Previous fights expose "skill gap" between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan that'll make a difference at UFC 311, says middleweight legend

A former UFC middleweight champion is skeptical of Arman Tsarukyan's chances against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311. The individual asserted that the disparity in their skill level would result in Makhachev winning again.

Makhachev is set to make his fourth lightweight title defense against Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC 311 this weekend. The rematch is highly anticipated as their first encounter at UFC Fight Night 149 in 2019 saw the reigning champion prevail via unanimous decision.

The individual in question is Robert Whittaker, who recently gave his take on the title matchup in the latest episode of MMArcade Podcast. Whittaker pointed out previous MMA outings of both Makhachev and Tsarukyan, asserting that the Russian is currently in a strong position and that he doesn't see him losing:

''I just feel like if we look at Islam's last fight with Dustin and we look at Arman's last fight with Charles, I just feel like there's a gap. I feel like there's a skill gap and everyone's saying like how well Arman went in his debut short notice etc. etc. but you look at the names, you look at the the level of fights, you look at the stage that Islam's fights were set on, Islam's in a really good place right now. I find it very hard to see him getting defeated.''

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below (via Home of Fight's X post):

Makhachev is currently tied with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Benson Henderson, and BJ Penn for the most lightweight title defenses (three). Defeating Tsarukyan would raise the total to four, making a UFC record for the 33-year-old. However, in a recent interview with Shakeil Mahjouri, Makhachev revealed that he is fully focused on defending his title.

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Charles Oliveira backs Islam Makhachev in his title fight against Arman Tsarukyan

Having fought both Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 280 and UFC 300 respectively, Charles Oliveira gave his prediction for the upcoming lightweight title fight at UFC 311.

In a recent interview with Manouk Akopyan, Oliveira said:

''It's not even that I'm 50-50, you know? I just think that they're both really great, amazing fighters and, you know, my point is that Islam has improved a lot in the standup. You know, you can look at their first fight and there's a lot of grappling, but I feel like Islam has improved a lot in the standup so I feel like that can make a difference."

Check out Charles Oliveira's comments below: