Jack slack9/3/2023 ![]() That was the catch 22 of fighting Cro Cop on the feet-if you committed to defending the high kick, Filipovic's left straight would shoot inside your elevated right forearm and bloody your nose. This was tactical suicide because against Cro Cop, a fighter's right forearm should have always been in position to brace against the murderous left high kick. Even experienced opponents such as Igor Vovchanchyn got drawn into using their right hand to parry Cro Cop's left straight. When he was at his best, Cro Cop rarely threw combinations in excess of two strikes-but the two strikes that he had mastered worked so well together that it wasn't even necessary.Ĭro Cop's southpaw straight was among the best to grace our sport or kickboxing, and he threw it with such pace and power that it forced an overreaction from his opponents. Unlike Kongo, however, Cro Cop's striking was legitimately terrifying in an MMA context. ![]() Cro Cop seemed to be nothing more than Cheick Kongo-an accomplished striker on paper used to hype up heavyweight prospects. It is very easy for those who didn't see Cro Cop at his best in PRIDE and in his early career with K-1 to not understand why he is so highly touted as a striker. In fact, a better title for this piece would be "Jack Slack's 7 Favourite Strikers from a Purely Technical Standpoint." They are simply in the order I have written them, and they are included for what I personally admire about their games. This list is not even really ranked in order of greatness, because it is almost impossible to compare two fighters' striking skill sets completely-let alone seven. Nobody is flawless, and as much as we love to pretend that Fedor Emelianenko or Anderson Silva are, understanding their shortcomings and how they hide them ultimately lead us to respect them even more as fighters. In attempting to demonstrate the reasons for my choices, I shall talk about both a fighter's strengths, and the weaknesses and flaws which hold him back. Yes, you'll see the expected fighters- Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, etc.-but every single fighter on this list makes mistakes and has weaknesses. ![]() Unfortunately, I feel that this question is greatly oversimplified. I have wanted to have a crack at this list for some time, mainly because readers keep asking me who I rate as the best strikers in MMA history.
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