At times, he was able to pull a hand down and fold over hard elbow strikes, but it was often even more simple than that. As he pursued, Usman stayed behind his shoulder and jabbed, walking Woodley toward the fence. He fought from the Orthodox stance, keeping his left shoulder to his chin and left arm extended, fully prepared to intercept Woodley’s overhand. In his bout with Tyron Woodley, Usman’s goal was to close the distance, and he did a lot correctly to accomplish that mission. Similarly, Usman will shift Southpaw and kick to the body, a very effective strategy. He’ll also suddenly go Southpaw and punt the inside of the leg. Usman tends to set the low kick up with feints rather than combinations, helping himself out by mixing targets to the thigh and calf. He mostly relies on his hands, but Usman is active in attacking his foe’s lead leg. It was seriously effective, and having to guess whether to defend a takedown or punch really stymied Strickland’s own offense. Usman would reach out for the single frequently, instead coming up with a left cross or right uppercut-left high kick. Strickland is a right-handed fighter, and the open stance dynamic meant that his lead leg was vulnerable to the snatch single. Opposite Sean Strickland, Usman repeatedly used level-change feints from the Southpaw stance to great effect. Usman doesn’t just squat down, he reaches for the leg in a very convincing feint of a snatch single. Īnother layer to Usman’s offense is his ability to use level change feints. From this angle, Usman dropped a right-handed cross straight to the jaw (GIF). Against Moraes, Usman used the established threat of the left cross to shift back right-handed, taking a new angle while Moraes covered up. For example, he can throw a cross as an Orthodox and step into Southpaw, allowing him to follow up with lead hand right hooks as his opponent circles away. Usman does a great job of shifting between stances with the cross. As a Southpaw, Usman is far more likely to pitch the left hand smoothly, and he’s also more likely to follow up with a second cross or right hook. Fighting right-handed, Usman will fully commit to the cross nearly every time and try to blast his opponent (GIF). The cross is a major weapon for Usman from either stance, and again it’s a difference or power vs. As a Southpaw, however, it’s more common for Usman to flick the jab, slip his head off the center line to avoid the counter and find a home for his left. In Orthodox, his goal is generally to snap his opponent’s head back and establish range. In general, Usman did well to maintain his good positioning as Covington threw, allowing him to answer with heavy counter shots and find the chin.Įven prior to working with Wittman, Usman was jabbing in an attempt to make full use of his 76-inch reach. Usman didn’t have a terribly difficult time with either, parrying lots of jabs then answering back with his own more powerful jab. Early on, Covington tried to establish the jab and calf kick. That combination of Usman’s body work and general fatigue left Covington a bit slower, however, and Usman capitalized by shuffling into range before unleashing his accurate cross (GIF).īody work wasn’t as vital in the second match, but Usman’s tighter boxing was. Earlier in the fight, Covington did well to jab, dip off the center line, and land as Usman tried to fire back. In addition, his snap kick to the body landed well.īy the fifth round, Usman really found the timing and distance on his right hand. From early in the fight, Usman was jamming hard right hands into the solar plexus. Ultimately, Usman’s body work was a major factor in his victory. In Usman’s first bout against Covington, he battled the Southpaw for five rounds in a very competitive, high-volume kickboxing match. Then, he became the first man to truly knock Masvidal out cold (GIF). He landed a couple clean rights inside the first frame as a result. When he picked up on Masvidal looking for his check hook - something of a signature technique for the Floridian - he was able to time his right hand inside the punch. The champion really did a masterful job of feinting and giving “Gamebred” different looks, picking up reads on what Masvidal was looking to land. In his rematch versus Jorge Masvidal, Usman was smoother than ever. Establishing the jab so effectively kept Usman in control of exchanges and allowed him to set up further offense, like this lovely pull counter (GIF).
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