Charles Oliveira has picked Islam Makhachev to beat Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284, but he is not writing Volkanovski off completely.
“They are two great fighters,” Oliveira, the former UFC lightweight king, said during a recent interview with Super Lutas (h/t Andrew Whitelaw). “Alex is a fighter that defends takedowns well. He hits and kicks very hard. On the other side, Islam has very good takedowns. When he gets you down, he puts on the pressure.”
‘Do Bronx’ went on to say that he thinks Makhachev will win while acknowledging that Volkanovski, who is moving up in weight, could pull off the upset if he defends the takedowns and connect with his hands.