"These guy are competing at like 205" - Josh Thomson claims he has seen Islam Makhachev dominate BJJ black belts at AKA
Islam Makhachev is an incredible talent. As per Josh Thomson, he may be even better than we think.
On Saturday night in Las Vegas, Islam Makhachev put on a real show as he finished Bobby Green via ground and pound in the first round of their catchweight encounter. It was a hard-fought contest between two very, very different fighters. In the end, it was Makhachev who managed to get his hand raised.
The short-notice win may not have impressed everyone, but given the streak he's been on, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see Islam get a title shot later this year.
During a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, Josh Thomson, who has been a close observer of the Dagestani's work, said that Makhachev's abilities have also been shining through at AKA.
“When I tell you guys he has a better foot sweep, better upper-body takedown, he’s also very good on the double-leg [takedown], he just chooses not to use it. I know he used it in this situation but he didn’t want to lose the position so he dropped down on the legs, locked his hands and took him for a ride. When I tell you he is better than almost 99% of the people out there - I have seen him roll with top, top level black belts. There’s maybe one round where he had to figure them out, next round, that person is on bottom just getting smashed... Maybe he didn’t finish them but he’s all over them and these guys are bigger.”
Catch the full episode of the Weighing In podcast below:
Islam Makhachev waits for his shot?
The 30-year-old Dagestani star seems to really believe in what he can accomplish at lightweight. That's unsurprising given the weight of the expectations put on him after the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
At this point in time, the plan of action is for current king Charles Oliveira to defend the UFC lightweight championship against Justin Gaethje later this year. Regardless of who comes out on top, the Makhachev train may well keep on rolling all the way to a chance at winning the belt.
Makhachev's expressed an interest in fighting for the strap in Abu Dhabi, but it's not yet known when the UFC plans on returning to Fight Island.