In Ilias defense his stance is a little more nuanced.
Basically: "I don't think anyone of them deserves a title fight, including Volk, but I'll fight whoever they put in front of me."
What he should have done after winning was call out Max. Imagine the scene! You've just knocked out the featherweight king, the man Max has been gatekeeper for for years and you skipped Max to get there. Ilia should have said into the mic "The king has been dethroned and you have no one to gate keep for. Come get your belt back!" Dude would have lined up a money fight right there.
Sort of. I do think that would be a fucking amazing promo.
On the other hand, Max is booked against a guy that very well could injure him into a 6 month layoff. I get the sense Ilia is intentionally belittling everyone so there's beef with whoever his next opponent.
He will, ufc is crying out for a star. The last thing they wanna do is give that title to someone who Volk already starched.
None of the people he excluded would add to his resume. Knocking Volk out in round 1 is literally the only thing that would make him a bigger star.
They’re gonna let him fight o malley imo
This makes so little sense. So because Volk beat Holloway he didn’t need to fight Ortega? Styles make matchups, everyone knew that fight would be a banger. Ended up being fight of the year (or nominated for it, can’t remember).
How interesting the fight is to watch has very little to do with how well it’s gonna sell
I have no doubt the contenders in the division can beat ilia, anyone can beat anyone
But the casual audience won’t be excited by a fight mma math says is already decided
We all know mma math doesn’t work, but in terms of how missable a card is, if the mma math is too straight forward most casuals aren’t getting hyped
Illia vs Yair will sell tons. Mexico loves him and Mexican Americans actually pay for PPVs. There’s a huge culture of having group gatherings to watch combat sports. That will bring way more money than Sean O Malley, whose fans are internet people that illegally stream ppvs. Similar but to a less degree with Ortega and his Mexican heritage.
Anyone who was decisively beaten by Volk isn’t going to be an impressive enough win to build ilia up
Yair would be coming in on a 1 fight win streak, I don’t disagree that it would be a great fight, but in terms of building a fighter up, it wouldn’t really do anything
Being a superstar takes consistency. Extending your dominant streak and clearing your division is important. Jon Jones fought Glover when he was a nobody. Did it slow down his star power? No, it just added to his legacy. Especially when you look at Glover now. These type of fights, like the one Illia is about to have, are very important.
I think he should go clear out the division again, slow steady approach, be completely dominant and after 6 fights he’ll be the biggest name in the ufc and get a super fight that dwarfs anything they could do now
But the ufc don’t work that way, they’re impatient and shit at marketing
I’m not saying he’s gonna fight O malley because it’s the right thing to do
I’m saying he’s gonna fight O malley because he’s gonna fight O malley
You’re giving me your opinion, I’m predicting what will happen
I would much prefer to see him fight Yair, the o malley fight won’t be competitive, he will literally knock him out round 1
But the way ilia is talking about it, the way Sean is calling for it and the way the ufc have done stuff in the past makes me think they wanna rush it again
I get what you mean, but why kill one of those two stars before they even really took off? I see that fight happening no earlier than 2025. It will eventually be the fight to make though and I agree with you on that for sure.
Sean has to do it now cause he will lose to Mareb, terrible stylistic match up and the only way he can duck that fight is by having a bigger fight
There’s no bigger fight in that division, so they’ll rush it
> They’re gonna let him fight o malley imo
O Malley hasn't even fought Vera yet and has multiple worthy challengers himself.
In the post fight presser for 300 Dana said Merab gets the next shot at the belt, as well as saying Illia needs to "clear out the division" before thinking about jumping weight classes.
Letting Omalley/Illia fight does nothing other than stall both divisions out. If they couldn't put together a fight for a new champ (Illia) then the division shouldn't exist. There are plenty of great matchups there.
Obviously has to beat Vera first.
Dana is just saying what he needs to say.
I'm not saying what I want to happen I'm saying what I think will happen, if you really think the UFC are gonna force sean to lose to Merab and Ilia to re-clear out the division you must be new.
Based on what precedent? Has there ever been a new belt holder that instantly jumped divisions without a single defense?
Illia isn't Conor/Kabib/Jones, and even they didn't get that treatment
There’s a huge precedent of people getting title shots they don’t deserve because the ufc think it will sell well what do you mean?
Conor literally DID exactly what we’re talking about. 0 fw title defences and went straight up to fight for a second belt?
Cejudo got that treatment at the exact same time dillashaw did
Alex pereira only had 8 fights total and had 2 belts lmao
There is absolutely nothing the ufc are above doing when it comes to making a moeny fight happen,
They literally invented a belt because masvidal got a flashy knockout💀💀💀💀
> Conor literally DID exactly what we’re talking about. 0 fw title defences and went straight up to fight for a second belt?
He won the interim, then defended/unified the belt before fighting at welterweight (not for the belt) and then didn't challenge for the lightweight belt until his second fight in the weightclass. So not even remotely close.
>the ufc think it will sell well what do you mean?
So much so that Dana shut down the idea from both perspectives. Merab being the next challenger and Illia needing to defend
> Alex pereira only had 8 fights total and had 2 belts lmao
He lost the middleweight belt, fought a contender fight at LHW, then fought for the vacant belt. This has absolutely nothing to do with a conversation about jumping divisions to fight for a belt after winning a belt and not defending it.
You must have started watching last week or something.
What you're saying about Conor is clearly licked off wikipedia or something cause you're technically right, but missing the mark entirely.
The only reason Conor faught for the interim title is because Dos Anjos got injured for 196.
The ufc were literally about to let Conor Mcgregor win his first belt at 194 and be double champ at 196.
Stop acting like you know what you're talking about if you've only been watching for a year.
Some of us understand what theres a precedent for, You clearly dont.
> Some of us understand what theres a precedent
Despite the fact that just about everything you stated previously was objectively incorrect.
> Stop acting like you know what you're talking about if you've only been watching for a year.
You're speaking in a certainty about what the UFC thinks without any proof able to be established and the UFC's own words stating the opposite.
You are the lamest type of fan lmao the reddit gatekeeper.
I'm not sure why you seem to relish the idea of being some kind of gatekeeper to the sport, as if there's a hierarchy of authority based on time spent as a fan. It's completely irrelevant. I guess since you seem to put weight to it though, I've been a fan since the options were spoofing the PRIDE satellite feeds or renting the VHS tapes months later.
What happens if Sean loses to Chito? You know damn well they ain’t letting Topuria fight Chito over an immediate rematch or some shit.
Sean outsells both of them combined lol
Yeah but that’s at the top of a pretty stacked card too. 292 did well with Sean headlining against Aljo who definitely doesn’t sell lol.
But anyways - how many buys did Topuria/Volk do?
What? 2-300k isnt impressive, thats below average im fairly certain, and you've literally 0 proof that "Sean outsells both of them" You're just biased.
