UFC lightweight prospect Drew Dober recently gave his pick for a tough contender who can beat Islam Makhachev.
In a recent interview with James Lynch, Dober was asked who, according to him, would be a capable opponent for the newly-crowned lightweight champ. The 34-year-old opined that former interim lightweight champ Dustin Poirier could the Dagestani fighter a tough fight. According to Dober, the fight IQ between ‘The Diamond’ and Makhachev will prove to be a deciding factor in the match should they decide to fight.
The lightweight said:
“I think Dustin Poirier could give him some problems. That would be a close fight. Really, the fight IQ in that fight would be the winning factor.”
Islam Makhachev last fought Charles Oliveira at the main event of UFC 280 with the lightweight title on the line. The Dagestani put on a spectacular performance and claimed the 155 lbs belt by defeating the Brazilian via second-round submission.
Meanwhile, Poirier is coming off a win against Michael Chandler in a lightweight matchup at UFC 281. The duo went back and forth for three rounds before ‘The Diamond’ submitted ‘Iron’ via a rear-naked choke at the 2:00 mark of the final round.
You can check out Drew Dober giving his opinion on a possible fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier below:
Islam Makhachev will have a tough fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 claims Arman Tsarukyan
In a recent interview with The Schmo, Arman Tsarukyan discussed how the lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Volkanovski will turn out at UFC 284.
The No. 9 ranked lightweight fighter noted that, unlike Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski would not be an easy opponent for the Dagestani. However, Tsarukyan believes that the lightweight champ will be able to defeat the Australian and successfully accomplish his first title defense.
Speaking in the interview, Tsarukyan said:
“This is a good fight. I think this fight’s going to show if Islam’s the best or not in his game. Volkanovski is number one pound-for-pound and I think for Islam, he’s going to be the toughest opponent, you know? My opinion is still that Islam’s going to win, but for sure it’s not going to be easy like [Charles] Oliveira.”
Check out the Tsarukyan discuss the upcoming lightweight title fight below (7:34mark):