Maintaining a position isn't effective grappling, it's stalling. The UR of MMA make it a point of emphasis to analyze what's happening in a position moreso than the position itself.
” It shall be noted that a successful takedown is not merely a changing of position, but the establishment of an attack from the use of the takedown. Top and bottom position fighters are assessed more on the impactful/effective result of their actions, more so than their position"
Merely holding a dominant position(s) shall not be a primary factor in assessing dominance. What the fighter does with those positions is what must be assessed.
This is what effective grappling is per the UR. Please explain the negative impact Islam's grappling had on Volk, either the immediate or cumulative.
Successful execution of takedowns, submission attempts, reversals and the achievement of advantageous positions that produce immediate or cumulative impact with the potential to contribute to the end of the match, with the IMMEDIATE weighing more heavily than the cumulative impact.”
When we look at the 4th round, they were in basically the same position for the last 3 1/2 minutes. Sure Islam was "maintaining" back control.......from the bottom. Volk being on top is an overlooked point imo, but moot anyway since the UR tells us the action is more important than the position. What happened in the position was Volk outstriking Islam about 3 to 1. Islam spent more effort defending his face from strikes, than Volk spent defending from anything. The "advantageous position" Islam held lead to zero sub attempts and a large striking deficit, all while his cardio was depleting more rapidly than Volks. That doesn't sound like an advantge to me.
While the UR does say this about favoring the immediate over the cumulative, it doesn't tell us to ignore the cumulative completely.
“Legal blows that have immediate or cumulative impact with the potential to contribute towards the end of the match with the IMMEDIATE weighing in more heavily than the cumulative impact. Successful execution of takedowns, submission attempts, reversals and the achievement of advantageous positions that produce immediate or cumulative impact with the potential to contribute to the end of the match, with the IMMEDIATE weighing more heavily than the cumulative impact"
In the 4th round there wasn't much striking or grappling that appeared to have much immediate impact. When it comes to cumulative impact, it looked like Islam received more cosmetic damage to his face, while his energy, confidence, and spirit all seemed diminished by the round. Volk didn't show any signs that the round had any negative affect on him at all. He jumped up energetic and happy after the round like he just scored the winning goal.
A judge shall assess if a fighter impacts their opponent significantly in the round, even though they may not have dominated the action. Impact includes visible evidence such as swelling and lacerations. Impact shall also be assessed when a fighter’s actions, using striking and/or grappling, lead to a diminishing of their opponents’ energy, confidence, abilities and spirit
I went in to the first fight as an anti fan of both guys. Great fight! Much like Yan/O'Malley, I came out of it with a far greater appreciation for both guys. I hope they go tooth and nail again.
