You are running High voltage, so to keep the amp low, you need low load, meaning geared correctly. For high voltage and low load the best efficiency is reached with 5-6 timing, not 0. Increase punch control (70-80% woul'd still be plenty ;) ) too, it avoids high current spikes during acceleration.
I don't see how to smoke the MMM with poor battery, that's the contrary, if the ESC ask too much on the battery, the battery will smoke, not the ESC no ?

No, not in this case. Weak batteries will end up creating ripple current, which can cause esc failure.
But 80a is plenty for a Buggy on 6s, obviously some people don't understand proper setup.

And if you are racing on a track, 0 or very low timing will likely be best. :)