Islam Makhachev News

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 27, 2021

Former UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov praised Islam Makhachev ahead of UFC 267, saying “he’s top-10 in pound-for-pound right now.” Nurmagomerdov and Makhachev are longtime friends as well as training partners at American Kickboxing Academy. Nurmagomedov was the former UFC lightweight champion and is considered by many to be one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. But he retired earlier this year, and he essentially passed the torch on to Makhachev to continue the legacy of Russian lightweight champions. There have been many who have said that Makhachev has what it takes to be the next Nurmagomedov.

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 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 12, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker is only showing up for the paycheck against Islam Makhachev, says manager Ali Abdelaziz. Hooker filled in on short notice against Makhachev at UFC 267 later this month after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out with an injury. Hooker admitted that the UFC paid him a lot of money in order to take the fight, and as far as Abdelaziz goes, that’s the only reason why he took the fight. Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, Abdelaziz accused Hooker of taking the fight with Makhachev only because he will get paid hadnsomely not because he can actually win it.

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.

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

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker confirmed that the UFC gave him extra money in order to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 267. Hooker will step into the Octagon on short notice later this month when he faces off against Makhachev at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi. Hooker just fought last weekend at UFC 266 and he beat Nasrat Haqparast via decision, and he was expected to go home to New Zealand following the fight. But with the opportunity to face a top-five opponent in Makhachev out there, Hooker has made the decision to stay away from home and take the fight. It’s a decision that isn’t an easy one for Hooker, as he now has no idea when he will go back to New Zealand and see his family. But for the extra money that the UFC offered him to take the fight with Makhachev, Hooker believes that it was worth taking the fight.

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 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.

Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos explained what makes Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev different fighters. Dos Anjos steps back into the Octagon on October 30 in Abu Dhabi when he faces off against Makhachev at UFC 267. This is a fight that the UFC tried to book twice in 2020 but was unable to do so due to COVID-19 and other injuries. Now that both fighters are fully healthy, dos Anjos and Makhachev will meet this fall in what is a potential No. 1 contender bout for the belt that Makhachev’s teammate Nurmagomedov held at this point a year ago.

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.

Adam D Martin - July 23, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Thiago Moises called out Dan Hooker following his recent submission loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC Vegas 31. Moises, the No. 15 ranked lightweight in the UFC, saw his three-fight win streak snapped when he lost via fourth-round tapout to Makhachev at last weekend’s UFC Vegas 31 card. Of course, there is no shame in losing to Makhachev, the No. 5 ranked lightweight who many believe is a future world champion. Even though Moises didn’t fare well in the fight, he has still developed quite a bit of confidence just by hanging around with a stud like Makhachev for nearly four rounds, and now he’s ready to fight other top-10 opponents.

Adam D Martin - July 22, 2021

Rafael dos Anjos says he wants to beat Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 and then get the rematch with his teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov. Dos Anjos and Nurmagomedov fought back in 2014, with Nurmagomedov winning the fight via unanimous decision. However, in a twist of fate, Nurmagomedov suffered an injury following that fight, and dos Anjos actually got the chance to fight for the UFC lightweight belt before him, defeating Anthony Pettis to take home the title in 2015. Dos Anjos would lose the belt in 2016 to Eddie Alvarez, and Nurmagomedov finally claimed it himself in 2018 when he defeated Al Iaquinta. Although Nurmagomedov is now retired from MMA, dos Anjos still wants this rematch one day in order to avenge his earlier career defeat.