"He will listen" - Islam Makhachev's coach details the one aspect that will guarantee victory over Alexander Volkanovski
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will take on featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski in the headliner of a shaken up UFC 294 main card.
The two divisional kingpins will rematch for the 155-pound belt in Abu Dhabi after Brazilian contender Charles Oliveira pulled out due to a cut suffered to his eyebrow, rendering him unable to compete.
It's also been reported that No.6-ranked lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot will serve as the backup fighter for the main event. Islam Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez recently weighed in on facing any opponent due to Makhachev's adaptability and high skill level.
In an interview with Submission Radio, Mendez said:
“I got nothing on Gamrot, I just found out that he was the backup. So, you know, hey, at the end of the day, we may end up having to fight him, who cares? Whatever, bring him on too. It doesn’t matter, Islam’s ready to fight anybody. You guys remember, I’ve always said Islam changes directions, just like against [Thiago] Moises. We were walking out and then we changed the gameplan as we’re walking out. Well, that’s cause Islam’s that good. So as long as he’s in shape, he’s healthy and he wants to fight, it doesn’t matter. You know we can game plan, we can change it. We can change it round to round, minute to minute. We can do anything we want with him because he will listen and he will execute.”
Check out his full comments in the video below [5:00]:
Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Alexander Volkanovski's rematch with Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev's predecessor and long time friend, coach, and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov was central to his plans of taking on Alexander Volkanovski earlier on in the year.
With the latest announcement, Nurmagomedov echoed the same sentiments from his own title reign with an identical reference to 'King Kong', stating that Islam Makhachev is willing to take on anyone who could make weight.
He said:
"If somebody can make 155, and the UFC say this guy is a contender, who cares? It doesn't matter. Brother, if King Kong can make 155, okay bring this guy here. Doesn't matter. I told Islam today, brother it doesn't matter, you are the world champion. It's supposed to be Charles? He pulled out, but we already beat him... But if they want Volk again, first fight was very good, very competitive fight. But we know, and their team knows we won a unanimous decision. Not even a split decision. Volk was looking good in the fight, but he lost."
Check out his comments below: