"I just know how good he is" - Henry Cejudo predicts outcome of Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira clash at UFC 280
Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo has made his pick for the upcoming title fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev at UFC 280.
During a recent Q&A session, 'The Messenger' picked the Dagestani to emerge victorious in the upcoming lightweight championship encounter.
"I'm gonna have to go with Islam but you shouldn't count Charles out... I like them both but, I don't know man, it's hard to count out the champ [Oliviera] too but I just know how good he [Makhachev] is."
You can watch the full Q&A session below:
The lightweight banger between 'do Bronx' and Makhachev is expected to be a thrilling contest. The primary talking point is whether Makhachev's wrestling is good enough to neutralize Oliveira's otherworldly jiu-jitsu.
Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev will become the first ever UFC title fight when both fighters are on 10 plus win streaks. #UFC280 🏆 https://t.co/h75QKxeyeP
Charles Oliveira is on a 11-fight win streak which includes victories over big names like Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson.
Makhachev, on the other hand, has won 10 fights in a row but lacks big names on his resume. The Dagestani's most impressive wins have arguably been against Dan Hooker, Drew Dober and Arman Tsarukyan.
Despite their impressive streaks, neither of them is currently a champion in the UFC. Oliveira was stripped of the UFC title for missing weight by half-a-pound at UFC 274. However, it was later revealed that the weighing scale might have been faulty.
Jared Cannonier casts his prediction for Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev
UFC middleweight Jared Cannonier is leaning towards Charles Oliveira when it comes to picking the winner in the upcoming UFC 280 main event.
In a recent interview with Helen Yee, 'Killa Gorilla' claimed that 'do Bronx' possessed a wider set of skills which could help the Brazilian in securing a victory come October 22.
"I'm gonna lean towards Oliveira. Oliveira is a world-class grappler on the ground, he's not afraid to be there and he doesn't just get taken down and just goes limp like a wet noodle or anything like that. He's actively searching for finishes, looking for strikes off of his back... He's definitely feared on the feet. He's rocking these guys, he's knocking them down... So I think Charles is definitely more well-rounded."
You can watch the full interview below:
Cannonier suffered a loss not too long ago against Israel Adesanya at UFC 276. 'Killa Gorilla' was supposed to compete against Sean Strickland on October 15, but 'Tarzan' had to withdraw from the fight due to a finger injury.