Islam
Makhachev’s elite grappling continues to draw compliments.
Makhachev will look to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title against
Ian
Garry in the UFC
330 main event on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in
Philadelphia. Ahead of his first title defense at 170 pounds,
Porrada Training Center coach Ronny
Markes has hailed Dagestan’s ability on the mat.
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Islam Makhachev’s grappling advantage before UFC 330
welterweight title defense
Markes has worked with numerous high-level athletes at his Las
Vegas gym, including Johnny
Walker, Jessica
Andrade, Alexander
Volkov, Magomed
Ankalaev and Kelvin
Gastelum. Speaking to Sherdog, he offered insight into
Makhachev’s grappling prowess.
“I watched him train here at the P.I. against an ADCC champion, a
Brazilian more than 10 kilograms [22 pounds] heavier, under
grappling rules,” Markes said. “It was an incredibly tough session
and Islam only lost by two or three points in that grappling
spar.”
The jiu-jitsu coach then broke down the Makhachev vs. Garry
matchup, emphasizing that the challenger’s best chance of victory
is using long-range strikes and avoiding grappling exchanges,
especially considering how easily the Russian controlled former
champion Jack
Della Maddalena on the mat to win the welterweight title.
“Islam has the cardio to fight hard for five rounds,” Markes added.
“He made Jack Della Maddalena, who’s bigger than Ian Garry, look
like a white belt. If he manages to get the fight to the ground,
he’ll create serious problems. Ian’s best chance is to use his
reach and keep the fight at striking distance.”