Re: Fight Nights Global 50 : Fedor vs. Maldonado - June 17 (OFFICIAL DISCUSSION)

Fri Jun 17, 2016 6:08 pm

Kinosis wrote:I think Fedor needs to retire again after that one. He looked really bad. A lot like the sloppy brawling Fedor from the 3 fights he lost except with a worse chin. I thought for sure after the first round he would take Maldonado down but he just kept swinging with his hands down. As soon as he walked out I thought he looked bad and was worried. I don't know what happened but he looked much more healthy and fit on NYE.

One thing is for sure though, they could have let the Hendo and Bigfoot fights go on as even a 40 year old Fedor wouldn't go down when he was rocked bad multiple times. I wonder if he trained in Holland at all for this one? He looked better when he was training there but that still won't help his chin.

I agree on everything except from that they could have let Hendo and Bigfoot..because there is always a serious aspect and this is health. No reason for more damage, although i dont take Hendo's win as legit because Fedor was dominating him on the standup or in the ground but a bad slip or sth brought him in an uncomfortable position which resulted to this. But tonight he looked terrible, exactly the opposite as i would expect him. He was clipped at an exchange in the first round when he was attacking and then this brought more and more punches to the ground and to the standup.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 6:15 pm

nodogoshi wrote:This commentator is a joke. He's being paid off to talk shit about Fedor.

On the fight itself, that was an amazing fight.

We must admit, most fighters in most situations probably would've been stopped in that first round. The fighter was very close to being stopped. Fedor certainly benefited from favoritism, being Fedor, being the headliner and star of the entire event, and being in his home country. Okay, it happens. That wasn't the worst case of it I've ever seen, and I've seen worse in a Franky Edgar fight in the UFC.

It's by that same token that Henderson-Fedor was stopped early. In that case, the powers which be wanted Fedor to lose, and Herb Dean was all ready to wave it off at the earliest opportunity.

Now for the fight itself.

Fedor was throwing his crazy sambo punches and dominating, but then he got caught, YET AGAIN, just like he was caught by Werdum, Henderson, and Bigfoot (when Bigfoot feinted a punch and shot a takedown).

Fabio Maldanado is a 24-0 professional boxer, with 23 KOs. He also earned these accolades during his amateur boxing career:

Universal Boxing Council
UBC Iberian-American Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Liga Paulista de Boxe Profissional
São Paulo State Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Confederação Brasileira de Boxe
Brazil Amateur National Championship (1998, 1999, 2000)

Federação Paulista de Boxe
São Paulo Amateur State Championship (2000, 2001)
São Paulo Amateur State Championship Runner-up (1999)
2001 Jogos Abertos do Interior Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist
2001 Golden Gloves Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist
1999 Jogos Abertos do Interior Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist
1998 Forja de Campeões Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist
1998 Jogos Abertos do Interior Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist
1997 Jogos Abertos do Interior Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist

Boxing of course is apparently just his base and also his secondary occupation though, as he is primarily an MMA fighter, and a well rounded, experienced and dangerous fighter at that.

Fedor just opted to box a boxer, in vintage Fedor fashion.

He dominated the fight, other than getting caught, and very very nearly stopped in the first.

He did have some shaky moments throughout the fight, but Maldonado proved a very dangerous, as well as capable fighter. Fedor fought him at his own game and lost.

When Fedor got caught in the first, I along with many others thought the comeback was over. Images of Tyson-McBride and Tyson-Williams recalled themselves. On top of that, it was deja vu all over again, after Fedor's other losses.

While Fedor clung in and barely hung on, I was thinking to myself this proves it's all mental with Fedor.

It was a momentary lapse of concentration which caused him to get caught by Maldonado.

It was a momentary lapse in concentration which caused him to get caught in his other fights.

Maldonado was Fedor's first serious opponent since Dan Henderson.

It wasn't absolutely pretty, but Fedor did pass the test.

Fedor is a real sportsman. Why do you think he walked away before?

He wasn't going to carry on his sideshow, fighting washed up former gate keepers to line the pockets of the guys around him.

He's in it as a serious competitor, and that means he needs serious fights, and today was a serious fight.

I hope Fedor will be successful this time in tightening up the flaws which are enabling him to be caught like that. It was a tough fight, but I think it will be a good confidence builder, and I hope it will help get Fedor back on track.

Some people will have watched the fight and will read what I just wrote, and will remember Fedor's head bouncing off the canvas alongside their sweet memories of him decapitating people, and call me delusional and beg for Fedor to retire.

Here's the thing. It is you who is delusional if you ever expected Fedor to be the same fighter he was before. It isn't just him, everything changes. The scene changes. The competitors change. New fighters come up. Old fighters come back.

Fighting is a dangerous sport, and if you aren't prepared to have your head bounced off the canvas, you are probably in the wrong sport.

Fedor said it was a tough fight and he wants to take a vacation and heal up and evaluate, and maybe take a little extra time off because it was such a tough fight and he got hurt, but that he'll work it all out in due time. Sounds like a very level headed and prudent approach to me.

One last thing, in the first round, I was sure Fedor was done.

When he stood up though, I started to have some hope. That was a difficult standup, make no question. I also think Fedor looks even worse than he really is, because people are so accustomed to the BJJ defense. Notice, Fedor never tried to pull full guard, not once. He worked in the half guard and attacked the legs looking for sweeps, and then stood up when he was able to create an opening.

It's a different combat system which Fedor uses, and has obviously been effective for him.

He does need to tighten some holes.

When he stumbled across the ring I was still biting my lip, but Fedor managed to stun Maldanado with a right hand before he even got his legs back, and by the time the bell finally rung (and it never could've been soon enough) Fedor's legs were almost back under him. By the second round, he was fine.

That was spot on man..but do you really believe Fedor can bounce back and fight tough competition for example lets say in the ufc and do well?Age-wise generally he is not old if we think some fighters dominate and even earn titles in the ufc at this age and other much older beating people like Hendo. But its objective. Age doesnt affect everyone the same. I really think he would do a lot better if he wouldnt get caught in these exchanges in the 1st round. Who knows.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 6:23 pm

When fight started I was like - Fedor is punching same way like in Strikeforce against Bigfoot and Henderson and I thought Fedor is old...and same thing happened like when he took that right hand against Bigfoot in 1st round.
Fight Nights Global 50 : Fedor vs. Maldonado - June 17 (OFFICIAL DISCUSSION) - Page 4 2gtrree

Fight Nights Global 50 : Fedor vs. Maldonado - June 17 (OFFICIAL DISCUSSION) - Page 4 2gtrree

This fight revealed 2 things
1. Fedor is old!!!
2. Fedor is incredible!!!
He was so rocked that he was losing balance from his punches and he still won 2 rounds.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 6:25 pm

Fedor is not going to do well if he keeps training with his Russian coaches instead of going back to Holland. He looked like he did against Maldonado because he didn't go to Holland and trained with the coaches he had for the Werdum/Bigfoot/Hendo fights. I just don't know what he is thinking.

Here is the conversation I had with his Dutch Kickboxing coach right after the fight was over:

I literally just had this conversation with Fedor Dutch Kickboxing Coach:

Kinosis: Hello Sir, did Fedor train with you for his fight with Maldonado?

Peter Teijsse: No sir with his coaches from Russia. I dont know why but ok

Kinosis: Ah, he looked a lot like he did against Bigfoot and Henderson, not as technical as when he trains with you. If he continues to fight I hope he comes back to train with you. Thank you for your response Sir

Peter Teijsse: He did IT The Russian way. Stupid And OLd training

Kinosis: I like the Holland way! Dutch Kickboxing all the way!

Peter Teijsse: I did always my best also for The Singh fight, i go to Japan but couldent coached him in The corner. Thank you sir good Night osu

Kinosis: Good night to you as well Sir

Fri Jun 17, 2016 6:26 pm

warrior23 wrote:

nodogoshi wrote:This commentator is a joke. He's being paid off to talk shit about Fedor.

On the fight itself, that was an amazing fight.

We must admit, most fighters in most situations probably would've been stopped in that first round. The fighter was very close to being stopped. Fedor certainly benefited from favoritism, being Fedor, being the headliner and star of the entire event, and being in his home country. Okay, it happens. That wasn't the worst case of it I've ever seen, and I've seen worse in a Franky Edgar fight in the UFC.

It's by that same token that Henderson-Fedor was stopped early. In that case, the powers which be wanted Fedor to lose, and Herb Dean was all ready to wave it off at the earliest opportunity.

Now for the fight itself.

Fedor was throwing his crazy sambo punches and dominating, but then he got caught, YET AGAIN, just like he was caught by Werdum, Henderson, and Bigfoot (when Bigfoot feinted a punch and shot a takedown).

Fabio Maldanado is a 24-0 professional boxer, with 23 KOs. He also earned these accolades during his amateur boxing career:

Universal Boxing Council
UBC Iberian-American Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Liga Paulista de Boxe Profissional
São Paulo State Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Confederação Brasileira de Boxe
Brazil Amateur National Championship (1998, 1999, 2000)

Federação Paulista de Boxe
São Paulo Amateur State Championship (2000, 2001)
São Paulo Amateur State Championship Runner-up (1999)
2001 Jogos Abertos do Interior Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist
2001 Golden Gloves Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist
1999 Jogos Abertos do Interior Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist
1998 Forja de Campeões Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist
1998 Jogos Abertos do Interior Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist
1997 Jogos Abertos do Interior Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist

Boxing of course is apparently just his base and also his secondary occupation though, as he is primarily an MMA fighter, and a well rounded, experienced and dangerous fighter at that.

Fedor just opted to box a boxer, in vintage Fedor fashion.

He dominated the fight, other than getting caught, and very very nearly stopped in the first.

He did have some shaky moments throughout the fight, but Maldonado proved a very dangerous, as well as capable fighter. Fedor fought him at his own game and won (except the first round, after being rocked).

When Fedor got caught in the first, I along with many others thought the comeback was over. Images of Tyson-McBride and Tyson-Williams recalled themselves. On top of that, it was deja vu all over again, after Fedor's other losses.

While Fedor clung in and barely hung on, I was thinking to myself this proves it's all mental with Fedor.

It was a momentary lapse of concentration which caused him to get caught by Maldonado.

It was a momentary lapse in concentration which caused him to get caught in his other fights.

Maldonado was Fedor's first serious opponent since Dan Henderson.

It wasn't absolutely pretty, but Fedor did pass the test.

Fedor is a real sportsman. Why do you think he walked away before?

He wasn't going to carry on his sideshow, fighting washed up former gate keepers to line the pockets of the guys around him.

He's in it as a serious competitor, and that means he needs serious fights, and today was a serious fight.

I hope Fedor will be successful this time in tightening up the flaws which are enabling him to be caught like that. It was a tough fight, but I think it will be a good confidence builder, and I hope it will help get Fedor back on track.

Some people will have watched the fight and will read what I just wrote, and will remember Fedor's head bouncing off the canvas alongside their sweet memories of him decapitating people, and call me delusional and beg for Fedor to retire.

Here's the thing. It is you who is delusional if you ever expected Fedor to be the same fighter he was before. It isn't just him, everything changes. The scene changes. The competitors change. New fighters come up. Old fighters come back.

Fighting is a dangerous sport, and if you aren't prepared to have your head bounced off the canvas, you are probably in the wrong sport.

Fedor said it was a tough fight and he wants to take a vacation and heal up and evaluate, and maybe take a little extra time off because it was such a tough fight and he got hurt, but that he'll work it all out in due time. Sounds like a very level headed and prudent approach to me.

One last thing, in the first round, I was sure Fedor was done.

When he stood up though, I started to have some hope. That was a difficult standup, make no question. I also think Fedor looks even worse than he really is, because people are so accustomed to the BJJ defense. Notice, Fedor never tried to pull full guard, not once. He worked in the half guard and attacked the legs looking for sweeps, and then stood up when he was able to create an opening.

It's a different combat system which Fedor uses, and has obviously been effective for him.

He does need to tighten some holes.

When he stumbled across the ring I was still biting my lip, but Fedor managed to stun Maldanado with a right hand before he even got his legs back, and by the time the bell finally rung (and it never could've been soon enough) Fedor's legs were almost back under him. By the second round, he was fine.

That was spot on man..but do you really believe Fedor can bounce back and fight tough competition for example lets say in the ufc and do well?Age-wise generally he is not old if we think some fighters dominate and even earn titles in the ufc at this age and other much older beating people like Hendo. But its objective. Age doesnt affect everyone the same. I really think he would do a lot better if he wouldnt get caught in these exchanges in the 1st round. Who knows.

Without actually making a list, but including everyone in the world including UFC, I was thinking Fedor was about number 7, and I would have had Maldanado unranked.

Fedor won the fight. But it wasn't a beautiful performance.

Again just off speculation and not actually looking at the current names, I think Fedor moved down a little. I don't think he slid out of the top 10, but I think I'd have to put him at 9 at the highest. I could see people rating him is low as 13 or so though.

The way I look at it is Fedor is now a contender. With his comback, he's made that clear. He had the one gimme fight, which was on NYE in Japan, a huge event in itself, and he did fight a dangerous fighter, though didn't take any risks in the fight.

I think in Maldanado we saw Fedor's determination to fight serious opponents and to make a serious run at once again capturing a heavyweight championship title.

It's going to be a difficult road, comebacks are always difficult, and prize fighting is not an easy business.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 6:34 pm

Kinosis I do not agree because Fedor build his fighting career without Holland coaches with Russian coaches. Not saying Holland coaches do not help but if could beats guys like Nogueira without Holland coaches than he should be able to easily beat Maldonado.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 7:41 pm

I haven't watched the fight so im going to wait to comment.

But sounds like those peds maldonado was on helped lol but fedors star power helped more.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 8:44 pm

fka wrote:I haven't watched the fight so im going to wait to comment.

But sounds like those peds maldonado was on helped lol but fedors star power helped more.

Fedor actually dominated the fight, but in the course of his quest to prove sambo casting punches superior to boxing he was accidentally caught with a 2 punch combination which knocked him out, but the ref was kind enough to allow the action to go on long enough as for Maldanado to beat Fedor conscious again.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 9:07 pm

nodogoshi wrote:

fka wrote:I haven't watched the fight so im going to wait to comment.

But sounds like those peds maldonado was on helped lol but fedors star power helped more.

Fedor actually dominated the fight, but in the course of his quest to prove sambo casting punches superior to boxing he was accidentally caught with a 2 punch combination which knocked him out, but the ref was kind enough to allow the action to go on long enough as for Maldanado to beat Fedor conscious again.

When Fedor got caught and Maldonado started grounding and pounding on him i said thats it, Fedor is going to sleep from this ground and pound(because he was already fully rocked)..then after a battle to stand up he manages to do that and i see how crumbled he is and im thinking oh god..with 3 minutes left to the round?i was terrified that it would be over. He was crumbling like..you rarely see fighters crumbling like that..that is maybe because he is tough and he managed to stay and fight and not collapse after that crumbling. Most fighters would have gone out after that crumbling, thats why (maybe) it looked to me so unfamiliar to see him crumbling like that. And ofcourse because he is Fedor. In his fight with Antonio he wasnt crumbling like that..he was rocked and then grounded and pounded. In fabricio he was dominating in the standup and lost to the groung. In Hendo he was dominating in the standup also and one bad slip or sth like that and he got pounded but the fight was stopped fast. Oh now i remember..the last time i saw him crumbling like that was with Fujita..but he dragged the fight to the floor, managed to keep him close and on full guard and then he got up and demolished him.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 9:28 pm

Rizin=PRIDEFC wrote:Kinosis I do not agree because Fedor build his fighting career without Holland coaches with Russian coaches. Not saying Holland coaches do not help but if could beats guys like Nogueira without Holland coaches than he should be able to easily beat Maldonado.

If you watch his 3 losses and his fight tonight, you will see the same brawling Fedor. He looks totally different when training in Holland (Monson - Rizzo fight, and on his NYE fight some as well I believe). When training in Holland he throws sharp, crisp combos, fights with a game plan, with his Russian coaches he just swings wild hooks. I don't know if any of his Russian coaches changed over the years or not but are not doing a good job of coaching him anymore. He did also train in Holland some back in the days like against Cro Cop. But Fedor is also 40 now and can't get by on his physical abilities anymore like he once did.

If you can't see the difference between those fights I don't know what to tell you. I'm a certified kickboxing coach and breaking down fighters is my specialty. It's as obvious as night and day to me. Watch the Hendo fight (he trained for 2 weeks in Holland for that fight but most of his training was in Russia). He fought sloppy and wild but towards the end, for the first time, he stops and looks for a real combo (his Holland influence) and drops Hendo on the first combo he throws, then he went wild again unfortunately. After that fight he started training in Holland full time for his last 3 fights before retirement.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 9:37 pm

I agree he looks better when training in Holland,Russian training seems still based off of fedors 27yr old body and speed not the aged version.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 9:54 pm

fka wrote:I agree he looks better when training in Holland,Russian training seems still based off of fedors 27yr old body and speed not the aged version.

It was amazing to me that tonight he didn't take the fight to the ground after that first round. But yeah, he is 40 now, not 27. Plus I have a feeling his coaches did a better job back then than they do now. Even Fedor's brother said they sucked a few years ago. I just dont understand why he skipped out on going to Holland unless he just thought this would be a really easy fight.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 10:36 pm

I was baffled watching this fight nervous as hell because fedor was fighting emotionally instead of intelligently. I still gave him 2 rounds to one but barely. That knockdown was more a slip, if u watch the gif , after fabios counter connects, fedor still had the wherewithal to throw a looping right hook which made him become off balanced and his own momentum threw him to the ground. He was sloppy in another instance of the fight as well where he fell after throwing a kick.

If he had fought more intelligently, he would have upper body locked and clinched a bunch, just to score some points with knees and for gods sake, try a trip or throw or something ! Fedor desperately needs to change up his training if he wants to continue his win streak.

He needs to develop more tools or recover them I should say. Why didn't he throw a single teep kick to fabios sternum? Some body kicks would've mixed nicely with the leg kicks he threw. We saw some really unusual lead left high kicks from him that we haven't seen before but why steer away from your sambo base? Fedor really beat himself today but if he is smart he will go and correct these things. Everyone is allowed to have a bad fight, no fighter is perfect. We shall see how he rebounds from this. He should be looking to take down all his opponents from now on, at least if just to create the illusion of danger to set up his striking.

I'm tired of watching him strictly headhunt, attack the liver, the legs and go for a chain of sub attempts. Mix it up. I hope someone interviews him and makes him adress this issue of brawling and lack of fight iq. Why do you neglect your sambo fedor ?

You won but I am starting to lose faith in your fight iq.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 10:41 pm

I am not saying that training in Holland is not maybe helping but prime Fedor did not usually (if ever apart from CroCop fight) go to Holland and he was... so if he needs to go Holland to win fights that says something.

You are simplifying it like if he went to Holland everything would be ok. With bad training camp he should eat guys like Maldonado for breakfast.

I agree that Fedor striking looks different since Strikeforce. I think that his striking looks bad because he is old and lil factor is that he is fighting different in cage but it is not the main reason.

He is old and he is slipping, his instincts are not there anymore and he is making mistakes more and more.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 10:51 pm

Fedor would improve a lot if he joined (I hate to say it) Greg jackson's gym, he needs to update his catalog of tools, fight strategies (employ point fighting, grrrr as much as I don't want that but for him it's a necessity to be able to win) and they need to drill some mix ups back into his game. They need to remind him that his lunging casting hooks were used before to close the distance to be able to grapple, to tire out the opponent as well.

So many things in this fight really bummed me out but I will hold out hope for a better fight next time. I know he can do it. If rampage can drastically go from wrestler/boxer to Muay Thai expert at this stage in his career, the. Fedor can go from brawler to master strategist again. He just needs the proper guidance.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:07 pm

Longtime Fan wrote:I was baffled watching this fight nervous as hell because fedor was fighting emotionally instead of intelligently. I still gave him 2 rounds to one but barely. That knockdown was more a slip, if u watch the gif , after fabios counter connects, fedor still had the wherewithal to throw a looping right hook which made him become off balanced and his own momentum threw him to the ground. He was sloppy in another instance of the fight as well where he fell after throwing a kick.

If he had fought more intelligently, he would have upper body locked and clinched a bunch, just to score some points with knees and for gods sake, try a trip or throw or something ! Fedor desperately needs to change up his training if he wants to continue his win streak.

He needs to develop more tools or recover them I should say. Why didn't he throw a single teep kick to fabios sternum? Some body kicks would've mixed nicely with the leg kicks he threw. We saw some really unusual lead left high kicks from him that we haven't seen before but why steer away from your sambo base? Fedor really beat himself today but if he is smart he will go and correct these things. Everyone is allowed to have a bad fight, no fighter is perfect. We shall see how he rebounds from this. He should be looking to take down all his opponents from now on, at least if just to create the illusion of danger to set up his striking.

I'm tired of watching him strictly headhunt, attack the liver, the legs and go for a chain of sub attempts. Mix it up. I hope someone interviews him and makes him adress this issue of brawling and lack of fight iq. Why do you neglect your sambo fedor ?

You won but I am starting to lose faith in your fight iq.

Yeah, I watched the fight again just now. He did actually win the fight because he won rounds 2 and 3. The debate is in the first round, is it 10-8 or 10-9. I think 10-9 is doable since Fedor did have good offence at the beginning and even some in the end but this is a fight he should have dominated pretty easily.

I'm also concerned because he took so many head shots, so if he tries to fight again in the next 6 months he could get knocked out easier from the damage he took (like when Machida didn't get KO'd but got rocked and beat on by Rockhold, then came back way to sooner and was easily KO'd by Romero). I would suggest he take a year off to let his brain recoup but he is too old for that. If he does fight again I hope he does like you said and mixes it up. His coaches should have been calling for takedowns after round 1 for sure.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:10 pm

warrior23 wrote:

nodogoshi wrote:

fka wrote:I haven't watched the fight so im going to wait to comment.

But sounds like those peds maldonado was on helped lol but fedors star power helped more.

Fedor actually dominated the fight, but in the course of his quest to prove sambo casting punches superior to boxing he was accidentally caught with a 2 punch combination which knocked him out, but the ref was kind enough to allow the action to go on long enough as for Maldanado to beat Fedor conscious again.

When Fedor got caught and Maldonado started grounding and pounding on him i said thats it, Fedor is going to sleep from this ground and pound(because he was already fully rocked)..then after a battle to stand up he manages to do that and i see how crumbled he is and im thinking oh god..with 3 minutes left to the round?i was terrified that it would be over. He was crumbling like..you rarely see fighters crumbling like that..that is maybe because he is tough and he managed to stay and fight and not collapse after that crumbling. Most fighters would have gone out after that crumbling, thats why (maybe) it looked to me so unfamiliar to see him crumbling like that. And ofcourse because he is Fedor. In his fight with Antonio he wasnt crumbling like that..he was rocked and then grounded and pounded. In fabricio he was dominating in the standup and lost to the groung. In Hendo he was dominating in the standup also and one bad slip or sth like that and he got pounded but the fight was stopped fast. Oh now i remember..the last time i saw him crumbling like that was with Fujita..but he dragged the fight to the floor, managed to keep him close and on full guard and then he got up and demolished him.

I was almost bit through my bottom lip.

If you go back and watch the first round again, I saw Fedor land a right hand while he was on spaghetti legs (I think the announcer noted it too), that completely backed Maldanado off and maybe saved his ass.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:15 pm

Rizin=PRIDEFC wrote:I am not saying that training in Holland is not maybe helping but prime Fedor did not usually (if ever apart from CroCop fight) go to Holland and he was... so if he needs to go Holland to win fights that says something.

You are simplifying it like if he went to Holland everything would be ok. With bad training camp he should eat guys like Maldonado for breakfast.

I agree that Fedor striking looks different since Strikeforce. I think that his striking looks bad because he is old and lil factor is that he is fighting different in cage but it is not the main reason.

He is old and he is slipping, his instincts are not there anymore and he is making mistakes more and more.

My point was if he trained in Holland he wouldn't have fought so dumb. He mixed things up way more, had interesting strategies and added new techniques. You are right though, he isn't young anymore and he isn't physically what he once was. Which is why he needs to fight smart even more now than before if he wants to win. I mean GSP got caught by Serra, these things can happen and perhaps if Fedor didn't lunge in and eat those counters he would have fought smarter (who knows how his rocked brain was thinking). I am concerned about the punishment he took tonight and it's effect on future fights he may have this year.

I was thinking Bigfoot Silva would have been a good fight for him but now I don't even know if he would beat him or not if he fought like this. Swinging hooks didn't work for him last time against Silva, but Bigfoot's chin is worse now as well and he has gone downhill physically a lot.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:17 pm

I know one thing, when I saw Fedor at the weigh ins and then even more when he walked out for this fight, I was worried. He looked like he lost muscle mass and weight. He looked much better physically at Rizin on NYE. I actually expected a similar gameplan tonight from him. Come in with strikes, take Maldonado down and beat him into submission.

Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:42 pm

Fedor might be old and his reflexes are starting to abandon him but realistically, he still has healthy knees and a healthy back as far as I know so he has no excuses as to why he isn't looking for more takedowns. In the middle of his first round left and right hook barrage on Fabio, he has a gift double leg takedown waiting for him to take it. He didn't though. Old Fedor would have taken it. If he just mixes things up he will keep the opponent guessing but as of right now he is too predictable. He falls into patterns, uses too few striking tools, and doesn't creat openings and come in at different angles. Definitely he needs to sit down and re think all these tips.

Sat Jun 18, 2016 12:32 am

Longtime Fan wrote:Fedor would improve a lot if he joined (I hate to say it) Greg jackson's gym, he needs to update his catalog of tools, fight strategies (employ point fighting, grrrr as much as I don't want that but for him it's a necessity to be able to win) and they need to drill some mix ups back into his game. They need to remind him that his lunging casting hooks were used before to close the distance to be able to grapple, to tire out the opponent as well.

So many things in this fight really bummed me out but I will hold out hope for a better fight next time. I know he can do it. If rampage can drastically go from wrestler/boxer to Muay Thai expert at this stage in his career, the. Fedor can go from brawler to master strategist again. He just needs the proper guidance.

Fedor needs to keep it real, even if keeping it real goes wrong.

He just outboxed a 24-0 with 23 kos in professional ranks boxer, just for the hell of it, and get knocked out, but miraculously recovered in the process.

Other than getting caught, he sambo punched a pro boxer.

Fedor is Fedor.

I understand your fantasies.

Fedor will continue to be Fedor, and without being Fedor, he wouldn't be fucking Fedor.

I want him to stay in Russia and train with Russians, and fight with the Russian style.

Fuck going to Holland, except for like training vacation type of stuff.

For the love of god, fuck no to Greg Jackson.

I'd rather Fedor remain Fedor, even if he loses a fight, than try to become a Greg Jackson point fighter in order to compete in the UFC.

I say that with total confidence and zero fear though, because Fedor would never do that. He is a real fighter and will remain a real fighter.

Sat Jun 18, 2016 7:42 am

If Fedor is going to stay in MMA, may need a new camp. Needs to adjust train really hard and avenge his three losses. Would have been better if he took that Fabio fight to the ground and finished him there.

Sat Jun 18, 2016 8:19 am

^It's weird, because for his Rizin fight he went to Holland to train for a month or more and when in Russia he had some top guys come help him train like Minakov. For this camp he stayed home and basically trained with his students from the videos I saw. I never saw any footage with Minakov or any other high level guys anyway.

I'm starting to think he just took this fight lightly and paid the price for that. Plus Maldonado was better than normal because he was openly on PEDs and had more weight. I hope Fedor gets back on his weight lifting program he was doing for NYE and at least brings in Minakov to help him train. He needs someone on a level beyond his students to help him.

Sat Jun 18, 2016 8:39 am

By the way, Ariel Helwani is claiming Fedor got a hometown decision because the judges are corrupt. The people on his page are saying Maldonado was paid off to not finish Fedor.

Not that they care about logic but Maldonado, if he was paid off, wouldn't have tried to KO and finish Fedor in the first round. He would have just went down on those flurries. Second, if they are trying to claim in the 1 minute after the first round that someone came up to them and said "don't finish him, here is some money" that is just stupid as everyone would be able to see someone approach their corner and there is 0 proof. And Maldonado was still trying to KO Fedor with a counter.

Not to mention, Fedor isn't even contracted with this company after this 1 fight so why would they pay anyone off? I wonder, do they claim the ufc paid off Carwin when he almost KO'd Lesnar in the first round and then came out and did nothing in the second? Did any of them stop and think that Maldonado blew his wad, just like Carwin did? Of course not, it's Fedor, not Lesnar, so special conspiracies are made up.

I agree with the decision, I had it
R1: 10-9 Maldonado
R2: 10-9 Fedor
R3: 10-9 Fedor

If someone had round 1 10-8 Maldonado, it would be a draw for him but Fedor had flurries on him and landed some good strikes himself. Fedor actually won pretty much the whole fight except for 2-3 minutes (I didn't time it) in the 1st round when he was in huge trouble.

Sat Jun 18, 2016 8:46 am

Kinosis wrote:By the way, Ariel Helwani is claiming Fedor got a hometown decision because the judges are corrupt. The people on his page are saying Maldonado was paid off to not finish Fedor.

Not that they care about logic but Maldonado, if he was paid off, wouldn't have tried to KO and finish Fedor in the first round. He would have just went down on those flurries. Second, if they are trying to claim in the 1 minute after the first round that someone came up to them and said "don't finish him, here is some money" that is just stupid as everyone would be able to see someone approach their corner and there is 0 proof. And Maldonado was still trying to KO Fedor with a counter.

Not to mention, Fedor isn't even contracted with this company after this 1 fight so why would they pay anyone off? I wonder, do they claim the ufc paid off Carwin when he almost KO'd Lesnar in the first round and then came out and did nothing in the second? Did any of them stop and think that Maldonado blew his wad, just like Carwin did? Of course not, it's Fedor, not Lesnar, so special conspiracies are made up.

I agree with the decision, I had it
R1: 10-9 Maldonado
R2: 10-9 Fedor
R3: 10-9 Fedor

If someone had round 1 10-8 Maldonado, it would be a draw for him but Fedor had flurries on him and landed some good strikes himself. Fedor actually won pretty much the whole fight except for 2-3 minutes (I didn't time it) in the 1st round when he was in huge trouble.

I agree..i thought Fabio maybe hurt his hand somewhere and thats why he stopped being fully active.