Why is Gilbert Burns Headlining this Card? And Other Questions
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Advice for or some examples of shorter fighters who are good on the back in mma, or in general controlling from the back without a body triangle? Find it difficult to lock a body triangle but I feel the control is worse without one
Hi! I personally find Mike Mallott to be very confusing, in that when I see a fighter absolutely destroy other fighters who are clearly worse than them (I'm thinking Mallott vs. Gall, Fugitt, Lainesse, and Radtke) I tend to think they're going to be, if not already are, elite level fighters, and in those fights Mallott showed really great poise, technique, and athleticism. That being said, I can't call him elite when he got KOd by 145lb Hakeem Dawodu and old ass Neil Magny. So when you see a young fighter, what do you see in them that makes you think they'll pan out?
Hi Jack! Ive been boxing for a few years now, I mainly do bjj (10+ years) and both are hobbies I love. The boxing is more unstructured and ‘loose’, I mainly train with a couple of close friends, one of them a good amateur boxer, but we always keep it loose and playful, we’re all old and not trying to hurt eachother. My question is; where should I look to find good, trustworthy resources on boxing drills, techniques and setups/combos I should/could work on? In grappling I would know where to look and who to trust, since Im so familiar with the space and community, but I am in no way as deep into boxing. I am also a a southpaw, but I focus on staying orthodox and Im trying to use boxing as a way to sharpen my less dominant right side, especially since I still lean heavily on my power side while grappling, and would like to be more ‘balanced’ in that regard. And a quick one at the end: any tips for setting up lead hooks? By far my strongest punch, but setting them up is often difficult! Love your content Jack keep it up ❤️
Oi oi, Slacky! When is the fundamentals of mma / things all mma fighters should be prioritising series planned for - I’ve heard you mention the idea a few times over the years. Thoughts on itouma? And when the fuuuuuuuck we gon get heavy hands slacky j crossovers. I’d need merch to commemorate the occasion, been listening to both you guys for around a decade now! Always enjoy the references you guys make to each others pods.
Why is the sparring in boxing generally extremely hard compared to other combat sports? Is it because there aren’t as many options available to boxers in a fight to slow the fight down (e.g. takedowns in MMA & clinching in Muay Thai)
How many boxing gyms have you tried?
Is 70% of becoming a proficient fighter just getting rounds of sparring and wrestling in? Seems like the Sean Stricklands of the world showcase that quite well. Also, cheeky 2nd question, could you give us any overarching concepts to grappling? Cheers!
What do you think Josh Hokits ceiling is? insufferable antics aside, he is a heavyweight with good cardio whos a d1 all american with a great riding game. Who at HW can actually deal with his wrestling especially with how athletic and tough he is?
My hunch is the question is more: who can hit him hard enough before he can wrestle because this is heavyweight and that's how this tends to go.
Are you excited for Rat Garbage's debut? He seems like the kind of fighter you'd really enjoy in terms of his striking arsenal. How do you think he stands up to bigger names at 155?
Khabib recently talked about the fact that the UFC has changed its recruiting policy wrt Dagestani/dagestan adjacent fighters, they aren’t signing as many of them. Maybe this is just sour grapes from Khabib because one or 2 of his boys didn’t get signed as soon as he liked but this honestly tracks with my experience as a viewer, I feel we see so much fewer of them nowadays, considering the overall lack of talent, quality, or redeemable value of any kind we see in the ufc these days should they go back to the smesh factory well
Hello, Sir Slack. I would like to know when the Julio Cesar Chavez article is coming out. Until then, are there a few pointers you could give me with things to look out for when watching his fights?
