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Killing the King: Junior dos Santos

6K views 41 replies 19 participants last post by  hellholming 
#1 ·
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/12/27/3804288/killing-the-king-junior-dos-santos

Once again pictures are in the link so you should click the link for better illustrations.

The Killing the King series is my attempt to counter the notion that any one fighter is simply invincible at a certain point in their career. Fans and even pundits tend to throw around "too big", "too fast" and even "too good" to describe fighters who are on a tear, rather than looking at the technical game of these fighters. Toughness, speed and punching power simply dictate how many mistakes a fighter can afford to make, they won't make him unbeatable. Having previously examined Jon Jones and Georges St. Pierre, it is now the turn of heavyweight monarch, Junior dos Santos.

I was enormously honoured to be approached by a couple of truly world class fighters in the week for my insights on their upcoming bouts after my Cain Velasquez: Easy to Hit piece (particularly after Mr. Dos Santos cheekily retweeted it) but I of course cannot deliver a strategy guaranteed to beat a fighter. Every fighter does however have an A game - their go to strategy, and IF a fighter can shut that down the opponent is forced to change their strategy and fight in a way which they perhaps haven't had to do outside of the gym. There's no guarantee of a victory, but if a fighter can stop Junior dos Santos from doing the things that Junior dos Santos typically does, he's got more a good chance of picking up the win.

I have already examined Cigano in a basic light in my Fight Like Dos Santos series - in which I looked briefly at the ways in which Dos Santos uses his right straight to the body and his left hook. Today we'll talk about many of the great successes of Dos Santos' game, but we'll also discuss some of the shortcomings and some of the openings for counter strategy. As Dos Santos is undefeated spare an early defeat to submission - my job is a hard one - and I suspect a great many will flat out refuse to believe that there are any holes in Dos Santos' striking based simply on his spectacular results.

Fighting on a Line

The first thing to establish is that Dos Santos is a movement based fighter but not one who cuts angles or circles. His movement is far more similar to the karate, fencing or old British boxing footwork of fighting "on a line". Dos Santos stands in front of his opponent, then moves straight in and straight out - rarely deviating from his line of attack, something that most elite strikers stress as important, rather changing levels vertically. Now of course it has been working wonderfully for Dos Santos because he is built to fight like this and he uses his pulling straight back to walk his opponents into traps.

Cigano's go to strategy is to stand at range and step in with long, hard straight punches to the body. Body straights and particularly the body jab are not techniques that most fighters train to defend often. The three schools of thought - taking it, parrying it and blocking it - each bring unique problems against someone who routinely uses the jab to the body. If a fighter chooses to take the body jabs and straights against a man who steps in with each punch as well as Dos Santos does that fighter risks injury and will be winded far quicker than if he commits to defending the straights.

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Notice against Gabriel Gonzaga that Cigano committed to the body jab throughout the fight. In the bottom right frame Dos Santos feinted a jab to the body and Gonzaga finally reacted by dropping his right elbow - Dos Santos then stepped in with a jab to the face.

Most fighters take the first few body straights that Dos Santos throws - reluctant to respect the body jab or right straight to the body as weapons - but almost everyone he fights begins to lower their elbows and hands eventually - and that is when Dos Santos builds his two and three punch attacks. In his most recent bout, against Frank Mir, Cigano threw the right straight to the body followed by the left hook, and the jab to the body followed by the right hook to the head multiple times. These are simple high - low and low - high combinations but because he has the sound form and actually uses body straights to hurt his opponents, his simple set ups are made far more effective.

If an opponent actually commits to parrying a body jab enormous holes are opened in the defense of the head - more so than if one simply lowered the elbows to block. Even elite level boxers can be lured into bringing their right hand down to parry a body jab, and then their jaw is on full display. Floyd Mayweather, Sugar Ray Robinson and others have used the seemingly harmless body jab to irritate their opponent into opening up better opportunities later in a bout. Mayweather himself fell victim to the mistake of being a perfectionist and attempting to parry Shane Mosley's jabs to his sternum - exposing himself in the process.

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Mayweather himself will often choose to jab the body and follow with a lead hook to the head because that is the side on which the opponent's hand will be parrying and therefore be away from the jaw - but it's hard to argue with Mosley's results with a far more primitive combination.

Frank Mir, despite middling striking technique, did a great job of staying disciplined early - as he attempted to keep his hands high in response to Dos Santos' body jabs and right straights. Mir soon began to tire of getting hit in the gut at Cigano's discretion, however, and began to parry with his lead hand - exposing himself for Dos Santos to lean to the outside and bring a right hand through the gap. Mir remembered this at first and got back into position immediately.

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1. JDS body jabs, Mir performs a parry with his right hand.

2. Mir immediately brings his right hand up and covers to avoid being punished.

Just moments later, however, Mir was slowing down. Playing a game of pure hand speed is exhausting on defense. This was not simply due to Dos Santos' speed, which many are keen to overstate, but due to the fact that attempting to parry consistently against combinations is almost impossible. Lyoto Machida is considered the master of parrying strikes in MMA, but he rarely parries a blow unless he is using the parry to land a strike of his own and prevent the opponent from continuing the combination.

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1. Mir parries a body jab.

2. JDS comes in with a second body jab.

3. JDS throws a right hand to the head - he leans well off to the left to ensure that his punch is entering on the unguarded side of Mir's head rather than simply thudding into the arm that Mir still has elevated.

Baiting the Chase

The body straights are Dos Santos' main method of inflicting damage on offense but they also elicit a chase - which is what Cigano wants as his counter left hook is one of his finest punches. I'm not talking about the counter left hook which he used to drop Gilbert Yvel - swinging from wide out to his side - but the short, chopping punch which is often missed in his bouts.

Notice below how as Dos Santos lands a hard right straight to the body, Gonzaga chases him out. Dos Santos stands far more erect than most heavyweights when in stance and seems to keep his chin high - similar to Lyoto Machida. Having a straight back and the head upright does to a certain extent expose the chin - but it makes movement, particularly backwards, far swifter. Junior dos Santos does far less actual boxing than he does fencing, and his backing up is sublime.

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The chase is where Dos Santos can catch his opponents cleanest because a fighter on offense is not so mindful of being hit. The science of knockouts is hazy - but getting hit when you're not prepared is pretty much the best way to get a better understanding of what being on rubber legs feels like. Junior dos Santos' counter left hook is so well concealed by his opponents' charges that it is probably one of those techniques which is easier to see when it misses:

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1. Dos Santos comes in behind his right hand, just as against Gonzaga above.

2. Shane Carwin chases Dos Santos as the latter pulls straight back.

3. Dos Santos swings a left hook which brushes Carwin's nose.

4. but ultimately misses.

Now click this link to see the effectiveness of Dos Santos' hook when he times his opponent's chase right.

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Notice that Dos Santos lands his right hand - pulls back and catches Carwin with the short left hook as Carwin follows him back. Ending a combination with a left hand is known as "closing the door" - and catching the opponent as they chase you is probably the best thing that can happen when you do this.

Once you realize that the counter left hook is there - you'll start seeing it everywhere. Here is one that Dos Santos caught Mir with very early on.

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And another...

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And yet again...

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This should lead us to conclude that chasing Junior dos Santos is a very, very bad idea.

Beating Dos Santos

All this praise for Dos Santos' game might have left you wondering how on earth it is possible to beat such a man. If a fighter blocks the body shots he becomes a punching bag, and if a fighter tries to retaliate he runs the risk of lunging into a chopping left hook. In truth the game of Dos Santos is entirely built around his foot work. He stands at great range until he wants to strike and then he lunges in and out again.

It seems to be a recurring theme in my analysis but against good boxers it is downright stupid not to try and destroy their mobility and their base. There are all manner of counter punches that I could advocate against Dos Santos' chin up body straights, but the level of striking in the heavyweight division is just nowhere near high enough and Dos Santos seems to desire the opponent to counter and chase, so we will set out-gunning Dos Santos aside for another day (perhaps if Alistair Overeem gets a title shot).

The first thing that can be done against the now familiar boxing stance (long, narrow, side on) is to kick the lead leg inward - just as the Diaz brothers and B.J. Penn have repeatedly shown to be weak to. Dos Santos is so light on his feet in fact, and focused on movement, that a couple of the few low kicks landed on him so far have managed to throw him completely off balance.

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Notice that Dos Santos doesn't check low kicks, instead moving back until they fall short. This leaves his lead leg light so that when a kick does connect hard it throws his balance off entirely.

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Something that fans often fail to understand that as much as punching power is something that you can be born with, it does conform to the laws of biomechanics. It doesn't matter how big a puncher someone is - if both of their feet are level or one is off the ground they have nothing to drive off of or onto. A hard punch requires a transfer of weight from one foot to the other.

When a fighter is pressed against the fence and his feet are level he has no punching power, and the same is true when their leg is kicked out to either side. This is the time to pounce on them and hurt them before they regain balance - unfortunately when Gonzaga had success here, or when Rampage had success against Jon Jones with the same kick, they just stared at their respective opponents and then abandoned the tactic altogether.

When Junior dos Santos is on one leg, whether it be from a kick or to check a kick, he doesn't have the power that he is known for and he is far less dangerous. Similarly, if he eats a good few kicks to the legs, they will swell and he will have difficulty moving his weight around so freely - limiting his power and his evasiveness. Consistently attacking Cigano's legs seem to be a sound strategy against a man who has rarely taken fights to the ground or kicked with any consistency.

A thought specific to Cain Velasquez, who simply leaves himself too open to counter with his kicks - which are thrown from directly in front of his opponent with his head bolt upright - is to dive straight for the lead leg. Dos Santos is part of the new breed of fighter who like to "feed the hip". Standing in a long stance, they avoid the power double by simply giving the opponent the single leg and hopping to the fence, using the octagon to support them as they pummel for better position or look for the switch. Jose Aldo and B.J. Penn are the most notable exponents of this style of takedown defence, but Dos Santos showed it off briefly against Frank Mir.

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Mir's ring generalship and wrestling are pretty mediocre, and he was actually able to pick up Cigano's rear leg rather than his exposed lead leg - but Cain Velasquez with his excellent wrestling pedigree should be able to get a hold of one leg or the other. Expending energy trying to run the pipe and keep JDS down might be a waste of time for Cain, Dos Santos is incredible at getting back to his feet, but Cain Velasquez has shown himself adept at striking in these sorts of in between positions along the fence. Just ask Ben Rothwell. If Velasquez can get the single and use it to take the fight to the fence, he can abandon the takedown and instead begin to abuse Dos Santos with his criminally underused dirty boxing game.

The dirty boxing game is not only Cain's best bet but also the most self preserving way to fight - it will keep Dos Santos' feet underneath him so that he can not get the viscious power he is known for, and it requires no head movement on Cain's part which is good because Cain has shown to get bogged down in this area of the game previously. Where Randy Couture could consistently punch his way into the clinch without getting hurt, Cain has been given a title rematch far too soon to really prove his progress in the area of striking into the clinch - in truth diving into clinches with his arms up and shooting for legs might be his best bet of getting the fight to where he can do the most damage and tire the champion out the most.

Whether Cain can mount any kind of effective offense or he comes in with the same "see what happens" strategy that he had last time, Junior dos Santos is going to prove a hard man to beat. Stay tuned to my SBN blog in the run up to UFC 155 for more pre-event analysis - and the following day for post event breakdowns.
 
#2 ·
Just thought it would be a good idea to include this article in this thread as well:

UFC 155 Judo Chop: Junior Dos Santos' Take-Down Defense

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/12/26/3796384/ufc-155-judo-chop-junior-dos-santos-takedown-defense-cain-velasquez-heavyweight-championship

IIn the early 2000's it was thought that stopping take-downs was a simple matter of a fighter learning how to perform a sprawl. Internet message boards and forums would throw around situations in which an accomplished striker would simply take six months learning how to sprawl and then run rough-shot over the competition.

Now clearly there is far more to stopping take-downs than a simple sprawl, consisting of several different layers and techniques, some of them unique to MMA. UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos makes excellent use of this modern, multifaceted take-down defense and it is composed of a few key aspects:

Distance and movement
Disengaging from the clinch
Scrambling
Distance is the first line of defense for most strikers against take-downs. Despite being primarily a boxer, dos Santos sets up well out of punching range. While almost all MMA matches take place at a slightly longer distance that a regular boxing match, dos Santos normally sets up from outside of range of any strikes.

At this distance it is nearly impossible for a fighter to successfully shoot in for a take-down, there is too much distance to cover and too much time for dos Santos to react. Dos Santos is able to operate from this distance because of his superior speed.



Above you can see two stills taken from Junior dos Santos' match with Gabriel Gonzaga. On the left you can see dos Santos setting up in his preferred range, outside of Gonzaga's punching range and also out of range of Gonzaga's powerful kicks. What makes dos Santos able to strike from this range is his strike with explosive, lunging steps, as pictured right.

This explosive speed makes dos Santos very dangerous even at long ranges and when fighters get trapped on the outside he is able to lunge in with hard strikes, as he did against Stefan Struve (G) and former UFC Champion Cain Velasquez (G). And Junior dos Santos jealously guards that distance. Normally he will use his footwork to dance away from advancing foes, but as he learns the timing of his opponent he will make them pay for attempting to close that distance between them. (G)

Maintaining that distance is the first layer of the champion's take-down defense and the easiest way it can be taken away is by trapping him against the fence. In his UFC career dos Santos takes care to avoid ending up on the fence, rarely moving straight back and always having the awareness to circle away from the cage. His near constant movement and long distance makes it very difficult for an opponent to even begin to set up a take-down because first they have to puzzel out how to close with the champion.

The next layer of dos Santos' take-down defense is his awareness in the clinch and ability to disengage. When fighters are able to successfully close distance, dos Santos is very precise in gaining superior position in the clinch. Not all take-down attempts are directed at the legs and getting out of the clinch is often in a striker's best interests.



Here is a still from dos Santos' match with Gilbert Yvel, a striker by trade but specializes in causing damage in the clinch. On several occasions he tried to strike his way into the clinch. Yvel was throwing a wide right hook as he steps in looking to clinch up with dos Santos. As Yvel steps in dos Santos is sure to secure the under-hook, giving him the superior postion in the clinch. And dos Santos uses that under-hook to shuck off Yvel's attempt to tie him up in the clinch.

He is able to achieve this disengagement from the clinch consistently because dos Santos's awareness of positioning in the clinch. He deftly swims for under-hooks and once he has one it is very difficult to stop him from escaping with out the cage to limit his movement.

The final aspect we will look at is how dos Santos reacts when he is actually taken down to the mat. When looking to control someone on the ground, there are two key factors. One is getting the bottom fighter's back on the mat, once that is achieved weight and pressure can be fully applied. Also, the top fighter must limit the amount the bottom man can move his hips to create space or get on to his side. When Junior dos Santos is forced to the ground he is excellent at scrambling, making sure to never let his opponent control his hips or put his back to the mat.



Here we see Gonzaga shooting in for a double leg on dos Santos. Some fighters will over commit to trying to stop take-downs and when a fighter is as deep in on a double leg as Gonzaga was in still #1 this is a mistake. This is very little chance of stopping the take-down at this point, so dos Santos turns it into a scramble.

In still #2 you can see dos Santos starting to turn to his left, looking to avoid landing flat on his back. Being put flat on his back would severely limit his mobility on the ground and allow Gonzaga to firmly establish position. Turning towards Gonzaga is impossible in that situation as it would actually make it easier for Gonzaga to pin dos Santos. So dos Santos turns away and gives up his back to Gonzaga in still #3 in an effort to get to his knees.



Once on his knees dos Santos begins to stand, planting his feet on the canvas. He gets back to his feet and breaks away from the clinch. At no point did Gonzaga get dos Santos' back to the mat or have control of dos Santos' hips, and as a result he never had control of dos Santos.

The ability to scramble and get back to the feet is just as important for dos Santos as stopping take-downs in the first place. Against Cain Velasquez, these skills will be vital as he will almost certainly be looking to push dos Santos into the cage and then take him down.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Cain Velasquez will prove to be a top three MMA wrestler in this fight. He'll latch onto a single, dump Junior onto his back and destroy him from the top position until the referee dives in to stop Junior from more punishment.



Dude is like a fish out of water on the ground, time for Cain to exploit that weakness.
 
#6 ·
That only makes sense considering how often JDS has been taken down and dominated on the ground. Oh wait... it looks like that has never happened in the UFC. Not once. Not even against Cain. Who, in fact, was casually shrugged off in their first fight.

So what makes you think this fight will be any different? What have you seen that makes you think JDS is a fish out of water? The one sub attempt by Carwin that never came close to finishing him? Or the multitude of "superior" grapples he has left koed on the mat? Which do you weigh more? Because if it's the first you really need to lay off the pipe.
 
#4 ·
+1 for JackSlack.


@GrapRet

Man as much as I want that to happen really don't see it unless Cain can survive and drag Junior deep or find a way to land some leg kicks without getting tagged, to slow him down. Pretty sure that Cain will get stuffed the first two rounds and even if he does get some TDs I see Junior hipping out as soon as Cain tries to posture or pass. I really hope this fight goes a few rounds and turns into a war.
 
