Every fighter has his Nemesis, that particular guy, that you can't beat, cause the things, that ar giving you advanteags against other, simply don't work, either because that one guy knows them all, or because he is the same, but taller, stronger and having more reach. Zambidis explosivness had earned him many wins, but againt Buakaw, this is almost uselesse, cause he is the same AND taller ...
How do you know, how fast "my" Internet is, not knowing anything about my Connection and/or where I am living ? right, you don't but that's the Problem with stupid People, not able to adress the right Person, but running their virtual mouthes big time
buakaw is not just taller version of zambidis. He is a lot more intelligent and able to adapt to different situations in front of different opponents. He puts his weapons into work with a lot more precision with a lot better timing and selection. If i was fighting against zambidis i would know the way i will get beaten up.. if i was fighting against buakaw i would know i will be destroyed but wouldnt know exactly how. One can remember him as a person who just has strong kicks but i think that is just what we remember after because they look freaking strong, not because he does not have the rest. So no he is not a bigger zambidis. Fighters like buakaw like souwer.. are playing the game at another level.
blocking doesnt really mean blocking in this case.. those kicks are like car crash and even with two arms u get really hurt and if you have to block at least 10 of them every minute you are not blocking anything anymore you are just saving the rib but letting the arms suffer
It slowly chips away at your power too so the longer the fight goes on the weaker you become. Thai fighters get stronger as the fight goes on. They are seriously some scary dudes man
Great analyzing skills. Awesome video thanks. I particularly liked that stiff jab locking the hooks in place. You could see he couldn't even fully rotate his shoulder. Worthy knowledge.
Nice analysis. Buakaw is the ultimate, living breathing Muay Thai machine. It's a thing of beauty to watch his flawless technique, honed through tens of thousands of repetitions. Combine that with his optimal genetics, and you have a true warrior.
I think the most impressive bit here is that Buakaw didn't seem to find a way to be aggressive or actually KO Mike. He spent all his effort in stopping Mike's offense.
I think, if the bout had went on two more rounds, he would've k.o.-ed Zambidis, as it was clearly to see, that he was losing steam and losing pace as well - since he was also forced to get even more aggressive, he would have been open to some high-kicks sooner or later.
Very nice analysis my friend. And for those of you saying this wasn't domination, that's exactly what it was. He owned, schooled, dominated Mike with a brilliant and well executed strategy as laid out in this video. Good thing Mike knows how to keep his hands up!
I know this is an old vid but I would like to thank you for it (and all subsequent vids). It's helped me to make sense of my last loss and what I could have done to turn it around.
My friend Mick spent 8 years in Thailand, he mentioned to me in 1991 he'd noticed a young man called Buakaw who would one day be a champion, I'd asked him to elaborate but he didn't offer much other than implying he had 'HEART' ~ Buakaw would have been about 8 or at the most 10 years old when Mich crossed his path so the heart of a champion, plus 1000's upon 1000's of hours training and anyone can become a champion, well, maybe not anyone, but Buakaw did...
What’s more impressive is the fact that Mike Zambidis survived everything Buakaw had; not the other way around. Remember Zambidis is the smaller opponent here. And yet Mike was pushing Buakaw back the entire fight. The factor here was the height and length advantage of Buakaw. Although Buakaw is as skilled if not more skilled than Mike, he never really was the aggressor, Buakaw was on defense 90% of the time. Honestly, if Buakaw was 5’6”, the same height as Zambidis, Buakaw would not have been able to dodge Zambidis punches simply by leaning his head back. Mad respect for Buakaw, the best in the world. But Mike Zambidis gives short people hope, and proves that short people can go against the best.
thats such a myth. Lerdsila dodges by leaning his head back all the time. And because hes shorter than everyone, it makes him an even smaller target. when youre shorter strikes go higher up on your body thus you can lean back from them easily. look at Saenchai. Shorter guys lean back from strikes. because your opponent aims for your head, not behind you. i agree with everything else you've said.
Hes fast of course, and his mawashis are like jabs for a boxer. Add to that the southpow stance which is already a comfortable position to fire the left mawashi. Easier said then done for most of us, but not for buakaw, he is very comfortable with his favourite/deadliest weapon.
Absolutely awesome breakdown man thank you ! I lately used this too for guys who punch a lot...sendind middle roudhouse in shoulders instead of low trying to get under arm n reach the ribs..
Lawrence Kenshin I know fighters watch tape and plan how to fight other fighters, but did Buakaw plan to do all these things ahead of time? i think hes just a brilliant and skilled fighter and this is what happened. I dont see how 1) they can come up with all this detail about one fight and 2) they can plan this much for one fight when buakaw was fightinf every month or more often
There is no need for a detailed planning. If you are experienced enough, you'll be able to adapt just by observing your opponent in the first round. You'll be able to know what to do then.
Never really thought a fighter could get this thoroughly dissected. Felt like Zambidis' only conceivable answer with the tools he had was to pressure and save up energy on one big unexpected unorthodox salvo and just tap out if he can't turn it around with that. You know you've lost when your only chance for a victory is essentially "let's save up energy for one big burst and do some weird shit, maybe he'll slip up or something and give me a KO."
@@inrptn I understand what he means, a fighter can go a long way with one really good trick, but he's always headed towards being decoded and taken apart. He eventually reaches the level where it fails. It's a kind of high-functioning mediocrity, just because it fails at a much higher level doesn't really change that, does it?
This technique is so effective. More recently Sittichai used the same strategy against Robin van Roosmalen and completely stopped his offence. I am a big fan of the muay thay style and Buakaw is a legend.
I studied this fight long ago and came across similar observations you made here. Good job. Buakaw makes great use of the Push block. When he fights under Muay thai rules, he has some pretty cool elbow transitions out of it. Zambidis is known for his hands and combos, you find a way to nullify it, then you pretty much take away one of his strongest features. Petrosyan took a somewhat different approach when facing zambidis. Petrosyan took advantage of the fact that Zambidis puts a lot into his punches and evaded often to counter because he knew zambidis would over-commit. He kept zambidis at bay with many jabs to keep his lead hand in check and didn't stay in the pocket for him to work his combos.
Mike is a good fighter, full of stamina. mobility and powerful punches. He'd would use momentum and charge at his taller opponents knocking them hard and fast. However, he's cautious with Buakaw after being kicked on the legs. It must be quite painful which slowed his trademark quick advances and powerful punches. Mike blocked Buakaw's high kick with both hands but was still shifted and became more vigilant. The hands might be injured from blocking the high kick. Mike seemed to be slightly injured in the legs as he wasn't that fast and mobile after being low kicked.
What many don't know is that Zambidis did have a rib injury going into this fight. Many fighters would have pulled out but the opportunity in K1 is rare so he did go in there & try his best.
Im Greek and huge fan of iron Mike Zambidis but he figured and had perfect plan for shutting down Zambo.Buakaw is monster at kicking..he neutralized his hooks..well played by Banchamek
Watching this after the Mike Zambidis breakdown video its amazing to see how effectively Buakaw took away all Zambidis go to weapons. How would one counter the game plan seen here? Would more lateral movement to the weak side have helped? Or would one end up eating more round houses?
WarriorofCathar I would drop shift (stance switch and right straight in one move) when he stiff armed, then stiff arm his stiff arm if I'm still not inside, then wrap it overhook style and move to the side to fire knees. The side kicks are more of a problem, as his skill level is so high you can't really trade with him, and they're placed just so that you can't duck them or knee-check them without insane flexibility. Rather than move away, as he is mostly firing them with his lead leg, and end up walking into the stronger back leg rounds, I would try to move into them- the striking zone of a round kick is actually pretty small, they need space to build momentum. A timed switch jump knee or a timed spinning back kick or side kick would be great too but couldn't be overused. Mostly, I would use big counters or explosive movement to get inside, try and tie him up, either in the clinch or on an arm, and abuse him with elbows and infighting as much as possible. Another technique is to fire bodyshots or uppercuts when he uses the stiff arm, but be very aware of the break. Also, try to lure him into low kicks by turning the knee in when in southpaw, then drop shifting and running after him with a combo in orthodox. And always try to tie him up at the end of an exchange, and throw him down/push him or walk away punching in order to try and dissuade those round and switch kicks that come at every disengage. Not by any means comprehensive, but those are some ideas. How well any particular one would work against Buakaw is debatable, because he'll change up after it works two or three times and then your game plan needs to be completely rebuilt anyway. Contra to Zambidis, who has a few amazing skills but can't refocus the situation, only double down further. Regards
what the fuck ... a punch from Iron Mike looks like it would kill a lion, it´s awesome how Buakaw managed a strategy to keep him on distance, that was one hell of a fight !!!
Buakaw is strong, well trained, has the perfect body built for a fighter, and fights smart. He can neutralize and force any puncher into his game. Andre dida caught him by surprise but he got up and punished Andre all the way to the end.
I’m at the beginning of the video. I’m very curious about fight philosophy and I’m curious as to if having a fast, jumpy tempo in a fight would make your opponent try to speed up, making them nervous. I’ve experienced this in sparring, is it the same for pro fighters?
if k1 had grabs and headlocks forbiden mike would had possibly beat buakaw because zambidis doesnt use headlocks and grabs so the fight would had been even also he did alot of illegal moves i mean if you watch the fight he spend half of the fight headlocking or grabbing zambidis by the leg also he try to kick him in the balls when he grab and throw him in second round at 1:33 and in final round he try to kick him in the head when he was on the ground at 2:36 and in 0:41 he grab him and try to body slam him it was one of the few times buakaw try to cheat you can even see it in his face that he got frustrated and nervus knowing that it was cheap victory
I live in Thailand now. I have to say Buakaw is my new favourite fighter and Muay Thai is now my favourite fighting sport. I wish I could have seen Buakaw when he was in his prime.
this fight was actually a very competitive one, with no real winner, neither fighter was dominant, it was evenly matched, clearly two great fighters meeting their match. In no way did Buakaw "shut down" Mike as the title suggests, you are biased towards your Thai hero.
What a boring match too. Everytime Zambo got close he clinched not to get recked. It is true he has a thing for thai fighters. That is why I unsubscribed from his channel. Got bored of getting to know all fighters from Thailand that ever existed and analyzing their one dimensional fighting style all the time. Boring af.
With these analyses, I'd love to see the theoretical counter against each technique, e.g., faking or jumping knees to close the distance to avoid the pin
The analysis is great. But I think the fundamental point here is that Bkaw is so much taller than zambo and enjoyed a reach advantage. Perhaps if Bkaw was an inferior fighter the height diff wouldn't matter as much but anyone who has fought will know that fighting a taller man of equal or greater skill is a daunting task. To illustrate my point watch the Zambo v Murtel Groenhart fight, Murtel is not as technical as Bkaw, but he handed Zambo a very one sided beating, basically because of a height disparity. Zambo is in the wrong weight class for his height. If you are most lethal on the inside and you can't get inside then you are going to either be running all fight or taking punishment at jab and kick range.
Okay. Let's pretend they were the same height. Legs > arms. Buakaw still has the reach advantage and the game plan would have likely been more or less the same. It was a counter to his still not to the length of his arms.
@Ashtaroth Solemn Hypnotic yup most european already look like 50 at age 30. Scandinavian and eastern europe are even worse, looking like 75 at age 28.
great video. voice over pls. and pause to actually show the point on the video with some graphics. i know thats takes some effort but i think its worth it. great job!
@LawrenceKenshinStrikingBreakdowns ruclips.net/video/Gpx-DT5GFhE/видео.html How about this pitiful K1 example... Anyway... I think this fight perfectly shows how Mike ironically like Iron Mike Tyson, uses his legs and dips before a big blow w/ tremendous speed and a dip in the knees thrusting into the punch. He was so fast in this fight he didn't telegraph, always coming from a low center-line guard, and exploding various left/right power shots. (the whole calling a slip, official ignoring Mike, Massato starting to SPRINT in w/ a knee that doesn't even connect, and Mike getting a count for it makes me kind of sick... But Zambidis attack was on point this bout!
This strategy would not have worked as well if Buakaw didn't have such a reach and height advantage. Both are great fighters, but Zambidis has always had to find range with taller guys...Buakaw is just one of the few who put something together that worked. Anyone with lesser reach trying these tactics would be lunch meat in the ring with Zambidis. I think straights and that jab would be most important to beat Mike's hook punching.
And Zambidis strategy wouldn't be so effective if he was taller and lankier. Sorry, I don't mean to be rude but I fail to see your point. Of course in fighting it all comes down to who can impose his style better, but I truly believe kicks are the ultimate counter to smaller power punchers. Just look at all his KOs, look at Tyson's KOs...it's much more dangerous to try boxing against an opponent who is great at bob and weaving and has a one punch KO power. Kicks bring new tools to the table and add to the unpredictability. You can see Buakaw uses mostly kicks but his jabs break the rhytm of the fight and often catch Mike by surprise.
Lucas Freire In trying to somehow sound as though you know more, you did nothing here but AGREE with what I said. But if Zanmbidis would have been taller, he would be using a different strategy. He uses what's at his disposal, and so does Buakaw. That all being said, if he was even TALLER than Buakaw, then it probably would have worked. You look at his fights against the few opponents who are taller than him, and he has trouble, even using his kicks, he gets out punched.
Of course it has. He fight at 155lbs. A 5'6'' at 155lbs packs much more muscle than a 5'10''. His style could be just as agressive, but also wouldn't have the same leverages as he has. By being able to reach the opponents from further away he'd not need to close the distance, on the contrary, if he was taller he'd be the one keeping the distance, as we all know smaller guys with smaller arms are faster in the pocket. And he likes to fight in the pocket, but in order to have an advantage in doing so he must be the shorter, stockier guy. Look at Mike Tyson, he was 5'10'' and fought at HW. You think this height/weight ratio has nothing to do with his crazy power and the way he was able to weave through the opponents jabs? Now look at Ali, you think he'd be at advantage by trying to fight in the pocket?
Yeah Zambidis is honestly to short sometimes.. He should fight at a lower weight class. I've seen a fighter that I'm not fond of ..destroy him with pure knees with just a simple clinch and zam can't do anything because of the height differential.. and equal in strength..
Lucas Freire Mike Tyson was shorter& weight much less than the people he fought but still had more power.. in muay thai the height differential can be a big factor.
Look up prime Coban Lookchaomaesaitong. You can discourage kicks by trapping them, guiding the leg across the opponent's hips, and using that position to close distance. Also, Zambidis tends to keep his balance flat or front heavy even when he is outside of his striking range. Coban looks like he is evenly weighted, but he actually maintains most of his weight on the back foot until he gets close. An advantage of a back foot weighted stance is that you can respond to a kick by transferring your weight forward, closing distance and setting up a counter kick. Zambidis' flat stance is part of why his counter kicks don't travel much distance.
Catching kicks would have forced Buakaw to change his game. Coban Lookchaomaesaitong was also short and stocky, but he could use the opponent's legs to move in close.
I wonder if mixing up his punches with uppercuts would've helped. As Buakaw has the tendency to straighten his arm to protect from the right hook he can be hit through the middle.
Well it's really hard to say. In order to stop Buakaw, if i was Zambidis and was unable to use my best tools because the opponent successfully shutted them down, i would wait until the very last round and do this: prepare to get seriously injured by trying to block Buakaw's kick with 1 hand, (or none, sacrificing my ribs if it would help me come near enough), close the distance swiftly, use a faint with my front left leg by lifting slightly my knee as Mike actually does many times, stomp on the ground while loading a full force left hand uppercut (notice Buakaw's most vulnerable spot and you'll agree) and bet everything on that move. It's a gamble, but when every other tool you have is shut down, it could be worth trying. Perhaps, Mike didn't want to risk getting more injured, considering he came to this fight with an injured rib (right side) already. I believe it was the right choice. Respect to both legendary fighters.
What do you guys think would have happened if takedowns and ground-fighting had been allowed? and what if elbows were permitted? Finally, what if both?
at about 5:30 i notice zambizi likes to tap his gloves together after he resets and is about to throw a punch and buw would kick or punch almost everytiime and it dsrup%ed his rhythm every single time
+koa la that's what I was saying to myself...he was too aggressive.1- he should have moved more, he kept taking Buakaw shots and not move out of the way.2- he should've tried to make Buakaw come to him more. 3- stop aiming for the head all the time, go for body shots. 3 things I was noticing he didn't do.
+koa la do what masato did: learn to nullify buakaw's attacks as much as possible, then find a boxing combo that breaks into his defence. you'd take a lot of punishment too, but i think boxing is the best answer to buakaw, he doesn't move his head much, likes to take the punches rather than evading them. here, he knew he couldn't risk to take a single blow from zambidis, cause he's as strong as a bull, but usually he doesn't mind punches and eats most of them
You're clearly biased - Zambidis biggest Problem in this fight was, that Buakaw is capable of going the same pace as he himself, plus he is as fast as Zambidis. Also, Buakaw is taller, giving him the reach-advantage and saying that he should have stayed away more and make Buajaw come in is also telling, that you don't know what Buakaw was capable of. If Zambidis had played defence, which btw. is impossible, since his whole technique and fighting style is made to be offensive, his light would have gone out in round two or three, cause nobody can take those high-kicks forever. Playing defence against someone like Buakaw would result in you getting your arms trashed and when this is Happening, you ain't got no defence any more .... and going for body-shots, against a Thai ? I repeat myself, you really didn't know what you were talking about, cause Buakaw and Kooaklai were tough as granite, this would have been counterproductive as well. The only chance he had, was to not Punch 1,2,3,4, but to keept it at 1,2 and then kicking the inside of the opposite leg, since even Thais are vulnerable there.
Same Thing as the other guy, you know nothing about Buakaw and his ability to take punches. Also Masato is taller than Zambidis, so it's a complety different Setup and you said it yourself "you'd take a lot of punishment too" and this is what would have happend and if you had watched at least a couple of Buakaws other fights, you'd known, that he was absolutly able to knock you out, he did not always rely on his kicking game, He could not risk to take a single blow ? Man, you surely haven't even watched this Video being sober, cause Zambidis hit him a couple of times, but to no effect BECAUSE Buakaw could take a lot. Go practice yourself, before writing such comments, showing perfectly, that you are a biased jerk, knowing nothing about fighting.
"Iron mike" could've fired a good straight after absorbing the kick. Just need to step into a mid range or a bit deeper and maybe he could've made buakaw more weary of throwing off those left kicks
Good analysis but the stiff arm doesn't really stop the right hook, Buakaw would stiff arm, then move his head out of range of Zambo's right hook. Moving the head and firing a big right hook is actually a counter to the jab and leaving your jab out there too long is a great way to get countered with a big right. Buakaw's reach coupled with the fact that Zambo was really telegraphing his punches (no other choice really) contributed to the right failing to land more than a stiff arm actually stopping the right.
buakaw already done good job in k1...i would like to see zambidis try full range of muay thai in muay thai world championship...i want to see how far he can go..
looks like zambidis is also using a very wide bladed stance to try his best to get some reach into his hooks, which buakaw uses to his advantage and blasts in leg kicks that mike can't defend.
Damn, what a feeling to be in there and know the other guy has you completely figured out.
Every fighter has his Nemesis, that particular guy, that you can't beat, cause the things, that ar giving you advanteags against other, simply don't work, either because that one guy knows them all, or because he is the same, but taller, stronger and having more reach.
Zambidis explosivness had earned him many wins, but againt Buakaw, this is almost uselesse, cause he is the same AND taller ...
I'd prefer coming to your third world Country and teach you some lessons, you stupid internetbigmouth
How do you know, how fast "my" Internet is, not knowing anything about my Connection and/or where I am living ?
right, you don't but that's the Problem with stupid People, not able to adress the right Person, but running their virtual mouthes big time
i think kaboom is from romania where 3rd world country and fastest internet comes together :D
buakaw is not just taller version of zambidis. He is a lot more intelligent and able to adapt to different situations in front of different opponents. He puts his weapons into work with a lot more precision with a lot better timing and selection. If i was fighting against zambidis i would know the way i will get beaten up.. if i was fighting against buakaw i would know i will be destroyed but wouldnt know exactly how. One can remember him as a person who just has strong kicks but i think that is just what we remember after because they look freaking strong, not because he does not have the rest. So no he is not a bigger zambidis. Fighters like buakaw like souwer.. are playing the game at another level.
blocking doesnt really mean blocking in this case.. those kicks are like car crash and even with two arms u get really hurt and if you have to block at least 10 of them every minute you are not blocking anything anymore you are just saving the rib but letting the arms suffer
It slowly chips away at your power too so the longer the fight goes on the weaker you become. Thai fighters get stronger as the fight goes on. They are seriously some scary dudes man
@@rize-ikuza so I'm scary? Yeah my friends say they get scared when I'm angry😂😂😂
@@disrespectfulballs2281 eat some snickers then, you might not be yourself when you are hungry m8
@@arnbloodbound3650 better? BETTER!
@@disrespectfulballs2281 😂😂😅
Great analyzing skills. Awesome video thanks. I particularly liked that stiff jab locking the hooks in place. You could see he couldn't even fully rotate his shoulder. Worthy knowledge.
🙏🙏
Nice analysis. Buakaw is the ultimate, living breathing Muay Thai machine. It's a thing of beauty to watch his flawless technique, honed through tens of thousands of repetitions. Combine that with his optimal genetics, and you have a true warrior.
I think the most impressive bit here is that Buakaw didn't seem to find a way to be aggressive or actually KO Mike. He spent all his effort in stopping Mike's offense.
But he adapted perfectly for his opponent. Buakaw's strategy was flawless. eazy win.
mikes a great fighter to begin with. I thought it was a legendary. was there a rematch?
avatarofcloud that was pretty much the gameplan. He don't wanna exchange punches with Mike no way 😁 he did the right thing
he didnt need aggression or offense to win the fight...
the goal is to win the fight not entertain the crowd
I think, if the bout had went on two more rounds, he would've k.o.-ed Zambidis, as it was clearly to see, that he was losing steam and losing pace as well - since he was also forced to get even more aggressive, he would have been open to some high-kicks sooner or later.
Very nice analysis my friend. And for those of you saying this wasn't domination, that's exactly what it was. He owned, schooled, dominated Mike with a brilliant and well executed strategy as laid out in this video. Good thing Mike knows how to keep his hands up!
Did you even watch
I know this is an old vid but I would like to thank you for it (and all subsequent vids). It's helped me to make sense of my last loss and what I could have done to turn it around.
