Islam Makhachev

Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria will headline UFC 308 in a featherweight title fight on October 26, Dana White announced on Saturday.

UFC 308 will also feature Robert Whittaker versus Khamzat Chimaev and Magomed Ankalaev versus Aleksandar Rakic, among other fights:

Islam Makhachev previously confirmed he has a partial ligament tear in his hand, jeopardizing his availability for a potential showdown with Topuria:

Holloway is coming off a fifth-round knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in April, which earned him the symbolic BMF belt. After his victory, he challenged both Topuria and Makhachev, and the former was on hand to hear it live as he had a spot on fighter row for the show.

During the July 15 edition of The MMA Hour (via Ryan Harkness of MMA Mania), Ariel Helwani laid out the potential slate of big fights to come. He said one tentative plan had Holloway and Topuria crossing paths at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

Chatting with fans on the live-streaming platform Kick (via Championship Rounds), Holloway said he expected to compete one more time in 2024 but downplayed the likelihood of it happening in Utah.

Losing Makhachev for the foreseeable future is a major blow to UFC. He's the top pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion's official rankings, and there isn't another natural spot to put him on the calendar if October is out.

However, Holloway vs. Topuria is a fight that will get fans excited.

Holloway is riding a three-fight winning streak and has moved up to the No. 2 position among the featherweight challengers. Topuria is a perfect 15-0 as a pro and won the featherweight title from Alexander Volkanovski with a second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February.

Beyond their individual skill, there appears to be some actual heat between the two.

This is undoubtedly a matchup that can headline a major event.

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev took a shot at Michael Chandler on Tuesday, one day after Chandler said he had been offered the opportunity to fight Makhachev.

Chandler posted Monday on X that he was offered on October title bout with Makhachev, but expressed his desire to face Conor McGregor at Sphere in Las Vegas instead:

Makhachev responded Tuesday, calling Chandler "unreliable" and noting that he wants a "real opponent."

Chandler had been scheduled to clash with McGregor at UFC 303, which took place last weekend, but the fight was postponed due to McGregor suffering an injury.

McGregor has not fought since suffering a broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021, but it was widely assumed his hiatus would come to an end when he and Chandler were chosen as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter.

The stage was completely set for his return fight against Chandler, but in the wake of the contest getting called off, it is unclear when or if it will get rescheduled.

Makhachev, 32, has been one of UFC's most dominant fighters since debuting with the promotion in 2015.

While he lost his second UFC fight to Adriano Martins, Makhachev has since reeled off 14 consecutive victories, including beating Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 280 in 2022.

Since then, Makhachev has beaten Alexander Volkanovski twice, and he defeated Poirier by fifth-round submission at UFC 302 last month, bringing his career record to 26-1.

The 38-year-old Chandler has been at the opposite end of the spectrum recently, losing three of his past four fights.

Since beating Dan Hooker at UFC 257 in 2021, the former Bellator lightweight champion has lost to Oliveira and Justin Gaethje. He bounced back with a win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 in 2022, but Chandler's most recent bout was a loss to Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022.

Given that Chandler recently lost to fighters who Makhachev was able to beat, it is fair to wonder if Chandler would have a legitimate chance to dethrone the Russian star.

As of now, it doesn't sound as though Makhachev or Chandler or interested in the fight, but if their social media feud continues, it could compel UFC president Dana White to want to make it happen.

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev called Conor McGregor a chicken for pulling out of his UFC 303 fight with Michael Chandler after suffering a broken pinky toe in training.

McGregor revealed that news on Friday.

Makhachev also offered his condolences to Chandler, who he nicknamed "Hachiko."

For more information on that reference, here's a note from the WeRateDogs X account:

Chandler and McGregor were coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 31 in 2023, and this fight has been in the works for quite some time. Alas, it appears Chandler will have to wait even longer now.

It's no surprise that Makhachev has some beef with McGregor. He's been coached by former UFC champion and undefeated fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had a blood feud with McGregor when the two were both active.

It's unclear what's next for Makhachev, who is 26-1 lifetime and has now successfully defended his belt three times. He's done all he can in the lightweight division, and it's fair to wonder whether he'd be best deserved with a move up in weight class.

He told Zac Pacleb of UFC.com: "Honestly, I think it's my opinion, (I'm) almost done with my division because who is going to be next? Just Arman (Tsarukyan)," he said. "I already beat (him), and, in my division, I don't have some interesting fight (or) too exciting fights for me."

Makhachev's already the UFC's top pound-for-pound fighter as well, so any opponent is going to have a tough time with him. In the meantime, he's offering his opinions on other fights and foes as he considers his next move.

Dustin Poirier fought hard in a losing effort against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 302 this past Saturday, and he revealed just how many injuries he had to overcome during the bout.

Poirier posted on social media that he suffered a partially torn ACL, a broken nose and a broken rib in the contest against Makhachev, which ended in a fifth-round submission loss:

The 35-year-old appeared to injure his knee during a takedown attempt by Makhachev in the third round of Saturday's main event.

Poirier continued to fight through it and found some success in the fourth round, cutting Makhachev with an elbow. However, the champion showed his resiliency by securing a takedown in the fifth round and locking up a D'Arce Choke.

The American admitted in his post-fight interview that Saturday's defeat could be his last fight in the UFC, as it was his third time coming up short for the lightweight championship. After returning to his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, on Tuesday, he said he's still evaluating his future.

"I've been fighting a long time, man. It's been almost 18 years nonstop, 50 fights, a few world title fights," he said. "I've fought the best of my generation, and I've just got to decompress and see what's next."

Despite not winning a title in his career, he is still regarded as a legend of MMA and a fan favorite. He's been known for putting on exciting fights that are often back-and-forth wars, but he could now be ready to hang up his gloves.

Regardless of his decision, Poirier will be sidelined for some time while he recovers from his injuries.

Alexander Volkanovski can relate to Dustin Poirier.

The Australian featherweight has lost both of his fights against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, a fate that Poirier met on Saturday at UFC 302 after a fifth-round submission choke against Makhachev.

And now Volkanovski is eying a matchup with Poirier (3:00 mark).

"If the timing works maybe me and Dustin can have a good fight," he said. "I know he just wants good, fun fights and we have a lot of respect for each other and I think that would be a massive fight. That's something I'd be willing to do while I'm waiting for that featherweight title. Maybe a lightweight fight against someone like Poirier would be great. So you heard it here first."

Volkanovski, 35, is 26-4 in his career, but three of those losses have come in his past four fights. He was knocked out by punches in two rounds by Ilia Topuria in his last fight back in February at UFC 298, with the featherweight title on the line.

He previously held the featherweight title himself after defeating Max Holloway at UFC 245 in Dec. 2019. He defended that title five times, including twice against Holloway, before losing it to Topuria.

Poirier, 35, is 30-9 in his career but is just 2-3 in his last three fights, including a pair of lightweight title bid losses against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 in Dec. 2021 and Makhachev on Saturday.

He's considered to be arguably the greatest UFC fighter to never win a title, falling short in three title fights during his career, and he certainly made Makhachev work for his money.

"He did very good," the lightweight champ told reporters after the fight. "He defended my takedown and gave me a hard time."

It's possible that Saturday was Poirier's final rodeo.

"I know I can compete with the rest of these guys, but if I do, am I fighting just to fight?" he told reporters Saturday. "I got a little girl and a family at home, but I got to see [what's next]. This could be it."

If it isn't the end, however, a fight with Volkanovski would be an enticing next chapter.

Islam Makhachev continued his impressive UFC career on Saturday night, submitting Dustin Poirier to retain his lightweight championship and win his 14th fight in a row.

UFC president Dana White isn't ready to crown Makhachev as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, however (5:00 mark):

I think he's one of the greatest of all-time. I think he's incredible. I don't think he's the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. For anyone to call Islam the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world when Jon Jones is still f--king fighting is nuts and shouldn't be ranking in the pound-for-pound, or doing any of the f--cking rankings ever if that's what you really think.

Jon Jones has never lost a fight, ever. He's fought all the baddest dudes in the world, and then when you think about what pound-for-pound rankings really mean—he moved up to heavyweight and destroyed the best guy in the world. As long as Jon Jones is still fighting, active and in the rankings, nobody [else] is pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world.

Jones technically has lost a fight, a disqualification against Matt Hamill back in 2009 for illegal elbows that White has unsuccessfully attempted to get overturned. Outside of that bout, however, he's undefeated, albeit with the stain of using performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

Either way, Jones appreciated the love:

Makhachev had his own take (1:40 mark) on White's comments:

"I don't know. Maybe it's his opinion," he told reporters. "I saved this cut today [on my face] because all of these fights have been boring."

Before Poirier took Makhachev into the fifth round, the Russian fighter finished four of his previous five fights in the first or second rounds. He's also won by stoppages in seven of his past eight fights, with only Alexander Volkanovski taking him the distance in a decision during that run.

He's now 26-1 in his career, a record extremely close to Jones' 27-1 (1) mark. Let the debates begin in earnest.