Image : http://www.flickr.com
I must admit that I was one of those rabid MMA fans waiting for this particular fight which, by some accounts, was the most eagerly anticipated match up to happen in quite some time. Not only was this a match up of two very talented fighters at the top of their respective division, but also the unification bout between the PRIDE World Champion, Dan Henderson and the recent UFC World Champion, Quentin Jackson. This fight would decide once and for all who the top dog in the 205 lbs. division is, at least for the moment.
THE COMPETITORS:
Quentin Jackson:
Jackson, who had just recently started fighting for the UFC after many years competing for the PRIDE organization, entered into this fight after a two fight winning streak in the UFC, both of which came via the knockout route. The most recent being his winning the UFC Light-Heavy Weight World Championship by defeating the former champion Chuck Liddell in stunning fashion by knocking him out with a barrage of punches.
Dan Henderson:
Henderson, as you well know, holds two championship belts in the PRIDE organization, one in the light-heavy weight division and the other in the middle weight division. Only the light-heavy weight belt would be up for grabs in this fight.
What will follow is a detailed professional analysis of the fight from start to finish, concluding with some final thoughts concerning both fighters. Please keep in mind that these are my views from my own perspective of the events that transpired. They are by no means intended to shed any kind of negative or disparaging thoughts, words, etc. on either one of the fighters involved. I have a great deal of respect for anyone, and I do mean anyone, who steps onto the mat. So, with further ado let's get started.
THE FIGHT:
Round One:
Jackson opened up this championship fight by charging across the octagon and launching a furious barrage of punches which forced Henderson to respond in kind. Neither man truly landed any telling blows in this brief exchange to start the round before they engaged in a standing clinch with Jackson forcing Henderson back up against the cage. During the initial stages of the standing clinch, Jackson managed to land a few knee strikes to the top of Henderson's thigh. This was soon overshadowed by Henderson who first reversed position with Jackson and forced him back against the cage before landing several beautifully thrown roundhouse knee strikes to the outside of Jackson's thigh. He even managed to sneak in a single elbow strike to the head, which had little to no effect on Jackson.
Both men briefly separated from their standing clinch position before Henderson regained a clinch position with Jackson and delivered several punches which forced Jackson back against the cage where Henderson executed a sweep which resulted in Jackson being taken to the ground with Henderson on top. Once secure in the top position, Henderson landed a couple of good knee strikes to thigh along with several elbow strikes to the head which had no apparent effect on Jackson.
Jackson momentarily reverses position with Henderson and gains the top position before regaining his standing position just in time to receive a solid right hand to the body from Henderson before once again tying each other up in a standing clinch. Once in the clinch, Henderson proceeds to force Jackson back against the cage where he lands a couple more of those beautifully thrown roundhouse knee strikes to the outside of Jackson's thigh and a solid knee strike to his midsection.
Both men break free of the clinch momentarily and start throwing punches with Henderson gaining the edge at that particular exchange by landing a right uppercut followed by a left hook. However, neither punch seemed to have that much of an effect on Jackson. Both men regain the standing clinch position where Jackson retaliated for the previous punches by landing a couple of powerful knee strikes to the midsection of Henderson. Jackson continued the assault by forcing Henderson back against the cage where both men exchanged a couple of minor blows with Henderson landing the most effective blow of that exchange with another knee strike to the midsection of Jackson.
Round Two:
Both men began the second round by circling each other and throwing an occasional punch. Henderson landed the first blow of the round when he struck the outside of Jackson's lead leg with a roundhouse kick. Both men continued to circle each for a few moments before Henderson landed another roundhouse kick. This time to the inside of Jackson's lead leg. Neither kick really had enough steam on them to cause any initial damage, although the accumulative effect can be quite debilitating.
Both men assumed a standing clinching position in the center of the ring for just a moment before Henderson once again took Jackson to the ground. Henderson managed to maintain the top position for the next ninety seconds or so and landed some good knee strikes to the body and arm of Jackson. After an extended period of time on the bottom position, Jackson was finally able to get out from underneath Henderson and regain his standing position.
Both men immediately regained their standing clinching position and Jackson was able to gain the upper hand and forced Henderson back against the cage. Henderson responded to this by attempting another takedown of Jackson which was successful. However, Henderson ended up in the bottom position, which I am sure was not his intention. Jackson capitalized on this by landing several minor elbow strikes to the head and body of Henderson with a couple of body punches thrown in for good measure.
After a few moments, Henderson was finally able to get Jackson off of him by pushing him up and back with his legs and then finished the round by attempting a couple of kicks at the standing Jackson.
Round Three:
Henderson started round three with a lazy Muay Thai style roundhouse to the thigh of Jackson which literally missed by the proverbial mile before both men settled in to circling each other and boxing. Jackson answered back with his own roundhouse kick which did land on the outside of Henderson's thigh. Jackson followed this kick up with a three-punch combination which landed solidly on the head of Henderson. Henderson attempted to retaliate with a knee strike to the body. This was ineffective and proved to be detrimental to Henderson as Jackson grabbed the attacking leg and took Henderson to the ground.
