Five fights following her victory over Rhiannon Thompson appears to have marked the beginning of a bumpy 1-3-0, 1NC road for the skillful Aussie fighter, but she seems to be dealing with it well despite getting past her last two opponents by a small margin. She stays in good spirits and sounds genuinely confident of a victory over Paige Vanzant.
As you watch Jessica fight you get the sense that she has a lot more to offer. We saw a 32 year old Cristiane Cyborg Justino make incredible boxing improvements over her last two fights, giving an example of how much improvement can be done despite having the same style for many years. One thing I think Jessica needs improvement on is head movement. Many times when she gets hit she gets hit flush. She's not pulling away from the shots or rolling with them. Her head is standing straight up and she gets nailed. Hopefully her trainers are dedicating hours solely on improving her head moment.
Her other flaw is her temperament. Her execution is great. Unlike Cris Cyborg, who made tactical improvements, I believe Jess needs to make mental adjustments. Her toughest opponent to date was Sarah Kaufman, who I believe is one of the best wmma fighters ever. As highly as I rank Kaufman, I believe Jessica had the tools to be more competitive, and possibly have won that fight convincingly, had she simply been more assertive and thrown more shots. She goes into a shell when things get rough and allows her opponents to assume the dominant role. I don't believe Paige is even remotely as talented as Jessica-Rose, but she does best when she is able to out grit her opponent.
A boxer named Zab Judah comes to mind, who also lost to fighters that were less talented but made the most of what they had. I don't believe Jessica is making the most of her abilities. I believe if she opened up and asserted her will on her opponents more she would have more success. Her balance, timing, foot speed, and hand speed are all there but she seems to either hold back or be uncertain of how to unleash her attacks. In either case, I believe the only way Paige wins this fight is if Jessica allows her to win.
As you watch Jessica fight you get the sense that she has a lot more to offer. We saw a 32 year old Cristiane Cyborg Justino make incredible boxing improvements over her last two fights, giving an example of how much improvement can be done despite having the same style for many years. One thing I think Jessica needs improvement on is head movement. Many times when she gets hit she gets hit flush. She's not pulling away from the shots or rolling with them. Her head is standing straight up and she gets nailed. Hopefully her trainers are dedicating hours solely on improving her head moment.
A boxer named Zab Judah comes to mind, who also lost to fighters that were less talented but made the most of what they had. I don't believe Jessica is making the most of her abilities. I believe if she opened up and asserted her will on her opponents more she would have more success. Her balance, timing, foot speed, and hand speed are all there but she seems to either hold back or be uncertain of how to unleash her attacks. In either case, I believe the only way Paige wins this fight is if Jessica allows her to win.
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