"Islam can only fight the people that have been put in front of him" - Michael Bisping explains why having a better resume doesn't necessarily make Charles Oliveira a better fighter than Islam Makhachev
Michael Bisping recently weighed in on whether or not Islam Makhachev is deserving of a title shot against Charles Oliveira.
The narrative originated around the strength of opponents that 'do Bronx' has faced compared to the ones that Makhachev has had to overcome. Many argue that the Dagestani fighter should have fought someone ranked in the top five before being awarded a shot at the lightweight strap.
However, Bisping believes that Makhachev shouldn't be punished just because top-tier lightweights are turning down fights against him. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'The Count' said that it is not just the strength of the opponent that counts but also the strength of the performance:
"Oliveira has beaten the better people, but Islam can only fight the people that have been put in front of him. And so far, he's passed that test. Last time out against Bobby Green, beautiful performance, doesn't make mistakes, took him out in round one. Before that Dan Hooker, again, shot in double-leg, clean, didn't take a shot... it was absolutely textbook stuff."
Watch the video below from 2:20:
Michael Bisping thinks that Makhachev may be better than people believe he is, and that his lack of top-five opponents could be misleading.
Michael Bisping previews Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev
Michael Bisping, alongside Nick Peet and Adam Catterall, recently previewed this weekend's UFC 280 card.
Arguably the most stacked card of the year, UFC 280 will be headlined by an enthralling lightweight title matchup between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. According to Bisping, it's difficult to pick a winner.
'The Count' spoke to his fellow BT Sport cast and had the following to say about the fight:
"[Makhachev] has that same aura around him that Khabib [Nurmagomedov] brought to the cage, and that strikes fear into the heart of some people. Not Charles Oliveira, he will not care. He's tried and tested, on an 11-fight win streak, 10 of those are finishes. This man is a finishing machine. There's many ways that we can slice this... but we're just not gonna know until fight night."
Watch the video below from 7:00:
Michael Bisping refrained from sharing his prediction for this fight. Makhachev's true potential is not yet known, given that he hasn't faced a top-five opponent in his UFC career. It is part of the reason why the UFC 280 main event is so difficult to call.