Jackson ended up maintaining the top position for the next two minutes during which time he landed several knee strikes to the body. Henderson attempted to execute a kamura from the bottom position to no avail. Henderson did eventually gain the top position where he attempted to execute an arm bar on Jackson which was once again ineffective. Henderson was however able to maintain the top position for the remaining time left in the round until the eight second mark when both men regained their standing position and began trading punches.
Round Four:
This round started out with both men circling each other and boxing. An exchange of punches took place and Henderson ended up falling to the ground. Although it would soon prove out that upon closer examination, Henderson had lost his footing and was starting to fall when Jackson landed a grazing left hook at the same time that Henderson landed his own left hook, which seemed to have more of an effect on Jackson than Jackson's hook had on Henderson.
Jackson gained the top position and even fended off and arm bar attempt by Henderson while maintaining the top position. While on top Jackson was even able to land a few minor blows on Henderson before referee John McCarthy broke them up and restarted the fight from a standing position. As soon as McCarthy restarted the fight, Henderson attempted a rather poorly thrown turning back kick which looked like it had started out on the previous Monday and arrived on the night of the fight.
Jackson's response to this was a nicely thrown three-punch combination to the head which appeared to have little to no effect on Henderson. Both men finished the round the same way they started it by circling each other and boxing.
Round Five:
This round started much the same as the previous round with both men circling each other in the center of the octagon and boxing. Henderson landed a left jab to start the round while Jackson landed a right hand. Henderson executed a roundhouse to the thigh of Jackson that really didn't land with much authority. During a brief exchange of punches, Jackson landed a pretty solid left hand to the head of Henderson.
Both men began a standing clinch with Jackson forcing Henderson back against the cage. Henderson was able to reverse position on Jackson and put him against the cage, but this only lasted a few seconds before Jackson reversed his position again and put Henderson back against the cage. Henderson responded to this by once again reversing position with Jackson and then punctuated that reversal by landing a couple of knee strikes to the body. Jackson lands his own knee strike to the body and then breaks free of the clinch. Henderson presses the attack by throwing several punches that miss, but lands an elbow strike to the head which momentarily stuns Jackson.
Both men proceed to exchange punches with Henderson landing an uppercut and Jackson landing a knee strike to the body. Jackson adds to the knee strike by throwing a roundhouse kick to the thigh which lands with little to no effect on Henderson. Continuing to circle Henderson, Jackson lands several punches to Henderson's head and a roundhouse kick to his thigh. Henderson responds to this attack by landing a right hand to Jackson's head and then grabbing him and taking him to the ground.
Henderson once again is able to maintain the top position for almost a minute and a half before Jackson regains his standing position with approximately 40 seconds left in the fight. Henderson meanwhile is still holding onto Jackson. Jackson proceeds to land two knee strikes to the body before turning the tables on Henderson and taking him down to the ground. Henderson manages to get out from underneath Jackson and regains his standing position with ten seconds left to go in the fight.
Jackson presses the attack and lands a right hand to the head of Henderson that knocks him to the ground. Jackson attempts to finish the fight by landing several more punches to the head of the downed Henderson, but alas the end of the round comes and the decision is left to the judges. Jackson wins the fight easily on all three judges score cards making him the first undisputed light heavy weight champion of the world.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Here are my thoughts on how each fighter could improve upon their respective abilities concerning this particular fight.
Jackson:
1. You need to develop more power in your punches. You hit Henderson with a log of good punches yet he was able to shrug off most of them with little to no apparent effect.
2. Develop your kicking skills to a greater degree and then combine them with your punching skills.
3. Learn how to avoid being taken down.
Henderson:
1. Don't rely so much on the big right hand. Develop your left hand more and utilize the jab and hook.
2. What was that attempted back kick in the 4th round? If you aren't going to execute the technique correctly, why use it at all and expend all that energy needlessly? Learn how to kick correctly and how to combine kicking along with your punching and wrestling skills. Make them work for you in unison to enhance your fighting ability.
3. KEEP YOUR HANDS UP and PROTECT YOUR HEAD! Jackson hit you with a lot of punches to the head that didn't have to land if you had kept your hands up and protected yourself.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
I would have liked to have had a crystal ball at the end of the match to see exactly what would have happened had there been say another 30 seconds left in the fight. It is very conceivable that Jackson may have won by knockout or referee stoppage since it appeared that Henderson was in bad trouble at the very end of the 5th round.
Will Henderson get a rematch? I certainly would think so, but first I would like to see him fight Keith Jardine next with the winner of that fight getting a shot at Jackson and the title. Where is Chuck Liddell in all of this? I think he is going to have to go back to the drawing board and rethink his whole approach and then come back with a new game plan and win decisively against two or possibly even three more opponents before being considered for a title shot.
Jackson will, unless he goes the way of Liddell, remain the champion for quite some time with the only real threat in his immediate future being a possible rematch with Henderson. Only time will tell.
0 comments:
Post a Comment