Official MMA discussion thread pt 3 UFC 318: Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway BMF fight, all strikers card

[j4remi]

Ricky Turcios is a wildly entertaining fighter because he's tough as hell, doesn't back down, and has terrible defense. It's a recipe to never be boring.

[j4remi]

Islam vs Moicano thoughts
Nothing's worse than seeing a fighter get the opportunity of a lifetime and **** the bed. Moicano had prepped for Dariush, which means he should have prepped to avoid takedowns, scramble, and strike meaningfully. That all went out the window and he swung for the fences, got taken down by the first level change, and landed in halfguard...then he chilled in halfguard like Islam hadn't spent a fight camp and a half training for the best halfguard in MMA (Do-Bronx).

The annoying part is Islam is a once-per-year guy, and I still don't buy that he wants to fight Shavkhat. He'll try to jump the line to get Belal because it's an easy fight and avoids tougher fights with Arman (who Dana's already demanding fight a new opponent for contention), Shavkhat (who is not a money fight yet), or Topuria (who's smaller but a technical marvel). I'll believe otherwise when he proves me wrong, but this has always been my issue with the Dagestani crew. Handpicked opponents.

Merab vs Umar
On the other hand, Umar outclassed Merab for two rounds but showed the biggest weaknesses from the Dagestanis. Their style expends a TON of energy. So, they all gas against an opponent that can keep pace. Even Khabib would take breaks for entire rounds during his championship fights (against Conor and Diamond). Merab also had a strength advantage which is rare for these cats to deal with (it's also why I don't think Islam wants the smoke with Shavkhat).

Jiri vs Hill
Jiri had the performance of the night for me. As much as DC tried to sell Jamahal Hill's successes, Jiri's rolled with everything to the head but a handful of strikes. Straight punches to the chest and body are still Jiri's weakness, and I don't think he can fix it without changing his awkward style. But there are only one or two fighters who could capitalize. Alex Pereira is one and maybe Khalil Rountree is two.

Almeida vs Spivac
I like Jailton. He got surprised by Spivac's early takedown but reversed and dominated, as he should. He made the right callouts too. He wants Gane, who makes sense as a top-3 fighter with sketchy ground defense. But he also told Aspinall that he's down if Jon Jones keeps refusing to fight. That's a very smart way to position Jailton for the best possible opponent next.

Holland vs de Ridder
Finally, Big Mouth got taken down and subbed fast. De Ridder hardly got to show us much, which makes this a hard fight to say much about. I'll put some respect on de Ridder's name from now on and Holland is quietly 1-4 in his last five, with the exact same gameplan working against him for nearly five years now and 14 fights now.

[HEZI]

Islam vs Moicano thoughts
Nothing's worse than seeing a fighter get the opportunity of a lifetime and **** the bed. Moicano had prepped for Dariush, which means he should have prepped to avoid takedowns, scramble, and strike meaningfully. That all went out the window and he swung for the fences, got taken down by the first level change, and landed in halfguard...then he chilled in halfguard like Islam hadn't spent a fight camp and a half training for the best halfguard in MMA (Do-Bronx).

The annoying part is Islam is a once-per-year guy, and I still don't buy that he wants to fight Shavkhat. He'll try to jump the line to get Belal because it's an easy fight and avoids tougher fights with Arman (who Dana's already demanding fight a new opponent for contention), Shavkhat (who is not a money fight yet), or Topuria (who's smaller but a technical marvel). I'll believe otherwise when he proves me wrong, but this has always been my issue with the Dagestani crew. Handpicked opponents.

Merab vs Umar
On the other hand, Umar outclassed Merab for two rounds but showed the biggest weaknesses from the Dagestanis. Their style expends a TON of energy. So, they all gas against an opponent that can keep pace. Even Khabib would take breaks for entire rounds during his championship fights (against Conor and Diamond). Merab also had a strength advantage which is rare for these cats to deal with (it's also why I don't think Islam wants the smoke with Shavkhat).

Jiri vs Hill
Jiri had the performance of the night for me. As much as DC tried to sell Jamahal Hill's successes, Jiri's rolled with everything to the head but a handful of strikes. Straight punches to the chest and body are still Jiri's weakness, and I don't think he can fix it without changing his awkward style. But there are only one or two fighters who could capitalize. Alex Pereira is one and maybe Khalil Rountree is two.

Almeida vs Spivac
I like Jailton. He got surprised by Spivac's early takedown but reversed and dominated, as he should. He made the right callouts too. He wants Gane, who makes sense as a top-3 fighter with sketchy ground defense. But he also told Aspinall that he's down if Jon Jones keeps refusing to fight. That's a very smart way to position Jailton for the best possible opponent next.

Holland vs de Ridder
Finally, Big Mouth got taken down and subbed fast. De Ridder hardly got to show us much, which makes this a hard fight to say much about. I'll put some respect on de Ridder's name from now on and Holland is quietly 1-4 in his last five, with the exact same gameplan working against him for nearly five years now and 14 fights now.

How is Islam a once per year guy when he’s fought 4 times in the last 2 years?

Now it’s Islam who will be trying to avoid Arman? Give me a break

I can absolutely see Islam fighting again this year because of how early he was booked this year but if either Arman or Topuria are the next opponent that will make them what? Once per year fighters? They aren’t fighting twice in the same year of their first fight this year if it is in the summer just like Islams last fight was.

Handpicked opponents? He’s ran through everybody in the top 10 from the lightweight division, what does he have to prove by dismantling another small dude from the featherweight division?

Even if he did fight Bilal, you think that’s an easier fight than Topuria? Give me a break. If you really want to test Islam, you need to match him up with someone with some actual size because he has just dominated everybody else. That’s why the fight with Arman was actually intriguing but besides Arman there is no real comp unless he moves up.

Your boy Moicano was done in 4 minutes. A bjj black belt tapped out in 4 minutes. You are hoping that Topuria could land a strike but that’s the only chance he has, once he’s taken down he’s done too. The strength, size and skill of Islam on the ground is just on a whole different level that a small guy like that just has no chance. There’s nothing that Islam would need to prove by beating another small guy, Topuria has everything to gain from the fight but Islam winning would just result in the same narrative of he just beat another small guy.

I’m still hoping the Arman fight happens and he’s not badly hurt. That’s what I’d rather see. Topuria, nah

Topuria still has work to do in his division, he’s had what 1 title defense so far?

[HarthorneWingo]

I want to see Dana get beat up.

I'll settle for him and Zuckerberg and Cheeto Douche super-glued into a permanent menage a trois human centipede

Okay, Dr. Evil. How about slowly lowering him into a pool with ill-tempered gold fish?

[j4remi]

How is Islam a once per year guy when he’s fought 4 times in the last 2 years?

Now it’s Islam who will be trying to avoid Arman? Give me a break

I can absolutely see Islam fighting again this year because of how early he was booked this year but if either Arman or Topuria are the next opponent that will make them what? Once per year fighters? They aren’t fighting twice in the same year of their first fight this year if it is in the summer just like Islams last fight was.

Handpicked opponents? He’s ran through everybody in the top 10 from the lightweight division, what does he have to prove by dismantling another small dude from the featherweight division?

Even if he did fight Bilal, you think that’s an easier fight than Topuria? Give me a break. If you really want to test Islam, you need to match him up with someone with some actual size because he has just dominated everybody else. That’s why the fight with Arman was actually intriguing but besides Arman there is no real comp unless he moves up.

Your boy Moicano was done in 4 minutes. A bjj black belt tapped out in 4 minutes. You are hoping that Topuria could land a strike but that’s the only chance he has, once he’s taken down he’s done too. The strength, size and skill of Islam on the ground is just on a whole different level that a small guy like that just has no chance. There’s nothing that Islam would need to prove by beating another small guy, Topuria has everything to gain from the fight but Islam winning would just result in the same narrative of he just beat another small guy.

I’m still hoping the Arman fight happens and he’s not badly hurt. That’s what I’d rather see. Topuria, nah

Topuria still has work to do in his division, he’s had what 1 title defense so far?

My bad, twice per year

Once on UFC's terms, and once on team Khabib's terms (the Abu Dhabi card), three of his last six fights have been short notice switch-ups, then you've got Volk on short rest, Oliveira on a venue switch (originally planned for Brazil), and a Poirier fight that was more a gesture to Diamond than a valid pick. It's weird as hell that he only takes tough opponents on home turf.

Islam didn't want to fight Arman. He was supposed to fight Oliveira and push for the WW title fight then. The title eliminator only happened because Do-Bronx got hurt (which is when Volk got rushed back in). If he can dodge Arman, he will.

Belal is an easier fight than Topuria. Belal is a less skilled Merab. That's the easiest title fight in 145, 155, or 170 right now by a wide margin. The "smaller guy" thing doesn't make any sense when the majority of the MMA world thinks Islam lost to Volk in their first matchup. Dude is coming off back-to-back KOs of two of the top three FWs of all time and has already fought at Lightweight.

It'd be great if Islam defended his belt against Arman on a fast turnaround, assuming the back thing isn't serious. He didn't get a scratch on him. Then Ilia could fight Diego Lopes; Shavkhat could fight Belal; most impressive performance meets Islam at the top. But Dana's already killed an Arman title shot. So, it's probably Islam waiting until the end of the year to move up a division or stay put depending on which opponent is most advantageous.

