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- Aug 1, 2019
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Islam vs Ilia has been thrown around as a dream fight for some. The matchup is intriguing! You have Ilia, a power punching jiu-jitsu guy with great boxing technique. You also have Islam, which we all know is one of the all time best grapplers, not only at 155, but arguably in all of the UFC. However, Islam has a few factors that should get him the win.
First of all, Islam and his team have some great great game plans that they can execute. For example, in their second Volk fight, despite everything leading up to it (short notice) they game planned and Islam executed it the way he should have. He attacked the body with kicks as a lot of people expected, since that really worked for him the first fight. We all know Ilia is susceptible to leg kicks. I thought Max would stand on the outside and chip that front leg apart more than he did, but he didn't do it as much as I thought. I think Islam can do a great job at kicking the body and front leg of Ilia's boxing heavy stance. The question is, can Islam throw those strikes and withstand the pressure?
I think Islam can possibly do a great job of withstanding the pressure that comes with throwing those low kicks. He's great at striking while backing up. His cage awareness is not bad, and he's able to resort to the takedown if the pressure really gets tough. Even though most of the strikes he throws while retreating land with the wrist/forearm, it still deters opponents from rushing in. Ilia does a great job at rushing in methodically and in a smart way to throw those power punches, like a well timed uppercut, so this can get dicey.
The weight difference is not small at all. Even though Ilia's coach says he walks around at 187 lbs or something, I don't buy it. Islam has said in interviews that he walk around at 180, and he looked big against Volk, and he's about the same size as Ilia. Then again, why would my opinion matter. The threat of the takedown has to be a significant factor in Ilia's camp/preparation. Obviously they're going to drill drill drill, but the weight might be a huge factor in stuffing takedowns or scrambling out of them. Like I said before though, Ilia was first known for his ground game so maybe he's not too scared to go down with him. We thought the same with Charles, but he learned really quick that going to the ground was not smart after pulling guard and really feeling that pressure. Then Charles goes and throws that random flying knee that gets him knocked down, which is off topic, but bewildering.
TL;DR: I think Islam's team is good at game planning, and Islam is great at executing. Islam can withstand the forward pressure because he's good at striking backwards. The weight difference can play a huge factor.
First of all, Islam and his team have some great great game plans that they can execute. For example, in their second Volk fight, despite everything leading up to it (short notice) they game planned and Islam executed it the way he should have. He attacked the body with kicks as a lot of people expected, since that really worked for him the first fight. We all know Ilia is susceptible to leg kicks. I thought Max would stand on the outside and chip that front leg apart more than he did, but he didn't do it as much as I thought. I think Islam can do a great job at kicking the body and front leg of Ilia's boxing heavy stance. The question is, can Islam throw those strikes and withstand the pressure?
I think Islam can possibly do a great job of withstanding the pressure that comes with throwing those low kicks. He's great at striking while backing up. His cage awareness is not bad, and he's able to resort to the takedown if the pressure really gets tough. Even though most of the strikes he throws while retreating land with the wrist/forearm, it still deters opponents from rushing in. Ilia does a great job at rushing in methodically and in a smart way to throw those power punches, like a well timed uppercut, so this can get dicey.
The weight difference is not small at all. Even though Ilia's coach says he walks around at 187 lbs or something, I don't buy it. Islam has said in interviews that he walk around at 180, and he looked big against Volk, and he's about the same size as Ilia. Then again, why would my opinion matter. The threat of the takedown has to be a significant factor in Ilia's camp/preparation. Obviously they're going to drill drill drill, but the weight might be a huge factor in stuffing takedowns or scrambling out of them. Like I said before though, Ilia was first known for his ground game so maybe he's not too scared to go down with him. We thought the same with Charles, but he learned really quick that going to the ground was not smart after pulling guard and really feeling that pressure. Then Charles goes and throws that random flying knee that gets him knocked down, which is off topic, but bewildering.
TL;DR: I think Islam's team is good at game planning, and Islam is great at executing. Islam can withstand the forward pressure because he's good at striking backwards. The weight difference can play a huge factor.
