'You see it coming and don’t think it’s gonna hit’ - Islam Makhachev’s head kick KO of Alex Volkanovski broken down by his former training partner

Islam Makhachev truly asserted himself as the king of the lightweight division at UFC 294 after knocking out Alexander Volkanovski in the first round.

Makhachev, known for his elite grappling, has always preached that he was more than just a Sambo fighter. While the Dagestani has recorded several knockouts in the past, his head kick KO of Volkanovski proved that he could compete on the feet with the world's best strikers.

Islam Makhachev has often been compared to his close friend and former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. He is often referred to as "Khabib 2.0" by training partners and coaches, such as Josh Thomson.

Thomson, a former Strikeforce lightweight champion and current Bellator analyst, recently broke down Makhachev's head kick KO at UFC 294 during an episode of The Weighin' In podcast. 'The Punk' detailed the deceiving nature of Islam Makhachev's left high-kick:

"That head kick, I've sparred with [Makhachev] I don't know how many times, what he does is he leads with the knee. So you think he's kind of throwing a body kick, or a knee up the middle, and then he just extends the knee right after that. So you can't tell, it's almost like a snap kick. But it's not, and he gets it up there with power and it's quick. And it's almost like you see it coming, and you're like, he's not gonna hit me with that, and then oh s**t it's at you're head."

Watch the video below from 27:20:

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Islam Makhachev overtakes Justin Gaethje for UFC lightweight striking record after Alex Volkanovski KO

Following Charles Oliveira's withdrawal due to injury, Islam Makhachev took on Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 294 on 11 days notice.

The Abu Dhabi was a highly anticipated affair, given the competitive nature of the first clash between the lightweight and featherweight champions at UFC Perth in February. But Makhachev stunned fans around the world after he knocked out Volkanovski in the first round of UFC 294, silencing his doubters for good.

Prior to the rematch, the Dagestani proudly stated that he would be a better version of the the fighter that faced 'The Great' earlier this year, and he lived up to his words by delivering arguably his best performance yet.

Following Islam Makhachev's incredible win over Volkanovski, he now holds a lightweight striking record. MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter took to X (formerly Twitter) following the clash and wrote this:

"Makhachev surpasses Justin Gaethje for the highest significant strike accuracy in lightweight history after landing 82% of his significant strikes in tonight's main event."

See the post below: