The Reality of Islam Makhachev vs Ilia Topuria

[@TylerRayMMA]

Ilia is singlehandedly making short-man complex the best base for MMA

[@BobrLovr]

Dj already did

[@nateums]

Ngl im his size and it’s given me hope lol

[@senatorarmstrong2100]

@@BobrLovr dj was fighting plumbers and cab drivers

[@BobrLovr]

@@nateums Bro, he's literally average height. Stop being so insecure.

[@kellohitty69]

​@@senatorarmstrong2100Jon jones mostly beat middleweights, while on Steroids and Cheating, the times he fought real light heavyweights he lost and went close fights. Cheated twice against the same person(DC), if that isn't cowardice I dunno what is. GSP the Goat.

[@snake0911]

Islam is a -400 vs Ilia. When he beats him, people will say "Islam beat another FW"

[@dragonfuckekr1869]

This is stupid logic because his Volkanovski wins are more well rated than his wins against Charles and Dustin

[@ruqayyakhan-et5ew]

That's the problem

[@cuentaparaestudiaryserprod5206]

For that, we need to see that ilia clean all the division before and, when doubts evaporates, maybe fighting in 155 make sense

[@satisfyingshortsclips5530]

Yes every single time. They pump an opponent for him then downplay the oponent to keep him down after he wins.

[@LegendJoe3063]

And u haven't told us how he will beat ilia😂

[@magtirehmahad4277]

Why would Islam accept this fight? Even if he wins people will still call him out for « Not defending against actual lightweights ». If people were saying that after Volk’s fights I don’t think he will get credit for beating Ilia, he has everything to lose and little to gain

[@chrispee5786]

because the amount of ppv buys that it will generate. besides belal is champ so they wont fight. unles shavkat becomes champ. but i still think lilia sells more than shavkat

[@TheYolo20]

@@chrispee5786How much ppv are ethey going to sell? For sure less than 1 million. Islam on its own sells like 500k to 700k so why would he bother for 50% more money?

[@TooDamnDank]

Okay but the counter point is after arman what other lightweights is there to fight?? Ilia Islam is the most interesting fight rn and if Islam wins that you’d have to think it’s welterweight and retire

[@JoeSmith-we3jw]

I think people wouldn't complain if he first beat Tsarukyan. What I found slightly lame about him calling out Volk was that it was his first defense.

[@NewDarkKnight]

​@@JoeSmith-we3jw Volk already had 5 defences in fw. He had been bulking for 3 months and and was the backup in islam vs charles fight. He was next. Also stylistically volk was the hardest match for islam. Now It's ilia. LW don’t have that level of well rounded fighter.

[@mrohman1054]

Welcome to another episode of “How ______ can beat Islam Makhachev!”

[@griefwnl7641]

Hahaha fr

[@azamat9842]

Well unlike Ilia, he has been beaten once

[@saltycanadian2467]

@@azamat9842True. His chin clearly isn’t as good as Khabib and I think Ilia’s compact frame is good against wrestlers. He’s also a big FW, early in his carrer Ilia had a lot of problems making 145 pounds

[@Theygfjfv]

@@azamat9842last time makchev lose, illa had only 2 mma fights. This ain’t boxing son, being undefeated doesn’t matter.

[@azamat9842]

@@Theygfjfv definitely, but what I was trying to tell, we are just judging off of "aura" at this point, cause saying that Islam can't be beat because he has already beat a lot of legends makes sense when talking about lower tier contenders, but Ilia is also a champion with an insane resume and well rounded game who also seems virtually unbeatable. It would be one of the best fights ever

[@galaxyvulture6649]

Illia tempura really is the modern day napoleon

[@hanskimproductions7578]

Tempura is crazyy

[@rudy13londyn23]

Leaves your brain fried like tempura

[@boyfanplaceswift1886]

Tempura 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@therageandthepride]

and we know what happens when napoleons fight russians

[@AB-fr2ei]

If anything he should hate napoleon

[@Jay77712]

You're spot on with the wrestling in this matchup. It's possible Islam takes down Ilia out in the open, but he's gonna have to time it perfectly like he did with Volk rnd 4 and It's gonna be almost impossible for him to pressure Ilia to the fence without putting himself in serious danger

[@posintabook597]

I actually see this as a hard fight for Islam idk why people think it’s easy , because Islam is big ? Size advantage doesn’t necessarily eclipses skill disparity, we saw what Holloway did to gaethje , jones to gane and what pereira did to light heavyweight division

[@senatorarmstrong2100]

@@posintabook597 alex is a bad example though. That guy should have debuted at 205

[@galaxyvulture6649]

He definitely could by utilizing his body kicks and clinching like he usually does. Then he could just feint takedowns. Remember, wrestling makes strikers more hesitant.

