Islam Makhachev News

Chris Taylor - October 30, 2021

A key lightweight bout between perennial division contenders Islam Makhachev and Dan Hooker took place on today’s UFC 267 main card. Makhachev (21-1 MMA) had entered the contest on an eight-fight winning streak, his most previous win being a submission victory over Thiago Moises in July.

Chris Taylor - October 30, 2021

A key lightweight bout between perennial division contenders Islam Makhachev and Dan Hooker takes place on today’s UFC 267 main card. Makhachev (20-1 MMA) will enter the contest on an eight-fight winning streak, his latest being a submission win over Thiago Moises in July.

Adam D Martin - October 29, 2021

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov told Islam Makhachev to “call out Dana White” with a win over Dan Hooker at UFC 267. Nurmagomedov is the former UFC lightweight champion, but he vacated his belt earlier this year after officially announcing his retirement from MMA. With Nurmagomedov now on the sidelines, there have been many analysts who have said that Makhachev is the next lightweight champion. He has a fighting style that is similar to Nurmagomedov and so far in the UFC, he has been extremely dominant with a 9-1 record including an eight-fight win streak at the moment. On Saturday at UFC 267, Makhachev will look to defeat Hooker.

Adam D Martin - October 28, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker commented on the Islam Makhachev fight at UFC 267, saying that “this is his party. I’m just here to spoil it.” Hooker takes on Makhachev this Saturday at UFC 267 in what is one of the biggest fights of his career. Hooker took the fight with Makhachev on short notice after Rafael dos Anjos fell off the card. Just a few days after he beat Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266, Hooker then decided that he would take the chance and fight Makhachev on short notice at UFC 267.

Adam D Martin - October 24, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev responded to rival Dan Hooker’s offer to make their fight at UFC 267 for five rounds instead. As you are all now aware, Hooker stepped up on short notice to take the fight with Makhachev at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi after Rafael dos Anjos was forced to withdraw with an injury. Hooker is a huge underdog to get the upset here against Makhachev, but that isn’t stopping him from wanting to be in the cage with his rival potentially 10 minutes longer. Hooker has taken to social media in the past week to request that his fight with Makhachev be moved to five rounds instead of three. Now, Makhachev has responded.

Harry Kettle - October 22, 2021

Dan Hooker has sensationally offered to take his fight against Islam Makhachev up to five rounds at UFC 267. MMA fans were quick to praise Dan Hooker when, on short notice, he decided to take on the challenge of facing Islam Makhachev at UFC 267. It’s a risky move for “Hangman” but in many ways, it’s a win-win. If he gets his hand raised then he’s one step closer to the belt and if he loses, that’s what was expected to happen anyway.

Adam D Martin - October 21, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker believes a win over Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 will put him one win away from a lightweight title shot. Hooker took the fight against Makhachev on short notice after former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos was forced to withdraw due to an injury. It’s a risky fight for Hooker, who will have to go to Abu Dhabi and fight one of the best lightweights in the world with less notice than ideal. But for Hooker, it’s a risk that is well worth the reward, because he knows that if he beats Makhachev, he would inch one step closer to the title shot at 155.

Adam D Martin - October 17, 2021

Islam Makhachev is a “better version” of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, says his manager Ali Abdelaziz. Makhachev returns to the Octagon later this month at UFC 267 when he fights Dan Hooker in an important lightweight bout between two top-10 ranked fighters. Makhachev is 9-1 overall in the UFC and he is currently riding an eight-fight win streak and he’s looked dominant in all of his wins. It’s only natural that the comparison towards Nurmagomedov is made given that they are both Russian, both dominant grappling-based fighters, and both are represented by the same manager in terms of Abdelaziz. So the comparison is there.

Adam D Martin - October 7, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev trolled divisional rival Justin Gaethje over his recent criticism regarding his UFC ranking. After defeating Thiago Moises for his eighth straight win inside the Octagon, Makhachev improved to 9-1 overall in the UFC and he was bumped all the way to No. 5 in the rankings. Considering Makhachev was ranked far lower before the Moises fight — who was ranked just No. 14 — it surprised a lot of fans and media when Makhachev was bumped so high up the rankings. Obviously, he is a very talented fighter who some believe could be a future UFC champion. But beating someone ranked low like Moises didn’t necessarily earn Makhachev his spot in the top-five, shooting past vets like Rafael dos Anjos on the way.

