The excitement in Perth, Khabib's tips and the meeting with Volkanovski: how Makhachev is preparing for the first defense of the UFC title

One of the main events of February for fans of mixed martial arts will be the confrontation in Australia between two UFC champions Islam Makhachev and Alex Volkanovski, which will take place on February 12.

The Russian, after defeating Charles Oliveira in October and winning the lightweight title, practically did not rest.

The first stage of preparation for the new fight took place in Makhachkala, then the team spent two weeks on Elbrus: hard morning training with uphill runs and work in the gym ended with a Russian bath and swimming in a font.

On January 20, the team flew to Australia.

So that no one interferes with the work of athletes, a separate room was specially rented for Makhachev and his compatriot Zubaira Tukhugov, who also takes part in the UFC 284 tournament.

“When strangers come, they can ask for a photo, they can pay attention, there will be extra eyes, this is not the best factor during such an important preparation.

That is why we are renting a hall that will be provided only to us for the duration of the training, ”explained manager Rizvan Magomedov in an interview with Match TV.

In Sydney, at the media day, Makhachev had already met with Volkanovski: the fighters posed for the cameras along with their belts.

True, as it turned out later, these were duplicates that were issued by the promotion for events.

“He is easier.

Home belt - it needs a separate luggage bag, it is heavy, ”the Russian shared.

As Islam admitted, acclimatization in Australia went well.

Although the air temperature here rises to 30°C.

And Perth, which hosts UFC 284, is very much like hometown in terms of the weather and the attitude of the people.

“Nature is good here: mountains, rivers, it reminds me of Makhachkala, everything is nearby.

The sun does not say that it presses, there is no abnormal heat.

I immediately realized that MMA is very popular here, people recognize me on the street, they ask for tickets, I immediately said that they gave me them only for the team and there are no extra ones.

They say that tickets to the arena were sold out in the first 5-10 minutes, ”said the fighter.

Despite the fact that all tickets to the stands are sold out, according to experts, this year the promotion of the fight was not at the highest level.

Still, two champions meet in the octagon at once, as well as the first and second numbers in the ranking of the best UFC fighters, regardless of weight categories.

Makhachev agrees with this.

“Dana White (the head of the UFC -

) has the biggest problems, he (advertisement of the fight

) does not pay much attention.

Here in Perth, everyone knows about the tournament and is looking forward to it.

And in terms of pay-per-view (PPV), yes, more could have been done.

I only saw Volkanovski once, in Sydney.

The tour could be organized around the world, a conference could be made in America, ”RIA Novosti quoted the athlete as saying.

The duel against the Australian will be special for the Russian.

And not only because this is the first fight in the status of UFC lightweight champion.

During the confrontation, he will not be helped by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who at the beginning of the year announced his retirement from the industry.

He will be replaced in the corner by coach Esedulla Emiragaev.

But the absence of such a significant person for Islam cannot but affect.

“When he's in the corner, it's much better.

We saw it in Abu Dhabi: some trifle, I don’t remember on emotions, - he will tell you: “Slow down here - here, on the contrary, add

When you have such an experienced second, it's a hundred percent big factor.

He plays in your favor, ”the Russian explained.

At the same time, Nurmagomedov continues to participate in the process of preparing Makhachev.

Coach Javier Mendez sends him a video from sparring in Australia, and Khabib makes his own adjustments to the Russian's actions.

Together they dismantled Volkanovski as well.

“Alex has short leverage, if at close range you have planned something, then you need to do it right away.

You don’t have to stand and get it, ”Makhachev shared the advice of his mentor.

Interestingly, the Australian also resorts to the help of the Nurmagomedov family.

He sparring with Khabib's distant relative Mairbek Taysumov.

So Alex will definitely be familiar with the features of the Dagestan school of wrestling.

“So many people sent me this photo.

How to treat it?

I have nothing to do with this, ”Makhachev admitted.

Talking about the favorite of the upcoming fight, experts disagree.

Some prefer the Russian, others prefer Alex, who will fight in the light weight category for the first time.

The obvious difference between them is height.

The Aussie is 10 centimeters shorter, and this may affect the course of the confrontation.

“We have seen clear examples of such battles.

I have a distance advantage.

On the abbreviation, short - the territory of Volkanovski.

And so, being taller and bigger is always good, ”Islam said.

Of the advantages of the opponent, Makhachev also singled out skills in the stand, pressure and endurance.

Volkanovski has extensive experience in five-round fights and the ability to work at the same pace for 25 minutes.

Therefore, according to the Russian, it is important to choose the right tactics.

Of course, the forthcoming battle will also have an impact on the “foreign field” factor.

In Perth, the audience will support their compatriot.

So you need to properly prepare psychologically for this situation.

“When there is support, it can even somehow influence the judges.

Every blow, the audience reacts, can confuse the judges, but martial arts is not a team sport, you enter the cage alone, so it’s a little different, ”Makhachev explained.

Although there is still a lot of time before the meeting with Volkanovski, Islam and his team are already thinking about the next opponents.

In an interview, Nurmagomedov predicted that the UFC champion had five or six more title defenses ahead, but the athlete himself did not want to name specific numbers.

“As long as there is dust, I will shove it!

As soon as I feel that it’s not going, it’s not the right state, I’ll leave the sport.

In the meantime, I feel that everything is working out for me, with each preparation I show myself better and better.

I will go to the end, ”said the athlete.

At the same time, Makhachev is indeed considering the option of moving to the category from 70 to 77 kg.

However, this will not happen in 2023, as the Russian still has lightweight contenders to face.

“So I will say: this topic is relevant.

I like to compete, I like to fight strong fighters.

I love big fights - whoever is the welterweight champion, it's going to be a huge fight.

This is very interesting to me, ”Makhachev admitted.

However, in the matter of popularity, not everything depends on the Russian himself.

To become one step with Nurmagomedov and even more so to surpass him, Makhachev needs his own Conor McGregor.

Understand this and in the team of the athlete.

“In any story, the antagonist is always better.

And in the case of the Irishman, two worlds collided: black and white ... whatever you want to call it.

For the history of battles, this is much more interesting.

To date, there seems to be no such fighter for Islam, but it may appear in the future,” Magomedov said.

Makregor himself is not considered by Makhachev as a potential rival.

In his opinion, the Irishman will no longer be able to return to the previous level, therefore he attracts attention to himself in other ways.

“Now, even if the nail is broken, you need to upload a photo.

If you got a scratch, too.

Somehow you have to be heard.

Something needs to be said.

Apparently, it is necessary to fall from the great now.

He can return, but it’s unlikely to compete in a title fight, ”Islam concluded.