Islam Makhachev:
“His victory is out of the question because I am the champion and we fight at lightweight. This is not his territory. This is a different power, a different division, and I will beat him with ease. He invited jitters to his camp, but it’s not the same thing. It will not be jiu-jitsu – it will be mma-pressing on the ground. But since Alex is a great striker, my goal is to knock him out on the stand and take his place. Of course, I respect him, he is the number one P4P, but many people say that I am the best fighter in the world regardless of weight, and on Sunday morning I will show why they think so.
“Alex is good everywhere, but I’m just different, I have a different style than his previous rivals. I’m not going to go crazy like Zombie or Holloway – I have a different plan and I always follow my plan and finish my opponents.”
Alex Volkanovski:
“I already know what I’m going to do, but I can’t reveal it. We have to respect our opponents, and I can see that he doesn’t have much respect for me if he thinks he can beat me easily. I hope he is as well prepared as I am, because I am ready to show everyone that I deservedly take the first line in the ranking of the best fighters, regardless of the weight category. ”
“I don’t think he is really going to knock me out on the stand, he will definitely try to transfer me, but since it won’t be easy, he will probably have to fight me on the stand. In any case, we are ready for any development of events. I had the best grapplers in the world in my camp, who are bigger and stronger than Islam, and for 16 weeks they put me in difficult positions – do you think I’m not ready for something? I’m not going to sleep, and I’m not going to give up. If he transfers me, I will rise and do what I have to do – I will become a double champion.