"Islam is gonna be hard to beat" - UFC middleweight Andrew Sanchez gives his take on Islam Makhachev after training with him at AKA
Ahead of his upcoming fight with Bruno Silva, UFC middleweight Andrew Sanchez has relocated to the American Kickboxing Academy to further hone his elite skill set.
During his time at AKA, Sanchez witnessed UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev training day in, day out.
Andrew Sanchez recently sat down with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw for an exclusive interview. He gave a unique insight into the inner workings of the famed gym. He specifically discussed Islam Makhachev, stating:
"There's some stiff competition and fighting's crazy. Anything can happen. But man, Islam is gonna be hard to beat. He's good everywhere. I didn't personally get to train with him but I saw a lot of his rounds. It's unbelievable. The way they train, the intensity that they train and just his well roundedness. Like, his wrestling, his jiu-jitsu, his striking is all just so solid man. The pressure he puts is a scary thing."
"It got a little bit heated" - Andrew Sanchez on sparring with Luke Rockhold at AKA
Andrew Sanchez also revealed that he had done some training with fellow UFC middleweight Luke Rockhold, who was scheduled to fight Sean Strickland at UFC 267. Unfortunately, the former champion has since dropped out due to injury.
However, Andrew Sanchez was able to get a few light sparring rounds in with Rockhold, who is known for being extremely competitive in the gym. Sanchez expressed his regret that he couldn't train with the former champion for his entire fight camp, but even the few rounds he had with him left a lasting impression. He told Sportskeeda MMA:
"You know Luke, he came around a couple times but he didn't do a lot of sparring. We did touch rounds, which was basically hard sparring let's be honest. Like, okay we're going light yeah, you know how it is. It got a little bit heated. But I wish we coulda got more rounds to be honest, what a fricking amazing training partner that woulda been."
At UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont, fans will be able to witness first hand if Sanchez's time at AKA has made any notable changes to his skillset. He'll face Bruno Silva on the preliminary card.
Check out our full interview with Andrew Sanchez ahead of this weekend's event below: