"He's happy to get taken down. He'll just jump on your neck" - Jai Herbert predicts a Charles Oliveira win over Islam Makhachev at UFC 280
Few fans are predicting Charles Oliveira to submit Islam Makhachev in their upcoming megafight, but if you ask fellow UFC lightweight Jai Herbert for his opinion, you might hear something similar.
Just ask Timothy Wheaton of Sportskeeda MMA, who asked Herbert for his prediction.
Herbert, feeling elated after his victory at UFC London, was happy to share his thoughts on the fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira. Feeling confident that the Brazilian jiu-jitsu prowess of the native Brazilian will be enough to deal with and neutralize the grappling of Makhachev.
"I think on the ground, you know, he's happy to get taken down, and he'll just jump on your neck or your back, or whatever. He's not bothered."
Watch the full prediction below:
Many conflicting opinions have been presented about how this fight will play out. Josh Thomson, a former Strikeforce lightweight champion and UFC veteran, feels that Makhachev will have no problem with Oliveira's BJJ.
On a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, he broke down the fight, speaking baout his daily experience training with Makhachev at American Kickboxing Academy.
"Remember that shirt that Khabib wore years ago that said 'If Sambo was easy it would be called jiu-jitsu?' They make fun of jiu-jitsu guys, because they've trained with jiu-jitsue guys that are considered to be the best in the world, and they f*cking eat 'em up."
Others feel that the fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira will be far closer. It has proven impossible to count Oliveira out given his recent performances — his path in the UFC speaks volumes about his tenacity and willpower.
With the highest of skill being offered when these two step in the cage, it should make for a fascinating watch.
Charles Oliveira welcomes Islam Makhachev to take their fight to the ground
Charles Oliveira was part of the recent press conference hosted at UFC London to promote UFC 280. He spoke with total confidence when explaining who exactly the real problem in the lightweight division is.
With so much of the conversation about Oliveira vs. Makhachev revolving around the ground game of both fighters, Oliveira has stated that he welcomes his opponent to take things to the mat.
"The ground is his turf, so he will definitely try to do that [take Oliveira down]. But if he does, will he want to bring down the best submitter in the history of the UFC?"
It will be interesting to see how Islam Makhachev chooses to respond to Oliveira's statement.