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UFC star Islam Makhachev set for sidelining until post-Summer through injury amid links to Justin Gaethje fight

Undisputed lightweight champion and pound-for-pound number one, Islam Makhachev has been confirmed as out until the summer at the…

Undisputed lightweight champion and pound-for-pound number one, Islam Makhachev has been confirmed as out until the summer at the very earliest according to UFC CEO, Dana White – who also revealed the Russian is being lined up to fight either former foes, Charles Oliveira, or Arman Tsarukyan next.

Makhachev, the current pound-for-pound number one ranked fighter on the promotion’s books, has been sidelined since he turned in a hellacious opening round high-kick KO win over two-time foe and featherweight kingpin, Alexander Volkanovski back in October at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Islam Makhachev sidelined through injury until after summer

And initially offering his services at organizational events from January through to March ahead of the beginning of Ramadan, Makhachev is currently recovering from an injury according to White, which will sideline him until the summer at the earliest.

“(Charles) Oliveira was supposed to fight the champ, Islam Makhachev, but Islam is still recovering from an injury,” Dana White revealed. “(Arman) Tsarukyan is coming off a vicious knockout of Beneil Dariush. The winner will face Islam when he returns this summer.”

Linked with a championship fight defense against former interim titleholder, and current symbolic BMF gold holder, Justin Gaethje, Makhachev has been linked with a return as soon as March, however, with the confirmation of his sidelining from UFC boss, White, it remains unclear as to what the former’s future will be.

According to White, the victor of a slated UFC 300 title-eliminator between former champion, Oliveira, and the surging, Tsarukyan will face Makhachev as the pair look to strike a title rematch with the American Kickboxing Academy force.

Twice defending his lightweight crown, Makhachev went the distance with Volkanovski in their first clash back in February of last year, landing a close decision win over the New South Wales technician.

Who does Islam Makhachev fight in his return to the UFC this year?

UFC star Islam Makhachev tipped to retire before end of next year: ‘He has cleaned out 155 pounds’

Undisputed lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev is likely to call time on his illustrious mixed martial arts career before the…

Undisputed lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev is likely to call time on his illustrious mixed martial arts career before the end of next year according to analyst and former title chaser, Chael Sonnen, who argues the current titleholder has cleared out the lightweight ranks more so than his training partner and coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov did.

Makhachev, the current undisputed lightweight champion and pound-for-pound number one ranked fighter under the banner of the promotion, made his return to the Octagon at UFC 294 back in October.

Taking on featherweight titleholder counterpart, Alexander Volkanovski in a short-notice title rematch, Makhachev landed a spectacular first round finish over the Australian, stopping his two-time foe with a flush – high-kick KO win in a surefire Knockout of the Year contender.

And offering to compete for the promotion before Ramadan in a hasty return to the Octagon in March, lightweight kingpin, Makhachev has been linked with a championship defense against current symbolic BMF titleholder, Justin Gaethje next.

Islam Makhachev backed to retire by end of 2025

According to former middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger, Sonnen, however, fans of Makhachev should make sure to get their viewing on the Russian in before the end of next year – tipping the Russian to end his tenure in the sport by the conclusion of 2025.

“Islam Makhachev, you want him to keep fighting?” Chael Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “Do you want him to go out like Khabib (Nurmagomedov). There is very good evidence that Islam has cleaned out 155 pounds more than Khabib… As you look at Islam saying, ‘I would like to go to 170 pounds.’ If [the UFC] wanted to get Khabib to consider [returning], they needed to make it 170 pounds or a catchweight, and they needed to make it an opponent he was yet to face.”

“…They’re [the UFC] gonna find out a lot sooner than they’d have to that Islam is done… If he keesp his three fights in 2024, you are not gonna se him in 2025, that I do know… You’re giving him matches he doesn’t want to have… If you want to keep him and elongate his career, you’re gonna have to start looking at either catchweight or 170 [pounds]. Islam Makhachev will not weight 155 pounds more than three times again in his life.” (H/T MMA News)

Do you think Islam Makhachev is on the brink of retirement?

UFC Contender believes Islam Makhachev would rather retire than rematch arman tsarukyan: ‘There’s too much risk’

Dan Hooker believes Islam Makhachev would rather follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and retire from…

Dan Hooker believes Islam Makhachev would rather follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and retire from the sport of MMA before being matched up with rising contender Arman Tsarukyan.

Since capturing the 155-pound crown at UFC 280, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ has defended his title twice, both times against current featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski. With ‘The Great’ now firmly in his rearview, Makhachev is gearing up for his next big challenge. As it stands, there are a handful of viable contenders vying for the opportunity, including Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Dustin Poirier.

However, if you peel back the curtain a bit more, you’ll find another emerging contender that could very well hold the key to ending Makhachev’s title reign. Riding a three-fight win streak, Arman Tsarukyan revealed himself as one of the division’s top talents with a brutal 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush in December.

