5 best coaching performances in the UFC

Leon Edwards and Georges St-Pierre
Leon Edwards and Georges St-Pierre

#4. T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt, UFC 217

The rivalry between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt is one of the most explosive in bantamweight history. After Dillashaw left Team Alpha Male to pursue a different training environment with his longtime striking coach Duane Ludwig, all hell broke loose.

At UFC 217, Garbrandt was scheduled to defend the bantamweight title he had captured from Dominick Cruz against Dillashaw himself.

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During the 1st round of the bout, Dillashaw seemed dead set on ending every combination with a kick. It did not take long for his foe to realize that every combination would be punctuated with a kick. So Garbrandt easily stepped back just out of range after every Dillashaw combination, causing his opponent to kick ahead of himself and miss.

Between rounds, Duane Ludwig advised Dillashaw against trying to set up all of his kicks, instead instructing him to catch Garbrandt off-guard with a naked high kick. His input was more than successful as not only did Dillashaw land his kick, but he knocked his foe off his feet. While Garbrand survived, it would only be for a few more minutes before suffering a TKO loss to his former friend.


#3. Georges St-Pierre vs. Michael Bisping, UFC 217

UFC 217 was a fight card defined by fantastic coaching performances. The headline bout was between Georges St-Pierre and then-reigning UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. It was the Canadian's most daring bid for MMA greatness as he sought to capture a second world championship in a new division after a 4-year sabbatical from the sport.

The 1st round involved St-Pierre countering the longer and taller Bisping's jab with an overhand right over the top. Bisping, however, was a competent boxer, and made the necessary adjustments by the 2nd round, throwing a right cross right after his jab to stun 'GSP' every time his foe tried to dip into an overhand right.

Before the 3rd round, St-Pierre's boxing coach Freddie Roach advised him to fake the overhand right and throw a left hook to counter Bisping's right cross.

It didn't take long for the Canadian's left hook to pay dividends, dropping 'The Count'. St-Pierre wasted no time, immediately pouncing with elbows and punches en route to choking the Englishman unconscious with a rear-naked choke.

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Edited by John Cunningham
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