Alexander Volkanovski recently made a statement saying Charles Oliveira lost to Islam Makhachev in a jiu-jitsu match because Makhachev is a superior MMA grappler than Oliveira. What is the reason behind Volkanovski making such a bold yet controversial statement? Continue reading to find out!
In the main event of UFC 294 on October 21 at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena, lightweight champion Makhachev will square off against Charles Oliviera.
During their first encounter at UFC 280 in October of last year, Makhachev downed and submitted Oliveira in a commanding performance. Makhachev has the advantage against the UFC’s all-time leader in ground submission victories thanks to featherweight champion Volkanovski, and not just if they grappled.
Volkanovski stated on his YouTube channel that he believes Islam is the superior MMA grappler compared to Charles. He pointed out that while Charles excels in jiu-jitsu, even in a jiu-jitsu match, he would still favor Islam to win. Volkanovski mentioned that Oliveira possesses cleaner and crisper submissions and jiu-jitsu techniques. However, when it comes to overall grappling, control, and the ability to dictate the course of the fight, Volkanovski expressed his preference for Islam.
Volkanovski is well aware of Makhachev’ s skill in the ring. For the most part, Volkanovski was able to get up again, but he struggled to handle Makhachev’ s oppressive pressure throughout their lightweight title bout at UFC 284, where he was ultimately defeated by decision.
He’s still hung on his thoughts believing Makhachev is a hard fight for Oliveira.
The speaker suggested that Islam is attempting to catch Charles again and maybe leaving his neck vulnerable. They also mentioned that getting Charles out of position on the bottom is challenging, but Charles needs to get Islam on their feet for his best chance of winning the fight.
Do you think the outcomes of this statement will be favorable for Volkanovski for the controversial statement he made? What are your thoughts on i? Do let us know in the comment section!
