Volkanovski’s Head Coach: 'We Knew Ilia Had a Puncher’s Chance -- And He Got that Punch." Volkanovski Himself Makes No Excuses.

[gentel]

Very annoying that even though Volk himself is all class about the loss, his coaches are making scrub excuses on his behalf and making him look bad

 

[sdpdude9]

Problem is, I saw that opening from a mile away all fight long, it was just a matter of time until Illia felt comfortable enough with the timing and distance.

it was there all day.

Ilia was just waiting for his window to do it without much risk, which didn't take him long to find.

Yep. I’ve seen several fighters and analysts comment on this too. While Volk was doing an ok job of point fighting, it was clear he was uncomfortable and leaving big openings. I think people see he technically won the first round as an indication he was on his way to a cruising win but it seemed like just a matter of time early on.

 

[moreorless87]

I saw it the same way. Volk was getting up on volume with safe non-commital strikes but it was obvious the danger was coming from the other side. It seemed to me he was getting stalked and set up early on. As soon as Topuria went for it it was over. Almost from the get go it looked bad for him even though he was getting points.

I mean Volk has always tended to be a high volume striker but to me he looked less committal here than normal, he landed 1-2 good shots at the end of the first I spose but generally it looked like he was just trying to keep Topuria off of him not trying to hurt him.

 

[MarleyLynx]

It's not a puncher's chance when I called the round, method and combination. It's a hole in Volk's game.

 

[MarleyLynx]

Punchers chance
+ slow old guy leaving enormous openings
= easy work

If this is Volks actual take on the fight, Ilia is free money in the rematch (which he probably is even if volk does screw his head on straight.)


Volk would need:

Disciplined high guard
Long range kick heavy approach
Perfect footwork and range management
Lots of wrestling and level changes
All the way in or all the way out

And he may still lose.
But without those adjustments forget it, it is over before it starts.

I think with level changes and lead head kicks Volk could take the rematch. Hard to learn new tricks when you're an old dog though. He's well rounded but Illia has better hands and power, equal cardio and good TDD w a better submission game. It's just time to pass the torch.

 

[Natural Order]

Slept by a Russian wrestler….lucky punch by one of the best boxers in the game.

 

[NicholasJBasile]

A puncher's chance? That's a bit of a stretch. Topuria established himself as the superior boxer in the 1st round imo despite losing it per all 3 judges' scorecards. It was only a matter of time before he got clobbered. That isn't to imply that Voik was outclasses or has no chance in the rematch, but rather it was Topuria's night, and I don't particularly agree that it was a win via "puncher's chance" as that dismisses his boxing displayed; just my 2 cents.

 

[bambammccoy]

What I saw was Topuria constantly catching Volk off balance, out of position, on one leg, etc with his punches even imones that were skimming by Volk or hitting Volks glove you could still tell he was getting caught out of position badly. Basically any punch would've worked in alot of those exchanges that Topuria won simply by how well he seemed to time them. His placement wasn't always 100% but timing was god tier imo.

And this is coming form a guy who was pretty adamant that Topuria didn't have a chance to win. Topuria got the better of him clear as day more than just 1 punch. The KO was being foreshadowed throughout the earlier portions of the fight no doubt.

 

[jeff7b9]

I think with level changes and lead head kicks Volk could take the rematch. Hard to learn new tricks when you're an old dog though. He's well rounded but Illia has better hands and power, equal cardio and good TDD w a better submission game. It's just time to pass the torch.

The path Volk needs to traverse to victory is a razors width, no margin for error, no room for bad luck, no zigging instead of zagging.

Where Ilia just needs to do his thing.

The time to start tightening up the guard and adjusting the approach to compensate for lost reflexes was probably a year or two ago. Instead Volk seemed to fight as though he thought his reflexes would be sufficient defense while within arms reach of a young buck.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but I dont see it happening. Old dog new tricks and all.

 

[Prince Nephilim]

I just got caught is not a good excuse. Chuck said that during his decline and around the same age. Volk has just been KO’d twice in the early rounds. He wasn’t tired, he was already hurt from a previous shot. That old man gimmick was a sign that he was conceding to aging.

 

[Rapa]

A puncher's chance isn't a fluke. That's a strategy for an opponent who outmatches you on paper. Volk was beating Ilia to the punch and was winning the stand-up, although it was close. Ilia fades hard later in the fight, so moving and evading damage to pour it on later is a valid approach. Volk just hasn't learned to keep his chin down on the fence and paid for it.

"Fades later im fight" mean while 10-7 emmett in round 4 and wrestle fucks him in round 5
At least watch fights then if u still want to talk bs feel free to do it

 

[Skarsgard]

"Fades later im fight" mean while 10-7 emmett in round 4 and wrestle fucks him in round 5
At least watch fights then if u still want to talk bs feel free to do it

I'm mainly talking about how his output drops off after the first round. It helps against guys like Emmett who tend to let you dictate the pace and patiently wait for a counter which may or may not appear.

I like Ilia too. He's exciting and should defend the belt a time or two if he can get by Volk in a rematch. Doesn't mean he's above criticism.

 

[LoveMyMMA]

These Aussies always have excuses lined up.

Islam loss - IV accusations
Second Islam loss - drinking beer before the fight
Topuria loss - “he got lucky”

STFU.

 

[The Siege]

Punchers chance
+ slow old guy leaving enormous openings
= easy work

1. If this is Volks actual take on the fight, Ilia is free money in the rematch (which he probably is even if volk does screw his head on straight.)

Volk would need:

Disciplined high guard
Long range kick heavy approach
Perfect footwork and range management
Lots of wrestling and level changes
All the way in or all the way out

And he may still lose.
But without those adjustments forget it, it is over before it starts.

Good points, if I had to make the gameplan, I would rank them like this, from highest bang for your buck to lowest:

1. Perfect Footwork and range management AND All the way in or all the way out (dont get caught in no mans land, dont let him push you to the fence)
2. Lots of wrestling and level changes, anytime Ilia gets in or gets you backed up, work to clinch and punish him by making him grapple to tire out his arms
3. long range kick heavy approach
4. Disciplined high guard

If Ilia can get on the inside of Volk with nothing to deter him, its basically over. Thats why I think the top 2 should be making sure you dont get caught in no-mans land and to avoid the fence, BUT when you do inevitably find yourself with Ilia right in your face, whether on the fence or not, clinch him.

Its obviously easier said than done, and even if done, that doesn't mean a win is guaranteed against Topuria, but the way Volk did it is probably the worst way to do it: back up with chin up against the fence instead of initiating the clinch earlier. Even with a high guard, if Ilia is gets into close range, he is teeing off on the body, especially against the fence.

 

[m249viking]

Top has a strong base and ground game, classifying him as only having a punchers chance against Volk is likely part of the reason Alex found himself in a terrible spot before the KO. He will be better next time, as well. Volk needs to be realistic about the threat Illia posses to him in all facets.

It seems Volk was realistic.

 

[Private Whatley]

From 25-1 to 26-4 in the proverbial blink of an eye. It’s trippy how quickly your legacy can take a massive hit. At the end of the day there’s only room for wins, losses, draws, and NC in the record books.

And 4 losses isn’t as spectacular as only 1 loss. And FW GOAT status is forever out of reach now. The rematch with Islam was a bad idea. And I think a rematch with Topuria in the next six months would also be also be a bad idea.

Alex has balls but he’s a little too impetuous. And was already talking about going back to LW after beating Topuria. But it’s his body, career, and legacy.

So who is the FW GOAT? Max, who he beat three times and Aldo whom he also beat? I mean, Conor is technically undefeated at 145 in the UFC but nobody regards him as the goat of that weight class.

 

[Private Whatley]

Yep. I’ve seen several fighters and analysts comment on this too. While Volk was doing an ok job of point fighting, it was clear he was uncomfortable and leaving big openings. I think people see he technically won the first round as an indication he was on his way to a cruising win but it seemed like just a matter of time early on.

I thought Topuria won the first round while Volk was building a lead in the second round. As I rewatched the fight, it was clear that Topuria was setting him up for the combo against the cage.

 

[is a]

An important point about that initial Volk vs Topuria match being: Did Volk do enough to make Topuria respect his power?

It's one thing to land hard clean shots over and over, but the oppnent stays at a distance from someone that can knock you clean out with a single punch.

If Volk had that one punch KO ability like Izzy, he'd make Topuria come in on striking range with the latter wailing on him and then land that devastating counter punch in retaliation but truth to be told...

Unlike Izzy, i don't think Volk has that capability in him.

He's not getting any younger so naturally his athletic abilities are going to decline sooner than later.

 

[sss133]

I mean we’ll probably only know after he retires but in Rd 1 IT hit Volk and Volk did the similar “come on nod” he’s done in both Islam and the Yair fights but his response was quite different.

In those three fights he went forward and reengaged whereas against IT he circled away. It’s probably a combination of both ITs power but also Volk realising his chin wasn’t there.

It then seemed to disrupt Volks gameplan as he couldn’t counter the pressure because the risk of getting into the pocket was too much so it made it easier for IT to cut the octagon off, remain in the centre and then trap him against the cage.

 

[JustBreed]

While I think his team is deluded if they still really see it this way (they'll probably change their tune over a rematch), I do think the longer that fight when on, the harder it was going to get for Topuria and the more accurate "the punchers chance" statement becomes.

Most of Volks fights have looked exponentially less competitive as the fights get beyond R3. It always starts off looking way more competitive than it ends up being.

I still think Topuria has his number and starches him in the rematch.