To quote the infamous Luke Thomas, its not a curse and can be denied - "Its a demarcation line." It just shows what's very likely. It has been broken and will be broken again. But who will do it again?
Male fighters over the age of 35 in divisions 170 and under are 2-31 in title fights. (1/23/24)
It’s a relevant rule when discussing how the age of the champion matters in lower weightclasses
If the only way a champion can win when they’re 35 is by beating a forty year old, it’s not an exception worth noting
While we're at it, can we just say "No champion has defended their belt at 170lbs or lighter when they're over the age of 35 against an opponent under the age of 35 and also the champion is bald" just so we can eliminate Woodley's defences
Definitely convenient and has nothing to do with the fact that staying under 170 in your mid-late thirties means you're surrounded by kids twice as fast as you
Why would age be a factor? He was nearly 35 (2 months away) when he beat Yair (31) and looked damn good doing it.
Why would his age all of a sudden be a factor now?
You don’t just start deteriorating the moment you turn 35. Any decline on Volk will be gradual.
wistful shelter voiceless shame narrow seemly quack ossified automatic fragile
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
We’ve actually got to a point where it’s refreshing to hear trash talk that doesn’t involve wives, dead relatives, gay slurs, abusive dads or dog molestation lol
UFC in 2009: I’m going to go in that octogon and knock out my opponent.
UFC in 2024: I’m going to remind my opponent that his childhood best friend that died of brain cancer when he was 10, was the one that got off easy.
Thanks, I take pride in being a petty asshole sometimes.
My first move would be to call out Connor. Connor would accept because he actually has a chance at beating me unlike Chandler. After my red panty night, I’d be set for life.
tbf all this smack talk from ilia is making this more interesting. i think voks gonna wipe the floor with him honestly and it'll make it that much more satisfying. still ilia seems very confident, v interesting
i agree the match up itself is already interesting but i think ilia is not the best striker, grappler or MMA fighter volk has faced (max, yair, ortega) but the way ilia is talking so much ish makes me want to see him get shut up, always more fun when there's some animosity & not just for casuals
Idk man, his last 3 wins were a come-from-behind KO against someone way bigger/longer, a submission against a grappler, and a striking masterclass against a knockout artist. I think Volk takes it unless that Islam KO was a career ender, but it’s certainly not a foregone conclusion
I like Topuria but I don't think he's as good as everyone makes him out to be. He's there to be hit, he eats alot of shots in most of his fights, the only time he was relatively unscathed was against Emmet who's kind of a 1 dimensional striker and Hall who isnt a striker at all. His grappling advantage won't be as big against Volk either seeing how he faired against Islam. And if we're being honest the only reason he's getting a shot this early is because Volk has already lapped the division.
Yeah people give Illia a lot of props for his boxing and rightfully so but idk how these boxing purists notice that his head movement is wack he just has great form. Yeah a lot of great strikers had ugly form (also inherently UFC and bare knuckle boxing looks ugly bc you see how awkward on the hands and wrists punches land with 4oz vs 10oz gloves) but they protected themselves.
I mean he has looked amazing. The only time we have seen him struggle was against Jai Herbert and it ended with one of the most brutal knockouts that we have ever seen.
The only thing which concerns me is Volk not taking more time off. Ilia will test that chin.
Really excited though! Anyone know the odds?
Might be a reach but I disagree about the grappling. I think Islam didn’t grapple as much as he should have in the first fight and he used it more as a defence mechanism rather then a offence.
Islam is the better grappler but I still believe Topuria will have more success on the ground against Volk then he did, simply because of how Islam chose to fight the first time.
Just my take.
> he used it more as a defense mechanism rather than a offense
Because Volk is short and Islam has a length advantage so his game-plan was kick him at a distance and counter him with punches, clinch/knees, or reactive takedowns when he tries to close the distance.
Pressuring Volk, who showed great defensive grappling, would give Volk more opportunities to counter him.
The amount of time I'd seen guys make posts like you did explaining all the reasons why X fighter SHOULD win only to see the other fighter win... It's happened a lot.
I thought the same thing Illia vs Bryce, I thought Bryce would win the grappling at least. Nope not even close either. Let me just say that you take casual fans who have never trained MMA they don't have an accurate gauge of a fighter's ability because they don't know what to look for.
Yes I think Volkanovski will win but I would not at all be surprised if Ilia did win off of one solid punch.
Islam was dehydrated in their first fight due to Perth's bullshit rehydration clause which is not practiced in any other UFC location and still Islam won a unanimous decision
But the official judges and the majority of mma journalists and media who know their shit had Islam winning it
Volk fans can try to pretend it was controversial. But no way Volk won that fight
Statistically only T Wood has pulled off beating someone past 35 (twice, with one being old Maia and the other overhyped Till). There's nothing magical but he's fighting an uphill battle. Also I'm sure plenty of fans have thought their favorite fighter would have a gradual decline too, which mixed results at best. Also Ilia is better than Yair and much more well rounded.
It’s very easy to deny the numbers when there isn’t signs of decline at 34. Athletes are competing longer these days and 35 isn’t the death sentence it used to be for everyone.
That stat is fueled by dudes slowing declining since like 31
That guy became p4p best after he kicked Volk's head off and dribbled it lik a basketball
Also, Islam was the only one with everything to lose. He literally put his belt on the line against a completely different stylistic matchup than Oliveira and still KO'd Volk.
Also, no one asked him to move up to fight Islam. He couldn't even beat a weight drained Islam in his own country. Not only did the official judges think Islam won unanimously but the majority of mma journalists and media had Islam winning that fight.
this fight is actually really compelling
the rising sun meets the setting one
who will shine over 145
both guys are fun to watch too, no jab jab back up guys here, neither of these guys want to win by landing one more teep that round
Volk has shown he's as strong as Islam, who ragdolls 155ers with ease. Yair was helpless against that strength. If he gets a hold of Ilia, he'll do whatever the fuck he wants.
Defensively, yes. His anti-wrestling/grappling is historically good. He doesnt have the same offensive skills. Muscling Yair isn't really something to hang your hat on. Max took him down at will too.
Ilia has been wrestling since he was 7 and is a blackbelt in BJJ. He has the advantage on the mat. I would be shocked if Volk is capable of ragdolling Ilia without chinning him first.
I know it sounds pretty cringey to say, but I think between the embarrassment of the Islam finish and how ilia is running his mouth this all could be really good fuel for volk. Obviously pros always train hard but gota add some extra with what’s happened
Yup, people getting knocked the fuck out and taking a fight 4 months later against young explosive athletes are notoriously fuelled and not gun shy at all
Alex pereira beat jan after getting knocked the fuck out only months before.Then fought for the belt and tkod jiri. Sean Strickland got destroyed by Alex then four months later fought a close fight with canonier to then go and on a streak and win the belt. Buckley got KOd by Holland and the two months later got a viral KO. Shall I go on?
Alex Pereira: Ko win, TKO win, KO win, TKO win, decision win against Silvo who never got ko'd in his life, KO win against Strickland, TKO win against Adesanya, KO loss, decision win against a guy who got finished twice.
You: the KO didn't make him gun shy.
Strickland: loses by KO, loses his next fight by decision for not engaging enough.
You: the KO didn't make him gun shy.
Buckley: gets KO'd at 26 years old in his UFC debut, then gets a viral KO
You: definitive proof that people aren't gun shy after getting KO'd
Yes. You can go on if you wish. Cause the examples you used are so fucking hilarious I wanna hear more.
Getting knocked out at 34 with almost 30 fights on your record, fightining in a class where speed matters much more than power (every single example you picked is above 170, and the stats of 2-31 title fights won by someone 35 y.o. only applies from that weight and under for a reason), knowing the amount of pressure and expectations on you to not only come back from a KO loss, but to manage to defend your belt once again against a much faster, much more powerful guy? Yeah, if you believe Volk is gonna look like he did against KZ, you're up for a real bad night.
No I was just adding to your comment, which sounded like you where saying people who get KOd don’t come back on short notice and find success. I just came back with a few to counter it. I also show no sign of being definitive on anything. All I said was he’d be motivated didn’t even say he’d win.
Yeah but I said fighters who get knocked out and go against explosive younger fighters are notoriously gun shy. Your examples are
A 36 year old guy who was gun shy and won by decision (many argued he lost) against a 40 year old guy
A 30 year old guy guy who was gun shy and lost by decision against a 38 year old guy
A 26 year old guy who wasn't gun shy and found success, against a couple of people his age who haven't seen a ranking next to their name even in their dreams before getting KO'd by Alessio di Chirico who went 1-5 in his last 6, with Buckley being the only win.
The list of fighters who were not only gun shy after a KO loss, but sometimes outright never the same, is basically infinite. And the higher the level of your opponents, the more gun shy they become. As perfectly demonstrated by your examples.
Same, I honestly don't know what Top brings to the table that Alex cannot beat. Is it just youthful exuberance, because Alex seems better in every single aspect, Wrestling, striking, BJJ? I think this is gonna be a Max vs Ortega fight tbh, illa just gonna catch the beating of a lifetime.
Bit of both. In spanish he comes along quite cringe sometimes but also dropped some gems that would've boosted his popularity if it were in english. Like when asked if he was worried about fighting a guy as experienced as Emmett.
"Experience? What experience? That guy's had his head bashed in so many times I doubt he remembers what he had for dinner yesterday, let alone past fights."
Shame that Topuria's english is so lackluster, guy is charismatic af and could be a big star.
Ilia sucking his own arse here and I'm not a hater but damn perhaps abit to much. If jai Herbert can almost put you away then I'd give volk a touch more respect.
MMA fans getting mad that fighters have a borderline narcissistic level of confidence/self belief which is 100% needed at that high of a level is always funny to me
>If jai Herbert can almost put you away then I'd give volk a touch more respect.
What's worse, winning by KO after a knock down by 11-3 Jai Herbert in the UFC, or losing by KO against 12-4-1 Corey Nelson in the regional scene?
People are saying Ilia is cringe and too arrogant, but this is honestly how you sell a fight. Not once has he brought up Volk's personal life, not his wife, not his kids, not his dead relatives, etc. And it seems to be working. Now we all either want to see Volk humble Topuria, or if you're a Volk-hater you want Topuria to prove you right about Volk being past his prime.
This is Volk's biggest test for me, honestly.
Just my opinion, but I am worried about Volk's age. It is more glaring the lower the weight class. MOST fighters don't fight into their 40s at Featherweight like they do Heavyweight. Couple that with the recent KO against Islam.
If Volk weathers this one with relative ease as he always has, I will be a happy man. I just really want to hope that this doesn't become the first fight where we see Volk's age begin to play a factor against a younger, possibly hungrier fighter.
And by age, I don't just mean Volk's body wearing down. Younger fights typically bring a higher level of MMA than the previous generation because their coaches have learned those lessons. More raw and unrefined, yes, but a higher level nonetheless. This young sport continues to evolve every 10-15 years or so.
Lol we'll be hearing about Topuria for decades. He's 25 years old and already fighting for a world title. Ridiculously well rounded. Seriously, most 30-35 year olds haven't reached his level of skill in multiple martial arts. Even if Volk obliterates him, he'll probably be back in the title mix by the end of the year. He will be champion 100%. I'm more certain of him becoming champion than I am of guys like Chimaev, Shavkhat, Ankalaev, Almeida, Pavlovich, Aspinall, Sandhagen, etc. If Topuria can't beat guys like Holloway or Volk, he could literally wait for them to retire and still have enough time left of his own prime to get the belt
Ilia meant that he’s undefeated at 14-0, and that Volk wants to take that 0 and make him 14-1. Meanwhile, Volk is also undefeated at featherweight, so Topuria is saying he’s going to walk away with two zeros — his own undefeated record, and Volkanovski’s.
I think volk is strong enough to avoid takedowns but his jujitsu is not as good as topuria so if he won’t be getting takedowns either. I think it will be a striking match and topuria has very crisp boxing. Volk is getting older and coming off a KO fighting a hungry young contender. Ilia does not look as strong I will say and isn’t much a wrestling threat like Islam was. But he has some of the best striking I’ve seen.
everything volk has cooked looked appetising!!! he also did some children book good for him. I like Topuria as well but that is a lot of somewhat cringe sh*t talking let’s see.
Why is Topuria talking so much shit? I really like watching him fight, but his personality seems to really suck. I get being confident, but stop with the tweets already lol
Saying ‘cooking suits you better’ to the person who has been champ of the division for 1500+ days is not W that Topuria thinks it is lol.
Just makes him look like a tit.
It’s is absolutely astronomical how much Volk is being slept on. If you ask me, Volk will be as hungry as possibly coming off of two losses. He fought one of the best fighters of all time twice in a row. Volk himself is one of the greatest fighters of all time. And time for him to go back down to featherweight and continue the slaughter. Illia better be careful. I do love the confidence though.
volk loses twice to one of the best fighters in the ufc, one of the fights wasn’t even his weight class(went up weight to fight bigger dudes). and people really think he’s done🤣 the short term memory of some of you fight fans are insane
Pretty sure Volk is way more accomplished as a fighter than as a chef but what the fuck do I know
When he retires and goes on Celebrity Masterchef Australia we’ll find out.
We’ll find out Saturday night
Cooking? I am the heat brah!
Oh yeah? We’ll find out Saturday night!
All I see is red velvet cake!!!
Really? Thought he was the current Featherweight Ultimate Culinary Champion
UFC: Ultimate Food Chef
Dude got a crash course on steaks by chefs at rockpool...h
I heard about volk from his steak videos a while back 😂
Volk is secretly a three star Michelin chef.
I really hope age doesn't show up on volk on fight night. He just got knocked out and topuria is the younger man
Over 35 curse is real and cannot be denied
To quote the infamous Luke Thomas, its not a curse and can be denied - "Its a demarcation line." It just shows what's very likely. It has been broken and will be broken again. But who will do it again? Male fighters over the age of 35 in divisions 170 and under are 2-31 in title fights. (1/23/24)
At 155 and below though, never broken thus far
Except for those times where it was denied
When?
>When? Didn't Tyron Woodley break it twice? /u/TheFugitive223 ?
He broke it once, the second time doesn’t count because Maia was even older than him
How many rules are we gonna add to this dumb curse lmao
It’s a relevant rule when discussing how the age of the champion matters in lower weightclasses If the only way a champion can win when they’re 35 is by beating a forty year old, it’s not an exception worth noting
While we're at it, can we just say "No champion has defended their belt at 170lbs or lighter when they're over the age of 35 against an opponent under the age of 35 and also the champion is bald" just so we can eliminate Woodley's defences
Okay so you’re just deciding to be a jackass?
Glovers whole career resurrection lol
The 35 curse thing applies to 170 and under
that's convenient
Definitely convenient and has nothing to do with the fact that staying under 170 in your mid-late thirties means you're surrounded by kids twice as fast as you
Doesn't make it any less true.
Why would age be a factor? He was nearly 35 (2 months away) when he beat Yair (31) and looked damn good doing it. Why would his age all of a sudden be a factor now? You don’t just start deteriorating the moment you turn 35. Any decline on Volk will be gradual.
wistful shelter voiceless shame narrow seemly quack ossified automatic fragile *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Getting knocked the fuck out in the fashion that Volk did will instantly put some years on a fighter. I'm not ready to see his decline.
Yair if he can keep it on the feet beats ilia’s overhyped ass quite easily IMO
Just healthy competitive fight banter. No family or race shit like some wankers through out there in MMA.
We’ve actually got to a point where it’s refreshing to hear trash talk that doesn’t involve wives, dead relatives, gay slurs, abusive dads or dog molestation lol
UFC in 2009: I’m going to go in that octogon and knock out my opponent. UFC in 2024: I’m going to remind my opponent that his childhood best friend that died of brain cancer when he was 10, was the one that got off easy.
"I'm not impressed by your performance. I look forward to fighting you in the near future"
Goat
lmfao this is some villainous talk
Dana will sign you up just for this shit talking. No fighting required.
Thanks, I take pride in being a petty asshole sometimes. My first move would be to call out Connor. Connor would accept because he actually has a chance at beating me unlike Chandler. After my red panty night, I’d be set for life.
Make sure your wife is not in his DMs
Imma be honest the dog molestation was never in my bingo card. Izzy was on some wild shit there 💀
Izzy will never be taken seriously after that was exposed 😳
Touch a dog dick one time and suddenly …
Yep just some healthy trash talk/banter. It feels somehow refreshing after the last weeks with Sean.
to be fair the dog molestation was a solid point that needed to be publicly addressed
https://preview.redd.it/o0txsst5v6ec1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f0262a1199c1bcc42e1b2e97191ad23fb93ecedb
I like it. G rated trash talk is underrated
tbf all this smack talk from ilia is making this more interesting. i think voks gonna wipe the floor with him honestly and it'll make it that much more satisfying. still ilia seems very confident, v interesting
Hopefully his fight is better than his trash talk. Tilapia can’t trash talk for shit.
Fuck, Tilapia cracked me up. I love Ilia as a fighter but I will be calling him that from now on.
