Around two weeks left till the Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski fight and opinions are pouring in from all over. The two champions have already faced off and look ready to duke things out. UFC Lightweight contender Beneil Dariush recently was talking to Michael Bisping when he was asked to deliver his evaluation on Makhachev.
https://youtu.be/8dP_ZgwJJWQ
Many expected Beneil Dariush to fight for the title after defeating fresh-blood Mateusz Gamrot in a high-voltage match. However, the fight between Alex and Makhachev made more sense as UFC was considering a fresh event in Australia. On the other hand, Benny is still not the biggest money draw so the UFC might want to build his name up more.
Dariush usually talks very highly of himself but doesn’t think Islam is very exceptional. While talking to Michael Bisping he labeled Makhachev as basic. Later he elaborated on his statements saying the current Lightweight champ is not reinventing the wheel or doing anything exceptional. Instead, the Dagestani practiced simple fighting tricks over and over to become exceptional at them.
Is Beneil Dariush right about Islam Makhachev?
Former undefeated Lightweight champion Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov always used to advise upcoming fighters to work on their crafts and brandish their skill sets. He also suggested that any combatant looking to make his way to the top needs to have a significant number of amateur fights and only move to professional when he has gathered good experience.
The AKA prospect was famous for announcing his game plan before the fight and going inside the Octagon and doing exactly that. Khabib had been training with his father from such a young age that grappling almost became second nature to him. Islam has been training with him from pretty much the start. The late Abdulmanap always claimed Makhachev as his favorite student.
So if we are being fair to Beneil, his statements are technically true. Let’s see if he can fight the way he talks when it’s finally time for the title fight.
