Islam Makhachev News
Dustin Poirier challenges Islam Makhachev to a rematch, responds to “bumskie” Conor McGregor
Susan Cox - July 1, 2024
Dustin Poirier is challenging Islam Makhachev to a rematch and in the process is responding to ‘bumskie’ Conor McGregor. ‘The Diamond’ (30-9 MMA) fought Makhachev (26-1 MMA) in a lightweight bout a month ago today at UFC 302. The result was a submission victory for the Makhachev, the lightweight champion, at 2:42 of Round 5.
Islam Makhachev blasts "chicken" Conor McGregor after Irishman reveals the injury that forced him out of UFC 303
Cole Shelton - June 21, 2024
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has taken aim at ‘chicken’ Conor McGregor. McGregor was supposed to make his highly-anticipated return on June 29 against Michael Chandler. However, just weeks before the fight, it was revealed the Irishman was forced out of the bout due to an undisclosed reason.
Rafael dos Anjos explains why Islam Makhachev can't be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC
Cole Shelton - June 13, 2024
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos doesn’t think Islam Makhachev should be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. Makhachev is the current UFC lightweight champion and after he submitted Dustin Poirier, fans called for the 155lbs champ to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. However, UFC CEO Dana White shot that down as he believes Jon Jones should still be atop those rankings.
Sean O’Malley weighs in on a potential super fight between Leon Edwards and Islam Makhachev: “155 to 170 is a big jump”
Harry Kettle - June 13, 2024
Sean O’Malley and his head coach Tim Welch have given their thoughts on a Leon Edwards vs Islam Makhachev superfight. Next month at UFC 304, Leon Edwards will defend the UFC welterweight championship against Belal Muhammad. If he can get through that challenge, there’s an excellent chance he’ll wind up battling Islam Makhachev in his next outing. The UFC lightweight king called for a shot at the 170 pound belt after his recent triumph over Dustin Poirier.
Dustin Poirier compares skillsets of Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov
Harry Kettle - June 11, 2024
UFC star Dustin Poirier has compared the skillsets of former opponents Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Earlier this month, Dustin Poirier fell to submission defeat at the hands of Islam Makhachev. Of course, as we know, earlier in his career, Poirier was also submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov. Despite losing in both instances, he put up a real fight against these two legends and you could argue he came close to winning both times.
Daniel Cormier on why it's "unfair" to compare Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov's UFC accolades
Curtis Calhoun - June 6, 2024
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier feels the comparisons between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev are unfounded. Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier in his latest UFC lightweight title defense at UFC 302 last weekend. Nurmagomedov, who retired in 2020 and entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022, was front-and-center to witness Makhachev’s latest victory.
Islam Makhachev hits back at "attention seeker" Arman Tsarukyan after post-UFC 302 taunts
Curtis Calhoun - June 6, 2024
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is increasingly annoyed with Arman Tsarukyan’s public taunts. Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 main event on Saturday in Newark. He remains the UFC’s pound-for-pound king after his latest successful title defense and will likely face Tsarukyan later this year.
UFC CEO Dana White takes aim at “f*cking stupid” MMA media for voting Islam Makhachev ahead of Jon Jones in P4P rankings
Susan Cox - June 6, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White is taking aim at the ‘f*cking stupid’ MMA media for voting Islam Makhachev ahead of Jon Jones in the P4P rankings. Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA) was recently awarded the number one spot in the P4P rankings, moving current heavyweight champion Jon Jones (27-1 MMA) down to the number 2 spot.
Islam Makhachev gets P4P endorsement from Alexander Volkanovski amidst Jon Jones debate: "There has to be activity there..."
Curtis Calhoun - June 5, 2024
Former UFC featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski feels his two-time foe, Islam Makhachev, deserves the pound-for-pound nod over Jon Jones. Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier by fifth-round submission to retain the UFC lightweight belt at UFC 302. He remains the UFC’s pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter as of this writing, with Jones in the No. 2 spot.
Eddie Alvarez makes bold prediction for Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan 2
Fernando Quiles - June 5, 2024
Eddie Alvarez has made his prediction for a possible rematch between UFC lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan. Makhachev and Tsarukyan had a competitive showdown back in 2019. Makhachev emerged victorious via unanimous decision. While Makhachev has gone on to become a UFC champion with three successful title defenses, Tsarukyan hasn’t done too bad either, going 9-1 since that encounter.
Arman Tsarukyan believes Dustin Poirier “just gave up” in fight with Islam Makhachev at UFC 302: “Why are you giving up your neck?”
Harry Kettle - June 5, 2024
UFC contender Arman Tsarukyan has questioned Dustin Poirier’s strategy in the final round of his title fight with Islam Makhachev. Last weekend in the main event of UFC 302, Dustin Poirier battled it out with Islam Makhachev over the UFC lightweight championship. The contest proved to be much closer than many had anticipated, but in the end, it was Makhachev who got the win with a late submission triumph.
Leon Edwards reacts to Islam Makhachev's UFC 302 callout: "It's a massive fight!"
Curtis Calhoun - June 4, 2024
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has responded to Islam Makhachev’s intentions to move up for a dream opportunity to earn a second title. Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier in his latest lightweight title defense at UFC 302 on Saturday in Newark. After a grueling four rounds of back-and-forth action with Poirier, Makhachev put the exclamation point inside the Octagon with a fifth-round submission by D’Arce choke.
What's next for the stars of UFC 302?
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2024
The UFC was in Newark, New Jersey for UFC 302 with the lightweight title on the line. In the main event, Islam Makhachev was looking to defend his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier who had said this was his final shot at winning the belt. The co-main event was a pivotal five-round middleweight scrap between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa.
Former UFC champ sides with Dana White in Islam Makhachev/Jon Jones 'Pound for Pound' debate
Curtis Calhoun - June 3, 2024
UFC President Dana White’s post-UFC 302 remarks about the pound-for-pound rankings are a major talking point of the post-fight aftermath. UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier by fifth-round submission at UFC 302 on Saturday. It was Makhachev’s latest successful title defense after back-to-back wins over Alexander Volkanovski in 2023.
Islam Makhachev opens as betting underdog for potential welterweight title fight against Leon Edwards
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2024
Islam Makhachev has opened as an underdog for a potential welterweight title fight against Leon Edwards. Makhachev defended his lightweight title for the third time on Saturday with a fifth-round submission win over Dustin Poirier. After his win, Makhchev asked to fight for the welterweight title next time out as he wanted to try and become a champ-champ.
Belal Muhammad confirms that he isn't interested in fighting Islam Makhachev
Harry Kettle - June 3, 2024
UFC welterweight title contender Belal Muhammad has confirmed that he isn’t interested in fighting Islam Makhachev. At UFC 304, Belal Muhammad will challenge Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight championship. It’s a fight he’s been after for a long time now, but up to this point, it hasn’t quite come to fruition. Alas, after the unbeaten run that Belal has put together, it’s impossible for the promotion to deny him this opportunity.
Jon Jones gives his thoughts on Dagestani fighters after Islam Makhachev's UFC 302 triumph
Harry Kettle - June 2, 2024
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has given his honest thoughts on Dagestani fighters following Islam Makhachev’s win at UFC 302. In the main event of UFC 302, Islam Makhachev submitted Dustin Poirier to retain the UFC lightweight championship. It was a pretty incredible fight between two men who put it all on the line. However, despite his big win, UFC president Dana White made it crystal clear that he doesn’t believe Makhachev is the #1 pound for pound fighter in the promotion.
Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev reunite backstage after war at UFC 302
Harry Kettle - June 2, 2024
UFC stars Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev posed for a great picture backstage following their war at UFC 302. Last night at UFC 302, Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev really did go to war. The two battled it out in what proved to be an absolutely fascinating encounter in the main event of the evening. Ultimately, though, it was Makhachev who managed to get the job done submitting Poirier in the fifth round to retain the UFC lightweight championship.