Point of interest: Scrambling down the stretch
Considering the clear on-paper edge for Aldo on the floor, it’s hard not to wonder if the former featherweight champ will look to use his size in close quarters.
Aldo has not typically been the one to look for takedowns in his fights, but I wouldn’t blame him for dusting off these skills for this matchup (as well as this weight class, for that matter). A tremendous top player, Aldo can cut guards and pass to/punish from mount like few others.
Still, as agile as Aldo has shown to be, those abilities will certainly be tested should he decide to scramble with Yan.
Although I don’t necessarily see Yan going for or being successful in taking Aldo down early, the Russian fighter demonstrates all the tools and sensibilities I like to see in regards to navigating through positional scrambles.
From proper technique when tripoding or turtling, to his ability to smartly swim his arms and re-wrestle from said positions, I can see that Yan has come a long way since the more judo/sambo-based tactics that he was using earlier in his career.
Coupled with his training in Thailand, a lot of Yan’s initial martial arts ethics have shown to tie in nicely to his evolved game. From the hand-fighting styles he favors in boxing to his almost Fedor Emelianenko/sambo-like sensibility to use disruptive foot sweeps to cause opportunistic separations, Yan is constantly creating offense off of defense.
Even when put firmly on his back, Yan shows a solid submission savvy that he chains from, as these portions of his contests often feel like you’re watching flyweight affairs. I’m not sure he’ll be able to submit a multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion like Aldo, but I do believe Yan is skillful enough to keep his counterpart honest throughout.
Next point of interest: Odds, opinion and prediction
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