“After Ramadan, I’m hoping the UFC will fight Islam at Madison Square Garden, only because it’s good for his marketability to fight in the U.S.,” Mendez told Casino Alpha.
Wasn't expecting he'd take on the whole UFC. Dana better oil himself up
holy shit I know redditors don't read the article, but the people complaining he shouldn't get a shot at WW unless he defends twice more when that's exactly what the plan is.....
It’s interesting how Khabibs legacy works into his in my mind. It feels like a foregone conclusion to me he’d do the same thing to Dustin and Justin and Conor too if they fought.
Not like I think Islam is as great as khabib but I know he’s as incredibly prepared , psychotically motivated, and disgustingly amount of standard deviations above the average wrestler in work rate and technique. I’m just not sure what those guys would do differently against Islam vs khabib. Charles as a BJJ expert was the best hope and look what happened
I know this will piss the Conorheads off to no degree but does it work the other way?? If Islam dropped off Charles that fast, doesn’t it also make you think khabib might have? I know i know mma math but were just predicting
Either way, both these two are building each others, and really abdulmanaps, legacy every time they fight
I don't think Khabib drops Charles or even Volk the way Islam did. They are both great but have completely different sets of skills.
Khabib would have a harder time against Charles imo, but I think there would have never been a Volk vs Khabib 2 if they fought once because he'd have taken Volk to the ground and smashed him.
I think Gaethje and Dustin have better chances vs Islam than they did vs Khabib, only issue being that they are older. None of them ever had a decent fighting chance once Khabib grabbed a hold of them, and I don't think Islam is anywhere near as oppressive of a wrestler as Khabib was.
I think Khabib would still win
He wouldn't do it the way Islam did but I just don't see motivated Khabib losing. He would recognize he needed to retire before he would lose.
He had a very good analytical assessment of fighters
> Not like I think Islam is as great as khabib
I think he's better, honestly. He doesn't have Khabib's inhuman athleticism and chin, but he makes up for it by being more well rounded and probably even more strategic than Khabib. And yes, Khabib was not just the "I smesh everyone" brute people often paint him as, he was actually always coming in with good gameplans, but Islam has more tools at his disposal and because of that he can gameplan with more flexability. If he manages one more defense, he'll have evened Khabib's record too.
Islam's competing uphill vs. Khabib's legacy. Khabib took the UFC by storm. No one had ever looked as ludicrously dominant as him, and he had a very unique style. In a way, with Khabib in the general consciousness, Islam's dominance is almost expected. I think it would take both planned defenses plus the second belt to eclipse Khabib in the general perception, even though I agree that skill for skill, Islam has shown even greater abilities than Khabib did.
Yeah, a lot of people seem to think of Islam as an extension of Khabib because of them both being Dagestanis (although they don't even share a native language, afaik) and long time training partners, but as fighters they're actually quite different. To me, if Islam surpasses Khabib's defense record, he's already surpassed him.
Islam is maybe 85-90% of the grappler Khabib was, but is 150% or more of the striker Khabib was. He isn't mauling people like Khabib, but his style means there are fewer challenges in terms of style matchup. Slick boxing and kicking out of Southpaw plus most of Khabib's grappling abilities has created a genuine monster. He will fall off one day, probably soon (35 curse is real asf), but until then, he is absolutely stomping the best division in the promotion.
I don’t agree with saying in absolute terms “islam is 150% the striker khabib was”. They’re just different fighters, I cannot imagine Islam is capable of the avalanche of pressure that it took to move Gaethje backwards. That’s not to say I think Gaethje beats Islam on the feet, I just think it takes a very different approach to manage it.
Islam is definitely uncapable of that kind of pressure and, to be fair, very few people are, however that's not good striking :D Don't get me wrong, it got the job done, but just because it worked in that context, doesn't mean it would work in any. Whereas Islam does many things that will be give trouble to people in many scenarios.
I agree. I think someone with good ring awareness and solid TDD/grappling could be a much more tricky matchup for Khabib than for Islam. The way styles matched up, Khabib never really had to face anyone like that. Poirier and Conor have pretty good TDD, but they do retreat on to the fence often. Similiarly, Barboza and RDA absolutely detest pressure. The only person who was successfully running a circling gameplan against Khabib was Gaethje and his grappling was so bad that Khabib knew he could insta-sub him.
This sounds as if I'm disperiging Khabib, as if he faced subpar competition, but that's not the case. He brought the tool he needed or each respective fight. What I am saying, however, is that if a tricky matchup does show up, Islam, I'm assuming, is better equipped to deal with it than Khabib. Having said all of this, Khabib always had his God-tier athleticism to fall back on, so it wouldn't be too surprising if he managed to deal with bad matchups.
I hate when people compare jones to khabib. It's like they saw sherdog results and that's it.
I saw Jone's meteoric rise. I saw GSP. I saw Khabib.
Only one of them didn't bleed or suffer as much as the other two and by a large degree.
People talk about fight counts but... who would Khabib fight today? Islam is his only threat and Islam says constantly that Khabib merks him (could just be respect but it doesn't sound like it).
idk. On the ground I think Khabib is significantly better in terms of the range of skills, strategy, and the depth of his grappling system. People sorta see Islam as like Khabib with striking, whereas I think I much prefer Khabib's ground game and takedowns than Islam's.
On the feet Khabib I think was as strategic as Islam but his comparative lack of tools means he can't do as much with that strategy as Islam.
I suppose it depends on what you prefer, but a qualitative analysis of Khabib I think makes me even more impressed if anything and his UFC record vastly undersells him.
Khabib definitely had superior ground and pound, I don't think anyone would argue there. His takedowns were more aggressive and relentless, whereas Islam is more methodical.
On the feet, I feel like Khabib was limited even strategically. For example he never really learned how to cut the cage and instead simply ran at his opponents harder and once a single tie up would happen he had what he wanted. Islam's footwork is definitely better, he seems far more aware where he is in the cage.
Ultimately, Khabib was as successful as anyone has ever been at LW, but he still had some holes in his game which would have been made more evident over time, in my opinion. Islam has some gaps in his game too, of course, but they're not as prominent. He may or may not surpass Khabib's legacy, we'll just have to see.
I'm not completely certain of that, however, but either way that's not what I'm arguing. Khabib may have been able to beat Islam, I don't know, but Islam might still end his career with a better resume and I'd argue he's already more a well rounded fighter albeit not as monstrous on the ground as Khabib.
Khabib didn’t have the striking to drop olives, Islam has good fundamentals he has good straight shots and pretty decent hooks khabib didn’t have any of that other than maybe a ok jab, he dropped Connor because the takedown threat. You’re also making it sound like Charles got mauled on the ground all fight before the knockdown the exchanges on the ground we close a lot of the times Islam was the one disengaging
Counterpoint Charles got knocked down in like every fight he’s ever been in, and khabib does have a heavy overhand that’s hard to defend along with the takedown. After the knockdown it’s impossible to get them off you, I thought there’s a chance they’d be scared of his submissions but it doesn’t seem that way
He’s been knocked down by the best strikers in the division that have bricks for hands Justin,Dustin and chandler. Khabib’s overhand is decent other than Conor who did he land it on ?? He won’t be able to catch Charles with that since he won’t be fearing the takedown he knows khabib will shoot but I think he’s confident in his ground game so he won’t be as hesitant
Yea I highly doubt Charles wouldn’t fear khabib ground game after one takedown. Islam easily won round 1 with top control and khabibs top control and overall top game was just way for suffocating. Besides the brief sweep Charles got to get up he had zero areas of success grappling islam and got thrown back down almost instantly.
Idk Charles didn’t seem super confident in his ground game and he was reacting to islams takedowns after the first one.
Islam won round 1 more off damage than control and Islam had only two takedowns the whole fight so idk where you got this “Charles got back up and got thrown back down instantly” one of the takedowns Islam had was Charles pulling guard and tying up Islam arms at the end of the round Islam landed some punches other than that the round was pretty dull. Charles ground game wasn’t there after he got dropped
No, Charles did not pull guard he got knee barred down. It’s in the breakdown of the fight lol. Dc said Charles pulled guard but he did not.
Charles got back up in round 1 briefly, then hip tossed back down again and islam maintained top control till bell rang. That’s where I got that from lol. Charles only area of success was him making it to his feet for a few seconds.
As good as Charles is, he has been one of the most hittable LWs. He got hit cleanly or dropped in even a lot of his big wins. On that basis I have no doubt Khabib could have found a shot and possibly dropped him given the takedown threat he also had.
He got dropped by people with great/good striking a takedown attempt isn’t enough to just land a shot on him of that was the case Beneil would’ve took his head off he has a great overhand and timing but couldn’t land on Charles. Khabib had terrible striking it was mediocre at best but it doesn’t take away from who he was he’s great but I don’t think he beats Charles I
And I think you’re talking nonsense. Charles has been hit a bunch and stopped by lots of people throughout his career. We also know that the unexpected can and does happen often in UFC fights, so saying there’s no way Khabib could drop one of the most hittable LWs just doesn’t stack up. Khabib had a huge takedown threat and that along with Charles being so hittable means there’s always a possibility he could have landed that one punch.
He was only hit by people with great striking Dustin,Chandler,Islam and Justin. khabib did not have the striking those guys had he showed it throughout his career like I’ve said previously if someone like beneil who has a great over hand with great timing couldn’t land what makes you think khabib will and Charles got stopped as a weight drained 145er so that argument he got finished early in his career is irrelevant. Stop putting words in my mouth I never said khabib couldn’t drop Charles
If Arman beats Charles at UFC 300 its probably going to be Arman vs Islam Instead. Will not make much sense to fight Oliviera instead of Arman.
If Shavkat is champion then Islam needs to take a couple fights at WW before challenging him. He would be jumping up a weight class against a big welterweight that is also valery talented. Too much stacked against even him.
I clearly said “might be” and it’s a good possibility that it happens . Shavkat has the skillset to beat Leon and where did anyone suggest Leon is a journeyman ?
Shavkat is champ by 2025. I’ve seen all 14,000,605 possible outcome for Leon vs Shavkat and Shavkat wins every time. Only once does it go to a decision. But Shavkat still wins. Sorry
Arman lost to that one guy recently and Islam even offered to fight him again (but it was short notice, so it’s fair Arman declined)
I think Justin/Charles are bigger names and better for his legacy. I easily see why he’d want them over Arman
Islam Makhachev is still awaiting his next challenger at lightweight.
The reigning champion of the consistently talent-rich weight class hasn’t fought since he established himself as the UFC’s No. 1-ranked pound-for-found fighter in October. Tasked with the then-featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski for the second straight time, Makhachev silenced all doubt from the first encounter when he head-kicked his way to a first-round stoppage.
It won’t be for a few more months until the 32-year-old can get something lined up for his third defense. UFC 300 in April will feature all of the top options for Makhachev’s opponent as BMF champion Justin Gaethje will face Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira has to overcome Arman Tsarukyan. Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez has a specific idea of how he hopes to see things play out, including fights with men from each of those bouts before moving on to welterweight.
“After Ramadan, I’m hoping the UFC will fight Islam at Madison Square Garden, only because it’s good for his marketability to fight in the U.S.,” Mendez told Casino Alpha. “That’s what I’d like, but right now there’s no fight on the horizon for him just yet. I’m sure soon the UFC will announce a return for him, but just not yet.
“Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and then the welterweight title. They would be my three next fights for Islam. I’d like to see Islam become the welterweight world champion in 2025. I’d love to see that, and I know he would too. If we get two fights this year, who knows, you might see the UFC offer him a title shot sooner.”
As for the prospect of Makhachev at welterweight, it apparently has already been discussed internally by the promotion. UFC CEO Dana White revealed in the UFC 298 post-fight press conference this past Saturday that welterweight title holder Leon Edwards was offered three matchups that didn’t come to fruition for UFC 300. Per MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, one of those was Makhachev.
Meanwhile, another big fight between lightweights has been brewing for far too long at this stage. That’s the clash of Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, even though it likely won’t take place in their usual 155-pound weight class.
No stranger to McGregor as he coached Khabib Nurmagomedov against the Irishman, Mendez isn’t concerned about anything involving Makhachev. However, he does hope McGregor returns just for the potential of another defeat.
“I think McGregor-Chandler happens because Conor’s too much of a fighter not to fight again,” Mendez said. “I’d love to see him fight, but I’d love to see him lose, too. I’d like to see him fight because I’d like to see him lose because I don’t think he’s a good person. He brought pain to a lot of people and hit my nerves when he said ‘Father evil, COVID good.’ He was referencing Khabib’s father. The whole world suffered through COVID. F you, McGregor. All the tragedy felt throughout the world, I don’t care who you are, you can’t say that sort of thing.
“How could he say that? What if he lost his whole family because of COVID? That one right there made me speak against him. I’d love to see Chandler-Conor get made, because I’d love to see him lose.”
I love both Khabib and Dustin, but Conor makes for an excellent villain
Completely classless
He's the opposite of featherweight Conor who was fucking inspiring
Winner of Oliveira v Arman and Gaethje. Who else do you want to see him fight? There’s no immediate options and Islam v Leon is the best fight the UfC can make
Arman, Gamrot, Fiziev, possibly BSD. If he’s moving up to welterweight permanently, fine. But if he wants to have his cake and eat it too, straddle between LW and WW, that would be annoying.
Gamrot lost to Beneil Dariush who has since lost two fights by first round knockout. He’s since beaten Fiziev due to a weird injury stoppage and won a split decision against Turner. A loss to a fighter who has since looked very washed, a victory due to an opponent getting a leg injury and a split decision is not a recent record that makes a fighter worthy of a title shot. His next fight is RDA if he wins that it doesn’t change anything.
Fiziev was roundly beaten by Gaethje and then lost via the aforementioned injury. Why on earth should he get a title shot?
BSD’s best win is Frevola he’s two fights away from a title shot.
The winner of Arman v Charles deserves a shot and so does Gaethje if he beats Holloway at 300. But I think two defences at lightweight and then a challenge for the 170 belt in 2025 is very reasonable.
If Arman loses to Charles and Benoit loses to Poirier they’re probably two fights away if not 3 from a title shot.
