Islam Makhachev on Lightweight UFC title rematch with Alexander Volkanovski in Abu Dhabi
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00:00 Q. We thought you would be fighting someone besides Alex Volfanovskiy this fight week.
00:19 When you got the news that you were rematching Alex Volfanovskiy rather than Charles Oliveira,
00:24 did you have to change much in your fight camp or were you just focusing on what you were
00:31 doing instead?
00:32 Honestly, I don't have time to change anything.
00:34 I just keep training.
00:39 For me, everybody knows my style.
00:43 One thing I have to do is be in good shape and that's it.
00:48 Alex was in here right before you and he said if the roles were reversed that you wouldn't
00:54 take the fight on 11 days notice if they came to you to rematch him.
00:58 If UFC told him to bring his belt and come to Abu Dhabi before 11 days, he would never
01:05 take it.
01:06 He doesn't have any risk without his belt.
01:09 He comes to make money.
01:13 All about this.
01:14 Everybody knows this.
01:16 He said he feels the pressure is on you because he's the one coming off the couch.
01:20 He's the one taking this fight on 11 days.
01:23 He wasn't in camp.
01:24 Do you feel any pressure to outperform your last performance against him?
01:29 I don't have any pressure because I'm a champion.
01:32 It doesn't matter who's going to be in front of me.
01:36 But I agree.
01:37 This guy doesn't have any pressure.
01:39 He comes 11 days and I already beat him and if I beat him again, people are going to say
01:50 he comes short.
01:51 No, he's not in good shape.
01:52 Something like this.
01:53 But for me, nothing means.
01:57 I just step to the cage, finish this guy.
02:01 That's it.
02:02 Dana White said that he's going to put your quote on the wall at the UFC Apex.
02:06 I'm curious what you think about that, that your words are going to be there forever.
02:12 This is what a UFC champion has to do.
02:18 If you're a real champion, you have to take this fight.
02:22 It doesn't matter how many days, who is going to be.
02:28 Not like your pound for pound champion when they give him chills.
02:33 If you're a real champion, you have to fight.
02:36 They put him number one, the number one guy right now, who he beat last fight.
02:45 We don't have some name from top pound for pound rankings.
02:51 And I just want to say about the rankings, about all these things, this is bullshit and
02:57 I'm not following anymore.
03:00 Why did you change your mindset on the rankings?
03:08 Why do you not care about that as much anymore?
03:10 Because last time I beat already, the last fight, number two versus number one.
03:18 If you beat number two, number one, you have to be number one.
03:22 But I don't know who make the rankings.
03:26 Alex has said that his goal is to come out very aggressive.
03:29 He's predicting he'll knock you out early in the fight.
03:32 Do you feel like that's how he has to fight given the short notice or maybe his best chance?
03:37 I don't remember when Alex knock you out, someone.
03:42 He want to try to pressure me or he want to make me think about this, but I don't care.
03:50 Everybody who step to the cage want to knock him out, but I stop them all.
03:55 I spoke to one of your coaches, Javier Mendes, last night and he was saying that in the last
04:01 fight Alex was actually heavier than you in the cage.
04:04 I asked Alex that.
04:05 He said that's not true and that you were.
04:08 Do you know what the deal is?
04:09 Yeah, the UFC told me.
04:16 Because you guys know when they beginning, they went five in the morning.
04:21 I don't have time to make my weight break, but he don't have to cut much weight for the
04:27 155.
04:28 You know, the schedule in Australia, how they beginning, they went, it's crazy.
04:39 How much different is this for you, especially with the weight cut, the rehydration?
04:43 Is it going to be a lot better this time?
04:46 It's going to be like usually with all UFC fighters have the schedule, you know?
04:51 But in Australia, I wake up, put alarm, 8 a.m., wake up and I think I have to eat or
05:01 now I have to go to arena.
05:03 No, this is first time in my life.
05:08 We change many things and I don't bring my weight back.
05:15 Do you feel like Charles Oliveira pulling out of this fight, did he lose his opportunity?
05:19 Do you think he needs to win another fight and now Justin Gaechey will be next?
05:23 You know, honestly I feel okay, I'm going to beat Volkanovski now and I have two opponents,
05:32 Gaechey and Oliveira.
05:34 I think they have to fight again and who is win, I just beat this guy again.
05:45 What about Gamrot, he's the backup fighter?
05:48 Gamrot is good, but he lost a couple of fights ago.
05:52 But I don't know, they all beat each other, you know?
05:55 Doesn't matter.
05:56 UFC just call me and I will be ready.
06:01 Where does Welterweight fit into your plans?
06:03 I know you're going to be keeping a close eye on the fight between Leon Edwards and
06:06 Colby Covington.
06:07 Yeah, of course if they call me I will be ready for Colby or Leon, any fights.
06:15 But my dream, my goal, I want to second belt.
06:19 Why is that so important to you?
06:21 Because we have many UFC champions, but not much double champion.
06:28 I want to be double champion.
