Islam Makhachev, in Usman Nurmagomedov’s opinion, will defeat Charles Oliveira to win the UFC lightweight championship.
The Dagestan native, who has never lost a fight in his professional career, is the betting favourite to defeat the former titleholder. On October 22, the main event of UFC 280 is planned to feature a fight between Makhachev and Oliveira.
Usman Nurmagomedov, a colleague of Makhachev’s on the AKA roster and the cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, has no concerns about the 30-year-chances old’s of defeating “do Bronx.”
At the just-completed Bellator 283, Usman defeated Christopher Gonzalez by first-round submission. He now plans to challenge Brazilian champion Patricky Pitbull, for the lightweight championship. He recently tweeted that Brazil will never defeat Russia, referring to the upcoming match between Makhachev and Oliveira and a future bout between him and Pitbull.
“Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveira and Me VS Patricky Pitbull. Dagestan VS Brazil, we will beat these guys every time.” – Usman Nurmagomedov
Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveira and Me VS Patricky Pitbull.
Dagestan VS Brazil, we will beat these guys every time.
— Usman Nurmagomedov (@Usmannmgdv) July 23, 2022
At UFC 280, according to Chael Sonnen, Islam Makhachev might shock Charles Oliveira
When the two meet in the octagon in October, Chael Sonnen thinks Makhachev’s striking might surprise Charles Oliveira. The lightweight Dagestani fighter is renowned for his commanding wrestling and hasn’t yet had a chance to exhibit his hitting inside the octagon properly.
But according to “The American Gangster,” Islam Makhachev might shock spectators at UFC 280 with his striking. He asserted that Makhachev would be well-prepared for fight night in all facets of the game, not just grappling. Although Sonnen believes Makhachev’s stand-up skills have not yet been utilised, Oliveira is generally thought of as the more skilled fighter of the two on the feet.
Sonnen stated in a most recent video on his YouTube channel:
“We do always lean to, ‘I’ve seen Oliveira do more on his feet than I’ve seen Islam. And therefore Oliveira is better.’ It really doesn’t matter… There’s no black belts in striking… I do see where Charles is favored on his feet. I just wanna push back a little bit… we don’t actually know. We’ve not actually seen Islam there.“
