There’s a reason Islam Makhachev is the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound ranked fighter in the world, even if Dana White doesn’t agree.
Makhachev climbed to the top of the coveted P4P rankings courtesy of his impressive back-to-back wins against former featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski and his fifth-round submission victory against Dustin Poirier over the summer.
While fans continue to wait for news regarding Makhachev’s fourth lightweight championship defense, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ offered everyone a little something to whet their appetites on Instagram.
In a video clip, which you can see below, Makhachev was spotted deadlifting a jaw-dropping 485 pounds.
Islam Makhachev deadlifting 220kg/485lbs
pic.twitter.com/UgPjo1Px6N
— schwick (@schwick6) November 22, 2024
Islam Makhachev expected to defend lightweight title against Tsarukyan in 2025
Originally, Makhachev was hoping to defend his title before 2024 comes to a close, but an injury forced him to sit out the rest of the year. No official announcements have been made regarding his return or who it will be against, but the safe money is on the Dagestani putting his title on the line against top-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan.
Alhalkalakets’ earned his opportunity with wins over Beniel Dariush and Charles Oliveira in his last two outings. The W’s also extended his unbeaten streak to four, moving him to 9-2 under the UFC banner. One of his two losses came against Makhachev when the two met inside the Octagon in April 2019 for Tsarukyan’s promotional debut.
Recent rumors suggest Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2 could headline UFC 311 on January 18, but thus far, the only fight announced for that card is a bantamweight showdown between Karol Rosa and Ailin Perez.
