In just 10 days time, newly crowned UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will step into the octagon at Perth’s RAC Arena and attempt to defend his title for the very first time.
Not only will Makhachev’s 155-pound belt be on the line in next Sunday’s (AEDT) main event but so too will be the title of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
The Dagestani born fighter is currently ranked No. 2 on the list of best pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC but will be hoping to leapfrog his opponent, Aussie UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who currently sits atop that list.
The 31-year-old recently sat down with Fox Sports Australia’svery own Niko Pajarillo for an exclusive one-on-one interview and gave his thoughts ahead of the tantalising champ versus champ title clash.
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“This fight is so important because I want to be number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world,” Makhachev said.
“… Every fighter wants to be pound-for-pound champion not just the champion (of their weight division).
“I am the champion (at 155) right now but I have a new goal, a new target, I want to be pound-for-pound king because this is the dream for all fighters.”
Despite coming into enemy territory to face an opponent who is undefeated (12-0) in the UFC, Makhachev isn’t daunted by the prospect of fighting Volkanovski in front of a hostile Australian home crowd.
“Doesn’t matter. The people inside the arena cannot help him. When the cage (door) closes, nobody can help him,” he said.
Makhachev – who is 178cm and weighs in at 70kg – is taking a huge risk by fighting someone of Volkanovski’s calibre in his first title defence, but thinks his size advantage will be too much for the 168cm, normally 66kg Australian to overcome.
“He’s a good striker but this division is not for him because 155 (pound division) is (full of) big guys. I think he has made some trouble for himself (by choosing to fight) in this division,” the Russian said.
UFC middleweight Belal Muhammad shares Makhachev’s sentiment.
“To me Islam’s the best fighter in the UFC right now,” he said during a recent interview.
“Skill for skill, I think he is (the true) pound-for-pound number one… People don’t understand how good Islam is. He showed how good his stand-up was last fight, dropped Oliveira, then he showed how good his ground (game) was.
“Islam’s just different man, I think he’s definitely going to be a Hall of Famer at the end of the day, I think he’s going to be a long-reigning champion for a while. I love Volkanovski but I think that Islam’s gonna be too much for him.”
Most punters and bookmakers tend to agree, with the 31-year-old currently a heavy favourite ($1.24) over Volkanovski ($4) according to TAB’s odds.
‘I could’ve been dead there mate!’ | 00:31
Islam is 12-1 in the UFC and currently riding an 11-fight win streak, the latest of which was an impressive win over former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira back in October that secured him the 155-pound belt.
While Volkanovski is undefeated in the UFC and brings a 12-fight win streak of his own into this highly-anticipated contest, Makhachev is confident of not only extending his unbeaten run but doing so in the same dominating fashion as his previous fights.
“I respect him, he’s the pound-for-pound king right now but he’s my next target. That’s why I have to smash him, I have to finish him,” Makhachev said.
“… I always try to push my opponent, take them down, and when they feel all (my) power (then) I like to pressure them to make them feel tired and finish them. I’m always looking for the finish and my next fight is gonna be the same. I’m going to try to finish him inside three rounds.
“My last fight I landed a lot of hard punches to Charles and after (he took) all this damage he understood that it was gonna be a hard fight for him because he cannot submit me, he cannot (win by) punch(ing) me and that’s why he gave up. In my next fight (against Volkanovski), I’m gonna do the same thing.”
Half of Makhachev’s wins in the UFC have come courtesy of submissions. However, Volkanovski is notoriously hard to put away on the ground, as evidenced by his ability to escape not just one but two dangerous submission attempts by 1st degree BJJ black belt Brian Ortega during the third round of their title 2021 title fight. Despite this the lightweight champion is remains steadfast in his belief that he can find a way to finish off his Aussie opponent.
“Charles Oliveira is not easy to submit either, but (I did) so I’m gonna try (and submit Volkanovski). It doesn’t matter (though), if it’s not going to be (via) submission (then) I’m gonna give him ground and pound… then he’s gonna give up,”
While Islam’s renowned confidence and aggressive approach won’t change heading into this legacy-defining clash next weekend, the same can’t be said for the makeup of his coaching team, with UFC legend and former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov a notable absentee having recently announced his decision to step away from coaching.
Makhachev doesn’t appear too phased by Nurmagomedov’s impending absence, saying he understood his compatriot and great friend’s decision.
“When you retire you want to spend more time with your family,” he said.
“… I have fought a couple of times without him in my corner. He has given me good support for this fight, we talk about this fight and he give me the plan of how to fight and so we will see.”
Volkanovski meanwhile recently stressed that not having Khabib in his corner shouldn’t effect the result.
“They better not use it as an excuse once this is all done,” he said.
“At the end of the day, Makhachev will prepare and we’re going to fight. He doesn’t need someone to hold his hand. Doesn’t need someone to be in there with him. That’s not a real fighter.
“So when my hand gets raised, that better not come up.”
Whether or not the absence does have an impact on Makhachev’s ability to retain his newly acquired title, only time will tell.