Islam Makhachev continues to show he is truly something special in our sport after he wiped out last-minute replacement Renato Moicano with a first-round submission to further etch his name in the record books.
In addition to the performance itself, this entire week was a win for Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC). He did everything right from beginning to end, from the additional layers of his personality shown through interviews and other media events, to his willingness to accept the new matchup with Moicano on about 36 hours’ notice after Arman Tsarukyan fell out during weigh-ins with an injury.
Then, of course, Makhachev went into the octagon and proved far superior to Moicano, setting a new high benchmark for successful lightweight title defenses at four. He also has 15 consecutive octagon wins, which is just one shy of Anderson Silva’s all-time company record that has stood for nearly 12 years.
Anyone criticizing UFC CEO Dana White for putting Makhachev above Jon Jones at No. 1 on his personal pound-for-pound list because he beat a far lesser-ranked Moicano needs to understand the entire scope of the situation.
Despite the obvious skill gap between them, the amount of pressure on Makhachev in a moment like this is difficult to properly contextualize. The possibility of slipping on a banana peel and losing everything he’s worked so hard for always exists in a situation like this, but Makhachev prevailed and made sure Moicano had no hope.
Now it’s a question of how far can Makhachev take this run, and to what degree will he be take risks to even further enhance his legacy? Makhachev is already the greatest lightweight we’ve ever seen, and he said he won’t leave the sport without claiming a second belt in a second division.
Will that weight class be welterweight, where he good friend and training partner Belal Muhammad currently reigns? Or will it be a mind-blowing jump all the way to middleweight, where his specifically named current champ Dricus Du Plessis as someone he could beat?
The options could be fascinating for Makhachev going forward, and if you haven’t picked up on his attitude toward it all, there is no challenge he’s going to turn his back on.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
