‘Perfect’ head kick by Islam Makhachev to knock out Alexander Volkanovski, left Joe Rogan impressed. Rogan says Makhachev showed so much improvement. So what’s the extent of this improvement Rogan is talking about? Continue reading to find out!
In the title rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and lightweight champion Makhachev, on Saturday’s main card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, leaving no room for second thoughts on this.
With a head kick in the opening round that left Rogan speechless, Makhachev defeated Volkanovski.
Rogan expressed his amazement, commenting on the head kick that had occurred. He remarked that it was quite surprising and not something that anyone would have expected. According to him, the kick was perfectly executed, striking the opponent’s shin to the dome and causing a cut. He also noted that Islam introduced some new techniques, including a front kick, a body kick, and a similar kick to the head.
At UFC 284, Makhachev defeated Volkanovski in his debut match; however, this time, he didn’t need to rely on his grappling. Even though their title fight rematch lasted barely three minutes, Rogan saw Makhachev’ s striking improvement.
Rogan expressed his deep admiration for how Makhachev had secured the win, emphasizing the substantial progress and adjustments made. He believed that the fighter and their team had prepared for a match against Volkanovski, even though the opponent had changed. According to him, they likely thoroughly reviewed Volkanovski’ s techniques and the corresponding counters, and Makhachev successfully neutralized many of those tactics. Specifically, the fighter effectively countered the switch kick to the outside leg and used the front kick up the middle to set up the head kick.
Makhachev demonstrated his striking prowess against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 before defeating him twice to win the vacant belt. He knocked him down then submitted him in Round 2.
Rogan recalled that in their previous fight, Makhachev had managed to knock down Oliveira, even though his striking abilities had previously been considered his weakest aspect. He noted that now, his striking skills had improved significantly and were as formidable as anyone in the division. Rogan was quite impressed with the fact that the fighter had knocked out Volkanovski, considering it a remarkable achievement.
Do you agree with Rogan’s view on Makhachev’s improvement? Don’t forget to let us know about your thoughts on this in the comment section!