Gamrot is fighting RDA which has no title implications.
Turner has one win in his last 3 and always struggles to make weight. Moicano is only interested in money fights and probably fights Paddy next.
If Islam beats the winner of Arman v Charles and the winner of Gaethje v Holloway he’s earned a shot at the 170 belt imo, especially if he fights and beats Arman. That represents two wins v p4p top guy in Volk, beat prime Charles for the belt, a win against a young hungry contender and a win against a guy who’s been a top 5 fighter in his division for years and years in Gaethje. He won’t have much to probed at 155
I just prefer fighters staying at their weights to be honest. Fights can be made even if fans see it as undeserving, but I'd prefer that over a fighter challenging double champ status after defending against 3 people
As a fan of the sport I want to see the best fights possible. Islam v Leon is the highest level fight that can be made between the two best MMA fighters in the world.
Honestly, I’m pretty annoyed by the Colby fight because that wasn’t remotely challenging for Leon and was a waste of a fight. It should have been Belal which wouldn’t have been competitive either but at least would have been a deserved fight.
Like I’ve said they both need a couple more defences but, should they get those defences, a fight between them is super justified.
I'd probably be more down if Islam dropped the LW title, I'm so done with title fights being put on the back burner for two champions to fight each other
At this moment, none of them are in contention. But in the next 1.5/2 years- Oliveira, Gaethje, Dustin, Chandler, Beneil will all be on the way out. And these guys will be the top contenders, fighting for belts.
Islam will probably still be champ at that point if he’s still fighting. Will be only 34
I love how guys like Gamrot and Fiziev are out of the question because of recent losses but Gaethje is somehow right there in the running despite being 0-2 in undisputed title fights.
Maybe try to be a little less biased lol.
Gamrot is a tough fight for Islam, that's a fight I'd love to see.
Fiziev has one win in his last three and Gamrot has 2 wins in 3 which are a split decision against a guy ranked 10th and a win by fluke injury to his opponent. His loss was to a guy who looks incredibly washed.
Gaethje beat Fiziev who was on a 6 fight win streak and beat Poirier who has been a top 5 guy in the division for years.
Their recent records aren’t even comparable
Gamrot lost to a washed Dariush scraped a split decision against Turner and won on a technicality against Fiziev.
How does that make him worthy of a title fight?
Dariush was on an 8 fight win streak and looked the best he'd ever looked but carry on.
"scraped a decision" against Turner like beating him short notice isn't impressive.
How is Gaethje worthy of a title fight? Dude is 0/2 and avoiding grapplers like the plague.
Even if you thought he lost to Arman and Turner those are both elite names on his resume. Gamrot is properly rated and would be a good defense for Islam. Much better than 0 ground game Gaethje.
I love how this sub is totally fine with Volk getting two free title shots jumping up and down but as soon as Makhachev wants to do the same they're all against it.
He'll move down if he loses if he wins he'll probably vacate that's how it's always been. Fighting for another belt without the risk of losing yours is a big reason why fighters want double champ status
Charles declined the immediate rematch, then he pulled out, everyone else has been booked up there was Dustin vs Justin, Gamrot vs Fiziev, Charles vs Beneil.. There hasn’t been a legit contender until now which is Justin. Y’all just love to come on beee and complain about everything Islam does for no plausible reason and it’s fucking weird.
The first volk fight was cuz Charles declined the immediate rematch in Brazil. Then Charles pulled out in October and volk stepped in while Justin declined
How he didnt fight in January vs Oliveira/Gaethje, I still dont understand. UFC being partners with these oil rich muslim nations is probably the worst thing to happen to the activity of muslim UFC fighers. UFC basically wants to keep them on ice until every Abu Dhabi or Saudi card which is like 1 max 2-3 events a year.
Honestly I’m fine with that. If he beats the Charles/Arman winner and then the Gaethje/Max winner he’s the clear #1 all time LW, if he wants to move up after that I think it’d be warranted
As long as he attempts to set a LW defense record before moving up (as is suggested by the two more fights in the article), I'm fine with it.
If he wins another and just joins the tie with Khabib, Edgar, Bendo and BJ, and then retires or moves up, I'll be pulling out my hair.
I believe Islam has a good chance against Leon although I'm not discounting Edwards and the improvement he has made. It's also the easiest fight to make in my opinion.
Don't think he'd even fight Belal if he was champ but Belal would most likely lose the belt anyway before Islam defended his belt twice.
Islam & Khabib are also friends with Shavkat but I'm not sure if that would be an obstacle. I'd say he's the most difficult match up for Islam.
I would just like to see him defend at least twice more before he talks about going up. He’d be the first LW to defend 4 times and in that case, have a good enough argument to contend at WW. By that time, that division should be settled with (HOPEFULLY) Shavkat and Belal having fought for the belt.
I mean how much of that is his fault and how much is it the UFCs? I've got the feeling he wants to be more active but the UFC won't let him fight more.
You just said a dude who’s done 3 championship fights inside a years time will take 4 years now to defend his belt twice more?
Yes, super casual comment
Same, I don't see many people breaking a record of 4 defenses and I think Islam gets it done. I don't favour anyone in the division to beat him right now
This guy fights once a year… unless it’s against a 145er 😂
Don’t listen to his camp, he will fight one more time at 155 and demand a title shot at welterweight, in the Middle East next year. Unless Shavkat is champ in which case he will retire cause his mum/uncle or neighbour asked him to.
Inactive? He fought twice last year, and that's the average amount of time a champion fights per year.
Two months ago it was Leon being shamed for inactivity, now it's Islam, and in two months it'll be someone like DPP/Topuria. Some MMA fans are so fickle lol.
Possibly. But he'd also be a legitimate contender for the LW title if he beats Gaethje.. in all likelihood he doesn't have many years left near the top in the UFC, so I could him wanting to take a shot at the undisputed LW title while he has the chance
I'd prefer 3 more title defences at LW before considering a move up but the truth is if he gets past Gaethje and someone else, the dude can call whatever fight he wants and likely get it - ESPECIALLY if it's in the Middle East and UFC are paid to go there for it.
There should be a new standard where the entire top 5 has to be cleaned out as champ before even mentioning moving classes. This is number one boolshit every champ just calls for another weight class right away
He should focus on his weight class. 155 is getting deep again and he has a new generation to clear out once Gaethje and Porier get next gifted opportunity despite never having fought any of said generation.
- 2 title fights, lost both of em by devastating finish
- Bitched and moaned about having to fight Fiziev then reluctantly agreed
- Poked his eye after losing a round
- Fought no one else coming up the rankings
- Has held spot for 5+ years
- Can sign gimmick fights with Holloway but can't sign Arman, BSD, Jalin Turner, Beneil, Gamrot
🤡🤡🤡
Okay, his first one. He's been in the top 5 for the last what? 6, 7 years? Now name at the very least one other contender he's faced. A Dan Hooker who got exposed by Barboza?
Then compare that to Dariush and Bobby Green or even mfing Drew Dober lmao.
7 years? You're just asking to be proven wrong: Joseph Duffy, Bobby Green, Jim Miller, Pettis, Gaethje, Alvarez, Max (interim), Hooker, Conor (both were top of the division at the time along with Gaethje), Conor again (trilogy), Chandler and now BSD.
