At UFC 298, Alexander Volkanovski attempts to defend the UFC featherweight title against Ilia Topuria in the ESPN+ pay-per-view main event. Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa battle in the co-main event in the middleweight division. Elsewhere on the fight card, Ian Garry faces Geoff Neal, Henry Cejudo squares off against Merab Dvalishvili and Anthony Hernandez fights Roman Kopylov.
This is the UFC 298 Results and Reaction Post-Fight Show on Morning Kombat.
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Well well well well well well well this is going to be a fun one this is going to be a fun one ladies and gentlemen welcome everyone to my humble abode it is currently 10 excuse me as we would say in the military 106 in the morning this is the 18th of February
2024 UFC 298 has concluded it is in the books we are done with with it but there’s a lot to get to so thank you so much for joining me I greatly appreciate it couple of housekeeping notes first of all please give this video a thumbs up
Welcome back to MK we’re not ready to relaunch everything but we wanted to check in with you and make sure you’re doing all right we appreciate you being here thank you very much second of all Please Subscribe we still have many things to do in the MK Universe we hope
You come along for the ride this is going to be a fun post fight show I’m so excited to do this show right now I’m i’ I’ve got so much to say that I just can’t [ __ ] wait to do so we’re going to get to all the results we’re going to
Get to all of your questions we’re going to get to all the stuff that matters all of the results all of the analysis and everything in between uh if you don’t want spoilers boy now is the time to go I would imagine that you don’t really care at this point but you
Know warnings being what they are all right all right with that out of the way with that Preamble done oh let’s get this party started shall we let’s do that and we’re back all right let me make sure everything sounds all right to the folks on the other end uh let’s
See BC BC is sending me hilarious text about Zuckerberg yeah guys don’t walk out with Zuckerberg don’t do that I mean I realized he’s at the star at a star level where he’s like hob dobbing with billionaires but uh leave you ever seen that Meme you ever seen that Meme where
It’s like a bunch of soldiers and then they’re all like outside of a door ready to do some kind of like forced entry and then there’s like five of them then one of them’s like a clown like obviously like dressed up like a clown that was
That Meme like like you know Joe Lopez soldier vinoski soldier Eugene bman Soldier Zuck clown okay but neither here nor there let’s talk about something first of all let’s read these results shall we UFC 298 took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim California in your main event
Ilot Toria just as he predicted defeats Alexander volkanovski inside of two rounds specifically at the 332 Mark of round number two via KO punches um I want to talk about the fight and the complexion and everything else that went into it but for just a moment let’s
Review two things that I think really need to we really should get out there uh number one a lot was made of this rule of 35 which again is not even my rule I’m just a guy that appears to have popularized it anic mentioned it briefly before the fight had started but you
Know didn’t really say a whole lot about it but the entire week was about this the not just the week the entire gez the entire promotion around this I mean volkanovski did this commercial with the sports betting company out of Australia dressing like the old man vulk shows up
To the press conference like old man vulk right the sort of character you had fans in attendance dressing up like old man vul and um well that’s all heartwarming to see because volkanovski is absolutely one of the good guys in the game it all gave me a real bad Vibe
It all gave me a real bad Vibe because of course we already know the stat right uh and again it’s there’s the numbers can differ depending on how you want to look at it if you’re you’re going to add in the women’s game you’re going to add
In the men’s game but here’s what you can say unimpeachably and it’s still true today there is no one in UFC history over the age of 35 who has won uh a title fight in the men’s division 155 and down it’s never happened it’s never happened there’s a
Really good reason for that it’s not as I’ve said 8 million times it is not that there is some magic demarcation line in the universe where once you get to this side of it there’s no good but there is a pattern that I have seen go on in fight Sports
Having watched several life cycles of Fighters now as an adult who has covered the sport and it’s a painful cycle and I actually hate it but it’s so inevitable that you just can’t not notice it anymore there are going to be exceptions to this especially in the higher weight
Classes right Jon Jones coming back at age 36 and then winning the title against seral gone but you know dude that Ilia Toria ain’t seral gone like with the ground game that’s that’s not who that is you’re talking about a hmer that mean vinoski wasn’t fighting some
Chump tonight he was fighting a very good fighter okay uh but the point I want to make is this folks are late to catch on to some of these guys 170 155 and down they’re late to catch on to how good they are and by the time that these
Guys actually do get celebrated it is almost always at the end of their reign we talk about the EA curse I’ve talked about it on my live chat I’ve talked about it here on morning combat in various places there is is no EA curse
The reality is it is so hard to get good enough where by the time you have developed your career and you’ve beaten all the right people and you finally maybe you got a belt and not obviously as everyone’s worn a belt but you know you’ve really achieved some status in
The fight game it takes so long for even the very best guys to do that that by the time they get up there that the the peak is actually either you know right around the corner or it’s already even passed that’s the reality and I hate it
For him because this is when they actually get to their Peak earning potential this is when they get to their Peak popularity dude vul was not in Australia tonight and he had the crowd in the palm of his hand and he should have he earned that I
Think we can all say that very clearly again one of the good guys one of the innovators one of the best Champions we’ve ever seen certainly in the featherweight division but I would say independent of weight class but he was attempting to do something in the fight game that is exceedingly difficult
To do and it’s not just a 35-year-old thing it’s coming back from the KO loss to um Islam now you know Ilia is such a hard puncher I I don’t know what difference that would have made in the end I you know I don’t know it’s hard to say but
You add in that factor I mean I had a re I mean I I will tell you what happened when Islam knocked him out there was something that happened in the pit of my stomach and I was like that’s we have seen the peak and I believe that’s true
I believe we have seen the peak I am not arguing that volkanovski won’t get to another title fight he might I’m not even saying he won’t necessarily win it although if he does that that would be a pretty big thing I don’t think he’ll actually win I I don’t think we
It’ll work that way also I think if you get slept this way you don’t deserve an immediate rematch I’m not going to cry if they give him one it’s it’ be fine but I don’t think it’s like the best thing to do actually think and I
Actually think Max is a bit of a a tougher matchup for IL we’ll talk about that in a minute but it breaks my heart because by the time these guys get these big contracts and they get these big audiences and then these buffoon billionaires want to walk them out for
Their you know so they can just be you know hey I’m walking around inside the lion cage with all these lions and tigers and [ __ ] that’s what they really want that the peak is already over if you didn’t notice when volkanovski was like hammering people like Chad Mendes if you didn’t notice
The quiet but very compelling Victory he had years ago at this point over Jose Aldo that was the real beginning of his surge you know um but by the time Islam beat him and now he turns 35 the peak is probably already over it’s a brutal brutal brutal [ __ ]
Reality it’s a brutal unforgiving sport it is so difficult to succeed it is so difficult to accumulate wins it is so difficult to beat the guys that vulcanos has beaten in the way in which he has beaten them I mean all of these things are impossible to do but you can you
Only have so many rabbits in your hat and when you cross a certain age you just don’t take proper inventory of your reflexes slowing of any kind of psychological holdover effects you might have from God only knows what about the competitive pressures that are involved any any previous damage you might have
Taken it creeps up on you in a way that to this point has proven impossible to get over I don’t of course it is not impossible I’m sure somebody will break this rule eventually right in the UFC I know some other people have been out there chirping about how they’ve done it
In other organizations that’s cool and those are legitimate achievements but that’s not what we’re talking about here that’s not what the stat comes back to that stat it’s just a reflection of observed reality it’s not a universal law but it tells you a lot a lot about
The fight game dude when you really think about how many good fighters from from 155 and 145 and 135 um 125 even that have tried to to to succeed and just cannot in that space it wasn’t for a lack of effort and it wasn’t for a lack of ability it’s
What they are attempting is to beat father time and you just cannot do that you just cannot do that that’s the first thing I want to say the second thing I want to say and this is just a personal thing that kind of drives me nuts this is to all of the
Fuckos who all week were like trying to I mean here’s what’s happened right we’ve turned the press conference into mini pro wrestling that’s really what it’s become I mean people are literally showing up in costume at this point right that’s what it is and then people grading the person’s ability to do
Sketch comedy on the Fly for either a booing or a cheering audience as like some kind of indication about how a fight would go you have to be a [ __ ] idiot to do that you you you genuinely have to be someone whose like mom drank
A bunch when you were in utero or you ate a bunch of paint chips or someone hit you in the head with a hammer or like get a terrible car accident it has [ __ ] all to do with actually what good Fighters end up doing in the cage it has
Nothing to do with it I mean yeah there could be times where like the the the the one time with Aldo and and McGregor it’s a big case obviously but it was more than just op pressor I mean that was the whole tour there was this entire
Thing but in general in general it means nothing by the way Toria was trying to do that in what his third or fourth language how good are you at playing the dozens with somebody who is you know obviously volkanovski was at ease with all of that stuff how good are you in
Your third language in doing all of that it’s not so easy it’s not so easy and someone wrote to me earlier this week I don’t know if y’all going to be able to hear this someone wrote to me earlier this week being like yeah you know I
Don’t know if uh I don’t know if I don’t know if Toria sounded like him myself and I’m like you should hear him in Spanish I’m going to play you something if you speak Spanish you’ll know what he’s going to say here I want to play
This for you so you can hear it don’t take my word for I’ll translate when this is done I want you to listen to this man and I want you to understand whatever you think you know about him when he speaks English you don’t know
[ __ ] I’m gonna play this for you hang on this is what he said hold on hold on I’m gonna play this for you okay he basically says you know uh he goes through the list of I’m not Korean zombie I’m not Brian oras package I’m not sure exactly what he means by
That I’m not Max Holloway’s crooked nose I’m ilot Toria and if you have even the slightest doubt you know that I’m going to go in there and I have to go back and listen to the word but he doesn’t say demolish but that I’m going to win
Spectacularly you know [ __ ] you and he delivers it with authority that you want to understand him you got to hear him in his native languages so all of this [ __ ] chirping about who wins press events here’s my question to all those folks who gives a [ __ ] how about that how
About that how who gives a [ __ ] about any of that it doesn’t mean dick at the end of the day it’s just pro wrestling for MMA fans who just need a little bit of pro wrestling during fight week and that’s fine if you enjoy it on those terms but
This whole thing like oh vul’s in his head vul’s going to teach him a lesson vul’s in his head V GNA teach him a lesson did he is that what happened did what lesson what lesson was that okay let’s talk about the fight I saw some people give Ilia the
First round I did not I gave volkanovski the first round which should not be much of a surprise that he won the first round anyway right like this is a guy who um he’s going to have more ringcraft in general he’s going to have you know a
A game plan you knew he was going to be doing it based on movement right you knew he was going to be going side to side I tried to see if he was if you go back to the third Max fight it was it was the same direction he was going the
Entire time time CU he was trying to solve for Max’s jab you did not get that this time you got you know lateral movement in both directions but the but what you saw from vul was a lot of hesitation to exchange in mid-range which you can understand I actually
Thought that was a great game plan a lot of uh torya getting low and trying to jab so then vul trying to hit him with a middle kick as like a counter to it which I thought was pretty good not not just when he lowered level but when he
Jabbed in general I thought that was pretty good obviously inside leg kicks outside cut kicks um calf kicks uh the whole nine yards really kind trying to destabilize him turn him make him move make him hesitant disrupt his base disrupt his balance you know not show a
Sitting Target there was a little bit of clinching that happened I think towards the end of the first a little bit in the second before things went South but that I don’t think that played uh I thought vul did pretty vul’s strong so I thought he and Toria I thought vul actually got
Slightly the better of the stuff in the clinch but there wasn’t there wasn’t necessarily a whole lot of it but what ended up happening in the second basically is you saw volkanovski he was having thought Tor was having a little bit more of a hard time solving at uh
When when vul was at Southpaw with him I’ll have to review the footage to see exactly how it all went down but he was having a little bit of trouble but then he gets cornered he gets pushed back again I have to go see what the geography was on the ring
Itself and then he goes back to Orthodox you see Toria does this a lot he’ll go low come high and then what you notice from Tori is he doesn’t go low and then come high like he’s touching and then back out he actually destabilizes the entire thing by pushing into volkanovski
Volkanovski actually did really well to kind of roll with it and it the first one bounced over his shoulder but he stayed on top of it so then he came with the left and then by the way he framed off of this hand slid to the side and
Then came from this side when he ultimately fired the right hand so he semi disguised it changing the angle of it putting it a little bit at a place where volkanovski was kind of expecting this and he got hit kind of from this angle but this way in which I mean it’s
Not the same thing he did to ji Herbert but it’s similar if you go back and you watch the ji Herbert thing he had trouble with the distance and so he goes body head to kind of close and then it’s the combination punching they in and dude once he’s got you trapped up
Against that space it’s [ __ ] curtains for you I mean the margin of error that you have with a guy like that who can punch like that and is durable like that is youthful like this has all of his energy Underneath Him has all of the self-belief that he needs but in just
You know just speaking strategically and tactically once he collapses your position and then he’s able to frame and hold you against the fence as he changes angles and then comes from the side it’s curtains for you it’s curtains nobody there’s no one in that division who can
Stand up to that not even not even Max Holloway who has a [ __ ] legendary CH I mean maybe Max wouldn’t go completely to sleep but you know Max is going to be in a world of hurt with with something like that lands like there just nobody’s
Going to stand up to something like that this is what he does he takes his time he was getting touched up I thought the jab of volkanovski was touching him up obviously we talked about the any number of the different kicks throwing him high to occupy Ila’s back hand I mean some of
That I thought was great I thought all of that was working it it’s not it’s not like volkanovski showed up with some [ __ ] bad game plan he didn’t he showed up with a great game plan I thought a little bit um a little bit you know people are
Going to say oh he was trying to keep too much distance well dude I mean just think about your options here a little bit it’s true he was doing that but the reality is what are your Alternatives if you’re trying to then let’s say okay what what would be the other option all
Right you cannot exchange with him in mid-range I think we can all agree with that now so what are your options you could go to the clinch and he had some success there but there wasn’t meaningful offense and that can go bad depending if you hang out there too long
So that’s not really an option or not a great one you could go for the takedown and I think that would have been disruptive but Ilia has got great takedown defense and I’m just going to be honest on the ground itself he’s better than volkanovski right black
Jiu-Jitsu uh has you know been training forever his his pure ground skills are going to be better I’m not saying he could have held vul down and beaten him up but I can understand why vul didn’t lean on that as like a forward part of the strategy either I also get that so
Look here’s the thing Vulcan offski did not look bad right I mean relatively speaking he did not look bad he did not look like you know physically in the second Islam fight I got some hair here secondly second in the second Islam fight he had with what step bredman
Edwards calls a little bit of loose change granted it was up a weight class at 155 but um you know he had a little bit of extra weight on him in a way that like you could tell he wasn’t quite training you didn’t see that this time
Obviously again you’re down to 145 but I thought he came in great shape dude he’s got Joe Lopez and Eugene bman in his corner do you think that they lacked for a good game plan of course not they had a great game plan or at least a very good one that
Was that that was as workable as the conditions would allow um and you know know he was doing well to avoid most of what Ilia was throwing at him again I thought he won the first round and was probably on his way to winning the second although there
Was plenty of time left so you know it’s hard to say but it the margin of error that guy can shut your lights off like that that guy can choke you out like that that guy is physical at all times you just don’t have the ability to take
A punch from him and then just eat it volkanovski excuse me Toria does Toria did have that Lu luxury so the tradeoff that Toria was making was that I’m going to lose probably longer portions of the of the fight or at least longer portions of the round and that’s going to be okay
Because all I need are just a couple of opportunities to connect and then boom goes the dynamite and and you know to borrow the boom bo again he lowered the boom and that was all she wrote simple as that he is very very good at cornering he’s very very good at
Being patient he’s very very good at using an entry to come up on top and he’s very good at maintaining and collapsing that space so that you kind of have to reshuffle backwards by that point you’re up against the fence he has framed he has reset the
Angle and then it’s dude it’s Armageddon when he balls up the fist it is Armageddon by the way little note can remember there were people saying Toria should fight Patty pimblett I mean I’ve said this before if you like Patty you would get him killed with something like that you get him
Killed Toria there was one point there was one argument that everyone made pre-fight that is a true argument but also a like the wrong argument and what everybody said was or not everybody but everyone who thought that Tor was going to get washed what they all said
Was well look look at what vul has done vul beat Holloway three times I know some of that’s controversial but he did he beat him three certainly in the last one ain’t nothing controversial about that one he beat him three times he beat Korean zombie right he beat Jose Aldo he
Beat Chad Mendes he beat Brian Ortega he beat I mean just he beat Yer Rodriguez he beat all these guys you know the Styles he had solved for the difficulties he had solved for Toria hadn’t shown anything like that that is true I mean you know now there’s a
Little bit more to add to his resume but prior to tonight that is true but guys that doesn’t mean anything when when for example when Jon Jones beat Shogun do you think that Jon Jones had anything on his resume that was even approximating the 2005 Grand Prix run in Pride the middleweight Grand
Prix run that that’s the greatest tournament run in MMA history Jon Jones didn’t have anything like that on his resume and he had some nice scalps he didn’t have that when Chris Weidman beat Anderson Silva do you think that Chris Weidman was his win over Mark Munoz
Which was devastating but was that on par with what a guy like Anderson Silva had produced no of course not that’s not the point the point is you’re not fighting the guy who beat those guys you’re fighting uh a later version which could be bad depending on the
Circumstances or if they’re older it could be quite advantageous for you even at middleweight but this idea that like if you haven’t proven what the champion has proven oh well you can just calmly assert that the champion is going to win that is not how MMA works at all and I
Hope you can see that now today again when you watch a few of these life cycles when you’re when you’re an old gray piece of [ __ ] like me and you’ve been around this game a little bit and you’ve watched Fighters balloon and then collapse and then the whole life cycle
And then they retire then they get old then they go on GoFundMe to get their healthc care paid for the whole nine yards when you’ve seen that patterns begin to emerge and you kind of have to be a little bit silly to not notice some of these
Patterns contend ERS often do not have resumés that match the Champions that they beat but they still beat them just the same so what does that tell you it is not a reliable indicator about how the matchup itself is going to go matter of factly let’s look at some
Of these numbers by the way I will say this vul walking out to uh Men at Work is in my judgment in alltime classic now like that you know when guys come out to music that’s like cultural and I realize that like like you know I don’t know how
