Media Volks major weakness in handling southpaw kicks got exposed again

[ExitLUPin]

This was @ WW but his only finish loss until yesterday. From southpaw Corey Nelson body kicks and head kicks spelled his doom. Look how uncomfortable Volk was as soon as Corey switched stance. Fast forward a decade later Islam and his team mustve noticed this. Islam had alot of successful from southpaw with kicks 1st fight and he used them from the start.

In Max rematch he went southpaw and was up 2 rounds early even hurting Volk with a spinning kick. This is a BIG weakness for Volk specially from a taller fighter who lets face it most fighters he fights will be taller.

Makes me think Arnold Allen wouldve been a very very tricky matchup for Volk had Max not derailed him. Hes probably the best southpaw in the division, can kick and has good boxing from there. Good grappling and defense too.

 

[FreddieRoachsVoice]

"Look how uncomfortable he looks" in a fight from a decade ago in a weight class he was completely unsuited for. It's one thing to try to draw a comparison but saying this is "Volk's major weakness" is beyond reaching

 

[Fact Checker]

This was @ WW but his only finish loss until yesterday. From southpaw Corey Nelson body kicks and head kicks spelled his doom. Look how uncomfortable Volk was as soon as Corey switched stance. Fast forward a decade later Islam and his team mustve noticed this. Islam had alot of successful from southpaw with kicks 1st fight and he used them from the start.

In Max rematch he went southpaw and was up 2 rounds early even hurting Volk with a spinning kick. This is a BIG weakness for Volk specially from a taller fighter who lets face it most fighters he fights will be taller.

Makes me think Arnold Allen wouldve been a very very tricky matchup for Volk had Max not derailed him. Hes probably the best southpaw in the division, can kick and has good boxing from there. Good grappling and defense too.

I agree with your analysis on the striking but you’re way off the mark with Allen, and I think that’s an insult to Volk and Islam.


Islam is among the elites in grappling, which opens up much of his striking and his unstoppable pressure. Allen’s ground game is pedestrian compared to Islam/Volk, he’s much more of a counter striker, and he offers little pressure in fights. He also has average power at best. The second Allen pressures Volk he gets taken down, if he allows Volk to dictate he gets drowned, I don’t think Allen is a serious contender… just a good FW nothing more. Topurias wrestling/striking transitions and his big power is much more of a threat imo.

 

[Fatback96]

Sherdog after watching someone’s regional fights:

“I see stiffness”

 

[LEWIS540]

 

[OldBoy91]

Sherdog after watching someone’s regional fights:

“I see stiffness”

Generally how it goes on Sherdog.

"I've been calling out this weakness in his game for years!"

Go back through their posts, find nothing of the sort.

 

[JustOnce]

I'm not sure if it still holds true like a decade plus later, but it's an interesting point. Not everyone can cover their flaws no matter how long.

I don't think Allen has anything for Volk though.

At FW, I think Volk might be the best ever. The only one that would be very interesting is prime Conor. I thought Volk was too fast for Max. I don't think that would be the case against Conor.

 

[Karelinator]

Yeah, Rodriguez' southpaw kicks really massacred him.

 

[AstralPanda]

This was @ WW but his only finish loss until yesterday. From southpaw Corey Nelson body kicks and head kicks spelled his doom. Look how uncomfortable Volk was as soon as Corey switched stance. Fast forward a decade later Islam and his team mustve noticed this. Islam had alot of successful from southpaw with kicks 1st fight and he used them from the start.

In Max rematch he went southpaw and was up 2 rounds early even hurting Volk with a spinning kick. This is a BIG weakness for Volk specially from a taller fighter who lets face it most fighters he fights will be taller.

Makes me think Arnold Allen wouldve been a very very tricky matchup for Volk had Max not derailed him. Hes probably the best southpaw in the division, can kick and has good boxing from there. Good grappling and defense too.

Arnold didn't get derailed at all.

He fought a great fight against his biggest step up in competition so far.

He hasn't even hit his peak yet

 

[ExitLUPin]

Arnold didn't get derailed at all.

He fought a great fight against his biggest step up in competition so far.

He hasn't even hit his peak yet

Derail means to set something off course.

Arnold was on a 12 fight win streak and hadn't lost in 8 years. Was knocking on door of a title shot then Max beat and set him off course. That doesn't mean he won't get a title shot or make his way back to that position but he objectively got derailed.

 

[DoubleTrouble]

Tbh I doubt it's a weakness. He just got beaten by a guy who is his equal if not better, at striking and got nailed with a perfect left head kick.

I thought Islam would head kick KO him in 1st fight tbh.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

Mighty Mouse called it yesterday, before it happened. Seems he saw what you did, TS.

 

[b00tysweat]

Sherdog after watching someone’s regional fights:

“I see stiffness”

"blue lips"

 

[ExitLUPin]

Tbh I doubt it's a weakness. He just got beaten by a guy who is his equal if not better, at striking and got nailed with a perfect left head kick.

I thought Islam would head kick KO him in 1st fight tbh.

Its not just the head kick. Volk had no answer for body kicks either he was just eating them hard like against Corey. Max had success in rematch too.

 

[arcadeperfect]

If anyone was going to do that to Volk it was Yair.

 

[usernamee]

people shittin on you but yeah

I mean Islam almost KOed Volk in the first fight with that exact kick ffs plus in the second fight it even landed once earlier in the rd

And Max had success too

 

[Clark Rogers]

Idk, I get OP's point but idk if that example proves it or of that example is just what it is because Volk was half that guys height

 

[Liverkick-king56]

Islam had a lot of success in the 1st fight with headkicks too but the thing is Islam is a counter striker with a very heavy kicking game... can't expect every single southpaw to fight the same way. It would be silly to expect RDA to fight like Machida just because they're southpaw.

Volk does have a weakness to headkicks but Arnold Allen isn't a very big kicker, massive power in his hands but his kicks are mostly just to dictate range. Sure his southpaw stance will naturally present issues but I think the Holloway fight showed a ton of tools Allen is lacking. Volk's jab and feints should be enough to negate the potential headkick threat. Volk also showed he can find a KO against kicks against the trickiest kicker in the UFC, Yair.

 

[jsbx45]

"Look how uncomfortable he looks" in a fight from a decade ago in a weight class he was completely unsuited for. It's one thing to try to draw a comparison but saying this is "Volk's major weakness" is beyond reaching

I thought the same thing when I first dived into this thread. But the OP makes some valid points and they are not just about that one fight. Just saying.

 

[drbolony]

IVlam fanboys gonna hurt themselves reaching. Fresh off surgery, off the couch, 12 days. Those are the stats.

Where was Max's success from Southpaw in the trilogy? Coming from Max fan, just can't stand bath tubbers trying to distort reality. It's not Fanboying on Volk, the comain doesn't mean shit either.