- Joined
- Jan 19, 2024
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Back then (way back then) I was a sports journalist. A John Doe, just a number, but working for the biggest sports newspaper here in Spain (Marca).
After the fight, a former colleague that now covers everything UFC-related (Irati Prat) was around Ilia, because he has been there since the beginning and all that.
We worked together covering -mostly- European football and FIBA basketball, and today I had some beers with him and some pals.
As I'm out of the biz for more than 12 years, he didn't bring any off the record stuff, just things he said loud enough for everyone close enough to listen.
- Most of his antics (celebrating the day before, changing his bio...) are nor supposed to be "mental warfare", but mind tricks FOR him.
Like telling everyone that you quit smoking: now you have to, so he has to deliver.
- He was absolutely confident he was going to win (as any fighter needs to believe) but from his POV, trying to be objective, Max and Oliveira were potentially 50/50 fights. Surprisingly, he felt the Volk bout was the one that leaned the most in his favor.
- Deep inside, he knows Arman should be next. He believes he can beat Tsarukyan, but he would be his toughest challenge to date.
Everyone seems happy with him facing Paddy. He is well aware that it's odd defending against a dude who's #8 (I believe he's even lower ATM), but if people buys it and no one points out at the elephant in the room... he will try to make this "narrative" (hate the word) gain traction. Dude is smart.
- He knows that, unless Merab fights one more time, another decisive win this year pretty much secures FOTY.
- He knows that, even being the face of the UFC, going for a 3rd belt with the current row of rightful contenders @ WW is unwarranted.
And moving up 15 lbs at his height is no joke. But he will entertain this "narrative" (stupid neologisms) because he has the power over it.
- If he defends vs Paddy and eventually faces Arman, he thinks that -once past Tsarukyan- there's no new blood up&coming at LW and the shark tank that once was is becoming a "weak" division, so why not try to pile up 3 or even 4 defenses? Again, dude is smart and calculated.
- He actually highly doubts he gets to face Islam. He'd love to.
Apparently he didn't say a word about #1 P4P. Maybe he thought it would still be Islam, at least until fighting JDM.
After the fight, a former colleague that now covers everything UFC-related (Irati Prat) was around Ilia, because he has been there since the beginning and all that.
We worked together covering -mostly- European football and FIBA basketball, and today I had some beers with him and some pals.
As I'm out of the biz for more than 12 years, he didn't bring any off the record stuff, just things he said loud enough for everyone close enough to listen.
- Most of his antics (celebrating the day before, changing his bio...) are nor supposed to be "mental warfare", but mind tricks FOR him.
Like telling everyone that you quit smoking: now you have to, so he has to deliver.
- He was absolutely confident he was going to win (as any fighter needs to believe) but from his POV, trying to be objective, Max and Oliveira were potentially 50/50 fights. Surprisingly, he felt the Volk bout was the one that leaned the most in his favor.
- Deep inside, he knows Arman should be next. He believes he can beat Tsarukyan, but he would be his toughest challenge to date.
Everyone seems happy with him facing Paddy. He is well aware that it's odd defending against a dude who's #8 (I believe he's even lower ATM), but if people buys it and no one points out at the elephant in the room... he will try to make this "narrative" (hate the word) gain traction. Dude is smart.
- He knows that, unless Merab fights one more time, another decisive win this year pretty much secures FOTY.
- He knows that, even being the face of the UFC, going for a 3rd belt with the current row of rightful contenders @ WW is unwarranted.
And moving up 15 lbs at his height is no joke. But he will entertain this "narrative" (stupid neologisms) because he has the power over it.
- If he defends vs Paddy and eventually faces Arman, he thinks that -once past Tsarukyan- there's no new blood up&coming at LW and the shark tank that once was is becoming a "weak" division, so why not try to pile up 3 or even 4 defenses? Again, dude is smart and calculated.
- He actually highly doubts he gets to face Islam. He'd love to.
Apparently he didn't say a word about #1 P4P. Maybe he thought it would still be Islam, at least until fighting JDM.
