Alexander Volkanovski proves Khabib Nurmagomedov's prediction for Islam Makhachev fight wrong
Alexander Volkanovski surpassed the expectations of many when he firmly held his own against Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 this past weekend. The two champions faced each other in a lightweight contest for the 155-pound strap and the pound-for-pound No.1 spot.
While Makhachev defeated 'The Great' via a close decision, Volkanovski's performance proved many predictions wrong about how he would fare against a bigger and more qualified grappler.
One of the most prominent personalities who was proven wrong was none other than Khabib Nurmagomedov. The former lightweight champion once outlined how he thought the fight would go and predicted a dominant finish for his protégé.
In an interview with ESPN MMA last year, 'The Eagle' discussed the highly anticipated lightweight contest and predicted that Islam Makhachev would "choke out" Alexander Volkanovski:
"Clinch, a lot of knees, he's going to eat a lot of knees. He's going to take his whole energy, take him down and he's going to choke him out. This is the way I see how his fight is going to go... Tight clinch is going to kill him. Even if he knows this, let him prepare for this."
Watch the full interview below:
Alexander Volkanovski talks about Islam Makhachev "hanging on" in the fourth round at UFC 284
Alexander Volkanovski recently stated that Islam Makhachev was spent and tired in the fourth round of their bout and was trying to hold on till the bell sounded off.
The closely contested matchup saw the 31-year-old Dagestani defeat the 34-year-old Australian via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, and 49-46). However, many fans believed that Volkanovski should've gotten his hand raised instead.
On the latest episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Volkanovski discussed having his back taken and trapped in a body lock in the fourth round but managing to inflict more damage by continuously striking Makhachev:
"The fourth, obviously, you're right. It wasn't even like, he wasn't even trying to get there. I think he knew he couldn't choke me or submit me. So, he wasn't even going. It was just purely, you know, because he was obviously tired by that stage of just hanging on... That's what I was just saying, you're just hanging on now... I probably was doing more damage."
However, Alexander Volkanovski admitted that although he landed more damage in the fourth round, he was stuck in a position that likely didn't look good in the judges' eyes.
Watch the full episode below: