UFC 294: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2

The official Tapology discussion thread for the event!

@Rah123 

it's some kind of nickel mining thing. it's from a photography series that i saw once and i thought it was cool, and then i figured there was no point in ever changing my avatar.

this is a larger size:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.491

FWIW i don't know anything about mining nor photography nor am i otherwise into museums or art like this. 

My bad wasn’t trying to be gross that’s just Colby’s silly nickname for Khamzat. I don’t even watch **** !

It has that homely welcome to Mordor feeling.

Colby calls Khamzat cum shot? Okay then I guess I understand but nonetheless I think it's best not to use that for titling a post

Ok ok fine ! I admit! I watch ****.. but only the softest of core.

I'm glad I checked the start time, would've been a long day waiting for some Brisket to cook 

I'm loving the new Leaderboards entry on our profiles, makes everything much easier to see and adds a lot. Wish i actually had enought predictions to have a ranking but i will get there eventually. Thanks for the addition. 👍👊

This card is gonna be quite a passing of the guard. 

Islam dec

Khamzat dec

Ikram ko

Mokaev sub

Javid dec

Victoria by murder

Edit: Seen a lot of people spamming that Alex will win this time. This is coming from a big Volk fan who picked/bet him in first fight...He's gonna lose. Islam had way less 5 rnd experience, enemy territory, lower rehydration window, and volk had full camp. He still couldn't pull it off. 

This time Islam will win more convincingly and everyone will be upset. 

* Edited at 10.19.2023, 1:28 PM ET *

Elliott vs. Mokaev
Muhammad Mokaev, SUB, R3
I really think Elliot has more of a chance then most people think and I want to pick him. But I'm being logical here.

Islam and Chimaev by finish 

skipping this card besides the last 2 fights...

i think usman point fights chimaev and wins
wish volk wasnt going on short notice but i think the bigger octogon gives him the edge.. i really dont know about that one but im taking the plus money on both fights

What a snoozer of a press conference.

Ankalaev vs. Walker
Johnny Walker, TKO, R2
I hate russians and dislike boring fighters

I'm Picking Volk, and I think that even though Alexander is not in full camp, the short notice fight is more convenient for him than for Makhachev (although the fact that Khabib is in the corner will be of great help for Islam in terms of strategy ). 

But I think that beyond resuming the drama that Khabib started with the shirt at the weigh-in (If Sambo was easy, it would be called Jiu Jitsu) everything that Craig Jones argues simply does not make sense: Sambo is not a myth, it is the training system of the Soviet military and in reality Combat Sambo is the best base to make the transition to MMA because it practically covers all the fundamentals of MMA: Combat Sambo has punches, kicks, takedowns, scrambles, submissions attempts. You can win by KO, Submission or points (Decision). 

In addition to criticizing the legitimacy of sambo, Craig Jones says that Islam stinks regarding subs attempts and that is a fallacy: You only need to watch the Islam vs. Sambo fight. Dober or Thiago Moises to realize the good work Islam does in scrambles, transitions and subs attempts: use the body triangle of back control to get the full mount, Armbar Attempts from full mount, knee to the belly in side control, good use of headlocks in addition to defending Thiago Moises' inverted heel hook. The reason why Islam does not chain subs attempts after subs attempts is obvious: if you lose position in MMA your opponent attacks you with ground and pound, which does not happen in BJJ. 

Other thing is that Craig Jones in the embedded is presented as Volkanovski's Sambo Instructor (although that may be a matter for UFC Media and not a self-proclamation by Jones). I understand that Khabib's return and the opportunity to cross paths gave Craig the idea of reviving Sambo-BJJ Beef, but Jones was outwrestled by Sean Brady (Really Good Grappler in my opinion) in a Grappling Contest, you can't brag about BJJ Superiority if you were clearly beaten with only wrestling fundamentals.

It's really not that serious, Craig Jones is just poking fun at Sambo and the Dagestani guys.

Bro wrote a whole script about how Sambo is not a myth and is used by the Soviet army 😂😂

Obviously this isn't such a serious matter, but saying that Islam Makhachev sucks at Subs attempts is ridiculous. After all, the best thing that could come out of everything is a Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Craig Jones at the Quintet or Fight Pass Grappling Invitational as GSP returns against Demian Maia in a Grappling Match

Craig Jones is just being a troll, 

+ he's just trying to big up Volk while putting down Islam which makes sense since that is what Islam's camp has been doing to Volk.

You really believe Volk weighed more than Islam on fight day in there first fight? Javier Mendez said that.
And on Embedded the Dagestani's were clowning Volk's standup.

It's just healthy competitive **** talk back n forth, don't think either side mean very much by it.

* Edited at 10.19.2023, 7:41 PM ET *

Javier Mendez seriously said that, hahahaha that's impossible, he seriously believes that.
Obviously Islam had a stronger weight cut at UFC 284, but Volk I don't think he was able to rehydrate much more than what he already had when he got on the scales, however it is well known that Islam recovers a lot after the weight cut.

It's true that trash talking is usually common in being competitive. I admit that I took Jones' comments literally.

LOL why you Khabib fanbois so delusional it's over he is not coming back he already ducked 90% of the hard fights why would he come back now for them?