06:34 And last thing for me, it sounds like the UFC's deal with USADA is going to end at
06:38 the end of this year and there's going to be a new drug testing program.
06:41 What would you like to see different in terms of how the athletes are taken care of as far
06:46 as the drug testing program for UFC?
06:49 I think this news make, this when I wake up and saw the news, the news make me upset because
06:58 this is, UFC this is a level you know, and I don't know about the new organization, but
07:08 some organization have to control this.
07:12 Because we know when USADA come and before the USADA, how the fighters change, how the
07:21 fighter looks and how they fight, everything is changed you know.
07:26 That's why high level sport, it have to be under some antidote program.
07:36 Just going off that, you know, obviously last time you thought there was this IV conversation
07:40 going on, did that change your level of respect for Alex and his team?
07:44 Because today it seems like you're a little bit annoyed about him stepping in, some of
07:47 the things he's saying.
07:49 Yeah, from his team I know some couple of bullshit guy who want to make some drama in
07:56 the ring, you know.
07:58 But if you professional fighters, if you say something you have to back it up, you know.
08:11 You cannot say something, he put IV or something like this and you don't have, you don't have
08:22 proof, you know.
08:24 With Alex taking this fight, you said he was doing this for the money.
08:27 He says he's doing it to try and achieve something great that no one else can do.
08:30 Do you not think there's any truth in what he says when he says that?
08:35 My opinion, he take this fight because of money.
08:40 And what he lose, if I beat him again, what he lose?
08:45 He have his belt and he will defend his belt beginning of next year.
08:52 He says if he loses to you, he'll never get a chance at that belt and that's what he's
08:55 risking.
08:56 He know, he didn't touch this belt, never.
09:07 Alex talks about, you know, he took this opportunity, part of it was because he wasn't sure if he
09:12 was going to get it because things could change, you could move up to Walter Wade.
09:15 How about you?
09:16 Was this important?
09:17 Were you okay if you never got to fight Alex again or did you also really want this rematch?
09:22 Honestly, after the first fight, many people talking about the fight and many people want
09:32 to watch this rematch.
09:34 And I'm really happy because right now they can give me anyone, but I'm really happy because
09:45 they give me Charles, because they give me Volkanovski, because last time I fight in
09:53 his arena, his area, but now it's Abu Dhabi and everything now on my side.
10:04 Do you fear that if you beat him again, people are going to kind of make excuses for him
10:08 to say, "Oh, well, he came on short notice" and whatnot?
10:12 Of course.
10:13 That's why I put on Instagram, before he make this drama, I put the news.
10:20 Don't make.
10:21 And Alex was predicting a knockout, saying he can't show you too much respect.
10:27 Do you almost feel like that could be his downfall, like if he comes out too aggressive?
10:31 I show him too much respect in the first fight.
10:34 This fight, I will try to finish him all fights, looking for the finish all five rounds.
10:42 And you're running so far, obviously you're always willing to fight everybody, but circumstances
10:47 sometimes don't play out that way.
10:48 But you're fighting a lot of big names, either champions, long winning streaks.
10:53 Does part of you like that, that on your legacy, on your resume, you get to put these big names?
10:57 Yeah.
10:58 You know, for the legacy, I think like now it's Rematch, second fight is Alivera.
11:08 It's not so good for the legacy.
11:11 I need some new names, second belt, and you know, like Rematch, but I really happy because
11:23 they give me now Volkanovskiy, because last year, same time, same month, I'm training
11:29 here for the Alivera, you know, and I feel the same.
11:34 But when they change, it gives me some new energy.
11:39 And one more for me, do you have a prediction for Leon and Colby, who do you think wins?
11:45 I don't know who will win, but I hope Colby wins.
11:51 Thank you.
11:52 What do you think, if you told him that you were going to fight him, would he accept the challenge? And what is the difference between the amount he asked for 10 days ago and now?
12:19 I think he would accept it. I consider him a real champion, a strong nut that will fight
12:28 no matter how the fight goes or how hard it is for him.
12:35 And about the amount, I think the amount would definitely change.
12:40 The question was, we were talking with my colleagues and asking about if Volkanovskiy
12:44 heard about the rematch even a few days further, not the 11-day notice, but a few days afterwards,
12:50 would he still say yes, would he still want to fight you, and is the money that he was offered the reason why the decision was made so quick, and will he still accept the fight if that's the money that's talking?
12:59 And the answer was that I believe that he was going to accept the fight no matter what, because he's a real champion, he's a die-hard fighter, so it's very important for him to fight for his legacy, for his name.
13:10 Another question, what do you think, is Volkanovskiy with a 10-day notice more dangerous than Charles Oliveira with his full training camp?
13:25 You know, I think all opponents are dangerous, I mean, anybody from top of the division, they're all dangerous, so if you let them work, if you let them implement their game plan, they're all dangerous.
13:45 Last fight, do you think you gave him the opportunity to work a little bit?
13:52 Yes, I believe so, I think last fight didn't really go exactly as we planned, but we did a lot of adjustment, we did some improvements, so I think this time is going to go much better.
14:13 If Alex were your teammate, would you try to talk him out of fighting you?
14:31 Well, nobody in my team is after money, and they're different, they were offered a good amount of money, I think 90% of the money they want to make, and he didn't miss his chance.
14:49 You know, in my team, nobody is after the money, and I think here what's happening is, in his team it's totally different, so there's 90% chance that the only reason he's saying yes is because he got a good opportunity to make a good paycheck, and so that's what he's after.
15:02 Justin Gagey has just arrived from Kamaru Usman, have you met him in Abu Dhabi?
15:20 No, I haven't seen him yet, but to tell you the truth, I already said that in English before in an interview, I'm pretty sure that after this fight, I'm going to have two opponents who are ready to fight for the title.
15:45 So I think the two of them should fight each other, so we have a number one contender for the belt.
16:01 My final question is, after all of these substitution last minute changes, do you think that the fans are more excited about the fight between Usman and Chemaev as opposed to the fight between you and Volkanovski?
16:20 Well, Usman and Chemaev are both very interesting fighters, but even my friends and family are saying that the opponent has changed, we've already been to your fight with Oliveira, and it wasn't so interesting to come to Abu Dhabi, and everyone is looking for tickets, they're very interested to see this rematch.
16:45 So I think that the fans are more excited about the fight between Usman and Chemaev as opposed to the fight between you and Volkanovski.
16:54 Honestly, I'm sure that the fight between Usman and Chemaev is very interesting, but from the people that I know, from my fans, a lot of the people wrote to me and said, you know, we've actually seen a fight between you and Oliveira before, and we weren't very interested in that, but now that the opponent changed, and now that you're fighting Volkanovski, we're scrambling, trying to find tickets, trying to get to Abu Dhabi just to make sure and see this rematch, because it's very interesting to a lot of the fans around the world, so I think that this fight is very important as well.
17:20 Islam, if you don't mind, I'm from match.tv.ru. Fighters have to give a press conference about 1-2 days before the weigh-in. Does this mean that we're talking to you when you're in the worst mood? Can you say that you're in the worst mood in the last 6 months?
17:36 No, I just trained. You know, it depends on what you woke up with in the morning and how much weight you showed. If everything goes according to plan, you're in a good mood for the whole day.
18:02 You said a couple of times that Volkanovski is only fighting for his money. What do you take away from that?
18:29 Our manager's team has a lot of fighters, and I've asked them before if they're going to fight on such short notice. It's no secret that he's going to fight for his money.
18:56 If the price is good, he'll fight.
19:04 We see a lot of relatives and family members of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Did any of your family come to the fight?
19:31 My brothers came. My father and uncle don't come. I ask them not to come. When the elders come, you have to pay attention. It's hard to do it now. I ask the elders not to come.
19:55 We see a lot of relatives and family members of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Did any of your family come to the fight?
20:04 My brothers came. My father and uncle don't come. It's hard to do it now. When the elders come, you have to pay attention. I ask the elders not to come. I have other things to concentrate on.
20:23 You said that Khabib will not be in the locker room, and he won't even be in the arena. Why is he not even going to the tournament?
20:39 You said that Khabib will not be in the locker room, and he won't even be in the arena. Why is he not even going to the tournament?
20:52 I can only explain it this way. We have a very big team. If Khabib comes to someone else's fight, we are all the same. We don't have a champion. We all support each other.
21:07 If he comes to my fight, he has to support everyone else. He said he won't be in the arena. We all support him.
21:28 We have a very big team. We don't have a champion. We all support each other. He said he won't be in the arena. We all support him. He said he won't be in the arena. We all support him.
21:53 You said that Khabib is in good shape and you said that he could beat Strikland. Why did you say that?
22:18 I'm looking at his weight and Strikland's weight. I can't see any chance that he can stop Khabib.
22:46 I'm looking at his weight and Strikland's weight. I can't see any chance that he can stop Khabib.
22:56 I'm looking at his weight and Strikland's weight. I can't see any chance that he can stop Khabib.
23:16 I'm looking at his weight and Strikland's weight. I can't see any chance that he can stop Khabib.
23:36 I'm looking at his weight and Strikland's weight. I can't see any chance that he can stop Khabib.
23:56 I'm looking at his weight and Strikland's weight. I can't see any chance that he can stop Khabib.
24:16 I'm looking at his weight and Strikland's weight. I can't see any chance that he can stop Khabib.
24:36 I'm looking at his weight and Strikland's weight. I can't see any chance that he can stop Khabib.
24:56 I'm looking at his weight and Strikland's weight. I can't see any chance that he can stop Khabib.
25:16 I'm looking at his weight and Strikland's weight. I can't see any chance that he can stop Khabib.
25:36 I'm looking at his weight and Strikland's weight. I can't see any chance that he can stop Khabib.
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