For bringing in the casual/mainstream audience, yep. For purists, there are many more intriguing fighters and matchups.
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- Thread starter Fortitude
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For bringing in the casual/mainstream audience, yep. For purists, there are many more intriguing fighters and matchups.
Khabib will be back.
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That Max performance was something else.
That moment when max was talking to DC or someone and blindly side punches Kater like he was playing with his child was just so funny
And also funny how Dana is so desperate to get Khabib out of retirement when one of his favourite phrases is: "if you're thinking about the R word, then I think you should retire"...
That moment when max was talking to DC or someone and blindly side punches Kater like he was playing with his child was just so funny
And also funny how Dana is so desperate to get Khabib out of retirement when one of his favourite phrases is: "if you're thinking about the R word, then I think you should retire"...
Any true fan appreciates his skill level.
Most strikes thrown/landed ever? Unreal. And from every possible angle. The body shots were so clean. Amazing to watch.
Wow... an absolute schooling.
I’m not quite sure what you’re suggesting. Are you saying I’m not a true fan, or are you implying that my use of the word ‘purist’ is interchangeable with ‘true fan’?
With how absolute you were with your post, I’d be very curious to hear where you rank his skill level.
Yo, just finished watching the Holoway fight. Simply insane, no look punches, hellbow, angles and head movement to die for. That might be the greatest performance I’ve ever seen in the Octagon. just mental.
That was a damn nasty beatdown to watch. Uncomfortable at times which is hard to achieve after watching MMA for so long. Not a FOTY contender like commentary was saying because it was way too onesided, but definitely setting a high bar for beatdown of the year. Want to see Max vs Zabit next with winner getting the winner of Volk vs Ortega.
Phenomenal by Holloway. Shades of Silva Vs Griffen there when he went into his matrix.
Max suggest omg post fight that he's interested in a fight with Khabib. I don't see it, but I'd love for him to get another shot at the FA title.
Max suggest omg post fight that he's interested in a fight with Khabib. I don't see it, but I'd love for him to get another shot at the FA title.
Yeah was a weird call that fight of the year surely has to be competitive. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that it was in heat of the moment.
He's in a weird position for me cos whilst he's definitely deserving of a title shot I've really got no desire to see the same fight 3 times, I think they messed up with the immediate rematch personally in hindsight
They would probably argue that Kattar can finish fights with a punch and was still throwing bombs until very late in the fight. He did actually seem to rattle Holloway a couple of times.
Max will get the next title shot. He was well beaten when he lost the title, got an unfair rematch that he did win but was robbed (imo) so any sort of win gets him a third shot. Dana loves him.
Lose a tight third and hes a win away from a 4th title shot. Thats how badly Dana has booked himself into a corner here.
Lose a tight third and hes a win away from a 4th title shot. Thats how badly Dana has booked himself into a corner here.
Yeah fair point... he definitely did land a few and in fairness the FOTY stuff stopped the second the fight ended and it was seen as really one sided then.
Whilst the Volk fights were close I've just got no desire to see it again personally bit he does deserve it.
Does Max even really need a title shot? he was robbed in the rematch and I have no interest in seeing that fight again. He’s the best 145’er there is. If I was Max I’d just start calling names from 155 and have another crack at it.
Ive said this for a while but the fight I most want to see is Holloway vs MCGregor. Both miles better than what they were for the first fight. Max probably making the biggest jump in quality, but imagine the shine that would bring to Holloway.
Any 'purist' appreciates his skill level.
Conor ranks very highly in the history of the sport. His fellow fighters rightly acknowledge his skill level, I'd be curious to hear if your think different.
Just saw the Max clip of him talking to the commentators.
What the feck?! How did he dodge like 5-6 punches without focusing??!
What the feck?! How did he dodge like 5-6 punches without focusing??!
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Probably not but just the usual progression.
I dunno how he fairs at 155 he's not the biggest puncher and does get hit. Agree though some interesting match ups there
He did still at times rocked Dustin when he went up but do agree he probably needs to add a bit more strength and power to really be competitive. If he could consistently perform like he did last night then he would break a good few 155’ers. He’s shown he can handle the power there cause Dustin cracked him a lot with big shots and didn’t put him away And Dustin one of the biggest punchers in that division.
Max himself is a big 145’er and should probably really be at 155 anyway. I think he should commit to that division. There really isn’t anything for him at 145.
Flipping missed this one, started way earlier than I expected 
That belt is Holloway's anyway as far as I'm concerned so let's just get Volkanovski booked and over with, hopefully we get the result we should have got last time.
Just watched the highlights, Kattar is a tough SOB. How he dragged it out to a decision.
That belt is Holloway's anyway as far as I'm concerned so let's just get Volkanovski booked and over with, hopefully we get the result we should have got last time.
Just watched the highlights, Kattar is a tough SOB. How he dragged it out to a decision.
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For all his dazzling offence, easy to miss that Holloway has a fexking chin on him. He barely blinks when cracked. Against Kattar, Poirier whoever. Its arguably his most valuable asset.
Unfortunately his lack of ability to finish fights abruptly, will mean his effectiveness will be diminished at LW. Id rather he stayed at 145.
What's left for him to do at 145 though? Especially if he beats Volko. He's smashed everyone else.
Yeah he has, but I'd hate to see him take the excessive damage at LW. I still think the Poirier fight was a warning of what may lay in store for him at 155. They hit too hard at LW, and when you take the number of hits he does (even at 145) we will not see the same Max Holloway. They won't be retreating to the fence, allowing Max to unleash his 3-4-5 punch combos. They'll stand firm and smack him.
Plenty potential good fights for him. Vs Zabit and Yair would be awesome fights.
Then you have the up and coming top talents like Topuria, Chikadze, Evloev, Yusuff, etc.
But isn't that pretty much making him a gatekeeper?
He made a promise to his mother that it would go to a decision. Not much Max could do in the face of that.
He's a badman foreal!
Oh yeah. Forgot Khabib Kattar made that promise.
I could imagine Dana in that "talk" with Khabib, showing Khabib a picture of his mother and tearing it up
Oh yeah. Forgot Khabib Kattar made that promise.
I could imagine Dana in that "talk" with Khabib, showing Khabib a picture of his mother and tearing it up
Nah. A gatekeeper is a guy who loses to the majority of the top 10, but good enough to still beat some of the up and comers. (Jeremy Stephens or Ricardo Lamas for example)
Max still a long way to go before he becomes a gatekeeper. If he remains at FW, he will still only be fighting for the belt or number one contender fights. As of now, only Volk has proven to be at his level.
I prefer if Max stays at FW, for the sake of the division. I want it to remain as competitive as it can.
If he leaves to LW, he doesn't add much to that division* but takes a lot from FW.
*At least not the version that fought Dustin. If he is serious about it, he would need to take a year off to properly bulk up. And would he still be same fighter after that? Who knows. I personally don't think he can achieve the same level of success as in FW.
This is a great point I didn't even think of.
I agree. He's extremely skilled but he tends to outbox and outgrind opponents. It becomes more dangerous when he moves up, because he'd be fighting larger guys that he wouldn't be able to walk down and pressure the way he does to the 145ers.
I think I saw a comment by you in one of the your posts saying that the damage he'd incur at 155 wouldn't make the move worth it and, again, I agree. His chin is solid at 145 and he's still solid but fighting the same way at LW and taking hard punches would take years off his career. Maybe it isn't the best idea.
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Didn't think I'd see something surpass Anderson's peak humiliation stuff, but this is the craziest thing I've ever seen in contact sport. At least Ali and Sugar Ray would look at their opponent as they dodged punches and Roy Jones was more a moment of explosive flash. Max is not looking at Kattar for the entire sequence! That's disgusting!
Wouldn't put it past Max to want to give 155 a real go, he's just that type of personality. He'll fight anyone and wants to be THE best fighter there ever was.
He's got unfinished business at 145 though, which is justified in my opinion. Take care of your own backyard first (145 first - Volkanovski) and then conquer elsewhere.
But for the reasons we both intimated, becoming a 2 time WC at 145 and defending a few more times makes sense. Perversely as annoying for me, as a Max fan, having this true rivalry with Volkanovski will only add to his legacy. All great champions are enhanced by any great rivalries they may have had. I think that's true of any sport.....
I almost wish he didn't do it, but then when he pulled it off, glad he did. Truly astonishing to witness!
The disrespectful no-look punch that started it off, too.
Kattar deserves not to become an eternal meme after showing so much heart, but that sequence is definitely going straight into the top shelf annals of combat humiliation.I heard Kattar sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night punching the air. He suddenly gains consciousness and asks his wife if she's ok. She says "don't worry honey, you didn't land a single shot". Then his nightmares begin again.The disrespectful no-look punch that started it off, too.
Ps. Don't forget we have fights tomorrow.