UFC 242: Khabib vs. Poirier - Predictions and Picks

#3 Islam Makhachev vs. Davi Ramos

Islam Makhachev is one of the UFC's most dangerous 155lbers

Well, thank the lord the reports of Makhachev being cut from the UFC for his (very small) part in the Khabib/McGregor brawl last year were inaccurate. Simply put, the man is one of the very best fighters out there at 155lbs in my opinion, even if he hasn’t quite proven it against top-level opposition just yet. For me that’s only a matter of time, and grappling whiz Ramos represents a slight step up from his most recent opponents, making this a watchable fight.

Essentially, Makhachev fights a lot like his teammate Khabib; he’s perhaps a little more aggressive when it comes to submissions than Nurmagomedov, and he’s probably a little more wild and loose with his striking – hence that silly KO loss to Adriano Martins in 2015 – but overall, his aim is pretty much the same, to take his opponent down and beat them up en route to a TKO or submission.

The issue here for him is that for once, there’s every chance he could actually be outgunned on the mat. Ramos isn’t just your run-of-the-mill BJJ black belt – he’s an Abu Dhabi gold medallist who can probably claim to be one of the best no-gi grapplers on the planet right now. And we’ve largely seen that in his UFC career thus far.

Sure, he lost a dull striking match to fellow grappling whiz Sergio Moraes in his Octagon debut, but that was a fight taken on very late notice. Since then he’s reeled off 4 straight wins, including 3 simple rear naked choke victories that were reminiscent of Rickson or Royce Gracie going to work in the formative years of the sport.

Does Makhachev really want to tangle on the ground with someone that dangerous? I’m honestly not sure. The old adage that punching a black belt in the face turns him into a brown belt and so forth may well be true, but it’s still a very risky proposition. Thankfully for Makhachev, Ramos hasn’t really shown himself to be on the elite level with his wrestling, while Islam himself is strong in that area. That means if nothing else, he should be able to control where the fight takes place.

That means that if he wishes, he can probably turn this into a striking match and I think that benefits him. Neither Makhachev or Ramos will be confused for a world-class kickboxer any time soon, but I think Makhachev is the more natural striker; Ramos has shown some power in his hands before and doesn’t look horribly stiff, but in terms of the kind of finishing ability that Makhachev has demonstrated, I think he lags behind.

There’s every chance that this fight goes wrong for Makhachev; he could take Ramos down and find himself out of his depth with a better grappler, or he could get too wild on the feet and find himself being tagged as he did against Martins, but in the end I think his slightly superior athleticism and striking skills should win him the day. Later in the fight he might even look to wrestle Ramos as he gets more tired and sweaty – and assuming he doesn’t do anything silly, he should be able to ride the fight out.

The Pick: Makhachev via unanimous decision