UFC 298 (Alexander Volkanvoski vs Ilia Topuria): Reaction and Results

[@gucciserg8093]

I can’t fooking sleep after witnessing this live! Lmao 😂 might have to watch a Belal fight to help out… 😳

[@Conservative_carnivore]

Or just put on the Neil and Garry fight

[@DaFentPlug]

Same bro at my hotel just up on socials lmao

[@martin8829]

Made 900 bucks to on Knock-out Volk is done same as max

[@akstar5497]

😂

[@goofygoof212]

😂😂😂islam would crush illia and take your happiness away 29-0

[@aldenguyen]

Holloway should drop his Gatheje fight and chase that belt

[@SexyBulletBill]

I just want my boy to get wins 😢

[@paper_gem]

Yeah, I can see Max beating Topuria, too.

[@boagski]

Absolutely, he’s just gonna ruin his chin and comeback down to be a stepping stone

[@Redslayer86]

He should drop that fight period lol. I hate that he is going to fight Justin.

[@bennwaters5851]

These comments are funny. People worried about Max ruining his chin against Justin. I got news for you Topuria hits harder than Justin.

[@FoggyTheHippo]

Let’s go Bobby Knuckles!!! So proud of Rob. He went through the fire, he took the adversity, showed he still has a chin, has the recovery, and he is coming to regain his title.

[@sidtalks2885]

He is never sniffing the title shot again

[@bigsmokey2292]

​@@sidtalks2885he will probably get another shot. I dont think he beats duplessis or strickland but he will get another shot

[@stephenr80]

Super fight

[@ULTRA-zb1fd]

sorry but he was knock down by Dickus and it was a jab, im so glad that he won this fight but he wont be a champ again anytime soon

[@conceivebelieveachieve9653]

Thanks for bringing us down to earth :/​@@ULTRA-zb1fd

[@jeffhabib6673]

Cejudo never should have left when he did. Those were prime years he missed. Makes you wonder. I would also like to know if this card had the most calf kicks ever. As I was watching last night, I noticed an emphasis a ton of fighters put on calf kicks.

[@JackTorrance333]

Calf kicks have always been the bane of a good fight.

[@Adizzle235]

“ makes u wonder” gtfo

[@jeffhabib6673]

@@JackTorrance333 I’m aware of that but I noticed in so many fights last night a lot of guys were using them. More so than usual.

[@gezerhernandez1616]

Its the new jab

[@shawnsutton4293]

With such a small window to fight. Once Henry left. That was it. Should have stayed retired. Same with Connor. I guarantee Connor comes back. He barely beats a top 15 guy let alone chandler.

[@benguthrie2263]

Can you believe that when Paddy the fatty was calling him hand sanitizer boy people actually thought Paddy could beat Topuria! LMAO 🤣

[@tomdgardner]

Styles make fights, Topuria will struggle with wrestlers. I was surprised Volk didn't try to wrestle him

[@skipperad007]

@@tomdgardnerexcept he didn’t. He is a grappler himself. Manhandled a grappler in Bryce mitchell while paddy struggle against aging Tony.

[@ArkAngelBP]

​@@tomdgardnerxd, it seems that you dont know illia jajaja, he is jujitsu black blet and have a lot of wrest jajajaj, otherhand, they will never go floor, before go floor illia would out cold him 5 times jajajaja

[@RooDish]

​@@tomdgardner Definitely wouldn't be sure about that. Ilia has been doing Greco-Roman Wrestling from 7 years old and has a bbj black belt.

[@Lord_of_the_Pies]

No one thought he could beat topuria dude

[@mashdeli]

How did Whittaker vs Costa not get fight of the night ? Best fight I’ve seen in a long time

[@stephenr80]

Ikr

[@rockyapple3023]

Costa arguably won same thing with Till and Cononier. Makes you wonder how sh.t is Whittaker

[@DanteArisen]

​@@rockyapple3023you are the definition of a delusional casual lmfao

[@OnAeeir]

@@rockyapple3023 failed troll being too obvious lil bro try again

[@masonschmidt6606]

You gotta watch more fights then lil bro ufc isn’t the peak of fighting btw

[@daveledonio5793]

Cejudo retiring at the peak of his career was just not the best decision i thought it was failed negotation tactic on his side

[@Adizzle235]

It was a horrible decision

[@rippindrummer666]

@@Adizzle235almost as bad as volk taking the short notice fight with Islam

[@lucasfranke5161]

​@@rippindrummer666much worse imo, at least Volk got a bag for saving the event on short notice. And as a 35 year old his time as FW champ was likely done even if he didn't get knocked out by Islam (but obviously we'll never know)

[@Str8Maddeness]

Outside of MMA, nobody knows who Cejudo is. He really let his ego get in the way of a legendary career.

[@kenmoraes6843]

It was also because he accomplished everything he wanted to. He started young and wanted to relax.

[@joshuaberndt5346]

Been a huge fan of Topuria since 2020 but man watching Volk go out like that hurt on a human level. Hope he can bounce back and I’m excited to see Ilia’s championship run.

[@thekrazyasian]

I hope he retires.

[@stephenr80]

Same here. I think he should retire.

[@supersardonic1179]

Volk shouldn't retire just yet. Take a couple more Ls to the younger guns first to pass the torch, then retire. Fighters retiring on or close to the top is never good for the sport. Tony is someone who should retire, plenty of juice left in Volk.

[@stanwilson7040]

@@supersardonic1179 The little dwarf is too old and damaged now. The old man should retire and spend time home with his grandchildren

[@jimmurray8483]

​@@supersardonic1179why is it not good for the sport? He's no longer the champ, with nothing left to prove.

[@rougeegamer98]

Neal and Garry literally dropped the whole card down an entire decimal. Terrible fight, rest of the card was great

[@GeneralRection1997]

Can’t believe Geoff kept clinching. So many close pocket exchanges he could have won just like ilia, if he just didn’t fkn clinch man!

[@thekevinfoster]

Geoff looked really tired. His coach was pissed. If Geoff would've just thrown some combos and cut the cage more methodically, he probably would have won.

[@draco2xx]

garry kept running sticking up the card

[@irasac1]

I liked the fight honestly, but Neal had the wrong strategy going in. Everytime he landed a good shot he clinched. He should just have pressure and staying in the pocket and hit Garry, he would have a bigger chance of winning that way.

[@MatthewMcRowan]

@@GeneralRection1997 if he at least did something off the clinch, single elbow on the brake or knee to the thigh?! whatever! he could edge out by doing that he seemed stronger than garry there

[@BernardoWLopes]

Ilia is unexpectedly well rounded. He's the technician's nightmare. He's got a great grappling base on top of amazing boxing offense and defense and very decent well placed kicks. Very hard to stay away of someone like that for 25 min. Unless you also look for a big shot and land it like jai Herbert. Even then, nothings guaranteed and you put yourself at risk for eating a thunderous punch square in the jaw. I thought Garbrandt would be the same, esp. After the Cruz fight. Ilia has got very little holes. He's the type of guy that eventusy get KOed in a brawl, by head kick or a big punch in an exchange. or maybe get too tired, but good luck to the other 10 guys that will die in process of trying to be that man. He's the worst kind of fighter to face IMO. Slick, defensivelly balanced, hard to take down or submit and both powerful and accurate. Like a prime Mcgregor, except with actual dangerous submission offense. He's got the "puncher's chance" attribute with solid offense and defense everywhere else. Again, every technician's nightmare.

[@renatoarauz7784]

I like Yair chances vs topuria

[@dammaguy1286]

He is like a very technical power puncher who doesn't get tired....that's crazy!

[@etherthedragon2273]

​@@renatoarauz7784dude. Yair would go to sleep.

[@talhaejax8589]

Nope islma beats him but he gets close to left

[@mineduck3050]

Hes what i call a prime fighter style. He will be domianant so long as his althletics are dominant. As he fades with age and unjury he wont have that one dominant skill to stay around. He will just have to do all tge things hes great at now but less and less great. Even a safety match is an all consuming fire while it lasts. Hes fire now, but is he a match or a volcano? Depends on the personality. Can be like T ferg and chase your youth while failing, or you could be like fedor who fell back on his concrete whip fists. Past prime its all about fight i.q. and technical prowess. Its why volk cant last too long. Hes also a well rounder. Lasting a little longer with his ex fat guy strength as his talent, but still.

[@inigomontoya8943]

I am actually under the impression that Max will be a much tougher challenge, especially with that long range and boxing skill that he has.

[@JOHN-zl5kw]

@inigomontoya8943 Nope. Max can't get ilia out of his stance. He will do just like Volk did.

[@agustinmoyano4679]

Volk literally outclassed Max in boxing bro, watch their last fight, by the last rounds it was even hard to watch. And i dont know what you mean about "long range", Volk has more reach than Max.

[@DubbleDee-v8w]

​@@agustinmoyano4679no u don't know much about range, holloway has longer legs

[@wesjaguar]

Holloway is going to get SHIT ON by Gaethje and be out for a while bruh.

[@DammitBobby]

I think Ilia would chin him like Volk tbh. I could definitely see it being more back and forth though. Max is extremely high level at the range Ilia wants to operate.

[@justinobambino1199]

That Geoff Neal fight didn’t help Ian’s career at all 🤣

[@ethnicalbert]

but it did though. He moves up the rankings, gets another W, moves onto the next guy, his career moves up

[@hankenstein1608]

dude that KO was shocking in real time. the high of seeing rob fighting in good form again to the low of a second brutal volk ko was something else.

[@dt7197]

I hate Merab. He’s so clearly on gear. Getting knocked down like 4 times vs Moraes and no signs of slowing down? Bullshit. Dude is on insane levels of EPO or something. Him and Sterling went to train in Georgia before Sterlings Petr Yan rematch. First fight, Sterling gasses COMPLETELY in 2 rounds, and fights from his knees falling over helpless until the accidental knee. Trains with Merab in Georgia, comes back only a few months later, beats Petr by out Cardio-ing him easily in a 5 rounder. Those dudes are absolutely on gear. There is no one even close to Merab in cardio, it’s literally just Lance Armstrong all over. 1 guy a mile ahead of everyone in cardio, not skill, and everyone fondles his balls saying he’s just a beast. No….he’s using. Literally anyone give me a good argument for how he has that level of Cardio and recoverability from Knockdowns without gear.

[@MeYou-gm6ty]

😅

[@boogiemonster2038]

He may be a hyper responder. Like Lance Armstrong though, everyone he competes against is on gear too

[@joshburns6101]

I don’t think merobs ever been badly concussed, so he keeps his constitution while getting blasted. Before getting concussions I could keep track of my position while getting knocked around but after,, boy I feel like I’m in the air when I turn my head too fast. Good training on merobs team imo

[@hope4truths668]

Hate? Silly Rabbit ♡

[@MeYou-gm6ty]

We all hate you ! No go away fo eva

[@PittiesAndMore]

Garry vs Wonderboy 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@reneheijnen6288]

Garry will wrestle.

[@diegohernandez9536]

Ian Garry fights a lot like Adesanya… like almost exactly like him but he doesn’t leg kick as much he goes to the body more

[@simplytrolling6869]

I can’t say I’m surprised that someone with Ilia’s power slept Volk, especially coming back after suffering a brutal head kick KO. The surprise is how easily he was pressed against the cage with such opening present considering his fight IQ. On another note, can we please take a moment to give Paulo Costa a huge round of applause. It amazes me how easily Izzy ran through him after watching him perform the way he did last night. Who else would have ate such a brutal spinning heel kick? Props to Rob for being able to ingest that.

[@LearningWithSuj]

Awesome night of fights! It’s hilarious how everyone booed poor Belal. That poor guy will never fight for a title 😅

[@MrTakeYoBitsh]

Good

[@Samplaceholder]

​@@MrTakeYoBitshWhy tho? It seems the hate is unjustified at this point? Isn't he in the position to be next? It just kinda seems unfair even if he's a boring fighter?

[@Hastalasagna]

@@Samplaceholder he cried about white privilege and he's a boring fighter and annoying generally

[@diamondcutz1499]

​@@Samplaceholderpeople are saying that leon vs belal 2 is gonna he boring to watch. But their first fight was pretty good to watch but it ended cuz of the that poke. Belal won't be like colby where he'll let leon just come forward and let him tee off. He'll push the action at times and it may be a good fight.

[@forwardmoving8252]

​@@Samplaceholderbecause mma fans are losers with no integrity. Leon has been avoiding the belal rematch. After causing that NC, Leon bear NATE DIAZ (washed up lightweight) and got a title shot. Belal beat 5 other welterweights since then, 4 of whom were in the top 10 and Leon still doesn't want to rematch him. It's so weak.

[@drewmorg.]

Cejudo's wrestling was looking so impressive and then Merab just stepped it up to another level. That pick up and slam in front of Zuck was a legendary moment.

[@pkealoha76]

Merab heard "Zuck is a Cuck" in his head and laughed out loud. From there he was able to loosen up the transmission to kick it up another 2 gears.

[@andrewjames7493]

I missed the fight. Glad I found you. You are good at this. I subscribed.

[@ingy421]

passing of the torch and bittersweet for sure. but man, ilia is the future with no doubts. insane.. only 27. he can go in a legendary run.

[@ingy421]

im so glad merab has shown his personality lately. it was needed badly and people just dont enjoy his fighting style unless youre a hardcore fan but i get it. and just the fact his such a troll and funny helps win fans. he got a huuuuuuuge pop at the presser too. i loved it. man is a beast

[@Kinesis327]

He will end his career as the greatest of all time

[@1ofilee]

ilia is very inspirational to always tune out the doubts and chase your dreams. sad to see volk like that but i jus hope he’s gonna do well and be healthy

[@bennwaters5851]

Volk may have edged the first round. He never looked amazing. Early kicks were good. Jab was good but not hurting Ilia. Volk was stalked the whole fight until he got knocked out. An immediate rematch is not a good idea for Volk.

[@stephenr80]

Thank you. I hear lot of people kinda indicating he dominated the round. Bro he had some very good jabs, Ilia got touched but that's it. Ilia was studying him.

[@MrTakeYoBitsh]

Best MMA channel on the Tube.

[@MSOTV-ug4ln]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@barlowd]

Bedtime negs

[@stephenstuckey]

The Beanie has something to say about that....

[@jamianwolfe6486]

I’ve been saying this for years.

[@MrTakeYoBitsh]

@@stephenstuckey Who?

[@jacob_4764]

Bro before costa and whittaker came out, in their preview, they said costa is “willing to fight anyone.” Wtf

[@superkatarsis]

Is Mckenzie Dern fighting on every second or third card? Everytime I watch the UFC she is fighting. Anyone have the stats?

[@JOHN-zl5kw]

@superkatarsis She fought yesterday before that November and before that in May

[@superkatarsis]

@@JOHN-zl5kwSomeone is manipulating reality and it is not me. Actually I have changed my question: Is she fighting on every card? 😂

[@diplamatikjuan3595]

36DD?

[@OtreblaIIIable]

Dude, you know Connie NEVER defended any belt. He held the FW belt for a year without defending, because the ufc was protecting him so he could fight for the LW belt.

[@JLJhippotype]

if merab is not on peds then he is just unfair. how do you get cardio and speed like that? omalley and vera might do well just by having the finishing ability. pain the arse to fight

[@stephenr80]

Merab trained with the topurias..only guy in the gym to graple with one brother, then switch to other brother several times without break in a session. Those dudes are focused.

[@supersardonic1179]

Merab is definitely on something, but as long as he doesn't get caught it's good.

[@diunx]

Can we discuss how dumb Henry's first retirement was? dude was at his highest moment popularity wise and rising with every fight and decided to play chicken with Dana, who then proceeded to match the vacant title that same night.

[@gucciserg8093]

Bro this live was CRAZY ASF🙏🏼‼️ The whole arena went absolutely insane‼️Volk is to fault for his own downfall… fought Islam on 10 days notice not ready and got KO’d. Came back WAYYYY too soon in about 3 to 4 months after that KO to defend his title at a lower weight class from where he just got KO’d from and weight cutting with the chin checked did not help at all. Plus Vs arguably the hardest hitting 145lb fighter… this is something that was going too happen when I saw the first exchanges, it was inevitable that Ilia was going to land that KO shot sooner than later. Sucks to say but Volk era is officially over and gone…

[@camron8839]

Yeah max gonna beat ilia tho

[@Q-T3K]

@@camron8839I can’t see it after that performance.

[@aramsevakian4065]

Ugh

[@Casey90s]

Bro cope!​@@camron8839

[@stephenr80]

​@@camron8839😂 stop it please

[@wesjaguar]

all these fighters could take a page out of Aldo's book on defending these calf kicks. It's actually insane how bad most of them are when it comes to defending it.

[@marseanbostic3377]

Ian Garry got into Geoff head 😅 after shaking his hand in the press conference, Geoff heart got bigger and could no longer see Ian as the enemy, but only a friend. This is why he gave him bro hugs and shook his hand after feeling bad about hitting him

[@akatzzki]

Costa looked good honestly. Was pretty surprised

[@whoknows8223]

I was pissed he threw no combos. Yeah the jabs were nice but wtf are his striking coaches doing with him

[@kamdizzle]

shoutout to the mountain tiger

[@viljamtheninja]

That was a hell of a knockout.

[@kap10ahab420]

Total savage

[@turgondoitean1378]

Beast mode KO. Gets eyepoked then decides to finish him

[@MyBoyNewton]

21:45 it was comedic how Beltran told Zang to "keep fighting" and he immediately knocked Riberio out

[@Deeplycloseted435]

Honestly, its over for Volk. He CAN’T do a rematch in a few months after two KO’s in 4 months. We all know guys take a year after something like this. Is Volk going to rematch at 37? No. Maybe a fight or two at 155? I dunno? Volk is crazy. Its going to be surprising if he takes this well. He expressed misery recently, when not fighting. Reigns always end, eventually. Being champion is hard. I hope he doesn’t go out too sad. Its always sad though, almost always.

[@joshburns6101]

Dern my new favorite female fighter after that fight. After getting dumpstered by lemos she still helped her up in between rounds. AND THAT ARSE OMG.

[@aymenmansourbillah5880]

I just hope that VOlk doesn't feel like he wouldn't have a chance to get his title back if he doesn't accept an immediate rematch. He really needs the time off after the back to back knock outs. He was looking good until Ilia cornered him and connected. We've seen what happened to Tony after the head kick knockout, before which he was looking good as well

[@mikeholm4455]

volk will never be the same again, back to back ko's like that ruins people, i got tony vibes from this one only chance i see for volk to get the belt back is if somehow holloway gets it and they rematch, other than that i think he will lose again and retire feels bad :S

[@juzrhyme712]

Listen once your chin goes that’s that even if volk waits a year his chin will still be delicate

[@SonsOfDeForest]

he looked like he was playing a sport. just touching for pints. Ilia was in a fight

[@hope4truths668]

@aymenmansourbillah ...if Volk doesn't accept an immediate rematch?? You think that would even be offered?? No.

[@hope4truths668]

Some fighters don't come back to reality, after being champ.... hopefully getting back home will help ♡ His reign is over, I hope he soon sees.

[@ives3572]

Sad to see Volk's title reign end with him getting finished by KO after his quest for double champ status also ended with him getting finished albeit by TKO. Time really catches up to everyone, and Volk coming back in a short span of time after getting finished by Islam in a short-notice fight, as well as that draining weight cut back to featherweight, just proved too much for the human body to handle. I'm not gonna lie, I wanted and predicted Volk to win, but looks like the future is now and the new generation is taking over the featherweight throne, congratulations to Ilia Topuria for a great KO win.

[@Day-ZDuke]

Agreed man. And Volk looked really rough at the official weigh in, when he went in the morning. Like a skeleton face. It’s tough to fully recover your energy by fight time when the cut is that difficult Seems like everything was kind of against Volk for this fight, lots of factors affecting him

[@kinglatsev]

The calf kick was the technique of this card. Every winner utilized it well.

[@jalliartturi]

Totally agree. 30-27 on a close match isn’t a bad score card from a judge. The closer it is the more all over the place the scorecards will be. Great content as always!

[@tiddybagel]

I did not think rocking Rob at the end was quite enough to win the round, but I'm okay with it being scored either way. I personally thought Costa looked pretty bad.

[@noodle_tax]

I dont see it being a 30-27 though

[@Tigo625]

@@tiddybagel Not giving Costa the first round is criminal, as damage is stated to be #1 over and over, and Costa obviously had more damage after rocking Rob. Rob won the rest though.

[@Lord_of_the_Pies]

No way rob won round 1 after that spinning heel kick

[@Lord_of_the_Pies]

I was there. The crowd was energized round 2 because Costa nearly beat him round 1

[@troyhartung6137]

Hear me out, but I think Anthony Hernandez has what it takes become the future 185lbs champ, and he probably could give Khamzat Chimaev some major issues on the ground.

[@mikefigueroa4075]

I need to see a little more but I love that guy.

[@monotonegaming1043]

I don't think so. Kopylov took it on short notice, and I think the top level Middleweights won't let Hernandez get in close 24/7 like that.

[@masudkhoa3861]

@@monotonegaming1043 Middleweights*

[@monotonegaming1043]

@@masudkhoa3861 Right, my apologies.

[@TheGospelofKenneth]

Volk will always be a legend. He needs to enjoy his blessings and family. No need to take anymore hits to his legacy✅. Time comes for us all, im not saying he isn't capable anymore but i think we all know how this story plays out. We've seen it so many times. He should coach and teach that knowledge to the next generation and build fighters, he would still make good money and wouldn't have to get punched in the face while doing it. Dude will always be a legend bro✅

[@reynossa3187]

Volk is absolutely the greatest featherweight and it’s not even close. Volk tore through the division when it was at way higher level, his opponents just coming up were better than many the actual title contenders Aldo had. He also beat Aldo in his prime, Aldo was 32 years old. He also beat the guy who stopped prime Aldo, Halloway, 3 times, which by the way is undefeated in the division and could have been the GOAT if not for Volk. This is not even a question, only people that are nostalgic about the Aldo era think he is the greatest in the division.

[@faresz8928]

Max wasn't undefeated in the feather weight division, he had already lost to conor an dustin, but I think he was on a 13 fights win streak when he faced volk

[@MrTakeYoBitsh]

​@@faresz8928 Didn't he fight Dustin at 155?

[@Deeplycloseted435]

Calm down. Its only been a few hours since your BF got finished. Now is not the time to compare legacies.

