Tag: Islam Makhachev

Chael Sonnen, Daniel Cormier encourage UFC champ Islam Makhachev to take ‘heel’ turn

Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier think they have a way to make Islam Makhachev one of the UFC’s biggest draws.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] suggest a way UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] can become one of the prmotion’s biggest draws.

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) has already tied the UFC divisional record for most title defenses at three after submitting Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in June. He also boasts one of the biggest social media followings on the UFC roster, with 8.7 million on Instagram.

Cormier argued that outside of a few exceptions, you can only be a big pay-per-draw if you go on a long title reign. While he thinks Makhachev has the ability to do that, both he and Sonnen would like to see him tap into a more trash-talking style.

“That guy is so charismatic, and he is so secretly funny,” Sonnen said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Daniel Cormier. “If he was to do a heel turn, I mean, come on. He said one of the great heel lines ever. He said a whole bunch of professors should be taking their black belts back from guys.

“Like that angle and that is blasphemy in this sport, and nobody even knows got it. It was like this G-rated line. He didn’t use profanity. He didn’t yell. When he said it, he said it nicely. That is a heel move! What if he did a whole bit on that?”

Cormier agrees with Sonnen. He thinks Makhachev should embrace his dominance, which has seen him win 14 fights in a row – including finishes of Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski and Charles Oliveira.

“I think that’s the move for Islam,” Cormier said. “He needs to get you and I to write him promos. We should write him promos. We write promos telling how much better he is than everyone. I would make him tell everybody that they don’t deserve to be in there with him, and he’s just going to lord over this division until he decides to retire.”

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Dana White says no interim lightweight title fight while UFC champ Islam Makhachev recovers

Dana White is not interested in creating a UFC interim lightweight title.

[autotag]Dana White[/autotag] is not interested in creating a UFC interim lightweight title.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) is currently sidelined due to a ligament injury in his hand. He most recently defended his title with a late submission of Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in June.

No. 1 contender [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) was hoping to challenge Makhachev on Oct. 26 at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi but will likely have to wait a few more months. Tsarukyan said he’s willing to take another fight in the meantime, as long as it’s for an interim title, but White shut down that possibility.

“No,” White said in an interview with Manouk Akopyan when asked about an interim lightweight title fight. “Islam’s fought so many times and is always willing to jump up and take a fight. So, no, there won’t be an interim title. “When he’s ready to go, we’ll go. We have plans. We’re looking at it right now on when he would fight.”

Tsarukyan told Red Corner MMA that he’s hearing his rematch with Makhachev will take place early next year. White was asked about the possibility of UFC 310 on Dec. 7.

“I don’t know (if Dec. 7 is likely),” White said. “We’re working on it.”

Tsarukyan edged out Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 to emerge as No. 1 contender. He faced Makhachev in his UFC debut April 2019, losing a back-and-forth unanimous decision. He has since gone 9-1 and is on a four-fight winning streak.

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Sean O’Malley considers UFC champ Islam Makhachev the ‘greatest fighter right now’

Sean O’Malley gave UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev his flowers.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] has given fellow UFC champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] his flowers.

Bantamweight champ O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), who defends his title against Merab Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the UFC 306 main event Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas, has goals of becoming the greatest of all time.

When asked whom he thinks is the current best fighter, O’Malley shared the same opinion as the panel in charge of the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings: Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC), who is currently tied for most lightweight title defenses all time at three.

“Greatest fighter right now? Probably Islam (Makhachev),” O’Malley told Helen Yee. “I mean, Jon Jones is up there. I think Jon’s fought once in the last four, five years. Jon Jones is up there of the greatest of all time, but right now who’s the greatest? Like, who has been active last four years or whatever, I think its Islam, but Jon Jones is always going to be in the conversation.”

Not only does O’Malley want to be the greatest fighter of all time, but he also aspires to be the biggest star.

“Right now it’s Conor McGregor, 100 percent,” O’Malley told ESPN on the who the biggest star is. “He’s a dork, but it’s the truth. For me to get to that, I go out there and knock out Merab, I go up to ’45, I beat Ilia (Topuria), I beat Max (Holloway), I beat Umar (Nurmagomedov), I’m three fights away from being considered one of the greatest of all time, one of the most exciting of all time. There’s a difference.

“No one thinks Conor’s the greatest fighter of all time. He was lacking skills. He lacked title defenses, but entertainment-wise, he’s the best in the world. Entertainment-wise, he was the best. Greatest fighter of all time, Jon Jones, Khabib (Nurmagomedov), Islam, (all) up there. I want to be both. I want to be one of the greatest of all time, and one of the most entertaining of all time. That’s my goal.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

UFC’s Mateusz Gamrot says he’d have wrestling advantage in Islam Makhachev fight

A win over Dan Hooker at UFC 305 would be Mateusz Gamrot’s fourth in a row and could secure a lightweight title shot.

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] considers himself the best wrestler in the UFC lightweight division.

Gamrot (24-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) meets Dan Hooker (23-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC 305 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main card at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Winner of seven of his past eight fights, Gamrot is closing in on a title shot. He is adamant that he would pose a big threat to UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) on the ground. Gamrot helped Dustin Poirier prep for his title fight against Makhachev at UFC 302 in June, which “The Diamond” fell short by late submission.

“In my opinion, I am the best wrestler in the lightweight division,” Gamrot said in an interview with “Home of Fight.” “Of course, Islam is super high level, and he always shows high-level skill, but if I meet him in the cage, I think he can’t take me down, but I will (take him down). Then it’s going to be a great scramble matchup.”

Makhachev’s next title defense is expected to be Arman Tsarukyan, who Gamrot edged out in a five-round battle in June 2022. Makhachev pondered a move up to welterweight for an opportunity at a second belt, but Gamrot hopes he sticks around long enough at 155 pounds so he can fight him.

“I hope he doesn’t go up division and he stays in the lightweight division,” Gamrot continued. “Maybe not this year because we don’t have time, but next year we’ll meet together, and we’ll see who is the best wrestler in the lightweight division.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Paddy Pimblett reacts to Islam Makhachev touting him as potential future UFC title challenger: ‘We’re coming’

Paddy Pimblett plans on giving UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev something to be excited about.

[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] plans on giving UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] something to be excited about.

Unbeaten in the octagon, Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) entered the top 15 lightweight rankings after a quick submission finish of King Green at UFC 304 in July.

Although Pimblett likely is a few fights away before entering title contention, Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) was asked about the popular Brit during a recent UFC Q&A in Abu Dhabi.

“When he deserve, why not?” Makhachev said. “If he won the next couple matches, when he’s going to be like top 10, why not? Because I don’t have some exciting fights in my division. We need some new names.

“I see how he finish King. It was a good performance, and now it’s the time that he has good opponents, when he’s at the top. Now he has to train more. Now it’s all guys who are so dangerous.”

Makhachev has found it hard to get up for a rematch with No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan since he already beat him in April 2019. Makhachev was looking forward to a move up to welterweight to chase dual-champion status, but his plans were put on hold after his friend Belal Muhammad claimed the title.

Pimblett reacted to Makhachev’s praise, and plans on seeing him in the near future.

“Did you see that where Islam was talking about me the other day? He said, ‘He’s an exciting fighter,’ and that ‘If he keeps winning, you never know,'” Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. “‘He could fight for the belt,’ and that. You know Islam, we’re coming. We’re coming brother, we’re coming.”

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Dricus Du Plessis warns Islam Makhachev against middleweight move: ‘He’s dreaming real big. I’m very big’

Dricus Du Plessis laughed off the idea of Islam Makhachev jumping to middleweight.

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] laughed off the idea of [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] jumping to middleweight.

Makhachev’s coach, Javier Mendez, said the UFC lightweight champion has the skills to move up to 185 pounds. Those claims were made after Makhachev’s plans of moving up to welterweight to capture a second UFC title were halted courtesy of his friend Belal Muhammad’s title win.

Muhammad himself said Makhachev could beat Du Plessis, but the UFC middleweight champion could only scoff at that notion.

“I mean, what can I say? Everybody can dream, right?” Du Plessis told Kevin Iole. “I always say never cap your dreams – dream big. But he’s dreaming real big. I’m very big. Of course, in this sport, everybody wants that – I mean, especially after it’s been done. I completely understand going up to another division and fighting for another belt because there comes a stage where it makes sense. I’m not the one who’s going to say no.

“I’m saying you have to, at the least – at the very least – defend your belt three times, maybe four, before ever considering going up – unless there’s a special circumstance that makes sense. People win a belt, and they immediately go, ‘I want to be double (champion).’ But you’re not Conor McGregor. He was the first to do it, and he did it in spectacular fashion. He was the trendsetter. He was the pioneer in doing that, and everyone tries to be like that. That’s not the case (here).”

Du Plessis makes his first title defense against Israel Adesanya on Aug. 17 in the UFC 305 main event from Perth, Australia.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Daniel Cormier shuts down interim lightweight title talk during Islam Makhachev’s recovery

Daniel Cormier is not in favor of an interim lightweight title fight while Islam Makhachev recovers.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] is not in favor of an interim lightweight title fight while [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] recovers.

Arman Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) was expecting to run things back with lightweight champion Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) at UFC 308 Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi, but a hand injury has sidelined Makhachev.

Tsarukyan suggested an interim title fight in the meantime, and Cormier thinks it’s completely unnecessary considering Makhachev’s recent strength of schedule.

“You get hurt, at times. Islam Makhachev has been active,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” alongside Chael Sonnen. “He fought in October (2023) in Abu Dhabi against Alexander Volkanovski. He fought in (June 2023) in Newark, (N.J). … If he was to fight in October, it would’ve been three fights in a calendar year. There is no need for an interim championship. When in the world did we start to speak titles into existence?

“Could you imagine, Chael, if when you were chasing down Anderson Silva, you go, ‘Well, I’ll fight for the interim title. He ain’t ready in six months.’ And they said, ‘OK, Chael, you get to fight Brian Stann.’ You would’ve said, ‘Oh my God, I’m about to be a world champion!’ Who does Tsarukyan fight for an interim championship? Why are we creating belts, or at least trying? It just doesn’t need to be,when the champion has fought twice in seven months and is not going to be gone for that long.”

Tsarukyan emerged as No. 1 contender after defeating former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April. Makhachev admitted he’s not too motivated to rematch Tsarukyan after defeating him in April 2019, but would fight him if offered.

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Javier Mendez likes Islam Makhachev’s chances at middleweight: ‘He’s that good’

Javier Mendez backs Islam Makhachev moving up to middleweight.

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] backs [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] moving up to middleweight.

UFC lightweight champion Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) dreams of dual-champion status, but his plans of moving up to welterweight have been put on hold after his friend Belal Muhammad captured the 170-pound title.

Arman Tsarukyan is touted to be Makhachev’s next opponent, which would give Makhachev an opportunity to break the UFC record for most title defenses at lightweight.

“That’s a good reason to fight Arman or anybody else, and you get the most defenses in the lightweight history,” Mendez told Red Corner MMA. “I can’t believe three is the record. That’s just amazing how it turns over.

“So many fighters have won titles there, but they never kept it more than three title defenses. So Islam will break the record, and I want to see him go down as one of the greatest of all time, and I believe he’s on track to do that.”

Makhachev’s return has been delayed after suffering a ligament injury in his hand. If Makhachev notches one more title defense, Mendez would like to see him go after another UFC title.

With welterweight not happening, Mendez thinks Makhachev has the skill to excel at middleweight.

“Then after that let’s see what happens,” Mendez said. “Maybe Islam gains weight and goes to 185. I mean, he’d have to gain weight, obviously, because that’s a little big for him. You never know. He’s that good. (He’s) pound-for-pound No. 1 for a reason.”

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Arman Tsarukyan open to interim UFC title fight if Islam Makhachev not ready by this year

Arman Tsarukyan hopes to fight for the UFC title whether or not Islam Makhachev is part of the equation.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] hopes to fight for the UFC title whether or not [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] is part of the equation.

Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) was offered lightweight champion Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) just two months after beating Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April, but turned it down due to the short notice. Makhachev fought Dustin Poirier instead at UFC 302, submitting him in Round 5.

Tsarukyan is expected to run things back with Makhachev next, but with Makhachev sidelined due to a ligament injury in his hand, he may have to wait. The streaking contender was hoping to challenge Makhachev at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi.

“So my manager told me I’m going to fight in October vs. Islam,” Tsarukyan told Submission Radio. “And then he said that he got injured and now they moved that fight in December or maybe next year.

“So of course it’s sad because I already started training very hard, and I’m in shape, and I thought we’re going to fight in October, but it is what it is. So if it’s December for me, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to wait and train as much as I can.”

If the wait ends up stretching into next year, Tsarukyan wants to compete for an interim title.

“If Islam can’t fight this year, for sure I would like to fight for the interim title, and it doesn’t matter who is going to be in front of me,” Tsarukyan said. “Dustin Poirier, he’s a solid fighter and he has a lot of experience. Yeah, it would be great. Dustin, (Justin) Gaethje, Michael Chandler as well. But my focus is on Islam.”

Makhachev has made it clear that he’s not too interested in rematching Tsarukyan after beating him in 2019, but would fight him if offered. Tsarukyan, who’s won nine of his past 10, finds his comments laughable.

“He should fight with Paddy Pimblett – maybe he deserves more than me because I’m No. 1,” Tsarukyan said. “Because he can lose to me, that’s why he’s not interested in me. … I believe in myself. I’m going there to knock him out, and that’s it.”

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Javier Mendez: Injured Islam Makhachev ‘definitely not’ fighting at UFC 308 in October

Javier Mendez says Islam Makhachev’s return won’t be going down at UFC 308 in October.

The odds looked slim for an October return for [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag], given his recent comments.

Now his coach, [autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag], has lent much credence to that possibility.

Mendez, long-time coach of Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC), recently gave an update on his pupil’s hand injury. He said there’s still no timeline for his return, but what is certain is that his expected return against Arman Tsarykyan at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi won’t be going down.

“Yes, he’s got a ligament injury, and he’s getting consultation from different doctors, and we’ll see what they say he has to do,” Mendez told Helen Yee. “But yeah, he’s not going to be able to train for a fight till probably late (November-December), or maybe January.

“It depends on what the UFC and him and can come up with, but he’s definitely not going to be able to fight in October like people are hoping.”

Although the event and date will have to change, Mendez is confident that Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) will remain as challenger, especially after Belal Muhammad won the welterweight title from Leon Edwards this past Saturday at UFC 304.

“I would think it would be the Arman rematch because I don’t see anything else in the horizon, being that Belal won the welterweight title,” Mendes said. “I seriously, seriously doubt that they would want to fight each other, so I think that changes the dynamic of going-for-two-belts situations.

“I think Arman was on point as far as the next opponent, anyway. That’s the fight I would want to happen, anyway.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.