Efter att han utmanat Michael Chandler har nu Islam Makhachev fått sig ett svar av den potentiella utmanaren, som anser sig går segrande ur ett möte mellan de två.
Michael Chandler om Islam Makhachevs utmaning
Under helgen som gick så lyckades den ryska lättviktaren Islam Makhachev (20-1) gå segrande ur sin match mot Thiago Moises (15-5) då han tog hem segern via en submission i matchens fjärde rond. Efter matchen valde Makhachev att utmana den tidigare titelutmanaren i lättvikt, Michael Chandler (22-6) som nu även besvarat utmaningen.
Det var under den “post-fight show” som sändes på ESPN direkt efter helgens gala som Chandler var snabb med att besvarar Makhachevs utmaning. Han svarade då att han gillar Makhachevs utmaning men att vi får se vad som händer i framtiden.
Slick little call out right there. He did what he said he was going to do tonight and he did what he needed to do tonight, which was go out there and put a big stamp on his performance. Now he’s doing what he needs to do as well. He’s sitting at No. 9, he wants to say as many names as he possibly can. Slick little call out. The man impressed tonight. I’ve got to take my fighter hat off, be the analyst tonight, he did a phenomenal job against a very tough man. Kid’s got a bright future, we’ll see what happens.
”Brottning slår sambo” enligt Michael Chandler
Skulle de två till slut mötas så tror Chandler att hans egna brottningsförmågor blir för mycket för Makhachev, detta då han själv värderar just brottningen högt.
I’m a homer when it comes to wrestling. I think wrestling beats everything. I think wrestling beats judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, I think it beats sambo but that’s just me being a homer. But what Islam Makhachev does is he gets you to these positions and he puts you in a position where you can’t really move. Thiago Moises has phenomenal chain grappling. We’ve seen him go all over the place, up, down, do flips, roll, sweep. He wasn’t able to do a lot of those things. The thing that Islam does best is he neutralizes guys. When you neutralize a guy, it’s not just physical. It’s mental. It’s emotional. It’s cardio. He sucks the life out of guys. Can he push the pace for that long? He showed tonight he can get a finish later in the rounds. I think wrestling beats sambo. I think wrestling beats every other ground martial art. Maybe someday we’ll see.
Återstår att se om Makhachev lever upp till sin potential
Chandler avslutade med att det i nuläget återstår att se huruvida Makhachev lever upp till sin potential eller inte.
Khabib said he thinks he’s the future of the division. So only time will tell. Either way, the man’s got a bright future.
Makhachev besegrade Moises via submission under UFC on ESPN 26 som ägde rum den 18:e juli.