It's amazing how much of an art it is when you see what's going on in slow motion.
Wow look at Zambidis' right shoulder at the end. It is as purple as kool aid
Awk Sweat 😆😆😆😆 holly fuck I’m dying
Dude buakaw leaves those marks on alot of fighters like kozo, he practically broke kozos elbow from kicks
You have created my favourite youtube channel. I am able to learn so much and hopefully take my game to the next level. Thanks so much!
This was so awesome and insightful!! I hope you make more like these!!
Thank you for spending time in breaking the whole thing down to detail .
Phenomenal Analysis
Good breakdown, love watching the legendary Buakaw
Master work, Buakaw destroyed all ambition in Zambidis, beautiful and graceful victory.
My friend Mick spent 8 years in Thailand, he mentioned to me in 1991 he'd noticed a young man called Buakaw who would one day be a champion, I'd asked him to elaborate but he didn't offer much other than implying he had 'HEART' ~ Buakaw would have been about 8 or at the most 10 years old when Mich crossed his path so the heart of a champion, plus 1000's upon 1000's of hours training and anyone can become a champion, well, maybe not anyone, but Buakaw did...
That's amazing!
Great video on how to defeat an opponent who has the knock out punch, Zambidis got neutralized
Great analysis, thank you for doing this!
What’s more impressive is the fact that Mike Zambidis survived everything Buakaw had; not the other way around. Remember Zambidis is the smaller opponent here. And yet Mike was pushing Buakaw back the entire fight. The factor here was the height and length advantage of Buakaw. Although Buakaw is as skilled if not more skilled than Mike, he never really was the aggressor, Buakaw was on defense 90% of the time. Honestly, if Buakaw was 5’6”, the same height as Zambidis, Buakaw would not have been able to dodge Zambidis punches simply by leaning his head back. Mad respect for Buakaw, the best in the world. But Mike Zambidis gives short people hope, and proves that short people can go against the best.
thats such a myth. Lerdsila dodges by leaning his head back all the time. And because hes shorter than everyone, it makes him an even smaller target. when youre shorter strikes go higher up on your body thus you can lean back from them easily. look at Saenchai. Shorter guys lean back from strikes. because your opponent aims for your head, not behind you. i agree with everything else you've said.
wasn't he heavier than buakaw tho
@@blackhoodie4170 Yeah, Saenchai is so short but he's also damn good!
Thank you for sharing your amazing insight, Lawrence Kenshin.
How is Buakaw getting so much torque off his lead leg without switching ?? seriously
Training ? ;-)
he does a very slight shuffle, hard to notice cuz he is a beast
Max Power He does just to quick to see
Ikr, when I do it with the lead kick there is no power in it
Hes fast of course, and his mawashis are like jabs for a boxer. Add to that the southpow stance which is already a comfortable position to fire the left mawashi. Easier said then done for most of us, but not for buakaw, he is very comfortable with his favourite/deadliest weapon.
Absolutely awesome breakdown man thank you ! I lately used this too for guys who punch a lot...sendind middle roudhouse in shoulders instead of low trying to get under arm n reach the ribs..
Buakaw is such a beauty,,, and you sir thanks a lot, i can understand fights much better now
Interesting analysis and summary. Thanks !
These videos are incredible.
Good analysis :) Both of them are great fighters :)
Buakaw Analysis: Shutting Down "Iron Mike" Zambidis
Lawrence Kenshin I know fighters watch tape and plan how to fight other fighters, but did Buakaw plan to do all these things ahead of time? i think hes just a brilliant and skilled fighter and this is what happened. I dont see how 1) they can come up with all this detail about one fight and 2) they can plan this much for one fight when buakaw was fightinf every month or more often
There is no need for a detailed planning. If you are experienced enough, you'll be able to adapt just by observing your opponent in the first round. You'll be able to know what to do then.
Lawrence Kenshin how about you use words instead of text
You make me come closer in my poor understanding of fights at this high level. TY LK.
Great video, Buakaw is a legend...
I learn a lot from your videos. Thanks for doing these.
Never really thought a fighter could get this thoroughly dissected. Felt like Zambidis' only conceivable answer with the tools he had was to pressure and save up energy on one big unexpected unorthodox salvo and just tap out if he can't turn it around with that. You know you've lost when your only chance for a victory is essentially "let's save up energy for one big burst and do some weird shit, maybe he'll slip up or something and give me a KO."
Hes to 1 dimensional, and very predictable, this the problem of all mediocre fighters.
Scomoresco Scomoresco mediocre? He’s accomplished more than you in the sport, what do you mean mediocre? 🤦♂️🤦♂️ if anything you’re mediocre.
@@inrptn I understand what he means, a fighter can go a long way with one really good trick, but he's always headed towards being decoded and taken apart. He eventually reaches the level where it fails. It's a kind of high-functioning mediocrity, just because it fails at a much higher level doesn't really change that, does it?
@@xyaeiounn yeah, when he says mediocre, he's actually calling him a one-trick pony, which he really is, even if that one trick is hella good.
@@pvshka was going to the bottom of the comments to say one trick pony u already nailed it
The music and editing are transcendent at the beginning when showing Zambidis fearsome power.
This technique is so effective. More recently Sittichai used the same strategy against Robin van Roosmalen and completely stopped his offence. I am a big fan of the muay thay style and Buakaw is a legend.
I've never seen a fighter with a more impressive gas tank than Zambidis.
His cardio was off the charts. Watch the fight with the Marocan Shahid and you will be amazed. Type best k1 fight and it will pop up.
Zambidis landed virtually nothing the entire fight. Even his left ear was bleeding at the end of the fight from blocking high kicks. Great fight.
This break down deserves 3 thumbs up! 👍👍
I studied this fight long ago and came across similar observations you made here. Good job. Buakaw makes great use of the Push block. When he fights under Muay thai rules, he has some pretty cool elbow transitions out of it.
Zambidis is known for his hands and combos, you find a way to nullify it, then you pretty much take away one of his strongest features.
Petrosyan took a somewhat different approach when facing zambidis. Petrosyan took advantage of the fact that Zambidis puts a lot into his punches and evaded often to counter because he knew zambidis would over-commit. He kept zambidis at bay with many jabs to keep his lead hand in check and didn't stay in the pocket for him to work his combos.
Mike is a good fighter, full of stamina. mobility and powerful punches. He'd would use momentum and charge at his taller opponents knocking them hard and fast.
However, he's cautious with Buakaw after being kicked on the legs. It must be quite painful which slowed his trademark quick advances and powerful punches. Mike blocked Buakaw's high kick with both hands but was still shifted and became more vigilant. The hands might be injured from blocking the high kick.
Mike seemed to be slightly injured in the legs as he wasn't that fast and mobile after being low kicked.
What many don't know is that Zambidis did have a rib injury going into this fight. Many fighters would have pulled out but the opportunity in K1 is rare so he did go in there & try his best.
TheGreekBiscuit
yeah everybody that loses is always secretly injured lol
and his rip has nothing to do with his lack of dominant skill over buakaw
John Constantin hahahaha ikr
He'd be shut down any ways
Even if he didn't have a rib injury he would still be shutdowned
it was a technical domination, its style vs style, even if he was faster or was stronger, he still woulda lost by points I think
Im Greek and huge fan of iron Mike Zambidis but he figured and had perfect plan for shutting down Zambo.Buakaw is monster at kicking..he neutralized his hooks..well played by Banchamek
Thanks for breaking down their strategy. Appreciated
70 dislikes is ridiculous. Should be zero. Kenshin videos are phenomenal.
Man very good job,i really like these videos!Keep strong!
Your videos are worth watching. Very informative.
your dissections are dope!!thank u so much
That lead leg kicks of Buakaw looks too powerful
NIce point of view Lawrence, thanx for sharing
Excellent analysis Mr.Lawrence. This is what exactly happened.
Excellent analysis, thanks dude!
Tactically perfect. Make your opponent fight your fight. Love Buakaw!
Watching this after the Mike Zambidis breakdown video its amazing to see how effectively Buakaw took away all Zambidis go to weapons.
How would one counter the game plan seen here? Would more lateral movement to the weak side have helped? Or would one end up eating more round houses?
WarriorofCathar I would drop shift (stance switch and right straight in one move) when he stiff armed, then stiff arm his stiff arm if I'm still not inside, then wrap it overhook style and move to the side to fire knees. The side kicks are more of a problem, as his skill level is so high you can't really trade with him, and they're placed just so that you can't duck them or knee-check them without insane flexibility. Rather than move away, as he is mostly firing them with his lead leg, and end up walking into the stronger back leg rounds, I would try to move into them- the striking zone of a round kick is actually pretty small, they need space to build momentum. A timed switch jump knee or a timed spinning back kick or side kick would be great too but couldn't be overused. Mostly, I would use big counters or explosive movement to get inside, try and tie him up, either in the clinch or on an arm, and abuse him with elbows and infighting as much as possible. Another technique is to fire bodyshots or uppercuts when he uses the stiff arm, but be very aware of the break. Also, try to lure him into low kicks by turning the knee in when in southpaw, then drop shifting and running after him with a combo in orthodox. And always try to tie him up at the end of an exchange, and throw him down/push him or walk away punching in order to try and dissuade those round and switch kicks that come at every disengage.
Not by any means comprehensive, but those are some ideas. How well any particular one would work against Buakaw is debatable, because he'll change up after it works two or three times and then your game plan needs to be completely rebuilt anyway. Contra to Zambidis, who has a few amazing skills but can't refocus the situation, only double down further. Regards
@@orangeiceice12 greatttt thinking bruh
what the fuck ... a punch from Iron Mike looks like it would kill a lion, it´s awesome how Buakaw managed a strategy to keep him on distance, that was one hell of a fight !!!
Great videos. Enjoy your breakdown
love your videos kenshin
Buakaw is strong, well trained, has the perfect body built for a fighter, and fights smart. He can neutralize and force any puncher into his game. Andre dida caught him by surprise but he got up and punished Andre all the way to the end.
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Lawrence Kenshin thank you from New Zealand
you are masterful in your dissertations, much respect
My respect for the iron mike he’s definitely a monster too
Mike is just absorbing those roundhouse like a trainer. He be all blue the next day....kinda feel bad for him.
Thanks for your breakdown, kudos
I’m at the beginning of the video. I’m very curious about fight philosophy and I’m curious as to if having a fast, jumpy tempo in a fight would make your opponent try to speed up, making them nervous. I’ve experienced this in sparring, is it the same for pro fighters?
if k1 had grabs and headlocks forbiden mike would had possibly beat buakaw because zambidis doesnt use headlocks and grabs so the fight would had been even also he did alot of illegal moves i mean if you watch the fight he spend half of the fight headlocking or grabbing zambidis by the leg also he try to kick him in the balls when he grab and throw him in second round at 1:33 and in final round he try to kick him in the head when he was on the ground at 2:36 and in 0:41 he grab him and try to body slam him it was one of the few times buakaw try to cheat you can even see it in his face that he got frustrated and nervus knowing that it was cheap victory
I live in Thailand now. I have to say Buakaw is my new favourite fighter and Muay Thai is now my favourite fighting sport. I wish I could have seen Buakaw when he was in his prime.
thankyou for this brilliant technical breakdown bravo iv subscribed!
poor mike, nice vid, love when Buakaw kissed Mike at the end.
this fight was actually a very competitive one, with no real winner, neither fighter was dominant, it was evenly matched, clearly two great fighters meeting their match. In no way did Buakaw "shut down" Mike as the title suggests, you are biased towards your Thai hero.
What a boring match too. Everytime Zambo got close he clinched not to get recked. It is true he has a thing for thai fighters. That is why I unsubscribed from his channel. Got bored of getting to know all fighters from Thailand that ever existed and analyzing their one dimensional fighting style all the time. Boring af.
Cry
With these analyses, I'd love to see the theoretical counter against each technique, e.g., faking or jumping knees to close the distance to avoid the pin
The analysis is great. But I think the fundamental point here is that Bkaw is so much taller than zambo and enjoyed a reach advantage. Perhaps if Bkaw was an inferior fighter the height diff wouldn't matter as much but anyone who has fought will know that fighting a taller man of equal or greater skill is a daunting task. To illustrate my point watch the Zambo v Murtel Groenhart fight, Murtel is not as technical as Bkaw, but he handed Zambo a very one sided beating, basically because of a height disparity. Zambo is in the wrong weight class for his height. If you are most lethal on the inside and you can't get inside then you are going to either be running all fight or taking punishment at jab and kick range.
all of his opponents are taller. and he wins fights. buakaw was just, better.
Okay. Let's pretend they were the same height. Legs > arms. Buakaw still has the reach advantage and the game plan would have likely been more or less the same. It was a counter to his still not to the length of his arms.
Heard of saenchai? Or heard of wrestling? Usually in wrestling, taller guys have a disadvantage.
As always... grab pop corn pen and paper and... see your vids!
Great job keep doing it!!!! ;)
great analysis
buakaw has been fighting forever yet he still looks 15, I want what he's having!
@Wolithung Kikon it's an acceptable deal!
@Ashtaroth Solemn Hypnotic yup most european already look like 50 at age 30. Scandinavian and eastern europe are even worse, looking like 75 at age 28.
Super Chad not Southeast Asians you must be referring to northeast Asians 🤣
great video. voice over pls. and pause to actually show the point on the video with some graphics. i know thats takes some effort but i think its worth it. great job!
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Ζητώ η Κύπρο μας 🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾
Excellent video!! What would mikes answer to this have been?
@LawrenceKenshinStrikingBreakdowns ruclips.net/video/Gpx-DT5GFhE/видео.html How about this pitiful K1 example... Anyway... I think this fight perfectly shows how Mike ironically like Iron Mike Tyson, uses his legs and dips before a big blow w/ tremendous speed and a dip in the knees thrusting into the punch. He was so fast in this fight he didn't telegraph, always coming from a low center-line guard, and exploding various left/right power shots. (the whole calling a slip, official ignoring Mike, Massato starting to SPRINT in w/ a knee that doesn't even connect, and Mike getting a count for it makes me kind of sick... But Zambidis attack was on point this bout!
masato was not a legend judges were corrupt
True if they had any sense of honor they should commit harakiri after the matches ....
Japanese always win if you're can't knock out him.
Yeah I do karate in japan. In 90% of the tournaments the Judges heavily favour the Japanese. They don’t like seeing foreigners win their tournaments.
The picture quality looks exactly like the inside of a cataract.
love the video, thank you!
This strategy would not have worked as well if Buakaw didn't have such a reach and height advantage. Both are great fighters, but Zambidis has always had to find range with taller guys...Buakaw is just one of the few who put something together that worked. Anyone with lesser reach trying these tactics would be lunch meat in the ring with Zambidis. I think straights and that jab would be most important to beat Mike's hook punching.
And Zambidis strategy wouldn't be so effective if he was taller and lankier. Sorry, I don't mean to be rude but I fail to see your point. Of course in fighting it all comes down to who can impose his style better, but I truly believe kicks are the ultimate counter to smaller power punchers. Just look at all his KOs, look at Tyson's KOs...it's much more dangerous to try boxing against an opponent who is great at bob and weaving and has a one punch KO power.
Kicks bring new tools to the table and add to the unpredictability. You can see Buakaw uses mostly kicks but his jabs break the rhytm of the fight and often catch Mike by surprise.
Lucas Freire In trying to somehow sound as though you know more, you did nothing here but AGREE with what I said. But if Zanmbidis would have been taller, he would be using a different strategy. He uses what's at his disposal, and so does Buakaw. That all being said, if he was even TALLER than Buakaw, then it probably would have worked. You look at his fights against the few opponents who are taller than him, and he has trouble, even using his kicks, he gets out punched.
Of course it has.
He fight at 155lbs. A 5'6'' at 155lbs packs much more muscle than a 5'10''. His style could be just as agressive, but also wouldn't have the same leverages as he has. By being able to reach the opponents from further away he'd not need to close the distance, on the contrary, if he was taller he'd be the one keeping the distance, as we all know smaller guys with smaller arms are faster in the pocket. And he likes to fight in the pocket, but in order to have an advantage in doing so he must be the shorter, stockier guy.
Look at Mike Tyson, he was 5'10'' and fought at HW. You think this height/weight ratio has nothing to do with his crazy power and the way he was able to weave through the opponents jabs? Now look at Ali, you think he'd be at advantage by trying to fight in the pocket?
Yeah Zambidis is honestly to short sometimes.. He should fight at a lower weight class. I've seen a fighter that I'm not fond of ..destroy him with pure knees with just a simple clinch and zam can't do anything because of the height differential.. and equal in strength..
Lucas Freire Mike Tyson was shorter& weight much less than the people he fought but still had more power.. in muay thai the height differential can be a big factor.
this videos are great
Great Video.
I really enjoyed the analysis! Keep it up!!
Does anyone know what a good strategy would be vs the fighting style buakaw used in this fight ?
Look up prime Coban Lookchaomaesaitong. You can discourage kicks by trapping them, guiding the leg across the opponent's hips, and using that position to close distance. Also, Zambidis tends to keep his balance flat or front heavy even when he is outside of his striking range. Coban looks like he is evenly weighted, but he actually maintains most of his weight on the back foot until he gets close. An advantage of a back foot weighted stance is that you can respond to a kick by transferring your weight forward, closing distance and setting up a counter kick. Zambidis' flat stance is part of why his counter kicks don't travel much distance.
Would like to know what Zambidis could have done to stop Buakaw from outclassing him.
I don't think he could have done too much. He was just too small and didn't have the right tools. Still a very tough and dangerous fighter though!
He would use stomp kicks, though I don't know if they are legal in K-1
Catching kicks would have forced Buakaw to change his game. Coban Lookchaomaesaitong was also short and stocky, but he could use the opponent's legs to move in close.
I wonder if mixing up his punches with uppercuts would've helped. As Buakaw has the tendency to straighten his arm to protect from the right hook he can be hit through the middle.
Well it's really hard to say. In order to stop Buakaw, if i was Zambidis and was unable to use my best tools because the opponent successfully shutted them down, i would wait until the very last round and do this: prepare to get seriously injured by trying to block Buakaw's kick with 1 hand, (or none, sacrificing my ribs if it would help me come near enough), close the distance swiftly, use a faint with my front left leg by lifting slightly my knee as Mike actually does many times, stomp on the ground while loading a full force left hand uppercut (notice Buakaw's most vulnerable spot and you'll agree) and bet everything on that move. It's a gamble, but when every other tool you have is shut down, it could be worth trying. Perhaps, Mike didn't want to risk getting more injured, considering he came to this fight with an injured rib (right side) already. I believe it was the right choice. Respect to both legendary fighters.
Iron Mike didnt go out like a punk though dude is a warrior
What do you guys think would have happened if takedowns and ground-fighting had been allowed? and what if elbows were permitted? Finally, what if both?
Less kicks from buakaw
at about 5:30 i notice zambizi likes to tap his gloves together after he resets and is about to throw a punch and buw would kick or punch almost everytiime and it dsrup%ed his rhythm every single time
zambidis only lack strategy here. i want to know how what do he needed to do to win?
+koa la that's what I was saying to myself...he was too aggressive.1- he should have moved more, he kept taking Buakaw shots and not move out of the way.2- he should've tried to make Buakaw come to him more. 3- stop aiming for the head all the time, go for body shots. 3 things I was noticing he didn't do.
+koa la do what masato did: learn to nullify buakaw's attacks as much as possible, then find a boxing combo that breaks into his defence. you'd take a lot of punishment too, but i think boxing is the best answer to buakaw, he doesn't move his head much, likes to take the punches rather than evading them. here, he knew he couldn't risk to take a single blow from zambidis, cause he's as strong as a bull, but usually he doesn't mind punches and eats most of them
You're clearly biased - Zambidis biggest Problem in this fight was, that Buakaw is capable of going the same pace as he himself, plus he is as fast as Zambidis.
Also, Buakaw is taller, giving him the reach-advantage and saying that he should have stayed away more and make Buajaw come in is also telling, that you don't know what Buakaw was capable of.
If Zambidis had played defence, which btw. is impossible, since his whole technique and fighting style is made to be offensive, his light would have gone out in round two or three, cause nobody can take those high-kicks forever.
Playing defence against someone like Buakaw would result in you getting your arms trashed and when this is Happening, you ain't got no defence any more .... and going for body-shots, against a Thai ?
I repeat myself, you really didn't know what you were talking about, cause Buakaw and Kooaklai were tough as granite, this would have been counterproductive as well.
The only chance he had, was to not Punch 1,2,3,4, but to keept it at 1,2 and then kicking the inside of the opposite leg, since even Thais are vulnerable there.
Same Thing as the other guy, you know nothing about Buakaw and his ability to take punches.
Also Masato is taller than Zambidis, so it's a complety different Setup and you said it yourself "you'd take a lot of punishment too" and this is what would have happend and if you had watched at least a couple of Buakaws other fights, you'd known, that he was absolutly able to knock you out, he did not always rely on his kicking game,
He could not risk to take a single blow ? Man, you surely haven't even watched this Video being sober, cause Zambidis hit him a couple of times, but to no effect BECAUSE Buakaw could take a lot.
Go practice yourself, before writing such comments, showing perfectly, that you are a biased jerk, knowing nothing about fighting.
Good info!
"Iron mike" could've fired a good straight after absorbing the kick. Just need to step into a mid range or a bit deeper and maybe he could've made buakaw more weary of throwing off those left kicks
Amazing
5:36 Trust fall lol
Great vid.
Great video what song is this?
Good analysis but the stiff arm doesn't really stop the right hook, Buakaw would stiff arm, then move his head out of range of Zambo's right hook. Moving the head and firing a big right hook is actually a counter to the jab and leaving your jab out there too long is a great way to get countered with a big right. Buakaw's reach coupled with the fact that Zambo was really telegraphing his punches (no other choice really) contributed to the right failing to land more than a stiff arm actually stopping the right.
So you said two different/conflicting things in the same video?
buakaw already done good job in k1...i would like to see zambidis try full range of muay thai in muay thai world championship...i want to see how far he can go..
Nice video, and
what is the song 's name ????
looks like zambidis is also using a very wide bladed stance to try his best to get some reach into his hooks, which buakaw uses to his advantage and blasts in leg kicks that mike can't defend.
This is what Hitmonlee vs Hitmonchan would look like IRL
what was the past song????
Anyone know the name of the previous song that was used in this vid?
This is the common strategy of Kyokushin - Maui Thai, when keep distance and look for a opportunity to use kicks (only).