Russian athlete, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov shared his ideas about exactly how Islam Makhachev will win in the upcoming fight with Alexander Volkanovski.
According to Nurmagomedov, Makhachev will exhaust the opponent with kicks, knock him down and use the Thai choke hold.
“This is how I imagine this fight. Of course, Volkanovski is a great boxer, he has a lot of experience. How many times has he defended the title? But in this fight, the Thai clinch will kill him,” Khabib said in an interview with ESPN.
The fighter advised the Australian Volkanovski to devote more time to preparing for the fight.
“How much time does he have to prepare? Five or six months? Islam has been doing this for 20 years. Let him prepare. Volkanovski, we respect you, but we want to take your place, brother,” he added.
On October 22, Islam Makhachev defeated Charles Oliveira at UFC 280. Makhachev managed to become the second Russian fighter after Khabib Nurmagomedov to win the UFC lightweight title. The fight took place in Abu Dhabi.