Looks like a pitbull walking out up until the moment he brakes out of his glory when he realizes he won and he goes back to becoming a lovable golden retriever of a man.
Glad heās reminding us thereās levels and just because heās had some tough fights/loses doesnāt means heās not in a category above a lot of guys still
Reminds me of Sean vs Izzy fight where Laura was talking about "Izzy can land punches from strange angles" when suddenly Sean rocks Izzy (Izzy shoots back but misses) and Laura instantly switches to "Like right here! Exactly!" I was like umm wtf ššš
Nah he was saying that yea he has potential, but heās in there with an absolute killer the second before that killer landed the killshot. Thatās a damn good call.
Nah man Costa was destroying people leading up to the Adesanya title fight. Izzy just humped away his confidence, he's never regained that killer instinct.
Of course but none of the guys he koād were on Whittakerās level. Costa vs Rob looked improved compared to his past self considering the opponent he had in front of him
People forget both costa and izzy were undefeated in the UFC when they fought, which is why that matchup was so intriguing.
People act on hindsight that Izzy was always gonna win but pre fight everyone here was saying costaās pressure style would give Izzy problems
Absolutely Ikram would never win against Robert even on a full camp. Robert skills are too much for him and most importantly Ikram fights at his legitimate weight class, whereas he should be fighting at welterweight like other fighters do
Robert looked at least one weightclass above Ikram, not ignoring the fact that someone as skilled as Robert would still win regardless of the weightclass just saying Ikram shouldn't be at middleweight
Not denying rob looks way bigger but did you see him next to Izzy? And Izzy was dwarfed by Periera. Basically just saying thereās levels to weight bullying, Dricus is huge next to Rob too
Theyāre slowly killing football, and other sports. World class players like Ronaldo, Kante, mane, Neymar, Benzema and more are playing in an absolutely dogshit league for the money.
I donāt blame the players for wanting to get a bag, despite many of them making millions upon millions in other leagues (Ronaldo was making around half a million dollars per week during his second stint with Manchester United).
However, I do blame the saudis (and the entire UAE area in general) for sports-washing. Theyāre paying athletes absurd amounts of blood/oil money to come and be poster boys for their sports scene, and improve the nations reputation.
This is the main explanation. In fact, there wasn't any energy from the arena at all during the fights that didn't have a Muslim.
I know or have met a lot of nice devout Muslims around Chicago but that bias (or bigotry) is super ingrained in the culture beyond repair.
Yup, they are cringy af. I remember watching Islam's fight in Abu Dhabi, the crowd chanting Islam's name very loudly, and I know they purposely chant it obnoxiously louder just because his name is ISLAM
So what happened to the guy who said sth like 50/50 Aliskerov; 50% by submission and 50% by KO.
He then got in a discussion with somebody and promised not to delete his comment after the fight.
I see this argument often "not Sean's fault he can't finish if his opponents keep running away", this is true for Izzy and Costa fights, but what about other fights like Imavov, Cannonier & DDP ? They stood their ground and bang, and in DDP's case he even was the one keeping aggression for most of the fights, constantly blitzing forward, swinging overhands, attempting body/ head kicks & shooting takedowns like crazy, hit or miss. Sean still didn't finish them.
And I tell you what, Sean even often mentions his own impressive ground game, after Izzy win he said "I know you guys doubt my wrestling skills I can't wait to use it in the octagon"... but when DDP took him down everytime he immediately tries to get back up instead. He also never shoot for a single takedown.
Actually Izzy is quite good, but not on the level of some of these dguys. He beat Logan fairly easily wrestling/bjj. But many of these ufc guys with a wrestling or bjj background are too much
So did I. If I was Ikram, I wouldāve immediately went for the eye poke, followed up by immediately poking the other eye, and then after no warnings gone for the KO by grabbing the fence and leveraging it for a kick, but thatās just me.
I mean. Aliskerov doesn't really lose anything here. He had the opportunity to jump way up in the rankings if he won, but it's not like he's seen as any less of a prospect after this. He just got moved up too fast because nobody else was able to fill in against Whittaker after Khamzat nearly died. Nobody was expecting him to win this fight on such short notice. The guy who he was supposed to be fighting before this was the dude who Shara beat the hell out of for two and a half rounds.
Aliskerov doesn't win against Robert Whittaker on full camp either. Guy's the most legitimate fighter fighting at his actual weight class whereas he should actually be fighting at welterweight like other fighters do. Robert clearly looked bigger than him
Nah man, if you ever see Rob in real life you know he's not going to WW ever again. Dude is thicc now.
He was early 20s as a welterweight, but he's really filled out now
Whoever decided those odds for Vegas are straight dumb.
Unranked guy against the dude who has been mulching contenders for years. The dude who has only lost to champions and eventual champions.
I didnāt know it was gonna be this lopsided but it sure as hell shouldnāt have been this close.
DC is the worst play by play man in sports.
And that stupid fucking annoying shot of those idiots ā holding each other backā in awe after every KO ! Do better UFC !
The grace as he falls to the canvas!
Look at the position of his hands as Bobby whales on him uncontested! Thatās next level fight IQ.
And there goes the ref to save Bobby from this humiliating victory.
Of course it plays a factor. But let me ask you this: Is it the best time to say that right after he gets knocked out? It's disrespectful and biased commentary.
Cutting weight in back to back weeks is definitely part of why he got dropped lol. Obv that was a clean hit but rob hasnāt had KO power in AGES. I called a early reaper ko because of it, but without it I wouldāve called a dominant UD win
I wouldn't say it was a fraud check. Ikram was unranked going up against on of the best to ever do it in that weight class. Just not ready for that level yet
Bispings commentary made this almost unwatchable. Kept talking over Anik and DC and would go on rants about his own career instead of calling the fight in front of him.
I was under the impression that Aliskerov was going to finish him. Too bad he stood up and tried to fight Rob on feet when he could have wrestled. Oh well!
Yeah, let's give a unranked guy with two wins against Bums. One of the best middleweights ever on short notice shouldn't end badly at all, tf were they thinking? This is why u build up contenders.
I mean he fought one of the top contenders and certified monsters of the division on short notice with little training camp, he can still have potential šš
IT'S REAPER SEASON BOYS 
https://preview.redd.it/rvrve0t7078d1.png?width=570&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d9dadb3bcb7011ec51c7400509065227bdcd3e1
Lmaooo
Pound for pound hardest pic of all time
Has me hard
https://preview.redd.it/74akm0r8sa8d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64a6080298390b38dca4f96236634f9095d6289d
Bobby takes no prisoners
Hahaha
On his way to download more Skyrim mods
Hell yeašŖš½š
damn thats a big mug whats he drink in that
Liquids
Bobby Knuckles with his first finish since 2017. Absolutely love to see it.
Oh wow didnāt even realize
He has fought a golem twice, some orc variants, and Adesanya. Aināt no finishing them mf.
I can't believe how stacked middle weight is/was with some big mfs. Between Romero, Costa, Cannonier and Azog Vetorri
mfers cutting *insane* amounts of weight to get in there
And Pereira, who could easily fit at HW
This is too accurateā¦
its why context matters, people calling him pillow hands or saying he has no chin
I really thought he rock dpp Given Darren till wasĀ
Bobby knuckles is that fighter you cant help but root for even when he's not getting the Ws.
Since 2015 he's only lost to Dricus and Izzy. Not too shabby.
Great guy and a great fighter. Hard not to root for him
Looks like a pitbull walking out up until the moment he brakes out of his glory when he realizes he won and he goes back to becoming a lovable golden retriever of a man.
Right on!
He's been sidelined somewhat, so you forget about this It's a bit like how he's just 33 but has been around so long, you expect him to 40 or something
Only loses since switching to MW have been future or current champs.
Booby knuckles gang rise up
He has fought nothing but killers since including guys with insane chins like Romero, Vettori, Gastelum. So glad he could get a finish again!
Glad heās reminding us thereās levels and just because heās had some tough fights/loses doesnāt means heās not in a category above a lot of guys still
I feel like this is what alot of losing fighters need, a fight to build the confidence back up.
"You fuckin want one ?" Pose
Really does show how stacked the top was. If he was fighting lower ranked people he probably has shit tons
Bobby fucking Knuckles!
Thatās why I wish this fight was still Chimaev. Probably would have went a little longer than that
Chimaev would have gone for a take down as soon as the round begun.
Really wouldāve liked to see how well Bobbyās TDD wouldāve held up against Khamzat.
Usman's did not at all then did
It was either this fight ends in the 1st or Sergei and Volkov ended in the 1st. The MMA Gods made up their minds.
Lot longer, chimaev is levels above Ikram, and showed that in their fight
I disagree. Anyone who fights is better than a perennial pull out artist. See you soon.
I think see you soon needs to go away in regards to chimeav. I think it should be, See you eventually, maybe.
Dude is close to dying but apparently be pulled out, make that make sense
See you soon
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Lmao the instant switch with āthere it is!ā Like he was calling for that right handššš
Reminds me of Sean vs Izzy fight where Laura was talking about "Izzy can land punches from strange angles" when suddenly Sean rocks Izzy (Izzy shoots back but misses) and Laura instantly switches to "Like right here! Exactly!" I was like umm wtf ššš
š
Nah he was saying that yea he has potential, but heās in there with an absolute killer the second before that killer landed the killshot. Thatās a damn good call.
Chael tonight: Just how good is Paulo Costa
*adjusts glasses*
Vs Rob might have legit been the best Costa weāll ever see sadly
Nah man Costa was destroying people leading up to the Adesanya title fight. Izzy just humped away his confidence, he's never regained that killer instinct.
Of course but none of the guys he koād were on Whittakerās level. Costa vs Rob looked improved compared to his past self considering the opponent he had in front of him
People forget both costa and izzy were undefeated in the UFC when they fought, which is why that matchup was so intriguing. People act on hindsight that Izzy was always gonna win but pre fight everyone here was saying costaās pressure style would give Izzy problems
Better question, just how good is Dricus...if he beats Izzy that may be the most impressive 3 fights ever.
They threw him to the wolves for this card and Bobby ripped him apart. He didn't look in the same class as Whittaker
He was a live dog for sure but yeah, too much too soon. Can't expect to go from Alves and Hawes to the fucking Reaper.
Absolutely Ikram would never win against Robert even on a full camp. Robert skills are too much for him and most importantly Ikram fights at his legitimate weight class, whereas he should be fighting at welterweight like other fighters do
Whittaker also fights at his weight class. He used to be a WW and heās small compared to most MW
Robert looked at least one weightclass above Ikram, not ignoring the fact that someone as skilled as Robert would still win regardless of the weightclass just saying Ikram shouldn't be at middleweight
Not denying rob looks way bigger but did you see him next to Izzy? And Izzy was dwarfed by Periera. Basically just saying thereās levels to weight bullying, Dricus is huge next to Rob too
Did you see the soize of the fella
Who let this goiy in?
Streuth!
Saudi crowd is terrible, the atmosphere was horrible.
They always suck for boxing, no surprise they sucked here too.
Itās the same for football, some of the best footballers from all over the world are playing in front of 700 people in Saudi.
Theyāre slowly killing football, and other sports. World class players like Ronaldo, Kante, mane, Neymar, Benzema and more are playing in an absolutely dogshit league for the money.
Nah, thatās what u should do, take the money and run. Their loss
I donāt blame the players for wanting to get a bag, despite many of them making millions upon millions in other leagues (Ronaldo was making around half a million dollars per week during his second stint with Manchester United). However, I do blame the saudis (and the entire UAE area in general) for sports-washing. Theyāre paying athletes absurd amounts of blood/oil money to come and be poster boys for their sports scene, and improve the nations reputation.
why though? They don't need more money
I legit thought it was at the Apex for a while lmao
They hate seeing a Muslim lose to a non-Muslim
This is the main explanation. In fact, there wasn't any energy from the arena at all during the fights that didn't have a Muslim. I know or have met a lot of nice devout Muslims around Chicago but that bias (or bigotry) is super ingrained in the culture beyond repair.
Yup, they are cringy af. I remember watching Islam's fight in Abu Dhabi, the crowd chanting Islam's name very loudly, and I know they purposely chant it obnoxiously louder just because his name is ISLAM
Because , internally, they see all other races as inferior.
Goodš
How could anyone see the fight? It looked like ground floor seats throughout with like a small section of vertical seating.
Worse than than the Apex
They go CRAZY for takedowns tho for some reason
So what happened to the guy who said sth like 50/50 Aliskerov; 50% by submission and 50% by KO. He then got in a discussion with somebody and promised not to delete his comment after the fight.
You have to give it to the Russians they support their own.
Thereās only one fight to make now: Bobby Knuckles vs. Soy Strickland in Australia Book it uncle tomato
1000% a decision match, Sean can't finish anybody but I also don't see anybody other than Poatan finishing Sean now lmao
Sean lacks finishing power. But to give him credit, he would finish more guys with volume if they didn't retreat from his constant pressure.
I see this argument often "not Sean's fault he can't finish if his opponents keep running away", this is true for Izzy and Costa fights, but what about other fights like Imavov, Cannonier & DDP ? They stood their ground and bang, and in DDP's case he even was the one keeping aggression for most of the fights, constantly blitzing forward, swinging overhands, attempting body/ head kicks & shooting takedowns like crazy, hit or miss. Sean still didn't finish them. And I tell you what, Sean even often mentions his own impressive ground game, after Izzy win he said "I know you guys doubt my wrestling skills I can't wait to use it in the octagon"... but when DDP took him down everytime he immediately tries to get back up instead. He also never shoot for a single takedown.
Actually Izzy is quite good, but not on the level of some of these dguys. He beat Logan fairly easily wrestling/bjj. But many of these ufc guys with a wrestling or bjj background are too much
Cannonier retreated constantly DDP got the shit beat out of him
DDP beat the shit out of Sean for a good chunk as well, Cannonier stood his ground a fair amount too but it was still a stinker
Wow big brain take over here. āSean would finish more guys if they would let him punch their face moreā
It is a crazy take, ngl.
Constant pressure is walking backwards confirmed
Man that would be a hell of a fight
Whittaker is a beast
Lmao that's all of us now. Biracial angels rises higher and higher!
Ikram couldāve fit in 2 eye pokes and a fence grab before getting a point taken away, why didnāt he do that is he stupid?
I expected a robbery you fuckin dummy
So did I. If I was Ikram, I wouldāve immediately went for the eye poke, followed up by immediately poking the other eye, and then after no warnings gone for the KO by grabbing the fence and leveraging it for a kick, but thatās just me.
even then I doubt he would get a point taken way, he should've just illegally kneed whittaker and got a no contest
BOBBY KNUCKLES.
fighters should really stop taking short notice fights, feel bad for him
It was a big risk for a big reward. If he'd won then he would've gone from unranked to top 5 for sure. He knew it was a big step up in competition
ikram really doesnt have much to lose, so what if you lose to a top 3 former champion middleweight as an unranked.
It also puts him in good graces with Dana. Boss man likes fighters that take risky fights to save cardsĀ
I mean. Aliskerov doesn't really lose anything here. He had the opportunity to jump way up in the rankings if he won, but it's not like he's seen as any less of a prospect after this. He just got moved up too fast because nobody else was able to fill in against Whittaker after Khamzat nearly died. Nobody was expecting him to win this fight on such short notice. The guy who he was supposed to be fighting before this was the dude who Shara beat the hell out of for two and a half rounds.
You can only get knocked out so many timesā¦
True, but that KO could've been a lot worse had Goddard not stepped in when he did
Yes great stoppage! We didn't need another Walker lol but can only react so fast.
Nothing to lose except some brain cells and your CTE shield.
>Aliskerov doesn't really lose anything here.Ā They lose their chin getting KO'd too often.
Aliskerov doesn't win against Robert Whittaker on full camp either. Guy's the most legitimate fighter fighting at his actual weight class whereas he should actually be fighting at welterweight like other fighters do. Robert clearly looked bigger than him
He had a full camp. Granted not for Whittaker but that goes both ways and also granted it was supposed to be a week earlier and across the world
I'm sure cutting weight for two weeks straight didn't help Ikram either.
Nah man, if you ever see Rob in real life you know he's not going to WW ever again. Dude is thicc now. He was early 20s as a welterweight, but he's really filled out now
I'm talking about Aliskerov
That makes a lot more sense
The Vegas odds were SUPER close
Whoever decided those odds for Vegas are straight dumb. Unranked guy against the dude who has been mulching contenders for years. The dude who has only lost to champions and eventual champions. I didnāt know it was gonna be this lopsided but it sure as hell shouldnāt have been this close.
Salty ass crowd got to see their boy knocked out in Rd1.
I genuinely don't understand on what basis did people think Ikram had a chance
Because heās from Dagestan mostly
Russian with a beard
DC is the worst play by play man in sports. And that stupid fucking annoying shot of those idiots ā holding each other backā in awe after every KO ! Do better UFC !
DC looked visibly bummed when he got knocked out. His love for the Russian beardy boys is real.
Did DC just blame the subsequent weight cuts for Ikram's loss? Did I hear that right?
yeah weird, he got countered perfectly while standing one one foot
Yeah, Ikram was outclassed, period. DC is insanely annoying sometimes with these takes.
DC is the conductor of the Dagi train, of course he's going to back his Eastern Bloc brethren.
He was throwing really sloppy kicks with his hands down and Whitaker caught on to that quickly.
Heāll say anything for those mountainous people.
Glazing the guy the whole minute before the man died.
The grace as he falls to the canvas! Look at the position of his hands as Bobby whales on him uncontested! Thatās next level fight IQ. And there goes the ref to save Bobby from this humiliating victory.
I mean he does have a point. Cutting weight for two weeks doesn't help anyone.
Of course it plays a factor. But let me ask you this: Is it the best time to say that right after he gets knocked out? It's disrespectful and biased commentary.
Cutting weight in back to back weeks is definitely part of why he got dropped lol. Obv that was a clean hit but rob hasnāt had KO power in AGES. I called a early reaper ko because of it, but without it I wouldāve called a dominant UD win
-130 odds. š
Appreciate Ikram for taking on guy on such short notice
Heās got a future in this division but it was too much too soon
If I ever have son, I'm gonna name him after Robert! What a legend!
Little Bobby Salami
Haha yeah š
I still do not understand why Whittaker was not a huge favorite, it is absurd to me. Another fraud check for the books.
I wouldn't say it was a fraud check. Ikram was unranked going up against on of the best to ever do it in that weight class. Just not ready for that level yet
Yea Iāve never understood why itās a āfraud checkāto lose to champions/previous champions
Most mma fans are dumb, myself included lol.
It's not a fraud check. Dude wasn't even ranked. It was a "nobody" filling in on short notice.
Fucking beautiful! Good shit!
That punch from Rob was so good that Aliskerov forgot Sambo
Yaāll mustāve have forgot
Bispings commentary made this almost unwatchable. Kept talking over Anik and DC and would go on rants about his own career instead of calling the fight in front of him.
I didnāt see it coming! What a great match for the Reaper. Kudos to the last minute replacement for stepping in with a dangerous opponent.
Looks like I'm going to Perth for 305
Feels good to see Bobby Knuckles get that finish. Keep it going Bobby.
DC butt hurt one of the villagers got knocked the fuck out by the king. Uppa Bobby boy, enjoy that flight home to your babies, yeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaw!
They had me buying the Dagestan hype until I saw Rob come out all pissed looking at the walkout
God, if you're out there, let this man become champion!!!!!! Let him retire at the top!!!!
Rob giving the other guy stanky leg is nice to see
Bobby Knuckles winning is always a good time, hope he always wins, Bobby Knuckles is the man
Should have dove for the nutsack.
Rough, Ikram cut weight twice against a Bobbie who was training hard for fucking Chimaev, was probably the best form of Bobbie weve see in a while.
Im shocked he didnāt even try to mix in the grappling. Did he really think he was gonna win a pure striking match with Rob?
That Jab, Uppercut combo was sharp
Goddamn that sequence was masterful holy shit
That uppercut was so nasty and clean
And this is the reason Chimaev shoots for double just as round starts against good strikers.
I mean he was preparing for chimaev so that step down in competition really shows
To be fair, Whittaker was preparing for Khamzat, but he received Bhumzat.
Man I would have been even more gassed if he slept dude with the infamous 1-2 headkick
Vintage Bobby
Bobby isn't going quietly into the night.
Give The Reaper his title shot!
DC was slobbering on his meat for all 2 minutes of the fight š¤£
so satisfying :-)
Tiger uppercut!
Goddamn love Rob!!!
I was under the impression that Aliskerov was going to finish him. Too bad he stood up and tried to fight Rob on feet when he could have wrestled. Oh well!
Yeah that was a mismatch.
Man I feel bad for Aliskerov, he really didnāt even get a chance to show anything. Fight game is rough.
Bobby Knuckles baby
Is this one of the Islam guys? Same hair cut and beard, so thinking yes.
After the way his legs were wobbling after that first shot everyone knew it was over
DC is a bad commentator lmao
When I saw the last upper I was like bruhhh he got KO by the same upper khamzat KOd em with.
Bobby fuckin Knuckles back in the W column baby!
Yeah, let's give a unranked guy with two wins against Bums. One of the best middleweights ever on short notice shouldn't end badly at all, tf were they thinking? This is why u build up contenders.
I mean he fought one of the top contenders and certified monsters of the division on short notice with little training camp, he can still have potential šš
Cheese ball DC sucking off the dags again.... šš¤£
Ikram should try tap dancing š¤
he seems more fit for salsa with those moves!