Support Islam Makhachev Gets Title Fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov: He's Ready

Islam Makhachev (@islam_makhachev)

JAKARTA - As the heir to the throne of Khabib Nurmagomedov, there are many things that Islam Makhachev carved and his position in the UFC lightweight division.

With many believing him to be the best fighter at 155 pounds, his performance at UFC 267 was in full swing when he outwitted Dan Hooker.

Last weekend's UFC fight was a breakthrough for Russia, as five of the six winners in the main fight were Russian-born.

However, Makhachev's victory was a little different. He fought fighter No. 6 in the rankings at 155 pounds - one of the most stacked and heaviest weight divisions in the organization.

He also beat the New Zealand fighter in just two minutes 25 seconds into the first round.

Makhachev wants a title fight

After successfully defeating his opponent in the first round, Makhachev wasted no time calling for a title fight for his next match.

"The next match, it has to be for the title, or a competitor fight, because I have nine wins in a row," Makhachev shouted in an interview after his fight with Hooker.

“Who in my division has this (title)? Only the champion (Charles Oliveira).

“And I feel like my division is sleeping a little bit now. I had to wake up my division, because we had to change a few things.

"Senior fighters from the top five, they are already fighting for the title: (Michael) Chandler, (Justin) Gaethje. That's why we have to change something."

Khabib supports Makhachev

With nine straight wins, Makhachev is one of the favorites for the belt, although he has to wait for the fight between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier to materialize first.

His match partner, Khabib is very confident that Makhachev will be his true successor as the lightweight champion.

"Islam now, he is ready," said Khabib. "But after this fight, next year. In 2022, we will return this belt to the AKA (American Kickboxing Academy)."