Islam Makhachev is set to defend his lightweight title for the first time at UFC 284. Former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson shared that he believes Beneil Dariush is the only lightweight capable of dethroning the current champion.
Speaking on his podcast, WEIGHING IN, Thomson stated:
“The only one would be Dariush, that’s it… He’s the only one that I think has the style to beat [Makhachev]. He’s so unorthodox. He doesn’t fight like a normal fighter. ‘You want to stand and trade with Islam? I’ll take you down. You want to wrestle with me? I’ll stuff your takedowns and force you to stand.’ Dariush doesn’t give a f**k where you take the fight.”
Thomson added:
“He does it in a very wild, crazy way. You’re not expecting someone to go granby roll right out of something into a leg lock into a sit up and sweep… He’s not trying to allow you to lock your hands around his body and get you taken down… He’s gonna give up position and he’s gonna fight at a pace that Islam – I know he’s always in phenomenal shape – but he likes to slow it down.”
Dariush would likely have faced Makhachev in his first title defense. However, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will receive the opportunity as he looks to become the fifth double champ in UFC history. The No.4-ranked lightweight will have to wait for his shot at the belt.
Watch Josh Thomson discuss why Beneil Dariush is the only lightweight that can defeat Islam Makhachev below (starting at the 45:47 mark):
Daniel Cormier says Alexander Volkanovski defeating Islam Makhachev would be the biggest upset in UFC history
Alexander Volkanovski will look to become the fifth double champ in UFC history at UFC 284. Daniel Cormier, the second fighter ever to accomplish the feat, shared that he believes if the featherweight champion is able to defeat Islam Makhachev, it would be the biggest upset in mixed martial arts history.
Speaking on his podcast, 3 Rounds with Daniel Cormier, the UFC Hall of Famer stated:
“There have been a number of upsets in mixed martial arts… In my opinion, Volkanovski wins this fight, it’s the biggest. It’s bigger than anything we’ve seen because, I’m telling you, when you get into the details of this matchup, it seems a very hard match for Volkanovski to win because his [Makhachev] skill set is almost catered for a guy like Volkanovski.”
Although Volkanovski is the current pound-for-pound king, he will enter his upcoming bout with Makhachev as a heavy underdog.
Watch Daniel Cormier discuss Alexander Volkanovski versus Islam Makhachev below (starting at the 2:49 mark):