Knockout innovations - Ilia Topuria post-fight analysis

You bounce their brain around in their skull and that's what knocks them out. The main disadvantage of kicking somebody in the body in the head in UFC is they could take you down. >> As a highle wrestler, I wanted to ask you like how do you think this fight between Olivivera and Seapora changed fighting or did it have any effect? Was it just was it just a knockout or was it felt like something significant though? Like what are your thoughts? >> Yeah, the way Ilia Tapora is knocking people out is different than anyone has ever done before at least on a consistent basis. So, usually you don't see many knockouts below 155. And the reason is because there's not enough power generated from the hips to the shoulder to knock somebody out because you have to hit somebody in the head enough to concuss them. You bounce their brain around in their skull and that's what knocks them out. But what Ilia doing is is what he's doing is different. What he's doing is he has knockout via precision. And so he does have power, but it's it's it's different. uh when you clock somebody right on the chin right here, it twists the chin and then rotates the brain around the spine. And what that actually does is it activates the reticular uh activating system, the RA. And that's actually acts like a light switch to the whole brain, everything. It just shuts off. Which is why when you see him knock people out, they go dead limp right away. Versus when you knock people out via concussion, all around the head here, here, here, they kind of go wobbly and whatever. So, I don't think everybody understands the way he's actually knocking people out different biologically, and it's through his precision of cracking people right on the chin. And it's it's unbelievable. I can't believe everyone isn't practicing this now. In fact, I don't really even know how you practice it because you would be knocking out all of your practice guys in the gym because it's not about power. It's about precision right on the chin. >> Well, what do you think a good style would be to fight against it? I mean, if you step into a ring with a guy that you know can find your exact 1 cm by 1 cm spot on your chin, like how do you fight against that? What are we going to see against him? >> Yeah, I was disappointed with Charles Olivera because I don't know what his fight plan was. And he even said he didn't stick to it. Uh but you got to start kicking Ilia. I don't know why you aren't hitting him with teak kicks, hitting him with body kicks, hitting him with head kicks. Stay way back and just tap him up with your legs because all he's doing is boxing. And I know he's a black belt in jiu-jitsu. I know he's good, but that's honestly not very tested. What you really got to stay away from is his cracking you right on the chin. And so we haven't seen Ilia go into deep waters yet. We haven't seen anybody take him down. Olivivera, I love him. He's one of my favorites. But he's not a wrestler. He's a jiu-jitsu guy. So he didn't do a great job on the takedowns. And I don't know why he wasn't throwing keeping his high guard going Muay Thai and just tapping him up. The main disadvantage of kicking somebody in the body, in the head in UFC is they could take you down. But in this situation, who cares? Let's let Ilia take you down and let's see what happens because at least he's not going to crack you right on the chin. So, I was really disappointed in Olivivera's game plan. And he just looked scared from the beginning. Like even the way he addressed the crowd, the way he went around the ring, I've seen all of his fights and this one he just looked flat. >> Yeah, man. It's It's sad to see him go like that cuz he was still on top. Like I don't think this was a case of a fighter being too old. I think I think he's a little older, but I think he's still on top. Man, I think he's done after that. >> You know, the big thing about Olivivera is he's had three kids now in the last few years. And I don't know when you're when you're an athlete, if you actually care about your kids, if you're not just off having a bunch of kids, then like you don't care about them. And he and he loves his kids. He loves his wife. He loves his kids. And you start turning into a family man. It really is hard to go on out there and put your body on the line, especially once you make a bunch of money, too. So, he he was poor. He grew up in a FLLA. I mean, literally dirt floors, corrugated tin walls and roofs, and now he's set for life. And so, you're set for life. You have a beautiful wife, three beautiful kids, and you're a family man. Like, you just It's really hard to retain that killer instinct. So, I think physically he's right there at his peak. maybe a touch after, but it is really hard to go go to go against somebody like Ilia who's 27 years old, undefeated, and is and he's out to prove something. >> Well, to try to put it in context, like what sort of fight in the past have we seen where it was like a change of an era, a change of a fighting style that that sort of is analogous to what we just saw with Taporia? >> Well, the introduction of the leg kick. I mean, we had Chuck Liddell knocking everybody out and everybody had to fight against