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Daniel Cormier provided a breakdown of how he believes a potential Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev will play out.
While 'DC' believes it will be a close fight, he is of the opinion that Makhachev will present Oliveira with challenges he didn't have to deal with in his previous fights. During the latest episode of The DC & RC show on ESPN MMA, the former two-division champ said:
"I think it's a tough fight. You know, I think it's a very close fight and I also believe that the style of Makhachev will allow it to be as fun and competitive as we've seen from something Oliveira had to deal with lately. Because for as great of a fighter as Poirier is, Gaethje is, they would never have attempted to compete with Oliveira on the ground. Well, Makhachev will. Will that be to his detriment? Just maybe."
Cormier said he's also interested to see how his teammate would approach taking on Oliveira, who's equally lethal on his feet and on the ground. The 43-year-old said:
"He will not fight Oliveira on the feet because Oliveira has become this striker at another level. Like, Oliveira is so good on his feet now that Makhachev's path to victory would be to go and grapple with the dude who's the greatest submission artist in UFC history. That just tells you how special Charles Oliveira is."
Watch Daniel Cormier's comments below:
Islam Makhachev vows to finish Charles Oliveira on the ground
Islam Makhachev doesn't appear to be fazed by Charles Oliveira's stellar grappling resume. The Brazilian, of course, is the most decorated grappler in the UFC, holding the record for most wins by submission with 16.
Makhachev, however, is confident in his own ground game. During an interview with ESPN MMA, the Dagestani said:
"I'm going to beat Charles. And everybody is going to understand. Honestly, I believe I can finish this guy, and I really want to finish him in the grappling, in his area. I know I can do this."
With his recent win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, Oliveira earned the right to fight for the vacant title. Makhachev, who is riding a 10-fight winning streak, is the leading contender to become Oliveira's next opponent.