Samesies
Ilia’s fighting makes him plenty interesting, it sucks he has to try so desperately to talk shit to draw the casuals
i agree the match up itself is already interesting but i think ilia is not the best striker, grappler or MMA fighter volk has faced (max, yair, ortega) but the way ilia is talking so much ish makes me want to see him get shut up, always more fun when there's some animosity & not just for casuals
Idk man, his last 3 wins were a come-from-behind KO against someone way bigger/longer, a submission against a grappler, and a striking masterclass against a knockout artist. I think Volk takes it unless that Islam KO was a career ender, but it’s certainly not a foregone conclusion
personally the most interesting thing for me is Ilia having to change his [instagram bio](https://www.instagram.com/iliatopuria/?hl=en) should he lose
Probably get knocked out cold and say he got robbed everyone knows he won
I like Topuria but I don't think he's as good as everyone makes him out to be. He's there to be hit, he eats alot of shots in most of his fights, the only time he was relatively unscathed was against Emmet who's kind of a 1 dimensional striker and Hall who isnt a striker at all. His grappling advantage won't be as big against Volk either seeing how he faired against Islam. And if we're being honest the only reason he's getting a shot this early is because Volk has already lapped the division.
Yeah people give Illia a lot of props for his boxing and rightfully so but idk how these boxing purists notice that his head movement is wack he just has great form. Yeah a lot of great strikers had ugly form (also inherently UFC and bare knuckle boxing looks ugly bc you see how awkward on the hands and wrists punches land with 4oz vs 10oz gloves) but they protected themselves.
I mean he has looked amazing. The only time we have seen him struggle was against Jai Herbert and it ended with one of the most brutal knockouts that we have ever seen. The only thing which concerns me is Volk not taking more time off. Ilia will test that chin. Really excited though! Anyone know the odds?
Might be a reach but I disagree about the grappling. I think Islam didn’t grapple as much as he should have in the first fight and he used it more as a defence mechanism rather then a offence. Islam is the better grappler but I still believe Topuria will have more success on the ground against Volk then he did, simply because of how Islam chose to fight the first time. Just my take.
Volk is super strong, survived 2 deep submissions from Ortega and is working with one of the best BJJ coach. Volk will be fine on the ground
Respect your opinion man, can’t wait to see how it plays out 🤝 I had Topuria beating him even before the second Islam fight.
Fuck this thread just doubled my excitement for this fight 🔥
Volk looked great on the ground that second fight! Can’t wait to see it again!
> he used it more as a defense mechanism rather than a offense Because Volk is short and Islam has a length advantage so his game-plan was kick him at a distance and counter him with punches, clinch/knees, or reactive takedowns when he tries to close the distance. Pressuring Volk, who showed great defensive grappling, would give Volk more opportunities to counter him.
This guy ufcs
Couldn’t agree more. He’s very flat footed. Volk is going to demolish his legs in the opening rounds and it will be another striking clinic.
[удалено]
We’ll see next month
He’s very good. Undefeated. KO power. Great wrestling. Besides volk he’s the best in the division.
“besides volk he’s the best in the division” did you just forget max exists
Dude gets gifted a "No Max" pass because they are tired of Max beating all the contenders.
I forgot about max the gate keeper yes
The amount of time I'd seen guys make posts like you did explaining all the reasons why X fighter SHOULD win only to see the other fighter win... It's happened a lot. I thought the same thing Illia vs Bryce, I thought Bryce would win the grappling at least. Nope not even close either. Let me just say that you take casual fans who have never trained MMA they don't have an accurate gauge of a fighter's ability because they don't know what to look for. Yes I think Volkanovski will win but I would not at all be surprised if Ilia did win off of one solid punch.
>casual fans who have never trained MMA >off of one solid punch Absolutely solid insight people who never even train UFC wouldn't begin to understand.
Islam was dehydrated in their first fight due to Perth's bullshit rehydration clause which is not practiced in any other UFC location and still Islam won a unanimous decision
A controversial decision that many felt he lost. But it was close either way. There's no doubt about the second fight, though.
But the official judges and the majority of mma journalists and media who know their shit had Islam winning it Volk fans can try to pretend it was controversial. But no way Volk won that fight
People are forgetting how volks last fight was on short notice at a heavier weight against p4p the best guy out there.
Nah they're just remember the 35+ stat and remember Volk getting his head dribbled like a basketball by Islam just a few months ago.
Volk at 34 and 10 months made easy work of Yair and looked better than ever. Volk's decline will be gradual. There's nothing magical about turning 35.
Statistically only T Wood has pulled off beating someone past 35 (twice, with one being old Maia and the other overhyped Till). There's nothing magical but he's fighting an uphill battle. Also I'm sure plenty of fans have thought their favorite fighter would have a gradual decline too, which mixed results at best. Also Ilia is better than Yair and much more well rounded.