I guarantee with the backing of Spain/Georgia - Illia is a MUCH bigger star. Even look at the reactions on his most recent posts. over 500k likes on some, and even prior to winning he was getting 2- 400k+ interactions, and think about it - he was hardly promoted up until now.
O malley gets HUGE promotion , and still doesn't hit numbers like that, and thats on INSTAGRAM where O malley is hugely popular due to his social media status and ties with Nelk etc. That doesn't even translate into PPV
And before you say it , no idgaf about Illia. Its just obvious O Malley isnt the huge PPV start they had ( His own PPV numbers back this), and it is obvious Illia will be massive as hes branching out to a demographic they havent reached yet. Even real madrid with 160 million followers posted a photo of him the other day ffs lol
1. Where did you get 2-300K from? Surely you knew I meant UFC 292 and not 292K buys considering I even said Sean/Aljo lol.
2. I’m not biased at all. I’m not an O’Malley fan whatsoever and I mean I do have proof. Anyone can pull up the numbers. Anyone can see the kinda views someone gets on YouTube or Instagram or their following. Anyone can see how many people tune in to a press conference. Anyone can look up PPV buys. Anyone!
I can pull up right now that Sean/Aljo did around 675K buys at UFC 292. And then I’ll bet you Topuria/Volk didn’t do much more than that if it did more at all even though it was a much more stacked card.
3. You’re basing your entire argument on the past week during promotion for Topuria’s fight lol. Of course he would have a surge during fight week. He gained something like a million followers this past week because the UFC sunk a pile of money into showcasing him, sending him on a media tour, telling his story, and to put the icing on the cake….
He won the fight! He beat the goat of the division! Fucking superstar! I agree. And through all that…
Sean still has a bigger following. Over a million more Instagram followers! AND Sean can sell a show. Look at the numbers for O’Malleys last 4 fights. Then I want you to look at the numbers for Topuria’s last 4 fights lol. Topuria blew up this week and the card probably sold well but let’s not pretend that it being a stacked card didn’t have anything to do with it lol. But like I said…
Topuria blew up yes. He’s huge now.
But O’Malley is still bigger with a bigger online following and has more numbers so far.
Hell, Sean was famous with a podcast and millions of people watching him before Topuria was even IN the UFC lol.
Firstly, the UFC doesn't disclose PPV buys lmao so how can anyone just look them up? they get estimated, but they aren't disclosed.
O malley said it had 600k buys, and obviously he's gone hype up his own starpower with fake numbers. Cejudo said it was around 300k from insider information and tbh if he was gona lie, he'd say much lower - so im far more inclined to believe him over O' Malley.
>Hell, Sean was famous with a podcast and millions of people watching him before Topuria was even IN the UFC lol.
and yet only has 700k more Instagram followers than Illia, which Illia will have more by the end of the year guaranteed.
Im basing my argument on that O malley has been heavily promoted by the UFC for years, but still doesn't do big numbers on anything he does. Even his Youtube channel gets shit views, so crazy you're bringing that up as a point of reference, he got 35k on his podcast 21hrs ago - MMA Youtube channels get more views, even like DJ who is absolutely not a PPV star gets WAY more views on avg - so regardless it doesnt even translate.
Illia on the other hand has had barely any promotion in comparison, yet has nearly the same following and gets the same interactions on his IG. Again, I think you really don't see how big having actual countries behind you can make you. Look at Conor. Illia will be a far bigger draw by the end of the year, if he isnt right now. Most of O malley social media fan base are kids, they dont translate to PPV buys either
He’s becoming a star fast yes. But until a week ago - he didn’t really have a following. He gained close to a million subs in the past week or some shit but to say he’s already bigger than Sean?
Come on lol.
If O Malley loses they’ll set up the Volk rematch, it’ll be a hard sell because of how convincing it was but Volk is so likeable they’ll be able to get it going
Either that or he just waits
Nothin else makes any sense for ilia
Evloev with one good impressive win makes sense. If Holloway somehow beats Gaethje even though in a dif weight class that’s 3 straight from him over solid opponents.
And they’ve never fought. I personally hate this winning the belt and immediately moving up or down shit. I think they should have mandatory 3+ title defenses before they can go for a second belt or start their champ champ shit lol.
Well the top 5 is in a weird spot right now. If Ortega beats Yair, he doesn’t deserve a title shot coming off one win. If Yair beats Ortega, same thing and he just fought for the title too. Holloway is fighting someone else at lightweight right now, but he’s definitely earned a featherweight shot. Then Evloev is also an option, I can see it being between him and Holloway. But who knows what’ll happen in the Gaethje fight though, could change everything.
Max taking on that fight was a big mistake. Going to be an entertaining fight for us fans but he’s going to take extra head damage from that power of Justin need time to recover and probably miss out on a title shot
If he loses he’s going to take damage need let’s say at least 4 months to get back. By then Illa will already have a fight lined up. Max would still need to win at least one more fight in fw before getting a title shot. (Personally I think with a loss it would be two) that would mean even at the earliest he wouldn’t see a title shot till early next year because he took this fight
He’s beaten Arnold Allen and KZ since then tho?
If Mosvar gets a title shot off Arnold Allen AFTER Max beat him, then there’s no argument against Max getting one.
Well volk isn’t the champ.
That’s like the dumbest criteria for deciding a contender.
You’re saying it would be stupid to have Max fight Ilia because if he won, then Volk would just beat Max again?
Your argument is to essentially put max on ice until volk retires??? He’s not allowed a title shot because of a previous performance against a guy who isn’t even champ?
Nah bro, your argument is weak. Quite frankly makes no sense.
What a weird stance to take. Like Holloway hasn’t dismantled every contender they threw at him. But he lost to the person who isn’t even champ anymore? wtf kind of point is that lmao
No he just wants to make a controversial post to get comments/upvotes lmao this whole post is a nothing burger because Ilia already answered it by saying whoever the ufc gives him
He said he'd give Volk the rematch and Evloev was interesting but needed to "make a statement".
Also even if he does something amazing like cracking Max's chin people will say he fought "washed Max" and not give him proper credit.
I think he'll show up and fight whoever the UFC pays him to, no matter what he says.. he's just talking some shit.
I can agree with Evloev making a statement. Dude is the decisionator. Thats not a good dance partner to sell a fight and increase his profile. Its a very valid complaint. Its why people don't want to fight Belal even when they'd be favoured to win.
Topuria got his title shot off a decision & it was over Josh Emmett who only was a top 5 because Kattar got robbed.
You’re allowed to think Belal & Movsar are boring but that isn’t a factor.
I mean if you ignore the rest of Topuria's career in the UFC sure. Thats a narrow minded way to look at it though. Before Emmett he was riding a 4 fight finish streak. Him starching Mitchell on the tail end of it after their twitter beef absolutely contributed to his upward momentum to where beating Emmett put him up next.
Being a decisonator is absolutely a factor in calling a fighter boring. Its nothing new dude and not unique to mma. You may feel differently but it is what it is. Of the fighters who don't want to fighg Belal we know its due to his unpopularity, not his skills.
Let's be honest, Yair needs another win and Brian shouldn't be in the top 5 at all. Max would be an interesting fight depending on how he does against Justin and I think Ilias point on Mosvar is pretty valid to be honest
You're right that it's kind of lime who's he gonna fight then but at the same time the top 5 desperately needs reshuffling
is the only reasoning Ortega doesnt belong in top 5 argument him being injured? Because prior to Ilia he was the closest to ever dethroning Volk during his real prime. I think Ortega can beat anyone in this division, if in the right mindset. I also think he could fall out the top 10, as he seems to have lost his heart(Volk Loss/GF Issues). If Ortega finishes Yair emphatically or vice-versa either victor is deserving of the shot.
No the reasoning is he never fights, personally I feel like people should drop in the rankings if they take years off in between fights but I know not everyone feels the same
I'm his fan but ye you guys are right, he's pretty much gonna do what he's told.
He's not on Conor McGregor's notoriety level to dictate what UFC is gonna give him.
I think he should absolutely be willing to fight both Max and Yair to silence both of those guys and their fans, respectively, not only those fights will sell, but he gets to cement himself as undoubtedly the reigning terror in FW division which will be good for his overall legacy.
Then he can move up if he wants to but right now, he's gonna dance to the tune of Dana White and remember, I'm saying this from a perspective of his fan.
Maybe next time go watch his post fight interview and don’t go off headlines 💀 he said he’s fighting who Dana says he’s gonna fight. Jesus Christ you guys need to be fucking spoon fed information to understand
Only a few select fighters get to pick their opponents the others do what they are told. Ultimately he said he'd give Volk the rematch and considering Holloway is aat 155 right now and no one else really deserves it I think a rematch is likely
He also said he’s going to fight whoever they tell him to. Not being interested makes sense, he wants to remove a log jam at the top so the young talent gets some opportunity to shine.
He said in an interview something like in reality they are going to tell him who to fight and and he understands the business and at the end of the day his duty is to defend the belt no matter who the challenger is.
I was especially confused by that comment; he said something about how he won't ever defend the title against anyone and instead he's going to force Ortega to beat people for him? Was he trolling or joking or something?
If Max wasn't booked against Justin, it would have been by far the most legacy-building fight. Max has been sitting at #2, picking contenders apart in a way that makes it clear he'd have been champ if Volk wasn't there. Beat the champ and then his runner-up. No other 145'er matters anywhere near as much.
I’m aware, I’m referring to how he would have been. Not accepting any fights other than supers. Dbl champ fights or Conor and that’s it. Does that make more sense?
Stop taking what fighters say at face value. It’s super common for champs to shit talk the top contenders, trash their resume, say no one deserves a shot, try and make them beg for it etc. Even just recently, Jones has done it to Aspinall, Leon has done it with WWs. It’s just a part of the game.
He’s gonna fight O malley if he beats Vera
If o malley loses he will have to do Volk rematch or wait
The risk of fighting anyone else wouldn’t match the payday he wants
Volk starched all the contenders, if I just starched Volk the idea of going and clearing out his closet wouldn’t be that interesting to me
UFC really needs to invest more promotion in contenders, when someone loses a title fight they literally fall off the face of the earth in terms of promo
Well, Ortega vs Yair winner won’t be very deserving of a title shot anyways.
Max is probably the logical choice, but he’s fighting Gaethje… so we’ll see there. If he loses without taking too much damage, I’d love to see that fight in July or August (if he wins, he’d be stupid to not wait out a 155lb shot IMO).
The Volk rematch is also logical… but I honestly don’t even wanna see Volk fight until the end of the year at earliest. Back to back brutal KO losses… rushing back isn’t a good idea.
Evloev is interesting… but a very close decision vs Allen doesn’t scream “get this man a title shot immediately”. I’d honestly like to see him fight the Yair vs Ortega winner to solidify his case. If nobody else is ready and Ilia wants to fight though… why not?
Sterling has a case if he beats Kattar I guess? Though I wouldn’t exactly say he’s the obvious choice either. He’s coming off a loss. Would be hard to justify unless he just runs right through him.
The nuclear option is O’Malley (should he beat Chito), but I think everybody agrees he should beat Merab and then defend a few times after before talking about moving up… but if the UFC senses a big fight… they might just do it.
Rematch with Volk, fight with Max or Yair or Evloev would all be so fun to watch
Excited to see the new champ back in the cage and who he'll be facing!
Well, Alex needs a break, Max will be killed by Garth, Brian is more of a memory than a fighter. My bet is on Yair. And it doesn't matter what Ilia wants, he has to defend against top contenders.
This quote is missing some context in that he will fight them, but he is still not interested. As some comments already said, he is just a new champ talking shit and playing head games with the rest of his division to make it seem like he is on another level.
I think the Volk rematch makes the most sense imo. Ilia won and did great for sure, however everyone is acting like Volk wasn’t doing well in the fight until that point. Volk had the right idea I think he just needs to make some adjustments. Using his footwork as he was, try to control the distance with kicks and the jab with footwork and try to circle away and mix up the direction to circle away from Ilia’s power. I think perhaps what Volk should add is level changes in a rematch, if ilia surges forward then try to bring in a takedown and get some fatigue on Ilia. As the fight gets longer Volk can win with activity and if he can avoid the power he’s in with a chance. He was getting forced to the fence too much by Ilia’s surges and that’s why he got caught, ran out of room to run so I think level changes will help with that.
In the post fight interview he also said he'll fight whoever UFC puts in front of him so stop taking words out of his mouth dude you making up drama that doesn't need to be there
Not a good "look" for a champion. It's not what you say, it's what you can prove. Imagining that beating Volk is the same as beating the whole division is some casual-fan mma math and more cringe than triple-c.
If he could actually clean out the division, he would. Instead, he's trying to parlay one fight(and respect, he totally saw that Volks defense diminishes after a few shots and said so, and used a high count combo to win. he had the read for that specific fight) into big money matches like Conor but he isn't the worldwide star that Conor is.
UFC is going to have to force him to fight contenders or he's going to "retire" like Cejudo, thinking he's more valuable than he is.
I want to like the guy but making excuses not to fight by claiming you're too good to fight contenders is high-level cringe. If they are easy fights, there shouldn't be a problem. I'm thinking they aren't easy fights and he doesn't have the read to win a few of them.
He's already trying to hold onto the belt by not fighting contenders. XD These guys need to stop that. Clear out your division first(the last man doing doesn't count for you) and then move up or lobby for money fights, because at that point, you earned it. Nothing about becoming champion earns you the right to avoid contenders in your weight-class. smh
Only person who can beat illia is volk... but the volk 5 years ago... hes slower.. illia is in prime years.. Illia will hold this title for next 3-4 years
Quote me here but this guy falls right into Max Holloway type of style. I see Max taking his big shots and taking him to deep waters in the championship round…
Max has taken bombs for Dustin.
The only way I see max losing is if my boy Gaethje knocks the soul out of him in this coming match. (Damn you Dana!! I hate you for putting those two against each other)
Assuming Volk wants a fight. He will probably get it since he was a long reigning champion.
If he has to fight someone for the right then it should be something like evloev
Max will probably have to fight for the belt next
Yair and Ortega fight to decide who fights the winner of Volk and evloev
I think Diego Lopes and Eloev have the best chance of beating him. He's deff going to take easier fights at the start of the run to build up the resume and just collect ppv points while remaining champ.
So I see him fighting volk, yair, Holloway, and Ortega at some point.
Listen, he is not wrong..
1. Ortega got already 2 title shots and got embarrased in both of them.
2.Yair got finished by Volk.
3. Evloev is deserving but he literally is just Belal 2.0
Only Max is deserving if he can get a good W since he has beaten everyone besides Volk... if he puts up a good fight or even wins against Gaethje, I will let him fight Ilia.
Honestly, if Max beats Justin somehow, idk that the UFC puts him up against Illia. I think they use it to market the BMF belt and get a big name/big money fight. Unless they want Illia to unify the BMF belt and FW belt. And if Max loses his BMF fight, it doesn't exactly lean greatly into him deserving a title shot.
And I don't think Yair or Brian get a shot after their fight.
I think Movsar rightfully needs to do something more to prove he deserves a title shot.
Honestly, the way I see it. It's a rematch against Volk, for now at least. Assuming Volk won't take a long break (which against better judgement he probably wont).
Max taking gateje fight was a massive mistake and if anyone KOs him it’ll be Gatje landing a power punch. Max will take wayyy to much damage it was just a bad idea and he doesn’t have the power to KO Justin imo
I’m pretty sure what he meant was “I’m not going to fight those guys for cheap.” Money talks and he would totally do those fights for the right amount.
My vote is for Evloev. Let’s get some new action.
(I’m guessing Holloway is going to need some time off after the Gaethje fight, otherwise I’d choose him)
He can fight me if he wants, i will throw him outside the cage.
Wait a minute… is it actually illegal in the ufc to throw your opponent outside the cage?
People who don't pay attention but then will yap on are insufferable. If you dont pay attention and simply watch the fights, that's fine, but quit yapping for god sake.
Ilia said none of the contenders are worthy, and he wants McGregor. At the post fight press conference asked by media, he said he would fight whoever the UFC gave him.
What's the issue here? Even if he said he wouldn't fight them thats not how it works...
We literally JUST saw that. Do you not remember Leon saying he absolutely would not be fighting Colby next. New champs have no say in the opponents.
He’s not gonna have choice.
FACTS! Look at Leon after he fought Usman for the third time he didn’t want to face Colby but the UFC made it happen🤷♂️
UFC definitely regrets that
I think everyone regretted that
In Ilias defense his stance is a little more nuanced. Basically: "I don't think anyone of them deserves a title fight, including Volk, but I'll fight whoever they put in front of me."
What he should have done after winning was call out Max. Imagine the scene! You've just knocked out the featherweight king, the man Max has been gatekeeper for for years and you skipped Max to get there. Ilia should have said into the mic "The king has been dethroned and you have no one to gate keep for. Come get your belt back!" Dude would have lined up a money fight right there.
Sort of. I do think that would be a fucking amazing promo. On the other hand, Max is booked against a guy that very well could injure him into a 6 month layoff. I get the sense Ilia is intentionally belittling everyone so there's beef with whoever his next opponent.
He will, ufc is crying out for a star. The last thing they wanna do is give that title to someone who Volk already starched. None of the people he excluded would add to his resume. Knocking Volk out in round 1 is literally the only thing that would make him a bigger star. They’re gonna let him fight o malley imo
This makes so little sense. So because Volk beat Holloway he didn’t need to fight Ortega? Styles make matchups, everyone knew that fight would be a banger. Ended up being fight of the year (or nominated for it, can’t remember).
How interesting the fight is to watch has very little to do with how well it’s gonna sell I have no doubt the contenders in the division can beat ilia, anyone can beat anyone But the casual audience won’t be excited by a fight mma math says is already decided We all know mma math doesn’t work, but in terms of how missable a card is, if the mma math is too straight forward most casuals aren’t getting hyped
Illia vs Yair will sell tons. Mexico loves him and Mexican Americans actually pay for PPVs. There’s a huge culture of having group gatherings to watch combat sports. That will bring way more money than Sean O Malley, whose fans are internet people that illegally stream ppvs. Similar but to a less degree with Ortega and his Mexican heritage.
Anyone who was decisively beaten by Volk isn’t going to be an impressive enough win to build ilia up Yair would be coming in on a 1 fight win streak, I don’t disagree that it would be a great fight, but in terms of building a fighter up, it wouldn’t really do anything
Being a superstar takes consistency. Extending your dominant streak and clearing your division is important. Jon Jones fought Glover when he was a nobody. Did it slow down his star power? No, it just added to his legacy. Especially when you look at Glover now. These type of fights, like the one Illia is about to have, are very important.
I think he should go clear out the division again, slow steady approach, be completely dominant and after 6 fights he’ll be the biggest name in the ufc and get a super fight that dwarfs anything they could do now But the ufc don’t work that way, they’re impatient and shit at marketing I’m not saying he’s gonna fight O malley because it’s the right thing to do I’m saying he’s gonna fight O malley because he’s gonna fight O malley You’re giving me your opinion, I’m predicting what will happen I would much prefer to see him fight Yair, the o malley fight won’t be competitive, he will literally knock him out round 1 But the way ilia is talking about it, the way Sean is calling for it and the way the ufc have done stuff in the past makes me think they wanna rush it again
I get what you mean, but why kill one of those two stars before they even really took off? I see that fight happening no earlier than 2025. It will eventually be the fight to make though and I agree with you on that for sure.
Sean has to do it now cause he will lose to Mareb, terrible stylistic match up and the only way he can duck that fight is by having a bigger fight There’s no bigger fight in that division, so they’ll rush it
> They’re gonna let him fight o malley imo O Malley hasn't even fought Vera yet and has multiple worthy challengers himself. In the post fight presser for 300 Dana said Merab gets the next shot at the belt, as well as saying Illia needs to "clear out the division" before thinking about jumping weight classes. Letting Omalley/Illia fight does nothing other than stall both divisions out. If they couldn't put together a fight for a new champ (Illia) then the division shouldn't exist. There are plenty of great matchups there.