Dariush had no interest in differentiating his defensive approach (a high guard) when faced with straight punching. Tsarukyan could read this within a minute to find the finish pic.twitter.com/8i6Q1ykoCU

— Ted (@tedbratby) December 3, 2023

Tsarukyan has come a long way since coming up short in his promotional debut in 2019 which, ironically, came against none other than Islam Makhachev. Their history would certainly add a level of intrigue to a potential lightweight title tilt, but Hooker doesn’t see the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ hanging around long enough to run it back with the Armenian.

“Yeah, they had a pretty close fight in the first one,” said Hooker during an appearance on The MMA Hour. “Yeah, he could beat him. He’s not going to fight him. I guarantee he’ll retire by the time Arman gets there, for sure. It’s too risky, there’s too much risk. There’s too many other easier fights out there that he’d rather fight. There’s easier fights out there, stylistically.”

Will Fans pay to see Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2?

Dan Hooker also questioned whether or not fight fans would be willing to pay a premium price to watch an event headlined by a Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan rematch.

“There are bigger names,” Hooker continued. “No one’s going to buy an Arman Tsarukyan pay-per-view. No one’s tuning in to the press conference. No one’s giving $80 for the pay-per-view. You’d rather watch Islam fight McGregor or Gaethje or something like that.”

With a majority of the lightweight top 10 angling for big-money fights and title opportunities, Hooker may be the one to bite the bullet and accept a fight with Tsarukyan once he’s medically cleared to return.

“I don’t like the guy, I think he’s an idiot,” Hooker added. “I think he’s annoying. Can he fight? A hundred percent. That’s why he’s a very talented young fighter, but he’s just annoying. He’s just a dweeb. I just don’t like him” (h/t Bloody Elbow)

Robbery Of The Year – LowKick MMA 2023 Awards

While there were plenty of options available for Robbery of the Year in 2023, the LowKick MMA staff largely…

While there were plenty of options available for Robbery of the Year in 2023, the LowKick MMA staff largely landed on one especially egregious decision as its favorite. Or in this case, least favorite.

Earning five nominations and running away with the vote was the June 3 main event clash between former interim flyweight title challenger Kai Kara-France and streaking division standout Amir Albazi.

Robbery of the Year – Amir Albazi vs. Kai Kara-France – UFC Fight Night: Kara-France vs. Albazi – (5 votes)

Amir Albazi scored the biggest win of his career, but in the eyes of many, including UFC CEO Dana White, it left a lot of unanswered questions.

Throughout their five-round affair, neither fighter could assert themselves for long stretches. However, Kara-France noticeably upped his urgency as time went on, delivering a strong finish that convinced several of his peers that he had won the fight. Instead, Albazi was handed the victory via split decision, causing an uproar from fans and fighters alike.

Kara-Frances’ teammate, Israel Adesanya, immediately called for firing the two judges who favored Albazi along with offering some more colorful commentary in response to the blatant robbery.

Honorable Mentions:

Joselyn Edwards vs. Lucie Pudilova – UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Allen – (2 votes)

Kicking off the UFC’s return to Kansas City, Joselyn Edwards escaped with a much-maligned split decision after giving up seven and a half minutes of control time to Lucie Pudilova. Scoring on two of her seven takedown attempts, Pudilova lit up Edwards on the ground with a series of ground-and-pound strikes. However, Edwards held the advantage in significant strikes, landing 56 compared to Pudilova’s 39.

Media scores from 15 MMA news outlets favored Pudilova with them primarily pointing to her control time that spanned 50% of the contest. In the end, Edwards walked away with a split decision, giving us our first big robbery of 2023.

That’s really bad! What a bad start to the night with Judging. Holy shit

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 15, 2023

Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski – UFC 284 – (1 vote)

This is one nomination for Robbery of the Year that had fight fans understandably split. After dominating the featherweight division for years, Alexander Volkanovski stepped up to lightweight for an opportunity to challenge reigning 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev.

Earning Fight of the Year honors, Makhachev vs. Volkanovski delivered a brilliant back-and-forth battle that ultimately saw the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ leave with his title intact, though it didn’t come without a bit of controversy. Makhachev clearly controlled the ground game, scoring four of nine takedowns with more than seven and a half minutes of control time.

But it was Volkanovski who would go on to land 164 total strikes compared to Makhachev’s 95. That discrepancy was more than enough for fans to see it in favor of Volkanovski, but all three judges disagreed, favoring Makhachev via unanimous decision.

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru usman – UFC 294 – (1 vote)

Former welterweight world champion Kamaru Usman stepped into UFC 294 on 11 days’ notice to square off with undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev in the evening’s co-main event. Despite the short-notice nature of the contest and the fact that Usman was moving up a weight class, Chimaev had a surprisingly difficult time while tussling with ‘The Nigerian Nightmare.’

