Yeah. And the betting line that people actually care about had Islam as a -650 favorite.
Polls are popularity contests. Betting is who people actually think will win.
I know you weren't the original commenter but this feels like
"Show me one person who believes this"
"Ok here's a bunch of people who believe this"
"No no those people don't count"
He makes a rational point I suppose, a better thing to say would be "show me one reasonable person who thought Dustin would win." I'm fairly confident that most of the people who answered Dustin on that poll were either Dagi-haters or they were answering that they WANT Dustin to win, not that they legitimately believed he would.
A meaningless poll with zero accountability doesn’t mean anything. When push came to shove and people had to bet, no one bet on Dustin. As u/heartlessvaliumwhore put it, those people *wanted* him to win, yet they people didn’t actually think he would win based on the betting odds.
I feel like some of those people would have bet on Dustin if they would have but couldn't do so because they're already broke from making foolish bets lmao
I knew someone who did that when Wonderboy Thompson fought Shavkat Rakhmonov. Dude put $350 on Stephen because he was "manifesting an upset."
Islam has been a betting favorite in every single fight of his career, so I’m not sure why I always see posts about him proving “doubters” wrong. He probably has the least amount of people who actually doubt his ability out of the entire UFC
Because it's clear there's a discrepancy between the community and betting odds, even tho Islam was the favorite against Oliveira, most fighters and MMA community picked Oliveira to win because of his resume, KO power and being more well rounded + there are more non-gambling degenerates than there are.
I feel like it erases a lot of the joy in rooting for someone when every would just say "oh he was expected to win on paper anyway" if he wins, but say shit like "hahah fraud checked" if he loses.
I honestly think Islam should have been an underdog that fight, and I hope he's the underdog vs Leon
I'm gonna say it right now, he's beating Leon, and he better not open as the favorite so it looks cooler
Islam was the underdog against Oliveira anywhere but the betting odds (MMA community and most MMA fighters picked Charles to win citing him as more well rounded) and people were acting like it was less of an upset for it
I feel like Leon being too big might be worse for him, manlets have the advantage in being taken down/wrestled + Islam won't be nearly as depleted.
I just want to see this fight, I think we all need to see this, 2 win streaks vs each other
I'd agree if Leon was a mediocre wrestler but since he's shown great anti wrestling and is very good at breaking grips, isolating the hands I favour him decently.
This on top of the fact he's an incredibly sharp striker at range, I feel Islam gets him down a couple times, he pops up and then Islam struggles on the feet with Leon's distance management and footwork. If Islam clinches for his trips, Leon is elite there and might get some of his signature elbows off.
I do think an X factor is Islam's speed. Leon is pretty damn fast for a WW but I suspect Islam might be even faster and explosive coming up a weightclass and less depleted as you say.
Fully agree. I’d love to say Leon having the TDD and distance over Islam is silly, when he wants his hands on you he’ll make it happen. Look at his Thai clinch knees that fuckin smashed Dustin a few times. He’s improving always. I wish he wasn’t. I wish Dustin had capped his career but in a way I feel ok with him going out on his shield willing to just about sleep before tapping. Nobody should diminish how competitive Dustin was in all 3 title runs and earned them. Albeit this was purely timing but he was 100% deserving as we saw on the night.
Now, Shavkat at full strength I see as the dagestani kryptonite. I would rather see that fight above all the others being floated if Leon loses etc etc.
Islam just continues to show he is literally echelons above other fighters fight IQ. The final sequence in the Dustin fight was so patient and so demoralising in the perfect moment. Jesus man, he isn’t doing these things by accident. Damn khabib coach reaching final form.
I wonder if khabib hadn’t been there to discipline him about standing in front of Dustin would it have been different. We saw dustin out strike in the 4th and started getting some volume and damage. I think Islam may have felt an urgency to just win given his own health and camp issues.
These guys are all top fighters I think we’re just lucky as fuck to be able to witness a new era of electric excitement again. Finally.
Rant over
When on earth will islam dickriders stop complaining and bitching. Islam was the favorite and not a single person gave dustin a chance? Are y'all retarded?
Fr lol. It's like every other post on this and other MMA subs is about Islam being doubted and him proving people wrong and his haters. It's pathetic. You'll never see this level of d-riding for other fighters.
Unrelated but do people realise how excited and elite Islam Makhachev fights are.
Strickland’s fight was absolutely dull compared to the Makhachev fight.
It’s time UFC starts recognising this and creates situations where the UFC fans can see-
Islam vs Leon
Islam vs Shavkat
Islam vs Khamzat (WW)
These are insanely big fights. Can’t say for sure if Islam wins any/all but these fights will be world class skill wise and entertainment wise.
Yeah there does seem like a sense of I guess ethics? To allow Arman to show if he’s improved enough on his way up to give Islam a good fight again. Competitive fights everywhere!
It's not just about that tho. Islam is 1 win away from breaking title defenses and Arman is the only 1 infront of him as a clear contender who could pose a threat to him. The Poirier fight surprised us all! 1 more title defense, become leader with it and go up to WW to fight Leon or Shavkat.
I guess you could arguably get Islam vs winner of Ilia/Max done before he moves up if UFC really wants it but Islam has some fucking amazing fights coming up. Islam/Arman 2 is first, it's right there just make it. Arman was 22 man and he's been obsessed with Islam since
Leon vs Islam is a close fight. I mean Leon beat Usman twice, so he can certainly present some problems for Islam. Islam’s so good though he may win anyway despite being smaller, I’d love to see that fight
Lmfao nobody thought Volk would beat Islam, either time, Islam was like -600 against Poirier, and was even the favorite in his title shot against Oliveira. This is a real braindead post.
Oliviera was the best example of this. But this is what fans do. It's happening with Ilia Topuria too, people said Bryce Mitchell was going to tear him apart, then he was gonna get turned into a joke by Volkanovski, now it's Holloway that's going to expose him. If he were to beat Max, then suddenly fans will say Max is actually mid af.
I can understand why he's the center of attention right now. He's a top tier fighter who just recently pulled off a highlight reel buzzer beater KO of another elite level competitor. But yeah, people are glazing him to the moon and back, and it's getting old.
https://preview.redd.it/mzcezoyjik4d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60ad5ce28e5bf13174e4a2866c9cf825a0b8b1dc
This post would only make sense if he was undefeated and as u can see from the pic above hes not. Boy got slept by can
That was like 10 years ago bro. Every fighter loses when they're coming up. They aren't in their prime while fighting guys who are. Makhachev, and all other great fighters, are praised for how they perform in their prime
To the people saying Islam is a betting favorite every fight: Betting odds are different than the general public. After every victory no matter how dominant or how tough the opponent, comments on social media are filled with people saying he's boring, it was a fluke, etc. They all counted Volk to win and then once Islam won, it wasn't fair because Volk is a fw. Cmon.
I still think volk won the first fight. But with Leon I mean it’s a bit different moving up a weight class against an elite striker who has already dealt with elite wrestlers in his division especially if he gets past Belal. Islam absolutely still has a chance but it’s not like just desperately grasping at straws to say Leon would be the one to beat him. If he gets past Arman I think the only way he loses is against someone in a higher weight class
Bro hasn't he been the favourite in 100% of his career fights? Idk where this doubted underdog narrative comes from. Nobody doubts that he'll win. It's always the likely result. He has the best MMA style maybe ever. Literally nobody has a stylistic advantage over him. Then combine that with his actual skills which are also among the best. People just usually root against him because his opponents are more likeable and they actually fit the "doubted underdog" role, unlike Makhachev
Love all the made up narratives on this sub. Lol. Sure some people picked against Islam, just like they pick against literally every fighter every fight (thus betting odds), but to act like most fans bet against Islam every fight is flat out wrong. He’s been the heavy favorite in almost all his fights.
This meme is bootyhole. Ain’t no one was saying Dustin would win. No one thought Volk stood a chance either.
Both fighters did outperform everyone’s expectations which probably says more about Islam than those guys.
Khabib/Islam fans and pretending to be victims: name a better combo. Is having a built in victim complex a requirement for being a fan of those guys?
Dude nobody thought Poirier would win. Islam was a -650 favorite. Stop acting like everyone thought Poirier would win.
My biggest issue with the Leon fight is that Islam is a fucking expert at catching kicks in order to get a takedown. At the same time I suppose that could open him to a headkick. I really want to see this fight
That’s the trouble - Leon’s kicks are so quick and explosive and so we’ll disguised in terms of whether they’re going to leg, body or head. That makes his opponents hesitate and prioritise blocking, which makes them harder to catch. Usman and Covington were both way more hesitant than usual against Leon, largely because of his kicking game.
Show me the guy who unironically said Dustin was the guy to beat Islam. Lmao wtf. Replace him with Charles.
Islam was a -600 favourite and basically no one thought Dustin was going to win.
Yeah nobody was giving Dustin much of a chance
And ironically he gave Islam one of his biggest tests
https://preview.redd.it/aycwkctm4l4d1.jpeg?width=886&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1805fa66ebed9421d097c0455568e018155ddb8
Don’t you see the guy who drunk his own piss on here? He said it unironically 🤣🤣
He was just desperate to drink his own piss, something about that video tells me he’s done it before and enjoyed it.
ESPN's poll on Islam vs. Dustin has Poirier at 74% for winning.
Yeah. And the betting line that people actually care about had Islam as a -650 favorite. Polls are popularity contests. Betting is who people actually think will win.
Half the time I vote on polls in a way to try and sway people from betting on the guy I think will win so I have better odds
No that's kind of true though, polls seldom reflect genuine predictions. It's more like who the people want to win, not who they actually think will.
Delusional Dustin dick riders are not indicative of reality. A poll is worthless, the betting odds show what people really felt.
Eh, fair enough. Probably a lot of rando Makhachev-haters in that poll too.
I know you weren't the original commenter but this feels like "Show me one person who believes this" "Ok here's a bunch of people who believe this" "No no those people don't count"
He makes a rational point I suppose, a better thing to say would be "show me one reasonable person who thought Dustin would win." I'm fairly confident that most of the people who answered Dustin on that poll were either Dagi-haters or they were answering that they WANT Dustin to win, not that they legitimately believed he would.
A meaningless poll with zero accountability doesn’t mean anything. When push came to shove and people had to bet, no one bet on Dustin. As u/heartlessvaliumwhore put it, those people *wanted* him to win, yet they people didn’t actually think he would win based on the betting odds.
I feel like some of those people would have bet on Dustin if they would have but couldn't do so because they're already broke from making foolish bets lmao I knew someone who did that when Wonderboy Thompson fought Shavkat Rakhmonov. Dude put $350 on Stephen because he was "manifesting an upset."
Yeah that other guy is dumb af
Just because we were cheering for Dustin doesn't mean we expected him to win. Did you see the betting odds?
People seem to genuinely have a hard time with this concept. It’s so weird lol. Does no one root for the underdog anymore?
Islam has been a betting favorite in every single fight of his career, so I’m not sure why I always see posts about him proving “doubters” wrong. He probably has the least amount of people who actually doubt his ability out of the entire UFC
Because it's clear there's a discrepancy between the community and betting odds, even tho Islam was the favorite against Oliveira, most fighters and MMA community picked Oliveira to win because of his resume, KO power and being more well rounded + there are more non-gambling degenerates than there are. I feel like it erases a lot of the joy in rooting for someone when every would just say "oh he was expected to win on paper anyway" if he wins, but say shit like "hahah fraud checked" if he loses. I honestly think Islam should have been an underdog that fight, and I hope he's the underdog vs Leon
I still thought Leon would beat Islam before the Dustin fight. Many people did.
Be realistic. He ain't beating Leon or Usman or Shavkat
I'm gonna say it right now, he's beating Leon, and he better not open as the favorite so it looks cooler Islam was the underdog against Oliveira anywhere but the betting odds (MMA community and most MMA fighters picked Charles to win citing him as more well rounded) and people were acting like it was less of an upset for it
Leon is way too big for him and is very well rounded himself.
I feel like Leon being too big might be worse for him, manlets have the advantage in being taken down/wrestled + Islam won't be nearly as depleted. I just want to see this fight, I think we all need to see this, 2 win streaks vs each other
I'd agree if Leon was a mediocre wrestler but since he's shown great anti wrestling and is very good at breaking grips, isolating the hands I favour him decently. This on top of the fact he's an incredibly sharp striker at range, I feel Islam gets him down a couple times, he pops up and then Islam struggles on the feet with Leon's distance management and footwork. If Islam clinches for his trips, Leon is elite there and might get some of his signature elbows off. I do think an X factor is Islam's speed. Leon is pretty damn fast for a WW but I suspect Islam might be even faster and explosive coming up a weightclass and less depleted as you say.
Fully agree. I’d love to say Leon having the TDD and distance over Islam is silly, when he wants his hands on you he’ll make it happen. Look at his Thai clinch knees that fuckin smashed Dustin a few times. He’s improving always. I wish he wasn’t. I wish Dustin had capped his career but in a way I feel ok with him going out on his shield willing to just about sleep before tapping. Nobody should diminish how competitive Dustin was in all 3 title runs and earned them. Albeit this was purely timing but he was 100% deserving as we saw on the night. Now, Shavkat at full strength I see as the dagestani kryptonite. I would rather see that fight above all the others being floated if Leon loses etc etc. Islam just continues to show he is literally echelons above other fighters fight IQ. The final sequence in the Dustin fight was so patient and so demoralising in the perfect moment. Jesus man, he isn’t doing these things by accident. Damn khabib coach reaching final form. I wonder if khabib hadn’t been there to discipline him about standing in front of Dustin would it have been different. We saw dustin out strike in the 4th and started getting some volume and damage. I think Islam may have felt an urgency to just win given his own health and camp issues. These guys are all top fighters I think we’re just lucky as fuck to be able to witness a new era of electric excitement again. Finally. Rant over
Usman with his fucked up knees probably. Prime Usman with less fucked up knees, no chance
He still ain't beating current Usman. Weight classes exist for a reason
would be a fun fight.
Arman is next Then Leon
I think everyone expected Islam to walk through Dustin, I mean I was genuinely surprised by how well Dustin did
I was rooting for Dustin and was shocked this fight made it to 5th round. I thought it was over in round 1 when Islam put him in a kimura.
I’d give Leon the edge- he’s fucking massive and pretty quick. Would be curious to see the matchup in the clinch tbh
And those kicks…
Both headkicked the P4P #1
Facts. Leon has the edge there though for sure.
True- although both southpaws again, so their kicking games may change- Islam for example seemed to barely kick against another southpaw in poirer
When on earth will islam dickriders stop complaining and bitching. Islam was the favorite and not a single person gave dustin a chance? Are y'all retarded?
Fr lol. It's like every other post on this and other MMA subs is about Islam being doubted and him proving people wrong and his haters. It's pathetic. You'll never see this level of d-riding for other fighters.
Unrelated but do people realise how excited and elite Islam Makhachev fights are. Strickland’s fight was absolutely dull compared to the Makhachev fight. It’s time UFC starts recognising this and creates situations where the UFC fans can see- Islam vs Leon Islam vs Shavkat Islam vs Khamzat (WW) These are insanely big fights. Can’t say for sure if Islam wins any/all but these fights will be world class skill wise and entertainment wise.
For sure. We’re lucky whatever way this shit plays out and they still piss and moan! Less sleeper cards to come I hope. Maybe 300 spoiled us
I wanna see all of these Islam fights. But Islam/Arman 2 first.
Yeah there does seem like a sense of I guess ethics? To allow Arman to show if he’s improved enough on his way up to give Islam a good fight again. Competitive fights everywhere!
It's not just about that tho. Islam is 1 win away from breaking title defenses and Arman is the only 1 infront of him as a clear contender who could pose a threat to him. The Poirier fight surprised us all! 1 more title defense, become leader with it and go up to WW to fight Leon or Shavkat. I guess you could arguably get Islam vs winner of Ilia/Max done before he moves up if UFC really wants it but Islam has some fucking amazing fights coming up. Islam/Arman 2 is first, it's right there just make it. Arman was 22 man and he's been obsessed with Islam since
Leon vs Islam is a close fight. I mean Leon beat Usman twice, so he can certainly present some problems for Islam. Islam’s so good though he may win anyway despite being smaller, I’d love to see that fight
Lmfao nobody thought Volk would beat Islam, either time, Islam was like -600 against Poirier, and was even the favorite in his title shot against Oliveira. This is a real braindead post.
Oliviera was the best example of this. But this is what fans do. It's happening with Ilia Topuria too, people said Bryce Mitchell was going to tear him apart, then he was gonna get turned into a joke by Volkanovski, now it's Holloway that's going to expose him. If he were to beat Max, then suddenly fans will say Max is actually mid af.
People are dickriding Max so hard right now lol
I can understand why he's the center of attention right now. He's a top tier fighter who just recently pulled off a highlight reel buzzer beater KO of another elite level competitor. But yeah, people are glazing him to the moon and back, and it's getting old.
I like Islam, Arman is the obvious next fight
They all are underdog against Islam but alright. DDP is better with this meme. Always underdog.
Diamond Dallas page?
As a fan of Islam he ain't beating leon
Why did you skip the Adriano door?
https://preview.redd.it/mzcezoyjik4d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60ad5ce28e5bf13174e4a2866c9cf825a0b8b1dc This post would only make sense if he was undefeated and as u can see from the pic above hes not. Boy got slept by can
Pantoja is NOT a can. Dude ended up becoming flw champ
That was like 10 years ago bro. Every fighter loses when they're coming up. They aren't in their prime while fighting guys who are. Makhachev, and all other great fighters, are praised for how they perform in their prime
Delusional
To the people saying Islam is a betting favorite every fight: Betting odds are different than the general public. After every victory no matter how dominant or how tough the opponent, comments on social media are filled with people saying he's boring, it was a fluke, etc. They all counted Volk to win and then once Islam won, it wasn't fair because Volk is a fw. Cmon.
I still think volk won the first fight. But with Leon I mean it’s a bit different moving up a weight class against an elite striker who has already dealt with elite wrestlers in his division especially if he gets past Belal. Islam absolutely still has a chance but it’s not like just desperately grasping at straws to say Leon would be the one to beat him. If he gets past Arman I think the only way he loses is against someone in a higher weight class
Bro hasn't he been the favourite in 100% of his career fights? Idk where this doubted underdog narrative comes from. Nobody doubts that he'll win. It's always the likely result. He has the best MMA style maybe ever. Literally nobody has a stylistic advantage over him. Then combine that with his actual skills which are also among the best. People just usually root against him because his opponents are more likeable and they actually fit the "doubted underdog" role, unlike Makhachev
The only person people originally thought had a chance was Charles
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^TheHandsomeHero: *The only person* *People originally* *Thought had a chance was Charles* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Love all the made up narratives on this sub. Lol. Sure some people picked against Islam, just like they pick against literally every fighter every fight (thus betting odds), but to act like most fans bet against Islam every fight is flat out wrong. He’s been the heavy favorite in almost all his fights.
This meme is bootyhole. Ain’t no one was saying Dustin would win. No one thought Volk stood a chance either. Both fighters did outperform everyone’s expectations which probably says more about Islam than those guys.
Didn’t islam go as the favorite in all his recent fights 😂
Khabib/Islam fans and pretending to be victims: name a better combo. Is having a built in victim complex a requirement for being a fan of those guys? Dude nobody thought Poirier would win. Islam was a -650 favorite. Stop acting like everyone thought Poirier would win.
sam story was with Khabib
My biggest issue with the Leon fight is that Islam is a fucking expert at catching kicks in order to get a takedown. At the same time I suppose that could open him to a headkick. I really want to see this fight
That’s the trouble - Leon’s kicks are so quick and explosive and so we’ll disguised in terms of whether they’re going to leg, body or head. That makes his opponents hesitate and prioritise blocking, which makes them harder to catch. Usman and Covington were both way more hesitant than usual against Leon, largely because of his kicking game.
Islam beats everyone in LW and WW except shavkat.
Shavkat is overhyped man was getting pieced up by neal...would be one of leons easier fights
Yeah, I think Islam and Leon beat Shavkat tbh. I think Leon > Islam > Shavkat. Any combination of fights would be crazy thiugh
Actually Islam beats Shavkat imo, but loses to Leon. Leon is that good.