Israel Adesanya is willing to "bet his whole house" on featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski beating lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
The former middleweight champion is teammates with Volkanovski, whose reign atop the 145lb division has seen him wipe out all but one previous champions and earn himself the No.1 pound-for-pound spot. And he moves up to 155lb to face Makhachev in Perth at UFC 284 in February, which Adesanya believes is a very winnable fight.
Makhachev is the newly-crowned lightweight champion, and isn't taking the easy route in his first defence as he takes on arguably the greatest fighter in the world. Both men have lost just once, but are on lengthy winning streaks which include a series of big UFC wins.
“Islam is great," Adesanya said during an appearance on Hot Ones. "These Dagistani boys, they know what they’re doing. But I truly, gun to my head, could bet my whole house on him. Volk is just different. Volk is the kind of guy even when he cuts weight, the amount he cuts, for him to have the cardio he has in the later rounds it’s mind-blowing.
"The man’s different - even with Volk, I’ve tried to hold him down. I’m not the greatest wrestler, but even with my frame and leverage, it’s hard. He finds his way back up. [He’s] a crafty veteran. His inside leg kick, his jabs, his hand control; all that sh**, he’s crafty.”
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Makhachev won the lightweight title in Abu Dhabi in October when he defeated Oliveira, who was the champion in all but name. The Brazilian had won his last defence, but missed weight by half-a-pound and was unable to fight for the title in that bout as a result, meaning the title was vacant.
There was a belief the fight would be competitive, but it was relatively one-sided in Makhachev's favour as he managed to get Oliveira down in the first and ultimately submit him in the second. He reclaimed the belt for his team AKA, who had last held it when his close friend Khabib Nurmagomedov retired.
Makhachev and Nurmagomedov used to train under the retired champion's father Abdulmanap in Dagestan before he passed back in 2020. The pair often refer to "father's plan", which is an idea that they must keep the UFC lightweight title within their team in tribute to their former coach.
