Adriano Martins’ time in the UFC might be over, but he’ll always have one major win under his belt. Martins is the only man to defeat Islam Makhachev in MMA, and did so in impressive fashion, knocking Makhachev out inside a single round. Since then, Makhachev hasn’t lost a single fight, and will be facing Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 to contest the UFC lightweight championship. Adriano Martins is expecting to see Oliveira emerge triumphant over his old adversary, explaining why in an interview with MMAFighting.
Martins once trained alongside Oliveira at Chute Boxe Diego Lima, and knows Oliveira’s style very well. “Charles doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone.
The Only Man To Knock Out Islam Makhachev Backs Oliveira To Win at UFC 280
He’s faced everyone at featherweight and lightweight, he’s in the UFC for 11 years, and has beaten a lot of tough people. Makhachev, although he’s tough and could be a champion in the future, he still has a lot to prove.
I saw his fight with Thiago Moises, a kid I also trained with at American Top Team, and he turned it into an easy fight, backing him up [against the cage].
I see Makhachev evolving as an athlete and a man, physically speaking, and I think he’s trouble for a lot of people, but I see Charles as the favourite because he’s on a roll as champion. He fought a lot of tough people recently and completely ran through them.” Martins continued.“I don’t see that in him.
I see him fighting more cautiously. He’s on the rise and is evolving, but still has a lot to prove. But a fight is a fight. I’ve seen so many crazy things happen in the fight world. He has a dangerous style and is no fool on the ground. He’s not a jiu-jitsu competitor, of course, but is no fool there either. He tends to tire his opponents out before finishing them, whereas Charles imposes his rhythm right off the bat until he finishes them.
[Oliveira] is unpredictable and can knock him out and can submit him, and can take a beating [and come back]. I’d bet on Charles.”
Martins discussed how he managed take out Islam Makhachev, touted by his mentor Khabib Nurmegomedov as the future of the division.
“The fight was on short notice and we didn’t study anything about him. I had nose surgery 15 days before the fight and almost pulled out, but I was training so hard I was ready to fight anyone, really, and thank God that punch landed, a strike I did all the time, and I left with the victory.”
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