Islam Makhachev recently voiced his concerns over the UFC’s apparent lack of promotion for his upcoming fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. The lightweight champion is set to face his biggest test to date when he takes on the reigning featherweight champion in a superfight in Perth next week.
The two titleholders will go head-to-head for the 155-lbs strap and the pound-for-pound No.1 spot. Given the high stakes of the contest, many within the MMA community have questioned the lack of publicity and advertising for the upcoming pay-per-view.
In a recent interview with RSport Russia, Islam Makhachev opined that more could be done to build up the fight. Citing how Dana White has hardly talked about the fight of late, Makhachev said:
“I see that it is not such big promotion. Dana White himself has some problems; he does not pay much attention to this fight… In terms of pay-per-view, yes, more could have been done. I only saw Volkanovski once, in Sydney. A tour could be organized around the world, a conference could be held in America.” [Translated via MMA Junkie]
Islam Makhachev is riding an incredible 11-fight win streak. He will look to snap Alexander Volkanovski’s staggering 22-fight win streak in the main event of UFC 284 next weekend. With the two fighters ranked No.1 and 2 on the pound-for-pound list, this is a matchup unlike anything seen previously.
Across the UFC’s social media handles over the past few weeks, Dana White’s Power Slap has been unavoidable, to say the least. Notably, MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn recently pointed out the discrepency in the promotion between UFC 284 and Power Slap:
“Islam Makhachev could definitely be doing more self-promotion among stateside media, but he’s not entirely wrong here, either. Out of the last 50 posts on UFC’s Twitter feed, there is just one about UFC 284. Power Slap, by comparison, has 9 posts.”
Islam Makhachev unfazed by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s absent
Islam Makhachev will look to defend his lightweight title when he locks horns with pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 next week. However, unlike his last few outings, Khabib Nurmagomedov will not be seen in his corner.
Earlier this year, ‘The Eagle’ announced his intention to pull back from his coaching role to devote more time to family. Makhachev recently revealed that his mentor’s absence will not affect him.
In a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, Makhachev opened up about Nurmagomedov’s absence, adding that he has been in communication with the UFC Hall of Famer throughout training camp:
“I understand him, because he was retired, but he still traveled a lot with the whole team… And when you retire, you want to spend time with your family… I fought a couple of times without him in my corner. He gave me good support for this fight. We talked about this fight. He gave me the plan. I have to fight, that’s why we will see.”
Watch the full interview below: