"He always gives up" - Islam Makhachev speaks on shift of opponents from Charles Oliveira to Alexander Volkanovski

Islam Makhachev has opened up about the difference between facing Alexander Volkanovski and Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 in the wake of the chaos that has unfolded.

Earlier this week, Oliveira was forced to withdraw from his scheduled clash with Makhachev after suffering a nasty cut above his eye. But within hours, the UFC had organized a replacement for 'do Bronx' in the shape of Volkanovski.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, a close friend and teammate of Islam Makhachev, dismissed the change of opponent as making any difference to the outcome of the fight, a victory for his fellow Dagestani.

Now Makhachev has shared his thoughts on facing Alexander Volkanovski instead of Charles Oliveira, and it seems that the lightweight king expects a tougher challenge from the new opponent.

Despite Volkanovski having less time to prepare for UFC 294 than 'do Bronx', Makhachev believes that 'The Great' will not give up in a way that the Brazilian would. Makhachev has previously stated that he thought Oliveira gave up in their first fight at UFC 280, and it seems he expected the Brazilian to do the same in their rematch.

During a recent interview with Aaron Bronsteter, Islam Makhachev shared his thoughts on the change of opponents, saying:

"[Volkanovski] is dangerous. Still dangerous, because if you want to stop Volkanovski you have to knock him out or choke him, make him sleep. This guy is gonna fight, this guy is gonna fight for five rounds. I said about Charles, if you pressure him, give him some hard times, he always gives up. But [Volkanovski] is gonna fight five rounds non-stop, doesn't matter who is his opponent."

Watch the video below from 2:50:

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Islam Makhachev warns Alexander Volkanovski from using excuses after UFC 294

Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski are set to face off in the main event of UFC 294 next weekend.

Makhachev will be facing Volkanovski for the second consecutive time, as the pair went to war over five rounds in the main event of UFC 284 in February. The lightweight champion defeated 'The Great' via unanimous decision.

Ahead of their rematch, Islam Makhachev has warned Alexander Volkanovski not to make an excuse in the aftermath of UFC 294, given that 'The Great' will only have 12 days to prepare for the clash.

Makhachev took to X (formerly Twitter) to thank Volkanovski for accepting the short-notice clash but shared the following warning with the featherweight king:

"Respect for taking this fight on short notice Alex, but don’t use it as an excuse after the fight"

See the post below: