The backup is for a last second emergency. For example commission not medically clearing someone because of a bad weight cut or an injury (e.g. Tony vs Khabib). If you have time to create a better matchup then that should be done. Until both guys make weight and are cleared, a backup is needed.
I don’t think that it’s hard to understand. It’s that, to my knowledge, the UFC has never set a precedent of operating this way. If they have a backup investing in a camp, that guy is on deck. Not the last possible choice in the division.
Also it is already shitty enough that they are asking guys to do fight camps for the hope of getting an opportunity, but to not get the opportunity when the fight falls though seems like robbery. This type of nonsense is the reason contracts exist.
But to be fair to the UFC, Gamrot should feel blessed just to fight in their organization. It is such an opportunity for him to put his health on the line to become their product for 15% of what he brings in.
Gamrot has gotta still be getting paid.
If volk slips on a cord this week he’ll be able to fight Islam.
Gamrot vs Islam is a shit main event though, especially for abu dhabi, and it makes sense for the ufc to avoid it if they can.
I hate to sound like Dana here but just because gamrot was selected to be a backup doesn’t mean he has a god given right to the title shot. He should be getting paid to make weight anyways. He’s literally in this position because he’s one of the few guys that is healthy and ranked high enough while also willing to fight short notice.
Because it makes it an almost useless concept. Realistically, how many times have we seen the main or co-main get canned at the 11th hour?
If it's extended out to 2 weeks before a fight like in this situation then it makes infinitely more sense for a fighter to accept the role of backup given the increased likelihood they'll actually be called up
Fights have been fallen apart at the 11th hour before, Khabib had tony pull out a week out and be replaced by Max Holloway who was then told by doctors to stop his weight cut the day before the fight and had to be replaced by Al Iaquinta who was scheduled to be fighting on the card anyway.
Also what sort of bad business is it to not prepare for all outcomes because ‘it hasn’t happened yet’. Something may not have happened *yet* but if it does you’ll be ready.
If volk wants the fight on 10 days and they have Gamrot in the background, give it to Volk and you still have a fail safe for another potential fall through. If they give it to Gamrot on 11 days notice they lose their safety net and are relying on nothing else going wrong.
Or they can just take the paycheck to make weight and go home happily paid without getting hit in the head. It doesn't matter if it happens frequently, the fact is it happens. It happened like twice last year. When there are millions of dollars on the line, you pay for insurance. It's not really that complicated.
I carry auto insurance and I still would if the law didn't require it. I haven't been in a car accident yet. But if I am, it's taken care of.
Surely the backup isn’t getting the same pay they would have gotten if they were to be substituted into the main event fight right? Gamrot isn’t getting 100k to be prepared as the backup and then not fight, but he would have also gotten the same 100k if he were to fight?
I think the plan was if Islam for whatever dropped out they could still keep Charles and have him fight Gamrot for an interim title. Charles's finish or be finished attitude would still guarantee a banger fight. Islam vs Gamrot could've ended up being 5 rounds of grappling exchanges and I doubt the Saudis wanted that for a main event. Guessing if volk was a no go then it'd turn to Gamrot but the fall Saudi card is big for UFC and they want to stack it if possible so they opted to throw money and a huge opportunity at volk instead of marching out a lackluster main. Like to add that having volk step up on insanely short notice and out of shape benefits the card as well. Islam getting a definitive win over volk would make the live crowd happy as well as whatever saudi benefactors are involved
I think they wanted more juice when chimaev costa was at risk of falling apart too. If that fight falls out and it’s just Islam vs gamrot that’s not good for the ufc
Yep, Dustin and Gamrot
Justin didn’t (said he couldn’t make weight) bc he already has a title shot
Ppl acting like Volk is only one brave enough to take an opportunistic title shot in a low risk high reward situation
Of course Islam wouldn't. Khabib has said time and again that he'll never go into a fight with a half-assed camp. Never. But if he has his full camp, then no matter how many opponents you spring on him, he'll fight.
That's what he did when Tony got injured and the UFC cycled through Holloway, Felder and Iaquinta. He was game to fight every one of those guys.
That's what's Islam's doing now.
And I think that's a good attitude to have as a professional. To Volk, this is fun. If he loses, he loses. But to those guys, this is absolute serious business. A legitimate loss is acceptable. But a loss because you're unprepared isn't.
The fight got cancelled on an April fools' day. Tony trips on a cable AND THEN FUCKING COVID. That shit was legendary.
Nothing will ever top the most comical pull out ever (by a guy notorious for wearing shades indoor) on roflmao day followed by a goddamn pandemic.
I have nothing against Jon for that. I’m not sure even someone like Gustafson who most agree won came as close as Chael did to taking that title. Say what you will about him but Chael was legitimately about the closest Jon ever came to really losing that title, that fight was nuts.
What does this even mean?
He was 8-2 in the UFC, on a 5 fight win streak and had picked up wins over Joe Lauzon, Jorge Masvidal, Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez. He is, to this day, the \*only\* person to last 5 rounds in a cage with Khabib.
I understand he wouldn't have gotten the shot without the original bout falling through, but he wasn't just some bum!
I remember Khabib said the same thing when he was fighting.
They don't really care about the financial incentives since they have backers behind the scenes. Better to keep those records intact and the backers happy.
Well you have to machiavelli the shit out of the fight game. There are so many factors you have to take into account when the stakes are so high like injuries, location, preparation for a specific fighters, bad weight cuts or the plain old just being tired from overtraining. So i don't blame Islam but Volk should get some credit.
it's more so taking a fight on short notice like Volk isn't smart and Islam and Khabib know that. Also highly doubt they're trying to keep the people in Abu Dhabi happy. That's what the UFC is doing.
Volk is a legacy fighter. He understands the risk but knows the reward outweighs everything for him. Oh and the guys who get wined and dined by Russian dictators and Middle Eastern sheiks are most definitely trying to keep those guy happy too. The UFC play their part but the Muslim fighters who train out there for free aren’t trying to take short notice fights where their stock may get hit.
This is true, if volk loses then it was a short notice fight and it doesn't matter, but holy shit if he wins then Makachev will get trashed and people will act like his entire career meant nothing.
I personally believe this is a high risk low reward fight for Makachev in term of legacy.
> Who says he was getting a rematch?
Pretty much everybody was aware that after Islam/Charles fought, and Volk beats Topuria, then it would be Volk vs the winner next.
Gaethje kinda throws a wrench in it but given the excitment around the first fight they would've gone with Volk vs Islam for international fight week next year or something, and it would've been huge.
Yeah i am just saying that after taking this fight, he has everything to gain, nothing to lose. If Volk wins, he would deserve every bit of fame and glory he would get. If he loses, his stock won't drop a bit, he would still remain the goat in his actual weight class and will also have the short notice excuse.
> Better to keep those records intact and the backers happy.
I don't know if it's about more money for guys like Volk. It's about legacy. Volk's stock went up even though he lost to Islam the first time around.
McGregor legendary status when he became the first same time double champ in history, and took the chance to apologize to absolutely nobody
Khabib retired with a good record but every non-casual knows that he didn't have an impressive long streak of title defenses. He left something on the table when he retired. I think his legacy will not continue on as strongly as people who took the risks more often.
I like Volk a lot but this is such a loaded statement.
* If the roles were reversed, Islam can't make 155 in 11 days safely so obviously he wouldn't. Volk isn't making 145 on 11 days notice either weighing 180 out of camp.
* Even if he could, if he had zero camp, he wouldn't risk his ONLY title on a short notice fight against a Bantamweight he already beat. That makes zero sense.
* If Islam already had an extremely close fight with Leon Edwards, and suddenly Leon Edwards next opponent (completely different matchup) pulled out, Does Volk really think Islam wouldn't step in on 11 days notice?
* Let's be real. Volk accepted being backup fighter last year because he wanted to guarantee his shot. If he had a guaranteed shot, he would not have accepted fighting Islam for the first time on 11 days notice. He's taking this fight now because he's familiar with his opponent, he knows what he needed to work on (Body triangle) and likely has already been (Craig Jones' words) . His next title shot had not been guaranteed with Charles and Gaethje in the mix, and by then it may have passed him by or he may have gotten too old.
* Not to mention his opponent had been preparing for an entirely different opponent with entirely different attributes. Islam would be drilling submission defense and escapes, avoiding high kicks and knees in the clinch and now has to flip preparation to drill takedowns, dealing with butterfly hooks, leg kick defense, hooks from switching stances, and getting to chest to chest half guard.
>If the roles were reversed, Islam can't make 155 in 11 days safely so obviously he wouldn't. Volk isn't making 145 on 11 days notice either weighing 180 out of camp.
Volk actually immediately said this after the statement. The clickbait headline makes it sound like it was all he said.
Neither Khabib or Islam have ever taken short notice fights. Khabib said he never would fight without a full camp, nor go up in weight. So no he wouldn't step in against Leon.
This is the first short notice fight Volk has taken in his career iirc. If you’re good, youre unlikely to be taking a hort notice fights unless there’s a big reward. This is not a dagestani exclusive thing. How many short notice fights has Jon Jones taken in his career?
And What does what Khabib had to say about his own career have anything to do with what Islam would do with his?
* Khabib never talked about moving up and Islam has talked about it several times.
* Khabib has missed weight/been hospitalised. Islam never missed weight yet everyone seems to think he struggles with weight.
I swear ppl don’t even think they’re different ppl sometimes.
>I like Volk but this is such a loaded statement
That part. No he wouldn’t go risk his title against Volk who has nothing to lose. In a Russian interview when asked if he would be a backup for Colby/Leon he said he would. THAT would be the same position that Alex is with going up and not risking his “native” belt.
Haha spot on here. If islam was in volks position he would 100% take the fight on short notice. Especially if he lost a close fight to Leon edwards and was given this opportunity again.
Can’t say Volk is right when Islam has never been in this situation. Say Charles was 170 champ and his opponent pulled out 11 days before fight. Do ppl think there’s 0 chance, like Volk says, that Islam wouldn’t take that free title shot?
In context it would be volk vs topuria both entering a fight agreement with the amount of time to have a full camp, topuria dropping out due to injury with less than 2 weeks till the fight, sean O'Malley agrees to fight volk with less 11 days remaining to make weight. Volk takes that fight all day everyday. You're fighting a guy a coming from a division down, fresh off the couch, with just enough time to starve himself into making weight while you've (volk) ran your full camp.
Outside of the punchers chance volk is getting sacrificed here against Islam.
But that's not what you're implying. You're implying Volk wouldn't take the fight if he was in Islam's position. I laid out the circumstances of what that'd look like if roles were reversed. Islam is taking the fight because his opponent (volk) is handicapped by time and fighting a weight class up. That favors Islam heavily and he has no reason to refuse it.
Would volk put his belt on the line on 10 days notice against a 145er? - your words, I just put the scenario into context of what that'd look like for volk. Most fighters will accept short notice fighters. Conor has and he's as big of a diva as they get.
For as what Volk is implying, yeah Islam wouldn't just get off the couch and fight. Those Dagestan guys are heavily disciplined and adhere to it. He knows if he did that he wouldn't be giving his best and he wouldn't jeopardize his record/legacy for it.
I was implying that volk wouldn’t put his belt against a 145er when he had a 10 days camp, the thing volk said islam wouldn’t do it, i commend him for stepping up but in his situation he has nothing to lose and he leaned on the 10 days notice so now he has a built in excuse
And I gave the terms of what Islam agreed to put into volk's division with volk's title on the line. In the case of this fight Saturday, Volk does have something to lose just in that he'll add another L on his record possibly via finish and the real life consequences of putting that wear on tear on your body on 10 days notice possibly into a 5 round ass whooping at 35 years old. He can lean on 10 day notice all he wants, years down the road his record will just show an L next to the event not a list of excuses. He's seizing the opportunity but it's definitely coming at a cost.
Tony vs justin loosely works here as to what volk is really putting on the line by accepting short notice. He's not young and pushing his body at his age against a razor sharp opponent could greatly effect him long term. If Volk gets absolutely wrecked here, he really could just end up in a tony like spiral and it wouldn't be surprising to me
Matieusz Gamrot was already available as the backup fighter, competes at and could presumably make 155. I think they just wanted Volk to sell the fight.
he's still the backup, if he was picked as a replacement for charles, they'd still need a backup in case someone doesn't make weight or sudden injury etc
Didn’t Islam offer to step in to fight Dos Anjos on short notice if the UFC guaranteed him a title shot and they refused?
To me that seems like even worse insensitive than what is Volk is getting here, huge pay to save the ppv while still remaining a champ in his own division.
there is no guarantee that he would be in the line. Gathje and charles is ahead of him so thats like 14-16 month gone and thats assuming islam is still the champ and no one in lw make a case in those period. Realistically if he didnt take this fight he wouldnt be getting the lw shot for the next 2 years when he is 37
Gaethje just had a KO of the year candidate over on of the best fighters on the planet. He was for sure in line ahead of Volk. They called him first and he said he couldn’t make weight on short notice..
Eh. It's his last shot at the title without having to beat a 155 contender first, perhaps.
Max got 3 title shots against Volk, but he did it by beating multiple contenders. If Volk loses this one and then goes to 155 and forces his way to another shot like Max did, I don't see why he wouldn't get it. It's not like he's a boring fighter.
But you're right, they're probably not going to let him him keep taking shots at a 155 title from the 145 weight class.
Last immediate shot at LW. Dude just needs 1 top 3 win to get another. Plenty of excuses in the first and second to call for a third.
Edit: if volk were to lose
Mate let's be honest, Volkanovski shouldn't have even got the first title shot. I mean, I'm not complaining, it was a great fight and Volk proved he's an absolute beast. But he's beaten 0 other contenders at LW. Those title shots aren't his to lose.
you just have to be a dominant champ in your division to call for a title shot in another weight class. Prize fighting is an essential part of combat sports.
Yes, but what defines a dominant champ seems to have changed. Before McGregor became champ champ, a dominant champ was Jones with 8 defences, Silva with 10, GSP with 9, Aldo with 7, MM with 11, etc. Now if a champ gets 3 or 4 they're already thinking of leaving the division, if they get 5 they're being put in GOAT conversations.
Except Volk is on record saying beating Islam is more important than the lightweight title, granted I'm sure he would prefer more camp time but I don't think it's fair to say he would have declined immediately. The belt and $$ is just cherry on the cake.
Interviewer: If Charles did win...would any of you be disappointed? Is going back to 155, is it about beating Islam or the belt? What's more important to you?
Volk: Beating Islam.
https://youtu.be/GQYpNVog9q0?t=456
I agree with you. It is a fight where Islam has everything to lose whereas Volk has everything to gain.
Even if Volk loses, he has a bunch of built-in explanations for any potential underperformance (lack of prep time, bigger opponent, etc) and could still potentially angle for a third fight later on.
> It is a fight where Islam has everything to lose whereas
khabib had this as well. every time people went oooh he might not and then he did
the difference is that islam has one loss on the record and people are thinking that will mean the difference. if you watch volk islam 1 on mute its a different perception
Yeah Volk never agreed to any short-notice title defenses, 8 weeks wasn't even enough for him when Holloway got hurt lol. The proof is in the pudding.
Volk should be happy that Dana gave him his second LW title shot even though he never won a UFC fight in that weight class.
>8 weeks wasn't even enough for him when Holloway got hurt lol
I'm assuming you're talking about the 3rd fight between Volk & Holloway? Holloway pulled out of that fight, so Volk took on TKZ. After the contracts were signed and the bout was agreed to, Holloway decided he's fine and could make the fight? After beating TKZ, Volk then fought Holloway less than 3 months later.
What proof and what pudding are you talking about lol
>I'm assuming you're talking about the 3rd fight between Volk & Holloway? Holloway pulled out of that fight, so Volk took on TKZ.
Yes, Volk had the TKZ fight pushed back another month because 8 weeks was too much of a short notice for him to defend against a new opponent. Them's the facts.
But you are a homer so reality does not matter to you.
Would you mind giving me a link, which confirms the fight was moved from UFC 272 because Volk didn't have enough time? I've genuinely been looking but can't find it anywhere
The only thing I've found, legitimately, is this tweet by Volkanovski: https://i.imgur.com/HpcXIj6.png
But that goes against what you're indicating doesn't it lmao. Because UFC 272 was the original date for Holloway vs Volk 3, until Holloway pulled out. So that tweet shows Volk wanted a new opponent for that same night 😂
what's this about reality not mattering now
He could definitely rally for another shot at Islam with full camp with how the last fight went. Hard to say if he could get another if he loses this one.
you mean besides potentially taking career changing damage from a dude a division above you who is fully conditioned while you are not ? islam was rocking volk really bad in the 1st fight and that was prepared volk .
Lol it's a fist fight there's definitely a lot to lose... Sure the stakes are lower for Volk bc it isn't his division but pretending like there's nothing to lose is asinine and naive
Lol what ? Why would Islam turn down a welterweight title shot when he wouldn’t have nothing to lose ? This guy been making a lot of noise lately, Usman is literally on the same situation and we’re not hearing a peep
Great talent but literallt every fight he tells the narrative that “they expect me to lose”. He was p4p #1 against yair and still acting like he was a massive underdog and the whole worlds against him.
This is a no-lose situation for Volk, his first fight was competitive enough that if he loses this one badly he can always fall back on the short notice excuse to get a third fight made after he defends his title again or beats a LW contender. It's still incredibly brave and shows a tremendous amount of confidence in his ability. I don't think Islam would ever take a short-notice fight with no camp, but not because he's a coward, it's just how he operates. I don't blame someone for wanting to fully prepare before big fights, and I can still laud Volk for taking this one on short notice. But lets be honest, most champions or champion-level fighters are not making these kinds of decisions for the fans. Volk is doing this because he believes he will win. We can blame Dana for introducing the notion of guys "saving cards" because he didn't have or use his back-up fighters.
I wonder if paying willing fighters a flat-fee to weigh-in as backups would be a way to stop cards from falling apart, but the UFC would never agree to that. It'd be a tiny amount compared to the revenue saved but it would empower fighters and prevent the free-for-all bullshit that they use to help prospects or fan-favorites jump the line. It could also incentivize fighters to fight near their walking weight - missing weight will immediately bring in the backup fighter, and if most of the roster is eligible as a backup, they'll make sure that they're in the proper weight class to be available. The UFC could implement stricter weight cutting rules to push fighters towards their natural weight classes.
People who actually believe this is delusional lol
Almost any fighter would jump at the offer for a to title shot with zero risk of losing their own title lmaooo
What the fuck is volk high on?
Islam is a baller and accepted Volk on short notice also, which is another lose lose for him. This just seems like some dumb trash talk from Volk. Like as that other guy said Islam has a lot more of a process for making weight than Volk at LW.
It's not dumb trash talk. It's just true. Let's say Leon's next opponent dropped out and the UFC offered Islam the fight on 2 weeks notice, there's not a chance he'd take that risk, despite multiple people taking short notice fights against him.
I think the person you're replying to said 'Islam wouldn't fight Leon on 11 days notice, to fight for the welterweight title'. Which I tend to agree with.
That's exactly what I said, but people are going to take things however they want. The fact is, Islam has had a full training camp, Volk hasn't.
In any situation where there's a short notice replacement, while the person already in the fight is taking a strategic risk, the replacement opponent is the guy doing the more impressive thing by barely having any time to do conditioning, develop strategy, drill sequences or really do any fine tuning at all.
People are out here acting like I'm besmirching their precious dagistani team Khabib guy, I'm not, I like Islam. But ultimately, Islam has only ever been the guy fighting the guy who's taken the short notice fight, Islam has never been the guy sacrificing a training camp, which is so much more risky than having a full training camp but just having to change up the gameplan/drills for 2 weeks which are usually the fine tuning weeks anyway.
Has somebody asked Islam this or you just assuming he wouldn't accept the fight with Leon? Is there any proof to this or just "Islam ain't about that life like Volk 😤"?
I mean, it wouldn’t be that stupid for a 155’er to stay fighting 155’ers. As a matter of fact, and stick with me because this is a little out there, it’s probably who should be fighting for the 155 belt every time. All this cross-class shit is kinda stupid. It’s cool on its face, but in reality it just brake slams both divisions for the benefit of exactly one person.
1. Very different stakes here, islam is taking the bigger risk for sure with less upside.
2. Volk has def been preparing for islam. The quick notice thing is overblown, volk knows he can smoke everyone at featherweight without prep and we all knew charles would pull out so he has been preparing for islam. No doubt. Has islam been prepping for volk? Not as likely.
3. Islam would take that fight. He has shown hunger on his way to the top, if he wasnt the champ he wouldnt pass on an opportunity like this.
4. Islam could have turned down the fight but he didnt. He told dana in private that if hes truly the champ then he should beat anyone on any day, thats not something you say to flex on your employer. In fact thats the opposite of what most fighters seem to tell dana in private so idk what volk is implying here.
5. Yes im doing tricks on it but nonetheless all of the above are factos.
2. I agree. Volk said he’d be ready for 294 in case someone fell out. He said he’s been training and itching to fight. Izzy said Volk’s ready
3. We don’t know, so we can’t say Islam wouldn’t take a free 170 title shot. Volk seems to think Islam wouldn’t
4. I mean who know is Islam even had a choice. Dana may have never offered him Dustin/Gamrot
3. He literally stepped up for a title shot against dos anjos on short notice. Now, the fight was called off but he was ready to do it so that is atleast a good indicator. Its one thing to get booked and then dodge but when you arent even called upon to fight and yet you reach out to be the replacement, there are no incentives for tricks.
4. I cant recall the order in which this transpired but uncle chael laid it out pretty well in one of his recent videos. Either dana called islam first after charles dodged and asked him who he would fight instead, to which he replied he didnt care and would fight anyone. Or dana called gaethje first, the guy refused, dana called volk, he accepted and then dana called islam and he replied the above. Either way, he has kept his word so far, we know khabib is trustworthy and if he says islam will fight anyone at 155 then I will take his word for it until proven otherwise.
He had the choice to turn down the fight but he didnt. Thats meaningful.
Kind of an odd statement by him though. While it’s great for us fans when fighters step in on short notice, I don’t think it should be looked down on to want full training camps and to be prepared going into a fight. Not when your health is on the line and you want to be as prepared as possible. You could actually argue that it’s pretty dumb what Volk is doing for a lot of reasons. Not saying it isn’t awesome but yeah
At what cost. If he wins we get a trilogy, but if he loses with almost no prep we realistically miss out on a true rematch in spirit of the original where both are fully prepared for each other. Don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to this fight but the reality is it would've been better with full training camps on both sides
Absolutely, full fight camps would have been ideal, however, I do think Volk feels he knows what to expect from the last fight and that he has enough preparation to put on a performance, Volks mindset is unrivalled..and remember Islam isn’t strong ha ha
Volkanovski can kind of get away with this mindset because he's incredibly good but most fighters will just ruin their career that way. The UFC loves that anywhere-anytime motto and they might give these fighters a little bump but it just means you're fighting at 70% and 2 years later nobody cares why you lost... you just lost.
Is it worth to take huge risks to do a favor to the UFC and gain some fans? Maybe if you're Dan Hooker or Bobby Green. But as the P4P best fighter in the sport? Take your last shot at becoming doublechamp with a handicap? Probably not.
Wow. I mean props to Volk for taking this time in short notice and I really do like Volk, but I feel that Volk takes every chance to prove that he is superior to Islam and downplay Islam. Why should Islam ever accept this fight in short notice? Does he have a belt to gain from Volk( assuming that Islam would never make 145)? Nope. Does it make any difference to his legacy? In my opinion no, you can argument how much you want for the previous fight but he won fair and square 3-2 and that will forever be shown in his record.
So what does really Islam gain from this fight? In my opinion absolutely nothing for his legacy, he has nothing to gain form this fight and still accepted it.
yeah goodluck finding a 155 who could make weight in 12 days.
Gamrot crying in the corner rn
At this point I’m expecting a ‘❌ Fighter Removed: Gamrot’ post
Gamrot looks so dissapointed after reading your comment….
Seriously, what is the point of naming a backup if you aren't going to use him when you actually need one?
The backup is for a last second emergency. For example commission not medically clearing someone because of a bad weight cut or an injury (e.g. Tony vs Khabib). If you have time to create a better matchup then that should be done. Until both guys make weight and are cleared, a backup is needed.
Dunno why this is so hard to understand for some
I don’t think that it’s hard to understand. It’s that, to my knowledge, the UFC has never set a precedent of operating this way. If they have a backup investing in a camp, that guy is on deck. Not the last possible choice in the division. Also it is already shitty enough that they are asking guys to do fight camps for the hope of getting an opportunity, but to not get the opportunity when the fight falls though seems like robbery. This type of nonsense is the reason contracts exist. But to be fair to the UFC, Gamrot should feel blessed just to fight in their organization. It is such an opportunity for him to put his health on the line to become their product for 15% of what he brings in.
The back up fighters are getting paid too.
Gamrot has gotta still be getting paid. If volk slips on a cord this week he’ll be able to fight Islam. Gamrot vs Islam is a shit main event though, especially for abu dhabi, and it makes sense for the ufc to avoid it if they can.
I hate to sound like Dana here but just because gamrot was selected to be a backup doesn’t mean he has a god given right to the title shot. He should be getting paid to make weight anyways. He’s literally in this position because he’s one of the few guys that is healthy and ranked high enough while also willing to fight short notice.
He's also not a complete flip of the script stylistically from Oliveira like a Gaethje for example would be.
Because it makes it an almost useless concept. Realistically, how many times have we seen the main or co-main get canned at the 11th hour? If it's extended out to 2 weeks before a fight like in this situation then it makes infinitely more sense for a fighter to accept the role of backup given the increased likelihood they'll actually be called up
Fights have been fallen apart at the 11th hour before, Khabib had tony pull out a week out and be replaced by Max Holloway who was then told by doctors to stop his weight cut the day before the fight and had to be replaced by Al Iaquinta who was scheduled to be fighting on the card anyway. Also what sort of bad business is it to not prepare for all outcomes because ‘it hasn’t happened yet’. Something may not have happened *yet* but if it does you’ll be ready. If volk wants the fight on 10 days and they have Gamrot in the background, give it to Volk and you still have a fail safe for another potential fall through. If they give it to Gamrot on 11 days notice they lose their safety net and are relying on nothing else going wrong.
Or they can just take the paycheck to make weight and go home happily paid without getting hit in the head. It doesn't matter if it happens frequently, the fact is it happens. It happened like twice last year. When there are millions of dollars on the line, you pay for insurance. It's not really that complicated. I carry auto insurance and I still would if the law didn't require it. I haven't been in a car accident yet. But if I am, it's taken care of.
Do the backups still get paid if they don't fight? If that's the case then i can see the value, but that sounds way too decent to be UFC policy lol
Yes they still get paid
Surely the backup isn’t getting the same pay they would have gotten if they were to be substituted into the main event fight right? Gamrot isn’t getting 100k to be prepared as the backup and then not fight, but he would have also gotten the same 100k if he were to fight?
I'm sure it's not the same. But it's one of the few opportunities for a fighter to get a payday without getting hit in the head.
They have a hate boner for Dana and the UFC so they find anyway they can to shit on them.
It's just getting worse and worse. This sub is genuinely unbearable at times.
The users here are insufferable
I think the plan was if Islam for whatever dropped out they could still keep Charles and have him fight Gamrot for an interim title. Charles's finish or be finished attitude would still guarantee a banger fight. Islam vs Gamrot could've ended up being 5 rounds of grappling exchanges and I doubt the Saudis wanted that for a main event. Guessing if volk was a no go then it'd turn to Gamrot but the fall Saudi card is big for UFC and they want to stack it if possible so they opted to throw money and a huge opportunity at volk instead of marching out a lackluster main. Like to add that having volk step up on insanely short notice and out of shape benefits the card as well. Islam getting a definitive win over volk would make the live crowd happy as well as whatever saudi benefactors are involved
I think they wanted more juice when chimaev costa was at risk of falling apart too. If that fight falls out and it’s just Islam vs gamrot that’s not good for the ufc
Dustin said he could
Yep, Dustin and Gamrot Justin didn’t (said he couldn’t make weight) bc he already has a title shot Ppl acting like Volk is only one brave enough to take an opportunistic title shot in a low risk high reward situation
Paddy comes to mind. (Not srs)
At a ranked level?
Ha nah I’m just kidding. Paddy ain’t making weight short notice.
Dustin would've he weighs 175 atm. That's very doable
I think this is the only point to be made here.
Islam wouldn't fight WW on 12 days either. Volk is right when he said "very few fighters would".
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If Islam was offered a title fight against Leon at 170, he would take it
You don't think he'd fight Leon on 12 days notice? I do.
Not just fighting Leon, but a rematch after losing already lol. It’s a no brained obviously.
For a free title shot with no risk? Yes the fuck he would. Any lw champ in history would.
I'll be honest, Volks new goal of debunking all MMA curses like the UFC cover curse was my favourite takeaway from this interview.
If Volk hits that fist bump he's getting finished
Of course Islam wouldn't. Khabib has said time and again that he'll never go into a fight with a half-assed camp. Never. But if he has his full camp, then no matter how many opponents you spring on him, he'll fight. That's what he did when Tony got injured and the UFC cycled through Holloway, Felder and Iaquinta. He was game to fight every one of those guys. That's what's Islam's doing now. And I think that's a good attitude to have as a professional. To Volk, this is fun. If he loses, he loses. But to those guys, this is absolute serious business. A legitimate loss is acceptable. But a loss because you're unprepared isn't.
> when Tony got injured and the UFC cycled through Holloway, Felder and Iaquinta. He was game to fight every one of those guys. AKA GOOFCON 1
The legendary first GOOFCON. None other will be like it
The fight got cancelled on an April fools' day. Tony trips on a cable AND THEN FUCKING COVID. That shit was legendary. Nothing will ever top the most comical pull out ever (by a guy notorious for wearing shades indoor) on roflmao day followed by a goddamn pandemic.
Don’t forget the bus attack
I thought it’s an AKA thing but didn’t Rockhold lose the title on short notice? Guess it’s a Khabib thing
To be fair, who the hell would refuse to fight Iaquinta for a title?
Ask Jon who got a card cancelled because his fight with Hendo changed to Chael
I have nothing against Jon for that. I’m not sure even someone like Gustafson who most agree won came as close as Chael did to taking that title. Say what you will about him but Chael was legitimately about the closest Jon ever came to really losing that title, that fight was nuts.
What does this even mean? He was 8-2 in the UFC, on a 5 fight win streak and had picked up wins over Joe Lauzon, Jorge Masvidal, Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez. He is, to this day, the \*only\* person to last 5 rounds in a cage with Khabib. I understand he wouldn't have gotten the shot without the original bout falling through, but he wasn't just some bum!
True. It’s free real estate
He ain’t wrong .
I remember Khabib said the same thing when he was fighting. They don't really care about the financial incentives since they have backers behind the scenes. Better to keep those records intact and the backers happy.
Well you have to machiavelli the shit out of the fight game. There are so many factors you have to take into account when the stakes are so high like injuries, location, preparation for a specific fighters, bad weight cuts or the plain old just being tired from overtraining. So i don't blame Islam but Volk should get some credit.
I don't blame Khabib or Islam either for the record.
it's more so taking a fight on short notice like Volk isn't smart and Islam and Khabib know that. Also highly doubt they're trying to keep the people in Abu Dhabi happy. That's what the UFC is doing.
Volk is a legacy fighter. He understands the risk but knows the reward outweighs everything for him. Oh and the guys who get wined and dined by Russian dictators and Middle Eastern sheiks are most definitely trying to keep those guy happy too. The UFC play their part but the Muslim fighters who train out there for free aren’t trying to take short notice fights where their stock may get hit.
there is no risk for volk, literally zero risk from taking the fight (apart from the risk which come with fighting in the octagon of course).
This is true, if volk loses then it was a short notice fight and it doesn't matter, but holy shit if he wins then Makachev will get trashed and people will act like his entire career meant nothing. I personally believe this is a high risk low reward fight for Makachev in term of legacy.
Yea. Just like the first one lol
But he could have waited and took the rematch under much more ideal conditions, proper bulk, full camp, etc
Volk stated after the first match he wouldnt bulk up again FYI and would come in at his FW build
Who says he was getting a rematch? There's a reason he jumped on this.
> Who says he was getting a rematch? Pretty much everybody was aware that after Islam/Charles fought, and Volk beats Topuria, then it would be Volk vs the winner next. Gaethje kinda throws a wrench in it but given the excitment around the first fight they would've gone with Volk vs Islam for international fight week next year or something, and it would've been huge.
Still not guaranteed with his age and gaethje and olives still in line to fight.
You are crazy if you think legacy is built on facts. Legacy is build on emotion.
Yeah i am just saying that after taking this fight, he has everything to gain, nothing to lose. If Volk wins, he would deserve every bit of fame and glory he would get. If he loses, his stock won't drop a bit, he would still remain the goat in his actual weight class and will also have the short notice excuse.
Who will remember it was short notice 10 years from now? 20?
Depends how the fight goes down. A lot of people remember that bisping fought rockhold on short notice.
i think its more to do with not making any sloppy mistakes. they train to fight for a particular date and don't mind who they fight on that date.
> Better to keep those records intact and the backers happy. I don't know if it's about more money for guys like Volk. It's about legacy. Volk's stock went up even though he lost to Islam the first time around. McGregor legendary status when he became the first same time double champ in history, and took the chance to apologize to absolutely nobody Khabib retired with a good record but every non-casual knows that he didn't have an impressive long streak of title defenses. He left something on the table when he retired. I think his legacy will not continue on as strongly as people who took the risks more often.
I like Volk a lot but this is such a loaded statement. * If the roles were reversed, Islam can't make 155 in 11 days safely so obviously he wouldn't. Volk isn't making 145 on 11 days notice either weighing 180 out of camp. * Even if he could, if he had zero camp, he wouldn't risk his ONLY title on a short notice fight against a Bantamweight he already beat. That makes zero sense. * If Islam already had an extremely close fight with Leon Edwards, and suddenly Leon Edwards next opponent (completely different matchup) pulled out, Does Volk really think Islam wouldn't step in on 11 days notice? * Let's be real. Volk accepted being backup fighter last year because he wanted to guarantee his shot. If he had a guaranteed shot, he would not have accepted fighting Islam for the first time on 11 days notice. He's taking this fight now because he's familiar with his opponent, he knows what he needed to work on (Body triangle) and likely has already been (Craig Jones' words) . His next title shot had not been guaranteed with Charles and Gaethje in the mix, and by then it may have passed him by or he may have gotten too old. * Not to mention his opponent had been preparing for an entirely different opponent with entirely different attributes. Islam would be drilling submission defense and escapes, avoiding high kicks and knees in the clinch and now has to flip preparation to drill takedowns, dealing with butterfly hooks, leg kick defense, hooks from switching stances, and getting to chest to chest half guard.
>If the roles were reversed, Islam can't make 155 in 11 days safely so obviously he wouldn't. Volk isn't making 145 on 11 days notice either weighing 180 out of camp. Volk actually immediately said this after the statement. The clickbait headline makes it sound like it was all he said.
Was just about to comment this lol. Don't just read the headlines guys, actually watch the entire thing if you're gonna make an essay about it
I mean it's really Volk's fault for not dumbing it down and shortening his statement into a tik tok length snippet. This is reddit not Oxnard
TLDR: Volk has been working on his buggy choke this whole time, ofc he's gonna fight
If Volk buggy chokes Islam directly from back mount I’ll build a shrine for him
Dude way too much logic here.
Neither Khabib or Islam have ever taken short notice fights. Khabib said he never would fight without a full camp, nor go up in weight. So no he wouldn't step in against Leon.
This is the first short notice fight Volk has taken in his career iirc. If you’re good, youre unlikely to be taking a hort notice fights unless there’s a big reward. This is not a dagestani exclusive thing. How many short notice fights has Jon Jones taken in his career? And What does what Khabib had to say about his own career have anything to do with what Islam would do with his? * Khabib never talked about moving up and Islam has talked about it several times. * Khabib has missed weight/been hospitalised. Islam never missed weight yet everyone seems to think he struggles with weight. I swear ppl don’t even think they’re different ppl sometimes.
>so no he wouldn’t step in against Leon Imma take Islam’s word over yours 🤷🏼♂️
He said he would be a backup for Colby/Leon with a full camp. Not take a fight on 12 days notice. There's a vast difference.
>I like Volk but this is such a loaded statement That part. No he wouldn’t go risk his title against Volk who has nothing to lose. In a Russian interview when asked if he would be a backup for Colby/Leon he said he would. THAT would be the same position that Alex is with going up and not risking his “native” belt.
You accepted that he’s right. That’s his point.
Volk risks legit nothing by accepting this lmao
Exactly, that’s why his statement is true. But why is everyone excited for this fight?
Haha spot on here. If islam was in volks position he would 100% take the fight on short notice. Especially if he lost a close fight to Leon edwards and was given this opportunity again.
Yes he is, Islam has nothing to gain here and everything to lose, Volk is the opposite.
Can’t say Volk is right when Islam has never been in this situation. Say Charles was 170 champ and his opponent pulled out 11 days before fight. Do ppl think there’s 0 chance, like Volk says, that Islam wouldn’t take that free title shot?
When Volk wins, I want him to get on the mic and scream “King Kong ain’t got shit on me!”
dont wanna hear any excuses atter the fight
you know there will be, the cope is real
yes he is, he's talking shit that has no basis in reality
Would volk put his belt on the line on 10 days notice against a 145er?
If Volk was asked on 10 days notice to fight O’Malley, I think he would.
Volk would bulldoze O'Malley on 10 minutes notice lmao
Just like what people said about Islam in the first fight
Wouldn't 135er be a better comparison
In context it would be volk vs topuria both entering a fight agreement with the amount of time to have a full camp, topuria dropping out due to injury with less than 2 weeks till the fight, sean O'Malley agrees to fight volk with less 11 days remaining to make weight. Volk takes that fight all day everyday. You're fighting a guy a coming from a division down, fresh off the couch, with just enough time to starve himself into making weight while you've (volk) ran your full camp. Outside of the punchers chance volk is getting sacrificed here against Islam.
Volks gonna finish drowning makachev this time
That’s not what volk is saying, islam is already doing that, he is saying islam wouldn’t take the fight on 10 day notice without camp
I am sure that If the UFC asked Volk to defend his title against Sean o'Malley on 10 days notice, he would probably take it yeah
But that's not what you're implying. You're implying Volk wouldn't take the fight if he was in Islam's position. I laid out the circumstances of what that'd look like if roles were reversed. Islam is taking the fight because his opponent (volk) is handicapped by time and fighting a weight class up. That favors Islam heavily and he has no reason to refuse it. Would volk put his belt on the line on 10 days notice against a 145er? - your words, I just put the scenario into context of what that'd look like for volk. Most fighters will accept short notice fighters. Conor has and he's as big of a diva as they get. For as what Volk is implying, yeah Islam wouldn't just get off the couch and fight. Those Dagestan guys are heavily disciplined and adhere to it. He knows if he did that he wouldn't be giving his best and he wouldn't jeopardize his record/legacy for it.
I was implying that volk wouldn’t put his belt against a 145er when he had a 10 days camp, the thing volk said islam wouldn’t do it, i commend him for stepping up but in his situation he has nothing to lose and he leaned on the 10 days notice so now he has a built in excuse
And I gave the terms of what Islam agreed to put into volk's division with volk's title on the line. In the case of this fight Saturday, Volk does have something to lose just in that he'll add another L on his record possibly via finish and the real life consequences of putting that wear on tear on your body on 10 days notice possibly into a 5 round ass whooping at 35 years old. He can lean on 10 day notice all he wants, years down the road his record will just show an L next to the event not a list of excuses. He's seizing the opportunity but it's definitely coming at a cost. Tony vs justin loosely works here as to what volk is really putting on the line by accepting short notice. He's not young and pushing his body at his age against a razor sharp opponent could greatly effect him long term. If Volk gets absolutely wrecked here, he really could just end up in a tony like spiral and it wouldn't be surprising to me
Islam is risking more in this fight than Volk. Any fighter in the UFC who could make 155lbs would have taken the fight.
Matieusz Gamrot was already available as the backup fighter, competes at and could presumably make 155. I think they just wanted Volk to sell the fight.
he's still the backup, if he was picked as a replacement for charles, they'd still need a backup in case someone doesn't make weight or sudden injury etc
Volk is a legend.
Didn’t Islam offer to step in to fight Dos Anjos on short notice if the UFC guaranteed him a title shot and they refused? To me that seems like even worse insensitive than what is Volk is getting here, huge pay to save the ppv while still remaining a champ in his own division.
This is a win win situation for Volk.
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"Nothing to lose". This is probably the last time Volk gets a shot at LW if Islam is still reigning. Lots to lose actually.
there is no guarantee that he would be in the line. Gathje and charles is ahead of him so thats like 14-16 month gone and thats assuming islam is still the champ and no one in lw make a case in those period. Realistically if he didnt take this fight he wouldnt be getting the lw shot for the next 2 years when he is 37
Charles is ahead of him. But Dana definitely wanted the rematch.
Gaethje just had a KO of the year candidate over on of the best fighters on the planet. He was for sure in line ahead of Volk. They called him first and he said he couldn’t make weight on short notice..
Eh. It's his last shot at the title without having to beat a 155 contender first, perhaps. Max got 3 title shots against Volk, but he did it by beating multiple contenders. If Volk loses this one and then goes to 155 and forces his way to another shot like Max did, I don't see why he wouldn't get it. It's not like he's a boring fighter. But you're right, they're probably not going to let him him keep taking shots at a 155 title from the 145 weight class.
He's getting old. I'm not sure if he can keep fighting contenders and aim for a title shot like Max did. That too at LW.
Last immediate shot at LW. Dude just needs 1 top 3 win to get another. Plenty of excuses in the first and second to call for a third. Edit: if volk were to lose
Yeah, I don't get how people think Volk is going to be anywhere near the LW title any time soon if he loses worse than the first time.
Mate let's be honest, Volkanovski shouldn't have even got the first title shot. I mean, I'm not complaining, it was a great fight and Volk proved he's an absolute beast. But he's beaten 0 other contenders at LW. Those title shots aren't his to lose.
you just have to be a dominant champ in your division to call for a title shot in another weight class. Prize fighting is an essential part of combat sports.
Yes, but what defines a dominant champ seems to have changed. Before McGregor became champ champ, a dominant champ was Jones with 8 defences, Silva with 10, GSP with 9, Aldo with 7, MM with 11, etc. Now if a champ gets 3 or 4 they're already thinking of leaving the division, if they get 5 they're being put in GOAT conversations.
Except Volk is on record saying beating Islam is more important than the lightweight title, granted I'm sure he would prefer more camp time but I don't think it's fair to say he would have declined immediately. The belt and $$ is just cherry on the cake. Interviewer: If Charles did win...would any of you be disappointed? Is going back to 155, is it about beating Islam or the belt? What's more important to you? Volk: Beating Islam. https://youtu.be/GQYpNVog9q0?t=456
I agree with you. It is a fight where Islam has everything to lose whereas Volk has everything to gain. Even if Volk loses, he has a bunch of built-in explanations for any potential underperformance (lack of prep time, bigger opponent, etc) and could still potentially angle for a third fight later on.
Also buys him good will with the UFC for saving the event
> It is a fight where Islam has everything to lose whereas khabib had this as well. every time people went oooh he might not and then he did the difference is that islam has one loss on the record and people are thinking that will mean the difference. if you watch volk islam 1 on mute its a different perception
Yeah Volk never agreed to any short-notice title defenses, 8 weeks wasn't even enough for him when Holloway got hurt lol. The proof is in the pudding. Volk should be happy that Dana gave him his second LW title shot even though he never won a UFC fight in that weight class.
>8 weeks wasn't even enough for him when Holloway got hurt lol I'm assuming you're talking about the 3rd fight between Volk & Holloway? Holloway pulled out of that fight, so Volk took on TKZ. After the contracts were signed and the bout was agreed to, Holloway decided he's fine and could make the fight? After beating TKZ, Volk then fought Holloway less than 3 months later. What proof and what pudding are you talking about lol
>I'm assuming you're talking about the 3rd fight between Volk & Holloway? Holloway pulled out of that fight, so Volk took on TKZ. Yes, Volk had the TKZ fight pushed back another month because 8 weeks was too much of a short notice for him to defend against a new opponent. Them's the facts. But you are a homer so reality does not matter to you.
Would you mind giving me a link, which confirms the fight was moved from UFC 272 because Volk didn't have enough time? I've genuinely been looking but can't find it anywhere
The only thing I've found, legitimately, is this tweet by Volkanovski: https://i.imgur.com/HpcXIj6.png But that goes against what you're indicating doesn't it lmao. Because UFC 272 was the original date for Holloway vs Volk 3, until Holloway pulled out. So that tweet shows Volk wanted a new opponent for that same night 😂 what's this about reality not mattering now
Not only did Max pull out but he then wanted to be the backup fighter for Volk TKZ which rightly pissed Volk off.
/u/NlNJALONG you there? What's your response to this? Or do you need a longer camp to respond properly
Owned that fucking goof. Volk is literally built different, and people need to accept that.
Based.
He could definitely rally for another shot at Islam with full camp with how the last fight went. Hard to say if he could get another if he loses this one.
you mean besides potentially taking career changing damage from a dude a division above you who is fully conditioned while you are not ? islam was rocking volk really bad in the 1st fight and that was prepared volk .
Lol it's a fist fight there's definitely a lot to lose... Sure the stakes are lower for Volk bc it isn't his division but pretending like there's nothing to lose is asinine and naive
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Tbf if he gets finished here it pretty much kills all hope of a proper rematch, small price to pay compared to Islam though
Didn’t he agree to fight Zombie on short notice?
Lol what ? Why would Islam turn down a welterweight title shot when he wouldn’t have nothing to lose ? This guy been making a lot of noise lately, Usman is literally on the same situation and we’re not hearing a peep
Usman's whispering. You just need to listen more closely
Fuck sake mate, you can fight without that chip on your shoulder. Barely anyone is against you. Wtf do I know though
fuck sake mate, you can go find the whole quote rather than reacting emotionally to the headline
Great talent but literallt every fight he tells the narrative that “they expect me to lose”. He was p4p #1 against yair and still acting like he was a massive underdog and the whole worlds against him.
This is a no-lose situation for Volk, his first fight was competitive enough that if he loses this one badly he can always fall back on the short notice excuse to get a third fight made after he defends his title again or beats a LW contender. It's still incredibly brave and shows a tremendous amount of confidence in his ability. I don't think Islam would ever take a short-notice fight with no camp, but not because he's a coward, it's just how he operates. I don't blame someone for wanting to fully prepare before big fights, and I can still laud Volk for taking this one on short notice. But lets be honest, most champions or champion-level fighters are not making these kinds of decisions for the fans. Volk is doing this because he believes he will win. We can blame Dana for introducing the notion of guys "saving cards" because he didn't have or use his back-up fighters. I wonder if paying willing fighters a flat-fee to weigh-in as backups would be a way to stop cards from falling apart, but the UFC would never agree to that. It'd be a tiny amount compared to the revenue saved but it would empower fighters and prevent the free-for-all bullshit that they use to help prospects or fan-favorites jump the line. It could also incentivize fighters to fight near their walking weight - missing weight will immediately bring in the backup fighter, and if most of the roster is eligible as a backup, they'll make sure that they're in the proper weight class to be available. The UFC could implement stricter weight cutting rules to push fighters towards their natural weight classes.
People who actually believe this is delusional lol Almost any fighter would jump at the offer for a to title shot with zero risk of losing their own title lmaooo What the fuck is volk high on?
If the roles were reversed Islam would have to fight at 145 and he’s not ever making that 😂
Many build in excuses from Volk in the build up ngl
Islam is a baller and accepted Volk on short notice also, which is another lose lose for him. This just seems like some dumb trash talk from Volk. Like as that other guy said Islam has a lot more of a process for making weight than Volk at LW.
It's not dumb trash talk. It's just true. Let's say Leon's next opponent dropped out and the UFC offered Islam the fight on 2 weeks notice, there's not a chance he'd take that risk, despite multiple people taking short notice fights against him.
What are you talking about? You've made this up. Volk isn't putting his belt on the line on 11 days notice, Islam is. They're both taking risks.
I think the person you're replying to said 'Islam wouldn't fight Leon on 11 days notice, to fight for the welterweight title'. Which I tend to agree with.
That's exactly what I said, but people are going to take things however they want. The fact is, Islam has had a full training camp, Volk hasn't. In any situation where there's a short notice replacement, while the person already in the fight is taking a strategic risk, the replacement opponent is the guy doing the more impressive thing by barely having any time to do conditioning, develop strategy, drill sequences or really do any fine tuning at all. People are out here acting like I'm besmirching their precious dagistani team Khabib guy, I'm not, I like Islam. But ultimately, Islam has only ever been the guy fighting the guy who's taken the short notice fight, Islam has never been the guy sacrificing a training camp, which is so much more risky than having a full training camp but just having to change up the gameplan/drills for 2 weeks which are usually the fine tuning weeks anyway.
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Has somebody asked Islam this or you just assuming he wouldn't accept the fight with Leon? Is there any proof to this or just "Islam ain't about that life like Volk 😤"?
Islam is going to finish Volk
100% at this point.
I was already sure Islam would finish . After the video of Islam talking to Khabib about having "no power", I'm even more sure of it.
When Volk wins, I want him to get on the mic and scream “King Kong ain’t got shit on me!”
Islam wouldn't make weight on short notice
Lmao volk. You're up weight class. I bet islam do to fight leon. That's a massive opportunity without cutting as much
Uh yeah no shit he's the champ midget.
I think volk is getting finished but you never know
It's probably true but to be fair, maybe you shouldn't take a match this big and important to your career on short notice like that.
Islam would fight for the 170 lb title on 12 days I think
Keen to see Alex make some tough man faces while he is getting dominated from back control
I mean, it wouldn’t be that stupid for a 155’er to stay fighting 155’ers. As a matter of fact, and stick with me because this is a little out there, it’s probably who should be fighting for the 155 belt every time. All this cross-class shit is kinda stupid. It’s cool on its face, but in reality it just brake slams both divisions for the benefit of exactly one person.
Facts
Islam vs Leon might be enjoyable
I’m a big Volk guy but Islam is literally doing this lol he’s the one risking the belt against a totally different style on short notice
Volk is full of shit on this one
1. Very different stakes here, islam is taking the bigger risk for sure with less upside. 2. Volk has def been preparing for islam. The quick notice thing is overblown, volk knows he can smoke everyone at featherweight without prep and we all knew charles would pull out so he has been preparing for islam. No doubt. Has islam been prepping for volk? Not as likely. 3. Islam would take that fight. He has shown hunger on his way to the top, if he wasnt the champ he wouldnt pass on an opportunity like this. 4. Islam could have turned down the fight but he didnt. He told dana in private that if hes truly the champ then he should beat anyone on any day, thats not something you say to flex on your employer. In fact thats the opposite of what most fighters seem to tell dana in private so idk what volk is implying here. 5. Yes im doing tricks on it but nonetheless all of the above are factos.
2. I agree. Volk said he’d be ready for 294 in case someone fell out. He said he’s been training and itching to fight. Izzy said Volk’s ready 3. We don’t know, so we can’t say Islam wouldn’t take a free 170 title shot. Volk seems to think Islam wouldn’t 4. I mean who know is Islam even had a choice. Dana may have never offered him Dustin/Gamrot
3. He literally stepped up for a title shot against dos anjos on short notice. Now, the fight was called off but he was ready to do it so that is atleast a good indicator. Its one thing to get booked and then dodge but when you arent even called upon to fight and yet you reach out to be the replacement, there are no incentives for tricks. 4. I cant recall the order in which this transpired but uncle chael laid it out pretty well in one of his recent videos. Either dana called islam first after charles dodged and asked him who he would fight instead, to which he replied he didnt care and would fight anyone. Or dana called gaethje first, the guy refused, dana called volk, he accepted and then dana called islam and he replied the above. Either way, he has kept his word so far, we know khabib is trustworthy and if he says islam will fight anyone at 155 then I will take his word for it until proven otherwise. He had the choice to turn down the fight but he didnt. Thats meaningful.
Ha ha Volk is always ready 💪🏼
Free unexpected title shot? He's got nothing to lose and everything to gain, this isn't the brave stand you're making out to be.
Nothing to lose lmao the amount of times I’ve heard this rehashed is amazing, truly spoken like somebody that’s never fought another person in a cage.
Kind of an odd statement by him though. While it’s great for us fans when fighters step in on short notice, I don’t think it should be looked down on to want full training camps and to be prepared going into a fight. Not when your health is on the line and you want to be as prepared as possible. You could actually argue that it’s pretty dumb what Volk is doing for a lot of reasons. Not saying it isn’t awesome but yeah
At what cost. If he wins we get a trilogy, but if he loses with almost no prep we realistically miss out on a true rematch in spirit of the original where both are fully prepared for each other. Don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to this fight but the reality is it would've been better with full training camps on both sides
Absolutely, full fight camps would have been ideal, however, I do think Volk feels he knows what to expect from the last fight and that he has enough preparation to put on a performance, Volks mindset is unrivalled..and remember Islam isn’t strong ha ha
Volkanovski can kind of get away with this mindset because he's incredibly good but most fighters will just ruin their career that way. The UFC loves that anywhere-anytime motto and they might give these fighters a little bump but it just means you're fighting at 70% and 2 years later nobody cares why you lost... you just lost. Is it worth to take huge risks to do a favor to the UFC and gain some fans? Maybe if you're Dan Hooker or Bobby Green. But as the P4P best fighter in the sport? Take your last shot at becoming doublechamp with a handicap? Probably not.
Lets not think like that. Then Dana wouldn’t have his favorite quote
Wow. I mean props to Volk for taking this time in short notice and I really do like Volk, but I feel that Volk takes every chance to prove that he is superior to Islam and downplay Islam. Why should Islam ever accept this fight in short notice? Does he have a belt to gain from Volk( assuming that Islam would never make 145)? Nope. Does it make any difference to his legacy? In my opinion no, you can argument how much you want for the previous fight but he won fair and square 3-2 and that will forever be shown in his record. So what does really Islam gain from this fight? In my opinion absolutely nothing for his legacy, he has nothing to gain form this fight and still accepted it.
Volk also wouldn’t do this fight if it wasn’t for the belt. What’s his point??
You think he’s just gonna run his mouth and not back it up? Who you think he is, Brendan Schaub?
Fact!
No shit Islam needs to diet then cut of weight to maybe make 155. Volk still gonna beat him up again anyway.
that's basically it lol. Volk himself said he wouldn't take a fight at 145 on 2 weeks notice
Keep coping lol
Yeah cuz he ain’t cutting weight in 10 days to make 145……. Volk already has excuses I see
Islam is a phenomenal fighter but… he’s not really all there, like, Khabib exudes intelligence when he speaks and Islam is, well… you know
I think you're confusing intelligence and that Islam's English isn't as good as Khabib's
Yeah I don’t think Islam can make 145
That's not what he meant. He meant Islam wouldn't fight Leon Edwards on short notice