Cory Sandhagen believes Islam Makhachev exposed a lot of holes in Charles Oliveira's game
UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen recently discussed lightweight champion Islam Makhachev's title-winning fight against Charles Oliveria at UFC 280.
At UFC 280, Islam Makachev lived up to the high standards set by his mentor and former champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, by claiming the vacant lightweight title with a near-perfect performance.
Makhachev secured an arm triangle choke and forced the most successful submission artist in UFC history to submit in the second round of their bout.
Appearing in a recent interview with James Lynch, No. 5 ranked Sandhagen looked back at the Dagestani's impressive win against the Brazilian.
Commending the lightweight king's performance, 'Sandman' said:
"He [Charles Oliveira] didn't move too well on the bottom. I think he [Islam Makhachev] kind of exposed a lot of Oliveira's holes. Oliveira has bada** submissions, but the way he [Charles Oliveira] moves on the ground, uh, isn't always the best.
"But when he [Charles Oliveira] does snaps something on him, he definitely snaps it really, really nicely. So I think Islam did like a really good job."
Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments on Islam Makhachev below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov shares his prediction on Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski
UFC lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev is all set to make his first title defense against UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 on February 12, 2023.
In an interview with ESPN MMA, Makhachev's mentor and former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov discussed how the championship fight at UFC Perth would play out.
'Eagle' explained to Brett Okamoto how he expects his pupil to defeat 'The Great':
"Volkanovski? Clinch, lot of knees; he's gonna eat a lot of knees. He [Makhachev] is gonna take his [Volkanovski's] all energy, take him down, and he's gonna choke him out...
"Of course, Volkanovski can box. He have amazing experience. How many times he defended his title, everything – but, brother, this is like, Thai clinch gonna kill him."
Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov predict Makhachev's upcoming fight against Alexander Volkanovski in the video below:
Following his recent title victory over Charles Oliveira, Makhachev now has a 23-fight win record, four of which were by knockout and eleven by submission. The fighter also stands tall with an impressive 11-fight winning streak in the promotion.
Alexander Volkanovski is just as impressive as his opponent, having earned numerous awards and titles. He is the reigning featherweight champion and has yet to be defeated in 22 bouts.
Volkanovski is also the current pound-for-pound king, with 25 victories in his professional career thus far. So his nickname, 'The Great,' is certainly fitting.
Given both champions' impressive careers thus far, it will definitely be interesting for MMA fans to watch both fighters further their benchmark.