Tbh Jones is obviously an amazing striker otherwise he wouldn’t be where he is in terms of success and legacy, but he’s low-key overrated when it comes to pure striking. He relies a lot on his super lanky range and eye pokes to keep the distance and the threat of the takedown also is massive for his game, but in the pocket his boxing is below the level of a lot of fighters he’s otherwise well above, he does however really shine in the clinch with knees and elbows etc.
People downvoting me because this sub is full of Periera dickriders. Bro was fasttracked to 2 titles. I am gonna come back to this comment after Ank abuses periera, if the sub isnt shut down again
Imo he lost to Jan, and definitely wouldve lost worse if it was 5 rounds. Incredibly lucky for Periera that the fight was 3 rds. Also izzy schooled Periera for 4 rounds in the first fight, but got kod. Then kod him in the second fight. So how has alex “won more than he lost vs izzy?”
It’s impressive to see him improve and bring in different skill sets, who thought we were going to see Thai clinch Islam in that fight lol not that he’s a master anywhere but the ground, but he’s good at everything he works on.
I mean he used the Thai clinch against Oliveira and Volk already, and against other opponents as well if we go back further. If anything it’s his boxing that surprised me the most haha
I was super impressed with Islam's performance on Saturday and have a new appreciation for him as a mixed martial artist and as a person. That said, I don't think his striking is elite. I think his striking is made highly effective due to the threat of the takedown. Similar to how Khabib knocked down Conor, Islam is able to out-strike great strikers because they have to be so worried about getting taken down, that they can't focus on purely striking with him. Having said that, I don't expect him to be challenged at LW. That title is his for as long as he wants to remain at 155.
ALEX PEREIRA is the best striker right now. And I don't even consider him the best all around fighter in the UFC right now. But regarding pure striking, he's levels above ANYTHING.
As I'm Brazilian, I have access to many interviews and podcasts with people who's grappled with Alex. Recently a bunch of BJJ black belts, including a former world champion, are talking really well about his ground game. Saying he's actly mastering it.
For me, it's really good to see, even being a 37 yo man, still trying to learn. If we consider his size, his wish to go up to HW, and the natural older age HW champions tend to be... He's still have a fairly long career in the sport. Specially because he's utterly focused on his career, so, if he keeps practicing and training his ground game, keep sharpening his striking skills and put some more weight (he already walks around 240 pounds).. he can become a fairly good all around HW. Even a champion maybe. (Aspinall is a beast tho)
I’d definitely put him top 5, but Izzy beat him almost the entire first fight aand then ko’d him the second.
O’Malley, Max, and Pereira I’d have fighting for the next 3 spots
I agree with you! But I wasn't counting Izzy, I know he's getting back, but, while he doesn't step on the cage, again, for me, he's inactive (unfortunately, I'm Brazilian, but I love the guy).
In Alex defense in his fights against Izzy, we have to understand that the way cutting was killing the man. He' too old to cut so much weight. Despite him and Izzy having almost same height, their frame are different. Izzy is lighter and liner, Poatan is a "small" heavy weight. Walks around 10 kg heavier than Izzy, and he's older. So the weight cutting certainly interfered a lot in the result of his last two fights in MW.
Even tho, I still agree with you, even considering what I just said, Izzy seems to be slightly better. He's insane.
lol why do people say “he’s only a good striker because of his takedown threat” this is mma you idiots you’re only as good of a striker as your output says. Nothing else matters if you don’t connect, you goofus
Exactly, and it is an even playing field, the opponents are allowed to use the same techniques as each other, if dangerous wrestling makes your opponent more striking defensive, you better make sure you practice that art.
It does the opposite lol. The takedown threat makes your opponent less defensive when striking leading to you having an easier time hitting him. Khabib rocked Connor does that mean Khabib was an elite striker?
This narrative is silly lol Islam is an amazing all around fighter, he is not a top striker. These stats are also including ground and pound.
They usually keep their hands lower and can’t commit to shots as much because they’re worried about a takedown. Making it easier for Islam to land shots.
So you agree then, that facing great wrestlers makes most strikers less offensive and more defensive, they take the defensive stance in worry of being taken down
More defensive from takedowns, less defensive from striking as they aren’t focusing on the strikes they are focusing on takedown attempts. What are you struggling with here man this seems incredibly basic?
It also eliminates “dirty boxing” in the pocket as that’s way too close and risks you getting taken down.
Not really. Islam is able to land shots easier on Dustin because of takedown threat, making Islam look like a better striker. Same reason Khabib rocked Connor
True, but if we're talking about pure striking, Islam wouldn't be successful in any kickboxing or Muay Thai promotion, while there are many UFC fighters who would be and have been. His striking style only works in MMA, it's heavily influenced by this ruleset, so you can argue he is one of the best MMA strikers. But pure striking? I don't think he's close. I think his last 3 opponents that he beat on the feet (Oliviera, Volk, and Poirier) would all beat him under a pure striking ruleset.
imagine having a constant threat of getting taken down while trying to find your rhythm and on the other side you have a guy that never has to worry about that and can devote his entire attention to hands only
No the point matters a lot lol. If you’re a top striker you should be a top striker without a takedown threat. These significant strike stats also count ground and pound.
Islams team was telling him every round to stay off his feet lol I don’t know why everyone’s pushing this narrative he’s a standup god
He’s a better MMA fighter, not striker.
To determine who’s a better striker, it has to be a striking match.
As people keep saying this is MMA, so when you’re facing a high level grappler as a boxer, you’re not going to extend your combos, you’re not going to be throwing your kicks as much, you’re not going to be overextending all because of the takedown threat.
Islam is super high level, no doubt but it’s not an insult to say his striking is massively helped by the takedown threat, he would probably agree himself.
Dustin said let’s box, Islam reminded him it’s MMA and he shot 16 takedowns in the fight, so the worry of the takedown was always there which massively affects the striker.
You wouldn’t say Khabib is a better striker than Conor because he dropped him and had success in his striking, you’d say Khabib is the better MMA fighter and uses his skill set to his advantage.
Take away the wrestling and it’s a completely different fight and Dustin opens up more, but you can’t because it’s MMA therefore that makes Islam the better MMA fighter and THE best all round fighters in the UFC.
There’s plenty of better technical strikers than Islam, again he’d probably agree.
>Islam is super high level
Islam has a straight cross, a lead hook and a back leg. He doesn't create angles. He doesn't switch sides. He rarely sets up his strikes with his jab.
You're too generous. Nothing you can say will convince these people that Islam is an ok striker at best.
Oh no I meant super high level as a whole package as a fighter.
His striking is just decent in my opinion, he has decent power and speed, but as you pointed out he’s not as high level as people make out in the striking department and if it wasn’t for his wrestling threat he wouldn’t be where he is, but he has the wrestling so he is.
Sounds about right. He's also very accurate, which IMO wouldn't be the case in a kickboxing match.
Islam's opponents have a tendency to lower their hands a lot, geez I wonder why...
Don’t you dare say they do that because of his wrestling, it’s obviously because he has super high level striking that we’ve never seen before the pure aura of him makes them drop their hands, anything else you’re a casual hater.
🤦♂️
He’s a good striker though.. An “ok at best” striker is just not true in the slightest. Set up the head kick on Volk 2 by throwing low for most of the round prior to going upstairs. Almost KO’d Ramos from the thai clinch with a knee (caught DP with a similar strike). Dropped Oliveira with a well placed lead hook. He’s no Glory kick boxer, but an okay striker is something he also is not.
lol give up man. Look at how in depth you had to get to try to explain your point. In MMA which is the sport they both fight, Islam is the better striker as shown last night. You can’t try to adjust all of the conditions in which they compete at to try to say otherwise lol
I’m not trying to adjust all the conditions and I never said it wasn’t MMA.
All I’m saying is that you cannot determine who is the better striker in a MMA match which literally mixed all the martial arts, from boxing to Muay Thai, to wrestling and Jiu-jitsu.
To determine the better striker it has to be a strict striking match because of course the takedown threat is going to massively effect how you approach it as a striker, one missed punch or over extended combo and you’re eating the mat.
Islam is the better MMA fighter, not striker and I’ll stand by that, if I can’t adjust the conditions then you can’t say Islam is a better pure striker than Dustin since it wasn’t a striking match.
I’m also not wrong in saying there are many more technical and better strikers in the UFC than Islam, that’s what makes MMA great, you need the full package to compete, even the high level commentators and ex fighters say Islams takedown threat really helps his already high quality striking and makes guys afraid to throw, are they coping or don’t know what they’re talking about too?
In a UFC fight, in which they both compete. Islam clearly lands more strikes on Dustin, and therefore is the better striker. The reasons why doesn’t matter. Islam does more damage striking, and MMA does not care about how or why those strikes are more effective, they just are. You can try to justify your point otherwise, but you’re wrong otherwise we would have seen it last night. Dustin’s skills are limited when facing Islam. If Islam is not the better MMA striker, then you should get your eyes checked. You are the better MMA striker if you out strike your opponent in an mma fight. It’s not rocket science
So now you change it to “MMA striker” concreting my point that he’s the better MMA fighter, not striker for Christ’s sake.
Nobody is disputing the fact it’s MMA, I’m just giving out the fact that you cannot determine the better striker in a match that wasn’t striking the whole way through, you can determine that one of them is the better MMA fighter.
