really sucks that Oliveira missed weight by a half-pound yesterday (details here). This is such a perfect fight — what’s better than two of the most exciting fighters in 155-pound history throwing down for undisputed gold? I won’t say the fight is ruined,
but it’s simply unfortunate that Oliveira doesn’t have a shot at defending or winning the belt, and now the Lightweight division may enter a state of chaos.
Fortunately, the circumstances inside the cage remain the same. “Do Bronx” and “The Highlight” are killers, incredibly talented and entertaining. When the two are trading blows at a ferocious pace, no one is going to be thinking about the scale until after the action subsides.
Gaethje ain’t too shabby of a finisher himself. The veteran contender is all about damage, forcing collisions with his opponents and doing gigantic damage at distance, in the pocket, and in the clinch.
I’d like to see Oliveira moving forward whenever possible. Obviously, he’s going to have to retreat occasionally from Gaethje’s big swings, but “The Highlight”
will have a much more difficult time chopping legs while being forced backwards. One potential avenue to convincing Gaethje to back off a bit is reactive takedowns,
and Oliveira would be wise to watch tape and recognize that cutting toward the back following a shot is often good strategy versus the wrestler.
This is not the opponent for Justin Gaethje to resort to past tactics. If he tries to simply brawl with Oliveira and ignore what’s coming back his way — a tactic he still occasionally employs — he’s probably going to get hurt. Simply put: Gaethje has to apply his pressure intelligently.
Nowadays, Gaethje does some of his best work on the counter, pulling and firing a right or slipping off the center line and returning with an uppercut.
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Oliveira’s offense-first mindset leaves him vulnerable to such well-executed boxing counters, and it only takes a couple shots from Gaethje to really throw off his opponent’s rhythm.
The game plan for Gaethje should be initiate (with a low kick or quick lead read), avoid, then immediately fire back — be first and be last. Another key focus for Gaethje should be countering kicks. Any time Oliveira lifts his and fires a teep or low kick, Gaethje should be looking to return fire with his own dig to the lead leg.
A few Gaethje low kicks can quickly be discouraging, or he could look to parry the teep and step forward with combinations. Both are good ideas opposite a fellow strong kicker!
