JAKARTA - To find out how long Makhachev's Islam has been able to maintain its title as a champion. However, after the dominance he showed at UFC 280, it was safe enough to say he had the potential to be a shining star.
Makhachev's victory over Charles Oliveira last week shows how talented he is.
In the struggle for a lightweight title, Makhachev dominated the de-facto champion even though his belt was empty.
Oliveira ignored his defense a bit and this time he had to pay for it, because he faced a tireless opponent.
Makhachev's honor comes at the age of 31. Even though he has been building his own career for a long time, he is a 'delibration' fighter until Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement.
After the fight against Oliveira, Makhachev dedicated the title to his mentor, Tim Khabib.
"They made me like this," he explained in a post-fight interview quoted by Marca, Monday.
Yes, Nurmagomedov managed to polish his compatriots and take them to the top patiently.
Now start what can be a great era for new champions.
While Oliveira demands a relatively fast rematch, something that doesn't seem to happen until the Brazilian wins, Makhachev and UFC pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski have challenged each other.
The challenge comes at home as soon as Oliveira's fight, and both fighters insist that they are ready to face each other for a lightweight audience at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, in February next year.
"I have a new goal, namely to be the best pound-for-pound fighter and for that I have to go to Australia and beat this guy," Makhachev explained.
Dana White may like this fight. However, currently the two competitors are two wild cards that UFC presidents can still extort more before placing them head to head.
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