Questions from the Bois

For fighters coming from a grappling background, what do you think of training to simply being competent at striking and then focusing on maximizing cardio? I starting to believe after a certain level of competency in striking, time would be better spent maximizing cardio i.e Merab in the most talented ufc division

How do you reckon Usman Nurmagomedov would do in the UFC (if he signs) now that Bellators basically dead? And do you think Islam moving up to ww is part of a bigger plan to make space for Usman at lw? Feels like somethings being lined up there

do you think Brad Riddell should become coach of the year? he was the head corner for both Zhang WEili and Alexander volkanovksi both executed great gameplans as well as receiving brilliant corner advice. is it rare to be a good fighter and also be a good coach like Brad riddell

Did you see Craig Jones mention you in the most recent B-Team video? Cool to see that he's a fan of your work as well.

Could we please Jack have more fighting principles for us amateur fighters ? I remember treasures from first podcasts in 2016. Any chance you'd get back on things such as : how to deal with a taller opponent, how to implement low kicks in an offensive game or how to properly cut the ring ? Many thanks !

Any tips for film study/scouting opponents? I usually watch the fight all the way through once, just for vibes and looking for tendencies. I then go through a second time, noting techniques used or tendencies; kinda organizing it in my head. I’ll do a few more play throughs, I am time stamping tendencies and patterns in an attempt to have it organized for my guys. I’d love your thoughts and input on any additional suggestions or things you do when you’re scouting/evaluating a fighter PS. I started doing the small screen so you can see both guys feet at once. Game changer!

What are some counters for the double jab? I assume in 2060 they'll have become a staple. I want to be ahead of the curve when I'm 70 and the UFC has seniors as the openers for Apex slop

What techniques are good for forcing scrambles and movement in MMA? JDM had great success with rolls to create movement recently and I’d love to learn more. Side note, do you think octopus guard fits into this branch of scramble creation?

Hello my boi, greetings from Canada, what’s your Mount Rushmore of mma fighters?

Hey Jack. Any shin/foot conditioning concepts/exercises you think actually work? Don't want to kick trees or some shit at my local public park. Tony Ferguson kicking metal pipes bless.

What do you think are the most powerful techniques someone could teach a complete beginner, to instantly help them in a fight (not self defence, or breakfalls etc.)? Also, a cheeky 2nd hitter, any advice for dirty boxing? Fighters to study, and that sort of thing

Can you speak about effective striking from bottom position in mma, both defending and landing shots that have some pop

Any thoughts on Hughes vs Miranda/PFL Belfast? Or on a potential Hughes/Nurmagomedov rematch? I get that the card wasn't that significant to the wider MMA fanbase but as a local I had a great time watching it live and the crowd went absolutely mental for the main event

Can you make my dad come home?

Thoughts on Joe Schilling’s kickboxing career? His Muay Thai gym here in East LA is one of the best in the area, but his later career is less than inspiring to say the least.

How do you prefer to approach learning a new technique/trick/strategy when it doesn't really come naturally? How do you think it SHOULD be done? What fighters do you think do this well?

Thoughts on MMA guys that move to a pure boxing gym for a time? Say 6-12 months.

Working on anything fun or interesting in your own training slacky?

https://youtu.be/IeiPZyrK85c Hi jack, I just wanted your opinion on this video, this is from Jesse Enkamp’s YouTube channel. I believe he is a karateka? Who does a lot of cross training and documents his experience. You’ll like it I promise ;)

Slacky rashie when?

What are some good ways to pace yourself in the stand up without looking like you’re tired? I’ve found some success using the long guard (flicking out jabs and muffling punches ala your favorite fighter, Sean Strickland) but I’d love your insight on how to look busy without burning through your gas tank. Asking for a “Blaxplosive Friend”

What's your thoughts on Alexis Argüello? He was an exceptional boxer and a pioneer in his time but there are a few things I'd like to get your opinion on; first, do you think his career would've been better if he wasn't entangled in the Nicaraguan Revolution (being forced to relocate to Miami and fighting with Contras would probably hamper your performance.) Second, where would you rank him among boxing's all time greats? Third, are there any particular techniques he has that you think could be useful or replicable for the average person (I instantly think of his left hook to liver)

No question just letting ya know that Kreg Jones gave you a shoutout here https://youtu.be/9vXnOUeUk4U?si=4noZDHRoRmzDMKrI

Will you have a party when the Taffa bros get cut?

Greetings from the Rocky Mountains Jack! In the lead up to Pereira vs Ankalaev I was hoping Alex would provide me with some interesting set ups for landing the lead hook in the open position, since I am an orthodox fighter who favors their left. Alas no dice. Instead I watched Alex suffer the same fate I do when sparring southpaws. Any tips would be much appreciated, thanks and cheers!

Hi Mister Slack. Just was curious what you’d think about the UFC adding a women’s atomweight division and how it would fit in currently. I think it would be great for smaller 115ers to have a chance at a belt (Looma perhaps). Also Stamp would be a star here

Is Craig Jones the best grappling coach in MMA, currently?

Jack, what are some of the best ways you’ve seen short fighters use the jab in MMA. It could be any type of jab too, whether it’s Volk’s long piercing jab or Frankie Edgars little poke to the body.

What is the current meta in jiujitsu. Who are the top athletes / coaches you would recommend to listen / watch? What are some champ vs champ matches that you think would have been interesting? This is hypothetical across all time. Ex Prime BJ Penn vs Prime Ben Henderson, Ubereem vs Prime Fedor, Prime Weidman vs Adesanya.

Slack, what do you think about kickboxing bouts changing to a standard 5 rounds of 3 for nontournament nontitle bouts, and 7 rounds of 3 for nontournament title bouts? I feel like 9 minutes is never enough to get cooking and doesnt select for the type of fighter whos good at adjusting, which i consider a valuable attribute.

Do you think it’s possible we’ll ever see someone with that old school joe frazier type head movement in high level mma with the heavy bending at the waist? Even though ilia’s boxing style is a lot less vulnerable to knees and kicks than Fraziers style, seeing Topuria get all the way to the top made me curious as to whether or not someone could implement a more Frazier like system. Even if only in a limited way or in brief spots.

Id like to put together a vr boxing game that is about a historical boxer. They need to be dead for about 70 years (copyright). Jack Johnson is the first champ I thought of but I was curious if theres any long dead boxing champs whose story should be told. Also curious if you’ve played any vr boxing games. Thanks Mr. Gnoff

Hey Jack. After watching some Jake Peacock fights last weekend, I stumbled across your old article on Nick Newell and decided to give him a watch. Suffice to say, I'm deeply impressed by the two men and what they've accomplished so far in their respective sports. That being said, what do you think if Jake Peacock's decision to lead with the shorter arm instead of the longer arm like Newell did?

Morning Jack! My question for the week, the people are dying to know, what place really surprised you when you traveled to it? Anywhere that ended up connecting with you more than you expected? Thanks for the love on my username last time it made my day!

Morning Jack! What do you think the end of the Jones HW saga actually is? Do you think Aspinall will defend the interim a second time? Will they push him to seek release? What benefit does UFC get from letting Jones sit on the title? Love your stuff, hope all is well. Best, -Rob

To preface the question, the concept of quickly analyzing and combating an opponent you know nothing about, is one that has held great interest to me for as long as I can remember. You mentioned a few years ago "Boxings dirty tricks and outlaw killer punches" by champ Thomas, a carnival fighter, facing multiple strangers a night, and it was so obvious once you said that why a person working that job would be the best person to listen too and still too this day, I swear i will buy that book when the banks let me take out a mortgage on it. My question is, if you had to make the most streamlined decisions about how you plan on defeating an opponent by exploiting a weakness, what would be the observations you'd take into consideration in order of priority? It's a tough question and obviously it's reliant on your opponent being pretty "honest" in their approach, i.e. no fedor emelienko throwing an overhand right to start the fight them following up with a jab, but at least if you can talk a bit more in length about the subject and point me in any other and hopefully cheaper resources on the subject I would be grateful. From ya boi Ps you had just started praising Jack Della maddellena as a highlight of the contender series as I became your boy, now hes our 3rd UFC champion and I believe the first time we've had 2 consecutivee Australian champions. If you had told me we'd probably be getting Jack vs Islam 3 weeks ago I wouldn't have believed you. All hail our kind UFC overlords who have graciously allowed us to feel warmth again

what would it take for an MMA promotion to overtake or at least be competitive with the UFC?

Funniest/ weirdest diets you’ve heard fighters say they do ! Some of the stuff I’ve even heard from guys I train with is hilarious Any principles you like to follow yourself ?

thoughts on Arman getting shafted, would he be a harder fight for Ilia than Charles, and do you think it's a stupid marketing move to do all these vacancies

Slacky you’ve referenced Henry Armstrong on the podcast a few times. How was his style able to remain effective while going up multiple weight classes. And, if we’ve got time how would you train to replicate it in the gym/sparring?

I now unironically brlieve Aspinall should leave the UFC and go fight Ngannou in PFL. The UFC heavyweight division is such an embarrassment, it's time to scrap the whole thing.

hi jack asking this question again. given that merabs next title defense is coming up soon i wanted to know what u thought of the idea of using attritive techniques in the clinch as a way to discourage merabs endless onslaught of takedowns. so much of the takedown defense i see from merabs opponents in his fights seems to be focused on just stopping the takedown and breaking connection. But what his opponents defended takedowns by pulling merab into the clinch and working hard to land knees to the body, uppercuts to the body and head, and slicing elbows. Attritive techniques like those must be respected especially by merab who has shown hes not invulnerable to the body. usman used clinchfighting as a big part of discouraging covingtons pressure in fhe first fight and lawler made askren very hesitant to lock up with him with big knees to the body in the clinch before lawler eventually abandoned it. Especially considering that yan is an ace defensive wrestler who is also a murderous clinchfighter and umar is an amazing wrestler all around who is friends with 2 excellent clinchfighters (islam and DJ) it seems like an interesting idea in their potential rematches.

Any examples of a fighter using pressure/footwork to beat a strong wrestler?

Whats the craic Jack Could you speak to traditional martial arts techniques that you'd like to see utilized in a fight Shinya Aoki doing the Steven Seagal arm break I love the John Wick choreography of Aikido and Judo put on cinematic display but it's cool as shit to seeing it in MMA for realsies from time to time

Hey Slacky J, Which current MMA fighter do you feel is one or two techniques away from leveling up significantly (e.g., Mackenzie Dern two years ago if she knew what a takedown was) and what is that technique? Thanks for being the Jessica Chastain of avoiding apex slop pain.

Hoe do kicks alter cage cutting in kickboxing and Mma?

G’day Jacky Whacky, I’m coaching a group of school students for school sport in a light contact, all-styles competition (think point kumite) and am interested in what skills/drills I should focus on that will build up good habits for when the kids are 18+ and doing full contact. Love from the classical out of shape school coach.

Howdy Jackster Slackster! with Inoue vs Nakatani being confirmed for next year, how would you go about advising Nakatani to walk away with the victory? Cheers to you and the family!

Hello mr slack, Do you know of any dark art esoteric, dim mak style techniques from old boxing or obscure martial arts that could actually become a replicable working part of a game in MMA. Jamming thumbs in livers, Bas rutten palm striking, kidney punching things of the sort. Much love from a Binman who hasn’t trained in three months

Hi Jack, you often talk about the importance of ring generalship in MMA or boxing, but rarely in grappling. Do you consider it important in bjj/wrestling, if so, what would be some examples of it making a difference? If not, why not — purely the lack of a hard boundary or something else?

Hi Jack - how do you see Dana’s venture into boxing under this TKO brand going and him being appointed promotor for Canelo-Crawford. We know they have mentioned trying to amend the Ali act, probably to align boxing with UFC paying practices, but cannot imagine this will go well with the other big promotors like Top Rank and Queensbury. What do you think this TKO boxing’s place is going to be in the boxing sphere? Is Dana even able to promote well anymore in this new area given he’s coasted on the brand of the UFC and some of the laughable attempts to promote events like Jones-Stipe?

Who are your biggest "what ifs" in MMA that are worth a rewatch? I recently went back over a lot of Ross Houston’s Cage Warriors run, as well as his fight with MVP, where I felt he gave a great account of himself and It got me thinking about all the ones that got away. Sincerely, the Nigel Benn of next Sifu video when?

Double Q for you. 1.) In honor of The Smashing Machine: If all the Major MMA promotions legalized headbutts tomorrow what fighters games would be the most improved? 2.) Is the switch a key weapon against the smesh style of MMA. We often talk about how you need to separate your opponents hands and disengage in order to have any level of success against the Dagestan style of fighters. The sit out portion of a switch weakens the hand grip and extends the arms of the opponent and the pressure of the arm breaks you free.

hello sir! in your opinion, how useful could the growth of ai/machine learning be in fight analysis and prep, and do you forsee it having any broad impacts on the way athletes will prepare for fighting?

