Don't do it Robert!!! They switched the one-shot Dagestani out with a somewhat well-rounded Dagestani. ITS A TRAAAPPPPPP!! Seriously tho. Pray for my boy. They always do this to him.
@@firerbenoit2808 I agree, I don't really get the sentiment that Aliskerov is a much better striker. Hes improved since fighting chimaev but the level of competition is so comparatively weak
If we think in RPG terms, rob has well rounded stats, ikram has well rounded stats. Rob is higher level, thereby he has more stats generally. Khamzat was also lower level, but he’d maxed out his wrestling/intensity stats in a way that could’ve overwhelmed rob. Ikram will just be slightly worse than rob at everything except strength/submissions
@@DKRYMMA Stats matter only up until you do one wrong dark souls roll and get swiped by a dragon's tail, to stick with your analogy. Rob shouldn't be risking it at this stage in his life.
My two cents on the Whittaker-Aliskerov matchup. I totally understand the boys' apprehension about this fight. Whittaker is one of my favourite fighters and every single fight I'm extremely stressed watching him live. Like you guys said, Rob gets hurt in every fight lately and there is always this air of vulnerability around him. I also really don't like it when high-ranked fighters take bouts against much lower-ranked fighters, especially on short notice. That being said, Aliskerov was getting pieced up by Phil Hawes and there is nothing to suggest that he would have won that fight if it wasn't for Phil Hawes' glass jaw. Whittaker is of course quite a bit better than Hawes and unless Aliskerov's camp has a dusty manila folder in their filing cabinet with an in-depth breakdown of how to fight Robert Whittaker (possibly, I'm honestly shocked that more gyms dont have pre-designed strategies for fighting major contenders in their fighters' divisions), it will be a fight of Rob's game vs Ikram's game, not gameplan vs gameplan. About Rob's reluctance to pressure, I have to disagree with your reads on the fight with Costa. Whilst I agree that Rob hasn't been pressuring as much, I felt that Rob was more aggressive in his last fight than he had been in quite a while. Whether he actually realises that this is what he needs to do to prevent dangerous fighters lingering/getting comfortable, or if he realises that his tendency to go to decisions lately doesn't help convince the UFC to give him a title shot, I think the need to be more aggressive has sunk in. I think if nothing else, the Dricus fight really opened his eyes to this. Also looking at Rob's post-Adesanya 1 record: Defeated Darren Till (close fight with dangerous moments, especially getting dropped in rd 1 - but as Connor and Phil noted, immediately after Adesanya fight, and a long layoff) including dropped Till in rd 2. Defeated Jared Cannonier (dropped Cannonier) Ran over Kelvin Gastelum (honestly anyone else that took that head kick would have been slept. Gastelum was saved by that cinderblock he has instead of a skull) in a not-competitive bout. Lost the Adesanya rematch (IMO he won this fight) Beat Marvin Vettori, also not competitive Lost to DDP. Looked terrible in this fight, and even he admits it was his worst performance. Beat Costa, winning every round (I know 2 of the judges gave Costa the first round off of the head kick, but that was Costa's only major moment in the fight). Like I said, the vulnerability thing is anxiety-inducing, but Rob has beaten so many guys that are way better/more tested than Aliskerov. And like Phil said, Aliskerov has a number of obvious vulnerabilities. I love this podcast and was really happy to hear it, but you guys are talking like Rob's on a four-fight losing streak. About the negativity about MMA, I get it. I've been a fan for a long-time, but had a hiatus period where you guys would have still been covering. We have been getting a lot of less-interesting fight cards, the UFC has been doing a lot of very meh matchmaking, and it doesn't feel like there are that many exciting up and comers, whilst favourites are declining. I get it. Like any podcast, there are things I disagree with (I feel like you guys have kinda underestimated a lot of people over the years, with Prochazka being a good recent example) but I also love how you wave the torch for a lot of underrated fighters (Blachowicz and Sandhagen for example), criticise overrated fighters (Jones, Adesanya etc) and so on. I know this is a long-ass rant, but loving your work guys. Don't be discouraged by the people mad at the complaints about your MMA coverage. They can go watch DC go all creepy uncle on Sanko on the weigh-in shows if they want uncritical shilling. Props all the way from New Zealand - J
@alecsavoy8656 feels nice to care about stuff haha. I get you though. Didnt think it would be so long until I typed it out. P.S. that damn loch ness monster
@@joshuaalach9431 I so agree with you here. I don’t think Rob has been as stressed as the lads are claiming and has actually had mostly dominant performances, DDP not withstanding. There have been ‘moments’ from the opposition but not to the extent it comes across here.
@@nbjfc8967 yeah for sure. I do get their point that the UFC has shifted away from Rob as a promotional focus (I feel like this especially became the case with Volk finally getting popular because AUS had a champion) so Rob has to constantly rebuild and seemingly work waaaay harder than the likes of Khamzat to get a title shot (or in the past, guys like Till, who they always wanted to have fight Izzy but he just couldn't win a fight). I think knowing Rob has to take more fights while looking vulnerable at times is what feeds the pessimism about his title hopes.
It can be a 'ya'll musta forgot' moment also with Whittaker pulling a Poirer and starching the up and coming talent. I'm leaning towards that being most likely actually given that Rob is still quite young.
@58:02 I've been there. Going from what Kyle calls "a two way technical" to a good ol' MMA one punch at a time mid-range kickboxing match. But.... would Tank fight that way too if he was WORRIED ABOUT THE TAKEDOWN?!?!?
Basically “mma so shit and boxing so much better”bruh just cover boxing if mma so shit, I’m sure it’s so refreshing when -800 guy looked “so technical and followed the game plan”
They are such different things that share one overlapping skill, like we laugh at people who think success at amateur wrestling or kickboxing would be a sure shot predictor of success at MMA. Boxing being the very fundamental, bare bones part of combat does make it perfect for easy comparison but then in many cases so does Muay Thai or wrestling in the fights that lean more in that direction. Conor can be a boxing purist at times but then that's just his area of experience. His "base" if you will.
Just to be clear the can-crushing and weight clauses part of AMERICAN boxing does suck. Riyadh season all day!! The -800 favourite matchups are usually in America, don't forget that part either. Mexico, UK, Europe and now the Middle East only does competitive matchmaking.
I agree, ufc has a big enough of a roster that there Co-main events should be able to take the the main slot but the cards are so watered down now imo. Could be a fighter pay issue/ufc knowing they have such a hold on the industry
Lmao. I had the same feeling. Aliskerov feels like a trap. There is a possibility he could turn out to be another Abus Magomedov... but with Abus, there were clear red flags if anyone had bothered to look back at any of his earlier fights. Plus he lives in soft Germany... Didn't have the mountain training experience.
I think Whittaker, though a smart fighter, doesn't have a high enough Fight IQ to overcome his comparatively lacking durability and power to be a confident candidate to being champion again. It's why the Adesanya rematch was closer than it should've been and why he didn't adjust with attacks to the body against Du Plessis' high guard.
Conor, I love that you're a boxing guy at heart but have you heard about Frank "the Ghost" Martin before? No? Never? Bit like how an unranked Pitbull Cruz became the top contender for one fight or how Luis Ortiz suddenly made the top ten because Wilder had to take the rematch. Supposedly it was a test run for Loma because lil Davis is apparently ready to take off the training wheels at 30 years of age but I doubt it. These guys love their no-name cherry picks where they stand no chance of losing. Just with Teo, Loma, Haney, Shakur, Matias and now Paro around lil Abdul Wahid is barely making the top 5 at 135 or 140.
I love your guys podcast but why don’t you guys just cover boxing instead of mma? I personally think mma is so much better but you guys talk down on mma every chance you guys get sooo I’m just confused why don’t you guys cover boxing? There are many boxing cards.
@@BlimeyOreiley I like jack slack, he doesn’t really talk about how boxing so much better than mma. I like heavy hands too , just found it interesting. It sounds like they like boxing a lot better
You guys haven't been listening long enough. It is Connery Busch's "base style" from what I understand. Wrestlers see MMA as wrestling with punches, boxers see MMA as boxing with extra stuff.
Until Whitaker learns to close range without literally pointing his chin at the ceiling and sprinting face first into every exchange because he doesn’t have the body mechanics to keep his shoulders behind his hips and actually come in behind a stick or at least learn how to feint your shoulder enough to make it look like your flicking it out enough to GLIDE NOT SPRING INTO RANGE , this jolting yourself into range shit that I see mma fighters do is something that honestly makes me wonder who is teaching these dudes how to box . Also Rob needs to learn how to even out his stance he is wayyyy to front foot heavy that’s why he gets swept off his feet every time somebody lands a calf kick when he’s planting because it’s too much of his weight . And why doesn’t Rob throw his hands in combination every thing is lunging single shot it’s really basic and it’s why he gets timed easily when he fights somebody that’s even remotely athletic , cannonier broke his arm in the 1st round of their fight and Rob 100% loses that fight if it was a 5 round fight he was getting slapped around in the last minute . I think people give Whitaker way too much credit for two fights that he didn’t win , against a dude that has demonstrated over and over can wrestle for shit in mma and has no idea how to hold somebody down in half guard and just work on them , Yoel did that once to a washed machida other then than I seen the dude get out wrestled by Brunson for fuck sake . So because Rob stopped takedowns from him i don’t think it means he’s an all time great , he was a champion that never beat anybody to get a belt and he was a champion that never defended his belt , he pulled outta 3 fights and didn’t fight for two years while he had the belt (I know mma fans love to pick and choose who gets a hall pass and everyone gets out the knee pads for Whitaker but dude pulled out of fight after fight , and got folded in half the first time he defended his belt . So I think calling him an all time great is an all time stretch , his best career win is that Jared cannonier win ….cannonier broke his forearm in the first round and Whitaker still almost lost to him , he didn’t beat Yoel don’t care about what the cards say , and jacare was completely washed , so once again he’s an all time great when his best career win is Jared cannonier ? Yikes
Phil’s Predator impression at 11:10 was spot on.
“Philip” is a yautja in disguise; Illuminati confirmed.
Ngannou vs Phil for the "Ultimate Predator" title. Still more legit than the BMF belt.
Phil did a pat berry impression?
One of the best poddys around, you and jack slack are my bitter mma fan life blood and I love it!
THE BEST MMA POD, BY FAR!
That would be Jack Slack, but these boys are good too
@@SalvadorDardyslacky J does
go hard
I also love morning kombat
Pause @@f.r.d.y31
Don't do it Robert!!! They switched the one-shot Dagestani out with a somewhat well-rounded Dagestani. ITS A TRAAAPPPPPP!!
Seriously tho. Pray for my boy. They always do this to him.
Khamzat was a much worse matchup than Ikram for Whittaker.
@@firerbenoit2808 I agree, I don't really get the sentiment that Aliskerov is a much better striker. Hes improved since fighting chimaev but the level of competition is so comparatively weak
If we think in RPG terms, rob has well rounded stats, ikram has well rounded stats. Rob is higher level, thereby he has more stats generally. Khamzat was also lower level, but he’d maxed out his wrestling/intensity stats in a way that could’ve overwhelmed rob. Ikram will just be slightly worse than rob at everything except strength/submissions
@@DKRYMMA Stats matter only up until you do one wrong dark souls roll and get swiped by a dragon's tail, to stick with your analogy. Rob shouldn't be risking it at this stage in his life.
The prayers paid off
11:12 Phil was spitting here
Rap god phil
Can't believe I'm excited for a heavyweight fight but I love Pavlovich so much - I feel like his fight will be fun
My two cents on the Whittaker-Aliskerov matchup.
I totally understand the boys' apprehension about this fight. Whittaker is one of my favourite fighters and every single fight I'm extremely stressed watching him live. Like you guys said, Rob gets hurt in every fight lately and there is always this air of vulnerability around him. I also really don't like it when high-ranked fighters take bouts against much lower-ranked fighters, especially on short notice.
That being said, Aliskerov was getting pieced up by Phil Hawes and there is nothing to suggest that he would have won that fight if it wasn't for Phil Hawes' glass jaw. Whittaker is of course quite a bit better than Hawes and unless Aliskerov's camp has a dusty manila folder in their filing cabinet with an in-depth breakdown of how to fight Robert Whittaker (possibly, I'm honestly shocked that more gyms dont have pre-designed strategies for fighting major contenders in their fighters' divisions), it will be a fight of Rob's game vs Ikram's game, not gameplan vs gameplan.
About Rob's reluctance to pressure, I have to disagree with your reads on the fight with Costa. Whilst I agree that Rob hasn't been pressuring as much, I felt that Rob was more aggressive in his last fight than he had been in quite a while. Whether he actually realises that this is what he needs to do to prevent dangerous fighters lingering/getting comfortable, or if he realises that his tendency to go to decisions lately doesn't help convince the UFC to give him a title shot, I think the need to be more aggressive has sunk in. I think if nothing else, the Dricus fight really opened his eyes to this.
Also looking at Rob's post-Adesanya 1 record:
Defeated Darren Till (close fight with dangerous moments, especially getting dropped in rd 1 - but as Connor and Phil noted, immediately after Adesanya fight, and a long layoff) including dropped Till in rd 2.
Defeated Jared Cannonier (dropped Cannonier)
Ran over Kelvin Gastelum (honestly anyone else that took that head kick would have been slept. Gastelum was saved by that cinderblock he has instead of a skull) in a not-competitive bout.
Lost the Adesanya rematch (IMO he won this fight)
Beat Marvin Vettori, also not competitive
Lost to DDP. Looked terrible in this fight, and even he admits it was his worst performance.
Beat Costa, winning every round (I know 2 of the judges gave Costa the first round off of the head kick, but that was Costa's only major moment in the fight).
Like I said, the vulnerability thing is anxiety-inducing, but Rob has beaten so many guys that are way better/more tested than Aliskerov. And like Phil said, Aliskerov has a number of obvious vulnerabilities.
I love this podcast and was really happy to hear it, but you guys are talking like Rob's on a four-fight losing streak. About the negativity about MMA, I get it. I've been a fan for a long-time, but had a hiatus period where you guys would have still been covering. We have been getting a lot of less-interesting fight cards, the UFC has been doing a lot of very meh matchmaking, and it doesn't feel like there are that many exciting up and comers, whilst favourites are declining. I get it.
Like any podcast, there are things I disagree with (I feel like you guys have kinda underestimated a lot of people over the years, with Prochazka being a good recent example) but I also love how you wave the torch for a lot of underrated fighters (Blachowicz and Sandhagen for example), criticise overrated fighters (Jones, Adesanya etc) and so on. I know this is a long-ass rant, but loving your work guys. Don't be discouraged by the people mad at the complaints about your MMA coverage. They can go watch DC go all creepy uncle on Sanko on the weigh-in shows if they want uncritical shilling.
Props all the way from New Zealand - J
Brother this wasn’t your two cents, you dropped tree fifty and your soul in here. Lmao
@alecsavoy8656 feels nice to care about stuff haha. I get you though. Didnt think it would be so long until I typed it out.
P.S. that damn loch ness monster
@@joshuaalach9431 I’m just messing around brother I love the passion lol should be a good one!
@@joshuaalach9431 I so agree with you here. I don’t think Rob has been as stressed as the lads are claiming and has actually had mostly dominant performances, DDP not withstanding. There have been ‘moments’ from the opposition but not to the extent it comes across here.
@@nbjfc8967 yeah for sure. I do get their point that the UFC has shifted away from Rob as a promotional focus (I feel like this especially became the case with Volk finally getting popular because AUS had a champion) so Rob has to constantly rebuild and seemingly work waaaay harder than the likes of Khamzat to get a title shot (or in the past, guys like Till, who they always wanted to have fight Izzy but he just couldn't win a fight). I think knowing Rob has to take more fights while looking vulnerable at times is what feeds the pessimism about his title hopes.
We love a good trap
Early morning upload is always a treat! Cheers
Is this episode not showing on spotify for anyone else?
It can be a 'ya'll musta forgot' moment also with Whittaker pulling a Poirer and starching the up and coming talent. I'm leaning towards that being most likely actually given that Rob is still quite young.
@58:02 I've been there. Going from what Kyle calls "a two way technical" to a good ol' MMA one punch at a time mid-range kickboxing match. But.... would Tank fight that way too if he was WORRIED ABOUT THE TAKEDOWN?!?!?
Comment 009: You guys convinced me Bobby knuckles was gonna die, instead he looked like he was fighting a can
Did you fellows forget to upload to Spotify or is it just my app?
Phil saying Alhamdulillah 44:51
Basically “mma so shit and boxing so much better”bruh just cover boxing if mma so shit, I’m sure it’s so refreshing when -800 guy looked “so technical and followed the game plan”
Based
They are such different things that share one overlapping skill, like we laugh at people who think success at amateur wrestling or kickboxing would be a sure shot predictor of success at MMA. Boxing being the very fundamental, bare bones part of combat does make it perfect for easy comparison but then in many cases so does Muay Thai or wrestling in the fights that lean more in that direction.
Conor can be a boxing purist at times but then that's just his area of experience. His "base" if you will.
Just to be clear the can-crushing and weight clauses part of AMERICAN boxing does suck. Riyadh season all day!! The -800 favourite matchups are usually in America, don't forget that part either. Mexico, UK, Europe and now the Middle East only does competitive matchmaking.
@@utkarsh2746hahaha. There’s a rigged result on almost all hearn fight cards. Same with warren.
Good fighters shouldn't take short notice fights ffs.
Enjoy the chaos it creates, Alex Hernandez has been ranked in the hardest divisions for years all off the strength of a 30 seconds ko
@@NeoValeTudo Lol yes he bum rushed Dariush, got bashed by Cowboy, and has done nothing since.
I agree, ufc has a big enough of a roster that there Co-main events should be able to take the the main slot but the cards are so watered down now imo. Could be a fighter pay issue/ufc knowing they have such a hold on the industry
Lmao. I had the same feeling. Aliskerov feels like a trap. There is a possibility he could turn out to be another Abus Magomedov... but with Abus, there were clear red flags if anyone had bothered to look back at any of his earlier fights. Plus he lives in soft Germany... Didn't have the mountain training experience.
Yo yo
True pain was realizing that I'd pick Sean Strickland to beat Rob if they matched up. He might never win a title again but he's still my boy 😭
If Kelvin wins I'm never buying another licensed ufc product. Poor drod.
Drod mid
@@pinchapicodust9432 if mid is a scale Kelvin is low mid and drod is high mid. At least drod can make weight and is taller than 4'6
@@braydenjames8957 didn’t say Kelvin wasn’t mid too just wondering why you care so much?
Highlight of my podcast listening week 😊
I think Whittaker, though a smart fighter, doesn't have a high enough Fight IQ to overcome his comparatively lacking durability and power to be a confident candidate to being champion again. It's why the Adesanya rematch was closer than it should've been and why he didn't adjust with attacks to the body against Du Plessis' high guard.
Conor, I love that you're a boxing guy at heart but have you heard about Frank "the Ghost" Martin before? No? Never? Bit like how an unranked Pitbull Cruz became the top contender for one fight or how Luis Ortiz suddenly made the top ten because Wilder had to take the rematch. Supposedly it was a test run for Loma because lil Davis is apparently ready to take off the training wheels at 30 years of age but I doubt it. These guys love their no-name cherry picks where they stand no chance of losing. Just with Teo, Loma, Haney, Shakur, Matias and now Paro around lil Abdul Wahid is barely making the top 5 at 135 or 140.
Didn't Volkov said that he couldn't train with Pavlovich because everytime they sparred Plavovich kicked his ass?
He definitely said that when they did, he was going for takedowns to stop getting blasted constantly.
Who the fuck is Philip and what did you do with Phil
Yo
U GUYS R LATE
"is this guy mexican by any chance?"
I love your guys podcast but why don’t you guys just cover boxing instead of mma? I personally think mma is so much better but you guys talk down on mma every chance you guys get sooo I’m just confused why don’t you guys cover boxing? There are many boxing cards.
Because bitching about shit cards is amusing…that’s what I expect for my £3/month.
I’m gonna hazard a guess you don’t listen to Jack Slack…
@@BlimeyOreiley I like jack slack, he doesn’t really talk about how boxing so much better than mma. I like heavy hands too , just found it interesting. It sounds like they like boxing a lot better
Boxing cards are worse.
Its not about mma vs boxing. Its that the UFC used to be much better and when you don't follow every boxing card you can skip yhe apex level ones
You guys haven't been listening long enough. It is Connery Busch's "base style" from what I understand. Wrestlers see MMA as wrestling with punches, boxers see MMA as boxing with extra stuff.
This podcast use to be good and cover the entire UFC card's.. Garbage now!! ✌️
spoiler alert: bitching
Until Whitaker learns to close range without literally pointing his chin at the ceiling and sprinting face first into every exchange because he doesn’t have the body mechanics to keep his shoulders behind his hips and actually come in behind a stick or at least learn how to feint your shoulder enough to make it look like your flicking it out enough to GLIDE NOT SPRING INTO RANGE , this jolting yourself into range shit that I see mma fighters do is something that honestly makes me wonder who is teaching these dudes how to box . Also Rob needs to learn how to even out his stance he is wayyyy to front foot heavy that’s why he gets swept off his feet every time somebody lands a calf kick when he’s planting because it’s too much of his weight . And why doesn’t Rob throw his hands in combination every thing is lunging single shot it’s really basic and it’s why he gets timed easily when he fights somebody that’s even remotely athletic , cannonier broke his arm in the 1st round of their fight and Rob 100% loses that fight if it was a 5 round fight he was getting slapped around in the last minute . I think people give Whitaker way too much credit for two fights that he didn’t win , against a dude that has demonstrated over and over can wrestle for shit in mma and has no idea how to hold somebody down in half guard and just work on them , Yoel did that once to a washed machida other then than I seen the dude get out wrestled by Brunson for fuck sake . So because Rob stopped takedowns from him i don’t think it means he’s an all time great , he was a champion that never beat anybody to get a belt and he was a champion that never defended his belt , he pulled outta 3 fights and didn’t fight for two years while he had the belt (I know mma fans love to pick and choose who gets a hall pass and everyone gets out the knee pads for Whitaker but dude pulled out of fight after fight , and got folded in half the first time he defended his belt . So I think calling him an all time great is an all time stretch , his best career win is that Jared cannonier win ….cannonier broke his forearm in the first round and Whitaker still almost lost to him , he didn’t beat Yoel don’t care about what the cards say , and jacare was completely washed , so once again he’s an all time great when his best career win is Jared cannonier ? Yikes