Islam Makhachev wants to go into Alexander Volkanovski’s back yard and beat him at his own game.
Such is the supreme confidence of the 31-year-old Russian phenom, who is out to rob Saturday night’s opponent of his status as pound-for-pound king of the UFC.
He won’t simply be content to stroll into enemy territory in Perth and leave as the victor. Makhachev wants a clean, emphatic finish to underline his status as the sport’s newest superstar.
The UFC lightweight champion exclusively told Sportsmail: ‘I think I only had 10 days off after the Charles (Oliveira) fight before starting hard training again to prepare for this.
‘This is my main goal to be pound-for-pound No 1 and beat this guy so it has been months of hard training. My dream is to knock him out.
‘We came to Australia early and had the visa to sort out, coming from cold Russia, now we are here and it is 35 degrees, it is very different.’
Islam Makhachev is out to take Alexander Volkanovski’s spot as pound-for-pound No 1
Makhachev, seen here submitting Charles Oliveira, wants to beat the Aussie at his own game
Makhachev has been a known quantity for years as Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protege but has fully emerged as his own man now.
Khabib will not even be in his fellow Dagestani’s corner this weekend having taken a step back from MMA to spend more time with his family.
But the former undefeated champion has still formulated a plan of attack to combat Volkanovski, a 5ft 6in pocket rocket who has dominated at featherweight since winning the belt in 2019.
Most analysts and fans believe Makhachev’s best route to victory is to take down Volkanovski, pummel him into oblivion or work a submission.
He is athletic and possesses sharp striking but the genius of Makhachev is on the mat, so why not use it?
In beating Oliveira to win the title last year, he locked in a choke to submit the most decorated submission artist the UFC has ever seen. It was a physical declaration of his superiority.
Makhachev knows that many give Volkanovski the edge in the striking department and that is red rag to a bull. The Makhachkala-born star is also conscious of the fact that for all of his opponent’s skills, he lacks concussive power.
‘I was speaking to Volkanovski and DC earlier and I said, “you are a guy known for striking but when was the last time you knocked somebody out?”
Under the coaching and mentorship of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has flourished
‘I can be more aggressive (not worrying about the KO or his power). My dream is to knock him out. I think it will be a finish in the second or third round.
‘I am expecting more of a difficult fight (than Charles) and he says he can stop the wrestling so we will see.
‘I wanted to show against Charles that I could submit him, he is known for his jiu-jitsu and so I wanted to beat him there. Volkanovski is more known for his stand-up and says he has improved his wrestling so we will see about it.’
This monster cross-division fight has been in the works ever since Makhachev beat Oliveira in Abu Dhabi last October and Volkanovski faced off with him in the octagon afterwards.
And Makhachev wanted it to be in Australia too. He is accustomed to being in enemy territory and almost all of the 15,000 fans inside RAC Arena will be rooting for the other guy.
Volkanovski (pictured) is ranked as the top pound-for-pound MMA fighter on the planet, and if he beats Makhachev he will join the likes of Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes as simultaneous multi-division champs
‘I am used to this, the fans being against me, it is nothing new’, Makhachev explained.
‘I expect it, maybe not in Abu Dhabi because it is close to Russia but everywhere else I have fought.
‘I would like the UFC to do a card in Russia one day, the fans are crazy for MMA there so that it is something for the future.’
Makhachev will enter the cage as the bigger man on Saturday night and Volkanovski has been piling on the pounds to match up.
That can come with it’s own issues, particularly in terms of cardio if newfound muscle mass is tested over 25 minutes of a five-rounder.
But the Russian is unsure how the move up will affect Volkanovski.
Makhachev will be confident in his ability to get Volkanovski to the mat
The Russian’s striking looked impressive against Oliveira and he wants to KO Volkanovski
He said: ‘I don’t know how much he is eating or how much weight he will have to cut, he will not have to cut much but I am just drinking water, this is not the fun part!
‘But I am used to it. Maybe he will slow down if it gets to the later rounds but he is used to 145 so it will not be difficult for him to make 155.
Khabib left the UFC stunned by his retirement, undefeated at 29-0 as the No 1 pound-for-pound fighter at the time. So could Makhachev do the same?
This time next week he could have defended his title and achieved the spot all other competitors crave.
‘I am not sure or looking too far ahead’, he adds. ‘Being pound-for-pound No 1, this has been my goal. I will be the champion and the pound-for-pound No 1 in the sport.
‘I am 31 now but not in my prime yet and I am still getting better. When I feel like my energy is and speed is slowing down, that is when I will decide to retire in the future.’
Makhachev (left) has the size advantage over Saturday’s opponent in Perth
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