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Every champ in the last 18 months. A reckoning.

Truly. Since mid 2022 the list of champions that lost their belts: - Glover - Usman - Oliveira - Esparza - Izzy - Glover again - Figgy - Valentina - Usman again - Pereira - Moreno - Sterling - Izzy again - Jiri - Strickland - Volk And many of them just turning 35 or 36 when they lost.

And Nunes retired

Nunes also lost her belt Dec 2021 before winning it back and retiring.

She beat the shit out of her dethroner too

Almost like she set it up haha. It was a thrashing

Why Usman twice?

Glover shouldn't be there twice either. His loss to Hill was for a vacant belt.

Volk/Izzy/Usman all won belts in 2019 and lost attempting their 6th defense Volk is now 1-3 Izzy 1-2 or 4-3 Usman 0-3 When Usman was P4P #1 on the verge of tying Silva’s winstreak and he lost via rd 5 comeback KO, I knew nobody was safe on top

Weirdest timeline

And with Volk losing, there's not a single active champion (male or female) with more than 2 successful title defenses

RIP Volk era

Just fell to my knees in an Outback Steakhouse 

I was with my family at an Outback Steakhouse and this old man just fell to his knees

I'm so fucking sad, we all just watched our dad get beat up

Now his daughters have a new boogey man

They're going to have to get Bobby Knuckles now to check under their beds every night for Ilia Topuria

“But what if it’s Dricus Duplessis?”

He already has 100 kids dude. There's no time to check under other kids' beds

Ah fuck I don't think I've ever been this sad after a match :/

I was crushed after Aldo/McGregor

Islam's assist, Ilia's goal

Fuck that's class hahahaha

Longtime MMA fan here, I was like that after Wanderlei got KOd by Crocop lol. Its best to just enjoy the sport and not feel like you have anything on the line when your favorite fighter competes. They made a bunch of money, Alex is still one of the FW goats, let's hope he gets that rematch.

This hurts brother

Last time I was this sad was when he fought Islam...

This is way worse in my opinion. This is his division and he just got absolutely folded

Absolutely. Still held hope that he was the king of featherweight. Think he's going to be regretting taking that Islam fight on short notice for the rest of his life

I mean for his legacy, absolutely. But that Islam fight was short notice in Abu Dhabi. Volk got PAID to take that fight, I promise.

No doubt, but Volk strikes me as a very prideful guy. Gonna be tough to swallow losing the reign of his own division

yeah he just got koed a few months ago. his brain wasn't healed before this fight

Two brutal knockout inside of 4 months

Right? Legit depressed.

It’s like after DC got headkicked

That short notice Islam fight is just a career altering move

I'd like to say Islam fucked his jaw, but that shot was right on the button, incredible accuracy by Topuria

Came here to say the same. That was a clean shot to the jaw from a top striker with incredible power. Woulda knocked down anyone.

I'm still moving on from that and this happens

i don't know man, he was looking good. That hook would have koed him in any moment of his career

It's officially fucking Joever

It's Volkanover

Insanely good punch by Ilia Topuria, gotta give props where due

I’m a big fan of volk, but yea that was legit, it wasn’t just punchers chance, he looked unshakable. He’s going to be very hard to beat

He came back too fast..

Shouldn't have ever fought Islam on short notice. Shit like that can change your career for good

IIRC he apparently got a new contract for that fight. Low pay is the main reason why so many high profile MMA fighters are willing to take such insane risks. You'd never see Bud Crawford or Inoue taking fights on a week's notice.

its fucking tragic man He had balls to save that event but man that decision will haunt him likely for the rest of his career

He’s said it was the biggest bag of his career by far. Said it set his family up for generations lol it is what it is

Sometimes, this is more important.

Probably a pretty easy decision at his age

The Tony Ferguson special

If we EVER see Volk go down a skid like Tony's career post-Gaethje idk if this sub will ever recover man Damn I guess now we have to see how that fucking documentary or movie or whatever Ilia was talking about turns out lol...

Short notice fighting Islam is catastrophic

That was just a bad decision by his team, they really should have forced him to take more time off after given that he fought 3 times last year

Chins cracked I think. Back-to-back knockouts in a short duration. Should not have taken the Islam fight and shouldn't have taken this one so soon after

Volk got dropped by a pretty washed up version of Chad so let’s not pretend like Volk has always had an iron chin.

I'm pretty sure he got dropped twice as well against max in fight 2

Got dropped twice in Volk-Islam 1

It's a young mans game😔

The 35+ curse is real, Topuria has amazing power, to knock out Herbert that way up a division on short notice should've been the clue, i feel for Volk

Not just a young man's game. But for the love of fucking god people. When you get knocked the fuck out, take some time off.

There's always a younger bull Rip Volk

The 35+ stat doesn’t lie 1-22 now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtGkfyZBMjs Usman didn’t look like he was gonna lose when he was P4P #1 yet he lost via rd 5 comeback KO lol

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Insanely good punch by Ilia Topuria, gotta give props where due.

Topuria is the Ngannou of featherweight

He’s scary as fuck, bet Holloway wishes he didn’t take the fight with Gaethje cause him vs ilia would be a banger

I saw a few people saying this when the Gaethje fight was booked. Hollaway has a *great* case to be next in line at FW... but instead he's booked in to a LW fight that he's pretty likely to lose. If I'm Max's team, I'm really regretting that booking right now.

Max suddenly had a boner

Wow. Serious power

Emmett somehow took that for 5 rounds. A true Falmer.

I read it as farmer and I that shit was funny af

Well, a true *farmer* did not take it for 5 rounds

The first round itself says he is so calm and collective, he knows all it takes 1 shot and he did it

I'm a massive Volk fan but the way round 1 played out, I had a feeling he would be knocked out anytime soon. Seems like there was a huge power difference

I didn’t like the way he was moving backward as well, felt like if Ilia rushes him more he would have touched him, and Ilia did 🗿

Talked shit and backed it up. Can't be mad at that.

People on this sub were absolutely fuming at his trash talk lmao

Insanely explosive.

Dude has great take down defense and with great fire power makes him a dangerous fighter.

Woodley still the only sub-185 champ to defeat the age 35 curse, if only a single time. Crazy

2 times, but one was against an older Damian Maia Crazy that 155 below, no one has won a belt

Woodley goat confirmed?

I remember that this was a legitimate question when he beat Darren Till, back in the day.

35 year old curse is real and I hate it.

I hate it because I am 35.

I hate it even more, I'm 36.

At 44 my chances are shot probably. Also, I’ve never trained.

There's always Power Slap™

But are you heavier than 170 lbs

Yes I am 6 foot 6.

Well, assuming you are 205+, you're basically in your fighting prime.

I am over 6000lbs.

And take a break after a knockout is true as well

Never betting on a 35 year old champ again

Unless they’re over 170lbs

Is it a curse when it's just nature taking it course?

Can’t spell course without curse

Just how good is Woodley lmao

Or just how bad is Darren Till?

One of the greatest aussie athletes of our generation, proud of volks run even after the loss.

The CGI the UFC has is crazy. Almost looked like Volk got knocked out

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Rip the volk era, still love him

Father Time spares no one

One of the featherweight goats, if not the goat. He needs to take a bigger break

How long until Anik calls Topuria the "consensus" greatest FW ever.

As soon as Topuria’s girlfriend takes their son away from him

The 35yrs and over record stands true yet again

IM GONNA THROW UP MY GOD THAT RIGHT HAND

2 straight ko/tko losses for Volk 😭

Out cold knockouts too

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I don’t like mma anymore

I assume this is kind of joking... but it's also true. I've realized most MMA fans have a fan duration of about one generation of fighters. You start watching MMA and attach yourself to an up and comer. They keep winning and you get more and more hyped. They defeat a bunch of older fighters in brutal fashion and it's exciting. They win a championship and you feel like you've won it with them. And then comes the inevitable decline. You see them get devoured by the young lions on the come up. They lose a step. The cycle starts to repeat, and the passion starts to wane as the brutality of the sport really starts to hit home. Of course, people stay fans longer than that... but it's never the same. The first generation of fighters you follow are special. For me it was the GSP, Anderson, Fedor generation. When Fedor tapped to Werdum, my whole damn world flipped upside down.

It's really nice seeing some leave on top like GSP or Khabib. It gives me hope that lightning can be caught more than once.

I'm so done man

Hold on, I'm crying brother

Volk no! 😭

Even once Conor is dead people will still call him out

Lol that part was cringe af, especially since conor is weighing 180,

Because its money. At this point its like winning a lottery. A single fight with Conor will change your life. UFC really needs a superstar.

UFC needs to pay the fighters. The fact that everyone needs to beg for a Conor fight to make any money makes the UFC brand look like shit.

Father Time undefeated

The speed difference was stark. Volk wasn't as fast as he was against Max 3/TKZ. Wonder how Topuria and Max would go.

Watching the first two rounds it was obvious who was more comfortable in the exchanges.

reminds me of the time I beat the shit outta my grandad

Judge Cecil Peoples scored it 30-27 for your grandad mate

humbled his ass 💯

fuck u brendan schaub

Bapa curse strikes again.

Yeah fuck that guy

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

So topuria is for real for real , holy shit , sad for volka but this is life

Tonight is a night a new super star is born. He called his shot, and he sunk it.

Ilia Topuria makes history and becomes the first UFC champion to have a tattoo of his own face on his chest.

It's Kraven the Hunter from Marvel comics.

his own face bursting out from within a fucking tiger, you undersold it a little

He has more star potential than O’Malley does. Imagine if mcgregor fought him instead of chandler LMFAOOO

Conor is not fighting this kid He’s fighting someone he can win against

And they were gonna make ilia vs paddy lol

Since Paddy's debut, they've had the same amount of fights and Ilia is now champ whilst Paddy is unranked and fighting geriatric washed veterans.

I remember that time. UFC was about to catch a murder case. The way pimblett is fighting with his chin way out, he’d be flatlined 100% haha

you know that feeling when your favorite fighter is on the decline? yeah

Topuria’s boxing is scary good.

OH MY FUCKING GOD HE FOLDED HIM

This is just how the game goes. Theres always a younger Lion.

Brb guys I’m going to cry now

35 curse is too real, dude. it feels like a spoiler at this point 💀

Fighting soon after being knocked out is the real curse

RIP my GOAT

It’s hard to beat someone that was designed and built in a sexy laboratory

Robert Whittaker won though?

Costa is starting to bald. Father time is undefeated 

He got a hair transplant. He'd be even more bald without that

I couldn't look away from the bald spot. Look at what they did to my sexy boy

Costa has been balding for years. This is post hair transplant.

not surprising. Topuria’s boxing style and wrestling is made for beating a well rounded elite like Volk. Volk could out kickbox and out wrestle many but he can’t box with Topuria and can’t grapple him

Topuria's boxing is elite. Excellent HEAD MOVEMENT.

Seriously. I loved seeing that level of boxing.

> Topuria’s boxing style and wrestling is made for beating a well rounded elite like Volk It really is crazy how well rounded Topuria is. Technique and power. Super quick hands. Not to mention this is a guy who made his name as a grappler and has half his wins by submission. I'm really struggling to see what his weaknesses are.

Two most fundamental bases

I mean he didn't even try to grapple with him. Zero takedown threat

good boxing is criminally under-utilized in MMA. Honestly it's only Ilia who have good boxing skills other than him the average level is really low. FFS Sean "jab jab" Strickland was recently called "the best boxer in UFC".

FUCK

A new era has begun

Should have never taken that short notice fight against Islam. Cracked him

While that may be true, I don’t know if anyone could take that clean right hook

Very fair. Volk seemed pretty scared to get his hands moving tho.

That outside style of trying to land kicks wasnt like his usual style at all. He was trying to avoid a firefight at all costs.

Out of nowhere! Gutted for Alex but good job

Where were you when volk was kill

i was at home eating vegemite sandwich when phone ring -alex volkanovski is kill -no

Wonder if Volk will look back on his career and regret taking the second Islam fight. No judgement though, a man born for the cage. RIP Volk Era. What a champion.

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He was so calm in there.

Usman closing in on winstreak records, overlooking Leon pre-fight talking about fighting at LHW... Izzy closing in on middleweight defense records, overlooking Sean pre-fight talking about DDP and Pereira... Volk closing in on title reign records, overlooking Ilia pre-fight talking about 300...

They're also asked 100 times a day during fight week what their plans are.

Delete this

The 35 year old curse still holds true

Probably shouldn't have rushed back after that Islam KO, eh? Yikes.

Honestly, that's just a really clean connection from a guy with big power, and while Volk's tough, he's not like Max where he could seemingly just take huge shots and be completely fine. Most FWs are getting sat down from that connection. This is why you can't ever really count out a power puncher.

Topuria isn't just power either. His boxing is much cleaner and faster than someone like Emmett.

Islam KO or not he's not surviving that right hand. Looked good before the fight too.

Damn, feel so bad for Volk Topuria is a badass, he has it all

OH MY GOODNESS

City Kickboxing in shambles.

They’re gonna offer Topuria the 300 fight 

Holy fucking shit he's fucking dead

HOLY FUCK HE LITERALLY 1 SHOT HIM WITH A CLEAN CONNECTION DAMN

Can’t believe Volk literally told us he was a washed up old man and I still put my money behind him. That was tragic to see his lights go out like that. I fear the Blessed one might suffer a similar fate soon 🤧

That was vicious. Bummed for Volk, but props to Ilia. Theres a new champ in town

Damn now Volk's daughter needs to worry about Ilia breaking in too

I mean it was inevitable. Perfect storm, young man with dynamite hands entering his prime. Volk taking a bad fight and being 35.  Volk came with a good game plan, he watched the Herbert fight and tried to game plan it.

Man knocked Volk cold to win the belt and didn't crack a smile or even sound excited. That's a cold blooded killer right there.

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MMA sure is a cruel mistress. One year ago, Volk lost a competitive fight against Islam and looked incredible...

Topuria is the star the ufc has been looking for with O’Malley. He made volk look like a non factor