Islam Makhachev will try not to engage if Charles Oliveira pulls guard, says Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski has come up with an interesting take on the upcoming lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev.
Many are curious to know what will happen if and when this 155-pound matchup goes to the ground. But 'The Great' thinks that Makhachev will be averse to continuing the fight on the ground if the Brazilian pulls guard.
In a recent interview with Kevin Iole for Yahoo! Sports, Volknavoski said that Oliveira can pull off a submission while getting taken down or when he's on his back. So the Dagestani will not take that risk by engaging with him on his guard:
"If Charles is forced to the mat, and he's on his back ready to pull guard, I don't know if Islam goes in there. I don't know if Islam's gonna approach the ground that way. I think he would rather Charles get up, grab ahold of Charles and bring him down. So, when he [takes] him down, he's in control of the legs, the hips, controlling all that type of stuff."
Watch the full interview below:
Alexander Volkanovski is set to be a back-up fighter for the UFC 280 main event. So, if either Oliveira or Makhachev pulls out of the fight, 'The Great' will get an opportunity to attain champ-champ status.
Alexander Volkanovski's coach believes 'The Great' can hold his own against Islam Makhachev in wrestling
Alexander Volkanovski's coach Frank Hickman recently made an appearance on Submission Radio to talk about 'The Great' and the upcoming lightweight title fight at UFC 280.
At one point during the interview, Hickman was asked how Volkanovski would fare against Makhachev in the wrestling department. The coach replied by saying that although Makhachev would put on a tough challenge with his wrestling skills, Volkanovski could hold his own against the Dagestani.
"I think Alex's wrestling will match up well with Islam... Alex has you know really good wrestling. Sometimes he doesn't really show it in his fights but he is always training in wrestling, he's always grappling, he is always fit for that grappling in those positions. So, Islam is very good at what he does. He has an incredible threat for anybody but you know defending and also...managing his wrestling of Islam is a tough and difficult task. But I reckon if anybody could do it, it would be Alex."
Watch the full interview below:
Alexander Volkanovski's wrestling skills have remained untested to a large extent in the UFC. But that will surely change if 'The Great' gets matched up against an athlete like Makhachev.