[@ronaldokhalifa8603]

Not to mention Ortega and Yair, he really cleaned the division when it had killers fr

[@sidtalks2885]

​@@ronaldokhalifa8603ortega and yair are bums

[@TakeNoPrisoners]

Thank you Weasle, huge respect💪🏻🇬🇪

[@TheWeasleMMA]

No problem brother 👍

[@neerajbholan5369]

Worst night of my life. All my favourite fighters except Robert lost the fight. It will take at least a week for me to get over this.

[@emg00]

😂

[@stephenr80]

😢😅😂

[@raphk9599]

I got a massive parley

[@bazdaniels7420]

It actually looked to me like Dern's wrestling did improve; but still yeah she needs more

[@barrelrolldog]

All my picks lost. And a couple of my faves. Its been a rough time as a fan recently lol.

[@stephenr80]

Take your time..youll come back stronger 😂

[@wilsonalvarez9580]

Every fav win except Volk . 11 out of 12

[@viljamtheninja]

I feel ya man.

[@supersardonic1179]

To anyone who might have lost money, this is the guy who ruined your parley. Get him!

[@jaretts.7435]

EPO helps with cardio, pretty neat. Merab

[@Silverghost992]

Volk was warned about coming back so soon. He needs time off.

[@jonfriend9329]

Ilia hides his right over hand with ur shoulder by making u shell up on the fence. He corkscrews that right, mixes it into a combo..and it's excellent 👌

[@tomasberka9577]

I swear Weasel comment sections are not usually as brainrotten as this one..

[@daviz088]

How so? 🤔

[@aideningrammma]

Can we all appreciate that aldo still has the most title defenses at 145

[@hope4truths668]

YES! By stats, Aldo up a notch 👊

[@bigsmokey2292]

Yeah but against who? Volks run is more impressive imo

[@hope4truths668]

@bigsmokey2292 Volk was impressive, no doubt. When looking at stats, both of them fought top contenders of their time; Aldo has more overall wins; Volk has 3 wins to the same guy, that is less impressive when looking at stats, imo. 😁

[@AccursedHawk]

Never put Ian Garry on the main card again

[@mathprodigy]

Barlow is very game and athletic, very dynamic, huge for the division, look forward to seeing more from that man

[@kbkilla360]

Father Time is undefeated. You can be more skilled and disciplined than most fighters, but eventually it catches up to you.

[@sainttrunks1982]

had nothing to do with that

[@kbkilla360]

@@sainttrunks1982 I predicted Topuria by 2rd KO based on UFC statistics Most fighters start to decline past age* 30 and begin declining rapidly at 34 in the lower weight classes. After today, male fighters in UFC title fights that are over 35 from welterweight to flyweight are 2-24. The only two wins were from the same person, Tyron Woodley, who beat Demian Maia (who was older than him) and Darren Till (who was rushed). That title fight statistic is even worse when women are favored into the total. That’s the math. Volk was coming off a knockout loss, had a quick turnaround, and was about to fight a guy who has youth and power. This is just the reality of the sport.

[@originaltruths2305]

@@kbkilla360fighters do not decline at 30

[@kbkilla360]

@@originaltruths2305 Let me clarify. When you consider most fighters, there is less than a 50% win rate past age 30 across all divisions, according to an analysis by Reed Kuhn. At the age of 30, it’s about 50% exactly. MMA on Point also did a video explaining that 34 is the notable age of decline and it becomes much more prevalent past this age, especially for lower weight classes. My main point, however, is that 35 is too old for a champion in the lower weight classes, hence why I didn’t choose Volk to win.

[@Jee2S]

Love your analysis Weasle ❤❤❤

[@fabriziogarreta7400]

Merab is clearly on EPO

[@EJ-jw9ow]

Weasle is ABSOLUTELY right. No other MMA analyst is saying it, but its 100% true. Aldo is still the FW GOAT. You just cannot compare 5 title defenses to NINE. Aldo went undefeated for NINE YEARS with 9 defenses. Most of yall havent been watching the sport long enough to have witnessed Aldo's reign. Let us "old heads" like me n Weasle set the proper historical perspective. Aldo stood his post for nine years and *finished* 7 of 9 title defenses, most of them brutally (google Urijah Faber's leg after the Aldo fight. Just trust me). I love Volk. I do. Theres no shame in being 2nd best.

[@mluka17]

I’m gonna hit yall with a controversial take but I think from a viewers perspective calf kicks are fucking horrible for the sport 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@cryptomnesiac]

Paulo looked great in spurts, would be great to see the fighter he could develop into had he been more active.

[@maxkelly6664]

Sucks to see my favourite fighter go out like that. I was very worried for Volk that he'd get caught and it happened. Still my favourite fighter and an absolute legend inside and outside the cage. Bobby Knuckles also back to his best, against the best version of Costa I think we've seen. Proves he's very much still in the title picture. Ian Garry was thoroughly underwhelming I thought, alongside Geoff Neal. Neal wasn't throwing enough and I thought Garry was disappointing, point fighting then running away all fight.

