Kyte: Coaches see the sport differently and look at the sport differently than anyone else, picking up on different things and paying attention to movements, habits, or intangible pieces that others might not notice, but that could have a significant impact on the action inside the Octagon.
Every matchup offers its own unique collection of elements that might pique a coach’s interest and get them paying a little closer attention to once the fight gets underway.
So what is that one thing in this matchup?
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Montoya: Knowing both of them very well because we’ve prepared for them and then just being a student of the game, the thing I look for is do they look like the same version or are they going to be a different version of who they’ve been with little sprinkles of different on top of what they’ve done?
That’s one of the things I look for a lot, especially with guys that are in the same divisions as the UFC fighters that I have. I watch to see if those kids are continually growing or are they bringing the same stuff every fight?
Madden: I would love to see a little more body work and leg work from Kai, especially over the five rounds. He’s known for his right hand, landing that, and he hurt Brandon with it in the first fight in the first round, but if you’re a one-trick pony, that can get figured out, especially over five rounds.
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What I’m hoping to see from Kai early in the fight and building on it is more body work and leg work to ultimately set up the right hand. I’m going to be keeping an eye on a little more patience from Kai with the right hand, using a couple other weapons, and attacking all three levels to set that shot up.
From Brandon, I’m looking for that left kick again and for him to work off his jab. He did it real well in the first fight — he’d land the jab, feint, and come with a 3-2 right after it, and he had some success with that. I’m looking for him to keep that left kick up.
Coming from a Muay Thai background, I love to see that left kick, especially against an opponent that has a strong right hand because it’s a fantastic weapon to shut that right hand down — when he’s kicking high, Kai has got to keep that right hand home to block that kick. So I’d love to see him spam that left kick to the head and the body, and build off his jab, too.
Marc Montoya is the head coach of Factory X Muay Thai in Englewood, Colorado, and leads a team that includes flyweight standout Brandon Royval and surging veteran Dustin Jacoby. He’ll be in the corner of Anthony Smith on Saturday night as “Lionheart” takes on Magomed Ankalaev.
Sean Madden teaches Muay Thai at Easton Training Center in Denver, Colorado and was a long-time coach with the Elevation Fight Team. Currently freelancing, he most recently worked with Lauren Murphy ahead of her dominant victory over Miesha Tate at UFC Long Island.
