Charles Oliveira has a massive advantage over Islam Makhachev in some eyes ahead of their UFC 294 title clash.
Oliveira will look to reclaim the lightweight throne when he rematches Makhachev in the UFC 294 main event on October 21st. Makhachev defeated Oliveira in their previous fight at UFC 280 last year, becoming one of the few fighters to submit the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.
Few are giving Oliveira a chance to right the wrongs of his first fight with Makhachev. Makhachev’s wrestling is elite and presents a puzzle that has been tough to solve for all of his opponents.
Despite this sentiment, those surveyed in a recent Tapology study feel Oliveira is the better grappler, without a close difference.
Michael Bisping Scratches His Head At Tapology’s All-Time Grappling List
In a recent YouTube segment, Michael Bisping explained why Tapology’s disrespect for Makhachev’s grappling prowess is unfounded.
“That’s kind of crazy if you think about it,” Bisping said. “The reality is, they’ve fought before, Islam Makhachev went out there, took him down…choked him out. So does that trump his wrestling ability? His grappling ability? His overall acumen in the clinch? I’d say so. Charles Oliveira is incredible, but when he went up against Islam, he got beat. And he got beat at his own game, meaning submitted.”
Oliveira holds the most post-fight bonuses in UFC history (19) and is the promotion’s all-time submission wins leader (16). He tapped out Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje in back-to-back fights before the loss to Makhachev.
11 of Makhachev’s 24 wins have resulted in a submission, with the latest coming against Oliveira at UFC 280. He’s also tapped out Drew Dober and Thiago Moisés in the Octagon.
Grappling will be a significant factor in the outcome of Makhachev vs. Oliveira 2, and Bisping thinks it’s ludicrous to put Oliveira so far ahead of Makhachev when it comes to all-time grappling greats.
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