It’s a great strategy. He triggered some people but also hyped up the fight. If he wins, he becomes mystic mac. If he loses, we get meme material + he’s talented enough to get another shot if he loses this one
To to think only Title holders sell fights, then declining Izzy makes no sense being he's been champ most his career.. wit that being said not all Champs are liked.. 😅
The cardio is the only advantage Max has in the Gaethje fight and maybe his chin, but that will be tested..It could be enough, cardio is a huge deal in a 5 round fight, but my money is on Gaethje..
a guy like illia is so healthy for mma overall whether you choose to love or hate him you've gotta acknowledge it. Dudes who come in, rile up the fans of a dominant champ, get everyone paying attention are exactly what we need at these times of drought. Win or lose he's got my respect.
So fresh too, you don't get that out of new fighters. Dominate/knock their opponents out and says he's going to beat Volk bad and make a movie on his journey to the belt. Agreed 1000%.
The only problem with that is Ilia can't bring himself to give props to Volk or Holloway. If he were to lose to them, the excuses would flow in. Just makes him unlikeable
I am a Spanish speaker and when Illia was questioned about why he underestimated his opponents he always said that was not the case, he said that he always expressed his respect by doing his best work in the camp.
PLEASE Weasle can you start uploading these to spotify again? don't have time to sit through an entire video with my phone open the entire time but really want to consume your content, cheers from NZ
Hey Weasle! Can you please talk about the Takeru/Superlek fight, how the rematch would go and how Takeru/Rodtang would go? I’ve been commenting this for a couple of weeks, but I don’t think enough people know about them to get it to the top.
Long time champs usually have their toughest challenge when they face next generation fighters. Dominick/Cody Patricio/AJ Mcee. It's like these next generation fighters have been made to beat the champs unbeatable game. When Aj Mcee beat Patricio it gave me Jon Jones vs Shogun Rua vibes. If Volk can get past this he is something else. 🔥🔥🔥
Justin Gaethje absorbs 7.66 strikes per minute, while Max Holloway absorbs 4.56 per minute. So yes, Justin does get hit more often than Max per minute. Justin also lands 7.38 strikes per minute while Max lands 7.26 strikes per minute. This was done with a quick Google search, and the numbers might be outdated. With these stats it appears Max has better defense than Justin while having similar output.
And when you take the fact Max has been in the ufc longer and has fought more, him having a lower absorb hit per minute should tell everyone what they need to know.
That is a bit misleading though because of the way he fought when he first came into the UFC. His first 3 fights were 3 of the wildest you could ever find. His style has changed a good bit since then, plus a lot of quick KOs since those fights means little cage time in which to bring that average down.
Volk already beat a 3rd generation fighter, Yair, dominated him. If Illia beats Volk is because of age, not because he’s some new super generation of fighter. You can tell because objectively Volk is a much better fighter prime to prime. The 3rd generation fighter is one of the most obsolete arguments, there is no such thing anymore. For example Illia very likely would loose to Max, what does that mean? That’s because Max is younger and closer to athletic prime, it won’t mean all of a sudden Max now becomes up there with GSP. Similarly GSP or Silva would still beat fighters today, 4 or 5 generations later. It’s a stupid argument, makes no sense and people should stop saying it.
Imagine they do a double main event. Conor vs chandler for the 165 belt and aspinal vs Pereira for the interim heavyweight and we get two triple Champs on the same night 🤯🤯
They might do Izzy vs Khamzat for bullshit interim title. DDP is out for now and it would sell and is possible that casual take it like it's right move for the division.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet. Leon says he has a special fight. Javier Mendez said Khabib called him to train. Fathers plan was 30-0. Khabib is 29-0. Khabib's favorite fighter is GSP who took time off and came back to win a title up a weightclass. Bro, i got Khabib vs Leon as 300 main event.
@@VenerableNut I'm just going off clues and a hunch. Plus it's strange how DC hasn't denied to like he has in the past. Dudes a horrible liar. Dana said no one is expecting it and it will blow people away. I don't see Conor being the "no one will expect" piece. But hey, this is all speculative and wishful thinking. I ain't married to the idea.
I used to train in the same gym as Diana Belbita. I’m very surprised she made it to the UFC, speaks about the skill in the female divisions.She’s just ridding the wave to OnlyFans.
The Ilia vs Volk fight is very intriguing. I realize it sounds like I’m just jumping on the Ilia bandwagon, but I can’t help but think that he is going to totally dominate Volkanovski… Even though he has been such an incredible champ. Who knows, maybe Volk will just grind out a fairly dominant submission, but I can’t for the life of me seeing this fight going anywhere near the distance. My prediction… Ilia via KO in round 2
Hey Weasle, I had a discussion with a friend recently about skill vs size in combat sports. An example of someone untrained but GIGANTIC is shaq O‘neal. He‘s like 7 foot and around 270 or more and a very athletic guy (we‘re taking him in his athletic prime). At what weight difference would it become problematic for a UFC fighter to defeat shaq in a street fight? I think we all can agree that someone like jones or ngannou would maul shaq who never did combat sports before but what about for example a robert Whittaker? Or justin Gaethje? At what point would the size difference be big enough to negate the skill difference? Thanks for the great content, you are the best MMA Channel and I appreciate your professionalism and consistency.
36:20 Just to nitpick, according to the ufc’s website, Max Holloway absorbs 4.75 strikes per minute whereas Justin Gaethje absorbs 7.5. Although Max has been hit more in total, Gaethje gets hit more on average. The Weasle’s points about the match are all still fair though, imo.
Can I ask how you knew that info? Had you already looked it up previously or did you go check cuz Weasel said something that sounded wrong? Not being sassy or anything, I'm legit curious. 🤷
@@justinkennedy3004 I check the UFC rankings page and the stats a lot. I didn’t know that info off the top of my head, but I was curious. I’ve heard many times the stat about how much Max has been hit, but knowing that Gaethje is also pretty hittable, I wanted to know what the averages indicate. It is interesting to consider that the very hittable Max Holloway is fighting someone who-on average- absorbs more strikes than him per minute.
40:45 I work at UPS and currently working and listening to this video as i scan packages, and bro, this made me burst out laughing so hard, it caught me off guard 😭 that was hilarious lmao
I liked Topuria on this rise to the belt, but now that he's there he's talking so much nonsense that makes him unlikable. Coming out saying he's already refusing to fight the top fighters of the division just because Volk beat them is garbage. If that's the case, Toperia better switch divisions or retire if he thinks MMA math determines your opponent. Was pulling for Toperia before just for the shakeup in the division. Now that Toperia is talking, I'm pulling for Volk.
Where the PFL can thrive is simply fighters getting financially smarter. At the end of the day there will be a fighters union. It could be 3 years it could be 13 years but it will happen. Every major American sport has done it and in every case there were people who didnt think it would happen. The UFC does not want to be slow to adapt to that. But that is literally the only chance the PFL has.
This is the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen they wait until THE TICKETS ARE ALREADY ON SALE TO ANNOUNCE THE MAIN EVENT OF UFC 300!!! EMBARRASSING!!!!
It actually upsets me that we are having these conversation about volk being “washed” he lost his last fight, how are we forgetting how good he is so fast, nobody has been able to come close to this guy other then Islam, the dominant performance of yair was not too long ago. Smh
WEASLE , VOLKY WILL END ILIA HYPE , CONFIDENCE , COURAGE HUMBLE HIM SEND ILIA BACK DOWN DA FEATHER WEIGHT RANKING , JUST LIKE ALL OTHER UNDEFEATED FIGHTERS TALKING TRASH . WEASLE SAY NO MORE .
Ilia is a tough dude. He showed he can take punches and still comeback. This fight is going to be interesting. Having confidence is good and I think Ilia has the right to be confident ahead of a title fight.
Topuria is going to get schooled by Volk...And I'm a big Topuria fan, I knew who he was before he made it to the UFC, and I think he can be a future champ..But Volk is smart, and just has the skills to dispose of Topuria..I suspect a ground and pound finish...Topuria got caught by every guy he has fought in the UFC, Emmet, Mitchell, Jai Herbert, Youssef, to varying degrees..He hasn't fought Yair, Max or Volk, who are levels above all those guys...Styles do make fights, but I see Volk picking him apart and being the exception to the 35 year old champion statistic...
long live @TheWeasel ☀️ __________________ great minds talk about ideas, average minds talk about events, unfortunate minds talk about people. that being said, i’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on Luke Thomas. he seems to occupy a unique space in the mma media landscape in terms of his personality & approach, but also on a broader historical perspective, he is a noteworthy figure in the growth of the sport during this post-2006 era. he’s provided insightful commentary and at times a moral compass throughout this so-called modern era. i just think he’s interesting, and would like to know if you have anything to add. thanks, brother. may you continue refining your craft and sharing your inspired efforts with the public. keep on keepin’ on.
Hey, Weasel! The old friend at the bar, i rarely talk to anymore. Lol! Awesome channel, brother! Always has been! These athletes are crazy! Pretty soon, the camera won't be able to keep up. When i look at Tom's movements, and his disregard for physics (his HUGE body just floats!!!!) I honestly don't think Jon 🦴 can beat him. I truly don't. If Jones can, HE BETTER grab that British torso, and SQUEEZE, and never let go!!! Because, these new animals, and their high-twitch-ways, are too gifted.
About the 35 yo limit, one thing that has given me hope for Volk is that Demetrius (35+) is champ over at One. Different level of competition, sure, but i think Volk has enough tools to compensate for whatever he loses bc of age.
Hey Weasel! Just wanted to say thank you for the amazing content, you have no idea how much of an inspiration you are to me and love from Ecuador 🇪🇨❤️. My question is what do you about Michael Morales, the Ecuadorian undefeated prospect that’s coming of a win against Jake Mathew’s. Do you think he’ll be champ one day? Who do you think he’s next opponent should be? To me he’s definitely becoming the welterweight champ in the next 4 - 5 years. The other question is, odd wise, who do you think it’s actually win, O’Malley or Chito? For me it’s Chito round 3 or 4 KO.
My prediction is that this fight will go the distance and it will be a decision and a huge war. But it will get split decision victory for either of them and then people will cry Robbery robbery on the internet. (Disclaimer :- It's a prediction it can go wrong)
The mikegriffith dude lol… when he said I hear Rogen say some of the stuff you do so I know you know what you’re talking about…. You just knew his question was going to be dumb lol
I think it'll serve him well... i don't think he's training like he's SUPPOSED to win. But it definitely could maybe make Volk question himself having somebody acting so confidently, especially coming off a nasty loss like that. Definitely interested in seeing how this will go.
I think it’s a stretch to say that the ruleset of MMA is against strikers. It’s probably the opposite realistically. This one rule is against strikers, that’s true enough. But in a World where you can be on someone’s back for 4 minutes, nearly lock in an armband, lose the guy and get dropped in the last thirty seconds and there is a case that you lose the round because damage trumps all - well it’s a bit hard to make the case that the rules advantage grapplers with a straight face. And just as a note, the grounded opponent rule also affects grapplers. Look at MMA in ONE, who is using knees to a grounded opponent the most? Strong wrestlers who can get a crucifix. Great vid man.
Great episode! About the Rules like kneeing a down opponent, if removed I think it would benefit the wrestlers even more then the strikers. Just imagine a wrestler get the front head lock position on the ground he can now throw knees from that position. There are definitely position that a striker can exploit this with to if let say the Striker stuffs the takedown and do the same thing. Yes wrestles wouldn’t be able to fail a takedown and sit with his glove on the floor like Aljo did a lot. But the good wrestlers will now have a way to deal massive dmg with a fairly easy position to get to. But I’m still all for it. It’s a stupid rule. Wrestlers will adapt and so will the strikers.
It's not gonna be a non-title fight. If Miesha Tate vs Amanda Nunes headlined 200 over Brock f'n Lesnar.... yeah that definitely shows their mo. The headlining event must be a title fight.
Weasel you should have me on the podcast and ask me some questions about some upcoming fights . Would love to offer looks that you may haven’t heard before
I mean, of course Ilia can knockout anybody at 145, no doubt. I just don't see him having a chance quality wise. Volks weakness was shown against Islam, the High and body kick. Ilia doesn't use kicks, has a stance that's made for Volk to chop the legs. Ilia throws deathpunches like 80% of the time. Might work against Emmett, who really has no fight IQ at all. Volk is different, he'll notice patterns and get better from round to round. The only thing that concerns me is Volk being affected by the KO in October. If he's at 100%, i see a dominant 49-46 or 50-45.
Volk is going to wrestle Illa . Dont be surprised when volk uses sambo and wrestling to beat Illa . That fights against Islam have taught volk alot and he can implement that style again illa .
In the 1989/1990 Season Hugo Sánchez hit 38 goals for Real Madrid, all by first touch 😂😂 maybe there will be a fighter who can submit people without great offensive wrestling. I think Charles Oliviera is in this category. His submissions mostly come from rocking his opponent first and than capitalising on the opportunity.
I don’t understand this Colby being “overrated argument” I think people just hate him and can’t be objective, the first Usman fight Goddard ruined by stopping with back of the head shots when Colby was up 3-1 rounds. The 2nd Usman fight was a draw everyone knows that. And he broke his foot in the first round against Leon and it was still a competitive fight. We can’t just ignore the context of these fights
Jack is not going to be an easy task for Joe. Jack is VERY well rounded in every aspect of MMA. Good striking, good wrestling, good bjj, good defence etc... he's definitely one of the middle weight gatekeepers of the UFC. I do think people are underestimating Jack more than they should. We haven't seen Joe tested against a high leveled UFC fighter in the later rounds of a 5 rounder. Weve seen Jacks cardio and its insanely good 👍
Islam is a stud. He's beat two of my favorite fighters which I'm bummed about, but he's one of the best dudes out there in the octagon. However, as much as I know he is capable of being double champ, the man is WAY too inactive to hold two belts. I appreciate he takes time off for his beliefs, more power to him. But bro only fights 2-3 times a year. I'm so over double champs holding up divisions.
I respected Sean and his fans until the utter hypocrisy with the crying and beaching about Dricuss words. Now all i see is a hypocrite and a clown. He is just as soft as the soft people he cries about. He just did a good job tricking ya that he isnt. 😂 And i have had a similar upbringing as Sean so dont hit me with the "traumaaaa" 😂 Dude has something to say about EVERYONE else but hed be dammed if you bring up his life
Back when things like soccer kicks were allowed, grapplers dominated. Look at the early days of UFC where it was basically no-holds-barred...the early champs were predominantly grapplers...Royce, Shamrock, Severn, Taktarov...
Conor won't be triple champ. Chandler will beat Conor...Chandler is a bigger and better version of Chad Mendes, with better cardio than Chad. Edit: His striking is at least 3 levels above Mendes, as well. If Conor came back with his old fighting style and stance then he would have a good chance...as of now, Unless Chandler stands and trades with Conor without the threat of a takedown, i think Chandler wins. Chandler is strong and can get Conor down and control him. Chandler has an 80% chance of winning. Conor needs to bring back his old style and stance.
The idea that the rules benefits grapplers can’t be further from the truth. If soccer kicks and grounded knees are allowed, every dominant wrestler would have a massive advantage. Back in the old days the majority of people who benefited from these hardcore rules were grapplers lol. Those rules punish sloppy wrestlers. Imagine high pressure cage wrestlers like khamzat or Cain spamming knees on everyone lol.
49:08 I'm what you'd call a pretty left-leaning person. But while I have my beliefs I absolutely despise the culture of limiting and censoring people, as well as the fakeness and the virtue signaling. Which is why I seriously admire Sean Strickland. I love how real he is. I don't share a lot of his views but I just love how direct he is.
Drinking alcohol has been proven to destroy your body and mind. Dagestan fighters are normally better in their gas tank and ability because they keep away from bad habits mostly and they train and take the fight game more seriously. That's why they don't fight during Ramadan they use their choices wisely.
Here’s an absolutely banger of a main event idea for 300 Aldo vs mcGregor 2 bc aldo always said he was disappointed he didn’t get his rematch and they’ve both not had a fight in years but the only problem is Dana said Conor’s not on 300
The first opinion of yours i strongly disagree with, would be that the rule set is catered against strikers. From a grappler's perspective, 5 minute rounds is an incredibly short time to secure a takedown, control, then set up a submission. Especially when the opponent is only trying to disengage and get back on their feet with distance. Then we have stand ups going against grapplers, a grappler can't stall on the feet to end up in a grappling scenario. The opinion of strikers are on the rise and grappling is becoming harder and harder to do has been the trend for awhile in my opinion,
Top 5 fighters to have in a bar room brawl is Don Frye, Francis, Brock Lesner, HW Jon Jones, Fedor. Vs a whole village. Bas Rutten gets an honorable mention.
I would not say the sport has turned against strikers, we have stand ups, we have rounds that start back on the feet even if you were mounted, we have no knees to the head on grounded opponents which would be a field day for wrestlers to knee the head from side control in top position. If anything the sport is set up to help strikers much more. A wrestler could work his ass off to get a td get full mount and the bell rings and now he has to start the round standing with the striker where in a real fight he’d never give up full mount and say I’m kinda tired too from the work this td took, you know what let me leave this likely fight ending position and stand up and get knocked out by you instead. I like most your vids but couldn’t disagree more on that point.
I will not allow anymore Sal D'Mato slander. Yes, at one point he was the worst judge but in 2023, he was the most based judge. He has turned his life around and should be celebrated.
If volkanovski said no then we may just have Dustin Poirier as a champ right now because the shots he landed on kHabib possibly could have knocked out Islam with his questionable chin
I'm an Izzy fan, but I think as technical as he is, he's had too many fights be too uneventful to carry a main event card with no title or proper opponent. I'm always game to watch him fight though
This story was told about Yadira Iilla is cocky and arrogant he will be skull 👉👌 by volk Stage is set for Holloway volk bmf belt then volk back to islams weight class for the belts.
Ilia is setting himself for an astronomical rise or an all time humbling. Very interested to see how this goes
Genius…this is like saying “Ilia is either going to win or lose the fight”💀💀💀
It’s a great strategy. He triggered some people but also hyped up the fight. If he wins, he becomes mystic mac. If he loses, we get meme material + he’s talented enough to get another shot if he loses this one
@@NoMoreBenny ....no. No, it's not.
@@NoMoreBennyno… he’s talking about Ilia’s current attitude and how it’s gonna affect the stakes of the fight
Those are the sort of stakes you have to raise to be a super star
You can be weight bearing on your hand without your palm being flat on the mat lol. Go try it lol.
Is that in response to the "Am I gay?" guy's question?
40:40
Why post the Spotify link when you haven’t uploaded since ‘21
Notification gang in effect 🫡
To to think only Title holders sell fights, then declining Izzy makes no sense being he's been champ most his career.. wit that being said not all Champs are liked.. 😅
The cardio is the only advantage Max has in the Gaethje fight and maybe his chin, but that will be tested..It could be enough, cardio is a huge deal in a 5 round fight, but my money is on Gaethje..
Hey brother you can sure sell a fight !!!🎉
a guy like illia is so healthy for mma overall whether you choose to love or hate him you've gotta acknowledge it. Dudes who come in, rile up the fans of a dominant champ, get everyone paying attention are exactly what we need at these times of drought. Win or lose he's got my respect.
So fresh too, you don't get that out of new fighters. Dominate/knock their opponents out and says he's going to beat Volk bad and make a movie on his journey to the belt.
Agreed 1000%.
Volcanovski still wins but you’re 100% right. I’m super excited for the fight
yh true some of these big mma stars are so boring
Well put
The only problem with that is Ilia can't bring himself to give props to Volk or Holloway. If he were to lose to them, the excuses would flow in. Just makes him unlikeable
I genuinely can't believe you answered the is it gay question lol
Same jk lol
😂
That was SO fucking hilarious dude. 40:41 😂😂 👍!!!
I’m glad he answered it so seriously and made us laugh
@@TheWeasleMMA I gotta disagree with your answer tho. It's pretty straight if you're a woman. Otherwise you're on point.
I am a Spanish speaker and when Illia was questioned about why he underestimated his opponents he always said that was not the case, he said that he always expressed his respect by doing his best work in the camp.
He could just be confident and do what he envisions.
@@TheWeasleMMAhuh?
I mean this is common sense lol
He said that in English lol
I mean, he literally just said that in an English interview. But thanks for the translation. Lol
PLEASE Weasle can you start uploading these to spotify again? don't have time to sit through an entire video with my phone open the entire time but really want to consume your content, cheers from NZ
seconded!
Get YT premium
Premium is 👌
That is why I purchased RUclips premium, not that pricy and you can play the video in the background with your screen off
RUclips premium is the best investment you can make, one hundred times better than paying for Spotify
Hey Weasle! Can you please talk about the Takeru/Superlek fight, how the rematch would go and how Takeru/Rodtang would go? I’ve been commenting this for a couple of weeks, but I don’t think enough people know about them to get it to the top.
When I was in the army we got educated in this area and the best advice we got was: " It ain't gay if your ball's arent touching".