[@ctrlawpdelete8266]

@@posintabook597ehh Alex is a 205er that cut to middleweight and max also lost to Dustin at lightweight because Dustin was eating his shots and to land a shot b while max couldn’t do the same to Dustin without getting hurt

[@posintabook597]

@@ctrlawpdelete8266 he lost to Dustin on short notice , and he still outstruck him at the end , max would beat top 10 lightweights

[@SA0450]

Cant believe the amount of glaze ilia got for beating concussed volk and max. This guy actually said islam can’t take down ilia 😂 boy u sounds like a casual

[@koppite9600]

Poirier vs Islam makes Islam meh

[@samrastagar8554]

@@koppite9600 Naa Islam dominated Poirier everywhere from striking to wrestling and then submitted him 😅 Top 3 GOAT 🐐

[@koppite9600]

@samrastagar8554 But ilia is better. Will wipe Islam

[@ARG0T]

Concussed Max? Are you fucking kidding me lmao this guy had the gall to call other people casuals the level of excuses is a new low

[@mr.okanefan3218]

Nah fr this video was holy mother of yap. I was in disbelief when he said ts, definetly sounds like a casual

[@julianschmidt7176]

I believe right now Islam is gonna win. Because Ilia is improving after every fight so much and he looks atleast like 50% better every fight. But I think this Max fight humbled him a bit. He got hit a lot and he did knock out Max. But I think it was closer than he thought. And he didn’t called out Islam. He wanted the volk rematch and I think that’s because he wanna have more time to improve. He still isn’t in his prime and he is improving a lot faster than Islam. So I think it’s the right choice if he takes his time, become better and then fight Islam.

[@theyluvglitch5706]

he literally did say he wants to be the first to submit islam tho?

[@bachiwar6555]

He did call out islam and he doesn't get better, you just don't know how good he is

[@HoboGardenerBen]

People love to discount Islam, despite him proving himself at the highest level over and over. Ilia presents a challenge but I think Islam and team make the right gameplan.

[@forwardmoving8252]

He quite literally said he wants to be the guy to sub islam 😂 you just like talking out of your ass I guess

[@keok7934]

@@bachiwar6555 Yeah man no way the fighter gets better when they train for weeks and weeks leading up to a fight

[@ozguraydn8407]

Islam being southpaw is a huge problem for Ilia. His best weapon is jab. And it's really hard to hit it against southpaws

[@senatorarmstrong2100]

@@ozguraydn8407 thats where the cross comes in to play.

[@shutupbitch-z4z]

going southpaw against ilia is a death sentence as well

[@moloxx7858]

his best weapon ISN'T the jab

[@ozguraydn8407]

@@moloxx7858 His best weapon is to pressure nibbas to the cage side. And he does it with feints and jabs. If you take away the jab he can't pressure push you. He ain't khabib

[@ctrlawpdelete8266]

@@moloxx7858it definitely is, it’s what starts his whole offense

[@GrogDk]

As an Islam fan I agree that Topuria is probably his worst matchup. I just can't see Islam losing though, he will undoubtedly come out with the perfect game plan

[@ristony113]

I think Arman is Islam's worst matchup. He is much bigger than Ilia, has a strong build with low centre of gravity. He is also an elite wrestler. If Arman has Ilia's boxing that would be a nightmare for Islam.

[@morenoananto1574]

​@@ristony113 true, but the problem with arman is that i don't think he has the finishing threat of ilia

[@ristony113]

@@morenoananto1574 True I think Islam has better striking than Arman.

[@draco2xx]

@@GrogDk ilia topuria will tko islam makhachev

[@samrastagar8554]

@@draco2xxin your dreams

[@lbsmack]

Don’t forget that Ilia also overextends when throwing punches. Dude puts everything in those punches, he loses balance sometimes, that’s another aspect Islam could take advantage of…

[@lildemonshannon5202]

Bc he knows hes going against fighters that arent going to threaten him in the grappling, thats why he just throws he knows if they try to grapple him he will defend. Im curious to see how ilia switches up his gameplan against islam since islam has the most elite grappling out of anyone ilia has fought

[@danieldennis7508]

​@@lildemonshannon5202tbf he did swing himself out of position against Mitchell

[@guillermoandrade307]

@@lildemonshannon5202he’s done it against bryce mitchell, ryan hall and josh emmett who are all primarily grapplers

[@lildemonshannon5202]

@@guillermoandrade307 but they are not better grapplers than ilia

[@guillermoandrade307]

@@lildemonshannon5202bryce was legit able to hold him down for like half a round, they aren’t near islams level but that doesn’t mean they aren’t competent in there own right

[@durdle3260]

Islam is the most defensively responsible fighter we’ve ever seen at a championship level, he will NEVER get comfortable in the pocket like Max did and doesn’t have defense holes like Volk does leaning all the way back. Islam has the ability to clinch, sweep, and shoot on the fence which none of ilias previous opponents have had. Islam wins 95/100 times 🤷

[@yebwulebdullah]

Islam is just going to wrestle him for 5 rounds straight, he's not stupid

[@harunucakk508]

His cardio is not great . 49-46 boring decision .

[@DanAddison]

Or not. Islam has been one of, if not THE most defensively responsible fighter on the roster for years, he’s out-kickboxing the likes of Volk and Poirier, and Ilia won’t be able to bring his usual ferocity in the standup against such a huge grappling threat. I won’t be shocked if Islam is more comfortable trading on the feet with Ilia than we all expect.

[@yebwulebdullah]

@@DanAddison why risk it though when the path of least resistance is right there. Get on top and stay there for 5 rounds, and yes he can do that - just bc ilia can wrestle there’s not once he’s faced Islam level wrestling. I’m no Dagestani glazer Id love ilia to win, I can just so see him getting controlled for 25 mins and a boring fight happening

[@samrastagar8554]

@@harunucakk508 If Islam can submit Charles then Ilia won’t be a problem

[@harunucakk508]

@@samrastagar8554 charles got chinned on the feet thats why he got submitted .

[@Umar_Farooque869]

1:20 when islam fought with Olivera everyone said this but he proved everyone wrong

[@avtusa1436]

Do not compare oliveiras boxing to topuria boxing accuracy and power

[@Umar_Farooque869]

@avtusa1436 what about Dustin ?

[@avtusa1436]

@@Umar_Farooque869 Dustin is longer and lengthier, which is not perfect for pocket boxing.

[@Umar_Farooque869]

@@avtusa1436 Islam show he can trade punches

[@avtusa1436]

@@Umar_Farooque869 dustin is not ilia

[@borghini3580]

The UFC has to give us this fight

[@ruqayyakhan-et5ew]

Islam needs to fight for welterweight belt first before this

[@ristony113]

I don't think they will, at least not in the near future. Ilia still has work to do in featherweight, and Islam if he beats Arman will probably move up.

[@Ake-TL]

I think Gathje-Porier 2 showed that you don’t need a clean hit with headkick

[@ristony113]

Yes I agree headkicks are so deadly. Even Islam's head kick against Volk didn't hit him clean, it kinda slid it off his guard and to his dome. But the impact was enough to wobble him and lead to a finish. I guess only Yoel Romero is immune to headkicks considering he ate bombs thrown by Whittaker Costa and Brunson.

[@buttox]

​@@ristony113 Yeah it was Cro Cop style head kick, right over the guard

[@NZ77-rf9qj]

​@@ristony113I agree. The picture che uses to argue that ilia can defend the head kick isn't a good example. When ilia almost go koed by jai his right hand was down. In the sequence where he koed holloway with his left his right hand was down again. Ilia is a great boxer and well rounded fighter but as good as he is defensively everybody eventually gets caught.

[@hyk14n]

​@@NZ77-rf9qj I mean tbf to ilia, the left hand was down to pull max's right hand down

[@notmiscares3918]

Funny how no matter how respected big and popular Topuria is now, if Islam finishes him, people will say "ow Islam sucks he defended the title again against a 145 guy, that not even counts as a title defense he is so overrated boring Dagestani champion"

[@DavidDavid-ll6gh]

No people will say ilia sucks he never was good, the truth is if ilia beats Islam people will still love Islam and make fun of ilia

[@shanebluebutterfly]

"risk adverse"

[@TheFuriator]

Islam clears him, there's levels. He has multiple threats, everyone's boxing takes a massive hit when they are scared of takedowns. Volk and Dustin giga defended, that was their whole #1 idea for the fight. If they unloaded like Ilia, they are getting taken down.

[@Invisob]

Illia is actually a great grappler. His first 7 wins were submissions. He wasn’t afraid of Ryan Halls ground game at all. He’s just gotten really good with his boxing over time.

[@arenbabachanian4809]

@@Invisoblike OP was saying tho there’s levels. Illia won’t be able to unload freely because of Islam’s size, strength, and ELITE overall grappling. Wrestling aside, Islam’s judo is phenomenal, and Illia’s just never had to respect someone with that kind of skillset. As amazing as Illia is (and he can put anyone’s lights out), Islam’s just a bad matchup for him. Too big, too strong, too skilled. Plus his team always gameplan very well and he fights very safely.

[@Matoi_ryuukoKLK]

​@@InvisobRyan Hall is trash.

[@NZ77-rf9qj]

​@arenbabachanian4809 exactly. Islam walks around between 190 to 200lbs, whereas ilia walks around just below the light weight limit. Ilia's going to have to put on some decent size but his frame is already full. At that point it becomes detrimental to his boxing.

[@saltycanadian2467]

@@NZ77-rf9qjIlia is a big feather weight, he had issues with weight cutting at 145 before

[@Strype13]

Judging by many of these comments, it seems there are several people who don't realize the size difference between these two fighters, so I did some digging and figured I would offer some statistics to help clarify. Typically, Topuria's out-of-camp/walkaround weight is around 170-173lbs. After cutting to 145, he gets back up to ~167lbs on fight night. In totality, he cuts 25-28 and replenishes about 22 before stepping inside the cage. On the other hand, Islam's out-of-camp/walkaround weight is roughly 185-191lbs. After cutting to 155, he gets back up to ~182lbs on fight night. In totality, he cuts 30-36 and replenishes about 27 before stepping inside the cage. So, for what it's worth, after comparing the numbers, it is likely that Islam will be entering the octagon with about a ~15 pound weight advantage (along with a 3" height advantage, and a 1.5 - 2" reach advantage). And this is assuming Topuria will be comfortable with putting on an extra 5-10 pounds during camp to make up for the 10-pound jump from 145-155, otherwise, Islam's weight advantage may be closer to 20 pounds. Hopefully that helps clear things up for those who were unfamiliar with the size differential between these two fighters. Cheers, fellas.

[@beniciocubero8405]

this is totally wrong lol

[@saalarmuhammadiftikhar4930]

Comparing Bryce Mitchell to Islam is crazy😂

[@johnpratt8502]

yeah ngl when he said bryce was comparable to islam purely in wrestling out in the open i just went ahead and bounced lol

[@wizzz7]

Haters: we want to see islam vs ilia. Ilia will knock him out. After islam wins: he only beats 145ers. You all are 🤡 Also you can wait for Islam's downfall tapivera fan.

[@dwayne8762]

This is why I want to see Shavkat win and Islam move up. I also think Ilia should get some more defences before fighting Islam.

[@TedK-e4e]

No one with 2 braincells says that, everyone has haters stop crying

[@forwardmoving8252]

Exactly. They said the volk rematch was a harder fight for Islam than the Charles rematch (#1 LW at the time who finished everyone else in the top 5) but after Islam slept volk they IMMEDIATELY changed the narrative to "he's only defended against featherweights" 😂😂 mma fans are a joke. Also guys do very well moving up historically speaking. Basically every multiple division champion moved up for their 2nd title yet fanboys act like it's such a big disadvantage for some reason.

[@zotirides9293]

wtf man , you are the hater! I love both Ilia and Islam . But Ilia is better on every level

[@craftyvetloverMMA]

Topuira is for sure gonna be the goat

[@Rugbiii]

As long as his chin holds up

[@senatorarmstrong2100]

​@@Rugbiiistop praying on his downfall

[@draco2xx]

@@craftyvetloverMMA i can see ilia topuria tko'ing islam or winning by decision

[@BelalMuhammadLover999]

Nice username

[@SufiyanBhattacharya]

Too early to say

[@ozguraydn8407]

I think you are right about everything except the wrestling part. Ilia's wrestling and grappling is overrated. Go watch his fights with Zelal and Damon Jackson. They both pinned Ilia to the cage couple times. And those guys are literal cans. I just see Islam bullying Ilia with his power in that fight. I also think Volk will definetly wrestle/grapple with Ilia in the rematch. That's the key. Pin Ilia against the cage and work from there.

[@jimpavlidis5915]

Any possibility he's improved his takedown defense since then?

[@forwardmoving8252]

@ozguraydn8407 dropouts like you are why the mma fanbase is such a meme. Ilia outgrappled zelal handily 😂 he took him down 5 times and controlled him for over half the fight, never got taken down himself and that was over 4 years ago to boot. As for Jackson, topuria brutally slept him in the first round and was never taken down or controlled. Oh and yeah, that was also years ago. What are you even on about? Jesus people like you really have no business watching this sport. Stick to something you can understand please.

[@forwardmoving8252]

​@@jimpavlidis5915bud his TDD is amazing 😂 it's 92%. Bryce Mitchell is the only guy to take him down and he succeeded on 1 out of 9 attemps and he's a primary grappler. Oh yeah and ilia subbed him. OP is legit clueless. Don't take anything he says seriously.

[@Khabibsbathtub]

​@@zarifinator1327Islam got put against the cage and taken down by both bum Thiago Moises and midget Volk, you're overrating him

[@ashleyaboley8894]

@@zarifinator1327 and poirier has tagged islam lol

[@mr.okanefan3218]

You don't think Islam can take Ilia down? Seriously? The only way Ilia can win is by KO otherwise he will lose a very clear decision or even get submitted by Islam

[@theiyrosthenes1639]

Islam gets doubted in every fight, and every fight he disappoints his haters

[@CsAspirant-yx5qb]

Islam being a southpaw and Ilia's tendencies of leaving himself open while throwing combination and overextend I think Islam will land his left which is very accurate pretty good.

[@heresthethingyouguys]

Also Ilia's tendencies to being a manlet

[@Simon-xx9rk]

Makhachev doesn't have much to gain if he fights Topuria. If he wins, people will say that he beat another small guy

[@thehatecrusade9652]

I’ve never heard a better intro speech in my life. I’ve been on the internet for 21 years

[@MrLo0lz]

Che doing a Robert Whittaker cosplay

[@oblivion5390]

Khabib vs Ilia would have been a sight to see. Both fighters has tremendous pressure style. Khabib is a dominant wrestler in the pocket, Ilia is a dominant puncher in the pocket.

[@Mrr_dj]

Topuria vs lopes is the fight to make since islam will defend against arman Then when they eventually fight islam strangles him

[@senatorarmstrong2100]

@@Mrr_dj islam was getting beat up dustin

[@domejhit3698]

@@senatorarmstrong2100staph

[@senatorarmstrong2100]

@@domejhit3698 he didn't even take antibiotics for that fight. Also merab had staph for the sean o malley fight too

[@galaxyvulture6649]

​@@senatorarmstrong2100Merab has unlimited cardio though. He could have covid, the plague, cancer, and bleeding profusely and he'll still fail 30 takedowns on you.

[@senatorarmstrong2100]

@@galaxyvulture6649 merab>islam then

[@zeon2535]

This dude is goated fr, he understands thr fight game really well and breaks down fight plans amazingly. Chunko props for you my guy

[@Slim-Clips]

Islam beats him at least 8/10 times, sadly. He’s a horrible matchup for Topuria.

[@shutupbitch-z4z]

other way around. alot harder to take down a short dude and ilias stance is alot lower than volks who defended takedowns well against islam. ilia sleeps him 8/10 times if anything

[@posintabook597]

I like how you guys pretend to predict how complicated a match up is, you said the same about Poirier vs Islam and for Whittaker vs Chimaev

[@Slim-Clips]

@ MMA math doesn’t work. Volk is completely different to Topuria and has shown way better defensive grappling.

[@senatorarmstrong2100]

@@Slim-Clips volk almost got subbed by Ortega. Lopez smoked him

[@Slim-Clips]

@ What are you on about? Stop putting words in my mouth about other fights.

[@osamaal-jundi2186]

When Islam wins All of you would say "this is not impressive he was smaller than him"

[@othmanmohammedi5344]

eveyone gangster until they step in the ring with Islam will see

[@dominicdecoco4368]

A great fight for Ilia. But for Islam, people will just say “another win over a feather weight”

[@soobok13]

People need to stop trying to pair people with islam that aren't even in his weight division.

[@Arumbarth]

Recency bias is a hell of a drug

[@JaimeGonzalez-jh8zj]

Very scary fight for Islam . But that whole team from khabib is just hard to get against . If Islam fights ilia then there’s gonna be a heavy strategy . I can see another submission. Also ilia can’t be too cocky and get reckless . Islam is so good but ilia is also very scary . Also believe that ilia will not fight the same either . Ilia is very good at wrestling but ilia will definitely be worrying about those take downs .

[@chrisvaughan2462]

This fight won’t happen at least for a really long time, dana won’t let two of his biggest cash cows lose their status, as both Ilia and Islam are generating huge ppv, yes there’s a possibility that one of them will lose along the way, but their loss is guaranteed if they fight each other and that won’t work for UFC, they’ll milk these guys for at least 2-3 more fights and then maybe Dana will allow that fight to happen (and that’s a big maybe) As for who wins, as a Georgian, obviously im for Ilia and honestly if not the size difference, i would have said that ilia has an edge, but Islam is a bigger guy and an elite grappler so it’s very close 50/50 matchup…

[@danaseeinghowthisthingplay1904]

Lately you have been very impartial and providing really good insight on potential match ups. Im enjoying your content keep it up.

[@LNGD_46]

Makhachev is not a one-trick pony like Khamzat or Khabib. That's why I think he's the favourite to win against ilia. Also, he trains with Sadulaev.

[@kjthreehundred8911]

Ilia greatest advantage is he hasn’t had a rough road to the title and is still young, he also makes 145 very easy and healthy because of his size. A huge part of his game is being able to absorb shots from dehydrated FW that aren’t known for one punch KO power. I definitely see him ruling FW but he’s like a tank Davis. He won’t move up, if he does he loses his greatest attributes. Getting hit by 155ers in 4oz gloves will shock him. Not to mention he won’t be able to maintain a grappling advantage at 155. If he didn’t get hit as much as he does I’d be more confident.

[@Slim-Clips]

Tsarukyan has a better chance of beating Islam than Topuria does.

[@senatorarmstrong2100]

@@Slim-Clips no lol. His striking is sub par at best

[@Slim-Clips]

@ That’s not true, plus Topuria is uncomfortable against southpaws and clearly a worse grappler than Tsarukyan.

[@senatorarmstrong2100]

@@Slim-Clips has topuria ever fought a south paw?

[@posintabook597]

No, he doesn’t have good gas tank

[@Slim-Clips]

@ Mitchell, Volk and Holloway all fought out of southpaw for periods.

[@mosesalexander4550]

I love ur videos, bro! Hope we get illa vs. islam soon

[@GauravSharma-j2o]

I think you missed two key details in this overall great breakdown. Islam’s going to be bigger and stronger in the grappling than anyone Illia has fought and the fact that Islam is a southpaw will make it more difficult to pressure him. Illia will struggle to land the jab on a southpaw that can actually counter and the southpaw round kick is much easier to land in the open stance than the orthodox round kick

[@isa_ibn_Muhammed]

This channel is a breath of fresh air, articulate unbiased breakdown, unlike other mma channels

[@dude9038]

I hope more people become aware of this channel. By far the best MMA analyst content (would have been Dan Hardy with 'Inside the Octagon' as numero uno MMA analyst content if BS didn't happen)

[@PowerMMATraining]

I actually think Yair is a good match up for Topuria. Volk is willing to gallop backwards and evade when Yair would march forward with combos and kicks so he was able to stop that offense. If you look at topuria, he isn’t as willing to go backwards

[@tylerwhite4557]

so you think yair is a *bad matchup for ilia bc yair will just stand in front of him? Idk I would love to see how that goes for yair.

[@Kgopani3101]

He'd just take him down and sub him because yair is a malnourished kid who's only looking for highlight KO's

[@PowerMMATraining]

@ pardon, I mean I think topuria will stand in front of him a lot. I think the key to beating ilia is a rangey kicker who knows how to circle around the cage well. Reason max struggled a lot is because ilia is good at cutting off the ring and max wasn’t direction feinting and broke his base a lot. I also think sean o malley has a good chance against ilia because of seans footwork along the cage

[@bachiwar6555]

Yair is a rag, topuria would just take him down and sub him/g&p him

[@ozguraydn8407]

True. Ilia is smart tho, he will grapple f*ck him just like Volk did

[@dalefrank3713]

Hi, are you related to geekay and what kind of stimulants do you take??? Thank you.

[@131Pillan]

Probably be the highest level fight to date in combat sports altogether

[@Ar1AnX1x]

I genuinely hadn't heard about Eskimos since I was a kid until now

[@Dimitriterrorman]

this simply means you are cringe

[@jakecolvin3167]

😂 right? I think about Eskimos daily

[@eddieeclark314]

Bro im excited to see that fight, I think islam all day but Topuria has that knock out power that is on a different level. I wouldnt be suprised if Topuria won by knockout or if Islam won by submission

[@BroNoCap]

Good stuff bro 🔥

[@laptv2144]

I just feel like Islam would ambush him repeatedly, take him down at some point then control the fight or finish it. Height is not more important than strength in a takedown

[@Kgopani3101]

Guys like jose aldo, Dustin Porier, prime Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, jeremy stephens, Yair Rodriguez couldn't knock down holloway with like a 500 strikes combined, ilia koed him with 2 punches 2 PUNCHES dude's a little ball of power with deadly accuracy

[@natedavis2944]

That’s a little dishonest since he did that to the max who had fought all those guys already. A younger max who has taken less damage very likely could’ve taken that punch

[@Maskkd]

@@natedavis2944no one in the world is taking that left hook, especially not after the right hand before that. It was just too perfect of a punch.

