Edwards: Don’t Expect Another Guillotine from McKenzie

Yves Edwards is aware of Cody McKenzie’s guillotine. When the two fight Saturday at UFC “Fight for the Troops 2” Edwards plans on staying away from the submission that McKenzie has used to finish 10 straight fights. 

“A couple of those, I think guys went in there with the attitude of, ‘This guy’s not going to guillotine me no matter what he does. I don’t care.’ And then they got proved wrong,” Edwards said recently during a “Savage Dog Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network. “He’s got a really, really wicked guillotine. I’m sure he’s got other things in his game that are solid also, but his biggest strength is his guillotine. I’m definitely going to be aware of that and avoid that.” 

Edwards has not been impressed with McKenzie’s standup, but he’s also not putting too much stock into the footage he’s seen. He believes McKenzie has likely improved since his time on “The Ultimate Fighter 12.” 

“I just have to assume he’s gotten a whole lot better in a lot of other areas and be prepared for that,” Edwards said. “… I think his standup doesn’t look that great, but I’m sure it’s gotten better since the show. I’m sure he’s been working on that. I’m sure the rest of his ground game is pretty solid too.” 

All the more reason for Edwards to turn the fight into a striking battle. 

“Of course that’s a big part of the game plan -- keep it away from the ground, wrestle defensively and try to bang him out,” Edwards said. “But the kid has some natural things working for him. … He’s tall, he’s long. And I don’t know what he’s been doing.” 

While the 23-year-old McKenzie’s learning curve renders him something of a question mark, Edwards has focused on his own progression. He’s been in the game for more than a decade but said he is still improving. Once considered the top lightweight in the UFC, Edwards also believes he can climb the ladder again. 

“I’m going to do everything I can to do that,” he said. “The division’s a lot deeper now than it was six years ago … but I feel good. I don’t feel old by any means. I don’t feel beat-up. I feel like I’m still learning. I really feel like I’ve picked up a lot just over the past few months.” 

Against McKenzie, Edwards will be looking for his second straight win in the UFC and sixth win in seven fights. 

“Expect to see a flurry of punches, kicks and takedown defense,” he said. “Just don’t expect to see any guillotines.”


Source: sherdog.com