"They have a gift" - Eugene Bareman explains how Dagestani fighters can 'become superstars in 2 or 3 years'
![Eugene Bareman (left), Khabib Nurmagomedov (center) and Islam Makhachev (right) [Images courtesy: @ufc on Twitter]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/12/71b2c-16388760471444-1920.jpg?w=500)
Eugene Bareman believes the Dagestani fighters can catapult themselves into the upper echelons of the UFC if they focus more on their stand-up game.
During an interview with It's Time For Sports, the City Kickboxing head coach said that the Dagestani fighters "had a gift" since they already possessed an extensive wrestling background. Bareman stated that the Dagestani fighters would find themselves in more high-profile fights if they focused on their striking game and, in turn, made themselves more marketable.
He made these comments after Javier Mendez shot back at his criticism of Khabib Nurmagomedov's trash talking.
"I'm going to give them [Dagestanis] some advice. My guys spend a lot of time wrestling since it's not our background. But we also have to keep our stand-up skills very sharp. We're trying to juggle these two things at a high level, and it's very difficult. They have a gift because they have a very extensive wrestling background. That means they can put most of your time into other aspects of the sport. Work on your stand-up. If you don't want to wait 6-7 years before breaking into the top 15, you have to learn the fundamentals of striking and you can become a superstar in 2-3 years. Then you can go about building a narrative and using social media," said Bareman.
Bareman added that the Dagestanis would have multiple champions in different weight classes and an easier climb to the top if they developed a more exciting style of fighting.
Check out Eugene Bareman's interview with It's Time For Sports below:
Eugene Bareman believes Alexander Volkanovski could be successful at lightweight
City Kickboxing product and UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski hinted at a move to lightweight after successfully defending the title against Brian Ortega. During an interview with Submission Radio, Eugene Bareman backed Volkanovski and said that the Australian star would trouble several of the contenders at 155lbs.
"He would give a lot of guys a lot of trouble in that division. Um, I mean if that ever happened then me and Joe [Lopez] would get together and the other coaches. And definitely that would have to be quite intricate plan I feel. There would have to be a lot of planning to go into that. I feel like the best route to take would be some specific matches on your way there," said Eugene Bareman.
Check out Eugene Bareman's interview with Submission Radio below:
Despite being interested in a few fights in the lightweight division, Volkanovski emphasized that his focus was on clearing out the featherweight division first.