Russian mixed style fighter (MMA) Islam Makhachev explained REN TVwhy, despite a long winning streak, he doesn’t have a UFC championship belt yet.
“It so happened that I was not given top rivals until I myself went through every ladder and went upstairs,” said the fighter.
As part of the UFC 267 tournament, the Russian will fight with New Zealander Dan Hooker. Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will be the second in the battle.
On October 26, Makhachev said that he intends to defeat his rival and is actively preparing for the tournament.
On the same day he told Izvestia that he tried to keep himself in shape to the last. During his training, Makhachev pays special attention to boxing technique, the ability to control the opponent at the distance he needs, and also shows a high class of positional dominance, easily mounts, does not allow the sparring partner to avoid the fight and puts constant pressure on him.
In July, Makhachev defeated Brazilian Thiago Moises ahead of schedule in the main UFC fight in Las Vegas, scoring an eighth victory in a row. The 29-year-old Russian has 20 victories and one defeat in MMA.
In addition to the Makhachev – Hooker fight at UFC 267, there will be fights between Alexander Volkov and Pole Marcin Tybura, as well as Petr Jan and American Corey Sandhagen.
The tournament, which will take place in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, October 30, will be broadcast on REN TV.
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