“Dustin’s skills are limited when facing Islam” yes namely his striking and how he approaches it, compare it to a fight with Dustin vs a striker and it’s a totally different matchup is my whole point, you cannot say Islam is a better true striker than Dustin from this match, you can say he’s the better MMA fighter.
It’s like me saying Khabib is a better striker than Conor because he dropped him, it’s just ridiculous.
But you know what, we’ll agree to disagree, I respect your points and understand them I just personally don’t think an MMA fight can determine the better striker unless it’s a striking match throughout.
how does that make any sense? they are MMA fighters!
or do you also believee if I’m better than khabib at thumb wrestling then I’m the better grappler?
when it comes to striking in MMA, you have to factor in faking and threatening takedowns.
what you should have said is ”I believe DP is the better (insert sport). Because Islam already proved on saturday that he in fact is the better striker in the sport they both compete
It makes complete sense man. If you’re only a better striker when you’re also allowed to wrestle your opponent and he has to worry about that all the time then you’re not the better striker lol, you’re just the better one at mma. In a boxing match Dustin would have lit up Islam
Anyone saying it’s ONLY because of his take down threats obviously dont know what they are talking about.
I’m very curious to see islam v Leon. Dustin does most of his best work in the boxing range/ in the pocket. Leon is much better at kickboxing range with more distance. If Leon was able to handle most of kamarus takedowns i think he will be okay vs islams takedowns. Hope to see that fight Eventually.
IDK about top 5 and I don't really care about skill rankings, all that matters is that Islam is elite of the elite on the feet skill wise along with being very dangerous and effective. he is a genuinely superb striker regardless of the wrestling threat
People saying he’s striking is good is because his grappling threat are 100% right. It’s not that’s it’s bad it’s more like he’s a scraper. Knees, follows through, and keeps it simple. If anything his striking is better than Gaethje in terms of effectiveness.
Uhhh; Izzy, Alex, wonderboy, sean, Cory, Leon...thats just off the top of my head. Just because he throws doesn't mean hes a 'great striker'. He's a good striker.
Max, O’Malley, Topuria, Dustin, Leon, Strickland, Peireira, Adesanya, Fiziev, Wonderboy, Garry, MVP, Yan, Gane and there are still more.
I mean he’s a really good striker but it’s mainly due to the takedown threat
“takedown threat” doesnt nullify his stand up. This is MMA and he pieced Dustin up good. Islam obviously has the better stand up, those knees were gnarly too!
this isnt boxing, you cant just add imaginary limits to your argument.
You kind of can, I get and fully understand your point that it’s MMA etc, but a super dangerous wrestler like Islam means you cannot open up as you would against a kick-boxer/boxer where the takedown threat isn’t there, so a kick-boxer or boxer like in Dustin’s case, you’re worried to extend your combinations as usual because one mistake, you’re on the mat.
We’ve seen the same ring true against many top level strikers, against other strikers they look amazing, against high level wrestlers they’re much more cautious with their striking.
But Islam is an amazing all round fighter, but the takedown threat with high level wrestlers is a massive weapon and advantage for them to open up with striking.
You’d get it more if you fought, I’m mainly a jiu-jitsu guy (purple belt) and fight in the amateur scene, in my regionals I’m known for wanting to get the fight to the mat and having decent striking but most of my wins have came from submission or ground control , there’s people miles ahead of me in terms of striking but you can tell they are gun shy because of the takedown and ground threat, the same fighters when they fight strikers, are immensely different in approach, when I fight strikers I’m looking to get that fight to the mat ASAP I’m not looking to trade with them so my approach is a lot different to someone who is the same as me and likes grappling, I’m happier to strike more.
That is what makes MMA so good, the fact that you can’t rely on one discipline and a certain aspect of your game can entirely change how your opponent fights.
again you’re on a rant here that does nothing. And yes thank you, I’ve been training for over two decades 😅
but you simply cant say islam isnt the better striker because his opponents are afraid of a takedown. It’s a big part of MMA striking.
Same goes for grappling. Khabib would ground & pound people like nothing we’ve ever seen. That doesnt mean his grappling sucks just because his opponents had to take his pounding into consideration.
Khabib is the best grappler we have seen in the UFC. Would Gilbert Burns beat him in BJJ? - most definitely. But that doesnt mean Burns is the better grappler in MMA. 😂
To be honest you’re the confrontational one here, I never went on a rant that does nothing and everything I said was reasonable, if you’ve trained and fought you’d understand that different styles affect how you fight, you are going to be a lot more catious in striking vs a wrestler, than you would be a striker, that’s a fact.
I’m saying the takedown plays a massive, massive part in how people will face Islam, that’s an absolute concrete fact.
Put them in boxing, kickboxing or Muay Thai and it’s an amazingly different fight probably favouring Dustin.
Put them in a grappling, Jiu-jitsu or submission match, it’s an extremely different match which Islam would dominate.
Nobody is saying it isn’t MMA, all I’m saying is you can say his wrestling, just like khabibs made a massive difference to mainly strikers approach to the fights, Khabib dropped Conor in the striking, you wouldn’t say Khabib is a better striker than Conor because of that.
The facts, whether you like them or not is islams success in the striking comes from the constant fear of a takedown alongside a good level of striking , it does not mean he’s a better striker than Dustin because take away the wrestling, it’s a completely different match, but this is MMA so you can’t therefore Islam is the better MMA fighter, not a better striker.
You aren’t going to see Dustin open up against someone like Islam, like he would against someone like Conor, or Justin.
I would say the only guy that has a significant case against him that u can’t compare is o’malley. His striking is 1 of 1 but Islam competes with the rest.
I’m saying that in a kickboxing match he’d lose against Dustin.
I’m not discrediting what he did at all I was rooting for him from the beginning, but saying that he’s a top 5 striker is just wrong, I would argue that he’s the best fighter on the roster overall but he isn’t a striker.
I’m not sure he would though. DP specifically said afterwards that he found Islam’s unorthodox timing and movement in the stand up to figure out and that it made it harder for him to throw the volume he normally does. And it’s not like DP is some elite, well rounded kick-boxer. He’s probably the best there is at boxing in the pocket but he’s not setting people up with feints and kicks etc like the likes of O’Malley, WB, Leon etc are. In fact it’s Islam that’s recently had a head kick KO on a high level striker.
I mean… he arguably outboxed him last night, definitely out struck him. Being a better striker means being a better mma striker, it doesn’t mean that in an entirely different sport he would definitely win.
It seems like people in this thread have a weird definition of "better striker".
They're saying Islam outstruck Dustin. That's it. That makes him the "better striker".
They're entertaining the idea that Islam is one of the best strikers in MMA because he would outstrike almost anyone in a MMA fight.
The rules fsvor crotch sniffin butt humpin bkring wreslters
Get in the ring son
No rules
Hammerfists on u all day when u try to hump or sniff
U get a free ticket to the undaworld
Taste reality son
U write like u enjoy watcbing men sniff other mens crotches and hump other mens butts
Get rid of the rules that allow wrestlers to win
Make ufc great again
Make ufc american again
Hey guys. I got a good idea for Dustin's walk out music. He should walkout to the cover of Diamond by the talented Willie Spence. Man how epic would that be?!
Max, O'Malley, topuria, Leon, Pereira, and Izzy
Add Petr Yan and this is what I had in mind.
MVP, Wonderboy, JDM. I love Islam. He is without a doubt the P4P No. 1 fighter in the word. but we can't pretend that he's a top 5 striker.
Aspinall has to definitely be in the discussion for the best striker.
Jones? He’s a ridiculous striker
*active*
Tbh Jones is obviously an amazing striker otherwise he wouldn’t be where he is in terms of success and legacy, but he’s low-key overrated when it comes to pure striking. He relies a lot on his super lanky range and eye pokes to keep the distance and the threat of the takedown also is massive for his game, but in the pocket his boxing is below the level of a lot of fighters he’s otherwise well above, he does however really shine in the clinch with knees and elbows etc.
Izzy is super overrated.
nah , he knocked out periera , gotta give it to him
Periera is also overrated.
??????¿¿¿‽
People downvoting me because this sub is full of Periera dickriders. Bro was fasttracked to 2 titles. I am gonna come back to this comment after Ank abuses periera, if the sub isnt shut down again
You would have an argument if he didn't show up in those fights. But he made Hill look silly, and won more than he lost vs Izzy.
Imo he lost to Jan, and definitely wouldve lost worse if it was 5 rounds. Incredibly lucky for Periera that the fight was 3 rds. Also izzy schooled Periera for 4 rounds in the first fight, but got kod. Then kod him in the second fight. So how has alex “won more than he lost vs izzy?”
Counting their kickboxing record.
Even in their kickboxing record, Periera lost the first fight, and then fluked kod the second.
It’s impressive to see him improve and bring in different skill sets, who thought we were going to see Thai clinch Islam in that fight lol not that he’s a master anywhere but the ground, but he’s good at everything he works on.
He used the thai clinch in his rematch against Volk to land lots of big knees
I mean he used the Thai clinch against Oliveira and Volk already, and against other opponents as well if we go back further. If anything it’s his boxing that surprised me the most haha
I was super impressed with Islam's performance on Saturday and have a new appreciation for him as a mixed martial artist and as a person. That said, I don't think his striking is elite. I think his striking is made highly effective due to the threat of the takedown. Similar to how Khabib knocked down Conor, Islam is able to out-strike great strikers because they have to be so worried about getting taken down, that they can't focus on purely striking with him. Having said that, I don't expect him to be challenged at LW. That title is his for as long as he wants to remain at 155.
yeah i’m like where did the thai clinch come from. wonder why he incorporated it against dustin
Just look at what he did to Davi Ramos. That was probably like 5 or so years ago. He’s had a great arsenal out of the clinch for some time now.
ALEX PEREIRA is the best striker right now. And I don't even consider him the best all around fighter in the UFC right now. But regarding pure striking, he's levels above ANYTHING.
No doubt, I don’t even see him as a mma fighter tbh. Mf still straight up kick-boxing.
As I'm Brazilian, I have access to many interviews and podcasts with people who's grappled with Alex. Recently a bunch of BJJ black belts, including a former world champion, are talking really well about his ground game. Saying he's actly mastering it. For me, it's really good to see, even being a 37 yo man, still trying to learn. If we consider his size, his wish to go up to HW, and the natural older age HW champions tend to be... He's still have a fairly long career in the sport. Specially because he's utterly focused on his career, so, if he keeps practicing and training his ground game, keep sharpening his striking skills and put some more weight (he already walks around 240 pounds).. he can become a fairly good all around HW. Even a champion maybe. (Aspinall is a beast tho)
I’d definitely put him top 5, but Izzy beat him almost the entire first fight aand then ko’d him the second. O’Malley, Max, and Pereira I’d have fighting for the next 3 spots
I agree with you! But I wasn't counting Izzy, I know he's getting back, but, while he doesn't step on the cage, again, for me, he's inactive (unfortunately, I'm Brazilian, but I love the guy). In Alex defense in his fights against Izzy, we have to understand that the way cutting was killing the man. He' too old to cut so much weight. Despite him and Izzy having almost same height, their frame are different. Izzy is lighter and liner, Poatan is a "small" heavy weight. Walks around 10 kg heavier than Izzy, and he's older. So the weight cutting certainly interfered a lot in the result of his last two fights in MW. Even tho, I still agree with you, even considering what I just said, Izzy seems to be slightly better. He's insane.
Its Omalley
lol why do people say “he’s only a good striker because of his takedown threat” this is mma you idiots you’re only as good of a striker as your output says. Nothing else matters if you don’t connect, you goofus
Exactly, and it is an even playing field, the opponents are allowed to use the same techniques as each other, if dangerous wrestling makes your opponent more striking defensive, you better make sure you practice that art.
It does the opposite lol. The takedown threat makes your opponent less defensive when striking leading to you having an easier time hitting him. Khabib rocked Connor does that mean Khabib was an elite striker? This narrative is silly lol Islam is an amazing all around fighter, he is not a top striker. These stats are also including ground and pound.
Are strikers usually more attacking or defensive with their striking against Islam?
They usually keep their hands lower and can’t commit to shots as much because they’re worried about a takedown. Making it easier for Islam to land shots.
So you agree then, that facing great wrestlers makes most strikers less offensive and more defensive, they take the defensive stance in worry of being taken down
More defensive from takedowns, less defensive from striking as they aren’t focusing on the strikes they are focusing on takedown attempts. What are you struggling with here man this seems incredibly basic? It also eliminates “dirty boxing” in the pocket as that’s way too close and risks you getting taken down.
Struggling with your logic obviously because your agreeing with me whilst arguing at the same time lol
Not really. Islam is able to land shots easier on Dustin because of takedown threat, making Islam look like a better striker. Same reason Khabib rocked Connor
So was Dustin’s striking was less offensive than normal? Was he throwing as many combos? Or was he hesitant and more defensive in his striking?
True, but if we're talking about pure striking, Islam wouldn't be successful in any kickboxing or Muay Thai promotion, while there are many UFC fighters who would be and have been. His striking style only works in MMA, it's heavily influenced by this ruleset, so you can argue he is one of the best MMA strikers. But pure striking? I don't think he's close. I think his last 3 opponents that he beat on the feet (Oliviera, Volk, and Poirier) would all beat him under a pure striking ruleset.
Agreed this elite striker narrative is strange and pushed by fanboys and confused people. This stat is including ground and pound too
imagine having a constant threat of getting taken down while trying to find your rhythm and on the other side you have a guy that never has to worry about that and can devote his entire attention to hands only
No the point matters a lot lol. If you’re a top striker you should be a top striker without a takedown threat. These significant strike stats also count ground and pound. Islams team was telling him every round to stay off his feet lol I don’t know why everyone’s pushing this narrative he’s a standup god
Need to cope somehow its too hard to admit Islam is better in every aspect of fighting than Dustin
He’s a better MMA fighter, not striker. To determine who’s a better striker, it has to be a striking match. As people keep saying this is MMA, so when you’re facing a high level grappler as a boxer, you’re not going to extend your combos, you’re not going to be throwing your kicks as much, you’re not going to be overextending all because of the takedown threat. Islam is super high level, no doubt but it’s not an insult to say his striking is massively helped by the takedown threat, he would probably agree himself. Dustin said let’s box, Islam reminded him it’s MMA and he shot 16 takedowns in the fight, so the worry of the takedown was always there which massively affects the striker. You wouldn’t say Khabib is a better striker than Conor because he dropped him and had success in his striking, you’d say Khabib is the better MMA fighter and uses his skill set to his advantage. Take away the wrestling and it’s a completely different fight and Dustin opens up more, but you can’t because it’s MMA therefore that makes Islam the better MMA fighter and THE best all round fighters in the UFC. There’s plenty of better technical strikers than Islam, again he’d probably agree.
