Kemo
09-19-2019, 08:09 PM
Khabib Nurmagomedov is 28-0 and has looked unbeatable. Yet, former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez knows he is beatable. But doing so will be harder said than done.
“I think it’s going to take a certain style, and if you don’t have that style, there’s a certain style you have to implement to beat him, and I feel like I can implement that style the best in this division, and I don’t know who else could,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie. “When I think about the other competition and the top 10 in the UFC, and the other guys around, I don’t know if they’re able to implement the type of fight that you have to do to beat Khabib.”
Why he believes he has the style to beat him is simple. He says he has done it before in his fights with Michael Chandler.
“The most I can say is I’ve done it before,” Alvarez said. “If you watch the second Michael Chandler fight, and you watch a fight like that where you have a guy who just throws a big punch, tries to run you to the cage, tries to rip you to the ground, and pound you out on the ground. It’s like that’s the style you have to implement on a guy like that to beat him. You can’t stand in front of him. You’ve got to be able to move laterally. You’ve got to be able to shut down his wrestling. And when you do get into wrestling exchanges, you can’t be dominated. You’ve got to have another wrestler who can match his wrestling.”
Yet, even though Nurmagomedov he is 28-0, Alvarez believes he is 27-1.
“I don’t necessarily see Khabib as undefeated,” Alvarez said. “I think Gleison Tibau beat Khabib. When I watch that fight back, I feel like Gleison beat him. So there is a style out there, and there is a way to beat him, but right now he’s the champ.”
“I think it’s going to take a certain style, and if you don’t have that style, there’s a certain style you have to implement to beat him, and I feel like I can implement that style the best in this division, and I don’t know who else could,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie. “When I think about the other competition and the top 10 in the UFC, and the other guys around, I don’t know if they’re able to implement the type of fight that you have to do to beat Khabib.”
Why he believes he has the style to beat him is simple. He says he has done it before in his fights with Michael Chandler.
“The most I can say is I’ve done it before,” Alvarez said. “If you watch the second Michael Chandler fight, and you watch a fight like that where you have a guy who just throws a big punch, tries to run you to the cage, tries to rip you to the ground, and pound you out on the ground. It’s like that’s the style you have to implement on a guy like that to beat him. You can’t stand in front of him. You’ve got to be able to move laterally. You’ve got to be able to shut down his wrestling. And when you do get into wrestling exchanges, you can’t be dominated. You’ve got to have another wrestler who can match his wrestling.”
Yet, even though Nurmagomedov he is 28-0, Alvarez believes he is 27-1.
“I don’t necessarily see Khabib as undefeated,” Alvarez said. “I think Gleison Tibau beat Khabib. When I watch that fight back, I feel like Gleison beat him. So there is a style out there, and there is a way to beat him, but right now he’s the champ.”