that and so we introduced the leg kick because that helped take away someone's jab. the Dagistanis, man. I mean, they got really good at uh wrestling and doing sombo. And so they they're that's the thing everybody wants to see, right, is Ilia versus Makachev. But if the point the bottom line about the way Ilia fights is that if you get hit in the chin, you're out. It doesn't matter. And so your whole game plan has to be against getting hit in the chin and wearing this guy out, wearing his arms out, wearing just so he takes away some of that power because but it's but it's also just not even about power anymore. That's why he was knocking everybody out at 145. You don't see one hit knockouts at 145 or below except for head kicks because a a shin can knock you out at that when you're that little. But the fact that he's knocking everybody out, it's because he's hitting you right here. So, you got it's a bo you got to defend against boxing again. You got to keep your hands up, get better at boxing, and and the thing you do against boxers is kick the hell out of them. Like, just beat him up because what's he gonna do? catch your foot and wrestle you. Great. Let's go to the ground against Ilia Taporio. That's a much better place to be for the first one or two rounds until he gets tired. Like, we just haven't seen anybody do it yet. And he even said it. Ilia said he was going to knock him out in the first round. And if you watch what Iliot does, he was hyper aggressive. Like, no way he could go five rounds that way. So, he planned his game plan around knocking out Olivivera. And he knew he was going to catch him because Olivivera always hangs his chin out there. He stands up real high and he always gets clocked. So he So Ilia knew with his speed advantage and everything he was gonna all he had to do was catch him one time. And I just I was disappointed because Olivivera just he didn't kick him like once and and and I don't know why you wouldn't do that cuz he Yeah, it was just disappointing. >> Well, so let's say we do see a Makachev Tapora fight. How do you think Makachev approaches it and what who's your call, >> man? Makachev is gonna he better do it father's way which is all wrestling uh which is uh Kabib's dad's they called it father's way and that's Kabib's dad didn't like seeing people bleed and he thought it was the more honorable way to beat somebody without making them bleed and so wrestling would be a way to beat somebody up without making them bleed and Makachev better go to the ground I mean he better but but even what happened in the in the Olivivera Tapora fight he got him in the clinch just Oliver is not a wrestler he's a jiu-jitsu he didn't know how to take him down he kind of it was this terrible foot sweep and it showed no wrestling abilities unfortunately. And again, I love Olivivera. He's my favorite fighter. But his he he leans so hard on his jiu-jitsu that he doesn't know wrestling. So, I would be worried for Ilia against Islam specifically because Islam's going to be much bigger than him. Uh, and he's an incredible wrestler. So Ilia's best game plan is probably going to be the exact same thing is knock him out in the first round because if you go into round two or three against Islam Makachev, I don't think he's coming out of it. >> Well, and how how many shots do you think uh how many shots do you think Makachev would get? Because if you go in early and he's still fresh, he might get caught with an uppercut, right? If a guy is that accurate with his fist, that's >> who cares about an uppercut. You can't get knocked out by the reticular activating system through an uppercut. You can't get knocked out that way. The only way you can get knocked out the way Ilia is knocking people out is to get clocked right here on the chin. If he hits you all around here, you're not getting knocked out. He I I haven't seen him knock one guy out that way yet cuz he's a littleer guy. That's how the big guys knock everybody out is they just swing a bowling ball of a fist at your head and just just clobber you and concuss you out. So, who cares about his uppercuts? I mean, kind of. But once Islam gets a hold of you, he's not letting go of you. And that's the difference between him and Olivivera is Olivivera had uh Ilia. He had him in his grip and and Ilia just did a better job because it was two jiu-jitsu guys. But I really think if Islam gets a hold of Ilia, it's over. So I I think that would be the first time we actually see Ilia backing up because he's not going to want Islam to grab him. Up until that point, he hasn't cared yet. But you don't want Islam grabbing you. It's going to be game over. >> So you say Islam should come out leg kicks, straight kicks, head kicks, and then grab him as as soon as he finds an opening. Grab him. He'll he'll grab him as soon right away. Yeah, for sure. And he could start throwing kicks again because who cares if Ilia grabs your grabs your foot? Great. He's he can't knock you out with through the RA mechanism by holding on to your leg. He can't catch your catch your leg and then hook you out. He won't generate enough power. So yeah, as soon as they touch each other, Islam's got him. And and I just don't see I don't see Ilia beating Islam on the ground at all.