Dream 15 Parting Shots
Fans (and certainly, fighters) would like to believe that a win solves everything. However, while the win may remove some of the bad taste from one’s mouth that came from a recent loss, does it really mean anything in the case of Shinya Aoki? What about for Gegard Mousasi? Let’s tackle these and other Dream 15 topics with my Dream 15 Parting Shots.
Nice Win, But…
Aoki fans surely got very excited over his return to greatness with a quick (and nasty) submission win over Tatsuya Kawajiri. He’s back to his old ways, right? Well, sure. He’s as good as ever, right? Yeah, that’s probably true. He can take Gilbert Melendez in a rematch, don’t you think? Whooooooa, hold on a second.
Aoki’s win simply showed that he is still capable of doing what he has always done. Get the fight to the mat in whatever way possible and quickly work for a debilitating submission hold. That’s great and all, but how does that indicate that things would be even a little bit different in a second fight with Melendez?
Melendez dominated Aoki that night for one reason. Well, for two reasons, really: he was far better standing up, and Aoki couldn’t get him to the mat with any regularity. Still, in my opinion, it all boils down to Aoki’s insufficient takedowns, because if he could get Melendez to the floor, he wouldn’t have to chase him around all night and eat punches and kicks for his efforts.
I talked after that first fight about my Two Out of Three Theory. That is, when it comes to the three big areas of MMA: striking, wrestling and submissions, you must be good in at least two out of the three to be successful for very long. It doesn’t matter which two. If you have crappy wrestling, but are good standing up or on the mat, you can put your opponent in danger no matter what. If you have wrestling and either striking or great submissions on your side, you can take advantage of your strength and keep the fight standing if you need to, or take it to the mat if you must.
Aoki has just one of the three at a championship level, and will struggle against any fighter with good striking and solid wrestling that he faces. This is not a huge problem in Dream, where even the better wrestlers that the organization has to offer will pale in comparison to those in Strikeforce or the UFC. However, without any proof that Aoki has brought his striking or wrestling up to par, a rematch with Melendez is destined to be strikingly similar to the first bout.
Different Fighter, Same Tune
Most of the above also fits for Gegard Mousasi, who has much better takedown defense and overall wrestling than Aoki, but still doesn’t have what it takes to keep someone the likes of “King Mo” Lawal off of him. Mousasi looked as good as ever in his quick dismantling of a tired Jake O’Brien, but there is only so much he could have proven in such a fight.
Surely, Mousasi is working diligently in advance of what is a guaranteed rematch with King Mo sometime down the line. It’s unlikely that anyone that he faces before then will give us a true glimpse of whether Mousasi will be better prepared for the next go-round, however.
Quick Shots
–I never get tired of asking the question: why is it so damned hard to find a quality play-by-play announcer for mixed martial arts? The first time I heard Michael Schiavello, I thought he brought a knowledgeable and distinctive voice to the proceedings. Then, I learned of his affinity for Mauro Ranallo-esque jokes and punchlines, as well as the cringe-inducing “Goodnight, Irene!” that will mar every single submission and knockout you ever see with Schiavello in attendance. With gems like “more hooks like a tackle box” and a lame BP oil spill joke at Dream 15, it seems MMA just can’t rid itself of failed stand-up comedians who would be better served to just, you know, call the damn fights.
–Dream 15, while entertaining, could be summed up as the night where we didn’t learn anything whatsoever from the proceedings. We already knew Aoki could contort opponent’s limbs into horrible positions, Mousasi could take advantage of slight mistakes, and Melvin Manhoef is not nearly as scary after the five-minute mark of a fight (and while on his back, no less). Everyone pretty much did what they were supposed to do, and that was that. Still, let’s be grateful for a little extra MMA in a rather dry month, right?
Tags: DREAM, Dream 15, Gegard Mousasi, Jake O'Brien, King Mo Lawal, Melvin Manhoef, Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri
