Charles Oliveira has been warned Islam Makhachev's wrestling will be a "nightmare" to deal with in the later rounds of their title fight.
Oliveira looks to become a two-time lightweight champion when he faces top contender Makhachev in the main event of UFC 280 this Saturday. Makhachev is unbeaten in 10 fights and will attempt to win the title his coach and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov held for several years. Oliveira was supposed to be making the third defence of his lightweight title at the event, but was stripped of the belt after missing weight by half a pound for his first-round submission win against Justin Gaethje in May.
Makhachev is favoured by bookmakers despite only beating one top-ranked contender at 155lb, with Oliveira's last three wins all coming against opponents ranked in the top-five of the division. And former UFC title challenger Dan Hardy thinks Oliveira's best chance of beating Makhachev will be inside two rounds, favouring the Russian's wrestling skills the longer the fight goes on.
Who wins at UFC 280 - Charles Oliveira or Islam Makhachev? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
"It’s a very winnable fight for Makhachev and I feel like anybody looking at this fight in great depth will be able to see that," Hardy told Mirror Fighting . "I could quite easily see Makhachev losing the first round pretty big, being taken down and having his neck attacked, but coming through it and then you’ve got an exhausted Oliveira who's got 15 or 20 minutes to hold him off. That sounds like a nightmare to me.
“I feel like Charles has probably got two rounds where he really needs to make a difference. He’s got to try and hurt him, catch him some sort of neck attack or leg entanglement, make a big impression and finish him in the first or second round. The longer this fight goes I feel like Makhacev’s efficiency and base skill set of wrestling will come into play."
UFC 280 marks the first time Makhachev has been scheduled for a five-round fight, with Oliveira's last three bouts being scheduled for 25-minutes. Hardy feels like despite Makhachev's inexperience in championship fights, he will more efficient with his energy in the later rounds.
"Makhachev is going to be preparing for a 25 minute fight," Hardy added. "I don’t think he’s going to slow down or let up on his wrestling pressure once Oliveira is tiring either. I can just see Oliveira not having success in the first seven or eight minutes, then looking like he’s got nothing else to give. It’s interesting given we’ve not seen either of them over 25 minutes, but my instincts tell me Makhachev is smarter and will be more efficient in that last 10 minutes."
Watch UFC 280 live on BT Sport Box Office from 5pm on Saturday, October 22. Coverage of the prelims are available to watch for free on YouTube, BTSport.com, BT Sport App and BT Sport Box Office App