It's not like this is an exclusively Islam Makhachev or Team Khabib issue. The whole UFC moves like this. It's why O'Malley fought Chito and why Merab tried to force Umar to fight anyone else first. All these cats run away from the biggest threats, even when they'd probably win. Even Pereira pushed the Ankalaev agreement way back.

[Clyde_Style]

I want to see Dana get beat up.

I'll settle for him and Zuckerberg and Cheeto Douche super-glued into a permanent menage a trois human centipede

Okay, Dr. Evil. How about slowly lowering him into a pool with ill-tempered gold fish?

Wanted something more excrutiating than being gently nibbled to death. How about piranhas?

Ever seen those spas where you dip your feet in a fish pool and the little bastids nibble your feet clean? I saw a video of one in Malaysia

[HarthorneWingo]

I'll settle for him and Zuckerberg and Cheeto Douche super-glued into a permanent menage a trois human centipede

Okay, Dr. Evil. How about slowly lowering him into a pool with ill-tempered gold fish?

Wanted something more excrutiating than being gently nibbled to death. How about piranhas?

Ever seen those spas where you dip your feet in a fish pool and the little bastids nibble your feet clean? I saw a video of one in Malaysia

That sounds wonderful!

[Clyde_Style]

Okay, Dr. Evil. How about slowly lowering him into a pool with ill-tempered gold fish?

Wanted something more excrutiating than being gently nibbled to death. How about piranhas?

Ever seen those spas where you dip your feet in a fish pool and the little bastids nibble your feet clean? I saw a video of one in Malaysia

That sounds wonderful!

Well damn! Florida has banned fish pedicures. MFers!

Watch on YouTube

[HEZI]

How is Islam a once per year guy when he’s fought 4 times in the last 2 years?

Now it’s Islam who will be trying to avoid Arman? Give me a break

I can absolutely see Islam fighting again this year because of how early he was booked this year but if either Arman or Topuria are the next opponent that will make them what? Once per year fighters? They aren’t fighting twice in the same year of their first fight this year if it is in the summer just like Islams last fight was.

Handpicked opponents? He’s ran through everybody in the top 10 from the lightweight division, what does he have to prove by dismantling another small dude from the featherweight division?

Even if he did fight Bilal, you think that’s an easier fight than Topuria? Give me a break. If you really want to test Islam, you need to match him up with someone with some actual size because he has just dominated everybody else. That’s why the fight with Arman was actually intriguing but besides Arman there is no real comp unless he moves up.

Your boy Moicano was done in 4 minutes. A bjj black belt tapped out in 4 minutes. You are hoping that Topuria could land a strike but that’s the only chance he has, once he’s taken down he’s done too. The strength, size and skill of Islam on the ground is just on a whole different level that a small guy like that just has no chance. There’s nothing that Islam would need to prove by beating another small guy, Topuria has everything to gain from the fight but Islam winning would just result in the same narrative of he just beat another small guy.

I’m still hoping the Arman fight happens and he’s not badly hurt. That’s what I’d rather see. Topuria, nah

Topuria still has work to do in his division, he’s had what 1 title defense so far?

My bad, twice per year

Once on UFC's terms, and once on team Khabib's terms (the Abu Dhabi card), three of his last six fights have been short notice switch-ups, then you've got Volk on short rest, Oliveira on a venue switch (originally planned for Brazil), and a Poirier fight that was more a gesture to Diamond than a valid pick. It's weird as hell that he only takes tough opponents on home turf.

Islam didn't want to fight Arman. He was supposed to fight Oliveira and push for the WW title fight then. The title eliminator only happened because Do-Bronx got hurt (which is when Volk got rushed back in). If he can dodge Arman, he will.

Belal is an easier fight than Topuria. Belal is a less skilled Merab. That's the easiest title fight in 145, 155, or 170 right now by a wide margin. The "smaller guy" thing doesn't make any sense when the majority of the MMA world thinks Islam lost to Volk in their first matchup. Dude is coming off back-to-back KOs of two of the top three FWs of all time and has already fought at Lightweight.

It'd be great if Islam defended his belt against Arman on a fast turnaround, assuming the back thing isn't serious. He didn't get a scratch on him. Then Ilia could fight Diego Lopes; Shavkhat could fight Belal; most impressive performance meets Islam at the top. But Dana's already killed an Arman title shot. So, it's probably Islam waiting until the end of the year to move up a division or stay put depending on which opponent is most advantageous.

It's not like this is an exclusively Islam Makhachev or Team Khabib issue. The whole UFC moves like this. It's why O'Malley fought Chito and why Merab tried to force Umar to fight anyone else first. All these cats run away from the biggest threats, even when they'd probably win. Even Pereira pushed the Ankalaev agreement way back.

Where is home turf? He’s from Russia not Saudi Arabia He’s never fought a UFC fight on his home turf

He fought Volk in Australia on his home turf and still beat him. The last two fights were in the US and his last one was supposed to be the toughest opponent Arman and the venue was in California. That’s home turf now? These are some wild takes man

He did not lose to Volk even in the first fight but that was a good fight and a close fight but the evolution of Islam from then to now he’s just a completely different animal now. The rematch settled it. Meanwhile Volk has went on a downward spiral and has never been the same since then.

Topuria still has unfinished business in his weight class, an eventual rematch with Max would probably be better. I think he needs a couple more title defenses and stay active where’s he’s at.

I did hear the Dana news about Arman needing to fight another opponent before a title shot again, which likely means Olivera will get his rematch against Islam next. Unless you are box office like Conor was, Dana is not doing you any favors so Arman just might have missed his opportunity.

[j4remi]

Where is home turf? He’s from Russia not Saudi Arabia He’s never fought a UFC fight on his home turf

Take it from Khabib: "Abu Dhabi is our territory"

Watch on YouTube

He fought Volk in Australia on his home turf and still beat him. The last two fights were in the US and his last one was supposed to be the toughest opponent Arman and the venue was in California. That’s home turf now? These are some wild takes man

Volk vs Islam in Australia is a fight majority of MMA fans edge to Volk. Islam lost that. He fought Oliveira (his most decorated opponent) in Abu Dhabi. After robbing Volk, the rematch was on short notice and in Abu Dhabi. The first Arman fight was literally in Russia. Poirier in Jersey was coming off a 2-2 run

I rate Arman, Volk, and Do-Bronx as Islam's toughest opponents by far. The rest of his resume is painfully mid, unless you include Poirier at the twilight of his career.

He did not lose to Volk even in the first fight but that was a good fight and a close fight but the evolution of Islam from then to now he’s just a completely different animal now. The rematch settled it. Meanwhile Volk has went on a downward spiral and has never been the same since then.

I don't give people much crap for edging Islam in the first fight. But the majority of fans feel Volk got robbed, and the second fight was a throw-together on Islam's home turf (as Khabib himself said).

Topuria still has unfinished business in his weight class, an eventual rematch with Max would probably be better. I think he needs a couple more title defenses and stay active where’s he’s at.

That's fair, but Shavkhat would be in the same boat after beating Belal. Belal has zero title defenses himself, and Shavkhat. If we base it on who's deserving, there's no reason for Islam to move weight classes. It's just about who's available and if the timing is right.

I did hear the Dana news about Arman needing to fight another opponent before a title shot again, which likely means Olivera will get his rematch against Islam next. Unless you are box office like Conor was, Dana is not doing you any favors so Arman just might have missed his opportunity.

Unfortunately, the only box office guys are Usman, Leon Edwards, and maybe Max (who would need a bounceback win). None of those guys are Islam's biggest threats. The new generation is just coming up, Islam has to take those dangerous lesser-knowns or he'll be facing more mid.

[Ghetto Gospel]

Volk vs Islam in Australia is a fight majority of MMA fans edge to Volk. Islam lost that. After robbing Volk, the rematch was on short notice and in Abu Dhabi.

robbery is a strong word here. while the MMA fanbase definitely edged it to volk, i think it's the ultra casual fanbase doing the heavy lifting here as the majority of the media scorecards had islam winning the fight. of course thinking that volk won the fight, doesn't mean such individual doesn't know the fight game but i think the majority had islam winning.

ultimately, volk didn't have to take that 2nd short notice fight and islam certainly didn't arrange it that way. i remember at the time thinking it was really risky for volk to take that on short notice because it would mean he would never get another chance at 155 if he lost. he certainly deserved another opportunity to fight at 155 on his own terms but it is what it is.

None of those guys are Islam's biggest threats. The new generation is just coming up, Islam has to take those dangerous lesser-knowns or he'll be facing more mid.

is there anyone left at 155 after arman? maybe the winner of dan hooker vs gaethje? he should, in theory, easily take out either of these guys on the ground, maybe another oliveira fight?

i feel like the newish lw generation is kind of weaker than originally expected. BSD is coming off of 2 losses, fiziev 2 losses though 1 is an injury, paddy kind of weak and should have lost handily to jared gordon a few fights before

[j4remi]

Volk vs Islam in Australia is a fight majority of MMA fans edge to Volk. Islam lost that. After robbing Volk, the rematch was on short notice and in Abu Dhabi.

robbery is a strong word here. while the MMA fanbase definitely edged it to volk, i think it's the ultra casual fanbase doing the heavy lifting here as the majority of the media scorecards had islam winning the fight. of course thinking that volk won the fight, doesn't mean such individual doesn't know the fight game but i think the majority had islam winning.

ultimately, volk didn't have to take that 2nd short notice fight and islam certainly didn't arrange it that way. i remember at the time thinking it was really risky for volk to take that on short notice because it would mean he would never get another chance at 155 if he lost. he certainly deserved another opportunity to fight at 155 on his own terms but it is what it is.

It's a scoring system argument with the first fight. Islam controlled position better, Volk did more damage. This was right around changes made to judging criteria and some rules, and Abu Dhabi still held the wrestler-friendly criteria...actually, I'm not sure if their commission has followed newer rules changes tbh.

But realistically, the entire zeitgeist around fight one changed after the head kick KO in fight two. The conversation changed, and now people act like the entire UFC fandom wasn't groaning because Volk shocked the world and got 3-2'ed by takedowns with little damage behind them.

Volk taking the second fight was dumb. That was the fight build-up where he was showing emotional cracks and talking about how he loses his mind when he's not fighting, and the spiral hasn't stopped since. Although, maybe now that he's taken a nice layoff, he can get it back together for one last run (I'm not holding my breath).

The point remains that Islam has set advantageous conditions behind his toughest opposition. Like I said before, that's a broader UFC issue. The breadwinners shield themselves from threats and chase the safest options. Team Khabib has ALWAYS stacked their resumes like this, and so have a bunch of UFC stars.

None of those guys are Islam's biggest threats. The new generation is just coming up, Islam has to take those dangerous lesser-knowns or he'll be facing more mid.

is there anyone left at 155 after arman? maybe the winner of dan hooker vs gaethje? he should, in theory, easily take out either of these guys on the ground, maybe another oliveira fight?

i feel like the newish lw generation is kind of weaker than originally expected. BSD is coming off of 2 losses, fiziev 2 losses though 1 is an injury, paddy kind of weak and should have lost handily to jared gordon a few fights before[/quote]

Fiziev and Gamrot are the toughest opponents for Islam. Gamrot keeps slipping up right at the number-one contender's fight, but he's the purest wrestler in the division. Fiziev is the best combination of skills, but his knee blew up. But the real best dude out of that generation imo got completely unwound by injuries. Damir Ismagulov was a BEAST, but his performances fell off a cliff and he retired because of injury woes. He took a year off and has come back since, but he's still not as sharp as he was when he was styling on Thiago Moises and Guram Kuteladze (a great fight).

The other dude everyone seems to be sleeping on is Grant Dawson. That's because he got flash KO'ed by Bobby Green. But his UFC career is loaded with respectable opponents and he's gotten progressively better. He's just in his fighting prime now, and it should be 10-15 ranked opponent next, then a top-ten guy if he wins.

[Ghetto Gospel]

It's a scoring system argument with the first fight. Islam controlled position better, Volk did more damage. This was right around changes made to judging criteria and some rules, and Abu Dhabi still held the wrestler-friendly criteria...actually, I'm not sure if their commission has followed newer rules changes tbh.

the first fight was in perth australia though not in abu dhabi.

But realistically, the entire zeitgeist around fight one changed after the head kick KO in fight two. The conversation changed, and now people act like the entire UFC fandom wasn't groaning because Volk shocked the world and got 3-2'ed by takedowns with little damage behind them.

i think that's revisionist history. a good amount of people and MMA media mostly had islam winning that fight. people wanted to see volk win and just gave him points for keeping the fight close, the arena being electric and cheering for every little thing volk did, and it was a much better fight than most expected

Volk taking the second fight was dumb. That was the fight build-up where he was showing emotional cracks and talking about how he loses his mind when he's not fighting, and the spiral hasn't stopped since. Although, maybe now that he's taken a nice layoff, he can get it back together for one last run (I'm not holding my breath).

The point remains that Islam has set advantageous conditions behind his toughest opposition. Like I said before, that's a broader UFC issue. The breadwinners shield themselves from threats and chase the safest options. Team Khabib has ALWAYS stacked their resumes like this, and so have a bunch of UFC stars.

i don't disagree. islam fights frequently in abu dhabi but that has more to do with money and the UFC wanting to put their biggest muslim stars on main events there. that also includes the variety of muslim fighters in the UFC, not necessarily just team Khabib. i will say, islam vs volk 1 was probably the worst situation for islam to fight in. fighting in australia at volks territory and then fighting in the morning in australia rather than usually at night in order to accommodate for the US audience which takes away ~12 hours to recover from the big weight cut. naturally, being the smaller fighter with a lesser weight cut, volk doesn't need as much time to recover.

Fiziev and Gamrot are the toughest opponents for Islam. Gamrot keeps slipping up right at the number-one contender's fight, but he's the purest wrestler in the division. Fiziev is the best combination of skills, but his knee blew up. But the real best dude out of that generation imo got completely unwound by injuries. Damir Ismagulov was a BEAST, but his performances fell off a cliff and he retired because of injury woes. He took a year off and has come back since, but he's still not as sharp as he was when he was styling on Thiago Moises and Guram Kuteladze (a great fight).

