Dan Hardy claims Alexander Volkanovski rematch is a “far less threatening” fight when compared to Charles Oliveira
Dan Hardy believes Islam Makhachev has a clearer path to victory against Alexander Volkanovski than against Charles Oliveira.
On Saturday night, Islam Makhachev will defend the UFC lightweight championship against Alexander Volkanovski for the second time. He should’ve been going up against Charles Oliveira, but ‘Do Bronx’ was forced to pull out as a result of a cut sustained in training.
Makhachev, of course, is considered to be the favorite on short notice. At the same time, though, there’s a belief that Volkanovski could do something special given how talented he is.
In the eyes of Dan Hardy, this bout is actually a bit easier for Makhachev to deal with when compared to Charles Oliveira.
Hardy breaks down Volkanovski vs Makhachev 2
“[Makhachev] was preparing for a handful, no matter where the fight goes,” Hardy said. “To me, Makhachev is probably going to be in the best condition he’s ever been, and I think that looking at Volk, it’s a much clearer fight to win. It’s far less threatening in certain ranges, especially if he can get Volk to the floor…
“Volk wasn’t submitted, and that was very impressive, but he did have his back taken and he was controlled on the floor for good portions of the fight.”
Quotes via MMA News
Of course, given that Makhachev has beaten both men, there’s a lot of tape to study – and it was clear to see that Volkanovski gave him more problems than Oliveira did. Alas, we’ll never know how Charles would’ve performed this time around.
Do you agree with Dan Hardy? What do you think is the most likely outcome when this collision takes place in Abu Dhabi? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!
Topics:
Alex Volkanovski Charles Oliveira Dan Hardy Islam Makhachev UFC
