Islam Makhachev feels he hasn’t reached his full potential contained in the Octagon.
After dominating the light-weight division and profitable title fights towards Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski, Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, Makhachev will transfer on to welterweight, the place he’ll intention to grow to be a two-division UFC champion.
“The Destroyer of Dagestan” will get his probability to just do that on November fifteenth when he takes on newly minted 170-pound king Jacques de la Maddalena at UFC 322 contained in the world’s most well-known area, Madison Sq. Backyard.
This shall be Makhachev’s first time competing at 170 kilos after making a reputation for himself within the 155-pound division. Evidently, he is extra thinking about how his physique responds than in much less intense weight reduction.
“Individuals who lose greater than 10 kg (about 22 kilos) by no means get well 100%,” Makhachev advised ESPN. “It is very tough to get well in 30 hours, so I nonetheless really feel like I am about 70, 60 % recovered for the struggle. I am actually trying ahead to seeing how I really feel within the cage proper now.”
Islam Makhachev’s transfer to welterweight is already paying off
If Makhachev was struggling on account of being lower right down to 155, it definitely did not present in his efficiency over the previous decade. Regardless of falling brief in his UFC debut towards Adriano Martins in October 2015, Makhachev is on a 15-fight profitable streak.
“We’ll see after the second spherical if that occurs,” Makhachev added. “After the second spherical, after the third spherical, just like the champion’s spherical. I’ve already felt it in camp so let’s examine. How is my restoration, how am I feeling after the third spherical? I feel it is going to be one thing new for me.”
Total, Makhachev is 27-1 in his combined martial arts profession with a powerful 67% completion share, together with 13 submissions and 5 KO/TKO wins.