The other dude everyone seems to be sleeping on is Grant Dawson. That's because he got flash KO'ed by Bobby Green. But his UFC career is loaded with respectable opponents and he's gotten progressively better. He's just in his fighting prime now, and it should be 10-15 ranked opponent next, then a top-ten guy if he wins.

i still remember gamrot being the backup fighter for islam vs charles 2, then getting passed over by islam vs volk 2. not sure why they even brought him on as a backup fighter if they're going to just pass him up. i get the whole money thing but then why even have a backup fighter? gamrot is probably going to be too old now though given that he needs to string together another few wins. his prime is going to pass him up before he gets his shot unfortunately.

realistically though, fiziev also isn't going to get a chance anytime soon because he too needs to string some wins together again. we'll see how his knee holds up as well in a couple of weeks. he has shown good TDD so far, but once he gets to the ground, imo he's untested. i can see islam submitting him quick if he gets him down to the ground.

grant dawson has potential but yeah he's a few wins away for sure. we'll see how he holds up against a guy who can defend his takedowns and makes it a stand-up fight

i think islam should get the chance to move up though. he has 15 straight wins even if the most recent 5 are not the 5 that people wanted. unfortunately both charles and arman had to pull out for injury reasons. i'm a little skeptical of arman pulling out for injury reasons seeing that dana wants him to fight again to be the #1 contender again and arman agreeing. makes me think the rumors of arman missing weight are true

[HarthorneWingo]

Umar looked like he gassed out early in the fight with Merab. Anyone else notice that. By the 5th round, it looked like he had noodle arms.

[j4remi]

the first fight was in perth australia though not in abu dhabi.

That's the widely debated one. So, the closest fight of Islam's career was the one time he stepped out of his comfort zone and fought a genuinely formidable opponent as opposed to a Dan Hooker or a Bobby Green. Islam got caught sleeping on Volk; Khabib was sweating the matchup.

i think that's revisionist history. a good amount of people and MMA media mostly had islam winning that fight. people wanted to see volk win and just gave him points for keeping the fight close, the arena being electric and cheering for every little thing volk did, and it was a much better fight than most expected

Nope. The media gave Islam the dub, but the majority of viewers gave it to Volk. Islam even remained ranked below Volk on the P4P list. Makhachev had to call out Dana White because the rematch was promoted so heavily around Volkanovski that he got pissed. If you score for damage, Volk has a very strong case for outright winning that fight.

The conversation only changed after the head kick (and moreso after the next loss to Ilia).

i don't disagree. islam fights frequently in abu dhabi but that has more to do with money and the UFC wanting to put their biggest muslim stars on main events there. that also includes the variety of muslim fighters in the UFC, not necessarily just team Khabib. i will say, islam vs volk 1 was probably the worst situation for islam to fight in. fighting in australia at volks territory and then fighting in the morning in australia rather than usually at night in order to accommodate for the US audience which takes away ~12 hours to recover from the big weight cut. naturally, being the smaller fighter with a lesser weight cut, volk doesn't need as much time to recover.

To repeat, when Islam didn't fight in an entirely advantageous scenario, he happened to have the closest call of his career. That's the point. Don't bet against a Dagestani in Abu Dhabi. Don't bet against a Brazilian in Rio. Don't bet against wrestlers when they fight strikers in the Performance Institute (the cage is smaller).

i still remember gamrot being the backup fighter for islam vs charles 2, then getting passed over by islam vs volk 2. not sure why they even brought him on as a backup fighter if they're going to just pass him up. i get the whole money thing but then why even have a backup fighter? gamrot is probably going to be too old now though given that he needs to string together another few wins. his prime is going to pass him up before he gets his shot unfortunately.

Yeah, Gamrot has managed to fumble his opportunities in contender fights, and got hosed the one time things might have worked out. Watching him wrestle with Islam would be an absolute gem. But it's unlikely to happen now.

realistically though, fiziev also isn't going to get a chance anytime soon because he too needs to string some wins together again. we'll see how his knee holds up as well in a couple of weeks. he has shown good TDD so far, but once he gets to the ground, imo he's untested. i can see islam submitting him quick if he gets him down to the ground.

What makes Fiziev interesting is his anti-wrestling. He was around 90% for TDD rate after a trio of Gaethje, Riddell, and RDA. Add in his explosiveness and out-fighting, and the curiosity is in whether Islam can close the gap. But the knee has to hold up, and he's gotta win at least two fights to get into the conversation.

grant dawson has potential but yeah he's a few wins away for sure. we'll see how he holds up against a guy who can defend his takedowns and makes it a stand-up fight

He's the darkhorse. He hasn't seen the uptick in competition to be a sure thing, but he's passed every test with flying colors so far. Diego Ferraira is a really nice test, and he handled him. He's two good performances away from being in the conversation, but each involves a step up.

i think islam should get the chance to move up though. he has 15 straight wins even if the most recent 5 are not the 5 that people wanted. unfortunately both charles and arman had to pull out for injury reasons. i'm a little skeptical of arman pulling out for injury reasons seeing that dana wants him to fight again to be the #1 contender again and arman agreeing. makes me think the rumors of arman missing weight are true

Arman did look like he bulked up a LOT for this one, though I also picture him as the type train way too hard and overexert himself.

The problem with Islam moving up is that Shavkhat had the title shot, Belal pulled out, and Shavkhat took a dangerous opponent and won. So there's no excuse to cut him in line. Then there's a clear number one contender coming out of the Leon Edwards vs JDM. You throw Islam in the middle of it, and one or two guys are getting screwed.

Islam would have to fully relinquish the LW title, and commit to WW for it to make sense. If it's a "get the belt and retire" scenario, then leave the division alone. Enough LWs are deserving a shot at the undisputed belt not to force the the contenders in both divisions to wait. Especially not if both divisions have to wait for the next big Abu Dhabi card.

Let Shavkhat have his shot, and let's see if Islam's down to challenge after that.

[Ghetto Gospel]

That's the widely debated one. So, the closest fight of Islam's career was the one time he stepped out of his comfort zone and fought a genuinely formidable opponent as opposed to a Dan Hooker or a Bobby Green. Islam got caught sleeping on Volk; Khabib was sweating the matchup.

the bobby green one wasn't really his choice either. that was supposed to be a fight against a very capable and highly looked at beneil at the time that beneil pulled out due to injury.

Nope. The media gave Islam the dub, but the majority of viewers gave it to Volk. Islam even remained ranked below Volk on the P4P list. Makhachev had to call out Dana White because the rematch was promoted so heavily around Volkanovski that he got pissed. If you score for damage, Volk has a very strong case for outright winning that fight.

The conversation only changed after the head kick (and moreso after the next loss to Ilia).

i suppose it depends on where you're getting your public opinion from. i think twitter tends to lean towards volk winning but i know reddit thought that volk won. i'm not sure i saw 3 winning rounds for volk with 1,2,4 being islams. i guess islam didn't do damage in round 4 but even with current judging, i don't see judges giving volk round 4. now if it was ONE FC judging, i could see volk winning that fight, but that's another story

i also think the general public were rooting for volk to win and were swayed by the crowd. i think bias had a lot of play here

https://www.reddit.com/r/MMA/comments/1108qtb/spoiler_media_scores_for_main_event_volkanovski_v/

To repeat, when Islam didn't fight in an entirely advantageous scenario, he happened to have the closest call of his career. That's the point. Don't bet against a Dagestani in Abu Dhabi. Don't bet against a Brazilian in Rio. Don't bet against wrestlers when they fight strikers in the Performance Institute (the cage is smaller).

yes, but it was also the most disadvantageous scenario possible and he still came out ahead. i don't think he gets as much credit for that fight as he should have. he probably gets too much credit for that 2nd fight though.

Arman did look like he bulked up a LOT for this one, though I also picture him as the type train way too hard and overexert himself.

The problem with Islam moving up is that Shavkhat had the title shot, Belal pulled out, and Shavkhat took a dangerous opponent and won. So there's no excuse to cut him in line. Then there's a clear number one contender coming out of the Leon Edwards vs JDM. You throw Islam in the middle of it, and one or two guys are getting screwed.

Islam would have to fully relinquish the LW title, and commit to WW for it to make sense. If it's a "get the belt and retire" scenario, then leave the division alone. Enough LWs are deserving a shot at the undisputed belt not to force the the contenders in both divisions to wait. Especially not if both divisions have to wait for the next big Abu Dhabi card.

Let Shavkhat have his shot, and let's see if Islam's down to challenge after that.

yeah, i didn't mean islam should cut the line in front of shavkhat as shavkhat definitely deserves his shot right now. moreso he should get a shot maybe after shavkhat and maybe after leon/jack, whenever as long as it's before islam ages out of his prime. i also don't think ilia moving up and getting his shot should cut in front of islam getting his shot to move up.

iirc, islam would rather not fight either belal or shavkhat since he's close with belal and shavkhat has trained with them plenty and he was even been cornered by khabib's father so.. who knows what islam is wanting to do here. though if leon/jack were to somehow become the champion and he wrestled -> submitted them, people would call it the easiest road here too

[Ghetto Gospel]

Umar looked like he gassed out early in the fight with Merab. Anyone else notice that. By the 5th round, it looked like he had noodle arms.

he was done by like round 3

merab has the craziest gas tank in the planet

[j4remi]

Umar looked like he gassed out early in the fight with Merab. Anyone else notice that. By the 5th round, it looked like he had noodle arms.

Merab's the definition of "the best defense is a good offense." He spams takedown attempts even without caring if they'll land because it takes away the opponent's offense and makes them work. His clone at 145 is Movsar Evoloev. Those dudes are taking UDs with 15-20 significant strikes per round.

My only complaint is that their style should translate to losing any rounds where the opponent lands a few clean power strikes. But judges won't do that if a guy is pinned to the cage or taken down for 4 minutes out of 5.

[HEZI]

Where is home turf? He’s from Russia not Saudi Arabia He’s never fought a UFC fight on his home turf

Take it from Khabib: "Abu Dhabi is our territory"

Watch on YouTube

He fought Volk in Australia on his home turf and still beat him. The last two fights were in the US and his last one was supposed to be the toughest opponent Arman and the venue was in California. That’s home turf now? These are some wild takes man

Volk vs Islam in Australia is a fight majority of MMA fans edge to Volk. Islam lost that. He fought Oliveira (his most decorated opponent) in Abu Dhabi. After robbing Volk, the rematch was on short notice and in Abu Dhabi. The first Arman fight was literally in Russia. Poirier in Jersey was coming off a 2-2 run

I rate Arman, Volk, and Do-Bronx as Islam's toughest opponents by far. The rest of his resume is painfully mid, unless you include Poirier at the twilight of his career.

He did not lose to Volk even in the first fight but that was a good fight and a close fight but the evolution of Islam from then to now he’s just a completely different animal now. The rematch settled it. Meanwhile Volk has went on a downward spiral and has never been the same since then.

I don't give people much crap for edging Islam in the first fight. But the majority of fans feel Volk got robbed, and the second fight was a throw-together on Islam's home turf (as Khabib himself said).

Topuria still has unfinished business in his weight class, an eventual rematch with Max would probably be better. I think he needs a couple more title defenses and stay active where’s he’s at.

That's fair, but Shavkhat would be in the same boat after beating Belal. Belal has zero title defenses himself, and Shavkhat. If we base it on who's deserving, there's no reason for Islam to move weight classes. It's just about who's available and if the timing is right.

I did hear the Dana news about Arman needing to fight another opponent before a title shot again, which likely means Olivera will get his rematch against Islam next. Unless you are box office like Conor was, Dana is not doing you any favors so Arman just might have missed his opportunity.

Unfortunately, the only box office guys are Usman, Leon Edwards, and maybe Max (who would need a bounceback win). None of those guys are Islam's biggest threats. The new generation is just coming up, Islam has to take those dangerous lesser-knowns or he'll be facing more mid.

Khabib trolling him although I do understand what you actually mean. He has a lot of supporters there so I get it.

I’ll strongly disagree on who won the first fight between Islam and Volk. It was close but I think Islam should have won and he did. As far as the rematch it didn’t have to be Volk at that time, he chose to take it so that’s not something I will hold against Islam. But like I said, Volk hasn’t been the same since the first fight and has been on a downward spiral so even if he did have more time I still don’t see him winning. Islam is just overall better.

As far as Shavkat and Bilal, it’s not the same because Islam would be the challenger. I think if you are going to go outside your weight class you should at least have some more title defenses in your class. If Islam just won the lightweight belt and was right away looking to go chase a 2nd belt I would say the same exact thing, he would need to have more title defenses first. It’s just my opinion.

I do agree about Islam needs to face better competition and I’m wanting to see it. I wanted to see the matchup with Arman, I’d love to see a matchup with Shavkat, I’d love to see a fight against guys who have a legit shot.

[HEZI]

Umar looked like he gassed out early in the fight with Merab. Anyone else notice that. By the 5th round, it looked like he had noodle arms.

Merab's the definition of "the best defense is a good offense." He spams takedown attempts even without caring if they'll land because it takes away the opponent's offense and makes them work. His clone at 145 is Movsar Evoloev. Those dudes are taking UDs with 15-20 significant strikes per round.

My only complaint is that their style should translate to losing any rounds where the opponent lands a few clean power strikes. But judges won't do that if a guy is pinned to the cage or taken down for 4 minutes out of 5.

Yeah exactly he’s basically like Floyd Mayweather. Elite defense, elite stamina and conditioning and just secures enough points to survive and get a victory.

Umar won the first two rounds in my opinion, he showed elite striking ability but ran out of gas early and lost the next 3 rounds. Merab had so many opportunities to do damage on the ground but never did anything. The showboating and all that extra stuff would be fine if he actually had ability to do damage to the opponent. He just wins on points.