Islam Makhachev isn’t the UFC GOAT yet, but if he dominates at 170, he will be
Islam Makhachev, by any metric, is one of the greatest fighters to step inside the UFC’s famed Octagon, but while there has been a rush to anoint the Russian star as the greatest of all time after he surpassed the legendary Anderson Silva’s consecutive UFC wins record, it feels like the next chapter of his career will be the determining factor in whether he’s ultimately considered the best to ever do it.
Let me make it clear from the get-go – this is no criticism of Makhachev himself. He’s clearly a staggeringly talented fighter and, for me, the fact he seems to make it all look so straightforward only enhances his greatness in the sport. His command of the fundamentals across every facet of the game, and his ability to implement them during the white-hot heat of a UFC title fight, is truly remarkable.
But the thing that will really separate him from the rest, including Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, and his friend, mentor and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, will be what happens next.
As lightweight champion, Makhachev was dominant. He captured the belt with a brilliant finish of Charles Oliveira at UFC 280, then defended it four times. But on closer inspection there are some unavoidable facts that need to be considered.
Two of those wins came against current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, in fights where Makhachev entered the bout with a significant size advantage. His win over Dustin Poirier saw him face a legitimate 155er, while his fourth title defense was a short-notice win over Renato Moicano who, most would agree, wasn’t quite at title fight level, and certainly wasn’t ready for Makhachev’s caliber.
So, it could be argued that Makhachev’s title reign only saw him defend his title against a legitimate title-ready 155-pounder. But any question of him being boosted by advantageous matchups went out the window when he made the move up to welterweight.
In short, the real tests start now, and it’s going to be hugely exciting to see how Makhachev fares.
It feels like Makhachev is now in his optimal weight class. But, while from a physiological standpoint he might be in the best place, those physical benefits also come with significantly more dangerous physical challenges.
Now, after being a massive lightweight, he’s a mid-sized welterweight, where he’ll come up against contenders who are bigger, stronger, and hit harder than anyone he’s faced before.
On Saturday night at UFC 330, Makhachev faced arguably the most cerebral contender in the 170-pound division in Ian Machado Garry. The Irishman’s mental strength, and bulletproof confidence ensured he faced everything Makhachev threw at him with complete calmness and composure.
The one thing missing from Machado Garry was the killer instinct needed to knock Makhachev out of his comfort zone, but that likely won’t be missing from the arsenals of the two fighters who are vying to be next up to challenge the Russian – Carlos Prates and Michael Morales.
Prates is listed at No. 1 in the Meta UFC Rankings, and is likely to be next up. Killer instinct certainly isn’t something in short supply for the Brazilian, while the fearless Morales’ physical gifts mean he might just be the most dangerous threat to Makhachev’s title reign.
Makhachev has already passed the Ian Machado Garry test – and he might be asked to pass it again, in time – but with the likes of Prates and Morales waiting in the wings, plus surging contenders like Uros Medic and Yaroslav Amosov looking to break into contention, too, there will be no shortage of dangerous opponents for Makhachev to get past if he’s to fully cement himself as the greatest of all time. In my view, victories over those four would make him undeniably the best mixed martial artist ever.