Hi Jack, What are some methods that the best clinchers in boxing use to force the clinch onto their opponent? I’d like to practice punch and clutch in sparring but don’t want to just end up extending “zombie arms”towards my sparring partner.

Hello, Slacky! Long time listener and reader, first time questioner. Got 2 quickes: 1) What are your thoughts on giving up outside foot position in an open stance dynamic to shorten the line of the jab and disrupt incoming offense (whilst being extremely vigilant of rear side attacks, of course)? 2) Why does it seem that few fighters in MMA strip guard from their opponents? Particularly, against those that rely on double forearm or high guard. In sparring I play with both of these often and it completely obliterates shlubs that aren't thoughtful and gives the craftier, skillful folks pause. In MMA, I really can only remember Pereira doing guard stripping a time or two against Rountree in their title fight. Thanks for all the teckkers over the years, can't wait to steal more to play with. The Justin Gaethje of making adjustments, baby. Bless.

Thoughts on how J Rod was able to progress at grappling so quickly. Gooning best base for bjj?

History question for you Jack; When did the rule of "No clinching" become enforced in boxing? Or atleast when did it become internationally agreed upon? Cheers!

Hey jack, congrats on another boi slackin it, gonna be a bit cheeky and ask a two parter, if you were to cultivate a team what prop or bit of costuming would you make their signature, ala the fighting nerds and their glasses. And on a more serious note what, if any, would you say are the biggest differences between studying tape for your personal use vs analysis for the sake of educating others (weather it be for teaching the general crowd or coaching a specific athlete)

How would a fight between Bruce Lee and any top lightweight of the modern day go?

What were your thoughts on Cacace against Wood? Do you think Cacace is a bit old at 36 to be going against the likes of Tank or Shakur Stevenson? Also staying with Belfast martial artists are the likes of Niall Mcgreevy or Garret Smylie on your radar at all for muay thai? Id be interested to know your opinion on their styles and if they might translate well to the one style of 4oz muay thai. That one time Marcin Prachnio threw a headkick in the pocket against bukauskas and wobbled him but still lost by submission bless.

I listen to the free Podcast mostly on another App than YouTube. Are the YouTube Views your Most important metric? MMA related, how can you train the grindy knees, elbows, Clinch stuff? My Trainingpartners either Kickbox, Run If you grab them or Go to "normal" bjj in the ground If I try to Clinch. And knees/elbows seem to Dangerous. Long Time Reader and listener, thank you for the inspiration and entertainment!

What's changed with guys probing with single strikes and timing bombs to volume hands like your Della's, Topuria's

Roe Jogan wound up the neckbeards when he said BJ Penn is the lightweight goat over Khabib Who are your personal top 5 lightweights of all time? Up to you if that's just on preference or your perception of their "greatness"

Hey Jack, as always love your work. When Belal had a rear body lock against JDM against the fence, JDM used a throw I haven’t seen used often to partially shrug him off. The Judo boys will murder me, but I’ll say it looked like an Uchi Mata with no underhook, nor a grip on the other wrist. Whilst it of course didn’t throw Belal, it got a reaction and JDM used it to free the hands and escape. You’ve been saying for a while that throws off the whizzer are the future of defensive cage wrestling, is this a further iteration?

Hey Jack, First time/ long time (been reading since the Fightland days) As MMA becomes more homogenized, which current UFC fighters are the best (or most interesting) examples of a single style? I'm asking both in terms of individual martial arts (Ross Pearson for boxing, Wonderboy for karate, etc) and strategic styles (Khabib for pressure fighting, Crocop for out-fighting, etc)

Why are boxing heavy styles so succesful in MMA right now? There's so many all time great fighters at the top right now who focus on boxing, like Poirier, Moreno, Yan, JDM and Topuria. Even deeply flawed fighters like Shane Burgos were able to hang around the 10-15 range in stacked divisions for years with a basic boxing game. Is it the extra skill points they have invested in principles such as pre-emptive head movement, increased lead hand utility or is it just the new "dagestani wrestler" stereotype?

Following up my tweet from earlier today. how many Heavy strikes did Belal need in round 5 to get a split decision victory awarded to him from our favourite MMA Analyst?

You talk about bad ringcraft in MMA (grasso, Diego lopes) Apart from Julio Ceasar Chavez in boxing , who is a great example of cutting off the octagon in Mma ?

