“I think Volkanovski’s punching technique is great for this fight, but I’m guessing Islam is going to use the clinch a lot,” Dariush told Morning Kombat. “It will be a Thai clinch, a wrestling clinch, judo throws – all this he will try to load and exhaust him. Because we’ve seen Volkanovski stand up for five rounds and he doesn’t even look tired in the final five minutes, which is unbelievable.”
“I don’t think Islam will translate much because in general it doesn’t do that very often. He finds a way to push you to the net, pinch you in the clinch, and only then looks for an opportunity to transfer.
“If Alex is going to prepare well for this fight, I would advise him to train the Thai clinch, protect the body, work on the movement of the head and legs. People think it’s work and arm strength that decides in the clinch, but I would argue that head work is just as important. I advise him to use his head correctly in the clinch, and constantly control his hips and keep them under him in order to prevent Islam from judo throwing.
Recall that the title superfight in lightweight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski on February 12 will head the UFC 284 tournament in Perth, Australia.