"I'm always looking for the finish" - Islam Makhachev seemingly sends warning to Charles Oliveira as he shows off slick submission skills
Lightweight title contender Islam Makhachev has sent out his own warning to Charles Oliveira on Instagram, teasing that he's not heading into their UFC 280 bout looking for a decision.
Makahchev is on an impressive 10-fight winning run that includes wins over Dan Hooker and Bobby Green. The Russian-born fighter is cornered by Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. Many fans believe it's 'The Eagle's' coaching, along with his influence in the UFC, that has helped Makhachev earn the first championship fight of his career.
The 30-year-old posted a video of himself training and submitting one of his sparring partners.
"I'm always looking [to] finish my opponent"
Makhachev's message was in response to the Brazilian, who had warned him and his team not to be too arrogant heading into their title fight.
'Do Bronx' said:
"They're being arrogant and that's what will kill them. The arrogance from their manager, former fighters, their arrogance will kill them. If they think they're going to come here and think this is a joke, I'm going to tell you one thing. No one will ever hit me harder than life has hit me. I escaped a heart condition... Doctors told me I would never fight or doing anything sport-related but I became the UFC champion."
Former opponent of Islam Makhachev has labeled him a "smarter" fighter than Khabib Nurmagomedov
Davi Ramos believes Islam Makhachev is a smarter fighter than Khabib Nurmagomedov. Ramos lost to Makahchev via unanimous decision at UFC 242.
Charles Oliveira and Makhachev are both elite grapplers and each have the ability to win the fight via a host of submissions. 'Do Bronx' holds the current record for the most finishes (19) and submissions (16) in UFC history.
#UFC274Congrats Charles and see you in AbuDhabi for vacant 🏆 #UFC274
There has been debate amongst fans about what the game plan will be for each fighter since both are incredibly dangerous in the clinch, on the ground and on their backs. Ramos believes the Russian-born fighter is too smart to risk taking Oliveira down during the fight.
In an interview with Connect Cast, the 35-year-old said:
"He won't take Charles down because he's smarter than Khabib. Taking Islam down is very difficult. I have watched his fights. [Apart from] his fight with Thiago Moises, who was the guy who took him down, got one takedown, if you watch all his UFC fights, no one ever took him down." [Translation courtesy: Brazilian MMA Fighters]
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