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Justin gave a great performance, completely defeating the favorite in a duel, for which he had less time to prepare. He is now a temporary lightweight world champion and the main contender for the fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
What happened
UFC 249: As a sign of all promotion during the pandemic. Dana White came out of the situation and provided her fighters with fights. Yes, without viewers, why, most likely, athlete fees will drop as well, but with broadcasting worldwide at a time when fans of martial arts and sports in general have nothing to do.
Ideally, Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov were supposed to fight in the main program, but after a series of changes, organizers came to the option with Ferguson’s fight against Justin Gage. Initially, the American had less than a month to prepare for Tony, but thanks to the California Governor, who canceled the fight on the first date, Gadget had time to prepare normally. And, apparently, he used it to the maximum benefit for himself.
The duel turned out to be one-sided. Especially after Justin shot himself. From the third to the fifth round, Gagey activated the opponent’s destruction mode. Ferguson simply did not know what to do. I tried hitting from a distance, cheating with punches on the thigh, but all this seemed useless, because nothing worked.
Justin worked perfectly from a distance, although his opponent had a height and range advantage. Gage took the perfect moment and its advantages. He pulled the opponent onto himself and immediately attacked, constantly worked on his feet, and also connected qualitatively low kicks, knocking the opponent off the beat. As soon as Ferguson attempted to enter the wheelhouse, he was expecting a short side from the opponent. They were so heavy that by the third round Tony’s face was covered with cuts, and he realized that the distance was not his own.
There were several ways to get out of this situation for Ferguson. The first is to play your game with Gage. Get Justin to go ahead, shoot from a distance and try to catch him. Coach Tony demanded a hit from him and as soon as he activated the regular job with his front hand, Gagey missed hit after hit. But these episodes were so few that it’s definitely not worth marking as a constant trend.
The second is to break into the fight. Ferguson is good enough on the ground to be successful there. Tony spat on this adventure, and didn’t even try to organize it. In the fifth round, the American simply followed the opponent in circles, encountering strong opposition, and as soon as he attempted to jump, Gage spun on his legs, after which he took the initiative and exerted pressure.
The result is obvious. Tony, of course, is made of concrete, but even he couldn’t take Gage’s heavy, regular punches. In the fifth, Justin began charging prohibitively frequently and painfully. Tony turned once, twice. He got another series, and the referee gave the go-ahead. Enough
Is Ferguson that bad or Gagey that good?
In fact, a little of everything. Justin really made the most of the time he had. Having received a little more time for preparation, Gage made a bet for resistance and did not lose. His plan for the fight is elementary: be calm, focused on the opponent and not succumb to the opponent’s provocations. He worked on a counterattack, went off in the distance. Squeezed, beaten and immediately left.
In words, it is simple, but in an octagon with a fighter as diverse as Ferguson, it is difficult to achieve this. Tony knows how to show one action, do the second to drive the third. In such situations, the main thing is not to panic and not start playing according to their rules. Gagey was able to work calmly according to his plan and prepare for five rounds to pass without being tired.
On the other hand, Ferguson was absolutely monotonous. And here the problem, rather, is not in the splendor of Gage, but in the fact that Tony doesn’t know how to relax. The fact that he trains differently than everyone knows. But it is very important to dose and load and understand why to do this or that action in a given situation. It seems that Tony was psychologically burned.
Not in the plan that came out unmotivated, but in the plan that he was psychologically tired from the long preparation. Even before the fight, there was a fear that Ferguson would over-train and not come out one hundred percent ready. For some reason, he was losing weight until the previous date, he provoked Gagey and obviously burned himself with a duel.
I don’t want to discount Justin’s merits. It worked perfectly in this particular situation. But it is important to understand that Ferguson has not shown everything he is capable of. Even with all the diversity, it was understandable. His attacks were repeated, and Gage was counting Tony a few steps ahead. He didn’t try to fight, he just played according to the opponent’s rules and didn’t understand what he was leading the opponent for.
The coach is unlikely to have a plan for the fight, but whatever the plan, if the fighter was psychologically consumed and after one or two punches did not understand what to do next, it would be pointless. This is exactly what happened with Ferguson. He lived through the fight with Habib and Gage a few weeks before the fight and it was completely empty. In the octagon to an opponent who was very good and pointed.
Whats Next
For Tony, this is definitely not the end. Ferguson will return, but now he needs to rest, heal wounds, and not train at all for some time. You must leave the situation, abandon the fights and live a little for your own pleasure. Then go back to the gym and get ready to go back to the fights. Even in this battle, Tony was quite diverse and good. You just need to relax and go to the title again.
Even the Habib fight is still real. Tony is an extremely efficient fighter and good at regaining his lost position in 2-3 games. The ideal option is to return to an opponent more easily and then meet Conor. And the fight is interesting, and Ferguson will be a favorite in such a fight, and the show is great.
Gage must now meet with Habib. Nurmagomedov has already stated that he is ready to fight the American, and the estimated time is from early to mid-summer. But this fight is not as interesting as the duel between Tony and Habib. It doesn’t matter how strange it sounds.
Gage is great, but on the ground with Nurmagomedov, he is unlikely to hold out. There is hope of strong blows, but does Khabib hold up worse than Tony? Hardly But below will translate to sure opponent. And there, Justin will have trouble. It is not a fact that Ferguson had not started, but there is more hope than in this case.
In any case, such a duel will be interesting and intriguing due to what Gagey has shown now and her impact power. If put as it should, it can create another sensation. No, for the third or fourth round, Nurmagomedov will simply spin him his way.
Leo KRAVTSIV
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