At the UFC 280 tournament, scheduled for October 22 in the UAE, Russian Islam Makhachev will compete for the lightweight title with Brazilian Charles Oliveira. It is not the first time for a native of Dagestan to meet in the octagon with representatives of this sunny country – so far the score in victories is 4:1 in his favor. The most fleeting fight was in Boston against Gleison Tibau – the former opponent of Khabib Nurmagomedov collapsed to the canvas from one strong blow.

It took only 57 seconds for the Russian to triumph.

Camp with Khabib

The UFC 220 tournament, which took place in Boston on January 20, 2018, presented MMA fans with several interesting fights at once. In “Best Fight of the Night”, Calvin Kattar knocked out Shane Burgos. The fight of Daniel Cormier and Volkan Ozdemir was recognized as the “Performance of the Night”, in which the American won ahead of schedule. The main event of the main card was the confrontation between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, as a result of which the judges recognized the heavyweight from the USA as the winner.

Islam Makhachev, being the world champion in combat sambo, was not a big star of mixed martial arts at that time. That is why his duel with the Brazilian Gleison Tibau was placed by the organizers in an early preliminary card and opened the program of the entire tournament.

The opponent, probably, could count on more than the precard, since he was an experienced fighter. Once he even lasted three rounds in a fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov and lost only by a judicial decision. But on the eve of the confrontation with another native of Dagestan, Tibau lost credibility due to problems with doping. He returned to the UFC after a two-year suspension.

Photo: © Donald Miralle / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

Nevertheless, the Brazilian remained a dangerous opponent, and it was necessary to prepare for the duel with him responsibly. The preparation of the Russian was limited to training in Makhachkala, he could not afford any camps in different parts of the world. True, in Dagestan, he trained side by side with Khabib Nurmagomedov, who could tell Islam a lot about Tibau. During the fight, Orel was also next to his friend, providing moral support.

Fatal mistake

Tibau was the first to appear in the octagon – the audience warmly welcomed him after the disqualification. Makhachev Boston did not accept with open arms. Some fans of mixed martial arts greeted the appearance of the Russian in silence, while others decided to whistle at all. However, the favor of the fans is not the most significant factor for most fighters. It is much more important to strictly follow the plan for the duel.

– At the beginning of the fight, my coach and my sparring partner told me to constantly press him, set the bar high for him. Because he is already old and he will get tired. If I get tired, he will be twice as tired. And at the beginning of the fight, I began to put pressure on him. We needed a high pace. I knew that after the first round he would get tired, ”Makhachev said in an interview at the end of the fight.

Whether Tibau would get tired after the first round, MMA fans did not know – he did not even last a minute on his feet. At first seconds, such an outcome did not seem likely. The fighters began cautiously, their actions fully corresponded to the capacious concept of “reconnaissance in force.” Makhachev was the first to try to strike, but his high-kick did not reach the goal. The opponent’s low-kick turned out, but, of course, did not cause any serious damage to the Russian.

Photo: © Brandon Magnus / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

Tibau decided to go for a rapprochement, intending to work with his hands, but made a fatal mistake. The Brazilian missed, but Makhachev hit his opponent right in the jaw with his left. An experienced fighter collapsed to the canvas after a single accented blow. Islam jumped to finish off his opponent, but the referee prevented him, fixing an early victory by knockout.

The Russian joyfully jumped in the octagon – he won the fourth victory in the UFC and the 15th in his fighting career. Somewhere nearby was celebrating the success of his friend Khabib Nurmagomedov, who in just a few months was to become a lightweight champion. A few years after that bright victory of Makhachev, let’s hope that the championship belt will again be in Russia.