Islam Makhachev News
Charles Oliveira is willing to start his title fight with Islam Makhachev off of his back: “I’m the division’s biggest problem and you’re not understanding”
Susan Cox - July 20, 2022
Charles Oliveira is willing to start his title fight with Islam Makhachev off of his back. UFC 280 will be headlined by Charles Oliveira (33-8 MMA) vs Islam Makhachev (22-1 MMA) at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The currently vacant lightweight championship title will be decided on Saturday, October 22nd.
Alex Volkanovski says he wants the winner of Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev as talks of an interim featherweight title emerge
Harry Kettle - July 18, 2022
UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski has reiterated his desire to fight for the UFC lightweight title. In recent weeks, Alex Volkanovski has taken his rightful place as the pound-for-pound king of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was able to leapfrog Kamaru Usman as a result of his dominant display against Max Holloway, cementing his status as perhaps the greatest featherweight of all-time.
Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev react after their lightweight title fight is announced for UFC 280
Chris Taylor - July 16, 2022
Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev have issued statements after news broke that they will collide at UFC 280 on October 22. The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that Makhachev and Oliveira would meet for the promotions vacant lightweight title earlier today, following an initial report from Ariel Helwani.
Charles Oliveira set to fight Islam Makhachev for the vacant UFC lightweight title on October 22 in Abu Dhabi
Chris Taylor - July 16, 2022
Charles Oliveira will fight Islam Makhachev for the vacant UFC lightweight title on October 22 in Abu Dhabi. The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced the news today, following an initial report from Ariel Helwani.
Islam Makhachev responds to Michael Chandler callout: "Easy money"
Josh Evanoff - July 7, 2022
UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev seems interested in a showdown with Michael Chandler. Earlier this week, ‘Iron’ called out the Russian earlier this week. With the UFC lightweight title being vacant, Chandler called for the fight to be a championship bout. The main reasoning is that former champion Charles Oliveira wants to fight Conor McGregor.
Michael Chandler calls for lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev so Charles Oliveira can "sit out and wait" for Conor McGregor
Cole Shelton - July 6, 2022
Michael Chandler is eyeing a fight with Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title next time out. The lightweight title was vacated when Oliveira missed weight for his UFC 274 fight against Justin Gaethje. Oliveira ended up winning the fight and Dana White said he would be one-half of a vacant title fight. Yet, he has recently talked about wanting to face Conor McGregor so Chandler says if the Brazilian really wants that fight, he believes he should face Makhachev for the vacant belt.
Alexander Volkanovski's coach explains why Charles Oliveira is a harder matchup than Islam Makhachev
Cole Shelton - June 2, 2022
Alexander Volkanovski has hinted at a move to lightweight and his coach Eugene Bareman has broken down how he’d do against top lightweights. Volkanovski is set to defend his featherweight title at UFC 276 as he will face Max Holloway for the third time in an intriguing matchup. Should he win, he has said he would like to try and become a champ-champ. If he does get the chance, he will likely face the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev, if that fight actually happens. For Eugene Bareman, he thinks the Brazilian is the tougher matchup of the two.
Gilbert Burns explains why he would put all of his money on Charles Oliveira to beat Islam Makhachev
Harry Kettle - May 25, 2022
UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns has explained why he believes Charles Oliveira has what it takes to defeat Islam Makhachev. While he may only just be coming off of the win over Justin Gaethje, all eyes are on Charles Oliveira to see what his next move is going to be. The latest we’ve heard is that he’ll take some time off before facing the winner of Islam Makhachev vs Beneil Dariush later this year, a contest that has been in the works for a long time now and was initially supposed to go down a few months back.
Daniel Cormier ponders if Khabib Nurmagomdov would return if Islam Makchaev loses to Charles Oliveira: "Is defending his friend's honor enough?"
Josh Evanoff - May 17, 2022
Daniel Cormier has given his thoughts on Khabib Nurmagomedov possibly coming out of retirement to fight Charles Oliveira. ‘The Eagle’ retired following his win over Justin Gaethje in October 2020. Despite his retirement, the UFC did its best to try and lure him back into fighting. However, the attempts all failed, and Nurmagomedov vacated the lightweight title in 2021.
Islam Makhachev previews fight with "unprofessional" Charles Oliveira: "I really want to finish him in the grappling"
Josh Evanoff - May 17, 2022
UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev believes that he would beat Charles Oliveira on the ground. The two 155-pounders have been in discussions for a fight for a while now. The Brazilian has noted that he plans to possibly fight Makhachev later this year. However, that’s only if he’s able to defeat Beneil Dariush first.
Rafael dos Anjos slams Islam Makhachev for suggesting Charles Oliveira is scared to lose: “You got exposed on that fight week by bluff”
Cole Shelton - May 10, 2022
Rafael dos Anjos has taken a shot at Islam Makhachev. After submitting Justin Gaethje at UFC274, Charles Oliveira said he wanted to fight the winner of Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush for the vacant title. Yet, the Dagestani native thought he deserved the fight anyway and blasted ‘Do Bronx’ for being “scared to lose” which dos Anjos doesn’t think is true at all.
Charles Oliveira reveals plans to take layoff, wants to return in December against Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush winner
Josh Evanoff - May 10, 2022
UFC lightweight Charles Oliveira has revealed his plans for the rest of the year. ‘Do Bronx’ is fresh off his headlining role against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274. The bout was supposed to be Oliveira’s second title defense, but he was stripped of his title after missing weight. He wound up winning the bout via first-round submission.
Islam Makhachev shares bold prediction for potential Charles Oliveira fight
Harry Kettle - May 6, 2022
UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev has made a bold prediction for a potential fight against Charles Oliveira. While Charles Oliveira may be focusing his attention on Justin Gaethje this weekend, it can never hurt to look ahead to the future – so long as he doesn’t get distracted. If ‘Do Bronx’ is able to push past Gaethje and retain his UFC lightweight title at UFC 274, there’s a good chance that the next man he faces will be Islam Makhachev.
Islam Makhachev tells Alexander Volkanovski to hold his horses and stay at featherweight: "LW title fight is mine"
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2022
Islam Makhachev isn’t a fan of Alexander Volkanovski thinking he could get a lightweight title fight. Volkanovski is coming off a TKO win over Korean Zombie at UFC 273 to defend his featherweight title for the third time. It was an impressive performance and after the win, Volkanovski said he didn’t know what would be next. However, he recently came out and said he would like a lightweight title fight to try and become a champ-champ.
Michael Chandler says Islam Makhachev still has work to do before staking claim to a title shot: “Beating Bobby Green doesn’t get you a title shot”
Susan Cox - March 11, 2022
In speaking on the YouTube podcast ‘The Schmo and The Pro’, Michael Chandler weighed in on Islam Makhachev getting a title shot in the UFC. Michael Chandler (22-7 MMA) last fought back in November 2021 at UFC 268 where he suffered defeat at the hands of Justin Gaethje (23-3 MMA). ‘Iron’ is now scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson (26-6 MMA) in a much anticipated bout at UFC 274 on May 7, 2022, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Charles Oliveira "blows Gaethje and Islam out of the water," says Kevin Lee
Cole Shelton - March 10, 2022
Kevin Lee has said Charles Oliveira is the best lightweight he has fought and he is sticking by that. Oliveira has been doubted countless times in his career. ‘Do Bronx’ was the underdog to Lee and Dustin Poirier among countless others and some have even labeled him a “quitter”. Yet, for ‘The Motown Phenom’ he says Oliveira is the most skilled fighter he’s fought and believes the champ easily beats both Justin Gaethje and Islam Makhachev.
Islam Makhachev refutes Dana White’s claim that he turned down RDA, reacts to news that he must fight Beneil Dariush
Harry Kettle - March 8, 2022
UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev has explained why he didn’t end up fighting Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 272. It’s been a rollercoaster ride of a few weeks for Islam Makhachev ever since he beat Bobby Green on short notice at UFC Vegas 49. The Russian star was initially supposed to take on Beneil Dariush, only for an injury to rule his opponent out of the contest.
Rafael dos Anjos reveals Islam Makhachev requested $1 million to take UFC 272 short-notice fight
Josh Evanoff - March 7, 2022
Rafael dos Anjos has revealed why his proposed fight with Islam Makhachev fell apart. The former UFC lightweight champion was set to face Rafael Fiziev at UFC 272. However, days before the fight, his foe came down with COVID-19 and was forced out. Following that news, Islam Makhachev offered to step in on short notice and fight dos Anjos.