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Daniel Cormier believes Charles Oliveira will be the bigger threat at range against Islam Makhachev in their upcoming lightweight title clash at UFC 280. Weighing in on the highly-anticipated bout, 'DC' warned his AKA teammate Makhachev about Oliveira's striking game.
Cormier believes Makhachev will most likely be on the receiving end of a knockout if he chooses to stand and strike with 'do Bronx'. According to 'DC', Makhachev's best option is to try and force the fight to the ground, which is another area of expertise for the uncrowned lightweight champ.
The UFC Hall of Famer recently said on The DC & RC Show :
"When we get to the matchup, I think we'll see a lot of grappling. I think we'll see a lot of very very in-tight engagements. I don't believe that Islam will play the game with 'do Bronx' at range. Because if you do, he's going to sleep. There's no mistake about it. Islam is too far from Charles [Oliveira]. Charles Oliveira is going to get him. Islam will need to be close, getting takedowns and really engaging with Charles in one of his best areas and that's in jiu-jitsu."
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Watch Cormier weigh-in on Makhachev vs. Oliveira below:
Islam Makhachev opens up as betting favorite against Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira was stripped of his lightweight strap after controversially missing weight ahead of his UFC 274 bout against Justin Gaethje. Oliveira went on to win the fight via first-round submission, maintaining his spot atop the 155 lbs division, albeit without the belt.
Although he insisted on fighting Conor McGregor for the vacant title, Oliveira has now seemingly relented, agreeing to fight Islam Makhachev. While the Dagestani contender is currently riding a magnificent ten-fight win streak, he is yet to fight a current top-ten ranked opponent.
Makhachev was supposed to face Beneil Dariush in February but instead faced the unranked Bobby Green after 'Benny' pulled out due to an injury.
Oliveira, meanwhile, is on an eleven-fight win streak that has seen him wipe out the who's who of the lightweight division. Despite this, 'do Bronx' has opened up as a sizeable underdog against Makhachev in the sportsbooks.
