5 reasons why Islam Makhachev will destroy the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje

#4. Islam Makhachev has only ever lost due to an error on his part

An avoidable error led to Islam Makhachev's loss to Adriano Martins

Unlike his teammate and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev does have a loss to his name in the UFC. That loss came back in 2015 via knockout at the hands of Adriano Martins.

Given that Martins washed out of the UFC in 2017 and was never known for his striking, should we suspect that Makhachev’s Achilles' heel is his striking and durability?

In all honesty, no. It’d be easy to suggest that without seeing the fight, but anyone who does remember it – or who has checked it out since – should be aware that Makhachev was essentially the architect of his downfall.

He waded in, throwing strikes wildly and showing zero respect for Martins’ striking. The Dagestani ended up being caught with a clean haymaker. Essentially, it was a silly error, but as any MMA fan knows, any fighter can be knocked out with the right shot at any time.

Since then, Makhachev has not taken similar risks, and it’s clear that his striking skills have improved dramatically. This has led him to a 10-fight win streak.

Therefore, can we take anything from this single loss when it comes to a potential fight between Makhachev and either Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje? The answer is absolutely a no. Unlike the recent losses suffered by those two fighters, Makhachev’s loss to Martins is irrelevant.

---

#3. Islam Makhachev has the grappling chops to deal with Charles Oliveira on the ground

Could Islam Makhachev thrive in a grappling-based fight with Charles Oliveira?

Given that Charles Oliveira holds the UFC’s record for the most submission wins in the promotion’s history with a total of 15, it’s hardly a stretch to label 'Do Bronx' the most dangerous grappler on the planet right now.

Great grapplers such as Kevin Lee, Jim Miller, and Hatsu Hioki have fallen to the slick submission skills of ‘Do Bronx’ – so if he’s holding the title when Islam Makhachev claims his inevitable title shot, does the Dagestani have the grappling chops to deal with him?

Based on what we’ve seen thus far into his octagon career, Makhachev would definitely appear to be more than capable of surviving on the mat with the Brazilian.

Firstly, given Makhachev’s wrestling skill, it’s unlikely that Oliveira would be able to take him down. Instead, any takedowns are likely to be landed by the Dagestani.

While ‘Do Bronx’ is excellent off his back, it’s much harder for any jiu-jitsu artist to catch a submission from the guard. This means it’d be tricky for him to snare Makhachev from that position – particularly if the Dagestani was landing punches on him.

Secondly, Makhachev is an excellent submission artist in his own right, with 10 of his 22 career wins coming via tapout. The Russian has used a variety of submissions such as arm-triangle chokes, kimuras, and rear-naked chokes.

Oliveira is not immune to submissions in his own right. He’s had to tap out three times in the UFC, most recently against Ricardo Lamas in 2016. This could mean that Makhachev traps the Brazilian in a submission of his own.