I know how to come off a handoff and a pin down.
It's one thing to get somebody down on the ground, but it's another thing to finish him there.
With MMA, there are so many ways the fight can go; that's the drama. You don't know what's going to happen next.
That's why I like Demian Maia and Fabricio Werdum. Demian will take you down and do his game. Werdum learned the stand-up to know what's coming, but he never stopped using his jiu-jitsu. He will clinch, take you down and submit you.
I see the takedowns; I see the opportunities to take people down or even try to submit them or something like that. But man, I prefer to stay on my feet. That way I'm confident.
I think Khabib is going to take him down immediately, or create some kind of scramble immediately. I don't think Poirier stops his takedowns.
When I grab guys in the clinch, it's very tough for them to get away and I'm pretty good with my Greco takedown.
I was never an upper body wrestler. I am a shooter.
One element of wrestling that I know what I grew up with we put a lot of emphasis towards was the takedown. But, you could win an Olympic championship and never score a takedown, and I don't know if MMA fans are even aware of that.
As a fan, I like watching fighters rather than boxers.
Wrestling is a team sport, and an individual sport all rolled into one.
You have to set up the right technique to get that takedown. It can't just be any shot. You have to really set it up.
People don't understand, yeah I'm alright as a wrestler, but I beat people in the takedown because of my distance control - because of my Karate. This is something I learned since I'm 7 years old.
I know how to find my way into the takedown.
