"He's different to Khabib" - Javier Mendez hints at a change in strategy for Islam Makhachev's upcoming fight with Rafael dos Anjos

UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev is set to compete against Rafael dos Anjos on the main card of UFC 267. Due to Makhachev being close friends and training partners with former UFC 155lb champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, many fans expect him to follow a similarly grapple-heavy approach when competing against the top-ranked fighters in the division.

However, Javier Mendes, the head coach of AKA, has implied that we might well see something different from Islam Makhachev this time out. When not training in Dagestan, both Khabib and Makhachev go to AKA, where UFC greats such as Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold and Cain Velasquez have also trained.

In a recent Q&A on his YouTube channel, Mendez was asked whether Islam Makhachev would utilize his striking at all in the upcoming fight with dos Anjos. Mendez's reply went as follows:

"One hundred percent your gonna see his standup game because he's different than Khabib. Islam is the most accomplished striker out of all... So you'll see a lot from him. But your gonna see fathers plan also, combined. But it's not just father's plan, take him down, there's a strategy to that, that Khabib and I have been working on for many years. With the help of his father we've developed what we call the best strategy for taking out standup guys."

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Islam Makhachev vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Islam Makhachev is currently riding an eight-fight win streak, with all eight victories coming inside the UFC. He has triumphed against some notable opposition such as Arman Tsarukyan, Drew Dober and Nik Lentz. His most recent fight ended in a rear-naked submission finish over the No. 15-ranked Thiago Moises. The result saw Makhachev move up to fifth in the UFC's lightweight division.

Alternatively, Rafael dos Anjos is only on a one-fight win streak after defeating Paul Felder via decision in 2020. However, dos Anjos is a former 155lb champion and has previously defeated some very impressive fighters, including the likes of Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz.

The fight between Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos was initially scheduled for October 2020, and then later November. Both times the fight fell through. Now fans will finally see Islam Makhachev take on a true veteran of the UFC in dos Anjos. Whether he will be able to emulate Khabib Nurmagomedov's success against the former champion remains to be seen.

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