Islam Makhachev News
Sean O’Malley weighs in on a potential super fight between Leon Edwards and Islam Makhachev: “155 to 170 is a big jump”
Harry Kettle - June 13, 2024
Sean O’Malley and his head coach Tim Welch have given their thoughts on a Leon Edwards vs Islam Makhachev superfight. Next month at UFC 304, Leon Edwards will defend the UFC welterweight championship against Belal Muhammad. If he can get through that challenge, there’s an excellent chance he’ll wind up battling Islam Makhachev in his next outing. The UFC lightweight king called for a shot at the 170 pound belt after his recent triumph over Dustin Poirier.
Conor McGregor alleges Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier PPV underperformed: "A nothing burger"
Curtis Calhoun - June 11, 2024
Conor McGregor alleges he has inside information that UFC 302, featuring Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier, was a low pay-per-view draw. Makhachev defeated Poirier by fifth-round submission to retain the UFC lightweight title in Newark earlier this month. It was a back-and-forth battle for as long as the fight lasted before Makhachev put his foot on the gas pedal and smothered Poirier with just minutes left on the clock.
Dustin Poirier compares skillsets of Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov
Harry Kettle - June 11, 2024
UFC star Dustin Poirier has compared the skillsets of former opponents Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Earlier this month, Dustin Poirier fell to submission defeat at the hands of Islam Makhachev. Of course, as we know, earlier in his career, Poirier was also submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov. Despite losing in both instances, he put up a real fight against these two legends and you could argue he came close to winning both times.
Daniel Cormier on why it's "unfair" to compare Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov's UFC accolades
Curtis Calhoun - June 6, 2024
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier feels the comparisons between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev are unfounded. Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier in his latest UFC lightweight title defense at UFC 302 last weekend. Nurmagomedov, who retired in 2020 and entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022, was front-and-center to witness Makhachev’s latest victory.
UFC CEO Dana White takes aim at “f*cking stupid” MMA media for voting Islam Makhachev ahead of Jon Jones in P4P rankings
Susan Cox - June 6, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White is taking aim at the ‘f*cking stupid’ MMA media for voting Islam Makhachev ahead of Jon Jones in the P4P rankings. Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA) was recently awarded the number one spot in the P4P rankings, moving current heavyweight champion Jon Jones (27-1 MMA) down to the number 2 spot.
Islam Makhachev's coach explains why staph infection before UFC 302 wasn't a big deal for them
Cole Shelton - June 5, 2024
Javier Mendez, the head coach of Islam Makhachev says his fighter getting staph before UFC 302 wasn’t a big deal to them. Makhachev was headlining UFC 302 against Dustin Poirier as he was looking to defend his lightweight title for the third time. Heading into the fight, Makhachev was a sizeable betting favorite, but on fight week, a photo went viral of him apparently having a staph infection.
Islam Makhachev gets P4P endorsement from Alexander Volkanovski amidst Jon Jones debate: "There has to be activity there..."
Curtis Calhoun - June 5, 2024
Former UFC featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski feels his two-time foe, Islam Makhachev, deserves the pound-for-pound nod over Jon Jones. Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier by fifth-round submission to retain the UFC lightweight belt at UFC 302. He remains the UFC’s pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter as of this writing, with Jones in the No. 2 spot.
Eddie Alvarez makes bold prediction for Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan 2
Fernando Quiles - June 5, 2024
Eddie Alvarez has made his prediction for a possible rematch between UFC lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan. Makhachev and Tsarukyan had a competitive showdown back in 2019. Makhachev emerged victorious via unanimous decision. While Makhachev has gone on to become a UFC champion with three successful title defenses, Tsarukyan hasn’t done too bad either, going 9-1 since that encounter.
Leon Edwards reacts to Islam Makhachev's UFC 302 callout: "It's a massive fight!"
Curtis Calhoun - June 4, 2024
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has responded to Islam Makhachev’s intentions to move up for a dream opportunity to earn a second title. Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier in his latest lightweight title defense at UFC 302 on Saturday in Newark. After a grueling four rounds of back-and-forth action with Poirier, Makhachev put the exclamation point inside the Octagon with a fifth-round submission by D’Arce choke.
