When I hear people praising Vitaly Minakov as the next future HW champ, I have to wonder how many of his fights they've watched?
I'm a huge fan of Minakov and not only because I'm Russian, and have seen 15 of his 21 fights.
He would certainly be a top 10, possibly top 5 contender in the UFC given how thin the division is. But champion? Right now, Minakov's big problem is how easy he is to hit in the stand-up, as well as how vulnerable his chin is.
Journeyman DJ Linderman had Minakov BADLY hurt on multiple occasions in their match, and that's no aberration. Minakov has excellent grappling, with an array of takedowns from a shot or clinch, but guys with decent grappling have managed to neutralize him for long stretches. Furthermore, Minakov doesn't have the best cardio, gassing after round 2.
Would I feel confident that Minakov could beat a Derrick Lewis? Honestly, no. Minakov would have a chance thanks to his powerful right hand, but with Lewis' solid takedown defense and decent cardio, he probably gets caught 60-70% of the time right now.
Similarly, against someone like Curtis Blaydes, Minakov gets outpointed in a decision.
Yes, Minakov beat Volkov almost 5 years ago. Since that time, Volkov has improved massively as a fighter. (Don't forget also that Volkov lost to a 40 year-old Cheick Kongo 1.5 years AFTER losing to Minakov...did that make Kongo an elite heavyweight?) Minakov, sad to say, has only improved slightly.
Obviously, as a fan of the guy, I hope Minakov joins ATT full-time, goes to the UFC or at least back to Bellator, improves his skills, and has many great fights against top guys. But I have to be honest about where he is right now.
