Islam Makhachev News

Dustin Poirier could retire with win over Islam Makhachev at UFC 302: "It could be my last fight"
Josh Evanoff - May 2, 2024
If Dustin Poirier defeats UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in June, that could be it for him. ‘The Diamond’ is fresh off his return to the cage at UFC 299 in March. Back for the first time since a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier faced the rising Benoit Saint-Denis. Despite some early success from ‘The God of War’, the longtime lightweight wound up scoring a second-round knockout win.

Islam Makhachev says he will expose Dustin Poirier’s “one problem” at UFC 302: “I have the key for the easy fight”
Harry Kettle - April 30, 2024
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has revealed what he plans to expose about Dustin Poirier’s game at UFC 302. In just a few weeks, Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight championship against Dustin Poirier. He’ll do so in the main event of UFC 302, with the popular opinion being that he will walk away with the victory.

Arman Tsarukyan slams Islam Makhachev after comments about avoiding rematch: "When was the last time you fought 2 times in 6 weeks?
Josh Evanoff - April 24, 2024
Arman Tsarukyan isn’t happy with UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. The Armenian fighter is fresh off his return at UFC 300 against Charles Oliveira. There, the two lightweights competed in a title eliminator of sorts, and put on a show. After three rounds of action, it was Arman Tsarukyan who emerged with a split-decision victory over ‘Do Bronx’. In the process, he earned a shot at Islam Makhachev.

Islam Makhachev shoots down the idea of fighting Max Holloway after UFC 302: “I have some contenders who I have to beat”
Curtis Calhoun - April 24, 2024
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has responded to Max Holloway’s callout shortly after winning the BMF belt earlier this month. Holloway knocked out Justin Gaethje with one second left at UFC 300 to earn the BMF title. The former UFC featherweight titleholder will likely return to the 145lb division to challenge Ilia Topuria for the belt.

Islam Makhachev believes that the UFC "has to give" him a shot at Leon Edwards soon: "I already beat all these guys"
Josh Evanoff - April 23, 2024
Islam Makhachev believes that he has to face UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards sooner rather than later. The Russian recently signed a deal to return to the cage at UFC 302 in June against Dustin Poirier. For Islam Makhachev, the contest will be his third lightweight title defense. He heads into his fight with ‘The Diamond’ having captured two straight title defenses against former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Michael Chandler shares his thoughts on the Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 302: “I think Islam finishes him”
Susan Cox - April 17, 2024
Michael Chandler is sharing his thoughts on the upcoming Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. UFC 302 will take place on Saturday, June 1st at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

UFC 302: ‘Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier’ Fight Card and Start Times
Harry Kettle - April 17, 2024
It’s time to take a look at the early card announcements for UFC 302 as Islam Makhachev prepares to defend his crown against Dustin Poirier. Event: UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier Date: Saturday, 1st June 2024 Location: Prudential Center (Newark, New Jersey) Broadcast: ESPN+ PPV, ESPN2, ESPN+ (6pm EST prelims, 10pm main card)

Dana White announces Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier at UFC 302
Harry Kettle - April 14, 2024
UFC president Dana White has announced that Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Off the back of UFC 300, the Ultimate Fighting Championship are riding high. Of course, one of the biggest discussions coming out of the event is what’s going to happen at lightweight. As we know, Max Holloway is now considered to be a big contender at 155 pounds after finishing Justin Gaethje.

Max Holloway hits back at Islam Makhachev's 'useless fight' comments ahead of UFC 300
Curtis Calhoun - April 9, 2024
Max Holloway took exception to UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s recent mockery of his UFC 300 showdown with Justin Gaethje. Holloway will challenge Gaethje for the BMF title in a five-round matchup at UFC 300. This will be his second UFC lightweight appearance and a chance to add another belt to his résumé.

Dustin Poirier reveals UFC hasn't offered Islam Makhachev fight despite recent chatter: "I don't know what's next"
Josh Evanoff - April 9, 2024
Dustin Poirier expects the UFC to tell him soon if he’s going to fight Islam Makhachev or not. ‘The Diamond’ is fresh off a return to the ring last month at UFC 299 against Benoit Saint-Denis. Back for the first time since a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje last July, Dustin Poirier entered the bout as an underdog. For the first round, the former interim lightweight champion looked as such against ‘The God Of War’.

Daniel Cormier explains why Islam Makhachev should fight Dustin Poirier next: “Tsarukyan would be probably the lowest-selling fight”
Susan Cox - April 9, 2024
Daniel Cormier is explaining why Islam Makhachev should fight Dustin Poirier next and not the winner of Oliveira vs. Tsarukyan at UFC 300. Former UFC heavyweight champion and current ESPN MMA analyst, Daniel Cormier, believes it would be in the best interests for Makhachev to stonewall Tsarukyan and get in the Octagon with Dustin Poirier.

Justin Gaethje rules out potential quick turnaround to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 302: “We’ll see if Oliveira sh*ts the bed again”
Harry Kettle - April 8, 2024
Justin Gaethje has ruled out the idea of a quick turnaround to battle Islam Makhachev if he can get past Max Holloway. For the longest time now, Justin Gaethje has been recognized as one of the best fighters in the UFC. He’s incredibly entertaining, he has a list of highlight reel finishes, and he doesn’t know when to quit. At UFC 300, he will defend his BMF title for the first time when he takes on Max Holloway.

Javier Mendez refutes Daniel Cormier's claim that Islam Makhachev is more dangerous than Khabib Nurmagomedov: “Nobody is more dangerous”
Harry Kettle - March 28, 2024
Coach Javier Mendez has disagreed with Daniel Cormier’s claim that Islam Makhachev is more dangerous than Khabib Nurmagomedov. Over the course of the last few years, Islam Makhachev has firmly established himself as the king of the lightweight division. Of course, prior to that, there was one man who stood tall above the rest at 155 pounds – his close friend Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Charles Oliveira pushes back on Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier: "I'm next in line"
Josh Evanoff - March 27, 2024
Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira doesn’t buy into talk of Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier. Over the last few weeks, the two lightweights have been going back and forth over a potential fight in June. It makes a little bit of sense, as ‘The Diamond’ has recently returned to the win column with a knockout win over Benoit Saint-Denis. While Islam Makhachev isn’t excited about facing Dustin Poirier next, he wants to get active.

Daniel Cormier explains why Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier needs to be next: "No lose situation for the UFC"
Josh Evanoff - March 26, 2024
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier believes that Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier is a no-lose situation for everyone involved. Earlier this month, ‘The Diamond’ returned at UFC 299 against Benoit Saint-Denis. Despite entering the bout as a heavy underdog, Dustin Poirier viciously knocked out the ‘God of War’ in round two. The fight was the former interim champion’s first since being finished by Justin Gaethje last summer.

Dustin Poirier rejects the idea that he doesn't deserve to fight Islam Makhachev: "I've done more in this sport than he has"
Josh Evanoff - March 22, 2024
Dustin Poirier doesn’t want to hear any talk about how he doesn’t deserve to fight UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. ‘The Diamond’ is fresh off his return to the cage at UFC 299 earlier this month against Benoit Saint-Denis. Heading into the bout, Dustin Poirier was actually quite a heavy underdog. Having not competed since a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje, the former interim champion was out for blood against ‘The God Of War’.

Islam Makhachev confirms he was offered Leon Edwards super fight for UFC 300: “I’m very upset”
Susan Cox - March 18, 2024
Islam Makhachev has confirmed that he was offered a super fight with Leon Edwards for UFC 300. The historic UFC 300 takes place on Saturday April 13th at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.

Arman Tsarukyan accuses Islam Makhachev of avoiding rematch: "He feels like I'm going to win"
Josh Evanoff - March 15, 2024
UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan believes that Islam Makhachev doesn’t want to fight him. Back in April 2019, the Armenian stepped on short notice to face the rising Islam Makhachev. Despite being very young in his career, Arman Tsarukyan impressed many with his success against the future champion. Still, it was the Russian who claimed a unanimous decision victory after three rounds of action.