Khabib Nurmagomedov predicts how Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski will go down
Khabib Nurmagomedov has weighed in on a potential Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski matchup, and explained how his longtime teammate would beat 'The Great.'
At tonight's UFC 280 event, Makhachev secured a spectacular second-round submission win over Charles Oliveira to become the new UFC lightweight champion.
The fight witnessed Makhachev extend his win streak to 11 and end former UFC lightweight champion Oliveira's 11-fight win streak. During Makhachev's post-fight octagon interview, he and Nurmagomedov suggested that the former would love to defend the lightweight belt against Volkanovski next.
The contract for a possible fight between newly-crowned lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev and reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski hasn't been signed yet.
Regardless, UFC Hall of Famer and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has already broken down how he feels the fight will play out. Speaking to ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, 'The Eagle' stated:
"Volkanovski? Clinch, lot of knees; he's gonna eat a lot of knees. He [Makhachev] is gonna take his [Volkanovski's] all energy, take him down, and he's gonna choke him out."
He continued:
"Of course, Volkanovski can box. He have amazing experience. How many times he defended his title, everything -- But, brother, this is like, Thai clinch gonna kill him. Because even if he know this, let him prepare this. How many months? Five months? Six months? This guy [Makhachev] is doing this 20 years."
Khabib Nurmagomedov insinuated that Alexander Volkanovski can prepare all he wants for Islam Makhachev's incredible wrestling, Thai clinch, and left hand but would still lose. The Dagestan native highlighted that Makhachev would surely dethrone Volkanovski to become the UFC's new No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter.
Watch Nurmagomedov discuss the topic at 5:37 in the video below:
Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski's epic octagon face-off at UFC 280
Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov capped off their octagon interview with an epic face-off between Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski.
Heading into UFC 280, Volkanovski served as the Makhachev-Oliveira matchup's backup/replacement fighter. 'The Great' even made the 155-pound lightweight championship weight for the event.
A professional as always! The Featherweight Champ @alexvolkanovski weighs-in at 155lbs and will serve as a back-up for the main event 🙌
Will we see Alex Volkanovski as the champ-champ one-day? 🏆 🏆
#UFC280 | Saturday, 7PM | BT Sport Box Office https://t.co/BufNYbtO9H
It's believed that the potential super-fight between UFC featherweight kingpin Volkanovski and UFC lightweight champ Makhachev will be contested at lightweight with the latter's title at stake.
Makhachev, Nurmagomedov, and Volkanovski also appeared to be in agreement that the fight would transpire in 'The Great's' native Australia. The consensus is that their matchup could headline the UFC 284 event on February 12th, 2023, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Watch Makhachev and Volkanovski face off against one another in the video below: