Charles Oliveira praised UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for the way he finished Alexander Volkanovski . Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) knocked out Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) with a head kick in the first round of their title-fight rematch last Saturday at UFC 294. Volkanovski stepped in on short notice to replace Oliveira, who was forced out due to a cut . Oliveira (34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) was impressed with the strides Makhachev made in his striking, especially his kicking game. “This only goes to show with the things that I’ve said before, the evolution of Islam’s game standing up,” Oliveira said through an interpreter on “The MMA Hour.” “I mean, what a read that he had of that fight to start kicking low and just ended up kicking high
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