#8 ·
I'm kind of with Grap here. I have a feeling, and no idea why, that Cain is going to have insane wrestling in this fight, and not only that but actually look close to matching JDS on the feet. Just cant bank on it for the Grand Prix yet :D
Not gonna happen. Cain's striking is hugely overrated.
 
#10 ·
It's not going to happen. JDS isn't Big Nog. He doesn't hold a standing restraining order on head movement. He's not protesting proper footwork or guard. He is the better striker and it will show when Cain is face down on the mat.

And, by the by, Sonnen won exactly one striking exchange in their first fight and none in their second. People always remember his one shot that knocked down Silva and forget how Silva brutally dropped him standing.
 
#14 ·
Silva and Sonnen were standing a decent amount in that fight and Sonnen landed a few. The striking difference between Sonnen and Silva is ridiculously further apart from JDS and Cain, so I mean for you to act like it's impossible is w/e to me. I just said I could see it happen and have a feeling it will...unless JDS is your sacred deity I'm pretty sure that shouldnt have got you as defencive.
 
#16 ·
f*ck this fight, I want to see overeem get a shot at JDS!

Cain doesn't really strike me (!) as a smart fighter. But it's fairly clear that JDS really stepped into the shoes of a champion lately (on many levels).

I'm pretty sure this fight will be a little more competitive than the first time around, but I'm not sold on Cain for this one. Had more faith in him in the first one.
 
#20 ·
meh.... JDS by KO again. Cain doesn't get to keep him down long enough to do any damage if he ever gets him down. And it's not like Cain can stand with JDS.
 
#21 ·
Wow I think Jds may be the most overated fighter in the UFC. Cain will take Jds down tommorow night, and down he will stay. Cain will learn from his mistakes and will take the fight down when and how he chooses too. There is a lot of Cain haters on these forums, I think more people were giving frank mir more of a shot than Cain.
 
#23 ·
If JDS is the most overrated fighter in the UFC then what does that make Cain?
 
#22 ·
I don't hate on Cain. I like his fights. Why the hell is someone a "hater" if they predict a fighter will lose? please stop with the lame buzzwords.

I just don't see how he wins this fight, that's all.
 
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#25 ·
The way Cain fought Silva lead me to believe hes gonna come in with a hardcore wrestle f*uck game plan. Like GR, I believe Cains grappling is on another level. I also believe he became too confident in his average striking game. I had a bad feelin the moment he came out in the first JDS fight. He came out, head bobbing around, looking like he's ready to throw. I dunno. It just looked like that to me. Like he had no intention of grappling. I say f*uck that. You're grappling is absurdly good. Dont try and be clever. Do a GSp and grind the motherf*cuker for 25 minutes homey. It's not like JDS comes out looking to grapple. Hes like, "Im gonna punch you in the face you c*unt".

Cain, my man, come out low to the ground and get that monster in front of you down. Dont try and hide it.

I love both these guys. I cant wait for the fight. I would love it to be competitive.
 
#27 ·
What Sports Nerd said. JDS has pretty much fought every high level HW except Overeem and Brock. I mean he hasn't dominated the entire division with maybe guys like Nog able to earn a shot at some point if he continues down the path he''s on (Seems like it'd be impossible, but considering how he lost to Mir and how he's 2KOs apart, a win over Werdum might make him a contender if JDS is still there). Not sure if the two'd fight but with Nog, and maybe Cormier out of the picture, who would be left for JDS to fight out of Brock (who pulled out of their fight and retired soon after) or Overeem (who was banned when their fight was arranged).
 
#33 ·
I have no doubt that Cain will beat JDS if he can get the fight to the ground regularly. There's no reason to believe JDS has anything for a wrestler of Cain's caliber from his back. In fact I don't think anyone in this HW division has anything to offer when held down by Cain. I doubt JDS will end up on his back much though.
 
#34 ·
This. If Junior keeps it standing, it's his fight to win. Question marks start to show up on the ground, and I kinda want to see what'll happen if he gets taken down. Ideally, I want to see him get taken down once just so we can see how he does on his back, and worst case scenario he survives to the next round and KOs Cain again.
 
#38 ·
I just can't understand why everyone wants to see Junior on his back? From what little I've seen, it's obvious he's no natural on the ground... and the beautiful thing is, it doesn't matter.

JDS has already murked many of the division's best grapplers, he is the Champion. We don't need to see him on his back, we need to see someone who can get in the cage with him and be at all competent. He's owned EVERYONE. He is not the challenger, he is posing the challenge, with AMAZING mixed martial arts skills. Not 'just boxing'.
 
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