"Makhachev's ingenuity, his fight IQ allowed him to win the first fight. Arman has gotten much better, but what he doesn't have yet is a fighter's IQ. And it's still raw. He's young. Islam has more experience fighting at the elite level. And I think Islam will win," Thompson stated on the Weighting In podcast.
Recall that the first fight between Makhachev and Tsarukyan took place in April 2019 and ended with the victory of the current holder of the belt on points.