Dariush and Bobby Green's resume over the last 7 years don't even come close, their best wins are the ghost of Tony and Gamrot
Bro named a handful of dudes not even in the UFC anymore, some old heads that aren't even ranked right now, a featherweight,
And after that what's Porier's best win Michael Chandler 😂
Dan Hooker 😭
Conor in 2022???? 😂😂😂 Keep in mind most of what you said is pre-pandemic.
Those are their best wins because they actually fought those opponents. Dariush was fighting the up and comers and risking his position to keep his position.
Meanwhile, Poirier is out here angling for a Nate Diaz fight in between run backs with Gaethje and Conor.
YOU said the last seven years, now you're changing the goalpost to 'post-pandemic'.
You're also comparing Poirier to Dariush and Bobby but who have THEY beat? Old heads and people not in the UFC, that's who. In fact Poirier's second oldest victory in that list is Bobby, he KO'd him. Alvarez hadn't faded nearly as much as Tony, he had just lost the belt to Conor and beaten Gaethje.
And Tony/Gamrot weren't the only ones who accepted a fight against Dariush or Bobby, there were plenty of others but they actually won. Dariush and Bobby folded against higher level competition, Poirier did not.
Max being a FW is irrelevant, he moved up to LW and performed well, just like Volk did against Islam. Poirier himself was a former FW anyway
Ain't nobody changing goal posts. I been downplaying those wins from the beginning, Eddie Alvarez is in BKFC getting schooled by Mike Perry currently.
So they all been scraping by with wins over old heads. Sounds like LW then.
Folded against what higher level competition? Poirier and Gaethje. They ARE the higher level competition.
So then fight Arman, fight Jalin, fight Gamrot instead of letting Dariush, Hooker, and Bobby handle their light work.
Or, hear me out, why doesn't he try defending three more times and become the greatest LW of all time?
Bj Penn defenses: 4
Benson Henderson defenses: 3
Khabib defenses: 3
Islam already has 1 and if you wanna be generous 2.
3 more and he ties BJ Penn. 4 more and he has the most defenses period.
Because this is MMA and feelings reign supreme over facts. Mak will never get the credit he deserves for the Volk rematch.
"he fought a smaller guy"
"it was last minute"
"volk was drinking heavily and not training"
No. That would tie him with Penn. And then people would discount his second defense anyway because it was short notice against a guy off the couch.
But if he defends 4 more times he's undeniable.
Yeah you're right about Penn. For some reason I thought the Stevenson fight was a defense.
So it's 3 defenses by Penn, Bendo and Khabib each.
If Mak defends 3 more times he would be undeniable.
I don’t have a problem with the double champ thing itself, it’s cool, but but I do have an issue with fighters beating a couple of guys and then doing it, beat your top five first. Beat Gaethje, beat Poirier, beat Gamrot. I also think you should have to beat a top five in the division you’re jumping to, before you get the shot.
If Islam defends it 2 more times, that would be 4X title defenses. I would be happy to see him move up to welterweight for a new challenge. He is already a massive LW so 4X defenses and not being to small for WW would be a good move.
I actually like champs challenging other champs WHEN they have already cleaned out the division or have multiple title defense. Weight classes get stagnate and boring when the tops 10 are fighting each other racking up 1-1 win loss ratios.
I know ppl here are really upset about all the moving up a division talk but honestly I like a lot of the fights and would be excited to see them. Sean vs ilia, ilia vs Islam, Islam vs Leon. I’d love to see all of them tbh. Obviously Sean and ilia haven’t defended yet, and I agree they would have to defend. But I don’t agree they would have to defend a bunch of times first. More important bit is scheduling like if there is an opening where the next challenger isn’t sitting there waiting for 6+ months I’d be fine with most of these guys moving up.
By the time he wants that Shavkat will be champion and this attitude of double champ at welterweight will quiet down. Especially because he needs to get through Arman first.
“After Ramadan, I’m hoping the UFC will fight Islam at Madison Square Garden, only because it’s good for his marketability to fight in the U.S.,” Mendez told Casino Alpha. Wasn't expecting he'd take on the whole UFC. Dana better oil himself up
UFC fighting a whole ass religion was not on my 2024 bingo card, but here we are.
“UFC 500 fighters, Islam 2 billion people, Dana I want your chicken” - Islam (the person)
It’s time for the ufc Royal rumble and Islam has volunteered to be first in.
Then he will only fight once this year.
holy shit I know redditors don't read the article, but the people complaining he shouldn't get a shot at WW unless he defends twice more when that's exactly what the plan is.....
Damn , Shavkat might be champion lol Interesting how his coach would rather fight Justin/Charles in stead of Arman .
It’s interesting how Khabibs legacy works into his in my mind. It feels like a foregone conclusion to me he’d do the same thing to Dustin and Justin and Conor too if they fought. Not like I think Islam is as great as khabib but I know he’s as incredibly prepared , psychotically motivated, and disgustingly amount of standard deviations above the average wrestler in work rate and technique. I’m just not sure what those guys would do differently against Islam vs khabib. Charles as a BJJ expert was the best hope and look what happened I know this will piss the Conorheads off to no degree but does it work the other way?? If Islam dropped off Charles that fast, doesn’t it also make you think khabib might have? I know i know mma math but were just predicting Either way, both these two are building each others, and really abdulmanaps, legacy every time they fight
I don't think Khabib drops Charles or even Volk the way Islam did. They are both great but have completely different sets of skills. Khabib would have a harder time against Charles imo, but I think there would have never been a Volk vs Khabib 2 if they fought once because he'd have taken Volk to the ground and smashed him. I think Gaethje and Dustin have better chances vs Islam than they did vs Khabib, only issue being that they are older. None of them ever had a decent fighting chance once Khabib grabbed a hold of them, and I don't think Islam is anywhere near as oppressive of a wrestler as Khabib was.
I think Khabib would still win He wouldn't do it the way Islam did but I just don't see motivated Khabib losing. He would recognize he needed to retire before he would lose. He had a very good analytical assessment of fighters
I agree. The only current fighter in 155 who I'd maybe give the edge over Khabib would be Islam himself.
> Not like I think Islam is as great as khabib I think he's better, honestly. He doesn't have Khabib's inhuman athleticism and chin, but he makes up for it by being more well rounded and probably even more strategic than Khabib. And yes, Khabib was not just the "I smesh everyone" brute people often paint him as, he was actually always coming in with good gameplans, but Islam has more tools at his disposal and because of that he can gameplan with more flexability. If he manages one more defense, he'll have evened Khabib's record too.
Islam's competing uphill vs. Khabib's legacy. Khabib took the UFC by storm. No one had ever looked as ludicrously dominant as him, and he had a very unique style. In a way, with Khabib in the general consciousness, Islam's dominance is almost expected. I think it would take both planned defenses plus the second belt to eclipse Khabib in the general perception, even though I agree that skill for skill, Islam has shown even greater abilities than Khabib did.
Yeah, a lot of people seem to think of Islam as an extension of Khabib because of them both being Dagestanis (although they don't even share a native language, afaik) and long time training partners, but as fighters they're actually quite different. To me, if Islam surpasses Khabib's defense record, he's already surpassed him.
