Islam Makhachev Exposes the Achilles Heel of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Fighters: “They All Go Down”

Islam Makhachev is gearing up for his fight against Alexander Volkanovski this weekend. It will be the first time in UFC that the 1st and 2nd ranked pound-for-pound fighters will go head-to-head inside the octagon at UFC 284. The fight will take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The Dagestani recently appeared in an interview with UFC fighter-turned-commentator Daniel Cormier and expressed his thoughts toward BJJ fighters.

Islam Makhachev is a world-class grappler. Even one of the best submission artists, Craig Jones, who trains with Volkanovski, also praised the lightweight champion for being exceptionally good on the mat. Craig even agreed with Makhachev, claiming that a lot of people do not deserve to hold black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Islam Makhachev recently made an appearance for an interview on former UFC champion Daniel Cormier‘s YouTube video ahead of his fight at UFC 284. The lightweight champion shared his opinion on the problems with the techniques of Jiu-Jitsu fighters in mixed martial arts.

Islam Makhachev claims all Jiu-Jitsu guys have the “same problem”

During the interview with Cormier, the former heavyweight champion warned Islam Makhachev to defend himself from takedowns. He was referring to Alexander Volkanovski‘s BJJ background. However, Makhachev highlighted the problems faced by the BJJ fighters. He claims that they cannot stay on top of their opponents during fights. “All Jiu-Jitsu guys have same problem. They cannot stay in the top. They all go down,” said the lightweight champion. He added, “This is big, big problem for them.”

Makhachev claimed that it would have been great if a BJJ black belt fighter had a good wrestling background. But apparently, he didn’t know anyone with that kind of modus operandi. The 31-year-old stated, “It would be very hard (to find) if Jiu-jitsu (black belt fighter) have good wrestling. But I don’t know people like this.”

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Islam Makhachev had been critical of many UFC fighters with a BJJ background. He once took a jibe at Dustin Poirier‘s showcase of BJJ in his fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269. The Dagestan native claimed that he wasn’t impressed in a video posted on Daniel Cormier‘s YouTube channel. He targeted Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler as well.

Islam Makhachev is looking to cement his legacy as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. And without Khabib Nurmagomedov by his side, it will be a tough outing for the lightweight champion, as will fight in front of Alexander Volkanovski‘s home crowd.

Who do you think will win the main event of UFC 284? Drop your comments below.

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