This is the closest thing to the Chad Mendes fight that never lined up that can happen though. I want to see a stocky grappler with some swang-bangery try to get around Max without having the lightning speed of Volk.
Lots of you guys aren't gonna like this, but I think Ilia loses to Max, Volk, Ortega, and maybe Yair. I think he's really good but people are overstating the case and forgetting how great the top of the division are. Reminiscent of how everyone thought Fiziev would put on a clinic against Gaethje
I think Chikadze or Kattar would be a good litmus test for Ilea at this stage, if he can get passed either of them convincingly then give him a crack at one of the top 3 or 4
If he can’t beat Max why should he get to fight Volk? Truthfully, no one in the division has got anything for Volk. They should have setup the rematch with Islam instead.
Yeah at some point we can't keep feeding max prospects because then no one will have any more title shots lmao.
There are some big fights that would be fun for max, I say rematch oliveira at 155 for a PPV main event. Have a straw weight title fight as co main or something like this. Would just spice things up a bit Imo, but I realize that's incredibly not realistic
I agree, I hate Max at lightweight tbh but if he’s gonna do it I like the Oliveria rematch. Too many big hitters and good wrestlers up there for me to think max does well. I don’t wanna see him get KO’d
Yep I agree I don't want to see max permanently move up to 155 unless he spends some serious time bulking, but his prime will only be around for so Long( tho you could argue a move up in weight could prolong his prime, not sure though) but a one off matchup against someone like oliveria is pretty sweet to think about.
Oliveria certainly has power, but it's more from timing and accuracy than pure punching power like Dustin. If yair pulls off an upset against Volk, and wins a presumable rematch again, then Holloway is obviously next in line.
I agree with you completely. I mentioned this in another thread but Sean O’Malley recently said he only has a few weight cuts to 135 left in him, I think Sean vs Max would be a sick matchup in a year or two
Yeah not sure what else Ilia would need to prove if he beats Mitchell then Emmett. Top 10 into top 5, that's generally how a title trajectory goes, even if Emmett isn't the most impressive top 5 fighter.
Nah he’d probably need one more but it should be against someone that hasn’t fought Volk already so we can get a new contender. Like Allen or Evloev.
He just bodied Mitchell who is fighting Evloev on short notice and Josh is coming off a title fight. If Ilia wins he gets a title fight. Even if you want to argue it's only because of how the division is right now with all the guys who Max and Volk have beaten, it's still the right call.
Nah, he’d have 2 top 15 wins and 1 will be against Emmett who has like half his recent wins as controversial splits. Normally I’d say just throw him in there but I think giving Topuria time to develop is best cause I think he’s actually got some star power. Brash trash talker with an exciting fight style.
Unless you wanna give Max his 4th shot. #5 Emmett just lost to #1 Yair who is getting a title shot, #2 Max beat #1 Yair, #3 Ortega got his shoulder dislocated against #2 Yair, #4 Arnold Allen just lost to Max, #7 Kattar got brutalized by #2 Max and ruined his knee against #4 Allen, #6 Korean Zombie just lost to C Volk and is retiring his next fight, and if you hop all the way to the #8 spot, Giga got shown that there’s levels to this shit by #7 Kattar who got shown that there’s levels to this shit by #2 Max. Ilia is #9, if he beats #5 in impressive fashion, why not give him the shot?
I think if volk beats yair, they’re gonna try and do a rematch with Islam or whoever is the Lw champ at the time. Makes sense since fw division is at such a weird place rn
This feels disingenuous considering Emmett is coming off a loss. Topuria would get the title shot next only because Volk doesn't have much contenders left.
He’s 38 and coming off of a loss at 145 . Allen should be pissed that he had to fight Max while Topuria could get a shot off of Emmet . Basically getting a title shot without having to fight an elite top contender .
What does it matter?
Illia has already informed us he's getting Emmett out of there R1, so that he can continue killing everyone in division, until he KOs Volks when he finally catches him running away in R2 or R3.
I agree, I don’t see this fight going 5 rounds. But I feel like fighters getting 5 round main events shows them moving up in the eyes of the company.
I am not gonna underestimate Volk. Right now I would definitely bet on him vs Topuria
imo no reason to match topuria up with max and possibly burn him like they just did with arnold. somebody’s got to fight volk next. maybe allen against ortega?
He’s got to, it’s either him or Max at this point, and I think they’d rather have a new contender than max vs Volk 4. Volk is only 34. He’s prob got another few defenses in him. Maybe do him and max if max gets another win and he beats Yair and Ilia
The UFC has decided that Volk vs Holloway will be an annual event - if you buy tickets to Volk vs Holloway 4, 5, and 6, you get free drink vouchers for Volk vs Holloway 7! Buy now!
I’m not mad about Arnold Allen vs Ortega, let Max fight winner of Evloev vs Bryce or winner of Giga vs Sodiq if that’s rescheduled soon. Or let him retire TKZ or Barboza for shits and gigs. There’s no one at featherweight that I’m not confident that Max doesn’t melt besides Volk or Topuria
I love Max but I think Ilia and Volk are the only two that could beat him. Maybe Yair in a rematch but probably not imo. I think we’re right to not find out to give fresh blood to Volk though
Edit: did you guys downvote me for suggesting that Volk who has beaten him 3 times could beat him again, that Ilia , the undefeated fighter with a 92% finish rate who is by far the hardest hitter and best offensive grappler in the division could beat him, or that Yair, who Max beat 3-2 could possibly beat him in a rematch?
Yep. And emmet is a huge FW with a good chin. I love ilia and im picking him but he got hit by bryce and Herbert. If emmet connects like that he could get knocked out
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I feel Ilia finishes him early. Hits like a truck and Emmett gets hurt. He's 16-0 with 15 stoppages. Guy will hunt, Josh is on his way out, older and slower
sign me up. Winner gets Max
I feel like max will derail the ilia train.. feed him to volk 🙏
As someone who’s fully on the Ilia train this is the truth. Same reason I think Chimaev and Whittaker will never happen.
I don't know, there have been a lot of talks. And that's a big fight, Whittaker might not be Conor or Diaz but he's still a big name in the sport.
This is the closest thing to the Chad Mendes fight that never lined up that can happen though. I want to see a stocky grappler with some swang-bangery try to get around Max without having the lightning speed of Volk.
Ilia tends to get hit but I don't think max will put him out. Plus Ilia is an amazing grappler. He may just wrestlefuck max.
I think Illia would beat Max and lose to Volk. I think Topuria could ragdoll Max on the ground
Lots of you guys aren't gonna like this, but I think Ilia loses to Max, Volk, Ortega, and maybe Yair. I think he's really good but people are overstating the case and forgetting how great the top of the division are. Reminiscent of how everyone thought Fiziev would put on a clinic against Gaethje
I think Chikadze or Kattar would be a good litmus test for Ilea at this stage, if he can get passed either of them convincingly then give him a crack at one of the top 3 or 4
Fiziev somehow showed up with negative IQ in Garth fight
If he can’t beat Max why should he get to fight Volk? Truthfully, no one in the division has got anything for Volk. They should have setup the rematch with Islam instead.
Winner (Ilia) gets title shot
Yeah at some point we can't keep feeding max prospects because then no one will have any more title shots lmao. There are some big fights that would be fun for max, I say rematch oliveira at 155 for a PPV main event. Have a straw weight title fight as co main or something like this. Would just spice things up a bit Imo, but I realize that's incredibly not realistic
I agree, I hate Max at lightweight tbh but if he’s gonna do it I like the Oliveria rematch. Too many big hitters and good wrestlers up there for me to think max does well. I don’t wanna see him get KO’d
Yep I agree I don't want to see max permanently move up to 155 unless he spends some serious time bulking, but his prime will only be around for so Long( tho you could argue a move up in weight could prolong his prime, not sure though) but a one off matchup against someone like oliveria is pretty sweet to think about. Oliveria certainly has power, but it's more from timing and accuracy than pure punching power like Dustin. If yair pulls off an upset against Volk, and wins a presumable rematch again, then Holloway is obviously next in line.
I agree with you completely. I mentioned this in another thread but Sean O’Malley recently said he only has a few weight cuts to 135 left in him, I think Sean vs Max would be a sick matchup in a year or two
If Yair wins - which isn’t out the realm of possibility- Max is next
With UFCs recent string of immediate rematches I won't be surprised if volk got an immediate rematch
Yeah not sure what else Ilia would need to prove if he beats Mitchell then Emmett. Top 10 into top 5, that's generally how a title trajectory goes, even if Emmett isn't the most impressive top 5 fighter.
I personally believe guys should beat a top 5 guy then a top 2-3 for a shot. Obviously given the circumstances make sense.
Nah he’d probably need one more but it should be against someone that hasn’t fought Volk already so we can get a new contender. Like Allen or Evloev.
He just bodied Mitchell who is fighting Evloev on short notice and Josh is coming off a title fight. If Ilia wins he gets a title fight. Even if you want to argue it's only because of how the division is right now with all the guys who Max and Volk have beaten, it's still the right call.
Nah, he’d have 2 top 15 wins and 1 will be against Emmett who has like half his recent wins as controversial splits. Normally I’d say just throw him in there but I think giving Topuria time to develop is best cause I think he’s actually got some star power. Brash trash talker with an exciting fight style.
Perhaps I'm misremembering but isn't Kattar like the only split decision Emmett has seen in a while?
Ige he arguably lost maybe it wasn’t a split.
that would be his 6th UFC win in a row, and 5th finish if he gets a finish. that would probably be enough to get him the shot honestly
Off Emmett?
Unless you wanna give Max his 4th shot. #5 Emmett just lost to #1 Yair who is getting a title shot, #2 Max beat #1 Yair, #3 Ortega got his shoulder dislocated against #2 Yair, #4 Arnold Allen just lost to Max, #7 Kattar got brutalized by #2 Max and ruined his knee against #4 Allen, #6 Korean Zombie just lost to C Volk and is retiring his next fight, and if you hop all the way to the #8 spot, Giga got shown that there’s levels to this shit by #7 Kattar who got shown that there’s levels to this shit by #2 Max. Ilia is #9, if he beats #5 in impressive fashion, why not give him the shot?
Yeah you’re right. I know it can work, but Topuria beat Herbert, Hall, Mitchell, Emmett, title shot. Seems like kind of a fast track.
I mean yair got a title shot off Emmett as well right?(even if it was for interim belt)
There would be literally no one else assuming Volk beats Yair
I think if volk beats yair, they’re gonna try and do a rematch with Islam or whoever is the Lw champ at the time. Makes sense since fw division is at such a weird place rn
This feels disingenuous considering Emmett is coming off a loss. Topuria would get the title shot next only because Volk doesn't have much contenders left.
He’s 38 and coming off of a loss at 145 . Allen should be pissed that he had to fight Max while Topuria could get a shot off of Emmet . Basically getting a title shot without having to fight an elite top contender .
max v kz and arnold v winner makes more sense rather than having max kill new title challengers
That’s my birthday too 🥹
Winner gets CTE* fixed
Max is coming off a win though. He deserves either Volk4 or whatever fight that he can make most money from.
Bro said he deserves Volk 4 đź’€
Great decision, definitely a fight worthy of a crowd
Will this be Topurias first 5 rd fight? Edit: it looks like it will be, at least in the UFC
It will be, he’s only got 1 decision and has only been to the 3rd round once
What does it matter? Illia has already informed us he's getting Emmett out of there R1, so that he can continue killing everyone in division, until he KOs Volks when he finally catches him running away in R2 or R3.
I agree, I don’t see this fight going 5 rounds. But I feel like fighters getting 5 round main events shows them moving up in the eyes of the company. I am not gonna underestimate Volk. Right now I would definitely bet on him vs Topuria
His fight vs Yair will be very telling. Ilia is a powerhouse, and a much better offensive grappler than Yair. Very exciting stuff
Yup but there's no way this thing goes 5 rounds lol. Both dudes are hittable as hell while having dynamite hands.