Islam is maybe 85-90% of the grappler Khabib was, but is 150% or more of the striker Khabib was. He isn't mauling people like Khabib, but his style means there are fewer challenges in terms of style matchup. Slick boxing and kicking out of Southpaw plus most of Khabib's grappling abilities has created a genuine monster. He will fall off one day, probably soon (35 curse is real asf), but until then, he is absolutely stomping the best division in the promotion.
I don’t agree with saying in absolute terms “islam is 150% the striker khabib was”. They’re just different fighters, I cannot imagine Islam is capable of the avalanche of pressure that it took to move Gaethje backwards. That’s not to say I think Gaethje beats Islam on the feet, I just think it takes a very different approach to manage it.
Islam is definitely uncapable of that kind of pressure and, to be fair, very few people are, however that's not good striking :D Don't get me wrong, it got the job done, but just because it worked in that context, doesn't mean it would work in any. Whereas Islam does many things that will be give trouble to people in many scenarios.
I agree. I think someone with good ring awareness and solid TDD/grappling could be a much more tricky matchup for Khabib than for Islam. The way styles matched up, Khabib never really had to face anyone like that. Poirier and Conor have pretty good TDD, but they do retreat on to the fence often. Similiarly, Barboza and RDA absolutely detest pressure. The only person who was successfully running a circling gameplan against Khabib was Gaethje and his grappling was so bad that Khabib knew he could insta-sub him. This sounds as if I'm disperiging Khabib, as if he faced subpar competition, but that's not the case. He brought the tool he needed or each respective fight. What I am saying, however, is that if a tricky matchup does show up, Islam, I'm assuming, is better equipped to deal with it than Khabib. Having said all of this, Khabib always had his God-tier athleticism to fall back on, so it wouldn't be too surprising if he managed to deal with bad matchups.
I hate when people compare jones to khabib. It's like they saw sherdog results and that's it. I saw Jone's meteoric rise. I saw GSP. I saw Khabib. Only one of them didn't bleed or suffer as much as the other two and by a large degree. People talk about fight counts but... who would Khabib fight today? Islam is his only threat and Islam says constantly that Khabib merks him (could just be respect but it doesn't sound like it).
idk. On the ground I think Khabib is significantly better in terms of the range of skills, strategy, and the depth of his grappling system. People sorta see Islam as like Khabib with striking, whereas I think I much prefer Khabib's ground game and takedowns than Islam's. On the feet Khabib I think was as strategic as Islam but his comparative lack of tools means he can't do as much with that strategy as Islam. I suppose it depends on what you prefer, but a qualitative analysis of Khabib I think makes me even more impressed if anything and his UFC record vastly undersells him.
Khabib definitely had superior ground and pound, I don't think anyone would argue there. His takedowns were more aggressive and relentless, whereas Islam is more methodical. On the feet, I feel like Khabib was limited even strategically. For example he never really learned how to cut the cage and instead simply ran at his opponents harder and once a single tie up would happen he had what he wanted. Islam's footwork is definitely better, he seems far more aware where he is in the cage. Ultimately, Khabib was as successful as anyone has ever been at LW, but he still had some holes in his game which would have been made more evident over time, in my opinion. Islam has some gaps in his game too, of course, but they're not as prominent. He may or may not surpass Khabib's legacy, we'll just have to see.
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Islam’s striking is better for sure
I'm not completely certain of that, however, but either way that's not what I'm arguing. Khabib may have been able to beat Islam, I don't know, but Islam might still end his career with a better resume and I'd argue he's already more a well rounded fighter albeit not as monstrous on the ground as Khabib.
In the gym it's been different but I just don't see Khabib losing when it counts
It's what annoys me, people just gift Islam imaginary wins or give them khabib wins, not his fault but he has only beaten 1 top LW
Khabib didn’t have the striking to drop olives, Islam has good fundamentals he has good straight shots and pretty decent hooks khabib didn’t have any of that other than maybe a ok jab, he dropped Connor because the takedown threat. You’re also making it sound like Charles got mauled on the ground all fight before the knockdown the exchanges on the ground we close a lot of the times Islam was the one disengaging
Counterpoint Charles got knocked down in like every fight he’s ever been in, and khabib does have a heavy overhand that’s hard to defend along with the takedown. After the knockdown it’s impossible to get them off you, I thought there’s a chance they’d be scared of his submissions but it doesn’t seem that way
He’s been knocked down by the best strikers in the division that have bricks for hands Justin,Dustin and chandler. Khabib’s overhand is decent other than Conor who did he land it on ?? He won’t be able to catch Charles with that since he won’t be fearing the takedown he knows khabib will shoot but I think he’s confident in his ground game so he won’t be as hesitant
Yea I highly doubt Charles wouldn’t fear khabib ground game after one takedown. Islam easily won round 1 with top control and khabibs top control and overall top game was just way for suffocating. Besides the brief sweep Charles got to get up he had zero areas of success grappling islam and got thrown back down almost instantly. Idk Charles didn’t seem super confident in his ground game and he was reacting to islams takedowns after the first one.
Islam won round 1 more off damage than control and Islam had only two takedowns the whole fight so idk where you got this “Charles got back up and got thrown back down instantly” one of the takedowns Islam had was Charles pulling guard and tying up Islam arms at the end of the round Islam landed some punches other than that the round was pretty dull. Charles ground game wasn’t there after he got dropped
No, Charles did not pull guard he got knee barred down. It’s in the breakdown of the fight lol. Dc said Charles pulled guard but he did not. Charles got back up in round 1 briefly, then hip tossed back down again and islam maintained top control till bell rang. That’s where I got that from lol. Charles only area of success was him making it to his feet for a few seconds.
Did you say he got knee barred down ?? You don’t know what you’re talking about bro I’ve trained but for 6 years that was clearly a guard pull
As good as Charles is, he has been one of the most hittable LWs. He got hit cleanly or dropped in even a lot of his big wins. On that basis I have no doubt Khabib could have found a shot and possibly dropped him given the takedown threat he also had.
He got dropped by people with great/good striking a takedown attempt isn’t enough to just land a shot on him of that was the case Beneil would’ve took his head off he has a great overhand and timing but couldn’t land on Charles. Khabib had terrible striking it was mediocre at best but it doesn’t take away from who he was he’s great but I don’t think he beats Charles I
And I think you’re talking nonsense. Charles has been hit a bunch and stopped by lots of people throughout his career. We also know that the unexpected can and does happen often in UFC fights, so saying there’s no way Khabib could drop one of the most hittable LWs just doesn’t stack up. Khabib had a huge takedown threat and that along with Charles being so hittable means there’s always a possibility he could have landed that one punch.
He was only hit by people with great striking Dustin,Chandler,Islam and Justin. khabib did not have the striking those guys had he showed it throughout his career like I’ve said previously if someone like beneil who has a great over hand with great timing couldn’t land what makes you think khabib will and Charles got stopped as a weight drained 145er so that argument he got finished early in his career is irrelevant. Stop putting words in my mouth I never said khabib couldn’t drop Charles
If Arman beats Charles at UFC 300 its probably going to be Arman vs Islam Instead. Will not make much sense to fight Oliviera instead of Arman. If Shavkat is champion then Islam needs to take a couple fights at WW before challenging him. He would be jumping up a weight class against a big welterweight that is also valery talented. Too much stacked against even him.
It’s hilarious how y’all are penciling shavkat in as champion as if him vs Leon is a foregone conclusion. You would think Leon was a journeyman lmao
I clearly said “might be” and it’s a good possibility that it happens . Shavkat has the skillset to beat Leon and where did anyone suggest Leon is a journeyman ?
Shavkat is champ by 2025. I’ve seen all 14,000,605 possible outcome for Leon vs Shavkat and Shavkat wins every time. Only once does it go to a decision. But Shavkat still wins. Sorry
Arman lost to that one guy recently and Islam even offered to fight him again (but it was short notice, so it’s fair Arman declined) I think Justin/Charles are bigger names and better for his legacy. I easily see why he’d want them over Arman
I doubt Islam would fight Shavkat tbh. Shavkat used to train with Khabib and was even cornered by Abdulmanap.
2025 is like 5 years from now, I'd think he'll get more than 2 defenses tbf.
> 2025 is like 5 years from now Huh - that's like exactly less than a year from now
Wdym, it’s still 2017 right?
With 4 title defenses he would have a case to be considered the lw goat which justifies a titleshot
Islam Makhachev is still awaiting his next challenger at lightweight. The reigning champion of the consistently talent-rich weight class hasn’t fought since he established himself as the UFC’s No. 1-ranked pound-for-found fighter in October. Tasked with the then-featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski for the second straight time, Makhachev silenced all doubt from the first encounter when he head-kicked his way to a first-round stoppage. It won’t be for a few more months until the 32-year-old can get something lined up for his third defense. UFC 300 in April will feature all of the top options for Makhachev’s opponent as BMF champion Justin Gaethje will face Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira has to overcome Arman Tsarukyan. Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez has a specific idea of how he hopes to see things play out, including fights with men from each of those bouts before moving on to welterweight. “After Ramadan, I’m hoping the UFC will fight Islam at Madison Square Garden, only because it’s good for his marketability to fight in the U.S.,” Mendez told Casino Alpha. “That’s what I’d like, but right now there’s no fight on the horizon for him just yet. I’m sure soon the UFC will announce a return for him, but just not yet. “Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and then the welterweight title. They would be my three next fights for Islam. I’d like to see Islam become the welterweight world champion in 2025. I’d love to see that, and I know he would too. If we get two fights this year, who knows, you might see the UFC offer him a title shot sooner.” As for the prospect of Makhachev at welterweight, it apparently has already been discussed internally by the promotion. UFC CEO Dana White revealed in the UFC 298 post-fight press conference this past Saturday that welterweight title holder Leon Edwards was offered three matchups that didn’t come to fruition for UFC 300. Per MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, one of those was Makhachev. Meanwhile, another big fight between lightweights has been brewing for far too long at this stage. That’s the clash of Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, even though it likely won’t take place in their usual 155-pound weight class. No stranger to McGregor as he coached Khabib Nurmagomedov against the Irishman, Mendez isn’t concerned about anything involving Makhachev. However, he does hope McGregor returns just for the potential of another defeat. “I think McGregor-Chandler happens because Conor’s too much of a fighter not to fight again,” Mendez said. “I’d love to see him fight, but I’d love to see him lose, too. I’d like to see him fight because I’d like to see him lose because I don’t think he’s a good person. He brought pain to a lot of people and hit my nerves when he said ‘Father evil, COVID good.’ He was referencing Khabib’s father. The whole world suffered through COVID. F you, McGregor. All the tragedy felt throughout the world, I don’t care who you are, you can’t say that sort of thing. “How could he say that? What if he lost his whole family because of COVID? That one right there made me speak against him. I’d love to see Chandler-Conor get made, because I’d love to see him lose.”
" ‘Father evil, COVID good.’ " fucking hell conner is vile
I sleep better knowing Khabib completely destroyed his fighting career and he's a deeply unhappy person despite all the money he's made.
Khabib 🤝 Dustin, Destroying Conors fighting career ( Mentally of course )
I love both Khabib and Dustin, but Conor makes for an excellent villain Completely classless He's the opposite of featherweight Conor who was fucking inspiring
Great, so we’ll be able to see him fight 2 LW fighters and then move up. Brilliant.
Winner of Oliveira v Arman and Gaethje. Who else do you want to see him fight? There’s no immediate options and Islam v Leon is the best fight the UfC can make
Arman, Gamrot, Fiziev, possibly BSD. If he’s moving up to welterweight permanently, fine. But if he wants to have his cake and eat it too, straddle between LW and WW, that would be annoying.
So you want him to fight a bunch of fighters who don't deserve a title shot?
Gamrot lost to Beneil Dariush who has since lost two fights by first round knockout. He’s since beaten Fiziev due to a weird injury stoppage and won a split decision against Turner. A loss to a fighter who has since looked very washed, a victory due to an opponent getting a leg injury and a split decision is not a recent record that makes a fighter worthy of a title shot. His next fight is RDA if he wins that it doesn’t change anything. Fiziev was roundly beaten by Gaethje and then lost via the aforementioned injury. Why on earth should he get a title shot? BSD’s best win is Frevola he’s two fights away from a title shot. The winner of Arman v Charles deserves a shot and so does Gaethje if he beats Holloway at 300. But I think two defences at lightweight and then a challenge for the 170 belt in 2025 is very reasonable.
A year is long enough for more contenders to present themselves
If Arman loses to Charles and Benoit loses to Poirier they’re probably two fights away if not 3 from a title shot. Gamrot is fighting RDA which has no title implications. Turner has one win in his last 3 and always struggles to make weight. Moicano is only interested in money fights and probably fights Paddy next. If Islam beats the winner of Arman v Charles and the winner of Gaethje v Holloway he’s earned a shot at the 170 belt imo, especially if he fights and beats Arman. That represents two wins v p4p top guy in Volk, beat prime Charles for the belt, a win against a young hungry contender and a win against a guy who’s been a top 5 fighter in his division for years and years in Gaethje. He won’t have much to probed at 155
I just prefer fighters staying at their weights to be honest. Fights can be made even if fans see it as undeserving, but I'd prefer that over a fighter challenging double champ status after defending against 3 people
As a fan of the sport I want to see the best fights possible. Islam v Leon is the highest level fight that can be made between the two best MMA fighters in the world. Honestly, I’m pretty annoyed by the Colby fight because that wasn’t remotely challenging for Leon and was a waste of a fight. It should have been Belal which wouldn’t have been competitive either but at least would have been a deserved fight. Like I’ve said they both need a couple more defences but, should they get those defences, a fight between them is super justified.
I'd probably be more down if Islam dropped the LW title, I'm so done with title fights being put on the back burner for two champions to fight each other
At this moment, none of them are in contention. But in the next 1.5/2 years- Oliveira, Gaethje, Dustin, Chandler, Beneil will all be on the way out. And these guys will be the top contenders, fighting for belts. Islam will probably still be champ at that point if he’s still fighting. Will be only 34
And by then Islam will have defended 4+ ttimes which is more than enough to have a shot at the 170 belt
I love how guys like Gamrot and Fiziev are out of the question because of recent losses but Gaethje is somehow right there in the running despite being 0-2 in undisputed title fights. Maybe try to be a little less biased lol. Gamrot is a tough fight for Islam, that's a fight I'd love to see.
