Following his win against Ian Garry in the main event of UFC 330, Islam Makhachev has now further cemented his name amongst the greatest in the sport’s history. In the last year alone, he became just the 11th fighter to have held belts in two different divisions as well as breaking Anderson Silva’s long-standing consecutive win streak, with Makhachev winning 17 fights in a row.
All of his achievements in the sport have allowed him to be included in conversations alongside the likes of Jon Jones, George Saint-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Anderson Silva and Demetrious Johnson. Whilst it is almost impossible to compare different fighters across different eras, Islam Makhachev seems to present a unique blend of skills that allow him to be considered perhaps the greatest or among the greatest.
Makhachev will always be compared to his predecessor, Khabib Nurmagomedov who had an unbelievable and undefeated 29-0 career. Khabib’s relentless pressure and seemingly unstoppable grappling made him the most feared fighter in the UFC during his reign. His three wins in a row against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje ranks among the best three win-streak in the UFC’s history.
But unlike Khabib, Makhachev took the leap from Lightweight to Welterweight and won the belt in both divisions. Khabib presented a unique problem with his never-before-seen relentlessness and there was something about Khabib that made it seem like his hand being raised at the end of the fight was inevitable. Whilst Makhachev has been a dominant champion in two divisions, he has had fights and moments within fights where defeat did not seem off the table. The first Volkanovski fight springs to mind, with Islam ending the fight on bottom with Volkanovski delivering vicious ground-and-pound.
What Makhachev does have that perhaps Khabib didn’t is top class striking. Makhachev’s grappling probably isn’t as great as Khabib’s great standards but his ability on the feet has been evident throughout his title reigns. He has used kicks in particular to great affect. His left kick has been particularly effective from the southpaw position, with him using a combination of leg, body and head kicks against his opponents. Against Jack Della Maddalena, he used leg kicks to neutralise JIM’S ability to counter Makhachev’s grappling and allowed Makhachev to claim the Welterweight title.
Makhachev’s C.V. is up there with the best in the sport. Wins against Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier highlight his ability to dominate a number of different styles. And while he has not been able to finish either of his Welterweight bouts, he has been able to prove himself a worthy champion after moving up a weight class.
GOAT debates are always opinion-splitting and comparing across weight divisions and eras is an almost impossible task. But Makhachev’s reign in two different divisions make him worthy of being compared to the sport’s best, and with the Dagestani still only 34 years of age, there is plenty more for him to achieve in the sport.
