Alex Volkanovski's Explosive Claim: 'I'll Kill Sambo!' Is He Ready for Makhachev Rematch?

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Craig Jones, the Jiu-Jitsu Champion and president of the Gabby Garcia fan club, shared his thoughts on the upcoming rematch between Alex Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev. Jones discussed how he found out about the fight, his reaction to the news, and his preparations for the short-notice bout. He also reflected on the lessons he learned from Makhachev’s grappling in his previous fight and expressed his belief that Makhachev’s grappling style is “fake.” Jones also commented on Volkanovski’s chances in the rematch and what it would mean for him if he were to win. Let’s dive into the details.

Finding Out About the Fight

Jones explained that he found out about the fight between Volkanovski and Makhachev while considering a trip to Abu Dhabi to watch Islam Oliva. However, at the last minute, Oliva informed him not to buy the flight, as there might be a rematch between Volkanovski and Makhachev. Intrigued by the possibility, Jones immediately jumped on the next flight back home.

Reaction to the News

When asked about his reaction to the news of the rematch, Jones admitted that he had a feeling the first fight might fall apart. He had a hunch that Makhachev might pull out, and his prediction came true when Makhachev suffered a massive cut. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Jones expressed his excitement about the rematch.

Preparations for the Short-Notice Fight

Given the short notice for the fight, Jones was asked about his preparations. He revealed that for the previous fight, he had spent a lot of time on submission defense, but it turned out to be unnecessary as Makhachev didn’t pose any submission threats. This time, Jones plans to focus on getting out of the body triangle and avoiding Makhachev’s back control. He believes that Makhachev’s grappling style lacks submission threats and intends to capitalize on that.

Lessons from Makhachev’s Grappling

Reflecting on Makhachev’s grappling in his previous fight against Volkanovski, Jones expressed his satisfaction. He had made predictions about Makhachev’s grappling style in an interview before the fight, and they all came true. Despite receiving hate messages from internet trolls, Jones found it satisfying to prove them wrong. He also shared his opinion that Makhachev’s grappling style is a combination of catch wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu, but he believes it doesn’t truly exist.

Volkanovski’s Chances in the Rematch

Jones agreed with Javier Mendes, Volkanovski’s coach, who stated that Volkanovski would take more chances in the rematch and throw more strikes because he won’t be afraid of the takedown. Jones believes that Volkanovski’s confidence will be boosted after their first fight, and he expects a more action-packed beginning to this rematch.

Taking Risks and Legacy

Jones acknowledged that it’s not something you see every day for champions like Volkanovski to take such risks. He believes that Volkanovski’s decision to accept the rematch shows his confidence and belief that he can win. Jones respects Volkanovski’s mindset and sees this fight as an opportunity for him to further solidify his legacy in the sport.

Disproving a Martial Art

If Volkanovski pulls off the win, Jones believes it will disprove Makhachev’s grappling style and add to Volkanovski’s legacy. He expressed his frustration with martial arts that have lingered on despite being proven ineffective. Jones sees this rematch as an opportunity to put an end to the hype surrounding Makhachev’s grappling style.

The Russian Dancer

Jones humorously mentioned that when he first heard about Makhachev’s grappling style, he thought they were referring to the Brazilian dance style called “samba.” He jokingly stated that a Brazilian dance from Makhachev would be a more frightening prospect. This lighthearted comment adds a touch of humor to the interview.

Predictions for the Fight

In terms of how he sees the fight playing out, Jones mentioned that Makhachev loves the arm triangle submission. If Makhachev attempts any arm triangle, Jones plans to counter with a buggy choke. Additionally, if Makhachev tries to take the back from the turtle position, Jones intends to go for a kneebar. Jones is confident in his submission skills and believes he can submit Makhachev regardless of where the fight goes.

Conclusion

In this interview, Craig Jones shared his thoughts on the upcoming rematch between Alex Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev. He discussed how he found out about the fight, his reaction to the news, and his preparations for the short-notice bout. Jones also reflected on the lessons he learned from Makhachev’s grappling in their previous fight and expressed his belief that Makhachev’s grappling style is “fake.” He commented on Volkanovski’s chances in the rematch and what it would mean for him if he were to win. Jones also added a touch of humor by joking about Makhachev being a Russian dancer. Overall, Jones is confident in his submission skills and believes he can submit Makhachev regardless of where the fight goes.

With the rematch between Volkanovski and Makhachev just around the corner, fans are eagerly anticipating the outcome. Will Volkanovski be able to take more chances and secure a victory? Or will Makhachev prove his grappling style to be effective once again? Only time will tell.

Christian Hill submission radio proudly
sponsored by manscape and Fano and I’m
here with the National Treasure the
Jiu-Jitsu Champion the president of the
Gabby Garcia fan club Craig first off
how did you even find out about this
fight being on well I mean we were
thinking about going to Abu Dhabi to
watch Islam Oliva get on the beers out
there and then last second he said don’t
buy the flight and I was a bit confused
what was going on and then he said there
might be a rematch so I just jumped on
the next flight nice and what what was
your reaction to
that when
I don’t know I kind of had a feeling
that fight might fall apart I don’t know
why I had a feeling olera might pull out
but then yeah he got that massive cut
but yeah super excited about that and
when you got that call out how long was
it between from when you got that call
and jumped on a plane straight back here
it was so I was already I just flown
back from barley so I was jetlagged I
was awake at like 2 3 a.m. so I got on
the next plane which wasn’t until 7:30
p.m. so I saw the boys back at the B
team for about
three hours and then I was out of there
nice and with this fight being on short
notice uh how do you even have amount of
prep time on short notice uh like what
what were you do between now and the
fight with Al what would you go through
well the last fight we spent a ton of
time on submission defense obviously
that’s a waste of time because as we
learned Islam doesn’t know any
submissions right he just holds on to
the back for 20 minutes um for this
fight yeah we this time we’ll probably
get out of the body triangle last time
we were happy again there was no
submission threat at all so vs was just
chilling getting energy back punching
him in the head this time we’ll get out
of the back and with that what were some
lessons you took away from Islam’s
grappling what do you think of his
grappling against Alex oh I mean as it
went I was so happy CU I talked so much
in the interview before and it all
came true everyone attacked me on the
internet they couldn’t get it was one of
those ones where I say it it’s a joke if
it goes wrong but if it goes right I was
being deadly serious so like I got a lot
of hate messages after that but the best
part about it was after the fight
finding all the internet trolls to go
that went back and commented on people
hating on me just to Twist a knif and
that was the most satisfying part for me
about that you mentioned on the plane uh
on social that s was fake why s fake in
your opinion what you thought around it
all do you still feel the same what you
mentioned previous I put and catch
wrestling together because not one
single person knows anyone else in the
world that does any of those two
you know what I mean we’ve heard about
cat dressing we’ve heard about
we’ve never seen it work you know what I
mean like if Islam gets a submission
that’s a Jiu-Jitsu submission if he gets
a takedown that’s a judo takedown if he
shoots a double leg that’s a wrestling
move so for me where’s is a
myth it doesn’t
exist and uh submission radio guy spoke
to Javier Mendes yesterday and Javier
was saying that he believes Alex will
take more chances and uh he’ll throw
more because he won’t be afraid of the
take down this sign what do you think of
that assessment from harier from his
coach yeah I think that’s pretty
accurate I think uh a lot of people saw
that in the first fight saw vogs was
being pretty conservative early and
started to pick it up late so his
confidence just boosted throughout the
entire fight so yeah I would say it’s
definitely going to be uh a more
action-packed beginning to this fight
than the previous fight and with this
it’s not something you see every day you
know especially from Champions taking
such risks um Alex is especially guy he
already has a legacy within the UFC uh
what do you think that says about him
taking that massive risk um and also
what what is it that makes him equipped
to actually get the job done well yeah I
mean a lot of people look at the fight
and they think oh he’s going to get paid
he’s going to make Bank he’s got a
built-in excuse but really at the end of
the day knowing volovski he wouldn’t
take the fight unless he thought he
could win so for me his confidence is so
high he thinks he can take this guy on
10 11 days notice so for me that’s
everything the first fight in his
opinion went so well
that 10 11 days all he needs for the
rematch that’s something I respect and
last couple of things um if he pulls it
off uh what does it make him what does
it make him it makes him a man that
disproved and that’ll Trump his
legacy in the sport because we’ve wasted
another martial art most martial arts
were killed in 1993 somehow has
limped and lingered on to 2023 so volosi
kills and we get to stop hearing
about this Russian
dancer nice and uh you mentioned Russian
dancer what what what do you mean by
that like when you mention the r oh when
I first heard about it I thought they
were talking about the Brazilian dancer
of sambar and honestly that is a more
frightening Prospect Islam dancing
Brazilian T cool and finally how do you
see the fight going in in short amount
of time next week how do you how you see
playing now so obviously Islam loves an
arm triangle if he tries to pull any of
that going straight into a
buggy choke uh he loves to take the back
from Turtle he tries any of that
he’s getting knee barred so I think
wherever it goes he’s getting
submitted awesome thanks for your time
Craig thank
you

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