Im going to give a unique take here, I think the grappling will actually be a major problem. Everyone puts stock into Illia's "BJJ background" but I do believe there is levels, Bryce Mitchell was able to give resistance to Illia and Charles is bigger and a more aggressive grappler. I'm going to take Illia by UD, with Charles having control time throughout the fight. I can totally see this being a fight where Illia's stock drops slightly, especially from being put in dangerous positions such as maybe Charles having Illia's back in the final round.
charles couldn’t sub Chandler. im pretty sure Tuporia is way better than Chandler, he’s competed in bjj black belt tournaments and won.
Charles has the most submissions in UFC history my man Gilbert Burns has an insane resume in BJJ tournaments and he has 1 SUB win in 6 years. Charles clearly is dangerous on the ground, and he has recently been focusing on being a patient fighter, we saw it vs Chandler and Arman. I also didn't say he'd finish Topuria, I said the ground game would stall rounds and put Ilia in dangerous positions throughout the fight. Ilia can definitely rock Charles early but I think it's going to be a tougher time at lightweight than most people think.
ah ok, i still dont see it, he's a former wrestler too. Tuporia's style thrives on fighting underneath long reach and height like tyson, Max found out. And Max is a natural 155lb.
We will see Saturday my friend, one of us will be right for sure. Ilia's background is legit but my confidence in Charles not getting smoked is Topuria's issues with Bryce Mitchell's takedown offense, Charles is bigger and more skilled than Bryce, maybe Ilia's grappling has drastically improved/
I am not that versatile when it comes to the ground game, but I always felt like Charles was super aggressive on the ground. It´s never boring when Charles hits the mat.
never said he was as skilled as tyson. he fights like him just means he doesn't need height or reach, he knows how to fight small.
debatable, Charles is a better bjj fighter, i dont think there is a major wrestling skill gap between him and Bryce. dont see the relevancy of that fight, 1:30 mins of ctrl in round 1, assuming some was cage stalling, i don't see Tuporia accepting a bottom guard position all night. its likely to playout on the feet.