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Robert Whittaker thinks Islam Makhachev has a big experience advantage over Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311.
Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) defends his lightweight title in a rematch against Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in Saturday’s main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
Whittaker, a former UFC middleweight champion has been impressed with Makhachev’s growth as a fighter, and points to his recent strength of schedule as a factor. Makhachev’s past four wins have come over former champion Charles Oliveira, back-to-back against ex-featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, and most recently Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in June.
“I understand how good Arman Tsarukyan is, but I just feel like if we look at Islam’s last fight with Dustin and then look at Arman’s last fight with Charles, I just feel like there’s a gap,” Whitaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “I feel like there’s a skill gap.
“Everyone’s saying how well Arman went in his debut, last minute, short notice, but you look at the names and you look at the level of fights, you look at the stage that Islam’s fights were set on, I don’t know. Islam’s in a really good place right now. I find it very hard to see him getting defeated.”
Oddsmakers seem to agree with Whittaker. According to DraftKings, Makhachev is a big -395 favorite to pick up another win over Tsarukyan, who’s a +310 underdog.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.