I give DDP the edge against Khamzat

[muaythaibeast]

Didn’t seem to work for Whittaker or Usman so the round 1 takedown is inevitable.

Whittaker and Usman aren't strong. Whittaker is a light on his feet, good movement type of guy, and Usman is a Welterweight.
DDP will be much, much stronger than anyone Khamzat has fought.

 

[muaythaibeast]

Khamzat looked excellent in the Rob fight, but he didn't answer the questions about his weaknesses. If he doesn't get the finish in the 1st, can he sustain any kind of pace, or does he fall apart?

 

[Hog-train]

DDP's ground game is not predicated on his immense skill. He's just really strong and athletic.

Khamzat is strong and athletic AND skilled on the ground. He chain wrestles similar to Khabib and I don't think DDP can stop the takedown.

DDP got taken down by Brunson.

 

[188912345]

Khamzat looked excellent in the Rob fight, but he didn't answer the questions about his weaknesses. If he doesn't get the finish in the 1st, can he sustain any kind of pace, or does he fall apart?

He won't need to sustain the exact same pace. If he can dominate rounds 1 and maybe 2 with grappling, it's very likely that he will get a finish or at least one 10-8. Also, it's taxing for his opponent as well. Carrying his weight, scrambling, getting taken down, ground and pound, etc.

I do concede that Dricus is more dangerous than Rob or Usman though, due to his finishing instincts. Can't ever count him out, but there's a reason he will be an underdog vs Khamzat.

I don't understand why people act like he's falling apart, just because he's competitive in the later rounds vs Burns and Usman, instead of dominating them. It's quite a tough ask.

Meanwhile we have former champ Strickland who way too often goes to a split decision, but then instead gets praised for his cardio, not criticized for his lack of domination and finishing ability.

Khamzat still hit takedowns in every round vs Usman, with control time. Increased his output in round 3 vs Burns, and won the 3rd.

Also got Burns down even after getting dropped. From what we've seen so far there's no indication that Khamzat is easy to finish or beat by decision.

Dricus is strong too, but calling Usman "not strong" is ridiculous.

 

[Psychojoe86]

DDP would get taken down. It's a matter of whether he could survive the blitz. If he does, I think he pulls off the win.

 

[fortheo]

Strength with wrestling is important. DDP is a better grappler and Whittaker's TDD was always overrated because of his Romero fights. DDP has decent grappling to go with his strength, but it's fascinating how no one wants to argue his skills can come close to Khamzat. When was the last fight a non wrestler beat a great one with strength? I mean fighters in their prime.

Dricus has been doing judo since he was like 7 and wrestling since he was like 13, he has some of the highest takedown and submission stats in the division. Calling him a non wrestler is a stretch. Dude is a beast everywhere.

 

[fortheo]

DDP's ground game is not predicated on his immense skill. He's just really strong and athletic.

Khamzat is strong and athletic AND skilled on the ground. He chain wrestles similar to Khabib and I don't think DDP can stop the takedown.

DDP got taken down by Brunson.

Brunson also got swept and taken down by ddp. Khamzat has yet to face a wrestler as big and as good as brunson, unless you count old man short notice usman with shot knees who hadn't used wrestling to win fights for years.

Not sure why people use the brunson performance against DDP. If anything, ddp showed he can more than handle big ass wrestlers

 

[Tweak896]

dricus doesnt need to be a khamzat level wrestler to beat khamzat, all he needs to do is get up from his takedowns
khamzat would be dead in the water standing against dricus, and to be fair, past the first round i wouldnt be surprised if dricus, the guy who takes everybody he fights down, starts to overtake the known gasser down in grappling

Ddp is a known gasser too. Atleast ddp has later finishes but he doesn't have consistent cardio. Most people try and act like you just survive round 1 with Khamzat and you get an easy fight afterwards. Most the time the guy on top has gravity + his body weight and grip which will tire the person out on bottom. Wrestlers rarely have bad cardio.

 

[Tweak896]

Dricus has been doing judo since he was like 7 and wrestling since he was like 13, he has some of the highest takedown and submission stats in the division. Calling him a non wrestler is a stretch. Dude is a beast everywhere.

I agree, I just think most aren't making arguments based off skills and instead have an idea that his strength will power through wrestling. DDP is really not any kind of specialist but is awkward enough in each area he can catch others where they are weak.

I will add though no one has really kept Khamzat on the feet besides Usman, but Khamzat was injured and still took him down every round. Burns had a BJJ threat no one else has to keep it standing.

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

how do you know if DDP is stronger? Did he manhandle Rob worse?

DDP is likely going to run and hide avoid khamzat, behind a champ vs champ fight against Alex p. Alex too ran away from mw after khamzat arrived btw

Winner for most retarded take of the thread for sure.

 

[flektarn]

Brunson also got swept and taken down by ddp. Khamzat has yet to face a wrestler as big and as good as brunson, unless you count old man, short notice usman with shot knees who hadn't used wrestling to win fights for years.

Not sure why people use the brunson performance against him. If anything, ddp showed he can more than handle big ass wrestlers

exactly. And honestly...getting taken down doesn't guarantee a finish. He rode Usman for 5 minutes and none of that shit was locked in under the chin at any point. Broke his wrist in the process getting slammed holding onto a bad submission as well.

