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Islam Makhachev might be as precise as one could be in the grappling department, but Israel Adesanya is just as impressed with the welterweight champion’s standup.
Makhachev won UFC gold in a second weight class back in Nov. 2025 when he defeated Jack Della Maddalena via unanimous decision. Makhachev’s title-winning efforts further cemented his top spot on the official pound-for-pound rankings. It was the elite Dagestan fighter’s grappling that made headlines, but Adesanya feels Makhachev’s constant feinting stood out.
Ahead of Makhachev’s welterweight title defense against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 on Aug. 15, Home of Fight posted a clip of Adesanya’s visit to Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA from the end of 2025. In the clip, “The Last Stylebender” gushed over Makhachev’s setups to get his opponent worried about his wrestling and striking.
🤝⚡️ Israel Adesanya compliments Islam Makhachev’s feinting game, and uses the JDM fight as an example of the best feints he’s seen in the UFC
“[For the best in the UFC], you look at Islam vs JDM, I was very impressed with Islam’s feinting.
I always say sometimes, I… pic.twitter.com/04pehOUEpn
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 5, 2026
“You look at Islam vs. JDM, I was very impressed with Islam’s feinting,” Adesanya said. “I always say sometimes I overfeint, but that’s good because they never see it coming, but Islam did that in his last fight with JDM. There was points he just was feinting 12 times before he even threw a jab. This was later in the fight as well. So, I was really impressed with that.”
Those feints will likely come into play in Philadelphia, but how Garry responds will be telling. “The Future” believes he is the perfect contender to give Makhachev a run for his money. The 170-pound king has insisted that he will take more risks than he did against Maddalena. Makhachev is predicting a finish in his first welterweight title defense.
While Makhachev vs. Garry is the planned UFC 330 main event, there is a backup plan. In the event that the champion or challenger has a last-minute setback, Michael Morales would be called upon to step up if he can make championship weight.
Do you think Islam Makhachev’s standup could give Ian Machado Garry some problems, or are you expecting the titleholder to focus on his grappling primarily? Give us your assessment in the comments below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