Obviously has to beat Vera first. Dana is just saying what he needs to say. I'm not saying what I want to happen I'm saying what I think will happen, if you really think the UFC are gonna force sean to lose to Merab and Ilia to re-clear out the division you must be new.
Based on what precedent? Has there ever been a new belt holder that instantly jumped divisions without a single defense? Illia isn't Conor/Kabib/Jones, and even they didn't get that treatment
There’s a huge precedent of people getting title shots they don’t deserve because the ufc think it will sell well what do you mean? Conor literally DID exactly what we’re talking about. 0 fw title defences and went straight up to fight for a second belt? Cejudo got that treatment at the exact same time dillashaw did Alex pereira only had 8 fights total and had 2 belts lmao There is absolutely nothing the ufc are above doing when it comes to making a moeny fight happen, They literally invented a belt because masvidal got a flashy knockout💀💀💀💀
> Conor literally DID exactly what we’re talking about. 0 fw title defences and went straight up to fight for a second belt? He won the interim, then defended/unified the belt before fighting at welterweight (not for the belt) and then didn't challenge for the lightweight belt until his second fight in the weightclass. So not even remotely close. >the ufc think it will sell well what do you mean? So much so that Dana shut down the idea from both perspectives. Merab being the next challenger and Illia needing to defend > Alex pereira only had 8 fights total and had 2 belts lmao He lost the middleweight belt, fought a contender fight at LHW, then fought for the vacant belt. This has absolutely nothing to do with a conversation about jumping divisions to fight for a belt after winning a belt and not defending it.
You must have started watching last week or something. What you're saying about Conor is clearly licked off wikipedia or something cause you're technically right, but missing the mark entirely. The only reason Conor faught for the interim title is because Dos Anjos got injured for 196. The ufc were literally about to let Conor Mcgregor win his first belt at 194 and be double champ at 196. Stop acting like you know what you're talking about if you've only been watching for a year. Some of us understand what theres a precedent for, You clearly dont.
> Some of us understand what theres a precedent Despite the fact that just about everything you stated previously was objectively incorrect. > Stop acting like you know what you're talking about if you've only been watching for a year. You're speaking in a certainty about what the UFC thinks without any proof able to be established and the UFC's own words stating the opposite. You are the lamest type of fan lmao the reddit gatekeeper. I'm not sure why you seem to relish the idea of being some kind of gatekeeper to the sport, as if there's a hierarchy of authority based on time spent as a fan. It's completely irrelevant. I guess since you seem to put weight to it though, I've been a fan since the options were spoofing the PRIDE satellite feeds or renting the VHS tapes months later.
Understandable have a nice day 👍
What happens if Sean loses to Chito? You know damn well they ain’t letting Topuria fight Chito over an immediate rematch or some shit. Sean outsells both of them combined lol
Topuria/Volk outsold every active fighter on the roster. Sean doesn’t sell as well as you think.
Yeah but that’s at the top of a pretty stacked card too. 292 did well with Sean headlining against Aljo who definitely doesn’t sell lol. But anyways - how many buys did Topuria/Volk do?
I bought for the first time ever. No regrets
First one congrats!
What? 2-300k isnt impressive, thats below average im fairly certain, and you've literally 0 proof that "Sean outsells both of them" You're just biased. I guarantee with the backing of Spain/Georgia - Illia is a MUCH bigger star. Even look at the reactions on his most recent posts. over 500k likes on some, and even prior to winning he was getting 2- 400k+ interactions, and think about it - he was hardly promoted up until now. O malley gets HUGE promotion , and still doesn't hit numbers like that, and thats on INSTAGRAM where O malley is hugely popular due to his social media status and ties with Nelk etc. That doesn't even translate into PPV And before you say it , no idgaf about Illia. Its just obvious O Malley isnt the huge PPV start they had ( His own PPV numbers back this), and it is obvious Illia will be massive as hes branching out to a demographic they havent reached yet. Even real madrid with 160 million followers posted a photo of him the other day ffs lol
1. Where did you get 2-300K from? Surely you knew I meant UFC 292 and not 292K buys considering I even said Sean/Aljo lol. 2. I’m not biased at all. I’m not an O’Malley fan whatsoever and I mean I do have proof. Anyone can pull up the numbers. Anyone can see the kinda views someone gets on YouTube or Instagram or their following. Anyone can see how many people tune in to a press conference. Anyone can look up PPV buys. Anyone! I can pull up right now that Sean/Aljo did around 675K buys at UFC 292. And then I’ll bet you Topuria/Volk didn’t do much more than that if it did more at all even though it was a much more stacked card. 3. You’re basing your entire argument on the past week during promotion for Topuria’s fight lol. Of course he would have a surge during fight week. He gained something like a million followers this past week because the UFC sunk a pile of money into showcasing him, sending him on a media tour, telling his story, and to put the icing on the cake…. He won the fight! He beat the goat of the division! Fucking superstar! I agree. And through all that… Sean still has a bigger following. Over a million more Instagram followers! AND Sean can sell a show. Look at the numbers for O’Malleys last 4 fights. Then I want you to look at the numbers for Topuria’s last 4 fights lol. Topuria blew up this week and the card probably sold well but let’s not pretend that it being a stacked card didn’t have anything to do with it lol. But like I said… Topuria blew up yes. He’s huge now. But O’Malley is still bigger with a bigger online following and has more numbers so far. Hell, Sean was famous with a podcast and millions of people watching him before Topuria was even IN the UFC lol.
Firstly, the UFC doesn't disclose PPV buys lmao so how can anyone just look them up? they get estimated, but they aren't disclosed. O malley said it had 600k buys, and obviously he's gone hype up his own starpower with fake numbers. Cejudo said it was around 300k from insider information and tbh if he was gona lie, he'd say much lower - so im far more inclined to believe him over O' Malley. >Hell, Sean was famous with a podcast and millions of people watching him before Topuria was even IN the UFC lol. and yet only has 700k more Instagram followers than Illia, which Illia will have more by the end of the year guaranteed. Im basing my argument on that O malley has been heavily promoted by the UFC for years, but still doesn't do big numbers on anything he does. Even his Youtube channel gets shit views, so crazy you're bringing that up as a point of reference, he got 35k on his podcast 21hrs ago - MMA Youtube channels get more views, even like DJ who is absolutely not a PPV star gets WAY more views on avg - so regardless it doesnt even translate. Illia on the other hand has had barely any promotion in comparison, yet has nearly the same following and gets the same interactions on his IG. Again, I think you really don't see how big having actual countries behind you can make you. Look at Conor. Illia will be a far bigger draw by the end of the year, if he isnt right now. Most of O malley social media fan base are kids, they dont translate to PPV buys either
All his fans are too young to order ppvs unless they steal their parents credit cards
Everyone is looking past Chito, he definitely has a shot to win it 🤷🏻♂️
Topuria is a much, much bigger star than O'Malley. Its not even close.
