In less than two days, Islam Makhachev will fight Thiago Moises. The heir to Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight as a headliner for the first time and will enter the elite group of Russian athletes who were entrusted to lead the Ultimate Fighting Promotion tournament. Therefore, it is logical to assume that the performance on Sunday determines how rapidly his career in the UFC continues to develop. A bright early victory can help him overcome several positions in the ranking and get closer to the status of the first contender, and a defeat will most likely put an end to his champion's ambitions.
Surely many of Makhachev's personal fans hoped that the appearance of their idol on the posters would cause more excitement.
However, several factors interfered at once.
The first is the level of the opponent of Islam.
Yes, over the past 14 months, Moises has won three victories in a row, and not over the weakest opponents.
In addition to veteran Bobby Green and up-and-coming Alexander Hernandez, former division number six Michael Johnson was defeated.
But all this did not allow him not only to gain popularity, but even to break into the top ten strongest categories.
On the eve of the duel with the Russian, he ranks 14th in the ranking and has only 34 thousand followers on Instagram (85 times less than his counterpart).
In addition, Makhachev and Moises were unlucky enough to fight just a week after the battle between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. UFC 264 was destined to become one of the most talked about tournaments of 2021, which has been confirmed in practice. The broadcast of the show was bought by 1.8 million people (the second result in the history of the championship), and the fight between the lightweight stars and its consequences are still being discussed. Only elected representatives of the MMA world can compete with them in the media space, but this does not apply to Russians and Brazilians yet.
In particular, due to the fact that Makhachev is still not the most open fighter for communication, and this is especially pronounced in the United States.
At a press conference on the eve of the show, the Russian was openly asked about his dislike for interviews and conversations with journalists, which can hardly be considered a good sign.
Islam replied that this is not due to shyness or unwillingness to talk to the press, but to an insufficient level of language proficiency.
“You know, I just need to improve my English and the interviews will be better.
Now it's hard for me, because my language is not so good.
But I promise that I will tighten it up, I will communicate with you more often ... People know that in an interview in Russian I can even joke, ”Makhachev admitted.
Often, harsh comments about an opponent can stir up interest in a duel.
But in cases where it was not about McGregor, the Russian preferred to behave with respect.
He did not change himself this time either.
Makhachev noted the strengths of Moises and compared them with his former opponent, Drew Dober, with whom he fought in March.
Then the fight lasted just over 11 minutes, and the Russian won by choke hold.
“I know this guy (Moises -
RT
), I've seen a couple of his fights.
He is tough, good skills, strong in everything.
For example, Dober had good striking technique, but everyone knows about his gaps in wrestling, grappling ... Yes, I have to finish him.
But you know, this is my first five-round fight.
If I work it out to the end, then it can also be useful for me.
Great experience.
I've never fought that much, ”the Russian said.
However, the lack of experience is unlikely to be the reason for Makhachev's unpreparedness for a 25-minute duel with Moises.
There are enough athletes and specialists in his team who are ready to competently lead him to a five-round fight, one of which is Khabib Nurmagomedov.
According to Islam, currently the ex-UFC champion is actively involved in the training of representatives of the Eagles MMA club and is often too demanding of his charges.
“Now Khabib has finished his career, but he drives all the guys in our team.
And sometimes he overdoes it.
He rests, does not prepare, and does not always understand what kind of load we are under.
We can finish training, but he forces us to do additional exercises, ”said the fighter.
Nurmagomedov himself recently retrained as a coach and formed a powerful tandem with the head of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), Javier Mendes, who has been his personal mentor since 2012.
At the same time, Makhachev admitted that between rounds he often pays attention to the tips of his compatriot.
The fact is that Khabib himself has achieved tremendous success in sports and knows everything from the inside.
“When they come in between rounds, Khabib says to Javier:“ Give me 30 seconds.
I'll say what I want, then - you. "
Nurmagomedov has more experience in this, so he understands everything better, ”Makhachev expressed his opinion.
It is worth noting that a similar trend emerged immediately after Khabib left the sport.
It was he who first took the floor during the breaks of the fight between his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov and Mike Hamel in Bellator, and during the last fights of his relatives in the UFC, he was the only one to enter the octagon, while Mendes remained outside.
A similar thing happened both during the battle between Makhachev and Dober, and during the duel between Abubakar and Jared Gooden.
But it may also happen that there is no need to prompt Makhachev.
He held his last fight at the highest level, deservedly won ahead of schedule and may well go on the beaten track in the battle with Moises.
In any case, the bookmakers are more than confident in the success of the Russian and practically do not give a chance to the Brazilian.
In this regard, it seems logical to ask questions about the future of Makhachev in the UFC. It is no secret that Nurmagomedov's entourage always saw in him the potential to become a future lightweight champion, and Khabib himself expressed the hope that by the end of 2021 he would replace him on the throne of the division. But for this, Islam needs to fight with strong opponents, which he intends to do in the near future. Moreover, he calls Rafael Dos Anjos one of the possible rivals, the battle with which was broken twice at the end of 2020. First, the Brazilian was injured, and then the Russian caught the infection.
“Rafael Dos Anjos is a good option for me. But this guy keeps running away. Now he says, "I want to fight Conor or Khabib," but last week McGregor slapped him at the weigh-in. And what did he do? Nothing. I understand that he is already old and wants to make money, and I want to help him finish his career, ”Makhachev said.
Islam also answered about a possible fight with Dan Hooker. Over the past two years, the Russian has repeatedly offered him a fight, but he refused, and in a rather rude manner. It is noted that last October, the New Zealander received an offer to replace the injured Dos Anjos, but considered it below his level. On the air of his own podcast, he stated that he twice led the UFC tournaments in 2020, spent a total of ten rounds in the octagon and twice received the "Fight of the Night" bonus. Therefore, I am not interested in a fight with the 12th rating number.
Since then, however, Hooker's position has weakened markedly. At the moment, he is going on a series of two defeats, the last of which became early. In January, he was knocked out by Michael Chandler and subsequently moved from sixth to eighth place in the rating (just one higher than Makhachev). The victory over Moises may well be enough for Islam to bypass not only Dan, but also the ex-UFC champion in two weight categories - McGregor. Therefore, when the New Zealander himself expressed his readiness to measure his strength with the Russian, he was not overwhelmed with optimism.
"I saw Dan Hooker said," If Islam wins his fight and challenges me, I will be ready to fight him. " But who is Dan Hooker? Now he is on the eighth line, and of the last six fights he lost three. I want to fight with the one who will move me closer to the belt. I don’t think (the fight with him) is a big step for me, ”concluded Makhachev.