“In the status of a champion, Sean is more interesting than the UFC than Peter”: Grebnev on the refereeing of the Jan-O'Malley fight and Makhachev's victory over Oliveira

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- Earlier, we have already discussed the duel between Makhachev and Oliveira.

And even then he said that Islam would “devour” him.

And so it happened.

I am not at all surprised by the result, but in shock I expected more from Charles.

In this fight, he missed the same combination of a left straight and a right hook seven times.

Either he was so nervous, or he was afraid of going to his feet.

Although this is strange, because in theory the Brazilian should not be afraid of the stalls.

Perhaps this fear appeared after Oliveira first met in the fight with Makhachev.

I felt this incredible physical strength and began to doubt my success.

The first round was more of an exploration.

But along the way, Charles could understand that he could not “break off” anything to Islam.

- In this fight, was it noticeable that Makhachev was superior to Oliveira in wrestling skills?

- Perhaps, in pure grappling or jiu-jitsu, he is not better, but within the framework of mixed martial arts, Makhachev is stronger in wrestling.

It is on a slightly different level.

- You said that Oliveira did not demonstrate his full potential in striking technique.

What did you expect?

- Non-standard moves, creativity, unexpected elbow strikes that will make it difficult for Makhachev to work.

According to my predictions, Oliveira should have held out a little longer.

More than two rounds.

- We have repeatedly seen how Oliveira was knocked down.

Both Justin Gati and Dustin Poirier sent him to the floor, but they did not succeed.

Why?

- Of course, Gaethje is an NCAA Division I wrestler, and Poirier has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

But in fights, they both focus on punching.

They are so much easier.

Their training process is built taking into account these tasks, and they themselves are more predisposed to this.

Makhachev will exchange only for the sake of the subsequent transfer to the floor.

Yes, there were exceptions.

For example, in fights with Gleison Tibau and Davy Ramos, but then there were certain reasons for this.

From a stylistic point of view, Makhachev is very inconvenient for Oliveira.

It is much more convenient for the Brazilian to fight with fighters who focus on striking techniques, and not forcing him to spend time on his back, defend a lot on the ground, near the net.

In this case, energy is consumed much faster.

- Is it fair to say after such a battle that the return fight between Makhachev and Oliveira does not make sense?

- In my opinion, revenge is not needed.

The same thing will happen in it.

Islam is on another level.

Now I don’t see a single lightweight that can handle him.

Makhachev is too good technically, physically strong, and he has a great team behind him.

Therefore, it is now difficult to name a worthy competitor.

Perhaps Beneil Dariush could have something to oppose him.

But it seems to me that the Russian will over and over again translate him and beat him on the canvas.

The American may try to hold the submission, but the chances of success are low.

- In early November, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler will fight each other.

Are any of them able to impose a fight on Makhachev?

- Unlikely.

Poirier has good boxing, but his wrestling is not so great.

Remember how easily Oliveira took his back.

Yes, he is able to hit, but it seems to me that their duel with Makhachev will be similar to his duel with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Dustin is a tough fighter, but there are different levels.

And Islam is a little higher.

Chandler, on the contrary, is skilled in wrestling, physically strong, but he will not be able to fight at such a high pace.

He doesn't have enough stamina.

Perhaps in the first round he will resist, but then it will be difficult.

In addition, Michael has a very sweeping technique.

In my opinion, Islam will be a little better in the rack.

- After the fight, the impression was that Oliveira could be a more dangerous opponent for Nurmagomedov than for Makhachev.

Do you agree?

- Personally, it seems to me that Nurmagomedov would have walked even harder on Oliveira.

First of all, due to physical strength.

In this regard, they are no match.

Oliveira is good in battles with those whose muscle fibers are not adapted for BJJ.

Khabib is much more powerful.

Even if he hadn't managed to strangle Charles, he would have scored on the ground.

I confess that I myself used to consider Tony Ferguson an uncomfortable opponent for Nurmagomedov.

But after the fight with Gaethje, my opinion changed.

It wouldn't be an equal fight.

Just like with Charles.

- Nurmagomedov, unlike Makhachev, was never famous for his striking technique and in this aspect would most likely be inferior to Oliveira.

Because of this, Khabib would have to constantly provoke transfers to the ground, where the risk of being caught on the reception increased markedly.

- Nurmagomedov has a good stand, strong, adapted for MMA, but not very technical.

But unlike Makhachev, he constantly presses.

And this, in turn, opens up great opportunities.

With many opponents, he looked good in exchanges for the reason that they were afraid of his takedowns.

The same Edson Barbosa.

- Thanks to the victory in Abu Dhabi, Makhachev repeated the achievement of Nurmagomedov and became the second ever

- Personally, I still bet on Nurmagomedov.

In my opinion, Khabib would crush Makhachev.

Maybe he wouldn't have dominated this fight like the previous ones, but he would have been constantly pushing forward and applying pressure.

It would be very interesting to see their sparring, how they fight.

If Islam is able to rise from under him, then he may have a chance.

But it seems to me that in functional terms, the Eagle is a little better.

This would be the key factor.

If not ahead of schedule, then by the decision of the judges, he would have taken over.

- Apparently, Makhachev will hold his first title defense in a fight with Alexander Volkanovski.

Due to what the Australian can take over?

- In my opinion, he can only constantly go forward and put pressure on Makhachev.

Volkanovski breathes very well.

- But within the featherweight category.

- Not the fact that in the case of a rise in weight there will be serious changes.

Although sometimes a set of muscle mass negatively affects the endurance of fighters.

But I think that Islam will crush Alex at the expense of "physics", dimensions.

He can cut himself with him, but most likely the bet will be made on the clinch, the fight.

Volkanovski is quite strong, in theory he is able to defend himself against transfers.

But it won't be easy.

The Australian's chances of success would be much higher if he were some sort of Mike Tyson.

He had the same powerful blow as the same Chad Mendes.

But it's not.

Although Alexander is a great fighter.

Personally, I consider him the greatest featherweight in history.

Unless Jose Aldo can argue with him.

If Volkanovski had not thought about moving up to lightweight, he could have continued to dominate the division up to 65.8 kilograms.

- If we are talking about wrestling, will it be harder for Makhachev in a duel with Volkanovski than in a battle with Oliveira?

- I think yes.

He is short, he has a low center of gravity, thicker muscle fibers.

Oliveira is still thin, he has long arms and legs.

And it's much easier to translate.

With Volkanovski, you will have to sweat.

- Already, Makhachev is talking about a potential transition to welterweight, which Nurmagomedov did not dare to do.

How do you assess his prospects there?

- In my opinion, Khabib could do better in the welterweight division than Islam.

Yes, against the background of the same Khamzat Chimaev, even Nurmagomedov does not look so big.

But due to physical qualities, he could make some noise in this category.

But he didn't need it.

He spent his entire career at lightweight, why should he lift?

The belt was owned by his friend Kamaru Usman.

It would be nice if Colby Covington held him, then there would be a certain meaning.

I would watch with interest the performances of Makhachev in the welterweight division.

And he has prospects.

It is known that Leon Edwards came to sparring in Dagestan, and Islam literally did not let him breathe, and now the Englishman owns the belt.

- Who can compete with Makhachev in 77 kg?

- There are few of them.

The same Chimaev, although I strongly doubt that they will fight each other, Usman.

And that is all.

The same Covington or Jorge Masvidal will have nothing to oppose him.

- How likely is it that Makhachev will be bolder than Nurmagomedov and still decide to try his hand at the new division?

Everything will depend on the decision of the team.

If they come to the conclusion that Makhachev is ready for this step, they will give the green light.

And I have a feeling that it will happen.

For example, in the event of a victory over Volkanovski and a couple more successful belt defenses.

- By the standards

- In my opinion, he will perform longer.

I do not exclude that Makhachev will repeat Nurmagomedov's achievement in terms of the number of belt defenses, and then he will rise to welterweight.

True, after that it will not be easy to return.

On the other hand, we have the example of Max Holloway.

The Hawaiian did not pull in the category up to 70.3 kg, after which he returned to his native featherweight division.

- In addition to Makhachev,

- Theoretically, O'Malley's victory could be pulled.

But what can the jury members refer to?

Except for damage.

But I personally think that the number of accented strikes and the variety of technique should play an equally important role.

Sean caused serious damage to Peter, showed a great fight.

From a distance he worked better.

But Jan also hit, shocked the opponent several times, gave him no less problems.

Yes, someone can pay attention to the dissection, but this is not entirely correct.

In this matter, a lot depends on the characteristics of the skin of an athlete.

And this does not mean that the Russian did not beat him.

In addition, Ian had six takedowns, controlled O'Malley on the ground.

He was better in every round, albeit not by a huge margin.

Therefore, I consider the verdict unfair.

I don't want to involve politics here, talk about prejudice, plans.

But you need to understand that in the status of a champion, Sean is much more interesting in the UFC than Peter.

And theoretically it could play some role.

In any case, this is not the way to judge.

It ruins the sport.

How can judges explain their decision?

- I can only guess.

But as arguments, they could use passivity on the ground, the lack of quality hits on the ground.

Like, Ian "lay in" O'Malley, and he, on the contrary, actively defended himself and tried to attack from below.

“According to the official notes, O'Malley was unanimously given the third round, and two judges still saw his superiority in the first.

But if their decision on the final segment can still be understood, then what about the initial one?

The American struck only four more accented blows, but missed a takedown and lay on the ground for more than a minute.

- According to the rules, specific actions on the ground are important.