[@HoboGardenerBen]

​@@natedavis2944Ya dude, my thoughts exactly. Ilia had this success partially because of the accumulated damage Max has taken over the years. Ilia still beats young Max, but it's gonna take more.

[@marcofearg9956]

max ate much more than 2 punches

[@J1283-s1k]

Yeah but this was Max 7 years after Aldo smashed him in the head in round 1 in a flurry, this is Max 5 years after Poirier was wobbling him all over the show and dropped him into the fence, this was Max 2 years after Volk used his head as a speedball for 25 minutes and 6 months after Gaethje dropped him, also up a weight class like Poirier. You're absolutely right that Topuria's looking like a top 2 P4P puncher right now but no question Max has so, so, so much accumulated damage that younger Max wouldn't.

[@shawwvv]

Great job, nice breakdown

[@tonybennett335]

I do believe Illia is the most skilled fighter in the world right now. The onky reason this is being talked about is everyone already knows there is no competition in Illia own division.

[@Daniel-xw1jq]

I think there is a shot that would be able to take Ilia out. If you watch Ilia’s knockout win over Volk in slowmotion, you can see that his head would be very hittable during those deadly combinations of him. If you watch the muay thai match between rodtang and superlek, you see rodtang doing many step in elbows from a highguard. This is also how superlek knocked out haggerty. I think a lot of mma fighters don’t utilize their elbows as much as they could. I think it’s a good gameplan to do this against Ilia, however, it’s scary to enter the fire especially with Ilia. The thing is, we know it’s Ilia’s game to come at you with vicious boxing combinations at some point of the fight. Try to get a read on him and set up the step in elbow from a high guard and make him walk into that shot. The downside is, he could also land viciously on the body while doing so, so best believe you should flex your abs while stepping in and land that shot as hard and clean on his head.

[@9ineDu2ce]

Ilia vs Islam would be an absolute banger. Don’t know why they won’t just make it happen.

[@cosuilleabhain07]

Bear in mind that Islam is a heavy lightweight, he has the build of a welterweight/middleweight, and would absolutely fiddle with Topuria.

[@soobok13]

Why do people think that Islam can't end the fight and that he needs a decision?

[@julienfoussereau937]

Also Ilia’s outside legs kicks are so deadly

[@patricknez7258]

Strong points about the matchup. Would be crazy fight

[@shawwvv]

What a point man, could islam pressure ilia to the fence, I don't think so either

[@Fishyboy666]

I don't think you talked enough about a key point in Islam's grappling in order to wrestle Topuria and try to navigate this fight into the classic dagestani top pressure on the ground : THE BODY LOCK. Islam is really good at trips and legs sweeps and as you said once he'll be "all the way in" either in the 50 50 position or in a full double underhook body lock, he'll look for inside/outside trips and can take Topuria down out in the open without the need to tradionally "shoot". I think it's a key element in his grappling gameplan

[@Jack_80]

honestly i would pick topuria. i think he just has this aura right now where i can't really picture him losing any time soon.

[@thespidermmaliver]

Who doesn't like consistent MMA Che uploads? Peak analysis

[@d3tain]

Bro off the galaxy gas

[@AndreBland]

You’re completely ignoring the fact that Ilia doesn’t do well against leg kicks, as we have seen in his past fights.

[@lithamoshoeshoe4641]

Islam is too good. I dont think he should be fighting another featherweight. I don't get how people don't see how impenetrable that man's game is.

[@interestedparty7523]

Risk averse and yet Dustin and Volk (1st fight) we’re landing pretty good on Islam. The fight is way more competitive than people believe.

[@Ken-lx6tv]

He outstruck both

[@carsonisaboss]

I’d definitely like to see Ilia vs Islam post Evloev or sterling defense from ilia

[@samualfinney619]

0:05, as somebody who lives in Alaska, I would too

[@frenkie1281]

I would love this fight to happen it’s going to be a great fight as technical as Islam vs Volk 1. But what I don’t get is what’s in it for Islam to fight a 145er for the third time. What does Illia offer Islam. I think Islam defends his belt once at 55 against Arman and moves up to 170 immediately if Belal looses his title to Shavkat..that’s the most logical thing to do. If belal doesn’t lose then Islam might look to fight illia

[@TreXDeXter]

I hope to see the fight if both Islam and Ilia win against Arman and Volk..

[@doritisfat]

Man I am so hyped for Ilia vs Jake Paul!

[@Shaka887]

You should do a breakdown on Islam vs Arman rematch 🔥

[@Robert399]

I think Ilia beats anyone at featherweight at the moment but he still needs to actually beat them. He's proven he's a great champion but he's still on 1 title defence. It's not time for super fights yet.

[@DivineMultiForce]

His guard is good, but cmon, Ilia’s fingertips are gonna stop a head kick ?

[@nicholasvogt2524]

I wish you were a commentator for fights lmao

[@donttrendonme]

Beating your last opponents’ gatekeeper shouldn’t bring so much hype. Same w/ Khamzat. He hurt an already injured jaw (by DDP btw) & they’re saying he cam beat Poatan. The recently bias in MMA is ridiculous.

[@forwardmoving8252]

People said he could beat Alex a long time ago dummy. If anything, recency bias is the reason people changed their minds because alex is so popular now and saved some events. Khamzat is the WORST possible style matchup for Alex and there's not a chance on earth Alex is fast enough to stop the takedown. It's only a matter of whether his size and strength can allow him to survive for long enough to let khamzat slow down. Also, if you weren't completely disabled you'd know khamzat was finishing that fight whether whittakers Jaw was previously hurt or not. That position was a wrap.

[@Svakotakoo]

Whatever you say, no one can right now beat Makachev in lightwheight nor at welterwheigh

[@OctavioGaius]

Am I the only one who wants to see ilia vs Aldo ??? If ilia wins he would beat the 3 goats of that division back to back. And ilia gave volka one more title shot because of his history, the same argument can be made for Jose Aldo.

[@Matt-jc2ml]

Aldo is too small. He hasn't been at fw in years

[@sapienthought1103]

it's a scary fight

[@ManuelRodriguez-zc6wf]

People forget that even though Topurias's boxing is elite his true specialty is wrestling

[@Ken-lx6tv]

What YOU are forgetting is Illia has already shown his wrestling isn't that good , Islam has fought and out wrestled far better grapplers than Illia

[@ciaverifiedbadge4355]

Nope. Wrestlings subpar, Bryce Mitchell can concur

[@stanleymorgan2448]

Your camera looks like a flashback in time

[@juangraciaofficial]

I think you're missing how Islam setup that kick vs Volk. Islam being a southpaw and having the reach advantage, he can kick to the mid section all night long. That kick is there all the time. So, he can throw 3 or 4 and then go upstairs. Eventually, you will protect the mid section by instinct and leave the head vulnerable. Even if you don't want to and you're willing to eat the kick to the mid section. So that kick can definitely work mate

[@MMAChe.]

@@juangraciaofficial I don't think i ever said that kick doesn't work 😂

[@juangraciaofficial]

@@MMAChe. Sorry, the fan boy in me misinterpreted it. You didn't talked about what you think would happen once Islam takes Ilia down btw. That would be interesting

[@Nowledgeman]

Everyone is jumping on illia vs Islam.... So dumb. Islam has fought Volk twice, he needs to be fighting lightweights for a minute and possibly move up to welterweight

[@astralseeker]

Technically, Yan and umar are also interesting fights for Topuria, even though none are champ at the moment.

[@Banbro88]

I think you're forgetting that Illia is first a wrestler, then a boxer.

[@edddavids]

Islam is a bad matchup for Ilia. Makhachev has a very good clinch, that would allow him to nullify Topuria's boxing and take him down with foot trips. Poirier stated Islam takedown come from upper body pressure and trips. Also don't forget, they'll be on open guards, making kicks easier to land.

[@kieran6417]

Islam is just too good. Illa is dangerous but not able to beat the best 155 we've ever seen

[@juraph]

look into topuria not wearing handwraps underneath the ufc gloves (holloway and volk) but he wears them during other fights (emmett, mitchell)

[@ryandoyle4344]

Champ glove vs Reg glove ?

[@juraph]

@@ryandoyle4344 no, look at the tape on topurias hands and on maxs hands for example.

[@jonathankabasele985]

Islam striking and wrestling is elite, i still have him winning😊

[@mrohman1054]

Who is a heavier hitter: Ilia or Oliveira?

[@Viktor-ef9sq]

I think fight that makes more sense than this is him vs umar

[@aooi9191]

i think ilia should fight usman nurmagomedov if he becomes lw champ when he comes to ufc. Ilia and usman are closer in age and they already have made comments against each other. Gives some time for ilia to clear out fw and let islam chase a potential ww belt as well. Usman is prob the most skilled out of team khabib so I think this will be more hype.

[@SquidlyFishBeans]

When they book this fight you better post your parlay bro ☠️💀