Daniel Cormier believes Islam Makhachev has the advantage on the ground against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280
Daniel Cormier believes Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira are almost evenly matched in all aspects going into UFC 280. However, if the affair turns out to be one-sided, Cormier believes it'll be with Makhachev on top of 'do Bronx'.
According to Cormier, Oliveira isn't likely to get the mount on Makhachev despite his elite jiu-jitsu skillset. However, if he does, 'DC' believes it won't be a pretty picture for Makhachev. The UFC Hall-of-Famer recently said on DC & RC:
"I think they are pretty evenly matched all around, if I'm being completely honest with you. But if there's any dominance, it'll be Makhachev on top of Charles Oliveira. Just not necessarily putting a lot of damage on him, but nullifying him, keeping him still. As time passes, Makhachev takes him down. He's able to defend submissions and just ground and pound for all he can. I don't see a world in which Oliveira's on top, with his jiu-jitsu skills. That for Islam is worst case scenario."
Watch Cormier's comments at the 14:45 mark of the video below:
Cormier also stated that 'do Bronx' has a better chance of victory if the fight turns out to be a striking affair. However, the former UFC double champ favors Makhachev if it turns out to be mostly a grappling contest.
Khabib Nurmagomedov claims Islam Makhachev will ride Charles Oliveira like a horse
Khabib Nurmagomedov has been touting Islam Makhachev as an unbeatable force going into UFC 280. Charles Oliveira even claimed that it was Nurmagomedov's promotion which earned Makhachev a title shot despite not having credible enough wins on his resume.
Nurmagomedov may have recently gone too far while claiming that his protege will ride 'do Bronx' like a horse in their upcoming lightweight clash.
Dismissing Oliveira's widely acclaimed grappling skillset, 'The Eagle' stated that 'do Bronx' has tapped out eight times in the UFC. The former UFC lightweight king recently told Henry Cejudo:
"This is what Islam gonna do with Charles Oliveira: he gonna ride him like you ride your horse. A lot of people underestimate Islam. They think Charles Oliveira have ground game. He don’t have ground game. If you tap eight times in UFC, how can you say you have ground game? You tap eight times!”
Watch Nurmagomedov's comments below:
Prior to getting on his current eleven-fight win streak, Oliveira had 8 losses in 19 UFC outings. However, it must be noted that only three of those losses came via submission.