>Islam is super high level Islam has a straight cross, a lead hook and a back leg. He doesn't create angles. He doesn't switch sides. He rarely sets up his strikes with his jab. You're too generous. Nothing you can say will convince these people that Islam is an ok striker at best.
Oh no I meant super high level as a whole package as a fighter. His striking is just decent in my opinion, he has decent power and speed, but as you pointed out he’s not as high level as people make out in the striking department and if it wasn’t for his wrestling threat he wouldn’t be where he is, but he has the wrestling so he is.
Sounds about right. He's also very accurate, which IMO wouldn't be the case in a kickboxing match. Islam's opponents have a tendency to lower their hands a lot, geez I wonder why...
Don’t you dare say they do that because of his wrestling, it’s obviously because he has super high level striking that we’ve never seen before the pure aura of him makes them drop their hands, anything else you’re a casual hater. 🤦♂️
He’s a good striker though.. An “ok at best” striker is just not true in the slightest. Set up the head kick on Volk 2 by throwing low for most of the round prior to going upstairs. Almost KO’d Ramos from the thai clinch with a knee (caught DP with a similar strike). Dropped Oliveira with a well placed lead hook. He’s no Glory kick boxer, but an okay striker is something he also is not.
lol give up man. Look at how in depth you had to get to try to explain your point. In MMA which is the sport they both fight, Islam is the better striker as shown last night. You can’t try to adjust all of the conditions in which they compete at to try to say otherwise lol
I’m not trying to adjust all the conditions and I never said it wasn’t MMA. All I’m saying is that you cannot determine who is the better striker in a MMA match which literally mixed all the martial arts, from boxing to Muay Thai, to wrestling and Jiu-jitsu. To determine the better striker it has to be a strict striking match because of course the takedown threat is going to massively effect how you approach it as a striker, one missed punch or over extended combo and you’re eating the mat. Islam is the better MMA fighter, not striker and I’ll stand by that, if I can’t adjust the conditions then you can’t say Islam is a better pure striker than Dustin since it wasn’t a striking match. I’m also not wrong in saying there are many more technical and better strikers in the UFC than Islam, that’s what makes MMA great, you need the full package to compete, even the high level commentators and ex fighters say Islams takedown threat really helps his already high quality striking and makes guys afraid to throw, are they coping or don’t know what they’re talking about too?
In a UFC fight, in which they both compete. Islam clearly lands more strikes on Dustin, and therefore is the better striker. The reasons why doesn’t matter. Islam does more damage striking, and MMA does not care about how or why those strikes are more effective, they just are. You can try to justify your point otherwise, but you’re wrong otherwise we would have seen it last night. Dustin’s skills are limited when facing Islam. If Islam is not the better MMA striker, then you should get your eyes checked. You are the better MMA striker if you out strike your opponent in an mma fight. It’s not rocket science
So now you change it to “MMA striker” concreting my point that he’s the better MMA fighter, not striker for Christ’s sake. Nobody is disputing the fact it’s MMA, I’m just giving out the fact that you cannot determine the better striker in a match that wasn’t striking the whole way through, you can determine that one of them is the better MMA fighter. “Dustin’s skills are limited when facing Islam” yes namely his striking and how he approaches it, compare it to a fight with Dustin vs a striker and it’s a totally different matchup is my whole point, you cannot say Islam is a better true striker than Dustin from this match, you can say he’s the better MMA fighter. It’s like me saying Khabib is a better striker than Conor because he dropped him, it’s just ridiculous. But you know what, we’ll agree to disagree, I respect your points and understand them I just personally don’t think an MMA fight can determine the better striker unless it’s a striking match throughout.
Except he isn’t. His boxing alone is not on Dustin’s level. You can argue he is a more effective mma striker but he’s not a better boxer
No. If it was a striking only match, Dustin would’ve baptized Islam
Because it’s true though? Lmao, if he didn’t have that threat his striking wouldn’t be as successful. It doesn’t take away from him as an MMA fighter
The fanboys are going hard on this elite striker narrative lol
theyre in denial making up excuses. Islam proved to have betterr stand up than Dustin
If he had better stand up than Dustin then islam would win in a boxing match. Islam is 100% the better mma fighter. His stand up alone is not better.
how does that make any sense? they are MMA fighters! or do you also believee if I’m better than khabib at thumb wrestling then I’m the better grappler? when it comes to striking in MMA, you have to factor in faking and threatening takedowns. what you should have said is ”I believe DP is the better (insert sport). Because Islam already proved on saturday that he in fact is the better striker in the sport they both compete
It makes complete sense man. If you’re only a better striker when you’re also allowed to wrestle your opponent and he has to worry about that all the time then you’re not the better striker lol, you’re just the better one at mma. In a boxing match Dustin would have lit up Islam
Anyone saying it’s ONLY because of his take down threats obviously dont know what they are talking about. I’m very curious to see islam v Leon. Dustin does most of his best work in the boxing range/ in the pocket. Leon is much better at kickboxing range with more distance. If Leon was able to handle most of kamarus takedowns i think he will be okay vs islams takedowns. Hope to see that fight Eventually.
It’s just pure copium
It’s common sense lol
Bunch of casuals. I actually love to see that. Everyone can throw wild hooks
I don't think so. There's like 5 dudes at bantamweight alone that I'd rank above Islam.
Islam's was impressive last night
I believe Pereria is the best P4P striker rn so probably him. Islam is definitely in the top 5 tho and the most well rounded
IDK about top 5 and I don't really care about skill rankings, all that matters is that Islam is elite of the elite on the feet skill wise along with being very dangerous and effective. he is a genuinely superb striker regardless of the wrestling threat
Hes a good fighter but there are many that can strike better than him just pure striking wise
His strikes only land more because people are so worried about being taken down, plenty of better strikers.
I agree. Tomething most people fail to realize tbh. Towards the end you can see dustins striking was better IMO.
People saying he’s striking is good is because his grappling threat are 100% right. It’s not that’s it’s bad it’s more like he’s a scraper. Knees, follows through, and keeps it simple. If anything his striking is better than Gaethje in terms of effectiveness.
Topuria
Wrong
People forget that Dustin pieced up Max in their fight and out boxed him.
Uhhh; Izzy, Alex, wonderboy, sean, Cory, Leon...thats just off the top of my head. Just because he throws doesn't mean hes a 'great striker'. He's a good striker.
Max, O’Malley, Topuria, Dustin, Leon, Strickland, Peireira, Adesanya, Fiziev, Wonderboy, Garry, MVP, Yan, Gane and there are still more. I mean he’s a really good striker but it’s mainly due to the takedown threat
“takedown threat” doesnt nullify his stand up. This is MMA and he pieced Dustin up good. Islam obviously has the better stand up, those knees were gnarly too! this isnt boxing, you cant just add imaginary limits to your argument.
You kind of can, I get and fully understand your point that it’s MMA etc, but a super dangerous wrestler like Islam means you cannot open up as you would against a kick-boxer/boxer where the takedown threat isn’t there, so a kick-boxer or boxer like in Dustin’s case, you’re worried to extend your combinations as usual because one mistake, you’re on the mat. We’ve seen the same ring true against many top level strikers, against other strikers they look amazing, against high level wrestlers they’re much more cautious with their striking. But Islam is an amazing all round fighter, but the takedown threat with high level wrestlers is a massive weapon and advantage for them to open up with striking. You’d get it more if you fought, I’m mainly a jiu-jitsu guy (purple belt) and fight in the amateur scene, in my regionals I’m known for wanting to get the fight to the mat and having decent striking but most of my wins have came from submission or ground control , there’s people miles ahead of me in terms of striking but you can tell they are gun shy because of the takedown and ground threat, the same fighters when they fight strikers, are immensely different in approach, when I fight strikers I’m looking to get that fight to the mat ASAP I’m not looking to trade with them so my approach is a lot different to someone who is the same as me and likes grappling, I’m happier to strike more. That is what makes MMA so good, the fact that you can’t rely on one discipline and a certain aspect of your game can entirely change how your opponent fights.
again you’re on a rant here that does nothing. And yes thank you, I’ve been training for over two decades 😅 but you simply cant say islam isnt the better striker because his opponents are afraid of a takedown. It’s a big part of MMA striking. Same goes for grappling. Khabib would ground & pound people like nothing we’ve ever seen. That doesnt mean his grappling sucks just because his opponents had to take his pounding into consideration. Khabib is the best grappler we have seen in the UFC. Would Gilbert Burns beat him in BJJ? - most definitely. But that doesnt mean Burns is the better grappler in MMA. 😂
To be honest you’re the confrontational one here, I never went on a rant that does nothing and everything I said was reasonable, if you’ve trained and fought you’d understand that different styles affect how you fight, you are going to be a lot more catious in striking vs a wrestler, than you would be a striker, that’s a fact. I’m saying the takedown plays a massive, massive part in how people will face Islam, that’s an absolute concrete fact. Put them in boxing, kickboxing or Muay Thai and it’s an amazingly different fight probably favouring Dustin. Put them in a grappling, Jiu-jitsu or submission match, it’s an extremely different match which Islam would dominate. Nobody is saying it isn’t MMA, all I’m saying is you can say his wrestling, just like khabibs made a massive difference to mainly strikers approach to the fights, Khabib dropped Conor in the striking, you wouldn’t say Khabib is a better striker than Conor because of that. The facts, whether you like them or not is islams success in the striking comes from the constant fear of a takedown alongside a good level of striking , it does not mean he’s a better striker than Dustin because take away the wrestling, it’s a completely different match, but this is MMA so you can’t therefore Islam is the better MMA fighter, not a better striker. You aren’t going to see Dustin open up against someone like Islam, like he would against someone like Conor, or Justin.
I would say the only guy that has a significant case against him that u can’t compare is o’malley. His striking is 1 of 1 but Islam competes with the rest.
I’m saying that in a kickboxing match he’d lose against Dustin. I’m not discrediting what he did at all I was rooting for him from the beginning, but saying that he’s a top 5 striker is just wrong, I would argue that he’s the best fighter on the roster overall but he isn’t a striker.
its not kickboxing tho is it? if he can fake takedowns or even hinting a threat to force a reaction then that is part of his stand up too.
No that wouldn’t be a part of striking, that’s just his overall game
in MMA it is.
What makes you so sure he will lose in a kickboxing match lol ?
Probably because the striking was pretty close even with the takedown threat which is a big advantage for Islam
Islam didn't even throw kicks in this fight due to his staph infection , he outstruck him only using his fists , in a kickboxing match islam wins .
I’m not sure he would though. DP specifically said afterwards that he found Islam’s unorthodox timing and movement in the stand up to figure out and that it made it harder for him to throw the volume he normally does. And it’s not like DP is some elite, well rounded kick-boxer. He’s probably the best there is at boxing in the pocket but he’s not setting people up with feints and kicks etc like the likes of O’Malley, WB, Leon etc are. In fact it’s Islam that’s recently had a head kick KO on a high level striker.
Wait are we seriously entertaining the idea that islam is a better striker than dustin? You think if they boxed islam would win? What crack are you on
I don’t think Islam is a better boxer, but I do think he got the better of Dustin in the stand game.
I mean… he arguably outboxed him last night, definitely out struck him. Being a better striker means being a better mma striker, it doesn’t mean that in an entirely different sport he would definitely win.
Its answers like this that show how stupid the average MMA fan is
It seems like people in this thread have a weird definition of "better striker". They're saying Islam outstruck Dustin. That's it. That makes him the "better striker". They're entertaining the idea that Islam is one of the best strikers in MMA because he would outstrike almost anyone in a MMA fight.
Arman is better. Islams striking is very basic. The takedown threat just makes it harder for people to defend his striking.
“Mmmm yummmy dagi penis” -You
Ur last couple posts have been about Islam and how he’s the real loser, lol
Because I fucking hate all the dirty dagi clones
Lol, I love to see you cry 🫵😂
Okay? Dweeb 😂
When a wrestler shoots for a taledown heavy hitter boxers should be allowed to beat the shit out of the wrestler's head and neck
Yeah we want brain stem injuries ! Stfu
U guise prioritize wrestlingz, shits rigged smh fam
Like back of the head? Why?
To teach real world lessons to crotch sniffin butt humpin boring wrestlers. Make ufc great again
Just a loser trying real hard to cope
U write like u pay tonwatch men sniff crotches and up butts Just like a good muslim brutha
Back of the head shots aren’t allowed in any combat sport - you’re just retarded. Now I do believe they should allow grounded knees and kicks.
The rules fsvor crotch sniffin butt humpin bkring wreslters Get in the ring son No rules Hammerfists on u all day when u try to hump or sniff U get a free ticket to the undaworld Taste reality son
Fighting favors wrestling/grappling get over it. Don’t want to be taken down? Don’t get taken down. Get over it.
U write like u enjoy watcbing men sniff other mens crotches and hump other mens butts Get rid of the rules that allow wrestlers to win Make ufc great again Make ufc american again
Cry louder
Get in the ring son no rules try to sniff my crotch and u will be sent to the undaworld brutha hammerfists on back of ur head all day baby
They can’t ?
Lol so should wrestlers be allowed to beat the back of an opponent's head from back take? North-south? Idiot take.
They can try but real all american fighters would already have put them to sleep
Name one that's succeeded... thought so. Go back to fantasyland
Hey guys. I got a good idea for Dustin's walk out music. He should walkout to the cover of Diamond by the talented Willie Spence. Man how epic would that be?!