Adam D Martin - October 7, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker can thwart the wrestling of elite grappler Islam Makhachev at UFC 267, says his coach, Frank Hickman. When Rafael dos Anjos fell off of the UFC 267 card with an injury, Hooker stepped up on short notice to take on Makhachev, who is considered one of the most feared fighters in the UFC lightweight division. Just a week after he beat Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266, Hooker accepted the fight with Makhachev for the end of October on Fight Island. The oddsmakers are not particularly high on Hooker’s chances in the matchup, as he’s a big underdog.

Cole Shelton - October 5, 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes the only way Dan Hooker beats Islam Makhachev is by a lucky punch. Makhachev is a pupil of Nurmagomedov and was supposed to fight Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 267 in October. Yet, the Brazilian was forced out of the fight and Hooker took the fight on short notice and for Nurmagomedov, he expects Makhachev to maul Hooker.

Harry Kettle - October 4, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has explained why getting a win over Islam Makhachev is the best way to show how he would’ve fared against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Just weeks after beating Nasrat Haqparast to get back in the win column, Dan Hooker is set to take on one of the most intimidating forces in the 155-pound division – Islam Makhachev. He’ll do so at UFC 267 on Fight Island in a move that has received a great deal of praise from mixed martial arts fans all over the world.

Adam D Martin - October 1, 2021

Top-ranked UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev is heavily favored to defeat divisional rival Dan Hooker at UFC 267 later this month. Makhachev was supposed to fight Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 267, but RDA was forced to pull out of the fight with an injury. In his place steps Hooker, who is fresh off of a decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 last weekend. With the UFC in a tough situation in regards to finding a suitable opponent to fight Makhachev, Hooker stepped up on short notice. The two lightweights will now meet later this month at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.

Adam Martin - September 30, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker has decided to step up on short notice, and he will face Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 next month. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to break the news that Hooker is fighting Makhachev at UFC 267. That’s according to UFC president Dana White, who confirmed the fight is set.

Adam Martin - September 26, 2021

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is injured and he has been forced to pull out of his UFC 267 fight against Islam Makhachev. Makhachev took to his social media on Sunday to message dos Anjos and tell him that he doesn’t believe he is actually injured. Dos Anjos then responded to his rival, telling him that he is indeed truly injured and he will not be able to make the walk next month at UFC 267.

Adam D Martin - August 31, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Rafael dos Anjos believes that UFC analyst Daniel Cormier is hyping up his teammate Islam Makhachev too much. Dos Anjos meets Makhachev at UFC 267 in October in what could be a No. 1 contender fight in the UFC lightweight division. For RDA, he’s been scheduled to fight Makhachev twice previously, so he’s looking forward to finally getting the chance to fight his rival and prove that he’s hyped up too much. Speaking to AG Fight ahead of their matchup, dos Anjos explained why he believes Makhachev is getting too much hype. As far as dos Anjos is concerned, his teammate at Kings MMA in Beneil Dariush isn’t getting the respect that he deserves because he doesn’t have AKA’s Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov hyping him.

Andrew Whitelaw - August 11, 2021

The notion that Islam Makhachev is a real problem for anyone in the UFC’s 155lb division has been floating around for a while. The Dagestani is currently riding an eight-fight winning streak including back-to-back submission victories in his last two encounters.

Drake Riggs - August 2, 2021

Islam Makhachev is officially set for his biggest fight yet as he and Rafael dos Anjos have been rebooked for an October showdown. ESPN broke the news on Monday that the pair of ranked lightweights are set to compete at UFC 267 on October 30 in Abu Dhabi. They were originally scheduled to clash twice in 2020. The first being for October only to fall through due to dos Anjos contracting COVID-19. Makhachev was then forced out with an injury when rebooked for a month later.