Before we get into JDM vs Islam… We’ve gotta talk about UFC 315.
Well, just when the world needed Belal Muhammad, he lost.
‘Remember the name’ chose to stand and bang with the boxing phenom that is JDM at UFC 315 — and boy was that a mistake.
With JDM now the unlikely welterweight champion, Islam has vacated his lightweight belt in preparation for his debut at welterweight.
Will he win? Let’s dive right into this matchup.
JDM vs Islam: Comparing Their Weapon Arsenals
Everyone is pretty familiar with Islam’s game now.
The 33-year-old Dagestani (27-1-0) has an elite ground game customary of many Dagestani fighters. But he has also developed great striking over the years, something that clearly sets him apart from his predecessor, Khabib.
Islam head-kicked Alexander Volkanovski into oblivion, traded blows with Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirer (then choked them out), and most recently, dispatched Renato Moicano with ease.
He’s so well-rounded that I truly can’t see any glaring mistakes in his game. The man is already the greatest Lightweight of all time (in terms of defenses); it’s close to impossible to bet against him.
As impressive as JDM was against Belal at UFC 315, the 28-year-old Aussie (18-2-0) is far less battle-tested, having only fought 3 elite guys (Kevin Holland, Gilbert Burns, and Belal Muhammad) during his time in the UFC.
Still, JDM flexed his great takedown defense against Belal and punished him with crisp punches and knees. He did the same to Burns, and there’s little doubt that he’ll try that against Islam as well.
One Key Advantage That JDM Has…
Islam is making his debut in the Welterweight division. Will this affect his speed, focus, and strength?
We don’t know. But surely it will, since Islam will have to adapt to the heavier weight class.
Plus, fighting at Welterweight means fighting physically stronger opponents.
However, it’s interesting that Islam is almost the same size as JDM (178cm/5 ft 10 in and 180cm/5 ft 11 in respectively), and his walk-around weight is apparently at Welterweight anyway.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he comes into the fight without much weight trouble.
JDM vs Islam: And New?
I believe that JDM’s physicality is only a small advantage over Islam since they’re practically the same size anyway.
His takedown defense is good, but is it good enough against Islam? I doubt it.
As long as Islam does what he’s known to do, he’ll probably be able to trade a few blows, then drown JDM with ground-and-pound and submission attempts.
I think after a few rounds of Islam hounding JDM with takedowns, he’ll eventually get a submission victory over the Aussie.
I’m sure JDM will put up a valiant effort against Islam, but have we seen a Lightweight as well-rounded as Islam before?
I highly doubt that JDM is going to hand Makhachev his first loss since 2015.
For this matchup — JDM vs Islam — I must go with the Dagestani.
Islam by submission in round 4… Or a UD win.
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