Muscle Insider
New member
UFC flyweight legend and reigning ONE Championship titleholder Demetrious Johnson has outlined what changes he thinks Islam Makhachev would need to make in a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski.
In what will no doubt be in the conversation of the year’s best fights come the end of 2023, Makhachev and Volkanovski battled for five rounds this past weekend in Perth, Australia, with the Dagestani’s lightweight gold on the line.
Playing spoilsport for the hometown crowd inside the RAC Arena, Makhachev successfully defended the title via unanimous decision, putting an end to Volkanovski’s two-division championship aspirations for the time being.
While he exited the cage with his double-digit win streak intact, which now sits as the longest active run of victories in the UFC, it appeared a close-run thing at times for the reigning 155-pound kingpin.
Not only did the Russian drop two of the five rounds on two of the judges’ scorecards, but he ended the fight on his back whilst Volkanovski rained down ground-and-pound strikes.
Having not accomplished the level of dominance some expected of him on fight night, Makhachev will likely be assessing how the bout played out with his team in order to sure up any deficiencies next time out.
And in the event he runs into the same foe down the line, one of the promotion’s greatest champions has passed over some tips for the Russian 31-year-old.
Johnson: ‘I Was Shocked That Makhachev Didn’t Poke More’
During a recent interaction with his former opponent Henry Cejudo at Arizona’s Fight Ready gym, footage of which was uploaded to the former champ-champ’s YouTube channel, all-time flyweight great Demetrious Johnson assessed this past Saturday’s historic headliner.
“Mighty Mouse” looked at the pair’s respective performances, noting what Makhachev could have improved despite ultimately walking away victorious.
For Johnson, the defending champ failed to make the most of his length and tendency to avoid rushing into range during striking exchanges, something the ONE champ identified as a key alteration Makhachev would have to make ahead of a possible rematch with Volkanovski.
“I was shocked that he didn’t poke more. With him having a range advantage, poke more, like front kicks, teep kicks, high kicks,” Johnson said. “For a shorter fighter, to force him to like, ‘I have to get across.’ That’s one thing I was shocked that he didn’t do. Use the jab more, the teep more. Just because he’s longer, essentially.
“Islam’s so good about staying here (in a conventional stance at a certain distance). He will never break this home position… He will never go like, boom, boom (rushes into range). It’s too linear. It’s always here (at distance). It’s very good because he’s protected,” Johnson continued. “(But) I think he needs to be more about using the reach, poking more, throwing high stuff, poking more; to make him wanna bait. That’s the biggest thing I think he needs to do.”
While champion vs. champion showdowns are a rarity, there would appear to be the foundation for a rematch in this instance should the UFC choose to move in that direction.
As well as the fans in attendance at UFC 284 and a number watching from elsewhere scoring the headliner in favor of Volkanovski, the Aussie himself believes he did enough to win three of the five rounds.
Just watched the fight, I definitely think I won 2,3 and 5. Surprised I didn’t get my hand raised! Let’s do the rematch, anywhere, anytime! ?— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) February 12, 2023
But with Yair Rodríguez’s interim crowning at the same event, Volkanovski may need to return to home base for a fifth defense of his featherweight title before mounting another champ-champ charge.
Do you agree with Demetrious Johnson’s advice for Islam Makhachev?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
UFC flyweight legend and reigning ONE Championship titleholder Demetrious Johnson has outlined what changes he thinks Islam Makhachev would need to make in a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski.
In what will no doubt be in the conversation of the year’s best fights come the end of 2023, Makhachev and Volkanovski battled for five rounds this past weekend in Perth, Australia, with the Dagestani’s lightweight gold on the line.
Playing spoilsport for the hometown crowd inside the RAC Arena, Makhachev successfully defended the title via unanimous decision, putting an end to Volkanovski’s two-division championship aspirations for the time being.
While he exited the cage with his double-digit win streak intact, which now sits as the longest active run of victories in the UFC, it appeared a close-run thing at times for the reigning 155-pound kingpin.
Not only did the Russian drop two of the five rounds on two of the judges’ scorecards, but he ended the fight on his back whilst Volkanovski rained down ground-and-pound strikes.
Having not accomplished the level of dominance some expected of him on fight night, Makhachev will likely be assessing how the bout played out with his team in order to sure up any deficiencies next time out.
And in the event he runs into the same foe down the line, one of the promotion’s greatest champions has passed over some tips for the Russian 31-year-old.
Johnson: ‘I Was Shocked That Makhachev Didn’t Poke More’
During a recent interaction with his former opponent Henry Cejudo at Arizona’s Fight Ready gym, footage of which was uploaded to the former champ-champ’s YouTube channel, all-time flyweight great Demetrious Johnson assessed this past Saturday’s historic headliner.
“Mighty Mouse” looked at the pair’s respective performances, noting what Makhachev could have improved despite ultimately walking away victorious.
For Johnson, the defending champ failed to make the most of his length and tendency to avoid rushing into range during striking exchanges, something the ONE champ identified as a key alteration Makhachev would have to make ahead of a possible rematch with Volkanovski.
“I was shocked that he didn’t poke more. With him having a range advantage, poke more, like front kicks, teep kicks, high kicks,” Johnson said. “For a shorter fighter, to force him to like, ‘I have to get across.’ That’s one thing I was shocked that he didn’t do. Use the jab more, the teep more. Just because he’s longer, essentially.
“Islam’s so good about staying here (in a conventional stance at a certain distance). He will never break this home position… He will never go like, boom, boom (rushes into range). It’s too linear. It’s always here (at distance). It’s very good because he’s protected,” Johnson continued. “(But) I think he needs to be more about using the reach, poking more, throwing high stuff, poking more; to make him wanna bait. That’s the biggest thing I think he needs to do.”
While champion vs. champion showdowns are a rarity, there would appear to be the foundation for a rematch in this instance should the UFC choose to move in that direction.
As well as the fans in attendance at UFC 284 and a number watching from elsewhere scoring the headliner in favor of Volkanovski, the Aussie himself believes he did enough to win three of the five rounds.
Just watched the fight, I definitely think I won 2,3 and 5. Surprised I didn’t get my hand raised! Let’s do the rematch, anywhere, anytime! ?
— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) February 12, 2023[/quote]
But with Yair Rodríguez’s interim crowning at the same event, Volkanovski may need to return to home base for a fifth defense of his featherweight title before mounting another champ-champ charge.
Do you agree with Demetrious Johnson’s advice for Islam Makhachev?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
In what will no doubt be in the conversation of the year’s best fights come the end of 2023, Makhachev and Volkanovski battled for five rounds this past weekend in Perth, Australia, with the Dagestani’s lightweight gold on the line.
Playing spoilsport for the hometown crowd inside the RAC Arena, Makhachev successfully defended the title via unanimous decision, putting an end to Volkanovski’s two-division championship aspirations for the time being.
While he exited the cage with his double-digit win streak intact, which now sits as the longest active run of victories in the UFC, it appeared a close-run thing at times for the reigning 155-pound kingpin.
Not only did the Russian drop two of the five rounds on two of the judges’ scorecards, but he ended the fight on his back whilst Volkanovski rained down ground-and-pound strikes.
Having not accomplished the level of dominance some expected of him on fight night, Makhachev will likely be assessing how the bout played out with his team in order to sure up any deficiencies next time out.
And in the event he runs into the same foe down the line, one of the promotion’s greatest champions has passed over some tips for the Russian 31-year-old.
Johnson: ‘I Was Shocked That Makhachev Didn’t Poke More’
During a recent interaction with his former opponent Henry Cejudo at Arizona’s Fight Ready gym, footage of which was uploaded to the former champ-champ’s YouTube channel, all-time flyweight great Demetrious Johnson assessed this past Saturday’s historic headliner.
“Mighty Mouse” looked at the pair’s respective performances, noting what Makhachev could have improved despite ultimately walking away victorious.
For Johnson, the defending champ failed to make the most of his length and tendency to avoid rushing into range during striking exchanges, something the ONE champ identified as a key alteration Makhachev would have to make ahead of a possible rematch with Volkanovski.
“I was shocked that he didn’t poke more. With him having a range advantage, poke more, like front kicks, teep kicks, high kicks,” Johnson said. “For a shorter fighter, to force him to like, ‘I have to get across.’ That’s one thing I was shocked that he didn’t do. Use the jab more, the teep more. Just because he’s longer, essentially.
“Islam’s so good about staying here (in a conventional stance at a certain distance). He will never break this home position… He will never go like, boom, boom (rushes into range). It’s too linear. It’s always here (at distance). It’s very good because he’s protected,” Johnson continued. “(But) I think he needs to be more about using the reach, poking more, throwing high stuff, poking more; to make him wanna bait. That’s the biggest thing I think he needs to do.”
While champion vs. champion showdowns are a rarity, there would appear to be the foundation for a rematch in this instance should the UFC choose to move in that direction.
As well as the fans in attendance at UFC 284 and a number watching from elsewhere scoring the headliner in favor of Volkanovski, the Aussie himself believes he did enough to win three of the five rounds.
Just watched the fight, I definitely think I won 2,3 and 5. Surprised I didn’t get my hand raised! Let’s do the rematch, anywhere, anytime! ?— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) February 12, 2023
But with Yair Rodríguez’s interim crowning at the same event, Volkanovski may need to return to home base for a fifth defense of his featherweight title before mounting another champ-champ charge.
Do you agree with Demetrious Johnson’s advice for Islam Makhachev?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
In what will no doubt be in the conversation of the year’s best fights come the end of 2023, Makhachev and Volkanovski battled for five rounds this past weekend in Perth, Australia, with the Dagestani’s lightweight gold on the line.
Playing spoilsport for the hometown crowd inside the RAC Arena, Makhachev successfully defended the title via unanimous decision, putting an end to Volkanovski’s two-division championship aspirations for the time being.
While he exited the cage with his double-digit win streak intact, which now sits as the longest active run of victories in the UFC, it appeared a close-run thing at times for the reigning 155-pound kingpin.
Not only did the Russian drop two of the five rounds on two of the judges’ scorecards, but he ended the fight on his back whilst Volkanovski rained down ground-and-pound strikes.
Having not accomplished the level of dominance some expected of him on fight night, Makhachev will likely be assessing how the bout played out with his team in order to sure up any deficiencies next time out.
And in the event he runs into the same foe down the line, one of the promotion’s greatest champions has passed over some tips for the Russian 31-year-old.
Johnson: ‘I Was Shocked That Makhachev Didn’t Poke More’
During a recent interaction with his former opponent Henry Cejudo at Arizona’s Fight Ready gym, footage of which was uploaded to the former champ-champ’s YouTube channel, all-time flyweight great Demetrious Johnson assessed this past Saturday’s historic headliner.
“Mighty Mouse” looked at the pair’s respective performances, noting what Makhachev could have improved despite ultimately walking away victorious.
For Johnson, the defending champ failed to make the most of his length and tendency to avoid rushing into range during striking exchanges, something the ONE champ identified as a key alteration Makhachev would have to make ahead of a possible rematch with Volkanovski.
“I was shocked that he didn’t poke more. With him having a range advantage, poke more, like front kicks, teep kicks, high kicks,” Johnson said. “For a shorter fighter, to force him to like, ‘I have to get across.’ That’s one thing I was shocked that he didn’t do. Use the jab more, the teep more. Just because he’s longer, essentially.
“Islam’s so good about staying here (in a conventional stance at a certain distance). He will never break this home position… He will never go like, boom, boom (rushes into range). It’s too linear. It’s always here (at distance). It’s very good because he’s protected,” Johnson continued. “(But) I think he needs to be more about using the reach, poking more, throwing high stuff, poking more; to make him wanna bait. That’s the biggest thing I think he needs to do.”
While champion vs. champion showdowns are a rarity, there would appear to be the foundation for a rematch in this instance should the UFC choose to move in that direction.
As well as the fans in attendance at UFC 284 and a number watching from elsewhere scoring the headliner in favor of Volkanovski, the Aussie himself believes he did enough to win three of the five rounds.
Just watched the fight, I definitely think I won 2,3 and 5. Surprised I didn’t get my hand raised! Let’s do the rematch, anywhere, anytime! ?
— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) February 12, 2023[/quote]
But with Yair Rodríguez’s interim crowning at the same event, Volkanovski may need to return to home base for a fifth defense of his featherweight title before mounting another champ-champ charge.
Do you agree with Demetrious Johnson’s advice for Islam Makhachev?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
