He landed 138 strikes with more than 100 reaching Faber's lead thigh.įor a fighter facing an opponent with a 10-inch reach advantage, it's important to close the distance with intelligent takedown opportunities, clinching against the cage and moving the fight to the ground. Aldo's defeat of Uriah Faber at WEC 48 was a great example of how effective repeated quality strikes can be. Though he is considered longer than his opponents, Aldo's reach is almost inconsequential when compared to the unique number of high-velocity leg kicks he lands per match. In fact, the average reach of Aldo's last five opponents has been just 69 inches - only one inch shorter than his own. At 5-foot-10 and with a 74-inch reach, Florian was absolutely huge as a featherweight, compared to Aldo's 5-foot-7 frame and 70-inch reach. The Brazilian's decision victory over Kenny Florian at UFC 136 is another indication that size doesn't always matter. Here are five fighters who prove that length and reach isn't the impenetrable armor that Jones makes it seem to be. Rather, champions are defined by strategy and gumption more than the tale of the tape. So it is very difficult to distill a fighter's success down to their body type. Gustafsson, the 25-year-old Swede, is the favorite, and much of his hype is built around the height and reach advantage - something that might mean more in a static fighting style like boxing but means much less in the dynamic multi-disciplinarian world of MMA.įighters do indeed come in all shapes and sizes as well as technique and styles. No matter what the body type or fighting style, weaknesses exist.Īgainst Rua, Gustafsson will have a four-inch height advantage but just a. However, the MMA landscape is littered with prime examples that gross generalizations like this merely perpetuate an incorrect hypothesis. Should Gustafsson defeat Rua, the myth of length and reach will gain further strength. The instinct to move the fight into an advantageous position far outstrips the measurements handed a fighter by virtue of genetics. But in his last fight at UFC 61, Christison lost a three-round decision to a much stubbier and malleable Frank Mir (6-foot-3, 80-inch reach). Just don't be surprised to hear the same tired trope: "This is the type of body it's going to take to beat Jon Jones."ĭoes a fighter's body type really correlate with success in the Octagon? The longest reach in UFC history was Dan "The Sandman" Christison whose reach tallied 85 inches.
1 contender's spot in the 205-pound weight class on Saturday. Top light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson stands 6-foot-5 with a 76.5 reach and faces former UFC champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in what many analysts think will be an elimination bout for the No. With the dominating success of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, it has become routine to hear experts and fans alike decree Jones' long and lanky 6-foot-4 physique and 84.5-inch reach as the new prototype for the modern UFC fighter.
#JON JONES WINGSPAN UPGRADE#
You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĬhampions come in all shapes and sizes, but recently the focus has been on the reach and height of fighters.
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