Islam put an end to the rivalry with a head kick knockout, bet no one would have expected that coming. Was expecting some wrestling and a good fight but Islam Makhachev once again reminded everyone that he is not a one trick pony and that he is dangerous on the feet as well which is terrifying for his opponents as he will be reigning the division for a long time since he is keeping on improving with every fight.
Yup, he sure did make a statement with that win. There's no way we'll be seeing part 3, at least not anytime soon. Fights rarely go how we expect them to, but many pointed out, after the first fight, that Islam should utilise the left kick much more - and so he did.
It was sad to watch Volk in the post-fight conference. I hope that loss won't affect his mentality. He has a pretty challenging fight against Topuria coming in Jan.
Khamzat Chimaev had a good fight and he showcased his wrestling against an elite wrestler, wonder what would happen if it was a 5 round fight because he gassed out badly after the first round and anyone with good cardio could handle and will be able to defeat him.
I wouldn't be putting too much weight on Khamzat gassing out. If the fight was scheduled for 5 rounds, he'd most likely choose a different tactic. If anything, Usman was the one admitting he didn't adjust his tactic well enough to account for the fight being only 3 rounds. He should've pressed harder.