What makes a fighter's style aesthetical? With the retirement of Cub Swanson, it feels like there's a lot more to a fighter's appeal than their winning ability or the rate of their action. Creativity, novelty, athleticism, and mechanical soundness are all things we can point to, but there are certain fighters, in striking or grappling, whose motion is a joy to experience. Who are some of the greatest fighters, or for that matter any athletes in general, whose style you'd consider aesthetical? To what extent is aesthetics a greater feature than anything else in an athlete? Is the state of MMA right now conducive to fighting with aesthetics? Love you Jack, keep up the great work
It's judo throws for me
I've been wondering why the various wrestling styles of the world largely have a pin or a throw as win conditions. Not sure what else you would do in a wrestling match, aside from submission, but have you came across any insights in your various historical studies?
Ring outs are also a scoring option
Hey Jack, I was wondering If you thought there could be any merit to the cross armed guard in bare knuckle boxing. I know you answered a question about it for mma few weeks ago, but was wondering if you had any thoughts on that, it always intrigued me.
Jack what are innovations in sport bjj you see crossing over into MMA successfully, choi bars, false reaps, buggy chokes. What is hot in bjj rn that MMA guys need to learn?
I'm a short guy with long arms that has been doing a poor man's imitation of Volkanovski since I've started sparring, however my footwork and defence are ass. Do you have any tips on getting more comfortable working on defense in the pocket so I don't get overwhelmed by my partner's combinations?
would you ever consider doing a watchalong or fight companion of either old events or good numbered ufc cards?
Best fighters to watch for ring craft/cutting the ring or cage? Even some of the best techniques or tactics for it?
Whats the craic Jack? Neil Melanson gave up a toe to continue training, Bisping gave up an eye to become a champion. Do you know of any other mad martial arts stories akin to this?? Cheers Brolly
Do you think there could ever be a real use for Wing Chun hand trapping in mma. Do you believe Wing Chun hand trapping could have any use in the clich, along the cage, or in hand fighting on the feet
Roberto Duran!
Why is Mike Malott headlining this card?
Hey Slackey J! Just a quick question... Who is that KJ Noones fellow (that's what I heard you saying) you mentioned in a closing bless phrase? I have tried to find who you were referring to? But so far I haven't been able to. Did he really have that much potential?
Is autism also the best base for heavyweight MMA?
I guess fighters just say “faggot” now during their in cage interview, and everyone just smiles nods. As an mma journalist, what do you believe will be the next previously unacceptable slur to casually work its way back into the ufc broadcast?
Just been working on Josh Barnett's Kesa Gatame instructionals. Murzakanov had Costa in that kind of position in the 2nd and did nothing with it. Why arent fighters using this position well? Its simple and it works really well in the gym. Am I missing something?
How would you revitalize the lightweight division? There’s a narrative currently that there aren’t new contenders that are good enough to break through, but I think that’s more due to the UFC’s poor roster management and matchmaking than anything
Slacky, how long until UFC replaces the fights themselves with AI?
Already common occurrence. Last main event alone was fake, clear as day. Would never happen like that in real life…
If you were to start training MMA again from a beginner level, what are the skills that you would learn first? Would it depend on your attributes (frame, strength, speed, etc) or are there basics that everyone should learn? And would it change depending on what age you start at? I remember hearing you say that you would create a striking basics article some time ago. Cheers from a fledgling trainee.
Do you think the side kick to the body has a place in modern MMA? Outside of Wonderboy and one Jon Jones fight, I can't recall ever seeing it work well. I have always been a Joe Lewis and Bill Wallace fanboy, but the side kick to the body seems to be a technique that requires a bit of stylistic cooperation from the opponent to work. Thoughts?
Slacky J - How shit is Paulo Costa’s hair transplant? Patchier than Patchy Nicks
What's the crack jack. Is there anywhere one can watch the old filthy casuals guides. I always find old ones on dingy corners of the Internet from time to time but it'd be nice to have them all in one place
I've been working with the shotgun grip to finish my foot locks. Do you think the transition back to straight ankle control could come to MMA? The grip and rip heel hook didn't seem to help much as frequently it would slip or fighters wouldn't recognize the danger and suffer later. It's been interesting to see in BJJ as heelhook defense has risen and a tendency towards ripping them had been on the rise.
Rubber Guard son or Bad Head & Arm Throw daughter?
have you been keeping up with sumo? last three tournaments have been amazing. Would love to see you do a piece/chat about the rise of aonishiki and/or the recent resurgence of popularity of sumo in japan and beyond. also excited for malott's fight. I use to train with malott and tucker when they started their pro careers, great dudes, absolute monsters to spar with. - guy who went to japan once
Hello Jack! Third attempt on this one. I've been training BJJ for about a year and I'm also doing a master's degree in teaching. I'm currently out with a dislocated collarbone and a dislocated knee and am spending a lot of time on the side of the mat watching my coach and thinking about how he teaches. What do you think makes a good coach? Is it different from what makes a good teacher? Thanks!
I thought about this a lot when I was doing my masters in teaching, you’re probably learning Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, you’re probably also learning a lot about scaffolding and differentiation. These are three areas I noticed my jiu jitsu professor is specifically skilled in (even if that’s not the vocabulary he’d use to describe it) and are what make him uniquely good (multiple black belts told me he’s the best coach they’ve worked with) , and areas I’ve seen other instructors lacking in who are not that good at teaching bjj.
what are you excited for in combat sports right now? what events/fights are circled on your fight calendar that you cannot contain your joy for? The sen-no-sen of conceptual article when, bless.
Any tactical advice for landing the step up calf kick as a southpaw? Should I be moving past their lead leg or towards their rear leg, should I be throwing it as a counter or as a lead? That kinda thing
Jack, who do you think has gotten thr farthest in MMA or other combats sports for that matter with the least amount of technical skill? On an unrelated note, I have been watching a lot of Deyonta Wilder highlights.
You have been covering mma for a long time. How has your content and skills evolved from when you first started to where you are now? I’m not familiar with anything you wrote before 2019 so I can’t make a comparison. Two examples of growth I have seen are my friend from uncrowned drake riggs who started out as a sherdog writer of basic news, has since written big deep dives on obcsure mma stories like Megumi Fuiji and Rousimar Palhares and my other friend Ghost (9h6st21) who actually started out using microsoft paint and the photos app to do his analytical videos to now where he is combining animation and analysis. Do you feel like your skills and talents for watching fights and writing about them have seen remarkable growth over the years when looking back at your old pieces? Why do you think most content creators and writers choose not to grow and stay stagnant?
Hello Mr Slack. Gonna ask again because youve touched on the question before. How do you think the 2026 champs in each weight class would fair against the roster of champions in 2016? Hope ur day is awesome
What are your feelings on Bloodsport being remade?
Do you see the low single having more utility in high level MMA? I see the issue with it. Having to go from standing to on all fours at their ankle seems impractical for a fist fight. However, would the positive of creating a grappling exchange at any cost make up for that?
Hey Jack, greetings from Canada. What are the pros and cons of the Philly shell in mma? I’m curious why it’s not more popular as it seems so many of the best strikers in the ufc use some form of the Philly shell
Slacky what are your thoughts on Liu Mengyang, is he a boi?
Imagine we had a sumo style MMA tournament where everyone fought once a day for two weeks straight. How would you coach a fighter to win this style of tournament? Would the smothering, dont-let-a-fight-happen a la Merab style win out? What current fighters do you think would thrive in that environment?
What are your thoughts ethically about watching the white house card? I haven't missed a card in nearly a decade, but a bigger propaganda machine for the regime is not something I want to tune into but I am interested in some of the fights. Do we just scoff, moan and groan, and bitch about it but watch? Stream it so as to not give numbers to paramount? Solely find the fights the night after? Or just hate watch in its entirety?
Hi Jack! Non techie question but, do you have a favourite signature move or tendency that is idiosyncratic to a particular fighter? Part of my love of combat sports is the larger than life and peculiar characters you often see. I really enjoy little aspects of fighting that display personality. My personal favourites are Poirier's short adjustments and Pantoja's round 1 walk-forward onslaught. Thanks big Slacky, best regards from the home of fight night Ulberg v Reyes.
Do you see a breaking point with the UFCs quality continuing to decline? You mentioned how Trump and the Saudi’s have both made comments about the quality of events being sold to them, is there a point to where paramount will do the same?
Yo slack man! do you have any advice on managing stress/adrenaline dumps during a fight? it seems to mess up a lot of amateur fighters, me included lol . Cheers from the Dieselnoi of being a Boi 🥂
Hi Jack, with the ufc doing the bare minimum to promote their fights, what are some of the best marketing campaigns you’ve seen from fight promotions in the past?
I have realized that many of the most consistent kickboxers imo are southpaw (thinking of petrosyan, Petchpanomrung, Tenshin, Nadaka…). I also think their style is much more easy to understand (than orthodox fighters) in a systematic way but also harder to beat. Why does fighting a closed stanced matchup seem so much more difficult in terms of consistency? There are no orthodox kickboxers that can predictably pull of nearly flawless performances like some southpaws can (or at least I can’t think of em). Is it just because southpaws have the advantage due to having more reps in this matchup than orthodox fighters do? It seems like the outstanding southpaws have an arsenal of moves they circle through and to everything the opponent does one of them fits perfectly.
Jack, I recently attended a yothin seminar where he demonstrated his now-signature inside ankle kick. (He said that the first two times he fought Chaila, he couldn’t walk or use his right side for a week. The third fight with the ankle kick he only couldn’t walk for a week.) People are constantly innovating new and nasty ways to hurt each other; what are some other unorthodox targets you could see catching on? Will we see limb-destruction techniques from the Bubishi in MMA soon? (Elbowing the wrists, heels to the chest or the kidneys on the ground, ankle kicks, meridian points, etc.)
With Ethyn Ewing and now Aaron Pico recently showing how good the double jab is for closing and hurting do you think we’ll start to see more of it as fighters get more and more comfortable being and staying in punching range? Vs the old all the way in and all the way out methods? I remember Font double jabbing Cody back in 2021 but I can’t recall too many fights in the UFC off the top of my head where the double jab was either a part of the gameplay or used as a late adjustment to turn things around
Should Ulberg vacate/ be stripped? If they do an interim they likely need to make fights before that since everybody but costa is coming off a loss. Who do you see rising to the top in ulbergs absence?
I picked up Matt Lindland's Dirty Boxing thanks to your recommendation. Any other clinch/cagework books and instructionals you'd suggest?
Is there a place in MMA for De La Riva, Reverse De La Riva and Bolos? Or is Luke Rockhold right and the fancy shit never works?
Jack I've been working on a Playlist "Hip-hop to do Kung Fu to" any recommendations other than the obvious Wu Tang?
Nunjabes
What do you think are the odds that khamzat vs Strickland is an interesting fight Mr slack
Hey Jack, I’m not sure if you mentioned it on a podcast or twitter but I just wanted to hear your thoughts on Ethyn Ewing’s performance against Big dinners estevam
From the last questions thread: How do you think a competitor should approach light sparring when their competitive game revolves mostly around being massive and hitting hard? As an unathletic and mostly blind man whose only natural gift is above average power, I find it hard to figure out which lessons to take from light sparring where power is not a factor, since most of what I do relies on the opponent being worried about getting hit. Throwing constant cut kicks in sparring and pissing off everyone in the gym, bless.
Jack slack, you mentioned countering a left hook with a right cross is the most powerful counter in boxing. What book is that from?
I'm not sure if it's in a book but there was a clip posted somewhere of people punching their right hand inside the left hook and, when the right lands, it looks they were hit by a gun more than a punch.
Jack have you seen bugonia? If so gimme your thoughts on bald Emma stone