“I carried my weight for five minutes, then I got up and ran.” How a rival of Makhachev and Volkanovski fought a fighter from Dagestan

On November 16, 2022, in an interview with , Muslim Salikhov, talk about the upcoming Feb 12 at UFC 284 in Perth (Australia) fights Makhachev against Volkanovskisaid the following: “I heard from our guys who are with him [с Волкановски] fought in the “Tiger” that it is difficult to keep him down. That’s what the good grapplers said, the world champion.”

We found MMA fighter Gadzhimurad Abdullayev to be the “right grappler”. Now Abdullaev is 9-0, he performed very well in Asian League One. But he got tired of waiting for the fights there, got a visa for the United States and wants to try himself in America.

Abdullaev is a grappler by profile, performing in the category up to 77 kg and in 2018 he crossed paths with future rival of Islam Makhachev Alex Volkanovski at training camp. Bookmakers have little confidence in Volkanovski, who moves to another weight class. So we decided to see if the 65.8kg division champion has a chance against the lightweight champion (70.3kg).

– Did Muslim Salikhov tell you that you fought with Volkanovski?

— It was in 2018. I went through a training camp in Thailand, in “Tiger”. Admittedly, I was 21 at the most, and at that time I did not know him. There was grappling practice, and we all fought in a circle with everyone else. In a fight, we got caught. A short, stocky guy. He looks so strong, as they say. We fought, and it wasn’t until after the fight that I found out he was playing in the UFC, that he was promising. I don’t know if he had ever scheduled a fight with Mendez, but somewhere during that time we met. He was not particularly well-known then (the Volkanovski vs Mendes fight took place on December 29, 2018).

– And what were your impressions of his fight?

For its weight, it surprised me. These are their physical data. I was much heavier than him. He then weighed about 92 kg and was in good shape. But when I discovered that he was fighting at 66 kg, I realized that for 66 he had very good data. Himself, I think, weighs about 82 kg. What surprised me, you could say that he carried my weight for the five minutes and after that he calmly got up and ran.

– What does “I carried my weight” mean?

– Basically, I was on top most of the fight. At the same time, I noticed that he stands up well. Then I was a little raw, but I was already a member of the Russian grappling team and was the leader in my weight. And every five minutes I took him down, and he got up. When he found out that he was assigned a fight with Mendes, he even told the boys: “He won’t understand it” (Volkanovski will be stronger than Mendes. – “”). For 66 kg, he is very strong physically and does not get tired.

– Have you tried to go out?

– Then I worked more on control, I didn’t try to go to receptions.

– Why does it get up when you control it?

– Due to physical data. And he works for five minutes without stopping: he gets up and gets up. And after that he got up again, ran, you might say, he didn’t even lose his breath.

– Surprised if Islam catches Volkanovski at the reception?

– If you compare technically, they have different levels (Makhachev is more technical. – “”). Volkanovski will have to endure the first two rounds: they have different weight classes, but Alex has more experience in championship fights. If he endures the first two rounds, then there will be a competitive fight.

In my opinion, Volkanovski is better at fighting back than Oliveira. Oliveira with Islam was already psychologically broken. I realized that technically and physically I was not superior, and that’s when I broke down.

– It is quite compact – will it be difficult to catch it on reception?

– I think so. Even when Ortega took him on a date, 95% of them would have fallen asleep or kicked him, but he survived. Islam can, of course. If he takes the triangle from his hand, he will win. But I would like to see five rounds in this fight. In the long term, Volkanovski has more experience.

– Do you think it is important for Volkanovski to find a person with a combat sambo school to train?

— Islam has more grappling skills than sambo skills. He makes a few throws from the rack, but they work a lot on grappling. In technical terms, Islam will even be a bit more interesting than Khabib.

Volkanovski does not need to drastically change anything, because in 2-3 months you will not change anything. He must continue to prepare as he has done lately.

Islam and Khabib translated Dan Hooker and Justin Gaethje after the low kicks. Does that mean Volkanovski better give up on them in this fight?

— I don’t think so, because Volkanovski feels the distance and his low kicks much better. They have a big difference with Dan Hooker – like heaven and earth. And if you look at it that way, Volkanovski is much lower than Holloway, but still beats him with a wicket.

– Will the absence of Khabib in the corner affect one way or another?

– I think not. Islam itself has a vast experience. All the same, you go out alone to fight in a cage. And whoever you have around, you are also fighting alone.

“” and “MATCH FIGHTER” will broadcast the UFC 283 tournament live. The show starts on January 22 at 01:30 Moscow time.