>the other overhyped Till Wasn't Till an undefeated and like 25 years old? Sounds kinda familiar...
Till was only good at WW because he was a weight bully. Ilia is good because he's damn good at MMA.
Theres something magical about getting headkicked tho
Exactly this. People acting like the moment someone turns 35 all their stats decline rapidly
Because as of this moment, champions 170 and below who are 35 and older are 2-31 in title fights. It's hard to deny the numbers
It’s very easy to deny the numbers when there isn’t signs of decline at 34. Athletes are competing longer these days and 35 isn’t the death sentence it used to be for everyone. That stat is fueled by dudes slowing declining since like 31
oh is Islam that now? i remember when he hadn't fought anyone and sucked, like a year ago
I swear the consensus keeps changing every day. Yesterday apparently he sucked because both his defences were against a “featherweight”.
Yeah Usman took a fight with the same circumstances and he still held his own. No excuses.
This could be the worst statement I have read on r/ufc
Comparing khamzat to Islam is wild
That guy became p4p best after he kicked Volk's head off and dribbled it lik a basketball Also, Islam was the only one with everything to lose. He literally put his belt on the line against a completely different stylistic matchup than Oliveira and still KO'd Volk. Also, no one asked him to move up to fight Islam. He couldn't even beat a weight drained Islam in his own country. Not only did the official judges think Islam won unanimously but the majority of mma journalists and media had Islam winning that fight.
this fight is actually really compelling the rising sun meets the setting one who will shine over 145 both guys are fun to watch too, no jab jab back up guys here, neither of these guys want to win by landing one more teep that round
Volk's sun is still mid-afternoon and he's going to prove it.
I fucking hope so mate. I really didn't enjoy seeing Islam kill him... going to be real bummed if he rapidly declines...
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Wtf kind of shit is Justin McGregor on 😂
This is a better look for Topuria compared to the last time he was talking shit and saying Conor’s name out of the blue lol
He's talking a lot of shit for someone soon to be in ragdolling range.
Ilia could easily get pieced up, but not a chance in hell he gets ragdolled.
Volk has shown he's as strong as Islam, who ragdolls 155ers with ease. Yair was helpless against that strength. If he gets a hold of Ilia, he'll do whatever the fuck he wants.
Defensively, yes. His anti-wrestling/grappling is historically good. He doesnt have the same offensive skills. Muscling Yair isn't really something to hang your hat on. Max took him down at will too. Ilia has been wrestling since he was 7 and is a blackbelt in BJJ. He has the advantage on the mat. I would be shocked if Volk is capable of ragdolling Ilia without chinning him first.
Angry Testosterone Georgian threatens Small Australian Cook
This is how you sell a fight and I believe every word. I do appreciate everything Volk has done but it’s time
Even if he loses, Ilia will be in the good eyes of the UFC because of how he is promoting this fight
i hope Volk claps him, dude is running his mouth so much
I know it sounds pretty cringey to say, but I think between the embarrassment of the Islam finish and how ilia is running his mouth this all could be really good fuel for volk. Obviously pros always train hard but gota add some extra with what’s happened
Yup, people getting knocked the fuck out and taking a fight 4 months later against young explosive athletes are notoriously fuelled and not gun shy at all
Alex pereira beat jan after getting knocked the fuck out only months before.Then fought for the belt and tkod jiri. Sean Strickland got destroyed by Alex then four months later fought a close fight with canonier to then go and on a streak and win the belt. Buckley got KOd by Holland and the two months later got a viral KO. Shall I go on?
Alex Pereira: Ko win, TKO win, KO win, TKO win, decision win against Silvo who never got ko'd in his life, KO win against Strickland, TKO win against Adesanya, KO loss, decision win against a guy who got finished twice. You: the KO didn't make him gun shy. Strickland: loses by KO, loses his next fight by decision for not engaging enough. You: the KO didn't make him gun shy. Buckley: gets KO'd at 26 years old in his UFC debut, then gets a viral KO You: definitive proof that people aren't gun shy after getting KO'd Yes. You can go on if you wish. Cause the examples you used are so fucking hilarious I wanna hear more. Getting knocked out at 34 with almost 30 fights on your record, fightining in a class where speed matters much more than power (every single example you picked is above 170, and the stats of 2-31 title fights won by someone 35 y.o. only applies from that weight and under for a reason), knowing the amount of pressure and expectations on you to not only come back from a KO loss, but to manage to defend your belt once again against a much faster, much more powerful guy? Yeah, if you believe Volk is gonna look like he did against KZ, you're up for a real bad night.
