Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush are set to face each other at UFC fight night on the 26th of February. His Dagestani counterpart and teammate, Khabib Nurmagomedov reflected on Makhachev’s preparation.
The Eagle thinks, Islam is more than ready for his upcoming fight. He posts a training picture claiming how Makhachev is ready for the fight almost a month before the event. The eagle says I am very glad to see how @islam_makhachev is ready.
26 days before the fight. Everything on point”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68911682/1006872076.0.jpg "“I Am Very Glad To See Him Ready”- Khabib Nurmagomedov Talks About Islam Makhachev’s Training Camp for the Beneil Dariush Fight 2")
Islam has a very successful run at the UFC as he holds a nine-fight undefeated streak. His first-round knock out win over Dan Hooker has impressed the MMA world.
However, Dariush looks to be Islam’s toughest competition. He holds an undefeated streak of seven fights. Dariush’s last win was over Tony Ferguson, one of the most popular UFC superstars. Ferguson was dominated throughout the fight as Dariush stunned the MMA world with the win.
Islam has a very similar style of fighting, with grappling being his strength. Dariush, unlike the other fights in the division, does not fear sharing the stage with Islam. Dariush is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner himself and is known for his finishing skills. He respects Islam as an opponent and appreciates his skills. ON the other hand, he claims that the other fighters have not been able to challenge Makhachev, giving him an upper hand in almost all his fights.
“I haven’t seen anyone really pressure him and it could be because they couldn’t. They weren’t well-rounded enough. If you try pressuring him standing, he takes you down. If you try to apply some jiu-jitsu, his wrestling is so good he doesn’t allow you. From what I’ve seen, they haven’t been able to put pressure on him because they don’t have enough skills, the well-roundedness required to do that and I think I’m the guy to do that”, said Dariush.
Islam Makhachev vs Beneil Dariush analysis
Islam Makhachev has proved himself to be one of the best grapplers in the lightweight division. He has a record of submitting his opponents out cold. However, Dariush seems unaffected by Islam’s records and believes he can out-grapple Makhachev.
Dariush seems very confident going into this fight as he trusts his skills. However, he is considered to be the betting underdog going into the fight. He responds to this and says“I didn’t know the odds, but I think those are silly odds. That’s what I think.”
With both fighters having similar styles, this is one of the most anticipated fights of the year. With the odds being razor-thin, it’s only a matter of time until the two fighters display their skills in the cage.
