Islam Makhachev, Khabib’s protege and pound-for-pound king | UFC 302

Final Preventing Championship (UFC) Light-weight kingpin, Islam Makhachev, seems to be to defend his title for the third time reverse veteran knockout artist, Dustin Poirier, this Saturday (June 1, 2024) at UFC 302 inside Prudential Heart in Newark, New Jersey.

Makhachev wanted a 10-fight win streak to attain his first UFC title shot, however he’s making up for misplaced time. The Russian wrestler defended his title twice final 12 months, starting and definitively ending a trilogy with Alexander Volkanovski to announce himself as the present pound-for-pound king. He’s massively favored to dispatch Poirier right here, a win that may seemingly clear off the remaining outdated guard of the Light-weight elite.

It might be silly to completely look previous “The Diamond,” however the odds are on Makhachev’s facet for a motive. He’s been great, dwelling as much as each expectation, and now he can tie his coach Khabib Nurmagomedov’s title protection file with yet one more victory.

Let’s take a better take a look at his talent set:

Hanging

Makhachev’s pair of bouts reverse Volkanovski have dramatically modified the notion of his kickboxing means.

Makhachev’s finest weapon has lengthy been his left leg (GIF). Regardless of being a lifelong wrestler greater than the rest, he’s in a position to throw robust left kicks whereas relaxed, which tends to imply his kicks come rapidly. He’s typically benefiting from going through Orthodox opponents, so his spherical kick requires little setup to be a significant risk to the liver or head. Along with mixing up his targets, Makhachev will stab up the center with a left entrance kick. It shouldn’t be an enormous shock that Makhachev managed to clip an ill-prepared Volkanovski together with his finest arise weapon.

Makhachev’s boxing has seen good improvement. Although he nonetheless prefers brief exchanges, Makhachev is extra unfastened and correct. For a Southpaw, he truly has an honest jab too, one which he feints typically then surprises foe with often.

Unsurprisingly, Makhachev does extra of his work together with his left hand (GIF). He principally throws it straight to the chin or physique, typically following a jab feint. Nonetheless, he gave Volkanovski some fascinating seems to be by feinting the uppercut then firing the straight, or displaying the straight and as a substitute firing extra of a left hook. His means to modify up the the angle on his rear hand actually helps it sneak by the guard. One in all Makhachev’s finest setups is his feint in direction of the lead leg together with his proper hand and even his head. As his opponent makes an attempt to tug the leg away from a possible shot, their head comes ahead, instantly into his overhand.

In opposition to Davi Ramos, a left hand/takedown feint mixture noticed Ramos attempt to hearth again, solely to get wrapped up within the double-collar tie and dropped with a knee. Tying punches into clinches labored nicely towards one other shorter opponent in Volkanovski, and he used the double-collar defensively as nicely to forestall Volkanovski from constructing mixtures. The Australian was pressured to handle the clinch instantly, as a result of Makhachev’s knees had been dangerously near his chin straight away.

What’s actually fascinating about Makhachev’s success on the toes towards Charles Oliveira is that he actually didn’t do something sophisticated. As an alternative, Makhachev relied on his fundamentals, endurance and glorious coaching.

From the primary bell, Makhachev appeared very ready for the varied standup instruments in Oliveira’s arsenal. He constantly circled off, refusing Oliveira quick access to the kind of ferocious tempo he sometimes enjoys. Oliveira is just not the sort to work his approach ahead behind a double jab and feints — he was simply attacking. Conversely, Makhachev was glad to ding him with a left hand or verify hook then wrestle or just return to his motion. Oliveira tried to grit his approach by the counters, however a Makhachev proper hook despatched him to the canvas as a substitute.

Makhachev continued to seek out counter combating success towards Volkanovski. Along with utilizing the clinch to discourage his bursts, Makhachev sat down on his counter punches, wobbling Volkanovski’s knees on a number of events together with his counter left hand. After all, it helped Makhachev’s trigger that Volkanovski was pressured to cost at him to cowl distance, however he did good work in making the Australian pay for his top and attain disadvantages.

Wrestling

A Russian and world champion in Fight Sambo, an incredible portion of Makhachev’s fights are spent in high management. That is the place the Khabib comparisons come from, as the 2 share a number of of the identical methods even when there are vital variations as nicely.

Earlier than we get into any method, when you have but to see Makhachev’s struggle with Arman Tsarukyan, it’s a unbelievable show of blended martial arts (MMA) wrestling from each males.

In regard to the comparisons to Khabib’s wrestling, their approaches to taking down opponents are fairly completely different. Nurmagomedov was all about all of the sudden closing the hole with athletic pictures earlier than ending alongside the fence, whereas Makhachev is all about tips and craft.

He’s additionally merely great from the higher physique clinch.

Makhachev’s clinic towards Nik Lentz stays among the finest examples. Within the first actual wrestling change of the struggle, Makhachev managed an underhook alongside the fence and threatened an outdoor throw on the far leg. When Lentz widened his base to keep away from getting tossed, Makhachev scored a simple inside journey on the close to leg.

That inside journey is a standard weapon of Makhachev, who will spin his opponent to the mat every time he spreads his legs. One other widespread trick of Makhachev is to execute a foot sweep whereas his opponent makes an attempt to land a knee, turning a nook and deftly knocking the bottom foot out of place to land on high.

Again to Lentz — at one level, Lentz tried his personal outdoors journey. Virtually effortlessly, Makhachev utilized stress together with his overhook and hopped, betting on his personal stability and stress towards the American’s. He received, flipping Lentz to his again with a method “The Carny” makes use of fairly typically.

