Apollo Creed vs Ivan Drago II - UFC 229 Preview
Disclaimer — reader discretion advised, I get a bit carried away sometimes (contains the occasional harsh language and dumb curse word).
What’s good people?! I’ll tell you what’s good. Everything in MMA right now. Jony Bones Jones and DC are brawling on social media again, Nate Diaz trolled everyone and their grandmothers through his 165 lbs division tweet (Stockton 209 Ninja style), UFC 229 is in 9 days with Ireland trying to take on Russia as the next European country to try since Hitler’s army froze in the winter, and more. Only way this could get better is if USADA turned a blind eye so Brock can juice to his gills for DC bout — @Brocklesner, ask @JonJones how he did it ;) ;)
With all this excitement going around, I for one find it tough to focus on the rest of the insane card the UFC put together for the October PPV. But here I am, writing this blog (while a bit intoxicated).
The last fight we covered was “The Tale of Two Straws” as women’s MMa veterans kick off the main card. Next, we transition into the men’s heavyweight division.
Is this the most under appreciated division in the UFC? No, that’s men’s flyweight. Are the fighters trash? Fuck you, these men are beast who could snap gorillas in half. What about this fight, is this something to be excited about? YOU BET YOUR LOVE FOR THE ROCKY MOVIES THEY ARE!
BOOM transition… See what I did there? No? Okay, I’ll explain. When I look at the upcoming fight between the Black Beast Derrick Lewis and Alenxander DRAGO Volkov, I recall the age old fictional bout that had us in tears. I also recall this with a thick pair of those were actors, these are real people and fighters goggles, leading to the comparison of the first picture and the one below.
It’s KOszn again, hold onto your jaws!
Expected rating of contest — A
Prediction — Someone by KO, I literally cannot pick who.
Now you might be wondering… Did Apollo gain that much weight? Did Drago stop working out? Do they still have KO or Knock Out power? No, No and MOTHERFUCKING YES!
Those are not older and fatter versions of our childhood heroes. They’re better. They’re real. So let’s get into these real fighters.
Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis
Where do I even start? Derrick Lewis is an enigma in every sense of the word. Just check out his Instagram feed. How in the fuck is someone as dangerous as this knock out artist here such a clown (I mean that in the best sense Derrick, please don’t kill me)? Training out of the Silverback Fight Club in Houston, Texas, Derrick Lewis will enter the UFC 229 octagon for his 26th professional fight.
“The Black Beast” is as exciting of a fighter as his nickname suggests. The man stands at 6 ft 3 (not the tallest heavyweight), weighing around 260 lbs and is a KO enthusiast with about 85 % of his 20 wins coming. 85 %! That’s nuts! He’s knocked out legends like Gabriel Gongaza and Travis Browne, and displayed his truly not giving a fuck attitude by calling out Francis Ngannou for a fight, even though their fight was the most boring fight in the history of anything ever.
His fighting style is very much a cross between Apollo Creed and Kimbo Slice, which is to say that he will not try and take you down, wrestle you, or do anything other than punch you in the face till your brain explodes. Hence, KO enthusiast. Along with his exciting style, he is known in the MMA community for hilarious post match antics such as calling out for Ronda Rousey with a “Wheres Ronda’s fine ass at?” and also doing the live FOXSports post match interview with a fake belt on his shoulder. All in all, this guy is always fun to watch, and I always enjoy his fights (except his last one).
Alexander “Drago” Volkov
Look at that face! That’s the face you see in your nightmares in which you’ve been abducted by a Russian militia or if you watch a shitty drama sitcom with a scary Russian in it. Fighting out of the Strela Team in Moscow, Russia, UFC’s very own Ivan Drago enters the octagon in October 6th for his 37th professional fight and 5th fight in the promotion! Oh he’s also just 29. Unreal.
Volkov is the polar opposite of his American opponent, being very soft spoken and a person who likes to do his talking inside the cage… with his fists. I’m pretty sure he greets his friends with a jab or something. 20 out of 30 wins in his career has been via KO, and 3 via submission which is to say that he doesn’t like going to the ground but can choke you out if required. Just being 4 fights into his UFC career, Volkov has already faced and beaten legends of the sport such as Stefan Struve via KO/TKO, went the distance to a unanimous decision against Big Country Roy Nelson, and beat the living hell out of former Heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum so bad I’m pretty sure Werdum needed over 30 stitches for the gash on his face.
It’s pretty simple for me on why this man is an exciting and real prospect of becoming heavyweight champ… he resembles the big bad Russian that feels no pain and is coming to eat your soul. Volkov will put on a show, beat the hell out of his opponent leaving you stunned and also give to you the time to get a snack during his post fight talks because there’s not much there. All in all, a very dangerous guy and a win here would catapult him into the title contention picture in the upcoming year.
Fight Breakdown — Why both should bring a pillow and a blanket
This fight/brawl will follow the main card opener between Michelle Waterson and Felice Herrig. The transition from 115 lbs to 265 lbs will show the difference in the advantages and disadvantages of size- the first will be a display of skill, technique, footwork, and accuracy, while the later will show more of what a powerful overhand right from a
My expectation? Judging by Volkov’s current run and confidence after finishing Werdum and Lewis’s disinterest in wrestling or any ground-game for that matter, I expect this one to be a quick one with a KO/TKO finish. Volkov might take it to the ground though if he starts losing to Lewis in the first and second round on the feet. He also has a bigger gas tank than Lewis from my opinion, which may or may not be factor since this is a 3 round bout. We can’t discount the Black Beast’s abilities on the ground though; just because he likes to stand-and-trade doesn’t mean he’s not more than competent when on the canvas.
With DC supposedly fighting Brock Lesnar, a win in this fight is crutial, not just for them but the title picture. Beyond these two and DC vs Brock, we have numbers 3 and 4 heavyweights, Curtis Blades taking on Francis Ngannou in November and ofcourse Stipe Miocic (former heavyweight champ and the one with most title defenses in the division) waiting for his title rematch. Expect these men to put it all on the line in this fight in this race to determine the next #1 contender for the title for 2019.
Side note — Why I made this comparison?
- One is team USA (Bald eagle flies around chanting freedom) and the other is team Russia (Bears)
- One of Volkov’s nicknames is Drago which basically makes a part of Ivan Drago’s family tree
- Apollo was flamboyant and braggadocios when the internet wasnt around. Enter the black beast hysterical and also disturbing Instagram page. Yes, this is was Apollo would've been like if he was in the 21st century. Change my mind. (Hint, you won’t)
