Islam Makhachev News
Islam Makhachev wants Colby Covington next to test his wrestling against his: "He's a good fighter"
Cole Shelton - October 3, 2023
Islam Makhachev will be rooting for Colby Covington to defeat Leon Edwards in December. Covington is set to take on Edwards for the welterweight title in the main event of UFC 296. Since the fight became official, ‘Chaos’ has said he would be interested in facing Makhachev in his first title defense as he believes it would be an easy fight.
Michael Bisping shares some advice for Charles Oliveira ahead of Islam Makhachev rematch at UFC 294
Susan Cox - October 3, 2023
Michael Bisping is sharing some advice for Charles Oliveira ahead of his rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. UFC 294 takes place on Saturday, October 21st at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Headlining the event is a lightweight title fight between current champion Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA) and Charles Oliveira (34-9 MMA).
Islam Makhachev shuts down Charles Oliveira's complaint about fighting in Abu Dhabi: "Makes no sense"
Josh Evanoff - October 2, 2023
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has responded to Charles Oliveira. The two are currently set to rematch at UFC 294 later this month, in Abu Dhabi. The fight takes place just a year after their first fight at UFC 280. Last October, Islam Makhachev scored a second-round submission win over Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight gold.
Ali Abdelaziz slams the UFC rankings following Islam Makhachev’s recent descent on the P4P list
Harry Kettle - September 26, 2023
Ali Abdelaziz has hit out at the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings as a result of Islam Makhachev’s position in the list. Next month, Islam Makhachbev will defend his UFC lightweight championship against Charles Oliveira in a rematch of their title collision last year. It comes after a superfight against Alexander Volkanovski earlier this year and while it was a tight and competitive affair, Makhachev was the one who had his hand raised when all was said and done.
Islam Makhachev's coach reveals what improvements they expect from Charles Oliveira at UFC 294
Harry Kettle - September 18, 2023
Islam Makhachev’s head coach Javier Mendez has revealed what improvements they expect to see from Charles Oliveira at UFC 294. Last year, Islam Makhachev became the UFC lightweight champion by submitting Charles Oliveira at UFC 280. Now, one year later, the two will run it back as ‘Do Bronx’ attempts to reclaim the gold he lost.
Alexander Volkanovski turns attention to Islam Makhachev at UFC 300: “I think that makes a lot of sense"
Fernando Quiles - September 12, 2023
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski thinks a rematch against lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev is in order. Makhachev is preparing for a rematch against Charles Oliveira. The current 155-pound champion defeated Oliveira to capture the gold via second-round submission last year. Makhachev followed that up with a close, but unanimous decision victory over Volkanovski earlier this year.
Charles Oliveira explains why he won't trash talk Islam Makhachev ahead of UFC 294 rematch: "I made a mistake"
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2023
Charles Oliveira says he won’t be trash-talking Islam Makhachev ahead of their rematch like he did in the first fight. Oliveira and Makhachev fought last October and it was the Dagestani native who won by second-round submission in a one-sided fight. It was a coming-out party of sorts for Makhachev, but Oliveira admits he didn’t fight to his ability.
Dillon Danis says he would "kill" Islam Makhachev inside two rounds if they fought: "I submit him"
Cole Shelton - August 29, 2023
Dillon Danis has never been shy to share how he would do against certain fighters. Danis has been vocal in interviews and on social media that he feels like he is the best fighter and would have a lot of success against fighters even outside of his weight class. So, when he was asked by the Nelk Boys on their latest YouTube video how he thinks he would fare against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, he believes he would get the win
Islam Makhachev mocks 'loyal hater' Michael Chandler's prediction for Justin Gaethje fight
Josh Evanoff - August 3, 2023
Ahead of his return, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has taken aim at Michael Chandler. The Russian has been out of action since his clash with Alexander Volkanovski in February at UFC 284. There, the two champions put on a show, going back and forth for 25 minutes. At the conclusion of the five-round contest, Islam Makhachev retained the lightweight gold by unanimous decision.
Justin Gaethje knows "for a fact" Islam Makhachev is not as good as Khabib Nurmagomedov and hopes he can "prove that"
Cole Shelton - July 24, 2023
Justin Gaethje wants the chance to prove Islam Makhachev is not as good as Khabib Nurmagomedov. Gaethje fought Nurmagomedov back at UFC 254 in October 2020 and it was Nurmagomedov winning by second-round submission. After the win, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from MMA which did catch many by surprise.