In opposition to Tsarukyan, Makhachev twice pulled off an superior foot sweep from the over-under within the heart of the Octagon, a place that actually solely happens when two aggressive wrestlers meet. Along with his overhook arm, Makhachev would attain throughout the center floor and catch Tsarukyan’s overhook wrist. This hand place allowed Makhachev to twist Tsarukyan a bit, and when the proficient Armenian resisted, he moved instantly into the foot sweep.

When Makhachev does degree turn into pictures, he likes to take action when his opponent is backed into the fence, the place overpowering his opponent with a double leg is a matter of posture and power. In opposition to Dan Hooker, he transformed a caught kick into an easy double leg whereas urgent the Kiwi. When Bobby Inexperienced did a pleasant job of hand-fighting and attempting to circle off within the clinch, Makhachev dropped down rapidly and bowled him over, surprising the veteran.

Volkanovski stored up with Makhachev’s wrestling much better than most, however he nonetheless wound up beneath the Russian wrestler on a number of events. Most frequently, Makhachev completed his pictures alongside the fence, making use of his power benefit to pressure Volkanovski to the ground in traditional vogue. When Volkanovski turned away, Makhachev’s means to take the again earlier than Volkanovski broke his grip was examined.

Defensively, Makhachev has confirmed extremely troublesome to take down. Lentz managed to achieve good place on the double leg alongside the fence a pair occasions, however he was rapidly pulled as much as the waist and tripped up for his efforts.

The bout with Tsarukyan revealed much more about Makhachev’s glorious protection. Tsarukyan repeatedly dedicated totally to his pictures, even hitting his knee alongside the canvas, But a overwhelming majority of the time, Makhachev was nonetheless in a position to meet the shot with a hip bump and sprawl, dropping his weight heavy on an overhook to angle away from Tsarukyan’s head.

Extra than simply stopping the shot, Makhachev made his opponent pay. He held on the entrance head lock repeatedly, which could be very carrying. In different exchanges, Makhachev drove into his personal shot as Tsarukyan recovered his foot place — the traditional re-shot extra widespread to scholastic wrestling than cage-fighting.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

We now have to credit score Makhachev’s unimaginable high management to his Sambo background and Russian struggle workforce. On this realm, Makhachev is much extra much like Nurmagomedov. The person is heavy from high place, maintaining his head excessive and stacking his opponent’s hips as he stands over them. He is probably not a mauler on the extent of Khabib, however getting caught beneath Makhachev appears to suck fairly unhealthy.

On the mat, Makhachev fairly often presents his foes with the identical paradox as “The Eagle.” He’s continually seeking to lock the legs down. He’ll achieve this with the leg triangle after a profitable takedown, gathering each legs then locking his personal over high, successfully pinning his foe’s butt to the canvas. Nonetheless, Makhachev additionally applies the identical idea from half guard, locking his personal legs to lure himself — and his opponent — in half guard.

His opponent has the choice to easy keep there, however then he’ll simply be consuming elbows and dropping the struggle. Extra doubtless, his foe seems to be to push off the mat and construct up to withstand. That is exactly how Makhachev (and Khabib) finds his technique to the two-on-one management, tying up the wrist behind the again.

It’s easy depressing, and there’s no straightforward escape. Not solely does Makhachev doubtless rating some free pictures, however his foe typically has to surrender the again or mount to flee the two-on-one wrist journey — thus the trio of rear bare choke wins on his file.

In his victory over Hooker, Makhachev was fairly rapidly in a position to latch onto a kimura. He caught Hooker being a bit lazy in half guard — which admittedly is just not the best place to complete the shoulder look — and secured the figure-four grip. Then, he rapidly moved into facet management, a significantly better ending place. The crank was tight, nevertheless it wasn’t till he was in a position to step over Hooker’s head and totally torque the ought to that he pressured a fight-ending scream from “The Hangman.”

In opposition to Kajan Johnson, Makhachev pulled off a fairly neat armbar. After climbing excessive into the mount, Makhachev reached round his opponent’s head to catch a wrist in sort of an inverse present wrap place. After a couple of punches, Makhachev drove ahead even larger into the arm pit, utilizing his different hand to assist latch on slightly than strike.

Makhachev sat again on the arm, managed a leg to forestall his foe from sitting up, then yanked correctly on the wrist to hyperextend the arm and pressure the faucet.

Twice now, Makhachev has completed the arm triangle choke from half guard. This isn’t in any respect widespread, because it’s a worse place to drive into the strangle because the opponent’s legs are in play to withstand. For many athletes, it’s simply not very attainable to generate sufficient ahead pressure and shoulder stress to completely minimize off blood movement from that place.

Makhachev is just not most athletes. He’s in a position to stand up on his toes and actually drive his weight ahead regardless of the half guard, and — judging by his flaring again muscle groups — his clamp across the neck is clearly extreme. He’s making skilled opposition faucet rapidly with this system, and he’s in a position to wrap it up in a short time from what’s often an innocuous place.

In brief, that’s an actual harmful method.

Conclusion

Makhachev is a standout expertise, one of many very best within the sport proper now. He faces a harmful contender in Poirier, nevertheless it doesn’t really feel like a problem the Russian champion can not deal with.

Andrew Richardson, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, is an expert fighter who trains at Workforce Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. Along with studying alongside world-class expertise, Andrew has scouted opponents and developed successful methods for a number of of the game’s most elite fighters.

Keep in mind that MMAmania.com will ship LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow protection of your complete UFC 302 struggle card proper right here, beginning with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches on-line, that are scheduled to start at 6:15 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), earlier than the pay-per-view (PPV) predominant card begin time at 10 p.m. ET (additionally on ESPN+).

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