UFC 302 headliner Islam Makhachev left a path of destruction in his wake en route to having gold wrapped around his waist for the first time in mixed martial arts’ premier promotion.
The UFC lightweight champion will feature in the main event of this weekend’s pay-per-view card in Newark, New Jersey, where he’s tasked with recording a third successful title defense at the expense of divisional veteran Dustin Poirier.
Makhachev had long been touted as a likely successor to his friend, coach, and mentor, the great Khabib Nurmagomedov. A 10-fight win streak that included victories over Arman Tsarukyan, Drew Dober, and Dan Hooker, as well as main event triumphs at the expense of Thiago Moisés and Bobby Green, eventually landed the Dagestani his first shot in 2022.
With the vacant gold on the line, Makhachev made the most of it at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, where he dropped and submitted Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira. He’s since cemented his grip on the crown with two successful defenses at the expense of then-featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.
Ahead of Saturday’s event, the promotion looked back on Makhachev’s journey to title success at 155 pounds in a video on its official YouTube channel.
There remains plenty for Makhachev to achieve inside the Octagon, and by the sounds of things, that includes potential two-division supremacy down the line.
But before turning his attention to the welterweight division and Leon Edwards’ championship belt, the Dagestani standout still has some work to do at lightweight, starting against Poirier on June 1.
