Islam Makhachev takes the UD over Alexander Volkanovski.
That was everything you could have possibly hoped for in a fight like this. Two of the best fighters in the sport pushing one another to do things we have never seen them do and putting them in positions we have never seen them in.
Alexander Volkanovski went out there and showed he is indeed a fucking tank of a human being. Makhachev, try as he might, struggled to get Volk down. And when he did, he just could not get anything done to him. He spent 3 minutes on Volk’s back in that 4th round just eating punches because Volk has no neck and is too strong to choke. But Volk then comes out and drops Islam clean in that last 90 seconds of the 5th round, potentially down 3-1 on the scorecards.
But Islam. Oh my god. Showed otherworldly toughness. Dude got hurt multiple times in this fight and managed to survive. BUT ALSO, he HURT Volk. Dropped in in the 2nd round for a split second. And going beyond that, his kickboxing skills were on full display. As Volk seemed to think he would just be able to bully Islam on the feet, he did not prepare any of his tools the way we’ve seen him do against 145ers. Islam made him pay. Beautiful counter knees as Volk closed distance with his big movements. Had a few really nice kicks to the body (and a couple upstairs that kept Volk honest). Hell, he even had a better use of the jab than Volk did in this one. And like I said, he was tagging Volk with that left hand from southpaw all night. Islam fought the fight Volk wanted to have and came out better than most people thought he would.
I have critiques of both guys, especially Volk who fought a very atypical fight. No jab, lots of explosive movements that were not disguised well, and looked thoroughly under-prepared for a southpaw. His best offensive weapon, the jab, was non-existent. But that’s just high level fighting. Sometimes things are just taken away from you by circumstance.
Sucks these two aren’t in the same division cause I’d watch them fight again in a heartbeat.