Islam Makhachev is 30 years old (22 wins, 1 loss), he is on a 10 win streak in the UFC, and now we can say with certainty that he is going to the title of champion in this series. The UFC has named Makhachev a title fight with Charles Oliveira on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi. Oliveira (33-8 in MMA) himself won 11 fights in a row and lost the championship belt only because he didn’t gain weight before the title fight. The most interesting thing is that in Oliveira’s winning streak, only one fight resulted in a decision. Tony Ferguson achieved the impossible in December 2020.
Former MMA fighter Shamil Zavurov was a mentor for Khabib and Islam Makhachev for a long time, but now Zavurov is more often inferior to Makhachev in fights, but he has no doubts about the winner of the title fight and that Makhachev, like the predicted Abdulmanap, will take the light belt after Khabib.
“I actually didn’t know this fight was announced,” Zavurov said the same night the UFC made the official announcement. – We assumed, but neither Charles Oliveira nor Islam decides when they will fight. The UFC decides. If they are interested in this fight, they will. So we just waited, and that’s how it went. I think it will not be difficult for Islam to take this belt.
– Why do you think that?
“I fought Islam a lot, I know that. He grows so much with every fight in the fight. I think Oliveira won’t be able to get him into a choke or other technique, like he does the others. And if he can’t, then he won’t finish it in a standing position. On the contrary, I think Islam itself can finish him off in the fight.
– Don’t you think that Oliveira will be the toughest opponent in Islam’s career?
– I think so. But look, Dustin Poirier also seemed like the toughest opponent for Khabib, but Khabib took care of him. Then the same was said about Gaethje. And Khabib took it apart too. I think Islam will have the same scenario.
– And how is the struggle of Islam different from the struggle of Khabib?
– You know, Khabib has such a struggle – he rushes, crushes. In fact, they fight differently. Islam closes more space, as if sticking. Such a tough fight. Khabib is struggling – he attacks all the time, changes his position. Islam, where he took it, he can end there. Of all the guys I’ve fought, Islam and Khabib are the toughest for me. When I fight Islam, I get the most receptions. He often comes to functions and does them more often than Khabib.
– What’s better?
– Yes, everything that passes, he does. I can say for myself – I haven’t fought him in a very long time, but I started fighting, and in one round he gave me 2-3 submissions and several chokes. I just couldn’t defend myself, I didn’t know which side to come in on, and I was still in good shape, I fought, it was 2-3 months before my last fight. Then I slowly got used to his struggle, fought, understood. But they come from completely different training camps in America, it is difficult to adapt to them.
– Are you going to invite the Brazilians to Dagestan to prepare?
‘Yes, we’ve had enough of our Brazilians. Why are Dagestanis worse than Brazilians?
– I wanted to joke, but let’s expand on it – what would Abdulmanap say if someone told him that you have to call people with Brazilian jiu-jitsu to prepare for Oliveira?
– I don’t think it’s necessary to call Brazilians, we have Khabib and other guys in the room. You won’t need to call additional training partners.
– Islam remembers that during his first training sessions, it was difficult for him to fight with you. Do you remember his first training sessions?
– Of course I remember. I even remember when he was 7 or 8 years old, we both went to a youth hand-to-hand combat tournament. I seem to be the first, Islam also won. We even have a photo, we are standing together. Khabib was just wrestling at the time, he was not playing, but in the beginning, Islam was engaged in wushu-sanda, we had a section in the yard, and it was he and Khabib who studied in the same school. I myself went to this room for myself and since then my fighting career has developed.
– Fighter Renat Khavalov says Islam has already flown to the Emirates for training.
– I think Renat was in a hurry when he said that. It is too early to go to Abu Dhabi, with whom he will train there if the whole team is there. Maybe he went to rest. We will, probably, all together fly closer to the battle, a month maximum. And so at home you can prepare, especially since the time zone is the same. There is no acclimatization, there probably won’t be any heat either. I remember when Khabib’s first fight was there (in Abu Dhabi, September 7, 2019), so it was so sweltering. In October, it will probably not be so hot anymore.
– Or maybe a negative scenario of the fight between Makhachev against Oliveira will force Khabib to return?
– I think not. No matter how the fight ends, I don’t think Khabib will return. I can come back, but not Khabib.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