After 15 minutes, judge David Lethaby scored the bout a 28-28 draw while judges Derek Clearly and Vito Paolillo scored it in favor of Chimaev, resulting in a majority decision. Though not everyone agreed with the decision, Chimaev landed nearly twice as many total strikes as his opponent. On top of that, Chimaev scored on four of 12 attempted takedowns resulting in 7:16 in control time.

Which robbery would you have voted as the best (or worst) or 2023?

Full List Of The LowKick MMA 2023 Robbery Of The Year Votes:

Ross Markey: Amir Albazi
Ian Shutts: Amir Albazi
Murdo Todd: Joselyn Edwards
Craig Pekios: Islam Makhachev
Makoa Goble: Amir Albazi
Tony King: Amir Albazi
Red Pill MMA: Khamzat Chimaev
Michael Owens: Amir Albazi
Danny Podolsky: Joselyn Edwards

Leon Edwards – Islam Makhachev super fight axed by veteran UFC favorite: ‘Stay in your freaking divisions’

A much discussed welterweight title fight between Octagon champions, Leon Edwards and his lightweight counterpart, Islam Makhachev has been…

A much discussed welterweight title fight between Octagon champions, Leon Edwards and his lightweight counterpart, Islam Makhachev has been firmly axed by former lightweight contender turned color-commentator, who urged fighters to stay in their weight classes and defend their respective titles.

Edwards, the current undisputed welterweight champion, most recently headlined UFC 296 earlier this month, successfully defending his divisional crown for the second time in a one-sided unanimous decision win over arch-rival and former interim titleholder, Colby Covington.

As for Makhachev, the Russian favorite lodged his own successful defense of the lightweight title for the second time back in October, stopping two-time challenger, Alexander Volkanovski with a hellacious opening round high-kick KO win.

And in the aftermath of Birmingham native, Edwards’ one-sided shutout win over Covington, the above-mentioned, Makhachev weighed up a welterweight move, claiming a fight against Edwards must be next for him.

Leon Edwards urged to avoid Islam Makhachev fight

However, as far as Felder – who has been linked with his own return potentially at UFC 300, is concerned, talk of two-weight champions should be put on the back burner indefinitely.

“We established that [Belal Muhammad] is the number one contender, you’re [Leon Edwards] also saying that you want to break Georges St-Pierre [title defense] record, but then we got Islam Makhachev out there saying he should be next for the welterweight belt,” Paul Felder said on the UFC ‘Round-Up’ show. “Guys, stay in your freaking divisions, reign over your dvisions. Can we get dominant champions before you all star wanting to fight for other belts?”

“It didn’t used to be like that this,” Felder explained. “The guys that did this in the beginning – obviously Conor (McGregor) is an exception. He did it, it was craziness. He was a superstar. (Daniel Cormier) did it because he earned it and was a 205’er. Amanda Nunes earned it. Now it’s just like everyone and their mother wants to be able to be a double champ. And it’s like, ‘Well, how about you get a whole lot of title defenses first, then you go and stpe up?’”

Who wins in a future fight: Leon Edwards or Islam Makhachev?

Islam Makhachev issues ultimatum to UFC: ‘I’ll be ready to smash in March, or see you after Ramadan’

Linked with an undisputed lightweight title fight defense against former interim champion, Justin Gaethje, pound-for-pound kingpin, Islam Makhachev has…

Linked with an undisputed lightweight title fight defense against former interim champion, Justin Gaethje, pound-for-pound kingpin, Islam Makhachev has offered the UFC an ultimatium if they want to see him fight before the summer; book him in March or wait until after Ramadan.

Makhachev, the current undisputed lightweight champion and pound-for-pound number one ranked fighter, most recently headlined UFC 294 back in October, landing a blistering opening round high-kick and strikes KO win over Alexander Volkanovski in the pair’s short-notice rematch.

And back in February of this year, Russian favorite, Makhachev defended his lightweight throne for the first time with a close decision win over Volkanovski in enemy territory in the main event of UFC 284 in Australia.

Islam Makhachev offers to make UFC return in March

Linked with a massive lightweight title fight against symbolic BMF championship holder, Gaethje in a return to the Octagon before the beginning of Ramadan, Makhachev, who has also knocked back the idea of a rematch with former-foe, Charles Oliveira, offered the UFC an ultimatum and timeline overnight.

“I’ll be ready to smash someone in March, or see you after Ramadan,” Islam Makhachev posted on his official X account.

And issuing a significant warning to Gaethje ahead of a potential showdown – Makahchev warned the former interim champion that he can do “more than kicking” when the former urged him to see who could kick each other’s head off first.

Winning vacant lightweight gold back in October of last year in Abu Dhabi, Makhachev brought an end to the 11-fight winning streak of former undisputed champion, Oliveira, stopping the Sao Paulo finishing ace with a stunning second round arm-triangle choke submission in the Middle East.

Who wins in a future title fight: Islam Makhachev or Justin Gaethje?