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UFC Fight Night: Islam Makhachev Advised to Take the ‘Easy Path’ & Khabib Nurmagomedov Agreed – Here’s Why

Published 02/28/2022, 10:00 AM EST

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Islam Makhachev is one of the most noteworthy fighters in the lightweight division right now. The Dagestani fighter is currently on a 10 fight win streak and has absolutely demolished almost every fighter he has faced in the octagon.

His most recent bout was against the American lightweight fighter Bobby Green. Makhachev took on Green at UFC Vegas 49 and annihilated him within the first round of their bout. Makhachev walked away with the win via a technical knock-out. The Russian used his amazing grappling skills to take him down and then smashed Green when he was on top.

In a recent video posted by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s official YouTube channel, his team revealed that coach Javier Mendez told Islam to take the fight to the ground.

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The video gave us a glimpse of Makhachev training with his team for UFC vegas 49. In the video, Islam’s coach told him,” He has a bigger chance in the stand-up. To be honest with you, I know you can outstrike him. But why do we want to do that? We don’t want to do that. The great warriors do the easy path right? Make it easy, make it exciting. That’s who you are, and that’s what you’re gonna do.”

READ MORE: Colby Covington Wants to Fight Another Former ATT Teammate After UFC 272 Clash With Bitter Rival Jorge Masvidal

After the bout, Khabib said,” Exactly what we say. Me and coach Javier, we tell him, ‘hey we know you can strike with him but for what? For what stand with him on his game, you know? Use your striking to take him down, especially on the ground. That’s it, you know make him fled. Make him understand who is who.”

Islam Makhachev clearly obeyed his coach and took his advice, and the result was pretty fruitful for him.

What’s next for Islam Makhachev?

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After his impressive win over Bobby Green, Islam Makhachev is definitely next in line for a title shot. Makhachev has proved himself worthy of a title shot time and again. His impressive win streak only speaks for his case.

via Imago

It is most likely that Makhachev will take on the winner of the bout between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.

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Oliveira vs Gaethje is currently scheduled to take place at UFC 274 on May 7, 2022, and the venue for the fight is still to be decided.

WATCH THIS STORY:: Event Recap: Best Fights From UFC Vegas 49: Islam Makhachev vs. Bobby Green

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Written by:

Pranit Punjabi

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Pranit Punjabi is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. A third-year psychology major, this Justin Gaethje fan merged his interest in psychology with his deep passion for MMA and was intrigued by this new angle to help him get closer to the action. Pranit aims to look through the violence and chaos, into what makes MMA truly beautiful, the deep and rich psychological aspect of the game.
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