Prediction: Evan Elder inside the distance<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Evan Elder vs. Gauge Young is a classic case of one fighter already fighting at a near UFC-finished product level versus a promising prospect who just isn\u2019t quite there yet. That\u2019s why Elder inside the distance is the read\u2014he\u2019s simply a level above Young in every major phase, and the kind of fighter who applies pressure with real purpose behind everything he throws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elder\u2019s game is built on constant movement, but not the kind that\u2019s just meant to stay elusive\u2014his movement is always purposeful. He\u2019s sliding in and out of range with timing, not just rhythm, and his entries are clean. When he throws, it\u2019s with serious intent\u2014he\u2019s not pitter-pattering his way through exchanges. He\u2019s trying to hurt guys. He\u2019s got solid pop in his hands, but it\u2019s the sharpness and volume that does most of the damage. He sets a pace that makes guys start to shell up or swing back wild, and that\u2019s where he starts breaking them down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the ground, Elder\u2019s also the superior grappler. His wrestling entries are clean, and he blends it well with his striking, often using his hands to open up takedown opportunities when opponents start biting on the pressure. Once he\u2019s on top, he\u2019s not just holding position\u2014he\u2019s landing damage and looking to finish. He\u2019s the type of fighter who doesn\u2019t waste time when he smells an opening, whether it\u2019s a submission or a ground-and-pound opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Young\u2019s toughness might let him hang around for a bit, but if he can\u2019t shore up his defense mid-fight, Elder will overwhelm him. He\u2019s going to be a step ahead in the striking, landing with more power and frequency, and once that starts forcing Young into reactive defense, the takedowns and ground work open up. Elder doesn\u2019t need a specific path to victory here\u2014he can win this standing, he can win it in the clinch, or he can dominate on top. And when you\u2019ve got that many options against a guy with as many defensive leaks as Young, the finish becomes more and more likely the longer it goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not that Young can\u2019t compete at this level eventually\u2014he just needs time to tighten up the defense and smooth out the decision-making. Elder, on the other hand, is already there and sharpening each time out. This is his fight to lose, and if he fights anywhere near his potential, he gets Young out of there inside the distance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Prediction: Evan Elder inside the distance Evan Elder vs. Gauge Young is a classic case of one fighter already fighting at a near UFC-finished product level versus a promising prospect who just isn\u2019t quite there yet. That\u2019s why Elder inside the distance is the read\u2014he\u2019s simply a level above Young…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capmma.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capmma.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capmma.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capmma.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capmma.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/capmma.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capmma.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capmma.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capmma.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}