Ex-title challenger predicts Islam Makhachev's fighting stance to put him at risk against Renato Moicano: "Everything is aligned"

An ex-title challenger recently predicted that Islam Makhachev's fighting stance could possibly put him at risk against Renato Moicano. He noted that the short-notice bout could favor the Brazilian if the lightweight champion isn't cautious.

UFC 311 was dealt a blow as Arman Tsarukyan was forced to withdraw on the day of the weigh-ins due to a back injury, which resulted in bouts being moved around on the card and canceled. Despite the short-notice change of opponent, Makhachev immediately agreed to compete and prove his No.1 pound-for-pound status.

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns mentioned that he's confident that his podcast co-host Moicano can pull off an upset win over Makhachev. Burns highlighted that 'Money' has had plenty of success against southpaw fighters and noted that he even had the Dagestani's former foe Dustin Poirier in his training camp ahead of UFC 311:

"I do believe [Moicano] has a chance...His last opponent was Benoit Saint Denis...[he's] a southpaw and he can grapple...Jalin Turner...Drew Dober...'RDA'...Alexander Hernandez...Jai Herbert, southpaw...Dustin Poirier, 'The Diamond', he just post not long ago that he was there helping Moicano. Dustin was the last guy that fought Islam, so I think everything is aligned for [Moicano] to go there and show up...I think Moicano has a chance." [3:41]

Check out the full video featuring Gilbert Burns' comments regarding Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano below:

---

Gilbert Burns weighs in on Renato Moicano being awarded title shot against Islam Makhachev

In addition to sharing his thoughts on whether Renato Moicano can pull off an upset over Islam Makhachev, ex-title challenger Gilbert Burns weighed in on the events that unfolded that resulted in the UFC 311 main event being changed.

During the aforementioned video, Burns mentioned that it was an unfortunate situation for Arman Tsarukyan and Beneil Dariush. But, the 38-year-old noted that he was proud to see his friend and podcast co-host earn a title shot:

"I remember Moicano saying that louder and clearer, 'If something happens to Arman or Islam, I'm going to step in'...He's the only [155-pounder] ready on the main card, so they pick him...I kind of feel bad for Beneil and for Arman, you know, both of these guys work so much...But... I'm very happy for Moicano to step in and get this fight that he was ready for." [2:54]

Check out Islam Makhachev's interview following the UFC 311 ceremonial weigh-in below: