Islam Makhachev has a single blemish on his professional MMA record, a 2015 TKO loss to Adriano Martins. Given that legacy, the former UFC lightweight talent has been asked his opinion on who will prevail when Makhachev faces Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 280 later this month in Abu Dhabi.
“Charles doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone,” Martins, a former teammate of Oliveira told MMA Fighting. “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.