Top 3 most bangin' thoughts on the Ilia vs Charles matchup?

An article purely on breaking an opponents position/ disorganising an opponents structure would be cool. Any fighters that spring to mind?

Whats your thoughts on using books to study up on MMA, and do you have any recommendations?

We often hear about set ups when talking about striking but it seems like the same set up terminology isn't used when talking about ground grappling (not talking about takedowns, it is definitely used there). Do you know of any grappling instructors that teach in terms of set ups? Or does the very nature of the ground game preclude the usefulness in talking in terms of set ups?

Is there any CJI teams you're particularly interested in? Personally keen to see what roster ATOS puts together.

Dear Jack, What’s your opinion on the highest-percentage way to finish a single leg? I recently watched Nicky Rod vs. Kaynan, where during the single Kaynan grabbed the far hip and then finished takedown from there — not sure what that finish is called, but it looked super effective. Personally, I find just running the pipe to be pretty low-percentage in sparring.

Watched much Cage Warriors of late? Would be cool to get your thoughts of Sean Clancy Jr who's on a tear at welterweight right now.

Hi Slacky. Long time listener, first time caller. 1) are you going to weigh in on the 100 men v 1 gorilla or has the moment gone? 2) any advice for someone who dislocated their shoulder whilst falling from a sweep the other month? Desperate to get back into training but terrified of redoing it. Only train for fun + interclubs at the most. Big up for all of your humour and insight

I heard you refer to Duran as maybe the greatest combat athlete of all time; would love to hear you discuss what made Duran so special!

Will you do an article on Sandy Saddler? You talk about him in your Willie Pep and George Foreman articles, but he seems like an interesting fighter for a full write up. Also, are there any fighters in boxing or MMA that have a similar 'handsy' style?

Hey Jack. The general negativity surrounding Apex card quality and the talent dilution of the UFC roster seems to me to be a branding issue more than a quality issue. No one cares that the contender series is shit, because it isn't branded as an official UFC event. Would your perception of the current state of the UFC change if the UFC rebranded Apex cards as a sort of UFC Junior series?

How does a fighter really hone in on their game? I find myself spending so much time trying to improve my areas of weakness, especially during sparring, that I don’t really delve into developing my natural strengths. Is it simply a change of emphasis in training when nearing a competition?

Hey Jack! Wanted to hear your thoughts on Naoya Inoue's fight against Ramon Cardenas the other week, as well as just Inoue in general. He's been an absolute joy to watch and I'd be curious to see a piece from you on him. Cheers from Perth (up JDM), Finn

Hey Jack, Been going through Khabib's career to try to pick out what made his style of fighting and grappling quite different to the rest of the fighters from the same camp. It wasn't simply pressure in the stand-up fight, or striking from his feet and his knees once got someone down. Is there a fight of his which is the turning point for when the "father's plan" style appears to be fully realised?

You talked about the bodycross being underused many times. I often see people use it as a single strike if they use it. Should there be a follow up if it‘s landed repeatedly? I know the saenchai overhand that‘s worked after he landed the bodycross a couple times but that‘s using it as a fake. I feel like many people use a deep step with their left but leave their rear foot behind so they can‘t really follow up properly. Idk just wondered: should you follow up with something and if so, with what? Thanks Chackk

Hi Jack do you think personalities play into influencing the development of fighting styles? Have you seen this in your own training?

We appear to be in a bit of a transitional time at Welterweight, with the belt changing hands several times of late. Any preference on this vs. the dominant champion situation? (Also, I know you'll say my name right, and I appreciate that. You're a good egg Slacky.)

Can you explain how DDP is so good while simaltaneously sucking so bad. What does he do wrong and why does he keep on getting away with it? Also, early thoughts on him vs Khamzat?

On numerous occasions during Bela-Della, Belal's corner calls for and he executes leading with the rear uppercut. This is a particularly unadvised method of starting an attack in boxing. Is there a technical reason to use it in MMA, that mitigates the clear risks it presents?

Are there any techniques that fade or grow in effectivess through the levels of competition?

Dear jack slack what current MMA fighters do you think would do well or better under Pride rule set?

Hello Jack! Finally got around to reading AJ Liebling's "The Sweet Science", would love to hear your thoughts on the book and its place in boxing/sportswriting history Cheers, Luke Z.