He has very predictable setups, his shots and rhythm are very easy to pick up on.. People act like all the sudden Irvin is a beast and can just throw a rediculous combo that puts people to the canvas..

He has some highlight reel KO’s.. but none of them are against top teir fighters.. All his KO’s come by way of the “other” fighters poor judgment..

Houston Alexander - walked right in with his hands down and chin up. Has just as much power as Irvin but really piss poor boxing defence. More or less he either didnt respect Irvins power or made a terrible rookie mistake in their fight..

Luis Arthur Cane - Irvin was getting beat on and won a DQ from taking a knee to the head while he was down.. Nuff said..

Hector Ramirez - Again was going toe to toe with Irvin and at points of the fight looked like he could put Irvin down just as well.. Unfortunately he likes to keep his chin up and walked right into a stiff jab.. followed by shots once he dropped..

Terry Martin - Was actually winning their fight untill he came out at the start of the second and shot in with his head down.. Again not going to happen with a calculated fighter like Anderson..

Also dont forget to add that this is a guy that lost a decision to Lodan Sincaid… of all people..

He isnt a wrecking machine type of fighter.. He has a bunch of high-lows in the UFC against the smaller level guys. The reason people even remotely think Anderson could lose is beacuse Irvin does have heavy hands.. But thats it !!!! Essentially Anderson doesnt have to play standup with him “IF” he chooses not to. He could very easily pick him apart with better foot work, faster hand speed, WAY better head movement, and the fact the if anyone hasnt noticed, Anderson like to let his opponents get in a comfort zone and sort of settle in before he engages. He seems to turn it on the moment the opposing fighter starts to get aggressive. He drops down in to that long tucked stance and starts pushing forward like a stalker. Anderson is more or less a counter fighter, but also has the ability to to stalk and push forward.

I thought the guys that used the Hendo comparison were spot on. Because thats a good test to prove his worth (no matter what the weight is). People seem to forget that weight and size doesnt always play a factor in fights. It would to the average guy but to the top athletes in the fight game, more often than not someone is almost always oversized in a fight. Anderson is far from the biggest fighter even at 185. He might be taller than alot of his opponents but by body composition, Franklin and Okami are both bigger than him.

Size wont be that big of an issue in this fight. Strength ?? maybe.. But deffinately not size. Size doesnt equal strength. I see guys in the gy mall the time that are considered skinny but have enormous strength. Anderson is deceptively STRONG. He is much stronger than Franklin and that says something. Franklin is a strong guy. He relies on his strength for alot in his fights and got out muscled in both their matchups..

Anderson also trains with guys much, much bigger than him. If he can hang with Big Nog even in the standup I think he’ll do just fine with the Sandman.

I would not be surpised at all to see the Spider set up a nice combo and follow up with a takedown and then round out the fight with a submission.. If I were fighting I would deffinately look to take advantage of his weaknesses and that one sticks out like a sore thumb !!!!

Another thing I picked up on the other day as I was analysing some fights was that Irvin fights very similar to that of Robbie Lawler.. Great power puncher.. Decent kicks.. terrible submission defence…

Robbie started losing fights when his opponents could out reach him and pick him apart.. Look at his Nick Diaz fight for example.. Diaz beat Robbie at his own game, the standup.. Simply because Robbie could not get close enough to be effective with his right hand. Nick kept circling away from Robbies right and countering with his longer reach untill he tagged him on the button…

Anderson being a southpaw will probably be able to effectively counter Irvins big right hand on reach alone. If Irvin comes in droping that lead hand when he throws the big right, he will get tagged.. If you look closely at Irvins punching posture he has a tendancy to drop his left slightly before he throws. He hardly ever throws with the left first. That was very easy to pick up on right away.. He also has a tendancy to plant his back foot before he throws which leaves him stationary and an easy counter target. He is a power puncher. He doesnt put his combo’s together moving.. He has to plant and throw his weight in it. Anderson fights backing up ala the Iceman. He has that rangey counter ability that not alot of fighters have.. The only difference is he knows when and how to use it as opposed to when he was younger..

Wouldn’t you say he was in trouble when he was crying in agony when Chonan caught him in that crazy heel hook? Or when he tapped to that triangle?