Nobody so far has managed to defeat Islam
Makhachev, but one former opponent believes he now knows the
key.
Advertisement
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Drew Dober
faced the current champ at UFC 259 in March of 2021. Makhachev put
on a dominant showing, notching over nine minutes of control time
before submitting Dober with an arm triangle in the third round.
Dober, who got back in the win column by knocking out Ricky Glenn
this past weekend at UFC Fight Night 229, learned from the loss
and, despite being best known himself as kickboxer with knockout
power, believes he made a mistake in approaching their fight as a
striker-versus-grappler affair.
According to Dober, several elite grapplers in the 155-pound
division have the required skills to beat Makhachev—if they are
willing to grapple with him. Dober believes Makhachev’s opponents
need to stop focusing on staying on the feet and start wrestling
the undefeated Dagestani. The 34-year-old recently told Ariel Helwani on The
MMA Hour:
“I think the key to beating Islam is that you have to dismiss the
idea that he’s such a strong wrestler. Like you gotta be in it.
Like, next time I fight Islam, I’m wrestling. Like we’re wrestling,
it’s happening and I might even get a takedown or two. And I think
that’s what these lightweights need to do. You can’t really on this
avoidance mindset, like we don’t do this, we do this. Like no. You
go in there, [with him] at his best and push him there and then you
can find it elsewhere.”
Makhachev is slated to defend his title in a rematch against former
champ Charles
Oliveira at UFC 294 on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi. Asked if he had
any tips for “do Bronx,” Dober added, “You gotta get in
[Makhachev’s] face and not just in the striking department… You
gotta gain space, you can’t wait for him to make a mistake cause
he’s gonna stay in his lane. You gotta force him out of his box.”