Cultural that is but it’s certainly like a point of national pride that they have this like you know very visibly and notably Aussie s Aussie song and he’s walking out to it and it’s like it’s it’s amazing to watch it’s one of the best walkouts like Max’s Hawaiian
Kickboxer stuff like that like really cultural stuff like that um kenion Del Mari is not Mariachi is not quite like that but I thought it was a cool thing that um Toria came out to all right let’s look at these numbers if we can here and see what we can deduce from
Them Toria moves to 15 and0 at this point yeah volkanovski out landed him numerically this not doesn’t count for [ __ ] but he did Outland him numerically uh he land he out landed him in total strikes 107 to 78 and then in strikes landed total again these are quantitative totals not qualitative
Totals he out landed him 47 to 36 and then total strikes uh or excuse me significant strikes landed 47 to to 35 that would be volkanovski to Toria Toria is credited with a knockdown and I guess 3 seconds of control time let’s look at the targeting targeting by volkanovski
Well that’s interesting targeting by volkanovski 44% to the head 23% to the body 31% to the leg Toria 48% to the Head 34% to the body that made sense and then 17% to the head he went to the leg kicking a little bit turned him with it
In the first round Toria did um but it wasn’t like a huge part of his game but some of the body punching again the that is like a number one distance closer for him down to the body up collapse position go again he just do not in the
Same combination but you know something like that uh let’s look at volkanovski in his La not the makev fight let’s look at it in the Rodriguez fight or the Rodriguez fight I can’t uh do it very well here at two in the morning uh okay targeting yeah head 72% body just six
21% to the leg let’s go to his previous title defense which would be before that the third Max Holloway fight look at his targeting yeah again 76% to the Head 9% to the body 14 so he seems to be like 70 75 to the Head single digits close to
10% for the body and then around 15% to the leg that seems to be his normal breakup right that’s his normal breakup and then one more time for this fight it was 44 23 31 so he had to really play with his offense in a way that I’m not
Sure he was fully comfortable with maybe that explains getting position Ally overrun in the way that he was um that could be part of it certainly again 93% at distance versus torio’s 80% he got 11% in the clinch I guess I don’t have to go back and look at it but yeah he
Got he had to change his offense enough where it just wasn’t potent to really deter Ilia and then all he needed was a little bit of a window and then it was Armageddon and then it was Armageddon for him um I will say that I did not like
Toria pre-fight arguing that like hey I’m not going to give Max Holloway a title shot I’m not going to give Brian Ortega a title shot I’m not going to give Yer title shot I’m like well dude if you’re going to be the champion of the weight
Class you need to defend the title I mean this is a a little very ridiculous to be perfectly honest to even say something like that so I don’t think that will last I don’t think the UFC is going to really stand for that um he did call out Conor McGregor after the fight
Was over which I think is kind of a interesting thing that he sort of sees himself I know he was getting again toori was getting [ __ ] for it this week comparing himself to Connor and or or you know doing things that seemed reminiscent of Connor and some of it I’m
It’s like it’s like I don’t know what you want from these guys it’s like Connor hey here’s a blueprint of an enormously successful guy who does it maybe we should copy some things oh no you should get your own path right dude everybody copies everybody
Else you know yes on some level having a little bit of originality a little bit of spice of it is kind of a good thing but in general people copy other people and Fighters are going to copy the other Fighters especially very successful one make it makes you know the least
Surprising thing you could have told me was like that was the issue um I will say in the I guess it was this morning I saw it or maybe yesterday or yesterday morning I saw it that there was this incredible video that I mean it was or
Maybe it was two days ago whenever it was it was all of these Spanish or Spain Centric I’ll explain that in a minute celebrities like Raphael Nadal obviously the tennis player Iker Casas it was um Valverde Rafael Valverde from uh who’s technically ER gu but he plays in Spain
He plays for Real Madrid and it was just all of these celebrities kok was on there from Atletico Madrid um Sergio Ramos today put out a big old statement about it or you know a video in support of him dude these are Titans of Europe Titans of a of one of the bigger
Economies in Europe I am telling you man I cannot dude eer Casas or Cas just however you want to say it eer is wide his 20 this was so the first guy was Nadal the second guy in the video was eer who has like 21 million followers on Instagram
And is widely considered to be one of the very best goalkeepers of all time in the sport of soccer footb that that’s and and Iniesta was on there one of like one of the guys who was part of the Barcelona Dream Team along with shavei and Messi and all these guys like dude
People who were like the best representatives of the biggest cultural items in World sport in Spanish sport all of these dudes and ladies were rallying behind this guy I I don’t think folks understand how big he can be in Europe he can be a monster star and of course he can open
Up other countries as well Georgia’s a small economy but you never know what kind of network effects it could have he’s just 27 years of age it is remarkable what he might be able to do for the UFC for his own brand for MMA it’s it’s this is this is the brutal
Ass welcome ladies and gentlemen welcome to the brutal life cycle of MMA where it is very hard to have somebody that you really like as a fight uh fan not because they’re not good but because they can be as good as Alexander volkanovski is they can be that good you
Know 1% of 1% of 1% of 1% they can be that good and it’s still not enough and the rain on the top to borrow the words of the notorious b was short like leprechauns even for guys like that even for guys like that it’s just insanely
Difficult but I think folks may not really understand so getting back to the contender thing dude Ilia versus Yer huge fight and you guys if you don’t know this they have been squabbling in the media Ilia versus Brian Ortega huge fight Ilia versus max is a phenomenal phenomenal fight I don’t know
If they’re going to go those directions my hunch is that even though this was one-sided it’s not the word even though the Finish is without any kind of dispute and the winner is quite clear I think that because of volkanovski’s status they might try and give him another automatic rematch maybe he goes
To Spain to do it that’d be kind of cool I think for all of UFC I don’t I don’t think they’re actually going to put that in Spain but one never knows I think that they could do that that’d be kind of interesting for sure um and of course
It raises a question about what’s next for volkanovski right so let’s talk about him for just a second here when is uh let’s see let’s see old vul so he is 35 obviously he just turned it in September they’ll probably fight before that so I
Mean just you go back to his last fights he’s lost three of his last four now now granted two of those up a weight class one of those on short notice all three of those were title fights the the guy who beat him twice is probably the best
Pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and then we already know the story about here today so it’s not like he’s fighting Chumps it’s not like he won’t win again that’s really not my belief I think he’ll win again for sure but I do think this is an
Inflection point I do think this is an inflection point in his career I don’t think you can look at three losses at age 35 in this Division and then say Oh a rebound is really possible some kind of a rebound is really possible that’s true yes some kind of a rebound is
Definitely very possible um but I are you going to pick him to beat Ilia next time I’m not I’m not you have you have to be super super super durable to beat a guy like Toria you have to be super durable you have to be be well-rounded and you have to be
Active for that reason I think Holloway kind of makes it an interesting matchup in a way that maybe volkanovski is not even though volkanovski’s obviously gotten the better of Max three different times but Styles make fights ladies and gentlemen they certainly do so one more reminder to
Everyone the rule of 35 boys and girls I didn’t make it I didn’t come up with it but I certainly popularized it and it caught my attention for a very good reason it’s one of the few stats where everybody in MMA everybody lots of people in MMA constantly want to ignore
The role of age because they want to believe in heroic tales and they want to believe in the The Fighter male or female that they that they really adore and they want to believe in these stories that are possible and up up at 185 and 205 heavyweight hey that is
Possible very possible like you don’t have to worry about those [ __ ] aging at all just let them get to 40 I mean you know who cares but the business at 155 and below is it’s a different sport it’s a different sport 155 and down is just a different sport at the
Elite elite level it’s a different sport you’re not you’re not you have the worldwide participatory talent pool is so much bigger the level of refined skill is so much greater all of these guys have knockout power you not all of them but you know it’s a constant threat
If you’re going to fight at the elite they you know so many black belts in Jiu-Jitsu so many people who can wrestle so much youth I mean it’s just a [ __ ] Murderers Row and and God bless volkanovski he did better than just about almost anyone else you’ll ever see
But on this night given these circumstances it was too much to ask it was simply too much to ask so if they had to do a different game plan what would vul do differently I mean there would have he you know what he might do he might clinch a little bit
More rather than retreating I bet that they’ll look at this and say that the retreating was a bad idea that like actually going head into Toria and locking up with him would make more sense that also carries risk it’s not like that’s not without problems but you know going into like if
He’s coming in blitzing meeting fire with fire rather than trying to retreat Izzy can do that stuff for the most part right like that practice head movement where you’re kind of on the other end they can do that but volkanovski is not necessarily that guy not against someone
Who is this kind of controlling and dominant a puncher in the way that Toria is um so they I I I I don’t know what they’re going to do by the way if you know I need to see I want to text see if there’s been any announcement for UFC 300 let’s
See what petta versus Jamal Hill is going to headline UFC 300 okay I mean I don’t hate it um okay we’ll get to that a little bit later that’s that’s a strange one that’s a strange one I don’t quite get that um all right well whatever so there you have it
Folks can’t say I didn’t warn you folks were all week all week badgering me the whole time tooro is going to get taught a lesson blah blah blah blah blah and I just sat there being like I I don’t I wouldn’t have been surprised if volkanovski would I be a little
Surprised if lonowski had won I would have been a little surprised but not totally I wouldn’t have been like shocked or something like that but like he was going to go in there and teach Toria a lesson I don’t think you guys knew who you were dealing
With Toria is that guy he’s been that guy for some time he just needed the right opportunity to show it your margin of error against somebody like that at this stage of his career is infinitesimally small you have you cannot [ __ ] up with him at all he just
Has he just needs the littlest and his ability to find he’s not some brawler who’s out there swinging right this is not sorry I got something in my eye this is not Paulo Co Costa this is not Paulo Costa just you know kind of no no this guy is
Surgical and has a system and is and is disciplined you just have no room for error you have no room for error so I hope everyone understands that now it’s dude it’s it’s hard to be an MMA fan man it really is it’s hard to be an MMA
Fighter for any number of reasons it’s hard to be like a champion it’s so difficult to get the title and it’s so incredibly hard to have a successful Title reign that lasts as long as you hope there are there are I mean here is here is a certainty in
The fight game that I hope everybody understands and every fighter should understand this too and I know it’s like oh who Are You Luke you didn’t fight fair enough fair enough I didn’t but I have been around long enough to have seen this movie over and over and over and over again
And the lesson goes like this your career is going to end eventually this is true for every fighter Ilia to and it might happen sooner than you think or you can think of it as um your Peak is going to end and that also might be sooner than you think these guys they
They can’t fathom the idea um especially in the smaller weight classes of like age limiting you had we’ll talk about in a minute you had Henry cejudo at age 37 trying what he tried against morab dude it’s at 135 lbs good luck you’re going to have to be way
Way way better than those guys which is going to be really difficult to do at age 37 at 135 pounds but okay if you have questions about the main event we can come back to it but let’s talk about some of the other fights on this card
Because by the way the fights tonight I thought were excellent I know some folks didn’t like the Gary and Neil fight I didn’t hate it as much as yall did I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it as much as y’all did but in general in
General I thought it was a very very very good night of fights the main card was superb the the matchmaking was excellent as I mentioned before you had two fighters on this card not one but two two fighters on this card who averaged more than six takedowns per 15
Minutes Mor Rob and then Anthony Hernandez we’ll talk about him in just a second as well because he [ __ ] bowled out like a beast on top of it all right but let’s talk about Robert Whitaker Robert Whitaker defeats Polo Costa bashia 29 9 28 on two of the judges
Scorecards 3027 on the other one boy I got to say I don’t understand that one and I know what folks are going to respond with well he was winning most of the round before he got rocked that’s true dot dot dot but he got rocked he
Got rocked quite badly that is by far I mean who took someone who did the most significant damage in that round it is clearly Polo Co Costa Costa not only landed a shot that was the most damaging of any shot relative to what um Robert
Whitaker had landed but on top of it who took the other guy closest to the precipice of defeat Costa Costa should win that round every single time I don’t quite get that however he couldn’t keep it up in rounds two and three here was a guy who had difficulty cornering Robert
Whitaker who had real difficulty trying to counter him his jab I thought was for polo Costa pretty good I thought his jab was pretty good but not as good as not as good as robs robs was better I thought his leg kicking was good but I thought Rob had just the right answer
For it in general again we’re talking after round one and more to the point uh the combination punching of Robert Whitaker off of those blitzes you just had Costa Chasing Ghosts he couldn’t find him he couldn’t do anything about it no wrestling involved that I can recall in that one
At all this was at distance and dude this was a gutsy win for Robert Whitaker I mean he was in a bad way at the end of round one he had not much time after that he does get you know the break of the first round and then comes out in
The second round driven but not Reckless focused sticking to the game plan and having enough offense um not being there to get hit for the most part again you know obviously Costa got his licks in but nothing truly substantive after that and he was dealing on him at times again
With the combination punching some of his own jabbing the blitzing that we know him about this was like you know it’s kind of funny it was in many ways somewhat vintage Robert Whitaker I’d actually say what makes it the most impressive to me is even though Costa is
Limited as a fighter and he is not on Rob’s level he is dangerous number one and this was the most mature performance I had ever seen from him I’d actually never seen him fight this maturely before where he wasn’t you there was a little bit of recklessness the whole
Time and you know he’s jabbing and then bringing it back to his waist and you which can have some advantages but it’s in his case it’s mostly a bit of a lazy jab but you know the he he he was much more disciplined than he normally is and
He didn’t get the knockout excuse me not knockout uh the big shot he landed he didn’t do it from punching a guy at mid-range while the other guy was up against the fence which is where like most of his other best work where he’s just bombing on a guy you didn’t see
That this time he actually set that um spinning heel kick up and landed it quite nicely I thought so so Rob had to deal with the best version of Costa to date now maybe not the best one in terms of like fan entertainment maybe not the
Best one in terms of like Landing the big Power Shot but in terms of a focused and precise attack a guy who you know is again skill for skill relative to Rob is limited but this was the best version that he had to offer
Let me look at some of the stats in this particular contest if we can yeah Whitaker just overall outlanding him these are going to go round by round Whitaker in the first round 38 to 27 these are new Eric totals again but he did get rocked real badly
Uh 32 to 26 Whitaker landed in the second and then 25 to 14 he had he had Costa Chasing Ghosts in that third round uh and then Whitaker failed on one takedown that’s right they all right um he did try and just really turn him with
That one he didn’t really try and take him down and then you look at the targeting this is very obvious from Robert Whitaker 29% to the leg 66% to the head just 4% to the body right he goes to the leg and to the Head not not
A whole lot else um Costa 58% to the Head didn’t head hunt nearly as much just 58 in terms of targeting 11% to the body and 29% to the leg that’s actually pretty I mean that’s what I mean he’s not on Rob’s level right but not many people
Are and for him to put together I thought a again for him a reasonably well mixed offense um you know it made the job difficult for Rob he’s a heavy a puncher as well he’s a heavy kicker he’s a heavy striker like that’s not an easy task to
Accomplish but he absolutely got it done and he got it done basically having to work out of a deficit that he got himself into in the first round that that is alltime [ __ ] from Robert Whitaker dude Robert Whitaker man every time someone tries to count him out
Every time someone says oh he’s finally you know okay well he got the rematch against Izzy and it didn’t go well then he got knocked out by DDP and it’s probably going to be curtains for him there remember he’s fighting he’s only 33 and he’s fighting up at 185 lbs he
Has a lot of Life LIF left in him he has a lot of life left in him and the resolve that he has to come back from these bad defeats and get back on the horse and apply his game and continue to improve and really um stay committed to
The process is is extremely admirable from him extremely I don’t think a lot of people understand the mental resolve you have to have to have gone through two Wars with yel Romero and everything he did during his Title reign and then to lose to Izzy and then to go back and
You’re fighting caner and you’re fighting vitori and you’re fighting till and all this stuff and you get the rematch and it doesn’t go your way and then you end up with DDP and that doesn’t go your way and then you come back here and you get this win after
Getting badly rocked in the first round dude that is he is he is a the Aussies man they keep sending us they’re best guys it seems like right terms of like people and sportsman volovski good person good Sportsman Rob Whitaker good person good Sportsman they keep sending
Us their best like this um and at least in this particular case he got his hand raised uh extremely extremely difficult to do what he’s done to this point let me see if there’s anything I’ve missed from that run up to this point yeah I know I get the mar vtor win
Then Gast yeah all that stuff till caner yeah I forgot about the gasoline fight that was another one that was fight of the night you know so he’s got he’s got three losses since 2019 two to Izzy and one to dricus and these these were all title fights other than that bro he’s
Beaten these guys po Costa how old is he he is currently 32 I mean he’s missed a lot of time man I mean obviously again you know it’s 185 and 32 is hardly old but he’s missed a lot of time he didn’t fight all of what 2023 now here in 2024
He was G for like a year and a half after the Luke rockold fight um I I thought that he showed some signs of life in this fight to a degree but I think I think there needs to be steadier um rotation of competition this competing this infrequently
Cannot benefit him the most long term so what would be next for him I don’t I don’t know if they’re going to I mean well I don’t know what the hell they’re going to do so is I he going to fight dricus are they going to give it to Rob
Is is he gonna have to fight Rob before they fight dricus I don’t really know what they’re going to do is I guess Rob could fight sha Strickland that’s an interesting one dude Rob versus Shawn Strickland how does that go Jesus that’s a hell of a fight right very good
Timing um you know blitzing off defense against shut down kind of Philly shell MMA style uh you know guard when I say guard I don’t mean the legs but this standing guard that’s that’s a that’s a hell of a fight I would love to see that
Winner gets a title shot I’d be all right with that I’d be all right with that so I guess we’ll see what happens with him but that seems like a reasonable inference about how that’s going to go all right going further down the list if we can okay so everyone hated this dude
Everyone hates this guy uh Ian Machado Gary defeats Jeff Neil split decision so two judges had it 3027 for Gary and then one had it 2928 and people are like oh if you had it 3027 for Gary you’re out of your mind I don’t think so
I did not I had it 2928 for Gary but I can understand how you would get one you would give him the first round even though I don’t think you should I think Neil should get the first one but then the second and the third round to me
Belong to Neil sorry belong to Gary I’m sorry um and so he would get that’s how he won a mic score card 2928 he got those two but I could see how he would get all three people think that like a 3027 score card because it’s not
The most correct card that it can’t be a correct card and I have bad news for you about MMA judging there is not one scorecard in many many cases that is acceptable there is not one there is usually a range of them and I here’s the problem dude everyone and
Their brother hates this guy I don’t have any feelings negatively towards him at all I think a lot of the [ __ ] he’s been through is real stupid but I don’t know him as a person maybe he does suck I don’t know so I don’t really care one
Way or the other but what I can say is that you’re not going to convince me that the assessment of the fight is made independent of the feelings people have about Ian Gary because if you think this is the first time Ian Gary fought like this what the [ __ ] you’ve been watching
I mean he didn’t have as much offense this time okay fair enough but like a guy who fights long range on his horse and avoids the offense of his opponents when they kind of charge in or try to Corner him this is what he does like
None of what he did today should in any way be surprising and I wasn’t sure he was going to pass this test but he did um although again if you got by the way can you have a fight where one judge scores it 3027 for one guy and another
Judge scores it 2928 for the other guy and for that to make sense I know this is gonna make people’s head explode yes it can this is to me a problem with the judging system but as the judging system is constructed is that kind of thing
Possible yes it is it is very possible listen Gary didn’t blow me away on this one I thought what he did was I thought for sure Neil was going to be able to get I thought Neil was going to do something like what Toria was going to
Do or what Toria did to vul I thought he was going to get something like that where he was going to Corner M land a big shot and it was going to be curtains and that’s really not exactly how it went first of all Gary’s defense in
Terms of avoiding the Blitz and uh rolling out to exit was much better as the fight wore on by the by the time the third round happened Neil didn’t have much to offer him really at all in that particular context more to the point dude those knees that he landed up the
Middle as the Blitz from Neil would take place I thought were superb I I I was shocked he was throwing those I was like I didn’t know he had it in him to be perfectly honest with you so those were phenomenal some of the stuff long range
I thought was also pretty good some of the leg kicking he was doing was I thought pretty good you know back and forth um but the knees up the middle were tremendous the timing on them was excellent his takedown defense or his ability to like not get overwhelmed in
The clinch his ability to break up off the clinch uh was very respectable as well Neil had a hard time under hooking head on the opposite side keeping him there he was actually able to get same side under hooking and then and then circle out off the fence he did that
Very well and people are like oh you know he ran the whole time guys it’s name of the game Hit and don’t get hit people are going to do this and I know people are going to hate this because again everybody wants to [ __ ] dunk on this guy again dunk I I don’t
Give a [ __ ] dunk on him or don’t I don’t care but I’m not judging him based off like what has happened in his marriage I just don’t care even a little bit uh or what’s happened in this house don’t care even a little bit I’m just judging what’s happening on in the cage
Guys if you don’t want him to do that cheer for the fighter who takes that away from him what he is doing is perfectly legal what he is doing is perfectly strategic it’s not like thrilling or fun but it’s perfectly strategic and it’s the same answer that
You’re always going to get in in in fighting which is if you don’t like it when someone’s doing it Mak make him stop take it away from him did Neil go for takedowns no or not very effectively I mean they were clinching along the fence line and
Then up against the C itself and then he couldn’t get anything from that did he even does is he even credited with one let’s see did they even credit him with a takedown attempt no he didn’t even he’s not even credited statistically with a takedown attempt and not a lot of offense 67
Total significant strikes landed to the 46 of Jeff Neil let’s look at the overall numbers per round Gary 20 to 18 in round one Gary 23 to 17 in round two Gary third round obviously much better for him 24 to 11 so he got better as the
Fight War on as well dude he’s a good fighter I was actually I was actually uh impressed as the strong W because he didn’t like show Dynamic skill per se but I wasn’t sure he was going to pass this test I mean beating Neil Magny is one thing who’s very very you know
Relatively speaking very old Jeff Neil is still pretty young big Power in his hands battle tested you know I don’t know I don’t know how that one’s going to go and he had trouble finding him he had trouble landing on him again just 11 significant strikes Landing for him in the third
Round and his targeting was about the same as actually uh uh as Ian 54 to 58 21 to 26 23 to 14 that’s interesting he couldn’t find them but the name of the game is to hit and not get hit so here’s my point I’m not
Telling you you have to like that you don’t have to like that I’m not even telling you you have to like him I don’t care if you like him or not I don’t know the guy I never interviewed him don’t know him you know what I mean your your
Call I find some of this [ __ ] to be obviously High School nonsense but whatever like who you like and dislike who you want want a dislike but if you’re just like evaluating him as a fighter this was not a super Dynamic performance I wouldn’t give this an A or
An A minus but a b or a B+ yeah I’d give it one of those sure not for excitement but for sticking to a game plan for avoiding the worst that you’re I mean did you see the best of Jeff Neil today no who took that away from him Ian did
All that movement gave him a lot of problems all the stabbing knees up the middle gave him problems all of the Paw toover make him cover the clinch and then come over with the elbow all of that was him he made him second guess he
Made him not be able to get found he made him do all that stuff you have to respect it you don’t have to like it you don’t have to cheer for it but you have to respect it or you cannot respect it and then he can fight someone else that
You maybe want him to beat and he’ll beat that guy and you can just be continuously frustrated again that that’s an option as well you’re allowed to have that one I can’t I can’t make you feel any other different ways about it but my recommendation is you don’t
Have to like the person but you should respect the skill that they show in beating an opponent like Jeff Neil when he’s only 26 years old um Ian Gary so not a dynamic fight not a not you know not a thriller certainly on the rest of
This card it would be the worst fight on the main card by a million miles but I saw people being like that’s the worst fight I’ve ever seen I’m like guys we just came off of Riel Pennington and Myro Bueno Silva please be [ __ ] serious like you can’t be serious I mean
Ryan Clark was out there being like they should just you know and that was a bad take but Ryan Clark was out to be like we should just shut down women’s MMA I mean Gary’s fight wasn’t fun it wasn’t fun but you know there’s just so much
Analysis of this fight that is laundered through everyone’s everyone decided that they don’t like him and then they’re using that as like oh that’s what the actual fight analysis is no it’s not you can separate how you feel about him and then the fight analysis and then inside the fight
Analysis there’s plenty to dislike in in there too it’s not like we give it a rave review but like people being like oh this was a horrific fight it was all right it was it was whatever but he performed um pretty ably I think given the circumstances let’s talk about this one
Morab deales wheelie defeating Henry cejudo 2928 across the board so he loses the first round he gets rocked in that round he also gets taken down in that round I can’t wait to see the stats on this one because Mor Rob is a [ __ ] animal Jesus what
No way he held cejudo to 29 total significant strikes he landed five Mor Rob did he landed five of 11 takedowns cejudo one of seven are you [ __ ] me wow actually ceuno got the Tak down in the second round excuse me but he did have oh he had control time on top
Because I guess there was uh I forget exactly how he got on bottom but you get the idea um dude listen to these numbers 16-1 for significant strikes in round one but Henry had the big punch that rocked him I think overall controlled the the rounds offense for the most part round
Two he fell off a cliff 34 significant strikes to Henry’s nine 34 to9 and then around three 24 to9 morab gets two of four takedowns in round two and then two of five takedowns in round three Henry goes one for five in round two and then 0 for two and take
Downs in round three itself um going heavy to the leg Henry did that that that was very suc oh maybe that’s what it was I forget how he got him down but um that he was very successful with that early but then dude he SL when he was in
That first round and he was bouncing Henry and he was going side to side and he was fainting and he was seeing everything that was coming morab was in trouble then you morab was coming he was throwing a shot and then getting square with him and that’s when he was getting
Tagged and he eventually kind of corrected for that a little bit he would roll out a little bit to the side to avoid it but when he was in that space he was in it was not going well for him but but dude dude it’s 135 pounds morab
Is 32 years of age and independent of that might have the best gas tank I’ve ever seen in all of my years in mixed martial arts people like oh he should teach a Conditioning class how did he not go win the CrossFit Games already I mean I just never even understand I
Don’t know how strong his pressing or his you know his snatch or his cleaning jerk is but good Lord dude I mean the guy has just the most insane gas tank I’ve ever seen in my whole [ __ ] life it by the time the second round
Came around at 37 years of age at 135 pounds Henry’s energy fell off a cliff because of course it did you you’re just not allowed to age gracefully in this weight class you’re not you’re not you’re not allowed to it would just it’s not going to happen for
You it is it is unforgiving we feed the bones of the elderly to the young in this sport they’re not going to allow it a fiveyear gap and you’re over the age of 35 oh it’s curtains for you bro it’s curtains for you it’s not it’s it’s not
It’s not going to happen it’s not going to happen at all and he slowed down and dude once he slowed down the ball game was totally different the punches were labored he was not nearly as active the takedowns were much more ready and by the way he would get the tight waist
Whatever grip he had he had a c grip I don’t think he had a butterfly grip but he had a c grip or a Gable grip and he would get the tight waist and he would start throwing Henry around and dude what you notice from that is this is one
Of the arguments I always make about the value of grappling the second round ground and pound such that he had any morab it was not devastating there was some decent shots here or there but it wasn’t devastating but what it was was soul sucking right he was riding his hips
Turking a leg doing whatever he could to just hang on the guy make him carry the weight force him to like kind of you know but there was times where he was like sitting on his own knees or I mean he was on his knees but like sitting on
His own ankles like and his if if you ever done that and when someone’s put weight on top of you when you stand up your knees feel weird for a little while because they’ve been compressed the whole time and it’s fatiguing and it’s draining and it all goes to your neck
And your lower back he was wearing on a guy dude that to me really kind of matters doesn’t come with grounder pound you don’t get a close submission attempt from it you don’t get any of that [ __ ] but it really can have an effect on a person’s demeanor it can have an effect
On their ability to fight the next round it it it really has a dramatic impact and sure enough it was already a problem for him in round two by the time round three came along I thought morab was just in cruise control who looked he looked like he could have fought he said
He wants to fight 10 Rounds well you know that’s not legal morab but you could understand his enthus enthusiasm um his skill is much better than people realize but it’s not the kind of skill that’s going to knock you out right away he’s not going to sub you
Out and you know you know methodically move to mount or from the back do that kind of stuff that’s not who morab is but Mor Rob has a gas tank that is extraordinary he does have very good skill overall in terms of wrestling and control um he’s a little got he’s a
Little bit Happy Feet he kind of bounces a little bit too much and then kind of hops into position which is not the stablest way to get into position which is sometimes why I think also with some with some angle mistakes he can get hit or he doesn’t have as much um success
Early retreating he has to kind of get calm and then step and slide rather than bounce it can be a bit of a problem for him but but he is ex extremely durable and because he can use grappling as a way to absolutely just it’s like a blood
Letting with him dude just a stab and let the blood go and watch these people just become half versions of themselves that is what morab does it’s extraordinary man very very special and it’s weird because it’s not like you know again what do we consider exciting Knockouts are exciting submissions are
Exciting you know big slams although dude what am I even saying he Hughes versus trig to him in the rematch between Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg uh Matt Hughes gets hitting the balls and he’s getting bombed on and the referee doesn’t see it and finally Matt Hughes
Rallies and he picks up Frank Trigg and he runs across the Octagon while trig by the way who was a referee in the couple of the bouts tonight was draped over his shoulder and runs across and then dive bombs him on the other Corner well you had morab do
That and take him over to zuck’s stupid face and then just [ __ ] you know flatten him right to the canvas I think this was the third round I was like dude he is the most delightfully insane person in MMA and I’m 100% here for it 100% here for
It um he’ll just put a work rate on you that unless you can match that intensity for as long as the bout goes you have to either hurt him or you have to match his intensity and Henry did that in the first round he hurt him and had pretty good intensity
Where I think morab was a little bit on the back foot but that was it that was it and I got to say dude I actually feel pretty bad for uh Henry um I don’t understand why he sat out his prime uh only he knows the answer to that Um but he did he sat out a big portion of his Prime and um he only made $150,000 for this fight tonight according to the um figures that the UFC gave to the California athletic commission it was 150 to show 150 to win he didn’t win so so would just be 150
Dude after taxes and paying out your your your folks what are you going to get from that 60k 65k maybe something like that for all of that sucks dude it’s hard hard way to fight hard way to make a living so I totally get why he would I think before this fight was
Saying if I win you know get go to a title and if I lose uh that’s probably going to be it for me yeah I would I understand that I I wouldn’t want to fight these guys for 150k either you know at this age at age 37 uh morab
Should probably get a title shot right we’re talking about morab Mor Rob’s beaten three former Champions um at this point what was the stat that I saw I forget I have to go find it but morab here hold let see if I can find it morab yeah morab has beaten three former
Champions he’s tied alamain Sterling for the longest bantamweight win streak with nine wins he moved to number three all time for takedowns landed and then extended his win streak to 10 straight dude he’s a he’s a beast he’s should he should get the title shot he should get
The winner of cheito and uh and chono Ali I don’t I don’t I don’t see how you anyone could disagree with that I don’t know who else would be more deserving in the number one Contender spot than him at this point it’s it’s him and I think for Henry it’s probably
It all right last but not least for this main card Anthony Hernandez defeats Roman kopilov rear naked choke 323 of round number one dude Roman kopyov does everything violent everything dude doesn’t do anything that’s just not like scary to watch first round Hernandez lands 20 strikes to the
Kopilov 16 uh and he did get one takedown just at the end but he didn’t get much for it but by the second round he got two of three takedowns for two minutes of control time um and uh kopyov still had more numeric totals but that doesn’t really count in terms of strikes
Story of this fight Hernandez the first of all the down blocking from kopilov was great the takedown def fence on the fence it itself was great but I noticed something at the end of the first if you notice he brings his uh outside leg forward like he was trying to exit you
Know how the guys split their stances if they bring the leg that’s on the outside that’s that’s typically it doesn’t always have to be but typically it should be behind them right so if they have a split stance if you’re on this side of the cage then this leg should be
Going back the other one should be going forward the reason why is so you can press into the fence so you can cover that right so they can’t take the back and there’s all kinds of stuff you can do from there anyway um I saw that uh he switched that up and
You can do that if you’re going to then make an escape for it but he didn’t and then he gets pushed to his I think he got pushed forward Hernandez was able to get kind of behind him a little bit and I was like aha he got him to make a
Mistake here he got him to get the positioning off and sure enough he was able to use right hooks to kind of keep copy love occupied here and one of the things about shooting like you bending over at the waist like that Craig Jones has talked about this normally when you
Shoot in wrestling you want to have your back straight head up big tall posture using your head right if I go oned to head outside single like this I’m not bent over like this at the at the at the waist I’m over here High big big big
Tall chest the whole nine yards like big posture you don’t have to do that in MMA you can actually bend over the waist as long as you’re just going to run them back to the fence the fence changes that Dynamic and sure enough it was right
Hooks up top and he actually had to jab a little bit too and then he gets underneath pushes him back and then the whole sequence started he was able to get his hands together underneath pulls them out and from there it was a show was a wrap goes for the rear naked choke
And it was so close and you can see he had the he had the Palm to Palm initially and he was trying to hide it behind him kind of like what Nate Diaz did a little bit with Connor at first when he was snaking it behind him but it
Was just Palm to Palm it wasn’t hand to hand uh maybe I guess that was like huge trig one or two I forget which one that was but anyway pulling him behind pulling him behind but kopyov resisted and then rided his posture and Hernandez basically just let go a little bit and
Then rank it into the bicep grip and then was smiling like like I got like once it was underneath the chin he knew he got it and copyof tapped I thought copyof did a great job to turn him off the cage again the down blocking was good the head kicking was amazing he
Gave Hernandez a lot of problems but Hernandez at 185 pounds averages nearly seven takedowns per 15 minutes the guy is they call him the machine that is such I mean Mor Rob too [ __ ] Mor Rob’s a machine no what they call him fluffy excuse me Mor Rob’s the machine they
Call him fluffy either [ __ ] way he could be the machine as well he has Dynamite offense just in terms of the volume of it and how quickly he can figure things out and if you can’t keep up with him playing speed chest with you it will be curtains for you as well
Again targeting by Anthony Hernandez 82% to the Head 82% 82% 11% to the body 5% to the leg remarkable truly remarkable that guy is so special but and here’s the best part about it kopyov didn’t look bad he didn’t look bad at all he looked great for as long as the fight
Last Ed I mean you know except for the very end but he was game dude he was a game opponent but herandez is just an overwhelming Force he needs to be fighting ranked guys he needs to be fighting in you know fight nights Main Events something like
That like he needs let’s get that guy in a five rounder right let’s get him in a five rounder for sure Anthony Hernandez beast beast all right let’s see what some of your questions are let’s see what we got here okay do we have to keep going with the
Immediate rematches if anyone deserves it it’s vul but this result makes the division so interesting again I just think that they probably will I don’t know that they need to uh this person wres does Bobby Knuckles fight Izzy for number one Contender or winner of DDP versus Izzy or again or Shan Strickland
Ilia versus is Islam at some point I’m not I’m not I’m not interested in that right now I mean maybe in the f I don’t I I don’t know but not right now not right now how do Fighters like Roberto Duran maintain their career at the top for so
Long man defeated Iran Barkley at 38 it’s insane what he managed to accomplish yeah I don’t know I don’t I don’t know exactly how some of those I mean we’re also talking about one of the greatest to ever do it as well in his particular sport but um Manos Deedra but um
I don’t know how to answer that I it’s a good question I don’t know how to answer that is Ilia versus max instantly one of the most exciting potential fights of 2024 1 billion per iron chin versus unbeli unbelievable power a lot more than that skill skill on both sides
Too will the UFC go to Spain with a small event probably at some point probably this person writes I know I noticed vulk switches to Southpaw a lot and almost never throws from that Southpaw it’s not quite true lately he’s been getting caught in transition sometimes you think him fighting switch
Actually was a liability no that’s not really what caught him this time I don’t think thoughts on their pada Hill versus for main event for 300 I mean look 300 is a great card right UFC 300 is a phenomenal card that’s not to me the most exciting main event but it’s
Not a bad one as a main event goes I think the card is too good to really complain is what I would say that’s not a crown jewel you know that’s not Brock versus Meir it’s not um Jon Jones versus DC or what ended up ended up being you know
Amanda and um Misha you know it’s not it’s not those but it’s it’s a it’s a the card itself is too good to complain about I think what are the chances that Moreno and figuro fight a fifth time I don’t know I don’t know how to answer
That with Vulcan Izzy losing their belts hooker not being anywhere near title contention and olberg maybe not being chant material do you even believe the Glory Days of ckb are over I’d be very um cautious about that part of any good gym is going to be developing talent and
Also recruiting it so let’s see how who enters their gym in the next five years um there’s a lot that could go right for them there this person writes been watching I this guy I think this guy’s a black belt and Jiu-Jitsu too he writes been
Watching for over a decade now it never gets any easier watching a pound-for-pound Fighter’s time at the top come to an end and these rains at the top get shorter and shorter I’m telling you folks gone are the days of GSP Silva and DJ and it never gets
Easier no no it does not it is it is a very difficult thing to do which stadium in Spain is better suited for a fight night bnab Camp new uh what is the one that Atletico plays in the Wanda metropolitano that’s a big ass one too Camp new is a dump
Okay don’t let anyone else tell you I know they’re remodeling it but just so you know Camp new is a piece of [ __ ] like Barcelona the city is a beautiful place it’s an amazing place the city itself is tremendous Camp new is a dump like don’t let anyone tell you it’s
Anything other than a dump it [ __ ] sucks I’ve been there three times it’s a dump just so you know um everyone I wanted to win tonight lost dude I don’t know what to tell you now that I officially hate MMA what sport do you suggest I get into dude
You’ll be all right you’ll be all right dude this is the life cycle you just got to learn to live with it favorites were 11 and0 until the main event Ilia was literally the ultimate Underdog tonight yeah true what is Ila’s next fight again probably going to be a rematch but if
Not the max fight makes sense I love that fight probability of Toria fighting Conor in Spain probably zero right because it’s going to be a Pay-Per-View fight will Ilia be the one to finally crack Max’s chin I’ll tell you this much I would not want to be I would not I
Would not want Max to test that uh could go real bad for him look looking at the 35 and over Club stat do you think finishing ability is the lynchpin of being able to hold a title into later stages PS DJ Beat Adriano over 35 not UFC but still worth
Mentioning yes it is a very valuable achievement but DJ was 31 or 32 when he lost to cejudo in his last fight in the UFC he does not qualify uh was there any warning from volkanovski’s corner about uh circling going into his direction of toria’s power side I think he was more just
Trying to go Sou side to side and not just constantly Circle away from it cuz that can cause you problems as well um I don’t think his Corner failed him like that no someone says lift the god forsaken curse Luke it’s not a curse it’s observed reality it’s the
World in which you live if it was just magic we could just undo the magic it’s not magic man it’s [ __ ] it’s a difficult sport it’s a difficult difficult sport who hits harder at 145 EMT or Ilia pound-for-pound they might hit equally hard but Ilia is going to be much more
Accurate how long until Toria becomes the biggest active star in the sport well he’s got to win fights he has to keep winning fights otherwise it’s not going to go well for him his Reign on the at the top will be short as well um and he has deficiencies too let’s be
Very clear about that so before we start talking about how big he will be let’s recognize he needs to keep winning you know you lose the title after one or two of these fights who cares you know how can someone get a title shot when they haven’t finished a fight in
Nearly three years I’m not sure what that’s referring to in an alternate timeline where vul didn’t take the rematch with Islam and we get vul coming into his Peak does it go differently I don’t think so I don’t think so I think that was just a reminder that the end was upon us
Uh regarding vul’s comments about his mental health after Islam 2 do you ever truly worry about a Fighter’s life once the end of their career is near when it doesn’t end how they would have hoped yeah sure Tony Ferguson was there tonight I’ve been kind of concerned but
You know he appeared to be in good spirits I guess we’ll see how it goes but yeah AB dude absolutely I worry about it all the time I mean that’s not that’s not even that’s not even um that’s not even counting like the CTE first asks are you going to be
Insufferable about Ila’s win or are you going to be cool no I’m going to be insufferable I’m going to be super insufferable and I mean that with absolute sincerity I intend to be insufferable about it I intend to I intend to remind everyone like told you and what not just the 35
And over thing like picked him on CBS Sports HQ picked him on MK picked him on the live I mean I did never ever wavered and I had to hear all of this chirping about who got 10 s at the at the uh at
The uh what what do they call it the um Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy tour yes he got 10 s at the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy tour yeah it turns out Elliot tore is not that great at sketch comedy it’s true quite bad at especially when he’s T doing that
In his third language uh but he can fight he can do that and I was focused on that the whole time so so yes I intend to be very insufferable but the good news is is no more insufferable than everyone else was about how Toria sucked about how Toria was never going
To win how he was going to get taught a lesson about how all all of the all of the most meaningless totally wrong [ __ ] that everyone floated this week I’ll be no more insufferable than that but I I do intend to be insufferable yes that’s part of what I intend to do absolutely
Uh where are we on this Jesus my Twitter feed has blown the [ __ ] up um yeah yeah I think that’s it boys and girls I think that’s it for tonight um tried to warn you tried to warn you it’s not magic it’s not a curse it’s not some special
Voodoo it is observed reality and that makes it frankly the most to me terrifying thing about it is that we know it won’t happen every time but we know for the vast majority of these guys especially 155 and Below when they hit 35 and they’re trying to defend or win
Titles the universe is going to pull the emergency break on it one more time I’m going to remind them the prime or the career it will end and it might happen sooner than you think it’s hard to inventory your decline when you’re feeling the middle of the approval it’s hard to inventory
All the things that aren’t going right when so many other things are finally going right I hate it for him dude I hate it for him I really do I hate it for him it’s so unfair that these guys take so long to get paid so long to get
Agulation so long to get respect and it gets taken from him so quickly but you should have some heart uh if you’re a vulcanos fan because all he is is maybe the best featherweight of all time he’s one of the very best fighters of all time losing tonight doesn’t change that
Doesn’t change a thing about that um if he had won tonight that would have been frankly like a huge feather in his cap uh obviously it’s not great that he lost but he is one of the most talented Fighters one of the best Champions we’ve ever ever had one of the best Sportsmen
That we’ve ever had changed the game for MMA in Australia probably to New Zealand to some extent as well I’m sure and we’re all richer for what volkanovski has contributed to the fight game but his Peak is probably past us it’s probably past us so I don’t make the rules but I do
Observe them all right all right thank you guys so much for watching like the video Hit subscribe do all that fun [ __ ] and uh we’ll have some extra stuff for you guys this week we’ve already got some stuff planned some fun Post 298 stuff and a whole lot more okay I love
You I’m glad you watched I hope you got something out of it we appreciate you hit the Subscribe button one more time and until next time boys and girls get some sleep peace love you
47 Comments
Yeah sorry. But you can't move backwards against illia. And i still dont think he is as good as people think he is. Max smokes him.
I would even say Kattar would put a beating on him.
Algo comment 😎Cheers Luke 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
Max Holloway bs Topuria next
Luke. “Paquete” is Spanish slang for a fake, not the literal translation of “package”. He basically said Brian Ortega is just a lie covered by a shiny package (all looks, no skills).
11:49 Huge Respect for pointing that out Luke, instant fan, subscribed 💪🏻🇬🇪
The 35 year old rule also applies to point guards in the NBA and Running Backs in the NFL.
I think max would be a nightmare matchup for Topuria simply because he’s still young and has one of the best chins that I’ve ever seen and never lets anyone else outpressure him. I can see max just taking bombs in the first round and continuining to walking the dude down to victory
I’m surprised Luke didn’t blow his mic whilst talking about Tuporia
why does this also have the luke graphics start? is this not a MK piece
"Ortega's package" omg I'm dead. Luke, we use "paquete" in Spain same way as u ways would "bum"
God u ramble on
could listen to luke talk about Rob for hours
Luke’s almost unbearable to listen to these days. Makes since they dropped him. We need more MMA content creators.
The Jon Jones, Max Holloways, GSPs, Khabib/Islams of this world are rare. Most don’t achieve their fame until they’re in their 30s, right as their prime is ending
Time stamps you rookie! It will increase your views by %25. Egg shells!
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:28 🥊 Post-fight show introduction and preliminary remarks.
– UFC 298 has concluded, and there's much to discuss regarding the results and analysis.
– Thumbs up for the video, subscribe to the channel, and anticipation for an exciting post-fight show.
03:06 🥊 Reviewing UFC 298 main event and related discussions.
– Ilia Topuria defeats Alexander Volkanovski via KO in round 2, sparking discussions about age in UFC and its implications.
– Reflections on the "rule of 35" in UFC history and its impact on fighters over 35, with exceptions noted in higher weight classes.
– Critique of press conference theatrics and its significance compared to actual fight outcomes, emphasizing the unpredictability of MMA.
14:01 🥊 Detailed analysis of the UFC 298 main event fight.
– Discussion of the first round and the strategic approaches of both fighters.
– Analysis of Ilia Topuria's technique in setting up the KO punch and its effectiveness against Alexander Volkanovski.
– Evaluation of Volkanovski's performance, including his jab, kicks, and tactical adjustments, despite the eventual loss.
17:43 🥋 Volkanovski's Game Plan Analysis
– Volkanovski's strategic approach analyzed.
– Options considered: keeping distance, clinching, takedowns.
– Evaluation of Volkanovski's performance and game plan effectiveness.
21:18 💥 Resume vs. Performance in MMA
– Comparing fighters' resumes versus their actual performance.
– Examples from MMA history highlighting the unpredictability of matchups.
– Emphasis on the importance of analyzing current form over past achievements.
23:10 🎶 Impact of Fighter Walkouts
– Discussion on the significance of fighter walkout music.
– Examples of culturally significant walkouts enhancing the fighter's image.
– Observations on Volkanovski's walkout and its cultural resonance.
25:46 📊 Statistical Analysis: Volkanovski vs. Toria
– Statistical comparison of strikes landed and targeting between Volkanovski and Toria.
– Analysis of striking strategies and effectiveness during the fight.
– Insights into the adjustments made by Volkanovski and its impact on the fight.
28:07 🌍 Potential European Market Impact
– Discussion on Toria's potential to become a star in Europe.
– Analysis of support from European celebrities and its implications.
– Speculation on Toria's marketability and future opportunities in MMA.
30:14 🔄 Inflection Point for Volkanovski
– Evaluation of Volkanovski's career trajectory post-fight.
– Reflection on the challenges of maintaining dominance in MMA.
– Consideration of potential matchups and career decisions for Volkanovski.
35:14 🥊 Analysis of Volkanovski vs. Toria Fight
– Discussion on Volkanovski's fighting style and challenges facing Toria,
– Toria's controlled and dominant punching style analyzed,
– Speculation on potential strategies for both fighters in future bouts.
36:32 🧠 Understanding Toria's Skillset
– Recognition of Toria's capabilities as a skilled and disciplined fighter,
– Emphasis on the need for precision and minimal error against Toria,
– Appreciation for Toria's surgical approach to fighting.
37:53 🥋 Challenges in MMA and Fighter's Career Realities
– Acknowledgment of the difficulties in being an MMA fan and fighter,
– Insight into the challenges of maintaining a successful title reign,
– Reflection on the inevitable end or decline of a fighter's career.
39:19 🏆 Appreciation for Fight Card Quality
– Positive assessment of the fights on the UFC 298 card,
– Recognition of excellent matchmaking,
– Highlighting standout performances from fighters like Morab and Anthony Hernandez.
40:02 🥊 Analysis of Whitaker vs. Costa Fight
– Analysis of Robert Whitaker's victory over Paulo Costa,
– Debate on scoring of rounds and significant damage,
– Appreciation for Whitaker's maturity and performance.
46:10 🛣️ Future Prospects for Robert Whitaker
– Speculation on potential future opponents for Robert Whitaker,
– Discussion on the challenges of infrequent competition and age in MMA,
– Consideration of matchups and title contention for Whitaker.
48:00 ⚖️ Evaluation of Ian Gary vs. Jeff Neil Fight
– Analysis of the Ian Gary vs. Jeff Neil fight and the split decision,
– Explanation of scoring discrepancies and subjective nature of judging,
– Appreciation for Gary's strategic approach despite criticism.
52:17 🥋 Analysis of Ian Gary vs. Jeff Neil fight
– Detailed analysis of Ian Gary's performance against Jeff Neil,
– Neil's lack of effective takedown attempts and offensive output,
– Gary's improvement throughout the fight and his strategic game plan.
56:14 🤼♂️ Breakdown of Morab Deleli's victory over Henry Cejudo
– Statistical analysis of Morab Deleli's dominant performance against Henry Cejudo,
– Discussion on Morab's exceptional gas tank and grappling control,
– Evaluation of Cejudo's performance and career trajectory.
01:05:24 🥊 Recap of Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopilov fight
– Analysis of Anthony Hernandez's victory over Roman Kopilov via rear-naked choke,
– Examination of key moments and techniques used by Hernandez,
– Comparison of strike totals and grappling proficiency between the fighters.
01:08:45 🥊 Evaluating Anthony Hernandez's performance
– Anthony Hernandez displayed exceptional performance.
– Hernandez should be matched up against ranked opponents or featured in main events to showcase his skills effectively.
– Suggestions for Hernandez to compete in five-round fights to further test his abilities.
01:09:30 🤔 Addressing questions and discussions on UFC 298 results
– Discussion on the possibility of immediate rematches in the UFC.
– Speculation on potential matchups for fighters like Bobby Knuckles, Izzy, and Shan Strickland.
– Exploring the longevity of fighters like Roberto Duran and the challenges they face.
01:10:38 🎯 Anticipating potential future fights
– Speculation on the potential excitement of future fights, including Ilia vs. Max.
– Discussion on the likelihood of UFC events in Spain.
– Observations on fighting stance and strategies of certain fighters.
01:12:31 💭 Reflecting on the evolving landscape of MMA
– Commentary on the changing era in MMA with the transition of dominant fighters.
– Discussion on the significance of fighter legacies and the challenges they face in maintaining dominance.
– Remarks on the potential future of fighters and gyms in the sport.
01:17:04 😤 Embracing victory and addressing criticism
– Emphasis on confidence in Ilia's victory and a response to critics.
– Intentions to celebrate the accurate prediction of Ilia's success.
– Acknowledgment of the ups and downs in MMA fandom and embracing the journey.
01:19:01 🏆 Reflecting on the harsh reality of MMA careers
– Reflection on the inevitable decline of fighters, particularly after reaching their prime.
– Commentary on the unfairness of the rapid transition from success to decline in MMA careers.
– Encouragement for fans to appreciate fighters' achievements despite setbacks.
Made with HARPA AI
Luke hates the fans dressing up and asking questions at the fan pressers.
Luke hates happiness in all of its diverse forms.
I’m surprised by how Thomas knows about the Spanish entertainment sports world. Ilia did that. And wonder who can even compete with him. Dangerous strikes
Its Conor McGregors fault that people get so worked up about shit talk. He rurned it into a must and dumb fans ate it right up
Settle down there Luke you pick the guy with the tightest boxing in the sport good job at seeing that coming but at the other hand you’re a pretty smart guy good about
Dang what does it mean for someone whose mom drank in utero and has been in a few gnarly car wrecks….. asking for a friend.
Great analysis Luke. Really passionate and detailed.
Agreed. So very obvious: talking and fighting are different things.
Volks lost his rhythm after Yair Rodrigue elbow hits on his head though he won but lost his confidence, he is marching backwards showing his weakness.
God this post fight show was terrible. Luke was insufferable. Why does he feel the need to lecture his audience of grown men like they are children because of opinions that nobody holds or one person tweeted. I miss BC he is desperately needed to offset Luke’s constant self aggrandizing and condescension. Does he actually think there are people watching this show that believe the 35 rule and the EA curse are actual magical curses?
Why is Luke acting like he’s some analytical genius for picking Topuria to win? The odds at every Sportsbook had this fight as basically a pick ‘em.
Luke lost in OK bet but now he wants to act like he’s some genius for getting one right.
Huh??Luke had to hear all week from people about how Volk was gonna win and teach Topuria a lesson??? In what world did this ever happen lol? The majority of people picked Topuria to win, lots of them by KO so I don't know where all these huge numbers of people were telling him about Volk winning lol.
I disagree with Luke about this meaning that Volks peak is over and that he “isn’t taking proper inventory of his reflexes”. He got beat by a really good fighter… Just like he did against Islam. Luke jumps to the “he’s either too old or he’s now not what he once was” argument instead of accepting that the fighter just got beat by another really good fighter… His reflexes were fine and he was actually winning both rounds up until the finish.
Luke always telling us how stupid we all are for caring that Ian Garry is a POS is hilarious. It literally makes people care about the fight and helps to keep you in business, but you're somehow above it. Love Luke, but he needs to stop stacking soap boxes and standing on all of them.
Why is Luke acting like Volk was some absolute Overwhelming favourite who "everyone" thought was clearly doing to win ?
To give some context for American fans who might not appreciate the people showing Ilia support – dude had arguably one of the best Tennis players of all time (Nadal), the best Spanish and future prospect in Tennis (World Number 2, Carlos Alcaraz), SEVERAL Spanish footballers literally ranked 90+ in any game you'll find them in, the amount of support he has in Spain rivals Cedric Doumbe in France and probably surpasses it several times over. If UFC can hold an event in Spain, the audience will be about as star-studded as is humanly possible.
I love Volk – but I hope we don't see him at FW again. Dude could easily beat other top LW contenders and it's much less of a weight-cut for him at his age. This was a very "closed book" kind of finish and I really don't need to see Volk become 0 – 3 with another loss vs Topuria to see him move up and have some fun ass fights vs people with Chandler / Porier etc at LW.
Great insightful and sobering reality that Luke has shed light on here sad but true
The Iav vs Neal fight wasn't worse than Bueno vs Pennington cause it was just 3 rounds. It's amazing how you're still lazy af to read " this person's " nickname reading their questions.
Take a drink every time Luke talks about his meat curtains.
Na fight had nothing to do with age , people pushed this narrative and the media ate it up that volk was some elite striker and he just wasn’t remotely , dudes chin would pull up the ceiling literally every single time he got into exchanges , every single time he’s fought somebody that can crack he’s gotten wobbled starting with a washed mendes who almost finished him ..volk would of had the same problem with josh emmit he would of gotten over confident in the pocket and would of stayed too long and and gotten clipped , every one saying the ckb downfall (volk rarely trains at ckb you dorks he has his own gym ) ilia could of fought volk four years ago and the fight would of gone exactly the same , if you don’t have the power to hurt somebody and they have the power to hurt you , they are always going to walk you down and bully you against the cage and keep swatting until you start snoring …
Luke you need to filter out some of the trolls out of your audience.. You don’t need to lecture viewers cuz some trolls got u mad about Volk vs Ilia
40m
I fear that the so appreciated art of the fight has been lost since Dustin vs Conor 3. It’s now a clown show for the fans. They have no idea of the
Topuria’s head movement was fantastic. It almost looked as if he was going to shoot then would come up top with a missle
And to think Rainbow Bright wants this fight??? That fool is crazy.
If you hate Ian garry you're probably an incel
Luke, your smugness is almost unbearable. Difficult to watch you without Brian to balance things out.
Your/that take on Merab… Thank You, brother, it's pathetic the difference 'tween the love he gets in comparison to the love he really deserves! 💯
Hey Luke and Brian, I do not want to interupt with your fantastic posts and analysis. As I watch and enjoy all of them from Holland. But can I give a suggestion? I ran into great posts of an (ex-) female fighter (boxer): HamaguchiFightMMA. She is so knowledgeable and gives unique analysis to fights I did watch but not the way she does. She is probably more humble then she should be. It would be so good if you at least contact her to see if you have the same opinion as I have. And maybe once in future give her the platform she deserves. Just want to share this with you, hope you at least take my advice sort of seriously. Keep up the good work!
Raise a drink to Derns dumpster. P4P booty queen