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

#2. We already saw Islam Makhachev’s style defeat Justin Gaethje

Could Islam Makhachev deal with Justin Gaethje in the same way that Khabib Nurmagomedov did?

Of the two, it’s arguable that Justin Gaethje's style would provide Islam Makhachev with a trickier test than Charles Oliveira's. So does that mean Makhachev would be in trouble against ‘The Highlight’?

Gaethje is a massively dangerous fighter, of that, there can be no doubt. He’s got excellent takedown defense. 'The Highlight' hits with arguably more power than any other fighter in the lightweight division, he has ridiculous durability, and he’s now more patient than ever when it comes to setting up his strikes.

However, while ‘The Highlight’ looked tremendous in his recent win over Michael Chandler, the fact is that when he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov in late 2020, he looked completely out of his depth.

Sure, he landed some heavy strikes to ‘The Eagle’, namely leg kicks. However, he still couldn’t stop the Dagestani’s takedown. He couldn’t get anything going on the ground before succumbing to a second-round submission loss.

With that considered, then, the fact is that it’d probably be Gaethje who would be in trouble in a fight with Islam Makhachev. Makhachev has been the best wrestler in the division since Nurmagomedov retired, and the similarities between the two are clear.

Given that the blueprint to beating Gaethje has already been written by ‘The Eagle’, there’s a chance that Makhachev can replicate his performance and take ‘The Highlight’ out, probably via submission.

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#1. Islam Makhachev appears to be improving in every fight

Islam Makhachev appears to be improving with every fight

The most worrying thing for Islam Makhachev’s next opponent – whether that’s Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje – is the fact that he doesn’t yet seem to have reached his peak in the octagon.

Makhachev turned 30 years old in September, putting him in his athletic prime. Based on his form in his recent fights, he’s continually improving, particularly in terms of his finishing ability.

Makhachev’s last four wins have come with finishes, with three submissions to go along with his recent TKO of Bobby Green. When you compare those fights to his earlier bouts with the likes of Chris Wade and Davi Ramos, there’s a major difference.

The fight with Green, for instance, was a real eye-opener. While ‘King’ took the fight on late notice, he still offered a very different threat to Makhachev’s original opponent, Beneil Dariush. Yet, he couldn’t get anything going as Makhachev pressured him on the feet before taking him down and smashing him to pieces.

Essentially, Makhachev has upped the aggression in his recent trips to the octagon, making him more dangerous than ever before. Right now, he looks like a fighter with no weaknesses. By the time his title shot comes around, he may have improved again – which could spell doom for either Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje.