The Fight Library

Fighting in Baku this weekend, Rafael Fiziev may be fighting for more than a win this weekend. Manuel Torres will be coming with the heat.Chapters:0:00 Rafael Fiziev becoming irrelevant0:57 Rafael Fiziev’s recent losses1:55 Chin concerns and longevity3:29 Technical look: Rafael Fiziev vs Manuel Torres4:35 Keys to victory for Rafael Fiziev5:06 Manuel Torres: The First round finisher5:57 The lightweight rankings6:46 Shara Bullet vs Michel Pereira preview7:31 Asu Almabayev vs Charles Johnson preview8:50 Under the Radar: UFC Baku🎞️Check out Fight Finders, my docuseries! Episode 008 is out now: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx7TZlIVGhDZ_TpnOtVEVSXmkpr_ViExz&si=J8DZ9G6a-RvTaMOv🥊 Boxing channel: Youtube.com/@UCFN50W4bPM2xdW78XLyv2fQ 📰 Newsletter: fightlibrary.substack.comRafael Fiziev has struggled as of late. Losing four of his last five, his place in the lightweight division is in doubt. Not at risk of being cut, the UFC is daring the new upstart, Manuel Torres to make his name known with an old veteran.Manuel Torres looks to make his name known. Beating Rafael Fiziev is the best way for him to do that. After coming up short against Ignacio Bahamondes, Manuel Torres has beat Drew Dober and Grant Dawson. It’s time he had a step up and prove that he belongs in the top 15 of the lightweight division. #mmapodcast #ufcpodcast #ufcbaku

Ilia Topuria seemed like he was invincible. But Justin Gaethje asked some uncomfortable questions about him and, while Topuria answered well, he came up short.Chapters:0:00 Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria reaction8:46 Ciryl Gane vs Alex Pereira reaction 13:59 Sean O'Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi reaction16:38 Josh Hokit vs Derrick Lewis reaction 19:27 UFC Freedom 250 reaction 🎞️Check out Fight Finders, my docuseries! Episode 008 is out now: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx7TZlIVGhDZ_TpnOtVEVSXmkpr_ViExz&si=J8DZ9G6a-RvTaMOv🥊 Boxing channel: Youtube.com/@UCFN50W4bPM2xdW78XLyv2fQ 📰 Newsletter: fightlibrary.substack.comJustin Gaethje is the world champion after many years of perennial contendership. Ilia Topuria was heavily favored to win this fight. And it seemed like he was on his way to winning. But Justin Gaethje did what Justin Gaethje always does. He was tough, he fought a fight that most couldn't, and now he's finally the champion. Ilia Topuria is still a supreme talent and will likely be champion again. But today, Justin Gaethje is the man of the hour. In front of all the dignitaries of the world, he pulled off a modern Rocky story.Ciryl Gane also had his moment to shine. Alex Pereira seemed like destiny. He seemed to become a champion in a third division. But going from fighting 185 to 265 pound men is a tall order. Ciryl Gane came out with an educated game plan against Alex Pereira. He fought calm and when the shot landed, he wasted no time cheating. All that aside, Ciryl Gane has been slept on too much and it's time he gets the respect he deserves.Sean O'Malley beat Aiemann Zahabi as well. Anyone expected anything different?Josh Hokit also stole the show at UFC White House. As good as he looked, it was Derrick Lewis that he was fighting. There are some good things we can take away from Josh Hokit's performance, like sticking to a completely different gameplan from the Curtis Blaydes fight. But I don't want to put too much into this fight. It was only Derrick Lewis.#mmapodcast #ufcpodcast #ufcwhitehouse

Charles Oliveira dominated Max Holloway at UFC 326. Now we have to admit defeat and talk about how "do Bronx" proved everyone wrong.🎞️Check out Fight Finders, my docuseries! Episode 008 is out now: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx7TZlIVGhDZ_TpnOtVEVSXmkpr_ViExz&si=J8DZ9G6a-RvTaMOv🥊 Boxing channel: Youtube.com/@UCFN50W4bPM2xdW78XLyv2fQ 📰 Newsletter: fightlibrary.substack.comChapters:0:00 Charles Oliveira vs Max Holloway recap8:57 Caio Borralho vs Reinier de Ridder recap14:47 Raul Rosas Jr vs Rob Font recap16:34 UFC 326 recapCharles Oliveira was the most impressive fighter at UFC 326. Many, myself included, thought this fight was going to be insanely difficult for him, as are most fights with Max Holloway. Instead, Oliveira dominated and proved that he's still got a lot left in the tank. He left Max Holloway wondering what was happening to him. This was something nobody has ever done to the former featherweight champion. Now Charles Oliveira has so much lined up for him. There's Conor McGregor, Arman Tsarukyan, Benoit Saint-Denis and perhaps even an Ilia Topuria rematch.Caio Borralho beat Reinier de Ridder to cap off the middleweight tournament that meant nothing. After his loss to Nassourdine Imavov, Caio Borralho improved by going first, going often and leading the charge against Reinier de Ridder. Reinier de Ridder was too basic in his approach and didn't have a plan B to do anything that Borralho didn't want him to do. Raul Rosas Jr also had a rankings berthing performance. He defeated Rob Font. But the win was more Rob Font not being good than it was Raul Rosas was bad. Font fought terribly, over extending and giving up the takedown to the wrestling-heavy Raul Rosas. Chiwiws didn't make an appearance but Raul Rosas showed he's getting better.#charlesoliveira #oliveiravsholloway #mmapodcast

Sean Strickland defied all odds and knocked out Anthony Hernandez proving that, despite how he talks and fights, he's still a top tier middleweight.🎞️Check out Fight Finders, my docuseries! Episode 008 is out now: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx7TZlIVGhDZ_TpnOtVEVSXmkpr_ViExz&si=J8DZ9G6a-RvTaMOv🥊 Boxing channel: Youtube.com/@UCFN50W4bPM2xdW78XLyv2fQ 📰 Substack: fightlibrary.substack.comChapters:0:00 Why Sean Strickland beat Anthony Hernandez5:45 Sean Strickland is so frustrating to fight8:22 Sean Strickland vs Khamzat ChimaevThe plan was simple: If Sean Strickland can get the jab going early, he can slow down the snowball effect-style that Anthony Hernandez uses. That's exactly what happened. Fluffy had no way of getting inside and getting to a clinch. And when he did, he lacked the ability to finish the takedown there. Sean Strickland used this to his advantage and kept doing what he always does.It's that jab and the teep that make Sean Strickland so frustrating to fight. He's had success against great fighters, like Israel Adesanya, but also laid some stinkers (Alex Pereira, Kamaru Usman). Strickland's frustrating style has carried him far and brought him the title. This is why he's been successful. He knows what he does and sticks to it. There's no getting too fancy. There's hardly any deviation. Just discipline to what got him to the dance.That brings us to the big question: Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev looks indomitable. Invincible even. Does Sean Strickland really have what it takes to dethrone the Chechen champion? We don't personally think so. Then again, we thought Anthony Hernandez and Israel Adesanya would beat him too and look how that turned out. There's no real point in saying "Strickland loses to Chimaev, don't even book the fight." We have to lock them in the cage and find out for ourselves.

Diego Lopes was dominated again by Alexander Volkanovski. The fight was one sided and you could have put the first fight on and nobody would have known the difference.🎞️Check out Fight Finders, my docuseries! Episode 009 is filming now: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx7TZlIVGhDZ_TpnOtVEVSXmkpr_ViExz&si=J8DZ9G6a-RvTaMOv🥊 Boxing channel: Youtube.com/@UCFN50W4bPM2xdW78XLyv2fQ 📰 Newsletter: fightlibrary.substack.comChapters:0:00 Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes 27:11 Benoit Saint-Denis vs Dan Hooker12:47 Mauricio Ruffy vs Rafael FizievAlexander Volkanovski put it on Diego Lopes again. The fight was not as much of a challenge as the first fight and old man Volkanovski did the job as he always does. Between the first and second fight, Diego Lopes did not get good enough. He struggled to find meaningful offense against Alexander Volkanovski and now he's in the back of the line. But we have to have a conversation about how good Alexander Volkanovski is in the legacy of the sport. The co-main event of UFC 325 was a Benoit Saint-Denis win over hometown favorite Dan Hooker. Dan Hooker had a good plan at the start but in the end, it didn't even matter. Benoit Saint-Denis struggled with the initial gameplan of Dan Hooker but he overcame the body kicks and got Dan Hooker to the ground. From there, it was only a formality.Mauricio Ruffy also had a great finish after some adjustments against Rafael Fiziev. Fiziev is a tough fighter for anyone and Mauricio Ruffy had a hard task in front of him. Ruffy was pushed to the fence and was incredibly uncomfortable. But once he settled in with the pressure from Rafael Fiziev, he knocked out the Muay Thai sensation and notched his career best win.