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To be a successful UFC fighter, you have to always be working on improving your game. MMA is constantly evolving with new techniques being used in the octagon seemingly every weekend.
Every fighter has weaknesses but some are more apparent than others. From checking leg kicks, using head movement to takedown defense.
Here are 5 UFC fighters who have to fix clear flaws before their next bout.
#5 Mike Perry - Head movement
Edmund Tarverdyan, head coach of Ronda Rousey, became an MMA meme when he screamed “Head movement, head movement, head movement!” as Amanda Nunes destroyed his star pupil in 48 seconds at UFC 207.
UFC welterweight Platinum Mike Perry needs someone to yell "head movement" at him during training camp, weigh-ins, walk-out, and most importantly during his next fight in the octagon.
Perry is just 1-4 in his past five fights and has had his nose shattered by both Vincente Luque and Daniel Rodriguez. The once bright prospect Platinum has one fight left on his UFC contract and needs a big performance to avoid being cut.
If Perry can use head movement and feints in his striking game, he can avoid taking unnecessary damage on the feet. By avoiding more punches to his face, he can put himself in a position to land powerful fight-ending blows himself.
#4 Dominick Reyes - Overconfidence
UFC light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes came as close as any fighter ever has to beating Jon Jones in the octagon. (Matt Hamill DQ does not count)
At UFC 247, he lost a close, controversial decision to the champion Jones. Not long after the fight, Jon Jones announced he was vacating the light heavyweight belt.
Reyes faced Jan Blachowicz for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 253. A heavy favorite heading into the bout, Reyes was knocked out in the second round by the now-famous Polish Power.
The Devastator was slow and lacked the urgency he showed in the Jones fight. He looked like a guy who expected to easily finish Blachowicz. This overconfidence cost Reyes dearly.
He is scheduled to face the powerful Czech Jiří Procházka at UFC Fight Night 188 on May 1st. If Reyes can wind back the clock and replicate his performance against Jones, he can stake his claim for another shot at the light heavyweight title.
#3 Aljamain Sterling - Cardio
It seems weird to put a current UFC champion on this list, but let me explain why Aljamian Sterling comes in at number three.
At UFC 259 in the bantamweight title fight against Petr Yan, the Funkmaster came out fast. Maybe too fast. He threw 74 strikes in the first round, landing only 27. Sterling continued to walk forward in the second round, but his strikes became wild and less effective.
As the fight progressed, the champion (Yan) took control and looked like the far fresher fighter heading into the fourth round. Of course, we know what happened. Yan threw an illegal knee and Sterling won the title via DQ.
Sterling recently announced he is getting neck surgery and will be out for a few months. When he can begin to train again for the rematch with Yan, he really needs to work on his cardio.
The first fight showed Yan has the power advantage, but Sterling was effective when he was throwing combinations and pushing forward. This game plan requires amazing cardio, which he was lacking at UFC 259.
Maybe his neck injury may have contributed to Sterling’s cardio failing him, but it’s something he needs to improve before defending his title later in 2021.
#2 Kevin Holland - Wrestling
After losing two main event fights in 21 days, Kevin Holland’s flaw was clear for all UFC viewers to see.
First Derek Brunson dominated Holland by out wrestling him over five rounds at UFC on ESPN 21, then Marvin Vettori did exactly the same thing at UFC on ABC 2.
Big Mouth had no answer to the wrestling of the two highly-ranked middleweight contenders. The blueprint is out on how to defeat Kevin Holland.
The 10th ranked UFC middleweight has hinted at a move down to welterweight, but that alone won’t solve his takedown weaknesses. He needs to find a camp with world-class wrestlers (hint AKA) and take some time away from the octagon to improve his ground game.
#1 Conor McGregor - Calf kicks
The Notorious Conor McGregor has made a career out of being the smartest guy in the octagon. He sucked Eddie Alvarez into a wild striking style and wound Jose Aldo up so much he came out swinging in their UFC featherweight championship fight.
However, after more than a year out of the cage, McGregor looked decidedly rusty against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi. Poirier was able to use vicious calf kicks to hurt and slow Conor down during the first and second rounds. The Diamond landed 18 total leg strikes compared to McGregor's 2.
Conor did not check any of the leg kicks and his boxing-based game plan seemed one-dimensional and woefully inept against Poirier.
The trilogy bout is set for July 10th at UFC 264. Conor and his team need to be working on not only checking calf kicks, but adding some variety to his striking attack.
