The current UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, is confident that the title defense against Alexander Volkanovski could have been much easier if he built tactics on his strongest skill, and did not decide to compete with the Australian in his element.
“I am pleased that I won the fight, but I am unhappy that I lost some rounds according to the judges, because I don’t want to lose even one round in my career,” Makhachev said in an interview with Match TV. “In all the interviews in the week of the fight, I said that I want to knock out my opponent, and I think I got too hung up on this, worked more in the stand, and because of this it turned out to be such a hard, intense fight.”
“During the preparation, to be honest, I didn’t fight much, because I knew that I would get him, that I would have some advantage in height, and I thought that I could deliver a heavy blow. Before this fight, they said that Volkanovski is the best striker in the UFC, and I wanted to knock him out in the standing position. According to statistics, I interrupted him in the rack, and now people know me not only as a good wrestler, but also as a good striker. ”
“It is always appreciated when you beat an opponent in his own element. I know my technique, how I can stand up, but I have been wrestling all my life and could translate better, put more emphasis on wrestling. But I wanted to work in the stand, prove myself, try something new. ”
The title superfight between Islam Makhachev and Alex Volkanovski, who headlined the UFC 284 tournament in Perth on February 11, went the whole distance and ended with the victory of the Russian by unanimous decision with a score of 49-46 and 48-47 twice.
Source: https://fighttime.ru/news/item/30844-makhachev-ob-yasnil-pochemu-boj-s-volkanovski-poluchilsya-tyazhelym.html?rand=19907