If you have translated and just lie on top, and the opponent is trying to attack, then the translation can even go negative.

And I think Ian was not very active in that episode.

What is the strength of the same Nurmagomedov?

He laid opponents on canvas and literally smeared them there.

The dominance of one fighter over another was noticeable to the naked eye.

Pyotr is not a basic wrestler, and it was noticeable.

He wasn't that productive downstairs.

Perhaps the judges were hooked on this.

Two felt that the takedown did not have much effect on the course of the round, the third was of a different opinion.

And I agree with him.

After all, this is MMA, not kickboxing.

How would you rate Jan's plan to fight O'Malley?

- I think Peter did absolutely the right thing when he decided to use his entire arsenal.

Sean is also a drummer.

Perhaps he should have hit combinations of overhands and hooks with a change of stance more often.

If there were a little more of them, the damage could be higher.

But Yang tried to act more reliably.

And two judges could reproach him for trying to "dry" the fight.

But there is another side of the coin.

Due to the bet on the fight, Yang could well “turn sour” and thereby become less sharp, dangerous in exchanges.

Drive yourself into uncomfortable conditions.

Personally, it seemed to me that Peter slowed down a bit.

Usually he only accelerates by the third round, but here he seemed to be tired, breathing heavily.

Besides, it looks like he underestimated Sean a bit.

I got too carried away with jokes, trash current and was not ready for such resistance.

He hoped to deal with him at the expense of pressure.

- After this fight, they again started talking about Jan's problems with defense, which became known a year ago.

Then he missed 169 significant punches in a duel with Corey Sandhagen, this time he allowed himself to be hit 84 times.

Does it really have gaps in this aspect?

- On the one hand, Jan has a good defense.

In general, the boxing "box" can work in MMA, he adapted it well for these purposes.

With it, he makes all kinds of tricks, beats hooks.

But do not forget that this is an element from another sport.

Peter constantly leans forward, and at this moment the view narrows.

In this case, you run the risk of missing a takedown, since both hands are pressed to your head.

And also you can not notice the hidden blows of the opponent.

I don't think Jan needs to change anything.

His style has long been formed, serious transformations are no longer worth waiting for.

Personally, something else bothers me.

There is less creativity in his actions.

Previously, he constantly changed racks, hit back fists.

Now it seems to have cut down its functionality a little and does only reliable things like a deuce with an offset.

In the battle with O'Malley, he surprised only with a kick with a change of legs (switch-kick), but he did not reach the goal.

Previously, Peter was very difficult to read, now he has become more predictable.

In any case, something needs to be done about protection as well.

— The controversial decision of the judges cast a shadow over the performance of O'Malley himself.

How vividly did the American make an impression on you?

- Sean is very good, he once again proved it.

A very technical and trained fighter, and even with character.

I immediately said that an easy walk for Peter is not expected.

He has already gone through difficulties, won almost with torn cruciate ligaments.

O'Malley is already a star, he has a great future.

- If Dana White keeps his word, then it will be Sean who will become the next contender for the

- I think he is able to keep the champion at a distance.

I suppose O'Malley is more inconvenient for him than Ian.

And precisely because of the notorious "box".

Peter can be confused by various side hooks and make him make a mistake, miss a takedown.

Sean, on the other hand, holds his hands differently and will be able to effectively meet Aljamain.

The question is whether he will be able to oppose something in the fight.

In the last duel, the American demonstrated his ability to resist on the ground, to rise quickly.

Therefore, I will not be surprised if he wins and does it ahead of schedule.

- After

- I agree 100%.

On a par with him, you can only put Michael Bisping.

His victory over Luke Rockhold was a huge upset, and Dan Henderson, who became his next opponent, was perfect for him in terms of style.

Although even in that confrontation, he flew his head into the canvas several times.

But luck ended in a duel with Georges Saint-Pierre.

When he appeared at a press conference with a bottle of beer, he realized that he was unlikely to be able to cope with the Canadian.

Yan has already lost his place in the p

UFC

- If Yang was a superstar, then they could give him a obviously weaker opponent in order to return to the winning streak.

But I think he's facing a tough test.

Perhaps they will bring me together with Merab Dvalishvili or Marlon Vera.

I don't know who will be better with him.

Both are very strong, and the Venezuelan has added incredibly lately.

His ability to finish opponents at the most unexpected moment is striking.

I would not like to repeat this story in a duel with Peter.

Yes, Dvalishvili is unlikely to defeat Jan ahead of schedule, but this is a very uncomfortable fighter.

He will press, constantly press against the net, try to translate.

It will be very difficult for him.

But choosing between Merab and Marlon, I would choose the first one.

In this case, Peter needs to work hard on the fight and find the right combinations, try to deal with him through pressure.

Faith can turn anyone off.

Although I do not consider him stronger than the Russian.

There is no one in the bantamweight who would be unambiguously better.