How Ilia Topuria Killed the King

Really great article. Topuria seems a bit insufferable but he’s also a really fun fighter to watch. Always exciting (and sad) when a long time champ loses the belt

great article1

Awesome

Anyone else see Volk got KO'd right in front of Zuck? I feel for the man, but that walkout was an L

The Ian Garry of training at Chute Box and forgetting how to box.

The one thing you didn't mention is that Topuria first framed very briefly (more like just palmed his face) on the left side of Volkanovski's face just before throwing the right hand to it. The frame, after two sequences of right-left, may have been what made Volk throw his left in that moment instead of defending that side, thinking Topuria had just thrown his own right and must be reloading it, and his chin would be closer than it was. Instead, Topuria had his right cocked and ready to go as soon as Volk swung, and that was the KO punch. I thought that was really interesting and likely calculated as it was the only frame in the combo and didn't appear to be for resetting or keeping Volk glued to the cage. When I saw Volk doing that fadeaway with his chin straight up, and even sometimes on a straight line, I felt like I saw this coming, much like you can see a goal developing in ice hockey thirty seconds before it happens. He got hit multiple times with a single right and didn't seem to adjust anything. Couple that with everything else you mentioned, and it's like Topuria was just getting his measure of when and how he would back Volk to the cage and throw an extended combo until he finally pressed the Go button. And Volk played right into it the whole time. EDIT: In other words, I don't think Volk was "unlucky" in reaching out for a collar tie in that moment. I haven't gone back and watched, but it looked like he was trying to throw. Either way, he put out that left hand right after Topuria touched him on that side with his own left palm.

I’m not crying you’re crying 😢

fantastic stuff as always. i hope all of this serves as a cautionary tale to a fighter's team. don't think an elite fighter of this caliber has been this mismanaged in a long time. even if Volk demanded to take these fights, someone should have told him to stop speed running his own demise.

Volk is still my boi

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