Nigel Ash.

IMO the only thing that Ramon had to do to put that bit of polish on his game that would have made his punching an addition to his abilities rather than something he relied on specifically, was to be a bit more 'Thai style' (just imagine if he could clinch?)
I believe strongly that you have to know the rules, the techniques and the strategies of the sport, and only then you apply that something extra (if your clever enough or good enough to develop that).
Foundation is paramount, what you build on top of that is variable (to an extent). The basics have to be mastered first, that is no different than any other sport.
Most of our best fighters are those that train the system. We don't beat Thai's often because we are not pro in this country. Our fighters though, are technically better now than when i was involved and long may that improvement continue.