UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev on he called himself the best fighter in the world and also noted that he was approaching a fight against Arman Tsarukyan in the best possible form.
Makhachev and Tsarukyan are expected to meet in early 2025. The fight has not yet been officially announced. In 2019, Makhachev defeated Tsarukyan by decision at the UFC Fight Night tournament in St. Petersburg.
— After the first fight with Tsarukyan, you felt bad, you vomited for five minutes. What kind of fight is this?
— It was in my youth, in my inexperience, so to speak. The duty of every athlete is to drive with weight. We leave everything else to chance. The recovery process should be the same: careful, calm and unhurried. You need to eat the foods you ate during your weight loss. But we didn’t find halal food in St. Petersburg. It turned out to be a little broken, the body did not stretch. And he barely managed to fight, and after that there was quite a story. And then I got food poisoning. For a month my weight was 73-74 kg, although it should have been 80. I could not recover.
The recovery was difficult. And because of that, the battle didn’t go as planned. But probably the hardest fight of my career was the first fight with Alex Volkanovski. For what? For five rounds we didn’t stand for a second, we worked constantly. Good intense fight. Pulse over 200.
—Are you revising it?
— Yes, I revise it, first I note the errors: somewhere I didn’t work, somewhere I did something wrong. This is what helps you grow.
— Has Tsarukyan also grown as a fighter in five years?
“I’m not standing still either.” I’m probably getting closer [к этому бою] in its best form. I started preparing three months in advance. I think this is the maximum to adapt one hundred percent.
I had two months before the fight with Dustin Poirier. I was not in good shape, I was traveling. When I discovered fighting, I was in Saudi Arabia. In fact, I had other plans. I had to rebuild and change.
— Is it more comfortable when everything goes as planned? Or when something unexpected happens?
— Maybe in amateur sports you will suddenly be able to get together. But professionals should plan everything.
— Tsarukyan is a stand-up, Makhachev is a fighter. Accept?
– No!
– For what?
– Makhachev is currently the best fighter in the world, and the best fighter in the world can’t just have wrestling. I think my boxing, wrestling and grappling skills are up to par. I try to perfect my technique in all aspects.
“Is it possible to escape your struggle?”
– It will be difficult, but it is possible. I’m not a basic wrestler, but in some aspects I have perfected my technique. I think I fought all my fights with a takedown. No one could stop my fight. Even if it turns out I can’t fight, there should always be a plan B.
— What was the last reason Khabib Nurmagomedov called?
— We talked at training camp. He called and planned to come for a week. I replied that there were about 500 people at the base and he decided to change the plan,” Makhachev said on .
During his MMA career, Makhachev won 26 victories and suffered one defeat, while Tsarukyan had 22 victories and three defeats.
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I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.