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Islam Makhachev Hand Injury: Is Potential UFC 308 Title Defense Against Arman Tsarukyan In Jeopardy?

Islam Makhachev has been eyeing a rematch against Arman Tsarukyan to defend his UFC lightweight championship. He last fought Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 and was expected to return at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024. Makhachev and Tsarukyan first crossed paths in April 2019. Although the Armenian fighter threw and landed […]

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Makhachev and Tsarukyan first crossed paths in April 2019. Although the Armenian fighter threw and landed more strikes, the Dagestani prospect bagged the decision win due to four takedowns and over five minutes of control time.

The UFC lightweight kingpin had recently revealed a hand injury that could potentially delay his return. Makhachev and his coach have now shared more details and clarified whether defending the title at UFC 308 is no longer a possibility…

Islam Makhachev’s UFC Return Could Be Delayed To Early 2025

Javier Mendez recently appeared on Helen Yee Sports on YouTube and shared the implications of Makhachev’s hand injury. The coach first explained that a ligament-related injury has left the champion unable to train.

“Yes, he’s got a ligament injury and he’s, you know, looking for consultation. Not looking, he’s getting consultation from different doctors and we’ll see what they say he has to do. But yeah, no, he’s not going to be able to train to, you know, for a fight so probably late December November or maybe January, I don’t know. Depends on what the UFC, and them, can come up with but he’s definitely not going to be ready to fight, you know, in October [UFC 308], like people are hoping.”

As per Mendez, Makhachev is currently receiving advice from several doctors that would decide the fate of his UFC return. However, he admitted that defending the UFC lightweight belt at UFC 308 in October is unlikely.

Mendez believes that a late 2024 or early 2025 return to the Octagon is more realistic for Makhachev. Because there’s a lack of contenders at lightweight, Tsarukyan is still likely to be the challenger. Moving up a weight class is also off the table because Makhachev and Belal Muhammad have been training together and have no intention to fight each other.

READ MORE: Dan Ige Has Return After Same-Day Notice Diego Lopes Scrap In The Works For Abu Dhabi-Held UFC 308

Continue Reading Islam Makhachev Hand Injury: Is Potential UFC 308 Title Defense Against Arman Tsarukyan In Jeopardy? at MMA News.

B/R Pound-for-pound UFC Rankings: August 2024

July was an action-packed month for the UFC, with a handful of exciting Fight Night cards across the U.S. and a stacked pay-per-view in Manchester, England.…

Khabib Nurmagomedov Purchased Dustin Poirier Fight Kit for $30,000

Khabib Nurmagomedov purchased Dustin Poirier’s UFC 302 fight kit for an impressive $30,000 to support The Good Fight Foundation….

Khabib Nurmagomedov purchased Dustin Poirier’s UFC 302 fight kit for an impressive $30,000 to support The Good Fight Foundation. The Diamond’ Poirier lost to Nurmagomedov protege Islam Makhachev in a title bout, but the Dagestani-born star still supported his former opponent.

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier

Russia’s Khabib Nurmagomedov has been a long-time generous supporter of Dustin Poirier and The Good Fight Foundation. This is in spite of ‘The Diamond’ being a perennial opponent of the Dagestani team, having faced Nurmagomedov and Makhachev in title bouts.

The unbeaten world champion Nurmagomedov, who retired at a perfect 29-0, defeated Poirier by submission at UFC 242 live from Abu Dhabi. ‘The Eagle’ then raised $100,000 for Poirier’s foundation.

Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev

After knocking out Benoit Saint Denis, ‘The Diamond‘ got another crack at the UFC lightweight title in a match against the student of Khabib; Islam Makhachev. After five rounds of battle, Makhachev submitted Poirier at UFC 302. As is tradition, the US-born athlete auctioned off his fight kit, such as his shirt, gloves, and shorts, from the championship match, but this time there was an issue.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 01: (L-R) Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev of Russia talk after in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC 302 event at Prudential Center on June 01, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

The Good Fight Foundation

The Good Fight Foundation supports various local causes in the home state of Poirier which is Louisiana. The organization has helped support hospitals, food banks, and more. For UFC 302, the foundation was organizing a back-to-school drive “We will be providing over 1000 backpacks filled with the essential school supplies for families in need,” they wrote on Instagram.

They auctioned off the UFC fight kit on eBay, but the original buyer dropped out and never supplied the money. Instead, Khabib Nurmagomedov stepped in to purchase the clothing. The Dagestani star contributed a whopping $30,000 which all went to the back-to-school drive.

“He [Nurmagomedov] purchased it,” Poirier said in an interview on The MMA Hour, “$30,000. He came through, we shipped it off, and backpacks are getting filled. ‘Somebody outbid the last bidder at the last minute and didn’t pay. People do that all the time, people suck, man… Ali [Abdelaziz] reached out to me, Khabib wants to buy it.” [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Islam Makhachev calls Paris 2024 Olympics “Disgusting”

Islam Makhachev had plenty to say about a certain moment during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympic…

Islam Makhachev had plenty to say about a certain moment during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

Unless you’ve been living under a very heavy rock, you’ve probably come across some very angry people on social media in the wake of a vastly misinterpreted segment during the opening ceremony of this year’s summer games in The City of Light.

The segment in question featured a man dressed as Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, fertility, festivities, ecstasy, and theater, served on a platter. “The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings,” the Olympic Games official account on X wrote alongside a photo from the performance.

Islam Makhachev disgusted by Paris Games opening ceremony

Following the broadcast, backlash immediately ensued with many believing the segment closely resembled Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’ portrait of Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles. Those who were outraged argued that the event’s organizers were making a “mockery” out of Christianity.

