Islam Makhachev is ready to hit the big time but who should be his next fight in the UFC?
It was 11 minutes of domination and Drew Dober was put out of his misery by Islam Makhachev at UFC 259.
A lot had been said about Makhachev being the heir to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s throne and the Eagle was in the corner of the rising star this time around.
Khabib and Makhachev are close but even their coach says that the rising star is a more rounded fighter than the UFC Champion.
That is saying something given that Khabib is undefeated in his MMA career and carries a record of 29-0. Islam Makhachev, for his case, has one loss in his MMA career. However, the 29-year-old is now on a seven-fight winning streak.
He called out Tony Ferguson after his dominating performance over Dober post-fight. However, his coach, Javier Mendez, doesn’t believe that fight could take place due to scheduling issues.
Makhachev wants to retire Ferguson but he would have to wait quite a while to face El Cucuy. Ferguson has lost his last two fights and Makhachev only returned to UFC action after a gap of 19 months.
That is way too long for a top contender to be out and it seems that Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor are also in his sights.
Makhachev is the rising star in the division but just who should be his next fight?
Which top UFC Lightweight should Islam Makhachev fight next?
Makhachev rose three ranks to #11 in the Lightweight division after his win over Dober. While his coach believes that Makhachev could fight for the title, that is not how the UFC works.
The 29-year-old has to beat some ranked stars now and there is a lot to choose from ahead of him. While Poirier or McGregor would be a great opponent for Makhachev, the pair aren’t in the picture thanks to their trilogy in the making.
Justin Gaethje (ranked #2) and Charles Oliveira (#3) are also out at the moment. Michael Chandler, a former Bellator champion called out Makhachev and was slammed by the Russian.
However, the American is ranked #4 in the division and that might be a jump too far for the match makers.
Ferguson, #5 is also out due to scheduling issues, but anyone below that should be fair game. Paul Felder is just above Makhachev and the American never backs down from a fight.
However, a bigger clash would be against Rafael dos Anjos. This fight had been set up in the past but for some reason or another it was cancelled.
RDA is a former UFC Champion and getting that scalp would be something great for the Russian. There are other names in the division that could be great battles too. Beniel Dariush would be a great clash for Makhachev but one that is interesting is Dan Hooker.
Hooker is coming off a couple of big losses to Poirier and Chandler. However, the Kiwi could be back in the big time if he takes on Makhachev.
The Russian certainly needs a top rival for his next fight and it will be interesting to see who is next. RDA certainly seems to be the best bet but anything could happen in the coming months.
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