Reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who is due to defend his title against Alexander Volkanovski in less than two weeks, doesn’t think the organization’s top fighter will last more than three rounds.
“I respect Alex, he is now the king of the P4P rating, but he is my new and next target, so I have to smash him and finish him off,” the Russian said in an interview with Fox Sports Australia. “He’s a good striker, but this division isn’t for him because lightweights are the big guys. He will have serious problems in this weight class.”
“The plan for the fight remains the same as always. I push the opponents, move them down, and when they feel all my strength and pressure, they start to get tired, I finish them. I am always looking for an opportunity to finish a fight early and the next fight will be no exception. I will try to finish Alex within three rounds.”
“It will not necessarily be a painful or suffocating technique. He’s going to have a hard time downstairs, I’ll beat him in the ground and pound, and when he fully feels that this is not his division, that he doesn’t want to take that damage anymore, he’ll give up.”
Recall that the lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski will be the main event of the UFC 284 tournament, which will be held on February 11 in Perth, Australia.
Source: https://fighttime.ru/news/item/30659-islam-makhachev-dal-prognoz-na-boj-s-aleksom-volkanovski.html?rand=19907
