see many GSP-type fighters anymore since sprawl-and-brawl took over the striking meta. Strikers need to wrestle more and become well-rounded.

[@uhskippy23]

Well said video. No bias and straight up.

[@awguitarroom8033]

Just the threat of a takedown is a huge factor in a fight. Sean's fight with Merab is a perfect example of that

[@DoBronxStan]

PLS weasle nightmare matchups, it’s my favorite video

[@Laglager]

well, learning striking as a wrestler is way easier than becomeing good grappler/wrestler as a striker. also TD threat sets up punches and kicks way better than punches and kicks do Takedowns.

[@TheWeasleMMA]

@@awguitarroom8033 It changes a fight so much

[@highestqualitypigiron]

People were calling usman boring, he gets beat by leon who proceeds to have two fights where he throws like 15 strikes a round and all of a sudden we want usman back 🤣

[@ektran4205]

people want khabib back

[@vengencechishi1785]

Yes to beat belail

[@MMAOdin]

@@ektran4205havent heard anyone say they want khabib back lol

[@johnmarkson1990]

people didnt realise that usman and khabib did takedowns and then went for the finish. so now there stuck with wrestlers who takedown and spam pitty patty shots to the oponents thighs for activity. its the casuals faults for hating on khabib so much. joe rogan tried his best to tell the casuals khabib is fun but it didnt work.

[@AIC_7]

@@johnmarkson1990yup and then you get people saying they “outstruck” them with their baby punches on the ground that does zero damage

[@kerzu1947]

I swear we were just talking about how all the good strikers have good takedown defense. Yet they all getting beat by wrestlers…

[@keymaker2112]

We were. It's a cycle, and it will come around again.

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

This is all nonsense and sensationalism. They want to make videos with nice simple titles and simple concepts thats why the same channel expressed the same sentiment about strikers during that Pierra rise

[@uwotm8634]

​@@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200Pereira hasn't even faced any well rounded wrestlers either, the only arguable one is Jan but he's not known for his wrestling

[@vevvenennevvev5945]

They do have good takedown defense. Great wrestlers can get past good takedown defense. Pretty easy to understand.

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

@@uwotm8634 We'll see how his career turns out.. All the great strikers at LHW who faced problems in the past 5 years, faced them from other strikers or where hurt by strikes.. But we'll see

[@hia5235]

Only the real oldheads have seen this cycle in real time

[@devinking8651]

I was just thinking that. We've come full circle again.😂

[@boyka2962]

@@devinking8651shit man we are old

[@ClearMind777]

@@devinking8651 Haha me and my friend was talking about the matt hughes era.

[@kitchenwhip]

We just need Pride rules to come back.

[@TheUltimateWriterNZ]

⁠@@ClearMind777he’s talking about 5-10 years before that

[@kcshfl]

Merab is doing everything.. Except building a highlight reel. The dude couldn't finish a personal size pizza.

[@jim3541]

His highlight reel is just him shooting single legs 🤣

[@ionel630]

Like Sean " Leave IT to the judges"strickland

[@homework9102]

Cry more 😂

[@homework9102]

@@ionel630”IM GOING TO BLEED AND GO TO WAR FOR U GUYS” proceeds to jab and teep for a 25 mins snooze fest.

[@jim3541]

@@homework9102 no ones crying because merab is boring lol

[@jamessicat]

There's less risk with striking if you're a wrestler, but wrestling when you're a striker is very risky. Remember the quote "Oh, so you're a wrestler now?"

[@DemonInPain]

It’s situational. Conor has was rocked and has terrible jujitsu

[@mohamedhossam9360]

Volk and Dustin did well against Islam

[@mskata2675]

yeah its easier said than done you can get countered badly by the grappler like dos anjos got by khabib

[@galaxyvulture6649]

Dan hooker, gsp, leon, volk, dj, Dominick cruz, petr yan, and even cory sandhagen utilized wrestling with their striking.

[@johnmarkson1990]

the commentators also clown the fighter when he goes for a takedown and gets reversed "woaw what is he doing here".

[@Jared_Merks]

grapplers like Belal and Merab are just annoying champions, because they’re fighting for a decision not a finish. Very different from grapplers like Islam, Charles and Topuria who are excellent at getting finishes.

[@Ron1nslash]

I Agree bro

[@coltizz]

I 100% agree, I’ve been trying to get this point forward to people but then you are just a hater. Khabib was fun to watch to, he had vicious ground and pound and finished almost all of his fights with subs or strikes. Justin -Sub, Dustin Sub - Connor Sub,

[@mylesfranco3545]

Chandler and gaethje are also wrestlers that make sure to bring the fight

[@DrSpaceman42]

So true

[@CookCaramier]

As someone who trains Muay Thai, I mostly root for strikers. Whenever they get wrestle-fucked and lose the fights, I never shit on the wrestlers, even when they won by lay and pray. It's a MMA fight. If you can't defend takedowns, that's on you.

[@Mudada91]

yeah you cant blame them for taking away the striker's best asset.

[@siniister710]

Win the fight however you need to, doesn’t mean I’m paying to watch it.

[@donttrip9228]

Don't you think lay & pray is heavily favored though? Like I get it's mixed martial arts and the arts are gonna mix but at that point it's not even mixed martial arts anymore it's just wrestling and at worse a stalling match. I don't mind the grappling and I understand it's good to take away someone's advantage like that but I just feel like laying down on somebody for 15 to 25 minutes and not actively going for submissions or significant damaging strikes from a dominant position shouldn't be rewarded.

[@rpaul23455]

Very true. Wrestling is part of MMA...its like whining about too many kicks in a kickboxing match.

[@Ellre2012]

How is laying and praying fighting though, it literally neutralises the fighting other than the occasional knee or punch so the ref doesn't stand it up.

[@jamesmcdougal2]

UFC must at least allow knees to grounded opponents

[@tr3ball_wavey473]

@@jamesmcdougal2 apparently that rule is changing soon which I’m all for I also think they should allow upkicks to grounded opponents and 12-6 elbows to help stop stalling

[@RexxorDDG]

I thought that rule change is coming soon?

