5 reasons why Islam Makhachev will defeat the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier

#2. Islam Makhachev is ruthless enough to finish Charles Oliveira if he hurts him

Islam Makhachev has ruthless finishing skills, as he showed against Dan Hooker

Charles Oliveira is undoubtedly on one of the best runs we’ve ever seen in the UFC lightweight division and one that rivals Islam Makhachev's. ‘Do Bronx’ has won his last nine fights, with just one – his victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 256 – going the distance.

However, while Oliveira has definitely looked excellent during this run, he certainly hasn’t been infallible. In fact, the fight that won him the UFC lightweight title – his TKO of Michael Chandler at UFC 262 – saw him come frighteningly close to defeat.

Chandler decked the Brazilian in the early part of the first round and, after failing to lock down a guillotine choke, he largely dominated ‘Do Bronx’ from the top with some heavy ground-and-pound.

However, ‘Iron Mike’ couldn’t finish him off, and the second round saw Oliveira stun everyone by decking him with a left hand and finishing him shortly thereafter.

The win was naturally huge for ‘Do Bronx’ but it wasn’t hard to imagine an alternative scenario that might’ve seen Chandler pound him out in the first round.

That’s a worrying thought if Oliveira beats Dustin Poirier and has to face Islam Makhachev. While Makhachev doesn’t possess the brutal punching power of Chandler on the feet, it’s almost a certainty that he’s a better top position grappler than ‘Iron Mike’. If he were to lock up a guillotine on Oliveira, the fight would probably be over.

Even if Makhachev didn’t look for a submission, he could almost certainly pound on Oliveira from the top. He definitely has the ruthless nature needed to put Oliveira away.

Essentially, Charles Oliveira is a great fighter, but he’s also a somewhat fragile one too. Islam Makhachev, meanwhile, is a fighter who is ruthless enough to finish Oliveira if he were to hurt him.

---

#1. Islam Makhachev is the closest thing the UFC lightweight division now has to Khabib Nurmagomedov, and nobody could beat him

Islam Makhachev is now the closest thing that the UFC lightweight division has to Khabib Nurmagomedov

Perhaps the greatest reason for believing that Islam Makhachev will beat the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier is that he’s the closest thing in the division to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Sure, Makhachev doesn’t have the exact same style as his teammate, but they definitely share some similarities. Both men put their opponents under tremendous pressure, and both men use their stellar wrestling and grappling games to dominate their foes.

While Islam Makhachev is only just reaching the top of the UFC lightweight division, as everyone is aware, Khabib got to the summit of that mountain a number of years ago.

‘The Eagle’ won the UFC lightweight title in 2018 and then dominated the best the division had to offer in Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje.

Most importantly, none of them had any kind of answer for his powerful takedowns and stifling top game. With that considered, why would they be any more successful against a fighter as similar to Khabib as Islam Makhachev is?

Essentially, there’s no reason why Islam Makhachev can’t simply pick up where Khabib left off, and use a similar style to thoroughly dominate the rest of the UFC lightweight division – starting with the winner of the upcoming Oliveira vs. Poirier fight.