Have you realized yet that Islam Makahchev doesn’t have a nickname/moniker in the UFC? Recently a reporter posed this question at the Dagestani amidst the pre-UFC 302 press conference. Islam being who he is, gave the most perfect reply you could think of.
Makhachev has enviable records, even by his own standards. Being the current UFC lightweight champ and pound-for-pound king simultaneously also certifies him as a unique breed of fighter who asserts not having a nickname makes more sense as everybody else already has one.
Responding to the question about not having a moniker, Makhachev said,
“I don’t want [a nickname] because everybody has them. Someone has to be there without a nickname [as well]. I am the guy who doesn’t have a nickname.”
“Someone have to be without nickname – I’m that guy.”
UFC champ Islam Makhachev explains why he has no nickname. pic.twitter.com/S4kUlZ7oq7
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) May 30, 2024
The truth is that monikers are just a promotional tactic to sell t-shirts. WWE does it. UFC fighters could do it before Dana White made them wear UFC brand gear as they walk into the octagon. This brings us to our main point of contention here.
Despite Islam thinking not having a nickname made him unique, there have been quite a few fighters who did fairly well without the benefit of one.
Which other UFC fighters didn’t have a nickname like Islam Makhachev?
A dive into the UFC’s history will reveal that Makahchev is far from being the only or first one to continue his tenure without a moniker. Here’s a list of a few other fighters who didn’t care about using nicknames during their UFC tenures, even if they had any.
- Frank Mir
- Matt Hughes
- Forest Griffin
- Jake Shields
Interestingly, all the fighters listed above were at the peak of popularity during their time. So needless to say, if you continue to win and in dominating fashion, then nicknames don’t matter.
