3 poetic parallels in Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legendary title run
Longtime reigning UFC 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev gets closer to Khabib Nurmagomedov and his legendary run, at UFC 311 PPV.
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UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev grazes closer to Khabib Nurmagomedov and his history, at UFC 311 (Source: IMAGO)
It’s not the matchup and PPV spotlight that was to be. But Islam Makhachev and Renato Moicano now fight with undisputed lightweight gold at stake. The five-round title bout for UFC 311 PPV (Pay-per-view) headliner is in short order, this weekend. With a new challenger, the reigning champion faces new challenges. But it’s one of those cases that could make his run even more legendary, much akin to mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Islam Makhachev’s new match came to be when UFC 155-pound top seed Arman Tsarukyan couldn’t make it to the scales due to a back injury. Already hydrating at championship weight, Renato Moicano thus subbed in with lofty goals. Now the discourse of events edges even closer to coach Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legendary run. Here is a brief look at how:
3. Lightweight win streak
Islam Makhachev ties Khabib Nurmagomedov, Frankie Edgar, Benson Henderson, and BJ Penn with three title defenses each, and Khabib, Henderson, and BJ Penn for four UFC lightweight victories. They are the most in 155-pound divisional history. Makhachev’s 13-fight UFC win streak at lightweight is the longest in division history. It matched once when Khabib [12-fight UFC winning streak] and Tony Ferguson also touted the same stat.
However, the Dagestani pupil has extended that to an overall 14-fight win streak. The fighter will make a 4th all-time consecutive UFC lightweight title defense at UFC 311, against Renato Moicano. History is made to be broken and the dominant Dagestani looks to it every time.
2. Fighting featherweight champs
UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor PPV event is etched hard in history as the most bought UFC PPV with a buyrate of 2.4 million. Nurmagomedov went to war with his biggest rival – Conor McGregor – at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, NV, Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. McGregor was a former featherweight and lightweight champ, trying his luck again at 155.
He captured the lightweight title at UFC 205, in a dual-dip bid. McGregor never defended his title, taking time off to spend time with his family following the birth of his first child. He later pioneered crossover boxing in 2017. Much like his coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev also gave chances to the “little” guy. For his routine, it was a much peaceful rivalry.
Islam Makhachev faced former top Pound-for-pound and featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski for the latter’s dual-championship bid. Both student and coach have faced other former featherweights on the roster as well, or those who later moved to 145. Khabib defeated Edson Barboza; although that’s a different situation as he fought at 155 till 2019.
Also moving from featherweight to lightweight in 2020 was Renato Moicano. Even current champ Ilia Topuria has plans to move to 155 and challenge him. It’s just a peculiar retrograde thing where 145lbers end up meeting them at some point.
1. Fighting lower-ranked fighters on short-notice
UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta PPV on April 7, 2018, was a more curious case than Benjamin Button. Al Iaquinta was to close the chapter on Paul Felder from their unresolved UFC 218 scrap but couldn’t. He was the best available option for an intermediate fight. Interim UFC Lightweight Champion Ferguson was out on an injury. The State Athletic Commission decided to pull UFC 145-pound champ Max Holloway due to weight cuts.
The Serra-Longo Fight Team fighter wasn’t satisfied with his contractual terms back then and said no. UFC 223 was to be where the duo would put it to bed. But with all the aforementioned cogs, the lower-ranking Iaquinta found himself as a short-notice replacement against Khabib for the vacant UFC 155-pound Championship.
However, only Nurmagomedov was eligible to win the championship. Iaquinta weighed in at 155.2 lbs, two-tenths of a pound over the championship weight. Now, Islam Makhachev faces Renato Moicano at UFC 311, #No. 10 in the official UFC rankings. Luckily for them, all systems are a go.
Related: Why UFC 311 needs to be a massive hit for Dana White
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