'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Islam Makhachev is scheduled to face Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 this Saturday. The bout will be a UFC lightweight title rematch of their first encounter, which took place ten pay-per-view events ago at UFC 284 and saw Makhachev emerge victorious after a hard-fought five-round war.
Ahead of the pair's first matchup, much of the talk regarding their clash revolved around the size disparity between the two. Now, prior to their rematch, the topic of Islam Makhachev's size resurfaced during an interview on DC & RC with his close friend and training partner Daniel Cormier.
Specifically, the pair spoke about Makhachev's walk-around weight whenever he isn't preoccupied with a weight cut. According to Cormier, Makhachev weighs as much as 200 pounds when he's not in camp for a fight:
Trending
"You also weigh 200. It's not like you don't weigh 200. We weigh the same."
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
The pair were discussing their wrestling-based sparring sessions, with both men arguing about who got the better of whom, depending on the weight. It should come as no surprise that Islam Makhachev weighs as much as he does. The reigning UFC lightweight champion is among the largest 155-pounders on the roster.
He has even expressed a recent interest in moving up in weight to 170 pounds to challenge the winner of the Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington welterweight title fight scheduled to headline UFC 296. However, his plan hinges on being able to beat Alexander Volkanovski this Saturday.
Though with more time to rehydrate from his weight cut while facing a potentially underprepared Volkanovski, Makhachev may very well have found his best chance to score a second win over his rival.
Islam Makhachev's comments about black belts in MMA
Like his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev is one of the finest grapplers in the UFC. He prides himself on his skills on the ground, holding himself to a high standard as a mat technician. For this reason, he was critical of several Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts in the UFC.
He claimed that some of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, like Dustin Poirier, were not deserving of their rank due to their perceived lack of high-level grappling skills, in his opinion. The lightweight kingpin said as much during a different interview with Daniel Cormier.
