“Dagestani jiu-jitsu; it’s like a lot tougher, a lot stronger” – Belal Muhammad explains why Charles Oliveira will have “a long night” with Islam Makhachev

Belal Muhammad recently explained why former champion Charles Oliveira would have his work cut out for him when they square off against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280 on October 22 for the vacant lightweight title.

Muhammad agreed with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s prior claim that Makhachev would like to defeat the Brazilian in a fresh interview with Helen Yee in San Diego. Recall the Name proclaimed:

“I see how good Islam [Makhachev] is on the ground. It’s another level than a lot of these guys think. There’s jiu-jitsu then there is Dagestani jiu-jitsu; it’s like a lot tougher, a lot stronger. Islam is going to be wanting to take you down. Islam’s going to be wanting to get on top of you, not be afraid to go on the ground with you, and the last guy who did that was Paul Felder and he finished him on top with elbows. I think the submission game that Islam brings, I think this is going to be a long night for Charles.”

After defeating Bobby Green in February, Oliveira amassed an incredible 11-fight winning streak; Makhachev is one short of that feat. The only active UFC fighter with a winning streak longer than 15 is welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman. (Anderson Silva now owns the mark with 16 straight victories.)

Islam Makhachev was defeated by Adriano Martins at UFC 192 in 2015, handing him his lone defeat. Since then, he has appeared fearsome, rising to the top of the divisional standings for his first title campaign.

Below, Muhammad discusses the altercation between Makhachev and Oliviera.

“There’s no joking around.” – Belal Muhammad on training alongside Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev

Before his bout with Vicente Luque, Belal Muhammad trained alongside fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. He discussed the severity of their approach in the gym during the same conversation with Helen Yee:

“There’s no like secret tricks or anything. It’s just basically hard work. It’s not like any fun rolls, not like fun rounds or let’s play or anything like that. None of them want to lose a round. They don’t want to lose a minute in the round. There’s a different mentality to when you’re training with them. There’s no joking around. They go straight into the warm-up, go straight into everything. I think it’s a different level of discipline than a lot of these MMA gyms are used to.”

Makhachev admitted that he constantly prepares for the worst-case scenario and sharpens every weapon in his armoury before engaging in combat. The Dagestani lightweight has won his last four UFC matches, including victories over Dan Hooker and Thiago Moises, demonstrating the value of his training.

One of history’s biggest lightweight title fights will be the contest between Oliveira and Makhachev. While Islam Makhachev pursues history by becoming the first lightweight champion in the division’s account by following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s lead, “Do Bronx” will be seeking to retrieve the belt he never actually lost.

In a recent interview, Khabib Nurmagomedov retaliated at Oliveira:

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