‘He’s Here to Make Us Better’: Islam Makhachev Has No Desire to Surpass Khabib’s Legacy

Islam Makhachev is on the brink of making UFC history. With three lightweight title defenses already under his belt, he’s tied with Khabib Nurmagomedov, and a win against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 would give him the record outright. However, he has no desire to surpass his mentor’s legacy.

While speaking to Shak MMA, Makhachev claimed he has been asked about how it would feel to finally hold the record. But there was no competition in their camp, at least on this particular subject, he asserted. 

“Khabib is here to help us to become better than him. To push us, to help us, but we never even talk about this and records and all this stuff, it’s nothing for me. I just want to keep my belt.”

 

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Islam’s last title defense was against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, where the ‘Diamond’ took him to the brink, almost winning the fight in the process. It was quite possibly the most damage Islam has ever taken during a bout. Despite looking sorted on the judges’ scorecards, Poirier had Islam on the ropes, with his team trying to seal the gaping wound on his forehead. 

In the end, Islam prevailed, courtesy of an improvised takedown and a tight D’Arce choke in the 5th round. But it was too close to comfort for the Dagestani camp.

The UFC dropped Khabib’s full reaction to Islam Makhachev’s finish over Dustin Poirier and he was HYPED

@ufc #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/rgDnaCqaxa

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 11, 2024

The champion hadn’t since spoken about the fight. Until now.

Makhachev’s mistakes against Poirier 

Makhachev acknowledged that Poirier came in extremely well-prepared and made it tough for him to impose his wrestling game. He also admitted to making a few mistakes, including missing opportunities to capitalize on submission attempts.

Despite the challenges, Makhachev enjoyed the battle, describing it as one of his favorite fights to rewatch. It was a learning experience that he has embraced, helping him refine his approach for future bouts.

Islam also went in with an almost strike-first approach to the fight, and to be fair to him, he did stand toe to toe with arguably the best boxer in the division, it led to him making other crucial mistakes; mistakes he will hope to not repeat in 8 days time.

Tsarukyan had faced Islam on debut on short notice and had managed to keep up with the Dagestani’s wrestling. Of course, both fighters have considerably evolved since then. Islam is now far removed from his grappling-only approach and Arman’s strength has become a force to be reckoned with.

So it will be interesting to see who gets the job done at UFC 311 in the first PPV of the year. Either way, it will be one heck of a fight.