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Jeff WagenheimGAME
This time things were different. Islam Makhachev success defend his UFC lightweight title Saturday night in a performance unlike the victory last October earned him the belt.
On this night, Makhachev mostly stood and exchanged punches to win the super fight against the featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski during the main event of UFC 284. And when Makhachev raised his hand after making a unanimous decision, he took center stage under the bright lights of Perth, Australia, with a group of trainers clapping quietly. praised him from the shadows behind.
This is unlike the evening of his title match last fall, when Makhachev quickly took the trump card. Charles Oliveira onto the canvas and show off why Dagestani is being touted as Khabib 2.0, a reference to the top control wrestling skills Makhachev shares with his longtime friend and coaching partner, the former champion unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Other than Makhachev’s performance in Saturday’s game, even the consequences are not the same. When Makhachev was interviewed last fall after his win over Oliveira, Khabib 1.0 was at his side. It’s not a matter of Nurmagomedov trying to take the limelight. He’s really excited for Makhachev, a boxer he’s long declared a “future champion”.
The future came to Makhachev that night, and his friend knew there was more to come. Nurmagomedov, who since retiring as a fighter has trained Makhachev, stepped onto the microphone after UFC 280 and picked a fight. “Now here’s our plan: Fly to Australia and fight the pound-for-pound king, Volkanovski,” Nurmagomedov said.
And that led to tonight.
But UFC 284 had a notable absence at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia: Nurmagomedov was not in the building. Last month, the former champion announced he was quitting his job as a coach.
Makhachev and his team confirmed during the fight week that Nurmagomedov was still involved in his friend’s preparations. However, there was a different feeling than tonight. Even figuratively, there are former champions Are not in his corner created a tangible symbol of how the boxer Makhachev differs from his longtime training partner.
Makhachev didn’t completely give up his grappling game on Saturday. He attempted nine knockdowns and four knockdowns, sending the game into the net in all but the final inning. And he used the clincher to control the duration of the fight while standing.
Where Nurmagomedov often uses standing combat as a means to an end — he’ll punch his spot to knock him out – Makhachev shows how comfortable he is as a stand-up fighter. long time. He was on par with Volkanovski until the last round when it came to punch and kick trades.
Volkanovski later said: “Maybe he didn’t respect my struggle enough and I didn’t respect his stance enough. “Fair play for both of us.”
Maybe that’s why they come in as the #1 and #2 boxers in the world, by weight.
That ranking order will change in the next standings, with Makhachev moving up to the top. But Volkanovski will not fall more than a step.
This war, just a super fight between the champion and the seventh champion in UFC history and a rare encounter of the #1 and #2 pound sterling, well worth its lofty payout. Makhachev was in control most of the time, but Volkanovski never stayed out of the fight. And when the challenger from Australia entered the match late and started to take down, the RAC Arena crowd went wild until the final whistle of a match that would become a classic.
From here, Makhachev will be looking for his next lightweight challenge, and Volkanovski will return to the featherweight division he has dominated since 2019. He dominated the 145-pound weight class, with four victories over the greatest champions that came before him – three first Max Holloway and one against Jose Aldo. But Volkanovski now has a new challenge ahead of him. During Saturday’s main co-op event, Yair Rodríguez won an interim title at 145 pounds and looks like a generator, better than ever.
Volkanovski has noticed and after Saturday’s epic challenge, he feels ready for what lies ahead.
“You’d better watch out for the feathers,” he said. “You challenge yourself like this, it just makes you stronger.”
The same could be said for Makhachev, after he weathered the toughest match of his career while showing all lightweight opponents that he is a multidimensional force that needs to be counted. arrive.
