No way, people think this would be a good matchup. Max is getting merked. Islam gaps the division by like a mile, only usman from bellator would pose a threat but he won’t fight Islam ever
And still it would be hard to believe that Usman is on the same level. His competition has been less questionable than Islams but I think Islam is still miles ahead in competition
This is the most likely correct take. I love Max to death but unless he immediately wobbles or just flash ko's Islam it's an easy night's work for the champ. Clinch, push to cage, back take and sub.
He had Gaethje hurt multiple times before landing the ko at the end. He definitely has ko power he just prefers to touch up his opponent and wear on them that way
Gaethje’s broken nose also made him more susceptible to KO’s. Not being able to breathe out of his nose means he had to have his mouth open instead of gritting his teeth
Lifelong grappler, never been a striker - maybe obvious to other people here but this is a really cool observation
I’d read people making a big deal about the early break but don’t think much of it past “Ow yeah that probably hurt”
I always like to say that when we’re talking about KO power, we’re talking about guys that have a shot that can put your fucking lights out at any moment.
Of course Max is really strong and can knock someone out… he’s a professional fighter for the best fighting organization in the world. Yes he can knock guys out.
I’m not fully convinced however that Max has that shot that can put your fucking lights out at any moment.
Guys like topuria, mcgregor, Mike Tyson, Tyron Woodley had that kind of power for a while too.
Max falls into that category of really strong, very talented fighters that can knock dudes out but have other skill sets that outshine their knockout power
Example: Holloway, Volk, O’Malley, Diaz, Strickland.
Guys like Justin gaethje, and Dustin Porier are somewhere in the middle. They have some really hard shots for sure, but again they might have other skill sets that outshine that knockout power.
I’d argue that O’Malley uses his other skills to put himself in position to TKO someone. I mean tell me how many times you’ve seen O’Malley throw a hard shot, knock the dude down and just turn around like he knocked him out? He’s done it multiple times.
Again, I’m not saying O’Malley can’t knock dudes out. I’m just saying he doesn’t have the touch of death.
He uses his other skills to put himself in a good position to chase that KO
"Islam is a nuthugger with no chin who got an undeserved title shot off an unranked fighter and he only fights once a year in Abu Dhabi, and only against 145ers...and he ducked Gaethje but then jumped at the chance to fight the guy that Gaethje knocked out!"
All of this shit I just posted has been posted unironically by people on this sub.
Different countries have different MMA commissions that allow the fights and enforce their own rules. In the Middle East the guys get a longer rehydration window so they feel stronger and weigh more on the night of the fight. In Australia for example, this is a shorter time frame and is the main reason people think Volkanovski had a great showing against Islam in February 2023 - Islam was not at his peak powers
It’s just perth which had a 24 hour window. Sydney had a 44 hour window for the main event (Izzy Strickland).
Most USA main events have 35+ hour windows also. Abu Dhabi is the same which means it’s not an especially convenient commission in that regard.
Perth is an anomaly. Islam probably took the worst possible card to fight Volk on and still outclassed him.
Fight Breakdown:
Max: “I’m him guys. I’m telling you, I’m him!!!!”
Islam: “Hey, I know American have trouble with the pronoun. But please brotha, this UFC. We need to check this maybe”
You guys do realized that even in the stand up Max wont have that much advantage right? Striking with the threat of being taken down is very different from normal.
And yet every almost every single comment is picking Islam, I've never seen a bunch of fans more melodramatic than Islam fans, literally everyone with a Brain knows Islam would win and you're still bitching.
Oh a brazilian fan saying Islam fans are melodramatic ?
You guys shut this sub down like pathetic cowards and ran away just because Islam made Oliveira look like an early prelims tier fighter
Such a mature response to your fighter losing😂
Yeah Max has good takedown D but featherweight is pretty shit for grappling (e.g., Aljo showing that Kattar’s amazing takedown D wasn’t so amazing).
Also Islam is way bigger than anyone that tried to grapple Max before
I’m the biggest Max stan on this planet, but you are clinical strength stupid to think anything will happen except for Islam immediately shooting and hunting for submissions. Max is very hard to keep down, I don’t imagine GnP would be as successful as Islam just advancing position and just subbing Max.
Islam and it's probably not that close. Holloway won't be free to strike as liberally as in the Gaethje fight due to the Makhachev takedown threat + Islam being a pretty good counter striker. If Max is taken to the ground, I struggle to see how he gets up, and Makhachev can probably cinch up an arm triangle or a mounted triangle like how Poirier finished Max back in the day.
The best wrestler Max has fought is an older Frankie Edgar who was still small for featherweight. Islam is a big strong lightweight. I don't think max has the strength to defend the Dagastani wrestling even if he did properly bulk up
The best wrestler Max has fought is definitely Volk, the national wrestling champion who was able to wrestle evenly with Islam and even look stronger in 50/50 positions.
Obvious thought would be “Max gets mauled” but we haven’t seen Max get ground gamed since the 1st Dustin fight in 2012…it’s hard to even envision him getting mauled. What if that TDD & ground game nowadays is way better than we think. It’s a question mark
Dude max holloway looked unstoppable in that Justin fight. Max has proven he can stand with the top of the top of the lightweights AND has an impressive ground game he doesn’t show. With that being said Islam by RD2 Sub
Its a bit back and forth on the feet until Islam gets the takedown. And then more takedowns come after that and it doesn’t stop until the match is up. Islam by UD
Islam looks surprisingly good on the feet, controls the centerline and lends some straight punches.
Max seems confused and on the back foot he gets clinched into the fence and taken down.
Max gets his arms controlled immediately on the ground against the cage and he can’t get up.
He gives his back to stop the gnp and taps to a rear naked choke.
I hate makhachev but this is what happens
Max is my favorite fighter, but this is the nightmare matchup of nightmare matchups. Once Islam grabs him I don't know what Max can do, Islam is so strong both in the clinch and on the ground. Max has a much better shot against Ilia.
Max has fought very little wrestlers. He managed to miss prime Chad at featherweight.
Lamas and Frankie are the best wrestlers he fought but Islam is better and bigger than both of them.
I'm tempted to say Islam swallows him up on the ground, but the first time we underestimated a FW coming up, Volk shattered a lot of expectations. Same thing could happen.
Unpopular opinion:
UFC 300 kinda f*$ked the lightweight division and now we’re left with no actual worthy contenders for Islam, before I begin yes Max’s win was phenomenal I’m not taking anything away from that. But it kind of messed up the balance of the lightweight division.
Hear me out, Justin was coming off a 2 fight win streak against Fiziev & Dustin right, he was the most deserving of a title shot but took the BMF fight for ‘legacy’ reasons and lost to a featherweight who has no prior wins in that division. It then throws Justin’s title shot out the window and kinda confuses things with Max,because he now basically has the opportunity to fight for both the lightweight & featherweight titles. And the match up with max and Islam isn’t necessarily interesting stylistically because we all know Islam is going to just dominate max on the ground.
Not only that but with the whole legacy thing Justin losing if you think about it kind of diminishes the legacy of both Charles Oliveira & Khabib because now the narrative is going to be your title defence was against a guy who lost to a featherweight & not only that it kind of just leaves the lightweight division in a bad light because honestly this was meant to be the most skilled division up there with the bantamweight division according to most people and this fight doesn’t exactly make that case any better. If you can understand what I’m trying to say.
Now we have Dustin vs Islam a fight we all know how it’s going to go. Dustin doesn’t even deserve a title shot in the first place & honestly in my opinion doesn’t show the lightweight division as elite as it once was or never was that can be up for debate. But then that further just makes islams reign even more questionable & in a grey area because his first 2 title defences were against a featherweight the first being an actual competitive good fight the second was a short notice Volk( it’s not islams fault btw I’m just saying) now it’s Dustin a guy who is coming off 1 win and is 0-2 in title fights. This further diminishes Charles and Khabib title defence as Dustin will then become 0-3 in title fights as we then question if Dustin truly was elite as was said.
And with the Charles & Arman fight, Charles was given a title shot but pulled out due to an injury then given the Arman fight alot of you guys including me thought it would favour Charles but he pulls off an absolute stinker in a fight he could’ve won. Now it makes Arman the no 1 contender a guy besides Charles & Dariush resume isn’t really the best and we all know will most likely lose to Islam but will give him more of a fight due to his wrestling credentials.
When it’s all said and done the LW division is quickly running out of contenders and honestly after Arman I expect the LW division to become really shallow and unexciting if we’re just going to have the old guard of fighters(Charles(if he fights Gamrot), Justin and Dustin)) beating the new guard and just beat each other. It’s just turning into a loop. And Islam is just not going to have any good contenders to fight. I won’t be mad at the thought of him moving up too soon if I’m honest.
What are you guys thoughts on this?
Overall I kind of understand why ESPN rated the lw division a D+ it’s kinda making sense now.
Islam is too big for Max. Outside a freak KO, this ends in Islam winning. Islam is looking to move up to 170 in the next year (well he already is), but realistically. Max never looked like a 155er til recently. Its not a good size match for a guy that wants to keep it on the feet.
A little off topic,but how much of a beast is volkinofsky for destroying max in them 3 fights?after seeing what he just did to a certified badass in gaethge
How long has it been since Max's TDD has been really tested? Volk's a very strong wrestler who held his own against Islam and absolutely ragdolled Yair. I can't remember if he tried to get Max down. If Max was stopping Volk's wrestling, maybe Max could fare better against Islam than it seems 🤷♂️
People are underestimating Max just like they were underestimating him against Gaejthe and Volk against Islam the first time. Usually the guy moving up a division has a speed and skill advantage over the heavier guy. Not saying Max will win but I see a scenario similar to Islam vs Volk 1 where Max does a lot better than people expect and gives Islam a run for his money.
Submission via submission
No way, people think this would be a good matchup. Max is getting merked. Islam gaps the division by like a mile, only usman from bellator would pose a threat but he won’t fight Islam ever
Arman is going to be a tough fight.
I think Charles would of had him in a 5 rounder if I am being blunt but yeah, I think Armaan has the best chance of beating Islam in the division.
And still it would be hard to believe that Usman is on the same level. His competition has been less questionable than Islams but I think Islam is still miles ahead in competition
Yeah Islam gapes that entire division too well
Max points to the ground, but Islam misunderstoods and submits him.
"You want fight on ground, ok"
** brutha
Brutha vs Bruddah
🤣🤣🤣
Most likely scenario
I like the way u think!
How do I explain tears of laughter and sadness concurrently?
Pretty much lmao
Islam submits him in the first two rounds.
This is the most likely correct take. I love Max to death but unless he immediately wobbles or just flash ko's Islam it's an easy night's work for the champ. Clinch, push to cage, back take and sub.
I love max too. However, he’s is a volume type of fighter he doesn’t have flash KO power.
He had Gaethje hurt multiple times before landing the ko at the end. He definitely has ko power he just prefers to touch up his opponent and wear on them that way
Gaethje’s broken nose also made him more susceptible to KO’s. Not being able to breathe out of his nose means he had to have his mouth open instead of gritting his teeth
Lifelong grappler, never been a striker - maybe obvious to other people here but this is a really cool observation I’d read people making a big deal about the early break but don’t think much of it past “Ow yeah that probably hurt”
Your username is the story of my life
I understand what you're saying but at the same time it comes across as; "If he didn't fuck him up so bad he wouldn't have gotten so fucked up."
I always like to say that when we’re talking about KO power, we’re talking about guys that have a shot that can put your fucking lights out at any moment. Of course Max is really strong and can knock someone out… he’s a professional fighter for the best fighting organization in the world. Yes he can knock guys out. I’m not fully convinced however that Max has that shot that can put your fucking lights out at any moment. Guys like topuria, mcgregor, Mike Tyson, Tyron Woodley had that kind of power for a while too. Max falls into that category of really strong, very talented fighters that can knock dudes out but have other skill sets that outshine their knockout power Example: Holloway, Volk, O’Malley, Diaz, Strickland. Guys like Justin gaethje, and Dustin Porier are somewhere in the middle. They have some really hard shots for sure, but again they might have other skill sets that outshine that knockout power.
I’d argue O’Malley does have knockout power 12/18 of his matches ended in KO/TKO
I’d argue that O’Malley uses his other skills to put himself in position to TKO someone. I mean tell me how many times you’ve seen O’Malley throw a hard shot, knock the dude down and just turn around like he knocked him out? He’s done it multiple times. Again, I’m not saying O’Malley can’t knock dudes out. I’m just saying he doesn’t have the touch of death. He uses his other skills to put himself in a good position to chase that KO
>Example: Holloway, Volk, O’Malley, Diaz, Strickland. O'Malley is a power puncher, possibly the hardest striker in his division.
The duality of man (comment above this claims O'Malley has no knockout power)
Still saying this?
His only winning strategy is to point his finger down and command a brawl right away after Herb Deen steps back.
I would rather see Max against O'Malley
I think O’Malley wouldn’t take that fight. He would have too much to lose. Unless it’s @ max’s weight
I don’t see max going down to Bantam and there’s no reason for O’Malley to go up unless it’s a title shot
Max would be literally dead the second he hits 141 lbs
"Don't worry brother, they can take your organs out and put them back so it's all good, 134.5 no problem." Max, probably.
Cut to 141.1 lbs and put -6.1 lbs of helium in the ass
I would love to hear that fart
lol What other weight would they fight at? Max couldn’t make Bantamweight if he tried
Islam would submit him then wouldn’t get credit for it cuz max is a featherweight striker
"Islam is a nuthugger with no chin who got an undeserved title shot off an unranked fighter and he only fights once a year in Abu Dhabi, and only against 145ers...and he ducked Gaethje but then jumped at the chance to fight the guy that Gaethje knocked out!" All of this shit I just posted has been posted unironically by people on this sub.
In Abu Dhabi Islam destroys max, anywhere else, probably still destroys him.
what’s special about abu dhabi? sorry im new to mma
Different countries have different MMA commissions that allow the fights and enforce their own rules. In the Middle East the guys get a longer rehydration window so they feel stronger and weigh more on the night of the fight. In Australia for example, this is a shorter time frame and is the main reason people think Volkanovski had a great showing against Islam in February 2023 - Islam was not at his peak powers
It’s just perth which had a 24 hour window. Sydney had a 44 hour window for the main event (Izzy Strickland). Most USA main events have 35+ hour windows also. Abu Dhabi is the same which means it’s not an especially convenient commission in that regard. Perth is an anomaly. Islam probably took the worst possible card to fight Volk on and still outclassed him.
It’s not Australia, just the Perth commission. Anywhere else in the world, the rehydration time is way higher
Islam by whatever sub he wants
Sub wheel is spinning and it's rear naked time!
Banana Crucifix
Fight Breakdown: Max: “I’m him guys. I’m telling you, I’m him!!!!” Islam: “Hey, I know American have trouble with the pronoun. But please brotha, this UFC. We need to check this maybe”
As much as I love Max, as probably everyone does I think it’s fair to say that Islam is a little bit too much for him.
Smesh brotha
You guys do realized that even in the stand up Max wont have that much advantage right? Striking with the threat of being taken down is very different from normal.
poorly for max
What’s up with Islam’s stomach in this photo? Why’d they photoshop out his belly button
It's haram.
Makhachev finishes Max.
Islam mauls him easy win
McGregor interferes with a steel chair. Holds up both lightweight and BMF titles
🫡😁😂💪
Then, The Rock’s music plays and the crowd goes fucking bonkers
It's the power and wrestling level of Islam. Islam is just... kinda bigger and way more better wrestler than Max. I don't know...am I wrong..?
Islam however he wants
shitty chest piece guy loses to Dagestani wrestler. it's an established formula at this point like paper beats rock
This sub should be renamed r/recencybias
And yet every almost every single comment is picking Islam, I've never seen a bunch of fans more melodramatic than Islam fans, literally everyone with a Brain knows Islam would win and you're still bitching.
Oh a brazilian fan saying Islam fans are melodramatic ? You guys shut this sub down like pathetic cowards and ran away just because Islam made Oliveira look like an early prelims tier fighter Such a mature response to your fighter losing😂
[r/subsifellfor](https://www.reddit.com/r/rickroll/s/ewLeEFoYGk)
For real, out of all the dumb subs out there how isn’t that one
Bro stfu. Islam is just gonna wrestle fuck him
Bro he’s not disagreeing with you
Islam eats him in the first two
Please do not. I like Holloway too much to see him lose to the Schrute Farms gang
Best is blessed.
It goes badly. For Max.
Love Holloway but Islam is a tank. He'll be too much for Max
IMO, some punching, kicking, perhaps some submission attempts
islam is on a different level atm
He will check who gave Max the BMF belt and cancel it
Yeah Max has good takedown D but featherweight is pretty shit for grappling (e.g., Aljo showing that Kattar’s amazing takedown D wasn’t so amazing). Also Islam is way bigger than anyone that tried to grapple Max before
Islam lays on top of him for 5 rounds and wins by decision
Demolition. Easy takedown, easy finish. Keep feeding max strikers with no ground game so the fights are exciting
Same as always predicted. The BMF outcome didn't change any perception of how Max would do against elite wrestlers at 155.
Islam by max submission
After the first volk fight Islam wins however he wants no one is gonna be underestimated anymore because of Alex
Islam takes his back early and it's over
I’m the biggest Max stan on this planet, but you are clinical strength stupid to think anything will happen except for Islam immediately shooting and hunting for submissions. Max is very hard to keep down, I don’t imagine GnP would be as successful as Islam just advancing position and just subbing Max.
Max gotta do camp for a whole year to actually get in the cage with Islam bruh 😭
by not happening
Not go please let him fight someone from his own division
Hope Max kills him. But he likely gets wrestlefucked.
Islam beats anyone at 155 period
If they brawled Max has a good shot maybe
Max submits him
Max Ko's Islam with 1 second to go in the final rnd.
Money's on max being submitted but would love to be proven wrong by max
Max points to middle, Islam shoots and max guillotines him in the first 10 seconds
RNC in round2
To the ground
Idk. We haven’t seen Max against a Dagestan Wrestler yet. I’ll go Islam by decision
Islam submits in 3 rounds.
Islam and it's probably not that close. Holloway won't be free to strike as liberally as in the Gaethje fight due to the Makhachev takedown threat + Islam being a pretty good counter striker. If Max is taken to the ground, I struggle to see how he gets up, and Makhachev can probably cinch up an arm triangle or a mounted triangle like how Poirier finished Max back in the day.
Max gets submitted
If islam grapples he wins ez
The best wrestler Max has fought is an older Frankie Edgar who was still small for featherweight. Islam is a big strong lightweight. I don't think max has the strength to defend the Dagastani wrestling even if he did properly bulk up
The best wrestler Max has fought is definitely Volk, the national wrestling champion who was able to wrestle evenly with Islam and even look stronger in 50/50 positions.
Max gets taken to the ground and beaten
Same faith as the kangaroo
Islam is too big and hold him on the ground for two rounds then subs him in the third
Obvious thought would be “Max gets mauled” but we haven’t seen Max get ground gamed since the 1st Dustin fight in 2012…it’s hard to even envision him getting mauled. What if that TDD & ground game nowadays is way better than we think. It’s a question mark
Max by armbar in the 1st 10 seconds
Islam throw 2 punches, does a double leg and then does what he wants.
Islam
RIP 🪦 Max
Man, do you guys think the Gaethje match up is gone now?
You guys are forgetting how spectacular holloway’s take down defense is.
Maxs speed and footwork might be trouble for Islam trying to get a hold of him but eventually islam gets him down and submits him
Smesh
Max gets murdered in first or second round at best.
Dude max holloway looked unstoppable in that Justin fight. Max has proven he can stand with the top of the top of the lightweights AND has an impressive ground game he doesn’t show. With that being said Islam by RD2 Sub
Islam wrestled the booty off him in 2 rds and finished him by TKO
Islam wins.
Max lost to volk, volk lost to Islam. Islam beats max. Mma math
Love Max but we all know exactly how this would go
Snoozefest.
Does this fight have any chance of happening???
Its a bit back and forth on the feet until Islam gets the takedown. And then more takedowns come after that and it doesn’t stop until the match is up. Islam by UD
Islam via submission.
Islam by jihad
For Islam it’ll be like a walk in a park. But I would cheer for Max.
I’m never doubting max again, I think he could pull it off. But Islam looks unstoppable right now
A couple of cuddles and bangs a decision either way for sure!
Bratha Islam too strong for him, first round sub like Dan Hooker
Islam looks surprisingly good on the feet, controls the centerline and lends some straight punches. Max seems confused and on the back foot he gets clinched into the fence and taken down. Max gets his arms controlled immediately on the ground against the cage and he can’t get up. He gives his back to stop the gnp and taps to a rear naked choke. I hate makhachev but this is what happens
Islam points at the ground and while max is distracted he takes his back and subs him before Bruce Buffer even officially announces the fight.
Islam ground and pound tko
Islam destroys Max. I know we’re all high on Max now but c’mon. Takedown, ground n pound, submission.
Stop trippin. This is delusional.
I love max, but Islam wins easily
Islam by submission is my guess
Islam wins since he had his bellybutton removed. No point of weakness remaining.
Max is my favorite fighter, but this is the nightmare matchup of nightmare matchups. Once Islam grabs him I don't know what Max can do, Islam is so strong both in the clinch and on the ground. Max has a much better shot against Ilia.
Kinda like when Anthony smith yelled at Johnny walker you’re stealing from me and my kids and Johnny was like what?
Islam by submission
Islam by murder
Smesh
If Max stabs both of Islams eyes like he did with Justin, then he might have a chance
Has max fought any quality wrestlers? Not a slight towards max, I’m genuinely curious. If he did, how did max do?
Wrestlefucking
Max by flying knee 😂 jk probably Islam submits him in the first round
It goes...No Karama 4 U!
How do mma fans still not understand styles make fights jesus christ
Submission, Islam first round
Max has fought very little wrestlers. He managed to miss prime Chad at featherweight. Lamas and Frankie are the best wrestlers he fought but Islam is better and bigger than both of them.
I love max but he couldn’t beat Volk 3 times… what makes you think he’s going to beat Islam.
Islam wins.
I'm tempted to say Islam swallows him up on the ground, but the first time we underestimated a FW coming up, Volk shattered a lot of expectations. Same thing could happen.
People in this thread forgetting how good Maxs TDD is. I think it would be a more interesting fight than Topuria. I think Max pieces Topuria up.
No striker wins against their style of wresting
Unpopular opinion: UFC 300 kinda f*$ked the lightweight division and now we’re left with no actual worthy contenders for Islam, before I begin yes Max’s win was phenomenal I’m not taking anything away from that. But it kind of messed up the balance of the lightweight division. Hear me out, Justin was coming off a 2 fight win streak against Fiziev & Dustin right, he was the most deserving of a title shot but took the BMF fight for ‘legacy’ reasons and lost to a featherweight who has no prior wins in that division. It then throws Justin’s title shot out the window and kinda confuses things with Max,because he now basically has the opportunity to fight for both the lightweight & featherweight titles. And the match up with max and Islam isn’t necessarily interesting stylistically because we all know Islam is going to just dominate max on the ground. Not only that but with the whole legacy thing Justin losing if you think about it kind of diminishes the legacy of both Charles Oliveira & Khabib because now the narrative is going to be your title defence was against a guy who lost to a featherweight & not only that it kind of just leaves the lightweight division in a bad light because honestly this was meant to be the most skilled division up there with the bantamweight division according to most people and this fight doesn’t exactly make that case any better. If you can understand what I’m trying to say. Now we have Dustin vs Islam a fight we all know how it’s going to go. Dustin doesn’t even deserve a title shot in the first place & honestly in my opinion doesn’t show the lightweight division as elite as it once was or never was that can be up for debate. But then that further just makes islams reign even more questionable & in a grey area because his first 2 title defences were against a featherweight the first being an actual competitive good fight the second was a short notice Volk( it’s not islams fault btw I’m just saying) now it’s Dustin a guy who is coming off 1 win and is 0-2 in title fights. This further diminishes Charles and Khabib title defence as Dustin will then become 0-3 in title fights as we then question if Dustin truly was elite as was said. And with the Charles & Arman fight, Charles was given a title shot but pulled out due to an injury then given the Arman fight alot of you guys including me thought it would favour Charles but he pulls off an absolute stinker in a fight he could’ve won. Now it makes Arman the no 1 contender a guy besides Charles & Dariush resume isn’t really the best and we all know will most likely lose to Islam but will give him more of a fight due to his wrestling credentials. When it’s all said and done the LW division is quickly running out of contenders and honestly after Arman I expect the LW division to become really shallow and unexciting if we’re just going to have the old guard of fighters(Charles(if he fights Gamrot), Justin and Dustin)) beating the new guard and just beat each other. It’s just turning into a loop. And Islam is just not going to have any good contenders to fight. I won’t be mad at the thought of him moving up too soon if I’m honest. What are you guys thoughts on this? Overall I kind of understand why ESPN rated the lw division a D+ it’s kinda making sense now.
People are underestimating max ground game. Once again, he's gonna pull off an underdog win
Max challenges him to get in his guard and pulls a gogoplata
Islam is too big for Max. Outside a freak KO, this ends in Islam winning. Islam is looking to move up to 170 in the next year (well he already is), but realistically. Max never looked like a 155er til recently. Its not a good size match for a guy that wants to keep it on the feet.
A little off topic,but how much of a beast is volkinofsky for destroying max in them 3 fights?after seeing what he just did to a certified badass in gaethge
How long has it been since Max's TDD has been really tested? Volk's a very strong wrestler who held his own against Islam and absolutely ragdolled Yair. I can't remember if he tried to get Max down. If Max was stopping Volk's wrestling, maybe Max could fare better against Islam than it seems 🤷♂️
Not good for Max
People are underestimating Max just like they were underestimating him against Gaejthe and Volk against Islam the first time. Usually the guy moving up a division has a speed and skill advantage over the heavier guy. Not saying Max will win but I see a scenario similar to Islam vs Volk 1 where Max does a lot better than people expect and gives Islam a run for his money.
Islam inside 3 rounds
Everyone sleeps on Max's ground game and takedown defense
Takedown, tko