Islam Makhachev Sees More Pressure On Charles Oliveira’s Team Than His Own, Is Fighting For His Coach Khabib’s Legacy

Islam Makhachev thinks Charles Oliveira's team feel pressure because his team already holds two wins over their team.

Makhachev Oliveira
Credit: Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira on Instagram

Islam Makhachev sees his team going up 3-0 against Charles Oliveira’s team when he wins on Saturday at UFC 280. 

Islam Makhachev is heading into the biggest fight of his career on Saturday at UFC 280. He will be taking on former champion Charles Oliveira in the main event and even though all eyes are on this matchup, Makhachev is not feeling the pressure. Makhachev has been on the rise in the lightweight division for some time. He now holds ten wins in a row and expectations are high. He trains under former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and ever since his UFC debut there have been comparisons between him and his mentor. 

In the lead-up to this bout, there have been a few comments made by coach Nurmagomedov and Oliveira. Nurmagomedov has mentioned that he was unsure if Oliveira would even make it to the fight and Oliveira has called Makhachev’s team arrogant in their approach to the bout. During the media day for UFC 280, Makhachev was asked if he is feeling any pressure being put on him by his team. He responded by saying the pressure should all be on Oliveira and his team since several members of Makhachev’s camp hold wins over the opposing camp. 

“No, my team don’t have pressure, I don’t have pressure,” he explained via The Mac Life. “I think his team have some pressure because he have a big team, I have a big team and already we beat two guys from his team. Islam Mamedov fight with some guy from his team and Tagir Ulanbekov beat someone of his team and Saturday night it’s gonna be 3-0.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj3Xs5ANiCA/?hl=en

Islam Makhachev is fighting for more than his own legacy at UFC 280

Islam can secure his first UFC title with a win over Oliveira, but he is more concerned with following in the footsteps of his coach Nurmagomedov. Even though Nurmagomedov holds true that he is more of a mentor than a coach to his team, they all look up to him. He is one of the best to have ever fought in the UFC and now in a leadership role could become of of the best coaches of all time. Makhachev wants to be the first to win a championship for Nurmagomedov’s coaching legacy. 

“Yes, we already have one belt in the UFC now it’s Khabib my head coach, and Saturday night it’s gonna be first UFC champion for his legacy,” he explained.

UFC 280 goes down on Oct. 22 live from Abu Dhabi. The prelims begin at 10 am ET and the main card will start at 2 pm ET.

Watch the entire interview here:

Published on October 19, 2022 at 11:14 am
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