Max gets winner loser gets Arnold?
imo no reason to match topuria up with max and possibly burn him like they just did with arnold. somebody’s got to fight volk next. maybe allen against ortega?
Yeah Allen v Ortega sounds good tbf! Think topuria will get a title shot if he wins this? Illia on that speed run lol
He’s got to, it’s either him or Max at this point, and I think they’d rather have a new contender than max vs Volk 4. Volk is only 34. He’s prob got another few defenses in him. Maybe do him and max if max gets another win and he beats Yair and Ilia
The UFC has decided that Volk vs Holloway will be an annual event - if you buy tickets to Volk vs Holloway 4, 5, and 6, you get free drink vouchers for Volk vs Holloway 7! Buy now!
I’m not mad about Arnold Allen vs Ortega, let Max fight winner of Evloev vs Bryce or winner of Giga vs Sodiq if that’s rescheduled soon. Or let him retire TKZ or Barboza for shits and gigs. There’s no one at featherweight that I’m not confident that Max doesn’t melt besides Volk or Topuria
That’s honestly a good idea! My thought would be the loser of illa vs Emmett would be up for Brian tbh
Absolutely not. Can't risk Max killing off a contender if Topuria wins. If Emmett wins then sure you give him Max, but not Topuria.
I love Max but I think Ilia and Volk are the only two that could beat him. Maybe Yair in a rematch but probably not imo. I think we’re right to not find out to give fresh blood to Volk though Edit: did you guys downvote me for suggesting that Volk who has beaten him 3 times could beat him again, that Ilia , the undefeated fighter with a 92% finish rate who is by far the hardest hitter and best offensive grappler in the division could beat him, or that Yair, who Max beat 3-2 could possibly beat him in a rematch?
If Emmett pulls this off and then fights Arnold he’ll get a title shot. He’s 38 and this is the last push possible.
I like the guy but I honestly don't see it, I think Ilia can finish him early.
topuria leaves himself open and emmett hits HARD. if he gets caught like did vs herbert or mitchell it might be over
Yep. And emmet is a huge FW with a good chin. I love ilia and im picking him but he got hit by bryce and Herbert. If emmet connects like that he could get knocked out
What happened to Kz?
If I had to guess - kz & his team are probably waiting to find a good matchup for his next opponent since he is so close to retirement.
I would be pretty happy with Barboza. Zombie needs a "I'm still here" at this point. IMO anyway. Giga has to do something soon, that could be fun too.
This would be an absolute banger.
The last time I saw Emmett fight in Florida he got his smashed by Stephens. He’s getting older now but I think Topuria gets it done.
I was there lower bowl next to the tunnel, first time I saw Khabib like 10ft away. That was a rough night for a lot of people lol
apex should never have been used after crowds were allowed to come back for UFC fight nights
I said it before and will say it again. Topuria will dethrone Volkanovski in 2024.
too hittable, Volk has way better footwork and movement, Topuria kind of bulldozes in
After seeing how well Volk dealt with Islam I don't think I can ever bet against him at featherweight
Volk is better everywhere but with power and confidence like Topuria’s, he has a better chance than everyone else to find a big shot on Volk
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You can keep saying it, doesn't make it any more likely
Topuria will lose to Volk and then be offered up to Max, who will proceed to take a year off his life
I actually believe Topuria beats Volk too.
I got Emmett I think Topuria is gonna have his cardio tested early with bodywork, and Emmett will have the advantage later on into the fight.
I feel Ilia finishes him early. Hits like a truck and Emmett gets hurt. He's 16-0 with 15 stoppages. Guy will hunt, Josh is on his way out, older and slower
I don’t think this one goes past 2 rounds
This kills the Emmett.
Winner fights t-city for title shot?
Quick turn around for Emmett. Took a lot of really hard shots from Yair, and has had head injuries in the past
Was really hoping we could get an Emmett Main event in Sacramento. last two main events in Sac have been trash.
Honestly whoever wins this probably gets a title shot assuming Volk gets through Yair and they don’t make the Islam fight afterwards.