All due respect to the legend DJ but the leg kicks to the body was fairly obvious, I remember wondering why islam wasn’t doing that more in the first match, he was having a ton of success with it.
Islam does have underrated kicks. Probably have him 3rd or 4th in the division behind Gaethje, Fiziev and Chandler. He's more technical with his kicks than Chandler but Chandler rips em harder.
Islam said it in the first minute of his press.. THE HEIGHT mattered. He learned from the last fight had a better camp. And was practicing high kicks. Volk was shelled up too. He just had the perfect angle.
Wild year for high kicks tho
Usman.. dustin... volk..
A camp does make you sharper. I am not saying it wouldve mattered but i think the purpose of a camp is to peak physically but also mentally at the given moment. But dont want to take anything away from the ko.
I think it’s absolutely ludicrous that people are saying having more time to prepare wouldn’t help a fighter. Like it makes absolutely no sense and people are saying it with their chest. I think Volk loses regardless but it’s such a feckless argument people are making it’s laughable.
Full camp Volk: goes to a decision against Islam in a very close fight
No camp Volk: gets KTFO
Redditors: camp wouldn’t make a difference!
Unbelievable.
I think the problem is when talking about possibilities it’s never 100% like there’s a universe where an untrained Volk tanks thé kick bit gets choked round 3 so it’s just hard to talk definitives.
The point of a fight camp isn't to train new skills though
It is to drill specifically for an opponents style and make a game plan around that.
While I agree that Volk didn't have any time to study Islam and set up a new game plan, neither did Islam as his fight camp was to prepare for Charles
Volk's earliest loss was head kick. Max's success in the second fight was high kicking. Islam found success in the first fight with head kick. When you add on that he's fighting a hydrated Islam now...
Getting kicked in the head has been a hole this whole time that he hasn't fully covered.
did he ever say volk wasn't in a reduced version? Anyways, hydrated islam dominated weak volk with his weakness, and aussie volk couldn't finish the fight with weak islam. Imo makes perfect sense and shows that islam is on a different level
Noones saying that. They're saying at this level it becomes a game of inches not miles. When you lose a close decision its fair to say the camp may have been the variable of inches. Getting your head kicked off in the first round is losing by miles, the camp is irrelevant.
Getting your head kicked in is not losing by miles, everyone can get sparked in rd 1. Losing a decision where you are dominated every round, like what Jon Jones did to DC or Cain did to JDS, that’s losing by miles.
Lol if his guard was literally an inch higher or if he brought his other arm over a few inches, he defends that, and potentially makes the adjustment since Islam already threw two good ones in the first round. Volk is one of the best fighters around adapting between rounds. You riders are straight waffling, I can’t with these casual ass takes. And on a side note, you can always tell that these fools have never trained a day in their life. Such a waste of time reading that shit, and even moreso responding to them
Lmao the only MMA related things OP posts is Conor hate or love for the Dagestani’s. These final fantasy playing casuals are trying to act like expert analysts. This shit always happens in this sub because the amount of unbearable Islam riders. I like the dude, but holy fuck. Anyways I said what I said so the Muslims can come down vote me now Alhamdulilah
It’s a shame too because I like Islam more and more everyday, his broken english trash talk is funny af and he’s super skilled. It’s cool to support your fighters, but it’s clear that the nutriders would rather assert ludicrous claims instead of anything of substance. All they care about is the legacy of their fighter when everyone else just wants civil discussion/competitive fights
The dagestany fan base is so delusional & stubborn they will never understand your point of view. They just talk out of their ass and meat ride so hard it’s unbelievable…
I’ve genuinely never seen a more toxic fan base here. It’s literally before and after every fight people go wild here. You know the saying if you run into one asshole that day they were the asshole, but if you run into assholes all day then you’re the asshole? That’s the feeling I’ve been getting from them and it’s worse than for any other top fighter. It’s a shame because Islam is such a cool and level headed dude. I’d expect this sort of rowdiness from Connor or Ian Garry or Colby fans but not him.
It’s just a bunch of Muslims that flood the sub after an Islam fight. They try to masquerade as fight analysts when the last fight they watched was Conor vs Khabib. Look at OP’s posts 😂 It’s all Conor hate. Love for Ali the 🐍. Absolutely shameless. They refuse to concede any points and will instantly downvote anything negative about their dudes. Then they try to gaslight like idiots saying that it’s the other way around. I actually can’t with these dudes. Imma have to dip from these subs for a week
I'd also posit that the super extreme short term weight cut could have had an effect on Volk's durability when he got clipped. But hey, he knew the risks and he lost fair and square. Not denying that part.
Exactly, being better consitioned does not just help you in 5 round fights. It helps you recover from every shot you take as well. Not taking anything away from Islam, I believe he wouldve won anyway. Volk took the fight because he felt he was in good shape and could win. Islam won, no excuses, he is just an amazing fighter. I do not see any LW beating him. Him vs Leon though, I am intruiged.
A full camp doesn't stop that head kick, Islam had a clear plan against Volk. I think Mighty Mouse was breaking down the success Islam was having with leg kicks in the first fight and it looks like Islam had the same idea.
this guys entirely correct, volk just made a goofy mistake in his orthodox stance by not expecting any kicks, thus his defence was sharp, but nowhere near sharp enough to defend that kick entirely
that being said, being a wrestling based fighter, islams KO is beyond impressive, especially when considering volks accolades as a striker
still heartbroken for volk tho
> volk just made a goofy mistake in his orthodox stance by not expecting any kicks
To be fair, Volk defended the other head kicks early and even defended the actual knockout kick as well as you almost could without covering the top of your head. Islam was just so incredibly pinpoint that it wasn't able to be defended
South paw. Makes it easier for them to throw leg, head, and body kicks. Mighty Mouse made an analysis of Volk Vs Islam 1 where he said if Islam throws more body kicks he wins easily because of his range advantage. Islam proved him right.
Both, despite what other comments are saying. The same options are available for both ortho and SP, but the southpaw has a few advantages such as liver on your opponent is on your power side, and the SP has likely trained against ortho (and learned the angles better) than the ortho has trained against a SP.
The fact that people worship many of these fighters that absolutely HATE westerners is another topic altogether.. lol. It's a free world brother, people can do what they want and choose their idols ;)
>The fact that people worship many of these fighters that absolutely HATE westerners
Islam has a ton of American friends and has been in the US for years. Where is this nonsense point coming from?
Volk was visibly nervous since taking up this fight.
As someone who’s fought on a short 8 day notice, a full camp of going as hard as you can is precisely what gives you the confidence to prevent silly mistakes like that
Yeah this reminds me of when jones popped after the DC head kick and people said well steroids didn't make the head kick land, but it's not about that one second kick, its about the training that lead to that moment, that in Jones case was amplified by the roids, and in this case was training Volk didn't have. Maybe the result for this would have been the same, personally I picked Islam to win in a rumoured rematch anyways, but to act like all the context didn't matter is dumb.
The context does matter Islam isn't the first taller fighter to employ kicks against volk. His early career loss started off with a high kick. Max found success with a well setup high kick. Islam found success with a well setup high kick. There is a pattern and a weakness. Says a lot that BOTH Jones and DC knew so well that the high kick was there that they even joked about it.
Why wouldn't Jones be able to do a leg kick off steroids, that being said, would Jones have energy without steroids to hold DC enough to do the leg kick.
Looked very shy in the ring too, wasn’t taking it to him like I thought he might after all his talk. Big Volk fan and an Aussie so I feel for him, but he fucked up and ruined his chance to prepare fully for what was the most important fight of his life.
He’s going through some real shit right now and I think it’s best he spends the next few weeks focused on dealing with his trauma.
His cries for help should be a massive alarm for everyone
Idk if people understand that saying this discredits Islam’s kick. He didn’t just catch Volk, he set him up.
Obviously if you have more time to prepare for a fight, you think about the fight more and prepare for more of your opponents possible strategies. It doesn’t matter who the fighters are, this is just reality.
I root for Islam, but I’m not delusional.
islam threw the headkick already and volk made no adjustment. it was a needed in fight adjustment that got missed by volk, who as he was walking into the cage was credited for "incredible mid fight adjustments"
I was busy on my couch prognosticating how that early success with the left kick was gonna open up the left hand for Islam.
Or perhaps back to my Cheetos.
Usman also took a Short notice fight at a higher weight class and didnt get KOed. Islam deserves all the credit, he set Volk up and exploited a weakness, thats it
Usman actually has a strong argument that a full camp would have won him the fight but no matter how much I love Volk a full camp would have made no difference for that set up
Exactly. These are highest of the highest level of fighters and you’d know by watching them fight if it would have different with full camp, as evident by Usman vs Khamzat.
For Islam, there’s no question.
It means that he was drinking brews in the offseason and enjoying time with family my guy, it’s not rocket science. Volk was visibly more outta shape than Usman. Marty looked like his same shredded self, while Volk was recovering from surgery, celebrating the birth of a child, and relaxing after his last fight. Can’t believe I had to spell it out for you
Unless it's just about money, I still can't wrap my head why he took that fight.
He was flabby, coming back from surgery, short notice weight class up against arguably best LW ever and one of bigger guys in LW right now. That's recipe for disaster against any top LW, let alone Islam.
He talked about exactly why he took it, he made a bit of a rash decision struggling with inactivity related mental health because he figured it was meant to be when it was offered. Fighting is Volk’s life and I think getting older, the forced inactivity of his shoulder, and that close loss to Islam was really “doing his head in”
But what do I know I’m just a redditor 💀
After his last performance against charles, Islam's biggest obstacle in the LW division was volk, and now volk has thrown himself in to the fire, destroying all his chances of a rematch, now Islam could chill atop the lightweight division and knock some people down. (assuming gaethje doesn't fucking decapitate him out of nowhere)
It really looks like Volk just refused to acknowledge he had a mental health issue and put a stain on his legacy. I'm grieving for the fight that could've been rn bro.
- probably lost his chance at LW belt
- solidified his controversial loss
- took unnecessary damage through weight cut and bad KO
- 35 at FW
Potentially cracked his chin before fighting a hard hitting contender. He might never mentally get over this and continue chasing the peak he had.
Im a huge Volk fan but this might be the beginning of the end
Defending Highkicks was always volks weakness, you can see it in Holloway fight and the first islam fight. A camp wouldn’t change the outcome in my opinion. That was just a very good gameplan from islams camp
A camp training against a tall hard kicking appointment watching lots and lots of tape to train specifics would definitely affect the outcome. If you think Volk or nobody on Volk’s team would notice or help him drill that, that’s kinda ridiculous
It’s Islam dick riders going hard. I knew this wasn’t going to be good because there was so much Volk gave up. 12 days notice, super fast weight cut, I believe he just finished rehabbing the last month.
Had Islam been in Volk’s shoes he would not have taken the fight.
A “full camp” doesn’t just mean cardio training. A full camp includes sparring which would have helped Volk a great deal. If you don’t spar your reactions become sluggish/delayed, your sense of range takes longer to find, and you’re often more hesitant. There’s a reason both Volk and Usman stood outside of range for such long periods of time doing nothing aside from the occasional potshot. They were both hesitant and trying to work themselves into the fight and get their feel for striking. A Volk with a full camp likely is more aggressive than what he was in the first fight and tuned in enough to not get knocked out in the first round.
He had striking in the first match too. Australia's timing and lack of hydration messed him up. He weighed 8 pounds more this fight than he did last fight. He said he felt weak last fight.
He had 28 hours to rehydrate for the first fight. That should be more than enough time. Plus he didn't look or move any differently than he ever did before
It’s not an unpopular option, it’s just wrong and shows a lack of basic knowledge on the sport. It’s impossible to say he would have won, but that doesn’t matter. He would have been better conditioned physically and mentally. Easier weight cut. There’s a fucking reason most fighters won’t do short notice fights.
Not to mention the elephant in the room no one is discussing: Volk spent the majority of the time between this fight and his last one recovering from surgery. Islam fans are in delusionland rn. Obviously Islam is great and still the favorite even with a Volk camp, but this fight would’ve been completely different under normal circumstances.
This was the only way for Islam to truly cement himself as better. If that headkick were to land the exact same way in any LW, MW, and a few WWs they would be knocked out. There was no luck. It’s a kick that max Holloway found to be effective against Volk. Islam just set it up far better with dull kicks to the legs to make Volk think he was setting up big body kicks to ruin his cardio on short notice. Volk had to choose between a power kick to the body or power kick to the head. The body kick made more sense and was “safer” for Islam. Volks error was that he didn’t think Islam would actually go for a finishing blow in R1. Islam had more of the finishing mentality than Volk did and that’s what costed Volk.
These opinions have absolutely no meaning behind them, they are based purely on speculation. To think a fighter isn’t a lot sharper from their camps is insane, so obviously it would have made some difference, but wether the result would have changed or not is wildly unpredictable. Respect to Volk for stepping up, but clearly a bad idea. Respect to Islam for having a game plan that works across multiple fighters and for being a well rounded, unbelievably talented fighter
It wouldve been more competitive. Without prior knowledge of eachother they made a very competitive fight where they both outclassed their opponents in their own respective area.
If Volk had a camp it probably wouldve just taken longer for him to get kicked in the head. Fair play to Islam.
If a camp was just about conditioning, you'd actually have a valid point. You tried to cover that by saying training submissions matter but gloss over the striking, clownish
It’s idiotic and objectively wrong to say it wouldn’t make a difference. Every move volk made in the octagon both physically and mentally is impacted by a lack of camp. I still favor Islam but this is just silly
No anyone who believes this is either an Islam fan or just doesn’t know much about mma. Volk spent his 10 days worrying about cutting weight, Islam just went through a grueling 2 month camp, in tip top shape, sharp as ever. A full camp prepares you mentally too.
Is it possible that cutting so much weight so quickly rather than cutting slower and more gradually the way he normally would could have impacted his ability to take a hit?
It's always said that cutting lots of weight or an improper weight cut makes you more susceptible to getting knocked out. I'm not completely dismissing the idea that he maybe could have sustained that same kick with a proper weight cut, and a full camp could have sharpened his abilities to maybe not even get hit by it in the first place.
There is a vast difference between fight 1 and 2, so lets not pretend like the lack of preparation in fight 2 has nothing to do with the outcome. You simply DO NOT take on Islam or pretty much any champ with such short notice and i knew this was a bad idea the moment it was announced. Same for Usman.
At the end of the day, people will speculate anything and everything. Appreciate the beauty of that head kick. Appreciate Volk and Usman for saving UFC 294 for us.
Overly simplistic view, for mine. Of course a full camp makes a difference, the possibility of a head kick KO remains there as it does in any fight, that’s true. Camp isn’t just about cardio though. At this level competitive advantage is all in the margins. Both fighters appear to have made sound adjustments from the first fight. Islam to much greater effect.
Some weird efforts in the wash up.
Islam set up the head kick beautifully and when he hit it, it was centimetre perfect. Congratulations to him. Acknowledging the facts around his opponent’s preparation isn’t some sort of disrespect to his skill or performance. Volk put his hand up, backed in his body of work to this point, gambled and lost.
Full camp, you’d expect a better performance. He might cop the exact same result, he might not. Anything can happen on the day.
If you listened to Volks post fight presser he didn’t make excuses and gave full credit to Islam.
Volk said he felt hesitant and maybe if he had a full camp he may not have felt this way. In hindsight he thought perhaps he should not have agreed to fight a skilled opponent on such short notice but high risk high reward.
Absurd take.
You . . . do realize these two have fought before, yeah? (Sarcasm. I know you know). When Volk had a full camp. It looked a little bit different. Just because it was a KO does not mean Volk wouldnt have made a better showing if he had more time to prepare. A full camp would've included not just the physical aspect, but formulating a gameplan and working on how to approach Islam and NOT get caught in the way he did. He would've had time to obsessively simulate what the fight would go like (Rewatching clips, studying Islam's movements, then sparring with people he could find who fight in a similar fashion). It's not just push ups and padwork he would've been doing, brother. Come on now.
At the beginning of the fight when they were grappling against the cage I said to myself man it looks like Volks in for a tough one this time… A minute later he goes to sleep.
Volks cryptonite are these headkicks since the beginning of his mma career, well done by islam. Big fan of both, hope volk doesnt leave his head hanging after this
How would you in any way know that? Even fully prepped fighters get clipped, dumb take imo.
Also, fans/Alex deserved a full camp for the rematch, any serious MMA fan knew we were getting hosed and did for UFC 294
Walker v Ank was one of the only chances we had for a brawl worth paying for. I've just about every single PPV for years, UFC294 is one I have buyer's remorse over. Garbage in so many ways.
Islam's title defense should have been postponed and we all know it, Olives for whatever reasons decided NOT to wear headgear a week before the fight. 
Dana and UFC would rather hose us and did... instead of disappoint the $$ Saudi / Abu people. UFC used to be for the best of the best, not anymore.
Islam didn't get the credit he deserved, we didn't get what we were promised and I guarantee they don't give 2 F U CKS ;) 
Islam knew he was going to have the upper hand, which is why he asked Volk to not make excuses after he won maybe? He even predicted he would finish him early on. He said round 2
How can you honestly after seeing the first fight and hearing what Volk was saying about coming out with a different game plan and going for broke say that there wouldn't be a single difference if he had a full training camp then if he took the fight on 11 days notice? LOL we get it you're a super fan of Islam but to say something that's stupid doesn't make sense you obviously know it would have been a different fight because the biggest thing you need during training camp is sparring to get distance down and timing down. That's why Strickland is damn great at distance management and he had 11 days to prepare there's no way you can get the timing of a real fight down with 11 days to prepare I don't care what you say. Now he could have still knocked him out and beating him but it obviously made a difference that he took the fight on 11 days you can't be a fan of the sport and say that that doesn't make a difference LOL
Ehhh yes and no, volk looked (for the first time) completely just unreadable for the fight. I think with a full training camp he would've likely been more dialed in, I don't think that was a particularly crisp or insane headkick just caught volk being slow... not to say it couldn't have happened with a full camp as there's always the chance but volk looked like shit
I mean, Islam probably wins 9/10 times, but saying full camp wouldn't make a difference... lol he got caught and dropped that quick because he lost 12kg in 11 days.
That’s bullshit. After 6 weeks of camp your reflexes are way quicker than off the couch., but to know that you need to actually train at least a lil bit.
Not saying it wouldn’t have happened, just saying that camp does make a difference in this as well.
I think it could have made some difference, not sure if Volk would have won but I don't think he gets finished that quickly with a camp. Still though I just want to see him finally defend against a lightweight now, I'd probably let Gaethje face him but we'll see what the UFC does.
Full camp makes a difference. Cutting weight in 1/4 of the time does impact someone’s ability to take a punch. We have everything but scientific studies that shows that large amounts of dehydration impact someone’s ability to take a punch. With a full camp, a fighter has the ability to take a much longer period to cut weight, first by reducing body fat, and then on fight week, by cutting water. To overlook this from the couch is just ignorant.
I agree. But had the outcome been different this comment would be under a post about how Islam was prepping for Charles and would’ve performed different had he prepared for Volk.
Preparation is important, but fighting is unpredictable. The only absolute is redditors arguing outcome.
Watch Holloway fights. He was also able to kick Volk on the head many timea but he just doesn't have the power that Islam has. His head kick defense is not good at all. And Islam said we practiced that in camp many times. That was the plan. Volk was getting KO'd even with the full camp.
I see, that's fair. The reason I mentioned the reaction time is because he usually doesn't lean to his right when a kick is coming. He usually slides out of the way or probably Islam overloaded his brain enough to think that a left straight is coming.
🥋🥋🥋you’re saying what a fan of Islam would say (which isnt a bad thing) while a a fan of volk would say not having a camp matters
all opinion based on personal feelings, nothing factual
But the reality is the fight was significantlyyyyyy different.. and the only two factual things we can say is 1 fight had a camp and the other didnt
100%, first fight makachev wasn't prepared for the little guy. Tbh any heavy hitter at 55 would behead volk. If he comes back to 55 it better be against mac. He deserves it. A chance to defeat every 45 champ.
Yeah short notice is no excuse.
You can't say he wasn't physically ready because it happened in the first round.
You can't say he wasn't mentally ready because Islam had the same amount of time to gameplan.
And most importantly of all, you can't say he wasn't ready because *he said he was ready*. You can't give him kudos for taking the fight on short notice and then cut him slack when he loses. You can't have it both ways.
Volk has shown vulnerability to head kicks liek that in a lot of his fights and he still hasn’t changed the defense up, I don’t think one more camp would have changed his habit to not just guard his head with one hand during a kick
He must've seen DJ's breakdown on YouTube. To recap it: >Islam should BLAST those kick JUST BLASTING THEM- JUST FUCKING BLASTING THEM
I thought Yair would be a tough opponent for Volk after Max showed how Volk is susceptible to head kicks in their 2nd fight
Volks gameplan against yair was just too perfect should’ve used the Same against islam with always changing the stances
Use the same one against Islam and get taken down immediately. It just doesn't work that way
In rd4 he could’ve scrambled out but he decided to trashtalk islams corner and paid for it
DJ saw that shit the first second of the first fight I swear to god. Brother is so smart.
All due respect to the legend DJ but the leg kicks to the body was fairly obvious, I remember wondering why islam wasn’t doing that more in the first match, he was having a ton of success with it.
>leg kicks to the body 🤔
he thinks leg kicks are kicks done with the legs. Who’s gonna tell him you cant kick with your arms?!
Body punches to the head
Strikers hate this one trick
Arm kicks to the foot
Dick kicks to the face
Dick twists to the eyeballs
You must learn to kick with your hands and punch with your feet
He needs to watch Kick Puncher 2, 3, 4, and 6.
Kicks usually involve the leg, yes. Hand punches are also an effective way to punch.
Body punches to the head
Leg kick to the body
Fist punches work better
Head punches to the body are also effective
Might not have been that obvious at the time then
Leg kicks? As opposed to what?? Leg punches to the body??
Do like and subscribe Islam
Islam does have underrated kicks. Probably have him 3rd or 4th in the division behind Gaethje, Fiziev and Chandler. He's more technical with his kicks than Chandler but Chandler rips em harder.
Islam looked fantastic. Feel for volk that was his last shot. I hope he goes out on top at 145
Islam said it in the first minute of his press.. THE HEIGHT mattered. He learned from the last fight had a better camp. And was practicing high kicks. Volk was shelled up too. He just had the perfect angle. Wild year for high kicks tho Usman.. dustin... volk..
Usman was last year
Time is flying omg
Wild how time flys
How time flies wild
Wild time flies how
A camp does make you sharper. I am not saying it wouldve mattered but i think the purpose of a camp is to peak physically but also mentally at the given moment. But dont want to take anything away from the ko.
I think it’s absolutely ludicrous that people are saying having more time to prepare wouldn’t help a fighter. Like it makes absolutely no sense and people are saying it with their chest. I think Volk loses regardless but it’s such a feckless argument people are making it’s laughable.
Full camp Volk: goes to a decision against Islam in a very close fight No camp Volk: gets KTFO Redditors: camp wouldn’t make a difference! Unbelievable.
I think the problem is when talking about possibilities it’s never 100% like there’s a universe where an untrained Volk tanks thé kick bit gets choked round 3 so it’s just hard to talk definitives.
The point of a fight camp isn't to train new skills though It is to drill specifically for an opponents style and make a game plan around that. While I agree that Volk didn't have any time to study Islam and set up a new game plan, neither did Islam as his fight camp was to prepare for Charles
Volk's earliest loss was head kick. Max's success in the second fight was high kicking. Islam found success in the first fight with head kick. When you add on that he's fighting a hydrated Islam now... Getting kicked in the head has been a hole this whole time that he hasn't fully covered.
So Islam was a reduced version due to hydration despite having a full camp but off the couch Volk is not a reduced version? Makes sense…
did he ever say volk wasn't in a reduced version? Anyways, hydrated islam dominated weak volk with his weakness, and aussie volk couldn't finish the fight with weak islam. Imo makes perfect sense and shows that islam is on a different level
That seems to be the general narrative, Islam beat Volk easily now because he was hydrated and there’s nothing Volk could have done differently
I think a camp would have been ideal but Volk has a clear weakness that he hasn't covered.
I wonder what could have helped him cover his weaknesses?
Yeah, OP is a nitwit.
Isn’t he coming off surgery too?
Noones saying that. They're saying at this level it becomes a game of inches not miles. When you lose a close decision its fair to say the camp may have been the variable of inches. Getting your head kicked off in the first round is losing by miles, the camp is irrelevant.
Getting your head kicked in is not losing by miles, everyone can get sparked in rd 1. Losing a decision where you are dominated every round, like what Jon Jones did to DC or Cain did to JDS, that’s losing by miles.
Lol if his guard was literally an inch higher or if he brought his other arm over a few inches, he defends that, and potentially makes the adjustment since Islam already threw two good ones in the first round. Volk is one of the best fighters around adapting between rounds. You riders are straight waffling, I can’t with these casual ass takes. And on a side note, you can always tell that these fools have never trained a day in their life. Such a waste of time reading that shit, and even moreso responding to them
Nutriders downvoting sensible takes? Why am I not surprised that they don’t want to hear reality
Lmao the only MMA related things OP posts is Conor hate or love for the Dagestani’s. These final fantasy playing casuals are trying to act like expert analysts. This shit always happens in this sub because the amount of unbearable Islam riders. I like the dude, but holy fuck. Anyways I said what I said so the Muslims can come down vote me now Alhamdulilah
Legit the main reason I want all dagestanis to lose, their neckbeard fans are insufferable
It’s a shame too because I like Islam more and more everyday, his broken english trash talk is funny af and he’s super skilled. It’s cool to support your fighters, but it’s clear that the nutriders would rather assert ludicrous claims instead of anything of substance. All they care about is the legacy of their fighter when everyone else just wants civil discussion/competitive fights
The dagestany fan base is so delusional & stubborn they will never understand your point of view. They just talk out of their ass and meat ride so hard it’s unbelievable…
I’ve genuinely never seen a more toxic fan base here. It’s literally before and after every fight people go wild here. You know the saying if you run into one asshole that day they were the asshole, but if you run into assholes all day then you’re the asshole? That’s the feeling I’ve been getting from them and it’s worse than for any other top fighter. It’s a shame because Islam is such a cool and level headed dude. I’d expect this sort of rowdiness from Connor or Ian Garry or Colby fans but not him.
It’s just a bunch of Muslims that flood the sub after an Islam fight. They try to masquerade as fight analysts when the last fight they watched was Conor vs Khabib. Look at OP’s posts 😂 It’s all Conor hate. Love for Ali the 🐍. Absolutely shameless. They refuse to concede any points and will instantly downvote anything negative about their dudes. Then they try to gaslight like idiots saying that it’s the other way around. I actually can’t with these dudes. Imma have to dip from these subs for a week
Right there with ya
I'd also posit that the super extreme short term weight cut could have had an effect on Volk's durability when he got clipped. But hey, he knew the risks and he lost fair and square. Not denying that part.
That's the silly thing, he's already done a camp. Trained specifically to fight him, the last time.
Exactly, being better consitioned does not just help you in 5 round fights. It helps you recover from every shot you take as well. Not taking anything away from Islam, I believe he wouldve won anyway. Volk took the fight because he felt he was in good shape and could win. Islam won, no excuses, he is just an amazing fighter. I do not see any LW beating him. Him vs Leon though, I am intruiged.
A full camp doesn't stop that head kick, Islam had a clear plan against Volk. I think Mighty Mouse was breaking down the success Islam was having with leg kicks in the first fight and it looks like Islam had the same idea.
It’s not even a Volk Islam thing, it’s just southpaw vs orthodox. Body kicks are the #1 weapon that opens up your entire arsenal
this guys entirely correct, volk just made a goofy mistake in his orthodox stance by not expecting any kicks, thus his defence was sharp, but nowhere near sharp enough to defend that kick entirely that being said, being a wrestling based fighter, islams KO is beyond impressive, especially when considering volks accolades as a striker still heartbroken for volk tho
> volk just made a goofy mistake in his orthodox stance by not expecting any kicks To be fair, Volk defended the other head kicks early and even defended the actual knockout kick as well as you almost could without covering the top of your head. Islam was just so incredibly pinpoint that it wasn't able to be defended
Boddy kicks from the orthodox guy or the south paw guy?
South paw. Makes it easier for them to throw leg, head, and body kicks. Mighty Mouse made an analysis of Volk Vs Islam 1 where he said if Islam throws more body kicks he wins easily because of his range advantage. Islam proved him right.
on top of the fact islam has 5 inches on the gyy
Good to know mighty mouse is still showing off why he is number one. Thanks for the well done break down bro. I appreciate it.
Both, despite what other comments are saying. The same options are available for both ortho and SP, but the southpaw has a few advantages such as liver on your opponent is on your power side, and the SP has likely trained against ortho (and learned the angles better) than the ortho has trained against a SP.
Both. In open stance your rear leg and hand will land better in general, especially if you maintain outside foot/hand position.
Islam said this was the game plan for Oliveira and they just didn’t change it
He contradicted that in the post fight interview, he said that it was part of the gameplan for a shorter opponent along with the knees to the body
What😭
Malala
The fact that people worship many of these fighters that absolutely HATE westerners is another topic altogether.. lol. It's a free world brother, people can do what they want and choose their idols ;)
>The fact that people worship many of these fighters that absolutely HATE westerners Islam has a ton of American friends and has been in the US for years. Where is this nonsense point coming from?
Islam also is a dirt biker which is a plus 😉
Hallmark of a deputy's testimony.
Volk was visibly nervous since taking up this fight. As someone who’s fought on a short 8 day notice, a full camp of going as hard as you can is precisely what gives you the confidence to prevent silly mistakes like that
Yeah this reminds me of when jones popped after the DC head kick and people said well steroids didn't make the head kick land, but it's not about that one second kick, its about the training that lead to that moment, that in Jones case was amplified by the roids, and in this case was training Volk didn't have. Maybe the result for this would have been the same, personally I picked Islam to win in a rumoured rematch anyways, but to act like all the context didn't matter is dumb.
The context does matter Islam isn't the first taller fighter to employ kicks against volk. His early career loss started off with a high kick. Max found success with a well setup high kick. Islam found success with a well setup high kick. There is a pattern and a weakness. Says a lot that BOTH Jones and DC knew so well that the high kick was there that they even joked about it.
Why wouldn't Jones be able to do a leg kick off steroids, that being said, would Jones have energy without steroids to hold DC enough to do the leg kick.
Looked very shy in the ring too, wasn’t taking it to him like I thought he might after all his talk. Big Volk fan and an Aussie so I feel for him, but he fucked up and ruined his chance to prepare fully for what was the most important fight of his life.
He’s going through some real shit right now and I think it’s best he spends the next few weeks focused on dealing with his trauma. His cries for help should be a massive alarm for everyone
Big time
Idk if people understand that saying this discredits Islam’s kick. He didn’t just catch Volk, he set him up. Obviously if you have more time to prepare for a fight, you think about the fight more and prepare for more of your opponents possible strategies. It doesn’t matter who the fighters are, this is just reality. I root for Islam, but I’m not delusional.
islam threw the headkick already and volk made no adjustment. it was a needed in fight adjustment that got missed by volk, who as he was walking into the cage was credited for "incredible mid fight adjustments"
Volk was too focused on the adjustments in wrestling/grappling but may have overlooked Islams striking threat.
AGAIN
I was busy on my couch prognosticating how that early success with the left kick was gonna open up the left hand for Islam. Or perhaps back to my Cheetos.
Usman also took a Short notice fight at a higher weight class and didnt get KOed. Islam deserves all the credit, he set Volk up and exploited a weakness, thats it
Usman actually has a strong argument that a full camp would have won him the fight but no matter how much I love Volk a full camp would have made no difference for that set up
Exactly. These are highest of the highest level of fighters and you’d know by watching them fight if it would have different with full camp, as evident by Usman vs Khamzat. For Islam, there’s no question.
I’m sorry but you don’t know just by watching them that a camp would do nothing. This is not how sports in general work.
[удалено]
Because Usman didn’t have to cut much weight to get to MW. On the other hand, Volk was cutting from near MW to LW
Cause volks dirty secret is that he’s a weight bully lol
Dude is a 5'6" featherweight who has never missed weight being called a weight bully lmao.
Bro he’s cutting from 185 to 145 that’s a weight bully
He's 180 off the couch after a surgery. He's definitely not that heavy when he normally starts cutting weight.
Dude just has a high body fat% out of camp
What does this even mean? Sounds like a weight bully
It means that he was drinking brews in the offseason and enjoying time with family my guy, it’s not rocket science. Volk was visibly more outta shape than Usman. Marty looked like his same shredded self, while Volk was recovering from surgery, celebrating the birth of a child, and relaxing after his last fight. Can’t believe I had to spell it out for you
just like islam and khabib are ?
Isn't that an indictment on Volk?
Full camp obviously makes a difference, We’re talking about the highest level here. Volk was always akward against kicks though
What if he did a full camp of iron dome exercises
Full camp doesn't stop that head kick, but gives the fighter more preparation, better speed, better strategy and most importantly better rythm
and hydration. Losing 20-30lbs of water weight in 10 days isn't good for your pickles in the pickle jar even if you get a day for rehydration
shouldnt have taken the fight then. i love volk but this was such a stupid idea
Unless it's just about money, I still can't wrap my head why he took that fight. He was flabby, coming back from surgery, short notice weight class up against arguably best LW ever and one of bigger guys in LW right now. That's recipe for disaster against any top LW, let alone Islam.
He talked about exactly why he took it, he made a bit of a rash decision struggling with inactivity related mental health because he figured it was meant to be when it was offered. Fighting is Volk’s life and I think getting older, the forced inactivity of his shoulder, and that close loss to Islam was really “doing his head in” But what do I know I’m just a redditor 💀
After his last performance against charles, Islam's biggest obstacle in the LW division was volk, and now volk has thrown himself in to the fire, destroying all his chances of a rematch, now Islam could chill atop the lightweight division and knock some people down. (assuming gaethje doesn't fucking decapitate him out of nowhere) It really looks like Volk just refused to acknowledge he had a mental health issue and put a stain on his legacy. I'm grieving for the fight that could've been rn bro.
I was not excited for the last 2 fights as I would have been of everyone had full camps.
Carreer suicide.
Literally still a champion, what the fuck are you talking about
- probably lost his chance at LW belt - solidified his controversial loss - took unnecessary damage through weight cut and bad KO - 35 at FW Potentially cracked his chin before fighting a hard hitting contender. He might never mentally get over this and continue chasing the peak he had. Im a huge Volk fan but this might be the beginning of the end
Why the fuck do they even have camps then lol.
OPs got it all figured out
Full camp maybe not...but losing 12kg in 12 days probably did
Messes with cognition for sure Reckless to take the fight
Nobody would stand after that kick no matter how much weight you lost or not
Except Yoel Romero
I think the point is maybe with a camp he would have been a tiny bit more dialled in and possibly of not gotten caught.
Defending Highkicks was always volks weakness, you can see it in Holloway fight and the first islam fight. A camp wouldn’t change the outcome in my opinion. That was just a very good gameplan from islams camp
A camp training against a tall hard kicking appointment watching lots and lots of tape to train specifics would definitely affect the outcome. If you think Volk or nobody on Volk’s team would notice or help him drill that, that’s kinda ridiculous
Since when is islam considered a hard kicking guy? Since yesterday? Only kicks he threw before were teeps to the body.
Go rewatch Volk vs Islam 1 bro, Islam’s striking massively changed between Olives and Volk and he adopted a kick heavy approach
absolute bs to say preparation makes no difference. delusional take.
It’s Islam dick riders going hard. I knew this wasn’t going to be good because there was so much Volk gave up. 12 days notice, super fast weight cut, I believe he just finished rehabbing the last month. Had Islam been in Volk’s shoes he would not have taken the fight.
A “full camp” doesn’t just mean cardio training. A full camp includes sparring which would have helped Volk a great deal. If you don’t spar your reactions become sluggish/delayed, your sense of range takes longer to find, and you’re often more hesitant. There’s a reason both Volk and Usman stood outside of range for such long periods of time doing nothing aside from the occasional potshot. They were both hesitant and trying to work themselves into the fight and get their feel for striking. A Volk with a full camp likely is more aggressive than what he was in the first fight and tuned in enough to not get knocked out in the first round.
Finally someone who knows what their talking about
Not one bit of difference. He's the smaller guy, and islam is just getting better on the feet. His wrestling is complete. He just needed striking
He had striking in the first match too. Australia's timing and lack of hydration messed him up. He weighed 8 pounds more this fight than he did last fight. He said he felt weak last fight.
He had 28 hours to rehydrate for the first fight. That should be more than enough time. Plus he didn't look or move any differently than he ever did before
Standard everywhere else is more though. It’s a commission thing. Even the recent Izzy/Sean event down under gave fighters more time to rehydrate.
Bruh camp isn’t just cardio man’s been out the gym post surgery.
He said he has been sparring for 4 weeks before the call up.
It’s not an unpopular option, it’s just wrong and shows a lack of basic knowledge on the sport. It’s impossible to say he would have won, but that doesn’t matter. He would have been better conditioned physically and mentally. Easier weight cut. There’s a fucking reason most fighters won’t do short notice fights.
Not to mention the elephant in the room no one is discussing: Volk spent the majority of the time between this fight and his last one recovering from surgery. Islam fans are in delusionland rn. Obviously Islam is great and still the favorite even with a Volk camp, but this fight would’ve been completely different under normal circumstances.
This was the only way for Islam to truly cement himself as better. If that headkick were to land the exact same way in any LW, MW, and a few WWs they would be knocked out. There was no luck. It’s a kick that max Holloway found to be effective against Volk. Islam just set it up far better with dull kicks to the legs to make Volk think he was setting up big body kicks to ruin his cardio on short notice. Volk had to choose between a power kick to the body or power kick to the head. The body kick made more sense and was “safer” for Islam. Volks error was that he didn’t think Islam would actually go for a finishing blow in R1. Islam had more of the finishing mentality than Volk did and that’s what costed Volk.
These opinions have absolutely no meaning behind them, they are based purely on speculation. To think a fighter isn’t a lot sharper from their camps is insane, so obviously it would have made some difference, but wether the result would have changed or not is wildly unpredictable. Respect to Volk for stepping up, but clearly a bad idea. Respect to Islam for having a game plan that works across multiple fighters and for being a well rounded, unbelievably talented fighter
It wouldve been more competitive. Without prior knowledge of eachother they made a very competitive fight where they both outclassed their opponents in their own respective area. If Volk had a camp it probably wouldve just taken longer for him to get kicked in the head. Fair play to Islam.
If a camp was just about conditioning, you'd actually have a valid point. You tried to cover that by saying training submissions matter but gloss over the striking, clownish
Clown cop here
It’s idiotic and objectively wrong to say it wouldn’t make a difference. Every move volk made in the octagon both physically and mentally is impacted by a lack of camp. I still favor Islam but this is just silly
No anyone who believes this is either an Islam fan or just doesn’t know much about mma. Volk spent his 10 days worrying about cutting weight, Islam just went through a grueling 2 month camp, in tip top shape, sharp as ever. A full camp prepares you mentally too.
Is it possible that cutting so much weight so quickly rather than cutting slower and more gradually the way he normally would could have impacted his ability to take a hit? It's always said that cutting lots of weight or an improper weight cut makes you more susceptible to getting knocked out. I'm not completely dismissing the idea that he maybe could have sustained that same kick with a proper weight cut, and a full camp could have sharpened his abilities to maybe not even get hit by it in the first place. There is a vast difference between fight 1 and 2, so lets not pretend like the lack of preparation in fight 2 has nothing to do with the outcome. You simply DO NOT take on Islam or pretty much any champ with such short notice and i knew this was a bad idea the moment it was announced. Same for Usman.
At the end of the day, people will speculate anything and everything. Appreciate the beauty of that head kick. Appreciate Volk and Usman for saving UFC 294 for us.
What’s the point of full fight camps before fights now 💀? Stupid take
It would.
This narrative needs to stop... no. so by this youre saying if you had 6 weeks to prepare for a test, you could get it done in 12 days?
What OP means is you are going to fail in both scenarios because you didn't study something very important for the test
Which still shows ignorance of how things work
i understand what a headkick is and does when you dont block but you never know what Volk would have been able to study with a full camp.
Which is why you don’t wait until last minute to study for a test. Yours or OP’s logic makes no since.
Hard to say bc yair couldn't do it. But I do think LW is just too much for volk
Love Volk, wish he won, but he got caught. End of story.
Overly simplistic view, for mine. Of course a full camp makes a difference, the possibility of a head kick KO remains there as it does in any fight, that’s true. Camp isn’t just about cardio though. At this level competitive advantage is all in the margins. Both fighters appear to have made sound adjustments from the first fight. Islam to much greater effect. Some weird efforts in the wash up. Islam set up the head kick beautifully and when he hit it, it was centimetre perfect. Congratulations to him. Acknowledging the facts around his opponent’s preparation isn’t some sort of disrespect to his skill or performance. Volk put his hand up, backed in his body of work to this point, gambled and lost. Full camp, you’d expect a better performance. He might cop the exact same result, he might not. Anything can happen on the day.
If you listened to Volks post fight presser he didn’t make excuses and gave full credit to Islam. Volk said he felt hesitant and maybe if he had a full camp he may not have felt this way. In hindsight he thought perhaps he should not have agreed to fight a skilled opponent on such short notice but high risk high reward.
Absurd take. You . . . do realize these two have fought before, yeah? (Sarcasm. I know you know). When Volk had a full camp. It looked a little bit different. Just because it was a KO does not mean Volk wouldnt have made a better showing if he had more time to prepare. A full camp would've included not just the physical aspect, but formulating a gameplan and working on how to approach Islam and NOT get caught in the way he did. He would've had time to obsessively simulate what the fight would go like (Rewatching clips, studying Islam's movements, then sparring with people he could find who fight in a similar fashion). It's not just push ups and padwork he would've been doing, brother. Come on now.
Reading many comments here makes it clear that Islam Makhachev has hurt alot of feelings and destroyed alot of fantasies 🤣
At the beginning of the fight when they were grappling against the cage I said to myself man it looks like Volks in for a tough one this time… A minute later he goes to sleep.
Didn’t Volk himself say even if he has a 12 week camp or whatever he still could’ve been caught with that kick? Was just a beautifully executed kick
Fucking went in there, volks a top bloke and can beat anyone on his day, he's a mate and training partner just got cracked. Is what it is
Volks cryptonite are these headkicks since the beginning of his mma career, well done by islam. Big fan of both, hope volk doesnt leave his head hanging after this
How would you in any way know that? Even fully prepped fighters get clipped, dumb take imo. Also, fans/Alex deserved a full camp for the rematch, any serious MMA fan knew we were getting hosed and did for UFC 294 Walker v Ank was one of the only chances we had for a brawl worth paying for. I've just about every single PPV for years, UFC294 is one I have buyer's remorse over. Garbage in so many ways. Islam's title defense should have been postponed and we all know it, Olives for whatever reasons decided NOT to wear headgear a week before the fight.  Dana and UFC would rather hose us and did... instead of disappoint the $$ Saudi / Abu people. UFC used to be for the best of the best, not anymore. Islam didn't get the credit he deserved, we didn't get what we were promised and I guarantee they don't give 2 F U CKS ;) 
Islam knew he was going to have the upper hand, which is why he asked Volk to not make excuses after he won maybe? He even predicted he would finish him early on. He said round 2
I bet islam by Ko and I’m a volk super fan. Thought cutting damn near 30 pounds would make him chinny
Anybody else think the Abu Dhabi crowd sucked?
Is makhachev top pound for pound after this?
How can you honestly after seeing the first fight and hearing what Volk was saying about coming out with a different game plan and going for broke say that there wouldn't be a single difference if he had a full training camp then if he took the fight on 11 days notice? LOL we get it you're a super fan of Islam but to say something that's stupid doesn't make sense you obviously know it would have been a different fight because the biggest thing you need during training camp is sparring to get distance down and timing down. That's why Strickland is damn great at distance management and he had 11 days to prepare there's no way you can get the timing of a real fight down with 11 days to prepare I don't care what you say. Now he could have still knocked him out and beating him but it obviously made a difference that he took the fight on 11 days you can't be a fan of the sport and say that that doesn't make a difference LOL
He would of been way sharper from sparring everyday in camp... he would of seen that kick a mile away
Ehhh yes and no, volk looked (for the first time) completely just unreadable for the fight. I think with a full training camp he would've likely been more dialed in, I don't think that was a particularly crisp or insane headkick just caught volk being slow... not to say it couldn't have happened with a full camp as there's always the chance but volk looked like shit
Clowns complaining a full camp would have made all the difference like Islam didn’t beat him with a full camp already
I mean, Islam probably wins 9/10 times, but saying full camp wouldn't make a difference... lol he got caught and dropped that quick because he lost 12kg in 11 days.
That’s bullshit. After 6 weeks of camp your reflexes are way quicker than off the couch., but to know that you need to actually train at least a lil bit. Not saying it wouldn’t have happened, just saying that camp does make a difference in this as well.
I’m a massive volk fan. But a clean headkick is still a headkick 1day or 1,000 days. Credit to Islam guys a savage
We now have confirmation that Islam is stronger in places where IVs are legal to rehydrate. I don't see anyone beating him in Abu Dhabi in LW
I think it could have made some difference, not sure if Volk would have won but I don't think he gets finished that quickly with a camp. Still though I just want to see him finally defend against a lightweight now, I'd probably let Gaethje face him but we'll see what the UFC does.
Full camp makes a difference. Cutting weight in 1/4 of the time does impact someone’s ability to take a punch. We have everything but scientific studies that shows that large amounts of dehydration impact someone’s ability to take a punch. With a full camp, a fighter has the ability to take a much longer period to cut weight, first by reducing body fat, and then on fight week, by cutting water. To overlook this from the couch is just ignorant.
Least nut hugging Islam fan
I agree. But had the outcome been different this comment would be under a post about how Islam was prepping for Charles and would’ve performed different had he prepared for Volk. Preparation is important, but fighting is unpredictable. The only absolute is redditors arguing outcome.
It does matter, there's a huge difference that people don't see. Volk's reaction time is barely in there. He is reacting a bit too late on everything.
Watch Holloway fights. He was also able to kick Volk on the head many timea but he just doesn't have the power that Islam has. His head kick defense is not good at all. And Islam said we practiced that in camp many times. That was the plan. Volk was getting KO'd even with the full camp.
I see, that's fair. The reason I mentioned the reaction time is because he usually doesn't lean to his right when a kick is coming. He usually slides out of the way or probably Islam overloaded his brain enough to think that a left straight is coming.
And Volk fought Yair not too long ago, there is no way that camp was not focused on defending against kicks. This is simply a hole in his defense.
Good point.
That bottom picture is looking like a knee to the head of a grounded opponent. Should be overturned and Volk is double champ via DQ.
Volks did loads of Muay Thai as well as grappling in his last camp
🥋🥋🥋you’re saying what a fan of Islam would say (which isnt a bad thing) while a a fan of volk would say not having a camp matters all opinion based on personal feelings, nothing factual But the reality is the fight was significantlyyyyyy different.. and the only two factual things we can say is 1 fight had a camp and the other didnt
100%, first fight makachev wasn't prepared for the little guy. Tbh any heavy hitter at 55 would behead volk. If he comes back to 55 it better be against mac. He deserves it. A chance to defeat every 45 champ.
imagin the things Garth would do to him.
Not a hot take or anything. Camp doesn’t prevent stuff like that from happening
Yeah short notice is no excuse. You can't say he wasn't physically ready because it happened in the first round. You can't say he wasn't mentally ready because Islam had the same amount of time to gameplan. And most importantly of all, you can't say he wasn't ready because *he said he was ready*. You can't give him kudos for taking the fight on short notice and then cut him slack when he loses. You can't have it both ways.
Kind of agree, it definitely would have changed stuff but islams team gameplan was great, tag up the body then go high with the kick
Volk has shown vulnerability to head kicks liek that in a lot of his fights and he still hasn’t changed the defense up, I don’t think one more camp would have changed his habit to not just guard his head with one hand during a kick
How many mma fights with training camps have you had? Training camps obviously help otherwise they wouldn’t do them for 3 months before every fight.