Makhachev vs Volkanovski 1 & 2: Film Study Notes
Putting together the cool stuff from looking at Makhachev vs Volkanovski 1 & 2.
Volkanovski posting his head along the fence as an answer to Makhachev’s mat returns from the back body lock.
Makhachev setting up a whizzer kick (overhook throw) by getting Oliveira to knee him back. Makhachev times the throw as soon as Oliveira’s foot hits the mat.
Nurmagomedov teaching setting up whizzer kick by throwing a knee. Interestingly he doesn’t wait for his opponent to throw knee back like Islam.
Volkanovski’s answer to this was to not throw knees back but instead threaten with an outside trip on the overhook side and break the clinch.
Volkanovski knees the far thigh, then goes for an outside trip on the underhook side. Then breaks the clinch right after.
In the second fight Volkanovski would use the outside trip in conjunction with a frame.
Volkanovski reverse Z stand up after being taken down in the first fight.
At range in the first fight, Machachev had prepared for Volkanovski’s lead hand control and dip by throwing the knee as soon as Volkanovski would extend his lead hand.
In the first fight, Volkanovski landed some nice right straights to the body and a shifting right hook to the body.
In the first fight Volkanovski had no answer for the left body kick of Machachev due to the range advantage. The range of a fighter is the product of both reach and height, there are people out there saying that it was unfair that Machchev used long weapons. That is the dynamic of this matchup.
Volkanovski still had no answer to the left body kick of Machachev. Machachev did a good job using the knowledge from the previous fight and capitalizing in the rematch.
The rematch was short, but there were high level ideas on display.
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