That's gay as hell.
HOUR LONG VID?!?! LETS GOOOO WEASLE
Let's go!
I love that this channel has timestamps so I can click on what I want to hear about.
Just as I’m about to drive home from work! Perfect!
drive safe bro
Perfect timing haha
@@oliverolsen8077 The rain is crazy here in Cali right now, so thank you! 🙏🏽 I will!
@@Brantendo64 from socal myself the rain has been insane
@@Brantendo64 Listening to The Weasle after a day’s work on the drive home? Sounds like a great end to a day.
Long time champs usually have their toughest challenge when they face next generation fighters. Dominick/Cody Patricio/AJ Mcee. It's like these next generation fighters have been made to beat the champs unbeatable game. When Aj Mcee beat Patricio it gave me Jon Jones vs Shogun Rua vibes. If Volk can get past this he is something else. 🔥🔥🔥
Ilia is giving so much extra pressure to himself.. announcing a movie called road to the belt before the fight is insane
Takes balls, gotta love it
It either pays off greatly or fails miserably. No in between but if he pulls it off... all we can say is he was right
He’s taking a huge risk and he might get huge rewards from it.
Justin Gaethje absorbs 7.66 strikes per minute, while Max Holloway absorbs 4.56 per minute. So yes, Justin does get hit more often than Max per minute. Justin also lands 7.38 strikes per minute while Max lands 7.26 strikes per minute.
This was done with a quick Google search, and the numbers might be outdated. With these stats it appears Max has better defense than Justin while having similar output.
gaethje blocks punches with his face
And when you take the fact Max has been in the ufc longer and has fought more, him having a lower absorb hit per minute should tell everyone what they need to know.
Plus Gaethje does not perform well when he's pressured and put on his back foot.
That is a bit misleading though because of the way he fought when he first came into the UFC. His first 3 fights were 3 of the wildest you could ever find. His style has changed a good bit since then, plus a lot of quick KOs since those fights means little cage time in which to bring that average down.
@@FreefallSCu can say the same about max tho hes been getting hit less in his last few fights too
Volk already beat a 3rd generation fighter, Yair, dominated him. If Illia beats Volk is because of age, not because he’s some new super generation of fighter. You can tell because objectively Volk is a much better fighter prime to prime. The 3rd generation fighter is one of the most obsolete arguments, there is no such thing anymore. For example Illia very likely would loose to Max, what does that mean? That’s because Max is younger and closer to athletic prime, it won’t mean all of a sudden Max now becomes up there with GSP. Similarly GSP or Silva would still beat fighters today, 4 or 5 generations later. It’s a stupid argument, makes no sense and people should stop saying it.
The main event for 300 is almost certainly getting announced in a Super Bowl commercial at this point
Yeah. The 200 announced during an event so Dana isn’t going to release it on YT or Twitter
Imagine they do a double main event. Conor vs chandler for the 165 belt and aspinal vs Pereira for the interim heavyweight and we get two triple Champs on the same night 🤯🤯
Im going to volk vs illa excited !!
They might do Izzy vs Khamzat for bullshit interim title. DDP is out for now and it would sell and is possible that casual take it like it's right move for the division.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet.
Leon says he has a special fight.
Javier Mendez said Khabib called him to train.
Fathers plan was 30-0. Khabib is 29-0.
Khabib's favorite fighter is GSP who took time off and came back to win a title up a weightclass.
Bro, i got Khabib vs Leon as 300 main event.
I wouldn’t put money on that happening 😂 Khabib is done! Come back and harass me if I’m wrong tho
@@VenerableNut I'm just going off clues and a hunch. Plus it's strange how DC hasn't denied to like he has in the past. Dudes a horrible liar. Dana said no one is expecting it and it will blow people away. I don't see Conor being the "no one will expect" piece. But hey, this is all speculative and wishful thinking. I ain't married to the idea.
@@Abettergrapplerislam vs Leon way more likely , islam lookin thick too
@@demon3781 Islam is way more likely. I just wanna dream dammit!
I used to train in the same gym as Diana Belbita. I’m very surprised she made it to the UFC, speaks about the skill in the female divisions.She’s just ridding the wave to OnlyFans.
The Ilia vs Volk fight is very intriguing. I realize it sounds like I’m just jumping on the Ilia bandwagon, but I can’t help but think that he is going to totally dominate Volkanovski… Even though he has been such an incredible champ.
Who knows, maybe Volk will just grind out a fairly dominant submission, but I can’t for the life of me seeing this fight going anywhere near the distance.
My prediction… Ilia via KO in round 2
Agree
Hey Weasle, I had a discussion with a friend recently about skill vs size in combat sports.
An example of someone untrained but GIGANTIC is shaq O‘neal. He‘s like 7 foot and around 270 or more and a very athletic guy (we‘re taking him in his athletic prime).
At what weight difference would it become problematic for a UFC fighter to defeat shaq in a street fight?
I think we all can agree that someone like jones or ngannou would maul shaq who never did combat sports before but what about for example a robert Whittaker? Or justin Gaethje? At what point would the size difference be big enough to negate the skill difference?
Thanks for the great content, you are the best MMA Channel and I appreciate your professionalism and consistency.
I still remember the night my dad woke me up at 3am to watch big nog vs bob sapp I’ve been hooked since that night….pride was a wild time for mma
36:20 Just to nitpick, according to the ufc’s website, Max Holloway absorbs 4.75 strikes per minute whereas Justin Gaethje absorbs 7.5. Although Max has been hit more in total, Gaethje gets hit more on average.
The Weasle’s points about the match are all still fair though, imo.
Can I ask how you knew that info? Had you already looked it up previously or did you go check cuz Weasel said something that sounded wrong?
Not being sassy or anything, I'm legit curious. 🤷
@@justinkennedy3004 I check the UFC rankings page and the stats a lot. I didn’t know that info off the top of my head, but I was curious. I’ve heard many times the stat about how much Max has been hit, but knowing that Gaethje is also pretty hittable, I wanted to know what the averages indicate. It is interesting to consider that the very hittable Max Holloway is fighting someone who-on average- absorbs more strikes than him per minute.
@@letranger321 thanks for the answer!
Good fuckin' catch bro. 👍
...and, actually - that's a huge difference.😮
I would say thats not accurate when old gaethje just blocked everything with his face lol
ilia definitely believes he can walk on water, the confidence and belief he got in himself is impressive😂
40:45 I work at UPS and currently working and listening to this video as i scan packages, and bro, this made me burst out laughing so hard, it caught me off guard 😭 that was hilarious lmao
Bisping v yoel romero main event ufc 300. "Ill see you soon boi"
Topuria is a marketing genius you lil kids getting mad for promoting himself
I liked Topuria on this rise to the belt, but now that he's there he's talking so much nonsense that makes him unlikable. Coming out saying he's already refusing to fight the top fighters of the division just because Volk beat them is garbage. If that's the case, Toperia better switch divisions or retire if he thinks MMA math determines your opponent.
Was pulling for Toperia before just for the shakeup in the division. Now that Toperia is talking, I'm pulling for Volk.
PERFECT betting on 3 of the last 4 UFC cards, ALL PLUS MONEY BETS💰
Where the PFL can thrive is simply fighters getting financially smarter. At the end of the day there will be a fighters union. It could be 3 years it could be 13 years but it will happen. Every major American sport has done it and in every case there were people who didnt think it would happen.
The UFC does not want to be slow to adapt to that.
But that is literally the only chance the PFL has.
This is the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen they wait until THE TICKETS ARE ALREADY ON SALE TO ANNOUNCE THE MAIN EVENT OF UFC 300!!! EMBARRASSING!!!!
Hey weasel, just letting you know belbita did not break or dislocate her arm but she has to go for an mri to see if she has Ligament or nerve damage.
It actually upsets me that we are having these conversation about volk being “washed” he lost his last fight, how are we forgetting how good he is so fast, nobody has been able to come close to this guy other then Islam, the dominant performance of yair was not too long ago.
Smh
Why aren’t these on Spotify? Is the reason a reason or no
Glad im not the only one
I hope Volk can pull it off at least one more time. If he gets through Tuporia he will be the feather weight goat. Praying for you Volk lets go!!!!
WEASLE , VOLKY WILL END ILIA HYPE , CONFIDENCE , COURAGE HUMBLE HIM SEND ILIA BACK DOWN DA FEATHER WEIGHT RANKING , JUST LIKE ALL OTHER UNDEFEATED FIGHTERS TALKING TRASH . WEASLE SAY NO MORE .
40:41 - Fucking CLASSIC, lmfao!! The calm sincerity with which you simply answered that hilarious, absurd question... 👍😂😂😂!!
Ilia is a tough dude. He showed he can take punches and still comeback. This fight is going to be interesting. Having confidence is good and I think Ilia has the right to be confident ahead of a title fight.
Topuria is going to get schooled by Volk...And I'm a big Topuria fan, I knew who he was before he made it to the UFC, and I think he can be a future champ..But Volk is smart, and just has the skills to dispose of Topuria..I suspect a ground and pound finish...Topuria got caught by every guy he has fought in the UFC, Emmet, Mitchell, Jai Herbert, Youssef, to varying degrees..He hasn't fought Yair, Max or Volk, who are levels above all those guys...Styles do make fights, but I see Volk picking him apart and being the exception to the 35 year old champion statistic...
long live @TheWeasel ☀️
__________________
great minds talk about ideas,
average minds talk about events,
unfortunate minds talk about people.
that being said, i’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on Luke Thomas. he seems to occupy a unique space in the mma media landscape in terms of his personality & approach, but also on a broader historical perspective, he is a noteworthy figure in the growth of the sport during this post-2006 era. he’s provided insightful commentary and at times a moral compass throughout this so-called modern era. i just think he’s interesting, and would like to know if you have anything to add. thanks, brother. may you continue refining your craft and sharing your inspired efforts with the public. keep on keepin’ on.
Yea pfl is definitely never out growing the ufc, unless the ufc ends or something. I would bet my house
you forgot about beneil dariush in my questio :)….Keep up the great work man
What if topuria goes in there and gives a mcgregor aldo, gardbrant Cruz performance
40:43 lol
So glad he answered it with a serious tone.
Appreciate you 🙏
Is Max defence really that bad? or are the stats a result of fighting Volk 3 times?
Hey, Weasel! The old friend at the bar, i rarely talk to anymore. Lol! Awesome channel, brother! Always has been! These athletes are crazy! Pretty soon, the camera won't be able to keep up. When i look at Tom's movements, and his disregard for physics (his HUGE body just floats!!!!) I honestly don't think Jon 🦴 can beat him. I truly don't. If Jones can, HE BETTER grab that British torso, and SQUEEZE, and never let go!!! Because, these new animals, and their high-twitch-ways, are too gifted.
How come everyone was fine with Conor moving up right away but other fighters need to defend 4 times?
Conor was the first one to do it. He didn’t didn’t defend any of his titles and fans didn’t like that so it’s set a precedent.
Volk coming back fast after getting knocked out to fight a elite striker
One championship has the best female fighters in combat sports
I wish weasel would upload these on Spotify..
I mean, if you’re not in MMA for the money what’s wrong with you?
At this point Connor is just the UFC mascot. This 300 card should be about the new gen fighters. The change of guard
About the 35 yo limit, one thing that has given me hope for Volk is that Demetrius (35+) is champ over at One. Different level of competition, sure, but i think Volk has enough tools to compensate for whatever he loses bc of age.
Yo Weasel you're on your way to most active MMA channel of the year award. We gotta put your name name in the hat
Ilias fight narrative is so EXCITING 🎉
Max Holloway by finish, stop playing
Hey Weasel! Just wanted to say thank you for the amazing content, you have no idea how much of an inspiration you are to me and love from Ecuador 🇪🇨❤️.
My question is what do you about Michael Morales, the Ecuadorian undefeated prospect that’s coming of a win against Jake Mathew’s. Do you think he’ll be champ one day? Who do you think he’s next opponent should be? To me he’s definitely becoming the welterweight champ in the next 4 - 5 years.
The other question is, odd wise, who do you think it’s actually win, O’Malley or Chito? For me it’s Chito round 3 or 4 KO.
Put this in his community post next time he asks for questions for the podcast
Michael Morales ain't beating shavkat sorry to tell you
And O'Malley will destroy chito, I think you just like him cuz he's ecuadorian
@@Northwest425sorry to disagree
@@Northwest425Chito more durable and hits harder. O’Malley has no chance.
Hey Weasle,do you think gay fighters have an advantage in the cage??
What..? No, why tf would they?
My prediction is that this fight will go the distance and it will be a decision and a huge war. But it will get split decision victory for either of them and then people will cry Robbery robbery on the internet.
(Disclaimer :- It's a prediction it can go wrong)
The mikegriffith dude lol… when he said I hear Rogen say some of the stuff you do so I know you know what you’re talking about…. You just knew his question was going to be dumb lol
Authenticity is the currency of the future. Thats why people like sean
I think it'll serve him well... i don't think he's training like he's SUPPOSED to win. But it definitely could maybe make Volk question himself having somebody acting so confidently, especially coming off a nasty loss like that. Definitely interested in seeing how this will go.
I think it’s a stretch to say that the ruleset of MMA is against strikers. It’s probably the opposite realistically. This one rule is against strikers, that’s true enough. But in a World where you can be on someone’s back for 4 minutes, nearly lock in an armband, lose the guy and get dropped in the last thirty seconds and there is a case that you lose the round because damage trumps all - well it’s a bit hard to make the case that the rules advantage grapplers with a straight face.
And just as a note, the grounded opponent rule also affects grapplers. Look at MMA in ONE, who is using knees to a grounded opponent the most? Strong wrestlers who can get a crucifix.
Great vid man.
Great episode! About the Rules like kneeing a down opponent, if removed I think it would benefit the wrestlers even more then the strikers. Just imagine a wrestler get the front head lock position on the ground he can now throw knees from that position. There are definitely position that a striker can exploit this with to if let say the Striker stuffs the takedown and do the same thing. Yes wrestles wouldn’t be able to fail a takedown and sit with his glove on the floor like Aljo did a lot. But the good wrestlers will now have a way to deal massive dmg with a fairly easy position to get to. But I’m still all for it. It’s a stupid rule. Wrestlers will adapt and so will the strikers.
One banger after the other one love your content bro with in 3 hrs !!!
It's not gonna be a non-title fight. If Miesha Tate vs Amanda Nunes headlined 200 over Brock f'n Lesnar.... yeah that definitely shows their mo. The headlining event must be a title fight.
Confidence is key🌹🕺🐂
Weasel you should have me on the podcast and ask me some questions about some upcoming fights . Would love to offer looks that you may haven’t heard before
They gonna add Izzy vs dricuss/Pereira and Edwards vs Belal. So they can have 3 titles fights ..
Again w/ the bangers, just in time to listen to this to end the night. Thanks for the videos Weasle.❤
No problem brother and thank you as well for the support
I mean, of course Ilia can knockout anybody at 145, no doubt. I just don't see him having a chance quality wise. Volks weakness was shown against Islam, the High and body kick. Ilia doesn't use kicks, has a stance that's made for Volk to chop the legs. Ilia throws deathpunches like 80% of the time. Might work against Emmett, who really has no fight IQ at all. Volk is different, he'll notice patterns and get better from round to round.
The only thing that concerns me is Volk being affected by the KO in October. If he's at 100%, i see a dominant 49-46 or 50-45.
Volk is going to wrestle Illa . Dont be surprised when volk uses sambo and wrestling to beat Illa . That fights against Islam have taught volk alot and he can implement that style again illa .
In the 1989/1990 Season Hugo Sánchez hit 38 goals for Real Madrid, all by first touch 😂😂 maybe there will be a fighter who can submit people without great offensive wrestling. I think Charles Oliviera is in this category. His submissions mostly come from rocking his opponent first and than capitalising on the opportunity.
I don’t understand this Colby being “overrated argument” I think people just hate him and can’t be objective, the first Usman fight Goddard ruined by stopping with back of the head shots when Colby was up 3-1 rounds. The 2nd Usman fight was a draw everyone knows that. And he broke his foot in the first round against Leon and it was still a competitive fight. We can’t just ignore the context of these fights
Jack is not going to be an easy task for Joe. Jack is VERY well rounded in every aspect of MMA. Good striking, good wrestling, good bjj, good defence etc... he's definitely one of the middle weight gatekeepers of the UFC. I do think people are underestimating Jack more than they should. We haven't seen Joe tested against a high leveled UFC fighter in the later rounds of a 5 rounder. Weve seen Jacks cardio and its insanely good 👍
Islam is a stud. He's beat two of my favorite fighters which I'm bummed about, but he's one of the best dudes out there in the octagon. However, as much as I know he is capable of being double champ, the man is WAY too inactive to hold two belts. I appreciate he takes time off for his beliefs, more power to him. But bro only fights 2-3 times a year. I'm so over double champs holding up divisions.
I respected Sean and his fans until the utter hypocrisy with the crying and beaching about Dricuss words. Now all i see is a hypocrite and a clown. He is just as soft as the soft people he cries about. He just did a good job tricking ya that he isnt. 😂
And i have had a similar upbringing as Sean so dont hit me with the "traumaaaa" 😂
Dude has something to say about EVERYONE else but hed be dammed if you bring up his life
Back when things like soccer kicks were allowed, grapplers dominated. Look at the early days of UFC where it was basically no-holds-barred...the early champs were predominantly grapplers...Royce, Shamrock, Severn, Taktarov...
Conor won't be triple champ. Chandler will beat Conor...Chandler is a bigger and better version of Chad Mendes, with better cardio than Chad.
Edit: His striking is at least 3 levels above Mendes, as well. If Conor came back with his old fighting style and stance then he would have a good chance...as of now, Unless Chandler stands and trades with Conor without the threat of a takedown, i think Chandler wins. Chandler is strong and can get Conor down and control him. Chandler has an 80% chance of winning. Conor needs to bring back his old style and stance.
The idea that the rules benefits grapplers can’t be further from the truth. If soccer kicks and grounded knees are allowed, every dominant wrestler would have a massive advantage. Back in the old days the majority of people who benefited from these hardcore rules were grapplers lol. Those rules punish sloppy wrestlers. Imagine high pressure cage wrestlers like khamzat or Cain spamming knees on everyone lol.
49:08 I'm what you'd call a pretty left-leaning person. But while I have my beliefs I absolutely despise the culture of limiting and censoring people, as well as the fakeness and the virtue signaling. Which is why I seriously admire Sean Strickland. I love how real he is. I don't share a lot of his views but I just love how direct he is.
Drinking alcohol has been proven to destroy your body and mind.
Dagestan fighters are normally better in their gas tank and ability because they keep away from bad habits mostly and they train and take the fight game more seriously.
That's why they don't fight during Ramadan they use their choices wisely.
Here’s an absolutely banger of a main event idea for 300 Aldo vs mcGregor 2 bc aldo always said he was disappointed he didn’t get his rematch and they’ve both not had a fight in years but the only problem is Dana said Conor’s not on 300
The first opinion of yours i strongly disagree with, would be that the rule set is catered against strikers. From a grappler's perspective, 5 minute rounds is an incredibly short time to secure a takedown, control, then set up a submission.
Especially when the opponent is only trying to disengage and get back on their feet with distance.
Then we have stand ups going against grapplers, a grappler can't stall on the feet to end up in a grappling scenario.
The opinion of strikers are on the rise and grappling is becoming harder and harder to do has been the trend for awhile in my opinion,
Top 5 fighters to have in a bar room brawl is Don Frye, Francis, Brock Lesner, HW Jon Jones, Fedor. Vs a whole village. Bas Rutten gets an honorable mention.
I would not say the sport has turned against strikers, we have stand ups, we have rounds that start back on the feet even if you were mounted, we have no knees to the head on grounded opponents which would be a field day for wrestlers to knee the head from side control in top position. If anything the sport is set up to help strikers much more. A wrestler could work his ass off to get a td get full mount and the bell rings and now he has to start the round standing with the striker where in a real fight he’d never give up full mount and say I’m kinda tired too from the work this td took, you know what let me leave this likely fight ending position and stand up and get knocked out by you instead. I like most your vids but couldn’t disagree more on that point.
I will not allow anymore Sal D'Mato slander. Yes, at one point he was the worst judge but in 2023, he was the most based judge. He has turned his life around and should be celebrated.
"... and then GSP to talk to about aliens while that's going down." 😂😂 That was fantastic.
I couldn’t disagree more. Volk is starting to wain. Ilia is goona knock him out early. Volk has signs of CTE. BET ON TOPURIA!
If volkanovski said no then we may just have Dustin Poirier as a champ right now because the shots he landed on kHabib possibly could have knocked out Islam with his questionable chin
I'm an Izzy fan, but I think as technical as he is, he's had too many fights be too uneventful to carry a main event card with no title or proper opponent. I'm always game to watch him fight though
This story was told about Yadira
Iilla is cocky and arrogant he will be skull 👉👌 by volk
Stage is set for Holloway volk bmf belt then volk back to islams weight class for the belts.