Media Islam Makhachev: I'm getting out of fights in my division, nothing exciting there. Hoping to get Leon fight with 2 wins.

[Psychojoe86]

For what it's worth, this might be the future for ufc champions. It might be the way to play it.

The champion can extend their title reign by:
-pressuring challengers to fight on short notice, while champ waits patiently and challenges them at just the right time
-champ can wait for top contenders to pick each other off
-champ can go up for a 2nd belt to further pressure the division to killing itself off


We've already had other champs use these tactics (woodley, adesanya, o'malley) so it's going to be picked up more often

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

Shavkat will be champion before long. Is Islam gonna want that smoke?

Islam will never take a fight against Shavkat, which is why he's specifically angling for Leon, not "the WW champion". Would be funny if he moves up and only defends against other lightweights moving up if he wins. Islam's team plays it safe and smart. In waiting, he's just let Gaethje, Oliviera, and Dariush eliminate themselves from contention. Unfortunately, expect to see this and worse from many champions going forward, such as Ilia.

 

[RichardHarrow]

Meh. Really he should be fighting Arman. The guy on a win streak who just won a #1 contender fight.

It (Poirier) would be a defense over an actual ranked LW. So that is good I suppose, but it continues the pattern of not fighting the best most qualified challenger which is weird.

Beating a 35 year old Poirier doesn't do a ton for Islam's resume.

Armans team refused. What else can he do ?

 

[nonoob]

Can we stop with this fake measuring stick? The #1 LW contender just got KO'd by a FW that lost 3 times to the FW Islam beat. His defenses against Volk were 100% legit.

Bull$hit. Volk 1 was an OK defense...against a lower weight class opponent.

Volk's 2nd - sad AF that fight was even allowed to be made.

Volk 2 was NOWHERE even Close to a legit "Champion" defense.

Due to a completely unprepared ( physically and mentally ) challenger, this looked f'n bad on the "champ" - ZERO respect earned in his Pitiful "title defense".​

 

[svmr_db]

Armans team refused. What else can he do ?

Lol the Islam haters have their excuses all lined up, if Islam didn't fight Poirier & waited for Arman instead he'd be called out for being an inactive champion and only fighting in Abu Dhabi where has the advantages.

You just know half of these haters are the same guys who had tears in their eyes watching Khabib nearly kill their boy McGregor at 229 lol.

 

[Oscar Madison]

vacate

 

[chiefwiggum]

He beat Oliveira like he owed him money. Get over it.

Many have done that. He has no resume at 155. Shit Holloway win is better than any win Islam had to fight for a title.

And all his best wins are guys who just fought prior in the month

 

[RichardHarrow]

Many have done that. He has no resume at 155. Shit Holloway win is better than any win Islam had to fight for a title.

And all his best wins are guys who just fought prior in the month

Yea and how did Poirier fair against Olives ? Do you have your Xanax ready for when Islam beats Dustin ?

 

[RichardHarrow]

Lol the Islam haters have their excuses all lined up, if Islam didn't fight Poirier & waited for Arman instead he'd be called out for being an inactive champion and only fighting in Abu Dhabi where has the advantages.

You just know half of these haters are the same guys who had tears in their eyes watching Khabib nearly kill their boy McGregor at 229 lol.

Get the cups ready ! Tears a flow !

 

[jeff7b9]

Armans team refused. What else can he do ?

As I understand it, Arman was asked immediately following his grueling fight with Charles to fight Islam on 302 which is June 1.

What is that, 6 weeks turnaround? Something like that.

"What else can he do?"
He can fight the #1 contender at a reasonable time schedule rather than forcing (whether via Islam or UFC) another short notice title challenger.

The timing of the whole thing is fucked up. Gaethje was in line for a shot coming of KOing Dustin but Islam wouldn't fight for sufficiently long enough for Justin to take another fight (and presumably a decent payday) but then less than 3 hours after the title picture clears up, with Gaethje and Charles losing, all of the sudden there is a 3 hour window to book a fight on 5-6 weeks notice, take it or leave it?!

Islam is a talented fighter who should be more than capable of fighting the best available challengers while affording them a proper training camp.

 

[blaseblase]

I would rather have Volk, Charles, Volk on my resume than Poirier, Arman, Gamrot

Arman just beat Charles though. The reality is Islam has barely beaten anyone in the division. His second best lightweight win is Dan Hooker. People hate on Khabib but he fought a ton of guys before he fought for the title and then defended against the previous champ, and the no 1 and 2 in his division.

Don't get me wrong, Islam dismantled Charles. But that was one fight. Dude has work to do to clean out his division.

 

[moosaev]

Wow.
You are very defensive and emotional.

Volk has no wins at LW in the UFC.
That is a simple fact.

Islam has no title defenses against lightweights. That is also a fact.

You being butthurt about facts doesn't change anything or serve as a rational argument or counterpoint.

A FW literally brutally KO'd the #1 LW contender. The best FWs are more than good enough to contend for the LW title, it would be laughable for example to value a win over Gamrot for over a win against Volk. "He only fights FWs" is utterly meaningless and dumb argument, he fought arguably the best FW in history, not just any FW.

 

[KeiranMc]

This'll get everyone riled up:
Former featherweight, Dustin Poirier

Juist like Oliveira.

 

[markg171]

Armans team refused. What else can he do ?

Arman refused to fight on June 1 because he just fought on April 13.

Islam refused to fight on literally any date but June 1 despite not having fought since October 21.

But Arman is the problem here.

 

[RichardHarrow]

As I understand it, Arman was asked immediately following his grueling fight with Charles to fight Islam on 302 which is June 1.

What is that, 6 weeks turnaround? Something like that.

"What else can he do?"
He can fight the #1 contender at a reasonable time schedule rather than forcing (whether via Islam or UFC) another short notice title challenger.

The timing of the whole thing is fucked up. Gaethje was in line for a shot coming of KOing Dustin but Islam wouldn't fight for sufficiently long enough for Justin to take another fight (and presumably a decent payday) but then less than 3 hours after the title picture clears up, with Gaethje and Charles losing, all of the sudden there is a 3 hour window to book a fight on 5-6 weeks notice, take it or leave it?!

Islam is a talented fighter who should be more than capable of fighting the best available challengers while affording them a proper training camp.

Islam couldn’t fight due to Ramadan. Justin or the organizers should have re arranged it. Right now Dustin looks like a better fight than Gathje anyway.

 

[filthybliss]

it will be interesting to see how he deals with fighters a lot bigger than him in WW. if he wins the title there somehow, he's unamiously the best daegstani fighter ever. a fight between him and a washed colby would be a cultural phenomon if it ever happens lmao

 

[filthybliss]

Arman refused to fight on June 1 because he just fought on April 13.

Islam refused to fight on literally any date but June 1 despite not having fought since October 21.

But Arman is the problem here.

nobody is really at fault here. the charles and armaan fight had to happen regardless and islam needs to fight at some point to not collect too much dust. i think fans are making too big of a deal outta this situation or whatever you would even call this debacle.

 

[sdpdude9]

He was wins over #2 in a vacant title fight, and #1 from 5 years ago when neither were ranked.

AKA no he doesn't have title defences over the top contenders. AKA you did in fact move the goalposts to argue he's instead beaten them prior to being champ so it's okay.

I didn’t say he had title defenses over them. I explicitly said they weren’t title defenses in fact. But I did challenge that you said he hasn’t fought #1-4 contenders. That makes it sound as if he has never fought anybody ranked at the top of the division, which is not true. But I know it’s intentionally misleading.

 

[AbominableJoman]

This'll get everyone riled up:
Former featherweight, Dustin Poirier

Olives too iirc

 

[The Siege]

How this lame fuck has so many fans is beyond me.

Guy is an excellent fighter. Not here for his personal life, just want to see MMA done at the elite level.