The classic grappler vs striker paradigm
This week's episode pits the classic grappler vs. striker paradigm. Who will come out on top?
Episode starts by both teams discussing the match up for the current episode. As you can see both men are supremely confident. Although this doesn't describe how both fighters personalities are around the rest of the cast. Josh is a very laid back soft-spoken man in public but has that switch when it's time to fight and Corey is a confident person but I have never heard him talk the way he did in the confessional. It goes to show that most fighters are humble in public and confident on the inside. To me this is exactly how warrior spirit is defined. Confident and humble at all times.
At Team Penn's practice BJ brought the team together to explain that us training at the house was probably not a good idea because they, the coaches, have our training planned out and if they don't know what we are doing outside the gym it makes the planning very difficult. In my opinion every fighter has his or her own recipe for success and only having a few weeks together makes getting to know each fighter, as a coach, is very difficult. Even though our coaches are legends it hard to build a solid relationship with your coach in that short period of time. So BJ decides we need to start taking time off as a team to recover. This could be good or bad. Wonder how it will play out.
Halloween happens to be during filming so we got to have a little fun by carving some pumpkins and eating a little candy. It's nice to do things you would typically do at home to keep it light in the house. With all the pressure of competition around you 24/7 some people are in need of a release. It just so happens I think it's fun to dress like a women on Halloween because 364 days a year people will look at you like you're crazy but on this one day it is slightly acceptable. Just slightly....
PS. I know I make that nurses outfit look good.
Apparently Team Edgar doesn't share our same enthusiasm for Halloween. Oh well. Frankie brought his little ones over to trick or treat. It was cool for Frankie to take the time out of his evening to come by the house with his kids for Halloween. It shows that mixed martial artist are real people not just savages.
The night after Halloween Frankie took his team to Mount Charleston for a hike. I was so jealous. I've always wanted to go there but we didn't have time while we were there. Frankie's team seemed to be a bit upset about hiking which was silly to me because we are suppose to be world class athletes so a little hike shouldn't bother you. I for one was jealous because being from rural Dresden Ohio being outdoors is something that makes me feel at home.
The game plans for each fighter seem solid. Corey needs to get the fight to the ground and Josh needs to keep it standing. The week leading up to the fight Josh's training was focused on just that. Defending takedowns and getting back to his feet if the fight does hit the ground.
BJ seems to think Josh has some confidence issues but I think it's that Josh hasn't trained with high level guys before. It's a hard situation to come into that environment if you haven't already worked with world-class guys yet. Josh has recently moved to Vegas to get that training. There are some thing you can't teach and heart is one of them. No one in the house had a bigger heart than Clark. In the cage he will never quit. You have to put Clark away to win.
Corey on the other hand is really confident in his skills because he has competed in wrestling at the world-class level. Corey's training camp is focused around boxing so he can defend Josh's skill set, which is exactly what he needs to be doing. Corey has the skill set to be very good at this sport in a short period of time because of the level of competition he has trained with.
Wrestling takes years to develop. The body control and learning how to use leverage standing and on the ground isn't something that is simple. Yes the moves may be simple but the fine art of learning when to attack is similar to boxing, as you need to get your opponent off balance before you're offensive attack can be successful. For Zappata to say that wrestling is simple is insulting to anyone that has wrestled before. Wrestling is so much more than the moves. Anyone can learn a move but to be the best wrestler you have to outwork the next man. This is what wrestling teaches you, to outwork your opponent. That's something that takes time to learn.
Fight recap:
The fight starts with the two feeling each other out. Josh lands some solid strikes that forces Corey to try for his first takedown. Josh tries for an ill advised flying arm bar, which puts Clark on his back early. Josh works back to his feet but you can tell Corey doesn't want to be on his feet with Josh. Corey attempts a takedown again but josh stuffs it and lands a solid right cross. Josh is controlling the distance well for the first half of the round but seems to fade a little which is a testament to Corey's conditioning level. Josh doesn't quit though and lands an up kick and finds himself in a heel hook position that he uses to get back to his feet. Josh starts landing good combos but throws a knee that gave Corey the opportunity to get the fight back to the ground. Round end with Corey in top position.
Round two Josh takes the center early and uses his jab to control the distance and land a solid leg kick. Josh is doing well but throws another knee against someone that is trying to take him down. Not a good idea against a wrestler. Corey takes the knee but is able to secure a takedown. Josh stays active on the ground but can't make anything happen. The ref stands them up and josh throws a leg kick that Corey checks that seemed to hurt Josh because he drops to his back and Corey takes top position. From there on Corey uses his grappling to pass to half guard, from half guard he mounts Josh, and finally takes Josh's back while landing ground and pound. The round ends with Corey taking Josh's back and in a very dominant position. Conditioning won the fight hands down!
