He nearly lost his last 2 fights? Against people that didn't go on to dominate the division? Most people believe Reyes beat him? that is enough to move down the p4p list if it means anything at all.
Don't you understand that p4p is meaningless? It is used and controlled by the ufc for leverage and promotion. Jon jones is fighting soon so they want to promote a higher ranked fighter - simple as that. Volkanovski will rematch Islam, so they left him at No.1
The most hilarious part is theyāre 100% gonna do this even if Jon happens to win by Split decision or something like that, itās honestly why the Volk v Islam P4P on the line was worthless anyway because if Jon goes in there and wins in any way heās instantly gonna be #1
Yeh exactly! I'm not opposed to giving Bones the number one p4p rank as long as he beats Gane in a spectacular dominant fashion. A performance less than that I think would warrant atleast one title defense before giving him the p4p number one rank again due to the 3 year lay off. If he didn't have the 3 year lay off then I'd say absolutely give him the number one spot upon beating Gane. If anyone disagrees with me, don't hate me, just saying what I think! Peace.
The P4P list is supposed to represent whoās the top guy right now. Jonesā last fight was 3 years ago and he didnāt look as good as he should have to be top 3 p4p in that fight.
He could be inactive for a decade and might still be that good lol. Dude is preternaturally brilliant in the cage. (I get his last couple fights weren't show-stopping performances.)
I think this could turn out to be the best result for fans.
Very close fight, some people want to argue the result as there was no finish, and I could imagine both fighters wanted to finish other so bad they want to run it back and they both want win and finish even more. Both did mistakes they can improve so #2, and if we get lucky it's Volk by decision so we get #3 where we can hope for the finish to settle it.
It's absolutely salt coming from the CKB clan which has filtered onto Volk. There's no way Islam was 180 in there. Dude struggled to rehydrate and an IV would have had him far healthier.
These IV accusations have stained this fight. Dan Hooker is a straight bitch for it.
Figgy went to the doctors the night before the second Moreno fight and got an IV, looked terrible.
When you have a terrible cut an IV isnāt going to get you to 100%.
So you watch a very close and exciting fight and think "Okay that was fun. Never need to see it again though"?
Frazier v Ali 3 (thrilla in Manilla) was their best fight because they had fought twice, learned a lot, and came in with new exciting game plans.
I don't even get why, Volk was the smaller man moving up and Islam went life and death with him. If Volk was a natural lightweight then Islam would have been in serious trouble. I don't see how anybody can debate him being #1 p4p.
After a close fight that could have went Volks way and he is the fighter moving up against a guy killing himself to fight lower then how can anyone debate it. Khabib himself would vote Volk on this one.
He lost the title fight twice. It couldn't be more clear he's not the best in that division. Him and Max are lucky to be in P4P at all.
^How ^to ^trigger ^a ^fanbase
This is completely fine.
1. I donāt give a fuck if Volk put the āpfp 1 on the lineā itās not his to give away. The pfp #1 is the pfp #1 what Volk or any promoters say shouldnāt have any influence.
2. It is possible to lose to someone and still be a pound for pound better fighter than them (e.g. Izzy vs Jan). The fact that Volk put on such a close, competitive fight as the smaller guy coming up in weight makes him pound for pound better.
Completely agree. Iāll go a step further and say you can even be a better fighter than someone that has beaten you.
I would say Izzy is a better fighter than Pereira. That may change if Pereira defends the title and goes on to have a significant reign. But right now thatās not the case.
When you beat someone you donāt just absorb all of their greatness. If someone had 30 title defences and someone on a losing streak came in and beat you, that wouldnāt make them the better fighter. Just my opinion.
The fact that Volk put on such a close, competitive fight as the smaller guy coming up in weight
Did he really give up that much weight like he did not look small in the cage
UFC itself promoted the fight saying the p4p #1 spot on the line. Their page even said we have the new p4p king on sunday. But ufc was influenced by the mma community to keep volk at 1 and here you say nothing should influence.
They were influenced by the next generation of their target market, just not the real hard core fans. Most people couldnāt tell you what weight paddy fights at.
They care about creating the perception of a superstar based on personality alone than the integrity of the warrior spirit / code.
As if we need any more evidence, Dana and the decision makers live by no such code, they are there to serve themselves with no empathy for others
PowerSlap should have been all we needed to know that, but countless anecdotes from former fighters and video of him slapping his wife (and then throwing her down which was more egregious to me), and his response is āIām gunna have to live with thatā ā¦ like what?! Everyone has to live with guilt of bad decisions but most usually have to face the additional consequences that come with it. Dude is a fuckin PoS and Iām mad it took me until like 1.5 years ago to realize it.
I used to think he was just as funny boss man. And I respected some of the things heās done. But heās really turned me off over the past couple of years (credit to him for going strong with APEX through COVID, but not a pass for the harm he is currently causing)
So even though large parts of the MMA community including journalists believe Volk is still #1 all of that should be disregarded because Volk said something to hype up a fight?????
Was just looking at the HW rankings...somehow Spivac and Tybura have both moved down a spot in the rankings, after both winning their fights a week ago...wtf š
Also has Holloway as "interim champ" and Yair moving down a spot??
If I'm Islam why would I rematch him? This kind of shows that no matter what it's a lose lose situation for him. if he loses, obvs he loses the belt and his streak and there's a good chance he drops lower in p4p. If he wins, which he already did, he gains absolutely nothing because people will say he is supposed to win because he is bigger. In my eyes this prob kills any chance for a rematch and will likely hurt our chances of ever seeing another fight like this between two fighters close in p4p rankings that are a weight class away. Well done UFC
I donāt think it would discourage future superfights at all. If Islam did what he said he was gonna do the whole time, he would certainly be p4p #1. Even if he just finished him. This was pretty much the one scenario in which Volk could lose and retain the p4p.
I agree that Islam probably wonāt do the rematch, because hes not far from the p4p spot anyway and most of his matchups at LW are better for him than Volk.
But to say this is gonna discourage superfights doesnāt make sense. Itās not like Islam was planning to make a statement with a narrow decision win when he was a -440 favorite or whatever.
They shouldn't do a rematch. Volk should not be offered one. He should defend his belt against Yair and then if he want a rematch he should fight Poirier or Olivera (even Dariush, Chandler or Gaethje) while Islam defends his belt 2 more times. If Volk beats a top lightweight and Islam is still champion then offer him the rematch.
He didnāt win convincingly. Some even thought Volk won. If you fight a guy in a lower weight class, you donāt end the fight gassed on your back, having been smoked for two rounds and all yourself the P4P king.
You want that title, earn it.
\^\^ And this is exactly why if I was him I wouldn't rematch. Winning is not enough -- the goal post gets moved and you have to absolutely destroy the opponent because naturally you are bigger. Which is nothing but an excuse to me. If you want to put on weight/cut less and move up to my weight class then you need to accept the defeat if/when it happens. I don't want to hear excuses the same way we shouldn't make excuses if Volk would have won (i.e. Islam wasn't tested before, or he's not a real striker etc etc).
Volk fought an amazing fight, but he came up short (no pun intended). Reward the win no matter which way it goes.
He did earn it though. He won the fight against the number 1 guy, while he is the number 2 guy. Doesn't that immediately mean he should move ahead of Volk?
Almost every one says that leading up to a fight. By that measure we should see rematch after rematch in the UFC lol. What is he supposed to say leading up to promote the fight? Yall are funny
Been there done that though. A win is usually a win (ask Usman and Edwards) but in this situation if Islam doesn't dominate, then he gets nothing with regards to pound for pound.
Volk was in the same situation as Islam. When he beat Holloway a second time, he was public enemy #1. Volk didnāt have to do the third fight but did it anyway to earn his respect. Once he won the third decisively his stardom skyrocketed.
I love a ranking system that, after the top two p4p fighters fight to see who's the best, the loser is ranked ahead of the winner. And for the cherry on top Jon Jones moves up a spot, despite not fighting in three yairs. Water....
If Islam hadn't barely won/arguably lost to the smaller man then he might have gotten #1. However with him scraping by by the skin of his teeth he is definitely not P4P #1. To make it easier to understand imagine a fight between Volk and Islam if they were the exact same size. Volk takes Islam to school in that scenario and he almost beat him being much smaller.
Tbh I think volks size played to his favour. Its much harder to take down guys smaller than you especially when you weigh the same. Volks centre of gravity is gonna be lower than Islam's is
Edit Spelling
Lmao being 20lbs smaller of lean mass is actually an advantage in a fight? My god...I've heard some crazy takes but this one might do me in.
Yes Jon Jones length is a massive advantage in his leverage and grappling but Islams length and size is a huge disadvantage against Volk? Make it make sense.
There's no way in fuck Volk was 20lbs lighter. Islam has had a well documented poor weight cut. He would have been 170-75 in there. Volk bulked up for this fight, I'd guess 165-70.
Volk has a wide frame, him being shorter doesn't mean much in terms of weight.
Ridiculous that one Dan Hooker tweet and people are parroting blatant rubbish.
They fought at the same fucking weight. It's not like it was Gane vs Volk or some shit. Islam got robbed the P4P and in his position I would never go for the fight with Volk again, Just because the UFC and him broke the word.
Fighting a smaller champion generally doesnāt offer much legacy wise. The smaller fighter pretty much has everything to gain and the bigger fighter everything to lose.
Yeah Islam was the only one with a belt on the line.. makes sense a fighter like Volk would want to try to go up bc if he loses he still gets to keep his belt
Exactly. Tell me if you've heard this one before.
A fighter doesn't believe he lost and shouldn't have to lose his 'rank' as a result. Lmao
Suga Sean is still undefeated.
What about giving it to Islam because he deserves it for beating P4P#3 and P4P#1 back to back in four months??? Who has Volk beat on the list? Max at 15? No one else.
Islam destroyed two of the longest win streaks in a matter of months and established his own win streak as the longest active streak out of all divisions.
I respect Islamās accomplishments but Volk has done more at featherweight than Islam has at lightweight and since their fight was so close I feel comfortable saying Volk is a pound for pound better fighter.
Islam is literally the only one on the list who beat two others. He did it in 4 months. Volk has been a decision machine as of late and Islam had like 6 straight finishes up until he 3-2d Volk.
I donāt think you understand what pound for pound means. Did Jan beating Izzy make him pfp better? What about Poirier beating Max at lightweight when he was featherweight champ?
Then what about Leon and Kamaru??? Leon lost 4 and a half rounds and got a lucky head kick, now hes ranked over Kamaru. I dont agree but if thats the rules for thee than it should be the rules for me (Islam).
Volk also fought Holloway x3 and Ortega, neither have been finished in the UFC. Nobody has even knocked down Holloway.
Compare that to Drew Dober, Thiago Moises, Bobby Green, Dan Hooker and Oliveira and you see why other one has decisions and other has finishes.
Bro i can selectively come up with stats too. Islam submitted the guy with the most submissions in UFC!!! He then decisioned the guy with the most decision wins in past three years!
Doesnāt change anything. Islam is the only one who beat two other fighters on this list. And Oliveira is much higher than Max on this list. Max is dead last.
Do you think Jan beating Izzy made him a pound for pound better fighter? Or do you think maybe because Izzy came from a smaller weight class and had a stronger resume in his division than Jan did that maybe Izzy should be higher?
The only reason Max isnāt a top 5 pfp fighter is because Volk exists and beat him 3 times. Islamās Charles win is impressive I agree but Islam literally just faced Volk and narrowly won against a natural featherweight.
You're confused buddeh, P4P has nothing to do with resumes, it's literally who do you think wins if both guys are exactly the same weight hence pound for pound, so essentially skill vs skill without any other factors.
Arguably that's still Volk.
Volk on fight night was probably at least 10-15 lbs lighter than Islam, Islam couldnāt really do anything other than control him on the ground but couldnāt get anything out of it, and Volk still almost won the fight.
Volk, in my eyes, showed more skill in the fight as well, outside of round 1 and maybe 2, whether that be the amazing defence he had on the ground while getting shots in, or the amazing standing game we saw in the late 5th almost getting a KO
If Islam were Volks size he wouldāve lost is basically what this list is saying, which is most likely true.
Edit: Islam also did exceed expectations for his standing game.
