What are the accolades Islam Makhachev has won outside the UFC?


What are the accolades Islam Makhachev has won outside the UFC?

Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev is going to take on Charles Oliveira at the main event of UFC 280 as both fighters will fight it out for the lightweight championship. In the last few years, Makhachev has made his name as one of the dominant lightweights in the division. However, in order to get into this position he had to go through a lot. 

The fighter was born in Dagestan and at a very early age started training under Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov along with Khabib Nurmagomedov. After years of training in combat sambo, Makhachev won a gold medal in the Men’s Combat Sambo World Championships in 2016.

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Makhachev was always interested in MMA and made his debut in 2010 for a Russian-based promotion, Tsumada Fighting Championship. The fighter also fought in ProFC: Union Nation Cup, M-1 Challenge, etc. Back then Makhachev was dominating everyone inside the cage and was undefeated. In 2015, UFC recognized his potential and finally gave him a contract. 

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After joining UFC, Islam Makhachev faced his first-ever loss in 2015 but after that, he has never come close to losing. Makhachev was always beside Nurmagomedov when the ‘Eagle’ was the champion. After Nurmagomedov’s retirement, Makhachev got the responsibility to carry the Dagestani torch of representation.

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Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira believe that Islam Makhachev’s hype is just because of Khabib Nurmagomedov

Charles Oliveira x Islam Makhachev
Makhachev and Oliveira will main event UFC 280

After Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev naturally got all the support from the fanbase. On top of that, Nurmagomedov is the head coach of Makhachev and always trains him for fights. Many criticize the fact that Makhachev’s hype is only because of Nurmagomedov. Recently, Michael Chandler went on a rant against Makhachev and his popularity. 

He said, “I think there’s a certain mystique, there’s this certain correlation that we want to make between Khabib and Islam, and then you have Javier Mendez coming out and saying that Islam is better than Khabib. You’ve got Khabib saying that Islam is better than Khabib. You’ve got this big hype machine coming up.”

Even Charles Oliveira himself isn’t impressed by Makhachev’s hype as he thinks it’s all because of Nurmagomedov. 

Read more: Has Alexander Volkanovski ever competed at lightweight in his MMA career?

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While most of this is true and Makhachev does get the help of Nurmagomedov in building his fan base, it is important to mention that he has also proved himself. The fighter is currently on a ten-fight win streak and has dominated all his opponents. Nevertheless, everything will be clear on October 22 at UFC 280 inside the Etihad Arena. 

Also Read: “Khabib made it happen” – Charles Oliveira slams Islam Makhachev for not “earning” his title fight at UFC 280