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Anthony Smith has put forth his take regarding the highly-anticipated matchup between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira. The Russian will face former UFC lightweight champion Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 280 on October 22.
In an edition of MMA Pros Pick with James Lynch, Anthony Smith recalled picking against Oliveira when the latter faced Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. The UFC light heavyweight contender suggested that his predictions were swayed by public opinion against Oliveira, who’s long been an underdog in most fights.
‘Lionheart’ emphasized that Oliveira is capable of being hit but acknowledged that his striking has significantly improved as of late. Breaking down the Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira fight, Smith stated:
“It’s a hardcore's dream. I think that his grappling is going to be dangerous for Islam; at least dangerous enough to where there’s going to be more striking than maybe Islam is gonna want to have. So, I would give the striking advantage to Oliveira. I would give the submission advantage to Oliveira and the wrestling advantage to Islam.”
Smith opined that despite being an exceptional wrestler, Islam Makhachev is unlikely to hurt Charles Oliveira from the top position. He noted that while Makhachev could maintain top control and outpoint Oliveira, ‘do Bronx’ would pose a huge submission threat in the grappling exchanges. Smith said:
“I think that’s a dangerous game to play with Charles Oliveira. That’s three or four times you have to enter in that gray area where Charles is gonna be opportunistic. He’s going to grab your neck on the way down. He’s going to grab an arm. He’s going to take your back.”
‘Lionheart’ believes that utilizing the aforesaid strategy against Charles Oliveira would be akin to playing with fire several times. On that note, Smith picked 'do Bronx' to defeat Islam Makhachev.
Watch Smith discuss the topic in the video below:
The dichotomy between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira’s roads to MMA glory
Dagestani wrestling savant Islam Makhachev and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Charles Oliveira have traversed vastly different paths to MMA success. While Makhachev has lost just once in his professional MMA career, Oliveira has suffered eight defeats.
Regardless, the fact remains that Makhachev hasn't won UFC gold yet, whereas Oliveira has previously held the coveted UFC lightweight title. Presently, Makhachev is on a 10-fight win streak, while Oliveira hasn't been defeated in his last 11 bouts.
Moreover, despite Makhachev’s relatively stable journey to the top and Oliveira’s bumpy road to MMA glory, many believe that their upcoming fight is as close and unpredictable as a fight could be in the current UFC landscape.