[@Dudecifer]

And then admitting at the end he was staying on the outside (jabbing)

[@vercingetorix444]

Adesanya-DDP, Whittaker-Strickland, Chimaev-Costa should be next

[@vercingetorix444]

Or Cannonier-Chimaev

[@shabeel8804]

Dude i thought it was was not real when ilia ko volk but good for him good fight while it lasted hope he gets his rematch

[@hope4truths668]

Rematch? Undeserved. No hate, just logistics.♡

[@Dudecifer]

That’s it. I think Topuria could out wrestle Brock Lesnar and out strike Jon Jones. He’s going to be the king of the world one day.

[@edwardkelly3280]

I had that feeling Ilia Topuria was going to win against Alexander Volkanowski since the fight announcement. Alexander didn’t recover much between the head kick knockout loss(short notice fight against Islam Makhachev and the Topuria fight. UFC has a legit superstar caliber fighter in Topuria.He got endorsements in a video compilation from top Spanish athletes like Andres Iniesta and Rafael Nadal from X.

[@sainttrunks1982]

that had nothing to do with it

[@livinglegend8953]

Tuporia is pound for pound too well rounded he’s not even a boxer first discipline… he knocks out lightweights one blow as featherweight.. give him another 10 pounds he’ll be a even match for Islam but has better boxing..

[@liquidsword601]

⁠@@sainttrunks1982It objectively does. Doesn’t mean he would have won if he had more time to recover, but it absolutely plays a part. That’s like saying weight cuts don’t have any effect on someone’s durability.

[@Ishbikes]

@@sainttrunks1982that Islam ko had something to do with it.

[@rajyavardhansingh4491]

Irrelevant, that shot would have knocked out anybody

[@rockchalk966]

Not gonna lie … you’re the reason I started watching Topuria , and you called this a long long time ago … but to see you get cold feet and pick volk really sucked … stick to your guns man you know you’re stuff! Thank you for the content

[@thespectre4914]

Somebody needs to save us from Merab!

[@MrGonzaable]

@@marcuspettibone9640 wrestling is a talent and you are a casual.

[@tmerchead1]

@@marcuspettibone9640 He does cry more.

[@MrGonzaable]

@@marcuspettibone9640 he has chain wrestling, thats your argument? Its not greco-roman?

[@kenmoraes6843]

Ilia is for real. Let's see how his reign goes. That said Alexander's consecutive wins and defenses against championship fighters still make him the greatest featherweight.

[@Phjlosophy]

remake PAULO vs Khamzat

[@Slappist_Cast]

It got intense watching Anthony! I’ve trained with him here in Sacramento so it’s nice to see somebody representing the area again!

[@kyawlaw3226]

Couldn’t stay awake through the Ian Garry fight, he really is a special talent

[@stephenr80]

Hhhh yes it was DULL

[@justusbryant7366]

I knew he would never be the same after that knock out from whats his name. The light weight champ.

[@Praisestothemosthigh369]

The champ has a name ! It’s Charles oliveria lol

[@FoggyTheHippo]

Volk may have lost here, but I still think he’s the featherweight GOAT.

[@ethnicalbert]

Nah, its all about memorable finishes. Volk has none

[@FoggyTheHippo]

@@ethnicalbert That is not even kinda a metric.

[@jebus_.]

We all know Weasle enjoyed the camera action MacKenzie had. And now suggesting 🍑 vs 🍑 My boy is a man of culture 🤌

[@reesemcgrath5138]

I feel way worse for volk than after the islam fight

[@rajyavardhansingh4491]

Got more depressed by the Kopylov loss than the Volk loss

[@letsputonthatface7296]

Honestly, Max is going to be the next tony Ferguson after gaethje is done with him. 🇪🇸🇬🇪💪

[@Cos_Why_Not]

This is facts. He's getting old, and he's gonna get cracked against Gaethje. 7 fight loss streak incoming

[@DrBeauHightower]

Max has to survive Gaethje before he can think about challenging Topuria

[@Leftyggg]

Merab is the man 🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪

[@uriel7940]

10:07 No he should fight MVP if MVP wins.

[@karanvs4298]

I want to see ilia vs Islam now..😶‍🌫️

[@ANTIINJECTIONS]

The main event was one of the most historic moments in modern day UFC history.

[@haerverk]

How so? It wasn't even a big upset.

[@Yogoniogi]

What are u spanish?😂

[@HB-gj7gd]

Uff Volk fanboys are so goofy

[@ethnicalbert]

after leon's r5 headkick finish for the belt

[@haerverk]

@@ethnicalbert and Strickland, dismantling of Izzy, and Poatans meteoric rise to 2x champ etc etc etc.. This was not significant at all. Young guys beat old guys all the time.

[@mmsizzlak]

I called it! It'll be ironic if Holloway ends up with the belt again since he can't beat Volk

[@hope4truths668]

Many will beat Volk now; just like Adesanya except he did get the belt back, for a moment. Don't see Volk regaining any title.

[@dixinbuttz44]

dern has the best boxing in the ufc

[@pineapple2297]

How the hell is Merab not on EPO

[@JLJhippotype]

ilia might be one of the most dominant champs we ever see. finishing ability at featherweight is lacking and he gets finishes like no one else. His striking is incredible as we just saw and he has great grappling too. very excited to see how ilias career goes. volk is done imo. what a career though. featherweight goat, and p4p great.

[@bigchem4244]

Only guy I can imagine taking Ilia out is Yair, and even then, all it takes Ilia is one shot. It’d be a fight to watch, that bruiser, almost Tyson style boxer in Ilia versus one of, if nnot the flashiest striker we’ve ever seen fight in Yair

[@Deeplycloseted435]

He might be. He also could get KO’d in the next fight…..cuz MMA.

[@JLJhippotype]

@@Deeplycloseted435 knowing this sport max probably comes back to 145 and dominates him for 5 rounds.

[@JLJhippotype]

@@bigchem4244 yair is dangerous but i can see ilia doing pretty much the same thing volk did. max would be interesting. he has an unfair chin and some nice kicks. he did drop volk with a head kick.

[@user-zn8fu5si4b]

88k views and 3k likes you all got to start liking his videos that’s the least we can do for him making banger videos for us

[@cavior44]

He dressed like an old man and everyone thought that was the funniest shit. Now it is 😂😂😂

[@Ktmfan450]

😂😂😂?

[@potatius6421]

Costa looked amazing, what were those lead leg rhks? Fastest kick I've seen in a while! That bout got me pumped

[@reynossa3187]

Volk needs to retire soon, you can tell he was the better fighter and Ilia was wearing it on his face after just a round and a bit, but he’s old. Besides being old he sabotaged his later part of his career with the Islam fights. You could tell he wears damage differently, he was getting in positions that he usually never gets in and the first chin check he went out. The chin check was definitely the Islam fight a few months back, he didn’t go all out with the Islam head kick but he was completely out for minutes now, his chin is gone unless he takes a lot of time to recover, and what then? He gets back at 37? Look at Cejudo

[@doshvo926]

The punch ilia landed is not one anyone without a granite chin eats. Volk always had an average chin and would get wiped by that hook directly at the chin which knocked his tooth out.

[@DGillian6406]

This comment should be deleted. Clueless 🤡🤡🤡

[@Auraniwastaken]

Getting some lethal doses of copium just from the first sentence alone.

[@stephenr80]

How was he the better fighter?😂 He is the GOAT of the FW but Topuria literally said this week, Alex has volume but not KO so I will trap him and ko him. So how is Alex better? Im not saying Ilia is the GOAT just that Ilia is going to beat Volk again.

[@bennwaters5851]

Better fighters don’t get KO in the second round like that. His time at the top has come to an end. However he can’t let go and will follow Ilia to Spain for a rematch where in front of thousands of fans Topuria will finish him in the first. Volk had a great run. I hope he goes out in a good way. Something tells me he won’t.

[@Guerrilla_Grodd]

Correction: Dern's BJJ is her 2nd best asset.

[@camron8839]

Aldo is the goat

[@ives3572]

Sean O'Malley's title reign will definitely end even if he beats and avenges his loss to Chito Vera, Merab's coming for that title

[@nikolamanojlovicci]

Weasle my boy, it hasn't been arguable for a solid bit, Volk is the FW goat.

[@hope4truths668]

Nah, it's still highly debatable 😊

[@LiterallyRiggtarded]

Whittaker fight went kinda how I imagined it tbh. Rob usually gets rocked at least once but his technique holds true

[@tgF321jikko]

Justin gonna crack Max's chin. Then Ilia will ko him.

[@King0wnz13]

Give us Whittaker vs strickland please

[@umazjalal1]

Well that's the end of Volk hype

[@Ktmfan450]

Volk never got the hype he deserved It just happened to be the fight he got koed that people finally began believing in him

[@HB-gj7gd]

Im ok with that The volk fanboy's are so over the top Really annoying

[@jadonmiller9942]

Kinda conflicted on the changing of the guard at 145. On one hand Volk is such a great champ and I was devastated to see him lose like that but on the other hand I'm really excited to see Ilia's potential reign.