Coach Conversation | UFC 282: Blachowicz vs Ankalaev

Best Trait of Each Fighter

At a time in the sport where everyone is pretty solid everywhere, generally speaking, what is the one thing that each of these competitors do better than anyone else?

Marshall: The best trait of Blachowicz is obviously this weird, “legendary Polish power,” which goes along with his awkwardness in striking style.

Keith Jardine used to be like this. Remember Keith Jardine’s striking style? The movement is very awkward, and I can remember sparring with Keith, and unless you were doing multiple rounds in a row with him, it was very difficult because everyone else had this more fluid style that they did — it was rhythmic in a way — where his was so different.

UFC 282 EMBEDDED: Episode 1

If you did one with Nate Marquardt, and two with Rashad Evans, and your third was Keith — no one is the same, but to pick up on Keith’s movement was so hard, and I think it’s the same with Jan. That’s why I think he catches people — because it’s so awkward — and he has massive power.

Chartier: With Jan, I think it’s that one-punch power. I’m not saying Magomedov doesn’t have power, but Jan’s got that Polish hammer in his fist that, at any point, he can put your lights out.

Marshall: Ankalaev’s best trait is his ability to control the fight.

He dictates where the fight happens. If you’re going to grapple, he’s going to win the grappling. If you want to strike, he’s going to win the range battle. He’s not some crazy knockout artist — he’s more of an ‘I’ll control the range, I’ll control the pace, and I’ll win the fight’ guy, but it goes along with his ability to be able to wrestle and grapple if he wants to, and control you on the mat, as well.

You have to worry about the grappling aspect and that changes the striking game. This is a big thing for me with my fighters that want to strike: I’m like, ‘I need you to feint takedowns, because that changes the game.’ The idea that you might take them down changes everything.

Chartier: For Ankalaev, it’s got to be his confidence — he’s on what, a nine-fight winning streak in the UFC?

He’s got to have that “I can’t lose” confidence because he’s fought some big names and hasn’t lost. And I think he’s a little more technical on the feet than Jan, so he has the ability to move around and point-fight if he needs to.

Path to Victory for Each Fighter

Everyone would love a 10-second knockout or a quick submission, but that’s not often how these things go, especially not at the championship level. Instead, it’s usually the competitor that has crafted the better game plan and did the better job of executing things inside the Octagon that comes away with their hand raised and the gold around their waist.

So, how does either man get it done on Saturday night?

Chartier: I think Ankalaev has to stay out of a firefight — he has to touch-and-move, touch-and-move, and maybe mix in some takedowns to keep Jan honest, but not play a jiu jitsu game with him. Touch-and-move, maybe get some wrestling in, but don’t commit to a firefight.

For Jan, he’s got to close the distance, try to get big paws on him, look to get that clean shot, but also, I think he’s got to wrestle. I think if he can wrestle, get on top, make him work a little bit, that adds stress, so I think he’s got to mix it up.

Marshall: Blachowicz has to get into long exchanges and make it a brawl, in my opinion. If he can make it a brawl; a brawl-ish style fight.

If you watched the fight this past weekend between “Wonderboy” and Kevin Holland, I know Holland lost, but that was his path to victory. We have never seen Stephen Thompson’s face look like that after a fight. That was Kevin Holland’s path to victory and he was executing, and then his hand broke and we was getting tired.

Reasons To Watch | UFC 282: Blachowicz vs Ankalaev

Same thing with Blachowicz: he’s got to have more of that ugly, dirty style fight because if Ankalaev — Ankalaev could make this fight ridiculously boring if he wants, and his path to victory is to control it. I could see a late stoppage if Jan is really pushing that brawl style and getting tired later in the fight.

X Factor

If there were one thing that was going to significantly impact how this fight plays out — that swings it in one direction or the other — what would it be?

Marshall: It’s the power of Blachowicz; that’s the X factor.

Somebody that has that “sleep touch,” as I like to call it. Francis (Ngannou) has it. Derrick Lewis has it. That’s where things always get weird. The punch that Francis put Rozenstruik out with — his chin is up in the air, he’s falling, leaning, barely hits him, and he’s out-out; unconscious out; same thing with Stipe.

Jan has that kind of power too, and it’s weird and awkward, and the herky-jerkiness of Jan’s style — what I said are his strengths are also the X factor because it’s so hard to prepare for. You can’t prepare for it whatsoever because when you spar with bigger gloves, when you have boxing gloves on, they block things and don’t hit the same way, so you think you’re safe in a way from that power, and when you put that four-ounce glove on, you’re not.

That’s always the X factor with guys with power in MMA.

Marshall: I want to see the way Jan makes this a brawl and if he can get into this brawl approach by backing Ankalaev up. If he can be the one pushing Ankalaev to the fence, cutting off the angles, Ankalaev is going to have to brawl more and he’ll be a little more tired.

If Jan can do that to Ankalaev, that’s the thing — that’s what will make Jan’s game plan be able to work a little more. If Ankalaev is the one pushing Jan back, Jan is going to make these big rushes, and Ankalaev will be able to move, angle off, and get back to his style of winning.