Islam Makhachev

Russian lightweight Islam Makhachev, who came to the UFC 7 years ago, was immediately considered as the future TOP and "heir" of Khabib Nurmagomedov. But, before getting close to the Candidates fight, he had to go through a whole maze of rivals, and the moment came when he needed to take the penultimate step on the way to the top.


As rivals, he got the 3rd number of the rating, Benil Dariush, who also passed a thorny road, and no less than his counterpart dreams of the coveted gold. They are honored to headline UFC Fight Night 202, and on February 27, the two will face off in the octagon of the best promotion in the world to determine who will next take on the winner of the Charles Oliveira-Justin Gaethje pairing.

Recently, fans of mixed martial arts have been actively discussing the prospects of Islam Makhachev in the UFC, who is expected to fully replace Khabib Nurmagomedov. And these expectations have quite good reasons for them, because very soon the Russian prospect may break into the very top of the lightweight league, being one step away from the cherished title chance. Walking on a streak of eight victories, he will fight in a cage against an inveterate representative of the division in the person of Dan Hooker, who at first glance seems to be an easy opponent for him, but, nevertheless, is a guy who can upset anyone and will undoubtedly do everything. to make this fight spectacular and memorable. The face-to-face meeting of the athletes will take place in the maincard of the UFC 267 tournament, which will be held on October 30.

The UFC leadership is working on various strategies for the development of certain fighters. If some take off in the ratings after 2-3 fights, then others have been fighting for a place in the TOP 15 for years. Islam Makhachev belongs to the second type, because he has been in the UFC since 2015, but still gets those who are below him in the ratings as opponents. However, this time for an athlete from AKA, we have prepared a difficult opponent, even if he is not so popular.


Tiago Moises is a strong grappler, and his style will make it possible to finally reveal all the talents of Islam. Let's just say that this is the last step, after passing which, our fighter will finally convince everyone of his championship ambitions. And the fact that the guys will lead the tournament indicates the high confidence of the bosses in their capabilities. Whether it will be another triumph of the Dagestani or an apset is waiting for us – we will understand this forecast.