[@Stricklands3rdNipple]

​@@RexxorDDGthere are rules to it .. pretty sure you'll need to have atleast 1 hand down and there's a few more. They'll still spam takedowns

[@brickflair8926]

they need too, it will even the playing field.

[@666Havers]

Wrestler takes em down knees head from side control.. Would advantage the wrestler more.

[@RationalLlama]

As long as wrestlers and grapplers are active on the ground with submission attempts or ground and pound, I have no problem with it. The sport is called mixed martial arts. I appreciate all the forms of combat.

[@TheWeasleMMA]

Yeah as a fan, I want to see grapplers try to finish fights. I don't enjoy the positional grapplers that much, but it is important in being elite at this point.

[@kryhmeworld1843]

​@@TheWeasleMMAThey are as boring as Sean Strickland, agreed

[@buzzardscry1383]

Yeah no lay and pray

[@rodrigocisneros7019]

but youre okay with merab vs aldo? aldo didnt counter but merab didnt do anything lol

[@slXD100]

@@TheWeasleMMA "trying" to finish shouldn't give you points. that's not the art of fighting

[@erickghoul174]

The reason a lot of fans don’t like wrestlers and find them boring is because for a lot of wrestling based fighters, everything they do, be it on the ground or standing, revolves around winning a judges decision and not finishing the fight. There’s an argument to made about whether the ultimate goal of a fight is to finish the fight or just win by any means necessary but for a lot of fans (casual or hardcore), they don’t necessarily watch mma to see “who is the better martial artist” but rather, which fighter can stop their opponent utilizing their martial arts, and I would argue that even the judging criteria is based on finishing the fight as effective striking and grappling are defined as “actions the produce impact WITH THE POTENTIAL TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE END OF THE MATCH”. Essentially, judges aren’t supposed to be seen as a means to victory but rather, a way to determine a winner if both fighters are unsuccessful at finishing their opponents in their best attempts at doing so. When fighters like Merab spam takedowns and don’t follow up with any establishment of control or just hold positions putting in only enough offense to keep the ref from standing him up (not necessarily talking about the O’Malley fight), that fighter is not looking to finish the fight, but just win on the scorecards which leads to a dull, drawn out fight most of the time

[@dolod777]

You will watch sniff fest for 40 mins, you will call it reall sport, you will eat ze bugs

[@champ1159]

​@dolod777 and you will be happy!

[@GAsh0012]

That was the thing about khabib... He finished

[@tb303wpf1]

@erickghoul174 I couldn't agree more. They make for very boring snoozefests. If the refs will allow a nut hugger/leg humper/crotch sniffer win by simply laying on top of their opponent, then let's make head kicks, soccer kicks, knees etc to "grounded" opponents legal. You're taking weapons away from the strikers and giving the crotch sniffers an advantage in that area. Just my 2 cents.

[@fernandoish9194]

I consider myself one of the people who watches mma to see "who's the better martial artist". Idgaf about their beefs, their trashtalk or anything not related to strictly fighting. I love pure technical fighters with clean styles like Jack Della Madalena, Islam, Adesanya, Oliveira... and I have no issues at all with decissions if the fight has been dominant enough. For example, Topuria's onesided beating against Emmet is a fight I watch from time to time. Or Khabib against Barboza, Vera vs Font or even fights that are considered boring by most like Adesanya vs Cannonier. I can appreciate the skills of evading a powerful striker for 25 mins and piecing him up from distance safely. But there still is a difference between a decission and a finish. At the end of the day this is fighting, and behind all the styles and techniques, there's always the question of "who would have beaten who if this was an actual life/death situation". What I mean is if you compare two fighters with the exact same records but one of them has all dominant decission wins and the other has all finishes... it's clear who is the best out of the two. If you are being dominated you can always still come back. If you are lying unconscious there's no chance of winning. A finisher will always be a little step ahead of a decision merchant.

[@LeeroyShimada]

I blame gravity

[@dustingirard7118]

lol

[@victorsilvapacheco9630]

Lmao

[@ChumbynKnopa]

Sean Strickland's style is to strikers what Merab's style is to grapplers. 🤷‍♂️

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

Not the same thing. Strickland has to enter takedown and counter range every time he jabs or teeps. Merab's ability to do 50 takedowns (which he didn't even need to do against O'Malley) basically runs down the clock and leaves the striker with no time to make up for lost points.

[@ChumbynKnopa]

@@ChucksSEADnDEAD takedown attempts are always within counter range

[@bigsmall2842]

@@ChucksSEADnDEADthrowing a jab is much safer than shooting a takedown what are you waffling about.

[@HappyG1lm0re]

It's been fun watching MMA evolve since the 90's and finding out what techniques withstand the test of time. Seems like we're just at the refinement points now.

[@TheWeasleMMA]

It's insane to see the new metas the sport has gone through. From BJJ guard game to a strong wrestling base to then sprawl-and-brawl, and now takedown spamming mixed with strikes.

[@folksurvival]

The rules interfered with the refinement process.

[@DrSpaceman42]

@@folksurvival mos def. The ruleset nerfed all the best weapons against fence huggers

[@DreDaGodSon]

Imagine if Merab abandoned his wrestling and kept it on the feet the entire fight and got KO wanting to please……THE FANS. Those same fans would have been laughing at Merab for NOT using his wrestling and getting KO because of it. Merab, exceptional fight brother.

[@Ziggyvu]

He wouldve gotten slept the 2nd round lmao he had to cuddle to win

[@DreDaGodSon]

@@Ziggyvu I can tell your parlay had a big ❌ next to the name Sean O’ Malley. You’re still upset about that.

[@gucciserg8093]

This is 100% SPOT ON!!!! The fans will troll you and abandon you when you lose… great move from Merab securing his future instead of pleasing the undeserving casual fanbase

[@DreDaGodSon]

@@gucciserg8093 We think the same … 💯

[@shane7051]

I assure you that he is not going to read your comment

[@RibsBjj]

What you mean Poatan has a lot of sub wins via left hook Chama 🗿🔥

[@ronaldwilliams9635]

There is no true grapplers in that Division that's why. Alex can be submitted, he's not fighting Elite wrestlers tho.

[@OscarAcademy839]

Ankalaev is gonna fook Pereira 😂😂😂

[@terrycruise-zd5tw]

poatan ducking ank by dropping to lower division 🤣 chama

[@Yumpo.C]

U dnt know shit... he's fighting Rountree in November​@@terrycruise-zd5tw

[@mattharner9344]

It’s not the grappling that sucks, it’s when they don’t go for the finish and just holding on for dear life, Like Merab, Aljo, Movsar, Belal

[@bigsmall2842]

Have you seen movsars last few fights? He’s been beating the piss out of his opponents. The finish isn’t coming but let’s not act like he hasn’t been trying to hurt his opponents these last few fights. He battered ige, lopes, Allen. He strikes a lot more now and he’s decent GnP. I reckon he’d get a finish if he fights in a 5-rounder.

[@JC-wj5os]

@@bigsmall2842 ok remove mosvar. back to his original point

[@ashleyaboley8894]

aljo choked out cory remember that lol

[@mattharner9344]

@@ashleyaboley8894 1 finish in the last how many years

[@mattharner9344]

@@bigsmall2842 Arnold Allen was robbed and those knees were not Illegal, so he didn’t beat the piss out of him. Diego Lopes exposed him by giving him a hard fight on 5 days notice. So who does he beat the piss out of?

[@drunkenmmamaster419]

Just proves wrestling is the best base for mma 🤷‍♂️

[@bigchedds8389]

True that's why poatan is avoiding ankaleev. He's even talking about going back to the weight class where he puts himself through the same things Spain did when it landed on South America. Edit for those who say ank isn't a wrestler... He's nough of a wrestler to get poatan to fight a guy barely in the top 10 and to get him wanting to move back to middleweight so he doesn't lose his belt. Oh and I love how POA waited to call him out around Ramadan... That's major duckage by POA which I respect but his fans pretending like it isn't duckage have to be closeted or something.

[@Herbdeanius]

Ankalaev isn't even a wrestler bro 😂​@@bigchedds8389

[@inkognito3145]

Wat?

[@Stb91-z6z]

​@@bigchedds8389Who has Magomed out grappled? Exactly. Casual.

[@Herbdeanius]

​@@bigchedds8389Ank ain't a wrestler

[@kengrand5445]

I have no problem with wrestling...but when a wrestler ONLY wants to get a takedown & stall & win using the clock...that's what's I hate...it's a FIGHT....in sports like football, wasting time or stalling is considered a penalty...so in mma, guys that want to hug & do nothing just to let the time run out should get point deduction

[@AdamIsailovic]

Same goes for Fence Huggers....

[@matthewa7503]

IMO fighting like that os just being a coward

[@Dukestboy96]

​@@matthewa7503 this sentiment is why wrestlers will never get the same fan recognition. We're all here to watch the best fighters. When we feel like a fight isn't being had of course it's frustrating. The purists need to also accept that. That being said I don't hate merab

[@whatchasayin9363]

On the other side of the coin, there are also positional advancements that takes steps to obtain and waiting for the opponents reaction. Some fans also need to understand that grappling is a chess game on its own. After a takedown, a submission is not automatically imediate.

[@Thiccolo]

10:40 TJ dillashaw said that he won a world championship 4 years after training MMA, and it's due to his base and wrestling would give him an advantage.

[@TheWeasleMMA]

Great point. TJ still has some of the best takedowns I've ever seen in MMA.

[@jeremiahgobin1397]

This shows you how fast the sport changes and how hard it is to be that dominant champ like before

[@johnelisonprod8297]

I’m a wrestler , wrestled for 10 years and I appreciate wrestling . However , merab did no damage . I can appreciate someone like khabib or mahachev who does damage and has great submission . Merab just laid there and that’s why it sucked , I also am not sure why O’Malley wasn’t trying , maybe he was to focused on one punch . But O’Malley will be the champion wether he has the belt or not . I really wanna see nurmagomedov vs O’Malley . Nurmagomedov is a killer on the feet . It will be like Conor va khabib . I love O’Malley because beautiful striking and uniqueness is what is fans love about mma . That is why it’s hard for me to watch college wrestling . I think it’s the most important sport in mma . However it’s not fun to watch :(

[@travisjones1481]

Merab doesn’t have “good” wrestling, he has relentless wrestling. Against a pure striker, that’s an easy win for a Merab or Belal. When a relentless wrestler faces somebody who is a technique wrestler, that’s when they lose. Then the technique wrestler loses to the pure striker because his wrestling is less effective when used against somebody who can keep space, because the wrestler will get tired. Merab doesn’t get tired, Belal doesn’t get tired. So their constant wrestling pace is super overwhelming against bad wrestlers, and ineffective against good wrestlers.

[@kenwahldhlamini8102]

Belel weaknesses is offensive pressure and shavkat rakhmonov is is cryptonite

[@andrewclarksmith5152]

I agree with the idea that tech wrestling beats relentless wrestling most of the time. However, look at Cejudo/Merab. 1st round, Cejudo showed the Olympic difference. Our techniqued Merab. But the relentless Merab has tank outlasted. I think that gas tank is going to become a new meta of sorts. Belal, Driscus, Merab, Strickland, all good gas tanks.

[@dolod777]

Bro really dropped Dricus the finisher with the borings

[@ashleyaboley8894]

@@kenwahldhlamini8102 wheres the proof lol

[@kenwahldhlamini8102]

@@ashleyaboley8894 geoff neal fight and the first leon edwards fight

[@equanimity92]

imo guys like Charles Oliveira, Makachev, Diego Lopez, Aspinall and Topuria have the best styles both techically and to watch. Deadly BJJ and Crisp striking🖤🔥

[@tlewos]

The things is that the rules favors wrestlers. Grounded knees, stomps, football kicks, this all should be allowed.

[@msdtpt7225]

Strikers are like guys with Guns who would shoot from distance. When wrestlers close the distance strikers get mauled /defeated.

[@FeralWorker]

I think the scoring system could further emphasise that effective grappling MUST mean positional improvement and submission attempts, and perhaps even penalise any kind of lay and pray approach. I.e. Redefine "control time" and retune the incentives.

[@erickghoul174]

@@FeralWorker Effective Grappling: Successful execution of takedowns, submission attempts, reversals and the achievement of advantageous positions that produce immediate or cumulative impact with the potential to contribute to the end of the match, with the IMMEDIATE weighing more heavily than the cumulative impact.” It shall be noted that a successful takedown is not merely a changing of position, but the establishment of an attack from the use of the takedown. Top and bottom position fighters are assessed more on the impactful/effective result of their actions, more so than their position. -Unified Rules of MMA

[@FeralWorker]

@@erickghoul174 Thanks for that. Yeah, it's all already there really isn't it. I think the issue is with judges not applying the criteria properly--and commentators also not understanding them. I don't think I've seen a fighter lose a round for stalling a position (or pinning) the whole time, the sport would be better if they did. Also, I saw the 306 headliner fights after posting that comment and didn't find them boring at all really. Shevchenko's performance was uncompromising. Merab was being I wild bully. Great.

[@erickghoul174]

@@FeralWorker On rare occasions, the fighter who’s game plan revolves around stalling and holding positions ends up losing the fight, and then the commentators (particularly Rogan and DC) lose their minds and act like it was some kind of robbery. It’s frustrating to listen to and I know that it’s giving the audience the absolute wrong impression of how fights are supposed to be judged

[@rr-mt9np]

Wrestling will always be elite

[@TC1Z2L3]

For fans the problem with grapplers is that they don't often get finishes. (Cue the KZbin contrarians) "What's so important about finishes?" Well, ask the fighters themselves who almost always say they're looking for a finish or say they are disappointed when they don't get a one. Ask the promoters who say they're much more likely to give fighters a title shot or a high profile fight after a finish. Ask the commentators who jump up and scream during big finishes, yet remain seated and monotone during 25 minute wrestling matches. A win is a win but a finish is a climax.

[@BlahBlahFreeman]

No contrarian here. I agree. Fighters like Merab and Belal are skilled. Not taking anything away from their ability. But they don't have a killer instinct. They're too comfortable letting every fight go to the judges. As technically impressive as their grappling is, I don't want to pay for an $80 PPV to watch 25 minute decisions, especially from the same fighters over and over.

[@mskata2675]

100 perc i do not get fighters that do not try to finish winning a decision is not enough in my opinion

[@johnmarkson1990]

i think what saves them is basically each takedown is a mini finish. merab charges like a bull ready to take you off your feet. thats why the ufc commentators and so biased to merab. and get on herb deans case for saying work. joe rogan got to do lots of mini finishes so hes satisfied.

[@icantthinkofacoolname1308]

No wrestler would dare to walk into a room with Jon Jones

[@lancepabon]

JJ was a wrestler before he became an MMA fighter...

[@kevinhanandi]

Isn't Jon Jones a wrestler?

[@claudemakelele2856]

​@@kevinhanandiyou missed the joke. Hahahaha

[@claudemakelele2856]

​@lancepabon you too misses the joke

[@rpaul23455]

Jon have that PEDs power. A proven fact unlike others.

[@jbrax425]

PPV rules all. If you aren't exciting, no one will pay to watch you. If every event becomes a grapplefest, people will tune out

[@johnporter9073]

I wish I could like this comment multiple times. Who is going to pay $80 for a Belal or a merab fight?

[@BlahBlahFreeman]

It's not even a grapplefest that's the problem. Khabib was a massive star and he wrestlefucked everyone. It's the lack of urgency to finish a fight that's the problem. If you're going to wrestle, you better throwing some vicious ground and pound, or you better threatening subs constantly. You have to have the same killer instinct strikers have to take your head off, grapplers just have to be trying to rip you limb from limb, or smash your head into pulp. We don't see that with Merab and Belal. The fans want finishes. Regardless of how you get them, doesn't matter. If it's a decision, it better be a war. The UFC has a severe problem with a lack of killer instinct in champions.

[@jamescooper-hope6930]

Conversely, if strikers spent more time on the mats training, instead of doing their hair, tiktok and tweeting they'd be far more effective. Fans are fickle af and simply can't accept reality. Also, coaches have to take some responsibility here too.

[@jbrax425]

@BlahBlahFreeman I would say Khabib is a star but not a massive one. He's big largely due to beating up Connor, cause at that point people wanted to see him get his comeuppance. I would argue Poatan is already a bigger star than Khabib. There's also some religious factors there too. But I agree, there isn't much urgency, people just want control time. But, let's be real, the last two fights of Noche killed the mood. I was in a big bar, you could hear a pen drop toward the end. And sure you can package Valentina as the Co-main with an exciting main event but not if all your champions are grapplers. Who's the Main now that are gonna give you watchable fights.... Tom(cause Jon likely retires) and Poatan, maybe Dricus. Islam maybe. That's really it. Ilia too. But that's 5 people, if Magomed beats Poatan, it's 4. It's just not looking good going into the year they are seeking a new deal. If I'm a network, I don't think this is it. It's still not very advertiser friendly and you have one actual PPV star, Connor, and he's one foot out the door. It's rough for the UFC.

[@johnporter9073]

@@BlahBlahFreeman you are exactly right!

[@daddyethan]

wrestlers became the dominant force -> strikers trained defense to the max to beat them -> wrestlers on the come-up evolve their game to beat the the strikers -> repeat

[@tyrodin_]

"Can't blame the wrestlers" man, if the only thing you are doing to me is holding me the entire fight with almost NO damage or getting close to a finish then is not only my "fault". People are complaining about boring wrestling, for example the grappling exchanges between charles and tsarukyan were amazing, and look at khabib's highlights as other example.

[@wow5623]

And who's fault is it that you can't get back up to your feet and put damage then or submit them off your back?

[@matthewa7503]

@@wow5623 i mean you can defend fighters being boring but its going to kill the sport. Im not tuning in to watch belal or merab fight and if I did it would be in the hopes the opponent k.o's them. Glad people like you get off on fighters being boring though.

[@ozstrider]

Because “damage based scoring” only exists on paper. And judges don’t know that volume does not equal damage yet.

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

You cant even judge damage unless its obvious tbh

[@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx9656]

Most deaths in street fights are from takedowns

[@What_111]

It's not like balel and merab got that much damage though...

[@sticktothefacts8905]

When the judges are scoring Merab 48-47 they dont know much at all lol

[@bryantperez4786]

Belal combined his wrestling with Canelo level boxing and now he's the GOAT

[@OCPARKWAY]

Canelo Boxing huh? I guess he's the GOAT in that case..

[@johnmarkson1990]

@@OCPARKWAY nah canelo boxing style still has weaknesses. i would still have jon jones above canelo.

[@DrSpaceman42]

More like goat m0lester..

[@coreymcnulty5125]

You can’t just be a pure wrestler nowadays but elite wrestling and grappling is certainly not dead

[@TheWeasleMMA]

Pure wrestlers don't really exist anymore at the highest level in the UFC, but there are pure strikers. Grappling is so important for strikers to learn.

[@user-mg5hk1ts3w]

Wrestling is the dominant martial art, but my god it’s so boring

[@rgonzalo511]

Its not boring watch a wrestling match their fun asl. Its just that people use that base as a way to waste time and tire out the opposing fighter. If they were looking to finish it would be more fun.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

​@@rgonzalo511 Exactly. A good wrestle match is entertaining as hell.

[@adamburke3379]

not a boring martial art but boring the way it's used due to the scoring

[@profinneupane6883]

Not boring and a good example is Islam Makachev, it’s just that Merab and Belal do not intend to finish the opponent

[@user-mg5hk1ts3w]

@@profinneupane6883 that’s my point, I have no problem watching DC and khabib throw grown men around the octagon and smash their faces into the canvas. The difference between them and merab/belal is that those dudes were actually trying to finish fights and cause damage to their opponents.

[@Zootlordofchaos]

this is the first time I've seen a UFC youtuber actually makes sense and not complain about "huggers" and boring fighters its not their fault its a skill gap.

[@doliniplanini2260]

a skillgap in wrestling this isnt meant to be mixed wrestling arts though, is it UFC just handicaps strikers by not allowing em to defend with strikes on the ground, just forces em to wrestle back with wrestlers

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

If the skill gap is so wide, they can finish. If a striker with barebones takedown defense and BJJ can stall a wrestler, are they that good?

[@Zootlordofchaos]

@@doliniplanini2260 isnt only for kicks?

[@Zootlordofchaos]

@@ChucksSEADnDEAD like who only person they all get rag dolled like sean and leon

[@harsha1989able]

​@@doliniplanini2260cry more little dude... Wrestling eats standup striking...

[@dontdodrugs8538]

The rules. Legalize grounded knees and kicks

[@strikespheare8412]

It will just make wrestlers more options to end the fight faster... Look at how easy Merab knees O'Malley's head..

[@doliniplanini2260]

@@strikespheare8412 good maybe he actually goes for it then n the other guy gets a chance to escape or counter as a result

[@adamburke3379]

november

[@DrSpaceman42]

@@strikespheare8412 that's a good thing

[@smlgara]

What about Cory Sandhagen developing his wrestling game and going from one of the most exiting fighters to somewhat boring in his latest fights?

[@davidjimenez7556]

Dude, I was just in the middle of the "Sean delusional" video and it disappeared!! Bring it back!!! 😂😂😂

[@bigchuckle]

O malley fans were spamming “ sean was joking” or “ weasle cant take a joke”

[@Matt-jc2ml]

0:50 a bit misleading to label gnp as "outstriking", landing more strikes doesn't always mean you outstruck your opponent

[@motivationcubee]

So what does landing more strikes mean?

[@Matt-jc2ml]

@@motivationcubee I like how you ignore the first half of my comment

[@pineapple2297]

You can't be a proper UFC champ if you can't grapple. Unless you're lucky enough to not have any great grapplers in your division(s) or to have the UFC cherry pick your opponents

[@dolod777]

No. It only works for tiny weight classes. Big guys can actually punch

[@profinneupane6883]

Had Pereira competed in the smaller divisions, i’m sure it would’ve been a difficult for him to be a champ. Either he wouldn’t be a champ or would come out as Ilia

[@kyleelpel9402]

It’s ruining the sport because these guys have a 20% finish rate. Belal Muhammad has 0 UFC submissions, and he had a standing TKO over Sean Brady. What big damaging shot did Merab land on Sean Omalley? What close submission attempt? Grappling is good as long as the fighter looks for the finish. Strikers like Leon Edwards are boring, but it seems like more strikers look for the finish than grapplers

[@zarifinator1327]

Belal has one submission lmfao

[@iansmith5052]

Good points thats why they need grounded knees and kicks so grapplers could get a finish easier

[@eLsain]

you bring leon who is as boring as belal

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

It would be ruining the sport to add artificial barriers on what people can do based on what you find asthetically pleasing.. Its combat sports. Its about who is better at combat.. So why add these unnatural conditions...

[@gjgr7772]

​@@eLsainleon definitely isn't as boring as belal, both boring, belal is more boring

[@alanjhones519]

Aldo's corner literally told him in the 3rd that he shouldn't press Merab bc he was winning the fight. You can ask any Portuguese speaking person and they will tell u this.

[@crozraven]

It's MMA, not freaking KB or MT or Karate or boxing etc. It's time we as fans demand higher level quality for fighters when it comes to both offense & defense. This is actually such a natural evolution for UFC. Either UFC do something like ONE did or BE BETTER!!!

[@woahblackbettybamalam]

Comparing Belal to GSP is just disrespectful. Did Belal headkick KO the divisions goat to win the belt ?

[@atomicpunk2360]

The ruleset… The problem with the ruleset is that it favors grapplers. Strikers are forced to adapt to grapplers with the ruleset. The opposite is not true. Knees to grounded opponents, among other things, need to be legalized to stop this shit.

[@nathantheophilus4856]

Just shows the lack of literacy with the documented use of styles in freer rulesets. True "free" ufc ruleset? Grappler wins. They use knees on head to great effect. one fc ruleset? Grappler wins. Front headlock drag down and rain knees to head. In fact the existence of a cage, gloves, rounds, and standup reset after each round and/or inactivity protects the strikers... now look at old ufc fights... boring 45 minutes of royce on some sort of guard until he gets a choke. SO im not saying the new rules are bad - they make for good entertainment, but dont think for once the rules favor grapplers - because the rules are loosened and the things u want legalized are legalized , we see the best grapplers taking advantage of them and dismantling their opponents.

[@natedog2I0]

I love wrestlers but guys like merab who do nothing on the ground but time control is just not worth $80 ppv.. I want khabib submissions I want to see ground n pound like chito did to Sean. Merabs time control is cool just not entertaining.

[@ionel630]

Merab Had ground and Pound against o malley, you must be mixing something up, Sean was easier to control and hit as merab Last 4 opponents

[@CharlesMiner]

It should only be considered fighting as long as they are actively looking for a finish but hugging and holding someone down is not fighting and makes it extremely boring to watch. The ufc needs to change the rules to prevent wrestlers from stopping and avoiding the fight.

[@oggaming7362]

Merab has only 4 finishes in his entire career.... 18 wins, only 4 finishes. Belal only has 6 finishes in his entire career... 24 wins, only 6 finishes. Both of them have approximately a 25% finish rate, and plenty of fights under their belt. Go look up other grapplers like GSP, Khabib, Usman, Jones, DC, Islam... etc. They have over 50-60% finish rates. Merab and Belal are boring because they don't grapple to end the fight, they grapple to win the round. Its not about Wrestling, or grappling in general, being boring. It's about how the grapplers don't PUSH for a finish, prioritizing only positions instead. Strikers strike to END a fight, grapplers do not grapple to end fights (with a few exceptions). The strikes thrown by grapplers aren't thrown to end fights. So they don't grapple to end a fight, and they don't strike to end the fight either... that's a problem in terms of entertainment. And I COMPLETELY blame the rules. They should implement rules that don't allow grapplers to pitter patter "fake strikes" that do nothing, or only prioritize position instead of attempting submissions or heavy strikes to end the fight, or allow them to just rest and make the other fight carry their weight to tire them. it's just too boring.

[@BlahBlahFreeman]

Exactly. There's no urgency to find a finish. They're so comfortable riding it out and leaving it to the judges. And it's the same for strikers. Look at Izzy v Romero. Boring match against strikers because neither wanted to engage and the fans dunked on Izzy for years for that fight. Fighters that don't have that killer instinct don't gain mass appeal. That's why some of the biggest stars in the sport were/are fighters that are willing to go out and get a finish.

[@Zohard104]

I completely agree with this there needs to be a yellow card system put in place for all aspects of MMA Rather your opponent is refusing to engage on the feet, trying to wall install against the cage, or just trying to wet blanket you to decision on the ground. A yellow card will fix all of these boring aspects of the sport.

[@Xabier2.0]

It’s like football. A win is a win. You guys sound like chicks all in your feels.

[@BlahBlahFreeman]

@@Xabier2.0 Except it's not like football at all. You sound like a chick being that illogical.

[@OliverOils]

​@@Xabier2.0 nobody gives a shit about football here it's a fight

[@pantopia3518]

All of the strikers are getting out stuck by the wrestlers. The reason is that they’re not wrestlers. They’re well rounded MMA fighters who learnt to wrestle first then learnt to strike and mix

[@_CiG_]

We are in the dry hump era

[@fpsantos8222]

U cant punish a wrestler with knees in the ground, a striker sprawl, his opponent face is right there and he cant do nothing... only defend a possible single leg attack

[@pineapple2297]

Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, GSP, Khabib, Usman. It's always been this way as long as there was somebody with the grappling talent

[@ektran4205]

josh barnett

[@rumham4766]

dont ever compare these legends to decision merchants

[@VisciousPhishes]

@@pineapple2297 Finisher, finisher, finisher, finisher. No comparison.

[@k1gamingpc803]

them no belal, they at least maul their opponents n try to get a finish..

[@arongholson4715]

The rules favor grapplers, u can’t knee, kick or stomp a down opponent not even from ur back.

[@king.indigo3692]

Yo why did you take down your Omalley is delusional video?

[@hardnewstakenharder]

If you've never wrestled K-12 or beyond, you've no idea the mental toughness that sport endows on you. To push beyond your abilities just to make it through practice, to say nothing of a tournament, is beyond most people's imagination. The work ethic is second to none. I coach HS wrestling and I love that grapplers are showing up strikers.

[@NeoSpacian1237]

The point is it’s boring, and speak for yourself every sport takes just as much dedication

[@NeoSpacian1237]

The point is it’s boring, and speak for yourself every sport takes just as much dedication

[@TokenTombstone]

@@NeoSpacian1237 Wrestling is not boring. Sean Omally is boring. He sucked.

[@NeoSpacian1237]

@@TokenTombstone of course not! It’s the most entertaining thing that happened all night 🤡

[@dilarch.]

Yeah cuz Muay thai guys and other sports are easy and have no work ethic and mental toughness

[@markmessi9020]

This is the cycle of life in mma. Grinding wrestlers beat snipers, all rounders clap the grinders, and then the snipers ko the all rounders. C'est la vie

[@FightMilk-rg5bu]

"Merab mostly outstruck most of his opponents." Merab: "I'm kneeing him in the bum, Aljo. Are you proud of me, brother?"

[@fourfinger540]

Yeah idk what fight weasle was watching lol. Belal vs Leon is a better example of what he was talking about with Belal walking Leon down and piecing him up. Very high paced and exciting. Merab's not a boring fighter but this one was a stinker imo

[@johnmarkson1990]

@@fourfinger540 a lot of people saw the fight as exctiting because sean is very cocky and says he never lost etc. so everytime merab gets a takedown or does anything it feels good to them. thats why they saw merab winning on the feet even though we all know sean pieced him up for 5 rounds.

[@GFraga-dk2hq]

Can't agree more. If you don't like someone wrestling you for 25 minutes and dodging all your punches then go fight in kick boxing

[@scottc2076]

Ever since Khabib people have realized takedown spamming is the way to win. The beginning of the UFC was the one takedown at a time era, then the strikers could defend a single takedown, but now the chain wrestlers/takedown spammers realize that you won’t get the first shot but will set up striking with wrestling and get the takedown eventually

[@ReyDonovan-kv4jd]

That inbred ruined MMA. His boring style is everywhere now. Hump a dude for 3-5 rounds, take little damage and win a boring decision

[@Dudecifer]

But khabib would take guys down and finish /submit them. Also he had terrifying ground and pound.

[@takkubell]

😂😂😂 lmao As a wrestler the salt here is comforting. Boo hoo hoo we can’t wrestle boo hoo 💀💀

[@TheWeasleMMA]

I believe the strikers will eventually have a counter to this fighting style. I wonder which fighter will be the first to counter it though.

[@scottc2076]

@@TheWeasleMMAI think the counter in general for most strikers is to be more aggressive than normal on the feet, since if you move forward you can get a more effective sprawl and be more likely to get a KO. Like Kai Kara France vs Askarov when he moved forward Kai had success.

[@ozthegreater9320]

We need kicks and knees to grounded opponents so there are more positions to finish from. This would benefit both grapplers and strikers.

[@trollof229antthevariable9]

Grappling vs striking is like a 60/40 in favor of grappling, if we're being real. But these things are cyclical.

[@CargoShorts7]

Weasel, think we need a "Who Really Won" video for O'Malley and Merab after Sean's recent SM posts and a bunch of his fans claiming that he won. I mean, I like both guys, but I had Merab winning by a WIDE margin while watching it live

[@ippo4502]

Also Cory is great evidence that strikers can up their grappling to such an extent that they can at least compete with grapplers.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

And gave up his striking advantage in the process.

[@gamersinger5118]

@@ChucksSEADnDEAD Exactly. This is what we see every time. Great strikers suddenly become mediocre at their strongest skill when dealing with constant takedown threats.

[@boogieboss]

That’s why it’s called mix martial arts, it’s not only about wrestling it’s also about putting everything correctly together.

[@Dude09342]

Where was this energy when Izzy was champ?

[@therealjohnwick4010]

We have this conversation every few years dude this is just the mma game fighting evolves and the fighters evolve and they’re gonna continue to get better .

[@keymaker2112]

It's a cycle, like the development between armor and weapons throughout history, but in a microcosm. Strikers will evolve and eventually neutralize the TD's again and dominate for a time, then Grappler's will evolve and develop new ways to pressure and secure TD's. It's all a cycle.

[@TheWeasleMMA]

During that cycle, both types of fighters get better and better, which is best part. Eventually I think these two styles will mesh and every fighter will strike and grapple at a high level.

[@ektran4205]

clinching

[@pantopia3518]

I don’t get why people don’t enjoy watching fighters who wrestle, or why for example Khalil Rountree is being applauded for saying ‘I’ve never shot a takedown in my life’ Muay Thai exists. If you want to watch a Muay Thai fight go watch one, it’s cheaper and the level of striking is higher.

[@blobber51]

Bruh bring back the o'malley vid

[@blablablaa14]

Cory Sandhagen is trying to become well rounded to get to that championship level

[@Reemo8800]

Two words. Takedown anxiety, especially at the lower weight classes where they don't have the same consistent KO ability of the heavier weight classes. I can name at least 5 high profile fights this year that played out the way they did because of it. It's funny really, the UFC used to be looked at as a bunch of jiu jitsu and wrestling guys who just want hug and hold , but now UFC fighters are just wannabe kickboxers who don't care to become well rounded fighters because being a exciting striker is what pays the big bucks.

[@dolod777]

Nice. It should be this way

[@samuelbrown3326]

ilia said it best, this generation are actually becoming mma fighters and not just fighting in their own way

[@zPhresh]

We’ve been through the novice 1 martial art era, tough guy brawler era, elite striker era, We’re in the middle stages of the specialist era that is being dominated by wrestlers. This next generation of young kids are going to be able to do everything at a high level. And if UFC fighter pay increases we will see some elite athletes as well.

[@HavaOwensMMA]

As a striker myself, I can say we have to just get good at grappling. That's what the grapplers did; at least enough to throw off a good striker.

[@JRF1004]

I don’t think the sport is getting ruined by wrestlers it’s just making me sad feeling like mma is getting dominated by athletes that come to just win instead of fighters that come to fight

[@SuperSilver316]

Kind of reminds me of how in wMMA the best fighters originally were grapplers, but then fighters like Nunes and Valentina proved that you needed some level of elite striking on top of the grappling.

[@MM-dz1wx]

DDP is the best

[@pescatoralpursuit1726]

Machida made every top light heavyweight look like a clown until he stopped with his offensive Judo and sumo

[@DuckmanYaHeard]

Wrestlers should be trying to actually finish the fight. Enough said.

[@JulioHernandez-ep9bn]

They aren't obligated to.

[@AlphaQHard]

@@JulioHernandez-ep9bn We’re not obligated to pretend that they’re entertaining

[@TokenTombstone]

@@AlphaQHard Wrestlers are entertaining. Sean omally is boring and sucked.

[@jim3541]

@@TokenTombstone Islam is fun to watch, Merab is boring as shit

[@wow5623]

He went for guillotines and O'Malley used the grounded opponent rule to prevent merab from kneeing him in the face in the third so what is he supposed to do?

[@Deeplycloseted435]

The styles in the UFC swing back and forth like a pendulum. BJJ was king 25 years ago, until wrestlers learned to defend submissions, and ground and pound took over. So then, the strikers learned to defend takedowns, which caused the wrestlers to learn how to strike. Now, the wrestlers are better able to implement wrestling, because their striking is legit. You HAVE to be able to do it all at the very top of the divisions.

[@ektran4205]

a catch wrestler beat a gracie

[@supahdupah207]

Why you deleting videos dawg

[@vladimirgertner3960]

It's because these Eastern Europeans have incredible chins. They are too hard to knock out. They take such powerful and precise strikes from the best strikers, and they brush them off

[@farleymarly2575]

Man I can't believe you have to make content so that the casuals can understand the sport.

[@woahblackbettybamalam]

We were all casuals at one point.

[@farleymarly2575]

@@woahblackbettybamalam when did you start watching MMA honest question no trolling

[@woahblackbettybamalam]

@@farleymarly2575 2005, I saw a couple of vhs tapes of ufc 2&3 a few years earlier

[@bradburley8008]

I think the last minute of this video about MMA in its current state naturally favoring wrestlers is the problem. Knees to the face after a failed takedown would change things more than we realize. It’s too bad it’s dangerous to downward elbow right in the cerebellum.

[@bigsmall2842]

Grounded knees would benefit the best wrestlers the most, but I see your point.

[@lcn2snipe]

Hey whyd you take down the sean video i was watching that...

[@syphonunfiltered]

Wrestlers only have striking to worry about. Strikers like Sean have to worry about striking and wrestling. It's an asymmetrical advantage for the wrestler

[@robbiesantos7677]

Because the ruleset is garbage allowing for wrestlers to position stall

[@TheWeasleMMA]

Pride yellow cards?

[@TokenTombstone]

Go watch boxing.

[@theycallmeboyapollo]

yeah you must be new to MMA pal and know nothing about grappling.

[@sealevelcain9128]

​@@TokenTombstonelet's be real mma won't gain popularity... If these lack luster performance countinues

[@WLY2718]

@@TokenTombstonewhy can’t we critique bad aspects of the sport without idiots like you making cliche comments like that.

[@veronicalopes4760]

You're definitely top 3 mma youtubers, incredible technical insight. I appreciate your work! It's very fascinanting to see the sport evolving, I hope that strikers can find a way to level the playing field against wrestlers/grapplers again soon.

[@666Havers]

Imagine if they allowed grounded knees. Wrestlers be dominating even more.

[@KittyBoom360]

Not necessarily. I've grapplers get destroyed by knees to the head.The grappler shoots, the opponent sprawls and then spams knees to the head. It's a brutal way to punish shoot fighters.

[@superchesman38]

Grounded knees are allowed in the torso and rarely anyone uses them. GSP was the best because he would actually use them.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

​@@superchesman38 It's always wild to see Roundtree highlight clips and people in the comments asking what's up with kicks to grounded opponents. People forget, man.

[@sittingdingo1]

Remember, no one goes to Wrestling only events.

[@wow5623]

Same way that nobody cares about kickboxing? Keep coping about wrestling being the most dominant martial art lmao

[@realzhella6817]

Isnt it crazy that China and india together have around 3 billion people and still dont have good mma fighters. I mean china atleast have a few. Its insane that India has like zero fighter's considering many say they discovered martial arts lol

[@dolod777]

Oh god some races are different. Oh my gosh how is it possible

[@xwhite2020]

Have you been there? It's too hot to do any sport bar cricket where they stand still most of the game.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

​@@dolod777 It's not even about race. 1.6 billion people, there would be at least one outlier. The reasons are deeper than genetics.

[@dolod777]

@@ChucksSEADnDEAD no, they are not

[@profinneupane6883]

China has some good mma fighters tbh and they mostly compete in ONE but india i could say it’s more about genetics. What do u expect from a country which majority of its people are vegetarians? Eating meat is crucial for mma

[@Torpedoman316]

Seemed a big problem was a lot of people like faber, woodley and such just stopped wrestling entirely.

[@JDP-88]

The issue is it’s easier to take someone down if you’re losing the striking than it is to get up if you’re losing the grappling.

[@theycallmeboyapollo]

thats a massive generalization and mostly untrue. no basis in fact.

[@zarifinator1327]

Learn how to sprawl lmfao

[@samuelstevens1129]

Excuses

[@motsy15]

The biggest difference between wrestlers and the rest is conditioning. Fatigue makes cowards of us all. Wrestlers are mentally tougher and that is partly based on their superior conditioning. Nobody works harder than wrestlers.

[@HavaOwensMMA]

Offensive grappling is fun, especially when it's complimented with striking.

[@ektran4205]

its about using what is the most effective

[@clemsonaddict24]

Let’s make this simple. When you wrestle and grapple you use 100 percent of the muscles in your body. When you strike, you control the muscles being used.

[@nicolasrolke3538]

The difference to GSP was, that he beat guys in the area the opponents were good at. He knocked out the striker and submitted the wrestler. He was not a one trick snooze fest like these modern day chain wrestlers. 💯

[@ImextremelyAsian-c9g]

You mean he decisioned the striker or the wrestler/grappler lol GSP actually wrestled the striker and struck with the BJJ guy or wrestler

[@zarifinator1327]

You mean he decisioned the Wrestler and decisioned the striker

[@TheWeasleMMA]

GSP was known to do the opposite actually. He would outstrike wrestlers and outgrapple strikers. He jabbed Koscheck to a decision and wrestled Condit and Diaz, holding them down to a decision. GSP rarely had a finish in his prime. He had 7 decision wins a row during his title reign.

[@nicolasrolke3538]

@@TheWeasleMMA he subbed Matt Hughes and tkoed Matt Serra in 2nd fight. He also tkoed penn.

[@zarifinator1327]

@@nicolasrolke3538 His "tko" of penn was penn quitting at the stool lmfao, and aside from that you named 2 finishes