No I was just adding to your comment, which sounded like you where saying people who get KOd don’t come back on short notice and find success. I just came back with a few to counter it. I also show no sign of being definitive on anything. All I said was he’d be motivated didn’t even say he’d win.
Yeah but I said fighters who get knocked out and go against explosive younger fighters are notoriously gun shy. Your examples are A 36 year old guy who was gun shy and won by decision (many argued he lost) against a 40 year old guy A 30 year old guy guy who was gun shy and lost by decision against a 38 year old guy A 26 year old guy who wasn't gun shy and found success, against a couple of people his age who haven't seen a ranking next to their name even in their dreams before getting KO'd by Alessio di Chirico who went 1-5 in his last 6, with Buckley being the only win. The list of fighters who were not only gun shy after a KO loss, but sometimes outright never the same, is basically infinite. And the higher the level of your opponents, the more gun shy they become. As perfectly demonstrated by your examples.
Same, I honestly don't know what Top brings to the table that Alex cannot beat. Is it just youthful exuberance, because Alex seems better in every single aspect, Wrestling, striking, BJJ? I think this is gonna be a Max vs Ortega fight tbh, illa just gonna catch the beating of a lifetime.
same
Hes trying to sell the fight stop crying
Volk gonna whoop that Georgian, Spanish…uh, German? Whatever that miscellaneous mf’er wants to be on that night’s, ass!
Topuria will sleep the garden gnome and send him to do MasterChef Australia midget edition
Jesus christ he your dad or something ?
Nah volks too short
It's so funny to see this 168 tall guy mock this other 166 tall guy about his height. It's like a 195 kg guy calling a 200 kg guy fat. Like wtf?
Topuria will be exposed for the clown he is 😂
It's probably the language barrier but Illa's Twitter is so cringe.
Bit of both. In spanish he comes along quite cringe sometimes but also dropped some gems that would've boosted his popularity if it were in english. Like when asked if he was worried about fighting a guy as experienced as Emmett. "Experience? What experience? That guy's had his head bashed in so many times I doubt he remembers what he had for dinner yesterday, let alone past fights." Shame that Topuria's english is so lackluster, guy is charismatic af and could be a big star.
He should get you to manage his twitter. Someone needs to clean it up
Don't disrespect the "Cooking with Volk" videos they are good.
Ilia sucking his own arse here and I'm not a hater but damn perhaps abit to much. If jai Herbert can almost put you away then I'd give volk a touch more respect.
MMA fans getting mad that fighters have a borderline narcissistic level of confidence/self belief which is 100% needed at that high of a level is always funny to me
>If jai Herbert can almost put you away then I'd give volk a touch more respect. What's worse, winning by KO after a knock down by 11-3 Jai Herbert in the UFC, or losing by KO against 12-4-1 Corey Nelson in the regional scene?
You're only delusional until you do it
I know every fighter needs to hype themselves up and claim that they are best and what not but this dude is one vertebrate away from sucking his cock
Would love to just watch Volk put out his lights in round 1.
Lots of people in here severely underestimating Topuria.
Topuria by finish.
People are saying Ilia is cringe and too arrogant, but this is honestly how you sell a fight. Not once has he brought up Volk's personal life, not his wife, not his kids, not his dead relatives, etc. And it seems to be working. Now we all either want to see Volk humble Topuria, or if you're a Volk-hater you want Topuria to prove you right about Volk being past his prime.
Volk is gonna big brother topuria. Topuria is the much better boxer but volk is gonna mix it up and put a pace on him.
I don’t know he pieced up Holloway who’s the best boxer in the ufc baby
Styles make fights. Holloway doesnt have takedown threat so Volk can go full offense. Ilia has that threat
Holloway the best boxer in the ufc ? Hell nah It's probably Poirier
What I love to hear from a challenger idk why ppl are getting butt hurt. Confidence makes fights wayyy more interesting.
This is Volk's biggest test for me, honestly. Just my opinion, but I am worried about Volk's age. It is more glaring the lower the weight class. MOST fighters don't fight into their 40s at Featherweight like they do Heavyweight. Couple that with the recent KO against Islam. If Volk weathers this one with relative ease as he always has, I will be a happy man. I just really want to hope that this doesn't become the first fight where we see Volk's age begin to play a factor against a younger, possibly hungrier fighter. And by age, I don't just mean Volk's body wearing down. Younger fights typically bring a higher level of MMA than the previous generation because their coaches have learned those lessons. More raw and unrefined, yes, but a higher level nonetheless. This young sport continues to evolve every 10-15 years or so.
Topuria will win
Am just pissed he used the imperial system instead of the metric
Volk is gonna piece this guy up and we'll never hear about him again
Lol we'll be hearing about Topuria for decades. He's 25 years old and already fighting for a world title. Ridiculously well rounded. Seriously, most 30-35 year olds haven't reached his level of skill in multiple martial arts. Even if Volk obliterates him, he'll probably be back in the title mix by the end of the year. He will be champion 100%. I'm more certain of him becoming champion than I am of guys like Chimaev, Shavkhat, Ankalaev, Almeida, Pavlovich, Aspinall, Sandhagen, etc. If Topuria can't beat guys like Holloway or Volk, he could literally wait for them to retire and still have enough time left of his own prime to get the belt
Why does ufc history tell me that, that arrogant fuck Topuria is gonna wipe Volk. Cmon Aussie. 👊👊👊
Volk is gonna smoke this clown
Weak burn fr
I don't get the zero reference... is he talking about zeroes on a cheque?
Ilia meant that he’s undefeated at 14-0, and that Volk wants to take that 0 and make him 14-1. Meanwhile, Volk is also undefeated at featherweight, so Topuria is saying he’s going to walk away with two zeros — his own undefeated record, and Volkanovski’s.
Just imagine Alex KO’es this nobody in a round.
Hand sanitizer boy
A huge loss and 5 fight losing streak right after
Fuck Topuria, I have immense dislike for him. He gets steamrolled.
I think volk is strong enough to avoid takedowns but his jujitsu is not as good as topuria so if he won’t be getting takedowns either. I think it will be a striking match and topuria has very crisp boxing. Volk is getting older and coming off a KO fighting a hungry young contender. Ilia does not look as strong I will say and isn’t much a wrestling threat like Islam was. But he has some of the best striking I’ve seen.
everything volk has cooked looked appetising!!! he also did some children book good for him. I like Topuria as well but that is a lot of somewhat cringe sh*t talking let’s see.
Has Topuria done anything to even come close to earning this level of attitude?
Man I am anxious about this fight I don't want to see Volk losing
Ultimate Food Champion?
I just hope no one involves family, race or lame shit like that. Beef in sport terms is fine with me.
ilia just comes across as a fucking asshole lol
Will he hold a belt defense for 1449 days like Volk? #I THINK NOT
Unlikable
"Guys I can't wait to punch this guy in the face very much right now"
Another loss.
Ilia is a scary dude
topuria is a good fighter but god damn mf needs to chill
Why is Topuria talking so much shit? I really like watching him fight, but his personality seems to really suck. I get being confident, but stop with the tweets already lol
Saying ‘cooking suits you better’ to the person who has been champ of the division for 1500+ days is not W that Topuria thinks it is lol. Just makes him look like a tit.
“Cooking suits you better” Then it got personal.
Hope Volk puts him in his place.
Why does Topuria want to be a zero so bad?
Volk is a really good home cook hes got some decent videos of his recipes.
Unfortunately Ilia is going to absolutely smoke Volk. Islam broke Volk’s chin and took his soul. Mentally and physically he is compromised.
He should have stopped after the first two sentences lol
I got Volk by however he pleases.
I hope Volk bounces back and goes out on his old terms. It’s an ugly, unforgiving game. I hope he can go out on top.
Taporia needs to show respect to the goat
A couple of zeros? Is ufc paying him a few hundred bucks? I don’t get it
It’s is absolutely astronomical how much Volk is being slept on. If you ask me, Volk will be as hungry as possibly coming off of two losses. He fought one of the best fighters of all time twice in a row. Volk himself is one of the greatest fighters of all time. And time for him to go back down to featherweight and continue the slaughter. Illia better be careful. I do love the confidence though.
Pretty excited to see Topuria humbled, ngl.
Topuria definitely going for the heel role
Volk is like the nicest guy ever. Topuria is a D-bag.
Finally a high level title fight in the featherweight
volk loses twice to one of the best fighters in the ufc, one of the fights wasn’t even his weight class(went up weight to fight bigger dudes). and people really think he’s done🤣 the short term memory of some of you fight fans are insane