Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted April 2, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted April 2, 2018 1 hour ago, wandshogun09 said: Didn't Ferguson keep having digs at Khabib for pulling out of fights not too long ago? Seems a bit rich now, doesn't it? I've lost track of how many times this fight has fallen apart now but I could swear Ferguson's pulled out of this fight more times than Khabib now. Not that I'm having a pop at Ferguson. Injuries happen, it sucks and there's no way Ferguson is scared of anyone. But maybe he should think about shutting the fuck up on fight pullouts in future because he's in no position to bash other fighters in that regard. Dana told ESPN he'll never book the fight again. Good one, Dana. I must say, I thought I'd be more crushed by the news, but Khabib v Holloway is so intriguing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimufctna24 Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 I understand the concerns about Holloway not being the same after this fight. Khabib is indeed a wrecking machine. However, Khabib's most notable opponents haven't done too badly after facing him. RDA went on to win the Lightweight title, and is now a serious contender at 170lbs. Michael Johnson has lost twice since facing Khabib, but in the fight directly after that loss, he had that FOTY contender with Gaethje. We will see what shape Barboza is in when he fights Kevin Lee. However, even if Barboza is now a shell of his former self, I think the Khabib fight would be the straw that broke the camel's back. Barboza has had wars with Cerrone, Tony, etc, and has been around a long time for a lightweight. The last time something like this happened was Penn vs GSP in 2009. With Penn, as champion, stepping up to take on the champion in the weightclass just above. Granted, Penn didn't take the fight at short notice, but he was dominated that evening by GSP. He then returned to lightweight to defend his title, and arguably produced two of the best performances of his career. That being said, after thinking overnight and catching up on the thread this afternoon, I strongly favour Khabib to win. Holloway is a better fighter than Barboza, but style-wise, Barboza probably matches up with Khabib just as well. As stated, Barboza is more of a power striker, which theoretically is the way to beat Khabib. Barboza is also excellent at defending off his back and defending against takedowns. He's probably equal to Max in those areas. Yet, despite fighting a very good fight defensively, Barboza could get little going against Khabib. I'm not sure how good Holloway is offensively off his back. Max is also a bit of a slow starter. He likes to work his way into fights. I don't think he wants to do that against Khabib. He could leave himself with too much to overcome. If he can withstand Khabib's onslaught for a few rounds - which is a massive if - I guess he could turn on the volume in rounds 3 and 4 where Khabib might have wilted a bit. If Max is to win, I think that will be how he does it, but I think the odds are against him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted April 2, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted April 2, 2018 For what it's worth, Holloway has a TKO over his last three UFC opponents (two of which are against Aldo), where as Tony has won by submission. It's an interesting little side note in the the fight, because Holloway can put you away if you get sloppy and Khabib doesn't mind taking a shot or two to push you against the cage. I'm interested to see how the pacing goes. Holloway always seems to keep at a pace that his opponents usually can't keep up with. Khabib is pretty much the same, when he's healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted April 2, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted April 2, 2018 Holloway is a finisher, no doubt. But he's also going up in weight, and he was never exactly a power hitter at 145. Against a bigger guy like Khabib, I just don't see him putting a serious dent in him. Especially because Khabib isn't going to stand with him like Aldo, Pettis etc did. It's why I really feel like Ferguson was a tougher fight for Khabib. Because Ferguson offered the same threats on the feet that Holloway does. Probably more actually because he's more powerful and awkward offensively. But he also has a killer guard. We also haven't ever seen Holloway against a grizzly bear wrestler like Khabib before, have we? Thinking back over Holloway's career, he never really came up against the better wrestlers at 145 like Edgar or Mendes. Now he's going against the BEST wrestler a weightclass higher. Holloway is really up against it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted April 2, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted April 2, 2018 Maybe he's thinking about challenging for the LW belt, and feels this is his best chance to see how he measures up against the elite of the division. They don't come more elite than Nurmagomedov. Still think it's insane to go for it on such short notice. You can't be underprepared going into the Octagon with a killer like him; that way destruction lies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted April 2, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted April 2, 2018 Oh, of course he's up against it (it's hard to bet against Khabib, all things considered), but finishing Aldo twice is very notable. Obviously Conor has more punching power, but we've seen from him that going from 145 to 155 doesn't always mean your power is negated hugely. Particularly if you're the level of striker of Holloway and Conor, who rely on technique and precision just as much as power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted April 2, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted April 2, 2018 You never know. Sometimes going up in weight actually aides a fighter's power because they're fighting at a more natural weight, they're heavier and have more energy. Guess it depends on the individual. But even if he magically had the power of 80s Tyson, he's still only got a punchers chance against Khabib. That small window of opportunity between each round starting and you getting bulldozed to the mat. That's where the punchers chance lives against Khabib. So you're looking at probably a maximum 30 seconds at the start of each round, and that's if we're being generous. I just can't see Holloway catching him with anything significant enough to finish him in those brief spells. Because let's face it, Holloway isn't winning a decision here. He's got to finish this one. Somehow. On a side note, I think it's hilarious that people make so much of Michael Johnson 'badly hurting' Khabib in their fight. I watched that fight back the other day and it really wasn't as much of a wobble as people like to make out. But it's all we've got to hang our hat on in terms of a chink in Khabib's armour so far. That's where we are with Khabib, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted April 2, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted April 2, 2018 I agree on the Johnson thing. I think that's mostly due to Rogan going on about it on his podcast all the time. I do think the key to beating Khabib is making him respect your power and striking. Otherwise he's just going to charge right through you until he's got your back against the cage and, well, we all know the next part. No one has really done it. I typed a few pages back that I think Khabib's boxing is underrated. Again, the pacing will be interesting, because Holloway is usually the one that is the bully in there, but no one seems to be able to bully Khabib. He just all force for 5 rounds. Can Holloway get his respect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshmallo Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 The bookies have it about 80/20 in Khabib's favour, is Holloway worth a go at those odds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted April 2, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted April 2, 2018 It's MMA and Max Holloway is one of the best fighters on the planet, so worth a flutter, but all things considered I expect Khabib to win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted April 2, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted April 2, 2018 I hope Holloway pulls it off, I really do. I can't see it but it'd be great if he somehow did it. It has got the feel of Bisping vs Rockhold 2 about it. Holloway stepping in at the last minute like Bisping did, everyone expecting him to get fucked up etc. I can't see the underdog winning this one but it's MMA, and stranger things have happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TildeGuy~! Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Holloway’s manager has said they wanted to do the fight at Welterweight but Dana was adamant the lightweight title had to be on the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted April 2, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted April 2, 2018 170?! Holloway must be mad fat right now if he's not fancying making 155. Guess it depends how far off the weight Holloway is right now though. If he's way off then it's a bit wrong of Dana to expect him to make a massive weight cut with less than a week until the weigh in. He'll be the first to throw Holloway under the bus if he can't make weight but it's playing with fire to me, to expect a fighter to make a big cut, while also having to train hard. This is just one more reason I can't see Holloway winning. As if fighting Khabib and all that comes with it isn't hard enough, there's the issue of weight. We don't know what weight Holloway walks around at but he's a big boy and when you see him out of camp he's all puffy cheeked and looking, shall we say, well fed. He might be 175-180 now for all we know. And it's not just a case of making 155, how much training is he really going go get in this week? Usually by fight week, training camp is over. Fight week is the time to just stay on weight, trying to relax, doing media and light gym stuff, grappling positions and hitting pads and stuff. People will say he's got 5/6 days but he really hasn't. Holloway's rocking up to this fight with no camp, out of prime physical condition and just rolling in hoping for the best. He might've been in the gym but I doubt he was doing too much as the Ortega fight wasn't even announced yet. Meanwhile, Khabib's coming in off a full training camp, he should be on track to make weight (Hide the tiramisu!) and can basically just focus on that and doing interviews this week. There is no logical reason why Holloway should win this. Everything is against him. The more I think about it, the more I question why he's even taken this fight. I thought it was the opportunity to match McGregor's achievement of simultaneously holding 2 belts but that can't be it if he was asking for the fight to be at 170. Either they've offered him silly money or he's just fucking mental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Bifkin Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Yeah I think Holloway vs Khabib is a great fight but off 6 days notice and coming off an injury, not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted April 2, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted April 2, 2018 im telling you, they've chucked him a truckload of cash and they've dangled the McGregor carrot. If Holloway wins this they are doing Holloway/McGregor II. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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