Tag: Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev Could Get Welterweight Title Opportunity, Says Dana White

Islam MakhachevIf Islam Makhachev wins his next fight, he’ll “absolutely” get an opportunity to add another belt to his collection….

Islam Makhachev

If Islam Makhachev wins his next fight, he’ll “absolutely” get an opportunity to add another belt to his collection.

In June, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ successfully defended his lightweight championship against three-time title challenger Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in New Jersey. Makhachev had hoped to put his gold on the line at Saturday’s pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi, but a hand injury forced him to sit out the rest of 2024.

Islam Makhachev

When he does return, Makhachev is expected to square off with the division’s top-ranked contender, Arman Tsarukyan.

With Makhachev already expressing interest in moving up to welterweight for a shot at champ-champ status, Dana White revealed at Thursday’s Power Slap press conference that he would happily allow Makhachev to move up should he score a win over ‘Ahalkalakets’ in his next outing.

Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad not interested in fighting Islam makhachev

Right now, the welterweight title resides with Belal Muhammad after ‘Remember The Name’ delivered a mostly dominant showing against Leon Edwards in Manchester earlier this year.

Currently, Muhammad is scheduled to defend the welterweight crown against unbeaten finisher Shavkat Rakhmonov in the UFC 310 headliner on December 7.

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Unfortunately for Makhachev, even if Muhammad comes out on top, he’s not likely to give the Dagestani a title opportunity.

“I would never fight him, 100 percent, but honestly, he could go up to 185 and beat [Dricus] du Plessis right now,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting in June. “I think he’s that good, really. I think he could go up there and be that two-division champ.”

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Islam Makhachev’s Manager Puts Dana White’s P4P Stance Down To Promotional Tactics

The manager of Islam Makhachev believes Dana White’s attempt to downplay the UFC lightweight champion’s status as pound-for-pound best is entirely down to his efforts to promote Jon Jones. “Bones,” a former light heavyweight kingpin who captured the heavyweight gold in his divisional debut last year, is set to make his long-awaited return to defend […]

Continue Reading Islam Makhachev’s Manager Puts Dana White’s P4P Stance Down To Promotional Tactics at MMA News.

The manager of Islam Makhachev believes Dana White’s attempt to downplay the UFC lightweight champion’s status as pound-for-pound best is entirely down to his efforts to promote Jon Jones.

“Bones,” a former light heavyweight kingpin who captured the heavyweight gold in his divisional debut last year, is set to make his long-awaited return to defend the belt in the UFC 309 main event next month.

While Jones and the UFC CEO haven’t seen eye to eye in the past, White has been spreading stories of the heavyweight champ’s accolades and his continued superiority on podcasts and during interviews throughout this year.

Among White’s claims is the suggestion that the rankings panel have massively messed up by putting Makhachev in the pound-for-pound top spot over Jones.

During an interview with MMA Fighting, the Dagestani’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, provided his response to White’s continued dismissal of Makhachev as being worthy of the P4P crown.

“Listen, it’s the reason why Dana White is the pound-for-pound greatest promoter on this planet,” Abdelaziz explained. “Jon Jones is fighting next month. He’s fighting a guy (in Stipe Miocic), he’s probably going to be -800 against. (This is) the best way to promote this fight, to promote Jon Jones.

“Dana never promoted Jon Jones for some reason. But now he’s on Jon Jones’ wagon. Guess what? This promotes Jon Jones, too,” Abdelaziz continued. “He can say he’s the greatest of all time. Islam Makhachev right now currently is the pound-for-pound greatest fighter in the world by far. It’s not even second place. But Dana’s Dana. People think he’s talking gospel.”

White isn’t along in disagreeing with Abdelaziz’s take.

Makhachev’s expected next challenger, in-form Russian-Armenian contender Arman Tsarukyan, also put Jones above the lightweight champ while discussing the pound-for-pound order in a recent interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn.

Continue Reading Islam Makhachev’s Manager Puts Dana White’s P4P Stance Down To Promotional Tactics at MMA News.

Ilia Topuria Eyes Islam Makhachev Fight, vows to make him “Suffer” in Dream Title Showdown

Ilia Topuria vs Islam MakhachevThe UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has set his aim on the lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev. At UFC 308,…

Ilia Topuria vs Islam Makhachev

The UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has set his aim on the lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev. At UFC 308, ‘El Matador’ will look to defend his throne against the former champion Max Holloway, and then Topuria is looking to become a two-division king.

Ilia Topuria

The Georgian-Spanish will enter his UFC 308 title fight with an undefeated professional record on October 26. Ilia Topuria captured the featherweight title when he knocked out pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski earlier this year. Now, he faces a stiff test against the former champion ‘Blessed’ Max Holloway this weekend.

Ilia Topuria eyes biggest fight in history against Conor McGregor in UFC Spain debut
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports

With a victory at UFC 308, Ilia Topuria will look to go up in weight to challenge the lightweight world champion Islam Makhachev, who is a student of all-time great Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Dagestani Makhachev has impressive wins over fighters such as Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski, and Charles Oliveira, among others. He is an aggressive fighter with a smother top game on the ground.

In an interview, Ilia Topuria explained how he sees the match against the lightweight king. He said:

“A style that Islam has never ever faced in his life, and will never face unless he faces me…So that is why I say that right now, there is no one who can overshadow me.

“I know what bothers them, what doesn’t bother them. So, for me, even if it seems like a very difficult fight, I would make Islam suffer a lot. Too much…I’m a guy who has impeccable physical preparation. In the fifth round, I am the same as in the first and I represent a threat at any second of the fight.“

But before he can challenge for the lightweight throne, he has a major challenge ahead of him as he soon meets Max Holloway. ‘Blessed’ a an aggressive volume striker who looks to bury his opponents under a barrage of punches. This match is set to headline in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

Kamaru Usman Calls Alex Pereira ‘Pound-For-Pound King’ Over Islam Makhachev

Alex Pereira defended his UFC light heavyweight belt for the third time in 2024 at UFC 307. He stopped Khalil Rountree via TKO in the fourth, further skyrocketing his popularity. Pereira’s exciting fighting style and consistency are second to none in the UFC at the moment. With six title fight wins already, he’s solidified his […]

Continue Reading Kamaru Usman Calls Alex Pereira ‘Pound-For-Pound King’ Over Islam Makhachev at MMA News.

Alex Pereira defended his UFC light heavyweight belt for the third time in 2024 at UFC 307. He stopped Khalil Rountree via TKO in the fourth, further skyrocketing his popularity.

Pereira’s exciting fighting style and consistency are second to none in the UFC at the moment. With six title fight wins already, he’s solidified his legacy and fans now expect to see him in the heavyweight division or take on Magomed Ankalaev.

Kamaru Usman has all the praise in the world for “Poatan” after his UFC 307 victory. So much so, that he called the UFC light heavyweight kingpin the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world over Islam Makhachev.

Kamaru Usman Explains Why Alex Pereira Is His Pound-For-Pound Best Fighter Despite Islam Makhachev Having More Tools

On the latest episode of the Pound 4 Pound With Kamaru & Henry podcast on YouTube, Usman and Henry Cejudo debated who deserves to be the P4P best fighter after UFC 307. While “Triple C” still gave the title to Makhachev, Usman had a new opinion after “Poatan” dismantled Rountree’s game plan masterfully.

According to the former UFC welterweight champion, fighters in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions should be judged differently. At anything over 200 pounds, having a strong ground game is a challenge because of the strength and energy required.

“I have to admit when, and this is a part of being a man, you have to admit when you feel like you’ve made an error. And in the revelation lately, what I’ve come to is, I realized I’ve been judging Alex Pereira based on what I would be judged at. There’s a lot more men that weigh, walk around on this earth close to 170 to 185 pounds.”

So, Usman no longer holds Pereira accountable for not showcasing his grappling because it is simply not prevalent enough in his weight division. He’s been decimating the top light heavyweight and middleweight contenders with ease, which is enough for “The Nigerian Nightmare” to call him the P4P best UFC fighter.

Usman broke down the UFC 307 main event and appreciated how Pereira looked calm throughout the fight. Against a dangerous southpaw like Rountree, he decided to rely on his jab instead of the left hook that usually wins him matches.

“I think he is pound-for-pound king because of the way he’s able to fight. Not the way he’s able to fight but the way he’s able to make his opponents fight and the way he’s able to dispose of his opponents. I love Islam and his abilities, I think Islam of course has more tools in the shed but for what you have to work with, Alex Pereira I believe he’s the pound-for-pound.”

The UFC welterweight acknowledged that fighters with relentless wrestling like Merab Dvalishvili have been succeeding in the UFC lately. However, he also pointed out that such a fighting style is usually present in lower weight classes, and even Magomed Ankalaev wouldn’t replicate Dvalishvili’s style at light heavyweight.

“I can’t be biased to the standard that I’m held to. The standard that Islam is held to because there’s a lot more men that weigh Islam’s size and my size than they do Alex Pereira’s size. So, with what Alex Pereira has to work with, he’s disposing of these guys that way so I have to give that to him.”

Continue Reading Kamaru Usman Calls Alex Pereira ‘Pound-For-Pound King’ Over Islam Makhachev at MMA News.

Khabib Nurmagomedov Reveals Date For Islam Makhachev’s Next UFC Title Defense

Khabib Nurmagomedov has seemingly confirmed when reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev will return to action. Makhachev has had just one outing in 2024 — a hard-fought submission win over Dustin Poirier at the Newark-held UFC 302 event to record his second defense of the 155-pound title. For the third straight year, the Russian was […]

Continue Reading Khabib Nurmagomedov Reveals Date For Islam Makhachev’s Next UFC Title Defense at MMA News.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has seemingly confirmed when reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev will return to action.

Makhachev has had just one outing in 2024 — a hard-fought submission win over Dustin Poirier at the Newark-held UFC 302 event to record his second defense of the 155-pound title.

For the third straight year, the Russian was then being lined up to headline the promotion’s annual October pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi. But an injury that required surgery scuppered those plans and ruled Makhachev out for the remainder of 2024.

Talk quickly arose of a possible interim title fight for top contender Arman Tsarukyan. But after UFC CEO Dana White was quick to dismiss that notion and insist plans were coming together for the champ’s return, the next lightweight title fight may have now had its date leaked…

Khabib Leaks January UFC Title Defense For Makhachev

During a recent interview (via Ushatayka), Khabib provided an update on Makhachev’s return after injury stalled plans for a second assignment in 2024.

While he stayed short of confirming a location or opponent, “The Eagle” did reveal that his protégé has accepted a bout offer from the UFC for an event in January 2025, likely UFC 311.

“UFC offered us a fight already, in January. We accepted it,” Nurmagomedov said. “UFC will announce very soon where it will take place and who will be Islam’s opponent. I will not make an announcement myself, but I can say that we are focused on January.”

Although his name wasn’t mentioned, there’s little doubt about Tsarukyan’s status as next in line for a shot at title glory following his decision win over former champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 this past April.

Continue Reading Khabib Nurmagomedov Reveals Date For Islam Makhachev’s Next UFC Title Defense at MMA News.

The ‘Bad Guy’ Wants to See Islam Makhachev Make a Classic WWE-Style Heel Turn

The 'Bad Guy' Wants to See Islam Makhachev Make a Classic WWE-Style Heel TurnChael Sonnen wants to see Islam Makhachev embrace his natural role as a heel. During a recent episode of…

The 'Bad Guy' Wants to See Islam Makhachev Make a Classic WWE-Style Heel Turn

Chael Sonnen wants to see Islam Makhachev embrace his natural role as a heel.

During a recent episode of his ESPN show Good Guy/Bad Guy with former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier, ‘The American Gangster’ spoke about the promotion’s recent struggles in finding the next big breakout star, much of it being blamed on the lack of lengthy title reigns by today’s talent.

Makhachev finds himself in a similar boat, having just completed his third defense of the lightweight title in June via a fifth-round submission victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Before that, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ won back-to-back bouts against former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.

Islam Makhachev

Touting Jon Jones and Alex Pereira as the two biggest names in the game right now, Sonnen believes Makhachev could unseat them both and take his spot as the promotion’s top draw by making a classic WWE-style heel turn.

“Okay, that guy is so charismatic, and he is so secretly funny,” Sonnen said. “If he was to do a heel turn, I mean, come on, he said one of the great heel lines ever. He said a whole bunch of professors should be taking their black belts back from guys. Like that angle and that is blasphemy in this sport and nobody even knows got it. It was like this G-rated line, he didn’t use profanity, he didn’t yell. When he said it, he said it nicely” (h/t MMA News).

Sonnen certainly knows a thing or two about using his ability to talk as a way to sell himself. Going into his Hall of Fame clash with Anderson Silva at UFC 117, the West Linn, Oregon native drew in fight fans with his impeccable promo skills that saw him trash talk ‘The Spider’ in a way that no fighter had done before.

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Daniel Cormier wants to write material for Islam makhachev

Offering his take on the subject, Cormier appeared to agree with Sonnen, even suggesting that the two start writing material for Makhachev to help him go from a mild-mannered Dagestani scrapper to a Ric Flair-esque larger-than-life character on MMA’s biggest stage.

“I think that’s the move for Islam,” Cormier concurred. “He needs to get you and I to write him promos. We should write him promos. We write promos telling how much better he is than everyone. I would make him tell everybody that they don’t deserve to be in there with him and he’s just going to lord over this division until he decides to retire.”

Originally hoping to defend his title in Abu Dhabi this fall, Makhachev will be forced to sit out the remainder of the year due to an injury. When he is ready for a return, top-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan will likely be the one waiting for him inside the Octagon.

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