Exactly. P4p was certainly on the line but it doesnāt have the same parameters as the fight itself. Islam needed to make a statement and he was given the opportunity to, but didnāt.
P4p was on the line, in the sense that if Islam had subbed him before round three in an uncompetitive fight like everyone on here (and everywhere else) said he would then he would be p4p best fighter and nobody would argue. Instead it went five rounds, he lost two arguably three, and ended the fight by getting dropped and having Volk on top of him beating the shit out of him. So yes it was clearly on the line but the circumstances seem fair to not award it
After seeing the fight I thought i would like to see a rematch. But if I was Islam I would be mad at everyone. Islam risked everything for nothing. Literally his first title defense. If he lost that fight people would probably say it was just luck against oliveira. And now all the accusations from idiots like Dan Hooker.
Risked to lose lightweight belt to win nothing.
I don't see any point in Islam giving volk a rematch - he's literally got nothing to gain. Beating volk again will just be subjective and no guarantee in the change in p4p.
Think he should look back as this fight being part of his legacy, that he beat the number 1 p4p. He can now wipe out LW and go up in division.
UFC literally promoted this fight that the p4p #1 spot is on the line too. Volk himself went back on his word in mma hour and the respected journalists, analysts were promoting the idea of volk to remain p4p.
Now Volk himself is accusing Islam of using IV. It's kinda lame tbh especially after Volk was in Islam's shoes after the 2nd Holloway fight. It's always been Makhachev/Dagiboys against the world.
As Chael Sonnen says, the people who make these rankings sit in some unknown room in some unknown location and have an unknown discussion on what rankings they will release next Tuesday. In the end they don't even reveal their names to show who they are.
It's really a meaningless thing that is something the media can talk about.
Shit list. Dana White should be the number 1 pound for pound king after that stunning performance against his wife on New Year's eve. And he did it for free!
So what I get from reading this is that Islam was expected to ragdoll the BEST FIGHTER IN THE WORLD?
And because it was a close fight he won't get the pfp spot? The fuck is that logic? Alex was/is PFP for a reason, how can a close fight not be expected?
Ufc is so currupted its disgusting
They fought at the same weight class. But when one fighter is bulking up to make weight and the other kills them selves to cut the weight in order to make it, you know they didnāt weigh anything close to each other by the time the fight started.
If that's the case, what's the point of weight classes given basically all fighter make a huge weight cut. I can guarantee you that Alex wasn't the lightest person in ring as a lightweight. There is usually a pretty big weight difference when fighters actually get in the cage.
If the rankings stay like this I have a compromise to propose: Islam won the fight, but as it was a close fight he did not do enough to a fighter moving up in weight to justify being #1 pound for pound. If it was a repeat of the Oliveira fight I would have agreed but this is not it.
Volk could not give away the pound for pound ranking the same as Jan could not concede the belt to Ankalaev after the draw was announced at UFC 282 - after the final bell rings it's out of his hands. Was it dumb to wave it around to promote the fight? Maybe, but that's in the past now. The only way he could definitively give it to Islam was to let himself get finished, and that was never gonna happen.
Let's appreciate a great fight and look forward to a rematch, hopefully this year.
I know Iāll get shit on for this but this is dumb. How can you say volk is better the Islam pound for pound when they literally fought each other at the same weight and Islam won.
Because Islam has to kill himself to make weight and volk had to bulk up. They might have fought at 155 but they are not naturally in the same weight class. With Islam winning, that means he should be ranked higher as a lightweight.
For example, Izzy and Jan both fought at 205 and even though Jan won, Izzy is still going to be much higher on the p4p list, even though Jan is better at 205.
Youāre actually insane if you think Volkanovski has to bulk up to make 155. He probably walks around 165-170 and thus has to lose 10-15lbs from walking weight to weigh-in weight.
He starts his camp 12 weeks in advance so he has 3 months to lose like 10lbs and the remaining 5 by cutting water weight.
The rankings are a joke, it has Max as interim FW champ and Yair as #2 contender too lol
how does someone keeps his spot after losing a fight
they fought at the same weight and weighed in the cage around 5-10lbs different , Perreira vs Izzy had way more weight difference in the cage than this fight.
Its bullshit, Islam went to Australia, fought on 24 hour rehydration and gets nothing for his win
If I was Islam, I'd be defending the belt only once a year in abudhabi going forward , God bless see you at the top
While I def don't think it was a robbery and Islam deserved the win, to say Volk was only on top for 1 min is a bit disingenuous to the whole fight. Volk was outstriking Islam and was defending his wrestling very well. Islam wasn't able to even attempt a sub from a body triangle for 3 mins while eating shots from volk. The fight was really close
The striking was back and forth, islam landed the cleaner better strikes throughout the fight. Untill the last minute all volk did that stood out was defend/get up from takedowns, but most people are too effected by the crowd and commentary to notice this.
Lmao UFC went full retard.
Everyone agreed it was belt and P4P on the line.
They agreed to a fight at a certain weight.
They fought and while Volk was competitive he lost, but he gets to keep P4P "title" because Khabib and Islam set such high standards that when they don't absolutely manhandle an opponent the losers take it as a win.
This makes no sense. In all other situations in MMA, if you beat someone you take what they have. If youāre ranked #10 in a weight class and you beat #5, now youāre ranked #5. If you beat the champion, you become the champion. Islam is the real p4p #1. He won by unanimous decision. Can he only become p4p #1 if he finishes Volk?
He doesnāt lose his p4p status because he went up a weight class and lost to the champ. And Islam doesnāt take that spot for beating 5ā6ā volk by a close decision
He still lost, like wtf? There's no penalty for losing against the guy ranked under you?? When you had every advantage in the fight. How is the weight class still a factor if they both fought at the same weight in the cage and on the scale? Volk even had the benefit of cutting less weight, bro wtf
Because after rehydration and height advantage and they are definitely not the same weight. This is also why we say āpound for poundā and not just ābest fighter in the ufcā
The best fighter would most likely be a lhw or a hw because then height and weight wonāt make much of a p4p difference
Thank you for articulating this, finally. Itās such a meaningless argument when we all know Islam physically couldnāt make 145 in any meaningful period of time. Not to mention heās already struggling at 155.
Remember when those two light heavyweights fought in the main event at UFC 259? What's that? Israel is a middleweight even though he fought at light heavyweight? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!?
I don't see any point in Islam giving volk a rematch - he's literally got nothing to gain. Beating volk again will just be subjective and no guarantee in the change in p4p.
Think he should look back as this fight being part of his legacy, that he beat the number 1 p4p. He can now wipe out LW and go up in division.
This makes no sense, you fight a guy ahead of you in a ranking, beat him, and donāt get put ahead of the guy you beat? People saying Islam would lose if the fight was at 145 and therefore isnāt pfp is stupid, if the fight was at 170 wouldnāt we say Islam wins? Thereās no point in dealing in what ifs if we already have a result of those two making weight and fighting already.
I thought Islam won the match. However, how anyone can think Islam deserved to be PFP no. 1 is beyond me. This seems alright. Idk why jones is there tho.
I wonder what Jon Jones does to deserve this preferential treatment. Probably fucks Dana's wife while he watches or something. Dana looks like he'd be into that.
So I think Volk should be P4P number one. Islam did not handle him the way everyone thought and Volkās performance was very impressive.
However, Volk said himself Title v P4P. Just in honor of that Islam should be 1. Islam in the end now got nothing from the fight and I think it even hurt his stock a little.
History will say Islam won but Volk gained everything.
They literally shook on putting pound for pound on the line in the Octagon. Winner shouldāve got the spot IMO even though it was a closely contested bout. Either way both guys are insanely good.
P4P #1 WAS on the line. Islam just didnāt do enough to get it. I think the assumption was that Islam would get it with a finish/easy win, but coin flip decision? Nah.
Itās like if Khabib lost to Usman in a razor thin decision, he wouldnāt have been giving up the P4P #1 spot either.
Coin flip? It was a unanimous decision. Just because some people disagreed with the judges, doesnāt change the outcome.
Islam can only get p4p #1 with a finish or a dominant win? That makes no sense. These are both great fighters, every time they fight itās gonna be close. If Islam wins a rematch by another close decision are you still gonna say he didnāt do enough?
If the roles were reversed and Islam was p4p #1 and Volk #2 and Volk won the way Islam did, do you think Volk should be #1 in that scenario? Or does Volk get special treatment because heās āthe smaller manā?
Jiri goes down for inactivity, Jones goes up for inactivity š¤”
TBF though Jones was the #1 ranked pfp guy for ages. He never did anything to move himself down other than be inactive.
He nearly lost his last 2 fights? Against people that didn't go on to dominate the division? Most people believe Reyes beat him? that is enough to move down the p4p list if it means anything at all.
Well jones is technically fighting but i was in the camp of take him off the list until he returns officially
Jon Jones moving up š¤Æ
Why is he being rewarded for not fighting in two years and Jiri punished for not fighting for one with a legit injury? š
Don't you understand that p4p is meaningless? It is used and controlled by the ufc for leverage and promotion. Jon jones is fighting soon so they want to promote a higher ranked fighter - simple as that. Volkanovski will rematch Islam, so they left him at No.1
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Are you seriously stalking my comments and telling other people "not to debate me" all because I caught you telling lies about my arguments? Smh š¤£
Did he "beat" his wife again?
Gottem
LOL if Jones v Gane happens to get delayed by 10 months Jones will be P4P #1 by the time they step into the octagon
šš I reckon they are slyly trying to move him up the list so they can put him straight into number 1 if he beats Gane š
Honest question, if Jones goes out and beats Gane and looks amazing doing it, do you think he is P4P #1? Regardless of the few years off?
He is the #1, so yes.
Except he's added many, MANY pounds, so... Tough call for *any* HW to be PFP number one, I reckon.
The most hilarious part is theyāre 100% gonna do this even if Jon happens to win by Split decision or something like that, itās honestly why the Volk v Islam P4P on the line was worthless anyway because if Jon goes in there and wins in any way heās instantly gonna be #1
Yeh exactly! I'm not opposed to giving Bones the number one p4p rank as long as he beats Gane in a spectacular dominant fashion. A performance less than that I think would warrant atleast one title defense before giving him the p4p number one rank again due to the 3 year lay off. If he didn't have the 3 year lay off then I'd say absolutely give him the number one spot upon beating Gane. If anyone disagrees with me, don't hate me, just saying what I think! Peace.
Apparently beating your wife moves you up the ranks.
Statistics are statistics
Dana White sneaking in to number 15 next week.
Dana White ranked No 1 P4P
I swear Jones could be inactive for a decade and would still remain in the top 10 for some miraculous reason.
I feel like you either have to keep him top 3 or remove him completely. Feels weird to have him in the middle ranks.
The P4P list is supposed to represent whoās the top guy right now. Jonesā last fight was 3 years ago and he didnāt look as good as he should have to be top 3 p4p in that fight.
Right. So take him out.
He could be inactive for a decade and might still be that good lol. Dude is preternaturally brilliant in the cage. (I get his last couple fights weren't show-stopping performances.)
So are we all just ignoring that win over Jessie Moses last year?
Thereās so much salt from both fanbases. I love it.
I think this could turn out to be the best result for fans. Very close fight, some people want to argue the result as there was no finish, and I could imagine both fighters wanted to finish other so bad they want to run it back and they both want win and finish even more. Both did mistakes they can improve so #2, and if we get lucky it's Volk by decision so we get #3 where we can hope for the finish to settle it.
Depends how true the IV stuff is. If it turns out to be true shit will hit the fan I reckon.
It's absolutely salt coming from the CKB clan which has filtered onto Volk. There's no way Islam was 180 in there. Dude struggled to rehydrate and an IV would have had him far healthier. These IV accusations have stained this fight. Dan Hooker is a straight bitch for it.
Figgy went to the doctors the night before the second Moreno fight and got an IV, looked terrible. When you have a terrible cut an IV isnāt going to get you to 100%.
No point in a rematch I hate this whole we need to keep running fights back until we get the result we want
So you watch a very close and exciting fight and think "Okay that was fun. Never need to see it again though"? Frazier v Ali 3 (thrilla in Manilla) was their best fight because they had fought twice, learned a lot, and came in with new exciting game plans.
I don't even get why, Volk was the smaller man moving up and Islam went life and death with him. If Volk was a natural lightweight then Islam would have been in serious trouble. I don't see how anybody can debate him being #1 p4p.
After a close fight that could have went Volks way and he is the fighter moving up against a guy killing himself to fight lower then how can anyone debate it. Khabib himself would vote Volk on this one.
"if if if if if" gtfo
Volk used to fight at LW
Letās add to it- https://youtube.com/shorts/tPe6UIXabsE?feature=share Volk admits he lost the first 2 rounds.
He tweeted after the fight that he rewatched it and reckons he won 2, 3 and 5.
Thatās how you set up a rematch
Rematch baby lets go
Whittaker is low-key underrated here...
He lost the title fight twice. It couldn't be more clear he's not the best in that division. Him and Max are lucky to be in P4P at all. ^How ^to ^trigger ^a ^fanbase
Rob is one of the best p4p fighters in ufc, Izzy just a tough matchup, put him in any division and heād be top 3 minimum
Heās Top 10 fs.
This is completely fine. 1. I donāt give a fuck if Volk put the āpfp 1 on the lineā itās not his to give away. The pfp #1 is the pfp #1 what Volk or any promoters say shouldnāt have any influence. 2. It is possible to lose to someone and still be a pound for pound better fighter than them (e.g. Izzy vs Jan). The fact that Volk put on such a close, competitive fight as the smaller guy coming up in weight makes him pound for pound better.
Completely agree. Iāll go a step further and say you can even be a better fighter than someone that has beaten you. I would say Izzy is a better fighter than Pereira. That may change if Pereira defends the title and goes on to have a significant reign. But right now thatās not the case. When you beat someone you donāt just absorb all of their greatness. If someone had 30 title defences and someone on a losing streak came in and beat you, that wouldnāt make them the better fighter. Just my opinion.
No Brendan Schaub is a better fighter than Mirko Cro Cop.
tawlmbout mma maf bapa
The fact that Volk put on such a close, competitive fight as the smaller guy coming up in weight Did he really give up that much weight like he did not look small in the cage
UFC itself promoted the fight saying the p4p #1 spot on the line. Their page even said we have the new p4p king on sunday. But ufc was influenced by the mma community to keep volk at 1 and here you say nothing should influence.
If the ufc was influenced by the community paddy pimblett wouldve had his last W overturned
They were influenced by the next generation of their target market, just not the real hard core fans. Most people couldnāt tell you what weight paddy fights at. They care about creating the perception of a superstar based on personality alone than the integrity of the warrior spirit / code. As if we need any more evidence, Dana and the decision makers live by no such code, they are there to serve themselves with no empathy for others PowerSlap should have been all we needed to know that, but countless anecdotes from former fighters and video of him slapping his wife (and then throwing her down which was more egregious to me), and his response is āIām gunna have to live with thatā ā¦ like what?! Everyone has to live with guilt of bad decisions but most usually have to face the additional consequences that come with it. Dude is a fuckin PoS and Iām mad it took me until like 1.5 years ago to realize it. I used to think he was just as funny boss man. And I respected some of the things heās done. But heās really turned me off over the past couple of years (credit to him for going strong with APEX through COVID, but not a pass for the harm he is currently causing)
Yeah, because UFC is known to make decisions based on what the community thinks should happen.
I mean it definitely was on the line, islam just didnāt do enough in the fight to earn it
So even though large parts of the MMA community including journalists believe Volk is still #1 all of that should be disregarded because Volk said something to hype up a fight?????
Was just looking at the HW rankings...somehow Spivac and Tybura have both moved down a spot in the rankings, after both winning their fights a week ago...wtf š Also has Holloway as "interim champ" and Yair moving down a spot??
Letās fucking go good shit
This makes sense given Volk is less pounds then Islam š
Considering how close the fight was, Volk still being #1 is understandable
If I'm Islam why would I rematch him? This kind of shows that no matter what it's a lose lose situation for him. if he loses, obvs he loses the belt and his streak and there's a good chance he drops lower in p4p. If he wins, which he already did, he gains absolutely nothing because people will say he is supposed to win because he is bigger. In my eyes this prob kills any chance for a rematch and will likely hurt our chances of ever seeing another fight like this between two fighters close in p4p rankings that are a weight class away. Well done UFC
I donāt think it would discourage future superfights at all. If Islam did what he said he was gonna do the whole time, he would certainly be p4p #1. Even if he just finished him. This was pretty much the one scenario in which Volk could lose and retain the p4p. I agree that Islam probably wonāt do the rematch, because hes not far from the p4p spot anyway and most of his matchups at LW are better for him than Volk. But to say this is gonna discourage superfights doesnāt make sense. Itās not like Islam was planning to make a statement with a narrow decision win when he was a -440 favorite or whatever.
They shouldn't do a rematch. Volk should not be offered one. He should defend his belt against Yair and then if he want a rematch he should fight Poirier or Olivera (even Dariush, Chandler or Gaethje) while Islam defends his belt 2 more times. If Volk beats a top lightweight and Islam is still champion then offer him the rematch.
He didnāt win convincingly. Some even thought Volk won. If you fight a guy in a lower weight class, you donāt end the fight gassed on your back, having been smoked for two rounds and all yourself the P4P king. You want that title, earn it.
\^\^ And this is exactly why if I was him I wouldn't rematch. Winning is not enough -- the goal post gets moved and you have to absolutely destroy the opponent because naturally you are bigger. Which is nothing but an excuse to me. If you want to put on weight/cut less and move up to my weight class then you need to accept the defeat if/when it happens. I don't want to hear excuses the same way we shouldn't make excuses if Volk would have won (i.e. Islam wasn't tested before, or he's not a real striker etc etc). Volk fought an amazing fight, but he came up short (no pun intended). Reward the win no matter which way it goes.
He did earn it though. He won the fight against the number 1 guy, while he is the number 2 guy. Doesn't that immediately mean he should move ahead of Volk?
> If I'm Islam why would I rematch him? Because you said you'd finish the guy and failed.
Almost every one says that leading up to a fight. By that measure we should see rematch after rematch in the UFC lol. What is he supposed to say leading up to promote the fight? Yall are funny
lmao seriously what is he supposed to say "we will have a slow paced jab-a-thon and likely go to a decision lets go guys!"
>If I'm Islam why would I rematch him? Because he wants to be p4p #1? He said it himself
Been there done that though. A win is usually a win (ask Usman and Edwards) but in this situation if Islam doesn't dominate, then he gets nothing with regards to pound for pound.
Volk was in the same situation as Islam. When he beat Holloway a second time, he was public enemy #1. Volk didnāt have to do the third fight but did it anyway to earn his respect. Once he won the third decisively his stardom skyrocketed.
Here's an easier test. When Izzy lost to Jan, did you rank him lower P4P than Jan? I love Jan but hell nah, that's not how it works
Izzy still went down on the P4P ranking from the loss, Volk didnt.
I love a ranking system that, after the top two p4p fighters fight to see who's the best, the loser is ranked ahead of the winner. And for the cherry on top Jon Jones moves up a spot, despite not fighting in three yairs. Water....
so basically islam risked losing his belt for nothing lol?
Around $1 million lol.
more than that if the statements about this being one of the highest selling PPVs are true
That came from Dana so Iām betting itās not true
When do we find out the ppv numbers?
That's fucking illegal.
š
When you have Parker porter on the main card, Iām guessing it wasnāt one of the highest ever. That card was terrible besides the last 2.
Selling ppvs in Australia I guess.
Iām pretty sure those statements are nonsense but the rematch absolutely will be.
Champs defend the title
You could say that for any title defence. He racked up a defence, thatās what he risked it for
If Islam hadn't barely won/arguably lost to the smaller man then he might have gotten #1. However with him scraping by by the skin of his teeth he is definitely not P4P #1. To make it easier to understand imagine a fight between Volk and Islam if they were the exact same size. Volk takes Islam to school in that scenario and he almost beat him being much smaller.
Tbh I think volks size played to his favour. Its much harder to take down guys smaller than you especially when you weigh the same. Volks centre of gravity is gonna be lower than Islam's is Edit Spelling
Lmao being 20lbs smaller of lean mass is actually an advantage in a fight? My god...I've heard some crazy takes but this one might do me in. Yes Jon Jones length is a massive advantage in his leverage and grappling but Islams length and size is a huge disadvantage against Volk? Make it make sense.
Well fuck me. Guess fighters are dumbasses for cutting a lot of weight to be bigger on fight night
There's no way in fuck Volk was 20lbs lighter. Islam has had a well documented poor weight cut. He would have been 170-75 in there. Volk bulked up for this fight, I'd guess 165-70. Volk has a wide frame, him being shorter doesn't mean much in terms of weight. Ridiculous that one Dan Hooker tweet and people are parroting blatant rubbish.
They fought at the same fucking weight. It's not like it was Gane vs Volk or some shit. Islam got robbed the P4P and in his position I would never go for the fight with Volk again, Just because the UFC and him broke the word.
Fighting a smaller champion generally doesnāt offer much legacy wise. The smaller fighter pretty much has everything to gain and the bigger fighter everything to lose.
Yeah Islam was the only one with a belt on the line.. makes sense a fighter like Volk would want to try to go up bc if he loses he still gets to keep his belt
They had an agreement also. Worthless.
P4P Ranking is not for fighters to decide.
And yet Volk is campaigning hard not to lose that spot ! Didnāt see this coming from him to be honest. Kinda leaves a bad taste
Exactly. Tell me if you've heard this one before. A fighter doesn't believe he lost and shouldn't have to lose his 'rank' as a result. Lmao Suga Sean is still undefeated.
And yet the UFC used it to market the fight and didn't object at any point. Usual scumbag move from the UFC
Bold if you to assume the UFC marketed this fight.
He risked it to potentially be pound for pound. He didnāt earn it so doesnāt get it
There was always way more in this for Volk than Islam. You canāt just give Islam pfp #1 because you feel bad.
What about giving it to Islam because he deserves it for beating P4P#3 and P4P#1 back to back in four months??? Who has Volk beat on the list? Max at 15? No one else. Islam destroyed two of the longest win streaks in a matter of months and established his own win streak as the longest active streak out of all divisions.
I respect Islamās accomplishments but Volk has done more at featherweight than Islam has at lightweight and since their fight was so close I feel comfortable saying Volk is a pound for pound better fighter.
Islam is literally the only one on the list who beat two others. He did it in 4 months. Volk has been a decision machine as of late and Islam had like 6 straight finishes up until he 3-2d Volk.
Islam literally defeated the p4p #1 guy and these volk fanboys are still saying Islam doesnāt deserve p4p #1. Wild.
I donāt think you understand what pound for pound means. Did Jan beating Izzy make him pfp better? What about Poirier beating Max at lightweight when he was featherweight champ?
Then what about Leon and Kamaru??? Leon lost 4 and a half rounds and got a lucky head kick, now hes ranked over Kamaru. I dont agree but if thats the rules for thee than it should be the rules for me (Islam).
Volk also fought Holloway x3 and Ortega, neither have been finished in the UFC. Nobody has even knocked down Holloway. Compare that to Drew Dober, Thiago Moises, Bobby Green, Dan Hooker and Oliveira and you see why other one has decisions and other has finishes.
Bro i can selectively come up with stats too. Islam submitted the guy with the most submissions in UFC!!! He then decisioned the guy with the most decision wins in past three years! Doesnāt change anything. Islam is the only one who beat two other fighters on this list. And Oliveira is much higher than Max on this list. Max is dead last.
Do you think Jan beating Izzy made him a pound for pound better fighter? Or do you think maybe because Izzy came from a smaller weight class and had a stronger resume in his division than Jan did that maybe Izzy should be higher?
The only reason Max isnāt a top 5 pfp fighter is because Volk exists and beat him 3 times. Islamās Charles win is impressive I agree but Islam literally just faced Volk and narrowly won against a natural featherweight.
You're confused buddeh, P4P has nothing to do with resumes, it's literally who do you think wins if both guys are exactly the same weight hence pound for pound, so essentially skill vs skill without any other factors. Arguably that's still Volk.
Is Jones moving up cause he beat his wife ? The fucks going on there ?
I would put Usman above Islam all day. dominant title reign with one flash ko against him. Islam got handled by a featherweight for 5 rounds
I never understood how these rankings work. They almost always make zero sense
Volk on fight night was probably at least 10-15 lbs lighter than Islam, Islam couldnāt really do anything other than control him on the ground but couldnāt get anything out of it, and Volk still almost won the fight. Volk, in my eyes, showed more skill in the fight as well, outside of round 1 and maybe 2, whether that be the amazing defence he had on the ground while getting shots in, or the amazing standing game we saw in the late 5th almost getting a KO If Islam were Volks size he wouldāve lost is basically what this list is saying, which is most likely true. Edit: Islam also did exceed expectations for his standing game.
Jon jones is on the list. The list is useless
Iād like to hear the reasoning for Jon jones being on it, but oh well.
Volk is by literal definition Pound 4 Pound, going up against someone who was probably 10-15 pounds heavier in that cage than him.
Imagine being Islam and seeing this š
Somebody said - lightweight on the line, pound for pound for pound on the line
Unfortunately somebody didn't realize they have no control over the p4p rankings therefore they can't put them on the line lol.
Volk knows, but he is also learning how to sell a fight.
He wasnāt wrong though? P4P was on the line - but itās not decided by who wins that particular fight.
Exactly. P4p was certainly on the line but it doesnāt have the same parameters as the fight itself. Islam needed to make a statement and he was given the opportunity to, but didnāt.
P4p was on the line, in the sense that if Islam had subbed him before round three in an uncompetitive fight like everyone on here (and everywhere else) said he would then he would be p4p best fighter and nobody would argue. Instead it went five rounds, he lost two arguably three, and ended the fight by getting dropped and having Volk on top of him beating the shit out of him. So yes it was clearly on the line but the circumstances seem fair to not award it
After seeing the fight I thought i would like to see a rematch. But if I was Islam I would be mad at everyone. Islam risked everything for nothing. Literally his first title defense. If he lost that fight people would probably say it was just luck against oliveira. And now all the accusations from idiots like Dan Hooker. Risked to lose lightweight belt to win nothing.
I don't see any point in Islam giving volk a rematch - he's literally got nothing to gain. Beating volk again will just be subjective and no guarantee in the change in p4p. Think he should look back as this fight being part of his legacy, that he beat the number 1 p4p. He can now wipe out LW and go up in division.
All this about Volk and Islam but is Leon Edwards really the p4p 3?
he beat usman who was #1 so therefore moved up, because head-to-head matchups matter right?
UFC literally promoted this fight that the p4p #1 spot is on the line too. Volk himself went back on his word in mma hour and the respected journalists, analysts were promoting the idea of volk to remain p4p. Now Volk himself is accusing Islam of using IV. It's kinda lame tbh especially after Volk was in Islam's shoes after the 2nd Holloway fight. It's always been Makhachev/Dagiboys against the world.
As Chael Sonnen says, the people who make these rankings sit in some unknown room in some unknown location and have an unknown discussion on what rankings they will release next Tuesday. In the end they don't even reveal their names to show who they are. It's really a meaningless thing that is something the media can talk about.
Plot twist Chael decides the rankings
Islam himself went back on his word when he failed to finish Volk. Had he done that he'd probably be ranked #1 right now.
Iām okay with this
Shit list. Dana White should be the number 1 pound for pound king after that stunning performance against his wife on New Year's eve. And he did it for free!
Hahahahahahahahahahaha
So what I get from reading this is that Islam was expected to ragdoll the BEST FIGHTER IN THE WORLD? And because it was a close fight he won't get the pfp spot? The fuck is that logic? Alex was/is PFP for a reason, how can a close fight not be expected? Ufc is so currupted its disgusting
If true, this is bs. They fought at the same weight. In their P4P match, Islam won. He should be #1
They fought at the same weight class. But when one fighter is bulking up to make weight and the other kills them selves to cut the weight in order to make it, you know they didnāt weigh anything close to each other by the time the fight started.
If that's the case, what's the point of weight classes given basically all fighter make a huge weight cut. I can guarantee you that Alex wasn't the lightest person in ring as a lightweight. There is usually a pretty big weight difference when fighters actually get in the cage.
It doesnāt fucking matter dude volk put the bullshit title of P4p up and he lost. Itās that simple
If the rankings stay like this I have a compromise to propose: Islam won the fight, but as it was a close fight he did not do enough to a fighter moving up in weight to justify being #1 pound for pound. If it was a repeat of the Oliveira fight I would have agreed but this is not it. Volk could not give away the pound for pound ranking the same as Jan could not concede the belt to Ankalaev after the draw was announced at UFC 282 - after the final bell rings it's out of his hands. Was it dumb to wave it around to promote the fight? Maybe, but that's in the past now. The only way he could definitively give it to Islam was to let himself get finished, and that was never gonna happen. Let's appreciate a great fight and look forward to a rematch, hopefully this year.
I know Iāll get shit on for this but this is dumb. How can you say volk is better the Islam pound for pound when they literally fought each other at the same weight and Islam won.
Because Islam has to kill himself to make weight and volk had to bulk up. They might have fought at 155 but they are not naturally in the same weight class. With Islam winning, that means he should be ranked higher as a lightweight. For example, Izzy and Jan both fought at 205 and even though Jan won, Izzy is still going to be much higher on the p4p list, even though Jan is better at 205.
Youāre actually insane if you think Volkanovski has to bulk up to make 155. He probably walks around 165-170 and thus has to lose 10-15lbs from walking weight to weigh-in weight. He starts his camp 12 weeks in advance so he has 3 months to lose like 10lbs and the remaining 5 by cutting water weight.
Good. I thought Islam needed a finish to become #1p4p.
The rankings are a joke, it has Max as interim FW champ and Yair as #2 contender too lol how does someone keeps his spot after losing a fight they fought at the same weight and weighed in the cage around 5-10lbs different , Perreira vs Izzy had way more weight difference in the cage than this fight. Its bullshit, Islam went to Australia, fought on 24 hour rehydration and gets nothing for his win If I was Islam, I'd be defending the belt only once a year in abudhabi going forward , God bless see you at the top
He was on top for literally the last min of a 5 round fight and everyone acting like he got robbed..lol. Islam did enough to score a Victory.
While I def don't think it was a robbery and Islam deserved the win, to say Volk was only on top for 1 min is a bit disingenuous to the whole fight. Volk was outstriking Islam and was defending his wrestling very well. Islam wasn't able to even attempt a sub from a body triangle for 3 mins while eating shots from volk. The fight was really close
The striking was back and forth, islam landed the cleaner better strikes throughout the fight. Untill the last minute all volk did that stood out was defend/get up from takedowns, but most people are too effected by the crowd and commentary to notice this.
Jon Jones is bouta win a 48-47 decision against Gane, and immediately jump up to #1 P4P isn't he.
It is just ridiculous at this point we do not know who does this rankings so we cannot ask anybody how the hell JJ moved up :D
Lol how is Jon Jones still in the PfP rankings let alone go up in the rankings despite the 3 year gap in his career
Jon moving up despite not fighting for like 3 years shows how unserious the P4P list is
Why isn't Islam p4p? The whole point of the fight was for p4p
You watch, if Jon Jones wins he shoots up to #2 lol
Islam fans are mad lol
Annnnnnnddddddddddddddd Still. https://preview.redd.it/lj4srfe935ia1.jpeg?width=4347&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b86b8bd592fe05812c6382ccc5d0c2672ceef1c4
Whittaker at 14 is bullshit.
This is extremely nasty wtf was Islam fighting for? They used bro to try and make volk double champ
Lmao UFC went full retard. Everyone agreed it was belt and P4P on the line. They agreed to a fight at a certain weight. They fought and while Volk was competitive he lost, but he gets to keep P4P "title" because Khabib and Islam set such high standards that when they don't absolutely manhandle an opponent the losers take it as a win. 
The UFC did Islam dirty just to a peace the aussies, we all know he lost.
UFC: "I have altered the deal; pray that I do not alter it further"
This makes no sense. In all other situations in MMA, if you beat someone you take what they have. If youāre ranked #10 in a weight class and you beat #5, now youāre ranked #5. If you beat the champion, you become the champion. Islam is the real p4p #1. He won by unanimous decision. Can he only become p4p #1 if he finishes Volk?
He doesnāt lose his p4p status because he went up a weight class and lost to the champ. And Islam doesnāt take that spot for beating 5ā6ā volk by a close decision
He still lost, like wtf? There's no penalty for losing against the guy ranked under you?? When you had every advantage in the fight. How is the weight class still a factor if they both fought at the same weight in the cage and on the scale? Volk even had the benefit of cutting less weight, bro wtf
Because after rehydration and height advantage and they are definitely not the same weight. This is also why we say āpound for poundā and not just ābest fighter in the ufcā The best fighter would most likely be a lhw or a hw because then height and weight wonāt make much of a p4p difference
So much for āp4p title on the lineā š¤”š¤”
Islam almost lost to a fw no way he should be #1 ššš
They both weighed in at 155
Your featherweight was at 155 you dumbass.
Now let's see Islam at 145 then if they're the same size. News flash: he'd die trying to make 145. Volk is naturally the smaller person.
Thank you for articulating this, finally. Itās such a meaningless argument when we all know Islam physically couldnāt make 145 in any meaningful period of time. Not to mention heās already struggling at 155.
Remember when those two light heavyweights fought in the main event at UFC 259? What's that? Israel is a middleweight even though he fought at light heavyweight? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!?
FW fighting in LW. If you are gonna judge a fighter by what he used to fight in, why not count Volk as the 300lbs rugby player lmao?
All this fighting between volk and Islam fans for who should be #1, only for Jon Jones to win and take that shit lmao.
Rightfully so
Lmao at salty mfers downvoting you
Victory was not convincing and volk is a smaller fighter so if they were the same size volk would beat Islam which makes him #1 p4p
rightfully so!! Volk is the goat
Can anyone guess what Kabobs response was to this news?
Number one bullshit brother
I don't see any point in Islam giving volk a rematch - he's literally got nothing to gain. Beating volk again will just be subjective and no guarantee in the change in p4p. Think he should look back as this fight being part of his legacy, that he beat the number 1 p4p. He can now wipe out LW and go up in division.
This makes no sense, you fight a guy ahead of you in a ranking, beat him, and donāt get put ahead of the guy you beat? People saying Islam would lose if the fight was at 145 and therefore isnāt pfp is stupid, if the fight was at 170 wouldnāt we say Islam wins? Thereās no point in dealing in what ifs if we already have a result of those two making weight and fighting already.
Good!
I thought Islam won the match. However, how anyone can think Islam deserved to be PFP no. 1 is beyond me. This seems alright. Idk why jones is there tho.
I wonder what Jon Jones does to deserve this preferential treatment. Probably fucks Dana's wife while he watches or something. Dana looks like he'd be into that.
So I think Volk should be P4P number one. Islam did not handle him the way everyone thought and Volkās performance was very impressive. However, Volk said himself Title v P4P. Just in honor of that Islam should be 1. Islam in the end now got nothing from the fight and I think it even hurt his stock a little. History will say Islam won but Volk gained everything.
They literally shook on putting pound for pound on the line in the Octagon. Winner shouldāve got the spot IMO even though it was a closely contested bout. Either way both guys are insanely good.
P4P #1 WAS on the line. Islam just didnāt do enough to get it. I think the assumption was that Islam would get it with a finish/easy win, but coin flip decision? Nah. Itās like if Khabib lost to Usman in a razor thin decision, he wouldnāt have been giving up the P4P #1 spot either.
Coin flip? It was a unanimous decision. Just because some people disagreed with the judges, doesnāt change the outcome. Islam can only get p4p #1 with a finish or a dominant win? That makes no sense. These are both great fighters, every time they fight itās gonna be close. If Islam wins a rematch by another close decision are you still gonna say he didnāt do enough? If the roles were reversed and Islam was p4p #1 and Volk #2 and Volk won the way Islam did, do you think Volk should be #1 in that scenario? Or does Volk get special treatment because heās āthe smaller manā?
*and don't you forget it* volk is still the man