During an interview with Ushatayka, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev echoed a similar sentiment, calling the display “disgusting” and calling it “disrespectful to all religions.”

“Well, to be honest, I watched fragments of the opening of the Olympics. It was disgusting.“

Makhachev further explained his objection to the opening ceremony segment, adding,“This is disrespectful to all religions in general and to all human values. To be honest, I even planned to go to the Olympics. After that, I don’t even want to go there.”

A host of celebrities have since spoken out against the misunderstood depiction, including Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, Fuller House star Candance Cameron-Bure, Caitlyn Jenner, former president Donald Trump, and fitness guru Jillian Michaels.

Islam Makhachev believes Russia can bring ‘human values’ back to the Olympics

Adding to his comments, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ called for the Olympics to come back to his home country of Russia where they know how to “uphold human values.”

“Well, first of all, Russia understands how to uphold human values,” Makhachev added. “It respects athletes and the sport. I don’t think it has anything to do with the sport.”

Russia has been absent from four consecutive Olympic Games, two summer and two winter, including 2024. Initially, the country was barred due to a state-run doping scandal that first came to light in 2016. In the years since, athletes from the country have been able to compete at the games, but only under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) label.

This year, both Russia and Belarus were banned from the Olympics due to their involvement in the invasion of Ukraine which began in February 2022, days after the conclusion of the Winter Games.

Still, athletes from both countries are eligible to compete, but only under the AIN banner, or Athlètes Individuels Neutres.

Islam Makhachev to be out for remainder of the year due to injury

For those hoping to see Islam Makhachev return to the Octagon in October, we’ve got some bad news. The…

For those hoping to see Islam Makhachev return to the Octagon in October, we’ve got some bad news.

The ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ successfully defended his lightweight title at UFC 302 in June, securing a fifth-round submission victory over division staple Dustin Poirier.

Hoping to get one more fight in before the end of 2024, Makhachev was targeting a return at UFC 308 in October when the promotion heads back to Abu Dhabi.

However, that is now in doubt after Makhachev recently revealed he is suffering from a partial ligament tear in his hand that may require surgery, potentially keeping him shelved for the rest of the year.

“After the fight [with Poirier], my fists hurt, a lot of things hurt,” Makhachev told Ushatayka. “We’ll take time. Everything is healing little by little. But my hand continues to bother me. An MRI recently confirmed that I have a partial ligament tear. Let’s see if I can recover. If not, I might even have to have surgery.

“It is questionable [if I will fight at UFC 308]. We haven’t talked about the fight yet. I am doing rehabilitation every day now. And we’ll see how the hand goes” (h/t MMA Junkie).

Arman Tsarukyan may have to wait a little longer for his rematch with Islam makhachev

Though no official announcements had been made, all signs pointed toward top-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan being the next man in line to challenge Makhachev. ‘Ahalkalakets’ secured his No. 1 ranking at UFC 300 via a split decision victory over ex-champion Charles Oliveira.

Overall, Tsarukyan is 8-2 inside the Octagon with one of his two losses coming in his UFC debut against Makhachev. The Armenian standout has been chomping at the bit to run it back ever since. It certainly looks like he’ll get that chance, but he may have to wait a little longer than expected.

Islam Makhachev Next Fight Opponent & Date Speculated: Will Hand Injury Affect His Title Defense Against Arman Tsarukyan?

Islam Makhachev last defended his UFC lightweight title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 on June 2, 2024. He’s defended the belt thrice now, and fans are excited to see him battle it out against former rival Arman Tsarukyan. The Armenian prospect is riding a four-fight win-streak which includes a decision win over former champ […]

Continue Reading Islam Makhachev Next Fight Opponent & Date Speculated: Will Hand Injury Affect His Title Defense Against Arman Tsarukyan? at MMA News.

The Armenian prospect is riding a four-fight win-streak which includes a decision win over former champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. However, he’ll be out of action until, at least, October 12, 2024, due to a suspension for punching a fan while walking out.

Makhachev has now revealed a hand injury as well, and here’s how it could affect his next fight and opponent.

Who Is Islam Makhachev’s Next Fight?

Despite the hand injury, Makhachev is most likely to fight Tsarukyan for the UFC lightweight championship next. “Ahalkalakets” is the only fighter in the division with a strong case for a title shot, and the kingpin has acknowledged it repeatedly.

Interestingly, Makhachev is one of the only three fighters to beat Tsarukyan in his pro-MMA career. They fought in April 2019 at UFC Fight Night 149 and after three rounds of high-level grappling exchanges, the Dagestani fighter got the judges’ nod.

Since the loss, Tsarukyan has racked up nine wins, and his close decision loss to Mateusz Gamrot was seen as an impressive performance nonetheless.

When Will Islam Makhachev Return To The UFC?

Makhachev, during an interview with Ushatayka on YouTube, revealed that a hand injury might force him to get surgery, meaning he might not be able to fight at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. This was the event rumored to feature his next title defense but naturally, it is hard to confirm anything now.

The news is undeniably disappointing for fans of the UFC lightweight champion as he was keen to defend his title again in 2024.

Tsarukyan, on the other hand, will feature in an anti-bullying PSA video to reduce his nine-month suspension to six and be eligible to fight after October 12. This could become insignificant if the champion cannot fight, though.

Continue Reading Islam Makhachev Next Fight Opponent & Date Speculated: Will Hand Injury Affect His Title Defense Against Arman Tsarukyan? at MMA News.