5 reasons why Islam Makhachev will defeat the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier
Islam Makhachev will be keeping a close eye on UFC 269. The show will see a huge main event in the form of a UFC lightweight title bout between champion Charles Oliveira and challenger Dustin Poirier.
Regardless of who wins the fight between Oliveira and Poirier, it looks like Makhachev could be next in line for the victor.
The protégé of former UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev is riding an incredible nine-fight winning streak. He currently looks like the most dangerous man in the lightweight division.
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So can he really overcome the winner of Oliveira vs. Poirier? The answer is almost certainly yes.
With that in mind, here are five reasons why Islam Makhachev will beat the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier.
#5. Islam Makhachev is good enough to fend off Charles Oliveira’s submission attempts and keep top position
If Charles Oliveira retains against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 and Islam Makhachev is next in line, we could be in for an all-time classic grappling war.
‘Do Bronx’ is actually the most decorated submission artist in UFC history, as he’s finished 14 opponents via tapout. He’s also no one-trick pony, as he’s used numerous different holds – including rare ones like the calf slicer – to submit his foes.
However, would his submission attacks really work against Islam Makhachev? In a lot of ways, it feels doubtful.
Oliveira has tapped out some excellent grapplers during his UFC tenure, including Jim Miller and Kevin Lee. However, it’s probably fair to say he’s never styled on a grappler with the skills of Makhachev.
More importantly, Oliveira’s submission attacks tend to come from transitions or scrambles, with ‘Do Bronx’ suddenly catching his opponents unaware.
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🇧🇷 Oliveira ends the night from #UFCBrasilia. https://t.co/m8uJShU4kc
Against a stifling wrestler like Islam Makhachev, though, that might be tricky, if not impossible. The Dagestani would certainly be capable of taking Oliveira down and once he’s in top position he’s very tricky to shake off, even for a submission expert like ‘Do Bronx’.
Overall, while fans might salivate over the potential grappling match between Makhachev and Oliveira, it’s likely that the Dagestani would hold the advantage. He would potentially punish the champion from the top as Paul Felder did in Oliveira's most recent defeat.