Volk ruined his career with bad decisions

[jmboyd24]

Depends on how well he was financially compensated.

This is the thing - it all comes down to perspective. Effectively he's been quickly KOd twice for vast amounts of money. A quick KO loss is probably better for your health than winning a five round war. He sustained no damage leading up to both knockouts.

I agree that he probably cut his title reign short by a year or two but I bet the money that he got for the Islam rematch is much, much more than he would have been paid for a regular fight.

Not saying it was the right decision. Just that he might've come out with more money and less damage in the long run

 

[TankAbbott4Eva]

Ruined? He only has 2 loses in the UFC, several defenses and is a millionaire, you guys sure are fucking dramatic.

Hall of fame lock, FW GOAT, he’s done enough at this point really

 

[Wonderfight]

One of the greatest ever, shame he didn’t push towards the GOAT status even more. Bad decisions, but his legacy is more than set in stone. And he is definitely of age when everyone starts getting worse, even if they win.

 

[ferrisjso]

You can call him going up to 155 a mistake but it almost worked out for him. And the division was emptier than a nun.

Most guys who go up a weight class are taking a short cut for greatness. Volk is the only one who moved up for the right reasons and gets the least respect for it. There was no one left to fight at 145 and he wanted to challenge himself. Usually when people say theres no one left to fight they are exagarrating but at 145 there really was no one left to fight at that time. But I know Sherdog respects fighters more for cherry picking the easiest champ at the next weight class. Why fight Islam when you can fight a Forrest or a Bisping?

If he'd beaten Islam(he didn't sorry robbery people) he'd have elevated his GOAT case. The only people him defending at 145 more would have impressed are the irational people obssessed with title defenses who swear Aldo is still the GOAT despite his legendary 0-5 record against other champs. There was nothing more he could have done at 145 to elevate his P4P GOAT status higher and now you're going to shit on him for "mismanagment".

The UFC and Max should have parted ways. If you're wondering why Volk has 13 wins and 5 defenses that is the biggest reason for any lacking in Volks resume. Divisions shouldn't have 2 champs when there isn't enough food for 1.

 

[StonedLemur]

Wtf are you talking about? He won the first Islam fight.

That's not how I remember it sir.

 

[Dr. Stoppage]

Volk has the 3 wins over Holloway but all in his prime. The first fight with Islam was probably the last fight in his prime which was a very credible performance considering how good Islam is and how much bigger he is.

 

[Koro_11]

Volk (and his management) ruined his career by making stupid career and life altering decisions. He took the fight against Islam on short notice and admitted to being an alcoholic and in depression prior to that fight. Got brutally knocked out by Islam and then didn’t take the adequate time to recover from a loss like that. Instead took another quick fight against a monster puncher and go KO’d again. It’s shameful the amount of damage Volk has taken in the last few months.

Is that Volk in your avatar?

 

[Levi_]

The other thing is, as you get older your body doesn't recover as quickly, so there may be something to this. No matter how much he got paid, I wish he had taken care of himself and not fought Islam on short notice.

I hope Max beats Illia, I don't care for him as champ. It may be that Volk declined quicker than Max, and Max will have a title reign after all. Now I also wish Max wasn't fighting Justin.

 

[TempleoftheDog]

Shouldn't have fought Islam a 2nd time

Considering Alex’s circumstances.. He should not have taken that second Islam fight.

He threw away the possibility of becoming the FW GOAT. He fell well short in defences.

 

[JustBreed]

Part of what made him such a favourite was the "anytime, anywhere" attitude. If he'd been more cautious throughout his career, I don't think he ever would've gotten the same opportunities

 

[OLD RED]

He bet on himself with maximum leverage. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesnt.

 

[Asahi]

Hard disagree!

People seems to already forgot how well he did against Islam in their first fight. Many even had him winning beating up the much larger islam in the 5th like he was a little child. Based on that fight how can he be blamed for wanting the rematch when the opportunity arrived?

Of course Volk vs Islam 2 was a short notice gamble that didn't pay off but s**t happens. He saved the card and didn't back down from the challenge and now people are complaining he "ruined his career"? F**k that! Not like he's John Jones or some other lame ass fighters waiting people out, ducking more dangerous fighters and picking easier opponents simply to keep their "legacy" intact.

What makes guys like Volk unique is not his winning streak but his willingness for high risk fights even though he didn't need them to cement his career. I have waaay more respect for fighters taking the toughest fights possible and loosing a few as opposed to those who avoids them just to keep stacking up W:s. Volk getting back in the cage to fight the toughest fighter in his division is what every fighter should do and is in no way a knock on his career. The only error hid did was a technical one against Topuria. Had he won this his "career" would not be in question the slightest. It's amazing how peoples view on a fighter can change just because they get KO:d.

 

[Flower2dPeople]

Volk (and his management) ruined his career by making stupid career and life altering decisions. He took the fight against Islam on short notice and admitted to being an alcoholic and in depression prior to that fight. Got brutally knocked out by Islam and then didn’t take the adequate time to recover from a loss like that. Instead took another quick fight against a monster puncher and go KO’d again. It’s shameful the amount of damage Volk has taken in the last few months.

Disagree. He had the privilege of fighting for another title 2x while still holding on to his own belt. He just paid the piper.

 

[MDoza]

He ruined his career fighting Max so often. Spent like two years of his prime on one guy.

Repeatedly proving that he can win one matchup does nothing for legacy.

 

[HeffDoesWant]

Shouldn't have fought Islam a 2nd time

He should have, just not when everything was stacked against him.

 

[Chayanne]

he chose money and is probably a millionaire

 

[NILLI]

Yup he should step away from the sport ASAP. He has nothing to prove.

 

[Corrado Soprano]

There have been too many examples in the sports history of fighters getting knocked out and coming back too quickly and never being the same again.

 

[Kb7]

He dared to be great, his legacy is cemented. Wins and losses will occur. You fans are overreacting.