- Joined
- Jun 26, 2023
- Messages
- 1,179
- Reaction score
- 2,364
I thought he looked far better last weekend than he has in a while. No more tough weight cuts, still has tremendous speed, cardio, and durability, and now that he built himself into the weight class, his power looked pretty great.
"But LWs a shark tank"
Looking at the rankings, I certainly don't think it's any worse than FW. I'm actually starting to think it's a little overrated. Even if LW was a shark tank, Max proved that he can swim in it. Gaethje was the #2 contender going into Saturday. Do I think Max can beat Gamrot and Fiziev? Yes. Do I think he can beat Poirier and Oliveira? Yes. Do I think he can beat Arman? I wouldn't count him out.
"Well, Max isn't beating Islam."
I certainly wouldn't favor him (or anyone else at LW) to, but I also don't think Max draining himself to 145 so he can fight Ilia is much better. Furthermore, if Conor beats Chandler, he'll be front of the line for a Conor fight.
Max is in the second half of his career. He could continue a full-on reinvention that is easier on his body. He did his thing at FW and can leave that chapter behind him. Obviously his 3rd fight against Volk, who was operating at a historic level, will be a blemish, but blemishes aren't the end of the world.
"But LWs a shark tank"
Looking at the rankings, I certainly don't think it's any worse than FW. I'm actually starting to think it's a little overrated. Even if LW was a shark tank, Max proved that he can swim in it. Gaethje was the #2 contender going into Saturday. Do I think Max can beat Gamrot and Fiziev? Yes. Do I think he can beat Poirier and Oliveira? Yes. Do I think he can beat Arman? I wouldn't count him out.
"Well, Max isn't beating Islam."
I certainly wouldn't favor him (or anyone else at LW) to, but I also don't think Max draining himself to 145 so he can fight Ilia is much better. Furthermore, if Conor beats Chandler, he'll be front of the line for a Conor fight.
Max is in the second half of his career. He could continue a full-on reinvention that is easier on his body. He did his thing at FW and can leave that chapter behind him. Obviously his 3rd fight against Volk, who was operating at a historic level, will be a blemish, but blemishes aren't the end of the world.