"If he’s the same guy, he can win that fight" - Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira 2 predicted by Dustin Poirier ahead of potential title fight 

Islam Makhachev appears likely to face either Justin Gaethje or Charles Oliveira next, following his KO win over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294.

Makhachev was scheduled to take on Oliveira at UFC 294, but 'Do Bronx' suffered a cut above his eye almost two weeks before fight night. He was forced to withdraw from the fight, with 'The Great' stepping up on short-notice.

Following his emphatic win over Volkanovski, it was reported by Ariel Helwani that the promotion was looking to re-book Makhachev vs. Oliveira 2 for UFC 297 in January. Those rumors were dispelled by UFC CEO, Dana White, who remained open to scheduling the rematch.

Should Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira face-off once again, Dustin Poirier believes that either man could walk away victorious. Poirier was defeated by 'Do Bronx' at UFC 269, and is fully aware of the dangers presented by the Brazilian.

During a recent interview with MMAJunkie, 'The Diamond' said this:

"If Oliveira's mindset is in it, if he's the same guy who fought me, who fought Chandler, I think he can win that fight. I don't think he wanted to fight [against Islam Makhachev] in that title fight. It looked like he didn't want to be there, he quit on himself, it looked like. That's my opinion. I know personally he has the skills to beat the best guys in the world... It's just if he gets his mindset locked in, ready to go, I think he can beat him."

Watch the video below from 8:32:

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Islam Makhachev may have suffered severe damage to his leg after kicking Alex Volkanovski, says teammate

Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski faced off at UFC 294 last month in an epic rematch of their UFC 284 clash in February.

Their first fight was incredibly close, and despite Makhachev winning via decision, many felt that 'The Great' deserved the victory.

The rematch in Abu Dhabi was a highly-anticipated clash, but those who expected another five-round war were stunned to silence as Makhachev finished Volkanovski in Round 1.

Islam Makhachev landed a perfect left high-kick that wobbled his opponent before finishing the fight with ground-and-pound strikes.

However, Craig Jones, a teammate and BJJ coach of Alexander Volkanovski, has now revealed that Makhachev may have severely damaged his leg, after coming across the lightweight champion at a cafe the day after the fight.

During an episode of the El Segundo Podcast, Jones said this:

"He was actually limping on his leg. I think he might've broken his leg or something when he kicked Volk's head... His leg looked quite injured, so I said to Volk, 'Man if you ate that, you had [the fight] in the bag, he had a broken leg.' You know what I mean."

Watch the video below from 26:35: