Islam Makhachev Nickname: UFC Champion Explains Why He Doesn’t Have a Moniker

Souvik Roy | 31/05/2024
Islam Makhachev Nickname: UFC Champion Explains Why He Doesn’t Have a Moniker

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.”

 

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.

 

Post Edited By: Smrutisnat Jena
Islam Makhachev Khabib Nurmagomedov

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Souvik Roy

The coveted boxing bout between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in 2002 was the first combat sports event that Souvik ever witnessed. However, he fell for the UFC when he knew about it in 2010. After starting as an occasional viewer back then, Souvik has been watching UFC events almost regularly from late 2017. He began his career as a UFC(MMA) and combat sports journalist in the year 2022 after gathering a lot of valuable knowledge about MMA and a few other combat sports disciplines. He has written more than 1300 articles about various UFC and other combat sports events prior to joining The SportsRush. Apart from being a journalist, Souvik is also an ardent fan of the UFC. Hence, he always looks to have conversations about the same with others. He has a deep affinity for striking part of MMA and other combat sports and Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier is the warrior of his choice in the current UFC roster. Souvik also serves as the Lead Vocalist of a rock band during his time free from publishing reports.

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