Islam Makhachev talks about his goal in his fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280

Islam Makhachev has shed light upon his goal against Charles Oliveira in their much-awaited fight. Makhachev will face former UFC lightweight champion Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., on October 22.

Dagestan's Makhachev has, time and again, earned praise for his wrestling, Sambo, and overall grappling skills. Meanwhile, Oliveira is widely-revered for his outstanding BJJ. The Brazilian fighter also holds the record for the highest number of submission wins in UFC history (16).

Charles Oliveira taps out Justin Gaethje in the first round and takes his win streak to 11 in a row! 🙌

#UFC274 https://t.co/8lKjzylY8p

During the UFC 280 media day session, a journalist suggested that most of Charles Oliveira's submission wins have come due to his defensive grappling abilities. The journalist noted that opponents shoot for a takedown or make an offensive mistake, which is countered by a submission from Oliveira.

Makhachev was asked for his opinion regarding Oliveira's defensive and overall grappling compared to his past opponents. The Dagestani fighter responded by stating:

"This is my goal -- Finish him on the ground because I have to show all people my grappling level."

🔟 fight win streak, @MAKHACHEVMMA continues to smesh at 155lbs! 😤

✅ Chris Wade
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✅ Kajan Johnson
✅ Arman Tsarukyan
✅ Davi Ramos
✅ Drew Dober
✅ Thiago Moises
✅ Dan Hooker
✅ Bobby Green

#UFCVegas49 https://t.co/nHWJ0AaFIf

Islam Makhachev also indicated that his former opponents, such as Drew Dober, possessed better striking than him. He seemingly believes that fighters like Dober and Oliveira could trouble him on the feet. Nevertheless, Makhachev's confident about nullifying their striking advantage by utilizing his superior wrestling:

"This is MMA fight. We're gonna begin from the stand-up. And I'm gonna check his skills there. All my opponents, they're good... Drew Dober and all these guys - if I'm gonna stay with them [on the feet], they can make me some trouble. But I just have to do where I'm good -- close the distance, hold them, take them down. If I let him work, he gonna do many stuff."

Watch Makhachev discuss the topic at 1:07 in the video below:

Henry Cejudo explains why Islam Makhachev is the only lightweight who can beat Charles Oliveira

In a recent Q&A session on his YouTube channel, former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo emphasized that Islam Makhachev is the biggest threat to Charles Oliveira at lightweight today. He highlighted that no other lightweight can currently beat Oliveira.

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'The Messenger' harked back to his wrestling-heavy victory over Demetrious Johnson in their championship rematch in 2018. Cejudo opined that Makhachev's wrestling would similarly help him overcome everything that Oliveira brings to the octagon. 'Triple C' explained:

"If there's anybody that could beat Charles Oliveira, his name is Islam Makhachev... [The] Same reason why I beat Demetrious Johnson, my wrestling overwhelmed whatever it is that he was bringing to the table and wrestling can be your safety net."

Watch Cejudo's assessment below: