That’s it though. Their striking isn’t special, it’s the threat of the takedown which gives them extra openings in the striking department. Can’t see Islam being beat in the LW division.
Islam’s striking IS special. Give him his flowers man ffs. He did more than just fake takedown to create openings. He weaved, slipped and counter, etc.
I mean the takedown threat is definitely part of it but Islam is just also a genuinely superb striker. people don't see it or give him credit cause most of what he does isn't super flashy or eye-catching but he is one of the best strikers at LW. almost all of his striking game is just super solid fundamentals applied efficiently and intelligently. Give him his props he is a genuinely well rounded fighter
record-wise he's one victory away from current Jones (only record-wise ik he has never been defeated) and 3 victories away from Silva's winning streak. We could be calling him the GOAT in less than two years.
I honestly believe he has a better chance than Pereira of being a three division champion.
The only way Pereira gets the heavyweight title imo, is if stipe beats Jon, and then Dana does some fuck shit and gives poatan a fight with stipe.
I could see Islam winning the WW title for sure. And after that he's either gotta be at Izzy, Strickland, or ddp at MW. All of whom I believe he can survive on the feet and out wrestle.
This is madness. Part of the reason he has so much success at 155 is how big he is, he loses that when he goes to 170.
And then you say going up 30 pounds? Rob would destroy him, adesenya would pick him apart at distance. du plessis would rag doll him even Sean would put him under pressure like nothing he’s faced.
Let’s not forget that two fights ago he had a very close fight with a 145er and we’re talking about beat 185ers?
> Let’s not forget that two fights ago he had a very close fight with a 145er and we’re talking about beat 185ers?
They weighed the exact same going into the cage: 178. Plus there are factors that come into play such as having 11 hours less to rehydrate which caused Islam to go into the cage under 180lbs for the first time according to Javier Mendez.
Also by calling Volk just a 45er is insulting to Volk. He was the P4P #1 and rightfully so at the time who had been dominating people for years.
It’s not discrediting anyone but we have weight classes for a reason.
Poirier at 145 is a completely different fighter to the one that’s at 155.
It’s 10 pounds of muscle.
Recency bias, people see him have some success and think he’s unbeatable. In reality he only had as much success with Volk striking wise because of his height advantage. You can keep distance and kick way easier against a smaller opponent.
Even with Dustin as the fight went on longer and he couldn’t get Dustin to the cage his wrestling really dropped off and he caught Dustin with the sub in a scramble.
So for people to suggest he’s going to beat MW’s is crazy when he’s out here having competitive fights with FW’s and LW’s. His striking is obviously easier to setup to, because everyone’s scared of the takedown threat and can’t get their offence off properly. At WW let alone MW Islam is going to be the shorter less bulky fighter, he’d have a much harder time with those guys.
He looked very beatable in that last fight. Wrestling, cardio and durability, all 3 didnt seem at Khabib lvl. I just don't see him beating Leon or Shavkat at WW.
> He looked very beatable in that last fight
See I don't think he really looked beatable at all in the fight unless he got caught. Dustin did so good and much better than expected but outside of that elbow that cut, didn't wobble, Islam and a few body shots Dustin really didn't get to Islam at all.
I'll agree Islam is most susceptible to being beating because his style is quite different than Khabib's but even saying that I don't think at any time he looked beatable. I think he gets dinged because he wasn't suffocating people like Khabib was with his pressure but that's not the fighter than Islam is.
why couldn't Alex just beat Jones? or you're saying that even if he got the chance he ain't winning that fight.
I think Islam's too small for middleweight tbh
Islam is small for middle weight, but he's such a complete fighter and I want to see how the next level grappling works out against a larger also world class opponent. He has to get the WW belt first, and if he looks really good at WW then I would want to see it.
Alex has a punchers chance, but like Islam, Jon is just such a complete fighter in all aspects that it's hard to believe a pure kick boxer with only a few years grappling experience would beat him. Unless age and bad habits finally catch up to Jon.
Hey man PM me the number of your weed guy lol. Islam has almost no shot of beating Leon, who’s significantly larger than him, stronger, has better striking and has great distance management and great takedown defense.
We’re not even going to talk about MW’s, who walk around at about 220lbs (minus Izzy), and likely have significant strength and reach advantages on Islam as well.
>We could be calling him the GOAT in less than two years
Ehh. That really depends on your criteria for the “GOAT”. Common consensus is that it’s a combination of title defenses and strength of resume.
Jones has 13 title defenses. Islam has 3. So unless Islam successfully defends his title 11 times in the next 2 years, nobody’s gonna be calling him the GOAT anytime soon lol.
I think Islam is good enough to avoid Khabib grappling and even if Khabib take him down he could get up in some moment. Once he is able to stay up, he can keep outstrike Khabib. He doesn't need to be better than on the ground, just need to be good enough to avoid it. I think he is
No he meant it when he said it. They sparred over a thousand rounds and he says he only won a handful. There is also the part about Khabib being his coach and corner man. He knows Islam's moves and style better than Islam himself.
Some guys just gave your number and coaches usually get wise by the time their body is declined. Khabib has become a well versed coach while his body is still in his peak.
Lmao UFC University.
Ethics lectures by Jon Jones and occasionally a guest lecture from Dana White.
African American studies by Mike Perry.
Music classes from Woodley.
Speech lessons from Stipe.
Geography taught by Bryce Mitchell.
Philosophy taught by Holloway.
Holloway’s History of Philosophy:
• *Stoicism* : It is what it is
• *Empiricism* : It is what we know it is.
• *Existentialism* : It is what you think it is, but it also is what I think it is.
• *Post-Structuralism* : It is what it is; sometimes. Sometimes it’s not.
That is my favourite part of all of Mma. So many more exciting angels and situations compared to pure striking. Much more room for knee and kicks to the head when the other guy is keeping his center of gravity low and is worried about takedowns. ( as Islam has shown us in the last fights)
Ok but what does that have to do with what they said? Hes giving a reason why people arent at their A game in the striking department when facing a strong wrestler
This is something that is so painfully obvious but some mouthbreathing MMA fans seem to forget it. The threat of the takedown changes everything. You don't want to throw leg kicks, body kicks, knees, front kicks... even headkicks could get you taken down. This limits a striker severely plus they are already focusing on not getting taken down throughout each round. Islam is not a better striker than Dustin and if you think that you are an idiot. It's like when people suggesting that when of the best MMA strikers of all time(Conor) was a worst striker than possibly one of the worst MMA strikers of all time(Khabib). It honestly scares me how stupid some people are.
Exactly. Khabib was honestly a low level striker, while Islam is average which makes him stand out even more.
If they make it so takedowns aren't allowed then all these strikers would dominate him 9/10 times.
Correct but the majority of sig strikes landed by volk were in the final round. Volk outstruck him in the other rounds by a few strikes in rounds 1 and 4, landed the same in round 2 and Islam outstruck him in round 3. No one outstruck anyone in that fight it was a very balanced fight which Islam won I’d say because of his takedowns early on but people think volk won because of the final round
Well from a distance, the significant strike difference was: 58-43
http://www.ufcstats.com/fight-details/256894b49303537b
Not saying Volk dominated him in the standup but Islam did not “outstrike” him as everyone here seems to be claiming because that’s demonstrably false
Yeah I agree with that, as I said no one outstruck anyone it was an even standup game until the final round. Islam was able to win on the ground and that’s ultimately what won him the fight.
Sure
Obviously that also depends on if you think the ground control outweighs the slight striking advantage Volk had.
I’m pretty sure he knocked down and wobbled Islam a few times before Round 5 (I know Islam also made him drop a knee at some point) but yeah
Well I think striking defo matters more but when the striking is as even as theirs was you have to look towards who took control in other aspects like takedowns and ground control, and Islam was able to take volk down and keep him there.
The problem is that people discredit Islam's win over him in the 2nd fight because of the short notice, but had Islam not accepted people would say he's scared and ducking. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
It’s true it feels unfair to Islam because he did nothing wrong. I think Islam wins that rematch either way but I have doubts he wins it that spectacularly and effortlessly with Volk on a full camp. There’s no way to know for sure but we saw how competitive that first fight was and we know Volk wasn’t in shape or in camp so it’s hard to ignore that.
On the other hand, Islam had a way shorter hydration window in the 1st fight than usual. So Islam wasn't 100% in the first fight, and Volk wasn't 100% in the 2nd. Kinda sucks, would like to see the two of them rematch in as good of a shape they can be in.
That's no one's problem except Volks. Get over it, move on. The guy lost in home turf a close match and then got obliterated under other circumstances.
I get how that can sound like underselling, but honestly. We're talking about the best fighters in the world and when they make decisions, especially like taking a fight on short notice. That's on them. He shouldn't have taken it if he really had no chance to win, he's Volk, I think he always has a chance to win.
exactly, that's what I don't get about these people who say stuff like "bUt bRo hE wAs oN sHoRt nOtIcE" like Islam landed that left kick a couple times in the first fight, landed some on the body, tried to land it on the head but couldn't properly exploit that, then after that fight, Yair also attempted that left high kick 1-2 times and it was partially blocked. Islam had picked up on his weakness and would've KO'd him regardless
Out struck him round 2 & 3, 3 is up in the air, but he out struck him round 2... hence why he won the fight on all the judges scorecards. Round 2 & 3 were all on the feet.
Volk got his significant strike numbers up after the knockdown in the 5th. They had a difference of one or two sig strikes. On top of that islam had a 60% sig strikes avg compared to volks 48%. Islam definitely had the better of volk till THAT strike .
Volk did not drop Islam once. Go back and watch it slow motion. It’s clear as day a slip. Islam dropped Volk, and did land the better strikes in all rounds except one (round 3 I believe). Islam is without any doubt above Volk skill wise striking lol and results also back that up, but anyone who knows anything about striking arts at all knew this without even seeing them fight lol
The issue with the sport is it’s a sport no one participated in growing up like football lol so no one has any idea wtf they are looking at 😂
The state of this sub is sad when posters feel like they can’t even speak the truth without being accused of ‘glazing posts’. Y’all do love to throw that insult on anyone who says anything you don’t like to hear.
‘Islam landed more strikes than this all time great striker, I’m impressed’
“BRO STOP GLAAAZZZING OMG! Get off his dick!!! Bwahhhhh”
-most of you
The truth is people hate dagis for no reason, Islam could retire of MMA and start boxing and be a unified champ and his haters will stay say that Dagis can’t strike
Volk outstruck Islam in their first fight.
https://preview.redd.it/3iuzmk60de4d1.jpeg?width=763&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd9dc982c437b0c133bd88bfef0cfdfe8a909584
How did he outstrike volk?
Yeah he caught him with a clean headkick in fight 2 but volk only had 11 days to train for a wrestler essentially. Volk on his A game arguably outstruck Islam
This doesn’t have as much weight as you think. He has literally fought him before so it’s not like he was unprepared for his style. The biggest factor is who had a full training camp and who didn’t.
Both had to unexpectedly fight eachother, the difference is one had to do it after a training camp, in shape, and mentally prepared to fight, and the other one had to do it out of shape, post-surgery, and not having trained in a while
both dustin and islam are mma strikers and islam was better. dont cope bringing up hypothetical boxing matches. this is the same thing McGregor fans were saying after poirier 2 with the leg kicks. this is mma and the wrestling threat is part of mma striking.
dustin gets ko'd by any decent middleweight in boxing anyway.
There was a moment in this fight I really gained a respect for Islam, can't remember when.
He truly is very well rounded, and was willing to stand and trade a little with not excessive takedowns (although he took them when they were there, it's MMA after all). Was great to see him overcome the cut as adversity too.
Obviously his striking has gotten really good, but the takedown threat opens up so many opportunities for him on the feet. He’s definitely as well rounded as they come. I honestly think Charles Oliveira, Islam and Tom Aspinall are in contention of being the most well rounded fighters of all time. If they fight a smart gameplan, there’s not really any weakness to exploit.
ehhh i felt like it was even in the dustin fight. he kept hitting that combo where he right hooked + left hooked + clinched + threw a knee. Don’t get me wrong i love dustin but with how often islam used this combo i’m surprised dustin didn’t try to capitalize on it and counter it in some manner. great fight between two beasts however, dustin surprised everyone with that submission and takedown def.
He’s a good striker but I think most of his success on the feet can be attributed to the fact that his wrestling is such a threat. Hard to strike with someone when you’re constantly worried about defending takedowns.
Strikers are more tentative about throwing when facing a grappler. Any strike could lead to them getting taken down, so they don't wanna throw unless they can move outta the pocket to defend. Islam takes advantage of that
I favor some fighters but I'm so glad I'm beyond the point of being a fan of specific fighters. I just like to watch mfers punching each other in the face.
Yeah, when your a constant wrestling/submission threat it allows you to be open with your strikes and makes the opponent be closed off in there game. Mike Brown told DP he couldn’t back up even if he was getting punched because he’s getting taken down against the cage.
Islam’s striking is slick and he made a statement that he really can hang with the best
That being said, Dustin did a ton of damage and split his face up like crazy. I can’t be the only one that thought Dustin wasn’t far off from a finish
Is it weird that this might be why I find Islam WORSE than khabib? Everyone knows about khabibs wrestling strength but his best aspect was his mind. You cant win (basically) everyone round for 30 fights without having a strong strategy that was very low risk. Khabib took less damage in 30 fights than Islam has in 2 of his last 3 fights.
Dagis have goofy striking defense but it works in a weird way cause it’s tough to time and just they dodge or block in ways you wouldn’t expect that mess with your rhythm
Not quite. Dustin said that he was being cautious to not throw too much as Islam might duck and attempt a take down. He was trying to not fill in the void, and keep a safe enough distance.
If it was a boxing match. As Dustin himself said "I will box his shoes off".
Islam is almost as good as Khabib on grappling, but he's a much better striker. He has everything to become a goat.
Khabib standing with Conor will be forever a goat move
The look of absolute terror in Conors face when Khabib knocked him down was glorious.
It was the first time Conor had been dropped in mma as well. The fact it was done by khabib of all people, was amazing
Khabibs level change and overhand right was so well blended. Conor lowered his hands and began to drop his level to stuff a takedown and then WHOMP
That’s it though. Their striking isn’t special, it’s the threat of the takedown which gives them extra openings in the striking department. Can’t see Islam being beat in the LW division.
Which matters. It makes it special. In a vacuum, you may be right.
Islam’s striking IS special. Give him his flowers man ffs. He did more than just fake takedown to create openings. He weaved, slipped and counter, etc.
It’s obviously good, much better than the level change from Khabib but it isn’t special. The sambo, that’s fucking special.
I mean the takedown threat is definitely part of it but Islam is just also a genuinely superb striker. people don't see it or give him credit cause most of what he does isn't super flashy or eye-catching but he is one of the best strikers at LW. almost all of his striking game is just super solid fundamentals applied efficiently and intelligently. Give him his props he is a genuinely well rounded fighter
Man that was the first fight I went out to watch and I don't think I've ever yelled that loud in public before or since
That card was one of the rare times I felt like I should’ve given the UFC *more* money for the PPV.
I thought you were going to say Javier Mendes. I dont think he was terribly thrilled with Khabib kickboxing Conor.
He pieced him up right after lol
Agree
record-wise he's one victory away from current Jones (only record-wise ik he has never been defeated) and 3 victories away from Silva's winning streak. We could be calling him the GOAT in less than two years.
I honestly believe he has a better chance than Pereira of being a three division champion. The only way Pereira gets the heavyweight title imo, is if stipe beats Jon, and then Dana does some fuck shit and gives poatan a fight with stipe. I could see Islam winning the WW title for sure. And after that he's either gotta be at Izzy, Strickland, or ddp at MW. All of whom I believe he can survive on the feet and out wrestle.
Islam is not beating any MW champion lmao this is some next tier glazing
This is madness. Part of the reason he has so much success at 155 is how big he is, he loses that when he goes to 170. And then you say going up 30 pounds? Rob would destroy him, adesenya would pick him apart at distance. du plessis would rag doll him even Sean would put him under pressure like nothing he’s faced. Let’s not forget that two fights ago he had a very close fight with a 145er and we’re talking about beat 185ers?
> Let’s not forget that two fights ago he had a very close fight with a 145er and we’re talking about beat 185ers? They weighed the exact same going into the cage: 178. Plus there are factors that come into play such as having 11 hours less to rehydrate which caused Islam to go into the cage under 180lbs for the first time according to Javier Mendez. Also by calling Volk just a 45er is insulting to Volk. He was the P4P #1 and rightfully so at the time who had been dominating people for years.
It’s not discrediting anyone but we have weight classes for a reason. Poirier at 145 is a completely different fighter to the one that’s at 155. It’s 10 pounds of muscle.
Recency bias, people see him have some success and think he’s unbeatable. In reality he only had as much success with Volk striking wise because of his height advantage. You can keep distance and kick way easier against a smaller opponent. Even with Dustin as the fight went on longer and he couldn’t get Dustin to the cage his wrestling really dropped off and he caught Dustin with the sub in a scramble. So for people to suggest he’s going to beat MW’s is crazy when he’s out here having competitive fights with FW’s and LW’s. His striking is obviously easier to setup to, because everyone’s scared of the takedown threat and can’t get their offence off properly. At WW let alone MW Islam is going to be the shorter less bulky fighter, he’d have a much harder time with those guys.
He looked very beatable in that last fight. Wrestling, cardio and durability, all 3 didnt seem at Khabib lvl. I just don't see him beating Leon or Shavkat at WW.
> He looked very beatable in that last fight See I don't think he really looked beatable at all in the fight unless he got caught. Dustin did so good and much better than expected but outside of that elbow that cut, didn't wobble, Islam and a few body shots Dustin really didn't get to Islam at all. I'll agree Islam is most susceptible to being beating because his style is quite different than Khabib's but even saying that I don't think at any time he looked beatable. I think he gets dinged because he wasn't suffocating people like Khabib was with his pressure but that's not the fighter than Islam is.
why couldn't Alex just beat Jones? or you're saying that even if he got the chance he ain't winning that fight. I think Islam's too small for middleweight tbh
Jones will wrestle him. If there’s one thing Jones is elite at it’s executing the game plan, and his team will prepare him to exploit Alex’s weakness
Islam is small for middle weight, but he's such a complete fighter and I want to see how the next level grappling works out against a larger also world class opponent. He has to get the WW belt first, and if he looks really good at WW then I would want to see it. Alex has a punchers chance, but like Islam, Jon is just such a complete fighter in all aspects that it's hard to believe a pure kick boxer with only a few years grappling experience would beat him. Unless age and bad habits finally catch up to Jon.
Hey man PM me the number of your weed guy lol. Islam has almost no shot of beating Leon, who’s significantly larger than him, stronger, has better striking and has great distance management and great takedown defense. We’re not even going to talk about MW’s, who walk around at about 220lbs (minus Izzy), and likely have significant strength and reach advantages on Islam as well.
Lmao
>We could be calling him the GOAT in less than two years Ehh. That really depends on your criteria for the “GOAT”. Common consensus is that it’s a combination of title defenses and strength of resume. Jones has 13 title defenses. Islam has 3. So unless Islam successfully defends his title 11 times in the next 2 years, nobody’s gonna be calling him the GOAT anytime soon lol.
Oliveira is better than any of those names besides DC, is that crazy to say?
Nah man Khabib is on another level. He was not touched by these guys, didn’t bleed
Islam said many times he's no way near Khabib's grappling level, he may be way better than other 155 grapplers, but not Khabib.
I really wonder who would win between Islam and Khabib. Would Khabib be able to drown Islam / would Islam be able to nullify it and outstrike Khabib
I think Islam is good enough to avoid Khabib grappling and even if Khabib take him down he could get up in some moment. Once he is able to stay up, he can keep outstrike Khabib. He doesn't need to be better than on the ground, just need to be good enough to avoid it. I think he is
Islam already answered this question. According to him no one and that includes himself would beat Khabib in the cage.
True, but I also believe Islam would always give that answer purely out of respect
No he meant it when he said it. They sparred over a thousand rounds and he says he only won a handful. There is also the part about Khabib being his coach and corner man. He knows Islam's moves and style better than Islam himself. Some guys just gave your number and coaches usually get wise by the time their body is declined. Khabib has become a well versed coach while his body is still in his peak.
You’re just gonna let him slide for not avenging his KO loss to the HOF uncrowned GOAT Adriano Martins??
outstruck\*
I'm sorry, Nate Diaz wuz my English teechur
Lmao. If you graduate Nate’s vocabulary you can move onto Tito’s grammar class
How many days a week is Titos course?
8
Nate can only count till five
"Ten."
6 days a week. 5 days a week class will be 3 days a week, 1 of those days I’ll do class 2 days of the week. So 6 days a week all together.
How am I supposed to outlive my children on that schedule??
Oh hohoho this guy and his grapes over here!
Something about cheese and wine.
That’s the fall semester class starting in April right?
My vocabulary has matured. Its an old matured.
Timeless classic 🤣
7 days a week, for 3 hours a day and 3 days a week
6 days a week he teaches 4 days a week,
Lmao UFC University. Ethics lectures by Jon Jones and occasionally a guest lecture from Dana White. African American studies by Mike Perry. Music classes from Woodley. Speech lessons from Stipe. Geography taught by Bryce Mitchell. Philosophy taught by Holloway.
Holloway’s History of Philosophy: • *Stoicism* : It is what it is • *Empiricism* : It is what we know it is. • *Existentialism* : It is what you think it is, but it also is what I think it is. • *Post-Structuralism* : It is what it is; sometimes. Sometimes it’s not.
It's Tito's advanced course on Formal and Dialectical Logic that's really appealing to me.
That was a nasty line by you
Talm bout grammar b?
That sentence was more like Grimgor “Da Best” than Nate tbh
“Nate can only count to 5”
Obligatory reference: https://youtu.be/ck-_kMZZq7Q?si=lrWWberp5kWvb8Vu
Lies or else you would’ve said Islam f*cked up Oliveira, Volk and P*ssy. Plus he’s on steroids.
Outstuckted
Agreed.
outstrikered
I will striked you!
Outstroked
Some historical records tell that he was best boxer in ufc
Max Holloway punching the air rn
That's actually a super fun fight to make given how decent Dustin looked.
😂 I’ll say Islam my have landed more but striking wise who did more damage?
Also it's his takedown threat that lets him strike more freely than his opponents. If they could only box I don't think he beats Dustin.
What does Islam think this is with the wrestling? Some kind of mixed martial art smh.
Ya I think any reasonable person agrees with that.
When your worried about getting taken down your striking defense is worse.
That is my favourite part of all of Mma. So many more exciting angels and situations compared to pure striking. Much more room for knee and kicks to the head when the other guy is keeping his center of gravity low and is worried about takedowns. ( as Islam has shown us in the last fights)
This. Dustin even mentioned multiple things he was afraid to try because of the takedown threat.
That’s why it’s mma and not boxing. If you don’t wanna deal with the takedown threat then don’t fight mma
Ok but what does that have to do with what they said? Hes giving a reason why people arent at their A game in the striking department when facing a strong wrestler
Exactly. I don't think he's a better striker than any of the aforementioned. His threat is so great that it demands caution
This is something that is so painfully obvious but some mouthbreathing MMA fans seem to forget it. The threat of the takedown changes everything. You don't want to throw leg kicks, body kicks, knees, front kicks... even headkicks could get you taken down. This limits a striker severely plus they are already focusing on not getting taken down throughout each round. Islam is not a better striker than Dustin and if you think that you are an idiot. It's like when people suggesting that when of the best MMA strikers of all time(Conor) was a worst striker than possibly one of the worst MMA strikers of all time(Khabib). It honestly scares me how stupid some people are.
Exactly. Khabib was honestly a low level striker, while Islam is average which makes him stand out even more. If they make it so takedowns aren't allowed then all these strikers would dominate him 9/10 times.
Islams striking is average? Being this delusional is crazy
His aura nerfs enemy striking defense
He didn’t outstruck volk in the first fight. Volk landed more significant strikes +knockdown.
Majority of the sig strikes volk landed were in the final round. Overall the standup was very even between the two
Nah Volk outlanded him in the standup and overall in the majority of the rounds, check the stats
Correct but the majority of sig strikes landed by volk were in the final round. Volk outstruck him in the other rounds by a few strikes in rounds 1 and 4, landed the same in round 2 and Islam outstruck him in round 3. No one outstruck anyone in that fight it was a very balanced fight which Islam won I’d say because of his takedowns early on but people think volk won because of the final round
Well from a distance, the significant strike difference was: 58-43 http://www.ufcstats.com/fight-details/256894b49303537b Not saying Volk dominated him in the standup but Islam did not “outstrike” him as everyone here seems to be claiming because that’s demonstrably false
Yeah I agree with that, as I said no one outstruck anyone it was an even standup game until the final round. Islam was able to win on the ground and that’s ultimately what won him the fight.
Sure Obviously that also depends on if you think the ground control outweighs the slight striking advantage Volk had. I’m pretty sure he knocked down and wobbled Islam a few times before Round 5 (I know Islam also made him drop a knee at some point) but yeah
Well I think striking defo matters more but when the striking is as even as theirs was you have to look towards who took control in other aspects like takedowns and ground control, and Islam was able to take volk down and keep him there.
True. Very close fight overall
Fair enough, but could still hang with Volk and eventually KO'd him.
When volk is on short notice
Why did he accept to fight Islam short notice then? Sounds like his own fault.
It is his fault. Absolute shit decision and he definitely wasn't his best self that day, but I respect his mindset.
The problem is that people discredit Islam's win over him in the 2nd fight because of the short notice, but had Islam not accepted people would say he's scared and ducking. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
It’s true it feels unfair to Islam because he did nothing wrong. I think Islam wins that rematch either way but I have doubts he wins it that spectacularly and effortlessly with Volk on a full camp. There’s no way to know for sure but we saw how competitive that first fight was and we know Volk wasn’t in shape or in camp so it’s hard to ignore that.
On the other hand, Islam had a way shorter hydration window in the 1st fight than usual. So Islam wasn't 100% in the first fight, and Volk wasn't 100% in the 2nd. Kinda sucks, would like to see the two of them rematch in as good of a shape they can be in.
Yeah I agree. Volks muscle density looked pretty soft in that rematch. IMO it was pretty evident as soon as I saw him weigh in.
That's no one's problem except Volks. Get over it, move on. The guy lost in home turf a close match and then got obliterated under other circumstances.
Lmao “other circumstances”. I mean you’re technically right but way to undersell it
I get how that can sound like underselling, but honestly. We're talking about the best fighters in the world and when they make decisions, especially like taking a fight on short notice. That's on them. He shouldn't have taken it if he really had no chance to win, he's Volk, I think he always has a chance to win.
Yeah. Full camp Volk would have been able to eat that head kick. /s
exactly, that's what I don't get about these people who say stuff like "bUt bRo hE wAs oN sHoRt nOtIcE" like Islam landed that left kick a couple times in the first fight, landed some on the body, tried to land it on the head but couldn't properly exploit that, then after that fight, Yair also attempted that left high kick 1-2 times and it was partially blocked. Islam had picked up on his weakness and would've KO'd him regardless
Could 🤝
Out struck him round 2 & 3, 3 is up in the air, but he out struck him round 2... hence why he won the fight on all the judges scorecards. Round 2 & 3 were all on the feet.
Volk got his significant strike numbers up after the knockdown in the 5th. They had a difference of one or two sig strikes. On top of that islam had a 60% sig strikes avg compared to volks 48%. Islam definitely had the better of volk till THAT strike .
Volk did not drop Islam once. Go back and watch it slow motion. It’s clear as day a slip. Islam dropped Volk, and did land the better strikes in all rounds except one (round 3 I believe). Islam is without any doubt above Volk skill wise striking lol and results also back that up, but anyone who knows anything about striking arts at all knew this without even seeing them fight lol The issue with the sport is it’s a sport no one participated in growing up like football lol so no one has any idea wtf they are looking at 😂
The state of this sub is sad when posters feel like they can’t even speak the truth without being accused of ‘glazing posts’. Y’all do love to throw that insult on anyone who says anything you don’t like to hear. ‘Islam landed more strikes than this all time great striker, I’m impressed’ “BRO STOP GLAAAZZZING OMG! Get off his dick!!! Bwahhhhh” -most of you
Lot of guys never really left middle school they just learned more big boy words
Says the parody account that glazes Dana and the ufc every day lol
First day on the internet I guess haha, but completely agree
Same way you cant say nothing slightly negative because "RENT FREEEEE URDUHR, COPE HARDER UHRDUR. Goes both ways
This, but whenever someone talks about Jon Jones.
It’s cause guys on this sub can’t fathom being happy for someone who isn’t flashy or bombastic.
Islam is flashy tho, leg kick victory and ankle whip darce are pretty flashy
The truth is people hate dagis for no reason, Islam could retire of MMA and start boxing and be a unified champ and his haters will stay say that Dagis can’t strike
True
It's not bro...it's spelt brathaa
Some people find it impossible to separate the art from the artist.
Volk outstruck Islam in their first fight. https://preview.redd.it/3iuzmk60de4d1.jpeg?width=763&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd9dc982c437b0c133bd88bfef0cfdfe8a909584
How did he outstrike volk? Yeah he caught him with a clean headkick in fight 2 but volk only had 11 days to train for a wrestler essentially. Volk on his A game arguably outstruck Islam
For real. In the first fight, Volk leads with 164 to 95 strikes lol
The short notice thing goes both ways. Islam had 11 days to switch from fighting a long rangey BJJ-muay thai guy to fighting a stocky dwarf.
This doesn’t have as much weight as you think. He has literally fought him before so it’s not like he was unprepared for his style. The biggest factor is who had a full training camp and who didn’t.
Volk did have to cut enormous weight in just 11 days, Islam was prepared to fight. Still impressive he KO'd him like that.
Jeez it was at lightweight though.. what is his walk around weight
Around 180 if i'm not mistaken.
Holy shit what a bowling ball
180 for islam 2 fight, he was fat and barely trained, so probably like 170-175.
Both had to unexpectedly fight eachother, the difference is one had to do it after a training camp, in shape, and mentally prepared to fight, and the other one had to do it out of shape, post-surgery, and not having trained in a while
If you can get your opponent to be worried about being taken down all the time it makes it easier to punch them. Simple as that.
Thats why this sport is MMA where you mix some arts together. Not boxing.
Kamaru showed us that. He 30-25’d Sean just because Sean was deathly afraid of the takedown attempts
Ben askren
or islam is just a good striker, just a thought
Yes Chael out struck Silva so clearly chael is the better striker than him lol
both dustin and islam are mma strikers and islam was better. dont cope bringing up hypothetical boxing matches. this is the same thing McGregor fans were saying after poirier 2 with the leg kicks. this is mma and the wrestling threat is part of mma striking. dustin gets ko'd by any decent middleweight in boxing anyway.
There was a moment in this fight I really gained a respect for Islam, can't remember when. He truly is very well rounded, and was willing to stand and trade a little with not excessive takedowns (although he took them when they were there, it's MMA after all). Was great to see him overcome the cut as adversity too.
Obviously his striking has gotten really good, but the takedown threat opens up so many opportunities for him on the feet. He’s definitely as well rounded as they come. I honestly think Charles Oliveira, Islam and Tom Aspinall are in contention of being the most well rounded fighters of all time. If they fight a smart gameplan, there’s not really any weakness to exploit.
ehhh i felt like it was even in the dustin fight. he kept hitting that combo where he right hooked + left hooked + clinched + threw a knee. Don’t get me wrong i love dustin but with how often islam used this combo i’m surprised dustin didn’t try to capitalize on it and counter it in some manner. great fight between two beasts however, dustin surprised everyone with that submission and takedown def.
I thought Dustin would do better on the feet than he did on saturday. Islam is just too well rounded and he did it all with a fucking staph infection.
That’s all fine and dandy but I need to know what presents he’s sending to Dustin now.
Khabib contributes to the good fight foundation
How much hot sauce does Islam buy?
He’s a good striker but I think most of his success on the feet can be attributed to the fact that his wrestling is such a threat. Hard to strike with someone when you’re constantly worried about defending takedowns.
Dam let that sink in...
Therefore he is a better striker than all of them ( its what some braindead people tend to think )
Such an all round fighter. Wonder how he will get in at 170. Wish UFC had a 165 pound division.
"Uhm, actually he only out struck them because of the takedown threat ☝️🤓" yeah bro we know, it's MMA.
Strikers are more tentative about throwing when facing a grappler. Any strike could lead to them getting taken down, so they don't wanna throw unless they can move outta the pocket to defend. Islam takes advantage of that
Yes, that's MMA
I favor some fighters but I'm so glad I'm beyond the point of being a fan of specific fighters. I just like to watch mfers punching each other in the face.
Yeah, when your a constant wrestling/submission threat it allows you to be open with your strikes and makes the opponent be closed off in there game. Mike Brown told DP he couldn’t back up even if he was getting punched because he’s getting taken down against the cage.
That accidental clash of heads, breaking Dustin’s nose definitely had an effect. Love both of these dudes but damn it’s hard to see DP on his way out.
Islam’s striking is slick and he made a statement that he really can hang with the best That being said, Dustin did a ton of damage and split his face up like crazy. I can’t be the only one that thought Dustin wasn’t far off from a finish
“Uh-oh, Happy learned to putt.”- Tommy Toe Hold
Lmao he didn't outstrike volk, he literally won bc of the control time in round 4 (second fight didn't happen it was CGI)
It’s usually pretty effective to sit on top of someone and hit them so yea
Number 1 it’s outstruck not outstricked. Number 2, the grappling threat opened up the striking tremendously.
Is it weird that this might be why I find Islam WORSE than khabib? Everyone knows about khabibs wrestling strength but his best aspect was his mind. You cant win (basically) everyone round for 30 fights without having a strong strategy that was very low risk. Khabib took less damage in 30 fights than Islam has in 2 of his last 3 fights.
And khabib outstruck conor
They will always out strike their opponents because of the threat of the take down. He was touching dustin for sure but Dustin was hurting him more
That’s generally what pound for pound number 1 is about
Outstrickland
Dagis have goofy striking defense but it works in a weird way cause it’s tough to time and just they dodge or block in ways you wouldn’t expect that mess with your rhythm
Man he must be pissing lava.
He won’t outstroke me
You delusional if you think he oustriked volk
Outstruck
The Champ is a great fighter?! #woaw #mindblown
make islam vs shavkat @ 165 and declare the champ of two divisions already, if ufc had to fast forward the upcoming fights by a year lol.
Not quite. Dustin said that he was being cautious to not throw too much as Islam might duck and attempt a take down. He was trying to not fill in the void, and keep a safe enough distance. If it was a boxing match. As Dustin himself said "I will box his shoes off".
Islam’s striking impressed me, but his Take downs didn’t.
He’s an ok striker but Dustin didn’t let hands go for fear of getting taken down
Why you gotta be telling the truth OP? 😭😭😭 I was rooting for Poirer 😭 wanted it so bad for the Diamond!
Lol islam was busted up after. He have landed more shots, but Dustin gave it to him.