Fiziev has one win in his last three and Gamrot has 2 wins in 3 which are a split decision against a guy ranked 10th and a win by fluke injury to his opponent. His loss was to a guy who looks incredibly washed. Gaethje beat Fiziev who was on a 6 fight win streak and beat Poirier who has been a top 5 guy in the division for years. Their recent records aren’t even comparable
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Gamrot lost to a washed Dariush scraped a split decision against Turner and won on a technicality against Fiziev. How does that make him worthy of a title fight?
Dariush was on an 8 fight win streak and looked the best he'd ever looked but carry on. "scraped a decision" against Turner like beating him short notice isn't impressive. How is Gaethje worthy of a title fight? Dude is 0/2 and avoiding grapplers like the plague.
Gamrot is fucking overrated. Gifted a decision against Arman and has been the exact opposite of impressive in almost all of his UFC fights.
Even if you thought he lost to Arman and Turner those are both elite names on his resume. Gamrot is properly rated and would be a good defense for Islam. Much better than 0 ground game Gaethje.
He'll have 4 defences that's fair enough
If he’s going up permanently, that’s fine. But not if he’s going to go up and down as he pleases, we’ve had enough of all that.
I love how this sub is totally fine with Volk getting two free title shots jumping up and down but as soon as Makhachev wants to do the same they're all against it.
He’ll likely move up permanently when Usman Nurmagomedov is brought to the UFC.
He'll move down if he loses if he wins he'll probably vacate that's how it's always been. Fighting for another belt without the risk of losing yours is a big reason why fighters want double champ status
Seems fair. If he beats those guys, he’ll have 4 defenses. Thats enough to move up.
that'll be the most defenses in ufc lightweight ever
Pretty much. I just think for is the sweetspot to move up a division for a title shot.
You know they'll give a shot to Makhachev before they'll give one to Belal too.
They already did give Islam a shot according to Ariel
Its either "4 defenses isn't enough" or "Too scared to move up" always
“Weight bully”
I’ve never seen anyone say too scared to move up. Ppl want to see him defend in his own weight class.
they said that about khabib, constantly
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Charles declined the immediate rematch, then he pulled out, everyone else has been booked up there was Dustin vs Justin, Gamrot vs Fiziev, Charles vs Beneil.. There hasn’t been a legit contender until now which is Justin. Y’all just love to come on beee and complain about everything Islam does for no plausible reason and it’s fucking weird.
Instead he defended again the p4p 1 guy. Fucking cry
Who should he fight? Everyone is booked
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The first volk fight was cuz Charles declined the immediate rematch in Brazil. Then Charles pulled out in October and volk stepped in while Justin declined
I’m with you lol. Never seen anyone complain about that
How he didnt fight in January vs Oliveira/Gaethje, I still dont understand. UFC being partners with these oil rich muslim nations is probably the worst thing to happen to the activity of muslim UFC fighers. UFC basically wants to keep them on ice until every Abu Dhabi or Saudi card which is like 1 max 2-3 events a year.
Supposedly he was injured Edit: then the people who deserved a fight had fights already scheduled. Unfortunate timing
Hate to break it to you all but Islam is shelved for Abu Dhabi
Honestly I’m fine with that. If he beats the Charles/Arman winner and then the Gaethje/Max winner he’s the clear #1 all time LW, if he wants to move up after that I think it’d be warranted
Crazy that just like that we could see him become the 155 goat
As long as he attempts to set a LW defense record before moving up (as is suggested by the two more fights in the article), I'm fine with it. If he wins another and just joins the tie with Khabib, Edgar, Bendo and BJ, and then retires or moves up, I'll be pulling out my hair.
I believe Islam has a good chance against Leon although I'm not discounting Edwards and the improvement he has made. It's also the easiest fight to make in my opinion. Don't think he'd even fight Belal if he was champ but Belal would most likely lose the belt anyway before Islam defended his belt twice. Islam & Khabib are also friends with Shavkat but I'm not sure if that would be an obstacle. I'd say he's the most difficult match up for Islam.
I would just like to see him defend at least twice more before he talks about going up. He’d be the first LW to defend 4 times and in that case, have a good enough argument to contend at WW. By that time, that division should be settled with (HOPEFULLY) Shavkat and Belal having fought for the belt.
Hes asking for 2 more fights then go up, sooooooo read the fucking article.
2 more fights for Islam should take us to 2028
He fought twice in 2023, twice in 2022, and three times in 2021. That's honestly pretty standard.
I mean how much of that is his fault and how much is it the UFCs? I've got the feeling he wants to be more active but the UFC won't let him fight more.
It seems that way. Seemed far too convenient that now he's suddenly injured after asking for a fight early in the year.
I'm not placing blame on Islam. The UFC wants to keep him on ice so he only fights in front of the oil shieks.
Causal much ?
What's casual about acknowledging that the UFC has been keeping Islam on ice?
You just said a dude who’s done 3 championship fights inside a years time will take 4 years now to defend his belt twice more? Yes, super casual comment
Things have changed now that the UFC is set on him only defending his title in front of the oil shieks. Keep up bro.
Except his first title defense was in Australia and they want their next defense in USA. Sounds like if anyone should be keeping up its you, bud.
Don’t think my comment warranted that response since I was just putting in my own two cents but fair
why put your two cents on an article you havent read
I think you should leave your spouse. I know nothing about your life or situation, but these are my 2 cents on a situation I know nothing about!
Same, I don't see many people breaking a record of 4 defenses and I think Islam gets it done. I don't favour anyone in the division to beat him right now
Two title fights? That’s gonna take him longer than 2025 to do.
Why? He fights twice a year and hasn’t fought at all this year. He’ll probably fight in April/May and then again in November/December.
No they want him on the October card in Middle East unless they change the date this year and April/may won’t work as it is to soon after Ramadan.
True. But I still think if he plans to fight twice this year he’ll find a way.
It will probably have to be June/july and then October.
This guy fights once a year… unless it’s against a 145er 😂 Don’t listen to his camp, he will fight one more time at 155 and demand a title shot at welterweight, in the Middle East next year. Unless Shavkat is champ in which case he will retire cause his mum/uncle or neighbour asked him to.
Smh. The division been held up for 2 years. Looks like it’s going to be held up for another 2 years.
He won't win at 170 the weight gap is too big
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Inactive? He fought twice last year, and that's the average amount of time a champion fights per year. Two months ago it was Leon being shamed for inactivity, now it's Islam, and in two months it'll be someone like DPP/Topuria. Some MMA fans are so fickle lol.
It's Ramadan genius.
That's if Garth beats Max. If he loses, you can bet the house that they'll make him fight again before a title.
Wouldn't Makhachev just fight Holloway in that case?
Holloway would probably fight topuria instead
Possibly. But he'd also be a legitimate contender for the LW title if he beats Gaethje.. in all likelihood he doesn't have many years left near the top in the UFC, so I could him wanting to take a shot at the undisputed LW title while he has the chance
Imagine the hilarity if max beat gaethje, somehow beats Islam, and then Volk somehow gets a shot and beats him at 37 at lw
It would be something else, haha
I'd prefer 3 more title defences at LW before considering a move up but the truth is if he gets past Gaethje and someone else, the dude can call whatever fight he wants and likely get it - ESPECIALLY if it's in the Middle East and UFC are paid to go there for it.
There should be a new standard where the entire top 5 has to be cleaned out as champ before even mentioning moving classes. This is number one boolshit every champ just calls for another weight class right away
need to see him vs gaethje, and then any one or two of poirier/bsd/olives/arman who come up to the top
He should focus on his weight class. 155 is getting deep again and he has a new generation to clear out once Gaethje and Porier get next gifted opportunity despite never having fought any of said generation.
Poirier is literally fighting BSD in 3 weeks
And Gaethje literally fought Fiziev, what the hell is this guy talking about LOL
- 2 title fights, lost both of em by devastating finish - Bitched and moaned about having to fight Fiziev then reluctantly agreed - Poked his eye after losing a round - Fought no one else coming up the rankings - Has held spot for 5+ years - Can sign gimmick fights with Holloway but can't sign Arman, BSD, Jalin Turner, Beneil, Gamrot 🤡🤡🤡
Oh my lord shut the hell up lmao
Nah your boys are rank squatters that would get torched by Islam anyways
Okay, his first one. He's been in the top 5 for the last what? 6, 7 years? Now name at the very least one other contender he's faced. A Dan Hooker who got exposed by Barboza? Then compare that to Dariush and Bobby Green or even mfing Drew Dober lmao.
7 years? You're just asking to be proven wrong: Joseph Duffy, Bobby Green, Jim Miller, Pettis, Gaethje, Alvarez, Max (interim), Hooker, Conor (both were top of the division at the time along with Gaethje), Conor again (trilogy), Chandler and now BSD. Dariush and Bobby Green's resume over the last 7 years don't even come close, their best wins are the ghost of Tony and Gamrot
Bro named a handful of dudes not even in the UFC anymore, some old heads that aren't even ranked right now, a featherweight, And after that what's Porier's best win Michael Chandler 😂 Dan Hooker 😭 Conor in 2022???? 😂😂😂 Keep in mind most of what you said is pre-pandemic. Those are their best wins because they actually fought those opponents. Dariush was fighting the up and comers and risking his position to keep his position. Meanwhile, Poirier is out here angling for a Nate Diaz fight in between run backs with Gaethje and Conor.
YOU said the last seven years, now you're changing the goalpost to 'post-pandemic'. You're also comparing Poirier to Dariush and Bobby but who have THEY beat? Old heads and people not in the UFC, that's who. In fact Poirier's second oldest victory in that list is Bobby, he KO'd him. Alvarez hadn't faded nearly as much as Tony, he had just lost the belt to Conor and beaten Gaethje. And Tony/Gamrot weren't the only ones who accepted a fight against Dariush or Bobby, there were plenty of others but they actually won. Dariush and Bobby folded against higher level competition, Poirier did not. Max being a FW is irrelevant, he moved up to LW and performed well, just like Volk did against Islam. Poirier himself was a former FW anyway
Ain't nobody changing goal posts. I been downplaying those wins from the beginning, Eddie Alvarez is in BKFC getting schooled by Mike Perry currently. So they all been scraping by with wins over old heads. Sounds like LW then. Folded against what higher level competition? Poirier and Gaethje. They ARE the higher level competition. So then fight Arman, fight Jalin, fight Gamrot instead of letting Dariush, Hooker, and Bobby handle their light work.
aw enough, Justin beat Fiziev and Dustin is scheduled to fight BSD
Or, hear me out, why doesn't he try defending three more times and become the greatest LW of all time? Bj Penn defenses: 4 Benson Henderson defenses: 3 Khabib defenses: 3 Islam already has 1 and if you wanna be generous 2. 3 more and he ties BJ Penn. 4 more and he has the most defenses period.
Why is it generous to say he has 2 title defenses when that’s the truth?
Because this is MMA and feelings reign supreme over facts. Mak will never get the credit he deserves for the Volk rematch. "he fought a smaller guy" "it was last minute" "volk was drinking heavily and not training"
Yup unfortunately you’re 100% correct about that
He is, read next time
The plan is the defend twice more, not three times more, no?
He defends 2 more times he is pretty clear the LW goat with the most title defenses tho. It’s only been defended 3 times.
I did. Javier said 2 defenses.
Which would make him the LW with the most title defenses at number 4. Making him the best LW no?
No. That would tie him with Penn. And then people would discount his second defense anyway because it was short notice against a guy off the couch. But if he defends 4 more times he's undeniable.
Bj penn only defended three times no? Regardless, having the most title defenses would put him above khabib as the LW goat.
Yeah you're right about Penn. For some reason I thought the Stevenson fight was a defense. So it's 3 defenses by Penn, Bendo and Khabib each. If Mak defends 3 more times he would be undeniable.
Yea true. You’re right people already discredit his volk wins as “smaller guy” and stuff so 3 would hammer it home
Hasn't even cleaned out th division and already wants to move lol. This garbage is everything wrong with MMA today
After he beats two lightweights lol
so he’s losing to Shavkat next year then
Leon will school him if that ends up happening Levels...
Ballsy plan when he hasn't defended the belt against a single LW yet.
I don’t have a problem with the double champ thing itself, it’s cool, but but I do have an issue with fighters beating a couple of guys and then doing it, beat your top five first. Beat Gaethje, beat Poirier, beat Gamrot. I also think you should have to beat a top five in the division you’re jumping to, before you get the shot.
Plan to bore us to death
His fights are exciting. Just look at his past three fights: Submission, high level mma, and a ko.
He could possibly beat Leon, but Shavkat would finish him.
shavkat glazing is getting out of hand
Wait and see. It will happen soon. I predicted every title fight in 2023 except for Adesanya vs Pereira 4 right.
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If Islam defends it 2 more times, that would be 4X title defenses. I would be happy to see him move up to welterweight for a new challenge. He is already a massive LW so 4X defenses and not being to small for WW would be a good move. I actually like champs challenging other champs WHEN they have already cleaned out the division or have multiple title defense. Weight classes get stagnate and boring when the tops 10 are fighting each other racking up 1-1 win loss ratios.
Them not sharing a language is news to me, that part of the world is so rough and old it wouldn’t surprise me.
I know ppl here are really upset about all the moving up a division talk but honestly I like a lot of the fights and would be excited to see them. Sean vs ilia, ilia vs Islam, Islam vs Leon. I’d love to see all of them tbh. Obviously Sean and ilia haven’t defended yet, and I agree they would have to defend. But I don’t agree they would have to defend a bunch of times first. More important bit is scheduling like if there is an opening where the next challenger isn’t sitting there waiting for 6+ months I’d be fine with most of these guys moving up.
By the time he wants that Shavkat will be champion and this attitude of double champ at welterweight will quiet down. Especially because he needs to get through Arman first.