I thought he was running out of gas in the third REED. I think that had a little to do with it. It was a fairly close fight though, he definitely didn't disgrace himself. He just needs to go back, train hard and get 'em next time.
I was let down in a big way with this fight. Having seen both these guys fight before, I was expecting a war. Instead, I got two guys who seemed way too afraid of each other. I think Hicks blew his load when he went for the guillotine. It was clear that he didn't have it sunk in good enough to end the fight, but Hicks still wore himself out trying to end the fight with the hold. Once McCollough escaped, Hicks's punches had nothing on them anymore. From that point, I knew Hicks was in trouble, and I think he was there for the taking in the 3rd, but for whatever reason, McCullough didn't do much of anything. McCullough did land the kick to the liver in the 2nd, and Hicks was clearly hurt. So much that after the fight I was hoping to hear an interview, and was expecting to hear Hicks say he broke his rib or something, because Hicks did zero in the 3rd, when he needed to win that round. Even, if like Reed said, Hicks thought he was winning, then that was a bad job by his corner to not tell him he needed to win the 3rd to win the fight. Hicks has a lot of talent, but he needs to become a smarter fighter. Sapping all his strength with the guillotine that wasn't sunk in well, and doing nothing at all in the 3rd were two huge mental mistakes that cost him the fight. Hopefully he learns from the experience, but with back to back losses, he's back to the back of the line and has a long way to go before he becomes a contender again. And I know Reed said it's not possible, but I still think Hicks needs to drop to 145. He's just too small at 155. They had him listed as 5'7 and McCullough at 5'8", but there was no way Hicks was only an inch shorter. If he could cut to 145 without sapping all of his strength, he could have a lot of success. TFK
During the broadcast I think they said Hicks was 5' 5", but he was listed at 5' 7" when they showed the tale of the tape. I think he is 5' 5" and I agree, the guy is pretty small at 155. Looks to me like he needs to stop lifting weights and lean out a bit. He's too bulky.
Fair Assessment... The Kick to the Right Side DEFINITELY Hurt....& the Guillotine Theory Makes Sense as Well...Marcus Certainly WASN'T the Same After Attempting it... Personally, REED Thinks Guys Should ALWAYS Try to WIN the Last Round, No Matter What....Even if U've CLEARLY Won All the Preceding Rounds FINISH Strong... Marcus is 5'5 MAX, More like 5'4 (Mrs. REED is 5'2 or So & Marcus ISN'T Noticeably Taller than her, Side by Side)...A VERY Short Dude...He has Short LIMBS as Well...By the Time he Gets Close Enough to Think about a KICK, he's ALREADY in Punching Range...A Move to 145 SOUNDS Good, but @ 33 & w/his BUILD, REED Doesn't Know if Marcus Could do it...He SAYS he Could, but DOING it is Something Else.... REED:mj:
Hick's punches had nothing after the guillotine. With experience he'll learn not to try and finish when it just isn't locked in. I truly believe that sapped him of all his energy. Like Z said, Hicks can lose the weight if he lays off the weights a bit. Look at his thighs, they're huge. If he leaned up a little bit and dropped to 145, he could be a force. TFK
