By Lourence Alturino
Image from mmamania.com
Champ vs Champ. The very first time the top 2 pound for pound fighters face off in the octagon. Here we find out, who truly is the best fighter in the world? The dominant Dagestani champion vs the king of the Featherweights. UFC returns to Australia with this super fight, but who wins? Will Islam continue his reign of dominance upon the lightweight division? Or will Volk achieve what very few have, double champ status?
Islam Makhachev (23-1)
The #2 P4P fighter. In Islam's last outing back in October, he defeated Charles Oliveira to become the UFC Lightweight Champion. Makhachev is feared by many fighters because of his unstoppable wrestling. Everyone knows what Makhachev is going to do, takedown and finish. Yet, no one has been able to stop him because of how superior his grappling is. This doesn't make Islam one-dimensional though as he's a solid striker. The huge threat of the takedown opens up a ton of opportunities for Islam to have success on the feet. However, this is not the fight that Islam should keep standing. Makhachev should stick to his bread and butter and grapple to get a finish. Can Islam Makhachev win his 12th straight fight and successfully defend his title for the first time?
Keys for Makhachev
- Keep fight on the ground
- Push Volk back to the fence
- Beware of and catch leg kicks
Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski (25-1)
The best fighter on the planet, #1 Pound for Pound. The reigning featherweight world champion is chasing greatness by fighting for the lightweight championship. This is Volkanovski's first fight at 155, but he is naturally a big fighter for his structure. Volkanovski has ruled over the 145 division with wins over Max Holloway (3x), Brian Ortega, and The Korean Zombie. Volk is one of the best strikers in the world, hence why Islam should not strike with him for an extended amount of time. Now Alex is clearly the worse grappler in this fight, but he's actually pretty good in the wrestling department. Alex is going to desperately need takedown defense to win this fight. As long as the fight is on the feet, Volk should have the edge. Volk has a big speed advantage and that will be key in this fight. Will "The Great" further cement his spot as the best fighter in the world and walk out of Australia with two belts?
Keys for Volkanovski
- Keep fight on feet as long as possible
- Push Islam back
- Don't throw leg kicks consistently
Breakdown
A classic grappler vs striker matchup, but none as big as this one. This is one of the biggest fights of all time. Islam is going in that octagon to do one thing and one thing only, wrestle. Islam is relentless, he will continuously look for the takedown. Can Volk stop the inevitable takedown though? That's the big question.
I don't think Volk can, but it's not necessarily about stopping the initial takedown. It's whether or not Volk can get back to his feet and finish Islam on the feet. Volkanovski is clearly the better striker, but just how much of an opportunity will he get to fight standing.
Final Prediction
This is not just a fight for the 155 pound championship, this is a fight to see who is the best MMA fighter in the world. If Volkanovski can pull this off, this could be the biggest win in UFC history and could firmly put him as a top 3 fighter ever. Volk's chances are higher than most think because at the end of the day, it's hard to count out a fighter who's at this level of greatness. However, Islam has such a big grappling advantage that I just can't see Volk stopping him. This is not an easy fight for Makhachev, but one he could make look easy. While it would be a glorious sight to see Alexander Volkanovski have two belts on his shoulder in his home country, this will not be his night. It will be Islam Makhachev's and he will win via RD3 submission.
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