Halifax’s Heavyweight Proving Ground
It often isn’t mentioned among the biggest reasons for a fighter’s success but the camp and the coaches that a fighter puts around themselves can make a massive difference.
More often than not the biggest reasons for success are simply the talent of the fighters and their abilities before they started MMA.
Talent alone will get a fighter only to a point though as the ability to learn and to strategize will take a fighter to the top level.
That is why putting together the best team or picking the best camp for a fighter can make all the difference for their rise through the ranks.
It is not necessarily that one camp or group of coaches is always better but rather that one camp or group of coaches fits with a fighter.
There are certainly different theories on how to do and plenty of different options.
Some fighter travel all over to see different experts because in their mind going to see a coach that only does that one thing, whether it be boxing or jiu-jitsu, will give them the best training.
Other fighters prefer to go to a camp where everything is under one roof like a Jackson-Wink or Tri-Star because it is less stressful to travel and all of the coaches work together towards the same strategy.
There have been plenty of other fighters who mix and match these strategies doing a bit of both but for every fighter, there is a different strategy.
Often there are times where a fighter’s rise or fall can be matched with their move from one team to another.
When a fighter finds the right fit with a group of people that can work on his issues to patch any holes in his game that fighter can reach the top of their division.
Finding that is hard though as a lot of fighters stick with their original coaches out of loyalty despite the fact that they never seem to get better.
There is also that worry about leaving something that they know for the unknown in what could be a decision that turns them in the opposite way.
It can be a tough thing to make the move and fighters can make that decision for any number of reasons.
It can change the course of their careers and not always for the better which is something that Travis Browne learned heading into UFC Fight Night 105.
Browne was one of the most talented young heavyweights to enter the UFC in 2010 with a great run heading into the promotion.
He continued that run winning his first five UFC fights and only losing to fights total for his first four years in the promotion.
He was running through the heavyweight division and it seemed like he was headed to the title but then some inconsistency came as he only had one fight in 2015, a loss to Andreu Arlovski.
After a controversial win against Matt Mitrione, Browne decided to switch camps moving to California and Glendale Fighting Club.
That was the home of Ronda Rousey who Browne had just started to date when he made the switch which for many was the reason he changed camps.
It wasn’t necessarily the best switch either as the head trainer, Edmond Tarverdyan, had come under fire for his actual ability.
Rousey had been his only star pupil and many thought she had coasted on her natural talent, something that Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes showed.
Since heading to the new camp Browne has not been able to capture his old dominance as he has lost two straight since beginning to train with Glendale.
There are a lot of people wondering if the move to Glendale was the wrong one for Browne and if his motivations for the move were good for his career.
Heading into his main event fight at UFC Fight Night 105, Browne was facing a tough task against Derrick Lewis and a loss could mean the end of his time in the UFC.
Three straight losses are usually a good reason for ending a contract and Browne was facing this reality.
He switched his camp somewhat remaining at Glendale but using other camps while Tarverdyan would not corner the heavyweight.
It was a switch but not a complete one and as the fight approached some wondered if another loss would crush the idea of Glendale as a camp that could produce champions.
The fight started out well enough for Browne as he was able to get a lot more off than Lewis including a glancing front kick that seemed to effect Lewis in a big way.
The first round saw that front kick put Lewis on his back foot unable, or unwilling, to go forward leaving Browne to pick apart his defence.
When the bell rang things began to change though as Lewis came out with a different attitude and starting pressing forward.
Lewis started to land some big shots and Browne was in deep trouble for most of the round until he got hit on the top of the head by a big right hand.
That one sent him wobbling to the ground where Lewis finished things off for the knockout win.
The win for Lewis is a big one as he will likely get a top five fighter that could serve as his contender shot.
He is close to a title shot and after that win he now may only be one more fight away from getting that title shot as one of the few up and coming heavyweights.
For Browne, a third straight loss is not a good thing for his career as he may very well have to find a new promotion to fight for and he should find a new camp.
Glendale has once again taken a tremendous talent and done very little with that talent leading to a loss and likely more credibility issues that won’t encourage any fighters to head there for their camps.
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