Colby Covington warns Islam Makhachev against moving up to welterweight: “Keep acting like you wanna come up to Daddy's division”
Harry Kettle - July 21, 2023
Colby Covington has warned Islam Makhachev against making a potential move up to welterweight in the future. Everyone knows that Colby Covington likes to run his mouth. In addition to that, he also enjoys teasing other fighters, with the two usually going hand in hand.
Dana White announces main and co-main event of UFC 294 including Islam Makhachev's title defense
Cole Shelton - July 19, 2023
UFC president Dana White has announced the main and co-main event of UFC 294 which is set to take place on October 21 in Abu Dhabi. White announced on social media on Wednesday night that in the main event, Islam Makhachev will be looking to defend his lightweight title as he rematches Charles Oliveira. The two fought last October in Abu Dhabi and it was Makhachev winning by second-round submission to become the new UFC lightweight champion.
Islam Makhachev calls for welterweight title fight against Leon Edwards
Cole Shelton - July 18, 2023
Islam Makhachev is hoping to fight Leon Edwards next time out. Makhachev is the UFC’s reigning lightweight champ and is coming off a decision win over Alexander Volkanovski back in February. Since then, he has been campaigning to get a fight but nothing has come to fruition. As well, with Charles Oliveira saying he won’t be ready in October, there is no clear-cut next contender for Makhachev to defend his belt against. With that, Makhachev is looking to fight for the UFC’s welterweight title in October in Abu Dhabi.
Coach Javier Mendez predicts “epic” rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev
Harry Kettle - July 13, 2023
Coach Javier Mendez has predicted that Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev will produce an epic rematch in the future. Earlier this year, Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev went to war. They battled it out over the UFC lightweight championship and, in the end, the decision went in favor of Makhachev. He was able to retain his belt, leaving Volkanovski to head back down to 145 pounds and defend his strap at featherweight.
Charles Oliveira says he will “not be ready” to fight Islam Makhachev at October’s UFC 294 event in Abu Dhabi
Harry Kettle - July 10, 2023
Charles Oliveira has revealed that he will not be ready in time to take on Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in October. Earlier this year, Charles Oliveira got back to winning ways in style. He finished Beneil Dariush in their title eliminator match-up, setting himself up for a rematch with Islam Makhachev. As many fans remember, Makhachev was able to dethrone ‘Do Bronx’ and capture the UFC lightweight championship last year.
Alex Volkanovski vows to defeat Islam Makhachev in potential UFC rematch: "I guarantee I get my hand raised"
Fernando Quiles - July 9, 2023
Alex Volkanovski believes there’s no doubt he will avenge his loss against UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev. Back in February, Volkanovski vs. Makhachev headlined UFC 284. It was Alex Volkanovski who was moving up in weight to challenge for the 155-pound gold. Outside of his one career loss back in 2015, Makhachev has looked mostly dominant. While he had a competitive bout against Arman Tsarukyan, Islam Makhachev’s toughest test came against Alex “The Great.”
Arman Tsarukyan explains why he's the one to dethrone Islam Makhachev: "It’s going to be a tough fight"
Cole Shelton - June 26, 2023
Arman Tsarukyan believes he is going to be the one to dethrone UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Tsarukyan made his UFC debut on short notice at UFC St. Petersburg in July of 2019 against Makhachev. Tsarukyan entered the contest as a sizeable betting underdog, but was able to make the fight much closer than many expected. Makhachev ultimately got the unanimous decision win, but Arman proved he could hang with the division’s best.
Alexander Volkanovski confident he'd beat Islam Makhachev in UFC title rematch: "I'll win and then we'll make a bigger fight"
Fernando Quiles - June 21, 2023
UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski believes he’ll get the better of Islam Makhachev in a rematch. Earlier this year, Alexander Volkanovski challenged Islam Makhachev for the UFC Lightweight Championship. It was a highly competitive title fight that went the distance. Ultimately, Makhachev was awarded the close, but unanimous decision victory to maintain his hold on the 155-pound gold.