Islam Makhachev celebrates his first round knockout against Gleison Tibau in their Lightweight fight during UFC 220 at TD Garden on January 20, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
Islam Makhachev spoke unreservedly at the pre-fight media scrum about the difficulty he faces in finding fights
Islam Makhachev will face Bobby Green at the UFC 49 Vegas main event this Saturday. Originally booked to fight Beneil Dariush, Makhachev has always faced an uphill task in finding a dancing partner for him.
Famously applauded by the late great Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov as the most complete fighter he has trained, Makhachev is the torchbearer of the illustrious Eagles MMA. Much like his training partner and mentor Khabib, he shares the same dilemma that ‘The Eagle’ faced when he was competing – the lack of opponents willing to step in against them.
Shedding some light on the issue, he said, “RDA (Rafael dos Anjos), Tony (Ferguson), and (Gregor) Gillespie, they all said no, Ali told me this,” Makhachev said at media day. “I don’t want to say they are scared or something because this one week before the fight, but I always have the same problem (of) finding someone.”
As for Makhachev, he is embarking on a similar career graph to Khabib. He is on a nine-fight win streak and his last win against Hooker was reminiscent of Khabib’s win against Michael Johnson.
Javier Mendez has become known in recent times for churning out imposing champions out his famed AKA gym. The rising star amongst this group of exceptional talent is Islam Makhachev.
Makhachev is on a formidable nine fight win streak in one of the toughest divisions in the UFC, and will compete again this weekend against Bobby Green. While many believe that a win against Green will ensure a title shot for the Dagestani, some have dismissed the idea altogether.
Makhachev’s longtime coach Javier Mendez recently spoke to Submission Radio and expressed his concern that Makhachev might be leapfrogged.
He said, “That’s part of the game, you know. He [Conor McGregor] carries the big numbers, so whatever the UFC decides. I’m expecting anything can happen with that guy that has the power to do that. Do I like it? Absolutely not. But do I have a choice? Absolutely not.”
Speaking about the current state of prizefighting, Mendez added, “To me, the rankings are bullst. They’ve always been bullst. They’re still bulls**t. So, I don’t really care about the rankings.”
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