Islam Makhachev reacts after Dana White claims Jon Jones is still the best pound for pound fighter in the UFC
Harry Kettle - June 4, 2024
Islam Makhachev has given his thoughts on Dana White claiming that Jon Jones is still the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. Last weekend, Islam Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 302. In doing so, he successfully retained his UFC lightweight championship. Of course, he had to face some adversity in order to get the job done, as you’d expect against someone like ‘The Diamond’.
What's next for the stars of UFC 302?
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2024
The UFC was in Newark, New Jersey for UFC 302 with the lightweight title on the line. In the main event, Islam Makhachev was looking to defend his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier who had said this was his final shot at winning the belt. The co-main event was a pivotal five-round middleweight scrap between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa.
Former UFC champ sides with Dana White in Islam Makhachev/Jon Jones 'Pound for Pound' debate
Curtis Calhoun - June 3, 2024
UFC President Dana White’s post-UFC 302 remarks about the pound-for-pound rankings are a major talking point of the post-fight aftermath. UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier by fifth-round submission at UFC 302 on Saturday. It was Makhachev’s latest successful title defense after back-to-back wins over Alexander Volkanovski in 2023.
Belal Muhammad confirms that he isn't interested in fighting Islam Makhachev
Harry Kettle - June 3, 2024
UFC welterweight title contender Belal Muhammad has confirmed that he isn’t interested in fighting Islam Makhachev. At UFC 304, Belal Muhammad will challenge Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight championship. It’s a fight he’s been after for a long time now, but up to this point, it hasn’t quite come to fruition. Alas, after the unbeaten run that Belal has put together, it’s impossible for the promotion to deny him this opportunity.
Islam Makhachev prefers UFC welterweight title fight over Arman Tsarukyan rematch following UFC 302 win: "This is my dream"
Fernando Quiles - June 2, 2024
Islam Makhachev has a preference for his next fight following UFC 302, but he’s willing to do whatever is asked of him. Makhachev once again showed off his elite traits in the main event of UFC 302. The 155-pound king mixed it up with Dustin Poirier inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey this past Saturday night. It was a quality effort from “The Diamond,” who was able to rough up Makhachev at certain points in the fight. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough as Makhachev forced Poirier to tap out via D’Arce choke in the final round to remain the lightweight champion.
Jon Jones gives his thoughts on Dagestani fighters after Islam Makhachev's UFC 302 triumph
Harry Kettle - June 2, 2024
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has given his honest thoughts on Dagestani fighters following Islam Makhachev’s win at UFC 302. In the main event of UFC 302, Islam Makhachev submitted Dustin Poirier to retain the UFC lightweight championship. It was a pretty incredible fight between two men who put it all on the line. However, despite his big win, UFC president Dana White made it crystal clear that he doesn’t believe Makhachev is the #1 pound for pound fighter in the promotion.
Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev reunite backstage after war at UFC 302
Harry Kettle - June 2, 2024
UFC stars Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev posed for a great picture backstage following their war at UFC 302. Last night at UFC 302, Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev really did go to war. The two battled it out in what proved to be an absolutely fascinating encounter in the main event of the evening. Ultimately, though, it was Makhachev who managed to get the job done submitting Poirier in the fifth round to retain the UFC lightweight championship.
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz react after Islam Makhachev stops Dustin Poirier at UFC 302
Chris Taylor - June 1, 2024
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz have shared reactions following Islam Makhachev’s submission victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Makhachev (26-1 MMA) and Poirier (30-9 MMA) collided in tonight’s pay-per-view headliner in New Jersey with the promotion’s lightweight title up for grabs.
UFC 302 Bonus Report: Islam Makhachev takes home $100k
Chris Taylor - June 1, 2024
The Octagon returned to New Jersey for tonight’s UFC 302 event, a twelve-bout fight card headlined by Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier. The highly anticipated lightweight title fight resulted in a thrilling back and forth affair. Islam Makhachev was able to get off to a strong start in the opening round, dominating Dustin Poirier on the canvas. However, ‘The Diamond’ had a much better second frame and was able to gain some confidence. Round three resulted in another good round for Makhachev, as he was once again able to get the fight to the floor. Then, in round four, ‘The Diamond’ was able to find success on the feet, opening up a bad cut on the reigning champ. Despite his best efforts, Poirier wound up getting taken down in the fifth and final round, which allowed Islam to lock up a fight-ending d’arce choke submission (see that here).