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

Ddp is a known gasser too. Atleast ddp has later finishes but he doesn't have consistent cardio. Most people try and act like you just survive round 1 with Khamzat and you get an easy fight afterwards. Most the time the guy on top has gravity + his body weight and grip which will tire the person out on bottom. Wrestlers rarely have bad cardio.

It's the total opposite, DDP has excellent cardio as he showed in the adesanya fight getting body kicked 50 times and still pressing forward till the finish and in the Strickland fight where he went a hard 5 throwing 360 strikes to Sean's 420 while going 6/11 on takedowns.

Him being a mouth breather because of his former nasal issues has created this false narrative that he doesn't have a tank when he's constantly hitting, moving, and pressuring. He walked down Strickland for most of the fight, no one else has made Sean fight off the back foot as long.

 

[fortheo]

I agree, I just think most aren't making arguments based off skills and instead have an idea that his strength will power through wrestling. DDP is really not any kind of specialist but is awkward enough in each area he can catch others where they are weak.

I will add though no one has really kept Khamzat on the feet besides Usman, but Khamzat was injured and still took him down every round. Burns had a BJJ threat no one else has to keep it standing.

For me it's more so the fact that Dricus is the most well rounded grappler Khamzat has faced. DDP is Unlike the strong wrestlers/defensive grapplers (usman and whittaker) and he's unlike bjj ace burns -- Dricus has both strong wrestling and a strong submission game, similar to khamzat. Half of DDP's career was him submitting people, and he's already proven his wrestling is good enough to take down good defensive grappler's like whittaker, strickland, and izzy etc etc whenever he wanted.

It's skill and strength that makes him a tough fight for khamzat. He's also gone five hard rounds while increasing the output the whole time. So, it's experience too.

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

For me it's more so the fact that Dricus is the most well rounded grappler Khamzat has faced. DDP is Unlike the strong wrestlers/defensive grapplers (usman and whittaker) and he's unlike bjj ace burns -- Dricus has both strong wrestling and a strong submission game, similar to khamzat. Half of DDP's career was him submitting people, and he's already proven his wrestling is good enough to take down good defensive grappler's like whittaker, strickland, and izzy etc etc whenever he wanted.

It's skill and strength that makes him a tough fight for khamzat. He's also gone five hard rounds while increasing the output the whole time. So, it's experience too.

DDP vs Khamzat at The Calabash is now the fight I am going to try to manifest for 2025. Impossible to be a boring fight, stadium atmosphere, guaranteed fireworks.

 

[Tweak896]

It's the total opposite, DDP has excellent cardio as he showed in the adesanya fight getting body kicked 50 times and still pressing forward till the finish and in the Strickland fight where he went a hard 5 throwing 360 strikes to Sean's 420 while going 6/11 on takedowns.

Him being a mouth breather because of his former nasal issues has created this false narrative that he doesn't have a tank when he's constantly hitting, moving, and pressuring. He walked down Strickland for most of the fight, no one else has made Sean fight off the back foot as long.

You might be right but he looked gassed as hell vs Izzy then just pulled it out of him to still explode and find the finish. If people can talk how Khamzat looked gassed, I can make the observation of ddp. Either way I don't think they are far off.

 

[Tweak896]

For me it's more so the fact that Dricus is the most well rounded grappler Khamzat has faced. DDP is Unlike the strong wrestlers/defensive grapplers (usman and whittaker) and he's unlike bjj ace burns -- Dricus has both strong wrestling and a strong submission game, similar to khamzat. Half of DDP's career was him submitting people, and he's already proven his wrestling is good enough to take down good defensive grappler's like whittaker, strickland, and izzy etc etc whenever he wanted.

It's skill and strength that makes him a tough fight for khamzat. He's also gone five hard rounds while increasing the output the whole time. So, it's experience too.

So is your prediction DDP wins the grappling side enough to keep it standing? Or he just mixes it up enough to turn the momentum in the fight? I expect Khamzat to control DDP and DDP won't have submissions off his back, maybe threaten a guillotine from a single.

 

[RockyLockridge]

Whittaker and Usman aren't strong. Whittaker is a light on his feet, good movement type of guy, and Usman is a Welterweight.
DDP will be much, much stronger than anyone Khamzat has fought.

Just recount that DDP manhandled whittaker in the clinch, he is physically much much stronger than Rob or really any other MW

 

[seese]

The condition and stamina has been Khamzats achilles for quite some time. He has been struggling with post covid, weight (remember he fought the Swedish nationals in 92kg already back in 2018 - https://www.liga-db.de/Turniere/VT/2018/SE/180602_Sporthallen/SWE13119246073NR1139.htm) and in longer fights. He did do high altitude training now before Whitaker, partly to prepare for a tougher/longer fight. He still hasn't fought a 5 round fight and I imagine DDP will have a game plan to take it into later rounds. We tend to have a recency bias and right now we remember the beast-mode Khamzat from his fight with Whitaker and not the so-so one against Burns for instance (still a great fight but he didn't walk over him despite being bigger/stronger). I would still see a fight with DDP as fairly even with a slight edge to Khamzat.

 

[STRAWBOSS]

yeah I don't see it at all but I respect your opinion and will enjoy watching the fight with you on fight night...

IN OUR UNDERWEAR

 

[complex14]

Why Khamzat need to fight for 5 rounds? I'd rather watch Khamzat's onslaught in first two rounds, try to finish opponent asap than waste my time for watch a boring fighter fight 5 rounds just for points.