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Makhachev will look to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title against Ian Garry in the UFC 330 main event on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Ahead of his first title defense at 170 pounds, Porrada Training Center coach Ronny Markes has hailed Dagestan’s ability on the mat.
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Islam Makhachev’s grappling advantage before UFC 330 welterweight title defense
Markes has worked with numerous high-level athletes at his Las Vegas gym, including Johnny Walker, Jessica Andrade, Alexander Volkov, Magomed Ankalaev and Kelvin Gastelum. Speaking to Sherdog, he offered insight into Makhachev’s grappling prowess.
“I watched him train here at the P.I. against an ADCC champion, a Brazilian more than 10 kilograms [22 pounds] heavier, under grappling rules,” Markes said. “It was an incredibly tough session and Islam only lost by two or three points in that grappling spar.”
The jiu-jitsu coach then broke down the Makhachev vs. Garry matchup, emphasizing that the challenger’s best chance of victory is using long-range strikes and avoiding grappling exchanges, especially considering how easily the Russian controlled former champion Jack Della Maddalena on the mat to win the welterweight title.
“Islam has the cardio to fight hard for five rounds,” Markes added. “He made Jack Della Maddalena, who’s bigger than Ian Garry, look like a white belt. If he manages to get the fight to the ground, he’ll create serious problems. Ian’s best chance is to use his reach and keep the fight at striking distance.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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