Alexander Volkanovski picks Islam Makhachev to triumph over Charles Oliveira in UFC 280’s main event
Follow Us
Volkanovski has named Makhachev to be his favourite going into UFC 280
Alexander Volkanovski may be the backup fighter for the main event between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, but that doesn’t stop him from giving out his prediction for the bout. Like many, despite being torn on how the fight would turn out, Volk has made his pick and he believes the belt is going back to Dagestan.
Oliveira and Makhachev will face off in the main event at UFC 280 for the vacant lightweight championship. The belt was stripped off at UFC 274, when the Brazilian missed weight by 0.5lbs prior to what was supposed to be his second defense against Justin Gaethje. Makhachev meanwhile will face his first top 5 opposition in #1 ranked Oliveira.
According to Volkanovski, Makhachev’s grappling will be what makes him victorious before the final buzzer. “Islam and Khabib, they don’t take… They don’t make much mistakes, they don’t take unnecessary risks on the feet, their goal is to get them to the ground, get a clinch, get a hold of them and they approach it as safely as they can, ” said Volk as he acknowledged Oliveira’s superiority on the feet.
“I don’t see Islam jumping into Oliveira’s guard to stay on top, “ said Volk as he noted the Dagestani camp’s insistence on controlling their opponent’s hips and negating much of their opponents’ submission defense.
“I think if I had to lean towards someone, it would be Islam, “, said the Champion as he predicted a late submission victory or one on the scorecards for the AKA fighter.
Not Alexander Volkanovski’s first tango at Lightweight
While Volk is waiting in the background, this won’t be his first bout in the lightweight division. The featherweight champion has competed as high as the welterweight division, moving down in weight classes as he progressed through his career.
He has had 1 prior bout in the UFC’s lightweight division. This was against Yusuke Kasuya, in his UFC debut, winning via TKO in his home country of Australia.
Also Read: What are the accolades Islam Makhachev has won outside the UFC?
Outside the UFC he has competed in the lightweight division in 4 different fights, with 3 of them being for regional championship titles. His most recent lightweight win outside the UFC was against Jai Bradney when he won the Wollongong Wars Lightweight Championship.
UFC president Dana White has announced that regardless of the outcome this weekend, Volkanovski is next in line to challenge for the UFC’s lightweight title
Stay Updated!
Jerin Mathew
(713 Articles Published)