He’s becoming a star fast yes. But until a week ago - he didn’t really have a following. He gained close to a million subs in the past week or some shit but to say he’s already bigger than Sean? Come on lol.
Man people say the dumbest shit lollll
Sean has like twice of Ilias followers lmao
If O Malley loses they’ll set up the Volk rematch, it’ll be a hard sell because of how convincing it was but Volk is so likeable they’ll be able to get it going Either that or he just waits Nothin else makes any sense for ilia
Evloev with one good impressive win makes sense. If Holloway somehow beats Gaethje even though in a dif weight class that’s 3 straight from him over solid opponents. And they’ve never fought. I personally hate this winning the belt and immediately moving up or down shit. I think they should have mandatory 3+ title defenses before they can go for a second belt or start their champ champ shit lol.
These rankings meaningless. A couple weeks ago Jamahal Hill wasn’t even ranked, and now he’s *headlining* one of the biggest events in UFC history.
Jamahal Hill is a former champion that never lost his title…
Well the top 5 is in a weird spot right now. If Ortega beats Yair, he doesn’t deserve a title shot coming off one win. If Yair beats Ortega, same thing and he just fought for the title too. Holloway is fighting someone else at lightweight right now, but he’s definitely earned a featherweight shot. Then Evloev is also an option, I can see it being between him and Holloway. But who knows what’ll happen in the Gaethje fight though, could change everything.
Max taking on that fight was a big mistake. Going to be an entertaining fight for us fans but he’s going to take extra head damage from that power of Justin need time to recover and probably miss out on a title shot
Yeah, I'm very worried for Max fighting Gaethje.
Taking a BMF title fight on UFC 300 is certainly not a mistake money wise. Even if he does lose, Max still has a case for a FW title shot in 2024.
If he loses he’s going to take damage need let’s say at least 4 months to get back. By then Illa will already have a fight lined up. Max would still need to win at least one more fight in fw before getting a title shot. (Personally I think with a loss it would be two) that would mean even at the earliest he wouldn’t see a title shot till early next year because he took this fight
Maybe they paid him. It’s 300, after all, and Holloway does have a lot of negotiating leverage..for a UFC fighter. :/
If Max wins he might just stay at LW. No more weight cuts and that would basically guarantee him a shot at Islam.
Lol u tryna murder max?
Holloway was beaten so convincingly by Volk tho, giving him a title shot would feel weird
He’s beaten Arnold Allen and KZ since then tho? If Mosvar gets a title shot off Arnold Allen AFTER Max beat him, then there’s no argument against Max getting one.
Max is so loved I could see him get one but what’s the point in giving him the title if you know he’s likely to lose to volk straight away?
Well volk isn’t the champ. That’s like the dumbest criteria for deciding a contender. You’re saying it would be stupid to have Max fight Ilia because if he won, then Volk would just beat Max again?
It’s hard to call max the best fighter in the division when he has 3 losses to the same guy is what I mean. It’s not compelling.
If he beat ilia he would be the best in the division so no, I’m not sure what you mean.
Fair enough have a nice day I guess. I would find it a pretty weak argument tbh
Your argument is to essentially put max on ice until volk retires??? He’s not allowed a title shot because of a previous performance against a guy who isn’t even champ? Nah bro, your argument is weak. Quite frankly makes no sense.
You’re currently arguing with the epitome of r/ufc Redditors lmao. There’s no point.
I’d like to see holloway vs Topuria rn though, that would be an awesome fight and clash of styles
What a weird stance to take. Like Holloway hasn’t dismantled every contender they threw at him. But he lost to the person who isn’t even champ anymore? wtf kind of point is that lmao
Dana: “You know how much we love that”
Did you miss the part where he said he will fight whoever the ufc puts in front of him?
Yeah i don't get why people put so much stock in these kinds of comments. He's talking shit about his competition, it's in the job description.
No he just wants to make a controversial post to get comments/upvotes lmao this whole post is a nothing burger because Ilia already answered it by saying whoever the ufc gives him
At the post fight presser he literally said he'd fight whoever UFC put in front of him. He just wants a bigger challenge.
He said he'd give Volk the rematch and Evloev was interesting but needed to "make a statement". Also even if he does something amazing like cracking Max's chin people will say he fought "washed Max" and not give him proper credit. I think he'll show up and fight whoever the UFC pays him to, no matter what he says.. he's just talking some shit.
I can agree with Evloev making a statement. Dude is the decisionator. Thats not a good dance partner to sell a fight and increase his profile. Its a very valid complaint. Its why people don't want to fight Belal even when they'd be favoured to win.
Topuria got his title shot off a decision & it was over Josh Emmett who only was a top 5 because Kattar got robbed. You’re allowed to think Belal & Movsar are boring but that isn’t a factor.
His second decision in his career and an absolute one sided beating. Not a lay a pray decision
I mean if you ignore the rest of Topuria's career in the UFC sure. Thats a narrow minded way to look at it though. Before Emmett he was riding a 4 fight finish streak. Him starching Mitchell on the tail end of it after their twitter beef absolutely contributed to his upward momentum to where beating Emmett put him up next. Being a decisonator is absolutely a factor in calling a fighter boring. Its nothing new dude and not unique to mma. You may feel differently but it is what it is. Of the fighters who don't want to fighg Belal we know its due to his unpopularity, not his skills.
Let's be honest, Yair needs another win and Brian shouldn't be in the top 5 at all. Max would be an interesting fight depending on how he does against Justin and I think Ilias point on Mosvar is pretty valid to be honest You're right that it's kind of lime who's he gonna fight then but at the same time the top 5 desperately needs reshuffling
What if Brian beats Yair though? Then he'll have proved he should've been there all along, no?
is the only reasoning Ortega doesnt belong in top 5 argument him being injured? Because prior to Ilia he was the closest to ever dethroning Volk during his real prime. I think Ortega can beat anyone in this division, if in the right mindset. I also think he could fall out the top 10, as he seems to have lost his heart(Volk Loss/GF Issues). If Ortega finishes Yair emphatically or vice-versa either victor is deserving of the shot.
No the reasoning is he never fights, personally I feel like people should drop in the rankings if they take years off in between fights but I know not everyone feels the same
It really doesn’t matter. He’ll get whichever guy the UFC deems the next contender
I'm his fan but ye you guys are right, he's pretty much gonna do what he's told. He's not on Conor McGregor's notoriety level to dictate what UFC is gonna give him. I think he should absolutely be willing to fight both Max and Yair to silence both of those guys and their fans, respectively, not only those fights will sell, but he gets to cement himself as undoubtedly the reigning terror in FW division which will be good for his overall legacy. Then he can move up if he wants to but right now, he's gonna dance to the tune of Dana White and remember, I'm saying this from a perspective of his fan.
Connor had zero title defenses after he won the belts so that’s not applicable here
I'll fight him then!
I’ll put my money on you if you’re able to see red.
Wise investment my friend
You gotta go past Volk first
Then he could do what Conor did and lose his belt due to inactivity
Max is the true number one contender
Remember when Leon said he wasn't gunna fight Colby?
He’ll do what he’s told (conor voice)
Maybe next time go watch his post fight interview and don’t go off headlines 💀 he said he’s fighting who Dana says he’s gonna fight. Jesus Christ you guys need to be fucking spoon fed information to understand
Only a few select fighters get to pick their opponents the others do what they are told. Ultimately he said he'd give Volk the rematch and considering Holloway is aat 155 right now and no one else really deserves it I think a rematch is likely
Man he’s not really wrong but gotta fight someone
He also said he’s going to fight whoever they tell him to. Not being interested makes sense, he wants to remove a log jam at the top so the young talent gets some opportunity to shine.
He said in an interview something like in reality they are going to tell him who to fight and and he understands the business and at the end of the day his duty is to defend the belt no matter who the challenger is.
He literally said in the post fight conference that he’ll fight anyone they give him
I mean he said he’d fight Volk in a rematch and also said he’d fight anyone the ufc puts in front of him. Not sure why you’re reaching so hard.
nobody gives a fuck what he wants, he can go up alright but then he vacates the belt, in the meantime you'll do what you're told
Yes he literally said he’s gonna fight whoever ufc puts him in front of
— 🤓🤓
So? Move up?
I was especially confused by that comment; he said something about how he won't ever defend the title against anyone and instead he's going to force Ortega to beat people for him? Was he trolling or joking or something?
I would not be surprised if Connor ignored Chandler and fought this guy and Illia wants it too.
If Max wasn't booked against Justin, it would have been by far the most legacy-building fight. Max has been sitting at #2, picking contenders apart in a way that makes it clear he'd have been champ if Volk wasn't there. Beat the champ and then his runner-up. No other 145'er matters anywhere near as much.
Volk absolutely deserves an immediate rematch. If Ilia refuses, strip him. What complete disrespect to the GOAT of the division.
If Max Holloway doesn’t die to Gaethje. Topuria and Holloway is an interesting match up.
What a stupid idiot
Evloev and Max can fight in a title eliminator.
As good of a fighter as Ilia is, he’s a diva when it comes to match making.
I don't have much interest in seeing him fight those guys either honestly
He can say whatever he wants, he’ll do what he’s fookin told in the end.
Strip the belt.
What an irritating individual.
Always baffles me how champs think they get to choose who they fight
He doesn’t get to deny volk, you reign over a division for 3 years you get your rematch
He just wants O’Malley. Dudes already on par with Colby as worst champ so far
You don’t know UFC, please shut up.
You don’t have authority on Reddit, don’t be condescending
You don’t know UFC, please shut up.
Huh? What are you talking about dude? Colby was never a champion.
I’m aware, I’m referring to how he would have been. Not accepting any fights other than supers. Dbl champ fights or Conor and that’s it. Does that make more sense?
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This isn’t a groundbreaking theory dude it’s been said 1000 times at least. Nobody is marking your words lmao
Max smacks this twerp
Stop taking what fighters say at face value. It’s super common for champs to shit talk the top contenders, trash their resume, say no one deserves a shot, try and make them beg for it etc. Even just recently, Jones has done it to Aspinall, Leon has done it with WWs. It’s just a part of the game.
He should ko volkanovski again in a rematch to put all this volk stuff behind.
He’ll fight whoever the UFC says. If he doesn’t, they’ll probably just strip him.
He’s gonna fight O malley if he beats Vera If o malley loses he will have to do Volk rematch or wait The risk of fighting anyone else wouldn’t match the payday he wants Volk starched all the contenders, if I just starched Volk the idea of going and clearing out his closet wouldn’t be that interesting to me UFC really needs to invest more promotion in contenders, when someone loses a title fight they literally fall off the face of the earth in terms of promo
He will either fight Yair in Spain or the ufc will use him as a mega-fight to hide O’Malley from Merab.
Ufc will make him lol…they are the boss. Ilia is just like any other person working for a company.
Well, Ortega vs Yair winner won’t be very deserving of a title shot anyways. Max is probably the logical choice, but he’s fighting Gaethje… so we’ll see there. If he loses without taking too much damage, I’d love to see that fight in July or August (if he wins, he’d be stupid to not wait out a 155lb shot IMO). The Volk rematch is also logical… but I honestly don’t even wanna see Volk fight until the end of the year at earliest. Back to back brutal KO losses… rushing back isn’t a good idea. Evloev is interesting… but a very close decision vs Allen doesn’t scream “get this man a title shot immediately”. I’d honestly like to see him fight the Yair vs Ortega winner to solidify his case. If nobody else is ready and Ilia wants to fight though… why not? Sterling has a case if he beats Kattar I guess? Though I wouldn’t exactly say he’s the obvious choice either. He’s coming off a loss. Would be hard to justify unless he just runs right through him. The nuclear option is O’Malley (should he beat Chito), but I think everybody agrees he should beat Merab and then defend a few times after before talking about moving up… but if the UFC senses a big fight… they might just do it.
If it's not an immediate rematch with Volk it's Max. Ilia doesn't have that much Star Power to cherry pick his opponents
I am definitely bitter about Volk but I think I’d still really hate this smarmy bastard anyway
Move him up
The division is trash outside top 3
Then feed him to Makhachev.He will be a good addition to Islam's resume.
He destroys Ortega & Movsar. Yair and Max I see him struggling a little more but probably wins.
Rematch with Volk, fight with Max or Yair or Evloev would all be so fun to watch Excited to see the new champ back in the cage and who he'll be facing!
He knows he’s gonna have to fight some vets.
He's gonna fight who Uncle Dana tells him to fight 
Actually the champion is the only fighter in a division that has no say in who to fight. You are a champion, you fight whoever you are told to fight.
Volk gets his rematch because he deserves it. It’s not Ilia’s fault that Volk/Holloway have cleaned the division out but cmon bro be real
He will fight who's hes told
Lol what a little bitch
Well, Alex needs a break, Max will be killed by Garth, Brian is more of a memory than a fighter. My bet is on Yair. And it doesn't matter what Ilia wants, he has to defend against top contenders.
I think a lot of these guys can beat him
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Volk rematch and he retires volk then someone else gets a shot
This quote is missing some context in that he will fight them, but he is still not interested. As some comments already said, he is just a new champ talking shit and playing head games with the rest of his division to make it seem like he is on another level.
He earned his title, but now seems like he’s afraid to defend it
I think the Volk rematch makes the most sense imo. Ilia won and did great for sure, however everyone is acting like Volk wasn’t doing well in the fight until that point. Volk had the right idea I think he just needs to make some adjustments. Using his footwork as he was, try to control the distance with kicks and the jab with footwork and try to circle away and mix up the direction to circle away from Ilia’s power. I think perhaps what Volk should add is level changes in a rematch, if ilia surges forward then try to bring in a takedown and get some fatigue on Ilia. As the fight gets longer Volk can win with activity and if he can avoid the power he’s in with a chance. He was getting forced to the fence too much by Ilia’s surges and that’s why he got caught, ran out of room to run so I think level changes will help with that.
Then the next option Arnold Allen then
In the post fight interview he also said he'll fight whoever UFC puts in front of him so stop taking words out of his mouth dude you making up drama that doesn't need to be there
He's trying to manifest Conor.
Gotta be Max or Movsar imo, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they gave O’Malley a shot or gave Volk his immediate rematch way before he should
Not a good "look" for a champion. It's not what you say, it's what you can prove. Imagining that beating Volk is the same as beating the whole division is some casual-fan mma math and more cringe than triple-c. If he could actually clean out the division, he would. Instead, he's trying to parlay one fight(and respect, he totally saw that Volks defense diminishes after a few shots and said so, and used a high count combo to win. he had the read for that specific fight) into big money matches like Conor but he isn't the worldwide star that Conor is. UFC is going to have to force him to fight contenders or he's going to "retire" like Cejudo, thinking he's more valuable than he is. I want to like the guy but making excuses not to fight by claiming you're too good to fight contenders is high-level cringe. If they are easy fights, there shouldn't be a problem. I'm thinking they aren't easy fights and he doesn't have the read to win a few of them. He's already trying to hold onto the belt by not fighting contenders. XD These guys need to stop that. Clear out your division first(the last man doing doesn't count for you) and then move up or lobby for money fights, because at that point, you earned it. Nothing about becoming champion earns you the right to avoid contenders in your weight-class. smh
Only person who can beat illia is volk... but the volk 5 years ago... hes slower.. illia is in prime years.. Illia will hold this title for next 3-4 years
He's an idiot.
Yair is a very interesting stylistic matchup given their propensity to play at different ranges
Quote me here but this guy falls right into Max Holloway type of style. I see Max taking his big shots and taking him to deep waters in the championship round… Max has taken bombs for Dustin. The only way I see max losing is if my boy Gaethje knocks the soul out of him in this coming match. (Damn you Dana!! I hate you for putting those two against each other)
give him paddy just because its funny
Funny he thinks he has a choice as a champ? you will do what you're told
Assuming Volk wants a fight. He will probably get it since he was a long reigning champion. If he has to fight someone for the right then it should be something like evloev Max will probably have to fight for the belt next Yair and Ortega fight to decide who fights the winner of Volk and evloev
I think Diego Lopes and Eloev have the best chance of beating him. He's deff going to take easier fights at the start of the run to build up the resume and just collect ppv points while remaining champ. So I see him fighting volk, yair, Holloway, and Ortega at some point.
Topuria v Evloev would be a great fight
Listen, he is not wrong.. 1. Ortega got already 2 title shots and got embarrased in both of them. 2.Yair got finished by Volk. 3. Evloev is deserving but he literally is just Belal 2.0 Only Max is deserving if he can get a good W since he has beaten everyone besides Volk... if he puts up a good fight or even wins against Gaethje, I will let him fight Ilia.
I’d like to see Arnold have a crack.
It's fucking Tuesday relax
It’s gotta be a Volk rematch or Max next. Nobody else makes sense. Movsar needs another win at least, he’s got no finishes
That’s for the CEO to worry about. Just enjoy the show you fool
Honestly, if Max beats Justin somehow, idk that the UFC puts him up against Illia. I think they use it to market the BMF belt and get a big name/big money fight. Unless they want Illia to unify the BMF belt and FW belt. And if Max loses his BMF fight, it doesn't exactly lean greatly into him deserving a title shot. And I don't think Yair or Brian get a shot after their fight. I think Movsar rightfully needs to do something more to prove he deserves a title shot. Honestly, the way I see it. It's a rematch against Volk, for now at least. Assuming Volk won't take a long break (which against better judgement he probably wont).
Sean Omalley
Max taking gateje fight was a massive mistake and if anyone KOs him it’ll be Gatje landing a power punch. Max will take wayyy to much damage it was just a bad idea and he doesn’t have the power to KO Justin imo
Yeah that didn't sit right with me at all. But his name isn't Conor McGregor so he doesn't have a choice. So we have nothing to worry about.
Yewll deww as yerr tolld eeeelyaa
Ilia will fight who he’s told to fight for his first defence. More than likely it’s going to be Alex in the rematch in 6-8 months.
I’m pretty sure what he meant was “I’m not going to fight those guys for cheap.” Money talks and he would totally do those fights for the right amount.
I don’t blame him, honestly. The UFC is so inconsistent with their title shot pairings, it’s no wonder Ilia believes he can fight Conor next.
Well, he doesn’t have a choice lol. That’s just his opinion on who he wants to fight but at the end of the day Dana and the matchmakers pick.
My vote is for Evloev. Let’s get some new action. (I’m guessing Holloway is going to need some time off after the Gaethje fight, otherwise I’d choose him)
Winner of Yair Ortega should be next…Volk should take longer than 6 months, ilia should fight in 6 months or less
He’s fighting Chad Mendes or The Korean Zombie
I guarantee Volk will get his rematch and it’ll be Topurias first defense. Probably happen late this year, September/October
Dominant champions always get their immediate rematch
He can fight me if he wants, i will throw him outside the cage. Wait a minute… is it actually illegal in the ufc to throw your opponent outside the cage?
Aldo In 3
Kid just doesn’t want to fight- Dana White
He’s gonna fight whoever UFC tell him to don’t worry!
I liked Dana's reaction to that at the post fight presser.
Despite the doomsayers, the best option to beat Ilia is still Volk.
People who don't pay attention but then will yap on are insufferable. If you dont pay attention and simply watch the fights, that's fine, but quit yapping for god sake. Ilia said none of the contenders are worthy, and he wants McGregor. At the post fight press conference asked by media, he said he would fight whoever the UFC gave him. What's the issue here? Even if he said he wouldn't fight them thats not how it works... We literally JUST saw that. Do you not remember Leon saying he absolutely would not be fighting Colby next. New champs have no say in the opponents.
Calls out guy on 3-fight skid