UFC veteran and former WEC title challenger Manny Gamburyan has offered a technical perspective on the grappling approach of Islam Makhachev, particularly in relation to his bout with Arman Tsarukyan. Speaking on the Jaxxon Podcast with Rampage Jackson, Gamburyan shared an observation that has largely gone unnoticed by fans and analysts.
“Islam can’t take down Arman in wrestling. I guarantee you guys Islam is a great wrestler. Great judo guy. Trust me, he knows judo. When I watch his clips, he can do judo very well,”
Gamburyan explained. He emphasized that the techniques Makhachev used successfully against Tsarukyan were rooted in judo rather than traditional wrestling.
The Armenian-American MMA star, who represented the United States at the 2000 Junior Judo World Championships, broke down the technical differences in detail.
“The technique, the movement that he does. In judo has there’s a gi obviously, right? That that’s a gi right there. That’s a hold right there. When you hold here, the the technique that he does, it’s all judo. It’s not sambo. So the the trips that he does, it’s all judo, the movements when he took Arman down in his fight. It was judo reaching under take Arman down in wrestling.”
Gamburyan’s judo background adds credibility to his assessment. The 43-year-old won 10 national judo championships during his competitive career and has consistently stated that judo was the most physically demanding discipline he ever practiced.
“I always tell everyone, all of my friends, everyone like judo is the toughest sport I’ve ever done in my whole entire life. I sparred boxing, straight up boxing, a wild card, Muay Thai, everything else. But judo five minutes with a high class opponent, it’s the toughest I’ve ever done in my whole entire life.”
Based on this analysis, Gamburyan offered direct advice for Tsarukyan ahead of any future contest with Makhachev.
“If Armon ends up fighting with Islam, he needs to work on his judo. Armen needs to work on his judo,”
he said. When asked about training options, he added,
“I mean, it’s his choice. I mean, he’s got a lot of bodies in Russia that they that can help him in judo.”
The longtime featherweight and bantamweight MMA star also commented on the lightweight picture more broadly. Addressing a potential contest between Tsarukyan and featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, Gamburyan expressed confidence in the Armenian contender.
“If anyone can beat Islam at 55, it’s Arman,”
he said, while acknowledging the threat posed by Topuria’s striking.
Gamburyan, who stepped away from competition in 2015 after a nine-year UFC run, also reflected on the toll of his training history.
“All the pain, all the injuries, the shoulder, elbows, knees, everything’s from judo. Nothing from MMA. The cuts probably here and there. Yeah. But nothing else. All the injures from judo.”
