ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto sits down with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 Media Day. Stream UFC 284 on …
Brett okamoto here with the UFC lightweight champion Islam makachev who defends his title against Alexander volkanovsky I asked Alex this question are you looking at it as a title defense for you are you trying to take his titles of pound for pound fighter in the world honestly for me this is I come to take his ranking best fighter this might sound like an obvious question but why is it so important for you to be recognized as the number one pound per pound fighter because it was really important for Habib too like when Habib retired that meant a lot to him he was like please guys rank me number one why do you guys care about that so much because when people remind you just not then not just gonna call like UFC champion and they’re gonna say it’s powerful Bond King you know this is I think dreamful all fighters to be number one in the world that’s why I want to be do you feel like oh you already are though the best best fighter I think I think I have more than everybody’s skills in the everywhere you know I’m not just wrestler or Grappler I’m I think I think my skills is best in the world that’s why I think I’m best fighter in the world right now I gotta say man um you always you always speak very honestly and you’re very honest when you say like I’m gonna do this to my opponent I’m going to do that to my opponent I I did feel like like when you spoke to him though and maybe it was just because you did it with DC and you were DC or friendly that you did almost like like you were dismissive of him a little bit you know like like you just don’t think I know you respect him but you just don’t think that he really offers you a dangerous fight right now like that’s how I felt watching that is that is that how you feel about Alex um I cannot underestimate him because he’s small or something like that he is a best fighter right now you know he’s a number one right now but I really believe all my skills like striking and grappling wrestling and that’s why I told I want to knock him out because I know I can do this when you say you want to knock him out is that like I mean obviously if the opportunities there you’re going to knock him out but is that is that like you’ll look for that yeah like that’ll be in your mind this is my dream I’m gonna look for that because last fight oh fight week I told all media I want to choke my opponents because Charles have most most finishes in the uuc and what I did yeah yeah how do your coaches feel about that coaches Javier say choose easy way always yeah but we will see that’s like that’s what Habiba would always do with half half and be like take him down take him down father’s plan father’s plan so you’re gonna start doing that to have as well um I have to listen coaches but we’ll see when when start when fight this beginning but you know this is my I could that I’m not gonna looking for like knock out all fights if I have some chance to the Finish him in the ground why not but my dream you know I want to do this is uh you know on the countdown show they showed all the attention that you’re getting in Dagestan and obviously Habib had that a lot and you saw that with Habib is it starting to get like that for you is that becoming part of your life or just it’s just constant people coming at you uh now is life a little bit changed you know when you become UFC champion people hard to walk in the streets something like that but I’m very happy to bring Bell back to Pakistan because you know Dagestan this is a republic like all Warriors and they have to they need some best organization built you know that’s why I’m really happy to do this to do this and I want to be from Dagestan like you know that I mean best fighter in the world from Pakistan this is meant for me a lot how about like the other responsibilities like um interviews media like is that has that been a lot more no now it’s okay because you know uh in the Russian if I speak Russia it’s easy but now I try to improve my English and now it’s not so hard like you did say right in one interview that you thought that maybe the UFC could have done more press conferences or that maybe they could have done something more with this fight did you want to do more media for this fight like did you would you have liked to do like press conference with Alex in Vegas or stuff like that oh I’m not everywhere because we’re gonna sell good paper you but now I know it’s the many guys in the streets come to me in per se where we can find some tickets because old tickets sell and or also then I say we sell good people that’s why it’s going to be big fight and but we can do more and you want you want to do that like you you want to get on flights you want to go and and do all those press conferences and sit there and do the interviews yeah why not promote the fight no I won’t maybe next time yeah is that his what what is what is habib’s role in your camp for this one everyone’s been talking about that he’s not going to be in your corner is he still in your camp or is it is it different yeah the everyday attack today morning he asked me wait always it makes plain everything because you know how to cut weight how to he he Lord me he teach me a lot that’s why now he just sent me a message every morning how’s your weight what you did today like what do you eat always yeah I think he’s nervous but maybe he’s more nourished because he’s not here he not see all these things yeah but he would give me good advice you know do you try to tell it do you tell him not to be nervous no this is you cannot control this moment also I am so nervous when he fought and when you fight it’s more easy I think yeah and that never goes away I guess doesn’t matter how much success you guys have had yeah it goes away because you know when someone from your team like brothers maybe that’s why he’s uh not travel with us because you know always knows always depressed pressing it not good enough for your mind yeah well Ali told me that uh when Umar fought in Vegas that Habib called him like 13 times on the fight day of course and I will not have like not easy to cut with and he nourished too much that you’ve always said man that you want to be active that you want to face the right contenders that you want to defend this title is kind of the same thing that Habib said when he won you know that he was like I’m a defend this belt I’m gonna how many times do you want to fight this year how frequent how active do you want to be um I don’t know but if you see give me some if they call me I’m gonna be ready now we have Ramadan after two months and I’m gonna like after Ramadan I’m gonna start to training and waiting for call yeah are you surprised that uh pineal daru says he’s going to fight Charles Oliver are you surprised they made that fight uh not surprised because I feel they’re gonna give someone to be new maybe party or or Charles but it’s good it’s gonna be a good fight you know and very very interesting for me and I think someone gonna be next Contender one of those two well if it is Charles you think he turned around by Charles again I’m not sure about Charles but it’s been new with these guys for sure he’s gonna be next but Charles won’t very much yeah I can give him change yeah you would of course yeah what last thing I’ll ask you about um what did you think about Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler that’s announced that they’re going to be coaches against each other and fight each other what went through your mind when you saw that uh you know I think the for the Chandler this fight it’s last fight for him he’s gonna make money and that’s it he’s gonna retire it or if you lose maybe you should Kiki Mobile because how many times he was for the corner I don’t know he’s not gonna be good shape a lot of drugs alcohol a lot of bad stuff he’s not gonna be a good in good shape and it’s going to be hard to beat gender but what I said before finally someone’s gonna win you know I’m happy one of those guys can win could you ever see a world in which Conor beats him and then somehow you were to fight him or that’s just that is completely out of the realm of possibility Corner can beat him because I don’t understand Chandler because he he’s a background wrestling but he go always crazy maybe he did this he loose couple times because if he beat like last fight poorier or gaichi he never gonna fight this corner but he have both same same streak you know last four five they both lose three times that’s why it’s fight is happening yeah yeah is that a fight that you’re even interested in or like that’s something that’s just completely different than what what you have going on this fight is interesting of course but between me and this boss guys it’s a long way you know yeah well I enjoy talking to you man I mean this fight when you walk out there and fight Alex volcanovski do you look at it as like uh like this is your job on Sunday morning or this is like your passion like like you love this or does it does it feel like like I love this because it’s not just defend the title it’s for new motivation you know I have new Target and I’m already and very soon you’re not just gonna call me UC Champion you’re gonna say Islam best pound for pound fighter in the world the number one pound for pound fighter in the world yeah it could happen on Sunday man we will see best of luck man looking forward to it thank you for talking to us thank you for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming Sports and premium content subscribe to ESPN Plus